23 Week Ultrasound

Here are some of today's ultrasound pics, including our 3D photos. Once again she moved a lot, but they were able to get all the measurements they needed this time. Her heartbeat was 155 BPM, and her weight is 1 lb 3 oz. All healthy! Take a look...
Jovi's head is on the right side, and you can see her eye sockets and little hand in the middle.

This one is hard to see, but it is pretty neat. Where it says nose and lips you can see her nostrils and open mouth right below. I thought that was kind of neat.

Looks like Jovi is going to be a thumb sucker like Daddy was. Ben sucked his thumb for a long time as a child, but I never did. Also you can see her little ear, and head. This one is almost a profile picture.

You can see her little hands right by her mouth, and look at that button nose. We think her nose looks like Mommy, but it looks like Daddy's short stubby fingers. I had very long narrow fingers even as an infant. And look at those chubby cheeks (like Mommy and Daddy.)

Again, you can see her hands by her face, and her little mouth, nose, and eyes. Unfortunately, these were as clear as they could get, because Jovi turned her back on us. She was not liking all of that poking and prodding. In fact, the technician said that she could feel her pushing back on the ultrasound wand. I think Jovi was getting mad. I can't wait to see her in person, and compare her to these pics. It should be interesting.

CUTE STORY:

This morning before the ultrasound Isaac jumped on me and his paws were on my belly. I guess Jovi felt him land there, cause she kicked back, and Isaac was so startled. He started staring at my belly, and trying to smell what had hit his paw. It was so cute. He was so confused. So the technician and Isaac have felt her move, but Ben still cannot feel her. Although I think that is much due to his impatience. He puts his hand on my stomach for 5 seconds, and if he doesn't feel her then he gives up. He'll feel her eventually though. We'll just have to wait a few more weeks.

18 Week Ultrasound

Here are a few of our Ultrasound pics from August. This was at 18 weeks. I will try to point out what they are, but it is hard to tell on some of them.

On the left side is a skeletal picture of her face, and you can also see a litte foot toward the top right hand side.

This is a profile picture of her face. You can see Jovi's little nose pointing upwards, and even the little outline of her lips and chin.

This is another profile picture.

And this one is labeled by the ultrasound technician. It is her feet sticking up in the air. You can see her little toes if you look closely.

Painting the Nursery

Daddy worked very hard this weekend to make Jovi's room beautiful, and it looks perfect. It feels great to know that something is finally done. One step is completed, and now we shall move on to the furniture.
Here's Ben painting the edges, and door frames. As you can see I actually caved and we are painting a peachy-pink color. I swore I was not doing a "pink" nursery, but it is more "peachy" than pink, so I can deal. Even Ben likes it "for a girl's room." We had it down to this color, a yellow, a blue, and a green, but we decided blue was too boyish, and the green and yellow were the easiest for us to match for other nursery items (changing pad covers, extra sheets, blankets, etc.) So we were left with "Summer Peach."

Daddy working hard, and you can see the white wall and "Summer Peach" wall behind him. Good comparison shot. I love that the color is light and airy, and because of the natural light in this room, it looks great. We figured the lighter color would make the room look a little bit bigger.

Painter Ben kept yelling for me to get out, because I cannot be near the fumes. But I managed to get a few pics.

Here is Jovi's bedding next to the finished painted walls. The stripes is the dust ruffle, the pink is the sheet, and the dots is the duvet. Notice that we have avoided all flowers and pink bunny rabbits.

And of course, I had to add the kangaroo since the room will be adorned with Australian wildlife once finished.

Grandma Garcia painted the letters for Jovi's name when she came to visit in August. They will be hung on the wall over the crib once we have some furniture.

Another shot of our painted walls. Daddy did a wonderful job. I am positive that Jovi will be proud of her nursery.

Here's a shot with Jovi's GIANT Care Bear that we won for her in Scottsdale. Its HUGE!!!

Just for an idea of how large the Care Bear is, I took a pic of Isaac and Birthday Bear. Isaac is training for his guard job over Jovi. He's actually been going and laying in there even though there is nothing in there yet. He must know something is coming soon though. Afterall, Mommy and Daddy have been spending alot more time in that room than ever before.

BEN'S WAR!!!

It all began the weekend of July 4th...the new neighbors moved in across the street, and everything was fine and dandy. Until of course, a few weeks went by, and we began to notice that these new neighbors were using our front yard as a permanent parking spot for one of their 4 cars. While I found this to be slightly rude and obnoxious, Ben found it enraging. And so the war began...

Ben's first tactical step (Phase 1) was to combine forces with our side neighbor, and block their car in with our trash cans on trash day. In which case, the new neighbors moved our trash cans into the middle of the street in retaliation. Needless to say, Ben was even further enraged, but we couldn't possibly just go and talk to the new neighbors about the situation. So we moved into what Ben called "Phase 2."

"Phase 2" consisted of parking my car in front of our house, so that they could no longer park there. Of course, we could not park Ben's car out there, because it might get scratched being parked on the street. But apparently my non-air conditioned '92 Cavalier is street worthy. So sadly it went to the street, and the new neighbors began parking in front of our "2 doors down" neighbor's house. So we felt it was safe to move my car back into it's spot in the garage. Surely, they had gotten the message.

Then the "2 doors down" neighbor retaliated by parking their car in front of the new neighbor's house. Meaning the new neighbors returned to parking their car in front of our home. Ben was furious!!! I told Ben he should go and talk to these neighbors, and politely explain that we did not want them to park in front of our house. (But Ben is a man, so we could not do that.) So Ben spent the next few weeks bitching everyday after work about the "disrespectful" new neighbors, and how ignorant they were to not notice that everyone was pissed off about the parking situation. He did this until he finally decided to repark my car out front, because "if anyone is going to park in front of our house it is gonna be us." Which was "Phase 3!!!"

So my car went back in front of our house in a more permanent state. Several times I have left to go the store or run errands, and when I returned they were back in front of our house. When this happens Ben glares through the front door peep hole to see when they leave again, so that he can quickly park my car outside before they return. This also means that when I do have to leave the house, I must return home in a different route than usual, so that I can glide back into the spot in front of our house more easily. (I love that I have become involved in this little charades.) In fact, one time I returned home when the new neighbors were outside. They stood on the end of their driveway staring at me like I was the scum of the earth as I parked my car in front of my own house. I thought they were waiting for me to get out of the car, so they could confront me, and that I was going to be drawn into Ben's War even further. But all they did was stand there giving me the stink eye.

In the meantime, the new neighbors have parked their cars in front of several other people's houses, and now the entire neighborhood is parking in the street instead of in their own driveway or garages to keep the new neighbors from using their homes for personal parking spots. All the while Ben is steaming about these "idiot" neighbors, and every night I get to listen to an ear full of cuss words. (I desperately try to cover my belly, so Jovi doesn't hear this awful language, ha ha.)

While I find this entire thing ridiculous...I do not understand how these new neighbors have not noticed how much this irritates the entire neighborhood. How do they not see that people have started parking in the streets to protect their homes from falling victim to the car junk yard these people have created? How do they not notice that people have started going out of their way to park their cars in front of THE NEW NEIGHBOR'S house to prove a point? In the past month or so the new neighbors have probably had 12 different neighborhood cars parked in front of their home. Could the neighborhood make their point any clearer? Which is why Ben keeps getting angrier and angrier. And that led to "Phase 4"....

As I mentioned before, these new neighbors have 4 cars. What I did not mention was that 2 of these cars do not even run. One of them is on cinder blocks with a tarp over it in the driveway, and the other is taken apart in the middle of the street in front of their house. And the two running cars are parked somewhere along the street where ever they can squeeze them in front of another neighbor's house. And any neighbor that dares to leave for work or an errand comes home to one of these cars being parked in front of their home. Well, it came to Ben's attention that our HOA has a rule that no one can have non-running cars parked in the driveway or on the street. They must be parked in the garage, and these people have rows of shelves in their garage. And I mean rows, it looks like a damn grocery store in there. So Ben initiated "Phase 4" by emailing the HOA and reporting the situation. The HOA responded, and said they would take photographs and review ASAP.

That leads to today...Isaac was barking like crazy, so I went to see what all the commotion was about. The new neighbors had a U-Haul out front, and were loading up their stuffed garage. Of course, I called Ben to report the newest info, and he is ecstatic. Hopefully, this means they will be moving their non-running cars into the garage, the streets will become clear again, and Ben's War will finally come to an end. Not to mention our innocent little Jovi will not have to endure any more of her father's cussing rants. :)

17 WEEKS TO GO...IS THAT A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING?!?!?

According to the doctor, we're officially 6 months pregnant today. Which means 17 weeks to go (in theory). HALLELUJAH! Of course, it could be earlier or later than the 40 week mark, because most women do not deliver on their actual due date. Lets hope for earlier rather than later. In the meantime, I can't wait to meet little Jovi, and touch her tiny fingers and toes...but pregnancy is certainly not blissful.

Which leads me to my pregnancy rant... Aaaw the joys of pregnancy!

1. My back KILLS me, due to the fact that I am the size of the Goodyear blimp (a constantly inflating blimp that is due to explode at any given moment).

2. I've got the complexion of a high school freshman. I've never had this many breakouts in my entire life. (Perhaps I should invest in some Proactive).

3. I'm convinced I could beat anyone in an eating contest of any kind, as long as I accept the fact that every bite means massive bloating, and miserable heartburn. (Which reminds me...my TUMS bottle is running low).

4. I can't sleep without strategically stuffing 25 pillows around my entire body, and then of course, I am sweating too much to get any rest anyway.

5. If I pee any more frequently then I'm afraid I am going to flood the "Land of Enchantment."

6. I am STILL on morning sickness meds. Lucky me!

7. Standing any longer than 5 minutes sends shooting pains through my lower back and butt. That damn sciatic nerve!

8. Any sudden movements causes those "oh-so-wonderful" round ligament cramps.

9. Jovi swooshes around so much that I feel like I am about to have a techni-colored yawn all over the floor. (And naturally she chooses the most convenient moments for this...the grocery store, while eating out, etc.)

10. I'm constantly making trips to the restroom to dab my leaky breasts (ALREADY...and I'm not even breastfeeding yet!!! Give me a break, colostrum. Won't I have enough of those issues later on?)

11. All feelings of sexiness leave with the never ending bloating and gas. (Poor Ben)

12. Walking, vaccuming, sweeping, dishwashing, talking, etc. all cause labored breathing that makes me sound like one of those phone perverts. (A lovely side effect of hormones that drives Ben nuts.)

13. The only comfortable position to lay in is on your back, which is forbidden by the doctor.

14. How embarrassing it to explain to the grocery store clerk that you're weeping for absolutely no reason? "No, I'm fine...really. I'm just pregnant." Then of course, you get the sympathetic "Ohhh" nod.

15. Oh and lets not forget those wonderful calf cramps that, so rudely wake you in the middle of the night (and this is only on the nights that you've actually managed to get to sleep. I thought mother nature would, at least, let me get some sleep before the baby arrived since I won't be getting any rest after.)

16. And why does my mind refuse to function? My memory is shot, and I can't seem to keep things straight. This is finally the moment that all of my anal and retentive ways were going to come in handy. I was going to do everything systematically, and everything was going to be organized and structured, HA. (Of all the times for my brain to take a vacation...)

17. My hot and cold sensors are completely out of whack. It could be 50 degrees outside and I am sweating bullets. Our electricity bill is going to be off the charts by the end of this, because the thermostat has to be set in the 60's for me to even cope. (God Bless Cold Showers)

18. The anticipation of seeing what your child will be like, and look like is pure torture. Yes, its exciting too, but after a few months, you begin to get restless. The suspense takes over, and its all you can think about. Its an elevated state of "child at Christmas," only the waiting lasts for much longer than one long Christmas Eve night.

MY APOLOGIES...
I apologize for the negative pregnancy rant, (which, by the way, would make a great birth control slogan) but I needed to vent a little. Don't get me wrong...I don't expect things to be easy once Jovi arrives, but at least then you get the fun moments, too. You get to see your child's facial features, and eventually her little smiles and giggles. You get to feel their soft baby skin, and have their fist wrap around your fingers. And despite all of the negative parts of pregnancy...there are some really amazing aspects as well, and I have no doubt that it will all be worth it. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee that there will be more Baby McCarty's in the future. So please pardon my "woest me" moment above.

SEVENTEEN MORE WEEKS...
The interesting thing is that 17 more weeks of pregnancy seems like forever when imagining all of those "wonderful" symptoms and anxiety, and knowing that there is only more to come... (On that note: Thank you Ben for continuing to love me despite all the yucky aspects of pregnancy. You did not know what you were getting into.)

...On the other hand, when thinking about the fact that we have not even STARTED the nursery yet, I begin to panic. How can we ever get all of this done in 17 weeks or POSSIBLY LESS? Time is running out so quickly, and 17 weeks just doesn't seem long enough. The nursery isn't ready, we haven't found a pediatrician yet, we've not even registered for birthing classes or a tour of the hospital, and I'm sure I'm missing some other critical step.

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE...
Fortunately, I have finally convinced Ben to paint the nursery this weekend. SO at least we're getting something done.
Next Monday, we're going to have our 3D Ultrasound, and from what I hear that is pretty exciting. If it is anything like our past ultrasounds I am sure that it will be awesome.
In a couple of weeks, we will finally be ordering our nursery furniture, and hopefully this will get things moving along as far as getting the nursery completed on time for Jovi's arrival.
My baby shower was cancelled due to Ole Hurricane Ike hitting Houston, but it has been rescheduled, and I will still get to see all of my family and friends in October. I am so excited about that, and at the very least, it is a distraction from all the stressful things that have yet to be done.
So maybe things will speed up for this last portion of pregnancy, and everything will start falling into place. I'm sure eveything will be perfect when Jovi arrives, and all this anxiety will be for nothing. In the meantime, I will try to destress.

Halfway Day!!!

We've made it to our halfway mark in the pregnancy last Friday. YEA!!! I thought that was cause for me to take some updated belly pics.

This is Mama McCarty at 20 weeks.

And of course, Isaac Boy had to join into the photo opp. He loves posing for pics. He's so silly.

And one more preggo pic.

Scottsdale, AZ is HOT!!!

Ben and I went a couple of weeks ago to Scottsdale for a nice relaxing get away before our little girl arrives. It was wonderful, and just what I needed. Of course, IT WAS HOT HOT HOT!!!

We swam a little everyday, which did wonders for my back. And I drank yummy, virgin Strawberry Daquiris and Pina Coladas poolside. I also got to have Blue Bell Ice Cream, which I've missed dearly since we moved from Texas, and I also got to have Tex-Mex, which again, I've missed dearly since I moved from Texas.

Ben and I went to Dave and Busters and won our baby girl her first Care Bear. A very important event for any little girl. And I bought tons of baby clothes. She is going to be a fashion guru, HA HA.

Ben was pretty excited about those HUGE cacti. They were bigger than I had ever imagined they would be.

And of course, Ben got his golf game in, despite the fact that it was 115 degrees outside. He's a true golfer.