Early Exit

I am pretty sure this thesis of Johann's is going to ensure my death occurs 1-2 years earlier than it otherwise would have.
Thank you committee members for being on completely on different pages from each other or having no idea what you're doing and consequently making Johann dance like he's got bullets spraying at his feet.

He just wants to be a practitioner and help kids who are struggling in school whether from learning disabilities, emotional issues or language barriers. Is that such a bad thing to want? No, but apparently he can't be equipped to do that unless he can also sort out all the minutia of narrative inquiry methods and then apply them perfectly to interviews (which involves somehow being able to make sure the interviewees respond a certain way without leading them) and then interpret them in perfect sync with what the theory of narrative inquiry would say. GAAAAH. I. AM. GOING. TO. SCREAM.

Ok. Done.

If anyone just happens to have extra time to pray that this can all work out and Johann can pass his defense so he can graduate on time, that would be much appreciated.

Third Trimester

 I am officially in the third trimester-woot! 

I'm definitely noticing some puffiness in my feet come the end of the day and every once while acid indigestion rears it's ugly head. I've also been getting nauseous in the morning and afternoon more frequently. 

28weeks and 2 days

Other than that and having a harder time sleeping (I think this has to do with other life stressers more though) I feel fairly good most of the time.

Our little miss showing her lips and nose and milk mustache at the 27 week ultrasound. 

 Profile at 27 weeks

Our little girl is a big mover. At the 27 week ultrasound they were able to see all her heart chambers and say she was good to go. However, the doc said he is pretty sure, but can't guarantee, she will come out with only 10 fingers and toes because she just does not stop moving. 

So yesterday when I wasn't feeling her much except for some rolling, I got a little nervous. Usually if I eat an apple she gets moving right away, or if I am at the counter to do dishes, she's kicks at the counter, but nothing of the sort throughout the day. 

I know I tend toward worrying so I thought I should just wait for my check up in the morning. Then this morning they called to say the doc got called out for a delivery so they needed to reschedule. I said fine and rescheduled for Friday but then decided I was nervous and needed to be reassured and that there was nothing wrong with that. I called back and they said they could take me at 4:45pm today right before closing-phew. 

Since it was later, Johann got to come too which is always nice. When the nurses checked me in, they remembered I had mentioned I wasn't feeling the baby kick much the day before and asked how I was feeling now etc. I love the nurses at Dr. Ibay's office. They set me up in a room and then a few minutes later moved us into the room with an ultrasound machine. Doc came in and we got going to make sure fluids and everything else was good. I love that he has a machine right there so we can check and I didn't have to be admitted to the hospital to be reassured everything was alright, which thankfully it was, and we got to see our little girl again! It was so reassuring to see her in there, heart beating and everything looking right. We even got to see her practicing her breathing. I also figure its a good thing this baby has been photographed in utero so much because I know the 2nd tends to get less film dedicated to them.
Dr. Ibay said to just start doing kick counts more consistently with times and to always, always call if something feels off, better to be paranoid than ignore a possible problem. Thanks, doc for not making me feel like an idiot. 

Leg shot from today. Her legs have consistently measured 1-2 weeks ahead of schedule. I guess another Johann replica is in store for us. 

Well that is the latest on our little girl. I am trying to take time each day to remember how exciting this is and how very blessed we are and how grateful we need to be. Life has been getting more and more stressful and unsure these past few weeks but remembering how desperately we wanted this blessing and now to have it helps to ease some of the fears and worries and know that God is mindful of us.

So here is to just a little over 10 weeks until we can meet our baby girl! 

Baby Namin'

We are horrible at naming children. It took us until day 4 in the hospital to finally give Henry a name and fill out his birth certificate. He went from Dean to Henry to Mendelssohn to Gabriel to Johann to Mendelssohn (I was going through a Jewish history phase) and then finally to Henry.

We over-think every aspect of it, and whether it seems true or not, we are both people pleasers in a lot of aspects and don't want everyone to hate our kids' names.

So while there is a name that has stuck for a while now for this little one, everyone we've told hates it but it's really the only one that has stuck, so maybe that's what she wants to be called, who knows.

Anyway, for fun I decided I should put a poll on here, it's over to the right, so please go ahead and vote on some names. It'll just be fun to see!

Easter

We followed our now tradition of bunny business on Saturday this Easter and saved Sunday to remember the who, what and why of Easter. I am so glad one of my friends mentioned doing it on her blog because we've loved doing it this way the past 2 years. 

On Saturday morning Henry woke up to what the Easter bunny had brought him. We were at my moms during the week and she has lots of rabbits that run around in her backyard. Every morning Henry would step outside and yell at them, "HEY EASTER BUNNY HELPERS, I'M BEING GOOD SO TELL THE EASTER BUNNY!!!" Then he would ask why they ran away from him. 

So, after he saw they followed his request and he got his loot, he went out and told them, "THANKS, HELPERS!" 

 He also got a jellybean gun from Karen and Shannon but had to do "Hot, Cold" to find it. He is terrible at that game.

 He also got to play with the inflatable bunny from Grammy's classroom. At first he was happy tossing the eggs into the net...

 but then decided wrestling the bunny was a better way to play with it.

Then we did some Easter egg dying, Henry loves decorating the eggs.

That night uncle Aaron came by for dinner and then we went out for frozen yogurt that didn't cost an arm and a leg and a 20 minute drive-imagine that. It was so good. Why must I crave something that is such a pain and so expensive in LV?
Anyway, it was a fun day.

Sunday morning Henry and Johann got to sport their new Easter duds and looked pretty good, if I do say so myself. I think this is the first picture we've had of all of us coordinating maybe ever haha. I'm just happy to have a decent pic of the family!

We went to my mom's ward and enjoyed the block and had a nice Easter dinner at the house with my mom, the Rafferty's and uncle Aaron. Henry got to tell us how they talked about the Resurrection and it's great to see him understanding a little more each year. Last year he would say, "Jesus died but then he didn't really," whereas now we're at, "Jesus died and then he came alive again," I think that's good progress.

We also spent time the week before between conference sessions showing him the new Bible videos the church put out. I think that is helping him understand the resurrection a little bit more and be excited that because of what Jesus did, he can live again too. 

I'm grateful for the gift of the resurrection, the gift that all receive because of the great love of the Father and the Son and the knowledge that I can live with them and my family again if I will stay true and faithful.  

Preschool Field Trip: Build a Bear Workshop

Henry's last day of preschool before Spring break was a field trip to the Build a Bear Workshop at the mall.

Since we live right around the corner from the mall, I went ahead and took him myself. We got there a little early and there were Easter photos being done right across from the store. The Easter bunny showed up and gave Henry some ears. Henry kept asking why he wasn't wearing pants. Legitimate question.

Henry, his ears and his super girly pose. We had been looking in baby gap right before this and he said this was how they pose.

The field trip got a little hairy when everyone showed up and Miss Nancy (Henry's teacher, my cousin) talked to them and it turned out there was some mix up with the date of the field trip. They only had one worker there. Yikes.

After some singing and dancing with the kids though, they were ready to go.

Each kid got to pick a bear, name it, stuff it and put a heart in it.

Henry picked a brown bear and named him 'Pirate'

Both the younger and older preschoolers with their bears

Since I was there with Henry and he was being a good boy and it was actually cheaper than I expected, I let him pick a costume for his bear. And he picked....

a lucha libre costume. Yup. Another reason I like Henry.

Finally we headed over to the park and the kids had their teddy bear picnic. =)