it is 4am

this is insane
i can't sleep unless i self medicate
benedryl of course
but still i was hoping i was tired enough
was so exhausted
but no, i got 3 hours
and my body thinks it is time to get up
i just know i will be out of it by 9am
which is when my review session starts
but i laid in bed for an hour just now
and that is just frustrating
with so many things to do
i don't have the patience to wait for my body to fall asleep
i wish i could just press a button
or i wish hazel was here and i could be feeding her instead of just feeling like my body can't control itself
other than that
i am feeling pretty good
brandon is so good to me
i just wish i could sleep like he does
out like a rock
that is all, i'm going to study
at least be productive if i am going to be awake
-laura

some people like to go away for the weekend... (name that movie...hint marshmallows on a stick)

we are going to run away for the weekend
we have senioritis
but are excited about grad school prospects
so we are checking out Arizona State University
they seem to have a good masters program there
and we will get to attend a presentation of research projects on friday morning
we can't wait to see aunt nettie and family and rachel too

can i just say thank goodness for lower gas prices
i think we'll save like $60 in gas this trip
so hallelujah!
I guess that is one perk of the economy taking a nose dive
but then again that is a large reason we are thinking seriously about grad school
we'll wait it out through the crappy economy and be better qualified
when it is on it's upswing
currently the options are arizona, north carolina, michigan, illinois...
i think those are the main state schools
brandon says ohio state is not an option
apparently michigan and ohio are huge rivals
kinda hilarious

hazel and i had a doctors appointment yesterday
it was relatively uneventful, but uneventful is a good thing
they basically said my blood pressure is good, her heartbeat is good, and my belly is measuring right on track for 33 weeks
i should take a new picture of my belly
oh! and she has hiccups which is supposed to be a good sign of healthy lungs

i can't wait for thanksgiving!!
good food and family
loves,
lorie

Time is ticking

Seven and a half months along
the time has gone by surprisingly fast
people are always asking me how i am doing
the update:
surprisingly well
randomly sleepy (hits me in the middle of class like i just took 3 benedryl)
wake up with and achy back
and hazel is getting so strong she squirms and makes me sick to my tummy
BUT i am still riding my bike or walking to school most days
and have been able to keep up in school
so overall, pretty much as expected

brandon is such a wonderful husband
he has been working really hard to support us
and getting record high grades this semester
all the while helping out a lot and being amazing
i really feel so lucky to have him

tonight my friend mary martha is throwing hazel and i a shower
i'm excited to have some girl time and catch up with
friends i don't get to see as often

this weekend we have a lot to do for project due next week
but then we are going to run away on a vaca
go and play in the warmth of arizona for a few days
see rachel, aunt nettie's family, and check out Arizona State University
it is one of brandon's potential options for grad school
they have a pretty good industrial design program there
and if we get residency it is more affordable than most
hopefully we can check a few more out eventually, but who knows when

our little house is coming together rather nicely
we finally got moved in 2 months late just in time for our Halloween party last week
i must say it was quite a hit
pinata was hilarious and we even let a few trick or treaters take a whack at it
i'll post pictures soon
brandon also says we need another prego photo shoot for an update
my last one was like 2 months ago
so my belly has grown quite a bit

that is my update for now, loves to all

baby girl is coming soon

brandon is painting our baby girls room right now
he has painted most of the room and has another coat for tonight
i've locked myself in the other room with a fan on and the window open
it is so crazy to think she could be here in a month or two
i can feel her getting stronger in my tummy
she will stretch out and i can feel her at both sides of my belly
we are currently on a health kick right now
eating tons of fruits (especially apples from aldred orchards)
i think we'll take a day off on friday though
we are throwing a little Halloween party at our place
ping pong tourney, caramel apples, frito pies, apple cider...etc
what would halloween be without frito pies?
it is funny the little things that make holidays nostalgic

i was thinking today about all of the guidelines for prego ladies
we aren't supposed to "diet" but we really are
low sugar intake, avoid fats, only eat whole grains...etc
i swear i would loose considerable weight if i could always eat like that
supposed to be really careful about any kind of exercise
not always because the actually exercise would be bad,
but they are worried you would loose your balance and biff it
we aren't supposed to gain any weight in the first trimester
but i was nauseous and starving if i didn't eat
i think that only applies to the women throwing up once or twice a day
it is so strange going from a life where i can eat a brownie if i go for a run the next day
that doesn't really work right now, i would have to walk for 3x as long
these are my random thoughts...
i just think to be healthy, we need to be less paranoid

i'll post pics of baby's room when we are finished
it should be really close to the pic i posted a while back

loves!

bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils

last night we watched "you've got mail"
i swear i have seen that movie about 200 times
watch it, i know you'll love it
school started about two weeks ago
it is really strange to begin your last year of college
i have discovered i am actually more studious
and really enjoying my classes
and they are mostly general ed requirements
how funny
my political science class has to be my favorite
i didn't originally make the connection of what a perfect time it is
we get to learn so much more about the election than i normally would
i don't know if it has anything to do with being pregnant
that i feel older and more responsible
but i am really enjoying being so informed
at least comparatively to any time in my life previous
fascinating how easy it is to be sucked in by emotions rather than policies
brandon and i get to take an english class together
english isn't really my strong point...hence the procrastination
our first day of class was horrible
for starters it is 2.5 hours long and we are supposed to learn to be concise
this teacher was not concise
brandon threatened to drop and i talked him out of it
but after doing one week of tedious assignments and busy work
we discovered the next week, that they had to switch professors
hooray...now we have a younger more concise teacher with less homework
needless to say, we are both thrilled
my religion class seems pretty standard, not much out of the ordinary
but one of the assignments i am really excited about
we have to read 200 pages from a book relating to the New Testament
it has been a goal of mine for a long time to read "Jesus the Christ"
not only because of the rave reviews everyone gives of it
but also to understand a little more about my great great uncle James E. Talmage
i had always been really intimidated by it, but the more i read the more i learn
what a good experience

tonight we are thinking about going to the state fair
i can't really go on the rides,
but we'll go with our friends that are expecting a baby too
that way brandon can go and play a little and we can keep each other company
there is something about going to a fair that just feels like summer
or in this case the end of summer
i guess that is what this weekend is about
we are also going to have a bbq in our back yard tomorrow
i am making potato salad and brandon is grilling
yum...

update on the baby...
she is doing really well
she kicks like crazy especially every night around 9-10:30
it is like she is dancing in there right when i need to go to bed
yesterday i bought the cutest onesie that has little lacy shoulders
it's adorable
i also found this tiny 3-6mo bikini that i wanted to go
but refrained, it wasn't quite the right season yet
but it is red with little white stars and a tiny little skirt
i about died
it made up for a long day of tailbone pain and leg cramps
just to see those tiny little clothes and get excited

i'm off to get groceries for the bbq
loves,
lorie

Baby Girl!

we found out yesterday that we are having a baby girl!
insane, we're so excited
she will be a little daddy's girl as evidence from this summer
we spent a lot of time with lydia's girls
brandon loved to dote on them and play with them all of the time
he and roxy even went on a little date once
roxanne convinced him to get her a pair of sunglasses and he surprised her with a happy meal
she was talking about it for the rest of her summer
for a long time i didn't let myself have a preference
but i was so excited to eventually have a girl
painting nails, custom bows for her hair (bald newborn head), tiny tiny bracelets
all of those simple pleasures
yet we are also not as into the pink fru fru look, we prefer purple...haha
brandon can't wait to paint her nursery
we've been brainstorming about butterflies
we'll post pictures when we decide and do it
this is the inspiration
everything else seems great and healthy with her
they are doing a few blood tests and that sort of thing
my new doctor seems wonderful
his name is Dr Judd and he is really personable and from sacramento area originally
he kept cracking jokes and doing random comparisons
like how my insides are being squeezed like a toothpaste tube
he gave me something for my acid reflux which had been bugging me
so hopefully that helps
other than that i feel less and less prego and look more and more prego
i've had the first few experiences with friends touching my belly
all is well here
loves
lorie

Rachel's Wedding Hair

Early this month I had the chance to see and be in my best friends wedding. She looked breathtaking as always, and it was an amazing ceremony. I can't exactly take full credit for her gorgeous hair even though I had the chance to style it for her big day, but she has perfect red hair that was so much fun to work with. I got to pamper her on her special day and see the whole process, that is my favorite!

I'm pregnant!!

It is the strangest feeling to be pregnant for the first time. There has been some phases where no one can tell I am pregnant including myself, and phases where I feel super sick or the baby moves a little and I realize that this is really happening. We found out at the end of April while we were still in Utah. After a few weeks of attempting to keep it a secret (with the exception of a complete stranger I met at the temple that night...haha) we told everyone on mothers day. I don't think mom had any idea we were even thinking about it. We told her in a card and she looked shocked and said "really, does anyone else know?".

It seems crazy that that was like 2 and a half months ago and now we are in Seattle for Brandon's internship. He is loving his work at CWB and learning a lot. The summer weather here is ideal. Gets to about highs of 85 and lows of 65, it is like springtime all summer long.

We'll head back to Utah around August 15th and then get all set up to begin our last year at BYU. Brandon's hoping to get an internship in the Salt Lake Area when we get back. I'll keep doing hair and just go to school to try to finish before the baby comes.

We should find out what we are having mid August, so if anyone has guesses you can start voting now.

loves,
laura