4 Weeks to Go, Yo!

So, the reason I haven't blogged much lately is my sad broken computer. My laptop bit the dust and we haven't replaced it. I'm not sure we will. I can use our desk top computer I just don't much. I mean, it's all the way in the basement after all! I do also use Jacob's really old macbook, but it is extremely slow. I guess I also haven't bothered to blog much because putting pictures on these two computers isn't terribly convenient.

So, this post will be pictureless, even though a plethora of pictures have been taken.

Enough with the disclaimers. Here are things I would have blogged about if I were more diligent:

1. Our child birth class. Yep, we attended one. I was more scared by the video of the epidural than the child birthing process. I might change my mind when the pain of it all is more real, but right now the fear of that needle and possible side effects is pretty real. Jacob did not care for any of the videos. But I do think we learned some good things to help us prepare and endure birth. Here's hoping!

2. Jacob's new job. Jacob got that job he interviewed for a month ago. He is now a proud employee of Pelco. He will be working on security cameras and systems. If you want more information than that, it is best just to ask him. It's a language I don't speak so well. But, the fun part of all this for me was that Jacob had to use up his vacation from HP so I took a couple of days off too. We worked on the baby's room and spent a day in Boulder. It was fun. I recommend the Celestial Seasonings tour. It was a good one.

3. My baby shower. I had a baby shower last weekend. It went really well. I was somewhat nervous about combining friends from work, church, and my old singles ward. It could have been really awkward, but it turned out to be just fine. Not uncomfortable in the least. The food was amazing! My friends, a co-worker, and my sister-in-law put in a lot of work. And I appreciated it.

4. The progress on the baby's room. (It's pretty cute folks). Jacob and I put up chair rail. I made curtains. I also made a couple of different art projects. I just need to find a good, used dresser to make cute in the room, make a crib skirt, and do one more project to hang on the wall. I'm not going to worry too much about any of these things until after the baby comes.

5. My ever increasing girth. People are finally starting to notice I am pregnant and not just getting fatter. I guess with only 4 weeks to go it is about time! Did you notice the tracker over on the side bar? 27 days!?! I'm not sure I'm totally ready for this boy to make his appearance but I certainly am excited to meet him and see what he will look like.

In other news, I have two weeks left at my job until I begin my maternity leave. I'm extremely excited about that. I don't expect to go back to work but wanted to be able to use up the remainder of my vacation days and what my employer calls "extended leave bank." In order to use my ELB I have to go on official medical leave. After getting all my benefits paid out I will then give my notice I guess.

I guess that really is all the news from my neck of the woods.

An Overdue Update

I'm such a slacker. I think it's primarily because I have been busy but have also not felt like I've done much that is really postworthy...unless you count growing a baby. But I once promised not to make this blog all about my pregnancy. And I'm trying to stick to that~mostly.

So, a quick update about our past month.

Jacob and I have both been busy with our callings, he with the 11 year old scouts and me with the Beehives.

We have devoted some of our free time, but maybe not enough, to cleaning our garage. After a year of living here it was in need of a good overhaul. But I must confess, it is still not completely done. It's on the schedule for tonight though, so wish us luck.

We went to a rodeo. I've only been once before and while I did really enjoy it, I still find it slightly disturbing. They claim to be very animal friendly, but I saw one calf that didn't seem too okay after he was roped. And the injuries in the bronco and bull riding! Yikes. I always feel a little badly when things are more exciting because some one is getting hurt. It's the same with hockey...but I digress.

Jacob and I have both also recently been studying. Nope, neither of us are in school. We just love learning that much! Okay...maybe not totally true. I'm working on preparing for my LCSW license test as it is one of the big "to do's" before this baby arrives. And Jacob has been brushing up on his mad engineering skills for possible future job opportunities. That is also why we procured this snazzy get up and Jacob enjoyed a "day off" from his regular employment to interview with a different company.

Wish us luck! He really wants the job. And I want him to be happy. Plus...doesn't he clean up well?!? I think so.

And of course, I have been getting bigger. I think about 50% of our ward still doesn't really know I'm pregnant. And no one ever suspects that I have just 9 weeks left. But there is one person who is keenly aware of that fact.

That person is me. Can you sense my anxiety?! I feel so unprepared for this kids arrival.

And just 'cuz, here's a tomato.

We grew four different varieties this year. This is my personal favorite. They are an heirloom tomato called "black krim" and they are tasty! Funny looking buggers though.

It's Alive!

After several weeks of failed attempts, Jacob felt the baby move today.

I've been feeling movement since about week 20 but feeling from the outside is a different story. I suppose that strength of kicking is a little less common than the more subtle movements I can sense from the inside. Pair that with the fact that every time Jacob would try to feel the kicks, the baby would suddenly stop moving, and it's no wonder it's taken Jacob a little longer.

But tonight was success!

And I still think it's a weird feeling. But I also really love it. Mostly for the reassurance that things are normal and on track. Have I mentioned before that I am prone to worry?!?

Some Things are Growing Around Here

Like...

the basil and oregano (yes, something is eating my basil. Any suggestions?)



the flowers



the other flowers (sunflowers to be exact)



the lettuce



the bell peppers


the jalapenos



the tomatoes



the baby



I'm almost 25 weeks in this photo. And, to be fair, some things I wear make me look bigger than others. This is a "look bigger" day. Most people still tell me I don't look pregnant at all. And that makes me a little sad because those people must think I am really fat.

Some things are not growing. Or more accurately they are not growing as well as I would hope.

Like...

the "Big Jim" peppers (similar to Anaheim, I think) and the flowers on my front porch. But nobody wants to see dying plants.

So I didn't take pictures of those.

A New Table

Jacob and I had a productive morning yesterday.

We helped his sister and family finish up the move into their home.

We bought paint for the new baby's room.

We picked up some steals at the Goodwill, including a couple of wood chairs I plan to refinish for our organ room.

We found an oak table and 6 chairs at an estate sale around the corner from us and decided to upgrade from the cheap table we were currently using.


And we began the painting of the baby's room.

Then we got really tired. And a little lazy. We went to the grocery store and came home to curl up to a movie and head to bed.

I'd say it was a pretty good Saturday!

Fourth of July Fun

Any of you that know me well, know that I LOVE the 4th of July.

Last year we were in Oregon for our honeymoon and open house. It was the first 4th I hadn't been in Provo with my family doing our usual thing.

This year was my second year away from Provo and I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it a bit.

It was fun trying to figure out the local festivities even though I didn't actually do many of them. We thought about attending the parade in a nearby town on Saturday but decided waking up early was less appealing. And we were having friends over for a bbq that afternoon and needed to get things prepared. So we didn't go to the parade. Most everything happening in our neck of the woods was happening on the actual 4th which was Sunday, so we didn't do any of the downtown stuff locally.

It seems what we did do revolved around food. We had a bbq on Saturday with a couple from our ward. Jacob and I made pulled pork. The slow cooked variety. Seriously, slow. We cooked that pork for 5-6 hours. And it was tasty!


On Sunday we ended up doing another bbq just for ourselves. We grilled up so baby back ribs. I've never had them before. They were also really tasty. Though the enjoyment of the food was dampened a little when mid-way through a massive storm blew in. We got so much rain and so quickly that our window seals flooded in the living room and dining area. We had to stop eating and grab all the towels we could find to soak up the water. I think the reports say we got an inch of rain in about 45 minutes to an hour. But judging by the rain in our bucket on the back porch, I'd estimate more like 3 inches. And it hailed pretty badly. Our plants were slightly damaged but nothing major.



We did enjoy spending some time Sunday making this delicious and patriotic dessert. It's basically mini-fruit pizzas. But aren't they so festive?!?



The rain didn't really completely stop for the rest of the evening. But it did become a much more manageable drizzle that Jacob and I braved to watch the fireworks over City Park. They put on a pretty good display and we had prime seating because not that many people were out in the storm.

Monday we spent some time shopping. I can't remember why or what we actually bought but I do remember spending the morning out and about. We then did some cleaning as we were expecting Jacob's sister and family to arrive that night. They were to stay with us a week while Kevin started his new job and they waited to close on their new home. It was a good excuse to mop floors that hadn't seen soap and water for far too long.

That evening we had some friends over for left-over bbq pork, game playing, and smore making.



All in all I think it was a good holiday. And I did love that it made for a 3 day weekend. I kinda want another. No, really, I just want to be done working period. But that is a post for another day maybe.

Celebrating A Year--A few weeks ago.

It's official. Jacob and I made it to the 1 year milestone of marriage. It's interesting to think back to a year ago and how long ago it seems and at the same time not so much. Time is strange.

But...more to the point.

To commemorate our year of wedded-ness we headed up to Breckenridge for an evening of worry free fun. We rented a condo for pretty cheap since Breckenridge is a ski town and it is definitely "off season." We went out to dinner down town at a delicious Italian place and had the best calzone I've ever eaten. Seriously, I am still thinking about it and drooling over it. I would drive up there just for that.

We then strolled around the town but most of the shops were closed for the evening. It was really great weather (a little sprinkling rain but pretty warm) and we enjoyed the downtown area and atmosphere. It was a really nice little walk. We made our way back to the condo and enjoyed watching some tv. I know that seems weird to many of you but we don't have cable at our house so it was a nice change.

The condo we stayed in was pretty nice. It was large and had a kitchen so we were able to do dessert and breakfast a little cheaper than eating out every meal. Jacob said it was a little weird to be spending our June anniversary in a condo decorated with snowmen and pine cones. I agree. But still, nice. I do think we would have been able to enjoy our stay a little bit more if I wasn't pregnant. But we were at a pretty high altitude and didn't want to do anything too over-exerting so biking and hiking were out. I'm kind of a paranoid, worrier sort. I know that's shocking.

The following morning we checked out and went downtown again. They had a little arts fair going on and we walked around that for a little bit. We went into a few of the main street shops but it turns out neither of us were really that into buying anything.

Which makes our next stops all the more interesting. We proceeded down the mountain a little ways to the outlet mall. We spent some time there and left with nothing. Still not much in the purchasing mood I guess. But we were a little hungry so we stopped to split a burrito from Qdoba.

As we drove through Denver we also stopped at Costco and Sears. But I'm pretty sure we didn't buy anything there either. Except a berry smoothy. Yum.

We made it home and decided to go see Iron Man 2 since we still hadn't. We treated ourselves to popcorn too! That is a rare treat for me. Movie theater popcorn is so spendy and so bad for me! But it was delicious. Plus, a pregnant girls gotta eat, right?

All in all it was a very nice way to celebrate being together. It was good to leave our home and not have to worry about cooking and cleaning and laundry and home repairs and gardens and such. Even if it was just one day.

And I must admit, even with all the chores and responsibilities that come with a home and a marriage, it's been a very happy, satisfying year! I am a lucky, blessed girl!