Moving On...

Today was a bitter sweet day.

Today I walked out of the doors of this place,

for the last time.

After 8 and a half years of working there.

8 and a half years of long, draining, fun, silly, hard, exhausting, rewarding, drama filled days.  My career as a dental and surgical assistant in the pediatric field of dentistry, has ended.  It's all I've done for almost an entire decade and my heart hangs a bit heavy.  

Mostly because I'm going to miss working with this great man...

For 8 and a half years, Dr. Trace Lund, has been an incredible boss.  And such a joy to work with!  He is one crazy character, this guy... (you kind of have to be a little nuts to work in pediatrics altogether) and I have very much enjoyed my time spent working alongside his magnificent expertise.  I was his right-hand WOman if you will... like two peas in a pod :)  

Many great friendships were formed in that office as well, some that will last a lifetime.

And for that I am indeed grateful.

But it's time for me to move on to my new job... 

That of being a mother.  

I am beyond excited to take on that new roll and responsibility, and will forever be grateful for the patience that I learned from working at PPD, which I know will greatly benefit me as I take on motherhood.

To celebrate my last day, Dr. Lund treated us all to lunch at The Pizza Factory... (there are a few co-workers missing)

After which, I worked my last 4 hours as a dental assistant.

At least for now... 

I may or may not go back to dental assisting later in life.  We will cross that bridge when we get there.  But for now, that chapter in my life has been closed :)  

Like I said, it's bitter sweet.  

Bitter in the fact that I will miss the staff, the children, the fulfillment of the job... 

But sweet in the most obvious reason, 

I'm gonna be a Momma :) 

So... I guess this is goodbye.

Peace out PPD.

Thanks for the good times...

4 Wonderful Years

This past Wednesday, September 12th, my sweetheart and I celebrated 4 wonderful years of marriage.  Probably the fastest 4 years of my life!  But an incredible 4 years at that.  We've had our ups and downs, just like any healthy marriage.  Tears were shed, fun was had, and many, many blessings were received.  The biggest blessing of all, coming to us in a month and a half :)  

I am so grateful for my sweet husband, who at times drives me crazy, but who sure does know how to love me!  There is no one else I would rather experience this life with, and I am beyond excited to start with him, this new journey we will call PARENTHOOD in the months and years to come!

In celebration of our 4 year anniversary, some incredible friends of ours treated us to an overnight stay in a lovely suite at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City.  We spent the weekend dining, shopping, relaxing, and falling in love all over again :) 

Dinner at The Little America Steakhouse, recommended by our friends.  

Words cannot express how thrilled I was to soak my big prego body in this glorious tub :)

The view from our Suite on the 15th floor.

It was the perfect anniversary getaway, and felt great to have a little "Babymoon" before our angel arrives so soon! 

Speaking of which,

Only EIGHT weeks until she's here!  Maybe less :)

All Things Maternity

Last weekend, our wonderful friends and neighbors, Marc and Vanetta, so willingly did a maternity photo shoot for us.  Marc, the photographer, is AMAZINGLY talented in the photography world and our pictures turned out incredible!  Here are just a few of my favorites...

Okay, maybe more than a few.  I can't decide between them all! Are you kidding?!

 The rest of the photos can be viewed via my Facebook page, if your little heart desires.  

And a HUGE Thank You goes out to the man behind the masterpiece, 

Marc Pickering!

65 Days... But Who's Counting?

10 more weeks people.  

But come Wednesday, we will actually be starting into the SINGLE digit countdown, as I will be 31 weeks pregnant then.

But really, I'm not keeping track or anything.

Jace and I went to my last numom2b appointment last Thursday.  They poked, prodded and took all the wonderfully "fun" samples of my bodily fluids.  We got to see our precious sweetheart again too, which is by far my favorite part of those appointments.  The last picture we saw of her was at 20 weeks, when she was still just a tiny little thing, weighing 10 1/2 ounces.  Now she's a full blown baby, weighing in just under 4 pounds!  (3lbs 11oz to be exact.)  Yes that is still small, but to think that she's gotten that much bigger in just 10 weeks?  And that she will indefinitely DOUBLE that weight in the NEXT 10 weeks?

Blows. My. Mind.

Little stinker had her arm and hand in front of her face the whole time :)

So this was the best picture we could get that day.  

Even though I feel like a 500 pound waddling elephant struggling to breathe, I must say, that pregnancy has been good to me.  Despite the few minor ailments, such as aching hips, heartburn, and complete exhaustion, I can't say that I've been that miserable.  

And for that, I am so thankful :)

The Home Stretch

Not a lot has been happening around these parts... Just the fact that I'm getting bigger and bigger and more and more uncomfortable!  But I have finally reached the THIRD AND FINAL trimester in this glorious pregnancy of mine.  Baby Girl is getting big and strong, and she definitely lets me know just how big and strong at all times of the day!  I am constantly feeling her little feet jabbing under my ribs, her tiny little body flipping and rolling to find a more comfy spot, and her little bum pushing against my bladder (resulting in my running to the loo more times in a day than any one person should experience.) 

Would I trade it for anything? Absolutely not! It is honestly the coolest feeling and most fun thing to watch in all the world!  I can't wait until I can hold my little wiggle worm and love and kiss on her all day!  

Cheers to 12 more weeks! Maybe less if I'm lucky ;)

An Update

While browsing through my past blog posts, I realized that I have hardly gone into any detail about my pregnancy.  Stuff like symptoms, cravings, mood swings, etc.  Silly things that most of you probably don't really care about, but that I myself would like to remember!  

So, here's the latest with Baby Girl and I...

(I am actually 23 weeks today, but this was the last belly pic)

*I started to feel my little bundle of joy around 18 weeks... most women describe it as "butterflies fluttering" but I would say it felt more like popcorn popping.  

*She gave her daddy his first high five between 19 and 20 weeks.  I wish I would've had his reaction on video, it was priceless :)

*These days, the little miss moves all over the place.  Especially at night, when her daddy lays his head on my belly.  I can feel her a lot more strongly and can actually SEE her squirm around.  It is so bizarre to watch my stomach pop up in different places.  Her daddy likes to joke that her crazy movements remind him of the movie "Tremors." 

*She can hear things now, so her daddy and I have been laughing and singing and acting silly A LOT.  And we've been better at keeping our voices down while arguing ;)

*She is currently 11 inches long and weighs in just over a pound.  My belly feels heavy and I find myself wondering how it's ever going to stretch anymore... I'm in for it :)

*I haven't noticed any stretch marks. YET. (Thank you Palmer's Belly Butter)

*My belly button will probably make it's big debut in the next week or two... it's  just about there.

*I've noticed certain "areas" of my body getting bigger... i.e: thighs, butt, luv handles.  And I'm not sure I like it too much... watching that number on the scale creep up and up, is something that I've never experienced before and I freak out a bit every time I get on it.  I have gained a healthy amount of weight though thus far, (I'll spare you the exact number of lbs) and I just have to keep reminding myself that it's ALL WORTH IT! 

*I bought my first items of maternity clothing the other day (blast!).  Two pairs of pants.  I'm still able to wear all my shirts and tops, but I thought I'd be able to bypass the whole thing, at least for a little while longer.  I was mistaken.

*My feet and ankles are starting to swell, JOY.  

*I forget.

*Everything.

*And I'm clumsy.

*The heartburn has been OUTRAGEOUS.  It doesn't matter what I eat or don't eat, it rears it's ugly head with EVERYTHING I eat, at all times of the day. She better have a full head of hair!

*Peanut butter has become my recent love, smeared all over frozen waffles and drenched in syrup.

*Still obsessed with pizza. And popcorn. And chocolate. (healthy much?)

*And still cannot look at a chicken enchilada. (gagity, gag gag me)

*The book "Becoming Baby Wise" is genius and we've been reading it religiously.

*The guest/junk room that will become the nursery, is FINALLY cleaned out.  A couple coats of paint are in order in the upcoming weeks, followed by furniture and decor :) So excited for that!

*Her daddy and I are hoping that she will make her grand entrance earlier than predicted, the 30th of October to be exact... Daddy's birthday :) But realistically, we know that probably won't happen.

*Besides the aching in my ribs, and finding it hard to breathe, I feel pretty good!  

17 more weeks!

Road Trip

Last week, Jace and I went on a last minute road trip up to Missoula for the 4th of July.  From there, we headed over to Seattle with Grandma and Papa for our cousin Dan's wedding.  A lot of time spent driving in the car (at 22 weeks pregnant mind you, not ideally comfortable) but all in all, it was a fun quick trip!  The last time I was in Seattle was over 10 years ago, so I was very excited to go back!  I love that city!  We had perfect weather every day we were there, the wedding was beautiful, and the time spent with family we don't see very often, was well worth it!

Missoula on the 4th

Such a fun city!

Riding the ferry to Vashon Island for the wedding

The reception

And the happy couple :)