38 Weeks

The past nine months seem to have flown by and we get to meet our precious baby boy in 7 days! It's officially our last week as Ricks Family party of 3. To say we are ready to meet Shepherd is an understatement. I know with Christmas festivities this week things will pass quickly and before we know it we will be hospital bound.

Sleeping for me has gotten pretty tough because I am flooded with thoughts and emotions. The past 2 years with Hatcher have been the greatest of my life and the memories we have made I will treasure forever. We have such a special bond and I love him more than he will ever know. Johny and I knew very early on after Hatcher's arrival that we wanted more children and that journey began for us just before Hatcher was turning one. It took us 8 months to get pregnant with Shep and although that journey was tough emotionally, God's timing was perfect. My dream of having a house full of children is finally coming true and I am so thankful God is giving us a son and Hatcher a little brother. It's perfect for our family. I know many if not every mother struggles with how or if their relationship with their first born will change once the new baby arrives and I cannot stop worrying about this. I just want him to know that Mommy and Daddy have more than enough love for both boys. I know Hatcher will need time to adjust and I am so thankful we have lots of family who will be with us over the first month to give him lots of love and attention. My prayer is that his transition will be a quick one and that we will settle into our new "normal" routine in no time. He's going to be the best big brother!!

We are beyond excited for Christmas this week! We have finally finished all of the last minute details of Shep's nursery so now I can get my gifts wrapped and under the tree. I can also focus on final things that need to be cleaned or organized before he gets here. Nesting is serious business, people!! We have a fun, busy week of things planned and just can't wait to see Hatcher's face on Christmas morning. He is so excited about Santa coming and entering through his chimney. He keeps going over to the fireplace and looking inside...it's so cute! :) We will celebrate Christmas Day with Johny's parents and then my mom arrives Friday to help me do some last minute things and have some mommy/daughter time. Then we will have my Dad, sister and grandparents here on Sunday for Christmas. And the best gift of all is the next day when we welcome Shepherd!!

We are scheduled for our c section on Monday, December 29 at 7:45 a.m. We check-in at 5:15 to get prepped and then it'll  be showtime. We will deliver Shep at a different hospital with a different doctor than we did with Hatcher. I am very anxious about surgery since my c section with Hatcher was not a good experience at all. Please pray with us that all will go well and that this experience will be much better and smoother for everyone.

Shepherd Morgan Ricks we are anticipating your arrival more and more every single day! We cannot wait to hold you in our arms, love on you and give you tons of kisses. We look forward to dressing you in your first precious outfit and debating who you look more like. We are ready for sleepless nights and learning all about who you are and what you like. You are the addition we have been waiting for and I know our hearts will explode with love we didn't know we had in us as soon as we lay our eyes on you! We love you so much already sweet baby and pray for your healthy and safe arrival.

Here's my "38 week bump" shot!

How far along? 38 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: +35 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? Nope! 

Sleep: Lots of potty breaks during the night & can't turn my mind off because I am so excited!

Best moment this week: Having our friends Christmas with the Parker's & VanDusen's and celebrating Christmas with Hatcher's MMO class.

Have you told family and friends: Yes!

Miss Anything? Can't think of anything new. Just uncomfortable a lot these days and it's harder to bend over or down without discomfort. 

Movement: Yes and lots of it! Shep is very active and most active late at night. 

Food cravings: If it's sweet, give it to me!!!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not lately...thank goodness.

Belly Button in or out? Depending on his position, sometimes it's in & sometimes it's out. 

Have you started to show yet: Yes

Gender: Boy

Labor Signs: No

Wedding rings on or off? Can only wear the engagement ring now!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward this week: Christmas Eve celebrations, Christmas and seeing the magic in Hatcher's eyes when he see his gifts from Santa, quality time with my mom as we make last minute preparations for Shep. And most importantly...meeting sweet Shep in just 7 days!!!!!!

37 Weeks

We are officially considered FULL TERM! This pregnancy has flown by and it's hard to believe we are only 13 days away from meeting Shepherd. I'm about to be a mother of 2!! Wow! :) This is something I have dreamed about my entire life and it's even better than I imagined it would be.

The nesting began a few weeks back but really kicked into high gear over the last week. I have a "to-do" list a mile long and I try desperately to mark a few things off every day. I have to brag on my husband too. I really put him to work over the weekend and he was such a trooper. Anyone who has experienced nesting knows there are things you want done that you really aren't capable of doing or shouldn't do. I am so thankful that he stepped in and helped me accomplish some things to mark off the list. We have a few more things to do this weekend and I think I'll finally feel "ready" for Shep to make his debut and welcome him into our home. Although, if he decides to come early then I guess he'll just experience home in it's normal everyday state which is clutter & chaos. But hey...I love that clutter & chaos because it means we have a happy home with a wild toddler running around and we wouldn't have it any other way!

My 37 week check-up was this morning and all is well. I'm not making any progress at this point and I wasn't surprised because I didn't make any with Hatcher either. At my 36 week c/u, the doctor was a little concerned about Shep's position but today he was definitely head down which is great news. My next appointment is for pre-op the day after Christmas...yay!!!

We have kept our days pretty busy so far this month and it's definitely making the time pass by so quickly. I am really enjoying my final days with Hatcher as an only child and trying to do some fun things over the next 13 days since I know I'll be out of commission for the first few weeks I am back at home after surgery. There are days when I just lay down & nap with him & try to enjoy those quiet moments just me & him. He has started waking up in the wee hours of the morning again and he comes to snuggle with us in our bed. I love waking up next to him and getting some early morning snuggles. I keep telling Johny we need to move to a king bed because that queen is about to be packed!! I know he is going to be a wonderful big brother and my anxiety over him not being the only child anymore is slowly starting to fade. Now, the excitement is kicking in & I just can't wait to introduce them and hear Hatcher say "aww wee" in his cute little baby voice!

Here's my 37 week "bump" shot and update! :)

How far along? 37 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: +35 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? Nope! 

Sleep: Lots of potty breaks during the night & crazy dreams.

Best moment this week: Hearing Shep's heartbeat this morning...that just never gets old!

Have you told family and friends: Yes!

Miss Anything? Can't think of anything new. Just uncomfortable a lot these days and it's harder to bend over or down without discomfort. 

Movement: Yes and lots of it! Shep is very active and most active late at night. 

Food cravings: Still spicy food, sweets & sweet tea.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Over the past few weeks, I keep waking up nauseous during the night but can't figure out what's causing it. It's definitely not helping on the sleep end of this deal either.

Belly Button in or out? Depending on his position, sometimes it's in & sometimes it's out. 

Have you started to show yet: Yes

Gender: Boy

Labor Signs: No

Wedding rings on or off? Can only wear the engagement ring now!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward this week: Marking more things off my to-do list, framily Christmas with the Parker's & VanDusen's and getting my presents wrapped & under the tree! It's almost Christmas!!! :)