CHRISTMAS!

I have pictures. Lots of 'em. But they are trapped in my camera. Someday I will get a new camera and not lose the USB cord so I can upload pictures with ease. But until that time, you have to settle with using your imagination and looking at poor quality pictures from my phone. This Christmas we went up north. We started our journey on Sunday, December 20th. We drove up to Springville and spent the night in my parents little house. We had it all to ourselves which was really nice. I went in to work in Murray from Monday through Wednesday. It was great to meet all of the new people who have started since I was last up there. Monday night Glen and I went up to Salt Lake and went shopping. It was freezing! But we had dinner at Biaggi's and it was pretty good! Plus we got to spend the evening alone. Tuesday night we took Glen's dad, Wayne and little sister, Marianne, to Tucano's. We love Rodizio Grill but we figured Wayne wouldn't want to go all the way to Salt Lake just for dinner. So we settled with Tucano's. They had never been and the restaurant serves a lot of the food Glen at while in Brazil so it was fun to share that with them. (PS. we later found out there is a new Rodizio Grill in American Fork. Go figure!) Anywho, it was good food and good fun.
Wednesday night, Candice and I braved the crowds and headed to Wal-Mart for some last minute shopping. Luckily people are usually really nice to two pregnant ladies so this close to Christmas they were at least decent instead of horrible. However, Thursday, Christmas Eve, I went to Reams and was almost cutoff by a rushed shopper with one item. Luckily I kept my cool and just kept walking so she didn't make it in front of me. There was no one else in line so I don't know what her big deal was. I had like 7 items. Come on people! It's Christmas! Anyway, Glen and I headed up to Farmington for the annual Hicks/Loveless Christmas Eve party. It was really fun as usual. The food was awesome and we all opened presents. I think I won in the present department though. Since I have a nephew in my belly, he got a present from his little cousin Aaron. He got a Diaper Genie! So really, I got a present and I'm so excited! Later that night we found ourselves and Dayton and Candice's (from now on they will be known as D & C) place to open the "star present". This is the present we get to open on Christmas Eve. It is always pajamas. The purpose of this is to ensure good looking people in your Christmas Day photos. Glen got me really cute pink and gray pajama pants and a maternity shirt that says Baby with a big heart. I love them! Glen got the usual plaid pants and an Old Navy shirt.
Knowing the babies at D & C's house would sleep until at least 7 am meant I got to sleep in this Christmas. Of course I still naturally woke up at 5 like I do every Christmas, but this year I went right back to sleep. I'm usually the one to wake everyone else up but I'm too tired as of late. We packed up our presents and headed to D & C's. So, now it is time for the present wrap-up: Chelsea from Glen received: One freakin' awesome body pillow, The Little Mermaid, Mario Kart Wii, maternity clothes, candy, a new electric toothbrush and a beautiful sewing machine! Glen receive from Chelsea: two organ books, DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons, clothes, a lamp for the piano and random food stuffs he specifically asked for. (I think he did a better job... but these are things he asked for...) We also got a really nice piece of artwork from our friends the Carnesecca's that has our name and wedding date on it. My mom and dad got Glen a Flip video camera and me another cottage for my Christmas village. They are also taking us all to Mexico at the end of May!
We ate a hearty breakfast and then headed over to Glen's dad's house to open presents with them. From Wayne I got the cutest onesie ever! He is a farmer so it is just perfect! It is pictured above. I also got the movie "A Christmas Story" which strangely enough we did not have yet. From Glen's sister Marie I got a maternity sweater and a scarf to match. They are really cute! Glen got an Old Spice gift set. He loves Old Spice so that was perfect. Wayne also put together a photo album of old family photos which we don't have a lot of so that was really nice. Marie got Glen books of organ music. After presents, the four of us (Glen, me, Marie and Marianne) met up with D & C at the movies to see Sherlock Holmes. I loved it but a couple in our party felt it lacked a certain something. That night we had dinner at D & C's house with Candice's mom and little sister.
Saturday we spent most of the day at Glen's dad's. We had lunch with them and then played the 1981 version of Trivial Pursuit. It was fun to guess things like what company has the 2nd largest truck fleet when it is now 28 years later and the answer has probably changed. We came home Saturday night. We have been playing with our new toys ever since. I can't get Glen to stay home more than a few hours before he is off to the church to play his new organ music. What a nut! But he does play Mario Kart with me and we have a blast. Anywho, that was our Christmas. Now we are back home and I am back to work and Glen is trying to fill the rest of his break with unproductive activities. (If you read all of this you are a true friend. Remember, blogs are somewhat of a journal so I have to make sure I include everything)

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25 Week Baby Bump

Per Melissa's request, here is a picture of the bump. No, I do not need to go potty*, I was just trying to emphasize the bump:*Okay, well, these days I probably did need to go potty... but that is not why my hands are there.

Time is Flying!

Although I complain about having to wait nine months for this baby to be in my arms, time is really going by fast. I think that has a lot to do with the holidays and birthdays and end of semesters. Speaking of end of semesters, Glen has finished his last semester as an undergrad! He starts student teaching in January! We have no idea where we will be by the end of May, which makes it really hard to get a nursery ready. I'm pretty sure we won't be in this house at least because we want to buy a house. But this is not why I started this post. I am coming up on 25 weeks. That means 15 (or 16 or 17) weeks left. At this point, I am feeling great! My joints are a little sore and I do get some round ligament pain from time to time but nothing worth complaining about. My new favorite past time is laying on the couch watching my belly jump around. It makes me think this is one strong little baby! And active... He never stops. He might when I am asleep but most of my waking hours are filled with kicks, jabs, rolls and punches. And I absolutely love it! I think it's funny when he kicks my bladder but I still get after him because I don't want to pee my pants. I have gained more weight than I need to my whole pregnancy so I think I'll fast for the next 15 weeks. Just kidding, of course, but it is still hard. I have been overweight all my life and my self-image has never been great so getting heavier is not easy. My doctor assures me I am not a fatty but I am not sure if he was saying that as a doctor or as a man. I think the latter. But that's okay, it still made me feel better. My belly button is still an innie but it is slowing growing out which is fun to watch. We have come up with a few names that shall remain unspoken until he makes his appearance. I have to do the glucose test as soon as I get back from our Christmas "vacation" up north. I am not at all excited about that. We only have to buy for two more people and then Christmas is taken care of. This is something I am excited about. I've never seen so many wrapped presents this soon before Christmas. It feels great! We also finished our neighbor gifts last night and those will be going out today. We bought Christmas cards but we haven't sent them yet. We will need to do that soon. Glen still won't let us do a picture. I think it would be awesome to have matching hideous Christmas sweaters and I could sport a side ponytail. But alas, not this year. Thanksgiving was great! we were in Arizona but to avoid making this post so long that no one reads it (too late) I will end there.

Happy Holidays

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The Best Birthday Ever!

My birthday started out pretty normal. As soon as my eyeballs were open I heard, "Happy Birthday to you!" Sung to the tune of, you guessed it, the Happy Birthday song. Then breakfast was catered by McD's (mmmmmmm McGriddle). Glen made me open my presents. I did not complain. He gave me maternity clothes of which I was desperately in need, and the LDS version of the bible translated in Spanish. This might not be as exciting to some of you until you find out it just came out this year! The entire time I was on the mission I was reading the Catholic translation of the Bible to Catholics and telling them to join the church. Anyway, now I have JS translations and a bible dictionary and so on and so forth. Glen told me there were more presents arriving in the mail later in the afternoon. He went to school and I got to work. A package did come in the afternoon and I set it inside and patiently waited for Glen to get home. He finally did, but he was not alone. He brought with him a beautiful bouquet of flowers! They are still here on the coffee table. I am looking at them right.... now! Anywho, he told me to open the package and inside was the most beautiful maternity pea coat I ever did see! And a sweatshirt that zips in the front! Both of which will keep me warm!
By this time I was starving since I knew we would be going out to dinner and I wanted to be hungry. I told Glen that his wife and child were wasting away and he said, "I know but if we go now we will be early..." Uh whu? So, then he said we had reservations. Oooh. But we needed to drop something off at a friend's house first. Hmmmm.... fishy. Anywho, we went to said friend's house and rang the doorbell, she answered and lead us into the kitchen, when all of a sudden people were jumping out and yelling surprise! Which was exciting in and of itself, however, (insert dramatic pause here) MY PARENTS CAME OUT FROM THE CORNER! My parents! The ones that live in Arizona? You know the ones. I started to cry.... I couldn't help it! My parents on my birthday! But that wasn't the last surprise. Glen had given out assignments to everyone to each make some sort of food that I missed from Argentina! There was guiso de lentejas (lentil stew, so good! Glen made that), empanadas, ensalada de frutas (fruit salad, duh!), ensalada rusa (Russian salad, really just potatoes, carrots, peas and mayonaise), alfojores de maizena con dulce de leche (sandwich cookies with dulce de leche in the middle), chimichuri (really good sauce), and an ice cream cake (not Argentine, purchased from DQ. Had it been from Argentina it would either have been drenched in sugar water or tasted like nail polish remover so I am glad it was not). We still have about half the ice cream cake left in the freezer. It's delicious!
So, you can see why this was the best birthday ever! I have the most thoughtful husband. And he's a liar, but I have come to look past that. Plus my parents are both liars as well as they had said they would not be coming to Utah until Wednesday because my mom has not been feeling well. But anyway, Glen is the best and I am so glad I forced him to marry me so that I could be happy.

Something new

I started to feel bad that every time I came on my blog I got a shot of my baby's peen; which means so is the rest of the free world. So, it's time for a new post. This year for Halloween picking a costume was a chore. We went to Wal-mart a few times and looked at the pre-packaged costumes but I just couldn't justify paying at least $20 a piece. The ones we actually liked were $35. So, instead, since I wasn't feeling well and just wanted to leave the store, I came up with my own costume. I figured Glen would still want to buy his costume in a bag. I grabbed those tattoo sleeves and a red and black wig and I was ready. Glen then decided to make me really happy and start grabbing his own stuff to make the same costume for himself. We were finally going to match again for Halloween! The only other time this happened was one year when we rented awesome period costumes and he was like Mozart or something and I was a lady (I know, big stretch). We don't even have pictures! Anywho, he grabbed some red hair paint and more tattoo sleeves. We then grabbed white face paint which we didn't use. (Speaking of that, we need to take that back, maybe next year when it's full price again) Then I grabbed some black bracelets for myself and we figured we would get the rest another day. The day before Halloween we went to DI and grabbed a leather belt and then we went to The Wiz and picked up some fake earrings. Glen cut the belt down to make awesome bracelets for himself. On the day in question, we put on our black clothes and make-up, tattoos and earrings and this was the result:Glen also has two earrings in his ear but you can't see them. All in all we probably spent about $25. I was very pleased. We of course have better pictures on the camera along with pictures of Glen's birthday party which was three months ago. Someday I will go get a cd of my pictures and then you will all be inundated with old pictures you don't care about. Regardless, this was our Halloween! (Please ignore my messy bed in the first picture... we were busy trying to get ready)

Hi! I'm cute!

If you can't tell what I am having, you don't deserve to know.

It's a...

Toss up! Wow, the voting came down to 50% for one and 50% for another. So, now I can tell you, half of your were right and half were wrong. So, way to go half of you! Other half, better luck next time.

On the Move

For the past week I have been feeling the baby moving around. This is so far my favorite part. Sometimes s/he goes a little crazy in there. It's fun to try and picture exactly what is happening. Luckily the kicks and jabs are still little and don't hurt me at all and I have been kicked in the bladder yet so no peeing my pants. I'm especially proud of that. Glen still hasn't been brave enough to sit with his hand on my belly and wait for that loving punch but he'll come around; probably when I have a big protruding belly. It looks like the poll is pretty close at this point. I haven't voted because I refuse to be wrong so if I don't make a choice I can't be wrong. Here are some old wives' tales to help anyone who is on the fence: I am craving salty foods, not sweet. My acne is atrocious. I only puked once and I was not unbearably nauseous. Glen seems to be keeping his weight at bay. The baby, while it's still early, is low. My hair is falling out but growing fast along with my nails. My feet are cold all the time but that could be the snow. The baby's heart rate is above 140. The Chinese gender chart says it's a boy. So, which ever of those OWTs you choose to believe should help you make a more "educated" guess.

Boy or Girl

We have hit 18 weeks and in one week we will (hopefully) be finding out the gender of our sweet baby! I don't really have a bump still but it is coming along. I have put a poll on the right side of the blog. Feel free to guess!

Disneyland Pictures

We ended our trip with Marianne's first beach experience. This is Newport Beach.

Are We There Yet?

So, tomorrow we are headed to good ol' California for what some might call a "babymoon". In reality it is just an excuse to go to Disneyland! We have invited my mom and Glen's little sister Marianne to accompany us. We are so excited! This will be the last time I can go to Disneyland without worrying about kids, either because we left them home or because I'm afraid they are going to get lost in the park. We are staying outside of Anaheim which is not our favorite but we got a smokin' deal on the hotel that we couldn't pass up. It will only be a ten minute drive from the hotel to the park. I am having an internal struggle, however. I have read and heard conflicting views on pregnant women and rides at Disneyland. The whole reason I wanted to go at this time was because I wouldn't be showing and Space Mountain is now haunted for the Halloween season and I want to see it.
When I told my mission companion about going she said to make sure my doctor knew about it. So, on Friday of last week at our appointment, I said, "Dr Allen, (again no relation) we're going to Disneyland next week." He replied, "Have fun!" and that is what I intend to do. However, There are seven rides at Disneyland, a couple I don't care about, that say, "Expectant Mothers should not ride." Some people say this is to cover their butts and others say it is more for the mothers' comfort than anything else and still others, (the glass half-empty people) tell me I am sure to cause a miscarriage if I ride any roller coaster. I would understand the latter if this were a high-risk pregnancy or if I had experienced any sort of issues, like spotting, cramps, etc. but this pregnancy has been nothing but easy. No problems of any kind. My doctor is not concerned and it seems he would at least say, "Just steer clear of Indiana Jones (fat chance) and Space Mountain (um... whole reason I'm going)," if it were going to be a problem. The baby is floating around in amniotic fluid surrounded by my squishy organs and layers upon layers of adipose tissue (cute word for fat). I don't even think s/he knows when I am moving around and when I am laying on the couch. I mean if a roller coaster is going to cause damage than so is driving, riding a bike, sexing, jumping jacks, running and so many other things that women do when they are pregnant. Okay, maybe not jumping jacks, but you get it.
I might not ride some rides like California Screamin' since, although it is the best roller coaster ever made, I don't feel as nostalgic when I ride it. I will definitely not ride the Maliboomer, one because Glen doesn't like it and two because, again, without the theme and the singing, it really doesn't bring back memories. The only nostagicky rides that I will probably not ride are Star Tours (not Glen's favorite and all that rocking might make me hurl) and Tower of Tower, which makes me sad even to write. I love that ride but I think the free fall might be a bit much.
However, I will see how I feel by then. The Holy Ghost might whisper, "Chelsea, those killjoys were right, stay off Space Mountain." In which case I will wait at the exit to the ride, after going to the bathroom I'm sure, and sob silently to myself. But I don't see how Indiana Jones could be a problem since it's just like driving in a car on a bumpy road. But I digress. The point is, I am going to Disneyland to spend time with Glen, my mom and Marianne. I can't wait! And I get to take two days off of work which means next week will only be 3 days long!
We find out on November 2 what we are having. Let me rephrase that, we go to the hospital for the big ultrasound on November 2nd and hopefully the baby cooperates and flaunts her/his stuff so we can know what we are having. We are not sure if we will be sharing the news with others yet so I think it would be unfair to have a poll at this point. It's fun to have little secrets between ourselves like names and sex of the baby. We will share eventually. At least for the shower since I want clothes. Most people don't register for clothes but they are so freakin' cute. I mean, look at these:

Happy Halloween!

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Baby bump? 'fraid not.

See that picture of a silhouette of a pregnant lady on the right? I wish that were me. Instead I have baby flab. Oh, and baby thighs and butt. And don't forget the baby double-chin. I know it is early for a full-on bump but still, I am sick of this nasty gut. I can push it out so that it looks more like a baby or beer belly but unfortunately it looks like I am about 7 months pregnant instead so I just try to hide the fat with clothes and pretty much staying indoors most of the day. The good news is that when I suck in there is a little bump that doesn't suck... in. So, I have the beginnings of a bump but I wish it would hurry already. Nausea is gone! For the most part, anyway. Sometimes I will be eating dinner and I have to stop or I will spew but it's not really the same nauseous feeling I used to have. Most people know now but we have grown tired of announcing it so a lot of people are finding out by just listening to conversations we are having with people who already know. This weekend we are off to Provo for a mission reunion and I suppose I should let my mission friends know but, like I said we have grown tired of announcements. One of my companions knows so I will just have to have a revealing conversation with her in front of the other missionaries.
My next appointment is in ten days and I will be at almost 16 weeks. I know people who have found out the sex by then but my doctor tends to leave me in the dark about these things and I haven't asked. I will ask at my next appointment though. Hopefully I won't have to wait until I am 20 weeks. I want to know so we can buy stuff and we are planning a trip to Disneyland before 20 weeks and I would like to get him/her something.
In the meantime, I guess it would be fun to see what other people think. One of these days I will put up a poll.

What our baby may look like

Last year we did this thing called Make Me Baby and put our pictures together to see what our kids might look like. Here are the links to those posts:
Girl:
http://glenandchelsea.blogspot.com/2008/09/girl-is-little-better-we-should-stick.html
Boy:
http://glenandchelsea.blogspot.com/2008/09/this-is-our-future-baby-maybe-we.html

Alien Baby

11 Weeks

WRITTEN SEPTEMBER 7:
I hit eleven weeks yesterday. The nausea is still hanging on and I am hungry all the time. Oh, I can't get enough sleep. Today was Labor Day. We slept in. I laid in bed for a while. We got breakfast. I laid on the couch. I fell asleep for at least an hour. I woke up, showered, we went to the fair and I was beat all over again. As I type, I am struggling to keep my eyes open. This is not fun for Glen, I am sure. He just lets me sleep and complain about being tired all the time. I love being pregnant, don't get me wrong, but I am glad most people don't know I am so that I can't be too vocal about my complaints. I don't want to be that pregnant woman that no one wants to be around because all they do is complain. You know who I'm talking about. So, apparently it's not a good idea for me to go on spinny carnival rides. It makes my tummy worse... Who knew? Luckily, Disneyland doesn't have many spinny rides. I really want to go before I get too big. Speaking of getting big, I can't telling if I am "showing" or just gaining weight due to the constant eating and no longer jogging everyday. I'm going with the gaining weight thing. I go to the doctor again on Friday. I hope to see a better picture this time of a jumping bean. According to the emails I get, baby's fingers and toes are no longer webbed and will be moving independently. Or, if s/he's lucky, there will be at least one set of webbed toes like me! Yep, I'm a freak.
We spent a lot of time with Theora today. I really wanted to tell her. Mostly because my weight and acne are out of control and I want her to know why. But pretty soon we will be telling everyone. I will be telling my siblings this weekend after are second ultrasound. I can't wait to tell Candice! But I wish I could tell people in person. We might have to go up to Springville this weekend just for that purpose. Taylor, Keaton, Brandon and Kody will have to be told over the phone at least. I don't think I could tell Caitie over the phone. She needs to find out in person. Mom, surprisingly, hasn't accidentally told anyone. She's is being so good, as she puts it. It will be nice when everyone knows and I can stop feeling like a dirty cow with my acne and fatness around the face and belly. People will realize it is just part of this time in my life. Strangely, I have only gained 4 lbs so far even with the dramatic change in diet and physical activity. But I feel huge!
Anywho, this was my update for now.

The Heartbeat!

WRITTEN AUGUST 19th, 2009
On August 13, 2009, Glen and I headed back to the doctor's office for our second visit. Dr. Allen slathered on the jelly and looked for a baby. He felt it was necessary to show me my bladder. I couldn't really see anything so I didn't care. Then we saw it... kinda. We saw the blob in a bigger blob. Then he turned on the sound and there it was: a little heartbeat! It was amazing! I got a little teary but luckily the lights were out so no one noticed. Dr. Allen thought he could get a better picture with a transvaginal ultrasound. It wasn't any better. But I did get to hear the heartbeat again. Then he did the tummy ultrasound again, yay! I was measuring a week behind where I thought I should be but he didn't change the due date and he won't until the next ultrasound. I am scheduled to go back on September 4, however, he told me to come back in 4 weeks and that would only be 3 weeks. The lady at the clinic counted the day I was there as one and counted 3 more to get to four weeks. So, I might call to reschedule, I might not.... I will be at almost 11 weeks by then and I don't think I could get an NT scan by then and I don't want to wait another 4 weeks for the NT scan. Mom came to visit on Sunday and we told her about the baby. She cried and was really excited. The way we did it was pretty awesome. Glen had been working on a mission scrapbook and I told him to make a page with us and the ultrasound at the end and we could show mom the scrapbook and she would get to the last page and figure it out. Well, she got to the last page where there was a wedding picture of us and stickers that said, "Mother to be" and "Father to be". She said that her first thought was that I was going to freak Glen out and he would leave me if I kept pushing this baby business. Then she saw the ultrasound photo and she said, "What?! What is this?! No! Really?!" Then the tears came. It was awesome. We had told Dad over the phone right before we told mom. He wasn't as excited but now that he knows he wants to tell everyone and he's not allowed to since we aren't ready for everyone to know yet. He called my mom and asked who he could tell and she said no one. So he said, "When you say 'no one' do you mean like no one at all?" Maybe we shouldn't have told him yet. Just kidding. I know he will respect our wishes.... Right, Dad?

Allen Family Reunion

This past weekend we headed down to Arizona for the Allen Family Reunion. We first drove to Mesa (7.5 hours) and then met up with my parents and drove the rest of the way to Willcox/Cochise (3+ hours). It was a long day! We got to my Uncle's home in Cochise and had a bonfire and received our Indian or Native American names. My grandpa gives them out to everyone in the family and there is a whole ton of us. The next day we all donned matching red shirts and went to many different places. First we had breakfast, delicious, and then we headed to Apple Annie's which is an orchard and garden where you can pick your own produce. They also have peach cobbler ice cream, homemade pies, fudge, kettle corn and applewood smoked hamburgers. We didn't want to wait in a long line for hamburgers so we had apple strudel and apple flavored licorice for lunch. Mmmm... nutritious. Then my family, being the party poopers, headed back to the hotel for a nap. Boy was I glad! Then we went back to my uncle's house were everyone regrouped and headed out for the family history sites. We saw an old mine where my Great-great grandpa was in charged and we visited a ghost town. We also went to the Cochise Stronghold which is where Cochise, an old indian chief lived and was buried. Then we had an amazing chuck wagon BBQ pork and beef dinner with homemade BBQ sauce and coleslaw. I brought my camera but never took it out of my bag. My mom took pictures as did my Granddad. So I will post at least one picture. Sunday we went to church at the local branch. My dad and uncles sang and there were some interesting happenings there. We had to pack up before church and check out because the hotel was about 30 miles from church and the other direction from home. Unfortunately, we ended up having to go back to the hotel since I forgot to pack all of my clothes. I blame the congestion and the fetus that is sucking all brain power. Then it was time to come home. Luckily we broke up the trip this time and drove to Mesa on Sunday and drove home on Monday. Much better!

We did it!

WRITTEN AUGUST 7, 2009

I will not be publishing these posts until we have made it public, but we're pregnant! On July 16, I took a pregnancy test, 3 days early, and it was negative. I was disappointed but I knew there was still a chance. By the way, each time I take a test, I don't tell Glen for fear that he will think I am being obsessive. Anyway, I was feeling "different" for a week before I took the first test. Since it was my last test, I decided to wait a few days before going out and buying another test. I didn't really start and I normally have debilitating cramps on the first day which didn't come. I finally decided to but more tests on Wednesday night. I went to Wal-Mart (I normally buy them at Smith's but I used the excuse of getting Glen a B-Day card to go out by myself.) I bought a pack of 3 tests. That night, I started what I thought was my period and I was crushed. The next morning I decided to test again just in case. I get up early to go running every morning and Glen usually sleeps the whole time. Anyway, I take the test and it's negative. I think to myself, I should check the box just in case since this is a different brand. But no, I'm just being silly. However, I was hiding the tests in my sock drawer so Glen wouldn't see them. When I went to get socks, I looked at the box and lo and behold, what I thought was negative was actually positive. I was hyperventilating a little and doing my best to not wake up Glen. I was so excited because Glen's birthday was a week and a half later and I wanted it to be one of his presents. So, I didn't tell him right away. I called the doctor's office and made an appointment for the next Thursday, so a week from when I got the positive. The next day I went back to Wal-Mart and bought some onesies and wrapped them in the same paper as the rest of Glen's presents. But I couldn't wait any longer. Friday night, July 24th, before our date, I handed it to him and said, "Open this now, please." He really didn't want to but I made him. He was in shock! It was awesome. He just kept saying, "No, no." It was funny because not two hours earlier Candice asked if I was pregnant because her dad overheard me talking about it but actually I was talking about someone else. So I had to lie to Candice because I hadn't told Glen yet and we hadn't decided to tell anyone yet.
The next day, Dayton told us that Candice is pregnant and due March 17. So, she is 11 days ahead of me! My little one will have a cousin his/her age! We went to the doctor on July 30 and he said everything looked great and that we would have an ultrasound on August 13. So I am currently 6 weeks 5 days along. I will continue to create update posts without actually posting them until we spread the news.

Gross!

This is what I keep coming home to:We've now killed two. The biggest one was the first one we saw and it got away before we could destroy it. However, the next night she came out again and I got her! Then, another one got brave and Glen was lucky enough to kill that one. Tonight we came home from a walk around the block and it was dark so I don't know if it was actually a black widow this time but I made Glen kill it anyway. Spiders give me the creeps to begin with but when they are venomous I just get even more creeped out and I start to worry about my doggy. So, we killed them.Anyway, enough about that. Last night, Elder Cook from the quorum of the twelve held a fireside for the young single adults at SUU. Glen was called to play the organ so we got to attend and sit on the stand, kinda. We sat behind the organ, but I had a pretty good view. Afterward I spoke with Sister Cook and told her that I was in the MTC when Elder Cook was the Executive Director of the Missionary Department and he came with his family on Christmas and had FHE with all of the missionaries. She was excited that I shared that with her and we talked about how the Osmond 2nd generation came as well. She said that when she found that out she thought no one would care about the Cook Family but I assured her that no one really cared about the Osmond 2nd Generation. Except maybe the elders who salivated over one of the girlfriends they brought along who had a short dress on.The fireside was great and lucky for us we got to hear them speak a second time this morning in a combined stake conference at the SUU centrum. The talks on both occasions were about faith and being examples of the believers. Today Elder Cook emphasized reactivation and bringing part-member families together by helping non-members gain a testimony of the Savior and the restored Gospel. It was really good. I'm so grateful that I was able to find some one who could take me to the temple so that my family can be eternal. And he's such a great example to me of a believer. I can't wait to move on to the next stage in our life together!

11 Weeks

I hit eleven weeks yesterday. The nausea is still hanging on and I am hungry all the time. Oh, I can't get enough sleep. Today was Labor Day. We slept in. I laid in bed for a while. We got breakfast. I laid on the couch. I fell asleep for at least an hour. I woke up, showered, we went to the fair and I was beat all over again. As I type, I am struggling to keep my eyes open. This is not fun for Glen, I am sure. He just lets me sleep and complain about being tired all the time. I love being pregnant, don't get me wrong, but I am glad most people don't know I am so that I can't be too vocal about my complaints. I don't want to be that pregnant woman that no one wants to be around because all they do it complain. You know who I'm talking about. So, apparently it's not a good idea for me to go on spinny carnival rides. It makes my tummy worse... Who knew? Luckily, Disneyland doesn't have many spinny rides. I really want to go before I get too big. Speaking of getting big, I can't telling if I am "showing" or just gaining weight due to the constant eating and no longer jogging everyday. I'm going with the gaining weight thing. I go to the doctor again on Friday. I hope to see a better picture this time of a jumping bean. According to the emails I get, baby's fingers and toes are no longer webbed and will be moving independently. Or, if s/he's lucky, there will be at least one set of webbed toes like me! Yep, I'm a freak.
We spent a lot of time with Theora today. I really wanted to tell her. Mostly because my weight and acne are out of control and I want her to know why. But pretty soon we will be telling everyone. I will be telling my siblings this weekend after are second ultrasound. I can't wait to tell Candice! But I wish I could tell people in person. We might have to go up to Springville this weekend just for that purpose. Taylor, Keaton, Brandon and Kody will have to be told over the phone at least. I don't think I could tell Caitie over the phone. She needs to find out in person. Mom, surprisingly, hasn't accidentally told anyone. She's is being so good, as she puts it. It will be nice when everyone knows and I can stop feeling like a dirty cow with my acne and fatness around the face and belly. People will realize it is just part of this time in my life. Strangely, I have only gained 4 lbs so far even with the dramatic change in diet and physical activity. But I feel huge!
Anywho, this was my update for now.

Defeat

Dad and his family did their taping yesterday. They lost miserably. Apparently the loss caused an actual feud between my dad and his siblings. He was the leader guy that had to give the answer when the other team got three strikes and they didn't come up with anything so he had to say, "I got nothing!" They said it was the first time a team didn't have anything to say. After they lost, they were ushered off stage but my mom and the rest of the family members in the audience had to stay for three more tapings. They all thought that my dad and his siblings and mom were comfortably snacking in the green room but they were actually all arguing with each other. I love my dad's family! I can just imagine my nana telling her sons how dumb they are. Fantastic! We won't be able to see the show until February. I can't wait!

THE STINK!

Got a haircut!

Family Feud

Twenty-six years ago, my dad and his brothers and mom were on Family Feud with Richard Dawson. My mom saw an advertisement that said that the interviewer people were coming to Arizona. So she called them up and told them about my dad having been on the show before and that she had the video and everything and they could do a "Then and Now" type deal and they said they wanted to interview them. So, my dad, three of his brothers and his mom went to the interview and they were picked! They are flying them all out on August 31 and the taping is Sept 1 and 2. My mom said I could go so I hope I get to. Since I am not in school now, I have a lot more time to go places, it's just hard to go without Glen. But a trip to California would not be a chore. Maybe Dad will win enough money so I can quit my job and go to school... He probably wouldn't use it for that... Oh well. Good luck, Daddy!

The Heartbeat!

On August 13, 2009, Glen and I headed back to the doctor's office for our second visit. Dr. Allen slathered on the jelly and looked for a baby. He felt it was necessary to show me my bladder. I couldn't really see anything so I didn't care. Then we saw it... kinda. We saw the blob in a bigger blob. Then he turned on the sound and there it was: a little heartbeat! It was amazing! I got a little teary but luckily the lights were out so no one noticed. Dr. Allen thought he could get a better picture with a transvaginal ultrasound. It wasn't any better. But I did get to hear the heartbeat again. Then he did the tummy ultrasound again, yay! I was measuring a week behind where I thought I should be but he didn't change the due date and he won't until the next ultrasound. I am scheduled to go back on September 4, however, he told me to come back in 4 weeks and that would only be 3 weeks. The lady at the clinic counted the day I was there as one and counted 3 more to get to four weeks. So, I might call to reschedule, I might not.... I will be at almost 11 weeks by then and I don't think I could get an NT scan by then and I don't want to wait another 4 weeks for the NT scan. Mom came to visit on Sunday and we told her about the baby. She cried and was really excited. The way we did it was pretty awesome. Glen had been working on a mission scrapbook and I told him to make a page with us and the ultrasound at the end and we could show mom the scrapbook and she would get to the last page and figure it out. Well, she got to the last page where there was a wedding picture of us and stickers that said, "Mother to be" and "Father to be". She said that her first thought was that I was going to freak Glen out and he would leave me if I kept pushing this baby business. Then she saw the ultrasound photo and she said, "What?! What is this?! No! Really?!" Then the tears came. It was awesome. We had told Dad over the phone right before we told mom. He wasn't as excited but now that he knows he wants to tell everyone and he's not allowed to since we aren't ready for everyone to know yet. He called my mom and asked who he could tell and she said no one. So he said, "When you say 'no one' do you mean like no one at all?" Maybe we shouldn't have told him yet. Just kidding. I know he will respect our wishes.... Right, Dad?

Family Reunion

Glen's Family at our reception

This past weekend we took the trek up to Utah County for the Hicks' first annual family reunion. Of course I forgot my camera and no one else took pictures so I have no photographic evidence. We met at Glen's dad's farm and grabbed some KFC and took it up to Hobble Creek Canyon. We pulled up to Kelly's Church which is a rather large pavilion you are supposed to reserve and pay for. There was a man there with a truck and we asked if he was using it and he said no and left. So we got to use the pavilion for free and no one asked us any questions. All of Glen's siblings, except for Meisha who lives in a home, were there. It was the first gathering of just the kids and Glen's dad. It was really fun. The grandkids were there, too. We ate lunch and then sat around and caught up on each others' lives. The kids were expressly told not to get wet in the creek but putting their feet in turned into their legs which turned into their whole bodies as they "fell" in. It reminded me of my childhood. I love creeks! We took Charlie and he loved it, too. After the reunion, Glen and I went to Dayton's house. When we knocked on the door he thought we were Candice and that she had locked herself out and since he had just woken up from a nap, he started swearing at us. It was pretty funny. They wanted us to come over to visit before we left and yet when we got there everyone in the house was asleep. But they woke up for us. Candice is pregnant which is fun and she is due on Caitie's birthday. We all hope it is a girl but I think we all know it is another boy, which would be fine because my nephews are the cutest!

Glen's Birthday

Okay, so, I had been planning a surprise birthday for Glen for the past few weeks. I had him convinced, yet again, that I had nothing planned and that I was a terrible wife. However, I invited everyone I could think of. Not everyone could make it but they all had good excuses. Okay, some weren't so great, but things come up. At least Bryce, Jessica, Roy and Taylor were able to drive down for the party even though they could only stay for an hour or two and then drive back. That means 400 miles for 2 hours of fun. Now that's love. Anyway, so I had to sneak around a lot because I rarely if ever leave the house without Glen if he is home. Which meant some fibbing on my part. Sometimes I just told him it was none of his business where I was going. Of course I was kidding and we laughed about it, but at least I didn't have to tell him that I was on my way to the city parks office to put a reserve on the pavillion at the park. The morning of I snuck out of the house to run to the grocery store to snag everything I would need for the party. When I got home, I expected Glen to still be asleep and I would be able to sneak everything in the house. However, he was outside walking the dog. Why does he have to be so responsible? Anyway, I told him I went to the store to buy food to make him lunch. Not a complete lie. I took him to get our favorite breakfast item, breakfast burritos from the deli down the street. So much for my diet!
Then, after a few hours of trying to figure out what I was going to do to get Glen out of the house so that I could start making food, I realized one of his presents was new organ music. So I gave that to him and told him to go to the church and practice for an hour or so while I made lunch. As soon as he left, I grabbed all the food and headed over to Cindy's house, who previously had mercifully offered to help with anything. So, I dropped off the meat, black beans and seasonings (for taco salad) and told her I forgot the piñata and that I would be right back. By the time I got back, Cindy had already made the food. I felt really bad but it was a relief. She then helped me get all of the drinks into HER ice chest and fill the piñata with candy. Then I headed over to the park where Bryce and Jessica were waiting. I dropped everything off, including the stinky dog, and headed off to get Glen. Since not everyone was there yet, I decided to take my time. Then I realized I didn't have candles for Glen's cake (lemon jello cake with lime jello, lemon pudding and cool whip, his special request) or anything to break the piñata with. So I ran back to the store (3rd time) and grabbed candles and a lighter and a bat. While there I ran into Roy and Taylor. Luckily they made it to the park before we did. I drove back to get Glen. Per Cindy's joking suggestion, I told Glen that lunch didn't work out and that I would be taking him out somewhere. Well, Glen is too curious about cooking and wouldn't stop asking what happened exactly and whether or not everything was ruined or if there was anything palatable left. I just kept giggling. Then I headed to the park and he figured out where we were going but he still didn't know who would be there. We walked over to the pavilion and everyone said "Surprise" which only scared Aimee and Robbie's son Taite into a crying fit and he was never the same until they left 20 minutes later. I was sad for him because he is usually so happy but I think it was nap time. Kristin Mabb was also there and brought her daughter Emily who also needed a nap and they left early. Of course Cindy was there and she brought Ben and Weston. Then there was the group who traveled from Springville. I think that was everyone. Anyway, it was really fun and everyone was a good sport for coming and not letting anything slip to Glen. (Pictures to come)

Far too long!

I fear it has been so long since I last posted that no one will even bother to check my blog. However, I will continue to update the blog as often as I can. My boss told me I wouldn't be able to be in school full time and keep my job. Since we need the health insurance and the job security to be able to buy a house next year, I guess I have no choice but to drop more than half of my courses. This means I will not be graduating next May as I had previously dreamed. However, Glen will be, so next year he can get a job and I can go to school. Hopefully I will graduate within 2 or 3 years. I would be okay not graduating but Glen won't have it. Well, I know most people don't know this, but Glen and I have been trying to get pregnant since May. We made a deal with each other. If we got pregnant before August, then we got pregnant; if not, I would go back on birth control for a few more months so that we can safely go on our trip to Europe next May. So, I guess I have to go back on birth control pretty soon. I'm a little sad about it but the Lord is in more control than we are so we will see what happens. I will soon be released from the primary presidency which is ever so sad. I really hope the new president will call me back to the presidency. I don't really want to go back to RS. Too many tears and the hours crawl by. Yesterday for Pioneer day we went to our ward's pancake breakfast and bake sale. Glen made carrot cake cupcakes and zucchini bread to help raise money for the YM/YW program. It was really fun! Next weekend is Glen's birthday. He will finally be as old as me. 24. But then shortly after I will turn 25 so it's not all that great. I think he thinks I have something planned which only makes the fact that I don't seem ten times worse than it is. I think we will just open presents and go out to dinner and I am making his requested Jello cake. For your enjoyment, I have posted a picture of Glen on the mission:

St. George

Kanarraville Falls

Anniversary Pictures

Click on this...

A Success

The anniversary weekend was awesome! We did everything I said in the last post but we also went to the Coca-Cola store and tried flavors of drinks from 16 different countries. Word to the wise, if you ever do that, obviously you have to try them all, but just take a tiny sip of the one called Beverly from Italy. It is ghastly. The Smart Watermelon from Japan (or China or something) was really good as was the Kiwi Mango from Africa. Any who, the show was amazing, of course, and the food was to die for. Glen got me two really nice hardback books. One is the complete works of Lewis Carrol and Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. I got Glen this paper thingy that got shows the Hicks family crest and tells the history of the name. We are going to frame it and pit pictures of Glen's ancestors in the frame as well. I'm excited. We got home Sunday afternoon and Caitie and her husband, Nate, came to bring Charlie home. They stayed the night and then we all went hiking up to Kanarraville Falls on Monday. I don't have pictures yet, but I will soon. It was a blast! We didn't take Charlie this time, I was sad about that. But we had fun anyway. Last night we watched our wedding video and ate our wedding cake. I must say, for year-old cake it was pretty good. The frosting was gross but the actual cake was edible. Today we started our summer courses. I also started swimming laps before class. I have to do it before class because after class I work until 6:30 and by then the pool is closed. So, the days are full again but this time I only have one course! Yay! Glen has 13 credits but they are all online. Hopefully he will be able to find a summer job in the meantime. Go Summer!

Our First Anniversary is Tomorrow!

I know I won't have time to post tomorrow so I thought I would post a little something today. Tomorrow is our first wedding anniversary! I am so excited! This year has been so much fun. We have learned and grown a lot. Work and school take up a lot of our time but we were still able to find time for each other and grow closer every day. They say the first year is the hardest but I think whoever "they" are, they are confused. I think you are still in that honeymoon phase for the whole first year not wanting to step on one another's toes and making sure not to hurt any feelings. I hope this continues but I'm sure it won't :) . To celebrate our anniversary we are going to Las Vegas for the weekend! Tonight we are going to a Brazilian restaurant, Glen's favorite. Then tomorrow we will go to the temple, go out to Ruth's Chris and then see Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. I am excited to go on a vacation with just Glen. It has been since our honeymoon that we have had a whole vacation to ourselves. And this might be the last before we start our brood. We'll see. Since Glen and I have known each other for so long it really does feel like we have been married for five or six years, even though the year did fly by. I love you Glen! You are my best friend and you know me better than anyone else. I love that I can be myself around you and you don't judge, you just make fun. You mean everything to me and I can't wait to see where you take me in the coming years!

Disneyland

Disneyland was a blast! Unfortunately, I still haven't made a cd of the pictures of the trip but I stole a picture from my mom. Everyone was there, with the exception of 3 of my brothers so not everyone per se. Anywho, it was so much fun to ride all the rides with my big doofus brothers. We had to do something planned for every ride that took your picture. The best being the serious face on the Tower of Terror (hopefully I can post a picture of it soon). We ate lots of food which may be the reason I look pregnant in this picture, but oh well. Caitie, Nate, Glen and I bought five day passes so we left Arizona earlier than the rest and spent the afternoon in the parks. Then everyone joined us the next three days. It was very tiring. We ended up not using the last day of our passes and Nate went early the last day we were in Cali to sell the tickets to anyone that needed a one day hopper pass. I was surprised at how much he could sell them for. Anyway, it was a good family vacation and was almost as good as Mexico would have been. Maybe next year.

It will have to do...

Apparently going to Mexico is a bad idea at this point. Which is silly since the swine flu is no more dangerous than the regular flu. The only reason it is "scarier" is because since it is a new strain our immune systems have nothing built up to combat it so we are more likely to contract it but no one is dying as long as they take medication as soon as the symptoms arise. PS. If you think you have the flu, don't go to the ER or the clinic. You will just be spreading the virus. Just call your doctor and he can prescribe Tamiflu. Anywho, this is not the point of this post. The point is, we are no longer going to Mexico. We quickly had to change plans earlier this week and we are all now going to Disneyland! The whole famn damily minus Brandon, oh, and Keaton and Kody, but they rarely go on family vacations. Glen and I are leaving today for Arizona. Tomorrow the twins are getting blessed so we are excited to be there for that. Also, Dayton's birthday was on April 28 and Taylor's is May 17 so we will be celebrating their birthdays as well. Glen and I also plan to look for a house while we are down there. There are some amazing deals on homes down there not to mention the $8000 tax credit for first time buyers. Again, not the point. The real point is that we are going to Disneyland! For three whole days! That is the perfect amount of time. By the time you get to the third day you are so tired but you want to get each ride in one more time and lucky for us our last day the park is open from 8-midnight so we should be able to get everything in one last time. I can't wait! We haven't been to Disneyland since December 2007. We did go to Disneyworld on our honeymoon but it's not even close to being the same. The feeling there is completely different. Everyone I talk to that loves Disneyland, agrees that there is this feeling there that just makes you happy as soon as you walk into the park. Unfortunately the same feeling is not present at California Adventure but it is still fun to go there. So, in short, Disneyland is the best and we will be there shortly!

This picture is from our last trip to Disneyland. We were dating. We were on a roadtrip up the coast of California so we only had time for one day and it wasn't enough. But it wasn't too bad since no one else was in the park.

Before and After

Charlie got a haircut. Isn't he cute?