We're in single digits now!

31 Weeks/ 9 to go!

Reece Allen: Is now weighing over 3 lbs., and roughly 16" long. He is moving all the time. He must love his sleep at night like his mom because he hasn't been keeping me up at night. He does take after Scott and I by loving his mornings. When I am hungry he is hungry. If this is true or not I do not know, but when my stomach is growling he starts moving around.

Aches and Pains: Sometimes when I sit down I get this really uncomfortable feeling. It takes a couple of minutes but I think he finds a new position and the pain stops. My back is already hurting, but in the strangest place. You would think I would have pain in the lower part of my back. Instead my back hurts by my shoulder blade on the left side.

Cravings: Citrus fruits. I eat oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, and blueberries like it is no ones business. We eat pancakes at least twice a week. Weekend mornings I make them and also one night a week we have breakfast. My coffee must be sweet now:( I cannot drink coffee the same way I used to. The creamer I use is now flavored. I am hoping once the pregnancy is over I can go back to normal coffee drinking. Oh and don't worry the coffee is either all decaf or half & half.

Exercising: 5 to 6 times a week. Every Friday is my rest day and Sunday's are either a stroll with the dogs or weight lifting. Saturday's are still my running days. While they no longer consist of 6+ miles, I am still out running none the less. Every Thursday evening is my 45 minute cycle class. I really enjoy this class because I can alter it to fit my needs. Plus the people in my class are always so sweet when I come in.

Clothing: All pants that I wear now are maternity pants. I still swear they are the most comfortable pants. I can no longer wear my usual shirts as they are too short. Even though my stomach may be expanding I still want to look cute while staying comfortable at the same time.

What we pray: Is your development to continue to stay right on track.

What we wish: Is for you to wait to make your entrance into this world for 9 more weeks.

What we hope: Is that your furniture will arrive on time!

(Don't worry you will sleep in the hand made cradle by your Great Papa in our room for the first month anyways:))

In the Kitchen

This weekend we opted to eat in rather than our usual dinners out. Since the weather was cold and dreary we were hermits this weekend. This time I was able to get Scott in the kitchen to help.

Saturday's dinner:

Chicken Marbella and greek mac and cheese.

Sunday:

Sunday night is pizza night. This time I made a delicious pizza that most defiantly gave any other pizza a run for its money.

We ended up with breadsticks because the first dough I used was a failure. They did make good breadsticks.

Ingredients:

1 Pizza crust

pizza sauce

shredded mozzarella cheese

Spinach

Neese's sausage

minced garlic

diced jalapenos

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Cook Neese's sausage throughly.

3. Drain grease from pan and lay sausage on plate lined with paper towels.

4. Saute garlic and jalapenos in olive oil.

5. Add spinach to mixture. Cook for 2 minutes. You do not want the spinach to wilt too much.

6. Spread pizza sauce on the crust. Sprinkle cheese on top. Add crumbled sausage. *You will not use all of the sausage. Then top pizza with the spinach mixture.

7. Cook for 12 minutes or until cheese melts.

Monday Night:

Scott was in charge of the omelet making. I made the pancakes.

In the omelet was sausage, tomatoes, spinach, and cheese.

The pancakes were made with pancake mix, oatmeal, flax mill, and blueberries. Topped with fresh strawberries, pecans, and powdered sugar.

Simply Sweet

Last night Scott, myself, our parents, and Ash and Trent got to see Reece Allen in a 3d/4d ultrasound. It was the greatest experience to see his sweet face, hands, fingers, feet, and toes, on the screen while sharing it with the people we love most. Tammy was the lady who did the ultrasound for us and she was so sweet. She would get just as excited about him as we would. The whole thing was suppose to be only 35 minutes, but an hour later we were still there.

Reece wasn't very active which was ok, because we were able to get to see his face a lot! He did however play with his toes, opened his little mouth, slept with his hand by his face, and waived to us. Tammy kept waiting for him to do something neat for us before she turned off the monitor. As soon as she said "ok guys you will see him in 10 weeks," he waived at us!!! He was saying see you soon, now get this thing away from me and let me rest peacefully.

He has Scott's nose and chubby cheeks. His arms had rolls on them, he looked like the Michelin baby. Darlene said he was going to be a body builder. He might be a mini Scott, but he did have a few of my traits. He was touching his toes with his fingers, and sleeping with his hands by his face. I get to claim something don't I?

His mouth is open.

Here he is playing with his feet.

His sweet little feet are crossed.

His face is laying on his hand. You can see his his little fingers by his chin.

Goodbye guys, I will see you soon!

Trixy Mae

The other day I was playing around with my camera settings and new lens. Trixy well, she loves the camera.

Trixy is quite the trickster. She is a feisty and demanding 5 lb dog. Out of the 4 of us she is the run that runs the house. Some of Trixy's favorite things are sitting up high, walking on her hind legs, talking, playing with her weasel stuffed animal, antagonizing her older brother, laying in front of the fire, and being a daddy's girl.

Scott and I often talk about what she is going to be like once Reece comes along. We are guessing she will pounce on him and get in his face. We also think she will be a pretty good snuggler and guard dog.

Even though you cannot tell where she is sitting, she has plopped herself right on top of Reece. She still doesn't understand why sometimes her butt moves up and down when she sits on my stomach.

We don't have to pose her for pictures. She sits with her front paws crossed often.

Such a little lady.

The higher the better.

We don't play favorites in this house. A post on Coby McGuire will be coming soon. The camera has a hard time focusing when a dogs tongue is licking it.

29 weeks

Reece Allen was weighing approximately 2.14 oz. last week. He should be measuring around 15" long. His movements are so much fun! Now he is all over my belly. We do have a pretty good idea how he is positioned because of the ultrasound last week. He is already head down and his spine goes around my right side and up to my belly button.

News from the last appointment: My placenta had moved, so they are no longer concerned with it being low. My hemoglobin and glucose tests all came back normal. We are also measuring perfectly where we should be! The best news of all was we were surprised with a sneak peek of Mr. Reece during the ultrasound. If Scott and I must say so ourselves we think he is beautiful! He does seem to have Scott's nose.

Emotions: After seeing Reece on the screen last week I know I fell in love with him even more. Once his face appeared on the monitor I instantly had tears in my eyes. I cannot wait to hold and kiss him. He has already brought so much joy into mine and Scott's lives. So far there are no feelings of nerves. Just ask me the same question after we take our child birthing class in 4 weeks.

Updates: His nursery is starting to come together. The chair railing is going up this evening. We still have a while until the furniture comes in. In a couple of weeks we are going to buy the glider/rocker for his nursery. This Friday we have our 3d/4d ultrasound. We are thrilled to share this experience with our parents and my sister. Only 11 weeks to go! Where the time has gone we do not know. We are anxiously awaiting his arrival, and quite thrilled to have him still growing and developing inside me. Until April 2, these are just a few of MANY things we pray, hope, and wish for Reece Allen Carrigan.

What we pray: Is for you to be a healthy and happy baby boy.

What we wish: Is for you to know how loved you are.

What we hope: Is that we will be the best parents we can be.

Work in Progress

As we speak, the nursery is being painted by my wonderful husband and loving mother in law. Darlene very graciously has given up a Sunday afternoon/evening to paint Reece's nursery. I am so excited about the progress, I can't wait to see the finished product. The chair railing is going up Monday night. This makes me want the furniture to come NOW! I do know that I am thrilled we went with the wall design we did.

Scott has started laying out the decals for the border. Reece's nursery will be a labor of love. So many hands have been involved in the creation of his nursery. Scott and his mom painted the walls and ceilings. Him and his parents are putting up the chair rail. Scott is designing the decals and then will put them up. Mom is hard at work on his bedding! I of course decided on the anything but ordinary design:)

Must haves for Reece

I am in LOVE with etsy. I have been looking at lots of ideas for Reece from his nursery to newborn picture outfits to accessories. Here are a few things I think he must have!

7th month/3rd Trimester

About 20 weeks ago this seemed so far away. Now here we are 28 weeks along and into the last trimester of this pregnancy. I can honestly say I have enjoyed every week of it so far. Especially after the first trimester of queasiness and tiredness left. You can ask me in about 10 weeks if I still feel the same way.

Scott and I feel so blessed with this gift God is giving to us. Every time we lay and watch or feel him move we can't help but smile and know this is such a gift. We find ourselves entertained by someone who still isn't here for us to hold. Scott often makes the comment "you know once he is here we are just going to sit and stare at him." This I know is going to be true. Oh how we can't wait.

Since not much has changed since last week I am changing the weekly post a little.

A few things I have learned during the past 24 weeks.

1. From the moment you find out you are going to be a mother your worrying starts. You worry about what you eat and drink. The whole time you can't feel any movement you are going by faith everything is ok. Even though Reece is very active I still worry about everything I do affecting him. I know this will continue even when he is grown and married with children of his own.

2. Your life changes. Scott and I have already started making decisions that are not just going to impact us, but will also impact Reece. I am no longer my first priority. A few examples. When I exercise I no longer push myself, because I know Reece can't handle it. As long as I am still able to exercise I am happy. Weekend nights have also changed. We used to go to the wine room about once a week. Where we would split a bottle of wine and listen to live music. This past Friday evening we found ourselves choosing to get yogurt and go home for an early evening. Yes, we know once he is here things are going to change even more.

3. What NOT to say to a pregnant lady. I know I haven't heard it all, but so far I have heard some real winners. A coworker of mine told me the other day that I was looking very pregnant that day. In the same breath she proceeded to tell me that he was sitting awfully low and wasn't it too early for him to be so low? Seriously, haven't you seen how long my torso is? I am pretty sure that might have something to do with the illusion of how low my son is sitting!!! Another favorite was after Christmas break. A few male coworkers told me I looked like I had eaten too much over break. I should have told them that my belly still wasn't as large as theirs and I have a reason why mine keeps growing. As long as my stomach continues to grow I am happy. This means Reece is getting bigger and developing into the little baby Scott and I cannot wait to hold.

To all of my friends who plan to be pregnant one day. You will be glowing and beautiful! And to those of you who continue with the sweet comments, I love you:)

4. I have fallen even more in love with my wonderfully handsome husband. Those of you that know me, know how madly in love with Scott Allen Carrigan I am. But knowing that he and I have created a child together makes me fall in love with him about 1 million times over. He has also been very sweet in all of his comments to me. He even runs with me to make sure that I am ok. He gets mad at me if I do something he thinks I shouldn't. Some of his madness is a bit overboard, but as a friend said to me "enjoy it while it lasts." He also still makes me feel beautiful. He tells me how nice I look when I feel anything but pretty. I am one lucky lady!

5. Documentation. In my last post about 27 weeks, I complained about taking pictures of myself. I decided that I could continue to stand and look like a dork and hate them, or I could embrace the picture taking. Which is just what I did this week. We found a few pictures from the web we liked and had an at home photo session. They are by no means professional quality but I think they are more beautiful than the previous pictures. The sweet dad to be also put his photoshop skills to work and created this. Get ready for more exciting pregnancy pictures for the next 12 weeks.

Upcoming doctor's appointment Wednesday with an ultrasound! Say prayers that things have moved the way in which they are suppose to.

Ringing in the New Year

Old people style. This year was the first year Scott and I had no New Year's Eve plans. Lets face it, these days I am not staying up past midnight. If I do then I need to nap all day long the next day. So this year we opted to stay in and celebrate the evening together.

We enjoyed a cheese fondue dinner while sipping on our beverage of choice for the evening. Scott's was an assortment of beers from around the world and mine was sparkling grape juice with pomegranate Italian Soda.

After dinner we played a few board games and then kissed each other good night at 11. That's right I couldn't make it another hour. Plus I am pretty sure Scott was ready for me to go to bed. I was getting a little cranky from being up so late.

Our feast!

For obvious reasons we cannot wait to see what 2012 brings us. Other than 2006 this will be one of the best years of our life. Happy 2012!

We hope this year brings you joy, happiness, love, laughter, health, and prosperity.

Arranged marriage

Reece isn't even born yet and we have already have his wife picked out. Who says arranged marriages aren't common in the US? With a girl this beautiful you have to already claim her or someone else will.

In fact they have already developed a love hate relationship. I had the pleasure of spending New Year's Day with Ali and her momma. While Miss Ali was bouncing on my lap/Reece he started kicking her. I think he wanted her to stop, but she didn't seem to care what he thought. Ali is already in charge of the relationship.

In case you haven't had the pleasure of meeting this beautiful little girl, below are pictures of her. She also is one of the happiest babies I have ever met. She most defiantly has her mother's personality.

Once he sees her eyes he won't be able to stay away from her.

Those blue eyes and long eyelashes.

Who wouldn't want their son to marry her?

27 weeks

Countdown: 13 weeks/90 days to go.

Baby info: Reece Allen Carrigan is 14.5" long and the size of an eggplant. He is now weighing in at over 2 pounds. His lungs are busy developing this week. His nostrils are opening and closing as well. Reece's taste buds are higher than they are going to be when he is born. He can taste the difference in sweet, sour, and salty foods.

Movement: Reece has been very active. His movements are stronger and bigger. I can now feel him during the day at work. Even if I am having a crummy day one movement from this little guy and my whole day brightens up. Funny story, the other night in bed Reece wasn't moving. Night time is Scott's time to feel him. So Scott took it upon himself to do something about it. He started thumping/poking my stomach. Reece was not very happy with his father so he punched/kicked him back. It was really funny, because right where Scott was pushing Reece poked him back.

Cravings: Grapefruit and oranges. Every day over Christmas break I had a big bowl of fruit salad including grapefruit, oranges, apples, and bananas. We have been buying oranges and grapefruit by the bag. I have finally been able to stomach coffee again!!!!!! Scott's parents bought us a Keurig for Christmas and I just had to try it out. Half and half coffee with peppermint mocha coffee creamer.

Exercise: I am so thankful I am still able to workout. My workout regimen consists of running, cycling class, elliptical, weights, and prenatal yoga. I try to run 2 or 3 days a week, cycle class is every Thursday, elliptical 1 or 2 times a week and weights in between. On days I don't make it to the gym or run I will work on my breathing with a prenatal yoga video.

Sleeping: Over break I started my restless nights. I find myself sleeping on my back which isn't the best. I constantly wake up making sure I am sleeping on my side. The other day Cambria lent me her body pillow she used while pregnant with Ali. What a life saver this pillow has been. I have slept with it the past two nights and have slept so much better.

Random Info: Scott and I have decided to do a 3d/4d ultrasound. Our appointment is January 20 at a place in Concord. Hopefully he is participating and we will be able to get some good shots. Next Wednesday I have my 28 week appointment where I do the glucose testing, ultrasound, and dr. appointment. This appointment will end the every 4 week visit. After that it will move to every 2 weeks and the last month will be every week. Oh how quickly the time is passing.

Now for the photo shoot. I REALLY hate taking pictures by myself. I tried to talk Scott into getting in the pictures with me, but you will see where that got me. So here they are the awkward pictures of me standing by myself smiling for the camera.

We couldn't leave Coby out of the photo shoot

Yoga

Prenatal yoga at home is pretty much impossible. Coby and Trixy don't understand why they can't sit on the mat with me and breathe. They don't understand this really is a work out.

Christmas 2011

The Holidays seem to fly by. I don't know where all of the time goes. This year on Christmas Eve morning we celebrated Christmas with my dad and then had lunch. We hung out for a little while and then headed back home to get ready for Scott's family get together. Every Christmas Eve his whole family (50 of them) get together for dinner and fellowship. This year it seemed the great grandchildren had doubled from last year. Just think we are going to be adding to it this year!

Christmas morning Scott and I exchanged presents before heading over to his parent's house for breakfast and the opening of gifts. We were home for about an hour before we headed back out to Alblemarle to celebrate Christmas with my mom and sisters.

Let's just say this is why we took 2 naps on Monday. We were exhausted after two full days of traveling. We feel so blessed to be able to have our family close enough to spend Christmas with all of them.

Message from my sweet husband!

It's a good thing the girls loved their dogs. We are so thrilled to have them out of our house!

3 Generations of Carrigans!

The most handsome father to be.

26 weeks