What I am thankful for

This week marked Penny's sixth week in this world. These past six weeks have been crazy-- getting little to no sleep makes time go by so fast. I can't believe how big our baby girl is getting... clothes that used to be way too big for her are just the right size or even too small. All I can say is, I better be getting ripped from carrying her around all the time.

There have been a few nights when she has slept for five or six hours in a row, but it definitely isn't a pattern. Those nights are absolutely amazing though. It is funny how getting five hours of sleep in a row can be so exciting. Even though little Penny likes staying awake until midnight and doesn't sleep through the night, she is so worth it. Now I would like to express my appreciation for all the people in Penny's life.

The past few days I have realized how many people love Penny. She is so lucky to have so many people that care about her so much. When our friends come over, they love holding her and making her smile. She also has wonderful grandparents who find every excuse to come by and see her. Any time I post pictures on Facebook, there are aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and others that comment and express their love for this special little girl. I am so glad for the support system and love that she has.

I also have gained a great appreciation for my parents. Taking care of a baby is rough, but I couldn't imagine taking care of twins. My dad always tells me how my sister and I were on different schedules, and my mom tells me how she doesn't remember a lot from my baby-hood because the lack of sleep. I've heard that parenthood is the most selfless thing you can do; I definitely believe that. It is completely exhausting with just one baby. My parents= awesome.

On another note, Scott is almost half way done with this semester. I can't believe it is already almost half way through! He is taking some pretty hard core classes, and luckily so far he isn't feeling too overwhelmed. I know his work load will increase as the semester progresses, however, so that won't last long. I am so grateful he is such a hard worker and is so dedicated to providing for our little family.

Again, I can't believe how fast Penny is growing; I miss her being a little brand new baby, but I am excited to watch her grow up. She is so sweet and I just love her so much!

And a new chapter begins.

So a lot has happened since I last posted... Penny made her grand entrance into the world. Here is one of the last pictures of me pregnant... obviously enjoying a contraction.

This is how it happened: my water broke on Monday-- but it was more of a slow trickle. I wasn't sure if that is what it was, so late Monday night we went in to labor and delivery just in case. Scott was at work, so I called him to let him know. He came home immediately, extremely excited. The first thing he said was, "Okay let's go become parents!" I wasn't moving fast enough for him apparently. When at the hospital, they confirmed that my water had indeed broken, and I was admitted. That night was probably the worst night of sleep I've ever gotten-- if I even slept at all. Between contractions and nurses coming in every 20 minutes, Scott and I didn't sleep at all.

Long story short, I was induced in the morning because I wasn't progressing fast enough (and the risk of infection was higher since my water broke). When the Pitocin kicked in, I definitely felt it. Finally it was time to start pushing, and I gave it my all. Scott was there the entire time, being a wonderful support. It was fun seeing how excited he was that it was only a matter of time and he would be a dad.

After only 30 minutes, Penny came into the world. She cried for about 15-20 seconds, and then she just hung out on my chest, looking around. She hasn't stopped being this chill-- she is such a great baby! She was 7 pounds, 13 ounces and 21 inches long. Born at 2:04 PM on September 3, 2013. She has a little bit of peach fuzz... not the full head of hair I was hoping for. People told me since I experienced a ton of heartburn, she was more likely to have hair. Liars. It's okay though; I love her bald little head just as much.

We went home the next day, about 24 hours after Penny was born. My whole body hurt for a few days afterward... labor and delivery is hard work! Penny is completely healthy, even though she had a problem with jaundice for a few days. Now she is fine. At 18 days old, she is the sweetest little baby girl anyone could ask for.

Above is the day after she was born, still in the hospital. Below is when we were coming home.

Scott was able to take almost a full week off from work which was way nice. My mom left the Sunday after Penny was born, so then we were on our own.

 They say that having a child changes everything, and how right they were. I always heard that, but I don't think I understood until now. My whole life is changed. Never again will it just be me and Scott. We will always have someone that we constantly worry about and care for. We are responsible for raising a little human, a little child of God. We are responsible to teach her and care for her. It is a little overwhelming, and I am surprised that Heavenly Father has trusted us with one of his sweet children. I feel inadequate, but no parent ever has been perfect, so I hope I won't disappoint.

Motherhood so far has been grand, even though it can be frustrating at times. I love my sleep, and I get a wee bit irritated with everyone and everything when I don't get enough of it. Don't worry, though; I am slowly adjusting. I just wish I never had to sleep. Then I would get so much done. Scott has been wonderful at being patient with irritated, sleep-deprived me and fussy Penny. He is a great daddy already, and I know that will continue. Being a dad is, after all, what his 5-year-old self wanted to be more than anything. I've fulfilled his lifelong dream. You're welcome, Scott. :)

These moments make all the sleepless nights worth it though. It is amazing how you can love something so little and helpless so quickly and so much.

I love being a mom, even though I still feel like I am too young to be a parent. I'm not sure it will ever seem real. Maybe once I have other kids it will sink in-- we shall see. Hopefully I will find time to post in this more often now that I am getting used to being a mom and having no free time. Until next time, my friends.

Still married (hooray!) and still pregnant (booooo).

So the past few weeks have been really laid back and enjoyable... I am not doing much but taking long walks and going to doctor appointments. Scott is just working and coming home. Life is not too stressful right now, which is good because I know it will get pretty hectic here in the next couple weeks. When Scott comes home I usually have some sort of dinner made--if I am ambitious-- and we watch the show, Psych. It is a hilarious show about a "psychic detective" who isn't really a psychic or detective at all. If you've never seen it, you should watch it. Seriously, one of the funniest shows ever. Even though I usually get tired and fall asleep during some episodes, I would give it five stars. I'd be paying attention to it more if I wasn't so exhausted from growing a baby. We have also taken to playing Wii Sports on the Wii. Our favorite games are tennis and golf. I don't think I've won even once, but I still really enjoy it. Scott always gives me tips on playing video games because I am awful at them.... what a sweet guy, since I am his opponent and everything :)

Saturday, August 17th, we celebrated our first anniversary. It is hard to believe that we have already been married a year. Time has just flown. I'm glad I didn't go into labor that early because we were able to celebrate together. Scott came home from work Friday night (technically Saturday morning) and brought me flowers. We stayed up a little bit exchanging gifts and talking about the past year. He got me an oil diffuser: something I had wanted for a while. I got him some really nice 49er basketball shorts.

 In the morning, we got up and went to do sealings at the Idaho Falls temple.  The temple was packed since the Rexburg temple is closed right now for cleaning. There were at least three weddings going on and no parking spaces whatsoever. Anyway, we did sealings to remind ourselves of what we promised each other a year ago. It was really sweet and we decided we want to do sealings every year for our anniversary.

After the temple, we went to Olive Garden for lunch. It was delicious. I'm pretty sure I gained at least 5 pounds there.

We came home after that and just hung out watching Netflix. It was a lovely day.

This is us after we came home from Idaho Falls.

Oh! We also took our wedding cake out of the freezer--it had been there a year-- and took bites of it. The frosting was gross since it was just wrapped in saran wrap, but once you got to the inside, it was actually tasty. I took a few bites, but Scott could only take one. Overall, it was a great anniversary and I am so glad that we have eternity to spend together.

Like the title states, I am still pregnant. This is fine (I guess) but I feel like I will never go into labor since I've been wanting it for the past couple weeks. I am 39 weeks and 3 days pregnant... almost the full 40 weeks. I don't want to complain because honestly its not too bad--I just want to be able to reach my feet, sleep on my stomach, and eat as much tuna as a want. Even though I am rather uncomfortable, it isn't unbearable and I am grateful I haven't felt worse. Plus, I will miss pulling the pregnancy card for any excuse I need. I will miss this special treatment.

We are just getting impatient-- Scott especially. He has waited almost 9 months to hold his little girl, and I'm sure it is frustrating. The other day he told me he felt like I was no closer to giving birth than I was 8 months ago-- I definitely disagree though :) Of course, I am the one who is carrying around another human being, about ready to pop. 

I have been keeping our apartment extra clean just in case Penny decides to show. We have everything we need, and now we are just waiting. This might be the worst part of pregnancy! Minus the whole morning (all day) sickness. That was awful. But the anticipation is killing us. Hopefully it happens soon... which it will, but it just doesn't feel like that.

Happy 35 weeks, Penny dear.

This past week has been a little bit hectic-- I finally graduated from BYU-I! If my mom and step-dad didn't come visit for the occasion, I probably wouldn't have participated in the ceremony, because let's face it, I'd rather be home taking a nap. But they did come to visit, which was really fun. We bought fabric for curtains and blankets, sewed nursing pads from flannel, and went to graduation. Here is a picture of that:

We--Mom, Dean, Scott and I--also went to Rexburg Rapids, an overpriced water park just across the street. It was really fun, even though I probably wouldn't spend the money again. It was nice to swim and get the pressure of a growing baby off of my body. After I had been in the water for a while, I had to go pee (go figure) and as soon as I got out of the water, I felt all my weight on my body again. Holy cow, I didn't expect it to feel so different. No wonder I always feel tired... I'm carrying 20+ pounds of baby/fluids/other gross stuff around my midsection, and my body is working overtime. If I could just sit in a swimming pool and have that weight lifted for the next 5 weeks, I would. I've been wanting to go swimming again just so I can feel that relief.

My mom must have more energy anyone I know, though; she was constantly on the go, and by the end of her visit, she wore me out. For the next two days after she and Dean left, I had lots of contractions (even a couple of painful ones) and my extremities were really swollen. Needless to say, I slept a lot those days. Now I am back to my semi-lazy self.

Because of the extra contractions though, I am pretty sure my belly has dropped a lot lower. I feel lots of pressure in my lower abdomen and I still have some contractions every day. Obviously I'm not in true labor or anything, but it is getting closer. As it should, since I am 35 weeks pregnant now. Scott has been talking to Penny (through my bulging belly of course) and trying to persuade her to come any day now. I, myself, could wait a week or two, but he is just dying to hold his daughter. It is rather sweet to see that side of him. I also could wait a little longer to postpone the whole labor/birth process, but I guess it would be nice to get it over with. Plus, I am getting a little bored without a job or school to worry about.

Though it is nice to not have anything to do, it gets old after a while. I'm sure I will be begging for this time back once I am taking care of Penny all day, every day and hardly getting any rest. Honestly, I feel like I don't do anything. I make a to-do list but then when Scott asks what I actually did during the day, my reply usually is along the lines of "I was going to do this, but... I took a nap instead." Or replace nap with a long, warm bath. I obviously have my priorities straight.

A Scott update for you all-- I already mentioned that he can't wait for the arrival of his baby girl (and I mean he honestly cannot wait... he's been looking up ways to put me into labor). Also, since the new semester doesn't start until the middle of September, Scott is celebrating his freedom by growing out his facial hair. I don't mind when it is longer, since it is less scratchy than when it is just stubble. He says it is his outward expression of his inward rebellion or individuality... I forget exactly what. Sorry, dear! But luckily the boss man at the DQ doesn't mind when Scott grows his beard; apparently when Scott interviewed for the job (several years ago) he had a beard, and his boss said he had never hired anyone with facial hair before. There's a first time for everything, right? I'm pretty sure other members of the male persuasion started doing it as well. Scott is just a leader... he is the favorite manager there, after all.

Even though this has been fun to write, I have other things to do... like... nap or take a bath. Have a lovely day, and I will post in the near future!

So I gave in...

We got this lovely vehicle after searching for... a minivan.

I wanted a minivan because they are more practical, economical, and can hold hoards of children. If Scott expects me to be popping out 6 or 7 babies, a minivan would definitely work better for transporting.

We are trying to sell our 1996 Subaru Legacy Outback (so if you know anyone who wants one... let me know!), and we were searching for a minivan to replace it. Scott wasn't fond of this idea, but he reluctantly gave in since I am the wife and he is the husband--you all know how that works. :) Minivans are just not manly, and in the words of the movie "What to Expect When You Are Expecting," they are vaginas on wheels. Pardon the lack of eloquence. This was his argument. On this quest for a minivan, we came across a few Jeeps. A new goal then formed for Scott. He was determined to convince me that we should get a Jeep instead of a minivan, since we won't have 3+ kids for a few years. I wasn't giving in at first, but the logic in his argument slowly seeped into my brain. We looked at a couple Jeeps, but they didn't make the cut. A friend heard that we were possibly looking for a Jeep and wanted to sell us his. So, alas, here we are. We know it is a great car--our mechanic has been under the hood and assured us this, and we got a good deal. So one win for Scott... for now. We will get a minivan in the future. But when we do, this will become his vehicle.

On another note, my mom is coming into town this weekend to see me graduate. I am excited, and I am going to make her teach me how to sew a little bit. Then after graduation, I fully intend to do absolutely nothing else but sew, nap, read, and watch Netflix until Penny decides to make her grand arrival. After all, I'll be 8 months pregnant and just graduated from university. I think I've earned it. ;)

I swore I never would... but here I am.

Okay, I gave in. It isn't that blogging is lame. I just didn't want to be another typical mom (or in this case, mom-to-be) rambling on about life to no one in particular. I kept seeing all of these women I know getting married, having babies, and then starting a blog. I swore I would never be one of them.

Yet, here I am. The reasons for giving in to blogging are these: I am going to really miss writing after I graduate, and blogging seems to be a good way of keeping people up-to-date. I used to have a blog--that only a few people actually read-- and I remember it being fun to write as well. So, I am jumping on the bandwagon once again. Since one of my reasons for having a blog is to keep people updated, I guess I should begin.

I am about a week away from graduating with a B.A. in English. I'm not sure how that happened; I don't feel like I've done enough work to earn a bachelor's degree. I certainly have been in school long enough, however... five years of undergraduate school isn't uncommon, but it is plenty. Though I am glad to be done with my four-year degree, I am going to miss being a student. I'm pretty sure I could just go to school the rest of my life and be happy-- not to mention the awesome job I have. I work at the Writing Center on campus. I help students with papers, work as the secretary, and grade papers for my boss. Seriously, it is the best job ever. I also work with the best people ever. They threw me a surprise baby shower a couple weeks ago and got me a bunch of amazing children's books. Yep, they are wonderful. Unfortunately, since I graduate in a few short days, I will no longer be able to work there. This is fine I guess, since I will be popping a baby out in less than two months. Sitting at a desk all day every day has gotten extremely uncomfortable, so I think I will also appreciate a break from work.

Speaking of pregnancy and its woes, I am now about 33 weeks pregnant. Even though those closest to me hear me complain about being pregnant all the time, I really am grateful that my pregnancy hasn't been worse. The women in my family generally have terrible pregnancies, and I was lucky enough to avoid the worst. I only had nausea the first half of pregnancy, followed by a couple months of feeling great. This is unheard of in my family; I was fully prepared for sickness during all 9 months. Now as I am nearing the end of this prenatal journey, however, I am feeling... uncomfortable. Back pain and joint pain are my constant companions, as well as heartburn, swelling, and the occasional nausea. Other symptoms plague me as well, but those aren't glamorous enough to be shared on the internet. Fortunately, little baby Penny (this is what her name shall be) has been healthy and strong at every doctor's appointment, so I really have no room to complain.

 I am also nearing my one-year anniversary, so time to get a little bit mushy. Last year, on August 17th, I married my absolute best friend. I can't believe it has already been a year since we got married-- time has flown so quickly. Scott has been so wonderful to me, and even though we have our rough patches (like every marriage has), I wouldn't change anything. Marriage is complete bliss; yes, it hasn't always been easy, but it has been marvelous. I know having a baby is going to make things much harder; however, it will also make things much sweeter as well. Scott has been so understanding and loving during this pregnancy, and I can't wait to become a parent with him and see how he develops into a father.

Time to wrap things up. Here is a picture that we took on Christmas night. Little did we know that in a few days, we would find out that I was pregnant. :)

And a picture of Penny at 20 weeks. I can't believe that was already 13 weeks ago.