Merry Christmas!

It is Christmas day and Nick and I are a little bored. The presents are unwrapped, we have played with our "toys" and now with no one else around, we are watching TV. So I thought I would blog about our Christmas adventures. Since the baby is due in about 2 weeks, we spent our first Christmas without family here in Logan.

Yesterday we woke up and had a special breakfast almond wreath that is a tradition in Nick's family. We took it to the Jensen's and watched them open their presents early, as they were leaving for Price. When we got home I surprised Nick with the idea of a Mexican Christmas. (where he served his mission) We got all the ingredients to make homemade tomales. They turned out to be a great success. Yum. Then we opened our "read" gift. (We decided on 4 gifts this year, a want, a need, a spiritual and a read.) I had made Nick a book on snapfish of the reasons I love him and he bought me a book called, "How to be an extrodinary mom." We watched a few family Christmas videos and talked about our favorite Christmas memories. We also read "The Christmas Sweater" together.

This morning I woke up early. I had been up several times through the night-pregnancy-so at 5:30 I rolled over and told Nick I was ready to open presents. We went downstairs and opened our presents. We are missing our families, but have enjoyed having time together alone before our family of two becomes a family of three.

Let it Snow!

I have been watching the news and hearing about all the crazy weather around the U.S. My brother Joseph and his wife Jessie came home from Iowa-missed a connecting flight in Denver due to the snow, and after arriving in Utah, found out they had no luggage or car seats for their 11 month old twins. I had another friend who's 8 hour drive home ended up taking over 12 hours, not to mention our Vegas friends who had snow too! We have been hit with quite a bit here in Logan- I would guess about 9-12 inches.

Well, the baby is due 3 weeks from today. (which means I am officially full term) The anticipation is killing me. I am so ready for her to come. I have been having inconsistent contractions for about a week. It drives me crazy because I just wish it was the real thing.

I wanted to share a few pictures of a baby shower my sister-in-law Julia threw for me over Thanksgiving break. It was so much fun and so great to see family and friends. We accidentally left our camera at my moms over Thanksgiving, so I haven't had a chance to take pictures of our house for Christmas or the huge 9 month picture. Maybe tomorrow. (mom is sending the camera)

Growth

Here is a great video that we talked about in one of the classes at church today about unity and growth in the church. I like the sparkly lights. When you know that each one is a stake of several wards or geographical congregations, it sure makes you think...

Nick

We can HARDLY WAIT!

I still have 5 weeks and 2 days left, but I seriously can't wait to have our little one arrive. Sorry this is all I post about, but it's always on my mind. Last night Nick and I took a date to the mall and decided to get some pictures taken at Kiddie Kandids. (I had a free maternity coupon) Then we went out to dinner and watched Christmas cartoons with my nephews. It was a really fun night and nice to get out. I have tried not to complain about this last trimester, because all the pain and drudgery is really much better than the first trimester of throwing up so much, but some of you have asked how I am "really" doing. I am feeling big. I have a hard time sleeping at night although I feel tired much of the time. I am still recovering from the UTI/Kidney issue, and a cold. (nothing too bad though)

I haven't been very motivated to get a lot done, but I did finally finish our Christmas letter. If you didn't get it through email, or if you couldn't open it, let me know and I will send it again.

UTI or Kidney Stones

UTI or Kidney Stones...or maybe both. Last night I kept having some intense pain that felt like stabbing pain. As the night continued, it got worse. I never dare take anything, but I knew Tylenol was ok, so I took some and hoped to be able to fall asleep. After laying in bed for an hour or so hurting pretty bad, Nick gave me a blessing and at 11:00pm we headed to the hospital. I felt like I had a UTI. I have had one in the past and it felt just like it. They had me do a urine sample and then hooked up the monitors to check the baby. The baby was doing fine. Thankfully. The urine results showed that I was passing kidney stones-something I had never experienced. They are also treating me for a UTI. They gave me medicine at the hospital and then I had to wait an hour to see how it made me feel. At 1:15 a.m. we were on our way back home. I am feeling a little better today. I am thankful for modern medicine, for the priesthood and for a wonderful husband.

Moving Baby

Feeling the baby move I knew would be the best part of pregnancy. It was something I have look forward to for 5 years. I have been able to feel the baby move consistently since I was about 20 weeks, but now that I am 34 weeks along, the movement seems almost constant and gets pretty hard sometimes. I actually have had a rib come out from being kicked so much and had to have it put back in by a chiropractor. Even so, I love the feeling. I love when she reacts to me singing or Nick's voice. I love laying in bed and seeing my belly move. This picture is NOT my belly. It is one I found online, but it reminds me of how I feel so often and how precious these times are. (see the little foot sticking out?)

Thanksgiving was a such a great time too. We were able to travel to Price and spend 3 days at my parents. We were all there except for my brother Josephs family, and it was so great to visit, eat, and play together. I also had a baby shower. Thanks for all those who came. It was SO wonderful to see friends and family members there. On the way back to Logan, we stopped and stayed a night with Nick's family which was also very fun and relaxing. Now today, I have laundry to do, bags to unpack, and Christmas to put up. Wish me luck!

Twilight-Movie in Review

Yesterday Nick and I both weren't feeling very well. (cold season-you gotta love it...even more when you are pregnant and can't take anything) We decided something relaxing to do would be to see a movie, so off we went to a matinee-Twilight. I have been excited about the movie. I started reading Twilight for the ward book club in Vegas. Loved it, so I read new moon then too. I had to wait for the other two to come out, but always anticipated their release. (not enough to wait outside Wal-mart at midnight though-course, I usually got it the next day) Anyway, the movie was a big hit on my list. Loved the actors that depicted my favorite characters. The whole show was almost exactly how I pictured it. Stephanie Meyers must have done a pretty good job explaining things because it was right on for me. If you loved the books, you will love the movie. Don't be afraid that the movie will ruin the book, it won't. If you haven't read the books, I am pretty sure you will still like the movie, so take a date night and go.

Baby Shower & Update

I have been waiting for pictures to post, but don't have them yet. (They were taken with my sisters camera) Last weekend I had my first baby shower. Seriously it was so nice!! My sister-in-law Julia hosted it in Lehi. We had games, prizes, presents, yummy food and great company. Julia and my mother-in-law Ali did the food. They had homemade soup, rolls, salads, and brownies. I was able to see family and friends that I hadn't see in over 5 years. That was so fun! The whole way home I had contractions and the next day they continued along with some other weird symptoms. On Monday I had my regular doctors appointment so I asked about it and he decided to check me. But no worries...I haven't started dilating. I guess the baby just doesn't like driving. It looks like I am measuring about right on. I still haven't gained any weight...I guess that had me worried too-what if she wasn't growing...But everything checked out ok. She is growing and so is my belly!! (probably just loosing muscle) I have spent the rest of the week scrapbooking. Seriously, everyday this week. It has been fun though. I am completely caught up with my scrapbooks and that makes me happy!!

This picture is at 32 Weeks. Only 8 more to go!

Going Private

There has been so much in the media about bad things happening on blogs. So, I guess I have to go private. I will plan on making the switch on Sunday, so if you would like to still view my blog, please send me an email to my junk email, and I will put you in. thegringoguy@yahoo.com

Yes on Prop 8: California's Gay Marriage Ban Passes

Wow! The last 24 hours have been pretty intense in our country. We have been praying that the ban on Gay Marriages would pass and we are thankful that it did!!! It was however, a very close battle. I don't really like to show my political views, but I know that in general conference we were encouraged to stand up for our beliefs. This is one thing that I feel VERY strongly about! Marriage between a man and woman is ordained of God!! I also fear a little for our country with the recent presidential election, but know that if we are on the Lords side, WE WILL WIN. So what do we do from here? I plan to pray for our country and leaders, try my best to do what is right, and stand in holy places, & stand up for my beliefs with issues in the media like Prop. 8. We all need to do our part.

Register

I have not registered for anything for this baby. I always feel like it is greedy and I don't want people to feel like they have to get me a gift. But the last few days I have received emails and calls asking where I am registered. So today I will go to Walmart and register for some things that I don't have yet. PLEASE don't feel like you have to give us anything or that I am being greedy. Hopefully this will make it easier for those who want a list. Thanks everyone!!

Halloween Fun

I know everyone has been busy posting about their Halloween night, so I thought I would too. Yesterday was actually a very productive day...which for those who know me best, know that I love productive days. I have been working on making curtains and pillows for our livingroom. We just bought some tan couches and so I wanted to pull the color into the room. I got the material for both for only 8 dollars. So, I sewed all morning, finally hung pictures on the wall in the living room, cleaned the kitchen, baked 2 pies, and finished a digital scrapbook I have been working on. THEN...Nick and I went to our ward Trunk-or-Treat and passed out candy. We also went to a Halloween dinner with Jessica, Bart, the kids and some friends. That is what I made the pies for actually. Nick dressed up as a ninja and I was Mike Wasowski from Monsters Inc. (I guess I should say, that is what the baby was. I have been LOVING fall here in Logan. Happy Halloween.

27+ weeks & Corn Maze

Ok, first you get the baby update. Monday I had an appointment with my doctor. It went well. I had to do the glucose test, so I made the appointment when Nick could come with me. (for those who know my veins and how blood never comes out might understand why Nick had to come) They also gave me a flu shot. The baby's heartbeat was 155 bpm, and I am actually measuring a week ahead. Pretty crazy considering I have only gained 5 pounds this whole pregnancy. It is going well and I am so thankful. We had our first prenatal class this last week too. So the picture is me at 27 1/2 weeks along. (I think that means I am into my 7th month) I hate that I already have the curvy back. Nick says that I don't waddle yet though, so that is good. :)

Last Thursday Nick and I went to a corn maze with my sister and her family. It was so much fun. The theme was Charlotte's Web, so the maze had a spider, web and Wilber. It also had a hey jump that the guys did. It looked so fun and I was actually considering it, when I looked down at my protruding belly. Not a good idea...don't worry, I didn't jump. I love this picture of Nick being "Some Pig."

Travels

This weekend we traveled 7 hours one way to attend the baptism of my niece Trinalee. We left Friday and went to Price for the night to break up the trip a bit. Then Saturday we ventured the rest of the way to Monticello. We had a wonderful time gathering and visiting as family. We missed my brother Joseph and his family, but everyone else from the family was there, including grandma and grandpa Echer and Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Jim. One of the funny things about the trip was my niece Caroline. They allowed all the kids to go up around the font when the children were being baptized. Right in the middle of another kids baptism, Caroline dropped a penny in the font. She immediately yelled "Oh, no! I dropped my penny, I dropped my penny. Can you grab that for me please. My penny." Needless to say, they stopped the prayer, grabbed her penny and started over. It was pretty funny. Trinalee looked like an angel. She has such a sweet spirit and you could tell she was so happy. I was glad we made the trip even though my back is killing.

Fall Family Night

I love this picture...you can see the colors and the reflection of the trees in the water. Breath taking.
My sister and nephew Dallin
My nephew Matthew

Last week we had a fun family night up Logan canyon. We went with my sister Jessica and her family. We had a fire, went on a short walk, threw rocks in the river, ate sloppy joes, chips, and homemade oreos, and talked about being kind to God's creations. It was a lot of fun. I love the colors in the canyon.

Baby Curtains

The last 2 days I have been busy sewing. Lesiel, my mom and my mother-in-law Ali would be so impressed as they are great seamstresses. I am going to do the baby's room in green, pink and brown. We bought a crib and changing table/dresser this week and I am excited to have a baby room. (not put together yet) So, I bought some fabric and started sewing. I made the valance, curtain panel, and crib skirt. (the crib skit looks just like the green curtain) My mom has so kindly agreed to do a pieced baby quilt and regular quilt(for the spare bed) along with the bumper pad for the crib. It will all be done with the same fabric. When the nursery is complete, more pictures will follow, but until then...the curtains! :)

Sorry it's sideways, but you get the idea.

Address

Some of my friends I have on email, some on facebook, and some that check my blog, so I am posting it everywhere...I need your address. I am trying to get a baby shower list together as well as my Christmas card list, so please email me your address at sweetsarahmaye@yahoo.com Thanks!!!

Week In Review

This last week was actually pretty busy. Remember all those "pre-baby projects" I was asking for. Well, none of them have been done yet. Last week between chiropractor and dentist apointments, (which both went well-and as my nephew Dallin would say, "I don't have any cavity bugs) my sister Jess and I did 20 pints of spagetti sause and 41 quarts of pears. My legs were tired. I also went and saw my nephews soccer game, babysat, watched the presidential debate and attened the general RS broadcast. It was a good week. This week I am going to attempt to make curtains for the baby's room. (decided to use Pres. Uchtdorf's advice to create) I have been feeling well and enjoying life.

The NBCOT

Hey everybody!

Justa note to let you know that I passed my NBCOT exam (national boards for OTs- its kinda like the bar exam for lawyers but they expect us NOT to cheat) and I am officially an OT! All I have left is to get my state license to practice in Utah ( can't get that one until I prove that I passed the NBCOT). I can't tell you how happy I am... It means all my work and studying paid off. I really didn't know if I passed after taking it but I looked online and the status page said "Passed" so I am so happy and relieved. Sarah took me out for ice cream and Jess and Bart made me dinner to celebrate.

Here are some pics of the victory feast at Aggie Ice Cream of Logan- the BEST ice cream in Utah (not better than frozen custard but I would still kill for it).

Painting

I wish I could say we were painting rooms in our house. I am sick of the cream walls of every apartment, but we are still renting and with that comes, no painting of the walls. So instead, I asked Nick to paint a landscape for the kitchen wall. I think it turned out beautiful and seriously every morning when I come in the kitchen for breakfast the colors just brighten me. I feel blessed to have such a talented husband!!

Sorry for the rant of the last post. It has been the most stressful thing to deal with CCSD and has given me a look at "The world" and how untruthful people are. A sad lesson to learn.
We finally got the internet!! Yeah! Now I won't have an excuse to not post. Hopefully I will be good, and not out of the habit.

Nick started work 2 weeks ago and is really liking it. He took his NBCOT exam last Saturday and we are waiting on results from that. I have seriously still been trying to organize the house the way I want it. That seems to take up my day. On Monday I had my first doctor apointment here. I am measuring just a week behind, but the baby is growing. We heard her heartbeat-a sound every expectant mother loves to hear. I feel like I am growing so fast too. I am 23 weeks now, but here is my most recent shot at 21 weeks. I feel the baby move several times a day, and now she is kicking hard enough for Nick to feel her more often too.

Last weekend, my mom and sisters all came up and we went to time out for women. It was a great break and spiritual feast. I loved being with my sisters and mom. Mom treated us to Olive Garden for dinner and after the conference we went back for dessert. Thanks Mom and Jess for putting the weekend together for us. Jessie we missed you. (I am holding my new nephew)

We are missing our friends!! Our friends from Henderson, Price, Cedar City, and Kearns. We have been blessed with such great friends and we miss you all. Please come visit if you have some time.

Letter to the Editor

I have never been a confrontational person. I would never write a letter just to “stir the water” but my hopes are in sharing my story, others may not be “raped” by Clark County School District as I was. Let me explain. A few years ago after completing a degree in Elem. Education and after teaching for a few years, I was recruited to work for the almighty CCSD. I can remember professors in school recommending it because of its high pay. Taking a leap, I came to Clark County and started working in an elementary school in the southeast region.
Shortly after starting, I realized that the school didn’t run very well as a whole. There were cliques with the administration, back biting by the other teachers, being told not to help each other, as that was unprofessional, lack of training, and the list could go on. There was even a “principal hit list” of teachers that were being driven from the school simply because they weren’t liked by administration, not because of their teaching skills or abilities. What a mess I thought. I soon learned to get on administrations good side, to not be added to that list, and to keep to myself and my classroom.
Last March a person from the district came to a staff meeting to report that CCSD was not able to hire and retain teachers and they were completing a survey to find out why. (They would hire 3000 teachers a year and by January 1000+ would have quit.) I thought of my experience teaching in another state and my experience with Clark County and it was black and white. The funny thing is, it had nothing to do with the children or parents. The students are the same wherever you go. They are willing and excited to learn. They work hard and do their best. No the problem with not being able to retain teachers came from CCSD as a whole, and in my case was even worse because of a cliquish school.
Earlier this year, I had to resign from CCSD due to an at risk pregnancy. I had been ill for several days and had used a few sick days before actually resigning. I knew that I had 15-20 work accumulated sick days that I could use, but was never guided in what I needed to do in order to use those days, as I was technically sick, and I was told simply to resign. I thought that meant I would be paid for those days, and signed my resignation. Not to mention, leaving without a “good luck” or “thanks for the past few years” from my administration.
About a month later, I received a letter from CCSD accounting saying that I owed them money that they had overpaid me. I was shocked! How could I owe them when they owed me for my sick days and even for some after hour professional development workshops I had attended? I literally spent the next 3 months being transferred from payroll, to contracting, to licensed personnel, to the office manager, trying to figure this out, only to be sent a letter from Clark County School Districts legal department saying that legal action was foreboding. I was told all different things, from all different people, but what it came down to was supposedly everything was my fault. From getting pregnant to signing my resignation without properly going over the sick leave information, to getting the wrong advice from the wrong department. It was my entire fault and CCSD did nothing but try and help me. WRONG!
I don’t want a situation like mine to come up again. I feel like my rights were ripped away. I used the word “raped” because I do feel like I was mistreated by people at my school and by CCSD as a whole. I was the one wounded from my time in Clark County School District. I don’t know the answer to all the problems, but I would NEVER return to CCSD and I would NEVER recommend it to any friends, colleagues, or even parents. I know everyone in CCSD hasn’t had an experience like mine, but I do know of several who have. If you are considering a teaching profession, leaving the state of Nevada would be in your best interest. At least until CCSD learns how to treat their teachers as professionals and as the service oriented people we are.

Happy Birthday Nick

Last week was Nicks birthday. We celebrated by having a steak dinner on the night of his birthday, (3rd) but finished celebrating when his family came to visit this weekend. Nick has been begging for a puppy, and since we can't have pets here, I made him a puppy cake instead.

Just a side note, Nick will be taking the NBCOT this weekend. We would appreciate your thoughts and prayers so he will do well. (NBCOT stands for Nationally Board Certified Occupational Therapist. He has to take this to be nationally certified, and then a test for Utah too. The Utah one isn't until he gets his NBCOT results back.) Good Luck Nicholas!!!!

Good things come to those who wait!

It has been a lot of promising and talk about my Aikido stuff and videos and many have long awaited the day when my skills would be broadcast for all the blogworld to see. Ladies and Gentlemens alike... I now present "AIKIDO and LIFE" by NICK SIDWELL. These pictures and clips are a compilation of pivotal moments when I learned something important to life. In those moments right before the bone crunch and pain, you come to know who you really are and the mysteries of life. Hold on to your Cheerios though, its going to be gruesome at times- just as life can be...
Lesson #1

In this first picture you will see my Sensei, Mindy Imbuido performing a deadly shoulder punch with a chicken-wing arm lock. Very painful and very deadly...

As you can see, being a Ninja... um, I mean learning Aikido is not always easy or all about killing. It is more like marriage- you have to work at it, roll with the punches, and wait for that glorious time when it is your turn to throw, instead of being thrown across the room at a neck-breaking speed.





Lesson #2

You have to be limber and flexible because the guy you think gots your back may only have it long enough to break it. Life has sharp turns and wicked dives into depths you never imagined. You have to be prepared for anything.



Notice the guy in the background though. He was thinking "hey, I am big and tough, I don't need anyone to back me up!" He was wrong- see how blurry his foot got in the photo? That was all they found of that guy, just a blurry foot and half of his whitebelt. Like I said, be ready for anything because you just never know...



Lesson #3

Sometimes you are in a position to do either a lot of good or a lot of bad in the world. Now when I say bad, I mean bad as in beating a guy down. When you see this next picture, you may think, "Wow! Nick is such a great guy ( which might be right), he caught that guy by the arm just before he tripped and fell on his face." The again, if you look hard, it might be more of a life-and death situation with a skillful armbar maneuver that would prevent this guy from ever making fun my Hakama again. (A hakama is the traditional samurai pants. The last guy that called them a "skirt thingy" ended up like Chris here...) I ended up having to let him down easy... and remove his arm from his shoulder socket.



Life sometimes hits you like a punch in the teeth and you have to think really fast. You have to ask yourself, "Do I take it like a man?" or do I save the teeth and turn that punch into something useful. In this case, I chose the latter and turned that punch into a lesson in pain- for the other guy.




Lesson #4

This one is a clip I call the "deadly throw of death... and dying through fatal demise". You might have to watch this a few times. Notice how my hand is open the whole time. I never grabbed the guy, I didn't start the fight or instigate it or make it commense or evenbegin it, but I knew how to end it. They say "all is well that ends well" but I say "as for me and my ninja... er Aikido skills- all is well when you are the only one left standing after being attacked."


I told this guy to let go, he did not. You know, when trying to win friends and influence people, you have read them like a book. If their book says "love me and let me go" you have to do that. If the book says "punch me in the face and spin around and throw me to my death" thou must oblige. This guy's book was not a happy one, it was one of tough love. Don't worry, in the end, we became friends. What doesn't kill you only make you stronger.






Or he that is stronger, may let you be his friend... unless you die.












That's what I have learned so far. Life and Aikido are like two ends of a stick, doing one makes the other better. If you do one the other is influenced and it becomes better. Or, in other words, Aikido makes life more and life makes Aikdo more. However redundantly you say it one has a better outcome with the other one influencing it. When one is good, the other is good too but more so. I guess you could say, it become... better... when it has the other one... bettering it. I hope you get the idea!

I am going to do Aikido here in Logan too so stay tuned for the next chapter of "AIKIDO and LIFE" by NICK SIDWELL. In the mean time, check out this cool site about ninjas...
http://realultimatepower.net/

What's going on

Sorry to my faithful readers...it has been a whole week since I posted. We have been so busy with the move. We loaded up the moving truck last Thursday and Friday morning headed out. We stopped for the night in Lehi at my brothers house and Saturday mad it up to Logan. The only problem...the condo wasn't ready. They had finished repainting, but the carpet wasn't clean and the windows, blinds, light fixtures, etc. were pretty bad too. I was disappointed, because I was tired, and had just cleaned the place we left. The landlord was really cool about it though and we didn't end up having to pay for August at all, so that is cool! We ended up staying the weekend at my sister Jessicas, after dropping all our stuff off in the garage.

Monday the carpets were cleaned and we started moving stuff in. We love the place. It is the biggest place we have been in, which is nice! It has new paint, a garage, a large storage room, a washer and dryer, (it wasn't supposed to have a washer and dryer provided, just hook-ups, but the previous people that lived here left theirs...cool) and it's in a nice area. I think we will be happy here. I want to take pictures of the place, but I still don't have pictures on the walls or it decorated, so that will have to wait. Maybe this weekend, Nick will be able to help me with the house and we can get it all done. (Thanks to my mom, Jess, Bart, Brennen, Greg and Ashley for helping unpack!!)

Today, I was making cookies and noticed my feet and back hurt...I looked down and started laughing at myself...I guess I really am barefoot and pregnant. It is great though. I have started showing officially. I know last weeks picture doesn't really show it, but really, it just popped out. Now I can start to wear the cute maternity clothes. I swear they are cuter than my regular wardrobe.

Anyway, last but not least, I have to get one picture on here, so this is a picture of the Monday before we left Cedar. We had family night with some friends the Pointers and we highlighted talents. I made this FHE cake for my talent and dessert. The frosting had to be pink, so we could tell them we were having a girl. :)

Boredom Help

OK, so I'm not really that bored, but without a full time job, or kids to worry about, I have some free time on my hands and want to make a list of "projects" I can work on before the baby comes. So what I am asking is, Are there things that you wish you would have done before the kids arrived? (baby, mother, wife, homemaker related, or anything else)

Nick really thinks I should just relax and enjoy my time alone, but I guess I am stir crazy. Of course I won't get to any of these projects until we are moved and unpacked, but just interested.

We will be loading the moving truck Thursday and heading out on Friday. Logan here we come!

The doctor said we are having a....

Today we had my 19 week ultrasound and also saw the doctor. We are so thrilled to be having a little baby girl. Nick has had his heart set on a girl, so he is especially excited. Her name will be Molly Lanaiah. (the middle name is a mixture of my grandmas name and the last of my name)We do have a boy name picked out just in case though. If we end up with a boy, his name will be Porter Takio. (the middle name is Nick's grandpa from Japans name)

After the ultrasound I went to look in the nursury window at the babies. Nick snuck into the giftshop and bought the baby this pink teddy bear.

The baby is measuring right on to the day, so that calmed my fears of not being very big yet. (A blessing many would want, but had me nervous) So for Angie, and all our friends who we haven't seen in a while, here is a picture today with my small baby bump.

And last, but not least, a few pictures of our baby girl.

Boy or Girl

On Monday we get to find out what we are having. If I go with my first initial instinct, I would say I thought we were going to have a boy. But the last 3 weeks I have thought it was a girl for some reason. No "revelation" on this though. I am dying to know though. I decided to put up a poll to see what my friends and family think we might have...what is your instinct? We will let you know Monday, so check back.

Sweet Babies

(Sweet Babies-by Nick)

Yesterday our friend Jared called with some hard news. His wife, my close friend Michelle miscarried a sweet baby at 12 weeks along. As he was talking to Nick a rush of memories came to mind. The due date for our little one that we lost was Aug. 7th, just a week ago, and even though it has been several months, loosing a child at any stage leaves you feeling empty. I can still remember the complete horror when the doctor came in and told us the walls of my uterus had collapsed and I was loosing the baby. Then I was rushed in for surgery, in pain both physically and emotionally. It was the second time in my life seeing my husband cry. The heartache is immeasurable. But for my Michelle and all others who have lost a child, or still struggle to become a parent, I want to share with you some things I did learn through this experience.

First-family and friends are the BEST! Let them support you! We had so much support from family-my mom was there when I got out of surgery-she dropped everything and drove the 6 hours to be there-my sisters who left their families to be with us-my sister-in-law who sent a book that brought so much comfort-and all the rest of the family who constantly checked in and prayed for us. Friends supported us by bringing meals, coming to visit, bringing flowers, and my best friend Amy even left her family for 2 days and came and cleaned, did laundry, and took care of us. Not to mention all the care and prayers we received from home teachers, RS pres., Bishop, and others in the ward.

Second- take time to grieve- my friend gave me three quotes that I hung up and read everyday that really helped me. "Life is hard, but I can do hard things," "Things take time," and "Make the best of it." As I read these I realized that it was ok to feel sad, and that it would take time to heal, but I could make the best of it.

Third-The whole experience brought me closer to Nick and closer to God. That is where I found my strength. I literally felt that I was in their arms constantly. Let the experience bring you closer to those you love and God.

I think all the things I learned from loosing a baby, I could have learned and used as we struggled to get pregnant for 4 years.

To Michelle and Jared and all those who have lost or are praying for children, know our thoughts and prayers are with you.

So much going on...

Loving the nieces and nephews!

The last week has been so busy, but so fun. I will start with last weekend, when we drove to Price for the Whitehead family reunion. Nick and I were in charge this year. We did some backyard camping with night games, a video scavenger hunt, karaoke, a mystery dinner and wave pool. It was a lot of fun!! We also had a fish pond and I got the book, "Breaking Dawn." Thanks mom and dad. (I haven't quiet finished yet, but it has taken up much of my week-reading) It was great to spend time with my whole family. Joseph and his family moved to Iowa this week for dental school, so it was good to have a last goodbye-even though we already miss them.

On Thursday, Nick and I celebrated our 5th anniversary. He surprised me by taking me up to Brianhead for 2 nights away. We stayed in a room with a jetted tub, huge bed, fireplace, living room and kitchen. It was so nice. We were also treated to couple massages. It was so nice to be up there and relaxing. Thanks hunny!!!

Then finally, yesterday we drove to Manti to see our friends Tom and Brook go through the temple and then be sealed. They were sealed in the same room Nick and I were, so that was super awesome to be in there and remembering our day 5 years ago. It was a beautiful sealing.

Now I am tired! I think tomorrow I will just relax and read.