NC State Fair

Last Monday morning me, Jimmy, Ava, Dustin, Jacob, Mackennzie, Terri, Kerri, Eliza, Martha, Matthew and Stacy loaded the vehicles and headed to Raleigh.  After a few hours on the road we stopped for a bathroom break, to fuel up and to grab a sandwich.  Then we were on the road again.  We finally get to the hotel and get checked in and rested up a bit from the long ride.  We all pile back into the vehicles and head over to the fair.  Wouldn't you know its raining!!!  So Martha/Kerri/Matthew (not sure which) checked the weather and it was to pass after a few minutes so we sat in the cars and waited it out.  After the rain we made our way through the mud to the fair grounds...YAY we were finally at the fair :).

Not only was this Ava's first time at the state fair, it was mine as well.  I really enjoyed it and can't wait until next year to take Ava back when she'll be able to ride the kiddie rides.  So there were a couple things that I learned while at the fair, well maybe I didn't necessarily learn them there but they were brought back to my attention while we were there.  #1-People are RUDE, it's obvious it's been a while since I've really had to deal with the public.  It don't matter if you're pushing a stroller with a baby in it, if you're carrying a baby, if you're in a wheelchair, or if you're just walking through people will bump into you and cut you off without a "sorry" or "excuse me" or anything.  #2-You can get anything deep fried at the fair.  It's an artery's worse nightmare and a junk food junkies paradise!!!

 Other than the Bloom'n Onion, Corn Dogs, and the Ribbon Fries, you can also get deep fried Twinkies, Pecan Pie, Oreos, and the list goes on.  The deep fried item that took me by surprise was the Kool-Ade.  WHAT???  How on Earth do you deep fry KOOL-ADE????  So my dear hubby went on a quest to answer that question.  The lady said that they just add the powder to the dough so its just like a flavored doughnut...I suppose...

 Fried Dough???  Huh, where I come from we usually call that DOUGHNUTS!!

 Mac & Cheese??  To each their own...

Among all that deep fried food were the yummies...

At the end of the night we headed back to the hotel to get rested up for the next day.  Tuesday morning we got up and got ready to head back over to the fair.  Thankfully it wasn't raining and some of that mud had dried up and it wasn't as yucky.  We spent the day there letting the kiddos play games and rides and just enjoy the day.  Even the big kids (Jimmy and Matthew) played their fair share of games too.  They both won one of the HUGE stuffed animals, no pictures of those even though I should've.  

Overall we had a great time and really enjoyed the trip and look forward to next year... 

Busy Baby...

     In the past 10 1/2 weeks Ava has been on the go.  She has stayed in a hotel 3 times.  The 1st time we went to visit a friend in Knoxville, TN.  The 2nd time we went to Asheboro to the zoo with the church.  And the 3rd time was this week when we went to Raleigh to the state fair.  That's more times than some people ever stay.

     She has also been to 2 funerals.  The 1st one being my great Uncle Murl (my Mamaw's brother).  The 2nd being a distant cousin Harry Lee Turbyfill.

     There has been 2 birthday parties that she has attended.  The 1st one was Eliza's 1st birthday and the other was Jaelyn's 2nd birthday.

     On another note, there are a few things that draws her attention that she really enjoys.  Baby Einstein videos, she LOVES them.  I'm pretty sure she could sit and watch them for hours.  Her pink hippo rattle also brings a smile to her face.  Our friends at the Avery County Health Dept. gave her a set of toy keys that are very loud when you rattle them together, but she LOVES them also.  Probably the thing she loves the most is when her Daddy holds her up in the air.  She just grins and laughs all over.  I've done it a few times but apparently she only likes it when Daddy does it because last night when I done it she spit up and where did it go???  You got it, right in my face...YUCK...oh well just another one of the perks to motherhood.  

     There is only thing that we've found that she is not too fond of and that is being in her car seat   So as you can imagine that has made these long distance trips seem even longer.

I love the baby feet.

  These are just a FEW of my favorites.  You may have already saw them on Facebook but they never get old :).  

     I know I say this alot but it's very true, God has been so good to me and has blessed me beyond measure.  Thank you Lord for your blessings on me!

Well, Well, Well...

It's been quiet a while since my last post.  Since then, as most of you may know, little Miss Ava made her way into the world and I've just been too busy being a mommy and trying to catch up on sleep to update (sorry).  At my final pre-pregnancy appointment on August 2nd we made the decision for induction the following Monday, August 6th.  Soooo Jimmy and I arrived at the hospital AROUND 8:00am (if you know us you know we are terrible at getting anywhere on time :D).  We got in our room they started the IV and the Pitocin around 8:45ish. A couple of hours later she broke my water.  As Missy and I sat there playing cards to pass the time the contractions started getting a little more intense.  They weren't totally unbearable, just EXTREMELY uncomfortable.  When I would have a contraction I would just have to quit playing and just kinda breathe through it.  During one of the contractions, Nancy came in to check the monitors and saw that I was uncomfortable.  She asked me about the pain and then immediately called for the epidural.  From then on out life was goooooood!!!  For the next 12 hours I just laid there, enjoyed the company, and tried to rest a little.  A little after 8:00pm I felt I needed re-positioned in the bed, considering I was numb from about my ribs down, I had to have a little help.  Missy and Nancy started to move me and realized that I had quickly dilated and was ready to start pushing.  About 8:30 I started pushing and at 9:03 Ava was born.  

6lbs. 5ozs. 19in. long

In the 4 weeks that she's been here she has brought so much joy to our lives and lots of trial and error as well!!!  She smiles so much and has some of the greatest facial expressions, I wish I could just bottle them all up.

Jimmy is such a good daddy and is so proud of his baby girl...

I can't tell you that these last 4 weeks have been the easiest that I've ever experienced, but I have certainly enjoyed them...

Ok just a quick update...I went back to see my doctor today and my blood pressure has came down but she wants me to continue on a "modified" bed rest because, well as she put it, it's working.


Apparently I either ate like a hog over the weekend or Ava has gained some weight because I am now (at 38 weeks pregnant) back up to my pre-pregnancy weight.  She has dropped 1cm since I was there Thursday.


Hopefully sometime within the next 2 weeks we'll finally get to meet Ava :D...

37 Weeks...

WOW 37 weeks, I can't believe how fast these past 8 months have went by.  Well they say no news is good news, hence the reasoning for no blog update lately LOL.  I went yesterday for my 37 week check-up and well, it went OK, not as good as I would have hoped but it was ok.  As you know I had lost 10 pounds since I got pregnant and a few weeks ago I had actually gained 9 of those pounds back, so I was still 1 pound away from my pre-pregnancy weight.  Not really a huge issue since everything else was good and Ava was doing good.  I stepped on the scales yesterday and had lost yet another pound!  


My blood pressure has been perfect throughout the entire pregnancy.  However, yesterday when the nurse took it, I could tell by her reaction that something just wasn't quiet right.  Low and behold when my doctor came in my blood pressure was the first topic of discussion.  It was 148/92.  Which isn't necessarily TERRIBLE, but it isn't the 120/80ish that it has been.  She said that we could safely deliver now but that she wanted to do what she could to try to keep me pregnant for at least 1 more week.  What that meant for me...BED REST!!!  She said I could get up to go to the bathroom (thank goodness I'm not restricted to a bedpan LOL), and to eat and to travel SHORT distances (as long as I wasn't driving) for short periods of time.  Blood pressure isn't something to play around with especially when your pregnant, so I  do intend on following doctor's orders.  I have been keeping a check on it over the last couple of days and its not got any higher its just kinda hanging out.


Ava has dropped and I've really some "penguin swagger" going on now! I know that technically I've still got 3 weeks until my due date but I'm so excited and ready to put a face with the name.  


When you are pregnant EVERYBODY and their mother want to voluntarily tell you how wonderful or terrible their pregnancy experience was.  I just have one question, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT???  I mean really?!?!?!  Every pregnancy is different so telling these stories is just going to either scare the life out of some emotional, hormonal preggo or give them false hope for that "wonderful" pregnancy.  I honestly don't intend on just randomly sharing my experience with each pregnant lady that I come in contact with.  Through my blog ya'll have kinda gotten an idea of my experience thus far.  But since this is MY blog and reading it is totally voluntary, I am going to share a little more of my experience :).  I've always heard women say 'Oh I loved being pregnant' or 'I hated being pregnant'.  I can't really say that I fall into either one of those love or hate it categories.  During the first few months, I really did not enjoy being pregnant due to the sickness.  It was also very nerve wracking for me because of the unknown, I always looked forward to my doctor appointments when I was able to hear the heartbeat of our little miracle.  I could always rest a little easier knowing that things were still good, I would always hold my breath a little until we were able to hear it.  After I got over the sickness and our baby girl started moving around more, that's when I was able to enjoy being pregnant.  I wasn't having to tip toe around foods and I wasn't having to hold my breath between doctor visits.  I could feel her moving and knew that she was just fine.  The last couple of months have had their ups and downs for me.  At times I've hated it and times I've loved it.  I have started swelling more in my hands and feet but I suppose that comes with the territory.  This heat has just about killed me, normally I am a cool natured person but I guess pregnancy changed that for me this summer.  I have been wearing Jimmy's clothes alot because, well hey they are just sooooo much more comfortable than mine are right now.  He asked me the other day if he was going to get his wardrobe back after Ava was born.  I told him only if he was lucky LOL.  I have in the last couple of weeks experienced the Braxton Hicks contractions, and just been REALLY uncomfortable and just ready for this pregnancy to be over.  But I know the longer she "bakes" the better off she'll be.  I guess you could say this whole pregnancy has been 1 big roller coaster ride for me.  I thank God everyday for allowing me to carry this child this long and to have had such a healthy pregnancy thus far.  I feel so lucky and blessed that he has entrusted Jimmy and I to have this experience and to be the parents to this little girl.

Ok so obviously I'm still riding the Slacker Express...2 appointments and no updates...I figure you all are probably getting used to it by now HA HA.  A few weeks ago we went back to Asheville for them to do their 2nd ultrasound that I mentioned in my last post.  Everything went well at that appointment.  They confirmed that the due date is August 2nd.  As you know very few babies are actually born on their due date so, she'll be here when she's good and ready.  Our sweet baby girl's heartbeat was 143 which is quiet a bit lower than the upper 150's to mid 160's that it has been at all of my other appointments and ultrasounds!  After talking to my doctor about it she said that she was probably in a sleep cycle when they done the ultrasound and from the pictures she looked as if she was wanting to sleep and not be messed with.  They done a 3D image and she kept putting her hands up in front of her face as if to say "Geez just leave me ALONE!"

A couple of weeks ago I had an appointment with my regular doctor.  That appointment went well also.  They did the sugar test again and once again I passed that...YAY...we discussed the whole protein in my urine issue and everything turned out just fine with that and now she said there were just tiny traces present.  My blood pressure was once again 120/80 so that was a good thing, I still had not gained any weight but the good news is that I have not lost any more!!!  The baby's heartbeat was back in the 160's.  

I feel so blessed that everything has been so good so far.

By now most of you know the name we have picked out for our sweet little princess.  BUT for those of you that don't know, we are naming her Ava Ruth.  We had threw around and played with several names.  From the beginning Jimmy said that he wanted his daughter's name to have Ruth in it because that is his favorite book in the Bible.  As we thought about another name for her I couldn't help but thinking about my Moma and Mamaw.  I wanted somehow to play on their names to come up with something.  Soooo my mamaw's name was Wava and my moma's middle name was Ann.  Most people think that we just dropped the W from my mamaw's name, and which just looking at it it does appear that way, but that wasn't the thinking behind it.  We took the A from Ann and the VA from Wava and that's how we came up with her name.  Confusing to some, yes I know, but it all makes sense in my brain :) (and that's a scary place at times LOL).

Alot of people are asking if I've felt her moving.  The answer is YES!!!!  She is such an active baby moving all the time.  I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOVE feeling her moving and kicking around.  It's such an  AMAZING feeling!!!  I just have to smile everytime.  

I know this sounds crazy but even though I've heard her little heart beating, I've saw the pictures of our precious baby, and felt her rambunctious kicks and turns, it all seems so very surreal to me.  I am so extremely excited and can hardly wait to be able to physically hold her and look at her.  

I can't help but to feel blessed beyond measure.  God has allowed me to carry this child this long and he has certainly been watching over us and taking care of us.  And for that I could never thank him enough!  I am so thankful that he trusts Jimmy and I to raise this baby.  My prayer is that we will be the parents to her that God has trusted us to be.

Soooo, yes I've been a little slack about posting updates so just think of this as a 2 for 1 :).  

MAHEC Specialist Appt:

On April 2nd Jimmy, myself, Missy, Geigh, and Debbie went to Asheville to see a specialist down there to check for different health issues and such.   The ultrasound tech done her thing, took a few pictures, and joked with Jimmy over Duke and Carolina.  Then the doctor came in, done her thing, took a few more pictures, checked the baby's heart aaaaannd according to their findings, we have a perfectly healthy baby GIRL on the way :).  She did say that she was going to recommend that my doctor have another ultrasound ordered to get a better idea of the due date (since there was such a variance) and that she would actually like to look at the baby's heart a little more.  Not that she found anything wrong with her heart just that after a point the baby was DONE being poked and prodded and just balled up and the doctor couldn't see much after that.  After the appointment we enjoyed a great lunch at Applebee's where I got a complimentary sundae for my birthday...YAY ME...even though I was only able to eat a little bit of it due to the massive lunch I had just ate.  After lunch we headed over to the Farmer's Market done a little 'drive thru' and headed home.  Despite the heat, I think we all had a great day :).

Check-up Appt:

On the 17th I went for a regular check-up with my doctor.  She said that the report she got from Asheville looked good and that the baby looked good.  However, I did have protein in my urine and I have lost 3 more pounds!  My blood pressure was 120/80 and because it was so good and because the report from Asheville was good she said that she wasn't reeeeal concerned.  But she is sending me back to MAHEC for the ultrasound because they are more specialized than Cannon.  I was under the impression that this ultrasound was so they could pinpoint a more accurate due date.  Well it kinda is but my original date was Aug. 13th, after the 1st ultrasound it was Aug. 2nd, after the ultrasound in Asheville it was Aug. 11th.  I KNOW the two possible days of my last MC and as I was talking to my doctor about this she said it wasn't necessarily just to pinpoint the due date but if it was one date then the baby is smaller than it should be and that adjustments would need to be made as far as my prenatal care from here on out and that she would encourage me to deliver at Mission.  On the other hand, if its the other date then the baby is fine and we would continue normal prenatal care and be able to deliver at Cannon.

My next question was concerning the protein in my urine.  I forgot to ask her about it while I was there (too many other things going on) so what does any normal person with questions and a computer do, that's right I Googled it!  From the information I found it can be a sign of a UTI, preeclampsia, and other kidney issues.  I did have to collect for 24hrs (not a glorious detail, but just another fun part of being preggers!) to have it tested.  I've not heard anything back yet so we're praying its all good.  Personally I think if it's anything its maybe mild kidney issues because I so don't feel like I have a UTI and with my blood pressure being so good I really don't think it's the preeclampsia, however I'm not the doctor, just my personal opinion.

Until next time...God Bless...