Pregnancy Pictures

Now that it's over, I can look back

and say the pregnancy went by

pretty quickly!  Here is a glimpse

of the progression.

21 weeks

 25 weeks

30 weeks

35 weeks

37 weeks

40 weeks (minus 2 days)

I measured small the entire pregnancy

(35 centimeters at my last Dr's appt),

but multiple ultrasounds indicated that 

the baby was growing just right and

amniotic fluids were as they should be.

Total weight gain was about 15 pounds,

not including the 10 pounds that I lost

in the first trimester when I was feeling so sick.

No stretch marks (maybe that 

cocoa butter lotion works after all!),

no heartburn, and no real crazy 

pregnancy side effects.  I did

take up spitting, however.

I didn't have any strong cravings throughout

the pregnancy, but that last week or two

I was eating watermelon like it was 

going out of style.  I also went through

a strange phase where I only wanted to 

eat Chicken in a Biskit crackers.

Not sure if I'll ever eat those again!

As for food aversions, there were many.

At the top of the list were Chick Fil A

and Dove Raspberry Swirl chocolates

(two of Jake's favorite foods), the smell

of which were almost intolerable.

I threw up one time, but believe it

may have been more related to eating

a bad plumb than from feeling nauseous.

People had all sorts of opinions about

the gender, based on how I was carrying,

walking, feeling, etc.  More people

guessed girl than boy.

Here are a few more pictures that

we took towards the end.

(boy or girl?)

Overall, it was a pretty great pregnancy.

Thanks to Jake for all of the support and 

encouragement (and foot rubs!) along the way.

Spring Break

We decided to stick around Florida
this year for Spring Break (that and the doctors
in my life kept insisting that it's a bad idea to leave
 the country in the 3rd trimester).

Before we left town, I spent two days
holed up at home writing a research paper.

After that was out of the way, Jake sent me
off to get a prenatal massage (isn't he the best?)

and then we hit the road to St. Augustine, FL.

St. Augustine is considered the oldest

continuously occupied city in the U.S., and

turned out to be the perfect place for us

to sight-see and relax.

Highlights include:

1) The Lighthouse

 View from the bottom

View from the middle

 View from the top

2) The Beach

 

3) The Food

 Breakfast served on our porch each morning

Romantic dinner at "Caps on the Water"

The Hyppo, a gourmet Popsicle shop
(where we easily dropped $20 in one day)

4) The Entertainment

We watched "The Artist" in an old-time

movie theater, which had probably been

around since Ponce de Leon.

 I finally had time to read a book!
Loved the porch swing at the B&B.

Jake rocked the robe and was able
to watch some basketball games
in comfort and style.  :)

5) The Town

 View of Flagler College (once the grand
Ponce de Leon Hotel).

Checking out the Old Fort.

6) The Views

Sunrise

Sunset

Moon-gazing

It was the perfect little getaway
before our lives change forever...
Until next time, St. Augustine!

Sugar Rush

I was too sick to enjoy Halloween candy,

but Easter is another story!

Sorry for the lack of posts.

School is keeping me busy.

More posts to come!

Daytona 500

Jake's mom and her fiance came into

town in February for a visit.  A highlight of their

stay (and the only time we took pictures while they

were here) was going to Daytona Beach to watch

one of the qualifying races for the Daytona 500.

Before the race, we relaxed on the beach.

Claudia and Karry

Jake and I

Then it was off to the races.

This was our first NASCAR experience, and

we were a little surprised at the huge turnout

and excitement of the fans.  

I can't say that I understood all the 

racing rules, but it was an interesting 

experience, especially watching the cars crash

(thankfully, no one was injured).

Congratulations to the M&M car for winning, 

and thanks Claudia and Karry for the experience!

Our Thanksgiving Announcement

Jake worked (again) on Thanksgiving

this year, and I was feeling quite ill.

So although we did grab a bite to eat

with a family from our ward,

the highlight of our Thanksgiving was 

making the big baby announcement

to our families.

We did so by mailing them this card,

which they were instructed to open

 on Thanksgiving:

Pretty cute, huh? 

By the way, my 5 year old niece is now

convinced that we are having a turkey,

and not a baby.

A Disney Halloween

We kicked off the Halloween season

with our traditional "Dinner in a Pumpkin"

meal with the missionaries, and I'm pleased to 

report that for the second year in a row, 

there were no leftovers.

On the night of Halloween, we

headed to Disney to celebrate Mickey-style.

The highlight of the evening was sampling

food from various countries during Epcot's

annual "Food and Wine Festival."

Mmm...shrimp tacos.

Soda sampling from around the world.

Our friend Owen was in town,

and it was fun to meet up with him.

We capped off the evening watching 

an awesome fireworks show, complete

with special 3-D glasses that turned every

flash of light into the shape of Mickey.

Don't believe me?  See below.

Gotta hand it to Disney for their creativity.

No dressing up for us this year,

but we had a good Halloween 2011.

Introducing the V-Rod

Jake got the gift of a lifetime 

when his father Don purchased a new 

Harley-Davidson and decided to give his "old" 

(meaning 2005) motorcycle to Jake.

Meet the V-Rod, a Harley-Davidson

masterpiece and my husband's new best friend:

Cruising around Orlando has really become

Jake's outlet after long hours at work.

In October, Don flew out here from Phoenix

and the two of them went on a motorcycle 

road trip to visit Jake's cousin in Alabama.

I'm not allowed to ride because

of my current "condition."

I definitely worry a little every time 

Jake goes riding, but I know that he is very

safe and very cautious. Plus, he has *loosely*

agreed that so long as he has a motorcycle,

he will not pursue a pilot's license.  

You gotta pick your battles, right?