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.