Pregnancy GraphJam

This is very hilarious and so true! From GraphJam.


more music charts

My great family

Lily and Sam (and Steve and Kerry) came over for dinner on Sunday. Lily was decked out in her Tinkerbell pj's, but Sam was wearing a little suit! He looked so sharp and so grown up. Kerry told me that he requested a church outfit with a jacket like the grown up men wear, so she obliged and bought him his dapper new duds. Sam's main interest was playing the Wii and he patiently taught his mom the ins and outs of Lego Star Wars (he's much better than many of the adults present were.)



He also found his Iron Man shades (which looked very Tony Stark-ish with his suit) which he further accessorized with his "Mace Windu" lightsaber.



Lily was content to eat some cereal and read a book. She is talking so much more these days- more vocabulary and better diction. She is growing up so fast! She kept bringing me toys and telling me all about them. She found a Raggedy Andy doll and brought it to me to ask what it was. I told her it was Raggedy Andy. She said, "Oh, I'll go get Raggedy Nate." (Nate and Andy are brothers who are Sam's friends- they are practically one word: AndyandNate).




Both kiddos were very sweet that night, especially to Aunt Barbara (my mom's twin sister). She was in the other room because she didn't feel well and hadn't been with the group much. Both kids separately sought her out on their own to give her hugs and talk to her and just spread their little joyful natures.

I have such a great family.

Shared Canopy Garden Tours

Shared Canopy is a company that my talented mother-in-law, Sue, is a part of that specializes in teaching garden design and has now expanded to include tours of famous gardens all across the world. She has been planning a garden tour to Philadelphia and the Brandywine Valley for months and now it's time to register for it! Check out their website (designed by JohnnyT with a bit of help from yours truly).

As part of the tour, they will be visiting Longwood Gardens, which I have had the pleasure of visiting twice. Check out the beautiful scenery to be found (pictures taken by me and Richard on our last trip there).







And check out Shared Canopy- there are still spots open for the tour (April 27-May 2).

I love brilliant ideas...

This made me think of Kerry.

Mercury

Since becoming pregnant, I have begun to pay much closer attention to what I eat and drink, which household cleaners and beauty products I use, and the air I breathe. I've been doing a ton of research on vaccinations and what they actually contain and I was relieved to learn that most vaccines are now mercury-free (now, aluminum is another story). I am trying to learn all I can to be healthier for myself and to protect the Cub. Imagine my horror when I read this article, Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury, in the Washington Post (via Ask Moxie). I knew HFCS was unhealthy and I have been trying to avoid it, but to find out that many FOOD products are potentially contaminated with toxic mercury? I am furious and I am going to make my voice heard! (In the interest of fairness, you can read what the Corn Refiners Association has to say. )

Baby Shower

I am blogging my life out of order, but oh well, right?



Over the Christmas break, a few of my dear friends were in town for the holiday. My buddies took advantage of this fact to throw me a baby shower (my first one!) Lots of pals came to share their advice, catch up, and visit and they even brought the baby gifts, too! :) There were many others who couldn't attend who sent their love and gifts, too- thank you to everyone! I felt very loved!



Susie hosted at her house and her little girl, Evelyn, was very helpful in opening the presents and trying everything on! Here she is modeling a hoodie towel that Kristy made!



Some cute Wellies that Amy brought all the way from England! (Check out Evelyn- she really wanted those!)



A beautiful receiving blanket (my first one!) from Heidi. It's made of sweater material and I seriously wish it came adult-sized!



Thanks to Andrea and Susie for hosting and to many others for helping with food and being there! (L-R) Madelyn, Heidi, Andrea, me, Anne, Kate, Chelsea and Susie. Not pictured: Melanie, Lindsey, Kristy and Cat.



Gotta love the obligatory fake-laughing picture! (Thanks to Catherine for taking all the pictures! It was so special to have her there- she left for the UAE within days of the shower!)

New, er, well, old... job

My life as a SAHP didn't last very long. Soon after I wrote that post, I was contacted by my former employer at the Utah House of Representatives to ask me to return to my old job. I worked last year for Speaker Curtis and the House Republicans handling media relations. It's a seasonal position- they only have a need for a full-time press person while the Legislature is in session.

This year, there's a new Speaker of the House, Speaker Dave Clark (check out his blog), and a very different feeling on the hill. Our state is facing huge economic hardships that force the hand of our elected officials. The Utah state constitution requires that the budget is balanced every year. That means if the revenue the state brings in goes down then budget cuts must be made. It will be interesting to see how the legislators tackle this challenge.

Me with Representative Clark (now Speaker of the House) on the last day of session 2008




It's very fun to be working in this job that I enjoy so much and with many of the same people. The last day of session is March 12th and Baby Cub is due March 27th- hopefully, he won't cut it too close!

Three years!

John and I are just now beginning to tip the scales- from now on, we will have been married for longer than we dated! It's so funny to think back on all of our adventures together- it is pretty rare when we think of a story from our past that happened before we met. We have been together for over six years and things just keep getting better! I'm glad we waited as long as we did to have a baby because we learned so much from each other. I am really looking forward to the next chapter of our lives and to watching John become a dad. Happy Anniversary, babe!

A Day to Remember

Inauguration Day 2009: President Obama takes oath
Originally uploaded by USA TODAY

I've just been enjoying this day- soaking in the moments that I know will become fond memories.

Click here for the text of President Obama's inaugural address.

photo source

NewNie

She's back. I'm so happy!

Feathering the nest

Some things about pregnancy almost seem cliche. I have learned now from my own experience that the only reason these have become cliches is because they are common and real! Things like pregnancy brain for one. And the nesting instinct. I feel like I am going to crawl out of my skin about certain things and I attribute this manic obsession to the very normal nesting instinct. Right now, I'm only fixating on baby-related things. Which is unfortunate, because the things I need to do (dishes, laundry, packing up Christmas decorations) are being ignored because I want to fold and refold baby clothes.

One of the things I have been fixating on is packing my bag to take to the hospital. I'm not due for another 10 weeks, but again, the instinct is winning over practicality. (Plus, I had three friends who had preemies last year, so I am not taking anything for granted!)

So let me ask you- friends from the interwebs and life, what are some of the things you wished you had taken to the hospital? What did you end up bringing that you didn't need?

Project 365

I have joined with lots of other bloggers, photographers, and scrapbookers in Project 365- taking at least one picture every day for a year. I started a new blog (365barb) to help me organize these photos and what is going on in them. It's a little glimpse of my everyday life and the mini-stories that happen every day. I'm really enjoying it so far. Go check it out! Don't miss the post about my darling nephew Sam and the gift basket he created for his new cousin.

Life as a SAHP

(28 weeks pregnant)

I have now officially become a SAHP (Stay at Home Prego) (just like TAMN!) It's a little weird to not have school or work starting up again in the new year like everyone else. I am not attending school this semester because the Cub is due in March which would leave me with about a month's worth of classes left. (Some people can still swing having a newborn, possibly PPD, and a ton of finals- I am pretty confidant that I am not one of those people.) I have some time on my hands. (FYI- I am not completely idle. A lot of my time is spent taking care of my parents' house and remodeling projects while they are away for three years.)

I saw my cousins the other day when I picked them up from the airport. Their parents live in Chicago but they all live in Provo, either attending BYU or working. We don't often see each other, so we were chatting and catching up. Then came the inevitable question, "So what are you up to these days?" I thought for a minute about how I have been spending my time recently and I realized that my job is to drive people to and from the airport. I have been six times in the last month.

I've been thinking a lot about what I want my life to be like. I am excited to be a stay at home mom when this baby comes. I am determined to finish my degree. I want to keep my connections in the political field in case I decide to return to working at a later time.

Here's an excerpt from an email I wrote to Cat yesterday on this very topic:

I'm keeping busy with house projects and putting away Christmas stuff but I keep having this feeling of being left behind. It's hard to see everyone getting ready to go back to school and work and feeling left out of that. I know soon enough I will have a full time job of being a mom but for now I just feel out of it. John's sister and her friend came over last night because they are starting a business and needed John's help with a website. They stayed for about two hours brainstorming names and ideas with me. I felt like I really helped them with their business plan and it felt great to be involved in something new and exciting. Then they left. And I realized it's not really my project. As helpful as I can be as a resource for the people around me, I don't have a "thing" of my own.

I sound a lot sadder in this email than I really am. I'm just more contemplative- trying to figure out what I want my niche to be, what I want my contribution to life to be. I am super excited to become a mom but I know that I will still always crave a project that is all my own. I'm just doing some thinking about what I want that to be, where I want to spend my energy and how I can develop my talents.

I imagine that this is a familiar feeling to many of you- trying to figure out what your contribution to life will be and how to find personal fulfillment. I think at any time of transition (graduation, job change, baby arrival, marriage, mission completion) there comes an opportunity for self-reflection and perhaps a subsequent redefinition of self.

My question to you as I continue to explore this subject is, "What brings you self-fulfillment in your life?" I would love to hear about how you arrived where you are and what your journey was like (or still is) along the way.

One of the best nights of my life (aka GO UTES!)

John's parents had us over to watch the Utah game last night on their brand new entertainment system. It was such a sweet set-up- LCD flat screen, surround sound, and a roomful of Utah fans- to watch one of the best games I have ever seen!!!

We loved it! It was especially rewarding to see such a stunning victory over Alabama after being so underestimated as a team- I loved all the camera shots of 'Bama fans in the crowd looking sullen and disappointed!

I found the game on Hulu.com and embedded it here for my relatives in the UAE. GO UTES!