Wait--July already?!?

July is when I used to tell people my baby is coming and now I have to be a whole lot more specific! I have heard many a pregnant lady bemoan the fact that their baby is still in their stomach as their due date draws closer. While I'm not suggesting the little guy sets up camp permanently, I'm not yet anxiously anticipating this birth. I was thinking, "How did we get here?" I very clearly know the literal answer to that question, but I mean it in more of an "I'm almost a parent and there's no turning back/everything will change" sort of way. Am I excited? Yes. Am I nervous? I guess so, and perhaps my lack of "get-him-out-of-me-ness" shows that. Whatever emotions I do have will probably change tomorrow. As for now, let's see a few highlights of this journey from where we last left off:

Leslie and I were 10 weeks apart in due date--fun times. Now her cute little guy is here!
28 weeks along...

I had a fun 25th birthday/baby party from my good friends at Swope. Seriously, I am very lucky to have worked with such a great group of people.

34 weeks

This has very little to do with being pregnant and very much to do with eating at the GSR buffet. I'm finding that I'll eat until I feel full, but when the food settles in my stomach, I feel way full-er.
36 weeks for the both of us. Russell's baby seems somewhat stagnant...

I wish you could see how excited Russell really is. He's the best "nest-sitting" pre-father I've ever been married to. Only about 3 more weeks until the due date!

In case you haven't heard...

...We moved! Russell started the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at UNLV in June, so we looked for and found a place to live in May. We live in a quaint apartment in Henderson. It actually has about 200 sq. ft. more than our last place, so it's great. It would have been real easy to just move on down to So. Nevada, but we would rather complicate things, so we did. Check this "moving schedule" out:
-May 21st: Russell moves main stuff down in truck and trailer, C.J. stays with a friend to finish the school year in Reno
-May 27th: C.J. flies down for the 1st half of Memorial day weekend to set some things up in the new place, flies up to Fairf for the 2nd half, gets a ride back to Reno from Kai.
-June 1st: Russell officially starts school
-June 11th: C.J.'s school year ends, so Russell drives up in truck which is loaded up with remaining things (classroom boxes, baby stuff, etc.) and we drive back down the next day. C.J.
and Russell in Henderson together (hooray!), things get put away and more settled in

(Big grins=end of school year)

My roommate/buddy Julie

Russell was serious about this crib set up. He did a perfect job!
I was serious about sorting through baby stuff and make Russell stop and look at the cute shoes/outfits/doo-haws all of the time. :) So happy that it's now in a closet and not in bins.

-June 24th: Drive to UT with Tina and Soren in the truck for cousin Jacob's wedding
-June 27th: Russell drives back down to Henderson on account of having classes the next day
-June 28th: C.J. rides out with G'ma and G'pa to Reno and stays with a friend again; will switch staying-with-friend at the end of the week.
-CURRENTLY: Russell in Henderson, C.J. in Reno until baby comes and she sends him a text to get the heck off his atrium and fly to the hospital!

Sound crazy? Yeah, I know. Our schedule of when we all can finally settle down in Henderson will be another story which depends entirely on when our little dude arrives. I know you're jealous of our living situation. Don't be. While this may not seem to make a whole lot of sense, we know that this is right for our family at this time. I am grateful for the confirmation received through prayer that although things might not always make the most logical sense, if we do what's right, we'll be happy. I'm essited for all kinds of happiness in the near future!

Trippin' out East

Thanks, Russell, for that last lovely update. I realize that the blog has received some neglect and has probably lost all possible readers, but I will begin the catch-up nonetheless.

SO, in April, we took a trip to Pryor, Oklahoma to visit with Kelly (Russell's mom) and Jim (stepdad) during my Spring break. It was the perfect break from our "everyday." All of the days sort of blurred together because we did so much relaxing and hanging out. We visited a few consignment shops--there were so many good ones!--spent some time outside, played with the animals (dogs, horses, the duck, etc.) rode on some horsies, and really had a good time visiting. I have no idea when we'll go out again, but I hope it's not too far away!

Gettin' a feel for the animals. Check out the beautiful landscape! It's not all "Grapes of Wrath/dust bowl" at all! Judge not, folks.

Going through Russell trunk o' memories that his mom had with things like report cards, school assignments, pictures, and baby things. He wrote some funny stuff as a kid! Nice to know he was (is) smart, though.

Russell let me wear his jacket...I think that means we're finally officially going steady.
The Horse Whisperer


Riding horses: C.J. on Poopsie, Russell on Rusty, Daisy in the background
My mom saw these pictures and said, "You look kind of lumpy, not pregnant." That's probably why pregnant people shouldn't ride horses: not attractive. (Not to mention that falling off is extra bad and it kind of hurt my stomach muscles after a while...my dr. did approve, though.)
At one of the second-hand store. It's a good thing we had limited suitcase space or I would have brought back far too many things.
Kelly, Russell, and Jim. :)
On our way back from the airport, we stopped in Sacramento area for the blessing of cousin Matt and Courtney's baby, Luke. Cute little guy and cute little great aunt! :)

What we need...

is to update our blog.

Same Old, Same Old...

It has recently come to my attention (thank you, Russell) that I need a hobby. I'm thinkin' hard about this one because it seems like everything I like to do involves other people and I may have to get used to not having lots of other people around once this little person comes. Anyway, I also need a hobby because we need something to take pictures of besides our stomachs. It's getting old. I know we've done things, but I apparently don't take pictures of it all. We're leaving for Pryor, OK to visit with fam and I'm excited to go. I promise I'll have some pictures of that--at least the scenery/people will be different! For now, here's 26 weeks, the end of the 2nd trimester:

I think Russell was trying to get the baby to kick in his tummy...

On a different note, happy Spring Break to all of you in Washoe County (or any other school district that's slow like ours)! I slept in this morning, took a bathtub-full of bags to Goodwill, ran a few more errands, and had the missionaries over for dinner. Oops--I just remembered I was supposed to fold the clothes in the dryer. Looks like a good place to stop! Like I said: happy spring break. :)

...But before I go, please let it be known how grateful I am for the loaned/donated maternity clothes from others. I appreciate them all. All except one article, that is. Tina, love you and love your clothes-sharing, but hate the jeans. They're either sagging so I feel like a thug or flooding so I feel like a Middle-schooler who grew 4 inches overnight. Today is the first and last day I'm wearing them. You'll get them back, don't worry. That is all.

Only good things come in a pink box

I'm a talker. (Not a surprise.) Sometimes I like to chat with other teachers/staff at school and share my thoughts and deepest desires. For example, last Wednesday I was talking with Stacy, a school counselor and pal, and mentioned how I check the donut case when I go to the grocery store in hopes of finding some glazed/iced/jelly-filled friend to come home with me. Luckily, I usually go after work when pickin's are slim so the temptation's not as strong. When I came into work last Friday Stacy had put a lovely pink box on my desk.
I opened it up and what did I find? See, that's the problem: I'm not really sure. It could be a life-saving device. It could be a spare tire for my sweet ride. It could very well be one of those things you're supposed to sit on after giving birth to relieve a bit of pain that may be felt in the bum region. Certainly no plastic fork was going to get through it.

Naturally, I did what any self-respecting pregnant lady would do: I waited until I could show it to Russell and then we ate it...for dessert on Friday, shared some with cousin Jonner who stopped by on account of "the storm" (AKA, he heard we had some pastry goodness), and ate the rest for breakfast the next morning. 3 people x 2 meals = big ol' donut.
Since then the little guy inside has been more move-y. Sugar rush? He's probably just excited about the thought that some day he'll get to eat more. So am I, buddy. So am I.

So Many Things to be Happy About...

Reno's current weather is not one of them. Why, pray tell, is it still super cold and windy and supposedly snowing tonight? Ridiculous. April showers cannot bring any May flowers if they're all going to freeze as little bud-lets! Soon enough I'm sure I'll be missing cooler weather. For now, no thanks to cold.

So, lately we've been doing stuff and having a grand ol' time doing that stuff. Stuff consists of things like:

Going to Fairfield and spending some time with family, seeing a play (great job, Da'), and going to cousin Cindy's baby shower. So fun to be with prego cousins/sister!

Happy Easter to everyone. This year was Russell's turn to fill and hide our Easter baskets. He added the extra bonus of candy-filled eggs around the house. Our friends Travis and Melissa came over and we watched Gen. Conf. and ate lots of food (including pull-apart/monkey bread) and played darts. We know the real reason to celebrate Easter is the resurrection of our Savior and are grateful for the extra emphasis on the importance of living Christlike lives and accessing of the Atonement when we don't that this Sunday brings.



I had another Dr. visit last Thurs. Things are going incredibly normally, which is perfect to me. Next time I go in I get to have a shot where the sun don't shine. (Thanks for the negative blood type, Mom.) Maybe the compatible blood type question should be added to the list of "must-ask-on-a-first-date-to-see-if-things-can-go-further." Whatever. Russell, you're worth a shot in the hiney. As the waistline grows, so does the excitement!


Only one more week of school until spring break. Then it's time to start a-packin' and relax with Russell's Mom and Co. in Oklahoma for 5 days. Can't wait!