Pregnancy

35 weeks and counting! Here's the update:

Cravings:
-Capri Sun
-String Cheese
-Almond Joy
-M&M McFlurry (ok, not just a pregnancy craving)
-Pei Wei Lettuce Wraps
-Outback Coconut Shrimp
-Drumsticks Ice Cream
-Juice it up
-Costco food court hot dogs
-Milkshakes
-Fresh fruits and veggies (fruits is a new pregnancy addition to the veggies)
-Cold cereal

Non-cravings (whatever is opposite of cravings/things I used to like, but haven't liked while pregnant)
-Cafe Rio/Costa Vida. They sound kind of gross but I enjoy while eating. Costa Vida nachos were the first food item to make me nauseous that first trimester. I worry it'll never be the same.
-Pizza. 2nd food item to make me gag the first trimester. Now I eat it, but don't crave it.
-Eggs. I used to enjoy fried eggs, tolerate scrambled, but now just not interested.
-Lays Chips. LOVED Sour Cream & Onion and BBQ, but there's something about the oily-ness, or the random overcooked/small brown colored ones that bother me these days.
-Milk...love hate relationship. Sometimes I love it, other times it tastes funny no matter how new the carton or how low the % (I'm a fat free drinker)
-Meat. Starting to get more picky about what I like and don't like.

Things I know about our Baby Drake (at least for now):
-hiccups 1-2 times a day.
-athlete. Very wiggly and strong.
-Shy (hopefully not just stubborn). Will NOT move for my friend Nicole whenever she tries to feel.
-already makes mom cry frequently. Ok... could just be the hormones.
-pain in my side...my right side specifically. There's a foot, or knee, or some hard body part that he likes to poke out right above my right hip.
-Cooperative. At my last appointment he was already upside down and facing my back. Just hope he is as cooperative at the hospital when it really counts.
-Either really playful or easily annoyed. He moves and kicks when we put our hands where he is sticking out.
-Don't know for sure yet, but he sure feels like he's going to be really big and really tall

PICTURES!

33 weeks:
working on a Christmas present project for Alex's brother Andy

Finished!

34 1/2 weeks: Church outfit...getting more and more limited in choices

Favorite every day shirt. Urban Outfitters! (And turkey-timer of a belly button)

Sneak peek of my current project... currently working out a kink that's stopping production. Anyone have good tips on dying things grey? Or where to find silver colored crib sheets?

My lovely baby bump

Here it is...the progression and update of the baby bump...

12 weeks: The "before" picture

18 1/2 weeks: Finally! First signs of a growing baby! I woke up one morning and saw this... a bump! Love it even if it is lopsided!

19 weeks: a little more pokey-outtie

22 weeks: looking more pregnant. Just in time for Christmas.

26 weeks:

31 weeks: group picture in CA, but you definitely can't miss the belly!
It's hard for me to believe I'm going to get even bigger. Baby too! It feels like there already isn't room for him in there!

Additions: birthday and CA Christmas

First. Thank you Alex for the sweet post. He is the best ever. I had the best day....had lunch at Citrus Grill with Aunt Laura, bought fabric to make baby bedding, ate a Rasberry-Strawberry-Banana shake from Iceberg, watched Tarzan, played Mancala, and ate Oliver Garden, played Rook, and had fondue with Aly and Zach.

Second. I finally finished the California Christmas post I started weeks ago, so scroll down past Alex's love note and enjoy.

Happy Birthday Al.....

I just wanted to express how much I love Ally on her birthday and thank her for being so cool. Here are a few of my favorite things about Al...

-She is so darn creative/crafty/hands on (she is making our own crib bedding that is going to look sweet!) and p.s. Sorry this post looks so un-creative and un-cool compared to what Ally's usually looks like.

-Al pushes me to be better. (I have a lot of weaknesses and she is alright with that but also tries to make me work on being better)

-Ally is sooo freaking smart/intelligent. (I always tease her that she should be the one going to med school, not me)

-Patient with me. (I have my weird quirks... and Al puts up with them/me)

-Al can get ready very, very, very quickly (if needed) and still look like a HOT momma!!! (I figured that has to be every guys dream... until I realized she can get ready faster than me)

-My wife knows how and when to put me in my place. (and she does it so well- I'm grateful for a wife that will do that every so often even though it's not fun)

-Obviously Al is a hottie, but I just had to list two things... her beautiful green eyes and her sexy long legs in heels... gotta love em'!

-Ally knows how to care for me. (Plain and simple... my wife can read me and understands me- she knows what to do if I'm mad/sad/frustrated/or anything else)

-She loves me! (Thanks Al)

I better wrap this up... I was going to write this while Al was sleeping in, but she got an early phone call and woke up. So now I'm doing it while she showers. Thanks again and happy birthday Al.

-Alex

Our Warm Christmas

Christmas in California
Alex's first non-white Christmas

California welcomed me the best way it could...Sun and heat!

Go-cart racing at K1 in Irvine for Alex's 25th birthday

Indoor race track

The line up

The birthday boy

Cousin's Wedding. Newport Beach Temple, December 19th

Because he's cute.

Al & Al outside California Adventures at Disneyland

Amazing CA sunset outside my house

Sunset making my house even more lovely

Boys.

Christmas

Baby's loot. Notice Dr. Drake scrubs and "It's all about Ultimate" onesie (for the soon-to-be 5th ultimate frisbee player in the Carter family)

Talking to Michael in Russia. Also, 4 generations: Grandma, Mom, Me, & baby bump

Laguna Beach

When I thought I was 'really' starting to show. Ha.

How we often find Rachel... Reading.

Tidepools.

NERF WAR

A part of our trip that really deserves a post of its own

The Carters
VS.The Schoessows. Don't be fooled, there are 10 opponents behind those forts

Dad

Rae

Joel

Mom

Rae... reading.

Opponents. Tricky.

Opponent Jared. Scary huh?

Our White Christmas

Our Christmas Festivities in Utah...

Friends party....

Alex, Dave, Kyle, Blair, Matt, Grady (plus the wives of course)

The Nutcracker by Ballet West at Capitol Theater with Nicole....

Family Time & Early Christmas

Andy

Aaron

Aaron and Dave

Mary (Aaron's wife) and Lori (me and Mary's mom-in-law)

The checker board Alex and I made Aaron and Mary

Cuddling with Danny the dog

Whobilation

Warning...this is a long blog with a lot of pictures....

I am on activities committee in our ward (and alex is unofficially). The committee had talked earlier in the year about each picking one activity to be in charge of, and I picked Christmas with the brilliant idea of doing a Whoville theme. While it was brilliant, it was a lot more work than I had planned. A couple days before the big day my dad asked me if I had "bitten off more than I can chew." I told alex later that I could in fact chew it, but it turned out to be more like chewing over-cooked steak when I had expected fall-apart-in-your-mouth salmon.

It really really was really fun to do, make, and plan. Not going to lie...it was just nice to be busy and involved with something creative and time consuming. The party included: breakfast, decorations, and a program (requested by bishopric). So I figured: bright colors and fun shapes, and the Grinch play...which was previously done in the Foothill Ranch Ward back in CA.

Breakfast was planned and taken care of by our friend on the committee, and I took on decorations and putting the program together. Decorations were easy, fun, and simple. But the play was another story. I might have gone overboard for a ward party Christmas program. Considering the only stage experience I've had is a couple of stake roadshows, I was nervous. But time, work, and some stress made it all work out. Here's what went down......

Decorations:
Pretty much just focused on the tables. I planned, got supplies, made samples, then let committee members make different crafts.


-Tinsel trees from Dollar store, hot glued glitter star on top, dipped brads in paint then glitter for tree ornaments.
-Candy Cups. I got clear plastic cups from the grocery store, dipped rims in paint then glitter, filled with rock salt and stuck in colorful candy canes (also from dollar store).


-Table runners. Cut wrapping paper into long strips. Size and number per roll will change depending on the amount of paper (and size of it) on each roll. With this paper I got 12 out of each roll. Each runner about 13in x 6ft long.

-Whoville-tree shirt at Target, just for fun
-Heart Ornaments. One for each family. Made dough with 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1 cup water. Cut with heart cookie cutter, poked holes for ribbon, baked at 325 degrees for 20 minutes until hard, but not brown. Then painted, stamped with darker red for design, and added tag that said "Welcome Christmas, while we stand, Heart to heart, and hand in hand." Someone from the committee explained the hearts to audience, said something about service and making ourselves grow through service, etc... (sorry picture is bad quality and not rotated)
For the Play:
-2 backdrops, one "Outside scene" one "Inside scnene." We projected the Grinch movie onto 2 rows of butcher paper taped together. We'd pause the movie on the cave, paint, pause on the trees, paint, then the village. Same with the inside one's archway. And we definitely improvised a few times.
-Props like fireplace, sleigh, heart reader, roast beast
-Grinch costume. Green sweats, socks, and gloves. Furry green yarn wrapped around wrists and neck. Face paint and hair spray color. Santa costume red long sleeve t-shirt with white fluffy fabric sewed on openings. Hat $1 at Walmart.

A few Christmas Miracles that came with this event:
-We did a read through once mid-Novmeber, then one run through Friday night which was a mess considering it was our first time through it. So we met Saturday morning before the breakfast to practice again and it went amazing. Absolutely. Then the actual program was just great. Amazing. Still kinda can't believe it pulled together.
-We have a lot of sky lights in the cultural hall so I wasn't happy with how the lighting wouldn't be as dramatic, etc...but the sky that morning was dark and overcast, and it snowed...for the first time after a few weeks of bright sunny days. Definitely set a nice mood for us.
-I am sure there were other ones along the way, like finding sales, getting a free small christmas tree and wrapped present props from work, etc.

I really couldn't have done it without our ward members that participated. The only actor a part of the committee was Max the dog. Also, Alex for all his help and support and for holding me when my hormones/stress got the best of me. Thanks Alex.

(We're trying to figure out how to do video....so stay tuned)