Update!

I have been a bad blogger lately, I haven't posted in forever.....I've been trying to keep myself busy so I don't sit at home and think about when this baby will come or buy stuff for him. So, I'm going to try to give a brief run down of what has been going on lately!

All doctors appointments are still going good. Dr. E is very impressed with how good I'm feeling and my weight gain, so that makes me feel good. I've only recently (around 33-34 weeks) started feeling uncomfortable. My lower back really starts to hurt late in the day and I have trouble sleeping at night, but I figure if I've made it this far with absolutely no problems I can't really complain to much. I've started sleeping with a body pillow at night (Waldo is jealous of the pillow) and that has helped with being uncomfortable, but not really with the insomnia I'm experiencing now. Not sure if the insomnia comes from being anxious for sweet Dax's arrival or if its just a side effect of pregnancy....either way I dislike it. Other than that I feel great! We have started going to the doc every week now and I'll be checked each time. Dr. E last predicted (2 weeks ago, Week 34 for me) that Dax weighed about 6 - 6.5 lbs right now. I told him I weighted that when I was born and he told me Dax would not be that small!!! I'm still measuring a week early as well. This last visit he checked me and I was already 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced so things are moving along. Dr. E also said he could feel his head. I ask if he thought he'd make his arrival before his July 4th due date and Dr. E said he thought there was better than a 50% chance that he would arrive early. Which is fine by me, I'd love to get rid of this back pain, plus I can't wait to hold him!!! I think that catches us up on baby progress, we go back to the doc tomorrow so I'll have new news then. 

In the meantime we have been getting ready for Dax, I had my first shower in Tuscaloosa a few weeks ago. It was super cute, my girlfriends threw it for me. It had a whale theme.....everything was blue and green and oceany! It was a wonderful shower and Dax got a lot of wonderful things including his baby monitor! I can't wait to use everything. 

Next big event was our Babymoon!! Waldo and I went to Destin for a few days, for our last getaway before Dax arrives. It was a great few days, actually its the first time we have been to the beach by ourselves except for our honeymoon.....every other time we've gone some where we've had friends with us, so it was a nice time by ourselves. Waldo even dug out a big hole in the sand so I could lay on my belly! Unfortunately, Dax didn't really enjoy me laying like that and wiggled the whole time. I also forgot how hard it was to walk in the sand and 20 extra lbs was killing me, Waldo basically had to carry everything to and from the beach because I was doing good to get my self down and back! We also got to eat at my 2 favorite restaurants...Old Bay Steamers and The Red Bar and this prego ate A LOT!! We met up with Laura and Craig, my best friend from college and her husband, at the Red Bar.....they came baring gifts for Dax (so sweet) and it was good to catch up with them!!! Overall the beach trip was wonderful, the only bad thing was when I think Dax decided to flip....I'm not positive, but Waldo and me think this weekend is when he turned head down, there were a few times he felt like he was coming out my sides....I'm positive he sat sideways for a couple of days! Thank goodness he is head down now and that uncomfortable process is over. 

Next, I dragged Waldo to Birmingham for some maternity pictures! Actually he was a really good sport, he didn't complain at all. My sweet friend AJ took the pictures for us, she is super talented and I'm so thankful for her, she did an excellent job. I'm going to post a few below. After our photo shoot we went back to AJ's to cookout, her and her husband Brent just bought a new house so we got to see it and visit with their precious little one Jackson. It was a wonderful Saturday!! So thankful for such wonderful friends! 

Finally, we went to Hartselle this weekend for a shower given by Waldo's side of the family. It was a great weekend. We got to visit with everyone and Waldo finally got to spend sometime with his brother Andrew who he hasn't really got to visit with since January, which also means we got to see his precious baby girl Anniston!! I got to spend Saturday laying out at the pool with our cousins Cassie Beth and Marietta....I even went down a water slide, which might be frowned upon when you are 35 weeks pregnant. Sunday we had the shower and it was wonderful! It was Alabama themed (of course), Waldo says my family is overboard Alabama, but so is his family, which is fine by me....Waldo tries not to be a bammer, but he really is! We loaded up at the shower and now have a closet full of clothes, can't wait to put Dax in them. Waldo thinks all the clothes are ridiculous!! We also got our diaper bag, a nap nanny, and a bouncy seat....all things we really needed!! My mom, dad, and Cara all came over for the shower as well....they bought Dax the cutest little rocking horse. It was a great weekend, the shower was beautiful and we are so blessed to have 2 wonderful families supporting us during this exciting time. I can't wait for both the Cardens and Cordells to meet Dax, can he please hurry up and get here!!! 

Think that catches us up, I'll try to do better....we go to the doc tomorrow so I'll post again ASAP! I feel like the boys need a little face time in this post as well, so here is a pic of each, poor guys their lives are about to change forever....they will still be my babies, we are just gonna add another one to the mix! 

Who does he look like?

Today we went for our 4D ultrasound, which is best to have around 27-28 weeks.....you don't want them too big or you can't see to much because they take up so much room. So I scheduled ours during the 27th week because I knew Dax was pretty big. Other things that I knew about Dax so far were:  1.that he doesn't like showing his face he loves to put his hands up in front of his face 2.he will show you his man parts anytime 3.he does not respond to jiggling my belly 4.he likes to be scrunched up in one area.

Today was no different!!! Dax is big, put both his hands and his feet in front of his face, gave us a full show of his man parts, and didn't move at all when prompted. We got some pretty good shots of his face, but for the most part he sat with both hands up and then at one point grabbed his foot and put it in front of his face as well. But when the ultrasound tech went down to just double check we were having a boy....the answer was a resounding YES.... he held those legs up for all to see! No doubt he is a man and we can already see what he is most proud of. 

We tried to get him to move, I drank a mt. dew before the visit, I rolled from side to side, the ultrasound tech jiggled and jiggled my belly....but we got nothing, if anything he just jumbled himself up even more. At one point he had both hands and feet and his umbilical cord in front of his face! He also had tons of room to move around in and he kept his head in my rib cage and his butt right below it, he never spread out! Needless to say the child is stubborn, I would like to chalk that up to one of his father's attributes, but unfortunately that he gets from his Mom. 

I'll post pictures below and ya'll can be the judge of who he looks like, however, I think he looks like his Dad. Apparently he has fat cheeks....the ultrasound tech kept going on about his fat cheeks. He is also still measuring big...still measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule and weighting in at 2lbs 15oz. His head looked massive since the last time we saw it and the ultrasound tech got a good shot of his femur bone and wanted to measure it......she said it looked really big and of course it was about 2 weeks ahead of schedule. So today just confirmed what we already know....he is chunky and stubborn! But.....he is also the cutest, most beautiful baby I have ever seen and I can't wait to kiss those chubby cheeks! Although we didn't see a great shot of his face what we did see was perfect....so were his little feet and hands, and even his man parts that he is so proud of, I can't wait for Dax to get here, I am literally counting down the days. It is hard to believe that in just 13 weeks we'll get to see his sweet face. 

The Top image is a picture of his man parts! 

Cute little feet in the top picture! 

Thought I would post a few baby pictures of both me and Waldo and ya'll can decide for yourselves who Dax looks like, I don't have any really little ones of me, I'll have to grab a few next time I go home.

I just posted this picture because I literally laugh out loud every time I see it! 

I think it is pretty clear who the cheeks come from :)! I go back to the doctor Wednesday for my check up, I'll update more then. I also get Dax's bedding today so I'll post pictures soon!

On a side note, I need to brag on my hubby for just a bit......Northridge beat County High twice this past week, meaning they will be in the 6A State Baseball Playoffs for the first time in school history!! So proud of  him, the other coaches, and all the players!! 

The Dreaded Sugar Test!

Went for my glucose test last week.....I was super worried about this test I did not want to come back for the 3 hour test, spending 1 hour in the doctors office is enough much less 3. Thank the Lord I passed it on the first try!! The nurse took my blood and let me watch the number on the testing machine as she checked my iron. She told me the number needed to be below 135....when it finally beep it came up 77....I was glad I'd based but then had the thought that might be too low, but thankfully it was great and so was my iron!! I was also super excited because I hadn't gained any weight since my last doctors visit.....woo hoo....Dr. E was very proud! I also measured right on schedule! It was a very successful doctors visit and I left feeling super proud. And Dax left all jacked up on sugar....he jumped around for a few hours after the visit! That's okay though, I love feeling him kick. Although I really wish he would kick at more appropriate times. Right now his kicking schedule is around meals and then every night starting at about 10:00, this is his most active time. So between his couple of hours of kicking and Debo waking up at 5 a.m. I'm not getting a ton of great sleep. Guess I should get use to it. 

Tomorrow will mark 26 weeks.....which puts Dax here in 14 weeks!!! Although 14 weeks is to long, I'm anxiously awaiting his arrive, I really can't believe its only 14 weeks away. Come on July 4th or the end of June! HAHA :) 

The Cardens Lately

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, we've been pretty busy lately. Here's what has been going on!

Me and my sister, Cara, went to Mobile to babysit my niece..sweet Anniston Kate. We had a great time with her and Cara got to get a little experience with a baby before big boy gets here! We also went by Polka Tot and ordered my baby bedding. I love Polka Tot, they make the cutest baby bedding ever, check it out at www.polkatotdesigns.com. He's room will be bright blue, green, and black, with an elephant pattern in the mix as well. I can't wait to see the finished product!!! Here is a pic of Annie Kate....

We have also decided on a name for baby boy Carden.....drum roll please.......Daxton Mark Carden! We will call him Dax. Waldo has decided to call him Run DMC. His middle name is after Waldo's father Mark. I've already ordered some clothes with his name on them, so its official. Can't wait to meet Dax in July!!

I've finally started to feel Dax kick. He always kicks at night when I'm going to bed and he is active at different times during the day. He really likes Mountain Dew, as does his mother, so anytime I drink it he gets pretty active. Waldo finally felt him kick about a week ago....he was pretty excited...I think he thought it was a little odd as well. I guess its a weird sensation to feel something jabbing your wife's stomach. I'm so thankful I can finally feel him kick....it eases my worrying mind each time I feel a kick or punch!

Since we are on the subject of Dax,, I need to say I have officially sworn off shopping for him until after our showers. This past weekend the First United Methodist church in town had their annual Little Lambs sale, which is a huge consignment sale. It's super nice because they are very picky about what they will accept, so you know your getting stuff in great condition. If you volunteered to help with the sale you got to shop an hour before everyone else! Of course I worked and went in early with all the other crazy mom. But I feel like I got some good deals, I knocked a few big things out! I got a bathtub, a Rainforest Jumperoo, an extra swing (for my office), a Babybjorn, and some cute clothes!

Now that I've updated you all on my human baby, let me share the recent drama with my 2 feline babies!! Last night I let Debo go outside. I just happened to be standing by the back door when I saw him being chased by another cat across the porch, I ran out the back and started yelling for him, while Waldo ran out the front door. You could hear him and the other cat fighting on the side of the house....in the meantime Crim came to the back door (which was still open)....then Debo came running back toward the door with the other cat chasing him. Well, big brother took over....Crim ran out of the house, the mean cat did a quick 180 and Crim chased him all the way around front and out of our yard.....then Crim came back inside like it was no big deal. He stood guard at the door for the rest of the night to make sure that cat didn't come back to mess with his little brother! Isn't Crim the best!! He puts up a big front like Debo annoys him, but deep down he loves him and he let that other cat know he was the only one who could slap Debo around. Poor Debo was in shock, the thought of someone or another animal being unfriendly was just to much for him to understand. He acted a little weird all night, he was not jumping around like usual and when Waldo went to work the next morning Debo didn't get up with him as usual. I monitored him this morning and he was acting funny and not putting any pressure on his back leg.....so we packed up and ran to the vet. Turns out that cat scratched his leg pretty bad and it was infected which was causing a fever. The vet gave him an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory shot and hopefully he'll be better within a few days....poor little thing.
I've posted a pic of both Crim and Debs they both deserve a little face time! I'm so thankful for both these cute critters!

 

He's a big boy!!

We went to the doctor today for our organ ultrasound and all looked good! The ultrasound tech went through and showed us each organ as she found it. Sometimes I could see the organ, like the heart I could see it and it's 4 chambers, but most of the time I just watched in awe. It amazes me she can tell what everything is inside the baby and exactly how he is positioned. We did learn today that apparently our little man is not so little!! The ultrasound tech said he had a fat little stomach and then Dr. Edwards later followed that with "he's thighs aren't to tiny either." Apparently his stomach is in the 80th percentile and his weight is in the 96th percentile. We all sort of giggled about this, but then I told Dr. E I would not be delivering a 10 pound baby!!! Maybe he'll slow down just a bit, we want healthy, but a 10 pound baby doesn't sound to fun! :) Next visit will be my sugar test....so I'll be praying I pass that on the first try! Also, on Wednesday I'll be at 20 weeks...we're half way there!!! Only 20 more weeks to we meet our precious little man!

It's a boy!

This post should get us up to date!!

We went for our first, 2nd Trimester appointment on January 12th. Dr. E said we would take a peek and see if we could tell gender at this appointment. My gut feeling from the beginning was that we were having a boy, I didn't tell Waldo though. I knew he wanted a boy so bad and I didn't want to get his hopes up. So we went to the appointment very anxious. We the ultrasound tech first pulled the picture up on the TV I could tell we were getting a shot looking up at his booty and legs....and I was positive she was about to say it was a boy, it was pretty obvious! :) Sure enough she said, and I quote "there is way to much going on down there for that to be a girl," HA I think Waldo was pretty proud of that statement. Later he told me he knew it was a boy too, before she even said anything. We both wanted a boy so to say we are excited is an understatement!!

In conclusion, I'd say this particular week was one of the best of my life. First, we started the week off by watching the Crimson Tide crush LSU and win our 14th National Championship! Second, then 3 days later we got to find out we would be having a precious baby boy, plus this was the first ultrasound that really looked like a baby. And if you ask me he is the most perfect, beautiful, handsome baby boy I have ever seen!! Like I said GREAT WEEK!!!

1st Trimester Doc Visits

I feel like I should begin by telling everyone about our doctor His name is Dr. Harvey Edwards and we love him and his family. We first met Harvey while Waldo was his son's baseball coach and about a year later his wife Debbie invited us to their Sunday School class. We didn't know it at the time, but that invite was such a blessing....thanks to the Edwards we really became involved in a wonderful church and became a part of a fabulous church family! Once in the Sunday School class we would hear stories about what an amazing doctor Harvey was and if we ever decided to have kids we should go to him. Well we took their advice and started seeing Harvey, he is an amazing Christian man and his faith runs over into his practice. I'm thankful God provided us with such a Godly physician during this process! Plus he is a friend and allows me to text him with any and all questions throughout this process!!! :)

So...1st appointment:
We had our first ultrasound, all we could really see was the yoke sack....but that was enough, we knew he was there!! Then we met with Dr. E and got the Do's and Don'ts of pregnancy.

2nd appointment:
We had another ultrasound and got to see what looked like a little bitty baby. However, the most amazing part was getting to hear a little man's precious heartbeat. I could listen to his heartbeat all day, and I found that as the days went by (since I couldn't feel him and I was feeling well) I longed to hear that heartbeat. The heart rate was 150.....we then started the guessing game of girl or boy, but after much reading I've decided that was useless...one article would say girl, the next boy. I'm glad we finally know!

3rd appointment:
This appointment we just went through the normal routine....weight, blood pressure, etc. everything was good. Dr. E came back and measured my belly for the first time.....I totally forgot to ask the measurement, I was in a state of confusion because we didn't stop at the ultrasound room. I had no clue that your insurance only paid for so many ultrasounds....which I think is RIDICULOUS, come on insurance companies ease a mother's mind let her see her baby once a month!!!! Anyway, after the measurement he was like "okay see you in 4 weeks." I was like wait a minute, how do you know there is a baby in there? Do we get an ultrasound or get to hear the heartbeat or something???? Dr. E ask us if the nurse had check the heartbeat. Which of course hadn't happened (not sure why, think she just forgot). He got her back in there and she checked. I felt like it took an eternity for her to find it, and Waldo said it was the longest minute of his life and all he could think was he didn't know how he would leave with me if they didn't find the heartbeat. Thankfully she found it and all was well, around 150 again!

That pretty much sums up the 1st Trimester. Thankfully I was only sick a few times and overall I felt great! However, I was glad to see the 1st trimester go for 2 reasons....1) I was so tired all the time 2) it gets us closer to meeting our little man.....I'm anxiously awaiting his arrival!

Recap of when we found out!

I figured I'd start from the beginning....the day we found out. It was October 26th, we had been trying for about 5 months and this month I had actually gotten a positive ovulation test so I knew the chances were good. I was about a week late, however this had been normal since I came off birth control, but I had been feeling funny all week, so I knew there was a good possiblity. As soon as I woke up that morning I took a home pregnancy test....and waited what seemed like FOREVER! When that little smiley face came back I was estatic! I started telling Crim and Debo they were going to be big brothers and dancing around.....or course they looked at me like I'd lost it.....and Debo was just eyeing the pregnancy test. That's another story entirely, but lets just say he LOVES those sticks, so they better go in a trash can with a lid!

Anyway, Waldo was working at UPS and it seems like it took him forever to get home that day. I should have thought of a creative way to tell him, but I was just to excited. When he walked in the door I told him to close his eyes, then I held the test up in front of him and said open. I can't even remember what his response was, I think he ask if I was serious....I'm not sure. I know he was totally pumped and he gave me a kiss.....then automatically became protective and ask if I had called Dr. Edwards yet.

Shortly thereafter I did text Dr. Edwards who sent me to his office for blood work. My blood work came back around 5:30 that night, I remember because I got the phone call right before I walked into church. It was so wonderful to hear that sweet nurse's voice confirm that I was pregnant. Once again it seems like it took Waldo forever to get to church....but when he finally arrived I got to confirm that we were for sure expecting a baby and that we'd have our first ultrasound next week!!

To say that the Carden clan was excited or happy this day is an understatement. We had been wanting a baby so badly that I can't even describe what it felt like to have that desire become a reality. All I can say is praise the Lord, he is an amazing God, and he does know the desires of our hearts!!

The Blogs Beginning!

So I'm finally giving in and starting a blog about the Carden family. I've decided since we now have a baby on the way it's pretty much impossible for me to keep all our family and friends updated all the time, so I'll be using The Carden Clan blog as a way for me to keep everyone informed as we start this new journey. And just in case your interested here is a little background information on the Cardens.....

I'm Candice and my husband is Matthew Carden.....Matthew's first name is actually Walden, which at some point in his prep school days was called out while the teacher was calling role and thus his friends started calling him Waldo. So from now on I'll probably refer to him as Waldo.....sometimes I use Waldo and Matthew interchangeably, so NO I do not have 2 husbands....Matthew and Waldo are the same person. Waldo and I have been married for a little over 2 years. We were married on June 6, 2009 in my hometown of Fort Payne, AL. It was an amazing day and marrying Waldo was one of the best decisions I have ever made. He is a wonderful man as I'm sure you'll find out as this blog continues. Waldo and I live in Tuscaloosa, which is where we met while we were both attending the Univeristy of Alabama. We love Tuscaloosa and especially it's football team, Roll Tide!

Besides marrying Waldo, the greatest decision of my life was my decision to become a Christian. Waldo and I are both believers, we love the Lord and try to put him first in everything that we do. Are we perfect NO, its something we work at everyday. We do love our local church, Calvary Baptist Church...we have a wonderful worship service and an amazing Sunday School class. We also teach the Bumblebee Sunday school class, which is a group of precious 2 year old!

And now we are starting on the 3rd biggest decision of our lives.....the decision to become parents! As of today, I am 17 weeks pregnant! Waldo and I are expecting a precious baby boy on July 4th and that day can't get here soon enough. I know, I know, I should be patient and enjoy pregnancy, but honestly I'm ready for July 4th, I can't wait to hold our baby boy and I anxiously want to have him here with us. Maybe I'll be a little less anxious once I can feel him kicking, but until then I'm anxiously awaiting his arrival in July!

Before I go for today there is one more big part of the Carden Clan that I haven't mention yet.....it's my 2 feline babies...Crimson and Debo. Crimson or Crim is my 8 year old orange and white tailless cat. Crim came to live with me my Junior year of college and has been my baby ever since. Crim is a very odd cat to say the least. He is NOT social, in fact he is pretty much scared of everyone but me and Waldo. He hides under the bed or in the closet whenever we have company. He loves us though, but that was not always the case....When Waldo first came into the picture, Crim was not happy that mom had another man in her life and he let me know everyday for months just how much he hated Waldo by using the bathroom in the floor. Luckily we have moved on from that and he loves Waldo. We can't imagine life without Crim, he is a wonderful snuggle buddy at night and during my Sunday afternoon nap. Our second baby is Debo who is the exact opposite of Crim....in fact I think he may be part dog. He loves people, loves attention, and loves to play. Debo is still a baby he is only about 9 months old. Debo came to live with us after the horrible tornado on April 27th in Tuscaloosa. He was found by the West Alabama Humane Society all by himself in Alberta in the debris, he was only a few days old. Shortly thereafter we volunteered to be Debo's foster family....however, he was just so cute and snugly (and I'm a sucker!) we decided to keep him. I thought Crim was odd, but Debo is just as odd. He steals my makeup brushes, my ponytail holders, and pretty much anything he can put in his mouth. He constantly aggravates Crim by jumping on him. He also loves water....if you leave the shower door slightly open he will jump in even with the water running. So far he has eaten my indoor plant, lost a few expensive makeup brushes, and chewed through multiple loafs of bread. Having Debo is like having a 2 year old in the house, but we love him and he keeps things interesting.

Over the next few postings I'll try to update everyone on what's been going on with the pregnancy up until this point! I've been keeping a journal of most of the journey so I'll post some of it on here! I apologize if I stink at blogging for a while, but surely after a few weeks I'll get the hang of it! :)