Baby Bump @ 25 and 26 weeks

How I'm feeling:
I'm doing okay except for my continued back pain from what I'm now calling scatica. I hadn't thought that's what it was but this past week the pain has been radiating down the back of my right leg so I guess it is.
I'm feeling some stress of only having 3 months left before Ryleigh is born to get lots of schooling finished with BR and get Ryleigh's nursery put together. I know it will be okay but I'm needing to refocus on my priorities and make a plan. I'll be taking a Facebook break for the beginning of the year so that will be one less distraction during for me.

Baby's Development at 26 weeks:
- Beginning at 25 weeks Ryleigh would have begun packing on fat to fill in her wrinkly skin. This will help her skin to be less transparent.
- The network of nerves in Ryleigh's ears is better developed and more sensitive now. She may now be able to hear both my voice, as well as, Chase's and the girls'.
- She is beginning to inhaleand exhale small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs.
- Ryleigh is continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about 1 2/3 pounds and measures around 14 inches (about the size of a scallion) from head to heel.
(Information taken from the What to Expect When Expecting website.)

Ryleigh's Movement:
She is definitely a wiggly girl at night when I get in bed or whenever I sit down to treat during the day. I can tell she is getting stronger as her kicks are becoming more powerful. I often wonder about her position because I feel kicks and punches all over my belly. At our 24 week ultrasound her head was on my left side and her feet over on my right. The ultrasound tech said that was a good thing at that point. I'm hoping she had moved head down by our next appointment at 28 weeks.

Let the Christmas Celebrations Begin for 2015

We kicked off our family Christmas get-together yesterday afternoon at Chase's granddads house for lunch. We had a great time visiting with Granddaddy and Janet, as well as, PawPaw and Bebe.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared by the lovely GranJan and exchanged gifts. The girls LOVE their new Puppy Surprise pets. We are so thankful that Granddaddy is feeling good and cutting up with us and the girls.

After our visit with the Brantley's we headed back to my parents house for Christmas with my PopPop, Nana and my brother, SIL and niece, Alyssa. Again, we had a great meal and exchanged gifts. We all had a great time talking and playing with new toys.

We goofed and didn't get a family picture of our sweet little family, but I am determined that we will get one before the week is over.

And today, we enjoyed a great message and time of worship this morning at church before heading to my Aunt and Uncle's house for our Harris Family Christmas celebration. My mom's side of the family always has a great time together! We had our fifth annual Christmas play after lunch. Chase and I were Mary and Joseph, Brantley was a shepherd and Savannah was an angel.

After a weekend filled with loving family, I can't help but be filled with joy, thankfulness and love as we move on into the week and continue to celebrate God's great gift of His Son Jesus. Thank you, Lord!! Your gift is too great for words! Merry Christmas!!

Baby Bump @ 24 Weeks

How I'm Feeling at 24 weeks:

• Oh gosh, this is getting real and my belly is getting big and uncomfortable. At just 24 weeks, I shouldn't be this uncomfortable, but alas, I am. 
• My back/hip pain is still there and intense at times. I'm still going to the chiropractor for relief but it honestly doesn't seem to help much at all. 
• I am loving that I can now feel Ryleigh moving more during the day, which means she is growing and getting stronger. Her sisters still haven't felt her kicking but that is mostly because they haven't been patient enough to feel her move. ha! 
• I'm still sleeping pretty well (knock on wood)....but I know that will at some point change as it did with both of the girls in the third trimester.

Movement: As I said above, I can now feel and sometimes see Ryleigh moving around in my belly. It is still the coolest and strangest feeling ever. I love it! During my ultrasound on Thursday we could see her moving her arms and legs around like crazy. 

Baby's Development this week:

This is the 24 week video from the What To Expect When Expecting website. Doctor Appointment: I had my 24 week check up this past Thursday morning. During that appointment I had my follow-up ultrasound, the glucose test and saw my doctor. The ultrasound showed that Ryleigh's ureters are now within normal range and that there is nothing to worry about. She is perfect!! Thank you, Lord for healing her and creating her perfectly!! Ryleigh also cooperated this time and let us get a good profile shot of her tiny face. 

At this point we're thinking she's going to look much like her big sisters. I can't wait!!

What I'm Looking Forward To: Right now I'm looking forward to continuing to celebrate Christmas with family and friends. We're already had three wonderful family meals and celebrations. I'll have to post about those next. I'm also looking forward to hopefully having a 4D ultrasound done around my next doctor appointment around 28 weeks. 

Nursery update: We have purchased the crib, car seat, stroller, and were given a Rock 'N Play Sleeper by my parents last night. Slowly we are starting to accumulate all the necessary baby items that we will need for Ryleigh's arrival. Our house situation is up in the air right now so we won't be setting up the nursery for another few months in the hopes of actually moving to the new house before Ryleigh is born. We shall see what the Lord has in store for us. We are prayerful about it and trusting in God's plan and timing in regards to moving.

Bump picture at 24 weeks, 3 days:

Baby Bump @ 21 weeks

How I'm Feeling at 21 Weeks: 

• It's officially hard for me to get up off the couch or out of the bed. I feel like it's a bit early for this but unfortunately, it's the truth. Baby girl is low which makes it hard to bend over or sit comfortably for very long at all. I'm feeling very pregnant these days!
•  My back/hip pain is still bothering me a good bit at times but thankfully, it's not constant. I'm planning to get a chiropractor appointment for this week so I can get some relief. 
• I'm still sleeping pretty well at this point also, which I am so very thankful for!

Movement: I'm feeling Ryleigh move a good bit now, especially when I sit or lay down. Chase hasn't been able to feel her kicking yet but I think that because of the anterior placenta. It's blocking her kicks from being felt.

Gender & Name: It's a GIRL and her name is Ryleigh Jean.

Baby's Development at 21 weeks:

• As her digestive system preps for the outside world, she's manufacturing meconium -- the tarry black substance we'll find in her first dirty diaper.
• She's already got a lifetime supply of eggs in her womb -- about six million of them!
• She's beginning to swallow small amounts of amniotic fluid this week to practice digestion, which means she will be tasting the things I'm eating.

What I'm Looking Forward To: I'm looking forward to my next ultrasound at 24 weeks to check on her ureters. We're still praying that they will be normal size by then and that all will be well. I'm also looking forward to beginning to put her nursery together. We've talked about the purchases that need to be made but no definite plans have been made yet.

Nursery Update: I bought Ryleigh's crib bedding today! I bought it off one of the FB trading sites and I LOVE it!!

The boppy and blanket weren't included but I got the other things. We're still planning to buy a white Jenny Lind crib like this one.

Bump picture at 21 weeks:

Baby Bump @ 20 weeks

How I'm Feeling at 20 weeks: I'm still feeling pretty well, thankfully. I do have a new complaint that started this afternoon. There is a spot on the right side of my belly button that hurts pretty bad to the touch. It feels like a bad bruise but there is no discoloration and I haven't bumped into anything. I can't be certain that I haven't been hugged with a little too much force by the big sisters though. Maybe it's just my skin stretching, I don't know.

Baby Movement: I'm definitely feeling Ryleigh move around more and more. I found out today at our 20 week ultrasound that I have an anterior placenta, so Dr. S said that's probably why I'm not feeling her kick all that much. We saw her wiggling around a good bit during the ultrasound this morning, so I know she's on the move.

Gender: Baby is most definitely a GIRL!! The U/S tech confirmed her gender this morning.

Baby's Development: 

This week Ryleigh is the size of a big banana.

This morning at the ultrasound we got to see lots and lots of Ryleigh. She was facing out so we weren't able to get a good profile shot of her this time, but we saw arms, legs, hands, feet and all her sweet little organs. She measured exactly 20 weeks and weighs 11 ounces. Dr. S said she looked nearly perfect. Her heart, brain, mouth and limbs looked great.We are going to keep a watch on her ureters (the tube that connects the kidneys to the bladder). They were a bit swollen today so I'm going to have another ultrasound at 24 weeks to see if there has been any change by then. If they have not improved or have gotten larger, I will then have another ultrasound with a high-risk doctor to take a closer look. We were told that this will not be serious, but that Ryleigh could be more prone to kidney/bladder infections. 

Please join us in praying for improvement at our next ultrasound and 

that God would heal her sweet ureters. Thank you so much!

What I'm Looking Forward To: I'm looking forward to feeling her move more and for Chase and the girls to feel her kicking and moving around. I'm also looking forward to beginning to work on putting her nursery together. We probably won't do much until after Christmas, but I'm still excited about seeing my ideas come together.

Doctors Appointment: My next doctors appointment will be at 24 weeks. I will do the sugar test (oh joy!) and have the ultrasound to check Ryleigh's ureters.

**Note: So far I have gained about 12 pounds during this pregnancy and I'm super happy with that. I feel like I've gained more than that but it's all in the baby belly.**

Belly Picture: 

Baby Bump @ 19 weeks

How I'm Feeling at 19 weeks: I'm thankful to report that I'm still feeling pretty good at the halfway mark. I know I'm a week shy of 20 but since I've delivered both big sisters a week or so early I'm considering this my halfway point. ha! I'm still experiencing some pretty intense back/hip pain at times but despite the pain I know that it's worth it because my body is preparing again for delivery. I'm praying that this delivery goes as smoothly as with Brantley and Savannah. 

Baby Movement: I have been feeling her move at times this past week, mostly when I'm laying in bed at night. I know that the kicks and stretches will only get stronger as she continues to grow. Before long she will be jumping around like crazy and keeping me awake at night, I am sure of that. haha

Gender: We're having another beautiful baby GIRL! 

The name Ryleigh is Irish and means "courageous".

The name Jean is after my Mom, Lara Jean. The name also means "God is gracious".

Baby's size and development at 19 weeks pregnant:

At six inches long this week and about a half a pound in weight, Baby Ryleigh has gone through a little growth spurt and is the size of a large mango. Little Miss Ryleigh is able to choreograph matrix-like moves at 19 weeks pregnant. Arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles and cartilage throughout the body is turning into bone. All these upgrades combine to give her more control over her limb movements. Which explains all that kicking, stretching and bodysurfing (or rather bellysurfing) that I've begun feeling more this past week.

What I'm Looking Forward to: Next Thursday, the 19th, we go the the doctor for our 20 week anatomy ultrasound where they will measure all her organs and check her growth. I'm looking forward to seeing her on ultrasound again and getting confirmation that she is developing just the way she should. We are praying for her development and growth every day. She is already so very loved by all of us. The girls love to give my belly huges and kisses. It's really sweet!!

Doctor's Appointment: Next Thursday, November 19th.

Belly Pic at 19 weeks: 

Baby Bump @ 18 weeks

Here we are at 18 weeks pregnant!! I'm still feeling really great, with the exception of some back/hip pain. Other than that, I'm great!

My goal for today is to take a 19 week picture and do a full update. Staying on top of the blog posts (not to mention many other things) is so much harder the third time around. I'm not beating myself up about it but I do wish there were more hours in the day. Ta ta for now!