jungle friends

Baby C's nursery is basically complete!! I am so excited to have it all set up and ready for Baby C. I love it and find myself just standing in the doorway staring some nights :) The only thing left is to hang her name over the crib! We have it, but will reveal it after she is born. I am very excited to put it up. :)

Without further adieu, here is the nursery!

My Aunt Annalynn and cousin Jenny gave us this rug at my baby shower. It totally completes our nursery and is even prettier in person. Thor loves it too (see picture above).

I love our little reading, nursing nook. I can't wait to read Baby C lots of goodnight stories here.

There it is! Now all we need is Baby C to start breaking it in :)

a remote for everything

Our playard (aka pack 'n play) arrived today. I haven't seen it in person yet because Carl had it shipped to his office. I don't think he trusted me not to carry it into the house and set it up on my own if it arrived here. :)

We picked our playpen based on consumer reports reviews for safety etc. and because it has a diaper changing table. That was my one requirement. I think it will be very useful in the first few weeks home from the hospital and when Baby C goes to stay with g-parents on the days I work.


Having never actually seen our playard we got a little surprise when it arrived. Apparently, it has a remote! Yes a remote! So we don't have to leave the comforts of our coach to turn on the music or the vibration. What a relief! I was really dreading the 10 steps from the coach to the pack 'n play.

And since no post is complete without a picture. Here is our playard:
Now all we need is a remote for the stroller....

36 Weeks!

We've made it to 36 weeks! Our doctor only had good things to say at this week's doctor's appointment. We continue to be on track for a delivery some time around the 16th of January. Frankly, I think the doctors are getting a bit bored with us. No gestational diabetes, negetive for group b strep, blood pressure is good, measuring on track.... I am happy to bore them :)

We spent the rest of the week getting ready for Christmas. Carl and I were lucky to have a four day weekend. We took advantage of it by relaxing and finishing some projects around the house before Christmas.

I can't wait until Christmas next year when Baby C will be here to enjoy it with us!

Here we are at 36 weeks!

How far along: 36 weeks
Net weight gain: 26 lbs
Stretch marks: none :)
Belly button: out for the remainder I am sure
Sleep: up 3xs a night for the bathroom. some nights better than others. experiencing more braxton hicks contractions at night
Food cravings: pineapple!
Food aversions: nothing new
What I miss: exercise! lately I've been really missing vigerous exercise (like running, shredding....) I've been doing some prenatal yoga but with all the snow I can't even get out and go for a walk!
Looking forward to: the arrival of our baby girl! any day now!
Best moment this week: hearing that everything is looking good from the doctor
Milestones: Baby C is as big as a watermelon! oh my!

35 Weeks!

At 35 weeks Baby C is getting ready for her debut! At our doctor's appointment this week the doctor did a low resolution ultrasound to check on her position. The verdict---she is in a great position for delivery! If I wasn't sure whether Baby C had "dropped" yet, I've been reassured by clients all week that the she has definitley dropped. They are all pretty convinced that there is no way I will make it to January 16 because Baby C is already so low. We'll see!

Another sign that Baby C is getting ready to make her appearance... practice contractions. Definitely been feeling some of those at night this week!

In other news, our 35 week kicked off with a lovely baby shower thrown by Baby C's Grandmas and Aunts. Despite the snowstorm that kept some of my family away, we had a lovely tea and many friends and family were there to share in the excitement. There were lots of cute details including onesie cookies, hershey kisses with "It's a girl" tags, and my dad's childhood blocks spelling out Baby Girl.

We ended our week with another baby shower! Carl's company threw us a shower at his boss's house. It was a very nice time and Baby C got lots of cute clothes. :)

Now for a little comparison:

Here I am at 25 weeks

and now at 35 weeks

I think Baby C's grown a little over the last 10 weeks :O

How far along: 35 weeks

Net weight gain: 24 lbs

Stretch marks: still none...

Belly button: out

Sleep: getting up 3 or 4 times for the restroom and started having some braxton hicks contractions this week

Food cravings: clementines---can't get enough!

Food aversions: meat not from local farms (I keep seeing the images from Food Inc and have been having strong aversions...not really pregnancy related but being pregnant makes me even more cautious about what goes in my body!)
What I miss: sleep....

Looking forward to: Christmas!

Best moment this week: the showers and finding out that Baby C is in a great position for delivery

Milestones: Baby C is as big as a cantaloupe! no wonder my back hurts and I am off balance :)

Happy Birthday Asher!

Our little friend and Baby C's future husband is 1 today!


I can't believe it has been a whole year since we found out Asher Thomas was born.

The first time Asher came to our house he was only about 4 or 5 weeks old(?) (Asher's mom you have to help me with that one).

We've enjoyed watching him grow and learn new skills over the last year! Asher came to visit last weekend and we had a little early birthday for him.

Here he is with one of his birthday presents. I can't believe he is standing! Look at him go!



With dad opening his other gift.

Another picture with dad (sorry mom, I don't have any with you :( ) holding his favorite gift-the bows.

Asher- Aunt Karen, Uncle Carl and Baby C love you and wish you a very Happy Birthday!

Surprise Baby Shower!

As I mentioned in our 34 week post, our Reading Camp Committee threw us a surprise shower at our last meeting! Since it was a surprise we didn't get any pictures of it but I took pictures of the gifts when we got home.

Baby C was blessed with many wonderful gifts. She received

many wonderful books

a beautiful handknit blanket

and... a DINASOUR blanket! Carl was realllly excited :) one of the counselors, Emily, made this for Baby C.

34 Weeks!

34 weeks was a wonderful, busy time! Our 34th week started with a Surprise Baby Shower! Carl and I co-direct an all-volunteer Reading Camp for low-income 3rd and 4th graders in Cleveland. At our meeting on Sunday morning the volunteers who help plan Reading Camp threw us a surprise shower! We feel so blessed to have such wonderful people supporting us both with the Reading Camp ministry and as we become parents. I'll do a seperate post on the wonderful gifts they gave us :) think books and something special dinasour related. :)

Sunday afternoon our friends threw a shower for us! I will also do a seperate post on this because there is too much to tell but it was a lot of fun and we are so blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends!

In other news from our 34th week, Baby C and I are now seeing the doctor once a week until delivery! The doctor says that Baby C is measuring on track to be about 6 or 7lbs when she is born and that we should expect her in the next 4 or 5 weeks. Sounds good to me! The doctor also said that at this point Baby C will do well no matter when she is born so if I were to go into pre-term labor they wouldn't try to stop it. I don't want Baby C to get any ideas about coming out too early, she needs those few more weeks, but it is nice to know that if something were to happen she would be healthy and okay!

We finished the week off with Baby C's first trip to cut down a Christmas tree. Carl, my dad, and I went out on Saturday and chopped down trees (1 for our house and 1 for my parents). It was a great day for it. There was snow on the ground and it was sunny and warm (yes I am calling 40 degrees warm :)) I can't wait to take Baby C with us next year!


Our picture this week is from Christmas tree chopping. Sorry for the giant red coat :)

How far along: 34 weeks and 6 days
Net weight gain: 22 lbs....we think, the nurses messed this up last time (sometimes they subtract 2 lbs sometimes they dont... so we are somewhere around 22-24 lbs)
Stretch marks: nope
Belly Button: out most of the time
Sleep: rough-sore back, up 2x a night for the bathroom, some insomnia
Food cravings: fruit!
Food aversions: nothing!
What I miss: pain free sleep--pretty sure I've said this before a few times :)
Looking forward to: hospital tour and family/friends shower
Best moment this week: our baby showers!
Milestones: Baby C could be born any time now and be okay!

33 Weeks!

33 weeks was a good week for Baby C, Carl and I. Other than some insomnia everything seems to be going smoothly as we get closer to the big day! It's hard to believe but in just 3 weeks Baby C will be full term and can safely make her debut! While I am sure there were moments during this pregnancy when I felt like I would never get to see my little girl, as we get closer it feels like it is flying by!


The upcoming weeks are very busy for us so Carl and I decided to do a date night this past Friday. It may be our last for awhile so we decided to go all out. We had a very good dinner at Crop Bistro in the Warehouse District and then stayed in a suite at the Renaissance. We relaxed in the morning and then got a yummy breakfast at the Waterstreet Grill, also in the Warehouse District. It was a very nice, relaxing evening.



The picture for this week was taken on our date night in front of the hotel. You can see the Christmas lights in Public Square in the background.

How far along: 33 weeks and 5 days in the picture

Net weight gain: 20 lbs at last doc apt. again---still no scale at home :)

Stretch marks: still none...wondering when I am going to regret this item

Belly button: mostly outie but not totally popped

Sleep: less than comfortable...though I did find the king sized bed at the hotel to be very nice...now if we could get one to fit in our room.

Food cravings: pickles are making a come back

Food aversions: nothing....just hungry

What I miss: a glass of wine with my dinner at Crop Bistro

Looking forward to: our Baby Showers!

Best moment this week: spending some qt with my hubs on our date night and getting the lyrics to our baby girl's lullaby (written by our friend Cara)

Milestones: Baby C weighs in at 5lbs now! :O

chemical free cleaning

Ever since I found out I was pregnant I've thought a lot about what we use to clean our home. I started switching over to environmentally friendly, all natural cleaners a few years ago for most of our cleaning needs. The one area that I had yet to find a good cleaner was for our floors. This became a big priority when I realized we'd have a little baby crawling around on them soon. Chemicals in cleaning supplies have been linked to all sorts of health problems, not to mention the impact on the environment.....

I was inspired by my friend Emily who got a steam mop before her son Asher was born. Carl and I researched them and finally bought one last week. Ou new Shark Steam Pocket Mop arrived the other day!

It uses water (steam) to clean the floors. Totally chemical free. Also, you save money (and have less waste) because you're not buying all those pads and bottles of cleaning solution like with a swiffer.

I 'll let you know how well it works!

Christmas Stocking!

Baby C isn't expected to arrive until after Christmas, but I couldn't resist getting her a stocking. Carl refused to let me get her any ornaments (apparently baby's first Christmas in the womb doesn't count...) but I was determined to get her a stocking. Santa can pay her a visit this year too!

I can't show you her actual stocking because it has her name embroidered on it (now friends, don't come hunting through our house trying to find it, Amy--yes I am talking to you ;)). I can show you the version from the catalog though!

It is from the Pottery Barn Kids Quilted Stocking collection. Carl has the gingerbread man and I have the snowman so we got Baby C the reindeer:
and no, her name is not Sally. Nice try though.

I can't wait to hang it up! and then hide it whenever someone comes over haha. :)

32 Weeks!

It's 5am the day after Thanksgiving and I am posting about our 32 week because Baby C and I have decided to make our way through all the pregnancy symptoms in the book over the past few weeks, including insomnia. Instead of laying in bed unable to sleep thinking about how I really need to update the blog, here I am!

Our long hiatus was due to a. photographer (husband) being in Egypt and b. return of photographer minus camera which decided to hang out at the pyramids for a few more weeks (thankfully someone kindly turned it in and my husband's boss brought it back to us last week). and reason c. we hit the third trimester and have been on a whirlwind of baby/holiday...activities.

The second trimester, like the book says, was very smooth for me. I had a fairly normal, pre-pregnancy amount of energy, and we had limited baby-related things to do. The last few weeks have been quite different though!

First, we started our childbirth classes the day after Carl's return from Egypt! So our nights were filled for 2 weeks with 3 hour classes on birth and infant care. We still have our hospital tour and breastfeeding class to go. So far, the classes have been very good. I reallly liked our childbirth teacher. She filled us in on all the stages of labor, comfort options (natural and medicated), and was good at answering everyone's questions. I feel much more prepared for labor and delivery now, though I am still waiting for someone to reveal the secret 3rd option for how Baby C can make her entrance into the world. Anyone? Anyone?

Another big change over the last few weeks has been in Baby C's movements! She went from rolling around in there and giving me gentle kicks and nudges to some serious poking and proding. Her favorite move as of late is to stick a foot into my right side. You can actually feel a little foot sticking out when she does it. I have to give it a gentle rub to coax it back in there because, while cute, it is not very comfortable. They say by 32 weeks you have maxed out on amniotic fluid so the baby's movements become less gentle because there isn't as much to cushion them. It is very true! Her movements are so strong these days that if you are sitting near me and looking at my belly you can see her move. My friend Cara was in town from Texas and was sitting next to me at Bible Study when she said "did your stomach just move?! was that the baby?" Yep sure was :)

The last big change since we hit third trimester has been in pregnancy symptoms. Other than some nauseau in the first trimester and smell sensitivity I've had a fairly symptom free pregnancy, unless you count craving pickles as a symptom, I just consider that good taste. The third trimester has been very different. As I mentioned at the start of this, we are really making our way through the symptoms now.....leg cramps, backache, insomnia.....oh my! Thankfully, while annoying, they are all normal and the doctor says we are right on track and sailing through with a healthy baby girl.

Now for the pictures and stats!

How far along: 32 weeks and 4 days in the pictures

Net weight gain: 20 lbs

Stretch marks: unless I can't see them because of how HUGE my belly is :) none

Belly button: still bouncing between innie and outie but mostly and outie now

Sleep: haha what's that? wake up 2x a night to use the restroom, sometimes up (writing blog entries) for long stretches in the wee hours of the morning, and hips are really starting to dislike all this side lying
Food cravings: Baby C must be squishing my stomach because I haven't been as hungry lately, though last night I did get a craving for some orange sherbet

Food aversions: nothing

What I miss: pain free sleep

Looking forward to: packing our hospital bags so we're ready just in case Baby C decides to make an early entrance

Best moment this week: finding an Olivia board book for Baby C-I love the Olivia books and have been reading them to her, now our collection includes: Olivia, Olivia Saves the Circus (in board book so Baby C can grab at it, suck on it... to her hearts content), and Olivia Helps with Christmas

Milestones: Baby C has developed her own immune system and is collecting antibodies from me so she is ready for life outside the womb!

the stroller

has arrived! Yay! Why so much excitement about a stroller? Well, this stroller involved lots of investigating, reading, testing and then when we ordered it was on back order so we've been waiting over a month to get it. Not to mention it's one more thing bringing us closer to being ready for Baby C's arrival!


I am pretty pumped about our stroller! We decided to go with the Baby Jogger City Mini in green. Our big priorities in a stroller were: light, compatible with our carseat, and easy to fold. City mini won! It has an awesome one hand fold that I am happy to show off to any interested parties. Here's what it looks like:





The color was a big debate as the orange was pretty cool, more hard core outdoorsy ;), and the green is simply pretty. So, what image did we want to set... hmmm big decisions. In the end the green came in first so we went with that.

Can't wait to actually use it!

29 Weeks!

I'm back! You might be wondering why such a long hiatus. well... I've been without a camera for awhile now and posting without photos just wasn't as much fun. You can all thank my friend Amy for this post. She was ready for a blog update so she insisted on taking a picture for me. Thanks Amy!

Baby C and I are doing well. Baby C frequently gives me nodges and kicks to let me know how things are going. At our doctor's visit on Monday she kept kicking the doctor when she was trying to check her heartbeat. It was pretty funny.

Here is the belly shot. :)

How far along: 29 weeks

Net weight gain: 16 lbs

Stretch marks: none :)

Belly button: in betweenie

Sleep: waking up at least 1x a night and some nights have trouble falling back asleep because Baby C is having a dance party at 3am

Food cravings: pumpkin everything :) (pie, muffins, cookies....)

Food aversions: nothing!

What I miss: sleeping through the night. no back pain.

Looking forward to: starting childbirth classes next week!

Best moment this week: Doctors appointment where I found out Baby C is measuring right on schedule and doing well

Milestones: Baby C's brain is daily now getting her ready for all the stories we're going to read to her :)

25 weeks

Clearly, being behind is just the way it's going to be with my weekly posts.

25 weeks was a bit iffy around here. I've been feeling pretty great most of the second trimester and was prepared to write about how easy things were going until about Sunday when I started having lots of pain. I called the doctor on Sunday evening just to make sure everything was okay. She didn't seem concerned and suggested a warm bath and laying on my side. Both helped and I figured Baby C was going through a growth spurt. Well, things didn't get any better and by Tuesday I decided it was time to get checked for a UTI. Yep, I was right.... just call me Dr. Carter.

A dose of antibiotics later and we are doing much better. :)

On a happier note we have been enjoying fall around here. Last Sunday (before the pain and doctor's visit) we spent the afternoon at a family farm called New Creations Farm. We buy our eggs and pork from them and went to their open house to see where our meat was coming from. It was a great afternoon with great food and company! I love knowing that our meat is grown without antibiotics and growth hormones and not in 'factories'. If you've seen Food, Inc. you'll know what I mean. As an added bonus the family is pretty awesome. They've adopted 6 children and run a children's ministry for kids who've been in foster care.

I can't wait to take Baby C out to the farm. It makes me pretty happy that we can expose her to awesome things like sustainable, humane farming.

On to the belly shot. As the doctor said "she's growing like a weed"

How far along: 25 weeks and 3 days

Net weight gain: 11 lbs

Stretch marks: none that I can find, phew

Belly button: more and more of an outie each week but still not fully popped

Sleep: still waking up at lease 1x a night and having trouble going back to sleep.... also, pretty sure it's time we invested in a king size bed as I kick Carl a lot....

Food cravings: chik-fil-a chicken sandwiches mmmm

Food aversions: nothing :)

What I miss: sleeping through the night!

Looking forward to: more baby prep :) our stroller should be in soon and I ordered some Baby Legs I found a deal on (they are legwarmers for babies :) very cute)

Best moment this week: hearing the baby's heart beat and finding out that she was doing well at my unexpected doctor's visit

Milestones: Baby C opens her eyes this week! She'll turn her head if we shine a bright light on my belly

the beginnings of a C.D. stash...

and no I am not referring to music CDs but rather CLOTH DIAPERS! Woohoo. okay so for real, I get a little excited about cloth diapers. Not sure what that says about me... ;)

This week our first cloth diapers arrived in the mail. For those of you who are thinking cloth diapers? People still use those? These aren't your grandmother's cloth diapers. Cloth diaper technology (that's right, I said technology) has really advanced over the years. They've become simpler to use, more absorbant, and I think, pretty darn cute. They've also retained all the benefits-better for the environment, better for baby's health and better for your wallet.

The one challenge of cloth diapers these days is there are so many choices! After lots of research and pondering the benefits of different types, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered some.

drum roll please...

ta dah! Cloth Diapers! So, what is in our collection: We have 4 bumgenious pocket diapers, 12 prefolds (basically your traditional cloth diaper just without the pins), 3 thirsties diaper covers, and 12 thirsties reusable wipes. That's right reusable wipes! Save $40-$50 a month and avoid all the chemicals and waste of disposable. Sounds like a deal to me! ;)

Our collection isn't complete, we still need reusable diaper pale liners, some all-in-ones, more wipes, and I am debating whether to get more covers and more prefolds. Oh so many decisions :)

24 weeks!

In an effort to catch up I am doing multiple posts today. On to 24 weeks. Wow this pregnancy is going fast ;)

Carl is convinced that my belly suddenly popped this week. I am pretty sure it's been big for awhile now but I'll take his word for it.

I've discovered Baby C enjoys Vietnamese food and lunches with our friend Laura. I haven't normally felt Baby C much during the day but this week, after a yummy lunch at #1 Pho with Laura, Baby C was kicking up a storm. It marked a turning point. Ever since I have felt Baby C moving around during the day. For a few days I was pretty sure she was throwing a dance party in there her movements were so big.

How far along: 24 weeks
Net weight gain: 10 lbs
Stretch marks: none! here's hoping we can make it all the way without any!
Belly button: nothing new in this area still somewhere in between
Sleep: occasional really vivid dreams, still getting up once a night, the other night enjoyed a granola bar at 2am to silence the hunger. apparently I need more midnight snacks.
Food cravings: donuts from the apple farm...so good
Food aversions: nothing :)
What I miss: having more than 4 shirts to choose from....
Best moment this week: feeling Baby C moving during the day!
Milestones:Baby C is starting hear better and can hear loud sounds!

23 Weeks

Eventually I will catch up on these posts.... I hope!

At 23 weeks Baby C and I are doing well and enjoying the cooler weather (the few days of it...). Baby C's movements are getting stronger and more frequent. I enjoy feeling her move around. We have to work on the 4am dance parties though. They tend to keep me up.

In this weeks picture we are celebrating the beginning of Fall!

Yay for pumpkins, apple crisp, and changing leaves. I can't wait to take Baby C apple picking next year!

Now for the stats

How far along: 23 weeks and 3 days

Net weight gain: 9lbs

Stretch Marks: none! yay

Belly button: Still somewhere in between

Sleep: getting up once a night for the restroom and starting to wake up hungry sometimes

Food Cravings: apple crisp and donuts from the apple farm

Food aversions: None! just hungry

What I miss: nothing this week!

Best moment this week: enjoying the first tastes of fall

Milestones: Baby C is start to put on weight and fill out to get ready for her arrival in January

22 Weeks

22 weeks is a fabulous place to be! This week Carl, Baby C and I headed off on vacation! I've noticed I can feel Baby C move more lately. She seems to be a night owl and is often up when I get up at night for the restroom.

This weeks belly pictures were taken in Savannah.

Here we are on Tybee Island

Carl and his sympathy pregnancy belly :)

Now for the stats:

How far along: 22 weeks and 4 days!

Net weight gain: no scale in the hotel room so we'll assume we're at 9 still (though with all the ice cream I've been eating..... probably more like 25)

Stretch Marks: none!

Belly button: gradually working its way to less of innie. Now it is somewhere in the in between zone

Sleep: very nice in the king sized bed at the hotel!

Food cravings: well, I eat ice cream at least 2x daily... so we could probably call that a craving. I also could go for another slice of Vinnie van Go Gos pizza (a Savannah specialty)

Food aversions: nothing! been eating a lot! vacation does that....

What I miss: partaking in the no open container law in Savannah. Next time!

Looking forward to: taking Baby C to the beach next year!

Best moment this week: pretty much the whole vacation in Savannah has been great!

Milestones: Baby C and I enjoyed our first taste of fried asparagus! Leave it to the South to take something as healthy as asparagus and fry it :)

21 Weeks

This week was completely crazy! Hence the super late post! Work was insane and Carl and I were getting ready for our postponed anniversary trip. I was really ready to get away and spend some quality time with my husband!

You can probably tell from the photo how tired I was this week from all the work!

How far along: 21 weeks and 5 days (it was a crazy week!)

Net weight gain: 9lbs since start of pregnancy (started weighing myself using Wii fit :))

Stretch Marks: None woohoo

Belly button: still an innie

Sleep: greatly improved since I bought a body pillow. still get up 1x per night

Food cravings: getting excited for yummy southern food

Food aversions: nothing this week

What I miss: a glass of wine after a long day at work

Looking forward to: anniversary trip to Savannah!

Best moment this week: feeling the baby kick is always a great moment!

Milestones: baby is out of the ounces and now weighs a full pound!

and we're back!

Sorry for the long hiatus in posting! Carl and I just got home from our postponed anniversary trip to Savannah!! The few days leading up to leaving were incredibly busy with work and getting ready to go so I had no time to blog!

I know I owe you some belly updates. The photos were taken I just have to get the blogs together and they will be up! I also have some posts on our trip in the works so there will be lots of posts coming soon!!

For now I'll just tell you that Savannah was beautiful and HOT! and Baby C is doing well and kicking and moving more each day! She really seemed to like the southern food. I guess fried everything you can think of is in her future ;)

The Nursery: Crib Install

We've been very blessed to have lots of help in setting up and decorating the nursery. Our friend Blake, an official engineer ;), came over this past week and helped Carl put together the crib.



After taking a few pictures I left. They appreciated this and it saved my sanity (are you sure that goes there? are you reading the directions?.....you get the picture).

and the finished product! Great job Carl and Blake and Thank You Mom and Dad Carter for getting us this beautiful crib!

The crib came in a huge box with lots of styrofoam and we weren't sure what to do with it all when we were done. The guys came up with a unique solution....

If you have limited time I highly recommend the last video...

The Nursery: Phase Two

On Tuesday my dad came over and Carl and he added the official nursery color to the walls! Thanks to Pottery Barn, choosing a nursery color was made easy, we decided to go with the one they recommend for the baby's bedding that we picked out. I appreciate that Pottery Barn recommends paint colors as I am terrible at choosing colors and knowing what will match.

You never know what's going to happen when you give my dad a paint brush ;)

He's up to something....

A wall of the nursery completely dedicated to grandpa!

Don't want to leave the dad out of the fun!

As you can see from the pictures, the nursery is yellow! It turned out very pretty and I can't wait to add all the other touches that will bring in green, blues, reds etc.

20 Weeks!

At 20 weeks I am really feeling the baby move a lot now. I want to start tracking the times of day I feel her to see if I can figure out her schedule. I am pretty sure she likes milkshakes like her mom ;) There was lots of movement after my Tommy's milkshake last night.

Here we are at 20 weeks, from really far away for some reason.

How far along: 20 weeks and 2 days

Net weight gain: 8lbs since start of pregnancy

Maternity clothes: still wearing a mixture but definitely more comfortable/look better in the maternity

Stretch marks: none

Belly button: still an innie

Sleep: need lots of it! have been very tired this week

Food cravings: Tommy's milkshakes (best milkshakes I've ever had)

Food aversions: nothing in particular, just hungry

What I miss: nothing this week, just very eager to meet Baby C

Looking forward to: getting the glider for the nursery so I can sit in there and read to Baby C

Best moment this week: putting the final coat of paint on the nursery and setting up the crib

Milestones: Baby C can taste whatever I eat!

The Nursery: Phase One

Nursery construction is underway! It has turned into a multi-phase, multi-day process. The joy of owning an older home, in addition to the fabulous built ins and character, is all the holes, cracks, chipping paint... from years of other peoples' kids ramming into walls and hanging things in random places. Carl wants the nursery to be perfect so he would leave no hole unfilled and no chipped paint unsanded. While I appreciate his desire for the perfect room, I did have a few anxiety attacks about this process turning into a 6 month long hole filling extravaganza and our baby having to live in the midst of construction.

Thankfully, this did not happen and Carl, being the awesome husband he is, worked super hard and filled all the holes etc etc and Sunday we were able to start painting! Let the fun and interesting attire begin!

(I should tell you... when I say "we" painted I mean my parents and Carl painted while I did other things that may or may not have included napping and reading a book on the porch...not my fault though... they forced me to take it easy)

Here's the work crew.

The sleepy looking huaband. Tired from the hours of prep work he's already done in the room.

My dad, painter extroadinaire, fixing up the built in bookcase (remember that character I was talking about?).

Did I mention there was some interesting attire? yep a shower cap made an appearance at the painting party. ...

That's my mom painting the closet. It has become her personal mission to ensure we have nice closets in our house. I appreciate her dedication.

Up next, Phase 2: Painting of the official nursery color!

19 weeks!

We're half way through! Hard to believe....!

Now this may seem a little confusing since I am 19 weeks. Well, I have been doing these posts based on gestational age. So, the baby is 19 weeks and 4 days. Meaning I am in my 20th week of pregnancy. so, baby and I are half way! Get it? maybe?

We've had a very busy and exciting week or so. In addition to the ultrasound and finding out we are having a little girl, I've been feeling the baby move a lot more and we've made lots of progress in the nursery. More on that in another post but the painting should be done tomorrow!!!! I have been feeling the baby wiggle around more and more. Before the ultrasound I wasn't sure the little feelings were the baby but ever since I've really noticed her moving a lot. I think it helps that I saw her move so I was sure it really was her that I was feeling. Now if she could kick a little harder so Carl could feel it. ;)

Now for some pictures!



The giant box in the background is the crib! I can't wait to set it up in the newly painted nursery!

As my friend's mom said the other night I "look pregnant!" :)

How far along: 19 weeks and 4 days

Net weight gain: going to the doctors tomorrow to find out!

Maternity clothes: all maternity clothes in these pictures, heading more and more that way...

Stretch marks: none, phew

Belly button: still an innie

Sleep: lots of vivid dreams waking me up

Food cravings: nothing recently, just hungry and enjoying my mother-in-laws strawberry pie

Food aversions: similar to above, hungry

What I miss: hard cider on the porch after a long day

Looking forward to: putting the last coat of paint on the nursery and setting up the crib!

Best moment this week: seeing our little girl during the ultrasound!

Milestones: baby is as big as a cantaloupe! No wonder I am tired ;)

It's a.....

GIRL!!

Carl and I had our 20 week ultrasound this past week and were so happy to find out that our little girl is healthy and growing right on schedule!

The whole ultrasound experience was incredile. We could see her wiggling and moving all over. She even hiccuped and sucked her thumb while we were watching. The doctor checked her heart and other organs and told us that everything looks good!

Here is one of her little arms and hands.

We are happy to know that everything is going well and are excited for January!

Baby's first plane ride

Baby C took his first plane ride this weekend! Carl and I love to travel so this will be the first of many plane rides for Baby C. She'll get another opportunity in September when we go to Savannah.

Here we are before take off! We got an exit row seat so we had lots of leg room.

I started to worry that the only pictures we would have from before the baby was born would be of me so I decided to take a picture of Carl too.

He made it clear that he would prefer that all the pictures be of me.

Sorry buddy, we don't want the kids to think you weren't around for these special moments!

18 Weeks!

This weeks belly photos are extra special because they were taken at my grandparent's house in New Jersey. Carl and I spent the weekend there visiting with my grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin. It was a great weekend!

I think the baby went through a growth spurt this week because my belly is feeling much bigger!

If you look closely you can see my mom's wedding photo over my right shoulder and my aunt's over my left!

How far along: 18 weeks

Net weight gain: 3 lbs since last doctor's apt. Will find out in a week where I am at now.
Maternity clothes: still a mixture thanks to the belly band
Stretch marks: none!
Belly button: still an innie
Sleep: improving with the body pillow but now having vivid dreams!
Food cravings: Rita's! (for those of you not from New Jersey it is flavored ice and custard, yummy)
Food aversions: still staying away from burgers
What I miss: nothing! just excited for whats to come!
Looking forward to: our ultrasound on Thursday!
Best moment this week: seeing my family in New Jersey!
Milestones: The baby is as big as a mango :)

eggplant anyone?

One of Carl's coworkers gave him some eggplant from his garden. It sat in our produce basket for a few days until I got ambitious and tried to cook it. I googled "cooking eggplant" and read directions on a few websites.

I started out soaking the eggplant in salt.

Then I rinsed the eggplant, layed it on a cookie sheet and brushed it with olive oil. I roasted it on 350 for about an hour.

And then it looked like this...

and I didn't like it at all....

Anyone know how to make GOOD eggplant? We have one more and I would like it to taste yummy not kind of salty and gross.