Two Little Mittons

Week 41 & Still Pregnant!

2012-02-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

Yes I am still pregnant, and not comfortable any more. Last Thursday I started to have some contractions that weren't too bad. I was kind of happy that something was happening because there had been nothing before this. Then on Friday the started getting stronger and more consistent. I didn't get any sleep Friday night because I would just wake up in pain every 15 mins ish. So Saturday morning I was up really early which is unusual for me. We really thought that we would be having a baby by Saturday night. But no, the contractions didn't get any closer together. So Saturday again I got absolutely no sleep, and neither did Chris which isn't good because he has been getting sick. So all day Sunday the same thing. Contractions about 15 mins apart, but by the end of the day they were getting a lot stronger and more painful. Just the thought of another sleepless painful night made me cry. I was trying really hard to be patient and strong, but I was in so much pain and SO tired. I tried my best to sleep a few minutes in between each contractions, but after a few very painful ones I had just had it.

We decided to head over the the hospital to see what they would say. I pretty much knew they would send me home, but I couldn't just sit in bed dying any more. We showed up told them what was up. They kept me for the hour. I actually had contractions 3-5 mins apart while I was there. But even after this and 3 days of pain I was only dilated to a 1.5 or "1 plus" as they would say. Its amazing how much pain for so long can do nothing.

The fist nurse said that since my induction date is tomorrow there is a possibility they would just start me today, but it was up to the doctor. As we were waiting we were secretly hoping they would just give me some good pain killers and send us home so we could get some sleep. We were both dead tired. Most people wouldn't consider this lucky, but lucky us there was no change so they gave me pain meds and sent us home. We were both able to get a good 4 hours of sleep. I could still feel some pain but it took edge off enough not to jolt me awake every few minutes.

So tomorrow is the day! Unless she decides to come before that, but pretty sure that isn't happening. I'm a little worried how long the process is going to take tomorrow. I hope I can get a few hours of sleep tonight before the big day. I'm still absolutely terrified and can't believe this is really happening now. We are going to have a baby tomorrow. Craziness.

Condo 1 Year!

2012-02-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

Just over a year ago we bought and moved into our condo. It was terrifying for me because anything to do with money scares me. It ended up being a great decision and we have loved being here. I just can't believe it has been a whole year already! And now we are adding a baby to our lives.

So after I posted pictures of the nursery I thought I might post some other pictures of our place. And because I had just cleaned the place really well and felt like I should take pictures while it still looked good. We actually just recently put things up on the walls in our family room. Yes it took a whole year. We just couldn't decide what to put up. Now that there are things up on the walls it feels a lot more warm and homey. We really like our place and are very grateful to have it!

Family Room. Painting is by our amazing artist friend Christie Brereton. Only after we got this painting could we finish this room. It was the missing piece!

The kitchen that has way too many coats of paint. We first painted it "grey" which turned out to look sky blue and was AWFUL! I seriously cried for a whole hour or more. We obviously repainted it and went in a completely different direction. We love the way it turned out.

Our very simple, non-decorated office.

Week 40 & No End

2012-01-31T09:05:00.001-08:00

40 Weeks, can you believe it! I really never thought my due date would ever come, and now it has come and gone. I had a doctor's appointment again this morning. I didn't have high hopes for any progress. I pretty much knew that there had been no progress. I have had NO contractions, and NO signs of things moving along. I told the doctor that I would just plan on seeing him next Tuesday for my induction. I don't really have high hopes that she will come before that. She hasn't even dropped into my pelvis at all. The doctor did an ultra-sound today just to make sure her head was down, because it was high up enough today that he couldn't feel it. She is head down, just not down far enough.

The doctor said he just had a lady that was progressing really fast at the hospital. They called him in and she was dilated to a 10, ready to have the baby, and when he checked it was the babies bum and not the head so they had to do a C-section. He said "That was a bummer, literally!" So that's why he wanted to make sure she was head down today.

So we are still waiting. I'm still sleeping pretty good, and not horribly uncomfortable, so I guess I can wait until she is really ready to come. Hurray for week 40 going on 41! She better come before or after the Super Bowl though, I don't think Chris would enjoy being in the hospital for that game. They don't have high definition. :)

Baby Girl's Nursery!

2012-01-26T12:57:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the nursery we have been working on. It's pretty simple, but we are happy with it!

As you walk in the door:

The flower photos were all taken by my wonderful dad. I had to put my dried flowers somewhere. I'll probably have to move them when she gets older. The flowers are from valentines day, graduation, and the small corsage in the middle is from the Homecoming dance that Chris and I went to our senior year. The beautiful blanket my wonderful sister-in-law Kristen made!

Here is our little reading corner:

That's it! Hope she likes it!

On another note I went to Quilted Bear yesterday for the first time. I was on the hunt to find some cute baby accessories for pictures after the baby is born. Holy cow I didn't even know that place existed. There is so much stuff in there! We found some really cute stuff. It was really hard to decide what to get, and not buy everything.

Week 39 & No Progress

2012-01-24T08:49:00.000-08:00

I had my 39 week appointment this morning. And again....uneventful. There has been absolutely no progress for 3 weeks. Just staying the same. The doctor said he wouldn't be surprised if I went my full week (& 1 day) over due to my induction date which is February 7th. So I could be potentially waiting for another 2 full weeks before this baby comes. I think I can last a week, I don't know about two though. Chris said she probably is just too much like me and is scared to take that next step forward. Don't blame her! Now we just wait.

38 Weeks & Baby Shower

2012-01-23T15:57:00.000-08:00

Week 38 was my first week off of work. Kind of. I went back Tuesday-Thursday for a couple of hours a day to train the guy they got to replace me. It was kind of a nice transition out of work. I was surprisingly really really busy and had plenty to do the whole week. I didn't get bored at all.

Saturday the 14th I had my baby shower. It was a great success! We had lots of good food, and lots of friends and neighbors that stopped by. My mom did a great job putting everything together. Everyone was so nice and generous. Baby girl will have plenty of cute clothes to wear, even if she goes through 6 outfits a day.

I spent the first half of the week sorting through all the gifts and finding a place for them. I went through all of the clothes sorted them out by size, washed them and put them in the dresser. That was actually really overwhelming...don't really know why I felt so overwhelmed by it. My king size bed had piles and piles of clothes covering it.

The second half of the week I tried to clean up the house. Friday I kind of killed myself. Vacuuming and mopping doesn't mesh well with being pregnant. It's really annoying when you really want to get a lot done but your back it screaming "Please NO!". Saturday I was completely exhausted and dead, and didn't do anything I was so tired.

My doctors appointment this week was again uneventful. You shouldn't wish for something out of the ordinary to happen when you are at the doctor, but I wanted some sign that this child will be coming...but nothing. The doctor was surprised at how smiley and happy I was. I guess most women at this point hate their lives and just want the baby to come all ready. I'm doing okay though, and I'm still pretty nervous for her to come so I'm just relaxing while I have the time.

The Final Day

2012-01-13T15:24:00.000-08:00

I just finished my last day of work. A very weird feeling. I'm not going to lie I have been counting down the days ever since I found out I was pregnant. I was really excited to be done. I was excited to be done with all the frustrations that came from my job. I was done coming home ticked and venting to Chris about all the dumb stuff at work. I was excited to not have to wake up every morning and drive down to south west Provo through all the crappy construction. And I'm still excited to be done with all of that, but I didn't really think about the other side of things.

My social life has been that office day in and day out for 3 1/2 years. Those are the people that I spent 8 hours of my life with 5 days a week. I got to know about them and their families, and I cared about them and what was going on with their families. Even though most of them were middle aged men, they were my friends. And I just walked away from my friends that I talked to every day. And let's be honest they may miss me for a week or two as the new guy gets the hang of things, but they will eventually forget about me, and I'll just be another one of the old employees that came and went. I was just the crazy girl that brought a sassy, pessimistic attitude to work everyday. The girl that has gotten in trouble for talking too much since the Kindergarten. I'm sure not everyone liked me, but I hope some of them did. And part of me hopes that occasionally they will think, "I wish Jessica was here to help me out with this." I'd like to think I was of some worth there.

So, super mixed feelings right now. Ending one chapter of my life and moving on to another. Even as frustrating as this last chapter has been, I'm terrified for the next. The "unknown" of what I am getting myself into. I know it will be wonderful and I will love it, but lets be honest, it will be a big adjustment. I just hope I'm so busy I don't have too much time to think about it, and that this child is the cutest thing I have ever seen. I also hope those maternal instincts people talk about really do kick in to help me out.

Here is to the next chapter and what lies ahead!

The humble office in a very strange part of Provo, peace out!

37 Weeks & Last Week of Work!

2012-01-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

37 Weeks! Full term, she really can come anytime now! Even though I rather her wait until after the 22nd. This pregnancy thing is starting to get to me. I seriously felt 2 times bigger today than yesterday. Chris informed me that is impossible though, but I still feel that way. My stomach is really tight most the time from either from braxton hicks ,or baby pushing out, or who knows what else...eating? My stomach literally is just tired. Sitting down is exhausting and super uncomfortable. I just want to wear stretchy pants for the rest of this pregnancy.

Friday we bought a dresser and put it together. Holy cow was that fun for Chris! 338 pieces total including all of the screws, nails, cams and what not. The instructions were really easy to follow, but there were so many pieces it just took a really long time. It looks awesome all put together though! Everything is coming together nicely. Once I get things up on the walls I'll take some pictures of the nursery and post them. I'm not a decorator though...just keep that in mind. I'm all about simple, and I'm not very creative.

This week is my last week of work! Last Wednesday my replacement started and I started training him. I came in late the next day because I had a doctor's appointment and I was informed that my replacement had quit. I thought it was a joke, and didn't believe them until like the 10th time they assured me that he really had called and quit. I guess he got another job offer. So....lucky me I didn't have to train for the last week....unlucky everyone else I work with they don't have someone to do what I have been doing.

I'm kind of excited to be done. There are things I will definitely not miss about work, and things I will miss about work. It will be a very strange thing not to go to work next Monday, and not have to worry about it. I will probably get bored and go crazy if I don't schedule my time with things to do. Luckily I still do have quite a few things to do for this baby.

I just keep wondering when she is going to come. I can't believe this is actually happening. It is so surreal. My life is changing so dramatically so fast. Let's hope I can keep up with it all. Cross your fingers.

36 Weeks & Last Zumba

2012-01-04T19:24:00.000-08:00

36 Weeks and we are slowing getting things together. We kinds of have the curtains up in the babies room. There was some incorrect measuring done the first time so they aren't hemmed yet. The crib is put together, the crib skirt is ironed and in place. But there is not a mattress yet. Still need to get that. We need to figure out what dresser we want and get that in there. Then we can put stuff up on the walls and be done with the big stuff. That room looks SO much smaller with the furniture in it. Good thing it's a babies room, and she doesn't need a lot of space.

Tonight may have been my last night of Zumba. It was all of a sudden much, much harder and more uncomfortable to move. I kind of moved to the music, and definitely looked ridiculous. "Pumping it" just looks so lame when you have a massive stomach. I may just have to resort to walking around the track....if I can even get myself to do that. My tail bone really started to hurt tonight, I think she is making her way down.

Today I also started training my replacement at work. I hate training. I really don't think I'm good at transferring knowledge, especially when it is gained over 3-1/2 years. It is going to be nice to be done, but extremely weird at the same time. My last day is the Friday the 13th, so 7 more days left!

35 Weeks & Wedding Bash

2011-12-29T21:03:00.000-08:00

Ya for week 35! We are now counting down on one hand! Craziness. I feel like I'm growing quite fast now. It's really weird. I'm definitely getting to the "I'm really uncomfortable most of the time, and kinda of ready to be done phase". But I don't know if I'm all the way there yet. I can wait a few more weeks. Mostly because we are still not ready. The nursery is definitely not done yet, and she still doesn't have a name. And I'm sure there are lots of other little things that I don't have that I don't even know I need.

I'm still feeling pretty lucky. This pregnancy so far hasn't been that bad. There is definitely the crappy parts but from some of the horror stories I hear I'm doing pretty good.

I'm still sleeping well....almost every night.
Don't have any stretch marks yet....still knocking on wood.
I have a little swelling but definitely not has bad as it could be. Let's hope I don't puff up a lot in these last few weeks.
I don't really have aches and pains that bother me for long periods of time...at least not yet.
I don't have bad heart burn. I get it occasionally, here and there, but nothing Tums can't handle.
Haven't had any bad head aches.
I haven't been too insane, or emotional. I mean I was already pretty insane and emotional before so...

Look at me being positive!

Now the negative.

I'm SO sick of trying to find something decent to wear over this large stomach. Nothing really looks great. I don't have much to wear, and definitely don't want to use money to buy new stuff to fit my large self. When I sit it's like my stomach rests on my legs....really annoying. And then there are parts of your body that touch, that should just never touch and it feels weird. I look at myself in the mirror after weighing myself and I think, "Where is all this weight going!" That number is slowing getting more are more depressing. I'm trying to not let it get to me, but come on, that is not easy. Oh and I found myself turning to the side to squeeze through a tight space...ya that didn't work out so well.

Funny story from tonight: When sitting around a table chatting with my 17 year old brother-in-law, 2 other pregnant women, and one women who had just had a baby, we mentioned being "dilated to a 4" and what not. My brother-in-law asks me what those numbers mean. I explained it is how many centimeter you open up inside as you get ready to have the baby. He then says, "That's your cervix right?" I say, "yeah". He then says, "Think about that, your cervix is a champ. It just holds that baby in there the whole time." Haha! best quote ever! "Your cervix is a champ!" It is true though!

Curtis and Emily had their wedding reception tonight. We had a fun time all being together to celebrate. It was a little weird though since they are technically not married yet...they are getting married tomorrow in Logan. So the sparkler send off had a little acting involved. Looking forward for the real deal tomorrow! Here are some pics from tonight:

34 Weeks & Christmas Blur

2011-12-27T19:16:00.000-08:00

Apparently I got stung by a bee this week. And I apparently will look really tired for the rest of my life. I don't see it getting better before the baby comes, or anytime soon after. Week 34 was a blur...and I was obviously too tired, busy, and lazy to post the 34 week post the actually week of 34 weeks.

Here's the crazy weeks run down:

December 20th was Chris's birthday. We celebrated with his family at El Pollo Loco and then went and saw Sherlock Holmes. He got a couple new shirts, golf shoes, a new coat, and an amazon gift card. It was a fun night.

December 21th was the annual Mitton Family Christmas party. We went to Chris's aunt and uncles house, ate some yummy soup, and open some fun gifts that started with "M". Glad I didn't end up with the mop! Chris's grandma also gave us an awesome gift! She knitted a white blanket, booties, bonnet and the cutest little sweater you have ever seen for our cute little baby's blessing. They are amazing and I'm so grateful that she thought of us and did that!

The 22nd I wasn't feeling well so left work at lunch time. The 23rd I couldn't find anything to wear and was really depressed so we didn't leave the house til really late. And that was only after Chris pulled an outfit out of the closest for me and pretty much had to dress me. Then we went to Ikea and bought a shelf and went and ate at Texas Roadhouse. The 24th we slept in. Watched some TV, got ready and went to our families house to prepare for Christmas Eve night. Chris hung out with this brothers while I chatted with my mom and helped her put dinner together. We enjoyed a delicious dinner with my parents and grandparents. Sadly I am like an only child right now with Sean in Germany and Logan in Boston. Let's just say I'm glad I'm not really an only child.

Christmas Day. We slept in once again. Got up and ready for the day. Headed over to my parents house to skype with Elder Sean Tanner in Germany. We talked to him for about 2 hours. He seems to be doing really well. He's still Sean but definitely more mature and looks older too. He's a cute guy, and we enjoyed talking to him. But by the time we were done talking to him I was so hungry I thought I was going to die. So I hurried upstairs to fry some spiral ham, eat some sweat roll, pulla and hot chocolate. It was delicious. We each had a couple of gifts to open with my parents. It was a small Christmas for all of us. Then we headed over to the Mitton's house. They had opened all their gifts already, so we opened our couple gifts and just hung out til dinner. All the boys in the family got remote control helicopters so they played with those a lot. We had a delicious prime rib dinner. I was pretty beat by the end of the day. Who knows why. I just sat around and ate.

I can't believe Christmas is already done and over. It was a little different this year. Chris and I decided not to give each other gift this year and just buy some things for the baby and the house. But it was nice and relaxing not to have to worry about what to get each other and face the crazy crowds.

Here is a picture of the cute shoes Chris's aunt made our little girl. I got them back at Thanksgiving but just got a picture of them:

Adorable right?

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! I just wish we had a longer break!

Week 33 & Happy Graduation!

2011-12-15T18:58:00.001-08:00

I have been thankful this week had gone faster than last week. Last week really was a drag. This week did start off pretty rough though....but has smoothed out since then. I am happy to announce that Chris has graduated! He took his last final tonight. I really don't think he has ever been happier. I am very proud of him. He has worked full time while going to school the whole time we have been married. He's amazing. I don't know how he did it all! It feels great to say we are both college graduates.

Nothing too eventful in baby land. Just holding in there. I'm still sleeping very well, which is nice. It's weird to be the one that is hot, where Chris has to put extra blankets on his side of the bed. Still trying to do Zumba. I go....but it's like lazy Zumba. You just can't move the same with extra weight strapped around you. I try though. Getting on my feet, moving a little, and moving to the beat makes me feel better. We'll see how much longer I can keep going. Still no solid name....pretty sure there won't be til the day she comes.

I finally got our little tree up. We still haven't graduated to a full size tree. 1) Because I don't want to spend the money on the tree, and extra ornaments. 2) I'm too lazy to put up and decorate the bigger tree. It took me long enough to do the small one. I hope one day I will have a fire place to hang our stockings on. Hanging them on your curtain rod just isn't the same.

Kind of boring week. Can you believe it is already mid-December!? Super weird!

My Sweet, Thoughtful Husband

2011-12-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

I have a very sweet thoughtful husband. He amazes me time and time again at how observant he is of the things I need. He is so much better than me that way.

Yesterday after church he stopped at the mail box, which was out of the ordinary. I'm the mail girl, I always get the mail. I usually don't get Saturday's mail til Monday though. He said there was a gift for me that had come. I was kind of upset, because we aren't doing Christmas gifts for each other this year, since we have a lot of expenses coming our way with the baby....and we just don't need much right now. So I kept asking what it was...but he wouldn't tell me. He told me to get inside and get changed, then he would give it to me. I was trying to think of what it could possibly be. I hear him rummaging in another room and I asked what he is doing. He says "Don't you dare come in here!" I couple minutes later he walks out with his hands behind back, gets down on one knee, pulls out a ring box and says, "Will you marry me?", as I see a ring pop out of the box. I looked at him really confused. He preceded to tell me that he thought it was about the right time for me to have this. I have been trying to wear my wedding rings even though my hands swell really easily now that I am pregnant. I have two rings and I stopped wearing one of them because two was just too tight. So I have been trying to wear the one...but by the end of the day it is very tight and takes some good cold water and soap to get it off.

So...being the very sweet thoughtful husband he is he found me the perfect fake ring to get me through these next couple months! I never like going without my rings. I really like being married. He got it plenty big so that when I swell it doesn't get too tight. He got a sterling silver one, so that it wouldn't turn my finger green, he search long and hard to find a style that would suit me, and since it was a fake diamond he figured, "Heck I'll get a 3 carat so it's really fun and flashy." After he saw how big 3 carats really was he just kept laughing saying that it was maybe too big. I think it's awesome.

He sure knows how to make a girl feel special, pretty, and loved. I love him so much. It was a pretty simple thing, but it was SO thoughtful, and I really appreciate that. I don't think I could ask for a better husband. LOVE!

32 Weeks & True Love

2011-12-07T19:30:00.000-08:00

Pretty sure each week my picture is going to get worse and worse. Sheesh, I don't know if I can keep posting them at this rate. Whatever I did with my hair that day looks atrocious.

This week has been a fairly slow week, which isn't bad. Except for when you sit at work for 8 hours a day and it goes slow you kind of want to die. Part of me is really, really, REALLY ready to be done with work...a small part of me will miss little bits of it. But only little bits.

I had a doctor's appointment this week. Everything is good and on track. I currently have no stretch marks and I'm super happy about that. Knock on wood....I know I still have quite a bit of stretching to do. My mom said she never got stretch marks, so hopefully I really do have her genes and I don't get them either. From now on I hope only the baby gains more weight and I do not. Well, technically I gain if she gains...but you know what I mean.

This week I have just really loved my cute husband Chris. I always love him, but I just feel even more warm and fuzzy about him this week. He's such a great husband. He doesn't go a day with out saying, "You're so beautiful," or "I'm so in love," multiple times a day. It makes me really happy. Even when I think I look absolutely horrendous after I take my make-up off at night, or when I wake up in the morning, he tells me I'm beautiful. Makes me feel really good, even if look in the mirror and think he's lying. He also tells me all the time that he would do anything for me, and I really do believe him. He really would. The time I knew for sure he was telling me the truth about that was probably within the fist year we were married. We lived in our very cold basement apartment. I was sitting at my desk doing homework with the space heater blowing right on me, but I couldn't warm up. I looked at him and said, "Chris I'm so cold, will you warm up me feet?" Without hesitation he got down on his hands and knees and started blowing warm air on my feet. I was shocked and in disbelief, but from then on I knew that when he said he would do anything for me, he really meant it! I love him so much, bust husband ever!

At least every few months we replay the story of how we fell in love as we talk and cuddle in our big, wonderful, comfortable bed. The story hasn't changed, but I think for some reason we both like to hear how it all went down, how each of us felt, at different points. We discuss our "magical" fist hug after we had been apart for 2 years. When he "knew" I was the one he was going to marry. How I knew long before he did that I either had to marry him, or someone just like him. How he literally wouldn't stop kissing me after he first kissed me. I love hearing about it all again, and thinking back to all the feelings. Kind of goobery, but we love each other a lot. It's really weird to think back to 5th grade, or even as juniors in high school and see us marrying each other back then. We would have never thought....

True Love!

31 Weeks & Downhill

2011-12-01T18:18:00.000-08:00

So I'm not feeling super happy and upbeat today...so this post probably won't be too positive. Today was just one of those days when he just want to go get in your bed and not think about anything.

So Monday we had our last prenatal class all about breast feeding. Exciting! It was definitely helpful. She gave us a few pointers...and we watched a video that exposed way too many women. But I guess it helps to just see the real thing? I swear our teacher was maybe 30 and she told us she was pregnant with her 8th child! This is just my opinion, but I think she is crazy. She basically told us that our lives will suck for the first week to a month after birth, but it gets a lot better after that. Awesome.

I don't know if it is just this week but maybe this whole 3rd trimester is getting to me now. I worried that it will just go downhill from here. I hope not! I have felt a lot more tired than usual. And Zumba is getting a little big harder for me. I'm getting a bit more self conscious about the way I look. I went into the mall today to get a couple things for Chris's birthday and kind of wanted to cry. I just wanted to go shopping and get cute clothes with normal shapes, from normal stores.

I got home and I was going to make this good tortellini soup then realized I didn't have the onion I needed.....and that for me was the end of the world. I didn't want to go to the store to get the onion. I didn't even want to make the soup now if I had the onion. I was starving but didn't know what to eat. I didn't even want to wait for Papa John's to deliver a pizza. So I just sat on the couch for a little while....cried a little bit. Until I was so starving I though I was going to die. So in my awesome, over sized Canada sweats and Chris's hoodie I jumped in my car sped (seriously sped) to the closest Little Caesers Pizza and got myself a hot and ready pepperoni pizza. They guy asked me how my night was. I looked him, frowned, and gave him a thumbs down. He said "Why? Just one of those days." I said, "Yep." He was very nice and tried to cheer me up reminding me how exciting being pregnant and having a baby is. He just didn't know that I was more scared than excited. I smiled and chatted with him though. He tried.

Another thing that has made me unhappy this week. Yesterday I was pulling my shirt over my massive stomach when my finger nail was ripped off. I had snag in it and it caught on my shirt and ripped completely off and it was WAY to low for comfort. I just started screaming til my husband came to the rescue. Still hurts. Then when I was in Little Caesers I ripped another nail off! I don't even know how! Luckily it wasn't quite as low and painful. But still annoying. Also when standing in my nice warm shower this week I had the thought, "Will I ever enjoy a nice long, warm, relaxing shower once the baby comes?" I hope so because I love showers. I have had the same thoughts about sleeping. Don't worry, everyone and there dog reminds me pretty much on a daily basis that I will not get any sleep once the baby comes. I kind of want to punch them to be honest. I know, I realize that...and I'm kind of sad about it. So you don't need to remind me constantly. I LOVE sleep. At this point I am still enjoying it. I hope I can enjoy it for 2 months longer.

Here is me devouring the pizza I got. I ate half the pizza in probably 3.5 minutes. Not even joking. It was delicious. Do I regret it?....a little.

Here is the soup we made earlier this week. It was SO good. I ate it for 3 meals. Best when you put lots and lots of cheese in it....and I'm getting self conscious about the way I look? Maybe if I didn't eat like cheese and food in general were going out of style I wouldn't have such a problem. But on days like this I say...screw it! I'll eat whatever I want!

Note: I am excited for this baby to come. I don't want you to think I'm going to be a horrible mother that doesn't love their child. It was just one of those weeks....ya know?

30 Weeks & Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T19:22:00.003-08:00

I look very tired in this week 30 picture. Probably because I was. It was after the long Thanksgiving week. This week again was very busy. We got back from Logan from being with the family for my Mamma's funeral on Sunday. We were home for Monday, then Tuesday afternoon we packed up again and left for Idaho. Monday we went to our pre-natal class. We learned about all the stuff that you will be billed for at the hospital and looked at estimations of what the whole ordeal was going to cost. Lets just say at the break I walked out of the class, looked at Chris and said, "Why the crap are we doing this? We are so stupid!" I get really overwhelmed about money. And that was just the hospital bill, not including all the money I have been slowly paying out to the OB every month. Freak! Now I understand why people have their babies at home with no medication....totally less expensive! Maybe I should just suck it up and deal with the pain...or not, I'm a wuss. I just have to remind myself that people do this all the time and somehow figure it all out, so I can too. I just hope I don't lose my sanity before I figure it all out.

So Idaho.... Why Idaho you ask? Well....Chris's mother's family is from Idaho. It was Grandma and Grandpa Dance's 50th Anniversary Celebration on Tuesday night. Chris and his dad (Dave) played a song together for them. Chris on the electric base, and Dave on the Electric guitar. It was pretty awesome. I meant to take video of it and I totally spaced it until half way through their song....and my camera was in the car. I have finally met all of Chris's aunts (all his mother's sisters) and I can actually name them all and keep them all straight now. There are 7 girls in that family and 1 boy...so it's a lot to keep straight. Meeting all of them in one place definitely helped.

We stayed at the Martin's all week. They were very nice and let us invade their basement and steal their room and bed. Thanks Rhett! It was very nice and relaxing. Wednesday we slept in then decided to take a tour of Bill's (Chris's uncle) potato factory. Sounds kind of boring huh? Well it wasn't. It was actually really cool. So they plant and farm all these potatoes, then have a factory that sorts them out into all different shapes and sizes to be shipped here and there and made into this and that. I have never seen potatoes sorted so many times. They sure have that system down. Here are some pics from Chris's iphone since I forgot my camera again.

All the 5 Guys Potatoes:

After that the women got back together at the Martin's house for a little baby shower. Me and Linzie Martin (Chris's cousin-in-law) are both pregnant, both having girls, and both due on January 30th. Pretty crazy. We got some really really cute, great gifts! Included in those were some great handmade shoes that are adorable! Then we all pitched in to tie a quilt for my soon to be sister in law Emily. When you have 7+ people helping out it really goes fast!

The boys went and climbed to the top of Bill's grain silo while the girls were doing their thing. This is the view from the top:

Thanksgiving day was awesome. We again slept in. Played games. Ate way too much delicious food. Specifically mashed potatoes and gravy and amazing rolls. I should have self control, but it was Thanksgiving....and I was really grateful for all the delicious food so I made sure to eat plenty of it. Very soon I had to go lay down because I couldn't even sit without being in pain. Having a baby and food in your stomach doesn't leave room for much else....and it just starts to hurt. After taking a nap in a very awkward position, my back hurt like no other. Being pregnant and eating too much didn't help with that. Then we played more games and watched a movie with all the cousins.

We drove home on Friday. Almost got crushed by a semi. Well kinda, not really. The wind was blowing so hard. When we were coming up to a semi to pass it, we seriously though it was going to tip over on us....that back end was going to go over at any moment. It was scary. But we got home safely, and still have the weekend to recuperate and relax a bit before real life began again.

Great week! Again I didn't have much time to think about being pregnant. But I'm feeling very fortunate because it is going pretty well...compared to some of the stories I have heard. I feel really great considering I'm 7 months pregnant. But I'll knock on wood because I still have 2 months left. Please pray she doesn't come early because we will not be ready for her if she does!

29 Weeks & My Sweet Mamma

2011-11-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

The 29th week was a blur. That is why this post is going up in week 30. A lot happened, pregnant wise I don't remember much. Here is a run-down of the week. Sorry it may be long.

On Sunday the 13th of November 2011 my sweet Grandmother, whom we call Mamma (Finnish for Grandma), passed away. Even though we knew that it was coming, it was still hard. My mom and dad were able to get up to Logan in time to be there with her. My mom and her sister were there with her when she passed. I know it wasn't it easy, but I'm so glad they could be with her. If you would like to read the obituary you can do so here:http://www.heraldextra.com/lifestyles/announcements/obituaries/raija-sisko-toytari-thomas/article_cfbf2586-1063-11e1-8a69-001cc4c03286.html

Monday night Chris and I went to our prenatal class. And I had to watch the dreaded birthing video. We watched a C-section and a natural birth. Chris was cringing through the C-section I was cringing, gagging, and covering my eyes through the natural birth. Pretty horrific if you ask me. It just doesn't seem like it should happen that way. Really weird....and not looking forward to that being me. Did I mention there is this couple in our class that we all kind of want to punch? Mostly just a guy they have both had children before and now are having one together. And they guy just jumps ahead of what the teacher is talking about, and makes annoying comments and asks annoying questions constantly. If you already know everything why are you here?! We are here because we have NO IDEA what is going to happen!

Tuesday night I went to Zumba for some much needed de-stressing. Then I had to come and and get a bunch of laundry done so that I could pack up and be ready to go up to Logan at 12:30 after I worked a half day. I went to bed way too late....and woke up way too early.

I drove up with my parents to pick up my brother Logan from the airport on Wednesday afternoon. He flew in from Boston to be here for the funeral. Then we headed up to Logan. We all stayed and my aunt Nina's house. We talked a lot, got some of our emotions out about the whole situation. This is the first death in our family of someone really close. I think a lot of us just didn't know how to feel. Or didn't know what we would feel. I for one was a little apprehensive about how I would deal with the whole situation. When other people cry I totally fall apart. And I cry a lot on my own anyway. Then my mom's cousin Leena from Finland flew in from....FINLAND! We were very happy to hear that she was coming. My parents went and picked her up that night. There were big tight hugs when we all got together. Obviously since our Finnish family lives in Finland we don't get to see them much. We love them an miss them a lot. It was so nice to have Leena there with us.

Thursday some of us were pretty lazy and slept in. Then we headed over to my Grandpa's apartment to spend some time with him. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous to see him. I just didn't really know how he was handling it. And seeing the pain of losing the one you have loved and been with your whole life is hard to see. He was doing very well though. We talked for a long while. He told us lots of stories. We had dinner with him and then we headed over to the viewing.

I was really nervous about the viewing too. The last and only viewing I remember was in high school of a guy my age who died in a car accident. For some reason I had a really hard time seeing him in the casket. I didn't do well with it. And ever since then I have said that I want I closed casket for my funeral. I spent most of my time in the room next to the room the casket was in watching the beautiful slide show of my Mamma over and over again. I was avoiding going in there the whole time. Not til the end did I go in with my mom. The second I walked in there I broke into tears. All my emotions just came flooding in. I was scared of how I would feel, sad, nervous...you name it. We walked around the room looking at all the beautiful flowers before I went to the casket. My mom and aunt had told us that she looked so beautiful and peaceful, and they were right. She looked amazing. She looked so beautiful and at peace.

After the viewing we took my grandpa home. He was doing so well. And I just didn't want to leave him. We talked for quite a while. He told us everything he knew about cows, horses, farm stuff... you name it. I learned about their Bull named Tee Anchor Standard III. I learned about the brand that was on him. I learned that my Mamma was a 1 cow wife (he sold his last cow to pay for the plane ticket to bring her back over from Finland to marry her). I also learned that if a cow gorges itself on alfalfa it can become extremely bloated and can't release the gas on it's own. So you have to stab its stomach and let out the gas. I learned a lot that night. And really enjoyed that time with my grandpa. His health is a lot better than it had been for quite a while. And he hadn't told stories like this in a long time.

Friday morning we had the funeral. We woke up and it was raining. It soon turned to snow. Chris drove up that morning to be there for the funeral. It was very nice to have all the family together. My mom, brother Logan, aunt Nina, and the Bishop spoke. My cousin Katie played a piano piece. It was all beautiful.

We headed up to the cemetery which is a new one located in North Logan right up against the mountain. The snow was still coming down, and it was kind of windy. But it was beautiful with everything covered in white. The coffin that she was layed to rest in was made out of a beautiful cedar wood. Like my mom said, "We place our nice possessions in a cedar chest, and now we place our most prized possession in this beautiful cedar casket." (Maybe not said exactly like that. But I liked it.) After the grave was dedicated we had them close the casket in the vault so that she could be buried with her homeland. The last few times my mom was in Finland she collected dirt, and sea shells just for this purpose. Leena also bought over lots of fresh dirt, moss, lichen, rocks, and pine cones over from Finland to bury with her. We spread it all over the vault before it was buried. It looked absolutely beautiful. I'm sure she LOVED it!

Some of us went back over that evening after the had buried the casket and put everything back in place. It had snowed all day, so everything was covered with fresh fluffy snow. We brushed off the flowers and enjoyed the peaceful quite in the cemetery as the snow fell.

Even though it was a sad time to be all together as a family. It was also a wondeful time to all be together, and truly remember how lucky we are to have families, and know that we will all be together again. We enjoyed many more, stories, poems, songs, and jokes from my grandpa that weekend. We laughed and cried together and it was wonderful. We all had a Thanksgiving dinner together on Saturday before everyone parted their ways. Everyone will be okay, and we will all be with each other again.

28 Weeks & Learning

2011-11-08T19:07:00.001-08:00

I am officially in my 3rd trimester. That sure flew by. And now more freaking out happens. I'm slowly feeling some more excitement. Between the anxiety I feel little bursts of excitement when I picture what this little girl will look like, and when I think about snuggling up to her and kissing her cute little cheeks....but then the anxiety come back really strong.

This weekend we actually started registering for some baby stuff. I have no idea when a shower will come along with all the holidays coming up. It's hard to fit one more thing into everyone's crazy lives, but at least we started picking out some things we might like. But it also just proved to me how little I know about babies and what they need. I just kind of stood there looking at everything then looked at Chris and said, "Do we need this stuff?". Who knows. I hope some people that do know will help us out.

On Monday we went to our first pre-natal class. The teacher forgot she was suppose to be teaching so there was a lobby full of pregnant women that were getting a little agitated. I think someone called her and she eventually came a little late. Good thing she brought treats and I liked her. It was a good start to the 4 week course. I have a feeling she will be showing videos next week that I won't feel too great about. But it's nice to be sitting there with Chris hearing and learning about that same things. I mean I can Google a lot, and I do, but I know Chris probably isn't Googling a lot of that stuff. So it's nice to be learning and preparing together. I learned that at the AF hospital that they will give you the epidural as soon as you are admitted...that is awesome! No waiting to be dilated to a certain point. I was excited about that. The least pain I feel, the more likely I will have more children than this one little girl. And I still don't get how that child actually comes out of you.....it really is a miracle.

Today I went and did my Glucose screening and RhoGAM workup. I really wish people would stop assuming that I know what I'm doing. I have never gone to the hospital for lab work. I did not know that I needed to check-in at the kiosk. I did not know I had to wait in a different lobby to be called and finish checking in. I did not know that I had to make an appointment to come back to get the actual RhoGAM shot after they took my blood. I did not know where the IV center was to make that appointment. Basically I was just sweating all morning. I felt so stupid, but I really shouldn't, because why would I know that stuff!? Give me better and more direction that just handing me two small pieces of paper and telling me to go do this at 28 weeks. SHEESH! Anyway I eventually got all that done. I was a little worried about drinking the orange glucose drink because so many people online talked about how awful it was. Honestly it just tasted like melted orange popsicle, not bad at all. So now I just have to go back tomorrow morning to get a shot...I think in the butt. But who knows because they don't tell you anything.

Can you believe this girl is already around 13 inches long and 2.5lbs? That's pretty big! I can tell that it is getting more cramped in there for her. I feel her a lot more. And it's less of the quick little kicks and punches and more of the just constant pushing all over the place. On Friday night I layed on the bed and Chris and I just watched my stomach for a good hour laughing our heads off. She was seriously going nuts inside me. Watching my stomach deform like that was quite amusing.

27 Weeks & Nothing

2011-11-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

So it's week 27, that means there is only 13 weeks to go. Stressful! This week so far has been pretty uneventful, just the same old same old. We did finally purchase our car seat and stroller....but won't see them for like 2 weeks. And we randomly bought a rocking chair for the babies room too. But won't see that for a week or 2 also. I hope its a decent one. It seemed comfortable and nice, I just hope it lasts. I just wish I could get the best items for the cheapest price. Obviously that doesn't happen. But this one seemed like a good deal, so we went for it. So 2 items down.....much much MUCH more to go.

Monday we go to our first pre-natal class. I debated signing up for one, but I had a lot of people who after they had there baby say they wish they had gone to one. So I signed us up! I hope it is a good idea. I'll let you know if it freaks me out more, and makes me feel more prepared and calm. If they make me watch a birth I might freak....I just don't feel like I need to see that.

You would think since it was Halloween on Monday we would have done something fun for that holiday not really...no dressing up. We are boring people now. I asked Chris how young is too young to take your kids trick-or-treating, because I really miss it and want to go again as soon as possible.

26 Weeks & Pumpkins

2011-10-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

The past little while I have looked absolutely heinous. I don't know why... I have just struggled. That is why this is a full profile shot. I tried multiple times to make my face look decent while looking at the camera and nothing worked. I had to get a picture in this week and it was late, so this is what I ended up with. Is it just me or does my stomach weirdly bumpy? This child moves like crazy. It is really hard to focus when you feel like you are part of a science fiction movie with something going crazy inside of you. Also I have been crazy itchy, which also makes it hard to focus on anything and not scream out in frustration.

We carved pumpkins tonight. Mine is the one right below, "the crazy looking guy". Chris' is the "tattoo art" pumpkin. That's what he said when I asked him what it was as he was doing it. I like both! Mine are always silly and fun. I really like Halloween, but only the fun cute part, not the really scary part. I don't do scary, unless it's cute scary, not real scary.

Again, just kinda looking disgusting:

25 Weeks & BOSTON

2011-10-27T16:26:00.001-07:00

So I'm slightly behind on week 25 since it is now week 26. But I was in Boston so that is a good excuse. We had a blast in Boston. We went to visit my Brother and Sister-in-law, Logan and Kristen and my ADORABLE nephew Olin. We miss them a lot. They have been there for 6 months now. We had 4 days there to explore and have fun.

Pregnancy wise my feet have been really bothering me. Our first day in Boston we went into the City and followed the Freedom Trail all around the city. I was really trying to suck it up and just enjoy everything, but by the end of the day I sat down on the curb and cried because my feet hurt so bad. It seriously felt like I was walking on broken bones. Baby girl has been moving a lot. Sometimes it actually startles me. It's SO weird, you can never explain it so someone who has not experience it for themselves. I really wonder what she is doing in there sometimes. I can tell she is getting a lot bigger and stronger.

Last night I had one of my I'm feeling really overwhelmed moments where I just start crying and can't stop. But if Chris asks me what's wrong and how I'm feeling I can't pin point it. It is just this all encompassing feeling of being overwhelmed, unprepared, and emotional. So I fell asleep crying. Luckily I married the most amazing guy every and he knows exactly what to do when I cry, and doesn't get weirded out by it. LOVE YOU CHRIS!

This week 25 pic was taken in Marblehead, Massachusetts. I'm loving the too small jacket. I look awesome.

The Trip:

We flew from SLC to Cincinnati, OH. Oh my gosh I have never had a worse plan ride. It was really rainy and cloudy in Cincinnati, and landing was HORRIBLE. The plane was literally falling out of the sky, we were all holding on to the seat in front of us, they guy behind us was swearing, and you had no idea how long it was going to last because the clouds were so thick you didn't see the ground til seconds before we hit the ground. I wasn't scared at all, but I really thought I was going to vomit. I was just trying to focus on breathing in and out and not losing it. Chris later told me I was breathing REALLY loud. The landing in Boston was also awful because they had similar weather...and I really hadn't recovered from the first landing. I seriously had the barf bag in my hand ready to go...that's how sick I was. Luckily I didn't have to us it.

Like I said the first day in Boston we followed the Freedom Trail around the city. It is a beautiful city with so much history, and amazing buildings. My brother Logan works for and Agency named Mullen in the city. Seems like a pretty cool place.

The next day we went up to Salem. We went to the witch museum and roamed around the city. It was pretty busy being so close to Halloween. Then we headed up to Marblehead. Marblehead is a really cute fishing town right on the water. There are very old houses in this area from the 1600's. My dad randomly went there many years ago and ate at a little restaurant called The Barnacle for his 30th birthday. So we went there again! Cute, very small place right on the water. We had some wonderful seafood.

The 3rd day we decided to travel up the cost through New Hampshire up to Maine. Beautiful drive. First stop was at Crane Beach. Where Olin ran around picking up sand and throwing it every chance he got, and fell flat on his stomach in the wet sand multiple times. He was very upset when we decided to go. I don't blame him....the beach is the best! Our last stop was the Nubble Lighthouse in Maine.

The last day we took a tour of Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. We aren't really baseball fans. But it is a big part of Boston, and the park has so much history, it was very interesting and fun. Then we all went up to a big farm to pick apples and pumpkins. It was the perfect fall activity to do with the family.

We flew from Boston to DC then DC home. Flying into DC was actually really awesome. I have never been there and as we landed we got an awesome view of the capital and all the monuments. These flights going home were SO much better. No heavy breathing and barf bags. Just a back that hurt no matter what position I sat in.

So it was a very fun trip to Boston to see the family and the east coast for the fist time! It went by way to fast and I hope that it isn't too long before we can go back again....especially if Logan, Kristen and Olin are there for a while.

I only shared a few picture on here. There were way to many to put on here. For all the pictures check out my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150513904559745.457804.502619744&type=3

24 Weeks & Legends of Sleepy Hollow

2011-10-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

24 weeks....16 to go. That sounds so weird. Things are going well. We painted baby girls room this weekend. It's a little darker than I had pictured it in my head....but it will have to do because painting out kitchen twice was enough work for me. I figured if I didn't cry for an hour after like I did with the kitchen...I could live with it. Once we get some furniture in there, and some decorations and things on the walls I think it will look nice and cozy.

People keep asking me if we have picked a name yet. The answer is no. We haven't given it a lot of though lately. There are a handful of names that I like, but do I like them enough to be my child's name? I don't know. I really like one name...but its the name of an actress. Which isn't necessarily bad. I just don't want her to think she was "named after her" I just happen to think her name is really pretty.

Note to self: Stop eating so much! I think I can still eat like I use to....which was already too much. And now the space inside me is getting smaller and it hurts so bad when you over eat! I told my co-workers that I needed to lay down because it felt like my belly button was going to unravel and all the contents of my stomach was going to spill out all over. Lovely I know.

Saturday we went and saw Legends of Sleepy Hollow at the Castle Amphitheater in Provo with Ben and Tori. We thought that it was an excellent fall activity. I'm glad we picked Saturday night so that it wasn't raining like Friday. It wasn't the best play I have ever seen, but still entertaining. And I didn't know the story so I was interested to see how it all turned out. It would have been even better if my back didn't hurt so freaking bad. I have serious issue by the end of the day, especially when sitting in uncomfortable places, like rock steps in an amphitheater. At least Tori is in the same boat so I wasn't alone!

Random learned tip this week: Put your flour in a nice tightly sealed container. Don't ask...you don't want to know. Just do it, or you might learn the hard way. BLAH!

23 Weeks & Delicious Stuffed Acorn Squash

2011-10-04T19:01:00.001-07:00

So I took this belly pick in the mountains this weekend because I love the red fall leaves!...and I had my "fall" shirt on and was feeling all great about myself. Today at work I saw my belly move from a kick, or a punch. It was the first time I have seen it on the outside and not just felt it in the inside. It made me smile. It was super weird. I just froze and kept watching my stomach. If someone was watching me they would probably think I was crazy just staring at my stomach. She was kicking a lot higher than she normally does, and it was quite hard. So cool. That is one cool/nice/enjoyable thing about being pregnant. The little things like that I guess is what makes it all worth it....and the cute little baby at the end.

Tonight I made this: Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

I was worried that it wasn't going to taste good. Which is always the worry with trying new recipes. But this one was DELICIOUS! It felt very "fallish" too. Which obviously I'm totally into right now. I really want to enjoy every bit of fall a can before it is all over. Below is the recipe if you feel the need to try this one out. I thought it was very good.

ingredients

3 acorn squash (3/4-1 pound each)
5 ounces bulk turkey sausage
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed (see Tip)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Several dashes hot red pepper sauce, to taste
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

directions

Preheat oven to 375Â°F. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
Cut squash in half horizontally. Scoop out and discard seeds. Place the squash cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, chili powder and cumin; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, beans, salt and hot sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the tomatoes are broken down, 10 to 12 minutes.
When the squash are tender, reduce oven temperature to 325Â°. Fill the squash halves with the turkey mixture. Top with cheese. Place on the baking sheet and bake until the filling is heated through and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes.
Tip: While we love the convenience of canned beans, they tend to be high in sodium. Give them a good rinse before adding to a recipe to rid them of some of their sodium (up to 35 percent) or opt for low-sodium or no-salt-added varieties. (Our recipes are analyzed with rinsed, regular canned beans.) Or, if you have the time, cook your own beans from scratch.

Fall Friday Fun!

2011-10-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Friday was quite the fun day. I woke up early to go to a toe painting appointment. My co-workers wife treated me to it. One of her daughters didn't want to go so she invited me. Very nice. This lady can paint amazing things on your tiny toe nails. I embraced the Fall season and got fall leaves. A very nice way to start of the day/weekend!

That morning she also bought me my first baby gift! This cute blanket, burp cloths and headband. It was very sweet. I felt so spoiled that morning!

Then Chris and I randomly decided to go to the BYU game. It is an excellent fall activity, and it was a beautiful day. You have to go to at least one football game. So we got onto KSL and bought two tickets. Luckily BYU pulled off a win. Most of the game was kind of....boring. But then it got really exciting at the end, and we got way into and it. Then I went and got a fresh peach shake from Taco Amigo again. Even though it costs $5. I tried to make my own after the first one I bought, and it wasn't as good. So I went and bought another ridiculously prices one. It was delicious! Very fun night!

22 Weeks - Does your belly hang low?

2011-09-29T19:18:00.001-07:00

So one day Chris and I were at Costco and I saw this very petite lady who was very pregnant. I couldn't help but stare just a little because her bump was SO low, it looked WAY weird. I have never seen anything like it before. I know when you get close to birth everything kind of drops, but this was way past dropping, it was just weird. So I was thinking about this because the little bit of baby bump I do have is so low. I'm thinking what's up with this, I look weird already? What happens if it just stays low and I look like that lady in Costco. Guess we will see what happens. Don't make fun of me if I look totally weird around the 7-9 month mark. It's not my fault, my body just decided to be that way.

Nothing too new and exciting around here. Saturday Chris and I went around and tested out some car seats and strollers trying to decide what we wanted. While testing out one strollers folding capabilities I think I may have broken it, because it wouldn't come unfolded. So we just quietly put it back and walked away. Finding this travel system is kind of ridiculously hard, and I really don't find it enjoyable. It's stressful. I just want something good, not expensive, neutral, and easy to use. I think we finally found the one we want. I would rather just buy it from a store around here that I'm familiar with. Or at least by it online from a store I'm familiar with. But nope of course the one I want has to be bought online from some place I have never heard of. I hope it all comes in one piece and is what I expect...once we order it...haven't done that yet.

We are excited for this upcoming conference weekend. We plan on taking a drive up the canyon to see all the beautiful fall leaves while we listen. That way I'm less liking to fall asleep and we can enjoy beautiful nature and conference all at once. And I told Chris I want to do lots of fall activities before it's winter or I'll be really mad. Fall is my FAVORITE. Seriously what is not to love!?

21 Weeks - Our Cute Baby Girl!

2011-09-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

So the doctor's office made me wait 5 weeks in between these last appointments because they wanted me to be at 21 weeks for the BIG ultrasound. So I made my appointment for as early I could that day, because I didn't want to wait.

So early Monday morning we went to the doctor to see how the baby was doing, and if it was a boy or girl. The ultrasound room was not that big but had a massive 60" TV on the wall so I could see everything that was going on. I was really surprised at how much you could really see! The doctor first measured everything to make sure that the size matched up with the due date, and it was right on. Then went around checking everything; the brain, heart, stomach, kidneys, feet, hands, etc. Everything looked great! Which is always nice to know! Then last but not least looking at the little bum and the back of the legs....it's a GIRL! I was actually really surprised....I still am! I really thought it was a boy. When I didn't refer to her as IT I referred to her as HE. Sorry little girl! We are very excited to have a cute baby girl! Hopefully she isn't as dramatic as her mother. And I really hope she likes me, and we can be friends. I teared up slightly when I found out, but was good until....I called my MOM! She got all emotional and said something along the lines of "We are just going to love her so much!". That's when I lost it and started feeling all tender. I have no idea what her name with be at this point. We have tossed around a few names. I just don't know how we will decide on a name she has to have for the rest of her life!

Updates to how the pregnancy is going: My back and hips are starting to hurt a lot more. It hits the end of the day and I really start to feel it. I can't even imagine how it will be at the end. Yipee totally looking forward to that (sarcasm)!

Before the doc appointment, 21 Weeks:

Arm & Face:

Profile:

Hand:

Foot:

Spine:

20 Weeks & New Car Pics

2011-09-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

So I'm half way there. I'm finally kind of getting use to being pregnant. At the beginning it was so weird. I just didn't know what to think. I was one of the weird people that could have gone as long as possible without telling anyone. Seriously if it had been up to me I wouldn't have told anyone for a long time....like til it was obvious. I didn't know how to tell people. I don't like having a lot of attention on me. I wasn't looking forward to the weird comments and random advice some people would give. I was nervous to even tell my parents. I told Chris driving over to my parents house to tell them that it was good I didn't get pregnant as a teen in the wrong circumstances, because I can't imagine how scary that would be to tell my parents. We caught them totally off guard, they didn't see it coming. My dad called later and apologized for not acting more excited but they were just shocked. Ha ha! They had to figure it was coming sooner or later!

Monday is the day to find out if it is a boy or girl! Any predictions???

As promised here are some pictures of our car. We got a Toyota 4-Runner. So far we love it! And that probably won't be changing. I will feel a lot safer driving a baby in it and driving on our wonderful Utah winter roads. Driving in I-15 constructions in a car that is bigger than you are use to though....isn't the most comfortable though. Still getting use to that.

19 Weeks, Labor Day, & New Car

2011-09-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

So this week is 19 weeks, 1 week away from the halfway mark, 2 weeks away from finding out if its a boy or girl. I'm starting to feel everything in my stomach and sides start to stretch and pull weird. My belly button, which I know is going to disappear, is starting to look really funny. I didn't really think about slowing watching it expand. Chris was the first to tell me that it was starting to look funny. I really have thought all my life that my belly button didn't have a bottom, like it was just a black hole. It's really deep and dark....it willl be interesting to see the bottom of it....or watch it completely unravel and spill out all my guts :).

The baby has been rocking and rolling in there. I have experience it kicking right at my bladder, and I can't even imagine how crappy that is going to be when it is bigger and stronger, there might be some accidents. I tried finding some dresses or skirts and shirts that I could wear to church, maternity or just regular stretchy, and I seriously couldn't find anything that made me look somewhat decent. So I think I'll just stop going to church. I did buy one stretchy skirt that I can wear but seriously don't know what to put on the top. My church style just doesn't work with pregnancy. Its like the only time I dress up and look nice and I just feel lost now. I still have not purchased one thing for this child....I've been looking just can't decided on what I want or need.

Picture: I'm trying to teach Chris how to take better pictures. He just doesn't have that natural eye to be able to frame things. P.S. Advice on what to do with my hair. I cut it really short before I got pregnant, and love it. But then I got pregnant and thought I would look disgusting if/when I get really chubby with no hair. I feel more feminine with more hair, so I started growing it out. But now it is in this in between phase and I dont' know what to do with it. Should I keep growing it out? And what should I transition to? I just have fluffy grandma hair right now.

Labor day we went up American Fork canyon to and camped at Granite Flats with my parents. Since everyone else in my family abandoned us it was just the four of us. It was beautiful up there, perfect weather. We really didn't do anything. We did a lot of sleeping, sitting, eating, and playing chicken foot....and that's about it. It was awesome. I didn't take one picture so here are the couple pictures my dad took and put up on is website.

We bought a new car on Wednesday night. We have been looking for a while. Chris saw this one on KSL. We went and test drove it on Tuesday night. I was just freaking out to much to think clearing. I like that kind of car it was I just didn't know if THAT ONE was the one for us. Chris thought it was perfect for us. So I told him to think about it carefully and if he thinks it's what is best for our family at this time then lets do it. So we did it. I will post pictures soon...and tell you what kind of car we got at that time. We needed something with 4 doors because my car only has 2...or 3 if you count the hatchback. And there is no way I was going to try to get a baby car seat in and out of the back of that thing.I also kind of hate Chris' car so I wasn't putting my baby in there either. And my car is starting to just not be as great anymore. So now we just need to get my car cleaned up so that we can get rid of it. And then we need to get everything down for the new one because I'm just driving it around with no license plates, registration, or insurance (I think current insurance covers new car purchases for like 30 days). So, so long to my cute little car a was force to buy in 2007, because my parents gave my car away to my younger brother, while I was in Hawaii. You were a good fun car. I know you will miss me.

18 Weeks and Chubby

2011-08-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

It's a miracle I'm actually doing a blog post. I don't really know why this is so difficult for me. Probably because I'm not much of a writer. Never has been a strength of mine. But since we have something fairly exciting happening in our lives I though I might try to document it some way.

In May we found out that we are expecting our first baby. We are very excited.....well Chris is really excited. I'm 25% excited 75% freaked out. But seriously I'm really freaked out. It's all just very overwhelming. I have done nothing to prepare so far. I have not purchased one thing. Or done one thing to prepare the room of chaos to be a nursery. I figure once we find out the gender of the little one I can maybe start doing some of that. We find out what we are having on September 19th. I am very excited for that. It will be nice to say him or her instead of it. Then I can narrow my names down by half and baby start thinking about that some more. And maybe start buying some things.

I have come to the realization that I think all these women who love being pregnant and think its a beautiful experience are kind of full of crap and not being realistic at all. I know there are some great things about it. But I think for the most part...at least so far....and I can't imagine it getting to much better...its kind of crap. You feel sick for at least 3 months (lucky me and just felt gross and didn't have to chill at the toilet.) You face bre

aks out and you feel uglier and more of a misfit than when you were in Jr. High school. Then you just start feeling really chubby...soon your clothes don't fit anymore and you have absolutely nothing to wear. So you have to go buy clothes that you don't really feel like you have money for because you have so many other expenses that you are anticipating with this baby. Then you can sleep at night. You get these horrible cramps in your legs at night and you think your dying. And I'm sure as the months go on new horrible things will start happening.

Anyways just my opinion. I don't really sugar coat things. Some people would call me a pessimist I call myself a realist.

In exciting news I have started to feel the baby moving. I would lay down at night and think...was that it? I didn't say anything to Chris or anyone because I just wasn't sure. But now it has definitely become more distinct, and that is exciting. I'm excited to be able to feel it more and more.

So I debated posting baby bump pictures like this or not. I feel very self-concious because I feel very chubby and not cute like many other pregnant women. I thought if I didn't do it I might regret it though. I like seeing other people photos and how they grow. So here it is. 18 weeks!

I was getting ready to go to Zumba...hence the outfit. Please don't judge my already chubby arms, I'm sure they will grow with the chubby bump.

2010-08-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

I know this is boring to everyone else. But for some reason I'm really excited about them. It's the first thing I've grown by myself, and they are cute!

And We've Got Flowers

2010-08-06T16:45:00.001-07:00

Almost Flowers, Still Kinda Weedy

2010-08-02T16:30:00.001-07:00

Paper Flowers Update

2010-07-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Chris thinks they look like weeds. I said, "They are WILD flowers!" Except there are no flowers on them yet. But they are growing really well.

Planting Paper

2010-06-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

I went to a cute wedding a few weeks ago. The wedding favor was some cute chocolate covered sunflower seeds and chocolate seeds. The tag that was on them was wild seed paper. You plant the paper under a thin layer of dirt, water, and then you watch them grow! I thought that was pretty cool so I bought a little planter pot and planted the paper.

This is the first day....obviously nothing.

About a week later. You can see little green sprouts.

About 2 weeks later.

They are growing way to slow for me. I just want the flowers. But it is fun watching them grow out of paper.

Graduation and Birthday

2010-05-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

It was my graduation about 2 weeks ago. Well I graduated in December and I walked in April. If felt good. I didn't feel like it was complete before I walked. I just felt like my schooling ended abruptly. It is a weird feeling graduating. I remember planning for college in high school and thinking that I would be in school forever. I look back and think, "Wow that wasn't so bad"...then I really think about how hard I worked and think, "Wow I'm sure glad that is over!" Everyone was very generous and kind in graduation gifts. Thank you to you all. And thank you for all of my families support! We all got to sign a piece of the Marriott Center's basketball floor after we walked and got our diplomas. It will be hung up in the Tanner building. I will be in history! Look for my name. It is on the top, middle, upside down.

As for my birthday, it was also great. I am 23, that seems really weird. I still feel 19. I left work early and went to the Cheesecake Factory with Chris and my parents. I got the same as usual, herb crusted Salmon and chocolate tuxedo cheesecake. Since I somehow spilled on my jacket while eating, which I was really mad about, we had to go back to my parents house and wash, dry and iron it. By we I mean my mom, she's pretty awesome. We stopped by at a couple of weddings and got to talk to a bunch of friends, it was quite nice. Then we came home and opened a couple of gifts. Logan and Kristen came home and we sat there and talked til about 2 am. It was awesome, I love talking and laughing with the family. It was a pretty low key birthday, but I sure enjoyed it! Chris is great at buying me gifts. He got my some beautiful flowers, and a bunch of stuff I needed/wanted. And my mom got me a cookbook. That was perfect because I really need some ideas on what to cook. I also got a cute ring and cuff from Logan and Kristen. Thanks for the great birthday everyone!

My heart goes out to you.

2010-03-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

My heart goes out to all those who have lost a loved one lately. It seems like there have been so many who have left their home here on earth. Even though I was not really close to these people my heart hurts. Not for the fact that they have died, but for those that they have left behind. For their sweet friends and family that loved them so much. For all those people that had their lives touched by these wonderful people. The sadness, loneliness, and heartbreak I can not even imagine. This is all I can think about today. I can't get it out of my head. My family is everything to me. Without family what else is there? I can't imagine how much it would hurt to lose one of them.
The only thing that makes it better is our knowledge that we can see them again, that they are in a happy place, that they have escaped the evil that is in this world. That they have a greater work to do on the other side.
Let's love more, give more, be better, and make the best of each day.

Halloween is anticlimactic

2009-11-03T09:37:00.000-08:00

Halloween was the best holiday ever when you were young. This year I didn't even have time to think about it until the day before, it really sucked. We went to our ward party on Friday, and everyone loved Chris's costume that we threw together. Then on Saturday we went to a friends party. Chris switched his costume up a little so that he was Jacob from Twilight. Again, everyone loved his costume that we threw together, he won second place. It was fun, but not half as fun as when I was little gathering gobs of candy.

2009-10-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

Time for my yearly Halloween post! I have ONE post in between this year and last years Halloween post. It could be worse right? I love carving pumpkins with my cute puppy. Even though I'm pretty sure we didn't talk much doing it, because we were concentrating so hard on carving. Mine are always cute and nice and Chris makes scary ones. Tonight we decided to make a what we call a "Jessy and Chrissy holiday" where we just spend time together. So instead of making dinner, Chris going to class, and me doing homework we went and ate our favorite hamburgers at Iggy's and carved pumpkins. It was fun!

Proud Sister

2009-09-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

I would just like to say that I have two really cool brothers. I randomly feel all full of pride inside for them. Logan off to Chicago for a cool internship with a bright future ahead, and Sean starting college on his way to making the Lacrosse team. Then there is me, I feel kinda lame. I'm smart yeah, I get good grades, but I'm not great at anything but being mean and feisty. Will that get me anywhere...maybe...but doubt it. I sure hope I get a decent job in December when I graduate so I don't feel totally lame and unaccomplished.

Pumpkins

2008-10-31T16:34:00.001-07:00

We carved pumpkins on Monday for family night. It was fun, and that's all I have to say.

Frustrated

2008-09-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

So I have no idea how to make my blog all cute like everyone else and it's making me mad. I didn't think that I was that stupid but I am really having a hard time. So if my blog looks gay, I'm sorry, I'm trying.

1 Month down!

2008-09-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

So today was our 1 month anniversary. FUN! not too exciting because we had to work and go to school. But I have a really cute, nice husband that got my roses for when I came home! CUTE! I love him. We went out to eat to kind of celebrate and spent too much money, but we were celebrating so I guess it was okay.