Ruth Ann's Nursery

So I've been asked by many of you to post pictures of Ruth Ann's nursery. The reason for the delay is that I wanted to wait until the project was complete. There are still some finishing touches (pictures for the wall yet to be purchased, a bookcase, and some pictures of the baby girl, etc) but for the most part we're finished. The curtains were the finishing touch and took longer than expected to get hung due to my error...mental note, don't assume you know window measurements when ordering expandable curtain rods. Always measure and then order. This week I finally got everything straightened out and Arch hung them this morning.

This is the view when you walk into her room. If anyone is ever going to paint a room pink I would highly recommend you purchase sample sizes and paint a small area in the room first. I went through 10 different colors before settling on the perfect shade of pink.


Here is her beautiful bed that we have on loan from Andrea...thanks again to Anna and Andrea for letting Ruth Ann use Anna's fabulous bed. Thanks also to Grammy for Ruth Ann's first stuffed tiger...I'm sure she'll love it until she starts her freshman year at Auburn!

Ruth Ann's a very lucky girl...how many little girls can say the have 2 closets in their room? This picture gives you a good view of her curtains which were made for me by a family friend, Tammy Link. She is very talented and Ruth Ann's room would not have been complete without them. My error in curtain rods revealed an error I made in ordering fabric for the curtains. Tammy was kind enough to work with me to straighten my mistake out. Thanks again Tammy!

Here's Lacie Lou checking out the room. The chair she's in is by far the most fabulous seat in our house. It's comfy, it rocks and reclines! I know I'll be spending lots of time here once Ruth Ann arrives. Lacie will most likely be right next to me keeping me company.

I wanted a good shot of the light fixture in her room. This was a gift from my mom's friend Ann Nichols (she also provided to the curtain rods). This light was the perfect finishing touch for Ruth Ann's room. Thanks Ann!

Week 38 update

So it's official. I went to the doctor this morning and she determined I was favorable for the induction on Monday morning. We'll head to the hospital Sunday evening to start meds and then the induction will be Monday morning. The end is in sight and we can't wait to meet our new baby girl! If you are one of our friends who live in the Columbia area and would like to come visit us while we're at the hospital we are welcoming visitors so don't feel shy about stopping by! If you're viewing our blog from afar, I promise to try to post a picture of Ruth Ann as soon as possible, but Arch has no idea how to post on the blog, so you'll have to wait until I'm home and can get to the computer...sorry.

An eventful weekend

So all last week I was having contractions, but never close enough to call the doctor. On sunday they got to be about 10 minutes apart and I was having a lot of pressure...I was sure I had dilated more. We called the doctor and we were told to head up to the hospital...music to my ears. I was hooked up to the fetal monitor and a monitor to measure my contractions, which increased in regularity, but ultimatly stopped that night only to start up again monday morning. However, after being checked 3 times I did not dilated any further and we were sent home without a newborn baby. The silver lining...I'm scheduled for an induction on MONDAY, DEC. 1ST!! So unless Ruth Ann decides otherwise, we have 5 more days to go until we meet this baby girl. I should have known she wouldn't be here before Thanksgiving. She is afterall a McCarty and probably doesn't want to miss out on a big Thanksgiving feast!

Pregnancy update...week 37 (& 1/2 but who's counting?)

I continued to experience a lot of contractions this week but these were much more regular and much stronger than what I had experienced in the past weeks(which I made plainly clear at my appointment today). Turns out I'm now 2 cm dilated and between 30-50% effaced!! I hope this means the stork is circling and ready to bring us our baby girl. I also asked for a weight estimate and of course I know this isn't an exact science, but I can't help but be curious. Today's guess was around 6lbs. However, here's some food for thought...I was 2 weeks early and weighed in at 8lbs and my brother was 2 weeks late and weighed in at 10lbs 2oz! If following the maternal line predicts baby's birth weight then Ruth Ann will most likily be closer to 8lbs rather than 6lbs. We'll see. I also found out my doctor is on call this weekend, so she would do the delivery if Ruth Ann decides to show herself this weekend. I've got my list of people to call, but if in all the excitement you don't hear from us, keep checking the blog. I'll find a way to have it updated should we meet the newest McCarty before my next appointment on Wednesday!

Pregnancy update...week 36

Just wanted to let everyone know what I found out at my doctor's appointment this afternoon. I've officially begun to dilate! This afternoon I was a "good 1 cm" and the doctor was able to feel Ruth Ann's head in the downward position. We're heading in the right direction even though I often feel her trying to stretch one of her legs out through my right side and I'm fairly sure this is not the exit she will be taking! My bags are packed and I'm hoping things are going to start happening sooner rather than later...stay tuned for more updates!

Halloween

Here are some pictures for the Brown's 3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving party...

Spencer is Dwight from NBCs "The Office", Arch is Dwight's cousin, Moses the beet farmer, and I'm a gum ball machine...thanks to Amanda Newman for the great costume suggestion.



Another great Halloween party at the Browns. Last year I won the costume contest for the ladies and I thought I would repeat this year since I Incorporated my expanding belly into my costume, but Brantley, aka Sarah Palin, took home the prize for the ladies this year. Spencer won for the guys, so thanks to Spencer the McCarty's still have a 2 year winning streak!

Couple's Shower

Arch and I are so lucky to have such great friends. Here are some pictures from our couples shower hosted by the Browns, the Clarks and the Tunmores.

This beautiful and delicous cake was made my Brantly Clark. She knows I love a monogram!

Arch surrounded by our gifts. We really are blessed to have such kind and overly generous friends!

Here's me and my mom...I'm 34 weeks pregnant in this picture and I look exhausted!

Spencer with cousins Madison and Ethan, also known as Priness Laya and Captain Rex.



Here are the brains behind the shower planning...hostesses Sally Brown, Brantley Clark and Auralee Tunmore.

Thanks again for a great shower!

The Newest McCarty

No, it's not pictures of Ruth Ann...yet. This is our new puppy...yet to be named. Some of you already know what we've been through this past year, but for those that don't, this is why we're crazy enough to bring home a new baby and new puppy within 2 weeks of each other.

Arch had a dog named Cleat that passed away last fall. Cleat was only a few years old, but at the end of the summer 2007 he started losing weight very rapidly. The vet couldn't figure out what was wrong and honestly didn't have much time to figure it out. His passing was very quick. So I decided to get Arch a golden retriever puppy for christmas last year. Arch named his new puppy Rookie and he was a precious puppy dog. At his first vet visit we found out he had a heart murmer. I took him to Auburn to go to the vet clinic there for an EKG and we found out he had a congenital heart defect which meant he would only live about 2 years. However, Rookie ended up being with us for only a few months. He passed away in the spring due to congestive heart failure. I had stayed intouch with the dog breeder I purchased him from during all this and when he died I called her to let her know what had happened. She offered us pick of her next litter to replace Rookie. I told her I appreciated the offer, but at this point Arch had buried 2 dogs in 6 months and this would have to be his decision. She didn't think her next dog would have a litter until the end of the summer, so I had plenty of time to talk with Arch once his heart had healed after Rookie's passing. To my surprise 2 days later Arch asked me if the dog breeder had ever asked if we would be interested in having another puppy. I told him about the offer and we decided we would take her up on it. The momma dog was suppose to have gone into heat in April which meant we would take a puppy home in August. Perfect timing...well before Ruth Ann's arrival. However, things didn't work out quite the way we thought. The momma dog finally delivered these puppies in mid-October making them ready to come home 1 week after Ruth Ann's due date. Luckily, this dog breeder is great at crate training her dogs and they come home nearly house trained. Arch figures we'll be up in the middle of the night with a baby so we might as well be up with a puppy. I'll also be home for 3 months, so I'll get lots of bonding time with the puppy.




Here's our pick...he has a pink ribbon around his neck so when others come to look at the puppies they know he's taken.

Here is the whole litter...12 total!

Anna's visits Riverbanks Zoo

The Webster family came to our couples shower, but before the shower saturday night we spent the afternoon at Riverbanks Zoo.

Here I am with Anna. I've always gained weight in my face first and even though I have been right on track with what my doctors believe is appropriate weight gain, I think half of it is in my face!

Here is Maybry, Anna, and Tabitha. Tabitha doesn't look like she wanted to be in this picture at all!



Such sweet girls. Maybry lives here in Lexington and Anna lives Auburn. I wish they lived closer to each other because they look like they could be great friends!

Church Baby Shower

Over the last few weeks I've had several baby showers. This was my first shower at Lexington Baptist Church.



This is Kate Howell and Mandy Smith. I've known Mandy since I was in the 1st grade and Kate since we were both in the 3rd grade. I'm lucky to have both of them as friends for over 2 decades! Both Kate and Mandy have daughters who I can't wait for Ruth Ann to grow up with.

Here are all the hostesses for the baby shower. Some of these ladies have been second mothers to me and have been great role models for what a strong christian mother should be.

Here I am with Kennedy Brooke. I babysat her and her sister (Regan) from birth until I got married 2 years ago. This was the last baby I took care of before Ruth Ann's arrival.

Me and my mom. For those of you who have not been able to see me grow larger live and in person, at this shower I was 32 weeks pregnant.