Christmas

Our Christmas Tree lit up.

This was the prettiest tree we have had since we have been married. It was so full I loved having it in the empty corner of our family room. It was perfect.

One of Boss's presents. We LOVE jeep. Can you tell? ;)

The Tree Christmas morning.

One of Ian's present from me. I glued jeep cut outs for his book of ideas. He always has loose pieces of paper with drawings and lists of everything he is working on for his jeep. He is rebuilding a CJ7 so this little notebook will keep all his ideas together in one place :)

Ian's present to me. I guess he noticed I was always complaining about our dull knives ;) These are so great! I was super excited.

This was my surprise Christmas morning. I had no idea he was fixing this up for me. I had bought it at a garage sale over the summer for $7 but the mirror was busted off, and it needed some cleaning and repairs plus a new paint job. Ian refinished the whole thing, fixed the mirror, and put a new handle on it. It's perfect :)

MW3 the big game of the season. This is the first "new" game he has ever owned. ha ha. He was pretty stoked.

Boston's presents from the fam. This kid is already getting spoiled with Christmas gifts and he's not even born yet!!

We had a wonderful Christmas full of friends and family. We were especially surprised by all the wonderful homemade gifts from neighbors this year! It was so fun to have so many goodies at our doorstep each night during the month of December. We loved "popping" by their houses leaving our little gifts as well. We also had a secret family leaving us The Twelve Days of Christmas at our doorstep each night up till Christmas Eve. It was sooo much fun reading their cute poems and seeing what fun things were going to be there when we got home. We were so very blessed this year by our close friends and family. I can't believe it is already over.  We are looking forward to this New Year and what it will bring!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! 

34 Weeks

Wow, it's coming whether I'm ready or not :) Six weeks left to go before this baby's due date.  I have been feeling pretty good overall (for being 8 months pregnant).  I have the usual symptoms/complaints as I'm sure all woman at this stage have...
-the lack of being able to stand/sit/walk for long periods of time (long being relatively short compared to what I used to consider long..)

-the inability to see my feet, paint my toes, shave my legs easily, etc.

-Braxton Hicks contractions becoming more often and more intense as I get further along.

-heartburn ALL THE TIME no matter what I eat or don't eat.

-tired & winded after what seems to be minor efforts compared to what I used to be able to do.

-waking up in the middle of the night with leg cramps

-finding it harder and harder to get comfortable to go to sleep, baby keeping me awake when I try to sleep.

-skin stretching, "the pregnancy line", and of course my once  "innie" turning into an "outie"

I am kind of sad that I never did post about my symptoms/thoughts on being halfway, because now I would really like to look back and reflect on what was going on then.  I find it hard to believe that I was just getting my first ultrasound then and we had just found out we were having a boy.  It now seems like I have known forever.  I also know I was still having episodes on and off with nausea and vomiting from the hormones.  It's crazy to think that back then I was just starting to feel the first "flutters" of movement and now I see big bulges roll across my belly and odd shapes sticking out of my side constantly.

Anyways, I am excited that we are now getting into the home stretch! I can't believe we are now so much closer to meeting this little one! I have already had to start working out the details with my maternity leave and we are getting started in packing our bags for the hospital. We have completed half of our birthing classes now and have turned in our paperwork for preregistration at the hospital.

Here is a pic of me at 34 weeks 0 Days!

My belly is really starting to get big now! :)

All is well.

Well, after meeting with the doctor this week everything seems to check out okay for our little one. I continue to measure "small"at each appointment but I am consistantly growing 2cm every two weeks like I should be.  The doctor says that the baby is about the right weight, length, growth for how far along I am, so that is all good.  My fluid is still in "normal" range so there is no concern there after all (even though the ultrasound tech made me nervous saying it was on the lower end of normal). So for any of you that were wondering what was going on...all seems to be well on the baby front.

I am now 34 weeks along, and I have been consistantly gaining 1 lb every week like the books say I should....It still surprises me by how much I have to gain just have a 4 3/4lb baby living inside me right now! ha ha. My husband and family tells me very often how "big" I have gotten. (I love it because when they say it now, it's meant as a compliment, and it's so funny to hear!)

Only 6 more weeks to go, till the due date! I hope I can stay patient! lol.

4 Years

Four Years Together

It's amazing it has already been that long since we said "I do." I am so in love in my husband and I'm so grateful for the time we have been able to spend together before our first child is born.  We have grown to know each other so well and have made so many memories together over these past years.  I am truly grateful for the blessing he is in my life. 

 4 Years behind us

4 Ever ahead of us :)

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Online Finds

So I just have to say, I'm very excited about this diaper bag that I purchased online a few weeks back. I had been eyeing it for quite some time and even had it on my registry from Target, but it is normally $40!  I, for one, have a hard time justifying that amount of money on one bag.  So of course I just kept it on my wish list hoping I might get it from a baby shower or something if I were lucky. 

Then, over cyber weekend, to my pleasant surprise, I found this EXACT bag on sale for $19.99 through Amazon. I was so thrilled I couldn't resist.  I told Ian how badly I had wanted it and decided to see what his thoughts were.  (was I being too rash?) I mean, it is a little "girly" for having a boy on the way, but it's not like my BABY is going to be carrying it.  So I can have something pretty for ME to carry all the diapers, bottles, etc in because it's really ME using it right?  Well, Ian agreed that I should have something cute instead of something boyish.  Then, being the supportive sweet husband he is, he of course encouraged me to get it. After a little more debating on my end (I felt a little guilty buying it even if I did have my husband's approval and it is going to be a necessity)...I gave in.

As soon as it came, I was eager to see if it looked as I had imagined.  I wasn't disappointed. It was just as it appears in the picture.  It had multiple pockets for everything and a decent changing pad too.  The exterior has a waterproof coating and the straps are versatile(hand carry or over the shoulder kind).  Although I have never had to actually USE a diaper bag before, I figure it will do quite nicely.  I hope it doesn't disappoint me when that time comes.  I wanted to get a better idea how it would do, so I decided to load it up that night with all the basic necessities I thought I would need.  Again, I was impressed! I fit diapers, wipes, toys, blankets, burp clothes, bottles, etc and still had room for other items I may decide I need later! Overall I'm very pleased with my lucky find at half the price and happy with the purchase :)

The other thing I found were these...

They are vinyl stickers for walls, doors, tables, etc.  They are normally $50!!! (crazy right??) but I found them on sale through Amazon (with free shipping too!) :) Ian and I have been wanting to get these for the baby's room since the day we decided what we were naming him.  I finally have them up in the room and I think they turned out great. They are super easy to use and worked well for us because we have a wall that is slanted so we can't really hang anything on it. These allowed us to put some images and color on that wall instead of having to paint something on it.

I'm really excited with how it is finally coming together.  We have been able to get a lot of the furniture and items we needed for the room and have a few more ideas that I think will turn out fun.  I will post pictures once it is a little more complete.  We still need to set up the crib, get a mattress, and hang the blinds and curtains, along with a few other minor things that will add a finishing touch.  Overall I think it will be great for our little boy when he finally arrives :)

Baby Update

Ian and I went into our Dr. appointment last Tuesday as a follow up from two weeks before.  Our Dr. had told us I was measuring a little small and he wanted to monitor my growth carefully to make sure the baby was growing okay.  I'll be honest, as a FTM this threw me into a panic.  I was very emotional when I heard my baby might not be  growing as he should and could not stop thinking about everything that could be wrong.  Well, after two weeks of waiting last Tuesday was the day of truth.  I apparently am still measuring small (2 CM to be exact) and although the Dr. says he is not too alarmed because I have been somewhat "small" this whole time; he still wants to schedule an ultrasound to take a closer look at baby's growth and weight.  So Ian and I go in next Tuesday for our second official ultrasound.  I'm a little nervous and a little excited.  It will be good to see the baby again, but I keep thinking the reason behind it, and that makes me nervous.  I'm confident everything is fine, and it is more just an excuse to see the baby :) but it would make me feel better if I was told I'm bigger than I'm supposed to be. (You don't hear that request EVER) lol. Although, I'm actually shocked I am being told I'm measuring smaller than I should be, because I feel huge.  I'm not sure where else this baby is going to go...except for out.  I already look like I'm going to tip over with how far my belly sticks out in front. I'm positive there is not much more room for him to grow up...so these next 8 weeks should be interesting.  The doctor did say that it may just be that my torso is long and the way my body is carrying the baby could be causing me to measure small.  I just keep thinking that must be the reason ;) ha ha.

So keep your fingers crossed and your prayers in mind when we go in next Tuesday.  We need this baby to be big and strong!

A Day for Me

Yesterday was a day just for me. I had a gift certificate that my mother-in-law had given me last Christmas to a Salon & Spa in Draper. I still hadn't used it yet when I found out I was pregnant back in June, so I decided I would wait till I was in my third trimester and get a massage rather than waste it on an expensive hair cut/color. 

Well, yesterday just happened to be the day I had set aside 3 months ago to get this massage.  For those of you that have never had a massage, oh it is marvelous. I arrived early to ensure I didn't infringe on my massage time and was taken to the cozy room where I got ready. They had a special pregnancy pillow that allowed me to lay on my stomach and have a place for my growing belly.  The masseuse worked out muscles in my lower back, shoulder blades, massaged my legs, feet, neck, head, and face. It was THE MOST COMFORTABLE I have been my whole pregnancy.  As soon as I got up and changed I immediately noticed how my back, shoulders, and neck no longer had any soreness or tension in them. I felt completely relaxed.  It was amazing to feel so calm and peaceful after feeling so sore and uncomfortable these past few weeks.  I would HIGHLY recommend this massage to any expectant mother who is struggling through their last trimester as long as you can spare the $ it is totally worth it!

After the massage I had my hair done at a beauty school. Then, I ended my pampering session for the day by getting a pedicure with my sister-in-law at a nail salon.  We chatted as we sat in our reclining massage chairs and had our feet rubbed and toes painted :) Which I was very grateful for, since I cannot reach my toes very easily and thus have neglected my feet for quite some time now.  I now am happy to say I have very cute toes to look at (but have to make an effort to see them past my belly).

Anyways, that was my day of "ME" and it was very much needed and appreciated.  I feel like a new person.  It was just the sort up pick-me-up I think I was needing.  I felt prettier and better about myself after all of that.  Which is saying a lot for a pregnant woman in her last trimester. I usually feel less than pretty even on days I try to look good.

PS. Ian and I also had the first session of our childbirth class last night. I realized we were apparently a little late in signing up, because we are the first ones due in the whole class! Everyone else isn't due unitl the end of Feb or March! Whoops. No one told me people can start these as early as their 2nd trimester. Oh well :)