California!

California here I come!

I'm here in sunny California for a [whole!] week visiting family and friends.
My second Baby Shower is this weekend and I'm really looking forward to seeing lots of friends and family I haven't seen in the last year! Aside from Cindy & Mark, who just visited, nobody has seen me the entire pregnancy. Nobody has ever seen me soooooo FAT! And I can bet my sister will just love making fun of me and poking at my belly.

I flew out Monday night and let me tell you-- NOBODY offered me any help! I clearly look very pregnant and people were just staring at me as I struggled with my carry-on. I took a rest on the moving sidewalk and just stood to the right side, while everyone on the opposite track just gawked at me like a lepper! ...like I had a bomb under my shirt instead of a BABY!
I guess people still aren't comfortable with the idea of pregnant women flying [even though, rest assured-- there is no risk in flying, even in the 3rd trimester.]

While I'm here it's not all fun and games-- I'm helping my MIL and dad with some projects! My MIL is an amazing quilter, so she's helping me make a baby carrier cover, some swaddle blankets and a receiving blanket. We went fabric shopping yesterday and we found such cute patterns, so I'm really excited for the outcome! Before Jordan and I were married I worked with my dad at his upholstery shop and tomorrow I'm headed back into work, 9 months pregnant[!],  to help re-upholster a high chair we received hand-me-down. I'm really grateful that our growing family has such loving and talented grammies and grandpas who are able to help us make everything unique for Baby!  

Baby Shower #1

So I am super spoiled and Baby and I are getting not one, but TWO Baby Showers!

Yesterday was my first shower, out here in Utah, that my friend Amber & her mom threw for me.

The theme was MOMMY TO BEE and everything was super cute! 

Mommy to Bee! 

...but not ready for him to come yet, he needs to stay in there the whole time because we've still got lots of planning to do and I'm sure he's a lot easier while he's compact. 

My good friend, Kelly made these adorable cupcakes. 

 Cupcakes by Kiss My Cake 

So cute, huh! 

It started to snow a little earlier in the day, so a handful of people got stuck at home, which was a bummer. We still had a nice little turnout though. 

Look at Addi's little pose in the corner. Ha ha. 

I forgot to take a picture of all the girls from work before Kelly & Vanessa left, but I got a few snaps with Virginia, Kylee and Kelsey. 

I said, "Wait, before you got let me get a picture of you guys!" meaning, 'with' you guys, but they posed without me anyway-- losers. 

  

They let me join in this one... 

...but I was feeling like I looked HUGE! 

....so I made them take one and cover me up!  

The hostesses with the most-es-es! 

Jordan and his best friend [Amber's husband], Ryan, came to help us clean up. What are husbands for, right? Amber was going to pop the balloons, but I thought we should write some wishes on them for Baby and set them off into the skies. Totally, cute, huh? 

And cheesy!

Jordan and Ryan made us write mostly gag stuff, like 'big muscles,' 'lots of hair,' 'ladies man' ... wait, you think they were serious? Ohhhh... boys! 

Prayer and Personal Revelation

This past Sunday in church we spoke about preparing ourselves to better receive [and understand] personal revelation and answer to prayers. The lesson started off slow, because it was a new teacher and smaller crowd, but once we all got to talking I learned so much about myself and my individual dealings with the Lord. 

Let me start by saying that I don't think it's easy having, or maybe, rather- maintaining, a relationship with our Heavenly Father. It is easy, however, to take Him for granted and only utilize Him when we need help. Think of the act of praying even... all our Father in Heaven asks is that we pray to Him to communicate   not only our needs and desires, but to give thanks as well. Prayer should be an open line of communication, but I can say I am definitely guilty of going weeks sometimes without really opening my heart to the Lord. We get distracted, we are tired before bed, forgetting to give thanks for our blessings, and then in the morning we're up and at 'em and ready to go before we even think to kneel before leaving the house to again, give thanks, but also ask for guidance through each day. 

Prayer is a key to receiving revelation for ourselves and our families. But we have to come to the Lord, He is not going to force anything on us. In class we talked about some of the pivotal decisions we make in life; school, marriage, job, where to move, which house to buy, when to start a family, etc. and how much we allow God to have a hand in our decision making... 

He is there to guide us if we allow. Sometimes we think it should be as easy as asking God what He wants for us because then we'd know for sure what the right answer is. Bishop pointed out that we are not using enough of our free agency if we go about seeking answers this way. 'Think of our own children,' he prompted, asking if we would want a child who comes to his parents to ask what he should do about every little choice vs. the child we can teach what is right well enough to figure it out for himself and then only perhaps come to his parents asking, 'Do you think I'm making the right choice?' 

This was a powerful notion to me because we learn in the scriptures that God wants us to be free beings. He does not want to make our decisions for us or we would have gone the way of the Devils plan for life. Heavenly Father wants only what any parent wants, which is not to run their child's life, but to be a part of it. To be a point of navigation, which we can turn to, a tride and true compass that will not tell us how to get over the mountains in life, but give us a nudge in the right direction when we are willing to open it and take a look at which direction the needle is pointing. 

Prayer isn't easy and understanding answers to our prayers may not always be easy either. In prayer, when asking for guidance we cannot just say "Which is it?" "God, do I marry Tim or Bill?" Both may be perfectly suitable partners, both may provide for you in the ways you need and both may even be pleasing to the Lord, but YOU have to make the decision. Your life may be so happy with either person, but one is most right for you and that is for you to decide. So often we look at life this way though, with the question, 'this one or that one?' Or maybe we don't even do that much work and we only say, 'this one okay?'

I have learned the importance of doing the footwork ourselves and then coming to God with questions. Jordan and I have very recently started looking for houses here in Utah and there are many choices out there. Some large, some small, some old, some new, some less expensive and some more... Each has a roof and four walls, running water and would make a suitable place to raise our family. We have had to  visit these houses and make a list of the things we've liked and disliked about each, we've thought carefully about what we really need vs. features we may just want. We've made a budget that we wont exceed [no matter how beautiful the house-- and there have been some beauts!] and we've talked each one over with one another trying to decide if it's the house for us. I mention this because, you see-- we could have just seen one house and then asked God, 'is this it?' but I don't believe He cares where we live. Whether it's in the city or suburbs, whether it be a one or two story, lavish bathrooms or not. Any house will make a home so long as we allow the Spirit to reside with us and build our family there on the morals we believe. Any home will do as long as we kiss our baby boy before bed every night, make up after every fight and invite friends and family to share our lives with us there. 

So, is He going to make the decision for us? Will a sign be given to us which house to choose if we've not given careful thought and consideration in our own decision making? No. I don't believe so. We have to do the foot work and come to God with OUR decision, asking not, dopey-eyed, "What do we do?" but instead asking, "Is this right for us?" or even, "Is this best for us?" Once we've given thought in making the decision we believe is right we should ask only for confirmation. 

God gives us the tools to do things on our own. That is why He sent us here to earth to live and be tried. He is a father and a teacher, he will not learn the lessons for us, but will give us knowledge enough to find the answers which are not just given. 

I know that He loves us and is there for us through constant communication. And that through prayer we can seek revelation to receive confirmation that our choices are right. Like any parent-- He wants what is best for us, but has to let us stand or fall on our own, for some of us will never learn until we finally touch the oven burner and see for ourselves just how hot it really is!  

30 weeks & counting...

If I stand like this... 

...you can hardly tell I'm pregnant!

But then I turn to the side and-- WHAMMO BAMO! 

Baby Bump! 

 Though I'm still not feeling like I look terribly large for 30 weeks preggers. Someone finally said to me  today, "You're huge!" to which I proudly said, "Thank you!" but she was pretty huge herself-- and not pregnant... so not sure she's the best judge of size. ??

*Side Note-- so I initially wrote, "29" weeks, above and thought, 'is that right?; so I counted the weeks on my calendar in my phone and my math said I'm 30 weeks, but I just knew I had posted last Sunday night about being '28 weeks and 29 years old;' wishing I had been 29/29 because that would be pretty cool, right? Well, it turns out I am a total dummy and I really was 29/29 the whole time! I went back into my blog archive to update it properly and noticed the last pregnancy post just two or three posts prior to last weeks even said "28" so I am just too flighty to even know how far along I am! I know when I'm "due" so at least that's good, right? Man, talk about some pregnancy brain!*

At 30 weeks, I am starting to get bloody noses. Yuck. I woke up with one today. I felt a drip from my nose and just thought it was snot [because I've had the typical pregnancy stuffy and runny nose-- hence the snoring Jordan hates!], then another drip and wetness was running down my cheek. I wiped my face and had blood all over my hand, so I popped up out of bed and ran to the bathroom to get a tissue. Before wiping clean my face I ran into the living room, where Jordan was already awake, reading on the couch and just said softly, "Jordan..." Man, he jumped up off the couch so quick! Hahah! I know, I know-- I'm terrible, what kind of pregnant woman thinks it's funny to sneak up behind her husband with blood smeared on her face and hand-- well, I do. [And I know Mama Riddle is laughing right now, so at least that makes two of us!]

Hey, if I can't have a little fun with all these hormonal imbalance, what can I do!?

Last week I said I haven't had any big cravings, but lately I have been loving Little Debbie Swiss Rolls! Mmm, mmm, mmm!! Just terrible for me too! I'll easily finish a box in under a week. [Less than that if Jordan weren't here to stop me!] I'm also still really loving cereal and yogurt. so hopefully that balances it all out.

I have finally been able to cut back a little on work, 37 hours instead of 47-- haha, "cutting back" is that  what you call 37 hours a week? Exhaustion is what I call it! I guess it has been a blessing in disguise to have been working so continually because it's the only exercise this lazy girl gets during pregnancy. And of course I have to work enough to keep my health insurance, blah. Can't I just start maternity leave already? No. I'm planning to work up to the week before the baby is due so I wont have to come back until after the 4th of July; I've got it all planned out! 

Still have plenty on my to-do list before Baby gets here... I need to change my name on my license-- ASAP because I want him born to two parents with the same last name as him. It's only taken me this long because I had trouble obtaining a copy of our marriage license [...and my Cali license picture is just too cute to part with!]

Well, that's all for now folks.
One last Bump picture on your way out...

Happy Birthday Mail

Everybody loves mail... well, when it's not bills and ads. And last week I received not one, but TWO, packages in the mail! My mother in law sent me a little something for my birthday, presents for me and presents for the baby. Yay! I knew being pregnant was bound to pay off! 

She sent a little onesie for Baby that my brother in law would be so jealous of. 

And if Baby is anything at all like me he is going to LOVE naps! 

In my other package I got some yummy specialized peanut butter. Mmm! Toffe, Chocolate Raspberry and Carmel. Jordan eats PB&J almost everyday... everyday I forget to make him lunch, which is well-- almost everyday, yeah. So he is even more excited for this snack than Baby and I are. 

When I asked him to model for my blog, I said, "Gimme your sexiest model pose advertising the peanut butter." This is his best Abercrombie & Fitch pose... unfortunately he forgot to advertise the product so we tried again... 

Oh and she also sent me a pregnancy book, since I spend all my downtime trying to gain as much knowledge about this little bundle as possible before he gets here. The full title is-- Let's Panic About Babies!: How to Endure and Possibly Triumph over the Adorable Tyrant Who Will Ruin Your Body, Destroy Your Life, Liquefy Your Brain and Finally Turn You into a Worthwhile Human Being. Haha. It's a very sarcastic educational book along the lines of Parenting for Dummies.    

But, what...!? 

Natalie! Would you give this smut to your OTHER daughter in law? What kind of girl do you think I am!? Haha, jk. I love it. It's hilarious. 

**UPDATE: Apparently my MIL did not send the book and onesie package, did you?? 

Thank you to whomever it is!

29 weeks & 29 years old!

Yesterday was... muh birfffday! 

29 years old. 

Agh!!

So I'm 29 years old and 29 weeks pregnant. Man, oh man, 29 weeks. Almost 30 and then comes 40  [in age too... oh how my life is passing before my eyes!] 

At 29 weeks I still haven't had any cravings. I mean, I want to eat things sometimes, but never like leaving the house at 1 am in a robe for one certain thing. Unless you count milk-- which was my addiction before this baby. I am eating a lot of smaller meals vs. 3 regular meals a day because Baby is taking up so much room in there anything more than a few bites fills up the rest of the room in my belly. 

My Baby Showers are less than a month away and I'm getting really excited to spend an afternoon with  my friends and family showing off the bump! I just bet everyone is going to want to feel him kick, but he has stage fright and doesn't perform for others often. Mainly, he's just so active at night before bed and a lot in the morning now too! Definitely feeling him much more throughout the day though too, just not when anyone wants a kick of their own. He has found his sweet spot-- I believe he is head down to  the left and kicking me on the right and punching below the belt. I rarely feel too much movement on my left side, but doctor says that's normal; as he grows he'll start to take up more of his room and so he's just found his comfy place already. 

I am definitely feeling a lot of changes in my body as I've entered my last trimester. My hips are shifting and let me tell you I can feel it!! Feeling better than I was last week, but maybe just because I've become used to it. Getting up and down is a pain [literally] and putting my socks and shoes on is a new task. I've been snoring throughout the pregnancy, which Jordan just loves [not!], but I am getting more sleep through the night. However, finding a comfy position to actually fall asleep has proven troublesome!  

Haven't had to buy any maternity clothes just yet; as you can tell by my colorful outfit above I'm working with what I've got for now. My mother in law and little sister in law did get me the cutest maternity tip for Christmas though, which I just love! Aaaaaand, I did get a B-Band that holds up my pre-pregnancy pants, I've only worn it once, but I think I'll like it even after pregnancy to keep all my jiggles tucked in real nice! 

 *sigh

...oh the jiggles to come! 

Overall, even through the sickness and pain, pregnancy has been a great blessing! I love how my body is changing and love getting to see my little belly grow week by week. [I wish my thighs weren't growing as rapidly though!] I've been doing a lot of reading and feel as prepared as I can be at this point. Jordan and I still need to take a Mommy/Daddy Prep. Class, which I'm looking forward too. But otherwise I'm sure we've got it down. We'll learn as we go and make our fair share of mistakes along the way. Oops! Our baby will have two parents who love him so dearly and that's what matters most! 

India Palace w/ Aunt & Uncle

My Aunt Cindy and Uncle Mark are out from Southern California to spend the week skiing in Park City and they stopped in to Provo to take me and Jordan out to lunch for my birthday!! 

I haven't seen them in a year and they are officially the first in my family to see me pregnant! So I told my Aunt she can rub it in my moms face.

They got into town Friday evening and though I had to work, the hubby was still great enough to take them out to dinner and entertain! I had him take them to Malawi's Pizza, in Provo, so they could see what I do. I'm in SLC now, so they didn't get the full AMBER Experience, but no need to drive into the city in Friday night traffic just to get some pizza... which they loved! 

We met up on Saturday morning at our apartment and chatted for almost an hour and a half before going out to lunch! Who knew we'd have so much to talk about!? We talked about travels, the baby... and of course my birthday plans for the next day! And since it was my birthday lunch I got to choose-- Indian!! Jordan and I haven't been in a while and my aunt mentioned they loved it, so we were all excited to go to Bombay House, but it turns out it was only open for dinner. :(  Boo. Luckily India Palace is right on Center Street and our second favorite Indian restaurant. We got sooo much food; a few chicken dishes and I tried Lamb for the first time, yum! And I could eat Naan all day long! We all ordered super spicy, but they must have thought we were too white to handle the real spice because we definitely could have gone a few more notches in the heat department! [Even Baby likes the spice because he never complains when I eat spicy foods.]

Lunch was great though, so delicious! We had some to take home for Jordan's snack later too.

Aunt Cindy and Uncle Mark had to get on the road to check into their timeshare in Park City, so we said our 'goodbye's' and of course took some pictures.

When Aunt Cindy said I was so tall, Uncle Mark just laughed! 

He says he's only 5'3" and that's on a good day!

Aunt Cindy also said she was expecting my bump to be BIGGER-- 

are you kidding me!? Look at that thing!    

 Thanks for Birthday Lunch Aunt Cindy and Uncle Mark! 

It was great to see some family, not many of my family makes it out here to the frozen tundra that is Utah, haha.