no time

So, I find myself having no time to blog lately. I really do feel horrible about it, but when you're a new mom to an adorable little girl, you find yourself spending all of your free time (if there is any) with her.

Anyways, Elizabeth is AMAZING! As of her doctor's appointment last Monday, she is 10lbs. 5oz. and 22 inches long. She had her first cold about 2 weeks ago, but other than that, she's doing great! She is definitely a "paci girl", she LOVES her pacifier.

Her first Halloween, we dressed her up as a pink bear. We took her out trick or treating to a few friends and family's houses. She is just adorable.

For Thanksgiving, we spent Thursday with Justin's family. She loved being around the family. And on Friday, she went on her first airplane ride to California to see my family. She loves her Mimi, Papa Gibbs, Auntie Lauren, Unky, and her cousins Hailey and Kayden. We spent the weekend in California, and on Sunday, my mom threw us a surprise baby shower. It was great getting to see so many friends and family. Elizabeth got TONS of clothes!

I can't believe how big she is getting. She is still adored by me and Justin, and she brings joy to my life daily. And, if I don't have time to write again before Christmas, I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

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Elizabeth is HERE!!!

ELIZABETH IS HERE!!!

She was born September 21, 2011 at 4:54 PM, weighed 7lbs 4oz, and was 19.5 inches long. She has been a perfect baby, so far. She really doesn't scream or cry, only gets a little fussy when she's hungry. She sleeps a lot and is very alert when she's awake. She is a total Daddy's Girl, yet I also adore her. It is just amazing that this little person was growing inside of me. Pictures will be coming soon (I just don't have any on this computer). But, take my word for it, she is absolutely beautiful!

Ooops I Did It Again!

So, again I have neglected to update my blog regularly. I am so sorry for any of you out there who actually read this.

Well, here's what's going on. I am 37 weeks pregnant (today) and am on bedrest and stuck at home. I was informed by my doctor that I have borderline pre-eclampsia (yay me!) and that because of it, I will be induced no later than week 39. So, Elizabeth will be here in 2 weeks or less! Besides having a baby, what does this mean for Justin and me? We will be moving in with Justin's parents October 1st. We're going to be moving in there to save some money while I am out of work, also to save money to buy a house in a few months. Yay! We're not exactly thrilled to be moving back in there, but we are excited to have some help when Elizabeth is first here AND to be able to buy a house in a few months!

For now that's the only new stuff going on in our lives. Justin is once again coaching football, and I think he still wishes sometimes we were having a boy so he could coach his football team. But, we are both so excited for Elizabeth to get here. Justin has already stepped into his role as dad and taking care of me and Elizabeth.

Now that I am on bed rest, I really will do my best to keep this updated and let you know when she is coming! I seriously cannot wait!

what's going on...

Lately, I realize I have really been slacking keeping up on this thing. I feel horrible about it, but it is what it is. I can't make any excuses all I have to say is that I haven't really had the ambition to write anything.

But, here's what has been going on...

- About a month ago, my brother was contacted by a college in Ohio interested in him going to school out there and playing football for them. The school is called Youngstown State University. He went out there a few weeks ago with my mom and signed a letter of intent, and decided he would be going to school out there. I am so proud of him and all of the accomplishments he has done. He reports to the school on August 5th, and starts his adventure. Also, last week, he completed his eagle project. He's an amazing young man and I honestly cannot tell you how proud I am to be his big sister.

-Two weeks ago, I went to the doctor, for my normal monthly check up and I didn't get to see the doctor, but instead I saw his Physician's Assistant. She informed me that I had protein in my urine (ok, a little TMI I'm sure, but it is pertinent to the rest of this story). Well, that was really all she told me, other than that my ankles, hands, and face weren't swollen (well DUH! you can tell that just by looking at me) but, she didn't tell me anything else as to what that meant. So, I go home and start reading that it could mean I have pre-eclampsia. Reading that freaked me out so bad! They wanted me to go back 2 weeks from then (today) so they could check my urine again and see what was going on. So, the past two weeks I've been FREAKING OUT! But, today I went to my doctor's appointment, met with my doctor and he told me that everything was perfect! No protein or sugars in my urine, that Elizabeth was measuring perfect, her heartbeat was wonderful, and that she is already head down. He also told me that he wouldn't be surprised if she was here BEFORE October 6th (her due date), that he was thinking she'd be here at the end of September! I cannot wait to meet my little girl!

-As of today, I am officially 29 weeks and 5 days pregnant! I have gained less than 15 pounds SO FAR. And, I always get the comments from people "how tiny I am for being this far along". I even got that comment from my doctor today! But, because I am so tall, that's the reason my belly is so tiny, she has much more room to grow, before she grows out.

I know, this hasn't really been a lot to report, but this is all that's really been going on in our lives. Justin was on call for 3 weeks, so we didn't really get to do anything. But, we are so excited for the next few months! Elizabeth will be here in about 2 1/2 months OR LESS!!! My mom is coming out to visit in less than 2 weeks, my dad is going to come out once Elizabeth is born. And, really the next few months are going to bring many changes to our lives but they are going to be so wonderful and exciting!

She Moves and Dances!

Elizabeth has been moving around in my belly like CRAZY! Just two weeks ago Justin got to feel her kick for the first time. She kicked his hand, then he put his head next to my belly, to try and hear her moving because she stopped kicking, and then she kicked him in the head! She's done that a few other times since then. It's kind of funny, whenever she's kicking then Justin goes to feel her, she stops kicking until he puts his head by her, then she kicks him in the head.

Well, I have noticed within the last week or so that Elizabeth kicks a ton more when I'm listening to music. Today, while I was watching The Voice (from last night) everytime someone would start singing she would start moving around and kicking. This is helping to support my theory that she is either going to be a dancer or a singer. Or, maybe both.

A bunch of people have asked me what it feels like when she kicks me and I've finally put my finger on what it feels like. It feels like a mix of having gas bubbles in your tummy and having your tummy growl. It's such a funny feeling and totally catches me off guard (especially when she starts kicking me in the middle of taking an order at work).

I am getting so anxious to meet her, October 6th cannot come soon enough! We have already gained such a special bond with each other, and Justin and her already have a silly relationship. The past 5 1/2 months have gone by so fast, and I know that these last 3 1/2 will go by fast too! I love you Elizabeth Ann and I cannot wait to meet you!

It's already June 25th

I can't believe that this month is already almost over. This month seems to just come and gone. We have been extremely busy throughout this month, but it's definitely been a good thing.

On June 5th we started our journey to California. I describe this as a journey because of how difficult it was for us to actually get there. My dad got us our tickets to fly out there, but they were standby, so he continually checked the "airplane loads" so we would know which flight was best for us to take. He told us the Sunday night flight would be best. Luckily we already had Monday off of work, so off we went to the airport. We got checked in early and sat at the airport for about 2 hours. As it got to be time to start boarding the plane we noticed that the screen said there were 9 seats available and we were #10 and 11 on the list. We had a feeling we wouldn't be getting on the flight. We didn't. We ended up having Justin's mom come and pick us up, our luggage flew to California without us, and we flew to California on Monday morning.

We got to LAX around 9:00 in the morning on Monday and just kind of hungout all day. Monday was my sister's birthday, so we went out to dinner with her and the rest of my family. We stayed on Monday and Tuesday with a family from Justin's mission, the Yukihiro's. Tuesday, we went to the beach with their daughter, Jessa. Justin and I weren't very smart and forgot to put on sunscreen, we got FRIED. Wednesday was my brother's graduation, so we went out to lunch with my dad then went to the graduation. We were there until Sunday and had so much fun visiting with everyone. Elizabeth got some cute presents from our family and friends in California. And, she got a ton of hand me downs.

Since getting back from California, we have been working a ton. The week that we got back, I didn't have to work until Thursday, so Justin volunteered me to watch 3 of his nephews for 2 days. We spent those days in the pool, and got lots of sun. It's been super hot here, and the only way I've been able to stay sane at all has been the AC. I sure do love that our apartment has air conditioning.

It doesn't sound like we've been up to too much, but I feel like we have been so busy! I am definitely going to love the AC this summer and the pool!

Trip to the ER

Last weekend was a pretty eventful weekend. Not only was it Memorial Day weekend BUT I also got to take a trip to the ER.

Saturday evening, after I started working (at work) I started having the pains in my chest again. I tried to sit down for a few minutes and relax myself, to see if that would help, but it didn't. I didn't want to leave work, since I had already called in sick earlier in the week due to the chest pain. So I tried to stick it out. That lasted about 15 minutes until my manager came and told me to go home because I didn't look good.

When I got off work I called Justin to let him know I was coming home. He insisted that we go to the ER, so after I got home and changed that was where we went.

I got checked in to the ER, they took my blood pressure and pulse and everything looked normal. I told them the pain wasn't near my heart, but more near my sternum and on the right side. They decided to start doing all sorts of tests, to figure out what it was. They did an EKG, an x-ray, an ultrasound of my heart and gall bladder, a blood clotting test, and a urine test. All of the tests came back normal. We were there for 6 hours and they can't figure out what's wrong with me. So, home we went. It was definitely the way that we wanted to spend our Saturday night. But, good news, Elizabeth is healthy and that's all that matters to me right now.

I haven't really had chest pains lately, and when I do, I try not to think about them, because nobody can figure out what they are. They don't think it's heartburn, since every medicine that is supposed to get rid of heartburn hasn't worked.

Let's hope that it all goes away soon, especially so we can enjoy our California vacation next week! 4 more days till we fly out to California, 5 more days till we're at the beach, 6 more days till my baby brother graduates high school... OMG it's gonna be a fun vacation!

How Did I Get So Lucky?

The past 2 days I have been so sick. We weren't really sure what I was sick with and all I knew was that my chest hurt. It didn't hurt on the left side, near my heart (so I knew it couldn't be something with my heart) and it didn't feel like any heartburn I've had before. (And let me tell you, I have had the worst heartburn in the past 3 weeks, I'm sure hoping little miss Elizabeth has as much hair as I do when she comes out!) Justin and I both kind of ruled out heartburn since 1. it didn't feel like any heartburn I've had previously and 2. tums, my best friend for the past 3 weeks, weren't helping at all. It felt like someone was standing on my chest, at the sternum and on the right side, it felt awful. I laid in bed all day Tuesday, hoping that a little R&R (rest and relaxation... not railroad lol) would do the trick, well, nope... it didn't work. I woke up yesterday morning feeling the same way. The only thing that was giving me any relief was when Justin would rub my back, just between my shoulder blades. It felt so much better when he was doing that. Before Justin left for work, we decided I would call the doctor and try to get in or at least see what he had to say. Maybe this was a normal thing in pregnant women, maybe I'm just weird, who knows, but we figured the doctor could help me out.

I called the doctor a little later that morning and unfortunately didn't get to talk to the doctor, instead talked to a kind of rude nurse (oh well). I described my pain and she told me that she thought it was some type of acid thing (she didn't say acid reflux, because I know what that is) but it was something weird. She asked what I had taken, I told her tums and that also for the past 24 hours I hadn't been able to keep any food down. She told me to go get some pepcid ac and some mylanta, also to take my anti nausea pill and if it didn't help I'd be going to the er. So, I rushed myself to Target picked up the medicine, the whole time I was getting the mylanta I kept thinking, "Oh mylanta!"

Well, after I did all of this, Justin called me to see how I was doing. I told him I was about to pass out, thanks to my nausea pill, but that nothing had helped YET. He said he was going to take off work after lunch so that if I needed to go to the er, he could be home to take me. He got home, came in the bedroom, scared the crap out of me since I was asleep and hadn't woken up until there was a big, hairy man over me. I told him I was feeling a little better and if he wanted to, he could go back to work. He said no. First I thought, well, duh why would he want to go back to work when he gets a free day off. And then he said the sweetest thing I've ever heard come out of his mouth. Maybe I'm just super hormonal, but he said, "No, I'm staying right here with you because you and Elizabeth are my world and I don't want anything to happen to you."

Seriously, how did I get so lucky? He stayed right by my side the rest of the day (except when he had to go and coach football for 2 hours) and made sure if I was in pain I took medicine and kept telling me, "Tell me if it hurts really bad and I'll take you to the hospital, you're my world and I don't want anything to happen to you." I'm so lucky to have a husband who is so wonderful and caring. Yes, we may bicker sometimes, just to piss each other off. But, we love each other more than words can describe and more than anything else in this entire world. That is why I keep asking myself, how did I get so lucky?

It's a GIRL!!!

Today we had our ultrasound appointment. I was super nervous before we went there, that I didn't drink enough water and we wouldn't be able to find out what the baby is. Our appointment was at 10:00, so we picked up Justin's mom on the way and ended up getting there about a half hour early. We sat there and found out that the machine wasn't working correctly, so we sat and waited for the other couple to be finished.

We finally went into the exam room around 10:15, and my bladder felt like it was going to explode, from drinking so much water. I laid down on the exam table and I couldn't help but be anxious. The ultrasound technician asked if we knew what the baby was and if we wanted to find out, we told her we didn't know but would love to find out. She started the ultrasound told us all sorts of stuff about the baby, size, etc. She said the baby was perfectly healthy and then proceeded to find out the sex of the baby. The baby was being stubborn (like both parents) and kept crossing her ankles so we couldn't see. Then, she finally let us sneak a peek, and... SHE'S A GIRL!!!

I am so excited! Justin's mom and I both laughed, because Justin wanted a boy so bad. But, I cannot wait to dress this little girl in pink and teach her how to be a little princess. Don't get me wrong, she's going to know her sports and of course know how to hunt, but she is definitely going to be a princess.

We've decided her name is going to be: Elizabeth Ann.

I told Justin that it's a good thing he can tolerate the color pink, since there's going to be lots of pink around the house now. With my favorite color being pink, and me doing lots of pink for Elizabeth.

What Day Is Today?... Today Is Mother's Day!

It's kind of funny, whenever I think of Mother's Day I think of a Full House episode that I watched before. In the episode, it's Mother's Day and Uncle Jesse teaches his twins, Nicky and Alex, a song to sing for their mom, Becky. It goes: Jesse sings: "What day is today?" and the boys sing: "Today is Mother's Day." and then it repeats. Well, the boys get so excited for Mother's Day, they end up going and giving Becky their gifts a day early, and wanting to sing her the song. Jesse gets upset with the boys because they gave her the gifts a day early, but Becky explains that it doesn't have to be Mother's Day for her to feel appreciated and loved by her boys.

Well, this is my first Mother's Day as a mom. I don't know that I consider myself a mom, yet. But, Justin says that because I'm carrying our child and letting it grow inside of me, and taking care of it, it makes me a great mom already. I got served breakfast in bed, by my husband, and I couldn't help but picture what Mother's Day will be like next year. My little baby will be here and will be about 7 months old. I can just picture Justin bringing the baby to me in bed, and playing with the baby in bed, then Justin bringing me breakfast in bed.

I'm so grateful for all of the mothers in my life, and the great examples they have been to me. I wish that I could be with my mom this Mother's Day, but unfortunately I'll have to wait a month to see her. Today Justin and I will be spending the day with his mom. Can't wait.

And, TOMORROW is the big day, the day we find out if "Little Lancaster" is a boy or a girl!

Excitingness Happening in May

So, I have a couple fun and exciting things happening this month. I guess I should start with the first exciting thing:

May 6th: my BABY brother is turning 18! I can't believe that he is already going to be 18, an adult. He may be legally an adult, and he may be bigger than me, but he will ALWAYS be my little brother. I still remember the day he was born and I'm sad I won't get to spend this birthday with him, but I will be out there at the beginning of June for another BIG day in his life.

May 8th: my first Mother's Day. OMG, I can't believe that I am actually a mother on this Mother's Day. I know that Little Lancaster isn't here yet, BUT, I can already feel it's little movements in my tummy, and I love it SO much!

May 9th: we find out if Little Lancaster is a him or a her. I am getting so anxious and excited! We both have a feeling that it is a boy, but we will see, and of course I am going to let everyone know!

May 12th: my little nephew, Kayden, turns 1. I can't believe he is going to be 1 already. He is such a little butterball and I can't wait to see him next month.

There's a bunch of other stuff coming up, I just can't think of it right now. Hahaha! I'll keep you all posted!

Sewing and Gift for Baby

I've been thinking about this lately. About a year ago, I gained this love for sewing. I think it's in my blood or something. My mom's a sewer, sister's a sewer, but I never thought I was too. Growing up, my mom taught my sister how to sew, I remember, she taught Lauren how to sew a skort. (Skort's were all the craze back then.) I was always a little bit jealous, but never really had the attention span or the patience to sit and learn how to sew. So, instead if ever I needed something sewn, I would ask mom or Lauren to do it for me.

Well, back to the story, I FINALLY gained the patience to sew (around a year ago). I think it was because I live over 600 miles away from mom and Lauren and can't really ask them to sew something for me anymore. I decided that I wanted to make an apron for myself, and one for Justin's mom for Mother's Day (last year). I figured I would start with something a bit easier, so I decided to make Lauren's 2 kids (Hailey and Kayden) blankets. I borrowed Justin's sister-in-law's machine and whipped out the blankets... easy. Then it was onto the hard things, the aprons, where I didn't understand half of the directions. I ended up having to call my mom and ask for help about 10 times before I even started sewing! After probably 3 days, I finished my first masterpiece, Justin's mom's apron. I wouldn't say it was the greatest creation, but it was awesome for my first REAL project.

Now, I'm starting to get the "sewing itch" again. I want to make this "little Lancaster" a quilt. I mean, if I could make 2 aprons without any substantial help (anyone else sewing it for me) than I can probably make a quilt. Here are a few of my problems: 1. I don't have a sewing machine of my own, 2. I don't really have the time to quilt, and 3. we don't know the sex of the baby (I'm not going to make a unisex quilt). So, now, how to fix my problems? I'm thinking maybe while I am in California in June, for my little bro's high school graduation, I can convince my mom to take me fabric shopping and we can figure out this quilt thing together. And, I'm hoping that as far as the sewing machine thing (or lack there of) goes, I'm really hoping I can borrow Justin's sister-in-law's again, since I FINALLY figured out how to use it and re-thread it! hahaha!

Anywho, that is my rant for the night... I want to make a gift for "little Lancaster" and I would love for that gift to be a quilt.

Also, on the gift subject, the baby has got some ADORABLE gifts so far, a CUTE "deer camouflage" bib from Grandma Misty, and 2 rubber duckies from Grandma (Justin's mom) one is a cheerleader ducky and the other is a football player ducky... suits us, right? It sounds little, but these gifts are so cute and we can't wait for "little Lancaster" to be here and enjoy all of these gifts and the people that love him/her.

I'm 23!

So, I had my birthday yesterday. It's kind of weird that I'm 23. It's not like it's a big birthday or anything, but, it's weird, it's my first birthday as a married woman, my only birthday pregnant (thank God!), and my first of many birthdays that I feel OLD!

We started celebrating my birthday on Friday, I went shopping with Justin's mom and got some awesome way cute new maternity clothes. Then, I went out to lunch with Justin and some of his work friends. Later that afternoon, Justin's mom invited me to go to the movies with her and Justin's sis in law, Careen. We went and saw "Water for Elephants", it was so good! I honestly wasn't looking forward to seeing it, I was just going because I was invited. But, the movie was awesome, I loved it! That night, we went to a poker party with Justin's work buddies, we both lost all of our money, but we had so much fun.

Yesterday, we spent most of the day relaxing at home. Then went to our friend's daughter's first birthday. It was a nice day of relaxing and spending time with Justin. It was a nice birthday and glad I got to have an entire weekend to celebrate and relax.

Today is Easter, and I LOVE Easter, especially when it is around my birthday. It reminds me, even more than normal, that Jesus atoned and died for ME. I mean, yes, He did for everyone else too, but it just reminds me even more that it is also for me too.

Chicken Enchiladas... DELICIOUS for me, not so much for baby... bummer!

So, I have had this craving for about the last week or two. This craving has been for chicken enchiladas. Mmmm... they're so delicious. They're chicken enchiladas made with green sauce mixed with cream of chicken soup. OMG, I had never had them before until I started dating Justin, and his mom made them. And now, that is one of the only enchiladas I ever want anymore.

So, anyway, I made some last night, cuz I was craving them so bad. And, I ate one, just ONE! About 10 minutes after I ate that one (basically by the time it actually got down to my stomach and the baby) I could feel the baby moving around and giving me the worst upset stomach. I'm really bummed that the baby didn't like the enchiladas, cuz I love them. Maybe I'll start doing what my friends at work tell me to do, eat it anyways cuz I can't let this little person start running my life already.

Somebody tell me what to do. Should I give up my chicken enchiladas until after the baby's born or just say heck with it and eat them regardless of whether the baby likes them or not?

Sleep or Lack There Of

So, I have noticed over the past week or so, my sleep habits have changed entirely since my "first trimester". I am still getting my 8 hours of sleep (thank God), but that's it! Most of you may be thinking, you're so lucky you get a full 8 hours of sleep. But, I feel jipped! Up until about a week or so ago, I did not feel fully rested unless I had between 10 and 12 hours of sleep. Even before I was pregnant, I LOVED to sleep in and get between 8 and 10 hours of sleep. But not anymore, and it totally sucks! Now, I get my exact 8, no more.

I'm not sure if this is because my body and baby are telling me that I only NEED 8 hours of sleep, and it's preparing me for even more lack of sleep or if it is because the sun likes to shine in my bedroom window now. Yes, the sun has always shone in my bedroom window, but during my entire first trimester, Justin hung up blankets over the window to make it like a cave in our room (he's amazing that man). He wanted to help me with my migraines and that was pretty much the only way how. You may be wondering, why are they not there anymore? Well, there was a small list of things I asked Justin to do while I was gone on my trip to California, and that was one of them. I was thinking, the blankets hanging there are NOT aesthetically pleasing and my first trimester migraines are over, and I was able to sleep in before without them being there.

So, I have asked Justin to rehang the blankets for me this weekend, because I'm tired of not being able to sleep in at all, and I persuaded him that it would be easier for him to sleep in on weekends as well. I'm tired of waking up with 6:30 with Justin when he gets up for work, and not being able to go back to sleep. I don't leave for work for another 3 1/2 hours later (when I'm working a day shift), so why not sleep for another 2 hours or so?

Doctor's Appt #2- 14 weeks

Yesterday, I had my second "baby doctor's" appointment. It was actually really a great appointment. There wasn't anything special about this appointment, no ultrasound, we didn't find out the sex, but, we got to hear the baby's heartbeat and the baby kick twice.

The doctor asked if I have been able to feel any movement yet, and I haven't been able to. So, it made Justin and I both so happy when we heard the baby kick on the doplar ultrasound. After the first kick, I looked over at Justin and he had the biggest smile on his face.

We go back on May 9th and will find out the sex of the baby. Justin is hoping for a boy, but I really don't care, as long as the baby is healthy. After hearing the kicks, Justin is sure that it's a boy, but we'll see.

Patch

Yesterday, Justin and I had to make a very hard decision and do something that was not easy for us. We had to make the decision to take Patch, our wonderful dog, to be put down.

Patch was Justin's dog. Justin got him when he was 16 as a reward for good behavior and good grades. Patch was a half black lab/half chow mix. Patch was one of the best dogs. He was great with all of Justin's nieces and nephews, would even let them ride him around when they were little. He was an amazing guard dog (even though he bit the UPS guy, around Christmas). I became very close to Patch this last summer while I lived at Justin's parents house (where Patch lived). He became my dog, I cared for him as if he had always been my dog.

The reason we decided we had to put him down was because Patch's hips have been going out for years. It is a common thing for that to happen in labs. A year ago, just after Justin and I started dating, we had discussed that the time would come when he needed to decide that it was time. All winter, Patch struggled with his hips and being able to even stand up, due to the cold affecting his hips even worse. Whenever I would go over, he would still approach me with a stick and always wanted to play fetch. Well, on Friday, Justin and I both went over to his parents house and we realized that Patch's hips have gotten much worse, just in the past few days. We decided that we needed to take him in the next day.

When we got to Justin's parents house yesterday, Patch just laid on the floor of the garage (his usual place) until I got out of the car. When Justin got out of the car, he just laid there, and then he saw me and hopped up (the fastest I've seen him get up in a long time) grabbed a stick and walked over with it to me. It made me laugh that even the day that we had to take him to be put down, he was still coming over to me with a stick to play fetch. I threw the stick up in the air and Patch caught it in his mouth. We let Justin's niece and nephews and his sister in law say their goodbyes to him, then we loaded him up into the mustang.

On the ride over to the humane society, Patch cried the whole way there. He had to have known what was coming. He finally stopped crying when Justin put his arm around him and told him it was going to be ok. When we pulled into the parking lot and Justin got out of the car, to go fill out the paperwork inside, I was left sitting in the car with Patch. This was a little bit of a chore, because Patch started climbing all over the car, and barking very loudly. Justin came back outside and Patch calmed down again. We got out of the car, took him inside, and he went in fine. The lady inside told us we could take a few minutes to say goodbye to him, so we took him back outside, both of us crying and said our goodbyes. Then, trying to take him back inside was another chore. Patch broke the leash off of the tag it was clipped to, he didn't run, he just stood there and looked at us like, ooops. Then, he did it again to the second tag we clipped it to. Once again he just stood there and looked at us. We finally got him back inside, the lady replaced his collar with a type of rope to take him back with. We took the collar, and we left. Both of us crying.

I will never forget Patch. He was my first dog, and he was such a good dog and cared about us so much.

I thought this was supposed to be spring?

So, as many of you know, I LOVE winter. I love the snow, the cold, bundling up in cute clothes, going sledding, the whole shebang. This winter was no exception, I loved it. Even though for half of the winter I couldn't go sledding or really play in the snow (due to being pregnant), I still loved this winter. Well, last week was officially the first day of spring, I think. (It was either last week or the week before.) Either way, it's supposed to be spring. I was excited for this new change of seasons. Excited that I would be able to go outside without NEEDING a sweatshirt or a jacket. Excited that I could start leaving my windows open during the day and even at night and not freeze to death. I was very excited for all of these changes.

Well, on Friday, I think it was the first day I actually embraced all of these changes. Mainly because most of the other days I was working and couldn't really embrace them yet. But, also because it was such a beautiful day. The weather was in the high 60s - low 70s, the sun was shining, it was beautiful! I even took some laundry to Justin's parents house to put on the line (which I haven't done since we lived there).

Then yesterday, Saturday, it was a little bit overcast, but still wonderful weather. Justin and I rode in the mustang with the top down, and I wasn't cold at all. The temperature was in the mid 70s, very nice. Well, yesterday evening, while I was at work, the weather decided to say "screw you" to everyone who was loving the warmth and sun and decided to start raining. I was ok with the rain, sad that the nice spring weather was gone, but not too upset with the rain. The only thing I was upset about was that I had gone to work without bringing a sweatshirt or jacket, and I would have to walk to my truck and back up to my apartment in the pouring down rain and get soaking wet. Luckily, once I got to the apartment parking lot, I looked in the back seat (like Justin had told me to) and I found one of his work hooded sweatshirts and I threw it on and ran into the apartment. Well, without fail, not even an hour after I got home, Justin and I look outside and it's no longer raining, it's SNOWING! Seriously, I think that Mother Nature is laughing at all of who LOVED the "spring weather".

It is now almost 10:00 on Sunday morning, it is still snowing (and it snowed all night), and we got a good 4-6 inches of snow. As much as I LOVE winter and snow, I was so ready for this to be over. I guess this will teach me to love spring weather in Utah, it doesn't stay for long. Guess I get one more day of use out of my snow boots.

Pregnant and Flying- the End of the Trip

So, I flew home yesterday (last night) and I was off to a rough start. My mom got me a shuttle to the airport. I was a little hesitant about it, because I woke up with a headache and felt sick all day. On the shuttle ride, I almost threw up a few times, so getting to the airport was a bit of a relief and I kept praying that I wouldn't get sick at the airport. I got checked in, got hit on by the guy at the ticket counter and the TSA security guy. It was so weird. I got to the gate and had about an hour and 40 mins to spare, so I got some CPK to hopefully settle my stomach. I ate, chatted on the phone with my dad and Justin, and was feeling good about getting on the plane. My headache was finally gone, my stomach was settled, I was good to go!

I got my seat assignment, I had no one sitting next to me... YAY!!! I got all the space to myself! I ended up sleeping the whole flight, so that was nice. The plane landed at midnight, and I was exhausted and just ready to climb in bed.

I got my luggage and Justin picked me up at the curb. I was SOOOO happy to see him. We headed home and stopped at Carl's Jr and Wendy's to get food for Justin. We had to stop at both, because the first one was closed, we went to the second one and it was closed too! We went home, I walked in, and it was like I was in a brand new apartment! Justin cleaned AND moved all the furniture while I was gone. (It's taking some getting used to, but I think I'll get there.)

Well, as I'm getting ready for bed, my body and the baby decide that I haven't "been sick" in a few days, so it was about time. I knew that traveling and not getting sick was too good to be true. So, I get sick right before bed.

All in all, it was ok traveling. I'm still not a fan of traveling by myself, so I'm insisting that Justin goes with me next time. Plus, I missed him way too much.

Pregnant Lady Flying- Part 2

So, the flight wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting (thank goodness!) My first fear, of getting sick on the plane, didn't happen! When we were taking off, my stomach felt a little queasy, but other than that, I was fine! (And, that's normal for me.) I was so tired, since I only slept for 2 1/2 hours before I left for the airport, so I slept most of the flight. I was dozing in and out during the landing, so no sickness there. I was pretty excited about that.
My second fear was that I was going to be squished into like a middle seat, between two fat people and I would have no room to even breathe! Well, I had the COMPLETE opposite! I was the ONLY seat in my row. I got to sit in first class and the very first row and seat in first class. It was nice, just me. I had all the room in the world, and also, the guy sitting behind me was far enough back that I could even put my seat back and not feel guilty! It was a good flight! I'm hoping that the flight home will be just as easy. I fly home LATE Thursday night. The flight leaves at 9:00 and lands at 11:45.

First Flight As A Pregnant Lady... I'm a Little Scared

So, this is the first of a series of posts.

My grandpa passed away on Monday, March 13th, and after my dad told me that he had passed away, I found myself thoughtlessly saying, "I'll fly out there whenever you need me." Of course, I would be going out to California, regardless of my statement made to my dad, but after I said this, I realized all of my horrors of what was soon to come!

As many of you know, I have been very sick throughout this first trimester. With the migraines and vomiting multiple times a day, I am thoroughly excited for this trimester to be over. This brings me to my first fear, if I get sick this easily on the ground, how's it going to be when I'm up in the air? Last time I flew (back in November for my bachelorette party/bridal shower in November) I got extreme altitude sickness. My head was pounding, my stomach was queasy, and I finally vomited when I got home. This sparks even more of my fear of getting sick. If I can get sick then, when I wasn't pregnant, I wonder how easily it will be while I am pregnant.

My other fear/concern is, I always feel cramped or squished while sitting on the airplane. No matter which seat it is, I always feel like the person next to me is sitting on top of me. It could be a little bit of "claustrophobia" or it could be my issue with personal space, but either way, I just don't like feeling squished. This issue with personal space has heightened in the past two months (since finding out I was pregnant). So, I'm a little worried how I will deal with this, this time around.

I have talked to a few friends at work, who have expressed their love for flying. And, don't get me wrong, I'm not against flying or afraid of flying. I'm afraid of the effects that go with it. I LOVE driving. I LOVE going on road trips. Even though it takes about 5 times as long to get to California driving (opposed to flying) I would much rather drive. Growing up, I always got carsick. No matter how long of a distance we were driving, I was bound to get sick. It was a miracle if going from our house to the babysitter's I didn't vomit everywhere. Well, that has changed in my life (either that, or I've just learned to control it). I love to drive or be in the front passenger seat on road trips. If I had the money, and I could afford to put another 1200 miles on my truck, I would be driving instead of flying.

I will keep you posted on how the first flight as a pregnant lady goes, and even update you about the second flight as a pregnant lady (my flight back home). Let's pray this flight goes well, I leave Sunday morning, bright and early!

Tired of the Migraines!

OMG, I'm so tired of getting "pregnancy" migraines. I have been getting AT LEAST one migraine a week. It's getting a little old, and I can't wait for them to be over! My doctor has given me a prescription that is supposed to help, but it hasn't really helped much at all. This morning, it actually made my migraine worse.

Justin has been very sweet and tells "shnozberry" every night to be nice to me and not make me so sick anymore. I think that shnozberry is just like it's mommy, stubborn as heck, but will listen to Justin when he's being serious. lol.

I honestly wonder who shnozberry is going to be like. If it's anything like it's daddy, I think we're going to be in trouble. Although, we were both very sweet when we were little. OMG, I still can't believe that there's going to be a little one running around here within the next 8 months! ahhh! (well, I guess it won't be running around yet, but still. We'll be having a baby in less than 8 months! CRAZY!!!!

It's a shnozberry!

We went to the doctor today and were so excited to get to see our baby and hear his/her heartbeat. While I was talking to my brother today, I was telling him that the baby is a little bit bigger than a raspberry. He then said that his "niecephew" is the size of a shnozberry (like from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory). We're not really sure what size a shnozberry is, so that's the baby's new nickname.

The heartbeat was surreal. All we really saw was a "flutter" on the screen, but hearing it was amazing! The doctor said the heart was beating 177 bpm, and that he/she is very healthy and has a strong heartbeat. I so cannot wait until we get to meet this shnozberry in 8 months!

Pregnancy Dreams

So, I have had THE WEIRDEST dreams lately. I have heard of people having "pregnancy brain", meaning they are very forgetful and accident prone. But, I have never heard of someone having "pregnancy dreams". And, these "pregnancy dreams" aren't just of me being pregnant. No, they're very real and life like, I honestly don't think I'm dreaming until Justin's alarm goes off or my phone rings and wakes me up.

I have been having these dreams for probably the past week and a half, pretty much since the morning sickness, a.k.a. all day sickness, started. 2 nights ago (Monday night) I dreamt that Justin and I were in charge of picking up his nephew from daycare, we forgot and the mom threw a fit because she had to go pick him up (when she wasn't doing anything). Then, Justin and I ran in a 5k. All of this was so life-like, but none of it would ever really happen. It was so weird, it felt so real at the time but I kept thinking in the dream, "this definitely is not really happening." Then, last night (Tuesday night) I had a dream that could've happened in real life, so it was weird. I dreamt that I was working at in-n-out (not out of the norm) and my dad and his gf/fiancee/whatever you want to call her came in to my work (this was a little odd, since I work/live in Utah and they live in Cali) and came for the grand opening of my new store. I sat with my dad and talked for awhile, and his gf got jealous (also not out of the norm) then, the manager (who was one of my former managers) told me I needed to go into the backroom. When I got to the backroom, she told me I was late (when really I was still a half-hour early for my shift) and that I needed to start already. When I clocked in for my shift, there were lots of people up in the stand (kitchen) who I had worked with before, back in Cali. (Another reason why this dream seemed so real.) Then, they passed around the schedule for that week, I got 50 hours! (Most people would think this was weird, but for opening a new store, it's not so weird.) They then started asking me what I could and couldn't do because I was pregnant. Then, Justin's alarm went off and woke me up. It was so weird how real it was. The other weird dream I had last night was that I was on Glee, and it wasn't like real Glee. The characters were the same, but nobody sang, and it was like real life. It was weird, I was hanging out with Kurt at his house, we were playing old school nintendo. Then I woke up.

Basically, now that I've gone on and on about my dreams. I'm wondering, has this happened to anyone else while they've been pregnant. Because it's kind of driving me crazy! I sleep HORRIBLE the first half of the night and then have WEIRD dreams the second half!

In-n-Out Burger

As many of you know, I work at in-n-out burger. I have worked there for almost 4-years (not consecutively). I worked there for 3-years (in high school and the 2-years after high school). I left the company for 2-years and now I have been back for about a year.

The most common question I get about "ino" is: Don't you ever get tired of it? And, my answer used to be, "sometimes, but I change up my order every once and awhile or I'll go a few days without ordering food." Well, I have noticed in the past week or so (due to "morning sickness") the only thing that I have been able to eat, without feeling nauteous, is an "ino" double-double with spread only. OMG, it is amazing.

As most of you know, I have a deep love for tomatoes. I have ever since I was a little girl. Nice big, juicy, red, delicious tomatoes... mmmm. Well, as of about a week ago I would eat about 3-4 slices of tomatoes on my burger. Just a little bit of spread and LOTS of tomatoes. Now, I can't even stand the sight of them, or the thought of them (I have been gagging while writing about the tomatoes). Anyways, so now, I can only eat spread on my burger. And, it's not only on my burger. It's spread on my fries. Spread on anything. It is going to be a problem if I'm like this the whole pregnancy, but OMG, I can't get enough spread!

Anyways, "ino" is wonderful when you're pregnant. I remember when my sister was pregnant with Hailey and she would always ask me to bring her a burger when I would get off work. Now, it makes sense. They're heavenly to pregnant women! I'm just glad that I work there, so I don't have to go and buy a burger all the time. I just have to work and then I get a free burger... mmmm! Good thing I'm working today!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day as a pregnant lady has been no fun. Today is the first day of this pregnancy that I have felt sick, and it has been nausea all day! I haven't vomitted at all, yet, but this "morning sickness" thing is no fun!

Justin has been very sweet and let me sleep almost all day. (Except while I'm babysitting, of course.) He said that when I get home from babysitting, he's going to go get me some rainbow sherbert (since it sounds delicious) and some crackers. Justin is an awesome husband and the best Valentine a girl could ask for.

I can't believe that it's been a year since we met. Justin and I met a year ago, yesterday, and a year ago today was when Justin made me a delicious Valentine's dinner. It has been an amazing year and I wouldn't have traded it for anything.

The 2 Tests We Took!

Here is a picture of the 2 tests that we took! If one test wasn't enough, the second one proved it! The first one (taken on Sunday night) took about 3 minutes to say "pregnant". The second one (taken on Monday morning) said "pregnant" within seconds!

Sunday, the 3 minutes waiting for the results to come through seemed like the longest 3 minutes of my life. Then on Monday, I wished that it had taken longer, so I could've had a minute to catch my breath! lol.

How Our Moms Reacted to the News

I think it's hilarious. Both Justin's mom and my mom reacted the same way when we told them that we are pregnant. They both LAUGHED! According to them, it's because we had been saying the whole time we've been married (2 1/2 months) and before we got marriedm that we were going to wait at least a year or 2 to have kids. But, they both predicted it would be sooner than that. And, they were right. They were both very excited for us and excited to have a new grandchild, but they thought it was funny that God was proving us wrong.

I Feel Bad For Justin Right Now

So, in the past couple days, since finding out I'm pregnant, I have had more emotional/hormonal outbursts than ever before. On Monday, I cried for almost an hour about being frustrated, which normally would not get me that upset. All Justin could do was hold me and tell me everything was going to be ok, and to not get stressed out cuz it's not good for the baby. I love my husband so much, and I think that I am falling even more in love with him, as I see how he deals with my crazy hormones and how I'm hungry every 2 hours.

The last 3 nights, we have been talking about baby names, cuz we want to be prepared. We're both terrified that we're going to have twins (because Justin's mom has been telling us we would have twins, pretty much since we started dating, and I've been cursed with twins). So, we picked out 2 boy names and 2 girl names. I pretty much only picked out one of the names, and Justin fell in love with it and he decided to start picking the other ones. For boys we have: 1st choice: Hunter Vaughn, 2nd choice: Alexx Jeffrey. For girls we have: 1st choice: Elizabeth Ann, 2nd choice: Alexxandria Marie. I picked all of the middle names, and Justin picked all of the first names (except for Hunter).

I am just so grateful for Justin and how well he has adjusted to this big shocking surprise. Neither of us planned this, but we're taking this as something that God obviously wants for us. We both already love this baby so much.

A New Addition

Justin and I are pleased to announce, there will be a new little addition, coming to our family approximately, October 6th.

We found out tonight, January 30th, that we are pregnant. We had planned on waiting a few years to have children. But, obviously God wants what he wants for us. We already love our little bundle of joy.

Basically how we found out that we were pregnant was, for the past week and a half my boobs have been really sore (I know a little tmi, but it's part of the journey, right?) Then, on Saturday, I realized I was 4 days late. That was the sign that put us over the edge. I usually am like "clock work", last month I was 3 days late, which was odd, so I figured if I don't start tomorrow (Sunday) then we needed to take a test on Monday morning. Well, tonight, Sunday night, when I still hadn't started yet, Justin freaked out and went and got 2 tests. I took one and it said positive. I walked out of the bathroom IN SHOCK and told Justin. Right then, I just started bawling! Justin held me and told me everything was going to be ok. I don't know if I was crying because I was upset, shocked, happy, or all of the above. We each called one friend and talked to them, and they calmed both of us down. Then, it was time to call our parents.

We're waiting to "tell the world", we're still freaking out, but we're really excited!

people who make me want to barf and punch people in the face

So, people have been driving me CRAZY lately, and I don't know if it's because people are really dumb or if I am just becoming a lot more intolerant. Here's a list of things that people do that really irritate me!

1. when people who get pregnant who have stated several times previously that they can't stand children, especially when I have several other friends who LOVE children and cannot have them for one reason or another.

2. when people who NEVER liked sports (except golf, but that's not really a sport) are into decorating their children's room in sports. Wth? If you never liked sports and I highly doubt you would be the kind of person who would put your children in sports, WHY would you decorate in sports?

3. when people who don't know what they're talking about try to correct you, when you're doing it the right way to begin with.

4. when all people do on their blog is complain (yes, I realize that's what i'm doing right now. but why have a blog JUST to complain about everything going on in your life and the world. if it's that bad, fix it!)

5. when everyone tries to tell me a. I'm too young to be married b. that marriage is hard c. that I need to wait as long as possible to have children d. that I need to have children as soon as possible (I think when we're ready, we'll make that decision without your help)

6. when people tell you you're doing an awesome job at work and then cut your hours

7. when people think that they can use all the same things you used for your wedding, as theirs. I mean, I put the work in, I think if you want to use it, you should pay me to be your wedding consultant

8. people treating me like crap when I've apologized for something I didn't even do

Basically, I'm just tired of people. I'm glad for myself (and for the rest of the population of West Jordan) that I have 2 more days off. So, maybe I'll be able to chill out and be more tolerant. Who knows, I can't promise anything.

writers block

I hate this, when I feel like I have to write something, but can't think of anything to write.

So, I guess I'll just write what's on my mind...

I love my husband so much. He's amazing and super sweet to me. He takes care of me and makes sure that I'm happy. He is the best thing that ever happened to me. I can't believe that I'm lucky enough to be married to the man of my dreams!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! The past year has been quite the interesting year for me. Who would've thought on January 1, 2010, I would be where I am today. I definitely wouldn't have. But, I LOVE where I am and I wouldn't change anything that happened in the past year.

Things That Happened in My Life in 2010:

-My ex broke up with me at the end of January (I only put this because it is part of the reason I am where I am today)

-2 weeks later I got a job offer in Utah and moved back to Utah

-2 days later, I met Justin

-In March, Justin and I became an "official" couple

-In March, I surprised Justin in St. George at his work convention. That was when I realized I was really falling for him.

-April 23rd, I turned 22 and spent the entire day with Justin and his family

-May 12th I became an aunt for the second time, my sister had my nephew Kayden James

-Memorial Day weekend, Justin and I both moved into his parents house, so we could save money for a "future", whatever and whenever that may be.

-June, we took our first camping trip together

-July 5th, Justin's grandpa passed away

-July 6th, I started my new job at In-n-Out Burger, in Riverton

-July 20th, we opened the In-n-Out Burger, in Riverton

-The first weekend in August, Justin and I went camping with his work, it was so much fun, we can't wait to do it again this year!

-The last weekend in August, we took a trip to California, to get furniture from my family, visit with my family, and see some of Justin's mission families.

-August 30th, Justin asked me to marry him on the beach in Seal Beach.

-September 17th-19th, we went up to our friend Amanda's cabin in Bear Lake, ID and had an amazing time!

-September 24th, we moved into our apartment

-October 16th, I had my bridal shower in Utah

-October 22nd & 23rd, I went on my first deer hunt with the Lancaster family. Justin shot his deer at about 7:30 on the first morning, and I was the one who spotted it. His mom got hers within the next 2 hours, it was the fastest his family has ever filled all their tags.

-November 4th-8th, I flew out to California to see my family and have a bridal shower.

-NOVEMBER 13th, the best day of my life. I married the man of my dreams!

-November 14th-17th, we went to Lava Hot Springs, ID for our honeymoon

-November 25th-28th, we visited my family and went to one of Justin's mission family's baptism, in California

-November 30th, I started at the In-n-Out in West Jordan, which is a mile from our apartment and across the street from Justin's work

-December 17th, we went out on our first "married couples date night" with Justin's friends from work. We went to Chili's then to Temple Square to see the lights

-December 23rd-24th, we went to Lava Hot Springs, ID for a quick vacation with Justin's family

-December 25th, we had our first Christmas together

-December 31st, spent New Years Eve with Jen and Jared (from Justin's work) and we are so excited to embark on this new year together, as husband and wife.

Like I said, a year ago, I would've never imagined I'd be where I am today. But, I wouldn't change it for the world. I love my life and I love my husband, and I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for us!