First Christmas down

So these are a little out of order since I don't have this blogging thing down quite yet. Here is our family Christmas pic. As you can see, James once again looks SOO enthused to be getting his picture taken! haha

Every Christmas Eve the Stevens get together and act out the nativity. This year the family had a baby boy to play baby Jesus...Tucker! Tucker did a great job and did everything he was told to do...just lay there and be quiet!

Elliott was Joseph and Grace was Mary

Our first real venture out with Tucker was to the Santa Party with the Stevens. Here are some pics from that. Tucker didn't freak out this year when it was his turn since he was too young really, we will see what happens next year though=)

Grandma Mardeen with Tucker

I think that my Grandpa is getting the hang of holding a baby. I am so grateful he has the opportunity to meet Tucker and hold him!
Tucker was all "tuckered" out by the end of the day. (Sorry...I couldn't resist not using that phrase!) It really didn't FEEL like Christmas to be honest since it was sunny and has been super chaotic the past couple weeks. We saw numerous people riding around on motorcycles! Really? It's Christmas! That's crazy! Next year will hopefully feel more like Christmas with Tucker being older and hopefully snow on the ground. I was just glad to be with family=) I hope everyone else had a great Christmas like we did=)

He's HERE!

Well, he's here! I had a feeling I would deliver early, but EVERYONE kept saying since it was my first and it was a boy, he would come later. Well, on Saturday the 10th at 1:30am I had to go to the bathroom. Well, lucky me my water broke there! That was my fear was that my water was going to break in a public place. It was funny cuz I told James before we went to bed to not be surprised if I wake him up telling him it was time to go to the hospital. He just laughed it off=) So, once I told him he showered and shaved since contractions hadn't really began.

We got to the hospital around 2:45am and I was dilated to a 3. It stayed that way for a few hours. Then they started pitocin. I got the epidural a few hours after we got to the hospital. I think it was around 10am. It took Dr. Johnson 3 TIMES to get it somewhat right with the epidural! So I was in the uncomfortable position for like 2 hours waiting for him to get it right! My neck hurt soooo bad! Plus, having contractions while he was trying to make it work, not a whole lot of fun! He said it was the hardest one he's had to do it 20 years! I was SOO glad to be the lucky one to have to endure that=)

Then when they checked me at 2pm I was dilated to a 4. Then at 4pm I was dilated to a 10! I was shocked but happy! I pushed for about 1&1/2 hours with the nurse and James and then Dr. England came in and about 20 minutes later he was here! I was shocked! I thought the head had just come out so I was ready to push again and then Dr. England just set him on my chest! I was shocked, then cried! It was awesome!

Both our parents were in the waiting room so after about 45 minutes of just "us" time, James went out and was crying I guess. So cute! I love that man!

So, after the hospital we came home and WHAM, you are parents! Good luck! The first couple days were great! My only issue really was we had to put him on formula until I got the breastfeeding thing figured out. Best decision! I was an emotional wreck cuz I was worried he wasn't getting enough to eat, but once we changed to formula, a weight lifted off my shoulders and I could focus on other things. Then I saw a lactation specialist and she helped me with the pumping, etc. So, I am feeling a lot more confident now=)

Well, now that you have the whole story, whether you wanted to hear it or not, here are some of my favorite pics.


Here is a pic oof Tucker after his first bath at home! HE loves just hanging out under the running water!
CUTEST PIC of James cuddling with his son

James caught this cute pic of him smiling while he was sleeping. ADORAbLE!

At the hospital with the little man

Me and my boy!

I will have to post after Christmas and show some cute pics of his first Christmas. Have a good holiday, I know we will!

The FINAL touch

Well, the baby's room is FINALLY complete! The vinyl lettering is all up and it looks AWESOME! If you notice as well, I hung up orange vinyl construction trucks as well randomly all around the room. I am very pleased with how it turned out! Now all we need is Tucker to arrive to enjoy the room we worked so hard on=)

About that....I have been told MANY times that I should expect to go over my due date since it's my first baby and it's a boy. Well folks, I honestly think I will go before that. We will see though. I could be eating my words when Decemeber 19th rolls around, but with all my symptoms that have been happening, I think he will be here sooner. I will keep you posted though=)

The Tradition Continues

So let me start by telling you who the Overby's are. They are the family that has lived next to my parents house for probably 37 year or so. Not only are our families extremely close, my mom and Sheila look more like sisters than with their own sisters! It's pretty crazy how much they look alike. When we were younger we would get them confused now the grandkids get them confused!

Anyways, every time a new Twilight movie comes out, all the women from both families go to dinner and then go to the movie. This is exactly what we did Saturday. We headed to Red Robin and then saw the movie. It was definitely a typical cheesy Twilight movie, but all in all, it was entertaining. Here are some pics of dinner. The younger Overby grandkids went and saw Hugo while we went to Breaking Dawn.

The Sailor girls minus Heidi. She met up with us later for the movie. Jody, Sara, mom, me

Stacy(pregnant), Jody and Sara


Mom, me(pregnant), Tracy(pregnant), and Traci (yes, 2 Tracy's in one family...very confusing!)
Sheila, Jen and Marcy. It was great having Marcy there since we don't see her very much since she lives in Idaho.

The 5 younger girls who went and saw Hugo. Taelyr, Sadie, Kaylee, Callie, Breonna

Well, we will have to wait until Part II comes out now. Then we are still going to continue the tradition and go and see the Hunger Games movies which look AMAZING!

Pregnancy thoughts

So I have been thinking about what else I could post since I really don't want to post pictures that have me in them since I have been feeling super huge. So, I figured I would post some thoughts about pregnancy that I have discovered over the past 8 months.

Today I actually called my doctor's office just wondering if it was normal to all of a sudden swell like crazy! I have been swollen, but NOTHING like this! I was at work on Saturday and that was when it all hit really hard. It was like nothing I have seen before! It looked like I had 2 sprained ankles! I wouldn't have been so concerned if it had been a gradual thing, but it came on so sudden. So I called the dr. office to see if this was normal and because of a couple of other factors, they sent me to labor and delivery to get checked out. After a couple hours, all is good. THANK GOODNESS! So, I will just know that sprained looking ankles will just be there for the remaining 5 weeks...lucky me.

Braxton Hicks contractions are a very weird experience as well. They don't hurt me, just SUPER uncomfortable. It took me a while to realize that it really was Braxton Hicks, but now I get them all the time it seems. I suppose it's a good thing since it's getting me ready for labor.

Most women that I talk to get really bad heart burn during pregnancy, not me. I just get acid reflux which is more annoying than anything. I was not warned about this. It is a good thing for omeprazole and tums!

The waddling. Need I say more? People at work make fun of me because I waddle. I am not aware I am doing it, it just happens! I have to admit though, it helps my back so it doesn't hurt as bad.

One thing with this pregnancy that I am grateful for is the fact that I am the most pregnant during the winter. I am hot ALL THE TIME! I have a new found respect for women who are the most pregnant in the summer!

I decided not to take any pregnancy classes because I feel like I know enough about labor. I don't want to know ALL the details, but I feel like I know enough to feel comfortable delivering a baby. Now breastfeeding, that's a little different. That's the one aspect that I feel is a little bit more foreign to me. So, with my best friend Annie by my side, I went to the breastfeeding class last night. I am grateful I did it because it was very educational and I feel more comfortable for what's ahead.

So, there are some of my thoughts on pregnancy that I have experienced over the past 8 months. Even though this last month is going to be rough physically, we are so ready to meet Tucker and have our family grow by 1 more. Let's hope it goes quick and smoothly=)

Updated room...but not all the way complete

So I realize it has been a while since I last posted so I thought I would post some pics of how the room is coming along. It is pretty much done except hanging things on the walls. I thought everything has come out awesome! Thanks to James making the crib and changing table and his mom making all the bedding and my sister giving me the glider that matches perfectly! In this pic you can see the bumpers that my mother in law made and the bed skirt.

She also made cute bumpers for the changing table to match! That was actually James' idea! Good thinking babe!

And to my surprise, she whipped together the diaper holder! I was planning on making it and she was in Manti and happened to have the pattern so she just made it! Total surprise to me! I love it! Way better than how mine would have turned out! And my sister Sara made this awesome rag quilt that matches perfectly!! Good job sis!



So, my bags are packed, the room is pretty much ready, now all we need is Tucker=) Only 5 weeks left and trust me...I am counting! This week my body is REALLY feeling this pregnancy and work is getting a little more rough. But, I know I need to enjoy the quiet while I can, so that's what I am doing. And thanks to James for stepping it up with the household stuff cuz I just don't have the energy or the physically capability to do it! Can I really do this pregnancy thing a few more times? We will see.....

Angel watching over us...

Vida Giles Sailor-86 years old

So this pregnancy has been quite the emotional roller coaster!! First James' grandma passed away in July, then the next week my dad has open heart surgery, then on Friday October 21 my sweet grandma (Vida Giles Sailor) passed away kindof suddenly. Needless to say I am quite exhausted! My family was incredibly close to my grandma since her and my grandpa only had 2 children, my dad and Aunt Debbie and my aunt doesn't have any kids. So, us 4 grandkids were her spoiled grandchildren!

She has had some health problems over the years, but her mind was sharper than mine!! Even up until the last moment of her life she had the best memory! But her poor little body just couldn't keep up with her and eventually just shut down. She had a metal rod as a spine, she had Parkinson's, and in the end she had double pneumonia and couldn't get rid of it. But the only thing she complained about was being in a hospital and not at home. She was a trooper!

I have soooo many memories of her! I just want to mention a few.

-She taught me to use the Twizzler as a straw

-It wasn't a sandwich unless you put butter on it

-When she would babysit me I would go on the side of the house in the driveway and throw the bouncy ball against the chimney

-She would always have Good & Plenty's waiting for us to eat. I only ate them at grandmas house.

-She would make my grandpa go out to the garage to get us a soda out of the old fashioned fridge that I loved

-She would walk with me down the street to go visit the horses on the corner

-She would call my dog 'pooches' instead of dogs

-When she thought something was funny she would say, "Oh Lordy, lordy, lordy" and laugh

-She was always put together...her hair, nails, outfit,etc. Never a hair out of place!

-When I would ask if I could come see her on a certain day, she would say, "I'll pencil you in" just to be funny since we both knew she wasn't going anywhere

-She was the one who taught me how to do a puzzle properly

Those are just SOME of the things that I will always remember about my grandma. I will miss her sooooo much and am sad she won't be able to hold Tucker or any of my kids in her arms so I can see the love she has for them in her eyes, but I know that she is giving Tucker and all my unborn children a little pep talk before they come. She will be their guardian angel watching over them, and hopefully us too. But thank goodness for my faith and knowing I will see her again! I don't know how people do it who don't believe what I do.

More of James' projects

James has been a busy man the past couple of months! Here are 3 more projects he has done. None of them are painted white yet, but you get the idea.

This is a picture of a high chair and crib for my niece's doll that she is getting for Christmas. I thought they turned out great!

These are pics of the changing table James made for Tucker's room! I am so excited! It matches the crib and it's one of kind! Also, my AMAZING mother in law is making little bumpers for it to match the crib bumper's and crib skirt she made! Not to mention she is lining the baskets that go underneath the changing table! I am one lucky gal to have a husband and mother in law making these great things and saving us some money too! Now I just need Tucker here to make it complete=)

First baby shower

Well, I had my first baby shower! This is definitely getting more and more real! My mom hosted the party and it turned out great! My sister and sister in law helped out as well and I am grateful for all they did! It was a double shower with my cousin Kyle's wife, Laura. It was a new experience since I had never been to a double shower, but it turned out good! It worked out cuz my mom's family could get 2 showers done at once! haha. Here are some pics of the shower. I wanted to post more, but it wouldn't let me. So here are some of them.

Here is a pic of the Russell sister's minus my aunt Vickie. Starting on the left: Aunt Robyn,Aunt Sandy,Aunt Diane, and my cute mom.
Laura made me this cute U of U onesie. James wasn't a fan! haha I will have to hide it=)

My cute nieces even attended the shower! Miley and Bailey....I love these girls like they were my own!



My mom found these cute baby bottle piggy banks and filled them with candy! And then Laura got one and I got one. (I got the candy corns of course!)

It was a great shower and am so blessed to have such great family who support me! Thank you everyone who attended...it really meant a lot to me!

One thing down...

Well, here are some more pics of the crib. It is all sanded and ready to be primed and painted! So, once the changing table is done, he will prime and paint them all at once. Things are moving right along! One thing down=)

This pic is of James assembling it. Notice his coveralls that he is wearing...it's cool because that's one of the things he got of his grandpa's and it's crazy that they fit him perfectly! I love it!

'Stop waiting for the Golden Ticket and enjoy the chocolate'

What a great women's conference this year! But I have to say, President Uchtdorf's talk was by far my favorite talk and a great way to end the night! I thought that his talk was very relateable to many women. If you missed it, here is the synopsis of what I got out of it.

He started out talking about the Forget Me Not flower and how sometimes we feel that we are forgotten. He continues by giving the great analogy of Willy Wonka and how everyone waits for the Golden Ticket and forget that they have yummy chocolate to enjoy! Isn't that so true! We are always waiting for the big pay day, or the husband or kid to make us feel whole, or the job that will change our lives, etc. We are so busy wanting something big that we forget to enjoy what we have.

He also made an emphasis on how we need to stop comparing ourselves to others and realize we will never be somebody else! We are who WE are! Which, I think most women...me included...need to work on. He also stated that we need to distinguish good sacrifices vs. bad sacrifices. Basically staying up late working on a church lesson was a good sacrifice vs. staying up late to make something for your girls church outfit to show off the next day at church was a bad sacrifice. Or even just sewing each member of the relief society something when they really don't need it, that's a bad sacrifice. I took that lesson as not focusing time and energy on things that are taking away from other people or projects that are more important.

All in all, it was a good, spiritually uplifting talk that I think every woman needs to listen to! Now bring on General Conference!! I am ready!

The dreaded glucose test!

Well, today I went to the md for my glucose test. I have heard good and bad things about it so I didn't really know what to expect. In my opinion, it wasn't that bad. I didn't get to choose what flavor to drink, so it was lovely lemon lime. It just tasted like flat Sprite at first. But by the end of it, I was gagging it down. I still don't know what the results are since they had to send the blood samples to the lab and it is the weekend. So...I get to wait patiently until monday to find out the results. Cruel huh? One piece of advice though for those of you who are having to do this in future, eat only protein before you go in for the test. I am glad the doctor told me that before hand. So, wish me luck because I REALLY don't want to do the 3 hour glucose test! Seriosly, 3 hours! That's a joke! I will let you know what happens as soon as I know=)

Everything else is good though. I am measuring right, Tucker's heartbeat was good and I have been feeling good minus my allergies! It's amazing how quickly you gain weight after about week 24! I was not prepared for that! I thought it would just gradually happen, and I know each person is completely different, but man...for me it just happened all at once! Let's just hope it slows down because I don't think I will be able to stand at 9 months if not! But, I am just glad my little man is healthy and hopefully happy. Let's hope it stays that way=)

Progress

Well, my husband is amazing! He has been working so hard on this crib and it is almost done! YAY! It's only really been a week and a half since he started. And I was worried he wasn't going to get it done in the 90 days I have left! haha. Right now he just has finishing work and painting left and then we can really start putting the room together! Actually, I guess we need to have the changing table done too. But hopefully it will all be done in a month.

This is what it looks like so far. Like I said before, he still has to put the moldings and trim on it, but you get the idea of what it will look like. Awesome huh?? It definitely makes this more and more real! Ready or not, here he comes!

Race

I know that 2 posts in 1 day in a little excessive, but my family has been bugging me to post pics of the 5k we did at the end of August. So, here they are. We did the Midnight Run in Sandy. It was me, my mom, Heidi, Sara and my Aunt Debbie. Sara and Debbie were the only ones who actually ran, but it was still a good exercise=) It was nice that it was at midnight because it was a lot cooler! About a mile into the 3 miles I really had to pee! I tried running to get to the finish line faster but it just made me have to go even more! Plus Tucker wasn't liking it when I tried to run. So I briskly walked the 3 miles and continued to briskly walk straight to the bathroom! At least it got me moving faster than I probably would have!

Heidi and Mom

All of us girls: Sara, Debbie, mom, Heidi, me
The runners: Sara and Debbie

Us girls: Heidi, mom, me, Sara

Mom and Heidi

Nesting

Well, I am officially in the "nesting" period of the pregnancy! This week somthing just clicked and I have been cleaning every nook in my house and feeling crafty. So, this was the craft that I made. I saw this at Wood Connection and had to do one! It is super easy and cheap! It would be a great Super Saturday project for Relief Society too if you need an idea. I changed the paper and whatnot and made it different than the ones they had at the store. But I was very happy with it=)

Not only have I been doing crafts, but like I said before, I have been cleaning. I don't know if I am just wanting to get it all done while I have the energy or if I want to get it done before the baby comes, or both. But, I am not complaining! So far I have cleaned the usual stuff plus under the bathroom sinks in the master and in the guest bath. Plus I weeded the entire front yard and cleaned out the hall closet. Tonight is the big U of U vs. BYU game so James went to that so my goal for the night is to organize the office, the kitchen "junk drawer" and organize the totes in the basement. After that, everything should be organized to my liking=) Wish me luck! Hopefully I won't run out of steam!

What am I doing???

Well, it's official...I am officially blogging! What am I doing?? I figured I might as well since I have a little bit more time on my hands and with a baby on the way, it's a good way for me to post pictures for people who want to see. Sorry if you don't want to see pics or hear news of the little man, just scroll past it=)

A little summary of what is going on right now is this. I am working at Costco pharmacy...part time...which I love! It's been nice to work, but not feel like my life is ONLY work and nothing else. It has also been perfect timing with a baby on the way. Even though the first few months of the pregnancy were rough, it's nice that since I am feeling better now that I can actually enjoy it and not have work hanging over my head. Does that make sense? Anyways, I am so grateful for a supportive husband to give me the opportunity to do so! Speaking of the amazing man, James is working at Micron (IM flash technologies) as a carpenter helping install the clean room tools and build the clean rooms. He just became the supervisor a couple weeks ago, so he's been a little more stressed. Well...as stressed as James can get. He's so laid back so his stress level is way different than most people! And to add to his so called stress, he decided that he wants to design and build Tucker's crib, changing table and toy box! He is crazy, but I love him for it. How amazing for him to tell his children he built everything in their bedroom! James takes pride in his work so I know it will turn out amazing, but he does have a deadline! So, he started last week and he has about 2 months left cuz I want it done a month before the due date. So, the pressure is on!

The most exciting thing going on in our lives is the preparation for Tucker. Oh yeah, that's his name by the way if you haven't caught on. It's Tucker James Stevens. Cute huh? We liked it. And if he ends up not liking it one day, he could always go by TJ. I will post pics of the room as it gets closer to being finished. Here is a pic of the babies room thus far. I painted the brown strips on the wall by using the same color but different sheens. So one is flat and the other is semi-gloss. Then James built the beautiful framed waiscotting and put the crown up. I was thouroughly impressed! It's coming together=)

Tucker is growing very big each day, therefore I am growing big each day! Here is the latest pic that I have of my pregnant belly. Right now I am at 26 weeks 3 days. This pic was taken Sunday so I was 26 weeks.

Well, now that you have been updated and seen my fat, pregnant body, I must TRY to go to bed. All of you women out there who have been pregnant know what I am talking about! The tossing, the turning and getting hot, the stuffing pillows everywhere to get comfortable...is it all coming back to you?? Yeah, it's a "fun" stage of the pregnancy I am finding out. Any tips or suggestions are welcome. Until next time...sweet dreams=)