July Baby

Hey All! No real news here, still playing the waiting game...it's not fun....:)

Our due date is Friday and there are no signs that this baby is ready to come out at all. It's just too cozy in there :) We go to the doctors Friday also for a normal check up and then we will discuss what is going to happen from there, whether or not they induce soon or let me go a little longer. We are still hoping it doesn't have to get to that point but it's looking like it might.....

Here are some pictures of the nursery, we are still waiting to find out boy or girl before we had some pink or blue to the room and change the bedding. We also want to add the baby's name above the crib and just spice it up boy or girl. We have decided we are going with Carter and Addison (Addie) for our names....I love em both and just pray for a happy healthy baby and delivery :) We hope to have more news for you all soon!

The end is in sight...

Well we've made it to the final stages...tomorrow will be 39 weeks! I can't believe it's already here, but am soooooooo excited! Every night when I go to bed  and hope "tonight's the night"...haha but I wake up only to have to pee. That's okay, we've come to realize, Baby Chucta is going to come when he/she is ready. At our last appt (June19), there was no more progress, still dialated 1-2 cm and 50% effaced.

We are really hoping it comes this Saturday for Nate's birthday and my Dad's birthday :) Wouldn't that be great! Nate is so cute, everytime I ask him what he wants for his birthday, he says "just a baby please". If only I could make that happen somehow......Plus this Saturday is a full moon, and I guess from what everyone says the rumor is full moons bring out the babies...we will wait and cross our fingers!

Being done with school for the summer has been great! I've been able to get a lot of things done around the house and run little errands before the baby comes. We are loving the new place and can't wait for my parents to come down. As soon as they get the call they are hopping in the van and making the 16 hour hike down to NC...I am so glad they will be here to see the little newborn and help us out! Well, I'm meeting some of my first graders from this past year for ice cream this afternoon and then Nate and I are headed to the comedy club tonight, for a night out before baby comes. We are enjoying our last few nights of alone time and sleep time :) We have our next Dr. appt tomorrow afternoon, we will update you all then. Have a great rest of the week!

Tara

37 Weeks

Hey All!

We made it to 37 weeks! Yay!! Baby is considered full term now and can come anyday.....And I am all done with school!!!!

We are now going to the doctor every week and things are progressing great. At our 35 week check up the baby had already dropped so we were scheduled an ultrasound for our next visit to check the baby's size. For our 36 week appointment the ultrasound went well...She said we've got a big baby with some big feet and toes (Thanks Nate :)), but everything looked great. The ultrasound was quite different this time because we could only see bits and pieces of him/her because he/she was so big :) His chubby little face was all squished near my pelvis! Our last appointment was yesterday, our 37 week checkup and the doctor was very pleased at how things were looking. He checked me and said I was already dialated at 1-2cm, 50% effaced (how thin the cervix is), and the baby was in -1 Station (in respect to my pelvis)....He said this baby was a great candidate to come early, and if not he suggested at 39 weeks having another ultrasound to see if the baby was still big and inducing. We're hoping it doesn't have to be induced and will come all on it's own within the next few weeks. But the 26th doesn't sound like a bad day to have the little one so he/she can share his/her birthday with it's Daddy and Grandpa!

Nate is still thinking girl, and I'm thinking boy....one of us has to be right! Hahaha...we are set on the boys name, Carter James and for the girl we are debating between Addison (Addie) and Morgan. Any input is appreciated :)

We are almost all moved into our new place....everything is here just not set up like we would like it. Nate's afternoon projects consist of finishing up the painting and putting the crib together. After that it should be smooth sailing. We are thinking our trip up to Michigan is going to be the 3rd week of July depending on how Mommy and Baby are doing :) It's a hot one down here today, in the mid 90's, so Nate and I have been staying inside relaxing...hopefully tonight we can get a walk in. We hope you all have a great weekend and can't wait to share some exciting news soon :)

Happy Memorial Day!

Hey Everyone! Hope you all are having a fantastic long weekend! I know Nate sure is excited about sleeping in tomorrow and getting ready for our move on Tuesday. I, unfornately have to work...crazy I know...but that was the day they assigned for our make up snow day. My guess is attendence will be very low, thankfully it's only a half day so I can't complain too much :) Only 8 more days of school left, 2 of which are half days, it's amazing to me how fast this school year has went compared to last year. I have had a wondeful group of kids along with a fabulous assistant, I'm sure both of those things have helped :)

Things around here have been busy and are about to get even more busy.....We can start moving in to our new place on Tuesday. But we don't plan on having everything moved in until Sunday(the 6th), because Nate is going to paint first. I am SOOOOO excited to have something other than white on our walls! We are sticking with neutral tones, tans and light browns, for the livingroom, baby's room, and our bedroom. I am going to help when I can, but unfortunately Nate is going to have to do most of the brute work....he hasn't complained once thus far! I'm so lucky to have such a wondeful husband :)

On the baby news....We want to start by saying a huge thank you to Nate's family and to my work. Both baby showers were so great, we are very blessed :) We got some really nice things, including a swing/seat, toys, clothes (girl & boy), and some essentials like diapers and wipes. We are very thankful and can't wait to bring Baby Chucta into such a loving family. I have found that it's so much more fun opening presents for the little one than it is getting presents myself...all that teeny tiny stuff is just too cute!

gdipaers (they come in so many cute colors and patterns also!)

3 in 1 bassinet for our room

We also received some money and gift cards, and have been able to get great stuff that we need. We purchased the glider and ottoman for the baby's room, and have just recently ordered his/her gdiapers and bassinet. Nate and I are going to try the cloth diapers and see how they go...we are excited to hopefully save a little money and it's so much better for the earth! We'll see how it goes :) They are sooooooo cute and practical, let's hope they work as well. The neat thing about them is you can insert a disposable (that is flushable) or a cloth insert, so when we're traveling we plan on using the disposable and when we're home we'll use cloth. We just ordered the smalls to start with and to make sure that we like them before ordering bigger sizes. If we find we like them we will definitely need more cloth inserts and little gpants. Cross your fingers!

We have started going to the doctor every week now since I am 35 weeks. At our last appointment on the 28th, the doctor said that the baby has already dropped and is getting ready for it's big appearance :) It's funny that neither Nate nor I realized it, but there were a few people at work that said my belly looked different lately and asked if I had dropped. I did notice though that my heartburn has lessened, which is a nice feeling! Since the baby was so low, the doctor couldn't get measurements so next Friday we have an ultrasound to make sure he/she is growing on target. My guess if anything is he/she's big...it run on the Chucta side...with Nate being 9 lbs 8 oz and 23 1/2 inches long! That's like 2 foot long subs! I am excited to see the little one again, I love the ultrasounds :) We will make sure to videotape again to share in the excitement. It is going to be tempting to find out the sex, but we've made it this long we can wait a few more weeks!

I will leave you with some updated pictures of the baby bump...enjoy and have a great Memorial Day!

Happy Birthday to me :)

Hey Guys:) I wanted to first say thank you so much for all the birthday cards and wishes, you are all so sweet! Nate and I have had a wonderful, relaxing day, filled with cake and ice cream :) It doesn't get much better than that!

We have had a fun filled weekend as well. Nate surprised me with a pedicure/manicure with my good friend Laura yesterday.....although it didn't quite work out as expected for Saturday, we will be definitely going sometime this week to take Nate up on his gift:) We went shopping instead and I found lots of cute clothes that I can actually wear now, with this growing belly! Skirts and dresses are my favorite things, they don't constrict my tummy :) We are also very excited we ordered our crib and mattress, along with the dresser/changing table.....it's definitely getting closer and feels more real :) Ahhhh I am soooo excited!

Our doctors appointment went really well on Friday, the doctor said everything looked great. The baby was growing well and my blood pressure, weight, and everything was right on target. That's always good to hear! The heartrate was in the 140s....that's the lowest it's been yet. Every other time it has been in the high 150s and 160s. I did notice this time though Baby Chucta wasn't very active...I think little he/she was taking a nap :) We now will be going back every two weeks. I try to schedule our appointments on Friday because I get out of work at 2:30 (Or I should say I can get out at that time....usually it doesn't happen:)) So we go back May 14th, and I will be 33 weeks then! Wow time goes by fast! We hope you all have a great week, and we look forward to having my parents down visiting next weekend! YAY :) Love you all!

7 1/2 Months

Hey All! These last two weeks have went by very fast! It's hard to believe we have hit the 30 week mark with little Baby Chucta, little he/she will be here before we know it :) We couldn't be more excited.....with this being said I've been a little baby shopping crazy....haha but we've gotten some great deals with garage sales, consignment shops, and craigslist. I love finding a good deal, it makes me so excited :) Haha I know I'm a big dork! Nate likes to sleep in on Saturday mornings and I am thrilled to get up and go to garage sales. I have found some really nice quality baby items at great prices. This week we got our swing in the mail and our new travel system....it's making it all seem more real!

I have to remember not to go to baby crazy since we have some baby showers coming up. We are very excited for the upcoming events (at least I am!). Julie (Nate's Mom) is throwing us an "in the mail" baby shower on the 22nd of May, and then we will have one at my work thrown by my wonderful assistant on May 17th....and yet another one sometime with Nate's work. We are saving the baby shower for friends and family back in Michigan until after the baby is born and we are able to make the trip up. As of right now, depending on when the baby comes we will be planning our trip up for late July/early August. We still aren't sure if we will be driving or flying, but either way we are super excited to see everyone and for everyone to meet little baby Chucta. I am also excited about getting a little sun and maybe enjoying a nice, cold, Oberon:)

A few upcoming things we are looking forward to in these next few weeks: A doctor's appointment on the 30th (and then every 2 weeks after), My birthday on the 2nd (the big 2-5!), and my parents coming down to visit on the 8th :) It should be a good time, lots of things to smile about! Now if only I could get rid of this heartburn....haha it's not awful, but lately at night I've been getting a slight case of it and it just makes me uncomfortable more than anything...I'm sure it will pass though and if the rumors are true Baby Chucta will have a head full of hair :) We hope you all have a great week and we will keep you updated with our next doctor's appointment. Love you all!

7 months

Hey All!

I know I've gotten a little behind, but to catch everyone up.... I had a wonderful time back in Michigan it was so great to see family and friends, but it's also been nice settling back in down here. Nate stayed busy down in NC between work, baseball, and our new kitty :) Yes that's right, we got little Zoey a new friend....Oliver, or as we call him Ollie. He is about the same size as Zoey, a little bit chunkier, but as much as they love to play I'm sure it'll come off him in no time!
We figured with the baby coming, Zoey would like a playmate in place of our attention :)

Other big news, we found out we will be staying in North Carolina for another year...good news and bad news...we are very sad to not be closer to family, especially with the baby, but grateful we both have jobs that we enjoy down here and some great friends. We will also be moving into a new place on the 1st of June, we are so excited!!! It can't come fast enough :) It's a two bedroom like we have now, but instead of 1100 sq. feet it's got 1500! Yay :) We're hoping it's big enough for the 3 of us, plus our kitties...It's great though, we really love it...It's a townhouse, with the kitchen, livingroom, and 1/2 bath downstairs, then the master bedroom with a jacuzzi tub and his/her sinks upstairs along with the guest/baby room and full bath. There is a nice little deck outside and it's in a great part of town. We are so blessed:)

We have a wedding to go to today, and then it's cleaning time tomorrow! Hope you all have a great weekend. Here are some 7 month pictures to leave you with....Hard to believe only 11 weeks left....Ahhhhh :)

26 Weeks

Well as promised to my darling little sister, we've got more baby bump pictures :) This week marks the 26th week, otherwise known as 6 1/2 months! Wow, we can't believe it...little Baby Chucta will be here before we know it! I feel like my belly is really starting to stick out there now. There's no denying there's a baby kicking around inside. We often feel the baby kick and can actually see my belly move when the baby moves, it's all so amazing. I love laying there and feeling baby go crazy in there :) Especially in the morning and at night (even more when Nate gets Tara a frosty :))!

Not only do Nate and I like feeling the kicks, but my kids at school love feeling my belly and are always hoping for a chance to feel it move. Unfortunately I don't feel little he/she moving much during the day...it's starting to happen more but I think with all the walking around I do at work I put him/her right to sleep. They sure are funny with the baby though, so many little people questions....Does your baby like pizza? Where does he go to the bathroom? Is he ready to come out yet?....They are adorable, they are already so in love with Baby Chucta, I'm a little sad he/she won't be here untill the summer so they won't be able to see him/her for quite awhile. Everyone I see, including all 21 of my kids, guesses we are having a boy, Nate is still positive it's a girl, and I'm just down right confused :) We have our next appointment April 1st, and then I head home for Michigan on the 3rd for my spring break....we have a busy upcoming week, hope you all have a great weekend! Enjoy the pictures :)

6 Months

Wow, it's unbelievable that I am already in my 6th month of pregnancy! Nate and I are very fortunate to have had it so easy thus far and continue to pray for the same good luck throughout the rest of the pregnancy. My sister got a little camera happy with the 24 week pictures, but we had a really good time and lots of laughs. It was so great to have her down here this past week. We were sad to see her go, but I will be back in Michigan in just a few short weeks for my spring break, so that made it a little bit easier saying goodbye. It will be nice to get to spend some time with family and friends and just enjoy a little down time away from school....I am hoping for nice weather! Other than that, we are staying busy and starting to think about plans for the next few months to get ready for the baby. Our next appointment is April 1st, so I will for sure get an update after that, other than that, no gurantees :) Enjoy the pictures, love to all!

Time's a Flying!

Hey All! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, we've been busy down here between work and my sister visiting, we just haven't gotten around to it :) My sister is down visiting from Michigan and we couldn't be more happier, her and Nate are actually in the kitchen getting ready to cook dinner as I type...I'm so lucky! We have been having great weather this week, in the high 60's, low 70's...I just hope it stays this way! Nate still hasn't heard much word from Central, still playing the waiting game. Other than that, just baby updates...haha I feel like all I ever talk/think about anymore is that little creature growing inside of me!

First off, here is an update of my 22 week pictures, my belly is finally popping out, there's no hiding it anymore! I love it!

Since these pictures have been taken, my belly has only gotten bigger, others are finally starting to notice that I'm pregnant, which is a great feeling to be able to share the news with strangers, haha I'll talk to you anybody about little baby Chucta :) We had an ultrasound on Monday, we couldn't have asked for it to go better. The baby is healthy and growing well. A little too well by the sounds of it.....little he/she is actually measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule! I think it's just because I'm having Nate's baby it's going to be a big one :) The nurse said it was definitely a long skinny thing in there with some big feet and hands...a little basketball player :) The weight was 1 pound and 10 ounces, w hich she said was great! We didn't find out the sex yet again, but it's always so tempting when we see him/her moving around in there. She/He is very active and I get to feel the movements all the time, Nate is finally able to feel it which is such an amazing feeling. I get giddy everytime his hand moves from the baby. My sister since she has been down here also got to see the little one in action at our ultrasound and feel it in my belly, so exciting! We took a video of some of the ultrasound for all of our family and friends to see since they couldn't be there, along with lots of pictures. I will add the youtube link on here if you want to check it out along with all of our little bean's glamour shots from the last ultrsound. Hope you all enjoy and I will update this weekend with pictures of the 6 month/24 Week pictures :) Take care!

Isn't he/she the cutest little thing, that position doesn't look too cozy though!!

The cutest little mouth and nose I've ever seen!     Big ole feet, like Mister Nater!

            We've got a thumb sucker!

Here's the link to our ultraound:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epq5l_n6g24