Updates

2012 in Review:

2012: Newly engaged, more surgery, MARRIAGE!!!, moving to Augusta (two thumbs down), started our lives together, health problems, Grandma Shipton passed away, news came of an upcomming deployment, one of Danny's friends was killed in Afganistsan, another of his friends from home also passed away and we found out we were PREGANT.  It's been ahellofayear. So much joy, sorrow, ends, and new beginnings.  I don't know if i'm a better person this year than last year.... I'd like to think so. I'd like to think I have more faith in my God and a stronger testimony.  I feel though that i've just taken what I know and am and applied it to the new situations i've faced in my personal and married life. Last night I picked up my journal and read my first entry of 2012.  It was of course about how excited I was to soon be Danny's wife, how much I missed him, and how I couldn't wait to be with him.  It's strange to me to remember what I looked forward to last year in light of what is in the year to come. How things have changed! It's very difficult knowing that we will spend the majority of 2013 across the world from one another.  I continue to pray for strenth in the year to come. I like the quote from the movie Emma (not sure if this actually came from Emma Smith or was something the movie added to her dialog) but it says once at the beginning that "Strength isn't something you have, it's soemthing you find." At the end of the film it says "Strength isn't soemthing you have, it's soomething God helps you find."  I hope I can find it with His help.  This year will also bring us one of the greatest joy's life can bring, our new baby :)

On our way home from Christmas in FL Danny shared some info that made me realize we needed to be out of our apartment about a week earlier than we had planned. So the 'plan' is to be out of our apartment on January 5th. ya.. that's in 4 days. We're nowhere near ready... doesn't help that everything has been closed for the Holiday.

Had our last baby appointment in Augutsa the 27th that little stink was turned sideways!  Much to modest to show us what was going on between those little legs! The sex of our little one remains a mystery... hopefully we will see on the 3rd!  After the appointment the doc told us I had tested positive as a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis.  They ordered a blood test for Danny as well.  1 in 29 white America's is a carrier.  If Danny comes back positive our baby will have a 1 in 4 chance of having the disease.   We wont find out  for another 2 weeks ish.

BOY OR GRILL?

So what are we having?! I don't know you're all just asking me! LOL! :D  But, we have an appointment on the 27th and I am hoping we will find out then, don't know if they will tell us even if they can tell, they're not very nice about telling people gender :( so, if they won't tell, and we can't figure it out or the baby just isn't turned to show then we have an appointment with a Prenatal  Imaging clinic on January 3rd.  OH I CANT WAIT!!!! The prenatal imaging place shows you the gender and gives you a video. (and we get a military discount!)  I just want Danny to be able to see his baby's gender before he leaves.

Our Stockings

My mom made our Christmas Stockings this year, I was so excited to get the package and laughed my head off when I saw what she came up with! So creative, so talented.  Thank you Mom!

Christmas Gift Basket

Danny and I decided we'd give his twin sisters (if you- are Danny's twin sisters please avert your eyes and click exit NOW!, or work on your surprised face :p) a "Date Night Gift Basket" for Christmas.  It includes:

 - Restaurant Gift Gard
- Microwavable Kettle Corn 
- Microwavable Regular Popcorn bags
- "Date Night" the movie
- Bottled Root Beer
- Two boxes of theater candy
- Assorted Smaller candies

I found the popcorn bucket at a dollar store and was so excited! The microwave kettle corn box was large and we thought we could fit all of the items in it originally but we couldn't.  So then I went basket hunting, but, few were big or deep enough for the kettle corn! I wanted a bowl that said "Popcorn", maybe like the metal one we had growing up so I was way excited when I found the plastic popcorn bowl that would fit everything nicely! It was very deep, I just had to use a filling.  Then, shredded paper, gift basket bag, ribbon and a tag and viola! My homemade gift basket! :)

Moving

 Danny was told his prospective leave date this week.  We told the apartment we would be out in January and from there we are driving across the country to take me back to Idaho.  Poor Danny, he usually deals with things by not dwelling on things he cannot change, this week I have seen the reality of his deployment setting in.  I can't help but think how grateful I am that we will be together for Christmas before he leaves and that he will be back for the Holiday's next year, our baby's first Christmas! Last Christmas Daniel proposed and this year we are preparing for him to leave.  Things change so quickly and this next year will bring even more change.  Sometimes the one thing that gives me comfort is knowing that change is constant, time passes, that the phrase "and it came to pass..." is uttered so many times in the Book of Mormon because, like all if it's teachings, its a truth. I am looking forward to being back in Idaho but for obvious reasons it's bittersweet! The closer it gets to Christmas the more home sick I feel.  My family has a unique opportunity to all be under the same roof for a short time again.  Jacob will be home from his Mission in Italy in March, Kenyon is living at home, I will be living at home and Spencer is graduating from high school this May and preparing to heave on his mission, then I will be having the baby in June and Marissa the youngest is still at home.  So a lot going on and a lot to look forward to for this unique time in our family.  I think the first few months after Danny leaves will be the most difficult.  Until I have the baby.  Especially when I'm all big and uncomfortable and missing him! I just hope I can stay busy at home and have a good support system of friends and family to keep me busy and positive... without constantly telling me to BE positive :) I hope i'm not sick too, that will help. I am so excited to leave Georgia though... woa. We both really hate this place hahaha! We are going to Florida for Christmas and spending time with Danny's Dad, step mom and Sister's family.  We're excited about that and hope we can find time to visit a beach we went to while dating, the beach we decided we were going to marry one another :) good times. Anyway, I am just feeling bored and nostalgic as well as homesick, sad,and slightly hormonal/weepy so I thought I'd do an update.

Baby Waves

Hi, This is Danny, I uploaded a video, you can see the baby again, he waves. =)

 Thursday we had our second baby appointment.  I found out that if there is a "perk" to a high risk pregnancy in the OB clinic its that you get way more ultrasounds!! Most likely at every visit plus two scheduled ones. :) We feel spoiled even though the reasons make sense.  This video is from Thursday with Baby at about 13.5 weeks.  Baby is almost through their first trimester- Yay!  Not much more to report, it was just exciting to see it move around, its little heart beating and the developing brain.  I looooove technology :) still sick most days and on nausea medication.

 Some of you have been asking about deployment.  As of now we have no new information.  Danny's last day in the shop was yesterday and he will start whatevertheacronym was that he didn't know what it stood for but is preparing him to deploy/train or something. We still are not sure when he is going.

Oh baby baby!!

 Baby's first photo :D

As most of you know.... we're having a baby!!!!  That's right we're expecting our first child at the beginning of June.  As of now the due date is June 2.  This is our very first ultrasound of our cute little bean!  It was taken at 8 weeks.  We are now 10 weeks and a few days along. 

So many of my friends have asked me how I told Danny... so here's what happened.

I had been trying to figure out for a couple of months how I would tell Danny when we were pregnant.  I saw a lot of cute/ extravagant ways of telling husbands, friends and family but I knew that if he thought anything unusual was up he would know before I even got to revealing it in some special way.  I had decided that I would just hand him a grain of rice... (unlike blindfolds and balloons he would be dumbfounded, it was brilliant!) and tell him that was how  big his baby was.  SO what REALLY happened?

 HE found out first!

Ok, ok. So I had "a feeling" I may be pregnant and had taken the last test we had.  It was negative but I still thought I may be and was having strange food aversions (apples, cucumber) so I decided it was just too early and I would wait- it wasn't an early response test anyway.  Five days later I was begging Danny that we go get another test! We had just finished a military photo shoot and I really really really wanted to know! (I have a history of just taking a test every day and wasting them just so I don't have to wonder. haha) He kept saying we should just wait but I won so we went and got the test!  We got home- I peed on the stick, no classy way to say this peeps, and he shoved me out of the bathroom.  Then made me stay in the living room until the full three minutes had passed.  Then Danny books it into the bathroom and cups his hands over the test so only he could see!!!!! He kept saying "Oh you don't want to see this sweetie!" What a tease.  I tickled him till he let me see and was shocked to see a positive for once.  I was like- wait, let me see the instructions again, that means positive right? I've never seen it look like that before!" Danny said "Ya well, you've never been pregnant before so...." Then we laughed and hugged and stuff.

Ever since I had the feeling I was pregnant I have also had the feeling it is a girl.  I was trying to fall asleep one night and was thinking about the deployment when I realized I was thinking "we" and "us" and "she" while he is gone. I was so strange.  If it turns out to be a boy we will be overjoyed idiots. We already have a girl name we're pretty set on.... Every name I suggest to Danny, boy or girl he says "I just like Eden." 

To answer that question that's been itching at you- YES Danny will be deployed when I have the baby.  NO, he will most likely not be there for the birth.  Baby will be five months old when he gets home.  He will be gone for 9 months. I am moving back in with my parents in Idaho while he is gone, having baby in Idaho.

 While we're on the topic I'd like to say something about this whole deployment thing.  Specifically about how I feel it is appropriate to speak to a wife whose husband is gone.  Be kind. Don't tell us "well you chose it." I chose my husband because I was supposed to be with him and I love him.  Don't tell me you couldn't do it, how you can't even handle being away from your husband for a week.  Cause I can't either, but I will.  Don't tell me how you totally understand because your husband went away for a week, or how those nine months will just fly by! Don't lecture me on staying positive or tell me how I should feel or act.  What I NEED you to do is actually be there.  When I am sad, lonely and down and say it's hard acknowledge that YES it is, and that I can do it and that you will be there to support me through it.  And I mean actually be there.  It surprises me how I can tell a friend how I am struggling but she still can't even bring herself to make a phone call or a visit.  Danny is my whole life.  Especially because I have no one here in Georgia.  Only Danny.  It IS going to be hard, but I can do hard things and I need your support.  That's it.  Acknowledge the pain. Tell me I can do it. Be there.  By the way some of you have already done a phenomenal job of this, even from a distance.  You are much appreciated. :D 

Anyway :) When it comes to babies or military everyone has advice they share freely without being asked.  It makes me crazy sometimes lol

So far the pregnancy has been a little rocky.  I struggle with interstitial cystitis (bladder inflammation, spasms, swelling and pain) quite frequently and the symptoms can be very painful and uncomfortable including swelling in my abdomen and pain. At the beginning of the pregnancy I also had a cough I had had for a few months turn into bronchitis... then ear infections and sinus infection.  Then when they put me on an antibiotic.. it gave me some more problems *cough* *cough*.  So take that and add all day morning sickness and the regular pregnancy issues and I was a bit of a mess.  I have had morning sickness, been sensitive to smells, no appetite and thrown up pretty regularly for the entire pregnancy so far.  This week I finally got some zofran and am doing better! I don't think I have lost a meal for TWO WHOLE DAYS! Yaaaay!  I am gradually doing more (before moving around a lot made me throw up) and am able to be in the kitchen more as well.

Danny has been absolutely wonderful.  He is always willing to help me in any way I need.  He is constantly supportive and positive and holds me while I cry because I hurt or am so frustrated and down from being sick.  He comes home from work, gets me something to eat, cleans up, holds my hair, takes the bucket when I lose the lunch and is all around the very best husband he could possibly be.  So patient, so kind, so loving.  Ladies, I really got the best husband ever!!

We're so excited for a little baby to come.  It's an odd situation to have to set up baby stuff in my old bedroom but we'll make the best of it.  I wish I could start collecting baby things and putting together a nursery here but it will all have to wait.  We plan on getting most of what the baby will need when we get to Idaho.  I would like Danny to be there and play a part in picking everything out.  We hope that he will get to see the gender before he leaves- keep your fingers crossed!

The ultrasound was a great experience for both of us! I only got to see the screen for a second before the doc turned it away but Danny watched that little heart beat the whole time.  :) He was in awe, and kept saying how cool that was.  It became much more real for him and it was fun to see him get so excited!   Anyway, we have another appointment at the end of November, so I will hopefully update again!