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!

Army Wife Life

When I found out Danny was deploying I started photographing the "little" things that show our life together, (I'm sentimental) with him in the army. I will be adding to this post as we go.




December- Private Teddy, or first purchase for the baby.

November

October

 

 

September

My attempt at fall Festive-ness

 Yay for 3$ pumpkins from wal-mart :D 

Aren't these little pumpkins beautiful!?

Bad News Aniversary

      This Monday was our 6 month anniversary mark, kind of exciting- it's half a year already and woa! We're still married! Golly we even HOLD HANDS sometimes- I know, you're all in shock.  Online dating and we're still best friends and excited about our life together. (Sorry, been taking some flack for still holding hands and things from people at church. I made it clear we plan on being close and expressing that closeness through appropriate p.d.a. like hand holding until we are dead! Or handless.)  Anyway, I made Danny breakfast and handed him a book... a marriage book. I had seen on the Dating Diva's website a great idea I thought he'd like being a Signals Analyst and all.  See while we dated he'd send me little codes with silly messages I had to figure out and decipher to get the gooshy message.  I thought it'd be fun to give him a code like that. I circled  words on pages that were in my secret message and then added and subtracted from the actual page number, increasing it by one and alternating each time. Then wrote down all the page numbers. I thought i'd have to be extra sneaky so he wouldn't crack the code so fast- instead I made it ridiculous and he couldn't figure it out at all hahaha  oops :{  Anyway that was fun!

  Later we ran some errands and hit a movie.  During the movie Danny got a call, he was told one of the five guys that was stationed here at Fort Gordon after training with him at AIT; was shot and killed in Afghanistan.  My heart goes out to the wife and family of SPC Joshua Nelson.  He had the same job as Danny, just happened to arrive one day later than the other 5 men and be put in a different company- one that deployed to Afghanistan.  Our deepest condolences.  We attended the service today, although I never met him I am grateful for the sacrifice of that dedicated  fallen soldier, your family is in my prayers.

    Danny got more specific information about his deployment today after the service.  Which is good because we got a call Wednesday morning that he was shipping out the 30th of THIS MONTH! Well, luckily that was incorrect information.

   During all the crazy that went on on our anniversary I was in contact with Jaimee trying to put together my gift for Danny.  I tried doing it myself and it didn't work out AT ALL.  Thank you so much Jaimee, for doing the photo on such sort notice and taking the reigns to make it better than I could have thought of.  You're fantastic!!! And the bestest friend ever!

- About a week and a half later another friend of Danny's passed away.  A friend from home in NM that he spent time with as a teenager.  We are so sorry for your loss Applegate family  You have been in our prayers. 

A little late but...OH MY GOSH! The CAKE!

 I know this is a little late but...
When I think about things I loved about my wedding day (aside from Danny ;p) my cake is one thing that I just have to say how much I LOVED!!

 My friend Diana Karstad did it for me and she did an absolutely fantastic job.  I couldn't have been more pleased or grateful for her work.  I had given her a few photo's of the kind of structure/feel I wanted and she really ran with it. I was so amazed.

I basically gave Diana the flowers, and feathers i had LEFT OVER after doing the bouquet and corsages as well as whatever pins I had left over and threw in a few matching pearly beats and said "You go girl, do what you can."  I just wanted to post them and say THANKS again for an AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, ORIGINAL cake that I absolutely loved.  You're so talented!

The Past Two Weeks

One week ago today my Grandmother Shipton passed away. (July 31, 2012)  She had battled 3 different bouts of cancer as well as diabetes for the past 18 years.  She suffered stage 4 lymphoma, diabetes and congestive heart failure at the time of her passing.  I received the call about 5 days before her passing that she would probably not make it another week due to the congestive heart failure. I was not able to see her in her final moments which is probably a blessing for what she suffered.  She knew her role in this life and I cannot but recall the words of The Family a Proclamation to The World on a mothers duties "Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children".  I had the opportunity to live with my Grandparents in Vernal Utah on a couple of my off tracks from BYUI.  She will be greatly missed.  I was able to attended her funeral this last Saturday, August 4th. 

On the day I found out my grandma would soon pass I started looking at plane tickets as soon as I got home.  Danny got home from work shortly after.  I went into the bedroom and was crying about grandma when he said "So.. I got an email today..."  I looked at him but couldn't see his face! My glasses were off because I was crying.  Then- he told me he was on the list to deploy at the beginning of the year.  I never imagined reacting as I did, I was already really upset about my grandmother.  Not being able to see his face when he told me the news still bothers me.  Anyway, I am not sure what i'll do yet.  We don't have many details at this time.  What we do "know" is Feb- March, 6-7 months, most likely Afganistan.  Errrrr sigh. Anyway that's what's been going down.  I started my new job Monday and had just come home on a red eye flight Sunday.  Stressed yet?

Intimacy=Shoes?

Ok, it's about time I get up on my soap box and have a little rant.  I just need to get it out of my system!




 Now that i'm up on my soap box lets go.


There's this kid at work who likes to push my buttons.  He's always trying to convince me of things.... I'm not sure if he actually believes what he's trying to convince me of or if he just enjoys some argumentative discussion.  One way or another... I can't remember how or in what context but he found out that  I didn't give away the cookie before marriage.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) we believe that intimacy- using the powers of procreation; is reserved for men and women bound in marriage.  Thus, I kept my cookies in the jar! Anyway, after he found that out he shook his head and said "Megan Megan Megan, how can you do that? It's like buying shoes, you gotta try em on before you buy em. How will you know what you like? What if you don't like them and you can't do anything about it?"

  Now, this isn't the first time I have heard the Sex is like Shoes thing. I think its crap people. IF I were to reduce something as sacred, intimate, holy and private as sexual intimacy to something as gross, plain, useful but as ordinary, as trying on a pairs of shoes until you find the perfect fit, the analogy still wouldn't work in my mind.  Here's why.



                          
Here is the pair of shoes I didn't want to be.  If every person that came along tried on these shoes, even for a night how would they look? Feel? Smell? How many disgusting unknown fungus's would they have from any given wearer?  So, IF i were to reduce intimacy to something as casual as trying on sneakers I wouldn't want to be or have these ones! I'd want something like this....
 

Brand new, sparkling white, strait out of the box, crisp clean, new sneakers.  As I said, I think this analogy is stupid.  But, if you're going to play it like that... here's an image for you.  I wanted to give my sweetheart brand new, crisp, clean sneakers.

Stepping down.