Thursday, June 28, 2018

Pregnancy Review

Having just hit the mile marker for the third trimester, (holy.flipping.crap. How did we get here so quickly!?) I thought I'd do a quick review of the first six months of my pregnancy.


Honestly, it's been pretty easy. And I know that so many women can't say that, so I cherish that fact and thank God for it regularly!
I had no morning sickness or nausea as long as I ate a little something regularly. This alone was a total blessing! I literally started student teaching the day after I found out I was pregnant, so I'm incredibly grateful that I didn't have to deal with any of that while teaching and trying to get my own school work done. I was pretty tired at first. But like I said, I was also teaching and in school full time, so that could have been a pretty big factor as well.

I wouldn't say I was or have been super emotional, but I can think of a few big meltdowns that I'd like to contribute to all the hormonal shifts happening in my body. Most significantly, a stress-induced weeping session in the middle of Newark airport while trying to figure out how the heck to get home. Seriously, I remember my Dad's look of  utter bewilderment as I lost it going through the (wrong and very busy) security line. Looking back, I was newly and unknowingly expecting and that makes me feel a whole lot better about my lack of mental strength and stability in the situation.

Other than that, I've had a good dose of heartburn and some pain in my back and hips. I've been doing a lot of prenatal yoga and stretching and I can totally tell the difference by the end of the day if I skip it. I've also been trying to go for long(ish) walks regularly, however, the Kansas heat has been keeping me inside the last few weeks. As I'm typing this, I'm trying out a new support belt that my midwife sent me home with, so hopefully that will help out as well.

How cute is that sweet little face!?

So yeah, we've got a happy, healthy baby just growing away. He kicks pretty regularly and they've been getting stronger. He's a little bit of a turd when it comes to letting Adam feel him. He'll kick away until Adam comes near, then he gets still as can be. The little stinker. Buck still insists on sitting on my lap most days, or at least putting his head on my belly, so he's pretty familiar with getting kicked in the head by baby at this point. It doesn't seem to phase him. Here's to hoping that's a positive sign for happy pup/baby relationship.

We're having a boy, by the way. Did I not mention that? We haven't been keeping it a secret, just telling people as it comes up. Obviously, we're totally pumped! We're still working on a name for him - goodness, that is hard! I feel so much pressure to pick the perfect name. I mean, he's gonna be stuck with it his whole life, so I want it to be good! But we do have a few contenders on the list, so we'll see.

Over the coming weeks I'm looking forward to visiting family and sharing all our little guy's newfound wiggliness with them. While we're home, my mother and mother-in-law are hosting a baby shower. I can't wait to watch our families dote and spoil their newest member before he even makes an appearance. This will be our last pre-baby trip, which I will cherish - but I'm even more excited that soon we'll be traveling as a family of three!

Also, maternity pictures! Shhhhhh, don't tell Adam! 😜 Until then, enjoy this super awkward photo my Dad made us pose for.


Sunday, June 10, 2018

A Long Overdue Life Update


Soooooooo....how about those awkward re-introductions after you haven't seen someone in awhile? It's been almost a year since I was here. Ooops.

In the last few weeks I've frequently heard the comment, or variations of, "Where do you even live anymore?" Welcome to Army life, right? So, I thought a little life update on the blog might be necessary.

How about the short version?

Over the last year, Adam was deployed. He was also promoted (you can now refer to him as Corporal Ridgeway) and won/received his Expert Field Medic Badge - a really big deal that he'll just humbly wave off when you mention it. Meanwhile, I moved home to West Virginia  so that I could go to school full time. I graduated with my Master of Arts in Teaching in May. Adam was able to come home a few weeks early in order to attend the graduation ceremony (yay!!!). When he came home, we moved back to Kansas - specifically to a tiny lake-side town off post. We're total fans of the rural life!

Best of all? WE'RE EXPECTING A BABY! Come September we're gonna be parents and we couldn't be more excited!

Well friends, that's about it. Oh, and the pups are crazy fun as usual.

So, hello! And welcome back to the blog! Hopefully I'll be around here just a little more often than I was this last year :)