It finally arrived!

Today as Payton and I were pulling down our street, we were behind a UPS truck and it stopped in front of our house. I thought to myself, could it actually be here?? Well, the delivery was for us! It was our new car seat for our future addition to our family! Payton and I were both excited to open up the box and check out the contents! Payton was especially excited to try it out..
Now that we have the car seat, maybe I can get somewhat restful sleep knowing that we can bring our little girl home when she arrives.

Now onto my next stress.. Getting our double jogging stroller.

For Mothers Day

I was chatting with my friend Hilary the other day and she was telling me about how she is 31 and still gives her garbage (like a wrapper) to her mom. I thought that was pretty cute! She wants it to where when Hudson is 31, he will still give Hilary his garbage too. I know it seems like such a small thing, but it's so much bigger! Hilary's mom treats her daughter like her daughter, whether she be 13 or 31. I love it! My friend Natalie, Jordan (Natalie's daughter) and her mom just got back from a girls trip to Arizona to visit Natalie's grandma and grandpa. Natalie was telling me how she loved that after Jordan went to bed, her and her mom would stay up and watch movies. And then every morning they would go for an hour or two walk and just chat. I love that too!

Since Payton has entered my life, I often think about what kind of Mom I want to strive to be..

Of course I want to be close to my daughters, that's without a doubt! I want them to know that they can come to me for whatever. I want to make sure that they both know that I will give without expecting anything in return, that they can call me for advice and their issue will NEVER be used against them, that they can call on me for help and know that I will not expect them to always be able to be available to help me. I want them, as they get older, to know that eventually they will have their own lives, friends and family, and that I will not be their number one priority, but they will always be their Daddy's and my number one priority and that we will both be there for them at a moments notice (given Ryan and I are not on vacation somewhere far, but we would definitely get to them as soon as possible). I want my girls to want to tell me things, but I will never be upset that they didn't want to share everything.. somethings are better kept unsaid. I never want my children to go a day, wondering if Mom loves them. I want to make sure that they know that I will always love them and I support them. I want to be affectionate and warm and understanding. I want to be a good mom.

I'm excited for my children to grow up and I look forward to seeing what kind of women they become. I know in my heart that they will be good people and I will do my very best to make sure of that. I want them to be happy, and follow their heart and do what they know is right. I know Payton's young and our baby is not here yet, but I think it's important to start thinking about this now. Everyday that passes, is an impact on what kind of person Payton is becoming.

I want my children to give me their garbage. I want to take girl trips and for my girls to only have to worry about having a great time on our trip! :)

It's raining for our baby girl!

Yesterday I had my first baby shower for our upcoming arrival. Natalie was so generous and invited our friends, from work and Stroller Strides, over to her house. It was so much fun and very relaxing! Just the way it should be..

From left to right, Selena, Allison (Emily's daughter), baby Justin (Karen's son), Jenn and Karen.

Natalie and I

Our girls, Jordan and Payton, are friends and are only 6 months apart.

Natalie, Me and Casee


From left to right: Jenaya (her first, expecting a girl, due May 3), Me (my 2nd, a girl, due June 23), Jenn (her first, not finding out, due July 28) and Jessica (her 2nd, a boy, due August 5)

The four of us work together at Costco Home. Babies seem to come in waves at work. Jessica and I were pregnant with our first babies around the same time and we are both having what we had before.

Jenaya, Amy-holding Allison (Emily's daughter), and Emily holding her newest little girl, Olivia (born January 23).

Emily and I were also both pregnant, with our daughters, at the same time. Payton and Allison are only 9 days apart.

Abbey, Stephanie, and I
A couple of my Stroller Stride friends!

Our baby really got spoiled last night! I can't thank everyone enough for all that they did! I feel so much more ready.. especially since my last post on Saturday! Today I ordered our carseat, so now our baby can come home when she's ready!

Thank you to everyone who came! It really meant a lot to me and I had a great time with you! Thank you Natalie for throwing such a wonderful shower! You are truly the sweetest! :)

Two months from today..

Two months from today, at the latest, Ryan and I will be holding our newest little girl in our arms! Are we ready? Not at all. The room is a third of the way- for being painted, we don't have anything to bring her home in the car in, and I still can't believe that we are going to have a two year old AND an infant! Pretty much, I'm slightly nervous and anxious, but so very excited.

I can't believe it.. two more months from today.. given she hangs on until then. Let's hope she does. We need more time to get ready! :)

A two year old's going to do what she wants to do..

Payton definitely has a mind of her own.. Which we're happy about! She knows what she wants, when she wants it, and she's going to get it! Sometimes that's good, sometimes not so much.

She likes to empty out her stuffed animals onto the floor and then climb in the basket, which is so funny how she's starting to become a bit too long for this basket that was once the right size for her..
On this particular day, Payton didn't want to get dressed, only wanted to wear shoes and a diaper, and didn't want me to do her hair (it was a struggle to put a clip in to get her bangs out of her face).

Here she is in her basket..

She sees something she wants and reaches for it..

And she's down! Take a look at her shoe choice.. At least this time it was for the correct feet. Sometimes she brings me shoes that are for the same foot.

When all is said and done, she gives me a big smile and she does it again. Back into the basket!

Trent, Kaden, and Payton

Ryan's and my nephews, Trent and Kaden have been a huge part of Payton's life. My brother and sister-in-law, Ryan and Rachael, live about 10 minutes away and we all don't get together as much as we would like, but we definitely try to get the kids together one way or another..

Trent was born May 18, 2001 and Kaden was born March 26, 2004. The boys are pretty protective over their little cousin and are so great with watching our for her and making sure she doesn't get into something that she shouldn't. Kaden refers to Payton as his baby Payton and Trent acts just like a big brother with his protective watchful eye.
This picture was taken merely hours after Payton was born. Here's Trent when he was 4 1/2, Kaden was going to be turning 2 in a little over a month and Auntie Rachael holding Payton.

Kaden (2 1/2), Payton (10 mo) and Trent (5 1/2)

Payton (21 mo), Kaden (3 1/2), and Trent (6 1/2)

Payton (2), Trent (will be 7 (!!) in May), and Kaden (4)

Yesterday Trent and Kaden came over to play while my brother and sis went and ran errands. It was such a nice day and the kids had fun chasing each other around the kitchen, dining, and living room. When Ryan and Rachael came to pick up the boys, they hung out for an hour or so, which was great being able to hang out and chat.

It was such a nice relaxing day! Payton and I were both pretty sleepy though towards the end of the day. Payton slept for over 3 hours, which gave me a great opportunity to weed the front beds and clean up around the house.

Our future cook?

Lately Payton has been wanting to copy almost everything that I do, thankfully not everything that I say! But she likes to wear my heels around the house, use a handbag, play with shopping bags and fill them with her favorite toys for the day, try to put on makeup, etc. As well as all of the mentioned, she has been wanting to help me cook. So, I figure, why not let her!

Payton's a pretty finicky eater and some days she'll love something, but other days she wont touch it. Whenever I have her help me in the kitchen, that's all she wants to eat!

Here's Payton helping me make pancakes for breakfast (yes, she would actually turn her nose up at pancakes! Can you believe it?!). We made quite a few and they lasted us for a couple of days. Guess who wanted them everyday until they were gone? My little bug did! Yay for helpers!
I think I'm actually starting to figure her out! Have her see what the meal involves and then she'll eat it! Why didn't I think of this earlier...

Baby girl update..

Today I am 29 weeks and 3 days and I had my 6th or 7th ultrasound.. (I'm starting to loose track on how many I've had.. I could just go look at the bills, but that could be depressing..) Again, it was another long doctor's appointment!

First things first, our little girl is growing and looking beautiful.. if I don't say so myself. She is now in the 28%, which is so good! She's weighing in just under 3 pounds and her heartbeat is strong and so are her kicks and punches. She's been head down since I was 22 weeks along and has stayed put since.

I have to say, this pregnancy compared to when I was pregnant with Payton, is so much different.
-I was a little sick with Payton in my first trimester, but that stopped once I hit 13-14 weeks. With this one, I started getting really sick at the beginning of my second trimester and still occasionally get sick, and I'm in my third trimester now!
-Payton was breech and never once turned and this little girl has been down for awhile now.
-Payton had very low amniotic fluid and this one has plenty
-I gained a pound a week with Payton and so far have gained less than 10 pounds (yay!)

It's just crazy how each pregnancy is different. I thought for sure I was having a boy with how much different they are, but nope.. it's a girl! :)

We found out at our last ultrasound appointment that the baby's placenta was close to my cervix and that they were hoping it would move away, but today they saw that it moved a little closer. Dr. Klein (my high risk doc) said that it means that I would have to have a c-section since during labor the placenta would deliver before the baby. Thankfully we had already planned a c-section so nothing changes. Dr. Klein also said that since the placenta is pretty close, it could cause bleeding to start before I go into labor. Thankfully it doesn't mean that it's going to cause bleeding, I just have to be aware and call Dr. Skrypzak (my o.b.) if it does happen.

Long story short, baby is growing wonderfully, I'm healthy (even though I got into a little trouble with the fact that I haven't been taking my blood pressures at home.. oops!), and I can still work out and go to work like normal!

I noticed today that in 10 weeks I have a scheduled c-section! Time is running out!!

April Fools.. I wish it was a joke

Ryan and I bought a car this past December for him to make his wonderful commute in. It's nothing spectacular. It's an '88 Honda Accord, four doors, automatic, gold (an ugly gold at that), and purrs like a kitten. Well, maybe that last description isn't quite accurate.

When we first purchased it, Ryan drove it to work (Issaquah) the very next morning. We were both so excited to start saving money on gas, especially with the threat of hitting $4! So on December 18th Ryan got up at the crack of dawn (5 a.m.) to make his trek to work. About 2 hours later he finally arrived to his destination, we only live about 40 min tops from Corporate. The car would not go more than 35 miles an hour up hill! Now three long, gruelling, time consuming, not too expensive, but irritating months later we thought we were ready to start saving some gas money! I was so excited to get my Honda back from Ryan, since he's been driving it every day while the commuter was being fixed, and I've been driving the Tahoe ($100 a week in gas later just for the green machine).

This morning he left like he normally does and then the phone rang at 8 to see if I would mind meeting him in Issaquah at 2:30 (when he gets off) because the car is at it again! Yes that's right, AGAIN! 35 mph on I-405, and anyone who travels it knows that the incline between Totem Lake and the 85th St exit in Kirkland is not a steep hill, maybe a slight incline. So, we're back at it again.. fixing Wondergold. At first I asked Ryan if this was a joke, but unfortunately it's not.

Ryan is back to the process of elimination and thankfully my father-in-law Gary is so wonderful with cars and has been so generous with helping us out! We seriously can't thank him enough! He's been a huge help and I'm sure he's just as discouraged as we are, but he and Ryan are taking ANOTHER crack at it again this Friday. Wish them luck!

I'll try and take a picture of this beauty when I get home tonight, or maybe tomorrow since it's going to be parked in front of our house until Friday. Yay for driveway art!

**update: Ryan has successfully fixed Wondergold with a simple replacement of both fuel filters! I'm so happy to have a smart husband!**