week 36

So I am really hoping that Lucy gets to land on one of my siblings birthdays...that would be awesome! Tina's is April 26 and a few other friends as well, so that would be a fun day! Or April fool's day...that would make for some fun birthdays in the future!!! I decided she shouldn't come for a week or two, so her birthday wouldn't get overlooked by General Conference, and making it to 38 weeks would be good for her lungs right? I will take any day though, hopefully she can come when she is ready and healthy and ready to meet us. Plus, Evan has a baseball game next weekend, and that would be sad if he missed that...GO PHILLIES!, I mean Rockies:) haha. I can't wait for my mother to come out. She is such a great woman and example and I am so grateful that she is willing to come out and help, I wouldn't have it any other way!!! I can't wait to take a 3 generation picture with her. I wonder if Lucy will get any of the Danish looks or genes. This morning Evan was funny, he asked me if I would do a favor and I said yes, and he asked me to please watch a movie that he had rented for me(he wants to return it already). He was so cute, I just finished watching it, "Secret Life of Bees" GREAT MOVIE, 5 stars!...off to take a nap:)

Potentially scary pictures:):):)

So here are some pictures Evan took..he liked getting different angles. I am almost 36 weeks, and feel like I could go any day now. Since I am a high risk pregnancy I get to go take another ultrasound on Tuesday and make sure everything is fine and get the exact size of the baby. I go weekly for my appointments starting this week, so that is nice. I found out that I am 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated, and feel like I am dilating more, if you can even really feel that. My hips feel like they are separating, and lots of pressure down south, and I am pretty sure my mucus plug is starting to disappear. Lots of fun and extra mood swings and hormone imbalances...Evan is being a great sport. I am definitely 'nesting' and also need a lot more sleep. Swelling is just a normal thing now and I look like a puffy marshmallow with fun stretch marks. Braxtin Hicks also like to take over my entire day and night...yay for pregnancy, and yay that it is almost to an end with a beautiful surprise. I swear they have my due date delayed...

a 13 week difference YIKES!

So I wanted to see what I looked like when I first started showing until now, and so here it is. From about week 22 until week 35. I can only imagine week 40:)

I go in for my 35 week check tomorrow, and I am hoping they tell me I am further along than I really am...I think I am ready for this baby to be in my arms, and not in the way of rolling over in bed or bending over:)

Evan has Spring Break this week, so I am glad I have his company this week:) We are even goig to attempt swimming at the gym..I think I need a new bathing suit:) He is going skiing Wednesday with his brother, so we are praying that if the baby did come early, to just not come on that day.

Cheers!

Diaper Deal of the Day!

DIAPER DEAL OF THE DAY!!!



So I already made a post about diapers, but here is the continuing story. Evan thought we should buy more diapers, so he managed to find more computers to print more coupons, which we didn't even use all of them(all different barcodes), we gave the rest to Amy and hopefully she got some great deals too! We now have tons of diapers in every size, and are pretty sure Lucy's bum is covered and there should be extras for our next baby:)

Evan went to two more Albertson's and one Walmart(who matches prices) and combined with his three trips and our first trip, here are the numbers:

Diapers: 2063
Cost: $197.08
Saved: $438.68
Cost per diaper: .955 cents less than a dime a diaper:)

I love it! all of her diapering for under $200! Thanks Chrystal for posting about the Albertson's advertisement!

Æbleskiver....Danish Pancakes

So if you didn't already know, my mother is from Denmark, and I love the traditions of the Danish people. She recently introduced Æbleskiver. If you google it, you would just type 'ebleskiver'. It is like a pancake and a popover combined, and you can fill it with fruit, chocolate, etc., and dust them with powdered sugar. Syrup could be used as well. SO YUMMY! After visiting her during Christmas and eating this yummy new food, I had to buy a pan and try them out in my own home. Here are some pictures! Evan absolutely loves them, and I am thinking it would be a great holiday tradition to make these. Ebleskiver are usually eaten during holidays or festivities.






I love my mom's pan the best, and she has a gas stove, which I also think works the best. I don't have a gas stove and my pan is from William and Sonoma, so maybe one day I will get to buy a cast iron pan and use it on a gas stove, for now, mine works just great! We didn't fill our's with anything for this batch, but I think we are going to try adding apples to the middle next time. YUM YUM!

Huggies!!! and Daddy Bootcamp

So I am all about couponing and saving money. I grew up watching my mother clip coupons and save lots of money, I still have a few of her old "non expiration date" coupons like Cabbage Patch cereal:) A few of my friends told me about coupons.com and couponsurfer.com and the great deal at Albertson's, I think there was one at Walgreens too. I live near Albertson's, so I went in with Evan, and bought 12 packs of Jumbo size diapers, totalling 433 diapers, and the bill was originally $137.60, and after the in-store sale and my coupons, I walked out paying ony $41.63. WOW!!! What a deal! Even better than Costco!!! You can only print off so many coupons per computer, so we are going to try to find more computers and buy more before the deal ends.... How can you beat 9.5 cents per diaper...I guess free is better, but I feel like I got a STEAL! I now feel more prepared incase I deliver early. It was cute buying diapers with Evan...He is going to be a cute daddy.

Evan went to a Daddy BootCamp this week. He loved the class and said it was better than the other two classes we did together. It was for fathers taught by a man. He got to hold a baby and thought that was cute, even though the baby spit up on him:) He came home and cleaned the house and was extra sweet to me, it must have been a great class!

YAY for Babies, and only 7 more weeks for us, unless I come early. I go to my next appointment in 2 weeks, and will see if I am dilated any or efaced...That would be nice to go a little early. I am getting so big people ask me if I am having twins or due any day. I have to explain that I am just carrying her right on top of my belly. And I have a waddle in my walk now as well..yikes!

Little Lucy's baby shower...

I had a great baby shower on Saturday, and I got to see a few old friends and get some really fun stuff for Lucy. For those who couldn't come, I would love to see you sometime. I find myself missing people more and more as I become less able to get out and play...but I LOVE being pregnant and knowing that I have a miracle baby soon to arrive in about 7 weeks, even if it does mean some "fun" pregnancy symptoms along the way.

Amy did a great job at hosting the baby shower, especially since she has a sick little girl only a month old now. She was able to do so much and recruited a few others to help out. It was a very fun shower, and I loved everything about it! She had great decorations, fun and food. THANKS AMY!!!!!



My sister Tina is wonderful! She came with a few of her children, her 2 week old and two little girls. She brought some yummy food, great game and fun advice for me. I am so lucky to have her near me, especially since I am a worry wart about a lot of things and she knows how to calm me, answer my silly questions, and be a great friend!

My two visiting teachers Alisa and Summer, friends now for about 4 years, were able to help out as well. Alisa made a great chicken salad and rolls, and her punch bowl was so cute. It had floating rubber duckies in it..such a great idea!!! Summer had a fun memory game that we were able to win candy bars like a "Mounds" for the word "engorgement:)

Amanda made the best crab dip ever, and I think I ate most if not all of it. That stuff is dangerously delicious!!! I wish I would have taken a picture!

My sister-in-law Cindy did a phenomenal job making three cakes. One we get to keep forever:) She made a round cake out of styrofoam and covered with fondant. It was like a cake from "Ace of Cakes". She topped it off with what she thinks little Lucy will look like. SO CUTE! I couldn't stop staring at it.







I loved seeing everyone, and although I felt like I was going through Menopause because I was so overheated and sweaty, I had a great time and really appreciate all of the lovely gifts for Lucy. I hope that I can help someone else get started for a baby as well. I can't wait to hold Lucy in my arms and kiss her and just touch and stare at her. I think baby feet are the cutest! (My face gets so round when I smile...too funny)


She kicks me so much, and I think that she is definitely getting a strong personality and some soccer legs. Evan had to freeze her out with a bag of frozen veggies the other night because she was being stubborn and wouldn't move out of my ribs as she kicked them. Also, she will kick and toss and turn soooo much, and then right when I ask Evan to come feel, she stops, I think she is pretending to be a good girl for Evan. HAHA

Sunday and 8 more weeks to go...

32 weeks/8 more to go the size of a Jicama, just image that with legs and arms too. Around 17 inches long and almost 4 lbs

So, I have had some great things happen in the last couple of weeks. I have met new people, rekindled old friendships, had help in more ways than I could ask for and my life is just really going well, despite challenges that try to creep up on me. Recently I hung out with some friends and realized how happy they were, and wanted to reflect on my own life. A few of you have blogs called Thankful Thursdays, but I think I will start reporting on being thankful today, even though it is Sunday:) Then I will try to on Thursdays...:)

1. Amanda, Lexi and Evan really helped me clean my house. They helped with my nesting needs, and the house is so clean I can hardly take it:) I don't want to start any projects because I love the calm and peace I feel by not seeing boxes everywhere, and in two rooms boxes don't even exist anymore:) YAY! There is freedom when the mess is gone:)

2.Good friends. I am thankful for the phone calls, texts, emails, notes, etc of friends. I think being pregnant brings on a lot of doubtful thoughts and challenges of not being able to do the things I used to do, but I have received so much encouragement, I am not able to sit and wallow in sadness for very long.

3. Puffs Tissues. We have gone through boxes and boxes of tissues lately, and they finally went on sale at Target, I bought 12 boxes. They are the best tissues, they don't crumble or make a mess, and they always treat our noses right.

4. The zoo. What a great place to walk around and have peace. I have tried getting exercise and it has been fun to go to the zoo a couple times and walk and enjoy the great "winter/spring" weather we are having and love the animals that our Heavenly Father created.

5. Evan!!!! Without him, I don't know what I would be doing. I love him so much and his patience surprises me. He has been my backbone and cheerleader. He laughs at me at just the right times, and doesn't get offended by my pregnant hormonal ways:) He loves me very much!

6. Smiles. I have had lots of random people smile at me and I have been able to smile at lots of strangers. Smiles have so much of a positively powerful outcome, I think we should all strive to smile more and see how it changes our lives, especially when exchanging smiles with those we may not know. It is contagious!!!

I will be 32 weeks this week, and am grateful I am nearing the end. I have had many ups and downs with this pregnancy, and I am sure will miss it a little when it is over, but I am so truly excited to hold my little girl and to see Evan with his daughter:) We have been blessed so much and I know that the Lord has everything in His hands and in His timing. I am blessed!