January - September 15th, 2008

January 2008

LA thinks she is pregnant…she took the pregnancy test twice just to be sure but you never can be 100% sure with those things...We are excited but I am not convinced. One goal we set for ourselves in 2008 about two weeks ago was to have a baby! Looks like we should set more goals. That one was pretty easy…

02.06.08
LA and I went to the OB/GYN doctor (from here on out, if you see the word doctor assume OB/GYN unless otherwise noted) and my opinion is that this pregnancy thing is a crock…you are left to trust a $25 dollar over-the-counter test. We went to the doctor today and walked into the back and just on LA’s word you would have thought she had won the lottery. Without any testing they are giving her a bag full of pregnancy and baby magazines and prenatal vitamins. We left the office without any medical evidence. She peed in a cup and we went for blood testing but there was no piece of paper that says “see this” or “because of this” ,you’re pregnant. All I got was the PA saying “Congratulations”. They then figured out a due date based on a maybe of when LA’s last cycle was because she couldn’t remember. The date from the magic wheel in the office is September 10, 2008 – our wedding anniversary. I am sure that will change. We did our own calculations and don’t think that is right. We the professionals (experts) figure she is about 6 weeks but the doctor’s office has her pegged at 8 weeks. So after one office visit, KC hasn’t seen results confirming the $25 test or LA’s constant “I’m tired”, “My boobs hurt”. I guess the proof will come on February 20, 2008 when we go for the ultrasound. Until then, I guess I will play along and believe…might as well be excited!!!

02.10.08
We told our families today and it was exciting to see the pure joy they have for us (it also bodes well for babysitters down the road – suck them in early, make them feel part of the process). We bought some baby clothes and LA painted them with markers for my mom and dad and her mom (I Love Grandma, I Love Aubee, I Love Nanna). Mike and Heather were at Mrs. Von’s and when Mrs. Von opened the gift, they thought we had gotten something for Jake (the dog). We told the rest of her family by giving them copies of the pregnancy test. I called my sister and told her that she needed to sit down because LA was pregnant and had been for quite awhile and didn’t know it. She was due in like 2 weeks. She was freaking out and I finally had to let her off the hook…so gullible sometimes. LA and I were about to bust from laughing.

02.11.08
LA has been taking samples of prenatal vitamins trying to find the one she likes the best. I went in the bathroom today and holy crap – she took a Barney pill today it was purple and huge. I asked her about it and she didn’t like it at all – Omega 3 – good for the baby but not good for momma. She burped fish all day and we know how much she likes fish. So much for those vitamins…on to the next pack…

02.14.08
I gave LA the greatest Valentines Day gift – the flu. She is not feeling well at all. I was in the dumps on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I think I have turned the corner but LA is not doing well. If not any better tomorrow, it is to the doctor. Nothing special for this V day – what else could I have given her – I already got her pregnant (that’s a gift that will keep on giving)

02.15.08
LA was not feeling good this am so her good little husband got her some OJ and called the doctor's office for an appointment. She has a 100% confirmed case of the flu – the third pregnant person in their office this week to have the flu. The good news is the doctor knows what it is. The bad news is that she couldn’t do anything for her. Prescribed medicine or even OTC medicine to kill the flu virus are too risky for the baby. The risk doesn’t out weigh the benefits. She is treating her cough and fever with medicine and Tylenol. Hopefully, she will turn the corner. She got a week-long pass from school but hopefully she will feel like going back late next week to save a few days for the rest of the semester.

02.20.08
Well it is official today. Our God is awesome and indescribable with his creations – Psalm 139 v13-16 fits today…

Psalm 139 v13 - 16
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be

We had the greatest 15 minutes of our life thus far. We saw the baby today during the ultrasound. What a humbling, quiet, “holy cow” moment. I want to see the baby every minute now. I could watch it continuously. I wish they did one of those every time you went for a visit. It was awesome! The baby was moving all around when the ultrasound technician first started – doing flips. I thought it was her but she soon said that the baby was pretty active. The baby stopped moving around and we got to see the heart beating – like 170 beats per minute. She measured the baby and told us LA was 11 weeks 3 days (Still haven’t figured out that one yet – I think I was out of town…). Her due date is September 8, 2008. It looks like the August 30 Clemson vs Alabama football game at the GA Dome is not out of the question yet.




03.06.07
Nothing much happening the past couple of weeks…LA is over the flu and feeling better. We went to the doctor today and nothing much happening except waiting for 40 minutes…We heard the heart beat – 160 beats per minute…Doc says it’s like a “hummingbird”. We did an official/unofficial (because we reserve the right to change our mind right up to the last moment) coin toss to see if we are going to find out the sex – “No” was the winner 3 out of 5. I think that is what we want to do but it is hard…”we have the technology”- why not use it. I think we have a boys first name figured out and the first and middle for a girl – don’t ask – it’s rude.

03.10.08
If LA could get the “human” sicknesses (I made up the term) behind her I think she would be doing great. The morning sickness really has not seemed to bother her much. She feels like she has a sinus infection and she has a sore throat from all the drainage…

03.29.08
LA hasn’t really looked “pregnant” thus far but she woke up one day this week and all of a sudden she is showing…

04.01.08
The “ladies” at Oscar’s on Tuesday nights are now giving us pointers/tips. Tonight’s tip was to massage the belly after having the baby. It’s going to hurt but tightens everything back up. We also got a name of a potential baby sitter.

04.03.08
Doctor’s appointment today was fairly uneventful. We heard the baby's heart beat – 144 beats per minute. The baby was all over the place. Nurse had a hard time initially finding it. She had to keep moving the stick to keep up with the baby moving. She measured LA today – 14 inches – “perfect” whatever that means. We are sure it has to do with how far along she.

04.04.08
We went to dinner with Tim and Arlette tonight at McGrady’s. It was a great meal…three courses plus a cheese plate for dessert and a pecan praline (from the market) for the real dessert (you can’t eat cheese and call it dessert – it’s not sweet). LA got to experience this meal twice. It wasn’t nearly as good the second time. We think she learned a valuable lesson on eating too much when pregnant. We can’t think of any other reason for her getting sick because we all ate the same foods. I don’t expect that to happen again.

04.10.08
Email I sent out to everyone about our doctors visit…
LA and I went to MUSC today for the 3-D ultra sound. We got a lot more than just an ultra sound. We got to have genetics counseling. The genetics counselor drew out our complete family trees with illnesses and basically said “Wow! That’s a messed up tree. We need to discuss some issues…” – just kidding…It looks like the potential for a genetic problem with the baby is low. Nothing in our family histories indicated anything that might have been passed genetically. It’s not 100% but the odds are very low and not worth the risk of performing any additional tests to confirm or eliminate. After about 45 minutes, the counselor asked if I had any questions and I told her “no, wasn’t really expecting this part of the show. We just came down for an ultrasound.”

I have attached the pictures from the ultrasound. The baby would not cooperate and was at the top and would not move or roll over. We did get to see the baby yawn one time. The doctor and ultrasound tech cleared the baby on everything except the heart. LA is just 18 weeks and because of the development thus far and the baby’s position they could not get a good enough view of the heart to clear it. We saw all the limbs, except the feet because they were down in LA’s pelvis. We also saw the kidneys. When we saw the brain the doctor told us that studies indicated that as advanced as our child’s brain is at 18 weeks that those children develop and learn at a faster pace and are in the 1st percentile for learning. He went on to say the studies have followed these children over the years and 99% of them have become doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers and clinical researchers. I knew we were going to have a genius. J

As you probably can tell if you have already looked at the pictures, they are not 3-D. That was kind of disappointing but it still is exciting. These pics really don't do justice to how the baby looked...she did a horrible job picking out the ones to put on a disk for us. There were a few that were really good and you could see so much more of the baby...I guess she just wanted to give us certain ones to show certain features. Next time we go, we will make sure that we get some good ones to share!

The baby is about 5.5 inches long and 7 oz (mostly brain weight).

The bad news of the day was that they didn’t clear the heart. The good news was that we get to go back for another ultrasound in 5 weeks (23 weeks). I think it is a ploy so they can charge more money – schedule for 18 weeks and make them come back for another. Really, the reason we went at 18 weeks was for the genetics counseling and if we wanted to do any additional tests and then potentially abort but we weren’t doing that anyway.

LA is looking pregnant now. She was concealing it pretty good until the past two weeks. She is getting a nice little bump.

So to summarize – LA is great and looks great, baby is great and were having a genius.

Love ya,
KC and LA
..
..
..
PS – The genius stuff is just a joke – right now – give the baby a few years.
..
..
..
PSS – If you want to know what were having, email LA or me (don’t call us). 04.15.08

LA felt the baby today (this afternoon) for the first time. She said it felt like someone poking her but from the inside – must be weird. She only has 21 more weeks of it.

04.23.08

Mental note to self…don’t ever mention to your wife that it’s just 5.5 ounces and the size of a sweet potato that she’s carrying around. What’s the big deal?

04.24.08

LA took a fall today. I guess you could call in a yard sale or face plant. Actually you could call it both. She fell coming out of school today with her arms full of her stuff and lost her balance transitioning from the sidewalk to the gravel. She got some pretty good road rash on her hands and a good bruise on her knee. Her chest broke the fall…see pregnancy has some benefits. The best part of the story is that this happened when school was getting out and all the people are leaving and driving by in cars so everyone could come help her…NOT! Nobody stopped to help or to see if she was ok…what a wonderful world. We are contacting our lawyer today to discuss our options. There still might be away for LA not to have to work. If this plays out right we could both be stay at home parents!

04.25.08

Ok, so we have been called every name in the book for not finding out the sex of our child. I even have fifteen year olds telling me we are crazy. I am beginning to believe they are right…We went to Babies R Us (not near as cool as Toy R Us) to check out cribs and bedding. We have been unable to find any bedding that isn’t made for specifically for boy or girl…nothing unisex. It seems so simple – blues, yellows or whites without dinosaurs, flowers, lace or fancy trim. We’ve got one last chance to find out when we go for the final ultrasound in three weeks…It would make life easier and less stressful.

04.26.08

We saw the baby moving today from the outside.

04.29.08

We went to the doctor for LA’s monthly visit…nothing much exciting except hearing the baby’s heart beat which is always exciting – 143 beats per minute. I have to give credit to the doctor’s office today for a quick appointment.

05.13.08

LA is starting to feel the effects of standing on her feet all day – swelling in her feet. She was funny tonight complaining about not having ankles – thick ankles (every girls dream – Walt and Chris, That reminds me of many funny conversations on that topic). She must have been super tired…she went to sleep at 7:15pm and never was really awake (a few rambling questions at various times during the evening) and then to bed. By the way, never wake a sleeping pregnant lady (I have and will not do that) and never ask if they are tired…they are always tired.

05.14.08

I got to feel the baby this morning for the first time as we were waking up. It was awesome to finally feel what she has been describing. It makes you pause and praise God. It did feel a little weird because you normally don’t have something poking you from the inside. Here is my attempt to describe what I felt… If I was a doctor and she wasn’t pregnant and I felt that, I would tell her she ate something that didn’t agree with her – felt like she has a bad case of gas or cramps. We all know how bad that feels when you’ve got the rumble but now you could feel it on the outside.

05.15.08

We go to MUSC tomorrow for the last ultrasound…this is our last chance to find out what we are having. I think LA wants to find out so she (we) can make some bedding decisions. We are still battling the lack of unisex baby stuff. If we found out that would remove some stress. It is tough being old fashion in the 21st century. My vote is still for not finding out and we agreed last night to continue with not finding out. I guess if we accidentally find out tomorrow that is fine but the mystery of it is a girl or boy still is fun.

Stay tuned until tomorrow (actually probably Sat) to find out what we decided…Will they find out? Will they find out and not tell anybody? Is it a boy or Is it a girl?

I am going on the record today and saying we are having a boy…maybe we will do the drano test to confirm this weekend.

05.16.08

I did the Chinese calendar today and it predicts a boy…come on really, could something buried in tomb 700 years ago be accurate??? I read on-line that if the baby’s heartbeat is greater than 134 it is a girl. That prediction means were having a girl…Adrian did some hokey thing with a string and came up with a boy. Really, it’s a 50/50 shot. I checked in Vegas and that’s the best odds they would give me. The only way to settle this is with the drano test. I will be convinced with the drano test results. I mean come on that is scientific…involves chemicals and reactions…I wasn’t the smartest in science but the drano hypothesis makes sense and has to work. Whatever the drano test tells us is what kind of bedding we are buying…end of stress and end of suspense.

See how much fun it is not knowing…

05.16.08

So we went to MUSC today for our final ultrasound to check the baby’s heart. The ultrasound technician was much friendlier than grumpy lady last time. The baby weighs about 1.4lbs and the heart rate is 141 bpm (beats per minute, I’m sure you figured that out…yeah right). The Mountain Dew 30 minutes before leaving had the baby actively moving its feet. However, it was lying with its spine on top of LA’s stomach for the whole time. It was pretty cool watching the monitor and seeing the baby kick its feet and watching LA feel it at the same time. The baby didn’t like the ultrasound tech and kicked her pretty good one time. She didn’t take a lot of pictures this time and spent most of the focusing on getting the views of the heart the doctor needed since that was the only thing they couldn’t see good enough the first time. However, she did a 3D image of the baby that we got to see on the monitor which was cool. When she was finished, I asked her if she was going to give us a CD with some of the pictures and you would have thought one CD was going to close the hospital and she was going to lose her job. She asked if we got one the first time we visited and we told her yes. She then told us that it was against policy to give us an additional CD – one CD no matter how many visits. However, she told us just this time she would make us an additional CD which we were appreciative. So let me put this in perspective for you – Anybody know what an ultrasound at MUSC cost? Let’s just for fun say it was $750 (probably 5 to 10 times that). A CD is what $.25 and a case is $.25 - $.50 total – hospital markup $9.95. Do every expecting couple a favor and just include it in the cost or put it on my bill. That kind of logic can only come when you work for a government agency.

A few minutes later, I found out what skills it takes to be a doctor – quick thinker and observant. The doctor comes in to talk to us and in the room are LA and I. The first words out of his mouth and I quote “You must be Mrs. Carter.” I just about fell out of my chair. I couldn’t believe it I finally was meeting Captain Obvious in person. Who else in the room would be Mrs. Carter? Hey, guess what I’m “Mr. Carter”…ding,,ding..ding. He went on to tell us that the heart and everything else was fine and looked good on the ultrasound. He went on to tell that the development of the brain is still very impressive and his first observation still holds true – your child is going to be a “genius” (His words, not mine and fortunately he said genius not a doctor). So that concludes the ultrasounds for baby Carter. Did I mention what we are having? We decided to find out and not tell anybody just to make them mad. Hey, it’s our child. It’s a ………? You might try asking me because I can be a softy or maybe you can stop by after we purchase some bedding and figure it out. It’s only 16.5 weeks. It’s not going to kill you. If you look closely at the pictures you can figure it out.

See you in September to find out if you are right!

05.22.08

Family - No comments on the 3D picture...How can you not tell us how pretty that baby is?

My friend Walt put his money on it being a girl. He tells me to look at the pictures. It obvious. He has three kids...maybe he knows something.

05.23.08

LA got her Memorial Day weekend started off a little early…She called me around 8:30am to come get her from school. She wasn’t feeling well and had to have a student get the nurse to come get her in the wheelchair. She had told before she left that she needed a day off…just kidding. Her fellow teachers are great and covered her classes for her for the rest of the day – thanks Jenn and Amy (and anyone else who helped out!), She spent the rest of the day on the sofa resting and relaxing – she’s real good at that – ha!ha! (She learned it from a pro – me!),

05.26.08

Ever had one of those days? This doesn’t have anything to do with the baby but I thought I would share. Today is Memorial Day, a holiday for most people including LA and I. I started the day off with getting the paper, fixing a large glass of milk and heating some pop-tarts in the toaster oven. LA told me she thought something was on fire but I assured her it was ok. I am a professional heating up pop-tarts. I assured her with a quick look it was just some stuff in the bottom of the toaster burning off and turned to do something else. She told me again something was on fire and when I looked in the glass door my pop-tarts were get flame kissed. I had never seen real flames inside a toaster oven before. I turned the oven off and pulled my smoked pop-tarts out – it was actually pretty cool. I took my milk, smoked pop-tarts and paper to sit on the sofa. About halfway through the second pop-tart, I went to return my milk to its place and spilled the remaining milk – 85% onto the floor. Wow, what a mess. It was a job for the quicker picker upper - Bounty. I am pretty sure it took ½ a roll to get it all up. How does the lady in the commercial only use like ½ a sheet? I figured the fire and the spilled milk were enough to make the blog just for humor sake but the day wasn’t over yet. Later in the evening LA and I decided to have some desert – turtle cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory (Sam’s Freezer Section, very good). I fixed myself a large class of tea and returned to the scene of the earlier accident. LA wanted to sit in the chair and a half with me and as I was moving some things around I kicked my full glass of tea over onto the floor. Wow, what a mess. It was another job for the quicker picker upper. After another ½ roll of paper towels and some laughter, I got to enjoy my cheesecake. I can assure you that the floor in front of the sofa is spotless. The real funny thing is that I admit that I have been anal about the floors since we had them refinished. Maybe those two accidents are helping prepare me for the baby and the spills that are coming and to always remember not to cry over spilt milk or tea…(that is stupid, I apologize but I couldn’t resist it).

05.27.08

Doctor’s appointment today…I have always said I would be critical of wait times at doctor’s offices and give praise when it was deserved. Today was an exceptional visit. In and out in under 30 minutes. Now this could mean a couple of things – 1- we were just lucky, 2- the doctor sucks and is going out of business (hope she can hang on until September) or 3- they are efficient. I am going with the latter for peace of mind. Dr. McCusker measured her again – 25.5” perfect – once again don’t really know what that means except that is almost the official size of a girl’s basketball 28.5” (I really do know what it means – call me and test me if you dare). The baby’s heart rate was 136bpm for those keeping track at home, it has slowed down. LA said that means it’s a boy. I told her she was crazy…as the baby gets bigger the heart is going to slow down. It can’t keep beating at 144 bpm, forever. LA is 25 weeks and has her paperwork for the gestational diabetes (the sugar) test to get done in the next two to three weeks. She isn’t looking forward to it. Everyone, including the doctor, says it sucks. The doctor told her to chug it, not sip it. The doctor also gave her some pointers (cheats) for passing the test. Hope those work – well really doesn’t affect me (effect me – English teachers), I don’t have to drink the stuff. The magic number is 140 and lower. 10-15% fail the first test and 1% fail the follow-up three hour test. For the accountants and numbers people reading this, the numbers don’t work but the doctor said a total of 5% of all women get/have gestational diabetes (the sugar). So say a little prayer over the coming days and weeks that she passes that test.

We get to meet a new doctor next time...should be interesting. Hope, we like her. I guess they are not going under so they must be efficient.

Drano test is still in the works…I promise. Marty and Danielle did it for me, so I feel like we have to do it. But theirs was only half right…ha!ha!

06.06.08

School’s Out For Summer! LA survived her first year.

06.08.08

The pregnancy workout program has started. We went to Swoop C’s pool today and I swam laps while LA got a sun tan. Who is supposed to be getting in shape? It was so hot that I could not stand not being in the pool so I swam laps (like up and back, take a break…it hard to keep my fat behind on top of the water without sinking). LA did start working out by treading water in the pool and I joined her. That is a pretty good work out. She is going to keep the pool part of the workout going during the week.

06.09.08

Monday…No school…We have decided to keep roughly the same schedule each day as we had grown accustomed to during the school year – instead of waking up at 5:15am we have pushed it back to 5:45 – 6:00am. We are walking each morning for about 45 – 60 minutes. It is good way to start your day…spending time walking with my pregnant wife. Hopefully, we will be committed and continue this.

06.10.08

We signed up for Lamaze class in July on a Saturday. What else could we do on a Saturday in July during the summer? However, that option is better than the taking the class for 4 weeks. Hope we get a take home book but I am pretty sure I know everything already (I’ve seen it on TV and read about it on the internet) Looking forward to that and already practicing with her…breathe, breathe, breathe, push, push, push, breathe, breathe, breathe, push, push, push….and were done. :)

06.11.08

LA went to the place this am to take the gestational diabetes test. She successfully drank the thick syrupy mixture under the five minute deadline. She choose orange flavor over the lemon-lime which isn’t surprising. You know how much see loves an orange drink. She didn’t think it was too bad with the flavor – tasted like just the syrup from a fountain drink but not something she would choose to drink on purpose. Anybody that had to drink it unflavored, she feels sorry for you. She sat around for an hour reading magazines ( I am sure they were all the magazines that tell women all the reasons their husbands suck and how to change them and if they don’t change to dump them, take ½ and find one you can change…can’t wait to get home to see what step 1 is) and then they took her blood. If the results are bad, then we should know something in a couple of days; otherwise, it’s no news is good news. Hope she doesn’t have “the sugar”.

LA and I want to give a shout out to our friends Travis and Minde. They had a baby girl early this morning - Caroline Elizabeth Wheeler 7lbs 12oz. They are going to be great parents. Check out their blogspot http://www.travisandminde.blogspot.com/ as Paul Harvey would say "to get the rest of the story". Trust me it's a good one. God is Good!

06.14.08

I took this picture when I got up from taking a morning nap today (Saturday). LA hard at work. You've gotta love a wife that isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and won't let being pregnant slow her down. Pregnancy is a temporary condition not a disablilty...just because you are pregnant doesn't mean you can't work. It was hot outside, so I only stayed out long enough to take the pictures and get her something to drink. Does this mean our baby will be a hard worker like LA? I hope so, she needs some help with the yard and house. I love air conditioning, cable tv and my wife!

PS - your guess is as good as mine as why I had to change the color of the font to get it to show up...!#@&*)^ computers

06.15.08

Father's Day...I don't think I really qualify for a day yet - next year. We had a good Father's Day. We went to lunch with mom and dad and then stopped by their house for a nap. In the evening we went to Lodge to spend the evening with Swoop C and the brothers. I am going to see if we can stop this process of LA having a baby. I don't think I had all the details and responsibilities before this process started. (Where's the instruction book?) Emmy (Heather and Mike's daughter)was sitting with her father next to me on the sofa and earlier had been telling everyone her stomach was hurting and everyone assumed she would be fine. However, her stomach had another opinion. She threw-up and Mike did an excellent job of catching it in his hand and with her dress and most importantly off me. Awesome, what a great father! The smell was just like you remember throw-up. It never changes...makes you want to throw-up. If that is what I am in store for- I'm out...hopefully, our model will come with the iron stomach and impenetrable immune system...I'm praying.

06.21.08

We got to see Travis and Minde's baby tonight at the Providence/New Journey Frogmore Stew party at the Salisbury's. Everybody seems to always makes a big deal about me holding a baby so they insist that I hold the baby. It's really no big deal.

Someone asked if I wanted to hold Caroline, so I said "Yes". However, after holding her for awhile it suddenly hit me that I have been battling poison ivy and I worked the yard today with bushes and vines in our jungle of a back yard (which is were I originally got it in the first place). I quickly handed Caroline back to Minde and assured her that babies are probably immune to poison ivy and she shouldn't worry about it (because I am going to do all the worrying for her). I am praying that she doesn't get it...how bad would that be - ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE.

06.22.08

Today, LA and I went to Babies R Us to start registering(actually figuring out how much debt you have to get into before the child actually arrives…actually I have gotten my 401K deduction switched and it now goes directly to Babies R US…the only way spending all this money up front can be justified is if you have more than one…hopefully, the tax deduction for having a child is HUGE)…

Wholly Cow!!! We got 2.5 hours in and covered about ½ the store. That means I get to go back and finish another day…I’m thrilled! Do you realize how many different types/styles/brands/shapes/colors of pacifiers, bottles, breast pumps, wash basins, wash cloths, towels, strollers, diaper genie’s, car seats, pack and plays, high chairs, wipes, and first aid kits there are? I finally decided that the only way to choose was if it was “top rated” (by whom? Doesn’t matter, it’s “top rated”) or cost the most money (Does that make it better? Who knows? Probably not, but if you going in debt don’t go ½ way, make sure they take it all). It at least sped up the process. I have decided that 98% of that crap really doesn’t matter. You only really need diapers, wipes, bottles and formula. The rest are just luxury items. Hopefully, we will have a boy and then we don’t have to worry about shirts and pants for the first year or so.

My thought of the day/week/month:
If an instruction book doesn’t pop out with the baby, we are in trouble. What do we know about taking care of a baby? We can barely take care of ourselves. Aren’t you supposed to start with a dog/cat? Great, we skipped step 1!! Is it too late to get a dog? Our only hope is that somehow, you receive baby wisdom and knowledge the instant their born, otherwise it is going to be a heck of an adventure for this child.

Don’t miss tomorrow’s post – it is going to be a dozy!!! We are attending breast feeding class tonight.

06.23.08

Poison ivy update - I broke out with a new patch on my arms today. Great...Hopefully, Caroline hasn't gotten it.

We went to breast feeding class at Summerville Medical last night. The good news is that I wasn't the only male. There were other men who obviously understand that it's important to support your pregnant wife. We're a team.

It was a tough 2 hours of not busting out laughing or making funny comments. I learned that as a nurse you can specialize in this field and become a lactation consultant. The only quote I will post on the blog from the lactation consultant is "it's the original fast food". They recommend you breast feed for 1 year...holy crap! I guess we really shouldn't have rolled our eyes and mouthed "Oh, my goodness" at the lady at Babies R Us that was looking at pumps and saying her twins were 9 months and only had three more months to go. I don't think LA is up for that but it does save money and has 2 - 8.5 x 11 pages of benefits listed for the baby and mom.

We actually killed two birds with one stone last night because we got the tour of the maternity part of the hospital. We visited the delivery rooms, post delivery rooms, the surgery room,...etc. It's probably not the red carpet treatment and service we would have gotten at St. Francis but it will be fine. The waiting room on the floor is so small that we had to pay to reserve 4 seats and LA decided that she is going to allow me plus three others to be in the birthing room - nothing like having seats on the front row for this important event. However, it kind of puts us in a bad situation of having to choose and we don't want to do that so we decided to auction those seven spots off to immediate family first. The bidding starts at $50 dollars for the "Being There Package" and $15 for "Almost Was There Package"(Waiting Room). Being there when your grandchild/niece/nephew is being born = priceless. All money will used for the baby's education, unless we have to raid the fund to take a vacation. We will accept bids up until LA's water breaks. For everyone that can't be there when the baby is born but wants to be kept up to date with a detailed account of LA's delivery progress, delivery time, sex, weight, and length, via text messages and email, you can sign up for the "Wish I Was There Package" for $5 to be some of the first to know.

06.24.08

Travis called today and Caroline has a rash....just kidding. He said she hasn't got poison ivy! That is GREAT news! I still don't think I am out of the woods yet.

06.25.08

We purchased a crib today from Burlington/Baby Depot. We actually picked it out on Monday but I went back today to pick it up and that was an adventure. The young lady working in the baby section looked shocked and surprised when I told her I was buying a crib. I soon found out why...there were no males working in the store and she is pregnant. She called the manager who offered no solutions and asked if I could come back tomorrow. If you know me, you can imagine the look I gave her. Before, I gave up and left to go to Babies R Us to purchase our second choice, I asked the associate if I could go in the back and attempt to get it out of the store. With the help of a couple of hard working female associates we were able to get the crib from the furthest point in the store out the door and loaded into my car. The next mission is getting it out of the car and into the house. LA seems to think this is going to take two weeks because I procrastinate. We've got 11 weeks why rush things?

I have tried to find a picture of the crib online that I could insert but I have been unable to, so here is a link for those interested in checking out the crib.

http://www.europababy.net/

Almost forgot the bedding came in today also. What did we end up choosing?

Doesn't it look so soft and comfortable? Could a baby possible cry wrapped up snug as a bug in that? I don't think so or else it's going back and were getting the $9.99 bedding from Wal-Mart.

06.26.08

We went to the doctor today and when I walked through the door, I just about passed out. There were no seats in the entire waiting room and the floor was full of kids. I decided to turn around, carefully trying not to step on something that was breathing, and sat outside and sent text messages to LA who squeezed into an empty seat in the waiting room. I told her to put on her mask because of all the germs floating around in that place. So as you can imagine it took a good while to get called to the back and even when she got called to the back, they didn't have a room ready for her yet so she came back out to the waiting room.

Our total wait and doctor time today was 1.5 hours - that's unacceptable. The only positive thing we had going for us at this visit was the fact that the drug reps had someone cater lunch. I knew the nurses and doctors weren't going to miss free food. We meet with the "new" doctor today. She is "new" to the practice but has 18 years of experience that's the good part. She didn't just fall of the doctor truck. Our first opinion was mixed. Hopefully, she is still getting used to how they do things in this office. She seems nice/cordial and knowledgeable but wasn't bubbly like the other doctor and NP in the practice. The baby's heart rate is 139; right on target - 140 is the midpoint. LA is low on iron - just below the normal level but she wouldn't be classified as anemic. The doctor is not overly concerned at this point and instructed LA to take an iron supplement a couple times each week. She doesn't want her to take so much that it makes her stomach upset and makes her constipated. I don't want that either! She measured LA and she measured 31cm. LA is plus 2cm. The margin of error is +/- 2cm. This means it is possible that she is two weeks ahead of schedule. She is officially 29 weeks according to the original due date. Evidently, she doesn't have the "sugar". The doctor mentioned it but we did not specifically ask about the results. The jury is still out on the "new" doctor. We are going to give her another chance in two weeks.

I am pretty sure the Clemson vs Alabama game on August 30 is officially off of my scheduled events for 2008. I was planning on going, but my friends Travis and Minde having their baby early and Travis not being there and then the measuring today have pretty much sealed my fate. I am holding out some hope that she caves in...ATL is only 4.5 hours away. It not like her water breaks and the baby pops out. I will keep working her and my Clemson friends reading this can sign the petition to let me go and offer verbal support for me going whenever you see her. Just assure her everything will be okay..I will have a cell phone. It's really not that far (just like going to gvegas) and he can leave at a moments notice.

07.07.08

Week 30

Here's the latest on the baby's development (from the internet) - 15.7 inches long and about 3 lbs. LA has to careful because her center of gravity is changing and might start feeling clumsier that normal.

Not much happening on the baby front the past week...We spent the weekend at the beach house with all of my family. The pregnant thing has some benefits - We got a real bed instead of the pull out sofa bed which was nice of my sister but you know what, we like the sofa bed better. We had a good time...Carter and KP went to the Dave Matthew's concert on Friday at The Joe (They stayed with us in S'ville on Thursday night) - arrived at The Joe at 8:45am and sat all day waiting. I guess it paid off as they were front row - now, that's commitment. They finally made it to the beach around 2:30am - a long day. They had a great time - oh, the college days. LA and I went shopping on Saturday and bought some boys and girls outfits so we have some clothes for the baby. Here's what we have decided - we really need to have a boy because we will not be able to afford a girl. We found so many precious outfits for a girl that we could have maxed out the credit card. The best part about having a boy is that all he needs is a clean diaper and he is ready to tackle the day. We went to the movies Saturday night with Julie's family - Wall E. It sucked. The best part was the $40 worth of candy that we took into the movies in my sister's purse. Sunday was the best day - Meghan and I watched tennis and from 9:00am until it was over - no changing clothes, no shower, no brushing your teeth. While we did the lazy thing, LA and Julie went shopping (mark that day down in the books - I didn't go with her) at the new shops on the old Air Force Base. Somehow our bank account was spared, for which I am grateful. LA actually went to Pottery Barn and bought nothing.

LA was hard at work painting the baby's room last week. She couldn't find anyone to help - I guess everyone was busy. We can't expect everyone to drop everything they're doing to come help. Hope that changes when the baby comes. We're going to need some help. I think it's just that everyone hates painting like us but everyone loves keeping a baby for a few hour or days at a time...OK, I stretched the truth - She didn't paint the whole room, only about 3-4 feet above the baseboards. She is painting the chair rail today. Hopefully this evening, she will get the chair rail installed; I just have to get her the saw and nail gun. Then, she can check that off the "to do" list.

Almost forgot, put me down for husband of the year. I've been rubbing LA's feet (must be clean) and back!

One last thing - Don't do anything to make a pregnant lady at 30+ weeks sneeze. If you don't know what could happen, ask me or ask one.

07/10/08

Week 31

We visited the doctor today. We gave the new doctor a second chance but we're just not clicking with her. Don't misunderstand, she is nice, capable and if she is on call when LA goes into labor that is fine. However, right now we have a choice of which doctor we see and we choose to see the other two over the next 9 weeks (single digits) - Isn't it great to live in a place where you can choose. I will give the new doctor credit for a quick visit - she asks how your feeling and if any of a list of things has happened or is happening, listens to the baby's heart, measures and you're done.

The baby's heart rate was at 135 bpm and LA is still +2cm. Which still means we could be at 7 weeks! LA better hurry up on the baby's room.

I/We put up the chair rail on Tuesday night. I am still a half-behind carpenter...I forgot that for me it's measure 3 times and cut (actually measure 3 times, write it down and cut). The chair rail definitely makes a difference. We think it looks likes a boy's room right now. A few pink polka dots and we'll have a cute girl's room. Hopefully, we will finish up on Friday. I will try to post some pictures of the room prior to us adding furniture (well, the crib, it's all we have).

07.11.08

LA finished painting the baby's room today and tonight after I got home from work we decided to put the crib together. It was about 150 lbs and in a 6' x 4' box (see above post about purchasing it) and still in the back of my truck. I decided that there was no reason to attempt to get the box the house. I opened it in the car and brought the pieces in one at a time. There were only about 7 or 8 pieces. We started about 8:15 and finished about an hour or so later. It wasn't very difficult which was surprising. We have taken some pictures so I will posted them later. We think the crib looks good. Hope the baby likes it. If not at first then he/she will have to learn to love it. We will call it his/her first two life lessons - you can't always get what you want and always appreciate what is given to you.

07.12.08

We attempted the Drano test today. I say attempted because it was not successful. We had a funny moment that showed the difference in our ages. When I think of Drano I think of the metal container with the pellets which is what the Drano test calls for. So all this whole time I've been telling LA about the Drano test I assumed that she understood what type of Drano I was talking about. So about two weeks ago, she told me she bought the Drano. I never inspected it. Didn't see a need to. She told me she bought it what could be wrong. We woke up this morning with nothing planned first thing in the morning so we decided to do the Drano test. I got LA a cup to collect the sample in and then went to get the Drano from the laundry room. I picked up the Drano container and realized we had a communication problem. LA had gotten liquid Drano. All she knows about Drano is that it comes as a liquid or gel. She didn't have a clue that Drano came in the crystal form. So what do we do - we have the sample and liquid Drano so you give it the old college try.

All we got was water downed Drano and a little bubbly action. We laughed and LA has now put me in charge of getting the crystal Drano. Continue to stay tuned for this developing story...

07.13.08

For the past couple of weeks LA has been saying she needs to take her rings off (wedding band and engagement ring). I told her that was unacceptable. If I couldn't take mine off she wasn't going to take hers off. Well last night she decided that they had to come off because her hands were swelling. She didn't even think she could get them off and was afraid that they might have to be cut off. I reminded her of what happens when we take her rings off. She decided it didn't matter, they had to come off. We tried first without any assistance of outside substances and no luck. She had probably waited about a week too long. I got on the internet and did a quick search for some tips and found a site that made it sound so easy - like you could take any ring off. I bet Mrs. Walker wishes I had this training the day she got stung by the yellow jacket/bee/wasp in the parking lot at the church and her hand started swelling. I could have gotten that ring off in no time without her having to have it cut off. Anyway, we started with raising the hand above the heart for 10-15 minutes. Then we soaked her hand in ice cold water for 15 minutes. We then went to the sink to spray her finger down with Windex (Man, that stuff is slippery!). We attempted to pull the ring off but we simply could not get it passed the knuckle. We kept pulling and twisting the ring, pulling the skin under the ring toward the hand and spraying more Windex. I was just about to give up when there was some progress and LA gave me the go ahead to keep pulling. All of a sudden we cleared the knuckle and the force of me pulling along with the slippery Windex caused the ring to slip from my fingers, land in the sink and drop down the drain..........Are you kidding me? What are the odds of that happening? I know you're thinking what I was thinking, that would never happen to me - well, thank goodness, it didn't happen to me. Everything I said happened except the ring going down the drain. Her wedding band was much easier to get off. So, what did she do...she packed up some clothes and left town this morning for a couple of days. Sounds fishy to me - "Will you take my rings off my fingers cause they are swelling" and then take off out of town the next day! And she didn't go alone - Theresa and Rachael went with her to a "volleyball coaches clinic" at the beach no less (Coastal Carolina University). How much "clinic" time to you do you think will be going on...beach with scenery or and indoor clinic? I mean, let's be real, how much training does the the winning-est high school volleyball coach in the country need - "volleyball clinic" at the beach, still sounds super fishy to me. So what's good for the goose is good for the gander. I am taking my ring off until she put hers back on. She's not going to have all the fun...maybe I will go out of town next week.

07.16.08

Nothing much has been happening on the baby front...no news is good news. LA is still being a trooper, not complaining about much at all. Her feet are swelling but I guess that is to be expected in our climate. She is not having any problems sleeping which is good for both of us. We are depositing extra hours in at the sleep bank for use after the baby comes.

07.20.08

We just got back from a weekend in ATL with the church - some youth, young adults and adults. We went to the Braves game on Friday night and got to watch a good fireworks show after the game. We went to Six Flags on Saturday. We chose the shortest operating day of summer 9:00am until 5:00pm. Microsoft had rented out the park for the evening until 1:00am. Darn that Bill Gates. In an effort to maximize the day, 6 people paid an additional $35 for the the Flash Pass - Gold. We went VIP style and it paid off. The longest we waited to ride any roller coaster was 15 minutes. What's the worst part about being at an amusement park - the lines. We totally avoided that part. It was the best $35 I have ever spent!

LA couldn't ride all the coasters but she got her rides in. You should have seen the looks people were giving her. We didn't know what the big deal was?!?!?! She isn't any bigger than some of the people riding. We wanted baby Carter to enjoy and not be scared of roller coasters - train them early. She did bail out on Superman because it turns you parallel to the ground. We didn't think that one would be safe. As many of you know my philosophy on these types of trips - We went to Six Flags to do what - ride the rides...we didn't go to eat the $8 hot dogs - you hydrate and eat on the walk to the next ride. Actually sitting down to eat is wasting time and not allowing you to maximize your RPD - rides per day. The Flash Pass Gold allowed Rosie and I to get in 30+ rides. Everyone in the group was not up to the challenge. I know LA (and my other other coaster fanatics, Mark, Nick, Morgan, Jenn, Spoons, Jeter) would have been with me if she wasn't limited by being pregnant. Rosie was with me step for step and ride for ride. Anytime we could get off and right back on for a quick re-ride, we were doing it (remember it's about the RPD). Rosie and I got split on the last coaster of the day and she got two rides in as the ride was closing and I got three rides. I got the final ride of the day. As I mentioned earlier the final total was over 30 for both of us. An impressive RPD for only 8 hours in the park. LA was a trooper all day in the park.

Okay, so she didn't ride the roller coasters but I told you she got some rides in - haunted house, Thomas the Train and spent the afternoon in the water park. On Sunday we worshiped at North Point Community Church just outside ATL. I have never been to a 10,000 member church with 3,000 people attending each worship service. Don't think it's my style for every Sunday worship but it was a good change of pace.

7.22.08

Week 33

We went to the doctor today. We were supposed to see LA's original doctor but we got switched to the new doctor (see above posts). I am sure that just like in my business we have issues that cause delays each day but once again we had to wait and wait and wait. This is an industry problem, not just this doctor's office. It must be something they teach doctors in med school - make them wait, blood pressure rises and other things begin to happen and you can diagnose those "new" problems and prescribe them more medicine (sorry to my doctor friends reading this, do me a favor and become part of the solution)

We waited 50 minutes for the doctor to come in the room - terrible, horrible. There's just not much to do in the rooms at this point. We already have a child about to pop out. You have already read about every type of contraception on the market, studied the female body parts, studied the human body...etc. I think I could pass human anatomy at this point. Anyway, the same routine with her as before - the standard questions - bleeding, cramping, contractions...etc, quick measure, check the heart beat, any questions and out the door. LA was only plus 1cm this week. That helps the chances of attending the Clemson game...The baby's heartbeat was 156 bpm. It was back up this week, probably because the baby was active. We have one more visit in two weeks and then it is every week until baby Carter arrives.

This constantly going to the doctor is crazy, especially how long it takes...I think we are going to start trusting the baby timer God gave all women - the belly button. The baby isn't ready until the belly button pops out. It is just like a pop up timer in a turkey and those things are accurate. I wonder if that is where they came up with the idea for the pop up timer? When LA's belly button pops out is when I'm going back to the doctor's office.

07.25.08

Here are some pictures of LA. The first picture was taken in early April and the other were taken last night. There's been a good bit of growth in the past three months...

I told you we would post some pictures of the baby room with and with out the crib. Here they are...

Upcoming Events - Baby Birthing Classes on Saturday, July 26th...don't miss the post from this event.

07.26.08

We went to Child Birthing Classes today at the mall. Trident has a classroom at Northwoods Mall that they use to offer a variety of classes. I will have to say that this was the first time I have ever walked into the mall with pillows and a blanket. The classroom was pretty crowded. We were definitely in the minority of those that have found out what they are having. I don't even know where to begin but here it goes...

The first thing is that going forward from here, LA and I will not listen to your horror stories about child birthing. By you telling her these stories you are creating unnecessary fear. If you have a good story about the beauty of child birth, we will listen; but otherwise let's just keep that birthing horror story to yourself. This child birthing class was really more than a child birthing class. It was a life lesson class. How to deal with stress, tension and instead of reacting to situation we need to respond. Instead of reacting to the situation like we normally would by flying off the handle and raising our blood pressure, we need to respond. We learned breathing techniques to breath in the good and exhale to bad - deep breaths in and a deep breath out with a sigh. I learned that throughout this process I have to be LA's rock, her Moses. When LA takes her shower after giving birth, she has to cry it all out and wash everything down the drain - just let it all go.

We watched the birthing video that you hear so much about. I am pretty sure that the video was early 80's which makes me assume that it isn't very profitable to make birthing videos. I guess it's like the teacher said, the process hasn't changed much over the years. However, it would be nice to have a newer video with a pretty woman and a dreamy guy (LA made me put that part). Surely, someone would be willing to volunteer for a few bucks. Maybe that could be a way for LA and I to start the college fund. I am thinking ours would be more of a comedy/"don't do it this way" type of video. I can't describe the video with words but it was funny. The good news is that I didn't turn my head, feel queasy, or pass out. I did learn from the video that I need to practice my singing - the guy in the video was singing "She'll we coming round the mountain". Come on, admit it, you're laughing - We were! I am trying to find a couple of good songs to learn. Got any suggestions.

We did learn a couple of breathing techniques - the 4 in/out, 2 in/out and the he,he,who,who. Should we be concerned that we couldn't do them in the class without laughing? Will we be able to do them in the delivery room? The instructor did threaten the men with a story of a husband who was being verbally mean to his wife during delivery. The nurse asked him to step in the hallway and told him to lighten up on the verbal beating he was giving his wife and to imagine passing a golf ball through his penis - now that hurts just thinking about it.

We learned about the "ring of fire" - 10cm dilated as the babies head passes through. Maybe that will be the song I sing. We are also going to take the placenta home and plant a tree on top of it. It's full of good stuff. She even suggested, which I thought was pure gold,that we call friends over to do tasks around the house after the baby is born and we are at home. She told us that would separate our true friends from those that are just standby friends. FYI - I like my shirts ironed with a little starch, the floors vacuumed then damp mopped. Everything you'll need to cook and wash the dishes are provided. We'll need some yard work done also.

The final lesson was relaxation techniques. We all laid on the floor with our blanket and pillows and the instructor tried to have us visualize going to the beach. During her description of the beach, I began to hear someone snoring lightly and then very heavy. They were knocked out, give that student an "A". LA and I were about to bust out laughing. The last part was me becoming in tune with LA's body and where she is tense. I aced that part. LA would tense a part of her body and I would find it - it was her butt every time.

We graduated and got our diploma from baby birthing class. Only 6 more weeks...hope we don't forget everything before the big day.

PS - I forgot the best thing about the whole day. We had Chick-Fil-A for lunch. It was the most expensive Chick-Fil-A lunch we have ever had and we didn't get waffle fries - fruit instead. I'm sure it had something to do with baby nutrition but at this point I don't think a few grapes, apple pieces and oranges are going to make a difference. So lunch was the high point of the day.

PPS - I forgot the most important lesson we learned from the class. The 4-1-1 on 5-1-1. The 5-1-1 is when you head to the hospital - five contractions lasting one minute for one hour. So basically a contraction every 12 minutes for an hour.

08.01.08

LA wanted to go for a ride in the Jeep tonight. She was able to take the big step into the Jeep; however, this was probably the last ride unless we need to take drastic measures to induce labor. I am pretty sure that you feel every pebble you ride over in your backside. Between the rumbly in the tummy from the Mexican dinner and the baby expressing some displeasure in riding in the Jeep, LA was done by the time it was time to start heading home. So it looks like I will be riding solo in the Jeep for a few weeks.

08.03.08

LA had her first baby shower. I guess it's really "baby carter or we had our first shower" but I was excluded from this all girl's affair. The girls in the Ulmer family - Karissa, Heather, Marsha, and Amy hosted a shower at Marsha's house in Lodge. The boys (Scott, Waylon and Mike) took me and the kids (Hayes, Emmy, Madison and Caleb) for an afternoon of riding four wheelers. Everyone got to have a good time - girls doing girl things and guys doing guy stuff. We have some guesses on the birth date, weight and size - I am hoping to figure out a way to post those guesses and for everyone to participate in guessing the birth date on the blog...be on the lookout for that update. I don't know everything that went on...maybe I can get LA to post about the shower. However, I do know that Baby Carter got a bunch of very nice presents because I loaded (w/ Mike's help) and unloaded them. I am not going to list everything but we did get two very important gifts - a Diaper Genie II to secure the toxic waste (sorry to all of those reading this that only have a Diaper Genie...ours is new and improved) and most importantly a car seat. People really seem to freak out about a car seat these days - what's the big deal? The child can just sit in mommy or daddy's lap and use their seat belt (I'm just kidding! I know the baby can't sit in the drivers lap.) Anyway, at least we we will not be like some of our friends who will be unmentioned (unless you ask us in person, then, we will probably tell you) that didn't know you had to have a car seat to leave the hospital or the couple that had a car seat but couldn't figure out how to get it installed in the car at the hospital. We will go ahead and practice the installation part so we are ready to leave when they cut us loose. We are very thankful for EVERYTHING that was given to us - Baby Carter got hooked up! I will try to post some pictures from the shower and the gifts in the coming days.

08.05.07

LA washed all the unisex clothing we have already purchased or received from others. I helped put them from the washer into the dryer. I would shake them out and hold them up as I put them into the dryer and think to myself "no way our baby is fitting into something that small". It is very had to imagine that we are getting ready to have something so small. I still think we are having a baby that is potty trained, walking and talking on day one. That dream is going to end real quick.

We go to the Doctor on Thursday and from then until the baby arrives it will be every week. It is getting close...

08/06/08

I found a site that will let everyone guess the sex, day, time, weight and length of baby Carter. Each category carries a point value. The winner is the person with the fewest points. The point deductions are as follows:

Wrong gender: 400 points ~ Birth date: 5 points/hour

Weight: 5 points/ounce ~ Length: 10 points / inch

For example, if you pick the gender wrong you have 400 points and if you pick it right you have 0 points. Again, the winner is the person with the fewest points. You should be able to click the box near the top of the blog on the right and it will take you right to it. If that doesn't work then the link is http://www.expectnet.com/index.php. The game name is ourfirstbaby-kcandla. The only thing missing is a prize. I wish there was a way to collect money for each guess. In lieu of a cash prize, the winner gets to keep baby Carter for the weekend of our choice. Now that's a prize! Just think you can experience the excitement of having a child in your house without actually having to get pregnant. This is perfect for those that are thinking about having children. For those that already have children, this is a perfect chance to relive the joy of having an infant around the house. It could also be helpful for those that are on the fence about having another child (Baby Carter could use a few good playmates). Good Luck! This is exciting!

PS - I have added everyone that guessed at the shower. However, they did not guess the actual time. If you guessed at the baby shower, you can guess again and I will delete your first guess.

PPS - Here are some statistics for the math nerds(just kidding...its a joke) to help everyone make an educated guess. Going back to our parents family (I think that's two generation), on the Carter side we have 4 males and 7 females - 1:1.75 male to female ratio; Ulmer/Murdock side we have 15 males and 5 females (that's a lot of testostrone) - 3:1 male to female ratio; So the total is 19 males to 12 females - 1.59:1 male to female. What does all this mean? Our chances of having a male is almost doubled (if you allow for rounding). These statistics could be supported by the fact that the last two babies born were a boy and a girl which means based on the statistics a male would be next. So the math says were having a boy but I guess it really back to what I told you earlier the best odds Vegas would give us is a fifty-fifty shot at having a male or female. Good luck guessing...

08/07/08

We went to the doctors office today and wholly crap it was crowded. I just don't understand why it has to be so crowded. I still really believe they teach this in medical school...somebody tell me I'm wrong. One reason it was crowded today was because all three doctors were in the office but still it shouldn't take over an hour for an office visit. When they called LA's name, I asked her to check and see if this was the fake call back where they take your weight, blood pressure...etc and then send you back to the waiting room or a real call back were the do the same thing except put you in a room. It was a real call back. I got a little excited when I got to the room because it was the ultrasound room but that was quickly dashed. We passed the time by trying to figure out how to turn on the ultrasound machine, playing with the keys and trying to figure out how to get the leg rest out on the table/bed LA was on. They also had a swivel stool that kept me occupied while waiting. It was a little hot in the room so I plugged in a fan that was in the room for LA. Oh, I almost forgot, it is serious business from here on out. When LA came into the room she got the waist down orders and a piece of paper which she couldn't figure out exactly how you were supposed to wear it/drape it. When she sat down somehow it turned into a shredded mess. It looked like a grass skirt. I tried to find another one in the room but they only thing in the room was paper towel sized and that wouldn't work without some duct tape. It was funny.

Good news on the swelling is that LA is healthy (blood pressure is good and no protein in her urine) The swelling is just from being pregnant, it's summer and 100+ outside and the humidity is a little high. Anybody else noticed that recently? The doctor wished her good luck but told her it would get worse before it got better...That's exciting and something for LA to look forward to. The baby's heart rate was 142 bpm and LA measured 35cm which is right on target.

We got to ask some questions about going into labor over the next 2 to 5 weeks. Unless her water breaks they will do everything to stop the labor until 37 weeks. If her water breaks then it's welcome to the world baby Carter. 35% of the baby's development happens in the final 6 weeks so the closer she carries the baby to term the better off the baby will be. We talked about possible reasons for c-section and what they would do if the baby is facing the wrong way (face to the front - can be delivered that way but a little more painful for mommy - babies skull on mommies tail bone) LA was tested for something (three letters) and if she has that she has to have antibiotics before delivery. It is no big deal to humans but a big deal to a baby. The doctor checked her cervix and everything is good there - still closed for business. However, the baby is getting ready as the head is beginning to head south. We go every week now until Baby Carter arrives, so we are living seven days at a time or as Kenny Chesney would say we are "living fast forward".

08.11.08

We had a pretty laid back weekend. On Friday, we went to the Baby Depot and purchased a dresser. It is the one that matches our crib. It was simple, quick and functional. On Saturday, we went to a wedding and LA was a trooper but I paid for it on Sunday with foot rubs. I decided that I would suck as a massage therapist. My hands aren't cut out for that line of work. I am going to cheat from here on out by using a hand massager. I am sure the baby is wondering what in the world is going on.

I went home today for some lunch and LA happened to be at home also because she was in between practices (Volleyball at SHS). We were watching the Olympics and LA has decided that she could win the gold in badminton. When it was about to start she had that look on her face of "you're kidding me right - this is a medal sport?" I must agree that it seems a little silly but I want to take her up on the challenge. I am going to support her quest for the Gold medal in the 2012 Olympics in London - Good Luck, LA!

Because I am going to save this for our baby, I want him/her to ask me about the 2008 Men's 4x100 freestyle relay and how the USA smashed the world record by 4.3 seconds and how the French team before the race said "that's what we have come here for- to smash the Americans" and how for some reason right now I can't hear the French team...a great moment in Olympic and American sports...hope you got to see it!

Baby Carter and Leigh-Ann are currently training for the Olympics. In 2024 - LA will be 43 and will be participating her 4th Olympics (becoming the oldest badminton/US athlete to participate, becoming the next Dana Torres), Baby Carter will be 16 (probably participating in the women's hammer throw, women's weightlifting or men's sync swimming or men's badminton), and I will be participating in the Sr. Olympics, hopefully (lets not assume to much here or buy me any green bananas for training).

08.14.08

Here's an update of the past three days...LA has been sick the past 4 or 5 days with a sinus infection. She has lots of congestion in her nasal cavity. I know she's she struggling breathing because she started snoring or as some people call it "breathing heavy". Hopefully, she is on the downside of it.

We got surprised last night (Wed) at the weekly movie night for the Youth. Ross and others planned a surprise baby(diaper) shower for LA and I. It was nice of them to bring us our first diapers. We hadn't bought the first one yet. We have enough to get us started now. They filled up the middle seating area of my Yukon XL. I am pretty sure that will last about one week based on the 8/day estimate we've been given. I'm just going ahead and letting everyone know we will only be using 4/wk. We're cutting the diaper expense in half - tight times, haven't you been reading the paper and watching FOX/MSNBC about the economy. We might have to wash a few extra sheets but we will still save $$$. If you don't change them so often they won't learn to accept that you'll take care of it when it happens and they'll want to be potty trained quicker - watch and learn people, this is going to be revolutionary and you read it here first. Back to the shower, we had pizza and a nice cake. Thanks to everyone for being so generous and thoughtful. Our friend Clark Williams hooked us up with a hand made onesy. You need to check back to see the pictures of it that I am going to post. It's funny. Thanks, Clark! I guess we can say we are unofficially ready - we have diapers, some clothes, a crib and a car seat.

No baby this week...We went to the doctor today for our weekly visit. The wait time was acceptable but we still had to wait and we had the first appointment time after lunch. It's still a mystery to me. I'm running out time to figure it out. We had a good visit with Dr. McCusker, today. She has great people skills and is always asking LA about how she is doing and how's school. She wants to talk to you about whatever while asking the same questions about baby movement, contractions,...etc. It's more informal and she still gets all the info she needs. We like her. LA is right on schedule - 37cm and the baby's heartbeat is 132 bpm. Her cervix is about a finger tip (maybe 1-1.5cm dilated by my estimation) and she is about 50% effaced. Just in case you need some education about those terms-click here for a refresher on dilation and effacement. As confident as the doctor was about "no baby this week, right on schedule", I couldn't help but remember that Minde was 2cm dilated and 50% effaced and was assured "no baby this week, right on schedule" and within 24 hours she went into labor.

Upcoming events this week:
LA has a girls shower tonight with the ladies from work (teachers) and the women's bible study. We are getting together Friday night with LA's brothers and their wives for a party at Waylon and Amy's in St. George. On Saturday, we have a baptism class to attend with Dr. Howell. We figured we would go ahead and get the class over with so we wouldn't have to wait for the next class.

LA has been coaching volleyball the past two weeks and starts school on Monday with teacher work days and the students on Thursday. Hopefully, she will get 2+ weeks of teaching before getting her 12 week vacation. So she has been off roughly 8 weeks, will teach 2-3 weeks, get 12 weeks off, teach 3-4 weeks, and get two weeks off to finish 2008. So from basically June to December it will be 22 weeks vacation and 5 weeks of work. You add the vacation to the new wardrobe, her husband taking constant care of her every need (foot, massages...etc) and all the other little perks of being pregnant and she's going to want to have kids all the time.

I am planning to just update the blog weekly for now on Thursday or Friday unless Baby Carter comes sooner...Don't forget to get your guesses submitted (see the link on the upper right or click this link - baby guess).

08.21.08

What’s been going the past few days? Not a whole lot on the baby front. Seems to be “the calm before the storm”. We went to Babies R Us over the weekend and picked up all the essentials (or what we think were the essentials) we had not got yet. Baby Carter should be just fine when he/she comes home and after all, I am pretty sure he/she is not going to care too much about the crib, dresser, stroller, pack-n-play…etc. One thing we did need for LA to feed and rock the baby – a glider is on its way to the house. It looks like it will be here before Baby Carter, we didn’t think it was going to make it.

LA is being a trooper. Her feet are still so swollen – can’t describe them, words can’t do them justice. (I did think of something - elephantiasis) The good news is that I don’t think they can get any bigger. It hasn’t helped that she has been busy the past 3 days busting her butt to get ready for school (yes, I have been helping her). I was pretty sure Monday evening that I was the worst husband in the world for not letting my wife take a “part-time” position with Minde or letting her not work. Fortunately for me, I was able to get that thought out of my mind pretty quick. That was going to be a tough one to live with long term. Anyway, I am over it and the school year is under way today – march on soldier, look forward not back, whatever doesn't kill you - makes you stronger. I was pretty sure that I was going to get a phone call today that it was time with all the long hours leading up to the first day, not getting enough sleep and stress,…etc but it didn’t happen.

We did have a doctor’s appointment today. We had a first. I have closed down a number of establishments in my years (most of them in the early hours of the morning) but I have never closed down a doctor’s office. Our appointment was at 3:15 and we had to unlock the door to leave at 5:05pm – that’s right almost 2 hours. We probably should have just asked for a key or just moved in - at least we wouldn't have to wait to see the doctor. I would love to be able to say something positive but I can’t. The only thing different was that LA was dying this time. She had volleyball practice at 4:00pm – she was just a little late. I’ve already commented on this subject and I am still waiting on a solution – anybody. We had Dr. K today, the newer doctor to the practice. It was better but we just don’t know. LA measured 38cm and the baby’s heartbeat per minute was in the 140s. The doctor checked LA out – “still closed for business”, “the baby is way up there” and “where’s the head?” were her comments. The last two times we have seen her she has wondered where the head was. However, Dr. McC had said last week the head was down and everything was fine but since Dr. K wasn’t sure where the head was we’re going to find out. We are going next Wednesday for an ultrasound to find out where the head is and for our weekly visit. Were not too concerned, it seems to us that she is being overly cautious. Dr. McC and the PA haven’t been concerned during any of our visits with them the prior two weeks. Since we’re having an ultrasound this late in the pregnancy, we are just going to go ahead and find out what were having. It wouldn’t be much different than finding out who won an event in the Olympics on the internet or Sports Center before it airs on NBC. It will only be 14 days next week anyway…almost forgot to tell you that we decided to keep it a secret and not to tell anyone until baby Carter arrives…this is going to be so much fun, actually knowing but not telling anyone!! Probably will be more exciting than not finding out the past 7 months. We're excited- only 6 days until WE know what we are having.

Looks like it will be at least another week...We are hoping for 3 and I am hoping for at least 2. My road trip to ATL for the Clemson game is looking up. Next Wednesday will be decision time. The big M has scheduled a meeting next weekend in ATL and I am going to have to attend. You can’t explain the corporate world and why they do things to keep the little man down. But I will try to make the best of it. Maybe, I can find a ticket and make it to the game…anybody going? Talk about divine intervention…prayers do come true. I knew the man upstairs was a CLEMSON Tiger fan. C-L-E-M-S-O-N.

By the way we are looking for some babysitters for September,October and November. Clemson has four home games in a row in Sept and we would hate to miss them. We will worry about October and November after babysitter tryouts in September. We would prefer someone with newborn/infant experience but probably would consider anybody that has a pulse. You don’t think were going to miss the games just because we had a baby. What kind of fans would that make us?

08.22.08

A couple of bits of information:

*The boy/girl poll is just about 50/50 - imagine that

*The poll to guess the gender, birth day, time, weight, length, etc is going to shut down on August 31st or sooner if LA goes into labor. At least humor us and take a guess. Click here to guess.

*Does anybody read this except - Parents (all of them), Luke and Karissa. Karissa walled me on facebook today about the update not being posted? (I told you it would be on Thursday or Friday going forward - impatience is not a quality Baby Carter needs to get)

08.24.08

Sunday morning was interesting for LA and I . I don't know why or how it got started but we had some good and funny conversations about LA being a rockstar which you've got to ask her about to get the rest of the story...which was followed by my decision to not raise our child in "the city". The country would be much better place for the baby and for our schedules. It's looking like this baby is going to be a little demanding from everything we here, so we decided that we are taking the baby to Lodge and let our family down there keep the baby during the week. We're going to look at buying a pop-out, pull behind, 5th wheel or RV and we would visit on the weekends (when it didn't interfere with our "city schedules"). We were hoping one of the boys would take the baby since they have done so good so far. We figure it's easier to be successful when you have more than one child. You know the experience and learning from your mistakes - everything we do is going to be a mistake. There is no need to put the baby through all that stress. The baby would be the youngest in all of their families and everyone knows the youngest gets everything and is spoiled rotten (look at LA and I, ooo, maybe that's our problem). It seems like a win, win for everyone...We had other conversations but that was the one we felt we should share with everyone.

Just so everyone's up to date and you won't have to keep on asking - LA's feet are swollen and unfortunately are going to be swollen until baby Carter arrives (if there's going to be number 2 child, were planning for months 5-9 to be between Oct and April). Some days are better than others but you can assume that until baby Carter arrives - she's miserable. We've talked about poking a hole in one of them and seeing if that would help. LA is not so sure but I am pretty sure if that we stick the needle deep enough that something will give.




08.27.08
38 Weeks



Before I start with the doctor's appointment yesterday, I looked back over the blog and noticed that I had mentioned that LA and I were getting together with her brothers for a party/family get together but had not mentioned anything else about it in the blog. We had a great night at Waylon and Amy's in St. George. It was good to get together and laugh. Mike you can fry me anything you want - If it's got grease, flour and a surprise inside you can't go wrong and you're talking my language. Anyway, LA's brothers and their families gave us a pack-n-play that has a changing table/bassinet that Baby Carter will be sleeping in when he/she comes home from the hospital. It should fit perfectly on LA's side of the bed. We have assembled it and I am not sure how quickly it will disassemble but if assembly was any indication...unassembling the crib might be faster. When you read the words pack-n play to me it just implies push a button and your ready to pack it in the car. I will let you know exactly how long it takes and if it will ever fit back into the carry case (I might have to call Marty and Danielle to figure it out. I know they are experts with them.) That was super nice of them to do something for us.


Fast forward...




We had our weekly Doctor's visit today. We started off the visit with an ultrasound to determine the sex of the baby...I mean to make sure the baby was not breech. The ultrasound tech was super nice and after making sure the baby was not breech - the head is down. She let us look at the monitor and see the baby's face. I have attached the pictures below. If you have trouble determining what you are looking at don't feel bad it took me awhile also. I felt pretty silly. It was almost like looking at one of those hidden pictures where you have to un-focus your eyes to see the hidden picture. I'll give you some help the first three pictures are of the babies face looking at you. The last picture is a profile picture of the baby looking up....good luck. She checked out the baby's heartbeat and we looked at it - 125 bpm. She told us to turn away while she checked out the rest of the baby. I covered LA's eyes but I sneaked a peak...just kidding or did I - I told Heather last night what we were having. Heather, if I am right won't you wonder, if I really did find out. Just think Heather and I know what were having but do you believe/trust it. So for everyone else, we still don't know...




We had a good visit with the PA today. She repeated the good news about the baby not being breech and told us that we weren't going to be having a baby in the next seven days. The baby is still pretty high and all the baby signs of impending birth were not present. We went over a couple of "what ifs" - How long will they let LA go past the due date? - A. At 40 weeks they will do another ultrasound (to confirm what Heather and I know were having) to make sure the baby has enough fluid, if no they will start the delivery process (natural or c section, depending on her Bishop score - she has to meet with the Bishop to see what he thinks, see below) - if yes (fluid and baby is not in danger) they will let her go to 41 weeks. That is the maximum they will require her to go but if the baby is still healthy and has enough fluid then we could decided to go 42 weeks. At 42 weeks the baby is coming out one way or the other. The PA is not concerned at this point. We still have two weeks. If we were at 40 weeks and LA was where she is today, she would be more concerned. She assured us that LA's body and the baby will know when it is time. For me it seems like we are so close, let's just get it over with (I don't know how much longer I can stand my back hurting from doing all the work around the house.) When the PA measured LA she thought she noticed the baby was lower than the previous week, maybe it is starting to move down. She talked to us about the Bishop scale that is used to score whether you will deliver naturally or c-section. If LA's water was to break today, she would be looking at a c-section.


LA's feet are still not swelling as a result of blood pressure or proteins and her and the baby are not in any danger. It is still a direct result of being pregnant. The PA gave LA an option that would help- she could assign her to bed rest. LA determined she wasn't to that point. It's all about the number of hours on her feet vs number of hours with her feet above her head and sleeping doesn't count - that's only neutral.


So a few take aways from today's office visit:

*Patience
*Doctor K is cautious (that's good...that's what I'm telling myself)
*Clemson game is still a possibility
*LA need to relax and stay off her feet
*The blog will continue for one more week (ya'll are so lucky)
*Heather and I know what were having






Sorry about the posting being one long continuous post and having to scroll...I didn't really think I would have done much more than a few weeks before quiting with it. If I have time, I might try to reorganize the posts. That sounds like a lot of work so don't expect it but maybe.


I just wanted everyone to know that Greg H and I will begin working on a guide book shortly after baby carter is born that will be focused on the pregnancy and delivery for the male. It is going to be good - NY Times bestseller.


PS - I am still hoping for a delivery on Monday, September 1, 2008 - LABOR DAY. If that isn't a day for having a baby, I can't think of one. I made a joke about having a baby on Labor Day at a counselor party for Mike and Deann and for all these years I have been ridiculed and picked on for it but everyone knows it was funny! I still laugh at it today as I am typing. I was even semi-redeemed when LA read the same joke on a Laffy Taffy and it was MY Labor Day joke. So if there is such a thing as victory, LA is going to have the baby on Monday. It is meant to be. I know the doctors said "not this week" but I believe that it's going to happen so I can have the last laugh.

08.30.08
7:45pm

Ok, put me down for husband of the year - I stayed at home with my wife even though I could make it back in plenty of time for her to have our baby...especially since she's not having it until LABOR day. To all my friends that are in Atlanta right now - I wish I was with you! Thanks for staying behind and supporting me but as long as you are there give the 'bama fans a little 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-C-L-E-M-S-O-N-T-I-G-E-R-S.


08.31.08

What I witnessed last night was a good Alabama team and an unprepared Clemson team which isn't surprising at this point from TB. My analysis of TB will remained unchanged until he actually changes something - He is a college president's dream - Christian, clean program, players graduate, recruiter BUT a fan's nightmare - terrible motivator and game day coach, doesn't win the big games except when his back is against the wall - somewhat of a magician.

Sorry, you're not hear to read about Clemson football and their struggles.

09.01.08

Labor Day

12:00am


Hoping for a baby!


11:59pm
No Baby!


09.02.08


So we didn't have a baby on Labor Day. I do think LA had some labor pains but she wouldn't admit it. If anything would have happened yesterday that resembled having a baby, I am sure she would have left and gone to a friend/family's house to wait it out and if the baby did decide to come she would have had the baby without me and told me on Tuesday. However, my hope is not officially over. How you ask? Well, Labor Day could fall on any day between the 1st and the 7th. So, we could still have a Labor Day baby. My dream is still alive.

PS - This could be a crazy week - work, maybe a baby, hurricane, evacuation...Say a prayer that Hannah makes a turn and heads out to sea (or further north, hate to wish it someone else but the timing is not real good right now for me) Today's forecast is landfall in Chucktown. Everyone keeps telling us that if the hurricane comes, the baby is coming also - has something to do with the baby not wanting to miss a major event like a hurricane. Actually, it has to do with the low pressure...whatever, sounds like another old wives tale.

PPS - Two more storms right behind Hannah - Ike (I Like Ike) and Josephine (bad things happen in threes - hopefully not)


09.03.08
39 Weeks

Looks like the track of Hurricane Hannah is moving more Northward which is fine with me. The further the better. Keep your fingers crossed. We have our weekly doctor's appointment tomorrow for an update on Baby Carter's progress...6 days tomorrow. I will just go ahead and tell you that I am going to be disappointed if Baby Carter doesn't arrive by next Wednesday. There is so much build-up (10 months - 300+ day of anticipation growing each day) and we are planners/people that want to be in control. We tell ourselves we are ready but I have a feeling that we are getting ready for a lesson in patience and being reminded who is actually in control. I guess the best thing for us to do is to continue living each day to it's fullest and enjoy our last moments of being just two. The lesson for the day is to enjoy where you are today because it will all change tomorrow.


09.04.08
39 weeks + 1 days


We went to the doctor today. I was pretty sure they were closed when I pulled up in the parking lot. I was shocked when I walked in the door and there is no one waiting. It was like entering a new world. It was just the aligning of the planets, actually one doctor had a hospital emergency and her appointments had to be canceled and the other doctor was off which only left the PA and her patients. It's the same routine every time, weight - which I have put on some pounds but I can deduct some for the wallet, clothing and shoes, LA has lost some weight; blood pressure - LA had a new person (young girl) ask her all the questions (baby moving...etc) and take her blood pressure and it was high which was shocking to LA since it hasn't been a problem so far. The girl took it again and it was 145/100 but LA didn't have a good feeling for her knowing exactly what she was doing - the cuff was low. Anyway, being pregnant and having high blood pressure is not good. When the PA comes in she tells us that she is going to check her bp again to see what's going on after she checks everything out. She did a few tests on LA's feet to make sure they were not twitching which would be a result of high blood pressure and the swelling in her feet. The PA wasn't too concerned but since it was the first reading that was abnormal she wanted cover all the bases. She told LA that if her bp was high when she checked it that she could put her on bed rest (which initially sounds good but translates into 23 hours and 40 minutes in the bed - 20 minutes for a shower) or possibly a visit for 24 hours to the hospital to monitor her bp; back to the bp in a minute. The GOOD news from the examination - baby is dropping (not very fast, I told LA to keep pressure on the baby's butt to help speed this process up). She measured 38cm which is down from 39-40cm. The baby is -2 (LA was a -3 last week) - this is the scale for where the baby's in the pelvis, it's a scale from -4 to +4 at 0 the baby in the pelvis - "engaged". I think you can start pushing at +2, maybe (if I am wrong does it really matter or would you even know?). LA is 2cm dilated and 40% effaced (see links to terms in early August post). While she was checking LA out I am pretty sure that she was trying to make LA have a baby. She said it would be uncomfortable and it looked uncomfortable. No commitment on a date but I am thinking Baby Carter will be here sometime after next Wednesday and before the 17th. Which takes us to our next minor concern, Dr K is on call the next two weekends. So we want to have a Monday - Thursday baby. We are sure she is capable but we would be more comfortable with Dr. Mc. So after the PA checked LA out, she had LA lay on her left side for 10 minutes and relax and think happy thoughts (her great husband...etc). During this time, I remembered our birthing class and how I could help LA relax with the techniques we learned. I sprang into action and started telling her comforting thoughts and found where all her stress was - not in the neck, shoulders or back but once again it was in her backside. For some reason all her stress goes there. Actually, it worked just like it did in the birthing class. She told me to stop bothering her and to get away, as we were both laughing. So the PA walked in at about that point and was like how nice, he's giving you a back rub. We started laughing again. Anyway, she took LA's bp and it was down (or never was high) to 120/78 which is fine/normal. But just because it was fine they want to make sure nothing is going on so LA gets to go for blood work and take a jug to urinate into for the weekend - just precautionary measures.


So what is up for the next 6 days?

*LA is on light duty (which isn't anything new, just kidding)
*If no baby before next Wednesday
*Ultrasound Appointment on Wednesday to check the baby's fluids; pretty sure the baby will be waving back at that point
*Non Stress check (make sure baby is not under any stress, how about the parents?)
*Doctor's Appointment afterwards
*Schedule induction (were not going to 42 weeks for anyone that was thinking it was a possibility)


09.05.08
39 Weeks + 2 days

I almost forgot to tell you what been going on in my world. I know who cares but it does have to do with Baby Carter. My lovely wife and I decided we needed a bookcase/shelves to store some of the babies items - toys, books, etc. In an effort to get exactly what we wanted, we decided that I should make it. It sounds so easy - five straight boards, nail them together, yeah right. It's got to have a back, bottom shelf not on the floor, not plywood, something we can stain...etc. We measured out the space, where we wanted it and I began the project on Saturday (just picked up the materials). I am not a carpenter, not a furniture maker...etc, would like to be one but now realize I shouldn't try to be one and I am officially quitting (I would have said retire but that would actually mean I was successful over a period of time) with the completion of this project. This will be the most expensive 44"x15"x30" shelves ever made and will look like a unskilled carpenter made them. Between miscuts, mismeasures and three trips to Lowes, I might be getting close to finishing this project. From this point forward, if LA or I decide we want anything we will proceed with these two options - 1) purchase it from a store - it's the American way 2) call a member of the Ulmer family.


Forgot to post this in yesterday's doctor's report. The PA asked LA if she was feeling any contractions and I had already answered the question in my mind because LA hasn't said anything to me about it. But instead of saying "No", LA proceeds to say "yeah, I think so". I was like "excuse me and my wife for a moment". What's up with that? I knew she was having contractions on Labor Day and just wouldn't admit it. Wonder if she's going to tell me the next time? :)

PS - LA went to the lab today to get her jug and blood work done. They won't do her blood work until Monday. So she will start collecting the liquid on Sunday(24 hours prior) and will have to keep it in the refrigerator. If you're visiting this weekend and need something to drink, don't drink out of the orange container. You might think it's orange juice because of its orange color but you will be in for a surprise if you try it. Hope, I can remember that Sunday and Monday morning.


09.08.10
39 Weeks 5 days


No baby...all hope of having a Labor Day baby are now gone. LA filled up her container and will be taking it to the lab this afternoon and to give them some blood. She hasn't had any contractions yet or at least she isn't telling me. I checked the pop out timer and Baby Carter isn't ready yet. I am still betting we are going into extra time. This is LA's schedule for this week -school, volleyball, home - preparing lesson plans for the sub, sleep and repeat.


09.09.08
39 Weeks 6 days
9:00am

No baby...We are15 hours away from our 24 hour delivery window. The question is will LA be part of the 5% that have their baby on the due date or will she be part of the 95%that either come early or late (looks like early is quickly fading out as being a possibility). If you've been reading along, you might remember how they chose her due date with that "wheel of fortune" which seemed kind of hokey at the time and I didn't put much faith in it. As a friend recently told me "it looks like we are in a holding pattern - were circling the airport but can't get clearance to land".


Stay tuned things could change...


8:26pm


No baby...Down to 3:34 from our 24 hour delivery window. Just realized that for those reading this that might be thinking about having a baby, if you plan it right you could have a baby on 09.09.09. Just count 40 weeks back - good luck. I guess we should have shot for 06.07.08. LA had a volleyball game today that she was pretty sure if she was close to going into labor it would have started. It was a frustrating win which isn't uncommon with JV. The light switch hasn't turned on yet - might not. We are entering baby time - every knows that you don't start labor during the daylight hours. It only starts after 11:27 pm because then you get to try to stay up about 36 hours.

Stay tuned things could change...


09.10.08
40 Weeks
7:00am
Happy Anniversary


We had a long night at the h_________ (fill in the blank - hospital / house). Baby Carter ________ (will or will not) be making an appearance in a few hours.


Hope that was fun. Here are the answers - house and will not.


LA and I are celebrating 3 years of marriage today. I think you're supposed to say "it feels like a lot longer than that." I'm not sure what the gift for year three is supposed to be but I hope it has something to do with a baby. It has been a great three years and is only going to get better.


What's on schedule for today - We have an afternoon appointment with launch control. They will perform some pre-checks (ultrasound, non-stress test on baby and normal checks for dilation and effacement) and determine if the delivery window for today is go or no-go. We will only have about 9 hours at that point to have a successful due date delivery. If delivery is a no-go today, we will schedule a date for next week but still being prepared that we might have an unscheduled delivery up to that point.


Stay tuned to Mission Control for the latest updates.


9:00pm

We had a good dinner at Mustard Seed - can't go wrong there. Always have good bread and good main course choices - menu and special. We made our mandatory trip to Target while we were out. We got milkshakes at Chick-fil-a for dessert. Oh, you probably don't care about the anniversary celebration. You're reading this for the updates on the baby progress. I guess I should create a blog just for LA and I - probably not going to happen.


We visited Mission Control this afternoon. We had our ultrasound at 40 weeks. I will try to post more pictures tomorrow am. The ultrasound was to check how much fluid was surrounding the baby. There is enough fluid to wait a few more days without endangering the baby or LA. The ultrasound tech is super nice and showed us the babies head. The PA checked LA out and we haven't had any progress since last week (see last Thursday's post if you want the details). They then gave the baby a non-stress test. The wanted to make sure the baby was not under any stress. They basically monitored the baby's heart rate and LA for contractions. The baby is fine and LA's contractions are minor (might or might not feel them) so we are in the wait mode. Hopefully, the birthing process will start naturally between now and late Monday afternoon. It looks like Baby Carter definitely has the Carter and Ulmer blood - just a little stubborn. If nothing has happened by late Monday afternoon then we get to visit the hospital to start the inducing process. The short and skinny is that Baby Carter will have made his/her appearance no later that next week this time (Wednesday) - naturally until Monday or with some help Mon - Wed. The doctor and PA don't want LA to go past 41 weeks which would be next Wednesday. Anytime after 41 weeks just adds to the potential for stress on the baby and complications. So we know when this process will be over at the latest. We are now hoping for anytime after Friday afternoon so LA can finish out this week at school. Thanks for continuing to think about us during this time...keep the prayers coming.




09.11.08
+ 8:20:00

Those are officially the last pictures of Baby Carter to be posted until Baby Carter enters the world.

You probably figured out that we are now part of the 95% that delivers past their due date. Life didn't end and everything is good. We looking at it as extra time to get everything at the house ready - Anybody want to help clean on Saturday? :)

Wesley (LA's brother) picked the delivery date about 6 months ago - Tuesday - 9/16. How did he know? He leaves to go out of town on Tuesday early in the morning. Wesley don't give up on LA and Baby Carter. There is still hope.

My brother-in-law, Chris is hoping for a Monday delivery - his birthday.

09.11.08
1:00pm

Here's a picture from yesterday that might help you figure out what your looking at - Aunt Karrissa was having a hard time and thought LA might be carrying an alien. I know it's hard to see it was for me also - never thought it was an alien but...

All the pictures from Monday and the last time are taken from the same viewpoint so might be able to go back to the other pictures and figure our what your looking at better.

9.12.08
T +2 Days

Just another day…Today is LA’s last day of school. She starts her 8 week vacation at 2:30pm. We are continuing to enjoy our eight hours of sleep each night and hope we will get one last Saturday to sleep-in and Saturday would be a bad day anyway with all the football games – Clemson, Carolina vs UGA…etc.

Glad we got the bags packed up 3 weeks ago…still waiting

3:15pm

LA finished her last day of school – she’s on vacation.

09.13.08
T +3 Days
6:00am

Got up early today to go into work to finish up all the stuff that I have to normally do on a Monday and prepare for the rest of the week since it looks like Monday is a real good possibility for us to start the delivery process. I am going to come home when I am finished and help LA clean. Everyone tells me to watch out for the LA nesting because when she starts nesting you are going to have a baby. I don’t think it applies to planned cleaning because you have a scheduled induction, so this won’t count. I am going to come home and help out – because I am nice like that. I will vacuum and mop the floors because I am anal about them anyway and whatever else LA wants me to do. LA is going shopping with Heather and Emmy today to buy Emmy pants. I am sure LA is going to bring something home. I am expecting she will come home with hands full but not knowing what we are having is playing on my side. I am calling it a spending limiter.

I haven't been able to post anything because the hospital did not have internet. I was shocked. I thought it was a given that a hospital would have internet access especially, if they could charge 10 times more that it cost. Here what happened:

8:15pm

Just got home from dinner with Tim, Arlette, and Jack at Yokoso’s Japanese steakhouse. LA says her stomach is not feeling well like she might have eaten too much. Read the earlier post about McCrady’s with Tim and Arlette. What is it about eating dinner with them that make’s LA not feel good? Anyway, I got a lesson on parenting while at dinner. The family sharing the table with us was interesting to say the least. Evidently, four letter words spoken in sentences directly to his son or used in normal conversations with the wife is acceptable. It is also evidently acceptable to drink multiple mixed drinks and be loud and to not buy the birthday cupcake and drums for the wife’s birthday because $6 could be used for another drink. I’ve got a lot to learn about this parenting thing.

8:45pm

We have changed into our comfy clothes and are just getting settled in for the rest of the evening watching the USC/ Ohio St game. LA thinks her water has broken but it didn’t come gushing out like some friends had told her. She asked me what I thought it was…I don’t know but I do know it’s not normal. Her stomach is really hard – must be contractions. It’s time to start counting and timing them. We decide there’s no need to be in a hurry, so LA got a shower. We will monitor the situation and call the doctor after the shower. I knew Dr. K would be on call but I wasn’t sure if LA did. Dr. K called and recommended that we head to the hospital. LA is having contractions every 3-4 minutes and they are lasting about 45 – 60 seconds.

I was in the middle of doing a Sunday school lesson. I called Jenn Williams and asked her to cover for me. She is awesome. Told her not to spread the word because this could be a water haul and us be back at the house in a few hours.

10:30pm

We’ve made it to the hospital – Summerville Med. I was nervous when I saw all the cars and people in the ER (which is where you check in after hours and on weekends). I didn’t want to get caught up in all that mess. We bypassed all that and were taken directly to the delivery floor and LA was connected to a machine to monitor contractions and the baby’s heartbeat. LA first exam had her at 3.5cm which is good…we’re making progress.

11:55pm

The nurse told us that we were not going home. It looks like we are going to be having a baby in the next 12 to 24 hours. It was time to call the support staff – Wesley(because he always finds out last, according to him) and the Grandparents. It looks like Wesley is going to be able to see the new baby after all – He is leaving to go out of town on Tuesday.

09.14.08
T +4 days (but not much longer)
2:00am

LA is progressing 5 cm dilated. She’s had to have some narcotics to ease the pain of the contractions. The “back” labor is what is bothering her worse that the contractions in the front. She can’t feel the ones in the front because of the pain in her back. The narcotics knocked her out. Almost forgot to tell you about how I am doing – my back is starting to hurt. LA gets a kraftmatic adjustable bed and I get a crappy chair to sit in and a wooden chair to prop my feet on. It’s going to be a long night. Good thing we’ve got the latest in tv technology to watch – a 7 inch screen. Actually it is about a 1987 Magnavox color 13in tv – you have got to be kidding me. The players look like midgets from across the room. Every computer monitor sold today is bigger. At least it does have cable. I have watched Sportcenter and College Gameday Final for the past 2 hours. How many times can a male watch this and not be bored? Sportscenter is mesmerizing. I guess we continue to watch it just in case they change a final score.

The nurse requested the doctor to give LA her epidural.

The epidural doctor came in and as he was preparing he actually asked me if I would like to watch – is he crazy. My theory is for you to go ahead and do your job and be careful. I don’t want to be a distraction and really don’t need you trying to impress me with some kind of blindfolded epidural trick and I am pretty sure LA not looking for some kind of man challenge at this point in labor. I will just stay on the front side looking at my wife. LA was real happy with the epidural doctor. He was good. She only felt one prick and that was it. Guess what time it is? Nap time number two for LA and more uncomfortable chair time and Sportscenter for me.

4:00am

LA is fully dilated and effaced except for a small ridge on her cervix. The doctor wants to see if this will go away and put LA on her right side. Still no help or attention being paid to me.

5:20am

Dr. K checks LA out and makes the call to the mission control and tells them to prepare for a launch. She asks LA to make two pushes with her next two contractions to determine if the baby is going to come out and if LA is going to be a good pusher with the epidural. It is at this point that I was called into the game. In birthing class the husband was up around the head and holding the wife’s hand and encouraging her. That is what I learned to do – remember the post about breathing techniques, relaxation techniques, stress removal…etc. Dr. K instructs me to grab a leg and hold on. After the two pushes, Dr. K is scrambling to get on her scrubs and the nurse is trying to break down the bed before we have a baby on the bed. I am going to save all the rest of my delivery experience for my upcoming book with Greg Horres – A Husband’s Guide to Childbirth – What They Don’t Tell You. If you have already had a child, let’s get together and talk because I am going to need some therapy.

5:42am

After about 10 pushes and about 20 minutes, LA and I are blessed with the most incredible baby in the whole wide world, a baby girl. See I told Heather that she and I were the only ones that knew. I don’t think she believed me but she was the first to know. She won’t be able to say “Are you serious” anymore to me – the proof is in the blog. The babies heart rate had slowed down during the last couple of pushes and the doctor told us that baby Carter was coming out on the next push – one way or another. However, she had to do it. When baby Carter came out she was in a little bit of shock from the quick decent and possibly her umbilical cord was being pinched between the baby’s shoulder and LA pelvis. When she came out she definitely wasn’t the color I had expected – sort of gray. LA only saw the baby for a few seconds before they took her to the other side of the room to start clearing her lungs, getting her checked out. I took a picture of her to show LA. She didn’t stay in the delivery room because of her condition. They immediately took her to the nursery to hook her up to some machines to see what was going on.

I stayed behind to be with LA as she was getting rebuilt. Fortunately for her she didn’t have any major complications with delivering the over 8.5 pounder.

The details:
5:42am
Aubrey Elizabeth Carter
8 pounds 9 ounces
20.5 inches long

God is not just good all the time. HE is GREAT all the time!

LA and my worlds have been rocked in the most awesome way.

The baby names were real easy for us to decide on see the earlier posts. No individual lists and each person getting 5 strikes off the other persons list. Aubrey is my father’s name and Elizabeth is from LA’s family – her mother’s side. It is handed down to the 1st girl in each family.

6:20am

I started not feeling too good for some reason and felt like I was about to drop out so I sat down. The nurse commented that I didn’t look to good and asked if I was ok. I told her I would be fine now but she went ahead and got me some water that was a close call. I didn’t need any more stitches.

6:30am

They let me go to the nursery and check out our new baby. The nurses were monitoring her heart rate, breathing and oxygen levels. She was doing fine and starting to get some color – baby color and was looking better which was reassuring.

9:30am

They finally brought Aubrey to our room for LA to see her and hold her.

The Baby Blog

Nana (Mrs Eileen) was the winner in the due date guessing game. Everybody missed the due date but Nana only missed by a few hours and was just about right on the weight and length. I was off on the date but nailed the birth weight exactly.

This is the end of the blog about Baby Carter. It’s been awesome to share this experience with everyone. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

I am pretty sure we are going to continue with the posts on this site but posted in individual posts – like these were supposed to be done. So keep checking back on Aubrey’s progress.

God is Great
All The Time
And
All The Time
God is Great

It’s no longer about KC and LA. It’s all about Aubrey Elizabeth and all our GREAT family and friends raising and supporting her to learn the importance of family, God and loving others each day as she grows up.

Hope to see you soon! KC, LA, and Aubrey