We're Moving.....

....to Maryland! 

A while ago I said we had an announcement to make in a future blog post...but then we had Aaron and life gets really busy I'd rather use his nap time to nap myself instead of blog.  But we are moving to Maryland very very soon (by the beginning of next month).  Anyways, let me tell you the story of how this came to be.

A long time ago David and I had been looking up places where we might want to live one day.  Mostly for fun, but also with some seriousness.  When searching "best places to live" and other variations of that so many places near Washington DC come up.  We kept talking about how cool that would be....without really thinking what it would actually mean and without being too serious about it.

This past year I had been sort of nagging David about making sure he went to career fairs and making connections and thinking seriously about his plans post graduation and other things like that.  Last summer he was working on a wind tunnel project for one of his professors and had to call one of the companies that built something on the wind tunnel for some kind of trouble shooting or something (as you can tell, I clearly know so much about what he does).  He noticed the company happened to be in Maryland and asked them about potential openings when he graduated.  He emailed them a little bit, but we didn't really think much of anything would come from it.  Then, they contacted him about an internship and we thought (with our circumstances) no can do and moved on to other things.

Then, they started emailing more and more and somehow got a video interview set up for a full time position.  It went pretty well but we  I wasn't all too sure about it.  Soon afterwards, they offered him a position.  However, it wasn't much better than opportunities we had here in Utah and so David turned it down.  We started thinking about buying houses here and trying to rent out a basement apartment and things like that and we were getting excited about that although I could always tell David wasn't quite settled.

Then, one day after work he said he wanted to take me on a date just because.  He even took me to one of my favorite places--Zupa's.  Once we got our food and had chatted a little about our day, David said, "well, the reason I took you here wasn't really just because" (or something like that) and told me that the company in Maryland had contacted him that morning about another position.  This one paid quite a bit more and was a much better starting off point than any of our other options.  He asked how I felt about it and I said it was worth looking into.  Then he said "well, I'm glad you feel that way because they already booked me a flight and I am leaving on Monday".  I was a little a lot shocked.

A week or so later, he was offered the job and after lots of talking and thinking and praying we decided it was what was best for David's career and also for our family. 

So now we are moving at the end of this month all the way across the country with a brand new babe!  Lots of new things all at once, but we know we can handle it with each other and are excited for our new adventures.

Please come visit us??

Love,

Kristy Jane

38 weeks/39 weeks

How far along: 38 weeks, 6 days (so, I guess almost 39)

Maternity clothes: Yes of course at this point.  Unless you count basketball shorts and David's t-shirts as non-maternity :)

Stretch marks: Just this week I got three tiny ones on each side.  Such a bummer to go that long, then get them at the very end.  But they are small, so I think they will fade easily at least.

Sleep: Hmmm.... there's not really a way to ever get comfortable any more.  Either my neck hurts, or my back hurts, or my side hurts no matter how long I arrange the 5 pillows I sleep with every night.  Plus insomnia.  So there's that.

Best moment this week: Seeing a lot of both of our families.  David graduating BYU! Making some key decisions to where/what we do next (I'll announce that in a separate post soon!...if you are close enough with me to read my blog regularly you probably already know what I'm talking about)

Worst moment this week: Some of the best moments were also some of the hardest!  It was great to see family and go to David's graduation this weekend, but it was also really exhausting for me.  Also, we were happy and excited to make a big decision, but a little scared and anxious too!  Lots of mixed feelings this week ;)

Movement: Started to move a little bit less, but my doctor says that is normal once they descend and just don't have a lot of room anymore.

Food cravings: Dr. Pepper. I have really been liking that this week.  Which actually is strange for me because I don't hardly ever drink soda.  But the past week I went to Maverick twice to get a Dr. Pepper fountain soda and then I also bought some at the store too to keep in the fridge.

Aversions: I wouldn't say it's an aversion, but my appetite has decreased quite a bit and some days I feel nauseous too.

Queasy/Sick: Yes, some days I have felt a little nauseous but it hasn't been too bad.

Other Symptoms: Tiredness and if I am being honest with myself some moodiness too.  I feel lucky that I have had a pretty easy, comfortable, healthy pregnancy but these last few weeks have been really exhausting on me physically, emotionally, and mentally.  I think anyone that makes it this far without being tired/moody deserves a pat on the back, a cookie, and a sodalicious Dirty Dr. Pepper on me!

Gender: BOY!

Labor signs:  At my 36 week appointment I was 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced.  The next week I was 4 cm and 90% effaced.  This week I was the same.  But, I really haven't felt contractions very much!  All the doctors and nurses were surprised my body was preparing itself so quickly so passively (especially for this being my first), so I really had my hopes up that baby would be coming soon.  I was a little disappointed today when there wasn't any more progress, but my doctor said this was probably as far as I could go passively and that the next step would really just be full on labor.  So here we wait!  I've also had lots of lower back pain/aches but not anything unbearably painful.

Belly button - in or out? Kind of out and kind of flat.  It's funny to me that the belly button you've had your whole life suddenly looks so different!

What I miss: Mmmm.....can't think of anything really.  Some sushi sounds good though.  That will definitely be something I treat myself to afterwards :)

What I am looking forward to: The baby being born, obviously!!!!

Milestones: Full term baby!  After 37 weeks the baby is considered "full term" even though your due date is at 40 weeks.  Mostly it means that you are likely to have a healthy, well developed baby if born 37 weeks or after.

Week 31 Update

How far along: 31 weeks

Maternity clothes: Yes, mostly.  I still have some leggings, maxi skirts, and tunic shirts that are okay to wear, but for the most part am in maternity clothes. The week before I noticed my t-shirts kept showing my belly and that was (of course) embarrassing so I searched high and low for cheap maternity clothes.  I'm actually pretty frugal when it comes to shopping and spend a lot of time looking for good deals (I'm sure my mom is laughing about this, but it's true now I promise!) and I reallllly didn't want to spend a lot on clothes I can only wear for like 10 more weeks.  I looked online and went to many stores (I was surprised how many stores in Utah County don't have a maternity section...or at least a maternity section bigger than one rack).  Finally I found good deals and some cute stuff at Burlington Coat Factory and Old Navy.  I'd definitely recommend that for anyone else in the same position as me!

Stretch marks: Nope.  And I probably will delete this question when they show up and just not answer it anyways. So you'll never know ;)

Sleep: Some nights okay, but most nights not okay.  I just get up too often to go to the bathroom, or can't get comfortable, or have a weird dream, or the baby is kicking, or have insomnia.  But, at least it is preparation for all those sleepless nights to come.

Best moment this week: Getting all those new clothes is always fun!  Plus we had a double date night with our friends.  We went out to dinner and saw the play "The Andrews Brothers" at the Covey Center.  So, so funny!  It was a  really small production (4 person cast) and I was afraid it would be weird, but it was super funny and the actors were such hams!  I'd definitely recommend it.  I think it's showing the next two weekends.  

Worst moment this week: Umm, haven't really had anything too bad happen....I hope I didn't just jinx myself.

Movement: The baby was going CRAZY yesterday!  Just getting a lot stronger I guess.

Food cravings: Well, I could always think of something that sounds good, but I really never have a craving like "I need this right now. GET IT FOR ME NOW. I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT IT" kind of craving.

Aversions: Still chicken. I don't know why at all and I hope that goes away after the baby comes because it really limits what you want to cook and eat.

Queasy/Sick: This has come back a little if I'm not being careful to drink lots of water and eat healthy and often, but for the most part I'm okay.

Other Symptoms: "Pregnancy brain"-the other week the choir was singing in church and I started singing the fist line with them in the congregation until David looks at me and asks "why are you singing?". Haha, then I shut my mouth and we laughed.  I hope it was quiet and most people didn't hear me, haha.  And also just forgetting things or mixing up recipes. Stuff like that. Heartburn-I try to always make sure to do a combination of Pepcid to avoid it and Tums if that's still not enough.  I've tried to avoid foods that cause heartburn but I still get it even from things like bread so I've just accepted it now. Tiredness-this has definitely come back.  Not as bad as the first trimester, but still I get really tired by the evening (or sooner).

Gender: BOY!

Labor signs: I don't think so

Belly button - in or out? Oh my goodness, it's mostly out.  An outie, how embarrassing.  Haha!

What I miss: A bathtub!  I really wish we had a bathtub in our apartment.  That just sounds perfect to me every night.

What I am looking forward to: My baby shower is coming up next week and some of my family is coming in for it, so I'm looking forward to that!

Milestones: We are going to some prenatal classes this week and next. The baby is apparently 18 inches and 3.2 pounds.

Happy New Year!

So, I was planning to send out a Christmas card, but then Christmas came and went.  So then I though I'd do a New Year's Recap on the blog.  But then, January came and went!  And although it's now February....I'm still gonna do it!  So happy New Year!  Here's what we were up to in 2015! (At least what I can remember and have pictures of...)

Winter:

This happened to be a "warm winter" in Utah so we were able to go on lots of bike rides (We got bikes last Christmas).  It's fun to bike around and I think my bike is so cute and David loves to use his.  David was a champion and would often bike all the way from Orem (we live almost all the way down University Parkway) clear to BYU on a lot of days.  We had some visits from family for weddings and other things, went to Boise for New Year's, and of course had outings with out good friends the Anderson's.

Spring:

We went to Boise again for our new niece's blessing and every one of David's siblings got to be there!  It is always nice to have everyone together.  Also, Kyle and Sharon were living there for one of his rotations so we got to see them too.  And now they live there permanently so Boise is a nice visit for us because we'll get to see both of our families!

Another highlight of Spring was "Treat-Yo Self Day 2015" Tom and Donna style!  We got massages and both splurged on some items we had been wanting for a while.  Then we went out for a really nice dinner and David surprised me by getting a hotel to spend the night in SLC.

Summer:

Filled with all the Utah city festivals we could fit in (if you don't know Utah has a festival almost every weekend in the summer complete with carnivals, fireworks, parades, etc).  We also went to the pool as often as we could and hosted a few pool parties.  We found a farm to pick buckets of fresh cherries.  And of course went to Brass in the Park every Sunday we could in June for picnics and music (another one of our favorite traditions in Utah).  We took some trips to Kanarra, San Diego, Las Vegas, and the Ranch.  Man...summer is such a great season....writing about it now makes me miss it. 

Fall:

David went back to school (for the last time) and we settled back into a routine for the most part.  We went to Cornbelly's and some other favorite fall places.  Of course we had game nights with our friends!  David was part of a haunted house for Halloween.  And we got to go to Las Vegas for a wedding.  We spent Thanksgiving in Kannara with all of David's family and had Christmas in San Diego.  Best of all this season, we announced I was pregnant and began looking forward to May 2016!

We are looking forward to even better things in 2016!  David will be graduating in April, our baby is due in May, and we look forward to more adventures together.

Milestone Catch Up!

8 weeks

How far along: 8 weeks

Maternity clothes: nope

Stretch marks: nope

Sleep: Sleep has been really hard for me lately.  Getting up through out the night to go to the bathroom and feeling so so tired by the evening.

Best moment this week: We told David's parents this week (I think I told mine the week just before).  Also, I got a facial this week at the Aveda school which was really nice and a special treat!

Worst moment this week:  I bought tickets for us to go to the circus on groupon.  But, I mixed up the date and we showed up the day after :(  We couldn't get our money back and they couldn't honor the tickets.  I felt so dumb for mixing up the date.  They did give us a discount though for new tickets and it we still had a fun time.

Movement: I don't think so

Food cravings: none really.  I have noticed that salads have made me feel like 1000x better when I am feeling nauseous so that is mostly what I have been eating.

Aversions: Yesterday plain chicken (on one of my favorite dishes...basically a french bread creamy cheesy chicken pizza) made me gag and I just had to stop eating it.  It was surprising for me because this is something I really like and make often.  It was strange to see how the pregnancy hormones really do affect you!  And I was bummed because I wanted to eat it, but it just was nasty every time I took a bite.

Queasy/Sick: One day this week was kind of bad, but most days are okay if I am making sure to eat enough, drink enough water, and eat healthy foods.

Other Symptoms: Tiredness and bad acne all around my chin/mouth.

Gender:  I am think a girl because of all the hormonal acne.  My friend told me once "a girl sucks all the beauty away from the momma".  So that's how I am feeling lately

Labor signs: Let's please hope not

Belly button - in or out? In! I hope it stays that way

What I miss: Having nice clear skin and not feeling so tired.

What I am looking forward to: Our first doctor appointment!

Milestones: telling parents :)

19 Weeks

How far along: 19 weeks

Maternity clothes: not yet, but wearing more flowy shirts and comfortable clothing

Stretch marks: nope

Sleep: Better than first trimester and not feeling so exhausted all the time, but still tossing and turning throughout the night and waking up to take more TUMS.

Best moment this week: Looking forward to our trip to San Diego and our ultrasound next week!

Worst moment this week: Can't really remember any worst moments for this week.  But, the next week (the week of Christmas) I started crying because "I have too many presents I have to wrap and we are running out of wrapping paper.  And my eye hurts!" (I had a stye that week).  Literally I was actually crying about this stuff.  Thankfully David and my mom were nice enough to just give me a hug and pick up some more wrapping paper and wrap the presents while I took a shower.  Then everything was fine and I felt silly.

Movement: Yes!  This was the week I was figuring out what the movements felt like.  For those that haven't been pregnant yet I would describe it kind of like stomach digestion or gas bubbles, except for that you know you don't have an upset stomach (yes, weird analogy I know...and not as pretty sounding as "butterflies" but it is truthful at least for me).

Food cravings: Not really.  I don't think I've had any true "cravings" yet.  Every once in a while I will think something sounds good (but I think that every once in a while even when I'm not pregnant, haha!).

Aversions: Still plain chicken wouldn't be my most favorite thing, but I would eat if I had to.

Queasy/Sick: nope!

Other Symptoms: Heartburn.  All. The. Time. No matter what I eat and even if I am sitting up straight and drinking lots of water.  Tums help for a few hours, but I have been meaning to call a nurse to see if I can take something stronger.

Gender: We are looking forward to finding out next week!

Labor signs: none yet, thank goodness

Belly button - in or out?: still in, but becoming more shallow

What I miss: nothing!

What I am looking forward to: Finding out our baby's gender and that he/she is growing healthy and strong.  I had a dream this week that our baby was born premature.  For some reason it was the size of a 6 month old though.  But the skull didn't form properly and the baby's brain was showing!  I kept having to remind people to be careful with the brain and I was so frustrated when they weren't listening to me.

23 Weeks

How far along: 23 Weeks

Maternity clothes: Yes, I got some for Christmas.  They are so much more comfortable and more flattering for a bump (regular clothes right now just make me look chubby in the tummy, not pregnant).  I can still wear a lot of my flowier tops and jeans and leggings too which is nice.  Soon I will probably buy a belly band so that those can be more comfortable as well.

Stretch marks: Nope.  I did start putting lotion on my belly every few nights as a precaution (although I am pretty sure you will still get them if you're meant to get them...but it makes me feel better at least).

Sleep: Getting better.  I switched to a more fluffy pillow so that is helping.

Best moment this week:  Getting together with friends for games (always fun!).  Also going to the crazy expensive baby store to try out their strollers then going to Target and finding one on Clearance for like half the price that I liked just as much.  We haven't put it together yet, but it is exciting to be gathering things for our little one.

Worst moment this week: I am just going to blame all my breakdowns on this pregnancy because I can, haha!  But I got really mad/frustrated with technology Sunday night trying to import some pictures.

Movement: Getting stronger!  Last night I was feeling bigger movements and I thought maybe David would be able to feel.  So I had him come touch my belly and he could pick out where/when they were happening.

Food cravings: Nope

Aversions: Not really

Queasy/Sick: Nope

Other Symptoms: Heartburn still and I feel like I have more frizzy/unmanageable hair right now, but that could be because I am not really taking a lot of time to do it nicely, I dunno.

Gender: BOY!!

Labor signs: nope

Belly button - in or out?: innie, but stretching out more and more each day

What I miss: ???  nothing really ???

What I am looking forward to: David feeling the baby's movements (which actually happened just last night, so mission accomplished).

Milestones: Baby is 8 inches and 1.2 pounds.  About 16 weeks left.  Baby is developing his senses (can hear sounds, sense light, etc).

Expecting!

I wanted to keep track of these things for myself so I could remember milestones and how this experience has been for me.  I promise not to post too many of these because I know the only people interested are my mom and other pregnant ladies!, but you will see them from time to time as things actually do change.  Also, I am trying to keep an honest log for myself so if things are TMI I am #sorrynotsorry about that and you can just skip over that sentence ;)

Finding out!

I didn't want to take a pregnancy test too early because I didn't want to be disappointed if it was negative.  My cycles had been all wacky ever since going off BC, so a lot of months I would think I would be pregnant only to be disappointed about a week (or two) later.  Basically, I didn't want to get my hopes up and wanted to be positive it would be positive if that makes sense!

Finally, Friday night we decided it might be fun just to take a test and after googling early pregnancy symptoms and checking the calendar I felt confident enough.  We went to Walmart and bought the test.  We saw about one or two people we distantly knew in the store and tried to not make eye contact or speak more than just a friendly hello.  Also, we had to grab something to hide the test because we felt embarrassed for some reason.  It's silly that we felt this way and ironic how society and culture has shifted perceptions and somehow associated this wonderful gift with shame  (too many TV shows, movies, etc portray "unwanted"/unplanned pregnancy).  Then we went home and I took the test and I set it on my nightstand for a few minutes while we talked and tried not to count down the time.  Finally I looked at it and couldn't make out a second line, so I told David it was negative and basically better luck next time.  We felt pretty let down after all that build up, but hey it's how life goes I guess.  A while later David thought to look at it again and he could see another faint pink line.  We went to look at it in better lighting and could make out another very faint pink line.  Our moods immediately shifted and I took another test--again POSITIVE.  We talked a bit about how excited and happy and surreal it all felt and then went to bed (it was pretty late by this point).  In the morning, I took another test to be triple sure; again POSITIVE and I felt so much relief.

I actually took this at 19 weeks trying to suck in, haha!  I wanted the picture but kept forgetting to take it when there was nice lighting.

Memorial Day Weekend

This past weekend was so fun!  We have both been so busy this month that it was nice to finally have a long weekend break. **note: I wrote this last month and am just now getting around to inserting pictures and posting...see post below about trying again :) 

We kicked things off by going to the Payson Temple Open House.(For more info on temples, click here)

The sun coming up just perfectly behind.

Not the best picture of us, but hey, whenever someone offers to take a picture instead of us trying to take a selfie I'll take them up on it! 

Really, really pretty

I found out Friday that Saturday was the very last day.  We didn't have tickets and knew that the standby line would be insane that day so we planned to get there right as it opened at 8am.  We had to wait just about 10 minutes or so, but that wasn't too bad (when we left there were cars backed up for miles just to get in the parking lot).  It was so gorgeous and I can't wait to go once it's dedicated and open.

Then we grabbed some yummy breakfast sandwiches at McDonald's.  I know everyone makes fun of McDonald's, but I really do love their breakfast sandwiches. There were tons of other people there that had also gone to the open house that morning.  It's funny because I feel like people are never wanting to admit that they go to McDonald's and it reminded David and I of this Jim Gaffigan sketch.  We kept quoting it and were laughing so hard.

Next, we met up with our friends Krista and TJ to go shooting.  David was so excited to finally try out his shotgun (it's been rainy every weekend since he got it), and I was pretty much just along for the ride.  He had a good time and I was finally brave enough to shoot it one time.  It's still not my thing, but at least I gave it a try.

I am pretty sure this was the first time he shot it.

^^This is much more my type of "shooting".^^

We even found some horses in an orchard on our drive home--such a gorgeous sight!

They came over to us right away, I was surprised.

...then left when they realized we had no food.

Then Monday we went on a little hike.  I heard Buffalo Peak was fun and quick and so we planned a little trip.  There are two ways to get there that I found out about.  One is just about a mile round trip and the other is about four miles round trip.  We decided on the longer one this time.  It was such a beautiful hike with lots of changing scenery and good views.

However, it was superrr muddy because it had been a little rainy that morning/weekend.  Then, on the way back we got a little lost....but ended up finding our way again (though we did have to go back to the last place we knew which was back uphill quite a ways...definitely not my favorite).  All in all it was a fun trip and a great way to end the long weekend.

Love,
Kristy Jane