Bry's Birthday

We celebrated Bry's birthday this weekend since he had his oral arguments for school on his actual birthday. We went to dinner at Outback and he got his favorite steak; He also had an entire Baskin Robin's Ice Cream Cake to himself. (Let's just say that took every ounce of love I have to buy that.) We also got to go suit shopping. Thanks to our parentals he got two handsome new suits! Personally my favorite part of his birthday was the card we got from his sister with our neices birthday wishes inside...just made us laugh.

Seven Months

I still am amazed at how quickly pregnancy has gone. We waited so long for this and then it has just flown by. Only 60 days til the baby comes (hopefully) and 32 days until we move to California for the summer. We are in for some BIG, exciting changes. We made our first trip to Labor and Delivery this weekend. The baby decided to be still for about 3 hours on Easter. Since this NEVER happens I was getting pretty nervous. Thankfully Bry made the decision for me and took me in just to calm my nerves. As soon as they hooked me up to the monitor the baby was going crazy again which was a huge relief. I just could never forgive myself is something was wrong and I didn't go in. I realize more and more each day that the worrying will never end. I always thought...as soon as we can just hear that heartbeat it will be okay, or as soon as we get past 12 weeks I'll stop worrying...YEAH RIGHT!!! I'm going to be the crazy mom in by the baby's crib in the middle of the night checking to make sure he is breathing.

Labor & Delivery Class

After the Birthing Video:
My thoughts: Am I an idiot?!? I have seen this birthing video before and I still went and got pregnant?!?! What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?

Bryan's VOCALIZED thoughts:
* (After the first female "area" is shown.) "Is this really necessary?"
* "I am sooooo glad I'm a boy."
* (Right after the birth when the baby was still covered in vernix.) "EEWWH! Did you see that?!? She just kissed IT!"
* "They better not try and hand me our kid when he looks like that...I'll give him back and tell them to hose him off...with a power sprayer."
* "Who would actually allow their birth to be taped and then shown publicly? You'd run into one of these people on the streets--Hey, nice independent video you did."

During the matching game:
Instructor: "When is it safe to have sexual intercourse again after birth?"
One of the men: 6 long weeks.
Bryan: After seeing that I'd say more like 2010.
(Of course after that I can't hold in the laughter and everyone looks at me like I'm immature.)

Instructor: (Explaining the 9 million steps to afterbirth care.) "This is an inflatable donut. Some woman like this to relieve pain after birth."
Bryan: "They should just make those ugly mesh underwear inflatable. It'd save a step."

Walking out of the Hospital:
Bryan: "I think I need to see a therapist."

For Bryan's real take on the experience go to Counter Point.
....but not unless you've been doing your kegel exercises.

Happy Birthday B!

Bryan turned 25 today! We wont get to do much celebrating today since he has his oral arguments for law school tonight but I made sure to wake him up nice and early this morning to wish him a Happy Birthday! I don't think he was too happy with me til I gave him his present. When I looked at him this morning I couldn't help but be so proud of the person he has become over the past 25 years and of all the things he has been able to accomplish. I have such great faith in everything that is ahead for him with our family and with his career!
In honor of Bryan's Day I thought I would share just three of my favorite stories of Bryan....

*1. Bryan is a crazy sleeper. When we first got married he actually scared me. He'd wake up screaming stuff or bring weird objects, like our alarm clock, to bed with him. One week in particular he was on a roll every single night. I had fallen asleep early which Bryan, the night owl, didn't appreciate. So while he was sleeping he built a wall of pillows between us, which of course he has no memory of. I wake up in the middle of the night to this wall of about 8 pillows...I put them all back at the end of the bed and wake Bry up to tease him about it. He starts screaming, "Where are my pillows? Where are they?" He sees them at the end of the bed and snatches one back into each of his arms. He wraps his arms around them, looks at me, and says in a voice of disgust, "I got myself some new hoes. This is a private party. See yourself out or the bouncer will see you out." Then he starts dancing with his two pillows. One minute later he was completely out again. I have never laughed so hard in my life...especially since the word "hoes" has never once come out of my husbands mouth. Our pillows have become known as pill-hoes.

*2. Although Bry is one of the most humble people I know, he can talk trash with the best of them. Bry is an amazing cook...way, way better than me. So he always harasses me about it. One night we were making shakes and he was going on and on about how his would be so much better than mine. The next thing I know his entire shake is covering him, our kitchen walls, and floor. Somebody let go of the hand held blender. :) Mine was definitely better.

*3. Bryan was nothing short of a problem child growing up--flushed his older brothers toys down the toilet, shot his younger brother in the knee (years later they did surgery and found this out), etc, etc. His family members affectionately refer to him as a gremlin. I find this so funny because of the person he has become. Anyway, I love this story his dad told me. When Bry was still too young to talk they found their front door open. They go outside to see Bryan in his diaper and bib with a pacifier in his mouth in front of a garbage truck with his arm held out doing the stop sign. This kid was fearless. I plan to keep all my doors dead bolted.

Happy Birthday Bryan!!
Love you!

Can You Feel the Magic?

For those of you that don't have the gift of sonogram interpretation, the answers to the magic eye pictures are on Counter Point.

Meet Our Stubborn Little Boy

For Christmas Bry's parents bought us a 3D Ultrasound. For the last few weeks we have gone in 4 different times to try and get a clear picture of our little boy...which never actually happened. Every time he was hiding in a corner and then would cover his face with his little hands. Obviously he wasn't a fan of the ultrasound.

We did, however, learn that we have a smart, stubborn little boy. I have no idea where the stubborn came from. :) As soon as the tech would start pressing on my stomach his hands flew to his face for protection. He was not having it! One day she would not stop pushing in an effort to get him to move (Bry and I were thinking...well of course he's not going to move his hands away if you are slamming something into his face...he's not dumb!) He must have gotten really annoyed with her because he flipped his little legs right over his face and started kicking at her...HARD! She still would not stop pushing so he completely turned over and gave us a nice shot of his bum. It was pretty funny! The next trip was the same story. We got some great 3D shots of his hands pushing her away. By the end of the fourth day we decided it wasn't worth it because the baby was obviously not enjoying this torture and the likelihood of getting an actual face shot was about zero. And so...our little guys appearance will remain a surprise until he is born.

Here are little glimpses into what he will kind of look like...it's more like a magic eye puzzle. Good luck seeing it. :) In the top one he is squeezed into a corner, but you can see one eye and his little nose and lips. And of course almost ready to cover his face are his little hands in the bottom left corner.
This bottom picture is super blurry and the tech said he was stretched out of proportion but that's the best we got. Again, you can see his hand covering his chin. She also said that he has very full lips. We have no idea where those came from considering Bry and are are both basically lip-less.
Although we didn't get a clear 3D picture it was so fun to get to watch him on the ultrasound. We got to see him yawn and put his thumb in his mouth. He also moved his mouth alot--talking to us??!!?? Or probably telling the tech to bug off. :) We loved seeing him kick and push. We can't wait to actually meet him and see his little personality. We are just so excited to be parents to this perfect little boy!

The People Have Spoken

Due to popular demand, a new post has been added to Counter Point. Brace yourself.

30 Carbs Per Meal?!?

I went in to see the dietitian and came out feeling a bit overwhelmed. Starvation was looking like a good option at that point. I get 5 small meals a day with 30 carbs at each meal. Well that's fine and dandy but have you actually ever really read food labels?!?

1 Large Apple=30 grams of carbs
1 banana=30 grams of carbs
1 cup of cooked veggies=10 carbs
2 pieces of bread=30 carbs
1/2 cup of granola=30 carbs
6 oz of baked potato=30 carbs
2 cups of 1% Milk=30 carbs
Here is my favorite:
2 inch brownie=30 carbs

Are you serious?!? A 2 inch brownie (that is basically one bite) is a full meal?!? One apple is supposed to be an entire meal?

This morning I started testing my blood sugar. The dietitian said I should do it 11 times a day...we'll see how long I can endure that. My poor little fingers are already mad at me. I was a little discouraged because I only had a 20 carb breakfast and my blood sugar was just barely under my maximum. Thankful it went way down for my next few pokes.

Although I am completely amazed by all these numbers I am more amazed that I have actually been able to stick to it. It takes a lot more effort and planning but I'm trying really hard and believe survival is a possibility. :)

Eventful...

We had such a fun weekend. Friday night we went to the BYU men's volleyball game. They beat Pepperdine 3 games to 1. This weekend we also got to go to Tucano's for Bry's birthday month. I don't have much room in my stomach but it was delicious! We got registered for the baby. We also had our second 3D ultrasound...I'll share that story when we actually get a good 3D picture of the little guy. We go in for try number 3 tomorrow...

Why do they hate the dentist?

I went nearly 25 years without a single cavity, thus never understanding why people hated the dentist so badly. Today I learned why... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? I look like I have paralysis! My right eye was even numb and droopy. Bryan came into work to get our car keys and he laughed until he cried. The compassion runs deep in our relationship.

Bye-Bye Love (Sugar)

I think Ray Charles says it best:
Bye bye love
Bye bye happiness
Hello loneliness, I think I'm gonna cry.

The results are back--and I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I still haven't quite figured out how I am going to survive without not only sugar but my beloved carbohydrates. Anyone who knows me knows I would pick pasta and bread over a good steak any day! This is going to be a HUGE change for me, but all things considered I'm feeling really blessed because my levels weren't high enough that I need insulin injections.
After reading all the complications that diabetes can cause in the baby after birth I think I have been scared into saying goodbye to my dear love--sugar. We have truly had a great relationship over the last 24 years and you will be greatly missed, but you are not more important than my baby.

So bye bye ice cream, and cookies, and chocolate, and sour patch kids, and chewy granola bars, and pasta, and croissants.....Hello Dietitian.

A Lawyer Story...

My Aunt sent this to me and it just made me so proud that my husband will be a lawyer someday. :)

Charlotte, North Carolina. A lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against, among other things, fire. Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars and without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy the lawyer filed a claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires."

The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason, that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion. The lawyer sued, and WON!

(Stay with me.)

Delivering the ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company, which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable fire" and was obligated to pay the claim.
Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the cigars lost in the "fires".

NOW FOR THE BEST PART.

After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had himArrested on 24 counts of ARSON! !! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.