Welcome Natalie Lucia Campos

Born December 19th

5 Lbs 1 0z
17 inches

Happy Early Christmas! We got just what we wanted :)

I want to Clean...?

Okay so I woke up today and I feel like I just HAVE to clean! I am thinking that everything is so dirty and I just need to spend my day cleaning!!!! Ahh. I guess it is nesting, but guess what? I am on bed rest. Oh well for the cleaning. I am having to force myself to sit here in bed.

Things to Do
I have been doing okay with bed rest. It is really good that I am only on it for a couple more weeks at most because it has not even been two whole days and I already feel like I should be done. But I have found a few things to do. I have sewn some more diapers for Natalie and they are super cute! (I am allowed to be sitting and doing things!) And I have made some more flower clips. A lady came and bought three of them, which is great, but I still have too many! Like A LOT!  But those things have kept me pretty well entertained. Then I have my computer and spend too much time online, but oh well. I have been working via the internet and that has been pretty good. Other than that I hang out with Sama and watch TV or something. He has been getting everything for me. I feel so ridiculous asking for my computer charger or something that is only across the room. I am not supposed to be getting up and down for those kinds of things. It feels so silly and I feel like some lazy queen commanding him or something! Poor Sama.

School
School is OVER!!!!!!! Well, for the semester! Yay!

Christmas
Change of plans for Christmas. My mom is coming earlier since I am going to be induced if I don't go into labor on my own. It is so nice to know that she will be here! I am really looking forward to it. Our friends who we were going to spend Christmas with decided to go to Mexico last minute. They are in for a really, REALLY long drive, but they are excited to go so that is great. We have a few other friends that will be here and I would really like to invite them for Christmas dinner or something, but I would pretty much be obligating other people to do all the work. Sama asked if we should invite them, so maybe he doesn't mind, but I don't know. I guess we will plan on a quiet Christmas morning with my mom here. I think it will be nice. Well quiet unless Natalie comes before then. Maybe! I honestly would love that.

Natalie in 2010

I am officially on bed rest. It is definitely no fun. I went in to get my blood pressure checked this morning and it was high. Higher than usual that is. So then I had a bunch of other tests, but thankfully those were all normal and Natalie is quite healthy!

So I have to check my blood pressure four times per day and if it gets any higher, then I have to call my doctor and probably go to the hospital. I have an appointment on Monday to see how things are going. But my doctor pretty much guaranteed that Natalie will be born this month.

Sama's mom will be coming earlier than planned because she is no longer going to Canada for Christmas. So she will come a few days early, but probably not until after Christmas.

I am feeling kind of overwhelmed because I know for sure that Natalie is coming in the next two weeks. The house is a mess and I still need to pack for the hospital. To do that I need to do laundry and be able to move around and such. But I can't. Sama was so nice and cleaned up a little for me even though he needs to study. But tomorrow he will be done with school!!!!! Oh and we still need a carseat.....!!! Add to that all the things I would have liked to do for Christmas. I am getting Sama's present online, but I guess I will have to enlist someone's help to get his stocking stuff. Luckily we weren't planning on doing a lot anyway and don't have concrete plans.

So....that is really all that is on my mind right now. I hope everyone is doing well!

22 Days!

So Natalie is supposed to get here in 22 days. Of course we are hoping it is sooner. As in any time in December would be awesome! Sama's mom is coming the 30th and mine on the 7th. I am especially hoping for my mom's sake that she isn't late/too late. For Sama's mom too, but I think her schedule is slightly more flexible. I will be 37 weeks tomorrow and since that is considered full term, I am hoping for her to come really soon. Maybe that is selfish, but oh well. I want her here and as long as she is healthy I am good. I really don''t want to be induced if I can avoid it though so even if she doesn't come this month I am hoping she will get here before our moms have to leave. But I guess I really have no control. Just writing out what I am hoping for!

Flowers
I have been making those flowers that are so popular for little girls to put in their hair. I love them and didn't want to pay for someone else to do them when they seemed so simple. So I bought some of the supplies and have been having a lot of fun....maybe too much fun! Does anyone want flower clips? Haha. I have too many! I am going to sell some of them at cost on Craigslist I think. I know there is a ton of people selling them, but we will see if I can get some of what I spent back. Natalie doesn't need as many clips as I have made and I still have A LOT more supplies. Haha. I only have one friend with a little girl right now and she just made a bunch of her own too, soooo.....I am kind of stuck. But it is a fun hobby at least! I also have a ton of ribbon, so bows are next :)

little flowers. I like these best :)

I bought too many pink flowers.....

I made my own flower petals from fabric! I am pleased with myself about this. Sama got excited thinking they were potato chips though....Sorry to disappoint!

Feeling Better (for the moment)

I woke up feeling motivated to get a lot done. I kind of started being productive, but it just didn't last. Then I was feeling tired/not that great so I slept for awhile. I think I just needed to eat a regular meal instead of the mini snacks I had been because when I woke up and finally ate I felt so much better. Thanks Sama for helping me with dinner! 

Two More Days!

Just two more days of finals. I am so happy!!!!! Like really, REALLY happy that this semester will be over! Sama will be working more, but I think that is a good thing. Work is so much less stressful than school :) Then on Friday we will be getting together with our friends, who I think are quite stressed and might be happier than I am that school is almost over for awhile. So school is ending, we will get to relax and do fun holiday things, and Natalie can come at any time. Yay!

Progressive Dinner

Thanks to my new neighbor (new as in I just met her for the first time last week) for planning a fun night for us last Sunday. We got together with our neighbors and had a really good night getting to know each other and then we played games at the end. It was a nice night and I have some new friends :)

I think that is all for now. Happy Tuesday everyone!

Snoring

So Sama has been moving from our bed to the bed in the baby's room some nights because I have been snoring!  I don't normally snore, and the way he told me about it I thought it was some loud and horrible, obnoxious snoring! So I looked it up and saw that while it can be normal in pregnancy because of congestion and weight gain that it could also indicate gestational diabetes or sleep apnea and that I should tell my doctor. So I told this to my husband but apparently I only snore a tiny bit and it is just that he is such a light sleeper. Crazy. I am glad it is not the wake up the whole neighborhood kind, but I will probably still mention it to our doctor at our appointment this week. Just to be sure :)

Girl's Night
I got together with an old friend and some of her friends that I hadn't met for a girl's night on Saturday. We visited while making chocolate-covered pretzels and then took them with us to give away when we went Christmas caroling. It was so fun to see how people reacted to us. There was one elderly man who was my favorite. He lives alone and was so incredibly grateful to us. He invited us in and showed us his Christmas tree and what he used to do for work at the local university. I loved it! I honestly think I will visit him again.

Work
My job is going well and I am really enjoying it! I have continued to get to know great people and am learning a lot. I should be pretty well established by the time Natalie arrives!  I am starting to get a little bit impatient about the time I still have to wait, but I know it will go by fast and I will wonder where the time went later on.

Christmas
We are staying here and doing Christmas with friends. I have had some invitations from other friends for fun outings and activities. Often we are gone before we get to do all the local parties and the place where we go has already had all of those parties already.  Anyway, it will be a different Christmas, but I think a really good one! What are everyone's plans this year? I hope all your Christmases are wonderful!

Crying and Laughing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE

You should watch this video! It is great and touching and wonderful. I actually started crying and then laughing because I felt silly for crying. I blame pregnancy :)

Hazardous to Humans and Domestic Animals

I just watched this video about what is really in traditional household cleaning products and how they affect you. Really eye-opening! www.JimExplains.info,

 http://www.saferforyourhome.com/

Updates

Pregnancy
So during my second trimester I often got nauseated after just a couple bites of food. Finally that went away....until now! It is back. Sad day. Not as bad as before at least! And I am not actually getting sick from it either. So that's good.

My hands get numb every time I sleep. Numb and tingly. I read that this is carpal tunnel and can happen during pregnancy. Weird! Anyway, it has been happening for awhile but now is worse. Sometimes I have to check to see that my fingers really are not the size of hammers. Because they feel like that! But nope, just weird numbness. Whatever! Hope it goes away after having the baby!

As always, I don't mind dealing with the discomforts because it is so worth it! I can't wait for baby Natalie to arrive. And it is getting closer and closer all the time!

Photos of me at 35 weeks. Please ignore the fact that I am as large as the Christmas tree :) Also a n ote to my sister that we have kept the stockings you gave us the first year we were married. Aren't they great?!

I had Sama take these pictures of me today because I am actually feeling pretty. Yesterday I (finally) bought another bra. Sorry if that is TMI. I really only had one that fit right and that was not enough. So while there I found this pretty dress on clearance and treated myself to it. It is so wonderfully comfortable too! Plus I walked around the mall for about an hour and counted that as my exercise for the day. Fun stuff! Besides that I also got some new make-up, well just a liquid to powder foundation, for just $5 from Melaleuca when they had their Black Friday sale. It is good stuff! I used it for the first time and it was great.

School
This is more a hooray for the fact that this semester is almost over! Sama has been so busy with school, work, and traveling for interviews. But now everything is coming to a close and he will have a much easier semester starting January! He only has 6 credits/2 classes left so that is great. We were worried that he might not get enough financial aid because of only going half time, but he is still getting a Pell Grant! I am really happy about that! I am doing Melaleuca and making a little money but not enough yet to make up the difference in paying for school. Hopefully soon that will change!

Cloth Diapers
I only went to one store on Black Friday (I bought the make-up online) and it was busy of course, but not crazy and no long lines either! Anyway, I went to Joann's and got fabric for cloth diapers. Yay! Okay, so maybe it is just exciting to me but that's okay. I am getting better at it for sure, but I have had to pace myself because I don't want to make too many and find out that the pattern/style I am doing won't work for Natalie. I think I have 10 all together now. Some are quite sad looking, but the more recent ones actually aren't too bad! I even made two all in ones. I read that blizzard fleece works for diaper covers and I got a bunch of it for very cheap. I also got a lot of flannel for the inside and to make more cloth wipes. But then I started to worry that fleece wouldn't be enough for the covers. I still am not sure (I will let you know!) but I decided to use a layer of PUL in the wet zone. I am thinking that will be plenty. I had a few scraps of PUL and was able to use those. Plus if it turns out that it works well enough then it isn't too expensive either.

Here is a picture of some of my better ones. I experimented with different patterns and sizes. We'll see if they work!

I think that is all for now. I am going to go stay with the neighbor kids for a few minutes while their mom has to pick up the other kids. Should be fun! Hope you all are having a great day!

Moving to Oregon!

This will be short. I just have to post that Sama got the job with Intel and we will be moving to Oregon in May!!! We might even be buying a house. That seems impossible to me because right now we are mostly poor college students. Well, I graduated but am staying at home. Anyway, I am making tons of plans now. There are so many possibilities and it is so nice to know where Sama will be working and where we will be. I am SO excited that I will be living close to family! Congratulations to my awesome husband!

Cloth Diapers

So I gathered up some old clothing that I got for free and I have been making my own fitted cloth diapers! They are really, really homemade looking, but they will be inside a cover and I think I am getting better! I am enjoying my little project though.

We also have received our orders of cloth diapers! I have 2 Charlie Banana, 2 Flips, 1 Rumparooz, and 2 GroVia. Plus an assortment of prefolds and inserts. I washed 5 of them and am setting 2 aside in case we don't like them as well and want to trade them in for a different brand. We will definitely be needing more covers, but I really think I just might make the rest because I am enjoying it so much! And of course it is cheaper and will save us even more money. It is weird, I feel like I am doing a lot to save money, but when I think of how we would get by doing things differently (disposable diapers/wipes instead of cloth, formula instead of breastfeeding, used/hand me down clothes instead of all new, etc.) it doesn't seem like it could work. I know we would be fine, but still. I guess it would be nice to see those savings all at once and be able to spend just a little of it for something fun. Oh well, Sama graduates soon and we will be a little better off then. Not a lot though because we are making paying off our student loans a priority! So we will do that before we get used to a higher standard of living. And really, I feel like we have a lot more than we need. We can't do everything we want, but we have everything we need and more.

Okay, so if you really want to know more about cloth diapers there is an overload of information online. But I came across this article when I was first researching it and, yes, getting kind of obsessed and excited about my decision to cloth diaper. The article is by Erin and I have since started following her blog. Love it!  Here is the link. You should read it because it is fun!

And now for some pictures. I made some fitted diapers, prefolds, cloth wipes, and I also made a baby blanket! I am pretty proud of it because it isn't even crooked! At least not much :)

Updates

I have been worried about my blood pressure and decided that I am going to be taking it really easy for awhile. I had been working really hard with Melaleuca and my blood pressure was really high after that week. After a more relaxing weekend it went back down. So even though I love it I will be slowing down. That is the great thing about Melaleuca. You work when you want! Anyway though, I have not been feeling all that well this week even with spending much more time relaxing.

Sama has an interview today. I hope it goes well! This is the one we are really hoping he gets. And since it is him and one other guy, we are also hoping they will let him know soon.

Sorry this is short. I wanted to give some more updates, but I am just tired. Have a great weekend everyone!

Oregon Jobs!

Oregon
Sama is going to Oregon for the next step in an interview process! We are all really excited. Probably my family, especially my mom, more than Sama. He is one of two candidates. I really hope that he gets it! I would LOVE that.

Pregnancy
Also, here is my most recent pregnancy photo. Me at 32 weeks! Time seems to be going quickly now!

Baby Shower
My baby shower is tomorrow. I am sure I will have lots of fun pictures to post from that soon. I am really excited about seeing so many friends and I am sure it will be a lot of fun!

Birthday
My birthday is on Monday as well. I can't believe how old I am already. I am sure I will be saying that every birthday from now on. But oh well. We will be having just a little celebration with a few of our friends. Dinner and cake! Pictures from that to come as well!

New Blog

So I decided to create a new blog. This blog will keep going in pretty much the same way it has been, but the new blog will be focused on my job and specifics of how I am doing with it. Since I work for a wellness company, I am getting to try tons of new products that are safer and healthier, so I will be talking about/reviewing those on the new blog as well. I hope you get a chance to read it and that it helps you!

http://believeinwellness.blogspot.com/

Updates

Pregnancy
I am feeling more and more like the "typical" pregnant woman all the time. My belly keeps getting bigger and bigger, I have pregnancy brain where I can't remember anything and even have trouble processing what people tell me, and twice in the past week I have just started crying thinking that everything is horrible even though it is great. I sometimes feel like I am going insane! But whatever, I am pregnant and for the most part am doing great!

My Job
My job is still going great! I find that I am more outgoing and start up conversations with people more often. I had a frustrating experience the other day where I couldn't figure out why I couldn't enroll one of my new clients on the computer (yes, that was one of my crying sessions), but we figured it out and hopefully it won't be a problem anymore!

Sama's Job
Sama got another job offer! This one is in Utah and it is for a position he really wanted! We are still waiting to hear more from the job in Oregon because we would rather be there, but it is still so exciting that he got this other job! It is generally hard to get into this kind of work with just an undergraduate, but he did! We had a coupon for a free meal at one of our favorite restaurants for my birthday. My birthday isn't for another week, but we wanted to celebrate and so we went today! It was really nice and delicious and just great. But then I was sleepy and took a nap right after which wasn't that smart because I am having such bad heartburn lately and lying down doesn't help!

My sister just called and she met a guy tonight who works for a company in Oregon that Sama would be perfect for! It sounds really good. I don't know what will happen, but it feels like it could be something good for us!

A Good Day
Besides going out to lunch I was able to hang out with one of my good friends tonight. She came with me to post some flyers for my job and then we went to the university bookstore and just looked around. It was a Christmas kick-off sale tonight so it was really busy with authors there signing books, a performance by a singer who also just joked around and was really funny, and then all the Christmas stuff was out so it was just really festive and fun!

I am pretty tired even thought it is still pretty early, but I have some presentations tomorrow and I haven't been sleeping that well, so I am going to get to sleep. And hopefully stay asleep! Really if I didn't have to wake up to go to the bathroom that would be amazing! Or if turning over in my sleep didn't wake me up...oh the joys of pregnancy! No really, I am so thankful that I am pregnant and we can't wait until Natalie arrives!

A Great Life

My new job working from home is going AWESOME! I love the company so much and I am making awesome new friends and it is overall a great experience for me. I get so excited sometimes that I can't sleep. I have been working hard to get the word out about this company and setting up presentations and having an overall great time. It is based on commission and I haven't actually made any money yet, but I feel really confident because of my experiences so far. I think even if I never make money, this is already becoming an experience that I will be so happy that I have had. Part of it is just putting myself out there more and meeting new people and sharing with them my enthusiasm about something I love. The company is totally dedicated to helping people! I love that. Have I mentioned that I love it? If anyone (no matter where you live) is interested in working from home or interested in safer, high-quality, environmentally friendly brands, PLEASE let me share with you what I am doing.  There are so many benefits!

Where will we be living next May?
Sama got his first job offer! It is in Michigan though and we don't really want to go there. But it was still EXCITING!!! They offered him a large salary (exciting for us as we are currently poor students) as well as a car and all kinds of awesome benefits. If it were in Oregon or Washington that would be so good, but oh well. Still waiting to hear back from some other companies. Hoping that things work out with Intel. Because then we would be in OREGON!

Natalie
We had another appointment today and baby is doing fine! My blood pressure is still high. It went up from last week, but not by too much. I am realizing I have to be careful. I have been putting so much thought and effort into my new job and am loving it and I don't want my blood pressure to go up from my excitement and from working so hard at it! I think I need to have a meditation hour and do more yoga or at least something like that that will help me relax. I absolutely don't want bed rest! No way. Please no bed rest! I am not near that point yet, but I feel like it could happen if I am not more relaxed on my own. It is just hard!

Anyway, I wanted to write that we got our crib today!! Some of you read my post about my dilemmas in which crib to get. It was really stressing me out! So as soon as my parents sent us money (they generously offered to pay for the crib!), I ordered the crib. I ordered a Babi Italia from the Wal-mart website for $148. With tax and shipping we paid about $170. I feel really good about it. I realized with the help of friends and family that we didn't need an expensive crib, just a safe one. And this one has lots of extra certifications.

I wasn't able to set it up yet because I had a presentation tonight and the crib came in the late afternoon. My presentation went long because I was talking with my team about how to improve, so when I got home it was late. Oh well. We are so setting it up tomorrow! I did at least open the box to look at the color and it looks good so far!

Family
I just want to write that I am so so grateful for family. I love having a close relationship with my family in Oregon and I am grateful for the relationship I have with my husband. He is struggling a little with school right now since he has been gone on job interviews and is always having to play catch-up with his school work. I wish there were more I could do for him, but it is nice to be able to be open and talk with him about the things that are going on in our life. Tonight I feel such great love for him and I am so happy!

Halloween Weekend

This will probably be short because I am not in the writing mood. But I did want to write about the rest of my weekend!

Saturday I helped my aunt with the Halloween dinner preparations. I didn't end up hanging out with my friend after all because I didn't finish up until about 7 with the Halloween stuff and I was just tired and in the mood to relax rather than drive! But my friend came over for the Halloween dinner the next day. Everything turned out really good! Here are the pictures. There was also a really cool seven-layer salad that was decorated like a graveyard. It looked really cool, but I guess I didn't get a picture!

Bean dip faces and spider

Yolkensteins

Jello Brain

Frog Eye Salad in pumpkins (oranges!)

The Table

Butternut squash bisque with cheese ravioli and a snake breadstick

Enjoying the meal

Monster Cupcakes (they were way cuter in the magazine picture, oh well!)

Magic 8 Ball

Tonight was the Halloween party at church and I had a really good time. I got to know the women I visit better and meet a couple other families in the ward too. My dad's chili recipe didn't win any prizes, but it was still good! And really spicy :) Also...I dressed up! There was a Halloween parade/contest for the kids and I didn't think they were doing one for the adults and that was the end of the party, so I went to leave. When I came back in to grab my crockpot that I had brought my chili in, the adults were having a contest too! I was too late. I don't know why, but I am a little disappointed. I like parties and things! Anyway, it was a really fun day. Here are pictures of my costume! Simple but fun (I think). I stole this idea off the internet when searching for pregnancy costumes. It didn't cost me anything except a few cents to print the signs! In case it isn't clear, the back says "it's a girl." Also, this is me 30 weeks pregnant!

Package
My mom sent a package for us/baby in the mail and we got it today! We now have money for the crib! I'm so ordering it this weekend! Also, she sent us a Baby Mozart DVD, a maternity shirt for me, a birthday card for Sama, birthday money for both of us (our birthdays are really close together--mine is in a couple weeks!), and A MONKEY! It is so cute and SUPER soft! I was really excited about this! Here is a picture of Natalie's first (stuffed) monkey! My dad bought one kind of like this when I was born too! Which reminds me. My mom's first baby was a girl (my older sister), she was due January 5th (my due date), and she was born in the same hospital I will be delivering in! Crazy! But cool.

That's all for now. More fun things coming up soon! Have a great night everyone!

P.S.

I know I already posted today, but I was looking at this site and love it! It is everydayfoodstorage.net . It has all kinds of ideas about how to actually use your food storage in recipes you already make. It also has new recipe ideas to try! When I think of using food storage I usually think of gross, powdery tasting food. But it doesn't have to be that way. Plus, even if you are not focusing on food storage or even using what food storage you have, this site has some great ways to SAVE MONEY. Like making your own (easy!) sweetened condensed ($.60/can) and evaporated milk ($.25/can). I obviously haven't tried any of these things yet as I just found the site today, but I will try it out next week for sure! As you know, I am really into saving money and eating healthier right now. Using food storage items helps with both those things! Yay for this awesome site. I really like it. If you try anything from this site, let me know how it turns out! I am planning on making her bread recipe too. Looks delicious!

Lamaze

Here are a few of the pictures from Monday night when we celebrated Sama's birthday. His cake was kind of (totally) girly, but oh well. It tasted good! I guess I should have specified colors when I ordered it, but I ordered it on short notice so it doesn't really matter.

Lamaze
I went to Lamaze for the first time last night. It was a 2 1/2 hour class! I guess in preparing to give birth that is pretty reasonable, but it seems like a long time. I had the time, but Sama didn't really. He still came though! I am really happy about that because I would have been the only one by myself. Sad day.

Anyway, the class was really good. I was kind of expecting some crazy teacher making us do weird breathing exercises the whole time, but it wasn't like that at all. Yes, breathing exercises were taught, but it was normal enough. And I really like the teacher; she is well informed and has a fun teaching style. We talked about labor statistics, myths, why it is important to be prepared for childbirth, and a little about what our body is doing right now during pregnancy. Then we did the breathing exercises and practiced different birthing positions. We also talked about comfort during pregnancy and what things we can do. Overall, I really like this class so far!

Health

We had an awesome birthday party for Sama on Monday. I can't post pictures right now though because they are on Sama's phone and he isn't here. But our friends came over and we had a great time cooking, eating, and hanging out. I love get-togethers like these!

It's Cold Here
So I need to give in and finally start turning on our heat at night. This morning I woke up and turned to get my phone to check the time and it was damp and foggy because of how cold it was! What?! Sometimes I feel like I am camping in this house because we sleep right under the window and it just feels cold. I don't know. With this house being old I guess I am a little paranoid about heat sources. We have some plug-in heaters that we use during the day that work really well to warm a room. I think it is cheaper than the radiant heat that is hooked up for the house. But you aren't really supposed to use those plug-in heaters at night when you are asleep. Right? I think I have read that/been told that. Then I am paranoid about the radiant heat too because we have a couch covering one vent and a bed covering the other. They are easily moved though so that we could use the radiant heat at night. I just get paranoid about all the weird noises the old heater makes and just the fact that everything is so old; like old somehow equals flammable. I think I will buy a fire extinguisher for a little peace of mind. We really should have one anyway!!!! Is it weird that I am so paranoid about heaters in old houses?

Health
My sister has been going to a naturopath lately and has been learning all kinds of cool things that she is nice enough to pass on to me. Since having her fourth baby she started getting really bad headaches and has been trying all kinds of things to relieve them. She does acupuncture, goes to a chiropractor, and now to the naturopath. She has gone to regular doctors as well I think. Anyway, the naturopath told her to cut out refined sugar and white flour from her diet. She has been doing a really good job of it! And it seems to be helping her. I am inspired to do better. I feel that I have made a lot of progress in the last year and especially the last few months since becoming pregnant at treating my body better. I get more exercise and eat healthier overall. But I could still do so much better! And I need to do so much better because my better is still quite unhealthy. The last three days have been filled with too much junk food. It makes me feel crummy, so today my goal is to eat really well. I don't know why it is so hard for me to avoid sweets, but it really is a big struggle. The biggest thing that has changed for me is that I am better at giving my body all the nutrients it needs. I eat more whole wheat, fruits, and vegetables and I eat less meat. Mostly because I don't like meat as much as I used to. But while I give my body what it needs, I still eat sweets too often. So I try to eat even more healthy food to fill myself up and cut down on cravings for junk. It works best if I am really focusing on it. If I do well for a few days and then don't really think about it, then it starts to go downhill again. I know that sweets in moderation are just fine. It is the moderation that is hard!

Anyway, I wanted to write about magnesium. My sister was told at her last appointment that magnesium is really important. (Here is a link to her post about it). It is kind of interesting to learn about, so here is a link to a page I found that talks about magnesium. One of the biggest benefits for me right now is the blood pressure. My blood pressure is slowly climbing, which could lead to preeclampsia if it doesn't get lower. Obviously that would not be good for me or baby! It is kind of worrying me and thus making my blood pressure higher, so I try not to think about it too much! Anyway, there is some evidence that getting enough magnesium can help with blood pressure. The other important thing for me is that it can help with insulin production and diabetes. Even though I don't have diabetes, I am at a huge risk for it. It is on both sides of my family and my eating habits need work! Anyway, I never really thought about magnesium and I don't hear it talked about very often, but I guess it is actually quite important! Oh, and it helps boost energy too! Who doesn't need more energy? There are other benefits as well. For me I don't like a lot of the magnesium rich foods that much. But I am willing to eat more of them for the benefits. Just not beans. I could never eat that many beans. The other thing is a magnesium supplement, but I think I have that in my prenatal vitamin and I also think it is best to get as many vitamins as possible through the foods you eat.

So today's focus for me is health! Eating healthy, getting exercise, and mental health too! That is, I need to do things that are good for my soul as well as my body because I believe the two are connected. What do I do that is good for my soul? I like to listen to uplifting music, read scriptures or other uplifting material, spend time talking to friends and family, and being productive. Anything that makes me feel good about myself and about my life.

Parties and More Parties!

Well, the pumpkin muffins were well received and I was told they were delicious!

Parties
This week is going to be very busy and hopefully very fun! First up is celebrating Sama's birthday tonight! We are having some friends over for dinner and will be making tacos durados. Like taquitos kind of if you don't know what tacos durados are. His birthday is actually later on in the week, but he has school all day and then I have my first lamaze class that night, which is kind of long so it wouldn't leave much time for celebration. So I am going to get out and do some serious grocery shopping for tonight's fiesta!

I already mentioned the rest of my plans in a previous post, but here they are again. Friday night is a Halloween party with our ward. It is a chili cook-off and costume parade. I don't actually like chili that much except to dip bread in the broth (and that I have actually been craving). My dad loves chili and makes it really well, so I am going to use his recipe. Maybe I will win a prize?! I remember we had a chili cook-off growing up and my dad didn't win and I was so shocked because he is always saying how amazing his chili is! I think it is pretty good as far as chili goes though! We will see what everyone else thinks.

Saturday is a relax and party day with my friend. We are going to eat yummy snacks, chat, watch movies, etc. I am very excited for this!

Sunday is Halloween! I will be celebrating with family and having a Halloween themed dinner. These dinners are always so much fun. And you can't beat time with family!

I will be sure to post some pictures of all these fun events going on this week. I think this blog has definitely helped me to take more pictures. I am always thinking I need to take pictures more often, but it just hasn't worked out that well. Until now. I am finding that I really like blogging. Pictures make it even more fun!

Pumpkin Bread!

I keep meaning to do my visiting teaching for church and then I never really do it. But I took a step in the right direction by calling my companion. She didn't answer of course, but that's okay. I decided I would make pumpkin bread for the women I am supposed to visit. So this morning I walked to the little store by our house and bought some ingredients. I had asked my sister if she had a favorite pumpkin bread recipe and she didn't. But she did say that she liked to get a spice cake mix and mix it with pumpkin puree instead of the eggs, oil, and water. She had made a chocolate cake like that before and it was yummy! So I decided to do that and also find a pumpkin bread recipe to try. Here is a link to the recipe I used. It is DELICIOUS! I made muffins instead actually and I didn't have cloves, but they are some of the best pumpkin treats I have ever had. I also added a little cream cheese frosting on top of each one. So yummy! Now I just need to deliver them. Oh, and this recipe makes about 4 dozen muffins. My table is currently covered in muffins! I definitely liked the spice cake pumpkin muffins too, but I liked this recipe better. Probably because it is far more unhealthy. But oh well!

My friend Horte came  over and helped me make these. It was fun hanging out and talking while we baked these. Then the little neighbor kids came over to play with our Wii. They love it. All we have as far as games are the Wii Fit, another fitness game, and the sports games it came with. But they love Wii fit and always want to play. There are 5 kids in the family and 4 that come to play (the other is a baby). Today they came 2 at a time which I think works better so that they are not all trying to play at once. Then Horte's husband, Limhi, came over and started playing with them. We kept trying to tell him that they only had 30 minutes to play, but he still played anyhow. I think the kids liked playing with him though (he is a pretty fun guy). After the kids left the three of us had lunch together (Sama was at work). I made some stir-fry and really liked it. I tried a new teriyaki sauce recipe that was delicious.

Tonight Sama and I are going out to run some errands. Nothing too exciting, but it is nice to spend time together. But first there is a soccer game on so that is the priority! For Sama, not me. I will be out delivering muffins!

Happy Saturday to everyone!

Carne Asada!

Every so often we get together with friends and do a carne asada at the park. This time it was at our house! That's because we had a grill and our newfound little patch of concrete to put it on. Haha. I liked having people over and eating some delicious food! Here are a few pictures.

Violin

So I got new violin strings yesterday and started playing last night. I am SO rusty! I didn't think it would be as bad as it was, but I guess I can only improve from here! I know that I can do much better with practice. I am looking forward to the orchestra concert!

Disclaimer

Yes, I graduated in English Language with a minor in editing, but no, I am not perfect. I make so many mistakes in my writing (as those of you who read this blog regularly have surely noticed!). I honestly don't censor or edit my posts. I just write them and publish them without really checking. Whenever I read over old posts I notice about a million errors. And then I might go back and fix some of them. But not really. I am not the best editor or even close, but I could do better. I am just saying that I don't edit my own writing. I don't feel the need to for a blog. Unless it were a blog about writing or editing...but it's not! So to all of you editing sticklers, I apologize for my atrocious grammar and punctuation. This is my disclaimer. The end!

We Have Concrete Out There? Yes, Yes We Do!

So it has been like 3 months since we moved into our little duplex. I am loving it here even though it is quite old, but I kind of like all the little quirks that go with old houses. We did a deep cleaning of the inside when we moved in, but the outside I only just got around to a couple days ago. I wish I had taken before pictures, but oh well. Anyway, there is not a lot to be done since I have limited tools and we are only renting. In the back we have a little patch of grass that had a ton of dead grass that needed to be raked up. So I did that. And there is also a little square of concrete, which was totally covered in dirt and leaves. Apparently Sama didn't even know we had concrete out there! That is how bad it was. So, I went out a couple days ago and cleared out as much as I could. The grass still looks wretched, but the concrete area is nice and clean! I also cleaned up our front porch. It was not as bad as the back, but definitely needed some TLC. I couldn't get a picture of that because it is just too bright out front and all I get with my camera phone is shadows. The more pictures I take, the more excited I get about buying our new camera! That will be on Black Friday though :) Anyway, here is the photo of our little concrete square that you wouldn't have known existed until a couple days ago!

English Classes
We have awesome neighbors here, which is another great thing about our duplex. We are friends with a couple on the other side of the duplex as well as a Mexican family next door. My neighbor used to teach the mother of that family English, but was no longer able to after getting a new job. She asked if I would be interested/willing to do it and I said yes! Today was our first lesson and I think considering I have never really taught English it went pretty well. Our biggest barrier is that we have ALWAYS spoken in Spanish together. The only time I ever used English was if I didn't know the word in Spanish and was asking if she understood what I was trying to say. So we kept switching from Spanish to English and since she is at an intermediate speaking level, it would really be better to stick to English only during these lessons. I am really glad I speak Spanish (though not completely fluently), but I am also kind of envious of my neighbor who was teaching her before I was because she only knows a tiny bit of Spanish and so they are forced to use just English. The good thing is that the neighbor I am teaching gets a lot of practice outside of these lessons. She helps her kids with their homework and she also still talks to our neighbor in English when they see each other. I am hoping I can do a good job teaching her. We'll see!

Orchestra
I started playing the violin in elementary school, but I gave it up after about 4 years. In that time, my only lessons were in school, and I didn't practice enough to really excel at it. Then after I graduated high school I went to an orchestra concert with a friend and shared my desire to play again. Hearing pretty orchestra music makes me want to play. So what did this awesome friend do? My Christmas gift that year was a violin! I was so happy and started lessons again with a lady in the ward. Then I went to Southern Virginia University and took lessons there. Then I took a couple semesters worth of lessons while at BYU. Unfortunately I never stick with it long enough to make much progress, but I still love it. I have since gotten a really nice violin (the one my friend gave me was such a great gift and completely wonderful, but also an inexpensive model). I owe the nice violin I have now to my parents and to my brother Adam for giving up the bass. My parents had bought him the bass from a violin maker who stands behind his products 100%. I was able to trade the bass in for a beautiful violin. Anyway...I have been wanting to play again lately. We can't afford lessons or anything right now and with a new baby on the way, I don't think I would be able to continue for long anyhow. But, our stake is having a Christmas fireside/concert and anyone can be in the orchestra no matter what level he or she is at! I was hesitant to sign up thinking I might regret it or not want to stick to it, but I shy away from so many things because of that fear. So I just went ahead and signed up! Go me! I need to replace one of the strings on my violin, but then I am all set. I am going to go do that today and start practicing. On my own that is since I don't know exactly what I will be doing for the concert. But I feel really good about participating and putting myself out there a little bit. I am glad they offered places for all levels of players. I think it will be a great experience! Now, on to the store to buy violin strings!

Cribs
Thanks to all those who commented and left advice for me about cribs. For now we have decided to go with a more inexpensive model from Walmart. I hope to order it soon and be done with the stress of choosing a crib. I don't know why it is so stressful, but it is to me. Thanks to my sister for her comment that any crib I go with will be fine. I am sure it will. Still, I am excited to have it over with once we order the crib, which should be in the next couple weeks. By the end of November we will have purchased nearly everything we will need for Natalie. The main things we still need are the cloth diapers and the crib. Actually the crib isn't a necessity yet since we are using a pack n play in our room at first, but I still want to get Natalie's room all set up! There are a few little things like crib sheets and such that we need, but besides the cloth diapers we are pretty much set.

Cloth Diapers
I am still totally excited about using cloth diapers. I haven't been researching them quite so obsessively as I was before, but I still am excited about finally buying some and using them for the baby. I think I need to narrow down my list of the ones I want to try so that I can spend just a little less. But really, I want to try almost all of them! Oh well. I can always try more later on. And then I will just sell the ones I don't like.

San Antonio
I don't know if I wrote about Sama going to San Antonio or not. But he did go there for a job interview at the beginning of the week. They paid for him to fly out and treated him to dinner and a nice hotel and all kinds of cool things. He said it was a really good experience and that the interview went really well. My mom (and my sister a little too) were not thrilled at all that he went. Texas? Why Texas? You don't want to live in Texas, do you? The answer is no. No I do not want to live in Texas. But I would consider it if it were temporary. It is a really good company with amazing benefits. They treat their employees really well and pay them really well. Plus they will pay for him to do his masters. But overall we are wanting to stay in Utah for him to do his masters and then move to Oregon or Washington. Being close to family is definitely a priority for us. Plus Oregon is awesome! I love Oregon. I am sure there are other wonderful states and places to live, but I am an Oregonian and would rather go back there than trying out other places that are far from my family. But whatever happens will work out for us. I am sure that Heavenly Father has a great plan for us and knows what is best for our little family. And all the better if Oregon is a part of those plans! I miss my family!


I think I am done writing for now. But there are so many exciting things going on! I love my life!

Cribs

I am not sure how many people actually read this blog, but for those that do I would love to hear your opinions on cribs! Here is where I am at right now. I was planning on buying the Graco Sarah crib, but then both my mom and sister warned me against buying a cheaper crib because they don't last as long. But the Graco Sarah has all the certifications plus extra certifications from JPMA, ASTM & CPSC. So I figured it was definitely safe and I talked to Sama about it because after talking to my mom and sister I had started looking at high end used cribs. Sama really doesn't want a used crib and said it wouldn't bother him to have to buy a new crib after 2 kids because the crib is convertible and could still safely be used as a headboard for a full-sized bed. So I figured that would be fine too and we could get the Graco.

And then...

I was reading a comment by someone who said that her toddler always climbed up on the side of the crib to look at her baby brother and that the Graco Lauren (different model) was too flimsy for that. So then I was worried because I don't want the side of the crib breaking and compromising safety. I mentioned this to my sister, who has four boys, and she said that her kids always climbed up on the sides. She also said that when the babies are a little older they bounce around and learn how to climb out of the crib. So that is a concern for me. Even though the cribs have been tested to hold 300 pounds and are extra safe with the extra certifications, I don't think they test for pulling and climbing that happens with toddlers. Though I haven't read as much as I could about these certifications. Anyway, I went to Babies R Us and Burlington where they have displays of cribs and after looking at the different models, I would rather have a sturdier crib. Also, the stores I went to didn't have a display of the Graco Sarah. I have read great things about how sturdy and durable it is, but now I would feel better about purchasing a crib if I could actually see it.

So...

My dilemma now is cost. We are on a tight monthly budget, but we obviously have money saved for the baby. We had hoped that what we saved would be plenty, but we will have to use some of our savings to supplement. We have about $1500 to draw from, but need that to last for the next few months until Sama finishes school. Basically everything is covered in our budget except for emergencies and special occasions like birthdays and Christmas. Sama has also applied for some jobs for winter that would pay better, but we will see what happens. Our crib budget is $200. That was going to also cover the crib mattress (though now I am looking for a used one). Now I think it will mostly cover the crib. And then I might end up paying a little more than that too.

So my question is...

What brands and models of cribs do you have or have you used? Do you have experience with the cheaper cribs and have you had any problems with them? Any advice or comments would be appreciated!!!!

Updates

Okay, I got the computer to work a little better so I am going to write about a few things that have been going on with me.

Ward Conference
Our ward conference was on Sunday and it was really good! I especially loved our bishop's talk. He challenged us to make this next year the best year we have ever had. Whatever we need to be working on, we should make goals accordingly. He also gave specific challenges including attending the temple often, memorizing 20 scriptures, and memorizing 5 hymns. He shared experiences that other members of our ward had shared with him as they worked on these same goals last year. I know this synopsis isn't near as powerful as the actual talk he gave, but I still had to share because it was so significant to me. I am convinced that he is who Heavenly Father wants as our bishop and I am grateful that he was able to accept this calling.

Car Trouble
So Sama had his trip to San Antonio  yesterday and today. There were several people in his major that were also invited and one of them offered to drive to the airport. I was so grateful for this because it meant I didn't have to wake up at 5:30 to drive to the airport. I still had to drive to the student health center where they were meeting, but no biggie because I could just drive right back home and go back to sleep. In general I just don't like to drive long distances. As a side note, part of this problem was because I needed glasses. I still passed my eye exam for my drivers test, but I had to be all squinty. Anyway, glasses are so much better, but I still don't like to drive. So, yesterday morning we went to meet up with the other people who were driving and Sama and I both got out of the car to hug goodbye and trade places. Then we both shut our doors....and one of us also locked them. It is both of our habits to lock the doors, but we can't remember who did it this time. Not that it matters anyway of course.

You know that crazy feeling you get when you realize you locked yourself out of your car? It is really amazing to me how we keep trying and checking all the doors and thinking that there must be an easy way in when there just isn't. One of the guys said that BYU has a locksmith service, which was so good to know because we didn't have to pay for it! It is actually just the campus police with a locksmith kit, but that's all we needed! But we didn't want to make the other guys wait so they left and we went to the airport on our own. It was unfortunate though because the guy who came to unlock our car was super slow! Not once he actually opened the car, but he had to walk around his car like three times gathering things and then a couple more times for who knows what before finally getting over to our car. Oh well. I am glad there are even services like that. So I ended up driving after all and it was fine. We are going to be making some extra keys now! Obviously we both have keys but that didn't help us because they were both in the car.


Tiredness
I have actually been able to get a lot done in the way of cleaning and organizing the last week and a half or so even though I have been in pain from my pregnancy and a little tired. So now I am in the mode of getting things done and want to keep that up because it always feels better to get things done and I just feel like I am accomplishing things. But the last two days I have been super sleepy. And then I can't sleep that well because there is so much I want to be doing! I actually have a little more energy now, so I am going to go out and do the grocery shopping. Normally this would have been done yesterday, but I was just too tired!

In general I have been feeling (mood wise that is) really good lately! I am happy about this because who doesn't like to feel good?! Physically things are not that great, but all the discomfort and pain is totally worth it because in about two and a half more months we will get to meet our new baby! I love her so much already and I can't wait!

Monkey Tree!!!

I finally finished the monkey tree! I am happy with the way it turned out. And it only cost me about $20 as opposed to the almost $90 it would have cost to buy! Though I did spend about $40 all together trying out different materials to see what worked. It is a stick on removable mural since we are living in an apartment and aren't really supposed to paint. Plus I don't think I would trust myself to paint this! It definitely isn't perfect or anything, but I am totally proud of it!

Sorry this is short, but my laptop isn't working and the desktop is being weird and my computer genius husband is out of town for a job interview until tonight. I hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Nesting

I think I wrote in one of my earlier posts that I have been nesting pretty much since I found out I was pregnant. I think I have mainly been  planning what I want to do and doing a few nesting things here and there. But today I cleaned the baby's room and I bought a few things for her room too. I am totally excited. I went to DI and found a pink bed skirt (there is a twin bed in her room for guests :) and some cute pillow cases. Then I went to Target and got some of those cute canvas organizer boxes for her shelf. I got pink and brown. I washed everything and set it up and love it! It is quite a bit of pink since the pillow cases are all pink including one long body pillow. But she is a girl so it works. Sama helped me rearrange some more furniture as well. I also set up the pack n play in our room just to see how it would fit. We will be totally squished! But oh well. There is only a tiny space to get by the pack n play to the closet, so Sama will have to set his clothes out the night before or something. Maybe we will be rearranging furniture again though. We'll see. I am going to wait to post pictures of the room until we have more set up, but I'll take some soon.

Graduation
My friend from my old job just graduated from massage therapy school today and I was able to go to the ceremony. I am so happy for her and think it is awesome that she did this. Congratulations, Eliane!

Pollo Loco
Well, that has pretty much been my day. Nesting and graduation. Oh and Sama had to go back to Salt Lake to the Mac store again today because the new phone they gave him yesterday to replace his broken one was also broken. Crazy. So now he has another new phone. Hopefully it will work better than the others! He went with our friend Limhi and then Limhi and his wife Horte came over for dinner after that. They stopped for Pollo Loco, which is a fast food place from Mexico. They all loved it and couldn't get enough. I like Mexican food, but I didn't care much for this. Oh well. I am glad they got something that they like so much from Mexico! It was also just good to hang out with friends.

Is This Normal?

So Sama and I went up to Salt Lake to the Mac store today to get his iphone fixed and I can't believe how tired I am! It is in a huge mall and we found out only after we got there that you have to make an appointment for them to look at your phone. So we went to lunch and then back to the mall to walk around. We probably spent almost two hours walking around and looking in different stores. And now my feet hurt and I am still sore from yesterday and having a hard time to walk. I know this is all normal for being pregnant but I really felt like a little old lady. I was walking so slow it was embarrassing and I was all achy and now I am so so tired! And we were out all morning and most of the afternoon, but still! I am just wondering if I am going to feel like this forever now. Am I? Or do I regain my body and feel good and energized again?

A Productive Day

Being Productive
Today has been a very productive day so far! I went to the library to volunteer this morning and then I came home and have been cleaning ever since! Until now that is. It is really tiring though. Being pregnant is wonderful and such a blessing, but it definitely has its disadvantages! I don't think I was doing anything really straining, but simply cleaning (dishes, laundry, vacuuming, etc.) has made my body quite sore! My body is more sore lately in general as well. I feel as if I really have that wonderful pregnancy "waddle." Hahaha.

Anyway, I am feeling really good for the things I have been able to get done today. I had to make a decision in the morning that I would at least be somewhat productive and get some cleaning done. I think making that decision really helped because I knew I committed myself to it rather than thinking I would do it later if I still felt like it. I am really good at procrastinating, so that line of thinking almost never results in getting anything done!

In cleaning I decided I wanted to rearrange some furniture. I did move a couple of very light pieces of furniture like a little nightstand, but other than that I just made plans and will have Sama help me when he gets home if he is not too tired. I am also getting excited to get the baby's room set up! My parents have graciously offered to pay for the crib we are getting, so we will be ordering it pretty soon! I can't wait until everything is ready. Of course, then I will have nothing to do and I still have a few weeks until the baby is actually born...but oh well! I think I have been nesting since I found out I was pregnant and I am still always finding more things to do. Oh, and I am going to be having a baby shower next month so that is another thing to look forward to.

Early on in my pregnancy I had signed up for the week by week updates from one of the baby websites. But then we found out that my due date was almost a month off, so now I am getting emails talking about my pregnancy and it makes me so impatient because it always says I am farther along than I really am. Not that it is a big deal, but oh well.

Halloween
I was talking to Sama about maybe having a Halloween party with some of our friends. I was looking at all these fun Halloween recipes and thinking of just doing a movie, games, and snacks. Anyway I was planning all of this in my head before actually talking to Sama and when I did mention it to him, he reminded me that he is going to be in Ohio for a career fair for IT related jobs. Sad day. But I made plans with one of my friends to do dinner and movies Saturday night and I am really excited! I think it will be a blast! Maybe I will still make some fun Halloween treats just for fun. I like that kind of thing. But anyway, our ward party is Friday. Saturday I am hanging out with a friend, and Sunday is a Halloween dinner at my aunts house. She always gets really into the theme and decorating and the food is always something Halloween related. The first year I was here for it she made ribs and put two racks of ribs next to each other and then a red bell pepper with a knife sticking out of it so it looked like a stabbed heart in between the ribs. Anyway, all the food items are creative like that. I love it! So it will be a fun weekend. I hope you all have fun plans too!

Calzones!

Sama and I made homemade calzones yesterday and they were delicious! And fun to make :) that is really all I have to say about that, but I am excited about the fact that they turned out so well and thought I would share that. I should have taken a picture, but oh well.

Scentsy
I have always loved the Scentsy brand of wickless candles. They smell so yummy! The duplex we are living in is really old and has a kind of musty old smell. Nothing horrible, but it has made me want Scentsy more than ever. So since we are on a super tight budget I have had to save my money. I finally have enough for a little plug-in warmer and on scent bar, which lasts about six months with the plug-in warmer. Anyway, I am really happy and excited about this. I am buying mine from a consultant in Provo, Carmen. She is super nice and brought a bag of samples for me to smell. She leaves them with you for as long as you need to decide. She came yesterday and is coming back tomorrow to pick them up and process my order. We are getting Enchanted Mist for our first scent. I also like Cinnamon Vanilla and Honey Pear Cider. Yum! Here is a link to Carmen's site on Scentsy if any of you in the Provo area are interested. But there are consultants pretty much anywhere and you can also buy online. My friends who have had it always have such nice smelling homes. It is great and I am so excited about this order. I know it is just a candle, but oh well. I am still happy about it!

Finally, here is a more recent picture of my pregnant self. I'm 28 weeks here. Crazy! Sorry about the picture quality; we are hoping to be able to get a new camera before the baby comes!

Family

Pregnancy Update
So we went to the doctor yesterday and everything is going great! My blood pressure is a little bit high, but not dangerously so. I hope it stays/gets lower!

Family
So I had a dream last night that I was in Oregon near all my family. I was about to go visit my sister because I REALLY wanted to see her and I was really happy I was going to get to. Then I woke up and realized that I was in Utah. It was really sad for me. I am missing my family so much. If only I had plenty of money, I would arrange a trip! It is sad to me that I won't get to see all of them until probably next spring or summer. My mom is coming in January when the baby is born and my sister is thinking about a trip sometime after that, but I miss them right now! And I want to see everyone!

One thing to be grateful for is that we are planning on moving to Oregon or Washington. I think Oregon is more likely, but even Washington is closer than Utah!!!! I am so glad that my husband likes Oregon too and is willing to live there. I love Oregon and the idea of being near all of my family. Everyone else lives within an hour of each other and sometimes I get sad knowing I am all the way out here in Utah for another couple years. But it is worth it for Sama to be able to finish school. Sometimes I just have to remind myself that I am blessed in so many ways and be grateful for what I have instead of wishing for more things!

Tomorrow Will Be Better!

Hey everyone! I hope you are having a great week so far! Mine has been going really well. I volunteer at the library on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and even though I am not always in the mood for it, I like being productive and helping out!

Headaches and Migraines
Last night I stayed up too late reading and at some point my eyes really started hurting and that almost always leads to headaches! But did I want to stop reading? Nope! So I didn't and went to bed with a headache. Then I woke up with a headache. And went to the library with a headache....you get the picture. I am feeling much better now, but it took half the day!

I usually get migraines once a month or so and I had a couple REALLY bad ones since I've been pregnant because I can't take my regular medicine for them. But it is actually kind of a blessing that I haven't been able to take my regular medicine because I think it also caused more frequent headaches because of the caffeine. I normally take Excedrin Migraine (great stuff!) and when I got pregnant I started taking Excedrin Tension Headache instead because it doesn't have asprin in it. But it still has acetaminophen and caffeine in it. It was when I was taking that that I got some uncontrollable migraines that only an IV treatment at the ER fixed. So about 3 weeks ago I ran out of my Excedrin and didn't want to spend money on more and used just acetaminophen. I am getting fewer headaches! I still think caffeine works great on the really severe headaches and migraines, but it is nice to realize that I don't need it as often as I thought. I'm really glad I realized that I can manage most headaches with just acetaminophen. I think my migraines will come less because of this, but we will see.

Food
I try to eat healthy because I want to be healthy and being pregnant I especially want to make sure my baby will be healthy. As I mentioned I had a headache today and just didn't feel good. I usually get nauseated along with my headaches, so it is hard to eat well. Plus it is hard for me anyway because I tend to want foods that are less healthy. Anyway, I didn't eat that well today and was feeling really bad about that. I didn't eat junk or anything, I just didn't eat a variety of foods. Okay, I had Cheerios and Rice Krispies cereal like 3 times. Only in the late afternoon/evening did I finally eat more things. I tried to make up for it with lots of fruit, but I am still feeling bad about this. So, tomorrow will be better!

Doctor Appointment
We have a doctors appointment tomorrow to see how the baby is doing! I am always excited about this. No ultrasound this time, but we will hear the baby's heartbeat and the doctor will check to see that everything is going well. I feel like everything is fine, but it is always nice to have it confirmed. I hope we get that confirmation tomorrow too!

To Lori: Today is a Good Day!!

I woke up feeling great this morning. Actually it was this afternoon as I didn't wake up until almost 1 PM!!! I don't know how I did that. I do usually sleep a lot and wake up late, but not usually THIS late. Anyway, I just feel good today and wanted to share that.

Green Living
Since I decided to do cloth diapers for Natalie I have been researching them A LOT! Almost obsessively so. Anyway, in reading about them, I naturally came across a lot of articles and blogs and what not about green living. I have never considered myself green (despite the fact that I am a proud Oregonian), but I think I like the idea of it. I was talking to my sister and she is going to make her own laundry soap with a recipe found online. It is supposed to be only 2 cents per load! And I plan on trying this as well. So I am wondering if I should start considering myself green or not because I am planning to try a lot of homemade things (laundry soap and other cleaning and hygiene products).

I guess my biggest attraction to green living is saving money. Second is using natural products. I've been hearing too many details about what goes into already prepared food and I am just not liking it at all! For example, there is a process factories use to clean as much as possible from chicken bones. It turns into this kind of pink puree that is them put in chicken nuggets and hot dogs and such....as the main ingredient. There is a picture of what this looks like, but I will spare you. It is just gross! Anyway, knowing and controlling what is going into the products I use and eat is VERY appealing to me. I also like knowing that products that will be touching my skin are natural. I have REALLY sensitive skin and try all kinds of things to keep it clear and hydrated and my aunt gave me some pure coconut oil to try. It is awesome for my skin! I love it. And it is just one ingredient. Anyway, I think using natural products instead of those with extra chemicals and such are better for me. Maybe not for everyone, but for me they are! So am I considered green? I don't know. I don't feel like I am some kind of hippie that is living off the land and what not. I am not extreme at all and will still continue to live my life much the way I did before. Add that to the fact that I haven't actually (yet) done a lot of the things I am planning.

Mondays
Now that I am not in school I find that I really like Mondays. It means another week has passed and we are that much closer to seeing our little Natalie! Not that I don't appreciate my life as it is now. I do!! But I am still excited. Mondays are also my grocery shopping day. I usually plan out the week's meals and make my list before heading to the store. I actually like grocery shopping most of the time, so that is another thing about Mondays. I also feel like I have more money on Mondays. I guess that is because I do :) There is also usually some errand or other besides the grocery shopping that I need to do. I usually don't want to but at the end of the day I feel like I have done some productive things. Staying at home means I don't always have a lot to do, so I guess it just feels really good to have a purpose.

Well, I think that is all for now. Have a happy day everyone!