Husband of the Year Award

I feel like I brag alot about my husband and maybe sometimes get too  mushy bout how much I love and adore him but he definitely deserves some praise right now. So here I am 37 weeks pregnant and STILL have no desire to do anything in preparation for the baby. Now some would say, "oh your in your last few weeks, your probably loosing energy and getting tired alot" oh no not me, my energy level is fine. For my WHOLE pregnancy I have had the i don't care attitude and it really has bothered me, but I haven't been able to snap out of it. I'm really waiting for the "nesting" phase pregnant women talk about... but frankly with 3 weeks left I doubt I'm going to find it. Instead, I think my husband has it. Actually I know he does.... and he has most of my pregnancy. Well we have been stressing about getting the baby room done. We finally found a dresser and changing table off craigslist and had all the intentions of painting them but every free time we had to go to Lowes we would come up with excuses not to go (mainly I did, poor Jeff I'm sure is way beyond exhausted with my I don't care attitude) Last week I had 3 days off and kept telling myself, I'm going to organize the baby room. Well 3 days came and went, not sure what the heck I did since Jeff was working the whole time, but needless to say I touched nothing in the nursery. It was time to go back to work and this is it what my nursery looked like... (I had taken a pic earlier in the week to show my mom how motivated I was with preparing for baby.. she laughed and said "that is so you")
Notice white dresser under the window... oh and the crib is filled with baby supplies... closet is a disaster and well as you can see the room is a wreck.

 

So off to work I went. I know Jeff went and did some Christmas shopping and but I had no idea he had other plans in store for the night. I not only came home to a SPOTLESS house but I walked into this... a perfect little nursery. Dresser sanded and painted, boxes thrown away, baby clothes hung up in the closet, toys in drawers, bath supplies in the bathroom in a bin, frames hung, drapes hung and yes... decorative pillows placed nicely on the dresser. What a husband. Apparently he didn't get to bed til 4 am but he said he just wanted to get it done so I had nothing to stress or worry about the rest of the pregnancy. Man how did I score such an amazing husband. I've said this before but he truly has been incredible to me during this whole pregnancy. He has literally done everything... all I have to do is push out the baby :) I just cried when I walked into the room. I swear I walked into it all day long and sent pics to everyone I knew to brag about my husband. I can't express how much I love him and most days feel I don't even deserve him. Now all we have left to do is order the Vinyl letting of her name for over the crib, buy handles/knobs for the dresser, paint the changing table, purchase the rest of our registery items we still need, bring baby home, take newborn pics to fill the frames and then enjoy the life as parents. Now I can say I'm finally feeling ready for baby girl to come :) 

36 weeks down, 4 more to go

Wow where did the time go... this has been the fastest pregnancy ever (for me :) Jeff said it's been miserable for him and that we are only having 1 kid, ha ha) We are both so glad it is almost over though and that we get to finally be parents. Jeff has asked me multiple times if I think I'll deliever before my due date, just because I've been contracting pretty good lately and both doctors I've been seeing don't see me going to 40 weeks, but we will see. Just the other day we were saying our dinner prayer and he said, "We pray that our little girl will come early." Oh good heavens honey. When I finally asked him why he wants me to deliver so soon he said, "I'm 30 and I'm read to grow up and be a dad." Trust us, neither of us expected to be as old as we are having our first child but the Lord knows what's best and I'm just so grateful for where we both are in our lives. Before we know it we will be parents to a special little girl... one that took forever to get here, one that has provided many scares, one that has caused my body so much pain, but one that has already touched our hearts and we are already so in love with her. And yes, with 4 more weeks to go baby girl still remains un-named :)
So with only 4 more weeks I'm feeling great! I can't believe how good I feel for being so far along, minus the nighlty contractions and cramping I've been having. I'm still able to work full time and not have any pains or discomforts. We still have SOOO much to do to prepare the nursery and our home. We finally bought her an outfit (all the clothes we have are hand me downs, or from family and friends) And her first Alaska fur hat that KO so graciously tried on for us :)

So I have very few pics of me being pregnant for a number of reasons... 1-I love to lounge in sweats so if I'm not in scrub for work then I'm in my comfy's and I never feel picture ready 2- It takes multiple attempts to get a good pic... this day particular we took over 20 pics. But hopefully my family (aka mom) will be happy now since she asks daily for a new belly pic. :) This first pic Jeff made me laugh cuz he caught me trying to suck in :) I hate the front shots cuz my belly is a perfect basketball and I think it looks funny so I thought sucking in would help... ha ha, busted!!!

Jeff's 30th bday

Jeff turned the big 30!!! I felt bad because I ended up having to work and being such a big day I was at a lose on what to do. We were going to have a big friends get together the day after but all our friends have kids that were getting sick and we just couldn't seem to coordinate a good time. Earlier in the week when I was talking to Jeff he mentioned non-challantly "I'm only turning 30, it's not like it's a big deal or anything." Well I was already feeling bad I had no major plans so a few days before his actually bday I got together with a friend at work and she was able to get me a discounted room at Alyeska Ski resort. I was nervous to go because last time we booked a room and showed up the tram was down, the pool was closed for maintenance and they only had 1 of 3 restaurants open... so needless to say we got our money back and headed home. Well this time I called multiple times to confirm everything was open and running. I booked just 1 night (the night before his actual bday) His bday was a friday and we both had Thursday off, so I told him I had the whole day planned for him. Well after coordinating with some friends to come let our dogs out and after trying to secretly pack a bag for us both, Jeff and I took off down to Girdwood around 2 pm. It's about an hour drive and Jeff had no clue what the plans were. I acted like we were just going for a joy ride... especially since the weather was beautiful. Well about half way there Jeff was getting restless and I could tell he had no desire to go on a scenic ride. Once we got to the resort I parked and told him we were going up the tram to enjoy the scenery. I could tell he was less enthused by this. Well low and behold we get up to the ticket office and it was closed for the day... ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! I had called multiple times to confirm it was running. (It had closed for the day just 30 min prior to us getting there.) Jeff then says, "Well I really had no desire to go up anyway." Well glad I didn't waste any money then. So I said well lets walk around for a bit. We did and enjoyed visiting. Then Jeff said, "Well, we ready to head back to town?" At that point I said, "No, lets go check in." He said "yeah right, like I packed a bag!" That's when I told him that I did and that we really were checking in. He got a cute smile and said "Oh how fun, cuz I was not looking forward to the ride back" Ha ha. I felt bad so far nothing was going smooth so I was just glad to see a smile on his face knowing we were going to have a night all to ourselves.. We checked in and they upgraded us to the top floor of the hotel (at no additional charge) and although the view was pretty, the room was nothing special. After relaxing for a bit, We got ready to head to dinner. Aurora was the restaurant we ate at and when we came to the resort for our anniversary a few years ago we remembered how amazing the food was and Jeff loved their peppered steak. So we get to the restaurant and they give us the menu... no peppered steak. Jeff thought we were at the wrong restaurant but they had just switched over to their winter menu... UGH. I felt so bad, that's all Jeff wanted for dinner and he was so looking forward to it. Instead he got a burger, but he said he did enjoy it. After dinner we went swimming. Alyeska has the only indoor, HEATED pool in the flippin state. So we were excited to go and relax... and that we did. We both swam and enjoyed the hot tub for over an hour (yes, me in all my 9 mo. prego glory!!!) It was soooo relaxing. Afterwards we headed back to the room and just enjoyed watching tv and cuddling. We then both got the midnight munchies and deciced to order room service... PIZZA!! It was a killer pizza too, well worth it. We both slept pretty amazing and woke up early, went swimming again and had a nice sit down breakfast before heading back to town for Jeff to go to work and me to take a nap to get ready to work that night. Overall, it was a very quick over night stay but it was soooo relaxing. I tried not to be selfish and hoped Jeff didn't think I did this for my prego self, but I know he really enjoyed it too. I tried to think of ways to surprise him and I know I did. I wish his 30th bday could've been more memorable but we just loved being together and relaxing away from home. I know Jeff knows how much I love him but in dedicating this post to him I just want to let him know what an amazing husband he is to me. He has been my EVERYTHING through our marriage and especially throughout this whole pregnancy. He was a great husband before but after getting pregnant and seeing how little I could do because of the pain he sure has stepped up and now he is just the perfect husband. He is always checking on me, always asks how I'm doing and if he can do anything for me. It's so hard for me to imagine sharing our lives with a baby cuz I'm so spoiled and love our time together.   (So no surprise... I got NO pics of us on his birthday. I tried but he deleted them cuz he didn't like them) So all I have are pics of our scenic drive and the beautiful weather.)

Baby Shower in AK

I have been terrible at taking pics the last few months (and blogging:). Well I found some pics on my camera that I totally forgot I had and it was of my baby shower my friends threw for me here in Alaska back in November. I was so grateful for them and how thoughtful they were. I was really struggling knowing I couldn't make it home for thanksgiving and I wouldn't be getting a shower from my mom and sisters. Still to this day it makes me sad, I think mostly because no one in my family has actually seen me pregnant... besides pics and facetime. But that's what friends are for is to fill in the gaps when family isn't around. It was a great morning with good food, great friends and plenty of gifts for our little girl.
Colleen was in charge of the camera and thought taking self photos of her and Jaime would be easy with 2 kids on your laps... ha ha

 My good friend Meg made me this beautiful blanket and some burp clothes. She is the most talented person I know when it comes to crafting and sewing and I'm so thankful she shared her talent for my little girl. She is due with her little girl just 3 weeks before me and although we haven't seen each other much during our pregnancy I'm looking forward to having playdates.

 I didn't get pics of everyone who came to support Jeff and I and little girl. I also had a baby shower from the girls in my ward that I actually didn't even get to go to cuz of work (it was a group shower for 5 ladies) but we have been very spoiled so far.

1 year older...

Well another year has come and gone and here I am 28 years old. It was a great day and Jeff did everything to make me feel loved and special. He knows exactly how to make me smile and that was to spend the whole day with me. He took me anywhere I wanted to go... even baby shopping. It's always hard to be away from family on occasions like this but he made it worth it. Here's to another year of getting older :)
Jeff posted this pic on facebook the morning of my birthday... I thought it was cute that he thought of me.

Thanksgiving/ Black Friday

THANKSGIVING DAY
Well I've procrastinated about writing about our thanksgiving because it was so depressing... for me!! Jeff and I were originally going to go home for thanksgiving when we knew that going home for christmas wasn't an option being so close to my due date. Well then I got placed on high risk pregnancy and the DR wanted me to come in before I booked flights (appt was Nov 7). She ended up clearing me to fly but at this point flights were OUTRAGES. Neither our Delta Card or Alaska Airlines card was up for their companion ticket renewal dates until the end of the month (terrible timing) and Jeff ended up getting a side job so he wasn't able to go with me. I really didn't wanna go and leave him alone over the holidays. I battled back and forth hour by hour, day by day about what to do. But in the end I couldn't swallow the cost of flying. (and sadly, I was suppose to go home for a baby shower by my mom and sisters.. so needless to say this didn't happen) UGH!!!!
So here comes Thanksgiving Day. The last 2 years have been a big success here in Alaska, so i was hoping to have similar outcomes. I made a killer turkey last year and was so excited to cook one again. We tried to gather as many friends, ward members that didn't have dinner plans, and of course (as the past 2 years have gone) having the missionaries join us. Well It ended up just being the missionaries, the Ruggles, Jeff's home teaching companion and his son, and us. So 9 people total. We had bought a 23 lb turkey... yes it was HUGE!!! the instructions said to cook 4-4.5 hrs on 375. Well I increased the temp to 400 and cooked it almost 5 hrs. I made mashed potatoes (a massive pot), some asparagus and 2 different apple pies. Colleen did the stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, a cherry pie and a pumpkin dessert. Well as I was home cooking the turkey watching the Thanksgiving day parade with Jeff, enjoying our morning I noticed the oven smoking. The drippings to the turkey were leaking and causing quite a mess... well I didn't realize how big the mess was until it was time to pull it out and head over to the Ruggles for dinner. there was a massive hole in the bottom of the pan so I lost all the drippings (so no turkey gravy). Our oven caught flames, almost cuaght Jeff on fire while he was trying to lift this dang turkey out of the stove. Our house was COVERED in smoke, smoke alarm going off every 5 min... fan going on high, front door opened, kitchen window opened (no other windows would open cuz they were FROZEN SHUT which Jeff was trying to unthaw with a blow dryer so we could get more ventilation in the house. ) Mind you, it was 4 degrees outside, so having the door and windows open was MISERABLE. THEN We get to dinner and cut into the Turkey and it was still RAW in the middle!!! I was hysterical... the main dish was uncooked. We cut off what we could (the meat was still slightly pink but no one got sick:) By the time we ate the mashed potatoes were completely COLD, asapragus was crunchy and terrible tasting (it was Jeff's fav part of Thanksgiving last year so I did the dish again), I hate stuffing so I didn't eat any. I didn't eat the Turkey cuz I didn't wanna risk getting food poisoining and throwing up at 33 weeks pregnant and inducing contractions. So my meal consisted of cold mashed potatoes (with no gravy) rolls and NO PIE. Why you ask, I made 2 different apple pies. My mom had called me that morning to tell me a killer recipe she had just made that was super easy. So I did but I only wanted to make 1 pie just in case it didn't turn out and the other one I've made before so I was comfortable making it. Well i hope the pic is enough explanation as to why I didn't have pie... one was non-edible and the other I left for others to enjoy.  UGH UGH UGH I pouted all day and was so upset at myself for flopping Thanksgiving dinner. And we had NO LEFTOVERS... my absolute favorite part of the meal. But whatever, everyone else said they enjoyed it (or they just choked it down to avoid causing the pregnant girl to have an emotional meltdown :)
We chilled with friends all day with anticipation of starting Black Friday that night at 8 pm. Well I fell asleep and woke up at 715 having NO desire to go shopping and neither did Jeff so we chilled home bababysitting little Rylee while Chris and Colleen went out (it was Colleen's first time so she was beyond excited to go) Needless to say, I went to bed feeling pretty crummy bout my day but I was so thankful for the people I spent it with.
Yes I did take the time to reflect about ALL my many blessings and despite a botched dinner, I'm beyond blessed and so very thankful for the life my Heavenly Father has given me. I have the most AMAZING husband in the world who loves me so much and has shown me his love through his actions and words. I have incredible parents and siblings and have been blessed with the most amazing in-laws a girl can ask for. I have 2 perfect dogs that keep me smiling daily and keep me entertained when Jeff is gone fishing, hunting and working. I have a perfect little girl growing inside of me, and despite all my complications, excessive pain, high risk pregnancy... she has maintained strong, healthy and ever so active. I have a strong testimony of the true gospel of Jesus Christ and CANNOT imagine my life without it. My list can go on and on, but bottom line is I'm thankful for MY LIFE and all the trials and hardships I have faced that have made me who I am today.

Pic: My beautiful homemade pies BEFORE...

 

 My pies after... I'm ONLY posting this cuz now I look back and laugh. The second one collapsed AND burnt when I put the glaze on... oh what a disaster. Needless to say we only had 1 pie to enjoy.

BLACK FRIDAY
Jeff and I love this time of year because of all the traditions we have started. And we were excited to continue these traditions... until we saw all the ads and realized there was nothing we needed or really wanted this year. Preparing for a baby sure changes your mind set when it comes to wanting things :) So we opted out of waking up early and decided to sleep in and just hit stores throughout the day. We did continue our tradition of eating at Village Inn so at 9 am we headed there with the Ruggles. We then hit up the Mall (Aeropostal, Old Navy, American Eagle), Best Buy, Sportsmans, Big 5 sporting goods, Target, Lowes, and Fred Meyers. We didn't get home until 6 pm... my feet, pelvis and back were KILLING me. But we got a few things and just had an absolute blast being together. Jeff is like a kid on black friday... ever since he started going for the 1st time 2 years ago he just loves it. It was hard to say enough was enough after we kept going to store after store but I made it and it was a very successful busy day. It was different this year, cuz normally we choose a family to do Christmas for but this year our ward is just requesting gift cards to hand out. Jeff and I were kinda sad cuz we love shopping for others and we especially love making it a date night to go to the knock and run drop off. But we are just grateful for the means by which we are able to still help out another family this time of year. Jeff and I have said we will ALWAYS try to provide for another family becuase no matter our financial situation, there will always be a family who is worse off. It definately opens up the Spirit in our home and starts off the Christmas season thinking of others. I can't wait to get my kids involved doing this just like my parents did with us kids. I remember my mom having us kids go pick out a present under the tree and we would go and deliever it to another family. My dad would drive our mini van with the sliding glass door open and the inside lights unplugged so it was dark... we would take our gifts and knock and run. What a thrill and rush it was. And not once did I ever think or wonder what gift of mine did I just choose to give away.
Sadly this year I didn't get any pictures of our Black friday adventures but it still warrants blogging about :)

 

Oh wait I did take a pic of our new house to add to our Christmas Village (another tradition to get a new house every year)... I think this is my favorite one yet

33 Week appt

The count down is on and I can't believe how fast time is flying... before I know it our whole life is going to change with having a little one here. I have been feeling incredible lately. And no this isn't sarcasm. It has been a painful pregnancy until now (thought the last couple weeks were suppose to be the worst:) My pelvic pain is mild and very much tolerable. The hardest/most painful part is getting in and out of cars and the tub... and getting dressed. So at my 33 week appt, I was expecting a big weight gain (cuz I really have popped out more since my last apt 2 weeks ago)  but to my surprise I actually lost weight, only half a pound but regardless I was shocked. When the dr. measured my belly 2 weeks ago i was 28 cm, and today I was only 27 cm. What the heck is going on... I feel huge!!! So of course she orders another U/S and when they said they could get me in in a week she says, "Um no, how bout you get her in in the morning" Wow, this seems urgent. How is this possible... I feel incredible. No I haven't been leaking amniotic fluid (that I knew of), no the baby's movements haven't slowed down so what is going on. So I had to wake up bright and early at 630 am on my birthday to make it to my appt. ALL IS WELL. Fluid levels are great, baby's growth is right on with the charts at 4 lb 11 oz (expected between 4.5 to 5 lb) AND my placenta has moved!!! yeah!!! So now I'm cleared to have a vaginal delievery... YEAH, no planned c-section!
(Sorry again for another instagram photo, it's all I saved in my phone.)

9 weeks and counting

How far along: 31 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: As of 2 days ago at my Dr. appt I have gained 17 lbs (I surpassed my freshman 15 weight, and I thought I was chunky back then :) I feel great about my weight (although the growth charts say I'm underweight, my Dr. said it's perfect for my thin build and the fact that my baby is measuring exactly to the day.)

Names: Oh we still don't know... we juggle it between 2, occasionally throw in a new one here and there but have no idea. So baby girl it is ;)

Maternity clothes: just a skirt. Other than that I'm still in all my clothes and jeans. I use to ( at 22 weeks) have to use a rubber band on my pants but now that she has moved up in my belly I can wear all my normal jeans without discomfort.

Stretch marks: Not a single one and hope it stays that way. My dr said it is usually genetic and since my mom nor sisters have any, I think I'm safe :) And I have gained all my weight gradually and have no additional undeeded weight.. it's all baby and amniotic fluid :)

Sleep: I work nights so I always have insomnia but there are days still (at 31 weeks) that I can sleep 10-12 hrs straight :) AND i can still partially lay on my belly, with a pillow as a wedge.

Best moment over the last month: Not being put on bed rest... yet!!! (Dr gave me the option, but I need to work for insurance for now)

Movement: YES!!!! NON STOP. My baby has insomnia too. Thankfully she is up all night when I work so we both sleep during the day. Since I have a low lying posterior placenta, every movement is seen and felt. She is one active girl

Food cravings: None! I have not craved a single thing this whole pregnancy. I can't handle chicken ( the texture and tasted just make me ill) but other than that I eat just like I did before I was pregnant.

Heartburn: Heck no!!! I have been so blessed. I get a little reflux if I don't stay up right after eating but absolutely no heartburn.

Belly Button in or out: In. It only pops out when she sticks her bum and or head up. 
Baby's position: whatever she wants it to be. One day at my 3D ultrasound she was breech... 2 days later at my perinatologist ultrasound she was head down. and currently as I sit here on the couch she is horizontal :) (the good thing about being thin and a posterior placenta is I can feel most her body parts. I can feel the head and follow her back down to her bum and since she rarely holds still I always see her kicks. so I usually always know what position she is in. When the dr pressed on my belly this week she said "Wow, that is one solid girl!!"

Overall: Gosh as I type all the answers, I'm sure one would think what an easy pregnancy I've had. for the most part, it has been...ok that's a lie... I have been battling the worst pelvic and lower abdomen pain EVER. I barely make it at work (last week I had to be a sitter half way through the shift cuz I couldn't walk anymore) On my days off, I basically lay in bed or on the couch all day. I need help getting up and repositioning. I struggle getting dressed (not because my belly is too big or I can't bend over, it's all from sharp, stabbing, radiating pelvic pain)  It's been pretty miserable. I take a hot bath 2-3 times daily, which is the only relief I get. The Dr.'s are still concerned about my low lying placenta (its not a complete previa anymore, just a marginal previa) which means it is less than 2 cm to my cervix. So they are still hoping it will move up more into my uterus but it hasn't changed since I was 16 weeks so most likely it won't change before birth. The concerns with this are in delivery I could deliver the placenta first, hemorrage or the placenta could block the passage of the baby... all require emergency c-section. So we may just go ahead and do a c-section to prevent complications. I definately want to deliver naturally... i wanna watch the delivery, hold my baby right after skin to skin, have Jeff cut the cord and experience the whole delievery with me. I want a quick recovery and I definately don't want an incision on my skin. But I do want a safe healthy baby so I will do what I need to.

Thanks to my good friend Kari, who is an ultrasound tech, I have been able to go in whenever I want for ultrasounds.  Sadly, little girl had both feet and a hand covering her face and it took an hour just to get 2 good 3D shots and when we did, her face was pressed against my uterus but it was fun to watch her twist and turn, blink her eyes (creepy looking) yawn, munch on her cord and play with her fingers. it was so fun and I'm so grateful for Kari's talent and willingness to always take me into work :)

Another pregnancy update

Well my last post was a while ago and a lot has happened since. So after our little "OB triage" visit/pregnancy scare, we were scheduled to do an ultrasound with a perinatologist just to confirm that all was well. First off the DR was a jerk and I hope we never have to go back to her again (and sadly she is the only high risk perinatologist in the state, UGH) Well She said all was well... yes I have a low lying placenta (but there is still plenty of time for it to move up and out of the way of the cervix) but I definitely don't have Vasa Previa (the blood vessels they thought they saw on my cervix). So I guess what the tech was seeing before was uterine blood flow, which is normal. So thank heavens... we walked away from that awfully guick (15 min) and VERY expensive office visit feeling much better about the pregnancy and our little girl. She is measuring great... in fact at 25 weeks she was right on with all her measurements. Sure glad she is growing healthy and strong.
So I'm now 28 weeks (YEAH!!!!) and this past week has been the HARDEST week yet. I honestly rather take exhaustion and nausea over how I've been feeling this week. Last week at my MD appt I told her I was having so mild pelvic pain. She proceeded to press on my pelvis (Holy heck it hurt) and said it was normal, my pelvis is just starting to separate as part of the child bearing process. Well for 2 days straight I felt like I was bruised/banged up "down there" I seriously felt like someone took a bat to my pelvis and caused some major damage. As the week progressed my pain moved up to my lower abdomen and over time it got to the point where I could barely walk, I definitely couldn't speed walk/run (not good when your working and you have bed alarms going off that need your immediate attention). It then lead to me not being able to get myself up off the couch or out of bed without moaning/groaning/crying (lots of tears this week) etc. I couldn't/still can't lift my left leg up without immense pain (makes getting dressed difficult) and going up and down stairs is the biggest chore yet(and we live on the 3rd floor of our apt) The list of situations that flares up my lower abdomen/pelvis pain goes on and on and so yes... it has been a very long week. After trying multiple times to get a hold of the dr, they finally called me back and said it's just ligament pain!!! GOOD FLIPPIN HECK, your telling me this is part of pregnancy and I just need to suck it up!!! The nurse said some feel it worse and it can become very excruciating (which it was) and the best thing to do was to not stay on my feet too long or sit too long. Once I told her I was a nurse who works full time she said "that's why it's getting worse, you work 3 12 hr shifts and probably have no rest in between" she is exactly right!!! So the remedy is hot packs (which I already take 3-4 hot baths a day), Tylenol (which does jack squat for me) and a belly band (which I do wear at work but apparently I'm not big enough yet for it to work so all it does is add more pressure to my lower abdomen) so if your still reading this novel, long story short.... it's been a very painful, very long, very exhausting week of pregnancy!!! Hopefully I will find a way to make it through (quitting work is not an option, dang it... at least not until baby comes)
So in the mean time, Jeff has been a LIFESAVER. He has been the sweetest husband ever. He planned a whole months worth of meals, helps me grocery shops, keeps the house clean, does the laundry, keeps up with the dishes, makes me dinner, runs all my bath water (which is very frequent) and is always helping me up off the couch/floor/bed. I truly love him so much and don't know if I could ever repay him. He truly has been nesting for me :) He found and ordered our baby bedding, put together the crib, organized and rearranged both our guest bedrooms so now our nursery is empty and ready for baby stuff. He has been shopping online for room decorations, closet organizers, dressers, etc. It has been so fun to prepare for this little one, it gets me more and more excited for her to be here.
So here are some random pics from the last few weeks. The first of Oct we got our first PFD checks since being residents of AK. Sadly it was the lowest check EVER, but it was nice to get $878/person. Hopefully in the years to come it doesn't keep dropping now that the oil industry is picking up again (it is based off a 5 yr cumulative total, 4 years ago it was the biggest amount ever at $2050/person.) So with our money we bought all our big baby supplies (crib, play n' play, swing, stroller and car seat, car seat canopy, baby monitor, and bedding/nursery decor). The rest of the money is going to food storage which I'm super happy to finally be able to stock up for an emergency (lets be honest, we live in AK, if something strikes here we go days/weeks without assistance)
This is me just short of 27 weeks (feeling great at this time, sorry the photo is off instagram so it's blurry)

 KO is a trooper and tried out all our baby stuff for us... he wasn't a fan of the swing and jumped out too guick before I caught a pic... :)

 Had my first baby shower from my ward (and sadly I missed it d/t working 16 hrs straight and being super tired. It was a shower/brunch for 6 ladies in the ward) KO sporting the most darling beanie ever... got a couple of these, can't wait to use them on our little one!!!

 Random pic... the dogs don't sleep with us when we are both home (2 bodies and 2 dogs that sprawl is too much for a queen size bed ;) But the second Jeff leaves, Chewy jumps up and lays on his pillow until I wake up. Too funny

 And last but not least, winter has arrived... WAY TOO EARLY. As you can tell, we hadn't had time to winterize the boat yet. Last year first snow fall was mid Oct... This year, 2nd week in Sept!!! This first snow fall brought 2-7 inches in certain parts of Anchorage, but melted pretty quickly. We have had 3 more days of snow since but it has all melted. Might be in for a long cold winter ahead.

24 week pregnancy SCARE!!!

Well lets just cut to the chase... I'm already a high risk pregnancy due to my placenta previa and my vasa previa (vessels on the cervix). Well one day I had a rough night, not able to sleep. I felt a lot of pressure (lower abdomen) and all day long I was super tired but couldn't sleep. I just felt uncomfortable... didn't really cramp just felt pain when I was up walking around. During the night I had a feeling that I was "leaking" and my first thought (being a nurse) was it was amniotic fluid. I brushed it off all day long. I told my mom and sister and after hearing their advice (my mom was flipping out, telling me to call the dr) I decided to brush it off and just wait and see. Well sure enough we were getting ready to go out with friends and being I just got over some bronchitis, I still have a slight lingering cough. Well I coughed and felt a gush of fluid (no ladies, I didn't pee my pants after coughing cuz I had just gone to the bathroom). I immediately called my Dr. and she said I had to get in ASAP. So off to OB triage we went, nervous as ever. I'm just barely 24 weeks... I have a long ways to go before little girl should arrive.
So we arrive and the testing began. They did 3 different tests to determine if it was sure enough amniotic fluid. If it was, they were admitting me on bedrest for the remainder of my pregnancy!!! THE REMAINDER OF MY PREGNANCY!!! No bedrest at home, bedrest at the hospital!!! Oh the emotions hit me hard... I work full time to carry insurance until Jeff gets called out to Oklahoma for training and he starts carrying insurance. And if Jeff does get called out, I'm here alone, on bedrest... at the hospital. With all we have been through trying to get pregnant and then the vasa previa, and now possible membranes rupturing... it's taking all our patience, energy and faith to get this little one here!!!
Well after waiting 2 hours for lab results and a pelvic exam, the dr asked if I've ever been diagnosed with endometrial cysts. I said no, and she said it looked as if I had the remainder of one. So the gush of fluid was just the rupture of the cyst (explains the pressure and pain i felt) And the lab results came back positive for an infection. So thank heavens I was discharged with an antibiotic. I have to still follow up with the perinatologist to double check my amniotic fluid levels and see the status of my vasa previa... so I'm not out of the woods yet.
I just want to say first off how greatful I am for a heavenly father to send us this true miracle. I will do whatever I have to to keep her safe and inside of me for as long as I can.... sadly even if it means bedrest. This was a scare I never want to experience again.
Second off, I saw a new side of my husband I have never seen. I had a moment of extreme pain and he stood there, held my hand, told me to squeeze his hand has hard as I wanted. Later I apologized for squeezing so hard and he said, "Babe, I wanted to feel the pain you were going through." At that moment, I knew I can do anything with him by my side. I can't wait to watch him be a dad... and to protect and provide for me and our little girl and other kids waiting up in heaven to join our family. I love him so very much and with us just celebrating our 3 year anniversary, I love that we have such a strong marriage and friendship built before we brought kids into the family. The past 3 years have been incredible and I know we will never get that time back. I know our kids will bless and enrich our lives and I look forward to growing old with Jeff and being by his side for eternity.

Jeff's "Mt. Goat" Hunt

Jeff had the opportunity to go with his brother Josh on a Mt. Goat hunt last week with 2 other guys. I was excited for Jeff to go for a number of reasons: 1- He would get to do this hunt with his older brother 2- It's his first big animal hunt since moving to Alaska (the whole reason we moved here is because he has always wanted to live here and so he could hunt, oh and of course go to school :) 3- Next summer Jeff really wont' get any time off being a new controller here so I wanted him to take full advantage of this past summer up here getting as much hunting and fishing in as he could. Now there were 2 reasons I didn't want him to go 1- he would be gone for our 3 year anniversary (so knowing this I decided to work the day of our anniversary so I wasn't sitting home missing him) 2- He has never left me where I haven't been able to get a hold of him or at least talk to him once a day. When he has gone bear hunting, or when I leave to go to Utah at least we are just a phone call away. This hunt was suppose to be a week-10 days or so and just knowing I could've gone that long with no phone call (because he would be clear on top of some mt. range with no service) made me nervous sick.
Well Josh came into town and the next day they took off to Valdez (5 hr drive). Then they would get in our boat with all their gear, take a 20-30 minute boat trip across the bay to the base of the Mt they would be hunting. They would set up their "base" camp at which point 1 guy would stay behind at (Roy didn't want to hunt, he just wanted to go along for the adventure) and Jeff, Josh and Justin would then get into a smaller inflatable boat and head up different river systems looking for a place to pull off to hike up the Mountain. I wanted Jeff to type up his version of the hunt cuz trust me, it was an experience I don't want him to forget about later ( but it's been over a week and I'm getting behind in my blogging, so his story to come later I guess) They hiked 5 hrs straight up hill/MOUNTAIN and set up camp for the night there. Josh and Justin went up a little more to spot for Goats, cuz the next morning was opening day. Sure enough they spotted 10 or so trophy size goats worth shooting so they new it was game on. Well the next day a storm rolled in, bringing the worst wind, rain and even snow to higher elevations and it pushed all the goats down the ravine and they never saw a single goat for the next 2 days. Meanwhile, in Anchorage the rain was so bad we had hellacious flooding and the wind knocked out power for some time (nothing compared to the wind storm we were just recovering from that left residents with out power up to 6 days and damage costing into the thousands). Needless to say there "7-10 day" hunt got cut into 3 days. But in the mean time, Josh did shoot a black bear... so I'm at least glad he didn't go back to Utah empty handed. He took so much time and energy to prepare for this hunt and I would've felt bad if he went home with nothing.

 

My very sexy hunter!!! Gosh I sure do love and adore him.

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff had an absolute BLAST and despite all the rain and wind he said he would go in again in a heart beat. Josh was able to get a few pics of there adventure. Sure glad they made it home and lucky for me I only had to go 2 days without hearing from my sweet husband. Here I was praying for his safety and he said all he could do was pray for me and he worried and missed me. I sure love him so much.

P.S. So since he got back into town eariler than expected he was here for our anniversary... but sadly I still had to work :( BUMMER!!!

Anniversary Getaway

Jeff and I will be celebrating our 3 year anniversary next week and I've been whining :) that we didn't get a vacation this year (When Jeff and I got married we agreed to do a vacation every year... Year 1:Cabo, Mexico. Year 2:Orlando, Florida) So last minute we decided to see where we could go for a quick getaway using our companion ticket before it expires in October. Well we looked into Hawaii, Seattle, LA and then Las Vegas. Well it's kinda a no brainer that if we went to Las Vegas we would try to jet up to St. George to visit family. Sadly, with my work we only had 4 days to work with so it was kinda overwhelming to try and imagine a nice relaxing vacation.... so I decided to use PTO and we got a 7 day much needed amazing vacation to Vegas/St. George UT. Oh my gosh it was so what WE needed and it was so nice to be together (Who am I kidding, we are together alot!!! I'm a very spoiled girl to always have my husband around... I'm going to go into major shock when he is gone to Oklahoma for 3 months starting his ATC career.)

Day 1: Welcome to Las Vegas!!! First off everyday we were in Vegas we slept until at least 10 am and didn't really leave the hotel til noon. That's what vacations are for right :) Our first day there we were craving Cafe Rio so that was our first event of the day. Needless to say we ate at Cafe rio 4 out of 7 days :)

 Then we drove around and found this pawn shop off the show Pawn Stars (my husband loves this show). It was fun to go and see but so not what we were expecting. Needless to say it's cooler on TV.

 Then we went to the Mirage to see Seigfied and Roy's Dolphin and Lion/Tiger exhibit. Jeff and I have swam with Dolphins before so once you've done that, seeing them up close just isn't as exciting but we still loved watching their tricks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was in AWE at these Lions... they were huge. Unfortnately it was late in the day so the tigers and cheetas were all sleeping so no pics were taken.

 

 

 We walked the strip A TON!!! If you know Vegas Strip you know people are always dressing up in different characters for you to get pics with and give them tips. some costumes are pretty lame but my husband loves Star Wars, specifically Cheubaca. We didn't have cash to tip him so I quickly snapped a pic walking by. It was such a real looking costume.

Oh the Vegas night life. We always have to hit up the water show at Bellagio. In fact we ate at Cabo Cantena and had the most perfect view to people watch :) Afterwards we went and walked around the Bellagio to see what theme their flower garden was (this is a tradition for us) We weren't as impressed this time but I did love all the bright colors.

 

 

 

 That night we headed to Fremont Street for some night time entertainment. We say many crazy people and costumes that will never be forgotten. They had tons of different live bands and then of course their light show in the sky.

 

 Day 2 in Vegas: Whenever we go to Vegas we always walk into every casino and we love walking the strip. Well we wanted to do something different so we went to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. Not a fan of this pic but it was hard to get pics of us together.

 

 

 So Jeff started pulling the "I don't want to be in pics anymore" and was just taking them all of me. So I decided I would use my phone to take pics of him... told him he had no option, I needed to blog and capture all our memories :)

 

 

 

 I love this pic... reminds me of Bruce off of Finding Nemo!!!

 

 

 We love going to Vegas shows so we decided to hit up the Blue Man Group. While we were walking around the Venetian, these odd characters were out and about. There were many more but it was again like pulling teeth to have Jeff get pics of or with any of them!

 

 

 We loved the Blue Man Group. We had just bought our tickets the day off and they said they had front row seats but they required ponchos. So we took them, knowing we were risking getting wet. Well there was not one event they did that included splashing or spraying... but at least we got front row seats. We laughed so hard we were crying and I ended up peeing my pants (a common event now with pregnancy ha ha)

 

Day 3-6 in St. George: We spend Labor Day weekend with Jeff's family. His parents and little brother Scotty came down from Tremonton to spend the time with us too. It was so nice to see everyone (we haven't seen them since Christmas) and we had 2 new additions to the family so I got plenty of baby lovin in :) I'm really disappointed with how terrible I was at taking pics. As you can see it all consisted of Jeff and his neices and nephew. With so many kids around it's hard to get them to slow down or even track them down for pics. But needless to say it was a great weekend. We were even able to get a tender for the kids and go to Benja Thai for dinner with just the adults. We love that place and we all stuffed our faces. I seriously have the BEST in laws ever and I"m so glad they all made time for us this weekend on such short notice.

 

 Our newest additions to the Harris family... Ravsten Harris (Kikki and Tippers boy) and Blair Harris (Josh and Sheridan's little girl) These 2 are just 4 days old and are hilarious together.

 Grandpa Garry pulling Halle and Raegan around after church... he truly loves his grandkids

 

 And of course there is never a time with the Harris family where we aren't playing games. We played many round of Yatzee and Screwy Lewy.

 Jeff wanted to make all his nieces and nephews marshmellow guns. It was a huge hit until we realized what a mess it was to clean up all the marshmellows (I'm sure Josh and Sher's house was surrounded by ants for days :)

 

 

 Jeff and his brothers then had to take out the potatoe gun and see who could shoot it the furthest.

 All the Harris boys... Scotty, Tipper, Josh and Jeff. Love them all.

 Jeff and his neice Lexi. She loved him when we went swimming. She mostly loved running and screaming when he was pretending to be a shark in the pool. 

  

 

Day 7: Back in Vegas: We got to spend one more day/night in Vegas before flying back home. We both thought 7 days away was perfect... not too long and we were ready to get home. The last day there we walked the strip some more and then finished our vacation going to Cirgue du Soleil: Mystere at Treasure Island. Jeff had taken me to the Cirque du Soleil: O show at Bellagio for one of our first dates so it was fun to go and see a different one this time. Mystere was great... funny and full of acrobatic events. So glad we were able to go!

 Now let me explain... this pic catches me off guard EVERY time!!! There was a restaurant on the strip called Senor Frogs and Jeff and I stopped in for Happy Hour to enjoy some Pina Colada's and me a nice mango slush... well these were their bar stools... it was hilarious. Needless to say this pic ended up on my husbands wallpaper of his phone.

Well the vacation came and went and looking back I have not one regret about missing work :) We shopped, swam, got some much needed sun, played with family, laughed, ate some great food (and TONS of it) had great talks and made amazing memories. We both needed this and I'm so glad Jeff took the initiative to push us booking it cuz he knows how much vacations means to me. This will be our last little getaway before we become parents. I love Jeff with all my heart. He is so perfect and good to me. He treats me with so much love and respect and values me as his wife. I have been beyond blessed to have found such an incredible husband. Thanks for the memories babe, I love you!!!!