Saturday, August 30, 2008

The Big Day has finally arrived... It's GAME DAY!!!


This picture is a few years old, but one thing that Chris and I love is Alabama Football! Game Day is finally upon us and I cannot wait to see our team out on the field! We have a Senior QB, lets all just hope that he "shows up" to play, and some great new Freshman from the Nations #1 recruiting class!;-) I am really looking forward to seeing them all in action and getting a feel for what our team will be like this year.
Living in the South is really interesting... we LOVE football! Even the girliest of girls;-) I actually am finding myself a bit anxious and really excited to see this game. I have very realistic expectation as to how this season may go, but I would love to see some big plays by some of these new guys! Maybe my wish will come true!!!=) We will be watching the game with Rocky, Chris' best bud, in our Bama Room... gigantic projection screen, comfortable recliners, and "football food" included! I need to find our "lucky" shakers so I'm off!!
So GO BAMA, BEAT CLEMSON!!! ROOOOLLLLLLLL TIDE, ROLLLL!!!=)

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Baby Carter at 30 weeks!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

www.babycenter.com

Monday, August 25, 2008

His and Hers Weekends Away

This past weekend Chris and I went on His and Hers Weekends away! Chris went on a business/fun trip to New Orleans with a group of his friends/co-workers. I seriously think it was more of a "guy vacation" than anything! They went to the National Mortgage Brokers Convention but spent most of the weekend having a good time and experiencing all that New Orleans has to offer! This was Chris' second trip to New Orleans in the past 3 years and I don't think he will be wanting to go back anytime soon! He spent the majority of his time babysitting his friends that were REALLY experiencing New Orleans, if you know what I mean!;-) Chris had a good time, but I could tell that he was really happy to get home to me and REST!

He did say that he could tell a big difference in how dirty New Orleans was since the last time that he visited, which was post Katrina. He felt like it was already headed down hill again as he was pleasantly surprised on his last trip, when everything was new and the city was working overtime to promote tourism. We prefer clean streets, as few homeless people as possible, and as few drunken idiots as we can away with seeing! New Orleans may not be a great get away spot for us! If we want Blues we can always cut our trip in half and drop into Memphis or if we want Cajun cuisine we can drive right down the road to Cajun Steamers... yummy Cajun food, in Trussville no less! I did joke with Chris and tell him this was his Baby Bachelor Party- his last "Man Trip" before Caroline gets here- so I hope he enjoyed it!;-)

Since I didn't want to be alone while Chris was gone and we had planned his trip so far in advance, I went to Florence for the weekend for some time with the Fam! I had a really nice, relaxing weekend. It was primarily consumed by getting some important items for Caroline out of the way. I drove home with a loaded down car! I have been feeling more of a need to get the basics done NOW, in case our little one is early- which I doubt will happen. But, hey, you never know and I love to be prepared... I'm the girl that makes 4 lists a day of the things I want to get done and in what time frame. It's not obsessive, but it is borderline;-) I'm fine with not having pictures on the wall yet or not having a "diapering station" set up, but I needed her to have a mattress and baby bedding!

So while in Florence I found some beautiful baby bedding that was just what I wanted, for the price that I wanted, at Ezra's Attic and we picked up her mattress at the Baby's Room. And this isn't just any mattress, this is the Baby Mattress 3000! It's a colgate mattress, which is what is recommended for babies, they say its firmness reduces the chance of SIDS. It is a baby mattress on one side and a toddler mattress(more plush) on the other. Mom also got this for us, which is no surprise since she has been such a GREAT help to us as we get ready for the baby. We really appreciate it more than you know, Mom!!! Our sweet one would have very little if it wasn't for my Mom and her excitement about being a Grandmother- we are really lucky! I know I go on and on about what all my Mom has done, but seriously, everytime she comes to visit it's like Christmas for Caroline;-) This greatly reduces my stress in getting everything together for my daughter... it's like she's my partner in crime- and I love it!!! It really has been tons of fun!

We spent all day Saturday running around Florence finding the perfect, little goodies for Caroline and visiting with people as we shopped that I haven't seen in YEARS! The joys of small town life... it doesn't matter where you go, you're bound to find someone you know!=) On Sunday we went to my Grandparents house to spend some time with them and have lunch. We had some yummy vegetables from their garden and I was in Heaven!=) I really think that Caroline likes Southern Cookin' just as much as I do because she always becomes more active after I eat it. I think she knows what the good stuff is! Sunday Dinner was wonderful Grandmother and Granddaddy! Thanks again for having us!

After visiting for a few hours I had to head back to Trussville so that I could unload my packed car before it got too dark. I spent the rest of the evening organizing Caroline's room and putting her bedding together... it really is precious! I cannot wait to share! As soon as we get the rest of her furniture in her room, I'll post pictures!

Up Next, Football Season!!! We are very excited about this... ROLL TIDE!!!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Family, Fun, Furniture...

This past weekend my Mom and Brothers came to Trussville to help us do some work on Caroline's Room.(Dad is still out of town for work) When our furniture arrived a bit earlier than expected, I jumped into planning mode and was able to get Mother to drive my old jeep down from Florence with a trailer loaded down with furniture attached to it. Needless to say, it was a long trip for them! In spite of all of my planning there were a few kinks in getting her room together last weekend.
Before we nailed down that they were going to come down on Friday after work, I checked the weather to make sure that our nice furniture wouldn't be getting wet. Of course the forecast said "Sunny, with occasional clouds" for Friday, but it did say Showers and Thunderstorms for Saturday and Sunday. I was satisfied with the cheery forecast for Friday and thought all would be well! As my younger brother and mother were loading up the furniture, Blake called and asked if I had checked the weather lately. Of course there were afternoon thunderstorms popping up all over north Alabama! Ugh... I pulled up the radar and Florence was surrounded by heavy rain! Oh the luck! On the way to pick up Trey they grabbed a tarp and after securing it, were ready to hit the road... disaster diverted!
Caroline's furniture arrived safe and dry 3 and 1/2 hours later. That had to be the longest trip that my brothers had ever taken to see their sister! After a brief inspection by Chris the guys exercised their muscles and stored all of the furniture in the garage for the night. We still had a GIGANTIC bed in her bedroom and a chest of drawers that we had to move out and then paint before we could get the furniture upstairs. We decided that could wait until morning!
Saturday morning Mom and I got up before the rest of the house and went to Home Depot to get "baby safe" Behr paint. We decided on a pale pink for her bedroom and a pale green that matches her recliner for her bathroom. Satisfied with our selections we were ready to get started!!! The boys took the GARGANTUAN bed down while we were gone and we finished moving some of the smaller out of the rooms to set up paint central.
Painting both rooms took the entire afternoon and by the time we finished this we were exhausted... especially me! I had a "schedule" that I wanted to keep to so that we could finish everything, but I threw that out the window when I realized how tired we all were. We spent the evening watching the Olympics and I cooked dinner for the family.
Sunday was reserved for moving the EXTREMELY heavy furniture upstairs. Fortunately the crib(broken down in the box), the recliner, dresser, and mirror were carried up the stairs with little strain. However, the armoire(now nicknamed "the beast") was FAR too heavy for us to get upstairs on Sunday. It is a beautiful piece of furniture, but seriously my husband was asking me why I didn't ask the furniture makers how much everything weighed before I bought it! haha! Poor guy! Even with Chris, Trey, Blake, Mom, and myself giving it our best we were afraid we would drop it and decided it was better left to the professionals, or at least friends with more experience moving. For now, the armoire has a home in our garage but hopefully we will be able to get it upstairs in the next week or so.
That armoire was so heavy that I really shouldn't have tried to help move it! After we tried together I had a few braxton hicks contractions and decided it was time for me to go take a break! They quickly went away after I propped my feet up and laid on my side, so I was good to go in about 30 minutes. So, on The York's way out of town we decided to go to P.F. Changs for a late lunch/dinner... YUM!!!
Caroline's room is now painted and most of the furniture is put together and in place. Such a relief!!! I will post pictures once we get her bedding and whatnot up. A HUGE thanks goes out to my Mom and Brothers for coming to town and working all weekend! Chris and I really appreciate it!=)

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

29 weeks Appointment

Today I had my final monthly Dr's appointment for this pregnancy. My next appointment will be in 3 weeks, then we will move to every 2 weeks and finally weekly until she arrives! WOW!! We are still rotating through the practice, meeting the other doctors that could potentially deliver our daughter. Overall, the appointment was non-eventful... thank goodness!
I did have an awkward moment in the waiting room as I was waiting to be called back. Today was pregnant lady day at my office apparently because there had to be 4 or 5 happy pregnant couples waiting to see their doctor's. Most of the women had belly's that were significantly larger than mine so I assumed that were on their final "weekly" appointments. After about 20 minutes of waiting a young couple walked in and she appeared to be as far along as I am. We had similar body frames and baby bumps. When the couple sat down beside me we began making polite conversation... "How has your pregnancy been?", "Is this your First?", "Which Dr. do you regularly see?"...etc... Then she asked me with great excitement, "So do you find out what you are having today too??". *Awkward silence* I realized that I never had asked her how far along she was, I had just assumed, and that she was obviously coming for her 20 week "big" ultrasound. I told her that I was actually in my 29th week, 7th month, and that I had known that I was having a girl for about 2 to 3 months. She sat there stunned and then blurted out, "Oh, no! I am going to be big as a house!!!" Poor thing! I proceeded to tell her that I had horrible morning sickness and had not gained as much as is considered normal... at least not yet!;-) I told her my time was coming and that I just had some catching up to do! Moral of the story, every pregnancy is different and NEVER make assumptions!!! AND Chris may be right in calling Caroline a "runt"... sweet little thing!
After talking with the Dr about my weight gain(2 pounds this past month- even though I am eating like a pig!;-)) she said that the ever present morning sickness and continuous heartburn/indigestion probably have something to do with my lack of overall weight gain and not to worry! That Caroline is, of course, getting all that she needs and that fretting about it will do no good. So we are keeping things just as they have been. When the Dr. measured my stomach today to make sure that she was progressing as she should be, Caroline kept kicking her. The Dr. would stop mid sentence and say "wow, she IS active" over and over. It was pretty funny! We just sat there for a moment watching my belly dance and the Dr. just laughed at her. Our little girl already likes to show off!! ;-)

Watch our Baby Grow, 29 weeks!!!


Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Baby Carter at 28 weeks


How your baby's growing:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.
www.babycenter.com

Monday, August 11, 2008

Third Trimester Post

As of a week ago, we have officially entered into the third and final trimester of this pregnancy. This is WONDERFUL news as far as I am concerned but I am savoring my final days of freedom(and sleep) as we prepare for Caroline's arrival. In honor of making it to the third trimester I am going to acknowledge the top 10 most wonderful and less than wonderful things about pregnancy, as far as I am concerned!

Positives:

* I love, Love, LOVE feeling Caroline growing bigger and stronger every day. I feel so lucky that I get to enjoy this sweet little miracle every day and wish that Chris could feel just how amazing this truly is! She is getting much stronger, and sometimes it is a bit painful if she kicks in certain places, but most of the time I just smile and dream about how she is preparing for her life with us. Amazing!
* I am so excited to be having a Baby Girl! I am really looking forward to "girl time"(and we will have plenty of it!) once our little one gets here. Neither of our families have had many baby girls, so hair bows and dresses will be new and exciting around here for quite some time!
* Watching the joy that the hope of this little girl brings to our families! I feel so grateful that we have been given this gift to share with the people that mean the most to us. My family and Chris' family are both so excited about their new family member... it's been quite a while since either has had a new baby in the family!
* I have had a blast preparing for our little girl! This is of course a work in progress at this point, but for the most part I have picked out all of our "baby gear", nursery furniture and bedding, and have been given some of the sweetest baby girl things I have ever seen! Just a hint, Lots of pink!;-) I can't help but get a bit giddy every time we get something new. I am loving preparing to bring Caroline home for her to start her life with us!
* I am really enjoying the final months of Chris and I being "just the two of us". I think just knowing that we will soon become a family of 3 has made Chris and I appreciate each other and the precious time that we have together more. While we cannot wait to be a family, I think these last few months of memories and precious sleep will serve us well once the girlie-girl arrives!

Negatives:

* Morning Sickness- need I say more?! Unfortunately I am one of the unlucky few that has horrible morning sickness and it sticks around! The first 4 months were completely debilitating, but I have experienced steady improvement over the past 2-3 months. I am STILL sick everyday, but I have learned to live with it! I just get up, am sick for a few hours, and then I force myself to get dressed and go have lunch with Chris. After I eat, I feel much better so that keeps me going! I am finally gaining weight, yay!!
* I am so grateful to have this baby, but I don't necessarily love that my body has been taken over by this foreign person and is being morphed into something that barely reminds me of it's previous state. I am looking forward to having her in my arms so that I can have MY body back!
* I have many of the common pregnancy problems that other women experience, but consider them par for the course. Heartburn has become something that I deal with on an hourly basis. However, I just remind myself that it will go away when she's born and she is so worth it. I eat Tum's like they are candy! But, maybe she will have a head full of hair and then I will be grateful for the heartburn!
* With the change in my body came a change in my posture and with THAT comes a backache! I have a hard time getting comfortable in chairs or in the bed. Once again, par for the course and I'm fine with that!
* Finally, I am somewhat disappointed that I may not be able to go to many Alabama Football games this year... Boooo! I look forward to football season all year long and love that we have season tickets to see the team first hand in t-town. I hope to make it to a few home games, but if it is as hot as it was last year, it may not be in our(mine and Caroline's) best interest to go to all of the games. I am sending Chris to all of the games, unless I think Caroline might be coming that day, so he won't miss much. I, however, will have to put myself on a game to game basis and decide on game day if I'm up for it... so unfortunate!!! ROLL TIDE!=) On the upside, a lot of the big SEC games are away this year so we will be able to watch them together here at the house with some friends. I AM looking forward to this!

On a side note, The Baby's Room called today and said that our furniture is already in! Wow!!! This throws my schedule off a bit as we are yet to clean out the baby's room or paint the walls. I've picked out bedding, but assumed that I would have another two weeks(weekends) to get her bedding in, her room and bathroom painted, and get ready for furniture. This is an adjustment that I am willing to make, it just pushed my plans up a bit! I am happy that we should be able to get the room situated(aside from minor decor) before football season.

I hope everyone is having a great week!!!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Sweet Caroline!

The time has come for us to finally announce what the newest member of the Carter Family will be named!!

Caroline Elizabeth Carter

As many of you know, naming a child is a HUGE decision. We struggled, but we are very happy with what she will be named. Chris really wanted to give our daughter a "C" name to go with our "C" names and we both thought Caroline was a nice, normal, classic name. Calling her by her name is a real change for me and we are both still working on it. Now that she officially has a name, her arrival seems to be just around the corner. I cannot wait to meet our Sweet Caroline!=)

Monday, August 4, 2008

Marriage Survey


A quick little survey that I filled out. I thought some of you might be interested to know a bit more about us and how we do things around the Carter Home. Enjoy!!!

1.What is your spouse’s name?

Chris

2.How long have you been married?

2 years

3.How long were you together before you got married?

a little over a year

4.Where did you get married?

First Methodist Trussville

5.Where did you propose or were you proposed to?
It was the sweetest thing! So us!!! We had just gotten home from a weekend trip to Memphis and Chris said he just "had" to run an errand that he had not mentioned on our way into town. I told him that was fine, that I was going to take a nap and asked him to pick up dinner on his way back home. When Chris finally arrived back at our house, he INHALED his dinner.. I should have known something was up;-) I even asked him if he was ok, since he was acting a bit out of the ordinary! We were still sitting at our breakfast table when he said he had a surprise for me. He went to our laundry room and brought back a wrapped box. I opened it up and it was a small gold jewelery/music box that was an egg on pedestal feet. He told me to listen to the song that the music box played... it was "the wedding march"... he was standing behind me, so I quickly turned around to look at him and he was already down on one knee. He had a huge smile on his face and said, "I thought you could put THIS in it." I saw the ring and he grabbed my hands and started a speech about why he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I was absolutely stunned and just sat there half- laughing, half- crying(happy tears, of course!) , and desperately trying to say "YES". Since I couldn't speak, I just jumped up and gave him a hug and continued nodding. Chris did eventually get his "yes", when I calmed down a bit and realized that I had never gotten one out! My ring had actually just come in from the jeweler and his errand was picking my ring up. He was just so excited, he couldn't wait to ask me when he got home... All in all, it was one of the most precious moments of my life.
6.Have you ever been married before your current marriage?

No

7.Who "wears the pants" in the house?

We both do!=)

8.Who is the "bread-winner"?

Chris, but we both do our part!

9.Do you have any children?

We have one sweet wiggle worm hanging out in my belly... I count her!

10.Do you have any Pets?

Chris has 2 cats... they just live with me;-) I don't love that the cats hair gets all over EVERYTHING or that they use the restroom in the house. This is really starting to bother me more and more since the baby will be here in a few months. How on EARTH am I going to keep all of that cat hair out of my baby's mouth?! YUCK, right?! I'm working on this;-)

11.Do you own a home or rent a place?

Own

12.How many times a week do just the two of you go out?

All of the time! We have lunch together every day, mostly just the two of us but sometimes our work buddies join us. We go out to dinner maybe twice a week. I love "date nights"!!! *Sigh*... and soon we will be a party of 3!=)
13.Do you have separate checking accounts?

no... not since we started TJC... It's all for Team Carter!

14.What side of the bed do you sleep on?

Right, but Chris mostly sleeps in the center of the bed so I mix it up sometimes if he starts to migrate towards one side so I can BREATHE!!

15.Who does the laundry?

me!!! Unless I'm sick, and Chris will help out

16.Who cooks?

I do... unless Chris is feeling creative and wants to "create" dinner on a weekend night. He's a good cook and it's kinda fun when he does!
17.Who cleans?

I do... again, unless I'm sick and Chris will help=)

18.Do you share a vehicle or each have your own?

We each have our own.

19.Do you agree on movies?

Sometimes... however I tend to like Chick-flick girlie movies and Chris likes Blood and guts and scary stuff... we try to compromise=)

20.Do you argue with your spouse?

who doesn't?! We get over it fast, though!

21.Are you good at pampering?

I take care of Chris most of the time and I like it that way! He does too!

22.What is your favorite physical feature of your spouse?

eyes, smile.... I could go on and on!;-)

23.What is your wedding date?

May 27, 2006

24.Where was your honeymoon?

The Westin Rio Mar Resort in Puerto Rico... it was great!;-)

25.Would you marry him all over again?

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!! He's my favorite!=)