....Waiting...

Such a strange feeling of limbo waiting for Jack to make his big debut! Knowing that it could be any day at any time is hard for someone who likes to plan and at the same time thinking am I just going to be pregnant forever???. It is really nice being off of work though and really strange not having to be anywhere.

We had somewhat of a frustrating Dr's appointment on Tuesday. All looked good and my doctor wanted to induce because I am 39 weeks and my blood pressure was somewhat elevated so he was like, "Lets have a baby today!" I was like ok if you think that is bests lets do it! But they didnt have any room at the hospital and so now I am scheduled at midnight Monday night, technically early Tuesday morning. So its cool to know at least an end date now. I cant imagine how excited and nervous we will be then. I get nervous just thinking about it! In the mean time I am supposed to stay off my feet so its pretty boring at home, but it has been nice getting some sleep during the day because I have not been sleeping at night very well. It seems like we have everything ready for his arrival and my mom has once again been such a great resource so glad she is going to be there!!
Timing wise it will work out nice if he waits until then because Hillary gets here Sunday night and Chase's parents get here on Tuesday. It is just really surreal knowing that we are going to be parents in less than a week! Just hoping for a healthy baby, and an easy delivery!

 37 weeks

 38 Weeks

One Pair of Shoes

Well it is official, I am full term and only one pair of shoes fit! And getting my Ugg boots on this morning was quite the struggle...just ask Chase who had to pretty much shove them on my fat, swollen feet. Even my toes look swollen, so not cute.

I cant believe I am now considered full time and Jack could really debut any day now. Although, it doesn't look like he is in any kind of hurry. At our Dr.'s appointment on Monday he was nice and low and head down but not any progress, so I am hoping for at least a little progress next Monday. His heartbeat sounds good so that is all I really care about.

We took a nice long walk on Monday, and for the first time Elli and Farley did better than me going around the block. I was pretty slow with my penguin waddle and they were dragging me along.... which is usually just the opposite . I feel like I could lay an egg!

35 Weeks

36 Weeks

I feel just tired...very tired and of course sleeping is getting more difficult just trying to get comfortable, and then when I finally get comfortable I have to drag myself to the bathroom. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We have our bags packed, everything washed, the car seat installed ( hopefully correctly!) and even practiced our breathing last night a little. I think dare I say it...we might be ready. That is one of my favorite things that people say....ARE YOU READY? I know they don't mean it to be irritating, but I don't know how anyone can be really ready to birth a watermelon and then take home the screaming little being home and take care of it for the rest of your life. But I think we are as ready as we will ever be! ( But you might ask me again next week!)

Big Belly= A License To Say Whatever You want

34 Weeks Picture


All is going along great. I am just getting bigger and bigger and more and more tired. I sorta feel like a broken record. I keep waiting for that "nesting" phase to kick in, because I am sure the house could use some deep cleaning, but much to Chase's disappointment nothings so far. I do feel an overwhelming urge to get everything ready. We made a late night run ( well late night for me) to Target to gather a few supplies. So really just an urge to shop...not to clean! We had a great Dr.s appointment where all looked great. Blood pressure great and Jack is head down and locked and loaded and low. So despite everyone telling me how high I am carying him...he is quite the opposite.


I think that is one of the strangest things about being pregnant and to me the most annoying....strangers, people you know etc, touch your stomach and also feel it just fine to say whatever they feel like saying to you. Which is so ironic, because I dont think there is a time when you feel more emotional or bent out of shape from someones off handed comment on your growing belly. A few of my favorites:
1. A lady at a clothing store asked if I was having twins because me stomach was so big.
2. A lady asked me if I was pregnant or had just gained weight. When I told her I was indeed 8 months pregnant she said it did seem localized to my belly! Really! What is the craziest thing are these comments come from women...that should know better!
I hear countless comments on how" small my belly is and shouldn't it be bigger?, or how big it is,"  along with "you are carrying him so high. ","It must be a boy because you are all belly." ( Which is nice but what if I wasn't all belly, what would they say then?!)


I am sure it just comes with being pregnant, but it is irritating some days.
We are getting so excited about his impending arrival.....eek not much longer now!

Baby Shower Bliss

We had the most amazing baby shower with all my friends and family. It was just so much fun. It was less of a shower with silly baby shower games and prizes and more like a cocktail party....minus the cocktails for me.

 Belly Bump Love with Rachelle.

 Old roomates plus two on the way!

It was so nice to see so many of my friends...some I hadn't seen in months. Jack should be the best dressed little guy ever. We got so much cute stuff and I cant wait to go through all of it and get everything ready for him. I think we are pretty much all set. Now all we need is him, but not quite yet...keep on cooking.

We also did an early Thanksgiving with my family since Hillary and Jake wont be back until Jack makes his arrival so we took some crazy pictures instead of just your standard ones.
We also did our maternity pictures. Chanda was amazing to work with. Highly recommend her.
Here is just a sneak peak of a couple....I am going crazy to see the rest.

Third Trimester

 29 Weeks...

Well nothing as exciting as the 28^th week entry. J All is going great. We got to watch Jake last weekend at the Nationwide tournament so that was really neat. I am just not up for walking very far. We had our Dr. appointment on Monday and all went well. I passed my glucose test, so happy for that! It tasted pretty terrible and made me feel awful the rest of the day. His heartbeat sounds great and I got my RhoGam shot. We are going to have another ultrasound at the next appointment so that should be really cool. I cant wait to see what he looks like now. My belly continues to grow and had to buy a couple more maternity outfits. My stomach also feels super hard. He moves a lot throughout the day which has to be the coolest feeling in the world. Since, we don’t have much going on this weekend I am hoping to get some stuff done with his room. I hung up all his little clothes so cute. He doesn’t have much variety its is either blue, white, brown or orange. So different than girl clothes! At our childbirth class this week, it is all starting to really seem real that we are going to have this little guy in just a few months. Such a crazy though, but so exciting.

30 Weeks

Wow, I cant believe its another week already. It seems like I just wrote the 29^th week entry. All is going good. Things at work have really picked up with Breast Cancer awareness month and I am trying to cram everything in before he gets here and I don’t want to drive anywhere. I cant imagine being off work for so long so that is going to be wonderful. J I bought the letters for Jack’s name so that was fun and we are going to have a few people paint his letters. We had our last childbirth class last night. It really hit me that we are going to have to take of this little person that is ours. Really exciting and scary! I cant wait to see him again on the ultrasound but that is still a few more weeks. Last night we were feeling my stomach and Chase could push down on my side and Jack would kick or push back…amazing! I feel like we have lots more to do before he gets here.

31 Weeks

Another week down. I just feel that my stomach is getting bigger and he is definitely a mover especially at night when I stretch out he moves all over the place. We held up a flashlight to my belly and he would move! So cool. We have all his bedding put together so the room is really starting to take shape. It looks so cute. Yesterday was my last trip to Pecos and Fort Stockton so that was nice. My back is hurting a lot but that is really my only complaint. The chiropractor said it is from my vertebra pulling my rib out of place. I am really excited for our sonogram next week but also a little nervous. I get so nervous before every appointment just because I want all to be just fine with him. I cant imagine what I will feel like when he is on the outside! All I have left majorly is the Monahans relay next week so I am ready to have that over for sure! I am just getting more and more excited to meet this little guy that I know is going to really change our lives!

32 Weeks

It really seems to be going fast. I am a little uncomfortable…even drinking water seems to give me acid reflux so that isn’t much fun. I have been feeling just kinda blah and tired and more emotional than usual. Poor Chase.

We seem to be able to press on his little feet that are pretty much right in my ribs. My stomach does not seem to be as big as other people so I hope that is not a problem. Our sonogram is tomorrow and I am excited about that but of course nervous and just want to make sure he is doing just fine! I get so freaked out when I haven’t felt him move in a little while. We had our breastfeeding class last night which was really interesting. I am hoping that goes smoothly. It sounds like it can be a challenge, but I really want to be able to do that for Jack and myself.  Eek I cant believe he is going to be here so soon…I cant wait! I am just so so excited!

33 Weeks

All is rolling along…especially me I feel more and more like I am waddling around with a beach ball on my stomach. We had our sonogram last week and all looked great! He looks to be about 4 lbs and 4 oz and has almost three inch long feet!!! He is head down so hopefully he will stay that way. He looks healthy though so that is the most important thing. We had a Drs. Appointment yesterday and all looked good. My blood pressure was a little high and they said I have some trace amounts of protein in my urine. So that is kinda scary. My doctor is not concerned yet and I go back in two weeks so hopefully it is lower. Of course I have already read everything on preeclampsia so I am hoping that is not an issue!! I just want to be as healthy as possible and Jack too of course! Stephanie had her baby girl so that really makes it seem real that he is going to be here soon!! The Monahans Relay is over so that is great so work has really slowed down. J I am super excited about the shower this weekend and seeing everyone and our maternity pictures. I feel like we are in the home stretch now!

A Midnight Bathroom Entrapment

I can definitely see why my mom kept telling me not to go anywhere after the third trimester. It was the longest road trip ever to Henderson. My ankles and feet swelled up and my back was killing me. To make matters worse I somehow threw away my phone at a gas station so that was just great. We finally got to Henderson and went to Sheila’s house. In the middle of the night I had to pee so I stumbled to the bathroom in the pitch dark. I fumbled around for the light switch ( I had only been to their house one other time) and crashed into a bookcase full of glass bottles and such. I knocked over and broke a candle stick and then smashed into a glass bottle. I was freaking out because I knew glass must have broken but still couldn’t find the light switch. I was pretty much trapped because I couldn’t get back out of the door and just had bare feet.  I really thought I was just going to have to sleep in the bathroom. I tried ESPing Chase to come help me, and even tried a few HELLOS? but no one heard me.  I am in tears at this point and finally made my way over to the window and knocked into a few other things, but I managed to catch whatever I knocked off. I wiggled the curtains around and could see just a tiny bit to make out the bath tub. I slithered across the top of the bath tub and was able to get out the door and find the light switch. Glass was all over the floor and since my belly makes it hard for me to pick stuff up, I had to sit down and pick up all the shards of glass while crying like a lunatic. I was so embarrassed and emotional. I finally got it all cleaned up and went back to our room and woke Chase up with all of my crying. I told him how I broke all of this stuff in the bathroom. He just started laughing. Luckily they of course were not upset with me. I just felt so stupid. Chase’s mom thought a rouge tom cat had gotten into the house and was bouncing off the walls! I hope the Alfords wont mind me coming back to their house!

Stephanies Shower/Baby Moon 
We had a good time at Stephanies baby shower, and Chase took over 500 pictures with our new camera. It is always such a good time with the Ragsdale clan. I loved seeing all of her little pink outfits for her soon to be arriving little girl.

 The Adolphs hotel was awesome. So fancy!! They opened all the doors for us and tipped their hat etc. Our room was really neat and we just relaxed, ate a cheese plate and watched football and then went to the Kennedy museum. It was pretty cool just crowded. Really chilling to look out the window and to see the little x’s where he was shot. We then went out to a nice dinner at the Y-O steak house. The only thing that sucked was downtown Dallas is pretty shady and of course this bum asked us for money and then wanted more when Chase gave her a dollar. Kinda scary. It in all was a fun time but we were glad to get to come home. Chase surprised me with a Dooney and Bourke purse so that was awesome and we stopped in at the Carters outlet and bought Jack some stuff. So fun!

28th Birthday

26 Weeks

Another great but busy week. Had a great 28^th birthday! It was very nice had dinner with my parents and Ryan and then Chase had a romantic dinner just the two of us. Very fun!!

We had a very long 2 and a half hour wait at the dr. office yesterday for our appointment. Our appointment lasted all of two minutes. Jack’s hearbeat sounds great. I have gained about 15 pounds which is normal and have great blood pressure so all seems good. I have to do a glucose test the end of the month and get my next shot of RhoGam. I cant believe we are almost through with the 2^nd trimester. J Yesterday, was the first day my whole belly moved when he moved. It was really cool to see. He is def. getting much stronger and kicking and moving lots. My mom bought me lots of cute maternity clothes for my birthday so that has been really helpful. I am modeling in a maternity fashion show this weekend so that should be fun.

27 Weeks

Ah, the weeks seem to be going by much faster now. Not much news to report just seems to be growing a little bit everyday. I seem to get sick really easily and have been battling a cold on and off. I also feel pretty tired and worn out easily and have had some throwing up this week but nothing too bad. We had our first child birth class on Monday. Due to the great preparation with my mom, I didn’t feel like we learned a whole lot but it was still pretty interesting and a little bit scary. I just want Jack to be just fine and me too!

I met a couple of girls at the fashion show, which was really fun, and they are in our class. Both of them are having boys in December too and we are all a week apart. We are going to Stephanies Baby shower this weekend and to pick up all the rest of our stuff from the shower. Our changing table/dresser should be in soon so I am anxious to get all that set up. Chase and I are also having a little mini-babymoon in Dallas so I am excited about that! This is the last week I should really go anywhere so we are taking advantage. Its really weird to think after this I have to hang around the house waiting on Mr. Jack.

One Groovy Chick and One Lucky Baby

We had such a wonderful weekend for Chase’s mom 60^th birthday party, Chase’s Birthday and our baby shower.
Chase's mom's birthday party was a blast! We had a wonderful time. It was so much fun to see everyone in their 70's attire. 

Jack made out like a little bandit at our awesome baby shower! So many cute and useful items. Chase’s grandma made the cutest baby blanket for him very special it made me tear up some. I feel like we are starting to get a little more prepared but still have lots of work to do!  But we got a fun jumperoo, lots of clothes, diapers,  blankets, snow suit, bathtub, monitor, shampoo stuff, all of the bedding,  stuffed animals, bumbo, grocery cart cover, diaper champ etc. Chase's family is just the sweetest!  Our next appointment is on the 12^th and I always start getting a little nervous just want to make sure Jack is doing what he is supposed to be doing. He seems to be moving more all the time. It makes me smile every time. It was just a really neat weekend to spend time with all of his family and my mom. We feel very lucky and Jack should too he is going to have some wonderful family members. I am starting to really get excited, I think so of the constant worry is dissipating. We did have to buy some more clothes for me because nothing fits now besides dresses.

And his name will be JACK!

24 Weeks

Yay! Another week down. Such a fun time in Fredericksburg with everyone! I am just still tired from the trip. I just hate how tired I get after being outside. I have zero heat tolerance. It was super fun to catch up with everyone and talk baby stuff with Rachelle. She seems to be doing really good and will find out soon what she is having. We have a crib! Chase’s sweet parents gave us a beautiful crib that is now sitting in his room. Chase’s sweet friends also gave us a great breast pump and mobile and some little clothes so it feels like we are making some progress. Super excited about our baby shower this weekend. I think we have decided on the name JACK! We both just love how nice and simple it is and cute and that it sounds good with Ragsdale. Of coure he is going to have to learn to spell pretty quick since his name will be Jack Charles Randolph Ragsdale V.  I am feeling pretty good. Still get worn out pretty quickly but I have quite the appetite now. I just inhaled some French fries! Looking forward to a fun and long weekend in Houston.

Girls Trip!

What an amazing weekend. My three best friends Liz, Tracy and Rachelle all headed for a fun filled weekend to Fredericksburg! With two pregnant, women we had to skip the wineries :( but we still managed to have lots of fun. It was incredible to spend some time with all three of them at once, and took us right back to our Horn Hall days, but just with a little bit more shopping money.

I dream of BLUE!

21 Weeks

Wow another week. Baby is now measuring in about the size of a 20 oz coke bottle!

Chase felt the baby move is pretty much the highlight. I still fell lots of flutter and sometimes I feel some big time movement. I told Chase that it was really kicking/moving hard and slapped his hand on my stomach and he felt the little nudge. So incredible.

Tomorrow is the big day for the ultrasound and appointment. I am so nervous about making sure all is fine with the baby but so excited to get to see it and hopefully find out just exactly this baby is going to be. We still really think it is a boy so we are going to be pretty shocked I think. I really don’t care as long as “it” is cooking just right. J

Well It’s a ……..BOY! We were right it was quite obvious this baby is a boy. The ultrasound was super cool. I was sooo nervous before hand that something might not be right with the baby. But all was fine. It was amazing to see its face, arms and legs and even all of its organs. All looks good and fluid levels are good and my placenta is not as low as it was. YAY! And a huge sigh of relief. We also saw Dr. Lively again who was super nice and it was so special to have my mom there too. It was a great day but rather exhausting. We even got paint samples to decide what to do with the room. Very fun!

22 weeks

Its so nice to know what this little bambino is now moving around in my stomach. My mom has felt it move now too! Such an awesome feeling to feel his little kicks, punches, rolls etc. I cant even imagine what it will be like to have a little boy. I think the reality has set in and at times it is a little overwhelming J Just trying to think of all the stuff I need to do and work stuff to figure out does seem to lead to some emotional/hormonal meltdowns of epic proportions. I am very glad Chase is such an understanding man! We picked out a nice green to paint the walls and Chase taped off everything so hopefully we can start painting this weekend. I still am not feeling great had quite the puking rally last night. Every time I think that it is over it comes back sometimes with a vengeance, but I do have more energy that is a huge plus. I think once the weather gets a little colder that will also help. I am super excited about our upcoming baby shower with Chase’s family and the girls trip to Fredericksburg next weekend. I cant wait for a little break.

23 Weeks

Whoo! 23 weeks seems that time is going by a little bit faster now. I have been feeling much better lately. I do get worn out more easily but the 24/7 nauseous feeling seems to have at least dissipated some. Chase worked very hard and the baby’s new room is all painted a nice soothing green with white trim. Looks 100 times better than the red and so much larger! We have also cleaned out tons of stuff so we have lots of room for his new stuff. Which apparently he is going to need lots of it!  It is really fun picking everything out. My stomach keeps growing and I don’t think there is any hiding the fact that I am indeed pregnant. We had to buy more clothes for me because even pants that were too big are now tight. I am very much looking forward to a fun weekend with Tracy, Liz and Rachelle in Fredericksburg. Should be lots of fun especially since Rachelle is pregnant too. Chase is having several friends down for the weekend so that will be nice for him too. Everyone keeps telling us we better get all of this in now before he gets here. We are also very close on deciding a name.

Pregnany-Update

Recap on the 2nd Trimester

16 Weeks-

All seems to be rolling along smoothly. My stomach is starting to get a little bit bigger which makes it all seem much more real. I am so anxious to feel the baby start moving around. While we were in Lake Jackson, I felt a strange little sensation but I am not sure if it was IT moving around or not. It was lots of fun to do a little baby shopping with Chase’s mom this weekend. I am still not feeling great with lots of headaches but I am sure it will all be worth it!  Looking forward to our

next Dr

’s appointment on Monday so we can make sure all is going the way it should. I am such a worrier.

17 weeks

I cant believe I am 17 weeks pregnant but at the same time I cant believe it has taken this long. Dr. appointment went really well and quick. Good strong heartbeat at 152. On Aug 10 we will have a sonogram to check on all the organs etc and to see if Baby Ragsdale is a she or a he! Very excited about that. Chase and I both think it is a boy so we are going to be very shocked if we are wrong.  But the best news is I think I have felt it move around! In a fit or irrational anger I was yelling at Chase and I felt four very quick flutters right under my belly button. Since then and even while I am typing this I felt a few little flutters on my left side. So that is awesome! Not sleeping on my stomach has been a real challenge. I have also been burning up all the time.

18 Weeks

All seems to be going smoothly. Still feeling lots of little flutters which is so cool. While my sister was down for a visit, we went up to mom’s work and heard the heart beat a nice 147. Then one of mom’s friends decided to do a quick ultrasound. So so amazing! We could see it kicking and flipping around and even sucking its thumb! We could see the hemispheres of the brain and everything. It was actually kinda emotional my sister even teared up a little. It still seems so hard to believe there is this little someone inside me.  The jury is still out on if it is a boy or girl, but they thought they could see some turtle parts meaning maybe it is a boy! I have still been feeling pretty awful with lots of headaches, and still some pretty awful throwing up sessions. Chase has been so sweet even holding my hair back. I cant wait for our official sonogram and hopefully he or she is super healthy. We have started looking at baby stuff. Very overwhelming, but excited to register for our Baby shower in September.

19 Weeks

I think I am starting to look pregnant, instead of just a beer belly. My stomach is getting bigger and my belly button is starting to come out a little more. I am starting to feel a little bit better, but still some throwing up. Lots of little flutters and last night it felt like the baby just rolled around. I cant wait for Chase to actually feel it too! This weekend we are going to register for some basics so that should be fun. I can’t wait for our ultrasound but I am nervous because I want everything to go fine.

20 Weeks

Whoo! The big 20 week mark. Halfway through. It has gone by so fast and at the same time sooo long.( especially the days I just throw up) I have felt a little better the past couple of days so I am really hoping that part is maybe over. My stomach continues to grow. I think I am really looking pregnant. Everything fits a little different. Lots of movements lately. It makes me giggle every time it moves because it sorta tickles and feels like I just went over a big hill. It is very strange and hard to explain. Registering for the baby was more fun than we thought. We just did the gender neutral stuff since we still don’t know and the suspense is killing us! Only a week away until the sonogram, every day I get more nervous worried something might be wrong with the baby, but I am also very excited. I know all will be ok, it is just so hard not to worry when you have no control. The baby is about the size of a small cantaloupe!

I am PREGNANT!

April 2011-

My first initial dealing with pregnancy was my normal trip to the dentist. They wanted to take x-rays and thinking there was a possibility that I could be pregnant and not wanting those huge pieces of cardboard shoved in my mouth I told the hygienist while feeling quite foolish that I could be pregnant. Well that created a monster with everyone in the office congratulating me and asking me everything from morning sickness questions, to what color I was going to paint the nursery with my trying to mumble anything understandable with all the instruments in my mouth.

The next day I headed for McCamey, TX for a meeting, while I was shoving sushi in my mouth it dawned on me that maybe I really am pregnant? As soon as I got home I ran by Walgreens to nervously buy my first ever pregnancy tests. I felt that everyone was giving me that knowing look. I got home took the test and immediately two pink lines appeared. I was convinced that must mean you are not pregnant and gulped down water while taking the other two..same result. I called Chase and told him to come home now. He walked in and I showed him the test and watched his eyes get really wide. He went and bought several more pregnancy tests a different kind just to make sure…all three of these yielded a cute little plus sign. J

We didn’t tell anyone for a few days and it was really nice to savor this awesome little secret just the two of us for a bit…but it was even more fun to tell the news to our parents and Hillary.

At seven weeks I had some bleeding and we nervously went to the doctor. I was pretty much in tears so worried something was wrong. After a nice little ultra sound ( They don’t always do an ultrasound just on your stomach) We were able to see a tiny little being swimming around with a heartbeat!! As a precaution the doctor decided to put me on progesterone until 12 weeks. We had a follow up visit a week later that showed the bleed in my uterus had virtually disappeared and the baby had doubled in size! Whooo, deep breath.

I must have been really naïve when I thought about being pregnant. I pictured feeling like a million bucks with this awesome glow and occasionally enjoying some ice cream guilt free. I have been pretty sick and actually lost a few pounds and have yet to gain any. I feel lucky I don’t throw up all the time like some women…but there was a notable time when I threw up on the track at a Relay for Life and started crying and laughing at the same time with poor Chase just looking on in disbelief. Chase has been awesome taking care of me and trying to figure out something I will want to eat. Tuna not so much!

A few things I have learned so far:

1. I have never spent so much time on the couch in my life

2. I am thinking of getting a part time job as a bomb sniffing dog. I can smell out anything.

3. When they tell you..you will feel tired…They mean it. I mean bone tired like too tired to wash my hair or put on makeup kinda tired. I dream about naps so much worse than when I worked at Channel 9.

4. The doctors and nurses aren’t nearly as excited as we are. They are all very nonchalant while we are teetering on the edge of our seats at every word. Well at least I am. Chase is a little more calm.

5. I have sobbed over that google gmail commercial.

 13 Weeks pregnant