Week 14!!!

I am a little late on Week 14. Last Wednesday we went and saw the doctor for my second appointment. It was really quick. The doctor was able to set the doppler right down on top of where the heart beat was. It was crazy. The heart rate was 142 bpm. I have my first ultra sound scheduled for January 19th. By then I will be almost 19 weeks along.

All of my pants are starting to fit tight and finding something that looks good out of my current wardrobe is currently very challenging. My sweet friend Crista (my hero because she just gave birth to a 10 lb baby with out an epidural and 27 hours of labor) sent me some maternity shirts. Yesterday I decided that I would get one of them out and give it a try becasue I desperately need something different to wear. It was pretty funny. I am not quite ready for that shirt but am sure it won't be long.

Week 13

As of yesterday I am officially 13 weeks along. Tuesday night I decided to make dinner for us for the first time in forever. I cooked with one hand over my nose but was successful and made it through!!! We have been living off of pre-made frozen meals that take ten minutes to make so it was really nice to have a meal. I do think that Shawn is most excited out of everyone because he has been the chef of the family. He has been a trooper and hasn't complained one bit about his new chore.

We have been really busy the last several weeks so I haven't had a chance to put an update on. So here is a brief run down of the last several weeks:

1. On black friday, Shawn got kicked out of Walmart for line jumping (to get into the store). A police office grabbed his hood and told him that if he sees him back at that store again that day the he was going to arrest him.

2. Kaylee came to live with us last week. She started school by our house and absolutely loves it! Sunday she said "I wish it were Monday becasue I would be at school right now." She has many friends in our neighborhood that she has known for a long time and they all go there so she has pleanty of friends to play with at all times.

3. Kaylee came home from sehool on friday and said "Jill, can I jump off the neighbors roof?" That is all the detail she gave me! Mom, if you are reading this, does something like this sound familiar at all? Is this De Ja Vu? It seems to me that it is Shawn's mother's curse alive and well.

4. I passed my state real estate exam yesterday. I have been working on this since March of 2007. I will work on it for a little while then something would happen so I would stop for several months. I decided to buckle down and get it over with. I will be official as soon as I turn my papers into the state!

5. Shawn is loving his new job. He has a really neat boss who is easy going. He gets along really well with the crew he works with and has nothing but good things to say. They always send him to the residential projects all by himself because they know he will get it done. His boss likes him becasue he gets things done fast. Shawn found out yesterday that his friend Gavin is going to start with the company soon. He is looking forward to working with him again!

6. Tonight is my last class for the year!! I am really excited because I will get a very much needed three week break!!

Our First Appointment!

Today was a very exciting day for us! We had our first appointment with Dr. Curtis, the OBGYN. He spent the good majority of a half hour with us to make sure he answered every little question he could for us. He also explained a lot of different things to us such as why pregnant women are so sick the first few months. He showed Shawn how big the baby was in comparison to his pinky finger and explained that we only had a fifty percent chance of hearing the heartbeat at this appointment. Despite the small odds he went on a search for the heartbeat. It took him a good ten minutes to find the perfect spot but we could hear it! It was so exciting!! Dr. Curtis said that the baby's heartrate was 160 beats per minute which is very good news!

Part of my appointment was having a physical exam. He found that I have a tilted uterus which may make delivery challenging when we get to that point. The average woman has a 10-12% chance of having a c-section, but with a tilted uterus, my chances are around 30% at this point. He said during my last four weeks, he will monitor it very close and if the baby does not turn head down and drop or if i have not dialated or thinned at all, we will consider discussing a C-section at that point.

After meeting with the Dr. we saw his nurse who had a huge bag of goodies for us to take home! I am going to post a picture of all of our fun stuff as soon as my camera is functional again (hopefully tomorrow night!)

After we got our goodie bag, they sent me to the lab for a bunch of blood work. They took 7 viles of blood! I was warned that they would get several, but I never expected 7!

It was a fun morning for us! I can't wait to hear the heartbeat again next month!

Last week my boss told me that if I am having a boy, there will be more testosterone in my system so a good physical sign of having a boy would be that I get extra hair on my body. I told Shawn what she said and he did not believe me. While we were waiting to go in for lab work, Shawn excidely told me that while I was laying on the exam table he noticed that I have more hair and starts telling me all of the areas he noticed it in. I couldn't tell if he was excited or grossed out. Which ever one, it was pretty funny! He is now on the search for signs of any extra hair he can find! I guess I better be careful of what I say to him.

In Loving Memory

Mildred Hatch Carter 1912 ~ 2008 The children of Mildred Hatch Carter are saddened but grateful to announce the passing of our mother, age ninety-six. She died quietly at home of natural causes Friday, November 7, 2008, surrounded by those who loved her.Mildred was born October 10, 1912 to Curtis Legrande and Mary Alice Funk Hatch. She and her husband John Deloy Carter, who has preceded her by 14 years, were parents of 12 children, ten raised to adulthood, 54 grandchildren, 91 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. She was our teacher, our mentor, our examplar and our most loyal friend. She was also a friend of those in need of temporal, emotional, and spiritual sustenance. None were ever turned away from her door unappreciated or unfed. Her grandchildren were the special beneficiaries of her loving care. She was a faithful daughter of Zion and an unfailing disciple of Jesus Christ. Her simple and unadorned faith was the foundation of our own, and it was by her knee that we learned our first prayers. Mid, as she was known, excelled in school. She desired to continue beyond high school, but she married young. Those were the early years of the Great Depression when surviving was the singular goal and expectation. She lamented her loss, perhaps not realizing that literary attainments cannot be compared with the wisdom gained in living and serving. Many have since eagerly sought her advice and counsel. Like their seven sons and one of their daughters, Deloy and Mildred served a proselyting mission together in Ventura, California. She served her church faithfully throughout her life. Her home and our lives are poorer without her, but we thank God for her example and memory. We will miss her beyond measure. John D. (Nadine) Carter, Jr., Bonita (Dean) Carter Thomas, Dorian L. Carter, Burton L.(Yvonne) Carter, Diane (Richard, deceased) Carter Wyatt, Vanevery L. Carter, (deceased) and Mrs. Donna (Stan) Schulz, Von H. (Janiel) Carter, Robert K. (Terri) Carter, Debra (Paul) Carter Hatton, Brett L. (Terry) Carter. Funeral services will be held at 12 p.m. Fri., November 14, 2008 at the Cottonwood 11th Ward Chapel, 1830 E. 6400 S., Murray. Viewings will be Thurs., 6-8 p.m. at Memorial Mortuary, 5850 S. 900 E. and Fri. 10-11:30 a.m. at the church. Interment, Holladay Memorial Park. Funeral Directors, Cottonwood Mortuary.


My grandma was so special to me. I was really fortunate to grow up next door to her for the majority of my life. My earliest memories took place at her house. A day didn't go by that I didn't go see grandma and grandpa. We were always welcome at her house. I would walk in and grandma would immediately ask me if I was hungry and promptly go into the kitchen and whip something up. I got my love of ice cream from her. She always had ice cream in her freezer and if she happened to be out, she always had the ingredients for orange julius. I remember getting her old blender out to mix up a batch and giving her the first taste test. My grandma was a great comfort to me. If I ever got upset I would go over to her house and she would rock me in her orange rocking chair and sing songs. A few hours later I would wake up on the couch and life was good again. Katie, Karmen (my cousin) and myself would always sleep over on the couch in the sitting room. We would always beg grandma for a bubble bath and she never turned us down. There are so many good memories of grandma it would take me all day to list them.

Friday afternoon I got a call from Katie telling me that grandma was not doing well and not going to make it very much longer. I left work immediately and rushed up to her house. I sat with grandma and family members for several hours and was there when she took her last breath. It was a very solmn experience for me. I am grateful that I was able to be there with her. I hope I was as much of a comfort to her as she has been to me over the years. I will miss you grandma!!

Yes, Belive your eyes!

Yes My Husband has purple toes with white polka dots!!!! There is a story behind this. The first part of September I had my birthmark lasered. As many of you know, I didn't look very attractive. Shawn was trying to figure out a way to make me feel better so he decided to take me to get a pedicure. Shawn being the good sport he is agreed to get one with me (that's true love!). The little Asian girls at the nail salon I go to absolutely love Shawn and always ask me about him. Needless to say, they were tickled to see him show up to get his nails done (he was excited to see his girlfriends too). They kept trying to talk him into painting his nails something other than clear. After much persuasian, he decided to be a good sport and go along with a color. After they chose his color, they wanted to put a flower on his toes (like mine). That is where he drew the line and they came to a mutual agreement that white polka dots would sufice. The best part of the whole story is that the purple nail polish stayed on for several weeks (he couldn't find the polish remover). The purple toes definately made the recovery process much more light hearted. What a great husband!!

Week 8!

It is hard to believe that I am already in week 8 (as of yesterday). I am really looking forward to being out of my first trimester! We found that if I cook something I can't eat it which is super challenging because I am the cook of the family. Last night Shawn made dinner and I feel so much better today than I have for several weeks! I can't believe that I didn't figure it out sooner but this whole thing is a learning experience. Tuesday night I made a huge pot of home made chicken noodle soup and can't touch it at all now! I guess I will be delivering a container to the neighbors because there is seriously enough to feed the whole neighborhood.

My first doctor appointment is in a few weeks (November 18th) and the doctor said that we will have a 60% chance of hearing the heart beat. We are both super excited for the appointment.

We had a fun Halloween this year. Kaylee dressed up as a devil and went out with a big group of six girls from all over the neighborhood. This was her first year of being able to go out on her own. We had dead batteries in the camera so we were not able to get a picture of her to post. Shawn and I stayed home and handed out candy to the trick or treaters. We probably had close to a hundred come to the door. It was a bit crazy! After the girls were done trick or treating they had a huge sleepover at one of the girls houses. I think Kaylee had a great night!

A few pics from our San Diego trip

Congrats Daddy!

Since the last posting we figured out that my math was incorrect and I am actually a week further along than I am. I am almost to my sixth week which is unbelievable! My due date should be right around June 16th (Sorry James and Amanda!). Kaylee, Natalie, and my mom are all convinced it is a girl. I told Shawn that they think it is and he is in complete denial about it. He is really hoping for a boy, but is absolutely thrilled to have what ever.

As of yesterday, eating has been a bit challenging. I am still crossing my fingers and toes that I don't get the full blown experience of morning sickness.

I think big sis Kaylee is excited for the new baby. She likes the name Heather. Mikyla and Jazzlynn came over to visit Saturday night and Kayle was very curious about Jazzlynn and held her several times. It was funny because she just sat and stared at her. She is trying to figure the baby thing out. The second Mikyla said "oh it looks like you need your diaper changed" cousin Kaylee was out of the room!! HAHA!

Our Big News!

Yesterday, October 16, 2008 Shawn and I got some happy news!! We are expecting a new member of the family!

Wednesday night I had a feeling that I needed to take a test because I was a day late and I am like clock work not to mention how tired and sore I had been for the last few weeks. I talked myself out of it I think partly because I don't know if I was ready to know yet. I asked Shawn when we wanted me to take one and he responded "whenever". (I don't think he thought I was)

Thursday morning I woke up ten minutes late, but I decided that I better take a test so I don't find out while Shawn is in the middle of the woods on the deer hunt (he left today). I have been told by several people that when you take the test you know within a few seconds that it is positive. I took a quick look at it and didn't see a plus so I threw it on the back of the toilet and got into the shower. I was convinced that it was not positive but I was puzzled why I was late. Shawn came in a few minutes later and handed me a towel. I asked him to take a look at the test and tell me what the test said. He picked it up and said, "well how do I tell?" I explained to him a plus sign is positive and a minus sign is negative. He got the most stunned look on his face and got a big grin and said in a very exciting voice "I think it is positive!"

I was in complete and udder shock! I didn't believe it at first. I told Shawn that he needed to run to the grocery store and buy another one so we didn't get our hopes up. He probably set the land speed record on his way to Albertsons. about fifteen minutes later (the longest fifteen minutes of my life) he came home with a digital test in hand. As you know, it came out positive!!

So our next dilema was trying to figure out when to tell people. Shawn was going hunting with Dad and Todd all weekend and I am going to go to Nat's jewlery party and dinner with mom and Jen on Saturday not to mention that Kaylee was going to stay with me for the weekend. There is no way that we could ever keep it hidden all weekend long! We came to the conclusion that dispite school and getting ready for camping that we had to tell our parents and Kaylee at the very least.

Shawn went and picked Kaylee up and told her that she needed to do some chores to throw her off. I left class two hours early so we met at my parents house. Shawn had flowers for me, my mom, and kaylee. When he mustered up the courage to tell them he ran out to the car and grabbed the flowers. He announced to my mom that we get ten baby blankets because he is the favorite (inside joke going with Katie cause she gets 5 blankets from my mom). Mom and Dad were so surprised. I think they are still in shock. Kaylee yelled "really?" and I think she was in more shock than both me and Shawn put together.

Our next stop was Mom and Dad Genessy's house. I came in the door with flowers for Mom and she got a look on her face like what is going on???. I handed the flowers to her and told them congradulations Grandma and Grandpa! They were thrilled. What an exciting night!!

Today I made my first doctor appointment with the same doctor that delivered me and my siblings. Our first appointment is in a month and I will be nine weeks along by then. According to the nurse, I am 4 1/2 weeks along as of today.

So we are starting a poll to see what you think the baby will be. We also want name suggestions! Let us know what you think!