Because I'm bored...

1. What is your occupation? administrative secretary
2. What color socks right now? None, I don't like socks
3. What are you listening to right now? "Sir Coughs-a-lot (who happens to be a woman) 4. What was the last thing that you ate? Rubio's tacos
5. Can you drive a stick shift? yes
6. If you could be a color what color would you be? Red 7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Ryan
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? sure
9. Favorite food? Right now, pretty much anything, I eat almost every 2 hours. 10. Favorite drink? Diet Coke/Fresca/Apple beer/ Starbuck's hot chocolate
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Hockey
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes
13. Pets? Campbell dog
14. Favorite Author? Stephanie Meyer 15. Last movie you watched? You, Me & Dupree
16. Favorite Day of the year? This year it will be the day this little one comes out, but other years, holidays usually are the top of the list.
17. What do you do to vent anger? Talk it out.
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? My little ponies, and our AWESOME barbie dream house, complete with elevator (Yes, that was a good Christmas)
19. What is your favorite time of year?Fall/Winter 20. Strawberry or Blueberry? Both
21. Do you want your friends to participate? yes, of course.
22 Who is most likely to respond? I don't know 23. Who is least likely to respond? I don’t know
24. Living arrangements? In an apartment, with my husband and my dog, and soon to be baby.
25. When was the last time you cried? yesterday, but that's the response you will get on most days, as right now, I'm a faucet.
26. Who is the friend you had the longest that you are going to tag? Heather
27. Who is the friend you have had the shortest that you are going to tag? Stephanie
28. Favorite smell? Fresh laundry, Ryan's cologne, baby lotion
29. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheeseburgers
30. Favorite car? I miss the Camry I drove in high school. My little sister has it now.
31. Favorite Quote or motto? "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything" - Abraham Lincoln
32. Number of keys on your key ring? 6
33. How many years at your current job? 1
34. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
35. How many states have you lived in? 4
36. Which political label most closely reflects your views? Republican
37. Worst injury you've ever had? Compound fracture of my right arm
38. What is your favorite book? Love the Twilight Series. (Thanks Jen and Nat for recommending them)
39. What were you doing at 12:00 last night? Trying to sleep, but mostly watching the Office on my iPod.
40. Famous person, dead or alive, that you would most like to meet ? Several Prophets and Presidents
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1. Three interesting/random/cool facts about you that your friends probably don't know:
Well depending on how long you have known me you may know some of these:

-I'm a die hard NSYNC fan

-I can touch my tongue to my nose

-I know how to tie a perfect bow

2. Three favorite bands/artists:
currently: red jumpsuit aparatus, taylor swift, anberlin
3. Three places you have never been to and wish to travel:
Europe, Prince Edward Island, Alaska

I'm tagging all who read this blog and who blog themselves! Enjoy!

Baby Update

Hello all!
Ryan and I went to the Dr. yesterday. I'm still at 2 cm and having contractions daily. Unfortunately, I don't think these contractions are doing much of anything, other than annoying me and giving some false hope. The contractions seem to pick up at night and when I go for a walk, so I might have to start walking more this weekend.
I only have a couple days left of work, which will be a relief for my swollen legs and feet. I'm looking forward to being able to put my feet up during the day.
I hope you all have a good weekend! Please send Labor Dust this way, we are ready to meet our little girl.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

False Alarm

Yesterday, Ryan and I had a wonderful day off. We went to Macaroni Grill for lunch, then walked around the shopping plaza for awhile.
I started contracting around 5:30, every 6 or 7 minutes, not too bad, I was just watching them to see if they got worse. 7ish Ryan and I take Campbell for a little walk, contractions are now about 5-6 minutes apart. 8:00 contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting 45 -60 seconds. Stays this way until 11 when we decide to go to the hospital.
Once we got there, and I got hooked up to the monitors. the nurse checked me and I was at 2 cm still 50% effaced. She called the on-call Dr. and he wanted me to walk around for an hour to see if the contractions would pick up and start dialting. So my sweet husband, walked the halls of L&D with me for an hour in the middle of the night. (here's where my "Ode to my AMAZING husband" comes in. He was such a trooper, waking up in the middle of the night to come hang around L&D with me, rubbing my back while we walked and holding my hand while I was in bed being monitored. So glad I married him! He is my hero!)
After walking, she checked me again, I was still a 2 but now 70% effaced. She went to go call the Dr. While we are waiting, my contractions are steady every 3 minutes and really starting to hurt.
The nurse comes back and said the Dr. says you can walk for another hour to see if that changes anything, or I can give you some pain meds to help you sleep. But the meds won't stop labor. If you are truly in labor, the contractions will just get worse.

I opted for the pain meds, so that Ryan and I could both get some sleep. Luckily, the medicine did help me sleep. I'm still having contractions today, but they are no where near as painful and they are not consistant. So no baby yet, but there are definitely signs that baby in on the way!
My next Dr. appt is Thursday, so we shall see what Dr. Z says then.

Thank you all so much for your love and support. When we do end up back in L&D for the real thing, we'll send out a text or make a phone call (depending on the hour) so you know it's for real.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Belly Pictures

Thanks to the wonderful talents of Miss Aly Willis, I present to you, more belly photos. Aly has been interning at a photography studio this summer and offered to take some pictures for me. Here are some of my favorites. These were taken at 33/34 weeks.

Recommendations

Since we are still waiting around for baby to show her colors, I've been trying to distract myself. I thought I would share some of my favorite things at the moment.
To Watch: Iron Man.

Ryan and I went to see this movie last night, and it definitely distracted me from thinking about pregnancy. Also, it was nice and clean. No Language, and only slight sexuality. I'm not usually a huge action movie fan, but this is definitely worth seeing. (Add movie popcorn and life doesn't get much better.)

to Drink: Apple Beer. This Utah specialty is one of mine and Ryan's favorites. If you live in Utah, you can find it just about anywhere. For those of you in California, Raley's and BevMo sell it. For those of you outside those states, I don't know where you can get it, but if you come visit us, I will make sure you get to enjoy this tasty drink.

to Eat: Rubio's. This place is known for their fish tacos, but I don't like fish so I get the chicken tacos. mmm. Also, they have the best chipotle salsa ever!

to Read: Being the Mom by Emily Watts.
My Mom sent me this book for Mother's Day. It's a quick read, about 150 pages, but it has 10 pieces of advice for Mom's. As I'm about to become a mom, reading this book gave me a little bit more confidence to be able to tackle the task of having a home, a husband, a child, a job, and a life. I really enjoyed her upbeat writing style and personal stories. (I was laughing out loud a lot)

to Wear: Old Navy Flip Flops.

These have been my lifesaver. My feet are currently too huge to fit into any of my shoes. So I wear these every day, all day. Lucky for me, my boss hasn't said anything yet (it's against dress code) but I think he's afraid of breathing to close to me, for fear of my water breaking. I only have 6 more days of work, so I think I'll be able to slide by with these for a few more days. (they only cost $2.50 a pair! which is good for us, consider Campbell likes to chew on them.)

to Listen to: Pandora.com

It's a free online radio, that creates a statin based on your recommendations. Wonderful for the workday!

There's my 2 cents for this week. I hope you all enjoy the long weekend. If you are so inclined, pray for my water to break. (It can't hurt right)

Love you all,

Holly &Co.

Baby Update

I went to the Dr. again today. I'm positive for Group B Strep, meaning I have to have an IV of antibiotics while in labor. We started internal checks today, I'm dilated to 1cm and 50% effaced and her head is down and low.
I've been having contractions on and off, but nothing exciting.
As of today, we have 29 days until due date.

We have another appt. next week, so I'll be updating more then.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Look what the Cat dragged in and other findings

Yesterday started out not so good. I was tired, grouchy and in general, still pregnant. (In fact, today I am still pregnant) I went to work before my Dr.'s appt. Met Ryan at my Dr.'s appt. While waiting for the Dr., I start crying to my poor husband about how tired and miserable I am. Bless his heart, he's just assures me that it will be over soon. Dr. comes in, checks the heart beat, measures my belly, then does my Strep B test. Tells me baby is good and she is head down, and come back in a week. We made all of our appointments up until my due date. (It's crunch time!)

Then Ryan and I went out to lunch. Our kind waiter, gets the bar tender to make me a "frozen lemonade" although he's not too sure what that is. Ryan and I enjoy a nice lunch and conversation. My mood is improving. Then I return to work, in a little better mood. Not an hour later, I get a call that I have a delivery at the front desk. I go up there to see a beautiful bouquet of pink gerbera daisies! (I am excited, but as I check the card to see who they are from, I secretly worry that they were the flowers I ordered for a funeral for someone at work earlier that week, that I had accidentally sent to myself.) Luckily, they were from my Big Sister! Jenni and I e-mail during work days, and that morning I had sent her an e-mail venting about how miserable I was. Amen for big sisters.

So then I get home (it's enrichment night, and I'm on the enrichment commitee, so I have about an hour to get home, change and eat) to find my amazing husband had run all the errands I asked him to (Bank, mail, grocery store) He's stocked the fridge, freezer, and cupboards, and even taken out the trash. Oh and he had started dinner! I thank my lucky stars he likes me enough to deal with my pregnant self.

So after a bad morning, I had a great afternoon and evening. I attribute my good mood to my loving family and friends who have been so kind and understanding throughout my pregnancy, especially my husband. Thank you all, I love you.

In other news:
We got sent to L&D on Tuesday for irregular contractions. The nurses put me on monitors for an hour or so, and cleared me to go home, citing "irritable uterus" as the cause. I'm just praying the next time I leave that hospital, I will have a baby in tote.

Our niece, Taylor, had a scare this earlier this week, being rushed to the hospital after a seizure. She is doing much better now. (thank you for the prayers)

Tomorrow, Ryan and I will be attending our nephew Luke's first birthday party! (We didn't get to go to Taylor's a few weeks ago, because I can't travel, but we're excited to see their family this summer!) Look for pictures in the coming days.

Also, our good friend Ryan Willis had a birthday this week! He is the one that is responsible for Ryan and I meeting. Thanks Willis & Happy Birthday!

That's all for this week, but stay tuned, life should get a little more exciting as the count down begins. As of today, we have just 33 days until the official due date! Baby pool is still open, make sure to get your guesses in!

Lots of Love,
XOXO,
Holly & Co.

First things First

Yesterday was Mother's Day. I just wanted to say I love my MOM! She is truly a woman worth recognizing, and I hope she realizes that. I got to speak in church yesterday about my wonderful Mom, and yes, I cried. I love you MOM!
Also, I wanted to recorgnize my sweet Mother-in-Law, Julie. I'm so happy she raised a wonderful son for me to marry. Thanks Julie!

This past weekend Lara and Rachel both got married! Congratulations to you both. I'm glad you chose to get married in the Temple. We're sorry we were unable to attend, but the Dr. has me under restriction to not travel more than 45 minutes away from the hospital, just in case. I'm sure both the sealings and receptions were beautiful! I can't wait to see pictures.

Ryan finished the semester last week with a 4.0 GPA! Hooray for hard-working husbands! The semester has been especially busy for him and I'm so proud of him for finishing so strong! Not only did he complete all his assignments but he worked during the week, took care of a crazy pregnant wife. (those of you who have had one, can relate I'm sure) and took care of a crazy puppy. I love you Ryan, you are a wonderful husband!

This week we start once a week Dr. appointments! I've only got 5 weeks until my due date. It's amazing how fast times flies by, but at the same time it seems so slow. Baby Zoe is still moving around, although not as much, she's running out of room. I'm still getting contractions, almost daily, but they rarely last long. I will update after my Dr. appointment this Thursday.

This past weekend, Ryan and I went to the Outlet Mall in Folsom. We stopped by the Harry & David store to get a present for my Mother-in-law. Caution: Do not go to that store hungry. Everything in there looking so delicious. We're lucky we got out with only a gift for her. We also went to the Baby Gap outlet. I could have spent days in there. Why is it that clothes are so cute when they are for babies? I think it's just the fact that the shirt looks like it could fit a doll that makes it so cute!

Have a good week everyone!

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea...

Look it's my long lost twin! I am resembling a whale these days and for a little bit of light-hearted fun, I'm about to prove to you, how I have transformed into a whale.

Fact: Whales are mammals, so they feed their babies Milk. I will also be feeding my baby Milk.

Fact: Whales do not have gills, and cannot breathe under water. I do not have gills and cannot breathe under water.

Fact: All whales are very noisy. They moan, groan, squeak and sigh to talk to each other. I too moan, groan, squeak and sigh, just ask Ryan, especially when I'm trying to roll over in bed or get up from the couch.

Fact: A whale's blubber layer can be 1.5 feet wide. See previous posts for pictures of evidence.

Fact: Beluga whales can weigh up to 1.5 tons. I am not about to post my weight gain online, but you get the idea.

Also, Whales have flippers and if you have seen my feet recently, well you could tell I must have Whale cousins.

I hope you all have a whale of a time this weekend!

XOXO,

Holly & Co.