House Hunting

We are considering buying a house while we are here. We would save quite a bit of money if we did, so we're thinking about it.

I was curious one day and decided to look at houses on the internet. We want to stay within our ward boundaries (preferably) so I started ruling out anything that was outside of our ward. I kept finding houses outside of our ward boundaries (we're in the first ward, and I found a TON in the second ward). Then I looked up the two boundaries and I found out why...

[caption id="attachment_373" align="aligncenter" width="898"] our ward boundaries are TINY! And we are literally surrounded by the second ward![/caption]

We'll see if we can find anything within our ward.

Craftyness

So what have I been working on for the last two and a half weeks you ask? I'll show you... well, let me explain first. My visiting teaching companion (Heidi) emailed me around November 25 and told me she needed some help with a sewing project. She asked if I could help her, I told her I would be more than willing to help. Usually when someone asks that kind of question, they are referring to me showing them a technique or something of the sort.

Well... she had something else in mind. As we started to talk about it, she got this guilty smile on her face that made me a bit worried. She's a photographer, so once we get into her apartment, she starts off by saying she wants to trade services. I told her I'm all for that... Then she tells me how much she charges for a photo session ($75-100) and says that she has a project that she thinks is worth that much. UH-OH! Now the wheels are turning in my head... she wants me to fix something that has already been started...

She tells me about how her younger sister started a T-shirt quilt over the summer and got overwhelmed with it, and Heidi told her sister she would finish it for her. But Heidi has two kids under the age of 2... so she doesn't have time to finish it. (I'm thinking, "ok... I can sew straight lines... I can do this") Then she tells me that her sister doesn't really know how to sew, and she didn't give her very good instructions on how to sew a T-shirt quilt, so it's not very well done. (I'm thinking "ok... can you show me what "not well done" looks like?") And then on top of that she asks me to finish it before Christmas! (I had projects of my own that I wanted to start and finish before Christmas. I still don't have a nursing cover for myself... and I want to make a carseat cover... and I was toying around with making a few things for my nieces and nephews... so much for any of those projects being done before Christmas...) She pulls it out and I immediately get overwhelmed... Now I'll show you the before and after pictures. Oh! and she tells me that she doesn't want me to undo any of her sisters original stitching, so any holes need to be patched up...

[caption id="attachment_367" align="aligncenter" width="640"] this is the first side she showed me... I was quite overwhelmed. Actually, I got overwhelmed every time I looked at it...[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_368" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Then I find out there's a second side i have to fix! notice the holes? and how uneven the sides are... ug! Oh and did I mention that the two sides aren't the same size either? It just kept getting better and better :)[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_366" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This is most certainly not perfect... actually I debated even putting it up, it's that bad. But I never claimed to be a quilter...[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_365" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Second Side. Oh! I'm so happy that it's over. And now I get free newborn shots of my baby :)[/caption]

Pregnancy Funnies... Again

Week 24: Brother Mumford (in our ward) was talking to us. He said “now, my wife told me that you are expecting? I could be mistaken though.” I told him I was, and he congratulated me. Then he asked when I was due. I told him the 22 of February, and he looked shocked… then you could see him counting how many months that was from now and then said “that’s soon!” We agreed, and I could see him trying to look at my belly without being rude. … Yes, I’m still small and hardly showing :)

Week 28: I have a pregnancy calendar that talks about different things that go on each week. Jonathan started reading it last night (I only put it up this week). On week 29 it says that baby will shed it’s lanugo. He asked what that was and I wasn’t sure but I told him that I thought it was fine hair that is all over baby’s body. He made some sort of comment that our baby is hairy and then rubbed my belly and said “night night fuzzy monster!”

Week 29: As I got up from kneeling down for family prayer I felt the awesome sensation of sciatic nerve pain shooting down my right leg. I have felt this sensation before, but this was by far the most intense I had ever had it. I started shaking my leg in hopes that it would go away… my leg shaking made Jonathan a bit nervous. I think he thought it wasn’t voluntary… anyway, I was telling him about what it felt like and he turned to me and said “Baby, you are getting on mommy’s nerves!”

I’m so glad that we continue to find the humor in life. It makes it so much more enjoyable.

Oops

I had a series of events happen this last week that are blog worthy.

On Thursday I was getting ready for a cookie exchange, and since I don't trust my cookie making ability (because my mom and older sister are AWESOME at making cookies, so I never had to make any) I decided to make popcorn balls. I made some candy popcorn balls, but then wanted to be awesome and make a second type. So I whipped out my trusty caramel popcorn recipe. Seriously, it's the best caramel EVER! I love it! I was in a hurry and for some reason it didn't thicken like it should have. It could have been that I didn't cook it long enough, or I may have messed up the measurements... I'm not sure, but it was more like syrup.

Dang. Well, it still tasted really good, and I didn't want to throw it away, so I thought I would just combine it with some other home made syrup that I had sitting in the fridge. Why did I do that? Because it would be horrible to get another Tupperware dirty... so I poured it in with my old stuff and planned to make waffles on Saturday. Problem fixed... or so I thought.

Saturday morning rolled around and I was super excited to have my caramel syrup on my waffles! We made waffles, and I poured a healthy portion of syrup on top! I took my first bite... mmm it was so good! Then my second bite, and I thought... why am I getting a hit of salty flavor?  I take my third bite, and there was no questioning it. I look at Jonathan and he mentions that the flavor is off somewhere... Then it hit me. I didn't have any extra syrup sitting in the fridge, but I did have some yummy Asian sauce (soy sauce based) sitting in the fridge. ... yay... go me! I ruined a perfectly ruined batch of caramel sauce even more than I thought possible....

Good thing syrup is super fast to make.

Thoughts about physical contact

I went to a grad student party with Jonathan on Saturday. I had a lot of fun, just getting out and seeing the people that he works with. On our way out we saw a friend who we have had over a couple times. Her name is Mikaela and when she saw that we were leaving she stopped me and we chatted for a few minutes. When she stopped me, she gave me a hug and asked how I was doing. Throughout the conversation she kept touching my shoulder, just as a friendly gesture.
As we left, I thought about that a lot. For some reason, that physical contact meant a lot to me. The fact that she hugged me made me feel really good. As I thought about it, I realized that I'm a very physical person, I react a lot to physical touch, even if it's just someone putting a hand on my shoulder while we talk. I used to be a very huggy person... I would hug everyone. For some reason, I don't do that anymore. I have decided that I need to get back to doing that. If I can feel so loved by such a simple gesture, then I need to share that love with others. I feel that love for other people, I just don't show it... so I have decided that I'm going to get back into the habit of being a touchy person.

That's all :)

Photo update, and life update

I feel like I haven't written about what's going on in my life for a while. I was looking through my pictures and uploading them and I think I'm going to share.

[caption id="attachment_340" align="aligncenter" width="300"] So... What do you get when you combine this stuff, pinterest....[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_341" align="aligncenter" width="300"] scissors, and this handsome guy as your helper???[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_342" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Some pretty awesome wall art! It's pretty awesome if you ask me. I'm not done yet, but this was one of our date nights this month. Once I finish it I'm going to buy some metallic looking spray paint and paint it. Then I'll take a picture and put it up for all to see :)[/caption]

After we made the decoration...

[caption id="attachment_343" align="aligncenter" width="300"] We went out and got a caramel apple and hot chocolate! (Don't mind the picture... we got a good shot of the apple, but I cut our heads off)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_344" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Shot numba 2... good of our faces but we missed the apple :/[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_345" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Third time's the charm! Well... That'll have to do, we got the hot chocolate, the apple and our faces. :)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_346" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Then we went on a walk and talked about upcoming Christmas present ideas! We got some good ideas... but I won't tell you what they are ;)[/caption]

All in all, we had an AWESOME date night! It was so nice to break out of the mold of what we usually do and be a bit creative. It was really fun having Jonathan help me with the wall art too! He's got a good eye for how things should look.

Another thing that happened recently is I got my hair cut!!! It was way overdue!!! I am happy to say that I no longer have a mullet! I was surprised with how much I liked it! It's always scary to give a new hair dresser free reign, but I told her I wanted to grow it out, and she assured me that she was really good at helping people grow out short cuts. I trusted her, and she gave me a hair style that I like better than my original short cut! What do you guys think?





and here's the back...





I really love it! It's funky, and feminine all at the same time! It's a bit quirky, and unique... all things that I want in a hair style. The only thing is it's not that diverse, meaning I can't do it very many different ways... but that's ok. She said I'll keep this same style till the top layers grow out to the bottom, and then we'll play with it and get it into an A-line! I'm so excited!

Gratitude Day 22

Day 22: I'm grateful for this time of year. I'm grateful for this time that we have to reflect on our blessings, and to stop and be grateful for them.
On our way up to uncle Howard's place, we thought of categories and then tried to think of ten things each within the category that we were grateful for. It was a really good thing for me. I was able to express my gratitude for people I don't often thank, and for things that are so common (like a kitchen table, or a comfy bed) that I often take for granted.

Gratitude Day 20-21

Day 20: I'm grateful for coupons :). Today I went to Target to start my baby registry (crazy!) and I got a boat load of coupons just for being willing to play with their fun scanner guns :). I'm excited to use the coupons too. This makes me want to register EVERYWHERE! I don't even need to tell people I'm registered at all these places... I just want the coupons ;)

Day 21: I'm grateful for the consideration and kindness of Uncle Howard in inviting us out for Thanksgiving! We're heading out today and I'm SO EXCITED! They also said they wanted to treat us to a show on Friday night, so not only do I get to hang out with family for the holiday, but I also get to go out, and see a play!!! I'm so excited!!!

Gratitude Day 17-19

Day 17: I'm grateful for good music. We went to a symphony on Saturday night and I really enjoyed listening to the music. I had a lot of time to think, and ponder about life. I'm grateful for talented people! Both composers and people who share their musical talents. Every time I go to the symphony I have a desire to start practicing violin again. I had that same thought this time too, then it changed to learning the cello, since we already have one, and I have a teacher that would teach me for free... then it changed to piano. I have a piano and I would get more use from knowing how to play that then any other instrument.

Day 18: I'm grateful for cooking, and family. Sunday we had some of Jonathan's distant relatives over (one of his mom's cousins, and some of his second cousins) and even though that was the first time we had ever met them, it felt good to know that we have family close (our second cousins, Kari and Kenneth, are going to Purdue as well). I decided to try a new recipe, and I must say, I'm so grateful for the internet. I can read enough reviews on the recipe I want to try, that I can be confident enough to make it for the first time when company comes over.
I had a really good time cooking with Jonathan, we made Panda express! We had chow mien, and mandarin chicken with rice and steamed broccoli. MMM it was so good! The new recipe I tried was the chow mien. It was a success.
I realized last night that I love hosting dinner parties. I love making fancy meals, and having people over. I'm grateful that we are in a position to be able to do that.

Day 19: Today I'm grateful for advice! I put up on facebook asking people to let me know all the best products out there for babies. Within 12 hours I had over 20 people respond with advice. Today my goal is to do my research for all the baby supplies I should register for, and because so many people were willing to put their two cents in, I have such a better place to jump start from. (feel free to also put in your two cents in about the best baby products out there)

Gratitude day 16

Day 16: Today I'm grateful for sleep, and for feeling rested. Sleep is something that I have struggled with in my life. I either wake up feeling rested, or tired. But I'm so grateful for the days I feel rested. I'm also grateful that on the days that I wake up tired, I can go back to sleep and try again. I know that won't be the case forever, so I'm enjoying it now, while I still can :)

Blowing my mind

Every Friday (the day of my "one week older in pregnancy") I get blown away with how far along I am. 26 weeks... that's a lot of weeks! This pregnancy seems to be flying by!

I'm so grateful that I am pregnant! It's a miracle and a blessing, and I thank my Heavenly Father daily that I am pregnant.

On a completely not relevant note :) : I felt my first sciatic nerve pain yesterday. That was an experience :)

Oh! And I just have to mention. I got the best sleep that I have had all week last night.

Gratitude Day 15

Day 15: Today I'm grateful that I can sew. I get enjoyment out of it, and it gives me something to do that makes me feel accomplished. If I didn't know how to sew, then I would be quite bored waiting for this baby to arrive.
I love to bring people joy, and I feel like I can do that through sewing.

Gratitude day 14

Day 14: Today I'm grateful for Visiting teachers. I don't get a ton of social interaction, so when someone offers to come over to MY house and visit me is quite a treat! Even if it's a calling.

I love my visiting teachers, They are both older than me. One lady actually isn't too much older than me, but she married someone who has teenagers, so she is in a VERY different stage of life than I am :). The other has three kids, 14, 10, and 5. So she is also in a different stage of life than me... but with that being said, I just love them! They are so caring, and they are so fun to talk to!

Yay for visiting teachers! (PS. I know I just posted about them, but I didn't in my gratitude days... thus I posted again)

Gratitude day 13

Day 13: Today I'm grateful for the words of the Prophets and Apostles. I'm grateful for the ease of access I have to their words. I'm grateful for the feelings of hope, and encouragement they give. I'm grateful for the prospective I receive when I read their words.

Life update

We had our doughnut night and it went about as expected. We had three people show up. It was nice though, because we now know three other people that live in this complex! I ended up only making about 40 doughnuts (the goal was 50, but the oil was a bit hot on the first batch of frying... and Jonathan and I had to test a few doughnuts, just to make sure they were safe ;) )
I was glad that people showed up! I would have been disappointed  but not surprised if nobody showed up.  Here are the few pictures Jonathan got while I was finishing up the doughnuts.

[caption id="attachment_304" align="aligncenter" width="300"] this is my "can you wait till I finish putting away the Vanilla?" face
My abdomen looks quite large in this picture if I do say so myself...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_305" align="aligncenter" width="300"] mid action shot![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_306" align="aligncenter" width="300"] mmmm (these aren't all of them, they were just drying so we could stack them)[/caption]



We had a good time! That was on Thursday, and then on Saturday, it was a beautiful night, so we decided to walk around Purdue. I had never seen anything besides Jonathan's building. We had fun doing that too!

Then we watched 17 Miracles... Holy cow! That's a good show! It's very moving. It made me so grateful for the faith and the strength that the pioneers had.

On Sunday I made Skor cake for a dinner party we went to, and we have leftovers :) I really love Skor cake! In my mind, a dessert can't get better than that!

Pregnancy progression... again

So here's my progression again up to 24 weeks (even though I'm 25 now...) I have only been taking them once a month.

Each time I take a picture, I think to myself, "This is it, this is when I am going to be significantly bigger than last time" but each time I don't look too much bigger. Oh well. I did get someone who saw my profile on Sunday and say "You are pregnant! I didn't know till I saw your profile" Bam! Take note! First time someone assumed I am was pregnant! It only took till my third trimester to get there ;)

[caption id="attachment_294" align="aligncenter" width="225"] 4 weeks (or, when I found out)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_295" align="aligncenter" width="225"] 8 weeks[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_296" align="aligncenter" width="225"] 12 weeks[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_297" align="aligncenter" width="225"] 16 weeks[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_298" align="aligncenter" width="225"] 21 weeks[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_299" align="aligncenter" width="225"] 24 weeks. This is a major moment as well. This is the first picture I took wearing maternity clothes. I was wearing them before, but they often hid my baby bump more, so I didn't wear them during the pictures.[/caption]

Also... I think Baby likes being in the pictures. I asked Jonathan if my belly really looks that pointy in real life and he says it doesn't... (it's especially bad in weeks 21 and week 16 pictures) So... I'm assuming Baby is sticking her bum out to show that she's in there :)

Gratitude Day 11 and 12

Day 11: I am grateful for combined prayers and fasts and the power they have. I have been blessed by the combined faith of friends and family members, especially with this pregnancy. I have seen miracles happen in our lives because of that. I have also seen miracles in my family and friends lives as well.

Yesterday (I'm writing on day 12) I got an email from my sister in law (Ashley) who has had her fair share of infertility struggles. They tried for over 5 years for their first baby. Eventually they did invetro (I don't know how to spell that word... sorry) and now have a beautiful almost 3 year old daughter. They have been trying for probably 2 years and have been seeing a doctor for about a year to try to have a second one. Seeing a fertility specialist isn't cheap, and they are in dental school right now... so basically they can only afford to try one more round of treatment to get pregnant. If it doesn't work, then they will have to wait 2 more years till after Matt finishes with Dental school in order to afford more treatment.
We got a text from Ashley yesterday morning asking us to fast for them, since they are starting the treatment soon. I fasted from media (thus I didn't post this yesterday). I'm so grateful that we can fast for loved ones and that Heavenly Father recognizes the combined faith of others for the individual. I really hope they can get pregnant.
Even though not many people who read this blog know them, if you could keep them in your prayers, that would be greatly appreciated. Their names are Matt and Ashley Fletcher.

Day 12: I'm grateful for weekends. Even though I do just about the same thing on a Saturday that I do on every other day of the week, it's nice to be able to have Jonathan home. I'm grateful for Sundays, and the opportunity we have to renew our covenants, and to attend a spiritual feast every week.

Gratitude Day 10

Day 10: I'm grateful for the scriptures, both the standard works, and also the words of living Prophets. I'm grateful for the Spirit they bring into the lives of those that honestly seek to understand them. I'm grateful for the testimony I have of them, and how they have helped me in my life.

Gratitude day 9

Day 9: Today I'm grateful for friends! I'm grateful for the friends I'm making out here, and also the MANY friends I have in Utah. I'm grateful for the things that I have learned from them, and the examples they are to me.

Activity Days and Doughnut night

I got called into Activity Days on Sunday. There is a girl who is turning 8 this month that has special needs and I'm called specifically to be her helper. I love this little girl! She is the sweetest girl ever! She is actually the only primary age child I really know, so I'm really excited! The primary presidency also mentioned that I was to be an active part of the group of leaders as well. I'm excited to get to know the leaders better too!

Yesterday was the first activity. Nobody told me where to meet, (I might want to mention that Wednesday nights are the night that EVERYONE gets together... mutual, cubs, bears, webelows, activity days etc.) So there were people in every room, but I didn't know any of them (because the other ward that meets in the building also meet on Wednesday nights). I felt like an insecure teenager who didn't know where her first class was at school. haha. I eventually found them, but the insecure-teenager feeling never went away. I had no idea what the plan was, or what my roll was in the activity (the little girl hasn't started coming yet). The other leaders didn't introduce me to the girls, so they all kind of looked at me funny with the thought "What is she doing here? Who is she?" I didn't know any of the girls, and I felt very silly. I'm sure once I get involved in the planning of the meetings I'll feel better.

I want to be there for the girls. I want to be the type of leader that I had growing up. I want to love these girls unconditionally, and make them feel beautiful, and special, and wanted and valued. I hope I will be able to do that. This is a crucial time in their lives, and I want to help them in their development, both in the gospel, and with their feelings of self worth.

On a completely different note... I'm hosting my very first doughnut night tonight! My mom would do this yearly and make anywhere from 200-500 doughnuts and invite anyone and everyone that lived around us. It was an awesome tradition, and a wonderful way to get to know people around us.

Jonathan and I decided that we need to get to know the people that live in our building. So what better way than an informal party where they come and eat yummy doughnuts? I'm excited to make them, and hope that people show up. Stay tuned... I'll have pictures and updates on if anyone showed up :)

Gratitude day 8

Day 8: I'm so grateful I'm pregnant! The past two years have taught me something, having a baby is not something that a couple decides when to do. It is all in the Lords timing. I'm grateful that the Lord has seen fit to grant Jonathan and me our greatest desire right now. I know that there are so many that have struggled for longer and have gone through more, and are still struggling. I am aware of you, and I pray for you daily. I'm so grateful for the trials I have gone through to get to this point. Although I would never wish them on ANYONE, I have learned more about the atonement, the Savior, faith, and Jonathan and I have grown closer together through this experience than we have grown through anything else.

Becoming a parent is a huge responsibility, I am starting to realize, and I'm grateful that I have nine months to prepare.

Gratitude Day 7

Today I'm grateful to be living in the U.S. I'm grateful that I was able to vote yesterday, and take part in deciding who should lead us for the next 4 years. Although I'm not a political person AT ALL, it felt good to try to get informed about both my local and non local candidates and vote for who I thought would be best.
I'm grateful for the way the government is set up, even though I don't understand it. I'm just grateful to be American! I live in a great country!

Gratitude day 6

Day 6: I'm grateful we are here in Indiana. Even in the short time we have been here, I feel like I have made some awesome friends. We feel like we are part of the ward, and we like where we live. I have had confirmations that this is where we are supposed to be right now. I'm grateful that Jonathan is going to grad school, and that he has the funding that he does. I'm grateful that we can make it month to month on only his income, and that we'll be able to do that when Baby comes.

Creating a Spirit of Thanksgiving

Some people have started a "day of gratitude" for every day of the month of November, to get themselves in the mood of Thanksgiving. I think this is an awesome idea! I am starting a bit late, so I'm going to do some catch up...

Day 1: I'm grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm grateful that I was born into the gospel, and that I have the opportunity to receive all the blessings that it can bring into a persons life.

Day 2: I'm grateful for the family I was born into. I'm grateful that I have a good relationship with all of my siblings, and parents. I'm grateful for the good times we have, and I'm grateful for the things we have gone through, because they have made us who we are today. I'm also grateful for my extended family and the examples and friends they are to me.

Day 3: I'm grateful for the family that I married into. I'm SO grateful that I have a good relationship with all of my in-laws. I know how much of a difference it can make when you don't have a good relationship, and I'm grateful that I do. We always have a good time together, and I feel like I am part of their family, not just married to a member of their family. I feel their support for me and I'm grateful for that.

Day 4: I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father. I'm grateful that I can pray to a being that knows me, and cares about the little things as well as the big things in my life. I'm grateful that He has a plan for me. I'm grateful that he mourns when I mourn, and is happy when I'm happy.

Day 5: I'm grateful for Jonathan. He is such an amazing person in so many ways. I'm grateful for his example to me, and his patience with me. I'm grateful that he can deal with my drama, and that he makes me laugh. I'm grateful for the way that he completes me and makes me a better person.

Funny Coincidence

Today I was in the temple. At one point, Baby was basically sitting on my hip, not the most comfortable place for her to be. So I started pushing on her to get her to move. The temple worker looked at me and said "Oh! You are pregnant! Congratulations!" I'm sure she said that to me because of what I was doing, not because I looked pregnant.

Then, not ten minutes later a different temple worker came up to me and said "You are so tiny! Do you have kids yet?" I told her that I was expecting my first, and to that she said "You are so tiny!" ... apparently I don't quite look pregnant yet. I was really hoping I did since I had a stranger noticed that I was...

Oh well... at least I'm not super uncomfortable yet :)

I love to see the temple

I really do! I love to go inside too! We went again today, and I love the time we get to spend on our way up, and the time we get to spend together through the temple, and on the way back. We realized that the next time we go to the Chicago temple I will be either 9 months pregnant (we'll see if I can handle the 5 1/2 to 6 hour drive in one day) or have a new baby. CRAZY! If some of you are wondering why, it's because we're going to Utah in December/January, so we're going to go once in December and once in January in Utah.
Today we got to do family names, and we got to do the baptisms and confirmations. I love it when we find those because I don't often get to go to that part of the temple much anymore.
As I was doing my hair after I finished with the baptisms I was enjoying how fast it was to do. Then the thought went through my mind "Do I really want to grow my hair out?" Probably... but I really love not having to spend more than 15 minutes on it EVER. I am longing for some change though, so I need to grow it out so I can do more than two things to it.

Balance (Warning: it's a long post)

I have a friend who has been struggling to get pregnant for a long time (I think she's coming close to two years, if I remember right). She has a blog that I love to read because she expresses how she is feeling so honestly, and I can relate to a lot of what she is saying. She wrote something the other day that really hit me, and I have been pondering about ever since. This is her quote:
"Some people really don't get it. I'm seriously convinced that there are those who think everyone wants to hear about their pregnancy, or their sister's baby or how wonderful parenthood is...
I'm here to let you know not everyone is strong enough to hear anything dealing with children."

I can totally relate to how she is feeling. Sometimes (especially on an emotionally bad day) it feels like everyone out there is an insensitive pregnant woman (or insensitive person who is wrapped up in their wife’s, or sisters, or daughters... (etc) pregnancy) who just has to flaunt the fact that they can get pregnant. It hurts a lot. I know how much it hurts to simply be in the presence of a pregnant person, I know how much more it hurts for them to talk about (and the WORST is complain about) their pregnancy. I also hated how pregnant people stuck together; they would sit together, and talk just amongst themselves.

Now that I'm on the other end it's a really hard place to be at as well. Pregnancy is something a woman lives with day in and day out for 9 months! They eat, sleep, and dream pregnancy, and the thing that is most on a pregnant woman's mind is the baby. So of course she's going to talk about it. Not only that, but there are all these new things happening inside of a first-time mother's body that she has never experienced before... so of course she is going to want to talk about them. Make sure she is normal... or at least talk to someone who is going through the same things. Now I understand why pregnant people come in packs.

And pregnancy isn’t always comfortable; pregnancy is not 280 days of bliss and comfort. Feeling lousy day in and day out gets to some women… puking once a week isn't the most fun thing. Having a sore back, hips, and joints, along with not getting much sleep really isn't fun sometimes. Especially when there’s nothing you can do about it. Now I understand why some people complain about pregnancy.

But on the flip side, pregnancy is a wonderful experience! There are things that happen that are sacred and personal. It’s a time of a ton of anticipation! It’s an exciting time: it’s exciting for you, your family, your husband, and your friends. So of course you are going to want to share your excitement with everyone around you! … Now I understand why people who are pregnant talk about it all the time.

When I was going through my infertility struggles, I promised myself that I wouldn’t complain. I’m not perfect at it. I try to be honest when people ask me how I’m feeling, if I’m starting to feel uncomfortable when I bend over, I’m going to tell them. Or if I didn’t expect my hips to be sore already, but they are, I’m going to tell them. I don’t want people to think that I have the easiest pregnancy in the world, free from aches or pains because that’s not true… but it’s not horrible. It’s great actually. And I couldn’t feel more blessed that I am pregnant right now.

I also told myself that I wasn’t going to be one of those “insensitive” pregnant women. But, I have offended people because I’m pregnant, I know I have. And I don’t know how to find that balance between being excited for this pregnancy and sharing my excitement, and being sensitive to those people who are struggling. Part of me doesn’t want to put anything up on facebook, or my blog about my pregnancy. Because I have had days when I got on (when I was struggling with infertility) and it felt like I was bombarded with cute pregnant belly pictures, and cute pictures of everyone’s babies, or posts about pregnancy etc. It hurt, a lot. But I also want to share this fun time of my life with those I love; especially since I’m not physically close to a lot of you.

So… My conclusion is that it’s hard on both sides. It’s hard to hear about pregnancy when you would give anything to be pregnant yourself. And sometimes it’s hard to be pregnant. It’s really hard to be sensitive to those who may be struggling, simply because the situation is the issue. I’m still struggling with this internal battle, but my conclusion is, as long as there is a balance of pregnancy to non pregnancy posts/photos etc. and I talk to everyone around me (and don't just stick to the pregnant packs) then I’m doing alright.

To those who were pregnant when I wasn’t: Thank you so much for being so sensitive and understanding. I didn’t understand the difficulty of what I was asking you to do. But thank you for being willing to be understanding and sensitive.

PS. And in my friend’s defense. I’m sure she was just having a bad day. She posted this last month, so I know that the first post was on a hard day. “Babysitting or being around children, when we are having a good day, is the best way Rich and I are able to cope. It helps us keep perspective of what our goal really is.”

Home teaching

Jonathan has been having a hard time getting together with his home teaching companion these past few months. Yesterday he decided that he needed to just go without him, because he wasn't available yesterday at all. So I was his companion! I was grateful for that because we were gone the WHOLE day. I was much more excited to spend the whole day with him, rather than the whole day alone at home. I do that every other day of the week (besides Saturday), I didn't want to do that on a day I had a chance to see him.
It was really fun getting to know his home teaching families. I love our ward, and the awesome people that are in our ward.
At the last house we were at, I was asked to give the closing prayer. So I bowed my head, closed my eyes, folded my arms and started by saying "We're so grateful..." Then I stopped, opened my eyes, and said "Maybe I should open the prayer first..." lol, I have never done that before! I have never skipped past the opening of a prayer!

Underwhelming Restaurant

Last night Jonathan and my brother Ty went to a famous restaurant in West Lafayette. It's called Triple XXX Diner. They sell the original and famous Triple XXX rootbeer, and lots of burgers. We had heard it was a good place to eat (a must see in West Lafayette) and it was even featured on "Diners Drive ins and Dives" (on Food Network), so I was pretty excited to try it out.
We made plans to go check it out, and I watched the episode on Food Network. I was a bit underwhelmed even from the show. Guy (the host) didn't really seem too impressed with the food, even though he would never say that. He tried one of the burgers and told the owner flat out that he didn't really like it.
We went anyway and I still had high expectations; they were dashed. It was an interesting atmosphere, but the food was just alright. They grind all their own beef (straight from pure shoulder steak or something like that), and they use a machine that was made in the 50's to make their patties. Because of this, the patties are super small, but they are quite tasty.
We had to try out the root beer. That was really good! I liked their root beer. All in all... it was an alright experience. I was kind of disappointed, but it wasn't horrible. I just hate spending money on food that isn't awesome. Too bad, now we have experienced the diner (and the burger with peanut butter on it), and we don't ever have to go back.

Here's the link to the episode, just so you can see what we saw :) Diners Drive-Ins and Dives

Yay for Visiting Teaching

On Monday I had a full day of Visiting Teaching. It was so fun! I was really surprised how long each visit lasted. I was basically out of my house for the majority of the day, which was SO GOOD. Sometimes if I don't have an errand to run, I don't leave the house all day. Sometimes that's ok, actually often it's ok, but it had been getting to me. So I was grateful for the excuse to be around people for the majority of the day.

As I gave the message I had an interesting thought. In the message it says "Visiting teaching is an expression of our discipleship and a way to honor our covenants as we serve and strengthen one another." I had never looked at visiting teaching as a way that I keep my covenants. It's true though, we promise to morn with those that morn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, along with lift up the hands that hang down. That's exactly what the purpose of visiting teaching is, it's a way to make sure that each sister in the ward is being taken care of. I think if I looked at visiting teaching more in that light, I may try to be a better visiting teacher.

Just a thought.

Worlds Shortest Ward Party

We went to a ward party last night; it was a Chili cookoff. We got there about 10-15 minutes late because I thought it started at 7, but it started at 6, so we had to change our plans for what we were going to bring. When we got there, the line was half way around the gym (apparently our ward is very punctual... now we know).
At about 7:15 the Elders Quorum Pres stood up and announced the winners of the chili contest and then someone said the closing prayer. By 7:30 all the tables and chairs were put away. We were really shocked, most ward parties last a little longer than that, and once everything is put away people stay and chat... not this ward! Everyone had bedtimes to keep to (for their little ones, or that's what we're assuming) so a lot of the ward was gone once it was cleaned up.

Labor

I have this internal battle going on in my head right now. Some days I think I'm superwoman, and I think that I can have this baby naturally. I get really excited to read all of these different books, and techniques and prepare for the moment. Then other days I say "what am I thinking? This is the most pain a person can go through, and I think I can handle it?" I am not the biggest fan of pain, actually, I try to avoid it at all costs. I don't have a huge pain tolerance, so what am I thinking? On the other hand... My body is made to do this. Women pushed out their babies without drugs for thousands of years... if they can do it I should be able to as well.

Another thing: this is probably going to be my longest labor, and the longest time pushing (because it's my first) so if I want to go natural, it would make more sense to try in my later pregnancies. But... on the other hand, I'm of the mindset that if I can get by without medication then why take it. I also really don't want to be tied down to a bed. I have had several women tell me how nice it is to jump out of bed right after pushing the baby out. I also really want to walk around during labor, use gravity to my advantage (I know that you can sit when you have an epidural, but I want to be on my feet). But then that voice comes along "what are you thinking? This isn't a picnic we're talking about... this is LABOR!"

This is the battle that is going on in my head. I have no idea what I'll end up doing. Just thought I would share.

Jonathan is funny

Today I made breadsticks to go with our leftover tomato soup (we're obsessed... or the recipe just makes a ton of soup!) and Jonathan ate about 6 bread sticks on his own. After dinner he said "I would "like" these breadsticks on facebook" and I replied "Really?" (That's a huge complement... he doesn't "like" anything on facebook... except for my MissyLee store :)) and he said "no... I just wanted to officially like these breadsticks."
I had a good laugh at that one!

Landmark moment!

Sunday was a landmark moment for me in my pregnancy. I got my first complement from a non-family member. It made me so excited! That's all... Just had to share

By the way... Everyone was right, I popped between 20-22 weeks. For some reason, I was thinking I would be showing way before then, but I wasn't.

Baby names.

Throughout this pregnancy we have talked about a lot of baby names! We have come up with a few that I really like, and Jonathan likes too ;). As we talk about baby names (both before we knew we were having a girl, and after) there are a lot that are similar to either people we are related to, or other common names. For example:
Raiden is too close to (cousin) Aiden
Raylin is too close to (cousin) Arilyn
Kyra is the same name as Jenny's niece on the other side (not a deal breaker... but still)
Raylee is too close to (cousin) Shaylee
Cambria is too close to (cousin) Kammi
(I know there were others that we thought about, but I can't remember them off the top of my head)

The point? It doesn't matter. If that's going to stop us from naming our child a name we really like, then we'll never find a name for this baby :). I mean, I had a cousin Talissa on one side and another cousin Alyssa on the other. It wasn't horrible... actually it was fine! Sometimes I thought an aunt (or cousin) was calling my name when they weren't, but it wasn't a big deal. So... in conclusion.... We are going to have to choose the name of our child according to what we like, and how we feel it fits for our baby, regardless if it's close to another person's name.

We had this discovery last night, and for some reason I felt like posting it. I am now stepping off my box of soap :)

A wonderful week

*Side note* I find that when I sit down to blog I BLOG! It's like a feast or famine with me... prepare for the feast of posts.

This last week was just great! We had quite a few plans this week, so it was a lot of fun! First off, I got to go to TWO baby showers this week! My ward is super awesome, and they do ward-wide showers (well it feels that way anyway) and it doesn't matter if it's your first baby or your fifth, they will throw you a shower! I really love that. The first shower was for someone who was having her second baby, but first girl. The second one was for a girl who was having her third baby, but her first girl. *So many girls!* I'm so excited! I accidentally went SUPER early to the second shower... I didn't bother to look at the invitation before I headed out the door, and I thought it started at 6:30, instead of 7:30... oops. It was ok though, because I had a lot of fun talking to the host, who I had never met before. I really love hanging out with people. I don't do it often, so when I do, I just soak it all in. I love it!

We also had the missionaries over for dinner on Tuesday. It's always fun to feed the missionaries.

We had a dinner party with a couple that Jonathan goes to school with. It was super cute because they aren't members, and they just barely got married (they had never really hung out with married people, and since they aren't aware of Mormon culture, they didn't know that this was going to be an informal event). So you could tell they weren't quite sure what to expect. They came all dressed up. It was so cute. They are a super fun, genuine couple, and I'm excited to get to know them better.

On Saturday we went to the Temple! This time around I just felt so much gratitude that we have a temple close enough to go on a regular basis. It's not as convenient as it was in Provo, obviously... but it could be worse, and I'm just so grateful that we can make it a day trip. I also thought about my pregnancy; I hope I can continue to be comfortable during the long drive.

All in all... It was an awesome week! Here's to another great one!

Roasted Tomato Soup

[caption id="attachment_216" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Who wouldn't want a little of this on a cold day for dinner?[/caption]

 

We found this veggie stand (I think I may have mentioned it earlier) where I can get 10 big vine-ripe size tomatoes for $1! I was pretty excited about that, so I found a copy cat recipe for Corner Bakery and Cafe Roasted Tomato soup. We tried it last week, and it was a MAJOR hit! So I'm going to share the recipe. We liked it so much that we made it again yesterday.

Tomato Basil Soup Recipe (Corner Bakery)

Chicken Stock – 4 cups
Olive Oil - ¼ cup
Can of tomatoes – 1 28 oz can
Fresh Roma Tomatoes – 3 pounds
Salt – 1 tablespoon
Pepper – 1 ½ teaspoons
White onion – 2 cups chopped
Garlic Cloves – 6 diced
Red Pepper Flakes – ¼ - ½ teaspoons (depending on how spicy you'd like)
Fresh Basil Leaves – 2 Tablespoons
Thyme – 1 teaspoon

Cook up some Roasted Tomato Basil Soup just like it tastes on a rainy day at Corner Bakery
Warm up your oven to a toasty 425 F
Cut your fresh tomatoes in half and make a nice olive oil, salt, and pepper Jacuzzi for them to simmer in. Toss them around and then put them in one layer on a baking sheet for around 45 minutes.
While the tomatoes are relaxing, grab a large pot and put it over medium high heat. Sauté the chopped onions, garlic, and red pepper until the onions start to get a little brown tan.
Then bring the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock to the pot and make it a party.
Finally, add the toasty tomatoes into the pot, and don't forget to pour in the extra seasoned oil that they were simmering in.
Simmer the mixture uncovered for about 45 minutes and then puree everything into a uniform mixture.
Garnish with the whole basil leaves.
Serve it warm on cold days and cold on hot days.

*We did a few things a little differently. We pureed the roasted tomatoes before we added them into the soup, and then left everything else a little chunky. Last night we pureed everything, and I like the chunky soup texture better.

**We also didn't add as much red pepper flakes as it calls for (just one little shake, I don't like my food spicy) and next time I'm going to try halving the amount of basil and thyme it calls for.

I hope you enjoy!

Kicking

Jonathan finally felt baby kick last night! I have been trying to get him to feel it all weekend, and it didn't happen till we were laying in bed ready to fall asleep! Thanks baby for not being shy for daddy again! We both got so excited! I couldn't stop giggling!

Speaking of giggling... I almost disrupted the closing song in the Sunday Morning session. I couldn't stop giggling. I had a baby sleeping on my lap, pushing on my belly. All of the sudden, my baby kicked straight out below my belly button. (Baby usually likes to kick close to my hips... in that area) She did that a few times, I could just see her getting a bit jealous that I was holding a different baby. I could almost hear her say "Hey! That's my spot!"

meal menu for last week and this week

Don't judge... I go with the flow and make a meal menu whenever we go shopping. This last week we went shopping on Thursday, so that's the day I start with.

Thursday: Cantonese Dinner - My favorite recipe! It's so easy, and fast, and it's always good!
Friday: Skorthalia - It's a Greek appetizer my friend made for me this week, and I thought it'd be fun to see what Jonathan thought. It has toast on the bottom, super garlic-y potatoes, a beet, and a balsamic vinaigrette on top. The one she served me was better than what I made for Jonathan. He said it wasn't the best thing he's ever had, but it was a nice switch-up from our regular flavor profile. I agree.
Saturday: lefovers
Sunday: Sweet and Sour chicken - also a favorite of mine
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: Baked potatoes... that was what was on the menu, but I didn't want baked potatoes, so I cut them up and put some seasonings on them and then baked them, so they were closer to crispy baked steak fries. The recipe I found I didn't really love, but I know what I'll do next time to make it better.
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Leftovers (Actually I went to the temple yesterday with the Relief Society, and I didn't get home till late, so Jonathan fended for himself, and I had a bowl of cereal)
Friday: Roasted Tomato Basil Soup - Copycat recipe for Corner Bakery and Cafe. We stopped there on our way home from the temple and I had that and LOVED it! So I'm making it again tonight.
Saturday: Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff (From my recipe treasure chest) (I was going to do the casserole that night, but crock pot recipes are better for general conference... especially Saturday night General Conference.)
Sunday: Leftovers (again, easy for General Conference)
Monday: Beans and Rice
Tuesday, and Wednesday: Leftovers.

I was talking to a friend from the ward that was telling me about a vegetable stand that has  SUPER good prices for tomatoes and Acorn squash among other things (HALLELUJAH!). Stay tuned for the acorn squash soup recipe next week.

Recipe treasure chest

As I was making my meal menu for the week I decided that I wanted to make a soup and a casserole this week because it's going to be a cold week. I started looking online (where I always look) and I found a link for a chicken and rice casserole recipe. Then I remembered that I had one given to me at a recipe exchange my married ward did in Provo. I found the envelope that it was in and I found a treasure chest of yummy, easy recipes that I still haven't tried! In the same envelope was all the recipes from my bridal shower that I had requested from ladies in my home ward! I'm so excited to try all of these recipes!

Boy, oh boy!!

Boy, oh boy! It's a girl!!!! Jonathan and I were both right! I can't wait to start making super cute girly stuff!!!

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow!

Ok guys. Tomorrow is the day!!! We find out the gender! I should have done this last week, because not everyone is a blog-a-holic like me, and they don't check the blog every day. But for those of you who happen to check it before I post about the gender tomorrow, feel free to comment about your guesses. Is this baby a boy or a girl?

I can't say you will get anything besides bragging rights. But those are always fun to get!

I'll post what some members of my family have already guessed

Mom Watterson: Girl
Amy Millar: Girl
Tacy Olson (cousin): Boy
Me: I'm in the air, but I'm going to guess girl. I was going to guess boy just so that if it was a boy I wouldn't be too let down (even though I would seriously be so happy if it was a boy), but I can't get baby girl thoughts out of my mind. So the guess is girl. I also can usually go by where the mom carries the baby, but since I'm still not really showing, that doesn't work for my guess... someday, someday I'll be showing.
Jonathan: (yes, I finally got him to make a guess. He's the type that he doesn't like to guess/suspect something if he has no control over it. Also, if he doesn't have any control over it, he'll guess the thing that has the most probability to be right, but since this is seriously 50/50 it was a hard choice for him.) Girl

What do you guys think?

Exercising

I started exercising again last week. (After I had a full 24 hours of no blood) and I feel so wonderful! I really missed exercising in the morning. I didn't realize how much I did, till I started back up again. I just feel so good afterwards.
That's all

Feast of the Hunters Moon

This last Saturday we went to a festival that is the talk of the town (seriously). It was really really fun! It was a reenactment of life at an eighteenth century trading post in New France. There were people dressed up as French people, and Indians (pardon the expression) and then there were random Scottish performers. I'm not sure why, but it was cool. They also had a TON of booths set up around this camp where vendors sold stuff from that time period (or rather, replicas,) and they had awesome food, and craftsmen there doing demos of different time period things. Here's a smattering of pictures for you to enjoy.

[caption id="attachment_177" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Here's the Scottish band marching in the background. It was fun to have random "home made" music in the background of the festival the entire day.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_178" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This is our attempt of getting a picture of both of us, with the band in the background.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_179" align="aligncenter" width="640"] That one's a bit better[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_180" align="aligncenter" width="640"] You can't see it, but there's a blacksmith in the background.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_181" align="aligncenter" width="640"] There, now you can see him[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_182" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The first food of the day, Stew. I don't remember what the name of it was, but it was just a basic stew. It was pretty good.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_183" align="aligncenter" width="640"] MMMM[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_184" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The boy scouts making and serving the stew. (With Jonathan on the side blinking... oops) All the food was cooked over an open flame, pretty true to the time period. I can't imagine cooking that much stew, that's a big pot![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_185" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This is me grinding corn into flour. That wouldn't have been the easiest job.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_186" align="aligncenter" width="640"] They had a shooting competition. He's loading up his gun.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_187" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Bang![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_188" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Jonathan wanted to try on a three point hat, but they only had child size ones. So with some prodding, he tried it on anyway.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_189" align="aligncenter" width="640"] SO COOL!!! There were a lot of women weaving. I wanted to try, I was pretty fascinated.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_190" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This couple made these instruments, and he was showing off what it can do. He was good![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_191" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Making table legs.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_192" align="aligncenter" width="640"] OH MY HECK! This blew my mind. She is making lace. All of the wooden pegs are different bobbins. She broke it down for me, how to do it, and it literally blew my mind. She said a professional could whip out a whopping inch of lace in an hour. No wonder lace was so expensive back in the day. Heck, it's still expensive.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_193" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Close up.[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_195" align="aligncenter" width="640"] pork chop. By FAR the best thing we had there. It was sooo good![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_196" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Apple Fritter. MMM. It was a good way to end the day.[/caption]

We also didn't get a picture of the fry bread we had. It was also quite yummy, and lemonade, which was a bit of a rip off, because they filled the cup (literally, it was full) of ice, and then poured the lemonade in, so there was about two sips worth. But it was quite yummy stuff.

We had a really fun time! Definitely the coolest thing we have done in Lafayette thus far.

Baby projects

I finished a couple baby projects in the last few weeks. Let me share some picture goodness with you.

[caption id="attachment_166" align="alignnone" width="300"] This is the first blanket I have ever successfully completed! I started when I was on self diagnosed bed rest for about a week. It was really fun to do. Oh, and no this is not an announcement that we are having a boy, I just happened to have those two colors of yarn, so I started with a blue one, and if I need to make a pink one, I won't mind at all.

This is the full blanket, it is straight on the left side, I just didn't straighten it before I took the picture.

It's my diaper bag! I'm so in love with it! oh, and if you look really closely, you can see my little belly poking out of my cardigan. I think I might have grown since my "pop" post

It has the capability to be a side bag, across the body bag, or a backpack! Love it! Seriously, I was so excited about it when it was coming together. I can't wait to fill it. Neither can Jonathan, it's super cute to see how excited he's getting. (We also tested the strap for Jonathan, it works for him too.)

These next few pictures are detail pictures. BAH! I love it!!! (Can you sense my excitement?)

Changing flap/pocket. The polka dot fabric are two big pockets for wipes and diapers. I'm also planning on making a changing pad to match, that will slide into the flap when it's closed.

Lots of pockets in the inside

A big pocket I added in the back. In the pattern, the backpack straps were also attached by D-rings, but I have heard that is uncomfortable to wear, so I made two straps, and the pocket is there for when I want to carry it with the shoulder strap, I can just tuck in the backpack straps in there. Also I can see myself using it for papers that I need easy access to, or books etc.[/caption]

 

Oh, and 4 days till we find out the gender. I. Can. Not. Wait.