I'm SO pregnant!!!

Hello everyone!! Wow I am definitely in nesting mode. It's pretty fun and when I have the energy, I get so much done! Blake and I re-arranged our bedroom and set up the crib, it looks awesome! As soon as I get the cute crib bedding and finish setting it up, I will take pics and post 'em here =) I would like to touch-up some of the paint still, like the door and closet doors, and hallway... trying to resist the urge to do it all myself, lol. Only a few weeks to go!!

I would have started the fixing-up process a long time ago, but this whole time I've been expecting to move out of Blake's Grandad's house and into our own place before Zeke arrives. It had me under a lot of stress and frustration, until I finally just decided to take it one day at a time and trust that God has something in store for us eventually... until then, I made the choice to nest in the tree we are in TODAY and stop worrying about where we will fly off to next. hehe. So we talked to Grandad and were able to work out some new space here for us - we now have a living room of our own! It's so nice to be able to relax and watch TV and feel comfortable on our own furniture, and not have everything crammed into the bedroom anymore. That was a big part of me being okay with staying here a little longer until we find a full time income. It's a really good neighborhood too, Xander has friends on our street and his school is only a 60 second drive away. So I have no complaints, just counting my blessings here one by one.

Last weekened was so fun - me and my 9 month-pregnant self drove up with my Dad, Kelly, and Lia to see my Uncle Scott marry his bride, Heidi Jo! It was really nice to get away for a couple days, I missed my boys though! Check my FB for pics from the wedding.

Xander starts back to school in just a few days. He's actually excited to go back! yay! I'm excited too!!! haha. Another round of first grade, we anticipate he will do really well with the extra time dedicated to make sure he gets it. I think he had a fun summer, we didn't do as much organized activity as I hoped, but I'm okay with that. He loved the library storytimes and did a LOT of reading, swimming in the neighbor's pool, skateboarding with Daddy and friends, hanging with cousins and turning 7 with a pirate party. He lost a front tooth and the other one is just barely hanging in there... I can't wait til he pulls it out, sooo cute!! He bought Guitar Hero 5 with his birthday money, and I'm gonna go rock out with him for a bit now. ;)


Next blog will have lots of pics of summer events!!

Here's the first blog! =)

So I'll start with a "me" update: I'm officially 7 months and in my 3rd trimester now, and after an annoying doctor visit a few weeks ago, I have regrouped and am back on track with my plan of having a natural and drug-free labor/delivery for our baby Zeke (full name is Jared Ezekiel). My doc is very laid back, which I love, but he was so nonchalant and quick to dismiss my intentions of going without an epidural which really bugged me. Many thanks to one of my besties, Priscilla Millsap, for recommending "The Business of Being Born", a documentary that may very well have changed my life! After watching this, and also talking extensively with my awesome friend Monica, I am seriously considering a career in the doula/midwife line of work. If you have not seen this film, and you plan on birthing a baby any time in your future, you absolutely MUST watch it. It not only provides a well-rounded perspective on the whole process of bringing a baby into the world, but it shows that however wonderful advanced hospital technology becomes, it is just not the ideal place to bring a new life into your arms and heart. To sum it up, birthing a baby is NOT the traumatic experience girls and women grow accustomed to hearing about their whole lives. Obstetricians are amazing and absolutely needed for when intervention is necessary to save the lives of mom or baby, but the truth is that in any normal situation they are only interrupting the natural bodily functions of pushing a baby out. Without the interruptions that have become routine, there would be DRASTICALLY fewer complications for women and babies in the United States. Our country, which spends billions each year in the health industry, produces the second highest infant and maternal mortality rate in the world, can you believe it?! It is a fact, and I am totally inspired to help improve this statistic. More in another blog. :)

Other than researching the whole exit strategy for my baby, I've just been taking it easy. Naps are my best friend! Housework, hanging with Xander, hanging with family... that pretty much sums up my life right now! I love it. My sister Melissa was in town last week, so that was awesome! She came down for our sis Kelly's graduation from high school. I'm so proud, congratulations Kelly!!! Being there at Corona High took me back seven years ago to when I graduated. It definitely doesn't seem like "just yesterday", haha! Melissa is also pregnant, due late October, so it was fun to take belly pics and register for things together.

In Xander-land, it is so exciting and rewarding to see him thriving over the last couple months. In the past (for pretty much his whole little life), he has had complications with his digestive functions, and since we have managed to clear this up he is absolutely excelling in all areas. Since he is still catching up, we decided that he'll be repeating first grade next fall, and during summer break I want to make sure he is up to speed and retaining what he was able to glean from this past school year. On Monday I took him to the Orange Public Library to get cards and to sign him up for the summer reading program. We got there just in time for the activity/story time, and he LOVED it. He even read his books for forty minutes today, and he is excited to read again tomorrow so he can keep filling out the reading chart to get prizes next week when we go back, haha. They do all kinds of fun activities with the teen volunteers, and sometimes there are free movie days too. I remember participating in these kinds of programs when I was a kid, so it's really fun to get him into it! So in addition to the weekly reading stuff, I'm going to make some math flashcards and also teach him the basic Spanish that I know. I was thinking of doing a fun cooking school in our kitchen, he LOVES to gather ingredients and follow the recipes with me, which I think is AWESOME because cooking happens to be one of my fave things to do. I think he is about the right age for a little chore chart too, so I'm gonna work on that one as well. Not to mention kicking him out of the house to run around with the neighbor kids. yay! It sounds like a lot, but when you have a high-maintenance kid in the attention department, this will help us both stay sane all summer long if I have a battle plan to keep his little brain from melting in front of the TV!

Blake and I are amazing, I'm so happy and proud to be married to him =) He is looking for full time work in Corona - if you are the praying type please PLEASE keep us in mind!!! We are coming down to the last couple months before Zeke arrives, and we NEED to get our own place. Since our wedding we have been renting 2 rooms at his Grandad's house in Orange, and I am just at the end of my rope (which was not very long to start with!) as far as organizing and getting our family life established. I am so grateful to have had an affordable place to start off at, and I'll always remember our days of camping out in the back bedroom here as newlyweds. However, being the self-sufficient girl I've always been, I am more than ready to have my own territory.
Wow I love this, more blogs coming soon! ♥