Baby Shower

Here are a few pics from my baby shower a few weeks ago. Thanks to everyone who came! It was so much fun catching up with old friends and neighbors. My mom and sisters rocked the decorations and treats. I have some pretty awesome ladies in my life! xoxo

Big slice of (sugar-free) humble pie

My 33 week checkup was today and Meggy got a huge slice of humble pie. And by pie I mean the bad kind. Not the kind of pie that is filled with sugar and happiness because as of today I can't have anymore sugar. 

I took my glucose test to see if I had gestational diabetes a couple weeks ago. My doctor said I was 1 point away from being diagnosed. ONE POINT. wtf?? Now to be honest I did eat a piece of cheesecake the morning before my test..... But my doc said that would not have really skewed my results (meaning it's high because it's high, not just because I ate some sugar that morning).  Of course my love of sugar doesn't help the situation and even though there are a handful of reasons pregnant women get diabetes it still freaked me out. 

But the Man upstairs knows what motivates me, and that doctor's visit today absolutely motivated me to be better. I would say I have had a pretty "easy" pregnancy (whatever that means) but I have struggled from day one to keep up on my exercise routine and healthy diet. 

At first it was because I felt like total shit every day and couldn't choke down a vegetable, then it was gross weather outside and I was out of the habit of daily exercise and then when it finally turned beautiful weather I was too big to run and started getting huge and awkward and tired. *sigh*

Long story short? I have been utilizing my couch WAY too much. But today that chapter of the story ends. I know I only have 7 weeks left but it's not too late to take care of myself. Looking back of course I would have done a few things different during this pregnancy, but it was my first time and a life adjustment I didn't see coming! There is nothing I can do about how I have been the past 33 weeks, but I do have control of the next 7. 

So no more sugar (and refined carbs but I don't eat those anyway) and daily exercise. Apparently my stubborn self needed to get to the cliff before realizing it wasn't worth the jump. I will always love my candy and sweets, but (for now:)) I love myself and my baby more. 

Enemy Territory

As I prep to teach the Young Women in our ward today I came across this video



Even though I'm no longer a teenager and the days of so much uncertainty and insecurity are behind me, I still feel like I am living in enemy territory. I don't know if this feeling will ever go away, but I am so thankful to have the truth in my life to help me get through it. My Young Women days seem like yesterday and I was struggling with so many different things. Looking back I know I had angels both here on Earth and in Heaven watching over and protecting me. I never would have been able to picture my life and how happy I am 8 years later. My happiness comes from my testimony and faith that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me, is aware of my needs, and is always there to help me. This is not only a comfort for my own life, but it comforts me to know that I can pass along this peace and happiness to my own daughter.

Don't be afriad of enemy territory: we are strong enough to handle it!

Happy Sunday Everyone

Beachless Babymoon

 This time next week Bart and I were supposed to be enjoying the beach for a quick babymoon. It was going to be lovely and relaxing and leaving my skin with a nice tan and I have been looking forward to it for MONTHS. 

Then I got into a car accident this week and BAM. No more beach trip. 

*sigh*

My car is probably totaled and the financially responsible adults in us decided we should put off a beach vacation. Sometimes being financially responsible sucks. I want to just take all our hard earned cash and spend it on whatever the hell we want and not worry about having a savings account or paying off school loans quickly or having other savings accounts. 

Bart and I are lucky that we are both on pretty much the same page when it comes to finances. It's usually not a topic of conflict and we can come to an agreement pretty quickly. After the accident Bart brought up the vacation and I started crying because I knew that meant he was thinking what I was thinking : we shouldn't go. Sometimes it's awesome when great minds think alike. Other times it sucks! 

So today I put on my new swimsuit (the one that fits my prego chest size) and headed to the pool. I might not be going to the beach anymore but I sure as hell will be getting that tan! 

As for next week...a staycation babymoon is in order and I am determined to enjoy myself- beachless and all.  

Days fly by

I never really blogged about the night I found out I was pregnant, and how we spilled the news to our family. Technically I wrote a blog post to baby B and never hit publish until 6 weeks later when we were ready to share the news.

I also wrote the following post and it has been sitting in my "drafts" folder ever since

December 12, 2013

I am 5 weeks pregnant today and NO ONE KNOWS! And by no one I mean Bart and my BFF Sarah because let's be honest..I wasn't going to sit around for Bart to get home after peeing on a stick. I obvi had to call my bestie. Ok...enough with that.

I found out 5 days ago. I was barely late for my period and even though normally I wouldn't even think about it, I kept getting this nagging feeling to take a test. I had an extra one lying around from an 'oops!' moment 6 months ago (it was negative..obviously) so I took it and BAM that electronic stick said "yes" within a minute! I just stared at it. Stared at it long and hard. Then I looked at Aggie who shared that moment with me and started laughing/crying.

pregnant. positive. yes.

Bart was at his brother's watching the Aggies lose play when I called asking when he would be home. He was grouchy because they were losing and said "late". So I went down to the couch and sat there with my stick and called Sarah. I remember when she got pregnant she texted me at 7 a.m. asking if I 'had a minute" and when I said yes, she texted me a pic of her pee stick. So of course calling her was my next logical step. Earlier that day was her baby shower so it was a fun-filled-baby Saturday.

When Bart got home I told him I had some good news and (like always) he said "you're pregnant?" and this time instead of laughing it off I started smiling and showed him the stick! He was so happy and we are still trying to register everything as I write this.

A few days later I went to the 7-11 next door and bought a bag of potato chips and a pregnancy test. The kid looked at my purchase and asked "how's your day going?" haha. I can see how this would be amusing. (fyi...I ate that bag of chips within 24 hours...Instead of blaming my fat kid tendencies I will blame the bun in the oven)

I want to tell the whole world but chances are you won't be reading this for another few months. That's okay...I just had to get it out to share later :)

Baby Bowen expected August 2014.


Kinda fun right? Well we waited until we saw our family at Christmas to tell them. We got this awesome video of my mom opening her Christmas present:







I can't believe this was 6 months ago and now our daughter will be here in just a few short months! This pregnancy has FLOWN by and I have loved every second of it!

Week 31 Update

Bart really sucks at taking pictures so I am stuck with mirror selfies for baby bump updates

STATS:

How far along: 31W 2D

Baby size: 3.3ish lbs & 16 ish inches

Sleep: wake up religiously every night at 1 a.m. Waking up 2-5 times a night for potty breaks (depending on how much water I drank too close to bedtime). Usually NOT comfortable but I'm getting use to sleeping on my side. Apparently I now snore like a sailor (sorry Bart!)

Maternity clothes: If I'm not in maternity pants I'm super uncomfortable. I have black pants I wear pretty much every day. I'm also loving my maxi skirt. I am still wearing a few of my non-maternity shirts if they are long enough

Food cravings: I wish I was cooler in this department! I have no cravings. I really really love crushed ice and ice water.

Food aversions: Salmon hasn't been appealing this whole pregnancy, and I haven't really wanted sweet potatoes either. Right now meat in general doesn't sound good.

Symptoms I have: swollen swollen swollen feet/cankles! I was told about this "summer swelling" but I didn't really know what to expect...let's just say it's pretty ugly and kinda painful! I also have carpel tunnel 24/7 in my right hand so it's numb 100% of the time. (In general I feel pretty lucky in this department, I am feelin' pretty good!)

Latest Dr. appointment: Heart rate was 110/72 and I was measuring at 32 weeks (about 9 days ahead of schedule, so my baby is just nice and chunky! yay) I also took the glucose test and I'm waiting to hear back for the results. Here's hoping that piece of cheesecake I ate that morning doesn't skew the results...

Movement: she is getting big enough to where I can feel certain body parts sticking out...I just can't tell which side is her bum and which side is her head! I either have a leg/butt sticking out my right side all the time or a head/elbow. I can tell she is getting a little squished because it's less "dance party" and more "sloth movements"

Belly button: officially an outie! It's been making it's way out for a few weeks but went from "flat" to "out" just recently.

Best moment of the week: honestly this has been the most exhausting week of pregnancy so far...so the best moment is the fact that it's Friday night and I get a few days to relax!

What I'm looking forward to: my first baby shower this weekend and finishing my nursery!!

What I miss: RUNNING. Bart has a race tomorrow and I'm so jealous. I can't want to be able to lace up my sneaks again.

Quote of the week: "getting pregnant is like getting morbidly obese in a 9 month period....is it awkward?" -Bart

Book Review: The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio, Baby Wise

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio- Terry Ryan

I LOVED this book! A memoir written by the daughter, it's a story of how one woman raised her 10 children in the 1950's-'60's with an alcoholic husband/father. She supported them by winning writing contests. 25 words or less, jingles, short stories, etc. Time and time again she pulled her family out of a tough spot by winning a contest. She never gave up and always had a positive attitude. It's filled with funny stories (that only come from  a houseful of 10 kids) and examples of her rhymes and lyrics. To be honest poetry isn't my strong suit so I didn't always understand her jingles, but that didn't matter. I loved the message of this true story. You can always make your situation better if you work hard enough. There's also the message of a mother's true love and selflessness for her children. She won prize after prize after prize and the money always went toward supporting her kids and their dreams. As I'm getting ready to be a mother myself this book took on a whole different meaning for me: how can I be a mother like that? No, I won't have to submit thousands of entries to win $5 and pay for a new pair of glasses, but I can still teach my children the value of hard work and determination and optimism. I genuinely enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone/everyone! (You can find a used copy totally cheap on Amazon).

On Becoming Baby Wise- Gary Ezzo

When I first found out I was pregnant I bought 3 different books on pregnancy. I stopped reading within a few weeks because first, they all say the same things so you really only need one and 2, they were boring. So I'm not a big reader when it comes to pregnancy. Getting my baby to sleep? That's a whole other story! I heard about this book from a few different people and finally got around to ordering it. I read it in one afternoon. I skipped a few parts where they get technical when talking about babies 7 months and older because at the moment, I just want to know how to get my baby to sleep through the night by 7-8 weeks. Yes please! It's a pretty big claim...but this guy says he has the magic formula to make it happen. Being the sleep diva that I am, I would love to be able to get my baby sleeping 8-10 hours a night by the time I have to get back to work. This book made me nervous/excited/apprehensive/curious/etc about having a new baby. It was a pretty easy read and I realize I will be reading it again and again once the baby gets here. Plus, I will follow up in 4 months and let you know if my 8 week old is sleeping through the night!

10:22pm

10:22pm

Climbed into bed at 8:45 tonight because A) I still can 2) I like going to bed and C) I have to wake up an hour early to drop Bart off for football camp

Here I am almost 2 hours later and obvi very much awake. I'm not even that tired but my bed is the most comfortable place in my house. I hate our couch and anything non soft and squishy after 8pm? Pssh please. 

If you haven't been able to tell I am back on a blogging kick. I have felt like blogging everyday which is weird because the last several months I haven't really had much to say. I still proabably don't have much to say, but I'm still in the mood to say it! 

My last checkup showed my thyroid is low (which for anyone is no bueno, but having Hashimotos makes me extra sensitive) so my doc upped my dose and I just started the new dose yesterday. So Idk if THATS the reason I'm not sleeping but there's a good possibility. For once it's not because I have to pee every 30 minutes. (Yay!) 

I have been finding and reading a bunch of different blogs on my sleepless nights. It's hard to find blogs these days that don't show a chick with 386 outfit/fashion pictures or someone who just does a different giveaway everyday (BORING!!) I really really really don't care what you are wearing or the free shit you got sent to promote. Thanks but no thanks. Blogs like that are stupid. Luckily I have been able to find a few that are fun to read and interesting to follow and only have a few pics per post. Hallelujah. 

Anywho... I have stumbled upon some various birth stories and it just makes me even more excited to write my own birth story!! I seriously can't wait to meet this little chick of mine and see her sweet face. I have no idea what to expect except that it will be wonderful. 

9 more weeks. SINGLE DIGITS PEOPLE!!!! We are getting so close and I feel like time is going to fly by. All things considered I really do feel pretty good. Aside from my permanent carpel tunnel in my numb-all-the-time right hand I don't have much to complain about. Of course there are uncomfortable moments and not having any shoes that fit (hello swollen feet) is kind of annoying, but I'm not feeling crabby or grouchy about anything. I know a lot happens these last few weeks but if I can make it 31 weeks I can make it 9 more rrrright????

10:36 pm

Well I'm going to bust out my Sleep Pillow app and try to get my relaxation techniques on. Mondays suck already, I really don't want to be tired for mine tomorrow. 

Hi Baby: 30 Weeks

Hi Baby,
I have been in the mood lately to write and write and write and write. Which means this blog is getting extra attention and you get another letter!

The interweb tells me you're about 3 pounds now and the size of a cabbage. I can feel your fat butt pushing out every once in a while. Daddy says don't call it a fat butt...I say it's a term of endearment. When that fat butt lands on my bladder it's less endearing ;)

I can definitely tell you are getting bigger. I feel you moving throughout the day and whenever you shift positions I can see my belly contour and move with you. It's crazy and I love it! It blows my mind that you are inside, growing and developing and being a little human. Technically you could handle being out in this world, but I'm glad you're hanging out inside for a while longer.

I think right now I am looking more pregnant than I feel. My bump is getting bigger and bigger but for the most part I am feeling really good. I'm not totally uncomfortable just yet (unless I'm wearing jeans...) and I feel like my belly has looked the same the last 10 weeks. I know it's growing but I don't notice it that much.

I'm getting the nesting bug and really want to get your nursery all put together. I finally picked a color scheme and bought a few things to hang on the walls...but daddy has been extremely busy the last few weeks so I haven't wanted to bug him about hanging things up. I must say it's pretty awesome being married to a "handy" guy. He can do anything I need him to and his perfectionist personality means it gets done right the first time. I can't wait to see you following him around and "helping" one day!

Speaking of daddy being busy...you will be joining our family at the busiest time of year: Football Season! Daddy is busy Monday-Saturday and I usually don't see much of him. The last few years it has been fine ( I like my alone time) but it will be interesting to see how I adjust when you get here. I am going to do my very best to support Coach Bowen with a newborn at home...Your daddy LOVES football and I love seeing him enjoy himself out on the field. There is no place I would rather have him be. I guess that means you and I will just take plenty of trips to visit. (and you better believe you'll be wearing green and gold onsies to represent)

stay strong and keep growing little one
xoxo
mom

Big Fat Shout Out

I have a big fat shout out to give tonight: My sexy, hard working hubby finished another school year! Success! Bring on Summer! Teaching High School isn't easy, especially when you have high expectations for your students like Bart does. I know he makes a difference in the lives around him and any teenager is lucky to have him as a leader.

He came to visit me at work today and as I was sitting there with my feet up checking out the latest and greatest on Pinterest it occurred to me that he works so much harder than I do every day. I am so lucky to have found a man who knows how to work. He sets goals and he accomplishes them, even when they are hard. Tomorrow he is waking up at 4 a.m. and running 10 miles before football practice starts at 7. NBD right? He is such a stud. and I love him.

Book Review: and the Mountains Echoed, The Kite Runner

And the Mountains Echoed- Khaled Hosseini

Since there was no new Jodi Picoult book out in time for my birthday, my mother in law took a chance and bought me this book instead. Her chance paid off! I was introduced to a new author who I have come to appreciate and really enjoy. The first few chapters of this book were harder to get into because the writing style is different than what I am use to, and honestly I didn't understand where the plot was going. Once my little brain caught on I loved it! It's a mix of stories and lives that mingle with one another at different parts of the character's lives and show how everyone was all connected. This took me a little longer than usual because I couldn't speed read like I can with other books. I really had to concentrate and remember names and stories and how they connected to the next person in the next chapter. By the end I felt smarter (which is awesome) and I ordered his other book "Kite Runner" that I am reading right now. This isn't an easy read, but it's totally worth it.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

This book wasn't as hard to follow has "and the mountains echoed" but it was just as good. The first 75 pages could have made for a story all its own. There were shocking moments you didn't see coming, and that made you squirm in your seat. He is powerful and doesn't hold back. A few of the twists I kind of called early on in the book, but there were definitely plenty of surprises. It's a look inside a culture and country I don't know anything about and yet you hear all the time in the news (Afghanistan and the Middle East). It's not super political, but there is a taste of it. I couldn't put this story down! It's an intense story and brutally honest. I loved reading it!

Eat until I die

"I wanna eat n eat n eat n eat n eat until I die"

...name that movie! I will give you a hint...sing it with a Goofy accent...yes, it's Micky and the Beanstock. No clue if that's the actual name, or if it still exists...but that is the song stuck in my head because that is the song that is "story of my life" as they say.

I feel like I have been eating non stop today and I'm going to write it down to try and shame myself into submission. Ready? It's about to get real...


for breakfast- egg and turkey bacon scramble with 2 pieces of GF toast
on my way out the door (because ya know, it hadn't eaten for like FIVE WHOLE MINUTES)- protein oatmeal ball
at work- an apple, a few pieces of candy, a chicken/veggie skewer, chips & salsa, a few more pieces of candy, leftover GF baked ziti, applesauce, 2 more oatmeal balls, some gum
at home- 1 more oatmeal ball (those things are freakin addicting), a few handfuls of trail mix, (to be continued because it's only 5:40pm).

I guess you could say that maybe if I ate an actual meal I wouldn't feel the need to snack...but I'm not really hungry for a full meal...I just like to be munching on stuff today.  I actually don't feel too bad about that list up there...it could be worse. At least I didn't cheat today and eat any gluten. That crap messes me up and I'm doing my best to avoid it! Probably eating more sugar than I should and add a few veggies into the mix but all in all...not too shabby.

So I ran across this picture we took when I was 5 weeks pregnant. Awe how cute! Ya know how you look at old pictures of yourself (from high school maybe) and think "why was I so worried about my body/weight? I look awesome and I wish I could look like that again" yeah...that's how I feel about this picture!

25 weeks ago I was smokin' hot and I didn't believe it when Bart told me. Now I'm round and puffy and NOT that size. *sigh* we always want what we don't have right?

Easy Breezy Weekends

This weekend was pretty low key. Bart is in training mode again so Saturday mornings mean long runs! I love the time we get to spend in the mornings together as he runs and I ride my bike next to him. We went 9 miles and it was a beautiful morning. Even though it wakes us up at 4:30 a.m. it's totally worth it. Bart is such a stud! He makes running look easy.

 

After we got back Bart headed off to a football camp (so it begins) and I got ready to go to my step brother and sister in law's sealing. I got all ready in my new prego clothes and ended up on the couch, not going. I wasn't feeling very well but hey, I was comfy in my maxi skirt!

 

I finally embraced the fact that I needed to buy some maternity shirts. I bought pants a few months ago and they have been the BEST. I haven't bought any shirts because really, who wants to spend 40 bucks on a shirt?? Not me. But after attempts at getting dressed in the morning were ending in frustration and failure I finally went to Target and bought a few things. Good idea? Great idea. 

Speaking of great ideas....I stopped by Hobby Lobby. I love that place. They have some pretty great things for home decor. I love their non-frame prints. They are inexpensive but add a lot to a room. They happened to be half off so you better believe I spent my time sorting through each pic. I found this beautiful floral picture and got inspired for my nursery! I love the pinks, oranges and yellows. I haven't done one thing for my nursery because I didn't know what I wanted. Having a color scheme makes things a little easier. On my way home I took the picture into Home Depot and grabbed some paint to match! Then I went over to the thrift store and bought a bunch of mismatch frames. I'm not a crafter. At all. But I'm excited to see how everything turns out. Don't worry, I have been taking plenty of before and afters to show off when everything is done.