At least twice I have dreamed of Caroline being born, and both times she is as big as a three-month old, and she has a full set of teeth. This really creeps me out. I've heard that some babies are born with full sets of teeth. Gross. I guess it's nice to miss out on all of the teething problems, but how awful would nursing be? And how weird to hold a tiny newborn and have her smile at you with a whole mouth full of teeth. I guess I'm also just looking forward to her being tiny and sweet. I love love love newborns, and I'm scared I'll miss it. I know that won't happen because I think it would kill me to actually deliver a 3 month-old sized baby. Let's just hope she'll be normal sized an toothless. Maybe I'll have some nicer dreams about her birth.
Thanks to everyone for the comments on my pictures! It sure is nice to get such positive feedback! I have the best friends and family!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
32 Week Pictures!
I know it's taken me forever, but here are some pictures of me and Caroline, taken today after church. Enjoy!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Update on the Baby at 32 weeks
We went to the doctor for a checkup on Tuesday. Everything is good. My blood pressure and weight gain are good. Her head is down and she is right on track size-wise. Not much else to report but I am very happy that everything is looking good. I pray that it continues being that way. Now, we go every two weeks, just twice though. Then it's every week! I can't believe it. It seems like the end is coming up so quickly but so slowly at the same time.
I've been feeling pretty good. My only complaints are that I am very tired, but I can never seem to sleep more than 3 hours at a time. It's like clockwork, every three hours I get up and go to the bathroom, then I roll to my other side and go back to sleep. I don't feel very rested anymore. Oh well, I guess it's good preparation for when she's here and I'll be getting up to feed her all night. Last night I noticed that when I lay on my right side the outside of my legs and hips start to get really sore. In fact, it is still sore today. Has anyone else experienced that before? So, now I lay on my left side mostly, but then my left shoulder gets sore. I still have 8 weeks to go, I can't imagine how it will get even MORE uncomfortable. It doesn't matter though, I'll do it for Caroline. I'm so excited!
We are going to a birthing class on Feb. 5th. That should be fun, I guess. I've never seen a birth at all, so I guess we'll see if I can handle it. I'm actually looking forward to it. I like surgeries and stuff, I wonder why I haven't just googled one before. Maybe I'll put my own up on youtube. Just kidding. I don't want my stuff all over the internet.
In other news we made a really yummy soup last night. It's a spicy chili tortellini soup. I like it a lot. I don't have the recipe on me right now, but it's not the kind with meat in it. It's got jalepenos, pablanos, red peppers, potatoes, onions, garlic, and tortellini. It's delicious. Tonight we're having a southwest salad with beans and avocado and lots of veggies in it. It also has broken up fritos on top. I know even though Eli mocks the health stuff, it's making an impression on him. He requests green smoothies. And, when I asked him what are some things he'd like for dinner this week, he asked for this salad. Although, even before I started all this, sometimes we would just have a big hearty salad for dinner, so I guess I can't claim this as my own victory. Oh well. I'm really glad that Eli is so obliging and just goes along with whatever I come up with. I guess he figures if someone is going to cook for him, he's not going to complain. What a great guy!!
On our docket for the weekend is going to the temple Friday night, and dinner and a movie with friends on Saturday night.
Have a great day everyone!Cherie, Eli, and Caroline
I've been feeling pretty good. My only complaints are that I am very tired, but I can never seem to sleep more than 3 hours at a time. It's like clockwork, every three hours I get up and go to the bathroom, then I roll to my other side and go back to sleep. I don't feel very rested anymore. Oh well, I guess it's good preparation for when she's here and I'll be getting up to feed her all night. Last night I noticed that when I lay on my right side the outside of my legs and hips start to get really sore. In fact, it is still sore today. Has anyone else experienced that before? So, now I lay on my left side mostly, but then my left shoulder gets sore. I still have 8 weeks to go, I can't imagine how it will get even MORE uncomfortable. It doesn't matter though, I'll do it for Caroline. I'm so excited!
We are going to a birthing class on Feb. 5th. That should be fun, I guess. I've never seen a birth at all, so I guess we'll see if I can handle it. I'm actually looking forward to it. I like surgeries and stuff, I wonder why I haven't just googled one before. Maybe I'll put my own up on youtube. Just kidding. I don't want my stuff all over the internet.
In other news we made a really yummy soup last night. It's a spicy chili tortellini soup. I like it a lot. I don't have the recipe on me right now, but it's not the kind with meat in it. It's got jalepenos, pablanos, red peppers, potatoes, onions, garlic, and tortellini. It's delicious. Tonight we're having a southwest salad with beans and avocado and lots of veggies in it. It also has broken up fritos on top. I know even though Eli mocks the health stuff, it's making an impression on him. He requests green smoothies. And, when I asked him what are some things he'd like for dinner this week, he asked for this salad. Although, even before I started all this, sometimes we would just have a big hearty salad for dinner, so I guess I can't claim this as my own victory. Oh well. I'm really glad that Eli is so obliging and just goes along with whatever I come up with. I guess he figures if someone is going to cook for him, he's not going to complain. What a great guy!!
On our docket for the weekend is going to the temple Friday night, and dinner and a movie with friends on Saturday night.
Have a great day everyone!Cherie, Eli, and Caroline
Monday, January 17, 2011
Fun Weekend
Eli and I had such a nice weekend. We originally wanted to drive up to Idaho to help his Grandma do some stuff, but we heard reports of bad weather and decided to play it safe. We've gotta be extra careful driving now. I'm sad that we didn't get to go up there and do the things we were planning on doing or see his mom, grandma, sister, and niece. That would have been fun. We're so sorry we missed all of you. But we did end up having a very nice weekend at home.
Friday night Eli made spaghetti for dinner (delicious) and then we went to Babies R' Us to register, which was a lot of fun! It's hard, because you probably only really NEED about half the stuff on the “necessities list”they give you, but you end up wanting your baby to have everything! I understand how parents can end up amassing so much stuff for their kids, you just want your kids to have everything! Good thing we're going to be really poor for a long time and our kids won't get spoiled (at least by us, I can't speak for grandparents!). But it is scary how much money you could spend. You could easily go into that store and drop $500. YIKES! The stuff is so cute though. Especially the girl stuff! I was really excited when I thought the baby was a boy, but once I found out she's a girl, man, I got really really excited. And I still do when I go to the store and see all of the cute girl stuff, dresses, shoes, hair bows, etc! Not that I don't love little boys, and I probably will have a boy someday, but for now I'm so excited to dress up my Caroline!
Saturday was our really fun day. We slept in! That in and of itself was the best. To not have an alarm go off at 6:30 was heaven! Then we had a lazy morning. Then we cleaned our room, did laundry, cleaned the bathroom, made our grocery list, and went to the store. We even planned out our meals for the week. After the store, I took a nap, then we went to dinner at WingShak with Eli's dad and brother. Then, Eli, Josh (Eli's brother) and I went to Salt Lake to see a comedy show. It was the group Left Field. They are mostly former BYU students who do stand-up. It was really fun! I'd never been to a comedy show and it was a blast. Those guys were really fun! One of them used to be in our singles ward and another one is the guy from the BYU library commercial that's like the Old Spice commercial. It was a blast. And they were filming that show, so if anyone buys their DVD, look for us in the audience!
Sunday we went to church. We really love working in the nursery. It's so funny to me that all the kids gravitate naturally to Eli. They always want him to play with them and during singing time they all want to sit in his lap. There was one little girl who was there for her first time and she would bring every toy to him to see and kept giving him hugs! It was so cute. Then after church I slept all afternoon (did I mention the comedy show didn't get out until 11:30 p.m. And we now have church at 9 a.m.?). Then our neighbors had a birthday party for their one year old. But it wasn't just any party. They are from India and for them turning 1 is a huge deal! So, the party was at this Indian restaurant and it was a blast! There were a lot of people, a lot of food, and a lot of fun. They had a magician, a Lohri fire, dancing and singing (of course we participated), and authentic Indian food. Eli was in heaven because he loves Indian food. It's an acquired taste for me, I never had it until I was 21, but I liked the food last night more than I've ever liked Indian food. We were there until 10 though, so I will be taking another nap today.
I feel like my life is now in periods of waking and sleeping. Even at night I sleep for a few hours, then I have to get up and go to the bathroom, then I go back to sleep and then get up again to go to the bathroom. Then I go to work, come home, and sleep. I've found that I have to take a nap when I come home in the early afternoon. If I don't, I just fall asleep at 5 or 6, and I don't make dinner. So, I'm going to be really productive this week and plan my naps for early afternoon so I can have energy to cook our dinner. Not that Eli doesn't help and make dinner if I don't. He does. I just do really enjoy making dinner for us and I have a wider range of meals that I make.
We go to the doctor tomorrow for a check up. After that, it's every two weeks, then after two of those, it goes to every week! It's coming up soon!
Friday night Eli made spaghetti for dinner (delicious) and then we went to Babies R' Us to register, which was a lot of fun! It's hard, because you probably only really NEED about half the stuff on the “necessities list”they give you, but you end up wanting your baby to have everything! I understand how parents can end up amassing so much stuff for their kids, you just want your kids to have everything! Good thing we're going to be really poor for a long time and our kids won't get spoiled (at least by us, I can't speak for grandparents!). But it is scary how much money you could spend. You could easily go into that store and drop $500. YIKES! The stuff is so cute though. Especially the girl stuff! I was really excited when I thought the baby was a boy, but once I found out she's a girl, man, I got really really excited. And I still do when I go to the store and see all of the cute girl stuff, dresses, shoes, hair bows, etc! Not that I don't love little boys, and I probably will have a boy someday, but for now I'm so excited to dress up my Caroline!
Saturday was our really fun day. We slept in! That in and of itself was the best. To not have an alarm go off at 6:30 was heaven! Then we had a lazy morning. Then we cleaned our room, did laundry, cleaned the bathroom, made our grocery list, and went to the store. We even planned out our meals for the week. After the store, I took a nap, then we went to dinner at WingShak with Eli's dad and brother. Then, Eli, Josh (Eli's brother) and I went to Salt Lake to see a comedy show. It was the group Left Field. They are mostly former BYU students who do stand-up. It was really fun! I'd never been to a comedy show and it was a blast. Those guys were really fun! One of them used to be in our singles ward and another one is the guy from the BYU library commercial that's like the Old Spice commercial. It was a blast. And they were filming that show, so if anyone buys their DVD, look for us in the audience!
Sunday we went to church. We really love working in the nursery. It's so funny to me that all the kids gravitate naturally to Eli. They always want him to play with them and during singing time they all want to sit in his lap. There was one little girl who was there for her first time and she would bring every toy to him to see and kept giving him hugs! It was so cute. Then after church I slept all afternoon (did I mention the comedy show didn't get out until 11:30 p.m. And we now have church at 9 a.m.?). Then our neighbors had a birthday party for their one year old. But it wasn't just any party. They are from India and for them turning 1 is a huge deal! So, the party was at this Indian restaurant and it was a blast! There were a lot of people, a lot of food, and a lot of fun. They had a magician, a Lohri fire, dancing and singing (of course we participated), and authentic Indian food. Eli was in heaven because he loves Indian food. It's an acquired taste for me, I never had it until I was 21, but I liked the food last night more than I've ever liked Indian food. We were there until 10 though, so I will be taking another nap today.
I feel like my life is now in periods of waking and sleeping. Even at night I sleep for a few hours, then I have to get up and go to the bathroom, then I go back to sleep and then get up again to go to the bathroom. Then I go to work, come home, and sleep. I've found that I have to take a nap when I come home in the early afternoon. If I don't, I just fall asleep at 5 or 6, and I don't make dinner. So, I'm going to be really productive this week and plan my naps for early afternoon so I can have energy to cook our dinner. Not that Eli doesn't help and make dinner if I don't. He does. I just do really enjoy making dinner for us and I have a wider range of meals that I make.
We go to the doctor tomorrow for a check up. After that, it's every two weeks, then after two of those, it goes to every week! It's coming up soon!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Books!
I've read two good books lately that I really liked. I thought I would share them.
The first is These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner. My sister Annie first told me about this book and then my friend Whitney, very graciously, loaned it to me. Thanks Annie and Whitney! I loved it! It is the journal of a woman living in the Arizona Territory and what her life was liked. It was really good. The main character, Sarah, is very easy to get to know and you get a very accurate picture of what life was like on that frontier. I have to admit that parts of the book made me cry and others made me so happy. I read it in just two days and I was sad when it was over. I wanted it to keep going. Annie told me there are two sequels to it, which I need to find at the library now, but she said the second one is okay and the third one is not that great. I will read them anyway because I just want to know more about what happens to Sarah. Everyone should read this book!
The second book I got by subtlety and cunning. Not really. Eli had checked it out from the library, and left it laying out. One day when I was going to work I decided I should bring a book because it's been really slow lately. I had just finished the other book, and wanted something good. Although this book is non-fiction, which I usually don't read, Eli said it was really good and it's a best-seller. So I took it and couldn't put it down till it was over. Thanks for letting me borrow it Eli! It's called Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. This is the true story of Olympic runner and WWII veteran Louie Zamperini. I don't want to give it all away but it really is an amazing and true story about his life. She interviewed Zamperini extensively and he remembered everything. This book makes you really appreciate the generation that fought in WWII. It made me think of my two grandpa's and what they saw. One was at Pearl Harbor, the other was in the south Pacific and went through Japan days after the atomic bombs were dropped. This book does not hide the harsh realities of war and it really makes you think about how awful it really was. This book will inspire you and make you realize how strong and capable we all really are when it comes down to it. Go read this book! You won't be disappointed.
Other honorable mentions from my readings lately: The Green Smoothies Diet by Robyn Openshaw, On Becoming Baby Wise, Hunger Games trilogy, and well, I guess that's it. I haven't been reading that much lately. I sleep a lot more.
Enjoy those books. Let me know if you read them so we can talk about it!
The first is These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner. My sister Annie first told me about this book and then my friend Whitney, very graciously, loaned it to me. Thanks Annie and Whitney! I loved it! It is the journal of a woman living in the Arizona Territory and what her life was liked. It was really good. The main character, Sarah, is very easy to get to know and you get a very accurate picture of what life was like on that frontier. I have to admit that parts of the book made me cry and others made me so happy. I read it in just two days and I was sad when it was over. I wanted it to keep going. Annie told me there are two sequels to it, which I need to find at the library now, but she said the second one is okay and the third one is not that great. I will read them anyway because I just want to know more about what happens to Sarah. Everyone should read this book!
The second book I got by subtlety and cunning. Not really. Eli had checked it out from the library, and left it laying out. One day when I was going to work I decided I should bring a book because it's been really slow lately. I had just finished the other book, and wanted something good. Although this book is non-fiction, which I usually don't read, Eli said it was really good and it's a best-seller. So I took it and couldn't put it down till it was over. Thanks for letting me borrow it Eli! It's called Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. This is the true story of Olympic runner and WWII veteran Louie Zamperini. I don't want to give it all away but it really is an amazing and true story about his life. She interviewed Zamperini extensively and he remembered everything. This book makes you really appreciate the generation that fought in WWII. It made me think of my two grandpa's and what they saw. One was at Pearl Harbor, the other was in the south Pacific and went through Japan days after the atomic bombs were dropped. This book does not hide the harsh realities of war and it really makes you think about how awful it really was. This book will inspire you and make you realize how strong and capable we all really are when it comes down to it. Go read this book! You won't be disappointed.
Other honorable mentions from my readings lately: The Green Smoothies Diet by Robyn Openshaw, On Becoming Baby Wise, Hunger Games trilogy, and well, I guess that's it. I haven't been reading that much lately. I sleep a lot more.
Enjoy those books. Let me know if you read them so we can talk about it!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Sweet Dreams
I had the best dream ever last night! I dreamed that I had our Caroline! She was beautiful and smiled whenever me or Eli would look at her. She had big lips and a lot of beautiful golden brown hair!
I wish this was reality. I know for a fact it was a dream and not true at all because of a few hints from my dream:
1.I was only in labor for 5 minutes.
2.The labor was painless.
3.It was in my moms kitchen...sitting up...in a kitchen chair.
4.She was about the size of a three month old.
Oh well, it was still great. And she was so pretty!
I also had dreams about swimming in the ocean in Alaska and my swimming companions being swallowed by a killer whale and then spit out of its mouth into a window of a huge house carved out of a cliff-side. I have crazy dreams.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Getting Your House in Order
Okay, so we technically don't have our own house, but we will be moving in a few months (we're not sure where yet). And, we won't be able to afford a house for several years anyway. But, thankfully, you don't have to have a real house to get things in order. I guess this post is my new years resolutions of sorts, not that I usually make an actual list and check it off every day, but I do have some goals, not really just for this year, but for the rest of our lives. I feel like writing about them here.
The first and foremost thing on my mind is our diet and health. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years just about did me in this year with all of the food. I'm not complaining, the food was delicious and we had a great time, but I am ready to eat a bit more simply. My mother-in-law, who is way more generous to me than I deserve, gave me the Green Smoothie Girl 12 Steps to Whole Foods program. The idea is that each chapter is a new step to try so that by the end of a year you are eating 60-80% raw food. The rest of your food is whole grain, good for you food, not just fast-food, white flour and sugar. Not that you can never have those things, but you know what I mean. I feel weird talking about that, because it seems strange to say I will have a raw food diet because I don't perceive myself as a real health nut. I still like burgers and fries and pop and sweets. But, I've learned more about what a diet of those foods will do to you, and I would like those things to be in the “Very Rarely Eat” category of my diet. (And I'm not saying diet as in The Atkins Diet or Weight Watchers, but rather what we eat every day.)
So, after that long ramble, I have read the first few chapters of the 12 steps. The first chapter is about incorporating green smoothies into your daily diet. I pretty much already do that. I have gotten lazy lately and missed a few days here and there because I would rather sleep in 10 minutes than wake up and make one. But, I am recommitting myself. I found that if I mix up the stuff the night before and put it in the fridge it makes it a lot easier. Then in the morning I dump it back in the blender, add some ice and frozen fruit and it tastes just as fresh. So here I am, sipping my green smoothie at my desk and writing this. Caroline likes green smoothies. She always moves a ton after I drink one. So, I've got the first chapter pretty much down.
The second chapter and third chapter I am combining. Chapter 2 is about having a big salad as part of your dinner every night. Chapter 3 is about making your own salad dressings. I have been dabbling in making my own dressings lately anyway, so I decided to do both together. The manual has all kinds of recipes. Basically, before you eat what you are having for dinner, you eat a big plate of salad. I really like this idea. You get a lot of digestive live enzymes from the salad, which will help you digest your cooked portion of your meal. Yesterday I went to the store and got a lot of veggies. It was the healthiest shopping cart I've ever had. I'm excited to make this a habit, especially before our kids are here, so they grow up with it. I know I could end up with really picky kids, and you never know, but my plan is they have to eat the salad before they eat the rest of dinner, and if they don't want to, they can go to bed hungry. But, I'm hoping that if I do this from a really young age they will want the salad and green smoothies on their own.
Also, my mother-in-law gave me a great book about keeping your house clean and I've been reading it lately. I really like it. It has good ideas about having routines and things like that. For instance, you should have a morning and evening routine. They don't have to be very long, 15 minutes tops, but if you do them every day it will help you have a handle on things. Also she talks about Hot Spots in your house. These are the areas that always get overwhelmed with stuff, the kitchen counter, that one drawer, your night stand for instance. Cleaning those up in your routine every night will keep it under control. I really am looking forward to having our own place again, where I can try some of these things out and really start out as organized as I can be with kids.
Sorry about the long ramble. I have had these things on my mind lately. In other news Eli went to Portland Monday and Tuesday for an interview at Oregon Health Sciences University. He like it and thought it went well. Poor guy, his flight was delayed and he didn't land until almost 2 a.m, so he didn't get home until 3:15 and had to get up and be at work at 7:30 this morning. I think he'll be going to bed early tonight. But I am so glad that he's home. I'm also so glad that we bribed his little brother with Costa Vida to pick him up so I could sleep. That was Eli's idea and I am so glad we did that. I can't get by with 3 hours of sleep like Eli can, not anymore.
I also got a haircut yesterday and I love it. I'll put up pictures later.
Love,
Cherie
Thursday, January 6, 2011
30 Weeks!
I am so excited to announce that we are ¾ of the way done with this pregnancy. We have only 10 weeks to go (hopefully I won't go late) to see our little Caroline! We are so excited! It seems like it is coming up soon, but then I remember that we have all of January and February, and then half of March to go through. But, that's all just a drop in the bucket.
I know all of the pregnancy books and moms say not to try to idealize or fantasize about how wonderful motherhood is because it is a lot harder and frustrating than it seems, and you are just setting yourself up for disappointment, but I can't help it. I can't think of anything better than having our little baby all the time. I can't wait to feed her, bathe her, put her to bed, and get up with her. I can't wait to see her taking naps with Eli and watching him interact with her. I can't wait to be the mom I've always wanted to be. I just see myself taking care of the household, playing with my baby, and being so happy. I am 100% sure that Eli is going to be the best dad ever, and I am so excited for us to be expanding our family. I know this is cheesy, but being a stay at home mom is what I've always dreamed of and now it's almost here. Okay, maybe I will be working some, but still, I'm so close!
In other news Eli goes to Portland next week for an interview at the medical school there. I think he leaves on Monday. His trips always sneak up on me, and even though he's only gone overnight, it seems so long and empty when he's gone. But I think we'll start hearing back from more schools soon, now that Christmas break is over. We'll keep you posted. We're so grateful that he is accepted at Louisville, because even if every other school tells him no, we still have a great school in a wonderful place to go to! I get really excited when I think about living in Louisville! I never thought I would live there, but I've only heard great things about it, so I am really excited.
Well, we'll keep you posted on our little mover Caroline. She's a really sweet baby. She's pretty easy on her mom. I feel really lucky. Other than getting tired easier, I really don't have any complaints. So far I haven't swelled up, or had terrible back pain (well, I did for a while earlier, but it's gone now), or a lot of the other complaints. I'm within the normal range of weight gain (but who knows how much I'll pack on in the next 10 weeks!) and I can still button my jeans! But, I am carrying her pretty high, so that probably helps. I still wear my jeans, I just put a rubber band through the button-hole to make them more comfortable when I sit down. I've really enjoyed being pregnant and it makes me excited for the labor and delivery of our little sweetie! Have a great day everyone!
I know all of the pregnancy books and moms say not to try to idealize or fantasize about how wonderful motherhood is because it is a lot harder and frustrating than it seems, and you are just setting yourself up for disappointment, but I can't help it. I can't think of anything better than having our little baby all the time. I can't wait to feed her, bathe her, put her to bed, and get up with her. I can't wait to see her taking naps with Eli and watching him interact with her. I can't wait to be the mom I've always wanted to be. I just see myself taking care of the household, playing with my baby, and being so happy. I am 100% sure that Eli is going to be the best dad ever, and I am so excited for us to be expanding our family. I know this is cheesy, but being a stay at home mom is what I've always dreamed of and now it's almost here. Okay, maybe I will be working some, but still, I'm so close!
In other news Eli goes to Portland next week for an interview at the medical school there. I think he leaves on Monday. His trips always sneak up on me, and even though he's only gone overnight, it seems so long and empty when he's gone. But I think we'll start hearing back from more schools soon, now that Christmas break is over. We'll keep you posted. We're so grateful that he is accepted at Louisville, because even if every other school tells him no, we still have a great school in a wonderful place to go to! I get really excited when I think about living in Louisville! I never thought I would live there, but I've only heard great things about it, so I am really excited.
Well, we'll keep you posted on our little mover Caroline. She's a really sweet baby. She's pretty easy on her mom. I feel really lucky. Other than getting tired easier, I really don't have any complaints. So far I haven't swelled up, or had terrible back pain (well, I did for a while earlier, but it's gone now), or a lot of the other complaints. I'm within the normal range of weight gain (but who knows how much I'll pack on in the next 10 weeks!) and I can still button my jeans! But, I am carrying her pretty high, so that probably helps. I still wear my jeans, I just put a rubber band through the button-hole to make them more comfortable when I sit down. I've really enjoyed being pregnant and it makes me excited for the labor and delivery of our little sweetie! Have a great day everyone!
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