Comparing Looks--Mom vs.Dad

We are constantly trying to imagine what little Ethan will look like. And will he look more like Ryan or Anne?! So we thought it would be fun to compare our newborn photos! Can you guess who is who?? Anne is on the left...at almost two weeks post dates she came into this world at a whopping 10lbs 2.5oz. Ryan is on the right...he was born a few weeks early weighing in at only 5lbs 13oz. Both Ryan and I were born at United Hospital, and the plan is to have Ethan there as well! We are praying for a healthy baby boy...preferably around the size Ryan was at birth!!

Here is Ryan as a toddler. He seems to be having lots of fun riding the mini-donkey that is pulling those beautiful flowers...haha picture perfect!

And since we put such a silly photo of Ryan up, here is one of Anne as a toddler! Yes, it's the all too familiar "say cheese" face. But what really compliments that is the Indian headband with the feather in the back, the Indian necklace and a gavel. (I'm guessing the gavel was a safer form of a hatchet.)

July 7th, 2007 (7-7-07)

The new Mr. & Mrs. O'Malley!!!!

All three of us bearing the heat that 7-7-07 brought....we had a 101 degree high!!!

We even decided to dress up Ethan for the special occasion. (Not the most flattering pictures of myself, but it was pretty funny at the time!)

Here is Anne with her mom (Tina), brother (Logan), Dad (Frank), and sister (Molly).

Tina and Anne.

Logan and Anne. Isn't he a handsome little man!!

O'Malley Group Shot

Left to Right: Anne, Ryan, Cindy, Nick, Joe, & David

Nicole & Nick

The three O'Malley boys oldest to youngest. Ryan, Nick, and David.

Ryan with his friend Gordy, and his best man Jordan.
Group picture at the courthouse before the ceremony.
The judge having the maid of honor (Tara) and best man (Jordan) sign the marriage license.

The judge reading us a poem about marriage.

Here I am trying not to cry as Ryan said his vows.

Me trying to say my vows, haha those darn hormones got the best of me!

The new Mr. & Mrs. O'Malley with Judge Joseph Carter!!!

After the ceremony we all went to Buca di Beppo's for dinner. The waitress had Ryan & I stand up as the whole restaurant sang "chapel of love". I'm sure both of our faces were bright red by the time we sat down. All in all we were really blessed to have such a wonderful day surrounded by our friends/family. By popular demand here is a picture of the Pope. Yes, we sat at the table with a giant lazy susan that held the Pope in the center.

Updates!!

We've been very busy these past few weeks! June 16th was Ryan's first home game. The Oakdale Outlaws tested out their new home field for the first time ever! Their home games used to take place in Oakdale, MN; now they are in New Brighton, MN. It's a longer drive for us, but a much nicer field for the boys to play on. There was a fairly good show of fans. Especially when you took into consideration that the stands had no shade, there were no clouds or wind, and the temp was in the high 90's!! We had some pleasant surprises in Ryan's fan section this game...my dad (Frank) and my sister (Molly) came to support Ryan. As well as Ryan's best friend Jesse, and his brother Joe. And of course we cannot forget Joe & Cindy (Ry's parents). The Outlaws did a great job battling the heat and managed to pull off another WIN!!! And even though I did not work half as hard as the boys did I was exhausted, sweaty and sunburned after the game. I could not wait to get home and relax...thank goodness for air conditioning!!

June 17th was Father's Day and a major milestone for our pregnancy, 24 weeks...viability!! Reaching viability means Ethan would have a chance at living in the outside world if for whatever reason he was born early. He would obviously face lots of challenges and it wouldn't be an easy road, but he would have a chance thanks to all of the technology and staff of the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). I had a little talk with Ethan to let him know he is to stay in for at least another 14 weeks!!

My sister, Molly, came to visit over Father's Day weekend and stayed with Ryan and I. It was really great to see her and catch up on sisterly stuff, especially since we hadn't seen each other since I've been pregnant. She was finally able to feel her little nephew kicking and moving around, exciting stuff! Auntie Mimi left us with lots of goodies for Ethan....diapers, wipes, baby wash, baby lotion, disposable scented washcloths, bibs with cute sayings on them, a scrapbook complete with stickers, and a super soft baby blanket. Her generosity was greatly appreciated!

We celebrated Ryan's 27th birthday on June 21st...the first official day of summer! Joe & Cindy treated Ryan to a delicious birthday dinner. Afterwards we went back to his parent's house, watched a movie and had ice cream cake...yuuum!

The following day I had a prenatal appointment with my OB. Everything is still looking excellent!! When we were listening to Ethan's heart rate he decided to kick at the ultrasound probe just as my OB was inquiring about his movements. Recently I've noticed that he is way more active at night than he is during the day. Which is fine if its a night I'm at work, but has proven to be a challenge when I'm actually trying to sleep! I almost forgot...I had the one hour glucose challenge and I technically failed. Well, it was borderline...so I'm hoping that when I go for the three hour glucose tolerance test I will pass!

Friday night (June 22nd) I had not been feeling so hot, but went into work anyway. After about an hour of being at work I felt like I was getting worse. So the girls I work with sprung into action, taking wonderful care of me. I didn't know if I was contracting, all I knew for sure was that something did not feel right. So they put me on the monitor and I went from working in the birth center to being a patient in a matter of seconds. Thankfully I was not contracting, and Ethan's heart tones looked fantastic. It was said that he looked more like a 28 weeker, rather than the 24 5/7weeks that he was. I had a few test done and everything came back fine, aside from two infections. I also had a cervical check. I am no longer completely closed; my outer os is dilated to 1cm. My OB will check me again at my next prenatal visit. Thank you Heidi Sue and Ginelle for taking such wonderful care of Ethan and I, we truly appreciated it!!

I went in for the GTT on Wednesday June 27th and had quite the time. I drank the "delicious" orange soda and asked if I could go sit outside until it was time to get my blood drawn. They said yes, but were pretty hesitant. So I headed out to enjoy the nice sunny weather from a bench in a flower garden located in front of the clinic. I'm there for maybe five minutes and I start thinking 'wow this sun is really getting to me.' I felt hot....then came the nausea...then I felt like I was going to pass out. Obviously I headed back inside where the girls in the lab took care of me. I later found out that my one hour glucose was 240, extremely high!! My fasting glucose, two hour, and three hour were all low. So thankfully I passed the three hour GTT, no gestational diabetes for me!

Today I am 25 5/7wks and feeling much better than last week!!

Belly Button Entertainment

Ethan has gotten so big that you can no longer his whole body in the ultrasound pictures. So here is his top half; he is still as adorable as ever!!
Here is his bottom half!! Most of the time we were peeking in on the little guy he was is sleep mode. But then "Auntie Tara" and I started talking and not looking at the ultrasound screen and he decided to flip around and test out those arms and legs!

I am 23weeks today and feeling great. I feel like my belly is getting so big; my uterus is just above my belly button!! Recently I've experienced the weirdest feeling, Ethan moving directly behind my belly button. I can't even begin to describe how odd of a feeling it is, almost like when you hit your funny bone...it doesn't hurt but it's not really funny either. He was doing it again the other day so I decided to put my finger in my belly button, and he kicked my finger!! It was almost like something from an alien movie, haha! I made Ryan run over and feel it too, then we sat there and laughed for awhile. It's sad that we got that much entertainment out of sticking a finger in my belly button!

Survey Ultrasound

Today was the "20wk survey ultrasound", which went very well!! Here's little Ethan doing a somersault. I think he was just showing off to everyone in the room. Needless to say I was surely impressed! If you look closely at this picture you can see the placenta. (It's directly across from his tush.)
This picture is slightly disturbing, I'll admit. The eye sockets make him look kinda scary, we still love him though!
His little feet are so darn cute!!
An even better shot of his little foot and toes.

Another profile of Ethan's adorable head!

Before the ultrasound today I had a prenatal visit, which included a small deceleration in the baby's heart rate. I got a little emotional and immediately thought he may have some cardiac anomalies or something. Sometimes working in the birth center can be bad for your mind, thinking the worst because of something you may have seen recently. The ultrasound showed that his heart is perfect. Whew! They also checked out his spine, facial features, stomach, kidneys, bladder, liver, brain, and measured his femur. All of which were perfect as well. He has a normal three-vessel umbilical cord with good blood flow. I am 20 5/7weeks, but he is measuring 21 3/7weeks...which estimates his weight at a whopping 15oz (418g). The last "official" ultrasound we had he was measuring two days smaller, now he's measuring five days larger...he must've had a growth spurt!! I felt so much better after the ultrasound, just having that reassurance that everything is okay with our little guy.

He has been moving around like a mad man lately. At times it takes me off guard and I jump a little. My goal is to start enjoying this pregnancy more and stop worrying so much. I really do feel at ease after this last ultrasound so I think it's a very realistic goal!!