Wes' Special Birthday

Yesterday our little family celebrated Wes' 30th birthday. He has not looked forward to turning the big 3-0. He asked that we just have a quite little party with just the four of us. I made the family seafood salad at Wes' request. Instead of cake I made his favorite dessert, Rice Crispie Treats! Wes had been super busy that day in court with a case that has been very difficult. He really seemed to enjoy our love and attention. We even made sure that he had a candle on his treat. He got a special handmade card from Adelle, Lego Batman for the PS2, the Office Season 5 and money from my Grandmother.

We spent the rest of the evening playing his new game and watching a movie. I am glad we could take time out to celebrate the special guy in our lives!

Cedric's 2nd Birthday

On Saturday my sister had a big celebration for her little boy who had just turned two. All of the family gathered around at her home to eat, celebrate, and have fun. Sarah even had two pinatas for the kids to whack at. We ended up bringing home a lot of candy. I can't believe how much this little guy has grown.

He got a lot of fun presents including toys, clothes and this very special chair that is all his own. My girls had fun hanging out with family and eating yummy food. Lydia especially liked playing Matt and Sarah's new PS3. Wes was unable to come because he was preparing for a big case. It was a hot day, but I still enjoyed seeing everyone.

Happy Birthday Cedric!!

99 Days Left...Really?

I just noticed that my pregnancy ticker is showing that I only have 99 days left. I can't believe it! Violet has been quite active today and I'm happy that she is safe and warm where she is, but it is hard to believe that in about 3 months she will be joining our family! WOW!

I have my gestational diabetes test coming up in about a week and I really hope that goes well. Diabetes runs in my family and my sister had GD with her last pregnancy so I'm really hoping I won't have it. I didn't with my other pregnancies.

I have a follow up ultrasound at the beginning of October and am excited to see my little girl again.

Time is just flying by!!

Wes' birthday is today. I'll have to take some pictures and post later. I also have some pictures from my nephew's birthday this past weekend.

The Familiar Taste of Peaches

I grew up with two giant peach trees in my backyard. Every year these trees would provide bountiful amounts of fruit! We would consume vast amounts of peaches, my mother would bottle them and we would often share our harvest. I was used to the buzzing that often accompanied the later summer months due to rotting fruit and the bugs it attracted. That said, I absolutely LOVE fresh peaches. It is a rare thing to find any sort of good tasting peach in a grocery store. They are often hard and tasteless.
Last year Wes surprised me by purchasing a peach tree for our backyard. It is grafted with four different types of peaches. We got a very large amount of green fruit early in the season and Wes even picked away much of the fruit because our tree is still so small and he was afraid it wouldn't be able to stand all of the weight. The fruit that was allowed to stay was attacked by birds and wasps. I probably ended up with about 15 peaches, and I have enjoyed them immensely, probably more than anyone else in the house. Wes remarked that he thinks some of them were overripe, but that didn't stop me.

Taking a bite of the warm fruit right off the tree takes me right back to being a child again with sticky fingers enjoying the succulent treat. I hope the tree will keep growing and we will have a more bountiful harvest next year!

Laborious Labor Day Weekend

This past weekend was very busy for us. We decided to start tackling the girls new room downstairs. We spent all of Saturday organizing the room since it is currently the play room, throwing away things and bagging up other things for the DI. Wes and Lydia even managed to get our old, worn out couch out of the basement into the garage. From there we ran to the DI and then to the hardware store to choose paint. The girls chose a very bright lime green and pink. The first thing we did was wash down the walls. Then Wes taped. By the time this was all done it was evening already. Sunday Wes painted the tinted primer onto the two walls we are painting.

Monday Wes and Lydia starting painting with our bold colors.

This is the pink wall! Bright but fun! Don't worry, that is actually green tape which is protecting the trim to our strange underground door. Wes is thinking he would still like to do another coat.

The green wall! This wall actually started it's life as wood paneling and sucks up paint so Wes is thinking this wall will actually need two more coats. So much for primer and one coat of paint. We will have plenty of paint leftover when all is said and done. In fact Wes keeps thinking of ways to use the paint in our house. I have already told him our stairwell cannot be lime green. He says he could lighten it up with primer. I still say it is unlikely. We may mix some white and the bright pink to get a paler pink and then paint a wall in Violets room. We'll see.

Hopefully the project will be done soon. From there we will need to move furniture and get the room set up.

Since I couldn't paint I spent my Monday deep cleaning the house and it felt so good when it was done! I still had energy so I kept going. I did laundry, baked cookies and cross stitched. I figure I better take advantage of the energy when it comes!

Where in the White Rabbit

I was reading my scriptures the other day and came across "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass". It made me think of my project. I am taking small steps every week to get my project done and in the end I hopefully will have a great work of art to hang on the wall. One can hope right? I figure optimism is the only solution to avoid giving up.

I am slowly adding stitches to the project. I noticed last night that a stitch is in the wrong place. It should be to the left one. There actually should be a yellow stitch in it's place, not the bright red stitch that is currently occupying that square. Of course this was a stitch I made awhile ago. Now the question is do I try and snip it out without disturbing the other stitches with the same thread, or leave it be? Wes says if you step a few inches back you will never notice it. I worry of course I will always notice it and that it will ruin the shape of one of the hearts.

Oh well. I am sure I will solve the issue soon. Here is where I am currently on the project.

Here is where I was before. So as you can see some progress is being made :)

Well onward an upward. I can only get more done from here!

Week 24

Does anyone know how to take a horrible shine off of someone's face through photo editing? Wes says it is back lighting. It is probably just the pregnancy which is making my skin change in horrible ways. I even put on makeup. Is that the "pregnancy glow" they talk about? That's it...I'm just glowing. He he he! Anyway, that isn't the point. The point of the picture is to show you my growing baby belly at 24 weeks.

Here are some tidbits of my pregnancy thus far.

I have really started to become uncomfortable. I am finding it harder to bend over, walk, sleep...well you get the point. I didn't think it would start so early, but it has. Most of the time it isn't a big deal. I will suddenly realize the problem though when I bend over to pick something up and think "That didn't feel good". The honest truth is my body feels like it is stretching and running out of room. I am sure it will adapt so baby Violet can continue to grow and develop for the next 16 weeks.

I am now the slowest walker in the family where before I used to be the fastest. I really wish I had kept up with a wonderful exercise routine. I guess it is never too late to make new habits. I did exercise a couple of times last week, which I guess is something.

I can feel Violet moving a lot during the day. In fact, Wes has been able to see her moving around. He asked me one day how I manage to have someone moving inside me all day. He thinks it would be very strange. It is comforting to feel her and know she is doing well, except when she kicks really hard. I then remind my little baby to be nice to her mommy. I don't think she is listening :)

My energy levels have been really wonderful. I was working on all sorts of project ideas and keeping the house cleaner. Then suddenly my energy started dropping these past few days. I actually fell asleep on the couch last night at 9:00. I am hoping they go back up at least for the next month when I will be in the third trimester.

Someone said to me on Sunday "Are you sure there aren't two in there". I told her it was probably just my dress making me look so big and suctioned the fabric around my belly to show her. Honestly, it didn't hurt my feelings. I will look however I look and it is worth it to get my baby here. My weight gain I think is going pretty well. On Friday I weighed myself and I have gained 15 pounds so far which I think is pretty normal.

I rarely have cravings anymore. I do need to eat frequently though because I start feeling dizzy, and just not quite right! I try to make healthy choices most of the time. I like to have a high protein breakfast because it carries me further. I love a hard boiled egg and morning star breakfast patty on an english muffin with a side of fruit. Yummy!

The bathroom breaks are a little ridiculous, but I am just getting used to it. Drinking lots of water is something that helps me feel better. I also know that it helps reduce contractions and headaches. I still do get contractions on occasion, but not too frequently.

I have started working at home four days a week and in the office one day which has been WONDERFUL!! I feel so blessed and fortunate to have the opportunity. I see my family more and am able to be much more comfortable in my own home. I know I will come to appreciate it more and more as the pregnancy progresses. It has been especially good since Wes' schedule is becoming more hectic. Also, after my maternity leave I will still be working from home which will be fabulous!!!

I have dreams about Violet and enjoy holding her. This last dream she had some physical problems. I think as a mom it is pretty common for us to worry that something can go wrong. I can't wait for her to come. Well, I can because I want her to grow and because there is much that needs to be done still, but it will be nice when she is here. I am really looking forward to 3 months of maternity leave as well.

I still LOVE my doctor and think she is greatest thing ever!!!! I am not nervous for the birth at all. Perhaps it will hit me later, but this being the third time around I know more what to expect and know I am a strong woman that can make it through almost anything.

I thank my Heavenly Father every day for the opportunity to be pregnant with my little one and pray she will be healthy and strong. The girls pray for Violet at every family prayer. I pray for others that I know are struggling with fertility issues right now. I know of several women that are aching to have their own little baby. I want you to know that I am thinking of you and hope that your dream comes to pass SOON.

Well, here's to the next 16 weeks!