The Final Days of Pregnancy

The week before I had Alice, my sister Carrie and her family came out to stay with us! It was a blast and so fun since I would have been so bored waiting to go into labor at home alone because I had already finished work. Later in the week, my mom and dad joined us and it was so fun to have almost the whole family together (we missed you, Aimee). Although I am so excited to share Alice's birth story, I have to document this first because I have the best family in the world and we had so much fun (and it's in chronological order). 

Here we are getting Swig sugar cookies after eating Cafe Rio. We are so healthy :) 

We went to the splash pad with these cute kids. I just love them and I'm so happy Alice has them as cousins! 

She's so CUTE:

We went to the This Is The Place park, which was actually super neat and very kid-friendly. Here we are in front of Brigham Young's house: 

We also went on lots of walks, as a way to try and induce labor!

Feeling huge and trying to do lunges (again, attempting to start labor):

And spent a couple of hours at the pool one day:

After my dad and Carrie and her family left, it was just my mom who stayed with us. She was planning on staying until the baby came to help us out. My mom is so fun and we planned some fun things to keep us busy during our days. We went to Temple Square and ran into some friends! Here we are with the Giles, our good family friends from Colorado:

And then we found Tori Clark, a family friend who is serving as a missionary on temple square. It was super fun to run into familiar faces!

And then we followed that up with Cheesecake Factory, where my good friend from home, Shannon met up with us for lunch! 

The next day my mom and I went up to Park City to shop the outlets, grab lunch, and get pedicures. Here we are at lunch that afternoon:

And getting pedicures:

That evening, since I hadn't gone into labor yet, I was scheduled to be induced. That will be the next post :) but a huge thank you to my family for being SO FUN and coming to hang out with us! I love you all! 

37 Week Pregnancy Update

The Final Countdown!!

Time this past month seems to have gone by SO slow! But then at the same time, I can't believe our little girl will be with us in just a few weeks. Too crazy!

We finally are feeling ready for baby girl. The nursery is basically done and organized, the sheets and blankets are washed, and the diaper bag is packed for the hospital (with a few going home clothing options I can't wait to put her in)! I am getting so excited to meet our daughter, although I occasionally have bits of anxiety and fear when it comes to delivery and being a parent in general. I really have a lot to learn! I am just praying that everything goes well at this point. 

I feel very big and just overall ready to not be pregnant! She moves a ton, which is great, but sometimes gets so uncomfortable and obnoxious. I still have heartburn that comes in waves. Luckily, I've been taking Zantac + Tums occasionally so that seems to resolve the issue. I wake up super achy and my hips/low back have been popping lots, especially when I wake up or am in the same position for long periods of time. I did get a Groupon for a prenatal massage this week, and it felt amazing! I am also ready to have my body back and be able to wear normal clothes. Sorry for all the complaining. It has been an easy pregnancy overall, but it's still weird to experience all these changes.

Here is a more up-to-date picture of our nursery. Eventually we'll frame some cute pics of our little one and get them up on the wall

David and I also celebrated our 3rd anniversary a couple of weeks ago by going out to eat at Cheesecake Factory. It's so fun being married to this guy and I can't believe how much life has changed in 3 years. We can't wait to see what this next year brings (lots of changes I'm sure)! I am 35 weeks pregnant here:

Last weekend, we did the Living Room Hike with some great dental friends. I was almost 37 weeks pregnant here, and was so slow and way behind everyone! It's not too long of a hike, but it was definitely a workout for me. I originally tried to stay super active during this pregnancy, but I haven't been very successful, so this challenged me (in a good way).

Abbie, me and Jessica

And here's one last one of David and me. He didn't leave my side and stopped with me every time I needed to stop, even when we were way behind the group. I could tell it was difficult for such a competitive guy to go so slow! He has been so patient and encouraging through this whole pregnancy and I can't thank him enough. Our little girl is lucky to have him as a dad!

I also got together with a group of dental wives & students to celebrate our baby girl. Froyo for the win! It was so fun to get together and am so grateful to have them through dental school!

Hopefully we'll have a baby soon!!

Remembering Grandpa Reed

For the last two years, David and I had the opportunity to live with an older gentleman named Reed. Shortly after moving in, we started calling him "Grandpa Reed" and he truly felt like our grandpa. Our living arrangement was that we had our own space downstairs, however we shared a kitchen with him upstairs. We made dinner and ate it with him almost every night, in true family dinner fashion. It was a positive experience for everyone and we loved our time with him!

We got to know a lot of fun stories about his life. He would have been 97 next month (on my due date, July 13, actually), so he had experienced a lot in his nearly 100 years of life. He attended BYU during the great depression, was an officer in the Navy during WWII where he liberated Japanese camps in China at the end of the war, worked with Eleanor Roosevelt in the National Security Department in D.C., and had a successful career as a hospital administrator over VA hospitals around the nation.

Although he had many accomplishments during his career, he was always first a faithful church member and loved his family more than anything else. He and his wife served in numerous callings in the LDS church, including two full-time missions. The first was to Ghana, where they were the first missionaries ever to serve there. They sacrificed a ton while living there, including living on dirt floors and nearly starving during a drought year in Africa, but were faithful and loved serving the people. Their other mission was in Salt Lake City, where they reorganized the Temple Square Mission to what it is today with sister missionaries. Sometimes he was hard to learn about because he was so humble and hated talking about himself! But that was just one of the many great traits he had.

Read his obituary HERE

He was so sweet and we loved getting to know him. Here are a few of our favorite memories of Grandpa:

• Baking and eating treats with him. He had the biggest sweet tooth! Anytime I was baking, he would make his way toward the kitchen in hopes of getting a treat. Of course, I always had extra for him. One time in particular I was baking and had the live NBC musical of The Sound of Music on in the background. He came in and together we watched the musical and ate cookies. During the commercial breaks he would tell me about the musicals and shows he and his wife had seen together, as well as places they had traveled. It was so simple, but one of my favorite memories with him.
• During Fast and Testimony meetings at church, he would stand up in the aisle rather than go to the front. He would then start out his testimony by belting out "Brothers and Sisters!". The deacon that had the microphone that week would then run over to get him the microphone in time. We loved hearing his testimony of the gospel. 
• One time I had a t-shirt on that said "Victoria's Secret" on the front. I got it for free years ago, and it is extra loose and comfy (especially while being pregnant) so I wear it around the house with sweats, and always thought he wouldn't know what it was. One time grandpa saw it and said "Now, Victoria's Secret..." and I got all nervous trying to figure out what he'd say next. But he then said, "My favorite robe is from there! It actually was my wife's, but I love it so much I now wear it. I've tried to go back in there to get another one, but I can't muster up the courage to go in that store!" He was so cute.
• He LOVED gravy. On anything! Because I made dinner for our family dinners, I would try and incorporate things he liked. He was a meat and potatoes kind of guy, and disliked a lot of vegetables and healthy foods (like spinach, which I learned to sneak into recipes so he wouldn't notice). Many times if we had, say, mashed potatoes, meat, salad and fruit, the gravy would make its way onto everything. Truly, it would cover every part of his plate, even the salad and fruit and then he would grab a spoon so he could spoon up all the leftover gravy off his plate. We eventually just started setting his place with a spoon at every meal with gravy.
• When we moved in, he took us around to all the neighbors to personally introduce us at each house. He was so sweet and it wore him out but he was such a gentleman. He also announced our arrival to the ward each Sunday during our first month there. There was no hiding there! We always felt loved and appreciated by Grandpa. 
• He was the biggest BYU sports fan! It worked out perfectly because David is a huge BYU sports fan. Together, the two of them watched many games, and I would hear them shouting and cheering upstairs. It was funny though because during the commercials they would show old sports highlights and replays, and sometimes grandpa would think they were live! David would end up explaining to him they were clips from the past (like the 80s)...haha it was cute!

Sadly, that was the only picture we ever took of him. He hated being in pictures! But I sure love those guys sporting their BYU gear. 

The above is from Grandpa Reed's funeral. We loved the "Y" on his casket! We are so sad and miss him a ton, but at the same time we are so so happy that he is back with his wife! We know that families are eternal and that he is in a much better place. Grandpa has been one of the biggest blessings in our lives, and we can never repay him for letting us into his life, home, and family. We love you, Grandpa! And we know we will see you again someday!

Memorial Weekend in Kansas

Last month, David and I headed home to Kansas for Memorial Weekend. He had a break from school and I took a couple of days off work so that we were able to enjoy a nice long weekend away. It was our last time going home before we have our little girl (crazy!). My sister, Carrie, and her family were there as well, which was a blast! I absolutely love spending time with family and it felt so nice to be home and relax.

The first day there we took the kids to the petting zoo near our house. It was so fun and these kids are just darling!

While we were there, Carrie, my mom, and my mother-in-law, Colleen threw me a wonderful baby shower. It was so incredibly nice of them and I had the best time! The night before, we all hung out and prepped some food and decorations for the next morning. We made homemade mini quiches, which turned out so delicious and also homemade Swig sugar cookies. If you're looking for the best sugar cookie in the world, there it is (plus we added some almond extract to both the dough and frosting because it's the greatest baking ingredient). I had so much fun hanging out with everyone.

We had a great turnout at the shower and it was so nice to see many people I hadn't seen in awhile! Unfortunately, we forgot to take any pictures during the shower, but we did get a few after when we were starting to clean up, ha!

Colleen, me, and my mom:

Colleen, me, my mom, London, and Carrie

This was all Carrie's idea to throw a shower and I'm so glad she did because it turned out great! She is the ultimate party planner though, so I knew it would be a success. I just loved that they were in town while we were!

We had a blast being home, hanging with our families, and eating a ton (including Jack Stack, KC Joe's - the best!, Cheesecake Factory, Jose Pepper's, and a bajillion Swig cookies and cupcakes). I definitely gained a few pounds by my next pregnancy check-up!

I also made my dad take a few pregnancy photos for us while we were there. We just snapped some in the backyard, which was so lush and green. I always forget how gorgeous Kansas is! My dad is awesome and I am so grateful he could take a few for us.

My favorite:

Thanks for the pictures, dad! And thank you to both of our family's for spoiling us while we were in town, we had the best time and can't wait to see you all again!

Spring updates and 30 weeks pregnant!

Life has been super busy lately and so fun as we get closer to summer and to meeting our little girl! I am now 30 1/2 weeks pregnant and it is crazy to think she will be here in just over two months. I've been feeling pretty good, but much more tired and achy now that I'm in the third trimester. I have had a harder time sleeping through the night. Many times that is due to my squished bladder or to being hungry. I have been hungry all the time! She must be growing :) I haven't really had any aversions or cravings, but cereal and ice cream always sound good. I've also mellowed out on the Mac and cheese craze, but it is always delicious! The heartburn has been killer though and I carry tums with me at all times. 

I finally have my ultrasound coming up next week and cannot wait to see what's going on in there! That will help the doctor determine if my placenta previa has resolved itself and whether or not I will need a C-Section. I am excited to be able to [semi] plan this baby's birth!

I haven't been working out a ton, but I try to go on walks a few times a week. I have noticed I am much more tired and slow the farther along into my pregnancy I get. Stairs = hard. Leg cramps have been happening too and a few times I've had to jump out of bed or off the couch (shows how active I've been) to stretch and make it go away. She is also moving all the time now, which is my favorite! Sometimes I can even see my whole belly shaking and I feel like Santa Clause, so there's that. 

Going on lots of walks. Here I am about 27 weeks pregnant:

And here we are hiking the Living Room. It is probably my new favorite hike in Salt Lake! We did accidentally take the wrong fork in the trail and ended up scrambling up part of the mountainside, which made for a hilarious view of this preggo lady:

In April, David's parents came to town for our nephew's first birthday, Easter, and General Conference for our church. It was so fun to see them and hangout with everyone. Here's the whole family around the spikeball net. The boys are obsessed. 

And our darling nephew eating his first birthday cake!

Just the two of us. I am 26 weeks pregnant here. And yes, I wear this dress too much, but it's so comfy- Target is the best! You will see me wearing it in almost every picture of this post, whoops.

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-laws, Jessie and Jen, and my good friend, Carly, threw me a baby shower. It was so nice of them and they did such a fabulous job! I absolutely loved it and it was so good to see so many people and shower this baby with love. Here I am with my college roommates:

And with a few of the dental wives that I went to Mexico with:

And with Carly! This was later after we went out to dinner and not the best quality picture, but I love this lady and we hardly have any pictures together. She is due with a little girl about 6 weeks before me, so we are super excited for our daughters to be friends!

One of our favorite things has been making over the nursery! The house we live in is older and we were so excited to update at least this little space in the home. Here is kinda the before. It did have furniture and curtains, so this is it stripped down. The room seemed so dark (hardwood-looking carpet flooring will do that to a room) and I really wanted to brighten it up.

We got home from a workout on a Saturday morning, then jumped right into painting it! The color is a very light gray, and was perfect for brightening up the room. I love it! Here's the cute soon-to-be daddy:

After with the paint on the walls, and white paint on the trim. Plus, the nursery semi-set up. 

And a panoramic of the room and some furniture. I wasn't lying about the carpet...

We finally got our rug! It is looking so good and we love this room. We still need to get a glider to put in the corner where the car seat is sitting and tie the curtains up:

Some other work includes getting a crib mattress, bedding, and hanging the canvases and frames on the walls. Once that's done, I need to organize the closet and bookshelf, but it's coming together! I will post more pics once it's all finished. 

And lastly, here's a picture of today (30 1/2 weeks). I told you about the dress. So comfy, like a nightgown. 

24 Week Pregnancy Update

I'm 24 1/2 weeks! I can't believe I'm over halfway done with this pregnancy and that in just over 3 months our little girl will be with us! Our biggest update is that she is moving. A ton! I first felt her move at 20 weeks, which surprised me because my doctor said I may feel her later than most due to the anterior location of the placenta. It felt like a small twitch at first and would happen maybe once a day, but now a few weeks later I feel her moving and kicking many times throughout the day. I love feeling her move! It is also a huge comfort to me because it means she's still doing okay! David first felt her move at 21 weeks while we were at church. He's since felt her many times and it is so fun to see how excited he gets, he will be such a great dad! 

The other big change has been to my waste line! I finally look really pregnant and my belly is definitely getting big. It's fun to wear actual maternity clothes too that accentuate my stomach. 

I haven't had too many cravings or aversions to foods. I still like all the normal things, but eat them more being pregnant because I allow myself more splurges than I normally do. Like Mac and cheese. It's always been my favorite food but I usually don't eat it a ton since it's so unhealthy, but being pregnant I have been eating it all the time while the calories don't count ;) I have been buying lots of chocolate milk too, which I love. Basically, I eat like a kid! Ooh I almost forgot, I have been wanting a good turkey sandwich! I'll definitely be getting that after baby comes. 

I've gained about 10 pounds so far, and I'm sure I'll pack on many more in the coming months! They will have to do another ultrasound around 30 weeks to see if my placenta has moved. I have placenta previa and my doctor said there is a 50/50 chance I'll need a c-section. After the ultrasound they'll have a better idea of whether I will need one for sure. I have a great doctor so I am in good hands, and am fine with however our little girl comes, as long as she's okay! 

Last update: we bought a crib! It was one I loved and on sale so it was a great deal! We are in the process of planning out the nursery. We got paint samples the other day and are planning on painting it a light grey. The colors will be light and bright: light pink, light grey and white. Hopefully it turns out cute. I'll put up pictures once we have something to document, but for now here are some pictures of my bump:

20 weeks, 6 days (right before Mexico):

22 weeks: 

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

We just got back from Mexico two weeks ago and had so much fun- it's about time I update this little space of ours! The dental school had a spring break this year, and we were all so excited after not getting one last year. David and I knew we wanted to plan something [in the sun] as it may be one of our last big vacations until baby girl makes her debut, we just didn't know what exactly that would be. One of the other dental couples and our good friends, Kyle and Paulina, invited us to go down to Mexico with them to stay at their uncle's house in Playa del Carmen. It was so nice of them to invite us and of course we said YES! There were 5 couples total that went down and it was such a blast!

The first day, we flew into Cancun and had to rent cars to drive down to Playa, which ended up being a long travel day. We were all starving that night and decided to head over to 5th Avenue, which is the main street of the town that has all the fun shops, restaurants and nightlife. It makes for lots of crowds (mostly tourists) and great people watching. We ended up going here almost every night to try out new places for dinner, and it was super fun.

The next day was pretty relaxing. I slept in and did a workout video (I hardly did anything) with Jessica, then we all packed up our towels and food and laid at the beach all day. It was beautiful and so nice to lay in the sun. Although, I will tell you this...if you are pregnant, it is worth it to get or rent a chair, back rest or something. Laying in the sand is so uncomfortable! Anyways, after the beach we cleaned up and headed to 5th Avenue for dinner again.

The whole group:

The next day we went to Xel-Ha (pronounced Shell-ha), which was beautiful! We snorkeled, walked around, ate lots of food, and had a great day. Overall, kind of an overrated place, and I wouldn't go again, but we had a great time.

David on the ropes course:

All the girls:

The next day, we tried out a new beach in the morning:

Yes, that is me under David's shirt, he thought he was SO funny ;)

In the afternoon, we headed to the pool at the place we were staying. We only got a picture of all the girls, since the boys were on the other side of the pool filming their synchronized dance routine...it was pretty hilarious.

The day after that, we went down to Tulum, which is the site of an ancient Mayan civilization. It was super neat! I would have loved to do a tour a learn more, but they were really expensive...so we just wandered around. It ended up being a good thing though, because after 30 minutes, we were all dying of heat! I seriously felt like I was melting and told David he may need to carry me out of there...

Selfie with the cliffs of Tulum in the background:

Luckily I survived, and we made it to Akumal where there is a beautiful beach! There were tons of sea turtles and sting rays, and although the snorkeling wasn't nearly as good as Roatan, it was still so fun to explore and swim in the warm water.

 I love this selfie the guys took while snorkeling:

And of course we wanted to get a pic of everyone in their gear:

We ended up going back to Akumal for our last day as well because it was our favorite beach, and then out to dinner at this fun restaurant on the beach called Fusion. We actually ate at that restaurant twice in the week because the atmosphere was so awesome (plus the nachos were great too)!

Here we are in front of the place we stayed for the week before heading out to dinner:

 We had such a blast with this crew and laughed non stop! We are so grateful to Kyle and Paulina for inviting us, we had the best time!