YAY for me

I have been SO tired lately that I literally just sit on the couch when I wake up in the morning and watch tv...then I get home from work and do the same thing. If I DO get up to do "just a little bit" I end up getting a LOT done. So it's just getting me off the couch that is the key. I don't remember feeling this tired since I was a kid and had pulled an all nighter with my friends! And trust me--I'm getting 9-10 hour night sleep every night! I gotta admit--caffeine and I have been friends today. Oh well...

So last night I had been sitting in my usual couch position for about 2 1/2 hours when I asked Ben if he'd gotten the mail. Oh yeah...he had. I opened one of the letters to me to find it was my $500 check from my second online offer I completed! I had been waiting for it to come Fed Ex...so I had no idea it had even arrived! I was SO excited!

If you haven't looked into doing one of these offers, you really SHOULD because they are legit and so far I have done 3 (received 2 with the other one on it's way) worth $1500.00. I have spent about $150 out of pocket. SO....check into it!

Connor Tyrrel-32ish weeks

Here's our sweet baby at roughly 32 weeks! He is measuring a LOT bigger than that..about 34 weeks and a few days. According to their measurements he is almost 5 pounds...so either he's gonna be a FATTY or he's coming early! They said he'd be due November 29th if those measurements were accurate. Unfortunately even the docs don't trust their own machinery and said they can't technically change my due date. But trust me--I'll be surprised if he doesn't come at least a little early! He's measured at least a week ahead the whole time...so if he wants to come a bit early that's fine with me! Here's a cute little face shot of him! He's turned and his head is down where it should be...so we're just waiting for him to grow and be ready to come into the world! Everything is ok with his heart, nothing to worry about there...now we just gotta stay healthy!

Aaaaa CHOOO!

This weekend was supposed to be relaxing, fun and our last "getaway" before baby Tyrrel graces us with his presence. We were going to stop at the Beaver cheese factory and get yummy ice cream cones. We were going to eat at The Blue Iguana in Salt Lake--my favorite Mexican food. We were going to stay in the SUITE at the Kimball right across from Temple square-complete with a HUGE jacuzzi tub that was going to be WONDERFUL for my sore muscles and crazy sciatic nerve.

We were going to see Music and the Spoken Word because Ben has never been.

We were going to get free hot chocolate at 7-11 because I found coupons...(he he)

We were going to enjoy a weekend of no homework, no primary class, and no stress at all.

This was all going to happen until yesterday morning when...

It literally started out of the blue. The night before I had felt FINE. That night I slept really restlessly and woke up at 6:30 to find my head felt like I had been hit by a bus. I thought it was due to the lack of restful sleep, but Ben asked if I maybe had gotten his sinus infection..sure enough what I described was how he'd felt all week. WHAT?! I just got over a COLD last week. Now I'm sick again????

I suffered all day and called in sick to work. I was going to visit a doctor but my cousin told me I could have my baby nurse midwife call in a prescription for me. SO I did just that. They called in a Z pack and I'm waiting for it to do it's magic. But that doesn't change the fact that I am just NOT up for a trip now. Our plans will have to wait until AFTER baby Tyrrel comes!

I am just hoping and praying now that I really have JUST a sinus infection and not something much worse like swine flu. It seems that's all you hear/read about..and what if I DO have it? How long should I wait to go to the ER and be tested? I only had a fever last night and it's gone now. Sigh...what would YOU do?

On the upside- we adopted a sweet little kitten the other night. She would have gone straight to the pound if the owners couldn't find a home for her, and I couldn't stand the thought of it! So since we wanted Figaro to have a friend to distract him when the baby comes...we figured what the heck. She's 11 weeks old and the biggest FLUFF ball we've ever seen! So far she and Figaro are still getting to know one another...





It's funny to hear her little set of paws running around the house...and Figaro keeps her on her toes. He wants to play so badly but she's still just so small! :-) We're crazy I know--blame it on the nesting.

AIDA

So back in 2001 before 9/11 and all that devastation hit NYC, I took my very first plane ride and went to the Big Apple with my performing group, Diamond Talent. I scrimped and saved for that trip for months..even having a big car wash a few weeks before hand and getting the sunburn of a lifetime! I cleaned so many toilets I swore the first time I went to the bathroom IN New York it'd make up for all the ones I'd cleaned to get there! It definitely did...

I don't have any pictures from that trip online, that was back in the days of film...but the memories I have from that trip are still SO vivid! I LOVE New York City and hope I can visit a few more times in my life. Ben will be going there in January for a school trip. It'll be hard not only to be without him, but to miss out on a NY trip! We had so much fun there together when we did our engagement pictures!

My point for this post is to rave about my favorite Broadway show of all time...AIDA. I saw 8 shows that week, but this one took the cake. I saw it on a Tuesday after eating at Tavern on the Green for my best friend Tishanne's 16th birthday. It was a fairytale day...followed by one of the best nights EVER! I even recall the food from Tavern made me sick...REALLY sick. But I didn't care because I got to see AIDA with the original cast comprised of Heather Headley and Adam Pascal. I was rocked to the core after this show. Heather Headley had this amazing gift of not only the most remarkable VOICE but the ability to connect with her audience. I wasn't on the front row or anything, but felt that woman's passion for her role several rows back. I wasn't the only one who felt this way either...almost all of us were at a loss for words for the rest of the night. It was AMAZING!!!!So of course, 8 1/2 years later I was a bit hesitant to see the show again at Tuacahn, which puts on great shows but is definitely not BROADWAY. I mean what if the woman playing Aida just did not GET it? What if she couldn't portray the role correctly? What if her voice was sub-par? What if the set was lame compared to the gorgeous Broadway set? What if Radames didn't have that awesome rock voice needed for the role? SO many unknowns. :-)

If I wouldn't have free tickets to this show I may not have gone..in fact we almost forgot to go! We realized Sunday that the show was closing this week and we could only use our free tix on Tues or Thurs. Luckily we got amazing seats for last night's performance.

I was NOT disappointed. I had told myself I'd never be able to enjoy this show again after the original..but the second the lights came up and I saw the beautiful museum setting and pyramids in the back on the beautiful Ivins mountain..I started to cry. And I cried more when I saw Princess Amneris in her museum "box". I bawled when she started to sing and the main characters made their way on stage. I finally calmed down when things got a little more...I don't know. Just not emotional. But I cried again when Aida belted out her first phrase "You know NOTHING ABOUT ME! AND CARE EVEN LESS!" Thank GOODNESS she had an awesome voice. Thank goodness Radames was good looking and had rock and roll quality.

I am SO glad I went and saw the show again. It was so refreshing to sit through a show that long and enjoy EVERY second of it. I haven't been that entertained at a show since I saw La Boheme at Opera Pacific...but that's another story!

Photo Session giveaway!

Hey all, my friend Errin Andrus is having a photo session giveaway on her new website/blog! Check out HER SITE to find out how to enter! She does an amazing job, I'm having her take baby Connor's pictures right after he's born! I already wanted to hire her even before I got pregnant. Check out her site and see her fabulous work! Here's a sample--a picture she took of my sister for Senior Pictures a few months ago.

Beautiful right? Errin also teaches photography in private one on one classes if you are interested in learning the art of photography! :-) Go to her website soon to check out all the fabulous photos and deals she has!

31 weeks!

I can't believe how fast the last 12 weeks have gone by. While they were happening they felt very long, but knowing I only have about 8-9 weeks left...I can't believe how fast it has gone! The other day I looked down at my belly and started to laugh because I hadn't realized how BIG it had gotten almost overnight! Here's a picture to prove it...

How can I possibly grow any bigger?!
Baby Connor weighs about 3.3 pounds right now...and I feel every ounce of it. My tummy is HEAVY!

Things I am loving about this pregnancy right now:

~The baby moves ALL the time. He is hardly ever sleeping and I can feel little parts of him more distinctly! I love that I can feel him kick his little foot and leave it pushed against the top of my tummy for a few seconds.
~When I push on my tummy where he's kicking or pushing, he'll move it to another part of my tummy
~I feel the hiccups a lot more distinctly now...and they don't bother me. It cracks me up!
~I feel very bonded with this little baby boy and find myself daydreaming about him ALL the time.
~My baby loves music! It puts him to sleep...and I can't wait to sing to him when he's here.


Things I am NOT loving:

~Thinking I am about to pee my pants only to find I have barely 4 drops of pee when I finally go...
~The heartburn that has been there since day 1
~Not being able to sleep due to sore muscles and constant anxiety/excitement about this baby!
~The muscles in my sides pulling and stretching to make more room for baby...ouch.
~The fact that Connor found my ribs and is NOT shy to kick them to bits. My sides have also been sore on the inside from his intense kicking.
~Swollen hands and feet...they are just gross.

Things I have learned this past week:

~What Braxton Hicks contractions feel like...
~I can't sit close enough to the table anymore...puts me at higher risk of spilling food all over myself. I think this is why women start to use their tummies for a table...
~Why it's natural to waddle when you're pregnant...
~Nesting instincts reach far beyond just decorating and cleaning a nursery...they can make you very determined to rake the leaves in the backyard you never even sit in...

All in all I LOVE being pregnant. Ben thinks after this one I won't want to do it again...but in spite of my complaints I'd do it over and over. Knowing I'll be a mommy soon to this sweet little baby makes all the suffering SO worth while! We love our baby Connor and can't wait to meet him!