Then & Now

We're older, but no less immature.

{circa 1988}

{circa 2001}

{circa 2008}

Baby Instructions

I stumbled across these yesterday and thought Chris might actually find a few of them enlightening.

28 Week Belly Pic

Two Sundays ago (at 26 weeks, 4 days) I woke up to get ready for church and I felt some really strong stretching pains down low on my right side. By the time I got out of the shower, I was in so much pain that I sat down on the couch by Chris and cried for a minute. I wasn't alarmed by the pains because I knew they were just stretching, but man did they hurt when I stood up and moved! (And FYI, prettymuch all I do is stand on Sundays for Primary.) Something just felt different that day and the pains lasted well into the afternoon. I felt like an old woman walking around all hunched at church that day. Just slap some old lady perfume on me and hand me a cane.

Later that week I was reading my pregnancy book and I discovered that 27 weeks is when the baby usually turns head down, and it finally clicked in my brain. That's what I felt the previous Sunday -- she must have turned!

So when I went to the doctor yesterday for a checkup, I asked her if she thought my baby was head down now. She started off into some discourse about how babies can really turn any direction they want back and forth until about 34 weeks, so I shouldn't worry about it and blah blah blah blah. Then as soon as she started her examination she felt around on my stomach down low and said in surprise "Oh! You're right, your baby is head down already!"

Boo-ya.

Annalisa: 1
Doctor: 0

The only downside to her turning so far is that she constantly has her feet up under my right rib cage. All. Day. Long. And only on the right side. I can literally dig my hand in under my ribs and push her feet down and away. (Where they stay for about 3.2 seconds.)

I can push my baby's feet with my hand. While she's in my stomach. It's so weird.

(Seriously, do I look tired in this picture or what? Sheesh.)

Pregnancy Statistics
How far along? 28w0d
Gender: Girl
Current Cravings: Twix candybars
Weight gain: +15 lbs
Best moment this week #1: Getting the fabric swatches for the crib bedding!
Best moment this week #2: Chris freaking out when he I told him I have doctor's appointments every 2 weeks from here on out because we're coming down the home stretch. Oh-noes!
Funniest moment this week: Walking into Expected Maternity boutique and having the sales lady ask me if other pregnant ladies hate me when I told her how far along I was.
Belly button in or out: Top half out, bottom half in.
(Or in other words: gross.)
Labor signs: None except she's head down.
What I miss: Laying on my stomach while playing Dr. Mario on the Wii
What I'm looking forward to: Ordering the crib bedding!

The crib fabric swatches. Oh my cuteness!

Welcome Home Michelley!

On Saturday night Chris and I went to the airport with my parents and Amy to pick up Michelle. She was arriving home from a 3-month internship for...

in Key West.

(Don't worry, she didn't have to dress up like the southernmost-point-barrel all the time.)

We waited in the airport anxiously for her plane to arrive.
My dad held up the silly sign that he made, which he thought was so funny.


Michelly finally arrived and we took a picture of the three sisters who all happened to show up in denim with a green shirt. Michelley was a little shocked by my belly that sprouted while she was gone.


After lots of hugs, we went to Cafe Rio for some serious Mexican food. (Apparently Michelley went through Mexican food withdrawls in Key West. Go figure.)

We're glad to have you home, Michelley!

A Conversation

After a long day at work and Young Womens and running errands, Chris and I were laying on the couch last night at about 9:45 when we had this conversation. (I should probably mention that I've been unusually munchy for sugary foods in the last two weeks.)

Me: "Honey, I'm fighting the urge to eat something really sugary and high in calories right now."
Chris: "Do it!"
Me: Confused. "You're supposed to tell me not to do it..."
Chris: "Why? You're already fat."

And there you have it, folks.

So I ate an ice cream sandwich. And enjoyed every last bite.


Disclaimer: Chris was not being rude -- he was just being his usual, honest, direct self. His comments in no way hurt my feelings. Later, he clarified that he didn't mean I was actually "fat," just that I already have a big belly because of the baby.

New Moon - New Trailer

Oh my gosh, have you seen this? I'm so freaking excited.



And I'm still optimistic I can keep this baby in until after opening night.

More Practice

On Saturday we babysat our nephews Preston & Braden for a few hours so their parents could celebrate their anniversary in Park City. Our friends Nathan & Sadie dropped by with their little Sawyer to visit.

Sawyer and Braden are only about 2 months apart, so we set them on the carpet facing each other and they talked and laughed and gurgled at each other for a few minutes. Braden would get all shy and cover his face when we'd make him laugh. It was pretty cute.

Sadie holding Sawyer & Braden

Chris holding Preston & Sawyer

Preston was bouncing off the walls until Sadie & Nathan came and then he got a little shy and wouldn't smile for the camera. Doesn't Chris look tired in this picture? We had a busy weekend full of babysitting, but I still think it was good practice!

Daddy Practice

Over the weekend we babysat Nora Jane for a day while her parents were out of town. Chris has gotten pretty attached to this little munchkin. When she's tired she'll snuggle up with him on the couch and let him rub her feet. It's pretty adorable.

We took Nora Jane on a little outing in her stroller to go get dinner, and then we stopped by a friend's house on the way home so Chris could show off how cute she was.


On the way home Nora Jane didn't want to ride in the stroller, she wanted to hold Chris's hand and walk. How stinking cute is this picture? I've got a feeling our little Bambina will have Chris wrapped around her finger just as much as Nora Jane does.

Death by cute shoes

Yesterday the boss-man and project sponsors from D.C. were in town for meetings, so we had to wear "business casual" to work. On most days, I could wear pajamas to work and no one would bat an eye. But yesterday was business casual.

Most of my maternity clothes are jeans and capris, but I do have a few skirts and dresses. So yesterday I wore a dress, with cute shoes. Despite being the freak-show-of-the-day when I walked in the meeting room, I looked good. And I had cute shoes on. (Girl + engineer + pregnant = freak show. See? I even do math. More freak show.)

Exhibit A: the cute shoes.

After work I ran to the grocery store because oh-my-gosh-we-are-out-of-cream-cheese and Chris had nothing to put on his bagel for breakfast. After I ran home to put the groceries away, we hopped in the car to go to a wedding where we mingled and visited with family, and then to a birthday party where we mingled and watched the birthday boy open presents. It was a busy day.

But still, I had on cute shoes.

By the time we left the birthday party I was having a hard time walking. Chris even asked me if I wanted him to pull the car around for me, but I declined (isn't my husband so sweet?). Once we got to the car and I took my shoes off, my feet looked like this.

Exhibit B: death by cute shoes.

No those aren't sausages, those are toes. (I'm not sure exactly who's toes those are, but they somehow ended up in my shoes. Seriously.) I don't think there's even any ankle in there either. Calf right to foot.

One more pair of shoes has been added to the do-not-wear-while-pregnant pile. Pretty soon all I'll have left is a pair of flip flops and slippers.

Oy.

The Garden Update

Behold...a green tomater!

There is still hope for our little garden.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Has anyone else noticed the countdown?

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It's dropped below 100! I have less than 100 days until I give birth to this baby! When I look at that countdown I get a momentary sense of panic in my chest.

Holy freaking cow.

This picture of Chris just about sums it up.


In other news, I did start cleaning out the room-that-will-be-the-nursery last night. Now I've got three big boxes of who-knows-what currently on the front porch waiting for The Salvation Army to pick them up today. (Isn't it amazing how much "junk" you accumulate when you have the space to hold it?) It feels so good to get started on that beast of a project. There's still more to do, but it was a really good start last night.

We also got our crib and dresser ordered a little over a week ago. The sales associate said it would take 6 to 12 weeks for them to arrive. Okay, no biggie. Then I got a call on Monday, which was exactly one week from the day they were ordered, saying they were here. Ahh! Hence the need to get our rear-ends in gear and clean out that bedroom.

Make way, bedroom! Tiny adorable baby things coming through.

Our New Niece

My brother Brent and his wife Melissa had their baby girl yesterday! She's still nameless, but she's adorable. She was 6 lbs, 8 oz and 19 inches long -- a cute little munchkin. We got to visit after work last night and take a few pictures for Michelley who is far, far away and bummed that she doesn't get to see the baby in person for a few more weeks. Chris and I can't wait for our little girl to meet her cousin in a few months!

Salt Lake Bees

On Friday night Chris and I went to the Salt Lake Bees game with Kelli and Jeremy. Chris's aunt Lynne gave us her company's tickets and the seats were fantastic. (Thanks again, Lynne!) We were on the front row of the upper deck, right behind home plate.

The weather cooled off on Friday and never rained like it threatened to, so it was perfect! I was glad we didn't have to sit in 100-degree heat!


The game was really exciting, too. There were numerous home runs and the crowd was really into it. The Bees pulled it out in the final inning by one run! It was an awesome game and a fun night.

Who needs toys when you've got baby gear?

Chris and I got to babysit Tucker & Nora Jane last night for a few hours. We were a little bit worried because our house really isn't baby-proof yet, and we really don't have any toys (except the Wii - which Tucker loves).

Fortunately for us, we didn't need any. Once they saw our stroller (which lives in the corner of our living room because we don't have a nursery to put it in yet), they were in heaven. Apparently, our stroller is cool. And fun to play on. And fun to be pushed around in.


They got to play with a new toy, and I got to play with my new toy. It was a win-win.

Here's to hoping our child will be as easily-entertained.

Master Bathroom Remodel Progress

Our master bathroom is finally starting to resemble a real bathroom again. We've got the rough plumbing and tile all done, and the vanity box is in with the counter on top. Next we've got to do baseboards, paint, the finish plumbing, the finish electrical and hang the hardware.

Oh, and a shower door might be nice.

Chris is going to be exhausted once this is over. But boy am I looking forward to a non-moldy shower!

Aaaand, they're back.

Remember the little baby quail we had in our window well a few weeks ago? Behold.


Last night Chris came home late from a meeting and as he walked to the front door he heard chirping coming from the window well. When we investigated with a flashlight, we found three more itsy-bitsy quail in the window well again.

Sigh.

Two were alive and one was barely alive, and their mama was nowhere to be found. This time we scooped them into a box right away and set them free on the grass. We're choosing to think happy thoughts here...so as soon as Chris and I walked inside, I'm sure the mama swooped down and gathered them off to their little home to feed and comfort them. This pregnant woman does not need dead babies of any sort on her hands.

Here's to hoping we have no more visitors in our window well anytime soon.

The Enginerds

Over the weekend, Chris and I were able to go to the wedding of one of my good friends from college. I had four study-buddies that I prettymuch spent 4 years with while getting through school. We saw each other more than our families saw us. We jokingly called ourselves "the enginerds." When I think back to those days and I'm so grateful for the friendships we formed. We leaned on each other a lot and I think school would have been much more difficult without such supportive friends.

One by one we've all gotten married. I was the first to bite-the-dust and James was the last, this past weekend. When I get to see them all at each wedding, it's like no time's gone by at all. I sure miss those guys and love getting to see them.

I forgot to take pictures at the wedding, and I'm bummed about that. But here are is a little flashback for you.

The award-winning senior project group. BJ, Jason, James, Dan, Annalisa, Dr. Rasmussen.

Graduation! Chris, Annalisa, BJ, Jason, James, Dan, Jack.