2 months old

Carter had his 2 month check up just a few days ago.  Poor little guy had to get his first set of shots (5 in his legs!) but he is growing and healthy.  He went from 17% in his weight to now 55%!

We can already see his little personality starting to come out.  He's definitely a morning baby as this is his happiest time of the day- he loves to smile and talk (especially to the shelf above his changing table). We love that he can distinguish our faces and voices from others and we just got our first giggle from him last week!

Another one of our favorite things about being new parents is getting to spend a lot of time with our families.  Carter has a bunch of visitors each week and he is for sure spoiled with all kinds of love.  We appreciate the effort that our families put into being a part of his life.  We had our first big family dinner for Papa Jim's birthday- 8 adults, 1 child with a booster, 1 with a high chair, and 2 car seats.  It was quite the scene and reality check that our families are growing so quickly!

Other than being busy parents, we also took on our backyard for our newest project.  We had some grass and pavers added and it has made just a difference.  We've spent every night on the patio since it was complete and even the dogs have been able to enjoy it.  Lima spends a lot more time outdoors which really tires her out (watch the video).

Mommy and Me

Anthony returned back to work last week, so Carter and I have been learning to take care of each other and the house while daddy is at work.  It has been a challenge, but we are slowly adjusting each day.  My love for Carter has officially turned into an obsession...just ask Anthony how many pictures he gets everyday- Ha!

My favorite time of the day with him is in the morning.  He looks so cute when he wakes up and after he eats he is wide awake and such a happy baby.

Carter has had lots of visitors over the last couple of weeks.  We both enjoy seeing family- he gets spoiled with attention and I get a little break in my day.  This past Monday we spent the holiday at Mykol and Candis's house and Carter got to spend time with his cousins- I love that Nixen calls him "Carler".  Can't wait until the family grows even more when Brandon arrives (due March 5th).



Carter's Cousins

How cute is this?!?!

Our First Week Home

We've spent Carter's first week home adjusting to our new schedule and learning what Carter wants and needs.  I hope we don't jinx ourselves, but this first week hasn't been all that bad.  We're learning his sleeping and eating schedule and for the past few days, Carter has only woken up twice during the night.  He fights going to sleep at night, but once he does go to sleep, he crashes out!

Some of our favorite things that Carter does are making squeaking noises and smiling while he sleeps, his loud toots as Anthony is changing him, he blows up his diaper when you hold him, he holds his own Binky, his yawns, when he is wide awake and looking around, and when he sucks on his thumb.  We notice little changes in him everyday which makes us realize how quickly he will grow up.  We are trying to cherish every moment with him.

The doggies are still getting used to Carter being around.  Lima doesn't really seem to notice, but Sadie doesn't like when we give Carter all the attention.  Anthony has found that walking around the house with Carter keeps him from getting fussy- Sadie gets all excited when he does this and follows them everywhere.

Before Carter was born, everyone told us how your priorities change the second your baby is born- YOU WERE RIGHT!  Every little decision we make involves thinking first about the little guy.  He brings us so much joy and we couldn't be happier to be parents.

Meet Mr. Carter Blake Creel

Early Wednesday morning I woke up with some sharp stomach pains.  I woke Anthony and told him that I seem to be having them every 4-5 minutes so if they didn't go away soon, then I was pretty sure I was in labor.  We got up and started packing our bags just in case and since they didn't go away, we headed to the hospital.  Once we checked in they verified that I was 4 cm dilated so Carter would be arriving.  After letting our family know, we got settled into our birthing room. 

From early on Anthony and I had decided that we would try to have the baby naturally...we strongly believed that interfering with nature can make labor more difficult.  We stayed strong until I was about 7 cm dilated and I started vomiting from the pain.  It was hard enough to fight through the contractions and I knew I still had the hardest part left, so we chose to have the epidural.  We were so happy we did because I was able to relax and give my body a rest for the really hard work.  I have a whole new appreciation for women who can have their babies naturally!!!

My labor was pretty textbook until this point.  Once I dilated to 8 cm, the contractions started to slow down from the epidural so it took some time before I got to 10 cm and was able to push.  The doctor also discovered that Carter was facing the wrong direction which was making the labor a lot harder.  They tried to turn him, but he was happy where he was.  After 3 hours of pushing, Carter joined our family at 1:40 pm-6 lbs 15 oz, 20 in long.

Carter's first bath

It is definitely a surreal experience...we waited 9 long months and all of a sudden there is a life that we created together.

The first few days of Carter's life have been a roller coaster of emotions.  We've had some rough spots and sleepless nights, but one look at his face makes it so worth it. 

Thank you to all of our friends and family for your support.  It has been awesome to see how excited each of you have been to see Carter.  It has also been wonderful to not have to worry about having a clean home or meals!  We love you all!

39 Weeks- The Waiting Game

My brother was curious about how big my belly is, so I took this snapshot and sent it to him on Friday- it even surprised Anthony and I!  Even though my belly looks and feels massive, I have gotten a lot of comments from people that I do not look like I am about to give birth in one week...so this is a blessing!

I have felt pretty good over the last few days and the only difficulty I am having is WAITING!  We are so excited for Carter to arrive that it is hard not think about it every minute of the day.  I can tell the rest of the family is anxious too...we can't wait to make that phone call to each of you!  I have tried some of the tricks that are rumored to help labor along (spicy foods, pineapple, evening primrose, walking) but nothing yet.  I guess Carter will come when he is ready.

We are trying to stay busy to keep our minds preoccupied, so we did some hiking this weekend.  Lima got her first hiking backpack- not sure she was excited about it at first, but once we got her and Sadie out on the trail on Saturday, she didn't seem to mind.  It's nice that she is our little pack mule and can carry their water, poop bags, treats, and maybe our keys and cell phones.  The weather was so nice that we hiked again on Sunday at Thunderbird.  We decided to give the doggies a rest so just Anthony and I went.  It was good for us to have some time with each other since I am sure it will be rare in the near future.

Other than hiking, we hope to spend time with family and friends over the next week so we stay busy.  Our next doctor's appointment is on Wednesday, so we are hoping we will know more then, but for now...we continue to wait!

 

37 weeks 4 Days

Yesterday we went in for our 37 week check up and ended up with a surprise visit to the hospital.  On the way to our appointment I was telling Anthony that I was having some stronger cramping than usual.  I thought it may have been contractions, but it felt different than what I had felt before, so I was glad that we were going to the doctor.  Right away when she went to listen for the baby’s heartbeat, you would tell she had a different look on her face and the heartbeat sounded slower than what we had heard before.  She confirmed that I was contracting and that the baby’s heartbeat was about 115 so a little bit on the low side.  I was also now dilated to about 1 ½ cm and about 75% effaced, so there was more progress since last week.  She was concerned that Carter could possibly not be responding well to the contractions, so she walked us right over to the hospital for a Non-Stress Test.  They monitored Carter and I for a couple of hours and were able to establish Carter’s heart rate at a baseline of 115-120 and rising when there was movement, which is a good thing.  Only if they had seen his heart rate drop when I was contracting would they be concerned (and yes I got to walk around Labor and Delivery with a sexy hospital gown and socks!).  Since Carter and I weren’t in any harm and even though I was having regular contractions, I definitely didn’t look or feel like I was in labor, they discharged us.  Anthony and I decided it might be best to start driving around with our hospital bags just in case! :)