Beginnings of our nursery

I keep getting asked for pictures of the nursery. So here are just a couple pictures of the work in progress. Hoping to get the border up this week and the crib set up :)

This is all thanks to my mom's hard work!!! :)

North Salt Lake July 3rd '4th' party

So even though our little city of 8,000 people isn't the most exciting, I do have to say they put on a great 4th of July show and hang-out. Held up in the million dollar homes - Eagle Ridge Golf Course - they set up games and food and a couple of good bands. Chuck Smith our neighbor does the sound for the evening, so we get really good seats. 

There was a Reggae Band the an 'oldies' and everything else band. We always bring hotdogs and all sorts of treats to munch. 

Caleb came up from Provo to join us. Then just before dusk there is a fly-over by some of the Airforce planes and then 4 stunt-parachuters with either smoke or flags attached to their feet jump out of planes and land on the golf course. It's pretty cool to watch.

The fireworks aren't anything like the Meleluca Celebration in Idaho Falls, but pretty good and choreographed to music :) It was a fun evening.

Oh yea, and as a side note, my little brother is very talented etch-a-sketch artist. This is what he did while we waited for the show to start :)

Not all clinic visits make you feel secure

I know that I made a decision to be followed by a practice of nurse midwives. This has its positives and negatives.
Positive: I am guaranteed to have someone I know deliver my baby.
Positive: I really like nurses - overall their approach and bedside manner are really good and I'm one of them.
Positive: They really support and push for the natural course of pregnancy and birth.
Negative: There is one of the midwives that I just don't like or click with. Unfortunately the scheduling of my appointment this week happened to fall on the day I had to see her. I am sure she is good at her job, but her bedside manner is lacking. And with everything she says or reviews, I can't tell if it's bad or good.

Today, I am 31 weeks and 2 days along - based on ultrasound and known ovulation date. Up until now, I have measured within a week of my date. Today - 4 weeks after my last visit- I have only gained 2 pounds and measuring 3 weeks small. So this is what the midwife tells me and then says - "I think we should get an ultrasound...1st opening in 1 week and then lets visit 2 weeks from now....have a good day." There was a little more dialog including questioning me about my diet, exercise, and activity. Then a couple quick statements about how the ultrasound would be able to tell us if the baby is better off inside me or out and in the NICU. Tony and I left very frustrated and somewhat scared. Does this mean I'm doing something wrong that could be hurting the baby? If something might be wrong, why am I waiting a week to find out on ultrasound?

Anyway - needless to say it was a frustrating visit and I can't focus on anything else now except for if my baby is ok. Good thing I believe in faith and prayer. I just can't wait to have a perfect little boy in my arms and away from all this medical stuff. It is true, I wish I didn't know all the things that could go wrong. Ignorance in the medical field can be bliss.

Quick Baby Update

Well - since I am just sitting in my office for the next 10 minutes trying to get up the energy to start on the next project, I thought I update a little with what I have. Here is a picture of my little baby boy....isn't he just a cute blob :)? I really can't wait to see him in person. (Thanks to my neighbor Jeff for adding a little karate touch) I am pretty sure he will be way cute - just like his dad. Hoping for some hair. Hopefully he isn't bald like his mother was for the first 2 years of her life. All I know is that he is definitely a mover and a shaker.

Yesterday I evidently didn't eat or drink enough in the morning and ended up in the OB emergency department for 3 hours or so by 3pm. I started getting really dizzy in the afternoon and just didn't feel right. I was getting really short of breath walking and my balance was way off. Felt like I should NOT drive home, so I ended up getting checked out since I was stuck here at the hospital anyway. Luckily all my tests and blood work were normal and I kind of felt dumb cause I made a big fuss for nothing. But the nurses and doctors were really nice about it and it's better to be safe than sorry. My little boy was the highlight of the afternoon on the fetal monitor. He kept the nurse really busy because everytime she stuck the fetal monitor on my belly to monitor his heart beat and movement - he would squirm and squirm and really make it hard for her to get the right spot. Once she would find a good spot, he would deliver a sharp kick to the monitor and move it. My belly really did look like Sigourney Weaver on Alien!

A quick ultrasound to make sure he had enough fluid around him was done - and he was just perfect. It amazes me that I can feel like crap and my body knows to shunt all my supplies to support the baby :) So in the end I had to drink 2 liters of fluid while I was there and another liter when I got home. Last night the toilet and I were really good friends :).

Well enough gross details. Baby and I are doing great and I can't wait to meet this little karate kid in 9 weeks!!!

It's about time!!

Ok, the pressure is on. I can't call my family without them asking, or demanding, that we update our blog. The problem is, I'm just not a writer. "Having not been versed in the complexities of Shakespearean epitomes my humble and paltry narrative will have to suffice."

Well that last sentence was not written by me, so don't expect that kind of language in every post. I'll leave that to Tony as he is more eloquent in writing than I. My job will be to post pictures and leave the provoking thoughts and comments to him and our blog visitors.

So stay tuned...as soon as I can get batteries for my camera, an onslaught of pictures will ensue!! :)

How Spring Flies!!

It has been a crazy spring here in Utah. Tony has been really busy with running the Bountiful Dojo. He tested for his black belt in California at the end of April. After a grueling 6 hour test, he passed!! Sweaty and tired, but proud!

We have also added a great addition to our home and the Bountiful Studio. The DRAGON WAGON has arrived!! This 2008 Scion is a great billboard for Tony's studio and at 30 mpg, it is a great roomy ride, although we get the funniest stares when we drive down the road.

In April we had a nice couple of trips to the ER for Tony's hand. A small, insignificant cut on the back of one of his knuckles got infected and we were worried that it was into the tendon. But after a nasty 2 weeks of high dose antibiotics, it finally cleared up. But even so, it still gives him fits if he punches wrong or bumps it against something.

I was lucky to be able to enjoy a few last days of Utah spring skiing in April. Carol H. gave me a couple skiing passes for my birthday but because of my stomach surgery in February, I was able to use them until now. The weather was perfect, the snow was great, and I even got to ride in the big Snow Cat around the many runs at Snowbasin. I am glad I live in such a beautiful state!!

I have stayed busy at work preparing for a Joint Commission review and cerification of our artificial heart program. I attended an international meeting in Boston for a week in April. It was a good trip, but too long to be away from home.

I have also been working with my "other" job about once a week. It is a great break from the hospital and I always learn something new. One evening when we were feeling adventurous, we took a drive down to Thanksgiving Point and walked through the tulip gardens. It was a great evening.
The newest craze in our household is our new-found addition to Dave Ramsey. About 2 years ago my parents sent us a book on Financial Peace. Due to the fact that Tony and I thought we were doing "just fine" in our financial lives and partly because taking financial advice to read a book from my parents wasn't on our to do list, we didn't read it until September of last year. I immediately got addicted to Ramsey's simple plan to get out of debt. It took me a few months to get Tony on board, but now we are really excited (As Dave puts it "gazelle intense") to get out of debt forever!! It is not a get rich quick scheme, but a program that takes dedication, hard work and sacrifice. So far we have paid of 1 credit card and my car. We are closing credit accounts and making great progress on paying off all our debt including student loans. If we can keep up this intensity, we will be completely debt free (except the house) in about 24 months!

We have just had a great opportunity to see Dave Ramsey live last weekend when he came to Utah for a 2 day conference. Tony attended the Business Coach Live Event on Friday and I attended the Total Money Makeover on Saturday. It was absolutely worth every minute of the event. It is nice to hear a speaker who has their priorities straight (God and Family 1st) and who has overcome it all talk to you about money, investing, and debt. We highly recommend looking into Dave Ramsey's money management strategies.

This memorial weekend Tony and I are working on our garden and back yard. We are weeding the entire backyard and then planning on planting tomatoes, beans, peppers, carrots, and of course, taking care of Tony's little vineyard of grape plants. When we are able to save up the $ (not using credit cards) we will plant grass, refinish the deck and maybe fix the hottub. If only we could get our butts in gear and finish painting the baseboards of the house :).

And the last little addition to our post today is the fun dinner we had at our neighbor's house, the Smiths. They are the best neighbors ever!! They have the cutest little grandchild, Daisy. It was her first time eating corn on the cob. And one of her favorite things is to play with cell phones and take pictures - as you can see.