Tennessee Vacation

After an early morning starting with our 5 am flight, we arrived in Knoxville (in the smallest commercial plane ever made) around 1:30 pm and headed straight to Brandon and Penny's house.  We had a wonderful evening spending time with the girls, catching up with Brandon and Penny, and enjoying Penny's cooking!

During our stay in Tennessee, we stayed in my Aunt Gwen's Farm House in Townsend- just about 30 minutes from Brandon and Penny.  I loved showing Anthony around and telling him some of the stories from when I used to visit here has a kid.  After settling in, we went to bed and got to hear the rain all night long.  I don't think I have ever heard it rain like that anywhere!

In the morning we enjoyed a quick breakfast before heading to Cades Cove.  I wasn't sure how much we were going to see since it had rained all night and was still pretty wet out, but we were pleasantly surprised when we got to see two big black bears eating in one of the open fields!  It was so exciting!!

We were hoping to catch a sunset at Clingman's Dome, but since it was a cloudy day, we decided to do sunrise the next morning instead so we took it easy for the rest of the day.  We went into town to grab lunch and get some UT gear for the game the next day and then headed back to the Farm House to relax.  It was just what we needed since we were going to have to wake up extra early.

My favorite blanket I always remembered from the Farm House

We woke up especially early to start the hour drive to Clingman's Dome.  We slowly started to see the the sky light up and made it to the lookout just in time to see the sunrise.  I didn't realize that there would be a 1/2 mile walk up a steep road to the lookout and I didn't expect the freezing temperature, but it was worth it!  We were the only ones at the top and it was the best view I have ever seen!!

We then made the long drive back to town, but it was a beautiful drive with all the turning leaves.  We made it into Knoxville just in time to catch Kenna's soccer game.  She played goalie for most of the game and did a great job!  After the game, we had lunch and hung out at Brandon and Penny's house with the girls.  Watching them play Just Dance 2 was hilarious and Anthony enjoyed playing basketball and four square.

Our time with them was short since we the UT game was that evening.  We said our goodbye's and headed to the game.  We did a lot of walking downtown and I was a little discouraged at first, but we ended up having a good time and it was a fun college football experience.  It was awesome to be at the third largest college stadium and we just happened to be there for their homecoming game.  There wasn't much competition since they played a division 2 team, but since it was Middle Tennessee it created a little extra rivalry.

Just as we started to get settled in, it was time to head back to Arizona.  Our trip felt short, but it was so much fun to experience a real Fall.  We are looking forward to future trips to Tennessee since my mom will soon be moving there and since Chris's mom lives there, we are hoping we could do a family trip with Chris and Gina once the babies are here!

It's a Baby Shower!

I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by!  Before we knew it, the baby shower was here and it didn't really sink in until the day before.  Marian and Jim hosted the shower and we are so thankful for them opening up their home to our friends and family!  I know there was a lot of time and effort behind the scenes that went into the shower and it really made the shower special.  From planning all the details to all the decorative touches, it was perfect!  Marian did have some help from Gina, Candis, and Jayne- thank you ladies for all your support.

Since we first knew about our little baby boy, we knew we would want a co-ed baby shower- Anthony is a very involved dad and I wouldn't want him to miss out on a special day like this one!  At the end of the day, we were so happy with our decision to have a co-ed baby shower so all of the men in the family could be a part of the experience.  I am sure it was a little weird for those who had never attended a baby shower, but we were so happy that everyone could be there.

Gina helped coordinate the games- we had played the Candy Game, Name this Tune, and How Well Do You Know...It was a very good choice in games since it seemed that everyone had fun participating and there was some good competition.  In the How Well Do You Know game, Gina had come over a few days before to interview us.  We didn't know ahead of time what the questions would be so there was some debating on a few of the questions, but at least we came to an agreement (for now :) ).

After the games, it was time for the gifts and boy did we have a lot to get through!  We were shocked at how thoughtful and giving everyone was and truly did not expect what we got.  THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR GENEROSITY!  We feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family and to know much Carter will be loved.

I also want to send out a special thank you to my husband.  Anthony has been so amazing and supportive during my pregnancy.  He makes sure my breakfast and lunch are packed everyday, reminds me to take my vitamins, will go out of his way to make sure I am comfortable, takes care of many house chores, and does all of this while working full-time, going to school, and never complains!  Carter is going to be so lucky to have Anthony for a dad.

The Making of a Baby Room

Over the last week we've been getting Carter's room all ready for his arrival.  There is still more to come, but we got the best part done- the crib!  After about an hour of frustration, we got it all assembled and we can't wait to add to the room!

I really wanted to show "the girls" the baby's room, but we don't typically let the dogs on the carpet.  Anthony had to talk them into coming upstairs several times and Lima was extra sketchy about being up there- it was funny! 

Conquering the Mountain

After working out on a more frequent basis, I mustered up enough confidence to attempt Squaw Peak this weekend.  Pre-pregnancy Anthony and I would hike this trail on a regular basis and we even got to a point where we were hiking it with weight vests in under 30 min.  It was a hike that I never thought I would be able to do while pregnant since it is a pretty strenuous trail.  I knew I would have to take my time, rest when needed, and drink lots of water, but after 40 minutes of huffing and puffing, we were at the top enjoying the beautiful day!  P.S. don't mind the Indiana Jones hat! :)

The hike got us excited about hiking with Carter once he is here,  The baby carrier that we have had our eye on was on sale, so we went ahead and got it...can't wait until we can use it!

Top of Squaw Peak

Carter's carrier

24 weeks

Carter Update- 17 weeks

Last night I felt Carter for the first time.  I kept tossing and turning and I started to feel a sensation that I have never felt before.  Everyone has described the feeling as butterflies in your tummy, but that feeling to me is the pit in your stomach when you are anxious.  This definitely felt like a flutter in my belly- like a light, fast tapping inside my stomach.  Each time I switched sides, I would feel it for a little while.  I was so excited to wake up in the morning and tell Anthony.  I can't wait until he can feel Carter too.

With our extreme heat this week, I think it has really gotten to me.  I've been tired just like I was in my first trimester, so I take naps when I can.  I also have a difficult time fitting into most of my pants.  The belly band helps, but maternity pants are much more comfortable.  I've noticed that my little "pooch" is looking more like a pregnant belly.

We had a check up with the doctor last week and everything sounded great.  We have our second ultrasound in a couple of weeks.  We can't wait to see him again!!

Birthday Celebration

I knew Anthony had been planning something for my birthday and he did a really good job of not telling me until the Friday before.  I later found out that most people thought this was going to be a surprise birthday party, but I guess he just couldn't keep the surprise from me :).  He had planned for our families to get together at one of my favorite restaurants-Comedor Guadalajara's.  If you haven't been there, it is delicious, but it's not exactly in a great part of town and it looks a little suspect when you pull up, but all well worth it!

By the time we got there, everyone else had arrived and was waiting.  Even my girlfriend Abbey and her husband were there and Laci and Ian just happened to be in town.  We all enjoyed a filling lunch and then Anthony had arranged for us all to have some ice cream cookie sandwiches (a hint I dropped in weeks earlier).  We ended up with so many extra that we've been eating them for a week!

After all the food, I opened my gifts.  I received some much needed gift cards for maternity clothes,  baby books/magazines, a yoga DVD, iTunes gift card, and Incubus tickets (can't wait to go in Oct).  Thank you to everyone for all my wonderful gifts and a special thank you to my wonderful husband for planning out a special day with all my loved ones- you are THE BEST!

It's a......BOY!

 This last Thursday evening Anthony and I had our first in depth ultrasound. We were so excited to see more than just a little blur, but we had no idea the level of detail we were going to see. I'm having a hard time finding the words to describe how it feels to see your baby's profile for the first time...it just makes your heart melt!  These pictures do not do justice to what we saw in person!!

The Dr. started by checking to make sure the baby had all it arms, legs, fingers, and toes. He also checked the width of the baby's neck and took some measurements of the fluid in the back of the neck- this checks for down syndrome. He measured the length and the regularity of the heart beat. Not only was our baby healthy, but he was very active! We could see him flipping around, moving his arms and legs, and my eyes definitely teared up when I saw the baby yawn- we soon found out that this wasn't a yawn, but the baby was drinking the amniotic fluid (gross! :)).

Carter- it looks like he's laughing :).  Check out his brain!

Carter- 3D rubbing his eyes

Carter- facing you!

After all the main body parts were checked, the Dr took a bottom up view of the baby and saw two legs and then something else floating out there. He was able to verify that it was not the umbilical cord using infrared, so he said he would put his money on it that it was a BOY! Since it is still early on in my pregnancy, they cannot say with 100% certainty, but there will be another ultrasound in 4-5 weeks where they will verify again. The Dr seemed pretty confident and you could tell he knew what he was doing, so we're going to go with it!  We are so excited for Carter Blake Creel to join our nest!!

Carter's manhood

14 weeks