Oh Boy!

Our baby is a BOY! Our ultrasound was last Friday and Josh and I had been counting down for several weeks. We were really excited when we woke up that morning. Josh gave me a beautiful, red rose that had "I Love You" written on the front petal when he picked me up from work that afternoon. The appointment was at 3:00 but we ended up waiting an hour and 15 minutes until we were taken back to the room. We later found out that the clinic we go to is also a high-risk maternity clinic and a patient before us had trouble with her pregnancy so that's why they were so far behind. Once we were back, we were treated with the same kind of care, as the tech and doctor spent 45 minutes with us. The ultrasound was very thorough and everything was explained to us so we knew exactly was being looked for. It was so incredible to see our baby boy and to see that he is healthy and everything is progressing as it should be! That brought a lot of peace and happiness to my heart. It's been kind of hard for me being pregnant for the first time with so many new feelings and sensations. Sometimes it's hard to know that everything is normal and this helped to show me that it is.

Our baby is measuring about 1 week ahead of where we thought he'd be. The doctor didn't change my due date, but Josh and I are planning for a late January birth. In fact, Josh thinks it will be January 25th.  

We're so excited and I still feel like I'm on cloud nine with all of the happy news! Now that we know for sure, we'll have fun buying clothes and blankets and everything else we'll need for this wonderful addition to our family. My mom started us on our way by giving us a cute burp cloth that she had made. We've decided to name him Drako John Woodland and we'll call him Drake for short. Here are a couple pictures from the ultrasound. The top is when he turned completely over and was laying on his stomach. You can see his head and his spine. The bottom is of his cute little foot.

First Date Repeat

At a Family Home Evening early in August 2008 Josh asked for my phone number. He started texting me a couple of days later and soon we were texting each other everyday. He finally called and asked me out the last Wednesday of the month and our first date was on August 30, 2008. I was so excited because I had been wondering if he only liked me as a friend or if there was something more.

That morning he showed up at my house on his motorcycle and holding a single, pink carnation. I think he had my heart the second he walked in the door! He took me to the zoo and then out to lunch. It was my first time riding a motorcycle and I absolutely loved it. A funny story Josh likes to tell is how he schemed to make me hold onto him. When I first climbed on the bike he told me I could either hold onto the strap across the seat or him. Of course, being me, I chose the strap. As soon as he started the bike, Josh revved it so I had to quickly grab onto him instead. We had a great time that day and I'm so grateful that Josh continued to ask me out!

Last Saturday we decided to relive that first date. It was almost exactly 2 years to the day and I had been wanting to see Zuri so we headed up to the zoo. We had another great day and enjoyed reminiscing about our first time there. The first thing we did was go to the bird show. We had done that 2 years ago and it was neat to see the same man running the show.

It was amazing to see all of the different birds and all the things they could do. I really liked the white barn owl and the eagle.

After the bird show we walked around the rest of the zoo, seeing the other animals. Zuri was really cute and we had fun watching as she and her mom played with the things the zookeepers had put out for them.

The giraffes were fun to watch and Josh got a great picture of one licking the pole of the umbrella that's in their enclosure. It reminded us of "A Christmas Story".

Tigers are Josh's favorite animal and he was able to get some great pictures because they were really close to the fence.

We had a great time on our "first date repeat" and even ordered delivery from the same Chinese restaurant where we ate lunch that day.

Baby Update

We took some "baby bump" pictures last week when I was 16 weeks along. Josh is a great photographer and we'll keep taking them as the weeks go by. Tomorrow I'll be 4 months along. It's been going pretty slow, so I'm glad to get to this milestone. We're almost half way there! I didn't notice how "high" I'm carrying the baby until I looked at these pictures. Josh thinks that means we're having a boy. lol.

We went to our second doctor's appointment a few weeks ago and she said that everything is right where it should be-my weight, blood pressure, etc. She also listened to the baby's heart. What an amazing thing to hear! I can't describe the feeling I had when we heard that little heart beating away. The doctor said it was a good, strong heart. At that appointment, we also signed up for classes that are offered through the hospital. We signed up for a Lamaze class, the new mom and dad class, and a breastfeeding class. The new mom and dad class is next week but the others aren't until closer to my due date.

The second most exciting thing that happened at that appointment (the first was hearing the heart!) is that we set up the ultrasound appointment to see if we're having a boy or a girl. It's on September 10th-2 weeks from tomorrow. We're really excited to find out! Josh has also been working really hard on getting our second bedroom ready for the baby. It's been our storage/craft/whatever room since we moved in, but now it's going to also be a baby's room. He's been reorganizing, cleaning, and putting things into storage so we can have room for a small nursery. It will still be a storage room, but there's a big part that will be for the baby. He moved our rocking chair into the room and we got a lot of cute baby things from my sister (thank you so much Becky!) that we've put in there. Then there's the dresser we'll use and hopefully make into a changing table. It's fun to see the room changing and becoming a place where we'll be taking care of the baby.

We're Having a Baby!

This is the positive home pregnancy test I took on Memorial Day. My period was late by a few days and I kept thinking "what if" so I finally took a test and there was no doubt that I really was. I hid it from Josh for a couple of days so I could do something special to tell him. I ended up buying the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and made him this card.

It was about 2 weeks before Father's Day but I couldn't wait to tell him. I had wrapped up the book and put the card into an envelope. As soon as he opened it and realized what it was he was soo excited! He gave me this huge hug and kept kissing me and had the most handsome smile!
We're been reading the book and keeping track of our baby's progress ever since. We had our first doctor's appointment on July 9th, when I was 10 weeks along. It was really neat because she did an ultrasound to measure the baby and verify how far along I was, and then she turned the monitor so that we could see it and our little one was bouncing all over. We were able to see the heart beating and see "little woody" moving all over. Josh called the baby our "little jumping bean" at that time. Everything was right where it should be and the doctor drew labs which turned out normal.
Then on July 26th we went in for another ultrasound and bloodwork to screen for genetic disorders. Not that it will change anything, but we'd like to be prepared as much as possible before this little one comes into the world. It was so incredible to see the growth that had happened in those two weeks! We were able to see the baby's arms, elbows and hands as well as his (Josh KNOWS it's going to be a boy) legs, knees and feet. Even his little toes! We saw the profile and the little heart again. We were also able to hear the heart. What an awe-inspiring sound! Everything was normal with the ultrasound and the blood work. Yay!! And last Friday, July 30th, I reached the end of the first trimester and we had wanted to wait until then to tell our families. So Saturday we invited both of our moms over for dinner. They just thought it was going to be a nice dinner and visiting, but at their seats were these cards we had made.
We waited until after dinner and then had them both open them at the same time. We told them that they were thank you cards. My mom opened hers first and let out a squeal, but Josh's mom, Kim, was having a hard time. My mom quickly turned the card upside down and became quiet so Kim could get hers open too. As soon as she did, she yelled and jumped up and hugged me and my mom who had gotten up as soon as Kim yelled to hug me. They both held me for such a long time and my mom was crying. They are both soo excited! This is Kim's first grandbaby and she is ecstatic. She's been telling Josh and I for several months that the only thing she wants for her birthday is to be a grandma and we did just what she asked. We also made the cute bags to give to our moms. A few weeks ago we were at Roberts to get paints for Josh and ended up buying a TON more than what we originally had planned, finding these bags and the accessories to go in them. We had a lot of fun making them.

The front says "You're A" and the back has these pins that say "Grandma To Be". Josh and I are both really excited (and nervous) for this new adventure in our lives. I've had a fairly easy pregnancy so far (thank goodness!) For awhile I was pretty nauseated and had no energy, but I never threw up and was able to work through it. Things are getting easier now and I'm excited to be 1/3rd of the way through! I'm due on February 4th.

Remembering Gayle Osborn

On July 8th my Aunt Gayle passed away. It was really hard news because Josh and I were planning to go see her the day we heard the news. She had been struggling with dementia for a couple months but went down hill really quickly that last week. I wasn't able to say goodbye and I wish I would have been able to!

She was an incredible woman. She was always smiling and happy and had a positive attitude no matter what was going on. She was always active in the church and was an incredible example to all who knew her. She was so talented and made beautiful blessing dresses for all of her granddaughters. She always visited us on Christmas and showered us with hugs and kisses. She was so kind to Josh and I because the first doily she made for our wedding present was stolen when our car was broken in to, but a few weeks later she had made us another one. It's so pretty and we have it displayed in our apartment.

I am so grateful to be apart of her family and to have felt her Spirit. She will be dearly missed! I'm also grateful that I was able to take the day off work so Josh and I could attend the funeral. It was a wonderful tribute to her and although it was a sad situation, we were able to see a lot of family that we hadn't seen in a long time. It was a day filled with love. Love you Aunt Gayle! See you soon!

Big Change

There has been a pretty big change in our lives over the last couple of weeks. If you're on Facebook, you probably already know that Josh lost his job at Midvale last week. It happened really fast and we're still not exactly sure why. He'd been doing well in training but over the last week he worked, his sergeant said that he was having a hard time dealing with stress and if something didn't change within the next couple of weeks, he would be let go. It was a hard time, but Josh took it in stride and started thinking of ways he could make those changes. Needless to say he never got the chance to implement these strategies.

His boss called last Monday and told him not to come to work the next two days. Then he was to come in on Wednesday morning and meet with his boss's boss in plain clothes. That was a pretty big blow and Josh called his boss again on Tuesday wondering how bad it really was. His boss told him to bring all of his gear so he wouldn't have to make two trips. That night, he packed up everything. When I saw this and saw the finality of my husband's dream being taken away, I started to cry. It was like he was given a glimpse of his future and then it was taken away and I was heartbroken for him. Josh was pretty calm about it though and kept reassuring me that everything would be okay.

Wednesday morning came even though we were both wishing it wouldn't, and I waited anxiously at work to hear from him. I got a phone call about mid-morning and found that what we had feared did actually happen. Josh was let go and had to turn in everything. The only explanation given was that he wasn't able to pass their training program. The odd thing is that he didn't even get a chance to finish their training program-he still had a couple weeks left and then was to be evaluated to see if he has passed.

As I write this, I'm still shaking my head in astonishment. Josh gave 110% every day of his training and learned so much. I know he improved since starting as a brand new rookie and it was sad that he wasn't given a chance to become a police officer.

Josh's optimism has remained intact in the week that has passed. He's kept busy doing things around the apartment and working on the car and truck. He's been applying for jobs and continues to be the wonderful husband that he always has been. Right now he's looking for any job, but he'd still like to be a police officer and I know he would be an incredible asset to any squad. I'm so proud of my husband for the way he's handling this trial! He has no ill-feelings towards anyone at Midvale and is constantly looking towards a brighter future.

I'm sure the next little while will be tough, but we're determined to come through it with flying colors. And Heavenly Father is already watching out for us. I've been able to think of many blessings since this has happened:

1-We weren't able to buy a house. I know that sounds like a bad thing, but I think this would be a lot harder financially if we had to worry about a mortgage and property taxes and everything that comes with owning a home.

2-We've been able to spend more time together as a couple. My favorite thing to do is be with Josh-it doesn't matter what we're doing-and it's been really nice to have more time to be with him. :)

3- We've been able to spend more time with our families.

4-We've been able to ride the motorcycle more. It saves time, gas and money and is soo fun to ride!

5- We're learning to rely more on each other and our Heavenly Father.

6-We're learning to use our food storage more wisely.

7-We're discovering a lot of free and inexpensive things to do around Salt Lake.

Anniversary Inn

A few weeks ago I surprised Josh with a trip to The Anniversary Inn. Neither of us had been there before and I felt like we needed a little getaway. Work had been really stressful for Josh and we haven't taken a vacation in a long time so I reserved a room for us one Friday night. It was so fun looking online at all the types of rooms available and how much detail and effort are put into each one. During my search I found that they were having a special so I was able to get a more expensive room than I had originally planned. Once I had reserved the room the website offered many other things I could buy to make the night perfect. There were a TON of things available, but I chose a few of the not so expensive things. I had rose petals spread around the room and a little, rubber ducky put in the bathtub. I also ordered a movie pack with popcorn and treats.

It's a good thing I only did this two nights before because I wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret from Josh any longer than that! I packed a suitcase that morning and after Josh picked me up from work he asked what I wanted to do that night. I told him we should probably get dinner before going on our getaway. He was completely surprised and after we picked up our things, we grabbed dinner at a drive-through and headed to The Inn.

We went to the one that used to be the Salt City Jail. The outside isn't much to look at because they've kept the original building, but the inside has been remodeled and it's incredible. We stayed in the 49er Suite which was like a log cabin. The bed frame was made of logs and across from the bed was a fireplace with a pretty mantle and the TV above that.

When we walked in the room there was a bottle of apple cider chilling in an ice bucket. Two pieces of cheesecake were in the fridge and the flower petals were spread throughout the bedroom and into the bathroom. The bathroom was incredible! It was designed as a gold mine. The walls were rock and there were three steps that led to a huge Jacuzzi tub with a mine shaft above that was a waterfall and the shower. The sink was on a mine car and they had the softest, biggest towels and robes. The toilet was in an area that looked like an outhouse complete with a moon carved into the door.

We had a great night just being together and away from the world for a few hours. The staff was really nice and provided us with anything we needed or wanted. Saturday morning we got breakfast in bed which was soo nummy! It was served on a nice tray with flowers and we each got 2 drinks of our choice, yogurt parfaits, a cinnamon roll and ham/cheese croissant. I totally recommend this hotel for anyone celebrating an anniversary or just wanting to get away for awhile. We had a blast and the atmosphere was incredible.