Pregnancy = Blogging

So I guess it is time to get started again!

**I started this (obviously) right after I found out the Baby #2 is on the way! This is long and boring and doesn't have any pictures...but, it will help me remember the little details.

5 Weeks (according to my calculation)

We are so, so excited to find out that baby #2 is on the way.  Today is May 16th and Ryan, Mac and I have known for about 3 days (I haven't even been to the doctor yet).  We are thinking we may (possibly) tell our families next weekend (Memorial Day Weekend).  Mama, Nikki, Nate and Alex will be in town, so it will be fun to tell them and the Huntleys at one time.  And, I will have at least had a pregnancy confirmation appointment with my OB.  But, it will be waaaaaayyyyy earlier than we told anyone the first time.  So, we will still probably wait a while before we share the news with anyone else.  At this point, I really don't feel like I have any symptoms of pregnancy.  I mean, I'm tired...but, I have been tired for the last 19.5 months. So, I'm not sure who to blame...Mac or Baby #2.  Ryan and I are both convinced that we are having another boy. We have no reason to think this, but we do.  And we're certain. :) We do plan to find out if this baby will be a boy or a girl. We LOVED waiting for the surprise with Mac.  I'm not really sure why we want to find out early this time, but we do!

The beginning of the belly shots!

 


(Wednesday, June 5th) 7 Weeks, 6 days

I had an OB appointment yesterday, it was my 3rd...3rd appointment, 3rd ultrasound.  Kind of a bummer that I have had to have 3 appointments and and 3 ultrasounds, but it has been nice being able to see him or her!  So, to recap of the last few weeks:

Tuesday, May 21st...a day that I was definitely needing some good news.  I had my "pregnancy confirmation" appointment and it was confirmed! I am pregnant! I had an ultrasound and everything looked good.  My OB could see the heartbeat, but couldn't hear it.  She decided I should come back in 2 weeks (instead of 4) for another ultrasound.  Fine by me!

Tuesday, May 28th...I had to schedule another ultrasound because of some "issues" I had over the weekend.  (Sorry, for the TMI...even though I know Kinsley isn't reading this, I can still hear her in the back of my mind telling me this is disgusting!! ha!! I miss her keeping me in line!) I was pretty nervous, but everything checked out great!

Tuesday, June 4th...My scheduled appointment.  The OB did the ultrasound and found a subchorionic hematoma (blood clot between the placenta and uterus) was likely causing the bleeding.  She gave me strict instructions to not look it up on the internet and only read the information she gave me.  She said most likely the clot would resolve on its own by 20 weeks.  I was bummed.  She wants me to come back for another ultrasound in 2 weeks.

(Monday, July 29th...(15 weeks, 3 days)

Everything is good! Praise the Lord! I went back on June 18th for an ultrasound and the clot was gone and baby looked great!  Mac and I spent 2 great weeks in Iuka and Ryan joined us there for the 4th of July weekend.  On July 12th I had my first trimester screening and prenatal appointment on the 16th.  Everything is going great!

We have had a blast the past few weeks.  Mama, Nikki, Nate, Alex, Jack, Beebs, Keith, Lisa, Logan and Jerry all came down on July 16th.  We all stayed at Hammock Beach and had the best time! On that Sunday, Jerry and Nate went back to Iuka and Logan went to Gainesville for a cross country camp at UF.  Everyone else came back to Jacksonville with us (yes, like they all literally stayed at our house...just ask our plumber) until Logan's camp was over. I LOVE when they are here!  We are soooo lucky to have such a close family that is willing to come all the way down here to see us! They all left on Thursday and Mac and I packed up and headed to Amelia Island on Friday (Ryan met us there when he got off from work that evening).  This is the second year we have made a weekend trip like this with a group of our friends.  It is a blast!  This year we had 10 kids ranging from 8 months - 14 years...we owe the older kids BIG TIME for how much they helped with all the younger ones!! Last year we stayed at Hammock Beach and this year we stayed at Amelia Island Plantation. So much fun! And the best part...both places are only about an hour away from home!

Hope everyone is having a great summer! Can't believe it's almost time for school to start back!  Please keep us in your prayers!

Happy 1st Birthday, McCarthy!

I can't believe Mac is ONE!  In some ways this past year has been the longest year of my life, but when I just think about Mac it has FLOWN by!  I want to say that he has been such a blessing to us and our families, but I just don't feel like that really even begins to scratch the surface of how much he means to us. 

Happy Birthday! 9/30/12

Happy Birthday! Iuka Party!

Since I failed miserably at keeping up with this blog (and just documenting Mac's milestones in general), I'll just update on what Mac is doing now.

At his well visit last night he weighed 24 pounds, 11 ounces and was 30.5 inches long.  He is in the 90th percentile for height and not sure where he falls for weight.  His clothes are 12 or 18 months.  He wears a size 4 shoe and size 4 diaper. He has 5 teeth (almost 6). 

Mac uses 3 words appropriately (for the most part): daddy, hey and mama.  He has a few other words that will come out randomly. "Hey" was his first word.  He would wave and say "heeyyyy". He says "Da-dy" the most. He will say "da-dy" when he is looking for Ryan, when he sees Ryan and when he puts a phone up to his ear.  I'm guessing that came from when we were in Iuka over the summer and Ryan would talk to him on the phone.  He will randomly treat me to a "ma-ma" every now and then (rarely:). I love seeing his communication skills develop!  He squeals when he gets excited and it is just the best sound! He also tells us yes or no by shaking his head.  His teachers call him McCarthy at school and Ryan and I have figured out that he responds more when we call him McCarthy, too. 

He is walking and "running" around everywhere. EVERYWHERE.  He started taking a couple of (very wobbly) steps without holding on to anything around the beginning of August at about 10 months.  One day when I picked him up from school his teacher was so excited to tell me that he took 4 steps!  I caught them practicing one day: (I LOVE being able to see what is going on in his room from these windows!)


My absolute FAVORITE thing that he does: When we ask him for a hug he will walk/"run" to us with his arms spread open with the biggest smile and just squeeze us as tight as he can.  He gets just as excited as we do when he does it.  Mac loves to play peek-a-boo.  He and Ryan have a little game where Ryan will crawl around a trunk (coffee table) hiding from him and Mac either runs or crawls in circles around it trying to find him.  Mac LOVES school.  LOVES IT! We have been lucky so far with him not having any separation anxiety. Thank goodness because when we get to Tishomingo County-- I catch myself not knowing where Mac is or who he is with...and not even being worried about it ;).  He loves to play with blocks, balls, and any kind of electronic toy and he loves reading books.  He will walk around kicking a soccer ball.  I have tried to get a video, but as soon as I start recording he stops.  It's soooo cute! He also really likes to brush his teeth at night and loves taking baths.

He is eating all table food and there is nothing (so far) that he won't eat.  Some of his favorites are bananas, green peas, sweet potatoes, ice cream, grits and cheese.  Right now he takes 3 bottles (2 at school, one at bedtime) and drinks milk or water from a sippy cup.  He will start in the 1-year-old class next week and they only get sippy cups, no bottles (YAY!! for not washing bottles!!).

Right now Mac is sleeping pretty well.  He has definitely fluctuated as a good sleeper/not-so-great sleeper in the last year.  Probably because he was sick a pretty good bit and we traveled back and forth to Iuka lot.  Right now he goes to sleep around 7:30 every night and wakes up around 5:30 or 6:00 the next morning.  We started Mac's bedtime routine when he was about 4 weeks old and we still follow that routine exactly (almost) every single night starting around 6:30: bath, put on pjs, play/read books for a minute, turn sound machine on, lights off, he takes a bottle and we lay him in the crib...sometimes he's already sleeping when we put him down, sometimes he's still awake. 

Mac has just recently started really paying attention to Charlie--smiling and laughing at him.  He will take Charlie's toys or bones to him and he LOVES to drop food from his high chair for Charlie to eat it. 

Mac has 3 first cousins right now and another on the way! Libby (Jason and Stephanie's daughter) is 3 years old and the "big" cousin.  Mac loves to stay right on her heels!  He watches every move she makes and always wants to play with whatever she has!  Alex (Nikki and Nate's son) is 6 months old.  Mac is pretty interested in Alex (more than I thought he would be at this age).  He always crawls or walks over to him and pats or pokes at him.  Alex smiles the biggest smile when he watches Mac.  Pawpaw just can't wait for Mac and Alex to get in their first fight.  Mac has been told (by pawpaw) that Alex is going to "skin his head" more times than any 12-month-old should ever hear.  HA!  Jay (Jason and Stephanie's son) is 4-months-old.  Mac will poke and smile at Jay, but right now is more interested in what Libby is doing.  I have a feeling that will change before we know it and poor Libby will have partners in crime to deal with! Brad and Lindsey are expecting a baby in February and we are so so excited.  We are so blessed and still have a lot to be thankful for!

I can't believe a year has passed since Mac was born.  He is so much fun! Ryan and I are loving every second!  It didn't turn out to be the best year of my life like I had pictured in my mind, but Mac has brought more joy to our lives than we ever could have imagined.  The week that we lost Daddy Nikki posted a picture on facebook of friends and family sitting on Mama's porch and a bunch of Kinsley's friends in the yard throwing a football and she commented something about it being a really sad time for our family, but that we still have joy in our lives.  And it's so true.

Mac, we love him so, so much!


Mac with Libby and Jay, May 2012



Mac and Alex, September 2012



Mac and Logan ("Uncle Cousin"), September 2012

Kinsley and Mac, November 2011

    

Papa and Mac, September 2012

Lolly, Libby and Mac, October 2011

 

Jeeper and Mac, February 2012

 

Grammy and Mac, May 2012
 



Thank you!

Thank you all so much for all you have done and the love you have shown me and my family over the past weeks.  This was in the newspaper in Iuka and I wanted to share with those of you that wouldn't otherwise have a chance to see it.  We appreciate, more than you could ever imagine, all of your thoughtfulness.

A Special Thank You from the Family of Kinsley Darwin    

There are really no words that exist to tell you how much we love and appreciate all of you.

Did you know you gave us comfort?

Did you know you gave us strength?

Did you know you gave us the courage to face the future?

Did you know you shared wonderful memories?

Did you know you told us you loved us?

Did you know that GOD was right beside us?

Did you know that because of your prayers and care,

along with His grace, He gave us the peace we prayed for?

Thank You

For your prayers, individually and in prayer groups,

For phone calls, food and gifts,

For memorials made to LeBonheur Children's Hospital,

Form memorials made to Mt. Evergreen United Methodist Church and other churces,

For contributions to the Kinsley Darwin Memorial Scholarship Fund,

For placing Gideon Bibles in many locations in memory of Kinsley,

For your contributions to the Iuka Library,

For the wonderful cards and plants,

For the visitors: at the hospital, home and during visitation.

We Would Like to Extend Special Thanks to:

Brother Ron and Candy Norvell, Brother Robert Armstrong, Gail Williams and Brooke Nunley,

The entire staff at Cutshall Funeral Home,

Marty Raybon,

Tishomingo County High School: Dr. Eddie Britton, Principal and Jackie Beals, Asst. Principal,

Scott Huskey and JJ Jobe,

Joel and Tonia Robertson,

Anne Marie Brown, Paula Moore, Salome Williams, Ginger Pannell and Pam Brown,

The friends who prepared and served the food at MT. EVERGREEN CHURCH to our family and out-of-town guests,

The pallbearers, and the Senior Class as honorary pallbearers,

All her friends who shared their loving and uplifting memories, and to the Tishomingo County News for the wonderful article.

Kinsley showed us love, brought us joy and made us laugh.

She has given us the lasting gifts of a beautiful life and blessed our memories forever.

There's peace in the promise that life is everlasting.

May these few words in some way help express our heartfelt thanks at a time when the right words are impossible to find.

Sammy and Teresa Darwin

Nikki and Nathaniel Clark and Alex

Beth and Ryan and Huntley and Mac

Jackie and Burnette Bryant

Lisa, Jerry and Logan Locke

Keith Bryant

Harold, Jeanette, Carrie and David Darwin

Sarah Darwin and Elora Crabtree

Dustin Garland

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN HEAVEN

April 21, 1994 - March 14, 2012

We hold on to the thought that a life lived with so much love never really ends,
but goes on forever in the hearts of those who remember…as we always will.

May God hold you in his arms and tell you how He loved you first.

We Love You and Miss You Kinsley!

Meet McCarthy!

Long Overdue (the blog, not the baby)...

It's been so long and sooooo much has changed since the last time I posted an update, I don't even know where to begin!  And it is very funny to me that it has actually taken me over a week to get this finished.  I plan to continue updating this blog on a regular basis (hopefully more often that once a month) because it's really the easiest way for me to document our life with Mac. 
We welcomed James McCarthy Huntley on Friday, September 30th at 11:59pm.  He was born at Baptist Medical Center South in Jacksonville.  I was induced that morning.  Ryan and I left our house around 5:30 that morning.  It was really a crazy feeling knowing that the next time we came home we would have our baby!  Our last picture at home as a family of 3 (Charlie got in on the pic).

Mac's Birthday

Warning...this may have TMI.  I really don't think it will, but I have lost any sense of modesty and privacy in the last 18 28 days.  So, Kinsley, consider yourself warned.

We got to the hospital and I was admitted around 6am.  I think Ryan and I were both pretty nervous since we had absolutely no idea what to expect.  Two nurses were there to get all the monitors, the IV, etc. all set up.  I have to say every single nurse we had was AMAZING.  After they left and we were just waiting for our parents and Dr. Brock to get there...and Ryan was googling "elective inductions" to see if our insurance would pay for it.  Ha!  We found out that morning that I was having an "elective" induction...I guess that's why I didn't really know why I was being induced before my due date.  And let me tell you, I would do it that way again...in a heartbeat!  The nurse checked me around 9am and I was still only dilated to 1cm.  Dr. Brock came in around 10am and said that we would start with Cytotek (a pill inserted near my cervix...I had never heard of it before).  I had to lay almost flat for 2 hours.  At noon Ryan and Mrs. Huntley noticed that I was having contractions.  I didn't even know, they just noticed it on the monitor.  Then, for the next 2 hours I had to walk around.  I started really feeling the contractions while I was up walking around.

Around 2pm the nurse came in to check me again (at that point I was reallllly, realllllly feeling the contractions :)...still 1 cm.  I was frustrated because the nurse and Dr. Brock had told me that if I hadn't dilated anymore they would try the Cytotek one more time.  (Which meant that it would have to be another 4 hours before they could start the Pitocin).  But, my contractions were lasting so long with very little time between them they decided to go ahead and start the pitocin.  At this point I was in lots of pain!  The contractions were lasting at least 2 minutes and I had about 90 seconds of relief between them.  The nurse said I could get the epidural at any time...all I needed was to be in pain...and I was.  I was apprehensive to get it so early (as far as I knew I was still only 1cm).  She assured me that the epidural would not slow the labor down and that I would still be numb regardless of how long it took me to have the baby.  So, I got the epidural around 4:30.  ahhhhhhh.  From here, I kinda lose track of time (everything I previously typed I had sent in a text message, ha!)...I was feeling pretty good!  The next time I was checked, I was dilated 6 or 7 cm...or maybe I was 4, I can't remember.  They turned off the pitocin to let me progress on my own.  Dr. Brock was going out for dinner and told the nurse she would need 15 minutes to make it back.  A couple of times the baby's heart rate would drop and I had to get oxygen...

Brad and Lindsey and Jason and Stephanie dropped in for a visit.  They left to wait it out at our house (and let Charlie out).  Shortly after they left, Mama and Daddy and Mr. and Mrs. Huntley left to grab a quick dinner at Zaxby's.  They weren't gone long when I found out I was at 9cm.  We waited a little bit, then called to let them know since I seemed to be progressing pretty quickly at this point.  I told Ryan that I would hate for them to have spent the entire day at the hospital and then not be there when our baby was born.  Not long after everyone got back to the hospital (and then went to the waiting room) I started "practice pushing" (after I had an epidural bolus...or 2).  I literally could not feel a thing.  nothing.  I had been "practice pushing" for about 45 minutes. During this time another nurse came in to set the room up for delivery.  I had decided that I must not be pushing very well since I was having to practice so much.  Next thing I know, the nurse called for everyone to come in for me to deliver.  When I saw Dr. Brock walk in, I thought--holy crap, I'm about to have a baby! It was crazy and nothing like I was expecting.  Ryan asked Dr. Brock if the baby would be born in September or October (it was around 11:50 when she got there).  One of the nurses (jokingly) said we need to deliver this baby in September since September 30 is the age cutoff date for a lot of sports and school.  And that was exactly what happened.  McCarthy was born at 11:59 pm!  The whole process what crazy and not at all like I was expecting. 

James McCarthy Huntley was born September 30, 2011 at 11:59 pm.  He weighed 7 lbs., 4 oz. and was 20 3/4 inches long.  He is PERFECT!  It was incredible! And it still is!  Mac makes us happier than we could ever have imagined.  We are so blessed.

Here are a few more pictures from the hospital:

Everyone meeting Mac for the first time--

Mama and Daddy





 Mr. and Mrs. Huntley

Lindsey

Stephanie

Jason

Brad

Ryan giving Mac his 1st bottle.  I'm breastfeeding, but had to supplement with formula because of the hematoma on his head (you can kinda see it in the picture).  The pediatrician was concerned that as the bump goes down, his bilirubin would increase.  He only had 1 pee diaper in a little over 24 hours, so the decision was made to give him some formula (in addition to the breast milk).

 McCarthy his in "going home outfit"...tie-dyed by Kinsley. 

Strapped in and ready to go!

Leaving the hospital

Ryan, Mac and Charlie settling in at home!

More pictures to come...We came home on Monday, October 3rd.  Mama and Daddy stayed with us for the rest of the week, but made a quick trip (ha!!) back to Iuka for homecoming at the high school (Kinsley was on the Homecoming Court).  Brooke and Josh flew in on Friday and Mama and Daddy, Beebs, Nikki, Nate and Kinsley came in on Saturday/Sunday to meet Mac. 

To all my friends and family that are having babies...just wait, it is WONDERFUL!

Ok For Real...Any Day Now!!

39 Weeks!

It's official! If I don't go into labor before Friday, I'll be induced.  I'm so scared and so excited and so nervous and so thrilled...every emotion imaginable, all at the same time!!  Ryan is soooo excited, too!  We had a doctor appointment today.  I am dilated to 1 cm and very thin.  I have a lot of swelling in my feet, especially my right foot (she says from the position of the baby) and my blood pressure was high...according to the nurse..."not freak out high, just a little high."  The swelling in my feet really got worse last week while I was in Orlando and the swelling just hasn't gone down.  My hands are kinda swollen, too.  I got a "pregnancy wedding band" from Moore's Jewelry when we were in Iuka during the summer.  At the time it was big and just barely stayed on my hand, now I have an indention from it.  I'm planning on having it engraved with the baby's name and birth date and will keep it for him or her. 

We have been busy this past week just trying to get last minute things ready.  We got the bases for the car seats installed in our cars.  It was quite a process and soooo glad we went to Safe Kids for the installation.  They covered everything...they installed one base and then Ryan installed the other so they could see if he did it properly.  It was a lot more difficult than I was expecting it to be.  I can't wait to see how cute the baby looks in the car seat!  We have our bags packed for the hospital...well, we have the baby's bag packed, my bag packed and Ryan says he knows what he will throw in his bag.  We now have the Pack'n Play, swing and bouncer set up and waiting for a baby.  Some clothes, towels, wash cloths, burp cloths and blankets are washed and ready, too.  I'm sure there are other things that I'm forgetting...if you think of something important I may have forgotten PLEASE let me know!! We didn't do such a great job on our "trial run"--the trip to Orlando.  We planned to bring everything we would need at the hospital, but forgot EVERYTHING we had packed for the baby. HA! 

Here are a few pictures from the baby's room.  These pictures may not post very well because they are from my iPhone.  These were taken a couple of weeks ago, so it actually looks a little different now.  I know the walls look really bare, but we are hoping to make it a little more gender specific after the baby arrives.  The car seat is actually in the car now.  We got this super cute little "diaper buggy" (think diaper cake, but it's a baby buggy) that is sitting on the little bookshelf now.  Most of the furniture in the room came from Ikea. In this picture the curtains, bookshelf and baskets are from Ikea.  We got the rug at West Elm.  Luckily we had the walls painted this color when we moved it, so we didn't do any painting. 

We decided just to use the dresser (from Ikea) as the changing table.  We got the paddle with hooks on it from Town & Country in Iuka.

We (my parents, actually) have a chair ordered from Circle K Furniture here in Jacksonville that will go here.  It's a brown upholstered swivel glider/rocker.  It was so comfortable in the store, can't wait until it comes in.  The night stand is from Ikea.

Ok Healthy Families people, before you freak out.  All stuffed animals, bumper pads, boppy pillow, blankets, etc. will be removed from the bed before the baby goes in.  I've had to review enough child deaths to know that safe sleep is no joke...not pushing my opinion on anyone else...but, I'm telling you, having to review 1 file where a baby dies due to unsafe sleeping conditions is enough for me. And, unfortunately, I've had to review way more than 1.  Ok, I'm done.  That's your Public Service Announcement for the day! :)

April Shea is doing a painting of the baby's name on a canvas to go above the crib.  She is soooo talented I can't wait to get it!  We got the crib bedding from Pottery Barn.  We really wanted something very plain, without any kind of pattern (and this is definitely very plain) and we (Mr. and Mrs. Huntley, actually) got the crib at Pottery Barn. 

Thankfully, the room is big enough for us to keep a bed in there...considering my family travels from Iuka as Ryan says in a pack, I don't think we would be able to make it if we lost a bed!  I say they travel as a circus...and after all the stories they have from the trips (think wart flying off the top of the minivan and their clothes all over the 4-lane--before they even get to Cherokee...the passenger side door not opening so my grandfather having to crawl out the driver's side...Kinsley texting me quotes from MawMaw and PawPaw--none of which I will repeat!) I think my description is better!! HA!!  One of the yellow pillow cases is missing (I left it with April so she could match the color for the painting).  We got this bedding from West Elm, I think we got the headboard there, too (but we got it right after we got married).  The star fish wall art was a little DIY craft project that Ryan and I did (thank you, Pinterest).  Actually Ryan did it all (cut the bead board, sanded, painted, etc).  I just hot glued the star fish on and all but 1 has fallen off, so I'm thinking he's a better crafter

Due Date: October 4, 2011 October 3, 2011 (I've been wrong since our 18 week ultra sound!)
Size of the baby: Baby Huntley (according to my book) is almost 7.5 pounds and total length is about 21 inches.
Weight gain/loss: Last week at my doctor appointment I lost a pound. So, I was at 35 pounds total.  Today at the appointment I had gained 3 pounds. Putting my grand total at 38 pounds.  I was hoping to stay under 35 pounds, but I didn't.  I celebrated after the appointment with a Big Hot Ham and Cheese Combo from Hardees--this is without a doubt one of my top 5 FAVORITE foods.  I'm serious and I won't be having another for a lonnnnnnng time.  If you haven't had a ham and cheese from Hardee's, you are missing out!!! Oh, and I got a some kind of cinnamon doughnut from Krispy Kreme, too.  Yeah, so I may be over the 40 pound mark now. :)
Maternity clothes:  Everything is maternity and very little still fits.  MY STOMACH IS HUGE. 
Gender: We will soon find out!
Movement: The baby is still moving a pretty good bit. I hoping this means the baby still has room to move and the size of my stomach is due to hot ham and cheeses and not the size of the baby!!! HA!
Sleep: I'm still sleeping good.  I've been very lucky with sleep.  I get up several times to go to the bathroom, but I'm able to go right back to sleep. 
What I miss:  Bending. Shaving my legs in the shower.  Not having to roll myself out of the bed or off the couch. 
Cravings: We still eat at Picasso's a lot (actually we ate there again tonight). I've been eating a lot of sweets lately, too.
Symptoms:  Heart burn, swollen feet and ankles, weight gain, etc.
Best moment of the week: Finding out that Friday is the big day!  I realllly can't believe it is here already!!  This time next week we should be home loving on our sweet little baby Huntley!!! WE CAN'T WAIT!!!

Thanks everyone for all your sweet comments, text messages, emails, thoughts, prayers, etc. throughout the pregnancy.  I can't even begin to tell you how blessed Ryan and I feel to have so many people so supportive and so excited for us.  I promise that we do not take it for granted.  We have definitely been blessed far more than we deserve and we thank the Lord for it all the time.  This is such a special time for us and all of you make it that much more special! 

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  Please pray for an easy, quick! (but not too quick!!) and safe labor and delivery.  Please pray that Baby Huntley is as healthy as he or she can be.  And please pray that Ryan and I are the kind of parents to our baby that ours were to us! 

Any Day Now (at least that's what I like to think)!

Hi everyone!  Hope all is well!  We are doing great.  I'm 38 weeks today and getting SO nervous and excited and every other emotion imaginable!  Didn't Ryan do a great job with his post?!  We've had a great week...and since (hopefully) things will start moving along now I'm going to try to update at least weekly.  Just a warning there may be a little TMI in this post, but you've been warned (Kinsley!)...

We had a doctor appointment on Wednesday, 9/14.  Everything was good.  It was my first "cervix check."  Yowser.  That's all I can say about that.  I was dilated about a "fingertip" (that makes me laugh because I just told Lori Beth about a month or so ago to remind me not to use that term...then, that was EXACTLY what the doctor said when she checked).  No weight change since my previous appointment (thank goodness, since I gained 6 pounds at that one).

On Friday, 9/16, my co-workers surprised me, TOTALLY surprised me, with a baby shower at work.  It was so sweet of them.  They even snuck Ryan in for it.  I have some pictures that co-workers took...but they are at work, I'm at home so I'll have to add them later. 

Saturday, 9/17, our friend, Jamie Holmes, got married.  He and Ryan have played soccer together basically their entire lives.  He even played at Birmingham-Southern with Ryan.  It was such a beautiful wedding in Fernandina and reception at the Rebault Club.  We had a great time and loved getting to catch up with friends from our Birmingham-Southern days.  I don't have any pictures from the wedding.  Dang it, I gotta get better at this picture taking thing. 

I had another doctor appointment today.  I'll be in Orlando for our annual Healthy Families Florida meeting at the end of the week, so she wanted to see me today to clear me to go out of town (Ryan is going, too).  I can't wait to see my friends that I worked with in Tallahassee!  Everything was good with the baby today.  I am still dilated about the same.  She said she was going to go ahead and schedule me to be induced on September 30th, but if I haven't progressed any more by my next appointment (9/26) she will push it back into October.  We can't believe the baby could be here in less than 2 weeks...or maybe a little longer.  We aren't in a rush...we're ready whenever the baby is!! We have an appointment to get our car seat and a base for Ryan's car installed tomorrow, so we will realllly be ready then...except we still haven't packed bags. 

Hope you all have a great week!  I just can't wait to be posting pictures of the baby on here!  Please please say a few prayers for an uneventful delivery and a happy and healthy baby. 

Beth

37 Weeks (Ryan's Perspective)

Hey Everyone!  This week instead of me blogging, Ryan is going to do it...

37 Weeks
Quick synopsis of what's happened since the last post:

• Jacksonville shower - The shower was hosted by my cousin, Julia Lawless.  Beth's parents and my Grandma McCarthy made the trip down.  They helped assemble items from the shower and finish setting up the baby's room.  We are so blessed to have such loving family and friends that have been so generous and just as excited about Baby Huntley as we are.
• We have completed 2 of 3 childbirth classes.  Both classes have been informative and interesting to hear other couple's prospective.  Something new I learned in the class was about the epidural procedure.  It's actually a catheter, not a shot. 
• Interviewed the pediatrician.  I think we got it...one interview=one pediatrician.  Beth and I both really liked her and felt really comfortable with her.
• Tour of the hospital.  This was actually a lot quicker than I thought it would be.  Pretty simple, we toured the waiting rooms, nurses areas, patient rooms (where Beth's going to be the whole time) and the nursery.  One thing we took away from the hospital tour was that babies do not stay in the nursery.  The baby's stay in the room with his/her parents basically the whole time.  I think we only saw 1 baby in the nursery (for circumcision) and all maternity rooms were full.
• Doctor's appointment.  Really not a whole lot happened.  Dr. came in, measured Beth's stomach, listened to the heart beat and told us she will see us next week unless Beth goes into labor before. 

Something Beth hasn't shared with everyone are the names we have picked for the baby. 

Girl:  Mollie Bryant Huntley (after Beth's grandmother, Mollie Darwin, and Bryant is my mother-in-law's maiden name).  My wife is from Mississippi where I think it is the law to have at least 1 child with a double name, so we will call her "Mollie Bryant."

Boy:  James McCarthy Huntley (McCarthy is my mom's maiden name and James after my Grandfather Huntley, Beth's dad, brother and grandfather).  We will call him McCarthy (or Mac).

Due Date: October 4, 2011
Size of the baby: Baby Huntley (according to my book) is almost 6.5 pounds and total length is about 21 inches.
Weight gain/loss: Beth had a doctor's on Thursday (9/8) and had gained 6 pounds since her last appointment (2 weeks ago).  That brings the total to...36 pounds.  I told her she looked like she lost weight. 
Maternity clothes:  She is wears a lot of the same outfits over and over. I guess she has slim pickings.
Gender: Don't know.
Movement:  The baby is moving a lot.  I have actually seen her stomach move when the baby moves.  In the past I had to put my hand on her stomach to feel it.  She told me today that the baby was moving a lot while she was at work. 
Sleep: I would say Beth is sleeping good.  Her snores and groans have increased in the last week.  She is not getting up to go to the bathroom as much, which makes me nervous.  Charlie has moved to my side of the bed due to the lack of room on Beth's side. 
What I miss:  I think she misses a glass of wine every once in a while and being able to bend at the waist.
Cravings: Picasso's, a restaurant by our house. We eat there once or twice a week and she craves anything on the menu.
Symptoms:  Swollen ankles, tired, heart burn, weight gain, grouchiness...just joking
Best moment of the week: Getting together with my parents for family dinner and Beth's parents being there. 
A few pictures from the weekend: