30 down, 10 to go

Today I am officially 30 weeks, which for some reason seems like a pregnancy milestone to me. I'm officially 75% through this pregnancy & 10 weeks away from officially becoming a mom.

Things have definitely changed in the last week. I think he's officially out of room in there so he isn't able to do the acrobatics that took place for months. Instead of somersaults... he kicks, punches, and shifts his body weight around and I can definitely feel it more than I ever have. It's a nice, constant reminder of this little person that my body is making.

I am excited for the next 10 weeks to get things done for his arrival. I'm definitely realizing that the "oh, I'll get to that this summer" needs to get on the "to do now" list. Sorry Wes!

I've had a few requests to see the growing belly so much to my dismay, here's a picture Wes took last night. I definitely feel & look ENORMOUS and while I know I will just keep growing and growing, I try not to think about the growing that has yet to occur!

Can a kitchen table really take a year to finish?

The answer is.....YES.



When Wes & I first got married, we bought a kitchen table from his aunt and uncle. We really liked the style of the table but we had every intention of re-finishing it. That never happened in Utah so we decided to do it when we moved down here. We started last May. Yes, one year ago we stripped the table and painted it a combination of cream and dark brown. It took ALOT longer than expected but we finally got it done. Then, almost a year later, I finally got around to buying new fabric which then sat in a closet for a few months. Then, my in-laws come for the weekend & with their help, the project is now totally complete! We couldn't have done it so fast without them. We replaced all of the foam and did a double-layer of fabric! I love how it turned out. The pattern looks slightly green in the photo but it's a brown and cream pattern that adds a little bit of life to the table & to the room. I'm usually not the type to let a project go on for months and months so I'm thrilled that it's finally done!

3-Day Weekend = Good Company, Celine Dion, a Project and some relaxation

We were lucky enough to have Wes' parents Robert & Doreen come to visit us this weekend from Georgia. We always look forward to their trips to Vegas.

We had a pretty low-key weekend. Most of the time was spent enjoying each other's company & playing games.

We did have one highlight of the trip....CELINE DION! Wes' parents took not only Wes & I but my parents as well to Celine Dion on Saturday night. She only has 70 or so shows left so we were glad to see her before her show in Las Vegas ends. All I can say about the show is: WOW. I love her music but hearing her live really reminds you of how unbelievably talented she is. The crowd gave her a standing ovation at the beginning which brought tears to her eyes and you could tell her thank you was sincere and heartfelt. Along with her voice, she has 50+ dancers & performers that are a part of her show. It was nice to see her as a part of a show/performance instead of a typical concert like most other singers. She had unbelievable sets & it truly was fabulous. Thanks Robert & Doreen! We met my parents for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants....The Pasta Shop....which just added to our great evening out!

The Griffeths are extremely handy around the house and we always benefit when they come to visit us. We always get a few projects done & we're so grateful for their help. The last few trips we built shelves in the garage, shelves in our closet-under-the-stairs, cabinets in the laundry room, finished our entertainment center, etc. This trip Robert & Wes put together the crib and we re-covered our kitchen table chairs....a project that took us over a year to complete! (A post to follow on the table alone!).

We had a nice Monday afternoon at my parent's house for a BBQ. I managed to spend an hour or so in the pool.....it's becoming a necessity to take the pressure off my body!

It was great to see you Robert & Doreen. Thanks for taking us to Celine, for your endless help around the house, and your company. We always enjoy seeing you & look forward to seeing you again so you can meet your new grandson!

My Body Has Been Tricked

I have to say that modern medicine absolutely amazes me. While the extremely complex and miraculous procedures boggle my mind, the simple medical discoveries do, too.

I was part was part of a simple medical procedure today in the form of a shot in my rear end. I am RH negative, which means my body can make antibodies against RH positive blood cells, even against my own baby. So if my baby is RH positive, my body views it as an invader and could potentially start to attack it. While it's usually not a problem in your first pregnancy, if you don't have the Rogam shot at the appropriate times, on future pregnancies your body has the potential of attacking the fetus since it recognizes the RH positive blood cells & still thinks it’s an invader…even if it’s a baby.

So, my body was tricked today. I got a nice shot in my right cheek which will force my body to ignore any potential RH positive blood cells if my baby’s blood crosses in to mine during delivery. You get the shot at 28 weeks & then again when you deliver the baby. It’s amazing to me that one long needle full of liquid can completely trick your body. It’s another one of those medical advances that I don’t comprehend but I’m so grateful for.

In the 1940’s, about 50% of babies whose mothers developed antibodies died. Today, with early detective of an RH negative pregnancy & the availability of the shot, they have nearly eliminated a baby’s chance of developing this potentially devastating disease.

Today especially, I am so grateful for the medical people in this world who have figured these things out so that I don’t have to worry about it. I kept reminding myself of that as the nurse gave me the shot….it’s definitely not pleasant but we are blessed to live in such an advanced world!

A Season of Babies

I recently found out that my older sister, Ali, is having another baby. She is due November 30th which means Baby Griffeth will have two cousins born within three months of him! Not to mention that he is blessed with five other cousins that are excited for his arrival. It makes me so happy when I think about the growing Marz and Griffeth families. Congrats Ali & Tripp! We're excited for another one to join the Marz clan. Ali doesn't find out what she's having so we have another 6 long months to see if we have another niece or nephew.

So many of my close friends are pregnant as well which I'm really excited about. I'm due in August.....Mimi in September.....Laurel in October......Lillie in November......it must be baby season. Congrats everyone! Can't wait to meet your little ones. And thanks to those who are already moms....I've loved watching your kids grow up (even if it is through a computer) and I've loved your thoughts and advice.

I got my house back

Maybe this only happens to me.....but when I'm out of town for a while, my house suffers. I was gone for a full month of weekends as well as being in New York for over a week during that period of time. My house definitely took a beating.

It was a crazy month so I didn't necessarily take the time to make room for things or put them completely away. There were way too many piles waiting for things to be reorganized so they'd actually have somewhere to go. We managed to clean regularly but it was pretty cluttery with piles of stuff. Clutter drives me crazy after a while.

As of last weekend, I had about had it. I couldn't handle it anymore & it was like I had unlimited energy for over a week. I went a little crazy with the organizing and cleaning. I couldn't sit down! I re-organized most closets, cupboards, the pantry, drawers, the baby's closet, my scrapbook stuff, etc. There are still a few more things to re-organize but I got a great start. My Saturdays were filled with cleaning & my week nights were spent organizing. I looked forward to coming home after work to clean something else out. Usually I don't have a ton of energy when I get home but last week was an exception. I was on an organization rampage & I loved every minute of it.

I have plenty of things on this week's list but I have a little busier week so we'll see how much I get done. They say you get a nesting instinct when you get close to having a baby. That's the only thing I can think of that explains my recent behavior. :)

I'm glad to have my relatively organized house back!

NEVER.....

let a hungry pregnant lady go to costco alone.

Enough said.

Spontaneity

I love it when I have the ability to be spontaneous. This past weekend was perfect. Wes & I didn't have anywhere we had to be.

On Friday around 3pm we decided to go to dinner with our friends Ryan & Leslie. Ryan spends the summers in Utah so we went out with them one last time to one of our favorite restaurants...Lucilles. We had icecream at their house and then came home early and Wes & I watched a movie.
On Saturday morning, while Wes helped Sam paint her cabinets in her new house, I was able to work around the house which I truly love to do on a Saturday. I actually look forward to

Saturday mornings when I can get a few things done around the house. We drove across town to order our chair/glider for the nursery so we'd have it in time for his arrival. We had a casual lunch, ran a few errands, and then while I went swimming at my parents house Wes went to the driving range. While I was in the pool....Ali, Tripp & Abbie showed up to swim, too. We realized that none of us had plans for the evening so we decided to go to The Cheesecake Factory with them for dinner. We went grocery shopping on the way home & then enjoyed another evening at home with just the two of us.

Sunday was equally as nice. We had a leisurally morning since neither one of us had to teach & we tried a new recipe on Sunday night for dinner, watched some TV, & enjoyed time at home.

Every single thing we did was impulsive. We didn't have anything planned....we just did what we felt like doing at the time and it was perfect. I have a feeling we should take advantage of being impulsive before Baby Griffeth arrives.

Happy Mothers Day

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren

I want to wish all of you moms a Happy Mothers Day! I thought this quote was appropriate because a mom truly thinks of her children before herself. We had a wonderful sacrament meeting today on the role of mothers and one of the speakers pointed out that "others" is the majority of the word mothers. Isn't that what motherhood is all about? Others.

I especially want to say Happy Mothers Day to two special women in my life.

I'll start with my wonderful mom, Barbara.


If I had to sum her up in one word....it would be unselfish. She is constantly helping not only her own family and children but her friends, people in her ward who are in need, etc. Her thoughts are always consumed with others & how she can make their lives easier. She is so generous with her time and everything she has been blessed with and it's a true example to me. Not only is she a fabulous mom, but she's also an unbelievable daughter. She is so patient with my grandma and spends about a week of every month in Utah so she can spend time with my Grandma who turned 90 this year. I strive to be as good of a daughter to my mom as she is to her mom.

My mom is also full of spunk. She has a great personality and is always ready for a good time. One thing people always comment on is that she's always so put together. Unlike me, she looks great regardless of where she is! There is no such thing as rolling out of bed and going somewhere. She's always so fashionable!

I am so fortunate to live so close to my mom. I see her regularly which I consider a blessing! She shares her talents with me regularly and I can't wait for my kids to get to know & love her!

The second lady I'd like to talk about is my mother-in-law, Doreen.




I definitely lucked out with my in-laws. They are such wonderful people! Especially my mother-in-law. She is unbelievable. She is currently a principal of an elementary school in Marietta, Georgia & since she has been the principal, her school has been recognized as a National School of Excellence. She is the perfect example of how important education is....she received her doctorate a few years ago! She has had such a positive impact on thousands of children....including her own. I've known Wes for almost 5 years and I can honestly say that every single time I've seen or talked to her, she is always happy and positive. Regardless of how crazy her schedule is, she is always happy which I admire in her. Wes & I are so glad to have her as a resource for our children! She knows so much on child development & how we can teach them to do so many things at home. She is a wonderful mom and Grandma & I hope she had a wonderful day!

Happy Mothers Day! How lucky we are to be blessed with mothers.

Happy Birthday Alisha!

Happy 30th Birthday, Alisha! I had to put the 30 in there....it's a big day!

Alisha is my fabulous sister-in-law. She is the oldest of Wes' siblings and his only sister. She recently moved to Alabama with her cute family so she's enjoying the perks of having grandma & grandpa Griffeth only 1.5 hours away!

She's one of the best mom's you'll ever see....we all wonder how she does it. Her kids are so smart and well-behaved. She's extremely athletic and competitive, as are all of the Griffeths! She is a great friend and is always a joy to be around. We just wish we lived closer to them. Maybe they'll move to the west coast someday. :)

I feel very blessed to have such wonderful sister-in-laws! Happy Birthday Alisha!

Happy Birthday Lillie!

Happy Birthday Lillie! (It's today, right? Or did I miss it already?)

Lillie is one of my most favorite people. We met during our last semester at BYU....we were lucky enough to be in the same group for a huge advertising campaign we worked on before we graduated. It meant we got to spend quite a bit of time together and we became friends rather quickly.

Lillie is not only tall and beautiful, but she has such a wonderful personality....she's always thinking of other people, she makes you laugh, is a great wife, friend and a great mom to Sophia. I am so glad that we've kept in touch since our BYU days. I hope you have a wonderful day, Lillie!

Utah Baby Shower

The pregnant Griffeth Girls: Me, Emily (cousin), Alyssa (sister-in-law). Emily is due next week & Alyssa & I are due in August!

Alyssa & I with our Nike outfits from our in-laws!

Alyssa, Doreen (mother-in-law), me

Wes & I got back tonight from Utah. I have to say that while I am ready to be at home for a while, I do love going to Utah. My parents recently sold our old house and bought a little bit bigger house in Draper which makes it even nicer to be there! All of the kids have their own room so it really feels like a home away from home. It's nice to be able to visit and not be an inconvenience always having to ask people to stay with them. Plus, we get to see our families which is always fun.

This weekend was a Griffeth weekend. Wes' cousins Amber & Michelle threw Alyssa (my sister-in-law) and myself a joint baby shower. Pretty much everyone was there which was so nice of them! I have such a wonderful mother-in-law. She was in Utah last weekend but flew out from Georgia AGAIN to be at our shower! She was there for approximately 24 hours. :) It was great to see her....it was so nice of her to come! It was great to see all of the aunts and the cousins and they are all so generous. It was fun that Alyssa is having a girl and I'm having a boy! If the babies come on time, they will only be a few weeks apart which will be fun!

And we're off to Utah!

I've been home for 3 days and now I'm off again! Wes & I are flying to Utah this afternoon. The reason we're going is because Wes has the cutest extended family. His cousins that he grew up with in Georgia, that now live in Utah, are throwing me and my sister-in-law Alyssa a joint baby shower! When Amber called and asked me about doing it, I thought it was the nicest thing!

I consider myself so lucky to be a part of Wes' extended family. Both his mom & his dad's side are great people....very friendly and they all have a great sense of humor. Both sides of the family have what seems like endless cousins & we all have a great time together when we see each other. I look forward to seeing everyone this weekend! Thanks Amber & Michelle for doing this for Alyssa & I!

New York City

I'm back from our girls trip to New York City! I figure I'll post everything and you can read what you feel like!

Favorites about New York: I love walking everywhere, the beautiful parks that you stumble upon every few blocks, my favorite LONDON food is in New York!, unbeatable shopping....even for a pregnant lady, & the energy that the city has. My only complaint was that it is pretty smelly as you walk around. I'm sure part of it is my enhanced sense of smell, but I gagged daily & finally just resorted to plugging my nose on some streets. :)

As you can see in some of the pictures, I "popped" while we were gone. My little boy definitely grew in the last week. Until last week, I truly didn't feel any different since becoming pregnant but I could defintely tell my belly was growing! I actually look pregnant now instead of just a little chubby. :)

Here's a little of what we did each day!

Day One

Laurel has lived in New York for over four years now and I finally made it out to see her! We got to Laurel's late the night before ~ she has such a cute apartment! It was fun to see where she lives. She took us out for the day & it was wonderful. We started with yummy waffles at a bakery just outside her building and then walked through BATTERY PARK, WAGNER PARK, along the water & by GROUND ZERO. We played with Avery at the parks which is always fun. She's such an adorable little girl. Then we took the subway up to the Shake Shack...a delicious "shack" in the middle of a park where we got great burgers, fries & shakes. I've heard a lot about the SHAKE SHACK so it was fun to finally go! Later in the afternoon we made our way back to Laurel's apartment & after a quick rest, Sam and I left to meet my mom at our hotel. We had a bite to eat and then walked around by our hotel. We stayed at the Omni Berkshire on Madison & 52nd Street....a perfect location to walk everywhere! We were all still in Pacific time so we had a hard time sleeping!

Day Two

We started the day with a fabulous brunch at NORMA'S. It's a little restaurant inside a hotel that my parents go to every time they are in NY. As we sat down, the waiter remembered my mom! They got to chatting and then he brought us the best fruit platter I've ever had as a "welcome to NY" from him. My mom and Sam were determined to find me some maternity clothes. We headed to Destination Maternity and on the way found another maternity store where I hit the jackpot. Great stuff for cheap! I was so excited! I was in desperate need of some clothes so it was great to end up with bags full! Who would have thought that the pregnant lady would have the best luck shopping?!? After a little shopping, we walked to the MUSEUM OF MODERN ART. Great museum! We had dinner at a cute deli & then we met Laurel at WICKED which was by far one of the best musicals I've ever seen! I absolutely loved it. There was a crowd of most likely theatre students so there was a lot of energy in the theatre which made it really fun! I have a feeling the Wicked CD will be in my car for a while.

Day Three

Today we headed down to SOHO first thing in the morning. We wanted to get some shopping in before we met my cousin, Elizabeth, for lunch. I haven't seen Elizabeth in years and years so it was great to be able to have lunch with her! Soho is such a charming area ~ cute shops and restaurants line the streets and it isn't quite as busy as other parts. We really enjoyed it. Today kind of turned in to a shopping day....our next stop was MACY'S which is the largest store in the world! It was absolutely enormous. The EMPIRE STATE BUILDING was around there so I got to see that. We also went to H&M where they had a kids/maternity section. The little boys clothes are adorable and super cheap! I couldn't resist. :) We had dinner at another deli and then walked to The Rockefeller Center where we did the "TOP OF THE ROCK". Instead of dealing with the crowds to go to the top of the Empire State Building, we went to the top of the Rockefeller Center which was really neat. We went at night so it was fun to see the city and the water at nighttime. It's such an amazing city!

Day Four

It was raining pretty hard this morning so we took a cab to the METROPOLITAN MUSEUM. The building itself was amazing...plus all of the art & sculptures inside. We tried to go to SERENDIPITY for lunch but we were too hungry to wait in the line so we ended up at a familiar place....California Pizza Kitchen. It was actually nice to see a familiar restaurant! We went to Bloomingdales & while my mom tried a bunch of stuff on, Sam & I went across the street to DYLAN'S CANDY BAR where we got a frozen hot chocolate...my new favorite treat. I am absolutely addicted it was so good! After a brief rest at the hotel, we went to a fun diner near our hotel. All of the waiters sing and dance & it had a great atmosphere. We walked down near Times Square to see MARY POPPINS, the musical. Another fabulous production! I absolutely loved it. The scene with Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious was fantastic! Broadway is so great....we could have seen a show every night!

Day Five

We started out the day shopping in ROCKEFELLER CENTER. They have the biggest Anthropologie I've ever seen! We had lunch at Pret-a-Manger...one of my favorite sandwich places in London! It was a great surprise to see them in New York! We walked down to CENTRAL PARK which turned out to be one of my most favorite parts of the city. We walked through parts of it & then sat on a bench and relaxed & just enjoyed the scenery. There are ponds, baseball fields, volleyball courts, etc. I could spend every day there. We then took a taxi to one of the Piers where we took the CIRCLE LINE boat ride. It was a 3 hour boat ride around Manhattan Island. It was a little chilly but it was so cool. We went under countless bridges and it was neat to be able to see the island from the water and get a better idea of where everything is. With tall buildings absolutely everywhere you go, it was somewhat hard to figure out exactly where we were all the time so the boat ride really helped! We met Laurel, Brad & Avery at a cute little Italian restaurant in Soho for dinner. It was great to see them again. We managed to do some more shopping after dinner! We LOVE the endless SHOPPING! Wes is lucky I'm pregnant and couldn't buy anything in most stores. :)

Day Six

We went to a cute & popular restaurant today for breakfast called SARABETHS. The food was great and they had the best juice...."four flowered juice". We walked around.....back through central park.....before we went back to the hotel for a rest before we went to a matinee of BEAUTY ON THE BEAST on broadway. Loved this one too! The costumes were amazing. We grabbed dinner and then Sam went back to the hotel but my mom and I wanted to keep walking so we went through Central Park again. It was a perfect, beautiful evening in New York.

Day Seven

Today was all about the pregnant lady's cravings. :) We went back to NORMA'S this morning for breakfast. I had to have that fruit platter one more time before we left the city! We wanted to walk around since we had a long journey of sitting on a plane ahead of us. We walked over near Bloomingdales so I could have one more frozen hot chocolate from DYLAN'S CANDY BAR. We kind of did a lot of shopping so we had to buy a rather large suitcase to get all of our goodies home. We managed to find a reasonably priced duffle bag & so I carried the thing throughout NYC so we could get everything home! With delayed flights, our journey back across the country took over 12 hours but it was nice to get home! I love being on vacation but I always look forward to coming back home....especially this time so I could see Wes! I have to say that I think I have the best husband. He always does so much for me while I'm gone! Amongst many other things, he painted the nursery for me! We had discussed colors before I left and he went ahead and painted it so I could start getting it put together! What a nice surprise....thanks babe!

I had such a great time with my mom and Sam. We've never done anything like this before and I hope it's a tradition we will continue over the years! Ali wasn't able to join us on this trip so we hope we can do another girls trip soon so she can come!