Still Pregnant!

33 weeks! This picture makes me look huge. I really didn't think I was that big... Also, I forgot to smile and look at the camera, but didn't want to do it again when I realized, so deal with it. ;)

Well, we're at 33 weeks and still pregnant! Everything's going very well. Louise moves enough that it actually hurts sometimes now. And sleeping is getting a little uncomfortable mostly because of my hips. The muscles hurt so bad that it wakes me up every time I move. I told my doctor about it at my appointment the other day and he suggested I try a chiropractor, so I went yesterday and he adjusted my back and neck. I have no idea how that made my hips better, but it did. I went to Walmart after and noticed I was walking normally with minimal pain. I have weird hip issues anyway (super loose joints), so you add the pregnancy hormone that relaxes all of your joints and my hips and shoulders have given me a lot of trouble with this pregnancy. They feel like they're going to fall out of joint all the time. Oh well. It's almost over.

We had the baby shower last weekend and it was wonderful. So many people came. I was shocked and so grateful. We now have everything we need to start a family. Well, except the baby...but I'm working on that.

We've decided to sell both of our cars and get a newer, more reliable one. Preferably a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic. Since we're going to be going somewhere away from family to grad school I wanted to have a car that wouldn't break down every month, not that ours do now, but they're old enough that they probably will start to in the next 6 years. We also decided to get a motorcycle for Justin. He's going to pick it up Monday. He's not excited or anything. Not at all. He's just wanted one since he was 12, that's all. It's a Kawasaki Vulcan 750 or something like that. It does have a seat for me, though, so that'll be fun. Now we just have to get the gear: insurance, LIFE insurance to guarantee we won't have to use it, a good jacket, a helmet, I don't even know what else you need...I'm excited for him. :)

Lots of Exciting Stuff!

School has started again and Justin's excited (weirdo...;) ). I'm really excited to NOT be going. I think that as soon as I don't get all anxious and stressed by just the thought of school I'll go back. And I'm sure it'll happen. It's just not right now. I may finish online. And I may change my major altogether. Just some thoughts I've been entertaining lately.

We're almost to 30 weeks, which means 10 more to full term. But according to the doctor she probably won't go full term. At my last appointment he asked casually if I was having any contractions and I said yes, just the Braxton Hicks ones I've heard about. He looked a little concerned and asked how often. When I told him, he and the nurse immediately started talking medical gibberish and then did a test called fetal fibronectin that basically tests for fluids that should just be in the amniotic sac that are in other places (apparently the contractions weren't Braxton Hicks). The test is supposed to be negative and they told me they'd call back with the results later that day. Then they finished all their measuring and stuff and I left. On the way home they called and said the test came back positive and they'd like me to come back so they could monitor the baby and contractions. So Justin and I went back a few hours later and waited for another couple hours for the machine to warm up (not bitter or anything). When we finally got in and all hooked up they watched for a while and said that everything about the baby looked terrific. As far as contractions go, of course I didn't have any of the big ones the whole time they were watching (and had 4 in a half hour as soon as we left), but according to the monitor I was having pretty steady little ones that I couldn't even feel. After they gave me a steroid shot of Betamethasone to speed up her lung development and told me to come back the next day for another, gave a me a prescription for some medication that suppresses contractions, changed me from once a month to weekly appointments, and told me that besides work I was basically just supposed to rest (haven't been doing very good with that part). So we bought a car seat.

I was a little nervous for a few days after that (and if you know me, you know it must be bad because I don't get nervous or worried over ANYTHING), so I got a blessing from Justin and my dad that said basically that while she would come on her own time, developmentally she'd be fine. I'm not worried anymore.

So our car seat is pretty awesome. We got if from Costco after much research. It's for 5 to 100 lbs and converts from a rear facing infant seat all the way to a booster seat, so basically this will be the only car seat Louise ever needs. We practiced with a doll last week. :) We also ordered an awesome stroller from Zulily.com. It's a GoGo Babyz Urban Advantage stroller. 3 wheels with stabilizers that are activated when you put on the break. It was $160.00 at Target and only $98.00 on Zulily. We're pretty stoked. It should get here tomorrow.

Louise is moving so much lately! Enough that you can see it even! It's so fun. She doesn't really kick, more just squirm. I was trying to explain what if feels like on the inside to Justin and I came to the conclusion that it's most similar to those massagers that have 3 rotating balls in the end just moving around, pushing on the fabric.

A Middle Name

It's been so fun the past few weeks to feel the baby start to move. She moves a lot by now - enough that you can see it! I'm almost 6 months along now, so 3 more to go.

Her full name will be Louise Doris Nuckles. We had initially decided to not give our girls middle names so that their last name can take that place when they get married, but a week or so ago I just knew her middle name had to be Doris, after my Grammie (dad's mom), and luckily Justin agreed. I've been thinking about her a lot lately. My dad always tells me I'm a little mini Doris, which I love. I've always felt a strong connection to her, although she died when I was 5. If you want an idea of what she was like, just think of the little fat blue fairy on Sleeping Beauty. That was my Grammie. She ran a little beauty shop in her home in Hurricane where all the little old ladies in town would go gossip. She was always happy and looked at the world through rose-colored glasses. My dad is a lot like her, in fact. They love everyone and just assume everyone loves them, so they do. You can't help it. Louise will be blessed in a dress that my Grammie made for my older sisters' blessing, and that me and almost all of the younger girl cousins on my mom's side were blessed in, so I think it's quite fitting.


I have a confession. This may come as a shock to people who know me well. I haven't bought ANY baby clothes yet. But not for a lack of trying! I've been on several shopping trips with the intent of buying some precious little baby items, but in the end was unable to actually buy anything. It's like I have a mental block! I just CAN'T. I'm too inexperienced in baby clothes. What if it's not actually as cute as I think? Or what if she's a really big baby (her dad IS 6'6) and nothing fits? I've decided I just need to take Justin or my mom or something with me to talk me in to things. I finally had to appease myself with buying a diaper bag, just so I could say I had started buying baby things. It is super adorable, though. It's hot pink and white damask with a lime green lining.

I think in my last post I mentioned that Justin had gotten 2 jobs...? Well, he quit one of them yesterday. We're both quite relieved. Me because all the girls at Falcon Ridge had crushes on him and would say awkward things behind his back, him because it's less stress and the people at Sunrise are treated better. I really like Sunrise for him. He seems happier when he gets back from it. And they'll work around his school schedule in the fall. He's pretty excited for school (crazy kid).

Justin is going to be such an adorable daddy. :) I'm so excited. The other day we got a sling thing that we ordered in the mail and Justin was more excited than I was. He tried it on and put a doll in it to show my dad and wear around. :) I can't wait for Louise to get here.

P.S. I just figured out how to work the scanner, so I may post some ultrasound pictures. She's pretty darling, if I do say so myself. ;)

P.P.S. Another thing! I got a mommy Boppy! It's just like the little baby ones, only for mommy! I love it! I've been having trouble sleeping because I have hip problems and ever since I got this I've slept like a baby. It's a miracle. It was a little spendy, but we decided to invest in it because I still have 3 months left with this pregnancy, plus however many more we have. It was definitely worth it. I'll attach a picture of that, too.

A much needed update

Me, again. We really need to be better about posting. Then I wouldn't have to try to remember what we've done in the last 2 months.
Justin finished the semester with all As and one A-. Incredible. 19 credits. I don't know how he does it, but he seems to enjoy it. I'll never understand that aspect of him.
We've gotten to spend a ton of time together in the last few months with school out and ECCOCI closed. It's been so nice to be together all the time and I love him even more than I used to, which I doubted was even possible. He's the most amazing person I've ever met. And he's all mine. :) Mwahaha!
Although we've been spending so much time together, we had our first separate overnighter. Justin went on a river kayaking trip with the scouts for 3 days. It was the first time we've been apart since our marriage one year ago. I hated it. My parents were very helpful and kept me busy the first day, and the second day I spent some time with Jennilyn at her mom's pool, went to lunch with the ECCOCI ladies, and watched a movie with Whit that night. The third day was just waiting, though. It brought back some torturous memories of our engagement when he lived in Logan and I lived in St. George. Just counting the hours until he would be home. He had a great time, but we both agreed that we couldn't do that very often. It was just so boring and weird. Like losing your right hand for a few days.
We found out at the end of April that they were going to close ECCOCI in May. Kind of a shocker, but we were all pretty used to it by a few days later (after deciding that we'd all go to lunch every month. It's the people we'd miss - not so much the work). It's been really nice for all of us. We've all had time to spend time with our families and relax and get our lives back in order.
Justin and I decided to move in with my parents so that we'd be able to actually save money instead of barely making it every month. It's been a huge stress off my mind. We paid off the credit card and still had money in the bank. Such a blessing. I was pretty useless during the move. It was so hot over at the old house that I would help for a few minutes and then just be sick from the heat. Justin was so sweet to me, though (of course) and made me sit and watch mostly. What a sweet husband I have.
Justin spent a few weeks taking resumes around town and it paid off. He was offered at least 4 different jobs and took 2 of them. He's working at Sunrise Academy in Hurricane full time (sort of. It's as full time as they get - 25 hours a week), and Falcon Ridge as an on-call employee. We figured that one could make up for the other. Also, Falcon Ridge is building a new building in Toquerville, so we figured it would give him an in for when they open that branch and need employees. We've been so blessed it's crazy.
Our anniversary was yesterday, so last weekend we went up north and played. We left on Friday and went to Fazoli's with Brittany and her kids. I had been craving Fazoli's for a couple of years - ever since they closed the one in St. George - so I was very excited to go. :) Then we went back to Brittany's and watched Joe Vs. The Volcano with the Tilbys. Such a great movie. Then on Saturday we went in the Salt Lake and went to Gateway Mall for a few hours, then we decided to go to the zoo so we wouldn't spend any more money. The zoo was AWESOME! It was my first time and I absolutely loved it. The gorillas were probably my favorite. And the reptile room. Then that night we went to a Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband concert, which are always fun. This was probably my favorite concert of theirs. It was so casual and amazing. Then we went back to Brittany and Ryan's and slept, then went to church with them, then back home. It was such a wonderful weekend. I can't believe it's been a year already.
I'm mostly over the morning sickness, I think. At least I don't throw up every day now. Just every few. And I get headaches every day. But I got them a lot before I was pregnant, so they said I just get them a lot since I was already prone to them. We get to find out what we're having tomorrow! :) I'm so excited to not have to call it "it" anymore. It can have a name and a pronoun. And we can start planning and collecting paraphernalia.
I'm really starting to show a lot. But as the doctor said, it doesn't really have anywhere to go but out. Justin went to my appointment with me the other day to hear the heartbeat for the first time (for him). He got quite a treat! The doctor was feeling my tummy and was really surprised by how big the uterus was, so she did a little impromptu ultrasound to make sure it wasn't twins (it's not). So Justin didn't just get to hear the heartbeat, he got to see the baby, too! And it was quite cute, if I do say so myself. It kept waving. :) Now I just wanna know what it is.
I've had several people ask me for a picture of my pregnant self on Facebook, but I felt a little weird posting pictures of that on Facebook, so I'll put them on here. That way everyone that wants to can see it.
Wow. Long post.

Holy Hannah!

Well, since the cat's out of the bag...we heard the heartbeat!!! Well, actually I heard the heartbeat (sorry Justin). The nurse was telling me how unlikely it was that we'd hear the heartbeat on the first visit, so I shouldn't get worried if we didn't, and she wasn't even going to call Justin in since we probably wouldn't hear it, when "oh! There it is!" She said we have a very cooperative baby. Of course we do. Justin, you'll get to hear it next time, I promise, Love.

So there really is a baby in there! I'm not just sick for fun! What a relief. ;)

It's spring (besides the fact that it's snowing as I type this. This is just an accident, I'm sure). The other day was so beautiful and I got off of work at 4, so Justin and I went and walked the pipe (Toquerville people know what this is. There's a big black pipe that goes for about a mile out of town. Although it's black, it's really cold, so you walk it barefooted. There's not really a point to it. It's just kind of fun. My mom wrote her name on it when she was little, and I wrote mine by hers when I was little). We used to live on that pipe in the summers playing all kinds of "pretend." My cousin and I were Harry Potter's twin sisters on it, indians, pirates, etc. There's a little brick building at the end with a little tube as the entrance and we used to crawl up in there and play. Justin wanted to go in, but I promised him that NEXT time we could since we didn't have shoes and he was wearing a white shirt. Then we came back and contemplated going to the creek (pronounced crik), but decided to skip it and eat dinner on our front porch instead. It was fantastic! Then we came inside and watched Gone With the Wind (Justin's still not a fan, but I love it). It was a wonderful day that made me realize how nice it is to not be in school because I haven't really been able to enjoy spring without worrying about something else for ages. I love it. :)

My birthday last month was probably the best birthday I've had. It was wonderful. We slept in, then had pancakes for breakfast, then Justin's siblings called and wished me a happy birthday (thanks so much, guys! That was so kind of you!), then Justin and I, my parents, Paige and her kids, and Alex's kids (my mom was babysitting them because Jenny's baby was overdue and she needed a break) all loaded in the truck and went to Grafton for the afternoon. I had been super bored at work all by myself since everyone was gone for spring break and I was working doubles, so I had had a lot of time to do some research for fun. I read a lot about different ghost towns in the west and decided that's what I wanted to do for my birthday (I also found out that there are some Tibetan monks that actually mummify themselves! Ask me about it sometime. It's fascinating!). We explored out there, ate lunch, went to the cemetery ("Killed by Indians"), and went home. My two siblings that live out of town randomly both decided to come down that day, so Brittany and her kids (missed you, Ryan), and Michael, Heidi, and little Stockton got there around dinner time. We had beef stroganoff, which is one of my favorites, and angel food cake with mom's glue frosting for dessert. Then we all sat around talking for the rest of the evening. Best birthday present ever! It was so fun to have almost the whole family there. :) Thanks everyone!

Justin has been struggling to remain sane with his 19 credits about to come to a close. He's still enjoying his classes, but there's so much work for each one, and only so much time in each day. He's truly amazing. I don't know how he's managed to stay on top of it all. He comes home every day around 3, goes to the elementary for his internship, then comes home and studies for the rest of the night, except on Tuesdays, when he does to Young Mens at 6 or 7, THEN comes home and studies. He has such amazing self discipline.

That's a little of what we've been up to lately. Just work and school. I'm still loving my job, although my clothes don't fit as well as they used to...oh well. Bundle of joy, bundle of joy, bundle of joy... ;)

Oh, by the way...

I like to think that I'm a man who likes to take my studies seriously. I'm taking 19 credits of classes this semester, and I'm enjoying all of them to varying degrees. If asked to single out my favorite, it would have to be "Infant and Family Mental Health" with Professor Larsen-Rife. It looks at infants in the context of the family, and looks at both helping the family to adjust to the infant, and helping them to be able to read the infant's cues, as manifested in its behaviors. The mantra for the class is, "All behavior is meaningful."

Anyone who knows me knows that this class is right up my proverbial alley. From a very young age, I can remember having an acute interest in babies and their welfare. I won't go into the details, but my behaviors were meaningful in communicating that I had an interest in young children. Oddly enough, I've been working with kids of varying ages in one context or another nearly every year since the beginning of high school up to the present time. Considering all of this evidence in collective measure, I consider it only fitting that my career path be somewhere along this vein. Further updates as warranted.

Claire is doing very well. We're still waiting to hear on that (verbally) promised promotion and pay raise at work. Note to self, get everything in writing. That aside, she is really enjoying her continued position at Eccoci in the Red Cliffs Mall. She loves being able to help other people look as good as they possibly can. She has a definite gift. I recently witnessed a consultation with one of her family members, leaving the concerned party absolutely thrilled with the forthcoming chance to strut their stuff in perfect confidence at an upcoming social event. (You know who you are, and you looked great!)

That about sums up our continued existence. People keep getting after us for not updating our blog more than once a month, but... what are you gonna do?

Oh, by the way, we've recently decided to conduct an in-depth case study for my favorite course. We're in the process of obtaining our own little research subject, and looking forward to making a lifetime of observations. Just FYI. ;-)

V8 & Vice

We're busy. That's all I can say. They say that the more familiar a routine becomes, the less dense your memory of any one particular recurrence of it becomes. This would explain why moments of intense fear seem as if they're in "slow motion". Our brains are just making more sensory-dense memories, because, hopefully, it's not something we experience very often. It would also explain, and much more relevantly apply to the fact that our days fly by so fast. The same routine, day in, day out, makes for very quick weeks. (Forgive my rambling. I'm a Psychology major. Sue me.)

It was one of these relatively quick evenings that found Claire and I sitting at our table, deeply involved with our evening interests. I was reading a book (It was Sunday. The only day I have for recreational reading.) and she was perusing the posts and updates of various acquaintances on the web. To further set the scene, allow me to describe to you our snacks: Claire had chosen a dish of Nielsen's Frozen Custard-- Chocolate (she highly recommends it) accompanied by an occasional m&m and washed down with a glass of water. I had opted for a handful of raisins, mingled with a carrot or two, followed up with a glass of Great Value V8 equivalent (If you know us well at all, you'll know that these choices are fairly typical).

At some point during our evening repast, Claire nonchalantly picked up my glass of V8 equivalent and moved it to the far end of the table. This was not my first rodeo. I voiced the observation that-- perhaps even the smell was too much for her? She readily agreed. I laughed, and wondered aloud "If you can't stand even the smell of it now, I wonder how it will be down the road when you're expecting?" --Author's note: This is not an announcement. Read on.-- She laughed in turn, replying that perhaps she wouldn't even allow it in the house at that point.

I was shocked, and not a little dismayed. Knowing that her father shares my affinity for the stuff, albeit at a lesser potency, I interjected that he and I would, of necessity, become drinking buddies. Oh, cruel world, that so strongly rejects a man's drink, that he must pursue the opportunity to indulge outside of the comfort of his own home. And what, when I came home late at night, the distinctive scent of that elixir on my breath? What then?! Would she put me out? Would she bar my entry to my own domain? Upon raising these concerns to her, she merely smiled, in her winning way, and said something pseudo-comforting, devoid of even the inkling of backing down. Alas. A man must choose his battles, and choose them well. Oh cursed day, that saw me possessed with a vice of V8 (equivalent).