More babies in the family!

I can't believe I forgot to blog about my cousin's baby! 

On Feb 22, 2011 at 7:43pm my cousin Amy gave birth to her first child, April Renee.  She was 8lbs 9oz and 21 inches long.  How my 4'11" cousin had that big of a baby we will never know.  :)  If I have my relationships correct (because lets face it, it gets confusing), then April is my 1st cousin once removed while Ryland and April are 2nd cousins.

Congrats to the proud parents Amy and Rob!  You can read more about April on their blog Tales of the Goodreaus.

April - 2/22/2011

A new cousin for Ryland!

Over the weekend we took Ryland back to the hospital to meet his new baby cousin, Blake.  Congrats to the proud parents, Sara (Malek's sister) & Dana.  Blake was born Saturday, April 23rd at 9:36am.  Ryland and Blake are only 5 days apart.  :)  I'm looking forward to all the play dates!

Blake O'Mara Barney - 4/23/2011

Barney's

Malek w/ his new niece, Blake

Cousins - Ryland and Blake

He has arrived!

We are proud to announce the newest member of our family -
Ryland Carter Malek!!

Ryland - 4/18/2011

Born: Monday, April 18th
Time:  6:38 PM via C-section
Weight:  8 lbs 3 oz
Length:  21 3/4 inches

More updates coming soon.

1st family picture 4/18/2011

Tomorrow everything changes

The moment a child is born,
the mother is also born.
She never existed before.
The woman existed, but the mother, never.
A mother is something absolutely new.
Rajneesh


Having a baby is like falling in love again, both with your husband and your child.
Tina Brown


It was the tiniest thing I ever decided to put my whole life into.
Terri Guillemets

40 weeks - official end of pregnancy...

40 weeks!  I honestly didn't think I'd make it all the way, I really thought baby would come earlier. Guess he didn't get the memo and prefers to be fashionably late.  I read about half of all pregnancies go past the 40 week mark.  Ugh!

I head off to my last weekly Dr appointment this morning.  Finger's crossed for some progress!

How I Look - 40 weeks worth of belly!  Sometimes I see a body part (most likely a foot) sticking out on the right side, it really freaked Malek out last night.  My belly is all kinds of distorted when baby moves around, like its doing the wave or in an earthquake.

How I Feel -  Belly is super tender/sore.  There's no more room in there for you little guy!  You need to exit the premises. 

Weight -   +31.5 lbs  

Symptoms -  Where are the contractions?  I haven't felt anything besides the baby moving and some slight discomfort/pressure in the pelvic region.  

Cravings -  Ice cream and crawfish!  I'm trying to fit in as much crawfish as possible before I'm house bound.

Exercise -  I'm up to 2 walks a day and still no labor activity!  Wed night I tried jumping around and squatting on the ground (knees to chest/ears).  That didn't last very long as it was super uncomfortable. 

What I'm Looking Forward To -  When I can actually go to the hospital (any day now right!?!?!), get an epidural and meet my little guy!

What I'm Not Looking Forward To -  It was labor but now I just want this pregnancy done, bring it on!

Odds and Ends - My parents arrive this Saturday to help out around the house and meet their grandson.  I bet baby forces me (us) to wait all weekend before making his grand appearance.  No matter what, this kid will be here by Monday!

Birthing Mantras I ran across this week: 

• Courage, faith and patience.  (Yeah right, I'm sooooo impatient!  :P)
• I am ready and prepared for this.  (Is anyone truly prepared?)
• Believing makes it happen.  (I really like this one, but here I am at 40 weeks and no baby yet, this also leads into the next one...)
• I am in complete control of what is going on around me (seriously? even my friends and family would roll their eyes at me on this ones)
• I see myself handling everything beautifully (ha! I'm a spaz)
• I deserve this birth!  (Hellz yeah!)
• Relax  (me? high strung? nah)

Yup, this is what you get at 40 weeks, me dressed to the nines!  :Þ

Comfy clothes, no makeup, barefoot. 



40 weeks - 4/15/2011



 

39 weeks

How I Look - The same as last week, I'm all belly. 
How I Feel -  Anxious, nervous, excited, tired...READY!! 

Weight -   +30.5 lbs  

Symptoms -  My lower back has not bothered me this week.  Yay!  Still waking up every 2 hours at night to pee.  Boo!  Belly feels tight all the time.  I have not noticed any contractions.  ** sigh **.  The bottoms of my feet hurt when I stand or walk around too much.

Cravings -  Ice cream
Exercise -  Walks and a few other extra curricular activities to try and get the baby moving.  ;)

What I'm Looking Forward To - Only 1 week to go and then it's HELLO BABY!!!  I wonder what you will look like?  Super excited to finally see your face.

What I'm Not Looking Forward To -  Labor, it sounds kinda scary.  I think it's the pushing part I'm wary of.

Odds and Ends - Dr appointment went well this morning, almost 3 cm dilated, BP good, baby's heartbeat is 156.  I will be working remote next week in anticipation of our little one.  No reason for me to be driving if I could go into labor at any moment.  Wed night I made these labor-inducing lemon cupcakes that were in the news...so far nothing.  :(  Maybe I used the wrong recipe?  I did make them with real lemon juice and lemon zest, which the article hints to as being the reason they work.  Oh well, baby will come when he's ready.

Let's get this show on the road!  :)  It could be any day now...any day...

39 weeks - 4/8/2011



38 weeks

How I Look - Belly is all I see (and feel)!  I'm starting not to care about what I'm wearing.  It's mainly jeans and a short sleeved shirt and tennis shoes at work.  Then at home I lounge around in sweat shorts and my hubby's shirts.

How I Feel -  Pelvic pressure, uncomfortable, stretched....so ready for this to be over. 
Weight -   +29 lbs  

Symptoms -  Slight swelling in my fingers, usually when I'm outside.  I like to think it's because it's getting warmer now (we are in TX and it is HOT here), but more likely its due to pregnancy.  :Þ  I can still wear my wedding ring, however it has become more noticeably snug.  I probably should stop wearing rings all together.  The past couple of days I've had a pinched nerve in my lower back, it gets me when I turn funny or bend over too fast.  I'm also waking up every 2 hours at night to pee....how annoying.  Guess that's my body's way to prepare me for nursing and checking on the baby at night.

Cravings -  Ice cream and Haribo gummy bears. 

Exercise -  Evening walks with the doggies and hubby.

What I'm Looking Forward To - Being done with this pregnancy and moving onto the next stage - meeting my baby! 
What I'm Not Looking Forward To -  Labor and if my water breaks at work or in bed or anywhere for that matter.  I'm sleeping on a towel at night because I'm worried that my water will break while in bed and ruin the mattress. 

Odds and Ends - I'm still 2 cm dilated.  My Dr told me on Thursday that 'it could be any day now.  Based on that and the fact that I only have 2 weeks left, I will start working from home more often.  Heck I just had a co-worker tell me to just stay at home the last 1.5 weeks, that it's not worth the risk of something happening while I'm driving to work.  I keep hitting things with my belly because I'm not allowing myself enough room.  :/  Apparently from week 38 and on my belly size should remain pretty constant.  Whew!  I really hope I don't stretch anymore...I can't imagine getting any bigger!  I also wonder what color my baby's eyes will be...I'm very curious if he'll get/keep my blue eyes or have my hubby's chocolate brown eyes.

Hurry up baby!  All your organs are ready for life outside the womb, don't force me to evict you.  ;)  We're ready to meet you!



38 weeks - 4/1/2011