19.5 weeks

okay so funny story. We are getting sick of the same old foods hangin out in our fridge for us to devour. It kinda gets old. So...I bought mangos this week. I've never really had a mango, let alone ever thought of buying one. So...it was fun and spiratic. Well..I have this sweet pregnancy app that keeps me posted on how big our little bean is. I love it. And Lo and Behold...week 19 little stevo is the size of a......

MANGO!!!!!!

That's right. Isn't that funny? haha what a coincidence.
So, we whipped out the mango, and I told Tanner to hold it up so I could blog about our mango sized child. IT'S HUGE!!! compared to the jelly bean it was at 8 weeks! crazzzzyyyy.

I told him he looked a little stoned  in this one....

So we attempted another....

haha his facial expressions kill me lately. such a goober.

So anyway....this past weekish I've felt a lot of interesting, weird, new things in my lower belly. I'm not sure if it's just gas, or if it is our mango. I don't relaly know what I'm looking for, but the Dr. said it feels like little flutters, or popcorn popping. I've had a lot of that this week- so I dunno! Kinda fun though if it is the little babe.

Our 20 week ultrasound is on April Fools day...we are hoping they don't fool us with the gender of our child...because it is driving us NUTS not knowing 100% what it is.....

I'm sure I'll blog about our 20 week ultrasound!

ta-ta for now.

A Good Article for the Day

I came across this article today- and it really got me thinking. Each and every one of these points I think all of us struggle with at one time or another. I know I do! Click on the link and it should take you there.

http://www.lifebuzz.com/just-stop/

Some of my favorite quotes from the article:
* "Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only."

* Don't live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate. Forgiveness is not saying, "What you did to me is okay." It is saying, "I'm not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever."  Forgiveness is the answer....let go, find peace, liverate yourself! And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it's for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
I absolutely LOOOVEEE this one.  There is so much hate in this world- and really it doesn't solve or help anything.  I need to be more forgiving!

*Stop worrying so much! Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about. I often catch myself worrying about the littlest things that really don't matter.  Tanner has definitely helped me in this area haha.

* "Positive thinking is at the forefront of every success story."

*Stop trying to be everything to everyone.  Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making ONE person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.

*"The real world doesn't reward perfectionists.  It rewards those who get things done."

*"Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come."

I really loved every single point this article made but these ones stuck out to me the most.  It was a nice reminder to remember that everyone is their own person, and that YOU can't change a person.  THEY have to want to change themselves.

What a powerful and thought-provoking article :)

A Thought for the Day

So throughtout the day, I have a lot of time to think about a lot of things.  My mom sent me an email the other day of a few articles that Tanner and I have just LOVED reading and talking about.
" The Secret to Raising Happy Kids,"
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=1009&sid=29067666#7TJ0hHSV8WvYPs2l.03
                      
                         AND

"10 Common Mistakes Parents Today Make"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kari-kubiszyn-kampakis/10-common-mistakes-parents-today-make-me-included_b_4753451.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

You'll probably have to copy and paste those to read them- but they are worth it. Well, they were to Tanner and I :) Anyway so the first article, here were some thoughts Tanner and I had that we don't want to forget.

Moms Need Happiness Too: This one just made Tanner and I laugh.  We feel it is so important to laugh in our home, and we want to continue that with our kids.  Laughter lightens the mood, and it is the best medicine I say.
Dad's Matter- big time: Tanner is going to be the best dad. I can just see it now.  He walks in the door from work and our kids run to the door to greet him.  I have a feeling our kids are going to look forward to when daddy gets home to play with them.  Tanner has always been so fun with kids, and will play with them until he's out of breath :)
Fight Fair: Tan and I think arguing is healthy- but not in front of your kids.  Kids totally learn from example so if you fight and yell and say horrible things to your spouse in front of your kids, they are going to learn to do the same things. I don't want that.
Custom Parenting: I really liked this one. And it's funny because Tanner and I say all these things that we do and don't want to do with our kids, but it really is easier said than done.  But this one- is big I think.  Every child is different- and they are all going to react differently to discipline, rewards, praise, disappointment, etc.  It's important to find what your child needs and stick to it with that particular child. I have a feeling this one's gonna be a toughy haha.
Children Need Purpose: I liked this one- it talked about teaching your kids to be giving.  Since pretty much all of our siblings have several kids, we get to watch them parent their kids, and we have seen a lot of things that we love, and a lot that we despise haha. We feel it's important to teach our kids to be kind, caring, and giving no matter what.
So..to sum it all up I feel that by being nurturing, caring, giving, loving, while yet disciplining your child all at the same time- our kids will love us as parents. hopefully. I guess we'll see :)

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The next article Tanner like tore apart and absolutely loved it.
"10 Common Mistakes Parents Today Make."

Observing our siblings all parent their children, Tanner and I would probably say this this is going to be our motto.
"It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings."
Isn't that just amazing? We thought so.  I've been thinking a lot about this "motto" and how it's easier said than done- but I want to try my best to do it.  Now I want to clarify that what I'm going to talk about is just my own experience of growing up, and that I'm not trying to put my parents at fault or anything- because I was stubborn.  And it takes two :)  So Anyway... just a thought on that:

When I got to college, I had a pretty interesting transition from being home with my parents, to being on my own.  To being and becoming an adult.  I'm sure pretty much all of these are my fault because my mom tells me that she would suggest helping me learn something, but a lot of times I didn't want to learn them. haha. so my fault :)
But...
with my own kids, I really want to teach them simple things that involve being an adult.  for example:
-how to do laundry on their own. How to start the machines, what detergent to use, all the little details you need to know.
-how to fill up a car with gas, and how to check and change the oil.
-how debit and credit cards, and checks work.
-Talk to them about mortgages, loans, and all types of insurance.
-Cooking. Teach them the basics of how to do the simple things. I've even thought maybe that this would be fun.  Take them to the grocery store and have them, with my help, make a grocery list and every night help them and teach them make the weeks menu.  I think this would help a TON!! They would learn so much I feel like.
-Bills. How to pay them. Basics of this.
And...I'm sure there's so many more.  When I went to college and even got married, let's just say that I didn't know a lot of these things- and it was very challenging and frustrating for me. And Tanner. I wish I would've been teachable enough to learn all of these things- it would've helped me a whole lot!

So back to the article. I'm just going to choose mine and Tanner's favorites because there's a lot.

Mistake #1: worshiping your child. 

Tanner and I really think that worshiping your child can be a good thing, but not to do it too much.  We watch our siblings with this, and we can already tell that the kids that have been 'worshiped' per-say, are already struggling with self-esteem issues. So...instead of worshiping every little thing they do, love everything they do instead.  In the long-run, we think it'll make a huge difference.

Mistake #2: Believing our children are perfect.

This one- is a big one. Tanner and I have seen it everywhere.  The lady in the article said this about it:
" The problem is that parents today don't want to hear anything negative about their kids.  When concerns are raised, even concerns voiced out of love, the knee-jerk reaction is often to attack the messenger. The truth can hurt, but it's easier to deal with a troubled child than repair a broken adult."

Man! That says it all right there.  I don't need to say more.

Mistake #3: Raising the child we want, not the child we have.

Forcing your own dreams on your child doesn't work.  I totally 100% agree with this one.  And I know it's gonna be tough. It sounds tough just reading it haha. But...I've watched this many times too and it hurts me.  It hurts me because I feel that some parents try and raise the child THEY want them to become, not the person that their CHILD wants to become. So they're child's dreams are shattered, because they feel like they have to live  up to their parents dreams. Breaks my heart.

Mistake #4: Judging other parents--and their kids.

I have learned a great deal of this one I think.  Between the friends I had in high school, the friends my husband has, and working with developmentally disabled, this one also breaks my heart. Especially the Rexburg population-it is so judgmental, and Tanner and I have a really hard time with that. Even with my own family, people judged us for things that happened growing up, and in a way it shattered our family for a while. And I think more important than what we SAY to a person we are judging, our actions and body language says just as much as our mouth does. I've learned this one many times in my life. DON'T JUDGE PEOPLE. We never know what someone's going through or when we'll need mercy ourselves.  And while we can't control judgmental thoughts, we can cut them short by seeking to understand the person instead of jumping to conclusions. I hope to teach this to my kids. I'm very passionate about it :)

All in all, I have a feeling parenting is going to be harder than I think, but I hope I can prepare myself right now to be the mom I want my kids to have :)

My brother said something funny yesterday when I told him Tanner and I are super excited for this child to get here. I told him it would be a fun, crazy adventure and he goes,
"It'll be a fun, crazy, 18 year adventure! Are you ready for that?"
HAHAHAHA I don't know if I am.  But I will sure try!

Get it Done Construction, L.L.C.

Say wwwwhhhhhhaaaaaatttttt?.....

Yep. Tan and I decided to start our own business! It took a lot of decision making, time, and faith haha but we did it.  I filled out all the paperwork for him to start- and the State of Idaho accepted our business proposal name.

"Get It Done Construction, L.L.C."
He and I thought it was quite clever. And it's totally tanner- so we just couldn't resist.

It's always been tanners 'dream' to be a general contractor and build homes.  So...he is fulfilling his dream. And we are hoping and praying that it succeeds :) Right now he wants to start out slow by doing remodels, Sheetrock, framing, door jams, etc.  And also woodworking. Making Kitchen tables, end tables, entertainment centers, beds, etc.  He's pretty excited about this- and he's already done 2 remodels in the last 2 months.  I'm a proud wife.  And proud owner's wife of a whole bedroom full of stinky tools :)
We took a big leap and quite the risk- but Tan is pretty darn excited about it.  I mean, he already owns pretty much all the tools he needs to be a contractor.  So...here's to our new 'Get it Done Construction' adventure! Here's some pics of my studly hubby doin his thang.

 Finishing my parent's basement bedroom.

                      This is his new baby. And nope- it doesn't exactly fit in our apartment. haha.

Looks like I'm still stickin to what I said ever since I was little:
"I want to marry someone who will build my house." :)  



Yep. I'm a proud wife.

17 weeks

March  11-18

Last week I had some BADDD migraines. Not fun. and BAADDD heartburn.  One of the main things that keeps me positive is having the mindset that I could have it a lot worse.  My neighbor right now has 2 little girls, and has told me about her pregnancies.  With both of them, she had to be hospitalized, and receive IV's each week so she could keep getting nutrients.  I have it easy peasy compared to that. I can't even imagine.

I do have to say that everything has gone amazing so far. Really. Besides the fact that I've gained 10 lbs already, my clothes don't fit, I'm hungry all the time, headaches, heartburn, it really isn't that bad.  Watching your body transform to bring a baby into this world has brought a whole new perspective to me.  It makes me more grateful for the body that I do have, and for my mom- who basically risked her life to get me here.  Pregnancy is an amazing thing. It's frustrating at times to not be able to fit into your clothes or feel fat all the time- but it's worth it to me already.  Our bodies are amazing- the things they can do.

The doctor said I should be able to feel movements between 18-22 weeks and I'm 18 weeks 1 day today..so we'll see.  I've felt some weird twitches and flutters in my stomach but I'm not sure if that's baby or just twitches :) I can't wait for that day. I'm sure it will be bittersweet.

Baby:  is now the size of  an onion.
Fun fact: she is growing stronger, and focusing on growing a thicker umbilical cord.
Craviings: Last week I craved salty still.  I ate a lot of salty things last week :)

I bought a stroller- and I got a wicked deal on it. I'm quite proud. I found it off a blog that had things
for sale. I only payed $40 bucks for it- and she said she loved it but only used it for 2 months! stellar
right? That's how I roll. My next project: to find a car seat that will attach to it.

Our appointment is in 2 weeks from yesterday- we can't wait. This has seriously been a huge test for
our patience hahaha.  We just want to know for sure what this cute little onion is already!!

Update on our 80% girl :)

So I don't want to be one of those people that posts everything about their pregnancy and baby bump and all that on Facebook...I personally find that very obnoxious. So...I will be documenting everything on here so I can have it on hand in the future.

Here's just some fun facts and pictures of the last 16 weeks.


8 weeks: 
This was the first week I started noticing a difference in my stomach. I was feeling VERY bloated. This is when it started to be very uncomfortable to button up my pants. I wasn't showing at all, just bloated at this point.
Baby: At 8 weeks our little peanut was the size of  a raspberry. So tiny.
Fun Fact:  Peanut is growing about a millimeter each day this week.
Cravings: Around this time I craved Little Ceasars bread sticks. I think i brought a bag home like every day for a week hahaha.
Symptoms: Horrible headaches, heartburn, bloat, night sweats, TIREDDDDD, lots of potty trips haha, nausea

9 weeks:
Baby: Size of a green olive! .9 inches long
Fun Fact: This week peanut is developing more prominent facial features.
Cravings: Anything salty
Same symptoms. Didn't notice anything different this week. except tired. all the time.

10 weeks:
Baby: size of a prune. 1.2 inches long
Fun Fact: Peanut's vital organs are developed and are starting to function
CRAZY DREAMS! oh boy. So I've had some really freaky dreams so far. I started writing them down on my phone so in the future I can show our little one and we'll just laugh together haha. Here's
 a few of my favs:
*My sister Aubrey is also pregnant so my dream was that she gave birth to a baby boy who came out with one ear pierced haha.
* Tanner was chasing me on our moped, and kept hitting me with a spatula. haha.
*Tanner and I and some friends were driving our friends pickup home from St George and they all made me drive. Well...I swore 3 times and almost killed us all.
I've had tons but those are some of the best ones.
In the middle of week 10, I woke up and my belly was poking out a little. It was weird haha. So here's the first pic I took at 10.5 weeks

11 weeks: 

Baby: size of a lime! I remember this week telling Tanner, "babe- our little peanut is now the size of a lime!  " And us thinking that was so huge compared to a raspberry 3 weeks ago :)  1.6 inches long

Fun Fact: Baby's skin is see-through!

Cravings: Still craved salty things but this week I started craving sour watermelons. So yes...I bought a bag and ate it...ALL!!! yum. 

Symptoms: still the same. I remember feeling so bloated and huge haha! I still fit into all of my pants, just had to squeeze a bit :)

12 weeks! 

This week was a huge milestone. I remember Tan and I talking about it over and over how if we were able to get to 12 weeks- everything would be okay. I was such a worry wart up to this point. But I'll 

tell you what- once 12 weeks hit and we had an ultrasound, things were much less stressful and 

worrisome. It was a good feeling. 

Fun Fact: Her reflexes are developing this week. She is learning to open and close her fist, and wiggling each individual finger.

Baby: size of a plum. About 2.1 inches long. 

Symptoms: All still the same- except this week I started getting HORRIBLE migraines and BAD heartburn. and WAY tired haha. After I eat anything it just gets stuck in my throat and won't go down. I started taking 500 mg of tylenol this week for my headaches. 

-Still visiting the potty way too much. haha. At this point I could still suck in and not have any bloat :) hehe

Ultrasound Tech told us at our 12 week appointment she was 80% sure it is a GIRL!!! She said there's still a chance she could be wrong though because it's so early.  I'm holding out for you little miss!

*My mom brought over "her" first outfit. She said she couldn't resist haha and it's the cutest thing ever.

she better stay a girl because I am in love with this outfit. 

13 weeks: 2nd Trimester! woohoo!!

Baby: At 13 weeks our little peanut was the size of a peach- about 2.9 inches long.

Fun fact: Even though baby is still tiny- she now has her own set of fingerprints :)

Symptoms:  This week was magical. Nausea= gone. now just migraines and heartburn. Weird though this week i randomly threw up one morning haha. By 13 weeks, I've gained 4 pounds!  Still able to wear same clothes- they just aren't very flattering like they used to be haha.

14 weeks: 

Baby: size of a lemon!  3.5 inches long, and now weighs 1.5 oz! 

Fun Fact: baby is wiggling around like crazy though I can't feel it yet.

Cravings: This week was strange. AVACADOS!!!! I've never liked avacados- but I swear we had 

them for dinner every night haha.

Symptoms: Week 14 was when I decided it was getting too darn uncomfortable to button up my jeans. They were so tight, and I couldn't do it any longer haha. So, I bought a belly band off amazon and i love it. It allows you to unbutton your jeans and zipper, and put the band over the button and zipper, and helps your pants stay on without getting your stomach pinched off hahaha. This was a magical experience- being able to breathe. 

At the end of this week I decided I'd had enough of trying to squeeze into my shirts. so... I bought some shirts that actually fit haha. 

15 weeks:

Baby: size of an orange. 4 Inches long, and now weights 2.5 oz.

Fun Fact: Her joints and limbs can all move now, and this week she starts hiccuping!

Cravings: This week it's been pudding. Not just normal pudding- it has to be chocolate cook and serve pudding. We ate it like every other day. 

Symptoms:  Still several trips to the john.  Can't button up any of my pants anymore- I've gained 6 lbs by now. 

16 weeks: March 4-10

Baby:  Now our little bean is the size of an avacado. 4.6 inches long, and weighs about 3.5 oz. 

Fun Fact: Now she's growing hair, lashes, and eyebrows. She's also listening to my voice!

Cravings: This week it's been pudding still, plus nachos. Actually I guess nachos started at 14 weeks . We had those several times a week too :) yummmmy.

Symptoms:  Randomly threw up...Pants not fitting at all. And I scored 4 shirts at DI for a total of $14!! That's how i like to 

shop. I love me some good deals.

*I got 12 free cans of baby food from a lady, and I got a free, super cute newborn outfit for free too. It's a grey jumpsuit, with white polka dots, and the sweater has 2 blue bows on the pocket. I didn't take a pic- but it's way too cute.

*16 WEEK  ULTRASOUND! was yesterday, March 4. We were told at 12 weeks this was the big ultrasound where they'd tell us the gender for sure, and they'd measure all the baby's body parts and see if everything was growing properly. Well..we got there and all they did was check the heartbeat. we were bummed haha. But...the nurse said its heartbeat was 156, and she said "Wow it's hyper in there!" haha oh boy. Our next apt is April 1- we can't wait!

Here's a pic at 16 weeks 1 day. This week and last week I've noticed my stomach being really hard. It's the weirdest thing. And a lot of stretching down there. Doctor said that's round ligament pain- where everything is stretching- and in a month from now, everything will be stretched as far as it needs to be. WEIRD!

I find this whole experience so amazing, and such a miracle. It's crazy to think that a human being is growing inside of me and I'm not really doing anything! Just eating a bit more, and buying clothes that fit! Haha.

 I'm so grateful :)