6.30.2011

Splitscreen: A Love Story




I saw this on the Yahoo! homepage this morning and had to share. The entire film was done using a Nokia N8 cell phone camera.  

6.29.2011

Pregnancy Update Week 39

The Bump:


Maternity Clothes:
My favorite maternity outfits at the moment are my flowy spring dresses, my leggings with a large oversized shirt, and my bathing suit.


Best Moment This Week:
My cousin Brooke got married to her amazing love Parker. Their wedding was gorgeous. Everything about it was perfect. Brooke made a gorgeous bride and the love that she and Parker share is a love to admire. I was so happy that the baby hadn't arrived yet so that I could celebrate this wonderful day with them. 


Movement:
I thought that since our baby girl is super cramped and completely out of space that the movement would slow down a bit, but that's not the case. She still moves around all day. It's crazy to see from the outside each stretch and roll.

Food Cravings:
Lots of water
Smoothies
Popcicles
Orange Juice
Frozen Yogurt
Watermelon

What I Miss:
I'm actually starting to miss being pregnant (is that super weird?) I'm trying to savor every bump and tap and I love checking out my nearly 40 week pregnant belly in the mirror.

I'll tell you what though, sleeping on my belly post-pregnancy is going to be complete heaven.

Sleep:
I have been sleeping very well lately. I still have some issues with heartburn but I've been dealing with it so long it doesn't bug me too much anymore.

What I Am Looking Forward To:
I'm looking forward to holding my baby girl!

The other night I was talking to my brother about what it feels like waiting for labor. I used a track analogy because, well I'm me. I feel like I'm sitting in the starting blocks waiting for a race to start that has no official start time. It could start in two minutes or it could start in two weeks. 



For anyone out there who has ever done track, those moments leading up to the start of the race are the most intense. The second the official says "Runners to your marks" your heart starts fluttering. My nose would sometimes go numb. However, that moment usually only lasts seconds before the official says "Set!" and you're off. So you can imagine the tension of waiting in the blocks for weeks not knowing when the official is going to say "Set!" and finally shoot that gun.

Symptoms:
Over the last couple weeks I've had swelling in my legs, feet, and hands. The swelling in my hands has caused me to have pregnancy induced carpel tunnel syndrome. When I wake up first thing in the morning I feel like an old arthritic woman. Oh well, at least it will go away once this baby comes.

I'm so excited to meet my little girl finally!

6.26.2011

Dear Baby Girl,


Dear Baby Girl,

I've been told that I'll get to a point where I'm completely done being pregnant and that is when you will finally come. I haven't hit that point yet, so I'm pretty sure I've still got little a while before I'll meet you.

You are due in less than a week but I'm not "miserable" by any means. Sure I have some swelling in my legs, feet, and hands. Sure, my back aches sometimes and I'm excited to lose my double chin. But overall, I'm not done being pregnant.

I'm so eager to meet you but at the same time I'm going to miss having you so safe inside me. I'm going to miss those little (and big) taps reminding me through the day that I'm not alone. I'm going to miss knowing exactly where you are at every moment and knowing that you are safe, warm, and cozy.

So come when you are ready little one. Your Daddy and I can't wait to meet you, but you aren't being a burden. If you want to stay in your current cozy home for a few more weeks that's fine. Just promise you'll grace the world with your presence eventually. It will be so much more lovely with you in it.

Love,

Mom


6.07.2011

Busy Day at 36 Weeks Pregnant


On Friday, my 36 week mark, I awoke with an unlimited amount of energy and a desire to conquer something. I rolled over and told Brett, "I want to go on a hike today". After a discussion about what hike I can do in my pregnant state, (I was set on hiking The Living Room) we finally agreed to hike Ensign Peak. It's a fairly casual/easy hike (though steep) that is around a mile long total.

The hike was beautiful. We enjoyed taking in the scenery and visiting together. As we made our way through a tunnel of trees we were greeted by a standard poodle who ran ahead of her owners to say hello. I bent down and held onto her collar while we waited for her owners to catch up. As they came around the bend in the trail we made small talk. After the owner had safely leashed the dog I stood upright. The man looked at my stomach and stepped back with his mouth gaping open.

"Wow, you're very..." he searched for the words.

"Pregnant?" I replied, "Yeah".


We continued up the peak without meeting many hikers and pausing often to soak in the scenery and to rest. The weather was perfect. Neither of us broke a sweat. Up at the top the view was amazing. We made it up in about 20 minutes and spent about 5-10 minutes visiting and enjoying the cool breeze.






It was fun to observe the reactions of the other hikers we met along the trail as we continued back down the mountain.

One woman said, "Are you trying to have this baby today?"

A man in a flannel shirt said, "Wow, I'm really impressed with you right now."

One man was furiously huffing and puffing his way up the hill, his eyes focused intently on his feet. Just as we were about to pass him he looked up and groaned, "Oh now I feel completely embarrassed."

After the hike, Brett suggested that we go out to lunch. He picked his favorite Chinese food place, The Dragon Diner on 39th South. Our lunch was perfect. The egg drop soup was the best I've had in years and the Mongolian beef I ordered melted in my mouth. Brett enjoyed his usual favorite item, the sesame chicken.

When we got home I mentioned that I still had a ton of energy. Brett got our mountain bikes together and attached them to our bike rack. We drove a few miles away to Parley's nature park and went on a really fun biking trail. I spent a lot of time in the lowest gear slowly powering up the hills, but I did it! It was an incredible feeling to be able to make it up these steep hills that I didn't think I'd be able to. Brett went off the trail a few times and got to enjoy some mountain biking that would be too risky and challenging for me in my pregnant state. It was fun to watch him having so much fun and to still be a part of it.

We got home and just as we were about to relax we were invited by Mike and Katie to come over to their new place for a swim. We thought it would be a fun way to cool down and relax after our busy day. It was so fun to feel weightless in the pool and to play with my adorable niece Alena.



After an eventful day you can definitely say that I conquered many things! 
What a fun way to celebrate my 36 week mark!