All posts for the month May, 2011

35 Week Check-up

5 More Weeks!

Today I had my 35 week check-up!  I’ve been feeling pretty good all things considered, just have the same old swelling of the feet, minor headaches here and there, a stretching feeling and some pressure on my lower abdomen, and periodic braxton hicks contractions…..all which are totally normal for 35 weeks pregnant.  I went in and did they did the routine blood pressure, weight and fetal heart beat, and although my weight is still on track and Garrett’s heart rate was 150, my blood pressure was 126/83 which is considered high-normal.  2 weeks ago when I went my blood pressure was 103/70 which is great so I’m not too sure what is going on, but the Dr. has decided that she’d like me to start coming in weekly now, which is also normal given how many weeks I am.  Next week they will check my weight and blood pressure again and if there is protein in my urine then they will diagnose me with preeclampsia, and I’ll most likely be told to take it easy and then if the high BP continues they will probably need to induce me earlier than my due date of June 29th.  The good thing is, that next week I will be 36 weeks which my Dr.’s consider full term so if I do need to be induced, chances are that everything with me and the baby would be fine!  Even though I am more than ready to meet our little man, I’m hoping that my blood pressure returns to normal in the next week so I can continue progressing naturally, and Garrett can then come when he is ready!
I’ve spent the last couple of weeks purchasing the few remaining things we need, and getting everything put together, set up, washed, and organized.  Here are some pictures of the complete nursery, definitely my favorite room in the house : )
Changing table is stocked and ready to go!
The beautiful hand made quilt that Aunt Manda got for Garrett and the bookshelf for all of his books!
His closet organized and stocked with diapers and all : )
Again….most of his clothes are in the dresser!
So…aside from the car seat being in the car, we’re ready!  My hospital bag is just about packed, and we can’t wait to meet our little man.  We’re just hoping that regardless of when he comes, he is healthy.  That’s all that matters : ) 
Here’s my weekly update!

How far along? 35 weeks
Total weight gain. 30 lbs
Symptoms? Swollen feet, Braxton Hicks Contractions, lower abdominal pressure/stretching, and I’m noticing that I now need to sit down and relax for a little bit after my daily walks.
Cravings of the week? Blue Bell Cookies and Cream Ice Cream in a regular cone, watermelon, strawberries, and italian food.
Sleep?  Pretty good, just tossing and turning more, and I get cramps in my calves occasionally.  Also, getting up once a night to use the bathroom
Best moment this week? Hearing Garrett’s heartbeat and feeling him kick the nurse when she checked it : )  He does not like anything poking or prodding him.  Who does right : )
Belly button? I could see it raising my shirt a little bit earlier today, but it went back to being flush with my skin.  I’m pretty sure it will pop within the week
Movement? Oh yeah, he got the hiccups yesterday morning and that was kind of crazy, but he seems to be making more fluid movements because his space is cramped.  Not so much kicking an punching, but actually moving if that makes sense.  He’s also really enjoyed lodging his feet up under my ribs and that is not very comfortable.
Looking forward to?  Meeting him of course : )
Milestones?  Dr.’s consider me full term next week!!!!!
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by Jenny on May 25, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Pregnancy, Uncategorized

Posted by Jenny on May 25, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/05/25/35-week-check-up/

My Floating Weekend

A Slightly Different Summer

So I’m almost 35 weeks pregnant, and it’s been in the upper 80’s to low 90’s for the past few days.  My feet are swelling up to what my lovely younger brother called “Nutty Professor” size, and Baby Garrett is about 20 inches long now and weighs about 5.5 lbs.  There isn’t much I can do to feel comfortable, but floating is NOT one of those things.  We’re lucky to own a boat and live so close to Lake Norman, and for the past 4 summers have spent a great deal of time on the lake.  Now I can’t exactly say that my boating days are what they used to be, and it’s hard for me to have to ask to slow down so I’m not wincing in pain or feeling like I’ve got to pee ( I don’t like feeling like a burden, and not being able to do the things we normally do.) We spend more time idling than cruising and I’m doing much more floating than swimming. Yep, that’s me attempting to tan my big ol’ belly while floating away off the back of the boat, pretty funny….I know.

 I can’t slap a refreshing Bud Light Lime in a coozie and sip to my hearts content for obvious reasons, actually I can’t even imagine sipping a BLL with the heartburn I’ve been experiencing lately but hopefully soon heartburn will be a thing of the past and I will once again be able to enjoy a nice cold one with friends…until then…I will embrace these last few uncomfortable weeks…

Enjoy the beautiful scenery…
…and dream about the day when we get to take our little man out for picture perfect evenings like this : )
I have my 35 week check up tomorrow morning so I will post an update afterwards!  Have a Great Day!
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by Jenny on May 24, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Family, Life, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

Posted by Jenny on May 24, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/05/24/my-floating-weekend/

Baby Shower #2

Once upon a time…

Saturday was our 2nd Baby Shower, at my good friend Allison’s home just North of my house.  I have always loved children’s books, and really enjoy reading aloud to my students so she and my best friend Carly hosted a “Children’s Book” themed shower (all of the guests brought their favorite childhood book for Baby Garrett) I feel that books play such an important part in a curriculum and in life so this was perfect! As a teacher it’s easy to get caught up in what needs to be taught by what time, and in what context that we sometimes don’t have time for the “fun” parts.  Since I started teaching I made it a priority to do 2 read-a-louds a day, and I plan on continuing that trend with my own children, for my own pleasure and with the hope that my kids too, will really learn to appreciate literature, and the power of imagination.  Kids need to be read to…period, and I cannot wait to read to our son!!  Sorry to get off on my little soap box, but I’m really passionate about this, as you can probably see : ) 

So, to get back to the shower, Carly and Allison decided to base the theme around one of my all time favorites books “Good Night Moon”  They had the sweetest little details that included parts of the book, and everything looked absolutely perfect.  Check out  all of the neat things they did!



Me and my Beautiful Hostesses!
Perfect cake, and the book
The chargers made from pages of the book : )
So sweet!!
Beautiful and Delicious!
They also did a fantastic job decorating Al’s house with flowers and candles everywhere, bright blue table cloths and cute place settings for all of the guests. 

It looked like it was straight out of a catalog and I couldn’t be happier with the way everything turned out and all of the wonderful ladies who came to support us!  We had a great time and Garrett got even more Goodies.  He is one spoiled little boy!  We even got so many books that I had to buy a bookshelf for the Nursery : )  Here are a few more pictures of some of the guests
My Mom and Mother-in-Law

Aunt Sue and Maddie came up from Atlanta : )

Catherine and her Masterpiece!!  She made my beautiful diaper cake at 37 weeks pregnant!  Can’t wait to meet Baby McCarihan : )

My Mom made it into a few pictures this time around : )

It sprinkled a little bit in the morning, but it attempted to clear up for the shower and we had a really nice time!  There were only a few things left on our registry that we didn’t get as gifts between the 2 showers, but I went and picked everything else up today! Now on to washing more clothes, putting a few things together, organizing the rest of his stuff and enjoying every minute of the 6 weeks we have left before our Little Man Gets here! 
Most of the girlfriends who were at the shower!

Thanks again Ladies!  You all are the best, and I am one lucky girl!  Garrett is going to have some pretty amazing people in his life : )

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by Jenny on May 16, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Life, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

Posted by Jenny on May 16, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/05/16/baby-shower-2/

33 Weeks and a Check-Up

                   7 More Weeks!
Several people have asked me what I’m doing to pass my time now that I’m not working, and whether or not I’m tired of being home yet, and I can honestly say, no I’m not tired of it…at all.  I’m actually really enjoying my time to do what I want, when I want.  I wake up and make breakfast, and figure out what needs to be done for the day.  Then I walk for an hour or 3 miles with my dogs, and come back to shower and eat some lunch, and then run whatever errands I need to, and do what needs to be done around the house.  I have always done better when I’m on a schedule, so this works for me right now.  When Garrett gets here, I know my routine will change, but I feel it’s really important to keep myself and our baby on schedule, and I know it will take some time, but I will figure out what works for us.  Until then, I’m going to continue to enjoy my time preparing to be what I feel I was truly meant to be which is a Mom.  I know it won’t be rainbows and butterflies all the time, but I still cannot wait to begin this chapter of our lives : )

According to ParentingToday.com Nesting is “Feeling the need to prepare for the arrival of the baby by cleaning, organizing, etc” and it often happens toward the end of pregnancy.  These are some of the things I’ve done this week…

Washed, folded and organized all of his clothes
And Blankets
Put together his bouncy seat



And started setting up his closet (Most of his clothes are in the dresser and I ran out of hangers : )  I’d say I’m nesting…how about you??

We got so many clothes and things at our shower last week, and we’ve got 5 people coming to stay at our house this weekend for our Charlotte Shower, so I just couldn’t resist! I had to get organized before I could clean : )

On another note, I had a check-up today, and all is Great with both of us!  Weight gain is fine, blood pressure was 106/70, Heartbeat was 140, and the Nurse told me I have one of the best looking belly’s, and not a stretch mark to be seen : )  Now I’m sure she says that to a lot of her patients, but these days, I’ll take what I can get and lets hope the No stretch mark thing holds true for the next 7 weeks.  I figure if my feet and ankles continue to swell like they have been, then that will make up for 10 women who have stretch marks!  So yeah, even though my blood pressure is great, I’ve got swelling in my feet, and if I wear more supportive shoes, then my ankles just look like golf balls : (  And my Mom tells me, it’s just going to get worse.  Oh well, it will all be worth it once our Little Guy gets here!  I go back in two weeks for another check up, and after than I’ll be seen every week!  It’s getting closer!!!!!!!
How far along? 33 weeks
Total weight gain. 27 lbs
Symptoms? Swollen feet and ankles and lower back pain with a few Braxton Hicks Contractions occasionally
Cravings of the week? Watermelon and Lemonade
Sleep? Some nights are fine, others not so much
Best moment this week? Hearing Garrett’s Heartbeat and organizing his room!
Belly button? Flush with my skin, feels like it’s sticking out a little, but has not popped
Movement? All the time, I feel more and more hard parts in my belly and I like to try and guess what body part it is : )
What I miss? Seeing the bones and veins in my feet all of the time
Looking forward to?  Getting some family members and lots of friends together for my Charlotte Shower on Saturday!
Milestones?  Getting closer and closer to meeting our little man!

1 Comment
by Jenny on May 16, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Pregnancy, Uncategorized

Posted by Jenny on May 16, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/05/16/33-weeks-and-a-check-up/

Ohio Baby Shower

Garrett Paul Brewton

On Thursday, May 5th, we had our first baby shower!!!  My Mom, My Mother-in-Law Lynn, and my Sister-in-law Amanda worked together to plan it, and they did a Great Job!!!  When talking to my Mom about the shower a few months ago we decided that we would try a Thursday evening shower rather than a Saturday shower for a few reasons.  One, it was Mother’s Day Weekend, and two, we liked the idea of having more of a “Baby Shower/Social Gathering” rather than a straight up Baby Shower.  Don’t get me wrong, the Baby Showerness wasn’t played down at all, but we put our own twist on it, and I’m very happy with the way it turned out. 

The shower was held at my Grandparent’s old home which happens to be on top of the funeral home they started, but it was not morbid in any sense at all.  I have some very fond memories of that house because it’s where my Dad grew up and it’s also where we spent almost every Sunday and several other days/holidays throughout the year, growing up.  As a child, it was one of my most favorite places in the world so you can imagine how special it was to have it there.  The Brunner’s have since transformed the “house part” into a party center, and it looks fantastic!  There was plenty of space for all of the guests to mingle and relax, and honestly, you wouldn’t even know that it is on top of a funeral home if you didn’t have the giant sign out front : )

My Mom and I spent a little bit of time earlier in the day checking out the space and adding a few decorations…

Mommy is going to make a scrap book for me!

…while Amanda picked up the yummy cupcakes and Dan then spent some time with Lynn as well. 

Delicious and Adorable Cupcakes!

When they got to the party place, they added a few special touches of their own, Gramma Marge hand-made all of the favors.  She’s so crafty!

Gramma Marge’s Masterpiece : )

and then it was time for the guest to begin arriving! But not before we got a shot of the fam!

Gramma Lynn, Great Grandma Ruth, Mommy, and Aunt Mandy

Like I said, we decided to add our own little flare to the Baby Shower to allow everyone to interact as much as possible, so rather than opening gifts after everyone ate and towards the end of the shower, we set up more of a receiving line type thing where I was positioned at a table in the back of the main room and as everyone came in they formed a line and I got to say hello, open their present, chat a little bit and then display their gift on a giant table beside me, for everyone to see! 

Happy as Can Be!

My Mom was positioned towards the front of the line to welcome the guests and Lynn and Amanda were at the end of the line greeting guests and keeping the gifts organized and looking pretty!  This is what it looked like after everyone had been through!  Garrett got lots of Goodies and I can’t wait to get everything organized and set up this week!

Lots of Goodies!

Since the gift part usually takes up a good bit of time, especially when you have 50+ guests this worked out really well for us.  After everyone went thought the line and gave their gift, they got a drink and some food and sat down and enjoyed each other’s company, and they were free to leave when they needed to.  It worked out really well, and it gave me and Dan the opportunity to walk around and talk with all of our guests for the remainder of the evening.  We had lots of family and good friends celebrate with us, and our evening was very special!  Thanks to everyone who made it : )

Aunt Mandy, Daddy, and Gramma Lynn
The Robare’ cousins!  Do you think Garrett will be tall????
Mommy and Daddy to Be : )
Madison Clan!
The Brunner Cousins

So…..as you can see, we got to spend a lot of time with our guests and really couldn’t be happier with the way everything turned out!  Garrett is so very loved already and we’ve still got about 7 more weeks until we  actually get to meet him!  He is already such a blessing to us, and we can’t wait to start our family together!

Check it out……His Daddy is already a natural : )

Daddy and Julien!

Thank you Melissa and Sarah for letting him practice with your adorable son Julien : )  We hope our little man is as handsome as yours!

Somehow, my Mom managed to not make it in a single picture!!!!  Don’t worry Mom, we’ll get you next weekend at my Charlotte Shower : )


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by Jenny on May 8, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Family, Holidays, Pregnancy, Uncategorized

Posted by Jenny on May 8, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/05/08/ohio-baby-shower/

32 Weeks!

Only 8 More Weeks to Go!

Today is my 32 week mark, so we’ve got roughly 56 more days until we get to meet our Little Man!  I’m getting more and more excited every day and I really cannot wait to have him and hold him and just look at him!  I am currently in Ohio visiting my parents, and gearing up for my first Baby Shower which will be held tomorrow!
 I packed the car and left home early Monday morning with my two buddies and my cooler full of food so I wouldn’t have to eat greasy drive through food whenever I got hungry, which though I can’t seem to eat as much in one sitting, is still very frequent because I munch on smaller snacks/meals several times throughout the day.  Plus I have a feeling my healthier options saved me from what could have been some wicked heart burn.
Lunch and snacks for the road
Surprisingly my drive wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  I ended up stopping every 2.5 hours to let the dogs do their thing, and to walk around a bit myself, and I made it in less than 9 hours which I was very pleased with.  When I got home, Randy, Jace, cousin Bodie, and my Grandma were all here waiting for me and we had a delicious dinner!  



Me at 8 months pregnant with my Grandma McLeod : )



Followed by angel food cake with fresh berries for Dessert as well as one of my all time favorite treats
Best. Thing. Ever.

I don’t care who you are, you are but you have not lived until you’ve had Malley’s Chocolate Covered Pretzels.  They’re the perfect combination of saltiness from the pretzels and sweetness from the smooth creamy chocolate, and I could literally eat an entire box if left alone with it. 

Yesterday I slept in : ) and after I got ready I headed out to Beachwood to do a little shopping, and to pick up a few things.  My Mom met me when she got done working and we picked out some new clothes to wear to the shower!  Afterwards I met my cousins Mary, Anne, and Sarah at a Restaurant in Little Italy called Washington Place.  The food was incredible and the company was even better!  It’s not very often that I get to spend time with my cousins so it was very special and I can’t wait to see the rest of my family tomorrow evening!

Aside from the usual lower left sciatic nerve/back pain, I’m feeling pretty good, just getting really anxious for all the wonderful things I have to look forward to!  Dan flies into town tomorrow and we’ve got a really busy day planned, but I will post again after my shower with some pictures and an update on the remainder of the week!

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by Jenny on May 4, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Pregnancy, Uncategorized

Posted by Jenny on May 4, 2011

https://sweetbakesandbabycakes.com/2011/05/04/32-weeks/