Tell me!

AS A PARENT, what are a few of your most favorite baby items? Must-have products, Tips for use, and even stuff that you thought you had to have and didn't really end up using. Please help me out and leave a comment about your favorite baby gadgets. If your not a parent, but have heard about great stuff let me know. Thank you!

Baby Update!

On the 16th of March we had an appointment with our specialist in Ogden. Everything looked okay in the ultrasound. Nothing had worsened and she was growing like she should be. We had to do a non-stress test, which measures the baby heart rate fluctuations through movements, contractions, and at rest. We now have to have the non-stress tests two times a week!! They just want to make sure that the baby is not under to much duress. We will still have ultrasounds frequently as well. I had quite the scare when I woke up in the middle of the night with a constant stabbing pain. Luckily after a warm bath it went away, but man preparing for labor . . . something you've never experienced. I just didn't know what to expect. I thought, "There is no way the baby can be coming now!! Too soon!" I really freaked myself out. However, I am getting to the point where being this pregnant is quite uncomfortable so I am almost ready to have this baby. :) Everything seems to be going really well.

Spring Break!

Brandon and I had quite the eventful week! It started off with a fun baby shower with my ole high school pals. It was at Natalie's house in Syracuse. It was so fun getting together, because I swear the only time we do is for baby showers, bridal showers, weddings, etc. Everyone is so busy and we all live so far apart. I was so happy that Rachel and Brittanie were able to make it all the way from Cedar City!! We played a cotton ball game, drawing baby game, and ate really good food and an amazing cake by Ashly. Megan and Natalie's little kids are so cute, it makes me so excited for our baby girl to get here.
Brandon picked me up after the shower and it was off to Green River, Utah. We went geo-caching in Green River with Brandon's family which was so much fun. We even got stuck out in the sand, but with some good engineering of rocks and sticks, we were able to get ourselves out. We were also able to go to the Monticello temple which was tiny but beautiful. We went bike riding because it was such nice weather down there. Maggie kept up for the first several miles, but then I put her in the basket because she looked like she was going to die of heat stroke. I felt a little bit like Dorothy on the Wizard of Oz, and Maggie just fell asleep in the basket.
I'm not sure how our dog will be once the baby gets here. She's been a good replacement for a child for awhile, but I'm not sure how she'll react when she realizes she's not the baby anymore. :)We then left for Fountain Green where I had another baby shower with family members. Thanks everyone for all the wonderful gifts!! It was so much fun and we got so many cute things. I'll post more about it when I get the pictures. My family is the greatest! After the baby shower my mom, Jessica, and I met our husbands out on the west desert. (They were getting wood and shooting guns while the girls were having the baby shower.) We went fossil hunting, to this huge crater hole/sink hole, and stayed at the sheep camp overnight.
It was a blast! A very eventful Spring Break covering the whole state of Utah!

Man Wars 2009!

This past weekend, February 27th through March 1st, Brandon's brother Shawn, his wife Maria, and their baby Baylan came to Logan to stay with us. We went to the comedian Brian Regan on Friday night and he was hilarious.Saturday night Ryan, Ali, and Todd Griffith came over to join in the fun. We had a crepe night. We played games which started out as dice games, turned into ring wars (of which Shawn's ring Helen Keller was the champion), and then turned into Man Wars 2009!
Perhaps you are wondering what Man Wars are?! Well, these Man Wars consisted of four man push-ups, who could hit their head on the ceiling, one-legged squats, timed wheel-barrel races up the stairs, most switch leaps in one jump, toe touching contest, and basically anything else manly and tough. :) They all won different aspects of the competition. Todd quickest and highest jumper. Brandon bench press and lifting. Ryan upside down wall push-ups and toe touches. Shawn wheel-barrel races and most body hair. :) Good job boys!! They are all in training now for Man Wars 2010! (I think if some of the other cousins join in they might have some stiff competition next year.)

Doctors Update!

We went in for another ultrasound yesterday, the 24th of February. We are always a little bit nervous that they might find something more concerning the complications with the gastroschisis. The doctors appointments are usually all scheduled in the same day and end up taking up a good portion of the afternoon. The ultrasound went great and we couldn't be happier. Nothing had worsened with our baby and she is growing at a great rate. All fluid levels looked good. All this news made us extremely happy considering that at the last ultrasound they said she was on the small side. In March we will start doing weekly stress tests to further monitor the baby. We are so grateful that she is doing okay and that the doctors are really taking care of us. The doctors treat us like we are the most important people in the world and we really appreciate it, because for Brandon and I this little girl is the most important thing in the world.

Nesting!

Since we found out we were expecting I have gone into total and complete "nesting mode"!! Brandon too, because he has already put up all the baby furniture. (crib, glider, etc.) He has actually had it up since the end of January! I have started sewing up a storm. I have sewn several burp cloths, learned to croche, and right now I am about finished with another rag quilt! I think that it is going to be pretty cute. I tried to make this baby rag quilt a little bit more gender neutral because all of the other blankets I have are pink, pink, and more pink. Don't get me wrong, I love pink! LOVE PINK!! I just don't want to have to by all new blankets if we have a boy later on in life. Though I'm sure I'll go into nesting mode next baby too! It seriously is so much fun, even though I do have to do some un-picking from time to time. :)

Ice skating!

This year it was Brandon's turn to plan Valentines Day! (You never know what you are going to get with Brandon! :) And let me just tell you how the Valentines day week started off. In church someone came up to me and said, "Oh here is the instructions on how to clean the church on Saturday." I was a bit confused, and thought that they had me confused with someone else. Apparently Brandon had signed us up in Priesthood to clean the church on Valentines Day! Good for him, but of all days!! I asked him why he picked Valentines Day. He just laughed and apologized saying that nobody was signed up for that day. He said, "I knew I had something that day, but I couldn't remember what it was!" :) It was pretty fun though cause we had those ghost buster vacuums! We really do have a great ward which I love! Brandon surprised me with flowers, a cute maternity shirt, and a hobby lobby gift card! Then we went to Olive Garden and Ice Skating!!(Our friends Landon and Amanda!!)

Brandon really out did himself. I think he was trying to make up for being so sick last year on Valentines. Ice skating was sort of scary being seven months pregnant, but I was extremely careful. And didn't try any of my Michell Kwan/Tara Lipinski tricks! They even had ice walkers for old people or first time skaters that you could rent, which I seriously considered doing. I have had Brandon's Valentines present since Christmas! I got him Brian Regan tickets! (he's a comedian who Brandon thinks is hilarious) Brandon's brother Shawn, his wife Maria, and their cute little boy Baylan are coming up to go to the comedian with us on the 27th and staying over for the weekend! I'm way excited!

Thanks everyone for your kind wishes and prayers for our little baby girl during this stressful and delicate time of our lives. At our last check up with the doctor, everything seemed to be going really well. They did say that she is a little bit small for the gestational period. This is to be expected with gastroschisis, but as long as she continues to grow every two weeks at our ultrasounds, labor and delivery will continue to proceed as normal. (Normal - being that they won't have to induce me or do a c-section. Though she will still come early cause your body just goes into labor sooner.) She is starting to kick a lot and I have to monitor her kicking. It is the weirdest feeling and sometimes makes it hard to sleep, but I love it. I'm just glad that she is kicking!! I get so worried when I don't feel her move for awhile. It's then that I get a jab to the ribs as if she is just playing with me.