Rian Patrick is here!

As most of you know by now Rian Patrick Kerl made his debut on May 23, 2011.  Here are his vital stats:

Born at 1:02PM

7 pounds 1 ounce

20.5 inches long

13.75 inch head circumference

It's been a tough and busy week for us here adjusting to life as a family of four.  I promise I will post more in depth later, but until then, here are a bunch of pictures of our little man's first week: 

Coming home from the hospital in the same outfit his sister did!

Pretending to nap in the baby chair

Showing off her new cowgirl hat

Play time on the mat with little brother!

Afraid to touch the baby

I told her it was ok to touch him, so she touched his nose

Proud big sister, and cute little brother

More to come soon!  I promise!

Last Day as a Family of Three

Today was our last day as a little family of three.  Tomorrow begins a new chapter in our lives as a family... we will officially be "complete".  It's been so overwhelming to thing about the fact that we are bringing a new little guy into our lives, now that we know just how much of an impact a child has on your life.  Having Regan was truly one of the most amazing things we ever did, and I cannot imagine what it's going to be like to do all over again.

This weekend we tried to get everything ready that we could, and spend as much time together as we could.  Kevin and I went out to dinner by ourselves, just like we did the night before Regan was born.  Mostly it was just a normal weekend.

This morning Kevin did surprise me with two gifts... and iPod touch, so that I could post pictures of the baby while I was in the hospital, and so we can chat using Facetime whenever he's away from home.  I cried, because it was so sweet that he wanted and needed to be connected to us all the time.  The second gift was a beautiful diamond tennis bracelet, which I certainly didn't expect, or ask for, but am very grateful to receive.  I love it - now I just need an occasion for a new mother of two, to go out dripping in diamonds.

Before Regan went to bed, I managed to remember to take some final pictures of our little family, before we grow tomorrow:

Tomorrows the big day!  We will try to post on Facebook as soon as we can and I may be able to post a blog entry from the iPod.

38 Weeks

This past week we had a great time playing outside and enjoying the warm weather.  It's a good thing we did, because it didn't last long, and had been cold and rainy the past 5 days!

Yesterday I had my very last doctors appointment, and everything looks great.  I didn't gain anymore weight, and I am still measuring about 35 weeks (which I have been since about 35 weeks).  So I've officially declared that Rian has run out of room in there, and he's ready to come out.  Five more days until we meet our little man, and our family is complete!  We are so excited!

Here is my belly pic from this week, and a few "fun in the sun" pictures, plus a video of Regan singing her ABC's!:

Week 38

Mommy's poor swollen feet

My view from up here

Regan wearing Grandpa's "cowboy hat" - "yee haw!"

37 Weeks

"At week 37, your pregnancy is considered full term, meaning baby is likely to thrive after birth. Baby spends these last weeks in preparation for the outside world… meaning careful refinement of the blink, suck, inhale and exhale. Meconium, which you’ll probably find in the first diaper, is accumulating in the intestines. If (okay, as) you worry about giving birth, consider what it’s like for the little one. During the journey out of your womb, baby will produce more stress hormones than any other time in life. "


Today I had my second last doctors appointment, and everything is right on track as usual.  I don't even know why I bother with theses appointments sometimes... I can tell you I feel fine, run a dipstick, and take my blood pressure at home.  Thankfully I only have one more appointment between me and having this baby!  I am so ready & excited!  13 More Days!!!

36 Weeks

19 days to go!!

Yesterday I had a routine doctors appointment - everything went well.  I have gained 32 pounds so far, and feeling every pound larger right now.  The baby is really squished in my belly right now.  Just by feeling around the midwife told me that his head it super low in my pelvis, which explains all of the discomfort I've been having.

Today I went for a growth ultrasound, to get an estimate of how big the baby is, and to make sure there was enough fluid around him, since I measured two weeks smaller then normal this week.  The good news is that he has plenty of fluid, but he is really cramped in there.  We couldn't even get any good pictures of his face because his feet were in the way.  He is completely folded in two, from head to toe in there!  (They don't call it the Fetal position for nothing, I guess.)  Also, he is still most definitely a boy, about 6 pounds 3oz, by their estimate.

Here are some belly shots from last week Thursday - getting to be really big!: