4th of July weekend in Ohio

Whew!! What a weekend! It was so nice to get home and see the family. I missed seeing a few folks, but I'll see them again next trip once the baby comes.

Thursday night we made it to Daddy's house around 8:00. Jodi and Eric came over and we all had dinner. Before dinner, Daddy showed us what he bought for the baby. It's a wooden Harley Davidson rocker. It is absolutely darling. It matches the wood in our house perfectly! I can't wait to see Pod ride it!

Daddy fixed steak & gravy and potatoes for dinner. We sat and gabbed and caught up, then off to bed we went once Jodi & Eric left.

Friday rained all day long. Jodi & Eric, Joe & I went to visit Grandma Jean. It was a quick visit. We ran out of time. It was good to see her. She had a difficult time hearring us, but was pleasantly suprised to see my tummy. She got to feel the baby move.

Daddy fixed smoked turkey, smoked ham, and Amy fixed macaroni salad, pink stuff, deviled eggs, and baked beans. Everything was delicious! Jodi & Eric, Chris & Sheena, Aunt Tami & Uncle Sam, and Kelsey came over. We all had dinner before Aunt Tami had to leave for work. Aunt Tami cried when she saw me for the first time!

After dinner, Dad introduced Joe to the game Corn Hole. Joe and Eric were a team and went undefeated all night. So I'm married to a Corn Hole Champ.....
They also played Bullseye Washer game. It was a similar game, but a little more challenging. After everyone left, we all went to bed.

Saturday Joe & I got ready to go over to Jodi's house to meet up with mom for the day. When we got to the house, Jodi had a cute little banner across her front door that said, "Welcome Baby". When we walked in, we found clothes hanging on clothes lines diving the dining room from the kitchen. It was all clothes for Jace! Eric's sister graciously gave them to us for the baby. Jodi picked through them and chose things she thought Jace could wear. Joe & I were so excited! There were pants, shorts, onesies, Ohio State clothes, camoflage clothes. Two pairs of shoes and some swaddle blankets. I couldn't believe it.

Mom came in and couldn't believe my tummy. I think it was more shock just seeing me pregnant more so than anything else. She had to call the Ohio State Patrol because someone had run through Grandma's yard while Grandma was with Aunt Darcy in North Carolina visiting Aunt Kelly. Once that was over with and Christmas / Mother's Day in July was over with, then Jodi gave Joe & I a gift for Jace. It is a darling primitive pillow that says, "Dear God, please tell mama that little boys don't take baths." She also got him a cute little blue suede hat.

We all then piled into Mom's truck and headed to St. C for a quick lunch at Wendy's. Then it was off to Oglebay. We walked all over the Good Zoo & got to see the bird exhibit. Mom got to hold some birds and so did Jodi & Joe. I wouldn't have anything to do with those things. I hate birds. I like to look at them, but I don't want to have anything to do with holding them! Then we took the most fun train ride ever! LOL We saw ostriches, weeds, trees, and a bull dozer. The train engineer grunted at mom when she told him we had wrist bands. Most of the train ride we spent looking at pictures on Eric's cell phone.

After the train ride was over, we left the park and went to Schenk Lake. There Joe & I and Jodi & Eric pedal boated while mom watched from the shore. It was tough on me after doing all that walking up and down hills at the zoo, but I managed. Then we all went over to play 19 holes of miniture golf. I was the big fat loser with a score of 69, which is only 27 over par! I believe par was 42. Oh well.... I can't remember who won, but I think Joe did, then Jodi, then Eric, then Mom, then me. By the time we were done, I felt like crap! I was exhausted and so hot I couldn't hardly stand myself! We had to make a potty break at the lodge, but then we got in the truck and headed over to Cabella's. We all decided we were hungry and maybe we should eat first, so we went to Cheddar's and the wait was only supposed to be 30 mins. So off to the bar we went to get something cold to drink. I had a virgin pina colada, which was oh so yummy! We ordered our dinner and by the time we were done eatting and the server took our checks so we could leave, Cabellas had closed. Joe was so disappointed. I felt bad for him.

We went back to Jodi's house and Joe & I opened our gift from Gail, a woman my mom works with. Her mother had made a beautiful, soft, blue baby afghan and a matching hat. It was gorgeous! They trimmed it in matching blue ribbon and adhered plastic blue cars to the corners for detail. It is darling! Then mom decided she was going to leave for Cleveland and so Joe & I left, to go back to Dad's. Jodi had to work the next morning. The next time I would see Jodi & mom will be with a baby! They have decided they're not going to come down next month and will wait until after the baby is born.

We got to Dad's and he & Amy were watching the Nascar race. So we all talked and watched the race. Once it was over, it was off to bed because Joe & I had a long day of driving to do on Sunday.

Sunday morning Daddy fixed eggs, potatoes, and sausage patties. We ate breakfast, packed our stuff, said our good-byes and headed for the road. Joe & I made it home around 6:30 last night. Once we got home, Joe had to work on the dishwasher, which was a royal pain in the behind. I designed our Thank You notes for the baby's gifts. We heated up a couple slices of pizza and headed off to bed. I was up most of the night from heartburn. I should have known better than to eat pizza before bed! So needless to say I'm exhausted today!

This afternoon I had a normal check up at the doctor's office. The baby is still measuring on target for the September 24th estimated due date. My blood pressure was 112/70, my iron in my blood was a little low, but nothing to worry over. Doctor told me just to eat a little more red meat & continue taking my prenatal vitamins. The urine test looked good, the baby's heartbeat is still measuring in the 140's and I'm still gaining weight.... Up to 171 now... GOOD NIGHT!

Oh well, that's everything in a nutshell for now. Joe just got home and dinner is about done, so I'm going to sign off and relax for the rest of the night.

Talk to you all later!

Sunday update

This is a 27w4d tummy picture taken outside of the reception hall last night.

Doesn't the baby on the left-hand side look like he has a headache? ha ha ha I bet that's what Jace is like since he has to listen to me all the time! :)

Yesterday was Joe's friend's wedding. It was small and simple. Not too much to it. The bride, Lynn, looked very pretty and Steve looked handsome, although Joe was the most handsome one up front! The wedding began at 5:00 and we were home by 8:30. The reception consisted of a sit-down dinner with your choice of chicken or ribeye. They cut the cake and then everyone left.

This morning we met up with my cousin Chris & his daughter Abigail for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. It was a nice visit with them. Joe had never met Chris.

After breakfast we headed over to the mall to take back the tuxedo. I had to run into Sephora to get some make-up I was out of. Then we stopped in a few other stores to browse and then headed home. I noticed on the way home there was a used child's clothing store that appeared to have furniture, etc in the window to. So Joe turned around we went in to check it out. I'm glad we did.

Joe spotted the cutest walker, jumper combination. It looks like a car. It is darling. Joe asked if they would negotiate on the price and we got it for 10% off. Although it was in the used children's store, it was brand new. The tags are all still on it and the wheels didn't look as though they had seen the floor! So the lady got out some batteries, put them in so we could see that it does work. The neat thing about it is the front (where the car hood is) comes off and under it is actually a tray for the toddler to eat off of. Also the seat folds completely under the tray and the baby can walk behind it. It's really neat. It's so cute! Here are some pictures of it:

I Almost Forgot

Joe's mom called me yesterday and told me they've set my baby shower date for August 24th. I'm not sure what time yet, but it'll be at my church late in the afternoon (2-4 or 2:30-4:30) I think is what she said.

Nursery Furniture Purchased

Well, another item off of the checklist of things to do... I got a call yesterday from Babies R Us. They had 4 cribs in all of the BRU warehouses. They asked if I wanted one and if I did, I needed to come in an put a deposit to hold one of the four. So I went right over and got the dresser, chest, and crib. Now all I have to do is wait for the furniture to be shipped to BRU for us to go pick it up! I'm so excited... now if only we could get this room cleaned out and be ready for it! We've just had so much going on. Joe studies whenever he is at home and not eatting dinner because his class is difficult this semester. We've got a wedding to go to this weekend. Once things like that get over with, we should be able to put in the time to get this room done. We need to clear it out completely, strip the wallpaper border, clean and paint the walls and trim, & clean the wood floor. Then we should be ready for furniture. Sounds much easier than it is, I'm sure! We haven't gone to pick out the paint yet. We still need to do that. Fun times ahead!!!
I'm getting really excited about our trip home next weekend. I can hardly wait. Time seems to drag by. It'll be here before long though. Just under a week now!

Another weekend passes

Joe & his friend, Drew, left Friday afternoon for a weekend of camping in Cookeville. They seemed to have had a good time & came back this morning around noon or so. Joe is completely worn out. He and I both took a nap this afternoon!



After he came home & showered, we went to Babies R Us to purchase the furniture for the nursery and found that it is all on backorder. They took my name and telephone number and said they would call me when it was available, but they have a waiting list. I asked if I could put a deposit down to hold it, but they wouldn't allow it. I have a 15% off coupon for the furniture, too, which expires 07/03/08. I'm kinda disappointed that I have to 15% extra now since they don't have it in stock. I think I'll call the manager and ask about it tomorrow. That doesn't seem right.

I thought I would look on-line to see if this particular set is sold anywhere else, but it seems as if it is only carried by Toys R Us / Babies R Us. So I'm kinda at their mercy right now.

I found a cute rug and valence, too. I'll post a picture. The rug is small, but I've seen folks on decorator shows take four small rugs and sew them together to make a room sized area rug. I think that's what I'll do. I started to crochet a rag rug, but I wanted it in the colors. Finding rags in the right colors wasn't working so well. So I think I might just forget about it for now and put it as a project to finish later.

This coming weekend Joe's friend, Steve, gets married. So we'll be busy Friday & Saturday. Then we get to come home the following Thursday! I can hardly wait! Mom said she would be in town on Saturday, so it looks like we'll be spending Friday with Dad and Saturday with Mom. We'll be staying at Dad's house all weekend and leaving on Sunday morning.

Oh and I almost forgot to post a new tummy picture.... Well I have put on a TON of weight. I look like I have a beachball for a head. My face is so round now. Anyway, this tummy picture was taken this past Friday.

Trip to Ohio

Well, Joe & I talked about coming to Ohio before I can't make the trip. Since we're both off on the 4th of July, we're going to plan for that weekend. We intend to leave work 1/2 day on July 3rd, which would put us in St. C. later that evening. Then we'll spend one day (either Friday or Saturday) with Mom and one day (the opposite day) with Dad and then drive back to Knoxville on the 6th (Sunday). I guess which day we spend with Mom & which day we spend with Dad will depend on which day Mom is able to drive down to St. C to meet us. We'll stay the nights with Dad.

I know it's a quick and short visit, but I'm so excited I can't hardly stand it! I can't wait to come home to see everyone.

Okay - gotta run, I'm going to go get supper started!

Thought for the day....

Why is it that maternity dresses look like mumu's with an empire waist? I have two weddings to go to this month. Today I spent the day looking for a nice dress that doesn't resemble a mumu. It was quite a challenge! I finally found one that I could settle on & look half way decent in. This is crazy! Someone needs to step it up a bit in maternity clothing styles.

Today's Doctor Appointment

Today was not only my normal 4 week appointment, but also the glucose testing for Gestational Diabetes. They said no news is good news. So if I don't hear anything from the doctor within the next week, then I've passed the test. However, if they call, then I failed and I have to go back for a 3.5 hour test. The drink was awful! It was a normal styrofoam cup filled 1/2 up with what looked like tropical punch Kool-Aid. It tasted like a fruity, thick flat pop with 5 lbs of sugar in it. It was awful; just awful. Ugh....

The doctor put me on restrictions at work... no climbing, no crawling, and no fire scenes. So the roof claims, crawlspaces and fires are out. Guess I'll be a desk jockey for the rest of the time I'm working until I deliver.

So as far as the rest goes, Jace's heart beat was 142 beats per minute, which is normal. They would like to see the BPM to be between 120-160, so Jace is right in the middle! YAY!!

My blood pressure is normal 128/70, so they're not worried with that. The growth of my belly is right on track to document the growth of the baby. Everything as far as Jace is concerned is going great.

The only thing that isn't going too great is my weight. The doctor said I gained 12 lbs since my last appointment four weeks ago. He didn't get mad or upset. In fact, he mentioned that it couldn't possibly be because it doesn't look like I've put on that much weight. He mentioned heavy breakfast, heavy lunch, snack all day, light & early dinner. It will be hard to eat earlier in the evening since we don't get home from work until 6:00 and two nights a week Joe doesn't get home until 8:00 or after (depending on class). So, we'll see. This is the heaviest I've been in my whole life & it's rather depressing. I told Joe to paint my face yellow, put a black smiley face on it and I'd be a great candidate for the Wal-Mart mascot.

Speaking of Joe... Good news! He found out today that he got the job he interviewed for earlier this week. That's fantastic news. It's with the same company, just a different position. It's actually a promotion for him. So I'm so thrilled for him & very proud.

Well, enough for now.

New Tummy Picture - 24w2d

Saltbox House Nightlight - DIY

As you all know, I absolutely adore primitive decor items. I wanted to do Pod's room all in primitives, but it's been hard finding "baby items" in prim decor. One thing I talked to Joe about, though, was doing a salt-box house nightlight. When I visited our local primitive store, I found the cost of these lighted salt-box houses to be between $150-$400. So I almost gave up!

One day while out shopping, Joe came across this salt-box primitive birdhouse. It was unfinished. He painted it in the colors to match Pod's room. Now I'm just waiting to order the light kit for it. Once we get it, Joe will drill the hole for it and it will be a birdhouse turned nightlight! We'll probably set it on the dresser or someplace like that. It's large, not something that hangs from the socket while it's plugged in. Joe has done a fantastic job on it! See for yourself!

Once Joe puts the light kit in it, the light will shine through the windows and door. I can't wait to see it finished! This is one DIY project I'm really excited about. The good news??? Paint and birdhouse costs were less than $20.00!!!

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!