Trip to Corpus

Brian had a network installation in Corpus, so we decided to take a mini vacation. We drove down on Thursday afternoon, I helped Brian drop cables at his clients office. This pretty much meant handing him tools and supplies when he needed them. Friday Brian had to work all day doing the installation, so I just went to the gym at the hotel and to the pool. Friday night we went to eat at Landry's and had some yummy seafood.

Saturday was the highlight of our trip... we went fishing in the bay. Brian and I are not the biggest outdoorsy / hunting / fishing people... BUT every time we go on a vacation, we try to experience something new. We were out on the boat from 10-1:30, we fished in several locations, but did not have much luck. Apparently I missed two potential catches because my bait turned up missing. I am happy to say that I caught a catfish (released it back in the ocean) and Brian caught a speckled trout (it died a painful death flopping around in a cooler :( ). The funniest part was when we started "catching" seagulls. When Brian would cast, the seagulls would dive down to get the live bait and would not let go. It was pretty hilarious watching Brian reel in seagulls. They eventually let go...

Rodnee & Torchy

Here are some cute pictures of Rodnee and Torchy's play date during Memorial Day weekend... too cute not to post...

33 Weeks: Pineapple YUMMM

Boy oh boy am I getting big... I am starting to forget what life was like without this belly! The other night I asked Brian if he remembered when I had a somewhat flat stomach, he laughed. While this pregnancy has gone by fast, it is starting to feel like I have been pregnant forever! I feel like my due date has been miscalculated (haha) but when I look at cute pregnant women who are obviously closer to their due date that me, I realize I still have some growing to do. Don't get me wrong, having the blessing of life growing inside me brings me so much joy. I think I will even miss being pregnant! There is nothing like feeling Addison move inside me, in fact when I have not felt her move, I wake her up so I can get a quick kick or punch just so I know she is ok.

From the Baby Center:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Memorial Day Weekend

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend... Ours was busy, but we had a lot of fun. On Saturday, Brian and I went to Brushy Creek Park with our Sunday School class to play with the boys from the Texas Baptist Children's home. Our class sponsors a cabin of boys and we try to get together with them once a month. I had to leave early because I had a lunch date with Tawnya. She came over to see Addison's room and then we went to lunch at Taco Real in the 1890 Ranch. After lunch we went to J Crew at the Domain so she could make an exchange. I have not been to the Domain in 5-6 months and was totally amazed at all the new development. Tawnya and I had a fun afternoon!

Saturday evening John and Stephanie brought over Torchy (John's new Red Heeler puppy) to play with Rodnee. I will say that Rodnee met his match with Torchy and they played hard core for a couple of hours. We ordered pizza and just watched them play away! By the end of the night they were both exhausted.

Sunday we spent the day with Staci. We started off by going to church at Austin Stone, then to lunch at Wahoo's fish tacos (yummm) and then to Ikea. Ikea is a great place, but really tested my patience. We went to get a bookcase for Addison's room and while we did successfully accomplished our mission, it was hard to keep my hormones in check. After Ikea, we went to Staci's pool and recovered / relaxed. We had a fun day with Staci!

Monday we worked on the house, put the bookcase together and then went to Milburn pool to relax.

It was a great, long weekend full of fun, fellowship and relaxation!

Addison's Room is Almost Done!

Last Friday Vicki (my mother by love) came over to help me organize the drawers in Addison's room. We started off our afternoon by having lunch at Jardin Corona, it was delicious and the conversation was great. Then we went to Target to get baskets and drawer organizers.

Once we got back to the house, we started folding all of Addison's MANY 0-3 month onesies, sleepers and gowns... I must say our little girl has a lot of clothes and we filled up the drawer fast. In the second drawer we put small containers for her shoes, socks, hats and bibs. All her soft, cuddly blankets were put in the third drawer.

The best part about the day was getting to hang out with Vicki. It had been too long since we had a girls day!

My Boys... Too Precious!

Yes this photo is somewhat staged, but I thought it was cute. I hope Rodnee is this calm with Addison! I love my boys.

32 Week Bump Pic

Here is my 32 week bump (more like a small mountain) picture... I am getting HUGE! It is hard to even imagine what I will look like in 8 weeks. So far no stretch marks... Here is a picture of my new hair do! I got my hair done by a new person on Thursday and she is awesome. She put me back to light blonde, which I love! If anyone needs a good hair stylist in Cedar Park, let me know. It will be nice not having to drive into downtown Austin to get my hair done!

The Ultimate Pregnancy Tool

Being in my 8 month of pregnancy, the simple tasks have become not so simple. The biggest hassle is picking things up from the floor. I may just be acting lazy, but there is something about bending over with a basketball in my belly that makes it uncomfortable. I was telling my dad about this and he gave me the Deluxe Gopher to assist me. I cracked up laughing thinking that I would never use it, but I do and I highly recommend it!

So last night while Brian and I were in bed, the remote fell on the floor (on my side of course). I asked him to get it and he did not want to get out of bed. So I reached for my Deluxe Gopher and got the remote off the floor without really having to move.

So to all you pregnant women out there... get a Gopher!

http://www.amazon.com/Ontel-Products-GOPMO2-Deluxe-Reaching/dp/B00006K157

From the Manufacturer:

Now you can reach and grab items high and low without bending, climbing, or straining. The Deluxe Gopher extends your reach nearly 3 feet - even behind furniture and appliances. The Gopher is precise enough to pick up a paper clip, yet strong enough to lift a 5-pound bag of sugar. The Gopher's extra long reach plus super grip suction cup action lets you grab nearly any object in one easy motion.

32 Week Doctor's Appointment

I had my 32 week doctor's appointment, Brian unfortunately could not go with me because he is in San Antonio for a network installation. Addison's heart rate was down at 132 (she has been consistently in the 150's). Dr. Solomon did not seem too concerned and thought she might be sleeping. He confirmed that she is still head down and should remain that way until delivery. My fundal height was 33cm, so we are still a week ahead in growth (but not development). Today we talked a little about my birth plan and if I was anxious about delivery. I told him I my birth plan is to get her out and I am not too anxious about delivery. I know everyone's birth story is different, I am going in with an open mind. My anxiety may rise a bit as we get closer, especially after our birthing class. I told him my only concern about delivery was how I was going to get him to deliver her! There are 5 doctors in the practice that could potentially bring Addison into the world (even though the nurses do majority of the work). He told me to either deliver on a week day or on one of his on-call evenings or weekends, haha. He did say that if I was dialated to 2cm on my due date (July 16th) then he said we induce me. So all is well with Addison... I go back to the doctor in 2 weeks.

Shout Out to Rodnee

This blog is so full of baby stuff that I have failed to mention anything about our precious furbaby Rodnee. I took this picture of him the other day while he was busy hunting squirrels and birds. Isn't he precious!

We are still not sure how he is going to react to Addison. He knows something is up because he has been very clingy and high maintenance. We also recently discovered that he thinks Addison's toys are his toys! After the shower on Saturday, Brian and I were going through all her new items. I put one of her toys on the floor, Rodnee grabbed it and took off. Sigh... I can see it now... Rodnee chewing on Addison's toys and Addison chewing on Rodnee's toys... haha I guess that is why I need a toy sterilizer.

When Addison arrives, our plan is to keep the same schedule we have with Rodnee. He pretty much plays outside all day and comes in at night to eat and sleep. He will still sleep in our bed, etc. so hopefully it won't be too much of a shock for him. Brian and I will just need to make sure we set time everyday to play with him.

My Baby Shower

On Saturday, May 16th I had my first baby shower, hosted by Leanne, Tania and Staci. It was unlike any baby shower I have ever been too and the girls worked so hard to make it extra special. The shower was so much fun! So many of my friends and family can to celebrate Addison. I feel so blessed to have so much love and support!

The shower was a pink and black French theme. Ooh La La! The room was gorgeous! There were pink & black balloons, black & white stripped table cloths and beautiful floral arrangements. The Eiffel Tower shown above was a gift from Tania for Addison's room.

Instead of playing games, the girl's planned a crafty surprise! When the guest arrived at the shower, they made a small scrapbooking page with their name and wrote down a word of advice. I took an individual picture with everyone at the shower as well. So, when the scrapbook book is complete, I will have a page from every guest with their name, picture and advice. How cool is that!

The food at the shower was amazing! We had chicken salad sandwiches, fruit, pasta salad, cheese, meat balls and a variety of danishes. For drinks we had a variety of sparkling juices from World Market. Everything was delicious! In fact, I have been craving the food from my shower all week!

For dessert we had yummy designer cupcakes. There were 4 flavors: strawberry, chocolate & peanut butter, carrot cake and chocolate with vanilla icing. I had the pleasure of trying all 4 and the carrot cake was my favorite... the peanut butter came in as a close second. The party favors were adorable as well. Every guest received a French music cd with a custom made label and a gourmet chocolate in a precious pink box.

At the end of the shower I gave the hostesses their gift, which was a beach bag with an embroidered beach towel, flip flops, sniffs, candle and fan inside. Those girls worked hard to make my shower so special and I am just so blessed to have them in my life.

To view all the pictures from the shower, go to: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=716206008/a=34652780_46895360/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

John's Hooding Ceremony

Last Friday we went to John's hooding ceremony for his MBA from Baylor where he was also named as The Outstanding Student in his MBA class. Now he is moving on to his next goal, and PhD in Statistics. I am so proud of my little brother! We also got to meet John's beautiful girlfriend Stephanie and see his new condo!

32 Weeks: Almost 4 pounds!

We are down to 56 days! Pretty amazing... I am feeling pretty good considering I have a 4 pound blessing in my belly :). I am walking slower, sleeping less and experiencing a lot of pressure which is common due to our growing baby. I am still working out 3-5 days a week, which feels good.

Today I washed my first load of baby clothes! Vicki is coming over tomorrow to help me get everything organized. I am amazed at how much baby clothing can go into one load in the washing machine.

Tonight is our breastfeeding class... I will blog about it tomorrow but it should be interesting. Brian is going with me, I am sure he can hardly wait! Believe it or not it is a couples class. They say having a supportive husband will help retain all the information and I am more likely to breastfeed longer. We shall see!

Tomorrow is my 32 week doctor's appointment.

From the Baby Center:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Take A Guess...

I have added an online poll to guess Addison's birth date, weight and length. Click on the expectnet.com box to the right and enter your guess. My friend Anna did this same poll on her blog when she was pregnant with Abby and I thought it was a fun to see everyones predictions. Facts to help your decision:

• I have measured large this entire pregnancy ranging from 3 days to 1.5 weeks in both sonograms and fundal height.
• Brian was 7 pounds 11 ounces, I was 8 pounds, 12 ounces

Have fun! The person closest to the actual date, weight & length will win a prize!

Pregnancy Quiz

This Survey was posted on my July 2009 Birth Board and thought it would be fun to post on here. Name: Carrie Age: 30 Birthday: Sept. 1 Birth Place: Austin, TX Height: 5'9 Pre-weight: hahaha not telling Father's Name: Brian Age: 31 Birthday: Nov. 8 Birth Place: Hereford, TX Height: 5'11" Are you still together? Always and Forever How did you find out you were preggo? I took a test What kind of Pregnancy test did you take? I can't remember the brand but it was digital How many? 2 (I purchased a non-digital test at the store later that day) What were your 1st symptoms? Exhaustion, Nausea Who did you tell first? Brian Who was with you when you found out? I was by myself... it was 3:00am, Brian was sleeping upstairs (like most normal people) My 1st reaction: Oh My Gosh & No Way Was your baby planned? Sort of... we conceived about 11 months sooner than I thought. When was the baby conceived? October How far were you when you found out? 4 weeks How did your parents react? Both sides are super excited! We are so blessed to have such a loving and supportive family My baby Due Date: July 16th Do you know the sex? Yes If so, boy or girl? Girl Any names? Addison Rose Any Ultrasounds? Yes, 8,9.5,12,18 and 28 weeks Have you heard the heart beat? Many many times, my friend Shelley let me borrow her doppler Who do you think it will look like? I think she will be a perfect combination of both. I do hope she gets Brian's eye color and butt. Will the baby have siblings? Hopefully Have you felt the baby move? Yes, she is my ninja ballerina Miscellaneous Did you have morning sickness? no, just some nausea Did you have any cravings? Mac & Cheese, Pizza, Pickle Juice Did you have any mood swings? HAHAHAHA, who me? Formula or Breastfeeding? Breastfeeding Have you bought anything for the baby yet? Yes, we are ready for her When did you start to show? 18 Weeks How long could you wear your regular clothes? 18 Weeks Will you keep the babies clothes? Some of them Home or Hospital? Hospital. Natural or Medicated birth? Medicated all the way Who will be in the delivery room with you? Me, Brian & Leanne Do you think you will need a C-section? I hope not Will you cry when you hold the baby for the 1st time? yes, in fact I cry when I think about holding her for the first time What the 1st thing you might say to the baby? Hi Will you let anyone video tape the birth? Heck no Are you excited? More excited everyday Who will help you with the baby after the birth? Our families and close friends What is your favorite thing about being pregnant? It is the most amazing experience ever What is the worst thing about being pregnant? Weight gain What's one thing do you miss doing since being pregnant? breathing normal after doing simple tasks (walking up stairs, getting off the couch). Any days you wish you were not pregnant? Yes, when I go shopping with non-pregnant people and watch them try on cute clothes Are you ready for a baby? Yes and No... We still have some classes to take and books to read Do you have insurance? Yes How many kids do you want? 2 Do you talk to the baby? Sometimes Do you still feel attractive? No Have you had your baby shower yet? Yes, I had my first shower last Saturday. It was perfect!Do you like kids? Yes, the well behaved ones How far along are you now? 32 Weeks

New additions to our electronics family...

We have had a few deaths lately with our gadgets. Our "waterproof" camera died while we were in Cozumel and Roomba #2 died last Friday. I am so happy to announce that we have added Roomba #3 and an Olympus Stylus 1050 to our family. Yippee!

The Roomba is my lifesaver when it comes to cleaning and I have missed it tremendously. The entire first floor of our house is tile and wood, so it is nice pushing a button and having the floors done in an hour. Roomba #3 is currently charging and I will let it loose tomorrow morning after it gets a good charge. May have to run it twice because my floors are DIRTY!

Me without a camera is like Brian without a computer. I love taking pictures and not having a camera has been difficult. With my baby shower on Saturday, I wanted to make sure I had a camera in hand, so I went to Costco today and purchased a new one. We love the Olympus Stylus because it is "carrie proof", in other words it is shockproof, waterproof and freezeproof (not that we need that feature living is sunny Texas).

31 Weeks: 4 Navel Oranges

Addison is doing great... I am unfortunately sick with a sinus infection. Tuesday night I was not feeling so great, I thought it was my typical allergies. When we were watching the news they said allergies were low... I said "that's not good". I slept through the entire night without awakening one time! I think that is the first night in 8 months I have done this and when I woke up on Wednesday, I knew something was wrong. I am the queen of sinus infections, I usually get 3-4 a year and know the classic symptoms. I started antibiotics (Penicillin) yesterday, so I should be feeling better by tomorrow.

From the Baby Center:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Diaper Bag

I was blessed with some money for Mother's Day and decided to use it towards my diaper bag. After many hours of research, I decided on the Skip Hop Studio Diaper Tote, it seems to be a stylish diaper bag that has received great reviews and did not cost $150. like some of the other bags I have seen. I ordered the Champagne color and cannot wait to receive it! Here are the specs:

• 14 pockets and zip-top closure (big enough for most laptops)
• Zip pocket protected by Agion®
• Two roomy insulated side bottle pockets Quilted cushioned changing pad
• Water-resistant inside and out
• PVC-free, eco-friendly materials
• Snap-down front pocket lets you stash a blanket/bib underneath
• Nickel feet keep STUDIO off the ground and scuff-free
• Hangs neatly on a stroller and can be worn over the shoulder
• Contrasting lining makes it easy to find what you need
• Dimensions (inches): 17 wide x 12 tall x 6 deep

http://www.babyearth.com/skip-hop-studio-diaper-tote.html?list_id=1&att_val=712

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is typically a day full of mixed emotions for me and this year was no different. I always miss and think about my Mom, feel blessed to have my Mother by Love Vicki who has loved me like her own daughter since she started dating my father and am thankful for my Mother-in-law Melody. This year added a different emotions because in 66 days I will become a mother.... whew! While I am super excited, it was just very overwhelming at times to think about.

On Saturday morning Brian and I had "Pillow Talk" and he told me all the reasons he loves me. It was super sweet and made me so emotional. For my mother's day gift he gave me an awesome Coach purse that can also be used as a small diaper bag. I love it so much and he did a great job picking it out.

Melody came in town Saturday morning and we had a fun weekend of relaxing, shopping. talking and eating. On Sunday we went to church at Austin Stone and then went to brunch at the Driskell Hotel, which was super yummy.

The only thing missing this weekend was that I did not get to see Vicki, we are planning on doing lunch sometime this week to celebrate Mother's Day.

Baby Shower Dress

My first baby shower is Saturday and I am so excited! I have been on the hunt for the perfect dress. As some of you may know, maternity clothes are so much cuter when you are not pregnant and finding "flattering" maternity clothes can be very challenging.

I ordered this dress from Nordstrom and it arrived on Friday. They dress looks great and I and thrilled! I plan on wearing this dress to Rachel's wedding on August 2nd as well.

Now all I need is to find someone to do my hair! (I sort of fired my hair guy last friday.... long story).

Addison's First Tutu

Last night I went over to my friend Anna's house for a tutu making party, we had so much fun! As most of you know, I am not the most crafty person in the world, but come to find out tutu's are easy and super fun to make!

I made Addison a pink cheetah tutu with light and dark pink toile and it turned out great. There were 7 people at the party and everyone created a fabulous tutu! Above is a picture of me and Anna, she made her daughter Abby Lu a Texas Tech tutu... precious!

Car Seat is ordered!

Brian and I decided on the Chicco Keyfit 30 for our car seat many months ago and wanted the adventure color pattern. The adventure pattern must be super popular because it has been consistently back ordered for the past few months. Today I found it online at diapers.com for almost $20 less, so I ordered it! We like the pattern because of the neutral colors, and it will go great with the Bumbleride stroller we purchased a few months ago. The car seat will be here on Tuesday, very exciting!

30 Week Doctor's Appointment

Yesterday I had my 30 week doctor's appointment and everything is going great! Addison's heart rate was great, my blood pressure was 100/50 and the fundal height was 31cm. I spoke with Dr. Solomon about my anemia, while he loved my theory of why my iron was low (I told him it was because I was in Mexico the week before my test and did not eat many foods with iron in them), he told me to take one iron pill a day or every other day at the very least. I see him again in two weeks.

Maternity Leave

I am still awaiting one more signature, but this is my proposed maternity leave plan. I think the plan is very fair and flexible.

• Starting July 1st until delivery - work from home full time.
• FMLA- From the day of delivery continuing for four weeks I will take full-time FMLA. (160 hours FMLA) Week five through week twenty I will work from home 20hrs per week and take 20hrs per week FMLA (320 hours FMLA), totaling the allotted 480 hours of FMLA.
• My intent is to return to work full time 20 weeks after delivery, approximately December 1, 2009 (those details will be ironed out at a later date).

30 Weeks! Only 8-10 to go!

We are on our final stretch...this is my last week of the 7th month and we are getting more and more excited! I am feeling pretty good, starting to feel the effects of my growing belly. I am waking up a lot more during the night for no apparent reason. Last night I woke up at 11:00pm feeling totally rested, looked at the clock and was very disappointed that I had only been sleeping for an hour and a half. I guess this is God's way of preparing me for getting up throughout the night to take care of Addison. Addison is still very active in my belly, her little kicks and punches are getting harder and harder! Sometimes I think it is her waking me up several times a night... I wish she would wait until she was born for that!

The iron supplements are not going well at all. I see my doctor today at 1:30 and will discuss my issues with him then. I could tolerate these symptoms for 10 weeks, but would prefer not too if it is not totally necessary. I guess we shall see.

From the Baby Center:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). 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.)

Crib & Glider

I am happy to finally announce that Addison's crib and glider have been assembled! The crib is so cute and looks great with the bedding. The glider is not the best (definitely made for shorter people), but will work. We plan on using the downstairs rocking recliner for most of our rocking needs. I LOVE walking by her room and seeing her crib all assembled and looking pretty. It is hard to imagine that in 10 weeks she will be sleeping in there!

Next on the list is to assemble the hutch and dresser... from what I have read online this should be an interesting project. Supposedly the manufacture leaves out a few steps, but we will see. Brian is very smart when it comes to this stuff, so I am sure it will all turn out fine.

I look forward to decorating the nursery when all the furniture is assembled. It is all coming together! I sure hope she likes PINK!