Vacation

I really need a vacation. Not just any ol' vacation.. I mean one from all responsibilities like motherhood, church callings, homemaker, being an adult in general, everything. I'm ready to be skinny and feel like a normal human again who has control over my own body and emotions. The beach is my happy place and I can't even remember the last time I was there.. It would be so nice to go on a cruise to a warm, sunny, Carribbean island and run around a soft, sandy beach. Just to be able to turn off sections of my brain, and completely relax for once. No anxiety, no stress, no ACID REFLUX. To get a good nights sleep - uninterrupted. No crying children, no waking up every time I have to switch from my left side to my right. No getting up to pee every three hours. No back or hip or leg or pelvic pain. To be able to sleep on my back and stomach again! No laundry or dishes or vacuuming up crackers that got stepped on and mashed into the carpet. No writing checks and constantly paying bills. No need to spend hours on hair and makeup just to be dissatisfied with the results. No need to wear painful and uncomfortable clothes to avoid judgement. I just want to be with David. Talking and laughing and swinging on a hammock. Drinking giant icy piña coladas like we did on our honeymoon...
I feel like I'm going crazy.

Yes. A vacation is what I need.

Getting Close!

This week I am 30 weeks pregnant. I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by! People are still hesitant to even ask my husband whether I'm pregnant or not (which is absurd to me because I've felt huge for a while now, but at least they're trying to be polite!) Second pregnancies are extremely different than firsts, in my book. Because I've "been there, done that" things are less of a shock. I'm not constantly aware of every change that takes place in my body and most of the time I'm so busy taking care of Lilly that I don't pay much attention to the kicks and squirms I feel throughout the day. In a way, this makes me feel really guilty. I've only taken one picture of my belly this whole time and it was 11 weeks ago.. which is sad because I have less time than that left of the entire pregnancy! I promise I still love this little girl as much as I love my Lilly-bug!

Anyway, I really wanted to write because I was so excited that we were finally able to see her sweet face at our last ultrasound! It's kind of sad missing out on that part until your pregnancy is more than halfway over. We've had to have quite a few ultrasounds for a couple of reasons (outside of the regular sizing and due date, 20 week check and the gender check which we always opt for.) The first reason is no surprise to me, because we had the same issues with Lilly's pregnancy. As much as my babies twist and turn when I'm this far along, earlier in both pregnancies the Ultrasound Technician has told me to drink a coke and eat a candy bar before I go in, in order to give my babies some energy. With this baby, it was a little different, because she wouldn't turn over no matter how much we pushed and poked her, and I was only feeling her kicks on the right side of my stomach - hence, the delay on seeing her face. So the tech was just a little worried about her movement. The second reason is to check the placenta. It looks like I've got "Placenta Previa" which means I have some scar tissue that is holding the placenta over the birth canal.. to a lot of people this sounds like no biggy but what that means for me is that I may have to have a c-section if things don't change. Big deal to me! Especially because Lilly's birth went so quickly and so well, I would be really bummed to be able to have an easy birth with this one but couldn't because of one little factor. C-sections to me mean harder recovery and a big ol' scar that I get to deal with. (Don't try to convince me not to be worried about these, because people have tried and I am stubborn.. it doesn't work.) Anyway, we're just hoping and praying over here that things change. Here's the picture of my little sweety and her beautiful face! Can't wait to see it in person!!

Life is good.

Repeating myself here.. Life is GOOD! For some reason I just feel it today. I'm just amazed at all the blessings Heavenly Father has given me. I'm so grateful to live in a warm apartment and to have plenty of warm clothes to wear when I have to go outside. I'm grateful for the ward here and the people I work with. They bring out the best in me. I'm grateful for David's job and his hard work everyday - providing not only necessities but our wants as well. I'm grateful to live so close to churches and temples and that I can attend them regularly and without consequence. I'm grateful to live in such a safe, beautiful town, where there are so many genuinely good people. I'm grateful for food! I'm so thankful I am healthy and that my family is healthy. I'm tremendously thankful for a car! And the generosity of our loved ones who have provided more things for our family than I could ever have asked for. Most of all, I'm thankful for my sweet husband David, my silly daughter Lillian and the opportunity I have to be carrying the newest little blessing in our lives. What a beautiful thing families are. I'm so excited to watch ours grow - to build strong relationships and fond memories! I'm grateful for LOVE! Life, truly, is good.

2012 At a Glance

I know I'm a lucky girl when I can say that the year we're all about to leave was one of the best years of my life. I feel as though I've changed in many ways- hopefully for the better overall. It's wonderful to reflect back and not have regrets or painful memories. That being said, of course, I didn't do everything right or accomplish many goals; I had bad days and there are a lot of things I'm still looking forward to changing. That's why this New Year's Eve I'm going to record my first "resolutions" and do my best to stick to them.

I want to summarize a few of my favorite memories from the year. (Unfortunately the computer with all of my pictures is down..)

In February, for Valentine's Day, David introduced me to the wonderful world of seafood dished up right! We had dinner at Red Lobster for my first time. The highlight of that memory, for me, were the huge piña coladas we ordered which came in giant martini glasses (David and I really value our specialty drinks!)
A week later, my twentieth birthday came along. It was easily the most enjoyable birthday I've ever had! I woke up to a clean house, a few presents and cinnamon rolls! David then took me shopping for a few hours when we got invited to go rock climbing with David's uncle Danny and his children. After tons of fun, we headed to my inlaw's for pizza and gifts. I got to finish the night off with a free shake from Iceburg and lots of cuddle time with my sweet lil family :)

In March, David transferred jobs to where he currently works at McGees Stamp and Trophy. He loves what he does and the people he works with and that makes such a difference in our lives!

On June third, our Lillian was able to be blessed by David. It was such a sweet experience for me as a mother, to hear the blessings our Heavenly Father wants to give his (and my) beautiful little girl, through her Earthly father.

The summer was so much fun as a whole. My favorite memories consist of snow cones, mid-night walks, four square, fireworks, and volleyball in our swimsuits! I especially loved the Martin family reunion at the Crystal Hot Springs and the Sommers family reunion at Bear Lake (which also happened to be my first time in Idaho!)

Lilly's first birthday was July 21st and we celebrated it with dinner, cake and presents in my parents beautiful backyard. David's family drove up to Heber to join us for the afternoon. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather or company :)

Only a week and a half after my little girl's special day, I found out she was to become a big sister! I tied the positve pregnancy tests together with pink and blue ribbon and wrote "you've got mail" on their backs. After packaging them up and planting the box (addressed to David) in our mailbox, I eagerly waited for him to find it during his daily routine to get the mail with Lilly. His lunchbreak was nearly over, and he still hadn't gone outside, so I suggested he do so.. he replied with a "no, I'd rather stay here and cuddle with you." I panicked instantly.. I was sure my plan was foolproof! So then I suggested it again and went with him. He was thrilled when he found the good news out!

September rolled around and we set a date to have our family sealed in the Manti temple. (Read separate post for details.) As anyone could imagine, the sixteenth was a monumental day for us. It was especially fun to announce to our loved ones that we were expecting an addition to our family!

David's favorite holiday is Halloween, so by October our apartment was decked out with lights and candy and fun decorations. We had also been working hard to finish our costumes on time. We were a family of vikings, which paid off (literally) because Lilly won the mall contest, earning us a fifty dollar gift certificate!

Aaaand I hate to sound lazy but I've typed this whole thing with a stylus one key at a time.. so to sum up the holidays, we were blessed to be able to share them with both mine and David's family, which is of course, the best part!

I give all thanks to my loving Heavenly Father, who is mindful of me as an individual. He has answered my many prayers and surrounded me with wonderful people. I am looking forward to the new year and all the adventures it has to bring!

It's been quite a while since I've written because both my computer and internet have been broken.. and they still are; I'm at the mother-in-laws and figured someone might appreciate an update!

I'll save the pregnancy stuff for it's own post, because there's been a lot of changes and this post would become a mile long very quickly! In short, I'm now 25 weeks along and feeling great!

I am absolutely loving the Christmas season. We haven't turned off our Christmas-tree lights ever since we put it up a few days after Thanksgiving (might be regretting that on our next power bill). We've also strung old fashioned giant colored bulbs on the railing outside our apartment, and hung white lights and a canopy above our bed to add some wintery romance! Every time I go somewhere crowded I stick a festive pin to my shirt. Old lady-like or not, I've gotten a compliment on each one, hehe. Usually I hate the snow, but the lack of it last year made me long for a white Christmas and it's been fun to see how excited Lilly and David get when they wake up to a new blanket of it outside! My calendar has also been bombarded with Christmas parties! Work parties, ward parties, Relief Society parties, not to mention more than one family party. It's been really great making treats, participating in white-elephants and secret santas. David and I even bought festive plaid button-downs. It's been good. I really don't want the season to end!

I was recently released from my calling as the Assistant to the Secretary in Relief Society and am now working with the greatest ladies EVER as an Advisor in Young Women. We only have like 7 girls in the ward and their ages all range, so we all get to meet together all the time! It's been slightly challenging and I'm really nervous to be teaching my first lesson on Sunday, but I seriously love it! It really brings out the best in me to be with such a fun group twice a week.

Lilly is nearly a year and a half and is the joy of my life! She's sweet and cuddly and her giggles are to die for. I miss her the minute I have to go somewhere, no matter how frustrated I may have been with her throughout the day. She's started throwing tantrums and using the dreaded word "no". Arching her back or going limp when I pick her up, running away and flailing when it's time to change her diaper, and worst of all, hitting and head-butting me in the face when she doesn't get her way. Oh, it's a breath of much needed fresh air when David comes home from work! But those two couldn't make me any happier or feel more fulfilled than they already do! Family really is our greatest gift in life.

And just for a fun close, guess what we did to this little girl's hair? Any ideas?

Here's a little secret.. nothing! Lilly is seriously the sweatiest baby I've ever heard of! This is what she looked like when she woke up from her nap, except she was fully clothed. Poor girl has to sleep practically naked even in the winter!

Aaand just for fun (as gross as it is) David thought it'd be funny to slick her hair back with my brush. As you can imagine, it took quite a while for it to air out, and then he asked me to corn-row it. Lilly hated it so I only got 3 crappy looking rows done before she ripped the elastics out. We have a lot of interesting things go on when David's and my creativity combine. Our poor children!

Merry Christmas!

19 Weeks and Counting!

Today marks the nineteenth week of my #2 pregnancy! Lots of changes have taken place this last week, so I figured I'd take note of them. It's nice to finally be heading over the 1st to 2nd trimester bump. The all day sickness has subsided to morning sickness, and even then it's not so bad.. as long as I don't accidentally gag myself while brushing my teeth, I'm usually in the clear of throwing up. My energy is on the rise (doesn't mean I don't take naps anymore..) and my appetite is growing enormously--could be the reason why my tummy decided to pop out this week too! It seems like within days my stomach has gone from the "just feel/look fat" stage to the harder, round stage; most of the time it feels like my insides are growing faster than my outsides! Only things that have gotten worse are that I'm constantly out of breath and I feel like my heart is going to pound out of my chest, ears and fingers at all times. Those little taps have also turned into full out pushing and kicking, which is exciting! Next week I'll have my 20 week ultrasound where they'll tell us whether or not they can visibly see anything wrong with the baby, measure her limbs, measure the heartbeat, etc. Hopefully everything goes smoothly and we have a healthy baby and mommy! (Also hope they don't tell me they got the gender wrong on the early check and that we're actually having a boy! Haha)

Apparently, this is what our lil' girl looks like right now :) Pretty cute if you ask me!

Tahiti Chicken

I am about to unveil the recipe to my most favorite chicken dish of all time! You're welcome :) Seriously, this chicken has more flavors than your mouth has ever imagined experiencing simultaneously! I first got the recipe from an emealz list and couldn't find it online again if I tried, so I'm lucky to have written it down the first time I saw it! When I read a few of the ingredients for the first time, I thought they sounded too funky to ever be combined but that's what makes it not just a good but beautiful recipe! I'm not raving over this chicken for nothing. I'm not sure if the title of "Tahiti Chicken" is authentic, but I know I'd be one proud Tahitian if people claimed this recipe originated in my country! Okay, okay.. the faster I type the recipe the faster you can make it. Trust me. You'll be glad you did!

Tahiti Chicken (with Pineapple Sauce)
*Stars are my additions/adaptations to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 boneless/skinless chicken breast (sliced) *I just buy raw chicken tenders.
• 1/2 c orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 c Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 c flaked coconut
• 1/2 c pineapple preserves *see picture below for ideas.
• 1 T prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp dry mustard

(Find directions at the bottom of the post and keep in mind that my pictures were taken with my hundred year old -not smart- phone..  And see what I mean about interesting ingredients? TASTY I tell you! Keep reading!)

 *So, it's kind of hard to find pineapple preserves, though it is do-able. Tonight, David and I made it with apricot instead. Even if you don't get preserves, jam works just as well! I think I like the pineapple more than apricot, though it didn't make a huge difference.

These are going to make your dipping sauce.

I had no clue what Panko was when I first made this recipe. We found them in the cultural foods aisle in the grocery store. Here's your shredded coconut. These two will make your breading.

Here's the chicken dipped, breaded and ready to pop into the oven!

All done! Niiiiccce and crispy!

The finished product

Blend orange juice, eggs, salt and ginger in a bowl. Combine panko and coconut in a shallow dish. Dip the chicken strips in the O.J. mixture, then in the Panko mixture. Place chicken on a foil-covered baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Dipping sauce: Mix pineapple preserves with dry mustard and prepared horseradish.

*We like to make this recipe with Rice Pilaf each time (which you can find in the rice-a-roni or boxed foods section) and whatever vegetable you'd like! I'd recommend green veggies such as peas, string beans or asparagus. The sauce has a nice kick to it. You can drizzle it over the chicken or dish it on the side so individuals can regulate how much spice to have with each bite. Enjoy!

Pregnancy Updates

I decided, instead of rambling on and on forever about what's been going on throughout this pregnancy, I'd fill out a little juxtaposed questionnaire! It's probably way more fun for me to answer than for you to read, but, there's gotta be someone out there who wants this information... right? :)

How old are you: 20
When are you due: March 28th, 2013
How far along are you: 18 weeks
How much weight have you gained: 5 lbs
Are you showing yet: Definitely
Was this planned or unplanned: Unplanned for me, planned for daddy! Haha
Belly button in or out: Barely in still... already!
Happy or moody: 50/50 but my husband may give a different answer ;)
Is this your first pregnancy: No
How old are your other children: Lillian is 15 months
Who was the first person you told: David, of course.
Have you told family and friends: Yes!
What is the gender of baby: A GIRL!!! :D
You pee an estimated__times a day: At least fifteen... At least!
Latest food craving: Shrimp shrimp shrimp!
Weirdest dream since pregnant: My parents gave doctors permission to amputate my leg while I was already under anesthesia. When I came out of it, I was horrified and told them it wasn't even the leg that had been hurting. Then, I was limping down the road while being chased by an angry snake who wanted to bite and kill me, so I had to try to climb a chain link fence with only one leg to get away!!
Worst thing about pregnancy: Definitely the morning sickness! Throwing up is the worst.
Best thing about pregnancy: (other than the new addition, of course) is a change of wardrobe. Hehe
Last time you cried over something ridiculous was: Feeling lonely at the house all day while David's at work. He goes to work everyday, but I guess I was EXTRA alone that day or something..... hahaha
Labor signs: I'm pretty sure I've been having some painful braxton-hicks contractions here and there, but other than that, no. Baby's got a long time to be cookin' till she and I are ready for her to come!
Best moment this week: David felt the baby kick!!!! I've been feeling her for about 3 weeks or so now, lightly, but I finally felt her kick my hand on the outside too!

There you go :) I'd say that covers it! For all those other pregnant women I know out there, it'd be fun for you to fill this out and put it on your blog as well so we can see how similar/different our pregnancies have been so far! Feel free to add or delete any questions you'd like to make it more personal. Maybe I'll fill this out again when I'm 9 months along and see what's changed. Until then!

Sweet Deal!

I'd like to take some time to publicly humiliate my husband by bragging a little about him ;) Back when I was pregnant with Lilly, I had a rare pregnancy-related illness called "Hyperemesis Gravidarum" (meaning I experienced unrelenting vomiting until it resulted in complications of dehydration and severe malnutrition.) I told him that if I was even close to being that sick with our next pregnancy, that he had to change all the dirty diapers to save me from an additional reason to throw up. To my sweet surprise, he took me seriously and we made a deal! Well, now that we're expecting another baby, I reminded him of this deal and told him I was sticking to it. Sure enough, he's been a man of his word and except for the day of his birthday this last week (and while he's at work, of course) he has changed every dirty diaper of Lilly's so I didn't have to. I'd say I'm a VERY lucky girl to have scored the kind of husband I did! Don't worry honey- four months down, only five more to go! Hehe. Myyyyy Herrrroooo :)

I call him Diaper Doody Dad!

(Get it? Duty? Doody? HA!)

No fair :(

I am signing a petition and sending it to Heaven telling God that I think it's highly unfair to allow women to get any kind of illness on top of pregnancy! Last Sunday we spent the day in Heber with my family and my nephew had one of those out of control runny noses.. I thought, "Great.. Lilly is totally going to get sick," because we all know that little kids share germs like no other, making it especially inevitable when they're sharing toys. Sure enough, the next day Lilly woke up with the same runny nose. The morning after that, David said his throat was hurting him. Guess what? The morning after THAT I woke up with a stuffy nose AND sore throat. Yippee. One of those extra fun things about pregnancy is that your immune system is pretty much shot, making me get the worst of all ends of the cold. I feel like a really bad mom in the morning when Lilly wakes up and I make her play in her crib until an hour later when I feel capable of falling out of bed, groggily picking her up and filling a bottle with milk before I collapse on the couch with a roll of toilet paper by my side. I think it's pretty fair to ask God to lighten up on the health related trials when I already feel like (or actually do) throw up 24/7, pee every 20 minutes, my back and hips are constantly out-of-wack making it really hard to walk, and have a terrible nights sleep every night because of these things. Now, I'm forced to breathe out of my mouth, which makes my nausea way worse and am sure my nose is going to start bleeding if I don't start blowing it into a cloud here pretty soon. All in all, pregnancy is hard and different for every girl. On top of all the changes and weird issues, I think it's fair to ask that annoying colds and such be exiled until AFTER the baby is outside of our bodies. Feel free to sign your name and add any comments you'd like me to send along with the letter, thanks!