Best (female) friend

This morning we got up early and went to Temple Square to see one of my favorite people, Marissa. (and/or Sister Schroedter, as she goes by now). I can't believe she has been on her mission for almost 4 months! I miss her like crazy, but it was so good to see her.
We also attended the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast, Music and the Spoken Word. It was so awesome! Inspiring and uplifting.
The Monster Truck rally we went to last weekend was sweet. I couldn't believe how loud it was-- good thing they had free earplugs!

It was scary for me!!

The trucks were huge! Good date though. Lance and I have been on some great dates lately :) mostly cause we have to get out of the house so we don't go crazy. On Friday we went to Color Me Mine and yesterday we went to Outback and then saw the movie Unstoppable. We had the best weekend, which was just what I needed after a super stressful school week with a take home midterm that took almost 25 hours.

It was so fun to have Lance's parents here last weekend. We bought some really cute baby stuff :) I can't wait for everyone to be here in April for graduation! Families are the best.

Sappy love post

Best Valentines ever.
I heart my husband.
He is awesome.
I had no idea what I good decision I was making when I married him.
Ok way too mushy :) But, hey, I'm not making anyone read this.
(Except my family. They have to read it. I question them regularly.)

My Valentines flowers (the rose was from Tucanos. how sweet. delicious of course but super crowded):

Lance was cute enough to remember the purple calla lilies from our wedding and get me some, along with the white flowers. I like potted flowers better than cut ones because they last longer. Usually its at least a month before I accidentally kill them.

We forgot to get a picture before/during our date, so this is when we got home.

I couldn't let a day that I was actually dressed cute and wearing makeup go to waste. So of course, belly pic! Then we did chocolate-dipped strawberries. Yum....

Almost 23 weeks! (About 5 months)

Homemade heart-shaped stuffed-crust bbq chicken pizza. Sooo delicious. I ate way too much, but I couldn't help it; the baby loved it!
For Valentines Day Lance got me a pregnancy spa package. I am sooooo excited. It includes a massage, facial, manicure and pedicure. What a perfect gift, especially since my back is starting to hurt a lot. I can't wait to use it.

I got Lance tickets to the Monster Truck Rally in Salt Lake this weekend (credit: Merrill and Jamie). I think it will be wicked fun. Lance's parents are also visiting this weekend. Hooray! They are always a blast to have around and I can't wait to show them their little future granddaughter's room.

Nursery=happiness

Our little nursery is almost done! We FINALLY got our crib this week (nearly a month after we ordered it). I love it. Soooo much. It matches our other furniture perfectly. Isn't it beautiful?
Working on baby stuff is the best distraction from school (which I have seriously been needing this semester. Otherwise I would blow my brains out from running too many regressions in STATA- the bane of my existence). So this past week I designed and made this cute teddy bear pillow. At least I hope it's cute. I think the eyes are a little creepy, but Lance says they aren't. I like his opinion. (Side note: it was originally intended to be for Sharon's baby, because it matches the blanket I made her, but I never got around to making it before and now I want it for myself. Hi Sharon!)
Tonight I made Lance help me decorate one wall of the nursery with these decals. Of course I threw away the paper that had the pattern on it like a month ago, so we had to make up our own design. I think it turned out pretty good.
The nursery is really starting to come together! Lance thinks it's weird that I just like to sit in there and look at all my baby stuff, but I think it's good for the baby because I am sending her happy thoughts that will make her big and strong and healthy.

Last week we had our official 20 week appointment. It turns out the baby is measuring bigger than expected, so it looks like I may be a week further a long than I thought! That would mean today officially marks 22 weeks. That is awesome. We're (over) halfway there! The ultrasound lady also said she was definitely, positively, 100% sure that the baby is a girl, which was quite a relief for us. I can't wait to meet her!

Out of control

Ok so I am embarrassed for myself. The day we found out we were having a girl, I may or may not have bought a million pink things. Not really, but I got a lot. We got the cutest pink and green butterfly bedding/nursery set, which is the theme we are going with. We have bought so much baby stuff online over the past month that the UPS lady knows us personally. I can't help it! It's so much fun! Besides, babies need a ton of stuff, and I might as well get it now while I am feeling great instead of later when I just feel like an elephant. Plus, it's a welcome distraction from school. Spending 25 hours a week on campus for only 8 credits is exhausting, and getting old fast. Less than 12 weeks till graduation! And admittedly, having a baby is great motivation to get things finished up this semester. It's now or never folks.
So here are some pics of some of the stuff for the nursery. I'm not sure Lance has had as much fun assembling the furniture and moving it around as much as I have enjoyed picking it out. But he did get to buy an power drill, which has made him feel awesome and even more manly. The only thing left we are waiting for is the crib, which has taken like a month to ship. But it is supposed to get here this week!


In other news, I am in love with a baby girl's name. But I'm not sure I want to share it here, because what if someone steals it? Ok that's a little ridiculous but still. If you want to know what it is you can ask me.

OH and she started kicking me this week! Yay! We got a little soccer player in there or something. It feels so weird, like my stomach twitching. It's still pretty soft, so Lance has only been able to feel it a couple times. I suspect he thinks I am making it up...

Shout out to my baby niece Eve, who got blessed today. Hi Eve! Be nice to Mommy and Daddy so they don't send you away!

Well that's all for now. I'm hungry again , so better go eat.

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!

We found out just an hour ago that we are having a little baby girl!!! We are soooo thrilled. Another granddaughter for my parents!! (this makes 4!) I can decorate her nursery all in pink!! Even though I kept having dreams that it was a boy, I am so happy to be having a little girl. And her ultrasound pictures are so cute! I'm on campus right now so I can't scan them, but this is the best I can do. I think she looks just like her daddy :). She is going to be such a daddy's girl. You should see how she already has him wrapped around her finger, and she isn't even born! And she is totally healthy too. No birth defects or anythings. We are just so happy. Which is why I'm blogging about it instead of doing homework.

This is her face:

Ouch

I hate winter. Especially in Utah. I can't even remember the last time it was above freezing. Unfortunately, neither can our front steps. They have been covered with a solid layer of ice for the past month or so. Yesterday, I finally slipped and fell. Lets be honest, it was probably inevitable. I fell all the down the stairs and landed hard on my rump. Luckily, I managed to hold on to the bowl of brownies and ice cream I was carrying. Unluckily, I now have a huge bruise. I can live with that. I just hope I didn't hurt the baby. That's what really scared me. Lance promised me the baby will be fine. I guess we'll find out.... if it comes out with two heads or severe spinal damage, I'll know what to blame.

In other news, yesterday was Lance's 29th birthday! He wanted to keep things simple (actually, he didn't want to celebrate it at all), but I insisted on marking the occasion. I spent all afternoon making him 3 miniature pies (coconut cream, chocolate, and peach) at his request, then when he got home we went to Olive Garden and then went to see Tron. I also got him a Kindle, which he loves and hasn't put down since he got it. Because we were so busy, I didn't get any pictures of this momentous occasion. Surprise surprise. But we had a lot of fun.

We also bought our crib this evening! Yay!! One big check mark on the list. I am so happy. I absolutely adore this crib from Babies R Us, and it will be mine in 7-14 business days, some assembly required.
One last thought: I heart the Bachelor. This season is shaping up to be as entertaining and dramatic as ever!

My little apple, 15 weeks old

That's right, our little growing fetus is now the size of an apple! (4 inches from head to rump). Although from how big it's made my belly, you would think it was larger. Baby's accomplishments in the past couple weeks include facial expressions, peeing, and sensing light. So far we haven't felt any movement, but we have a doctor's appointment this week and are looking forward to hearing the heartbeat again! We are super excited to find out the gender sometime in the next couple weeks. Keep your fingers crossed for a boy or a girl! (We'll be happy with either). My morning sickness is gone and now I am just hungry almost all the time. Most of my clothes don't fit but I am still to small for maternity clothes; it's an awkward stage. I just feel fat, even though I've gained hardly any weight. In fact, I weight less than when I found out I was pregnant. This picture makes me look bigger than I am.
We've started considering some names but nothing definite yet. Suggestions anyone? We will put them in the hat, as my sister would say. I think it's a metaphorical hat, but I could be wrong. Although I'm holding off on a lot of shopping until we find out if it's a he or a she, we are going to be buying a crib soon! I can't wait to start decorating my little nursery. Lance and I are just so excited to be parents. Most of my apprehension left when the vomiting did, and now I am just thrilled. Although this baby came as somewhat of a surprise to us, the timing really couldn't be more perfect. I am going to graduate this spring, and classes end just a couple weeks before my June 23rd due date. Then I can stay home all day with my baby! I just hope I can figure out how to take care of a baby before then. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, especially by Baby. We are super grateful for all the support we have gotten from friends and family, and no one has been judgmental (to our faces....)! Now I get to go sort out the clothes that I wont be able to wear for a while from my closet, and get ready for the Bachelor tonight! My favorite part of January. :)


PS On a side note, being woken up this morning by a bunch of firemen about to break into our condo was not the best part of my week. Turns out a pipe burst next door and flooded our basement. It ruined some of our food storage :(, but luckily didn't spread too far. But we've had various people (firemen, board members, HOA reps, insurance agents, carpet cleaners) in and out all day, ripping out carpet and sideboards, and they'll be back tomorrow at 8 am. Embarrassing for me because I haven't even showered. Hopefully it will all get taken care of eventually. Right now there's a big fan running down there. It's like being on the carpet crew again, except I don't have to work.