Third Trimester

I am sure every one is in agreement at how glowing I look in my photos, ha! The picture below is probably a more realistic representation of how I have been feeling.

We were heading out the door for a night away at a place called Chico Hot Springs, it is outside Yellowstone National Park. I was a bit stressed about whether or not Aspen would poop in our friend's house that was taking care of her. (turns out she was a good girl!)

We ended up having a great time at Chico. We ate at their really nice restaurant last night. Luckily I was able to fight the rush of pregnancy hormones when my meal was not what I expected it to be. The last two times we have eaten at Chico I have ordered the Salmon which comes with this amazing risotto, unlike anything I have ever had. So naturally when I ordered the Salmon last night, I was expecting the same dish. Seems as if the chefs had altered the way in which they prepare the meal. I may have told Will, "this is probably the biggest disappointment in my whole life." Other than that, the night was wonderful. We walked in the snow and then went to bed. This morning we ate at the breakfast buffet and soaked in the hot springs. I was confident enough to wear a bikini. I also did not receive that many stares because the only people swimming at 8:30 in the morning are people with kids, so they have all experienced the pregnancy thing. Then we hiked around for a bit and headed home. Will gets a bit embarrassed when I take photos in public so the only pictures we got were ones in the hotel room.



As far as pregnancy goes, nothing has really changed except my figure. I have my gestational diabetes test on Tuesday and then all the rest of my appointments will be in Texas. It is crazy how fast this pregnancy is going by. I know that once I am in Texas it is going to fly by. When I am reunited with Will again, I will be 35 weeks along.


(Edit: I am not naked in the bottom picture. I am in my swim suit getting ready for the hot springs.)

Rejected

After many weeks of anxiously waiting for my decision letter from Texas State's graduate program, I finally sucked it up and asked them directly on the phone. Rejected. I had been preparing myself for this decision, but it was still a bit of a shock. I could list the reasons why I felt qualified for the program, but that serves no real purpose. I feel mostly ok with this decision that was made for me because now I do not have to put on my thinking cap a month after our girl is born. I can just be a mom. The problem is I know that I will eventually want to have a career in the counseling field once the child is older. I feel down about that door being shut for right now. It also brings into question our decision to move to Austin.

However, Will has come across several jobs in the southern states that have excited me. We both agree that we are in such a foreign place right now. We have absolutely no idea what the future holds for us. It is somewhat exhilarating, yet baffling at the same time. I pray that we use this opportunity to fully trust in God's will for us and not our own plans. It is kind of nice we do not have our own plans to rest in right now, I just pray we can really grow in our faith that we claim to have. We do know that I will for sure give birth in Texas, but after that, who knows. If it was up to Will we would live in a sail boat and make our way around the Caribbean.

After that disappointing news, my spirits were lifted by the cloth diapering class we attended. (yes, WE, I have a fabulous husband!!!) We have now purchased all the necessary ingredients to diaper our child for (hopefully less than) three years. We bought 10 all in one cloth diapers. We received two free and were given two from a door price I won. So 14 total. We also bought some extra cloth pre-folds and a diaper pail. All for $225! Here is a quick snap shot of the goods. I ordered the 12 others in more feminine colors.

As far as pregnancy goes, there is not much to update on. My feet are not hurting as much any more, so I may have gone running (more like hobbling) a couple times last week. My gym membership expired so to save us money I have been making due on my own. I have been going to Yoga three times a week and walking an hour four or so days a week.

Husband incident of the week:

Baby girl had not been moving much on Sunday. She usually grooves in the morning or even during the music at church, but nothing almost all day. Will put his head on my belly anticipating her movement, but I told him, she just was not moving today. He said baby (well, actually the name that we have been trying out) move and she kicked him right in the face three times. Then she went back to sleeping the rest of the day. It was cute.

I just bought that white shirt and felt pretty cute today. Well, until I realized I had spilled coffee on my stomach. Just lovely how the belly is the catch all now.

Time is really going by now. Especially since I have been busy this week. Substitute teaching and babysitting. Three weeks until I move to Texas.

Grant's Address

There was a slight error in his address, here is the corrected one:

Grant Smith (no rank)
D Co. 2-27IN
Task Force Raider
COP Garcia
APO AE 09310

A post about something other than my growing belly....

(From Left to Right)

1. My little brother, even though he is not so little any more, is leaving for Afghanistan on Sunday. My dad is down in Hawaii right now and enjoying the beach with him before he leaves. I am looking forward to his leave when he can come home and meet his niece. Until, we will just have to keep praying for his safety. Here is his address if anyone would like to send him some encouraging notes:

Grant Smith (no rank)
D Co. 2-27IN
Task Force Raider
COP Garcia
APO AE 0931

2. Our cell service was switched over to AT&T yesterday and we were able to get new cell phones. Even though this phone acts nothing like a Blackberry, I feel somewhat trendy carrying it around. Like, if I fiddle with it enough people might think I am really important.

3. I painted these owls a while back and finally found some cheap frames to paint. I will change the background once I get to Texas, but I think they will look great in our little girl's room. Even though Will thinks they are creepy.

4. This picture was taken about thirty minutes ago. A winter advisory in April? Oh Montana, I will miss your two months of glory, but snow until May, not so much. We walked for an hour and a half last night in the snow. We went up to one of the highest points in Bozeman and it felt like we were the only ones in the city. Aspen totally loved feeling like she was the only dog also.

5. I bought these earrings last night at Target. Will thinks they are too "blinging and rapperish," but they make me feel pretty.

6. All I have to say is I hope that our baby is well fed. 36D? Good gosh!

Week Twenty Six

This week it seemed to really hit me that I am indeed pregnant and certain things I am just unable to do. I feel more creaky. This causes me to be frustrated because I find a lot of self-worth in what my body does physically. Whether it is the appearance of it or how many miles I just ran, my mood is often based on how I feel about myself physically.

So when my body is ever expanding, mostly in the places that I feel are unnecessary for proper baby growth, I get down. So when I am forced to have to walk for an hour instead of running and my feet still hurt, I get down. So when I work my arms more than I ever have in my life and see no results, I get get down.

Because there is not much I can do physically to make myself feel better, I must turn to something else, like what God says about me. The verses I have been reading this week mostly pertain to how God views my heart. How God does not value the same things that man values. So I have been attempting to work on my heart and my inside rather than the outside. I want to truly be able to find myself valuable despite how much I worked out that day. I want this for me and I want this for our daughter. I know that she is going to watch my every move and I want my actions to reveal to her my confidence does not come from what I look like physically. I wish I could snap my fingers and I would not longer struggle with this, but I know it is most likely going to be an ongoing issue that I must continually pray about.

So moving right along. This week has also been good. I have been quite busy with substitute teaching, babysitting, and yoga. Will is applying for jobs, tutoring, and finishing up his graduate degree. Aspen is busy growling at dogs, pooping up a storm, and counting down the minutes until she gets to eat again. Baby is getting stronger, sitting sideways inside of me, and trying to poke various body parts through my skin.

Husband quotes of the week:

1. We are walking, me in front of him, and all of a sudden he starts chuckling. I of course turn around and ask what is so funny. He says, "Nothing, its just that your butt is just, um, so big."

2. I was telling Will how several very sweet women have commented on how I have only gotten bigger in my stomach and are surprised to hear my feet hurt because of the weight gain. And Will replies with, "Really? Because I can for sure tell you have gained those twenty pounds."

Well I am off to Yoga and maybe Target. My clothes I thought I would for sure be able to fit into are gradually being eliminated one by one. Just three more months, it will all be ok.