Baby Mama

Bath Time

2009-09-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

Tatum's First Bath

2009-09-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

First we put her in her bath chair- which she totally hated! Then we put her down in the water and that was a lot better. Until I guess I took to long to wash her up so she started screaming again.

Here she is all wrapped in her towel and happy as can be.... then she decided to pee all over her daddy, so her first bath was quickly followed by her second bath.Finally she was happy and dry And all ready for bed.

Testing Out The New Ride

2009-08-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

6 days old

2009-08-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how fast this last week has gone by! It really has been one big blur, seems like its only been one day. I was sitting today thinking of what I was doing one week ago.
I was at work all day and wondering when I'd be able to take my 2 month vaca... little did i know it would start in 24 hours!
Tate had her one week checkup today (even though she's technically not 1 week till tomorrow, at 10:35 pm)

Dr. Arnold is her pediatrician and I love him. He was one of the on call doc's at the hospital, and the moment he walked in and I saw the plastic chameleon on his stethoscope I knew he was the doctor for us! :-)
She had dropped down to 6 lbs 1 oz when we left the hospital on thursday, but is back up to her birth weight exactly today! I guess it usually takes babies about 2 weeks to get back to birth weight but not this little eater! Dr. Arnold said she was a really good feeder and looks very healthy over all. I was so relieved to hear that she was getting enough food!
Its pretty stressful keeping track of every time she eats, and making sure it hasn't gone to long in between feedings, and getting enough diapers!

We discovered a little red birthmark on the back of her head under all that hair. Its about the size of a nickle and Dr Arnold said it will probably disappear by the time shes 4.

I actually got dressed the last two days, and it feel so good to get ready instead of sitting in Greg's t-shirts and basketball shorts all day. It was really good to be out of the house too. We were driving home from her appointment and had to try and think of more errands we could run before we headed back home! Tomorrow I think we're gonna try and go on a walk. Get the dishes returned from our great neighbors the Whites who made us dinner 2 nights last week! And to get little T some sunshine.

Its so funny, she looks different every day. Gets cuter every day for sure. Her cheeks are filling out more. I cant wait till that yucky cord falls off so I can give her a real bath. Today she decided that when the poopy diaper comes off to change into the next one, that is the time to pee all over before mom and dad know what hit them. I think it happened 3 times today!

And there was a mystery pee that got all over the bedspread and her back, but left the diaper completely dry! I seriously don't know what happened there.

Tomorrow is Dad's last day home with us before school and work start again. I dont know what I'm going to do without him here to help me, he has been SO AWESOME this whole week. He got the diaper changing down pat, and the swaddling. He holds her when she cries, and has been cleaning up after us. The two night time meltdowns when she would not go back to sleep, he totally took over and let me get the rest! Just brought her in to eat. I really might cry when he goes to school wednesday morning. Thanks so much Greg!! We loooooovve you!

Tatum's Fan Club

2009-08-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

Mischa and MalikKellyEmily and FlintBethanyGrandma and GrandpaAunt AndreaMackenzie and JordynLittle Haylee :-)and of course mom and dad

note: she has had many other wonderful fans come by to meet her but i didnt catch their pictures!

She's Here!!!!

2009-08-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

Introducing Miss Tatum Ashley!!!

These are all pics from my phone!

Little miss Tatum came to us 8 days early.

Tuesday the 18th I woke up and noticed I was having some little contractions. Check the clock, it was 6. All morning I kept having little contractions, they didnt hurt at all, just really really tight and pressure. I was sccheduled to go into work at 1 and called about 12 to tell them I was having contractions and would see what happened. I said id probably be in around three. ha.

They started getting stronger at 12, not to bad though. By 2:30 I was having a few big ones, but nothing regular. Id have one then 15 minutes later another, then 3 minutes another....

Greg was supposed to go into work at 3, and I didnt know if this was real or not so I called my midwife and asked her what I should do.

She said I was in labor, but because I wasnt going to have an epidural or anything I should try and wait it out at home as long as I could. She suggested getting into a hot bath if I needed.

We decided Greg should go into work, so he left at about 3:30.

We had been cleaning up the apartment all morning, and I was still trying to get everything put away and in order in Tate's room. I kept organizing things stopping here and there to breath through contractions.

Took a short nap at about 4:30. Ate a popsicle.
They started coming closer together. I called Val at 7:00 to tell her I was contracting and then while I was talking to her I noticed I had about 4-5 contractions in our short maybe 10 min conversation. I called Greg and told him he better come home right now. Right now? Yes please leave right now.

He got home and I was rocking on my yoga ball "looking calm". I asked him to stick our bags in the car so we could go, so he started getting things together slowly. Changed his clothes. Went to the bathroom. Walked around a little, I dont know what he was doing, but I was thinking "it dosnt look like he's getting those bags into the car".

I said ok lets go to the hospital now. We drove over and were checked into the tiny closet of a room by about 8 o'clock. They check and I was at a 5 almost 6 centimeters. I asked "so this isnt going to go back down to a one or two right?" They said no, you wont go back down. I was so worried they'd have to send me back home!

They admitted me right away but said they had to clean up a room for me. They were having a very busy day and had just gotten done with an emergency c-section. They said it would be about an hour.

So we watched tv and waited and contracted.

They were getting pretty intense, and pretty close together. Greg was great and talkd me through them. Helped me rememeber to breath. We were in there for what seemed like a looong time. I really wanted them to check me and see how far along I was. After we were in there for 2 hours I had Greg go find a nurse to figure out what we were supposed to be doing.

I think they forgot about us, but they said they had a room all ready and they made me walk into the delivery room. I had a big contraction while I was walking.

I got in and used the bathroom, then they laid me down and the midwife came in and checked me. I was at an 8. I was really considering having an epiduarl at that point, but I had a few more contractions, had them run the hot bath for me and was checked again. I was at a 9.

The midwife showed Greg how to push on my knees for pressure and that felt reeeeeaaaaalllllyyyy goood during the next contractions.

I had wanted to use the tub and she asked if I wanted to get in and I started having another contraction. I was feeling alot of pressure and said I felt like I needed to push. They checked again and I was at a 10. I think I went from 8-10 in about 25 minutes.

The midwife was Kathryn and she was really great. There was another girl there who is studying to be a midwife doing her internship. They asked if I minded if she helped, I said go for it. She actually had done my last checkup appointment so I had met and liked her already. She said she had done about 30 deliveries already. I cant rememeber what her name was....

She said I could start pushing, so I did. I remember only having to push through 4 contractions, Greg said it was more. Who knows. Kathryn said I only pushed for 8 minutes though.... and she was here!

Man it hurt!!

They put her on my belly and Greg cut the cord, then they wisked her off to be cleaned and poked and sucked at. She had swallowed some of the fluid before she was born and was having a hard time breathing. Intern/midwife lady pushed alittle on my stomach and asked me to push again about 2 minutes after the birth. Out came the placenta, it was pretty cool looking. Very weird to see where my baby had been living for the last 9 months. It wasnt as big as I thought it would be. I had Greg take a picture of it :-)

They didnt tell me anything was going wrong with Tatum but took her right out of the room to fix her breathing. Greg got to go with her. The nurse cleaned up a little bit and then I was left all by myself. So I called my mom and talked to her for a little while. Soon Val came into the room and stayed with me. I was freezing. The nurse had asked me if I wanted any medicine for the pain before she left and I said I did. We were there for about an hour and she hadnt brought it. I was actually feeling great, once those contractions stopped I was on cloud 9.

Val went to find the babe and ask the nurse to get me some drugs. G came back into the room and then Val and Andrea Emily and Talia came in. The nurse came soon after to take me down to my room.

Allie came too and I saw her when we passed by the nursery.

We all went into my room and waited for that baby!

She was finally brought in to me at about 1 o'clock.

Everyone got a chance to hold her, then they all left except Val. She helped me get started nursing. I had no idea what I was doing, but it all felt very natural. I was soooooo tired though. Val left, Tatum finished feeding and then we had the nurse take her to the nursery so we could sleep. Greg and I were both exhausted. I couldnt believe how tired I was, but once we turned the light off I couldnt fall asleep. My body was greatful for the rest, but I dont think I closed my eyes once. They brought her back in about 3 hours later to eat again.

From then on is a bit of a blur.

Sleeping a little. Feeding. Visitors. Pretty good hospital food. Looking at the baby. Listening to her cry. She has a good set of pipes.

We left the hospital at about 1 yesterday, had our first night at home, and everything is going really well so far. We love her so much! Shes so cute!

Getting Crafty

2009-08-10T21:06:00.000-07:00

Today I had the day off and I decided to get a little crafty.
I used my mad sewing skills (yeah right) and whipped up some burp rags. It was good practice sewing in a semi straight line. I made this bow/clip with some scrap material I had. It is good for both mother and baby.

I got these frames for 99 cents each at Savers and spray painted them to match the crib. Then cut out these little animal silhouettes for the "nursery". I think they turned out really cute! The background looks white in these pics but its actually a yellow damask.

Also cut and pasted this cute lil guy! Owls are awesome (even though he's a little off center)

I decided that the diaper bag I had was just toooooo big, so I went and exchanged it for this one. It has an adjustable strap so I dont look so stumpy when Im wearing it.

FYI- Too big of bag=Stumpy legs

I got it all packed up today with T's hospital needs.

At least I hope so. Does she need anything besides:

~new burp rags

~a few onesies

~receiving blanket

~soft quilt made by Grandma Houghton

~diapers and wipes
~some binkys
~awesome going home outfit

~hat

~headband
~and extra small booties

Oh.... I also packed her baby book in there so I can fill in some pages while its all still fresh in my mind.

Heres a closeup of her cute cute cute going home panda oufit from Mimi!
And all her stuff set up and ready to grab and go

I got my delivery room pedicure the other day.... my feet are a little swollen

Here are my almost 28 week pics

We're aiming for this weekend. :-P haha. I at least need to make it to thursday so I can get my maternity pics done, im so excited!

This is Greg's last week of school, with the last final on saturday morning, he said Saturday at 1 would be a good time to go to the hospital :-) We'll see!

37 Weeks, and Baby Carson

2009-08-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

We went to visit our new nephew Carson today! He is so cute! And has awesome hair that sticks straight up :-)
Zack and Greg preparing the dinner for the women folk
Beautiful mama Jessica with Carson and Kailey
What a good uncle
We have the cutest neices and nephews, hopefully that means good genes for Tatum!

Little Carson Robert was 8 lbs 2 oz and born on Aug 3rd

31 Days and Counting

2009-07-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, one month to go.... well it was officially a month on Sunday Here we are enjoying our few last moments of peace and quiet :-)

Belly's getting bigger

Being the nice amazing wife that I am, I went with G to the library yesterday so he could get some study time in. I started the book Mudbound, which I am liking from the beginning.

UVU's new library is really awesome. It is HUGE, with lots of study space and big windows all around so you can see the lake and the mountains.

I <3 libraries

Baby Haylee

2009-07-23T17:24:00.001-07:00

Baby # 2 on my list has arrived!

Haylee Jean Fossum was born on Tuesday the 21st!
9 lbs 5 oz and 19 inches
She is daughter number three for my friend Marie from work, her last baby was 10 lbs, so this one was tiny :-) She has cute black hair, and lots of it! I hope Tatum has at least a little bit.

I liked that the hospital put a green bow in her hair, pink is for sissys.

Me and mama Marie, shes so cute!

She's planning on coming back to work the beginning of August so we'll have a few more weeks together before Tatum comes :-)

35 weeks

2009-07-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

Heres our awesome new rocker, thanks Heidi Carissa Emily LuAnn and Jessica! We are trying our best to stay cool this hot hot summer. Heres an attempt at a self photo eating snowcones

And here I am, rockin the preggo swimsuit at 35 weeks! You can tell my face is getting fatter here.

Help

2009-07-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

I've got 5 weeks to go and just started to freak out about her actually coming! Mostly Im just worried that Ill come home from work and be so tired and then go into labor without any energy to push this baby out!

Also, how do I know if its labor or not? I dont think ive had any contractions yet. Maybe some baby braxton hicks, but i will just feel my lower tummy get kind of hard and tight. It will only last for about 30 seconds though. No pain.

Lastly what if she comes early. Technically she could be here any day, and though I feel our apartment is pretty Tatum ready, I dont have my official bag for the hospital packed, or her diaper bag or anything. I can just picture us waking up in the middle of the night and me having to spend and hour picking out which homecoming outfit she should have while throwing other random things I think we'll need into Smiths grocery bags.

So here's where I need your help.
What in the world do I put in my hospital bag?
Are there things you wish you'd brought?
Things you thought just took up your precious space?
How many diapers? Do I need to bring them at all?

Is this supposed to be like suitcase sized?

Hallelujah!

2009-07-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

Last night I actually slept! It was amazing. I have had the hardest time staying asleep at night, I can always sleep in the day but dont have time for naps!
I think it was just a few bad nights worth building up. And a busy busy day yesterday. Maybe thats the trick, just wear myself out so bad during the day that my brain is forced to shut off at night.

We had our midwife appointment on Wednesday with Abby, she was very nice and looked very young. Everythings coming along smoothly, she said Tate's grown alot these last two weeks which is good. Im up to 24 lbs gained! That sounds like alot to me!

Next week we're going to try to squeeze in a tour of the hospital and get all our pre-registration papers filled out. After my next appointment Ill be going in every week!

Babies 'R Us got my rocking chair in so we went and picked up the box. Hopefully Greg can put it together for me today, I feel like rocking already.

My hands and feet are beginning to swell a little. Its pretty much flip flop city for me, unless I'm at work. Then I have one pair of slip on flats that are stretching out nicely :-) I wont even attempt a shoe that requires me bending or tying.
My last day of work is scheduled for Aug 19th, a week before my due date. Lets see if I make it that long. I think she will come early.

All My New Toys

2009-07-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

Its been fun putting together all of Tatum cute stuff, getting ready for her to live in the apartment with us! Here's the sweet stroller carseat combo thingy Mimi got us for the shower. I love it! I found a fun baby book at Babies R Us, on sale even! So I have been busy filling out all the info I can about our family before she gets here. I cant wait to put in the first picture of her and the story of her birth. And the bathtime page. And the Haircut page. And all of the pages!! Im so excited for her to come.

Me putting the stoller together all by myself. Ok, Greg helped a little.

Im getting a pretty good tan from seven peaks this summer, now my belly looks extra sexy being way way more white then the rest of me
:-P

Baby Shower

2009-07-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

While my mom was in town she and my Aunts Andrea and Val threw me and Tatum the cutest shower! Everything was decorated in pink and brown. I had lots of guests who were able to come and we had the funnest time!

Yummy yummy food. You cant go wrong with a platter of fruit and a chocolate fountain!The awesome diaper cake Val made me, thanks!! Ange and I just happened to wear the same shirt that day. Haha. (Its not a maternity shirt so she shouldnt feel bad ;-) )We decided that the balloon counted as twins.We played Guess What Poo (chocolate) is in the Diaper (the official game name im sure)

And How Big Around is the Belly ~ everyone thought i was alot bigger then I am... especially Becca! Geez her string could have gone around me at least twice!

Paulette won and was one of the two who guessed smaller

I had Lucy go around and take some shots of the guests for me. She's such a good photographer.

Tate suuuuurrre got spoiled! I think she's got more clothes in her closet then I do now. Our apartment is overflowing with all her stuff, I have no idea where to put it all.

Thanks to everyone who came and everyone who got us the awesome gifts!

She's getting Freakin' Big!

2009-07-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

33 Weeks34 weeks She is definatly taking up more space in there!

I am trying to quickly post something before I run over to my friend Whitney's to do some hair and then go to 7 Peaks, thought Id give Mom a few pics to hold her over until I can do the big post :-)

Calling all knitters

2009-06-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

Tatum found these cute knitted cupcakes in a magazine and told me she reaaaalllly wants them.

Dani's View

2009-06-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

of 31 weeks

Baby Malik

2009-06-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

I have 6 friends/family/coworkers who are pregnant (including myself). In the lineup of due dates I am 5th. And this Sunday #1 was born!

Welcome Malik James Bates!! Weighing in at 8 lbs and 13 oz, 21 1/2 inches tall! He was 4 days past his due date, and thank goodness not any later. He's a big boy!
We got to go visit him and his parents Mischa and Donavan last night at the hospital, and he sure is a cutie! (And thats saying something for a newborn)
I think he looks alot like his mama.
I was holding him and just kept looking at him and thinking "Something this big is gonna come out of me soon??!"

I like to make Greg hold babies, he looks so cute with them :-)
One down... three to go... then me!

Here's a little project I made yesterday for Tate's bedroomI am not a very crafty person, but I think it turned out really cute!

Crib: up and running

2009-06-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Yes! They finally got the crib in stock at Target, and now we have baby room!Thank you so mcuh Uncle Brian for our gift card!We cleaned all day, and got rid of alot of junk to get Tatum's room presentable, but it looks so cute. Now there are just these huge white walls that need something to fill them.

And here's the belly at 29 weeks

I've got an appointment on wednesday and then after that im up to every 2 weeks checkup. My back has been hurting most days, and Im eating everything in sight. Im developing a much bigger sweet tooth too. Mostly for icecream.
One weird thing is that when Im sleeping my hips and legs start hurting. Ill wake up and they will just be aching. I dont notice it during the day.

Mini Shower

2009-06-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

Tatum got so spoiled in Texas!
Auntie Katrine got some of our friends together and took me to La Madeline's for a little shower. It was so fun to have everyone together... I hadnt seen Renea since graduation! She and Jen both have babies already.... well they are 2 years old now. Crazy! The food was scrumptious, and we got so many cute outfits and other baby stuff!

Jen Gia Dani

Morgan Ashley, Dani Ashley, and Tatum Ashley :-)

Thanks so much! We love and miss you....

Cant wait till Capa's wedding you can meet baby T for real!

99 Days to go

2009-05-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

Yay Im down to double digit days! Its still a long time though. I thought I was 6 months.... i have 3 months till my due date.... 9 months right? But my friend Marie is trying to convince me that Im 7 months. 26 weeks. I dont know, I just know Im more then half way done!
I had an appointment yesterday with Midwife Jennifer, she was super nice and friendly, just like the last one. Im really glad I switched over to this office.
I did my glucose test, which was not as bad as everyone says. I did feel a little jittery with all that sugar in me.
I gained 7 lbs this month, woot woot!

Yesterday I went and got baby Tatum's bedding from Babinski's! I LOVE it! Just wish I had the crib to set it all up already! I feel like Im so unprepared, I have nothing ready. I guess thats what these 99 days are for.

She has a name!

2009-05-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

25 weeks

2009-05-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

According to parenting.com this little baby weighs about 1 1/2- 2 lbs and is about a foot long!I can defiantly tell she is getting bigger, and her kicks are getting alot stonger! When Im laying down flat in bed we can see her move around. Kinda freaky, kinda cool. Its like ive got a bubbling cauldron inside my belly.
Im weighing in at 124 lbs this morning. A few of the girls from work and I went to the Women's Expo at UVU, which had some really cool booths, one was a fitness group who checked our body fat. I've got 21%, which is good!

As for my clothes Ive been wearing a BellaBand to hold up all my pants that have to stay unbuttoned and completely unzipped to fit. My shirts all fit fine. But I decided to go look for some maternity pants.

Can I just ask...

What is up with maternity clothes? Just because my belly is growing doesn't mean my butt is sagging down to my knees. Seriously, everywhere I went had the saggiest unflattering pants Ive ever seen. Until I went into Motherhood. They actually had cute stuff, but it was all so expensive! The sales ladies all attacked me when I came into the store, and started handing me all this stuff. I ended up trying on at least 20 different outfits. I really like a few items and was going to get one pair of pants, one pair shorts and one t-shirt - until I added the cost up in my head!

So I just ended up buying the one pair of pants, which roll up to capri's too. They are sooooo comfortable, with the stretchy waistband that comes up to my bra, haha.

Went to Babies R Us to find a gift for our friend Mischa who is expecting in June. Of course I found a few things for myself too :-)

This cute frame shows off her progress so far. I cant belive from the 1st picture to the 2nd is only a month and one week apart. She was barely a peanut, and then you can actually see a baby!

This cool snack ball was supposed to be part of the gift to our friend, but Greg though we should hold onto it :-)
On Sunday we went up to Heber for Mother's Day and had dinner with the in-laws and Emily and Flint. We told Flint there was a baby in my tummy and he got reeeeaalllly freaked out. Poor guy, he was so worried about how that baby was going to get out of Aunt Dani.
Then next day we went up there again and we heard Flint screaming, so Greg went out to ask him what was wrong and he just put his hands up to his face and said "Its terrible you're having a baby, terrible!"
After trying to console him they finally told him not to worry, when the baby was big enough the stork would bring her to us.

23 weeks

2009-05-02T18:34:00.000-07:00

Nurse Midwife

2009-04-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

So I really wasn't loving (or even liking) the doctor I was seeing, and I had wanted to find a midwife. But I didn't know where to look, or how it would work with insurance, and where to deliver etc etc....

The hospital I was already going to had a midwife section so I made an appoint and went and saw them, and I really didnt get any different feel between them and the doctor.

Lucky for me a women came in to get her hair done and after chatting with her for about an hour I found out she was a midwife. She gave me tons of information and recommended me to the American Fork hospital nurse midwives (since we (greg) really wanted me to deliver in an actual hospital).

I finally got around to making an appointment with them and went in this morning to check it out.
I LOVED IT!
There office was really nice, and all the staff. They have 6 midwives there that you switch around with, meet all of them and then whoever is on call when you go into labor delivers you.
We met with Roberta today and she was AWESOME. Exactly what Id been looking for. She talked to us. She asked us questions. She answered my questions, in detail. And was just really nice and animated and seemed alot more hands on then the other stinky doctor.
She told me a little about the two different hospitals they deliver at.
She showed me some stretches to do for my back pain, and demonstrated them for us. She was pretty flexible!
I think mostly she just made me feel comfortable and welcome so I could actually not be nervous and remember what I wanted to ask.

She measured me up, im at 23 inches
and we got to hear the heartbeat, always fun.

Next appointment I get to drink the yummy diabetes sugar test drink! Cant wait :-P

The office seemed pretty busy for 9 in the morning, and G overheard someone saying how slow it was today, so I guess there is usualy a big wait.
But I'd rather wait there then get in fast to the other place

22 weeks

2009-04-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

Ive had the worst cold this weekend, my entire head is stuffed up. And it stinks because I cant take any medicine!

20 weeks 2 days

2009-04-10T17:18:00.000-07:00

Half way there!
We went to an appointment yesterday and did another ultrasound, and its still a girl! Yay! I've felt from the beginning it was a girl.
Yesterday during her ultrasound she was kicking and flipping all around! It was really cool to see her moving around since last time we had to try and wake her up by poking my stomach, which only woke her for a second (enough to see the sex) then she was asleep again.
She was measuring right at 20 weeks and we got some cool pics.
I thought I could feel her moving around the last couple days but wasn't sure if it was her or just my bubbly stomach.
Last night I woke up about a million times (annoying) and one of the times I could defiantly feel her pressed up right below my bellybutton kicking away. It was so cool.
Ive gained a few more lbs, according to my bathroom scale im up to 116.
No strong or strange cravings, just fruits and veggies calling my name. I always have apples in stock, but I really want a juicy peach or a nectarine. Only problem is if I remember to buy them when im at the store they're all eaten within a day or two.
Oh Ive also been eating alot of celery with peanut butter, yuuuuummm!

Names are to hard to think of and agree on!

18 week photos

2009-03-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

Eating Molton lava cakes at Chilie's with my friends from work Marie and Bethany. Marie (opposite side of table from me) is one month ahead of me with her 3rd girl!

Suckers

2009-03-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

I go onto parenting.com pretty often to look at names, and nursery ideas, and whatnot. Today I was looking at my 18 week stats and they had a tip of the day:

Todays Tip
If you're not the oldest of six kids or didn't babysit all the way through high school, you may be feeling a little nervous about how you'll care for this baby after he makes his big debut. Relax! Some hands-on experience is the best way to build up your new-mom confidence. If you have a close pal with a baby, ring her up and book a day of sitting -- complete with a 101 lecture in all the major essentials, like diapering, feeding, and strollering -- all before she skips out the door.

Ha ha! I win! I am the oldest of 6 kids, so I dont have to worry about a thing :-)

Baby Shopping Extravaganza

2009-03-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

Dad and Bea drove up to see me and Sierra over spring break. And since we found out we're having a....

GIRL!!!!!

we went over to Babinski's in SL and went a little crazy with all the cute baby stuff.

Socks that look like little sneakers, in all different colors cute little booties!

this shirt is true... of all of her 7 grandmas

This little onesie has snails on it
this cute camo dress actually came from Cabela's... showing her Heber roots

cute cute cute little bathing suit, it was the smallest size 0-6 months, i hope it fits

And this moses basket was so sweet and soft. This will be here first bed :-)

Thanks so so so much Dad, she's one spoiled baby!

New Belly Pics

2009-03-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

Here I am at 15 weeks (last wednesday)

I dont see a "bump", but I definatly think I look a little thicker :-)

14 weeks

2009-02-25T15:20:00.000-08:00

My friend Mischa and I went to this AWESOME baby store called Babinski's in SL today. It had the cutest stuff!!!! Pretty expensive, but im sure its all worth it :-) I didnt buy anything, im sticking to my goal of finding out what we're having first

They had this cool highchair, it had hydraulics or something so you can make it shorter or taller... I think. I like that it is all plastic though, so it would be way easy to clean.

These paintings they had were really cute, for a girls room of course. But they wouldn't really match the bedding that I found there.

Out of all the bedding that Ive seen I always find cute boy bedding. This is the only girl bedding I have found that I even like, and I love love love it.

And I love the little mobile with the birds

The cutest thing in the entire store were these pink (and also come in equally cute gold) sandals!

If I have a girl I will DEFINATLY be going back to get her a newborn pair to wear this summer, and a pair for next summer :-)

I had my ultrasound a couple weeks ago and everything looked fine, so cysts or anything.

Here's the newest pics of Ziggy-Zig, I think it was 12 weeks

10 weeks 6 days

2009-02-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

I think babies in teacups make the cutest pictures!

See example A & B :-)

I had a check up yesterday and they said everythings looking good, except I lost 3 lbs. I really dont know how, I think ive been eating 24/7.

I think maybe ive just been eating smaller portions then usual because i start feeling yucky if i get to full.

Then he put the gew on my stomache to find the heartbeat, and he said he didnt know if he'd be ablle to hear it because im thin, and only at 10 weeks.

Dont you think you would be able to hear it better on a thin women then going through more layers on a thick women? Aparently not. He couldnt hear it, so he said to make another appointment in 2 weeks, because at 13 weeks you should definatly be able to hear it.

Then I got to ask some questions, and he said I would be fine at work around all the chemicals, just as long as i have a fan or some ventialtion on.

I asked him what I shouldnt eat and he just said as long as im not drinking, smoking, or doing drugs that was good with him. Bring on the crab leggs!!

I told him i'd been having pain on my right side if I lay on it at night, so he decided to have me come in for an ultrasound next week to see if i have a cyst on my right overy or something. Also they'll be able to see the heartbeat on there so I wont have to go in at 13 weeks. He didnt sound worried at all about it, and told me just to get the ultrasound sometime in the next week, so im not worried about it.

I have been sooo goood, I havent bought one single item baby related since I found out I was preggo. Im really holding out until I know the sex, then Ill probably go a little crazy.

One thing I really want though is a baby sling. You can get some way cute ones, and it just looks so easy and comfortable, like heres my baby in a little papoose and I can still pick things up and move around.

Also Ive been wondering about diapers. I found a website called www.gdiapers.com and they sell washable diapers with a flushable/biodegradeable insert that is supposed to biodegrade in 50-150 days instead of the 500 YEARS it takes to biodegrade a normal, mostly plastic made diaper.

Now I dont know how much a package of regular diapers cost, these run about $50 for a box of just over 100 diaper inserts. Is that good?

9 week pic

2009-01-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

Still no bump

Im ready to start showing so people will know whats going on and not just think im cranky all the time :-P

8 weeks

2009-01-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

Im pretty sure the last time I had my blood drawn was when I started Kindergarden. I remember it perfectly, my mom told me if I was really brave and didnt cry I could go get some ice cream after. So we went into the doctors office, and my cousin Brittan was with us. I sat on the chair and tried to be sooo brave! I remember I got some tears in my eyes because it hurt reallly bad, but I didnt cry. Then we went to Thrifty and I got a scoop of rainbow sherbet, my fav. Brittan got a scoop too, even though he didnt have to get his blood drawn. Lucky.

Today I went in for my pregnancy blood work and I was kinda nervous. Greg came with me, even though he didnt even offer to hold my hand! It was ok, he did sit by me, but had to read his book so he wouldnt look at the needles/blood and pass out. Anywho, I was really brave this time too and it only took one prick. My veins are easy. Then we went to sonic! woo hoo!

I dont know if its a pregnancy thing, but lately Ive been in the "I Hate Everything" mood. I really dont want to do anything except go to sleep, or see anyone except Greg (lucky for him). I dread going into work and am so annoyed by all my customers. I dont even want to look at baby clothes or my size clothes! Weird.

7 Weeks 4 days

2009-01-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

Look my little Ziggy doesn't have a thumb head anymore!! And it has little tiny arm and leg nubbins!
Last night I went to bed at 9:30 because I was beyond exhausted from my long work week! Seriously every day I get home from work and could just fall asleep, Only I was feeling really crappy last night too. So I drifted in and out of sleep until Greg came to bed around 11 I think. I got up a few minutes later to use the bathroom and could not believe how much pee I had in me! I felt like I was sitting there for 5 minutes straight! Im pretty sure I had gone to the bathroom like 2 hours earlier too. And because Im still taking medicine for my bladder infection it was bright neon green! Pretty cool. Greg would be embarrassed that Im writing this :-) Anyways I hopped back into bed and slept pretty good the rest of the night.

Every morning when I have to roll out of bed I feel like death, but then I eat a bowl of Frosted Cherrios or Cinamon Toast Crunch and I feel much better!!
For like and hour, then I have to eat something else so I dont feel crappy again.

When I went to pick up my prescriptions the other day I was supposed to have 3, but they gave me four different meds. So I was looking at them and noticed that I had two for nausea, which I was only supposed to have one. So I asked the pharmacist which one I needed and everything and he said just to keep them both.
The one I was planning on getting is supposed to make me really tired (more tired then I already am??). Then the other one is supposed to be super great and awesome and not make me tired! I was reading the label, and it says its for chemo therapy patients. I must look alot worse then I thought! No, I asked him and he said they use it for preggo people too. The pills are really tiny and it says take half to one pill every 12 hours. Thats got to be some potent stuff!
I read further on the label and found out that the tiny bottle of 30 pills I got cost $972.80!! I only had to pay $5 for it because I apparently have AMAZING insurance coverage on prescription drugs! Thats pretty crazy to me. Ive only taken 1/2 of one so far and I did have a pretty good day that day.

7 weeks

2009-01-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had my first appointment with Dr. Baxter. He seemed nice enough, not like this other creepy guy i had seen a while ago. Greg came with me because we were going to do our first ultrasound!!!! yay! So we got in and had to fill out some paper work. I was really nervous to hear the heartbeat, I dont know why but I thought there would be nothing there. Also going to see the "women doctor" is never fun, and pretty uncomfortable for me. Luckily I didnt feel embarrassed or awkward at all, even with Greg in the room. I was more comfortable then Id ever been before, thats good.

So they did my blood pressure and weighed me and everything. I few days before I had weighed myself and was down to 109, lost 5 lbs since id been preggo? What the heck. I havnt even been throwing up. But yesterday I was back up to 112 so I guess everything was fine. Is 5 lbs really a big deal or does it just seem like alot to me?

Anyways, the nurse took us into the room and had me do a urine test. Dr Baxter came in and talked to us for a second and then left so I could get my bottoms off. When he walked back in he had a prescription for me for a bladder infection (thats why i feel like i have to pee 24/7! I thought it was just a pregnancy thing and I was praying it wouldnt last the whole 9 months). So he handed it to Greg and I was just like "wow you knew i had an infection before you even looked at me" thinking, he's pretty good! But then he was like, "umm no, remember you just did a urine test". Oh yeah! I felt dumb.

Next he checked me out, everything looked good. Did the pap and everything, which I hate. I hate the clamp most of all, it hurts! He was fast though and then I got back dressed and he asked us if we had any questions. Ive had a ton, but couldnt think of any while I was actually in the office, so Im making a list for next time.

Next he took us to the ultrasound room!!! That table had some pillows on it so I could lay back and get comfortable :-) And a flat screen up on the wall so I could see everything going on. They did the indoor ultrasound, I guess because the baby isnt that big yet, but they covered the "wand" with a condom, for protection I guess. Not like a special wand coverer that look like a condom though, a real condom. I thought that was really funny.

Then she found our baby and it was sooo cute and tiny!

See its just that little white bean in the black area!! We could see the heart beating and it was so cool! Then she looked at my ovaries, which are awesome.

It was so weird to actually be there, and to be the one who had the baby insde her! Such a relief too to see the heartbeat! She said it was really strong!

I was also worried there might be more then one bean in there, Bob has been telling me that twins do run in their family and thought I would have them. So I made her double check "theres only one in there, right?"

The coast is clear! Only one at a time for me!

She measured it up and

Offical due date: August 26th !

Just 5 days before I turn 22!

Im happy, having an august birthday is the best! It going to make for one long hot summer though!

My next appointment is Feb 2, and then a month after that one we get to make one for our 2nd ultrasound to find out the sex!! Thats not to far away!

Im such a good Mom

2008-12-28T07:47:00.000-08:00

The other day I begged Greg :-) to take me to the gym so I could get a good pregnancy workout. Im bound and determined to gain only 30 lbs these next 9 months, so I figured I better start with some good habits now.

Greg wants to loose some weight, as always. He said he wont be one of those fathers who gains weight while the mom is gaining baby weight.

I told him not to worry, Ill never weigh as much as he does, and he says "well if I get down to my ideal weight you will". Yeah right!! He wants to be like 180, I would have to gain 65 lbs!

So we went to the gym with plans of riding the bikes for 30 minutes.... about 10 minutes on that devil machine and I was done! My legs were aching! I may be small, but Im way out of shape.

We need to think of a good workout routine so I actually have something to work towards instead of, yeah I feel tired already, lets go home :-)

Ok, so here are my stats:

Height : 5'3'' (maybe i'll grow a few inches, you never know)

Weight: 113

Boob Size: 32A

(any day now girls)

I havnt been sick really. Ive just been crampy most days, not all day long, every once in a while. No nauseousness yet. No throwing up or dry heaving. Hopefully this means I wont be sick at all!!! (crossed fingers)

5 Weeks 2 days

2008-12-26T17:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Baby!
I guess it is technically Dec 26th now, but I meant to write this yesterday :-) I tried my very hardest not to buy anything for my little zygote. (Thats what your Dad's been calling you these past few days, Ziggy, Zig)
Everything is so tiny and cute and I can hardly wait till I know if youre a boy or girl and can start spending my well earned dollars. I am planning on working up until you get here, as long as nothing goes wrong. At my last store my manager, Shayla, worked up to the day. Actually the morning she went into labor her water broke at like 8 and she came in to work at 9 to do a lady's perm! She was nuts. Dont expect me to do anything that crazy.
Speaking of work, I just found out a girl at my store now named Marie is preggers too! She's about 2 months along, so a little further then me, but it will be fun to go through it with someone every day. This is her 3rd baby, her two older girls, Averie (6) and Brinlee (1) are so stinkin' cute!! They are trying for a boy this time, and if its another girl, too bad! No more trying :-) Marie always has her babies late, and big. Brinlee was 10 lbs! Please be smaller then that Ziggy.
We were planning on waiting a few weeks to tell everybody about you, but your Dad got a little to ancy when we were making our Merry Christmas calls in the morning.
So first we told Grandpa Rob, who told Grandma Lana/Mimi (we're gonna have to find out what all these grandparents are going to want to be called. Youve got alot... 10 on mom's side and 3 on dad's) (Whoa 10 on one side? Lana, Rob, Mark, Beatrix, Joyce, Natalie, John, Susan, Don, and great great grandpa Thacker!)
Next we got to talk to uncle Tyler from Mexico (hes on his mission there) Grandma and Grandpa Brandt were on the phone too, three way.
Later we told Aunt Val, because we knew there was NO WAY your grandma could keep her mouth shut about it for very long.
And that night we told Nana who was in such shock she could hardly talk at all :-)

I was trying to convince Aunt Sierra to come up to Utah for school so she could be by me and she was being realllll stubborn about it. She said "Why would I move to Utah, it snows there." And I completely understood where she was coming from, snow=devil, but I still wanted her to live by me!
Well I think you convinced her Zig, once she found out you were coming she was singing a different tune :-) (I mean she didnt say yes, but she definatly sounded more hopeful)
If she is still being stubborn I'll just inform her that it snows TWICE as much in Maryland then it does in Utah. That should do it.

Telling the Mr.

2008-12-22T09:50:00.000-08:00

So Greg got home from work on Saturday and was busy packing up his bag to go to his parents for the weekend. I had it all set up with his lunch ready (steak pot pie) and an episode of Seinfeld (his fave) rip raring' to go. I turned it on and he wouldn't sit down to watch it, until i finally grabbed him and said lets finish this episode then we can go.

We watched the episode "The Fix-Up" Where Jerry and Elaine set up her friend and George on a date. Kramer tours a condom factory and brings home samples for everyone. Only George accepts, and he then uses one of them on his date.

A few days later Kramer announces that the condoms were faulty, and they find out Elaine's friend misses her period.

When George overhears this he is excited and exclaims "MY BOYS CAN SWIM!"

We laughed and laughed.

Then I told G I had a present for him and wanted him to open it now.

He unwrapped and looked at a book titled My Boys Can Swim!

Then I jumped up and down and told him I'd taken a pregnancy test that morning and it was positive. And that I didnt believe it so I went to the store and bought more tests and took another, and it was positive too!

He kept saying, are you pulling my leg?

So I showed him both test, and I was pretty much freaking out and bouncing all over the place about to cry.

He did believe me, but said he didnt want to get too excited until things were a little more concrete. But he was, I could tell.

We drove up to Heber and along the way were just like I cant believe this! It dosnt seem real. And also pretty much the only thing he had to say was we both better get on a workout schedule and figure out how to get (him) and keep (me) in shape. :-)

How sweet that he dosnt want me balooning up, ha. I am 100% agreeing with him, but I could just see how some other women would have freaked out at their husbands for saying something like that. He's so lucky to have me. Im awesome.

12.20.2008

2008-12-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

So Greg and I have been off birth control since Febuary 08. We didnt do any counting or ovulation tests, or whatever else there is to make a baby, we were just "going to see what happened" (direct greg quote).

After about 5 months I was starting to freak out a little bit, why wasnt it working? Was I broken? So I went to the doctor and he checked me out and said everything was looking good, I did have a uterus, and overies. Thank goodness! He told me how to count to find my ovualtion days, off I went merrily merrily.

The next few months I counted, and nothing happened. I went out and bought an ovulation kit. Then my period came and went. Twice. I was so pissed!

Finally Im like "Im through with this baby stressing! If Heavenly Father dosnt want me to have one yet, then Im not going to have one yet!"

Thats when Greg and I decided that we were going to take a BIG trip for his graduation in April. First it was Africa, then backpacking South America. We hadnt made any final desicions or bought or booked any flights ect.

My periods havnt been regular for the past couple of months. Usually between 28 and 32 days apart. Last month I started on day 35! That really got my hopes up, I took 3 pregnancy tests in like 5 days. But it came.

Today is day 32 of this cycle.

I had been having alot of cramping the last few days, but it was different then my normal period cramping. It would happen several times a day, and night, but only last for about a minute or so, but they hurt. They hurt enough to wake me up 3+ times a night. So last night I asked Greg for a blessing.

I did have cramping through the night, and this morning I woke up and got to lay in bed for a while (yay for not having to work on a saturday!!) I was thinking that this was day 32, and I did have one pregnancy test left under the sink. And the morning is the best time to take one.

But I was really scared. Every time I take one and it says negative, I get so sad! I didnt want to ruin my long fun filled Christmas with the Brandts weekend.

Then I jumped out of bed and said, who are you kidding? You take one very month just for fun anyways, go do it!

So I pulled it out. Read the directions very carefully. Pee'd on it for 5 seconds, no longer, no shorter. Closed the cap. Looked around the room for about... 2 minutes. Then I looked.

There was a pink plus sign in the control box? It's positive?

ITS POSITIVE!

<-- crappy pic from my camera phone, but the lines are dark, and clear in real life!

I dont know for sure for sure 100% yet, but its positive. Thats like 99% accurate right?!

With my luck, I will be that 1% wacky normonal pee. But for now, Im letting myself think its positive. As soon as I get showered and dressed and wash the dishes, im going out to buy more sticks. Greg gets off work at 2 today.

Ive already had it all planned out how Im going to tell the hubby, since like March! Im so excited to actually do it!