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!

Anthony's 30th Birthday

I had been planning for over a month to take Anthony to the ASU vs U of A football game the Saturday before his birthday.  Going to college football games is something we have enjoyed doing together and we hadn't yet gone to an ASU game together so I thought it was perfect timing.  When we woke up Saturday morning, I had him open his gift and that is when he found out about the game and his new Pat Tillman ASU throwback jersey.  He was so excited to try it on (it fit him perfectly) and get to wear it to the game that night.

It was a very exciting game since the score was pretty close the whole time.  We decided to leave with a few minutes left in the 4th quarter to beat the crowd.  Since we were up by 10 we didn't think it would be a big deal, but by the time we reached our car, U of A had scored two touchdown which left ASU trailing by 4 and they ended up losing the game :(  We still had a good time, but it was a late night for us! 

Since my mom's Ironman was on Sunday, we spent Anthony's birthday running all over town.  We headed home in between her swim and run to spend some time with Anthony's family.  We had them over for Del Rio Tortilla soup and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that Marian made.  It was nice just to hang out with them, but we were exhausted!  Must be that old age creeping up. Speaking of old age, ever since Anthony has turned 30, I have noticed the following things:

• He keeps saying he needs to have "man-strength" now
• Just as soon as he says he needs to have "man-strength", he says he is giving up on working out
• It takes him a little longer to get out of bed in the morning
• He has turned into a lumberjack
• I offered him peanut butter cookies and he wouldn't take them (this has NEVER happened)
• He gets more handsome everyday

To sum it all up, Anthony said "I am married, have a baby on the way, a homeowner, and I have a beard"...guess it doesn't get any more "30" than that! :)  I'm sure I will hear all about it next year when it's my turn, but I am looking forward to growing old with Anthony!

Infant Care and Breastfeeding 101

Last week Anthony and I started our childbirth classes.  It was a long and information-filled night, but well worth it!

Some things we learned:
-We should have a pediatrician before the baby is born
-Kids need to be in a booster seat until they are 4'9' and 85 lbs (this means Nana needs a booster!)
-There are MANY variations of poop and each one means something different
-Breast feeding is not as easy as it appears
-One of the triggers for "let-down" could be just looking at another baby
-Milk doesn't come out in one stream, but more like a shower head
-Anthony likes to pick the "dark" babies for practice :)
-I'm not as big as I feel
-I will have to "pump and dump" for 13 hours after having just one alcoholic drink
-Eating spicy or acidic foods can still update the baby's stomach while breastfeeding

We'll keep you posted with all the fun things we learn! :)

Halloween 2011