Girl's Night Out

Two of my friends decided to take me out for dinner as a type of baby shower last night. We all used to live in the same complex until both of them moved out. Unfortunately we haven't been able to spend as much time together as we used to so it was fun to be with them again. They showered me with presents and also paid for my meal at the Cheesecake Factory. It was a great night.

The fun clothes and hair clips they got for the baby. I love the panda booties to go with the panda outfit. The pink coins you see around are chocolate coins that say "It's a Girl" with a stork on the back. So fun!


I have also been working on a project for a couple days and finished just yesterday. JoAnn's was having a great sale on fabric and so I took advantage of the opportunity and bought some fabric to make burp cloths. I did them really fast and didn't take the time to make them professional looking but i figure that the baby wasn't going to care if the cloth she spits up on looked all fancy. Plus it's hard to put in a lot of time doing things when you are close to the end of pregnancy. But here is the finished project of 20 burp cloths made for our baby. If she is anything like a Wager in the spit up dept she will need them. it feels good to have them done though and that's just one more thing I can cross off the list. I got the Kung Fu Monkey fabric for Kelvin and he loves them even though they are pink!

Matt's 16th Birthday!!!

On Sunday we celebrated the January Birthdays which included Sammie's 2nd birthday which was Jan 6th, and Matt's big birthday of 16!!!! I can't believe my little brother is getting so big. It makes me feel old sometimes to think that he is the youngest and is already almost a man. Kelvin loves to point out that in a few years he'll be on a mission. Don't know if I'm ready for that, but ready or not....! I have been thinking back to Matt's younger years and wonder how this cute little boy who would run to me and snuggle with me on the couch any chance he had, has gotten so big. I will miss him being small, but am excited to see him grow and watch the choices he will make and what he will do with his life.


Matt liked our gift of an i Tunes gift card.



The other "gift" from my parents, his very first truck key! (Well, it is really only the house key, but the truck key will be on the key ring before long when the truck is fixed and running.)



Sammie waiting patiently to open her presents, but eyeing them with great excitement. (Sorry about the red eye)



Kelvin was so excited about her gift from us because he picked it out himself.



She loved it! First thing she did was run to everyone and have them read her new princess book. I think it was a hit!


Sunday at Church was interesting as everyone kept asking me when the big day is. When I would tell them that I had 2 more months, they would give a weird look, look at my stomach and then tell me "well, it's not that much longer!" When I was telling my mom about this she laughed and told me that I just don't have a body built for pregnancy. It's true, I really don't. I look like I am almost 9 months pregnant already. The sad thing is that I can't sit on the benchs in church anymore. Two weeks ago we sat in the foyer because I wasn't feeling very well and then Kelvin wanted to sit there again last Sunday. I said that I wanted to sit in the chapel and see how it goes. Well sure enough, half way through the meeting, I was out of the chapel and on the couch again. The benchs are very hard so we are now going to have to sit in the foyer every sacrament meeting. At least I can still go to church.

Sunday was a great day and I still can't believe that life is moving so fast. Before you know it, life can change so quickly. It makes me so grateful for all that I have. So Happy 16th Birthday Matt! We love you!

The Positive Side of Pregnancy

It's no secret that I have had a very hard and miserable pregnancy, but I didn't want that to be all I ended up writing about. I do want how I feel to be recorded which is why it is in the blog, but I also don't want to just remember the bad things about being pregnant. So here is my list of the wonderful things I have been able to experience through this process.


1. I don't think anything can quite explain what you feel in those quiet moments when you are alone and feeling your child move inside of you. There are times when I am overcome with amazement that she is growing, moving and really there. It is definitely a spiritual experience and one that can bring a lot of joy and a love you didn't know was there.

2. People are really nice to you! Except for the occasional nut job who tells you you are fat (Yes this did happen to me, at church believe it or not when I was obviously pregnant). Most people will look at you and smile and make some conversation about the baby. Others tell you you are so beautiful or hold open doors for you. I also get the reaction of most people wanting to touch my belly. Maybe because it's way out there people are more attracted to wanting to touch it. It doesn't bother me when people do, but it's fun to see how some people get really excited about feeling my tummy or the baby.

3. Little Shoes and socks! I am not a shoe fanatic. In fact I have less shoes than most people I know, but there is something so fun about those little baby shoes and socks. It gets me excited to kiss her little feet. Kelvin laughs at me when I start to look through all the clothes and linger on the shoes and socks. He doesn't understand the fascination, but I think most women out there have a thing for little baby feet.

4. Oranges never tasted so good. This has been my craving through most the pregnancy. Oranges have never really appealed to me before but every morning when I have an orange, I feel like my taste buds have never had something so delicious before. It's a daily occurrence and I love it!

5. Dreams of the baby. I have been having some fun dreams of what she will look like and her cute little personality. It's fun to think about all of that even though I know that we won't know for sure how she is until she arrives, but every night I see the same little face so I am hoping that that is what she will look like because she is definitely very cute. I really see her as being a daddy's girl and know that Kelvin is already wrapped around her finger even if he doesn't always admit it.

6. I get the cutest reactions from kids. When I was teaching Sharing time in primary a week ago one little girl looked at me and said "you look like you have a baby in your tummy like my mommy!" I told her I did have a baby in my tummy and then all the young kids on the first row got up all excited to talk to me about the baby. Some wanted to touch my tummy and others just giggled and wanted to talk. They were all very excited and it made my day. Kids are so special and in tune with things better than adults sometimes, so to see things from their perspective for a moment was really interesting and wonderful.

7. My husband's willingness to help out. Whether it's making dinner, cleaning the house, or helping me put my shoes on, he has really stepped it up and has been amazing. It's amazing sometimes to think how much he loves me when he gives up something to make me more comfortable. I know it hurts him to see me in so much pain and so uncomfortable all the time, but he is definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me and the one thing that really makes me feel that this will all be worth it. I can't wait to see him with our child. He is worried that she will be more of a momma's girl but I don't think that will be the case. I think she will be a daddy's girl through and through. She loves him so much already. This week she hasn't moved a lot but on Sunday afternoon I was laying down on the bed and Kelvin was laying next to me and put his hand on my stomach and she went crazy! She knows who he is and gets excited when he is touching or tickling her. He will be the best father and is the best husband I could ever ask for.

So despite this hard time that I am going through, there is always a postive side to see things. We are getting close to the end and are both so excited for this change that we will have in our lives. We love you baby girl!!

Just Another Day!

On Monday I had another Dr's appointment. It went pretty well for the most part. I broke down and cried when she was asking me how I was doing. I guess these pregnancy hormones are taking over but when you don't feel good, you tend to be even more emotional. I haven't been sleeping well, the baby has found she likes to sit on my sciatic nerve along with my bladder, I am very uncomfortable and have a hard time walking anymore, she loves to kick under my right ribs, I am having trouble breathing because everything is so squashed, the contractions have not gone away and I am SO DONE with being pregnant.

My Dr wasn't happy about the contractions I was still having but I was checked on Wednesday of last week when I was having more problems and haven't dialated at all yet which is reassuring. My Dr laughed when I told her I was done with being pregnant and said she felt the same way with her child, but said when I hold that baby in my arms it will all be worth it. I just have to keep thinking about the end result so I don't go insane with the daily problems I have.

My Dr also suggested that I try to take some benedryl at night to help me sleep better. I normally toss and turn most the night and get only 3-4 hours of sleep which is not a good thing and just contributing to my exhaustion. She said if that doesn't work then she want's to put me on some Ambien. I don't like that idea because I don't do well with sleeping pills, but the last 2 nights I have taken 1 benedryl and been able to sleep a little better. I also have to put my feet up more and lay down more. Still don't have to leave work yet but my Dr said we have to hold this baby off for at least 3 more weeks! After that, they won't try to stop labor if I start.

It might have been hearing that that put me at ease. I believe my thought process was something like "3 weeks? I can do that!" We are now holding out for then and everyday after that is just an added bonus for her. I don't think I will deliver in 3 weeks, but it is a good focus to keep myself positive. And anything right now to keep her from coming too soon is a very good thing even if it's mind over matter. We asked if there was a way to tell if I would go into labor early, and of course she said no but didn't expect me to go into early labor either which was also comforting.

So right now I am just taking this one day at a time and putting one foot in front of the other. Thank goodness I have such a wonderful husband! He has been so good to me and so willing to help out with everything around the house. Not sure I would be able to get through all this without him especially when this is nearing the end and I feel like I am about to go crazy!

Matt's Eagle Project

On Saturday we did the last Eagle Project for my brothers! They will all be Eagle Scouts once Matt has finished the paperwork. It's amazing to think that they have all accomplished this goal and that I have been able to be a part of them all.

Matt's Eagle Project was great for him and right up his alley. He got a bunch of bikes from the Developmental Center in American Fork that had mostly been donated and fixed them up. We fixed holes in tubes, adjusted brakes and all other sorts of things to get these bikes back in working condition. There were a TON of bikes that we got and most were not worth fixing or would cost more than we had to fix so we used those for parts for other bikes. There were quite a few scouts that showed up in the morning and only a few in the afternoon, but all in all we were able to pump out over 50 bikes to be delivered to functioning mentally and physically handicapped people in the area. The center was thrilled to hear about all the bikes that were able to be fixed and we know that the people will greatly appreciate them to gain some independence and mobility. The Developmental Center told Matt that this was a very needed service and they were so excited that this was the project he chose.

Matt, my dad, David, and some of Matt's friends all started at 8am with people straggling in at different times. We were done at about 3pm. We were not able to get to all the bikes but everyone was really tired by the end of the day and Matt had well over 100 hours for the project so we decided to just stop there and not do another Saturday. I was so beat by the end of the day even though no one would let me do anything. I basically walked around, took picutres, made sure everything was going well, picked up lunch and talked with everyone. Even though it didn't seem like much to me, my feet hurt so bad by the end of the day that I could hardly walk. My tummy has grown a lot in the past 2 weeks and I forget that it's like a workout to stand for long periods of time or walk for a while. But it was all worth it to be there!

Here is one view of the bikes. We did it all at my dad's shop which was really handy with the tools and automatic air pumps.

Matt hard at work changing tubes.


Kevin, Matt's friend, showing his "good side".


The cutest guy there!!!!


Dave was in charge of some of the more complicated repairs on the bikes while most of the boys changed tubes and fixed holes in the tubes. Matt and a couple of his friends who knew a little more about bikes than the rest of the scouts did some of the smaller repairs.


This was the only thing they let me do all day, man the refreshment stand! I was sad I couldn't be down in the nitty gritty with the boys changing tubes and tires and such.

They even let my mom help out. She washed some of the bikes.


And what would an Eagle Project be without a little fun. This is one of the tubes that they blew up, just so some of the boys could see it happen.


And this is the green gunk that came out of the tube when my dad blew it up!


Of course they also had to test out the bikes!


The completed bikes all lined up waiting to be loaded.


Dave loading up the fixed bikes on one of the trailers.


And now the loading of the unfixable bikes on the other trailer.


Both trailers are ready to go!

Week 30

Yeah!! I made it to 30 weeks. Being pregnant is quite a chore and more work physically than I ever would have guessed. Our little baby is moving all the time and it's fun to feel her as I point out to Kelvin what is a foot kicking and what is her elbow running across my abdomen. We can also feel her little head and feet when she is resting if she is pushed up against my stomach. She doesn't like us feeling her very much but Kelvin has been kissing her little head and feet anyway (not to mention already tickling her)!

I had another hard weekend with contractions. I was up most the night on Thursday in pain and then it lasted throughout the day on Friday. I didn't go to work and my Dr put me on bed rest for the day. Neither the Dr or I was concerned about this being preterm labor again, but it was still so painful the whole day. I think we have figured out that I am not eating enough protein (I'm not a huge fan of meat and you can only have so much peanut butter) and not eating enough in general. I don't eat much more now than I did when I wasn't pregnant which is probably not the best thing to be doing. But it's hard to eat when your stomach is no longer vertical and will only hold so much in the horizontal, cramped position it is in now. So I will be working on those things and hopefully stop having day's where I am on bed rest because the contractions won't stop. I really think that this baby is going to be coming early regardless, but don't want her to come too soon. My goal is to make it to March 1st. Every day after that is just another good day she has to develop. I might end up having to go on maternity leave earlier than expected as well. I don't think I will miss the job much, but I will need to find something to do so I don't go crazy with boredom. At this point though, whatever is best for the baby is what I am going to do even if it drives me nuts!


Here's the belly! I feel so big and just don't know how much bigger I can get. I'm not sure my tummy will stretch any more let alone have any more room for my lungs. It's getting harder and harder to breathe.

The Bill of Good Health

I had my Dr's appointment today and everything checked out great! I was a little nervous that something might be wrong, but the baby and I are both fine. The Dr started to laugh when she was checking for the heartbeat because the little stinker was all scrunched over to one side. It was rather funny as I can tell we have very silly baby on the way!

As far as the contractions go, they have slowed down and are not quite as frequent or intense. The Dr told me they were probably from a few different reasons. One is that there is so much pressure on my pelvis right now that the muscles are spasming in my hips and back. This is in part to my carrying the baby all in the front. Another reason that was contributing was that this baby moves so much! She will drop into my pelvis and cause a lot of pain and then go back up again. She is constantly moving, tossing and turning. We have a little gymnast on our hands. And one of the last reasons was I just need more rest. Luckily I was not put on bed rest. When the Dr found out that I sit at work and only work part time she was more ok with letting me still work. I just need to lay down after work for about an hour and then can do other things.

So it was all good news and I am so happy that the baby and I are both fine and doing well. Obviously I still have to monitor things very closely because if something changes then my Dr said it was cause for concern. But for now I will rejoice that I can still get out of the house!