White Christmas

This year for Christmas, we decided it would be fun to do something different and get away while we still can, so we went to Pinetop (cute little town in northern AZ) with Will's parents and had our Christmas there.
The Tuesday prior they got a nice little snow storm, so by the time we got there Thursday, the roads were clear, but there was still snow everywhere else--- that's just perfect if you ask me (except for the ice part).
I didn't do much picture taking, unfortunately... probably because I was too busy eating...
We mostly ate, relaxed, watched tv, ate some more, and drove around.
It was nice to not worry about anything for a few days though... no work or chores to be done, no house to clean... So for me it was a welcome reprieve!

Will found this funny stuffed wolf hat at one of the stores we went in... It was cute, but the wolf teeth look kind of mean, don't you think?

We also drove by the Snowflake temple on one of our little drives. I hadn't seen a "mini" temple yet, and this one was beautiful. We should have made plans to go, but weren't thinking that far ahead...

We particularly liked the fountains that had half frozen. You can't see how pretty it was in the picture, but it was half running and half ice, with icicles hanging off and water cascading down them, as well as ice sheets over the top of running water. It was like a beautiful crystal palace wonderland! Even the windows on the temple reminded me of ice (I should have taken a picture of how pretty they were--- with embedded crystal (I think), etched stars, and beautiful glass green borders...). Anyway, I think it's fun to go see all the different temples and how beautiful and unique they each are, while at the same time remaining very much the same.

Anyway, we had a fun weekend, but I don't think I will be eating much this week. I have had food overload.

I think that's one more reason people always pick losing weight as a new year's resolution--- they overindulge and Christmas and are just so sick of looking at food, they are ready to commit (at least temporarily) to a weight loss program of some kind.

And if I wasn't pregnant, I would probably be on that bandwagon... But I think my wagon will be leaving the station probably a month after baby... so maybe March 1st will be my weight loss resolution time... or maybe not... :) We'll see.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Will and I wish you all the best for the upcoming year!

Wise Men Seek Him Still

I figured I would post this a little bit early since I'm not sure I'm going to be posting on Christmas, depending on how crazy things are...

We went to see the Mesa temple lights on Sunday night after we picked Will's mom up from the airport. It was even brighter than last year! They have been slowly replacing traditional lights with LED's and I don't know about you, but I love the way LED's sparkle and shine so bright-- very neat.
My favorite was the big LED star above the outdoor nativity scene. I thought it was beautiful and you could see it from far away, and it helped me imagine what the actual star would have been like when Christ was born.
When I was teaching my CTR 6 class their Christmas lesson, I thought it was interesting that the first thing each child talked about was the star leading the shepherds/wisemen/etc. to where Christ was born. They had a hard time remembering all the people who traveled to see Christ, but they all remembered the star.
Just as the star in the heavens shined brightly to lead people to Christ, his light still shines like a beacon unto all those who seek him.

The temple also had a nativity display of various nativities from around the world. Some of them were really neat. I liked this one from Italy. You can't read the plaque in this picture but is says, "Wise Men Seek Him Still."
I love that phrase.
Especially for Christmas.

May we all remember the true reason for the season amongst the hustle and bustle, the gifts and the giving, the parties and traveling... Let's not forget the real reason that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.

Finished!

I finally finished (ok made and finished) some Christmas gifts for people.

Spoiler alert:
If I made one for you and you want to be surprised, stop reading now!

But I figured they would probably not make it in the mail by Christmas anyway, so what's the harm?
I only made a couple of them... I had plans to make more but I didn't get pictures from some people and then decided to hold off on making some for me because they ended up taking far longer than I imagines they would.
But I am really happy with the end result (except for Tanya's... sorry girl, yours turned out not-as-cute :( Remember, it's the thought that counts! haha) and think they are fun, special presents that I hope everyone else likes as much as I do! (And feel free to swap the frames if you dont like them).

Merry Christmas! (in 8 days! eek, that's soon!)

I think Jolene's turned out the prettiest... But I used some of her wedding photos which were already so beautiful to begin with, so it was kind of cheating I suppose...

Christmas Goodies

This year, I decided to make chocolate truffles to give out.
The recipe looked so easy. The picture in the magazine looked so beautiful.
So off to Michael's we went-- luster powder to paint them sparkly, and boxes to wrap them in, we were good to go.They didn't look quite as pretty as in the photo in the magazine (and why was I surprised? Will I never learn?), but once I got them in their boxes, I decided they will pass... plus at least they taste good (though they do need to be refrigerated because I didn't add quite enough chocolate to the cream)... We did red, green, gold, and silver. My wonderful husband was kind enough to help me because it took me hours and I was tired and didn't want to do it by myself! So I shaped, he painted, then we both painted. I packaged and labeled and ta-da! Look how pretty!

We have 12... Not sure who we will be bringing them to, but it could be to your house! (I was going to mail some, except for the whole requiring refrigeration thing, so that's out, sorry people who live far, lucky you people who live close!)

The recipe is here:
It made about 50 per batch (I doubled it and I think that's why they weren't quite as solid as I would have liked) and it isn't hard, especially if you don't paint them... The painting was what really took the time... I think next time I make them, I will just roll them in cocoa powder because they look pretty that way too (just no sparkly, and you know I loooove sparkly!)

Easy Chocolate Truffles
(they say it makes 70, I say 50)
16 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate, or a combination, finely chopped
1 2/3 c. heavy cream
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. salt
unsweetened cocoa powder for rolling
desired coating (Optional. I used luster powder for sparkle and shine!)

Place chocolate in bowl.
Heat cream on stovetop until it begins to simmer, then pour into the bowl over the chocolate.
Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Uncover and whisk it all together until it is smooth.
Mix in vanilla and salt.
Pour into pan, let cool 15-20 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 3 hours (or I left mine overnight until I had more time and it was fine).
With melon baller or spoon, scoop little chunks out. Coat your hands in the cocoa powder to shape (or they will melt to your hands), then roll in cocoa powder or just make sure the bottom of the truffle has enough powder on it not to stick to your parchment paper/wax paper lined cookie sheet you are placing them on if you plan to paint them with edible glittery goodness! (If you roll the whole thing, the luster powder won't go on will over thick cocoa powder.)
Package as you would like!
Store in the fridge up to two weeks.
You could also roll in chopped nuts, chopped peppermint, or anything you can think of!

Yum! Buttery creamy chocolatey Christmas good-ness!!

Walkin' Around the Christmas Tree

I am very behind on blogging...
Well, not so much behind, as I just haven't been getting around to it.
There is nothing to write about around here really, so I figure my posts haven't been missed
.
I am pregnant, more so by the day, getting bigger and bigger... and bigger... you know how it goes.
Getting excited about the baby, but it seems so far away still-- you know-- it's all the way next year in 2010!! Oh, wait, that's soon... :) But most of the time it feels far.

I'm feeling kind of grinchy this year...
It all started when I was so sick on Thanksgiving... I didn't get any of the presents I was going to make done when I had access to Mary's sewing machine... and now I need to find someone else's to borrow for a couple hours (so sorry guys, if I am making you something, it will probably be more of a "Happy New Year!" gift because I don't see how they will be done, mailed, and arrived by December 25th...). I have all my stuff, just no sewing machine. Maybe I should invest in one, but to be honest, I wouldn't really use it very much-- except for the random project like this.
Anyway, it doesn't really feel like Christmas. Even my SheDaisy Christmas CD that I love and listen to non-stop the whole month of December (and sometimes November too--- don't laugh, it's awesome) isn't turning up the holiday cheer like usual.
Maybe it's stress... Or deciding not to buy anyone gifts again this year... I don't know, but it just doesn't feel like Christmas time yet to me...

We did buy and decorate a tree. I thought about skipping it all together this year (I know, I know! That's so wrong!), then we decided to buy a cheaper douglas fir, though we both like the noble firs better... then we went to Home Depot and I decided I hated the douglas firs and Will told me to "put on my princess crown" and said we should get the noble fir that I really liked... So we did.
On that note, really, it probably is a good thing we are having a boy--- I get to be the princess for a little while longer! I'd have to pass my crown if we were having a girl...

So we decorated the tree which was fun and Christmas-y... there is nothing like that noble fir tree smell to say "Christmas Time Is Here!"

While we were putting up the lights, I thought I was pretty funny... (Will laughed at me, not with me, because I have dorky jokes... but that's ok, I entertain him at least, and I thought I was hilarious so I was happy.) Will was placing the lights into the tree and I was unwinding cord behind him, and I started singing, "Walkin' around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop..." and so on and so forth... Get it? We were walking around it in circles? I know, I'm hilarious, I can hear you laughing from here...

I am glad we have a pretty (and fragrant) tree to light up our house at night.
Will wanted outside lights too, but I am Grinchy and said it would cost too much (because we spent extra on my tree!! haha. I really am the princess).

Maybe it would feel more like Christmas if I was closer to my family. Family to me is what really makes the holidays feel holiday-ish. Anyone else hear me on that one?



In the mean time, on the Baby Front, we have our crib set up and I organized all the fun gifties people have given us so we knew what we had and didn't. Then I got some good coupons in my email from Babies R Us good for today, so we went and got the mattress for the crib, a swing, some diapers and detergent (I love good coupons), and some pants to go with all the cute-but-pant-less-tops that we have for Baby.
It made me feel more motherly to go buy a bunch of baby stuff, is that bad? That buying made me feel more motherly than the sorting? Ah, well, it was all stuff we needed and I used coupons for all of it... maybe it was the coupon clipping that made me feel like that... Coupon clipping is a Mom thing to do and not something I'm usually good at. (Finding sales, yes. Combining sales with coupons? Not my forte.)

So things are coming together and I think we will be ready by the time he gets here (we'd better be!) though I still feel like I have no idea what to do once he gets here, even though Will and I are both trying to read up on parenting and whatnot... I guess no one really knows much the first time... It is kind of a trial by fire kind of thing... And it's pretty intimidating when I think about my lack of experience with newborns! I have a feeling I will be calling in a lot of favors the first couple weeks after the baby arrives for friends to show me what the heck I should be doing!

Anyway, that's the update over here.
I am grinchy, but love my tree, and miss my family and far away friends.
We are getting all ready for Baby slowly but surely and it's becoming more real, but still feels far off (even though my big tum tum is telling me otherwise).
It's going to be a big new year full of changes, that's for sure!
But in a good way.

Dear Santa,

Dear Santa,
I think I've been a good girl this year.
Doin' what I'm supposed to and all that.
So since I've been so good, I have a very long list for you this year. Unfortunately, most of those things on my list can't be wrapped under a tree... But it sure would be nice to have them... Like a healthy baby (but don't worry, I plan on waiting a month after Christmas for that little gifty!)... And lots of monies to buy things for that baby... oh, and to live on when I'm not working after having said baby... Maybe, if you could manage it, finding some rich distant relative we don't know about who wants to leave us all their monies? That would be fantastic, thanks. Or, you could just wrap the entire contents of a very large bank safe under the tree for us? (All legally obtained, of course.) Then we could go buy a house and start Will's business and I can just stay home with my new baby...
Asking too much, you say?
Yeah, I kind of thought so, but figured, hey, it's Christmas-- the season for miracles-- so why not just put it out there?
And I know, I know, this is a pretty selfish letter, isn't it Santa? All me, me, me...
But I'm nice... I do good things for people... and with the contents of that large bank safe, I could certainly do a lot more good things!
So I know that really, I'm a lot more likely to get baby clothes and baby stuff (yes, please!), that kitchenaid mixer handle with silicone on it so stuff won't stick to the bottom of my bowl, and a nice light bath robe for Christmas (the one I have is too heavy for Arizona)... And that will be nice too.
In the end, I'll settle for everyone I love being healthy and happy.
And hopefully that Christmas wish isn't too much to ask.
Just keep us all safe and plugging right along... that would make for another wonderful year.
Love,
Lauren


Writer's prompts picked up here... Just to try something different this week... And so, I'll do another...


List 5 must have gifts you are purchasing for a loved one this Christmas

Well, this is a toughy... I'm not buying many gifts this year, but I do have some awesome ones I'm making people (in my head, not made yet, time just keeps slipping away!)...
So here's what I will do:
If I was buying gifts, this is what I would be buying.
1) For Will: Assasin's Creed 1 and 2, Dragon Age, and a giant flat screen TV to play them on. He would love me forever (not that he doesn't already).
2) For Mom: Tons and tons of Southwest plane tickets for visiting on every long weekend she can get away on all year long. Them coming here, us going there, and all of us in Hawaii in October... We could trade off like that country song, "head's Carolina, tails California, somewhere greener, somewhere warmer, up in the mountains (or desert as the case may be), down by the ocean, where it don't matter as long as we're going somewhere together, so I've got a quarter, heads Carolina (Washington), tails California (or Arizona)."
3) For Friends: Plane tickets to visit me. (Ok, yeah, this might be more of a gifty for me, but hey, who couldn't use a little vacation to the heat when it's drippy and rainy back home!?)
If I had lots of money, Southwest would loooooooooove me!
4) For Sister: I would buy her some nice furniture for her new house she just moved into--- some nice stuff so she could decorate it up! She's graduating you know, and just moved into a grown up house and needs some grown up furniture! I think she agrees.
5) For the Neighborhood: I would decorate my house with so many lights I would light up the block, spreading Holiday cheer to everyone who drives by! (Ok, yeah, sure, this would be more for me... but I mean really, who doesn't enjoy looking at awesome Christmas light displays!)

All I know is I would certainly enjoy those gifts! And the recipients would too--- the best gifties are win/wins, right?
You don't agree?
You should try it sometime...
Giving with an added bonus for you just feels even better...
I'm starting to sound like TAMN, aren't I?
Ah, well, I'm pregnant! :) My excuse for everything... And I only have 60 more days to use it!

City Lights

This weekend we spent a lot of time with Will's best friends, Brian and Brian.
We barbequed, went to dinner, and barbequed again (in fact, the only dinner we actually had at home was on Thnaksgiving!). We hung out (Will had some guy time while I was having my shower) and went out, and had a lovely time.
Saturday night we went into the city with Brian, Brian, and Brian's girlfriend Kelly (who I love. I told Will I want to be her best friend... except we live too far away.). We went to the Metreon for a movie (where Will's car keys fell out of his pocket. Shockingly, someone turned them in and we were able to go get them the next day! I could hardly believe it... Little car keys, in SF, on a Saturday night, in a busy theater, and they were up at lost and found the very next morning!) and then to a "piano bar" close by afterward.
I know, I know.
Yes, me in a bar. Pregnant me in a bar.
And you know what? It was a blast!
The only thing that was missing was food (I guess because the place is a bar? But really, they should serve food.) and I got really hungry by the time we left at 1 am ish... But I had a really good time.
They had two pianos and pianists that would play just about any song you could think up for them. (It tended to be songs that most people know, which was fun). You would give them a couple bucks and request your song and they would play it eventually, or you could give them more to move your song to the front of the line and have them stop what they were playing to do something else (called "dueling pianos") and the two pianists would banter back and forth about who's crowd was better/which song was better/etc. Anyway, we just sat there and laughed at the jokes and sang with the music and it was way more fun than I ever thought it would be!
We also were able to walk around Union Square for a little bit and see all the beautiful window displays and pretty lights.
I really miss "the city" because Phoenix is essentially one big ghetto or chain stores, no really neat "downtown" city that's all pretty and hustle and bustle with awesome stores and unique architecture... It was nice to be in a "real" city again--- not that I would ever want to live in the city, but that it sure is nice to have one close by to visit!
The most interesting thing I saw (not to be mean) was an asain little person riding a little bicycle. I have never seen an asain little person before, and them hauling butt around the city on a little bicycle was definitely something I will probably never see again! Every time I go to San Francisco, I see something I never see again... Like the couch bum (random bum on a random street sitting on a random couch outside)... Or the scary homeless people who accost me when I look at them in the eye and smile (learned that lesson the hard way- no looking at homeless people, not even to be nice. Especially then, only look if you want to give them all your money or me yelled at. No thanks!)... Or the pimp and hos getting out of their limo at prom (party outfits or real ones, it was very difficult to tell)... Things like that, one every visit. I miss that about the city... And was glad I at least could squeeze that into our short trip! And was able to fight off my exhaustion long enough to enjoy it!

Baby Got Back

Wow... So much to blog about, so little energy tonight...

We just got back from our fun, exhausting, and snot-filled weekend to Half Moon Bay!!
I miss it already.
But I felt less homesick leaving this time.
I am becoming adjusted to Phoenix I suppose... and that's a good thing. Soon it really will feel like home, maybe even 100%!
I didn't get nearly enough people visited nor did I accomplish even half of my "to do" list for this weekend.
But I did get to spend time with my wonderful husband, family, and friends whom I miss very, very much. (Y'all sure you don't want to move to Phoenix too? No? Really? Come on... No takers? None at all!? That's no fun...)
The worst part was my nasty cold and my pencil-in-ear-ness (which has gradually improved, functioning at about 80% currently... hoping I get back to normal by the end of the week and avoiding a doctor's office visit). I gave my cold to Will, but some DayQuil got him through... I was just very... muscousy and coughy... and very. very sleepy. Gradually getting better, but my nose is still trying to run away from me, and I was still "that person" on the plane today... But what else can a girl do?

One of the first things I noticed when I was home was that I have sprouted a serious butt along with a serious belly.
I expected the belly, the butt... not so much.
We don't have a full length mirror at our house (ok, we do, shoved in a corner, behind a dresser, so it is not exactly something I pull out to look in very frequently)... it's been a while since I have taken a good looksie.
So as I was walking by the mirror on the armoire at Will's parents' house, I went, "Whoa!!!" and took a couple of steps back.
Was this a trick? Or did my butt really get that bubbly?? When on earth did that happen!? (According to Will, he first noticed a couple of weeks ago. He said he wasn't complaining and was certainly not about to bring it up. Smart man, that one.)
Anyway, I am definitely looking pregnant-pregnant and I have a front bump and a back bump. (Like I said, Baby got Back. And let's just ignore the extra arm chub all together... I'm pretending you can't see it in this photo. One more great thing about being home--- I could wear long sleeves much of the time. Just not in this photo...)

I also FINALLY got a REAL french donut. It was lovely. In fact, I got one the next day also (along with some Sunshine Donuts eggrolls--- nothing better! And if you are going fried, why not go all out!?) And I didn't even have to give my kingdom for it... it was under a buck! (If you don't count the airfare.)

More to come! Stay tuned for our night in the city and my very fun baby shower (which may be a little while in coming. I have no photos on my camera, so I'm waiting on the generousity of others--- I saw a couple of flahses, so I know some photos are out there!! Email them to me, please!). I wish I had had a few more days in HMB, but am now back to the grind!
Heading to bed early tonight to be ready for the week!

Thanks?

Ugh. Today I am not in a very thankful mood.
I am sick, sick, sick.
I could not sleep last night... (and so niether did Will, poor guy).
I was coughing and runny nosing and mouth breathing away all night... And all night means from 10pm until 2:30 am when my body decided it couldn't breathe and wasn't about to let me fall asleep for more than 15 minutes at a time from this point forward.
At 3:30 am I stopped falling asleep at all.
At 4:30 am, I got up and said, "Forget it. I have to leave to catch a plane in an hour anyway."
I got up. So did Will (because I woke him up-- not on purpose, but that happens when you're coughing and hacking and your bathroom doesn't have a door and is attached to your bedroom).
We left for the airport at 5:30 am, concerned about crowds.
There weren't any.
I might have been irritated with myself and my anal on-time-ness had I been sleeping well, but seeing as I was not, it didn't matter.
Got on the plane.
I was that person.
You know.
The one you try to stay as far away from and curse the nasty recycled air the plane spits out at you over?
Yep, that one.
The flight was full, so some poor girl at the end got stuck sitting next to me.
I tried my best to cough into my elbow and not nose-blow in her direction.
But I'm pretty sure she was not happy about getting that seat.
I wouldn't have been happy either if it was me in her position.
She slept facing away from me most of the time.
My hacking and honking didn't appear to disturb her too much, so that was one good thing. (She had the foresight to bring earplugs.)
About halfway through the flight (i.e. as soon as we started descending in a weird up and down bumpy pattern, something was definitely not right with our pilot!), I got an intense pressure in my head. I tried gum. I tried mints. I drank all my water. The pressure would not subside. I blew my ears. No go. I did it again, one released, the other did not.
The pressure kept building.
All of a sudden, an imaginary pencil was stabbing my brain through my ear. And someone had just sharpened that pencil to its pointiest. I would call it a knife, but my ear canal is smaller than that.
It hurt so much I cried.
Will thought I was losing my mind. He wasn't sure if I was crying because it actually hurt, or if I was being a drama queen because I am sick and running on five hours sleep (and honestly, it was a little bit of both. But it DID hurt! A lot! Not something I want to experience ever again.).
Getting off the plane, the one ear was ok after some swallowing and jaw opening. The other, not. I am pretty much deaf in my right ear currently.
On the way home, I just kept trying to pop my ears... nose blowing, nasal spraying, water drinking, gum chewing, anything I could think of. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
While driving over 92 I got a little squeak out of it.
Then it was the same as before.
Recently, I decided I need drugs. I don't take medicine often or lightly... and I was practically running to CVS praying they were open.
The pharmacist told me not to take anything.
He suggested I do the things I had already done.
I decided that he was dumb and I am suffering, so I ignored him. Plus I am a medical professional (who does not prescribe medications, but that is beside the point) and had done some internet research (google) prior to my expedition... (of course, all the stuff I wrote down as being safe-safe was no where to be found. I chose a semi-safe because I am deaf here, people! and there is an imaginary pencil in my ear!)
I took one.
It did not help.
That leaves me with a few options.
a) take more (no.)
b) ignore it (as if i could.)
c) be miserable
and
d) pray that the Dr. doesn't have to cut open my eustacian tube when I get home on Monday because it won't go away... pray hard it goes away on its own after some suffering and misery.

Needless to say, I am currently a grumpy-doodle and won't even be able to taste the turkey I am so stuffed up. :(
And am not feeling very thankful.
Especially since I just yawned and got a "squeak" and instead of feeling better, my ear actually hurts worse. Lovely.

This probably means I should go lay down and think about all the things I have to be grateful for (and believe me, there are a lot... Like I can't down medication because I am pregnant. That's a good thing... And like I am not actually, truly deaf in one ear, I just feel that way temporarily. Like I said, lots to be grateful for).

I'm just not in the mood.
So, I will leave my thankful post for another day when I am more "in the mood" and less "I have a pencil in my brain and am not a happy camper."
Because I really do have a lot to be grateful for... I'm just not feeling like writing about it right now.

Just tired...

So... As it turns out...
I am not anemic,
just normal pregnancy type tired.

My midwife called today and said she was triple checking my lab results because my numbers were so far off normal, and she had never seen someone go from normal to super low so fast, and she discovered the lab had run the wrong test. They were supposed to run a normal hemoglobin and instead ran a hemoglobin a1c test, sending my "numbers" waaaay down. The hemoglobin a1c is another way to test blood sugar, and is measured in a percentage, so low is good. They re-ran the correct hemoglobin test and I am 12.0 exactly, so just baaarely below the normal of 12.1 to 13.1, so I can back way off the iron and just take the iron supplement once or twice a week to be sure I have enough.

So, little Baby, I am publicly apologizing for calling you a Vampire Baby. You are being a very good boy to your mommy, so thank you! I just hope you are so good to me when you come out (by this, I mean you are a good sleeper. And healthy. And did I mention a good sleeper??).

And apparently the giant purple eye bags and the fatigue just means I am plain old pregnant.

Speaking of being pregnant, my belly button is getting shallower and shallower. I am also getting stabbing pains in it while it stretches out. It's freaking me out. Mommy no like-y anything at all happening that involves her belly button.

The tum tum is getting bigger by the day! I am definitely looking pregnant now. Pictures to come soon...

I am thinking that the next two and a half months are going to be long and uncomfortable because my hugeness is starting to get in the way and be a little hurty achey sometimes... (Hurty and achey are technical terms, didn't you know?)

And in the mean time, I am off for a little nap.
I'm going to take them while I can get them,
even if I can't blame it on anemia anymore...

Bright, Shiny and New!

Will and I are the proud owners (well, co-owners--- true owners in about 5 years...) of a brand new car!
My first car payment ever... Both of our first brand new car ever... How is that for being grown up!? A new car and a baby on the way? We have arrived.

And it has all kind of fun little details like this!

We have been shopping around for weeks now... I think I've driven every car I semi-liked that was in our price range, new and used... We discovered that for the price of a used car with a warranty, we could buy a new one... So, new it was... Then it was shop shop shop around... And nothing felt right. Kia Sorento for a great price, not right. Hyundai Santa Fe with a third row seat, not right. Used Ford Explorer, not right. Used Volvo SUV (which I LOVED) was not right.
Cars I liked and cars I didn't, nothing felt right.

Then we were looking at Toyota (Toyota Sequoia-- huge-- plenty of room for kids-- used one in our price range-- not right. But I loved it too.) and saw Scion and thought, "Hmm, this could work!" Great price, great car, fun car, cool car, four doors, hold it's value like no other (so if 3 years down the road if I can afford and decide I wanted say, a Toyota Sequioa, I could get one without being upside down on this car)...

We test drove, we loved, we bought.
Done.
(Much to Will's relief. I think my indecisiveness was making him crazy. I was perfectly content to mull this decision over... and over... and over... for say, another month or two until juuust before baby... but it was making him crazy, not to mention taking up waaaay too much of his very little spare time. I mulled for weeks and for some reason, the Scion just clicked. It felt right. So, it was.)
We got a white Scion XB (yes, a "toaster") and I love it. It's comfortable, drives like the Honda, gets great mileage, and is easily customizable (and we all know Will really loves that part!).
We are planning on getting it pinstriped with orange and black and eventually getting leather with black and orange put inside...
We also thought about hot pink or electric blue vinyl star or swirl decals we can stick on the outside easily ourselves... but that would just be a little too much attention grabby-ish for me! Even though the thought is cool... just not for me.
Though I do really like the star and swirly designs we found...
Maybe for a t-shirt.
Anyway, our car has a fun designed dash (though the digital speed gauge will take me some getting used to!) and while it doesn't have rear air (the one downside to this car), the vents in the front are easily angled into the backseat and I think Baby will be ok back there, even in the Arizona Summers.
The trunk isn't the hugest, but also not the smallest, of all the cars we looked at. It will be good for what we need, and if not, the seats flip down easily...

Anyway, that's our fun, grown up news.

Now, to sell the Civic... Civic, you were an excellent car to me when I was in college driving 2-3 hours a day... You were perfection with your 30-35 miles per gallon, reliability, and uncanny ability to squeeze into tiny spaces while lane changing and parking... But now... it's time for you to move on and be good to someone else, because a car seat, let alone a baby in a car seat, just doesn't fit in your back seat with your two doors... I will certainly miss your cheap-ness and your great gas mileage, but since I am no longer a commuter... you can better serve someone else... So long, farewell, until we meet again, little car...

And I am off in my bright, shiny and new one!

Vampire Baby

My baby loves to eat hemoglobin...
Or so my blood work says.

I am calling him my Vampire Baby for right now.

I am very, very, very, very anemic.

I had been "feeling" anemic and I kept asking people, "Do I look anemic to you?" because I sure did to myself! (By that I mean paler-than-normal, with massive purple bags under my eyes that didn't go away with sleep... not to mention being super tired all the time, which people kept telling me was normal for being pregnant... but I couldn't help but feel that I was more tired than normal... my 10 hours plus a nap of sleep time every day and still feeling exhausted just felt a little excessive.)

Anyway, people looked at me like, "Huh? Look anemic? No, you're pregnant!"

I should have listened to my body... I know my body... but I didn't know what my body felt like as "pregnant-normal," but I still should have listened!

At my last midwife appointment I asked if they could test my blood for anemia because I was "feeling anemic." They said sure, and they did.

The next day, my midwife, Mary, called me...
I saw the number on my phone and thought, "This can't be good..."
And it wasn't.

The last time they took my blood, my hemoglobin was a 12.6--- a perfect normal falling between 12.1 and 13.1.

Mary informed me this time around, I was a 5.6. That's right, less than half. Not good.
She wanted to know if thalassemia ran in my family. I said no. And that I have never been anemic ever before (that I know of). She said she is going to check my blood for it next time I come in three weeks from Monday (even though I'm 99.999999% sure that I do not have that since no one in my family does)... and check my hemoglobin again after I have been taking some really fun iron supplements. Tasty.

So, with my new supplement additions, I am becoming a pill popper... Daily, I'm at two prenatals, two Calcium/Magnesiums, two EPA/DHA, two probiotics, one 85 mg of iron "hemoplex" pill every other day, 4 teaspoons a day of some really, really gross liquid iron and herbal supplement (at first, it is blood meets fruity tasting vitamin, then the fruit taste goes away and your mouth tastes like rusty-metal and blood for a few minutes. No, water does not make it go away. Bleck.), and some extra fiber (which I am hoping wards off the constipation that much iron supplementation is certain to bring!).

Here's to hoping my regimen, as well as increasing my green leafies and vitamin C (to help with iron absorption) in my diet, will help my body make more hemoglobin for my very, very blood needy baby...

Maybe I have been reading too much Twilight... Baby is getting ideas. ;) Just kidding, Carson... I know you aren't a vampire... But it is a funny thing to say.

Also, this may explain my shortness of breath... but then again, I can chalk that one up to being just "a pregnancy thing" too.

The good news is, no gestational diabetes! Plenty of room below the marker. So, that's good! That would be much, much worse than being anemic... no more home birth for me... that would be bad. Plus, I am really, really, REALLY not interested in a c-section.

So Baby, I will feed you iron and make you more hemoglobin, and you just stay healthy and happy in there. So far, you are doing great, little one! Here's to 11-ish more weeks of healthy-and-happy-in-my-tummy-ness!

(And don't worry, I won't call you Renesemee... but I might have if you were a girl!)

Shower

Last Saturday my good friends Masako and Debbie threw me a baby shower and I had do much fun!
(And yes, I know it's a little early for a shower... but the end of the month gets so busy with Thanksgiving, December gets crazy in general, then there is new years and unwinding, then I could burst at any moment... so, November it was!)

I forgot to take pictures, and Masako only remembered toward the very end, so there are only a couple.

The theme was stars and it Masako and her girls decorated her house so cute with stars and baby shower things.
The food... oh the food... it was lovely. Someone made the best sugar cookies I have ever eaten, this cake was absolutely to die for... then there were all kinds of yummy snacks... I had a little bit of everything and enjoyed every bite!
I was surprised at how many people came to my shower, which made me feel really nice and very special. I (most of the time) don't feel like I know enough people well enough here yet, but there were so many wonderful women who came to support me and the soon-to-arrive Carson and I am so grateful to know so many fun, sweet, and kind ladies!
(yes, i know, my eyes are half closed... but this was still the best one!!)

Carson got all kinds of gifts... I loved the homemade "hooter hider" (or so I was informed! I hadn't heard of that before, but it is genius!) and burp cloths... the toys and finger puppets... the wonderfully soft and cuddly blankets (and why oh why do they not make those in adult sizes!?)... the adorable outfits and precious onesies... the mobile and the bath... the bath essentials and diapers (goodness knows I will need them!!) and all the other fun things we received!

Anyway, I had such a wonderful time.
Thank you, Masako and Debbie for making it such a special day for us!

Our Next Project

This weekend while out shopping, I took Mary to a "rockabilly-themed consignment store" (or so it said on google reviews) that I had been wanting to check out.
I found a nice rocker chair, which is great. It was used, but WAY nicer quality than anything I would be buying new, so I am stoked about that.
And then...
And then...
And THEN!!!!
I found the high chair of our dreams.
Custom hand painted, wood, and totally awesome.
Only problem? It was $350. Ouch. That is just waaaay too much for a high chair.
But the good news is Will is artistic, particularly with car stuff.
Isn't it cute? The grill, steering wheel, dash, even a little gas and brake petal on the foot rest!

So I took a bunch of pictures for reference.

We have been scouring the internet for a paintable, nice wood high chair that was not uber expensive, and Will found the exact high chair for $110 with shipping. We bought it. It is on the way. So soon it will be Will's new project (you know, in all of his spare time? Ha.) to paint for the baby so little Carson will have the coolest and most unique high chair in town!

I'm excited.
I mean, really, isn't this awesome!?
I have never seen anything like it!
So soon, I will have a copy cat of my very own!
Thanks in advance, Will!

Halloween-ie!

Will and I had a fun Halloween together.
And I had all these plans for our costumes... but it didn't quite work out.
Will was a farmer, I was a garden, and Belly was a pumpkin.

In my head, Halloween was going to go like this:
Mary and I (Will's mom was in town) would spend the morning shopping at the mall while Will was at work. We would come home and Will would leisurely paint my belly while our Mummy Meatloaf (that I haven't even had time to make yet!) was in the oven. It would be beautiful.
We would then drive down to Buckeye and find a nice corn field off the side of the road to take pictures in front of (because in my head, I had enough time for this before the sunset!). We would pose with Belly painted and belly covered and funny in-utero pumpkin, just in case I didn't like the belly-exposed pictures... Then we would have funny Christmas photos to send out that I could write a Christmas letter about as a story of the farmer and his garden!
Then we would go back home, eat, quickly visit our nephews, and pass out candy to trick or treaters.

Doesn't that sound lovely?

Painted Belly. I know, I look tired. I always look tired. Can't be helped! Not even with sleep!

Belly Close Up--- It's cute, isn't it!?

Halloween was still fun, but didn't really go like that... it was more like this:
Wake up, get ready, send Will to work, go shopping, find expensive-o high chair of our dreams, buy cool used rocker chair for baby, go to mall, eat, shop, get nice and tired, rush home because we spend too much time at the mall.
Get home, change, have Will paint belly, paint looks bad, stand to wash it off, get all over costume, go shower and change into something that will work, go back, paint belly while bottom half is wrapped in towel to avoid getting paint all over only other pants that will work for costume, have friends come to the door with their kids because they are sweet and wonderful while Lauren is laying on her chiropractic table in a towel and a shirt. (Cute. Yeah. I know.) Have friends awkwardly see her in said towel. Will paints cute pumpkin on belly. Paint refuses to dry, even with blow dryer. Family leaves because it is taking too long. Hurry up, no food yet, rush to family's house 15 minutes later to find no one is home. Go to friend's house to say hello while not dressed in a towel. Have them take pictures of our costume (thanks Masako!!) Decided Will and Lauren needed food, so go to dinner, come home, too late, miss the trick or treaters. Hang out with family. Shower. Sleep.

It was a really fun night, but not quite how I had it all planned out!

Anyway, Happy Halloween-ie!! I hope you all enjoyed your Halloweens and got to see tons and tons of adorable trick or treaters!