Eek!

Time is ticking nearer! I can hardly believe it's almost time to meet this little guy! I have a doctor appointment tomorrow, and we'll probably set an induction date then. Hopefully. If not, I might shoot someone. (backstory: the doctor told me almost 2 weeks ago to start thinking about induction dates and mentioned anytime after Memorial Day...so we'd started planning on earlier this week. But then I went to the other doctor last week and he wanted to put off setting an induction date until this week. Super disappointing, let me tell ya!)

I think we've got most of the essentials covered. We found this glider (well, almost...it's got lighter colored wood, and the cushions might be a tad more tan) on Craigslist for less than half what it costs new. =) Hooray once again for Craigslist! I have been checking there for...oh, probably 2 months looking for a comfy, nice-looking glider. I've seen one or two go through, but was never able to snag them. So I was super glad that we were able to get this one on Monday! Thanks to our awesome friend who drove us to the South Hill in a van so we could pick it up! =)


And we've got a borrowed bassinet, swing, and bouncer chair. Plus an uber ton of clothes and blankets. I know we'll need more diapers, but I wanted to hold off on buying too many before we knew what size he'd need. Can anyone think of baby items they were super glad they had that I might have overlooked? I'd be much appreciative. =)

Umm...what else? Graduation is next weekend. Woot! I am so excited to finally be (almost!!) done with college! One more step toward being an adult lol. Or at least, feeling like more of an adult. It'll be weird though; I've always been a student (except for summers, but they don't really count) for like...95% of my life. Or something like that. So I guess it might be a little bittersweet to leave that part behind and move on. Or not. haha I guess we'll see.

Baby's still moving a lot. I think he must get many utils (an economic term that is a measurement of happiness) from sticking his feet out as far as they'll go. Unfortunately, that particular habit of his doesn't bring me many utils. haha But I'm glad that he's still active and doing fine.

Oooh! I just can't wait to see his cute little chubby cheeks! (Yes, we can tell he's got them. Thank you weekly ultrasounds!) And my sister-in-law thinks he's got my nose. I guess we'll know in a few days haha.

I have to admit, though, I'm starting to get nervous episodes. I still don't think things have FULLY sunk in. I mean, it feels like I've been pregnant for so long that it's hard to believe the moment he'll come home with us is so close. I don't know that I've really connected being pregnant with bringing a baby home. Of course, I know in my head that's what happens. But I don't know that I've really applied that knowledge to my personal life. Does that make sense at all? It just still feels kinda surreal. I think especially since I haven't had ALL that much experience with babies...I was young when Zack came home from the hospital. I don't remember what it was like the first few weeks. And honestly, my child's perspective would probably be much different than my mom's perspective of the same time period, even if I DID remember.

I think I'm most nervous because I know my life will change, but it's hard to really know exactly how much it'll change, since I've never been through this before. Oh well, I guess I'll know in the next month or so. I'm definitely looking forward to it. =)

Funny Story

So I realize this is SUPER overdue, but I was trying to get Jeremy to write about it since he was the one directly involved. As you can see, however, that didn't happen lol.

Last Tuesday (the 17th), Jeremy got up early (like...8:30. I know, shocking), listened to a voicemail on his phone, and headed out the door. I was still half asleep in bed and I was confused as to why he'd be going outside that early in the morning, but I dismissed it. A little later, I hear "now that sucker's made it personal!!" followed by Jeremy's re-entry into the house. He then proceeds to the extra room closet, grabs his pellet gun (which has the power of a .22) and comes in to our room where he throws the case on the bed next to me. I look at him and ask what's going on. He then tells me what's been going on.

Apparently, our next door neighbor had gone out to his car to go to work that morning, started his car, and realized that not all cylinders were firing. So he popped his hood and found out that some rodent had chewed through two of his spark plug wires. Then he noticed that our Solara (which was right next to his car) had pieces of insulation under it. So he talked to another neighbor and got Jeremy's number to call and let us know to check on our car. Well, Jeremy doesn't answer calls from unknown numbers...well, hardly ever, but especially not when he's sleeping. So Jeremy let it go to his voicemail.

Then, when Jeremy woke up, he listened to said voicemail and went out to check on our car. He popped the hood and found this:

Notice the shredded insulation pad? You can't tell very well in this picture, but there were literally shreds a foot long hanging from the hood. It looked very haunted-house-esque.

The dumb little critter tried chewing on the battery cable. Why, we have no idea. Oh, and notice the insulation shreds all over in this picture? Yeah, they were throughout the ENTIRE engine bay. Such a joy to clean up.

Well, then he decided to check our Camry, just in case. You see, it was next in the line of fire. So he popped the hood, and lo and behold, the little critter was INSIDE the car! By this time, Jeremy was so angry at the critter that he just started yelling at it. It got scared and ran back behind the engine block. That was when Jeremy said "now that sucker's made it personal" and came inside to get the gun.

He then took the gun out to get rid of the rodent. He told me later that as he was running side-to-side in front of the car trying to get the best shot and pointing the barrel of the gun inside our engine bay while still not quite fully awake he had the thought of "is this really a good idea?" lol! Well, Jeremy was having a hard time getting a good shot because it was so dark, so the neighbor (the one who notified us about the presence of the critter) had some spotlight that plugged into a cigarette lighter that he shone inside the engine bay so Jer could get a better view. After a few rounds (like...4? I think?), Jeremy finally got one in that killed the beast. (Side note: he felt really bad that it took him so many shots. Well, he felt bad that he had to kill the critter at all, but we couldn't have him coming back and terrorizing cars over and over for fun.)

He then had to extricate the beast from the engine bay. Luckily, another neighbor gave him a broom handle and he and neighbor #1 straightened a wire hanger (except for the hook) and taped that to the broom handle and had a good way to get the critter out. After a quick check, our Camry didn't seem to have sustained any damage from the rodent, thankfully.

After getting ready for the day, we went out to clean up the engine bay of the Solara so I could drive into Spokane for a nonstress test. As Jer was picking up the insulation shreds (I was dutifully holding the trash bag haha), he noticed that there was an awful lot of moisture in it. Then we realized that the little bugger had peed and pooped in our car! To add insult to injury! Dumb thing! (Although when I realized this, I COULD NOT stop laughing. Jer was mad, but I just found it super funny for some reason lol) Anyway, it was going to take a lot longer to clean up than we anticipated, and Jeremy wanted to take the Camry to get it inspected by a pro before we took it on any long drives, so I had to call and cancel my nonstress test. Darn; one less trip into Spokane for the week, lol. Oh, and Jeremy also had a class that morning that he had to miss because we were still cleaning up from the rodent attack.

So yeah, that was our VERY eventful morning. We would be very happy if we never have another morning like that lol. We're trying to find a replacement insulation pad for our Solara...we'd prefer to find one at a junk yard or something because it'll only cost like $40 instead of $200-some-odd. Stupid critter. =/

On another note...a nonstress test this morning and then a Dr. appointment this afternoon. Last week, my doc mentioned something about looking at possible induction dates at this week's appointment, so hopefully by the end of the day we'll know the latest that our little guy will be here. =) I'm still hoping that he'll decide to come on his own; I'm not crazy about being induced. I guess I should talk to the doctor about what the likely procedure will be for the induction and stuff. I'm just not looking forward to using Pitocin to start things off...from what I've found, it looks like things start off a lot stronger and progress a lot faster with Pit. Oh well, I guess we'll see.

The End is in Sight

Aaah! Crazyness! I can't believe there's only 5 weeks left (max!!) until we get to meet our little boy! When I went to the Dr. a week and a half ago, she told me that because of the gestational diabetes they're not going to let me go past my due date. We're trying to avoid a big baby and a c-section if at all possible. So that's a good thing.

I'm still not sure if things have REALLY sunk in. Like, yes, I can feel him kicking (which he does QUITE frequently), but the fact that we're actually going to have a little man to take care of in a few weeks...it still doesn't feel real. I don't know if it will until he's actually here. I guess we'll see, lol.

We went to Babies 'R Us on Monday to get a carseat for the baby. We had gotten a 20% off coupon and figured out we could actually get it cheaper buying it there with our coupon than through Walmart or wherever. Well, we drove up there anticipating purchasing one carseat and ended up leaving with another, lol. Kinda funny. I really like the one we ended up getting, and it's got a lot of safety features that'll help keep him safe in the event of an accident. I was a little bummed at first because it was a completely different brand and it wouldn't work with the stroller frame I wanted, but after we got home I was able to find a stroller frame for the carseat we ended up buying. So that's a good thing. Now I just need to actually order the frame. Eventually. lol

Um...what else...I get to go in 2x a week for non-stress-testing for the baby and get to have an ultrasound once a week. It's a little annoying, but at least we'll know the baby's doing well and I'm excited to get some more pictures of him =)

Another Update =)

Well...I'm trying to think of what's happened in the last month. I guess a bulleted list will probably be easiest. =)

• Winter Quarter ended! I don't think I've ever been happier about a quarter ending! Things were SO crazy since I was finishing up 2 classes I had incompletes in as well as taking the classes I was enrolled in that quarter. And one of the incomplete classes was a bear. Seriously. But, I'm pretty proud of my grades! I got a 4.0 in 3 classes and a 3.6 in the super hard class! =)
  
• Went and visited my family over Spring Break. I really enjoyed being able to spend some time with them and am looking forward to their visit this week.
• I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It sucks and it definitely took me a while to get used to, but I think things are going to be fine. As long as I keep monitoring my blood sugar and watch what I eat, both Peanut and I should be fine.
• Spring Quarter started. I'm not super thrilled about it, especially since I'd been planning on not having to take classes this quarter, but I don't think it'll be too terribly bad. Let's just hope Peanut doesn't come terribly early so I can finish my classes up!
  
• Had my baby shower in Cheney. It was really fun getting to chat with everybody. Thanks to all who went and to those who put a lot of time into planning it!
• My father-in-law came back for a visit. It was really good to see him (since he's been in Delaware for 3 months) and be able to spend some time with him. Plus, we got our copy of Despicable Me back! (It had gotten left in the DVD player he took out there with him lol)
• I've been 'enjoying' numerous doctor visits. I get the feeling I will be seeing the doctor A LOT for the next few months. My OB visits are still fairly far apart, but I've been going to a lot of appointments to get the diabetes stuff worked out. Joy.
• I finished a SUPER GOOD book! (Blackveil, by Kristen Britain) Now I just hope it doesn't take another 5 years for the next book, because it ends in a killer cliffhanger!!
• I've been trying to get the extra room organized and cleaned out so there's room for Peanut's stuff. Anyone need some yarn? I have a TON leftover from projects and I really don't have any plans for it, so let me know if you want some. =) I need to pare down some of my craft stuff so I can have space in the dresser for Peanut's clothes and such.

Um...I think that's about all that's been going on. No promises though ;)

Strawberries...and other stuff

So I think this is going to be more of a random list than an actual update

1. So strawberries were on sale this past week at the grocery store. They looked (and smelled) delicious so I picked some up. Jeremy decided to make this yummy combination for breakfast this morning. In one word: heaven. Whenever we have fresh fruit, I always forget that I can put it in my cereal. Thankfully I have Jeremy to remind me of that lol. It was SUPER scrumptuous and it just might be my midday snack today too. =)

2. This has been a really tough quarter, and it's ALMOST OVER!! I am so excited. Especially since I'm doing a lot better in my classes than I was expecting. Always a plus. =)

3. On the same type of note; I got a 90% on my last econometrics project! That class has been so difficult and the projects are really time-consuming. But it paid off! That's the best grade I've gotten on a project since the very first one. So it was super nice. It finally feels like I might actually be understanding the material better.

4. Today is a good day. I got up and had some 'veg' time before class this morning. I recently found a bunch of craft blogs and I spent about 45 minutes browsing through recent craft projects. Super fun. Plus I got some snuggle time in too. Always a good way to start the day. =D

5. I am in a very productive mood today. On the list to be conquered today: my floors (they need swept/vacuumed REALLY badly), the laundry (it's sitting on the couch waiting to be folded), dejunking some craft stuff and possibly more clothes, and maybe a craft project or two. I bought some super cute fabric to make myself a nursing cover the other day and I'm itching to get it started. I can't wait to see how it looks once it's all put together!

6. 'Peanut' has been super active lately. And Jeremy's been able to feel him move too. It's really cool. However, it does make me a little nervous that maybe he's going to be a Wild Child. I am dreading a child like Jeremy's brother was. If he comes out red-headed, I'm blaming it all on Jer ;)

7. Concert tomorrow night. It feels kinda weird because I haven't had a concert in like....4-5 years? I'm excited though. And it'll mean the end of yet another class! (I finished one up yesterday. Only 2 left!)

Ok, I think that's about it for now. Hopefully that was random enough for ya. ;)

Quote

So as I was reading February's Ensign, I came across a quote that really struck me and I wanted to keep a copy of it where it would be easily accessible. I figured maybe someone else might benefit from it as well so here it is. =)

"Opposition turns up almost anyplace something good has happened. It can happen when you are trying to get an education. It can hit you after your first month in your new mission field. It certainly happens in matters of love and marriage...There are cautions and considerations to make, but once there has been genuine illumination, beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don't give up when the pressure mounts...Face your doubts. Master your fears. 'Cast not away therefore your confidence.' Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you."
-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence," BYU devotional address, March 2, 1999.

I just really liked this quote when I came across it. It seems like lately I've been questioning myself and what I'm doing. This just really helped strengthen my testimony. I know that the Lord will help us overcome any obstacle as long as we are willing to overcome it and put our whole trust in Him.

Weird...

So maybe I've just been in denial. Or maybe it's happened so slowly that I honestly haven't noticed that much. I dunno.

Yesterday, I went to Grad Finale to see what it was all about. Two words--SUPER LAME. But, I decided I'd get fitted for a graduation gown just in case I am able to walk at graduation (i.e. not be in labor or just have had peanut). Well, I put on the gown and mentioned to the lady that at the time of graduation I'll be 9 months pregnant. She was like "oh, I was wondering but I didn't want to say anything." It was the first time someone I didn't know had said something like that to me. Super weird. And like I said, kinda surprising because I haven't gotten very many comments about it at all. And the few I have gotten are from people I'm pretty close to.

Then today, I went into the office of the real estate management company that we are managers for. I went to the back to pick up a drip pan to put in a vacant unit that was missing one, and the gal that works with us came back to tell me something and was like "oh! You're showing!!" (Usually when I go in to see her, I just see her over this cutout in the wall that only shows from mid-chest up.) Kinda odd.

I dunno...it's not that I'm like super anxious about it or feeling like I'm this huge whale yet, it's just....I guess I didn't realize that it was that obvious yet. No se.

Anyway, there really wasn't much of a point to this post, just kinda wanted to express my feelings, I guess. Hope you're all well!