November 1st

November 1st is one of my favorite days.
November 1, 2007 to be exact.

 

I know it's not quite there yet, but I don't want it to go by without being noted.

 

On that day 5 years ago is the day that RJ and I pretty much became inseparable.

 

RJ was living in a house full of boys. Seven! It was seriously a party all the time. So it wasn't surprising that my sister got invited up to their house the night before, for a Halloween party.

 

I had met RJ before... Back when I was 16 and he came up to Idaho with my sister. I obviously was smitten then, but really just thought that he was "my sister's cute older friend".

 

So move back to Halloween, Alishia was going to hang out with them. I wasn't invited because I had much cooler things to do of course... (Driving around with my sister Kacee terrorizing Trick-or-Treaters... way cooler... yeah)

 

Anyway, Alishia had so much fun that night that RJ invited her up to the house for dinner the next night and luckily I tagged along.. Mostly to see this RJ kid I had met once before that I thought was cute.

 

Little did I know, tagging along was the best decision I ever made.
Back then I was painfully shy... seriously. Couldn't get three words out to an attractive person ever. EVER! It was so embarassing and awkward.

So I mostly listened and stood around like a big baffoon.

Not sure what RJ saw in me...

It was a really low key night. Nothing special. We watched a movie and cuddled. So high school of us. haha

 

I'm not sure why or how but that's the day that pretty much changed my life. From then on out I really couldn't get enough of this kid with curly hair and the best smile.

He was shy and unsure of himself, but on the other hand told me that I wouldn't ever find someone better than him and I believed him... I still do.

 

I really don't think that I could have found anyone better than him for me.

We compliment each other perfectly and I really can say that since that day he has been my best friend.

We've had fights.. BIG fight  (That's a story for a whole other post!)

We've been through the hardest things that we've ever had to endure...

Like having your grandma die while you're on vacation with the girl that you only met a couple of months before.

but we've laughed more than I've ever laughed before.

 

 

Looking back, I wouldn't change one day from the last 5 years.

The guy that I thought I could never catch completely fell for me, and me for him.

It's so simple and romantic really.

 

He makes me happy.

Really what more could I ask for in life than happiness.



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Week 27!

Only 13 more weeks left, give or take! 

I am so excited that it is getting closer but on the other hand I kind of never want it to end. It has been so much fun so far. 

I love laying down at night and feeling the baby kick me and I love thinking of all the fun things that we're going to do once she makes her arrival. 

Which is why as much as I would like her to bake in there forever, she better come out in 13 or so weeks so that we can have some real fun. 

We took family pictures last week that turned out great!

 

Pictures in general make me happy and I am excited to get maternity pictures done. I just need to find the right photographer first. :) 

 

 And when Lindsey comes back from her mission they'll be two more to add to the picture.

As far as being a giant pregnant person goes, it really has been good this week. I had my first stranger ask me when I was due! It did not click at all though and I stared at her for like 30 seconds before I responded. haha.
I'm sure as she was bagging our groceries up that she thought I was the dimmest person alive, but hey... still hasn't quite sunk in yet that a little person is in there.

I generally always look like I just woke up, but I really had in these pictures so just go with my face in the first one.

Defintely getting bigger and bigger. I can tell by how hard it is to get up from a sitting position and when I try to bend over. It's pretty awesome actually. I'm just waiting to be a giant balloon of a person so that people will ask me if I'm going to pop any day.

 

How far along?

27 Weeks

 

Total Weight Gain?

16.6 lbs as of my last appointment

 

Maternity Clothes?

Shirts yes, Pants no

 

Stretch Marks?
Nada

 

Sleep?

Pretty great actually. I usually wake up to pee once and then go right back to sleep.

 

Best Moment this Week?

While RJ thought I was asleep last night he put his hand on my belly to feel the baby kick. She kicked him a couple of times. I love it that he wants to feel her move as much as me and I especially love it when she does kick when he feels for it because most of the time she's a stinker about it and won't ever let anyone feel her kick.

 

Miss Anything?

Fall Fashion. I feel like I'm kind of limited in what I can and can't wear. A lot of my sweaters are going unworn this year because I just look like a stuffed sausage in them.

 

Movement?

So much! She'll do weird quick movements where my whole belly will move around and other times it just feels like a knee or elbow. She'll probably be lanky like me.

 

Food Cravings?

I have been eating a lot of cereal....

I got sick  last Friday though and I haven't had much of an appetite since then. I think it was food overload.

 

Anything Make You Queasy or Sick?

Mexican Food in general.

 

Gender?

Girl!

I think RJ is still holding out for a boy though. He keeps asking me, "What if it comes out a boy?" or "We can't have pink curtains in the nursery, what if it comes out a boy?"

Get it through your thick skull kid, it's a girl! :)

 

Labor Signs?

When I can say yes to this... I will probably have a stroke.

 

Symptoms?

Not too many this week. The iron pills have been my personal light at the end of the tunnel. Even the back pain has gotten much better this week. All except last Friday, I really can't say that I've had really any symptoms... aside from carrying a beach ball under my shirt and all that that brings.

 

Belly button in or out?

I do not want to answer this one.... One more growth spurt in the kid and my belly button will look like a door knob.

 

Wedding Rings on or Off?

Off again, it's back at the jewelers. I'm afraid when they do finally give it back it won't fit.

 

Happy or Moody Most of the Time?

This week, mostly emotional. I could cry at the slightest thing. Otherwise very happy. :)

I got a little anxiety this weekend thinking about all that we still need to do though. I guess that's just my mind's way of telling me to get going on things.

 

Looking forward to?

My sister's farewell this weekend and showing off my belly to everyone in Idaho.

 

 

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26 Weeks

Twenty Six weeks and going good. I can't complain at all.

Well except that I am ready for her to be here! I don't really like all this waiting business.

 

The last month has been so crazy busy and I only anticipate it getting busier so hopefully time will fly by and it will be January before I know it.

 

My little sister Lindsey decided to go on a mission so it seems like yesterday that she put in her papers and she was called the the Manchester, New Hampshire mission. I am so sad to see her go, but can't wait for her to get to experience new things and to grow so much as an independent person. The only problem is... I depend on her too much to leave. I seriously can't live without her so I'm just not sure what I'm going to do. Send her letters every single day... perhaps. And new shoes. My goal is to send her enough clothes that she won't know how to get them all home.

 

 

This was last Christmas- She's seriously amazing. I can't wait for her to go and get it over with so that she can come home and live with me! (She's not aware of this plan yet)

She's the best to sit around all day and talk and read books with. Which is what we did the majority of high school. :)

 

She leaves November 7th so I've been dress shopping up a storm. Because that's how I show my affection... I buy clothes and shoes and scarves. haha.

 

This last Saturday we had a baby shower for my sister-in-law Nicole and had so much fun. We had it at our house and decorated Jungle Themed. I'll have to put up more pictures later.

 

Here is a picture of the banner I made...

 

 

It's kind of dark. I took it at 2 in the morning when I finally finished it and finished decorating and cleaning everywhere else.

 

 

Grandma watching Schnitzel while we got everything ready.

 

Alishia trying to add all the stuffed animals to the cart. They all were super cute!

 

 

This is her a couple of weeks ago... She is adorable!

 

After the baby shower we went to the zoo to celebrate my mom's birthday. We used to go a lot as little kids as a family so my mom wanted to do that again. We took my grandma and had a great time! My grandma loved all the animals.

 

 

This prairie dog just sat and stared at grandma. It was hilarious.

 

 

This was while we were watching the polar bear.

 

I had another appointment yesterday and it was the Glucose Screening test so I got to drink this little treat an hour before the appointment. The taste wasn't terrible, it tasted like Kool-Aid without enough water added. It did make me feel like I ate 15 candy bars though. Not my favorite.

 

 

The test went well and I passed, so I don't have to live off of rice for the rest of my pregnancy. They did find out that I am anemic so I need to take iron for the rest of the time the kid cooks so that I recover quicker after she comes.

I love my doctor. He always makes me feel so good and so much better about all of my worries. I'll be sad when I don't get to visit him all the time! He informed me yesterday though, I only have one more monthly appointment and then I have to go every two weeks! Yikes, that means we're getting closer. Which I'm excited for... but pretty nervous too.

 

The only other thing I have done is go hiking a few times. I took this the other day up Mueller Park. It was Saturday morning and RJ had to work so I thought I'd head up with my camera and take some pictures of the leaves. They hadn't changed too much yet, so I'm planning on going again.

When I'm not going to get run over by every mountain biker in Northern Utah trying to squeeze in a few more rides before it snows. :)

 

 

Onto my pregger stats... You can pass these up, I just like them so I remember what was going on.

 

How Far Along?

26 Weeks-

When they've measured my belly the last two appointments it has been consistently 1 week behind though... Maybe she'll come a week later than expected. Who knows?!

 

Total Weight Gain?

16.6 lbs.

I feel like a stuffed turkey.. although my doctor assures me that gaining weight is a good thing.

 

Maternity Clothes?

Still just maternity shirts. If I try to fit into regular shirts... Well it's just a major disappointment.

 

Stretch Marks?
Nope, the Dr even tried to scout some yesterday. Nada.

 

Sleep?

Poohey... I even slept on the couch for most of the night last night hoping for relief. What I got was a worse backache than normal. Should have listened to RJ.

 

Best Moment This Week?

Nicole's baby shower because it made me so excited for mine and for my baby to get here. She's so close and I know it'll just make me want Baby J here even faster.

 

Miss Anything?

Bending down to pick things up without sounding like an old man. haha

 

Movement?

All the time! I love that she just wiggles and squirms all day long. If I'm not moving she is. Her kicks and jabs are so crazy it makes me think there's a little dance party going on in there.

 

Food Cravings?

Nothing crazy... I have had two Pumpkin Pie shakes from Arctic Circle since they brought them out though... I guess you consider that a craving but I crave those every fall so... whose to say.

 

Anything make you sick or queasy?

Smells have gotten bad again. Really anything too strong makes me run away.

 

Gender?

GIRL! Although I've had two dreams now that it's a boy.

Seriously mind... don't make me confuse myself.

 

Labor Signs?
No, and I am scared to death of those so let's keep them at bay for a looong while.

 

Symptoms?

Pretty much a backache all the time. I have had headaches and dizziness but I found out that's from low Iron. Hopefully now that I'm taking an Iron supplement those will go away.

 

Belly Button in or Out?

It's definitely on it's way to being OUT! The doctor said yesterday my belly button is like a turkey timer and it would pop out just in time for Thanksgiving... Thanks Sir... for making me feel as unattractive as possible. haha.

 

Wedding Rings on or Off?

ON! I finally got it back from being fixed. I was a little nervous that my fingers have gotten bigger while it was gone but they haven't! Still good and loose as ever.

 

Happy or Moody most of the time?

I would say overall happy. I can't really complain about much even though the last couple months have been crazy with both of our cars having trouble and paying bills and all that stupid adult stuff. Overall, I still feel very happy with what I have and how lucky I am to have RJ and my sweet little jelly bean inside me.

 

Looking forward to:

Shopping for more baby clothes and doing more on the nursery!

I also signed up for a class at the hospital that I'm sure will be totally boring... but I am stoked!

 

On a last side note, it was my mamma's birthday yesterday and I just wanted to wish her a Happy Birthday. I don't know what I would do without her. She is so inspirational to me. She is so giving and loving to everyone, even when she struggles. She's always there to anyone in need and always willing to slap a smile on her face and make someone else's day better.

 

She is so fun to be around and I love her funny personality and sense of humor. I definitely get all my weirdness from her... No... not true. My dad is a weirdie too. They go well together and I love that we have gotten to spend so much time together this year. I can't wait for the baby to get her because I know she'll have the best grandma that any girl could ask for.

 

Happy Birthday Mom!

 

 

This should answer all of your questions... This is my mom and dad running the Dirty Dash a few weeks back. I wasn't invited being knocked up and all but they had a great time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Continue

24 Weeks

How far along?

 24 Weeks & 4 Days

Total weight gain:

13lbs at my last appointment.

I haven't been feeling so great this month so I'm thinking probably not as much at my next appointment.

Maternity clothes?

 Still in my same jeans but I am down to only 2-3 pairs that fit well.

Mostly maternity shirts, but I am still trying to squeeze into a few stretchy old ones.

Those are the days I feel like a big fat stuffed turkey though.

Stretch marks?

 Not yet, but I feel like I get bigger by the day so we'll see.

I am getting that odd brown line that goes down from your belly button- it's fascinating in an odd way.

Sleep:

Haven't been able to get comfortable this week.

Best moment this week:

  Getting bigger :) Feeling baby move even more. Last night I swear she was jumping up and down in there. I had RJ run in to feel it and the second he put his hand on my stomach... nothing.

Miss Anything?

Sleeping on my stomach and caffeinated coffee.

Movement:

Loves to jab me- Mostly when I haven't eaten for a while.

Kid likes to eat. Can I blame her?

Food cravings:

 I've been feeling a little under the weather this week so NOTHING has sounded good.

Except Mashed Potatoes. I would eat those if they didn't take a million years to make.

Maybe I can convince RJ to make them for me while I'm at school tonight.

Anything making you queasy or sick:

EVERYTHING

Gender:
Girl

Labor Signs:
 No

Symptoms:
I just feel like a stuffed turkey this week. My back is achy and it's hard to get comfortable anywhere.

Belly Button in or out? 
 In-ish

Wedding rings on or off? 
On technically... it's still at the jewelers getting fixed so it's off at the moment. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: 
Emotional! I could cry at anything these days!

Looking forward to:  
my friend Brittany just had her baby and she had the most touching personal birth story on her blog and it made me so excited for my baby to get here. I know I still have quite a while, but I am so excited for January. 

 

Continue

23

23 weeks down on the ol' calendar. 

It has been awesome so far so we'll see how the downward slope goes. 

I figure if it isn't good I can always wash away my pain into Pumpkin Pie around the holidays. :) 

The last couple of weeks have been crazy with school and family things. 

I feel like we haven't really gotten anything prepared for the kid just yet, but I think we'll start to make progress in the next month or so. 

A couple of weeks ago we found a cute changing table on KSL so we drove down to who knows where and picked it up. We're going to paint all the furniture black so this weekend I sanded it down and now it's ready to paint. 

You did read that right... I as in... a pregnant lady sanded this puppy all by myself. It was a lot of work but it actually felt really good to do it. I have a new sense of gratitude for RJ and for how much work he puts into things that I tell him to do. It's not easy and I didn't even realize how much time and energy goes into the "little projects" that I give RJ.

This pictures cracks me up! We went to the State Fair this year and had a lot of fun. We went with my sister and RJ's little sister.

This was at the rodeo. I've been going to it since I was really little so it is always fun to go and remember all the fun times that I had when I was little.

My family always rode the "big yellow slide" after the rodeo so of course we did. :)

We've been loving the fall weather at our house. We even cranked up the fireplace last weekend because it got a little chilly. I loved it.

And so did the puppies.

Last Saturday while RJ was at work I got this crazy idea to redo our laundry room because it is so grungy and gross in there. One of the times I went to the garage to grab one of RJ's tools this little fella was right under my feet. I pretty much about went into labor and then promptly swept it out of the garage with our broom.

EWWW!

This was hiding behind a 2x4 in our laundry room that we didn't know about. Thanks previous owners for making sure the house was as ghetto as possible. Now I have to bribe my dad to come down and make that pretty again.

 Proof that I do occasionally get my bum off the couch to actually work out. It is getting dark earlier now so we usually end up in the dark but we don't mind. After this picture I promptly laid on our bed and was out like a light.

I'm still pregnant as if anyone could forget and it's been more fun to document the growing bump now that I don't just look like I've eaten far too much.

Which brings me to....

How far along?
 23 Weeks & 2 Days
The Ultrasound Tech yesterday said that I was measuring 1 day ahead but I couldn't change my due date. 
So mostly I just go with my baby is an over achiever. :)

Total weight gain/loss: 
13lbs. 
A huge jump from my last appointment but the Dr. says it's still cool. 

Maternity clothes? 
 I am wearing a few maternity tops now. Ross is pretty much awesome for buying them. 
I am still in my regular jeans and for the most part can still button them. 
 
Stretch marks? 
Nope, but I do keep a lookout for them often. 
 
Sleep:
 Sleeping great... strangely not waking up to pee as much even

Best moment this week: 
Starting to work on Baby J's nursery and getting to see her in an ultrasound yesterday.
 
Miss Anything? 
Feeling pretty content this week, but RJ did have Pumpkin Ale a few days ago that looked...
AMAZING!  

Movement: 
sooo much this week. I absolutely love it! 
If you put my phone on my belly and play classical music.. she kicks and squirms. 
Oddly... doesn't do it for any other music. 
I even tried Journey... no go.
 
Food cravings: 
Nothing crazy this week.
 
Anything making you queasy or sick:
Not particularly

Gender:
 Girl! We wanted to get verification at our ultrasound on Monday but she just wasn't having any of it so we didn't get to check for sure. 

Labor Signs:
 No

Symptoms: 
Feeling great this week! I can't say I really have any symptoms. 

Belly Button in or out? 
 In-ish

Wedding rings on or off? 
On

Happy or Moody most of the time:  
HAPPY

Looking forward to:
Nursery decorating! 

Can I just say how lucky I am for RJ.
He has been such a great person lately and I wouldn't pick anyone else.
We've had kind of a string of bad luck with cars and the house and the extra workload of school too. 
He has been so positive and loving through everything and I guess I just kinda sorta love him a whole lot. 

I can't wait for him to get to meet our little girl because I know he's going to be the best dad.

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