37 Week Update

How far along? 37 weeks- officially considered full term! Still 3 weeks til our "official due date".

Baby's size? Clocking in somewhere between 18-20 inches long and roughly 7 lbs (wish we would have thought to ask during the ultrasound, but we forgot, which leaves us guessing).

Weight Gain? 32 lbs. (I have retained some SERIOUS water in the last two weeks, my poor legs and feet look more like Fred Flintstone's than mine and I feel like Violet from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.)

Sleep? Same story here, still not sleeping more than 1-2 hours at a time, but grateful for those 1-2 hours at least.

Food? Not much of an appetite lately. Could be a side effect of the water retention or just my state of lethargy. It is amazing what a little lack of sleep can do to a person. And yet I have still gained weight which makes me extremely curious how much of that is "water weight" and how much is "Mason weight."

Movement? Lots of violent kicks to my right side (Mason might be the next David Beckham which I am okay with), lots of hiccups when mommy eats sweets (looks like he might take after me when eating sweets- he chooses to inhale his sweet flavored amniotic fluid which results in hiccups), and since he is in very tight quarters he makes some very small full body adjustments throughout the day. I have fun playing with him and poking whichever part of his body he decides to obtrude from my stomach each day. At this point he is set for delivery and should not move. Mason has completely dropped to the LOWEST point possible and the doctor was actually touching his head when she checked me.

Symptoms? Besides getting to say hello to my son every 30 minutes when I run to the restroom since his head is so low- haha, just kidding everyone- I am feeling pretty good considering. Unfortunately the pressure on my pelvis and lower extremities from the baby have caused some extreme swelling and slight nerve pain in my left leg, but these seem like small complaints in the grand scheme of things. I have officially been single now for a few weeks (no wedding bands just to be safe) and I have only a couple pairs of shoes that I can squeeze my big 'ole swollen feet into. And yes, it does hurt. Who knew swelling is as uncomfortable as it looks? On a positive note, my blood pressure is still low. Really good news considering all of the swelling and the genetic probability that I will have toxemia (Preeclampsia). Keeping my fingers crossed that I don't develop toxemia in the last few weeks since it was the reason behind my mom and sister's C-sections.

What I miss? The simple things, like bending over to pick something up or being able to roll over at night without needing to build up enough momentum to move a mountain.

What I will miss? Of course I have mentioned time with husband, feeling Mason move, having "me time", but I will also miss time with my furbaby. Yep, little Dusty and I have really been enjoying our cuddle time lately. He likes me being 9 months pregnant because I am a total pushover and spend way more time lounging around with him at home than I ever did before. Poor little guy is no doubt going to miss this way more than I will, but I will miss it too.

What I'm looking forward to? Meeting my son! I am just so overwhelmingly anxious to see him, to touch him, to kiss him, to love him and to share him with all of the amazing people in our lives. It just feels so real knowing that at any moment we could be meeting him. Lord, please give me patience if this moment is 4 weeks from now (doctor said as of right now she would not induce until I am a week past our due date) even though I am on the edge of my seat right now!

Best Moments this week: The ultrasound at the doctor was refreshing. It never gets old getting to see our little man in real time. And my niece was born this morning!

Chloe Lynn Knight

7 lbs. 13.6 oz. 20.5 inches long

Worst moments this week: Missing the wedding of one of our really good friends. This past weekend my feet and legs were horrendous and much worse than they are this week (I mean I was in some serious pain and could not walk!) and I literally spent the entire weekend with my feet up. I know she understands, but it was hard to miss.

Weekly Wisdom: Life is complicated and unpredictable. This week has been a little bit of an emotional roller coaster. A friend suddenly passed away unexpectantly, a friend had a miscarriage, my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, a friend lost his job, and a friend got married. Life is happening all around me and I feel so caught up in my own life and this very moment, just sort of floating around on a bubble. All of it could change at the blink of an eye. I just feel like pouring cold water on my face and yelling wakeup! Anybody else with me on this?

The bump:

A look back...

         16 weeks                        20 weeks                           24 weeeks

         28 weeks                        33 weeks                           35 weeks

Next appointment: In 1 week, on Monday, March 28th.



Spring has Sprung!

It's my favorite time of the year and I couldn't let it slip by without a few pictures of the great start we are having to the season! Since I have been a total slacker on my Friday photo quest, consider this post in lieu of all those I have missed. Enjoy!

Our lime tree in full bloom.

Each of those purple buds will produce a lime, so exciting!

The tree we could not wait to get rid of

The new and improved tree! 

The extremely large hole being dug by my hardworking hubby



Fill In the Blank . . .

So a lot of my friends (and fellow blog buddies) participate in the Fill In The Blank Friday's. Yes, I do realize it is Tuesday, but I like to participate on Tuesday. Feel free to play along too (on Friday or whichever day of the week fits your schedule).

1. The best deal I've ever gotten is our house that we bought in 2009. We literally paid less than $45 per square foot for our house. Pretty darn good peeps.

2. If I were hosting a dinner party and could invite people from my fantasy guest list it would include my friends and family (why would I have a dinner party with complete strangers?), but I would probably invite Will Ferrell or Owen Wilson to entertain us and Colbie Caillat or Jack Johnson to provide a musical backdrop.

3. Something that inspires me is strong Christian friends and mentors. I find that the more complicated life gets, the more I gravitate towards needing a better understanding of God's purpose for me. It is so easy to get caught up in the nonsense and forget what exactly we were made for. It is easy to turn a blind eye, but it is inspiring and challenging to want to be a better individual for God's kingdom. Having people in my life that provide me with inspiration is a constant reminder of what I need to strive for.

4. If I could only choose to eat one flavor of food for the rest of eternity (sweet, salty, spicy, bitter....) I would have to go with salty because my favorite food falls into that category, not that I don't really like all things sweet!, but because I can't imagine eternity without Mac & Cheese. MMMMmmmm delicious. Yes I know that is probably not what you were expecting, but just go with it.

5. I dream about very strange things these days. In fact I really cannot share at least 99% of my dreams because you might read into them and draw some underlying meaning about my deep, dark mind from them. In all fairness though, I cannot fill in a blank with a blank. So... last night I dreamed that Chris was a drug dealer. That he dropped the drugs off each morning in our flower pots in the front of the house and each evening there would be cash buried in the flowers. Seriously?!?! Yes, that is what I dream about. Of course there was a lot more to the dream, but that was the just of it. And if this is part of the 1% I can share, imagine what happens in my other dreams. What exactly this dream means I'm not sure, but is it weird that I looked at the flower pots as I backed out of the driveway for work this morning? Yep, pretty sure my mind is confused.

6. My weekend will be spent with my feet up and a good book in my hand. Unfortunately, the swelling in my legs and feet has gotten pretty bad, and even though I am not on bed rest (thank heavens!), my doctor has advised me to do nothing when I am home- yuck!

7. If I could only watch one movie or TV show for the rest of my life, it would be ... (seriously a tough decision to consider ruining a favorite by replaying it over and over for the REST OF YOUR LIFE, but okay I have to choose something) Mary Poppins. Yep, I have to admit I have watched this literally over 200 times and it hasn't gotten old yet, so I would venture to say I would continue to enjoy watching it. And although a TV show would probably provide more variety (different episodes, etc.) I honestly can't narrow it down to one.

Happy Tuesday everyone! Hope you are having a great week.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of the Irish holiday, here are a few words from good ole' Maxine.

Enjoy...



Fill In The Blank . . .

So a lot of my friends (and fellow blog buddies) participate in the Fill In The Blank Friday's. Yes, I do realize it is Tuesday, but since I don't want to interrupt my Friday photo quest (even though I have been slacking each Friday) I like to participate on Tuesday. Feel free to play along too (on Friday or whichever day of the week fits your schedule).

1. My biggest accomplishment in life thus far is my marriage. I can honestly say it was the best decision I've made, but also one of the hardest things I have done and can label "successful". It is pretty easy to accomplish those things in your life that involve just yourself and no one else. It is truly a different world when you introduce two completely unique people into a lifelong contract and have them strive for unity. Yes, it is most definitely my biggest, baddest, most awesome accomplishment in life thus far. Worth the effort and proud of the end result.

2. My favorite place to sit in my house is actually not in the house at all. I love sitting on the back patio. It is unbeliavably peaceful, quiet, and relaxing. Fresh air does it every time for me.

3. My fashion philosophy is currently whatever fits and makes me feel comfortable. Pre-pregnancy, well, I like to try to be trendy, but mostly end up wearing whatever makes me feel good. I am always 3 steps behind, never fashion forward.

4. Something every girl should have is a reliable camera. There is just something about pictures that warms the heart and mends the soul. An uncaptured moment in time will never be remembered in your mind as accurately as if snapped by a camera.

5. If you looked in my purse right now you'd find....who knows what!?!?! I have not seen my purse now for 4 solid months. Seriously. Thanks to my good friend Ellen (and my multiple occasions of missing purse/wallets mentioned here and here), I now carry around this beaut (with a wristlet attachment) by Vera Bradley, while my purse is stashed away at home in my closet: 

6. My favorite music right now is whatever is on my Ipod. I have never really been into keeping up with all the latest music moguls, I am more of a classics girl. Classic oldies, classic country, just old school anything really. I listen to the radio in my car, but I just get so burned out by every new song and hearing it at least a dozen times each day. 

7. My favorite part of my body is my hair. Does that count? Not sure, but if not I would say my nails. Anybody get the picture. I don't know, ask me in 5 or 6 months and I might feel differently, but probably not. Is this a trick question?? Hahaha. 

Private Blog Review

I heard from a handful of friends and readers that they too had considered taking their blogs private but were either unsure of how it worked or were worried about excluding people from their blog. Here is my review of the process and how easy or not-so-easy it actually was.

Note: This is strictly a review of a Blogger sponspored blog and does not cover any other source.

There are 3 main privacy settings via Blogger:

1. Allow EVERYONE to read your blog. This is of course the default setting and has no way of restricting access to unknown internet surfers.

2. Allow only INVITED people to read your blog. "Invited" is the key word here. Theoretically, the blogger can invite anyone that has an email address, regardless of which email application they use. However, when the person receives the invite and attempts to accept it, they will be diverted to a Blogger login page where they are prompted to login using a Google Account (most common form is Gmail). So this is where it got a little tricky. Some of you use Hotmail, AOL, work email, or another applications that were obviously not Google sponsored. Instead of asking everyone to create a Gmail account just for the sake of viewing our blog, I did create one universal Gmail account with a Login and Password that could be distibuted to people whom we choose. (Let me know if anyone has questions about how to did this). This provides more control over who is allowed access to the blog, but the downfall is that it can exclude people that you may or may not have been aware were reading it in the first place and wouldn't mind if they continued reading.

3. Allow only BLOG AUTHORS to read the blog. I think this type of blog serves a different kind of purpose. It is probably used for a group or organization of people who share ideas with each other within a group.

Overall, taking the blog private has served the purpose we were seeking. With a few past incidents involving strangers perusing our blog and bringing their opinions with them, we were worried about having too much personal information fully accessible to anyone and everyone, the good, the bad, and unfortunately the creepy.

Thanks to everyone who were willing to go one extra step to view our blog. We appreciate your understanding and cannot wait to share our future and journey with you guys.

35 Week Update

How far along? 35 weeks- 35 days left to due date.

Baby's size? Clocking in at about 18 1/4 inches long and 5.5 lbs.

Weight Gain? 26 lbs.

Sleep? I have mastered the 2 hour sleep cycle. Now if I could just figure out how to continue this while at work that would be great. :) Who needs sleep anyways? We can all sleep when we are dead.

Food? Just part of my daily routine at this point. I eat because I must. Big meals are still incredibly uncomfortable for me so I try hard to eat small meals and healthy snacks in between- which is really hard when you are super busy.

Movement? Still active as ever. Some people recommend "kick counts", and even though my doctor has never suggested it to me, I did try it once. The goal is to time how long it takes your baby to kick 10 times (typically around an hour). Ten minutes into it I got distracted and forgot I was suppose to be paying attention. Ehh oh well. I know he is active, and that's enough for me, and apparently for my doctor too.

Symptoms? Biggest symptom these days is the pressure on my poor bladder. It doesn't matter if I just went to the restroom moments ago or an hour ago, as soon as I stand up it feels like I have to go again. Not a fun feeling, but the best part is when little Mason burrows his noggin' into my bladder. I think he is secretly trying to make it better, he just doesn't quite understand. :)

What I miss? I can't really say this enough. I miss sleep, but I don't think that will be fixed anytime soon. Mostly I just miss the energy that I had during the 2nd and most of the 3rd trimester up until a few weeks ago.

What I will miss? Me time. I can only imagine that this will be hard to come by once this little man arrives. It's a whole new ball game when someone else is 100% dependent on you 100% of the time. Let's face it, even your pet can be left alone, unattended for several hours at a minimum. Of course I will not want to take my eyes off of our sweet little boy. A sacrifice I am willing to make. :)

What I'm looking forward to? My niece is scheduled to be born exactly 2 weeks from today. Even though I will not be traveling to Dallas to see her right away since I could very well go into labor myself (being 5 hours away from my doctor is not a great idea) and because I would have to take off time from work (not ideal since I am saving my days for my maternity leave) I will definitely be seeing her as soon as I am physically able to and of course will be getting tons of emails, texts, and updates from our family. Even though I would love to meet Mason in 2 weeks, I really hope for my family's sake that my sister and I are not in labor on or near the same day.

Best Moments this week: Finishing the nursery and completing our to-do list, finally! It feels so great to be ready and still have several weeks to relax and enjoy some time with Chris.

Weekly Wisdom: These last nine months have flown by, and I know the next few weeks will be no different. I am going to soak up this moment with my first true love and let him know how important he is to me. It's been hard these last few months to give him that undivided attention. We have been together now for over 9 years and it's hard to imagine what our life will be like once this new member of our family arrives, and yet once Mason is here it will be hard for us to imagine what our life would have been like without him.

The bump:  (Not sure why it came out so fuzzy)

Next appointment: In 2 weeks, on Monday, March 21st. We will have our final ultrasound and be checked for progress by the doctor. Let's hope for some progress!

Showering Mason!

Chris and I were blessed to have two wonderful showers hosted by family and friends. We were incredibly overwhelmed by the love and support from everyone that came to the showers too! We had a great turn out at both showers and cannot believe how many people already love little Mason soo much.

The Hosts!

My Aunt

The Hosts!

Obviously I wish I would have taken some more pictures of everyone and everything at the showers, but I was just really enjoying myself with all of our friends and family. My bad! :)

Thank you to everyone who helped out or came to the showers. It means the world to Chris and I.

Fill In The Blank . . .

So a lot of my friends (and fellow blog buddies) participate in the Fill In The Blank Friday's. Yes, I do realize it is Tuesday, but since I don't want to interrupt my Friday photo quest I like to participate on Tuesday. Feel free to play along too (on Friday or whichever day of the week fits your schedule).

1. The phrase or punctuation I overuse most is "....". I guess I just have a lot to say and can't always seem to find the right words. "...." just seems to fill in where words otherwise don't seem to do justice to your thoughts.... :)

2. Today I am thankful for my health. 243 days of pregnancy  have passed and less than 7 of those have been spent actually "sick" (cold, virus, etc.) and during the winter months too I might add. So thankful.

3. My best friend is without a doubt, my husband. My biggest supporter, my #1 fan, my only 100% loyal-never lets me down- can always count on no matter what- friend.

4. A quirky thing about me is I would rather spend an hour running than getting my hair done. I absolutely love to run. Running is therapeutic to me, but I also hate getting my hair cut or styled. Given a choice I would rather run, and I have a feeling that is not the norm for most people.

5. This weekend I am going to the rodeo with some friends to see Gary Allen! Yippee. MMMmmm and I am thinking sausage on a stick sounds mighty good. Mason is going to love the music.

6. Something that worries me is leaving this world too soon and not getting to see our son grow through all the phases of life. However, on the flip side I trust that God has a greater plan for me and my family. With that all of my worries go away.

7. On my night stand you would find nothing! Well it sounded good to me. I am a minimalist. At this exact moment, however, I do have a lamp, alarm clock, and baby monitor charging. I have a feeling this is all going to change very soon.

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone!

Mason's Nursery Reveal

There is only one thing missing.... MASON!

Dimming the Lights For More Privacy

Chris and I have decided to take this blog private. While we love how convenient it is for our friends and family to access the blog, we are more concerned with all of the other people that can read and snoop into every detail of our lives and Mason's, with almost no way for us to prevent it. So starting next week we are going to officially be private. Anyone that would like to be added to our list of welcomed readers, please send me an email (hollymcarr@gmail.com) with your email address so that I can add you to our list. It will require that you login in order to access our blog, but we have decided this is what is best for our family going forward. We hope you understand. We are not 100% sure how this "allowed reader" list works via blogger, since it is through Google (not Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.), so please be patient as we figure out a way for our friends and family to still be able to keep up with our blog. Thanks for your patience and see you on the other side. :)

P.S. I will be revealing Mason's nursery next week since the bedding came in and we have our final shower this weekend so I will do my best to post pictures from the showers.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!