Valuable Lesson and Random Thoughts

Well, I learned a lesson today. And that is, do NOT delay prayer. Make it your first resort rather than your last. I have been looking for two completely random and unrelated items for a while now and pridefully thought I could rely on myself to find them. Finally, I said a prayer and then somehow found both things within ten minutes. I feel very foolish. So save yourself some time and embarrassment and PRAY FIRST!

By the way, the items were a TJMaxx giftcard and the plug to an electric skillet. Totally random, but I really needed them both! I need to thank Heavenly Father for teaching me that lesson.

Also (unrelated) I am craving corned beef and cabbage right now. Not like recently but right now. Luckily Dalin will be home from work soon and he is bringing me some Olive Garden...guess that'll have to do... ;) I am so pumped. Baby girl must be, too, because she is pushing her feet (or some body part) against me a lot right now. By against me, I really mean against the inside of my uterus. She might just be stretching out, but I would not be surprised if she is as hungry as I am.

I'm hoping this week flies by! I can't wait for the weekend...first Saturday off in three weeks...woohoo!

 

This is me with my first ever (self-done) sock bun. I actually think it looks a lot better in person than it does here...my wonderfully honest 13-year old brother called me after seeing these pictures and asked me what that "muffin thing" was on my head. Then he said it looks stupid and that I should take it down. Love that kid. 

I hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

The Dreaded Glucose Appointment

K, it actually wasn't that bad. In fact, after downing half the drink in my first long sip, I thought it almost tasted kind of good for a second. It just tasted like a very sugary (and cheap brand of) orange soda. As I continued, it got a little bit harder, knowing I had to finish the bottle in five minutes and not really wanting to drink any more. Between sips I realized there was kind of a nasty aftertaste to the drink. But I finished it and drank a few sips of water for good measure. 

Meanwhile, I had wasted so much time worrying about the drink that I had not had time to worry about the blood drawing. The nurse who did it asked if I ever passed out giving blood and I said no but that I almost fainted once (luckily my brother Payson was there to catch me). I told her I just need to be distracted the whole time because I tend to over think about it and then get light-headed from being so anxious. So she asked me a question and I turned my head and just started talking while she messed with my arm. I didn't look at all (usually I peek) and after it was fine! She did say, "Oh sorry!" at the end and I thought, "What does that mean?" because she hadn't hurt me at all. 

Later at work when I took the tape and cotton off I realized I had two little bruises in the crook of my elbow. It kind of looks like a vampire bite. It freaked me out because that has never happened to me while giving blood before but everyone told me it's pretty common and that it's totally fine. I'm still alive so I would have to assume they were right. 

Other than that, yesterday was pretty normal except there was an excessive amount of traffic around campus due to graduation. SO many people and so many visitors. Translation: SO many bad drivers all crammed together. It was pretty annoying but I tried to look on the bright side--graduation means spring semester which means almost everyone gets out of Provo! I will be the first to admit I LOVE when everyone leaves because there is way less traffic both on the road and on campus. 

Also, Dalin had to be at work at 7am so lucky me, I had to get up at 6:15am, too. I actually used to be really good at getting up early thanks to early morning seminary back in high school. I used to be the one having to drag Payson out of bed to get to seminary on time...which meant 6am. Well poor Dalin is now the one practically dragging me. He can tell I really don't like to be touched or spoken to in the morning (I didn't have the happiest of faces on) so he pretty much just gave me reminders about the time and then went to the car to wait for me which usually makes me hurry up. I am sure I will get used to the new schedule eventually (especially once we have a baby getting us up at all hours of the night anyway) but it kind of stinks because there is almost nothing to do between 7am and 8am around here. No stores are open (I already checked Target) and I don't have to be at work until 10am on a normal day. If I were the exercising type that might be an option. Unfortunately, I'm not unless it's something fun (like cycling). On that particular morning (yesterday, I mean) I had plenty of time to drive by the hospital I'll most likely be delivering at and see where we're supposed to go (so I can hopefully guide Dalin where to drive me) and I even registered at the hospital. Three months early. But the lady said it was a good idea. And I have to say, if I had been in labor while answering those questions, I would not have enjoyed waiting around to share dumb things like my workplace's phone number and whatnot.


So anyway, I need to figure out what to do each morning between 7 and 10am. I suppose there is always cleaning to be done...blah!
What do you think I should do so early in the morning?
Are you an early morning person? (Or have you been forced to become one?)
What is your routine?

Quick Tip (Save Money on E.L.F. Makeup!)

So I received a $10 giftcard for e.l.f. makeup which I was really excited about. 
The only problem is you can ONLY use these online (at least, to my knowledge and Google's apparently). So I did a little research because $10 doesn't go too far when the flat rate for shipping is $6.95. First I checked if e.l.f. ever does free shipping deals. It looks like not very often. But wanting to use the card fairly soon, I checked if there was any other location where I could use the giftcard. The answer was no. So then I started looking for deals. And finally I had some success!

Using a code at this link, http://www.dealigg.com/story-elf-Cosmetics-Coupon-Codes-Promotions I was able to get $5 off. I used the "bdayfive" code. Then, because they happened to be having a sale on the products, plus with the added bonus of my $10 giftcard, the total for me came to $0! I got two products I really wanted to try and they should be here by the end of the week. So I'm psyched! If I had been patient and waited for a shipping deal, I probably could have done even better.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone out. I thought it was pretty awesome. Also, I've never used e.l.f. products before so I'm really looking forward to trying them out! Best of luck!

25 Weeks...15 to go!

How far along? 25 weeks (clearly, from the title)

Total weight gain/loss: about 10 lbs!
Maternity clothes? Only have one pair of maternity pants (thanks to Dalin!) and a few cute maternity shirts. I fit into pretty much the same things I did before.
Stretch marks? Not yet!
Best moment this week: Feeling her move around last night. We can't figure out what on earth she was doing but she completely readjusted. She also kicked me a lot but that's normal.

Miss Anything? Sleeping without suffocating under my heavy belly.
Movement: She is SO active! Especially when I lie down, she just goes crazy. It's fun to feel but it gets a little annoying when I'm trying to relax or fall asleep. Some of those kicks take my breath away (and what I mean by that is that although they don't hurt, they can be surprisingly strong). 
Food cravings: Just ice cream. And grapefruit. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! 
Have you started to show yet: Yep! Especially from the side. Someone informed me you can't tell I'm pregnant from the back which was kind of comforting.
Gender: Cutie girl!
Labor Signs: Not really but definitely a few changes I won't be putting on here! 
Belly Button in or out? In, thank goodness! But barely--it's flat!
Wedding rings on or off? On. Still loose.
Happy or Moody most of the time: So happy! Only emotional when very tired or stressed. 
Looking forward to: Going to the doctor's! Not really looking forward to the Glucose appointment this week, but still. 

The Most Interesting Book I Have Ever Read

Yes, that is a bold claim. And no it probably is not completely accurate since "The Book of Mormon" has changed my life more than any other book. 

But this book is also changing my life.

It is called "The Anatomy of Peace." This is not a book that I ever would have chosen to read on my own. Never ever. Just looking at it for the first time, I thought that it looked suspiciously like a school book. 

It was actually Dalin who suggested that I read it because he has been reading it, too, in preparation for his new job. To be honest, it did not sound like something that would interest me. It seemed like the type of thing a Psychology major like Dalin would enjoy, but I couldn't understand why he was so insistent that I read it. 

Finally, I did. And I couldn't stop reading. Over a period of three nights, I read the entire thing. 

This book is amazing. 

And let me just say this book is for everyone regardless of religion. Though it makes no mention of Jesus Christ or any particular religion, it definitely promotes His teachings. I would say it is especially appropriate for a Latter-day Saint who is trying to change their attitude or lifestyle for the better. Or their marriage! I definitely feel that this book can benefit every single family. 

To give you a brief understanding of what this book is about, it discusses how we are constantly working against ourselves to achieve inner peace by filling our hearts with conflict. It tells the stories of a couple who has brought their struggling son to a camp which is supposed to "fix him." Little do they know that they are the ones who will be receiving the majority of the instruction. We are introduced to characters that all have unique struggles in their lives--which makes this book appropriate for anyone--no matter what stage in life you might be at. The instructors teach the parents about how they can recognize when their hearts are at war and how they can change their hearts--no matter how hard they are. I liked this quote: "If we have deep problems, it's because we are failing at the deepest part of the solution. And when we fail at this deepest level, we invite our own failure" (37, emphasis added). The book is all about identifying where we are failing and finding the solution. 

Still don't think it's is for you? Here's just one small blurb about what I learned:

This book has given me a more mature attitude toward life. It has brought more happiness to our marriage already as Dalin and I both work harder to see one another as people and not as objects. The book states: "We are always seeing others either as objects--as obstacles, for example, or as vehicles or irrelevancies--or we are seeing them as people" (30-31). Sound weird? It actually makes perfect sense in the book. I feel myself growing happier and my thoughts toward everyone are kinder. I have recognized things that I've been doing not quite as well as I ought to have been and I now know how to correct my thinking. 

If nothing else, the book has helped me be more at peace with myself. It really is a great book and I wish everyone would read it. The world would definitely be a happier place...but I think I'll be satisfied if at least one other person reads this book. You won't regret it!

You can find the book on Amazon right HERE. Maybe the library even has it. I would seriously just pick it up and read it if I were you and I promise it will be worth it. 

If you have any questions about this book, ask them! I'd be happy to answer them. 

Has anyone read "The Anatomy of Peace"? Have you read a book (besides "The Book of Mormon" ;) that has changed your life for the better? If so, I want to hear about it. 

Saving the Best for Last

I'm having some major round ligament pains today. My back and side have been so sore. It kind of comes and goes but it is driving me crazy. Luckily my wonderful husband gave me a nice massage to help ease the pain. He keeps telling me to take Tylenol, which I know is supposed to be safe during pregnancy and I've taken it before in the first trimester, but I really don't want to take it if I don't have to.

What would you suggest for dealing with round ligament pain and a sore back? Is there really anything you can do? Should I just suck it up and take a Tylenol?

Little girl has been kicking so much today. She loved the grapefruit I had for lunch (sprinkled with sugar). We can definitely see her kicks now. Especially her hard ones. I woke up the other day and freaked out for a second when I looked at my bare stomach and saw a weird lump. Then it was gone. Apparently she was stretching out or something but it freaked me out when I first saw it. It's so fun getting to feel her move around. I imagined the feeling so differently. It seemed to me like it would hurt but it just feels kind of like someone is flicking or poking you from the inside.

From early March. Back when I wasn't having such bad soreness.

Dalin and I get more and more excited every day for her to arrive. I can't wait to be at home with her, taking care of her, and attempting to teach her Spanish (which is something that has always been really important to me even though I'm not fluent myself). Obviously everyone worries a little about how they'll be as a parent, but I am mostly worried about how I will handle her crying. On TV the other day, we heard a newborn crying and my stress level instantly went up by a lot. I could feel my body tense up. Crying makes me nervous. I know it usually just means the baby is hungry or tired or needs to be changed but I worry that she won't stop. I used to think babies didn't like me--I didn't know how to hold them in a way they liked and I didn't have the instincts to distract them when they were crying. Getting called into Primary with young children was scary at first, but they are very different than new babies.

Anyway, I'm just hoping my motherly instincts will kick in and that our baby will like me. I am trying not to let these thoughts stress me out, but I do think about it occasionally. I really love babies and little kids, I just need to learn how to manage them. Somehow, I have a feeling I'll figure it out.

What worries did you have about taking care of a new baby? Was it easier than you thought? How easy was it to make a connection after your baby was born?

In other news, I just have one indoor cycling class left! This is bittersweet because it kind of gives my Tuesday and Thursday mornings a good start and the exercise is supposed to be preparing me for an easier labor and recovery. So now I'll have to find an alternative workout to do during the week. Or...take another class. Also, Dalin bought me some great maternity pants on Amazon! They are XS and I love them. They are dark blue and they fit perfectly. They are awesome and I am so happy that Dalin got them for me! Also (again), we got an Easter package yesterday from Mom and Dad Gunnell. It was such a nice surprise for both of us! Besides lots and lots of awesome Easter candy, there was a really cool sweatshirt for Dalin, some precious outfits with frogs and turtles (my favorite) for baby girl, and three adorable maternity shirts for me! I've worn two of them already. They are the best and it made our day to get a nice package from them. 

More news: I can't wait until the weekend! I'm hosting a BBQ/pool party for King Henry residents on Saturday so we have that and then a ward potluck on Sunday to look forward to (I just found out about the potluck today but I was asked to bring chili so I have that to prepare for). 

And the best news of all...

Random picture from our fishing trip/picnic in March

Dalin got a new job!!!!! He applied for a job at a residential treatment center for teenage boys suffering from anxiety, depression, or recovering from addictions, and after a successful interview, he got asked to come back for a second interview--this time for a better position than the one he applied for! It's the perfect job for his psychology major--particularly because he is interested in studying neuro-psychology (which focuses primarily on those with depression and anxiety)--so it will provide him with great experience for a future career. It's full time so it's going to make finishing school just a little harder, but I know we can get through it. I will be praying for him a lot. I hope he loves this job. I am so grateful for him and for the sacrifice he is making to support our family. I will definitely be trying my best to do my part in building our family and making our home a place of peace.

I Forgot I Was Pregnant (for a minute)

Sometimes, I forget I'm pregnant.

But usually not for a long period of time. My body will give me a friendly reminder (like I'll feel a pit in my stomach and it's as though I've been fasting for days, or I suddenly have to pee badly, or baby girl will punch me or give me a little kick) and I look down and I'm like, "Oh yeah." Occasionally, I try to squeeze through spaces that would have been a piece of cake if I were at my normal self. But then my belly bumps into something--or someone--and I'm like darn, I can't make it through those spots anymore. As I mentioned in a previous post, my belly will often rub up on something accidentally, incurring numerous stains over the day. I definitely need to better practice eating over the table rather than over my belly. At least less things fall into my lap, I guess...

I cannot even believe that I'm at 23 weeks. It's going by so fast! And so far, being pregnant is a breeze (compared to what I'd been expecting). I just hope I can have the same attitude as my mom immediately after giving birth. Apparently after having me (without an epidural, too, I'm pretty sure), she said, "I could do that again." I assume that means it went better than she expected. I would definitely call that a reassuring reaction because I'm pretty much expecting the worst (By the way, I'm really not trying to be negative--I'm just trying to mentally prepare myself so that by comparison, it won't be as bad as I'm expecting). Dalin and I just wish she was here already!!!!

In the meantime, I am enjoying thinking about baby stuff and researching online every day. I've even begun a list which you can see below.

Things to buy (or acquire before August) that we don't have yet:

Diapers. 10-12 diapers a day? I think we may need to donate a closet to diapers.
Changing table pad. We aren't buying a changing table but we'll need something soft to put her on.
Baby carrier. Wrap sling or the backpack type? My aunt has one of the wrap slings that always looked extremely comfortable to me.
Stroller. These things get so expensive though, I would almost just rather get a used one.
Nursing pillow. I know I will definitely need one of these--my arm falls asleep after holding a baby for a few minutes...
Lanolin ointment. Is this the best stuff out there or do plain baby lotions work just fine?
Burp cloths. Luckily, the grandmas will probably make lots of these for us.
High chair. When do babies start using these? It seems like not for a while.
Sippy cups, bowls, spoons...Again, I'm not really sure when babies need these, but hopefully I can breastfeed as long as possible.
Pacifiers. I think these are fine and I definitely prefer them to a baby crying in a public place.
Swaddling blankets. I hope my baby likes these.
Bassinet. I know myself and I know that I am not going to be able to get up multiple times a night so having a bassinet by our bed is definitely going to be the best option.
... Baby monitor. Maybe. Chances are, I'll be with her almost all the time at home or bringing her to class with me so I don't know if we need to buy one just yet.


So my question for you today is, what else do we ABSOLUTELY need to buy? I know there are lots of suggestions like toys and whatnot, but I want to know what things are must-haves. What will I regret not buying?

Cravings

In my first trimester, food did not sound that good. I ate because I had to but I didn't really want to. I didn't throw up at all, but the nausea was enough to prevent me from eating a few foods that I'm normally fine with. Now that I'm well into the second trimester, things are looking a lot better. I had that freak accident with a bagel which I threw up but I think I just ate it too fast or something because bagels have been fine since. The baby seems to like pretty much everything and even kicks when she's hungry. I can tell because my stomach is conveniently telling me that I'm hungry, too. So, I pretty much crave these foods all the time, but the items that stand out in my mind (that I also have a lot of) include:

egg salad sandwiches. I eat them like four times a week for lunch at least. 

sausage. (Like the patties from McDonald's for example). This baby likes her meat and protein. Which is probably a good thing. 

hot chocolate. I like hot chocolate anyway, but it definitely sounds better to me now where I could have it every day. 

any liquid. I am way more thirsty than I normally am. Water, OJ, Lime-Aid, whatever. Sometimes I get so thirsty that I'll grab a water bottle and pretty much inhale it like I do every time I eat macaroni and cheese.

veggies. I always love to snack on vegetables (like some chopped up cucumber with salt and pepper, or baby carrots with dressing, or celery with cream cheese, or red/orange/yellow pepper slices) but it's definitely been a good thing that this baby likes vegetables. 

lobster. Just kidding, that's just my favorite food and something I always crave. But I have had it a few times since being pregnant so hopefully baby girl loves it just as much as her mom and dad. She BETTER love seafood....

What did you crave? Did it change as time went on?

lots of delicious veggies

notice the veggies, sausages, and water

sliced cucumbers. good with every meal

lobster. i can't even tell you how much i wish we were having this and corn on the cob right now.

22 weeks, 5 days

Baby belly (back on Valentine's day)

Today's doctor appointment was pretty standard. We listened to her heart, which was beating at about 130 beats/minute, weighed me (a little over 110 lbs. which is an improvement), and Dr. Pace measured my belly (aka my uterus). Basically the only parts that were significant were when the nurse gave me what is apparently a nasty glucose drink which I need to have before the next appointment in three weeks (I highly doubt I have diabetes so I feel like this is going to be a huge waste of effort), and when the doctor told us the 20-week ultrasound looked good--our baby is a little small (but I'm kind of small so that seems obvious) but everything looks fine. We are going in for another ultrasound around 27-28 weeks because little girl's head was too low to see her brain and lips clearly (the ultrasound tech almost killed me trying to get an angle so I'm not as happy as I would normally be to go back there).  
The only thing that concerned ME was that the ultrasound said she is about the size of a baby at 18 weeks and 5 days. And we were at 20 weeks. I am fine with a small baby since clearly I'm not built to hold a big one but how small is too small? Truthfully, I am more worried that my doctor will change our due date than I am about the baby's size. She is very active and kicks me all day long so I know she is doing fine. We have not experienced hiccups yet, or if we have, I couldn't tell. I am probably worrying for nothing. Hopefully she'll have a growth spurt by 27 weeks and will be close enough to the "average" size that we won't need to be concerned. 

I feel big for 23 weeks (which I hit this weekend) so I don't really understand how she could be so small but we'll just have to wait and see. I know the doctors get all worried when the mother doesn't put on enough weight, but I am eating as much as I can take so I don't really know what else I can do. I don't think I'm physically capable of gaining more than 25 lbs. so I really hope that's enough! I feel like everything is going right so we'll just continue to pray that the baby is healthy and that she'll develop normally. 

Has anyone else had a baby on the smaller side? 

Did your due date change? 

How much did you gain for your pregnancies? 

What I Should Be Doing

This week has been kind of lame. It's been very overwhelming at work, and I swear I've never ever done so much paperwork ever. Satan is working pretty hard on Dalin and I both this week. I seriously want to punch him so hard but that's impossible so instead (and what I should be doing) I'll read my scriptures, vent in my journal and on my blog, and basically just remember that the greatest thing is coming up this weekend--GENERAL CONFERENCE! I am so excited (and relieved) that it is finally here. Plus, baby girl has been kicking all day and we have a prenatal appointment tomorrow morning to look forward to. I'll probably blog about it later. 

Anyhow, after work today, I decided I needed to do something special for Dalin. I was having a horrible day yesterday and he knew it, so he texted me and said, "I just got a surprise for you!" That definitely made me feel better. It is supposed to arrive tomorrow so I still have no idea what it is. But the anticipation is half the fun. 

So back to today--I drove to campus and put together a little gift for my sweet (and oh-so-thoughtful) husband to return the favor. I ended up getting some awesome-looking faded red shorts with a belt, some dark chocolate orange and raspberry sticks (and the girl even put them in a cute bag with a gold bow), and a little card with Tinkerbell which, I have to say, is very cute. On the front it reads: "My happy little thought?" And inside it says: "Never, never letting you go." That actually is my happy thought ironically enough, so I had to buy the card even though usually I prefer to make my own. I brought my things up to Customer Service where a nice girl helped me out by wrapping everything in cute mint green paper. 

After meeting up with Dalin, I asked him to stop at the Creamery so that I could get a few things to make dinner. I have never ever made Beef Stroganoff before, but my Dad used to make it a lot and my whole family loves it, so I figured Dalin would too. I wasn't sure if he had ever had it before and I didn't want to tell him what I was making. 

With my mom's help over the phone, I got the ingredients and as soon as we got home, I began to make it following a Betty Crocker recipe. More specifically, this one: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/classic-beef-stroganoff/c17a904f-a8f6-48ae-bedb-5b301a8ea317 (but I cut all the amounts in half since it's just Dalin and I. Well, all of the amounts except the noodles). It was not as hard as I had expected thankfully. I realized I did not have Worcestershire sauce but luckily, my awesome ward has this Facebook group called "BYU 4th Ward Moms and Moms to Be" that we post on whenever we need some kind of service or when we have something good to give away. I think all wards should have it, really... But anyhow, I posted that I needed a teaspoon of the sauce and one wonderful sister brought some right over to me within five minutes. Seriously, my ward is the best. 

The stroganoff turned out really well. Much better than I'd expected for my first time. Dalin asked, "Dear, are you making Beef Stroganoff?" I said maybe. He said, "Dear, that is my favorite dish! My mom used to make that all the time." Well, I hadn't known that but I was really glad it was something he liked. Even better, he had two humongous helpings of it, making me feel like it must be pretty good  to be worthy of seconds. 

My plate of Beef Stroganoff

One happy husband (he's so, so cute!)

In all, today was a huge improvement from the rest of the week. Tomorrow may be hard, but then comes the weekend and General Conference. I think I can tough it out ;)

If you've been having a hard week and think you can't tough it out, here's a little encouragement from Elder Holland. I love this video. It's worth taking five minutes to watch!

Spring is Here! Easter Weekend!

So since I work so much, I knew it would be hard to go to the Gifts of the Heart Exchange put on by ladies in the Church this past Saturday. As a result, I asked a few wonderful ladies in the ward to keep an eye out for cute girls' clothes when they went. Dalin and his sister Shaina and her husband Layton ended up being able to go for me, too, so I ended up with a great selection of baby girl clothes.

Yesterday, I finally got some time to sort through everything and try to put them into size piles. Too bad like half of the clothes were completely inaccurate. I wish I could just show you a few of the onesies that are supposed to fit a 3-6 month old. Yeah right! They would barely fit a newborn! Still, everyone found some really adorable onesies, dresses, and pants for me. They are so stinking cute! And the best part (for me) is that they found a surprisingly good variety of colors! (I do not want to overwhelm our baby with pink (especially because it is not really one of my favorite colors) so I was very happy to get lots of purple, green, yellow and blue for our daughter.)

On Easter, we saw that the Easter bunny had come when we woke up. Dalin searched for 13 eggs around the apartment, each filled with a treat. Our baskets were also filled with candy. Dalin gave me a cute sock monkey with bunny ears and some beautiful (and wonderful-smelling) yellow and red striped tulips for Easter. He KNOWS I love getting flowers almost more than anything else. He's the greatest!

Love them.

Little bunny sock monkey is so cute! 

The Easter bunny came! 

Dalin and I wore purple and walked to church like always, finally able to soak up the beautiful weather. It was basically the best weather we've had since living in Provo, which for me has been nearly two years now. After a terrific lesson in Primary on Christ's Atonement, we had a special program in sacrament meeting for Easter. By the time Church ended, Dalin and I (and baby girl I might add) were starving. At home, I cooked hamburger and combined it with taco mix for homemade tacos! My mom always does the best homemade tacos so I decided to take a leaf from her book and make them her way. 

Preparations for Easter lunch...all the Easter Fiestaware colors I could find 

Grandpa French's French Toast. I miss him. 

Why this picture insists on being sideways, I do not know. 

I would say they came out pretty dang good!--at least, Dalin, Layton, Shaina, and I ate until all the tortillas were gone so I would consider that pretty successful! After, we ate pazukis (pictured below) courtesy of Shaina (who is awesome at making them I might add...) on a blanket outside in the sun.

It was one of the best Easter Sundays I've ever had. I love celebrating holidays with Dalin! He makes everything so much better. Well in three days, I will be at five months! That is five months pregnant! Meaning only four months left! I can't believe how fast it's going. It's exciting (because in just a short while, we will have a little person living in our apartment with us and she'll be ours!!) and sad at the same time because I really like being pregnant. The first few weeks in the beginning weren't too fun when I felt sick all day, but other than some aches and pains at night, being pregnant is awesome. Also, there's the small matter of not having that one thing that only a girl can relate to...yeah that part is great, too. 

Looking tired but cute

Just had to show my mom how clean our apartment finally is...for the first time since moving in a month ago...

A few little Easter decorations (chicks on eggs spelling out "Spring," two lovebirds in a nest (obviously representing Dalin and me ;), and a wind-up chick toy. This is pretty much all I had time for.

Anyhow, life is terrific. Work is hard, but I keep reminding myself of Doctrine & Covenants 121:7-8:

"My son [or daughter], peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." 

Plus, after I have this baby, I will most likely be taking a break for a while. I can't wait until she is here!!!!! It's going to be the best birthday present ever!!!!!!