Heart Beat #1

I know, I know, I am behind on posting. I really wanted to get this first heart beat video up because it was a special moment. My doctor is wonderful and made it even more special. Rex took a video before this that was about 6 minutes long where the doctor was trying to find the heart beat (not the most comfortable thing). I wasn't nervous that anything was wrong, I was just nervous we wouldn't find it because I was just shy of 10 weeks and the baby was so small. Right when Rex stopped filming the first video, he turned the camera back on and captured this one :) Take a look at my face when I first hear the heart beat - pure joy! (p.s. we had to crop the video a little, so the size is smaller and the quality isn't great)

Of course I didn't take the doctor's word for the heart beats per minute, so I counted when I was watching the video (for the hundredth time) and it was about 180 bpm, which is about right for a baby that size. I was SO excited that he found the heart beat because right after that he got a call on his cell phone that he needed to go deliver a baby. My next appointment is on Monday so I'm excited to hear the heart beat again, hopefully after a lot less pushing on my belly this time!

I am in my second trimester now, but sadly am not feeling better. Except for today, which is probably why I am blogging. My gag reflex is even stronger now and I still feel yucky most of the time. But there is still hope! I feel overwhelmingly grateful that I've been able to go to school every day and do well in my classes. Come May I will have my master's degree + a cute baby bump.

I would blog about topics other than the baby, but my life is pretty similar week to week - go to school, work, try to survive being sick, fall asleep on the couch around 8 pm, get ornery that I have to get up and get in bed later, then wake up again at 5:00 a.m. the next day. I do have another blog post coming with a video where my sister and I announced that we were pregnant at a family dinner, so maybe after that I'll try to post something on a different topic.

Have a happy day!

Newsflash

Well, are you ready for the most exciting news (at least for us) for 2015?! We are so happy to announce that we will be a family of three come September! I found out I was pregnant early in the morning on January 2nd. I wanted to take a pregnancy test on New Year's Day so badly, but I tried my very hardest to be patient. I was given two pregnancy tests from a friend and sister who recently found out they are pregnant. I started with the dollar store test and was so extremely excited when I saw a faint second line. After that, I took the other test and it was confirmed that I was indeed pregnant! I snuck back in bed, waited a few minutes, cuddled up to Rex and said "It's so late..." (it was 8:00 a.m. which is usually late for us). He laughed, got out of bed to say his prayer, and then I leaned over and asked: "Are you ready to be a daddy?!" We celebrated that day and were conveniently invited out to dinner at Rodizio Grill that night by Rex's brother and his wife. We spilled the news to them because we just had to tell someone.

That first week went by so slow. I was pretty sick for the first three days, but then the sickness went away and I felt great. I was convinced that I had a baby bump at 4.5 weeks, but I'm pretty sure (after looking online) that it was impossible to have one that early and that I must have just been too excited.

***Fast forward (since I wrote that first part weeks ago)***

I will be 11 weeks along on Thursday! I won't say it is going by fast or slow, just normal. I will post about our first visit to the doctor sometime in the next couple of days. Of course I am SO excited for our little one to be here, but I will say that pregnancy is much more difficult than I anticipated. It's different for everyone, but this has been life for me for the past 5 weeks:

• Sick sick sick. All day almost everyday. I realize that it could be worse since I'm not throwing up all day, but it is still not fun (or cool) to have an upset stomach most of my days. And the worst part is that it's the worst at night - my only time with Rex - so I go to bed pretty early and he has been the greatest to pick up my slack with housework.
• Waking up 2-4 times every night to go to the bathroom. How is this happening already?! 
• Not sleeping well. I can't really sleep on my back anymore so my hips are pretty sore each morning from switching from side to side all night. I'm used to falling asleep right when my head hits the pillow and not waking up until my alarm goes off, so this one has been a change for me.
• Although I haven't gained weight yet, none of my jeans fit, so I am left with leggings and exercise pants (which works for school and work considering my field).

On the plus side, I haven't experienced many difficult pregnancy symptoms that other women do, so I feel blessed. In a video call with my family on Sunday, I was asked how I am doing. I gave the camera a thumbs down, indicating not good because it was a more sick day. However, I got thinking this morning and realized that I should have clarified - I may not be feeling well, but I am doing well. I have so much to be grateful for (Rex, baby, almost done with school, apartment, family, etc etc) and I can always be happy regardless of how yucky I feel. Tune in soon for a video of the first time hearing the baby's heartbeat!

Oh, and p.s. this post explains my asian food posts lol (although now I don't even want to touch oriental food)

Orange Chicken + Fried Rice

Don't ask me what is up with Asian food and me lately, but it is just so simply delicious! Orange chicken has always been one of my favorite foods and I decided it was high time I found some at Costco. Below is a picture of my Costco purchase. It was $14.99 and came with two bags of frozen chicken + two sauce packets. Each bag is at least two servings (it should probably be 4 servings per bag, but for us it was two...).

I made one bag of chicken with the sauce and I can't even tell you how amazing it was. It was crispy and hot and dare I say almost better than Panda Express. I'm glad Rex still thinks I'm cute after I made "yummy" noises for about an hour straight [I felt like I was in What About Bob?].

What's some orange chicken without fried rice? Luckily, we have an oriental market near our house so I headed over there to purchase soy sauce and oyster sauce. I found an amazing fried rice recipe on Pinterest that is comparable to Panda Express. [Note: I used freshly cooked, hot brown rice even though it says to use cold, and I didn't have frozen peas/carrots, so I used frozen mixed vegetables and it was delicious].

Here is the link to the recipe: http://www.iwashyoudry.com/2014/02/05/quick-easy-brown-fried-rice/

[Picture found on the website]

This was a delicious meal that you just have to try! I'm excited to make it again soon.

xx.
| Flower |

oh, and here are some extras, for fun.

The first picture expresses my true feelings toward this deliciousness.

Green Smoothies

If you haven't given in to the green smoothie trend, you may want to jump on the band wagon (not because it's trendy, but because they are healthy + delicious!). I was first introduced to green smoothies through my mom's e-mails to me when I was an LDS Missionary (see "O Canada" tab above). I laughed each week as I read her e-mail detailing every ingredient in her smoothie that day.

Rex and I love to have a variety of options for breakfast and smoothies make it easier to wake up for my early morning train ride to school. The great thing about smoothies is that nothing has to be measured and you can add any ingredient that sounds good. We like to prepare our smoothies beforehand by putting the ingredients in a quart-sized ziploc bag (which we put back in the freezer after we empty it so we can refill it later). Rex is so wonderful and makes breakfast each morning while I'm getting ready. All he has to add to the pre-made smoothie bag is liquid and protein. Our smoothies usually turn out purple, but they have greens in them. Here's an example of what we do:




Smoothie bag (2 servings):

• 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed fruit 
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 2/3 banana
• 1 Tbsp flaxseeds
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 1/2 handfuls spinach                                     

To make the smoothie, follow these steps (this is for a Blendtec blender, adjust if different brand):

1. Pour 1 cup milk in blender.

2. Dump in whole smoothie bag.

3. Add heaping spoonful of peanut 

    butter.

4. Add 1/2 cup water.
5. Blend and enjoy!

Other ingredients to try:
               Cilantro                    Oats                           Cucumber                       Oranges
               Almond milk            Soy milk                      Almond butter                 Cottage cheese
               Kale                          Vanilla extract           Unsweetened cocoa     Pomegranate juice
               Plain yogurt             Greek yogurt             Apples                              Etc.

Simple fun

Today was wonderful. I didn't have work so I woke up early with Rex, ate breakfast with him (then he went to work), Skyped with my sister, and then got back in bed to rest some more. I got up a little before 10:00 a.m. and went mall walking with my sister-in-law, which was great exercise and conversation. Rex came home for lunch and I went to school with him after. While he was in class, I met with a wellness coaching client via google hangouts. Then Rex and I went to Institute where the class is studying the New Testament. We had a great Costco run to get a few groceries and gas for the car. I have been wanting Chinese food for a while and on the way home, Rex suggested that we get some Panda Express and watch Kung Fu Panda. We really have been living these days up - days of no homework and spending lots of time together.

Calligraphy Commission

About a month ago I posted a picture on Facebook of a calligraphy piece that I did for a friend's bridal shower (see Calligraphy tab, turquoise framed quote) and it was a hit! My neighbor upstairs contacted me with three different quotes that she wanted. I did one for our friend's baby shower (Calligraphy tab --> Bushel and Peck) and I have finally completed the other two.

An original work such as the one in the pink frame takes a total of over 2 1/2 hours to plan, hand letter, detail with designs, and complete. I am happy to say that I will now be selling prints on Etsy for a cheaper price than it would be to re-do every quote from start to finish. Of course I still do custom calligraphy, but prints of my original work will allow people to get prints quicker and at a lower cost. 

Thanks to my sweet Rex for the curling wand for Christmas. It makes curling hair so much quicker and easier!

Interested in place cards for a nice dinner? Quotes to hang on your wall? Hand-addressed envelopes? Check out my Calligraphy tab for more info.

xx
H

It's a New Year!

Rex and I went to my sister's house for dinner and games on New Year's Eve. Their cat Lucy enjoyed watching sports with Rex on his iPhone. Once my sister's kids went to bed, we made brownies and played King, Queen, Beggar (also known as Scum), which is an often-played game in my family. I had my first New Year's kiss of my life. We slept over.

New Years Day we got up and had breakfast, then drove home to get ready for the day. The same sister's family picked us up just before 1:00 p.m. to head to our traditional New Year Lunch at Golden Corral with extended family. I must say, the Golden Corral off of the 7200 S exit in Salt Lake is much better than the one in Orem. After lunch, we went to my grandparents' house for a little program and games. 

My goals for this year are simple but will be most important in progressing and having a great year. Rex and I are reading the Old Testament and I have loved reading and learning each day. I also want to exercise more and am excited to use the brand new exercise facility that opened up at the University of Utah. It's going to be a great year filled with love, laughter, graduate degrees, newness, and joy!