Saturday of Madness

Saturday was a really really crazy day! There was so much going on that by the end of the day I was ridiculously tired!! It was a really good day though filled with fun and family. First thing in the morning I went to get a pedicure with my mommy! It was so nice. I got pink gel nails and toes so that when my baby is born they will still look cute! After pedicures I went to pick up Spencer from his parents' house so we could go home. We ended up staying for a while because we had a lunch date out there with his best friend and his wife. We went and had a really good time. (They were in town for their second reception. Jackson and Celeste were only here for a couple of days). I'm sad that Spencer only has a couple of really close friends that live in the state. Luckily we have some really awesome couple friends that we hang out with :). After lunch we went home and I got about a 20 minute rest before we got into church clothes and headed to my cousins baptism.

The baptism was nice. Trulie looked beautiful, Amy (my aunt) gave a great talk, and I got to hold Ezra (one of the twins) the whole time! I also got to see my new baby cousin Lucy! It was fun. After the baptism we headed over to Amy's for dessert and some food. It was my Grandpa Smith's 70th birthday so we all went out to dinner at Matta's in Mesa. It was actually pretty good and it was fun to spend time with the family without all of the little kids running around. Jackson's reception was from 6-8:30 that night but by the time dinner was over I was not ready to go be up for another 2 hours on my feet socializing. All I wanted to do was go home, lay down, and go to sleep whenever I got tired. And that is what I did! Spencer dropped me off and he went on his own. I felt really bad but at the same time, I'm getting to a point where I just can't be up for that long all day. My feet looked like marshmallows, my back hurt, I had a headache, and for some weird reason my big toenail pretty much felt like it was being stabbed with a knife. I think the lady at the nail place cut the corner too short or something because I can barely walk! It's getting a little bit better though. Anyways. I fell asleep around 9:00 and woke up feeling much better Sunday morning.

While it was a really fun day, I think I am going to have to start avoiding days like Saturday from now on. My body just can't handle so much activity! On the other hand...maybe if I keep having days like Saturday, it will put me into labor and I will have my baby!! Hmmmm.... :) Only 16 more days until my due date and I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday. Come on baby girl!! Mommy wants to meet you!!! <3

Baby Girl is coming soon!

So this doctors appointment was sorta disappointing. My doctor didn't even check me! I was hoping to see how much I had progressed and then she didn't do it. She told me that my strep b test came back negative so I am good to go for having the baby! She also told me that my belly is measuring right on track (this was also weird because she has not measured my tummy in 2 weeks). One more week until the next appointment and she will probably (hopefully) check me then. Baby has been moving like crazy and has a normal heartbeat :). I am very excited to hold her and have her out of my stomach. She is too big!!  2 and a half more weeks!!

37 LONG Weeks plus a birthday!

It has now officially been 37 weeks since I began this journey of pregnancy. I have 21 days left (If this baby girl doesn't make me go over like this girl's blog I read yesterday.......2 extra weeks!) and I cannot count down fast enough. I am seriously so DONE being pregnant. I love this baby girl more than could ever be said but holy guacamole I am never having another summer baby. I have my next doctor's appointment tomorrow morning so we will see if I am progressing at all :). I have stretch marks covering my entire body, I weigh a good 20 lbs more than my husband (I know....he's kind of a scrawny thing), and I am pretty sure that my baby takes up 99.9% of the room she is allotted in my body. That being said...I don't know how she is supposed to keep growing for the next 3 weeks!!

Everybody has been asking how big baby is and stuff and, while there are no guarantees, the weekly average statistics are these:

Weight: anywhere between 6 and 7 lbs...about 6 1/3 is what my baby bump app tells me
Length: 19.25 in (From what I have read, the baby won't really get any longer. She has reached her peak for the most part. I am eternally grateful for this! Now she is just packing on the fat under her skin to give her that cute baby face I get to see in about 3 weeks :) ).
Comparison: About the size of a swiss chard. What the CRAP is a swiss chard?? I like to say that she more compares to this...

This is my new cousin Lucy. She is now 3 weeks old but in this picture she is about a week old. I know that my baby won't look just like her, but since this week my little bundle is considered full term (please tell me why if she is full term she needs to stay in there!?!?) there is very little difference between baby Lucy and my baby! Much cooler than a swiss chard, I don't care who you are!

This past Sunday was my 21st birthday! It wasn't the most exciting birthday I have ever had because it was on a Sunday so I couldn't go get all of my free food, but I did get spoiled by my hubby! First thing that was amazing...I slept in! That never happens. When I woke up, Spencer made me some eggs and toast and we ate breakfast in bed. We went to church and since it was my birthday I decided that our class needed a small party. I knew I should probably still have a lesson so I prepared a short little story about Zion's Camp and then had them watch a 20 min video about it. It ended up working out really well and the girls even seemed interested in it. I also brought cookies that Spencer made as a treat. I think I was the girls' favorite that day. They sang to me in primary and then we went home. We headed out to the Hons for dinner (my family is in California so we would have gone by there too had there been anybody to see). Spencer's dad honored my request and made Indian Fry Bread for dinner and I was so happy!! We also had some ice cream and then just hung out watching home videos. I love that family and I was so glad that I had some people to spend the night with on my birthday. My mattress pad came on Monday and I LOVE it. It is wonderful. I am also going on Saturday to get a pedicure with my mom. All in all, it was a good birthday.

I am trying to stay busy and focused on getting ready for baby. I have figured out that if I don't keep myself busy and moving, I get really emotional and usually end up crying. So....yeah I try to stay busy. I will update tomorrow about my doctor's appointment.

Update on Mommy and Baby

I had my first weekly Dr's appointment today! Time is seriously flying by. I cannot wait to have this baby girl in my arms here pretty soon. When I think about it in terms of how many of things I have left, some things seem more than others. For instance:

We have 2 more paychecks until the baby comes...and one of them is this Friday! Crazy right??
I have 4 more Sundays. This one seems like a lot...teaching Primary and sitting through church is getting pretty difficult at this point! I still love it, it's just getting hard.
I have 4 more Wednesdays. That is NUTS!! That's so close! And that is until my due date so it could be even less!
I have 4 more summer movies. Not that memorable but hey! Something to count down!

So yeah...it's almost here!! I officially have 28 days left and am 36 weeks today.
Here is some of the stuff going on:

I have not been able to wear my wedding ring for some time now. It really bummed me out at first but I am over it. With how fat my fingers get in this Arizona heat, I am so glad to not have a ring cutting off more blood flow! Once I couldn't wear my wedding ring anymore I switched my CTR ring over to that finger. I then proceeded to lose that ring on our trip to Idaho. So sad.

I. AM. HUGE. The other night, Spencer's brother Hayden (he's almost 16 so I guess I have to forgive him) told me, "Holy cow! Your stomach is bigger than yesterday!" No. I don't think it was. But the fact that to some people it looks bigger every single day is a bit depressing! I still have 4 more weeks!

*I made up a song, sung to the tune of 'I am like a star shining brightly' that goes something like this:*
I am like I whale in the ocean
Swimming for the whole world to see
I am really huge
I make the other fish look tiny
And I keep getting bigger each day
----catchy huh??----
I am also very swollen. My face, my feet, my ankles, my hands...everything! I thought I was going to avoid this part but BOY was I wrong! My mom says I get what I deserve because apparently I made her swell up pretty good when she was pregnant with me...I don't know if that was necessarily my fault though... ;)

I am seriously and COMPLETELY done with being hot. We have been trying to keep off our air conditioning as much as possible since it costs so much money, but I am almost to the point of saying "Screw it! Here is $500, turn me into a popsicle!" I can't even barely get dressed in the mornings because I can't imagine putting on a whole other layer of clothing. It actually made me late to my Dr. appointment this morning because I just couldn't bring myself to put clothes on. I am hot 99.9% of the time and the only time I get relief is when we are in our car (the AC is like magic in our car. One of the only parts of it that works reliably) or walking into Wal Mart (my new favorite activity).

I am getting the baby's room ready for her to come. Yesterday my mom and grandma came over and we went through all of my stuff, figured out what I still needed, and went shopping!! It was so fun to actually be able to buy stuff for my baby! I got newborn diapers, binkys, some clothes, some stuff to organize the room with, a diaper genie, a crib sheet and pad, and I'm sure other things too...can't remember! It was seriously so fun!!!! I am so excited to finish her room and get it all cleaned up so that it can stop stressing me out that it's so messy.

I have noticed myself becoming increasingly grouchy and bossy. I am bossy to begin with so that doesn't help...but I blame the increase on the fact that I am just very done being pregnant. I love this little girl, and I have had a really easy pregnancy, but I am ready to be D.O.N.E. I apologize to anybody that I have snapped at or cried at or even just gave a nasty look to in the past week or so. I feel it getting worse too. I think it's a good thing that I notice it, but I don't really know what to do to stop it so I have decided that I am just prepared to say sorry a bazillion times for the next 4 weeks...especially to my husband. That poor man.

I have said goodbye to my old friend sleep. We used to be so close, and now we just keep drifting farther and farther apart! :( The fact that it takes me actually waking up and making a conscious effort to even roll over makes nights very restless. It is seriously a 5 step process.
-turn shoulders
-turn hips
-turn shoulders
-turn hips
-reposition head
Tell me that's not annoying. Plus we don't have our air on all night so I wake up in the middle of the night sweating like a dog! Even though I have a floor fan blowing right on me plus the ceiling fan. Also add into that the 3 trips to the bathroom PER NIGHT and you have a very long, very tiring night. At least I can still take naps...

Today at the doctor I had my cervix checked and my doctor told me that I am a fingertip dilated which she says is not quite 1 cm yet but not closed either. I am happy about that! At least it's something! I go again next Thursday so we will see if I make any progress. I would also like to say that my extreme weight gain is subsiding! Between my last two appointments I had gained 8 lbs in 2 weeks. I know...disgusting. This time though, I only gained 4 lbs in 2 weeks! That is something I can live with! I have just decided that my weight is not something I am worried about and that I want to be able to eat what I want, when I want, and there is nothing that can stop me!! Bring on the star crunch and ice cream!

This weekend is my BIRTHDAY!! I will be 21, finally! What is going to change you ask? Well...nothing. But hey, it's still going to be fun! The best part about my birthday is my present from my husband and my mother. My husband made my entire world by ordering us a mattress pad for our bed. Since I hardly ever sleep anymore, I am so excited to have something that will at least help me be more comfortable while I am trying... It should be here in a couple of days! My husband is AWESOME! My mom is taking me to get a pedicure next weekend so I will have cute toes for when my baby is born. I am so excited. It is basically all that I have been looking forward to about my birthday this year...since March....no joke.

I am feeling excited, nervous, tired, cranky, emotional, hungry, achy, and fantastic all at the same time. Tell me how that works!!?? Me and Spencer are both ready for this baby to come. When I told him about my appointment he said, "Just tell them to induce you! Fingertip is good enough!"

And on that note...HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

July 4th Festivities

This 4th of July was a fun one! I am still so surprised every time I do something with my husband at how much more fun he makes it! I am so glad I have him to drag around :). Anyways. Spencer worked for a total of about a day and half last week...some by choice and some by default! He had off the 4th so we spent the morning just relaxing and making cookies to take up to Payson for our big family party. Spencer and I were driving up with Grandma and were leaving at about noon. We got to her house, packed up her car, and headed out to grab lunch and get gas. While we were at the gas station, Stephen (my brother) called grandma and told her he got off early and wanted to come with us. We went back to grandma's house and waited for him to come. The drive was easy and quick and we got to Payson by like 3:30. Payson was beautiful and I was so happy to be out of the extreme heat for a day. We sat and talked, Spencer played with the little kids, and we ate dinner. Dad always cooks hamburgers and hot dogs for everybody.

The fireworks started at 9:00 and they are always a good show! They shoot up right over the little lake in the middle of the park. The puppy was not so happy about the fireworks so dad had to lay on her and talk to her the whole time to keep her from bolting. We left a little bit before the show was over so we could get out of the park before all of the madness began...we still got stuck in it though. We had decided before we left that we were going to stay at the cabin with my parents that night so we wouldn't have to drive home super late. We got to the cabin and it was SO HOT. Luckily we had a fan but it was making me feel sick to my stomach...plus I already felt kind of sick just normal so it was not a good combination. About midnight I started feeling really yucky. I thought I was going to throw up but ended up....well....clearing myself out a different way. It was so stressful and I couldn't make myself feel better. Luckily I have my sweet husband who will rub my arm until I fall asleep.

The next morning we got up, ate muffins and toast for breakfast, and packed up the car. We drove back to the valley, but not without a stop at Alfonso's. (If you have never been there...look it up. It is AMAZING and reasonably priced Mexican food. We got breakfast burritos :) ) We got home right around lunch time and then got to chill for the rest of the day.

That night we had a game night with our normal group of friends plus Spencer's twin cousins and their wives. It was SO MUCH FUN!! I love hanging out with our friends. I can't wait until I have my baby and then we will all have one to play with :). The next night we were back at the Hons playing games.

It has been really fun hanging out at the Hons lately (Not that it wasn't before), but since Preston has been home I have somebody that's my age to hang out with. I love hanging out with Spencer but then the next boy just barely turned 18.They aren't necessarily immature...they are just their age. It's fun to have somebody that knows some of the same people as me and is more in my age group. It's a nice addition to the family!

Crazy Family Weekend!

This has honestly been one of the busiest weeks of my life! It has been nice being busy but I am exhausted!

-Wednesday we picked up Spencer's brother from the airport and went out to dinner: home by about 10:30.
-Thursday Spencer came home from work a little early and we went to the Hons for an hour or so and played rock band and then went and saw "The Wiz" at the QCPAC. (If you have nothing to do tonight...go see the last show!):Home by about 10:30.
-Friday we were supposed to go to a game night with some friends but we had made a plan for Spencer's brothers to spend the night. That fell through so Spencer and I went to grandma's house, had pizza, and watched Warm Bodies (actually a really good movie!). Home by about 11.
-Saturday morning was my baby shower! It was so fun and I really am so crazy blessed with how many wonderful gifts I got and I had so many people come that I couldn't even talk to everyone! I am so excited for my baby girl to come now!!! :) After my shower I had 3 of my close friends stay and swim. After that we went to the Hons and they boys played games and I kinda hung out. After dinner we went home. It was about 7. Spencer almost fell asleep. I did everything in my power to keep him up and finally he woke up a little. I then proceeded to fall asleep by like 8:30.
-Sunday morning was Spencer's brother's homecoming talk. They have church at 8:00 and the boys had to practice their musical number beforehand so we were there by 7:45. They had a breakfast right after for family and friends and we got to spend more time with the family. We still had to go to our church at 1:00 to teach our primary class and then Spencer had Home teaching at 4:00. As soon as Spencer got back we headed out to my parent's house for family dinner. We were there until 9:00 and then went and picked up Spencer's brothers because they were spending the night (for reals this time). We came home to watch a movie and I was asleep within about 30 minutes.
-Today we are going over to Spencer's aunt's house to swim!

Anyways...This is kind of boring but there is too much that has happened to really go into detail. Basically all you need to know is that it has been a lot of days of up early, to bed late! My pregnant body is starting to argue with me about this new schedule since I don't really sleep very well anyways. Yesterday everyone kept asking me if I had been crying which I had NOT! I actually haven't cried in DAYS!!! (I know...big accomplishment).

One funny story from yesterday...

As we were getting ready to leave my mom's house after dinner I couldn't find my phone. I searched everywhere. I knew it could really only be in one of two places but I couldn't find it in either one. We finally had someone call it and made everyone be quiet so we could hear it vibrate. Well, we found it. It was down in the couch. There is still more to the story though because you see...apparently my parents have some really high quality furniture. The cushions don't come off and the inside is made of boxes of wood. Even the skinniest of hands (Whitley and Katelyn) couldn't get down deep enough to get it. We took the staples out of the felt on the bottom and found out that we couldn't get to it that way. My dad came in to help and that's when it got funny because they are rolling the couch around, my dad is laying with it on top of him, the entire family is in the living room, and I am getting missed call after missed call from Spencer! (He had to keep calling it over and over so that we could know where exactly in the couch my phone was. Eventually my dad rescued my phone!!!!! I don't really know how, he just says "patience and stubborn". I am very grateful to have it back...I was getting really nervous!!! The moral of the story? Don't get your phone stuck in the couch at my parent's house because it will be exactly that...STUCK!!!