Busy Week!

There's not too much to report on, but I thought it was about time! This seemed to be a long week started off by a LONG last weekend attempting to register for baby items! Talk about PAINFUL! My wonderful hubby and I went together to Babies R Us and Target, but when you have almost no idea what you're looking for... well, then things begin to get difficult which was pretty much right away! We did the best we could and tried to enjoy ourselves. Some things are just a lot more fun to pick out than others, that's for sure! We got the bulk of it done last weekend and slowly but surely, we can amend the list. We know we may end up buying many of the items ourselves, but Babies R Us has this nice perk of giving you 10% off anything that hasn't been purchased right around the time the baby is born, so that will be nice!

This week, Gregg ran into a few bumps in the road with school. I think it's just taking a little time to get used to each class's pace. He is taking a VERY large class load, 17 credits on top of working full time. He actually just got approval from his boss to work four 10 hour days instead of his regular 5 day schedule. For some reasons, like getting him on Friday nights will be nice, but it will be hard for him to work such long days during the week and him not coming home until midnight each night. I'm really going to have to learn to go to bed before he gets home now! He really wanted this schedule change, so hopefully it will work out well!

We had a check up on Friday for the baby as well. Things seem to be going good! I mentioned to her that I'm afraid our baby could be huge...considering Gregg was born a Moose...somewhere around 10.5 lbs! I will definitely be considering a C-Section should she announce a possible 9+ lb baby! She said we'd worry more about that down the road, but it didn't help when my uterus measured 2 centimeters bigger than 21 weeks and put me at 23!! She said that can be common at this time and we would look into it more if I'm still running big at my next appointment at the end of February! Ah ha ha... SIGH! She also told us that it may be very possible for us to go to Gregg's sister, Leslie's college graduation in May in Laramie, WY. I was a little concerned as it's only a month away from our due date and a 5.5 hour drive. But she said we would schedule an appointment that week and as long as everything looks good, she's fine with me going, so that's Great news! It didn't help when Leslie told me that Laramie has a not-so-great hospital! Gregg and I are really looking forward to going, so we'll pray everything goes well. Apparently, I will get another ultrasound at 32 weeks having tested positive for the blood clot issues as a check up, so that will be fun. And again, we'll just pray that it all goes well!

Other than that, not much is new here! We're trying to get little things ready in our apartment for the move at the end of February and trying to keep things mellow! Gregg has been stressing out a bit with school, so I just pray that he gets more used to his schedule and his classes won't be as daunting throughout the semester. We knew this would be a hard semester for him, but I hope it's not too rough on him. Moving and getting ready for this baby has put a lot more on his plate. But if anyone can handle it, I'm sure he will!

It's a GIRL!!!

Well, on Friday, January 16th, we had the ultrasound to find out what the sex of our baby is and as you can see from above, it's a GIRL! The ultrasound pictures from above are, from top to bottom, her legs... crossed at the ankles, her arm... elbow out, hand in toward her head, and lastly, her face. I know they are a little hard to see, some people had a hard enough time seeing them when they had Gregg and I pointing everything out, but don't worry, they're all there! For about 15 minutes while the ultrasound tech was trying to measure everything and tell us what sex she was, the little booger wouldn't uncross her legs! Gregg and I were pretty frustrated! We were both looking forward to finding out so much! The tech left the room and the Dr. was going to come in to check a few more things and hopefully, by that time, her legs would be uncrossed. And lucky for us, they were!

The above pictures are the same picture twice. I think she just had to put more than one picture on the sheet she gave us. It's hard to see and I know if you click on the picture in the blog, they get a little bigger. But basically, it would be like you're looking up from under her sitting on a glass table. Her bum is to the left and her legs shoot out to the right. And her little girl part is there in the middle! Just to be sure, Gregg asked, what would it look like if it were a boy and the Dr. told us that she would've had a bump that went out between her legs and it would've been quite obvious. So, although we know that there can be errors and our little baby girl could pop out a boy, the picture is pretty clear which part she has! :-)

We are very excited and all Gregg keeps saying is what a big "softy" he's going to be. If anyone can wrap this guy around their little finger, it's going to be a daughter! I have no doubt in my mind she's going to be a daddy's girl!

We had a long weekend in Star Valley again and got to tell Gregg's family in person. They had to wait one extra day because they knew how much I wanted to be able to tell family something fun in person, so it was hard to keep it a secret all of Friday, but it was fun to tell them in person! Although, it was Gregg that got to tell him and I managed to take the wind out of his sails with a slip up! I felt awful, but it was still so much fun to tell them!

We got another piece of good news on Friday as well! We are going to be able to move into a 3 bedroom in the Student Apartments at the end of February. It's within the same village we're living, so we're not going far, but it's going to be a bit more space and the baby will get her own room. We even found out we can paint her room as long as we paint it back! Unfortunately, Gregg is going to have to do most of the moving/painting etc as I'm pregnant! I think it's more unfortunate for him than me! ;-) So, we had a WONDERFUL Friday with LOTS of good news!

Today was also the inauguration of Barack Obama and I just have to add what a wonderful opportunity this is for this country. We will be patient and hopeful and pray that Barack Obama is able to bring about wonderful changes for America.

A Good Week!

This weekend was just mellow enough for us. We said goodbye to the Aussies for the second time. We got a nice lunch in with the whole fam before they had to head to the airport. They get to spend a few days in Disneyland before heading back to Australia though, so hopefully that will be nice for them! We are definitely going to miss them. We also had to say goodbye to our Pastor and his family. That was a bit rough. They are such amazing people and will be dearly missed by so many people. But we do pray that their journey to Virginia and the life they build there will be wonderful.

I have a tendency to let the mail collect in our mailbox for a few days, but on Sunday, we had a nice little surprise for us in there! During our 17 week appointment, I had the triple screen test, the one that tests for Down syndrome and Spina bifida, etc. We already got the result back which told us it was normal! I called just to make sure there was not a mistake and she confirmed I had negative results! We are extremely thankful for that. We hadn't thought too much about what we would do if the results came back differently (surprisingly since I worry about everything!), so it is a relief and a blessing to have those screens come back negative.

We're now in week 19 and find out on Friday what the sex of the baby is! I can already tell this week is going to go by SLOW because of it! We're just ready to know! :-)

Friends of ours, Tom and Jana Allred had their baby boy today, Gabe! I'm planning to go to the hospital after work tomorrow to see them!

The piece of bad news I got when I went into work. The husband of a woman I work with died suddenly over the weekend in Las Vegas where he was working. He was only 32. I just can't even imagine. I just pray that she has all the love and support she needs to get her through such a difficult time. Ugh, I just can't even imagine.

Gregg realized he is also off school on Monday for the holiday, so we are going to be heading to Star Valley to hang out with his family this weekend. Other than that, the next blog will be good news, one way or the other! We are more than happy to get either a boy or girl!!

Happy 2009!

Happy 2009!!! New Year's Eve was spent pretty mellow. My parents and my brother had been talking about coming out to Salt Lake to visit, but during the day on New Year's Eve, my Dad called to say the flights were impossible on his airline and they weren't going to make it out. The hardest part was getting my brother here. My parents can fly on different airlines, but he can't. At some point, he must have told them it would be okay if they went without them, so my parents called to say they would try to make it out on the 1st! So, I spent New Year's Eve relaxing until Gregg got home from work a little early, around 10:00 pm. We rented a movie and spent the night with each other! We even paused it for a 12:00 smooch! :-) It was nice. The next day, my parents did make it in around 2:00 pm and we had a wonderful couple days together! Gregg went to work early that day so he could go to dinner with all of us that night. The next day was my 17 week OB appointment to check up on everything and my parents got to hear the heartbeat! It was so great! I had my blood draw to test for disorders like Down Syndrome and Spina Bifida, etc. We'll have to see how those turn out when the results come back. We all went bowling and had some fun! My parents just happened to be in town the night of the Sugar bowl, Utah v. Alabama and we all had a GREAT time watching that! Utah proved most of the country wrong and beat Alabama, 31-17! When nobody thought we could do it, it was a great win for Utah!

After the game was over, my parents broke some news to Gregg and I. Our family dog, Rocco (Paco as I loved to call him), had finally come to the point he needed to be put down. They had to do it a couple days after Christmas and wanted to tell us in person. He had been sick for quite some time and they had really gone above and beyond in doing everything they could to prolong his life. They thought about doing this a while back so I was somewhat prepared for the emotions, but he got better, so they didn't go through with it at the time. But the time had come. He wasn't eating, but he was still throwing up constantly. And my parents said that even though he would not typically leave the deck in the back yard anymore in the winter, twice, he had taken off and headed below the retaining wall behind the pool and wouldn't come back when called. They believe, and I want to believe, that he knew it was his time and was looking for a place to die. Even though I knew this was coming, it didn't hurt much less. I'm sure it is very hard for my family to have to come home each day and have him not be there and knowing he won't be there the next time I visit home breaks my heart. But I guess this is all a part of having family pets. In my family, they have always truly become a part of the family and each loss has been difficult. But I find comfort in knowing my parents did everything they could and we all loved him very much. It was his time.

It's back to work on Monday after some great time off here and there over Christmas and New Years! We spent some wonderful time with Gregg's family in Wyoming, all of the Australians that came to visit, and my parents when they came to town! I wasn't able to see my brother, but he's been talking about coming out to visit for the first time and snowboard! So, we're really hoping that will work out this year! I might not be able to board with them this year, but Jeff would really love the mountains here! Happy 2009 to all who read this and we hope 2009 brings you many amazing blessings!

Christmas in Wyoming

So, as mentioned before, Gregg and I spent Christmas in Star Valley, Wyoming with the Jones Family and 5 Aussies came into town! This is part of the reason we HAD to stay in the west this year, you just can't miss an opportunity like this to see them! Those who came are Grandma Dorothy, Papa Bill, Aunt Dianne, Uncle Les and Dean (one of their sons). Pictured above from left to right, back row to front row, in case you aren't familiar with the family is: Gregg, myself, Cherie, Warren, Dean, Dianne, Les and Leslie (Jay), Katie, Grandma, Papa and Ian. This photo was at the Christmas Eve service. Warren wrote a very cute skit that starred himself and Uncle Les, it was very good, as usual!

You can't quite see ALL the presents, but needless to say it took HOURS to get through them all! Gregg and I felt very spoiled because it was TRUE! With all the wonderful gifts given to us by the Joneses, the presents my parents sent from Minnesota and the gifts Gregg and I bought the new baby... we felt very blessed and quite spoiled! Thank you to everyone, everyone was so generous. It was a wonderful Christmas day. I definitely missed my family, but I got to talk to them a couple times on Christmas Day and it sounds like they made the most of their day as well!

The family spent a bit of time outdoors! I wish I could have put more pictures to show! The first attempt, Gregg could not get the snowmobiles working, so we were all outside, to include Grandma! and decided to make the most of it! Jay and Dianne did a little sled race pulling Ian and Grandma! She really enjoyed herself! This was their first white Christmas, so we wanted them to experience the snow... and BOY, was there SNOW! I think it snowed every day we were there! Above was the day Gregg and Warren got the older one working, so Gregg, Warren and Jay took turns pulling each other around on the sled, Dean had LOTS of fun out there getting buried in all the snow! We also went tubing up at Snow King in Jackson! Dianne and Dean had such a good time! It was a bit pricey (Thanks, Warren!), but it was so much fun! It's been years since I've done it!

Gregg's Grandma and Papa came in 2005 to our wedding, which meant a lot to us then and it was SO great to spend some real time with them this time. It was hard to get good quality time with them at the wedding, but they are such WONDERFUL people with the most beautiful hearts! As soon as we told all the Aussies were are pregnant when they first got here, first thing out of Grandma's mouth was, "I'll have to save up and come back for the baptism!" You'd think after 40 hours of traveling to Utah, she would have re-thought that, but nope, not for a second! Whether or not she makes it, it was the thoughtfulness behind the words that made us know just how much we mean to her even from here! She mentioned wanting to win the lottery and come back for Jay's Graduation in May, too! They are 91 and still enjoying and appreciating every moment! I fell so much in love with them! My grandparents have all passed away, so I love spending time with these two and Gregg's Grandpa in Montana. I'm so attached! I can't wait to go to Australia in 2010!

These are all the Aussies that made it! Dean, Grandma Dorothy, Papa Bill, Aunt Dianne, and Uncle Les! It was my first time meeting Dianne, Les and Dean and they are all so easy to love! They all have such beautiful hearts... I couldn't stop the crying the minute we had to leave Star Valley! We'll get to see them briefly when they come back through Salt Lake to fly out on the 10th and I think it will be even harder to say goodbye again! On their way back to Australia, they're going to head to Disneyland for a few days... I'm sure it will be such a great time! It is Dean's first time to the U.S.

My family is attempting to fly standby this week and come and visit. I thought it would be such great timing as the Court is giving me 2.5 days off for free around the New Year! The flights are looking pretty crazy, but I'll be praying they'll make it here... if anyone wants to send out a few extra for me! My brother is thinking/ planning on coming as well! It would be his first time here! It would be nice if they made it because my next Dr's appointment (17 weeks now!) is on Friday and it would be fun for my parents to get to hear the heartbeat! We'll have to see how things go! So, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is well on their way to a blessed New Year!

Bummed

Well, if you follow our blog, you would've read just a few blogs before this one, that we just recently became members of our church. Today at church, we got some pretty sad news. Pastor Elijah announced that he has been called to another church. He didn't share all the details and said that there would be more details to come, but I think Gregg and I both know he's not staying in Utah. I was devastated... shockingly so! I started tearing up the minute he announced it and the shock was written on Gregg's face. I guess some people had gotten a heads up during the week, but this blew Gregg and I away. I tried to regain my composure long enough to shake his hand as we left the sanctuary, but as soon as he reached out for my hand, he said, "Are you going to kick me?" It was in the few seconds before that where he didn't say anything that I felt all the tears coming and couldn't hold them back. I think we all knew how important he was to our decision to join the church. He just said, "We'll talk soon". Gregg and I fell in love with the church when it was he that welcomed us on that first day and when we heard his sermon. My Mom mentioned that sometimes it's hard when you fall in love with a Pastor and they leave, because it can tear a church apart. I hope that this isn't the fate for this church and I don't think it will be. Many people in the congregation have wonderful connections already established. We just hadn't had a chance to do that yet. We had made our incredible connection with the Pastor.

It's just awful timing. Gregg and I had talked and prayed long and hard about this decision, one that was made just a few weeks ago. Had we known this to be his fate, we may not have made the decision we did, I don't know. I do know that if he hadn't been the Pastor of this church, we would have looked at other churches, not to say we would not have come back to this one. It's just hard. Gregg and I know that while we resided in Utah, this man made this church a home for us. We were looking forward to more time with him, his family and getting to know the congregation. Gregg and I knew that we would want this man to baptize our baby. Now, 4 months along in our pregnancy (16 weeks tomorrow!), we don't know what future this church holds and whether or not it will be right for us and our new family. I guess we'll just have to see how things unfold in the upcoming months and make a decision at that time.

We were both shocked and hurt. We know that we can not be mad at him for making this decision and following a call that he has been given, but it doesn't make it any easier on us right now. We will hope and pray that good things come to him and his family on their new journey as well as to the church.

Maternity Shopping!!!

It was a pretty busy weekend for us... with TWO trips to the mall for fat lady...I mean... Maternity clothes!! :-) Our friends, Jason and Ali, also recently told us they are pregnant. Ali should be about 7 weeks now. And I am now 15 weeks!! So, we all headed to the mall on Saturday for a little maternity clothes shopping! I hoped the store would be helpful and they were GREAT! It's called Motherhood Maternity. Not only was the sales girl EXTREMELY helpful, but the prices are pretty reasonable! Gregg and Jason thoroughly... okay, not completely... but mostly, enjoyed watching their wives try on TONS of clothes! Using the tummy pillow is kind of funny to imagine what we'll look like in just a few months! I HATE clothes shopping, but this was actually pretty fun! Although we normally don't buy so many clothes at one go, so it made it a little expensive for us, I made out with a lot of things! A couple pairs of pants, two dresses (one of which, I'm wearing in the above picture), some shirts and a couple other things! All in all, we did GREAT! And Gregg is truly wonderful for being patient, supportive, very sweet... and picking up the bill! :-)

Saturday night we headed to the Utah Jazz v. Orlando Magic basketball game. It was my Anniversary present to Gregg this year. Last year the Jazz did great, winning most of their home games.... apparently, this year, they're on a bit of a different path, one that includes losing too many games! It was fun to go, but since the Jazz did lose, Gregg would have liked to see Dwight Howard play, but even he was out injured! We did have a great time though and ran into a good Dr. friend of his, at the ER and his wife on the way home, so it was a good night... even with a loss!

Sunday night was Gregg's work Christmas party! It is quite the treat! The VA ER doctors pick up the whole bill, to include open bar!, and we're not talking about Applebees, they are usually Wonderful restaurants with excellent food! Last year, it was at a hotel up in Park City on a Saturday night, so Gregg and I got a room and made a weekend of it. This year, they scheduled it for a Sunday at a really nice restaurant in Salt Lake called Market Street Grill. Gregg and his friend Mark are in charge of the "awards", usually incredibly funny inside joke awards given out to all the members of the VA ER. It's typically the highlight of the evening and it was no different this time! The boys spent quite a few hours gathering up the best of their humor and everyone was impressed! I've got quite the catch!! The night ended a little earlier than normal due to it being a Sunday, but it was lots of fun and great food!

This week, Gregg has finals and I have a few days of Court, so it's a busy week before Christmas! The Aussies are flying in on Friday so the fam is driving in from Wyoming to pick them up and bring them back that night. So, the plan is hopefully that Gregg and I will have a little time to get to see them at the airport before they head out on the long drive back! My parents have been talking about visiting and I'm really hoping it works out. They always fly standby and flights are busy this time of year. I'm in need of a good visit since I won't make it home, so I'm going to pray that something works out!

I hope that everyone is having a relatively stress free holidays! It's a great time of year and it's nice that Salt Lake is starting to see some of that famous "best snow on earth"! It's about time!