Let me get deep for a minute....

As I sit here on the couch, our little girl is kicking inside of me. I have felt her quite a bit more in just the last 3 days, and I am loving it! Yesterday I was napping and I felt her, so I pressed on my stomach and she literally kicked my hand. That was the first time I was able to feel her on the outside. It was amazing. Which brings me to my next thought...You guys know I am not a deep thoughts kind of person...pretty much what you see is what you get....but being pregnant, and especially lately as I start to show and feel this child inside of me, I can't help but think about the miracle of life. I have never thought of it before, especially quite like this, but the whole fact that Wes and I have created this life, and that she is healthy so far, and growing normally, it's just the craziest thing. If you had told me this time last year I would be pregnant, and that I would have such an easy time being pregnant so far, I probably wouldn't have believed you. We didn't have near the difficult time conceiving as so many do, but I did have to take Clomid for a while, and I seriously thought we'd have to do much more intense fertility treatments for some reason. And now that I am OVER halfway, and we are literally counting down to early May, basically four more full months, I am just completely in awe of the miracle of life. Our church sermon this morning was about the glory of God, and how small earth is in comparison to the universe. The speaker compared planet Earth to the size of a golf ball, and you would not believe (or maybe you would if you know science) how small this planet and humans are in the whole scheme of things. Yet God knows us all intimately, and we are here for a purpose. He talked about conceiving a child, and taking one single cell from the man, and one from the woman, and creating life. And how at 5 months, the eyelids are formed - these perfect little slits that are created across the eye. I am so thankful to God for choosing us, on this planet, to create and take care of and bless with so many wonderful things!

So on that thankful note, here are some of our Christmas moments from the last week...We had a wonderful time with the Ledfords in town. Snowshoeing on Christmas day, going to a Utah Jazz game, shopping, eating, and Wes and Brett snowboarding A LOT!!! Here is a video of Wes not quite sticking a jump, but it's still good!

20 Week Ultrasound

Isn't she beautiful???

As you can see, we had our 20-week ultrasound today, and it was wonderful!! They said everything looked great. It was so amazing to see her heart, her kidneys, her spinal cord, the blood and the arteries, all of that stuff. And I never tire of listening or seeing her heart beat! She was moving around like crazy! They moved my due date up 3 days, so my new date is May 7th. She weighs 13 oz. right now. Also, I haven't been feeling her move THAT much, and the ultrasound tech said my placenta was on top, so that would make it harder for me to feel her just yet. But based on her activity today, she said when I DO feel her I am probably going to have a time! Her big foot you see up there was right on my bladder! And the one with her holding up her fists - isn't that the cutest??!! When we saw Dr. Barney, he said the weight of the baby typically follows the mother, and I weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz, so it won't be unlikely for me to have an 8 lb baby! WOW! That just seems huge. Wes only weighed 6lbs 10 oz, so go figure on that! I think that's about all. No definite names yet! I promise to keep you posted!

Just a little update!

It's pretty crazy when 38 degrees feels warm, but it does!! I am so happy to be above freezing today. The sun is shining, and the snow is getting soft, and melting a little too! This week we will have several more storms, but we'll take what we can get for now. We have our 20-week ultrasound appointment this Thursday afternoon. We are looking forward to seeing our baby girl again, and seeing how much she has grown in the last 5 weeks. I am also feeling more and more movement in the last couple days. No big kicks yet, but my body is definitely changing and my belly is growing. I can't wait for Wes to feel her! Hopefully it won't be long!

Christmas Pictures

Wes and Brandy and I ventured out into the snow yesterday to take some Christmas pictures, so I thought I would share a couple. Brandy did not cooperate like we had hoped, but when you are in a park, there are more interesting things to look at besides the camera, apparently!! It has not been above freezing yet this week, and as much as I like the snow, I am ready for it to go away for a little while! I don't like the hard, frozen, crunchy snow that's on the ground now!! Oh well, it made for some pretty pictures....

The snowy weekend!

I thought you Brandy lovers - and that better be everyone reading this blog ( :
would enjoy that little video clip.

Wes and I got in the Christmas mood today, putting up our tree, hanging lights outside, etc. We have had a great weekend, with TONS of snow on Saturday. And I have been feeling our little girl move every now and then, which has been really exciting!

Thanksgiving in the South!

Wes and I just got back to Salt Lake this morning from our trip to NC for Thanksgiving. It was SO wonderful to be back there! We flew into Atlanta, but stayed in a cabin in Weaverville Thurs-Sunday with his parents and brother, then back to Murphy (Brasstown actually!) on Sunday. Then down to Atlanta to shop Monday, and we left EARLY this morning from ATL. We ate Thanksgiving dinner with both of our families at the Grove Park Inn. They have a huge buffet and just being there during the holidays is so much fun, because they have tons of decorations and two huge fireplaces. We got to see some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins we hadn't seen since we have been here in SL, so it was great to catch up with everyone! And I finally got to meet Joshua, my newest little cousin.

Friday I met up with Misty, Amanda, Janice, Kim, and Laura for lunch. And I got to meet Caden Little, Amanda's newest little boy. And see her little girl Chloe again! It wasn't nearly long enough, but I was so thankful we were able to work it out! Then I went straight from one restaurant to another to meet the rest of my Dad's family before they headed back to FL. Again, that wasn't nearly long enough, but it was so good to see them! Friday night when we were shopping we ran into Crystal (see her blog under the Johnson's). It was such a nice surprise to see them and meet Danny and Owen! We also got to see Wes's old roommate Josh and meet Wes's brother's girlfriend, Catherine! And then last night we had dinner with the Arthurs in Atlanta - Rachel, Darryl and Ava. It had been way too long since we had seen them too. Of course it never seems like you have enough time to see everyone you want to see, but I was glad for the ones we did get to see.

I never realize how much I love the south until I go back. I always know, being out here, that I love it, but going back just makes me remember why I love it so much. I drank sweet tea every day! If it weren't for being pregnant I probably would have had it at every meal! And it rained a lot, especially when we were in Georgia. You would have never known they were under a drought. And the trees....oh the trees, how I miss them. I did freeze my butt off though. It's funny because the south's 40 degrees and the west's 40 degrees are two totally different things, but it was my fault for not remembering that! So other than being utterly exhausted from getting up so early this morning, and dealing with the time change now, I am feeling good still. Today I was laying (or is it lying?) on the couch and I felt something in my stomach, like someone was playing the drums in there. Could it be our little girl? I am not sure, but the next couple weeks I should start to feel her, I hope! I can't wait for that! Oh, and she got some gifts this weekend too. A quilt from my grandma, and some onesies and several outfits from Wes's parents, Tom and Sue! Now we just have to clean out her room this weekend so we can start making room for all her stuff!

BTW, it is snowing like crazy here right now! We have over an inch on the ground already, and it is still coming down! It is getting me in the mood for Christmas. I can't wait!

Tagged by Shanna!

Ten Random Facts about Me (these things always stump me, so it's a good thing I am not being timed here)

1. I once had a 3-legged cat named Misfit.

2. I was a member of the Kirk Cameron fan club.

3. I have no idea what my real hair color is anymore....I have tried recently to replicate it, but now I have roots again.

4. I sleep on my left side most of the time...which supposedly is a good thing when you are pregnant!

5. I drool...like a lot, mainly when I sleep of course, but at the dentist too. All the dentists I go to say I salivate more than anyone they know. I can't believe I am blogging about this!! Thank goodness I am married already!

6. I will not sit on a public toilet seat EVER. If they don't have the protectors, I put tp down.

7. To me, receiving a birthday card is more important than the gift.

8. I am addicted to the MTV reality show The Hills. In a bad bad way. There could be worse shows I guess, but I'm still not proud.

9. I let our dog Brandy get between the sheet and the comforter every night and sleep, usually right against me. And if she doesn't get in there before I go to sleep, I usually wake up to her staring over me and waiting for me to lift up the comforter.

10. I'm having a baby girl in May!! Yea, I know this isn't random, but I am out of things to say and I'm tired....

So now I tag Misty, Autumn, Crystal, Ali, Traci, and anyone else who has a blog that I am friends with!!

It's a .....

GIRL!!!!! We couldn't keep it a secret for more than about 5 minutes - so there you have it! Our appointment started with the ultrasound yesterday. It was awesome. We got to see her hands, feet, profile, spinal cord, SO much more than 8 weeks ago. She was able to tell almost right away that it was a girl. I drank a can of coke on my way to the appointment, and that seemed to do the trick, because she was moving all over the place. I could go on and on....it was just awesome. I never thought I would have a girl, I don't know why, but we are very happy. I have a pretty good feeling she will be a Daddy's girl - Wes's reaction was one of fear, then excitement, then he just smiled. It was a lot of fun to experience that with him! Now for names....I will let you know when we figure that part out! We are undecided at the moment. My next appointment, the big 20 week ultrasound, is Dec. 20th. If I don't post before next week, I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

B or G?

I figured I better post something so no one wonders what is going on! Everything is going good here. I am heading into my 15th week, and we have the gender check Thursday!!! I can't wait to see our little one again and find out if it will be a B or a G. That is what my grandmother keeps saying - B or G. We are going to TRY to wait until Thanksgiving to tell everyone what we are having, but my grandmother keeps saying, just say "B or G" and then I'll leave you alone. It's pretty funny. So as soon as we tell our families, I will be posting the news. Try to contain yourselves!! ( :

I am feeling pretty good this week. I am eating A LOT more than a couple weeks ago. I think my appetite is pretty much back to normal, but it seems I am hungry all the time. As long as I eat before I get hungry, I am good to go. Which leads me to the next topic - maternity clothes! I don't have that many, but they are going to become highly necessary very soon, all the time. It's like I zip up my belly in the morning, and it stays in all day, then I get home, change into elastic pants, and it sticks out! It's pretty funny. It is definitely round and getting larger. I still haven't felt any movement, but I can't wait for that.

Wes leaves this Saturday to go to NC, then I follow on Wednesday. We'll see if he can wait for me to tell the news! Or if we can wait at all. Or if they will even be able to tell! I plan on drinking a little caffeine before the ultrasound. I hear sometimes that does the trick....Until next time!!

Our week in review....

Phew, it seemed like a really busy week, and now here we are starting another one! Here are some pictures of the leaves at Liberty Park in downtown Salt Lake, the Opie family on Halloween (Gentry was the Beauty, and Keaton was the Beast!), Wes and I's fishing adventures from this weekend (we went both Saturday and Sunday and had a blast!), and my 13 week belly! It is really starting to change and grow each day! I am feeling pretty good for the most part. Every now and then I still am a little uneasy when it comes to eating, but it's getting better! Right now we are looking forward to the gender check, and seeing our family and friends in just a couple weeks!!

"Darnit's not a bad word...."

I will tell you that story in just a minute, but first I wanted to share some pictures from our babysitting adventures last night....

As you can see, Wes and I got some great experience last night with Gentry and Keaton! They were wonderfully behaved, of course. Keaton is getting so big. I put him on the blanket on the floor, and that kid rolled and rolled across the room in no time! And as you can see from the pictures, he is gnawing on everything - even Wes's arm. He also spit up all over Wes not once but twice. Gentry ate 3 pieces of pizza for us, and every commercial that came on for a toy she wanted it. She also told us about her Barbie birthday party she was having in December. Here is the funniest part... Don't ask me how this came up, maybe I said darnit, or she said darnit, I really can't remember. But she said "Darnit's not a bad word" and I said, no, it's not a bad word (knowing her parents I know this came from them!) So THEN she said "Sh*t is a bad word!" And I said, yes it is! At that point I turned around and just started laughing. It was hilarious. She didn't say it anymore after that, but I just thought it was so funny how matter of fact she was about it!

And here is my 12 week belly.....

12 week appointment!

Today we had our 12-week appointment w/ Dr. Barney. Everything went good. The heartbeat was 156 bpm, and you know what he said this time? I think it's a boy! Wes said, didn't you say last time you thought it was a girl? And he said yes, and then something about having his bases covered! Ha! It was funny. So I guess we will see! Everyone says the heartbeat starts out fast then gets lower as time goes on. We won't have to wait much longer though, because we have the gender check on Nov. 15! We wanted to schedule it before Thanksgiving so we could tell everyone then. Also, I was a little concerned because I didn't want the ultrasound to be too early. Of course you can see a lot more the further you are along, but Dr. Barney said he does the 20-week ultrasound still (that is the one the insurance covers) and that one will be the big one. So we have one at 15 weeks for just the gender check, then another one at 20.

As for the belly....I was going to post some pictures today, or sometime soon, but I am afraid I would be laughed off this blog. I can definitely tell it is there, but I am going to wait just a little longer before I post, I think. If you were here you could feel my stomach and tell though, I swear. I haven't gained any weight though. Dr. Barney said that was fine, and he would tell me if I needed to lose or gain weight along the way! He said as long as I am exercising and eating decent not to worry too much about it.

One more thing...I said bye bye blonde last week! For the winter, anyways! I will post some pictures of the new do' later with the belly pics! Hope everyone is doing great!

All kinds of stuff!

Just wanted to post some pictures from my Dad's visit this last weekend. We played golf and had a good time overall.

I also bought Brandy a new "fall" collar, but getting a picture of this wasn't as easy as I had hoped. She just wouldn't sit still. She is usually much better, but she was too preoccupied with her kong!

And today Wes had a cyst removed from his head. Yep, you may remember it. It's from an old bee sting and it just kept on getting bigger and bugging him, so we found a plastic surgeon to remove it. He has 6 stitches (picture is below)!

As for me, I am feeling like a new woman this week. I actually have an appetite for something other than Cheerios! My stomach seems to be getting bigger too, but it's not the cute little poke out stomach I had hoped for. It's more like my jeans are too tight, I've gained a couple pounds, and my fat just rolls over the top of my pants! Yuck! Hopefully this is normal? I guess I was just expecting this rock hard belly that didn't jiggle. Was that too much to ask??!!

10 weeks - almost!

I didn't think I was going to post this week, but I have had a few comments here and there wondering what's going on, so I thought I'd better! I am glad you girls miss me when I am gone! This week has had its ups and downs with how I have been feeling. I started out feeling great on Monday and Tuesday, but Tuesday evening I started feeling kind of sick again. I woke up Wednesday feeling AWFUL! I thought it was just pregnancy sickness, but then I felt like I had been hit by a truck - achiness, so tired I couldn't move, etc. I haven't gone to work the last two days, but I did go to the doctor today just to make sure everything was ok with the baby. It was. I actually got to meet my doctor for the first time today - Dr. Barney. He was wonderful! See I had been going to the nurse practitioner. Anyways, we listened to the heartbeat again, this time it was 169 bpm! You know what he said? 169...I am betting it's a girl! We get to find out in 6 weeks! Yikes!! So I go back for my regular appt with him in 2 more weeks but it was nice today just to have the reassurance. He said there was some kind of bug going around, told me what I could take, etc. My dad just got here today so I am hoping today is the last day of feeling bad at all! That's all for now! I will post some pics of Dad's visit later.

I am blessed....

I am surrounded by wonderful people in my life - family, friends, near and far. I feel so blessed. And today I just want to say thank you for all your cards, online messages, voicemails, and well wishes.
My friend Dawn had me over for dinner (since Wes is out of town - he gets back tomorrow). I got to hang out with her and the kids....




I told Dawn tonight that if I love my child even half as much as I love hers, my heart will be overflowing!!

I took some pics yesterday of the mountains, because even though there aren't tons of trees out here, the ones we have are changing colors, and I just think they are so beautiful. These mountains are just to the east of us.

Week 8

So this is week 8, I guess that's what it would be anyways. I will be 9 weeks on Friday?Anyways, if you had asked me this morning how I felt, I would have said GREAT! Because that is exactly what I said when my co-workers asked me this morning. But THEN 11am came along, and that seems about the time of day for me that things can go downhill. I had a customer training today, and picked up KFC for lunch for them. I didn't know if I could stomach all the fried chicken, so I got one of those twister things. Well, I couldn't really eat it either. So all day, and even now, I can't seem to eat too much. I prayed that God would help me make it home without getting sick in my car just now, and thankfully I made it! And then guess what happened? Brandy ate her dinner, and just threw it up all over the carpet in front of me. Right now, I can't clean it up! I am afraid I will lose it. And Wes is out of town for work. Can someone come help??!! I just thought it was ironic. Not like she never gets sick, but just as I was beginning to feel a little less likely to get sick, she does that! So that's the story for now. I honestly have been feeling pretty good overall, so I really can't complain too much. And I wanted to say THANKS to all of you for reading our blog and sharing in this time with us. We are truly blessed with wonderful family and friends!!

SNOW!!!

This will be our third winter here in Utah, but something about the first snow still gets us excited! I wouldn't say it was a good snow (no accumulation), but it was snow, and I have pictures!

Baby Ledford!

Here is baby's first picture! It's not the greatest quality, but it's in the top left corner. Having the ultrasound today was wonderful. Words can't describe it. I could have listened to the heartbeat all day! It was 160 bpm. Some people are already betting it's a girl, so I would love to hear your feedback on that! Due date is May 10th! Please see below post too, I started posting a journal and more details on the pregnancy. Wes was a trooper - we were at the doctor for two hours and he didn't flinch, through the ultrasounds, pap smears, blood work, etc. He is going to be a great Dad!!

Not "Just Us" Anymore!!

Yep, it's true!! Baby will make 4!! I am counting Brandy of course ( :
I have been keeping a little journal that I haven't posted before now, but you can read below. I will post the first ultrasound picture tonight!

Week 5

Thursday, September 6 - Well, I am not going to post this just yet, but I at least wanted to write it all down so I wouldn't forget. I am going to try to do a post each week about my pregnancy, because I have enjoyed my friends postings and blogs so much! So this is week 5. It's official. I went to the doctor Tuesday and they confirmed. We are pregnant, and could not be happier! We were in absolute shock at first, but it's been a couple days and it seems like it is starting to sink in.

I took the test above the Friday before Labor Day weekend. I wasn't even late yet, but we were going camping for three days so I had to know. Wes had left Thursday night to help set up camp, so he was completely out of cell range. I took the test about 30 minutes before my friend Dawn was due to come pick me up. When I took it, I didn't pay much attention, then saw the second line begin to come up. I sat there and stared at the test for about 5 minutes, reading the directions again. I could NOT believe it was actually saying I was pregnant. So when Dawn came over, I had to have her come and look at it. The second line was a little lighter, so I wasn't sure. She of course knew right away and started jumping up and down and crying. I was in such shock I don't really remember much after that! So when we got up to camp, it was late because there was so much traffic. Right away the guys asked us where we had been, and I said "Well, a pregnant girl has to stop and pee a lot". Wes just looked at me in disbelief. Needless to say he was ecstatic.

I am feeling great so far, but it's still early! I have these small stomach pains every now and then, and of course get a little paranoid, but everyone says it's normal. I have also just found out that two of my friends are right there with me - Laura is 3 months and Elisa is 2 months. So this will be a fun journey to be on together. Not to mention my dear friend Rachel, who is pregnant with her second right now! I can't seem to think about anything else, and I have almost 3 weeks until my next dr. appt! That will be the ultrasound and probably the day it really sinks in!! I will keep posting each week until then!

Week 6

Monday, September 10 Well, tomorrow will be one week from when I went to the doctor to confirm I was pregnant! So far so good. I don't have fatigue or morning sickness just yet. Something weird - I just realized my sweet tooth is gone! For those of you who know me, I HAVE to have something sweet after every meal almost, and that craving just hasn't been there. I do seem to be eating and peeing a litte more than usual, and I can take a nap at anytime, but I am not incredibly tired. We have been telling more and more people, but I will still wait til the ultrasound to post my journal! So two weeks from tomorrow we will hopefully get the reassurance we have been waiting for! Until next week....

Week 7

Wednesday, September 19 Well, I can't tell you how much I am dying to start posting about the pregnancy, but until we hear the heartbeat, I just can't bring myself to do it. But only a few more days!! Today was a landmark day. I actually experienced my first bout of morning sickness. No actual, well, you know, but I certainly felt like it all morning and I have had a headache all day. I called the nurse and she told me I could take Tylenol, which relieved it some. I learned that having a salad and two cupcakes for dinner is just not enough for me and baby - yep, that's what I ate last night. And I went to bed hungry, which was bad news this morning. So I went to the store this afternoon and bought several packs of peanut butter crackers to keep on hand. Although I felt like death this morning, I am thankful to be feeling pregnant somewhat. When I told the nurse what I was experiencing, she said it sounded like my hormones were surging. Yes, that is what I like to hear!