Month by Month Update: April

Well, since my last post was at the end of March, I have decided to do an update of our monthly adventures


April:


April was SUPER busy for me a I finished up school. I basically didn't have a life outside of school because I was finishing up projects, papers, and finals for my last semester of my undergrad. On April 8th I had an open house for my graduate school program, and I am so excited to start and feel so blessed that I got in. Despite all the craziness with school, we still found time for some fun things towards the end of the month. With my sister's, mom's, and Tony's birthdays all being within about 2 weeks of each other's, they decided to celebrate by going SKYDIVING!!! I was jealous I didn't get to go with them for obvious reasons, but I did get to go through all the training and everything with them and watch from the ground, so now I know what to expect when I do get to go. They started off by watching a video all about what to expect and all the risks involved. That made us all pretty nervous, especially when they talked about the actual jumping out of the plane. Then they got all suited up.






Practicing "Belly Button, Breathe, Banana"





Telling his baby goodbye, we were both pretty nervous for him :)





On the plane - they all said that Tony was the most nervous :)





Right out of the plane





They fell from 2 miles above the ground for a little over a minute, meaning they fell at over 120 mph!!!






Haha, Tony's face kills me, but they have to breathe through their teeth like that, otherwise it's like "trying to drink out of a firehose." Tony and my sister both said the worst part was not being able to breathe that well and that's how people pass out during it haha. Luckily none of them passed out, but as you can tell by the next couple of pictures after Tony lands, he was pretty close :)






Happy to have them all back on the ground



Tony still pale from the not being able to breathe and all the spinning, which is the only part he didn't like. But other than that, they all had a blast and I think I have the coolest mom ever for doing it with them - it was actually her idea in the first place! I can't wait to do it myself!!!






Also in April, I discovered Tanner Park - the best place to walk your dog in Salt Lake! Unlike a regular "dog park" where the dogs are all confined to a small area, this is literally a whole trail with lots of different paths along a river and ends up at the perfect swimming hole for the dogs to swim and drink. The dogs can be off the leash for most of the trail and because they are not all confined to a small area they can all run and play together without fighting or getting territorial. We love it and usually go on a walk there every Sunday evening.

Recent Holiday Celebrations

I absolutely love Valentine's Day! I think we need more holidays that just celebrate love! Instead of just buying Tony a present this year, I decided to make him something too like my mom always did. Not only did he get a way-too-expensive new pair of basketball shoes (he saved up and paid for most of it), I made 2 delicious kinds of brownies - the frosted, sprinkled hearts, and the even better strawberry shortcake brownies. I also am really getting into making cards and I made this one all by myself without any starter ideas or anything. I think it turned out pretty good :)





Oh, and this is what Tony and Georgie did while I was making it all





I thought I took a picture of what Tony gave me too but I can't find it. He surprised me with beautiful flowers - an arrangement of my favorites: gerber daisies and stargazer lillies, and a super cute workout suit. My mom also gave us Valentine's presents. She gave me a super cute red maternity shirt and heart necklace, and Tony some red and black plaid shorts perfect for golfing :) We spent the day having an amazing prime rib sunday dinner at my Grandma's with my family, and played apples to apples with them afterwards.


I was also feeling like cooking for St. Patrick's Day. (I had to make up for forgetting to wear green! Luckily the kids at my work couldn't pinch me!) I made this green-themed dinner of stuffed bell peppers with shamrocks, green beans, raspberry limeaid, and "taste the rainbow" cupcakes complete with a "pot of gold." Tony loved it and even ate the leftovers the next day (which he rarely does)!








I love celebrating holidays, especially being married and surprising Tony and making our own traditions together :) And we really can't wait to celebrate them all with the baby soon!

One spoiled dog!

So we took Georgie to Petsmart just to get her nails trimmed and ears cleaned, and ended up getting talked into a whole spa package that came complete with nails, ears, exfoliating shampoo and conditioner, teeth cleaned...and oh yeah her nails painted :)






When I picked her up 3 hours later, they explained that she was a very good dog and couldn't believe it was her first time getting something like this done. Unlike other dogs who are usually barking and trying to get loose the whole time, they said the only problem they had with her was that she was lazy and didn't want to stand up the whole time! After her bath she was so relaxed that all she would do is plop down and wouldn't stand up until they forced her too! Haha, that's our girl! She was stll exhausted when we got home as you can see here - she could barely keep her eyes open for a quick pic :)





Oh yeah, this is what Tony and Georgie did while I wrote yet another APA research paper. 5 hours and 11 pages later, they decided they couldn't wait up for me any longer. We have gone from them spooning together to now Tony using her as a pillow, and she doesn't seem to mind :)

This past week was a GREAT week...

because:


This is what I woke up to thursday morning:



Also on Thursday, I got to school and most of the people in my class had already gotten their letters about Grad School. I started worrying because I hadn't gotten mine yet. I couldn't concentrate on the rest of my classes and rushed home early to check the mail...nope...still not there! I was freaking out, I was wondering if they put me on the waitlist which almost would have been worse than getting rejected because it would have meant more waiting. Then, on Friday after work, I checked my mail again, and there it was sitting in my mailbox!

I practically skipped back to my house but couldn't bring myselt to open it because I was so scared! This year they had more applicants to my program than they had ever had before - over 150 people applying for 30 spots! I finally ripped it open and I was ACCEPTED! I called my mom almost crying and it was just so exciting - this is our future and the next two years of my life! I am so happy to have the opportunity to make myself better for my daughter and my husband! My mom wanted to go to a movie and dinner to celebrate. Since I am basically obsessed with Thai food right now, we went to a place called A Taste of Thai at Jordan Commons for dinner which was so yummy! Then Tony got off work just in time and came and met us for a movie and dessert at IHOP after :)


We also saw two GREAT movies this weekend! Like I said, Tony, my mom, and I went and saw this movie on Friday night

It was one of the BEST movies I have seen in a while - right up there with 500 days of summer! Tony really like it too because it isn't just a chick flick, there are a lot of funny parts and it has a good, completely unexpected ending too! I am definitely buying it when it comes out and if you haven't see it, DO it :)


Then, yesterday Tony and I got to babysit my friend Lara's ADORABLE kids - Jackson who is 8 and her daughter Bella who is 10 months! It was so much fun and good practice for us to babysit Bella especially. She is all over the place and never stops smiling! Tony loved her too and he was SO good with her


It was also Georgie's first time around a baby, and she loved her! She was so excited and kept licking her face and ears, so we are definitely gonna have to do some teaching about not licking so much, but we were relieved that she wasn't mean or anything.


Then, that night, we went to dinner at Red Robin and finally got to see this with Lance and Malena

I loved it! It is just as good as everyone says it is, and if you haven't seen it 3D and on an IMAX screen, you definitely should :)


Oh, and while we were getting ready to go to dinner and the movie, Tony told me to look behind me, and this is what I saw

She usually pouts like this on the floor when she sees us getting ready, because it usually means we are going to leave her, but this time it was on the bed like this haha!


Well, hopefully everyone had a great week as well :)

It's a...

*GIRL!!!!! We are SO excited to be expecting a baby girl due on July 8th!!!


On November 19th, I had been feeling sick for about a week. Not just any sickness, but a different kind of sick, one I had never felt before. I was SO tired I could not stay awake for more than a couple hours at a time before I had to take a nap. I also could not stand the thought of food. I knew something was up when I came home to Tony making pot roast in the crock pot and I could barely stand to be inside my house because the smell made me so nauseous, and I normally LOVE pot roast in the crock pot! Tony thought I was crazy. So after about a week of this, I decided to buy a dollar store pregnancy test, mainly just to rule it out. When it came up positive, I didn't believe it. I immediately went to Walmart to buy a better one, but since I had just taken the other one, I couldn't "do what I needed to do" to take the next one. I bought a huge thing of water and walked all around the store. When that didn't work, I bought some more water and went to babies r us to look around and walk around some more. By the time I was done there, I was finally able to take the test again. It was positive again! I just couldn't believe it! I was so excited and quickly put this together to come home and give Tony





I'll never forget all the mixed emotions he went through in that first couple of minutes! At first he looked like he was going to pass out - he was scared! But then we were both just so excited and happy! It's amazing how our priorities have just instantly changed. She is on our minds constantly and we are trying to prepare the best we can. The timing is a good as it can be, because she is due 2 months after I graduate, and 2 months before I will start grad school if I get in, so we couldn't be more lucky!







Next came the fun of telling my family. My mom new before I even told her. I guess all the saltine crackers and seeing my not be able to eat anything gave it away! She is so excited, but doesn't like that I call her "grandma" now! We went to my aunt and uncle's in Vegas for Thanksgiving and told my whole family there. My mom said at dinner that she was excited to welcome a new member of the family and everyone went silent because everyone's first thoughts were that she was pregnant, then I think their next thought was that my little sister was, then after a long, akward silence and both of us blushing, everyone realized it was us! My aunts and my Grandma all screamed and my uncles came right up and gave us hugs, followed by everyone else! It was so special, and right away everyone was so excited for us! Well...I can't say that my Grandma is too excited to be a great-grandma... jk :) Tony and I both love my family so much!


As for Tony's family, I can't say they acted as excited...at least nothing compared to my family... I think they already knew and it isn't the first grandchild from our generation in the family... but they are definitely excited for us too and it IS the first girl grandchild, so that is very exciting!


Being pregnant has definitely had it's ups and downs. I can't complain too much though because compared to what I've heard some people describe it as, I can't really say mine is that bad. I haven't been that sick - I've never had to miss a day of school or work, just a lot of nauseousness and tiredness, but it has all been manageable and I know will be so worth it! We have the MOST AMAZING doctor, and here is a pic of our 20 week ultrasound! (she looks like she is sucking her thumb!)





The ultrasound was one of the most exciting and one of the scariest parts so far. We loved seeing her in there, but they are also checking to make sure everything is normal and healthy. With each pause the ultrasonographer would make, I was freaking out on the inside, wondering if she had found something wrong. But, everything looks healthy so far, and we are so relieved, because as Tony keeps saying, we don't really care if it's a boy or a girl, as long as she is healthy! As of today I am 22 and a half weeks along, so I am over halfway there! This is the really fun part for us - I just barely started feeling her kick, and Tony was able to feel her for the first time this past weekend! He just but his hand on my stomach and she kicked the exact spot 3 times - the first 2 were too soft for him to feel, but the 3rd one was stronger and it really took him by surprise! He yanked his hand right off and got "freaked out" for a second. He asks about her and how I am feeling all the time. And every night we can't go to bed without talking about our predictions about what she is going to be like. He is going to be an AMAZING dad! In fact, one of the first things people say when they find out we are having a baby is "how good of a dad Tony will be." I love it!


Well, sorry for the novel but it is definitely an exciting experience that I can go on and on about. I can feel her kicking right now and we both can't wait to hold her in our arms. We will keep you posted!!! :)

I am going to get better at this...

...especially because I have a whole new reason to blog! :) But we'll get to that in little bit.


First of all, I think there is a much needed update! Since September, much has been going on! Tony got a new job!!! He is a supervisor at an assisted living facility and really likes it. He took a quick course to get certified as a CNA, got hired, and just a few weeks later he got promoted! We also just found out today at his 3 month evaluation that he got a pretty big raise :) I am so proud of him! The residents love him and he is so good at working with them!


School has been keeping me super busy, I mean SUPER busy! I have never had to devote this much time to school in my life! Last week I spent over 40 hours on school stuff alone! But with 22 credits and it being my last semester of my undergrad, what can I expect? But it will all be worth it on May 7th when I graduate with not one, but TWO bachelors degrees: one in Speech and Hearing Science and the other in Psychology. The last couple of months I was bust apply to Grad School to get my Masters Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Hopefully I will hear back on that soon! I cannot believe that in just a little more than 2 years I may have a masters degree, it seems like just yesterday I graduated high school!


Oh, and speaking of school, I have to say that with how busy I am with that and working full-time, I am SO lucky to have a supportive husband like Tony. Since he gets to be home more than I do, I always come home to a spotless, clean house, laundry is usually done, he usually makes me breakfast and has snacks for me to take on the way, and we usually cook dinner together and he helps me clean up. I love him SO much and don't know where I would be without him taking care of me.


Georgie is great, we love her more and more each day. I never understood how people could be so infatuated with their dogs until I had one of my own, and now Tony and I don't know what we would do with out her. She LOVES Tony, and has recently become pretty attached to me too. We have really enjoyed getting our exercise by taking her on long walks at least once or twice a week, and she has just been really funny lately! Here are some pics of her - as you can tell her and Tony are pretty attached to each other, it's kinda rediculous!


Halloween










And since this one is long enough, I will put the exciting news seperately in my next post...

"When do you get to take the gauze out of your cheeks?!?"

So about 3 Weeks ago I had to go through the lovely experience of getting my wisdom teeth removed. I did it through a research company so I actually got paid to do it, instead of having to pay for it. Although it was worth it to get paid to do it, I didn't get to get put to sleep for the surgery. Instead, I got laughing gas and TONS of shots in my cheeks to keep my mouth numb - about 5 times more shots than you would normally get to have your cavities filled, including shots in the roof of my mouth!!! Because of this, my cheeks were EXTRA swollen - the insides of my mouth are actually still a little swollen 3 weeks later! When my mom came to pick me up from the center a day later, this is what they looked like!!!





My mom looked at me, laughed, and said, "When do you get to take the gauze out of your cheeks?!?" Yeah... those are my cheeks, WITHOUT gauze in them!


I also passed out for the first time in my life a couple hours after the surgery! I got up to go to the bathroom and by the time I was done I couldn't even walk back to my room from the bathroom. I was so dizzy, nausious, and my ears were ringing. I leaned my head on the bathroom door to try and work up some strength to walk the whole 10 feet back to my room, and the next thing I remember was I started seeing black spots and I woke up to my head hitting the floor. Luckily instead of falling straight back on my head I landed in a sitting position on the floor first, then my head, so I was ok :)


The best part of it all was coming home to this:












I found these on my counter when my mom brought me home. Tony was originally supposed to pick me up from the center, but he ended up having to work. I walked in and saw these along with my prescriptions already filled and waiting for me. It made my day! I am glad to say I am almost back to normal, and I definitely am glad it's over!