The Real Deal!!!!!

Pre-Epidural

Post-Epidural

Jagger screaming as usual.

Jagger sleeping in daddy's arms.

As most of you may know Jagger Marchall Richardson is here!!! He decided to come into the world 11 days early. On Monday Dec.10 I was having little signs all day that I could be in labor but I think that I was trying to avoid it. When I got home from work I was having some bad cramping feelings and thought that it could be labor but wasn't sure. When Brian got home he helped me count the contractions, they were very consistant at 5 to 7 minutes apart. As the night went on they came closer and closer. Finally, at 10:30 we went on a walk around the neighborhood (I didn't realize that Brian thought I was in labor but was just holding me off so that we wouldn't go to the hospital too soon). The contractions only got worse, but I didn't want to go the hospital because I wasn't sure I was in labor. We decided to try to go to bed, but after laying there for 10 minutes we decided to go to the hospital. So off we went not thinking that we would come back as a family of 3!!! Well we got there and they hooked me up and checked me and I was only 2 centimeters, but my blood pressure was high so they admitted me. The doctor broke my water and then things got rolling. About 2 hours later I got my epidural (oh sweet relief!!). They checked me again at 3:30 am and I was at 6 centimeters. Then all of a sudden Jagger's heart rate went down. That was scary but they gave me oxygen and moved me on my side and it went back up. They checked me again at 5am (after I insisted that I felt pressure) and I was at 10 centimeters. I started pushing at 5:00 on the dot, but after 25 minutes of pushing they made me stop because the doctor was still at home!!! I think Jagger came alot faster than they expected. I had to wait for the doctor for about 30 minutes. Once the doc arrived I pushed for about 20 more minutes and Jagger Marshall entered the world in all of his glory at 6:14 am, 7 lb 12 oz 20 1/2 inches.

Test Run...

Well we had a false alarm on Friday morning. I thought that my water may have broken Thursday night. I wasn't totally convinced but I wasn't sure what was going on so we decided to be safe then sorry and went to the hospital. It was a good test run and made me confident that when it does happen we should make it in one piece!!!! Brian was awesome. He didn't get nervous at all however it wasn't actual labor so everything may be out the window when it does happen!!!

It turned out to just be my body getting ready for everything so we went home just the 2 of us!!! Brian had put the car seat in the car before we left just in case! So now it is permanently in there. That is a reality check to see the car seat in the back! I can't wait to see a little baby head in there. It is going to be so exciting. I am less then 2 weeks from the due date and I am getting SO EXCITED!! I am going to be a momma soon!! That is so fun to say. I can't wait for the little booger to get here. It is going to be awesome. I am just as excited to see Brian as a dad then to be a mom. He is going to be so great! I love seeing him with babies. He is so big so to see him hold a baby is so sweet.

We will keep you posted!

37 weeks and everything is looking good

I had my doctors appointment today and they did do an ultrasound and everything is good! Praise God! I was very excited to hear him say that he is head down and that everything looked good. He is not transverse and the doctor said that he doesn't see any reason that a C-Section would be necessary! I was very relieved to hear that. I am having a lot of contractions but they don't mean anything at this point. Things are still progressing and looking good but no big break through. That is good and bad. I am ready for him to come but still have a lot to do before he gets here. We are trusting the Lord on timing and just pray that we can see His will and follow it. These are the last few weeks. It is getting closer to game time!!!

This is my view when I look down! Manny thinks that my stomach is another pillow for him to rest on.

37 weeks! Starting to look a little swollen!

36 week appointment

I had my 36 week appointment on Tuesday. It was pretty uneventful which is good and bad at the same time. I was hoping that they would say that I was on my way but she said that my body has "started" to prepare but not a running start. That is ok though. I can wait. She did say, and I quote, " He is no peanut". GREAT! I thought to myself I should have thought of this 9 years ago when I met Brian. I wish that I would have had someone say to me, " now think about how big your babies will be!!" JK. I figured he would not be a small baby.

The doctor is a little concerned about the position that Jagger is in. They said because of the way that I am built, being short wasted, that he is just crammed in there. I go back on Monday for my next appointment and they may do an ultrasound to see what he is doing in there. I pray he is not running out of room and that he is in a good position. I am praying that I do not have to have a C Section or anything like that. I will do what needs to be done but pray that it will be as normal as possible!

I will update after my appointment on Monday! 37 weeks is right around the corner!

Photo shoot!

Brian and I had a couple of sweet friends that came and did a photo shoot with us. It was really fun. Brian and I had a great time. Needless to say there was a lot of laughing involved. I am sure that we were a hard couple to take pics of!
I am 35 1/2 weeks preg as of today. So far so good. I do hate the night time because it means that I have to lay down and that is close to impossible to lay down and be comfortable. Not to mention that I have to use the potty ever couple of hours. I miss the days of laying on my stomach. That will be one of the first things that I do when I get home from the hospital. I am ready to have this little boy. I am not sure if my stomach can get any bigger. I feel like he is running out of room. I am really enjoying the time that I have right now because I am only working 2 days a week and it is nice to have some time to rest and get ready for Jagger.
We are definitely excited about Jagger joining our family and I know that we can't even try to prepare ourselves for what it is going to be like to have him here. I would like to think that we will adjust easily but I think that I know better.
Here are a couple of pics from our photo shoot! Enjoy!

The Richardson Family!!

Oh how time flies!

I am as of tonight 31 1/2 weeks! Where has the time gone. The last 31 weeks have flown by. Well the first 12 weeks were brutal but after the sickness was over time has flown. I have officially gained 20 lbs. Not too bad but still very funny to watch. At my last appointment the sweet nurse tried to keep the big notch on the 100 lb mark and I just laughed and told her that I crossed that bridge the last time I was in and that she needed to go ahead and go to the 150 mark!! She was sweet to say that I didn't look it. I am sure that she tells all the preggies that!!!
Baby Jagger moves all the time. He doesn't move a lot at night while I sleep or if he does I can't tell. He does move alot when I am still though. He is actually move like crazy as I type this!!
It is amazing how much my body has changed. The other night I was trying to roll over and actually got stuck in the position that I was in and Brian had to help me roll over. Oh to be a normal size again. The pregnancy really has been such a blessing in so many ways but I can't wait for him to get here. I get more and more excited when I think about him. He reminds me that he is there often. Every once in a while I will feel an elbow here or a foot there. I haven't seen it as much as I feel it. I will catch him moving around and my belly makes some weird shapes. The first time that Brian saw it his eyes just lit up and he had the cutest look on his face. He is very excited about Jagger coming!
Here are a couple of new shots of me and Jag! Oh I added one of Brian and me too.

28 Weeks- WOW

I am offically in my third trimester. This pregnancy has really flown by for the most part. Of course at first it felt like it was creeping by because of the sickness but now I feel like I need to put on the brakes a litte. I am getting very excited though about him being here. So much has been going on that I haven't had the time to stop and really think about him, but now I have started to think more about what it will be like when he is here and I am so excited! There is still alot to be done before he gets here but then again isn't that always the case.

Here is a shot of me at 28 weeks. He is a large baby and he is moving alot and now he has managed to make his way around to the right side of my body and if I lay a certain way he kicks me in the hip bone! NICE! He is very active during the day but usually pretty still when I sleep, I think anyway. I am grateful for that. I definilty can feel the weight that I have put on because I just can't move the way I use to or fit into small spaces like before. It happens often for me to get stuck in a place that I use to be able fit through.

Well that is all for now. I have my next appointment in 2 weeks so I will report back on that!!!

Quick Update

I have not been as good at posting as I thought that I would be!! Lots going on I guess. I had a doctors appointment on Sept. 14 and everything is still going well. Praise the Lord. My size is right where it should be for what week I am in and the baby's heart beat is very strong. I was tested for diabetes and I don't have it which was a relief to me for some reason. I guess you just never know what could happen. I can't believe that the baby will be here in around 13 weeks. o much to do before then. I think that Brian and I finally decided on what bedding to get him. That was an ordeal!!!! I wanted "sweet" and he wanted something masculine. It was funny to see how different our taste is. Needless to say Brian told me that I needed to change my"sweet" mindset because he is a boy. We finally found something that we both liked!! That was a miracle!!
OH I guess I could mention too that we decided a name!!!
Jagger Marshall Richardson!! We think with a name like that he can be an athlete or a rock star and not need to change his name! Marshall is after my sweet dad and my grand dad!

23 Weeks!

Here is the side shot at 23 weeks! It keeps getting bigger and bigger. I wake up some mornings and I promise he has grown over night. I am not too uncomfortable as of now. I often think that I am smaller then I really am and get myself stuck in small places. He still moves constantly which is so great. It will be weird when he gets here and I won't feel him anymore. I guess then I will HEAR him. It is scary to think that we only have around 17 more weeks and he will be here. So much to do before he is born. It is going to be a whirlwind. I hope that he is ready to be born into a wild family! :) I am sure he will adjust just fine.

New Pics of the Little Angel at 21 weeks!!!

We had another ultrasound on Monday August 13. It was simply amazing to see our little angel!! It really is the coolest thing. There is no way that you can't believe in God when you experience something like this. Brian got to see him more then me but to watch Brian's face light up was just as fun as seeing the baby. The tech said that Cletus was such a good baby and that she wished that all of her babies were as easy as him. I pray he stays that way when he gets here!! He was easy to take pictures of, I guess he gets that from me!!(JK) She did ask me my due date and I told her it was December 22, she said her machine calculated it as being December 14 because of his size. YIKES!!! I had just told Brian that morning that I had a feeling that he was going to be a large baby. I wake up some mornings and I feel like I grew overnight!! Brian was a little over 9lbs and I was 8lbs 1oz so I don't think that Cletus is going to be that petite!
He moves all the time. The other day I was sitting eating lunch and he kicked me so hard it made me jump!! I guess he doesn't like Portabella mushrooms!!! I attached a few new pics of him. We still have not picked out a name for him. His middle name will be Marshall after my dad's middle name and my granddad's first name. So for now he is still Cletus!!! Hopefully by December he will have a first name.

Profile with his hand upover his head.

I think that he looks like Manny in this one,

the way that he has

his chin poked out! Brian's doesn't agree!

This is a 3D shot! The tech said he is so sweet. He really is!

Here he is with his little hands. You can even see his knuckles.

Mover and a Shaker

So as of today I am 20 weeks. Half way there!!! WOO-WHO!! Well- Other then the terrible morning sickness for the first 8 weeks it really is not that bad. My body is changing for sure. I am starting to get uncomfortable these days as things are growing and moving around. Overall I feel great. I am so grateful! I am very excited about this little angel and can't wait until he gets here. There is a lot to do before then though. I am very thankful that the Lord has kept him safe as I have been so mentally and emotionally exhausted with all this stuff with my dad. The Lord is my joy and I am reminded of Him everyday when this little booger moves, which brings me to the title of this post. I felt him move for the first time on July 4 and he has not stopped since. Now I can feel him when I put my hand on my stomach. He is VERY active. Just last night he balled up on one side of my stomach and I could see him over on that side. IT was so great. Brian was asleep so I couldn't share it with him. Anyway, this little guy is high energy!!! It still doesn't seem real until I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I see my belly!!!!

Here is me and the bump at 18 weeks. (hence the sign!!)

It's a.........

BOY!!! Brian and I had a "secret" ultrasound when we went to Hunstville to see my dad.(Most of you know that my dad suffered a massive stroke about 3 weeks ago) A friend that works for an OBGYN at the hospital snuck me in and did an ultrasound to check on the little one and we could tell he is a boy. Well she said that she is 95% sure!!!! I have my official ultrasound on August 13. Brian and I are going to tell the doctor that our psychic said that it is a boy and see if we can freak him out!! JK! Needless to say Brian was VERY excited about having a son as was I!!! We have not decided a name but his middle name will be Marshall after my dad and grandad. I also felt him move on July 4 while I was trying to take a nap. I feel him move often. It has been really great to know that he is a boy. There is something about knowing what the sex is that makes it much more real and that much more personal. Now I know he is my little boy!!! He is really growing as am I! Brian loves my belly. I sure am glad because it is only going to get bigger. Brian was around 9lb 8oz when he was born and I was 8lbs 1oz. I have a feeling Cletus (new name for him until we decide one) is going to be large!!!! YIKES!

This is a shot of his hinney. He has his eyes open here.These are his little feet. Hopefully they won't be as big as his daddy's!!

Baby Update

As of now I am a little over 13 weeks. I went to the doctor for the second time on Friday June 15th. I got to hear the heartbeat and it was the most amazing thing to me. Everything is going really well. It is weird the moment that you hear the heartbeat it just makes it that much more real to you. I have been feeling better after about 8 weeks of constant sickness. I just woke up the day before I was 12 weeks along and felt like a totally different person. Like someone flipped a switch. I have much more energy and can do more then I was able to for so long. I am so grateful for that. You take for granted your health and how well you feel until you are constantly sick for so long.

I have added the ultrasound pic from my first doctor's visit in May. That was an incredible visit too because we got to see the little critter. BTW we do refer to the baby as "Baby Manny". Regular Manny (the dog) is really excited to be a big brother!! Actually we are afraid that he is in for the shock of his life when Baby Manny comes along b/c then he will be a dog for a while until we get use to having 2 little critters to take care of!!!

Welcome

Welcome to our blog!!! We created this for our family and friends. We will start to record our journey into parenthood and share it with all of you!!! I am sure that it will be entertaining for everyone!! As most everyone knows I am pregnant and as of today I am a little over 11 weeks. I think that I am coming out of the sickness part of this! I hope so anyway. Well I guess that about sums up why we are doing this so..... welcome to our life!!