Just cuz he's the cutest thing EVER

We went to the doctor today for Ben's 1 month check up and he's now 8 lbs and has grown to a whopping 21 inches! He was such a good little dude for the doc and barely even cried, even when he was naked! I am so in love with this little man of mine, isn't he the cutest thing ever? Okay, so those of you who just had their own might think he's the second cutest thing- and that's okay! :)

video clips

These videos are for my brother John who specifically requested to see little Ben through video not just photos. I guess the rest of you can watch too... ha ha! I hope this works!

This one he was just hanging out on the bed next to me. Wide-eyed and super cute.

Here he is drinking his bottle. He makes this little sound every time he drinks and it's just too cute.

My parents left today, and although it was time for all of us- I will miss their company and help. It's all us now... we're official parents with technically no "on hand" help. They were so great to sacrifice so much time to be out here with us. We had clean dishes and laundry, we now have a "Ben tree" in the front yard and pretty flowers to look at... and most importantly my little guy got to spend some quality time with his Collier grandparents. They are so far away and so I am grateful that they got to meet him and for my mom to be here for his birth. I will forever be grateful to them for this time with them, as challenging as it was on occasion. Having 4-5 people in our somewhat small house all at once was a lot to cram in! I have great parents, and I'm SUPER lucky. Ben should NEVER doubt their love for him! He pretty much won them over big time!

Well, I guess it's time to update. Especially since the little one is asleep for now. Things have been going well. I am not resting as much as I should be or as much as I'm being told I should. Especially since my parents are still here and I should probably be taking advantage of that more. Although, I know that once Friday comes and they wont be here anymore, I'm on my own- so I'm kind of trying to prepare for that. I'm trying to get myself into some kind of routine with him and with being home all day long. It's starting to be a little weird to feel organized at home- I'm used to going to work and doing my thing there and being organized... being home was for days where I've just laid around because I've either been sick or needed a "me" day. That's not the case anymore. Or at least not for the next 5 weeks I've got to stay organized and active and on top of things.

Ben has been good about sleeping during the nights- we've really been pretty blessed with him and his demeanor. We've had quite a few4-5 hour stretches between feedings which has been nice since we are both pooped. I feed him as long as Ryan gets up to get the bottle and warm it up for me. The whole feeding routine takes about an hour total... and he'll usually fall asleep for a few minutes then wake up wanting more or he just hangs out and looks at you for a while until he decides he's still hungry. He's starting to get a little bit of an attitude and temper, but overall he's a really easy going baby. He's really Ryan's little mini-me in SO many ways! He really just doesn't like to be naked or to get his diaper changed and when he's hungry- you know it! He's really changing everyday and getting heavier and cheeks getting chubbier and I can't wait until the newborn glaze over the eyes goes away.

We took him on his first "outing" this weekend with my parents to Helen, GA. It was my mom's birthday and we needed to get her out of the house, and it was a really pretty day to do it. We first went to breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast places, The Original Pancake House and then drove up there about an hour and a 1/2 away. It was a REALLY pretty drive. Ben did really well the whole time until right before we were leaving to come home. He got hungry and mad that he'd been in his car seat the whole time. He had a little bit of a tantrum, but we got driving (as much as it killed me to sit there and listen to him cry his head off) and he finally calmed down.

We also took him to church for the first time this Sunday, and we made it through all three meetings just fine. He got a little fussy in Relief Society but he was just hungry again and we made it through just fine and with enough time to get him home and fed. We had Ryan's parents over that night for Easter dinner with everyone and it was really nice. It was such a beautiful Spring day, and each bloom reminded me of the Savior's resurrection. (Ryan's Parents)

So... all in all I am loving being a mommy. Things will feel and be a bit different when we're doing it ALL on our own, but each day I feel a stronger and stronger bond with the little dude. I love that he needs me, and when he's with other people sometimes he'll be fussy and when I get him he's fine. Makes me feel all important and stuff... like I'm his mommy or something! :) I had a neat experience with him yesterday while I was feeding him. He was unusually sociable for being hungry and kept looking at me and not eating and just listening to me talk. I told him that it was mine and daddy's 1 year anniversary and that meant that we could all go to the temple together. And that we would be sealed to each other so we could be together forever. At that moment, he smiled at me as if he knew (which I think he did) what I was talking about and it made him so happy and excited.

I just am so in love with my little man and could stare at him all day long. I am so excited to see more and more of his personality each day and love to see how he's different each day.

March 24, 2007- Happy Anniversary!

I love you Ryan!!!!

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Bath Time!

Ben had his first bath tonight to get ready for the arrival of his grandpa! He didn't like it ONE bit though! For someone who was naked for 9 months, he sure doesn't like being naked now! But oh my his hair was so cute afterwards- it totally fuzzed up and stuck up straight. It's really hard not to think he's cute though. Even if he is my kid!

Meeting Grandpa Collier for the first time!

Feliz Cumpleanos

Well Friday was my birthday... one year away from being 30. Which, for right now (this might change) I am okay with. To celebrate- my mom, my sister, Ben and I went to Olive Garden for lunch. It was our first time taking Ben out- besides to the doctor. It was good and Ben did really well, except for at the end he started getting hungry and a little fussy. But we made it home and fed him and he was happy.Then my sweet husband came home from work with flowers and a happy birthday balloon, that made my day! We left Ben with his grandma and auntie and we went to eat yummy food at Cheesecake Factory (one of our favorites). After dinner, we went on a walk in a nature preserve area right near the restaurant. We saw deer, a bunny and an owl. It was really cool, and relaxing. Unfortunately it was getting dark and rainy and so we headed home. Plus I was starting to miss Ben and we had cheesecake for everyone to eat as well. It was a great birthday- I love my man for taking me out and making me feel special. He is SO good to me, and patient and loving and understanding and I love him more now than I ever thought was possible!There were some pretty severe storms that blew through that night and more Saturday, one of which was a tornado in downtown Atlanta. There was some pretty bad damage done and luckily only a few people hurt and no one killed in the downtown tornado.Yesterday's storms got sort of scary because a couple tornadoes (of which there were like 4 or 5) hit close to us. And my sister was down at school when this one blew through- I believe it dissipated though before it did any damage. We were watching this on the news. Let me tell you- hearing the tornado sirens is a pretty scary thing. I was scared for a minute when our county went under the warning. We were and are safe though, and no one we know was hurt or affected luckily.


Ben is doing so good. His cheeks are getting fatter and fatter each day. His little personality shows here and there, and I'm learning more and more what it's like to be a mommy and how to take care of him. I think it's pretty instinctual, but there is still a lot to learn! I'm sure that part will never end!
He went over to his Nana & Poppy's house (Ryan's parents) for the first time today. He got pretty upset at the end because he was SO hungry and I didn't have another extra bottle to feed him because he had eaten it already! But luckily when we started driving he chilled out and we made it home with out him crying much anymore. It's such a miracle and wonderful thing to look at him and love him so much and know that my man and I created him. That he's OURS and that I got to carry him. I am loving watching him change everyday!

A week in the life of Ben

Okay, it's kind of long but here is a little montage of Ben-dome from conception until now! This is also for family and friends who don't get meet him right away as well.

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He's doing REALLY well by the way. He's a good baby. Doesn't like his diaper to be changed or his boy parts to get cold and cries bloody murder when this happens. But other than being hungry and that, he doesn't cry! (so far...)

Went to his first doc's appt yesterday and he's already 7 lbs! Mommy is tired, but that's to be expected. Speaking of tired, I'm going to bed! Hope you enjoy!

BEN IS HOME!!!!!

We have Ben at home now. They let him come home at 5 yesterday.

Ben Update

I guess I should let y'all know what's going on. Thank you SO much for the lovely comments on my sweet boy.
I was released from the hospital Wednesday (finally), but my little guy wasn't. I had a fever when Ben was delivered, and his breathing was a little fast so he had to go to the "transitional" nursery right after he was born to be monitored and to have some labs done. They finally brought him up to me about 4 hours after he was born, it was a LONG wait!
So then he had been having difficulties eating... which is fine, because he's new and needed to learn. But we had the lactation lady come in and help and we couldn't get him to latch on or if we did- he'd fall asleep. So I'd pump for 5 minutes before and then try and feed him and he still struggled. So we'd have to supplement him with a bottle. Tuesday night I was EXHAUSTED- the night before (which is the night I had him) I probably had only gotten three hours of sleep and after 11-12 hours of labor my little body couldn't function. So we decided to have the nurse take him to the nursery across the hall to feed him and hang out with him so we could get some sleep before we went home the next day. I'm glad we did because with in an hour of sending him in there- they noticed there was something wrong with his breathing which had been an issue right after he was born. So they sent him back down to the transition nursery. Which worried me to tears... he was there until about 9am the next morning and then was admitted to the NICU. He had three tests done and two out of three were fine- but the one that was a little elevated worried them, and he still wasn't eating very well or enough. Plus his breathing was pretty fast still. All of this on the day he was supposed to come home with us! Obviously that wasn't going to happen. Since then he's gotten so much better, he's out of NICU after only being there for a day. They were worried there for a second about his billirubin levels and they've gone down. His breathing problem subsided yesterday morning and the test that indicated infection was going down as well. He's been such a little trooper and I'm so proud of him and how much he's pulled through.
Yesterday my mom and I were able to go and see him for about 4 hours and spend some good time with him during two feedings. After I fed him the first time he stayed awake for about a 1/2 hour afterwards and let me just talk to him and sing and he never looked away. It was the most amazing feeling in the whole world. There was definitely a bonding moment there. I gave him a good pep talk and told him we needed him home... and that evening he started eating more than "required" and by the evening they had taken him off the strange table he'd been on for two days and put him in a regular bassinet and he looked just about ready to go home. They had even taken the feeding tubes out of him. Ryan and I went and held him for 2 hours last night and he was asleep the whole time. Couldn't get him to wake up! Anyway, we're hoping that he can come home today. I'm trying REALLY hard not to get my hopes up because this last week has kind of been a week of ups and downs and disappointments. But I just called and he was eating and the nurse said he did really well through the night. I am going to go get ready now and go see him before I have to take the special care CPR class before he can be released. I'll keep y'all posted. Prayers are needed! Thank you for them anyway!
Here are some pictures! I took some last night but can't find the cord to get them off the camera! AHH!

Benjamin Ryan

We've got Ben! Holy crap that labor was hard! When I get a chance I'll maybe describe what it was like, you know me- I'm honest about the pregnancy stuff, and that was not fun. Although COMPLETELY worth it when he made his first cry and I got to hold him! I was so delirious and out of it that I don't remember a lot of it except for the pain and the HOURS of labor (11 or 12) and then getting him out. I think Heavenly Father made it that way for me so that I wont really remember the next time!
He was born at 4:30pm March 3rd, 2008. He was 6 lbs 14 ozs and 19 1/2 inches long. I think he's a pretty cute little newborn, of course I am biased. He's got long eye lashes and is just a cutie. He's got a pretty full head of hair, believe it or not- it's even almost in a natural Mohawk! I am in love with my little man and feel so blessed to have such a beautiful little person to take care of that me and the man I love created together. I'm glad the pregnancy and birth are over- now we're on to a whole new way of life and new set of challenges!

I'm being induced tonight!!! Baby tomorrow! Not sure when... YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!

update...

still in the hospital. still don't know what's going on. what I do know is my blood pressure is fine and I had protien in my urine (which between the two deterimes preeclampsia) but it was a normal amount and nothing to worry about so I guess I don't have preeclampsia, the baby is just fine and every time I get monitored the nurses comment on how active a little person he is, when I talk to him his heart rate goes up- which makes me smile and love him even more and want to see him, not a fan of having this useless i.v. in my hand, and we're bored... and sick of being here and waiting and not really knowing what's going on. That's what we know. We also know that I'm getting an ultra sound today to determine whether or not I go home with or with out the baby- but don't know when that's happening...we were told sometime this morning and it's 10:30, but the nurse today said they probably wont be here until this afternoon. Which means... MORE WAITING. Okay, fine- we're making sure everything is okay and that everyone is okay.... but still. I'd have to say I'd rather be in MY bed. I miss my doggy. I miss my shower, which I haven't had since Friday morning. Yeah... so- I really don't have much of an update- the subject line lied to you. I still have NO idea whether or not we're going home with baby (but I'm leaning towards NO). I just wish since we were hear already and I'm already so freaking close to being 40 weeks that we could just do it- but they wont if everyone is healthy. whatever...

Bed Rest

It's been YEARS since I've been in the hospital- for myself that is. And here I am. Sitting in the hospital. With a baby still in my stomach. And with a useless CAPPED OFF i.v. in my right hand, which is totally not comfortable.
I went to the doctor for my routine visit yesterday morning and as usual my blood pressure was high at first. So they decided to take it again... and it was high. So I had to lay on my side for a little while. Had my exam, which I'm only dilated to a 1 (no big deal), and she checked it again and it was still high. At one point I believe it was 160 over 100 and something. So they sent me to the hospital and here I am. It's 11:20am the next day and I'm still here. My blood pressure went down. At first when the doctor came to see me when I got here yesterday, we were "going to have this baby this weekend". And now, I'm pretty sure that's not happening. What I am doing now is a 24 hour urine analysis which I'll technically be done with at 2 o'clock, but then have to wait until they send it to the lab and get the results back.
In the midst of all the excitement of the doctor telling me that I was going to have the baby this weekend, my mom called my brother who was the kind one that got her ticket to come out here to notify him of the news and he switched the ticket to today. She's almost here! Things are little crazy and I'm not sure what's going on. Everyone is healthy though. That's all that matters.

Fun Baby Shower

Well, last night we had our Baby BBQ! It was a lot of fun and we had a really good turn out. People are so nice to us and we felt VERY loved. Not only by the gifts we got and all the people that showed up- but by Ashley, Lori and my mother in-law who put it all together and made it an awesome night. So thanks ladies, we REALLY love you and appreciate you!!!!!



We got a lot of fun stuff... the CUTEST little New Balance tennis shoes, more stuff to complete the nursery, a little bouncer, lots of cute clothes and even movie passes for mom and dad to take a night off!
(have I mentioned that my right pointer finger is STILL twitching? I mean, it's not everyday... but it's enough to drive me a little crazy!)

We've got Spring coming people!!! Do you know how happy this makes me?

(pictures taken on a beautiful 65 degree day in February!)

Also, my wonderful Ryan finished the dresser for the baby's room! Look at this before and after!

Gestational Diabetes Police

Okay... so do I have a little radar on me that lets people think that it's okay to be watching every little thing I put in my mouth? Do I have an advertisement on me that says "hey, if you think I'm not eating something I'm supposed to, would you stop me and question me?" I don't think I do... maybe it's the helplessness that I exude and the child like appearance I have as a 5 ft almost 29 year old PREGNANT woman??? Not sure. TWICE today people have questioned what I was eating. Coworkers at that- whom I really do love... really! But come on- I have gotten control over the Diabetes, I know what will spike my blood sugars and how much of it will as well. So, eating two Tootsie Rolls will not make my blood sugar go out of control. Brownies on the other hand, will- do I eat those? No, as much as I desire and crave them, I don't. I have a little guide for fast food restaurants that tell me what I can eat at them, and fancy that- I can have an 8 piece nugget from Chick-fil-a if I want!!! EVEN A SANDWICH! *gasp!* So, when I'm asked "Is that bag of Chick-Fil-a yours?" and heaven forbid I react to it or defend myself- I get the "Whoa!!! Watch out! She's pregnant...don't mess with her!" crap. Their excuse is, we're just watching out for you! Thank you, really but again, does something about me say that I'm incapable of watching out for myself? Do I seem like I’m an out of control eater? Does the fact the doctor told me to take my blood sugar screening down to ONCE a day mean anything? Okay. I'm done.
So, I want to go to our Ward Temple day this Saturday. What do you think? Safe? I mean, I know I'm still 3 weeks away- but he's dropped already. And I'm having a lot of tightening and cramping... what if I went into labor at the temple? Cool? I guess... more embarassing than anything I think. I have a doc's appt on Friday morning, hopefully we can see if there's anything to worry about (or get excited about). We also are having a baby shower that night thanks to our loverly Ashley and my mother in-law. It's going to be fun, all the boys are coming too and we're lovingly calling it a "Baby BBQ"! Cute huh!? So I hope we can make it until then. I think we will... even though I'd be okay if he decided to come TONIGHT. Sorry mom... I want you here, but I just want him out. :)
Okay, I'm going home now. Yay for traffic.

Is it over yet?

So, I won’t lie. It's hard to make it to all three meetings of church at this point. I do fine at the beginning and then by the end of sacrament meeting my legs are tingly and my feet are more swollen then they started out being, even if we sit on the "soft seats" I still get a sore back, it's hard to breath with this little guy getting so big and putting pressure on my internal organs, I have to switch positions I'm sitting in about 1,000 times, have to get up to go potty at least once... I wont bore you with the either "been there, done that" facts or scare you too much if you haven't had the opportunity to be pregnant yet. But all in all, sitting anywhere (including work) for long periods of time is incredibly uncomfortable. Well, let's be honest life in general is incredibly uncomfortable at this point! Anyway, so we made it through our first meeting yesterday and then left to go home after that. I was feeling nauseous and just couldn't make it anymore. We went home and ate and took a quick nap and then got ourselves dressed again and went to the Single's Ward sacrament meeting. Our friend Jennifer who is going on her mission (THIS WEDNESDAY! YIKES!) was speaking and we wanted to listen to her and give her one last goodbye hug. Her talk was wonderful, she spoke on love in our homes- whether or not that means with roommates or in married family environment. She read the words to the Hymn Love at Home and asked at the end what we all thought of when we heard those lyrics. I whispered to Ryan "my mom singing it to us when we were fighting with each other or not getting along!” Anyway, I thought that was funny... but after Jennifer spoke, wow I think I must've had a panic attack or an anxiety attack... probably the later, because I felt like so enclosed all of a sudden! It was too stuffy in the chapel, my feet were hot and swollen, I couldn't get comfortable and I felt like everyone was too close to me, there was a girl scratching her brother's back in front of us for what seemed to be like two hours and I could hear her nails on the fabric and it kept making the same noise over and over and I almost just had to leave!!!!! It was HORRIBLE! Talk about senses being on overload! I made it through though- and everything was fine. My point is this, I'm done with this whole being pregnant thing. Even though I've got 3 weeks and 5 days left and 3 weeks and like 2 days before my mom comes- I'M DONE. This is hard work! I know on the outside it doesn't seem like it, but it is! And I KNOW it's worth it and that's why I want to see him so bad! I'm sick of getting "the look", you know that look? Like "ahhh, you must be so uncomfortable..." and just doing anything is an energy sucker these days. I would like to just have my body back. I'd like to put on my socks again with no problems, and put on pants with out figuring out how I'm going to get the second leg in.

Wow, I'm a complainer. Sorry. Anyway... I guess I'm having a "day", one filled with hormones and when I'm as tired as I feel right now I tend to be a little more dramatic and emotional than normal days.

On the other hand, I still crack up every time I watch that belly button video. If you haven't watched it yet, you just gotta. It's the post before this one. I was laughing and coughing and that's why it was doing what it was! Good times.

Oh solo meo!

Went to the doc today and had my ultrasound. Or is it ultra sound... either way, Ben's good. He's in the 51st percentile which means he's right on target. He's 6lbs and 2oz and has a big head still... but his head size is only 2 weeks ahead of where I'm at... so hopefully it wont get TOO much bigger. I'm afraid though, he'll have a Collier noggin. Big feet and a big head, sounds like I might be giving birth to a hobbit! Ha, ha! Everything else is good though. Here's a pict of my (almost) 36 week belly.

And a REALLY funny video of my very animated preggo belly button! You can tell we were all very amused and thanks to Delinda for drawing the eyes and nose...that made it even funnier! (I know, it's somewhat disturbing... but you'll laugh I promise!)

Also, pray that I don't get sick. Both Ryan and Delinda are sick and I REALLY don't want it... that last nastiness I had put me out of commission and I can't afford that again!

(oh and is anyone else having issues with spell check on this thing lately?)

5 weeks and counting...

Went to the doc today for my check up. I'm 35 weeks tomorrow; we got behind on weeks again. But I'm starting to go every week now anyway so it doesn’t really matter. It was a GREAT visit.

1. My blood sugar levels look so good that he's allowing me to check my blood sugar ONE time a day as opposed to four times a day! YAY! I'm SO happy about that one. I still have to watch what I eat and stuff, but it looks like I've got the hang of it and that's a good thing.
   
2. I only gained like 2-3 lbs (that's happy for me).
   
3. My blood pressure although still on the high side was A LOT lower than it normally is for the second time in a row. He wasn't as excited about it as I was, but that's okay.
   
4. Instead of having to wait another two weeks to see my little guy in an ultrasound, he wants me to come in next week. I think it's because I measured 40 inches, which I guess is bigger than I should be for 35 weeks? He didn't specify.
   
5. His little heartbeat sounded great, it's starting to get slower each time I hear it. I guess because he's getting bigger and bigger!

So it was a good one, I left feeling good about things. And I left feeling better about that visit then I really ever have. He actually talked to me and answered my questions and wasn't in a hurry to bust out of the room.

Last night Ryan and I went to a potential pediatricians office to take Ben to where they had a class on what to expect the first year and to take a tour and meet a couple of their doctors. It was pretty cool! I was having some Braxton Hicks again and was having a hard time paying attention- but overall we liked it. I don't know if I'm ready to commit to them yet. We got free stuff though and that's always nice. :) One of the ladies that was there is a week ahead of me and her baby was already over 7 lbs! Yikes!
Delinda is here! She's been here a week now and it's been fun. It's so good to have family close by. I do wish I was closer to mine often, especially right now because everyone seems to be going through something. My poor little 3 year old niece has been in the hospital with Rotavirus and her poor daddy has been sick for a couple months and had to have his gallbladder out yesterday! My parents have a lot going on also and could always use some help.

Anyway, that's the update for now. Happy it's the weekend finally, and happy I get to have my hair done tomorrow and maybe a finished dresser? Hint, hint, nudge, nudge Ryan...

I don't get it...

I wanted to register to vote yesterday, although I realized later that since I have a GA driver's license I'm already registered- I found this document online. And it cracked me up. You see above that it's a two page document that obviously you'd want to print out as a two-sided page. There's the mailing label on it already... says postage paid... GREAT! But then in small print towards the top left it says...
Hmmmmmmm...what to do?! Obviously this was NOT really meant to be scanned and printed out for people to use. It looks like there is a place where there was an adhesive already in place or something. It just confused me for a minute and made me laugh!!! Like I'm going to send a document that requires my DOB and SSN and not seal it or fold it... too bad it has a paid postage label on it...

belly shots...

Okay, so I haven't been exactly "thrilled" with the way my stomach has looked during my pregnancy... but I thought I'd post a pic for you to see. It's REALLY starting to stick out, especially with in the past couple of weeks- I'll put the pictures side by side so you can see how much he's grown! It also feels like it just kind of happened over night too! People are really starting to figure it out now, and well- the way I walk or should I say WADDLE lately is another give away!

I kind of look mad in the second picture but I just wasn't ready.

We got our crib and changing table thanks to my brother! They were in 3 HUGE boxes all in jumbled up and mixed around. And Ryan the smart man he is put both the crib and changing table together with no directions and a million parts to put together. He figured it out... had to take it apart sometimes, but for not having ANYTHING to go by- he did it and with in an hour mind you! And it's so beautiful!

Now we just need to finish painting the dresser and we'll have a completed room!

Last night we went to a friends for dinner and on the way home I started having cramping and my tummy was tightening and my back was also cramping- not fun. It was for 20 or more minutes and so I had to call the doc to see if it was something to worry about. Yeah, this is another reason why I'm not a fan of that group of doctors... it took him an HOUR to call back! Luckily, it stopped by the time we got home and I got into bed. He just advised to take Tylenol and Benadryl (or Tylenol PM) and rest. He said if it wasn't better in the morning to keep resting. But that I needed to watch it again and if happened 8 times in one hour then I needed to call back or go in. So far, I'm okay... gonna try and make it into work today. I'm just having that guilt battle with in me- I feel bad for missing work (again) but then again I know I need to take care of my body and baby. I AM 34 weeks and getting along here in the latter part of my pregnancy and I expect things like this are going to keep happening. It's just a tough decision to make sometimes.

You know you can't fool me, I've been loving you too long...

Good ol' Air Supply. Hmm, what to write about. I know, ME? At a loss for words? Impossible right? Well, I'm sure I can find something to B.S. about... I know Ryan wants to post about the traffic on our beloved 400 freeway and how RETARDED people are on it. He's even got video, so look forward to that.
I guess I just needed to post something a little cheery since my last one of Pres. Hinckley. Not that I'm disregarding it or that I feel any different than I did when I wrote it. I just need to lighten things up a little more.
I forgot to mention that I went to the doc last week and everything went well and looked good. After following my diet pretty well my blood sugar levels all looked fine and she didn't feel like we needed meds or anything else. She said if they continue to stay level that I could start just checking it twice a day instead of 4 times a day! That would be nice. I also DON'T have a docs appt this week for the first time in forever. I've been having them like every week lately, but starting in two or three weeks I will again! We're getting closer! Eek!
The boy is getting more and more active, well I can just feel him outside my tummy more now. I can now feel his little feet when he's pushing up at the top of my uterus (that sounded weird and maybe TMI, sorry). It's fun to push on his little foot and him react to it. He'll move it away or sometimes push back several times in a row! I definitely feel a very strong bond lately with him. I mean, not that I haven't before- but now that he reacts its a different kind. Ryan loves to feel him now too because his movements are BIG and you can REALLY feel what he's doing in there. He also has the hiccups daily... which, I have to admit is cute for a second- but becomes a little annoying because it feels like this constant twitch until he's done. The cute part about it though is that you can feel him having them if you put your hand on my tummy. My boss got to feel him hiccuping yesterday, I think that was the first time he's ever felt a baby in someone's tummy before too. He thought it was pretty cool. We've got my parents plane tickets as well for the arrival of their little grandson! I'm so happy they get to be here for it all!
Delinda will be here tomorrow night! Wu-hoo! I'm pretty excited. OH and the crib and changing table from my brother will be will be delivered too! I decided to take a personal day tomorrow and rest. My little pregnant body really needs it.
Today- a coworker asked me and another coworker across from me if we wanted coffee. I was like "uh...did you realize you're asking a pregnant Mormon lady if she wants coffee??". It was amusing.

My Heart is Sad

My sister and mom just called to tell me that President Hinckley, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has passed away tonight. I, like many others, loved him a lot. I didn't know him personally, but felt like I did just like I'm sure a lot of others did. And I expected that this would happen soon because of his age and his failing health, not to mention how much he missed his dear sweet Marjorie who he has been reunited with. I don't know what else to say... other than I'm glad in my life time that he was the prophet I was so privileged to shake hands with, and that for half of my life he's been a significant source of inspiration and motivation and guidance to me. He will be DEARLY missed. And even among so much change in the Church and the world, I still have a testimony and know that all will be well.

50 ODD things about me, this is fun because it's diffferent

50 ODD things about you! If you opened this, FILL IT OUT! Learn 50
things about your friends, and let them learn 50 things about you!

1. Do you like blue cheese? YES, I LOVE it... very yummy. So good on Steak!
2. Have you ever been to Yellowstone Park ? yes, once! I loved it, can't wait to take my family there someday!
3. Do you own a gun? Well, my husband does.
4. Your favorite songs? There are too many, check out this blog post.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? my blood pressure goes up usually - But I'm not nervous or anything.
6. What do you think about hot dogs? As long as they're grilled on the BBQ they're good
7. Favorite Christmas song? hmm, that's tough. Let's say O Holy Night or Still, Still, Still or For Unto Us a Child is Born.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Water
9. Can you do push ups? haven't tried in a while.
(Where's 10.?)
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? The ring my man gave me (that's not fitting to well right now...sad)
12. Favorite hobby? photography, blogging, I love camping even though it's been a while
13. Secret weapon to get the opposite sex? I don't remember... it's been too long.
14. Do you have ADD? It depends on the circumstance... sometimes I multi-task TOO much at work.
15. What one trait do you hate about yourself? I'm pretty darn judgemental
16. Middle Name? Yvonne
17. Name 3 thoughts you are thinking at this exact moment...
a. I want a brownie
b. I wish I had $5000 from What Not to Wear
c. This heartburn better go away soon.
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday. Nothing... I bought nothing yesterday
19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
a. Bottled water
b. Diet A&W Root beer
c. Juice
20. Current worry right now? I guess the diabetes, getting ready for baby, having to go back to work... lots of stuff
21. Current hate right now? Driving on 400 in traffic in the morning more than you could know
22. Favorite place to be? With my Ryan anywhere safe
23. How did you bring in the New Year? At Ashley's house with lots of friends, I was pooped.
24. Where would you like to go? Somewhere tropical and to South Africa, Vermont and a few North Eastern states.
25. Name three people who will complete this? Well, I don't want to point any fingers or pressure any of you...
26. Do you own slippers? yeah, some old pink ones that are worn out.
27. What shirt are you wearing? A cream colored prego shirt with a pink tank under.
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? yeah, NO. I can't stand it when my dry feet stick to fabric like that. Cotton with a high thread count all the way.
29. Can you whistle? yup, but my mom the voice teacher can't unless she's sucking in! So cute.
30. Favorite color? green
31. Would you be a pirate? possibly...
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? whatever song I wake up with in my head, usually whatever was playing on the alarm clock radio
33. Favorite girl's name? Claire, Maggie, Isabelle, Belen
34. Favorite boy's name? Benjamin, Adam, Jonathan, lots...
35. What's in your pocket right now? I have no pockets in my pj's
36. What made you laugh last? Well Ashley's here right now and I'm chatting with Delinda so I'm laughing a lot right now!!!
37. Best bed sheets as a child? I think we had the oldest sheets in the world. I remember the white ones with pink flowers on them the best.
38. Worst injury you've ever had? Um, hmmm. I guess once when we were at a outlet mall and they had stone benches and I went to jump on one and missed it and hit the bottom of the front of my shin really hard. Or when I was two I ran with a pencil and tripped and it went into my cheek.
39. Do you love where you live? I do, I love our neighborhood and I love how close we are to shopping, church, a good park, the freeway, the temple.
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2 that we watch... there's a 3rd
41. Who is your loudest friend? I think my sister's best friend Jill, my friends aren't too loud unless we're laughing really hard.
42. How many dogs do you have? Just Ally
43. Does someone have a crush on you? I hope not, well besides Ryan of course.
44. What would you do if you hit a deer while driving? I did once, and I swore because it scared the crap out of me! I was pissed.
45. What is your favorite book? I'm not much of a reader, but I LOVED The Power of One
46. What is your favorite candy? I like truffles, fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls, Cadberry eggs- both the creamy ones and the pure chocolate ones.
47. Favorite Sports Team? Don't have any
48. What songs do you want played at your funeral? yeah, really? Uh... I don't know about that one.
49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? sleeping I guess.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? My body hurts.

stuff n' stuff

I went to my Gestational Diabetes class today. Feeling a little overwhelmed but a lot more sure of what I need to do to keep it under control. There's a lot to keep track of as far as diet, and counting carbs and all of that stuff. Plus I have to prick myself and take my blood sugar levels when I wake up and two hours after I eat each meal. I also have to keep track of my ketones, which tell me whether or not I'm eating enough calories in a day. I have to eat three meals and three snacks a day, and each time I eat I have to have a protein. But that's not hard, it's counting the carbs that are sort of difficult. So there's a lot to keep track of and pay attention to, but as long as both the bambino and I are healthy it's all good. It's not a diet that I could completely do after he's born except for when/if I'm breastfeeding, but they said they'd help me out for one after that. There's just more calories than I would need after I'm not feeding for two. But it's good to keep track of my carbs anyway. Like I said, my mom is a diabetic and they have proven that women that have gestational diabetes will most likely develop type 2 Diabetes later in life. So I got a double whammy against me, but am glad we found it now.

Anyway, we had a party for our friend Jennifer who is going on her mission next month on Friday night. It pretty much wore me out! But it was a lot of fun to have people over and laugh and eat good stuff. I made Mongolian Beef, which is really a Chinese food, but it turned out really good. Anyway, Ryan got up early Saturday and went to work on his truck at his brother in-law's garage. I hung out with Ally for a little bit and let her out, but then went back to bed and she came with me. I basically slept until Ryan got home and even then he came and hung out with me there for a little while! I decided by around 11:30 that I was hungry so we got up and made some food to eat. We got to watch more of the pretty snow that was falling and the house was all warm and cozy so a little after we ate we decided to get back in to bed! Yeah... that's really about all we did all day. Yesterday church was postponed and it was sacrament only, and we cleaned up Ben's room and got it to the point where we can now put in the dresser (which needs to be painted), crib and changing table. We started decorating the walls too- but I want to get the rest of the furniture in there before we really finish decorating. We've both walked by it several times and just stopped and looked and it's neat. It's starting to feel real now seeing a little baby bassinet in there and the cute little rocking chair and things that just are preparing us for this little guy to come into our lives. I am so excited to see him and hold him for the first time and know that he's the creation of me and the person I love the most in the whole world. Anyway... here's a little short video of the baby's room as it is now- I'll take more when we've got all the furniture up. I just wanted to document it before it becomes a dumping ground again! Which it better not be...

Delinda my sister will be here to live with us in a couple of weeks. Sadly she's not bringing her dog Kidder, but I think on a lot of levels that will be okay. The friend of hers who is watching Kidder really will do great with her and probably needs something to take care of too. But I am really excited to have DJ here. We both really love having her around, and it'll be good to have someone to help me stay on track with my diet and also since Ryan wont have as much time off after the baby as I will, it'll be nice to have another pair of hands and head for ideas and someone to just talk to.

Well, I'm going to take advantage of my MLK Day off and take a nap. CYA's!

They Called it "Winter Storm Watch 2008"

Our "snow storm" pictures! They closed the schools down. I mean, it was a pretty good snow, but not THAT bad.

(The Morning after)
It snowed for a long time last night! We even woke up to the white this morning! It wasn't much granted, but it was nice. I told Ryan driving home and just being in it made me feel comfortable. As much as I love the weather here, it's nice to have some snow once in a while. I grew up in it, and so it feels like the days of yore when I get to see it again. Ryan was super excited, and let me tell you who was even more excited? ALLY! She LOVED the snow! She kept wanting to go out in it and eat it and loved jumping at the snow flakes. We got a cute video of her. Hopefully you can see it... Trish, that's you. :)



I went for my 32 week check up yesterday. Ben is back in the norm for his size. In fact, he went from the 95th percentile to the 30th! But he did gain a pound and he's now 4 lbs. Which is totally normal for how far along I am. Although, his head measured at 35 weeks... so I'm thinking he might have a big noggin! But that kind of runs in my family! Oi vey... fun for the birthing process I'm sure! Jiznin came with me and it was fun to see her reactions to him moving around and all his little body parts and stuff. We got to see his little mouth moving, that was pretty cool. I was glad she could be there since Ryan couldn't. And to boot, she brought a HUGE bag of TONS of clothes and shoes and socks for the baby! It was so sweet of her, THANKS JEN! We love you and the gifts!
I have to tell you though, I REALLY dislike my doc's office. After Jen left when the Ultrasound was over, it was like 9:30 and that's when my appt was to see the doctor. Well, I didn't get called into the examination room until a little after 10. I sat in the waiting room until probably 10:40 or maybe even later before she finally came in. No apology. Gave me some info about the GD and before I could even ask her some questions she was making her way out the door. I had to stop her and say "I have questions"... she kept slowly making her way towards the door as I was talking and she was talking. It's like, wow... just because YOU'RE an hour late lady doesn't mean I'm less important. I just don't really feel like they care that much there. They don't take their time, they're always running behind so the appointment part is too short and I never feel like I really know what's going on. None of them really know who I am and I always kind of feel in the dark when I leave- I mean, this is my first time- I don't know what's going on! I we decided for sure next time we're going somewhere else.
Anyway- I guess I better do some work. It's SO Friday...

IT'S SNOWING!

Okay, I know a lot of you in Utah are thinking "big whoop". But I'm in GA! It really doesn't snow here, and I missed the snow when we went to Utah so I'm excited! I took a video outside our office window- I don't know if you can see it. But it's worth a try! We're expecting an ice storm tonight though, and those SUCK... and I'll be pissed if I have to miss seeing my baby at my doctor's appointment tomorrow!