For the Grandparents

37 week update

At my 37 week appointment I am still measuring at 32 weeks, same as last week. I am very curious to see how much this little one will weigh. At this point I am 2cm dilated and 70% effaced. Glad things are moving along and all these contractions aren't for nothing. I know those numbers don't really mean anything, I could be pregnant for another 4 weeks, but something tells me we are going to meet this little girl soon!

My hopes for having a clean house all ready for a new baby are being slowly but surely diminished. The moment I get one thing all cleaned another part of the house is a disaster. I'm trying to focus on the important things. We finally have a bag packed for the hospital, bedding in her crib and newborn diapers. Sweet :-)

37 Weeks

I'm officially full term. I love reaching this point, it just feels so nice to know that if she were to come that things would most likely be ok. 

We've had some concerns that she was too small. At my 32 weeks appointment I was only measuring at 27 weeks, 5 weeks behind! My OB decided to do an ultrasound and as she was so small they immediately hooked me up to monitor her for a few minutes. Even though I wasn't overly concerned, it did make me anxious, especially since I hadn't taken the stroller in with me that day and I had both boys with me. It also sent all sorts of worries through my head...she was measuring at 2.3lbs/ 10% which is considered the beginning of the danger zone, so thoughts of having to have her early because she was not growing well were mixed with the concerns of had I done everything I could to help her grow and develop like she should. My Ob suggested another ultrasound at the hospital to get some more details. At this one she was measuring at just over 3lbs and was in the 15%. Everything pointed to her being just a small little one, not small because she was having a problem growing but just to be sure we had another last Friday. She is now around 5.3lbs and in the 20% and I am only measuring 4 weeks behind. So just a little peanut.

Her room is coming together and I hope I can get it all ready before she arrives. Its so fun sewing and decorating for a little girl. It was much easier to decide on things with the boys but I am definitely having more fun picking out cute fabrics and my feminine side is making more of an appearance, pink is definitely becoming more appealing.

I'm feeling pretty uncomfortable. She is really low and walking has become a chore and rolling over in bed kills, there is so much pressure on my pubic bone. 

Other exciting things this week? I finally got a  new pajamas. I think I had my last ones since junior high?! Its the little things in life :-)

31 Weeks

I'm not sure what it is about Carls Jr's spicy chicken sandwiches and chocolate orange sticks but I could probably live on those two food items right now and be just fine.

I have discovered leggings! When skinny jeans first came out I wasn't really sure i liked the look but its really grown on me and leggings? that took a little longer but its a cute look, especially for pregnant ladies and so comfy! I won't go into my woes about maternity pants but I am glad to find some alternatives.

This baby shudders a lot...I wonder if that is a common thing? I have noticed that she has started waking up when she feels me moving first thing in the morning. I love laying there and feeling her scoot and wiggle in there.

Nesting is starting to kick in but more in the form of cooking, the same thing happened when I was pregnant with Quinn. I did however clean out the fridge today, it looks so nice and clean now. I wonder how long that will last?

Being pregnant reminds me what a great husband I have, seriously he is the best! I'm so glad I have him to help me through everything, especially these last few weeks.

The fall really is the best time to be pregnant

Yum!

Me and the kids made this for lunch today, because it was rainy, because I was super hungry and wanted more of a meal and because the munchkins requested pasta. It. Is. So. Good! Go make it now!

http://thecheesepusher.tumblr.com/post/2719857351/creamy-garlic-pasta

Creamy Garlic Pasta

2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
¼  tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 cups chicken stock
½ lb spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
¾ cup heavy cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir, allowing it to cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the butter until melted. Add the salt, pepper and chicken stock. Raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil. 

Once it is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for as long as the box’s directions indicate. Reduce the stove to medium heat and mix in the parmesan until completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Serve immediately.

28 weeks

When I was pregnant with Quinn a lot of people told me I was so little and didn't show that much. I did not really believe them. I felt big and uncomfortable and couldn't see my toes. When I looked back on some maternity pictures I realized I was smaller than a lot of women but it still didn't seem to me that I was that much smaller. With James, I didn't get too many comments about it, I suppose everyone by then knew that I looked smaller. With this pregnancy though everyone has said something about it. I felt like I started showing really fast and but then things seemed to slow down a lot. At my 24 week appointment I was measuring at 22 weeks. Nothing to worry about, my doctor said, these measurements can be a little inaccurate at this point, we will be able to tell better at your next appointment. But that combined with all the comments made me start really looking at my belly, wow where was this baby? maybe she was too small and wasn't growing and I started to worry. At my appointment yesterday I was measuring at 24 weeks when I am 28 weeks along, a whole month behind! So the doctor did an ultrasound...this little one is just fine! I am so relieved. She is in the 36% and approx. 2.5lbs. She said from ear to ear her head is slightly smaller than average but it was nothing to worry about. I'm not quite sure where she is hiding in there but I am so happy she is growing well. Her kicks are getting stronger and more solid and she hiccups all the time! For some reason I have worried a lot with this pregnancy. 1st baby, no worries, I knew everything would be just fine. 2nd baby my worries were more about how having two would be and how I would handle it. But with this one I worry about all the things that might go wrong, like we won't make it to the hospital in time, she isn't growing right, I will end up with gestational diabetes, wondering whether the decision to have an OB instead of a midwife was a mistake etc. When a friend was having her third she told me that she worried a lot too and that her midwife told her it was really common. That somehow having two children that have been healthy makes some women feel like that luck won't hold and something will go wrong. My biggest worry has been that she will be breach. And then in both the ultrasounds we have had she has been breach. I know that at this point she is all over the place and turning around all the time. She still has plenty of time and room to turn. So for now, I am telling her to please make sure she turns around in time and trying to stop worrying. Everything will be just fine.
 Sometimes 12 weeks seems like such a short time to do get everything done I want to before she comes, to enjoy full nights of sleep and the flexibility that has come with the boys getting older and more independent. But sometimes it seems like forever and that she will never come. I can't wait to meet our sweet baby girl!

Summer 2012

This has been such a fun summer. We didn't really go anywhere or doing anything out of the ordinary but had lots of fun being outside and enjoying the simple everyday things.

 We went to lots and lots of parks. We climbed trees (well the boys did), fed the ducks, explored and pretended lots and lots. At one park Quinn thought that one part where you climb looked like a tornado and so he kept getting "sucked up". At another he always would try to sell me pies but would inform me that the roof was leaking and being fixed and so he didn't have any pies just then. He loved pushing the roundabout rather than ridding on it. James preferred to jump around on it and so I tried to keep him away as much as possible. He spent a lot of time on the swings and both boys love learning how to swing on the rings.

 Hey look, a picture of me with a munchkin. I'm pretty sure he does NOT want to take a picture with me.

 At the end of spring Peter and I left the kids with my mum and headed down to St George for a few days. We had to change our plans a little as it rained the first two days and I was feeling pretty sick with the pregnancy. We hung out, rented a movie, went out to dinner, shopped at the strip mall and relaxed! It was heavenly. On Sunday the sun decided to make an appearance so we walked around the St George temple and then decided that we could make it to Zions after all. I am so glad we decided to go! It was beautiful and I only wished we would have had more time for hiking. We hiked emerald pools and the weeping rock. The bus driver informed us that because of all the rain there were gushing waterfalls that hadn't been there the day before. Everything was stunning!

 We rode our bikes, lots!

 We also went up to the treehouse museum a lot to escape the heat. The boys' favorite things were definitely the train and fire engine as well as the health section. They have microscopes that Quinn spent a lot of time looking through and they both liked taking care of the babies,weighing them and giving them shots

 One of our favorite things to do is to go hiking, The boys are seriously amazing, we must hike at least 1.5 to 2 miles and they hold up so well. Most of the time we are able to hike to where the trail crosses a stream. We never crossed but had fun throwing rocks into the stream and feeling how cold the water was.

 The boys were such great helpers with our garden. Though our garden was not that successful this year I'm glad we tried and will make a lot of changes next year. We finally got some strawberries this past week though that have been so fun to eat.

 Sometimes ideas on pinterest work out. This was a fun one...we got a plastic sheet and taped it all around, then we filled it with water and sealed up the hole. The boys had a blast jumping and rolling on it feeling the water swish around. We ended up with a few holes in it, but I think part of that was due to the fact that I put it on a hill and so there was much more pressure on one side than the other. All in all a super fun, different activity to cool off.

 I don't know if you can tell but this picture is a flour hand print on my belly. James loves saying hi to the baby, even in the middle of baking.We spent a lot of time baking goodies in the kitchen. Both boys love to help use the mixer and James has really started to take an interest in helping get dinner ready. He is super good at breaking mushrooms into bite sized pieces and has a slight obsession with knives, pointing out one when ever I am using one saying "knife knife!"

 Eating some lemon crinkle cookies they made

 We tried so hard to go camping this summer. Our first plans kept getting postponed because of all the fires. Then, we tried to scout out a place and realized the road was closed so that pushed our plans back as we tried to figure out a place that would be good to take the kids. We finally found an alternate route to the camp site we want to go to and then had to cancel plans again because a storm blew in. Then, we finally got to go. We started up the trail and quickly realized that this was going to be quite the trek. The path was SO bumpy. When we finally found the campsite we were so disappointed to find out that there was no where to pitch a tent so we headed back down that same crazy road. Quinn kept saying it was scary  and he didn't want to fall. Best part of the whole thing were the views, they were gorgeous. After getting some recommendations from friends we decided on a new campsite but then Peter had to work. Maybe we will have better luck next year.

 A picture with munchkin #2

 Hanging out with Daddy was the best part of the week

 The boys discovered dandelions and had fun blowing off the seeds. James can not go by one without picking it, but likes to rub the seeds on his or mine pants to get them to come off, silly man

 Love this picture. Quinn loves this sweater and wanted to wear it all the time, even though it was so hot out! Backpacks were a hot item this summer and of course swim goggles are a must. We did get to go swimming a few times. I took the boys twice on mine own, which actually worked out really well. I was pretty worried about being able to make sure they were both ok, but they stayed together and were super good.

We tried to go on the trail by our house for bike rides and a few walks. James loved spotting the trains that would run past the trail

 And Quinn found some pretty neat rocks.

 He also loved picking up snails and having an ant crawl on his arm

1st day of preschool! So far he is having a blast and is doing a super good job learning the letters and how to write his name. Its so neat to see him making friends, learning and discovering new things. I'm so proud of the way he is kind to the other kids, takes an interested in his work and tries to do a good job.

Look at that goofy face! Since we are doing preschool  at our house this month, James gets to join in. Using scissors is probably his favorite thing to do along with using the dry erase markers and playing with the other kids

25 Weeks

25 Weeks today! Only 15 weeks to go :-)

Everything is still looking great. She was measuring a little small (22/23 weeks) at my last appointment but the OB said at this stage the measurement is not entirely accurate and so not to worry about it. If she is still measuring small at the next appointment in a month then they will do an ultrasound. I think I just have small babies, thank goodness! She is a funny little one. She has a schedule and so I can always predict when she is going to be moving. 6am, 9:30, 12:30, 3 and 9 in the evening, every day without fail. She of course moves a few other times throughout the day but regardless she is always moving at those times. I hope she keeps this schedule, it will work perfectly with how the boys day usually goes. A little bit of morning sickness has been creeping back in and I have finally succumbed to wearing maternity pants. Other than that I am feeling pretty good. I am loving the timing of this pregnancy. The last 15 weeks or so go by so slow but with the fall coming it will keep me busy and distracted. I am teaching preschool for September and Quinn is doing Tot Sports, then October will be full of yummy pies, playing in the leaves and swim lessons, then November with Thanksgiving after which she can pop right out and we can enjoy Christmas with her. Perfect!

A few cute things

A few cute phrases I don't want to forget.

Quinn

"When I grow up I want to be a teacher, because then I can help everyone learn stuff, thats what I really really want to do"

"Mom that bird is carrying 'nectarine' from flower to flower"

"I think Heavenly Father hears our prayers with his really big ears!"

James

"2 Today!"

"I'm nake nake" (Naked)

The Sweetest Things

I am sure every mother has those moments when she wonders what the heck she is doing with her kids...I feel like I have been having those too often recently. All my ideals and goals when I was first pregnant with Quinn compared to the reality of having two little ones with a third on the way is humbling to say the least.  But once in a while you get those moments that give you a glimpse into the sweetness of those little spirits, that reassure you that you are indeed on the right track.


At dinner last night Quinn looked over and said "is anything the matter Mum?" Nothing was but I thought it was sweet of him to ask


I dropped a necklace yesterday and it broke clean in two. I cried! It was a necklace that meant a lot to me. James came over and gave me a big kiss and a hug. Thanks buddy! He has also started this habit of putting his hand gently on your shoulder and looking at you with his grave little green eyes as if he as trying to convey many words of wisdom and comfort. Sometimes he will even whisper a thing or two.


I was also amazed to see James take my bowl this morning and put it in the dishwasher.


Quinn decided to sing a song to the baby as I was telling him she could probably hear us. I asked him what song he wanted to sing and he picked "I Am a Child of God". He then sang the song to my belly so sweetly.


There are more but I can't remember any right now. I am so glad for my two little boys!

Our Home: Part I

We have been in our house for 10 months now and I still haven't posted pictures, in part because there are a lot of projects and decorating that I want to do. I''m slowly getting things done in the massage room downstairs so I haven't had much time for the rest of house and I can't see all that I want to do being done anytime soon so I thought I would share some pictures anyways.

Our family room :-) This is a fun room. Perfect for playing with the kids and watching movies

Our dinning area.
I love this table but with three kids we are planning on getting a new one soon. I really love the square pub tables and think it would look great in here so that's what we are leaning towards but I will be so sad to part with this one.

Our kitchen is perfect. Not so small you can't move around but not so big it makes cooking hard because everything is so spaced out. We have a large pantry which I love, tons of storage space and I love that the boys can sit at the counter while I cook or to eat breakfast there. There is also a large desk area in the corner which you can't see in this picture which is great for helping me stay organized. I am anxious to get something on top of the cabinets, they feel so empty and one day would love to put in a back splash and replace the floor. Its not bad just not my favorite.I'm leaning towards staining the cabinets darker too. Its going to be beautiful!

This is our front room. I always end up in here. It is bright from the large windows and so inviting. From our window we can see the park and I love sitting on the couch watching the clouds drift by. I have some fun plans for above the piano which will hopefully be done soon because the off center clock drives me crazy. I also need to update our photos and get some more up there. The previous owners left the nails in so we just hung up a few that we had but they are baby pictures of Quinn and none of James.

I would love to get two chairs to put by the window. We always have family prayers and scriptures and family night in here and some more seating would be nice. Also we NEED curtains in here. You can see right in and we would like some more privacy but don't want to cut out too much of the view or the light.

This is  the boys rooms. Only Quinn is sleeping in here right now but We will be moving James in just a few weeks. Again lots of plans for this room. I started making some curtains this week and am excited to get those up

Quinn is now responsible for making his own bed. Its hard not to straighten it but am glad he is learning how to do this

This is the nursery, I love where the furniture is and am excited to make this into a little girls room but am sad to take down the things i made for the boys when they were born.