Mr. Renn Jackson Bailey Arrived!

Mr. Renn Jackson Bailey arrived 4 weeks early (surprise to all of us!)Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 11:00 p.m. via c-section.
With the help of many co-workers I made it to the hospital and Eric arrived shortly after (he had to stop thinking the call to go to the hospital was a joke!). All is great! He is a little guy weighing in at 6 pounds 18 inches. We saw the doctor today and he got the thumbs up! Here is a link to SOME pictures that have been taken there are many more to filter through and get posted. http://www.flickr.com/photos/caret001/sets/72157604781544248/
We are doing great and are so in love!

Love to all!
Eric, Carey and RENN!!!!

Sooner rather than later...

We learned today via ultrasound that he is definitely breech and has no room for movement. That means he is coming via c-section a week earlier than his due date.
I am working on looking for the positives and not being too sad. Any prayers you want to say regarding that I am thankful for.
The last couple of weeks have been rough. I am still plagued with constant contractions - most likely cause he is breech and now I have an EXTREME pain in my low back at certain times in the day. They say it is a sciatic nerve thing since it goes away when I walk around.
Eric and I have been so busy with all the this and thats.... buy this, paint that, do this, get that... the list seems to be coming to an end. Only a few more "details" to get down.
Exciting to think he will be here in 3 WEEKS!
Sorry, I have been off line for awhile. It has all just been a bit overwhelming.
It will all be worth it the day he gets here! :)
P.S. - We learned today that he has lots of hair on his head! YEAH!!!!

Fiesta of Fun!

The evening shower was a Mexican fiesta that even included a sombrero that Eric and I had to wear. Hanging from the sombrero were all sorts of baby things. I seriously think the hat weighed 30 pounds. Eric’s family and co-workers were present and had a great time eating a FABULOUS Mexican buffet prepared by Debbie and Jan. Thank you to Stacie, Gary, Landon, Bill, and Angie for working so hard all day to make it such a fun night.

Simply Lovely

The morning shower was fabulous! Ginger and Virginia (pictured above) were so sweet to incorporate all of my favorites foods from quiche, breads, to fruit, yogurt, and granola with the topper being EXTREMELY delicious cup cakes!!!! It was all just amazing. Everyone was incredible to bring Baby Bailey children’s books that we have already filled his shelves with. It will be a joy to read to him and let him know who gave him each precious book. Lots of other fun gifts were received as well.
One of the most special moments was the showing of a video they had made of Eric sharing sweet words about the coming bundle of joy and it included a montage of photos from our wedding and ultrasound pictures. The tears were flowing!!!!
It was all just simply lovely!

An apology to my Mama!

As a kid...well really as a teen I wasn't very appreciative that my Mama made things for me rather than bought things. I wanted all the "cool" storebought things so that I could be just like everyone else. But, now I have come to realize how very thankful I am. And I realize that her making me things was not my parents way of being "cheap" but rather their way of showing love through time and effort.
I have been helping a friend paint the art work that will go over his bed and I wouldn't have it any other way... Eric painted his bedroom even though we are hiring someone to paint the rest of the upstairs...my current project is creating something I had originally registered for, but later realized that was silly when I could make it just as easy and they will mean so much more (P.S. it doesn't hurt that they cost so much less.) The cost savings to me only means getting to buy more stuff that I couldn't make.
So, Mama and Daddy, from the bottom of my heart I am very sorry for all the times I may have made you feel bad for making me things that came from love in your heart!
LIVE AND LEARN!

Week 32 arrives!

We had a doctors appointment today. Heartbeat 140. He is still breech...he has 4 more weeks to turn before we would decide if we want the doctor to try turning him. From everything I have read that can be a bit risky so we are still praying he decides to do a flip.
We also interviewed our pediatrician. That went well. A girl at work let me know about her and she is very close by our house. So we are set! Moving right along!!

Shower #2

Here is the cute invite for the evening shower with family and friends! Thanks Stac!

We made it!

Baby and I made it through Easter week. It was some long days and a lot of walking... but honestly we came through it better than I expected. All these years working for churches I have watched many a parent have to work long hours Easter weekend, but until this year did I fully comprehend the sacrifice.
Easter at my house as a kid goes down as one of my favorites so realizing all the things that would NOT be happening next year was a bit difficult. As I had to arrive at the stadium at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday I thought about not getting to dress Baby Bailey for his first Easter, or not getting to do a morning scavenger hunt, or being so tried after services that I wouldn't be packing an Easter day picnic...
But, one of the girls I work with has two kids and this year they just did all the stuff they would have done on Sunday on Saturday and she said it worked great! So hopefully that will provide the solution for creating those special memories of Easter celebrations for Baby Boy Bailey. Other people at work just shipped their kids off to their grandparents for the week. At least I know my dad creates an awesome Easter basket scavenger hunt! Any other ideas? Let me know.

The BURN!

Last night Eric and I went to this new little Mexican place that opened on the corner. It was quite tasty... but I have been up since 12:57 a.m. with the worst heartburn EVER! I had never had heartburn prior to pregnancy!!!! It is now 3:40 a.m.... only several hour before I need to be at work again for a full day and late night of Good Friday services - can everyone say "UG!" with me?
Tums are not something we have in the house so I have reading about "natural" heartburn remedies... I have been eating papaya enzymes and at the moment I am trying hot water, with sugar, and baking soda. And apparently from what I have read lying down isn't helpful to the situation so sleep is not that great of an option right now. What did we do without the Internet?
Since I am up, twiddling my thumbs and quite certain nobody wants me to call them at 3:45 a.m. thought I would say "hi!" this way. Gonna go heat some more water.

Busy Weekend

We had a busy family weekend.

Friday night some of our friends from church and their precious one year old (Daniel) came over. Eric was sitting on the floor when they arrived and little Daniel greeted him with a huge HUG. Eric thought it was fabulous!

We learned lots of fun things that night: babies think stairs are fun, more food lands on the floor than in their mouth, the last diaper before bed time is a wrestle fest and our pack-n-play actually works as we actually saw Daniel asleep in it. FUN STUFF!

Saturday morning Eric reported to Daddy Bootcamp. This is a class offered by dads for new dads. Eric went with his BFF from Jr. High who is expecting a boy 7 days before us. Eric learned lots of things like that you should always carry extra onesies, bring mommy a gift to the hospital :), signs of postpartum, what to do when a baby cries, buy spring loaded plug covers and much more. We start our classes together in April.

Saturday evening I officiated my first wedding for two people who had worked for me. I attempted wearing heels and made it through most of the night. I laid down during the day hoping to conserve the amount of time I can stand to the actual point of the ceremony. It seemed to have worked as I made it through and didn't have to ask for a chair as we did the service. Although I think adrenaline helped with that as well. Picture of "Pastor" and baby Bailey to the right.

Sunday was church! I am TRYING to take a back-seat on the weekends so that we can start running the weekends without me and see where any holes lie while I am on leave. We have Easter weekend at Cardinals stadium http://www.radiantchurch.com/ next weekend so let's just say life will be out of control busy. Of course I will be "directing" the team via chair and radio rather than lifting boxes of toys and cribs. UG!

Well that is all for now! Look forward to seeing everyone March 29th for baby shower mania!

The count day begins....

You can officially start counting down the weeks from 10 today. Today begins week THIRTY!
We had a doctor's appointment today. His heart rate was 150 and for the first time she located his heartbeat on my left side. Since the beginning he has always been on the right side... so that was an interesting footnote for us.
I continue to struggle with the early contractions - they really are just a pain. I can't stand, sit, or walk for really any period of time without them being constant. Lying down is definitely the best position for me - but that isn't exactly where I want to be. The situation is not conducive for work, especially with Easter weeks away. I am having to learn the art of delegation and being able to ask for help!
Everything else is great! Blood pressure, weight, ankles, blood work, etc...she says it all looks good.
DID I MENTION HE COMES IN TEN WEEKS?! TEN WEEKS!!!!

Who knew!

I thought a car seat was one of the SIMPLE things that went along with baby having. But, when ours arrived this week I learned that was a NOT! Who knew? Luckily, I have plenty of people at work I can take it in to and say "show me how this works?!?, please!" Here are a few shots of his. It is not anything fancy as it just needed to go with our red and silver stroller. But, it gets high ratings from Consumer Reports!

1st Baby Shower Invitation!

This is the invite for the morning shower with my work friends... cute huh? Thank you Virginia and Co.

THIS POST CONTAINS TMI (too much information)

WARNING: Do not read this post if you DO NOT find bodily function information amusing!!!

On Friday night Eric and I got a pizza in addition to some hot wings and we settled in for a movie. I swear to you that not 2 MINUTES after he began eating his wings he developed gas. By the time the movie was over and it was time to head to bed this "issue" had only gotten worse!!!
Once I was all tucked into bed with my million pillows all around me - Eric had the worst release of fumes possible. It sent me into a gagging fit. Eric, found this hilarious and could not stop laughing. What he didn't realize was that amidst his laughing so hard that my gagging had turned into actually puking in bed. So at this point I am crying and he doesn't even realize it. So I start crying for "HELP!" and he comes to realize this is not funny ANY MORE!!!
He comes over and helps me get cleaned up and we eventually settle back into bed for what I hope is a sound night of rest. Unfortunately, the release of gases never stops in the night. At one point I got up and went down stairs for water - and when I tried to re-enter the bedroom I was literally knocked over by the hideous smell in the air. I made it to the bedroom bathroom where another gagging fit ensued. I got a towel and covered my face - I ducked and covered on the way out of the bedroom and made my way to the guest bedroom where I woke in the morning.
Eric, came in to find me that morning and my opening words were "YOU NEED TO GO FEBREZZE THE BEDROOM RIGHT NOW!"
****I promise I normally would not share this kind of personal information with the public but it is too funny a story to not be recorded in Baby Boy Bailey's journey!

Travel Bed Arrives

Perhaps the early contractions are making me nervous or I am a sucker for a good deal. But, last week I found the pack-n-play we wanted on Ebay - new and sealed in the box. I won the bid and it arrived on Friday.

I wish someone would have had a video camera to tape Eric and I trying to figure out how to put it together. We would get one side up and locked but not the other - we put a few of the bars in backwards - and almost gave up on how to put the changing pad part on. Eric, had a "I AM BOSS!" talk with the pack-n-play and we finally got it. We learned that practice will make perfect. With Aunt Teagan's wedding a month after he is born it will come in very handy. Now we just need a car big enough to fit all the stuff in. :)

Preview Day

What is it about ultrasounds and illness? This time it was me! I woke up Friday morning feeling like I was being stabbed with knives in my eyeballs... that is code for headache. I can only guess that it was allergy related as Arizona is in full bloom and I can't take Claritin. So I wasn't in the best of shape for the day - but there was no way I was going to miss this.

Eric and I went to "Peek of You" for our 10 minute viewing session. The girl doing the ultrasound reminded Eric of Janice from Friends - YIKES! Baby Bailey would not get his hands or feet out of his face so it wasn't the clearest of pictures, but it was still pretty cool. He is currently breech - so say a prayer that the little guy flips in the next couple of weeks. We came home and watched the video again - actually we have watched it everyday since and we see something new every time. The funniest part is that several times he sticks his tongue out and licks his hand. It is really cute. A guy at work is going to compress the video for me so that I can post it here so stay tuned.

I have to say when I left I wasn't very certain it was worth the money but, now I would say I would do it again. It has been fun to watch and feel like you get to know him just a little bit more. 11 more weeks to go!!!

Passed the test!

Baby and I passed the diabetes test! Yeah!

28 week Doc update

For the first time I felt like I could go to the doctors office with cause for concern. I was scheduled for my gestational diabetes test as well as my 28 week check-up. The diabetes test was gross but not the worst thing invented. I thought the drink tasted like melted orange jello. Keyes would have liked it. I have not heard the results back, but they should come any day.
I let them know about all the contractions I have been having so they did a check and I am not dilated at all - so that is the good news. They tell me to just keep my water intake high (which is at 150 ounces a day) and take it easy. The passenger seat of my car is filled with flats of water that I drink drink and drink coming and going. I truly do have to pee every 2 minutes. Sorry, if that is too graphic!
The contractions haven't subsided at all - in fact now they happen at all hours rather than just starting in the early evening. But, I feel a millions times better knowing I am not dilated. Since Eric and I have been a bit stressed with the extra activity we are treating ourselves to a 3D ultrasound on Friday. We will get a DVD of Baby Boy Bailey (just consider that his first, middle and last name as that is probably what I will call him forever... plus the fact that his monogram would be incredibly balanced!) and some pictures! We are excited. I will make sure to post everything up soon after we get home. It's probably funny to our parents that we can get an ultrasound (a 3D version at that!) as easy as ordering nuggets at Chick-fil-a.

The new list!

Airplanes, clowns, water, car wrecks, and at times death. That is my list of fears that I struggle with. As my relationship with Christ has grown He and I have been able to work through some of my fears. I guess I should say the truth is that as I have learned that I am truly not “in-charge” of THE WORLD I have come to understand that my fears serve no healthy purpose. But, now my fear is that I have truly never known fear till now. Since learning we were pregnant I have fears that I never knew could exist: Will I miscarry? Is the baby healthy? Am I healthy? Am I eating right? Is there enough amniotic fluid? Is there enough room in there for him? Has he moved 10 times in the hour? Where will the money come from for all the stuff needed? How do we afford childcare and health insurance for the munchkin? Will I have to have a C-section? Will he have jaundice? Will he latch on easily? Will he sleep well? What happens when he gets sick? Will he be a happy baby? The list keeps going and going and going.

The past two days have brought this home for me as Tuesday and Wednesday in the early evening I had three contractions pretty close together. The doctor has told me that if I have four in an hour I am to go to the ER. Thankfully, the fourth has not come… but I feel like I just lay there in that hour trapped in my fears waiting and praying for the fourth to not arrive. Running through my head is zillions of fears about what it means if it does come?

As I walk through this new journey I feel like I am JUST beginning to maybe, possibly, slightly comprehend how God must feel about us as our Heavenly parent. If I can feel all the emotions I feel about Baby Bailey as his earthly parent what in the world does it feel like to be our Creator? His willingness and purpose in sending Jesus as a sacrifice for us is beginning to make a lot more sense to me… God was willing to do ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING to keep us safe and protected. And that I can understand.

Belly Dancing!

I am not talking about dressing up like some harem girl and shaking my hips although that might be good exercise after the baby comes… what I am talking about is the dancing that is literally going on in my belly. Pregnancy has brought about a few annoyances such as non-stop trips to the bath room, sore hips from sleeping on my side and the desire to eat a lot of Cheerios but one of the daily joys I get from the baby is getting to feel his little body moving and discovering his own limbs. If I start thinking about it too much I get a bit weirded out. I mean there is a baby… a human being living inside of me. A HUMAN BEING LIVING INSIDE ANOTHER HUMAN BEING?! God gets my utmost kudos for creativity. I can definitely say I am glad I am not sitting on an egg on 9 months… can I get an Amen?
The daily movements are like “our special time” and our way of having the most beautiful conversation without words. He gently nudges me in the early morning to say “good morning”, tells me “thank you” after I eat, and says “let’s play” shortly after Eric gets home. SIDE NOTE: What is it about Eric that entices rowdiness? I am starting to realize that while I am not having twins I am about to get TWO baby boys!!! I am already feeling as if I will miss these inside the belly times between us but I am more than certain that his movements in the world will be just as precious. Looking forward to it!

Strolling down “wheeling and dealing” lane!

Eric and I have been disappointed that the price of the ’07 stroller we had picked out hadn’t seemed to drop even with the ’08 models out. But, this week ebay provided a solution. I found a lady selling a new red (the color we wanted) seat and canopy to our stroller. She originally bought the red version and later decided she wanted blue so the Baby Jogger Company sold her a blue seat and canopy therefore she had this new red one to sell. I talked with Baby Jogger and they will sell you the stroller frame separately for a fraction of the price… I am trying to figure why everyone doesn’t do this. I won the bid for the seat and canopy and with the cost of the frame from Baby Jogger we will get the complete stroller for half the cost we have found it being sold for. WOO HOO! Gotta love a great deal!

Ooooh those cravings!

I would say one of the most frequent questions I get is “What cravings do you have?”
Honestly, I had preconceived ideas that cravings would be more dramatic than they are. But, I have had a few funny things happen.
One of the first I had was a “craving” for a broccoli and cheese baked potato. In fact one night after work I went out of my way to drive through a Wendy’s where I knew I had ordered a broccoli and cheese baked potato on many a youth trip. But, to my shock I discovered they no longer sold them… I thought fast and convinced the teller to just give me plain potato. I then headed to a Quiznos where I planned on buying a cup of broccoli and cheese soup. Do you see where I am going with this? My plan was almost thwarted due to the people in front of me but, I literally managed to get the bottom of the soup pot! Broccoli and cheese baked potato MISSION COMPLETE!
The other craving I have had, that Eric doesn’t mind, is for Fuddruckers. I have always liked Fuddruckers but it has never been a place I ask to go or feel like I long for… I am very thankful that they sell me their kids’ burger! It is more than enough.
I can also say I am happy to report that I have had no aversion to one of my favorite meals of beans, corn tortillas, and guacamole and only had a slight aversion to chicken!
I would say the only other craving I could list is a frozen Snickers bar. I have my mom to thank for even knowing that exists. Thanks to my handy dandy coupon sense program I was able to buy 8 king size Snickers bars for $2.50. I keep them in the freezer just cut myself off a little piece when the craving takes over!

Week 25 begins!

Another routine doctors appointement yesterday. She said I am doing "great!" on my weight. WOW! Did she know what I wanted to hear? I measured 25cm so the baby is right on track and his heart rate is still 140. I did have a little contraction while I was in there (does that word scare anyone else like it does me?). He makes a little ball and then it goes away. She said as long as they go away fairly quickly and are not consistent they are nothing to worry about.
I have my fun "check for gestatial diabeates" test in 3 weeks and then she said after that I will move to seeing her every two weeks rather than once a month. Ummmm...when she said that it sort of smacked me in the head that maybe this whole baby having thing is coming sooner rather than later.
Eric and I are all signed up for our birthing classes that start in April and Eric is thinking about taking "Daddy Bootcamp" which the hospital offers. It is taught by real life dads! Who votes he should take it?
The next task to check off my list will be finding a pediatrician...the list never seems to end.

You know you're having a baby when....

When you publish a picture for all the world to see of you 15 pounds heavier than you were 24 weeks ago. YIKES!!! Here is the updated belly picture that has been in such demand.

Shower mania

March 29th is THE day! Several of my girlfriends from work will be hosting a shower for me that morning... they know I LOVE breakfast and then Stacie and Co. will be hosting a couples shower for Eric and me that evening. It's a MEXICAN FIESTA... all my favorite foods in one day. :) FUN STUFF! Mark your calendars!

Registry Complete!

Goodness! I think this was more difficult than doing a wedding registry... but it is complete.
The one with USA baby will be up in 24-48 hours. The "personalization" on some of the pottery barn things aren't the real initials...they are just placeholders for the time being. Eric is still working on the middle name. There are a few items we are not officially registered for since we wanted 2007 styles. They are the stroller and car seat.
http://www.babyride.com/imcc00us35un13bo13.html
http://www.babyride.com/bj-69053.html

Our selections are at:
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/registry/index.cfm?cm_type=gnav
This one has all our bedding selections, stuff for the room, and clothes.
http://www.landofnod.com/gift-registry/default.aspx
This one has some of my favorite things!
http://www.usababyphoenix.com/
This one has the boring stuff :)

Payback is rough!

When Keyes was born I would torture my mama by waking "the baby" whenever I felt like he had slept too long.
Well, now I am being paid back for all my crimes. Eric likes to ask if the baby is kicking or being quiet. When I respond with "quiet" he then comes over to talk to the baby in the belly. It never fails that within minutes of his conversation with the baby about all the fun we will have once he arrives (which always includes a story about quading in the desert) he WAKES UP! And I don't mean just a little... he begins bang bang banging on my tummy. Eric sits back and laughs as he watches my belly move.
While it is cute for a minute or two what Eric doesn't understand is that he gets to go back to his quite little life while my belly feels like someone is playing drums inside it.
Eric has enjoyed learning about the power of his voice.
I just wish he could quiet the baby as easily as he wakes the baby. :)

dreams are soooooo revealing!

My dream about the baby last night gave me a laugh. Here is how it went:
My water broke while I was asleep and I didn't wake up. So Eric carried me to the car, drove me to the hospital where I had the baby - all still while sleeping ( I am hoping this means my labor involves little pain). My doctor was my San Antonio family doctor. Everyone finally woke me up and showed me the baby. He was so cute with a full head of hair - he had a little curl on top like Eric. But, he had a rubber band wrapped twice around his nose. I was told he got "stuck" while coming out and this was how they do baby nose casts.
I suddenly realized he hadn't eaten and it had been several hours! As I went to feed him I discovered that he already talked and gave me very clear instructions on how to make the feeding thing work best. He was very helpful!
I then went to sleep again.
So let's see what are the conclusions from this dream: I am worried about sleep, his nose, and breast feeding! Fun stuff!

We agree!

Eric and I came to an agreement on bedding for the baby's room! We are going to go with Marissa bedding in bright green from Pottery Barn kids! I won't put you through the many conversations we had to have to reach this agreement - but just know I am thankful we finally agree. WOO HOO!
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/nb25/index.cfm?pkey=cbdgnbd%7Cb

Baby's first shopping spree!

I know I know... everyone keeps telling me we shouldn't be buying baby clothes because people will buy them for us. But, Friday we ventured into Old Navy where they were having this huge 75% off already sale prices so we loaded up on fun baby clothes. We got at least 30 outfits for $40.00... it was very fun! This is going to be Eric's baby boy so it is required to be the best dressed boy in existence so I figure the more clothes the better!

All is well!

We had a doctors appointment today. All is well. Baby's heartbeat is 140 and I measured 21.5. I continue to think something more exciting will happen at these appointments other than them saying "your still pregnant!" Although it is reassuring to know my belly is growing because I am having a baby and not just because I like Blue Bell. They said as long as all continues to go well we won't be having another ultrasound. That makes us a bit sad but obviously we would rather things continue to go well than have another ultrasound.

What are enchilades?

I grew up in San Antonio, Texas - the capital of Tex-Mex! And I list Mexican as one of my absolute favorite foods. But, the key to this story is that at EVERY Mexican restaurant for my entire life I have ordered a side of beans, a side of guacamole, and an order of corn tortillas. I truly have NEVER had any interest in ordering anything else. But, on January 2nd of 2008 I found myself having a whole new experience.
On this day Eric and I went to a fabulous hole in the wall Mexican restaurant with his brother Bobby in Ocean Beach aka OB and it was there that baby boy Bailey introduced me to a whole new food. As I looked over the menu I couldn't shake the feeling that I wanted a cheese enchilada. WHY? Why would I ever want a cheese enchilada? I have never had one in my life - but there was no way I was going to get away with not ordering this foreign dish.
So there I sat with my enchilada - along with my side of beans, side of guacamole, and order of corn tortillas. At first I just stared at my plate not really sure what to do. I proceeded to take a bite - sauce and all. And to my surprise it wasn't bad. I didn't finish the whole thing (that's what I have Eric for) but I do want to thank baby Bailey for the latest and greatest food adventure.