50 days!

Can you believe it? 50 days (more or less) until Ethan arrives. I already feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve... so excited for the big day. I need to tone it down or I'm going to drive myself crazy between now and July.

Things are going well- I am so glad that it is Friday (and Friday Afternoon at that) and the weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend. It's going to be a good weekend. If there isn't a baseball game going on tomorrow I plan on walking around the park (I'm trying to get some exercise in when I can). I'm still terrified of the park after the baseball incident. Sunday Dave and I are hanging out with Dave's brother Chris- that will be a good time. That evening Dave and I are going over to some of our friend's for a barbecue. It's going to be a good day (lots of food!)

Anyway... I really just wanted to share how eager I am about meeting Ethan for the first time. Not too far away now! Really I am the most excited about seeing Dave hold his first son for the first time. :)

So I'm a little slow

I have been meaning to write about my weekend all week and here it is- Thursday already.

The weekend was pretty good- it was so nice to have a three day weekend. :)

Saturday Dave and I were pretty lazy. We went up and hung out with the Woodburys for a little bit. We brought Pookie along and let her play with Zeus- the Woodbury's 120 pound German Shephard. It's pretty amazing to see 6.5 pound Pookie next to this big dog, but they seem to have lots of fun together. We let Pookie off her leash (a first for her- outside of the park) and let them run around. Rather, let Pookie run around and Zeus attempt to chase her.

McKenzie and Doss came into town on Sunday and stayed the night. I was so happy to see them. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures (well, except for one taken at 4.45 AM and I didn't look so hot). We just sat around talking and letting our dogs play together. Henry and Pookie got along (I'd like to think) and ran around together. I really had a lot of fun. And McKenzie and Doss came bearing gifts- they brought a whole box of baby clothes- I am so excited! Everything was so cute and there is an awesome snow suit I can't wait to put Ethan in. :)

Monday morning McKenzie and Doss were out the door pretty early so Dave and I were pretty much on our own on Monday. What a nice lazy day! :) It was nice and sunny so we took Pookie out to the park and let her run around some more (I feel so bad that she's cooped up all day so I try to get her to the park as much as possible). Monday afternoon Dave and I went up to his sister's house for some quality family time. It was so much fun. Except for the part where I didn't feel the greatest- back aches, stomach ache, and tired.

Anyway, so it was a pretty good weekend overall. :) On Tuesday my dad got into town so last night we all went out to dinner. Then McKenzie and Doss blew back into town on their way home so we stopped for frozen custard (my new favorite dessert).

So lots of family and I am loving it!

Three day weekend!

Yeah! It's the weekend (well, almost). I am looking forward to THREE days! to myself (well, almost). Nothing too exciting going on this weekend. It's supposed to be nice- so that makes me very happy. I'll probably end up taking Pookie around the park and to play fetch so she can be outside for a little bit.

Some exciting stuff- My sister and her husband are passing through here on their way to Vegas. I am so excited to see them. And they're bringing their dog as well so maybe Pookie will be able to make friends? We'll see. Lately she's been quite the weiner- barking at bigger dogs when she knows that either myself or Dave is close by- and then running away when little kids try to pet her. Anyway, back to family. I am so excited to see them and to be able to hang out for a little bit. :) I think my dad said that he was coming into town as well but I am not sure when he plans on doing that... I guess we'll just wait for a phone call.

Things are going well otherwise. Work is good. We are getting ready to close our fiscal year and start another one. That means lots of budgets, lots of reconciling, and many, many projects like that. I am actually enjoying it over all... even though the level of concentration/detail can be incredible. I have to say I have come a long way regarding attention to detail.

My friends Katie and Matt came into town as well. It was really good to see them. I tried to cook us dinner but it didn't quite turn out (how embarassing!) so we went out to eat instead. Darn. I wanted to make a good impression- I'm just glad they they are old friends and will probably overlook the cooking attempt. :) I'm kind of bummed because we didn't take pictures!

Ethan is still growing nicely. Now when Ethan moves I swear that I can tell that it's little feet or hands that I am feeling (I don't know which, but I know it's got to be one of them). It's amusing to me to be able to feel his hands/feet as the run across my stomach- it feels weird- both from the inside and if I put my hand on my stomach to feel from the outside. Doctor's appointments have been bumped up to every two weeks now and soon they'll be every week. We are now 32 weeks along with 57 days to go! Less than 60 days! Wow! I am getting so excited to see what this little man looks like. Right now I imagine Dave's head on a baby's body. I know Dave is excited to see how our little boy is going to blend our features... some of me, some of Dave.

Victory!

So I wrote about how I planted a container garden (right?)... anyway, I have been waiting patiently for my little seeds to sprout up (half worried that I had managed to kill the plants even before they'd had a chance to grow).

Sunday I went out and watered each of my containers and looked closely for any shoots. Nothing.

Monday, I came out to investigate again and I found this:

My little Zucchini plant is growing! FAST! That popped up over night. I am so excited!

And then yesterday I went out to investigate some more and I saw the beginnings of some tomatoes. :) Yeah! Now we'll just have to see if anything else comes in. Oh yeah- the spinach is growing like mad! I am excited about that too.

Baby Stuff

I am so excited- one of my coworker's gave Dave and I a whole bunch of baby stuff. :) Awesome! We got a whole bunch of little things and a few of the bigger things we have been looking for.

Activity center/jumper...

Bouncer (with vibration)

Most of the available space in the baby's room is taken up by a guest bed (for now) so most of the new stuff is hanging out in our living room. It's fun to see baby stuff around- guess it makes it just that more real!

Biker Baby

So we got a care package from my Dad and Step Mom (Pam) the other day. In it were some really cute (and soft!) blankets as well as a diaper bag (yeah!) and the best was this...

A little Harley Davidson bear.

Ethan is going to be our little biker/soccer baby. :)

... And outwards

Well, I guess it's time for my weekly Friday post. :) It's been a quiet week over all which is kind of nice. It's been slowly warming up- whoo hoo! This weekend we're supposed to expect upper 70's and mid 80's and next week- the 90's! It will be interesting to see how I do with the heat.

Well today marks 31 weeks. We have 64 days until B-day... just two months away! I can't believe it. I am excited for July to get here, but at the same time, I am not in a rush to get there. Over all things have been going really well, with aches and pains along the way, but over all, pretty good. :) Currently Ethan seems to enjoy using my belly button as a punching/kicking target. Also I've been able to feel when Ethan gets the hiccups- which is pretty often. I am still trying to figure out what I am eating that is doing it to him, cause he usually gets the hiccups most often after lunch (my thoughts are that it's either the ranch, the peanut butter, the carrots or the celery).

This weekend is going to be a good one. Tonight I am meeting up with my friend April and we're going to get pedicures. I am kind of excited. I am not much of a hand/foot person but I wouldn't mind a foot rub. :) Tomorrow I think I am going to be picking up some baby stuff. One of my coworkers had a boy last summer so she is going to giving me a lot of the stuff she no longer needs. I am really excited about that... I'm not sure what she has, but I am excited to look and just happy to get anything. :)

Other than that it should be a quiet weekend. Maybe I'll try to get more house projects done. Oh yeah- Dave and I have decided to redo our shower. We're going to rip out what we have now and put in tiles. This will be interesting because we're going to try to do it largely by ourselves. Of course we'll get some experienced people in to do the hard stuff (mudding? taping?) but I've been told that putting up the new green board and the tiling itself shouldn't be too hard. I'm excited. I'll have to remember to take before and after pictures.

Next week my friends Katie and Matt will be in town and I am pretty excited to see them. Katie is one of my oldest friends (all the way back to High School!) and Matt (now married to Katie) was the first person we met when we came to Utah for college. Anyway, it's going to be really good to see them.

I have been promising a picture of my belly for a while now and unfortunately I keep forgetting to take one. So here's a modified close up of my belly...

Fighting Pessimism

It just seems like it is too easy to see that the world is going to hell in a hand basket and feel helpless as it does it. And then there are also the daily challenges of just living. It seems like it can be too easy to get discouraged and give up. So I've been trying hard to make some changes in my life that allow me to appreciate more what I have. Even though I haven't been doing to the best at making those changes happen, at least I am making baby steps.

I have been focusing on trying to be more grateful- in my daily prayers and also in my attitude. I am surrounded by some amazing people and I am so blessed to have them in my life. Dave and I have a wonderful home, jobs, and a growing family. We aren't over our heads in debt and day to day living is manageable. We have good health and good attitudes. Whenever I get discouraged, or think about the things I don't have, or think about the challenges in store for Dave and I, I try to remember that we're taken care of and that we're going to be fine. I know that things will work out and I just need to remind myself.

I have been trying to read better books- and less news. First I am a news junky. I get my news from multiple sources and even have headlines emailed to me. I spend an extraordinary amount of time on "news." And I noticed a while ago that it was affecting my attitude. Everything was bad and the world was broken and everyone was getting screwed in one way or another. So I am trying to (slowly) give up reading as much news. This has benefited my life in other ways too- I don't watch the news at home anymore so I am watching less TV each evening. In addition to less "news" I have been trying to be pickier about the books I am reading. I try to find encouraging, uplifting books that I can learn something from. It helps that I don't have the budget to just go out and buy whatever book catches my eye- now I have to 1) be picky; 2) read what has been given to me; 3) go back through my bookshelf and rediscover old favorites.

I am trying to watch less TV. Less TV means many things, some of the best of which are: more time for other things and less advertising. I don't want as many things and I don't feel the need to acquire stuff as much anymore. I don't care if I have the latest gizmos, as long as I have what I need. I read a book that cited a study that showed that the amount of TV affects consumption and "wanting" things. Kids who watched more TV were more susceptible to advertising- makes sense right? This will become more important as I begin to raise my own children. I'm not going to say that my kids can't watch TV but I want to teach them to be selective. They don't have to watch everything just because they can and because it is there.

Dave and I had briefly talked about looking for and purchasing a house. When we were in this mode I would come home and look at all the things I didn't like about our condo. We are probably going to be in our condo for at least another 5 years- I needed a change of attitude or I'd go crazy. I have been trying to appreciate more what I have now and think less about how things could be. I am trying to take better care of what I have now- make things prettier and last longer and, in general, just be a better steward of my money and resources. I have learned that taking care of what I do have makes me appreciate it more and also helps me to realize I don't need a lot (and helps me be more grateful for everything I do have). I have been working on mini condo projects for the past few months and I love our home. It is perfect for us. I love Dave for having the foresight to provide us with such a wonderful home.

Finally, I have been trying to be more charitable and service oriented. And this one I am still struggling with. But I am working on it. I get home from work and the last thing I really want to do is go out and do anything. But I am hoping that I can get there. I want to be able to share the blessings that I have received with the people around me and in some ways I just want to make the world a better place- at least in my little corner. It seems stupid, but I had a revelation a few weeks ago about the nature of service. It used to be that I couldn't change the world or serve everyone that I thought I was supposed to. I was so discouraged that I didn't even try to help anyone. Then it occurred to me that I can't serve the world right now, but I can help the people that I come in contact with (and not even all of the people I come in contact with- just some of them). So I am trying to make a conscious effort to pick three people a month and then work on serving them. I figure it's a good place to start.

Finally, I have been trying to change that attitude that I can do everything. I can't. Some things are just beyond my control and accepting that will just make things easier. I need to remember to be humble and to count on other people. I am so thankful that I have a wonderful husband who makes life such much easier for me. He is such a wonderful provider and the perfect partner in life. I have been trying to do my part and let God do His- and remember Who comes first. :) One quote that I recently stumbled across puts in perspective for me: "Work like everything depends on you; Pray like everything depends on God."

And thinking ahead to the future- and the challenges that are coming- I just found this quote: "Deal with the problems as wisely as you can. Make your decisions. You may be right; you may be wrong. Hopefully you will be right because you have prayed earnestly over the matter and you have discussed it with your associates. But once these decisions are made, put them behind you and do not worry about them. Turn around, stand tall, put your head up, and look forward to the marvelous opportunities you have."

Container Gardening and Other Things

So I got my container garden put together. I am so excited! Last year I tried it and it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. This year I am hoping to put a little bit more love and attention into and see how it all turns out. I also decided to keep it simple this year. Hopefully that helps as well. Anyway- I planted Thyme, Basil, Mint (to go with the Rosemary I already have); Cucumbers, Zucchini, Spinach, and two types of tomatoes. So nothing crazy, just stuff that will supplement our groceries nicely. We'll see how it turns out! :)

Dave and I also went out and saw "Star Trek" this weekend. I really enjoyed it! :) I'm not a big trekkie, but I enjoy the movies and it was just a fun one. I would definitely see it a few times.

Other than that- things are quiet around here. It's warming up nicely and I've been trying to spend more time outside. Pookie has also been loving it- I have been letting her out on the deck to lay in the sun (probably her favorite activity).

Where is the year going?

I've been waiting all year for it to get warm out and it's finally starting to happen! I can go outside in a T-shirt and today I didn't even bring a jacket to work with me. Whoo hoo! But the flip side- did you guys know it's already MAY!? WHAT THE HECK? Where is time going? It seems especially bad because at work I am definitely stuck on a monthly closing cycle- it seems like I spend a lot of time trying to get the previous month's books closed just to turn around and realize it's time to start all over again.

My little boy is only 10 (!) weeks (or 71 days) from his arrival. It's odd to think that I am 30 weeks pregnant! 30! I know it's only been the matter of a week, but it seems like such a big difference to go from twenty something to thirty something (is this how it is with birthdays too?).

This month is looking like it's going to a pretty social one for Dave and me. Family events left and right and now friend after friend and friend coming into town. I am so excited! It's kind of like crawling out of hybernation. :)

I keep meaning to take some pictures for you guys but I keep forgetting to do so- sorry! Maybe I'll finally get my act together this weekend.

Baseball

You might be looking at the above (and below) picture and wondering why you're looking at my arm. If you look closely you might notice that I have a baseball sized bruise on my arm. The picture failed to capture the multi-colored beauty (if that's the word for it) of this bruise.

Yes, the most exciting thing that has happened to me in weeks is that I got hit in the arm by a baseball. I had decided to take Pookie for a long walk around the park across the street from us. I figured the weather was beautiful and I (we) needed some exercise and fresh air. As we were finishing up our first lap around the park, we were passing by a little league game. I was off in doggy walking la-la land and wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings. Although I doubt that my reflexes or any reaction that I could have had with advance warning would have helped me (and probably would have only made the situation worse). Anyway, out of no where I feel this arm deadening whack. Yup, I got hit by a foul ball. I was so shocked I just kept walking with Pookie. However now I was heading home instead of around the park again. My walk had effectively ended.

On my way home all I could do was say a little grateful prayer that the ball had hit me in my arm versus my head/face/belly. I think that was the most shocking thing of all- the realization that the baseball could have just as easily done some real damage instead of giving me a good sized/colored bruise.

Another week gone by...

Well it's Friday again. Today I am 29 weeks into this pregnancy and have 78 days until B-day. Time is just scooting along! Sorry no recent belly pictures- I'll make Dave take some this weekend to give everyone an update. I'm not to the "uncomfortable" stage yet, but I'm getting there... so far there's still enough room for the two of us, but we'll see how long that lasts. :)

This week has been an interesting one. Pookie and Dave have been sick so I have been on double duty. My poor little family. :( Not too much excitement really going on though. Just work and taking care of my babies. Hopefully this weekend will be a calm one.

Wow, I wish there was more to say, but it's just been that kind of week I guess. On a side note, I ordered and received the cutest diaper covers- I am so excited. :) I should take a picture, or you can just go to www.pattynaps.com. They are made by a woman out here in Utah and they are just the cutest thing. :) Stephanie makes all kinds of diapers but I focused on just buying diaper covers (waterproof covers) for some prefold diapers I already have. Yup, we are going with clothe diapers. I have a good collection of diapers so far... we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, hope you all have a good weekend.