Week 32: 


Marlee is very active now a days! She has finally let my husband feel her kicking. (My placenta is located on the top so it makes it harder to feel her) I think ever since he has felt her kick, he has been more aware of my situation and what I'm going through. It was hard at first to get him to notice that I'm not supposed to be by kitty litter, and not supposed to bend over for things. Now he is over cautious (Which kind of makes me feel loved :) I am just so glad I get to raise Marlee with such an amazing man!! 


Symptoms: 
Back pains (Siatic nerve), Back pain in general, not being able to reach my feet, struggling to put pants on ha ha, shirts are starting to not fit, swelling of ankles.


This week I'm hoping to get more sleep! I am now realizing that when Marlee is here, she will make it impossible for me to get a good nights rest, so I might as well stock up now. I am excited to get her out so that I can sleep on my back/stomach again! Anyway, I just went clothes shopping for Marlee and got a TON of cute clothes at a place called the Chatterbaux! It's an amazing system they've got running there. Basically it's a small shoppe for BABY STUFF! You go in and buy stuff, and once your baby grows out of those clothes, you can bring them back and they'll re-sell your stuff, and if your stuff sells, you get in-store credit! Best part is they have everything, not just clothes. They have toys, books, shoes, hats, cribs, swings, bedding, etc. It's a great place to go!! (Chatterbaux in Monterey CA) Anyway, I was recently helping one of my friends move, and she was nice enough to give me her crib/changing table, and I have just been so excited about that! This lady is amazing!! I finally feel like we're wrapping up my pregnancy, and focusing on what's going to happen after I give birth. It's crazy to think how fast things are going to happen, and how long it feels like it's taking. I'm just super excited to start this journey to our next adventure! Parenthood! 


As for our adventures in California: 
California is still treating us with surprises. It has been raining all day, all up until I actually come home to stay then it stops. (So while I was shopping, and dropping my husband off it was pouring) My luck! The roads here are strange, and the drivers here are CRAZY! People don't signal here, which makes life a little bit harder if you know what I'm saying ha ha. Although I do love the greenery here, and the ocean view, I am home sick and can't wait to be home. I'm just hoping we make it to October! My husband has been issued some situations. If he passes his next test we stay until the next test, (Basically we'll be living off of whether he passes or fails his tests) if he fails, we are either sent home, or they will give us another go for the next test. Let's pray they give us another chance if that happens! We need to be here for when Marlee arrives! (Military will pay for Marlee=FREE BABY) I'm hoping for that! Other then that, Landon and I are both excited to return home after Marlee is born! :) I recently got a calling in our church as ward chorister, and I'm loving it, all but my arm aching half way through a song!  ha ha I love my ward, and the members there! I have made some new friends, and am excited to stay in contact with them even when we leave. I have found that most of the soldiers here are from the Utah area, so I will be able to see them again hopefully! 


Life as a Military Wife:
It has been hard to deal with army stuff. They have so many rules and regulations that I can't keep up with it (Especially now that I'm trying to focus on Marlee and staying healthy) I have been trying to plan the move back, and it is full of twists and turns that my pregnancy brain can't handle ha ha. I hope to get everything cleared up and ready to go by then, but until then I'm gonna focus on Marlee and staying healthy ( I think that's more important) 


SHOUT OUT: 
Shout out to my hubby! He has been so stressed out lately, and overwhelmed! I hope and pray he gets a break soon! He has been sacrificing so much for this family and has been doing SUCH A GOOD JOB providing for Marlee and me (especially my crazy cravings every now and again) He has been amazing trying to deal with his schooling, my crazy hormones, and the stresses of insurance/bills/Marlee/school/passing/ man there is just so much that he has to worry about! He is truly talented with balancing everything out! I love him so much and am so glad I get to spend eternity with him!! I LOVE YOU BABE! :) 

Week 31:


Marlee has been more active these days, kicking around in my stomach, and using my rib cage as a foot stool! She has had the hiccups every now and again (Speaking of which, she has them right now! Which feel so strange btw ha ha) She loves it when I sing to her. I keep having dreams about giving birth, and getting to hold Marlee for the first time. Dreams are very vivid now a days. She has changed my life forever! I've become so attached to her and can't wait to hold her in my arms!! 


Symptoms: I have had problems with this since Week 14, my sciatic nerve has been causing me back pains. It is getting harder and harder to put pants on and off. I can't reach my feet now, and it seems impossible to get my shoes on (thank goodness for flip flops!) I have back aches in general that I just have to stretch out every once in a while. Although bending over is taking it's toll on me. I keep forgetting that I'm pregnant, and that I can't just bend over ha ha (Toppling over taught me that lesson the hard way) Unfortunately for me, I've chosen to take the no exercise route through out this pregnancy, something I've been regretting since day one. This has made it difficult to have a good self-esteem, and have high confidence, but I'm determined to get into shape, and live a healthy life style as soon as she is here. 


Before I was pregnant, I purchased a workout program that looked great for me. I started it out and 5 weeks in I had to stop and think. I wasn't losing any weight, although I hadn't felt better in my life, I still wasn't shedding the weight. I went to my doctor, and she told me my birth control was making it so I wasn't able to lose weight, but I was gaining weight instead. So I quickly got off the pill and took  break from the workout because I was starting to not feel like myself, only to find out a week later that I was pregnant! Because of the long break (4 weeks) of not exercising, I lost motivation and convinced myself that anything hardcore like Turbo Fire, was going to harm my baby, (TOTALLY NOT TRUE). So I never worked out, in fear that I'd hurt my baby. So I started off on the journey of regret then and there. I'm excited though to find out how Turbo Fire works for me after I'm not pregnant! I want to be a healthy mom for my baby girl, and I want to be her role model! I don't ever want her to see me as depressed as I was throughout my pregnancy, and before that! I want her to see me as the bright, fit, healthy mom who is FUN! I want to be just like my mom! She was always that role model for me! I always saw her exercising, and always eating healthy, and always giving me the time of day, and just being there for me in general! She was always full of life, and just was always POSITIVE! She built me up to who I am today, and I've never been so grateful to her for that!  I want to be just like her, I just hope I can be! :) 


Life in Monterey:


Life here is interesting. It's hard being so far away from family while in my first pregnancy. I miss my mom, and the long talks we shared together every day. I miss being able to see my friends and family when I wanted, and knowing they were there if I needed them. My mom played a huge part in being my support for anything I did. She was always building me up to know that I can and am able of doing anything I put my mind to. She was always pushing me to do good, and always praising me when I did. She would always be honest with me making sure I knew right from wrong, and that I had the choice to make the right one! Here in Monterey, it is much different. 

So Marlee has been kicking like crazy! I am now 28 weeks along, and am feeling...well besides the back pain, the hacking down a prenatal every night, not being able to reach my feet, and feeling like a fat balloon, it's GREAT! I love being able to feel Marlee inside of me kicking. It's a good reminder that she is healthy and strong. 
So, since we've moved to Monterey, life has been crazy! First of all the adventure here was absolutely unbearable! So many things went wrong for us on the way here. One thing after another, it felt like it was never going to end. Well we finally got settled in and everything was starting to seem relaxed when our cats decided to go pee in our closet. Yup, not only did they choose MY closet, but they chose the bin that held all 5 pairs of my shoes! All of them were ruined! After that, the military changed my husbands schedule from 4 am-4 pm monday through friday, to 7am-8:30pm...ridiculous...I think so! I am his chauffeur and so I get the lovely task of dropping him off at 7, picking him up at 10:45 for lunch, dropping him back off on base at 12:00, picking him up again at 3:45 for PT, going home, coming back to pick him up at 5:10, and then coming home, then dropping him off at 6:30 and then picking him up at 8:30...my life is literally based off of his schedule. Other then that, I've had to worry about registering our car here in California, only to find out (after going to the DMV, signing all the papers, doing all the tests) that all I had to do was call up the DMV in Logan Utah and verify that we had moved for the military and that we were going to be there only for 6 months. That's just one of the issues here! We've decided that we want me to go home early with my parents, so that I can have help, and so that Landon will be able to study at home without distractions. I'm still a little weary on it, but it will be for the best! I will be able to come home and have extra hands to help me out with the baby, and I'll be able to set things up at home for when Landon returns to me. I'm not too excited that it will be around 2 months of time away from Landon, but right now we need to do what's best for us. (Honestly, I think once our baby is here, I'll change my mind because I'll want to spend as much time with the baby and Landon as possible!) I'll have to update you more on what we decide :) 12 more weeks~ 

Week 22 (Week 2 @ Monterey)

We just moved to Monterey California for my husbands job, and it has been super stressful especially now that I'm 5 1/2 months pregnant. The trip here was eventful and full of obstacles we made it and are here safe. Marlee has been moving so much more now that she is growing stronger! My husband was able to barely feel her kicks just the other morning. Speaking of mornings...I woke up this morning having had a dream of Marlee. She was born and had a beautiful thick head of brown hair and had the most stunning eyes you've ever seen! My dream took us around to all our friends houses to show her off. It was a great feeling! I just wish she were here now sooner then later. I've already grown so close to her, and feel like it's going to be one of the greatest adventures I'll be apart of. My husband in all of this has been extremely helpful and has been hard at work to make sure he can provide for us. He is the definition of a hard working husband and father, and I wouldn't rather be with anyone else then him! He is my HERO! :)

BABY MARLEE!

Our lives changed when we found out we were pregnant! A little baby of our own! It was unbelievable news! My husband, like many, were a bit overwhelmed at the beginning, especially when we found out she was a girl! You see, we had this bet going about the gender of the baby. He guessed a "girl" and I guessed a "boy". Apparently he thought he'd be cheating the system if he guessed the opposite of what he wanted. Getting to the hospital to get the ultra sound, it was a long drive. The nurse explained that they had a brand new machine and that there would be two nurses there to watch. (This was a good thing, because we'd get TWO opinions on what they thought the baby was) So I went to lay down and we got ready to start. Landon and I were extremely scared and nervous, but super excited! The first thing we see is her bum! It was completely obvious to me that she was a girl, because of the lack of...well you know :) Anyway, my husband was SHOCKED! I don't think I've ever seen him like that. He looked confused, shocked, and alarmed all at the same time. We continued the ultra sound, checking her heart, her spine, and everything else, making sure she was on the right track. Then the doctor asked if we had any other questions, or concerns. My husband blurted out that he wanted the nurse to go back and double check to make sure the baby was in fact a girl, and not a boy...like he wanted. As soon as he asked her, she rolled the probe onto Marlee's hand, which showed her giving us a thumbs up! It looked like Marlee was telling her daddy that she was a girl FOR SURE. When we were done, and received our copy of the CD and pictures, we went out to sit in the lobby to wait for my next doctors appointment. Landon sat there bemused at the news we just received. I could see his brain shooting from "We're gonna have a baby girl!" to "I'm gonna kill her first boyfriend" to "I don't want my heart to get broken when she gets married" to "She's gonna have kids of her own, making us grandparents" to "Oh my gosh............(SILENCE)......" It was a great 10 minutes as we sat there waiting. The rest of the day we spent talking to our parents, letting them know of the good news, and talking with each other of what is to come. It took Landon a little longer for it to process with, but once it did, he was thrilled! Although scared, and nervous, he has always wanted a little princess to protect :) I was so happy when I heard this. As for me, I didn't care whether it was a boy or girl, as long as they were healthy, and they were mine! She is 10 inches long now, and is kicking up a storm!!! I'm now 20 weeks along, and am HALFWAY THERE! I'm super excited to be on this journey and to have my life change completely! It has been a great two years with my husband, as we took our own adventures and made our time worth it. Now it's time to share it with our own flesh and blood :D Marlee, we welcome you to the world!!! I will report back with more news when I get closer to the due date! ( July 28, 2012) We are Thrilled!

TRUE LOVE

Beginning the Love Dare again has shown me of how much more love is shown and given when I'm doing this book. It has been a night and day difference, and I absolutely love it. This book is amazing, and it has literally changed my life. I'm so proud to have Landon as my husband. He is always looking out for me, and making sure I'm happy! He is always willing to do things he doesn't like to do , like giving me a massage, or rubbing my head. It has been an amazing journey with my husband and I know it's just gonna get better!!! Thank you babe for all that you do! You amaze me every day with the skills and talents you have. You are extremely good with people, and have the biggest heart I've ever seen. Thank you so much for you generous example and your willingness to work together. I love you so much!!!

L.O.V.E.

Define love. Love is unconditional. Meaning: Through tough times and good times, through sickness and in health, through disagreements and agreements. It means NO MATTER WHAT, you still love your partner more then ever. Sometimes this is hard when things don't go as planned, but you know what, I think being able to be forgiven, and to forgive are the bonding elements of Love. It creates a bond so tough nothing can penetrate it. I've learned from past experiences that it not only lets you grow closer to your partner, but it also strengthens you as a person. Putting your spouse before yourself is the number one thing you can do! It allows you to always serve your spouse and have that happy feeling of making them happy all the time. When you're mad at them, it will be harder not to forgive them. Granted there are those few situations where it's no longer healthy to be in that relationship, but that's your judgment and only you can make that decision. I have had to get used to a completely different life style being married to my spouse. I've always been used to, outdoor activities every day, exercise and eating healthy, making all holidays special, going out and spending time with other people together as a family, going on family home evening dates. My spouse on the other hand has grown up with video games as a main entertainment, never leaving his friends basement, being out with the guys and just spending time with his friends in general. So when we got married I had to get used to not only 2x as much as laundry and dishes, but also having to pick up after him, and getting to accept the amount of time spent playing video games. I also had to get used to me gaining weight because of the food my spouse liked, and our time together would consist of us either playing video games together or watching movies together. All reverting around no exercising, no eating healthy, and no outdoor activities. It's been a year now and I'm still battleing my weight, my food habits, and my outdoor activity time. It has been overwhelming to me of how much I've changed since I've been married. Although my husband doesn't like doing outdoor activities, or going out to town to just walk around all the time, he is in the Military, and he has sacraficed so much for this country and for me. He works two jobs, and is supporting us very well. He is a wonderful husband and listens to me, a quality not all men have. He makes time for me, although it took a while for him to get used to the fact that video games weren't as important as his wife ;) he got the hang of it, and is doing wonders! I personally have been through a lot throughout my marriage and I am so blessed for every one of those trials because it has made me a stronger person, a more responsible person, and my love for my husband is deeper and stronger then anything I've ever imagined. Thanks to my wonderful loving husband I've come to be a better person, and the happiest I've ever been.

I love you babe, and I'm so grateful for you! Thank you for all that you do!! You're my number one!!!!               -Wife