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! :)

Carter Loves Ice Cream

 

This weekend Marian hosted Gina's baby shower (Brandon's mustache bash!).....she was glowing and gorgeous as usual.  When I was making the cake pops, Lima felt a little left out of the party, so I decided to include her and let her grow her own mustache- HA!  Not sure she was a fan :)

Ok, so I know you have all heard how much Carter loves ice cream.  I've been wanting to capture it on video because it really is wild what he starts to do when I eat ice cream.  Anthony camped out with the video camera and was able to catch some of it!  P.S. don't mind the Kardashians in the background :)

36 weeks

 

I can't believe we are less than 4 weeks away from Carter's arrival!!  We started back up with our Childbirth classes at Arrowhead Hospital where we will be delivering.  The classes are informative, but more reiterating what we've already read about...but it is helping to sink in all the information.  We also are officially driving around with a car seat- HA!

   

 I started having contractions this week which is a good sign that my body is getting ready.  The doctor also confirmed this week that I am 50% effaced- not dilated yet, but since I am effacing there is progress!  By the way...no one warned me (or Anthony) about these exams.  I won't get into details here, but OUCH!!

   

I have been a little more tired lately, but we are still finding time to get some family hikes in.  Last week we took the doggies out twice for 3 mile hikes and they did awesome!  Sadie and I like to take naps after our hike, but at least we are staying active. :) 

 Carter has had some days where I think he is having a wild party in there!  He is moving so much it is uncomfortable at times, but then he tires himself out and rests the next day so I get a little break.  I have also noticed that I can't be on my feet for very long or they start to look like marshmallows.  Our company had our National Sales Meeting last weekend, so I was on my feet more than normal and had to be dressed up for some of the events- thanks to the gift cards to Destination Maternity I received on my birthday, I got a really cute purple dress for our Awards Banquet.  Clothes are already a struggle when you are pregnant, so dressing up is a pain- it was nice to feel good in what I was wearing.

As the big day is approaching we are getting excited and hoping the labor goes smoothly.  Once we are sure it is the real deal, you’ll be hearing from us!  Love you all and thank you for all your support!!

P.S.  Green Tea Lattes are my new favorite treat...I wish I would have discovered them 8 months ago!!

Holidays with the Creel Nest

So much has been happening over the last few weeks that it has been hard for me to keep up with our posts! :)

First, we said our goodbyes to my Mom who completed her move to Tennessee.  She was staying with us for a couple of weeks while she finished her work here.  She is now settled in her new home in Tennessee and we can't wait to visit her!

A few weeks ago, the Creel family attended a wedding in California so we watched Camden and Nixen for the weekend.  It was great practice for Anthony and I and we quickly realized what parenting tricks we lacked (like having your wipes and clean diaper readily accessible before taking off the dirty diaper!).  We had a lot of fun with them going to the movies, taking them to see Christmas lights, and a trip to the fire station!






The very next week was Christmas and we spent Christmas Eve with the Creels.  We attended the Christmas service at CCV with the family and then enjoyed Mexican food and opened our gifts.  We decided to keep the gifts low key this year and donated half of our gift limit to St Mary's food bank and a little girl who was in need.  I really enjoyed being able to give back and hope this becomes a tradition every year.

Christmas morning started with opening our gifts to each other.  Anthony and I decided to exchange homemade or handmade gifts only this year.  I gave Anthony a Christmas ornament that had our ultrasound and pictures of my belly on it, a t-shirt with our 2012 workout slogan on it, and a fat tire beer glass (okay so I cheated with the glass, but I think it was his favorite gift).  Anthony had a necklace made for me with Carter's name on it- I think I've worn it every day since- I LOVE IT!  After we opened our gifts we headed to Squaw Peak to attempt one last summit during my pregnancy.  It was a beautiful morning and a great way to celebrate the holiday....and I made it to the top! 



Later in the day we headed to my dad’s house to spend Christmas with the Venard family.  We had a delicious dinner prepared by my dad (he is an amazing cook!) and spent the rest of the evening playing games.  As usual, my throat was raw and ears were ringing from shouting the whole night :)  When you put a group of Venards in one room, the rule seems to be that the loudest one gets heard.

Between the Christmas and New Year’s holiday, we had our last ultrasound appointment.  Carter is definitely healthy and the doctor estimated his current weight to be 5 lbs 6 oz....if he makes it to the full 40 weeks, they anticipate his weight being almost 8 1/2 lbs.!  We were happy to know that he is healthy and got to see his chubby face.  I am still very fortunate that I have had an easy pregnancy- no restless nights, backaches, swelling, or Braxton Hicks...YET.  The countdown is here!!

Carter yawning

We rang in the New Year at Gina and Chris's house.  It was a nice evening with the family having tamales and playing Left, Right, Center- Anthony won the game and took home a nice chunk of change for diapers :)  Although we didn't stay at Gina's until the New Year, I did stay awake until midnight!  We spent the first day of 2012 hiking as a family (we brought the dogs with us) and preparing Carter's room.  Now that his room is complete, we are SOO excited for him to be here!!!



I've been reflecting on how awesome 2011 has been and how much I am looking forward to what 2012 has in store for us.  We had A LOT of new beginnings and great memories in 2011...Anthony got a new job at Charles Schwab, we had our perfect wedding and honeymoon, we got pregnant the first month we started trying, I have had a healthy and easy pregnancy, I started a new position at Stryker Sustainability, Gina and Chris got pregnant a month after us and have had a healthy pregnancy, Zach living with us, a trip to Tennessee, and lots of hiking together.  2012 will be another year of new beginnings and we can't wait!

Typical Day at the Park

Since the doggies get a little neglected throughout the week, we try to take them to the park on the weekend so they can run out some of their energy.  As long as there's no bunnies for them to chase, here's how they enjoy their time there....

I think Lima finds it running to come running full speed at me and last minute turn....although there have been a few times when we both turned the same way and collided. :)

Sadie's not much of a runner, but she loves to roll around in the grass.  After trying to keep up with Lima  few times, she'll find some shade and lay down until we say it's time to go....then she stalls by deciding to take one last DOOOOKIE (just to aggravate Anthony)!

32 Weeks

Things have been a little hectic around the Creel Nest!  As my belly keeps growing, so does our schedule.  We are looking forward to a break, but I'm not so sure we'll get one for a while!  Anthony has his last week of school for Cisco which means a lot of time at the library or couped up in the office.  His job has also been super busy and if he's not working overtime or working on school, he's trying to find time to spend with me, family, or getting "chores" done.  Anthony usually helps out quite a bit with the house chores, but since he has been so busy, on Sunday I attempted to take care of all the house cleaning and laundry...I felt pretty defeated when I had to keep taking breaks and after a few hours I was completely pooped!

We're hoping that things will slow down after he is done with school, but maybe not so much.  After all the holidays we start back up with our Childbirth classes just in time before Carter arrives.  The time is going to fly by, but we are trying to take it one day at a time.

I still feel very fortunate to have had an easy pregnancy thus far, but the third trimester is getting a little more difficult,  Here is what 32 weeks pregnant feels like:

• Carter gets hiccups multiple times a day
• It feels like Carter is trying to escape.  His movement is much stronger and he likes to jab me when I am in meetings at work.  It makes me jump and people in the meeting just stare at me
• My energy level has dropped and simple tasks take me a little longer
• Acid reflux after every meal :(
• Anthony has noticed my balance being off.  The other day I went to get off the couch and fell over since I was top heavy :)
• Jogging= sharp cramps= no more jogging for me
• Carter wants ice cream...every night!
• I've started getting preferential treatment in public...I could get used to it!
• If I want to be comfortable, I have to wear a dress or look like a WNBA player (baggie t-shirts and "Nash" shorts).  I feel like a fat man always adjusting my pants when I wear maternity clothes and  I feel cute in my normal clothes, but Carter does not like them due to the "snug" fit. 

Our First Thanksgiving

Anthony and I hosted our first Thanksgiving this year and we had no major mishaps.  Although I have helped my mom roast a turkey in previous years, this was the first time I did it all on my own (well, with Anthony's help) and we picked a BIG bird for our first time- 22 lbs!  We had to cook the thighs a little longer than expected, but other than that, it turned out pretty good.  Since everyone chipped in by bringing a dish or two, we had sooo much food, but it was all delicious!  We had Thanksgiving for days!!  Thank you to our families for being a part of our first Thanksgiving! 

Our IronMARM

On Sunday my mom competed in her first Ironman competition- that's 140.6 miles of swimming, biking, and running in one day!  We woke up bright and early to catch the start of the swim.  It was a beautiful morning (well a little chilly to be swimming) and amazing to see nearly 3000 competitors jump into Tempe Town Lake with their green and pink caps on just as the sun was starting to rise.  Since we know how much my mom hates the cold, we were a little worried about her finishing in time, but she did finish the 2.4 mile swim just before the 2 hr cutoff.

We found a spot along Rio Salado to watch her come by on her bike, but we were surprised at how long it was taking her to come out of the transition area.  Later I found out that she had actually gotten hypothermia from the swim and they had to keep her in the warming tent before they would let her continue.  She was a little out of it and her coach was worried that she wouldn't be able to continue, but she quickly recovered and started her 114 mile bike ride.  We kept trying to spot her in black and yellow, but it was really hard make out a face until I saw a woman in black and yellow waiving to the spectators as if she were in a beauty pageant- that was her all right! 

The next time we saw her was at the start of her 26.2 mile run.  Again, she was in good spirits and jogging along eating an apple for dinner.  We found the perfect spot right by the Tempe Center of the Arts that allowed us to see her on the south side of the lake, then take the pedestrian bridge to the north side and catch her again over there.  Since Anthony had to be at work very early the next morning, we only stayed until her second loop around (and had one more to go).  Later we heard from my brother that she had finished just before the midnight cutoff.  By the time she had hit mile 15, her body was giving up and tired, but she still finished!  She is now offically an IronMARM and now it's just time to decide where to get the tattoo! :)

We love you Marm and are so proud of you!