Baby news....

So, I just found a stack of Christmas cards that somehow did not get sent, so if you didn't receive a Chrismtas card from me, just assume that yours is in this stack that I'm too embarrassed to send out this late, and feel the love.   We sent our Christmas wishes and announced the exciting news that I'm expecting and due this June.  We should find out in a few weeks what we are having, so stay tuned!

I have not been good at journaling at all this pregnancy, so I'm going to take a few minutes to journal about this pregnancy.  I'm not posting this for sympathy, just for record-keeping purposes (and to remind me to NEVER do this again.....kidding!).  I'm not going to lie, it's been super tough.  I thought I had it bad with Sienna and thought THAT was what I was signing up for, and this has just been so much worse.  I've had constant 24-hr/day nausea (and occasional vomiting) from the minute I wake up  until the minute I close my eyes at night. With Sienna I felt pretty good in the morning and the nausea didn't really kick in until around 11ish, so I at least had some relief.  I definitely wasn't prepared for this.  The nausea started even earlier this time--around week 4-5.  I'm now almost 17 weeks and still feeling really awful.  I've tried just about everything to get relief--preggy pops, ginger chews, vit b6 and unisom, zophran, phenergan, gingerale, sprite, even acupuncture.  I really haven't found anything that seems to help--oh, other than Diet Coke.  Pretty funny, since I haven't had soda in about 13 years.  My Diet Coke addict friends are loving the fact that I always seem to have a diet coke in hand.  It doesn't seem to do a whole lot, but it does a little something.

Needless to say, I've been just counting down the days until I should be feeling better.  With Sienna nausea ended around week 18, which is just around the corner.  When I was pregnant with Sienna after the morning sickness ended I had about a week of feeling great, and I remember going running on the beach and just loving life, then at week 19 I started getting these horrible stabbling/ligament pains when I walked.  They lasted until I delivered.  I remember my MD that it was just how I carry and she told me that they would started earlier and be more painful with each pregnancy, and wouldn't you know it--they showed up last week (week 15ish).  So, it's definitely been a double-whammy, having the morning-noon-and-night sickness and the ligament pains.  Let's just say that I have sucked at life for the last 3 months....and just ask Dan, it's been a LONG 3 months--for all of us.  

I'm just not good at this pregnancy thing.  And I am definitely not one of those who suffers in silence or who does this gracefully.  I'm sorry for those of who who have had to be around my miserable self the last few months.  I really have felt like I am just barely surviving.  It's hard to feel like you are just doing the bare minimum in every aspect of your life.  I just feel like I'm a horrible mom, wife, friend, employee....the list could go on and on. I'm so grateful to live in a time where I have Mickey Mouse and Dora to help raise my child.  And I'm grateful that she's young enough to not remember what  waste of a mom I was for these few months.

I have so much admiration for women, for mothers, especially for those who struggle through trial after trial during their pregancies.  Pregnancy is just not for wusses.  I keep saying that this kid better be cute (therefore being worth the trouble)!  And then I get scared that maybe Sienna got all the cute genes.

I know that this is all temporary, and that it's worth it, and that I have so much to be grateful for.  But, that doesn't mean I have to like every bit of it, though, does it?  I am grateful for this new adventure and excited for what the future holds.  Can't wait to meet this little one.  I have a feeling he/she is a strong, feisty little one who is just showing me early on who is boss! :)

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas (long overdue!)

So, I know I've been a little MIA from the blogging world for the last few months, so I have lots of catching up to do!  I wouldn't even have done this post had I not been able to hijack most of it from my cute sister-in-law.  Thanks, Carolyn! :) We had dinner at The Pie in SLC. Don't worry, my dad ordered us TWO, not just one of these ginormous pizzas.  He's crazy.  I think we took home 3-4 boxes of pizza.

After dinner, we went to This Is The Place Monument in SLC. They have something called a Candlelight Christmas--lots of little houses in the villages, live reindeer, Father Christmas, and a live Nativity.

The whole fam minus Rob and Dan. Carter is doing his 'blue steel' face.

Uncle Brad and the rugrats. He's a great uncle.

Sienna was obsessed with her cousin Carter.  She just followed him around everywhere.   He was such a trooper. He didn't seem to mind. Most of the time, anyway.  Every once in awhile he'd act annoyed and then would ask "where's Sienna?" or he would go find her.  Sienna just loved having cousins around to play with. 

Sienna going for a little "ride"

All the kids just loved the train ride.  Little Kate was making funny baby noises and Sienna was looking around everywhere, asking where the goat was.

Love Sac Love. Tommy and Carter "slept" in the basement with Uncle Brad. Let's be honest, it only lasted a few hours before the kids were up in bed with their mom and dad.

 

 Cute little Kate, or as Sienna likes to call her, Baby Cakes. 

Kate's first ponytail. This is a big moment for any girl!

What happens when things get too quiet around the house.

Fake Christmas Dinner with Jeff & fam, since they weren't with us for the real deal.  Of course I brought Christmas Crackers to carry on some of the English traditions I learned on the mission.

Sienna was in love with all of Kate's gifts and couldn't get enough of this cute little purse.

The whole crew at dinner at La Jolla Grove. Has anyone been to the Riverwoods since they renovated?  Super fun. It's more like the Gateway now. They have some great restaurants as well, including La Jolla Grove. It looks a little fancy schmancy, but the prices are really reasonable, the food is fabulous and the service is great! 

Mom and Dad. Good peeps.

paper, but....

Had to post this funny little Sienna story while I remember it.  The other day she was trying to color on something that she wasn't suppose to (like my work documents...) and I said, "Sienna, you can't color on that PAPER, BUT you can color on this coloring book..."  She started laughing so hard, and kept repeating "You said paper butt!  You said paper butt!"  It was so funny. I have no idea where she learned that butt was a funny/naughty word or why that phrase would even be funny to a 2-year-old, but it was hilarious.  And she was laughing so hard, a total belly laugh.  She couldn't stop giggling.   

Bye Bye, Binky!

It is now day number 10 without the binky. Sienna's done pretty well, way better than we expected. I might miss it more than she does, since it's such a convenient "plug" particularly when she's tired and grumpy and melting down in public.  Occasionally she still asks for it, but typically only once.  What we have discovered is that bedtime was much more fun for us with a binky.  Sienna now fights bedtime and cries when she goes down and just can't self-soothe as easily without the binky.  We've always been spoiled with Sien, since she's just a really good sleeper, always has been, for the most part.  I don't know how much of it is the new binky-less routine, or if it's just the fun of having a 2-year-old, or maybe a little of both?  Well, it's been fun to hear all the excuses she comes up with when it's time to go to sleep.  She'll say "Mom, I want to cuddle." Sienna has never been much of a cuddler, so she knows this will get to us! Or we'll get the usual "I'm hungry" or "I'm thirsty" (which she probably is, since she's a horrible eater). She'll also run to her room and close the door.  She'll even say "I'm going to go close my door" and run and close it and come back.  Not sure what she's thinking there....will we forget where her room is?  Will we not be able to get into her room if the door is shut?  She's so funny.  Last night was my particular favorite.  She yelled, "Daddy, I want to watch the game with you!"  What dad can resist a little girl who wants to watch the game with him? She's a sly little one, I tell you! Already figuring out how to wrap mom and dad around her tiny little finger!

My Little Pumpkin

Every once in awhile I actually take a picture or two of myself and Dan. This was NOT one of those times. :)  Actually, I did take a couple, I just don't love them. Sienna's way cuter. Sorry, Dan.

Dan and I took Sienna over to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point last week. She had so much fun.  She loved bouncing on the giant pillows, playing dress-up in Princessland, going down the huge slides, sitting around the campfire listening to Halloween stories and of course eating french fries and chocolate cake.  It was such a fun night with our little family. 

Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto

I have a ton of vegetables, so I was wanting to make a soup for dinner tonight.  I finally found this recipe that sounded good, and made a few changes to add more veggies to it.  It turned out great! I even used canned chicken, so it was pretty easy. 

Have I mentioned that I LOVE soup weather??

Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto
Adapted from http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chicken_spinach_pesto_soup.html

5 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each
Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 sweet potato, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 can stewed tomatoes or 1 tomato, diced
• 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces), cut into quarters (or 1 can)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram (I didn't have any...I used rosemary and basil)
• 6 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans or great northern beans, rinsed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup plain or herbed multigrain croutons for garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato, onion and chicken; cook, turning the chicken and stirring frequently, until the chicken begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in broth and marjoram; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
2. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to a clean cutting board to cool. Add spinach, tomatoes and beans to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
3. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, Parmesan and basil in a food processor (or use prepared pesto) . Process until a coarse paste forms, adding a little water and scraping down the sides as necessary.
4. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Stir the chicken and pesto into the pot. Season with pepper. Heat until hot. Garnish with croutons, if desired.

Lake Powell October 2010

Here's my favorite picture from our Lake Powell trip.   My mom and I were talking about how October is Lake Powell's best kept secret.  Seriously, it is the best time of the year to go.  We had the most amazing weather--not too hot during the day, not too cool at night. It was perfect.  We went with my parents, their friends and our good friend's, the VanDyke's.  I have a million pictures to edit, so when I get a chance to edit them, I'll post some favorites.  For now, this one picture of my little cutie will have to do. Ok, fine, here's one more.

P.S. Sien started saying her last name and today kept saying "I'm Sienna Dixon".  It is THE cutest thing.