Overdue Thanksgiving Post

This post is definitely overdue.
Thanksgiving:
We are so blessed! We loved that we were able to spend Thanksgiving weekend with our incredible families in Utah. And the best part - Chris got a teeny break from work and was able to join us! In the spirit of Thanksgiving I just have to say I am so grateful for him - He works so hard for our family. He always makes me feel so loved. He is my best friend and so perfect for me.
Well anyways our weekend...
We ate plenty (far too much actually) delicious food and just had so much fun hanging out with family.
Unfortunately I didn't get quite as many pictures with Chris's family as I did with my family - but don't let that fool you, we had a blast with both!
We spend Thanksgiving day with Chris's family. We were so happy to meet our nephew Logan, he is so cute!

Natalie, Chris's sister, surprised us with a tree for Collin that Chris's parents are going to plant in their yard. We absolutely love it!


We of course, visited Collin's grave while we were in Utah. It was so nice to be there again - I know he is not actually there but I feel like it is a special place where I can talk to him and tell him how much I love him. I am so grateful he is my son.


My cousins threw a joint baby shower and wedding shower for me, Erica (both pregnant) and my cousin Kylee (not pregnant - getting married). I had so much fun visiting my cousins and definitely got spoiled with the cutest baby clothes for our little guy.

And my best friend, Jessa, came to the shower! We've been best friends since we were like 4 - and I always LOVE spending time with her.

Oh and Erica and I had so much fun comparing our baby bumps and stories of pregnancy. I love being pregnant the same time as her - she is due 3 weeks ahead of me and having a baby girl. We now just need Megan to get pregnant ..hint hint : )
My sisters are my best friends and I loved spending time with them!



We visited temple square with my family and watched the updated Joseph Smith movie and had a delicious dinner at The Roof. We also went to the provo beach resort with my siblings and visited my grandparents in Cache Valley (which I unfortunately don't have a picture of).



We loved spending time with our families!

On an unrelated note: I had another ultrasound this last week and just had to post this picture of our little guy. My doctor said he is a very photogenic baby - Chris thinks he was being sarcastic because how can you really tell from an ultrasound, however, I think he was being serious - I mean come on look how cute he is : )

Worries

It is hard for me not to worry at this point in my pregnancy. I am almost 22 weeks. Collin was born at 24 weeks and 5 days. I know that I am giving myself blood thinner shots twice a day, taking baby aspirin, going to the doctors frequently, however, sometimes I still feel nervous. I do trust in the Lord. I know that He has a plan for me and for our family and that He loves me. I know that I need to have faith and not be afraid, and I do have faith… but sometimes like when I lay in bed at night I worry.
I don’t know the exact timing of when ‘things’ – like my placenta - didn’t look good for Collin. I don’t know if it was that way from the beginning or if ‘things’ were fine until I reached say 22 weeks? All I know is that when I went in for my ultrasound at 23 weeks, the docs saw problems. I have had numerous ultrasounds for this little guy and he seems to be doing well. But how is he doing right now at this very moment?– I wish I could have an ultrasound everyday – I guess that is where faith comes in right? I do have faith that the Lord will take care of me and my family - that He has a plan for us. I just sometimes wish I had an outline of that plan. I guess that wouldn’t make trials any easier – knowing they are coming – I don’t know, I just want my baby to grow and be safe. I miss Collin everyday. Sometimes, I almost feel guilty for being really excited about our new little baby - I don’t ever want it to seem like I am replacing Collin. Collin will always be an important part of my life. My little sisters asked me when I would tell our new baby about his big brother. I told them there isn’t going to be ‘time’ – he will know Collin…

Anyways, I am rambling. I hope you don’t think less of me for being worried and not super strong and fearless. I have two doctor appointments (an ultrasound and a regular check up) both scheduled for the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. I am going to try and move my check up to next week instead.

Family

My family came for a visit. Well some of my family, we were missing my three sisters and two brother-in-laws. We had so much fun with them! I am already looking forward to another visit : )
Chris worked hard long hours leading up to the weekend and was able to join in the fun, which we are all grateful for.
They arrived Friday afternoon and we first went to Shoreline Park to walk around and see the Bay, well the stinky/smelly part of the Bay.
Then we came home to watch the BYU vs. TCU game


And to eat delicious Patxi's pizza

Saturday morning we headed into the City
We went to Alcatraz



They had an ex-Alcatraz prisoner there who spoke and had a book signing.

Then we went to Pier 39 to watch the sea lions.

And then to Muir Woods to see the giant redwoods

We finished the night with delicious Thai food in downtown Mountain View

We had so much fun! Thank you family for driving all the way to CA for the weekend! We love you!

On an entirely separate note:
Chris is the best. I came home yesterday to flowers on the table.

And my pregnancy continues to go well. My stomach is growing! And I love it. I am 20 weeks and 2 days in this picture
P.S thank you Steph for letting me borrow your maternity clothes!!! You are the best!

BOY

Yes, Collin is getting a brother! We are so excited!! We loved seeing our little guy. I'm not going to lie we were a little bit nervous going in today, because it was when we went in for the anatomy ultrasound that we found out there were complications with my pregnancy with Collin.
We are so happy that our baby boy is healthy and everything looks great.
I didn't include the "Boy" picture - but just trust us, we obviously are having a boy : ) p.s The blob next to his face in the 3D pictures is my placenta






My baby bump. 19 weeks and 2 days. And growing!

the ER

So, Tuesday I woke up to a very sore throat, I figured it would go away throughout the day but it didn’t and when I was examining my throat I noticed a giant white spot on my tonsil. The white spot was a little alarming to me because I had never seen anything like it. I felt generally fine throughout the day so I was just going to sleep it off. However, once I told Chris about the white spot he thought for sure I should go to the doctor – we settled on calling our moms to see what they would say, and unfortunately for me they both agreed with Chris. I still was not super convinced, because yes I felt generally fine other than the very sore throat, anyways I called my OBGYN to see if I could schedule an appointment to come in to see him and to see what he thought, at this point it was nearly 9:00 PM (I had his cell phone number). He told me that the OB Clinic doesn’t have strep test equipment and since I don't have a general doctor here in CA he recommended that I go into the ER to get a test done. I was thinking, the ER! Yeah right, but of course didn’t say that to him, but we hung up and Chris and I started looking for Urgent Care Facilities nearby. Because who goes to the ER for a sore throat! In the meantime the doctor calls me back and tells me that he has called the Residences at the Stanford ER and told them I would be coming in. I told him that I was actually looking into going to an Urgent Care at which point he convinces me to just go the Stanford ER. It will be easier and less of a hassle he says. Well when your doctor is telling you to go to the ER, you go, even though...yes I felt fine. My doctor did give me the option to wait until the morning but said that it will most likely be less busy if I went that night, little did my doctor know, Tuesday night seemed to be the night for trauma’s plus there was a lock down going on (there must have been a someone from Prison or something in the ER – because the place had cops everywhere)! Needless to say my sore throat was far from an emergency and so we ended up waiting for 4 hours. Chris was actually still at work when I went in around 9:45, but he came and met up with me when he got off at midnight. And yep, you guessed it, I did not have strep. I just had/well have a ‘tonsil stone’ (which is actually pretty gross – something stuck in my tonsil). So I spent Wednesday very tired and frustrated about the whole experience. However, I’d much rather err on the side of 'overreaction' when it comes to my health which could effect our baby. I also tried to get the stupid thing out of my tonsil, which only resulted in plenty of gagging and poking and possibly even pushing it back further, and... no success. I am hoping the doctors solution of gargling warm salt water will work, because this thing is driving me nuts! I also managed to catch a cold probably from the lack of sleep/sitting in the ER with sick people for 4 hours. You'll be proud to know that I made the grown up decision yesterday to not let the tonsil stone ruin my week. I'm sure the whole experience will become quite comical to me - once I get completely caught up on my sleep and depending on the bill we receive...

I am happy that my baby is not affected by my throat, happy that our ultrasound is scheduled for this Tuesday and happy that my family is coming to visit next weekend!!! YAY

time for an update

So I don't have anything too exciting to write, today just feels like a good day for a little update.
Chris and I have been finding time to spend together despite his busy (and I mean BUSY) work schedule. Saturday morning we went for a fun bike ride to Shoreline Park/Bay Trail (I'm not really sure the name of the place we went..but Shoreline Park sounds good so I'll go with that). I absolutely love bike rides! And Shoreline Park was great - I'm already looking forward to my next bike ride there. The picture was taken before our ride, unfortunately we didn't bring our camera along, maybe next time. I've never been a fan of the helmet look (I mean it looks like I've got a giant mushroom on top, but we figured being on the blood thinners and all, looks weren't too important) Oh and I have to say I have an incredible husband. He spent like 30 minutes pumping up all our bike tires with a volleyball pump.

My pregnancy has been going well. Just over a week until we find out if we're having a little girl or another little boy, we are so excited! I am loving my growing stomach. I am 18 weeks today and definitely have an unmistakable baby bump. I'll post updated pregnancy pictures soon. I've been feeling our baby move and kick, more distinctly within this last week, and a couple nights ago Chris felt little kicks! He was so excited to feel our baby. He never had the opportunity to feel Collin move when I was pregnant with him, so this was special.
Speaking of Collin, I miss him. I miss visiting his grave. I think of his birth often and I wish I could hold him one more time....I know that we will be reunited and I am so grateful for that knowledge I have, but I still miss him now. He is a blessing to our family and I know he will be a blessing to his siblings. Chris and I desire so deeply to live worthily so we can be a forever family.

New

The doctors gave me a new due date...March 18! Yay! I know it's only like 8 days earlier than my old due date of March 26 but it still made my day, okay maybe my week : ) What can I say, I'm excited.
Plus it helps to explain my ever growing stomach...


I am just over 16 weeks in these pics. 16 weeks and 2 days to be exact. October 25th is the day we find out if we are having another baby boy or a baby girl. I can't wait!!

Great Day!

Yesterday was such a great day!
I got a job! And I start tomorrow! I was hired through a temp agency and will be working on Stanford's Campus in a front office/receptionist type position. It is perfect because they know I am pregnant and still wanted to hire me and the job is temporary, just what I was looking for. I am excited!

Also, I had an ultrasound. I absolutely love ultrasounds! I love to see my baby moving around. This ultrasound machine was much higher quality than the one last week, you can tell from the pics...there is even a 3-D picture. The doctors say everything looks great. (The first two pictures are sideways for some reason..just a heads up)







I also received a package in the mail from my mom! She sent me so many fun things to make cards - which is a new found hobby of mine. I am definitely no pro but I have fun! I started making them with my little sisters and Lynn Beckett (close family friend from Australia) when I was living with my family while Chris was in New York. And now I can continue making them here! Thank you so much mom! Plus she sent me some great new books : )



And then to top off my wonderful day, I got to go to dinner with Chris : ) We went to the Counter - so delicious - and ate way too many sweet potato fries (well at least I did)

Baby #2

Yep. Chris and I are expecting baby #2. Due March 27th, which makes me 11 weeks. We are so excited. I am happy that Collin is going to be a big brother -I know he is going to watch over his siblings. I'm excited to tell them all about him.

The first ultrasound picture is at 7 weeks and then second one is at 11 weeks. The 11 week picture is not the greatest - the ultrasound was on one of those little portable machines and the picture looked much better on the screen then when the doctor printed it. Also our little one is a mover! He or she was moving around during the ultrasound and so we couldn't get a great picture. It was neat because during the ultrasound I could see our little one's arms and legs - but the picture just looks like blobs. The important thing is that our baby is growing and has a strong heartbeat.

This pregnancy is different than my last. I almost don't want to post the events of my pregnancy thus far because I do not at all want to sound like I am complaining. I am so excited to be pregnant and am willing to go through anything, whatever it takes, for this baby and I don't ever want to sound ungrateful because this pregnancy is an incredible blessing.

That being said I want to share a few stories. First, remember when I blogged about my trip to NY and the 'interesting' experience on the flight. Well here's the story. At that point I was about 5 weeks pregnant. I was just starting to feel sick and I had an early morning flight. I ate breakfast and headed to the airport, by the time I reached my gate I was a bit hungry but told myself I could certainly wait until lunch, I mean come on I had just eaten breakfast! Anyways I get on the flight and just after our plane takes off I start feeling really nauseous. I do not want to throw up in the little bags they provide so I asked my neighbor if I could get out to use the restroom (I was at the window seat). He leaned over to the guy next to him and that is that last thing I remember. I apparently passed out and luckily was buckled in my seat when I did. When I came too, I was surrounded by flight attendants, covered in sweat and confused as to what had happened. It just took me a second to replay the events in my head and realize that I had passed out - I felt sick. There was a doctor on board, a super nice lady, who came and sat on the edge of the row while I laid down. My blood pressure and heart rate were both low which made them all nervous, so they had me on oxygen. Oh and this all happened within the first 30 minutes, so I still had 4 hours ahead of me. I threw up a couple of times and just felt so horrible. Meanwhile, Chris receives a call from air traffic control telling him that his wife is not doing well on the flight and he needs to meet me at the gate. (the orginal plan was for me to take a taxi and meet him at the hotel that night because he was going to be at work when I arrived). He was worried! - although I did tell them to make sure he knew I was okay when they contacted him. Anyways, this is turning into a long story - I eventually made it to NY and Chris was there very grateful to see that I was walking and doing a bit better. Needless to say we took it easy that trip. My doctor wasn't too worried about the whole thing which was comforting.

Okay story #2 takes us to Labor Day. The Oakland Temple was opened Labor Day morning and so Chris and I took the opportunity to go. During the session while kneeling at the alter I again passed out. I felt this one coming on and was able to whisper to Chris just in time for him to catch me, which was very lucky because otherwise I would have hit my head pretty hard. I felt pretty sick after that experience too and ended up throwing up. I think I always need to keep food in my stomach and if I feel any signs of passing out then I just need to lay down. Hopefully that was the last of my passing out episodes but I will definitely keep you all updated...

This pregnancy is also different because I am taking blood thinner (Enoxaparin or Lovenox) shots. Once in the morning and once at night. They do hurt but it is so worth it! I do not dread these shots or feel bad about them at all because I know it is going to help our little one.

Anyways, there you go, a little taste of my pregnancy thus far. Other than the passing out episodes and tiredness/nauseous feelings everything is going great! I feel so blessed to be pregnant. Look I am even starting to show : )

Happy Birthday Collin

Chris and I are now living in CA! I just figured out the interent today, hence the updating. I have so much to update. However, this post is one I wanted to wrtie on August 20. August 20, that day we drove to CA and Collin's Birthday. I will update more about life here etc. later.

August 20. One year. I can't believe it's been one year. It still feels fresh like yesterday sometimes and other times it feels like a dream. Chris and I have grown so much this past year. Collin brought us even closer together. I miss my baby boy and always will. I am so grateful for him and so proud to be his mom. He taught me that life is precious. He taught me to rely on my Savior for comfort. He taught me that I can feel peace even in times of saddness. He is my baby and I love him. I am so looking forward to the day when I can hold him in my arms again. Happy Birthday Collin.

Another trip to NY

This past weekend I was able to go to NY again to visit Chris. We had the best time! Now just over a week and he is home! YAY!
Friday night we went with some friends on the Staten Island Ferry. So cool. The skyline is beautiful at night!

Then on Saturday we celebrated Chris's birthday (which is tomorrow) and our Anniversary (which is on Monday). We first went birthday shopping for Chris and got him some great new clothes and then that night we went to Mesa Grill for dinner and then to the Lion King on Broadway. Both so amazing. And both now highly recommended by me. Mesa Grill is one of Bobby Flay's restaurants - now if you don't know who Bobby Flay is you are missing out - he is a super famous chef that host a number of shows on the food network channel. Okay I'll admit it the food network channel is probably my favorite channel on TV. Anyways, yes I was so excited to go to his restaurant. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It was easily the best food both Chris and I have ever eaten at any restaurant ever. So good. I could write paragraphs and paragraphs about the amazing Queso we had as our appetizer but don't worry I will spare you.
These pictures our of our entree's and dessert. I had Salmon and Chris had Steak. So yummy!

After dinner we made our way to the Minskoff Theatre for the Lion King. It was so well done and the customes were amazing. Oh and just so you know it was pouring rain outside so forgive my frizzy hair.

I had the best trip! I am sad that I cannot be with Chris on his birthday and our anniversary but glad that we got to celebrate together in NY!