Decorating The Tree

Decorating The Tree

Friday

November 30th, 2012

 

I don't know how but Brody knew it was time to decorate for Christmas, he had been asking us for days but we just never seemed to have the time. I wanted it up before December first for this fun thing I'm doing every night so the very last night in November we brought our little tree out and decorated it. Brody was in heaven to say the least. He thought it was the coolest thing ever!

 

I snuck a picture of Brody and Dad getting the tree all ready. Brody of course had to help every step of the way. He is such a fun little guy!

 

 

After I got it all wrapped with lights the fun part began, the ornaments!

I love this picture, our tree is just the right size for Mr. Brody.

I love that concentrated look on his face. He made sure everything was in the right place.

And our finished product. It may be fake (Ive always been a fan of real trees) and it may be small, but its our families and we love it.

 

I know the lighting is so weird in this one but I loved how it made to tree look like it was glowing.

 

We all had a great time decorating the tree together.

The presents underneath are the fun tradition I'm starting with Brody. I gathered all the Christmas books he has and bought the rest that I needed at a thrift store until I came up with 24 Christmas books. I wrapped them all up and put them under the tree. Every night we read Brody a book before bed, but this month we are doing it a little different. Instead of reading a normal book he gets to pick a present from



36 weeks

36 weeks

Tuesday

November 27th, 2012

How far along? 36 weeks and 4 day.

Total weight gain: 31 pounds. I am measuring at 36 weeks so I’m right on.

Maternity clothes? Still same as always. I doubt I will buy anymore maternity clothes either since I have such little time left.

Stretch Marks? No new ones, just those two red ones I found the other week.  

Sleep: I never get a full nights rest. I’m constantly waking up either from being uncomfortable or needing to use the restroom. It’s insane how much I use the restroom; sometimes it can get up to 5 or 6 times a night! I have such a hard time getting uncomfortable too. I used to love cuddling with Ian at night and now I just want my space to at least attempt to be comfortable.  

Best moment this week? The other day Ian didn’t have to work so we got to spend some time together as a family, which doesn’t happen very often. We went to Dixie rock first, Brody’s favorite place, and did some exploring. Ian and Brody also did some “rock climbing”, Bro was pretty nervous at first but ended up loving it! After that we went to Café Rio, one of our favorite restaurants and then went to munchies after for some frozen yogurt. One time at our doctor’s appointment they took forever, and we weren’t able to see the doctor because he was at the hospital so to make up for it they gave us a Café Rio gift card,  we were excited to use it. And Brody’s club teacher gave him a coupon for munchies that he has been bagging us to use.  

Miss anything? Lately I have been missing being able to be crafty, and my sewing machine my mom and I had. There are SOO many cute things I want to make for our little girl but we just don’t have the money, it makes me so sad :(

Movement: Yes, she not active all the time but she gets very crazy when she does move. She still moves the most in the evening, her little legs and arms poke out quiet a bit which is fun to feel and see.

Food cravings: We have been having a lot of orange Julius’s, and I love them!! I think its because it’s the next best thing to shaved ice. The last few weeks I have also been craving pop!! And not just any kind, it has to be 7up or sprit, the cheap kinds wont cut it either. I know its horrible to crave pop but I want it so bad!!

Food aversions: None really, I can even do ground beef to a certain degree. Ian and I had whooper juniors the other night and I loved it!! It was the first hamburger I’ve had in months, I honestly could have eatin 3 or 4 of them!!

Boy or girl: Girl :)

Labor signs: Lots of Braxton hick contractions. I am dilated to a 2 and am 70% thinned. I have also lost my mucus plug.

 

Symptoms: Here’s the list haha, Acid reflex as always if I don’t take my medicine soon enough, although If I do take it I’m fine lately. Total and complete lack of energy, I literally have no energy  for anything. Ian said that he has noticed me lately getting a lot more tired a lot easier. It was my turn for sharing time the last two weeks, last week I told a story at the very beginning, by the end of the story I was out of breath and needing to fan myself…what the heck!! I get so extremely hot as well, I mean like sweating hot which is weird given that its almost December. Lots of either Braxton hick contractions or actual contractions, not quiet sure what they are. Whatever they are they are getting more intense though. My back aches like crazy, in fact my whole body aches, everything on me is sore! But my back is definitely the worse. My belly button has been hurting like crazy too, which I was told today would probably turn into a hernia after I give birth. I mentioned the pain I have been having on my right side of the top of my stomach and my doctor said it is a nerve that the baby is like bothering or something, and man does it hurt! Its my worst symptom of all, it burns so bad it feels like muscles are ripping.

Belly Button in or out? Out, very very out.

Wedding ring on or off? Off. It was getting pretty hard to take off so I have been keeping it off. Im scared to death to get it stuck. I don’t want it to be bothering me during labor and not be able to get it off.

Looking forward to: Having this baby! In a way I will miss being pregnant, but Im ready to be comfortable in my own body again and have our little girl with us. I’m content with the time I have left but still excited for the approach of my due date. I am also looking forward to moving. A couple in our ward has a basement apartment they rent out and the people that are in it right now are moving out at the end of December. It doesn’t quiet have the extra storage we are looking for but it is really nice! And it has an awesome backyard complete with a super cool swing set in a sand pit and play house for Brody. It’s also right next door to our really good friends, so I’m pretty excited about it. It’s not a 100% thing but we are definitely leaning towards it.

Fun facts: Since I have been so bad about doing my weekly updates lately Ill do some catching up here. On the 13^th we had an appointment, I was told that they would be checking to see if I was dilated but they held of till the week after to do it. I was having a lot of discharge so they gave me an ultrasound to make sure my amniotic fluid was ok. Everything ended up being fine and it was a lot of fun to see our little girl, she looked huge compared to the last time we saw her! My cervix was also completely closed so no worries of going into labor. Since Brody was so big I asked how big she was, at 34 ½ weeks she already weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces, which put her in the 87^th percentile!! We were also told to expect her to put on half a pound per week so to expect another 9+ pound baby. I know this shouldn’t have been a surprise to me but I was hoping to not have another enormous baby. My next appointment was on Wednesday the 21^st, this time they did check me and I was dilated to a 2 but not thinned out at all. I also got the whopping cough shot at that visit. For some reason the exam made me almost faint, as soon as I sat up I got extremely hot and sweaty and my ears started to loose their hearing. Everything got muffled and started to sound like a far off noise. Luckily I laid down on my side in time for it to go away. The doctor said it’s not uncommon at all at this point in pregnancy, that lying on your back can easily do that. The next day which just happened to be Thanksgiving (nov 22nd), I lost my mucus plug in the afternoon. We also had an appointment today, which I was checked at again. I am still at a 2 but am now 70% thinned. We also learned today that the babies head is down. Onto some other fun facts, for the past month or so I haven’t been able to eat as much at a time, and it just keeps getting worse, I can hardly eat a full meal sometimes. I have to do small snacks throughout the day. Also Ian and I did Brody’s Christmas shopping last Saturday, as we were walking to our car a car drove by us and the girl had a huge smile on her face. They must have parked while we were getting things into the car because all of a sudden we heard someone say excuse me to us. She again had a huge smile on her face and said “You look so cute pregnant!” It couldn’t have been better timing because just earlier that day I was feeling down about how big my belly is getting. Also our little girl has the hiccups like crazy, I swear like multiple times a day. And one more, our doctor said I am officialy full term :) 

 

 

34 weeks

34 weeks

Saturday

November 10th, 2012

 

 

How far along? 34 weeks and 1 day.

 

Total weight gain: 25 pounds.

Maternity clothes? Still the same ol same ol. I have looked for maternity pants but no luck, all of them fit so weird.

 

Stretch marks? I saw two red marks on my stomach the other week; I think they may be stretch marks :(

 

Sleep: Sleep really depends on the night. Some nights I sleep fine while others are horrible, most aren’t that great though. I have been having a lot harder time finding a comfortable position and just turning over is a strain! Also acid reflex can get pretty bad, some nights it’s just easier to be up then try to sleep so I find myself getting up a lot in the middle of the night. She’s also the most active at night, which makes it hard to sleep. One night Ian help her moving and asked me how I can possibly sleep through that…my answer, I can’t! I have found that If I get up and walk around for a while she is less active when I try to lay down again.

 

Best moment this week? Since I skipped last week I’m going to do a best moment for both this week and last. My best moment last week was on Sunday the 28^th, we had our primary program. We had been going over Brody’s part with him and had been looking forward to see him do it. He did a great job, he only had one work “Noah” but mad did he nail it! He said it loud and confidently in front of the whole church. I was very proud of him! He also was very reverent the entire time and sang all of the songs, some of which I think he mouthed but hey at least he tried. It was different because I sat on the stand too with the presidency so I didn’t get to see him the whole time but it was still a great experience. The best moment this week was on Monday, I learned that the mother of the little boy I baby-sit had her baby, which meant I was done babysitting!! I was thrilled to say the least, I badly needed a break!

 

Miss anything? Being able to button my pants, such a simple thing. I was thinking about it yesterday as I wore by belly band, how nice it will be when I can be comfortable in the pants again.

 

Movement: Yes, definite movement. She still doesn’t move as much as I remember Brody moving but when she moves this girl moves. She also gets hiccups a lot, which are always fun to feel.

 

Food cravings: Orange Julius’s, I don’t make them a lot because I cant drink it all alone and by the time Ian gets home and I can make it were both usually so exhausted we just want to sleep. But I do think about them just about every night! I also always seem to want corn with dinner.

 

Food aversions: Really nothing has been too bad lately. I can even handle ground beef as long as it is seasoned or with something else. I still haven’t been brave enough to try a hamburger yet though.

 

Boy or girl: Girl :)

 

Labor signs: I don’t think anything too serious, lots of Braxton hick contractions though.

 

Symptoms: Acid reflex and heart burn as always. Some nights my acid reflex can be pretty dang bad, to the point to where I just get up rather then try and sleep. I am always hot, even when Ian is freezing which is so not like me…usually it would be the other way around. Tons of Braxton hick contractions and some cramping as well. Back aches can get pretty bad as always. Also I have a new very unpleasant symptom, last week I started feeling this burning feeling at the top of my stomach on the right side. I was getting pretty worried about it so I asked our bishop and he explained to me that its my muscles pulling and stretching out since I’m starting to carry around more weight, It’s horrible uncomfortable! And as always exhaustion and a complete lack of energy.

 

Belly Button in or out? Out, It seems to move more and more out every single day!

 

Wedding ring on or off? On, some days if it feels really tight I will take it off though.  

 

Looking forward to: Our doctor’s appointment on Tuesday. They will be checking me to see if I am dilated at all, I’m looking forward to it because I have been having lots of discomfort and Braxton hick contractions. I will be very surprise if I am not dilated.

 

Fun facts: I think our little girl is getting quiet big, I can easily feel her on both side of my stomach at the same time. She likes to stretch out a lot too, which can be extremely uncomfortable for her mommy!! This Tuesday will be my first appointment to see if I am dilated at all, I am pretty excited for this because I feel like I am dilated so it’ll be nice to know. Both Ian and I have a feeling that I will not make it to my due date. Either we’re getting this feeling for a reason or its just wishful thinking, although it would be a lot more convenient for us if we did have her on our due date. Ian’s semester is over about a week before my due date, so if we do have her on December 21^st it would be great because he would be around a lot more. One more fun fact, Ian and I have finally decided on two names, complete with first and middle. We have chosen not to decide on the final name until we have her and see her though.  

 



Today we went to Zion National Park. I went with the intentions of doing some nice and easy hikes, something more like a nature walk really. Ian on the other hand had something different in mind, notice how high up we are...and that's not even the highest we got! we started hidden canyon but didn't make it to the top, it was a little too much for me!

Zion

Zion in November

Saturday

November 10th, 2012

 

Since today was free fee day at all national parks we decided to take advantage of it and spend some time at Zion. The weather around here has still been pretty nice so I thought we wouldn't have any problems as far as that goes, well I was wrong to say the least! We even checked the weather before we went but ignored it because its always so nice, so we headed out the door with sweatshirts and called it good. On our way up we saw very few cars headed the same way, which is not normal, especially since it was free today. Once we got there we ran into a few people but still nothing like it usually is, and those few people were bundle up like no other! Lets just say we felt slightly under prepared. Ian asked if I wanted to just head home since it was so cold but I was excited about being there so we jumped on the shuttle.

 

Ian has been to Zion a lot and knows his way around quiet well, so I let him pick the hike we were going to do. I went with the intentions of doing something very simple since I'm 34 weeks pregnant and we have a 4 year old with us, Ian on the other hand had something different in mind. He picked weeping rock and hidden canyon, I had no idea what that meant until we got going of course.

 

Here's Ian and Bro on our way to weeping rock. This part wasn't too bad, it was all uphill but I could handle it since we just started. We were all pretty cold at this point as well, but were still enjoying ourselves. Bro especially was so excited to be hiking!

 

 

 

These icicles give a glimpse into how cold it was on our little hike. We were so not used to it especially since it has been such nice weather.

 

Brody at weeping rock.

 

This was our first time seeing weeping rock but Ian has been here before of course. There was water running off it but that was also due to the rain/snow, Ian said it is usually a lot more "weepy".

 



 

I just had to get a picture of the snow at Zion. Even Ian was surprised and couldn't remember ever seeing snow there before.

Starting our hike up to hidden canyon. Brody got pretty tired at first, which I think was also due to it being so cold, so Daddy was nice and helped him out.

 

My two handsome boys :) Brody was in heaven, he has been asking us for weeks when we can go camping, this was the next best thing we were able to do this weekend. 

 

And here's the snow!!

 

 

 

I had been meaning to take my weekly pregnancy picture, especially since I missed last week, so I figured what better place to take it then here! I still cant believe I did this hike, and this isn't even as high as we got.

 

I love my little family!!

I finally had to tell Ian I couldn't do it anymore, it was just getting too steep and I was getting too tired. I didn't want to push it and have anything happen so we turned around and headed back. Looking at this picture I cant believe all these inclined didn't put me into labor!

My Gorgeous Brody Bro. 

 

After we got home Ian and I headed up to Brian Head while Brody got to hang out at grandma and grandpas. Ian had an installation job in an empty condo so I thought it would be fun to go with him. On our way up it started to snow, once we got there the snow was insane. Brian Head is a ski resort so I doubt this is anything new to them. We had a heck of a time just getting into the condo, we had to walk through snow that was higher then my knees! It was quiet an adventure. Luckily we were able to get the job done fairly quickly and head out before we got stuck in the snow. It was pretty scary on our way down the mountain but we managed to make it safely out, we even got to stop in Cedar city for Panda Express and some hot chocolate!

Halloween 2012

 Our Awesome Halloween!!!

Wednesday

October 31st, 2012

 

I have to say we had a pretty awesome Halloween, and a pretty different kind of one from any we have ever had. We started off with swimming at our good friends the Bow's. Never have we even come close to been able to go swimming on Halloween before, in fact I remember going trick or treating in the snow a few times in my life. And I must admit I like it this way a lot better!!

 

It is no surprise Brody has a gun in his hand, that little boy is a total gun fanatic.

 

 

We are so proud of Brody this summer, he learned how to swim all by himself. One night we had some friends over to our pool and he just started swimming by himself! He especially loves jumping off the Bows diving board.

 

Brody and his two buds Tucker and Hudson splashing away. We had a heck of a time getting a picture of these three!! No ones looking at the camera but its still cute :)

We have been swimming together all summer long, so we figured it was about time for a picture! And what cooler day to document then Halloween.

 

After swimming Ian Brody and I headed over to the Findlay KIA car dealership for the trunk of treating they had. There were only about 6 cars set up but Brody loaded up on the candy here!

 

They also had this photo booth, we didn't get the best pictures but it was still fun.

 

 

 

Then we headed over to our church for our wards Trunk or Treat. Here's Brody at the Schaugaards car. I think he went to every car at least twice, and boy does he have the candy to show for it!

 

Bro with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell!! We sure love hanging out with these two cuties.

There were quiet a few batman this year, here's Brody with his friend Josh. Josh's mom just had her baby girl the night before, I cant wait till its our turn! Ian made the comment that her giving birth really puts it into perspective for us, it makes is seem so much more real and close for us!

 



 

Another Batman! Brody and his good friend Cooper!

 

 

 

After Trunk or Treating we headed out to do some traditional Trick or Treating with the Bows and Schaugaard's. We love trunk or treating, but Halloween just isn't Halloween without some good ol fashion trick of treating.

 

When Ian first but his costume on I honestly think Brody was a little freaked out haha, he wouldn't stand by him or hold his hand. It took him a while to warm up to the idea that it was just Daddy.

 

Our little gang trick or treating. We had Brody and Cooper as Batman, Hudson as Peter Pan, Oakley as Tinker Bell, and Tucker as Micheal Philps. They were all so cute!

 

Brody has a blast with his friends!! We are so glad we went with them, being together made it so much fun for the kids!

 

 

I kept trying to get a picture of these two boys, this is the best I could get. Brody and Cooper (the two batmen) were crazy's, they kept running from door to door, not wanting to stop or wait for anyone! And man did they have energy! It was fun to watch Brody, this year was the first year he has been old enough to really get into it.

You cant see it in this picture because of the flash but this house had Harry Potter playing on the side of their house, they were all decked out with decorations too. The neighborhood was so fun, almost every house had some sort of Halloween decorations up, inside and out!

 



 

Our little family :) I'm sad I didn't take advantage of the pregnant belly and dress up fun. After everything was all said and done I got the best Idea, I so wish I would have thought of it sooner! As  I have mentioned before Brody is beyond obsessed with Star Wars...I wish I would of have the idea sooner to have me dress up as a Pregnant Padme, Ian as Anakin and Brody as a youngling or something. That would have been so fun! But regardless of dressing up or not we all had a blast! It was great to be with family and good friends! Brody had one awesome night, he was out cold almost as soon as he sat down in the car, now that is a sure sign of a good night :)