Week 20

Today we had the amazing opportunity to find out the gender of our baby!  I woke up at 7 am for a nine am appointment and couldn’t fall back to sleep.  When we got to our appointment, I was so excited and definitely didn’t think it would last an hour and a half but it did!  I loved getting to see our baby again on a screen, it feels like a long distance relationship in a way, I know she is right here in my tummy but it is so amazing seeing her on the screen!  I remember the first screen our tech brought up it was more of what I guess I would call it an aerial view looking down at our baby so we could see the top of her head and her knees and hands and I couldn’t help but think how cute it was that she was so tiny and squished in there.  The first thing our tech said was that she was wiggly, she really didn’t like being poked and prodded, I felt her move a lot more than usual during our visit.  I knew it was called an anatomy scan, I was just a little surprised at how thorough everything was, he looked at her hands, feet, knees, femurs, kidneys, spine, brain, everything.  Of course he did this before he announced gender.  I was trying really hard to be patient, and not say oh it looks like this or that.  At one point Sean said “I saw some balls”.  The tech continued with the anatomy scan and accidently said the words “her”.  Sean immediately piped up and said “So it’s a girl”, the tech confirmed this and even showed us up on the screen and told daddy, “You definitely didn’t see some balls” (laughing)!  

Here is video of her moving, it's short and nothing to crazy, it just blew my mind to see her bring her hands up to her face.   We think she has my nose and her daddy's chin, but she definitely has a while to cook so we'll see when she actually gets here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGW1HAwPa74

  I was so happy!  The next thing he did was he pulled up a 3-Dimensional picture of her face.  For some reason I thought this wasn’t going to happen for us, when we had our briefing on having a baby they made it seem like our insurance was covering the bare minimum and I thought that the fancy 3-D ultra sounds were extra.  When he pulled up a 3-dimensional view of her face I was so surprised, and amazed, and wowed.  I was so overcome with emotion and I was trying really really hard to get it together because when I cry from joy even, it isn’t one sweet glistening tear down my cheek, I ugly cry and it’s bad.  I was so surprised by this and we even got to see some video of her being squirmy and bringing her hands up by her face I did start to cry.  It was amazing!   I’m so in love with this little girl already.  I already think she is perfect and beautiful; I am going to be one of the worst biased moms out there.  Not only this, but a few things have been coming to me much more easily now, like what crib to buy and what theme I want her nursery to have and look like. My husband and I still need to discuss names, but I’m feeling more confident in the few we have picked out. 

I was able to share in my joy this evening with my friend Liz.  She just let me tell her all about it and I think as a new mommy I really needed that.  Digital media and texting is awesome, but it takes the joy out of being able to really share things the way we use to.  I’m grateful she listened and shared in my joy tonight we talked about my little girl and Liz’s adopted niece for a long time.  I’m so excited and ready to get shopping! 

My whole life, I wanted girls, and had so many people say that because I was such a girly girl I was going to get all the boys.  I was sort of preparing myself for it to be a boy; I honestly didn’t believe I could get a little girl.  My in laws all have girls and several of my friends have girls, I definitely thought I would get to watch everyone else raise little girls around me and I would never get to be a mother to a girl, and I was becoming ok with it.  I was preparing myself for it to be a boy, and honestly thought it was a boy, this little girl has been so drama free this whole pregnancy (biggest reason I thought it was a boy).  I hope she stays this even tempered the rest of her life, and if not I embrace all the emotional responses that come from raising daughter.  I want to have as many interesting and new experiences with her. It has been fun saying things like my “little girl” and “daughter”.  I remember when I first got married, I had so much fun saying husband, and now it’s kind of the same thing.  Daughter daughter daughter, I have a daughter,  I could say it all day long. I love her so much already and I can’t wait to meet her!   

Finding out gender in the morning!

It's like Christmas eve for us right now!  I'm so stinking excited!!!! We get to find out the gender of our baby in the morning, and we have our fingers crossed everything goes well and that the baby cooperates and isn't shy!   I have been smiling all day like a dork for no reason.  I don't care if it's a boy, I don't care if it's a girl, I see positives to having either one.  Even if something happens where the baby isn't in the right position, I can't wait to see him or her on the big screen again, it's going to be exciting seeing how big our baby has gotten since our first 9 week ultrasound.

Unrelated to my excitement, I guess I'll share a few funny stories about people asking about my pregnancy that have happened in the last two days.  I had my first stranger ask me if I was pregnant.  I guess I must be showing that good then.  What a brave and bold fellow.  Not only did he ask me if I was expecting, but he asked me at the gym.  Dear men, as a rule of thumb, don't ever ask a woman if she is expecting at the gym, what an awful place to pose such a question! He really was quite nice, an older man, probably had some teenagers, I had just come out of the bathroom and he read my shirt which had "Can't Live Without Dance" on it.  I went straight from work and that was the shirt I happened to have worn to work.  I told him I was a dance teacher, and that was why I was wearing it, he told me that T-shirts are like billboards, that you just have to read them.  I continued to walk, and then out of no where he asks me if I was expecting.   I said yes, and he said "Congratulations and enjoy your work out." It didn't end there though, after I got a drink from the drinking fountain he comes over to me as I make my way to the running track and asks me when I was due, I tell him, and then he goes " you don't plan on running 26 miles in this heat do you?"  Lucky for him, I wasn't planning on running I was walking to the weight section, I wasn't in a preachy mood that day and I've been on cloud nine with this ultra sound coming up so I've been nicer than usual, I've been less of a diva, I've been a little less snappy, because goodness if he would have caught me in just a slightly different mood I probably would have ripped him a new one.  I told him no, I was just walking.  He then left me alone.  Many would have been proud to see me in that circumstance, I was nice.  If a pregnant woman wants to run 26 miles and can do it, I would high five her.   Am I going to get a lecture every time I go to the gym?  Do people not know that it's good for women to work out during pregnancy and if she did it before she was pregnant, for the most part she can do it while she is pregnant as well?  I'm going to try really hard to be nice when things like this happen, and with the whole belly touching thing.  I've decided to let people do it, even though I think it is the weirdest thing for a stranger to ask that, but I've heard it is way way way more weird when someone asks after the baby has been born, I figure I'll let it be cute now.

I had my second person almost ask if I was pregnant, but this one was way more sweet and it was just funny.  One of my students drew the short straw, I hadn't officially told any of the students at the studio just random ones at random times, and today one of the teens in my class was looking at my belly and was stumbling all over her words " Mrs. Heatherly?  Are you................ you know.............are you ummmm..... well......."  I told her she was totally fine to ask the question, because I was.  Then I got an uproar of your pregnant?  That was a fun moment.  I also had a colleague of mine say that I'm finally starting to show so and that it was exciting!  People love babies!   It's been a wonderful day, I'm so excited to see our baby tomorrow!   I think tomorrow is going to be great as well!

Week 19

One of the biggest reality checks for me is realizing that I am going to be a mommy soon, but it is just as big of a reality check realizing that Sean is going to be a daddy. We have been married for 3 years and before that we dated for 4 years.  He has grown so much from the person I started dating 7 years ago.  Sean has taken on the responsibility of husband beautifully and magnified that  in every sense.  It's been touching to see him prepare for his role as a father.  I feel extremely lucky to have Sean as a partner to raise our baby.  He has also done his fair share of baby research in items to purchase, one night I remember he was on the computer forever looking for just the right stroller, the next morning he showed me which one we were getting, I couldn't argue with him at all because it was exactly what was right for us.  It was a huge relief that he took care of that so now I didn't have to.  He has come with me to every doctors appointment, kept his cool and composure, and calmly reminded me of things I forgot to ask my doctor on occasion.  He is so excited about our baby, and mentions how neat it is going to be all the time.  

Today he was asked to give a talk during sacrament meeting in church.  His topic was righteous fathers, and he mentioned that he was grateful he had the opportunity to study for this as preparation for our baby. I feel so blessed that I get to parent my child with a man who has such a great understanding of his responsibilities and roles as a father in nurturing the spiritual needs of his children and their physical needs.  One of my favorite things he said in his talk was a quote from Howard W. Hunter  "Indeed, one of the greatest things a father can do for his children is to love their mother."  This brings me great comfort coming into the unknown.  Parenthood doesn't look like it is the easiest thing ever, I've seen couples fail at loving one another and as a result have hurt their children.  This scares me, but through his kind words and effort to place his family and gospel first in his life, Sean is constantly reassuring me that he will place the wants and needs of his family above his own.  In concluding his talk Sean mentioned the example of of his own father, that his example of righteousness are memories that he will cherish forever.  

Later in church Sean came to help me in the nursery.  We had a really fun time together.   He did such a great job with the children, he connected with some of them in ways I haven't been able to in the past.

The last half hour he had a book in his had practically the whole time. Seeing how he interacts with children and his nieces has been another big reassurance for what a great father he is going to be. I'm a big believer that everyone has their gifts and contributes differently in their part in the world.  Sean has so many positive traits and qualities that I struggle with.  He is such a patient person, something that I will probably be working on in a really long time,  I know this will come in handy during those first few weeks with a newborn.  I can't say it enough, I feel so lucky to have him embark on this journey with me.

Sean is going to be a great father, he has already exemplified great principles that a good father should have.  Our children are going to be blessed to have him as I have been blessed to have him as a husband.  

Week 18

In my sophomore year of college, I decided to fulfill a goal of mine and participate in a triathlon.  I signed up for a class that helped students train for one.  It was the most active I have ever been in my entire life.  I swam on Mondays and Wednesdays, went to a cycling class on Tuesdays and Thursdays and ran on Fridays.  On top of this I was also a part of my collegiate dance team where we met for at least 90 minutes every day, and I was also signed up for recreational dance classes.  I was doing something exercise related Monday-Friday on average of at least 5 hours a day.   It was the most fit I have ever been, it was also the hungriest I have ever been…… until now.  I remember back then that it got to the point that I was GAINING weight because I was eating so much to sustain all of the activity I was doing.  I wasn't participating in those activities to lose weight, but I sure as heck wasn't going to allow myself to gain as a result of all of my activity.  So I had to be careful, because if I didn't eat enough I got the worst headache and became so incredibly tired during my workouts.  It became a matter of eating more of the RIGHT stuff instead of simply just eating more.  Once I did this, I lost some weight and was able to maintain it.  When I ate certain things, and how often was a big factor in this success.  I had to have multiple snacks, and I had to have a mixture of complex carbs in the mornings along with proteins and some fats. 

The reason I bring this up is because all of a sudden, I have become that hungry again. 

Like ALL THE TIME.  Which, in growing a human is completely understandable, but holy cow.  So I have had 2 days where it seemed like a completely hopeless cycle of constantly eating,  remember a few posts ago how I said that I quit loving my usual pastry and carbs and started loving weird things like lemons and kale?  Well that went away and now I love all the things.   Like doughnuts and funnel cakes are what I want most, and it’s pretty bad.  So yesterday I had a bad day, and I caved to whatever my body wanted, and I was still starving by the end of the day!  So last night I went back to my memories of when I was the hungriest, and thought back to how I use to do things when I was trying to support all of that activity.  Today I had oatmeal (old fashioned kind that can’t be cooked in the microwave, that stuff fills you up) and an egg for breakfast with some milk (instead of the piece of toast and cheese I had yesterday).  For lunch I had rice, broccoli &beef along with a little indulgence in my husband’s sweet and sour chicken.  For snacks I’ve had popcorn and a plum, and I also had a cookie(  seriously if I mentioned the treats I had yesterday, they make a cookie seem like it’s not that bad), dinner I had pork chops, eggplant & apples and a dinner roll.  I’m not starving, I’m not exhausted, and I’m not trying to think of what I desperately want next.  I also was much more active today, I went to a cycling class today which yesterday the only thing I did was run a little bit with my dance kids.  I have been trying really hard to eat healthy, but I think it’s time to up the ante because my body is so demanding of all the things!  I of course will allow myself some treats, but I think it’s time to buckle down and be careful because I want to feed my baby nutrient rich food and I want to give myself the strength to do the things I need to do.

Getting away from my fitness pulpit can I just say, pregnancy cravings are the coolest thing ever.  I use to like kale, and I liked the occasional lemon in my water, and doughnuts were a thing, but holy moly those things have become heaven these past few weeks.  Nothing has been more satisfying than biting into a lime or lemon covered in salt (I know, it sounds gross!), or downing a whole salad bowl full of Tuscan kale salad, or getting a doughnut on national doughnut day.   It rocks. 

Here’s a bit of an over share, while talking about fitness, I guess I will mention what a weird sensation it is to be on a cycling bike in a cycling class with a belly now.  It was really hard to exercise in my first trimester, it felt like I had eaten a whole bag of Cheetos and drank nothing but mountain dew and that’s what I had to work with, I was out of breathe and so tired!  Now I have the energy to work out in my second trimester, but if I do anything with the slightest amount of bouncing, I’m off to the bathroom.  It’s kind of funny & kind of not.  I feel really bad for my dog, we use to go running together outside, our favorite place to run is a long stretch in the middle of some fields in Bellevue, we tried that a few days ago, and I was trying so hard not to wet my pants on the way to the car.  So now we go on walks, poor guy, we’ll just get bigger together.  I have to run at the gym now where I can take frequent bathroom breaks.  I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to keep going to cycling class either, I had stop and go to the bathroom in the middle of class today and even after that I swore I was going to have an accident, in my head I kept praying “Dear Lord, please don’t let me go potty all over this bike!”  Supposedly the whole, having to go all the time disappears in your second trimester for a little while, the only improvement I’ve had from the first trimester is I don’t wake up at 3 am and at 7 am and I’m able to get through the night.  So that’s a thing.  My doctor gave me a brace for running for when I get bigger, I thought wearing it might help but it made things worse. I could start swimming again, but our gym’s pool has the strangest hours, it’s never open when I can go.  I have still been lifting with Sean, I have had to take the weight down and do more reps now.  I’m so determined to keep exercise a part of my life, it’s just getting harder, which is understandable.  It makes me feel good, and always makes me feel better if I’m having a bad day.  The struggle is real, I envy and admire women who are able to keep it up throughout the whole nine months.  We will see if we make it, no matter what I’m determined to keep on walking and lifting at least.

Week 17

I can't remember why we were up extremely late, but we were, Sean and I were talking on the couch, it was about 2 am, and I felt the baby move for the first time!  I was so excited and knew what it was, so I stayed awake a while longer hoping to feel it again, and NOTHING!  I felt absolutely nothing for several days after and felt silly for making a big deal about it (because I did!)  The past few days however I have been feeling a lot more movement, especially right around midnight before we go to bed.  I've read that babies in the womb sleep while mom is awake and when mom is asleep they wake up, but I didn't think that would be established until later.  I feel some movement here and there in the middle of the day but most of it at night and in the early morning.  It's been fun and I can't wait until Sean is able to feel them as well.  The other night I had a dream that we were finding out the babies gender at our ultra-sound appointment and woke up right before the tech told us!  I seriously cannot wait to know what we are having!   It would be just my luck that the babies legs are crossed or something because I want to know so bad!  Only two more weeks!

Right now we have cribs on the mind.  I use to know exactly what I wanted, but now that it's actually here, I don't know what I want anymore!  I use to have an idea of what looked nice, I even had Sean build one back in college (2009) when he was a  woodworking major that he sold at an auction.  I told him I wanted him to get practice in for when it was our turn, now that it's our turn, he won't be building us one because he is so busy. I look at the crib he built and thought it was beautiful then and still think it is beautiful, but I don't want that exact crib anymore.  I had no idea how much went into having a safe crib, that simple was better.

  I feel like once we get a crib picked out and purchased everything else for the nursery will fall into place, so it has been the only thing I have spent hours researching online for recently. It definitely has to be timeless, and something that can grow with our baby.  We want a universal crib, a crib that can change into a toddler bed and then become a headboard for a full and stay with our baby for the majority of his or her childhood.  We have been saving for the baby for a while, and want this to be a smart purchase.  Going into pregnancy I was fairly confident I would do alright with the baby, of course I have those moments where I freak out and think to myself, "I've never done this before! How are we going to survive?", but I truly have never been this type of consumer before.  It's a whole new world of purchasing items that you have no clue about.  I'm grateful I learned how to do in depth research in college, because I would probably be extremely overwhelmed with all of the information that goes along with purchasing baby gear and wouldn't know where to start looking.  I have found the words and advice of others to be the most helpful. Where did you buy your crib from?  What did you like about it and what didn't you like?  Did you find a particular brand that was the safest and most accommodating to your needs?  I would love to hear from you!

Week 16

It's been an exciting week for us! I absolutely love patriotism related holidays in this area, Bellevue/Papillion/La Vista areas are always so vibrant during these holidays, I'm not sure if it's because we live so close to a military base, but it is pretty neat.  Sean and I went to watch fireworks during La Vista days and on Memorial Day we had a nice barbecue in our backyard.  After being a military spouse, I have a new found appreciation for those that have died for our country so we have to opportunity to be free.  I did find myself wishing we were closer to home so we could lay flowers on the graves of our loved ones.  Today marks the 8th anniversary of my grandpa's death.  He was such an incredible man.  I miss him and I wish he was here to see all of these cool milestones that are happening in the lives of his grandchildren.  I am already trying to figure out ways to compile memories of him and my father in law for our baby, I want our child to know how amazing these men were.  They lead lives that we are so proud of.  Both men served in the military, my grandpa was in the Army and my father in law served in both the Air Force reserves and the Army reserves.   Both left this world married to beautiful wives and had marriages with these women whose examples Sean and I are striving to follow.  They didn't care for the things of the world, they placed family and Heavenly Father as their highest priority.  We miss them and know that one day we will see them again. Happy anniversary to my grandpa & grandma tomorrow, married for 55 years with eternity to go together.

I was finally able to set up my ultra sound appointment!  Before I got pregnant I thought that I didn't want to know the gender when I had my first baby, now that I'm pregnant it's crazy how my mind has been changed about so many different things. I can't wait to know what we are having!  I want to give our baby a name as soon as possible so we can acknowledge this little spirit in our lives and refer to him or her by their name.  Hopefully we have decided on a name by then for a girl, we have a boy's name we both love but we are struggling to find common ground with a girl's name. I originally wanted a gender neutral nursery, but the more I look at nursery items I say this would be so cute for a little girl/boy and I'm realizing that I probably should wait on those items until we know gender.  I have however started buying a few gender neutral things.  I bought my first onsie a while back, I think it's actually intended for a little boy but I definitely could pair it with a skirt for a little girl.  I also bought a Spiderman onsie recently, regardless of gender our baby will be sporting the Spiderman gear along with a few other Superheros.  I'm starting to build our our baby stash.  

We decided that every time from here on out that we go grocery shopping that we would buy a package of diapers, starting with newborn size and then going a size up every time with purchase so we have a few in each size.  When my grandma was here she bought our baby a little stuffed giraffe from the zoo and a giraffe pop up book.  I don't know why that started making things so real, but it did!
 I'm also starting to look for maternity clothing.  I'm struggling with this for a number of different reasons.  I don't really go shopping, but when I do, I buy one nice outfit that I will wear and have for years.  I am the type of person that if you gave $100 dollars to, I wouldn't go out and buy a whole bunch of shirts in order to have a lot of shirts, I would probably find a shirt that would last for years and years and spend the entire $100 on that one shirt, sure I will occasionally find a neat item at Forever 21 or Target but for the most part, I like investing my money in something that will last. The predicament with maternity clothing is, you are only pregnant for nine months, and only big pregnant for maybe six of those months, I also don't think I will be pregnant again any time soon after this baby. My approach to purchasing clothes has changed drastically as my pants are no longer able to be zipped up and my dresses are getting shorter.  Clothes that I thought I could get away with stretching out a little just look different and are not working, it seems like I'm going to have to buy maternity clothes sooner than later. I also, for religious reasons, won't wear anything that is a tank top or doesn't go to my knee unless I'm swimming or working out of course, so this limits my choices as well.  It's so hot, and we are going to an outdoor wedding this summer, I just wanted a maternity dress that I didn't have to layer, that met all of my criteria.  So I joined various Facebook yard sale groups, and I am looking for cheaper clothes.  I just can't bring myself to invest a lot of money in clothes I will wear for such a short time.  I made a nice score on one Facebook buy/swap/sell page and purchased 3 pairs of maternity capris and a maternity shirt all from Gap for under $20, and I have also resorted to Target.  So far Target has provided me with the most modest summer options that I don't hate.  If I ever feel like splurging there are a few dresses I wouldn't mind having from a Pea in The Pod, but for the most part I think I'm going to stick Target and do my best to keep an open mind.  I found a dress at Target that met all of my criteria that is outdoorsy wedding type dress, sleeves and all!  It isn't picture below, but I'm sure I'll get some photos in it one of these days.  It's crazy how much you approach the selfish aspects of your life when you are expecting a child, I would rather use the money for nice things for our baby, than nice clothes for myself.  I overheard my mom say to my grandma at church (whispering of course), "Can you imagine Heatherly carrying a car seat and a diaper bag? Hahaha."  Don't you worry mother, I've seen some pretty impressive baby bags I wouldn't mind having and I can't wait to rock the mommy look.  Here are some dresses and websites I have found maternity clothes that I like, all ranging in prices and quality.

 I'm loving this Liz Lange Maternity Dress from Target $24.99 Click here to be directed to their website.

  Pink Blush has some of the funnest maxi skirts I have been able to find, several solids and really fun prints. I hear that maxi skirts are the best during pregnancy. $30 Click here to be directed to their website.

 Isn't this dress gorgeous!  It looks really comfortable as well!  This would be a splurge, I'm sure it would be worth it.  This dress is from a Pea in The Pod for $250 Click here to be directed to their website.

The quest for beautiful maternity fashion is still on!  Where was your favorite place to shop?

weeks 10-15

 A few things have happened since I decided to try and blog about our baby because we were waiting so long to tell family.  I had multiple performances at school happen, multiple projects that were due, I had a sister visit, 3 moms visit, I graduated college, and we announced baby to the world (it even made it to Facebook).  So I have several progression pictures with stories that accompany each of them, and hilarity would have it that in some pictures I have a more noticeable bump than others even earlier on then later there really isn't anything. There's a lot of shifting around that goes on in there I guess.

Ah.  This infamous ten week photo, that in all honesty almost didn't get taken.  I was tired, Sean was tired, we were all tired.  I even cursed some terrible swear words because of my persistent idea that this "has to be done" and it caused some tension between us.  I'm pretty sure this was taken at around 11 pm at night, I had taught class that evening, and that day had driven to Lincoln at 8:30 am which meant I was up at 7 am that day.  Fun stuff.  The funny thing is, most people I've talked to are stressed about the morning sickness they are having around this time, or the exhaustion, or whatever else ails them about pregnancy.  I totally 100% believe God doesn't give you more than you can handle because of this pregnancy.  If I had morning sickness that is supposedly suppose to happen, I probably wouldn't have made it through the rest of the semester!  I was stressed and exhausted because school was kicking my trash, not because of my baby ( well that probably contributed but I couldn't tell).  My baby was the only thing getting me through at times.  I could see a bump, but only I could, and in some of my tighter dance clothes, and now that I'm further along I look at this picture and think psht, amateur.

This was about one of the most disappointing Easter's I've had in a while, I spent it at Tech Rehearsal for the last show of my undergrad career.  I know! I'm terrible! I spent one of the holiest of days at a Tech Rehearsal I probably will be giving myself a hard time for it forever.  Never again!  I loved UNL but I'm so glad I'm done having to make decisions like that, I am so grateful I have the opportunity to observe the Sabbath day the way I believe it should be observed now without conflict.  The day before hand was quite lovely, Sean and I went to church, we made ourselves Easter dinner and then I was off to a night of Tech.  This would be leading up to the 5th time the baby would be on stage with me!

One of the happiest visits of my life with my sister!  She came from Oregon to watch me in my show along with my mom who drove down from Wisconsin.  It was so fun having her here.  When she is around I also feel so supported and loved.  She isn't a dancer, and it was her first time seeing Modern dance, I was a little skeptical of what she would think of the show, but she was so positive!  She also helped me out a bit in keeping my mom's mother day present a surprise.  My sister is sort of a stinker, she dug and snooped before she got here, and somehow found out I was pregnant.  I guess I was getting a little to careless on Wanelo.  So she did know along with my little brother.  Her visit was too short and it needs to be longer next time!  While she was here we went to the zoo which is one of my favorite things to do in Omaha. 

Happy birthday to my Spiderman loving hubby!  We spent most of our weekend watching The Amazing Spider Man 2 in theaters.  I even decorated a cake for him with Spiderman on it.  School was finally winding down at this point, finishing some last minute projects and papers and getting reading for finals!  Light at the end of the tunnel!  

This. I have a series of bucket lists, categorized and such.  This was on my one for life, and it was the last thing I had to accomplish before I became a mommy.  My before baby bucket list is complete!  It takes after a graduation for me to realize how cool it is.   Going into my high school graduation, I kept thinking "This is stupid, I'm getting recognized for something you are suppose to do."  During the ceremony back then it started to dawn on me how awesome and neat it was, that it was symbolic of so many different things.  Like high school it took me a while to look at actually walking as a cool thing.  I thought it was stupid and the only reason I was going to walk and not get my diploma mailed to me was because my grandma, mother in law, and mother showed interest in coming to Omaha, so I made the commitment.  Really, I took a few breaks and I'm graduating with a BA at 25, when in reality that was suppose to happen 3 years ago, I've been a non traditional student, so I figured I should graduate non traditionally from the comfort of my living room.  During the ceremony I whispered to the guy sitting next to me who I had only met a few hours earlier, "If I ever get my Masters & Doctorate, I am NOT sitting through one of these again!"  It didn't take until after the graduation when I had a diploma in my hand that had my name on it and Bachelors of the
Arts inscribed that I was really feeling good about the whole thing.  It was
worth it, I probably would regret not walking if I didn't. I mention Masters degree so freely, I want one yes, but I'm going to just enjoy being alive not having school in my life until I even think about going back.  I'm pretty sure it's going to be a few years before that roller coaster ride begins.  Maybe when baby starts kindergarten?   Maybe sooner, maybe later, mostly I don't really care to think about it right now.  I love school, I love challenging my mind and I love learning.  I think what I need to learn for myself is to be able to do that in a non academic environment for now.  I took this picture with this sign as my sort of screw you hour long drive!  We are over!  No more of you BS, no more wind, no more snow, no more rain, no more slow drivers!  We are done!  I'm not sure if I was more excited about the drive being over or the actual graduation part.  60 Miles from Bellevue to Lincoln, an hour and a half of my life there and then back given back to me again!  Woot!
  So by this point we were trying really hard not to tell our moms about our baby, we only had one more day!

Mothers day morning we made our moms a huge breakfast.  We got them all cards that had a picture of our first ultra sound in it and titled each card grandma, grandma again, and great grandma.  We told them to open them all at the same time, and holy molly, their reactions were priceless!  Click here to watch their reactions!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0R3n5tDuTY&feature=youtu.be  I guess babies are a big deal or something.  It was strange celebrating for me.  We went to church as a group during sacrament meeting all the speakers spoke about their mothers, motherhood, and what a special and sacred role it is.  It was a little overwhelming, especially after we let our families know.  Oh, and at this point my mother was all over social media like I thought she would be with the news which was fine but another overwhelming thing to deal with at the moment.  At the end of sacrament one of the brethren asked if all the mothers could stand up after the prayer, I don't know why but I was so nervous about standing up!  Thankfully the bishop got on the microphone and said all women 18 and over would please stand up (mother or not).  I was relieved and felt like our secret was safe, but it wasn't until 30 seconds later that the whole ward knew, the bishop decided to play a game and have all the mothers who had been a mother for 40 years or more raise their hand and he kept saying random things like this, then the "Mother for less than six months" term came up, all of our moms looked at me and Sean raised my hand for me.  I turned bright red and immediately sat down and bishop looked a little stunned and said "Well, this is news!"  I wasn't sure if people were telling me congratulations that day because they knew I graduated college or because they knew I was pregnant.  Either way, it was a nice day at church, and it gave me perspective on what is important in my life and how amazing and privileged I was to be able to become a mommy. When we got home, we went on a lovely picnic with my mom, grandma, and mother in law.  It was such a beautiful day.

I was so sad to see our family go home, It was so nice having everyone here, and finally being able to share the news with them.  Our little one is coming into a loving family.  Everyone is so excited to meet him or her! 

Finally all caught up with belly progression pictures!  Life has calmed down tremendously!  I even almost said I was bored one day, but I didn't because the house was a mess and Sean would have reminded me of probably 100 not so fun things to do to stop being bored.  I now am enjoying focusing my time on my pregnancy, husband, and job.  Yes, I haven't been able to stop craving citrus.  I'm a little bitter about it.  Nothing sounds good. Nothing, other than these items.  I was so looking forward to wanting to eat all the time and I don't?  I thought I would.  No morning sickness but geeze I am picky!  I am not crazy about that right now.  I use to love pastries and pastas and be a crazy foodie ready to try ethnic foods but goodness none of that would work right now.  Nothing tastes as good as biting into a lemon with a bunch of salt does, or the virgin margaritas I have been making myself.  I ate a whole bowl of Tuscan kale salad by myself, it was so YUMMY!  Poor Sean didn't really try because I tripled the lemon content in the recipe. That is the only thing that really sounds amazing meal wise and pizza oddly enough is the only thing that sounds tolerable.  I felt myself pop this week, I could literally feel the tendons under my belly stretching, and felt tons of pressure this week.  This is the bump I've been waiting for!