Livy's Last Hurrah

So since today is Liv's last official day as our only child, we thought we would have a special day just for her since she has no idea how her life is about to be completely turned upside down! We decided to take her to this little place called Fairytale Town. It was very cute.

Here we are at the head of the Knights of the Round Table place.

The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

Little Red Hen! Livy was so excited to see the "chichens"

The slides at this place were pretty steep! Of course that didn't stop Liv.

Cuteness

The creepy ginormous Mother Goose... I'm surprised she sat on it.

Here she is sitting next to Ahbed (from Community) in the pumpkin carriage. I wish that kid would have been looking in my direction. He looks just like him!

I don't remember what this one was. The cheese stands alone? What is that? I'm not familiar with most nursery rhymes. I blame my parents.

I love this pic.

I'm not meaning to advertise for Fairytale town - it was just the only one she would put her head through...

Chillin in the crooked house after walking the crooked mile.

We then took Liv to her favorite place ever - Baskin Robbins. She LOVES ice cream!

Of course, she picked the most play dough looking one.

It tasted horrible - but she ate it up!

It was so cute to see her tongue all purple and blue!

We ended the day with her staying up a little past her bedtime, playing with her BFF, Cos. I just wonder if she has ANY IDEA what's going to happen to her when she wakes up tomorrow... I sure am going to miss our days of one-on-one time together. I mean, I'm super excited to have little Adam, I'm just a little sad to see things change. I got use to having a lot of alone time with my little mini-me.

It seriously is the final countdown...

Livy and I were having fun with the balloons from the birthday celebration... Doesn't 3 days after the due date look awesome on me??? Yeah, I'm done with the whole preggo extravaganza.

So... there's a lot I wanted to update about how this little guy is getting here. I kept going to each of my appointments and my doctor kept being surprised that I was still pregnant! Yeah, you and me both! So at my appointment two weeks ago, we decided to push back the c-section date - because everything was ready with me - we were just waiting for his little head to engage and I wanted to give him the time that he needed. So she sent me home with some exercises to do to get this little sucker in the right position.

So then a week later, I show up on my due date - still very much pregnant and again my doctor is amazed. And so she decides to talk to me about getting induced. She explained all of the risks, but basically said that my chances for a c-section are no greater than anyone else getting induced because of how ready my body is. So I asked how soon I could get induced and she said, oh - maybe I shouldn't have told you that. My schedule is completely booked for the next two weeks.

And I'm pretty sure she saw the tears begin to weld up in my eyes. All of my hopes for a VBAC were completely obliterated and I was preparing myself to start bawling once she left the room. So seeing this great despair, she said, get dressed and come into my office and I'll stare at my schedule to see if I can do anything. So we went into her office, and she made Tuesday work!!! She warned me that I would have to explain to her husband why she was going to come home late that night - to which I replied I would send him a box of chocolates.

So we go into the hospital TOMORROW at 7 A.M.! I know that I could still very well have a c-section again after all is said and done - but I'm just so grateful for the chance to TRY! Prayer has played such a big part in this pregnancy and delivery! I'm so thankful to my Heavenly Father for this chance, even if it turns out as disastrous as the first. Then I'll finally accept my place in the c-section club...

So anyway, wish us luck! Let me know if you'd like to be on the text list for the announcement of his arrival! If not, I'm sure Matt will be updating both of our Facebook accounts constantly!

Happy Birthday!!!! Wooooo!

This is one of the two days a year that I get to blog. Get Excited. Alexis has hit the big 23. Look how happy she is.

I even caught a sweet video of her blowing out the candles.

I got to do the annual wake up early and decorate the house thing. I got up at five and I guess the result was not that awesome.


A few hanging streamers, a few streamers going across the room (as you can see, not even Alexis could walk under them without ducking), a happy birthday banner, and 40 tiny balloons that I blew up (I didn't realize how tiny they were when I bought them). The main point is that I tried and that the decorations are BYU colors.

The point is that I have an awesome wife, who is an amazing mother, a fantastic cook, a wiz on the iPhone games (she always beats my scores), and my best friend. She isn't bad to look at either.

Happy Birthday! I Love you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Livy attended her first ever V-day party at our church. It was so cute. They decorated bags, handed out valentines, ate lunch, and decorated cookies. Liv loved it! And she scored some serious yummy valentines - which benefited me! Being a parent has its serious rewards come V-day and Halloween!Also, here's our little V-day decorations. This is as good as it gets when you're in your last month of pregnancy...

And Matt came home and surprised Livy and me with some awesome presents. Liv got this cute bear and I got the movie Pagemaster! Childhood favorite! Best Valentine's present EVER!!! Also, I've started documenting this every year - so here's the list of sweet songs on our annual Valentine's CD that Matt makes me every year entitled "Lovers of Loving Love v.5"

1. Owl City - Fireflies
2. Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
3. Nine Black Alps - Pocket Full of Stars
4. Kris Allen - Falling Slowly
5. David Archuleta - Think of Me
6. Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me (Matt's favorite - no joke)
7. Glee - Don't Stand So Close to Me/Young Girl
8. Kris Allen - Aint No Sunshine
9. Drewbee - CA Roseville Mission Song (Inside Joke for us)
10. Brad Paisley - Then
11. Garth Brooks - Wrapped Up In You
12. Glee - Defying Gravity
13. Carrie Underwood - I Told You So
14. Dispatch - Walk With You
15. Linkin Park - In the End (my fav. that Matt grudgingly put on here)
16. Taylor Swift - Love Story (Matt loves her)
17. Glee - Don't Stop Believin'
18. Ben Harper - Waiting on an Angel
19. Carrie Underwood - All American Girl
20. Obadiah Parker - Hey Ya
21. Five for Fighting - All I know

Best Volume Yet! Thanks, babe!

37 Weeks and still going strong

(FYI - I wrote this post a couple weeks ago - I just never got around to finishing it)

Here I am in all my glory at 37 weeks. I figure, he's full term now - so he should come! We'll see what happens at my next appointment. I really really REALLY hope he comes on his own soon because if he gets much bigger, I'm sure my chances of a VBAC will become much more slim. I've been trying to practice positive thinking to get him here. I even marked on Feb. 12th on my calendar that I'm going into labor that day. I think it'll work!!! haha

I've been so sluggish lately with no motivation to do ANYTHING. I'm also super scatter brained. I can't remember anything, ever. I can't wait to get over this phase. I do want to write down some things about this pregnancy so I don't forget. First of all - foods that ALWAYS sound like they'll hit the spot no matter what time of day it is: fries, pizza, graham crackers, and milk. I've never liked straight milk before, but I love it with this kid! I don't really like sweets. I'm also at about the exact same weight that I was with Livy when I was near the end, which is weird because I started off at a completely different weight. This little guy is also still trying to make his way to my right side - which is more painful than anything I've ever felt before! I can already tell his sleeping pattern. He completely wakes up and is crazy starting 10 PM. And then I don't really feel him moving too much until after 10 AMish.

This week brought a couple interesting firsts:

1. Matt and I had to get poop out of the carpet. (Trick = Hydrogen Peroxide) Livy thought she could change her own diaper during naptime. We're actually surprised we've gone this long without ever having to deal with this.

2. Livy started slamming her bedroom door in my face (yes, she's not even two yet...).

3. Matt and I actually had a date this week. This isn't a first ever, but it is a first in a LONG time. We enjoyed a little CPK followed by grocery shopping at WinCo. It's so weird to be without Liv. What did we even do before her??

Now onto Livyness...

She's been using Adam as a pillow.

This face is so classic! It's like - yeah I did it - so what?? Here I thought she was playing in her room... WRONG! I should know better by now.

So innocent looking while she sleeps...

*This kid is so freaking hilarious. Yes, she has become quite spicy, but I love it. She's incredibly strong willed and independent, but I wouldn't have her any other way.
*She also learned how to break dance lately. It's the funniest thing. We think she learned it from Chicken Little.
*She knows when she's being silly and loves to entertain us.
*She also hates when I play the piano. It's the weirdest thing. Even if she's completely content watching a movie, if I start playing she'll come up and yell "No pay Mommy! No pay!"
*She loves to lead the music in church.
*Her regular talking voice is INCREDIBLY LOUD. She's our loud talker, I don't know where she gets it from... (Uh, that would be my dad who may or may not have passed it onto me as well.)
*She loves these little $1 stamps I bought and will do ANYTHING to get a stamp on her hand.
*When we're watching a movie, she has to make sure I'm paying full attention to the T.V.
*She is obsessed with wearing Nemo swim diapers.
*She loves to say "Oh cute!"
*She is still missing all of her middle teeth between her front ones and molars. And I'm pretty sure she's suppose to have all of those by 2...
*Her fake frown face is HI-larious
*She does an awesome booty shake that Matt taught her, of course.

Our little ShawnJohn part 2

I can't believe I haven't posted these pics sooner. Livy loved her gymnastics class. We decided to take a break from it though for the past two months because of vacations and baby craziness. But here are some cute pics of Liv.

Just another step to becoming a legit family...

Matt and I became the proud owners of this little beauty...

...and we couldn't be happier! This is my brother, Drew, in the picture. He willingly drove it from UT to here and only risked his life a couple of times during the process. What a good brother! And he looks like a huge nerd...

About a month ago, Matt and I were discussing how we've never made a big purchase and/or have ever had a loan in either of our names. So we decided we would get a car. And then everything happened SUPER fast after that. Matt's brother was able to hook us up with a killer deal and BAM! Now we're van owners! Woo! We were always the couple that was like - we will NEVER own a van. And obviously, we have eaten those words right up. It's such a practical car for our little family. It also changes colors which is a cool feature. Sometimes it looks green, sometimes blue, and sometimes grey.

BABY UPDATE:

(Warning: Boring part coming up. I just need to write this down so I can remember how I felt today. Skip down to see some cute pics of Liv.)

Anywho, we had some crazy baby news today. I'm only 35 weeks and I'm already dilated to a 2 almost 3 and 90% effaced. Needless to say, my doctor was amazed that I was at such an extreme. This was the appointment that basically decided whether or not a VBAC would be possible. My doctor said she HIGHLY DOUBTS I'll even make it to my c-section date. Hearing this news was so exciting! I've been praying about this appointment basically since I found out I was pregnant. I really want to avoid another c-section if possible. And this is the first time that I've seen my doctor be excited about the VBAC idea. This whole time, she has just assumed that I would be a c-section because he was measuring so big and because I have a smaller pelvis, but he's measuring right on schedule now and his little head is situated downward. She said that I'll most likely be going into labor on my own and when I do, they'll let me make the decision, VBAC or c-section. Yeah, my decision will definitely be VBAC!!! And right after I make that decision, I will begin the begging process for the epidural. So I could literally be in labor in a couple days or a couple weeks. Needless to say, Matt and I left that appointment feeling a tad bit unprepared, nervous, extremely excited, etc. We could meet this little guy literally any day now! Yay!!!

LIVY UPDATE:

This kid keeps getting cuter and smarter everyday. I can't believe how much more she can say lately. Her new favorite saying is "I found it!" She has also started navigating her way through the iphone. It's so funny. She also loves to compare sizes to whether it's a daddy, mommy, or baby size thing. I have no idea where she came up with that. Her favorite song to sing is "I Am a Child of God" and Pat-a-cake. It's so cute to see her start actually singing the songs we've taught her. She is also a little monkey. We put her in Adam's bed just to be silly one night and she climbed right out of it - with a lot more grace than I thought she'd have. She has quite the upper-body strength.

Here's a pic from Tahoe. She's so funny.

She's so cute when she's cuddly. Also, I didn't get a picture of her and Drew, but she became obsessed with Drew. Whenever he wasn't with us she would start crying for him. After he left back to Utah, she starting saying, "I want Drew!" over and over again. Every time Matt gets home, she says, "Drew?" And is then sad when Matt walks in the door. We all feel like chopped liver now...

Here are some pics from her cousin's birthday party. She was so cute. She totally tried to keep up with all of the maniac 6 year olds running around. Her favorite hang out spot was the snack bar. Gabrielle was excited to have her come to her party so that she could "show her friends how teeny her voice is" ...hilarious!

Tahoe!

We spent a weekend in Tahoe and it was AWESOME. I've never been there before. It was so beautiful! On our first day there, we took the girls to this little beach and let them get acquainted with the snow. Livy rediscovered her love of eating snow. That's pretty much all she did this trip.

The girls were so funny together. They kept asking each other if they were okay. They would play and fight together. Cos was even willing to change Livy's diaper. And Livy was completely cooperative...

The next day was shopping day! We went to check out Cabela's and this cool place called Scheels. The girls and daddies LOVED it. Matt now has a wish list of 20+ guns he'd like to get. Livy got to help feed the fish. Here she is with Cos trying to jump in the water. And then we passed the cool fish tank and Liv became a little too attached... Her favorite movie is Nemo, after all.

Our last day there we took the girls sledding. It was awesome! Livy loved it. She was so hilarious in her little red sled. Matt would just send her down the huge hill and she would put her arms in the air and yell. It was also a big day for Matt. He got to build his first (and Livy's first) snowman! Finally, she got her snowman.