Ahhh... Encouragement

So Andy and I were flipping through one of my many pregnancy books the other day, and we came upon this little countdown that really (I must say) just did a doozer on my self-esteem. I couldn't help but laugh really hard at the list partially due to fear and then also because it's all probably true. But these are the things that people just keep to themselves... tucked away quietly in their minds (where all of these thoughts should stay). The way Andy was narrating them to me was also hilarious... he's so animated sometimes and makes it sound even worse than it is! So enjoy. And laugh.

Top-Ten Biggest Shocks of Childbirth

10. How big you really got during pregnancy.
9. How fat you still are when you leave the hospital.
8. How messy childbirth and recovery are.
7. How frightened you are of ever having a bowel movement again in this lifetime.
6. How fat your face looks in the delivery room videos and photos.
5. How certain you are that you will never want sex again.
4. How irresponsible the hospital was to have released this precious baby into your care, considering you'd never even changed a diaper until yesterday.
3. How complicated nursing a baby really is.
2. How overwhelming your devotion and enslavement to the baby are already.
1. How nobody ever told you how much it REALLY hurts to have a baby.

So... anyone want a copy of this book???

??Guesses Anyone??

Alright. As of today, I'm 9 days away from my due date. I want to hear guesses on how much she will weigh, if "she" will really be a "she", and when I'll go into labor. Guesses on anything really... except MY weight. You aren't allowed to guess that... Let the guessing games begin! Oh, and I forgot to mention... there will be a little prize in it for whoever is the closest!

Big Belly... Big Foot

Big Belly Update

So here are some belly shots for those of you who are curious. I am officially feeling like I have a big ol' bowling ball underneath my shirt all the time now, and my feet and ankles (or should we say cankles now) are feeling the wrath of the baby weight. Yeah the heat doesn't exactly help that out at all. They got sooo swollen this weekend for the first time. And my right one gets more swollen than my left because baby Olson likes my right side. She loves to kick me right in the ribs, and jab her knee out my right side. So all in all, what I'm trying to say is, that my feet look like that of a diabetic old woman. They look disgusting, and I can't wait until they are back to normal. I can't wait until my whole BODY is back to normal. My back is killing me too from this little baby's extra weight. And heaven knows that I really have gotten the multi-tasking skill down to a T. I can throw up, blow my nose, and pee... all at the same time!! I feel so absolutely talented. Haha.

The Toe Story...

So the other day, I got this fantastic idea that I would re-paint my toenails, since my last job was well-grown out, and I love having pretty toes. So I hoisted my left leg onto our ottoman, and just got that foot all polished pretty with my bright orange nail polish, when my leg went dead from my big belly cutting off my circulation to my legs by sitting that way. So I clumsily go to put my dead leg down on the ground, and oops!! My big clumsy dead foot knocks over the bottle of nail polish... right onto my brand new tan carpet!!! And where does it go? Under the couch!!! So picture this... my leg is dead... I have a big belly and can't bend over to get the polish... plus I'm trying not to touch my 5 wet toenails onto the carpet as well. Meanwhile, I'll admit I said the word "damn", because I knew the bottle was underneath the couch, just gushing orange polish all over the place. Luckily, Andy was home for lunch at the time and was a witness to this whole fiasco, and when he heard me say the magic word, he bent right over and picked up the bottle without any problem! Well, we moved the couch to take a look at the damage. I'll just say that I really did a good job re-coloring our carpet. It took me two hours of scrubbing with various stinky cleaners to get those stains out, but I did manage to get them out! Triumph! After that, I was not about to attempt painting my toenails again with baby Olson front and center, so I treated myself to a pedicure. The little vietnamese lady did such a good job on my toes... I am very satisfied, and I think she could tell I was in distress because she gave me like a 15 minute calf and foot massage instead of the typical 3 minutes!!! Everything turned out good at the end of the day. Here is a pic of the finished product...

Pregnancy Posts

Geez Louise. I feel like I'm running out of topics to talk about on this thing. Andy and I haven't been taking any trips lately because...well... seriously, if you can't guess, I'm not going to tell you. Just kidding. But really, everything has been about the new little sweetie who's due to enter into our lives in just 3 short weeks! I still feel so unprepared, and I'm sure we will continue to feel this way until the day she comes. I have such a hard time not knowing exactly what day she will arrive... and for those of you who are thinking "Ohhhh, what if it comes out a boy". No chance. I had another sneak peak yesterday in an ultrasound, and oh. She's definitely female. No lumps or bumps down there! So Ad, it was not just a bum that they saw the first time! Haha. I was actually relieved to be able to get a peak again, because part of me was thinking "Well, if the baby comes out a boy... he might have a complex later because of all the pink clothes and blankies he will be wearing throughout his infant life." All I have is pink pink pink!!!

Andy's father-to-be Father's Day was yesterday. He got a lovely new tie from Gin and baby, along with a new basketball and a card that taught him how to change a diaper (he will definitely be putting those skills to use very soon). Also, Gin made him a gourmet homemade pizza while he watched the game.

Big Man Andy

I am sooo proud of my husband! He submitted an abstract at work a couple of months ago, and his was chosen (out of 300 others all from North America) for him to present in front of hundreds of people in Texas in October!!! What a smart and accomplished husband I have! Way to go Andy!! I love you!

Here's a copy of the congratulatory letter he received:

Thank you for your abstract submission for the 2008 Operational Excellence (OE) Forum. The Planning team for the Forum is pleased to inform you that your abstract has been selected for a presentation at the event to be held September 30 - October 2, at the Woodlands Waterway Marriot just outside of Houston, Texas. Congratulations!

The planning team analyzed ~ 300 submissions and determined that your abstract meets the criteria for the theme “Leading the Way, Achieving Results,” and effectively addresses a priority OE gap the company would like to close. As you develop your presentation, keep in mind that attendees will be looking for “Ideas to Go” to help their business units achieve success in the same area of Operational Excellence. In the coming month, you will be contacted by a track team member with information and guidelines on presentation format, style and content to help you achieve the best possible transfer of information to attendees.

High Time

Well, I think it's high time we post something new! Last weekend, Gin's parents came out to Bakersfield for a visit. It was sooo nice to have them here! It was so nice to start preparing for "Baby Ingrid Gretchen Marie"(as Merissa calls her) with my mom. Good mother/daughter bonding time. We are getting sooo excited for her arrival, and hope it's much sooner than later! I have to be honest... I'm so sick of being so sick. :)
So I had a Dr.'s appointment today, I'm 35 1/2 weeks along, and everything is looking good. The baby's head is in the right place, so that's definitely a bonus. We can't wait to meet this lovely little lady!
(I'll post pics a little later...so in case you look at this before there are pics, they will be here shortly)
Not much else is going on here... we're almost finished with our nursery, and when it's complete, there will be plenty of pictures of that as well.

Mother's Day

Well Sunday was my very first official Mother's Day!! Andy made it such a good day. He gave me two great CD's... even made me mac'n cheese for lunch, and wrote me the sweetest letter. I also received a nice card from my parents, and they also gave me my diaper bag for mother's day. I'm starting to get sooo excited for this little one to come into the world. This pregnancy has brought about such a rainbow of emotions... some of which I never knew I was capable of.

Even though it was mother's day, I still had to teach my sunday school lesson... Andy didn't let me off the hook. We take turns every other week since we share the calling, and we teach the 14-18 year olds in our ward. Talk about an intimidating crowd... and they're mostly teenage boys, with the exception of about 6 girls. We have a class of about 20. (Thank heavens Andy is in there with me) No, they're really good kids, and it's a fun calling to have. I do, however, feel bad for them... as they have to put up with the pregnant woman's emotions. Haha. It makes me laugh, thinking of how uncomfortable I probably make those teenage boys when the water works start. Ad, you know who comes to mind? Jeanette Anderson... I still remember you complaining about her water works when you were a teenager. Haha!!

Rach, these belly pics are just for you! I took them myself... as if you couldn't tell... I have no arm in the picture. I just barely took them today, so they are extremely up to date! I am now 33 weeks along, and will be 34 on Thursday!