She's Finally Here!

SO it's been way too long since I wrote but I have been a little busy. After much protest, I finally have in and was induced on Friday, June 20. At 6:30am, we arrived at the hospital and became situated. At 7:30 they started the pitocin, which worked very well. By 10am I had my epidural (and can I just say how wonderful that is!) At 11:30am, I was 100% effaced and dilated to a 3. I figured we would be there for awhile and Dr Maxwell felt that I would give birth between 4 and 5pm. Well at 3:30pm they finally checked me again and I was already a 9! Holy cow, it's time! I just didn't expect it to go that fast. I got an extra boost of the epidural and then it was time to start pushing. I pushed her out in an hour and a half. Much to everyone's surprise she weighed in at 9lbs and 14oz! We are so excited to be a family and to have her home! She is such a wonderful baby! She never cries, even when she is hungry (which did cause a small problem) or needs to be changed and she sleeps so well. Stacie posted pictures of our photo shoot on Saturday. She did such an amazing job!!!!

Here is her first picture with mommy!
And with Daddy!

My Beautiful Cankles

So, since Thursday, I have been on the go as much as I can be. Jon was in a small car accident on Monday on his way home from work (no worries, everyone is fine and it wasn't his fault) so we have been down to one car which means I had to do all of my errands in two days time (which is difficult these days). Then, Friday night we had our first annual Eldredge fireside. Very successful but very hot. It was so nice to come home and lay in my own bed!

Then, Saturday and Sunday we have been doing little projects here and there trying to get stuff done before baby Melissa comes. And then of course, Sunday brings church. So, Saturday I had been on my feet most of the day, not eating well or drinking enough and around 11 I sat down on the floor after standing for about 10 minutes and saw my new CANKLES! My feet were so swollen! So, I went into drinking water mode and resting, but they came back. We had to leave church early on Sunday because it was so painful to my shoes back on because they began swelling again. I went home and put my feet up and tried drinking more water but as soon as I would get up to go potty or get me something to eat, they would come back. So, today I was supposed to run some errands but I haven't even gotten dressed. I am taking the day off to rest my cankles. If I am up too long they swell a little bit but they aren't near as bad as what they were yesterday. My fingers are also swelling to the point where I can't wear my wedding ring. If I get any more excitement during this pregnancy I don't know what I will do with myself.

I found these on the internet and I had to share! He also gives a great definition and history of the cankle. You should check it out here.


Quick update - no progression has occurred. My appointment on Thursday gave no signs of giving birth any time soon. I have had contractions and cramping on and off but nothing exciting. My stomach gets bigger by the minute but I have a feeling she is in it for the long haul. One week until my due date.

"The Nursery"

Well, many people ask "Oh is the nursery all ready?" Well technically yes, if you consider two half walls a nursery. For the time being, we will be sharing our bedroom/office with our baby girl, until we move to North Dakota. I finally have everything pretty much in place and ready to go. I like how everything turned out considering the space I had to work with. I can't wait for her to have her own room so I can really decorate.
Here is her "crib"
This is her first half wall. She fits nicely between the bedroom door and the closet door.

The other half wall between the closet door and the office. It has been so much fun putting up her decorations! Pink is so much fun!

False Freakin' Alarm

So, after hearing about my supposed progress I felt very "nesty." So, I cleaned all day Friday. I somehow found all of this energy! We also walked around Academy that evening trying to help further my progress. Well, Saturday came and I felt the same nesting instinct, so I continued to clean and organize anything that was left, which by now isn't much. We also went to Jon's parents, and hung out for awhile. Well at about 5:45pm, I began feeling contractions. They came very regular at 4-5 minutes apart for about an hour. It seemed that they would continue to get worse, so I told Jon, I think this is it. Also, all through the night, I was very crampy with each cramp coming at about 10-15 minutes apart. And I had been cramping while at my in laws house earlier that day. Anyway, we get in the car and make the 30 minute trip to Baylor. I called my mom to let her know and she was on her way.

We get to the hospital at about 7pm. They get me checked in to what I call "The Loser's Waiting Area" aka Triage. They check you in, get all of your info and then finally they actually check your progress. The nurse said that my doctor was generous in giving me a 2 because she said I was only a 1 but I had progressed to 90% effaced. Although, I was very tense every time she checked me because she was not of the gentle nature at all. SO, she makes me wait 2 hours to see if I progress at all. All the while I am having contractions that our now about 1 to 3 minutes apart. My mom arrives about 15 minutes before they check me the last time. The contractions are intense but apparently not intense enough because they sent me home at 10pm. The nurse gives me all of my forms and informs that I could come back in 5 hours or in a week and could potentially have contractions during this whole time. I ask when I should really come back and she proceeded to give me a very lively 5 minute presentation of what my face and body will look like when I am having a bad contraction and informs me that when I feel or look like this I can come back.

So with some disappointment and relief I walked to the car feeling like my tail was between my legs and stopped by Sonic on the way home for a much needed dinner and dessert! (Thanks Mom). My mom stayed the night since we were not sure of what could end up happening. Well, as you can tell nothing happened. As soon as we got home, my contractions went away and I slept all night long. I feel really bad because my mom drove an hour and thirty minutes and stayed all day Sunday (which was very boring because there isn't much to do on a Sunday) for nothing. I guess it was a good dry run but still.

I was feeling very down and depressed most of yesterday. I think I am was just stressed out because I want her to come so badly not just because I am miserable but because her grandparents and doctor will be out of town next week. So I either deliver this week or try and keep her in until after her due date. But thanks to our wonderful Heavenly Father and his amazing willingness to allow the Priesthood on earth, I was able to receive a blessing that didn't tell me much but gave me an amazing sense of comfort. I feel no more stress and will just continue going about life as if I was 7 months pregnant and will just wait until our baby girl decides when she is ready to come, no matter when that will be.

But through all of this, I got a really cool cup! You may think I am being sarcastic but I have been wanting to get a cup with a straw in it for awhile.

My Progress

Well I went to the doctor today to see how I am progressing. He measured me for the first time and so far so good. The baby's head is in position, although she could come down a little farther. I am dilated to a two and 50% effaced. I know that some women are dilated for a long time before they give birth but I am not sure how effaced they are so maybe I have a good chance of giving birth in the next week or so. I would love to have her some time next week because the week of June 7 Jon's parents AND my doctor will be out of town and I certainly don't want to go over my due date. Oh well, we shall see what happens. I have my next appointment next Thursday. Crossing my fingers, toes, and legs.

Indiana Jones - Two Thumbs Down

We went to see Indiana Jones with our friends Anna and Dusty, while they were in town from North Dakota, and I must say that it was the most wasted $17.50 we have ever spent. Just wait until it comes out on video. Unless, you like treasure hunting mixed with aliens then by all means go waste your money. It was really a stupid ending too. Very disappointing.

I should be in bed...

Well it's almost 1am and I am still up! I just can't sleep and the longer I stay in bed the more frustrated I get as well as uncomfortable. I am pretty much uncomfortable almost 90% of the time. Before I was pregnant (or rather just a few months ago) I could force myself to go to sleep but now it just doesn't work. I have this itchy issue that keeps coming up. My skin seems to crawl at night especially once we are in bed and not being able to fall asleep right away makes it worse because I can't stop thinking about it. I am pretty sure it's just the pregnancy because we change the sheets often and I am even itchy sitting on the couch. Anywho, I was so tired today that I took a two hour nap which is probably why I am still up! Now I will be tired again tomorrow as well as grouchy and emotional. The emotions of pregnancy have finally hit full force. I can pretty much cry at the drop of a hat and for not much reason at all.

I have been struggling with the fact that I really don't enjoy being pregnant. I always thought I would be one of those women that just love every minute of it but not so much. I love the idea of being pregnant and the end result of bringing a beautiful baby into the world but the whole path of reaching that amazing moment is not all that exciting to me. I love knowing that every week something new happens and our baby is becoming a real live person but that's about it. I can't wait for it to be over. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to bring a baby into this world and I will do it over and over again for the same reason but for now I am ready to give birth and forget that I was ever pregnant, at least until next time.

And let's not forget me!

And of course there's my birthday, which took place yesterday! I am the big 23! And as we seem to get older birthdays seem to be more about spending time with those we love rather than the gifts we get. So that being said I had one of the best birthdays ever! Jon woke me up before he headed off to work to make me open my present (if you didn't know, Jon can't standing waiting for me to open my presents. No matter the occasion he always tries to get me to open my presents a day(s) in advance). I finally got my pair of Mary Jane Crocs I have been dreaming about for the past year! But I would never allow myself to buy a pair. Thank you honey! I absolutely love them! We also bought a new couch which just happened to be delivered on my birthday! And my parents gave me a glider rocking chair with foot stool. It hasn't come in yet but it's absolutely gorgeous. You can test it out at babies r us. I also received a phone call from my family and my grandma! We spent the evening at my niece Katie's orchestra concert. Great job Katie! You're awesome! We then went to Braum's with Bob and Mary's family, Mary's mom, and Jon's parents! Thanks Mom and Dad for dinner and dessert! We had such a blast! Then we picked up National Treasure 2 from the red box and went home and watched it on our new couch! I give the movie 2 thumbs up! It was the perfect ending to a perfect day!

Happy Birthdays!

Well I suppose I should do some happy birthdays to a few ladies I know! May is by far the busiest birthday month for us. Not only are all the girls in my family born in May but many of the Eldredge ladies are born in May as well! So, Happy Birthday to my wonderful mother in law Cathy, my sister Annie who turned 10 (double digits woohoo!) and niece Lily who turned 5 (yeah Kindergarten!). These two girls just happened to be born on the same day! Then we have my sister Jenny, who turned 14 yesterday and we added my beautiful new niece Claira Eldredge to the family. Both Jim and Nat's girls share birthdays with my sisters. Crazy timing! And in advance, Happy Birthday to my niece Rachel (turning 5-Yeah Kindergarten!!!) and best friend Beth (and these two share the same birthday as well, so strange). And last but not least my amazing mom whose birthday is on the 30th! I love all of you so much and hope your birthday wishes come true!

Shopping...Is there anything better?

Well I had my last shower on Saturday. I had a such a blast catching up with my 3 day girls. And it was great for my mom to meet these amazing women that I miss so very much! So after the shower my mom and I were finally able to go and spend time together without worry of interruptions. So, we took back everything that I got that I ended up not needing and found everything that I needed or wanted. I haven't been shopping in over 5 months and even though it was mainly for my beautiful baby girl it was still so much fun! Plus, I had the most fun because I was with my mom! Anywho, we went to three different stores and by the end of the day the back of her van was completely filled with stuff. I literally shopped 'til I dropped! Who knew that a baby needed so many items! But we are very well prepared now for Melissa to arrive. I have even washed and put away all of her stuff and I have my bag packed ready to go to the hospital. I have a feeling it won't be used for a few more weeks but we am ready non the less. Quick thank you to my wonderful Mom! I love her so much, more than words will ever be able to express! I love you Mom!

Ode to Craigslist!

Well we are getting a new couch! Woohoo! It's actually a futon but not your ordinary futon. It looks like a couch but it's a futon. Beautiful fabric and the "mattress" is spring coiled so it's super comfortable! I love it and we are NOT futon fans by any means. You can check out the company here. They are locally based and the couple is sooo nice! They also sell regular and waterbed mattresses as well, at factory direct prices. Anywho, so we had a lovely sleeper sofa couch and we wanted to sell it to off set the price of our new one. We also had a queen bed frame as well, that we no longer use (for the past year) since Jon made our new bed frame. So I got on Craig's List and said what they hay...let's try to sell them. Well we sold the bed frame in two hours and we had over 10 offers within the next 5 hours on the couch. After a few shady people, we finally sold the couch! It's gone! And we made money! Never underestimate the power of Craig's List!

Happy Mother's Day

So I am a few days late in posting but better late than never. This year was my first year ever to celebrate Mother's day. I didn't know if we would but as Jon stated "well you've got a baby growing inside of you." So, that being said all I wanted for Mother's Day was a date. With school, Scentsy, saving money, etc. we haven't gone out to eat in over 3 months, much less a date. So, Jon planned a very fun date. We went on Saturday evening to Lake Arlington where we fed the ducks, then on to Braum's for a delicious dinner and of course ice cream! We were originally going to go see a movie but I had been sick all week and I still wasn't feeling well so we rented Over Her Dead Body and watched the movie in bed. Then, Sunday I was still feeling under the weather so we stayed home from church and Jon cleaned the whole apartment for me. It was fun just being able to spend time with him. I am excited for summer time because NO SCHOOL! Yeah! And I can see him even more! And with the baby coming we don't have a whole lot planned so maybe we can continue to spend more time as a family. Of course life will probably change those plans but you never know!

The Tour

Well last night we went on a tour of the new Baylor women's facility. Let me just say how nice it is!
My 2 brothers and 2 sisters are rather young. They range in age from 8 to 14. This being said I have had the opportunity to see all of them come into this world as well as the hospital that they spent their first few nights in. I have also been able to see a couple of different hospitals that my sister in laws or friends have stayed in as well. So I may not be an expert on giving birth myself but I know what a room can look like. So with my wealth of knowledge in this area I have to give 2 thumbs up and 5 stars to this wonderful hospital.

Of course they have complimentary valet parking from 6am to 9pm. You come right into the first floor where you check in and immediately are wheeled a few feet away to the labor & delivery room. On the way through those double doors, there is a Simply Mom's shop which offers anything you need for breast feeding, etc. and I have heard that their stuff is actually cheaper than if you went to a store. Anywho, the staff is really nice and friendly and the waiting room is nice, open and big (nothing like the cramped & dark rooms you see on a baby story). The rooms are relatively big and very nice. They aren't white sterile looking rooms. They have pictures and wall paper, etc. You do your labor and delivery all in one room. In this room they have a small curtain that can divide your bed from the sleeper sofa & flat screen just in case you need privacy. This area goes into the bathroom where you have a sit down shower with jets (just in case you feel so inclined). They have monitors with wires and without so that you can be mobile. In each bathroom you have a toilet/beday(spelling?), hairdryer, and magnified mirror.

So, now that you have given birth, you stay in that room for about 1 to 2 hrs then are wheeled up to the 3rd floor to your recovery room. They have 2 wings, the north and south, and depending on what wing you are in depends on what nursery your baby will be in. They have a tight security system which means that if you stay on the north side, you can't take your baby to the south side because the hospital will go in to complete lockdown. You, baby, and dad wear a wrist band and only those with wristbands or a nurse can transport baby back and forth to the nursery. By the way, the nursery is a level 3 (Cooks being a level 4) so they are pretty capable of keeping and caring for your little one at almost any level. They will not hesitate to transfer them to Cooks if needs be but they are pretty confident in caring for your baby.

The only major difference in how the room looks from your labor & delivery room is that instead of a sleeper sofa, daddy has a bed that actually comes out from the wall, as well as a small fridge just in case you want to bring food from home and in the shower you can only stand. The room is very open and doesn't have that hallway effect when you first walk in. There is a lot of cabinet space (not that you are moving in) but it does keep things nice and tidy instead of it all over the floor. Oh and every room comes with wifi! No longer will your man be bored.

As of right now, the floor is quiet and empty since the hospital is so new but I have a feeling that it will not have a problem filling up over the next few months.

Showers, Sickness, Pictures and Valet

Ok, so it's been awhile since I have posted. Sorry to all of my fellow bloggers who actually come here to read what I have to say. When I say that I have fallen off the wagon and gotten lazy well I really have. I get little stuff around the house done but that takes all of my energy to do anything else, like blog. So, I will make a better effort to post especially in these last few weeks I have before our little one arrives.

Tomorrow night I have my 3rd shower. This one if being given by my Scentsy director and I look forward to seeing some of my team I haven't seen in a few months. My mom is also going so she gets to meet my Scentsy people for the very first time, which is exciting because I talk about them all the time! This being my 3rd shower and all you would think that I would have everything I need to bring this baby into the world, but you'd be wrong. It's amazing how more important these showers are vs the ones you have when you get married. You only need one crock pot or one toaster, etc. But with a baby, you need like 2 or 3 of everything plus it doesn't end there. They will grow and continuing growing and growing forever and you realize that every piece of anything that you get is so valuable to you that it's priceless. I remember at my first shower (which was in Greenville) that it was so fun and great to see everyone and for me it was really about catching up and having fun with everyone there, not the presents. However, then I realized that I was so very grateful that they all came because at that shower alone they saved me about $400! And I still needed more baby things! So I am rambling about this but it really does take a village to bring a baby into this world. Thank you all for your contribution. :-)

My sister Annie turned 10 today! This is a shout out to her! Happy Birthday! I love you!

I have been sick since Monday. It started with a sore throat, then a runny nose, then sinus congestion. The runny nose is gone but the sore throat comes and goes and my sinus' are doing well except for that last minute gunk that seems so hard to get out of your nose. I am on the last leg of it so hurray for me. I was very disappointed that of all the things to get me down it was my dang allergies. I haven't been sick once since I got pregnant! That doesn't mean I didn't try. lol. I have been around kids who had pneumonia, strep, bronchitis, the flu, etc. You name it and I had personal contact with them but somehow all it took was my allergies and so late in the game too. Oh well, at least I am feeling better and should be back to my old self by Saturday.

Today, I had a doctors appointment. Everything seems to be going well. I love the new women's facility at Baylor! They have complimentary valet at my doctors office! LOVE IT! No more driving up and down in the parking garage, or trucking half mile to my doctors office then back out to my car. No more being late for my appts cuz I can't find a parking space. Oh I just love it!

This evening, Jon and I will be touring the new facility where our baby will be born. I will post tomorrow on how it goes. I have heard that it is great but we will see if it lives up to all the excitement.

Oh and one more shout out to my wonderful sister in law Stacie! She not only took family pics of our entire Eldredge clan (which were AMAZING by the way) but she and Mike took the time to take us to the Botanic Gardens on a very crazy day (who new mayfest was going on) and take pictures of Jon and I and our baby belly. We were deeply saddened that we could not bring Maggie but maybe next time. Anywho, you can view a few of the pics she took on her site! Thank you so very much Stacie! I absolutely love each and every picture! I can't wait to print them off and hang them in my home!

Yumdidliumpcious!

OK so lately, thanks to my very wonderful sister in law Kristy, I have found the true joy in purchasing Jack in the Box real ice cream shakes! MMMMmmm...they are so yummy! Well I haven't had one since February because we are really trying hard to not eat out. Well Jon came home with an Oreo shake on Monday and I just can't express how delicious it was! Oh the joy! So I began thinking, maybe I can have one just once a week and that won't break our budget. So I go online to see if you can view the prices. Well instead I stumble upon the nutrition facts...oh dear. Just one shake (which I can suck down in less than an hour) is 720 CALORIES!! I know I may be pregnant but 720 CALORIES!! Holy cow! And half of those are from fat. And they are pretty much empty, delicious, yummy calories. So maybe I will only have one every other week. lol How can I pass them up. It's just too yummy!

On a quick side note, I watched Amber's Story last night on lifetime. It was the story of Amber Hagerman and I just have to say that I will never complain again when an Amber alert comes across the tv and I miss 10 minutes of my show. I had know idea what had really happened or that she was from Arlington. I mean her body was found right behind some apartments right off Green Oaks and 360. I can not imagine what parents go through when their children go missing. Thanks to Amber and her mother Donna all 50 states have an Amber Alert in place and save more children than we could have ever imagined. This post is dedicated to the memory of Amber and the hard work her mother has done to ensure that more children are found alive.

We're home!!!

After 18 hours to North Dakota and 18 hours home...we finally made it! And it feels so good to be home. Something about living in the car just isn't as great as living in a home with a bed and real food. But it was the best decision we ever made to go up there. It was great to see our friends Anna and Dusty again and Maggie had a very wonderful time playing with Mira, Lynus, and Grey! Although, she was very worn out from all of the non-sleep and non-laziness that she passed out in the car pretty much the whole way home. She could barely keep her eyes open. It was really cute. Saturday, we went to the Transfer Student Getting Started meeting. We were able to meet people from the school, get Jon registered for classes, found out about financial aid, and got Jon's student ID taken. I must say that UND is one of the best schools I have ever been to. I haven't been to a lot but they are genuinely nice and want to help you succeed. I was very impressed at how much they offer to help you succeed. I am very excited for Jon! He was also able to meet an ROTC officer and become more personal with him. He seemed very nice and very helpful. I am so unbelievably excited for Jon! By the end of this year he will have 16 more hours of school under his belt as well as his fixed wing pilot's license! He will be doing what he loves! Woohoo!
North Dakota really isn't all that bad. It's still cold up there but Grand Forks has everything we need. They don't have the best selection of actual restaurants but we don't really eat out that much anyways so I don't think that it will matter a whole lot to us. I heard that during the wintery months that you get really crazy having to be inside all of the time but I am pretty much a home person anyway so hopefully that won't matter to me much to me. We might have also found a place to live. Quite a few couples are moving in August so we are bound to find somewhere to live. We were also able to spend a lot of time with the young couples in the ward. Out of probably 10 or so, only 2 don't have children. All of the kids are about the same age so I think our family will fit right in.
We also had a great preview of the snow. 30 minutes outside of Grand Forks, as we were heading home, we hit a wonderful snow storm that probably landed at least 3 inches of snow on the highway. All pictures and video are posted below. We forgot to take pictures of the school due to the cold and other school like things on our mind but we'll just take one when we go up in August. So, Enjoy!
Here is Jon as we began our trip. As you can see he was already bored!
For the trip up we had Maggie in the back of the car and every now and then she would lift her head up and look at us like we were crazy. She did very well though!
She would also find different areas to put her head. At one point I think she got her head stuck between the seat belt and the arm rest but she did manage to get her head out. As you can tell she was a little bored.
We were finally able to find a nice rest area that had a huge area for dogs to run around and it wasn't too close to the highway. So we let her out and she just ran and ran and ran!

She also found a tree where a cat had climbed up to the very bottom branch. We saw the cat but she didn't but she certainly smelled something.
So this is the first hour of our trip. Very intense driving. Our average speed was 40mph in a 75mph zone. As we were driving right outside Grand Forks we saw a snow plow enter the freeway(this was before we hit any snow) and as Jon predicted...it was not a good sign. We saw several snow plows during our trip to Fargo. Lots and lots of snow!

These are only a few pictures of cars that we saw stranded on the side of the road after they slid off the icy, treacherous road.
As you can kind of see above and below it wasn't just scary enough to slide into the ditch but in every ditch stood water from the melted ice. It was literally like having a river in the ditch. Sometimes it was only an inch deep and sometimes it was a foot deep. When the snow melts the water has nowhere to go because the ground is still so frozen that it won't soak up the water.
The wind was blowing the snow so hard that it would stick to the road signs. Some signs were covered so bad that you couldn't even tell what they said.
There really is two lanes on the highway but you can tell that they are there?
Here is a quick clip of the snow we encountered.

After we left North Dakota we finally got out of the nasty weather so we decided to stop, gas up, and pee. Well we then realized that we had snow and ice plastered to the front of the car. You can't even make out the H for Honda because it was solid ice. People walked by and looked at us like we were crazy. We actually met people from Dallas who were headed in that direction. Our words of advice...Good Luck!
And this is what Maggie did the whole way home. We put the seat down in the back and put her right behind the drivers seat. We forgot she was there half the time because she really did sleep the whole way home.
We had one last stop before we went home. My grandparents live in Bellevue, Ne. It's about 20 minutes South of Omaha. They were so excited to meet Maggie for the first time. We saw them on the way up and went bowling where my grandma works but of course we forgot to take pictures. Maggie had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa. And she loves the toy and blanket Grandma gave her.

April Fools!

So we have been incredibly busy trying to get ready for our trip to North Dakota this weekend. I have also been busy trying to get my taxes done. I am such a procrastinator when it comes to taxes! I am just so nervous that I will do it wrong. Thankfully though I have help from the Deduction Diva. So somehow I will get them done and everything will be fine.

So really I wanted to post this incredibly hilarious moment that I had today that really made my whole day! I had to run out to do a few errands and then needed to stop by Kroger to pick up some milk and bread. I usually hate going to the grocery store but I was really hungry so I had to go. As I am walking up to the store there is a clerk that is walking out to pick up the carts. As a side note, I have to say that I love that grocery stores around here give mentally challenged people a job. It may be the simplest job in the store but you can tell that they just feel so needed. So the clerk is mentally challenged but he is always the first to greet you with a smile. Well he walks up to me with a great big smile and says "Oh no, you have a bug on your shoe." I'm thinking, wow he has great vision, but I am wearing white shoes so I look down. Then he says "Ha APRIL FOOLS!" I just started laughing and thought that it was the best April Fools joke anyone has ever played on me. I completely forgot that today was April Fools. I then walked in the store and another clerk (who I often go through his line) was standing there laughing saying "It looks like he got you" and he sure did! It was great because I think he stood outside all day waiting for people to walk up to the store so he could play an April Fool's joke on them and make them laugh! The beautiful innocence that he has is just so touching.

My Butt Hurts!

So I don't mean to be so blunt, but it does. Today I went to see the doctor for my monthly check up and I had to get my rhogam shot. Since I am rh - then I have to have a shot that will tell my body not to attack the baby's body during birth. I have always been so proud to be O negative since that is the blood type that can save everyone but at this moment in time I wish just once that I was O positive. Because my butt still hurts and it has been a few hours. I can't wear my purse on my right side because it hits my right butt cheek where my shot is. lol. Oh the pain. And I will have to have this butt pain for every child. Oh the love we have for our children.

Well after my appointment I was finally able to go to Betsy's for potluck lunch. I had such a great time I think I will make it a point to go every Thursday, but actually bring food for lunch. Since I wasn't sure what to do and I just remembered on the way home I didn't really have anything. I did have a can of pears but I felt odd bringing in a can of pears and saying good luck with that. So next Thursday I will plan better and bring something yummy. Since I just got home I haven't been very productive. I NEED to work on my taxes but right now I am hungry (go figure) so I think I will eat and then work. Blah! Oh well, we really want that tax return so I better get to it. Wish me luck.

A Weekend of Fun

We had a great weekend. Very busy but great. We helped hide easter eggs for the ward party on Saturday. My OCD got the best of me and I had to re-hide some of Jon's eggs and then calm down to allow the kids who were helping to just let them "hide" the eggs wherever they wanted even if it were 3 right in a row and 5 1 foot away. But the kids had a great time picking up all the eggs and I can't wait until next year when our little girl can walk around finding easter eggs. Of course she will probably be digging them out of the snow but hey it will be fun. Later we went to Mike and Stacie's for Clays birthday party. It was a lot fun and I was happy to see that they had invited some of Clays friends (which includes their parents). It was nice to see the Lundells again and it was a lot of fun seeing the Grundbergs. Being in primary doesn't give me the best opportunity to get to know people in the ward so it was nice to actually talk to Jenny outside of church. Sunday, brought Easter tidings and many cases of heartburn. I think it's starting to set in that I am 7 months along because I am definitely feeling it. Between the heartburn, constipation, fatigue, emotions, no more fitting into any type of clothing, etc. I am def pregnant. Not to mention it takes everything I have to bend over! lol. But I look forward to the day when we get to finally meet our precious little girl. Only 85 more days!
Anywho, Sunday evening we spent with Jon's family having family dinner fun and an Easter egg hunt. It's always a great time when the family is together, although no one broke out into song which is rather surprising. We then went home and watched The Burbs. It was nice to spend a short amount of time with Jon. Between school, work, and family we haven't seen much of each other lately but in less than two weeks we will get to spend 5 whole days together! I am so excited!

Home at Last!!

So I feel like I haven't been home all week, even though I was home on Wednesday. This week has just flown by! I need more time! I still have so much work to get done. I did get a lot of work done while I was at my parents but there just isn't enough time in the day. Besides Scentsy, taxes, the usual, my apartment is a MESS! And I am not exaggerating! That's tomorrows project. Why do today what you can do tomorrow. Anyways, my mom got her club taken off yesterday. The scar won't be too bad. The incision was only about an inch long with 6 stitches. I forgot to put the pic of her thumb on my computer so I guess you are spared to see the ugly nature of it. It's still very tender and throbs if she uses her hand too much but now she is only wrapped in a small gauze bandage so she can use her fingers now. I am glad that she is healing well and that I was able to help her out. It was a lot of fun hanging out with her this week.

As far as baby Melissa is concerned, she is doing well. I am 7 months pregnant! Holy cow! I have all of my showers planned and for the most part we are ready to go...I just need to clean and do last minute organizing. You can't tell by the look of my apartment but I have become an organizational freak (although you did see my pantry). I just want everything in order for when Melissa comes but also for when we move. I will have less than 2 months after she is born to pack up and leave and I want everything to be as simple as possible to pack, move, and unpack. Which reminds me...we only have 2 weeks before we take our weekend trip to North Dakota! I am so excited! I can't wait to see where we will actually be moving to and finally see our long lost friends, the Butlers! We miss you guys! See you soon! *By the way-is there enough room in that shower for me and my belly. lol! I can't wait!

Watch out for the Club!

So I have been living in Greenville the past few days. I am home now but will be making the trip back there tomorrow. My mom had surgery on her thumb on Monday. She had some kind of tendon cysts that wouldn't stop growing so they had to remove them. Her thumb's nickname had become Thumbinstein and at that point she new she really needed to have them removed. So, I drove out Sunday night because she had to be at Baylor Dallas at 6 am in the morning! Needless to say that was a long tiring day but she came out of surgery in less than an hour and many laughs were had! It's not very often you get to see your mother high on pain medication. I stayed through Wednesday morning to help her with my brothers and sisters and really everything else. She has to keep her arm elevated almost above her head at all times and with the bandage she has it weighs like 10-15 pounds. Tomorrow, I will drive back out there to take her to the doctor. She will finally get the club off and maybe go into a smaller bandage. This picture is right after she got out of surgery so she has that drug induced smile.

Belly Movements

So I finally caught some movement on video. The quality isn't the best but I did what I could. She is SOOO active but very camera shy. I think she actually knows exactly when I go to pick up the camera because she will completely stop moving. It can be very frustrating. Anywho, I don't have a video editor on this comp so the first part is me moving around and then after about 1 minute you can stop watching it. Pay close attention and you can see the movement.

I've Been Tagged!

1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car): Anna Shadow
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Cookie Dough Flip Flops
3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Pink Panda
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): Mae Omaha
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name): Eldsh
6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Green Root Beer (that's my favorite drink right night. Ask me two months ago and you would have gotten lemonade. I hated both of these drinks before I got pregnant. lol go figure).
7. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers): Gary Allen (Of course I do have 4 grandpas so I could have come up with some great names but for todays sake I will keep it to one name.)
8. STRIPPER NAME (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent,favorite candy):
Happy Snickers (It used to be M&Ms but my baby girl loves snickers..oh and tootsie rolls...mmm.)
9. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Shaw Shanghai (I had 5 different teachers in the 5th grade and it's really sad because I can only remember one of their names.)
10. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Spring Yellow Rose
11. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing rightnow) Peach Jeans
12. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Cheerio Walnut

I tag: Jon, Anna & Vanessa (now you both will have to actually post!)

Organizational Freak!

So for those of you that don't know, I love to organize. Most of the time you can't tell because my apt never seems to be clean (although I do have a husband and a dog who don't always pick up after themselves), but inside all of my cupboards it's organization time! My poor husband! I can't stand it when he puts things away, because he never puts them in the spot that I want him to. Of course I let him put stuff away but I come behind later and put everything in the right spot. I know I'm horrible! But in my life full of chaos I just like to know where everything is at. So, to get to the point, I went grocery shopping on Tuesday. I do the whole sale and coupons kind of shopping and it was by far the very best grocery day ever! So many things were on sale and I had a coupon for almost everything! Not to brag, of course, but I saved over $200 on my groceries! Plus I came home and organized them all. I don't think we have ever had this much food all at one time before! So I took some pictures because I was able to reorganize all of the cupboards.
This is our food pantry. This is the whole reason we live in this apartment! It really is a dream pantry! Look at how beautiful the food looks!

Here is the cupboard in bathroom. We have so much toilet paper! It's so awesome! It's just so nice to be able to see what we have!
This is under the kitchen sink. I think we have a 2 year supply of dishwasher detergent but it was such a great price!
So now that I told my neurotic secrets I just feel so much better. lol I don't mind when others aren't organized but I just get frustrated with myself when I am not. I spend so much time doing the things I want to do instead of spending time on trying to find what it is I want to do. My brother is OCD so maybe it runs in the family...

Road Trip!

So, we are registered and ready to go up for the Transfer Student Orientation Weekend in North Dakota! We are so excited! We leave for Grand Forks on April 2. We will stop by my grandparents home in Omaha and then continue our journey to Dusty and Anna's home where we will shower in the half bath and maybe play in the snow. We haven't decided if we will take Maggie but I am pretty confident that we will. I want to have a practice run before we move up there with our baby in the back seat. She did well on the drive out to Greenville but that was only 2 hours versus the 18 it will take to get to North Dakota. Anyways, we love going on road trips and haven't been on one in awhile, especially one this long, so this should be a lot of fun.

This reminds me of the joy that my daughter has found at using my bladder as a toy. Hopefully, I won't slow us down by having to pee every 5 minutes. In fact my belly is shaking like a bowl full of jelly right now. I have been trying to capture the movement on video but whenever I get it out she stops moving. Maybe someday I will be able to post a video on here. It was really sweet last night. Jon was getting ready to go to bed and he came to tell me goodnight and he said "I love you, goodnight" and then he put his hand on my belly and said "I love you too...you little alien baby." It was the sweetest thing ever! He calls her an alien because that's what it looks like when my belly is moving around. It can look a little creepy, but sweet knowing it's your baby. Sometimes I wish we had a camera in there to see what she is doing. At this point, she can open her eyes and she can hear outside noises. Also, during your 24 and 28th week they really get moving around and I have noticed a difference in how even more active she has become. We were sitting in sacrament meeting on Sunday and you can see her moving through my 3 layers of clothing. It was funny to watch. She especially gets moving when I have any type of pressure on my stomach like the elastic from my pants. As soon as I move it she usually slows down. Jon chased her (some body part) around the other day. He would poke at her until she moved and then he would find her again and do the same thing. It will be so neat to watch her grow and see her personality once she is born. I can already feel some of her personality but to see her in front of me will be so amazing!

P.S. I must put a disclaimer out about the lodge. You have to spend the night in order to play at the park. My family spent the weekend there and you can get a few guest passes for friends or family so we were able to go up for the day because of that. But if you think about it (which I have in depth ;-) It's not a bad price to pay for a nice family oriented hotel and admission to the park for your entire family. Plus, you can go back to your room nap, eat, etc. and go back and play without worrying that you can't leave the park because you will have to repay to enter. And it's really only families that go so everyone is nice and there for the same reason.

Wet and Wild!!!

This weekend started out slow. Friday we just sat around like lumps on a log. I think I may have cleaned but it was really uneventful. Saturday was a very busy day. I went to the Relief Society birthday luncheon at church. It was really neat! I was impressed at the program they put on and had a lot of fun with Shanah and Cassie(we all carpooled together). Then, I met Jon at his parents and we went on the hunt for candy bars for a shower that I was helping out with that afternoon. We have since figured out that they just don't make some of the same candy or gum like they used to. Anywho, I went to my friend Andrea's baby shower. It was a lot of fun seeing her family again and we were able to see pictures of her new baby boy Zion. He's such a cutie! He comes home on the 18th. I can't wait to meet him in person. He came out with more hair than I could grow in my first 4 years of life. They already have to give him a haircut before he comes home. After I came home from the shower, we put our swimming suits on and headed to the water park. But this isn't any normal water park...it's the indoor water park at the Great Wolf Lodge! It was really odd putting your swim suit on when it was 40 degrees outside but inside they keep it at a nice 85 degrees, although the water is much colder than that.
We took a few pictures on the camera phone but will post more later when I get the pics from mom's camera. This you can see the kiddie area to your right and in the back center is the wave pool. The kiddie area only gets to maybe 3 feet deep and has slides and fake dolphins to ride on. It's really designed for children. It also has a kiddie hot tub which with the adult hot tub on the other side of the park.
This is just to the left of the kiddie area. (By the way we are standing at a huge floor to ceiling glass window in the lobby. It's neat to be able to watch all the people running around having fun. This is like a playground but full of places to get wet. At the top is a bucket that will eventully fill up and topple over getting everyone down below very wet! Behind the playground is the lazy river, the deeper adult swimming area, the cyclone tube which is like the one at Hurricane Harbor but inside, The Vortex, you go down a tube into this huge green circle thing where you are stuck to the side going around on your tube until you eventually make it to the middle and go down the tube, and then you have the regular yellow tube that is like most tubing events at a waterpark. I didn't ride any of these due to pregnancy and the million steps it takes to get to the top but Jon did and he had a great time!

This is to the left of the playground where you can see the yellow tube and the green & white vortex behind it and the adult hot tub. The white tents are places you can have set aside for parties. Inside the lodge is like living in a small city. They have 3 restaurants, a cafe, starbucks, an arcade, a gift shop to purchase clothing or meds, and they have a MagiQuest for the kids. The MagiQuest you purchase a wand (like in Harry Potter) and when they are not swimming or in the arcade they can go around the entire hotel (8 floors) and find the pictures and stuff that they can point their wand at find clues to the next picture or treasure chest, etc. They also have a spa and a Starbucks. What more could you need! Well I could go on for days about how neat and fun it is but I suppose I will stop here. But it really is neat and worth the money.

Revenge of the Rash

It's BACK!! The rash has returned but this time I know what caused it. Apparently, I will have to live with stretch marks because the cocoa butter formula that is used to prevent them, I just happen to be allergic too. Now, I don't know if it's just during pregnancy or all the time, that we will have to find out later. So, I am back to being itchy but hopefully now it won't get as bad as it was the first time around.

Do the Wave!

So last night I was lying on the couch watching TV with Jon. I don't even remember what we were watching at the time because I was so preoccupied with watching my stomach move. Melissa becomes even more noticeable when I am lying on my side, and last night was no different. I swear she was having a swimming party in there because not only the feel but the look of my stomach was so hysterical. She'll be still for a few seconds and then my tummy will turn into this wave pool where it's moving non-stop. It's kind of creepy but so funny to watch. It creeps Jon out a bit and I don't blame him. If you didn't know you had a baby in there you'd think you had some type of alien presence. It's such an amazing experience to feel them moving around, especially as they get better you can tell where her head or foot or hand is. She also does this thing when I bend over too much, like picking up around the house, she hunkers down into the depths of my pelvis and won't budge. Everyone says I am tiny for being 6 months pregnant but I just say it's because she likes to hide amongst my organs. It's like she is trying to cuddle up and all she has are my intestines. It will be neat to see if she is the same way when she comes out. She can also officially hear noise and if it's a loud noise she might even blink. Our little peanut is all growed up!

I still feel like I have so much to do before she gets here but slowly I am getting it all done. Jon was so excited the other day that he wanted to put the crib up. Unfortunately we aren't using the crib until we move to North Dakota because it would have been so much fun to set up the crib and put the bedding in and make it look so cute! We only have 15 weeks left to go so here soon we will be putting the rest of her wall together and making it ready for her to arrive. I so looked forward to meeting her in person! It's true that you have a love for your kids that you never thought you could have...and I haven't even seen her yet. I can't even imagine how much my love will grow when I can hold her for the first time. It's like when you get married and you never thought you could love your husband more than you did at that moment but day after day, year after year your love grows so much and you just don't think it could get any stronger but yet somehow it does. I can't for Jon and I to share that moment where we can see our daughter for the first time and know that she is ours and through our love we created her.

Crazy Busy!

So I wanted to post between before I got another email. We are having our big Scentsy meeting tomorrow (which I am very excited for) but I am just a little busy with making sure all of the little things are taken care of. I love helping out with the event and knowing that I am doing everything I can for it and my team. Today is day number 4 of no TV and I feel so accomplished! Plus, I have read 45 pages of the book of Mormon!

Yesterday, I had a doctors appointment. Melissa is growing well and now she has officially taken up all of my stomach space. She has a great heart beat too! I took the glucose test and it really wasn't that bad. I could have drank more...if I wasn't forced to drink it so fast. It's just a little too sugary to drink a whole cup in about a minute. I was able to go pick up her bedding too! Thanks Mom/Grandma! I also found some really cute outfits on sale! They each came with a shirt and pair of pants for only $7 each! I was so excited. I bought every pair I could. She sure will be a cutie!

Well I have been working all morning...need to take a shower and go run last minute errands!

It's like Moving Mountains

Well I did not turn the TV on once...until about 10 minutes before 5pm. Even after that I only watched about 2 hours of TV. And in between those two hours I went grocery shopping. I feel quite accomplished. And so far today, I tuned in to my fav. soap during lunch and even had the courage to turn it off when my show was over. I am making progress on my growing list. It never ends, especially this week. Since this weekend is all about Scentsy and our President and CEO is coming there is much to do. But I feel that I can accomplish it.

On the baby front, tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment. It's the one where I get to drink the funky juice, wait an hour, and then get my glucose tested. Plus another blood test. Yea. not. Oh well, I will then ask about my rash. It hasn't gone away yet. The look of it has but it is still very itchy. It will even wake me up in the middle of the night. I then have to roll (literally) my self out of bed and go put some cream on it, that doesn't really help. It has also spread to my upper chest area right into where my clavicals meet and the top of my behind. We think Dove chocolate might have helped, long story, but I had to give away the rest of it and hope that is what was causing this to continue. If I kept it, there is no way I wouldn't have eaten it.

Something good though! Jon has officially felt our little girl kick him in the back. I had heard that if you spoon at night when they are active that the daddy can sometimes feel them kick. Well apparently she did this to him quite some time ago but I just found out through a conversation with a friend that came over on Monday. We need people to come by more often. Anywho, I can not tell you how excited I was to find this out! It's really the little things in life. She has been more and more active everyday. Like right now. My whole belly is just shaking. It's a weird feeling sometimes, especially when she moves her whole body around but it's a great feeling! I can't wait to meet her!