Wordless Wednesdays

Let's pretend that above this post it says "Wednesday May 23, 2012"
Each Wednesday I'll try to post a picture or two (or three or twelve). No blogging, just some good ole pictures from the week. Warning, there will most likely be one main subject for all of the photos. :)

Baby Locks...

"Woah, look at all that hair!"

How many times have we heard that? Too many to count.

As we expected, Lucy was born with a full head of hair. It's over an inch long in the back, and if it keeps growing, it may become a baby-mullet.

Last week Susan and I discovered these curls that show up after a bath:

At less than 3 weeks old, she's already had her share of bad hair moments. And I'll admit, I'm to blame. I've never known how to french braid. I've had the same hair style just about my entire life. My famous go-to is the simple ponytail. I would fail as a hair stylist. Poor little Lucy. I have a feeling that these are just the start of an entire album of bad hair days (at least until your old enough to style it yourself).



First Bath

Nana was over yesterday for a visit. She watched Lucy as I went and got my haircut. Who would've thought it'd be difficult to leave for just 2 hours?!? I thought about her the whole time.

While Nana was over, we gave Lucy a bath. Her hair lightened a shade or two. After being dried, Lucy hair turned to curls. Eventually most of those went away, but two little curls, one by each ear, stuck around. Just when I thought she couldn't get any cuter, she goes and gets two little curls :)

Today David stopped by with Franny and Yoshi. We had lunch and snuggled a sleeping baby. Franny is an excellent big-cousin, and is excited to teach Lucy everything she knows.

She's Official

The Social Security Administration sent Lucy her social security card.

She's officially Lucy Todd Ring.

Her cord stump fell off today. This means we get to start with the cloth diapering. (Insert a super excited momma face here).

We made our first trip to the store yesterday. We bought wipes.

Today we went to bring daddy lunch at work. This is how it went:

I loaded Lucy in her car seat. As I click in the buckle, I hear a squirt. So I take her in the house to change her diaper (I probably should've just brought her to daddy with a dirty diaper). I undo the velcro, and take her inside.  Phew, it's an easy one.. So I remove the diaper and reach for a wipe, and gushy squirt. Yep, poop all over her outfit.. So I take off her outfit and go run it into the bathroom sink. In this 5 seconds (max) time, she managed to pee (and poop... again) all over the changing pad... Eventually, we worked together, got it all cleaned up, and headed off to bring dad his lunch. It's these little things that are making me enjoy motherhood. No seriously, I couldn't stop laughing throughout this little experience.

Happy Mother's Day...

Happy Mother's Day to my amazing mom  and mom-in-law. They have been absolute saints this last week. They came over and cooked us just about every meal; cleaned our house cleaner than we ever keep it; and cuddled and cuddled (and cuddled some more) Lucy. I don't think Kyle or I have done the dishes for over a week! Thank you moms. We appreciate all that you've done for us. You truly are the best!

I had my very first mother's day. *tear*. It started with this:

Breakfast in Bed for Mother's Day

I finally figured out what my mom meant all those years, that the best mother's day present was us. Because Lucy is hands down the best gift I've ever received.

Speaking of Lucy, please prepare yourself for an excessive amount of first week photos...

We have the world's happiest baby. She usually gives us a grunt and look of discomfort at least 15 seconds prior to crying; thus giving us every opportunity to fix the situation at a comfortable decibel. She is very alert, and likes when her daddy reads her the book "White on Black" (no it's not about hate crimes). She is a very smiley newborn with a FULL head of hair. Seriously, I've never seen so much hair on a newborn.

Lucy usually sleeps 3-4 hours at a time, though I think she'd sleep even longer if I wasn't waking her up for meals. We've been living by the itzbeen that we received. (For those who don't know what that is, it is a timer to remind forgetful, sleep deprived, mothers to wake their sleeping baby for a feeding).

Well, I gave you your warning. Here come a whole lotta Lucy pictures:

Bad Hair Days aren't suppose to start at birth

My mom has no clue how to style hair

First photo with daddy

First photo with momma

Hanging out with daddy on his day off



A good looking duo

Feed Me...

Nuna put these silly socks on my hands so I'd stop scratching my face

Sometimes I wonder if she thinks I'm crazy yet...

Lucy Todd Ring

Little Lucy has arrived. And I love her.

Lucy -One Day Old

At Thursday's doctors appointment I was 0cm and 0%. With no symptoms or signs of labor, we scheduled an induction for next week.

Needless to say, I was quite surprised when I started having contractions the next day. Actually, I was in denial. Kyle and I decided to go to the hospital just to make sure and assumed we'd be sent home.

We arrived at the hospital at around 9:45pm on Friday. It appeared as though little Lucy recieved her eviction notice and was going to try for an on time delivery. She was born at 4:38 am on Saturday (just barely missing her due date).

As we predicted, she was born with a full head of hair. She aced all of her baby tests and we were able to bring her home after her required 48 hour hospital stay.

 I love to just watch all of her faces. Her scrunched up "Mr. Magoo" face, the neck extended turtle face,  her grin whenever she puts her fingers in her mouth (one of her favorites), and her "you have 15 seconds to fix this before I start crying" face.

She is a super happy baby. She hasn't been crying much and has been pretty go with the flow (for now). She had her three day old check up today. She has gained weight and appears to be a healthy little girl.

We couldn't be happier for this amazing blessing. I am so thankful for our new little family.

First Family Photo

Eviction Notice

Dear Lucy,

This is your 7 day eviction notice. You have until next week Thursday to remove yourself and your belongings from my uterus. 

Sincerely,

Your Loving Mother

We had our doctors appointment this morning. Again, no progress. Still no contractions, no dilation and zero signs of labor. We're scheduled to go in Tuesday night where we'll start some sort of medication. And then we'll start pitocin on Wednesday. This would mean that little Lucy will hopefully arrive by Thursday night (fingers crossed) or Friday at latest.

Grandmothers are an Exceptional Exception…

Kyle and I often discuss how we want to raise this little squatter that’s hanging out inside my uterus. Topics like discipline, dealing with temper tantrums, and limiting processed sugar and television have all come up. We’d like to have routine and order while still providing guidance and unconditional love.

There’s one other topic that we’ve agreed on, Grandmothers. I only had one grandmother growing up. And she was the best. I loved going to grandmas. She made me noodles and fried rice. And she didn’t make me eat the peas or pork either. She hung up my ugly pot holders all over her little tiny kitchen. Grandma let me get away with things that were on my mom’s “no list”. Like getting to go to bed in front of the TV.

Lucy is going to have two really awesome grandmothers. And Kyle and I have already decided; grandmothers get a free pass. A free pass to do whatever they like… Even if it is a second scoop of ice cream or extra sugar on her mochi.

Hopefully, they just don't do anything like these grandparents:
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/01/11488273-drunken-grandparents-use-suv-to-tow-girl-in-toy-car-deputies-say?lite

Finishing What you Start...

I am ready to be done being pregnant. 

I want to be able to bend over, tie my shoes and not gasp for air as I stand back up.

I want to be able to sleep on my stomach (though never in my life have I been a stomach sleeper, I'd still like to give it a try).

I want to be able to drink a caffeinated sugary beverage and not have to worry about my stomach jumping for the next 2 hours.

I want to be able to do a sit up and not have to roll from side to side to get out of bed in the morning. 

I want a glass of wine (or maybe two).

I was reading through one of the many magazines that they handed out during our child-birth class. There was an article on those who do not deliver early (which will be me). The article made the comparison to finishing a marathon. Not to downplay those who delivered their babies prior to 40 weeks, but the article said that quitting at 38 or 39 weeks would be like not running the last mile or half a mile when running a marathon. 

So it looks like Lucy wants to make sure I finish this endeavor; every last step of it.

A May Baby...

No symptoms or signs at all this weekend. Not even a quick false contraction to get my hopes up. It doesn't feel like she's dropping any; if anything I think that she's crawling even further up back inside. It looks like little Lucy is going to be a May baby. (Just as long as she's not a June-baby, I think I'll be alright). 

I have a doctors appointment this Thursday,  my 40 week checkup. I've decided that baby or no baby, that Thursday's going to be my last day of work until I go back in July. Happy last 4 days of work to me. I haven't had more than a week off of work since our wedding/honeymoon. And a month of not working? That dates back to 2004. Looking forward to some "time off".

One Week til May 4th

I had extra vacation days to use up before my maternity leave. I kept pushing them back, because something always seemed to come up at work. Well, I finally put my foot down and took off last Friday and Monday. I cleaned the house, washed the floors, and made a big dent in my “to-do” list. Kyle asked if I had gotten that “nesting” instinct. Unfortunately, it was just a “wow, I’m bored with nothing better to do” instinct. I wish I had the desire to clean and tidy up my home, but nope, this was a long overdue and forced scrubbing.

After hand washing the kitchen floor, our 11 year old golden retriever, Savannah decided to poop right in the middle of it. I'm not sure what she was trying to tell me or what signal she was sending, but it allowed me the opportunity to wash the floor twice.

I sometimes wonder what our dogs do when we’re not around. So, I let them outside and spied on them from my bedroom window. This is a short clip into the lives of Savannah and Reggie, when they think no one’s watching. As you might notice, they're two very different dogs.

Only 1 week until Lucy's due date. For a while I thought she'd be early. Then I thought she'd show up right on her due date at noon. After yesterday's dr. appointment, I'm now thinking that she'll have to be forced out a week and a half after her due date. No effacement and zero dilation. As my mother-in-law said, Lucy must just feel happy and safe inside. (Or maybe she's afraid of that crazy dog in the video).

Oh by the way, for you foodies, Lucy's the size of a wintermelon. I've never had one before, and after wikipedia-ing it, I'm not really in a hurry to try one.

My Little Pumpkin... 38 weeks

Little Lucy is approximately the size of a pumpkin.

I haven't had any symptoms or signs of labor. If it wasn't for this ridiculously large stomach, I would forget that I was pregnant. I had a doctor's appointment this morning. Nothing exciting other than a whole lot of waiting to see the doctor. My blood pressure was up to 95/70 (which is still low for the average person) and Lucy's heart beat "sounded good". Which means that we'll just continue to wait until she's ready to come. I go back again next week to check her status.

She's still very active and I'm starting to learn how to ignore her hiccups. I used to love baby hiccups, now they just drive me nuts!

I realized that I might be a mother this mother's day. Kyle made the comparison to going on a first date a few days before Valentine's Day. 

Not much else going on in the Ring house.

37 weeks

I feared that one day, this fruit would come… Little Lucy Ring is the size of watermelon. Yowsers! At my appointment on Tuesday, they estimated that she weighs 6 pounds and 12 ounces. That puts her in the 58 percentile. She received 8 out of 8 for the portion of the biophysical profile test that she completed. They did note that she was a little low on amniotic fluid. We skipped the non-stress test part of it. The doctor was behind, and she had aced all of the other tests.

We passed our childbirth course. It was nice taking the 6 week class. At the review, I was amazed of how much I had learned. I think we’re ready for this whole baby pushing business. Which, we did find out that Lucy has turned and is head down.

22 more days until her due date. I have another doctor’s appointment next Thursday. It should be just a quick check up to make sure we’re still feeling ok. I’ve actually been feeling a lot better than I expected to be feeling at this point. Sometimes my lower back will be a little sore, but nothing too bad. I’m starting to find bending down to tie my shoes sort of difficult too.

By the way, we received this in the mail:

 

Barbara (Christine's mother-in-law) knitted Lucy a sweater, socks,  and hat. These may be the most adorable things I've ever seen. I can't wait until she's big enough to rock out in this!

Easter 2012

On Saturday we went to Carmel to spend time with Kyle's family and to check out his parents new house. They were able to work with the builders and have it built exactly the way they wanted. I love the smell and feel of a new house... It's even nicer than the smell of a new car :)

On Sunday morning, Kyle and I got up early and made an asparagus, Canadian bacon and gouda quiche. We brought it over to my parents and spent Easter with my family. The Easter Bunny had left eggs in the backyard for Yoshi and Franny.

They enjoyed opening the eggs to see all the stuff inside. Franny liked the balloons and lizards, but Yoshi's favorite was definitely the "chalk-kal-lit"

After that we dyed Easter eggs and played games. I can't wait until Lucy's here next Easter and can join in on the fun!

I'll leave you with my 36 weeks and 3 days photos,

Michelle

36 weeks

Little Lucy is the size of a coconut...

Reminds me of one of my favorite Sesame Street songs...

"Shimi shimi, coconut, shimi shimi pie

Grandma, grandma sick in bed
Called the doctor and the doctor and the doctor said
Let's get the rhythm of the head, ding dong"

We toured the hospital on Tuesday. We were able to see all of the different rooms that we might be in.  Hopefully we'll never have to use the c-section room or the NICU. 

Pretty much, we'll wait until I start having contractions that are 5 minutes apart. Then we'll go to the hospital, check in and get checked out in the pre-labor room. Once I'm "ready" we'll go to the labor room, and have Lucy. After Lucy is born, Kyle, Lucy and I will be in that room for about another 2-3 hours, while they bathe her and check all her stats. After that we'll move to the postpartum room, which we'll be in for about 48 hours. Hopefully after that, they'll run some last tests on Lucy, and we'll be released to go home.

I have a doctors appointment on Tuesday. They'll run a non stress test and do an ultrasound to check for all those things doctors check for before delivery :)

I can't believe that Lucy will be here in less than a month (hopefully).

I did a little research on when babies are born in relation to their due date. A baby who makes it to 35 weeks, has the following percentages:

35 weeks: 1.2%

36 weeks: 3.3%

37 weeks: 7.2%

38 weeks: 12.9%

39 weeks: 26.6%

40 weeks: 30.6%

41 weeks: 15.8%

42 weeks: 2.3%

43 weeks: 0.2% 

Just a reminder of everyone's birth date guesses:

Maureen:  April 24th @ 7:19pm

Hannah: April 27 @ 6:12am

David Ring:  April 28th @ 9:15 am

Jason: April 29 @ 11:07 pm

Me: April 30th @ noon

Nana: May 1st @ 10:00am

Kyle: May 2 @ 10:45 a.m

Christine Lynn: May 3rd @ 130am

Draves: May 3rd @ 8:05 am

Kels: May 5th @ 515PM

Auntie Donna: May 6

Theresa: May 8th

Nuna: May 11th @ 5:00pm

Papa Ring: May 12 @ 8:47 A.M

I'm surprised no one picked her actual due date, May 4th

All the Marbles...

I should be blogging about Lucy's size at 35 weeks (which is about the size of a butternut squash). Instead I'm going to blog about something even more exciting... the NCAA tournament. If Kentucky pulls off a win tonight, you're looking at the 2012 Bielick-Ring March Madness Champion. However, if somehow Bill Self-ish beats the wildcats, Susan (Kyle's mom) will be the first repeat winner (which would be fitting, since she was also the inaugural champ in 2009). 

Kyle and I enjoy our family pool. Everyone fills out one bracket, and the winner gets their name on the perpetual plaque, which is proudly displayed in our house. Unfortunately, neither Kyle nor I have our names up there... yet. There's no money involved, yet the stakes are higher than any other bracket that we fill out. My mom even fills out a bracket. This year she chose Lehigh over Duke, and had Marquette and Wisconsin not lost as early as they did, she'd still be in the running.

Hopefully this is my year. I like my chances. Go Kentucky! (Hopefully SR does not ever read this)