New Tummy Pictures - 23 weeks & 2 days

While We're Talking Bedding....

Here's the furniture we picked out for the nursery:

We Got The Bedding Today!

Joe & I decided on the bedding we wanted for Jace's crib. We ordered it online since we don't have a Pottery Barn Kids in our area. The closest one is 3.5 hours away. With the cost of gas, we thought we would order and then pay to ship back if we didn't like it. Well, when Joe came home, the box was waiting on the carport for us. He waited until I got home to open it. I absolutely love it! The color is ivory - it's all organic cotton, so there's no dye or anything like that. The pattern is called Organic Dots. It is so soft and thick. It's very pretty. I can't wait to get the crib and set it up so we can see how it's all going to come together. Of course we've got a long way to go before we get there. This computer room has got be cleaned out of contents, the walls and floors cleaned and then freshly painted. Then, we can put the furniture in here.

So until then, here's the picture of the bedding we got (bumper, quilt, and bedskirt):

We will have dark furniture, ivory bedding, beige walls, and accents of aqua blue (see the plane color a few posts down). I've heard it called Tiffany Blue, Robbin's Egg Blue, and Carribbean Blue. Whatever it's called that's the accent color we're using.

Belly Movements

Yesterday while sitting on the sofa with Joe, Pea Pod started kicking me harder than I have felt him kick before. I told Joe that Pod was active. He put is hand on my tummy and felt him move. Pod kept it up for a while. The difference between these kicks and the other kicks was not only were they stronger, but you could actually see my belly pop out and move when he kicked. It was the neatest thing. I kept laughing.... I guess I laugh now because they'll hurt in the future and I'll get tired of it from what everyone tells me.

A Death In Our Family

I came home last night after watching my niece play softball and found Kermit belly up in his tank. R.I.P. Kermit!!!

Poor little guy. He was only supposed to live a maximum of 6 months when I got him, but that was about 10 years ago! He lived a good life....

Cute Accessories I Found For Pod's Room - (& Cheap, TOO!)

I stopped at a Home Goods store on my lunch break today and ran across these cute accessories. I couldn't pass them up. They were perfect and cheap! The pictures make everything look white, but the stars and the sign are actually a creamy, ivory, antique white, not pure white. I'm going to try to find a light blue paint to match the airplane and paint the stars to match.

Another Snip-It From Pea Pod's Movie

Here's another preview of the 3D ultrasound. Keep in mind these are approximately 40 seconds of a 6+ minute ultrasound on DVD.

PeaPod Ultrasound Video

Here's a portion of the 3D video we got from the 20 week ultrasound. I feel so sorry for little Pea Pod. All he wanted to do was suck his thumb, but we wouldn't leave him alone! It looks like he's blinking and looking right at the ultrasound waves on this video. He's got big eyes like Mommy and a cute little nose like Daddy.

Sunday - A Day of Shopping

Because we did absolutely nothing all day yesterday, with the exception to lay around the house, a few loads of laundry, straightening up, and fixing dinner, Joe & I wanted to get out of the house today. So off to Turkey Creek we went. Joe bought lunch at Five Guys and Fries. We each had a cheeseburger and fries. MMMM MMMM Good!

Afterwards we went to the mall and checked out the Baby Bundles. They seemed to be overpriced on their stuff. Very cute stuff though. Then, we hit every department store and child's store that we could find. Joe bought the cutest little outfit for PeaPod at Baby Gap. It's little cargo shorts and a zoo shirt. It's darling. It's up to 3 months, so we think that's what we'll bring him home from the hospital in since it's his first outfit from Mommy & Daddy, but we're not really sure yet.

After leaving the mall we went to Babies R Us and started a registry. We got there late, so we didn't put a whole lot on the registry. While we were there and looking at strollers, we found a steal of a deal on a car seat. It was priced $50 less than what it should have been only because it was a display item and didn't have the box to go with it. So we snagged it. It's a Graco Safe Seat. I think I'll end up developing some muscles because without the baby, it's heavy, but it seemed to be one of the lighter ones we lifted.

It won't be much longer and we'll go back to Babies R Us and finish up our registry. I started one at Target, too. Trying to make sure I don't duplicate items is tough! I need to go into Target to finish it, too. Then I believe Joe & I liked a bedding set from Pottery Barn, so I may start one there, too. I wish one store carried everything we liked. That would be so much easier!

Joe and I decided to turn the office into the nursery. It'll be less work than having to turn the guest room into a nursery. So, we've got a lot ahead of us & time just keeps flying by!!!

Okay, well, I'm off to put my feet up. We've walked the entire mall and around Babies R Us several times, so I think I'm ready to call it a night!

Pea Pod is a Boy!!

This is my tummy at 18weeks and 5 days (April 27th)Here I am getting ready for the 20 week ultrasound. In this picture, I am 19 weeks and 3 days along, so technically I am at 20 weeks.
Another shot waiting for the ultrasound to begin.
First picture on the screen!!! (NO KIDDING!) He's not shy!


Here's Pea Pod "waving" to the camera. I told you he wasn't shy! He's definitely my child! LOL
Speaking of which, Pea Pod loves to suck his thumb! Throughout the ultrasound, he was trying over and over again to get his thumb to his mouth. At one point, he sorta turned his head and tried to reach for his thumb with his mouth. It was so cute! In these 3D pictures, it looks like he doesn't have hands, but he does. They're in a fist. We saw his little hands and feet in 2D to see the bone structure.


This is what we've all waited for... the 20 week ultrasound to see how the baby is developing.
According to the doctor, the baby is healthy and doing well. Development is great! On the ultrasound we were able to see all four chambers of the heart had developed well and are properly functioning; blood flow looked great; the stomach was full, so we know he can swallow; the kidneys looked great; the brain looked great; the bone structure (ribs, spine, arms, legs, hands, and feet) all looked good and strong; the measurements of the head, arms, legs, and trunk are all growing at the same rate, which is good; the heartbeat is 146, nice and strong; everything is great!!!



The doctor said that the first half of the pregnancy is over - WOW time flies!! He said the first half is about development & everything looks good. The second half is about nutrition and genetics. So, based upon the growth rate, he couldn't tell if the baby was on target to be a 5 pound baby or a 10 pound baby. The only thing he could say is that based upon the growth rate in comparison to statistics, the baby is in the 44th percentile, which means growth is at a normal rate.



In five weeks (June 6th) , I go back to do the glucose testing to check for gestational diabetes. It's a one hour test where I have to drink a pure sugar drink to see how my pancreas reacts and if my body is producing enough insulin for two. If I fail the test, I have to go back on another day and do a three hour test. If I fail one of the three hour tests, then they'll diagnose me with gestational diabetes. If I don't fail any test, we're good!

I questioned some cramping that I've been having when I have to crawl in crawl spaces for work. The doctor told me that since they were horizontal cramps, they were uterine contractions, which as long as they last less than a minute or so, are fine. (That's what's going on with mine.) When and if they ever last longer than 15-30 minutes, I need to go in and have things checked out. He said normal vertical cramping along the sides of the abdomen, which I also get, is round ligament pain. That's the ligament pulling as the belly grows. The horizontal cramping is uterine cramping. Sometimes the baby will get into a position that causes cramping, too, but it doesn't last long.

I have no idea when my next ultrasound will be to see the baby again, but I'll be sure to post pictures.

As for me, I've been sick for the last week. I think it's a bad case of allergies so my OB doctor prescribed some antibiotics for me. I'm feeling somewhat better today, so I'm on my way to recovery. I'm sure Pea Pod will be glad so he can breathe! I've been so congested! Me feeling better means I have a week's worth of laundry and house cleaning waiting on me! This place is a mess. I can't wait to get it under control.

As for Daddy, well, need I say anything about a man finding out he's having a son? I couldn't have slapped the smile off his face yesterday if I tried! He is thrilled. Joe said that he would have been happy with either gender as long as the baby is healthy. I understand and agree to that, but there's no denying it, he was ecstatic when he found out he was having a son! When we walked out of the waiting room into the doctor's office, he had his chest all puffed out. It was a proud time for him, for sure!

Grandma Sue & Grandpa Jerome were able to attend the ultrasound yesterday, too. They took us out for dinner after the appointment. We had a nice time. They're both very excited as this will be their first grandson. They have four granddaughters and one great-grandson. Now the Carr name will be carried on for another generation! I'm glad they could be there to see it.

While we were eating, Joe talked about scouts, football, baseball, etc. He's so excited. It shocked me that he didn't run right over to Target to buy GI Joe's. ha ha ha While waiting for the doctor to come into the room, Joe said something to fact that, "Now we can shop for cool things (meaning toys) and not dumb girl stuff." hee hee hee I guess I have to get used to going down the boy's toy aisle.. UGHHH.. I hate boy toys. They're dumb.

Grandma Dana insisted the ultrasound machine was broken when she found out we are having a boy. I think by the picture above, there's not denying it.. ha ha ha She seemed shocked, I guess, since she was so sure I was going to have a little girl. She said, "Oh I really liked the name, Jenna." I know she's happy anyway.

Grandpa Randy just wanted to make sure that the baby was doing good. He didn't seem too thrilled one way or the other about the fact that we're having a boy.

Grandma Amy said, "Well, I was wrong." She thought I was having a girl, too.

From what I'm told, Aunt Machael cried (hopefully tears of joy).. ha ha ha I know they were.

Aunt Jodi & Uncle Eric (I hope I can say that...) ;) seemed excited.

Great-cousin Kelsey was disappointed because now she doesn't know what to do with all the pink stuff she bought. ha ha ha



Well, Joe just woke up (10:00 AM) and we're both hungry. So I'll go fix some breakfast and mess up the kitchen some more before it gets all spotless.

See you all later!

Late Night Movements

Well last night the "POD" decided to become quite active around 10:30. He must have been turning because it made me a little nauseous. Instead of feeling the movements on the right side of my tummy, I felt them on the left side. He stayed active all night. I think I finally got to sleep around 2:00 this morning after three trips to the bathroom.... I certainly hope this is no indication of his behavior to come! I'm in big trouble if it is! Not only do I feel bad for being sick, but now I'm dragging butt from being tired.... I believe motherhood will be an eye-opening experience.

Growing a Baby & Fighting an Infection

This past weekend was pretty nice. Friday night we went out for dinner with Sue & Jerome, then we felt our first movement from Pea Pod. Saturday Joe mowed the grass and I did laundry. We felt movement again from Pea Pod. Sunday Joe & I went to church and then down to his sister's house. I shot the 9mm gun a few times.. well... exactly two times. It was enough to scare me to death. I found that when I pull the trigger I close my eyes. I guess I have a lot of work to do on that, huh? Other than that, we went to Hardees for lunch where I had fish and chips. When I ordered the girl and mgr in the back informed me that I really wasn't getting chips, they were french fries. Boy am I glad they cleared that up! Do I look that stupid?? I guess so. Anyway, so we ate, but the more fish I ate, the colder it was getting. Turns out it was still frozen in the middle. Joe took it back and got me some fresh, hot fish. He brought it back, but I had eatten so many fries, I couldn't eat much more than one patty of hot fish. We went to Wal-Mart got some more ammo and went back to Machael's. Joe continued to shoot while I went into the motorhome Machael & John bought. Machael and Sue planned a camping trip in the motorhome. I mostly listened but ended up providing a few suggestions. I excused myself to go get a drink and noticed my throat started feeling funny. By the time we left, I told Joe my throat started feeling sore. We went to Wal-Mart in Lenoir City, picked up a few things, and headed home. I had a DanActive (the first in two weeks), then laid down to watch TV. I went to bed shortly thereafter. All night I tossed and turned. The longer I laid there, the more I turned, the more sore my throat got, and the further congested my nose became. When I finally got up for work this morning, I couldn't hardly move I was so tired and feeling so lousy. I was blowing green gook out my nose. I worked all day today, came home, ate a preservative ful dinner, and took some children's Sudafed for decongestant. Then I fell asleep. When I woke up, I started feeling congested again. My throat is dry, but not as sore. I've been gargling with salt water the best I can with a congested nose. Having a sinus infection is not much fun when you're growing a baby! I haven't felt Pea Pod move all day. They say when Momma doesn't feel good, baby doesn't either. He must be sleeping. Soiunds like a good idea to me. I'm off to gargle some more salt water, blow my nose, take some more medicine and go back to bed. Good night!

I think we've got some movement!

Last night around 9:00 Joe and I were sitting on the couch watching a movie. I had my hands on my belly and told him that I felt something strange. So he put his hands on my tummy and didn't feel a thing. A little while later it happened again. He put his hand on my tummy again, but this time he felt it, too. It was a soft little "bubble" feeling. Not really a bubble, but that's the best way I can explain it. One time it even felt like a slight little poke. I think it may be the Pod!!!! WOO HOO!!!

Phthalate Free

Check out the web by doing phthalate free product searches - all natural wooden toys, glass baby bottles unless the plastic ones indicate they are phthalate free, no plastic teethers unless they say phthalate free / PVC free / polycarbonate free, buy only fragrance free skin care products as the manufactures don't have to list out the product contains phthalate. It will be listed as fragrance. Also the soft, flexible plastic containers contain phthalates that leak into the product. So make sure the container itself is phthalate free. Many — but not all — "natural" body care manufacturers are conscientious about this, but you'll need to find out specifically from the company.

Here's a list of the more common phthalates:
• DBP (dibutyl phthalate)• DNOP (di-n-octyl phthalate)• DiNP (diisononyl phthalate)• DEP (diethyl phthalate)• BBzP (benzyl butyl phthalate)• DEHP (di 2-ethylhexl phthalate)• DiDP (diisodecyl phthalate)• DnHP (di-n-hexyl phthalate)• DMP (dimethyl phthalate)• DnOP (di-n-octylphthalate)• Bisphenol A (BPA) is another plasticizer.

I found a list on the internet of cosmetic companies that vow to use phthalate free: http://www.safecosmetics.org/docUploads/Compact%20Signers%20-%20April%2015.pdf

I didn't find Johnson & Johnson or Aveeno on the safe list. Burt's Bees is on the safe list.

Phthalate Free Products Only

The hospital where I will be delivering has a warning/newsletter up on their website addressing harmful phthalates. In looking at the information, it appears phthalates are found in many products, but is especially harmful to babies. Lotion, shampoo, powder, etc. all is absorbed into the baby's skin. Phtalates can enter the baby through these and plastic toys he or she chews on. One thing it also talks about is carpeting - thank goodness we have genuine wood floors!

Anyway, just keep your eye out for this nasty chemical.

Nursery Ideas

Well, all weekend I've thought about nursery ideas for P-Pod. None of these have been discussed in detail with Joe yet, but here's what I'm thinking.... PRIMITIVE.... LOL Should that suprise you??? I absolutely love prim and there's so much I can as DIY projects that I thought it would be cute, match the rest of the house, and keep costs low.... IF Joe will agree to it. Here's some inspiration pics I found.

I love this old changing table that was refinished in a creamy white. Isn't it darling? It doesn't look fresh out of Babies R Us at all! I love it! This picture was found on a blog spot at http://www.kiddley.com/

Check out this darling jointed teddy bear. I absolutely love jointed teddy bears. They're just perfect. I found him for sale at http://www.lucindascountrycrafts.com/

These sweet little nightlights are perfect! I can make these very inexpensively (even the bulbs). The picture was taken from e-bay seller The Homespun Raven

Here's a neat stencil for making a wooden primitive sign for the room. Since Joe is collecting Dr. Suess books for P-Pod, I thought this would be perfect! Making those expensive wooden signs should be a piece of cake with the stencil from http://www.stencilmein.com/

I found this "Derby Plaid" crib bedding / room accessories on-line. I thought it was cute for a little boy's room. It's black, white, red, and green = very masculine, but would still go with a primitive decor room.

Daddy Takes Mommy & Pea Pod to the Aquarium

Who has a bigger belly, me or Happy Feet???? LOL

Yesterday Joe and I decided to go to the aquarium in Chattanooga. We had a ball! That place is huge and so I definitely got my walking in. I thought I was going to fall over with exhaustion by the time we left!

They have an awesome tropical area complete with hyacinth macaws and a butterfly room. Those exhibits were awesome! Two buildings there are separted. One for salt water and the other for fresh water. We saw a 300+ lb. sea turtle, sea horses, jelly fish, all sorts of fish, sharks, eels, snakes, turtles... you name it! After we left the aquarium, Joe took me on my first horse and carriage ride through Chattanooga's Riverfront area. It was so fun. I love it. I'll post some pictures.

When the carriage ride was over, we walked down the sidewalk, but we were afraid we would get rained on and I couldn't run, so we turned around and went back. Joe treated me to Ben & Jerry's.. YUM!!! I got strawberry & kiwi sorbet and he got Chocolate Therapy ice cream. It was delicious.

On our way home, we were going to stop by Machael and John's house, but we found out they were in Gatlinburg, so we headed over to Tabitha and Joel's. I played with Garret for a few moments, but we left soon there after. I was exhausted.

Once we got back into Lenoir City, we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a few odds and ends and headed home. Joe wanted pizza for dinner and I wanted red potatoes. So I fixed his pizza and my potatoes. The next thing I remember was waking up about 12:30 this morning with is feet in my face on the sofa. I was out...

I got up this morning with all intentions of going to church, but we were both feeling lazy today. So instead I've been catching up on laundry and dishes. He's been on the computer and working in the yard. So that's how our weekend has gone!

I didn't post the last time we had an appointment for Pea Pod. It was just a regular checkup, nothing spectacular. They listened for the heart beat and Pea Pod was at 144 bpm, so that was good. I was concerned because each time we go to the doctor it's slower and slower. The doctor told me not to worry as long as the bpm fall between 120 and 160, everything is normal. So we're good.

Okay - gotta run for now. The laundry is calling my name!!

P-Pod and Mommy Get Some Clothes

Mom had contacted me a few days ago about saving some wedding pictures to a jump drive. She said she was mailing the drive down and to expect the package. So all week I've been looking in the mail for a yellow jiffy envelope.

Yesterday I pulled in the driveway and found a medium size box under the carport. I thought to myself it couldn't possibly be from Mom as the box was too large for just a jump drive. I checked the address and sure enough the return address confirmed it was from her.

I opened it up and found a letter inside. Below that was the jump drive along with four maternity shirts, two pair of maternity pants and four baby outfits! Mom is sure we're having a little girl! She bought the baby a darling little white sundress with pink ribbon flowers on it for next summer. She also bought a "Christmas Dress" that is so cute! As soon as I pulled it out of the box I told Joe, here's what the baby can wear for Christmas pictures! She also sent a darling blue fleece snow suit with mittens. It can be worn by a girl or boy. It's so cute!!! The last outfit is a little boy's "My First Christmas" green courdoroy overalls with a little undershirt! She sent the receipts so that I could take the girl clothes back if we have a little boy or the boy clothes back if we have a little girl.

They're all so cute!! I told Mom I couldn't stand it that I wanted to buy some little clothes, too, but I wanted to wait to find out what we were having first. So I just went and bought some onesies... LOL

The maternity clothes fit me good with exception to the pants. The doctor's scale last read 138 lbs and I think that's all in my butt, hips, and thighs! So, I have to take the pants back to exchange. I needed maternity clothes badly. I borrowed some from a girl a church, but nothing fits. She sent size 2 pants. I haven't seen size 2 since my senior year in high school!

Thanks, Mom!!!

P-Pod is Continuing to Grow!

Friday morning (March 14th) Joe and I trotted off to the doctor's office. We had our NT scheduled and an ultrasound for Down Syndrome. When we first got called in, they weighed me. I have gained two more pounds! Now I'm at 138lbs. My blood pressure was 102/60. So then we went off to the second waiting room and waited for a while. Then we were finally called back into the ultrasound room probably 20-30 minutes later. When the baby appeared on the screen he/she was sleeping face down! We couldn't have asked for a better position for the testing. The ultrasound tech was quite happy! The baby was sleeping. He/She would move every once in a while, but not much. I was so disappointed because I wanted Joe to see how active it is. Oh well, the appointment was at 8:15 in the morning. It was time for P-Pod to be awake yet, I guess. We got to hear the heartbeat for the first time! It was amazing! The heartbeat was registering at 150 BPM, which kinda worried me since the last time it was at 167. The u/s tech said not to worry because 150 at rest is great. She measured the back of the neck for the Down Syndrome. She said it is nice and thin so we shouldn't worry, but test results will be back in one week. She gave us some new u/s pics, but they aren't that great. I will tell you, though, Pea Pod has got one huge pot belly! LOL Because the baby was face down and the legs were curled up under it, there wasn't any way of seeing the gender. So we still don't know. We should know in our next u/s in May. We're going to have another one at 20 weeks.

Once we were done in the u/s room, we went back to the waiting room and waited a few more minutes until they called me back to take my blood. They needed a few drops to send off to test for chromosomal defects in the baby, etc. So we should have the results back in one week.

After our appointment, Joe and I went to Shoneys for breakfast and the buffet. It was tasty! We sat and gabbed and then I headed off to work and Joe headed home. He had to study as he had a mid-term exam on Saturday.

Saturday it stormed here, but nothing too serious. Atlanta was hit with a tornado. That day was aslo scheduled to be our tea at Machael's house. So there was some talk about postponing it, but it was only raining. I didn't see the sense in it. I had traveled through worse weather, that's for sure. It wasn't calling for tornadoes in our area, so we decided to go ahead and go. While I was getting ready, Joe called and said he had gotten a 100% on his mid-term. I was so excited for him. He told me he was on his way home and would drive his mom and me to Machael's.

He sat there at Machael's house while we had our tea. What a trooper he is! Machael's husband wasn't home so there wasn't much for Joe to do. He's such a good sport! Once we were ready to go, he drove us back home.

Tabitha, Joe's neice, was there with the baby. Everyone gets all up in that baby's face and snaps and claps to get his attention and eye contact and grabs and tosses the baby from one person to the next. It is so stressful to me. It makes me a nervous wreck. They asked me if I wanted to hold him and I politely declined. They must have all thought I was crazy. I just can't handle it. I don't mind holding him, but when you do, you've got other people all around and crowding you. I'm too nervous for that. I'd just rather not hold him than to get stressed out from clausterphobia.

Once we got home, I was tuckered out. I took a two hour nap!! It was 8:00 before I ever woke up! The only reason I did was because the phone rang.

Sunday Joe and I went to church and then we went to see 10,000 B.C. It was a good movie. It reminded me a lot of Apocolypto. Then we went to Target and shopped around, walked around Pier 1 and Ross Dress for Less. Then we went to a little Irish pub/restaurant to get something to eat. I had corned beef and cabbage. Joe had bangers (sausage) and mashed potatoes. The dinners were great.

This morning Joe was off to work with his T-shirt from the Quiet Mon Pub (St. John's Irish Pub) and his green Irish neck beads. He took off with an Irish music CD... It's St. Patrick's Day. Today I have on a green and white shirt, but that's about it. I don't want to get pinched!

Well, I better get off of here an ready for work. Talk to you all soon!

Physical signs of P-Pod

Everyone at work has begun noticing my "tummy". It's sticking out now. My belly button is more shallow than it used to be. None of that bothers me, though. What did bother me was today when a lady at work approached me and said, "Your face is getting fuller." I didn't quite know how to take that. I didn't know if that was a common sign of pregnancy and supposed to be a compliment, but all I heard her say was, "you're getting fat". I couldn't imagine saying that to someone, pregnant or not. It kinda hurt my feelings. So I had to e-mail my mommy and tattle on her - LOL. Mom said it was normal for you to get full all over and not just in your tummy. I didn't know that. I truly thought the lady was telling me I was putting on too much weight. Oh well... oompa loompa here I come!

This coming Friday morning Joe and I are going to the OB doctor to have tests done to determine the likelihood of Down Sydrome. I'm sure it'll be fine as there's none in either of our families. But with my age, I would rather have the test done and be given the ratios and study if they're high, than not know at all and possibly have a DS baby.

Joe's doing really well. Tonight he's gone to the first softball practice of the year for his work's softball team. I came home from work and he was decked out head to toe in Cariten and ball playing clothes.

We've decided to help assist with the 'teens at church. So every Wednesday night we go to church and attend Bible study in the teen room. They're looking for mentors for the teens so we may be matched up with someone to mentor. Can you imagine us mentoring? HA HA HA HA

It's starting to warm up here. It's 57 degrees and full sunshine as I type this at 6:50 PM. Can you believe that??? Summer is right around the corner! I can't wait! I'm over the cold dreary days. The daffodils are all blossomed and the forsynthia bushes are in bloom. Yellow is everywhere! YEAH!!!!

Better get going. I've got a house to clean up! Bye for now!