Kati's Corner

blah blah blah

2012-01-27T06:15:00.000-08:00

This post is a whole bunch of random.

I have been sick all week with a cold. When I get sick, I am out like trout. I fall hard. I feel like I am dying.

Its quite pathetic actually.

So far there are no signs that Henry has gotten it, which would be a total shocker and a welcomed surprise.

Speaking of Henry, he has discovered that he looooves the show Superwhy!. We watch it about 4 times a day. A part of me feels like a lame mom for letting him watch so much tv, but there is nothing to do in the winter with a baby, and his toys are only fun for so long. I can't wait for summer, to go on walks, play at the park, get a swing set in the backyard. ah. I am beginning to realize how much of a summer girl I really am.

My small and simple things goal is totally working, and I love it. I have had that mantra in mind all month and it is totally helping to keep my house under control, a little bit at a time.

The pregnancy is going fine, still having trouble eating and drinking enough. I haven't gained any weight, which is good for me. We should find out the gender at the end of February.

I can not get enough sleep these days, and I am sure Jason feels like a widower when he comes home. Shortly after Henry goes to bed, which is around 7, I go to bed, too. But I just can't help it! I am still so tired! Henry slept through the night for about two months, but now he is feeding again in the middle of the night. grrrr. Its the weekend so maybe with Jason's help we will work on dropping the feeding.

I started reading the parenting book Love and Logic, and I looooove it. I love it most because it tells me how to instill my parenting skills with Henry NOW. They say babies are never too young to learn logic, even if they can't communicate. Its a very flexible adaptable style of parenting, while being structured at the same time. It seems like it is very time consuming to act out the plan, but in the long run should save time on tantrums and other issues. We shall see.

Anyway, Superwhy is over, guess that's my que.

Do you play wordfued? won't you play with me?

he thinks I am awesome

2012-01-19T06:12:00.000-08:00

Henry has become a needy momma's boy.

I posted a status a while ago asking my friends how to resolve this issue and I was surprised to learn that most of my friends dont care if their care are needy of their moms, which IS TOTALLY OK. I am not judging.

Just saying, I am soooo not that kind of personality.

I can't have him be so needy of me all the time to the point that I get stressed thinking about leaving him with someone else.

So, with no advice from anyone I decided to try my own ideas.

my first try is the daycare at my gym. After a horrible experience at south davis rec and their daycare, I switched gyms to Skills Fitness and so far I kinda love it. Their daycare is much nicer, less kids there, and the employees are young female adults compared to moms. I know what you are thinking, wouldnt I want moms in there working instead? Thats what I thought, but the rec center had moms as the employees and I realized that moms are really good at ignoring kids, and not taking crying very seriously. Young single women still think kids are adorable and enjoy playing with them.

So we have gone twice, the first time was fabulous and he loved it, the second time he was crying after 30 mins, BUT he hadnt had an afternoon nap, so I will chalk that up to tiredness and crankiness.

But so far its good, the daycare has big windows that you can see in if you are in the gym, but the people inside the daycare cant see you. So I can check on Henry whenever I was without him seeing me, and I can see if I like the employees and how they do with Henry and the other kids.

Its good, Henry seems to like watching the big kids play, and its getting him used to me not being around.

Last night I also went to a body pump class at the gym, and left Henry with Jason and Jason put him to bed, which I think was also good for Henry not to rely on me in order to go to sleep at night.

so I am trying.

I refuse to let the neediness continue, especially since baby #2 will be here before you know it and I can't devote every minute to Henry.

Wish me luck!

blerg

2012-01-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

I have no motivation to blog.

sorry.

blah.

maybe its the lack of others blogging, or the lack of communication taking place these days via blogs, but blogging just doesnt seem like it used it.

maybe we are all stuck on Pinterest.

either way.

I am good.

Henrys good

Babys good

Jasons good.

the end.

Official

2012-01-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

My goal for this year is a mindset.

By small and simple things.

I get so frustrated and depressed if I cant completely deep clean my house as often as I used to. I used to spend around 2-3 hours just cleaning. clearly, I dont have that kind of time, and it upsets me.

but I had a moment the other day where I really took to heart the phrase by small and simple things.

Maybe I cant clean the entire kitchen in one shot, but I can at least do the dishes. or throw the garbage away.

then the next time I have a moment I can do more small things, and hopefully accomplish something large.

Its worked really well so far.

and today when I was cleaning I was in the groove, so it made me extra motivated to make it possible for me to clean more, so I cleaned my room, Henry's room and the hallway, and trapped him in between so he could crawl back and forth, and he loved it. I was able to hang clothes up, clean off surfaces, etc. Way more than I would have been able to do.

So yeah.

Thats my goal.

Gotta write goals down, ya know.

Christmas short and sweet

2011-12-29T07:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas

Every Christmas I realize and learn things that make Christmas day more stressful, and that I say I won't do next year.

I am this close to cornering down the perfect Christmas routine.

Yes, a Christmas routine.

However, this Christmas fell on Sunday, which ironically completely screwed up my routine.

My family always does Christmas in the morning, and around 2ish we leave for Jason's family until the evening.

But this year Everyone wanted to do Christmas at noon, so they could go to the 11 o clock church meeting.

eff.

so it got a little sticky, Henry didn't get his second nap making for a very cranky afternoon and a tired mom by the end of it.

But, Christmas was perfect.

I can't say it was fun having Henry, cause he didn't care, but I am sure next year will be more fun.

There will be 2 kids! yikes.

yummy

2011-12-26T16:29:00.000-08:00

So my tablet of food I can tolerate has expanded slightly.

I can have and keep down:

Steak

Sushi

Ice Cream

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Cheetos

Gumballs

Clementines

Grapes

Orange Juice(Which I have ALWAYS hated)

Popcorn

Pizza

So that is what I eat on a rotating basis, and boy when those sushi and steak days come around I am in heaven.

only 3. yep 3.

2011-12-26T16:25:00.000-08:00

So today, while bathing, I came to a realization about my family.

some background:

I wanted 3 or 5 kids, because 4 was too cliche.

Jason wants 4.

But today, I decided for sure, I only want 3.

I had this notion is my head that in order to be a big close family, I had to have at least 4 kids, like my family growing up.

But, I have learned a lot from observing other families, and that's this: The families that had more kids, generally were a little more out of control, and weren't as close as I though, and the mom was stressed to the max.

The families with 3 or less, seemed like the mom had more time to devote to each child as an individual, and that because they were smaller families, they seemed to be a little closer.

See, having 3 kids has always felt right to my soul, but to my mind I always said oh no that's not enough.

As my usual disclosure goes, I know my thoughts, and feelings can always change.

But for now, thats my feeling.

So, 1 child down, 1 in the oven, only 1 more left!

Henry David

2011-12-22T06:19:00.000-08:00

I thought I would give you a little Henry update since I stopped doing the monthly ones. my bad.

Well he is ~~a couple days shy of or was when I wrote this~~ 8 months.

tall

skinny

big head.

HATES eating.

shockingly I dont have a super recent good picture of him. I know, I suck.

To our grateful surprise he has become a fantastic sleeper. 2 2-3 hour naps a day and he is sleeping through the night at 10-12 hours hours a night.

HEAVEN.
crawling like mad and trying so hard to balance and stand.
says B sounds, bah bah bah bah.
I have never seen a cuter boy. Really. I haven't.

Jason, I am pregnant...

2011-12-21T06:16:00.000-08:00

This is how I told Jason. I wrapped up a frame with a poem, some candy, and delivered it to his work. He was surprised. :)

This is the poem:

Aint it cute?

End of pregnancy posts. :D

2011-12-20T10:06:00.000-08:00

I found this post that I meant to post at the end of my pregnancy with Henry, then went into labor. :)

Well friends, now that this pregnancy has come to an end, I shall wrap up the pregnancy posts with this last one.

I am writing this before Henry is born because they say after the baby comes, you forget all about what it was like to be pregnant.

For some stupid reason, I want to remember.

Finding out we were pregnant was the most exciting thing ever. When we REALLY found out, I had been sleeping all night, and had the thought come to my mind that I should take a test as soon as I get up. Luckily, I had one. I woke up, took it, waited 3 mins and it said pregnant! I rushed into the bedroom, jumped on the bed and showed the stick to Jason.

From then on I walked around, like I had a purpose. I no longer felt like a regular person going about my own life, I felt like a guardian to this little angel inside me, and that I was special.

The first trimester was terrible. I am sure you will remember the posts. I never threw up due to morning sickness, but I was constantly nauseous. Nothing sounded good, and even if it did, after a few bites it made me sick. If I waited too long to eat, it made me sick. The first trimester was also nerve wracking, because you are so paranoid of miscarriage. Boy am I glad thats over.

When we found out we were having a boy, it felt real. Before then it doesn't seem real that you are having a baby, I mean, how can it when there isn't a gender? We found out 2 years TO THE MINUTE after our wedding what we were having. We spend the rest of the time in San Fransisco enjoying each other. It was perfect.

The second trimester was heaven. My morning sickness disappeared, I had tons more energy, and I was ready to conquer my to-do list tasks. If only someone hadn't rear ended me giving me daily back pain. :( Although I still had energy, it just hurt to do certain thing, thus putting my workout routines, on hold. This was completely devastating to me as I had planned to work out up until the first last day. I think the car accident combined with having to stop exercising is really when my dislike for pregnancy began.

One of my favorite parts of the pregnancy was taking weekly pictures. I took one every single week from week 12. I wanted to remember ever size, every growth, and it was fun to see. I laugh now because I look back on the earlier pictures, even as late as 22 weeks and laugh hysterically at how fat I THOUGHT I was.

The third trimester was almost like the first, constantly tired, peeing all the time, no energy, and slight nausea, only slight. It was really fun though to feel the babys movements during this time, because it really felt like a person was in there, not like a fish was swimming around. I could touch his bum, find his feet, oh it was fun. The third trimester was the most painful, lots of back pain and towards the end immense pelvic pressure.

The last couple weeks are exactly how "they" say they are, you feel so huge, you are so uncomfortable and you just want the baby out. You are done being pregnant, you are getting swollen, and you are counting down the hours until its time.

tid bits:

The most times I have pee'd in a day is I think around 18, and that was today lol.

Having a baby strapped to your stomach feels like this: Stick a 2x4 from your pelvic bones to your rib cage, also one in back, wrap something going all the way around you holding them in place, and try to move. Thats what it feels like, like something hard is in the way.

my baby never kicked me in the ribs.

I was always able to see my feet, and tie my shoes.

my wedding ring didn't fit at about 6 months.

I was obsessed with reading about my weekly progress online.

Google was my best friend, and worst enemy.

I looooved my Dr.

I still, having gone through a pregnancy, can say I don't believe in typical pregnancy cravings. I think women lie. I am blowing the lid open ladies.

Next pregnancy I will plan to be pregnant in summer, even though its hot, at least its a happy time, you can be outside etc. being pregnant in winter is just grumpy and gloomy.

I always could get a deep breathe.

I loooove my maternity pictures.

decorating the nursery was definitely a highlight.

I actually never cared about hearing the heartbeat, after the first time. And even the first time I was like, ok thats cool, but I didn't have that oh my gosh moment women talk about when they hear it. For me it was seeing him on ultra sounds.

No one ever told me I looked like I was about ready to pop. It was quite the opposite.

I never had to get maternity "underwear", thank goodness.

My hands got swollen towards the end, but my feet never did.

I didn't notice that my hair grew faster, but I did get a bunch of little baby hairs growing all over the place.

Things I learned:

I learned a lot of patience. I knew I was going to need it from day one, and there was no way around it, so I learned to practice patience. Towards the end it got hard ;)

I learned about muscles I didn't even know I had! lol

I REALLY learned how to bite my tongue. Those that know me well, know I speak my mind when my mind speaks, but being pregnant everyone thinks you want their opinion, or that they somehow have a right to tell you what to do, and it took a lot for me to refrain from saying what I wanted to say.

I learned to

There is one thing in this pregnancy that has been absolutely perfect.

This guy:

I love this man. I love our relationship. I love how he looks at me, and how it makes me look at him. I love how well he takes care of me, and I know he would do anything if it meant my happiness. I love how important it is to him to support our family. I love how humble he is about what a successful person he is. I am so proud of every accomplishment he makes. I have said it before I will say it until I am blue in the face, you should not have kids until your marriage is 110% solid. If Jason and I weren't on the same page, and weren't so in sync and in love, I could not imagine how hard not only the pregnancy would have been, but parenthood. he cares so much about me, and is so in tuned to me that I really never had to tell him when something hurt, or something was wrong. And I NEVER had to tell him what I needed to make me feel better or be happier, Jason is fantastic at that, from buying me a new wedding ring that fit, to littler things like bringing me home my favorite candy. I am so blessed to have the best husband and I wake up every day and think what I can do to make his life better, because he makes mine better every day. He is my best friend, in every way possible, I can not wait for an eternity with this man. Jason is going to be a fantastic father, because he is ready. He is completely selfless with his time, and sometimes I have to convince him to do things like golfing, because he wants to be with me. If Jason ever reads this, he will probably be embarrassed because he doesn't like it when I toot his horn, but I can't help but be filled with so much gratitude for him, that I would be ungrateful if I didn't give him the credit he deserves. :) He is perfect for me.

baby, you're the right kind of wrong

2011-12-19T18:05:00.000-08:00

Something has gone terribly wrong, while going terribly right.

I can not eat anything.

well that's a lie.

but I can not stomach most things. most dinners. most lunches, and most breakfasts.

its awful, because I adore food. got me through some hard times.

There are 3 things I can stomach, at any moment, of any day.

Steak

Sushi

Sherbet ice cream.

(this isn't sherbet ice cream, but love potion is by far my favorite)
the 3 S's.

Save my life.

Its sucks that I can only have such a limited amount of steak and sushi, and really the ice cream, a week.

Not to mention the fact that the h ubby hates when I go out for sushi.(I tend to splurge.)

and the steak must come from Costco, because they have the most glorious thick juicy pieces of steak ever.

They too, are a little pricey though.

So most days, I starve, and puke.

But on the few days a week I get to indulge in the gloriousness that is those foods, I am in ~~a food coma for the rest of the evening~~ heaven.

Tell me, I need to know.

2011-12-16T05:53:00.000-08:00

Tell me, cause I really need to know.
Is going from 1 child to 2 really the hardest?
its what everyone says. "they" say its worse than just having the 1.
is it true?
are "they" right?
and for those who have done it, what do you wish you would have known before baby #2 came?
I need to mentally prepare myself.
Any help you have would be appreciated. :)

How will you parent?

2011-12-14T06:52:00.000-08:00

Henry is to the point now, that we need to develop our parenting habits.
What kind of parents we will be.
what our discipline strategies will be.
One thing I know for sure, you won't know until you get there.
but for now, here is what I want.

I don't want to yell, or even be stern.
We only said the word NO, when its dangerous.
I do not want my kids to always be hearing the word no, and especially in a stern voice.
So when Henry needs to be told a non dangerous no, we phrase it differently. "Henry thats mommys toy." "Henry we have to be soft with the cats." "Hands are not for hitting, hitting hurts." I want to EXPLAIN life to my child, not just say no all the time.

I picked up a book long before Henry was born called "Calm down time" by Elizabeth Verdick.(Google it cause blogger isnt letting me post pics or hyperlinks). This book teaches children, in a child way, that their feelings are normal, but that they need to learn to calm themselves down. I think its incredibly harmful to just put a child in time out everytime they are naughty or angry, it tells them that those emotions are bad and they will be punished. It teaches that kids should have a calm down place, maybe a bean bag chair with a blanket, or just somewhere cozy, by themselves where you and the child can read the book and teach them about their feelings.

Now I know this method with probably be harder to do than just throwing the kid in time out, but I think in the long run it will be better for OUR family.

So there ya go. Thats all I have got so far and I am sure as I need to put it it in to practice that things will change and develop. I know that. But this is where I am starting.

2011-12-14T06:35:00.000-08:00

I feel completely awful.

So nauseous every single night and the only thing I want, is pizza.
during the day, its sushi.

I am 9 weeks.

Savoring the moments of just Henry
savoring the sleeping through the night.
I cry sometimes thinking about the newborn sleep schedule, or lack there of.
I have no idea how I will do errands with two kids, and it stresses me out.
how will I put two kids to bed at the same time?
I know it can be done, its done all the time.
but I still worry about how I will manage.

I am excited to find out the gender.
to see the little one on ultra sounds.
I am SOOO excited for the labor and delivery experience again.
I am excited to see if it looks just like Henry, boy or girl.

So I feel awful, scared for a lot, and excited for a lot.

2nd pregnancy Q&A

2011-11-30T07:12:00.000-08:00

Alrighty I will try and answer all the questions people keeping asking me about the pregnancy.

Was it planned?

sort of...a couple months ago we had a pregnancy scare and were totally freaking out. But after it sank in, we were really excited. When it turned out to be a false alarm, we decided we wanted to start trying. We didnt plan on having our kids this close, it took us 6 months to get pregnant with Henry so we were expecting it to take that long, but it only took one cycle.

When are you due?

July 23, 2012

How far along are you?

I am 7 weeks. Yes, I know, thats super early to announce a pregnancy. Originally when we decided to get pregnant we agreed we wouldnt announce it until the second trimester, but then when we got pregnant earlier than expected and thanksgiving was right around the corner, I couldnt pass up the chance to announce on thanksgiving, and it was awesome. Besides, if something does happen, I would want my friends and family to know to help me deal with it.

Are you hoping for a girl this time?

Nope. I want another boy. I want Henry to have a brother and to be honest, I think Henry is just so dang cute I wouldnt mind all boys. Seriously.

How are you feeling?

AWFUL. I forgot how miserable the first trimester was, and this time its a tiny bit worse. I am tired all the time, sick all the time, very picky about food, and this time I have had a headache for two weeks, and insomnia.

You're going to have two kids in diapers!

lol yes, we know this. We will probably also have 2 kids in cribs. but ya know, it just felt right. When we got a false alarm positive, it felt like(spiritual cheesiness comin on)that was the lord's wa of telling us its time to have another, but that he needed us to do it on our own to show that we trust in his timing. So thats what we did.

Is it hard being pregnant and having a baby?

surprisingly not as hard as I thought it would be. I almost think its easier than with an older child because Henry takes 2 long naps, so I get to nap also. I am sure it will be much harder once I start getting bigger.

So thats that. I wont post as much with this pregnancy as I did with the other, because I have Henry keeping me busy and I suspect I would just have the same things to say.

Christmas ornaments

2011-11-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

Every year we get a christmas ornament for each of us that represent that year, so here they are!

Mine was a chocolate covered strawberry, because through the pregnancy it was my FAVORITE treat. :)

We got a little peanut for Henry, obviously.

Jason got a deer on a 4 wheeler, mainly just for the 4 wheeler part to represent camping since we bought a trailer this year.

Jason also decided that all the ornaments for the same year should be hung next to each other, so against the rule of clumping ornaments, that how we have decided to do the tree. :)

Henry's big announcement

2011-11-24T14:20:00.001-08:00

Henry has an announcement to make.

Can you tell what it is?

How about now?

Ooooook, what about this?

Yep. Thats right.

Better believe it.

Baby Powell #2 is on its way.

I can not live like this

2011-11-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

Help a mommy out.

Henry has transitioned from 3 naps, down to 2.

Totally ok with it, because he goes to bed earlier.

bedtime used to be around 9 pm, now its 7ish.

BUT

He used to wake up around 7 to 8 am, now he wakes up at 6am, sometimes even 530 am!

I can not live like this, people.

How do you take away a nap which makes them tired earlier for bed, but get them to still wake up at their normal time in the morning?!

am I the only one who has/had this problem?

remember the overhaul redo?

2011-11-10T03:46:00.000-08:00

Remember how I am completely redoing my house?

Well its SLOOOOOOWLY coming along.

Come to our house and the front room will currently look like this:

The front door will look something like this:

And the dining room did manage to get a little thanksgiving decor here:

I am DYING to decorate for Christmas, but I need to finish painting first. Its actually almost done. I started a couple months ago, slowly doing the hallways, dining room, etc during Henry's naps, and today my BFF came over and helped me basically finish the entire front room. She's awesome I tell ya.

anyway, I guess stay tuned to see what else changes.

the stillness

2011-11-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

Meditation.

Ah....

I recently started meditating. I just thought it was something that would help keep balance and harmony in my life and I have to tell you, I love it.

I may never go back to a non meditative life.

Its not about sitting down and going ,"ooooohhhmmmm....."

Its about awareness, but not engaging. Its about a finding the stillness in you. The stillness is where you find harmony and balance. The stillness is where you recharge, and relax. Its about the stillness in life. That is why people find so much clarity at church or in the temple, its the stillness, its the peace, where you can be alone inside you, not necessarily "with your thoughts" but more like among your thoughts.

If you haven't tried meditating, you should.

this is the site where I am learning to meditate and I recommend if you are just starting, to use a guide, like a mediation cd, something that guides you through the process. This site even has apps for iphones and droids, which is actually how I do it, and let me tell you, going to sleep at night has NEVER been so sound and so easy.

It doesn't take long, the app has a 5 min, 12 min and 24 min option.

Its soooo worth it.

Seriously, just give it a try.

Pinterest has brainwashed us

2011-11-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

Pinterest.

its a lovely thing isn't?

OR IS IT?!

The other night I showed Jason this picture, found on Pinterest:

I said Jason we have to do this! Its so cool!

He looked at it, looked at me, and said,"It just looks like melted crayons..."

Then I looked at it, and thought, IT DOES LOOK LIKE MELTED CRAYONS!

Here's the thing about Pinterest. Its fantastic for sharing ideas and getting inspiration, but its got us all warped on what we actually like.

Just because it is on Pinterest, doesn't mean its cool, pretty, trendy, etc.

So I am going to blow out of the water all the Pinterest brain washings.

The Keep Calm signs

I never liked these, but seriously? Its a picture of large bold fonts with a really ugly crown. Its not pretty or appealing to the eye, and really? I don't even like the quote.

The scrabble letters

Wow, I don't even understand who started this, but really, its soooo overdone and to me just looks like you missed some pieces when cleaning up a childs game.

Ugly girl clothes

This child looks like she is wearing rags. It looks awful.

The paint samples

SO TACKY!!! I can't even begin to explain how tacky I think it is to decorate with these.

Ugly pillows

Why are people putting ruffles on pillows? you aren't going to rest your head on a pillow like this and frankly it just looks unfinished.

SO.

There you have it.

If you find yourself liking any of these pictures, ask yourself, are YOU Pinterest brainwashed?

I love that little giant.

2011-11-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

There are times being a parent when you just look at your baby and in your head yell,"WHY?!"

Like tonight for instance.

We went to the grocery store about 7:30, on the way home around 8:30 he had fallen asleep.

Yeeeees.

We moved him from his carseat, to his crib, and he went to bed.

Till 9 pm. He woke up slightly, so we hurried and made a bottle, tried to feed him, but he wasnt having it, and he was awake.

This was a moment when in my head I would typically yell in my head,"WHY?!"

But not tonight. Tonight was different. Tonight as I cradled him in my arms and bounced him while walking trying to get him back to sleep, I looked down at him. He was looking back at me, and just staring. He had the sweetest smile on his face, he was as calm as can be, and for a few minutes in his quiet nursery we just stared and smiled at each other.

Its a moment I hope I never forget.

In that moment he wasn't just a baby, he was a fellow spirit here on earth with me, and I felt it.

My mother in law always says that babies cry because its hard for such strong giant spirits to be trapped in such a tiny body.

Tonight I realized this is true of Henry. He has such a strong giant spirit, and I am sooooo grateful to be able to be his mom.

I love that little man.

He is why I am here.

I know I was born to be his mom.

I born to love him.

I was born to teach him.

and he was born to teach me.

Gosh I love that little man.

(I am going to go sneak into his nursey now and peak at him.)

Christmas...er I mean Happy Halloween!

2011-10-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

Yep, Henry has 2 Halloween costumes.

Deal with it.

I didn't want to do any cheesy typical baby costumes, and I thought if I was a boy, what would I want to be?

Harry Potter of course.

I mean, Henry Potter.

But lets face it, as much as I am trying to be in the Halloween spirit, my true love awaits in the Christmas season.

Tomorrow I am making a prop for family christmas pictures, and then working on a new set of stockings for my little family, that I am super excited about.

I am also trying to finish painting my house, so I can rearrange my living room to fit the Christmas tree and new decor where I want it.

Basically, I loved Christmas before, but I adore it even more just thinking about Christmas with this guy:

Can't, wait.

its almost here...

2011-10-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

(3 new blog posts, scroll down.)

On this day, I dressed Henry in adorable Christmas PJ's, turned om the fireplace, and snuggled with him and a nice cozy blanket. He fell asleep like that.

loved it.

I can not wait for the christmas SEASON. Not just the day, in fact not even the day, but the season.

these are a few of my favorite things

2011-10-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

Now that Henry is 6 months old, I am gonna share with you some of our favorite baby items.

ya know, for fun.

Infant Fruit Feeder

Oh my, we love this. just keep it in the diaper bag and when you are out, maybe to dinner or lunch, just put a piece of fruit in there and they go to town on it. It seriously keeps him happy forever. MUST HAVE. Since they are eating it fresh, there is no need for any preparation! just stick it in there! $4.

Snuggle Banket

Henry loooooves blankets. But we won't let him sleep in his crib with one, for obvious reasons. So recently I bought him one of these blanket snuggle things, and he loves it. He chews on it, rubs it on his face, and doesn't get tangled in it. Genius. They are like $5-$15.

Fisher Price Swing

I have already blogged about this swing, but it deserves to make the list. This swing saved my life.

although next baby I am getting this one, for a bunch of reasons.

Raspberry teething toy

Henry is constantly teething, he has two teeth already but more moving around and he LOVES this teething toy, and hear a lot of babys do. Its nice because he can move it all around his gum line and get way in the back, when he wants. He doesn't use binkies, so he holds it in his mouth. They are like $5. good investment.

Formula Dispenser

Obviously for formula fed babies only, but this thing is handy. most people use it most when they leave the house or leave the baby with a sitter, but we use it most for the night feedings. Its nice because we dont have to go to the kitchen to make a bottle. They are like $2.

Playtex ventaire bottles

These bottles are awesome. The bottom of the bottle is a ventilation cap that lets the air come in the bottle through the bottom, instead of the nipple hole. It makes it so Henry swallows less air, but the best part is it makes it faster for him to finish a bottle. When we use the other ones that are just regular ones, it takes him twice as long. $8 a bottle.

Hooded towels

Obviously these are awesome. Henry has outgrown most of the store bought ones, but a family member made him one out of a regular sized towel, and I love it. I am sure its no big deal to just use a regular non hooded towel, but he looks so cute in hooded ones. :) $8

Toddler car seat

Did you know that your baby can ride in one of these once they are 5 lbs? so basically when they are born. Henry has been riding in one of these since he was 4 months old and he absolutely loves it. At first it was annoying cause we had to hold him whereever we went, but now that he sits its a lot better. He just hated his infant car seat.

Well those are just a few of our favorite things. They make life easier and more fun. :)

best time of day

2011-10-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

My FAVORITE time of day is Henry's bedtime.

Not because he is going to bed(although that helps), but because I love our routine.

Its soothing, bonding, and so relaxing.

Step 1: dinner. we eat our dinner, and he eats some solids and a bottle.

step 2: a little bit of play time, usually with Daddy. Henry absolutely adores his dad, and no one can get him to laugh the way Jason can.

step 3: bathtime. henry LOVES bathtime. He splashes like mad, and Jason squirts him with his toys. When its over we wrap him in a warm towel and snuggle him till he's dry. Then we get him dressed in adorable PJ's.

Now in the summer this is when we would go on a walk with the stroller, but now its too cold.

step 4: Little bedtime snack, and a bottle, in his nursery.

step 5. I cuddle him in the rocker and sing to him this song:

Lean on me, when you're not strong

and I'll be your friend

I'll help you carry on

for it won't be long

til I'm gonna need

somebody to lean on

just call on me brother, when you need a hand

we all need somebody to lean on

I just might have a problem that you'd understand

we all need somebody to lean on

I love this song and I love that it talks about leaning on each other and not just one way.

step 6: family prayer

step 7: Then we put Henry in his crib, turn on his crib toy, give him his tiny snuggle blanket, and sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Kiss him good night, and see him again in the morning. (well for me I see him again at midnight and 4 am. stupid wakings)

I love his bedtime routine, and I think he likes it too. It goes so smoothly and he goes right to sleep. I read a few books during the newborn stage about sleep, feedings blah blah, and while I learned a lot from each book, Henry's digestive system doesnt really allow us to strictly follow any of them. BUT the bedtime routine theory is the best thing ever, and works like a charm. We have been doing this same routine since he was born.

love it, and love that we do it as a family.

General Conference

2011-09-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

As we prepare for General Conference I was reflecting on the last session of General Conference, and I remembered how much I loved one of the talks.

This one.

If you have a minute you should go read it, rather listen to it, it can get a little confusing with his wording.

" as a parent, when can I check a child off my list as done? We are never done being good parents. And to be good parents, one of the most important things we can teach our children is how to be more like the Savior."

There are a lot of passages from it that I like, but its more powerful if they are in context. I loved this talk because its one of the few that I felt actually told you how to parent, instead of giving guidelines, ideas, feelings, etc. I felt so much more prepared to have my first child after hearing this talk, and Henry came 3 days later. :)

Happy Conference everyone.

unplugged

2011-09-21T07:59:00.001-07:00

my gorgeous friend Brittany, did something that made so much sense to me. she unplugged. you can read about it here.

I have always wanted to do something like that, but Jason's not really into that kind of thing. weirdo.

Sundays would be a great day to do that, but I also think I will try doing it during the week sometime. I think a tech free day for reflection and growth in the middle of the week would do me some good. She is calling her days unplugged, I am going to call mine tuning out to tune in. Meaning, tuning out the worldly things, TV, Facebook(eeks), blogs, internet, etc. to tune in to myself, my child, and the spirit.

Do it with me, I have no doubt that only good can from it.

152 days old

2011-09-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

My little guy turned 5 months old yesterday.

awesome.

I can safely say we are not one of the parents that are upset their baby is growing up.

we have the best, cutest baby ever, but we still have realized we are not really baby people.

Henry is much more fun and easy now that he can be content playing by himself or just hanging out around us.

He laughs all the time, he looooves people, he is such an outgoing baby, and most of all he absolutely adores his dad. He gets so happy whenever he sees Jason and Jason can make him laugh hysterically. its so sweet.

He loves to stand, he just wants to stand all the time and he is getting pretty good at doing it on his own while holding something besides us.

He is also learning to sit, even though he hates it. He would much prefer to stand.

Jason is great at getting him to laugh and smile when I want to take pictures. :)

We have decided to stop trying to get him to roll from his stomach to his back. He just has no interest in it, and I kind of feel like he is going to skip crawling. He just loves to stand and it just makes sense that since he wants to stand all the time, it will eventually lead to walking.

so whatever.

Go with your own flow, Henry!

and Yes, he has a big head. 103%. and I love it.

almost 5 months!

2011-09-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Henry's such a sweet little guy. thats what everyone says. :)

Henry is doing REALLY well these days. He was sick for about 2 weeks, I slept on his nursery floor everynight, and we were constantly clearing his nose. Since then he is doing a lot better though. He is back to sleeping in his crib at night, he falls asleep on his own, doesn't need a bottle, and usually sleeps through the night. We are back on a babywise schedule which has been nice. He only eats 4 times a day now, but bigger amounts and with rice in his formula.

He has no interest in anything having to do with being on his tummy. He LOOOVES standing, however. I suspect he will walk before he crawls.

He still loves his daddy a ton. Smiles any time he can see Jason and he will just stare at him. I love the way Henry looks at Jason.

I started going to the gym regularly now, and Henry goes to the daycare there. I was REALLY nervous about it at first, but I went in and took a look around, asked questions etc. All the workers there are moms themselves, so I feel 10 times better right there. Henry's first day he laughed and played, and fell asleep which means he was fine being there. I like him being in the daycare more than a babysitters, because if he needs me or I just wanna check on him, I can be there in 60 seconds. so I think its gonna work out good. :)

be my friend.

2011-08-28T21:16:00.001-07:00

I took the plunge, I started a website for my photography. I am excited and also nervous. Its kind of a vulnerable thing to say you think you are good enough at something to make a website ya know? So help me out, its here, http://katiannphotography.blogspot.com/, follow me, and like me on facebook. help my ego. :)

rice and boys

2011-08-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

This is Henry:

For those of you who don't know, Henry was born with an immature digestive system, making it so that digestive formula was painful for him. he spent the first month of his life crying all the time. After 1 instacare visit, 2 trips to primary childrens hospital, 9 formulas, and countless dr's visits, we finally found a formula that Henry was happy on, Nutramigen. Its expensive, smelly, and makes his poop absolutely rancid, but he makes him extremely happy. So we are happy.

Anyway, the point of that background, Henry can't digest regular formulas, and baby's on nutramigen typically don't start any kind of solid food until 6 months or up to 1 year. Before I knew that however, when Henry was 3 1/2 months I started putting rice in his formula and he loved it. He didn't have any issues with it, and he is gaining a ton of good weight on it. So the other day I decided to try feeding him just rice, I mean its the exact same as putting it in his formula only its a different consistency.

so we did.

and he loved it.

its too early to tell if he can digest it well, but I don't see why he wouldn't.

we aren't giving it to him a lot, just a little at dinner time in his high chair so mom and dad can eat their dinner together.

So there you have it. Isn't he so cute enjoying his rice?

I hope all I have are boys, and I hope they are just like Henry.

2011-08-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

oops...

2011-08-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Henry's really 4 months, but I am a little behind so here are his 3 month updates.

photography

2011-07-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

sooo I have done about 10 photo sessions in the last little while. every time I do a session, it becomes my favorite. I feel like I keep getting better.

heres some of my favorites:

Henry is such a good little helper. part of his bedtime routine is actually spending about 10 minutes outside, after his bath. It happens to also be the perfect time for me to practice my "sun flare" effect. I don't like the look of sun flares, buts its trendy right now. I like bright vivid color, not a whole bunch of sun rays. but anyway, Henry is kind enough to be my model:

On a couple sessions he and Jason have come with me, and he hangs out in his stroller with his dad. I'd like to think he loves it:

P.S. I am not sure why, but these pictures look really dull and grey in blogger. they look a lot better on Facebook.

so there ya go. If you want a session, let me know. :)

2011-07-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

today is a milestone for little Henry.

He totally rolled onto his stomach from his back.

and we, totally missed it.

blast.

oh well. I am sure it will look the same the next time he does it.

Here are some pics of the little guy.

he loooooooves his daddy:

loves to be held like this:

his dad hates having his picture taken, see here:

but I just think Henry's face is so hilarious in it, that I love it.

Well theres not much more to update on. I feel like all I blog about is Henry and his development, but thats really my life right now. We did start putting rice in his formula to get him to sleep longer at night, and it totally worked, BUT, he was sleeping in his swing, cause it was the only place he'd sleep. Now that he is able to roll to his side and move a little more, he fusses in his swing cause hes trying to roll onto his side and get comfortable, so its ruining his sleep. So, we are switching him to his crib and its been an adjustment. He hates it, wakes up twice a night again, and screams when we put him down. sigh. CAN NOT WAIT until he is older.

twice!

2011-07-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

In June I posted 3 times.

In July I have posted once.

I totally suck.

Not much has been going on, as usual.

I have been pretty busy doing photography, and am loving it. Its a good getaway from mommy mode and helps me keep me, me.

This is my little cutie all snuggled in a towel with his dad, after a bath:

This is how much he looooves bath time:

I really just can't get enough of my cutie:

Soooo, a lot has happened that I swore wouldn't. We arent doing babywise, because of Henry's immature digestive system I don't think its right for him, right now. We stopped letting him cry it out, and he sleeps in his swing, in our room, at night. Oh, and he goes to sleep usually right after a bottle. Henry has been EXTREMELY needy of me lately, most of the time its cute and I love it, but it makes it hard for me to let someone babysit him.

Henry, hopefully, will start some sort of solid food in a few weeks when he is 4 months, and thats when I plan on trying to correct everything. His formula right now just doesn't keep him full at night so I just want him to be as comfortable as possible until we can feed him things that are more filling.

siiiigh. oh well.

You can try and plan things all you want, but once baby comes, you really need to read your baby and decide whats right for them.

WELL, the little bugger just woke up, gotta go.

July?!

2011-07-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

sorry for no update, I been in a blogging slump but I will do my best, yet again, to keep you updated.

mostly on this little guy....

Henry is almost rolling! They say babies grow up over night, and its true, literally. Yesterday during tummy time Henry was holding his head up like half way, and wasnt using his arms AT ALL. Today I decided lets do some tummy time and voila!! head all the way up, using his arms and he is trying to ROLL!!! he kept teetering back and forth trying to flip over and he got almost all the way on his side, then he got frustrated and we stopped. I am ok with it because I am hoping he will do it this 3 day weekend when his dad can see. :)

He went through a huge growth spurt this week. Jason and I didn't figure out thats what was going on til about half way through it. He stopped taking his 3 hour morning nap, wanted to eat all the time, and was waking up twice a night instead of his usual once. I THINK, think, the growth spurt is over, its been about 5 days since it started, and he seriously grew over night last night!

Since we brought Henry home from the hospital he had problems with his digestive system, and it was miserable for all. 2 primary childrens hospital visits, 5 different dr's, 1 instacare visit, countless dr's phone calls, and they finally decided he has an immature digestive system. This is good, because he grows out of it around 6 months. Until then we have to have him on a really expensive pre-digested formula, he's been on it for almost a month now and is the happiest baby I have ever seen. the only down sides are, the poop smells absolutely horrid, and, because it is pre-digested, it goes through his system pretty quick so at night he still wakes up around 2 am needing to eat. but its alright, he eats, and goes right back to sleep, and its good snuggle time with my little guy.

I started doing photography. I know, it seems like everyone is a photographer these days, but why not? I have always loved taking pictures, and I finally figured out how to REALLY use my fancy shmancy camera, and editing software, so I am going to give it a shot. Plus I think there needs to be at least one actually affordable photographer who doesn't charge hundreds of dollars to take pictures. Right I am just doing sessions for free, to get practice and show people what I do, so if you or anyone you know want pictures done, I am free! :) my favorite to do so far is children. They are just fun and easy to get sweet pictures of. Its been really fun so we will see where it goes.

my weight loss is going good, I think. I have a rule that I don't weigh myself until I have been on the absolute right track for at least 1 month. Doing a daily, even weekly weigh is just too soon for me, in the beginning. But I have been doing great for 5 days, feel better, maybe even lighter, so in 25 days we will see. :)

well, I think thats it for now! :)

blerg.

2011-06-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

alright, lets do an update.

It may be boring, I am not feeling spunky, but I must post or I may never.

Henry:

Is amazing. He is doing SO well since we figured out his medical issues. He has an immature digestive system, and acid reflux. So we give him daily meds, and he is on a VERY expensive pre-digested formula, with those two things he is the happiest baby. He is hitting his milestones early, already grabbing things, babbles all the time, and is ALMOST sleeping through the night, he only wakes once around 2-3 am. He is 97th percentile for height and 26th for weight. We oober love him.

Us:

we're good. life has a normal, and I almost love it. Everything, except my weight. Its disgusting, I hate it, I hate my body, my face, my clothes, everything about it. I refuse to not lose the weight. I refuse to be one of those moms talking about losing "baby weight" at my sons first birthday part. its no longer baby weight, its Kati weight, and it must go. I mean, I know I will be a better mom when I am a happier woman. I gained A LOT of weight during pregnancy, more than I care to admit. I lost a lot when I first had him, but now I have about 50 lbs more to lose before I back to normal. ironically enough I am exactly where I was when I first started losing weight, over 2 years ago.

The plan.

this weekend is my get ready to lose it weekend, I am going to indulge, eat whatever, and enjoy it, for come Monday, the eating is is changing. I will work on correcting my eat for the next 2 weeks, and then in two weeks, Henry will be 3 months old, and old enough for the gyms DAYCARE!! I am really excited about this and also really torn at the same time. I have never left Henry alone with a stranger, even at the hospital he only spent about 6 hours total in the nursery. So Jason and I may have to go in one day and meet the people there, and check things out so I will feel comfortable leaving him there. I just keep replaying in my mind all the horror stories out there about people abusing kids while tending them and I could never forgive myself if something awful happened to him. Did anyone else go through this the first time you left your baby with someone other than family?

anyway, follow along here if you care to follow my weight loss progress.

theres your update.

sorry theres no pics. I am too lazy.

hello out there.

2011-06-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

I am in a posting funk.

I haven't posted in weeks.

but I have nothing to post about.

but I am still here.

reading your posts.

so keep posting away.

documentation

2011-06-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

This is how I am documenting Henry's(well all my children for that matter) milestones.

I am not big on long lists, or big explanations, so this simple unique way works perfect for me.

I will print these all out into scrapbook pages when he hits a year.

my baby is 2 months old!!! Its pretty exciting and lots of fun. I can't believe how fast time has gone by and am really excited about it. I love how much he is learning and doing these days, totally beats a newborn. :) As hard as it may be we are very excited for the toddler stage. :P

my wish for you

2011-05-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Henry-

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car..

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something yo u believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your father punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that he hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give him a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

sweet nugget

2011-05-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

Tell me that is not the sweetest thing you have ever seen, go ahead, try.

It is the sweetest thing, ever.

Henry's swaddle life has come to an end.

When we decided to start letting him cry to sleep, we also decided it would be best to stop swaddling him, so he can sooth himself with his hands and whatnot.

But I am glad I took these pictures of him a while ago so I can always remember what my little nugget looked like all swaddled up.

so sweet.

P.S.

night 2 of Henry crying it out involved absolutely no crying, and only a few minutes of fussing.

loooooove.

wasnt so bad.

2011-05-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

This is what I had myself prepared for tonight.

We have decided its time Henry learn to put himself to sleep, so we were going to let him cry it out.

we would put him down awake, and go in every 10 mins if he was crying to sooth him, and then put him right back down.

I prepared myself for hours of crying, from both Henry and I, I prepared to go in there numerous times, holding him thinking I was ruining him.

So Jason and I fed him a bottle, rocked him for a few minutes, sang take me out to the ball game, kissed him good night, and put him down.

7 minutes later, he was asleep.

success.

big baby

2011-05-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today I sorted through Henry's clothes, and packed up the things that are too small.

my little guy is in the 97th percentile for height, so even though he isn't chunky, AT ALL, he is too tall for a lot of his clothes. I have one skinny tall baby. :)

I bought a 5 pack of onsies, that I love, and was sad he outgrew them.

I went to Carter's the other day, and they still had them!

So I bought them in the next size. :D

sometimes its weird to think how small he used to be.

see:

anyway. thats all for now. Sorry this blog has become so boring, but Henry is pretty much all I do these days.

you know how it is.

milestones

2011-05-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

Little dudes first day of church.

Doesn't he look super cute?!

its the simple things

2011-05-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Happiness lies in the simple moments of our lives.

Happiness for me today, was walking to my bedroom, and passing this along the way:

I love watching Jason take care of Henry.

Jason talks to Henry, and warns him of his moms obsessive need to document things, that may or may not include painting Henry's feet to get cute footprints.

He made a pact with Henry, to watch each others back in this regard.

I am still unaware of the details of this pact.

But its totally cute none the less.

Henry is 6 weeks, and completely adorable.

He has the CUTEST laugh.

He also has the CUTEST scream. lol seriously.

we call him: the little gremlin, tyke, little dude, H-Dawg and peanut.

I love my boys

I love the simple moments in life that bring such happiness

Heaven on earth is in a swing

2011-05-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

I started a really bad habit with Henry. Whenever Henry needed a nap, I would hold him til he fell asleep, and then he was just so cute and snuggly I held him the whole time. Thus creating his need to always be held in order to nap.

ugh.

I am at the point now that I wanna get back into wife mode also, clean and cook dinners, but the only time I can really do all that is when he naps, but since I have to hold him, well you see where this is going.

Well, a few weeks ago we went to our friends house, and Henry sat in their swing for a while, and loved it. He just hung out, didn't fuss, didn't need anything.

We had a baby swing, but it wasn't anything special and Henry didn't like it at all.

So this week I had it up to here with not getting stuff done and with his bad nap habit. I wanted him to get a long good quality nap, and he just wasn't getting that in my arms.

So after a stressed phone call to my sweet hubby, he ordered this for me:

Its the swing.

the lifesaver of my life.

Henry LOVES it.

Jason put it together last night, and this morning around 10, Henry needed a nap. Jason put Henry in the swing, and Henry was out like a light. like magic.

I am sooooo excited for tomorrow, to get him napping well, even if he does need to rely on a swing for a while to nap, I am ok with that.

Its a pretty fancy shmancy swing, does all sorts of stuff that Henry likes, so I highly reccommend it to anyone that will have a baby. Henry lvoes the side to side motion, the softness of the basket, seriously its like a big pillow, the sounds it plays, and the mobile.

Wanna know how much he loves it?

He took his first nap around 10, and around 1, this is what we got from him:

Thats right, my 5 week old baby was smiling all over the place today. Thats what a good nap schedule will do to a baby.

Mommy is smiling just as big. :D

sweetness

2011-05-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Newborns are hard, I've said that before, but let me tell you my favorite part.

Rather let me show you...

Nap time. more specifically cuddling during nap time.

I really suck at nap time. I want him to sleep in his crib for naps, but he doesn't fall asleep on his own yet, and I just love snuggling with him.

in a few weeks I will start the tough love phase and teach him to self soothe and what not, hopefully I am not shooting myself in the foot by letting him nap on him.

Cause its so sweet!!

Wanna know my absolute favorite part?

This...

When I snuggle him to sleep, he grabs on to me with his teeny tiny hand.

melts.my.heart.

only a few more weeks of this, and I am kinda sad to see it go soon. :(

BUT, hopefully doing so will get him to sleep through the night better.

3 more weeks, then Babywise starts.

wish me luck.

1 month

2011-05-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

This little dude...

Is 4 weeks old today. 1 month old on Saturday.

life with him started out rocky, not gonna lie.

But life with him has quickly turned to lovely.

newborns are tough, I don't prefer the newborn stage.

just give me a chunky baby instead. :)

But oh how I love this little Henry of mine.

Happy 1 month birthday little baby.

Mommy will eat some cake on your behalf.

Henry's growing up!

2011-05-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

First sign of Henry growing up.

Remember him here?

Sweet little Henry, taking a nap, in his adorable mittens. He had long nails, but they weren't hard enough to cut yet without getting skin, so he wore mittens for the first 3 weeks of his life. It was a sure sign that he was a newborn.

Now...

Mommy was finally able to file his nails down so he doesn't have to sport the mittens anymore. Anytime I read a blog about someones baby, they are always sad their baby is growing up, I couldn't be more excited. I love that he is growing, and doing new things. Jason and I can not wait for the toddler stage, as hard as we know it will be, we think it is going to be a lot of fun, too.

So farewell mittens! I shall pack you up for the next Powell boy.

This is our cute little stud muffin. Things are going much smoother and better these days, Thank goodness.

He didn't use to like binkies all that much, until we switched to the Nuk kind, and now he loves them. He also does SOOOOO well on the Nuk bottles. Life saver is an understatement.

-Names we call him, Henner, little dude, and the tyke.

-Now that his hands are free he has started to discover them and suck on them

-he loves bath time. You can't really tell since he doesn't smile yet, but his eyes get big and he stops crying if he was.

-he makes the cutest funniest faces.

-he loves his mom the most. ;)

-he will squeeze your finger with his toes, and its so adorable.

-he has blonde hair!! its kind of a dirty blonde, and when his face gets all red his hair gets sooo blonde! no one saw that coming.

-he loves play dates with his best friend Raegan.

-He loves snuggling with dad.

-he loves to be swaddled at night

-he is almost too long for new born jammies

-he loves car rides, falls asleep every single time

-he has the cutest scream lol.

-he loves when you have a conversation with him

well theres a little about Henry. We are doing really well, finally. The first few weeks were a bit rocky to say the least, but things are starting to fall into place and be wonderful. I love being Henry's mom. Life is starting to feel normal, and I am starting to feel like I can do other things during the day now, like errands or having friends over. Well thats it for now!!

A day in the life

2011-04-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

I thought this would be fun, to take you through a day in the life of Kati and Henry.

The pictures are out of order as far as whats first in the day, but oh well. :)

This is ground zero for the main chunk of the day. I am usually sitting against that brown pillow, holding Henry, or he is in the swing under the brown blanket(which is currently is in the picture). Its bright in there so he stays asleep for naps longer in the blanket is over the swing. There are burp clothes everywhere, bottles, his bag, seat, etc. Its a baby mess.

This is ground zero for feedings. We only have 3 bottles cause we are still deciding if we like them, so I have to wash the bottles 2 or 3 times a day. There are little syringes for his medication, his formula and some binkies.

My favorite part! Ground zero for cleanings. I love baths, and I love giving my son baths. He gets so clean and yummy smelling, and I loooooove swaddling his wet little body in a towel and snuggling him. My bath area has turned into his bath area. Sigh, he's worth it.

Ugh, the worst part, ground zero at night. The bassinet is in the crib, and on the floor is my bed. Sometimes I just lay down on the floor for a few mins cause I know he is going to wake up again and I will need to coax him back to sleep.

This is our morning ground zero. For some reason I prefer getting him ready and changing his diaper for the morning in here. Theres burp clothes, wipes and other crap on the bed each morning.

Well there you have it. That is where Henry and I spend our days. We leave maybe once a day, and I really don't like leaving the house, its somewhat stressful to me. I just hate when he cries while I am driving, it kills me that I can't soothe him.

Motherhood

2011-04-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Some homes try to hide the fact that children shelter there,

Ours boasts of it quite openly, the signs are everywhere.

For smears are on the windows, little smudges on the door,

I should apologize, I guess, for toys strewn on the floor.

But I sat down with the children and we played and laughed and read,

And if the doorbell doesn't shine, their eyes will shine instead.

For when at times I am forced to choose the one job or the other,

I want to be a homemaker-but first I'll be a Mother.

-(Author unknown)

Sometimes the house gets neglected, and thats ok, because I am learning that there is a huge difference between being a homemake and a mother. Being a mother is so much more important.

blah

2011-04-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

I love blogging. It helps me process things and see things in real perspective. So if any of it is boring to you, well, don't read. ;)

Theres a lot about being a mom I wasn't expecting, or thought would be different.

First, I was convinced I would never be one of those moms who dont get ready each day, and spend the day in their PJ's. Maybe when my baby is a few months older that will be the case, but I think daily I get about 3 and half minutes to myself, which is used to pee.

second, there is no such thing as a quick trip when you have a baby. Currently at Costco are sitting some prints I ordered of my little tyke, and I thought I would run go get them this morning. Then I realized I can't really just run in, I have to bring the tyke, and he's a lot to haul around.

third, it really truly is so exhausting taking care of a newborn. Which is weird to me, I mean, he just eats sleeps and poops, whats so exhausting about that? I don't know, its just a constant need he has for something, and its hard.

fourth, I am sooo grateful for those who have helped me when I needed it. You know who you are, answered questions, kept me entertained, visited, etc. Every bit of it has helped so much.

fifth, the memory of being pregnant is getting dimmer each day. It seems like years ago that I was impatiently trying to get him out, not 3 weeks ago.

Life is starting to seem a bit more normal. We are slowly but surely getting Henry on a schedule that works for all of us. Our days consist of just staying home and trying to get into a swing of things. Bath time is by far my favorite part of the day. He is just so cute when he is all wet and clean and snuggled in a towel. The funniest thing about Henry is when he smiles, we aren't sure he knows he is smiling because its totally unprovoked, we think its gas. Which makes it hilarious. Henry is tall and skinny like his dad, he is in the 95 percentile for height(which means he is taller than 95% of babies his age) and in the 25-50 percentile for weight.

I still think labor and delivery was the funnest thing ever, and recovery was the worst thing ever. That opinion will probably never change. I am still not 100% recovered.

I've hit a wall and I have no idea what to blog about. My day consists of poop, bottles and trying to force a newborn to nap. I have no pictures of fabrics and shelves to show you, and I haven't had any time to even think about anything other than baby.

Hopefully this will pass.

And hopefully this post is good enough for now.

sweetest moment

2011-04-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Being a mom to a newborn is hard.

But there comes a moment, when you see that it is all worth it.

A moment, that just melts your heart.

That moment comes, when this little face is sound asleep snuggling with you, you are wondering if you can sneak him into his crib without him knowing, and then he wakes up, looks at you with his big blue eyes, looks at you for a second before going back to sleep, and you know, you can just tell, that he woke up real quick, just to make sure you were still there.

That moment is enough to make your heart skip a beat.

I hope I never forget that moment, and the love that was there.

1 week older and wiser too.

2011-04-15T08:28:00.001-07:00

Henry David Powell

Its been a week since Henry was born. WOW!! People always say time goes by so fast and a week with my baby certainly goes faster than a week pregnant.

He is wonderful. During the day, he is the happiest, easiest baby ever. Around 10pm he gets cranky, but usually its tameable within an hour and we go into our sleep cycle. Henry had his days and nights mixed up so our pediatrician told us how to correct it. Right now he wakes up 2-3 times a night, with 3-4 hours in between. I am thrilled with that as a newborn.

The second night he was home, before we knew his days were backwards, we had the worst night EVER. I have never had such a horrible night, he screamed and cried bloody murder, til 5 am. Jason and I were so distraught, but luckily that hasn't happened since. Talk about being broken into parenting!

We looove our pediatrician. We just had the hospital send one over while we were there, and we just decided to keep going to him cause he was nice. When we went for our appointment at his office I fell in love with it. Everyone in the office knew who we were, and that we were coming with the new baby. When we got there the receptionist said"ah the new baby is here!" All the staff really seemed like they cared about the kids and not just running a Dr's office. So much so, that they open every door for you, and insist you put sanitizer on before you leave because they are really concerned about the measles outbreak here.

Bringing him home was exactly how I thought it would be, in that I had no idea how it would be! I think we did really well considering he's our first child. 1 week after he was born, I got a HUGE nesting bug at 8 am, I woke up, cleaned the entire house from top to bottom, I even hand cleaned the bathroom floors. :) It felt so good. It was really nice to have the ward bring meals. The first night the member brought us like 3 huge racks of ribs, I was sooo surprised. It was delicious

So I guess I have to start blogging details about Henry, like all others do. :)

He was born at 7 lbs 12 oz, left the hospital at 7 lbs 5 oz, and 2 days later at his appointment was 7 lbs 8 oz. Dr said his weight gain is awesome.

He loves car rides, falls asleep every time.

he HATES getting his diaper changed, with an ugly passion lol.

His umbilical cord fell off 1 week after birth. I hated that thing.

he loves to just hang out on the bed or table with us, he isnt needy to be held.

He has HUGE feet and hands, thats the first thing everyone said when they saw him.

he loves to suck on our fingers, instead of binkies, but he likes binkies too.

he pees the bed, all the freaking time lol. we have to Vaseline his penis area until his circumcision is healed, and it makes the pee just shoot of the diaper instead of it soaking in. not fun.

he loooves to be swaddled, we went and bought 2 extra swaddlers cause he loves them so much.

more to come later, of course. :)

Henry's Birth Story

2011-04-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

The beginning:

April 6th I had a drs appointment where he stripped my membranes. I went home with constant cramping, knowing that was going to be normal for having my membranes stripped. Later around 8 pm, I started having more intense cramping during the regular cramping. I wasn't convinced I was in labor, because I didnt want to cry wolf, or thinking something big of something little. So I took some tylenol pm, and fell asleep fast. Around 3 am I woke up with frequent cramps. I layed in bed, and was really confused. People say you will know when you are in labor, and I didn't know if I was or not. After timing them, they were every 10ish minutes, I woke up Jason around 4. It went like this:

Me: Jason lets go

Jason: go where?

Me: to the hospital.

Jason: Are you serious?

lol this conversation is funny because a couple weeks before I told him I knew exactly what he was going to say when I told him it was time, "Are you serious?" lol I know my cute hubby too well.

So we got up, got ready, packed the hospital bag, fed the kitties and left. It was so surreal and weird to be driving to the hospital thinking this is the last time we will drive somewhere as a family of two. I wasn't in too much pain, so it was a pleasant fun drive, we talked, laughed, breathed through contractions, it was nice. When we got to the hospital I was dilated to a 4 and contractions were every 5-7 minutes. They had me walk around labor and delivery to further progress me, which dilated me to a 5. At this point I opted for the epidural and oh my word, that is the weirdest thing ever. It feels sooo strange. After I got my epidural, my family came. My parents and my little sister. It was so nice to have them there, and I knew it would be. They were good company and entertainment to pass the time.

around 9 am they checked me and I was at a 7+.pretty much every time they came to check me I had dilated a whole nother centimeter. Around 2pm we started pushing. I pushed for about 45 minutes before his head was in the right spot, then we had to wait for my Dr. to get there. When he got there it was a matter of maybe 10 minutes before Henry arrived. I remember Henry coming out, I remember feeling it, like something being sucked out. I immediately started crying.

I will tell you, giving birth is the most spiritual thing I have ever done. I have never felt the spirit so strong before. I truly felt like Heavenly Fathers presence was there, and that the moment Henry came out, Heavenly Father was handing him to me. I felt comforted, like Heavenly Father was whispering to me that he trusts me with this precious little one.

Anyway, he came out, they cleaned him up, weighed him yada yada. The Dr. was stitching me up, I did not tear at all on the outside, a lot on the inside apparently but my Dr. said inside tears heal way faster. He said my recovery time will be about 2 weeks instead of the normal 6, so I am pleased with that.

Details aside, my labor with Henry was perfect. From the moment I went into labor, Jason and I were enjoying each others company, he was supportive and helpful, the hospital staff was fantastic, my wonderful family came to keep me company and laughing, my wonderful Dr. came in on his day off to deliver Henry, Henry is perfect. There was no dramatic screaming or yelling, I did squeeze Jason's hands quite hard before the epidural came, but its all part of the experience right? ;)

Henry's first night was quite fun, it was full of learning and firsts. It was soooo weird to be woken up by Henry crying, like hey! thats my son crying! weeeeeird. Jason got to stay the night on an actually pretty comfy sofa bed, there was nothing sofa about it, it was pretty much a twin bed. I was still in a good amount of pain from the swelling, so I only slept about 2 hours. The rest of the time I snuggled with the little man, which is so worth losing sleep. We sent him to the nursery about 4 am though, and got him back around 7 am.

The second day was pretty rough for me, Henry did perfectly. I did not tear externally at all, but I tore a lot internally, which caused a lot of swollen pain that ran my day instead of Henry. luckily I have the worlds best husband who took care of Henry's every need when I couldn't. To this minute(a day ago) I have not changed a diaper. Jason is such a wonderful dad. I am still having some recovery problems, I don't want to take away from the blessful story of Henry's birth though so I won't go into details, but I had to come home with some hospital equipment to take care of myself because of some issues I had in recovery. Everything will be fine. :)

Alright, now for some tidbits of thoughts since.

I do not miss having Henry inside me, having him outside me is so much sweeter

Henry is the most chill baby ever, he doesn't cry, he is awake A LOT and is so snuggly

I love snuggly Henry

Jason has become a pro at swaddling Henry

my family adores him, its the first grandchild

Henry looks like me the most, which is weird to me

He loves having his picture taken

all the nurses love Henry and think he is so handsome

we took like 6 baby blankets, 8 binkies and a weekends worth of formula from the hospital

delivery(with an epidural) is a piece of cake,$ its the RECOVERY that is a real b*&$h

I am addicted to Henry

Grandma and Grandpa Odekirk sure do love being the grandparents, they take advantage greatly of giving Henry back when he pees on them. ;)

I will post more later, but for all you impatient folks, theres how it all went down.

Welcome Henry

2011-04-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

Created with love, carried with hope, and welcomed with joy.

Henry David Powell has arrived.

He is absolutely perfect.

I am smittened with him.

I feel so blessed.

so loved.

so grateful.

so lucky.

so peaceful.

7 lbs 12 oz

21 inches long

scored a PERFECT 10 on the apgar scoring

I will work on his birth story tonight so I don't forget it, promise. :)

Total overhaul.

2011-04-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

K, so remember how I am going to do a total over haul on my house decor?

I thought I would give you a tiny sneak peak and see what you think.

First thing about this overhaul you should know, the boldness and brightness, if there is any, is in the fabrics. I learned from my mistake last time of putting it on the walls, so I have pretty fabrics, with some color. So don't look at the fabrics and think its too bold cause mainly they are just for pillows.

Downstairs living room. Currently painted aqua, and yellow. WILL be painted a grey shade of white, with one or two black accent walls. I know, black, but I REALLY think its going to be awesome, they are small walls, and with the opposite color being a grey/white I think it will be very classy. Picture something SORT of like this for the black wall:

See? not as bad as you thought, right?

Here's a sneak peak of what I have so far.

I looove the fabric, and I needed a specific fabric. With wanting to introduce and make black a main color in here, I had to be able to blend in brown, because the couch cushions are brown. So I went to home fabrics and found the perfect one. It has black, tan, brown and the red secondary color.

The main floor. Is currently painted brown, aqua, and yellow. ugh. Remember from here, I am painting every wall the same, light greyish blue. There are a lot of black framed pictures with off white mats on the wall, red couches are staying red, adding pillows from the fabrics below(although I am not sure on the polka dots one), and another fabric that incorporates yellow, when Henry starts crawling I will take the rug from his nursery here, and put it in the living room. Not too much more will be done, a few knick knacks and things but those details aren't hashed out.

Soooo, tell me. Whatdoya think so far?

P.S. Am I the only one that cares this much about what my house looks like?

It has come, and will probably be gone.

2011-04-05T05:47:00.000-07:00

Happy due date to me.

Happy due date dear Kati,

Happy due date to me.

**SIGH**

To be or not to be...

2011-04-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

THAT WAS IT!!!!!

I came into this general conference knowing there was something specific I needed to hear. I accidentally fell asleep during saturday mornings session, I was afraid I had missed what I needed to hear, listened to Saturday afternoons, nothing spoke to me, listened Sunday morning thinking come on! where is my message!! speak to me! Then Sunday afternoons session was it!

To be or not to be.

Lynn Robbin's talk was it. It was EXACTLY what I have been searching for this entire pregnancy. I have been so worried at how to raise children, boys specifically, and his talk has settled all my concerns and fears. It makes my eyes water just thinking at how perfect his talk was.

The idea and thought behind the talk was there are things you do, and things you are. You can take your spouse on a date, and check it off the list cause its something you do, but you cant check being a good wife off your list, cause its something you have to BE. I loved how much he directed it to parenting, teaching children thats its not what you do, its why you do it. Praising children for WHY they have done good, instead of just praising the act of doing good. I seriously can not convey the message to you as well as he does, so seriously, when the Ensign comes out, or the the texts of the talks is released on thursday, read it. You will not regret and it applies to everything, not just parenting.

That was it.

That talk, was all I needed.

I am now 110% ready to have this child.

I feel honored, blessed, ready and so grateful for what is about to happen.

I really did need this conference, so I am grateful for the faith I have been able to have in the Lord's oh so perfect timing. I see now, why I needed to be patient, and I love when I get to see the reason for why something is the way it is.

I love this gospel.

I love my Heavenly Father.

I know, that everything is done in the Lord's timing, for a very very, good reason.

40th week.

2011-03-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

Well I am in my 40th week and still no baby.

**sigh**

I kinda had a tiny hope he would come early but I am not feeling like it will happen. Thats ok, though, when he is ready to start his life, he will come. :) Each appointment I keep dilating a little bit more, so I know I am progressing.

I will admit, there is an emotion I was not prepared for. I did not think I would have such a hard time not being in control of the situation, but I am. Its so hard and nerve wracking to not be able to plan a few days even one day ahead, because I don't know when baby will come. Its frustrating that I can't put off doing the dishes, because I don't want to come home from the hospital to dirty dishes. I hate not being in control, and I didn't know I was that kind of a person. So I have tried my best to control the things I can, which is mostly cleaning my house or decorating. lol. My shower got a huge deep scrub, which is needed, the whole house is clean, floors and all, and I am trying my hardest to keep it that way. I KNOW I want to come home from the hospital to a clean house, so I keep reminding myself of that.

If you will remember from here, I had a feeling the baby wouldn't come before General Conference, and truthfully, as impatient as I am, I am ok with that. I remember having that specific thought enter my mind, that I needed one more, so I can't wait to listen and try and figure out what exactly I needed to get from it.

I keep talking to my Dr. about inducing, and I really need to ponder that this weekend because all along I have not wanted to induce, I want him to come on his own. I think I keep talking about being induced because its something I can control, which I need to get over.

So thats pretty much it. I haven't had any new symptoms, and the pain has actually gotten less, its just really hard to move around and do things.

Not too much longer though!!!

Frames frames frames

2011-03-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have decided to go with what all of you told me you liked, the grey paint color, First Frost.

(did I mention if it looks terrible everyone who voted for it is responsible to come help me repaint?) :)

The repainting will happen sometime in May, when Jason goes to London for two weeks. :(

This re-do is so far really fun for me, because I am not in a hurry, I can take my time, think things out, plan attention to detail, do things right, etc.

The current project I am working on is the wall of pictures in the front room.

See below:

This is how it looks so far. Here is the problem. When I had this wall planned out in my mind, it was NOT going to be symmetric. It was going to be all different shapes and sizes of frames, placed randomly and not so perfect. But, I just happened to find 8 frames that were the exact same at DI, that CAME with the perfect mats, and I couldn't help but get them, which made doing a random pattern very hard. Besides what is already on the wall, I have 6 more of the 8x10's, and I have 4 other frames that are identical to each other that I could mix in there, but they don't have mats. I love the mats.

Its frustrating. So this is what my living room currently looks at, its a mess. But I am SOOO excited for it to be painted. oh I cant wait.

POST EDIT

I played with it more today, here is what it currently looks like.

*Pregnancy update*

I know I said I was done talking about the pregnancy, since there is nothing new, but there is a tiny new tid bit. I have decided I am not going to have my Dr. strip my membranes. This last week I have worked on accepting God's will, and his timing, so I am not going to push things, until Henry is a week late. I have been patient for 273 days, I can wait 21 more.

Its kinda funny how full circle pregnancy(at least mine) has come. At the very beginning I was grateful, patient, connected, and thinking about it in a spiritual way knowing that it was God's plan however it happened. Then in the middle I was irritated, frustrated, uncomfortable, annoyed, impatient, and all other emotions. Now I have come back around to the first set. Its way more peaceful this way. :)

OH, and pick A B or C. :)

I am being silly!!

2011-03-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

I used to make fun of people that do what I am currently doing.

You know, people who at the paint store hold up two different paint samples trying to decide between the two, and they are like 1 itty bitty tiny shade different.

Just pick one! I would yell in my head.

But alas, here I am, staring at two completely "different" paint samples and I can not decide. So I turn to you.

Below are several pictures on different walls, in different lights, and I ask you to pick on.

The choices are Windswept, or First Tide. Ignore the really dark purplish color, its no longer an option.

One is more white, and one is more gray, but I can not decide which I love more.

The only way I can tell you to tell me which one, First Tide has a teeny tiny red F under it.

or just figure out a way to tell me which one. :D

Re-do!!!

2011-03-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

So sue me, but I am tired of the main part of the house decor. :)

My husband warned me that the colors and such I had chosen were sure to get old for me after some time, I didn't believe him. It was one of those times I really should have listened to him.

I love the yellow and aqua colors that are on my wall, I just don't love them on my wall anymore, and I HATE the brown that I agreed to leave there from the previous owners. I also don't think the knick knacks and decor in the front room makes much sense.

so,

RE-DO!!!

Not all at once, because Jason won't let me paint while I am prego, but I can do the rest slowly as I wait for Henry.

Today was frames. I love frames, you can always use a good frame. Every time I am at the DI I buy a couple frames, guaranteed. Jason hates it.

So I had a plan, of what I want to do on the wall in our living room, and it was going to require quite a few frames, from large to small.

I had them all. :D

picture time.

Here is what the frames looked like before. Now, the temple one I got at DI and wasn't sure if I would try to salvage the temple, or just use the frame since its square, and square is hard to find.

(The white circle is a sort of mache temple piece someone made)

I decided to try and salvage it. I scraped it off with a cookie sheet spatula, spray painted every piece and here it is. I quite love it actually, the blue might be a bit bright, but you cant really be too picky with spray paint.

The other two frames got a fresh coat of glossy black, and I painted the mats an antique white.

This wall is going to be a collage of frames, all black, with white mats, and black and white pictures in them. I am taking down the floating shelves also. Don't want the room to be too busy, remember, simple. :)

Its hard to visualize I am sure, but the new idea for this floor of the house is light, airy, classy, simple, elegant. The paint splotch on the wall is a sample of the color I thought I wanted, but I can't decide if its light enough.

Here is a close up of the paint sample color. Its called Tinsel Beam, and its not what I was hoping for. I wanted a really super light cotton white blue type color, and this one has too much color in it for me. On some walls it even looks purple, so tomorrow I will go back and get a different paint sample.

This room is hardly finished, I would say its 3% complete lol.

So basically the whole first floor is going to be one color(its now 3!), with a very light subtle feel to it, very relaxing and not so overwhelming.

Jason likes to call our current paint scheme a melted crayon box, and his friend likes to call it a mexican circus tent. Ugh, I don't know what I was thinking, I was just so excited to get out of white walled apartments I threw bright colors up!

Oh well, I am fixing it now. :)

38 weeks

2011-03-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

"The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them."

that is the thought for the week that is currently driving my thoughts and focus for the week.

Henry is estimated to already be 8 lbs. I really hope he doesn't get bigger! :)

Patience is a virtue

2011-03-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

"Patience doesn't mean you just wait around. Patience is to keep working while trusting in the Lord's timing."

my little sister is on her mission in Florida and her message to us for this week was about patience. I am SURE she knew I was getting impatient about delivering, so it was directed at me, but it was for sure something that struck me as inspirational right now. I really have just been waiting around, and even more, trying to push the Lord's timing.

I am getting impatient, but I know that everything is done in the Lord's timing. It doesn't matter how much it makes sense to me for the baby to come now, or how everything points to him coming soon, if its not the Lord's will, there is no changing that. Further more, I wouldn't want to change it. I know his timing is the way it is, because that is for the best.

The other part of the thought was to continue working while trusting in the Lord's timing. If I do say so myself, I have done fabulous at getting ready for the baby to come. My house is nearly ready, his nursery is totally ready, and I have been working hard to make sure everything is ready. There is still more I can do, so that is what I will do, while I trust in the timing. No more bouncing on yoga balls, eating spicy food, swinging on swings or labor inducing massages. It really is a waste of time when you realize you aren't in control no matter how much you want to be.

I KNEW when I got pregnant that my biggest obstacle was going to be my patience, because I have NONE. I knew it was something I desperately wanted to learn, especially in becoming a parent, you have to be patient. So while I lost sight of it the last couple weeks, I am going to refocus my energy on enjoying the small moments, and absorbing all I can about what it means to be patient. Again, if I do say so myself, through the majority of the pregnancy I have been pretty good about being patient, and having my cats has definitely taught me some patience.

I am grateful for these moments when I am brought back to spiritual reality about what is truly important. :)

Until next time!

Happy Easter Season!

2011-03-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

remember from here, my wall of holiday?

The only holiday I really deck the house out with is Christmas, a little of Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Other than that, decking my house out every month would be tiring, probably get procrastinated, and I am sure I would get bored of it.

But I looove decorating a little for each little holiday(besides like Arbor day...)

This month I had a St Pattys day graphic in the frame, but I totally forgot to take a picture before I put the Easter one up, my bad.

The Easter one is my FAVORITE as far as content, and my least favorite for how I executed it. I wanted them to be simple, not a lot if any embellishments, but thought provoking of sorts.

anyway here it is:

Normally there is a white mat in there, but I had to print this one at 16x20 so you could read it. Its my faaaavorite primary song. Our primary did a version of it a couple months ago, and it inspired the way I did this. They had the children sing the question, and the teachers sing the answer. So the questions are in pink, and the answer in blue.

I am excited to get the rest of the years posters printed. :)

Sorry, I wasn't in the mood to take good pictures.

The nursery is FINISHED!!!

2011-03-11T12:59:00.000-08:00

The nursery is finally finished.

All I had left was to finish the bedding and the changing pad. So I am pleased to say its 100% complete. Well, ok thats not true because eventually I am going to do a skirt for the crib, but that doesnt need to be done for the baby to come. ;) oh crap and I have to put the vinyl and logo on the picture wall, ugh, oh well lol, the baby doesnt need it yet lol.

I have to say I loooove the blue. I am really glad I decided to add it the room because all orange would have been too much I think.

so if I haven't gone through it yet, lets go through the costs of everything, cause it wasn't expensive.

The chair was 5$ at a thrift store. I just changed the fabric and voola.

The dresser we already had, just painted it black and white, instead of brown.

The floating shelves were each 1$ at the DI, that I painted black.

The blue frame was 3$ at Wal-Mart, that I painted blue.

The frames on the wall were all 1$ at the dollar store.

The changing pad cover was 10$ at Wal-Mart.

The rug was the splurge. I made it myself, it costs about 40$, I used a rich thick fabric, and the other supplies were like 20$. But still, at least 150% cheaper than I could have found anything like it online.

The 49er's helmet, and Longhorns helmet on the shelf, were gifts from my momma. Free. :)

This is the blanket I FINALLY got the courage to finish!! I am proud that I didn't ruin it, its not perfect by any means, but for my first one, it rocks. :)

The blanket I would say costs about 50$ between all the different fabric, yarn, appliqué and such. It took a lot of time though. I would guess I spent about 5, maybe upwards of 10 hours on it. It really is the key to the whole room, so I wanted it to be perfect.

I am not including the furniture in this part, because obviously these are things you will always need to get, so its not like I could have gotten it cheaper.

The canvases were 8$ a piece I think, 2$ for the paint. It took me about 30 mins to do.

The curtains were 15$ I think, again I wanted a rich fabric, not cotton.

The Longhorn sign was a gift from my momma lol

the frame above the longhorn sign was actually a wedding gift we never used.

The sheets were 10$.

The bumper was 30$. I was originally going to make the bumper, and it was going to be orange, but I got too nervous about making one that was breathable. So I just bit the bullet and bought a breathable bumper. No suffocating baby for me! :)

The pillow on the glider I got at a yard sale like 2 years ago for 1$.

I didn't keep track, but minus the furniture I would say the whole thing, including wall paint, cost about 200$.

I love my nursery. I go in there sometimes and just sit in the glider and wonder about the future. I put a lot of love into that room, so Henry better love it. :)

37th week of pregnancy!!!

2011-03-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

37th, freaking, week, of pregnancy.

yikes. its so weird to think this pregnancy is almost over. I have been pregnant for so long!

Its getting to that time that people are starting to guess when Henry will come.

Here's my two cents.

As far as my body, and whats going on with the baby, I feel like it could be any day. He is really low, his head is squished in my pelvic bones, and each day the pelvic pressure gets progressively worse. There are a few other signs of labor coming, but they are a little TMI. ;)

BUT

I had a thought enter my mind a couple months ago, where something was telling me that I was going to get one more general conference session in before he comes. I remember at that time feeling very strongly that was going to be the case, but I just don't know with all the physical parts that are seeming like its coming soon.

I am not making a guess. A) I will know more tomorrow, at my first weekly Dr's appointment where he will check my cervix and everything. Pretty much if NOTHING has happening, no thinning, effacing, dilating, etc. I am going to mentally prepare myself for the full 4 more weeks, but if something, anything has happened, I will think its closer. B) I won't let him go past my due date. I am in too much pain, getting too large, and too impatient, so on April 8th he will be induced. Don't try and talk me out of it, it will just annoy me. ;)

AND

I think, think being the operative word, that I may go on a blogging break. I have blogged this ENTIRE pregnancy, and there is not much else to blog about it. Plus I want to take a break from blog/Facebook to ground myself and prepare myself for the baby to come. not to say I won't read blogs, get on facebook etc. Just not so much. I need to put things in perspective, and just enjoy the quietness of my home while its here. ;)

BUT

Before I leave, I will tell you that my baby is huge. I don't exactly know how huge, but its gotten to the point that really any movement he makes is uncomfortable and sometimes feels like a bruise. He stretches and a big bump pokes out where his feet at.

MAYBE the next time you hear from me on here, it will be announcing the arrival of Henry. :)

list progress and pregnancy

2011-03-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

remember from this post, my 23 day organizing productivity plan?

Well let me tell you how its going.

I am on day 9, and have completed 4 of the tasks....

I have completed the major laundry pile we had, which, was huge.

organizing the cords.

organizing the TV stand, which is now so empty it needs some decor.

and I have cleaned the baseboards I really wanted to clean, like the bathroom. ew.

I have not purged all my clothes, for 2 reasons. 1. my husband doesn't want me to. He and I differ greatly in this area, my philosophy, if you havent worn it in a year, throw it away. His is, if you have the space for it, keep it. I am still going to do the purge, I just have to be careful I don't throw away something I will want to rebuy in a week and have to hear him say I told you so. 2. A lot of what I need to purge is garments, and as you probably know thats a task in and of itself. Anyone wanna come have a garment bonfire with me?!

I have not cleaned the kitty litter room, because I need to get a face mask to wear to do that. I know its easy peasy to get one, I just haven't.

I have not organized the fabric, because I need to go to a comic book store and get a supply I need to complete this project. Its going to be the bomb dot come when its done so be patient.

I have not finished the crib set, because I am too nervous I am going to mess it up. :( I loooove the blanket, so much, and it took 8 hours of hard work, and I would be devastated if I ruined it while trying to put the back and batting together. So, I don't know how to get past that lol.

I have not made the carseat cover, because I need to get the back fabric first. Again, I know its easy peasy to do, but again I just haven't.

Tomorrow my task is to reorganize the kitchen. I need to talk to my hubby about it tonight, get a game plan, and do it tomorrow. It must be done for the baby to come. First, there needs to be a baby cupboard and drawer, for bottles, bibs, etc. second, I need to rethink where we have things, the sharp knives are within childs reach, but maybe I just need to get a baby proof lock on it. third, I have cereal in 3 different places, and a whole cupboard that is not even being used. So its not very efficient.

The next day is clean all the ceiling fans, which I am soooo excited for.

Although the execution of this plan hasn't been perfect, its done what it was intended for. It makes me feel productive, and keeps me busy each day.

Its not time for a baby post, but I am doing one anyway due to new developments, and I wasn't really in the mood to in the last one. :)

This is the baby's last position, and ironically its his exact position. He is sideways so when he stretches we can feel his bum on my right side lol.

I think the baby's head is engaging. There is different levels of engaged, but I really think his head is down there good. When I roll over at night I swear I can feel my pelvic bones knocking his head.

I have noticed, while doing the tasks from my list, that the longer I am up and on my feet, the more things feel like something is happening. Tightening happens a LOT more, recently I have started getting lower cramps, and at the end of the day, the pelvic pressure is insane.

I am swollen and puffy, and I finally feel more pregnant than fat. I still feel like I am larger in certain areas than I should be, but when I see pictures of myself now I see a pregnant swollen person, which is a huge step lol.

And like full circle the nausea and tiredness from trimester one is back. I don't mind it though because it keeps me from eating awful. ;) The tiredness I think is more due to lack of good quality sleep at night. My hips ache at night, and my pelvic floor muscles scream in agony anytime I roll over, so I wake up about every hour or so to turn over in the least amount of pain. I seem to get better sleep after the night is over, and I go sleep downstairs on the couch while watching the morning news. eh. I will take it.

Interactions with Henry have made this last bit of pregnancy much better. Its so fun to see him move, feel him move and make him move lol. If we press our finger into where his feet are, he will kick it. Its so cute to be apart of both interactions, when Jason plays with him I see how excited Jason is, but then I FEEL Henry's reaction to him and its the sweetest thing to experience. My sister thinks its totally gross that we can tell where his bum is, or feet, and gets all sickened out when I point it out to her.

9 months is a long time. It really is sooo long. Its almost a year. I mean I am pregnant for 40 weeks out of 52 in a year. I know its coming soon, but it just feels so weird and I can't picture it. I can't picture a baby in the carseat, or in the nursery, I can't picture the midnight feedings, or loading him into the car. It makes me nervous that I can't picture any of it, like maybe I am not supposed to because something will go wrong? :( I am paranoid, and this is probably the scariest part. There are so many things that could go wrong during labor, and then when he is born there are so many things I could have done wrong during pregnancy that we will find out about. UGH! Its scary stuff. I constantly ask Jason for blessings and I tell him specifically what I need him to say lol " I need you to say I bless Henry that he won't have bulging eyes that leak yellow fluid."( I had a weird dream like that). He never obeys me, but the blessings are still comforting. ;)

Well, only time will tell! hopefully I only have a couple more of pregnancy posts to do. ;)

36th week of pregnancy

2011-02-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

I have no "prego pics" for you for week 35, maybe tomorrow. But I do have a few sneak peaks of my maternity session pictures.

They were done by Ellie Culter Photography and I think she did amaaaazing. This is the first time I have gotten pictures back and said YES! Thats what I wanted!! Even if I am disgusted with my appearance, she nailed the photography and editing on the head. She chose the perfect secret little location that has yet to become popular so I feel super special to be one of the first to do pictures there. So really, I highly recommend her. She is great to work with, super friendly and nice, and the photography is fabulous. Her turn around time was fantastic, too. :)

So here are the sneak peaks, she is putting the CD in the mail tomorrow so hopefully I will have all the rest this week for ya.

Well my 35th week has come and gone, meaning 2-5 means left. Thats kind of a wide range if ya ask me, but better than being 10 weeks pregnant!

The pregnancy has gotten more painful the bigger he gets. We didn't go to church today cause I could hardly get out of bed without wincing in pain let alone sitting on a hard chair for 3 hours. It really depends on what position he is in, how full my bladder is, how hard he is pressing down, how close to my back he is, etc. Its hour by hour. some hours are fantastic, and some I spend crying. oh the joys of pregnancy right?

Everytime I do one of these posts I feel like I am forgetting something, and then 2 days later I have a list of like 5 things I forgot. :) My Dr. appointments are every week starting Monday, that makes me feel like we are really in the home stretch.

Anyway, until next time folks!

3 males, a suspicious white truck, and 911.

2011-02-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

Let me set the mood for this story for you.

I am pregnant, hormonal, paranoid, and had been watching Law and Order: SVU all day.

bad combo, buts thats the setting.

So its 4 pm, Oprah is about to start, and I am going downstairs to get some bills I need to take care of, when the doorbell rings. Now, when the doorbell rings and I am alone, I do not go straight to the door. I go to the nursery, look out the window, and see if I can see who it is. So I look outside and I see a big white pick up truck. I am immediately suspicious, because salesmen dont drive house to house, and I don't know anyone with that truck. So I tip toe downstairs to look out the peephole, and I see three white males, wearing baseball caps, with their heads down so I can't see their face.

I am immediately, completely freaked out.

I run upstairs to the nursery again to see what their next action is. They get in the truck, and remain there for about 3 mins. Then they turn it on, and back it out, so I think oh good, they are leaving. BUT, they back out of the driveway, and park in front of my mailbox!!!

So at this point this is the story I have concluded in my head about whats going on,"They are here to break in, rob us, and they have more people coming. They also, dont think I am home, cause I didnt answer, so they dont think it will be a problem. They are going to break in, see that I am in fact home, and in the panic of the confrontation, they will kill me."

Great.

At this point, I decide 911 needs to get involved.

But, I do not want to be trapped in the house should they break in before help arrives. So I make my way to the garage, hunker down in the car, prepared to bust the garage door down the second I hear them bust down the front door.

I am serious.

So when I get to the car I make the call to 911. I can hear the men outside getting in and out of the car and talking, although I cant make out what they are saying. So I know I have to be quiet on the phone.

So I whisper to 911," Heeeelp me. There are strange men outside my house trying to get in."

It was very dramatic.

So she asks me all the basic questions, do you know who they are, what color is the car, description etc.

She then tells me if they go back to the door to call her back, we then hang up the phone.

As soon as I hung up the phone I thought,"WTF?! you arent supposed to let me go! you are supposed to stay on the phone with me until I am ok!! So I call her back and tell her I need her to stay on the phone with me.

I keep asking her, how much longer, where are the cops. etc.

I finally hear the cop arrive, and think to myself oh good, I am not going to die, and if I am going to die its going to be in the crossfires of a police shoot out so at least it will be cool.

I hear the men get in the truck, and I hear the truck leave. I open the garage door, and the officer comes to me and says:

"Um, they are from your alarm system company....they are in the area doing sales and wanted to use you as a referral to your neighbors..."

OMG

Out of ANYONE that it could have been, the people that I think are trying to kill me are from the company protecting me?! UGH!!! couldn't it have been a magazine sales company?

so I take a few deep breaths, try to compose myself. The cop explains he has told them to leave me alone, he tells me I am was justified in calling because they did admit they knocked on my door several times and how creepy was the truck pulling in and out.

So he tells me he told them to leave, go about their business blah blah blah.

So I go inside, try to compose myself, and I call Jason. I explain the whole story to Jason, what happened, who they are etc. Do you know what he says when I tell him they are from the alarm company?

"oh, that sounds bogus..."

"WHAT?! I am calling you to tell you I am now ok with the situation, I believe who they are, and you are telling me you think their story is bogus?!?!?!?OMG!"

So now I am freaked out, again.

So I hurry and hang up with Jason, and run outside to the cop who is still in his car, and I ask him, are you sure they are from the company? were they wearing uniforms etc? He says yes blah blah blah.

I go back inside, sit on my couch and try to ground myself again from this Law and Order situation I have half concocted in my head, but, I still do not feel closure to this situation.

I know, right?

So I decide, the only way I am going to get closure and feel at peace with this situation, is if I find the men, and A) apologize and B) decide with my own eyes they are who they say they are.

So, I get a hoodie on and a hat, cause I look a mess, and get in my car to seek them out. I am at this point driving 5 miles an hour around my neighborhood, with a hoodie and a hat, looking like a hoodlum.

I find one of them.

I get out of my car, walk over to him and explain I am the crazy lady that called the cops on them.

I could not have felt more stupid, he was this little 18 year old cute little mormon boy with perfect big white teeth and just says" oh I am so sorry, we didn't mean to scare you."

I explain to him that I am paranoid, hormonal, and pregnant. Its not their fault, entirely. ( I mean they did knock on my door 3 times.)

**SIGH**

I now feel closure, and can laugh hysterically about it, but a good solid 15-20 minutes I thought I was going to lose my life.

I have not seen Oprah, the bills did not get taken care of, and I will not be watching the new episode of Law and Order: SVU tonight.

35th week of pregnancy

2011-02-23T07:08:00.000-08:00

I am in my 35th week of pregnancy. oh my goodness it feels like I have been pregnant FOREVER.

Baby is this big:

uncomfortableness- let me try and explain this to you in the best way possible, cause I never understood it before being pregnant. and example of being uncomfortable is bending forward. When you are sitting up, and you go to bend forward, not only is there a basketball in your way, but the babys extremities move in uncomfortable ways. For me, his legs go into my ribs.

The other day in the middle of a store, my pelvic floor muscles started hurting, like soreness as if I had worked them out hard. It progressively got worse, I had a few errands to still run, and by my last errand I could barely walk. I was limping, huddled over, holding my back. I was having Braxton Hicks contractions like crazy, and it was getting to the point of hurting. I went home, we had dinner, and I stayed in bed for the rest of the night. It felt so much better as long as I wasn't moving so I didn't think it was labor, and the next day after sleeping on a heating pad it felt twice as better. But boy, was it painful. Its been off and on like that ever since.

Movement- Like I explained before, movement now actually feels like a human is in me, instead of a fish. I can actually feel his feet now! At least I am pretty sure it is his feet, and at the top of my stomach, when he stretches I can feel his bum. :)

Nesting- I thought the nesting bug had left me sometime around 22 weeks, but the other day it hit me again, like a ton of bricks. I was just laying in bed, like I do everyday, moving my legs in the slightest while in bed makes my pelvic floor muscles scream in pain, but it was just bothering me that my kitchen wasn't clean. So I thought I would get up and at least do the dishes. Well, if you don't already know this about me, let me tell you, if I am cleaning, I clean, all the way, there is no just do the dishes, just wipe off the counter. So I ended up doing more than I should, but I have a sparkly lemon fresh kitchen! :D

On the painting front- I went to lowes with 2 gallons of our original yellow paint that we still had left, we clearly over bought the first time. I asked them to lighten it to a different shade, and he explained all these different reasons why it may not lighten, he tried, and lightened it by a shade and that was all they could do. So, it is going to be tricky, but I have to get a big bucket, dump both gallons in there, and mix actual white paint into it, instead of white tint. Normally I would never ever attempt this, because if you run out of the paint, it is absolutely impossible to match for more, BUT, the 2 biggest walls are already yellow, so they won't need as many coats, and the 2 blue walls are small. So 2.5 gallons of paint I think will end up being way more than enough. to do that room originally it took 1.5 gallons total.

Can I just say I love blogging? I think there are 2 types of blogging for most people, 1. update blogging- where your blog is just to update people on family, birthdays, etc. 2. social blogging, where you update people on your family, sure, but you use it as a sounding board for your thoughts, ideas, problems, and use it as a social tool with friends you might not otherwise talk to. I obviously consider myself in the second category, and for those of you in the first, thats totally fine, I love those too. I just love that when I have thoughts or questions, I can blog and get honest reliable feedback from people whose opinions I value.

And now that my blog is private, I like knowing I could vent about certain people knowing they can't read it. buwahahaha!

23 days left! or so...

2011-02-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

So there are 23 days left until Henry is full term.

I have every intention of evicting him promptly as this occurs.

Until then, I have had an issue with not working while being pregnant. I love that my husband can support us, and that it allows me to stay home, but I feel so unproductive. Especially this last trimester, its been somewhat painful, and tiring, and I just cant do as much as I want. It makes me feel lazy, or useless, like I should be working instead, but that wouldn't really work either anyway. So, in order to feel productive everyday, and not do too much, I have come up with a 23 day plan with a project to do each day.

who doesn't love a good list, I mean really?

1- Laundry (we have so many clothes all over the place lol)

2-purge clothes I don't wear

3- clean ALL baseboards

4. Clean kitty litter room

5. organize fabric

6. finish blanket and crib set

7. make carseat cover

8. organize TV stand downstairs

9. organize cords

10. reorganize kitchen

11. clean all ceiling fans

12. frame project

13. finish book 1

14. read book 2

15. clean backyard

16. trim front bushes

17. organize laundry room

18. clean car

19. organize office

20. plan a 3 week dinner menu for after baby

21. stock nursery with diapers and wipes

22. organize bathrooms and under kitchen sink

23. go to the Temple ( dont know what I will do since I cant sit or stand for long,but eh, its the thought)

Not only will this help me be and feel more productive every day, but it will keep me busy until baby is full term. I know once he is full term I will be more impatient for him to come, but I think I will be more okay with knowing that he actually might come, as opposed to now where I only dream.

23 days really isnt a lot. and the closer it gets, the more scared I get of labor. I know once it happens I will be more excited than scared, but for now its just scary.

My name is Monica Gellar.

2011-02-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

I don't know where this came from, this gene of mine, because my family members exhibit no signs of this trait.

I am a clean FA-REAK.

Now don't get me wrong, my house is not always clean, I don't mean a clean freak that always has to have things clean, cause thats certainly not what I mean. What I mean, when I clean, its like me against the germs. I mean business. I have a bucket of chemicals, spray, wipes etc that must be used.

I worry this is not normal, and that something may be wrong with my wiring, so tell me if this all seems normal to you.

1. sponges- Sponges gross me out to no end. Its a breeding ground for bacteria that you make worse every single time you use it. I do have sponges, and I use them to wipe off counters of crumbs, but that is the extent of its use. Promptly after use it gets scolding hot water ran through it for a few minutes.

2. wiping off counters- my BIGGEST cleaning pet peeve is when people wipe off the counters, usually with a sponge, and then consider their counters clean. I can not watch. I saw it happen once, and I immediately got out the one chemical they had and cleaned it(they were about to make a meal of which I was supposed to eat). The purpose, to me anyway, of wiping off the counter is to get all the loose crumbs and pieces that would fly off the counter when you do clean it. Even if the sponge is soaking in soap water, you are still just spreading things around, not cleaning. so I wipe off loose stuff, wipe down with a rag, then sanitize with 409.

3. move stuff- just because something doesnt move, doesnt mean stuff doesnt get under or around it. We have a spice rice, knife block, and utensil holder on our counter and when I wipe down, I move them. and I move them when I santize. It grossed me out to not move it.

4. appliances- The appliances must be cleaned. I find the oven door gets the most dirty, but I still clean the fridge doors, and the dishwasher door. My stove is a cooktop(devil) so I clean that constantly, too.

5. Clutter- Clutter is not clean. There should be a place for everything and everything in its place. Currently we have a small corner counter in our kitchen that is housing clutter that I have to decide where its place is, but rest assured, it will be gone soon.

6. The garbage- K, so this delves a little into my pet peeves about my sweet hubby, but its a cleaning pet peeve none the less. I HATE when the garbage is not clean. We have one of those garbages cans with a swivel lid, and my husbands family was raised to scrap food off onto it, then let it fall in the garbage. This drives me batty and every time I see their garbage I cringe. Its a little thing, so I don't make a big deal of it, I just clean the lid off every week.

7. Dust- Growing up as a child you are given certain chores that are staples, doing the dishes, sweeping, etc. I was never taught to dust, though. It wasn't until I had my own home that I realized dusting is a must, and a weekly must. I don't know why people don't dust, it takes 2 mins to walk around with a duster, then just vacuum. Pathetically, I then dust my vacuum.

8. Baseboards- I can't stand when the baseboards are not clean. They get dirty, dusty etc, and they must be cleaned, monthly.

9. Vacuuming- I can not just pick up a room, put everything away and pretty, and then just not vacuum. To me, if a room is not vacuumed(or swept for that matter) its not clean. Its almost there! Just vacuum!! I vacuum my couches about once a month, also.

10. Bathrooms- Cleaning the bathroom is also not something I was taught, my mom must have done it always. I can't stand when people clean the inside of the toilet with a toilet brush, and then are done. I must clean the entire toilet, inside and out. Its DISGUSTING how gross it gets with boys. So gross. maybe I never had to worry about it growing up cause we had all girls, but boys drip all over the place, and oh my gosh it just grosses me out. The base of it gets super dirty also.

Sooo, whats the verdict? Am I normal?

Sewing project

2011-02-15T09:39:00.000-08:00

So a few weeks ago I started a sewing project, where I was making a shirt that I wanted to wear for my maternity pictures on Saturday. So Friday night came and I still hadn't finished it. lol

not because it was hard, it was quite easy actually, I just procrastinated it. So Friday night while Jason was at a Jazz game I finished my shirt. Its a mummy wrap type shirt, I wanted that kind to show off my bump, but not my flaws, it worked perfect.

So here it is:

This was like midnight, no bra, no accessories lol. For the photos I wore a blue undershirt with a long necklace, earrings and a bracelet so don't judge lol.

But anyway, it really was super easy, the only reason I had to unpick was because of my dumb fault lol.

Warning though, for anyone who wants to make one, it takes two people to put it on lol. the sides are like 10 feet long, and it has to wrap just perfect so there aren't open spaces or anything.

So yeah, the pictures are going to take a couple weeks to get back, but I should have a sneak peak later this week. :)

34th week and redecorating.

2011-02-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

There is non-pregnancy stuff at the bottom. ;)

we are almost there people!!!

It seems like the last 10 weeks of pregnancy are as different as the first 10 were.

I would blog about every week the first 10 cause things were changing so fast and so much, and the last 10 has proved to be no different.

Back pain- I have had back pain every since the accident, but I am not feeling the typical back of the last trimester. It feel likes my lower spine is being pulled toward my front with 100 lbs and it hurts. By the end of the day I feel like a 90 year old lady.

Swollen- I laugh at this one because my dr will ask me if I am getting swollen anywhere, and I chuckle as I tell him I don't know the difference between fat and swollen. So yes, I am swollen everywhere, haha. But I have noticed my feet and hands are "Swollen" so I can say yes. I can't wear my wedding ring anymore, and the other day I had a frustrating situation where someone thought I was pregnant and not married and giving my baby up etc. So Jason came home one day, told me to get in the car, we drove to a Jeweler, and he told me we were going to pick out a new "wedding" ring that I was going to be able to wear through out my pregnancy. :) He really is perfect. We got this set:

Cervix discomfort- Baby has dropped pretty low, and I can feel the pressure of him on my cervix, it feels like he is going to fall out. If only it were that easy right? The dr said its totally fine for him to drop now, so its nothing to worry about, it just means he is getting ready for labor, I am totally ok with that.

Tiredness- The tiredness is definitely back. Jason laughs that I take two naps a day, but on days that I don't, like Sunday, I am ready to go to bed by 7:30. Its really tiring making a baby! I sleep 14-15 hours a day, including naps.

Sleeping troubles- I have talked about the sleeping troubles before, but this time its different. The thing keeping me up, THE BABY!! You know how in the middle of the night sometimes you wake up barely, for just a second, and then fall right back to sleep? Well when I do that, I become aware of him moving and its hard to fall back to sleep lol.

I have a lot of issues/symptoms with pregnancy, but I am SO lucky that I don't have to work during or after my pregnancy, so I can relax and rest at home with these issues, rather than working. I am truly blessed to have a husband that has a career that allows me to do that.

In other news:

Jason's work is going to be sending him to London soon, we don't know the exact date, or for how long, probably at least a week, maybe two, and most likely in May. I realize I will have the baby, but my mom is going to play a key part in watching him while I....repaint the house! haha. I was going to keep it a secret and just surprise Jason when he got home, but I can't keep secrets, especially with paint samples all over the house. I know, I just painted when we moved in, but things like this take trial and error. I loooove the colors I painted the walls, but I just don't think they work well together, and Jason doesn't like them, and when we try to sell the house it for sure will have to be repainted. So I decided to just do it now. I want a color that will open and brighten up the space, and be very relaxing. so I have chosen:

A really really light pale blue. This picture makes the wall color I think seem more blue, because of all the blue accents, but either way, the paint sample I have chosen is a really light pale breezy blue. Blues and Grays are the new neutral, so it should work out great. Jason will like it because its not too over the top, and its a very relaxing color. The accents will still be red and yellow, and I am going for this look:

Well probably not because the only similar color is the yellow and wall color, lol, but I looove this picture.

So this is the picture that inspired my color pallet in the first place:

I just love the way these colors look together. So, I am going to get pretty close to these colors, but a little more subtle. We still have 2 gallons of the yellow from when we first painted, and I am going to take those to lowes and have them lighten it A LOT to get close to this paint color, and paint the down stairs living room all this light light yellow, add some red drapes, some light blue accents and be done.

Then its the upstairs floor that is getting painted all light blue, bringing back the white drapes, added a few light yellow and red accents and be done. :)

This execution will go much better than the first I suspect, and I will have at least a week to do it so I won't feel rushed or anything, and some of my friends are going to help. :)

I suspect the whole project will cost around 100-150$.

The paint, I am hoping to only need 2 gallons of the blue, 60$.

Paint supplies, 15$.

frames and accents from DI and Savers, 20$.

Fabric and supplies for some new pillows, 30$.

Misc unforseen expenses, 25$.

I am hoping to come in under budget on the last three items, but plan for the worst, hope for the best. All in all it should be a simple redo, with drastic results. I just want my house to have a lighter more relaxing feel. You feel me? thoughts? comments? concerns? opinions? advice? suggestions?

What does that even mean?

2011-02-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

The baby has dropped.

I kind of felt it the other day, and then when I stood up, I literally felt like he was going to fall out, and I couldn't take fast steps or it felt worse. My dr's appointment was today and he confirmed that the baby is much lower. He hasn't "engaged" yet for labor, but he is for sure getting ready. He told me he would like me to be pregnant for at least 6 more weeks, putting me at 38 weeks. So, he seemed like he thought baby would come early, but who can really tell.

Maternity pictures are this saturday and I am SOOOOO excited. Jason of course is not, but his opinion does not count when it comes to pictures.

I did all of Henry's laundry yesterday and oh my gosh, I forgot how awesome his wardrobe is. I don't wanna be one of those moms that post pictures of their kids just to show off their clothes, but oh my gosh it will be hard cause seriously, its pimp.

Feeling movement at this point is so weird. up until like 26 weeks movement just feels like flutters, or weird things, but now it literally feels like there is a person in there. I feel like I can tell what the movement is, if he is stretching, kicking, punching, etc. They are more defined movements.

So yeah, thats the only update I have for you. saying I have 6-7 weeks left doesn't seem soon, it still seems sooo far away. I imagine when I have less than a month, it will become more real and feel sooner, but for now, sigh, so far away.

P.S. We did our taxes this week and are getting almost double what we both were expecting, so we are totally getting a new dishwasher. :D weird the things you get excited about as an adult huh?

Enter the uncomfortable phase

2011-02-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

So this last weekend I was on bedrest again, after some preterm labor contractions. I went to the hospital, they stopped them, I went home, on bedrest, Superbowl at home, end of story. :)

I am in my 33rd week of pregnancy, and am finally entering the 24/7 uncomfortable stage. My back is always aching(effing car accident), and the worst is the sleeping. I never knew sleeping could be so painful. I have to sleep on my side, sleeping on my back is too uncomfortable, but after an hour on one side, that hip, thigh, is KILLING me. It gets so sore and I have to flip over, no easy task itself, and then after an hour on that side its the same thing. And the soreness does not subside after an hours rest, so when I have to flip back over, it is still kind of painful.

This is my as of yesterday:

I feel like pictures just aren't showing my hugeness enough. sorry.

Well we are almost there. 7 weeks. It still seems like so much time. People say time just flies by, I don't agree really. I mean when I think about the day we found out we were pregnant, it seems like FOREVER ago, and the first dr's appointment, forever ago, the camping trip right after, forever ago. But I will say the time since finding out its a boy, seems like a blur. so from 16 to 33 weeks, it has flown by, but the whole pregnancy itself, has not. But its ok, I learned a lot, and grew a lot as a woman during that time, which I knew I needed to.

**mooshy moment**

I just have to brag about my husband, I just love him so much. He doesn't know what its like to be pregnant, but he really does try to understand. He tries to imagine having all this weight strapped to his neck, he has a bad neck, and how painful it would be. He always gets me my water at the end of the night to take meds with, he makes dinner when I just can't, he knows exactly how to cheer me up, and when I am needy and just want to spend the night alone with him instead of having friends over, he understands and stays in bed with me.

I had a friend over the other week who is going to lose a lot of weight, cause she will do awesome, I know. :) She was asking me questions and it came up that weight loss changes you, and it changes the way people see you as a person. I told her," weight loss changes the way people look at you, women look at you differently, men look at you more, and people look to you for advice, BUT it does not change the way your husband will look at you." Sounds weird at first right? When I lost a lot of weight I thought Jason would drool or whatever, but he didn't, he was just as attracted to me as he was before. At first I was confused, like hello! I am hotter now! But I realized its because he has always been insanely attracted to me, and there wasn't much room to be MORE attracted to me, because he already was as attracted to me as a person could be. I knew then how much what he says is true, that he doesn't care what I look like, hot or fat, he loves me the same. :) That is how sweet and perfect my husband is. :) and it has made this pregnancy so much easier.

P.S.

We have already decided our next boy will be named Charlie JAMES. So no one steal it!!! :P

Count your many blessings see what god has done.

2011-02-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

Count your blessings is one of my favorite church songs. I read over it last week in sacrament meeting and I told myself to count my blessings sometime soon, in detail. So here I go.

I have THE BEST immediate family. They are hilarious, caring, outgoing and just plain perfect for me.

I have THE BEST in-law family. My MIL isn't crazy, my FIL is hilarious, and I inherited a couple hilarious brothers, which I have always wanted.

I am married to someone who adores me, daily. He constantly lifts me up, does wonderful things for me, and over 2 years ago that sweet man took me to the temple and promised me wonderful things before our sealing.

Everything material I owe to him, my beautiful home, my reliable car, the toys I have, the cats I enjoy, and everything in between.

My cats, lol, I just love them. They are sweet little family members that teach me a lot of loving and patience.

knowledge, of all kinds, my fitness knowledge, gospel knowledge, wordly knowledge and social knowledge. I am blessed to be able to learn things daily whenever I want.

my body, its amazing in all the things it can do, and I have been blessed with health.

my motivation, drive and determination to do whatever I want. Even when I have hard times and days, I never let it keep me down for long, and eventually I achieve whatever I want, from fitness, to home decorating, etc.

My will power, it has been a huge blessing in my life as I have needed to overcome different obstacles, usually on my own. Most of the time I have enough will power to not let my surroundings affect me, or negative people bring me to their level.

I have an amazing group of friends, that it has taken me a long time to learn how to develop those relationships into long lasting ones. Growing up in the army I moved every year, so I never needed to nurture friendships cause I knew it wouldn't last. So when I permanently moved here it was weird to need to do that.

The phrase I like most about this song is "see what God has done", because it wasn't at the front of my mind when thinking about my life, that God made it this way. Of course, Jason, my family and I played a part, but I owe everything and all my blessings to my Heavenly Father.

However your life is, whether good or bad, Heavenly Father made it that way, for a reason. There is something he wants you to learn, and he chose that path specifically for you, so try to find the reason. I think my reason is to teach my gratitude and charity. I have so much to be thankful for, that I need to be constantly thankful, and constantly trying to find a way to help others with it.

Positive Pregnancy Post!!!!

2011-02-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

Shocking, I know, but I have a positive thought about pregnancy today that I need to write about while I can articulate it.

**warning, this post gets deep, with religious aspects**

I love my prego belly. MY BELLY. I am not talking about my huge thighs, chunky arms and fat face. I love my belly, though. Here is why.

Growing up you always think about having kids one day, and what they will be like, look like, etc. And as an LDS you know that they are there, somewhere, they already exist and you are ever so curious about them. They are out there. One day they will be with you, but for now they float around somewhere waiting for you. As I watched my belly today, moving, jiggling, pulsing, I realized how much I love that he is here, in me. Before pregnancy your children seem so distant, so far away, and now, he is RIGHT HERE. I can feel him, I can tease him, I know when he sleeps, I know when he moves, he is right here. Sure I wonder what he will look like, but for now, I take comfort in being close to him, having him, knowing exactly where he is, and that he is safe. I hope I have been able to convey to you the intensity of this thought, because it hit me today like a ton of bricks. Early in the pregnancy its not so apparent, little flutters aren't human like, you can't feel little feet, theres not much personality, so before 20 weeks it still didn't seem like my child was there, it was just some embryo dividing and multiplying into what would one day be my child. But now, I just can't say it enough, he is here, I can poke him!!! And I do...

The last couple months I have pondered how it works with their spirits. I have always been under the impression and thoughts that a babys spirit does not enter them until they are born. I had a miscarriage a month before this pregnancy, and to be honest it didn't have too much of an impact on me for this reason. Maybe its because by the time I found out I miscarried, I was already pregnant again, but I think its also because I really did used to think that its just body tissue, cells, etc. It wasn't a person yet, no spirit, nothing to cry over. But now, I question that way of thinking. Because if I lost Henry right now, I would be devastated. I would miss him. I have already thought about his life with us, and I would so deeply mourn and his spirit. We wouldn't use that name again. A lot of things are mysteries, and one day will be answered, but for now I remain curious. The church teaches(at least I think they do) that babies who are lost during pregnancy, the mom will raise them one day in the after life. I just can't wrap my head around that, as some moms have multiple miscarriages, are they really going to have that many kids one day? Does that mean I have a child up there waiting for me? Its all so complex and something I don't think anyone can answer with 100% certainty, but something I will always wonder.

I can say with all these thoughts, that I am beginning to realize the importance of this pregnancy, and am starting to look at it in a less selfish way. Throughout this whole pregnancy, when people ask me if I am excited for him to come, I always answer by saying I am excited, but not ready, I am just not ready for him to come, I need more time etc. I felt since the beginning, that I wasn't emotionally, spiritually ready for him to come, I knew it was time to be pregnant, but you know, you've been following, I've been worried about parenting and how I am going to do it, I was so overwhelmed because I didn't feel ready to be a mom, and I didn't know if I ever would. I can say now, in my 32nd week, I feel ready. Who knows how good I will be, I will make mistakes, but I feel like now I understand the gravity of the situation, and I feel prepared with resources to succeed for my child. Yes I am still frustrated about my body and I will still not like it, but one day, when I lose the weight, get to a body I love again, I will look at the imperfections that have come from pregnancy as battle wounds in bringing my child into a home of love.

geeze this is heavy stuff!!!

P.S.

The thing I hate about going private is my blog doesn't update on your scrolls or blogger, but, I have figured out a way around it, sort of. before I publish a post I will make it public, publish the post, then make it private again(no need for an invite everytime), and that post will show up in your blogger news feed. So if you want to know when I post, you need to ''officially" follow me, not just on a scroll. Its easy, just click FOLLOW next to the search box in the top left hand corner.

fitness blog

2011-01-31T15:43:00.000-08:00

P.S. I totally forgot who all wanted access to my fitness blog also, so send me a comment with your EMAIL ADDRESS and I will add you.

32nd week of pregnancy

2011-01-31T06:05:00.000-08:00

mommy is this big.

baby is this big.

Things are going good, the nursery is done, everything is purchased, washed, hung, and ready. The house is ready for Henry. :) Exactly what I wanted. I wanted everything ready by Feb 15th, so I am way pleased that it was finished by January.

The tiredness from the first trimester has crept back into my life, making me regret that I didn't take advantage of my energy in my second trimester. Its ok though, lucky for me I have nothing to do during the days really so I can rest and nap as needed.

**Vent time**

There is one thing I hope I never hear again, and when I do hear it I usually stop listening 2 seconds later:

"just wait"

What is everyones problem in that they can't let you enjoy the moment? You say you feel well rested and they say: Just wait until the baby comes and keeps you up all night.

You say you like your in laws and they say: oh just wait until the baby comes and they get annoying.

You say your marriage is fantastic and they say: just wait until the baby comes and it all changes.

You say you can't wait to get back into the gym and they say: just wait until the baby comes, you wont want to.

You say you can't wait for baby to come and they say: just wait until he does, you will wish you had more time.

Can we just eliminate that phrase from our vocab? I know people say it and tell you those things to I guess try and be helpful, but its rude. Its just plain rude. Its like they are bitter with how their experience was, or how they chose to parent, that they just want to bring you down in the few moments of contentment you have during your pregnancy. Its like they think you are going to say: Oh, my gosh, you are so right, I should just stop being pregnant right now and change my mind. ??????? So please, if you find yourself giving a prego advice, AT LEAST don't start with the phrase "just wait" because trust me, she stops listening.

ok, I feel better now. :)

**Vent time over**

What else, I, unfortunately, am one of those women who during pregnancy get larger EVERYWHERE, and not just my belly, giving the illusion that my belly isnt very big. Allow me to go into detail (as if you could stop me). When I lost 53 lbs(exact number ;)) I guess the memory of the weight still remained, so when I started gaining weight during pregnancy, my body dispersed that weight into the places it knew weight used to be. Make sense? So basically I am back to my weight and size that I was 3 years ago, plus a beer belly. At first I was really depressed about it, and upset, but then I realize I am lucky. I know EXACTLY how to lose the weight, my stomach isnt being all stretched out, no stretch marks on my stomach, etc. So while I hate the size I am now, I know its totally doable to get back down to my tiny self.

the other part about getting ready that I didn't really think about was clothes for Henry. I know babies don't need much, but they need some. We got a lot from friends, family, showers, etc. But there were still some holes in his wardrobe. He needed PJ's, shorts, and some church clothes, so I was SUPER excited to go get them, and shockingly found some waaay cute stuff. Henry now has a great supply of plaid shorts like his dad, basketball shorts and warm up pants, and a sweet argyle vest for church. I also bought his blessing outfit, he better not be too big for it when he comes out! To be honest I haven't ever really liked baby boy blessing outfits, and I dislike how useless they are after the blessing, so I got him a more practical outfit that I just think is pimp(yes I just said pimp). see below:

I think its just freaking awesome. :) Its a newborn size, cause I figured that makes sense, but I need to hurry and decide if I should exchange it for a 0-3 size, I mean, it depends on when he will be blessed, how much he will weigh, etc. But by the time he is born they will probably be out so I should get on that.

The thing about being pregnant at this point, is I have been pregnant for so long, that I forgot what its like to not be pregnant, and it feels like the countdown will never end. It will be surreal and weird when I actually do go into labor and have this little guy, right now that day seems soooo far away.

64 days!

Henry's Nursery is almost done!

2011-01-27T20:46:00.000-08:00

Henry's nursery is 95% done!!! All I have to do is the bedding, and the diaper pad cover.

Then seriously, its done!!

Jason put the crib and glider together tonight and I looove it. I am so happy with how it turned out.

I still maintain that the nursery decor is for the parents, not the baby. The baby doesn't care what the room looks like. Jason and I are the ones that are going to be spending a lot of time in there, so we better like it. We do. :)

Maternity pictures are in 2 weeks, and they will go in all the frames that are still empty right now.

ignore the pile of stuff on the changing table, and imagine a light blue diaper pad instead. mmmk?

8-9 weeks left. I think I can handle it. :) for now.

Wrong era

2011-01-26T07:21:00.000-08:00

I feel as though I was totally born in the wrong fashion era. You see the current trend of sequins, boots tucked into too tight of jeans or leggings, oversized sweaters with long sleeve shirts underneath, hooker knee high boots, and hippie attire is just not my cup of tea. None of its flattering. What Not To Wear would have a fit. Unless you are a size 2, jeggings DO NOT look good on you. Unless you have something to hide, why are you wearing an oversized grandma sweater with big armpits?

I don't mean to offend those bootwearing friends of mine, which I am sure is almost all of you, but let me try to enlighten you on the way I see things, and maybe you will agree.

(though probably not enough to ditch the skinny jeans) ;)

I loooove the 50's. They had it right. They had it all soooo right, in many different aspects of life, but particularly fashion. see below.

There is something to be said for a properly fitting outfit, with nice shape, perfect amount of movement, and a flattering color.

I understand that fashion is fun, I love shopping, but why do we feel this need that fashion needs to continue to evolve? Evolving is improving upon something, but fashion when it "evolves" just changes, yearly, and in my opinion not so good ways.

Why can't we be happy with a style, and build our wardrobes? Instead of spending money every year to keep with the trends, spend it on establishing a good quality wardrobe that we love.

I had a math teacher in Jr. High, perhaps some of you Central Davis Jr High friends had her too, who had a different outfit, for literally every day of the year. I mean, some were some pretty crazy outfits. People tried to catch her wearing the same outfit twice and it never happened. As a teenager I thought it was funny, this crazy lady keeps her clothes way too long sort of a thing, but I now realize she is brilliant! She has a years worth of clothes that she loves, that she feels comfortable in, and saves money for others things instead of buy new outfits. I love it. I hope to do that, maybe in a more neutral way though lol. I want to try to keep it timeless, simple, classic and modern. Jeans and a nice blouse will never be uncool, sure they may not always be trendy, but I don't like being trendy anyway.

I watch Good Things Utah in the mornings, and I usually only watch the first part where they have discussions, but let me tell you, I HATE all their outfits. Of course since they are on TV they have some fashion person picking their clothes out, and I just want to puke most of the time with their sequin leggings, cowboyish jackets, boots with buckles and flaps, and don't even get me start on the leg warmers.

sigh.

Is it just me?

am I the only one who wishes fashion just stay the same?

am I the only one who pines for the 50's era?

photography

2011-01-21T15:13:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or has photography gotten a little too pricey?

there are so many photographers whose work I looove and would love to enlist them to document this pregnancy, but I just can't fathom spending hundreds of dollar on such a simple session.

ESPECIALLY when it seems like everyone is a photographer these days.

Shouldn't that make the price go down?

I mean, don't get me wrong, really, I understand its an art, and its how some people make a living. So really, I am not trying to offend any of my photographer friends, I know its hard work and everyone puts their heart and soul into it. So don't take me the wrong way. :)

But it seems like for most, its a hobby, so wouldn't it be more effective to lower the price, to get more clients?

I mean, I would loooove nothing more than to randomly do photo sessions to document the growth of my family, or a party, birth, etc. but I can't do that with each session(or getting the CD) costing hundreds of dollars.

Maybe the problem I am having is that a lot of the photographers I love do a lot of family/kids sessions, which I get, are a lot harder than me and my baby bump will be, so thats probably why they charge so much, but I am easy!!! lol

I also get, that its the editing you are paying for also, but I still just think its a lot. I mean lets break it down.

Lets say a photographer charges 300$ for a session with 25 edited prints on CD.

1 hour session

3 hours editing(all together, cause I know some photogs do it over a couple days)

thats 4 hours

do you realize that person is making 75$ an hour? Shrinks don't even make that much an hour.

So maybe I am just bitter that my husband has warped my carefree capture the moment mind into a finance one, which agreed is for the better, but I still think the photography industry is getting a little crazy.

I am doing maternity pictures soon, I have a backup place to do them if I can't find a reasonably priced photographer before then.

This place called Fotofly.

Its 79$, which is the sitting fee, and includes a CD of ALL the images you select, edited.

THATS what I am talking about people.

and its a reeeally cute place, their studio is setup to look just like popular photog places, with brick walls, graffiti, vintage furniture, etc. and to me it doesn't look all studio stuffy. Check it out sometime. :)

Anyway, I am getting them done sometime in the next couple weeks, so I will let you know if I found a photographer or if fotofly it is!

On a side note, I loooved going private and seeing how many people actually read my blog. All my blogstalkers, don't be afraid to comment! It will be a lovely blog relationship.

I may eventually share the reason for going private, but right now its still a little hurtful to think about, so just know its because I don't think the whole world needs to have access into my life if they don't actually care about me. :)

Also, I only invited those to my fitness blog that specifically requested it, so if you want to see that one too, let me know. :)

Private

2011-01-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

I am going private, again.

so friends and blogstalkers, send me your email. I won't publish the comments.

It will probably happen tomorrow.

post edit

**blogstalkers!! don't forget to give me your email in the comment also! lol**

funny and breastfeeding

2011-01-20T10:18:00.001-08:00

Want a funny update about my pregnancy?

Well I don't care, you are going to get it anyway.

Boobs. haha. yeeeeah.

I knew they got bigger, and I was totally prepared, but I didn't realize HOW they get bigger. I just figure I go up a size or two. I figure they just stick out further. I did not know, they your whole frontside becomes belly, and boob. I have boob in my armpit, I have boob on my collar bone, and I have boob all the way down to when my belly starts. Its madness! there is boob everywhere!!! I realized how funny this was when I was bathing the other day, and I had to LIFT my boobs off my belly to wash under them! ahha!!

a few of you asked me why I don't plan on breastfeeding for very long, only a month.

I will tell you, and I best not get no judgmental comments or I will busta cap.... (said in a gansta voice...)

Ok. Well first I think its gross. I want to be a mom, but I have never had that desire to be THAT close to a person. I only prefer one person to get that close to my boobs, and he is 25. I realize it may change blah blah blah, but for now I think its gross.

second, its true that babies that are breastfed sleep less. Before you send me all your comments saying,"my baby sleeps great and I breastfeed!" I understand there are some where this isn't the case, but the studies prove it, breastfed babies sleep for shorter periods of time, and they usually don't sleep through the night. Sorry, I am selfish, I need to sleep through the night eventually.

third, yes, I understand breastmilk is BETTER for baby, but that doesn't mean formula isn't great for baby also. Breastmilk is ONLY better for baby, depending on moms diet. If mom is eating bad stuff, baby eats bad stuff. Sure there are nutrients your body is creating that they get, but I don't feel that outweighs the lack of basic nutrition he may not get should I have a bad food day. Formula is made specifically for babies, people. Its got great nutrients, its very filling, and I don't mind formula poop. poop is poop.

fourth, I want NOTHING to do with pumping. NOTHING. If you aren't feeding baby, you are pumping for baby and I am sorry, but I just won't be strapped to my house because of my choice method for feeding.

fifth, since I am not pumping, I want Jason to be able to feed and bond with him. There is all this hype about mother child bonding, but I want Jason to bond, too, especially since he won't spend nearly as much time with baby as I will. we will breastfeed and do formula from the beginning, but breastfeeding will end after a month.

sixth, the only reason I am breastfeeding for even a month, is the weight loss benefits. Call me selfish, but its my only interest.

seventh, people have been going without breastmilk for generations, adopted kids, babies who were allergic to moms milk, babies whose moms milk never came in, it hurt too much, etc. Studies say that only 56% of babies are actually breastfed. so really it doesnt seem life or death to me.

eighth, I know its easier to breastfeed, milk is there, perfect temp, etc., but I am ok with preparing a bottle and putting a little effort into it. and I am sooo uncomfortable with people breastfeeding in public, and so I want nothing to do with it.

ninth, I plan on working out as soon as possible, hard core, and that doesn't support a healthy supply of breastmilk, so I am assuming I will lose my milk around 1-2 months anyway.

tenth, my sisters and I were only breastfed for 1 month, and none of Jason's siblings including Jason were breastfed, and I think we turned out all right.

Kapeesh?

One of my friends is having her baby, right now. It makes me a little ansy to have mine, not in the sense that I want to go into labor right now, but I want to be prepared to go into labor right now. I am currently typing up a hospital plan, I am dying to pack a hospital bag, and put the carseat in the car. lol Its pathetic.

V-day!

2011-01-18T11:30:00.000-08:00

Today I had a boost of energy and attitude, so I took the chance to clean, put Christmas stuff away, and do some Valentine's day decor. :)

I love making my own decor, because I love knowing no one else has it, but I have started to not be so into "crafts." I don't know, and maybe its just me, but I feel like crafts have gotten too crafty, and it sometimes turns out like a 5 year old made it. So I no longer craft, I call it "DIY Decor." lol weird maybe, but I want to make my house and decor more classy than crafty. It started with the nursery, and now its on to the holidays!

So behold, my first DIY decor, lol Valentine's day. :)

I made the image myself, printed in on 11x14, used a frame I bought at the DI a long time ago for 2$, painted it white, got a mat and there ya go! I am super excited with this frame, I already have images made for St Pattys day, and Easter. I think this frame will always reflect the holiday/season we are in. I think its fun.

I just threw this up last minute, its Valentinsie right?

So now my house feels more lovey. :) I super love Valentine's day. its probably my favorite holiday for decor as far as actual decor and not just the fun of the decor, like Christmas.

So Happy Valentine's day to all, real soon.

And THANK YOU for all your comments on the last post, it really helped me figure things out. :)

I have the best blogger friends.

Need your advice on one or all!

2011-01-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

I need baby advice! well, getting ready for baby, baby advice.

Jason and I went out this weekend and got EVERYTHING else we think we need(minus some furniture) and I tried putting it all away tonight, but it just made me so overwhelmed at everything I don't know.

for starters...

We got these bottles. We didn't look at any reviews, we didn't take any polls, we just went to the store, looked at them all, read why the boxes said they were the best, and picked what we thought was the best.

Question 1. We only bought 3. We figured we shouldn't buy a whole stock pile until we know what bottles he likes or we like, good or no? Getting home I realized 3 bottles, is not a lot. I plan on only breastfeeding for 1 month max, and formula feeding occasionally from the beginning anyway, and 3 bottles, I mean we might be constantly washing these 3 bottles over and over and then what if we lose one?! So how many do you think we should start with?

question 2. While I was getting these bottles out of the box, I noticed the top unscrews, but so does the bottom! What in the world is the point of that? Is there something I am supposed to know here?

We got a ton of onsies. I noticed while putting them away according to size, that some sizes weren't running the same. 0-3's looked like 12 m, 12 m looked like new born etc. How do you know which ones will fit your baby without going by size, is the only way to just try it on him and see?

Pacifiers, same deal as the bottles sort of. I know we will want lots of these, so slowly over the many grocery trips to walmart I plan on picking a pack of 2 each time, but then I thought what if he doesn't like them?! We got the soothie kind pictured above, which 90% of people seem to use, so I figured its a good chance Henry will like them, but I don't know. bad idea to stock up?

We got this diaper bag set. I love it, its unisex so we can use it with a girl yada yada, but why in the world do I need a mini diaper bag? Help me out here, at first I thought well for when you leave him with grandma, but then I thought whats its the big bag, that I wouldn't want grandma to have access to also? Then I thought well maybe you keep one in each car, but then I thought about the stuff that you would then have to get two of, and what if he has a favorite blankie etc. So tell me, what do I need a second little diaper bag for? church?

We DID NOT purchase a bumbo. lol. I will if someone can give me 5 solid reasons for it. I just don't see the point, can't you just put him on a blanket on the floor just as easy as squeezing them into a plastic contraption? I know everyone has one, and they are all the rage, but I think this fad too shall pass, no?

Burp clothes. We got a few of these from people, which I appreciate and will use, but do I need more, or do you just end up using a towel or a bib? It seems like there are several baby products that are for the same thing, so do you really need each kind?

Crib set. I will be making it, so it goes with the nursery, my question is what all do I need or want? I am fine using a bumper, I think the pros outweigh the cons and we have a ceiling fan in the nursery. Does he need a pillow of sorts? do you put animals in there? What about a mobile? We don't have one, are they really that useful for baby to fall asleep?

Car seat covers. I plan on making one, or two, I have the front fabric picked out, but tell me the purpose before I pick out the back fabric. Is it so the baby can sleep, and therefore should be dark, or so germs stay away from the baby and warmth, therefore it doesn't matter what the inside color is?

Diapers, we got a ton of diapers from people too. Is this the same thing, you should see what you like before you stock up, or can I just go to costco and stock up? and how long do they stay in the smallest size? not very long right?

I just have this need to be ready as much as I can be. I don't want to get Henry home from the hospital and be in a flurry to get things we need or forgot, ya know? I want to make the first day home as peaceful and family oriented as possible, not about going to the store 30 times. Before you comment, I know I know, the first day home will probably be anything but peaceful, but I want it to be about Henry, not about products.

finishing touches

2011-01-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

The nursery is so much fun now for me to just add finishing touches. The big stuff is done, and now its just fun little tweeking here and there.

These two shelves are really the only thing left to play with until I get the furniture in, but this is what I have done so far.

I think alphabet walls are fine, if your wall is 20 feet long, otherwise it really makes a room look small, but I like the idea of having the alphabet displayed somewhere. Plus doing it on a wall, do you even understand how many holes that would be?! sillyness. So I did this instead:

I like this better, when its time to start teaching him the ABC's, we can just take this down and learn them, like reading a book. I chose this one to bring in more different colors to the room.

This weekend Jason and I are hopefully going to finally decide on a crib set and get it ordered, along with every other tiny thing. I have this need right now to be fully prepared to him to come. :)

29th week

2011-01-11T18:07:00.000-08:00

** I will no longer bore this blog with my weight talk, thats now going to be on my other blog. You can all cheer now. :) **

29th week of pregnancy.

ALMOST THERE!!!

tid bits:

I can still see my feet, and tie my shoes

my maternity clothes still fit

Henry moves all the time, seriously almost all day

His nursery is 90% complete

My Dr's appointments are now every other week

my belly is still measuring smaller

maternity pictures in a few weeks

I am terrible at taking pre-natal vitamins

I am overwhelmed at all the REAL baby stuff we need, bottles, binkies, etc.

84 days left

I am still comfortable, not yet into the seriously uncomfortable stage

our younger kitten loves to sit on my belly.

if there is such a thing as cravings, mine is fruit

we can see Henry move

sleeping at night is PAINFUL

I love my baths

my acid reflux is HORRIBLE

I love feeling him move, really, I do

I can cry at the drop of a hat

so yeah. my dr's appointments are every other week now, I can tell you that although that means the end is near, I am not looking forward to having to go in that often for a 5 minute visit. My Dr. is pretty much awesome though, so the visits are always fun and educational. My acid reflux is TERRIBLE. I burp at least every 95 seconds. no joke. its disgusting. Well we are almost there people! 3/4 of the way there! Jason and I are just enjoying the little time we have left just the two of us.

Henry's Nursery

2011-01-10T06:17:00.000-08:00

Well last week I finally tackled the nursery, and I looove it. I will show you pictures of it now, even though its not done.

This is what it looks like when you walk in:

The curtains are a lot darker than that, they are almost brown, but they are this really nice tafetta fabric so the shine part showed up a lot in the flash. My favorite part is probably the white wall, I bought those floating shelves at the DI for 1$ each, and painted them glossy black. The blue frame I got at wal-mart for 3$ and painted it that color. I loved it because it tied into the carpet pattern, which is here:

My friend Heather made her own carpet, and I was so excited at the idea because I could not for the life of me find an area rug that was special, and that I loved for a good price. So I just made my own! Its very thick upholstery fabric, with a few layers of other stuff underneath and I really just love it. Not bad for 30$.

This wall is probably the focal point of the room. The room was obviously done in a Texas Longhorns theme, and these are a bunch of pictures of the football team. My favorite is the big one. :)

This is the quilt that I have made, or started to make, that ties it all together I think. I haven't finished it, it just need to be quilted with a back and batting, then it will be done. I haven't made the crib set yet because we haven't gotten the crib.

My last shower was this saturday and it was so much fun. I love it when we cram 20+ people into my moms house, and its better when they're family lol. Funny random thing, I got a lot of stuff from all my showers, thank you everyone, but I didn't get ONE bottle! lol Jason and I now just need to go buy the rest of our registry, a crib, dresser, and glider. Then we are done!

Kati's Corner

blah blah blah

he thinks I am awesome

blerg

Official

Christmas short and sweet

yummy

only 3. yep 3.

Henry David

Jason, I am pregnant...

End of pregnancy posts. :D

baby, you're the right kind of wrong

Tell me, I need to know.

How will you parent?

2nd pregnancy Q&A

Christmas ornaments

Henry's big announcement

I can not live like this

remember the overhaul redo?

the stillness

Pinterest has brainwashed us

I love that little giant.

Christmas...er I mean Happy Halloween!

its almost here...

these are a few of my favorite things

best time of day

General Conference

unplugged

152 days old

almost 5 months!

be my friend.

rice and boys

oops...

photography

twice!

July?!

blerg.

hello out there.

documentation

my wish for you

sweet nugget

wasnt so bad.

big baby

milestones

its the simple things

Heaven on earth is in a swing

sweetness

1 month

Henry's growing up!

A day in the life

Motherhood

blah

sweetest moment

1 week older and wiser too.

Henry's Birth Story

Welcome Henry

Total overhaul.

It has come, and will probably be gone.

To be or not to be...

40th week.

Frames frames frames

I am being silly!!

Re-do!!!

38 weeks

Patience is a virtue

Happy Easter Season!

The nursery is FINISHED!!!

37th week of pregnancy!!!

list progress and pregnancy

36th week of pregnancy

3 males, a suspicious white truck, and 911.

35th week of pregnancy

23 days left! or so...

My name is Monica Gellar.

Sewing project

34th week and redecorating.

What does that even mean?

Enter the uncomfortable phase

Count your many blessings see what god has done.

***Positive Pregnancy Post!!!!***

Positive Pregnancy Post!!!!