telegrams

Oh me, oh my, I am done with Idaho! 

The month truly flew by. 

I wish I could say the same for Jake...

Now we're together at last and on our way BACK to Oklahoma

one final time to pack up our stuff and head to the Sunshine State. 

21 weeks pregnant and traveling across the hottest states in the US 

should be rather interesting but

I'm praying for a quick and smooth road trip! 

Let the adventure begin...

1. Coconut Macaroons with Mom

2. Pool day with the Domans

3. Dad's nightly routine

4. Sick Supplies.

5. Dog lover brother

6. Maizey got groomed!

7. German pancake tradition.

8. Grandma spoiled us. 

9. Garden roses in full bloom. 

10. Farmers market Saturday. 

11. Great Gatsby Downtown. 

12. My favorite walk along the canal. 

13. Strawberry covered Reagan. 

14. Emmett Love

15. "She's painting her door red and

 changing her name to Elizabeth Arden!"

16. Watermelon for dinner. 

17. Belly snuggles. 

18. Square Ice cream sisters.

19. Top down.

20. Sun bathing the belly. 

21. Buddha baby. 

22. Reunited with my warrior.

23. Pool day recovery.

24. A wittle high school reunion! 

20 Weeks

We're halfway there! 

Baby boy is the size of a banana this week

and I'm feeling him more and more each day. 

It is really neat and a bit freaky, I'm excited for his dad to feel it!

I'm taking up more and more room on the bed with all of my pillows, 

and yet my hips still ache like crazy! I'm sure it will only get more enjoyable :)

This weekend will be wonderful and busy, Jake will finish training Friday and

we'll pack up the truck and move right after!  Which means I'll finally have my clothes back...

I'm trying hard to not get too excited, mostly because we don't even have a house yet. 

Even still my thoughts wander to our little home and the little nursery that will be inside.

I can't wait to get going on his room. So much planning. Planning is my favorite. 

Driving across the country however... 

Weeks 12-16

As you can see, not much changed from week 12-16, 

but things are happening now! 

I already feel like I'm bursting at the seams and 

I finally got to feel little man move last week. 

Nothing big, just little twitches and flutters, but wow was it exciting...

I'll take some current pictures soon, I just seem to be running out of outfits 

since I haven't seen my wardrobe in more than three months. Ugh. 

But that's okay, because I'm throughly enjoying my time here in Idaho. 

So much better than Altus. 

Baby Daddy

Happy Fathers Day to my faraway-baby-daddy! 

I can't wait to see what an amazing dad you'll be. 

So see last year's Fathers Day post click HERE. 

Timing

Warning: this is personal.

Pregnancy. It's a crazy emotional journey. Around here pregnant women are like popcorn, one kernel pops and the rest are quick to follow. Then soon they're surrounding you and it leaves you feeling suffocated and a bit irritated. Jake and I will be married four years this fall, which some would say is a lonnng time to not have kids. It's a big decision and it's one we did not take lightly. So after years of waiting, we finally decided it was time. That was the hardest part, I thought. Now I'll get pregnant in a jiffy and that babe will be here in no time. I was wrong and oh so naive!

First of all, it took a few months for the birth control to get out of my system. A process my skin LOVED. Hellooo acne! Then the six months mark happened, and I learned timing was rather important so I a bought an ovulation test. After much research, I figured it out and wah-bam! I got a double line on Thanksgiving morning. But as quickly as the joy came... it soon left with a miscarriage. Another thing I was clueless about. We have never experienced something quite as painful. It left me bitter and confused, but it was a lesson I needed to learn. I've always been one to plan things to a fault and this was in Heavenly Fathers hands, not mine. I was not in control of my own body.

So we relaxed and took a break, but soon enough I got the feeling that it was time to try again. When it came time to find out, it had been almost a year of trying and I was fully prepared to wait longer. I sat in the dark and prayed that no matter what that little stick of destiny said, we would be okay. After a while, my heart beat calmed down and I flipped on the light. Double lines! My mouth opened in shock and I sat there giggling for a few minutes. Then I ran into the bedroom and jumped on top of Jake to wake him up and tell him the news. The excitement and hope was palpable but then came the fear. Any twinge of pelvic pain would send me down a black hole of anxiety and memories from the first time. That continued for a few sick and painful weeks, but when we finally saw that baby bean on the ultrasound our guard went down and we couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. So there is something growing in there!

Ten weeks later and I'm still worried. I probably always will be! That's part of being a mother, right? After everything that's happened, I find myself looking down at this round bitty bump and feeling sooo immensely grateful for the experiences that led me here. There is a plan for each and every one of us and sometimes you have to sit back and let the pieces fall where they may. So for those of you who are trying or waiting or popping them out like hot cakes, I commend you. It's a scary and serious job, childbearing. One that each woman does differently. Our journey is our own and we could not be more delighted and blessed to be starting this adventure!

Motherhood, here I come.

telegrams

Week one in Idaho was craaaazy. All four kids were able to be there for my mom's birthday which is always great. I spent most of my time trying to hide my pregnancy from my siblings and the public eye until Jake could come into town. When it was finally time for him to get here, tornadoes hit OKC. Luckily he stayed out of danger and the next morning he was able to fly out of there by the skin of his teeth. It was a miracle! We told my siblings the night he got there which resulted in a explosion of yelling and chaos. That's how we do things in my family. And after dodging curious ward members on Sunday we were able to tell my Dad and Nicole at dinner. After a gender reveal and some friend time, we were off to Draper to share the news with the Kearns family. Oh how I love surprising people. As terrifying as it is, I'm enjoying having the news out in the open. Keeping secrets is stressful stuff.

1. Naughty puppy on the flight home. Didn't sleep a wink. 

2. Nothing is quite as cute as momma's house in the summertime. 

3. Getting spoiled with Breakfast Sammys. 

4. Mckell's choir concert.

5. Puppy snuggles. 

6. Momma's birthday BBQ.

7. My dad's ice cream drawer. It's an addiction. 

8. Twins in khaki. 

9. Toasted Marshmallow Shakes.
(Don't forget a little vanilla)

10. Awaiting the gender check. Ohhh how I had to pee! 

11. Mornings with Reagers. 

12. Hide and Seek with Maize.

Gender Reveal

So now you know Jake and I have been keeping a pretty big secret for the bast few months (which is pretty easy to do when you're marooned on a tiny Air Force base for the duration of your pregnancy). While we were there, we decided it would be worth waiting until we saw our families in June to share the news, and finally the time came!

We found a lovely place in Rexburg that would let me do the gender check earlier than usual (since Jake would be gone the rest of the month). I thought it was a boy from the beginning but I was nervous, since it was a bit early, that we wouldn't know for sure. When she revealed to us that indeed it was a little man, I could have jumped out of my body I was so beyond thrilled. Instead of running around town spreading the news, we decided to throw a party (I mean it's me we're talking about) and reveal it to our family that night. After buying seventeen cans of blue silly string, we had them guess the gender and line up girls vs. boys to find out the truth. It was such a fun night and I'm so grateful that we were able to share it with the ones we love and at the place we were married.

The "boy" group

 The "girl" group

 It's a boy!

Surprise!

Jake and I will be expecting a precious

 baby BOY this November! 

We are thrilled to say the least. It's a blessing

I still cannot comprehend. 

I guess it's time to grow up now!