Thanksgiving Day Feast

I was really excited for Thanksgiving this year. The turkey was soooo good! We ate our big meal at Marta's this year and then went to my parents for pie. The Montenares came over and we had a blast! After the wonderful dinner and some fun conversations with a game of "bop it" thrown in we went to my grandparents to say hello. All of my dad's family that were in town were there. With a big treat of seeing Carl for the first time in a while and also my cousin Sariah, Becky and Elizabeth came just before we had to leave. It was quite a treat to see everyone and I even won the game we played. We then went to my parents house where my siblings and their families all congregated. The guys all kinda plopped on the couch watching football and relaxing while the girls went to the kitchen chatting. We had pie and enjoyed being together and listening to letters from Rich and his time at Basic. He has become a squad leader, which none of us know what that means yet but it's a lot of responsibility. There are some stupid guys he is over that he really hopes will grow up soon so they don't get in trouble for all of their stupidity. Also I got the full story about what really happened with the phone privileges. Apparently they all had their cell phones to get serial numbers off them and then one guy snuck a text in and got caught. They were told before hand that they had no phone privileges at that point so the guy knew he wasn't supposed to be using it besides getting the number he needed. That made more sense to me than not listening to a drill sargent scream and yell at them to get off the phone. But the good thing is that Rich was able to call Summer yesterday and they were able to talk for a while which we were all surprised they let him do since they told them all phone privileges were gone until they graduate. But he is well and it was good to see my uncle Carl who is back from the war for about 18 months before he will be deployed again. He and Rich will have a good conversation when he is home for Christmas I believe.

I have to say it was very good to hear all the good things with Rich because I was so emotional yesterday. A guy died in the Nutty Putty Caves on Wed night after being stuck in a hole for 28 hours! My brothers used to go to those caves all the time and it always made me nervous when they did go. I know they are very responsible and wouldn't do anything to put themselves in danger, but I also believe that this poor guy was the same. He had a wife who was expecting and a year and a half old daughter. I found out that he was stuck on Wed and got really scared for him. I was praying for him all that day in the hopes he would be rescued before I knew about his family. When I found out he had died after such a horrendous ordeal, I almost burst into tears. It took everything I had to hold it together but after a little while I couldn't hold it in and started to cry. I cried myself to sleep last night because I was so heart sick for the family! Hormones and lack of sleep were of course a big factor, but it was so hard for me take. Perhaps because it hit a little too close to home. I have still been praying for this family and hope the best for them.

But it was was a wonderful holiday and I was so happy to see so much family. We always have fun with all our family.

The wonderfully decorated table by none other than our own Krystal!






Yum!!!



I was watering at the mouth when I saw the Turkey. It was soooo good! Ed was joking about giving the turkey a C-Section. Then he was worried he shouldn't joke about that with a pregnant woman around as it might seal my fate. I told him not to worry, but if I end up having to have one in 4 months, I would blame it all on him!



The two chefs of the day!



A few of us at the table after the meal was over.



The other side enjoying their pie.



Poor guy got so tired he went to lay down for a bit and I found him holding onto Jordan's air soft gun. It was so funny I had to take a picture.



This is him realizing I was taking another picture!



At my parents house! See the girls in the kitchen and the guys on the couches? It was nice to relax after a good day.

Feels Like New!

We recently rearranged our apartment both to mix things up and also to fit some new furniture. Kelvin's parents have been so awesome and have saved us a TON of money. They found a baby bassinet at a garage sale for only $10. (For those who don't know, you can totally score at a garage sale in Texas. People really take care of their stuff so it's like new only very cheap.) It's in excellent condition and fits perfectly with our small apartment until we can move in May. Also they were getting rid of a dresser and asked if we wanted it. Of course we said we did since we have had to move some things out of our dresser to put baby stuff in there. Then they found a wonderful couple who were traveling from Texas to Utah and they brought all the stuff to us! What more could we ask for. We have been so blessed to be able to acquire things we were in need of but didn't have the money for. Thank you so much to everyone who has given us things to help us prepare for our new little blessing. We love you all!!

The red dresser is ours and the nice wood one is the one they sent. Our room is turned around and it has taken a bit to get used to it but we both love it and think it will work perfectly.



Kelvin called for me and so I poked my head out of the bathroom and he took a picture. Something about making the photo more personable. See how the bassinet fits perfectly in the corner? It doesn't impede our space either because on that side of the closet is our laundry basket so we can still get to everything on the other side.

To My Little/Big Brother

Yesterday we had a family meeting and the highlight of that meeting was getting to hear the letter that Rich wrote. We haven't heard from him since he left for Basic Training so it was really nice to get an update. He is doing well. There is one guy that hates him for some reason and Rich hasn't the slightest clue why because everyone really likes him there but there is nothing that can be done about it so he just stays away from him. Also another guy was texting when the Sargent's were yelling at him to stop but he refused so now all phone privileges have been taken away for everyone. The whole group is upset for obvious reasons and it seems so strange to me that this guy would be deliberately ignoring what his commanding officers were saying. Why join the military if you are gonna be a punk? As the training continues on they will be tested on an individual level so he won't have to worry about being punished for other peoples stupidity. He seems to be doing well and is excited to come home for Christmas. Yes they are letting him come home for about 10 days for Christmas and then he will finish up the last few weeks of Basic. After that it's onto his 7 month language and intelligence training (he will be in the intelligence side of the National Guard). So here's to my little/big brother whom we are all so proud of. The pictures are small because they were taken on a phone camera.


All decked out in his camo!



Rich and Lucy

Seriously?

When I had my second appointment with my OB/GYN for this pregnancy, she told me that being pregnant, my immune system would be shot. I knew this would be true to a certain extent but I believe her exact words at that appointment were "be prepared to catch EVERYTHING that comes around." I thought oh no, I will probably get sick a couple times this winter. Little did I know just how true the word "everything" would be playing out right now. In case you haven't guessed at this point, I am sick yet again. It's nothing like the H1N1 I got 2 weeks ago, but it's still miserable. My neck muscles were very sore on Tuesday and painful to touch. We thought I was probably just getting a cold or the flu was still lingering because I am not over the symptoms of that yet either. Well, last night that aching and soreness moved to my shoulders, my back and my chest. I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks when I woke up this morning. It hurts to touch, move, or do anything. I have been taking Tylenol which helps a little but it still stinks to be sick again. It seems that every 2 weeks I get knocked down with something for at least a day or two. And it always seems to happen when I am better enough from the last illness to have scheduled a trip to the temple. Unfortunately, I cannot stay home from work as I had to take a whole week off with the flu and we can't afford for me to miss anymore work. Life is not fair, I know, but I really wish I could at least be healthy with this pregnancy. I am on an excellent nutritional supplement that has had wonderful results being used as a prenatal like I am doing. I am confident that taking this has improved my health and my ability to overcome all these illnesses that keep plaguing me. Don't know what shape I would be in without it. Thank goodness for the little things that keep you going! I really hope and pray that this bad cold and flu season will pass quickly so I can stop getting sick. (I would say "feel normal again" instead of "stop getting sick" but I don't think that will happen until after the baby comes.) Until then, I just have to hunker down and ride it out. I guess being pregnant through this time is better than having a new baby through the winter and worrying about her getting sick right? There is a positive side to everything I guess!

22 Weeks Photo Shoot

On Monday I hit 22 weeks and am definitely feeling it. I feel like my body has changed so much. It's harder than I thought it would be to see so many things change and knowing that it will never be the same again But at the same time, I am counting on it all being worth this struggle. Fortunately I have an amazing husband who is so supportive and caring. I know that he loves me no matter what and doesn't care about the changes I deem less than satisfactory (as I do need a little reassurance from time to time)! As far as the baby goes, she is growing well and is healthy and happy. Quite a mellow child though I must say. She will give me a few kicks in the morning, some in the afternoon when I lean forward in my chair at work and squish her a little, and then a couple more at night, but that's pretty much it. We both think it would be nice to have a mellow child and hope that the personality she is showing now might be might be reflective of her future personality. We will love her no matter what though! When we started to take pictures I told Kelvin to take a few so I could pick the ones that I liked, but he just kept on going and I started to feel like I was modeling. We had a little fun as I got into it a bit. So here is my photo shoot for 22 weeks.......


The classic sideways shot. This is how it all started out.



Then we got a more close up view at a slightly different angle (I know you can't tell it's a different angle, but any photographer would know the subtlety right?)



Then the music turned on and the modeling started...



And the attempted Marilyn Monroe pose came out!!!



This one was taken before the photo shoot began. Kelvin snuck it in while I wasn't paying attention. I think it turned out rather well. You can't even really tell I'm pregnant from the front view. It's kind of weird to see.

She's Never Missed One!

This weekend Kelvin's mom came up from Texas. It was perfect timing really because she was able to see Krystal (Kelvin's sister) in her dance competition (which she was AMAZING), and also because Kelvin was in the Primary program for our ward. I am the second counselor in the Primary and we had decided to set the oldest class with the missionaries as if they were teaching the class. Well, the missionaries were unable to do the program so we improvised and asked Kelvin and Nick Whitney, the elders quorum president, to be our missionaries. They were great sports and even wore their missionary name tags! Because she was up this weekend, she came for our sacrament meeting and saw Kelvin preform and thus has never missed her son preform in a primary program to this date! We thought it was fun and were so glad she was able to spend some time with us. The next time we will see her is when the baby is born which will be in March. I think this little girl already knows her Grandma though. She was kicking a bit before we went to see her at Marta's, and Maritza was so excited to see the growing belly with her grand baby inside. It felt like Christmas with all the stuff she brought for us from Texas! Thank you Lisa for the AWESOME blanket, bibs and burp cloths. They are great and Kelvin likes them a lot too. And thank you Maritza for the adorable outfit for the baby!

Kelvin and his mom



Her last night here we went to Cafe Rio for dinner. Krystal got sick again and I think has sworn off Cafe Rio forever!



Awwww.....Marta and Felicia



And of course us! I was really tired that night and it does show, but what do you expect....I'm pregnant! At least that's what Kelvin tells me all the time to make me feel better about how I look these days.



The outfit from Maritza and all the stuff from Lisa. I guess I won't need to have nightmares about not finding socks for my baby right Lisa? Ha Ha Ha!!! Just Kidding



When we first found out that we were having a girl, my mom went right out and bought these. I love the headband, it will be perfect for her blessing. Thanks mom! (I didn't get to post these earlier so I thought I would throw them in here.)

Grrrrrrr.......

Last night we went to a movie with one of our friends. We haven't been to a late movie in a long time and as we were walking up to the theater at 7:30pm we started to laugh at how we have become like an "old married couple" who likes to do things early so we can stay home in the evenings. This has obviously come in part because of my pregnancy and being so exhausted, but Kelvin has enjoyed playing on the computer or reading a book at night too. So going to this evening movie seemed like a whole new experience.

It was very crowded as you would expect on a Friday night, but people were very inconsiderate and kind of rude. We saw 2012 and there was a line to get in because it was opening night. Well when the line was moving these 2 guys totally cut in front of us around a corner. I have gotten a little more feisty since the pregnancy so I confronted them about it. "Oh, we were in line before", "No you weren't" I said. "Yeah we were behind those kids" when I realized nothing was going to happen and these guys were just being jerks I dropped it. Then when we got our seats I made one last bathroom run and after I got down the stairs, this girl almost ran me over. I could not move out of the way because her friend was on one side and the wall was on the other. This girl literally almost slammed me in the wall! What's the deal? It's obvious that I am pregnant and she didn't care one bit that she really could have hurt me. Then everyone was pushing and shoving like they were the most important people at the theater that day. When the movie started the people sitting behind us were translating the whole movie, loudly, to their neighbors and about 10 people had their cell phones out the whole time with lot's of distracting lights. Maybe this is why we go to matinees! You don't deal with any of this at matinees.

The worst part was the movie was so loud!! I don't think our little girl liked it because she was kicking the entire movie! She is usually pretty mellow with an active hour or two throughout the day and some day's she is very quiet with only a kick here and there. But all throughout this movie she was giving hard kicks. When she would seem to calm down a bit, a crash or loud noise would follow and I think it would startle her because she would start up again. When we got out of the movie she was so quiet the rest of the night. Poor little thing. I think she was exhausted. This movie was turned up louder than normal I think because there were times it was hurting our ears.

On a good note, we actually liked the movie more than we thought we would! We weren't sure about going to another "end of the world" movie, but it turned out really well. Some of the graphics were amazing and I love the depiction of the destruction, it was just so massive! When we got home I got ready for bed and got a good 4 hours of sleep. It was really good sleep so I feel better today than I have all week. (I haven't been sleeping much, 3-4 hours a night. Just can't get comfortable) And I woke up to lot's of frost on the ground with an 80% chance of snow this morning. Not sure I am ready for winter just yet, but it is beautiful outside.

The Baby Stroller

Our friend was so generous early in the year when we were expecting and bought us a stroller! We couldn't believe it. Kelvin was so excited that one day when my little brother Matt came to spend the weekend, they put it all together. It was so funny watching them and of course I got pictures. So when we lost that baby we put the stroller away. I am happy to say that we can now take it out again and are excited to use it next year! So here are all the fun pictures of two of my favorite boys putting together our stroller.











The stroller can sit up or lay down which we really like.



The shocks on the stroller are Kelvin's favorite part!

The Kick Felt Around the Room!!

This morning I was woken up with a massive charley horse in my calf (that's a really bad cramped up muscle if you aren't aware of the term). It woke up poor Kelvin and I felt bad but after it was over we were cuddling and the baby started kicking. I placed his hand on my stomach and she gave some good kicks. He had fallen asleep again so I wasn't surprised when he had no reaction plus the doctor said at my last appointment that it would probably take a couple more weeks for him to feel her move. But when he woke up a little, she gave a good kick. He gasped and smiled so big and asked if that was her. When I confirmed that it was, he immediately moved to my stomach and kissed it and told the baby that he loved her! He was so happy that he had finally felt her move. He had been trying for weeks to feel it and was happy that it came earlier than expected. Everything with this pregnancy has been earlier than expected with me though. I showed early, felt her move early, etc. It was the sweetest thing seeing his face when he knew his little girl was there! He will be wrapped around her little finger as soon as she comes. It's so fun that he loves her so much already! Yesterday, he even bought her an outfit. We were looking at the baby stuff and he picked it up and said "we should get this for her, I like it!" It is a little blue dress with small white flowers on it, NOT frilly as he puts it but definitely cute. Looks like this little girl is already changing our lives and hearts. Amazing what little ones can do to you even before they are here. Our world is about to get so much better!

Our Long Night

We ended up in the ER last night! I was not happy about it as I do not like hospitals (being a patient, working in them is a different story for me). We were watching a movie and I was getting really short on breath. This had happened a few time during the week but I was always stopped what I was doing and went to lay down. After 15 minutes or so I would feel better and then take it really easy the rest of the day. My doctor had told me that if I did get short on breath that I needed to go the ER immediately because I'm pregnant and still getting over H1N1. Well last night we were watching a movie and I started to get really short on breath. It was odd to me because I was on the couch and the other times it had happened I was at the computer, or working on something or doing something that involved a little too much energy than I should have been giving. I layed down and that didn't work. I moved to the edge of the couch and that didn't work. I stood up and that helped a little. Kelvin asked what I was doing and I told him I was having a hard time breathing. He told me we needed to go to the ER but I refused. I told him it was no big deal since this has happened before and it went away after a little while. After a while longer it really started to hurt trying to breathe and just kept getting harder and harder. Then after 45 min had passed and it hadn't let up, Kelvin took me to the ER. I do not like the ER and protested the whole way but he was honestly worried about me and I must say I would have done the same thing if the situations had been reversed.

When we got there, everyone was really quick to act because I am over 20 weeks pregnant and there were some major things that could be wrong. We got back to the room pretty quickly and I was impressed by that. Thank goodness they were having a slow night. Then they hooked me up to all sorts of monitors. My oxygen saturation was fine so I knew there was no immediate danger to me or the baby but they still wanted me to stay. When a tech came in to do my IV, he was having a hard time. The first time he tried, he failed but that was ok with me because I know that sometimes you just don't get it the first time. Well, the second time he tried I felt like he was ripping my arm off. He kept hitting a nerve and was digging in my arm like there was no tomorrow to find the vein. It hurt so bad and Kelvin was ready to punch him in the face. He tried for a good 2 min the second time all the while I was holding back tears it was so bad ( I ended up with a half dollar sized bruise on my arm, quite an accomplishment since I do not bruise very easily). When he didn't get that one, he went to the other arm and was successful pretty quickly. I was just grateful it was done. The doctor came in and assessed my situation and then had some blood work drawn and put me on a breathing treatment. The nurse told me that I had some crackling in my lungs and that meant there was fluid accumulating. They were also worried about a blood clot that could have moved to my lungs causing a pulmonary embolism. We waited and waited for the blood work to come back and then when it was 11pm (we think that was 2 hours after we got there) I called the nurses and asked them to come in and help me unhook because I wanted to go home!! The doctor came in a short while later and explained that the labs for blood clots came back totally normal which was a good thing but we didn't expect anything that bad would be something for us to worry about. So basically I have been having trouble breathing because there is fluid on my lungs but it hasn't turned to pneumonia yet so all I can do is keep coughing and try to get it all up. I felt silly for going to the hospital but all the nurses and even the doctor said it was a good thing that we went especially considering all the circumstances. We came home and Kelvin was relieved that he didn't have to worry about waking up in the middle of the night to find me dead or not breathing.

Funny thing though, I feel MUCH better today than I have the whole time I have been sick! Maybe that breathing treatment worked better than I thought. I have even gone to the store for a short while and came back still feeling ok. I went to the store a few days ago and it wiped me out for a couple days. Then I did my small sewing project and it wiped me out for a couple days. But I am doing great today and am so excited to feel like I am finally getting better and not that I just feel better for a little while. Plus I finally get to go back to work on Monday! I can't wait to get into my old routines and feel like a contributing partner again and not an invalid! The baby is still fine which is a big relief to us and I slept through the entire night in our bed which is also a first since I got really sick. Many thanks to an incredible husband who has taken such good care of me and the baby! Couldn't ask for better!

It's Finaly Done!

A few weeks ago I bought some fabric to make my own nursing cover. (I don't like the one's that come pre-made because I think the top sticks out too far and I don't want anyone walking behind me to get a view of anything, as I have had the misfortune to witness!!) So my friend emailed me a free pattern that they had online and I decided to make a few adjustments. I am excited to say that today I made it! I probably shouldn't have put the energy into making it, as I am not fully recovered and am now exhausted, but I am excited to finally have it done. Here is the finished product.






It was really easy to make and only took me about 45 min even with all my small alterations that I think make it look nicer. I ended up replacing of the boning in the top for some interfacing that can stick out as far as I need it too, but then can be pressed flat against me once again. This takes care of my fear of the unknown person who might be walking behind me at any moment. The fabric was on sale and I made the thing for $12 when I would have had to buy it for $25. I think it was a pretty good deal! I have been doing awesome with deals lately. Yesterday I was so bored and feeling fairly good that I took a trip to Walmart. I needed a few things and thought that a small trip wouldn't hurt much. Anyway, I found 5 different outfits for our baby girl for $10!!! They were on clearance and I was so excited to have found such a good deal on cute clothes. The trip ended up being a little too much for me in the end and I stayed down the rest of the night. But I am still excited to have bought my first clothes for the baby!

I also found these pictures on the camera that we forgot to post when we had our ultrasound.

Kelvin admiring our little girl.



Me just laying there waiting for the doctor to come in and review the ultrasound pictures. (It's standard procedure, there was nothing wrong with the baby.)


The flu is still lingering in my body and it's starting to get frustrating. It's been a week now and while I do feel better than I did, I am not totally better. I just need to be patient, I know that. But I can't help feeling like my baby is feeling sick when I do and I don't want her to have to feel like that. When I was really sick she would not move much at all, but this morning she was doing acrobatics in my tummy so I hope that's a sign she is doing better. I go to the doctors today so hopefully I will get some god news! Maybe I will be able to go back to work soon.

Swine Flu Weekend!

On Wednesday we had some family pictures taken and a small farewell for my brother Rich who is leaving tonight for boot camp. That was the night that I got a small cough. I thought it was just because I was really tired and needed some sleep. I hadn't been feeling myself for about a day before that but thought it was all due to the pregnancy. I called my doctor the next day before work to find out what I could take because the cough was getting so bad my entire chest and lungs were hurting. I even moved to sleep on the couch half way through the night on Wed so I wouldn't wake poor Kelvin up. I went to work and wasn't feeling all that well but got through it all. When I was finally able to talk to a nurse after my shift, I went to the store and got the approved cough medications. It was a short time later that I got a call back and was told to go straight to an Insta-care and get tested for H1N1. I was not a happy girl! I went as told and was tested. That night I got worse and by morning was feeling terrible! I called in sick to work and by 10 that morning found out that I tested positive for H1N1, aka: the swine flu! A prescription was immediately called in for Tamiflu and I was put on bed rest. I was also given strict instructions to go the the ER if I became short of breath, my cough worsened, my fever didn't come down after one day, I got worse in anyway, etc! There were some crazy instructions and it got me a little worried, but I had had a blessing on Thursday night and we both felt like everything was going to be ok.

Friday was one of the worst days I have ever had being sick. Being pregnant, this flu was a scary one to get because it causes some major complications in those who are immuno-suppressed, pneumonia being at the top of the list. The entire day on Fri I wished I would die and my fever was pushing dangerous limits. But Kelvin stayed home from school and took excellent care of me. We both thought things were gonna be bad for a while but that night my fever broke and the next day I started to mend. My headache got really really bad and there was nothing that I could do to relieve it, but Sunday was a better day. My cough was still really bad and I was hacking up a lung much to the protesting of my chest! I am now feeling better, but still very weak with a bad cough and this bug is not letting go! We are praying that this has not affected our baby and that I will be fully recovered soon. I didn't go to work again today and don't think I will be going tomorrow either. With this cough I am still contagious and will be for 24 hours until all my symptoms have gone. I know that it might take a while for my body to fully rid itself of this virus, but wish it would come sooner. However, I am extremely grateful that I was able to receive Tamiflu because I am certain that I would have been a lot sicker for a lot longer and possibly could have had some complications had I not been able to get this medication.

This weekend we had a lot of parties planned and had to cancel them all, 2 of which were at our apt. Our Halloween plans went down the drain but Kelvin didn't have any homework or anything else that would have kept him from my side. It was a blessing that I was able to have him there, especially when I was so weak and sick on Fri. But what's done is done and maybe we will have a late Halloween party just for kicks!

So for now, I am still weak and tired and have some body aches that come and go along with the headache. But I think I will be fine in a day or two. Here's to better luck this week!