I'm officially a MOM!

Our little girl finally made her debut! Sydney Noelle Lyons was born Monday, December 22nd at 7:14 a.m. She weighed 6 lbs and 11 oz and was 19.5 inches long.
I am still amazed by the entire pregnancy and birth and I must say that having a child is truly a miracle! A definite gift from God!
Short version of the story:
I started having contractions Sunday evening around 8:00. I didn't think anything of them. They were mild and were about 15 minutes apart. Felt like minor cramps. I called my college roommate Sophia (who is a nurse), and she said to wait until the contractions were 5 minutes apart for 1 hour before going to the hospital. I thought that would be sometime Monday morning because I know the first stage of labor usually takes a while. Plus, I had been to the doctor on the previous Thursday and was not dilated at all. So I thought this would be a slow process. Well, by 11:00 the contractions were coming closer together and were definitely starting to get stronger. I tried to go to sleep and was hoping to wake up later on in the morning when they were closer together. Then we could go to the hospital. Sleep was not an option. By 12:30 a.m. I was in a lot of pain and I told Ricky to start timing the contractions. They were 3 minutes apart!
I decided we should go to the hospital just to get checked out. I figured the worst they would do is send us home. We got there around 1:45 a.m. and come to find out, I was not dilated at all. I'm sure the nurse thought I was a wimp because my contractions couldn't have been that bad if I wasn't dilated. She said she would monitor me for a little while. She came back 45 minutes later and told me she would give me something for the pain and she was about to say "go home and come back a little later". But before she said that I told her that I was starting to feel fluid leaking. (sorry for the details) She checked me again and said "oh my gosh, you are 3 cm dilated, you aren't going anywhere". That was music to my ears!
We were moved to a labor and delivery room and they took blood, hooked up my IV, and gave me some pain medicine. That didn't help at all, just made me a little loopy. After another hour, I was 6 cm dilated. By the time the anesthetist came by to give me the epidural, I was at 7 cm. She told me I was going to have this baby in the next 2-3 hours so they recommended just a temporary spinal block instead of an epidural. Basically it just numbs you for a short period of time. That worked for me! By 6:30 a.m. I was pushing and Sydney was born at 7:14 a.m. She did not waste any time making her way into the world! Which was fine with me!
Ricky and I are thrilled to be parents and can't believe she is finally at home with us. We are all doing well and will definitely enjoy this Christmas!

I'm ready for this baby girl to arrive!

Here is a picture of me at 39 weeks and 4 days. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby. I'm definitely feeling run down and tired (as you can tell in the picture). I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday and she said I was still not dilating, but continuing to thin out. Since my due date is Tuesday, she asked me to come in on Monday for another check. She seems to think our baby will be a few days late, meaning sometime between Christmas and New Year's. So all we can do is wait...

Getting ready for baby

I just have to share this picture with you...

The past few weeks I have spent a lot of time in the nursery - arranging clothes, organizing the closet, sorting through gifts, etc. Ricky has done his fair share of work too - he painted the nursery and installed the shelves in the closet, hung the artwork, and put together the crib. Two weeks ago I washed all of the newborn baby clothes, sheets, blankets, burp cloths, towels, washcloths, etc. I wanted everything clean so when we brought her home I didn't have to worry about anything. Well, Ricky helped me fold some of the clothes and that's where this picture came from. He was having way too much fun with the socks! We both couldn't believe how tiny they are!

No Baby Yet!

38 Weeks
Well, I had a checkup yesterday and our little baby girl is not ready to enter the world yet. Things are progressing, but I'm not dilating yet. I was really hoping the full moon tonight might influence her to arrive early, but I don't think that's going to be the case. She might be a Christmas baby after all!
I have decided to stop worrying about it and enjoy the last 2 weeks of pregnancy. And the quiet! Because I know our lives are about to be turned upside down!
We got our Christmas tree and put up all of our decorations last weekend. I finished my Christmas shopping yesterday, thank goodness. I had to shop in short intervals because my legs and feet get really tired. It's funny to see everyone at the mall staring at me. You would think they had never seen a pregnant woman before. :)
I will post a picture tonight or tomorrow. My belly hasn't changed much from 2 weeks ago. I don't think it has gotten any bigger. Maybe just a little lower...

Nursery pictures at last!

I promised nursery pictures a long time ago, and I have finally followed through on my promise! We have had the room painted for over a month now but all of the decorations were not in place. Now we have curtains, shelves, and artwork. The only thing left to hang is her name, which will go above her bed.
I must give Ricky all the credit for painting the room. He measured out all of the stripes and painted them two shades of red. Then he painted the top portion of the wall a pale pink. He also put the white chair rail along the middle of the wall. It was a lot of work and he did a great job.

Only 1 Month to Go!

36 Weeks

Wow, I can't believe I only have 4 weeks until our little girl is supposed to arrive. (I'm hoping she will arrive in 2-3 weeks so we can be home with her on Christmas!) It seems like these past 2 months have flown by.

Ricky and I attended a childbirth class 2 weekends ago on Nov. 15th. We learned about the entire labor process and got to watch a detailed video of an actual labor. OUCH is all I have to say about that...

We also learned about epidurals, natural childbirth, etc. We took a tour of the labor and delivery area at the hospital and saw the nursery. But there were no babies! I couldn't believe it. I have heard that a lot of people are due in December so the nursery will probably be full when I am there.

We practiced breathing and relaxation techniques. They seem like good ideas in theory, but if people actually remember to do them is the question I have. I think they might go right out the window if you are trying to push a baby out. I guess we'll see!

Then we learned some basic childcare and first aid for infants. Overall it was a good class. Some things were pretty self explanatory but I'm still glad we attended.

This past weekend my parents visited us. We had lots of fun shopping at the outlets and watching football. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel on Sunday, which was the highlight of the weekend! I have been craving blueberry pancakes and man did they hit the spot!

I am now going to the doctor every week. My next appointment is tomorrow - my 36 week checkup. I doubt I have started to dilate, but they did tell me last week that the baby is in the right position. She is head down and turned to the side. Let's hope she stays that way!

We're getting closer!

I can't believe I am 34 weeks pregnant! Only 6 weeks to go! I am technically full term as of 37 weeks, but I have a feeling this little girl will not be early! If she's anything like her mom, she will be fashionably late. :)
I'm still feeling pretty good. Just tired and sore sometimes. I know that's normal. I'm still at the gym 5 days a week, but my workouts have become a lot less intense. It doesn't take much to get my heart rate going these days! But I feel better just being there. I can't imagine not working out. I don't know how I'm going to fit it in when we have the baby, but I will figure it out. Just knowing I'm doing something that benefits me both physically and mentally is such an exhilirating feeling.
Ricky and I are attending a childbirth class on Saturday. It's an all day class so we should be full of baby knowledge when we finish. Should be tons of fun! I know Ricky is thrilled about it. Ha ha!
I go back to the doctor next week for my Group B strep test. I'm now going to the doctor every 2 weeks. Once I get to 37 weeks, I will be visiting them every week.
I know some of you are still waiting on nursery pictures. We're almost there. I plan to hang the artwork this weekend and then I promise to post pictures! We plan on putting her name on the wall above her crib, but since she doesn't have a name yet that will have to be put on hold for now. :)

32 Weeks

How your baby's growing: By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Only 8 weeks to go! I can't believe how fast the time is going by. Seems like yesterday I was just 6 months along. I'm still feeling pretty good, just a little sore and sleepy. But that's to be expected. I need to go to bed earlier, but I just cannot get myself used to laying down at 9:00. I have to watch Grey's Anatomy on Thursday's and it doesn't go off until 10:00! Everyone tells me to sleep now because I won't be able to sleep that much when the baby arrives. I'm trying...it's just not happening yet. At least I get an extra hour this weekend because of daylight savings time.

I have sorted through all of the gifts we received from our showers. Wow! I don't need to buy any clothes for at least 3 months. :) We were overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and family at both of our baby showers. We are truly blessed! We are currently trying to organize the nursery and put away everything. As soon as that is done, I promise to post pictures of the nursery!

We still haven't decided on a name. We have about 5 names we like, and of course each of our top picks is different. Maybe when we see her we will know what the right name is.

Baby Shower in NC

Several ladies at my church back in NC hosted a shower for me on Sunday, October 26th. It was so much fun to see everyone again and be able to visit with them, even if it was only for a short time. I have never seen so many gifts! Everyone was so generous and it made me feel so special. Our little baby girl is definitely loved by many already!

4-D Ultrasound

Ricky and I had a 4-D ultrasound done at Tiny Toes Imaging on Saturday while we were home visiting family. It was so neat! My mom, grandma, brother, and Ricky's mom joined us and we all were amazed and what we saw. She has the cutest little nose and really pretty lips. She was pretty active during the ultrasound, but she kept blocking her face with her hands and feet. Yes, her feet! She is definitely flexible! You can see her foot on the left side of some of the pictures.
In the picture below, her eyes and mouth are open and she is trying to suck her toe.
We also got to see a little bit of her personality because she stuck her middle finger up at us. As if to say, stop poking me!
We can't wait to meet this precious little girl!

Baby Shower in Myrtle Beach

This past Saturday my college friends came down and hosted a baby shower for me at my house. And I must say, they went above and beyond! It made me feel so honored to see all the personal touches they added to make the shower special for me. It was SO much fun! Not only did they make delicious food and decorate my house beautifully, we also go to catch up and enjoy a fun girls weekend! We stayed up late talking, watching movies, and of course, eating chocolate and ice cream! (Ricky stayed at a friend's house because there were too many women in the house for him!)
The shower was a blast. Numerous coworkers as well as friends came by and we had fun talking and playing games. I received cute outfits, blankets, socks, diapers, etc. and everyone got to see what a wonderful job Ricky did painting the nursery. My mom and mother-in-law were in town and I'm so glad they were there to share the day with me.


















Yummy cupcakes!

More Baby Shower pictures

More Baby Shower pictures

Start the Countdown!

30 Weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

I am officially 30 weeks as of tomorrow. Only 10 weeks to go! I'm counting down! It seems like the last 2 months have flown by. The baby is getting more active as the days go by. Sometimes it feels like she is doing somersaults. It's so neat to watch my belly as she moves around and kicks. It's just amazing that there is a little person inside there. Definitely a miracle and no other explanation for it other than it being God's creation. I can't wait to meet her!

I had a checkup this afternoon. My blood pressure was a little low, but that's normal for me. My weight was fine and my belly is measuring what it should. I go back in 3 weeks, then will continue to go every 2 weeks until the last month.

My first baby shower is this coming weekend and I'm so excited! Some of my college friends from Raleigh are headed to the beach to host the shower for me. A lot of coworkers and friends will be attending and I can't wait to see everyone. My mom, grandma, and mother-in-law will also be in town. I'm really looking forward to the shower and the time to visit with everyone.

Ricky painted our nursery over the weekend and it looks really cute. We did stripes on the bottom half of the wall in 2 shades of red and a very pale pink at the top with a white chair rail in the middle. I will post pictures once we have a few more decorations in the room.

We still haven't decided on a name but we have a few favorites. We are still open to suggestions! Feel free to email them to me at sblyons@sc.rr.com.

I don't like shots!

28 Weeks

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Our little baby girl is definitely getting more active. She is actually developing a routine of when she moves and when she is sleeping. I notice her moving when I work out in the mornings, then on my way to work. She is probably enjoying my breakfast...hope she likes cereal and bananas because that's all I tend to eat in the mornings! Then around 11 am and right after lunch she becomes active again. Her movements are getting stronger and you can definitely see them on the outside. Her kicks and pokes have been seen by Ricky along with some of my coworkers. It's one of the neatest feelings ever!

She moves again on the way home and usually after dinner. And, of course, she starts to move when I go to bed! I wish she understood bedtime a little better. Her movements aren't strong enough to keep me awake right now, but in another month she may start depriving me of sleep. I guess I better get used to that!

This week I had a doctor's appointment for my Rhogam shot. Here's a brief explanation. Because I have a negative blood type and Ricky has a positive blood type, we don't know what blood type the baby will have until she is born. If she were to have a positive blood type, my body would see that as foreign and produce antibodies that would begin attacking her blood cells. I got the Rhogam shot to prevent my body from producing those antibodies. My blood work that I had done on Monday revealed that I was negative for antibodies, meaning my body was not yet producing them. However, they give you the shot as a preventative measure. I will get another shot once the baby is born. Shots are no fun but at least it was quick!

As you can tell by my picture, I am starting to poke out just a little. Ha Ha...I'm poking out a lot now! I'm still gaining weight steadily and continuing to work out. I have cut back my intensity because I'm becoming more tired and sore as the weeks go by. Especially in my pelvic region. I read that my bones and cartilage are starting to soften and separate to make way for baby. No wonder I'm sore!

Ricky and I will be painting our nursery in the next week. I will post pictures soon...