BOY oh BOY!

 We had our 20 week ultrasound appointment earlier this week and we were able to find out that Baby Earl is a BOY! 

When Andrew and I found out, I don't think we were too surprised. I had a feeling that we were having boy from
the very beginning and I think that rubbed off on Andrew. haha. I think he is just overjoyed to have someone to
play basketball with! 

We had our ultrasound and our technician was SO good! I mean, how many ultrasounds does she do a day? But she
gushed over everything like it was her first time seeing it as well.  She also did an great job explaining everything and it
was amazing to see just how much our baby is growing! On our last ultrasound when I was 9 weeks, baby was just a
little ball. Now, he looked like a actual baby! Hands, feet, his brain divided into two hemispheres, we were even able
to see all 4 chambers of the heart and see the heart actually pumping! And the heart is only about the size of a fingernail!
So tiny, but already so developed. When we saw everything that there was to see, our technician asked us if there was anything
we would like to see again and we took a couple more minutes. 

It was pretty neat to see baby moving around and thinking that it was happening inside of me.
Sometimes I was able to feel the movement and see it at the same time! Neatest thing ever! Our technician also
said that we got some really good pictures because our baby was all sprawled out. She said that often they are curled
up into a ball or doing summersaults. 

We did do a little gender reveal gathering (not party, because Covid), with our family and one of our couple friends
who was in town for the holidays. It was a lot of fun to announce the gender in a fun way vs. just telling them. 
Andrew and I found out the gender in the ultrasound room. Andrew really wanted to find out together before 
everyone else and I wanted to find out with everyone but I finally agreed to find out with him. I really don't think
there's any right or wrong way to do it, but someday I want to be surprised with the group ;) 

It was so fun to do a gender reveal though! We all gathered outside so it was a little cold but it was fun to see everyone
find out as the smoke started to reveal we were having a boy! My mom started crying which I was NOT expecting
but I guess I should not have been surprised. 

^And we were rebels, directions said not to hold in our hands, but we did it anyways^

Today we went shopping for baby boy and Andrew and I had so much fun! Though we are both over the moon
with our baby, I think Andrew has me beat with how excited he is! We bought some outfits and we love to imagine
our baby one day wearing them. We have bought so many things for baby already but today was the first time
buying things specifically for our baby BOY! 

In other pregnancy news:

I don't have any bump pictures because while there is definitely some extra growth there, I just feel fat. None of my
clothes fit (Christmas break has been SO nice because I've just wearing leggings, joggers, and sweatshirts
the entire time) so I need to go on a little shopping trip. 

No big pregnancy symptoms except that I am constantly achy. Thank goodness Andrew is such a wonderful
human being and rubs my back. Over Christmas I think he did it for an hour and and a half straight! But I'll take
the body aches over being nauseous any day! 2nd trimester I can actually function and be more active! 

Baby is very active. It's hard to describe. I started to feel him sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas
but I wasn't sure if it was just my body or baby. The best way I can describe it as is a poking feeling but in a
wavelike way. I have no idea if that makes any sense, but it's so weird. 

We are ending 2020 with the happiest way we can imagine and we are anxiously waiting for May when we can
meet our sweet little baby! 

We're Going to Have a Baby!

The news is out!

We are going to have our first little baby

and we could not be more excited!

After four years of marriage, Andrew and I felt it was time we should add a baby to our family.

I was always told, "you'll know when the time is right."

We never had this inspiring moment where we KNEW it was time but we just felt, "What next?"

I finished with my Bachelors in December and Andrew finished his Masters in August. We traveled a lot and felt we had checked everything off in the newlywed stage.

and for a few months we just felt like we were bobbing around in the ocean.  We felt like it was time to start moving forward and we felt we could do that by adding to our family. 

Andrew and I started trying a few months ago, hoping I would get pregnant quickly, but also knowing the reality that it could take at least a few months or years.

Sooooo, I was super surprised to find out that we were pregnant on our FIRST try!

(more about me finding out I was pregnant later.) 

I have been sooo lucky with symptoms.

I've been feeling pretty nauseous throughout the past few weeks, but I've only thrown up ~6 times.

The first time Andrew was making something with garlic and I could not handle the smell. I went to brush my teeth and with the combination of the smell and making it harder to breath when brushing my teeth, I could not take it, and that was that.

The following times have all been brushing my teeth. For some reason having something in my mouth makes my nausea worse and it doesn't always end well. And once I threw up water because my stomach was being annoying. Besides that, I've been doing really well in the nausea department. 

I've also been tired ALL the time (which is now tons better now 1st trimester is over). Those first 3 months were:

work, nap, small dinner, sleep, and repeat.

Andrew and I had a pretty exciting life going on.

At 9 weeks, we had our first ultrasound and Andrew and I got to see our little babe and hear little baby Earl's heartbeat. I was so grateful Andrew was able to be there and experience it with me and covid didn't ruin that part of our excitement! 

We are already so in love with our little babe and can't wait to meet face to face.

It doesn't seem too real yet... sometimes I wonder if I'm just making it up in my mind. But I'm sure it will get more real when my belly becomes bigger. 

 

Tomorrow I will share a fun video of how I told Andrew. We are so happy that this secret it OUT! Keeping it was the worst. 15 weeks along and this little baby already has our hearts! We love you little baby Earl and are so thankful to have you.

He MASTERED it!

Andrew graduated with his Masters and I could not be more proud of him! 

Obviously there was no graduation ceremony... but this was still a pretty special moment.

This guy amazes me!

For 2 years he worked full time and went to school part time.

Every night he would go to bed around 2:00 or 3:00 getting everything done.

And he still managed to do things around our house while I was going to school. 

One thing that I noticed about Andrew when we were dating is how hard working he is!

He puts 110% into everything he does and he always is willing to help and do more than is share.

And with his schooling, there was no exception. 

If there is such a thing as superman, Andrew checks everything off the list. 

Dear handsome husband of mine.

I am SO proud of you!

I don't think I can ever say that enough.

and hey!

no more homework! ever! 

Congrats! You are one incredible hard working human! 

The Tassel was Worth the Hassle!

Where do I even begin? I can't start with "I finished my bachelors," because I technically finished in December. 

And I can't say, "I walked for graduation," because that was cancelled due to Covid. But I guess I can say I have 

the pictures to prove I have my bachelors degree! 

There was no fanfare, no switching the tassel to the left side, no singing the Scottsman, and no walk 

across the stage with my name being called and being handed my diploma cover. But I did it! 

There have been so many miracles that have led me to where I am. When I applied for college back in high school 

I applied as a nursing major and that quickly changed when I took anatomy. 

Interesting, but not good on my eyes. haha. 

I then thought about an elementary school teacher because that was something I had always had an interest in 

but I still wasn't 100% on board with that career decision. I was talking about career choices with a friend and 

she suggested special education to me. I immediately turned down the idea because it never even crossed my

 mind because it was something I never had any interest in. 

Somehow this friend and I ended up taking an institute class (religion class for young adults during the week) 

with adults with special needs. From day one I loved it and soon after that I found myself switching majors to 

special education. A few weeks after I changed me major, I got a powerful understanding from God that I 

made the right choice. 

For the rest of my freshman year and my sophomore year of college, I took all the prerequisites I needed before 

leaving on my mission. When I came back from my mission the special education department added one 

additional math class that I needed to take before I could apply to the program. Since I had not taken a math class 

in over a year I needed to take an additional math class before the one I actually needed. 

This is where my college journey got really complicated 

but also where the miracles started to come one after another. 

For some reason I can't fully remember, I was not able to take the Math 1050 at Utah State, but I really needed 

that ONE class! Andrew and I were married and I moved down to Provo. Thankfully I had applied to BYU earlier 

that year and was able to take the equivalent math class there for the summer semester (which turns out is a lot

 harder than the USU one). 

I'm going to be honest, I did not do too well in that class. But apparently many people were in the same boat as I was. 

Our professor said that if 20 things could go wrong in a semester, all 20 things went wrong that semester. If I 

did not pass the math class it would have added another year to my major because the special education 

department only accepted applications at the beginning of fall semester. 

By some miracle, I got the EXACT grade I needed to apply for my major! 

Andrew and I were going to move up to Logan for me to finish school, but that didn't pan out the way we had planned. 

We looked at BYU and UVU (local universities in the Provo area) for my special education degree. BYU had 

my graduation date a year later and had a lot more hoops to jump through and UVU did not have my emphasis. 

Those options were out. 

At the last minute, Andrew found that Utah State had a distance campus in the Provo area. At the time they only 

offered classes for the special education degree every 2 years and 2016 was one of the years! 

How in the world does this happen? Another miracle! 

As I was applying to the special education program I had everything I needed except two things. 

#1 My math ACT score was 1 point lower than the requirement. I needed to take that part over again. I was getting 

my appointment set up to take the test and Utah State contacted me saying since it was just one point and I 

have had such good grades for the past 3 years of school, they would waive it and would accept my original ACT 

math score. (Are you keeping track of the miracles?)

#2 I had not taken the Praxis test, but they said if I signed up to take it and passed all 4 sections before student teaching

 they would let me in. (Thank you and add that to the miracle list.) 

I was accepted into the program and I got a job working at a school in a special education classroom which was 

the perfect way to gain experience in my field. After work I went to class twice a week, often from 4:30-10:30. 

I took the Praxis and passed the language arts and history sections. Which were the two sections I had actually 

studied for. I only needed to pass the math and science sections and then I would be good! The Praxis test stressed 

me out and I avoided it for 3 years (not my best idea). It was Summer 2019 and there was no way I could avoid 

it anymore because student teaching was in the fall. I literally signed up on the very last dates I could and studied 

my brain out with many, many tears. 

I went in to take the first test (science) and I look at the first problem, and it was not even close to the types of 

questions I had been studying. And I was studying from Praxis handbook! I did the best I could and really, I 

just guessed. The next day I took the math section. Same deal. Nothing was even close to the problems I had studied. 

I hadn't even seen most of this stuff in college and this was an elementary education test! Some of the problems I 

couldn't even guess on because it was fill in the blank and I just left it blank. 

Once again, miracles happened. I passed BOTH the science and the math sections with at least 10 points above 

the score I needed! Even though it was my procrastination and stress that led to a last minute attempt, miracles still came.  

I finished my student teaching in December and I was able to get a full time job in the middle of the school year! 

Mountains seemed to have literally been moved me during my college experience. 

I know God guided me to my career and I know that He helped me every single step of the way! 

Special education has a special place in my heart. 

It's been amazing to see how God has led me to where I need to be. 

And last little miracle. Andrew and I went up to Logan to take pictures on the Utah State campus in my grad gear 

at the beginning of August. When I was getting dressed in the morning we realized that we left the cap and tassel at 

home (and that's a two hour drive away). Thankfully my mother-in-law had brought a spare graduation cap they 

had but nothing could be done about the tassel. I don't know how other universities do it, but Utah State has 

different colored tassels depending on your major and there are 9 different colored tassels total!

Andrew said to just go up to campus and make the best of it and we could possibly come back later with the 

tassel and take more pictures on a different weekend. This is the amazing part. Graduation pictures are not a 

thing because graduation day has already happened for spring semester and it's a little early for summer semester 

graduates. There were two girls walking and Andrew saw they had the exact colored tassel I needed. They only had 

a hat and tassel, nothing else. We asked if we could borrow the tassel and they said yes! I know how silly that 

sounds, but it was something that mattered to me. We were able to get the pictures I needed and they waited for us. 

No one was taking graduation pictures, and the one person that was, had the light blue tassel I needed.

Talk about God taking care of even the small things. 

And just to brag about my university, it was ranked 29th in the nation in education!

 I feel like that's pretty good standing when we're talking about the entire country! 

I never thought I would do special education. When I was in high school I signed up for an elementary 

school class where I would go to a local elementary school and work for a class period in the classroom. 

I somehow got placed in a special education classroom and the teacher told me to never go into special education 

because of how much paper work there is. I told her "Not a problem! It's not something I want to do." 

But Heavenly Father knows me better than I know myself. When I was young my favorite song in 

church was, "I'll Walk with You." I would pick that song anytime I was chosen on to choose the song 

to sing. Here are the lyrics for those who might not be familiar with the song.

"If you don’t walk as most people do,

Some people walk away from you,

But I won’t! I won’t!

If you don’t talk as most people do,

Some people talk and laugh at you,

But I won’t! I won’t!

I’ll walk with you. I’ll talk with you.

That’s how I’ll show my love for you.

Jesus walked away from none.

He gave his love to ev’ryone.

So I will! I will!

Jesus blessed all he could see,

Then turned and said, “Come, follow me.”

And I will! I will!

I will! I will!

I’ll walk with you. I’ll talk with you.

That’s how I’ll show my love for you."

I guess it has always been in the plan for my life. I just didn't realize it.