Pregnancy Diaries - 24 weeks

I've found that I enjoy telling people how much more I have left to go in the pregnancy rather than how far along I am - the lower numbers always sound better to me :)  It's much more fun to hear ONLY 16 more weeks to go - rather than I'm 24 weeks along.  It may not make a lot of sense to others - but to me that number dropping down is golden! 

Madeleine said the other day that we need a nickname for this little one, which I agree with...I just don't know what it should be.  I'll try calling her Sweetpea for now & see if that sticks :) 

As far as news & updates - I have to laugh that once the nausea leaves there are a few weeks before the heartburn kicks in.  I forgot how much I dislike heartburn.  I now sleep propped up in bed & have brought out the famous body pillow to try and use it to get comfortable.  Comfortable is a very relative word when pregnant....I don't know if I'll ever be truly comfortable again until Sweetpea is here :)  I'm a little frustrated that the heartburn seems to be making its' big comeback right when my tomato plant is about ready to burst forth with 50+ tomatoes on the vine.  I love my ginormous tomato plant - I refer to it as a Little Shop of Horrors plant...it just keeps growing & growing - it's trying to grow over our stoop where we get in the back door!  Anyway, I have to be careful how many tomatoes I eat - the cherry tomatoes are the only ones ripe at the moment, and so far the heartburn hasn't been unbearable...but it's getting close.  With Jacob I chewed on Papaya Enzymes which helped soothe the burning feeling - I hope that will work again & I'm going to look for other options as well....with needing to eat often in a pregnancy it really doesn't help to have the heartburn that goes along with eating! 

While school shopping we've been browsing the racks of little girl clothes.  Madeleine definitely likes to help me look for things for Sweetpea, but I've been surprised at how the boys will look for things as well!  We haven't bought a tremendous amount, but enough that when I open up the closet in the baby's room I smile to look at the clothes that are hanging there with their bright colors - pink, orange & brown seem to be a popular color choice right now & I was suckered into a great sale at Macy's for a few outfits that were all on a really great sale.  I love Macy & their sales so much that you'd think Macy is a name we'd consider for Sweetpea...but oddly enough it's not on my list.  

The last week I've been exhausted at night - all the running around that we did in shopping to get ready for school clothes or trying to get in some last activities before summer break ended left me super tired!  I also noticed that my right leg was having more issues with the Sciatic Nerve, to the point that the top part of my leg often feels tingling or numb.  It's really an awkward pain!  The midwife said that usually problems that you have in other pregnancies, will sometimes show up earlier in your subsequent pregnancies.  How true in this case!  Now that the kiddos are in school the plan is for me to go swimming or do water aerobics a few times a week - swimming is routinely suggested for helping to lessen the impact of the Sciatic Nerve.  I hope so!  

I haven't had any real cravings for food -- just food that tastes really good :)  A few weeks ago when I was running Jacob back & forth to the Granite School District I remembered that Yanni's Greek Express was off the freeway....and I stopped there twice in one week for their Chicken Souvlaki.  It was so good....the combination of the chicken, pita and lemon rice was mouth watering.  Other than that - fresh fruits, veggies have been a love.  My sister made this ranch dip when she was out visiting & although I had told her I'd rather have a salad before dinner...I sat at that veggie tray and probably ate half of it & enjoyed ranch dip on much of the veggies!  I usually don't indulge in a dip - it's just more calories than I need, or I'd rather use those calories on chocolate :)  However, this dip was so good that I made my own here at home and for the next two weeks I would munch on celery & other veggies with some dip.  It's funny how things taste good in phases - right now, the dip doesn't sound that appetizing!  Veggies are still a big YES!  

I'm not quite sure what I'll do when the weather cools off - first of all, it will feel wonderful and I can't wait for cooler weather but I don't look forward to figuring out what to wear.  I still live in dresses & I suppose I'll have to figure out how to work these maxi dresses or some other kind of comfortable dress once the weather turns cooler.  

That's all for now on the baby report.  I have an appointment tomorrow at the midwives.  I like the appointments there as they are very low-key & it's mainly to keep track that I and the baby are healthy.  She can be quite the active little girl during the day - I still forget at times that it's a baby making all the movement in my tummy and that I don't just have an upset stomach!  Oh - there is one funny thing that keeps happening - whenever I get up, it doesn't matter if I have just eaten or I had something an hour ago I get a hiccup.  It's usually just one - sometimes two at the most - but it's almost EVERY SINGLE time I get up.  I can't figure it out - thankfully it's not a case of hiccups each time, because that could get old.  I don't know that we ever figure out some of the quirks that happen when we are pregnant - they are just things that we learn to live with....and then hope they are gone after the baby comes!  

Hallelujah!

There will be so much more that I write on this in the upcoming weeks - but for now, I just had to share the quick blurb that I posted on Facebook, because I'm over the moon ecstatic and know that all things do work out for our good.

2 weeks of back & forth with the School District, the old elementary school, finding a new school, applying for a program, getting accepted to the program - being thrown out of the program because they didn't realize Jacob's age - 3 different days of tests and a lot of prayer and faith....we just received word that JACOB STARTS 1st GRADE ON MONDAY! All the kids are starting at the new school, and

 Jacob is back in the Dual-Immersion French Program! In the end the school got their test results which showed he was testing well into a 1st grade level & that we as parents were on par asking for him to stay on grade level for what he has done and not go by the cut-off date for Utah. It was well worth all the work....but I could use a vacation or at least some ice cream to celebrate!

Make it do - or do without

I've learned a new skill this summer which I'm rather pleased with....it's the beginning stages of canning or food preserving. I say beginning because I'm learning a lot each time I can - it's a process & although it's not hard, it does require some learning and a time investment :)

It all started with an apricot tree that is in our yard here that was producing more apricots than we could keep up with! The kiddos & I figured out a way to "pick" the fruit as so much was falling to the ground & then some was wasted. We tool out the kids parachute & held it open while someone would take the rake & shake down the fruit which we'd catch in the parachute. Such a brilliant idea that saved the fruit & allowed us to pick dozens at the same time - I think Madeleine thought of that one!

The only dilemma is that with all the fruit we needed to do something with it! I talked Lauren into making some freezer jam with me & then we somehow realized that a favorite spread/jan they use of apricot & jalepeno jam should also be made. These were perfect to start out with as they can be considered low-key canning :). We did a few batches each of the freezer & jalepeno mix that day while the cousins played - it was fun to work with someone & we ended up with delicious results!  This is just the freezer jam, I forgot to take a picture of the apricot & jalepeno jam...

The apricots kept coming & I couldn't swing another day right then to make jam, so I froze the remaining apricots to use at another time. I filled 4 huge zip-loc bags with apricots - perfect solution for later use.

When Celeste came in town a few weeks later, we spent her last afternoon here making the apricot & jalepeno jam again....this time I figured out to blend the jalepenos & some seeds into the jam for more of a kick - wow! Celeste showed me some tricks to sterilizing the jars & lids - I realized I was still such a novice!

Since I was on a canning kick I decided to attempt peaches. There was an incredible sale & suddenly 50 lbs. of peaches were sitting in my kitchen begging for attention. Jacob & I are huge fans of sweet peaches - we probably each ate around a dozen in the next few days! The peaches were starting to turn quickly so I froze a lot & then borrowed Leslie's steaming pot for the bottles & bought a lot of jars to get this project rolling. It ended up that I didn't start the process until late one evening - Bryson stayed up to talk with me & then donned an apron to cut peaches. We finished most of the peaches around 11:30pm - I just wanted to stare at the jars full of beautiful color....but we were tired! I finished the last small batch in the morning & realized we had canned 13 jars. It seemed like so much more - but when I really looked at those jars I wondered where all the peaches were --- still look at these beauties!  I chose to do a really light syrup as I wanted to lessen the amount of sugar used - which I read when doing a light syrup the peaches float more to the top.  It cracks me up to see them all bunched up at the top of the jar!

I'd like to do another round of peaches before they are out of season....and if I stay this ambitious I'd like to do applesauce in the fall - that is one of few fruits Bryson Jr will eat so I'd like to make my own so I know he's getting what I hope is the best.

I have a lot to learn about ways to be a better homemaker & as some call it a domestic diva --- but I find it fun & enjoyable to learn....and the best is that I love knowing I did something that we can enjoy.  I also have two tomato plants that are growing at a wild pace (pictures to come as I seriously have never seen tomato plants grow this big (Bryson and I joke that the one is the plant from Little Shop of Horrors)...I think that either a salsa or some kind of tomatoes will need to be canned in a few weeks as well!  

Golden Days Celebration

A few months ago I put my name in the lottery for tickets to attend President Monson's 85th Birthday Celebration at the Conference Center. Amazingly enough, my name was randomly selected & we received the 4 tickets that were sent to us. Since we are a family of 5 the 4 tickets might have been a problem, but I assumed that children under 8 years of age were not to attend, so I told Jacob we could ask someone to watch him that night. Right away he asked if he could go to Drew's house - his very best friend lives around the corner & 3 houses up from us & Jacob is sure they are not only best friends, but twins living in separate families :)

Thankfully Drew's mom was happy to have him over & off he went for a fun "late over" while Bryson & I took Madeleine & Bryson Jr. to the celebration.

The co-hosts were Steve Young and Jane Clayson Johnson - she stated at the beginning that the theme was chosen in reference to a quote that President Monson loves by Scottish writer and poet James Barrie, "God gave us memories, that we might have June roses in the December of our lives."  The Conference Center stage was adorned with huge bouquets of beautiful yellow roses - symbolic of the "golden" days of President Monson's life and also that yellow is his favorite color.

It was a beautiful performance with 3 guests that are well-known singers/performers. We realized it's not often to see a line-up like that on one stage....and that the performance is free is just amazing! The Tabernacle Choir & the orchestra are so talented - my favorite song they performed was 76 Trombones from Music Man, it was absolutely phenomenal! Bryson & I were blown away by Dallan Vail Bate's performance of 'Bring Him Home' from Les Miserables....he tours with their performing group for the show & he sings that song with such passion & beauty - such a clear & strong voice that carrier throughout the center but also so soft as well. I wish we could see him in the actual play!

The kiddos had a great time as well - the performance was an hour and a half and started at 8pm...they were tired after but talked about all their favorite parts.

We are very lucky to live in an area where these events take place & that we were able to go this year! I want to put my name in for every performance they have...which I will, but having your name drawn is never a sure thing so we'll enjoy to the fullest what we are able to attend!

they ask for pictures not to be taken during the performance - so this is after we were standing for the 2nd ovation and as people were leaving...I figured since all the lights were on & they had stopped recording that I could snap a photo - the quality is less than stellar since it's with the phone and not my nice camera....oh well, it still shows how incredible the Conference Center is!  

Drum Roll Please....

The family reunions and family in town have now come to a close & it's time to report on the happenings of the baby and this summer....all in due time (ha! - that play on words is quite by chance!) 

We had a wonderful ultrasound last Monday (July 30th), where the most important thing that we found out is that as far as the technician can tell the baby is perfectly healthy and all is well.  That was the biggest concern for me - more than finding out the gender.  I asked him to first make sure everything was alright with the baby.  We saw limbs (which helped ease the strange dream I had had the night before that the baby was born without any arms), and he looked specifically at the brain and calmed my nerves that everything was developing at the standard rate.  Once we knew that the baby was doing really well - it was time to figure out what gender this little one was. 

Bryson (Sr.) was standing by the screen and looking up as the technician moved further down the baby checking out the organs and legs.  Bryson suddenly said, "Oh, it's a boy....see right there?"  I looked up, but to me I can never really understand where the baby is on the screen - except for the head, I have now finally figured out how to easily see the head :)  Since I couldn't tell any difference, I thought to myself that a boy it was....I told myself it was a good thing I had decided that this was a boy from the get-go, as it didn't phase me very much hearing it was a boy.  Whilst this was going on in my head, the technician moved the mouse/cursor over to the area Bryson had pointed out, and started to type something.  In my head I was thinking - don't type out that it's a boy, just tell us - it's much easier!  However, as he started to type 'G' and then 'I' - my mind was trying to put together what was going on....finally when he got to the 'R' and 'L', I shouted out, "Really, it's a GIRL?!"  I was in complete shock - this is not what I had planned on, nor even thought moments ago....a girl was a very amazing surprise to get!  There is this song called Think PINK!  from Funny Girl (musical with Audrey Hepburn), that I keep thinking about....if you don't know the movie you should watch it and sing Think Pink with me!    

I was just showing these pictures to Madeleine, Bryson & Jacob and they thought it was so cool to see her head, profile, her little arms and hands.  It really is a miracle that we can see these wee ones before they are born!

As for names - we don't know.  There are a few favorites we have from when Madeleine was born that we didn't use & over the years there are other names that we've heard and liked.  I want to keep the name a secret, so that there will be something NEW for when she is born.  I'm just thankful to know that it's a girl, otherwise I would have been buying boy clothing & deciding on a gender neutral room for this little gal...now we can definitely THINK PINK....and buy dresses, head bands & all girly things! 

As for telling our other little cuties - we had a family dinner that evening with my side of the family, and I wanted to try an idea I had seen somewhere on the internet.  I stopped in a party store and had them fill up 4 pink balloons - one for each child, and pink for the GIRL!  I put them into a box - the only problem is that they were filled up with too much helium and two balloons ended up popping.  If I had found out I was having twins (my dream never come true) - then the two balloons would have been perfect!  The idea was that once the kiddos opened up the lid to the box the balloons would fly out & reveal the gender.  There were two hiccups with our version - the balloons were still too big (even with only two in the box), and so they didn't exactly fly out - the kiddos had to help them out of the box.  And, I tied the balloons to a weight so that we could use the balloons for announcing to Bryson's parents/family.  

I had the camera shutter speed flying away - so there are a lot of pictures for something that took a matter of  a few moments.  Oh well - I love the faces of the kids....especially at the end, when they connected (with the help of family calling out) that the PINK = A GIRL!  They were so excited - Madeleine especially who had hoped for a sister and yet I have to be careful because whenever I saw that Madeleine is getting her sister, Jacob pipes up and declares that he is getting a sister too!  He really wanted a baby girl to make things even he said - now we'll have 3 girls and 3 boys in our family.  For now....I do still hold out the hope of adoption....maybe we'll finally get twins that way!  

Here we go - the reveal of a baby GIRL to the siblings :)