Fishers Of Fun

Belly

2011-08-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still pregnant and into a full waddle now. Here's a pic for proof. I think I'm about 28 weeks here.

I currently despise bending over. During my first pregnancy, I remember thinking that it might be nice to have a toddler around while I'm pregnant, cuz then I could just have him bend over and pick things up for me! Right!?! Wrong. For some reason, toddlers just create more of a mess. Toys, cars, socks, food - everywhere. And unfortunately, an object thrown in toddler motion tends to fall to the ground (That's as much of the law of gravity as my prego mind can currently remember). I've learned to deal with messes better by lowering my standards and I've mastered the art of picking objects up with my toes. Although it kinda makes me feel like a monkey.

Nolan has several redeeming qualities which help him to stay alive. For example, this is Nolan's response when I ask his where baby brother is:

Awww.

Occasionally Nolan will kick, knee, or bulldoze into my belly to which I instinctively reply with "Oww!" He then lifts up my shirt and gives my belly a kiss. It's pretty darn cute. Too bad he has no idea what's coming and will soon learn that he'll have to share the center of my world with another boy.

I hear boys are twice the fun, three times the energy! Yay!

Something worth posting about....

2011-03-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

OK, let's just get it out there....I'm pregnant. Baby #2 is on the way! Not sure what else there is to say (I'll spare you the details on how this happened). But he/she is due for birth on September 23rd. I probably won't find out the gender until May. This week the baby is 14 weeks and about the size of a lime. It sure feels a lot bigger. I started wearing maternity pants MUCH sooner than the first time I was pregnant. It's like my body is saying "Oh, we know what to do - release the stomach! Reduce all energy levels to bare minimum! Commence sickness feeling!"

Other than that, I can't complain. We're really excited. I have to say that this pregnancy is going WAY faster than when I was pregnant with Nolan. It's like I have a toddler running around constantly distracting me. I also have a feeling that I'm going to be constantly comparing this pregnancy/labor/child/everything to how it was with Nolan. And thus begins the second child syndrome.

I promise to post again before the baby is born!

Christmas Card!

2010-12-23T10:50:00.000-08:00

We cut down on the number of Christmas cards that we actually mailed this year. So if you didn't get one, trust me, it's not because we don't like you, it's because we are way too cheap to spend 43 cents times the number of friends we have. I guess we're just way too popular. So here is the free electronic version. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

2010 has been good to the Fishers; as we hope it has for you!

We started out the year with a list of projects to do.

Little by little we worked each Saturday to make our new home our own,

We replaced windows, painted the exterior, and our first garden has grown.

Nolan has changed a lot in a year, his biggest triumph was learning to walk,

Now at 18 months old he’s running, and climbing, and starting to talk.

Dirt, bugs, trucks, and blocks; a typical boy; everything must be tossed.

His parents love him in nursery now, if only he’d stay there and not be cross.

Angie started up her own dance class in April, not knowing quite what she was in for,

Teaching Junior Cloggers is a lot of fun, though life is much busier than before.

In 9 months the business has grown from 1 location to 2, from 8 students to 24,

And from zero Crockpot recipes per week, to sometimes three or more!

Kirk still enjoys the chemistry lab helping students not blow up and to get an education.

Though we’re now a two-car family, he still rides his bike to and from the train station.

Learning what they don’t teach in school: hunting & building are his courses of late.

If that wasn’t enough,, Kirk was called as Scout Master and it’s certainly filled his plate.

Though the year has flown by and some days are a little hazy,

One thing has remained the same, we are still crazy.

So hello from Hillsboro and our little slice of Heaven.

Have a great New Year and we’ll see you again in 2011.

- Kirk Angie & Nolan Fisher

Utah Trip!

2010-10-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

k. We took an awesome trip to Utah the last week of August. It was a very much needed vacation. Let's just say, it was the first trip we've taken since we moved from Utah 2 years ago! We were ready for a break. And I was ready for a road trip. This may be one of my more boring posts, but hey, at least I posted! And the pictures are no where near professional quality, but I've never claimed to be a professional photographer. Although I am slightly jealous of people who aren't pros and can still make their pictures look amazingly good.

This first picture was taken through a glarey windshield and features our garage door opener. But look at that adorable grin!

Nolan really wanted to drive.

He was a good driver.

Amazing Sunrise....right in our eyes! (I'll take credit for this picture :)

We left at 3:30 am in hopes that Nolan would sleep for most of the way.

He did. And so did I.

We saw a lot of friends we hadn't seen in two years, but as I sort through these pictures, I'm realizing that we have almost NO pictures of the PEOPLE we saw. Or us. Most of our pictures are of Nolan. In fact, we have a lot of pictures of Nolan in people's living rooms, but few of the actual people. So, in honor of the people we saw - here's a picture of Nolan in their living room.

David and Jen Forsyth's living room. They were Kirk's friends in North SLC. And our kids had a BLAST in this tent thing! Though the picture doesn't quite capture the joy of the moment. (Why am I even posting this picture then? Posterity's sake)

A cute picture of Nolan taken in Cory and Ashley Mountineer's living room - where Nolan indecently took his first steps. Of course as soon as I pulled the camera out for documentation, he stopped.

Hey, a real picture of someone! This is Kirk and his former BYU chemistry teacher/friend.

Kris and Lindsay Costello's living room. Nolan and Addy are going to get married. There's no need to let height issues get in the way.

Joseph Nuttall. The one and only common friend that Kirk and I had before Kirk and I met. And now he lives in Logan.

The NIELSON's bathroom!! Bishop Neilson was the bishop of the singles ward that Kirk and I met in. We consider him a great friend even though he's a generation above us. The Nielson's let us stay with them for the week we were in Utah. Hence the bathroom picture.

Nolan posing on the Nielson Rock. Kirk helped to move this rock 2 years ago to the place where in now rests - in the Nielson's front yard. Not sure why, but it's still slightly sentimental.

I love this shirt. And this smile.

Kirk and Tom Neilson (in the living room).

The Olers! They were also influential during our courtship. And Sister Oler makes amazing peach smoothies. Mmmm.

(this may be the only picture I'm in. awake.)

I love this picture.

Lecture Preppers: Chemistry LP Reunion. Sarah, Nate, Anna, Kirk, Sam.

Living Rooms/People/Places Not Pictured (for one dumb reason or another):

Aaron and Becky Hamilton - did we really not take any pictures??

Dave and Angela Williams - I miss the dirty store. And peach cobbler!

Brianne Williams - cuz we found your car keys in your parents yard.

Corey Garr - thanks. Kirk really needs more friends like you.

Jenet Jacobs - now we want grapes in our backyard.

My clogging teachers - thanks for letting me sit in on your classes.

Church History Museum - I'm still obsessed with church history, and a little deprived of it.

Zupa's - cuz you'll always hold a place in my heart, next to Wilson's Diamonds

Shades Store - I'm so glad you were have a liquidation sale just for me!

Swing Dancing - miss it. love it. but not much has changed.

WALKING

Nolan learned to walk while on our trip (right at 15 months). He was so close before we left....and then we shoved him in a car :) He still learned nonetheless. Here it is captured in stages - Day by Day.

Day 1: Car

(no picture - really, he wasn't walking in the car!)

Day 2 or trip: Walking with help.

Day 3: Walking more confidently with help.

Day 4: Standing alone.

Day 5: Running.

Yes, he skipped walking all together and went straight to running.

Adorable video of our cute toddler toddling around.

Just so you know...

2010-09-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

...Yes, I HAVE fallen off the face of the earth.

My blog doesn't even remember who I am. The cool background up and left. All witty, creative writing fled long ago. And I'm wearing sweat pants.

What happened? Life happened. Things are good. And very, very busy. But don't wait on the edge of your seat for me to blog about it. Lame. I know.

Major updates? Nolan's walking. Clogging has taken over my life. No, I'm not pregnant.

FYI, I have written several posts in my head (pictures, cool fonts and everything) They just never made it to the keyboard. Hopefully they will within the next decade :)

I feel like I should post something....

2010-07-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

....but the baby just woke up. Darn!

More Clogging

2010-06-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

In case anyone was curious, here are the final versions of our clogging performance last week. You'll notice I am only posting two of the three dance we did, because I majorly goofed up on one of them. Big time. Let's just say, bowing to the back of the stage instead of to the front gets quite a laugh from the audience! I'm choosing to erase that part of my life history.

Anyway, all the same. Enjoy!

Aside from a curious one year old boy and the ever increasing home improvement projects with the hubby, my life pretty much revolves around clogging right now.

Since I've become an excellent blog neglecter, let me catch you up to snuff:

I've started teaching clogging classes for kids called JUNIOR CLOGGERS. That's right, I am a PAID teacher! I get paid to teach something that I love doing! I guess that mean's I'm a professional now, since it's my "profession." Although I feel no where close to being an expert.

It all started about 3 months ago (yes, I'm going to tell a story now, grab the popcorn) with the intention of having three beginning classes for elementary school aged children. I had a lot of third graders sign up and no one else. There were, however, several kids interested in an intermediate class. Being the push-over for more money that I am, I agreed to teach one beginning class and one intermediate class for a total of 9 students. I really wish I could say that clogging is the new craze in Hillsboro Oregon the waiting list makes my head spin, but that would be lying. Instead, people have gone out of town for the summer and the number of students has dropped to 5 and a half. I say half because one of the girls only comes half of the time....or less. I also had to drop two extra beginning classes that were supposed to start up this week.

Nevertheless (who am I, Moroni?), it's a lot of fun and the kids are loving it. As for the future of Junior Cloggers, there are several promises for registration in the fall. And I still envision that some day, clogging will be in such high demand that I will need to put a limit on the number of students per class. Until then, I'll keep on choreographing.

Here are pics of my kids at their first recital:

Beginners

Intermediates

Clogging Practice - (for Quatama Clogger eyes)

2010-06-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here are the videos from today's practice. I know I'm noticing things that I need to work on. Hopefully the videos will help you too. Overall, I think things will go really well on Thursday. Good practice!

Some things I think we can focus on are windows, spacing, arms and of course SMILING! (that's my last plug for smiling. I swear. until Thursday of course:)

Walk Away

Mama Mia

Single Ladies

Nolan's Favorite Things

2010-05-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little guy is almost a year old! Time has flown by, yet, it's been so neat to watch him learn new things everyday. Since he's been mobile the last few months he wants to explore everything, soaking it all up like a wet sponge. Here are just a few of Nolan's favorite things:

Being outside. Particularly dirt.

Drawers. Especially Daddy's drawer full of shirts.

How fun to pull everything out and throw it on the floor!

Tearing up the Sunday Comics before I Mommy gets a chance to read them.

Banging on mirrors.

The cupboard full of Tupperware! How else would Mommy get dinner made!?!

Making messes while eating.

That's my little guy! I'm so proud of him and his destructive tendencies. It really helps things stay neat and organized in my house! I think I'll be okay if he's not walking by the time he's two or three years old. But at the rate he's moving, that's doesn't look very promising.

Ball-gowns and Birthdays

2010-05-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Kirk and I attended a Masquerade Ball fill with dancing and good food! I was really hoping that know one would be able to tell who I was with a mask on, but alas, no one was fooled. We sure had a lot of fun dancing. It had been awhile!

Hard to kiss with a mask on!

Kirk put his wedding tux to use for the fourth time since we got married.

And people were impressed by my $2 garage sale ball-gown purchase (alterations required).

A couple weeks ago was my Golden Birthday. Not really too different from other birthdays except that I got to say, "Hey! I'm turning 26 on the 26th. Isn't that cool?"

Kirk surprised me in the morning with a treasure hunt that lasted throughout most of the day. It ended with the Bluetooth headset I've been wanting. Now Nolan can't pull the cord out of my ear when I'm on he phone. Ha! I feel like I've out-smarted an 11 month old!

And Red Robin for dinner (one of my all-time fav restaurants).

And the best part, my burger was free! Yay for Red Robin eClub!

They also give you a good-size Sundae for free!

But you have to wear the donkey-ear balloons. I was okay with that.

Good times!

Don't Judge Too Quickly

2010-05-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

I thought these commercials were hilarious! Have to share.

My baby knows sign language!

2010-04-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here's how he says:

• "Please change my diaper": Turns beet red and makes a straining expression, then smiles.
• "I'd like something to eat, please": Crams fist in mouth and sucks wildly.
• "I'm tired": Makes a series of weeping gestures before closing eyes and lolling head backward.
• "Please pass me that thing up there that I can't reach": Points and grunts, then continues pointing and opens mouth into screaming position.
• "No thank you. I think I've had enough": Throws food or object to floor with exaggerated grin.

Nolan the Techie

2010-04-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

Why do babies love electronics so much? Better question: Why do they make electronics with all the flashy lights and red buttons?

Nolan's favorite items are the TV remotes (all three of them), the blue light on the computer hard drive, and cell phones. We decided to give Nolan his own gadget with the hope that he would stop playing with the spendy stuff. So Kirk gave Nolan his old laptop. This thing no longer works, and only had one flashing light bulb on it. He loves it!

Here's the funny part: while Nolan was slapping away one day, the laptop suddenly turns on and starts working again! We have no idea how he did it! But now it works!

Kids. They get smarter younger and younger these days.

The Cute Couple

2010-04-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

Although the star of this blog is clearly the overly-photographed first child, let's not forget the creators of that cutie: The Parents! I think we deserve some credit here. At least some pictures.

These are from our stake Valentine's dance. I think they're the only pictures we've had taken of just us since Nolan was born.

Nine Months Old!

2010-03-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

Nolan is now 9 months old (hard to tell exactly when that is though because there's no Feb 29th). Anyway, 9 months old seems like a big milestone. He's officially been OUTSIDE of my belly longer than he's been INSIDE. And I'll be the first to say that the second 9 months goes much MUCH faster than the first 9 months. He's growing up way too fast. But dang he's a cutie.

This is his new cheesy grin. It cracks me up!

Spontaneous Beach Trip!

2010-02-26T12:35:00.000-08:00

Last week was rough (actually, by the time I'm getting around to posting this it's actually 2 weeks ago), anyway it was rough because Nolan had two more teeth coming in for a total of 8 teeth! Don't most other babies only have like 4 teeth at 8 months?? Anyway, Kirk and I had some real rough nights of interrupted sleep due to an inconsolable child who only wanted to play blocks at 3am. I'm NOT in favor of random middle-of-the-night play sessions.

Anyway, by Wednesday morning I was spent and not looking forward to a whole day head of me with a cranky baby. I was cranky too. On top of that it was an unusually gorgeous day and I really wanted to get out an enjoy it and not be stuck in the house. So Kirk said he'd go into work late and that we would all take a trip to the BEACH!

It was so spontaneously fun! Kirk's not one to miss work either, which goes to show how much of a needed trip this was. It also the first time we'd all been to the beach together since we moved to Oregon a year and a half ago.

With an hour and half drive both ways we only had about 45 mins at the actual beach, but it was worth every minute :) Plus Nolan slept in the car the whole way there and only screamed half of the way home.

Daddy and Nolan had a lot fun exploring new things like broken sand dollars and big water! Nolan wasn't too sure what to think - but he loves being outside.

This was our sad attempt at a self-portrait family picture (is that what you'd call it?). I love Nolan's face.

Much better to have someone else take the picture. (Nevermind the lady's bum in the background).

I'm SO excited for summertime and more beach trips and for Nolan to be able to run around until all his energy is spent and for me to yell at him to not run off too far and then for him to cry because he's so tired and has sand in his eye and the water is too cold......and I think that sentence was WAY to long!

Happy (early) President's Day!

2010-01-27T20:10:00.001-08:00

Yay! I finally got Nolan's 6 month pictures taken at 7 1/2 months! It was so worth all that hassle though (and I don't mean Hasslehoff). Look how cute he is:

Christmas Cards

2009-12-31T09:43:00.000-08:00

Yes! I did it! TWO posts in one month! I'm on a roll!

So Christmas cards.

I had every intention of sending out Christmas cards this year. In fact I still do. After all, we had a kid, bought a house, and didn't go bankrupt this year! I think that merits mentioning along with a nice family picture.

Here's how it didn't happen:

I was super excited for Nolan to turn 6 months old on Nov 29 - partly because I get to dress him up in some outrageously cute outfit and have the traditional 6 month pictures taken. Well, the actual day wasn't too good for us so I planned on doing it later that week. That week got busy. So I scheduled an appointment at the photo studio for the following week.

However, I had a genius idea to have a family picture taken at the same time - then we can have a picture for Christmas cards all ready to go! I quickly rescheduled for a time when Kirk could join us after work.

When that day showed up so did some complications and pictures were the last thing we wanted to do. So I rescheduled (yet again). This was now the Monday before Christmas. Cutting it close, but I could still do it.

Well, when that Monday rolled around I got up early to shower and look decent, only to learn that Kirk was not feeling well. Bummer. I decided to still take Nolan in for his 6 month pictures anyway. I could at least send those in a Christmas card.

Drove to the studio.

Had a hard time finding the place.

Showed up too late for the appointment.

No other appointments available before Christmas.

Frustration.

Okay I cried. I'm just trying to be a good MOM and get pictures taken of my child before he grows up!!! Is that too much to ask!?! Hello!?!? And that's when I realized that this was more about me than him. Does my self worth as a mother really lay in living up to the traditions of my parents!?!?

Yes.

But the point is, that's why I didn't send out Christmas cards this year. I still plan on having Nolan's 6 month pictures taken someday (although he's over 7 months now). And I could always send out New Years cards, right? Or Presidents Day cards? Or something!

So to as a treat for all of you, here is the only picture I have of the three of us all together:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Lame-O Pants, Excuses, and Solids

2009-12-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

Dangit, I really wasn't going to fall into the blog-every-so-often trap, but it's so easy to do. Let's face it, they don't call me Mrs. Lame-O Pants for nothing. I've earned that title!

Right now my days are carefully split as follows:

60% Baby Tending

60% Home Matenience

60% Other

I know it doesn't quite add up to 100% (I never was good at math), but we'll just say there's some overlap there somewhere. As you can see, there's little time for blogging.

Here's some super cute pictures of Nolan to make up for the lack of blogging. That should do it :)

He started eating solid foods a few weeks ago. "Eating" is a term used loosely.

Have you ever tried Rice Cereal?!? It's disgusting!! No wonder babies don't eat it. He's doing MUCH better with the squash now. Mmmm, plain unsweetened squash.

Still learning to swallow rather than suck.

He wasn't so good at feeding himself.

Dang that kid is cute. It's a good thing too.

Sometimes the cuteness is his saving grace.

Ok, I promise to blog at some point again this month. Really. Really.

What the...what happened to October??

2009-11-02T21:41:00.000-08:00

Hey! It's about time I convey the last month of my life as a picture book! Cuz really, it's THAT interesting. Closing on the house, painting, moving, unpacking, fixing stuff up, and Halloween of course! I'm all about candy and dressing up :)

Here's our house just before we signed our life away.

I will always remember September 23rd 2009 - I dated enough signatures, how could I forget it!?!

FYI - houses are expensive!

On the day we closed, I picked Kirk up from work, stopped by Little Caesars and enjoyed our first meal in our new little home! I pulled out the camping chairs and a surprise basket filled with Sparkling Cider, crystal goblets, and a good book. You know, the type of stuff that goes with pizza.

I spent the next two weeks in these nasty paint clothes. I had high hopes of painting every room in the house when I first started. But in the end, we were lucky to paint over the nasty orange in the kitchen, the green in the living room & hallway, and the blue in nursery. It took several layers. And NO, I didn't get the fun stripes for the nursery painted yet. Darn! But I really want to. White is boring. It needs color!

(It was a sad day when I had to paint over the stripes in the old nursery :( It took three layers)

We moved out of the town home on Friday Oct 9th. That was a stressful day. That morning I was not quite done packing (of course) but I had to go to the new house to hurry and clean things up, when I locked my keys in the car!!! The KEYS, my CELL, the DIAPER BAG - everything but Nolan (luckily). Thank goodness for good neighbors and parent's AAA, but it took an unexpected 2 hours out of an already stressful day. Things still worked out somehow .

And yes, that is a PIANO! It's on loan from my sister for a year and half, but I think I just might be attached already. I LOVE LOVE LOVE having piano (and a place to put it).

We moved into our new house the next day after sleeping on a deflated air mattress (by 3 am I was hittin' bottom, but too tired to do anything about it). We also had trouble getting the U-haul started. But alas, all of our earthly belongings made it into our new home.

Now that' we're somewhat unpacked, we've been busily fixing things around the house before winter.

Here we see Kirk cleaning out the gutters, like the good husband that I trained him to be.

Now he's raking leaves. LOTS of leaves.

and hanging the shelf.

Projects projects projects.

The kitchen was mine. I'm constantly reorganizing it to make it just right.

Note: the walls are no longer orange. But goodness I'm anxious to put up my dazzling red curtains.

The first fire in the stove. We hope to heat our whole house this way.

Now for the cute pictures of Nolan!

I was super excited to dress him up in Halloween clothes :)

He was thrilled

This could have been a good warm costume but he couldn't move his arms or anything very well. Reminded me of A Christmas Story. Nolan just laid there smiling at me, because I was laughing so hard.

We decided on a family theme. Any guesses at what we are?? Collectively we are one thing. It requires in depth creativity. (Nolan did not want to attend the adult party with us so he sent a sub).

Here is the real Nolan in his adorable chili pepper outfit.

Again, he's thrilled.

Love this kid!!

But he's growing up way too fast. He's over 5 months now. Uh, it makes me feel old. It means that I'm like 5 months older than when I had him. But that doesn't really matter. Scratch that. My attempts at being funny are shot. Sadly I probably would have really said that in conversation. Why I'm not editing this more, I don't know. Let's just blame it on lack of sleep. Or something.

In case you're wondering...

2009-10-14T13:07:00.001-07:00

...I'm still alive!

But just barely :)

It's been a super busy last couple of weeks/month. Packing, signing our life away for the new house, packing (how'd I get so much stuff?), painting the new house, fixing random little things around the house, cleaning the new house, loading the truck, sleeping on a deflated air mattress, unloading the truck, unpacking, and painting over the old nursery :(

All of the above take a lot more time to actually do than it may sound, ESPECIALLY with a four month old baby! Impossible actually. So he's been at other people's homes for way longer than I'd like each day. With all that's been going on - things have been slightly stressful.

Let's just say, I forgot to wash the conditioner out of my hair yesterday.

Right now the old washer and dryer are sitting out on our new front lawn. It makes me feel very white trashy. But Hey, widening the small pathway between boxes is higher my to-do list these days :)

But we are SUPER excited to finally be in our new house! I'm loving it. But I think I'll love it even more when I get a chance to sit down and actually enjoy it.

We went to church on Sunday, the day after moving in, and we were very impressed with our new ward. About 5 people introduced themselves before we even made it into the chapel! I spent most the time in the mother's lounge (which is huge, awesome), and I met other new moms there. Everyone seems really friendly and down to earth. Just another thing telling us that we're in the right place.

Pictures of the new house to come as soon as I find my camera cord.....where is that thing?? It's probably with laundry detergent...

Ummm.....

2009-09-22T13:38:00.001-07:00

....I just heard my baby fart through the monitor.

That's weird.

My Neighbors

2009-09-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

Two funny(semi-eerie) happenings as of late:

Story#1: Now that we're moving, I've been on a hunt of moving boxes recently. So I turned to trusty Craigslist to see what I could get for free. One ad said they were giving away a few very large boxes and they could meet in the Costbo parking lot (note: names have been changed for security purposes). I'm thinking, "Sweet, I live right by the Costbo parking lot. I'm so responding to this ad."

I get a phone call the next morning from the lady who says she'll meet me in the parking lot, but she's concerned that the boxes won't fit in my car. I tell her, no worries, I live right by Costbo, I'll just walk the boxes over to my garage. Well, she happens to live right next to Costbo too.

"Oh, maybe we're in the same area, Where do you live?"

"I'm on the corner of 162nd and Whompolooga."

"What?!? I'm on the corner of 162nd and Whompolooga!"

"No way! Let me go out onto my front porch."

Peering out my window I say, "Oh, I can see you from my bedroom window."

"Ok, that's creepy."

So as I'm hauling the boxes the short distance I find out that her and her husband moved in the same time we did a year ago, she's pregnant with her first and due in two weeks, and we both had thought about meeting our neighbors but never got a round to it. We should have been friends long ago. But now it's too late cuz I'm moving....

Sad when we have to meet our neighbors through Craigslist.

Story #2: I recently reconnected with a friend from high school who had a baby boy about the same time I did. Lizz and I were in theater and choir together and she's awesome (check out her blog). She came over a couple months ago, we had grilled cheese sandwiches, it was great. She happened to mentioned that she lived in Hillsboro off of Watery Road and that her neighborhood had some rules about parking on the street.

A few weeks later we find our house, and it is also just off Watery Road and the neighborhood has has parking restrictions. It's gotta be close to her house. So I called her up.

"Hey Lizz, we're buying a house and I think it's close to where you live."

"Oh, what street is it on?"

"Cowabunga Loop."

Pause, "What's the address?"

"1234567."

"That's right next door to me!!! Our neighbors are selling their house!!"

"What!? No way!! We're going to be neighbors!! That's awesome!! What are the chances!?"

And then we continued to talk about it for the next 20 minutes in high pitched girly voices, completely flabbergasted by the whole crazy coincidentalness of it all. (Man, I am on a roll with these made up words). She gave me the scoop on the neighborhood and I am feeling so much better about this whole moving thing now. It certainly helps to already know your next door neighbor. And it's also nice that our baby boys are the same age :) They better be friends.

Funny stuff.

Although it also would have been funny if we had instead accidentally seen each other in our front yards on some random future day.

Moral of the stories: Get to know your neighbors. You'll probably get along with them.

We're buying a House!

2009-09-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

If you'd asked us three weeks ago, we'd have said "Well, it'd be really nice, but it's still a far off possibility." We'd been casually looking at houses online since April, but most everything in our price range were real fixer-uppers, foreclosures/short sales, or manufactured homes. And then, there it was. Our three bedroom, two bath ranch style future home:

Ok, it could use some cheery red shutters and a new paint job, but the inside has been fully updated and it's well-built. (Love the trees in the backyard).

Check out those wood floors!

Lovin' the kitchen

My dining room table will look so much better here:)

New tile floors and countertops.

Stainless steel dishwasher.

We were really hoping for a wood stove, and there it is!

Along with some sweet french doors and a ceiling fan.

New bathroom cabinets and countertops

(I feel like I'm running an ad here - but really, I'm just excited to show things off. Sorry, it's off the market)

Not pictured: Huge backyard for our future garden and kids, oversized garage with lots of shelving for food storage, large attic space for our accumulating junk...

Location: Southeast Hillsboro, quiet kid-friendly neighborhood next to wetlands/farmland. Apprx 15 mins from where we currently live.

Bonuses: ONE level, NO stairs, no more shared walls with nieghbors, appliances included, Air Conditioning, and access to the nighborhood POOL!

Negatives: I'll have to redo the nursery wall that I just painted. bummer.

The Sellers seemed pretty anxious to sell, so we got great home value for the price. Our mortgages payments won't be much more than we're paying right now for rent. Also, we'll close before the end of the year, and as first time home buyers, that qualifies us for the $8,000 tax rebate. Woohoo!

Kirk and I are excited to have Saturday home projects and to make improvements on something that we'll be ours. Ownership. There is something nice about that.

We get the keys on Sept 25th!!!

But I'm not excited or anything.

Beach Trip

2009-09-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

I've been aching to go to the beach all summer and I finally did! Funny, in Oregon, it's always referred to as "the coast," unless it's actually sunny out, then it suddenly becomes "the beach." We happened to catch it on a gorgeous day! And of course I didn't even think to put on sunblock and got totally burnt, but whatever, it was worth it!

Nolan pretty much slept the whole time in the front pack. I was okay with that.

I took the trip with my sister/sister-in-laws and all their kids.

So it was fun girl time.

Note: tent for sleeping babies is a supurb idea :)

The kids had lots of messy fun in the sand.

Here's Marah, Levi, Delaney, and a view of the ocean which was still far too cold to even touch - but it at least looked refreshing.

I hope to have a girl some day just for this reason.

Pink bums are irresistible.

FYI

2009-09-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

I went for a jog today! A real jog. Meaning, I actually jogged. More than half of the time even :D I think Nolan liked it too. At least, he wasn't crying the whole time.

Now I could really go for a nap. If only this little guy would.

Oh, there he goes. He's out. I just watched him fall asleep in my arms. Precious.

Old Stroller, New Stroller

2009-08-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

This is the old stroller, which my sister so graciously let us borrow. However, it was time to replace the old one and find our dream travel system. Here we are on our last walk with old blue:

Farewell old friend.

(Okay, that's a cute kid)

We knew that we wanted to get a jogging stroller since before I was even pregnant. Bummer that babies don't do so well with them if that can't sit up yet! However, to our great astonishment, we found a jogging stroller that has a carseat attachment with all the bells and whistles and wasn't overpriced! Yay for Walmart.com! This is the only travel system that I've seen like this. And it makes me very happy :)

The front wheel can swivel for everyday use or lock in place when jogging.

Plus, it's red. Love it! Thanks Caitlin!

Soon after getting it I decided to test it out and go for a run.

Yeah....it turned into more like a walk.

It's been almost a year since I last went running. But at least now I have motivation to get back into it. We're aiming to do another triathlon next year. Gotta start somewhere :) Here's to exercise equipment that makes me feel like I'm in shape just by looking at it!

The Best Two Years

2009-08-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

So we just celebrated two years of marriage. It feels a lot longer. I guess a lot has happened. Graduating. Triathlons. Moving. New job. Kid. House hunting (that's a very recent one).

Why not reminisce about the wedding day?

What a stud.

Anyone want to buy a 100% silk dress?

It's been a wonderful two years. Here's to the next 200 or so....

Journal Entry # like 42

2009-08-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that the first couple weeks (ok, months) of parenthood were kind of rocky for me. It was definitly a fly-by-the-handle, on-the-job-training experience. It was like someone just handed me this little stranger and said:

"Here. Have a baby. From now on, you are completely responsible for this human being. At all times he will either need to be fed, changed, burped, put to sleep, or held. No, there will be no time for you or anything else. Long showers are right out. Don't even think about trying to blow dry your hair. Oh yeah, and there's no instruction manuel. Well, here he is! Your on your own now. Good luck!"

Anyway, in the midst of the mid-night cryinig bouts and feeling like I'd been stripped of every ounce of energy, I kept telling myself that it was all worth it. At least that's what everyone else was telling me. And of course I wanted to believe it, but it was hard to see how at times. I sorta felt like I was playing house, except that it never ended!

But alas, I have finally moved in with the group who can testify, "Parenthood is wonderful! Sure it's a lot of work, but it IS all worth it." Oh yeah, and "My baby is SOO adorable! He honestly brings an overwhelming rush of joy that I never knew I could feel!" I would seriously do anything for this little bundle of joy who is completely reliant on me and trusting. And I can just tell that he loves me even though he doesn't have more than like a 5 second memory span :)

Although sleep and the next episode of Scrubs are all very appealing at times, I often find myself wanting to do nothing else than sit and make gawking and cooing noses at my sweet little guy. Seeing his smiles and personality come out are the rewards that I've been aching for. He is completely unique and.....he's MY baby. That's still kinda weird to think about, but it's definitly more real now.

He's such a good, easy baby, I realy couldn't have asked for anything more. Even now, he's laying on the changing table completely enthrawled by his hand (of all things) (No really, he'll stare at his fist for seemingly hours on end - that are actually minutes). And I love that his whole face lights up and his body kicks and flales out of control when he sees me. He hasn't quite done a belly laugh yet, but his eye brows go up, he breathes in suddenly and then lets out whatever sound comes out. Usually a yelp, an achk, or a big long Ooooooo.

Eeeekk! I just love him!

Good News!

2009-08-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

My pre-maternity jeans fit again!!!

Ok, they're not exactly the most comfortable thing, but I can at least button them.

If I suck in.

And that makes me happy.

I wore them around today. Even though it was uber hot. Weird. Yeah.

Cousins!

2009-08-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

Nolan was born two weeks after his cousin, Zack. And because Zack is so much older and wiser, he teaches Nolan how to play, hit, and make origami. My SIL and I are trying to force our children to be friends. As follows.

Placing them on a blanket together lead to some interesting things:

hand holding (cute while babies, but better not last),

sucking on each other's hands (yuk, I know were those hands have been!),

and hitting. Nolan didn't seem to mind.

This was actually the first picture taken of them together. It's oddly symbolic too:

Wise old Zack (aka Snack) gazes down from his mighty throne at his scrawny cousin (aka Smalls) and says, "Hello there, little one. Come. Let me teach you the ways."

Little does Zack know that Nolan will one day outgrow him. At least when it comes to muscle.

Nolan is a rock.

Pickles

2009-07-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

I used to be really good about keeping a journal. I'd faithfully write in it every day with full confidence that some day, my super great grandchildren would WANT to know all about how late I got to sleep in that day, the type of cold cereal I had for breakfast, and who the new crush of the week was (just in case I ended up marrying that boy, I would have a record of every detail).

Well, after documenting the lives of SEVERAL guys that I now could care less about, I DID get married (and I'm glad I caught that super short dating story). After that, journaling became kinda sporatic. Not that my life wasn't exciting, it was just.... much more consistent.

Okay and I got LAZY!!

But once my life became interesting again (aka pregnant), and I reestablished my resolve (aka guilt set in), I once again returned to keeping a record of my life by entering the blogosphere. Plus I just feel so savvy and hip with the techy new ways now, yo. lol. brb. l8tr. jk.

BOT.

So I'm not quite back to the daily thing yet. Workin on it. There's much more pressure now knowing someone is actually going to read my journal! (I feel like I have to actually spell check stuff) (and the matching pictures!) (not to mention the cutesie backgrounds and widgets that are a must these days!) But it's all good motivation nonetheless (aka ntl). I made that one up.

So, to all the bloggers, wanna be bloggers, and bugers:

HAPPY BLOGGING!

As promised....

2009-07-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Pictures of the Nursery. Finally!

See? It's cuter with the crib and stuff in it.

My sister-in-law, Marah, made the quilt. I'm not a quilter. But I did make the curtains and the bed skirt. This is the first time I've sewn anything in 5 years. I'm feelin' pretty good about it. Still, I'd much rahter paint.

And just for the record. Nolan really likes staring at that wall.

Probably cuz he can actually see it. Or cuz I did such a good job. One of the two.

As Requested

2009-07-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

I've been reprimanded for not posting enough pictures of Nolan (by an anonymous dear friend named Becky). And to that I say, "Why not? I DO have the cutest kid ever!!"

So here are a whole slew of pictures in no particular order. And just in case you're tempted to steal these pictures, be warned that they are copyrighted. Although I do give you permission to post them as the wallpaper on your computer.

Nolan with Great Grandma Updike and Aunt Kristi

Nolan with Grandpa Chambers

And Nolan at his best on the Fourth of July:

"Hey."

"I'm in my carseat."

"Do you mind?"

"Course not. Everyone's always up in my business."

"No privacy......hey, stop that!"

"Take that!"

"That's right. Don't even think about doing THAT again."

Yes, although Nolan may LOOK exactly like his dad, he WILL end up talking just like his mommy. Except...in a much more.....manly way....

Now push the comment button and tell me how handsome this kid is.

Thank you.

My Baby's First....

2009-07-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

....Blowout.

Disgusting. It looked like a firehose went off in his diaper. All over his outfit and his fuzzy soft new blanket. And of course he was in his carseat at the time, so it got ALL over THAT too.

The carseat is Blue.

The poop was Yellow.

Yellow + Blue = Green.

Just be glad that I'm not posting pictures.

We also happened to be at Playgroup. My first time there. "Hi everyone, nice to meet you....here's my poop-covered baby! Isn't he cute!?!" Luckily we were at the church instead of at a park, so I was able to clean everything up best I could in the bathroom. Course, trying to get his poopy onesie off only got it all over HIM. And ME. I bet I'll get better at removing poopy clothes. Though, in a way, I really hope not.

It turned into a laundry and bath day. The Joys :)

Blog Checker!

2009-07-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

K, just discovered that you can open blogger dashboard in Google Reader! Love it! Way easier to keep track of unread blogs. It's like checking email!

Am I just way behind on all this? Has everyone else already figured this out? Oh well, I'm excited.

My Confession

2009-07-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

We don't believe in SIDS.

Just kidding. We moved Nolan from the bassinet to the crib! (And the bassinet has so generously turned into a hamper). The crib is great (nursery pictures to come). WE sleep better. And I'm pretty sure Nolan likes having his own room. Ok, I just like the fact that I can't hear every little movement or noise he makes. Mother's instinct includes eyes flying open at any change in baby's breathing pattern. Now, I can't hear him until he REALLY wants to be picked up.

Speaking of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), I think it's overrated. There is way more hype about it in the parent pop media than necessary. And it sure is freaking out this generation of moms. I know, in my internship days I even went around preaching to the new moms I visited about the importance of keeping loose items out of the crib and putting the baby to sleep on his back (NEVER THE STOMACH!).

But really.

Now that I'm a mom, I'm finding to just do what works. Confession time: Nolan sleeps SOOO much better on his tummy. When he's on his back he always manages to punch himself awake, even when he's swaddled. Call me a bad mom (I would have a year ago), but I sleep my kid on his stomach. And I know I'm not the only one.

Heck, weren't WE all put to sleep on our stomachs?? That was the trend 20 years ago. And WE survived. After questioning my mother and several other LDS women (who know a lot of people with a lot of kids), if they've ever personally known someone who's child died of SIDS, their answer was no. Has anyone reading this personally known someone??

And although it's true that the rate of SIDS has decreased by 50% since the Back to Sleep advice came out, it wasn't THAT common to start out with. So, by placing my infant on his stomach instead of his back, I'm increasing the rate of SIDS from 0.05% to a whoppin' 0.10%.

I have MUCH better chances of getting a good nigh'ts sleep to prevent THIS exhausted mom from throwing the kid out the window!

Whew! I feel much better getting all this off my chest. Thank you for listening. You can argue or agree with me. But I'll probably only read comments made by those who agree with me.

HAPPY SLEEPING!

I'm Six!

2009-07-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

So, I finally hit the magical SIX WEEK mark! Woohoo! I have to admit that I'm feeling MUCH better than I was a month and a half ago - when I was pushing this little guy out into the world. I do have more energy too, although sleep is still quit sparce. When you finally do hit the sack, you never know how long you'll be there before being awaken by tht pitiful cry. I have afeeling that sleep deprivation is in the definition of parenthood.

S[eaking of slep.....

I'm tired,,,,,, (whoops, wrong key_

more kater if i'm luvky.

typing wirt on hand ud hard thes daysm

E[spevcially in the darjk.'''''''

Have Children!

2009-07-06T00:08:00.000-07:00

This was an eye-opening video and I completely agree with it:

It reminds me of this paragraph from The Family Proclamation :

"The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife."

Bold statement. But VERY true. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer people are agreeing these days.

The family is the fundamental unit of society.

My "Up" Date

2009-07-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

So, after a 103.8 degree temperature, several sleepless nights, Kirk missing work, and many antibiotics - I feel much better! My boobs are normal again! (I'm sure that you were all wanted to know that). Darn Mastitis.

Nolan is much happier too, now that he's getting enough to eat. Unfortunately I had to resort to something that I never thought I would. Formula. I was totally planning on being a strict breastfeeder but I have to admit, it is SOOO nice having the option to give him a bottle. One bottle per day. Not nearly as bad as I imagined. In fact, it's a welcome relief from the constant 1-3 hour feedings!

Because of this wonderful option, we were able to have our first babysitter today! Aunt Steph came over to watch Nolan while Kirk and I went on a date to see UP! We've been wanting to see that movie since before it came out. (And since Nolan decided to be born on the day it did, we didn't have a chance to until now).

This movie is SO good. I recommend it. It was a nice little break from everything too. Now I'm ready to face full-fledged motherhood again!

My Super Long Week

2009-06-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

Let's just say, I've had better weeks. I haven't been out of the house in five days. I have Mastitis. For those of you who may not know, it's an infection from breastfeeding. It basically feels like the worst flu you've ever had. And the girls are EXTREMELY tender.

Anyway, that's why it's been over a week since the last post. This is the cause of my exceedingly great neglect.

Yay for help from family and friends! Or else I'm pretty sure that I would be sobbing much more that I already am. Yay for Baby Blues. Psych. But more than anything. I'm pretty sure that I would be dead by now if it weren't for Kirk. I seriously don't know how single women do it. I would die without him doing those middle of the night diaper changes and taking the late evening and early morning shifts.

So in case I haven't said it publicly enough: I LOVE YOU HONEY!

My Child is so Ad-Vahnced

2009-06-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

G-ma, G-pa, and I were hanging out with Nolan during tummy time when he was 12 DAYS old. I pulled out the video camera in hopes to capture a good head lift.

But to our complete surprise, he did THIS:

Most babies don't do that until they're about 3 months old. He's 12 DAYS here! At first we thought it was just a fluke, but he's done it a few more times since then.

Yeah, our kid's pretty smart. He's all muscle. Just like his daddy. But I'm ready for him to slow down and stop growing up now. He's already 4 weeks old today!

I just realized how technically incorrect my "I got that on tape" comment is. Nothing is "on tape" anymore. But really, what else do you say? "I got that on my massive internal gigabyte storage." It's just not as catchy. Any suggestions?

Making time for my other relationship...

2009-06-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Now that we have a baby it is hard to remember what life was like before, the sad part is that it has only been 3 weeks. I find myself thinking back to those days when I got at least 5 hours of sleep at night, I spent more than 30 min collectively preparing and eating food each day, and I had time to spend with that special someone in my life...and Angie too. That special someone doesn't even have a name, they are just a concept and a feeling. They are freedom, liberation, pain, joy, sweat, dirt, ecstasy and speed.

My bikes (yes I have two...and am proud of it, I love them individually and equally for their strengths and they are fine with it...don't judge) have always had a special place in my heart and garage (never outside...for shame), but as of late my bikes and I have drifted apart. True last summer we trained for a triathlon together, but after that wonderful summer fling we separated and they didn't get touched again (except for moving around the country) for a year. The summer is almost over we have only been out once, and the neglect is starting to show. They are too clean, look too new, and quite literally, just hang around all day. I, on the other hand, look too old, too round, and too soft.

It is obvious that these are desperate times, so I have come up with a plan...

I am going to bike to work.

The 11 miles should take me around 45 minutes, about the same time that I spend walking to and riding MAX on a good day (on a bad day my I don't have my phone, the max is broken and I don't get home for 3 hours). This will be time for me to rekindle that relationship that has been put on the back burner for far too long, and hopefully save time in the long run.

As much as I really want to sacrifice for this relationship, I also understand that it will be difficult (mile 22 kicked my butt on my last ride), so I don't plan on biking every day to and from work to start out. I will cheat and ride max part of the way on the way back some days, or however it works out. Also, this will probably only last until it gets really cold...being cold is not fun at 25 mph.

Here is a map of the rout that I plan on taking, what do you think?
Blog work ride
Find more Bike Rides in Beaverton, Ontario

My AWKWARD laughter

2009-06-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, when you have stitches in the "down there" area, some tasks like sneezing, coughing, and moving become quite painful. Laughing also falls into that category. It hurts to repeatedly flex those laughing muscles over and over again!

Just a few days after delivery, Kirk showed me this hilarious website - sending me on a painful laughing spree. I couldn't stop. Even though it was killing me. My laughter turned into this weird sounding repetitive gasp (ever tried laughing without flexing your abs? It sounds weird.)

Now that I can laugh again, I recommend checking out awkwardfamilyphotos.com

These are some of my favorite photos:

There's plenty of room on the couch.

But all the chairs are taken.

The Swinger: When you've got it, you've got it.

Razmataz: What if we told you that kids talked mom into this?

Gift Reciepts.

Don't even bother showing up to a dinner party at this family's house without a little white dog.

A true gem.

A reminder that being seen in a family photograph is a privilege, not a right.

This is what happens when your male role model is both a gym teacher and a priest.

Mommy the Pooh:

The father was so relieved when he found out he was gonna be Eeyore.

Even the tree felt this one was awkward.

For real?

Mirror Image

2009-06-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, Seriously. This boy is completely Kirk. If he hadn't come out of me, I'd wonder if he were even my child!

1981 vs. 2009

My Little Bebe!

2009-06-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

The other day my sister-in-law came over with my 3-year-old niece. She was more interested in the baby swing than the actual baby. Couldn't resist this picture:

My Recovery

2009-06-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

While pregnant, there were plenty of preparations made for the baby and the actual labor and delivery experience. Which is all very good and necessary. However, there's not a lot of talk about the RECOVERY aspect of this traumatic number done on the mother's body. Perhaps there's good reasoning in keeping this hush-hush (so as to not scare people out of it all), but I think it's worth discussing.

Although I had that life-saving epidural, I had NOT anticipated the pain my body would feel AFTER the anesthetic wore off! Apparently, my body still experienced the whole thing as if there were no drugs involved. Go figure...

So every little bone and muscle down there (and there's a lot of them) has been stretched several times beyond normal size and contorted to make room for a HUMAN BEING to pass through. I know that the female body is totally meant for this experience, but it's still rather....uncomfortable. And it lasts awhile. Although I'm only in the second week of recovery, I am GLADLY looking forward to that magical 6 week mark :)

HOSPITAL RECOVERY: The few days spent in the hospital immediately after were much needed, but I totally didn't get any sleep. The nurses were great and didn't bother me too much in the middle of the night (which I'm very grateful for), but I think I got about 4 hours of collective sleep over the 72 hours I was there. I know, it's just the beginning of parenthood, but I could NOT fall asleep for the life of me! I just gave birth to this wonderful little baby and I was on such an adrenaline rush that I couldn't calm myself down long enough to relax and fall asleep. I have a hard enough time falling asleep as it is, but this was the worst. My body was THE most exhausted it has EVER been, and I couldn't sleep.

Finally, on the LAST day of our hospital stay, just as we were packing up getting all ready head to home, my body crashes and decides NOW is the time to sleep. So we postpone departure so that I could get an extra hour and a half in. It was heaven.

Then there's THE FIRST NIGHT HOME experience. Nothing can really prepare you for that. Having a wonderful husband who is willing to stay up with the wide-eyed baby is about the best advice I can offer. I think Kirk and Nolan watched about three Pixar movies downstairs that first night, while I gratefully slept upstairs. But being woken every two hours to FEED the thing (I mean, precious little baby) doesn't allow for a full REM cycle of sleep. So even though I may have slept for 6 hours collectively, 2+2+2 does NOT equal 6!

The first couple days I really enjoyed breastfeeding and felt like it was such a neat bonding experience, but after a few days of doing it every other hour, it's like, "AGAIN?? I JUST FED YOU!"

Thankfully, after two weeks I'm more used to it and viewing it as a positive experience again :)

Then there's the MEGA INCREASE IN APPETITE! I felt hungry all the time when I was pregnant, but that was only because I couldn't eat very much at one time. But almost immediately after giving birth, I was STARVING, ordered a whole bunch of food, and was SURPRISED that I actually ate ALL of it! I think my food intake has quadrupled. This is a good thing. Especially with the Relief Society and family bringing all kinds of food. Let's just say that produce bought from Costco doesn't have time to go bad anymore. Yay for breastfeeding.

HORMONES: What happened to those?!? Talk about a let down. Well, there is a lot of talk about Postpartum Depression, but I think the Baby Blues is nearly inescapable. I consider myself a pretty chipper person, which is why I was slightly shocked when I randomly burst into tears several times that first week (okay, and a few times since then). All LOGIC in my head said that I had no reason to be crying. I knew that everything was okay. But out came the tears. It was much easier once I just embraced it and gladly blamed it on hormones.

The worst hormonal break down happened the second night in the hospital. I got frustrated with the new breastfeeding experience (it's a lot to learn all at once) so I called the nurse in. And I just started to cry HARD. Then, with impeccable timing - THE FIRE ALARM GOES OFF! That just adds to the stress of it all and I cry harder. All this of course wakes up Kirk who'd been soundly sleeping next to me, and (in his groggy state), was so confused about what the heck is going on!!!

He thought that I had caused the Fire Alarm. Apparently it was just a 2 AM routine drill.

Well, I'm sure that I could rant on forever about this, but this has already turned into a much longer post than expected.

Overall: IT'S WORTH IT! Although recovery is hard, I love my baby and would totally do it all over again! Plus, I think it's much better than those last weeks of pregnancy. It only gets better from here!

Total Blog Makeover

2009-06-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, I finally figured out how to do cool customized stuff for all the fun blog foo foo! Life has finally begun!

Here's Here! Part 2

2009-06-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Umm, I recomend reading part 1 first. Just an idea.

Sorry that it's taking me a while to get this second part posted. I'm sure you've all been anxiously waiting on the edge of your seats for the next part. Well, I’ve been anxiously waiting on the edge of my bed for the next feeding, changing, sleeping, feeding, changing, sleeping, feeding.....

I have much more respect for people with babies now.

Ok. So there I was. 5 cm dilated. They wheel me into the “birthing suite” – which is more like your average Motel 6 room with tile floors and an adjustable bed, minus the smoke smell. The nurses are coming in every 2 mins, sitckin’ and pokin’ me with all kinds of things. I have to say that my all time favorite shot was the EPIDURAL. And it didn't hurt as bad as people say. I've had worse novocaine shots at the dentist. Once I got that I was good to go J Highly recommend it. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the whole labor experience thanks to the epidural. I even remember thinking while in the thick of it all that I’d be willing to have another kid someday. It wasn’t so bad J

SEE?

note the zebra pillows; a comfort from home.

I was sitting there for several hours, waiting in anticipation to finally meet our little guy. Don’t remember much during this part. Although we did watch all 3 hours of Anne of Green Gables (Good reminder of how things used to be and how grateful I am for how things are now. Especially when it comes to medical advancements).

I started pushing at 2:30pm. By about 4:00 he was crowning and ready to come out. His little head was visible. I could see it!! But of course the nurses are all telling me to wait for the doctor to come and that she’d be there in about 10 mins. WAIT!? I’m not going to WAIT!! I want to push this kid out NOW!! I’ve waited nine months to see him I’m not going to WAIT another 10 mins!

But then, every Relief Society lesson about patience and enduring to the end popped into my head and I bit my tongue. It’s better to scream in your head than out loud. Right???

20 minutes later the doc shows up.

A couple big pushed and he's out! This beautiful, wet, scrunched up baby appears! He’s not crying, he’s just very lethargic and relaxed – like it was no big deal that he’d just passed through a 10 cm tunnel. But then the Russian nurses come to the rescue and rough him up. He soon begins to cry..

Sigh.

I don’t get to hold him for 5 mins. But it felt like 5 hours. I was soooooo happy and relieved when they finally placed him in my arms. Who wouldn’t be??

Tear.

And then I immediately ordered TWO chocolate milkshakes!

I’d been planning on that milkshake for quite some time. Mmmm. Chocolate J

Chocolate.

But even more than the mircale of chocolate, BABIES are certainly the biggest blessing there is. A gift from Heavenly Father. I was not quite prepared for the overwhelming love I would feel for this child. I’ve been around a lot of newborns, but I’m in awe when I hold and kiss my little Nolan. It sometimes feels like a dream and I look around and wonder, “Okay, when is his mother going to come and take him back.” And then I realize that I’m the mother. I’m a mother! I’m a MOM!!!!

He's home now!

Just 5 days old.

Prepare yourself. Zillion more cute photos to follow :)

He's Here! part 1

2009-06-02T02:49:00.000-07:00

Thank you to hubby Kirk for at least getting SOMETHING posted about our new, cute, oodles of joy! Nolan is doing great and definitely has his daddy's calm temperament (Thank goodness! Some day I'll get one just like me and wonder how my parents did it).

Details?? I want to write out the whole story right now! But due to recent lack-of-sleepness (hence the 3 am post) and uncomfortable engorgement and tender tears, the details will have to come in segments. Overall, things went well - but certainly not as expected:)

No, it was not a front porch delivery. thank goodness.

Just after my 12am, post about contractions and going to the hospital, we got there and (I'm in pain mind you) they told us to GO HOME. What!?! I purposefully waited THREE HOURS of regular and extremely uncomfortable contractions to be SURE that this was it. You hear too many stories about people being sent home from the hospital cause they jumped the gun, and I wasn't about to be one of THOSE people.

But I was. Apparently, they WERE real contractions, but I was still only dilated at 2 cm. Luckily I at least got some mega drugs to help me get some sleep at home. And I had no idea how precious those last few hours of sleep would be.

The sleep drugs they gave me kicked in while still in the car just before getting home (around 3am). And that’s when the hallucinations kicked in…..

I have no idea how I got onto the couch. All I remember was that everything in the room turned yellow and there were bright lights dancing on the ceiling. Kirk was trying to talk to me, but for some reason he had a strange goatee and a pointy Chinese hat on. I remember looking at him with fondness and saying “Aww, you’re my little Samurai Warrior…” And then I was OUT.

When I woke up I was confused about where I was. I forgot that I was pregnant (yeah, weird), and I asked Kirk, “Where did all the people go??” He said looked at me strangely and said, “Umm, who?” “Everyone! Everyone was here. Where’d they go?” I insisted.

Eventually the drugs wore off and I was reminded of the contractions, which had painfully increased to the “don’t touch or talk to me I hurt everywhere!” kind of pain. We decided that it was time to go to the hospital again. This really WAS it.

By then it was 7:30am, which means morning rush hour traffic on the HWY. Of course. Traffic was going no where. I had FOUR extremely painful contractions just while waiting for the ramp signal. They really need a special labor and delivery lane.

BUT we eventually made it to good old St. Vincent (the same hospital that I was born at : ) and check in AGAIN. The people at the front desk sadly recognized us. I got to ride in the wheel chair again!

They finally decide that I’m dilated enough to be admitted. I was at 5 whole cintemeters…..

....Okay, gotta go. Baby needs milking machine! Here are some pictures for your taunting pleasure:

Here's the happy Trio. Our first family photo!

(This will not be mounted as an 8x10 entry room photo)

More to come! Check back after the next feeding and REM cycle!

This is new....and a baby too.

2009-06-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

I don't have the same creative flare as my beautiful and incredible wife, but I thought I should make sure everyone knows what is going on. All I have for now are numbers because my half-comatose, sleep-deprived state allows for no multitasking whatsoever (right now I am having to consciously choose between breathing and blinking while I hold our little one). So without further delay, Nolan Ray Fisher said a heartfelt hello to the world at 4:29 pm on Friday, March 29, 2009. He was 7 lbs 4 oz, a new record low weight for grandchildren in both our families, and 20 in long. Phew, my Brain is empty now...blink...breath...blink...

My Contractions!?!

2009-05-29T00:34:00.000-07:00

So....after getting all excited about being induced.....I think I'm in labor!

I've been having regular contractions for the last 3 hours. We're going to the hospital - even though we're both exhausted. My mom said it would come when least expected.

But of course I have to blog about it first. Let's hope they're real contractions. They hurt.

More later!

OW.

My end is in sight!

2009-05-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

Meaning, THE end is in sight. There is light at the end of the tunnel. There's a tunnel! I finally have a date to be INDUCED!! Which is really good, cause after being pregnant for like 13.5 months, I was beginning to wonder if this baby would ever come out. Apparently all babies eventually do....who knew?!

So I get to go into the hospital on Tuesday, June 2nd at 12:01am.....which is basically Monday night. I really doubt I'll be able to sleep. I'll be way to excited! Heck, I'm excited right now, just knowing that he'll he here by then.

Other good news: The doc said that I'm 2 cm dialated and 80% effaced... that can still mean anything....but it's PROGRESS! I'm still hoping that this guy will find his way out BEFORE Tuesday (but after Friday cause Kirk and I want to go see "UP." We promied ourselves one last night at the movies if the baby didn't come by then).

And for all my other pregnant friends out there: don't even think about having your baby before me. That's an order. I've had THREE of my friends give birth in the last couple weeks (yay for them) but they were due AFTER me! It's my turn!

Great, now I have that "It's my turn on earth" song stuck in my head. Add that one to the playlist.

And I'm really not mad at anyone, I'm just hormonal. I'll forgive you later.

My Internal Record Player

2009-05-28T12:24:00.001-07:00

These are songs that I've had stuck in my head the last couple of weeks. And yes, since I can't think about anything EXCEPT being pregnant, they all have something to do with it. See if you can't figure out why :)

My oh my....

2009-05-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

-1 days until my due date?!? What is that supposed to mean?? This pregnancy countdown gadget is no longer exciting....

Although I am curious to see how long it will count negative numbers. "-26 days 'til your due date. You should no longer be living..."

My D-Day

2009-05-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, due dates are so overrated. You spend 9 months answering the constant question "When are you due?" and when that long anticipated day comes, and your still pregnant, it's rather anticlimactic.

Although I've been telling myself all along that I'll probably be overdue, I still had hope! Pretty much everyone I know is overdue with their first baby, so I fully expected it. But talking myself out of disappointment doesn't always work. Deep down I wanted to be exempt from the norm and have this baby early. Or at least on time!

Only 5% of babies are actually born on their due date.

I also told myself that I would try not to throw a pity party if the baby wasn't here by today. You know, get out and do something that has nothing to do with babies, count my blessings, catch up on old projects, etc. Instead I'm sitting inside the house on a gorgeously sunny day, blogging. Venting. Searching for pity comments. (By all means, feel free!)

That's it! I'm going to do something really crazy! I'm going to eat some ice cream! Ha! And then I might just go on a vigorous walk. To the mailbox! Take that overrated due date day! I'll be here tomorrow and you won't!

Note: Vigorous walking (along with spicy foods, birthing balls, pineapple, membrane stripping, nipple stimulation, sex, trampolines, and bungee jumping) are simply myths and are not scientifically proven to induce labor when overdue.

My Pregnancy Blessings

2009-05-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

So, I don't want this blog to turn into one of those "My life is so Miserable that I need to Vent the negative things all the time" blogs. I consider myself a generally happy person and wouldn't change much of anything in my life if I could. For some reason though it seems like "the woes of life" are more entertaining to share - and perhaps that's true. And venting is permissible on occasion, but I'll try to limit it.

Anyway. Yesterday's post got me thinking about things ARE wonderful about being pregnant. (Plus I don't want to scare anyone out of having children.) There are far more blessings than fears, but I will only list a reasonable amount.

My Pregnancy Blessings:

I’m creating a human being inside my body! How amazing is that?! miracle.
I don’t have any stretch marks….yet.
I have a wonderful, loving husband who is just as excited about the baby as I am! I seriously don’t know how single women handle pregnancy by themselves. I completely rely on my husband for so many things. Emotional and physical support, massages, etc.
My husband has a great job with excellent health insurance (both of which we did not have when I became pregnant. Blessings!)
Enormous support from family and friends. We’ve hardly had to buy any baby stuff thanks to the carloads of hand-me-downs.
I like being able to eat as much as I want/can without guilt.
I like being able to sleep in as late as I want/can without guilt.
Ice Cream.
My abs often do involuntary belly dancing and it's quite entertaining.

Okay, I’m pretty blessed. What are your blessings of pregnancy?

My Pregnancy Fears

2009-05-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have to admit that I had fun fooling ya'll with that last post! Don't feel bad, I would have totally fallen for it too if I hadn't happen to be the one writing it :) But now that I've published my worst case scenario, I feel completely jinxed out of the possibility (I will NOT be having this baby on the front porch for the entire world to see!)

Which brings me to this post...

I've had some weird fears while being pregnant. Perhaps talking about them and admitting them will make them go away. Or at least I'll realize how normal (and ridiculous) some of them are.

My fears while being pregnant:

RAW MEATS - Eeeeww! I was totally fine before, but for the last nine months, the sight of raw chicken fat makes me want to gag, puke, and then gag again.

MISCARRYING – Who isn’t afraid of this?? Especially in the first trimester.

STAIRS - I'm scared to death of these! Not so much falling down them, but just thinking about the energy required to go up them makes me tired! Being in a townhome, we have TWO sets of stairs. Often, I stand at the bottom, stare up at the daunting incline, and try to mentally turn it into an escalator. It never works. I once had a dream/nightmare that I was in labor, and the only way to the devilry room was up a long set of stairs. I was petrified. "You have got to be kidding me!" was the overall feeling.

KNIVES - Every time I walk across the kitchen with a knife, I can't help but wonder what would happen if I fell and the thing just so happened to jab me in the stomach. When I told Kirk about this fear he just about started to cry. It is a morbid thought - but really, my belly skin feels so stretched out that the tinniest prick would surely bust it open. Ok, don’t' think about it TOO much...

LEAKING - So, this is more of a reality than a fear – remedied by constant insulation. I'm afraid of that white shirt unexpectedly budding wet eye balls while I’m out in public. I’m sure the best it yet to come.

AN EPISIOTOMY - 'Nuff said.

AN OUTIE – I’m still waiting for that thing to poke out….and I’m okay with that.

STARVING TO DEATH - Sometimes I'm so hungry that I don’t even have the energy to eat. Pathetic. Especially since I’ve probably just eaten about 20 mins before.

I know that some of you reading this are pregnant or have been. What are/were your pregnancy fears??

My Crazy Labor Story!!!

2009-05-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

He's here! The little guy clocked in at about 10:45am on Friday May 15th at 8 lb. 8 oz! And it is QUITE a story!

The reason I say ABOUT 10:45am is because it all happened sooooo fast! Kirk left for work as usual at 7:00 that morning while I was sound asleep. I woke up just after 10:00 and felt these sharp back pains and wasn't sure what was going on. I could hardly move! And what I was hoping were just normal Braxton Hicks contractions became quite regular and intense. These were REAL contractions! OK, I admit that I'm a heavy sleeper, but how the crap did I sleep through that!?!

I finally made my way over to my cell phone on the other side of the room (crawling) and started calling people right and left. I called first Kirk and told him to start his 45 min commute on the MAX train right away! I then called the hospital and they said to come right in. Thanks, I kinda figured that I was in labor. So then I called my sister (who lives next door and was my planned ride to the hospital if Kirk was at work), however, she was not home and at least 3o mins away. Figures.

So there I am. In excruciating PAIN, all by myself! Needless to say.....I was freaking out! I was trying to remember all the breathing techniques I'd learned at the childbirth classes. I had been a great breather. I was top of the class! I got a diploma in breathing! But now, when it was time to use it, it all went out the window! I just did whatever I could to stop the pain. I had totally planned on having an epidural, so this was NOT in the plan.

And then...I feel like I'm about to the have the biggest bowl movement EVER! And I know what that means. I'd been warned. It means BABY IS COMING RIGHT NOW! NO!!! I tried to tell him to go back in and that he couldn't come out yet because Kirk wasn't here and there were no nurses and this was going to be waaaaaay too messy to clean up!!! We have white carpet!!

So I manage to at least make it out the door onto our front porch, collapse, and start screaming for help!! We live in townhomes so I have lots of neighbors (not that I've actually met any of them), but I'm sure that someone was bound to hear my cries for help! "HELLO! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! I'M HAVING A BABY! HELP! HELP!" No body was coming! What kind of world do we live in!?!

Finally, after what felt like forever, this woman comes out and runs over and then stops dead in her tracks as soon as she saw me. I didn't blame her. By this point I had ripped off my pants, spread eagle, and was ready to somehow have this baby by myself! I was sooo glad to see her, first of all because she was FEMALE, but mostly cause I wasn't alone anymore. We didn't have much time for formalities ("Nice to meet you Ashley. My name is Angie. Where are you from? Yes, it appears that I am about to have a baby. Could you just do me a huge favor....")

This was a high class emergency! Of course, she was more flustered than I was and didn't know what to do. (I don't think she'd been this close to a birth before). In between my own panic breathing I yell at her, "JUST CATCH THE DARN THING!!!" She also called 911, something I probably should have done if I'd realized how fast this baby was going to come. Luckily they were able to kinda walk her through it over the phone. Poor girl.

I don't really remember everything that happened. It was all soooo FAST! All I know is that I was in tremendous pain, I was screaming at the top of my lungs, and I hear a huge RIPPING sound! And then I suddenly had this remarkable little baby in my arms. He was all covered in gunk and nasties, but he was here! And he was my baby!

After the ambulance got there, they rushed me off to the hospital and Kirk finally got there and everything was fine....until the baby started turning green and growing huge calves and biceps, getting bigger and bigger until he was the size of the Incredible Hulk!!!

......Oh wait. That's not what happened. In fact, I don't think any of that actually happened. Was it all a bad dream? Or just some horror story that I imagined in my head? Worse case scenario thoughts perhaps?? Yes that's it. I just confessed all my worst fears of labor and delivery online for anyone and everyone to read.

Sorry, but I couldn't resist. No baby yet. Still waiting. So, where'd the picture come from, you ask? Oh yeah, my sister-in-law had her baby boy last week and I just had to get a shot of me in the hospital bed holding her new little guy. I was going for authenticity. I think it turned out well. You can't even see my huge belly!

I'll be sure to let you know when the baby really comes. And I'm hoping that it's not as terrible as that CRAZY story J

My Throne of Pillows

2009-05-14T15:46:00.000-07:00

Sleeping requires requires several pillows these days. Eight to be exact. Including a body pillow. And each pillow has to be arranged in it's particular place, or else I can't get comfotable enough to fall asleep.

I didn't realize how amusing my pillow pile was until this morning, when I just laughed outloud and had to take a picture:

Note the ever-so-necessary Tylenol PM on the night stand. It's a must have!

Kirk calls it my throne of pillows. And it is. Notice how he only gets a fourth of the bed. And ONE pillow. Sadly, sometimes I steal it...

My Disturbing Post

2009-05-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

I'm following a cake blog (http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/ it's pretty hilarious) and couldn't help but notice these interesting (and somewhat disturbingly realistic) pictures of prego cakes. This one even has the oh-so-authentic "belly line"!

"Who wants to perform the cesaerian -- I mean, cut the cake?!"

And just in case you're creeped out by a headless torso, this was apparently made to represent someone who'd rather not be known (I don't blame her).

I've never seen a belly button look quite so much like a...well....belly button before. It totally looks like a tufted pillow. Or maybe the end or a giant hot dog. Ok, yeah, let's stick with "pillow."

There a reason why I waited until after my baby showers to post these. I would be completely happy to NOT receive a belly cake like this. Disturbing.

Sorry for those of you with weak stomachs. Just keep telling yourself that it's only CAKE.

My Baby's Baby Shower

2009-05-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd be so excited to get presents for someone else! We had two baby showers for the little guy (okay, maybe it was really for me) over the last couple weeks. The ward shower, and then the family shower.

I was 36 weeks along in the picture - taken at the shower.

Roar! A LION towl head thing. He's going to be scared of the bath.

I love practical gifts! These diapers will last at least a couple of days.

Really. childhood is just not complete without a Johnny Jump Up!

Little feet = Little shoes

The nametags say: "Proud Grandma," "Mother-to-be," and "Favorite Aunt"

(in that order)

At the Family Baby Shower:

It's one of those hooter hider things!

That's not really a baby under there though. Just FYI.

I don't think it's going to fit me.

This is my, "I can't beleive Janelle made these!" face.

She made a blanket to match the burp cloths too. You know, so he'll be color coordinated as the spit up comes spewing out.

After the showering of gifts, I feel much more prepared for this kid to come. He can come now....like.....anytime. Really. Now would be just fine....

My Toothpick Legs

2009-05-07T16:49:00.001-07:00

I woke up the other morning and tried to move. Nope. Wasn't happening. Something was different. Once I finally stood up I could tell that the baby had dropped. The bowling ball was now firmly settled into my pelvis.

Normally, I'd say that I have pretty strong legs. But these days, they feel like toothpicks. Toothpicks holding up a bowling ball. Like so:

(Hey, that's a pretty good drawing if I do say so myself). Anyway, hence the need for waddling.

Had my weekly checkup with the Doc today. Not really any dialation yet. Figures.

18 days to go....18 days to go.....at least I hope it's not longer....18 days to go....

My Blog Makeover

2009-05-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

Seriously. I was getting so sick of the other layout. That yellow and blue did not go well. I'll probably be experimenting a little more with the coolness of this blog. Still learning.

My Last Childless Vacation

2009-04-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

The last few months I've been aching for a vacation or something to get me out of town. So we planned a trip with my parents to Hood River (not more than an hour and half away, in case I shot into labor) and I've been looking forward to it for quite some time!

Warning: This post contains LOTS of pictures!

We stayed at a cute little Bed and Breakfast. I love B&B's. It's the way to go if you want to meet talkative people in a quirky little town. Kirk and decided that if we ever owned a B&B, he would do the cooking, and I would do the talking :)

Here are my parents posing out front just after arriving at Hood River.

Our room was awesome. It had two doors that lead onto "the Terrace."

And no, we did not share a room with my parents.

We became aquainted with the little town by walking up and down the mian street.

Had to take a pic in front of this sign. It has the word "Labor" in it for goodness sakes.

There were several bike shops, so for Kirk's sake we stopped in. Although it was my mother who ended up actually purchasing something. A bike bell. Go figure.

If you look carefully you can see the Columbia Gorge in the background.

I LOVE this picture of my dad!

"slow down"

Hood River is well-known for Kite Surfing. I always see tons of them from the highway on the drive to Utah, but I've never seen them this close up. There were some impressive tricks and flips goin' on there..

This random dog decided to join us in spectating.

He seemed to know exactly what was going on.

Spectating.

The whole weekend was surpsingly sunny for Oregon.

We scouted out this restaurant "Nora's Table," and I highly recomend it if you're ever in the area. Deliciously yummy and very reasonably price. Kirk labled the food as a highlight of the trip.

The Bed & Breakfast meal in the morning was quite delicious too.

On Saturday morning we headed out to the Hood River Railraod for the scenic ride we'd been looking forward to. The train went from Hood River to the Base of Mount Hood. It was about a 4 hour trip and super fun!

Filing on to the old fashioned cars.

When I say old-fashionied, I mean authentic.

We were in the Dome Car. It was high enough up to be able to see really well (and it was much quiter than the other cars).

"Look! We're moving! Woo hoo!"

I never realized how much trains rock back and forth. We're thinkin that the baby like the gentle rocking motion too. He was not very active. I'm guessing he slept through the whole thing. Good to know that if we ever want him to go to sleep after he's born, that we should just thop on the nearest train.

We followed Hood River for most of the ride.

Spectacular views of Oregon that I've never seen before!

(Check out the reflection of my shirt)

Apparently this area is the ideal climate for harvesting fruit. The trees on the right are cherry trees and the ones on the left are apple trees. We happend to be there the week that everything was in bloom. It was gorgeous. There were tons and tons of blossoms :)

My luvvy-dubby parents

Mount Hood in the distance

A part of me wanted to bust out into song on the train - secretly hoping that everyone else would join in with a choreographed dance rountine.

The train stopped in Parkdale, OR for about an hour.

Kirk fascinated by the size of the gas tank

Apparently it had 2,000 gallons left at half full.

This tree stump was huge. We grow them big here in Oregon.

I'm counting the rings. There were over a thousand.

That's my Lumberjack!

On the ride back to Hood River we explored the other cars. This open air car was quite windy!

My dad particularly liked the name of this ice cream shack. We ended up going there twice in the less-than-24-hours that we were in Hood River.

On the drive home, we stopped at random exits along the scenic gorge drive and saw things like Cascade Locks, Oregon and its fairy boat thingy.

Horsetail Falls - one of the many waterfalls of the gorge.

Oneonta (prounouced "On-ee-on-tah") Gorge. This used to be our favorite family hike when I was younger. It's a good 2.5 mile hike in the creek to get to the falls. But it's changed a lot since then. Like this tunnel. That's new.

Overall it was a very fun little overnighter vacation. Very refreshing. I feel ready to face pregnancy again!

My Bolwing Ball

2009-04-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

With less than 4 weeks to go, I'm feeling rather...what's the word...LARGE. The only way I can think to describe how it feels to be 8 months pregnant is: like having a bowling ball strapped to your belly with plastic wrap - expect that the plastic wrap is your muscles, with all the nerve endings and aches that would come from muscles being stretched out that far. (Oh yeah, and the bowling ball is constantly squirming and moving). Every step is a “jiggle, tear, jiggle” feeling. Similar to an attempt to run without a bra on (which I’m sure every woman can relate to). Thus why I wear: The Belly Band. I also call it, My Belly Bra. It pretty much does the same thing as a bra, but for one large…..belly.

When I’m not wearing my much-appreciated-belly-band, I walk around with my hands under my belly in a futile attempt to keep it up. The slower the steps, the better. No really, Kirk can run up the stairs and write a novel in the amount of time it takes me to walk from the kitchen to the couch.

Bending over is out of the question. The hold-your-breath-and-squat position works much better. Although it always reminds me of the “no, allow me” scene from Emperors New Groove.

If I drop something that I don’t really need right then, I usually wait until Kirk comes home and have him pick it up for me. If I do need to pick it up, I cleverly scoot together anything else on the ground with my foot into a pile so that I can pick up multiple things with one bend. I learned this last week while attempting to vacuum. I thought I’d get one last vacuuming in before the baby came – but it took 30 mins just to get things up off the floor in preparation to vacuum. By then I was too tired to vacuum and just wanted to lie down and rest. However, the bed was piled high with the stuff I’d just picked up, so all I could do was lay on the floor to recover for 20 mins. Sound pathetic? Well it is, but that’s how things get done now-a-days.

Yesterday was a rough day. I really needed to go to the store because we had no food. I thought I’d just quickly clean the bathroom beforehand. (It really needed it. I’d been staring at those mirror splatters for over a month now.) After completing that seemingly small task however, my energy was zapped – requiring a 30 min nap – after which I was hungry, but (as noted earlier) we had no food. It was like a vicious cycle. I needed food to give me energy, so that I could go to the store, to get the food, so that I could have the energy to go to the store to get the food we didn’t have!

Ah! I just want to hold my baby in my arms instead of in my belly!!!

I think pregnancy does something to emotions too – what do you think??

I never did make it to the store. Nor make food. Luckily, Kirk got home and saved me from my emotional and physical exhaustion. He soothed my sobbing cries and made some delicious pancakes for dinner. Oh, and they were gooood pancakes. Much needed.

Lessons learned: I should expect to only be able to accomplish one task per day, and do that thing first.

My Song and Dance

2009-04-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

Our stake had a performance showcase, and anyone who knows me knows that I just couldn't stay away - 8 months pregnant or not!

The first clip is a weekly singing group I've been going to with my sister, Jenny. We call ourselves The Wax Lips (one of the only candy names that had not already been claimed by a performing group). Enjoy the cheesy choreography!

Can you find the preggo lady??

This second clip is the Quatama Cloggers. Another weekly group I attend, also with Jenny. Yes, I'm still moving around this much with a bun in the oven!

Disclaimer: We had a really hard time hearing the music, so some parts are not together.

Don't worry - I would not be jumping up and down like this without a belly band!

I think the baby really likes all the rocking. It puts him right to sleep.

My Decorating Fetish

2009-04-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

So, I'm not much into crafty scrap-booking and such. But I LOVE decorating. It's pretty much a constant, never ending project for me. There's always something somewhere that can be improved until it's just right.

Oh, and I try to get things as next to free as possible. That's part of the fun.

Here is my latest addition:

I finally found the red pillows and red rug that I've been hunting for nearly two years! Yay for Goodwill!

The pillows originally from Pottery Barn: $15.

The rug from Ikea: $20 (They were asking $40, but I was able to talk it down with the manager, cause you know, it wasn't quite cheap enough for me to seriously consider).

Everything else in this picture was free thanks to family and gifts, minus the coffee table and the side table - also second hand purchases.

Next quest: that lamp has got to be replaced.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T22:09:00.001-07:00

May this remind you of the true meaning of Easter.

My Baby Prediction

2009-04-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

According to one website, this is a prediction of what our baby will look like. I think he's pretty cute. What do you think??

His eyes will follow the mouse. He's so advanced :)

My Taste of Pain

2009-04-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

So, I've had a relatively pain-free pregnancy, which I consider a huge blessing. However, I spent the last couple of days lying in bed simply because, I couldn't get up! The little guy (bless his heart), squirmed into the most awkward and uncomfortable position, causing what I would label as excruciating pain! Every time I flexed my abs (which happens more often than you'd think) I felt like my insides were on fire. Sitting down, walking, or moving at all became painful a task.

Kirk did a wonderful job taking care of me (loading me up with food and helping to the bathroom and such). I told him that I could really go for an epidural right about then, but unfortunately he was all out L As you can tell – I have an incredibly high tolerance for pain.

I knew wasn’t going into early labor or anything, but I called the hospital just ask my doctor a couple questions before the office closed for the weekend. After talking with the nurse for about a half hour, she said: “Well, why don’t you just come in to the Labor and Delivery Ward so they can do some monitoring and then send you on your way home.”

This is what I heard: “Let’s increase the pain by making you move more than necessary!!! Get out of bed (a challenge in and of itself), Go down the stairs (one of my biggest dreads since being pregnant), drive to the hospital (yeah right), and get hooked up to a bunch of machines, just so that they can tell you everything’s okay and send you home 10 minutes later!”

I didn’t feel like doing all that (I would have made myself go if I felt like it was necessary or if I was actually in labor). Instead I took a bath and felt much better. Then I ate yummy ice cream while Kirk and I watched “Hello Dolly” - a classic.

(Random Trivia: the name Dolly is a nickname for Dorothy, and was a very popular name until the thirties when it was adapted as the name of a cute child's toy - making it a hard name to take seriously. I had to look it up in one of my baby name books after watching the movie)

I’m feeling much better today by the way.

My Cupcake

2009-03-31T16:03:00.000-07:00

The other day G-ma, my niece, and I went on an adventure to downtown P-town in search of cupcakes. Against all logical reason (who goes downtown at 4:00 on a Friday??), we braved the traffic and achieved what I would call a success. Only a few weird looks from old men and we did finally find a parking spot only 5 blocks away from our destination.

G-ma found her Hole-in-the-wall-Gluten-free-bread-place (I think that's the official name), and paid an arm and a foot for a couple cookies. But I imagine it's worth it when deprivation is the only other option.

We walked by a thrift shop.....and of course I had to stop, not to get anything, but just in case I happen to see something that I absolutely needed for super cheap. They had some good deals going on, but this hat was just not doin' it for me.

Shel and I were more excited about the Hole-in-the-wall-Cupcake-place (official name), than the glue-free place, because we got to pay an arm, foot, AND a leg for these overpriced globs of sugar with frosting on top.

Ok, G-ma paid for them. (she had no limbs left by the end of this trip).

I'll say that is was worth it. Then again I am a Sugarholical and have given myself very little limitations since being preggo. (Finally an excuse).

Note: the Hole-in-the-Wall-Cupcake-place did not have any place to actually EAT your cupcake (it IS a hole-in-the-wall after all), so we had to go next door and set our little tushes on the Ben & Jerry's stools, where I also finally got to relieve myself (not on the stool of course, but in their restroom).

This adventure successfully reminded me of 2 reasons why I only VISIT downtown instead of live there 1. public restrooms and 2. lack of chairs.

My Day of Paint

2009-03-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

So I fainlly decided to put my colorful nursery idea into action this week. Mostly out of desperation - I'm not getting any smaller and who knows when this baby will really come.

Trying to describe my colorful stripes-on-the-wall idea to people raised some eye brows. But I'm happy to report that is turned out just as good on the wall as it did in my head.

I was very grateful for Amy to come down off the mountain and grace me with her painting expertise. (Sidenote: Amy is my husband's ex-step dad's half brother's wife.......which is way too confusing. We were happy to discover that we are actually fourth cousins....and that is much easier to say).

There is no way that I was getting on that ladder at 7 months pregnant. I have a hard time just standing on solid ground as it is!

The new green "frog tape" works much better than the blue tape. FYI.

Clean-up was a crazy, exhausting mess! But it got me to finally clean my bathtub. (BTW, all those colors mixed together were not so purty : )

It was quite exciteing to remove the tape and see the final product!!! I like it a lot! Hopefully the kid isn't too overstimulated by all this contrast.

Yes, I also made the curtains (with the help of Marah). And I'll post more pictures as the I add the finishing touches (like the crib, wall decorations, and stuff).

My Little Dancer

2009-03-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

Had a hard time sleeping last night because somebody was break dancing on my vital organs!! I swear he's having a party in there - complete with girls and a disco ball! Man, I hate not being invited to a party, especially when I'm the host!

The party lasted all night. Sleep was minimal. Yay for Teylnol PM, which finally kicked in around 8:30 AM. This has got to be prep for the time when he's actually outside of the womb.

My Bladder

2009-03-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hey, I just had something really interesting to say....and then my pregnancy brain kicked in. Oh no, now baby is kicking the bladder, resulting in surges of peeing urges. Hold up, the bathroom is calling...

...oh yeah. Now I can think much better. I was going to write about how interesting my life has become since this parasite started growing within me. I traded my waist for a hot air balloon, monthly PMS for nine months of weeping, birth control for laxatives, an innie for an outie, sleeping for groaning, and freedom for the most intense love I've ever known (and I haven't even met the little guy yet)!

Although there are many complaints that go around about being pregnant, I have to admit that I am very blessed. I'm okay with being pregnancy, especially when I think about the perfect little boy that will be entirely ours to love and raise. He'll never cry, he'll come out potty trained, and within a couple months he'll be saying how much he loves me and appreciates the nine months of carrying him. It's thoughts like these that get me through the rough days. Plus I get to eat as much chocolate and ice cream as I want!

Yep, the benefits definitely outweigh the cost.