Ramblings

The warm weather has finally come to Idaho and that's great but I don't have air conditioning and I don't have furniture in my basement to hang out down there so, it gets pretty warm in the house. So I eat popcicles. I love them. I crave any type of popcicle or shaved ice alot. Yesterday I ate three of them. And realized that when I eat them, little Avery moves around! I don't know if it's the sugar or what but I like to feel it. I was determined to eat one after David got home but he went fishing twice yesterday and got home late and then of course I didn't want one. I was hoping it would make her move and he could feel it. I poked around my belly for a while but she still wouldn't move.

Speaking of fishing. If David and I lived in the pioneer days and I was married to him I would hope and pray that he's better at hunting than fishing. We would die if he's not. All last week he was camping and caught like one fish I think. His buddy from work was catching them like crazy. Yesterday after work the guy invited David to go fishing at a trout farm. Trout farm I said. Poor David still didn't catch anything but his buddy did! Then the guy put down his rod and picked up David's and continued to catch more. So David came home and ate and then went fishing with Austin. Austin is determined to find out why David can't catch a fish. He bought him lures that are supposed to be like THE lures to have to catch fish. Basically, there's no way you can't catch fish with these lures. Supposedly. Austin took his boy and David to some secret fishing spot where there's supposed to be tons of fish. Austin and his boy were catching fish left and right and finally David caught a baby fish. Then a while later he caught another baby and that was it. He loves to fish but he can't ever catch any! It's becoming humorous now.

For David's birthday he told me he of two things he wanted and both I couldn't get. The one thing he really, really, really wants is a gun. He wants to hunt but has no gun so a guy at work told him about a place that sells these old Russian army rifles and I guess you can get one in really good condition if you look. They sell them at some local stores. The guy called yesterday and said he saw one on the internet for a good price and it's been modified and has a scope on it and comes with 300 rounds of ammo. David called the guy and talked him down on the price and so hopefully the guy will still have the gun by the time David gets off work so we can go for a road trip. I love me a road trip!

Looks like we're going to be putting in a new oven at our house in Edmond. This is good! I'm going to have a new house some day! David found a Frigidaire wall oven for a really great price with free shipping on ebay. My poor tenants have been without an oven. :(

Well, it's my first full day of being a stay at home wife/soon to be mom! There are things I need to do but can't because I'm waiting for someone to do their part...

That's all for now! Oh! 4 more months!!!

22 Weeks

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Today was my last day at the county. I went in to get the girl up to speed and now I'm home!

aVeRy LyNn

It's finally out! My baby girl's name that is. I love it.

She's been moving quite a bit lately. Of course, every time I try to get David to feel it she quits. One of these days he'll feel it...

Reading is something that is very important to me. I think it's crucial to read to children when they're small. It helps with reading comprehension and spelling. Basically the only 2 things I was decent at in school. My grandma used to read to me ALL THE TIME. Then I started to love reading and I remember when I first got my glasses, I wouldn't wear them. My grandma would tell me that if I wanted to read, I had to wear them. I would begrudgingly put them on so I could read. I loved it. Still do but don't seem to make much time for it anymore. I should pick it up again. I read a lot in the cabin.

So the point of this is...I started Avery's library!! Actually I started it a while back but this weekend David and I were at the book store and I got her some board books. I'm so excited. I got her a touch and feel book, an ABC book, Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? book and another one...can't remember what it is though. I've already bought her some Dr. Seuss books which are a little advanced for now but that's ok. And I got her one of my all time favorite books: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Beautiful story. Love it.

I can't wait to hold her and read to her!

Movement

Baby girl has been moving alot lately. It's such a neat feeling. She sleeps alot but I wish she'd move around more. I know she's alive and well when I can feel her. The day she started moving around the most was the night of my birthday. Isn't that neat? I've felt her with my hand a few times but she won't move around long enough for David to feel it. Last night I saw my stomach move too.

I can't wait to meet you baby girl and show you off to the world!! I just know you'll be so beautiful!

Coffee, Mt. Dew and Watermelon

My days at the county are numbered. It's bittersweet. I like having something to do (I also like not having something to do...), a place to go, people to see. You get the idea. I also like the idea of trying to get our new house in order. When I get home from work, it's like the last thing I want to do. Especially after making dinner.

David went camping last night. Hope he and whoever else is with him got up and made it to work on time. I think he'll be staying tonight too. I had dinner with him last night at the campsite. He didn't go very prepared. We used tortillas as plates. That's ok...we were being economical.

Throughout this pregnancy so far, I've not had many cravings. I've had cravings but shoot, I had cravings before I was pregnant! Something I have noticed though is that sometimes when I eat something, I feel like it's THE BEST thing I have ever eaten. Monday, it was my cottage cheese. I felt like I had never had anything so tasty in my life. I have noticed one craving that has been pretty consistent: mountain dew. I was not a mountain dew drinker before I got pregnant (I'm still not) but oh how I crave it. Mountain Dew and watermelon. I have bought two watermelons and they were both bad. I'm waiting for someone's garden to produce a delicious watermelon that I can have. He knows I'm waiting patiently.

Another pretty consistent craving I have is coffee. I've been staying away from drinks with caffeine but I sometimes drink a shaken black iced tea from Starbucks. Shhh. On Sundays, at church, David will make him some coffee and I just sit and smell it. It's amazing. What I wouldn't give for some coffee right now...I need to get some decaf.

Well, I just thought I'd write something to remember about my pregnancy. Someday I know I'll forget.

21 Weeks

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Foster Reservoir

On Sunday the weather was nice and the wind picked up. So that means a trip to Foster.

In Love

I am so excited that we are going to have a baby girl! This might be a recurring statement on this blog from now on :0) Just a warning...

I know that every new mother fantasizes about life after her baby. I am under no illusion that it's going to be easy. I've never raised a child but I have been around alot of kids and I know how they are. I've worked with children in every age group. I've spent more time with some people's kids than their own parents. So, I guess in some ways I have raised children, just not in my own home.

I just think about all the tings I want to teach my children. I'm really excited about having a girl because I recently found a website about raising daughters in godliness and preparing them in the arts of homemaking to the glory of God. I have always loved the idea of being a homemaker but truthfully was never taught in many areas. When you haven't been trained to do something, how do you know how to train your daughter how to do it? That's what's so wonderful about this website. It teaches you and gives examples of how to train your daughters in the art of homemaking. I'm super excited. I'm going to buy a book that is along the same lines and I cannot wait! So in the meantime, I plan on learning alot before November and plan to continue learning the art of homemaking after she's born.

I'm also excited because I have found some information on training children in obedience and it goes right along with how David and I feel about discipline and training children. I'm very thankful that he and I are on the same page so far. I'm sure there will be things that arise that we'll feel differently about but it'll be fine. I plan to use this information to implement some training into my children. After working in daycare, I've seen alot of things that I don't want to do. It's also put a fire in my bones about kids these days.

I've found the cutest artwork that I'm going to buy to put in the nursery. I can't wait! I think that I might make her bedding too. We'll see...

Oh and I've also discovered that I might have to become a country queen. I'm obsessed with the idea right now of having my own cows and chickens. Not a pasture full of cows, just a few that I can slaughter. I want to process my own chickens too. Ok, one beef would last us forever. Would anyone notice if I put a cow in my back yard??

Great Weekend

I just realized when I posted the ultrasound pictures I put "here's 2 of her arms" or something like that on one of them...just to clarify...she only has 2 arms. I made it sound like she has more!

I had a really great birthday! Of course it started a day early by finding out about our baby girl! Then on Saturday David surprised me (ok, he told me he was going to get it a few weeks earlier) with a flat screen TV for our bedroom! His boss does metal art and there was a local arts festival this weekend and David bought me a piece of his art. It's a wind thing. I don't know what they're called, it's not a chime but it's cool. Then we went to Ogden and stayed at a hotel and had fun. Then today we got up and David got some tools from Harbor Freight and we went to Babies R Us and looked at some stuff. We didn't buy anything though. I wanted to price compare on the 2 things we'll need when she's born.

We still can't believe we're going to have a baby girl! I think I'm still in shock that I'm actually going to have a child. Seeing her move on the ultrasound was amazing and finding out she's a girl really helped to personify her I guess. I'm glad I found out...not sure about David but I don't think he regrets it :0)

Last night I felt her moving a lot. I felt her a few times with my hand but every time I tried to get David to feel it, she'd stop moving.

I'm so ready for November!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Here are the newest pictures of our BABY GIRL!

It's a girl!

Her 2 feet

1 foot

part of her spine

her brain--perfectly formed!


2 of her arms

1 arm with a hand you can see

4 chambers in her heart--perfect!

We are super excited we're having a healthy little girl! We can't wait to meet her!

1 More Day!!

Tomorrow is THE day! I'm so stinkin' excited! So far I've got more guesses from people thinking it's a girl but a few boys too. I don't really know. We'll see in about 25 hours!!

This morning, my stomach feels like it's being pushed out. It feels like that quite a bit I've noticed.

I think we may be going to see top fuel (??) in Salt Lake on Saturday. David and I also have eye appointments on Saturday and I'm so happy! I've been missing my contacts in the worst way! And I don't know if David's ever been to an eye doctor except maybe when he was a kid. His eyes are getting to where they need to be checked though. I think it's due to the strain of him tig welding. Focusing on tiny things can strain your eyes and make them bad...like an old lady who sews or quilts! Unfortunately, I'm trying to get him in to an Ear, Nose, Throat doc to get his hearing tested. His hearing is bad and has him worried. We sound like old fogies getting our eyes and ears checked :0)

Ohhh I wish this day would hurry up and be over!!!!!

More Pictures

These are pictures of baby Irving's bedroom.

And here are pictures of my preggo belly at 20 weeks 1 day.

Rainbow

So yesterday at my 20 week mark, I had David take pictures of my belly but they all look really bad so we'll try again tonight. I don't know why in the world I can't get a decent picture.

So, instead here's some pictures of the rainbow the other night.

20 Weeks

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)



He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

It's hard to believe I'm half way through this pregnancy! I'm about to go crazy waiting for Friday! I can't wait to see my baby. MY baby!! That is soooo crazy!

The baby's room is cleaned out (it had tools and stuff stored in there for a bit) so I will try to post a picture this evening. There's nothing in it yet. Can't wait to do some shopping!!!

4 Days!

4 days until we find out what baby Irving is!!!

This kid better cooperate and show the goods :0)

Busy

Today has been busy. David is back to working Saturdays but when he came home he and Austin got to work and so have I.

I'm tired.

After a week of not being able to get on the internet at the house, it miraculously started working today. Don't know why but I'm sure glad it did.

Oh and 6 days and counting until THE day I've been waiting for comes!

Weird

I got the stitches out in my arm pit today. I also got my pathology report back and it's kind of interesting...I guess. The lump was not fat or cancer or a swollen lymphnode. It was auxillary breast tissue. Basically I had random breast tissue in my arm pit and what happens when you're pregnant? Breast tissue gets bigger and more sore.

The doc then gave me some speech on evolution and how when we're in the womb we have multiple nipple sites like cats and dogs because we're related. But by the time we're born we only have 2. So supposedly one was in my arm pit? He then told me about how he's met women with multiple nipples and people with sores on their necks which comes from gills....because we all have gills in the womb and some people's don't close up...

Um, ok whatever but I'm glad to know what it was.

Gas

No, I don't have gas. Well, I do but it's the kind that heats your water at your house! Finally, David and I were able to take showers in our new house and it was AWESOME! I washed dishes last night and I didn't have to boil water. It was great.

I almost wish David didn't agree to finding out the gender of the baby yet because now I can't wait until next Friday and it's taking FOREVER to get here. Soon enough we will know.

David and Austin hung up the doors last night and got the door knobs on and they look great. It was nice to shut the door last night when I went to the bathroom :0)

Last night it rained a little and we had a double rainbow and it was so pretty. The colors were so vivid. I'll have to try to post pictures sometime soon.

David got word at work that they're going to start working 56 hour weeks so that means over time which means more money! Yay!

That's all I've got for now!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Ok, so it's not my birthday yet but David told me last night that he was okay with me finding out what we're having! My ultrasound is the day before my birthday! woohoo! He's going to take off work for a while to come to the ultrasound with me. I didn't think he'd do that so I tried to get an appointment for when he was off work but it wouldn't work out. I'm glad he's coming, he's never heard the heartbeat or anything so I think reality might sink in haha!

I woke up today and my armpit hurts from getting that lump out last week. It was bothering me some yesterday too. I got my shirt seam caught in the stitches and that did not feel good.

David and Austin are still finishing up the house, we've had some other things to do so it's slowed down. Austin got all of the doors painted yesterday and they look nice and white!

Nothing else new around here.

19 Weeks

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Busy Busy!

We've been busy getting the house all set up. David got a little side tracked and decided to build shelves in the basement so we can stack our stuff neatly. Well, he's also decided to get rid of all boxes and put things in plastic tubs which is great...I'm just not looking forward to going through all of the boxes!!

So the shelf building got us a little behind on some things but then he got re focused and he and Austin finished caulking the countertops. I think all the doors might be getting painted today and the nails in the trim filled in.

Yesterday a bunch of us went over to Foster and David, Austin and Austin's sister Kalie all practiced flipping over in their kayaks while Vicki and I watched from the shore. They need lessons...

I go to the dr on June 18 for my ultrasound and I'm so excited! On Saturday we went to a co-worker of David's house and he got to shoot bows with him then we went to some salmon cook out. While we were there I got the usual "what are you having" questions and then the "what?! you're not going to find out?!" So after the lady teasingly gave David a hard time, he said "I don't know, I might give in" Let me tell you, I'm really holding on to those words!! I hope he does! But I've come to the conclusion that if we don't find out, it'll be okay! Now, if everyone else I know would come to that conclusion too...

I'm almost half way done! I can't believe it and my belly is still small!

Adios Cabin!!

We're completely out of the cabin so on the the next thing: organizing the house in town. I also plan to get rid of all of our boxes and have only tubs. I also hope to weed out a lot of stuff that we don't need to hold on to anymore.

Yesterday I couldn't do too much because the night before I apparently pushed myself more than I should have and I was paying for it. My lower belly ached so bad all afternoon yesterday and evening. It feels much better today. No more lifting for me, no matter if I think it's not that heavy. I learned heavy lifting can cause your placenta to detach from your uterus.

I'm getting ready to start feeling baby move. It'll be nice to know it's alive and well and kicking me! 2 more weeks until my ultrasound. I can't wait to see a baby in there!

David's been working hard as usual. He's been helping with the house and building shelves for our storage unit. He's about to freak out because the house looks like we just moved into it. Actually, I don't think it's bad for just having moved into it!

David and Austin went kayaking this last Monday. David loved it. I've got to get him in lessons though so he can learn to flip himself back over. He flipped the kayak 3 times. I asked if he had learned how to flip himself back over, he said no, he just learned how to get out of the kayak really fast. They went on the Bear River and I think it was a little much for them so I think they'll continue their practicing on Foster Reservoir. But they seriously are going to take a class!!

No Longer A Riverdale Resident!!

Last night David and I stayed at the house in town. It was awesome! Before we went to bed, David went into the bathroom and flushed the toilet and said "do you hear that?? running water!" Ohhh, the simple joys in life :0) It was really nice though to get ready for work this morning and not have to walk over to the main building for whatever reason. I could get used to living in a house...

I packed up some of the cabin last night and apparently I overdid it with the lifting because now this spot on my lower belly is really sore. I'll have to take it easy tonight.

My back has absolutely been driving me crazy. For such a small baby, this kid is really killing my back! It must be in just the right spot to make my sciatic nerve act up because half the time I get nerve pain in my leg and can't put weight on it sometimes. Getting up after sitting for a while is especially hard. Today I'm going to switch office chairs because the one I've been sitting in is hurting me pretty bad. By the end of the day I feel like I'm crippled. I look like my dear old dad when his back acts up :0) "ohhh my achy breaky back!" Then last night I had a nerve acting up on the right side of my back.

Then yesterday I was walking down the stairs to the basement (which are not steep) and I totally bit it and landed on my knees but scratched up my left arm some how. I'm so graceful.

I've decided it's time to finally graduate to maternity pants. My pants just don't fit and my amazing band gets on my nerves now.

I'm tired but today is a good day~ it's already Wednesday. I had a 4 day weekend and now I'll have a 3 day work week, I'm pretty much moved into our new house, and I'm wearing a new shirt that I got last weekend. Now I just need some milk to eat my strawberry mini wheats with and my day will be complete!

18 Weeks

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

And from another source:

One of a kind. This week, your little one is developing one of the characteristics that will make her unique: fingerprints. Pads of fat accumulating on the fingertips and toes will turn into distinguishing swirling lines.

Prepping the plumbing. "What happens when this stuff goes down into my stomach?" The large intestine has been tacked down to the back of the abdominal wall, and many digestive glands are forming. This developing digestive system has been going through its paces for several weeks already: The fetus is swallowing amniotic fluid, which then makes its way through the stomach and intestines. Now, that fluid combines with dead cells and secretions in the intestines to form meconium. Meconium is the black, tarry substance that will eventually make up your baby's first messy diaper.

Measuring up. The fetus weighs up to 7 ounces and is about 6.5 to 7 inches, top to bottom.