Friday, December 20, 2013

Where Boys Become Men...

My husband and I have both always wanted our own rooms to call our own away from the main areas, so when we bought our house, Aaron chose a room he dubbed (as most do) his man cave. I took the smaller room. He didn't mind the blue that was already in his "man cave" which had been a boys room previously, but I went all out on my office with teal walls, girly white accents, and memories of our recent wedding all over the room.

Soon after moving in, I became a Scentsy consultant and that office became more of a Scentsy home base for me. I didn't spend a lot of time in there, however, because I just didn't need to. I thought I'd be in there all the time doing crafts, working on projects, wrapping presents, and working on my business. But life always seemed to get in the way. However, my dear husband loved his "man cave". He had hung his treasured framed posters on the walls, decorated the shelves and his desk with his favorite things, and best of all, hung his shadow box full of the die-cast comic book figurines I'd been buying him over the years.

In February 2013 when we decided we wanted to start thinking about babies, we knew that we'd be giving up one of our offices to become a nursery. We'd always said it would be the "man cave" because it's slightly larger. In all honesty, though, by the time we got pregnant and started seriously talking nurseries, my husband started changing his mind about the office transition. To him, it meant the end of his xbox marathons, the finale of his man time, the completion of his days as a comic-book reading, game playing, crotch scratching, candy eating man with no worries in the world. He tried to insist that the baby didn't need a big room. He tried to convince me that we needed more room for our offices. He tried to turn me on to the idea that the baby would be better off in my freshly-painted office. He tried - unsuccessfully.

Soon, my lovely husband started the process of packing up his favorite things, and eventually, in late November, we made the official switch and combined offices to my bright teal room. I gave him my closet for his gaming system, moved the couch to give him a big place to rest, and his computer died just as he was about to set it up, so I gave him my little netbook to download his comics on to. He seems happy enough, although it's no where near a man cave.

I'm so proud of him for taking this change like a man. He knew in his heart that the baby deserved the best possible space to grow in. And on top of it, we have big plans for the garage to turn it into half man-cave, half play space.

The end of November and the start of December was all about making the nursery a wonderful place for baby to lay it's head... and in my next post, I'll reveal the results.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Reflections

Sometimes I feel sorry for myself. We all do. I especially feel sorry for myself when I see other people doing frivolous things whereas Aaron and I struggle financially. We have a long list of to-dos that involve money that we don't have. I feel sorry for myself when I visit others homes that are spacious and contain play rooms for their children and room to roam, whereas my baby will have little space. I feel sorry for myself when I see skinny moms with perfect bellies, and I'm large and doughy. I'm trying to be honest - I feel sorry for myself.

And then something happens a lot of the time. I hit a wall. I wake up. I realize what I have and how what I have is something that I love. I love my husband. I love my future child. I love laying on my very comfortable couch in front of the fireplace watching a movie with my favorite person by my side. I love baking delicious desserts in the kitchen that we built with our own blood, sweat, and tears (literally) and with the help of our dads and my uncle. I love waking up in a warm bed with my perfect little cat at my feet who never wakes up before me, almost like he is protecting me. He won't go downstairs with Aaron... he waits for me, and then when I'm ready, he bounds down a few steps, turns around to make sure I'm following, and then continues on to the main level. I love that Aaron kisses my belly and tells the baby he loves him/her. How can anyone complain when they have what I have?

Monday, December 16, 2013

This is the most wonderful time of the year...

One of the things I love about winter is how jolly people become. I consider winter to fall on November 1st and continue until at least the end of January. November is my anniversary with my husband and my birthday, December is my mom's birthday, Christmas, and winter in general is all of the other wonderful things that associate with these big moments.

This year, things are different than any other year. For one, we're in our home and settled in. We had moved in last December 1st, but we were still a little bit in disarray and hadn't done much to fix up our home yet. This year, our kitchen is complete, the house is almost fully painted, and we feel somewhat content. But of course, the big change is that we're pregnant with our first child. I remember the day that my family first came over to see our place and help us paint - the day we got our keys. I remember my aunt saying that she could just see our kids walking down the stairs on Christmas morning holding hands and gazing at the tree. It makes me cry actually to think about it because as far away as it seemed at the time, I could see it too. On Christmas morning when I was a kid, my dad would stay in bed with us and make my brother and I wait until my mom had turned on the tree and the Christmas music and made coffee, tea, and cinnamon toast. And then, the three of us would walk down the stairs together to see what Santa had delivered as my mom took our pictures of our pure joy! I remember that moment very clearly, and the photos are precious and full of childhood amazement and glory. And to think that someday our children, mine and Aaron's, will have the same memories is very special to me. So this year, just over a year later, we are so excited to be starting our own family.

We've had our marathon shopping day, decorated our home, put our special ornaments on our tree that we've been collecting for our entire relationship including a new one for our new family, and put on Christmas music while we clean. Things are a bit tough this year because finances aren't as accessible and I'm much larger and not quite as mobile, but I've wanted to continue some of our regular traditions. We're trying to watch all of our Christmas movies, visit with friends including my annual Christmas get-together with Jay (and this year Charlotte as well), bake, sing carols together while we cook dinner, and wear our funny Christmas shirts.




I'm hoping that next year we can start some additional Christmas traditions, like reading the baby The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve, leaving cookies and milk out for Santa, going shopping FOR the baby, and have our whole family over for Christmas dinner. Family is so important to us, and I want to emphasize it even more when the baby is here. Although my few close friends mean the world to me, it is vital that this child remembers that family will always be more important than the toys you get or the clothes you wear. Family will support you and love you whereas the newest gadget never will.

I can't wait to start all new traditions, have new experiences, and create new memories with our little family of 3!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Updated Questions from Mama To Be...

I'm 31.5 weeks in now, and I thought this would be a good time to update my previous post on questions I've received.


My bump at 30.5 weeks

Q. Is your husband excited?
A. He's thrilled and scared all at the same time. We've been taking baby classes through Douglas College, and even though it's exhausting to be out so late every week, I think it's prepared us much more for what's in store. It warms my heart when he talks to my belly and worries about us both.

Q. How are you feeling?
A. I'm utterly exhausted. I have heartburn all the time, I'm swollen, and I don't sleep all that well. Baby is also moving around A LOT which is exciting and strange all at the same time.

Q. Do you have any cravings?
A. My cravings have changed since the beginning and even since my last post 5 weeks ago. I crave milk (mostly chocolate milk) and mandarin oranges currently. The oranges aren't a strange one for me because I've been a citrus lover forever, but I hadn't drank a glass of milk since I was a kid and now I guzzle it like it's water.

Q. Do you know what you're having? Do you think you have a feeling as to what you're having?
A. We didn't find out because Aaron really wanted the surprise factor. Strangely enough, half of our birthing class chose to not find out, which seemed odd to me because most people these days opt for knowing in advance. I felt in the beginning that it was a girl. Aaron believes it's a boy. My acne, dairy cravings, and the way I carry point to girl, but at my office pool at work, it's exactly split 50/50 on boy vs. girl.

Q. Do you have names picked out?
A. I do in my head. I'm stuck on a girl name and a boy name, but I do have quite a few options. Aaron has a girl name that he really wants, but no preference on boys names yet. But we both agree that we have to meet the little person before we decide.

Q. Do you feel the baby kicking?
A. At first the baby was resigned to dance on my bladder exclusively. It's gotten higher, and sometimes I get the double whammy of a punch and a kick at the same time. My favorite though is seeing the movement through my shirt. I love it! And Aaron's been able to feel it more now too!

Q. Is the nursery finished?
A. We had my family over for my birthday Saturday a week and a half ago. We made very good progress. The crib was assembled, as was the stroller and play pen system. The nursery was painted and the closet was installed. We also changed out the door handle, cleaned the windows, and got some other small things done around the house. Aaron still has to finish the dresser and rocking chair, and we're having a family friend over on Sunday to paint a mural on the wall. I can't wait to see it all done.

Q. How are you handling your changing body?
A. I feel like a house basically! At my last check-up, I'd gained a substantial amount of weight, but this week it was slower - just 3lbs over 4 weeks. I felt better about that, but I've still gained about 30lbs so far in the 31.5 weeks of pregnancy. It's a bit more than I'd wanted because I still have 8 weeks to go!

Q. Are you taking birthing classes?
A. Our last class is tonight. I've enjoyed hearing about other people's journeys and meeting other moms in our neighborhood. It's been a good journey for me though because Jay and Emily experienced it right before me and I've never felt alone. But taking the classes gave me new perspective on what to expect.

Q. What's your birth plan?
A. I am planning on no drugs, but if it's better for me and the baby, I'll relent. I learned that gas is a much better option to get through contractions and doesn't affect the baby at all, so that may be my main method of pain management. I also want to just deal with it through breathing exercises and massage therapy. I've learned a lot more about this in our class. I highly recommend the classes.

Q. Do you plan on breastfeeding?
A. I am. I wholeheartedly want to and always have. However, at 19 years old, I had a breast reduction and was told at the time that I may or may not be able to breastfeed when the time came. At 19, this wasn't really a factor for my decision. I've never regretted my decision. But now that I'm gearing up to give birth and give my child essential nutrients through my body's natural source of food, I'm concerned. However, both my doctor and my birth coach assure me that I could be just fine. Another potential issue is that both my mom and my aunt (my mom's sister) had issues with breastfeeding. My mom was clogged and developed a painful infection, but in the end could still breastfeed us. My aunt couldn't at all. If I struggle, I'll go through any means necessary to ensure that I am able to do this for my baby. I know the positives of natural breastfeeding vs. formula, and I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure that my baby has the best start to life!

Q. Is your hospital bag packed yet?
A. Yes, as far as I can anyways. I have my overnight bag and also the diaper bag for baby packed. I continue to add to them, and will of course have last minute things to pack like my maternity pajamas. But I think most of the essentials are ready to go.

Q. Are you having a shower?
A. 3 of my amazing girlfriends banned together to throw me a shower. I decided, with the help of Lisa, that it's much more fun to have a shower pre-baby as a last hurrah to my life without a child. I know this may sound strange, but I feared all the chaos that surrounds the baby once it's born. So, my shower will be in January, and the invitations have now all been sent and received. I can't wait to see what they have come up with and spend some time with all the important ladies in my life.

Q. How much time are you taking for maternity leave?
A. I'm leaving 3 weeks before I'm due for the start of my maternity leave. I convinced Jay to do the same, and she ended up having Lil C 2 weeks early so it was good that she planned it the way she did. My last day at work is the day before my shower, so I'll be able to relax and enjoy myself and then await Peanut's arrival at home. I plan on taking my full year of maternity to take advantage of the limited time I have with baby and see her/him grow and start all the firsts that I may miss if I go back early. Aaron and I are both very aware of how much of a financial strain this will be on us, but the way I see it - your child is the most important thing in the world and there is no sacrifice too large for time with her/him. We'll be in debt for the rest of our lives regardless - I'd rather go deeper happy than go back early and miss out on valuable time.

Please feel free to ask if you have any other questions!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

A letter to my baby...

Peanut,

Before we knew what our future held, before we knew what path we would take, and before we knew what our lives would become, we knew that you were in our plan... at some point.

I went wedding dress shopping with my girlfriends on November 26th, 2011. On the way home, they asked what I'd do with my dress after the wedding, and I thought of you. I thought about making a gown for my someday child, or a blanket for the someday nursery. I thought about how much I loved your father and wanted to someday raise a baby with him after saying I do. Now, almost exactly 2 years later, I feel you inside me, kicking and swimming and playing and moving, and I remember how much I loved you even before you were a real thought.

You have grown so much since we first found out we were having you 24 weeks ago - you've gone from a speck of dust to a 2.5lb baby. June 7th I got the test results. I cried and cried happy tears. I continue to cry happy tears when I see your picture or hear your heartbeat or even just think about how much I can't wait to meet you. I cry because you are the final piece of my puzzle. I hope to never have to tell you about the struggles I've had in my life, and how sometimes things seemed dire. Sometimes I had no hope that my life would be happy and complete. Sometimes I struggled to find air. But the moment I met your dad, I found hope, I found my happy place, I found my oxygen. And although he and I had our fair share of obstacles, we fought our way through them because we knew that this life we've built together was worth fighting for. And now, you're growing inside me and your daddy kisses you through my belly every morning. He helps me up when I am tired, literally, and holds my hand when I feel I need a little extra help. The struggles I've had in life were worth it because it all led me to this life that I have now, and led me to creating you with your father. You are the missing puzzle piece, the thing I dreamed about and imagined when I was a little girl, even before I knew that a boy had to be part of the process. I've always wanted you, and here you are.

We really can't wait to meet you. We have 11 more weeks to wait, and we're getting our home ready for you to join it and our family. We are counting down the days, waiting for you because when you make your grand, screaming entrance into this big, beautiful world, life will be complete - you'll be the best part of our life. You have no idea how much you are already loved by so many people. Your grandparents, your uncles and aunt, your great uncles and great aunts, your cousins, our friends, our coworkers... everyone is waiting for you to become part of our days. We are all so excited to see who you will become. Will you have brown hair or red? Will you have brown eyes or blue? Will you be chubby like me or thin like your dad was? Will you be full of gusto or calm and serene? Will you want everyone to hear you or be a wallflower? Will you have your grandpa's nose or your grandma's ears? You have so many special things to show us... and I can't wait to know you.

Stay in there for 11 more weeks, okay baby, but when you're ready, we'll be ready to hold you and love you and remind you every day that you're the best thing that's ever happened to us. You've given me a reason to believe in miracles and given me hope that I have something good to give another little being. I can't wait to be your momma!


Love Mom

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

First Anniversary in Seaside, OR

With our first anniversary in the horizon, I asked my lovely husband where he might like to celebrate. Of course, he had no concrete ideas, so I decided for us: Seaside, OR. Being 6 months pregnant, I didn't want to do a 6 - 7 hour drive there in one day after a week of work, so we decided to break up the trip a little and spend our first night in Tacoma.

Our trip started just as every trip to the US has... with a stop at Sheri's for breakfast and pie!






 
After filling our stomachs with breakfast and pie-to-go, we headed to Bellis Fair for some shopping at Target, a massage for Aaron, and a new Christmas ornament to add to our collection!
 
Once we were done there, we headed over to the Seattle Premium Outlets. We always stop there, and always leave feeling disappointed because of the lack of real sales but c'est la vie! Back on the road after the hour or so stop, and we hit Seattle just as the sun was going down and traffic came to a stand-still!

 
It took us almost 2 hours to get from outside of Seattle to Tacoma. We were starving by this point, and after checking in to our hotel, we headed to our favorite chain - RED LOBSTER - for some eats!




 
When we were completely full on a feast of seafood, all we could think about was lying in bed and watching tv before a long drive the next morning. The below is a photo that Aaron took of my very pregnant belly stuffed with a Junior Mint!

 
The next morning, after fighting with a gang of teenaged soccer girls to get in line for the continental breakfast, we made our way further south to Oregon!
 



After a quick stop at Joanne's for fabric and Fred Meyer for wine for the man, we finally checked in to the Best Western Oceanside in Seaside, OR.

 
Our room was small, but the hotel itself was quite nice for a tiny town, and although I had hoped for an upgrade to a nicer, larger room perhaps with an ocean view, we made the most of it because we were together. We quickly threw our stuff down and headed out to the promenade, where we were met with the most amazing sight!


 
The beach in Seaside is a wonder. It seems like it lasts forever, and the waves alone were worth the 7 hour drive! After a lovely hand-in-hand walk along the beach, we walked down the main strip of town to a nice little restaurant called Twisted Fish.


 
Aaron enjoyed his burger, fries, and beer, and I had a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich with sweet potato fries. My Shirley Temple wasn't pleasant, but other than that, it was a nice meal!


 
After some relaxing in our room, we headed back out for dinner. We weren't sure what we wanted, but we ended up at Finn's after some good reviews online.




 
Aaron ordered the clam linguine, which is a favorite of his, and I wasn't super hungry so I settled on a bowl of clam chowder and a ceasar salad. I must say that it was one of the best chowders I've ever had, and totally hit the spot.
 
The next morning after a very rough sleep and an upset belly, I presented Aaron with a little surprise for our official first wedding anniversary - a caramel apple and a card. It's our thing! He was surprised, and later presented me with my card as well. I'm so glad we didn't waste money on gifts, and instead just enjoyed each other and our mini-vacation!





 
After breakfast and another beautiful walk on the beach on a gorgeous November day, we walked around town exploring what Seaside had to offer! We purchased a Christmas ornament, which is what we do every vacation since we met, and we stopped off at an ice cream parlor for an old-fashioned root beer smoothie!

 
At that point, I was pretty much done for the day, so we made our way back to the hotel for a quick nap. We finally woke up after two hours, and I felt a little better, so we ventured back to Finn's to enjoy the soup and salad again! :) The rest of the afternoon was spent in the room drinking gingerale, eating pringles, and watching Ridiculousness on tv.
 
We wanted dinner to be special, and we picked a little place recommended by the front desk clerk. It was called Norma's, and I remembered reading good reviews. Although the food was pretty good, the atmosphere was lacking. We chalked it up to being a small town, but I sort of wished that we'd been in a nicer place that wasn't baby blue with booth seating and spiral-bound laminated menus. However, having said that, we again just enjoyed being together and spoiling ourselves with good food and fancy virgin drinks for me, and beer and wine for Aaron.
 






 
We both got salad to start, and then I got the crab cakes and Aaron got a steak, both with baked potatoes. My crab cakes were delicious, and Aaron enjoyed his stead, even though it was slightly over-cooked. 


Our first anniversary came to a close, and we were sad to be leaving!


All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our vacation, even though Monday's 10 hour trip back home was exhausting. We loved knowing that we survived our first year of marriage, and knew that we were still so in love and so anxious to share these kinds of experiences in the future with our baby. We agreed that we'd love to go back to Seaside again next year with the baby now that we know what to expect! We'll play in the sand, lay around on beach blankets, maybe have a bonfire at night and roast marshmallows.

I will never forget this trip because I'm pretty sure that I fell in love with Aaron all over again. Knowing how protective he was of me through the trip, always checking on me and still reminding me how pretty I am made me thankful that I chose him as the person I'll spend the rest of my life with. I really couldn't be any happier!


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Do you remember playing that game when you were little? Pulling the petals off a flower, hoping that you would end up with the last petal exclaiming that HE LOVES ME! 5 years ago, I was playing this game in my head... hoping I'd find someone who would love me.

I had a very real, very vivid Oprah-inspired AHA! moment on my way to work yesterday. I was thinking about how much my life has changed over 5 years. In early 2008, my BFF and I were partying like the bar stars we were, drinking, eating late-night poutine, flirting with boys, hoping that one of them would still be Mr. Right the next morning. They were all Mr. Wrong... in fact, most of them were Mr. Very Wrong.

In 3 days I will officially be 6 months pregnant. In 4 days, I'll have been married a full year. When I was a little girl, this is the life I wanted. I wanted to get married, buy a home, have a baby. I wanted a husband who loved me with no conditions, 2 cats, and a dog. The only piece missing is the dog. I can wait for a dog. I can't handle a dog right now. Someday.

Aaron, however, never pictured himself married. He never thought he'd be a husband. Never imagined being a father. For sure never thought he'd own a home. He told me right after we started dating that he wasn't sure what he wanted 5 years from then. I knew exactly what I wanted. The only thing we agreed on is that we wanted to be together.

So here's my AHA realization: He has given me everything I ever wanted, and I have given him everything he never knew he wanted until he had it. We have grown so much over the last 5 years, and especially in the last 3 years, and more so in the last year. We went from immature individuals to a dedicated couple to an engaged couple to a married couple to expectant parents in 5 years. That's a lot of change. Even more, since we got married on November 10th one year ago, we have fallen even more in love. We moved into our first home, did renovations, made our house our home, started trying for children, took vacations, found out we were having a baby, and readied ourselves for parenthood. It's a lot of change for one year. It's a lot of big changes for any couple. But the best part of this whole change: we've done it together and it's made us better people. We've grown closer as a married duo and we've discovered the real meaning of family. It was a very rocky, traumatic road to get to this point, but we got here... together.

This was the first moment he saw me walking down the aisle... and I'll never forget that moment of seeing my future husband waiting for me in front of our family and friends. That one first moment was probably the single best moment of my life and still makes me cry.

I will never claim that either of us is perfect or that we have the perfect relationship, but what I will say is that every time I think about him, I still get butterflies in my tummy. When he kisses me, I still feel like I love kissing him back. When he leads me into a room, I'm still proud to be on his arm. When he tells me he loves me and that I'm beautiful, I fully believe him. When he makes me coffee every morning, I smile. When he makes me laugh, I fall more in love with him. And when he rubs my belly and talks to the baby, I couldn't love him more.

I can't wait to see what this next year will bring. We'll celebrate our 2 year anniversary with a 9 month old baby on our hips... and I'll bet it will be the best one yet!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Answering Your Questions...

I'm 25.5 weeks in now, and I've had so many questions about my pregnancy. I wanted to take a minute to answer them:

My view when I look down... 24 weeks.

Q. Is your husband excited?
A. He's very excited! He kisses my belly and talks to the baby. I think he's afraid, like I am, of what changes may be in store like finances and time management, but he's also so excited by the thought of a baby in our home and our lives.

Q. How are you feeling?
A. I'm very tired. I'm a little bit stressed because of everything we have to get done, but I've also been told that I'm glowing. I think it's sweat, but others claim it's a "glow".

Q. Do you have any cravings?
A. I've had a million cravings. My friends didn't so much, but I get them almost on a weekly basis. At first it was watermelon and lemonaide. Then it was cheese dip with nacho chips. Then it was Thai food. It's still Thai food in fact. Right now it's also chocolate milk and candy. I also randomly want cookies, olives, blue cheese, avocados, or pomegranites.

Q. Do you know what you're having?
A. My husband didn't want to know. In fact, he was adamant that we shouldn't find out. He thinks it's one of the only real surprises in life. At first, I was fighting him tooth and nail to find out, but now that we are only 14 weeks away, I feel like it's a little easier to hold on until we meet Peanut.

Q. Follow up - Do you feel like you know what you're having?
A. In all honesty, I really want a girl and Aaron really wants a boy. I've just always wanted a girl first, then a boy. Do I feel like I know? Not really. I have a lot of the "old wives tale" symptoms of a girl, and many people tell me that I carry like it's a girl, but I don't believe in any of that because I thought Jay was having a boy and Emily was having a girl so I'm 0 for 2!

Q. Do you have names picked out?
A. I did a lot of research in the beginning on names and their meanings. I would email Aaron and find out what he thought. We made lists of our favorites. He has a favorite girl name. I have one for each. And then we both have back-ups. But do we agree on any names? Not yet. We're not sharing our names because we feel that people are too judgmental. We also just want to meet the baby for the first time and see what she/he looks like. We may name him Bob beforehand, but he could look more like a John. :)

Q. Do you feel the baby kicking?
A. Yes, I sure do. It's getting higher and higher as well, which is fun and distracting all at the same time. But now Aaron can feel the baby as well. That's probably been the most fun thing of all for me - feeling the movement and sharing it with Daddy.

Q. Is the nursery finished?
A. Not even a little bit!!! My family is coming over for my birthday next month and we're all going to work on it together. The theme is picked out, the crib is purchased, and some of the furniture is at our house waiting to be worked on. We still have to pick out paint colors and get some of the cute touches together. I am super duper thrilled to get everything eventually put away and in their place, and I think until that happens, my anxiety will be a little high. Aaron and his dad will be working on the dresser and rocking chair after their move is complete.

Q. How are you handling your changing body?
A. Not very well. Period. I knew I'd gain weight, but I didn't think I'd gain it in my arms, my back, my hips... I thought I'd just get a big belly. I didn't think that I would be so uncomfortable this soon. I didn't think I'd lose so much energy. I thought I'd go to yoga and aquafit and walk every day. I just don't have the energy to go, nor the finances. I'd rather put the money towards baby.

Q. Are you taking birthing classes?
A. Yes, Aaron and I start next week. It's a 6 week course, and we're both excited to learn, but scared to know some of the gory facts that go along with childbirth! I think Aaron feels weird about it, but we heard from my BFF and her hubby that it was one of their best parental decisions.

Q. Are you planning a natural birth?
A. I am planning on no drugs, but if things start to go awry, I'm screaming for pain killers! It's no time to play hero, ladies! I don't want an IV, but if worse comes to worse, I'll get the epidural. My mom didn't have drugs for me or my brother, and I like to think I have a high pain threshold (like grabbing a red hot cast iron skillet handle last night with my bare hand and not even crying)... and I did have kidney stones in 2011 which some people say is more painful than childbirth. But I cried for drugs in that instance, so I just don't know. I can't plan for what will happen, but I have high hopes that things will be okay.

That's pretty much it... so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!














Monday, October 28, 2013

Pumpkin Patch and Other Fun Things...

Aaron's not a fan of Halloween. In fact, he's not a fan of most holidays with the exception of Christmas. He makes a stink about celebrating, but he still tries to make the most of it for my sake. It's one of the reasons why I love him.
 
On Sunday, we headed out to the "pumpkin patch". I didn't really know what to expect since we usually go to the one in Chilliwack, but I was told that the Art Knapp in Port Coquitlam (maybe 10 minutes away from us) was decent. We hopped in the car and headed over there. It was pretty well done, and almost everything was under covers for the kids. 
 
 
 I just had to take this picture! :)
 


Here's my pumpkin. I was very well aware of how huge my belly had gotten, but didn't realize my face had exploded as well. I'm 25 weeks at this point!


Aaron picked out his large pumpkin...


And then he grabbed a small one to carve for baby!

Inside they had created an entire Halloween Haunted Ghost town. I have one of these started for Christmas with my village, but this Halloween one was far more impressive than mine!
 
I get excited to do these traditions every year. On Halloween, we're going to get take-out, put on some scary movies, and hand out candies. We do this every year. It's something we can carry on when Peanut arrives.
 
I think what made this more special for me was picturing us going here year after year with our child or children. I was envisioning getting on the train and the merry-go-round with Daddy and Baby, letting her/him choose a pumpkin, getting popcorn and hot chocolate, taking photos as a family. Family is becoming more and more important to us as we get older, and now that we're about to become a family ourselves, I'm getting even more excited about holidays and traditions!