It's the Final Countdown...!

I am around 39.5 weeks along today, and all I can think is..."Really?? When did that happen?!" For months I have been wishing for November to get here already, and suddenly...here it is. I keep going all over the spectrum emotionally, from being really excited and impatient for Clara to get here, to being super scared and not wanting her to rush her appearance. I realize this is normal, but it's emotionally exhausting! I have been doing tons of baby laundry in hopes of at least feeling a little more prepared. Have I cleaned our apartment top to bottom? No. Have I gotten to the sewing projects I wanted to do before her arrival, such as her Christmas stocking and teddy bear, etc.? No. Am I basically trying to take it easy as much as possible before my life is turned upside down? Yes. Do I feel guilty about it, given my easily-guilted nature? Maybe slightly, but not enough to make me kick myself into gear right now. Ahh, it's so nice for once. :)

I am feeling super optimistic today. There are so many good things that have happened/will happen over the next few weeks:

• I found out this morning that I passed the Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) section of the CPA exam that I took in October (!!!). I have three more sections to pass over the next 18 months, but I'll tackle those eventually.



• Niklas and I are going to be parents in a matter of days, and we both have no idea what we're doing. But we'll figure it out like everyone else.



• My mother-in-law is flying in this Thursday and will stay with us for a little over a week to help with the cleaning and whatever needs to get done. So nice.



• Niklas' brother and wife are also showing up this weekend to pay a visit.



• This Friday is my last day of work before maternity leave!



• My mom will be flying in for her grandma shift after my mother-in-law heads back to WA. She will be spending Thanksgiving with our new threesome family.



• Niklas graduates with his Bachelor's degree in English this December!!! :D After that, we have no idea what's in store for him/us. He was planning on applying to a few graduate schools whilst also applying for full-time employment. Sometimes all of these unknowns freak me out; but today I'm feeling that everything will fall into place and be fine in the long-run.

Now, if only I could bottle these spouts of optimism and keep it for the future rainy days. Ah, well.

So there you have it, folks. I'm standing on the edge of a major life-altering event, and all I can say, is...bring it on; and also thank you to Heavenly Father, for all of these marvelous blessings in my life. I realize more and more just how much Niklas and I are safe-guarded in Your loving hands.

The Game of Life

For Family Home Evening yesterday, Niklas and I borrowed The Game of Life from some of our friends after treating ourselves to pie at Frontier Pies (a la mode, even). Here's a rundown of what happened in each of our lives during our game:

Niklas decided college wasn't for him (he becoming sheepish after my disapproving look) and went straight for a career...as an artist, making $60,000 per payday (not bad for an artist). I decided college was well worth it and took the plunge, incurring $40,000 of debt to become a teacher who made $100,000 every payday. I was pretty happy about this, since I was able to immediately pay off my student loans.

Niklas and I each got married to a peg person (oh, sorry...a peg people per the game instructions...), having one girl and twin boys in each of our families (no joke!). I owned a large farm house while Niklas owned a beach hut, and I was pretty much in the lead for this whole Life game thus far, making more money and higher movement spins than Niklas. Niklas couldn't afford homeowner's insurance but was getting by okay. As life went on, he decided that not going to college initially had been a foolish mistake---so he signed up for night classes that I taught. He paid me $20,000 for his education (he got off easy, if you ask me) and ended up increasing his artist's salary to $90,000 per payday. Not bad at all!

About halfway through my life, I bought an expensive home gym so my family and I could stay in shape. Unfortunately, all the exercise went to my head. Next thing I knew, I was having a mid-life crisis--literally. I "decided" that teaching was not making me happy, so I left the university and became a professional athlete making $20,000 per payday. And Niklas, my pupil that I had helped along the way to greatness, did nothing but glory in my somewhat downfall. Ungrateful little twerp...

Because of this drastic career change, I lost the game by a mere $325,000 or so. I mean, I did do amazing things in my life---like climb Mt. Everest, create a new ice cream flavor and sport, etc. But that jerk-of-an-artist who came out on top did nothing but rub in my face that he had ended up richer than me---even until I went down to my grave. Not once did he acknowledge that I had helped him on his way to financial success...

I had a lot of fun! :D

But here's a couple of problems I had with this new version of Life....

1. What is up with no longer getting presents when you get married or have children??



2. Why do children offer no benefit whatsoever by the end of the game like they used to? What is Hasbro/Milton Bradley trying to say about the value (or lack thereof?) of children? And...if nothing else (because we know that children have massive nonmonetary worth), why couldn't any children we had at least lower our tax payments like in REAL life? (IRS dependents benefit people! "Only an accountant would think about that..." said Niklas.)

Oh well. I still enjoyed myself despite this lack of realism. ;)

In other news, I am trying to study for the Financial Accounting and Reporting section of the CPA exam and I'm already bracing myself for failure. There is SO much information to cram into your brain and remember for this test---I'll be lucky if I remember half of it. Taking the test October 14th in Pocatello and hope I can get through all of the study material I need to before then.

Niklas is still on break from college and enjoying the time off. He has been painting more of his miniatures and starting lots of different books at once. He only has one semester to go! We're planning on him graduating this December. With a new baby coming in November, I'm sure it will be...an adventure while he's still got a month of school left. But hey, we're not the first couple to go through this scenario, and we won't be the last. I know Niklas will make it through all right with lots of hardwork (and me being the primary baby-watcher, of course).

Clara is still baking away, and has about 2.5 months left until she's ready. She's still just hanging out and starting to enjoy resting some part of herself on the left side of my belly button---making for a slightly lopsided mommy belly on the outside.

Life is good (the real thing and the boardgame)!

10 Things I Love About My Husband

(This is Niklas from when his family lived in Washington (1988ish?), looking up at the snow coming down with the rain. This is one of my favorite pictures of him as a child.)

1) His love of nature. One of Niklas' favorite places to go is the gardens on-campus at BYU-I, and he would love to get back to the greenery and forests of Washington state. He would love to go camping (haven't done that together yet) and always enters this sort of zone whenever we are walking out and about in nature. It's like he is in awe of the touch of God's hand within nature; and I love that we share this same enjoyment being among God's creations.

2) His creativity and artistic ability. I'm sure Niklas would argue with me on this one, since he doesn't see his artistic abilities as that fantastic compared to others. But he definitely has artistic talent! He can draw, paint, and sculpt really well--at least in my opinion. :) I appreciate being able to get his help in coming up with a Halloween costume or color pallettes for my sewing projects. He is far superior to me in the artistic realm, and I really admire his abilities. (His current project? Making lightsabers out of PC pipe. I'll post a pic as soon as I have one.)

3) His love of children. Seriously, which wife/girl doesn't love this about any man? Niklas has always wanted children---lots of children. In fact, probably more children than I'll ever be able to give birth to---9 or 10!! Of course, it was kind of a joke...or semi-serious joke. Not only does he want his own biological children, but he would love to be able to adopt other children in the future. He loves to play and interact with the kids in our combined families and I know he is going to be a very involved father with our own children (though he'll love to tease them endlessly, I'm sure). And funny enough, he finds pigtails on little girls completely adorable.

4) His pouty face. I think I already mentioned this before on here, but I cannot get enough of Niklas' pouty face. I unfortunately don't have a picture of it, but it cracks me up every time. Of course, his pouty face is probably supposed to make me feel sorry for him; but instead it makes me laugh. I find it totally endearing.

5) His physical sense of humor. Yes, Niklas has his little twisted sense of humor; but he also is completely unself-conscious about animatedly acting ridiculous. I refuse to play the game "Curses!" because you have to look like a complete idiot in front of others; but Niklas eats it up. The first time I met him in Colorado, he was telling me and my mom about how ridiculous popped collars on men's polo shirts looked---and then he proceeded to pop his own collar and walk around exactly like a chicken. My mom and I DIED laughing. He can always make me laugh, since he has a bit of an entertainer in him that I find amusing. He has the unabashed physical humor that amuses others, especially when he starts busting a funky groove.

(Niklas and his sister Jacqueline, dressed up 50's style for some kind of event. This picture always makes me smile.)

6) His love of books and learning. Although Niklas hasn't enjoyed the grades part of college, he is passionate about being a life-long learner. He loves learning about history, sword fighting, literature, etc. And he absolutely loves books. He would love to have his own library someday so he can stock up on all the books he wants and read them all at his leisure (sort of like the libraries from Jane Austen times). He is all about literature and is also a great writer. It's nice being able to discuss books with him (although we haven't read a lot of the same material), and I look forward to maybe reading Crime and Punishment together. (I've read it once--Niklas, never.) In fact, he's always trying to get me to read all kinds of stuff he's read (classic literature), but I have no desire right now. I know, how bad of me...but thus it is.

7) His cooking skills! Niklas is a great cook. While I have to follow any given recipe line by line (NO deviations) in the rare times I do cook, Niklas can simply throw ingredients together and have the dish turn out really delicious. He instinctively can tell what spices work well together and create a masterpiece. His favorite type of cooking, however, would be grilling. Someday we'll get one and then he can do all the grilled meats he wants. :)

8) His gift for teaching. Niklas has a natural desire to have an impact on the people around him---and when he has taught classes (in church mostly, though he did teach a college class once this last semester for his T.A. job), he knows how to hold the classes' attention by making the subject interesting and throwing in some humor (whether by props or likening life, etc. to Star Wars). He loves to teach and has a knack for it, which is why he hopes to be able to become a university professor someday. (And I would be extremely proud of him being a teacher!)

9) His love of the Gospel. Niklas has a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and has a deep respect for the prophets and apostles throughout history. He loves to learn more about the gospel through studying church literature and isn't afraid to talk to others about the gospel. He seeks and strives to be the best patriarch he can be for our family, and he loves God and Jesus Christ with all of his heart.

10) His soul. Okay, so this is kind of a cop-out---I was having issues thinking of #10. ;) But really, it's a true statement. Though Niklas and I are so different in so many ways, and we drive each other crazy too often than I care to elaborate....I have a deep connection with this man that I didn't have with any other. We have our struggles like any other couple, but when it comes down to it, Niklas is a safe place for me to come to amidst the highs and lows of life. I'm grateful that we are both committed to each other no matter what happens.

(Taken the day I was to receive my endowment, a week before Niklas and I were married.)

So there you go. Niklas has been wrestling with his laptop all day (yay for viruses), so hopefully this post will bring some sunshine to his most-likely gloomy state of mind. ;)

After-Breakfast "Snack" = No Shame

Did I seriously finish the rest of this yummy sorbet this morning as soon as I got to work? Yes, yes I did. And it was glorious.

Good News and More Ultrasound Pics

So! The glucose drink wasn't as nasty as I thought it would be, but was definitely nasty---imagine a concentrated dosage of Otter Pops and doctor-office suckers for kids, and add in some acidic burning, and you pretty much got it. I had to drink the stuff in intervals.

At the actual appointment, I found out that my placenta did move away from the cervix, which means no C-section in my future! I was relieved. Also, I passed my glucose screening test, so I don't have the drink anymore of that nasty stuff until I am pregnant with my second child! This also made me very happy.

While doing the ultrasound to check on the placenta, the tech graciously took a few more shots of our little Clara. Unfortunately, Clara still had her head turned to the side slightly to prevent a straight-on profile shot; plus she had her arm/hand right up at her face/lips. The tech caught her playing with her toes again as well. :) So cute! The tech was jossling Clara just a bit to get her to move, so she gifted me with a few swift kicks--it was surreal seeing her move on the ultrasound screen while feeling it happening. I can't wait to meet this little one.

And now, for the pics. I decided to finally stick a belly shot on here---here is me at almost 28 weeks (will be on Saturday):

I've been feeling pretty good besides the fatigue, so I can't complain too much. I mean, don't get me wrong--I am defintely experiencing typical pregnancy symptoms that we won't go into, since you'll find out how repulsive I've really become. :B Just kidding...well, not really, but we can pretend. It's only going to get more uncomfortable with the growing here on out, however, so I'm going to enjoy this time while I can!

And presenting little Clara (the pics may be a bit tiny, so you'll have to click on them and zoom):

Hoping for Sickly Sweet Goodness...?

Just a quickie post. I felt fine when I got to work, besides feeling tired...but now I feel exactly how I did after running a few miles and lifting weights back in the day: completely worn out. It's not even 10 a.m. yet! :'(

In other news, I have my 28-week prenatal appointment later today, consisting of another ultrasound and the glucose screening test. The ultrasound is to check on the location of the placenta, since at my 20-week ultrasound, the tech found that it was located within 1-2 cm from the cervix. If the placenta is still that close to the cervix, I'll have to get a C-section ultimately(ugh); but the doctor was pretty confident the placenta would move away from the cervix as my uterus grew with time. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that today's ultrasound will result in good news. I'm also hoping to see little Clara again while they are looking around in there. I love seeing her move around in her little wonderland. :)


I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to drink this stuff down:

Mmmm, yummy.... Not. I don't know about you, but the thought of drinking a pure sugar drink makes me want to gag. But I have a strategy: I'm going to pretend it's chocolate milk while plugging my nose. We'll see how that goes...

Addictions

(I've given Niklas fair warning I was going to make this post. ;) )

Back in December during Christmas break, my husband was introduced to the board game Arkham Horror by his brother, which consists of trying to close enough other-dimensional portals before an unspeakable evil monster wakes up to kill everyone. And because Niklas gave me the most pathetic expression of pleading (which usually make me laugh more than anything else), I gave in and played this horror game with them to appease him. Little did I know there was no going back.

Subsequently, Nikas bought the game for himself and it became the #1 (and pretty much only) game that was played in our household whenever we had friends over or saw family. I thought, "Sure, the horror/monsters doing horrible things to people isn't my thing, but it's pretty fun; and it makes Niklas happy when I play." But then Niklas found out about another game by the same company, and immediately bought it as soon as it was out: Mansions of Madness.


This game is basically a horror version of Clue: you are an investigative character trying to find clues (via solving puzzles) as to why so-and-so is missing or why the mansion is a crazy place full of monsters, etc. But the clues are pretty disturbing/gross---like the last game we played I found a bloody man who had been skinned lying on an operating table next to all kinds of crude instruments, speaking his last few words of horror while handing me a silver key. And to make it worse, my oldest niece heard me reading this clue and ran out of the room crying. You can imagine how horrible I felt!

These two games, Arkham Horror and Mansions of Madness, have been the two games that have been played in succession over and over again for the last 8 months; and I've grown weary of playing the same games over, and over, and over again. But Niklas is just as zealous about them as ever.

Niklas also has other games he thoroughly enjoys, but doesn't play as often that have the same disturbing flavor: Gloom, a card game that consists of making members of a selected family suffer as much as possible before offing them; and then Zombies, which is basically killing the undead while trying to survive through it all (I have never played this last game, and have no interest to do so either).

All in all, I've realized even more strongly these past few months that 1) my husband has a twisted, dark sense of humor and entertainment, 2) I can liken his obsessions and addictions to a child that loves to watch the same movie over and over again within the same week and months, much to the exasperation of the parents, and 3) Niklas has an obsessive nature much like mine was back in the day.

I've voiced a petition to purchase "normal" games in the future, such as Life, Settlers of Catan, etc. I'm ready for some family-friendly games that we can play that won't result in upset children and adults or me having nightmares of falling to an icy death afterwards.

Now, I don't say all of this to mock my husband---I actually find his obsessive nature amusing while also struck with how different our tastes are. Niklas married a gal who has the emotional sensitivity of a 5-year-old---who still cries when watching Bambi or The Lion King. The yellow soul-sucking alien in the Green Lantern movie completely disturbed me: I kept gripping Niklas' hand tightly as if I was in labor, not realizing I was doing it; but I got the clue when he kept looking over at me with a worried expression. I mean, how miserable for him to be with someone like me during a movie he is enjoying! :P

Ironically, I have my own obsessive nature, but my obsessions come in spurts of obsession and are not so long-lived as Niklas'. Well, except one: chocolate. Everyone who knows me well knows that chocolate will always hold a special place in my heart. People told me once I got pregnant I might not want chocolate, or completely lose my taste for it. Oh, how contrare. Instead, I eat chocolate every single day in way-too-large quantities, even worse than before (though Niklas has countered that claim). In fact, I'm pretty sure this little girl I'm carrying is swimming in chocolate amniotic fluid as I type. She is either going to LOVE chocolate like her mom or absolutely ABHOR it due to my nasty eating habits and cravings. I've introduced her to chocolate-covered craisins, chocolate milk, rocky-road ice cream, thin mints, chocolate shakes, hot fudge pudding cake, smores, fudgsicles, chocolate-covered pecans, and so much more on multiple occasions. Ice cream happens to be the worst craving for me right now. But despite this, this little girl keeps making her presence known through many a jab, swift kick, or roll; and maybe that's her way of expressing her feelings about my lack of nutrition. ;)

Thoughts

Dear Blog,

I've decided that you are more of a personal journal more than an entertainment blog for others at this point. :) I don't even care if something I post right now is taboo, etc. I am in one of those funks...

It's my dad's birthday today. Happy birthday Dad (again)! But it's got me thinking about time, and how fast it goes the older you get. I'm already having those, "Wow, I'm getting older and that's sort of depressing" thoughts, and I'm not even out of my 20's yet. But why should getting older be so depressing, I ask myself? Is it just because we think being older is no fun? Like life loses its potential for joy and happiness just because are kids are getting older and we are getting wrinkles? I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that we are that much closer to death. But then, why should death be seen so gloomily? It's just the next step. But most of us fear the passage into the somewhat unknown; and maybe that's why it's depressing as we get older.

Despite these gloomy thoughts on my part, I realize that I'm going to be 25 weeks pregnant tomorrow. How awesome is that? I keep thinking about this little girl and wondering who she is. Of course I am looking forward to seeing what she looks like---but who is she? I wish I could start finding that out now, but I'll have to be patient for another 15+ weeks. And even then, she'll only reveal her little personality in time, all through her growing up years.

I am so excited to become a mother, and so freaked out at the same time. I was just telling my mother-in-law this weekend that I am looking forward to having the initial time with baby (the "What the heck am I doing?!" period) ease off and getting into a more familiar routine. Everything is easier to take once you know what it is like and it is familiar. I personally love the familiar. :) I realize I may be asking myself, "What the heck am I doing?!" the rest of my life as a mom. Knowing my tendency to beat myself up with the guilt stick, I'm sure I'll feel like I've fallen short as a parent no matter what I do and don't do. However, despite all that...I want to take on this challenge of raising children. It is one of the noblest callings out there, and gets far too little credit.

Funny now when I think about my time as a kid and how I viewed my parents. As far as I was concerned, they were one team working together as Mom & Dad. Now that I'm at the starting point of having a family, I realize how much I don't feel like a team with Niklas, a.k.a., not agreeing on everything when it comes to how to raise children, etc. However, I'm suspecting no matter what we will end up disagreeing on, our children may still view us as a team with one mind. It must be the children's purity that projects that onto us older and "wiser" adults who know we are still trying to figure things out. ;)

And speaking of being a team... I have this back-burner, slight fear that Niklas and I won't even know each other at the end of our lives when our children are all moved out and it's just us again. No, I'm not trying to borrow trouble; I have just heard about it happening too often to couples who didn't make time for each other. It's hard now just to make a date night, etc. happen, and I'm already feeling the loss of that at times. It's only going to get harder after having children... we need to make it happen no matter how busy we are in life. But, like usual, that's easier said than done. :( I have no solution for this; only that if it is important to both Niklas and I, we'll make it happen. And obviously, it hasn't been important enough so far, and that needs to change.

So there you have it. A sneak peek into my funk. These thoughts are the tip of the iceburg, but that's okay for now. Overall, I am eagerly anticipating having my little girl and having Niklas graduate with his Bachelor's degree. I'm ready for some change, despite my love of the familiar; and man, will I be getting plenty of it over the next year.

Oh, and Niklas' family was here last weekend for my sister-in-law's graduation, and it was a blast. :) I really needed it. And they even threw me a surprise baby shower! It was so nice, and Clara (that's the name we have picked out---Clara Mae) is getting so spoiled already (though my mother-in-law has stated that it's not being spoiled, but LOVED). :)

Take care, blog. Thanks for listening.

Love,

Karen

25 Life Lessons

I'm having alone time right now, and after being on Facebook looking at others' pics, etc., it's made me reflect on life in general and things I've learned (or observed---maybe there is no truth to it :P) over the course of my 27 years...

1. No matter what, bad times will always come in life at one point or another. However, good times will always come in life as well. The struggle in life is appreciating/focusing on the good times and not getting caught up in only the negative times. (I may still be trying to grasp this concept.)
2. Even with the best of intentions in your heart, or trying to choose right, you will always manage to offend, hurt, anger, or upset someone in some way down the road. And depending on who you are, even if you know you intended good instead of evil to another person, you may feel like crap about it the rest of your life.
3. Every marriage is different, and all couples have their brand of arguments/fights; but this doesn't mean that if you are not exactly like so-and-so couple or that if you do argue that your marriage is messed up. However, keep in mind that you can get great marriage advice from other couples who have been there and done that.
4. Men and women are also very different not only physically, but mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. This is a good thing since the genders are equal despite their differences and are meant to complement each other. (Even as frustrating as it is trying to understand the other at times!)
5. More often than not, an individual will be more concerned about being understood than understanding another/others.
6. No matter how good of a person you try to be, someone out there will find fault with you. And you can either find fault with them back, or just keep trying to be the best you can be and move on with your life despite what others may think/say about you.
7. Whether we think this about ourselves or not, we are all hypocrites in a way. Nobody, besides Jesus Christ, has been perfectly consistent with what they say and do. But if we are striving to close that gap between talking the talk and walking the walk, we can't be doing too badly.
8. We all make mistakes, and it totally stinks when we make them, and leads to a lot of regret. However, despite making the mistakes, it's even worse to not learn and grow from those mistakes.
9. Every single person that ever walked, is walking and will walk this earth is unique. We each have something to offer our fellowman in our own way, be it perceived as great or small. Each individual is important and has a mission in life; and each is a child of God.
10. Being truly confident (and mature, I might add) in yourself or your opinion on a subject is apparent when you are able to have a discussion with another of differing views and not get nasty or angry because they don't agree with you. (Still a work in progress for most of us, me included!)
11. Unfortunately, negative remarks from others will almost always take precedence over the positive remarks of others regarding self.
12. Almost all marital arguments will come down to this: Spouse A: "I felt such-and-such way when you said/did/didn't ____ ." Spouse B: "But I didn't mean ____ the way you interpreted, so you shouldn't have taken it that way." Impasse! Who's in the "right?"
13. There are others better than you in a certain skill, etc. across the world. There are also others worse than you in that skill, etc. across the world.
14. Nobody is really entitled to anything in this world---you need to work for what you get. And even if you don't get it, keep working anyway. Everything that can be made even better in this world, whether it be friendship, marriage, a promotion, good grades, etc., takes effort, diligence, and patience.
15. No matter how upset you are during a marital argument, do not leave your house/apartment when it is past 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. to find a thinking spot. For all you know, that thinking spot outside could very well cost you and your spouse a police officer visit and suspicions about domestic violence. (This could be based off of a real story...)
16. Kindness goes a long way. Pass it on. You never know what another person is dealing with in their life at any given time, and your positive (or, unfortunately, negative) interaction could make all the difference.
17. Children are a blessing and a joy---but that doesn't mean they are sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows all of the time, like anything in life.... ;)
18. The bitter times make the sweet times more poignant and savory.
19. Serving others is the best way to feel true happiness when you are down or too self-absorbed with your own problems.
20. Children need both father and mother for guidance, since children are limited in their capacity to understand the world and right from wrong as (hopefully) an adult does. If we as parents don't love, lead, guide, and nurture our children to build good moral characters, who will??
21. Our choices in life define who we are becoming.
22. From Elder Deiter F. Uchtdorf, "Love is spelled T-I-M-E." Life is made up of small, seemingly insignificant moments with loved ones; but many of these small moments build on one another and produce strong relationships between families, friends, and individuals. Each moment is precious and fleeting. Remember what really matters in life and invest your time wisely.
23. While providing a means to action on occasion, worrying is likely only to accomplish two objectives: stressing you out and everyone else around you. (A big improvement area for me.)
24. What really matters in the end is what God thinks of you; not everyone else. (Although this doesn't mean you treat everyone else like dirt 'cause you don't care what they think---God wants you to love others and treat them accordingly.)
25. We are not static beings. People change throughout their lives for better or for worse, and we need to accept that. Life is a fascinating journey of discovering who we are along with our role here in regards to others, finding joy in the process, and always growing.

I realize some of these are very redundant in ways...but I'm still learning! Looking forward to what the next few years of life will bring. I'm sure becoming a mother will be a huge growth spurt for me.

It's a Girl!

We just had our 2nd ultrasound this morning and we're having a little girl!! I have no time right now to write more, so enjoy the pics---I can't enough decipher half of them now. :P Unfortunately, she didn't want to cooperate with getting a face shot, so these will have to do for now.

........!!!!!!!!!!

This is the week from HECK. (The extent of my cursing.) That is all.

Cursed by the Airplane Gods

I seem to have the worst luck when it comes to flights. I woke up at 6:15 this morning, got out the door by 8:20, and began my drive to Boise to catch a flight to Seattle. My parents and I are going to IKEA after they pick me up from the airport and then I'm attending a friend's baby shower this Saturday. Needless to say, I was really excited when I left this morning, except for wishing Niklas could have gone with me. (He has a typical case of lots of homework on the 3-day weekend.)

Here's me driving down to Boise this morning:

Here was my view to the right:

Here was my view in front:

And here's me now:

Why the glum face? Upon checking in it turns out that my flight is 3.5 HOURS late! The plane had mechanical issues (not comforting) and instead of dropping some of its scheduled flights to make up for lost time, it simply delayed each and every one. I am both bummed and grumpy about this, as it seems I always happen to pick the flights that are delayed in the end. I'm also tired and ready for a nap, but having no husband to watch my stuff while I sleep, that won't be remedied for a few more hours. Overall, this delay means I'll be getting to bed a lot later tonight than I wanted because I have a pending project to get done by tonight.

And that is why the airplane gods hate me.

3-Year Anniversary Today!

Today marks 3 years since Niklas and I were sealed for eternity in the Rexburg, ID temple. It's crazy to think that we've been married that long already, but I'm sure each year I'll feel that way. I'm grateful to have Niklas as my husband. Even though we drive each other crazy at times, I can't imagine being with anyone else; nor do I want too. It's easy, in the day-to-day living with one another, to forget (or take for granted) what a miracle it is to be married to each other at all. We are around a lot of singles all the time while serving at church, and it reminds me how much I looked forward to being married when I was single, and yet was unsure if or when it would happen. And then I remember the magic of our "dating" (more like hanging out) and ending up together. With the world getting more and more confused, scary, and hard to live in, it's nice to know that Niklas will always be a loving, supporting influence in my life. We are both imperfect people, but so far we have helped each other to grow in many ways, even if it has been a bit painful at times for both of us. So here's looking forward to another year with my sweetheart; and what a life-altering year it will be! Happy anniversary, Niklas--I love you!

Loud Talkers and Baby Stuff!

Yesterday, Niklas and I hit Idaho Falls to do some window shopping in the downtown area, along with other errands. It was a beautiful day and was nice just to walk around in the sun. After a while, I really wanted some ice cream. Big surprise---I always want ice cream now. So we stopped by Sundae's Eats & Treats and I ordered a sugar cone with mint cookie ice cream while Niklas got some rainbow sherbert and a philly cheesesteak sandwich (one of his favorites it would seem). The gal taking our orders asked if we were planning on sharing the sandwich, to which I said no, and Niklas and I went to sit down. Right before we get to a table, this random boy (I'm guessing in junior high---13-14 years old?) who is sitting at a nearby table with a much younger boy, loudly asks, "You don't like to eat?!" Then I explain to this random stranger that I just want ice cream right now, and he (being Niklas) wants the sandwich. So Niklas and I sit, and the next thing that comes out of this kids' mouth to Niklas is something like, "If you put chocolate in front of a woman, she'll want you." I was totally incredulous---wow, this kid is totally clueless about women and some aspects of social decorum, not to mention having this "man-to-man" chat with my husband while I'm sitting there. For some reason, I found it totally unsettling that this young kid had these ideas about women already. Anywho, at that point I wasn't in the mood to hear all of this boy's widsom on how to catch a woman, so I turned to my ice cream and gave it my full attention. A few minutes later, Taylor Swift's "Tim McGraw" song came on over the speakers, and the kid loudly says (in our direction), "I HATE this song! It makes me jealous." ....Whaaaat??? Don't get my wrong; I basically like people, even ones that have a tendency to butt into your mental space at times. And I do believe in being kind in thought, word, and deed, though I am human and fail way too often than I would like. But honestly, this kid was not rubbing me the right way---I was tired, my feet hurt, and was basically in no mood to deal with a loud person who kept giving way more insight into their psyche than I cared to know that day. In short, Niklas and I didn't turn to him to get sucked into asking, "Why jealous?" We kept on eating and I tried to maintain happy thoughts. Of course, the evil side of me thought, "I really hope I don't have a son that thinks like that, or shoves their way into people's notice!" This kid even sauntered when he walked. Anyway, I'm not saying I thought this kid is a bad person or anything; but being pregnant and all, I was not in the mood for this kid's unwanted conversation! Besides that little blip, Niklas and I had a pleasant walk around town, and then dragged ourselves home after doing some much-needed grocery shopping.

Okay, onto some baby loot we've gathered so far! :D We have a crib and a mattress:

A cute, neutral teddy bear bedding set (I LOVE the teddy bears!):





The matching teddy bear play mat:





A teddy bear boppy:



A traveling system:





And a play pen (or whatever they're called), photo courtesy of my mom:





I also have a cream-of-the-crop breast pump, but I figured you wouldn't really want to see a picture of that. ;) I'm not looking forward to having to use it down the road. Just sayin'... We have also bought a couple of extra mattress covers and bed sheets. I was eager to start getting our baby stuff, but I'll have to wait on the clothes for now. I want to get a nice variety of neutral and gender-specific things eventually. I might even try my hand at sewing a few things, but we'll see if that actually pans out or not.


Overall, things are well. I'm still working full-time and enjoying the relaxation (too much--the apartment is always a mess) from school while Niklas is working hard to graduate with his Bachelor's degree in English this December. He has also been working as a teacher's assistant for an English professor and will have an opportunity to teach a college class on June 15th, which I think is pretty neat.


Here are some pictures from the last few months of us (mostly Niklas actually):





Niklas modeling (with his creepy clown face) a Superman Snuggy my mom bought for him as a gag gift after Christmas. This cracked me up because Niklas was always going on about how anyone wearing a Snuggy looked like a cultist. Now he can start his own Superman cult (notice Superman in the background)!





Niklas putting together Star Wars Pocket Models (basically made out of plastic card stock), with a look of, "Why are you taking a pictures of me and my nerdy habits?" :D





Niklas playing with his newly-created pocket models: a Snow Speeder shooting at an AT-AT.


These next three were taken today.





Niklas painting some miniature models at the kitchen table. Besides enjoying the process, painting seems to be a stress-reliever for him as well.





This is the robot miniature he was painting in the last picture (there is no way I could paint all those tiny details).





And here's a picture of me at 15 weeks in our cluttered apartment. I'm actually wearing a belly band here, since those pants are too tight for comfort in the waist now. I'm hoping to have more of an obvious baby bump by my next appointment in June. :)


Oh, and we bought a tomato plant this weekend! I'm looking forward to getting some home-grown tomatoes this year!





That's all the updates for now! :)