9 Months of Miracles and Blessings

I've been terrible at updating the blog over the past nine months, but cooking a baby is a full time job!!! Pregnancy has not been what I thought it would be. Not many women complain about pregnancy, at least not around me. Growing a baby is hard work! I've had a great pregnancy, but not without many aches, pains, scares, and feeling uncomfortable 99% of the time.

Honestly, 3rd trimester has been my favorite. I LOVE feeling my baby move! I love seeing my baby bump and having it remind me why my body is going through all of this.

I have LOVED having showers, dinners, and get-togethers to celebrate Baby West. He is so worth celebrating. He is a miracle! I never knew if I would get the chance to be pregnant, so the showers and get-togethers have meant so much. I love going to other people's showers, but I always wondered if I would have my own. I did, and Baby West and I got spoiled!!


I have been so blessed. This whole pregnancy has been a miraculous blessing, but my new job has also been a huge blessing. It was really hard to adjust at first. I missed the kids so much and was certain I was going to go back to the classroom. Now, I feel right at home. I am utilizing and expanding so many of my talents and skills; it's so rewarding! I've been referred to as the "curriculum expert" at the state level, and also had some really important people call to meet with me to learn from my "expertise". Wow. Such a blessing. I am loving what I'm doing, and I must be doing well. I love my boss. She's become like family and we spend crazy amounts of hours together. I seriously love her and she has taught me so much. This job has already changed my life in many ways. I also have so much more flexibility, which has been so nice while I've been pregnant. There have been a couple of days where I didn't know honestly if I could come into work. Then my boss tells me to stay in my PJ's and work from home. Again, I'm so blessed.

Mike and I have been blessed as a couple. Over the past 9 months, Mike and I have grown so close. I didn't know it was possible to love someone so much. I know for sure this was the perfect timing for a baby because it has brought us even closer together. Mike has become a man that I admire so deeply. He's done a lot of growing and changing over the past year. Currently, he's working two jobs and going to school full time, taking 16 credits and getting straight A's. He cares so much about school and his future career. I've never met a more hardworking man. He's developed into this leader in his classes and into his jobs. I love him so much.


Mike's most recent accomplishment was to secure an amazing internship!! He signed up for an internship class this semester and was one of the last two students in the class who had not received an internship yet. He had applied for several, but the cities were being really slow at getting back to him and doing interviews. Finally, in late September, Mike had two great interview opportunities-- one with Salt Lake City, and one with Lehi City. He loved his experience at Salt Lake. He thought that was it. Then he walked into the Lehi interview, and was even more impressed. They required a much more challenging application and the interview involved a writing assignment and test. The day after Lehi's interview, Mike received an offer from Sale Lake. He called up Lehi and left the secretary a message saying he received another offer and was curious if Lehi was interested in him. Shortly after, the boss of the planning department at Lehi called him up from a conference out of town and offered him the position, and said he was by far their top pick. Mike accepted the internship and has absolutely loved every minute of it. He has also found his niche. He works with only 3 other city planners, and they're teaching him so many things. He has many responsibilities, and seems to be pleasing and impressing them all the time. It is seeming like this might work into a full time position (we are hoping!!!). And for now, it is a paid internship. Again, we are so blessed!


We are pretty much ready for this baby to come. I am the QUEEN of checklists, and there is a check by nearly every little thing that needs to be bought and done before this baby comes. Many friends have really helped us get ready for this baby through gifts and showers. Those who know me well, know that my family does not have money. We have had to get everything for this baby on our own, which has been stressful and overwhelming. But so many people have helped alleviate this burden, and we are truly feeling ready.




I am so pleased with how the nursery has turned out!! We're going to be having a little rocker :) I've been nesting like crazy the past two weeks. I've completely cleaned out the fridge, pantry, every cupboard in the house, rearranged furniture and appliances, cleaned closets, reorganized, dusted and dusted and dusted, done loads of baby laundry, and even decorated the whole house for Christmas. I'm hoping to do some sewing this weekend and finish up some Christmas crafts, and maybe even get them wrapped!! Yup, I'm crazy! But I'm so ready for this baby boy to come. I want to meet him so badly. I know how hard it's going to be a mommy, especially those first few weeks, but I'm up for the challenge. After nine months of deep bonding with my little fetus, I'm ready to truly become his mommy and cuddle him every day. Well, it could be any time now... I'll keep you all posted!






Our little rocker will be here soon! I'm dilated to 1 cm and 50% effaced as of yesterday, November 18th!