Year End Wrap Up

I saw on a couple of my friends blogs that they wrote a sort of Christmas letter and I thought that was a great idea! I obviously didn't have it done in time for Christmas, but figured it would still work! This year has definitely been full and has gone by sooo fast. Jared and I feel extremely blessed for the family and friends in our life and look forward to 2010!

January: January was a bit of a whirlwind and it is hard to remember all the ends and outs of what we did. I switched to 4 10 hour days and got permanent long weekends, yay! We started contemplating the idea of selling our house and browsed the housing market to see what was out there. We did a lot of home improvements including new carpet, painting, organizing, etc. Which is a blessing to have done since we decided to stay! We also had several vet appointments to figure out what was wrong with our black lab, Lucy.

February: This is a month we would have rather skipped over. Although the highlight was Jared's surprise of an amazing Valentine weekend, filled with a scavenger hunt of sorts (to buy a dress, get a back massage, get my hair cut and colored) where we spent the night at Hotel 43 downtown and ate a yummy dinner at Chandlers. After Valentine's weekend our month went downhill and we had to put our 4 year old puppy to sleep after a battle with Lymphoma...no fun and something that was extremely difficult for us.

March: My birthday month! I don't remember a whole lot from March other than my brother and sister-in-law coming to visit. We had a great time with them and apparently that was the highlight of our month!

April: Since we decided to stay in our current home we refinanced in April to get a lower interest rate and house payment. We also bought a new refrigerator and put our old one in the garage...which I love! April also brought out the adventurous side of me, as I went on my first snow shoeing trip. We stayed the night at a yurt and had a great weekend with close friends. I am still embarrassed to post pictures of the weekend as I wasn't feeling good and think I look absolutely horrible :)

May: Jared turned 28 this month! We also continued the home improvements by redoing some of our landscaping out front, thanks to much help from my parents. My parents were able to come out for a week and it was wonderful to have them here.

June: Starting at the beginning of summer Jared's job cut back due to the economy and closed the office on Fridays. Although the pay cut hasn't been ideal, having 3 day weekends together has been fabulous! Nothing else significant is really standing out from June

July: This was a big month for us! On July 3rd I woke Jared up at 5:45 am to tell him that I was pregnant...I just couldn't keep the excitement to myself! It was such a surreal, special moment. We also got to visit our fabulous friends in Colorado and go on a mini vacation to Glenwood Springs with them. At the end of the month my parents came to visit again so that we could surprise them with the good news in person. Our first ultrasound was at the end of the month, where we got to hear our precious baby's heart beat for the first time and see them all bundled up. July seems like so long ago, but time as literally flown by!

August: Both Jared and I had our 10 year high school reunions in August. Jared didn't go to his but I flew out to Oregon for mine and had a blast. It was so good to see old friends and catch up with the people I spent almost my entire childhood with. Pregnancy was going well and we finally spilled the news and no longer had to keep secrets.

September: Football season started, which basically consumed our weekends. I feel like Jared is lucky that I like college football! We got to go to Boise State's opening game against Oregon, which was a blast (although I thought I was going to die walking up to the top of the stadium!) Jared's job was supposed to go back to 40 hours/week, however, that ended up not happening...so we have gotten to continue the long weekends together.

October: October seemed like a busy month. I spent most of the first half trying to get over a head cold which turned into a sinus infection. We went to Bear Lake, Utah with Jared's parents for a long weekend and had a great time away with them. We also welcomed a new addition to our family...a 6-month old black lab named Addie. We got ready for Halloween by going to the pumpkin patch with my niece and carving pumpkins with our good friends Justin and Annie. Jared and I hung out with friends on Halloween, but we were the lame ones who didn't dress up! We had our 20 week ultrasound in October and decided to wait to find out if our little one is a boy or a girl!

November: Most of November was spent at Dr. appointments to check my cervical length, preparing for baby and celebrating Thanksgiving. My parents came out for Thanksgiving and we went up to my in-laws for a yummy turkey dinner. It was so nice to have both sides of our family together. We also completed the baby room with the help of my parents which was a HUGE blessing (especially given my restrictions now). Starting in November I feel like my life (and blog) has pretty much centered around my pregnancy!

December: December has been an interesting month. Jared and I celebrated our 6th anniversary by laying on the couch! We had planned on going up to McCall for the weekend for one last get away without a baby; however, due to an unexpected 5 days of complete bed rest spent the time at home instead! I have cut back to 20 hours at work and modified bed rest for the times when I am at home. Jared and I just got back from Oregon where we got to spend a week with my family to celebrate Christmas. Due to all the appointments, monitoring, traveling and celebrating, December has truly flown by!

I think it is fun to reflect on the year and all that the Lord has done in our life. 2009 has been full of many changes and blessings. We are excited and nervous to embrace all that 2010 has in store, which includes a new chapter in our life together...parenthood. Through all that we face I find in encouraging to be reminded:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

Happy 2010!!!

Round 2 of Good News

I feel like all I have been posting about lately is my pregnancy woes...but when I have reduced hours at work and modified bed rest for the remainder of my day, nothing exciting really happens! We saw the doctor today and had another good ultrasound. Cervical measurements were above 2.5 cm again and some measured into the 3 cm mark. The doctor was really happy with the results and gave us clearance to travel to Oregon for Christmas!! I have another fetal fibronectin test tomorrow just to reconfirm that everything looks good before I leave. Jared and I were both really excited with how things looked and I felt a huge sigh of relief!

You may wonder what I do during my days on the couch or in bed. Here's a clue:

My friend Annie has been trying to convince me to watch Grey's Anatomy for a very long time now. I never started watching it from the beginning and for some reason never had a desire too. I decided now was as good as time as any, I am almost done with season 1. It is actually really good and I'm excited to start season 2 because I heard it is one of the best seasons. Other than Grey's, I usually read, throw the ball for Addie, listen to online sermons or take advantage of our netflix account.

If there are any suggestions for movies, tv shows or books that I should know about, send them my way. As of now, it seems I will be resting a lot until 34-37 weeks!!

Dr. Update

Good news today at my appointment! Amazingly enough my cervix measured longer today by a significant margin! The shortest length was 2.97 and the longest measurement was 3.88 (which is 2 cm longer than on Friday)! Apparently bed rest and taking it easy works, which shocked both Jared and I. We both had to look again when we saw the new measurements because we thought we were reading something wrong. The longest length at my 20 week ultrasound was 2.4 cm, so we had never seen the 3 cm mark before. The Dr. said that I still need to take it easy and not overdo it, so I am on a reduced work schedule of 20 hours a week. When not working I have to be on modified best rest, I can do simple things, but no running, walking, shopping, heavy lifting, vacuuming, etc. I don't think that will be an issue though since Jared has already warned me about 100 times of how careful I need to be! We are both very thankful and think the Lord is amazing to work in such miraculous ways! I have another appointment next Wednesday to check my cervical length again. We are praying that I measure the same. We are supposed to go to Oregon for Christmas and the Dr. will let us know next week if that is okay.
Thanks to all for your prayers and concerns...it is so nice to be surrounded by such loving family and friends!

Happy Anniversary

Six years ago, I got to marry my best friend. On our wedding day we were full of love, hope and excitement as to what the future would bring. I can't believe how fast 6 years can go! Life has definitely given us both ups and downs. We had no idea that in 6 years we would experience life in both Medford and Boise, multiple moves, vacations, deaths of family members, weddings, births, stress of graduate school, new jobs, lost jobs, months of double unemployment, buying a home, home improvements, getting two puppies, dealing with cancer and the ultimate loss of our dog, reduced incomes at work, pregnancy and now possible bed rest (see post below). Through it all I thank God that He has allowed me to have Jared as my partner. I think it is amazing that God chooses mates for us that He knows will complete us and be the perfect fit. Jared is definitely that for me. He makes me laugh, keeps me grounded, reasons me through my insanity, has a huge heart and ultimately always points us back to God during the good times and bad. He has always led our family in the way of the Lord and I know that decisions he makes always come after prayerful consideration. When we started our journey together 6 years ago I'm glad I didn't know all the highs and lows we would experience, as it has brought us closer together and cemented our marriage. I am confident in my marriage and my husband. I have no idea what the future holds, but I do know that whatever it brings I will have the Lord as my direction and Jared by my side. What a reassurance!!

Here's to many more years!

Dr. Appointments, Ultrasounds, Hospital Visits, and...Bed Rest

Since week 20, I have been checked every two weeks (I am now 27 weeks) to determine the length of my cervix since it measured thin at my 20 week ultrasound. So far everything had stayed nice and steady at 2.4 cm. Yesterday was my fourth checkup and unfortunately we didn't get the same good news. My cervix has thinned and is now measuring 1.87 cm. This puts me at an increased risk for premature labor. So...yesterday Jared and I got to spend the afternoon at the hospital hooked up to a machine that would monitor whether or not I was having contractions.

The machine picked up on slight contractions, so the nurse gave me a shot that is a smooth muscle relaxant to stop the contractions. I am now on a blood pressure medication that ultimately has the same effect. Initially the doctor said that I would have to take it easy and only be up for about 5-6 hours a day. After results from the hospital she put me on full bed rest, meaning I get to take a 5 minute shower everyday and use the bathroom but otherwise I am on the couch or in bed.

Jared and I went back today so that I could get monitored again for contractions and have a fetal fibronectin test to determine if I was at risk to go into labor in the next 2 weeks. Thankfully the test came back negative and there was no signs of contractions today. We got to go home and I am on bed rest until Tuesday when I have another Dr. appointment to check my cervical length and determine a plan of action. The Dr. said with almost 100% certainty that I would have to cut my hours back at work and there is a chance that I will have to continue on full bed rest until baby is born.

Needless to say this isn't the information that we were hoping for as I was prepared to work up until I delivered. The financial situation is a concern but we have been through periods of unemployment and low income before and we know that the Lord has been faithful and will be faithful now. Overall, our spirits are good. I feel like God has given us both a real peace and sense of calmness. We are relying on him to take care of my body and the baby. Thankfully the baby looks GREAT and continues to grow and move and be healthy. Jared has it much worse than I do as he is now responsible (hopefully only until Tuesday) to cook, clean, do laundry, do the grocery shopping, take care of Addie, work, and help me with the things I need. Bed rest sounds wonderful but surprisingly it is difficult to literally do absolute nothing! It is an adjustment for our family but has been smooth so far. Jared is definitely stepping up to the plate and I am soooo thankful that he is my partner during this.

We know the Lord has a plan through all of this and will be faithful to see us through whatever is in store for us. We are thankful for the support and prayers of our friends and family. I will do my best to update!

Baby Room

This past week my parents were out to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We were definitely thankful for them!!! The baby room was previously storage where we kept boxes and random "treasures". I was feeling really overwhelmed to go through and organize everything, so my parents helped us while they were out. It is amazing what four people can accomplish as compared to two! We were able to clear everything out and get things organized to where we feel like we actually have more room than before.

Jared has been hard at work being Mr. Handyman, putting together the crib, dresser, glider and shelf organizer. We feel really blessed because we have been able to find some really good deals. We even got up at 4:30 am to get a glider/ottoman combo half off at Babies R Us black Friday sale (I realized I'm not a happy camper at 5 in the morning!)

There are some finishing touches we want to add but overall the room is almost done! We are hoping that it looks neutral enough...

We thought this shelving organizer was really cute and we can get more girly box colors if we need to!

View of the valance

View when you walk into the room...we were really excited to find the Chinese lanterns at Zurchers!

Dresser and Glider...we are planning on getting a memory board to put above the dresser.

It feels good to have most of it done and no longer hanging over our heads...kind of crazy that a little one will be the final touch in 3 months!

Belly Pics and New Moon

I feel like all I have done lately is post about baby and pregnancy...unfortunately that seems to be all that is really going on in our life! Time is seriously flying by, it seems crazy to me that my parents are coming into town this Friday for Thanksgiving and then we will be going to Oregon for Christmas!

It has been awhile since new belly pics have been posted, so enjoy:

Week 20: Size of a banana; 10 1/2 oz. and about 10 inches long (head to heel)

Week 22: Size of a spaghetti squash; almost a pound and about 11 inches long

Week 24: Size of an ear of corn; about 1.25 pounds and just over a foot long

In other news, I don't know how many Twilight fans are out there, but I am going to the new movie in the Twilight saga this Friday night..."New Moon".

A girl that used to work at my work is obsessed with the books and movies and threw a party last year for the "Twilight" movie. It was pretty fun to see it on opening night with a bunch of girlfriends. Well, this year she is completely going crazy (I will go into more detail after the party) and we are doing dinner again and then seeing the 10:30 showing on Friday. It should be pretty fun...unfortunately I'm not quite the die hard fan that others are! I will post pics from the night afterwards...as long as I don't get made fun of (I get enough ridicule from Jared about it!)

Baby Bargains

Last weekend I registered for baby gear. I went with a friend who just had a baby, so I could use her knowledge, and had a lot of fun (thanks Shannon)!! Then Jared and I found a killer deal on a crib and dresser online. I have been obsessed since last weekend to find the right bedding. Everything I see either looks too boy or too girl, which has caused me to look at hundreds of bedding sets and a ton of websites. Colors were really important since we wanted it to be neutral but not overly boring. We FINALLY found a bed set that we both really liked, but unfortunately it was out of our price range (I can't believe how much bedding costs!!!!)

We went to go to a couple of stores tonight to see what we could find and here's where the exciting part of the story comes in...

We went into Baby's R Us (where I registered last weekend and found nothing for bedding) and to my surprise and excitement they had the bedding set we loved on CLEARANCE!!! It was so crazy because they don't even show that they carry that particular set online! We were able to get the bedding set, extra sheet, window valance and a matching blanket for significantly less than what the bedding set (only) was selling for online!

I finally feel excited to begin the baby room (something I must admit I have been dreading)

I will post pictures once the room gets done, in the meantime here is what we decided on:

Crib

Dresser

Bedding Set

Comforter

Bumper

Skirt

Sheet Pattern

Blanket

Window Valance

Woo Hoo for clearance!

Baby Video

This is the only video that I could get to upload.

Baby is busy stretching and moving around!

The picture is a profile with the top of it's head on the left side of the video. He/she is completely folded in half with it's feet up over it's head.

Keep watching...did you see him/her yawn!?!?!

Isn't it amazing...I love watching the videos and know that was actually happening inside of me!

Happy Halloween

Last weekend we had some friends over to carve pumpkins. Unfortunately the pumpkins didn't make it all week and now they are completely shriveled.

Poised and ready to dig in

Jared in action

Addie was a bit of a party pooper.

We took her over to play with some dogs at Jared's grandma's house earlier in the day and she was completely passed out for the entire night...of course when we were ready for bed, she was ready to play!

The finished product

Impressions of our pumpkins

Smiley, Ghost, Monkey and Deadman

Last year I bought a Halloween costume for Lucy when they were on sale at Target. I was excited that Addie would get to wear it. Isn't she a cute ladybug?!

Unfortunately she didn't share my enthusiasm!

Hopefully, you enjoy your Halloween more than she did!!

It's A....

Yesterday we had our 20 week ultrasound (I am actually 21 weeks). It was really fun to get to see our little one again and to see how much they have grown. This was also the time in which we could find out if we are having a boy or girl. Well, the verdict is that we are having a...healthy baby! We decided to wait and not find out the sex of the baby until he/she makes his/her world debut. This is the way we were leaning; however, we got lots of pressure from different family members and friends who really wanted us to find out now. The only person on earth who knows is our ultrasound technician and we were reassured that she couldn't be bribed by family members! As Jared says, delivery day will be truly epic!

All is well with baby at this point. Growth is right on target and measurements were really even. I do have to go back in 2 weeks because my cervix is measuring thin (2.4-2.9 cm and they like it to be 3.5 cm). Nothing to be concerned about at this point, but they want to check and make sure that I am staying steady.

During the appointment baby was in a breach position with it's spine out and completed folded in half! It moved a ton during the ultrasound and kept grabbing the umbilical cord, opening and closing it's hand and stretching. The technician said that it is going to be very tactile! We were given a CD with some pictures and videos. I am posting all the pics because there are some anxious family members afar who want to see and hear about anything and everything baby (the videos won't work right now, so I will try to post those later):

The baby's feet are really long at this point. Measured longer then it's femur! As you can see, their second toe is bigger than their big toe!

Profile view: Baby has it's hand up against it's forehead.

Profile View...what a cute little nose and mouth!

Profile View: Baby was basically folded in half, as you can see it had their foot up parallel to it's head.

Another profile view showing it's foot above it's head. The 3 dots coming down below it's foot is the umbilical cord.

Last profile picture!

I can't believe that I am already half way through with the pregnancy! The Lord has been good and we feel truly blessed!

New Addition

Last February, Jared and I dealt with an extremely difficult loss when we had to put our 4 year old lab, Lucy, to sleep. For the last 8 months we have been dealing with the void and emptiness created by not having a dog. Neither of us felt ready to get another dog because we didn't want another dog...we wanted Lucy!

In April Jared started doing some research just to see what breeders of labs were in the Boise area. He contacted a breeder, told her our story, and found out that she just had a litter of puppies at the beginning of April. At that time we were in no place to adopt a puppy. Toward the end of August the breeder contacted us again to inform us that she was expecting another litter. We talked about it and decided it still wasn't the right time for a puppy. We work long hours and with a baby on the way, we thought it wouldn't be fair to a puppy. We let the breeder know and she contacted us AGAIN a couple of weeks later. She wanted to let us know that they had kept a puppy from the April litter and thought she thought she would be a great fit for our family. At first we were hesitant but then we decided to meet her. Due to sicknesses and other circumstances it took us about a month before we finally came face-to-face with this cute puppy. She stole Jared's heart immediately and after a lot of thought and prayer she stole mine too.

Addie is 6 months old, fully vaccinated, potty trained, crate trained, has been to puppy school and is full of playfulness and sweetness.

We might be crazy to be giving up our last 5 months of blissful peace and quiet, but it really seemed liked a right fit. We spent a lot of time in prayer and making sure that this was the right thing to do.

It is fun to have a sweet puppy in the house again and we are both excited that our children will grow up loving dogs and understanding the bond that can be formed through these sweet creatures.

I promise more pictures are to come with maybe some videos too...she was a little nervous tonight which made it hard to snap shots.

A Day at the Farm

Fall was definitely in the air today...we went to the pumpkin patch with Jared's family! It was a little chilly but we had a good time. Next time at this year we will have a 7 month old of our own to take to the pumpkin patch...CRAZY!!!!

The day was full of excitement:

We went for an old fashioned hayride,

made a scarecrow,

found a pumpkin,

found an even better pumpkin,

ran back to the farm with our wagon full of pumpkins,

and rode some rides...

All in all the day was a success!

Happy Fall Days!!!

Baby Update

Woo Hoo...a new post! I have been fighting a bad head cold over the last 2 1/2 weeks. Last weekend it decided to turn into a nasty sinus infection. I have never had a sinus infection and would like to never experience one again. It was SO painful. I had to eventually call the on-call doctor last Sunday and get some antibiotics, which are working, and I feel much better.

Needless to say, posting was the least of my worries, as I felt horrible for so long.

However, things are moving along fantastically well. Baby is doing great and last week was the first week that I felt like I was sporting a pregnant belly and not just extra weight. It is a bit strange though the attention you get when pregnant. I'm by no means offended, but it is a bit weird to get so many comments and "observations" about my body. One co-worker wanted to rub my belly, but I'm not quite ready for that one!

Last weekend (when the torturous sinus infection hit), Jared and I went to Bear Lake in Utah with his parents. My mother-in-law convinced me to go into a maternity store and needless to say I am a big fan of maternity pants, at least my work maternity pants. I have been using rubber bands, paper clips and other office equipment to make my pants fit. It was a nice change to feel comfortable again!

Here are some updated pictures...I feel as if I look really tired in both pictures, but I have been getting pressure to post new belly pics.

Week 17

(Baby is the size of a turnip, 5 inches head to rump and weighs 5 oz.)

Week 18

(Baby is the size of a bell pepper, about 5 1/2 inches head to rump and weighs 7 oz.)

I haven't felt movement yet, but it could be any day now. The doctor said anytime between 18-22 weeks. Next ultrasound is October 23rd, so I'll keep you posted!!!

P.S. Thanks to everyone for your comments and advice about my last post. Jared and I really appreciated it!

Decisions

It has been a long time since I've posted anything! I feel like time has completely gotten away from me and weeks seem to be zipping by. Jared and I spent the weekend sick with a really bad cold and I am still trying to recover.

Over the last couple of days I have really been struggling with my first big decision as a "parent". We had a doctor's appointment last Friday and the recommendation was for pregnant women to get vaccinated with both the regular flu vaccine and the swine flu vaccine. I didn't think much of it at the time, but yesterday I started getting really anxious at the thought of getting vaccinated. Everyday I am faced with children who have various disorders, delays or disabilities. Some have been due to various situations or medications during birth or delivery...some aren't. I feel like this does make me a bit more paranoid than the average person, but I can't help but question whether or not I should subject myself to these vaccinations, even if my doctor says it is okay. Yesterday, one of my patients, who had been gone for 2 weeks, came to see me and after the session his mom told me that his baby sister had the swine flu and that's why they weren't at therapy. I called my doctor and she prescribed me a medicine that is recommended for people who have been in contact with someone who has had the swine flu. Again...I don't know what to do. In my mind I don't know how there could be enough studies and evidence that shows these new medicines and vaccines are safe for pregnant women...yet I don't want to put myself at an increased risk. Given my profession I am exposed to almost anything and everything that is out there. I truly believe that the Lord is sovereign over all medications, vaccinations and sicknesses...but I do want to make the right decision. I have really been praying that the Lord would give me a peace about what decision to make and that He would calm my anxiousness. Jared and I would both appreciate all prayers and any advice people have.
What to do?!

Double Post Monday

I thought I would get crazy today and post twice. It is hard for me to post during the week because of my work schedule and I really needed to do a baby update! I have officially entered my second trimester (week 14) and I feel great! I have had no sickness and the biggest complaint I have is that of tiredness when the weekend roles around. I'm not showing much but I feel like I am in an in between stage. My regular clothes are getting slightly tight and uncomfortable but maternity isn't a good match yet. Jared went shopping with me yesterday and despite my poopy mood, because nothing fit quite right, he made me persevere and find some clothes that work for my changing body! It has been a bit difficult for me to watch my waist disappear and my mid-section expand!

Here are the pictures we've taken so far week-to-week:

Week 9

Week 10

Week 12

Week 14

And in case there was any question whether or not my mom was excited about becoming a grandma here are the gifts we have received so far:

Besides two of the books, a blanket and the cute little bear outfit up front (we got these from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law...it was really sweet!), my mom bought everything you see here the weekend they were out here in July! Since then she has added burp cloths and another pair of pajamas to the loot! My dad keeps telling her that she needs to slow down because she has until March, but she can't help her enthusiasm! I was informed that she wanders through the baby section everytime she goes to Target "just in case" there is something on sale she can't resist!

My next doctors appointment is in a couple of weeks. We both feel like the time has gone fast so far and once the holidays hit we know the time will zip by. We have started looking at baby furniture and trying to figure out what we want to do in the room. Hopefully things continue to go along smoothly and without complication!