my belly

Our fam is cursed with stretch marks (no elasticity in our skin) so I REALLY wanted 1st baby maternity pics. But come on, these aren't pics just anyone can do. So seeing as I have excellent photographers in my family, Brooke graciously took these pics for me Sunday morning before I flew home.

* view the following at your own risk

baby b and me 31 weeks

I will forever cherish these photographs and this time in my life.

Motherhood is simply beautiful and I can't wait to fully step into her shoes.

Thank you Brooke, for these memories.

A shower for B

Some of you may wonder if it is hard having an amazing mom and sisters ....

No, no it is not.

And I really am just tickled that they felt it important for me to have a shower from them.

This whole pregnancy has been a sort of "rite of passage" that I am thoroughly enjoying. When I was at my sisters showers I never knew what it all meant. I thought gifts of course, you need baby stuff. But more than anything I have felt so much love and support for this little baby boy growing inside of me. Who would have thought that people (besides myself and Nate) love this baby already?

Well, if nothing else was accomplished this weekend

I felt loved

I felt that my baby was loved

AND I

loved that.

All of my sisters made some serious sacrifices to make this happen.

Brooke really outdid herself on decor. I'm going to say at least 3 hours spent and all for a 2 hour shower. I was so sad to just take it down after. Kennan was master soup maker. Robyn drove the 4 hours from St George in stormy weather just to be a part of the group.

So you see, not hard at all to have amazing sisters.

The food was delic and so much fun to put together. Friday night was spent baking, cooking, and decorating .

We just laughed, chatted, and munched all through the blizzardy night.

My mom is dream maker if you didn't know....

Part of the rite of passage into motherhood is my mother making my baby his bedding. Really, there is nothing she can't make. I dreamed up this bedding and she made it come true. I know she spent countless hours and frustrations making it just right and well... it speaks for itself.

.perfect.

And since mr camera is still MIA, these pics were all stolen from Brooke's blog (however it does feel nice having such excellent photos)

Here is me, 31 weeks, tickled pink, at my shower, for my baby boy.

Thank you family and friends for coming to celebrate my baby with me. I appreciate all who were there and am continually refolding and examining each of baby B's gifts :)

ps flying at 31 weeks during the Sundance film festival WAS a nightmare.

NIGHTMARE.

Luckily I am home safe and sound growing exponentially.

Our baby meets 3-D

Do I love this little guy more now that he has a face?

I don't know, but I do love the the cute little face that we met this last Wednesday

35 straight minutes of ultrasound with lots of pictures to take home and admire :)

Little man pursing his big lips

Just getting comfortable with his hand and foot in his face
That's definitely a Clark big toe and possibly a Williams tuck toe


Our sweetest picture....

I

Love

You

B

He gave us a wave (you can see it in 4-d)

And all smooshied up

He weighed an estimated 3 lbs 3 oz at 30 weeks 1 day
with a 7 1/2 inch diameter head (whew... already getting big)
I can't even tell you how much we adore this baby growing in side of me
AND
I have decided, this is the coolest thing I have ever done.
I was never one growing up who played with dolls and dreamed of the day I'd have my own. I was more the child who dreamed of world travels and exotic experiences.
Let me just say this, this is WAY better.
Love you baby B

2010

I AM really excited for this year.

But I also AM very blue today.

It is probably my new found day off and pregnancy hormones that are coursing through my veins that are making me this way but I can't seem to get the energy to put my house back together and get ready for the day right now.

It seems for the last 6 months I've been telling myself and envisioning myself in a comfortable home with a new baby who has everything he could want and need. Because I've been assuming such things I just KNEW when our lease at our apartment was up (Jan 31st) we would find ourselves in a home.

Well, yesterday reality kicked in and said home is looking very bleak before mr. 11 weeks and 3 days arrives. I can't really explain it, but this is simply devastating to me. I keep trying to rationalize with myself that it is NOT a big deal and everything will work out fine but I can't shake these blues. I think what makes me feel more terrible than anything is that all the important things (healthy baby, loving husband with good job) are in line and I really am countlessly blessed right at this moment with so many things. But my heart breaks for my baby if he doesn't have a nursery and has to lay on the hazardous carpet in our apartment.

I am so oober excited for baby B to arrive but I feel so homeless.

I know... we are not homeless and we are very fortunate for the things we have.

But today I am blue about it and I think I'll go climb back in bed.

P.S. no pictures for bloggy, I seem to have left camera in Utah and he won't be arriving for another week.

Cabo cabo cabo

There were several excuses for this....

we needed a babymoon...

it is our last trip before we become strapped...

it was inlieu of Presidents Club for Nate (it falls right when baby's due)...

It was our Christmas...

and

WE'RE SPOILED

I think the last, which isn't an excuse, is the most proper reason

BUT

Dreams Los Cabos was AMAZING!!!

Pretty much four days of laying on one of those lawn chairs being waited on hand and foot :)

The beach; very beautiful but a little treacherous for swimming

We golfed too!!

well Nate golfed... I rode

This was one of his best shots for our round
It went fromt here...

to here!
AND he made the put!
We had a wonderful time on our little vaca.

It was relaxing, beautiful, 3 hours away from home, and took the Christmas spirit right out of us.

Luckily, said spirit returned shortly after on our 12 hour drive through frigid weather to make it to Utah for Christmas :)

A little taste of Christmas

I am currently driving across Nevada on my way home for Christmas and I know if I don't post this now it just won't happen this year.

So... here is from a few weeks back

The Nutcracker

From the looks of me and my current profession you would never know that as a little girl I was a ballerina and thought I would be Clara / the Sugar Plum Fairy one day (even though I was designated to all the "core" rolls when Brooke and I played).

It all comes from Robyn's devotion to Utah Regional Ballet and Brooke and I following in suit as little minions. But from as long as I can remember the Nutcracker has been a Christmas tradition EVERY year. The tradition when we were little entailed Nutcracker sweats and several viewings of the performance to see out older sister. And for two years I was lucky enough to be a 'mademoiselle' (and still remember the choreography)

Anyway... it is just Christmas to me and I was dying last year to attend the birth place and orginal Nutcracker but it didn't happen. This year bet you bottom dollar....

We met up with some friends and watched the fabulous performance at War Memorial Opera House. The founder of SF ballet and orginal choreogrpaher of the American version, William Christensen, also founded Ballet West and brought the Nutcracker to Utah. I actually remember him attending one of my own performances as a mademoiselle :)

Anyway, it was fabulous. A real production and though similar to what I grew up with, different in a good way. For instance, it is set in turn-of-the-century SF!

Nate even enjoyed it (they kept it strictly to 2 hours) It put us in the Christmas spirit AND I bought my first nutcracker :)

Out First Competition!!

Our First competition this year was on the 12/5 in SF

I can't tell you how nervous and excited I was for my girls

It was my first judgement as a coach and I was really anxious to see what the judges had to say about our performance.

Overall the day was a success and my teams did really well and made me proud :)

It was one of those days where I kept thinking in my mind "wow, I can't believe we're really here" The owners (not pictured) started this gym from scratch and we started these teams from scratch with over half of them never having cheered in their lives.

It was such an accomplishment for Valley Cheer and Dance to be at that competition and to be competitive!

Way to go US!

If you wanna see their performance watch the videos below :)

YouTube - Valley Cheer and Dance - JAMZ Slam City Cheer Competition