Paul's Masters Graduation

     Paul completed his Masters degree in accounting back in December, but SUU only has one commencement ceremony in the spring. So if he wanted to walk and do all that fun stuff he had to wait until May. He was able to take a day off of work so he could come down Thursday and prepare for his graduation on Friday. His brother Peter also graduated on Friday in the same college as Paul, (it was really nice to only have to sit through one convocation rather than two).
     Paul's parents came down so they could attend both of their sons graduations. They stayed will us and it was fun to have them, but I feel bad that they had to sleep on the floor/couch. After being in social Siberia with myself for the past 2 weeks, it was really nice to have people in the house! It was a little overwhelming going from just Kylee to Kylee plus a husband plus the in-laws, but after I adjusted to noise and clutter it wasn't bad at all.
    Friday we had graduation pretty much all day. The processional was at 8:30 so naturally we had to be there at 8. Then the commencement was at 9. Ann Romney was the main speaker and she did a great job. I was very grateful to have the opportunity to hear her speak. Although sitting in those stadium chairs just about killed me. My feet got super swollen and pretty much haven't gone down since then. Aside from that, after commencement we all had lunch together at the All American Diner. A classic diner in Cedar City that all the locals have to eat at at least once in their lives.
     After lunch we ran home to have my dad load some of our stuff into his trailer. He came down to pick up my sister Kalena from school and some how I convinced him to bring the trailer and take a load of Paul and my stuff up to Salt Lake. We had him take a bunch of our big stuff and it was pretty great. Our house is slowly getting emptied of its contents, but its nice to have less "crap" to worry about packing a month from now.
     Dad left and we rushed back over to SUU for the business convocation. THANKFULLY it was way shorter than they planned! I didn't have to sit for much longer than an hour which I was truly truly grateful for. I don't think I could have lasted much longer than I did anyway. We finished graduation and went to Peter and Jessica's for a little bit. Then we went to dinner, came back to Peter and Jessica's and played games for multiple hours. Finally the gang finished their game of T-birdopoly and we could all go home and go to bed.

     Saturday the boys went and played golf. Jessica and her family, (Peter not included), went to visit family, and Julie and I went hiking. I was hoping that if I went hiking it would put me into labor. We hiked half of the incredibly steep, infamous "C" trail to no avail. I hardly had any Braxton Hicks contractions let alone real ones. I was hoping though, that I would at least feel sore the next day, but sadly I wasn't sore either.
     After everyone got home we prepared a picnic lunch and had a great time at the canyon park. We even convinced Rex, my father in law, to play bocce ball with us, (he is not a big game fan). After our picnic, Paul and I went to visit Shay, Ray, Ada and Dion. Shay and Ray were visiting from Manti and we just had to go and see them while they came to visit. After visiting with them we picked up pizza and had a party with the family. We chatted for a while then went out to ice cream.

     Sunday was a lazy morning. Paul sort of let me sleep in. That is one of the things I have had to get used to with him being home with me. He gets up way early and I just want to lay in bed a little longer. He did let me stay in bed a little longer than his sense of usual, but not much. Paul's parents went to church with Peter and Jessica, so Paul and I had some time to ourselves before we went to church. It was nice to decompress and relax after having company all weekend. I am grateful that Paul has been able to be home with me, and I am even more grateful that he will get to stay with me for the next few weeks. Now all we have to do is be patient and wait for baby boy to come. Hopefully it is sooner rather than later, but I guess we will find out!

37 Weeks

    I am still managing to hang in there. I am actually feeling pretty great right now. I baby must have shifted positions because exercising hasn't been a problem for about a week and a half now. I used to have the hardest time even walking a mile. But I have been able to go 2.5+ miles the past few days and still have energy for weights and some floor work. Maybe its the surge of energy that you get right before labor. Or maybe its not :) Either way, I am grateful to have more energy and motivation to get myself out and moving and get things done around the house.
      My principal finally replaced me at work. I don't know how I feel about it quite yet. I am excited to be staying at home, but I have made so many amazing friends working at Three Peaks that I know when it truly comes down to it, it is going to be really hard to leave them all behind. But hey, adventure is out there, and its time to start my next one.
    I have continued to work on some of the hypnobirthing relaxation techniques and I have to say it is really quite interesting. On my walks the past few weeks, I get Braxton Hicks contractions like crazy (especially when I am trying to speed walk), which tends to make my walk a little more uncomfortable than it needs to be. But this week I started using my relaxation techniques and putting myself into a relaxed state, even while walking, and I do have to say it works. I could tell I was having contractions, but they didn't phase me. I was able to enjoy my walk, and just be at peace in my mind, and relaxed all over. I know that I will need to continue practicing them if I want to be relaxed during labor, but I feel like I have had a few good practice rounds.
     Baby is doing good. He is just chillin. I have sat and "talked" with him, and I know he isn't ready to come yet. I tried to convince him to come a little early but I know he isn't ready. I can feel that he is excited to join our family, but he just needs more time to prepare for the journey to join us. He is responding to me and to music more these past few weeks than he has before. I was listening to the radio a few days ago on my way to work and Pharrel Williams song "Happy" came on, and at the part where it says "clap along if you feel like a room without a roof" my little man totally started to kick and wiggle to the beat. It was the cutest thing. He must have been having a good morning.
    My family came down to take their foreign exchange student to visit Zion and Bryce Canyon. I took a day off of work so that I could spend some time with them. It was certainly quite different going on lots of walks and sight seeing with a big ole belly. But I enjoyed being able to spend some time with my family. My mom and I worked on baby boy's kilt for his blessing day. Its pretty much all finished except for the pin that will hold the whole thing together. Now he just needs a sporran and a shirt and he will be ready to go!
   

Yes I look like a schlum but I needed to take a picture this week before I forgot. I have been lazy and not as photo happy the past week. He is definitely getting bigger. But that means he is coming soon!

36 weeks!

     I actually managed to get my next post up before a month has passed by! I am really going to try and write down how I feel over these next 4-5 weeks so that I can remember for myself what the last leg of pregnancy was like. I know I still have at least a month before little boy is born, but I totally feel like he could come sooner than that and I wouldn't have a problem with it.
     I thought I was getting used to Paul coming to visit then leaving, but my hormones must be reaching an all time high as pregnancy progresses because I swear it gets harder every time he leaves. I guess it is a good sign that I don't like him to leave; just means that I love him like crazy.
     My belly is starting to get unusually heavy. I feel like I might tip over if someone accidentally pushed me forwards! But I do have to say one thing that has been kind of exciting is that thus far I have managed to evade getting tiger stripes (stretch marks). :) I am sure that one of these days I will sneeze and they will pop out all over my body. But for now, I am grateful that my body hasn't changed too too much all at once.
     I haven't been craving a whole lot this past month. I was on a carrot kick for a while. I had to eat lots of carrots with this delicious dip that my best friend Lisa Walters introduced to me. But lately it has just been all things dairy. Milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream. I have tried to be really good about it, but at the same time, if I can't stop thinking about the ice cream in the freezer no matter what I do, I don't hesitate to have a few scoops of it.
     I am still pleased to announce that I can do my 10 pushups in a row with out stopping. My stomach muscles clump together and turn my stomach into a concave hump when I do pushups so I can't get as close to the ground as I would like without hitting the baby. But I can still do those pushups even though they are semi modified now.
      On of the hardest things for me during this pregnancy is not being able to be as active as I once was, or as I would like to be. I was running around 2.5 to 3 miles up until around 32 weeks. But then I did something to my muscle. I don't know what. Some people thing it is sciatic pain, and some think it really could be a muscle issue. But anyhow, I can't run anymore let alone walk a lot. If I even just walk 2 to 3 miles I get really sore in my leg and have to take 4 to 6 days to recover from it. I am still doing some crossfit stuff, but at the same time, it all depends on how my leg is feeling. I am swimming laps twice weekly which has been good, but I am now at the point that my friends old stretched out race suit doesn't fit my belly very well so unless I find an alternative swimming suit I might have to be done with that here in a few weeks. I did attempt to ride my bike the other day, and I must say it was actually quite enjoyable. I surely could only bike 5 miles before I was completely wasted, but it was refreshing being able to get my heart rate up a little bit without having to worry about my leg hurting. I did look like a goof I am sure because I had to ride my bike a little differently than a person without a big belly would. But it was still enjoyable nonetheless.
    I am starting to feel like I will get all my baby-to-do list done before little boy comes. The list still feels a mile long, but I try to get at least one thing off the list now every week. Every day is hard. Especially with the longer projects. But slowing things are getting done.
      Joys of this past week are just being able to spend some time bonding with the baby. I have been looking into hypnobirthing a little bit. I haven't taken a class. I am just going to read the book and see what I think, but I found a relaxation MP3 from a hypnobirthing coach and have started to teach myself to meditate. Its actually harder than I thought it would be. I think I am a very alert person for the most part, so to let myself sink into a deep relaxation is kind of a challenge. But I do feel like each day that I practice I am able to relax a little bit more. So I guess it is a good thing I started practicing early. Maybe I will actually be able to relax during labor and what not.
    Paul was able to be here for General Conference this past weekend and it was so nice. I was grateful to be able to cuddle with him and listen to the words of the prophet. I am grateful for all the wonderful messages we received and all the guidance and counsel that I was able to take from their talks and use for my own life.
     Guess we will see how things go over the next few weeks!

36 weeks exactly. Feeling pretty good but a little large :)

I am feeling like I could pop at any time, but unfortunately I still have 4 weeks to go! Can I get any bigger??? Geez I sure hope not!

35 weeks, and the count down begins???

     Today is the day I have completed 35 weeks of pregnancy! Wahoo!! I want to start counting down, but at the same time, I don't know if I do. I don't want to get too excited about things that could be happening the next few weeks especially if our little man decides he wants to come late. I have really been thinking about the birthing process a lot the past few weeks and am excited for what is to come.
     Paul and I are going to have a home birth and I couldn't be more excited. I am starting to get annoyed of all the people saying, "Why would you ever do that?? Thats crazy. Don't you know that its not safe. What if something happens?" Gosh. I have done my research and I feel great about our decision. I don't feel like I need a medical intervention to have a baby. If something happens, yes, I will go to the hospital. But I don't need a hospital to birth a baby. My midwives gave me a book to read and it talks about the process of giving birth, and is basically a birthing class course all summed up in a book. I just finished it the other day and am feeling a little more ready for this boy to join our family. I think the biggest thing that I need to work through right now is the fears and ill educations that I have associated with birthing and being in labor. Everyone makes it out to be this horrible, painful, never to be forgotten experience. When I truly believe it can be an empowering, humbling and spiritual one. It all depends on if I let my fears take over what I know and believe to be true.
     My goal for the next few weeks is to start clearing my mind and let go of all of the worries that people keep trying to push on me about how my birthing experience should go. I understand that it will be painful, but its nothing that I should be afraid of or fight. I know that I am capable of anything I set my mind to, so birthing a baby naturally, at home, is just one of many things I can and will do in my lifetime.
     I have finally started getting things done for our little baby boy. I completed a swing cover for our baby swing. The one that was on the swing was super babyish and just not my style. This one is brighter and happier and cute. I finished sewing all my cloth diapers and soaker pads too! I can't wait until I can start using them. Now I just need to finish his quilt for his bed and finish a baby blanket I started making with all the scraps from his diapers. I am feeling productive, and it has been great to get so many things done the past few weeks. I did write up a list of things that I want to deep clean before baby comes. I figure I will get all the sewing projects done first, then knock out the cleaning projects one at a time until I have them all done.
     No rememberable cravings these past few weeks that I can think of. My back hasn't been hurting as bad so that has been way nice. I am still a little sore occasionally, but my back doesn't ache all day and all night like it did before. My feet are deciding to swell and un-swell depending on the day. Some days they don't go back down from the previous days activities, but some days all my shoes seem to fit just like they did before.
      On a happy note, I can still do 10 pushups in a row and feel good about it. Weighted squats are getting a little trickier just because the extra weight does put some pressure on my back. But I am finding different ways to hold the weights that don't put so much strain on my back so that is good. I have started to do a lot of isolation work outs with my abdominals. I am trying to keep them strong and ready to go for when I am in labor. I hope that if I have a good strong core I will be able to have more strength and stamina for helping our baby boy join us.
    Paul has been able to visit every weekend for the past 3 weeks. That has been such a huge blessing for me. I don't realize how much I miss him and rely on him until he comes to see me. I enjoy every minute he is there, (even if all we are doing is watching march madness while I work on a sewing project and Paul does finances). I think the days I am really counting down until are the days that I get to move up and be with my husband again.
    I know that I am going to miss Cedar with all my heart. I have made lots of friends and great connections here that I will miss. Especially all my friends I have made working at Three Peaks, and serving in my callings in the church. But I am way excited for the adventures that are to come as we start a new life together up in Salt Lake.

33 weeks.  Still fitting into a shirt that isn't a maternity shirt. And sadly it looks better on me when I am pregnant then when I am not! Don't mind the clothes in the back ground. Laundry is a miracle if I can get it done more than once every 2 weeks!

34 weeks. I am definitely getting bigger every week. But I am thrilled that my hips still fit into pre-pregnancy pants. They for sure aren't massively comfortable, but they add variety to my wardrobe. 

34 weeks again. But I figure a picture is a picture and it will be good to be able to remember what I looked like. I know they are all selfies. But when Paul isn't home to take a picture its too hard to get anyone else to do it. Besides, most of these pictures are pictures I send to Paul so he can see how baby is doing even though he isn't here to see me every day. 

35 Weeks! Pee breaks all the time! I was doing great at only needing to pee once in the middle of the night, but I have had a couple nights where it has been twice. I am still feeling good about that though. The two timer breaks are only every so often so thats good!

The finished project of the baby swing. The other one had cutesey animals on it and it was just so babyish. But this one is a little brighter and more fun to look at. Plus it is soft and I can take the cover off and wash it when it gets dirty. 

32 Weeks and then some

    Of course, I promised to write more, but once again, another four weeks has passed me by and I haven't written any of my thoughts about the pregnancy. When my midwives measured me at 28 weeks I was measuring a little small. I was semi excited thinking, hey, maybe I will have a smaller baby. They measured me again at 32 weeks and alas, I was measuring 32.5. Right on target plust a little. I hope that this little guy doesn't try to grow what he needs to and then some for the last 8 weeks of the pregnancy. Guess only time will tell.

    I can tell that space is getting very cramped for our little guy. He has started pushing out constantly. I  can feel where he is putting his bum and his back and feet. Its cute, but at the same time, it feels weird and some times its painful because he pushes so stinkin' hard. He is going to be one of those kids that can't sit still. I just know it! I am grateful that he is growing big and strong, but man, I can't wait until I can breathe again! 

    My complaints for the past month are mostly just back aches. Not my lower back, but my upper back. Weird right? I was expecting lots of lower back stuff, not the upper back stuff. It is like my spine aches. Hopefully my prenatal massage will help work some of the stuff out. I don't particularly want to go to the chiropractor. In my mind I was thinking, "I did drumline for three years. My back is used to carrying heavy things, I shouldn't have a problem." But.... alas, I wasn't as lucky as I thought. My only other complaint is missing my husband. It has been ok with him gone, but I have definitely had a few really rough days with out him. Thankfully I have really supportive friends in Cedar, and crazily enough, a lot of them are in the same boat as me. They are pregnant or have kids and their husband travels a lot or works a ton so they rarely see their spouses as well. Its nice to have a "support group." 

    My cravings this month have mostly been steamed carrots and broccoli, and chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies. Nothing crazy and obscure, but I do have to say, its been a really long time since I made no bake cookies, and boy were they delicious!

     Baby boy has started to respond to me when I touch my belly he will kick back or move so that he is pushing up against my hand. Its really cute and interesting to think that I can physically bond with him before he is even born. Paul isn't quite as lucky as I am though. He gets to feel baby move and kick, but I don't know that he has responded to Paul the way he has with me. 

     We have gotten into a pretty good routine, baby and I. He knows that when I shower at night its time to settle down and sleep. I don't know if he wiggles lots at night because I haven't ever woken up to him moving. So I assume he is just chillin' or sleeping. I did throw him off schedule this last weekend though. I had to shower in the morning and he had no idea what to do. I could tell he was settling down getting ready for the night, but I didn't settle down to sleep, I kept moving around. So he was calm for a little than started squirming. Thankfully we are back on routine. 

    Everyone tells me I need to talk to my belly and read to him, but it still feels a little weird to me. I read him a story once and that was interesting. And I have tried to talk to him. But its just weird still. Hopefully these next few weeks I can get used to talking to him. I bet he is just as lonely as I am. Maybe we can keep each other company!

     I have started getting into the nesting stage. I am ready to start getting everything ready for baby to come. But, I don't have any time! I have been wanting to prepare for the last 2 weeks but finding time has been a nightmare! I am hoping that in the next few weeks I can prioritize my time a little better to start getting things in order. In the back of my mind I keep thinking I have plenty of time. But at the same time, if I have as much time in the next 8 weeks that I have now, I really need to start doing a little bit every day, or I will definitely not be ready when baby decides to come!

                                   

Pajama day at school! Best day ever! I wish I could get away with wearing pajamas to work everyday. I would be so comfortable! This 30 weeks! Feeling big but not completely massive yet. 

31 weeks. Some how I am still rockin' my pre-pregnancy pants. They are definitely not quite as comfy as wearing the maternity pants, but I only have a few pairs of maternity pants I can get away with wearing at school. So I tend to alternate between maternity and regular. The bigger I get though, I may just have to wear the same pants every day. Guess we will see how things turn out as the weeks go by.

Here we are at 32 weeks. The picture makes me look like I am massively more huger than 31 weeks, but I blame the clothing. Some of my clothes make me look oober pregnant, others make me look not quite so pregnant, and I think this is one of those shirts that does make me look a little more preggo. Those pants though, geez found them at a thrift shop for $6. Best 6 dollars I have spend in the past few months. They can be pants and capris which is perfect for the 30-70 degree weather we have been having in Cedar City the past few weeks. 

     

And We Made it to the Third Trimester!

     It has been a little over a month, and my slacker self has not found the time to sit down and write anything up. There have been tons of changes happening and hopefully I can remember enough of them to make this post worth while.

     Paul started working at Tanner a little over a month ago. Its been hard. Not like crazy super ridiculous, I could never live on my own hard, just lonely and empty. But I do love that I get to face time him every night. That helps make things a little easier. We hold conversations with each other better than we did before. I love that I have the whole bed to myself so I can sprawl out and twist and turn any way that is comfortable to me. I also love having some free time in the evenings to work on projects. But I terribly miss the company. I miss having a husband, and having someone just to fill space in my house so its not so empty. I am super grateful Paul has a good job, and that he is paving the way for our future family, but it is definitely a challenge to not have him around all the time. I truly do cherish every minute I spend with him when he comes down to visit. 

     The voyage with the baby has been quite interesting. I started getting charley horses in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. Thankfully my amazing mom came up with a great remedy and I haven't had any since. Well, as long as I remember to put on my magnesium spray I haven't had any problems! I am super grateful too because waking up clutching your leg in the middle of the night isn't pleasant. And the few times Paul has been there to witness my charley horses he has kind of flipped out and not known what to do to help. What a stud though. 

     Pushups are getting a little trickier to do. I can still to them. I am actually really impressed that with the weight gain of pregnancy I have been able to keep my muscle tone up and still do at least 10 pushups. I can't go down all the way anymore though because my belly hits the ground these days. I am going to have to start modifying my pushups to wall pushups or something so I still stay in shape for the last few months. Running is becoming more of a challenge as well. I still enjoy it, but my lower back doesn't enjoy the heavy front load of weight that I make it carry when I run. If I do run I usually have to take at least 3 days off to recover from it before I feel like I can do it again. But I am still feeling somewhat fit and healthy even at 29.5 weeks. So thats good news! 

     Last post I complained a lot about the baby wiggling and moving and being annoying. I still have times when it does get a little annoying, but I have had a change of attitude and am actually very excited and grateful when I feel him move. Last night was seriously the first night I think I could tell he had the hiccups. My friends and family have been saying just you wait till the hiccups come. And until last night I really truly didn't think I had ever felt them. Well now I have. Paul was in the middle of praying with me and I just totally started giggling. Inappropriate I know, but it was just so funny to feel the perfectly timed little jolts baby was sending pretty much to my bladder. 

     The past week and a half baby has been moving like CRAZY. All the time. I don't know if its what I am eating, or if he is just growing a ton and feels the need to stretch all the time. No idea. I have tried to find a pattern in his behavior, but there really isn't one. He doesn't wiggle lots when I have music on, or when I scrunch up my tummy, or when I play the piano, or take a shower. Its all just sort of random. Some days its just while I sit and think, or lay on my side. Other days it is when I am taking a shower, and others when I am eating or practicing piano. I guess I have been super stressed out at work the past few weeks and maybe he wiggles so much to tell me to knock it off or something. I dunno though. I think he is just going to be a lot like his mom and constantly want to do his own thing all the time. HaHa guess we will find out in a few months. 

     Paul's parents threw a baby shower for me a few weeks ago. Yes it seems a little early to be having a baby shower, but I am only going to be in Salt Lake a few more times before the baby comes, so we had to do it early. I am truly grateful for the love and the support that everyone showed us. Paul and I feel like we could actually have a baby and be somewhat ready for it now. We have a car seat and a stroller and clothes and diapers and we are set! Okay not really, but I feel like we really could have a baby and everything would work out. 

     I wore a pair of pre pregnancy pants the other day with a belly band and I vowed that I just couldn't do that any more, and I needed to actually wear maternity clothes all the time. But I comfortably fit into a pair of pre-pregnancy pants today, (with a belly band of course), and maybe I can still get away with wearing them occasionally. We will see. 

      I have also started working on the last few of my cloth diapers. Now that I know its a boy I get to make some cute boy ones. Paul still thinks I am crazy for want to try the whole cloth diaper thing, but I think it will be a great way to save money. I bet, being the accountant that he is, will really realize how grateful he is for a wife who wants to save him a couple grand a year in not having to buy diapers all the time. The ones I am working on are really cute. I can't wait to finish them. I have just been way busy at work and with young womens and I haven't have any time to work on them. Good thing I still have a few months before I really need to start worrying. 

    We also decided to buy a new car. Yeah, crazy. Completely a spur of the moment decision. Someone in Cedar posted on the blog shop that they were selling their car. I looked at it, felt prompted to show Paul, he decided that he felt good about it, 3 hours later I went over to talk to them and test drive it, and we just felt good about the decision. Now paperwork is being done and we are figuring everything out so we can buy it from them. But we have to sell the truck now too. That is going to be sad for me. My truck was my very first car, I love her, but it is time to sell her. I almost can't fit behind the wheel with my growing belly, so it is for the best. Guess we will see what the future holds.

     I really need to be better about blogging more frequently. It has just been really chaotic lately. And honestly, everything else going on has been more important than blogging. I wouldn't have such massive rambly long posts if I could get around to it more often. I say this every post, but I really will try to get better at finding time!

This picture is 28 weeks. Feeling pretty good. Craving all things healthy like steamed carrots and broccoli. Hardest part of this month is that fact that I can't reach my toes very easily. Putting on pants is getting to be a challenge as well! Best part of this month, is that Paul can distinctly feel baby now. He could before but it was barely anything. Paul can really tell when he is kicking now. So that is great!

I was late getting the post up, so this is week 30. Not the best picture ever. I look like a goon, but I feel like a doubled my belly size in two weeks! I think maybe baby finally flipped? Who knows. We will find out at our next appointment.  Really starting to feel pregnant! Starting to waddle to! AHH!

Week 24

     I have been incredibly awful at writing down my thoughts and feelings through the pregnancy. Every one I talk with always says, make sure you take notes and write in a journal every little detail about what you think and feel and say and do. Well, I didn't really want my journal to be filled with the same boring things every day, so I guess its kind of ok that I have been a slacker at blogging. Little baby Burnett is doing great, as far as I know.
     We went back and had a second ultrasound just to double check the gender. For sure its a boy! We are completely stoked now, but we have absolutely no idea what we want to name him. We have a few names we like, but we don't really LOVE any names yet. Good thing we still have three + months to figure it all out.
      This past week Paul has been in Salt Lake working. It is our first week apart and I am hanging in there. I had my first little emotional attack the other day. Thankfully/sadly I had a horrible nightmare that woke me up at 3:30, so I could call Paul and apologize to him for being so emotional and mean to him. I am so grateful that he puts up with me and loves me so much. Poor Paul hasn't been able to feel baby kick yet. I think if he put his hand on my belly now, sadly he didn't get to feel baby before he moved up North.
       I suppose I should write a few of the things I have been thinking and feeling. Well first of all, everyone asks me, "Oh do you like being pregnant?" "Isn't it just so much fun?" UM NO! I am so selfish I suppose, but being pregnant really isn't all that people crack it up to be. Yes, its exciting, yes I can't wait to be a mother, but all these changes are just trying to kill me! People tell me I look like I am glowing, and all I can think of when they say that is, "Well duh, I am having a hot flash of course I look rosy posy." The whole belly thing is getting a little frustrating too! I have a hard time doing pushups these days, I can barely clip my toenails, when I lean up against the kitchen sink I get kicked, and I can't get close enough to the truck anymore to scrape the windshield! Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to be a mom, but holy cow, no one told me it would be like this!
     I must say feeling the baby move is both exciting and weird. I feel like I have no control of my body some days. I will be teaching a lesson perfectly fine, then two minutes later I have to pee or I might die. Little boy likes to kick my bladder. Mostly when its full though. I think its his way of saying, "pee mom, you're cramping my style." Its also kind of weird teaching a reading group and your belly starts moving. Sometimes I feel like I have massive gas bubbles inside me, but I know its just the baby. Its just weird! Its a good thing I don't get motion sickness or I would be in trouble. This guy flips so much sometimes I feel like I am on a loop the loop roller coaster.
     And, last thing to vent about is the comments people say to me. Yes, most of them are kind and genuine, but I just don't know what to say anymore. I am told multiple times a day how cute I look, and my clothes are just so cute, but what do you say to that? I can only say thanks so many times... I am grateful that people are so kind and compliment me, but I don't want to sound snooty or say the same things over and over again...
    Well, pregnancy has some perks. You instantly have lots of friends. And people you didn't normally get along with, that just happen to be pregnant with you, become your support buddies. Those are some nice positives about being pregnant. :) I truly do enjoy feeling baby boy move though too. When I practice piano or sing along with music he moves around a lot. It seems weird, but its really kind of touching to be able to bond and connect with him in simple little ways. My phone app says we are supposed to talk to baby and read to him, which is a little strange, but I guess I sing and talk to my garden, so talking to a baby shouldn't be too much different.
     I have tried to take pictures as the months go by. I don't want to take one every week, or I would have a billion, so every 4ish weeks I get a picture. Here are the pictures that I have thus far in the pregnancy.

Week 20

Right before christmas. I finally had energy to do the things I wanted to do! What I craved the most during these few weeks was fresh cherries!! Oh man, but you can't buy them in December! I almost died! Hardest part of the month was needing to go pee ALL the time.

Week 24

Hardest part of this month was having my belly get in the way of me doing things. Also, Paul left me for SLC during this month as well and that was kind of hard for me. The best part of the month is feeling all the cute little wiggles happening inside. I craved Cafe Rio a lot (never got it though) and I had a phase where I craved french fries! Lucky for me, Paul spoiled me and bought me french fries three days in a row. Now that I think about fries I just want to throw up, but hey, I craved them once upon a time. We also heard baby's heart beat again, and it sounds like a normal person now! Kinda fun!