First Christmas

Your first Christmas we spent the weekend at Grandma and Grandpa Bishops. Great Bishops were there too. I thought you might be really interested in the lights but you were not so much. Next year I'm sure you will be though. Grandpa Lee just adored you. He loved making you smile and he wouldn't stop saying "you're a pretty little lady, yeah", and "you're a funny little lady, yeah" when you'd show some of your personality.

Grandma Debbie got your little walker. Which was funny cause I was just starting to think about getting one. It is exactly like I wanted, collapsable and a little playing tray. She also got you some other little toys.

Observive and rolling

You are full of personality. I love when you talk and make so many facial expressions.

You are also observive. When I put a towel on my head when it is wet you stare at it.

You have now figured out rolling over. You used to only do it if mom introduced it. But now if I leave you on the floor for about 5 mins you'll end up on your tummy.

Roll Over

Aubree can roll over but doesn't really care to on her own.  I have to introduce her to it by starting her on her side, and dangling a toy in front of her.  She also is doing better at tummy time.  she can hold her head up better and likes it better now that she knows not to try to balance on her tummy.

She is definitely the talker and squealer though.  I also love that now she starts moaning when she wants something rather then crying right off.  The only reason she cries right off is when she wakes up.  She also has never liked burping.  I think it's the pressure she doesn't like most though.  Right when I sit her up she starts moaning and whining.  Part of it might be because usually she has a really larger burp the first time, and sometimes later too.

Also I love her facial expressions when she is jibber jabbering in the morning.  So cute.  I need to catch it on camera. 

New sleep & colds

I've tried out Celestial's idea of letting Aubree put her self to sleep (Brynlee puts herself to sleep). Except slightly different. I don't think she'd do it the same as Brynlee just yet. My way for her for now seems to be working great. After feeding burping changing burping I let her play for a bit and then when she starts to get fussy I squish her tummy a little and burp her again. She tends to have a problem with gas and I've yet to figure out what it is that I'm eating to do it. I then wrap her arms into a swaddle and wrap my arms around her to keep them in the swaddle. When she gets a little fussy then I give her the binky. She goes out pretty quickly. I don't think she's ready for on her own yet though cause she will get her arms out and knock the binky out of her mouth. Though the other day she was close to out and I moved her to the couch to do something with intent of coming back. Didn't need to though cause she was already settled enough to fall to sleep.

The other day Aubree was having trouble. I caught her choking a few times right before bed. I decided to let her sleep with us so I could help her if need be. At first I thought it might be a cat allergy from dad bringing home the new bed but then when I started to get sick too. I realized that it really was just a cold coming on.

Blessed

Ryan was helping a family swap put their beds. They no longer needed the one they had. It happed to be a full, just the size we wanted. Couples could sleep on it but yet it's not too big that we'd need to get rid of it too soon. So now we have a bed for the spare room.

Aubree can sit for like 5-10 seconds on her own if I can draw her attention up higher away from her feet.

I'm starting my new years resolution early. I'm tired of a cluttery house. We've been in our own home for a bit. I need to make homes for all our stuff and keep it tucked away and clean. I've found a basket to hold mail and fast food coupons. I want to make a rack with small hanger nails for my necklaces. I plan to keep up on putting laundry away and doing dishes.

Noticing

You were too funny the other day. When I was holding you you were staring at the screen printing on my shirt. You have done that on dads work shirts before but this time you were trying to feel it.

Also nursing cover has polka dots and it's funny too watch you stare at them a little cross eyed cause they're so close to your face.

Sleepy

Your so cute when you get tired now. You are starting to rub your eyes instead of the side of your head above your ear. Also if I'm holding you upright up to my shoulder while burping you, you will bury your head into my shoulder. I love it, it's so cute.

You seem to still not really get that great of sleep during the day. But the Dickerson's (two houses down, in the ward) watched you during the Boise temple rededication and swaddled you up in a thick blanket. You really seemed to like it cause you slept for quite a while. I tried it today and you still woke up cause I wasn't giving you your gas drops. Mom must be eating something that upsets your stomach or something.

You still don't like tummy time (you try balancing on your tummy) but sure do love standing. You would be able to stand on your own if you knew how to hang on to something to keep your balance. Your legs are very strong.

Also it's kind of funny when I'm helping you with gas by squishing your legs into your tummy you often lock up your legs but today you didn't. You must be learning that I'm helping you to get it out and feel better.

Tid Bits to Remember

I want to remember tips that I learned this time around so that I can do it better next time.

Garments- I don't care for maternity as they are way big and loose on the bottom like a dress. Nursing are okay but I like them most only at night. That's because I like to sleep with my arm under his pillow. I wish I had just boughten only larger carinessa for both maternity and nursing.

Clothing-
Maternity- Save money just buy bigger size of shirts. Long of course and empire shirts are great too to keep looking like "all belly".

Nursing- fitted stretch knit shirts and a stretchy spagetti strap underneath. Lift up the top layer and slide everything else down and off my shoulder on the feeding side. I was afraid that I'd have to buy a bunch of new clothes but most everything in my closet works great with the pull up method.

Not a huge fan of the nursing bras since they have a thick layer that's a pain to pull down enough to stay out of the way. Contemplating cutting the thick layer out and keeping the thin layers. Trying out the genie bra since Lesh said she liked it but pulled the pads out.


Bottle- I'm using the Avent bottles. They're great so that I can leave her behind for a date night, girls night, or enrichment. I just feed her expressed milk every few days to keep her used to it. Also I just seen that they came out with a bottle that's even better for nursing babies. I like it since she hardly protested. Only moaned for like 5 seconds. NICE!

Expressed milk is way nice for traveling also because then you can feed on the road and burp at gas fill ups.

Pump-The Medela brand is known as the top of the line and great if you need to go back to work. I purchased the Avent manual pump since it's more in the price range I wanted to spend. Also great for me cause I'm not using it all the time. I just want her used to the bottle.

Pumps are also nice because then you can releave yourself when you accidently feed too many times on the same side, or in the morning if baby slept longer at night.

Diapers- The pee stripe was great for the first few weeks when their pee is more gummy and very little. But after the first few weeks if it's pee let them fill it a little more (save money on diaper) it's the poop that gives them the rashes. Change those quicker.

I kind of don't care for pampers strong smell. It makes it hard to tell if it's poopy by the smell test. Then also huggies has the stretch band in back the help with blow outs. It doesn't catch every time but they have helped quite a few times. I'm trying out Up & Up (Target) brand and kind of liking them.

Wipes- I like Up & Up brand cause they are a good moisture, interlocked with each other (better for pulling out of the hard container), & cheaper. I like the Huggies hard container since they hold onto the next wipe down better so you only get one wipe. Didn't like Kroger since they are not interlock.

Also I was okay with making them too with half a roll of paper towels but should only do one half not both halves in two containers as they mold if not used fast enough. Also liked using less water at 1 3/4 c water with the 2 tbsp baby soap, 1 tbsp baby oil.

Binky- Binkies really helped me at first to space out her feedings. She wanted to suck quite a bit at first. Now I only use it to keep her quiet at church, while making dinner (if she's fussy), and to put her asleep. I've found that I really like the green soothie for being able to pull it out after she falls asleep. I don't want her to feel she needs to have it all the time. The pink and purple all one piece rubber Nuk brand it great for if I want her to keep it in by herself. She's not very good at keeping them in quite yet.

Baby gear-
Blanket- Favorite for swaddling is Carter's knit blanket. It's larger for using for longer (as they get bigger) and washes better then the recieving blankets.
Burp cloth- interlock are my favorite they seem to soak up spit up well and dry well in case you need to use it multiple times.

Burping & Sleep- I put these together cause for me they work hand in hand. I'm playing with the idea of feed when she wakes up, burp, play for a bit, burp again, and then sleep. I struggled with her falling asleep while eating burping her for a bit get the main few burps up and putting her to sleep. She'd wake when I tried to move her to bed (even if I was slow and careful) cause she had another burp in there. I'm kind of liking the new routine.

I'm working on her to play piano music to put her asleep, and just now it worked like a charm. she only fussed a little, and not crying for a while like she had been (but it might have been also the burps I left in there). :-) It's nice to work on not being extra slow and careful at putting her down so that she get used to it.

Next step I want to get her so that she's used to me just laying her down with piano music when she's sleepy and not having to rock her to sleep.

Baby Gut- One trick I'm using to get rid of the gut is rocking the rocking chair with my tummy like on a swing. I sit in the chair indian style with my legs crossed.

Blogging/Journaling - I love having a handheld device that is wireless and has a blogger app. I can blog while nursing and rocking her to sleep.

Little hands

Aubree is really enjoying grabbing at anything in her reach so I sometimes let her play with the burp cloth.

She's starting to realize and play with both of her hands together also.

When she got her two month shots the Dr. Said she was really good at moving her head around (side to side, all around) which is usually not until 6 months he said.

Sad eyes

Yesterday was her two month appointment and she got some immunization shots. It was SO sad looking at those beautiful big eyes looking at me with such sadness. It was as if she was asking me to help her. And that was even before she got the shots. The first one was a liquid or a syrup in her mouth. From expirience I already know she doesn't like those. :-(

The sad thing is looking at the shot record card it looks like there will be many more to come.

I'm in a size two

Yesterday we decided that she's ready for a size two diaper after two blow outs a church. I've been cleaning a lot of blow outs lately. I feel like a just moved her up to a one. Thankfully one of the packages of one is still unopened. I'm going to exchange that one. Now what to do with the other ones. Keep them for next baby or just hand them off. Hmm

Also she has been sticking her tounge out a lot in the last couple of days. Ry says she gets it from me haha. That was the first flirty thing he did, tease me about sticking my tounge out while serving.

Tummy time

When I put Aubree on her tummy to get her working on lifting herself and head up she balances herself on her tummy and lifts her legs also. This only last so long as she gets mad quickly. She last longer if I prop her up on the boppy.

She also is quite the jibber jabber. Her new noise she makes almost sounds like she has gum in her mouth, talking with her mouth wide open.

Back into my jeans

It's nice to now have many pairs of jeans to fit into rather than just one or two. I love how nursing is causing me to loose those prego pounds.

Also I discovered that you can buy malt powder so I've been making malt shakes. Ryan is hooked and ask for one every night. So we've been eating those when Aubree is happy enough to let us make them before going to bed.

Bottle and Sleep

Mom hadn't given me a bottle since the Las Vegas trip so this morning she gave me another one. I was persistant, I didn't want it, but so was mom. Mom knew if she gave in it would be even harder next time. She tricked me by keeping it in my mouth while after I fell asleep with it in my mouth. It worked! Now to give her another one while she is more alert. I think I'll try another one later today.

That last day or so my tear duct on my left eye has left my eye all gunky. Mom just assumed it's fine cause it's not red and I'm not extra fussy or anything. Dad is always doing a great job at making sure I'm doing okay. He called grandma Bishop to asked her. Mom feels that I've already got dad wrapped around my little finger.

Also the last day or so I've really been into sucking on something to soothe me to sleep. Hopefully I'm not already teething! :-/

Sleeping: When sleeping I already snore. Must have got that from mom hehe. When waking up I like to stretch like mom. Moms favorite is when I arch my back and stick my like bum out. Then also while I was still in moms tummy she felt little tembles. She didn't know what it was, kind of nervouse the they might be seziures or something but didn't worry too much since they were just in one spot. Ends up that I shake my little wrist when waking up. Too cute!

First Vegas Visit

Mom decided to pump into a bottle to help keep the drive as short as possible. I did great for only 6 weeks old. Mom only needed to take me out for burps and changing my diaper.

We got to see how big Autumn is getting and how tiny Kenadee is. Autumn is very entertaining crawling, pulling herself up and putting everything she can find in her mouth.

I got in the jacuzzi Friday night with my mom while dad watched you.

Sunday was Deanna's wedding so I left you with grandma Sanders to watch you but it ended up that Alisha and Greg watched you most during the cerimony. We turned around and picked you up for the reception. They are members so they had their reception where they met, at a dancing club. You went to a club at six weeks old. They rented the place out so the only bad thing resembling the club was the pictures on the walls, eww. I was really surprised at how well you did with the noise though. You were tired so you cried for a bit. We were about to leave but then you slept through it. I was covering your ears though because when the DJ would anounce anything he was very loud.

We went to visit great grandma Sanders, Lois, and Don. You were making all sorts of cute faces at Lois and talking to her.

Mom gave me some bottled shredded beef for Christmas. I've been telling everyone that I won't be coming back for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Ryan says it's up to me and that we can but we added it up and gas for the Jetta is $200 to travel there.

We have another reason not the take the trip so soon. Aubree did great on the trip home but a little before Twin Falls she was done. She didn't want to stay in the car seat anymore and she was done with the bottle.

I like to sing with mom

I've realized that she will kind of make her cooing sounds when she is sleepy right before she gets cranky. Well today while I was singing her to sleep she started to make them again. I think she is trying to sing with me... :-D I will try and see if I can catch it on camera soon.

Little cuddle bug

I think that you like to cuddle. At night there are a few time where I have moved away from you after feeding to get more comfortable. Not long after you end up next to me.

Also I think I got a glimpse of your first laugh. You were looking at me smiling an I felt your whole body jiggle once like you chuckled.

Cooing

I'm starting to make fun cooing sounds and mom loves it.

Internal Clock

I have an internal clock and know when it is about 8:30-9ish (bed time). Dad is used to staying up till whenever he wants but now mom needs to work on just taking me up to bed at that time no matter what. Dad's got to get used to that idea. So when mom has had a hard time getting me down later in the evening she has handed me to dad to let him know we need to change our ways.

Mom has struggled with figuring out my sleep during the day though. I have seemed to fight it. But maybe mom needs to figure out a sleep schedual so she knows when to put me down before I get too mad.

Working on some things

Three weeks old. Mom wants to work on a few things to get you ready for your first trip to Vegas in a few weeks. It's going to be a long car ride. Mom thinks it'd be best to feed me via bottle so that we don't have to stop as much and for as long. We'd just have to stop for burping and changing me. Also I haven't really been great at taking a binky. Mom thinks it might be because all the ones she got from the baby showers are to big and for older babies. This morning I was fighting sleep again and just wanted to suck on something. We went for our first trip out just the two of us. We
picked up three types of binkies and some elastic thread. Mom is going to sew the bottoms of my sleepers since I don't like feeling trapped in them. I like to stretch my legs all the way out.

Also mom has been keing me in sleepers through out the day. Dad has been puzzled by this. Mom thinks it'll help me sleep during the day. Mom wrapped me in a really warm blanket after feeding and it worked like a charm. Hope thisn't just a one time fluke. Mom hopes to get in some sleep time and actually get other chores done so dad doesn't think we just play all day.



Hopefully I'll be ready to make the car trip in a few weeks to meet more of the family.

Laughs

Daddy and I get non stop laughs out of the cute things you do. It's good thing daddy can help me start laughing at them cause sometimes it's hard dealing with non stop feeding changing burping and cleaning up. Especially when you're fighting sleep. We tried getting you to sleep in the bassinet but you like sleeping next to mommy.

Mom has got to watch you closely. You know how to roll to your side. And while sleeping at night time you like sleeping on your side like mom. It might be partly because that's how you nurse at night. Mom just rolls over and feeds you. Well last night mom tried to distance you so that you could get used to the idea of maybe being in a bassinet. Well you somehow ended up on your stomach and your head facing away from mom. So you might have figured out how to roll from your side to your tummy. Mom is not ready for that yet.

Two weeks old and my first temperture

Mom noticed I wasn't acting normal this morning. She thought I was just gassy or needed to get a burp out. I slept pretty well this morning just moaned every little bit. Mom felt I was sleeping good so she took a shower. Upon holding me again she noticed that my head was warm. She took my temperture and I was 100.5 No wonder I was moaning a lot this morning.

Mom is loving how cuddly I am. She wasn't super protective of who held me but she's starting to think she should be until I'm a little bit older (maybe a few months) and have a stronger immune system.

Day two of my high tempertures (Friday)- I've been acting a lot better even though they haven't really gone down. At least I'm more alert, happier and eating better. Mom decided to wash my face and hair. I was making cute faces after wards and mom caught this picture of me. Mom has a picture of herself that she is pulling the same smile so of course mom loves it.

Clipped tounge

Yesterday I got the under side of my tounge clipped. It was attached a little too much which could cause problems with nursing and a speech impediment when I start talking. Mom cried for me a little bit when the nurse and the Dr. had to hold me still.

Later at night I was fighting sleep like I normally do during the day. Mom wanted to come down stairs and be around daddy and not couped up in my bedroom rocking me to sleep. Mom had dad bring the swing down stairs. I was enthralled by the light. Mom and dad got a good laugh at how I didn't take my eyes off of it. Then I spit up more then I ever spit up yet. It may have been because mom didn't burp me yet along with the motion that caused me to spit up. They really had a good laugh since I was still very calm and mellow while mom cleaned me up.

Mom has been enjoying getting extra help from daddy. Like he made us salad for dinner since she was nursing me.

Also mom has learned that it is much easier to feed me with a dirty diaper then change me since I'm less mad and also since she has been needing to put cream or powder on my bum.

Blessing Weekend

We had a busy weekend as family came to visit for my baby blessing. Grandma and grandpa Sanders, Celestial's family, and Tara came to visit. It was nice to have company over but mom is thinking "it's a good thing not everyone could make it". I would have loved to have everyone come but we had stuff everywhere. I guess my house isn't quite as big as it feels to me on a regular day.

We mostly just hung out around the house just enjoying each others company. Friday afternoon the girls, including Matix, went the park while we sent the boys off to get groceries. Of course dad (Cal) wanted to go to Cabela's (outdoor sports store). So they went there first. The weather at the park was beautiful. Nice with a little bit of a breeze.

For dinner Tara shared with us a recipe from a lady in her ward. It was a use all bread recipe. It has very few ingredients and is a definate rise recipe. We made cinnamon rolls and put them in the fridge to bake in the morning and they grew to be huge. We decided to bake them that night. Tara made us three pizza's, cinnamon rolls, bread stick twist, and a cream cheese pastery. All were delicious.

Mom was nervous about my baby blessing and if I would cry during the whole thing. I have strong lungs (a loud cry). So mom has been trying to get me used to a binky just in case we needed it to keep me happy. I did great! I slept right up until the blessing and then I stayed content. During sacrament I started to squirm for food so mom took me out to feed me. She fed me, changed my diaper (which thankfully didn't get on my dress only the diaper cover) and fed me more so I would be good for pictures afterwards. She didn't get back until the closing song. Daddy also gave me a very beatiful blessing. Mom knew he would and was tearing up from the opening song untill she left to feed me. She's very glad that dad honors his priesthhood and is worthy to be able to give you your baby blessing. Also since I was a large baby mom is glad we blessed me so soon so that I fit into my dress. I hardly fit into it because I was locking up my arms while mom tried to put it on me.

One week old

Daddy has found a funny trick. He enjoys having me suck on his nose.

I'm already smiling back at mommy. My mouth is open wide and mom can tell it's a smile by the way my eyes look.

I was already born pretty advanced. I was already trying to hold my head up and my eyes were quiet focused for an infant. I rarely crossed my eyes. I'm starting cross my eyes sometimes but I definately can detect faces even after a few days. I can hold my own head up for a good minute. And mom gets a good laugh when she puts me up against her chest and shoulder. I start bobbing my head looking for food. It's pretty funny.

Also when I'm hungry or need my diaper changed I kick my feet and often kick my socks off.

7 Weeks Video

Getting used to having Aubree

When in the hospital I did really good at latching on for feedings. The only trouble was when I would fall off and get really mad. The nurses took me for something and when I came back I was content all wrapped up in a blanket sleeping. Mom realized that I was just really tired. Therefore it wasn't a latching problem.

Mom was planing on having me sleep in a bassinet but the first few nights before moms milk came in I wanted to nurse a lot so I have been sleeping with mom and dad. Now that I have fuller tummies overnight and only nurse twice mom is going to try putting me into the bassinet.

Mom loves mornings with me. I am a happy baby and just make funny faces and then also after mom feeds me she loves rocking and sleeping with me.

Dad is a champ. Although I cry a lot when he's usually holding me (he says it's cause I'm hungry) he still does his best to keep me happy.

Our first time out

Yesterday was our first time out of the house. We had my first doctors appointment. I checked out good except the Dr. Said I might should get my femelem snipped. It might be attached a little too much. It's easier to do it now then later. We stopped at dads work and the ladies cooed a cawed over me. Then we went to Lowes to get some bead board for my pictures. Afterwards grandma Bishop wanted some food so we stopped at Subway. I was hungry too so mom held and bounced me while in line ordering her sandwich. When we got to the truck mom went to change my
diaper and realized it was a blowout. I got it on moms shirt. Thankful we were headed home next.

We took some pictures when we got home (yellow and turquoise). Later that night grandpa Bishop and dad installed the garage door opener so mom can start parking in the garage.

Arrival of our baby girl

Aubree Paige
8/23. 9lbs. 4oz. 22 in. long

We schedualled to induce Aubree on Thursday the 23rd. She was holding out not wanting to come. We had already tried to go walking and it would really only get the contractions going for a few plus hours and then die off again. She needed an eviction nudge with pitocin :-D

We checked in at 5am. It might have been 6 or 6:30 before they got the pitocin hooked up to me. At about 7:30 the Dr. broke my water. That sure felt like I just peed on the table. At this point they could tell the amiotic fluid was darker then normal so she had merconiom (poop) in there. Also somewhere in here they put me on oxygen to help keep baby's heart rate up during the contractions. I went a good number of hours before the pain was becoming unbearable. I kept trying to ask them if they might have an idea as to how long I might have so I would know if I should get the epidural. Ryan was trying to help me to go without it just because of the risk. I bore through a little bit more as I was having them check my dialation to see if things were changing. There were two times in a row that I was a 7 so then I kind of made up my mind to get it.

I dialated to an 8 but she wasn't dropping so they were giving me a heads up that she might be a bigger baby, it may take a while longer and a slight chance that we may need to do a c-section. At that point I said bring on the epidural. It was 1:15 when they administered it to me. It felt like 5 or so strong contractions after that and then I think they started to feel better.

At 2:20 I was an 10 so it was time to start pushing. I pushed on most contractions for about 2ish hours but her head wasn't coming past my pelvic bone. At this time they confirmed that in fact she was a bigger baby with a bigger head. Thankfully her heart rate was steady and strong or that would have surely sent me to the operating room. The Dr. said we have one last chance to try to avoid c-section and that was forcepts. He would us the forcepts to bring her head towards my back while I did the pushing to get her out. I had two contractions, so 8 pushes, to give it my last shot using the forcepts. SO glad I already had the epidural. Before I started pushing with the forcepts the Dr. finished preparing the delivery table. And called in the baby nurses along with two women from NICU, just in case because of the merconium in the amiotic fluid. This gave me some hope that she might be coming.

I pushed with all my might, and down she came. I was able to feel her head before she came out fully. Then I knew she was going to have more hair then I did. I was very relieved that I chose to get the epidural (because of the length of time and her being bigger caused me to tear) and that I didn't have to get a c-section.

Next time I SO am getting induced sooner if things are looking the same as they did with her.

The other picture is her I n the swing so mom could get some rest.

Due Dates are Evil

Why do I say that they are Evil?  Well because if you go past them then you just get anxious.   I really actually wanted to have her at least a day early so that I wasn't sitting around on Sunday and thinking "today is her due date".  Well I guess I jinxed myself because I got to do just that.  Right before Sacrament meeting Ryan go up to go get a tithing envelope and as I sat there by myself I kinda got sad (and glad no one approached me or I would have broken down).  I collected myself and tried not to think about it too much.   I didn't want to break down in front of any of these new friends of mine in the new ward.  Of course since I'm the size of "about to pop" I got asked about a handful of times "no baby yet?".   Thankfully I had my sad moment earlier and was able to joke with them.

Since baby hadn't come yet Ryan wanted to wait till he got a few things done at work today before baby came.  The things that he does at work are some things that no one else at the office knows how to do.  So tonight we'll go walking abound in our neighborhood.  I just ate some spicy Macayo sauce with TCT's to see if that would help at all.

Next time around I think I prefer to have a general due time, not a date.  So for instance I'd rather be on the "oh she's due about mid August so that I'm not anticipating that specific date.  Yes I know that the date is a general date but it's still not fun making it to that date still not having her in my arms.

Oh and we are still trying to find someone to fulfill our lease for the rental property :-(  Not fun!  I really could use that money elsewhere.  A fixing or replacement of my hearing aides would be nice they have been on the downhill for a bit.  Or even if not them, put it towards the truck.  That would be $200 less a month in bills if we had that paid off :-D

Cleaning the Fridge and Baby Hand Me Downs

I love all the extra closet space but I realize how much junk we have and how quickly we fill up spaces in this house. 

Mom was going to come up with Mike and Debbie, but there was a change in their plans so it was only Mike coming up and then going back down to get Debbie one last time.  It was a bum deal.  Mom was pretty sad.

I was going to have her help me clean out an old fridge, put together babies room, the studio, and help my make some freezer meals. 

So I spent yesterday for and hour cleaning the fridge, but didn't want to inhale anymore cleaner haha.  Now I just need to do the shelves that are on the ground.  I was a fridge that was left in the house Mike bought and was all moldy.  Gross!  I still don't think that I want any water or ice out of that machine.  Maybe we can get it moved into the house now so that I don't have to walk out to the other fridge in the garage every time I want a drink or anything out of it.

I spent today washing and cleaning the baby hand me down items and gross again.  The car-seat that I got was nasty.  I still need to hose/scrub out the plastic part of it and the base.  It will almost be good as new after that.  The vibrator seat thankfully still at least vibrates, I'm still crossing my fingers on the swing cause it looks almost new but hopping it swings (I think it was Tara's).   The bassinet was worth the cleaning cause it wasn't near as dirty, and the vibrator/music thing on it works great. 

I decided that hand me downs on items are great if your willing to put forth the effort to cleaning it out haha.  It's prepping my for cleaning out all  of her blowouts and puke (dealt with both before, but now it's all me). 

It's even more fun feeling her moving around now.  I'm not sure exactly why, but it's a little more noticeable that it's either and arm or a leg.  Getting anxious to see her :-D  but getting a little more nervous for labor (less than three weeks, that's if she's not late).  Yikes! Oh and the Doctor checked me on Monday and said that I was only dilated to a 1 but my cervix is starting to thin which is good.  So I didn't put myself into labor moving.  Though I do get a Braxton Hick every morning when I roll over to get off the bed. My whole tummy turns into a hard ball haha.  I've also had a few contractions here and there, kinda feels like menstrual cramps but they extend even higher up my tummy.

And the blinds were hung...

We moved out stuff into our new house over the past weekend and the beginning of this week. We had a lot of helpers from the new ward help us unload stuff into the garage. I like Ryan's thought process of just have them help to put it in the garage. Though this time it was helpful to have them bringing some of it into the house and help put a few the bedroom furniture back together. Mike was here to help us load and unload over the weekend and load on Monday evening but not unload. I knew I wouldn't be able to help Ryan so it was nice to have them bring some of it up. Even then I get really tired and also sore around my tail bone when walking too much especially up and down those stairs too much. One guys especially helped out a fe times and I told him that I want to make him and his family dinner one night in the near future because there was one night that it was just him helping and we had the TV and our mattress. Two things Ryan would not be able to do on his own. If it weren't for him we would be sleeping on the couch that night.

On Friday and Saturday I was installing the blinds because that was something I knew I could do while the guys loaded heavy boxes into the house and garage. We did faux wood blinds on the main level, and the master with mini blinds in al the rest of the rooms. I just hung the last one in the babies room. I knew I could hold off of the ones that were upstairs and people couldn't peek in them.

We spent our first night in the house on Tuesday night. It kind of felt like Christmas in a way, just being able to live in our new house.

We still need to finish up grabbing a few last things (two book shelfs, and a few odds & ends), cleaning, and yard work over at the rental. We thought we had a guy to take over our lease but he's having a little trouble having the management company verifying his employment. I'm kind of nervous because I really don't want to have to come up with the extra money and loose our deposit.

Prego info: I love my new oval tub! It's much easier to shave my legs. Also it was kinda of funny my new neighbor has seen me going in and out of the house bringing more stuff over here and she teased "you're going to put yourself into labor". I hope not, so whenever I feel tired I take a break and sit for a while. One night I was kind of cramping so I decided to sleep in quite a bit that next morning. Take it easy.  She has been stretching out recently, I can feel her pushing downward and also into my ribs.  This pregnancy has gone really smooth so far, the only thing I've been told was to up my iron intake so I go some iron pills and then I got a urinary infection so I got a prescription for that.  My next appointment is on Monday so I'll see it the prescription took care of it and if I have started to dilate.  I also have been taking a little bit of magnesium cause there was one night were I had two charlie's horse's in a night.  I think it's because I got stuck in stop and go traffic a couple of times in our stick shift Jetta (I don't drive a whole lot right now).

There is still so much too do to get our house a little more livable, and quite a few more things I still need to go get to be ready for baby. Also I need to wash the hand me down items. So grateful for all the hand me downs. As long as they all work I don't need to buy a car seat or stroller, swing, bouncer, play mat for the ground, etc. Also I have quite a few cute clothes from Tara so I don't have to go out and buy a lot of clothes. I still need more diapers but I don't want to buy too many since I've heard either your baby is a Pampers or a Huggies baby meaning their body shape will determine if they have less blowout with a certain brand.

Anniversary - Ryan has been working very hard this past week moving the house so he was exhausted so we decided to have pizza ordered in. I set out the nice dinnerware set and candlesticks to make it a little more romantic. Though since it doesn't get dark all that early here the blinds can only block out so much light. Candle lit dinners are better during the winter and will be easier now that we have a place of our own. Ry isn't much of a romantic so it never really turns out quite like I have in my mind, but it's the attempt that counts. I know that he likes when I go out of my way to do something like this (cause he's told me before), it's just hard to read him because he's not great at expressing it.

Great Week

It's a great week. We signed the closing paperwork for our house yesterday and we should be getting our keys today. Our house is all a shambles since we have boxes everywhere hehe. But it's nice that we don't have to go very far for this move so some of the stuff I'm not even boxing. I'm going to pull my drawers out have Ry and Mike load it and then put the drawers back in. Then for the kitchen stuff set them in a box drive it over and then put them in their place. Yesterday was Ryan & I's 4th anniversary. We didn't do anything yet but plan to do something next weekend since this weekend we are planning to move. Yesterday was also one month left mark until baby's due date. It's also nice to know that I qualified for super preferred rate for life insurance even in my third trimester when all my numbers are supposed to be off. :-D Then at church it's fun to hear when people say I look good with my preggo belly but it's especially nice to hear someone say "your all belly" (got that one yesterday) :-D. That's what I wanted to be but I'm not quiet that. I can't even get some of my pants up past my thighs. Maybe next time. But it sure is nice to hear it. Makes you feel better. It is fun to tease with my nurse about the weight though. Last time I started to step on the scale and it paused at 92 lbs and I joked "I'll take that number", but then said "that would be very unhealthy". I don't really get down and out about it too much though. I know baby is healthy and I've been looking forward to having a little one of my own for a long time. That's all that really matters.

Prego 34 wks

Prego facts, just so I can remember them. It's not easy to get up when prego and forget about laying on your back on the ground. It hurts (my tail bone) lying there and to move to try to get up. Though my back is my favorite sleep position, used to be my side. Cross your legs when you need to sneeze if you don't want a leak. When sitting it feels better to lean back slightly or with your knees not so close. Shaving legs and tying shoes are a bit of a task. Hold your tummy if you ate too much cause the stretch marks (just got them this week) hurt when you move.

The goods: It is fun feeling her move around. I like trying to guess if it is her head feet knees arms. I'm not sure if I'm ever correct or not. Though I did guess right on her head being upright at my last appointment. :-D She is sometimes most active or so it seems when I'm lying down for bed or in the morning right after a bathroom break.

I can't wait to see what she looks like and to hold her. I'm glad we are in the moving process because I think that I'd be super anxious to see/meet her, but since I want to get settled in the new house before she comes I'm content (waiting patiently). I want the photo stuff all in the extra room before she comes so that I can capture her sleepy tiny self.

Paint, Shelfing, Doors Hung, Vinyl Flooring

I LOVE my vinyl flooring.  The floor looks like real wood.  Which is a huge benifit because I like the look of wood floors but I've heard that there is more upkeep to them.

I also LOVE my doors! :-D

Another picture with the flooring.

My Pantry! :-D I'm so excited for the extra closets in this house so I can tuck more things away and do better at stocking up on stuff. I shot this picture so that you can see the edge of the pantry. I'm excited to be able to actually be able to store my cereal, bread and some of my food storage in here and not in another room's closet! :-D

This is my current pantry. As you can see it is packed, and is no fun to get to stuff in it.

Master bath and closet.

Cabinet have arrived and we were told that they will be installed on Monday or Tuesday. So Ryan will be going back down there to template for our granite countertops on Tuesday evening. It's so exciting seeing the progress.

Texture, Vinyl, and Doors

The texture on the walls and the vinyl on the outside is completed, the doors have arrived.

Spotlight

I am being spotlighted in the Relief Society newsletter and this is what I wrote to have put in it. I grew up in Las Vegas with five sisters and one brother. From these siblings I currently have 10 nieces and nephews. I love playing with them and my sisters tease me about being the baby lover in the family. So you know I’m definitely anxiously waiting to hold my little one. My parents taught me to be a hard worker and what is most valuable in this life. In growing up in a big family I learned to have patience. I would like to give my kids the same learning experiences that I had. When I was younger I went camping, repelling and four wheeling often which I really enjoyed. Though during a normal weekday you could often find me doing some sort of craft. I sewed my first project, a quilt, at the age of 13. In high school I took woods, fashion, and drafting class, all of which I thought were very fun. From the things that I learned in fashion and from my mom I was able to sew my wedding dress and now a baby blessing dress for my daughter when she arrives. Ryan and I have been married for almost four years and are looking forward to moving into our first house and the arrival of our daughter in August.

Time for Dry Wall

Getting more and more excited! The second floor is all dry walled up & most all of the windows are in place. They left one out just so they can bring things in through the window for the time being.

2nd floor

Family room looking towards the kitchen.

Master bath w/ Ryan being silly and pretending to sit at a toilet. The toilet is not in place yet but that is were it will be placed.

Before we stopped by the house we went to see how Ryan's eye was healing up. It is doing just fine. It still bothers him sometimes when he is driving but we kind of think it might be because he's outside in the sunlight.

28 weeks - Baby has been very active this last week. In the last two days I feel like I can feel her rolling to different sides. There has been many times where she has something jabbing out ward, and it's fun to poke back at her. Though a few times I've been pushing her back in cause it had been a little too much and kind of hurt. Right now my right side is her favorite side. I'm glad that it isn't down by my bladder anymore not that she is getting bigger.

Ryan has been very cute in not wanting to squish my tummy. Also when we help Mike move things at his house Ryan tells me nope you shouldn't move that box. It's too heavy for you. Then sometimes he teases "not good for baby" if it's something sweet and he wants more of it. Like he really likes flavored drinks and a lot of the time I take a sip or two when he pours it. I'm not usually pouring them for myself but once I see it in a glass he has temped me to the flavor. He's funny.

Eye Patch, Neighbors, Planning Family Visit

On Monday Ryan's eye was bothering him quiet a bit. He kept rubbing it all day while at work. When he got home we seen a black speck on the color part of his eye. I tried to help him get it out but it wasn't budging. The more we touched his eye the dryer it gets, and it was really bothering him. We searched online for a 24hr quick care since it was already close to 9:30pm by the time he decided we should probably go get it taken care of. We couldn't see of one online so I called a friend in the ward. I asked her if she knew of one or if their was an optometrist in the ward. She was able to tell me a guy in the ward that is a more of like an eye surgeon. Which was probably even better. We ended up calling him and he was able to help us. It ended up being a piece of metal in his eye. He took Ryan down to his office in Nampa, extracted it, and wrote him a prescription for pain and to help it heal. It still was bothering him quiet a bit just because every time he blinked it scratched his eye lid more. By the next night (Tues) his eye already was about 70% healed up which is way nice.   I am tremendously grateful to be a part of the church in order to know that so many people are so willing to give of their services.  We ended up buying him a gift card because we wanted to show him that we really appreciated his help.

We also met one of our new neighbors on Saturday.  When we were walking through the house Ryan told me to go look out the window.  And I see two blue water containers.  Mormons, we teased.  later when we walked out to get in the car to go home we seen a guy in their driveway.  I teased hey we're your new neighbor.  But later we caught that he was actually the dad of a girl living there.  But yes they are LDS :-D  And she is actually expecting a little one (her 3rd) about a month after me so that will be way fun.  I asked her if our ward was a young ward and she said it was.  I'm way excited.

Family coming to visit.  I just got off the phone with mom and I'm kind of bummed.  I really was hoping that pretty much all the family will be coming to visit except Wendy's family.  But it's starting to look like it will be more like half or less might come.  I know we still have plenty of time for things to change but it still isn't quiet what I thought it might be.   I planned it for Labor Day weekend since I thought that's when most everyone would be able to come, since they have done many other trips on that same weekend in previous years.  We'll see what happens.

Framed

As we were pulling into the neighborhood it surprised me that our home looked like this only a week and two days after the footings were in. It was way fun to be able walk through it. Though for me it was a bit of an eye opener. For some reason when I was looking at the floor plans I envisioned the rooms being a little bit bigger. Though it will be a great first home for us. Even though the kitchen won't be huge it will have more pantry space :-D Also I have a linen closet up stairs in the hall and in the master bath. More places to put away stuff. Yay!

Oh also it was good that we stopped by. They accidently started framing in a half wall with an arch in between the living and family room. I asked for a full wall which is in the plans, they just overlooked it. We'll be telling them first thing Monday. I like to have nice room for when people stop by. Though after walking through our kitchen table is going to have to be small and will be in direct view of the front door. Funny, I'm just glad it's not my kitchen sink. :-D

As for the garden.... I think I might actually be able to still put it in the same spot on the South side of the home. Even though it is going to be smaller than I requested we looked at where the sun falls on the ground over there. I think I'll be able to get a couple rows of garden over there which will be the full length of the house. That should be plenty for now. Yay!

I have three main goals for this home. I really want to have most everything put away and out of sight no junk and cluter that I have been living with. Two I'd like to add to food storage and add recipes to my book for cycling it. Three try to spend a half and hour every day in the front room reading scriptures, Ensign, doing FHE, or something church realated with Ry.

The opps wall. It should be fully enclosed on the left side not an archway.

Footings are in!

I had no idea that they already put the footings in. I'm way excited! I'm kind of a little disapointed that my realitor didn't pass on the word about the location of the house because now my gardening spot is going to have to change. We'll figure out something. The contractor said that he believes it will only be two month until it's done. That puts us at the begining of July. Yay!

Though now I'm starting to think that these next two months are going to go by way fast. I need to hurry up and sew all of her baby bedding real quick. Also if I want to make her blessing dress I better get a move on it. When we do get moved in I know I must get the bed rooms, kitchen and photo stuff in place first. Once baby gets here I know I'm going to want to take her infant pictures fairly quickly after she is born.

Callings & Work

We both now have callings to be in presidencies. I in Relief Society (secretary) and Ryan in the Elders Quorum (Second Counselor). It's kind of funny cause I know Debbie kind of is opposed to him having a higher up more time consuming calling. She's not afraid to turn one down if she feels it's too much for her to handle. But for more me I actually kind of like it. While we were sitting there in the room with the man in the stake that was extending the calling to Ryan I got the feeling that this will be good for Ryan. He has been part of scouts at the old ward and now primary teacher. But this calling will help him to progress further spiritually because you have to pray a lot more as to who need what or which direction to take things.

Also I'm really excited that Ryan is getting a little bit of a raise. It's not a ton more but every little bit helps. It'll help support the idea of me staying home with baby by helping cover her insurance and diapers :-D. Also I can tell Ryan likes that I am able to make him lunches in the morning & dinners at night since I'm not working. Before we bought a lot of freezer lunches and dinners. I put more pride into it since I have more time and energy, and I can tell he likes it. It was funny because about a month ago Celestial asked on Facebook some ideas for lunches and Ryan told me to go give her some ideas. Shows that he must think that I'm doing a good job :-D

I'm kind of starting to think of not worrying too much about doing photography to earn extra money. I guess part of me has a little bit of a fear that I might focus on it too much that I might miss a lot of things going on in my kids lives as they grow. I kind of just want to slow down and enjoy the things that I like to do, sewing old projects I intended on doing, organizing so there is less clutter and stress (which I will need to do a lot of when we move), bake more bread, build up my food storage. I am really looking forward to getting into the new house.

This is also reason why I want to put photography on a back burner. Years from now I want to say that I had that interaction with Ryan and my kids. Physical possessions just aren't worth it.

Baby Kicks

I believe that I started to feel those little baby flicks since around weeks 14 or 15 but I'm not positive. I call them flicks because most people say it feels like popcorn popping but I like to describe it more as flicks from the inside. At first I dismissed them cause I thought they were higher then where she was suposed to be. Though since I feel them more now I know that they were kicks. I don't go a few hours with out feeling something now at 22 weeks.

Also another great thing it that not too long ago I had a job interview that I didn't feel to good about. Ryan was totally suportive of me not taking it. I have another interview today and he still is incredably suportive of me wanting to stay home once baby is born :-D I love him even more because of that. :-D

It's a girl

I'm kind of excited that we are going to have a little girl. I also kind of secretly hope that she ends up being a little towhead like I was. I can already see some resemblance in the ultrasound picture with her profile to mine when I was little. SO cute! I still am trying to do gender neutral colors for the bedroom colors etc. so I don't have to buy them again soon.  The nurse told me that right now she shows to be 14oz and her heartbeat is 143.

Bought a House!

We were looking at a house that fit our budget and but was only 1530 sq. ft. Debbie convinced us to keep looking and we seen a floor plan that we really loved for a house to be built. It was with a company that we already do the granite for. Mike told us to try and see if they would let us do it for a little less in exchange we do all of the surfaces (granite). We went in and were able to get the home in our budget but then the realtor told us about a program out there that would allow us to not need to pay mortgage insurance. We decided to get a few more upgrades to make the house a little more comfortable for the long run. We think that we will be able to stay there for a while since it's got more square footage and more storage then the other house had.

When I told Debbie I was glad that they pushed us to look a little more she said she didn't feel comfortable with the one house we were looking at but didn't want to be pushy. I love how both Mike and Debbie are good about that. They will share their opinion but then let us make our own decision.

Now I'm just hoping that it will be done before baby get's here. It will be nice to try to move most everything before he/she arrives. Also I'd love to be able to have family stay with me in my new house when they come for the baby blessing.

As for Mike and Debbie's house... They will probably close on selling the Cedarview house to Melanie by the end of this month. They have been looking for a house with a lot of sq. footage and horse property. They haven't had much luck yet. In about a year and a half's time they found 3 houses worth buying. The first one Debbie and I called "the perfect house" I had gorgeous curb appeal, great for entertaining floor plan, but it was a short sell I think with an offer (not worth the hassle). Second we found the house with the man cave which had more storage then the first one. They put in an offer and got excepted until the bank noticed they said it was going to be a second home which they needed to do to get the loan approval. We looked at many others that were just trashed or not quiet what they wanted. Lastly right now we found one that is a lot older but has the sq. footage, storage, shop, and horse property. They were excepted, but then when it came down to the inspection there are a lot of problems. So Mike is trying to see if the guy is willing to fix some of them before he buys it. Mike mentioned that he was pretty envious at how easy it was for us to get our house as opposed to them and they might have to go looking again.

Opening Question

It's kinda funny that the most common opening question I get these days is "So how are you feeling?". Even from friends that I see every week that know I've for the most part haven't felt sick. I've mostly felt tired or bloated.

Also we kind of wanted to work really hard to pay off the truck before baby gets here. Now we are kind of thinking it might be better to use the little we do have to put towards a down payment on a house. Especially since Mike thinks that the interest rate for homes will go up. It'd be better to lock in a good interest rate and find a cheap enough home that we will have lower payments than what we are paying for rent right now.

Work

So we recently decided that It world be smart for me to get a steady job so that we can pay off the truck and save for the baby. Yaay for job searching again.... Not the funnest. I wish I could have continued the literacy job up here. I really enjoyed that job and the pay satisfied me. I'd like to find a job that is comparable to my skill and hard work. Is that too much to ask? Also I'm kind of sad about how many hours Ryan is putting in. I know that it is really starting to take a toll on him. He is easily there 11 hours a day. I'm sorry but in my mind that is overhaul for sallary hours. And it's their slower season so that's not their excuse. Cause my dad said that his salary guys easy get lots of over time in the Summer but it makes up for their shortage of hours in the Winter. Okay that's my rant for the moment other than that life is good.

Also with his job I never know when to have dinner ready. Most dinners take a while to fix and he usually comes home while I'm about half way done. But the the days that I prepare ahead it's a fun game trying to keep everything warm or reheating it in the microwave.

Second Baby Appointment

I kind of thought they would do more when I go in for appointments. They are pretty quick. Now on the'll have me go in a cup. I got to hear baby's heart beat which was pretty cool. Although for some reason it wasn't near as cool as seeing baby in an ultrasound. I think it's cause I'm a visual person. The Dr. said that the heart beat was fast so that might mean a girl. We'll see for sure in eight weeks though. I'll be happy with either. Just happy to have a baby of my own :-D

Then I also drew blood. I wasn't looking forward to this. I always have to look away. But It's not near as bad as I thought/remember. It just feels like a prick. The thing I don't like most about it was leaving the needle there. When it's an IV for when I have a baby it will be better since it'll be a tube that is left in, not a needle.

First Ultrasound!

It was way fun to be able to see baby and baby's heart beat. Even when she first showed me the small blob that was baby before zooming in it felt just a little more real. It's also re-asuring to see the baby's heart beat was strong and healthy.

Baby is measuring at eight weeks and two days when I really was counting that I was 7 weeks and four days. So my they moved up my due date. It was originally Aug 17th and now it's the 12th.

To me baby's head almost resemble a cat's head. From what I've been reading I'm guessing that the dark spots in baby's head is what will later form into his/her ears. Then maybe the two things near his/her bottom are the paddle like feet that will later form into legs and feet. Mmm Just guessing?

I'm not totally ecstatic for my next appointment though, blood work, needle :-/

This is probably what baby look like if I had that good of a picture :-D

Picture by

Lennart Nilsson