Thanksgiving

Katie, I really liked your idea of putting a picture up of each thing I am grateful for. So if you don't mind, copying is the best form of flattery!

Things I am Thankful For This Thanksgiving

1. I am grateful for my Scotty.

He is my husband and my best friend. I love how he makes me laugh. Over the past (almost) 2 years, our relationship has grown stronger and better. I love him even more than I thought I could. I am so grateful for my wonderful, hubby Scotty!

2. I am grateful for our home.

We have been so blessed and are so grateful to have such a wonderful home to start our marriage with. The rent is great, the space is great for our small family, I love the ward and areaand I really must say that it is perfect that we don't have neighbors on the other sides of our walls like an apartment because, well, I don't think they would want to put up with all my loud singing 24/7! Many thanks to Scott's brother Stephen for helping us find it!

3. I am grateful for our wonderful car, Sally.

I am so grateful that we have a car at all and that it is very reliable! I am especially grateful to our bro-in-law Brad for working so hard on it to make it the car it is. This car is very unique and good to us and we have been so blessed to have such a great car!

4. I am grateful for our family and friends.

I know not everyone is in this picture, but you all know who you are. Thank you to our parents for raising us, thank you to our family members for loving us and thank you to all of our many wonderful friends for always being there for us!! We love you all very much and don't know where we would be without every one of your support.

5. I am so especially grateful for the Gospel.

Many thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for his Infinite Atonement (Alma 34:9-16, D&C 19:16-19). I am so grateful for the knowledge we have and for the gospel that has blessed our lives. I know my Savior lives and will come again.

6. I am grateful for the temple.

I am so grateful for temples on this earth where we can be sealed together with our spouses and our families/loved ones for all time and for all eternity. I am also grateful for the work it allows us to do for those who were not able to partake of its blessings while they were on this earth. I love the blessings of the temple.

7. And last, but certainly not least, I am so grateful for my precious, little Hailey.

What a miracle it is to be pregnant. Despite all the discomforts (this pregnancy hasn't even been that bad, really), I have been so humbled and so grateful to be the vessel to build this infant body for our daughter, Hailey. I know she isn't born yet, but I love her more than anything in the world. I am so excited and look forward to sharing parenthood with my husband. I know there will be hard times, but I know that we will be able to get through them and be an eternal family like we were meant to be. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has trusted us to be the parents to this wonderful Daughter of God. I love you, Hailey, and I can't wait to hold you in my arms in March!

(And yes, just so you aren't confused. After some deliberation, we decided to get a second opinion on the gender. Thank goodness my work offered $25 gender ultrasounds, otherwise we probably wouldn't have gone through with it. We are glad we did. It's not that we didn't trust the first ultrasound or the tech who was doing it, but when it is your first one, it is better to be safe than sorry so it is a little easier to plan. And those three lines in that circle? Definitely a girl!)

I also forgot to mention I am very, very grateful that Scotty and I both have jobs, and that they are good jobs. I am also grateful for health insurance!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and I hope you remember all the blessings you have in your life!!!

Gobble gobble

Gobble gobble

Turkey for Thanksgiving....

What a Day

I wish this was the mouse in our house. Sadly, it is not that friendly and certainly not that clean. *shudder*

So yes, we have a mouse in our house. Well, in the wall somewhere. We heard it squeak one night during a movie and weren't quite sure if that was the movie or for real. A few mornings later, I heard some noise in the wall behind the toilet. Oh boy. I hit the wall and it stopped, then started up again a little. I didn't hear it again for quite a while. I tried putting out a glue trap (left over in the cupboard from the previous renters) by the stove, but apparently it has not made its way outside the wall because nothing showed up. Thank goodness. I've got food storage to worry about. I also have a couch and a mattress, I've got a closet of throw blankets, I've got shoes that make perfect mouse toilets! No way am I willing to deal with any of that!

We have talked about getting d-con, but I keep forgetting every time I go near Walmart! I am going to have to write myself a big note. I am ready to get rid of this mouse once and for all, especially after what it has already done to me!!

Hence a nice segue into my main reason for today's post...

The first time we heard the mouse, I tossed and turned all night, dreaming of bugs and mice in the bed. Well, Sunday night, I decided to sleep out on the couch to see if I would sleep better (no offense to my husband or my bed, but you do what you can to get comfortable when you are pregnant), but of course my body had to wake up at 1:00am anyway because it wasn't my bed and I probably had to pee. I can't remember. And what did I hear a-scritch-scratchin' away in the wall? That darned mouse! And it was loud and very distinct, there was no way I was imaging anything about that sound.

So I went to get in bed with Scott and what did I do? I tossed and turned all night with nightmares about bugs, spiders, and mice in my bed. Ugh. I usually am OK with stuff like this but lately, I just can't stand it! I also had other nightmares mixed in, one in particular that really, really shook me up. I knew it was a dream, but it was so graphic, and...bloody. I won't go into detail. I don't want to think about it and I don't want you to have to think about it.

What an awful night I had. I pretty much laid in bed hoping each time I woke up was 6:00am yet. As soon as the alarm went off, I shot out of bed, telling Scott I would shower first this morning! My whole shower...well, I had to sing primary songs to get my nightmares out of my head. It was awful.

But wait. My day gets better, and yes, my post gets longer.

I also locked myself out of the house. I had to drive back to Walmart to get Scott's keys, then drive back again to return them. There went my perfectly planned morning of time for breakfast and packing a lunch. And I was late for work.

So what helped make this day manageable? Well, I heard Christmas music on the PA at Walmart, for one. I know I am going to hold off until after Thanksgiving, but it was really relaxing to hear music that is always associated with good feelings. Second, my workmate-roommate was not at work. Now, I don't mean that in a bad way!!!! I love Kym, truly! But I just mean...it was nice to be alone when I needed time to be by myself. And keep the lights off. That's all I have to say.

There you have it. We are going to get this mouse!

21 Weeks - Half Way There!

(I know, 20 weeks is technically half way, but I never got around to taking any pictures during week 20. I will be 22 weeks this upcoming Wed. Nov. 16. Woo-hoo!!)

I am almost reluctant to put up this picture! I know it is completely normal to feel fat or huge or big or whatever, and I really have been trying to take care of my body by eating well and exercising...as much as I can. And I love seeing my belly grow! We'll just have to bear with me as every...other...part(s) of me grows as well.

Anyway, enjoy this picture! I am halfway there!! Sometimes I think I look bigger than where I should be at (when I compare myself to my friend who is only a couple weeks behind me and barely even has a bump!), but that's OK! Every body is different, and every pregnancy is different.

That being said, here is the lovely picture. Feeling great, nothing super exciting or new since I posted yesterday. I am loving being pregnant!

I Will Work Harder On Posting More Often

Well, it does make me feel good to know that people actually read my blog! :) :) :)

But you know what I wish I should have done yesterday and just totally spaced it? I should have written yesterday! I mean, 11-11-11, hello! So, to honor my messing up, here's a picture I was able to catch on my computer yesterday on 11-11-11 at 11:11am.

Scratch that. I guess I didn't put it on my thumb drive like I thought I did. I will work on that one on Monday. P.S. Just learned how to do screen shots on the computer. Let me just say, I'm really loving it. It makes me feel all computer savvy and smart.

Here is what I did write down yesterday that I was going to post, but never got around to it.

I can't believe I am 21 weeks! (I'll try to get Scotty to take a picture of me today so we can post it for you). I never thought that I would get this far. Not that we had any trouble getting pregnant, but I mean, it just seemed like it was so far away to be in the 20's and now, here I am, week 21! I am more than halfway there!!!

So here's some fun things that I have been noticing lately as the baby has gotten bigger:

- I definitely feel her move a LOT more now. Still not a ton, but I am pretty sure I can now tell whenever I feel her, and it's a bit more often than it was a couple weeks ago. I had quite the experience yesterday in the car, haha. Baby must have been somewhere down in my pelvis and right on a nerve because everytime she moved, it would send an electric shock through my abdomen and it tickled! It made me jump, too. Scotty kept giving me weird looks.

-I wish I could sleep on my back, but I can't. I wish I could sleep on my tummy, but that is out of the question. For now, I am stuck sleeping on my sides, with a pillow between my legs, which isn't bad. Are you going to tell anyone, though, if sometimes when I sleep in in the morning, I lay on my back for a little bit? That's not bad, right? I mean, I'm not too far along to make it be a big problem yet. I hope it's ok. I like it.

- For the last couple of nights, I have been waking up to my bottom leg being numb. Or at least coming back to life, which hurts!! I know it's usually normal for legs to fall asleep, but it's just interesting that I've been getting that the last couple nights.

- Orange juice gives me a tummy ache, but I drink it anyway for the Calcium-fortified plusVitamin C. Sugar. Oh the sugar. Sugar and junk food give me a tummy ache but I still eat it! Why do I eat it? Because it is good!!! Because I crave it! But actually, I will have you know that I have been very good about my cravings, and I have eaten very well so far. I only indulge...sometimes. Ok, I indulge a lot. And I regret it everytime, but oh, it tastes so good!

Here are some other fun things that I have done lately:

- I went to Burlington Coat Factory. I found the stroller/carseat travel combo set thing that I really, really want. And it works great for boy and girl. And it looks so comfy, I just want to put a little baby in there!

- I went to my friend Collin Winget's wedding reception last night and saw so many old friends from high school! I am really glad that I have been able to maintain such good friendships with my friends from high school, and that we were able to pick up right where we left off. If I did the November - what-I-am-grateful-for-everyday thing, today I would be grateful that I still have good friends from high school.

- And Scott and I went out to eat last night as well. I ate like...half...of what I normally eat, and I was stuffed. Beyond full. Bulging. I still need to work on training my mind that I can't eat as much as I used to!

-I have been doing some yoga every day for my health class and I must say, I have really been enjoying it! I don't know if it has changed how my body looks (I shouldn't be losing weight anyway), but it is definitely helping how my body feels. It is so relaxing to take some time every night, turn on some soft music, and sit and stretch on the floor. Even after this assignment is over, I think I am going to keep doing it throughout the pregnancy. It makes me feel really good about myself. I love exercising!!

What a fantastic day. And now I am going to do dishes, shower, and work on some homework. And do yoga. And sit inside in my warm house and watch the fall weather outside. Oh, how I love the fall!!!

Some More Pictures

These first few pictures mean a lot to me, especially after Scott and I actually got to go to the DC Temple back in August.

These pictures were taken in December 1985 when my parents were sealed together for all time and eternity in the Washington DC Temple. This was right after my sister Jenn was born.

And now we have Scott and I together at the same temple, one generation later and the next on its way. As you can see, these pictures are very special to me.

We carved our pumpkin a couple days before Halloween! Isn't he cute? The big one is Scott, the medium is me, and the small is our little baby!

My awesome friend Stacey gave me all her old baby clothes. The the first picture is mostly newborn sizes, and the next picture is the 0-3 months. I am so excited and can't wait to dress up my little girl in these clothes!

It's Bob WeHadABabyItsAGirl

Ok, so we haven't had the baby yet, but it is going to be a girl!

Profile 1:

Profile 2: (oh! Isn't she just precious??)

This is the baby's right arm. If you can see, it has her humerus, elbow bending slightly up, and hand and fingers on the end.

Arm and Leg! These are both on the right side. On the arm, hand bends slightly down and fingers curl in. Leg is bent all the way at the knee, with foot and toes at the end.

It's a girl!

Now, I know some of you are probably wondering how in the world you can tell it's a girl from this picture. I know. The tech had kind of a hard time getting a good angle on the baby, not to mention she was apparently "breech" at the time and was probably not going to let us see anything at all if she wanted to! We were lucky to be able to get anything! But we had an experienced tech (who was training the tech doing the ultrasound) and she was very confident that the empty space between the two legs was definitely a girl!

And you guys, if you're wondering what's up with the title, you PLEASE have to see this commercial. Come on, don't tell me you haven't seen it! (And yes, I know the commercial is about a boy. But it's just funny anyway!)

Bob Wehadababyitsaboy

Gender Is...

And the results are in. It's going to be a....

GIRL!!!

I'll scan in the pictures this week and hopefully get those posted here soon!