Waiting Game

I'm 3 days away from my 40 week mark and still no baby. Boo. I was secretly planning on having this girl on Easter morning, apparently she has a different plan. I went to the doctor on Monday and was only dialated to a 1. He stripped my membranes and I went in today to get them stripped again...hopefully it helps. The doc is quite certain that  I will not be coming by the time my due date arrives and he even talked about what is going to happen when I hit 41 weeks-not exactly what you want to hear when you have had April 15th cemented in your mind for the past 9 months. Oh well, I guess she will be healthier and happier, right? Marc and I have been going on long walks to help this girl get here sooner-or help me get in better shape for giving birth..however you want to justify it. We even went on a long  bike ride the other night. Not the most comfortable thing that I have ever done, I felt like I was trying to balance a watermelon in between my legs, but it was exciting. Marc is off of work until baby girl gets here, he might be taking more time off than he had intended. We have been making the most of our last days of freedom by going shopping, seeing movies, eating out, getting pedicures (yes, Marc even got one, so fun! ha ha), going to a new Temple, and sippin' homemade smoothies after long walks through the neighborhood. Although I'm super anxious for this baby girl to get here, I have enjoyed my one-on-one time with Marc, which is probably the last time I'm going to get it for a LONG time. Until then, we will wait. I can't wait to meet you, Abigail, please come soon!!

The Countdown Begins

37 weeks. I'm now officially full term. Marc had the biggest smile on his face when I told him this, he said, "Wait, so you could come any day now and everything would be okay?" His face was priceless, probably the most excited that I have ever seen him. We are both anticipating this birth and are ready to start this new chapter in our lives. I'm feeling good, just not as good as I have up until now. I'm tired and exhausted all of the time. I'm sick of eating. I'm sick of sleeping on my side. My right leg and bum cheek seem to always be numb, my abs feel like they are ripping apart, and my stomach does the wave all day long. I haven't had too many contractions, so I'm thinking that I have no chance of coming early. I've been busy trying to think of everything that I need to get in place in my classroom so that my Sub won't be completely lost when she has to take over. It's been so much work! Hopefully I can get it all taken care of so that I can relax when this baby comes..not that you can relax with a new born, but you know what I mean.

With this big life change coming upon us, we have currently been experiencing many other changes as well. Marc got a full time job which requires him to travel - a lot. I was sick about the thought of him being gone as often as he is, but after many prayers, sleepless nights, fasting, and temple visits, we felt like it was something that he needed to do. Marc was willing to sacrifice his track dreams and school is now going to be finished up online-we hope. After two weeks on the job, I have learned that I can do anything if I have a good attitude about it. I've been able to keep myself busy and my time with Marc is spent so much more valuable now. I now understand the statement "quality more than quantity." With this job comes a lot of great things and we are so thankful that Marc had the opportunity to take it.

Meanwhile, I have learned that being a trusting person doesn't always pay off. After trying to sell something for my first time online, I got trapped into the biggest and apparently one of the most classic scams. We lost a lot of money, but, I'm over it. I've learned to count my blessings and I feel like I have come away learning a lot. One of them being that you can never be to careful. I'm going to be setting my blog to private so please leave a comment with your email if you would like to be invited.

36 Weeks

4 more weeks to go! (or less) Wow, I'm definitely getting to the point where I just want to have this baby. I still have plenty of growing to do, so I know that I'd better not complain. I've been feeling pretty uncomfortable in the evenings and all night long. I either wake up because I'm completely starving, uncomfortable, or I have to pee. The hard part has been falling back asleep, I have had some nights where I'm up for hours. I'm thinking that it's natures way of preparing me for having a baby? But really, can't I enjoy my last couple of weeks of sleep? Sigh.

 Abigail has got her own sleeping and eating patterns, she is usually still in the mornings, and active in the afternoon and evenings. I wake up every morning at 4:00 on. the. dot. because I'm completely starving. It doesn't matter how much or what I eat before bed, my grumbling stomach wakes me up. It's okay, I'm thankful to be pregnant and I can't even express how excited I am to meet this baby girl. I have been seeing babies everywhere lately and every time I see one my heart jumps. I can't wait to see what she will look like, what her personality will be like, and most of all, I can't wait to see Marc as a daddy.

My sister and cousin threw me the greatest baby shower last weekend and I was very spoiled. Thank you Brittany and Chelsea! I only have a couple of things to buy before baby girl comes. I came home with many boxes of diapers and wipes (which I hear do not last nearly as long as you think they do), some incredibly cute clothes, and many other much needed items. After putting them all away I realized that this baby is coming SOON-I'm starting to freak out a bit. I know that motherhood comes instinctively, but, let's be honest, am I ready to have a child of my own? Ready or not, here I come.

I will post some recent prego pics as soon as I get my personal computer back. (Marc likes to steal it from me)

My Motto

 

Have you ever wanted to lay on the ground and scream out, "Uncle! I give up, you've got me!"?  Or maybe you've had a day where you feel like you are being completely stretched and can't go any further? 

 Ugh, I feel like I've had many of these moments lately, and although it sounds silly, one thing that always gets me through is the strength in these words- "I can do hard things." 

I have found myself waking up and saying these words repeatedly to myself in the shower because waking up and going to work was the hardest thing for me that day.  I've had to say it under my breath when I've had one of my students screaming and crying in the corner and about six others gathered around my feet, pleading, "Teacher, teacher!" I've said it as I have been completely exhausted, when my pregnancy has gotten the best of me, and I have a hundred loads of laundry, a dirty bathroom, and a hungry husband to feed. I have said it when I've lost faith and have wondered when things were ever going to get better.

 One of my favorite scriptures has always been, 

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." 

-Phillipians 4:13

These words give me so much comfort. I know that the Lord will never give us anything that we cannot handle. Whether it's some of those little day to day tasks that just seem to be hard at the moment, or if you are going through a huge trial in your life, you can do hard things. Try telling this to yourself, it has worked for me.

Track Star

This boy has started his indoor track season and couldn't be happier. He has been busy with track meets for the past month and has already wiped a couple of seconds off of his time.  At his last meet, he set his own personal record. Although I don't love being a widow every weekend, I'm happy to see Marc work hard for something that he feels so passionate about. He has set some high goals for himself this season and I hope to see him achieve them. Way to go, Marc, I'm proud of you!
(These pictures was taken a month ago, so my tummy is quite bigger now. :) )

30 Weeks and Feeling Great

Wow! I can't even believe that I'm 30 weeks along! I feel like it's so close, but so far away. I have 10 weeks left and I know that they are going to sail. I really am feeling so great, although I feel like I'm starting to get very tired again, which isn't easy when I want to run around and get things done all day. Heartburn has been a constant and I must say that I'm so thankful for whoever invented Tums. Abigail is moving around inside of me like crazy lately, and at times it can be quite uncomfortable. I think she is enjoying herself by poking at my ribs and abs. Speaking of Abs, I have none. I'm starting to feel like a big wus when I try to sit up and can't do it without a shove from behind or something to brace. I feel huge, although everyone has been commenting about how small I am for being seven months pregnant, so I'm not going to complain.

Marc and I spent all weekend getting Abigail's room put together. It was a task! We started in the morning and didn't finish until evening. Marc was busy putting together a cabinet, shelf, and the crib, while I worked on getting all of the junk that was taking up space organized. After finishing, we both sat on the bed and looked at the room with big smiles on our faces. Marc convinced me that he was going to sleep in the room that night because he was so excited. We couldn't help but look around and wonder what it's going to be like to have our sweet baby girl in our home. Although we have a lot more fixing up to do and buying to do, we feel ready. Marc woke up the other morning and exclaimed "Oh, Abigail is so cute!" I was a bit confused until he told me that he dreamt about her that night. She was a cute little girl with blonde hair and she was playing with a dog. He then told me how happy she was playing with this dog, it was her best friend. Can you guess what he thinks we need now? A dog. I told him that I'd take the baby first.

Changed For the Better

Remember how we are living in the basement of Marc’s grandparents? Well, I can’t even express how much of a learning experience it has been for me. Although it hasn't always been easy, it's been such a blessing and I feel that I have been changed for the better.

Marc's grandpa had a disease similar to muscular dystrophy, he was completely confined to his bed, chair, or wheel chair. In order to move him, we used lifts that were placed through out the house. When we moved in at the beginning of August, he was doing pretty well. We have watched his health decline in the past couple of months and he passed away just a couple of weeks ago. Boy, I have never learned so much in my life. When we first moved in, I would get so frustrated because Marc’s grandpa was a stubborn old man. He wasn’t exactly the easiest man to love at all times. Marc’s sweet grandma did all of the taking care of him, but would have Marc help him with the heavy lifting. I watched her take care of him day and night, she never left his side. Everything that she did was for him. I would get frustrated because I would watch as her tiny, frail body would work so hard to take care of him, often times with no thank you’s and only stubbornness from his end. I would think, why in the heck don’t we get this man in a nursing home? This is going to kill sweet grandma because of all that she has to do.

On Thanksgiving night, we woke to an ambulance and they rushed his grandpa out. He was having a lot of stomach pain that they couldn’t diagnose. They put him in a rehab center and he was completely miserable. Marc’s aunt was able to work some things out with home hospice, and Marc’s grandpa was able to come home. Marc was so sweet to help change diapers and do what was needed for his sick grandpa. Grandpa was so excited to be home and his spirit changed as he got sicker and sicker. We were in the room with him when he passed, I have never witnessed a death before, but it was a very spiritual experience. In the days leading up to his death, the nurses would tell the family that he only had a couple of hours left, but he would make it through until the next morning. It was so crazy to see someone alive look so dead. There were times when he would reach out and look at the ceiling as if he could see people. I know that he could see angels who were welcoming him to the other side. This whole experience has strengthened my testimony of the plan of salvation, it is so real. There was such a special spirit with Marc’s grandpa when he left us that night, I know that there were angles with us in the room. I can’t even imagine the happiness that he had when he was welcomed to the other side. Marc’s grandma kept kissing his head and saying, “You can walk now, you can walk now.”

         Just today I came home from school to check on Marc’s grandma and found her sorting through some pictures. She showed me a couple pictures of grandpa and some of him and her when they were just married. She then showed me some pictures of them from just a few years ago. I couldn’t help but tear up and get emotional. I have been able to see the purest example of true love and how it can last. They had no idea of what trials were going to come their way. Sweet grandma stuck by her sweetheart’s side and endured to the end, through some of the toughest of times. I’m just so thankful for the gospel and the happiness it brings. I know that families can be together forever. 

Some Pictures From the Funeral:

Brad striking a model pose