Almost there

The time is finally getting so close and I'm just trying to finish up the last minute odds and ins before baby gets here. This lsat week was extremely stressful and I am so glad it's over! Our branch is very unorganized (as I've stated before) and at the last minute we decided to fund raise for Young Women's camp a the General Relief Society Broadcast. We decided to do FHE in a can so we had to come up with lessons, activity, treat, get the cans from the cannery (which is a 45 minute drive one way) stuff the cans, seal the cans, tie ribbons on the cans, make a poster and the list goes on... we had only 1 week to do it. So on Saturday I finished up and went to pick up the girls. We told the girls they had to be dressed modestly and in church clothes... one showed up in a mini skirt and tank top and the other a really low cut tank top with holy jeans. Oh man we had to find sweaters to cover them and sometimes it's really discouraging. I asked them why they were wearing tank tops because we told them to dress modestly and they said well because it's hot out and I liked this shirt better. BAH it's so annoying! Free agency right?? That's what I have to remind myself of whenever they dress like that. The fundraiser went well and we sold all of our cans so that was a blessing. I was so exhausted by the end of the night and was so ready to go home. I missed the whole broadcast since I took the girls home so that was a bummer. At least it was successful and the girls said they had a lot of fun, so it was worth it! Next week they are coming over for a movie night while the boys are at Priesthood meeting, and then I am out for the count since the baby is so close to coming.

My ankles are still swollen, even with it being more cool. The baby has been causing me to have full on contractions every once in a while. They aren't super severe, but I had no clue you could get contractions weeks before you were due. (and no they are not just Braxton Hicks) I have my next Dr appointment on Wednesday and that'll be the beginning of my weekly appointments. I'm thinking that this little guy might possibly come just a little bit before he is due...I'd be really ok with that. He is already head down because he is always kicking me in the ribs which is most unpleasant! I'm just hoping I'll be dilated at this next visit. We'll see soon enough, here I am at 34 weeks (even though now I am 36 weeks)

The baby's room is pretty much complete, at least all the important stuff. I just need to make curtains that block out the alley way lights. Right now we have "lovely" blankets covering the windows. I've been on a sewing kick lately and so I'm excited to make these curtains as a another project to keep my mind occupied before baby gets here. I am almost all finished up with my baby blanket I have made for little man. I just need to embroider the shirts and bind the top so I'll be done this week. I'll post pictures below. I'm starting to get into the nesting phase, I'm all sorts of worried that the house is needing to be cleaned and I'm worried about not getting everything done that needs to be done before he gets here. I'm kind of freaking out about it all!

This is the last pic I took of the quilt but I now have the backing on.

Lets hope that baby comes out a he instead of a she... and yes Decker is what we are naming him

Yesterday as I was getting ready for church I had this random thought pop in my head that if something happened to me during birth what would Andrew do?? When having a baby I feel like it's important to think of all these questions so you can discuss with your spouse the outcomes of these situations. During Sacrament meeting there was a speaker from the High Counsel, he was speaking about trials in his life and how each trial has good and bad in it and we need to accept each one. All the trials he told us were about newborns dying and that we could either hold on the church as a support and guidance or we could be like this one couple he knows that left the church and as a result 4 generations have not gone to church. I was sitting there thinking oh great am I suppose to be preparing myself for the worst? I just don't know what to think about it all. Andrew and I had a long talk about "what if's" and it was all really disturbing that we even have to talk about such things. I am just hoping that everything is ok with baby and with myself but all the anxiety I had in the beginning is back. Anyways I know Heavenly Father is watching over us no matter what happens. He's taken good care of us so far so I know that whatever happens, happens for a reason.
XOXO

Freezer meals???

I am asking all of you for some freezer meal recipes. I am really wanting to be stocked up and ready for when the monster arrives, and that includes having meals ready to pop in the oven. I've been looking on the internet and can find a few, but I could sure use some of your lovely ideas. Here's my email if you don't want to do it on the blog, or in case it's super long: little2js@gmail.com

Thanks everyone!
XOXO

A much needed visit

It's been a few weeks since my last post so I thought I'd give an update. Things are going well here. We've just been really busy with everything lately. Here's what's been happening.. 2 weeks ago Andrew's brother was kind enough to send his wife out to see us. She came all the way from Tennessee to come play with me! It was such a blessing. My friends here (the 2 that I have) kept asking, "how come she's coming?" I would say, "umm I don't really know, I guess she wanted a little break." Honestly I had no clue why she was coming. When she got here I asked the reason for her visit and she said that Steve thought she needed to come visit. Oh boy he was right on the money. It was so nice to have her here. Just to talk and hang out with someone who just wanted to relax. There are some days when I get really down knowing that I am so far from all our family members and friends and it takes a toll on me. She came at a good time when it lifted me back up until some more family memebers come our way. Andrew and I were so grateful for her visit (even though it was short) we LOVED it. That particular weekend was stressful for Andrew due to his calling at church so we didn't get to do everything we wanted with Rochele, but she said she had a good time so that's all we could ask for. Thanks Steve and Rochele for sacrificing your time and money to come our way! It was much appreciated.

This weekend was nice because Andrew had Monday off. We just played and finished the baby's room. It was nice and relaxing. Andrew has been working really late nights these last few weeks and I'm not going to lie it's been a little rough on me, but I know that he has to and needs to do it and it'll be worth it in the long run. So when we have a long weekend I am just so grateful to be able to do small things that I have missed, such as cooking dinner, actually having a two way conversation (rather then the one I have with my belly, since he never talks back) a person to ride with in the car when I run errands and so on. Hopefully it'll end somewhat soon and we can make dinner again together when he gets home at a decent time. I know he feels awful for being so late but that's what we accepted when we decided to move here and that's just fine. At least I can say I have a hardworking husband instead of a lazy bum of a husband. I really couldn't be more appreciative.

Alright so we are still doing our birthing classes.. only 2 more left THANK GOODNESS!!! I honestly have enjoyed learning some of the things she teaches, but the other "visual" things.. umm not so much. On Saturday we walk into the room and sitting right infront of the tv is a dvd case that says in really big letters ORGASMIC BIRTH. All I can do is start at that case and think... really?!?! I in no way to I picture birth as orgasmic, let alone pleasurable. So class starts and I actually really like the lady that teaches our class, but she is a little eccentric . She knows quite a bit of random facts that are pretty interesting. We went over what we needed to and it was time for the DVD. Here we go... the very first lady on this DVD decides she wants to give birth on her deck.. Yeah like outside! She said I really enjoy nature and couldn't picture a more peaceful beautiful place to have a baby. Then all the sudden there she is outside on all fours butt naked giving birth on her deck. I just hope that the deck happened to be out back and with a fence. I'm sure the neighbors really enjoyed her laboring/orgasmic screams. I just kept thinking, awkward, awkward, awkward, I feel so awkward. After the birth she decided to lay outside naked with her husband and baby. Oh man! Then the next lady was this french lady who wanted to give birth at home in a tub. She had a 22 hour labor and was naked for the whole thing and yet there were people in and out of her house the whole time. That of course is the culture of the French, but really 22 hours naked huh? and then again BAM there it was again.. that "beautiful" thing they call birth, and guess what she claimed it was just as orgasmic as the deck lady. I would say that giving birth is probably a spiritual thing and possibly sensual, but I can't imagine it feels "good." I don't know though I guess there's a 1% chance I could be wrong!! Then oh joy after that movie was over we got to watch another one... the teacher asked, "how are you doing?" I said, "I'm doing awkwardly." That was the only response I could think of. The next one was of like 12 ladies squatting and popping out babies. I was impressed by them but in no way was I not any more grossed out. The teacher said I think you're getting more used to seeing these. I said no there's no way I feel any better watching birth. So life goes.. only 2 more classes and my watching birth is over.

6 more weeks til baby gets here. WOOHOO finally. I just hope it goes by somewhat fast. This week since it's cool I am going to work on my baby blanket. I've been putting it off since I have to use the iron. I am so excited for fall to come. It's going to be gorgeous here. My mom booked her ticket to come for the baby. Oct 19 YAY!!! I seriously can't wait! These last 2 days I feel like the baby has been super low. He is making me extremely uncomfortable. I feel so much pressure and I'm hoping it's a sign he comes sooner then later. Well not too soon, but sooner then the due date. Wow that was confusing. Probably I'll post pictures of the baby's room next time.

Also just a little shout out to my oldest brother Joshy poo. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I love you so much and am excited for this new time in your life that you are discovering. You are so amazing and the best father I know. I hope your day is so wonderful!

Hope all is well with everyone.
XOXO

An eventful week

Last week was full of many events and one tired swollen pregnant lady! On Monday we celebrated our friend's birthday. It was a blast they did a mad hatter's theme and played Alice and Wonderland the whole time. They made a menu that made no sense and served some pretty funny things. A little group of us from the branch was there and it was nice to visit with everyone and have their families there. I love birthdays and we had a blast. For Joe's birthday we got him and his wife some Yankee's tickets and we selfishly bought some for ourselves as well.

Wednesday we all loaded up and got on the train and headed to meet Andrew. We hit a few snags along the way and ended up being a little late to the game but we all had a blast. I think we were all tired and ready to go home once the game was over. I have a new found love for baseball games and have enjoyed going to the 5 that we have. It's been fun and so I look forward to next season since this one is almost over.Then on Friday Andrew scored some sweet tickets to the pre season Giants Vs Steelers game. Thank you to direcTV we got suite box seats. It was SOOOO cool. I have never been to a pro football game so that was quite the experience. There were some clients there that DirecTV gave tickets to and also some of Andrew's work members. Andrew had a hard time on who to vote for. He loves the Steelers, but since we live in NY he felt obligated to root for the Giants. So we just decided to be neutral. Luckily no one asked. We had catered food and full drinks along with "suite service." Man it's nice to have connections in high places. Hopefully fun FREE perks keep being presented to us. Free being the key word here. I'm hoping we can do a few more fun things like this before the little guy comes. Also I'm hoping we can go see one more Broadway play, now that doesn't come free, but I know that it won't happen for a very long time after the baby since we have no one here to baby sit and since I won't be pumping.
Anyway that was so much fun and I loved every minute of it!! I was extremely tired due to everything that was going on that week so I was pretty mellow at the game. I just ate and watched in awe at the game.

Well Saturday was our second birthing class and oh boy I saw birth.... AGAIN. It was awful as was the first time. This time was almost worst because this tape was from the 80's and the couple annoyed the crap out of me. The guy kept like feeling her up and it was really awkward. I told Andrew that he was to keep his hands off me while I was in labor. He said gladly, haha that cracked me up. I feel like Andrew and I are pretty in tune to each other and it was funny that he already knew what I was thinking. So the rest of the class was good and I feel a little more prepared every time I leave. I've been doing my relaxing techniques and just getting ready for this little guy.

After we got home we worked on the second bedroom some more. We have the room almost ready for him just a few more final touches. It's going to be so cute and I am super excited to get it finished and post pictures. Our theme is argyle brown and blue and I am glad we went with that choice. Pictures to come later.

Saturday night I was totally spend and went to bed. I woke up to Andrew's alarm going off and realized I hadn't peed in hours, which is weird for me since I got like 3 times in a night. I was so exhausted and needed Andrew's help to even get out of bed. I was so sick and physically drained that I couldn't walk. I totally over did myself for that week. Andrew stayed home and took good care of me. I seriously have the best husband in the world. He restored my "health." I honestly didn't know it could get that bad, now I know my limits.

The week was great to say the least.
XOXO

The mircle of life... HA

DirecTV is really good to their employees and luckily for the summer months they give the advertising employees every other Friday off. This month has been great and Andrew still has one more Friday left this month for a three day weekend.

This last weekend was sooo good for Andrew and I. On Friday we woke up early and headed into the city for a temple session. The weather happened to be absolutely PERFECT. Thank goodness because I thought I would have died if it was too hot. So the Manhattan temple is so cool, it blends right in with the city and sometimes it's even hard to find amist all the buildings. It's so noisy outside and all these people are walking around, busy busy busy and not even noticing this beautiful building right in front of them. It's not as tall as some of the other buildings around it, but if you look in the right place you can see the Angle Moroni. You walk in to the temple and it's just dead silent. It's the craziest thing going from the noisy city into the most peaceful place on earth. I thought that it would be more grand and more glam. Just like the rest of New York, but as I looked around I realized it's perfect. It's a perfect mix between the beauty and the reverence that the temple should be. Very modest! We did our session with only maybe 15 others. Defiantly the smallest group I've ever been with. It was really nice to go before this baby is born and to have a day with Andrew and I. Hopefully we can make it a few more times before this little guy comes. After our session of course I was starving so we made our way to mid town and ate at the most delicious hamburger joint called Good Burger. I have loved milkshakes and they are by far the best there, well along with the rest of their food. After eating we went to Andrew's office to pick something up that he had left and I was able to meet some of his co workers who were there. They were so nice and it's always fun to see where Andrew spends his days.

We headed home and decided to do some more shopping for the baby. Finally we got our swing and mattress for the crib. Oh happy day! It's just so surreal that our baby could be here any day... hopefully not any day, but he'll be here sooner then later. We have been cleaning out the second bedroom to get it ready for the nursery, so we're hoping to have that done by next weekend.

Saturday we woke up early again and headed to our first birthing class. As before I have been having serious anxiety about birth so I was hoping that this class would help me feel in control. (well as much as you can be) We had to drive a little way because the class we are taking is only offered by certain people. It's called the Bradley Method and basically it's for those who want to do it naturally and it's also commonly called Husband coached child birth. (Ok don't get me wrong I could care less those who decide to use drugs, but for me this is the path I have chosen.) When we arrived at the lady's house she was surprised to see such a young couple who was having a baby, and when we told her we'd been married for 4 years she was even MORE surprised! Everyone here that isn't LDS is always surprised we are married and pregnant. Haha they are so confused as to why we would do that so young in our lives. At the end of our first lesson this lady pops in a movie and it's talking about the egg and how it develops into a fetus and all the sudden BAM they show this lady giving birth. I felt like puking! I probably could have gone my WHOLE life without seeing someone give birth. After the video, the teacher asked me are you ok? I was like yeah, but I don't ever want to see that again. She laughed, but I was dead serious. Andrew and I were both mortified when we left. My poor husband was in shock.. I'm pretty sure we both were. It was classic to say the least. We have 5 more 2 hour classes to go, so wish us luck that we can get through those!
We came home and decided we should put the crib together. It was so much fun... well for me, maybe not for Andrew since he did all the hard work. It was really exciting. Every time I walk in that bedroom I see that beautiful bed that our sweet boy will be sleeping in. I haven't been more excited! Bah I'm just still so shocked that I am already 31 weeks and am he will be here super fast. It'll be the best day of our lives. In the next few weeks, we'll have to get our hospital bag ready to go. I've washed all his clothes and they are all put away in his little dresser. Oh my sweet baby we are so excited for you! Here I am at 31 weeks:
Sunday was good, busy for Andrew of course due to his calling, but good. Our branch seems to be getting smaller instead of bigger. That's not a good sign so pray for our little branch, it needs all the prayers it can get. I got released from Primary, but am still in Young Women's which is nice. I love that calling. The girls are so awesome, well when they actually show up.
We also ended up celebrating our 6 month anniversary of moving from Idaho to New Jersey/NYC. There have been so many things I have learned in the last 6 months and wouldn't change this opportunity for anything. It's been hard, but so good for us. I just couldn't be prouder of my husband and all he's accomplished in this short 6 month period. He's so AWESOME and I am so LUCKY!

Well I hope everyone is doing well and I probably only write these blogs for myself, I know there are only few who read this since it's not very entertaining. It's just my own personal "journal" I guess. ok well XOXO

Yay pictures!

Summer has been good to me this year, besides the fact that I'm pregnant and it's super hot. My trip to Boise/Utah was SO FUN! Poor Andrew couldn't go due to work, but he survived the 5 weeks that I left him. He was such a trooper to let me go. June/July consist of going to the water park with my 3 little monkeys, my cousin's wedding, a family reunion on my mom's side, a baby shower in Boise, a trip to Provo, a baby shower in Provo, late nights sitting outside with my parents and multiple other friends, and the list could go on but it was a blast, to say the least. Now that I am home it has been so hotttt! Having a mini furnace in your tummy doesn't help that either. The whole last week my mom kept asking "can't we just push your plane ticket back?" It was so cute, I know she didn't want me to leave and to be honest it was hard for me to go. It was time to be with my husband again and we had a good 3 day weekend together. Now that I am back I've decided to stay inside for most of this month. I've been working on a quilt for this little baby boy and I hope that it will turn out well. We are also trying to clean up the second bedroom to be the baby's room without the pile of boxes!

Well anyways all is good here and we're both enjoying the last few months as just Jess and Andrew. We are excited to add to our little family though. Just FYI I am 29 weeks going on 30 and it's getting so close. I had a Dr appt on Wed and he said everything looked great, I do have to brag that I still haven't gained any weight and I am just so proud of myself... ok ok enough already I know. Alright so on to the good stuff.. pictures. These pictures are a little unorganized. Sorry

My brother Mike and all his boysThis is my newest nephew Cash

3 of my sweet boys with Grandpa Monte

My bubby is 6, I can't believe how old he's getting!!

My niece Mia who is the biggest sweetheart

Baby Krew

Kristina and Mia at the train depot (Kris's first time in Idaho)

Grandma and Mia

Nat and Krew on the 4th of July

can't swim without the goggles

Krew bear

Rykinator

So this is William who we had the pleasure of baby sitting on Saturday morning. This is our friend's baby who we have adopted as our nephew since we have no family here. I just thought these were super cute pictures of him. He is so sweet and so much fun.

Alright so that is it for now. Hope everyone is well, and we miss you all!
XOXO

More to come later

Just a small update.. I am home from Idaho now and it's hot hot hot here. I am going to be posting pictures next week. I had a lot of fun, but now I am busy with putting together the baby's room. I am starting a quilt for the little man and am excited to see the finished product. Andrew is doing good with work and with his calling. My poor husband is working a lot of hours and not feeling well at the same time. He's quite a trooper that one!

The baby is doing really well. I am officially 29 weeks on Friday and am getting bigger and bigger. He sure is active and sometimes a little out of control, but we still love him none the less. I can't wait to see his little face. I had a doc appt today and he is still healthy and the due date is still the same, Oct. 24. I take my glucose test on Friday so hopefully I'm in the clear with diabetes. I'll post everything on my next post.
XOXO