twenty two weeks!

i'm a little behind, considering i'm twenty-six weeks now... but i'm trying to stay on top of it. weeks go by fast! at twenty-two weeks, i was still pretty able to hide my belly, depending on my outfit. this was our first night in las vegas when we went out for our trip. by the end of the trip, i was much bigger, indeed! (or should i say, "we" were much bigger...) i love my little baby. :]

best story ever.

working my little heart out is the name of my game. it's been a lot of working. basically all i have done for the past week and a half.

my patients/coworkers are really starting to notice that i am "with child." i love the reactions and the "awwws!" and the rubbing of my belly. some people aren't too fond of it, not me. i'm soakin' it up.

half-way through my week i had a cute little 30-something bipolar, post lap. nissen lady patient. she was so strange and funny. i absolutely loved her oddness. she always had this absolutely shocked, almost frantic look on her face. so i walked into her room the first time, did my assessment, etc, etc, left, and went on with my work. second rounds came around and i slowly turned her doorknob and creaked open her door just to peek in on her respirations. she immediately woke up and said "turn da light on..." i turned the light on and explained to her that i was just checking on her and didn't need to wake her up. mid convo, she glances down at my belly and gets the most bewildered, utterly shocked, and almost upset look on her face. brows furrowed, eyes wide, so deep in thought i could not get her to budge.

i started laughing uncomfortably... "whatt?!?!!"

"what is it??!!"

she just stared with that intent look on her face. like she was thinking about something so, so hard. she stared for a good minute, then looked up at me and as sure as day said in the most matter-of-face voice...

"it's a boy."

i was overjoyed. she had a feeling about him. she said God gave her a gift to just know and she just... knows. she later explained to me how it was my first and i was married. she was completely unsurprised as i agreed. she said she could feel my spirit when i walked in and she knew i was a good person.

totally made my night!

workin' mama [24 weeks].

how is it that i loose track of how many "weeks" i am?! they come and go before i even have a chance to fully appreciate the happenings of the week. i guess that's what happens when you work nine nights in a row. yuck. like, started wednesday night and ended the next friday morning. that should be either illegal or a sin. thank goodness it's over. i'm counting down how many "weeks" of work i have left until it's baby time. one super huge extra lovely perk of having a baby is that i will be

done.

with.

work.

at least for three whole months. i might go back for a few months after that to keep our benefits while dan is a full-time stay-at-home daddy, but i might not. :) everything thinks we're a little crazy, but i think it's absolutely fabulous and wonderful. we have some money saved up. all will be well. that i know better than anything else. i have faith that it will. i know, know, know (know, know, know, know) Heavenly Father will make a way for us to provide and have everything we need (and probably a few things we want too...).

anywho- i am 25 weeks now.

TWENTY-FIVE?! that's as many pennies as there are in a quarter! i feel that last week was so fully devoted to trying to fit into scrubs and keep my pants from falling off, i have to post a picture of me in my scrubs. even though this picture is technically taken at 25 weeks, it represents 24 weeks.

we have been cozying up to a name... slowly but surely. it is perfectly fantastic. still cozying up, nothing sure yet. we are keeping the name a pretty little mystery until the baby debuts. he wants it that way.

... in real life.

have you ever seen the illusionist?! dan and i watched it the other day. i was a little skeptical at first but totally and surely la-huved it. edward norton is our celebrity crush. i have just been beyond elated that they got to be together in the end and i wanted to watch it again immediately after it was over.

our life is really "real-lifey" right now. back from vacation, unpacking, cleaning, making dinner, sleeping, working, going to school, running errands, etc. but we like it. we love being in our own place that's a little more permanent. 4 months post-tornado and we finally feel settled.

dan's semester includes: ecology, biochemistry, working in a genetics lab, an online writing class, and a proctorship with reallll doctors. he is soo cool. and smart. he loves me and takes care of me when i have the hardest, worst nights and works and lets me cry to him and holds me tight. work is a little overwhelming at times (biggest understatement ever/trying to be politically correct sounding). it's the little things that get me through. like: my coworker brought chocolate to share last night. and i walked into my patients room the other morning and she cut me off mid-sentence to say "you look cute" (UGH!!! i died of joy at that moment), my patient's husband who hugged me and sincerely thanked me numerous times, when my supervisor calls me to tell me i'm getting an admission, a lady with a hairball... no big deal.

well, i'm off to bed. lots of love.

twenty three weeks!

i exploded this past week! i love it because people are really starting to notice i'm pregnant and make cute/funny comments to me and daddy. my sweet mama & daddy got me this amazzzzing 100% organic lotion bar from PIKE'S MARKET is seattle that i have been applying to my ever-so-growing belly and i loveee it. i have been having the most ridiculous acid reflux/flatus issues. it's taking over. the baby is kicking like a kangaroo and boy, has he gotten stronger! dan felt him for the first time and he's been kickin, punchin, elbowing, and kneeing ever since. it's fantastic. he loves it when i hike all day and rock him to sleep.

we just got back from a lovely family vacation in british columbia... more updates to come!

lfie.

old post that i forgot to publish:

i have been working full-time in one of the most stressful, overwhelming jobs. my schedule is really hard on me and i am literally counting down the weeks until i can be a normal person and sleep at night and be awake in the day (minus occasional switch-ups!!! (oh, the things people take for granted)... the thought of being able to sleep next to my husband every night is just mind-boggling. the majority of my life now consists of me, at 10:30 pm, saying good-bye to my husband and facing the cold, harsh world until the sun comes up. it's just not natural. i've payed my dues and i'm ready to be done. mind you, i am so grateful for my job and how it has blessed us. not only financially, but i have learned so much about health care, medicine, nursing, people in general, myself, time management, organization, i could go on... i am so grateful i have been able to work for a few years before i have my baby. it's been great, but i'll be nice enough to let dan do it for the rest of our lives. :)

so besides working, we moved out of our apartment last weekend. the lease to our old apartment ended a week and a few days before our new one began so we have been living with our sweet, wonderful friends, the richards, right now. they are ridiculously kind and welcoming. i hope we have been hospitable house guests! so we moved out of our apartment, cleaned every crack, crevase, and cranny, and have our belongings stowed away there for a time.

we had to hold off a few days to move because dan had a big ole test to take last saturday morning in birmingham. we stayed at a lovely hotel the night before so we can just relax and not have to drive over an hour in the morning. we swam at the hotel, went to the temple, went out to dinner and had some delicious mexican dishes, and enjoy our king-size bed! (we were previously bunking out on a twin. mandatory cuddling... the best) we had so, so much fun. dan got all the extras... early check-in (we will get our moneys worth!), a room in a high-floor (level three), and a hair-dryer in the room (i actually did use it!). our room was so plush.

during dan's test, i found world market (i'm in love) and got some fun things for our new apartment, got lost and ended up at a yard sale in vestavia hills, and a few other adventures. i was so thrilled and elated for him when he called me and told me he was done! i could not be any more proud of him. he is amazing. and incredible. and driven. not to mention adorable. thank you everyone who prayed and fasted for him! our prayers were answered and we know Heavenly Father was there helping him with his test. the guy at the testing center was teasing him because every time dan would come out for a break he would be smiling. the guy would say "why are you smiling?! you shouldn't be smiling while you're taking a test like this!" and dan would just say "i don't know! it could be worse i guess..." and the proctor said, "well, i hope you become a doctor. i would come to see you just because of that big smile."

on monday we moved into our new apartment. we really love it. it's spacious and open (once you get past the loong entrance hallway), we have two bathrooms, a fireplace, a back porch, woods in our backyard, a extremely large walk-in closet, a big pantry that so nicely holds our washer and dryer, a ceiling fan and overhead lights in every room, and a parking space that is only a few steps from the front door! oh the luxuries. we are excited about it. we moved in as much as possible in one day, because on tuesday we flew out to las vegas to see the james gang! we are loving our vaca and trying to relax after a very stressful few months...

dan finishes up his summer classes today (weight-lifting and racquetball). he managed to make it through his whole semester undefeated in his racquetball class. that Z-serve is pretty brutal. and he is as muscley as all get out these days. he's making up for my weight gain. we've always been able to complement each other. :)

i gasp every time i step on the scale... it's the best. my doctor might have a heart attack after i get back from a two-week vacation with my family and step on the scale the next day.

oh did i mention we had our big ultrasound?! we are so thrilled to bring a lovely little boy into this world! a first born son is pretty perfect to us. he kicks and spins and twirls. he is going to be the best, best, best little creation this world has ever seen!

results are in...

he's handsome like his daddy :)