Hey Blogger World! I'm Back!

Okay so I haven't posted anything for a few months now and soooo much has happened since I last posted.
Most importantly, I'm now a "Mommy"! and I'm lovin it! My life revolves around my little angel and I love it.
Leah is 14 weeks old already! She is 12 lbs and 24 inches. She hardly ever cries, she's slept through the night since we brought her home and she laughs and smiles all the time. I don't know how Ben and I got so lucky with such a perfect little baby girl.
So part of the reason that I haven't posted in so long is quite frankly because I'd rather be spending time with her. The other reason I haven't posted is because of the nightmare labor and delivery we experienced. I know that most ladies post their experience minute by minute and I was actually fearing it. It took about 2 months but I'm finally at terms with it. But because of that, I was kind of intimidated to post anything. But then I realized by not posting, I'm keeping beautiful photos and memories of my little Leah to myself. So here goes. The following are photos from the last 5 months of my life.

The Baby Showers:

Shower #1
This shower was given to us by my friends Megan and Katie.

For one of the games the men had to race to see who could empty the bottle the fastest. Ben sucked so hard that he got a blood blister on his lip.

Ben loves opening gifts!

Shower#2

This shower was given by The Young Women from my ward.

Shower #3

This was a family shower given by my sisters.

Shower #4

This shower was given by my work friends.

I'm still using diapers from my showers. Thank goodness!

There were baby clothes strung all the way around the room!

The Aftermath of all 4 showers. Thank you everyone!

Brookie's (my niece) 1st Birthday

Brooke is one of my most favorite kids. She turned 1 on November 19th.

Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving at my dad's we had 3 families over, the Oril's (my family), the Winters' and the Lam's

I was trying to get creative with my photography. It looks like Kerry is a giant holding up my cousin Eric, but he's actually standing about 20 yards behind her and I'm taking the photo from the ground.

Kerry and Brookie's Photo Shoot

Brooke Erin Lam - 1 year

Kerry Lee Lam - 6 years old

Sweet Little Sisters

In November Brooke turned 1 and in December Kerry turned 6.

Kerry is the BEST big sister I've ever seen.

So when I was doing Kerry and Brookie's photos, my step-mom asked me if I could do a few of her and my dad too.

These two are perfect for each other.

So my cousin Eric saw I was taking pictures of my dad and Kayla and asked if I could take some of him and his girly friend Nina

Kerry's 6th Birtday Party

Kerry turned 6 on December 16th (my due date) but on the 11th she had a birthday party. The girls all came dressed in their pj's and got manicures, face's painted and decorated cupcakes, which were used as Kerry's birthday cake. It was really so much fun! I was really tired after this party and never expected I'd go into labor the next morning!

Leah's Birthday!!! - December 13, 2009

Okay, so here's how our L&D went. When I was about 3 months pregnant I started practicing hypnobabies. Hypnobabies teaches you self hypnosis as a natural anestesia. I always wanted and all natural, meaning no drugs and having the baby the way nature intended. Well about 2 months before Leah was born, my doctor said that my pelvis was too small and Leah would be too big, so we would have to do a c-section. I made it clear to him before and several times after him telling me this, that I would like to have our child naturally, or at the very least, give it a good try. Well, every appointment after this, Dr. Yang would try to pressure me into scheduling a c-section. When he realized how adamant I was about not having a c-section, he tried pressuring me into inducing. I wasn't even past my due date and he wanted to induce me. Then 5 days before my due date, Dr. Yang checked me and said I was no where near ready to give birth. He said that even if he did induce me that he didn't think that my body could naturally handel a vaginal birth. Whatever!!! Didn't he see my hips!

Anywho, the next morning at 3:45am I went to the bathroom and noticed a little bit of blood. I thought it was just from the exam the day before and went back to bed. In bed I started cramping but not too bad so I went back to sleep. Then at around 9am, I went to the bathroom again and noticed a lot more bleeding and more cramping. I got scared and told Ben then we called the hospital and they told us to come in. After loading the car with our bags and the carseat and after rescuing a stray dog in the rain, we got to the hospital around 11am. By then I was cramping a lot more and finally realized I was and had been in labor. I was doing fine. Ben was coaching me with the hypnobabies and we were doing great. After an exam in the hospital the nurse said I had lost my mucus plug (hence all the blood) and that I was dialated to 1 cm. I was expecting they'd send me back home to labor some more but after contacting my doctor he told them to admit me. Then he came in around 1:00pm and again said we should do a c-section. When I reminded him for the 100th time that I wanted to try a natural birth he shook his head and suggested Pitocin to speed up the labor. (I later found out that he had a game of golf scheduled the next day and didn't want my delivery to interupt his game) I declined the pitocin and he shook his head again and said "FINE!" and left. What a JERK!!! So in the hospital I was laboring naturally. I was dialating normally and practicing my hypnobabies. Our first nurse was amazing! She was so supportive of my birth plan and my desire for a natural birth. She even stood up to the doctor and put him in his place when he came in and tried to tell me he HAD to break my water to speed up the labor. Again he left shaking his head. Then finally at about 8:30pm my water broke on it's own when I was squatting down during a contraction. Then the labor started getting out of control! I was having really bad contractions for about 4 hours. Towards the end, the contractions were one right after the other. I had no break in between. We were still doing hypnobabies and Ben was the best labor coach ever! I know I couldn't have gone as far as I did if it weren't for him. Then about 12:30am he saw how much pain I was in and asked me if I wanted an epidural. I knew how scared he was about how much pain I was in and once he said that word I felt like he had read my mind. I totally thought I could do it naturally but the pain totally threw me off gaurd and I think all the negative pressure from my doctor really made me fearful which totally threw off hypnobabies and made the pain worse. So once I got the epidural it was like a magic shot! The pain was gone instantly and the only way I knew I was having a contraction was when Ben told me seeing it on the monitor. It was seriously amazing. I was fully dialted by 3:30am and began pushing. The new nurse was not very encouraging and was just going by everything the doctor was saying. She had me start pushing but kept telling me I was not progressing and that the baby was still floating and that I should just go in for a c-section. I pushed for about 2 hours and still no progress. At about 6am the doctor had called and told me that the baby was in distress and there was miconium in my water. He told me (over the phone) that the baby was still floating and not going to come out vaginally and that if I didn't do a c-section right away the baby could die. I finally was so tired, discouraged and scared and agreed. At 7:00am the doctor arrived and they started preping me for surgery. Ben was so upset. He really wanted to assist with the birth and cut the cord but he knew that if we did the c-section it wouldn't be possible. During the surgery, when the doctor was trying to pull Leah out, he found that her head was already engaged in my pelvis so much that a nurse had to go in vaginally and push Leah's head back up into my uterus! Then the doctor was able to pull her out. This was even more upsetting because I realized that If I was able to go a little longer, I could have had her vaginally. At 7:37 Leah came into the world! At this point when I heard her cry and saw her precious little face I didn't care how she came into the world, I was just happy that she was here. Unfortunatly, Leah had aspirated the miconium on her way out and was rushed to the NICU where she spent the 1st 7 days of her life. When the doctor was sewing me back up, he said to me, "See, if you would have just listened to me from the beginning none of this would have happened and you would have your baby in your arms right now." I was so upset and promised myself that after the stay in the hospital I would never go back to that doctor again! There was no way in the world that the doctor would have known that Leah was going to aspirate the miconium. He was saying that my pelvis was too small, that's why he wanted to do the c-section. I truly feel that if I have a more encouraging doctor I'll be able to deliver naturally next time. Unfortunatly, most hospitals in California are not allowing vbacs and most doctors encourage no more than 3 c-sections. Which is our biggest upset about the whole L&D since we'd like to have a big family.

18 hours after her birth was the 1st time that we could hold our little baby. Once she arrived in the NICU, they didn't even let Ben touch her except for a blessing. They said that she was really in a critical state and that any stimulation could send her down hill. I called the NICU 3 hours after Ben and his dad blessed her to check on her and the nurse said that she was doing amazingly well and that we could come down in a few hours and actually hold her!

It was so sad to see all the IV's and monitors all over the baby. She even had to have a little feeding tube down her throat then through her nose. The third day was when I was finally able to start nursing her

After 3 days in the NICU Leah was doing so well they moved her into the NICU where they babies who aren't as critical go.

Leah's new digs in the Bay 5 NICU

These were taken on Leah's last day in the NICU

Leah's 1st Car Ride

The day she came home!

Leah with "Uncle T"

Everyone said how much Leah looked like her daddy. This was when I first realized it.

Leah's 1st Bath

She hated it! But now she love's them!

Leah's 1st Christmas

I was soooo sick on Christmas day so I didn't get many pictures that day.

Leah' sprayed me with poop!

That's my leg and shirt.

Leah's 1st Photo Shoot

Our friends invited us to their new home for lunch and a photo shoot. The pictures came out so amazing! We just love them!

Leah and Her Future Husband

Leah's future father-in-law - Jason, Leah's future husband - Ammon, Leah and Daddy

Leah's Umbilical Cord Came Off!

Finally on January 2nd

Leah's 1st Visit with Spud

Leah's 1st Beach Trip

A Visit with Cousins

Leah's 1 Month Pics

Tiny toes

Leah's 2nd Beach Trip

Leah loves bathtime!

But hates tummy time.

Leah's 2 Month Old Pic

Leah's 1st Disneyland Trip

Leah's 1st Set of Immunizations

Like Daddy, Leah loves naps!

Leah's 1st Trip to the Tidepools

This was the most amazing tidepools I had ever seen!

Leah's 1st Trip to Nojoqui Falls


Bath Time Pics

Leah's 2nd Trip to Disneyland

My Little Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping is seriously Leah's favorite pastime! She has slept through the night ever since we brought her home. I even had to wake her up every 3 hours to make sure she'd eat!

Good Friends, Good Food, Good Fun!!!

Ben and I have been so blessed to be part of such a wonderful ward. We have made so many wonderful friends here. A lot of the friends we've made have moved out of the ward but we still try to keep in touch with them. Thank goodness for Facebook!

On October 10th we had a BBQ/Swim Party at Ben's Mom's. I know, "Who has a BBQ/Swim Party in October?" Well in Southern California you can have a BBQ/Swim Party even in November, as we've had temperatures in the 90's the the first few days of this month already.

Well, any who, back in May we had our 1st BBQ/Swim Party and it was BYOM (bring your own meat) to grill and a side dish to share. It went really well and we all had a great time. We really wanted to do another one before the summer was over but kind of waited till the last minute. Despite waiting till October, our 2nd BBQ/Swim Party was another success!

Megan Markarian holding Bristol Nemrow and Katie Nemrow holding Ember Samford

Chris Tobler attempting sunbathing

Jason Christensen with his 2 older sons, Jarin and Hayden

Travis Nemrow and Dan Markarian playing croquet

Hayden is the main reason why it had to be another Swim Party! He loves the water

Both parties, everyone stayed mostly in the spa. "Chicken's!"

Hayden. One of my favorite kids in the world. He doesn't even know I exist!

Seth Tobler chowing down on some strawberries

Casey, Seth and Chris Tobler

Megan Markarian chowing on some good chow

Brother Watt's, Brother Nemrow and Bristol and Brother Winters

Jenolyn, Casey, Megan holding Bristol, Shawnna and Katie holding Ember

The Men. Grilling up some good eats!

I think this was what was left over

The Samford's

Me and Leah's future husband, Ammon Christensen!

Jason Christensen and Heather Meyers

The boys trying to wake up the chicken's in the chicken coop

Bristol Nemrow, 8 months - 14.5 lbs

Ember Samford, 6 months - 16lbs

Ammon Christensen, 5 weeks - 14.5 lbs!!! That's what I'm talkin about!

Happy Halloween!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Ben Got A Job!

Okay, I don't have much time to Blog but I really feel I've neglected this.
I could make this the worlds longest post with everything that's been going on but I won't.

One thing at a time.

- Ben had and interview at Loma Linda University Medical Center and got the Job!

Just a semi-short story of how it happened:

So Ben had been out of school for 6 months. He graduated from the Nursing Program in December and was in the second group of his classmates to take the state exam. (He was originally in the first group but was begged by a classmate to switch with her because she had a family trip planned during her testing time. It seemed like a great idea to us because she offered to pay for his exam and class which was over $500.) So he took the state exam in March.

Ben had been studying like crazy for the exam. He even went and took a Kaplan course which is a class that helps people prepare for state exams. When the day came for his test he was very nervous. Even contemplating on moving the day back so that he'd have more time to study, but after a confirmation in the Temple, he stuck with his original date which was March 10th.

When he came home from the test he was so beat and told me he was sure he failed. The test is a "Smart Test" which basically means that if your not answering the questions correctly the test will automatically shut down and stop you from continuing. It also does the same if you are doing really well and answering all the questions correctly. If you are doing so-so it will continue asking questions and pass or fail you based on the % of right or wrong answers. The test stopped at 75 questions, which is the least amount that you could answer. Based on the questions, Ben was sure he failed.

On Friday the 13th, Ben got a phone call from one of his classmates saying, "Ben! You passed!!!!". Ben couldn't believe it! His friend knew by checking some website for Registered Nurses and sure enough Ben's license was posted there. My sweet husband just sobbed with joy when he was telling me. It was one of those special moments that I will never forget.

So for the next 6 months after that I saw my husbands confidence level fall every day that he put in applications to different hospitals. At first he just applied to ones in the area. Then he expanded from Big Bear to San Jose to San Diego. Then he expanded even further to different states. Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, even Hawaii and Alaska! He had applied for over 150 positions at over 50 different hospitals and never even one interview or phone call. (Actually I take that back, he did have one interview that was very promising till they found out he was a new-grad.) He'd receive tons of emails from the hospitals saying, "Thank you for applying but the position has been filled" I was so worried for him. I wasn't worried that he'd never get a job, but worried about his self esteem and self confidence. I saw him pray everyday that he'd be guided and everyday get more and more discouraged.

I guess the average time a person gets placed in a job is 6 months upon graduating, but we were always told as an RN it would be different. "Registered Nurses get hired before they even graduate!" "As a strong white male, who speaks fluent Spanish, hospitals will be fighting over him!" We soon found that these statements that had been filled in Ben's mind, although normally true, at this time in the current economic conditions was not. Hospitals were having hiring freezes, canceling new-grad programs and hiring only experienced nurses.

I could only imagine how Ben was feeling. We found out a month after he passed the state exam that we were expecting. My poor husband had even more pressure to get a job ASAP. Our goal was always to wait to have children till we were in a position that he'd work and I'd stay home. So I know this added stress was not helping.

In August he was at his lowest and told me that he was at home one morning filling out more applications online when he had a breakdown. He said he was so angry and frustrated that he just wanted to give up. He got down on his knees and just prayed again because he didn't know what else to do. He said that he prayed for wisdom of what to do.

After his prayer he got on the computer and looked up Loma Linda University Medical Center again for open positions. There was actually a new position available so he quickly sent in his 13th application with that particular hospital.

He got down on his knees again and prayed again because he was still upset. His prayer was interrupted by the phone ringing. It was a woman named Joy Riddle who was from the HR department at Loma Linda University. She asked how Ben knew the application was available because she just posted it 5 minutes before receiving his application. She also said upon reviewing his application she was very impressed by Ben's responses to the questions on religion (it's a Christian based University, and they asked questions such as, prayer in the work place) She told Ben that she really wanted him to get the job and that she was going to forward his information immediately to Michelle,the Nurse Director. She even gave him example of the types of questions they would ask him in the interview. Next thing Ben knew she was transferring him to the Nurse Director to set up an interview.

He was finally given his first chance! He was so excited and anxious. He was one of 9 applicants that was chosen for an interview for only 3 positions, which over 300 people had applied for. On his interview day he was the first one and was interviewed by 3 different people. He was told that he'd be notified by next Tuesday whether he got the position or not.

On Tuesday morning Ben received an email saying that, "The position at Loma Linda University Medical Center had been filled by someone more qualified. Thank you for applying." Ben was so distraught that he just wanted to get away from the house and computer and from anything having to do with getting a job. After calling me at work and letting me know the bad news, he called his brothers and they went for a hike up in the mountains to Deep Creek.

It helped get his mind off everything, until he pulled into the carport at our house. When he got in the house memories of the email flooded his mind and again, he was back in depression. He checked the messages on the answering machine and one of the messages was from the Nurse Director of LLU, asking him to call her. By that time it was late and she was already gone for the day. So he was going to try again in the morning.

We didn't sleep well that night. Both of us were wondering why she called. Was it just a courtesy to say, "Sorry, you didn't get the job." First thing the next morning, Ben called and left another message for Michelle. I went off to work and Ben stayed home and waited. He called her again a couple of hours later and left a message. Finally at about 10am she called him back and offered him the position! Ben was so confused but so excited and grateful! Again he got down on his knees but this prayer was different.

Ben called me at work to give me the good news. Everyone in my office was screaming and crying. So much frustration and confusion was let go that day!

I know this is long and most won't have the time to read it. I'm posting it so I have record of it for myself and to remind myself the power of prayer. Our testimony has grown so much this past 2 years as far as prayer and patience. Even though we think we are praying for the right thing and that we are doing the right thing and have righteous goals set up, we have to remember that Heavenly Father knows more than we do. He has a plan for us and knows what's best for us. We just need to continue to be faithful and doing what he asks, which is so simple and so unworthy of the blessings that he gives us. I hope we can always remember the lessons we've learned these past few months. Thanks to everyone who prayed with us and helped keep our spirits up in our time of need.

By the way, the email Ben got was for a different position that he had previously applied for with LLU. It just happened to come on the day that he was told he'd hear about the position he interviewed for.

23 Weeks

So on Tuesday, I'll be 23 weeks pregnant! Besides the current cold I have, (4th one since pregnancy) and still puking up breakfast every morning, I'm feeling so much better. Yes I'm eating very healthy, getting my rest and taking my vitamins. I've only gained a total of 4 lbs so far and I'm very proud of that. My body has changed so much though. If I didn't have a scale, I'd think that I had gained 20 lbs. It's weird because my fat has shifted so even though I've only gained 4 lbs my once baggy clothes are now tight and uncomfortable. I still don't look very pregnant, just very wide. My sweet husband keeps reassuring me that I'm still beautiful. My wonderful mother-in-law took me on a Maternity Clothes Shopping Spree on Friday, so now I have more comfortable clothes. I also treated myself to a "Royal Pedicure" on Saturday so I'm feeling quite pampered now.

I was able to finally feel Baby Leah move at about the 21st week. It's such an amazing feeling. It's really hard to describe. It's really been the best part of pregnancy so far. Ben, my niece Reagan, my co-worker Patty and Ben's brother Isaiah have all been able to feel her too. I can't believe how much she moves. The last 3 ultrasounds we've had, the tech's have commented on how active she is. Sometimes they can't even get the snapshots and measurements they're going for. It's really cool to now feel what they are talking about.

My wonderful sister-in-law Carrie introduced me to Hypnobabies. It's a program where you learn self-hypnosis to get yourself in a relaxed state of mind so that you can naturally birth your baby without any drugs. I've been practicing it daily for about 2 months now and truly feel that it will work. You learn to use hypnosis as your anesthesia. You learn that pregnancy is natural, normal, healthy and safe. Not your personal real life horror film everyone talks about. There are many hypnobabies videos on youtube if any one's interested in looking them up. Carrie used Hypnobabies with her first childbirth and did so well. She had no epidural and was even snoring through most of her labor. I'm so excited to give birth and am very confident in my birth experience.

I've been lucky to have had so many ultrasounds during my pregnancy. I hear from most women that they only have one ultrasound throughout their entire pregnancies and I've already had 7 ultrasounds at only 5 months. My first OBGYN did an ultrasound at every appointment. My new OBGYN has done 1 in office and sent me on 2. It's just amazing to see how our little girl is growing and progressing.

At our first ultrasound I was only 3 days pregnant and we didn't see anything. That was a little scary but our doctor assured us that everything was normal. She didn't expect to see anything but she just wanted to try.

Our second ultrasound, at 6 weeks, we got to see the Gestational Sac and learned that my hormone levels had doubled as normal.

The Gestational Sac - 6 weeks


Our third ultrasound, at 8 weeks, we actually saw a little blob hanging out in the sac and were amazed to actually be able to see the heart beating.

The Blob - 8 weeks

At my fourth ultrasound, at 12 weeks, we saw what looked more like a little peanut with a heartbeat that this time we actually got to hear it too. I cried at this ultrasound. The doctor told us that it was a very strong little baby. We even saw the arms and legs kicking.

Our Little Peanut - 12 weeks

Our fifth ultrasound was at a place in Costa Mesa that was referred to us by a friend. It was a self elected ultrasound where we got to learn the sex of our little baby. This one was the most exciting ultrasound because at 16 1/2 weeks the baby had grown so much. It actually looked like a little human being and we got to see all the body parts. When the tech was trying to get the "money shot", our modest little baby was covering itself with both hands. It was so funny. Most exciting was when it finally moved it's hands out of the way and we learned that we were having a little girl! At first Ben wasn't so excited. My whole pregnancy thus far, Ben was convinced that we were having a boy. When the tech said it was girl, Ben asked, "Are you sure?" I could tell in his voice the disbelief and disappointment. The tech said that she was 100% sure and explained to us how different the anatomy looked. Ben was quite for a long time. I looked over at him and he was mouthing his thoughts but no words were coming out. This is something that Ben does when he's in deep thought. I squeezed his hand and after a few seconds he smiled and said, "Well, looks like I'm going to have my "Daddy's Little Girl!". He also told me that he was more excited then disappointed. This made me feel so much better. I knew how badly he wanted a boy especially since we only have females on my side of the family. A few nights after this ultrasound, we were in bed, scriptures read, prayers said, goodnight kiss and lights were off. I could tell he was still awake and asked him what he was thinking about and he said, "You know. I'm never going to be able to leave this little girl alone." It was so sweet. He is so excited to finally be able to be a Daddy.

Baby Skelatora - 16 1/2 weeks

1st Profile Picture "Baby Charlie Brown" - 16 1/2 weeks

The Arm and Hand - 16 1/2 weeks

100% Girl! - 16 1/2 weeks

Our sixth ultrasound at 19 weeks, was the one where all the measurements are taken and the baby is checked for any abnormalities. The tech was getting so frustrated because Baby Leah was moving all over the place. The ultrasound took over an hour just to get the snapshots she needed. I even almost passed out during this ultrasound because I had been laying flat on my back for so long. She had me move onto my side for the rest of the ultrasound. She said that the baby had very long legs that most women would die for. The tech also confirmed that yes, Leah was 200% girl.

Big Feet at the End of Very Long Legs - 19 weeks

Baby Leah's Big Head and Spine - 19 weeks

Leah "Loo-Who" Profile - 19 weeks

My last ultrasound, at 22 weeks, my doctor wanted me to see a specialist because my pregnancy is considered "high risk" because of my under active thyroid. Everything is fine and normal with both me and Leah. I still have to continue going to a specialist though to make sure that my TSH levels are staying on track. I guess with thyroid disease your chances of miscarriage are high if your levels aren't monitored. I'm so grateful that I have such good doctors that really care for my and my baby's well being. I'm also grateful because I get to have more ultrasounds done, for free! So at this ultrasound we got more snapshots of Little Leah. They even tried a 4D, but Leah doesn't have enough fat on her yet to get good shots

4D of Leah - 22 weeks

You can see the right half of her face and her right shoulder. Her right arm is up covering her left side of her face. The lightest part of the ultrasound is her forehead. You can see her right eye and little mouth.

I'm more and more excited everyday for our little girl to be here. Even though my pregnancy has been pretty rough so far, it is already totally worth it and I can't wait to do it again and again and again and again!!! Ben does want 8 little ones you know. He's told me that since before we got married. Hopefully we'll have a couple of sets of twins somewhere in there so I don't have to go through this too many times but I will if needed!

Family Photos

Two weeks ago my family went to Laguna Beach to have our family photos done. A student from my stepmother's school offered us a free session so she could get practice.


My Family
Eric, Ben, Me, Kerry, Son, Naynay, Papa, Reagan, Brenda, Todd, Kim, Brook, McKinley & Madison

The Oril's

Naynay & Papa

The Oril's

Naynay, Papa & Eric

The Baran's

Reagan (6 years), Todd, Kim, McKinley (2 years) & Madison (1 year)

The Lam's

Brenda, Son, Brooke (8 months) & Kerry (5 years)

The Winters'

Ben, Melonnie & Leah (due in December)

Eric

My Cousin

The Men

Ben, Dad, Eric, Son & Todd

The Women

Me, Brenda & Kim

The Girls

Reagan (6 yrs), Kerry (5 yrs), Madison (1 yr), Brooke (8 months) & McKinley (2 yrs)

I love my cute little family!

Pregnancy!

So I always had this romantic idea of pregnancy.



We'd get pregnant right away, I'd be glowing, no morning sickness or other symptoms (since my mom and sisters didn't have any), my tummie would be nice and round, everyone would treat me like a queen, , food would taste so wonderful, I'd be able to rest when I wanted, I'd have extra energy, I'd do pregnant yoga and I would be at home knitting and sewing beautiful things for our baby...

Ha! Yeah right!!!

So far it's been pretty much just the opposite. I'm currently at home right now with my 3rd cold in the past 4 months. This one is a doozie! I've been sick for 2 1/2 weeks now and it hit me really bad about a week ago. I have a throat infection that turned into a sinus infection with discharge coming out of both eyes, sore throat, sore face, coughing, sneezing, congestion, runny nose and I feel like I coughed a little bit of my lung out through my ribs. Oh, it's so painful every time I cough.

The morning sickness! Although finally over, it lasted for about 12 weeks straight. Everyday, sometimes twice a day. It was horrible. Sometimes even projectile and a few times even through my nose.

My stomach isn't nice and round as you would imagine a pregnant woman who is in her 4th month. It looks more like a spare tire with it's own spare!

I haven't had energy to do anything! All the things I love to do are now seeming like such a bothersome chore. I haven't cooked a real homemade meal for us pretty much since mid March. I used to cook dinner almost every night! I haven't really taken any pictures. I don't even know where my camera is right now. I haven't blogged in over a month. I haven't even wanted to go out for date night.

Pregnant on the first try! As most of our family and friends know, it wasn't so for us. We had tried for 12 months! The doctor kept telling us to relax and it would happen. Finally we decided to start some testing to see if we'd even be able to get pregnant on our own. Well this was in early March, right after Ben graduated and passed his state exam, we had an appointment to get the results for our testing. Three days before the appointment, I had missed my period. Even though it was just one day, I just had this feeling. I took the test and sure enough there were 2 lines! Although one was very light, there was still 2!!! I had been waiting to see those 2 little lines for 12 months!!! Finally there it was! So I took 5 more tests and all came out positive! We were so excited and when we went to get the results of our testing (which all came out normal) our doctor screamed when she found out that we were pregnant! I'm so grateful that it happened naturally. This was really important to me.

So, so far, this whole pregnancy thing hasn't turned out to be this beautiful romantic journey I had been dreaming about, but I am still so grateful for this opportunity to finally be pregnant. To finally start my family with my wonderful husband. Even though it's been rough, especially with me being sick and Ben still not being able to find a job, we really are grateful and excited. We've had a couple of really special moments talking about our little baby girl who will be here in December!

Nothing Says Lovin Like a...

Ingredients:
1 Happy Husband
1 Happy Wife
Lots of Patience
Lots of Fun
LOTS OF LOVE!

Instructions:

Preheat Oven to: 98.6 degrees

Bake at 98.6 degrees for approximately 9 months.

Bun removes itself from the oven when good and ready,

but this one should be done by mid December