Baby Prep!

I am 28 weeks! Wow, time flies! No, we don't have a name, no carseat, no stroller, no toys or play pins...BUT we just got her crib and a few dressers. I'm so happy! One thing at a time. We got a great deal from Lone Star Baby in Frisco. The set was on sale, in the back of the store...we are so lucky to have found it. The salesman was trying to sell us the expensive "new models" in the front, and we asked for cheaper, and he was like, "well, there is a set in the back, but I don't think you will like it..". WHATEVER! Haha. My parents bought us the crib as a present, so we are one step closer to having a baby room.

I've been feeling pretty good. I'm just tired a lot. My low blood pressure might have something to do with it. It's been low my whole pregnancy. Last appointment it was 93 over 50! I have RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome), so that keeps me up at night. But the doctor said it's common, and should go away after I have the baby. I still suffer a lot with Charlie Horses too, but now I'm so used to it, that I have learned to just let them pass. On a typical night, I have about 2 to 3. Sometimes I just tap Richard (more like a shove, haha), and he pushes my ankle back, to try to stretch them out.

I have taken on probably one too many sewing projects. !! I just get so excited, and keep finding new patterns that I want to make. I think I'm in over my head, so I'm done picking up new projects. So far, in chronological order of priority: Crib bedding, blessing dress, diaper changer/purse, quilt. But as my sister says in Oregon, do the projects now, because once you start your family and have kids running around it won't be so easy.

I'm trying to stay active, but as we all know, sleep is priority! :) I am still working full-time, so I typically get off work at 6, and then go to the gym. Rich is at mutual (Calling is in Young Men's) on Wednesday nights, so those nights I try to do a little more exercise, since he doesn't get home till 9. Richard is an awesome youth leader. He really enjoys working and teaching the young men...and of coarse, playing basketball and football with them every Wed. night. Which reminds me, I'm still the seminary teacher for Lindale students. I only have 5 students, and 2 of them can't come early morning because of Cross Country. So we are doing Home Study the first semester, and early morning Winter semester. I teach in our home, so they will all get to know Baby Campbell pretty well I'm sure...hopefully we will have her on a schedule to sleep that hour. :)

We are probably staying in Lindale for at least one more year! Which would be awesome, because we truly love our house, ward, town, activities, job, everything!!! But our post-pregnancy plans will have to wait a few more months for us to discuss, considering nothing is set in stone. !!!

Here are some pics of the last few months.

15 weeks

 

20 weeks

25 weeks

Baby Clothes and diapers!!! Once we found out it was a girl, we went straight to the clearence section at Babies R' Us, and Ross. It's the safest and most affordable thing to buy up to this point, since we haven't decided on all the seats/strollers and such.

My sis made me a boppy!

Our crib set/changing table/dresser (pic taken in store)

First rag quilt that I made her.

Crib bedding fabric.

Shopping at market with my Mom!

Bumpers!!! I only have one side done, and have three to go. The white satin was such a pain to gather. Never again!!!

I finished the matching blanket for the crib. Still have the skirt/sheet/diaper stacker/organizer to finish.

Family Reunion 2012

I have a lot to catch up on, but I think I will start out with FAMILY! We had an amazing time on a family reunion trip to Beavers Bend, OK. I got to see my Eric's family, with 4 daughters, Heather's family with 3 sons, Holly's family with 5 kids, Valerie and Todd, and ofcoarse, my parents. (24 people!)

The cousins loved getting together and hanging out. From early in the morning, till late at night there always seemed to be an activity going on of some kind. I think the highlight of the trip was the boating. Watching all the kids go tubing was so fun! I think the best part though was watching the grandkids watch GRANDPA go tubing. Haha. What a memory!!! Go dad!!

We also did a lot of swimming, kayaking, horseback riding, smores, hot tubbing, playing games, and our nightly dinners that each family prepared. I love my family so much!!! We can't wait for another reunion, maybe in 2 years! Maybe we will do a skiing trip in Colorado or Utah. YES!!! We will then be able to bring our little addition. :)

                                                                          

Jeffrey, Tess, and Susie about to go boating

Eric's family!

At the dock!

Pregnant woman about to kayak!

Rich with the awesome view from campsite.  

My nieces and nephews floating on the lake

My sisters and mom!! :)

Group picture by our cabin.

What Zoey looked like when we got home....no worries, he's alive! He just likes to sleep in awkward positions. Haha.

Videographer/Editor

So, I decided to edit together a little video for keepsake memory. It shows our cruise from last year with our friends, the Ivies. It was so fun! Pretty much you are in the sun the WHOLE time, everyday. We just ended up staying in our swimsuits all day. :) This year, it will be a little different considering I'm pregnant, and will need to stay in shade more often. :) Don't mind some of the inside jokes in the video, it was made for the four of us, but some family wanted to see the final product, and I decided to share it. Enjoy!

I like to put together videos for weddings/events/vacation, etc. So if you have something coming up, let me know! Or, if you have a ton of video from an event, and just need it to be edited together to make sense, I can do that too!

Our Little Princess!

Yes, it is true!! We are expecting our first little baby. We could not be happier. We just went to my 19 week appointment this week, and found out we are having a girl. **LOVE** We both thought for sure we were having a boy! Partially, because I did a story not too long ago on "The Intelligender Test", and I thought I would try it out. It said I was having a boy!! Haha...it said it's 85% accurate, but we both knew going in, it was a scam. (Especially since I interviewed a doctor in my story, saying so). Nonetheless, we are extremely thrilled to have a little girl. Right after we found out, we went straight to Babies R' Us to buy girl outfits. So expensive!!! So we stayed in the sale section, which is all Spring clothes, which isn't bad, because she is due November 25th. Yay!!! Happy Thanksgiving to us!

So, since this is a blog, and the public eye doesn't read it,(right?), then I thought I would share our experience of how we choose to get pregnant. Around October last year, I was driving home from work and I had a distinct thought come to my mind/heart. It said, "Mom..I'm ready, come on". Wow, it still give me goosebumps just writing it. I, of coarse, said.."um, are you sure?"! Haha. I tried to ignore it, but the thought lingered on for a few days. I just thought, well..it must have just been my imagination. (I know, it's a sign of pride!! Not giving credit to the Spirit, but instead rationalizing that it was my own thought.) Anyhow, as the Spirit has always done with me (Thank you!), it didn't give up. I had the same thought about a month later. !!! I could not deny it! I told Richard, and even shared it with my Momma and my sisters. We all knew it was probably time, especially since we have had a good few years to enjoy just one another.

Then one day, we decided, if it's meant to be, it will happen. :) Sure enough, I found out two long weeks later, we were pregnant. Yay! So yes, the baby was planned, but it was sure a surprise when we found out! :)

We had our first appointment at 7 weeks, when she was just a little bean...but we were just so excited to SEE the great news. Then we just have patiently (ya, right) waited for this week. I went out to lunch with a local constable last week, and he tried to explain to me why it's important and more special to wait on finding out the sex of the baby. Any thoughts? We just decided it was just as special finding out now!

Pregnancy Symptoms: Ugh! People say they loose weight in the first trimester, that's when I gained 5 pounds! I HAD to eat bread, crackers, and more bread, in order to feel better. My doctor gave my nauseous medicine, because otherwise, I would feel so sick to go to work. I couldn't afford to call in sick. The meds helped a ton, as long as I took them diligently. Cravings? Hmm...blueberries, raspberries, and well...ANY kind of fruit. Interesting enough, I couldn't eat anything sweet until about week 18. It made me feel yucky, and chocolate sounded just awful!! I know, crazy right?! But, unfortunately, sweets (especially ice cream) sound good again. My doctor says exercise is great for the baby and I, so I've continued on with my running. Well, after week 14 that is. I only do about 3 or 4 miles a day, and go super slow just to be safe and comfortable. I have a sprint triatholon in September, and the doctor says if I go slow and relax, I should be fine. I had to cancel a marathon in October with my friends in D.C, but that's ok..we're having a baby!!!!!! CRAZY!

We are clearing out Richard's office/my craft room (which was a DISASTER), and getting ready for a nursery. So much to do! As far as babies names...umm...NO IDEA. Ok, well, we have one idea, but just trying to decide still. We will keep you posted!! If I can actually find time to blog again! :)

                                                                         20 Weeks

                                                                            15 Weeks

New Niece!

My sister Holly is having her fifth baby tomorrow! She has three boys, and will now have two girls! Love you Holly! I'm the luckiest aunt in the world, to be blessed with such adorable neices and nephews. 4 from Eric, 3 from Heather, 1 from Valerie, and now 5 from Holly. (and that's just MY side!) :)




Gabriella!!!

Disney Magic

My parents, my sister, my nephew,my husband and I all went to Disneyworld this last fall! I'm a little behind, but better late than never! Didn't want to loose these pictures and have them stuck in the SD card forever! :) We were there for a total of 5 days, and managed to hit all four parks!!! Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Universal Studios, and Hollywood Studios. All of the parks were amazing! Magic Kingdom was a MUST DO...since that is where the history of Disney begins! When we went to Epcot, it was during the food festival...which was awesome! Every hundred feet there was another booth of little taste testings of foods from countries all around the world. We ate SOOO much food from France, Sweden, Spain, The Netherlands, and much more! Universal Studios had some great rides, and Hollywood...well, that one was our least favorite. (IF we had to pick one.) We also got about an hour to go to Animal Kingdom...and had the chance to ride just the biggest rides there. :) My mom had foot surgery just about 5 weeks before, so unfortunatly, she couldn't walk very easily around the parks, but LUCKILY...we all got to go to the front of every ride! Yep...no lines!!! Which, made the trip even more amazing, because we didn't have to stress about long lines!! Woo hoo! :) (Really, the only way to go!) Might I add, my mom rode Space Mountain...and my dad rode every rollar coster!!! So fun!


Getting Ready to hit Magic Kingdom with our matching shirts :)




Not sure what I'm doing with my leg...








I have a picture of my dad and I riding "Dumbo" at Disneyland when I was four...thought this would look good next to it! :)




Dad..I thought you were part of the horse...haha


Us girls...


...and the boys. haha.


Riding Peter Pan


Mom and Dad with Todd


We end the day with the Main Street Parade


Epcot!


Supporting our Rangers during the World Series


The Gypsy stop..with a little dress up! Belly dancing lessons and all! Ha!


My cute little nephew! He LOVED the vacation.


Well said! So tired after days of walking in circles!


So cold that day, and rode 2 water rides. FREEZING!

QUILTING!!!

I'm so excited that I can finally show my quilting adventure that I've had the last four months! I decided to make a king-size quilt for my mom, for Christmas. Let's just say, I found a new hobby! I LOVE quilting. It's one of those projects you can work on for hours, minutes, days, or whatever you have time for, set it aside and know exactly what to do when you pick it back up. My advice: Pace yourself! All you really need is a quilt design/pattern that you like, basic sewing skills, a rotary blade with a cutting mat, access to a quilting machine, and your favorite fabrics! This project took a lot of patience, because it IS such a huge quilt that I had to do a lot of little things OVER and over again. Cutting, cutting, ironing, ironing. I never realized how much you have to iron when you quilt, or sew anything for that matter. It really makes your project more crisp. I felt like a quilt was appropriate for my mom since I know it's something she will treasure, and something I can have part of my family forever! Knowing that someday my grandchildren will have it, will make the memory of my mother (who taught me how to sew) last forever. I love you Mom! Oh..and P.S...for a little project in between I made a rag quilt, which is the black patch blanket, with the pink back. That is an easy one day project, let me know if you want the instructions! (I love super Saturday's!)



Just Getting Started! First, you have to make sure you pre-wash the fabric, then start cutting rows of blocks, to start making a 9-block patch quilt.


I'm always in my pajamas! haha. Quilting is a perfect excuse to get comfy all day!!!


Time to get the batting, since the front is COMPLETELY DONE!














Here is a video of my mom opening her gift... :) I can't wait to make my next quilt! :)