checking in

30.5 weeks (I will be 8 months along this Thursday)

I love this one Wendel captured of me and my cute boy. He's getting so big!

A few things:

01. At 30.5 weeks, I am definitely feeling uncomfortable.  I feel like the baby will be early but maybe that is just wishful thinking / because Oliver was early. 

02. Over at The Weed, Josh asked everyone to check in with how they're doing in these areas and then to make a commitment for this week:

Physically: I have two months left to go of this pregnancy. I feel very uncomfortable, heavy, exhausted, and huge. My back is sore most of the time and I get charly horses in my legs. But I am also excited to be pregnant and looking forward to meeting our little guy.

Emotionally: Drained. My job is draining. It sucks pretty much everything out of me. Also, Oliver is going through a difficult phase and is being very defiant, is having trouble sleeping, and is grumpy a lot. So that takes an emotional toll too.

Spiritually: Could be much better but could be much worse too. I feel the need to focus more on this area. A lot more.

Commitment for this week: Read from the scriptures on my lunch break (first force myself to take a lunch break, which I usually don't) three times this week. Make this a priority.

03. I go on maternity leave on December 11th.  I'm not sure I will make it that long, both emotionally and physically.  I don't know that the baby will come by then but I am already so physically exhausted and uncomfortable, I am not sure I can keep up with the demands of this job. 

04.  I am glad I am starting FMLA on December 11th.  I need the two weeks before the baby's due date to prepare: ie, finish the nursery, wash the clothes and put them away, clean the house thoroughly, spend some 1:1 time with Oliver, as well as prepare mentally and emotionally for having another baby, going through labor, having two kids, etc.  I am a little nervous.

05. Last night we went to Stagecoach Days (like a little carnival here in town) with some friends.  It was fun and made me appreciate living in a small community.  I also love that as we are nearing the end of October, it is still t-shirt and shorts weather.  There was a warm breeze last night that was just perfect - not too hot, not cold at all.  I regret eating fried food though.  My body is not loving that choice.

Life is good but incredibly busy (hence my lack of posting here).  Just making it one day at a time right now with everything on my plate. Got to get to sleep so I'm signing off now.  

Maternity Shoot

I had a little maternity shoot the other day. I am six months along and wanted a shoot now before I get too huge (the third trimester gets a bit scary for me, especially toward the end). Wendel took the photos of me and my friend, Autumn, took the shots of Wendel and I together. We went out to a grove of trees here in Maricopa. It was a beautiful setting and the light was perfect. Other than being eaten alive by mosquitoes and the humidity in the air making it feel like a tropical jungle, I think the shoot turned out pretty well. Here are some of my favorites. (I just can't share the family photos yet since I will likely use one of them for our Christmas card this year.)

These pictures are so precious to me. I value photos that capture emotion between me and my family more than almost anything. I'm getting excited for our second little boy to join us. My mom and sister are coming into town this weekend to help me paint his nursery. I'm so excited to put it together and get ready for him. And now...I am so tired, I am about to fall asleep while I am typing. Goodnight!

little photo shoot | 36 weeks

My friend Julie took some maternity pictures for me last Saturday at 36 weeks. I had wanted to take these earlier in my pregnancy when I was feeling a bit more comfortable in front of the camera, but life was just too busy (not that it has slowed down, but I'm running out of time). It was raining on and off but we made it work. These were taken across from the campus where I go to school. Here are a few of my favorites.





Thanks Julie!

first ultrasound

I had my first ultrasound last week. Ultrasounds are amazing! Seeing an image of our baby appear on the screen was incredible. I was surprised by how much I loved it. The tech I had wasn't too enthusiastic or talkative and W couldn't be there but I decided to just be excited by myself anyway. The baby raised his/her arm up and then brought it down to his/her face and it looked like he/she was sucking on his/her thumb. He/she also extended and bended his/her legs and seemed pretty active the whole time. (I can't wait until we know the sex so I can just say he or she.) I know people always wonder what they're looking at when they see these scans but I think it's pretty amazing.

the heartbeat

P.S. Here's our baby's heartbeat, for those interested in this kind of thing. There are a couple of parts where I am laughing (the two loud noises in the beginning) and then we are talking over some of it but you get the idea. What a sweet sound.


Also, today is the first day that I had energy and wasn't extremely exhausted in quite a while. I almost felt like I did before I was pregnant (almost). We even went out to dinner at to a Mariner's game with my brother after work and it was great.

i've been keeping a secret...

and I'm glad I can finally share it with you! I am pregnant! I am 12 weeks, due March 13th. We are really excited. We got to hear the heartbeat on Wednesday and that was amazing. So far I haven't been sick (please don't hate me, those of you reading who have rough pregnancies). I have been incredibly tired, though, and I get headaches frequently. Working full time, I am especially tired. I am pretty much useless when I come home from work and often go to bed around 9:30 (which, if you know me well, you know is not like me at all). I hear you have more energy in the second trimester so I'm holding onto that hope.

For those of you who are wondering, yes, I'm going to try to go to grad school and have a baby at the same time. It will be crazy. We'll see how it goes.

So that is our happy news. We couldn't be happier about it. (Heather and Katie, I'm glad I'll be in good company. How fun!)

Here is a picture of me at 12 weeks:



Maybe I will get back to more regular blogging if the tiredness really wears off like I've been told it will. No promises though.