I'm pregnant, but don't feel "pregnant."

Have you ever gone through something and been shocked at how completely normal it is? You get married and life seems the same. You grow a baby and you also feel the same. It isn't that logically I thought going through pregnancy would be something that came with different thoughts and feelings, I am just constantly amazed at how normal it is. It is really cool to me that our bodies and minds are so good at adapting to change. 

I had a FANTASTIC baby shower last Saturday. So many good friends and family came to support me. My friend Sarah and her mom Mely did so much work to make it a special day for me. There were printed pictures from my Maternity shoot, yummy food, cute decorations and Sarah even recorded everyone as they shared a blessing they hope I receive. I had such a great time and am thankful for all the people in my life who make it so fun!

 Below is a picture of the gift my friend Tori gave me (left) and my guest bath (right). They were both things that made my day. The plumbing issue has been going on for over a months and I finally, stubbornly, finished it. The shower/bath did not put out any cold water. We didn't notice when we first bought the house because the water heater was turned down so low that you had to have it all the way to hot to even get warm water, which was great in the summer, but not quite warm enough in the winter. When J was sick I decided to shower here to avoid his sick germs in our master bath. I scorched my back side pretty bad and realized we had a problem. I researched and googled to find out that we needed to replace the cartridge. I followed all the right steps, but the old cartridge was STUCK. I kept trying for weeks, while many people kept telling me I might need a plumber to help. I was frustrated because I felt like I KNEW how to fix it, but it wasn't working. Finally, after my dad tried his luck at pulling it out and the darn thing started badly leaking, I called a plumber, defeated. The funny thing is he showed up and had never seen any cartridge so stuck. It took him hours to get it out. He tried pulling, melting (which set off all our smoke alarms, lovely) and using a strong lubricant to get it out. Finally I mentioned that my dad and I were planning on drilling a long screw into the stuck cartridge in hopes that the pressure would break up some build up and give us leverage to pull it out, if we hadn't called a plumber. The guy was out of ideas and energy, so he tried it. It worked! So you see I am smarter than a plumber:) Our shower now works and the plumber was very nice and didn't charge me much at all. I was really worried that the hours he spent would equate to $$$$. I think he felt bad that he made a pregnant woman go and shut off the water line in the basement over 20 times. I got my workout for the day.

 I do believe I have hit the nesting stage. I have always been a big organizer, but lately the urge to get things done is pretty intense. Sunday I made 6 pair of baby leggings in about an hour and a half. It was so fun! I was going to write a tutorial, but I kind of just wing it every time. That is definitely one of my weaknesses. Here is a link of a tutorial that is very similar to how I made them, and much better written than I could do. I used old clothes and lined up the bottoms with seams so there was less sewing and a little more of a finished look. I also like to use my double needle once in a while, because that makes them look more finished also. This project made me decide that I need a serger. I should have thought of it before Christmas!

 After all that rambling, here are two recent bump pictures, 35 and 36 weeks along. I am feeling great for the most part. I am a little uncomfortable, having a lot of braxton hicks, and sleep is getting less easy. We are getting so excited for this little guy to come out. Yesterday Jordan told me, "I miss him. Can we go to the hospital and get him out?" It is hard to explain how you can miss someone you have never met, but it is possible. I told Jordan he had to wait, but he wasn't very happy about that. It will be another 3-6 weeks before this guy is ready. I also accidentally saw my weight as a nurse entered it into her computer. Man, that is depressing! Jordan had to console me with ice cream over that one. I am doing my best at suppressing that bit of information

Fitting in

Do you ever feel like you don't fit in? Lately I don't fit in my jeans, my shoes or my gym. haha. Jordan and I recently started going to Golds Gym. In January his work bought us gym memberships there and we put them on hold while we still had our Rec Center pass. Goodness there is a huge difference between the two gyms! We love that Golds is so close. I even finished before Jordan this morning, because my belly gave me strict instructions to stop, so I walked home. It was very nice. What isn't nice is that no one there wears clothes. If they do, they are painted on. Also, who has the energy to do their hair and make up before a 6 am workout? I find it pretty silly. It makes me very uncomfortable, but I think I will get used to it. It is funny that as the days go on I have started to have thoughts about wearing tank tops or booty shorts to work out in. Nobody wants to see my pregnant body like that. If you wear shorts and tank tops to the gym, please don't feel like I am judging you! Everyone should work out in what they feel comfortable in. I just decided a long time ago that I can work out in pants and a T-shirt and that makes me feel most comfortable. I need to remind myself that it isn't always good to fit in. I don't need to show off my newly acquired cleavage just because every one around me is. Below are some pictures of me not fitting in my jeans anymore:) This baby is actively taking up as much space as possible. I am constantly hungry and my lungs are angry that they don't have room to expand like they used to.

October update

Life has been going by so fast! We are in love with the Fall.

This month I got a new co-worker. Usually that isn't exciting news, but in my office there are 6 people and I was the youngest by 20+ years before Madison got hired. It has been so fun to have someone to talk to when we aren't busy explaining that not all rice from China is contaminated. Stupid Dr. Oz. Your advice makes many people irrational. Work is a joy and I look forward to going most days:)

Jordan's job is equally great. He is still doing double duty because his promotion hasn't gone through. He is a supervisor and an "undercover manager" :) He does a lot of managerial work because there is so much that needs to be done, but he is waiting for the title and pay raise. Hopefully by Christmas. Who knows! He is liking his classes, but his Physiology teacher sure knows how to write tough tests. He is a smart cookie and I'm sure he will pass, if not he will take it again from a more reasonable teacher.



We sure love Ragnar, Jordan's parents bird. He sings to us, nuzzles us and even lets us pet him without biting once in a while. He also poops, which is his major defect.

The pregnancy is going great! I am blessed to have an easier pregnancy. I am not in the hospital or taking any prescriptions. Complaining is still an often occurrence, however, and Jordan puts up with it:) Pregnancy just isn't fun sometimes! Our little man is growing very well. Our Dr. has given us plenty of stress with some "abnormalities" that showed up on the ultrasound. Most of them are cleared up, but others will take 6 weeks to see if there is any progress. I am confident that everything will be great and our technology is so good now that they see things they can't explain and are obligated to check them out. I am not allowing myself to worry, but I have had TMJ ever since so maybe I am clenching my jaw and stressing in my sleep, haha. Jordan just jokes that I must be clenching my jaw to make sure I don't sleep with my mouth open. (I have a pet peeve of people who have there mouth just hanging open all the time.)

We are looking forward to the holidays. We are spending Thanksgiving in Fillmore and Christmas in Orem. It is such a fun season! I just wish our roads were heated and I didn't hyperventilate at the thought of driving on icy roads. I guess I can test out my hypnobirthing skills on my daily winter drives.

As my most loyal customer always tells me, "Christ the Lord Jesus is your savior and I hope you have a blessed day!" He is a reverend, and when he isn't arguing with me he is a real pleasure.

You can spend your whole life learning, and still be an idiot.

I absolutely love to learn! My job is fantastic because I learn all day long. I have realized lately that even though you have a degree, even a PhD, and still have so much to learn. I know that what the scriptures say is true, in that the learning we do in this life will benefit us greatly in the next. Sometimes, though, it is hard to be motivated to keep going!

Health is one of those subjects that is quite subjective. You can find endless opinions about Vitamin D alone. (I know this because I have been studying about that since 10 this morning.) There is no way I will ever know it all. NOBODY DOES! The key is to admit you are clueless, study the best you can, check your resources, and realize that God never intended us to know it all in this life. I KNOW that we have all the tools we need in the scriptures. When I get flustered and wonder if I need to check my D 25 OH levels every week to assure I'm not going to be experiencing 100 things related to D-3 deficiency......I take a breath and remember that God told us to do everything in moderation. I am aware of my health and proactively seek to improve it. I do not need to spend all my energy coming up with a diet and exercise plan, I need to listen to my body and the ques it gives me. If I am lacking D-3 I would probably crave milk, sunshine and salmon. Our bodies are so magnificent. I for one am going to pray extra long today expressing gratitude that my body is perfect. It doesn't belong in a magazine, but it is doing a killer job and growing a baby. Millions of things are going on right now to help me to survive and I don't have to be an expert in any of those things for them to happen. 

It is a miracle. Life is a miracle. 

Life Lately

Life is busy and even though I sit at a computer for 8 hours a day at work, I rarely succeed at this blog business.

Pregnancy is going wonderfully. I do have constant headaches, every day. By the evening they usually get so bad that I say curse words when I stand up. Usually only in my head. I suspect that they come from my naturally low blood pressure which is even lower with this little baby growing. There is little I can do about that. I do crave salty things, especially chips, like a crazy person. I often give in to those cravings. Today it was spicy cheez-its.

We found out that our baby is coming with boy parts! It was a great experience. We had an ultrasound at 8:30am. We got in really quick. The woman was having a hard time getting the little guy to uncross his legs, but after a minute or so she started calling it a him. Jordan lit up and told her, "You keep saying his. Are you keeping something from me?" She laughed and claimed she didn't know yet. 30 seconds later she said just kidding, I knew it was a boy! And she showed us a clear shot of his parts. Jordan shot a fist in the air and gave a happy shout. I was just happy to see a heart beat and two kicking legs. I forgot to count the arms, but I am pretty sure there were two of those, too.

I found out Sunday that Jordan is completely serious about the names he has been suggesting. Let us just say we are on different pages name wise. I am on the "Mac, Samuel, Reuben" page and he is on the "Ragnar, Raphael, Gabriel" page. Somehow we will meet in the middle and I will try to be more open to suggestions that aren't my own.

There are many happy things going on. I have felt a lot more rested this week. Maybe that is because I sleep 10 hours each night, and more like 12 on weekends. BUT during my awake time I have felt very energetic. As long as I take my Unisom and B6 I don't have any of the queezies and my sisters gave me the best stash of maternity clothes. I am trying to buy a few things here and there to build up the stock for Kara's next pregnancy. Hopefully soon because she makes great babies.

I am praying for more months of complication free pregnancy. Extra prayers are always welcome!

Funny convo with J to end the post:

Jamie:Give me a score prediction for the BYU game tonight.

Jordan: Who do they play?

Jamie: Houston Cougars

Jordan: 34-10

Jamie: I'm stealing it.

Jordan: WHAT?!

Jamie: We have to make predictions at work.

Jordan: I put a patent on that.

Jamie: Too late. I wrote it down on the sheet.

Jordan: How do you sleep with yourself at night?

Jamie: With one knee poked at you to protect my side. 

Pregnancy! & My Personal Opinions about Family.

Jordan and I could not be more excited about our pregnancy! I am hoping to be a little more dedicated to blogging throughout the process. I think it will be a good place for me to journal about each stage, so that when I'm every thinking of signing up to grow a baby again, I remember how I felt this time;)



1. The above picture is the morning we found out we were pregnant. A little TMI may be involved in these posts, so proceed with discretion. We had decided to stop taking birth control pills mid May. I know some people try to get that out of their system for a while before trying, but we prayed and felt good about trying right away. I had been feeling symptoms all month, but wouldn't let myself take a pregnancy test until the day I would have started my next cycle. After all, I am a hypochondriac. I could convince myself that I am sick in an instant. The night before taking the test I read the instructions and it said "Recommended to take with first morning urine." I, of course, woke up at 5am and couldn't hold it. I took the test and had thought I would wait to look at it until J woke up at 6:30, but then I read, "Do not read after 10 minutes." UGH! So I watched it instantly turn to two lines and had to wait over an hour to tell the husband. He was so sleepy as I tried to show him a picture of the test on my phone. He was squinting and trying so hard to focus, but it took him a good minute to figure everything out.



2. We were both SO excited and decided to wait and tell his family the next Sunday (Father's Day) and tell my family when they would all be visiting in about two weeks. The above picture is me at 6 weeks. I told my sister, Kara, first because she is in Texas and wouldn't be there with everyone. It so fun to tell everyone! I love that everyone in my life is so supportive and giving. This will be the first grandchild on Jordan's side, and you can bet that my mother-in-law is beyond happy about it.







3. This is a picture of me yesterday, at 7 weeks. I don't feel as though I'm "showing" at all, but I do feel that I am thickening. This could be because I have to constantly eat or I get pretty nauseated. Being nauseated and tired are my two main symptoms. I also have had a headache for weeks now. I have found myself getting irritated pretty easily, but J just puts up with me. It's funny, at any moment if I don't feel sick, I worry that the baby is going to miscarry. It only takes a few minutes for the sick feelings to return, though. I guess that is a blessing in disguise.




4. Recently J and I were called to be teachers in the CTR 5 primary class. We have been loving it. They have been working on the song, "The Family is of God" for the few weeks we have been in. Can I just say how much I love that song? I find myself singing it in my dreams, as I fall asleep, in the shower, basically all day. You should hear the kids in my class scream the chorus. I did a lot of thinking about this song last night when I was too sick to sleep. I believe that families are central to God's plan. He has told us through prophets that "Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. " Could you imagine what our world would be like if that were to happen? The Proclamation to the World also talks about the need for loving and nurturing parents. I often feel inadequate when I consider becoming a mother. This simple song has helped me to realize that I am striving to follow God's plan of happiness. That is really all that I can do. I believe that I am doing what I can to give my children the things they deserve. Now, if only I could convince Jordan that Ragnar, Jordanson, Raphael, ect are not acceptable names, our unborn baby would have it good;)


Below are the words:


1. Our Father has a family. It’s me!
It’s you, all others too: we are His children.
He sent each one of us to earth, through birth,
To live and learn here in fam’lies.


2. A father’s place is to preside, provide,
To love and teach the gospel to his children.
A father leads in fam’ly prayer to share
Their love for Father in Heaven.


3. A mother’s purpose is to care, prepare,
To nurture and to strengthen all her children.
She teaches children to obey, to pray,
To love and serve in the fam’ly.


4. I’ll love and serve my family and be
A good example to each fam’ly member.
And when I am a mom or dad, so glad,
I’ll help my fam’ly remember:


[Chorus]
God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be—
This is how He shares His love, for the fam’ly is of God.

Home Tour!

As many of you know we recently bought a house. We have been absolutely loving it! I decided to do a quick tour but then that quick tour turned into like 10 minutes so you don't have to watch it but if you're interested it is here.

Jordan and I both feel very blessed to be here. I could have never imagined having such a beautiful space to live.

It isn't much, to some, but hopefully we can maintain a home where the Spirit will reside and we can raise a family here in the future.

We have been blessed by God and I couldn't be more grateful!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhatx725Reg