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 :) 

Pregnancy Diaries - Week 20

I've reached the half-way mark & it feels great but a little strange.  I can't believe I'm already at 20 weeks - but then I counted out how long it is until December --- and there are still 20 weeks left of being pregnant!  That sounds like such a long time!

Today we actually go in for the ultrasound and we have decided to find out the gender.  I am excited to find out - but as I've stated in the previous posts I'm a little nervous.  I think part of that is for the gender, but also partly is because I haven't felt totally connected to this pregnancy in many ways.  I've had a few friends that have miscarried or had severe complications in their pregnancies & I kept thinking because I was older perhaps there was more chance something could go wrong.  I've noticed that I've distanced myself a little bit from this pregnancy and I can only think it's because I've wanted to spare myself some feelings on the off-chance we also had something go wrong.  I hope & pray that everything comes back completely normal & fine from the ultrasound, but for whatever reason I've had it in my mind that something may not be just right.  I think that with my first 3 children I was rather young & naive to everything that could go wrong - again, now I see how many complications there can be with a pregnancy and also the different situations that children might be born with.  I'm not trying to be a walking sound of doom - I just can't shake the feeling that something is different this time.  Perhaps (and hopefully) I will be proved wrong within a few hours at the ultrasound and all will be well.

On to the report from the past few weeks!  It's been a rather eventful 2 weeks as far as our family life goes - there is so much to catch up on besides these Pregnancy Diaries - and I will be working to catch up over the next few weeks on our summer adventures :)

* Bryson Jr. was baptized this past Saturday & it was one of the most incredible days our family has experienced!  There was a lot to prepare as we held the baptism at a different time than the Stake Baptisms and so we were in charge of our own program & then we opted to hold a little Luau lunch after the ordinance for family & friends to stay and visit and kiddos to play together.  I get really excited for events - this was no different, but my body obviously handles things very differently with being pregnant.  I was up late the days before the event - I didn't get to bed until 2am on Saturday morning & woke up at 6am to start on cooking again.  I didn't feel great - but made sure to eat something for breakfast and before I knew it the baptism was under way.  Afterwards when I was in the kitchen getting the food ready with family who was amazing & helping out - I started to feel an intense headache and then suddenly I had that feeling that things were not going well!  I ran down the hall - could not find a bathroom & then opened a door outside and threw up.  We were ready to start the lunch fairly soon after that, and I tried to eat something but nothing sounded or tasted good.  It ended up near the end of the lunch that I threw up again - I tried to make it as far away from the crowd as possible...I sort of succeeded :)  The rest of the day I was so tired and rather listless - Bryson Sr. was amazing & stepped in and carried on with cleaning up from the activity --- he is not one that loves when I plan an event, but thankfully I didn't hear one 'So, I told you that....'  He was a real gem to help out so that I could go home & try to sleep off a bit of how sick I felt.  Anyway - lesson learned....I can still do events and plan things - I just need to take into account that I need a lot more sleep beforehand and to eat consistently through.

*We were up at Bear Lake at the first of last week for a Lord Family Reunion.  The last day, we decided to drive up to a little hike Bryson remembers from when he was younger.  I'm happy to say that I did the hike with everyone!  It was not long - about a mile up and a mile back down, and for the most part it was an easier walk over dirt trails into this beautiful valley area....but the first hike UP that mountain was hard and I realized how out of shape I am (and that we should have worn tennis shoes & not flip-flops!).  I hope to do more physical activities in the weeks ahead, but especially pick up a consistent exercise routine when the kiddos are back in school for the last months of this pregnancy.

* I realized towards the end of when I was really nauseous and sick that one of the few drinks that I felt better with was Caffeine-Free Diet Coke.  Strange I know!  Bryson & I have mostly sworn of carbonated drinks in our life & home - for a rare treat the kiddos get to have root beer when we go out to eat or maybe as Root Beer Floats for FHE - but we just know that we feel better when we don't have carbonated drinks. So, imagine my surprise when this coke product became my new friend when my stomach was feeling queasy.  I don't have it as often as I did weeks ago - but I still enjoy a glass now & again, and I need to remember that it's medicinal and not for enjoyment...so I won't get hooked!  {I was hooked on Diet Coke when I taught for those few years - it was so hard to break the habit, but once broken I haven't been back....now to just stay that way even though I'm using it every so often with the pregnancy!}

* I can feel the baby move a bit more frequently now.  In fact, last night I did a quick movement where I was reaching for something while we were having family scripture time & I received a swift kick or elbow from that little one!  It surprised me so much that I gave a little yell & I dropped what I had been reaching for.  The kiddos were all concerned & wanted to know why I had yelled out - and are excited for the time when the baby is moving a bit more consistently so they can feel a love jab as well :)

I'll be back to report on the status from the ultrasound later today or this week - and to give updates on family life before I forget.  Oh - that was the one sad and yet now comical part of preparing for the baptism. I was having a terrible time forgetting things on Friday - I really think it was due to the pregnancy that I was forgetting so much!  I have to write these things down before my pregnancy brain or just my regular forgetfulness - forgets them!

Pregnancy Diaries - Week 18

Edging ever closer to the half-way mark of Week 20 - and when we find out what gender this little one is.

Here are some of the highlights of the last two weeks:

* The baby is about the size of a turnip right now, and despite what I still see as a small size - I am starting to feel some movement!  It's not all the time, but when I stretch my torso to reach something, or the last few days at night when I'm resting and then move quickly I feel a little jab from either an elbow or foot.  I've had to stop a few times and remind myself that it's a baby moving in there - which is fun but still a little crazy to think about.  I don't think I've wrapped my head completely around that we have a baby coming!  

* Cravings
- banana peppers!  I was driving one day running errands with the kiddos and I could not get a veggie Subway sandwich loaded with banana peppers out of my head.  Every so often I try to talk myself out of a craving - but not this time!  And, then I bought another bottle of the peppers to take up with us to Bear Lake for the 4th of July.  I have loved cramming as many as possible onto my sandwiches :)

- cheddar cheese!  Wow - I feel like I should be on a dairy commercial promoting the beauty of cheese!  They were giving out samples of Tilamook cheeses last week at the store, and I suddenly realized that cheese was my new best friend!  I bought one of the smaller loafs of cheese and I've already worked half-way through it!  My favorite snacks are cheese & apples or cheese & grapes - the only complaint so far is that the kids say my breath stinks after eating cheese :)

- California Rolls.  I've only wanted these every so often - about once every 2 weeks.  I love the punch of the wasabi and the ginger with it!

- Crab Legs.  I've actually been wanting these for about 6 years, since we had them for Bryson's brother's birthday at their house.  Oh they were so good!  I've gone to buy them a few times, but I never plan the right time & try to buy them at peak time...which looking at the price tag deters that craving.  I am determined that at least once during this pregnancy I will get my crab legs!  Bryson and I went out to lunch for my birthday last week, and we went over to Market Street Grill - I was thinking I might just get crab legs - only to discover that their price at that time was $75 for 2 King Crab Legs.  No way!  I opted for fish tacos instead - which were actually fabulous and now that I'm thinking about it...I should have those again soon :)

Other random or weird things -

* My hair really does feel different - the texture is off, and I can't figure out if I need to change shampoos or what to do.  I don't notice a huge difference when my hair is done & the texture of my curls - but when I wash my hair it's noticeable.  I wish I could figure out what it needs....

* I have gotten a little too excited some mornings and get up and start out with some fresh apricots or have started to get ready before I eat.  Bad idea.  Those are the mornings that I am quickly reminded that my body isn't going to handle things until it has some protein & a better start to the morning.  It's not often - but I have gotten sick about once or twice a week in the past two weeks...oh, and there was a random night when I was up later & most have overdid it during the day, because I was sick that night too.  It really is random to me at this point, but thankfully again it's not daily!

* I'm starting to get much more energy during the day - finally!  The last week I had 2 great days making jam with the bazillions of apricots from the huge tree in our yard & I've also done weeding & yard work - I love that I feel good enough to be outside & doing something active!