Carly's Room

Here are some pictures of our baby girl's nursery. We have it all ready but now we just need her to be born so she can start using it.




And here I am at 40 weeks +1 day.

Still With Bambina

My best friend, Beth sent me a text last night saying "still with bambina?". It made me laugh which was something I desperately needed since yes, I AM still with bambina. She won't come out! I know I am only one day overdue and lots of women go past their due date but I am OVER this being pregnant thing. I know it doesn't do any good to keep complaining though, especially because I don't want to be induced, so I will change my attitude today. She just isn't quite ready to come into this world and in the meantime I can give Katie my undivided attention for a little while longer. Plus, Katie hasn't been feeling 100% the past few days and has a cough so I really don't want to bring a newborn home to a sick toddler.

Luckily she is still mostly happy and being outside always brings out the best in Lil Miss.

Two Due Date Babies

Tomorrow is my due date and I am hoping that it is also Carly's birth day because then I can say that both of my girls were born on their due date! This week I have had numerous time where I thought that labor was starting but then I would lay down and nothing would happen. So Carly seems quite content inside even though we are very ready to meet her.

I had a doctors appointment yesterday and I am still just a little over 1 cm dilated. We talked about the chances of me going past my due date and what the plan would be. He will let me go a week past my due date and after that he wants me to think about being induced. However, I really am hoping it doesn't come to that. Unfortunately, my doctor is going out of town as of Friday so if Carly doesn't come today or tomorrow someone else will be delivering her. Surprisingly, I am ok with that because the doctor isn't there for most of the labor and delivery and I found that having a good nurse is much more important.

So, once again I wait and be patient. I think Katie and I will go to the park or go for a walk around the neighborhood and enjoy this beautiful sunshine that we haven't had for a while.

39 Weeks

I am 39 weeks today and am VERY ready to have this baby. Although I made plans with some girlfriends tomorrow to have lunch and go see a movie called "Babies" so, Carly can you please wait until Friday night. I think Saturday would be a good birth day.

36 Week Appointment

All is well with Carly which was a BIG relief for Jeff and I. Today we met with Dr. Cook and everything is fine. I am measuring on target at 36 weeks, am still about 1 cm dilated, and baby Carly is head down ready to go. He said that I could go into labor at any time or it might be closer to my due date or even after...so really there is no way to know. We are just going to be ready and whenever she comes she comes. I guess that means I better get my hospital bag packed. :)

Garner Updates

We have been busy around here getting ready for Carly's big arrival which will hopefully not be for 3-4 more weeks. Although we had a little scare earlier this week when I started having cramps. They didn't really feel like contractions but after them going on for 4 hours I decided to call my doctor. He told us to come into Labor and Delivery at the hospital so I could get things checked out. Luckily after being hooked up to a monitor for about and hour and getting an exam, everything was fine with baby girl. He told me to take it easy for the next week or so until I get to 36 weeks because after that they wouldn't stop my labor if it started. I am already 1 cm dilated but he said that I could stay that way for weeks. Needless to say I have been very anxious this week and worried about Carly coming too early, but luckily there haven't been any repeats of Monday's symptoms. We go back to our doctor on Thursday and are hoping that Carly stays put and continues to get bigger and stronger until she is closer to her due date of June 24.

Around the house we are making progress on our To Do list and I am happy to report the deck is mostly finished. I still don't have a good before and after photo but I do have a nice one that was taken in the evening. We love our new outdoor space and are looking forward to spending lots of summer days and nights out there.

This week Jeff is on vacation so we are hoping to get the rest of the list accomplished. Tomorrow we are going to get our flowers and get them planted as well as do some major serious spring cleaning. And no worries...I will take it easy and not over do it.

And because no post is complete without some pictures of Katie Louise, here she is playing with her new tunnel.

34 Weeks

I can't believe we only have 6 more weeks before Carly is here with us! As we left the Dr's office today it really hit me....I am soon going to be the mommy to two beautiful girls. It's also hard to believe that Katie is going to be a big sister. My little baby is about to become the oldest. She knows that something is different about mommy and she points at my tummy and says "Carly" but in reality I don't think she has any idea how much life is about to change. I am doing my best to talk about the new baby and she is responding by really getting into playing with her dolls. I just don't know how, or even if you can prepare a 16 month old for the type of change that is coming her way. I want to give her a lot of attention now since I won't be able to as much after Carly is born, but then again I want to encourage her independence as well. It's a fine balance and isn't that what parenting is all about?

In the meantime, I cherish moments like this where she holds still for more than 5 seconds and cuddles with Jeff or I.

Update in Pictures

I am not really in a writing mood this morning but I do want to post some recent pictures and give you an update on Lil Miss and Carly.

Katie is into everything right now and while it is a lot of fun to see her explore the world around her, it is also exhausting (especially for this 32 week pregnant mommy). Jeff and I love seeing her little personality come through more and so far we have decided that we have a mostly cooperative, routine oriented, sweet, funny and very social daughter. She loves to say "hi" to people wherever we go and just this week she successfully started saying "bye". She loves her grandpa who she calls "pa". She also LOVES being outside and and whenever she sees pa outside she runs to the closet and pounds on the door saying her version of "shoes". She also is finally saying "daddy" now and occasionally I will catch something that sounds like "mommy". Not sure whats up with that....I surely thought mommy would come before "shoes" or "airplane". At least I get the most cuddles because she thinks daddy is much more fun to wrestle with than to cuddle with.

Carly is doing great and I measured right on track last week when I went to the Dr. I know I am carrying her lower than Katie though which makes things a lot more uncomfortable. She is also more active than Katie was and just last night she kept me awake for about 20 minutes getting her workout done. I am still feeling very unprepared for this little ones arrival but hopefully we will make some serious progress on the To Do list in the next few weekends. Our goal is to have everything done by Jeff's vacation week which is at the end of May. Not sure if we will make it.

And now on to the pictures....

She loves standing in containers, no matter how big or little.
Playing with her new 4 wheeler toy that we actually ended up returning because the wheels kept getting in the way of her feet.

Coloring successfully for the first time. I tried this a few months ago and she just kept eating the crayons.

Poor girl...has her mommy's double chin but at least she still has her cute little dimple

Trying on mommy's hatCan you tell she is still teething. Right now she is working on the top two. One is through the skin already and the other one is very close.

Not Much to Say

There are a couple reasons for the lack of blogging this week. First, things have been quiet at the Garner house so there isn't much to talk about. Second, I just haven't been in a blogging mood lately. My pregnancy brain is not only full of "what to do before Carly is here" thoughts, but also of what will labor be like this time around, how will Katie adjust to having a baby around, how will things get done around the house with two little ones, will Jeff and I have any time to ourselves, and the list goes on and on. Luckily I am exhausted by the end of the day, so falling asleep is not a problem. However, if I wake up in the middle of the night there is a good chance I will start thinking which then leads to no sleeping. The worst is when I wake up around 4:30 and have to go to the bathroom because the chances of me being able to fall back asleep are almost zero. Although as hard as it is now, I think it is a good way to gradually get used to being sleep deprived again. I know those three hour feedings are coming very soon.

Today I am 30 weeks along and really trying to enjoy it because I know this will be the last time I will ever be pregnant. So even though the heartburn is back, my body feels huge and I cry all the time, I am really trying to enjoy every kick, elbow, and hiccup because there will probably never again be a little life growing inside me. Katie is really starting to notice my tummy now and it is so cute when she reaches out to touch it (hit it). We are working on the gentle part.

And for all of you who enjoy seeing pictures, I unfortunately don't have any new ones because Lil Miss is always on the go and it is virtually impossible to get a good picture of her these days. I will work on that this weekend and hopefully get some posted soon.

Week of Appointments

All three girls in the Garner household had doctors appointments this week and we are doing great. Katie went first on Wednesday with her 15 month well child exam. We went to a new pediatrician and I found out that their office normally doesn't do visits at 15 months but since that was what my previous doctor had recommended they went ahead and saw Lil Miss. I was happy to hear that her cold was just a cold and her eye was a result of the cold and possibly because of the blocked tear duct she struggled with as an infant. She weighed in at 22 lbs 3 oz and was 31 3/4 in. tall which put her in the 95 percentile for height and 50th for weight. And because of that big growth spurt we have finally graduated to size 4 diapers! Everything else at the visit went well. We talked about how Katie will do once Carly is here and a few other basic things like how she is sleeping and eating. I mentioned that she doesn't really eat meat and the doctor asked if she has ever had her iron level checked. She hasn't, so poor baby girl had to get her toe pricked which she didn't like at all. For some reason it was worse than when she gets shots. Come to find out she is low on iron and will need to start taking a supplement as well as eating more iron rich foods. So if anyone has any great ideas on how to get a 1 year old to eat meat let me know.

Thursday Carly and I had our 29 week appointment with Dr. Cook. My glucose screening results were great which was good news because I was a little worried considering how much weight I have gained in the past month or so. He also reassured me that some women just gain more weight than the recommended amount and that is ok. Katie wasn't a huge baby so as long as Carly isn't more than 8 lbs 10oz I am confident I can have her naturally as well. Plus Dr. Cook keeps telling me that the second one usually comes quicker, or at least the pushing part goes faster, which I am all for since I pushed for an hour with Katie. We also had a quick ultra sound and Carly is still Carly and is already head down which is a good sign. We go back in three weeks (so I get back on an even number visit schedule) and then every two weeks after that. I can't believe in 10 weeks or so she will be here and our little family of four will be complete.

29 Weeks

24 Weeks

I am 24 weeks along and feeling great. Went to see my Dr. yesterday and everything is going very well. I was worried about my weight gain and having a huge baby but he reassured me that I am measuring normal and that you often feel bigger the second time around because the abdominal wall is already stretched out. Great, that made me feel real good. :) I just keep telling myself that I lost the baby weight before so I am sure I can do it again even if it takes me a little longer. Plus, like Jeff keeps telling me, this is the last time I will have to do it. But then 5 minutes later he will say, "you sure you don't want to have a third and try for a boy?" Sorry honey, the odds are against us. I read that if you have 2 of the same gender, then you have an 80% of having a third one of that same gender.

We still haven't decided on a middle name or the exact spelling of Carley but we are getting close. The nursery is still a mess but we are trying to make progress every weekend. This week I am going to get a crib ordered so that will be one less thing on my mind. I have also decided to wait on getting a double stroller until a few months into Carley's arrival. After researching online and looking at our local baby store, I realized that for the first few months it will just be easier to use one of my three baby carriers. Then we will be into the fall/winter months so I probably won't be doing many power walks. So by the time I really need a stroller Carley will be 8 months or so and I might just get a side by side umbrella stroller or something simple. It also helped that Jeff got a great deal on Craigslist for a double bicycle trailer that can also be used as a stroller if necessary.

Katie is finally feeling better this week and isn't as clingy and fussy. She is doing great on picking up the sign language we have been working on and will sign milk, more, comb hair, all finished, and bath. She also is talking all of the time with her favorite word still being "hi". Yesterday we went to Target which she loves because it gives her the perfect opportunity to test out her favorite word. She loves saying hi to everyone even if they are far away. Well this one lady walked by and Katie said "hi" in her sweet little voice. The lady automatically replied "hi" back and then 30 seconds later turns to me and says in a very surprised tone "did your baby just say hi?" I told her yes and that it is one of her favorite things to say. It was just so funny because I guess people don't expect this little person to say hi in such a clear, appropriate way but she does and she loves it.

So all is well this week with Team Garner. The weather is beautiful and the daffodils are already blooming. I think it is going to be a gorgeous spring. As most everyone probably saw during the Winter Olympics, this is a beautiful part of the country. Visitors are always welcome and we would love to see any long distance family or friends come visit!

Craving Watch

I have found that I don't really have the typical pregnant woman cravings. I do however go in spurts, where I will love something for a week or more and eat it at least once a day. My current food of choice is cereal and more specifically, Peanut Butter Bumpers. My friend, Beth introduced me to these when she was pregnant and now I completely understand why. They are not only a great little snack but I love them for dessert as well. In addition to my Bumpers I am eating a lot of carrots with ranch dressing and really salty tortilla chips. Other than that I try and stick my normal, mostly healthy diet. Although I did break down and buy a way too big container of Jelly Belly's yesterday at Costco. I left them at my office and am sharing them with coworkers so that helped me feel a little better about the impulse buy.

Our Girls!

The wait is over! CC is a little girl and her name will be Carly. This afternoon while we were waiting for Dr. Cook to come into the room Jeff looked so nervous and he just kept pacing back and forth. I had NEVER seen him so nervous before, not even on our wedding day! I was very anxious as well but I think I was more worried about what his reaction would be. He was really hoping for a boy to carry on the Garner name and to be able to do all those "boy" things with his son. Of course he is happy and thrilled to be having a healthy baby girl, but it is taking him some time for the news to sink in. All evening he has been practicing and repeating things like "me and my girls, daddy and his girls, Katie and Carly". I think he is just trying to wrap his head around being surrounded by three females. I know he will be an amazing daddy to both of his girls and I just keep telling him he can still do a lot of the things he had dreamed about doing with his son.


The rest of the appointment went great and both Carly and I are doing very well. She weighs approximately 12 oz right now and still has the same due date of June 24. I will go back in a month for another routine appointment. After our appointment we went out to dinner at a place called Scotty Browns. It was nice to be able to talk about what the future holds for our little family and just get some quiet alone time to process the big news. We are so blessed to have our little family complete.

18 Weeks

I am 18 1/2 weeks along now and feeling great again. Most of the first trimester symptoms have pretty much gone away except for the exhaustion by the end of the day. Although, I think that has more to do with Katie than CC. February 3rd is approaching quickly and Jeff and I are getting very anxious. Last night we had the chance to go out to dinner which was a welcome treat. After Katie was asleep for the night, grandpa came over hung out at our house while we went to our favorite local Mexican food restaurant. It was nice for Jeff and I to have some alone conversation that wasn't interrupted by our little chatterbox.

In other news, Katie is finally getting her first tooth!!! When I picked her up at day care last night, Sharry told me to feel her little gums and what do you know....there was a little tooth poking out! I was kind of relieved because I have been anxious about how she would do with the whole teething thing. This week she has been unusually fussy and clingy but nothing too terrible so hopefully that is how she will be during the rest of the teething process. Now the big question is if she will just start to get them all at once and if that happens, I don't think it will be easy for either one of us. Any other moms out there whose little ones didn't get their teeth until after one? Did they have a really hard time with it?

The Second Trimester Begins

I am almost 15 weeks along which means I made it through the first trimester and the morning/evening sickness is gone and I am actually staying up until 9:00 again (sometimes). I have definitely gotten my appetite back and have been thoroughly enjoying all of the holiday goodies. I am a little worried about the weight gain this time around because I am not in as good of shape as I was with Katie. I am trying to work out at the gym a couple times a week but that's less than half as much as I did before. Luckily I think breastfeeding REALLY helped me get back into shape and I will be doing that again with CC. I am pretty much out of my regular jeans and wearing maternity pants and since they are so comfy I don't mind at all. I am still waiting to feel that first movement but last night while Jeff and I were watching TV I thought I felt a little kick but wasn't completely sure. At least I know what it feels like now so I should be able to feel CC sooner than I did Katie. After the holidays are over we are going to start working on setting up the room which should be fun. We will be loosing our guest/storage room which will put my organizational skills to the test, but we decided it would be best to give Katie and CC their own room (at least for now). And February 4th is the big day...only one more month before we find out if we are having a boy or a girl. So excited!

CC Pictures

I had my second appointment with Dr. Cook on Tuesday and I meant to post this yesterday but Katie and I didn't have a good day and she was testing all of my mommy patience. I am 12 weeks along as of today, and our lil bean (aka CC) is growing and doing great. It's funny how different these appointments are than the ones with Katie. Before Jeff and I could both just stare at he picture on the screen and be in awe of all the tiny movements our 11 week old baby was making. This time, Katie was scared and crying, Jeff was trying to make her happy, I was lying there trying to console my baby girl, and Dr. Cook was probably just thinking let's get this over with as quickly as possible so my office will be quiet again. :) It's just not quite the same but luckily everything is fine and I am starting to feel better which is good. I also didn't have any questions really so the appointment was quick. I will go back in a month for just a quick checkup and then the big date will be February 4 when we learn if CC is going to be Cole or Carly. Needless to say, Katie won't be joining us for that appointment.

Our Little Bun in the Oven

I realized I forgot to share the story on the blog of how Jeff found out he is going to be a daddy again. Unfortunately, the video I had planned on showing didn't turn out because the remote didn't work when I went to hit the record button. I am still mad about that but what can you do.

We found out October 14. I really wasn't having any pregnancy signs and even though I was late, I didn't think anything of it because I am still breastfeeding. However, for some reason there was a little voice in my head telling me to take a pregnancy test. So, I was going to Costco that day and decided to get some there (FYI-they come in a four pack and it's the cheapest place to get them). Katie and I got home, she went down for her nap and I took the first one. They say it's best to take it in the morning but I couldn't wait at that point. One minute later the second line barely appears and I keep staring at it thinking, no way, this can't be happening! Of course the line didn't go away so I opened up the second package and took another one. Same result. My mind of course is racing and I am doing the math in my head thinking about how old Katie is going to be when this new little one is born. Finally I take the third test just to confirm and once again, two pink lines. Ok, it sinks in...I am pregnant, now how am I going to tell Jeff. I didn't want to just call him on the phone...that seemed so boring. I decided to wait until he came home from work and do something creative.

I got a hamburger bun and I put it on a plate in the oven. I set the video camera up and hid it under a towel so it could record his reaction (of course that didn't happen). Then when Jeff came home I told him I was making dinner and something was wrong with the oven, can he look at it. You would have thought this was a little strange because I didn't let him shower or anything...I made him look the second he walked in the door. He didn't notice though and just opened the door and stared at the bun. He says: "yeah, so there's a bun...." and I come back with "and it is in...." and he says "the oven". Still not getting it at this point. Finally, I put it all together for him and say "there is a bun in the oven....and I point to my stomach a bun in MY oven!" He just looks at me and exclaims "NO WAY!!!!!" It was perfect and I really wish the camera had worked. Katie woke up from her nap at that point and we told her too but she obviously didn't care. I am sure she will be feeling differently come June, but we are going to do our best at giving her all the care and attention she needs. I think we will just be split up a lot...Jeff with Katie and me with CC. 11 weeks today, only 203 more days to go.

Lime Comparison

I am 10 weeks along and not feeling nearly as good as I did with Katie (aka Little G). CC has decided to take away my appetite and make me much more nauseous. When I do feel like eating I crave terribly unhealthy things like Pop Tarts, Cheetos, DQ Blizzards, and many other things I normally would never eat. Jeff is hoping that means CC is a boy but we won't know that for another month or so. In the meantime I realized I hadn't taken any pictures yet of this pregnancy (I guess that 2nd child, no picture thing is already starting...sorry CC). So, since I am 10 weeks and baby Garner is the size of a lime I thought I would get going on the picture taking and compare this pregnancy to the first one. I think I am a little bigger but this was also taken after I had just had turkey dinner and a piece of cake. :)

Team Garner is Growing!

We are excited to announce that our little Team Garner is getting bigger! We are pregnant and Katie is going to be a big sister in June! While the timing was a surprise, we always knew we wanted two children and we wanted them close together....I just wasn't planning on having them quite this close (a newborn and a 18 month old). I know it will be hard in the beginning but we are hoping that they will be close and be the kind of friends to each other that only siblings can be.

I am 9 weeks along and am having a much different pregnancy than I did with Katie. The morning sickness has hit and while I have not actually thrown up, I often don't feel like eating. Then of course there is the fatigue but when you have a very busy 10 month old you can't exactly take a nap whenever your body wants to. This means that I can barely make it through an hour long tv show after Katie goes to bed. Other than that I am feeling fairly good and excited to be pregnant again. I can't wait to feel our little one kick....that was the best part of being pregnant. We are calling this baby CC until we know the gender. There is a reason behind this name but that explanation will come when we find out if CC is a boy or a girl (yes, we are going to find out again).

Of course Jeff was thrilled when he found out and I will share that story in a later post. Katie on the other hand wasn't so happy.....

Not really...she just didn't like it when I tried to get her to hold still so I could take a picture. :)