Happy Mother's Day

It's so exciting to really feel like a mother today. Our little guy is moving and kicking around regularly, reminding me that it won't be long until I'll be carrying him around in my arms instead of my belly. Just 6 1/2 weeks left! Walt is making breakfast for me right now - scrambled eggs, cinnamon cake, and fruit shakes. Yum!! This evening we are having Dad and Julia, Heather and Jon, and Alan, Liz and Lilli over for dinner. Julia requested homemade chicken noodle soup, homemade wheat rolls, and salad for dinner, and we're throwing in homemade strawberry ice cream for dessert. Why is it that food is such a central part of all celebrations in our culture? I think that is true for most cultures. One of the first things I think of when I consider a holiday or gathering of any size is "what will we eat?" And of course there are so many traditional foods for different holidays and different families. I love food!

Yesterday we planted our garden. We're a little late on this, but I think it will turn out. We ended up buying our tomato plants this year instead of doing starts in the garage like we usually do. We also bought some corn, which we've never done, so that'll be fun. Our rhubarb has been growing really well on its own, and we transplanted onions, carrots, green peppers, butternut squash, and zucchini from the starts we did. I keep going out to look at it. It's so fun to grow things!

Full Life

The past month has been so full and fun. Conference weekend we spent with family in Provo and Salt Lake, Easter weekend we had family friends staying with us for a few nights and had a wonderful family gathering at my dad's. The next week we took a road trip to Phoenix to visit Walt's siblings and my aunt for 4 days. The next week was BYU graduation. My two sisters-in-law graduated, and Liz's mom and sister stayed with us for the four days they were here. The next week was BYU Womens Conference, which I attended on Thursday with my aunts and cousin, and Friday I was helping put on a School Psychology conference in Salt Lake, and my sister threw me a family baby shower that night. Her family spent the night and next day with us so they could attend a local wedding. The next few weeks should be slower at home, and crazy at work trying to set up all the end of year meetings for the students we serve.

I'm starting to get really excited about this baby. There is a lot to do to prepare still - paint the baby room, buy supplies, freeze some dinners, do a hospital tour, etc. I'm banking on having at least a couple weeks in June after work ends to do most of that.

Yesterday we walked to the church for a potluck, and on the way we saw a cow that had just given birth to a calf. The calf was curled up behind it in the grass, and the cow was eating her placenta! It was so neat! I felt like I was on the nature channel. I didn't realize cows did that, and I've definitely never seen it before. I wish I'd had my camera. I would have posted a picture. :)

Baby Bump

My cousin Amber requested I post some pregnant pictures for those who live far away.  The only problem was, I didn't have any!  So I took a few and now I've posted them.  I'm so glad she said something because otherwise I might not have any pregnant pictures of myself at all!  I'm not so good with picture taking.  So thanks, Amber, and I hope you enjoy!  I'll post a few more as I get bigger.  :)

Missing Items Alert!

Anytime I would lose something my mom would ask, "When was the last time you remember seeing it?"  The last time I remember seeing them was about a week ago at church.  But today at church they were no where to be found.  It's official, my ankles are missing.  People tell me they'll be back after the baby comes.  Let's hope so!  I didn't realize I had any vanity about my ankles until now.  I guess this is good for me.

    

This past Monday I decided to strike out on my own and make a maternity skirt. I used a pattern and bought all the materials, found my size, cut out the pattern, sewed it up all by myself! Not a bit of help from anyone! I was so proud. Unfortunately, I measured my current waist size (this is a maternity skirt after all!) rather than my pre-pregnancy waist, which resulted in a skirt several times too big. I was laughing and laughing when I tried it on the first time because Walt and I could both have fit in it (though we didn't try). My sewing teacher showed me how to take it in, which wasn't so hard actually, and after subtracting about 4 inches on each side, it fits perfectly! I'm wearing it right now, and it's so fun to feel creative, even if I did follow a pattern. The maternity dress I'm making should be done this next week, and then I'll have three things to wear to church. Woohoo!

We started attending childbirth classes this week, taught by the doula my aunt used for her two boys. It is just a 4 week course, but already I've learned so much. At the end she showed us a video of multiple women doing natural childbirth, and I cried. It did NOT look fun. I was trying so hard to contain myself because no one else in the class was crying, and it was a small room with only 4 couples. I think I fought it back pretty well in the end, but it sure made me think twice about what I'm getting myself into. I'm feeling fine about it now, though, and I'm still committed to going natural. The more I learn the more prepared I feel and the calmer I get, even if hearing some of the stories can be kind of unsettling at first. I can take it! My body was made for this! Our doula also brought the fresh placenta from a birth she'd helped with that morning. "No one else wanted the placenta! Can you believe it?!" she said. I said, "Should I want my placenta?" It was very cool to see the one she brought, but I have no desire to keep my own. Although someone was just telling me that they saw a childbirth book from the 70's with a recipe for placenta casserole.....

Easter Formula

According to my survey, only one person knew how to calculate when Easter will be, and they didn't share it with me, so I looked it up! It's actually quite simple, though a calendar with lunar cycles is required. I personally don't memorize the cycles of the moon.

First, find the Spring Equinox (either the 20th or 21st of March, typically). Then find the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (this will be Passover). The following Sunday will be Easter.

EXAMPLE: This year, the Spring Equinox is March 20th. The next full moon falls on April 9th. So the following Sunday, April 11th, is Easter. Ah ha! Not so hard after all.

This week we attended our last required adoption seminar. That's one part of the process that is complete, and now we have several more steps to take which will include two more rounds of interviews and two home visits. I need to buy a carbon monoxide detector, so if anyone knows of a good one, please pass on the information!

At this week's prenatal appointment my doctor suggested that before I eat anything I should ask myself, "Would I feed this to a newborn baby?" Dang. So I've decided to limit myself to two dessert a day, one helping each. Pathetic, I know. The good thing is that for the first 4 months of my pregnancy I hardly ate any dessert - just didn't want it. That was then. This is now. Did anyone else get a mean sweet tooth when they were pregnant?

Nesting

In the past week we've given away my home organ and sold my car, Sam. Not to mention a trip to DI, giving away a file cabinet, sorting duplicate books out of our bookcases, cleaning out our sock and underwear drawers, organizing my cross-stitch floss, clearing off my night stand, trimming my plants......this nesting instinct has hit hard! I find myself constantly looking around and into cupboards and drawers for the next project. If this is a symptom of pregnancy, well I'm not complaining! It feels great.

As far as the Easter Sunday survey, after 31 Easters, I still have not taken the time to learn how to calculate when Easter Sunday will be. If you know, please tell me! It'd be more fun to find it out from you than to look it up!