Stretch Mark Scare!!

So last night after Meme's birthday party, I was getting ready for bed and looked down at my belly while faithfully applying my Bio Oil ($12 for 2 oz, mind you). I spotted two lines on the lower, right portion of my belly. I seriously got upset and started to investigate. Were these my first pregnancy stretch marks?!? I wanted to panic. I know this sounds silly, dramatic, and petty, but I'm not quite ready for stretch marks yet! I mean, I feel like most people get them at some point, but not this early in the game. If I'm already starting to get some, then I'm def doomed by the time the baby finally gets here to have a belly full of stretch marks. I backed away from the mirror and got into bed. I made Justin look also. Of coarse, he wasn't near as terrified of the marks as I was, he acted if it was no big deal (typical man)....but I just layed there and after a while, I noticed that they had disappeared! Yay! Come to find out, they were marks from the elastic in my shorts that I had been wearing that night. Thank goodness! So, I'm stretchmark free...at least for the time being. :-)

Almost 23 weeks

Here are some pics that I took today here at work. Everyone says that my belly has really popped this past week, so I wanted to take some new pictures. Looking at these pics, I wish my hair had some "pop" to it. LOL! It's looking kinda limp. Oh well.

Boy Crazy!

My friend Stephanie, the one that's due the same day as me, found out yesterday that she is also having another boy!! That got me to thinking about all of the baby boys that have been born or will be born in 2008 (that we know of). Here's my list so far....it's crazy!

• Ashley and Kyle Bailey=Bryson
• Sharon and Dustin Myers=Trace
• Robin and Clay Iles=Jude
• Rhonda and Gregg Marchie=Carter
• Crystal and Chad Hammerschmidt=Scott
• Brittani and Josh Spillars=Caden
• Anigie and Shay Mulkey=baby boy on the way
• Summer and Harvey Martin=baby boy on the way
• Carissa Moore and hubby=baby boy on the way
• Stephanie & Jason Carroll=baby boy on the way
• Shawn Cooley and his wife=baby boy on the way
• Tiffany and Jason Herron=baby boy on the way
• saved the best for last....Ryker Coy Blackmon is on his way

That's all I can think of for now, but geez, that's lots of lil' boys. In fact, I only know of two couples that are having girls this year.

My lil' Mango!

"Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop. "

Since Ryker can now hear us, I try to talk to him when I think about it. Mostly in the car or in the mornings when I'm by myself. I tell him how much we all love him and how excited we are to see him in the next few months. I also ask him what he's up to since he seems to be wide awake and playing around in my belly most of the time.

Ryker's Baby Bedding

I bought this bedding about a month before I even knew he was a boy, so luckily, we get to keep it. I love the colors and think the little animals are cute. Justin and I shopped for nursery furniture yesterday. We really like a crib and changing table/dresser that we saw at Brousse's in Lake Charles, but we hate to buy the first thing that we liked. I'm just ready to get his room all decorated and ready for his arrival. Don't tease, I know I have tons of time left, but I just can't wait to get everything situated and organized. :-)

Braxton Hicks already!?!

I think I've experienced my first noticeable Braxton Hicks Contraction today. I was walking to the restroom and my belly got extremely tight all of a sudden....to the point that it made me scared. I used the restroom and by the time I got up to wash my hands, I felt better and my belly felt more normal (if normal exists in my body anymore, ha!) So, of coarse, the research began once I got back to my desk and I started googling Braxton Hicks.
Here some quick info:
Some women experience them from early in their pregnancy through to the end. This made me feel better because I thought, crap...it's too early to start feeling stuff like this. Guess not.
Common triggers:

• baby moving inside your body (Ryker was pretty wiggly right before the BHC)
• heavy exertion or exercise, especially carrying things (not likely, I don't exert much)
• touching your abdomen (if I'm not typing, I'm rubbing my belly.)
• sexual intercourse (ha!)
• dehydration (possible, but doubtful)

Just to be safe, I'll mention it to my doc. I'm not worried, though.

Lil' Monkey

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

My lil' monkey is now represented by a nanner? Hum? Oh well, I still think he feels like a cantaloupe in my belly. I'm starting to feel bigger and bigger everyday. Now that he can taste what I'm eating, I hope he's ready for all of this....I tend to eat spicy stuff all the time. The spicier the better!

Sunday night supper

So yesterday after church and a few hours of decorating for Vacation Bible School, I rode to Merryville to meet Justin at a BBQ for one of his co-workers. We were there all afternoon and it was hotter than ever! I wasn't feelin' the BBQ and was starting to get hungry. Me and my friend Adrean and her son Skylar were sitting around sweating, swatting mosquitoes and griping about how we were ready to go. Then Skylar and I had the best idea, lets go to Sulphur and eat at Chili's! Everyone was game, so we decided to go for it. The service sucked, but the food was pretty good. It definitely satisfied my salsa craving, since we had 3 baskets of chips and salsa w/our meal. D-lish!

Cantaloupe!

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

According to the picture, the average baby is 10.6 oz. Ryker measured in at 14oz on Monday, so he's definatley ahead of schedule!

Our sweet baby...

I had my 20 week appointment yesterday. Mom and Mrs. Rhonda came with me this time and we did a little shopping and ate at Logan's about an hour before my appointment. When I hopped on the scales at the doctor's office, it showed that I had gained 6 lbs this past month!! I wanted to fall out!! I swore to the nurse that it was my big Logan's lunch. I've only gained 11 lbs so far, so 6 lbs at one time about killed me! LOL!

Anyway, we got some great pics of Ryker and I'm so excited to post them. Mom and Mrs. Rhonda got to come in with me and we had lots of fun during the sonogram. The sonogramist gave them each their own pictures. Ryker's now 14oz, so he's almost a whole pound. He's growing lots and is still measuring at least a week ahead!

A sweet profile pic!

No question that he's a lil' boy...and he's not shy at all!! LOL!

A Fabulous 4th!!

Me and Jus went to the lake for the weekend. We borrowed his uncle's camper and stayed at Pleasure Point. We also brought the boat, so I got to pull it to the lake (my first time to pull the boat by myself) and I did a really good job. :-) It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be. We spent a majority of our time w/Uncle Robby and Aunt Faye, the Farris' and lots of other friends from Merryville and DeRidder. I worked on my tan and relaxed. It was a great long weekend!


Justin w/Judd and Dennis Farris. Judd was so good at the lake that day, he really likes the water!

Watermelon Time!

Every 4th of July, Amerisafe gives us a watermelon. I love watermelons, but am anxious to see if it blows me up or not. I ate some about a month ago and I thought I was gonna die! I had to pee so much and felt like I had gained 10lbs. It was crazy! People warned me that it would do that to me but I didn't listen. I'll take it easy on the melon this time!

Amy, me, and Heather "fighting" over the perfect melon! We'll do anything for a photo op!

Here's a pic of my lil' melon belly. Starting to look like I swallowed a watermelon seed. LOL!