Thursday, January 17, 2008

Baby Blanket

This is one of my favorite things that we did in Montana. Well, I should clarify that I really didn't participate much in this project--I would say that I supervised. One afternoon, I went with my mom and sisters to pick out some fabrics to make a quilt for Baby Girl. The next morning, the project began (Lauren's first project with a sewing machine, I should add) and by the afternoon, this was the end result! Isn't it darling?! I love it! Thank you, Aunti Lally!

I could get used to this...

After a long day, (a long week, really) with so much attention and play time with his grandparents and uncles, this little boy was all tuckered out. Lindsey tells me that Tyson never falls asleep in anyone's arms like this, so I must just have the touch! ;) or maybe he likes the little bench that my huge belly provides and he was just too comfortable and couldn't fight the z's anymore. Who knows. But, this is definitely something I could get used to.

Baby Shower

Last Saturday, I had the most fun baby shower! Lindsey and Gaye, Mike's sister and mother, hosted the shower and my friend Jessica also helped put the shower together (although, unfortunately she was unable to make it at the last minute--that's what you get for being a super-talented, in-demand stylist, I guess...no one can bear to spare her for even a Saturday afternoon!).

The theme was 'shabby chic' and all things were pink! Here are a few pictures of the table scapes:


Lindsey had all the guests write their mailing addresses on an envelope (for the thank you notes) that doubled as a drawing for the door prize--a beautiful bouquet of pink roses. Genius idea!


The menu consisted of yummy muffins, artichoke dip with Parmesan crisps, baked brie with crackers, Italian chicken salad with croissants, and--let's not forget--a chocolate fountain!

This is me with all the loot--well, ok, you can't see any of the darling outfits I got for baby girl, but they are adorable. I also got a few blankets...that I may not be willing to share with someone who could puke on them with no warning--they are too pretty! I got some funny gifts too--a onesie that says "Don't Laugh--Daddy Dressed Me" and pink shoes that squeak when you push on the sole, so that I will always know where she is when she starts walking. Hilar! And, of course, you can't miss the Graco boxes behind me filled with a car seat, pac n' play, stroller frame, etc. It was a very fruitful day and a very fun party!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Cankles

Well, the vacation is over and my ankles are fat again.

I have been pretty lucky so far, as far as all the pregnancy horrors go. I had moderate morning sickness in the first trimester, but now realize that I was pretty lucky considering I never actually puked. Since then, I haven't had too much to complain about. No debilitating exhaustion, no heartburn, no leg cramps, no circulation problems, no weird food aversions...pretty much life has carried on as normal, with the exception of my enormous belly. The one thing I can legitimately complain about is my elephant feet. (If you've seen them, you know that I do not exaggerate.)

As some of you may know, I had a nasty spill down the stairs (face first) in my 20th week of pregnancy--I only remember the exact week because I had a doctor's appointment later that day. Although my ankles were already a little puffy before then, I banged the front of my left ankle on the stairs pretty hard when I fell and it has been at least double (triple, at the end of a work week) the size it normally is. After 13 weeks of having a HUGE left ankle (so big, in fact, that it made my right ankle look skinny--even though it, too, is swollen), I decided to go get an x-ray to make sure it wasn't broken or something. (I mean, a swollen and bruised ankle for over three months just isn't normal, is it?)

By the time I actually got an x-ray, I had been on vacation for a week or so and my ankles were back to their skinny selves! I felt a little silly when the x-ray tech was positioning my foot for the shots, since it really did look as good as new. Well, the x-ray was normal, except for some tissue damage--the front of my ankle feels hard as a rock when you touch it, due to some scar tissue, and I still have very little feeling on my skin in that spot, due to some nerve damage.

For two whole weeks while I was in Montana, I enjoyed looking at my skinny ankles. But now, the vacation is over, I'm back to work and my ankles are bigger than ever! I think after my collar bones, my ankles used to be some of my best features. But, now I have big, huge feet and big, huge ankles. I was sitting by Michael on the couch the other night and he started to rub my hurt left foot (gross, I know--it didn't last long, I was too embarrassed to let him continue). But, I noticed that if he stayed in one spot too long, he would make an imprint in my foot. My feet are like tempurpedic mattresses! Then I decided to try and I pushed my thumb into my foot for no more than 5 seconds and it left a noticeable indentation...and it didn't go away for a few minutes. Eew. Four more weeks and counting...

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Christmas 2007

Michael and I finally got to Montana late on Sunday night, Dec 23rd. Although we were the last to arrive, we still got to have our Casita back! (aka the guesthouse that we called home for six weeks last summer) (see? we are the favorites!) Left on the table in the casita was the itinerary for the following day's events (my mom's doing, of course)--there is only so much time to fit all the fun in, we had to make the most of each day! First on the list, ice hockey on Lake Blaine!


Without going into too much detail of the following days' itineraries, here are some other pictures from our fun-packed trip to Montana:

Playing volleyball/basketball at the Stake Center. I was the cheerleader on the sidelines, boo. Looks like Mike has put on some "sympathy weight" in this picture, eh? Silly boy.
Sledding on the golf course behind my parent's house. We got a lot of snow while we were there, which made our outdoor activities that much more fun! (Again, I had to sit this one out.)
Our annual trip to Moose's Saloon. I'm not sure how we stumbled on this place, but we've made it a point to go to Moose's at least once during each visit. It's quite an experience. And, the pizza is pretty good too!
This is the fam at the food pantry for our "family service project". All ten of us (plus one of Dean's friends) went to the food pantry in town to sort donations. It was actually really fun (although my back was killing me the next day from all the bending and lifting!) and by the end of a couple of hours, we were a well-oiled machine of sorters! I think they said we sorted through 3 tons of food when we were finished!
This pic is from the ski day at Big Mountain. Look how snowwy it is! You couldn't even see any of the green on the trees because thy were completely covered in snow! Lauren said the light was really flat and it was hard to see where they were going...which made me feel much better about sitting that activity out. I prefer to ski on sunny, warm days. I would hate to not see where I was going and get stuck on some moguls! (That has actually happened to me before--it wasn't pretty.)
This is our visit to a litter of yellow lab puppies! So fun! Cutest little mushers! Unfortunately, they were all spoken for, so none of us got to bring one home. But they sure were fun to hold and cuddle! Maybe next time.

Yet another day of skating at Lake Blaine. Can't wait until next time!