Reagan update!

Reagan is growing and growing!  Every time we go to the doctor I can't believe how big she is!  She weighs about 10 oz and is the size of large mango.  Currently, Reagan is able to hear our voices and loud sounds like the dogs barking.  I guess she better get used to the barking.  She has also developed the her eyebrows and eyelashes.  I think she likes to take naps during our sonograms because the sonogram technician had to jiggle my stomach to get her to show her lady parts.  

We are so lucky to have a beautiful, healthy baby.  I know we have a while, but I can't wait until she is here!  What will her personality be like?  Who will she look like?  May cannot come soon enough!

Here are some belly pictures.  We decided to move the pictures into Reagan's room. 

Sleep:  I'm sleeping really well!  I fall asleep usually around 9 and wake up around 5:30 or 6. 

Missing anything: I miss sushi and hot yoga.  This time of year is perfect for a nice hot yoga class. 

Food Cravings: Orange juice- I've never been a big juice person prior to being pregnant.  Now, I can't get enough of it! 

 

Exercise: I'm trying to still work out 2-3 times a week.   

Food Aversions: not really- I wish sweets would become a food aversion :)

Symptoms: none that I can think of

Have you started to show yet: yep

Happy or Moody: Happy, but emotional.   

Looking forward to: Going to Virginia!

Happenings

Can you believe that it's Christmas!  The fall semester has gone by so fast!  It's been a very eventful fall!  Showers, weddings, Thanksgiving, Christmas Parties oh my! 

Here are just a few pictures of random fall things:

I'm still waiting on the photographers to post pictures of Cindy's wedding. But for now here is a couple of seek peeks:


 








Thanksgiving:

 Tech Baylor:

Also, Kristen and Brady had their annual Christmas Party.  It was tacky sweater themed.  Jerry went as Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation :)

 

Hanging out with my girl:

After our dryer almost started a fire in our house, we decided it was time to get a new washer and dryer.  We also purchased these bad boys on Christmas Eve:

Is it sad, that Jerry and I were excited to do laundry?  Gezz we are getting old :/

This year for family Christmas, Jerry and I went to Jane and Glenn's for brunch and Lauren and Dave's for dinner on Christmas Eve.  It was so nice being with family.  I love this time of year!  We leave tomorrow morning for Virginia! 

 

 

I can't even begin to tell you have thankful I am for Reagan, Jerry, our family, and friends.  Jerry and I are surrounded by so many wonderful people.  We are truly blessed!



IT'S A.....

GIRL!

Jerry and I are very excited!  Her name will be Reagan Elizabeth Ann Peterson. 

Just some background knowledge on the her name:

• Jerry and I were really torn between Addison and Reagan for a name.  We decided to go with Reagan because Addison Peterson has a lot of "sons" in it. 
• My full name is Carolyn Jean Lynda Peterson.  My middle names are my two grandmothers names.  I really like this and I wanted to pass it on.  Since my mom's name is Janet and Jerry's mom's name is Jane we decided to go with their middle names.

We found out that she is a she on Friday, November 30.  We weren't sure for a while if little Reagan was going to tell us whether she was a boy or girl.  She was sitting criss-cross and every time Dr. Glenn tried to move her she would tighten her legs closer to her body.  Already a KD Lady  ;)

We finally got the perfect angle and found out we are having a girl!  Jerry and I were in complete awe.  Jerry has said from the beginning that it was a girl and I was never quite sure.  Just hearing that "it" is now a "she" was so surreal.  I have so many hopes and dreams for her already. 


We decided tell Jerry's family in Virginia by having a baker dig out the middle of a cupcake and fill it with pink icing and cover it with white icing.  We had Walker pick them up and take it to Larry and Karen.  Everyone was very excited!

Next to find out the exciting news was my Mom, Dad, Lauren, Claire, Luke, Jane, and Glenn.  We decided to tell them by getting a big box and filling it with pink balloons.  We met everyone at Mama's Pizza and shared the exciting news.  Claire Bear got to do the honors of opening the box. 

 

Next to find out was our friends.  We decided to have everyone over for a casual dinner.  We decided to tell our friends through cake balls.  I dyed the cake pink and covered it with white icing. 

 

It was really fun seeing everyone's reaction.  Here are some pictures.  I promise there were guys there too, but I didn't want to be annoying and ask the boys to get together for a picture. 

 

Megan, Kristen, and Stacey 

 

Cathy, Natalie, and Baby Easton.  Easton was just a sweet boy throughout the entire party.

Andrea, Cindy, Brandon (photo bomb!), and Katie

 

 Some of the ladies:

 

 

 

Brandon and Jerry:

 

 We are so lucky to have such amazing family and friends.  Reagan is truly blessed to already be surrounded by some many people that love her. 

On Sunday we decided to go to Buy Buy Baby and just look around.  Holy cow- this store is amazing, but very overwhelming.  I'm really glad we did this- That way when we register it won't be as new and overwhelming.

Check out Jerry rocking the stroller- He's a natural!

 

So here are a couple of weekly belly pictures:

Next step.... decorating Reagan's room!!! Yay!

 

Hello 2nd Trimester!

How far along: 15 weeks

Maternity Clothes: On Black Friday I decided to buy some maternity jeans.  Let me just tell you...Maternity jeans are awesome!

 

While at the maternity store, the sales lady gave me a bump pillow.  She said the pump adds about 3 months.  I sent this picture to Jerry and said, "Are you ready for this?"  haha

 

 

Sleep:  I've been waking up at 3 probably once or twice a week.  Usually, it's because I'm hungry :/

 

Missing anything: Still missing the Jimmy John's Beach Club.  I'm also missing a good workout- specifically Hope's Cycling Class

 

Food Cravings: Week 12 was a difficult week eating wise.  However, now I'm feeling great!  I guess the only thing I have really wanted was a pickle (how cliche.)  I'm trying really hard to not go crazy on the food.... but it's really hard this time of year

 

Exercise: I'm trying to still work out 3-4 times a week.  However, some weeks are better than others. 

 

 

Food Aversions: none that I can think of

 

Symptoms: I've noticed that my sense of smell has really heightened

 

Have you started to show yet: kind of.... I think it just looks like I've had one too many helpings at Thanksgiving

 

Happy or Moody: Happy 

 

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender on Friday! 

Andrea's Big Day

Andrea and Zach got married on October 27.  The wedding was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!  Andrea did an amazing job on planning and organizing the wedding. 

Let's start from the beginning:
Andrea and I have known each other since we were in elementary school.  We played on the same YMCA volleyball team and went to Trinity United Methodist together.  We even competed against each other in high school golf tournaments.  We were never close friends more of just acquaintances in high school.  We both ended up going to Texas Tech and pledging the same sorority (separately).  Once we were Kappa Deltas we became very close and decided to live together for our sophomore year.  It's history from there, we continued to live together throughout college and remain best friends to this day.  I like to think God wanted us to be best friends. 

 


I love Andrea!  She's like a sister to me.  I can tell her anything and know that she will support me while always shooting me straight. She is trustworthy, honest, sincere, and just an all round great friend.




Okay, enough with the mushiness!  Andrea and Zach met through Brady and Kristen.  Zach and Brady have been best friends since high school.  Throughout the years we always noticed a spark between Zach and Andrea, but the timing was never right until May of 2010.  They started dating and it was meant to be!  Zach proposed at Enchanted Rock in Fredricksburg in February.

 Together, Andrea and Zach are a great couple!  They are always fun to hang out with. 

The wedding festivities began on Friday.  The girls had a bridal luncheon at Stanford House and went a had their nails done.  The Rehearsal dinner was at Pappasito's and it was delicious.  That night we stayed at a hotel in Fort Worth.

The next morning went to Shelton's to get our hair done.  Andrea made us these cute button ups with our initials---so cute!

 

Then we were off to the First Methodist-Arlington.  We finished getting ready and took pictures.  Andrea looked amazing!  Look how beautiful she is!

 

All dolled up!

 Mr. Spencer was so proud of Andrea!

 Look at that smile!

 

 

 

Next up was the reception at the T and P Station.  I have never been here before, but it is really cool venue.  Andrea's decor was great!  She did lots of fall colors and it looked fabulous. 

 

As soon as they are completed, I will add more pictures of actual ceremony and reception.  :)

I'm sooooo happy for Zach and Andrea! You guys make a beautiful couple!  Next stop..... BABIES! haha just kidding... You have plenty of time! 

We are pregnant!

Well.... if you haven't heard...... JERRY AND I ARE HAVING A BABY!!!

We are both so excited! Keeping it a secret has been so hard! 

Warning: This is a really long post.  I have been waiting for 8 weeks tell this exciting news!


So, lets start from the beginning.  Jerry and I decided we were ready to have kids back in January.  We thought about it and thought about it and decided to wait until summer to start trying.  I really wanted to have the baby close to April or May so I could use my summer as maternity leave. 

Fast forward to September 13 (Jerry's Birthday) around 5 AM.  I couldn't sleep any longer because I was so nervous about taking the pregnancy test.  Sure enough it was positive!! I could hardly believe it!  I even got Jerry up to make sure my eyes weren't lying to me.  Yep, that's two lines! 

 

We had our first sonogram on October 8.  Dr. Glenn said everything looked great!  We even got to hear the heart beat!  I think I'm about 8 weeks at this point and the baby was about the size of a raspberry or olive (according to my What to Expect When You're Expecting App.) 

 

Side note: I LOVE my doctor and her staff. She and her nurses are fabulous! Everyone is so nice and so happy for us at her office. Dr. Glenn also delivered Luke, my nephew, back in September. 

 

Dr. Glenn suggested we not make the big announcement until the next appointment.  This was VERY difficult to keep a secret.  I wanted to tell everyone, but Jerry and I resisted for the most part.  I especially wanted to tell my friends and coworkers. 

 

We decided to go ahead and tell our families.  I called my mom and sister on a three way call and told them the exciting news.  We bought "Grandma loves me!" and "I love Grandpa" bibs for Jane and Glenn.  Then we sent "Grandma loves me!, "I love Grandpa", and "My uncle is hot and single" bibs to Larry, Karen and Walker in Virginia.  It was really fun hearing everyone's reactions. 

 

Fast forward to November 2:  We headed up to the doctor for our next visit.  I was nervous, but very excited.  We had our sonogram and the baby was jumping around like crazy!  It was so funny!  We were able to see the babies head, fingers, foot, and umbilical cord.  It's amazing how fast he/she grows!  Dr. Glenn said the baby was the size of an orange!   I was relieved to hear everything looked great!  In this picture, the baby is about 11 1/2 weeks. 

 

 

In typical "Cheesy Carolyn" fashion, I decided to put this picture on facebook once we got the green light to tell everyone. 

 

We have also been taking weekly pictures.  I know I'm not showing, but it's still fun taking belly pictures. 

 

Weeks 1-7 were great!  Then Mr. Nausea came by for a visit.  Basically for 3 weeks all I ate was peanut butter and jelly, cereal, and chicken fingers.  This was not a fun part. 

 

A friend of mine from college is having a baby and she post the questions below every so often.  I thought it was cute, so I'm going to do the same thing. 

 

How far along: 11 weeks and 5 days

 

Maternity Clothes: No, just doing the old rubber band trick on my pants

 

Sleep: I've been waking up at strange times 2, 3, 6.  Not sure what this is about

 

Missing anything: Jimmy John's Beach Club :/

 

Food Cravings: I'm getting to where I can eat normal/ healthy food again (for the most part.) However, all I want to eat is starchy foods- tortillas, bread, crackers, etc.  Also, Ginger Ale is a life saver! 

 

Exercise:  I'm trying to still work out 3-4 times a week.  I just make sure my heart rate does not go over 140 beats per minute.  I'm sticking with Body Pump twice a week and walks or eliptical twice a week.

 

Food Aversions: baked chicken

 

Symptoms: occasional waves of nausea

 

Have you started to show yet: no, I just look like I've been eating too many doughnuts

 

Happy or Moody: Happy and very emotional. 

 

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender on November 30.  I'm also looking forward to Cindy and Chris' wedding! 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Luke is here!!!

At 4:15 am I got a text message from Lauren saying, "Heading to the hospital.  I will call you when I get there, not sure what I'm dialated to." 

I jumped out of bed and into the shower.  I was so excited!  I got another text from Lauren at 4:38 am saying, "Might want to head in, I'm 8cm." 

Turns out Lauren was a couple minutes away from not getting an epidural.  Fortunately, she was able to get good stuff.  Meanwhile, I am racing down I-30 to downtown Fort Worth!  I was not going to miss seeing my nephew being born!  I arrived at Baylor around 5:10 and Luke was born 20 minutes later. 

I was lucky enough to be in the room to see the birth.  I will admit, I was really not sure about being in the room.  However, I'm so glad a got to be a part of Luke's birth.  It wasn't scary or gross... it was amazing... a miracle!  After 3 pushes, Luke was born at 5:30 AM.  He is 8lbs2oz and 20 in. 

I was so proud of my sister!  She was calm, cool, and collected!  She is the best mommy in the whole world and I'm so excited for her and Dave!

 Here are some pictures:

 

 

Funny story: Lauren and Dave got stopped on the way to the hospital! Dave told the officer, "My wife is in labor!" Fortunately, the officer let them go. I'm not sure they would have made it to hospital otherwise!

I don't have a picture of Claire and Luke together.  As soon as I do, I will post it!  :)

Fall Festivities!

This fall is going to be very busy and I CAN'T WAIT!   My sister's baby Luke is due in the middle of October, Andrea is getting married on October 27, our friends- Kyle and Cathy's baby is due at the end of October, and Cindy is getting married on November 17. 

 

I am soooooo excited to meet Baby Luke!  Lauren asked if I would like to be in the room when Luke was being delivered.  Although the birthing process is very intense, I would love to experience this with my sister. 

 

This past weekend we had a baby shower for Lauren at our house.  The shower was great!  Lauren has a great group of friends!  I don't know what I was thinking, but I forgot to take pictures of when there were actual guest at the shower.... :/  I promise there were people there! 

Here are some pictures:

 

 

My mom made the Luke banner-

 

We had more food- it was just in the oven baking. 

My mom, Lauren, and I:

 

 

A few weeks ago Andrea had her bridal shower.  The hostesses were so creative and had the cutest decorations!  This a picture of the bridesmaids, minus Megan.   

A week later was the  bachelorette party! The bachelorette party was in Dallas and we had a blast! I can't wait for Andrea's wedding! She is going to make a beautiful bride! 

 

I am so excited about this fall!  So many milestones for my friends and their families!  I feel lucky to be apart of their special time!