Our Routine

So some new moms may have a hard time getting their little ones on a schedule. I know I am.

I don't want Will to get in the habit of snacking all the time. At first I didn't want to be on a feeding schedule, I wanted to be that mom that would feed on demand. Turns out that was a bad call on my part. He loves to snack and that's not easy on me. I want to get things done and not worry about how much he just ate and guess when he will be hungry again. 

 What I want to touch on in this post is what I am doing as our schedule. If you know anything that could help or what works for you please let me know in the comments!

Here we go:

8 am: Is when we wake up. If he is already awake he stays in his bed until 8. then I get him up and dressed into a daytime onesie. Then it is time to eat.

9 am: That's when I stop feeding him if he doesn't finish his bottle. This is also the time that I let him "play". He isn't quite old enough to actually play but he does tummy time and "kickie" time. He has a play mat that has a piano at the feet end that he loves to kick.

10:30 am: Feeding number 2 of the day. Also the start of nap/quite time. if he doesn't fall asleep right away I'll usually ready a book while he just hangs out on my lap. 

11:30 am: Now this is when I actually start getting him to go to sleep. I will usually rock him and give him his pacifier. 

1 pm: Lunch time! I'll get him up and feed him for the third time. 

2 pm: Again I will usually stop feeding him. He is a slow eater and/or usually falls asleep while eating. I'm not to sure how to handle that.

3:30 pm: Feeding time number 4. This is his hard time to wait for a bottle. This is also his 2nd nap if he actually takes it.

6 pm: Daddy gets home for this feeding. It helps that he feeds him from the time he gets home at night till he leaves for work in the morning. Then I have time to make dinner and do other things like write on my blog or edit a video. 

7 pm: It's play time with daddy! he loves to play and laugh with dad.

8 pm: Bath time! As much as he loves his bath he doesn't do much so they don't last longer than 5 minutes. 

8:30 pm: This is what I call the last feeding of that day. He still eats more but I am not awake for them. It is also bed time so when he falls asleep eating we put him to bed.

3 am: Night time feeding. We don't change his diaper at night if we don't have to. Will is not the one to poop while sleeping. It wakes him up if we change it.

So that's it. If you would like to see more of the daily happenings check out our family vlog! 

Why Being a New Mom Is the Best Job Ever

Some women wonder why in the world other women would want to be a mom. Why would we put our bodies through such a dramatic change with weight gain and stretch marks included. Why would we want to care for a screaming tiny human.

The love I have for this child is beyond any other love I have felt before. You might be wondering "what about Mitch?" It's a different kind of love.

This isn't sleep deprivation talking. I am being honest. I love being a mom.
As I look at him in his most peaceful state I realize that this is what I've always wanted.I want someone to be 100% dependent on me.


I wrote that about three months ago. Man oh man I had no clue.
I had no clue that this amazing little baby would cause me so much hardship.
I was in bliss, or sleep deprivation more like it.
I of course love William more than anything but now i know the struggles that I am facing.
I still have a ton to learn but i am more aware of how hard it is to be a mom. Even at the moment of me writing this I have a wriggly baby in my lap trying to shove his whole fist in his mouth.

I still wouldn't trade it for the world. I love my seemingly constant crier. His gummy grin makes all the hard times melt away in an instant.

Now the title of this post is " Why Being a New Mom Is the Best Job Ever" and here is why:
1. They don't know of anyone more important. Yes there will be times where they won't let you put them down, no matter what you are doing. But in their eyes you are their number one.  You are the one they can rely on 100% of the time, even those times that you want to give up.
2. It's in our biology. Literally females are biologically made to be mothers. Wither you you think you are good with kids or not you are meant to have offspring. Your DNA says so. Motherly instincts are connected with that.
3. There is no other Joy. After hours of playing the game of "oh good you're asleep now I can put you down and do things, just to have them wake up screaming 10 minuets later" game you would think it's time to give up. And you're right, it is time to give up, time to give up trying to get anything done and just sit there holding your little one while they sleep. The peace it will bring to your heart will last you long enough to get you through the rest of the day.
4.You finally learn that life really shouldn't be taken for granted. There are so many worries and scary times as a new mom. If my husband could earn a dollar for the times I've asked him "Is he breathing?" we would be living comfortably.But once you know that they are okay just the way they are you tend to thank your higher being much more for the life that has been entrusted to you.
5. Finally, You learn what real love and sacrifice is. I don't mean motherly love I mean love from your family and friends. You learn Christ like love. My husband works full time, goes to school part time, and then comes home and takes care of Will. He gets up with him in the middle of the night to feed him, he stays up with him until he falls asleep, when he gets home form work he takes him from me so I can have a break. If thats not love I don't know what is.

Thats it for now. Please visit our family vlog to see the (almost) day to day happenings

Bumpdate???

So week 39 and 40 didn't really happen.

I never made it to week 40, but here is what happened in week 39...

I had my doctors appointment on Monday and got checked.

I was the same. Which was super frustrating because like I've said before I was in so much pain and discomfort and it felt like it was for nothing. 

Tuesday was my last day of work but I honestly thought I could have stayed a bit longer because I figured I wouldn't have the baby until I was 42 weeks or something.

Mitch and I were both preparing for another two weeks of pregnancy. As discouraged as I was, Mitch was still keeping things positive. He would comfort me as I rocked in my glider, crying because all I wanted to do was hold my baby. 

As far as how I felt, I was okay. Pains had actually lightened up, which verified to me that I was going to have this baby later then wanted. I wasn't swelling as much any more because it had started to cool off. So all in all I was great. It was all the calm before the storm... but thats another post.

Will was doing great. It seemed that he was very comfortable in mommy. I would feel him every morning around 8 and then mid day he would get the hiccups and then at night he would move right after dinner. It was a comforting feeling.

Mitch was doing great. He was excited but patient at the same time. He just wanted everyone to feel happy and healthy. He had started a new position at work that came with a much needed pay raise. But other then being my personal driver everywhere he was just living everyday life.

Thats all for what was week 39.
If you want to know about the birth story just follow the link.

Pretty soon Mitch and I will be starting a new project that we are so excited for so be sure to look out for that!

Birth Story

August 21,2015  10:30 pm

Mitch and I had just started to get ready for bed. I was laying there a I felt the weirdest "kick". It felt like a water balloon had been popped but no water was present, while I was laying down that is. I got up to use the restroom and as soon as I did a bunch of liquid came out. My water had broken.

Side note: (TMI for some but its important) My mucus plug had slowly been coming out all day but I had read (a no no) that it would mean that I had a couple days till I went into labor.   

I looked at Mitch and told him my water broke. He was full of excitement and surprise with a hint of denial. He felt like he needed to get me to the hospital asap, but I told him that the baby wouldn't come in the next 15 minutes so there was no need to rush. I wanted to not feel stress and he understood. 

By the time we got to the hospital I wasn't feeling any really bad contractions so I felt good enough to walk into labor and delivery with Mitch. The contractions were so small that they just felt like period cramps. 

Once they got me into our delivery room they did a test to make sure that it was my water that broke and not just that I peed myself (it happens), and of course it was my water. 

Now I will say it, I am and never will be superwoman. Why would I put myself through pain to show how strong I am? I think just the fact that I can push a human being out of me is a pretty good sign of strength. That being said, after I was checked how far along I was (3cm 75% effaced), I asked for an epidural. 

The epidural wasn't bad at all. It just felt pressure for a mere second. After the epidural they were checking me again so they laid me flat, which wasn't a good idea. My blood pressure went up more then I needed it too. I got really nauseous and had thrown up. This put a little bit of stress on the baby but once they sat me up everything was fine. 

As much as I am thankful from the pain relief that the epidural gave me I hated not being able to feel ANYTHING. My right leg was 100%  numb but I could still slightly feel my left. I hated it. It was embarrassing not being able to move it . They had to move me from side to side every hour and a half or something and when they would move me and I would lay there spread eagle not being able to move. 

So after a while they gave me pitocin, a drug that gives you contractions to get you to dilate more. After that it was awaiting game. I watched like 3 episodes of I Love Lucy, and Mitch slept. At about 5 am they checked me and I was at an 8. about half an hour later I started to push. 

I pushed about 8-10 times and our little one was in the world. 

Our Sweet William Ezra

born 8/22/2015 at 6:19 am

Weight: 6 Lbs 11 Oz

Height: 18 inches (with a cone head)

We could not be happier!

Thank you for reading!

Bumpdate week 38.5

So week 38 is actually almost over. Sorry its been taking me so long!

So for the past two weeks I have been getting "checked" at the doctor. My first check I was 1 cm dilated and 75% effaced. Great!
Last week nothing changed. It was kind of frustrating because I feel like all this pain and discomfort was for nothing.
So now I have just come to terms that this kid is staying in there as long as he can.

Mitch and I are 100% ready for him to come. We want to see who he looks like. We want to hold him. We want to comfort him. All the normal things new parents want we want.

So Will still gets hiccups everyday. He is super low now. Still moving and kicking most of the time. He has given me some scares where he won't move until I have an otter pop.

Mitch is excited and ready. That pretty much it.

As for me I of course am uncomfortable. I don't know a woman who is 9 months pregnant and 1-2 weeks from their due date that isn't uncomfortable. The heat is making me swell a lot. Will is also getting really heavy in my pelvis so that's not fun. But I know it will all be worth it.

In other news, Monday and Tuesday are my last days at work and I am actually really sad. Now some of you might wonder why I don't just go back to work after baby, well we don't have family out here in Utah to help us watch him and if we got a sitter then I would be working just to pay someone to raise my child and we don't want that. My new job will be mommy and I could not be happier. As for Mitch he got a promotion at work that thankfully came with a pay raise. It was perfect timing for us really. He also will be starting school in like 2 weeks!

Just an FYI, we will be doing more YouTube videos instead of blog posts. I will post more about that once Mitch and I are ready to announce the fun things to come. Have no fear I will still do blog posts but it will be slightly different. So look out for our announcement some time soon!

Bumpdate! Week 36

That's right I am 36 weeks preggos! 

I now go to weekly appointments until William is born.

How is William you may ask?

He is a wiggle worm! His movements are more like waves and rolls rather than kicks. He moves when he hears daddys voice and also when I eat watermelon. He gets hiccups everyday at least twice a day and it seems to frustrate him cause he starts moving so mama can pat him to get rid of them. 

He is head down still and has a strong heartbeat. 

Next week I am getting checked so we will know if I'm dilated at all. 

How am I?

I am tired. I get worn out pretty fast so sitting has become the most comfortable thing for me. My feet aren't swelling as much anymore so thats nice. I have a hard time bending to pick things up so I usually have Mitch do the picking up. Also I am hating stairs more and more each day. 

Other than that I am happy. I love Mitch so much for helping me and have tried to show him my gratitude each day. I could not be more in love with him if I tried.

Speaking of Mitch, how is he?

He is excited. His excitement has not dwindled at all through out this journey. He is working so hard to support our little family. He is such a sport when I ask him to run up and down the stairs for me when I forget things. He says he is doing great. 

We honestly cannot wait to see William. We wonder what he will look like. We wonder what it will be like to hold our sweet little man cub in our arms. 

Well thats it for this week. I will have another bumpdate for you next week!

In the mean time make sure subscribe to the blog!

Also subscribe to my Youtube channel. I will be posting a lot more videos coming soon.

Here are the links for Pinterest and Facebook as well!

Feel free to share with your friends and family! 

HEY!

I'm back!

I am no longer sick, thank goodness!

Like I said in the last couple of posts its been a rough couple weeks.

My sweet friend Miriam passed away and then I got sick.

If you've never been pregnant and sick then you are super lucky. You can't take anything that will actually help!

I took all the things I could and I still couldn't get any better. 

So it's Tuesday, which means there is no actual post that would normally come out. 

But alas here it is, I am sure long and awaited for.

I will be posting daily again starting NOW! Right NOW!!!

Everything is planned out. Mostly recipes and a bumpdate with picture coming up.

But today I am going to post the video that I have kept on my computer for like weeks so here it is:

Please remember no judgement. We are still working on getting the quality up.

Well be ready for a bumpdate tomorrow! With a Picture!

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Also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Youtube!

Where are you??!!

Well I have been sick. Being pregnant and sick is not fun at all. So give me some time and I'll be right back to blogging!

Reasons

So I haven't posted in a bit. Its due to the unfortunate events that occurred this past week. But I will be posting the post that were missed last week and the content that is for this week. So be ready for a blogging overload

Sweetest Soul

Today the sweetest soul left this earth and is now with our Heavenly Father.

Miriam was a comfort, understander, reminder, and much more.

She was someone you could have an honest conversation with and not feel the least bit judged.

When Mitch and I moved out to Utah I started to work at the same place as Miriam. She was still fairly new when I started but she would always help as much as she could.

She took me under her wing. She would always remind me when to do my homework, or when i need to turn in something for financial aid. 

She made some of the best baked goods I have even had. Her lemon cake was my favorite. She also made banana cake that would be like the most amazing banana bread ever.

One memory the I have of her natural comforting ability is when two of my coworkers announced that their wives were pregnant within the same week. I had broken down because Mitch and I had been trying for like a year and we still couldn't get pregnant. She instantly came and hugged me until I calmed down.

She would always be able to fix anyone's jewelry. She hand painted eggs that were honestly works of art but she was to humble to admit it. 

She would always make you feel like you were a great person. You never felt put down by her. She would always be willing to sacrifice for you. She always tried to make others happy before herself.

It was hard to get her to complain. She never wanted to be a burden, even when she wasn't. 

Thinking of her brings a smile to my face.

She isn't in pain anymore. 

She is happy.

It's hard to be happy in this time but I know she wouldn't want us to be sad. 

Tears are in my eyes, some of sadness, some of joy. Joy that she isn't suffering. Joy that she is in a better place then we are. Joy that she can see all her passed loved ones. Joy that she no longer has stage 4 lung cancer.

I am sad that I won't see her smiling face everyday at work. Sad I won't have someone to talk to about the books that we read. Sad that she is actually gone.

But I know she wouldn't want us to be sad. 

She was the sweetest soul.

Sorry

Its been a high emotion day for me so there won't be any video.
A dear friend of mine is losing her short fight with cancer.
I hope you all understand.
Hold those you love close. Bad things can happen faster than you expect. Give time to them cause if you're to focused on other things you can miss great things with them.
Now I'm going to hold my little family tight and love them for all I can. Please do the same to yours.
I love you all.

Bumpdate - Week 33

Well not much has changed in the last week.

I'm tired as I said before and I am swollen as all get out!

One thing that has started to effect me AGAIN is nausea.

There isn't much room for Will now so we see him move a ton now.

He gets hiccups twice on a daily bases. I think it frustrates him cause he moves so much after he gets them.

Mitch is doing good. He is getting more and more excited for Will to arrive. 

We are waiting for just 2 things for the babe. One is a rock and play that we are using for when Will sleeps in our room and the next is the glider that we need to get for his room. 

Once we have the glider all set up I will do a video of a nursery tour. 

But that all I have this week. We have a doctors appointment next Monday so the next bumpdate will have more info in it.

What you all want though is a picture so here it is!

  

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Fresh Tomato Sauce

Now I love spaghetti! Pasta is a huge comfort food for Mitch and I. This recipe is great and supper easy and flavorful. It doesn't have huge amounts of herbs but the flavor is all veggie! With fresh vegetables and quality ingredients this recipe is so great and will easily become a family favorite! The total time for this recipe is less then 25 minutes!

Fresh Tomato Sauce

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Clove of chopped garlic

1/2 Cup of chopped celery

1 Tablespoon chopped shallots

1/2 Cup of chopped carrots

1 Cup roughly chopped plum tomatoes

1/2 Cup low sodium chicken broth

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in a large skillet

2. Add garlic, celery, shallots, and carrots. Cook for 2-3 minuets

3. Add the tomatoes and chicken broth. Cook for additional 10 minutes

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

5. If you want chunky sauce leave it the way it is, if you like a less chunky sauce blend in a blender. I like to blend it cause it sticks to the pasta better.

6. Stir in basil and cheese

7. Serve with what ever you want!

I really hope you guys try this out. It is really nice even if you make to much and have to freeze it. 

Let me know if you guys try it. 

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Whats Going On?

So last week I posted a short post and said I might post one or two times a week. If you haven't noticed I have been posting daily. Why you may ask. Well I wanted to see how a daily blog would do. So until I am done at my current job I am going to continue to post daily blogs and see how it goes. Let me know what you want to hear about. And please share this blog with anyone you know! Once I am done at my current job this I guess will be my job. 

So for now here is what the schedule will be:

Sunday- I will be posting just a small short post. It could be about anything really. But it will be there!

Monday- I will post some kind of delicious recipe. I love to cook and if its good I'll post about it.

Tuesday- I might not post on Tuesdays. If I do it will be a random post about something. 

Wednesday - Wednesdays are for bumpdates. Once William is born it will be for baby updates or postpartum update. 

Thursday- I will post my new video of the week. The video actually comes out the day before on my Youtube channel, so if you want to get first view then make sure you subscribe to my channel. 

Friday - My double post day! I will post a recipe and also a Flashback Friday. There will be two post that day so make sure you read both.

Saturday - Tips!I am full of them. Right now its all about those summer tips! 

This is the schedule! If you want to see me write about something in particular. Please share and comment!

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Summer Skin Tips

Its summer! The sun is out! Pools, lakes, and BBQ's are waiting for you everywhere you look. But once you get home from the pool or wherever you went hows that skin of yours? Do you have that bronze summer glow? Probably not you probably look more like a freshly cooked crab. 

Now if you read my Flashback Friday post you learned that I spent 7 whole years as a lifeguard in the blistering heat and sun of Arizona. 

I will admit that I got a sun burn each summer but I was lucky to only burn once and then I would tan like a golden goddess. I took good care of my skin each day and thank the heavens because I have never had to get any moles or freckles removed. 

But I now have a husband thats a redhead, they burn easy, I mean real easy. I applied what skin tips and treatments I learned all those 7 years in the sun to my husband and turns out they worked for him as well!

Now I will say that some of these tips are odd or well known but i feel like it is important to remind people that Hey You Need To Take Care Of Your Skin!!! Skin cancer is a real thing. When not caught its life threatening. So make sure that even if you are great at your skin care regiment you should still check with your doctor if you spend lots of time in the sun. 

So here are my tips, remember that some you may cringe at but they work!

1. Strawberries! Eat them! They have natural skin protecting properties.They protect your skin from the suns harmful UV rays with their powerful anti-oxidant, ellagic acid. They also protect against acne and oily skin when used in a face scrub. 

 2. Milk. That's right I said milk. I use it when I have burned already and it really helps! Take a washcloth and soak it in milk and then put it on your burn. The protein in the milk will create a film that will ease the discomfort and reduce the heat. Most lotions and gels with contain the heat of a burn making your skin more tender. Obviously you want to do this treatment right before you shower or you will go around smelling like spoiled milk, gross. But it helps a ton!

3. Zinc Oxide. What is it you may ask. Well remember seeing those old school life guards with white stuff on their noses, it wasn't just a ton of sun screen that they had on there. It was Zinc oxide. It is the key ingredient in most sunscreens out there so you know its gotta work. It provides protection not only against UVB but also long and short wave UVA rays. Its the only ingredient that protect against all three types of radiation. Your skin doesn't absorb it but it layers on top of the skin. It works like tiny mirrors and reflects sunlight not letting the harmful rays to touch your beautiful skin. I put this all over my face and Mitch puts it pretty much all over his head. You can get it in fun colors or not but use it!

4. Sunscreen. SPF 30 is sufficient. What does SPF even stand for? SPF is just a rating system for the ability of a sunscreen to block UVB rays. It is a measure of the time it would take you to burn if you didn't have sunscreen on as opposed to the time it would take with sunscreen  on. SPF 15 blocks 94% of UVB rays where SPF  30 blocks 97% of UVB rays. No sunscreen protect a full 100%. Rather then buying the higher SPF sunscreen just go with they 30 and apply it 15 minutes before you go out and then REAPPLY every hour. That should protect your skin pretty well. 

5. Protective clothing. This might go against what you want, covering up won't give you a great tan. But if you're spending all day in the sun trust me your skin has had enough of that sun 3 to 4 hours in. Getting yourself a hat is one piece of clothing you should always have on hand. It protects you face! You don't want to go into that meeting at work with a nose as red as Rudolph the red nose reindeer, its totally the wrong season for that. A cover up or light weight jacket is also a great thing to pack in that bag of yours. I always had a rashguard and by the end of the summer i was so thankful that I did. What a rashguard is is a shirt made out of spandex, nylon, or polyester. It protects against rashes caused by abrasion or sunburn. You can find them at stores with an SPF coverage. 

If you have any tips lets hear them! 

Remember that if you burn easy, or even if you don't get your skin checked!

Keep that skin looking beautiful!

Thats it for now!

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Jello Pops

So when my nephew was younger I tried this recipe for Jello Popsicle's.  They were no drip so that was nice and they tasted so good during the summer.

They are super easy to make and even easier to clean up after!

Jello Popsicles

1 small packet of jello mix (any flavor)

2 cups of orange juice

2 cups of boiling water

Popsicle sticks

Dixie cups (get the ones that are not just paper so they don't stick)

1. Dissolve jello mix in water

2. Add orange juice and mix well

3. Pour into Dixie cups. (Tip: put the cups on a baking sheet that fits into your freezer so you don't accidentally spill the mixture all over the freezer)

4. Cover cups with a little plastic wrap and stick sticks through the plastic wrap into the mixture. (this keeps the sticks up straight)

5. Place in freezer until frozen

6. Once frozen all the way take off cup and enjoy!

You can also use molds if you have them but if not the cups are a great alternative! 

Try them out! The no drip is great for the little ones and they will love to help you make them as well!

Let me know what you think!!

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Flash Back Friday - Summer in the City

So with July 4th coming up I have been thinking about how summers use to be. Before moving up to Utah I had the greatest job ever. I worked for the City of Mesa as a lifeguard and swim coach. This was my everyday view:

I worked for the City for 7 years! I loved it. I was tan, blonde, in shape, had great friends, and so much more. I worked at several different pools but I worked at Rhodes Jr. High the most. I worked there my first year and then they closed for remodel and then my last two years I worked at Rhodes as well. 

But my first year was great. Rhodes was a small pool, but still it was pretty popular. I remember working the 4th of July (which I did I think every year) and once we closed it was a party. We had a night swim where we had pool floats and such and just played and ate something (I can't remember that much). We stayed in the pool and watched the fireworks that were being set off at the community college down the street. 

I think working for the City for so long has actually shaped me a little into the person I am. I have friends that I made through the City and will always be their friend.

I have gained skills that I will never forget because they were drilled into my head which I am very thankful for. 

I miss working at the pools, I still have dreams of preforming rescues and I still flinch when I hear the sound of a whistle. 

For all my friends still working for the City I hope you're still having fun!

Well thats it for this post!

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Welcome home Nick!

So since I am a convert to the LDS church I never really experienced a missionary farewells and homecomings. Nick is Mitch's cousin and he was the first missionary that I went to his farewell AND his homecoming!

Also please don't judge me to much on the video, its my first one! I' ll go into that more after the video! Enjoy!

So if you didn't notice I have a a Youtube channel! I plan on, for now at least, doing one video a week. If you're interested please feel free to subscribe!

Also if you haven't done so already you can follow me on Pinterest, and Facebook!

Bumpdate- 32 Weeks - Just an FYI...

So I am 32 week pregnant. YAY!! Whats the update you might ask well...

1. My appointment was great! We heard the heartbeat as usual. The doctor push around on my tummy to find the position of the baby. I felt where he bum was. He is head down (he has been that way pretty much the whole pregnancy.) So little Will is doing great! 

2. How am I? I think I'm okay. There are things that are bothering me but I will get to that soon. 

3. How is dad? He is good. working hard to keep our family floating.

So I want to rant a little about things....

I am tired. Really Tired. Not just physically but I am tired of other things. I get tired of it when people say "it gets worse" when I say I am tired. I just don't think that it is very respectful. I know I will loose sleep when the baby is born, I know that I will never catch up on sleep. I am well aware of this fact. So instead of saying "get use to it" or " it gets worse" tell me what a wonderful blessing it is to be the parent to this wonderful miracle that is keeping me up.

New time moms are usually excited for their baby. We don't need you to tell us the "harsh reality" of being a parent. I wanted a baby, i wanted to be a mom, that means I want all the hardships that go along with it so tell me how much it is worth it. 

If you think you are just trying to prepare me for whats to come, its been on my mind. I will ask for advice when I want it. I have probably already been looking up tips and such. So like I said tell me how great it is to be a parent.

Also...

 I am HOT! Being pregnant in the summer is rough. I still don't think its as bad as when I lived and worked outside in Arizona. But when I get hot my toes swell. Not my whole foot, just my toes. Well also my fingers. It has always been that way though, but its much worse being pregnant.

And...

With the weight that I have gained my feet hurt. It happened when I was bigger before but with the toe swelling it kinda sucks.

Finally...

My nose will not stop! Its not running its stuffed BAD! It has been that way for 8 months now. It's because when pregnant your blood vessels swell and so with the swelling of blood vessels it makes it easier for my nose to be stuffed.

But...

I love being pregnant! I love feeling him move around. He gets hiccups all the time and its so fun to feel that!

That's my Bumbdate. I know you want a picture but I am in no shape to take a picture today. Next weeks Bumpdate will have a picture, I promise! 

Baby Name

So Mitch and I originally wanted to keep our sweet baby boys name a secret. Turns out we are to excited to keep our lips sealed.So I wanted to publicly share the name we have decided on.

William Ezra  

William is after my Uncle Bill. He was a great uncle to me and my brothers. I remember him always watching Barney with me and playing with cars with my brothers. Sadly he died some time ago. He was in a fight where he got punched in the nose and died instantly. So here is a nice PSA: do not teach your children that it is okay to punch people in the nose, they could kill someone. Also don't go punching people in general its not nice.

Anyways as for the middle name Ezra,  I just always thought it was a very nice name. 

We looked up the meaning of both names 

and the meaning of his name is:

Protection and help

and the origin of each:

William - German

Ezra - Hebrew

What do you think of this name? I hope it fits him well, we have other names but this one is the most special and this little man growing inside me is the most special to us.

Fall off the bone Ribs

July 4th is literally around the corner. Like its on Saturday! So I wanted to share with you all my recipe for delicious Baby back ribs! They are so easy and go great with grilled corn and salad.  

Now I will admit that I am kind of a rib snob. I grew up on my daddy's ribs and OMG they are amazing. I can only get close to his masterpiece. I love going home to my dads ribs cause I know that he m=will make just enough for Mitch and I to take some home. In fact the last visit to Arizona was for my baby shower, which was catered by my daddy who made 16 racks of ribs, a 20 pound beef brisket and a turkey all cooked on a huge smoker. It was great! We drove home with 2 rack of ribs in which we are only having for great days or special occasions. 

Enough about how great of a cook my dad is, here is a much easier version os pork ribs that just fall off the bone:

Easy Pork Ribs

·         1 rack of pork baby back ribs

·         1 small apple (thinly sliced)

·         ¼ medium onion (thinly sliced)

·         ½ tablespoon ground mustard

·         1 teaspoon sage

·         1 teaspoon chili powder

·         1 teaspoon celery salt

·         2 tablespoons brown sugar

·         A couple grinds of black pepper and salt

·         ¼ cup apple cider vinegar

·         ½ cup apple juice

·         2 tablespoons canola oil

·         BBQ sauce of your choice

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.      On two long sheets of tin foil, place the apples and onions spread out evenly.

3.      Place the ribs on top. Drizzle the canola oil on top of everything.

4.      In a small bowl mix ground mustard, sage, chili powder, celery salt, brown sugar, black pepper, and salt. Rub mix onto the ribs.

5.      Fold foil up and pour in the apple cider vinegar and apple juice. Completely cover over with rest of foil.

6.      Bake for two hours.

7.      Once baked, place on grill for approximately two to three minutes on each side on medium heat. Brush each side with BBQ sauce.

8.      Let sit for a couple of minutes. Rough chop the ribs and serve.

Well there you have it! Try this recipe out and let me know how it taste you!

Bumpdate - 31 weeks (kinda) small post

SO its been just over 13 weeks since I last posted. I had a lot of fears and still do but its changes. I feel this little one all the time and LOVE it! 

So here is the things you missed in the last 13 weeks:

1. ITS A BOY!!!

Mitch and I could not be happier that our first bundle of joy is going to be a little boy. He is already so loved and spoiled. 

2. My new fears:

-labor

-bring him home and having no clue what to do

-not being able to provide for him

3. Joys:

-feeling my little wiggle worm most of the time.

-seeing the look on Mitchs face when he sees or feels the baby move and when he is in the nursery

4. The Nursery 

Its almost done which is great! All we need is to get the glider and the room is done. I plan on doing a separate post about it later once all is complete 

That pretty much it. My next doctors appointment is on Tuesday. I might do a blog post that day. I really want to try to do at least once a week posting. I might do more with recipes and other stuff. No promises though because we all know that I get to distracted and don't post. But I am also aware that there  friends and family out there that I do not talk to on a daily or even weekly bases. 

Thats all I am going to post for now. Like I said I am going to try to post at least once a week, if not more. We will see. I love you all!

Life changes

I had a plan. It was perfect.

It changed.

I couldn't be happier that it did.

The original plan: Because we were having a hard time conceiving a precious baby, I would finish my degree in social work by 2016. I would find my grad schools to start the next fall and get my masters in social work. I would hopefully work for either the VA hospital or DCFS (because they would help pay off student loans). After four or five years I would go back to grad school to get my MFT(marriage and family therapy degree) so I could start my own practice doing marriage and pre-marital therapy.

The new and improved plan: I will finish this semester at school and then take off the summer and fall. I will slowly start back school in the spring with some night and weekend classes. Then the following fall I will be doing my internship and finish my BSW in the spring of 2017. I won't go to grad school right away but I will find a practice that will take a BSW.

Why the change of plans? Well for those who don't know, this past Tuesday marked my 18 weeks of pregnancy. 

In December Mitch and I traveled to Arizona and California for Christmas. That's the excuse I gave myself when I missed my period. I didn't think much about missing it, when we were first married I had missed 6 months of my period later finding out it was PCOS that caused that hiatus. So this one missed period was either due to another cyst or the traveling that I was doing. When we got back from vacation I got a terrible cold that turned into pneumonia. 

Now again if you don't know me well, my body doesn't like antibiotics so it is hard for doctors to give me something that I won't have an allergic reaction to. So when I started to throw up a ton I thought it was due to the antibiotics that I was taking. So I stopped taking them.

I still got super sick everyday, all day. Nothing seemed to be the matter now. So I bought a pregnancy test just to make sure it wasn't that. 

That night with Mitch waiting on the couch, and me in the bathroom frozen from the now known cause of my sickness. 

I came out of the door crying, saying to Mitch "I'm not ready to be a mom"

Yes, I was upset. I had a plan.

 What was I going to do? I had school, an internship coming up, a great job.

Everything changed very quickly.

My mindset at most.

It didn't take long for me to love this baby with all I had.

Everyday since I found out that I am carrying a precious package inside me, I have been terrified.

People tell that scariest stories when your are pregnant, especially when you don't know what normal is or what is common during pregnancy.

I am still terrified. 

I just want to constantly know that my baby is okay.

I want to know what it feels like when it moves (other than the description of flutters).

I want to know that my baby is okay.