Weeks 26 & 27

Yup...I'm doubling up on weeks. :)  It's just been crazy 'round here.

Things continue to go along pretty much the same.  I'm feeling increasingly more tired, and it's getting a little more difficult to get around with this big baby in front of me.  But all things considered, we're just trekking right along!  

I have another OB appointment coming up this week, which includes my glucose test.  I think I'll find the results interesting either way.  I am excited to see Luke again, though!  I love those ultrasounds.  I know he's getting bigger and stronger, and is still healthy.  He moves around constantly, and he's my first to actually cause me pain and discomfort with his movements.  But even when it hurts, it's always reassuring to feel him in there.

I'm still feeling so detached from this pregnancy!  There are moments of realization when it hits me...I'm pregnant...again!  And now I know well enough that we aren't just having another baby.  That baby will grow up to be a toddler and a kid that I'm expected to raise!  Most days, I feel terribly inept in that department.  As you can see from my inability to post on a weekly basis, my life is busier now than it has ever been before.  And I'd like to say my hours are filled with soccer practice, piano lessons, and Bunco parties with my friends. While I'm sure that time in life will come, right now my life is filled with laundry, dishes, cooking, and grocery shopping.  Not to mention baths, diapers, and wiping noses.  It seems like I've been doing these same tasks for just about five years now, but I remember having more free time  before.  I suppose there's just so much more of everything to get done!  I think I would worry more about not feeling connected to this baby if I didn't watch a friend of mine go through this same thing with her fourth pregnancy.  Her kids are spaced together much the same as ours, and she used to worry so much that she barely had time to remember that she was pregnant.  But it turns out, that had no bearing on how instantly she fell in love with her baby boy the minute he arrived.  So, I'm trying to take it all in stride.

At this rate, we just have a little over 12 weeks until my due date.  I know that will seem to stretch on forever, especially as we near the month of May.  But it also doesn't seem like very long at all!  We are really hoping to be settled into a house of our own before Luke arrives, but with only 12 weeks to go, I'm mentally prepping for that not to be the case.  Which will be fine, too.  My in-laws are definitely more than accommodating...bless their hearts.

By next week, I'll be looking at my third trimester.  We'll see how far into it we get before I get another post up! :)

Be My Valentine

Ah, Valentine's Day.  I have to say, it wasn't always my favorite holiday.  But after our inaugural Red and Pink Dinner last year, and it's wild success, I was actually kind of excited for this year's holiday.  It helped that the girls were excited, too.  Being in school, they actually got to buy Valentines and exchange them with their classmates.  And that meant Mom could find something fun to do for their teachers. :)  I went to my tried and true...Our Best Bites.  They did not fail me.  Granted, the girls didn't help a lot, but that was mostly due to my over developed sense of perfection.  I was up late the night of the 13th finishing up the teachers' Valentines, but I think they were worth it.  Behold, the Sweetie Pie Pops!  They were a big hit with the teachers.

We woke up on Valentine's morning with quite a bit of work to do.  The girls got busy getting their Valentines in order, and we worked together to put their Sweetie Pies together in their candy-filled cups.  We also worked together to assemble Daddy's Valentine basket and card.  I was busy working on some of the menu items for dinner after that, and the kids enjoyed some Valentine's themed cartoon goodness.  Around 10 am, there was a ring of the doorbell.  I answered and found only a cardboard box bearing the logo for "Proflowers".  And they were for me!  Danny had sent me a beautiful bouquet of purple irises and stargazer lilies.  He had the foresight to order them more than two weeks in advance!  We thought he might have to be out of town over the holiday, and he didn't want me to go without a Valentine.  What a wonderful husband!  

It was a busy morning for the doorbell here at Papa and Grandma's house!  The triplets that live next door came over and doorbell ditched a total of nine Valentine's for Claire, Sophie, and Johnny.  That was three Valentine's each...one from each adorable triplet.  Then a couple from the ward came over and asked for John.  I was so confused!  I had no idea who they were talking about.  Then it dawned on me that they were the Nursery leaders in the ward, and they were there delivering a Valentine to our little John-boy!  Unfortunately, he was taking a nap at the time. :(  But he loved his very first Valentine!

After the girls got home from school, we had Isabelle over for our Red and Pink Dinner.  We also invited Braxton and Tavin, though they came a bit later.  The girls enjoyed some time playing dress up and such, and then Daddy came home.  With Valentines!  The girls each received 6 pink tulips and a chocolate candy treat. They loved it!

I went about my dinner business, since I had already gotten my Valentine flowers from Danny earlier that morning.  And we had an agreement about Valentine's Day.  I get flowers, he gets chocolate.  Period.  But Danny being Danny has to bend the rules. :)  He surprised me with an additional Valentine gift...and this one came in a little velvet box.  He bought be the most beautiful diamond heart necklace, and it's officially my favorite thing next to my wedding ring!  Serious brownie points this Valentine's Day for Danny!

Finally, it was dinner time!  We had the kids help decorate their table, and got them seated and ready to go.  They were so excited for their Red and Pink Dinner!  On their menu was Bagel Bites, Strawberries, and Valentine's Glass Block Jello Hearts.  They each ate every single solitary bite.

The adult table turned out pretty cute, too!  On our menu was Chicken Cordon Bleu (from scratch, OBB style), Strawberry Spinach Salad with a Lemon Poppy Seed Vinaigrette, and the same Jello hearts as the kids. 

It.  Was.  Delicious!!

I think all of us enjoyed a rather nice Valentine's dinner. :)  And that makes me happy.

We cleaned up dinner and got started on dessert.  The kids waited patiently for their Brownie Heart Sundaes, complete with Valentine's sprinkles.

But alas, after dinner and dessert it was time for all the cousins to go home and for everyone to get to bed.  It was still a school day the next day, after all.  But before we sent our little girls to bed, we let them look through their Valentine's from their school friends.  They really felt the love!  They really love their friends at school.  I can't believe I have not one, but TWO girls who have school friends.  Where did the time go?

At this point, I was so tired I was barely able to walk.  I had literally been on my feet in the kitchen since the night before.  But every bit of the pain in my back was worth it!  Danny remembered right before we headed down for bed that we needed a picture of my necklace.  So bear in mind how pregnant and tired I am before judging this photo.  Or just look past me and see the beautiful necklace! :)

Like I said, all the preparations were worth it.  And surprisingly enough, I never felt terribly stressed.  We had an amazing Valentine's Day, and I think I'm confident in saying this Red and Pink Dinner will be our tradition.  I love creating these memories with our kids.  I love each of my sweet little Valentines, and I love my Sweetheart most of all.  How fortunate we all are to have each other.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Week 25

It's a few days late, but I'm getting this week posted!  I swear, my life just isn't what it was like when I was pregnant with Johnny.  It was so much easier to keep the posts updated and on time.  Life really has just gotten busier.  And I'm sure I haven't seen the end of that! 

This week has been a good one.  I'm getting more tired, though I can't tell if that's the pregnancy, life, or because I'm not eating as well.  Probably a combination of all three!  My sugar cravings, especially for chocolate, were absolutely insane this week.  I've never really craved chocolate before, and it's rather mind-consuming!  I didn't do so well at keeping from indulging said cravings last week, but I'm determined to do better this week.  And for whatever reason, last week was really busy, and I only got one walk in all week.  So that's going to have to change this week, too.  

I'm sure Luke is doing just great.  I can tell he's getting bigger and stronger, as his movements are more and more pronounced.  I can't wait for my next appointment and ultrasound, where I"ll get a good look at my little guy again!  But I still have a couple of weeks until that appointment.

What was most on my mind this week is my impending delivery, and the form it will take.  My little sister Jenny delivered her baby this last week.  Ava Lynn was born on February 8, and was 7 lbs 10 oz of pure cuteness.  But the coolest part of the story is that Jenny was able to have a successful VBAC after two previous c-sections!  To say I was happy for her is an understatement.  I know just how much better it is to have that baby without surgery!  But I'll be honest.  As soon as I heard that she was successful and the baby was here safe and sound, I put down the phone, sat on the couch, and starting bawling.  And no, it wasn't tears of relief and happiness for my sister.  My heart was broken for me...

As I've been writing these pregnancy posts for Luke, I can't help but think how different it was with Johnny.  I was so excited to deliver him at home, and I was positive we were going to be successful.  I spent every day for months studying, visualizing, and getting prepped emotionally and physically for labor and delivery.  I remember being somewhat sad when we decided, after 24 hours of intense labor at home, to transfer to the hospital and undergo a section.  But at the time, I mostly just wanted to get my son here.  And I felt peaceful about our decision at that time.  I still know it was the right thing to do for Johnny and I, and that I really did everything that I could.  It just wasn't meant to be.

But it seems like I grieve for what could have been mine, and what will never be mine, every time someone I know and care about has their baby just the way I wanted so desperately to have mine.  I've searched my heart and mind, and approached the Lord again, to make sure that I shouldn't try to have a VBAC with Luke.  I feel very sure that we're doing the right thing with our planned section.  My consolation is that my awesome doctor is willing to wait for labor to start on it's own before we deliver, instead of scheduling a section before my due date.  I really am grateful that he's on board with that, as that's very important to me.  But I wish I could do more for both Luke and I.

I'm sad that Danny won't get the awesome experience that Matt had to see his wife give birth to a child...his child.  Instead, he'll be in another cold and sterile OR, surrounded by strangers, with a cut open and panicky wife.  The moment when the veil is so thin, and the emotions so strong, will be clouded in the hub-bub of surgery.  I know that Danny has treasured each moment that each of our children has been born, but I still feel like we're missing out on something.  Sigh.

But, as my sweet husband reminds me, it's really not fair to compare apples and oranges.  Ava was small compared to Johnny's girth of 11 pounds.  Jenny had the opportunity to deliver in a hospital, where she could receive fluids and pain medication when she got too tired, which may have changed the course of my labor with John had those services been available for me.  But really, I need to remember how blessed we are.  Sure, my deliveries aren't ideal.  But we get pregnant almost easier than we would like sometimes, and that's an incredible blessing!  I personally know women that would gladly have a c-section a hundred times over to so easily conceive a child of their own.  My pregnancies are uncomplicated, and my children are born big and incredibly beautiful.  And each of them is such a strong and special spirit, who I am simply humbled to have the opportunity to raise.

I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, but I need to find a different way to invest in this pregnancy with Luke.  So that when we do have to enter that OR, I'm thinking about meeting my son and not about missing out on an experience that I want so badly.  Maybe it's time to re-read Birthing From Within.  And I need to spend more time counting my blessings.

At any rate, that was my Week 25.  I'm only days away from 26 weeks, and it amazes me how close I'm getting to the third and final trimester!  Maybe, just maybe, I'll get a post for next week written on time.  We shall see. :)

A Winter Retreat

A few weeks ago, Danny decided that he thought it would be a great idea to take the next opportunity available and take a trip up to Great Grandma's Cabin in the Woods, as it has come to be known.  The next opportunity came about 10 days ago, when Danny had an off-Friday.  We loaded up the kids Thursday evening and headed to Island Park.

Danny's favorite place in the world is this cabin.  It rejuvenates his soul.  It's a beautiful home, with a wonderful spirit.  And it's become a very special place full of fun memories for Danny and me and our little family.  It's where we honeymooned, and had the best week of our life.  Since being married, we've been there five times (including our honeymoon).  This was our sixth visit, and with the exception of our honeymoon, it's the only time we've been there with just our family.  What a special time it was!  We loved watching our kids play and make memories, and we got to do or not do whatever we wanted!  A little taste of earlier honeymooning days. :)

As I mentioned, we left Thursday evening, so we didn't get into the cabin until almost 10:00 pm.  It was way after the kids' bedtime, but considering they slept a decent portion of the drive and it was a chilly 50 degrees in the cabin upon our arrival, everyone cuddled up to watch a movie until things warmed up enough to call it a night.  

After a good night's sleep, we enjoyed a lazy day on Friday.  The girls were ready to get out in the snow, but I made them wait until closer to lunch time.  They busied themselves coloring in their new color books, which turned out to be a favorite activity for Claire while we were there.

At last, it was time to bundle up our little snow bunnies and send them out to play!  My little Southern California kids had no idea that there could be so much snow.  Daddy bundled up too, and they all went out to play.  I got Johnny bundled up first, so by the time I got the girls ready and got ready myself, he had already been out for about 20 minutes.  So he was ready to come in by the time the camera came out!  But Danny assures me he had a ball.  All I know is he looked too stinkin' cute in that Buzz Lightyear hat!

Speaking of cute, my girls make adorable snow bunnies!  They know it, too...

I could never enumerate all the ways that Danny amazes me.  But pretty high on that lengthy list is how much fun he has with our kids.  My Dad wasn't really the playful type, so sometimes it just takes me by surprise how easily Danny gets on the floor (or in this case the snow) and just plays with them.  I'm kind of glad to say, I don't know that our kids will ever know how lucky they are.  I'm sure they'll grow up assuming every Daddy does that.  And I'm okay with that.

Claire was so excited to get up on the snow drifts and find "buried treasure".  She spent some time trying to dig this tree out of the snow.  Little did she realize that in actuality, that tree is quite a bit taller than she is!  Just goes to show how deep that snow really is!

Like I said, this place is just rejuvenating.  And how could it not be?  Just look at the view!  I'm not a fan of winter, but if it looked like this where we lived, I think I could take a shining to it. :)  Simply gorgeous.

We enjoyed a quite evening at the cabin after we were done in the snow, eating pizza and watching "Hook".  It was the first time the girls had seen it, and they loved it!  I swear, they just don't make movies like that anymore.  Saturday dawned as bright and beautiful as the day before, but unfortunately Sophie had been up sick that night, Johnny spent a fair amount of time coughing in his sleep, and Claire had a runny nose.  So Mama put the kibosh on snow play for the day.  The kids colored and played with blocks while Danny and I did...well...I don't even remember!  Which only goes to show how wonderfully relaxing the trip was!  

When Johnny woke up from his nap, we decided it was time to get out of the cabin for a while.  Both Sophie and Claire were feeling better, and Johnny wasn't coughing anymore.  So we headed to West Yellowstone for some touristy fun!

First up was some amazing Huckleberry Ice Cream!  The area is kind of famous for the stuff, so it's something of a tradition to get some while we're there...winter or not.  We tried a new ice cream parlor, and I think it just might be our new ice cream place.  It was amazing!  Danny and Johnny shared a huckleberry cone, I enjoyed a huckleberry shake, Claire got a blueberry cone, and Sophie decided on a strawberry cone.  

When I say that Danny and Johnny shared, I mean that as soon as Johnny got the first lick, he was in control of that cone!  Danny would swipe it occasionally to keep it from dripping all over the place.  But Johnny mostly finished it off on his own.  He was one happy guy!

But he ran into a problem once his cone was gone and his tummy was full of wonderful ice cream goodness.  What is one to do with a full tummy and an elastic waistband?  Well, Johnny came up with a solution!

Anytime we turned our backs on him, the kid had his pants around his ankles!  The first couple of times, we were all laughing so hard it was hard to make him realize we were serious about him keeping his pants on.  Once he realized we were getting a kick out of it, he wouldn't stop!  We decided it was best to move on from the ice cream parlor at this point.  It was just getting embarrassing. :)

With it being in the middle of winter, most of West Yellowstone was closed.  There were a few gift shops open, however, and the kids loved walking through them.  The girls were especially fond of all the giant stuffed bears.

And the buffalo hats. :)

After an hour or so of walking around the shops, the kids started to get a bit tired.  We took a quick rest before making our way back to the car, and headed back to the cabin.  But we had a great time in West Yellowstone!

We got the kids home, gave them some dinner and a bath, and sent their cute butts to bed.  Danny was already beginning to sulk around, knowing that the next morning we had to get packed up and head back to reality.  He hates that part.  He was in such a weird mood, he decided all he wanted to do with the evening was put in an old movie, pop some popcorn, and work on a puzzle together.  I told him we could totally do that, and I'll admit I wondered if Danny had been replaced with a rather good-looking geriatric.  Turns out, we had quite a nice evening!  Unfortunately, Danny picked the hardest puzzle there was, and we worked on it until almost midnight.  We were getting close to being finished, but had the hardest portion of the 550 piece puzzle still ahead of us.  That's when Danny threw up his arms in defeat and decided he was going to bed.  That didn't sit well with me.  We'd spent so much time on it, there was no way I was going to bed with it unfinished!  But alas, I couldn't do it on my own.  So I begrudgingly went to bed, leaving our puzzle on the table to taunt me.

And taunt me it did!  I didn't sleep well at all, and because we were up so late doing that stupid puzzle, we didn't quite make it out the door for 9:00 am Sacrament Meeting.  I was feeling a little mad, and while I was eating my breakfast at the same table that that puzzle mockingly sat, I decided it wasn't going to get the best of me!  We spent another hour or so, and finished that stinkin' puzzle.  All but one piece.  Which was missing.  Can I just say how annoying that is? :)

Once the puzzle was finished, we couldn't delay our departure any longer.  It always takes a couple of hours to get packed up and get the cabin cleaned for the next lucky visitors.  Johnny spent that entire two hours watching "The Lion King" on the iPod.  What a cutie!

The last thing we had to clean up before we left was Claire's art studio on the fridge.  Like I said, she spent a lot of time coloring!

We made it home without incident, and felt so much better for our time spent there.  We are so grateful to Great Grandma Lovell for letting us use her home.  We're grateful for such a beautiful place that Heavenly Father created just for us to enjoy.  One of the perks of being back in Utah is that we live that much closer to the cabin, so I'm sure we'll be planning our seventh visit very soon!

Week 24

I had great intentions of getting this posted on time.  I wrote it all out while we were at the cabin, and assured myself I'd take a picture as soon as we got home on Sunday so I could get the post right up.  But here we are, two days away from Week 25, and I haven't gotten that picture taken yet.  SO...I'm posting this week without a picture.  Let's be honest, my baby bump doesn't look all that much different from last week!

Pushing on true!  One more week completed.  And this last week was a fun one!  I was able to go to my next doctor's appointment, which included my 20 target ultrasound.  I know, it's about 4 weeks late, but we had something of an insurance issue when we changed jobs, and we had to wait until February to get in.  But at last, February came, and I was excited to see my little guy!

I wasn't the only one.  Claire and Sophie opted to stay home from school that afternoon to come to the appointment.  They were so excited to see Baby Luke, though Sophie thought he was going to get out of my tummy.  She was a little disappointed when I was still pregnant at the end. :)  Danny met us at the appointment during his lunch break, which we all loved.  Our turn finally came, and we got a good look at our little boy.

And he's perfect!  And definitely a boy! :)  He's measuring a bit big, which isn't a surprise.  The tech's estimate had him at about 1 lb 9 oz.  He's quite the contortionist, and seems to enjoy being twisted up like a pretzel.  Our other kids seemed to be more stretched out.  When the tech switched to the 4-D images, I couldn't believe how much you could see!  We've never had a 4-D ultrasound before, and it's pretty incredible.  Luke is already so incredibly cute!  He has the same round forehead and little upturned nose as his adorable brother.  Definitely already looks like one of ours!  I just immediately fell in love, and now 4 months to wait feels like a very long time  I was so grateful for those images, though.  As I mentioned, I've had a harder time bonding with this baby and being able to see him like that helped so much.  I can literally hardly wait for him to get here!

After the ultrasound, I had a quick visit with Dr. Davis.  I mentioned my concerns about my mood swings being a possible side effect to the thyroid medication, but he seemed to think that was unlikely.  He told me to watch it, and that he'd do some research and re-check my thyroid levels.  I've actually felt pretty good, emotionally, for the last couple of weeks, so maybe things have leveled out.  I also talked to him about my concern over my rapid weight gain.  After having previous doctors fret over that quite a bit, he seems so nonchalant about it!  He reiterated that I needed to make smart eating choices and stay as active as I could, but that it was what it was.  He told me they have my glucose test planned for my next visit at the end of the month, so if gestational diabetes has anything to do with the weight gain, we'll know then.  So, I guess I keep doing the best I can with eating and getting on the treadmill everyday and hope for the best!

And with that, we look forward to Week 25!  After that, we'll just have about 15 weeks left.  Which seems so manageable to me right now.  But I know better.  Time is bound to come to a screeching halt around week 31... :)