It's a....???

So....Billy and I got to go have another ultrasound yesterday 12/12 to find out the sex of our baby, and also whether or not everything is developing well (scary)! So, at first it looked like our baby was going to be shy and not really give us a good look, but all of a sudden, I saw something VERY obvious come on the screen! Haha, I was even able to tell we're having a BOY, and I never know what we're looking at! I included a pic of the profile below, and you will see that our little boy is just adorable!

It's crazy how much we already love our little boy, and it's great to see him finally looking like a PERSON (with the cutest little pot belly)!

Some Belly Pics

So...my belly is finally starting to show! For some reason, it's so exciting to finally see that the first several months of pregnancy were worth it. I thought I would post 2 photos of my belly, one at 15 weeks and one at 19 weeks. I will definitely make sure to put more up as time progresses, so stay posted!

This one was at 15 weeks. So yes, I was sticking out my tummy, but I was KIND OF starting to show ;)

This one was just taken today, at 19 weeks. It's crazy how my stomach has grown in the past several weeks - we are amazed everyday in all the changes that are taking place. I can't believe we are blessed enough to be able to have this baby!

Boy or Girl?

Well, Billy and I find out what the sex of our baby is in December (just a month away)! With this impending discovery, everyone seems to have their opinion of what the baby will be. Mostly, everyone thinks our baby will be a boy. Maybe I am alone in feeling this way, but I kind of feel slighted that someone ELSE would have more intuition of what my baby will be when I have absolutely no feelings one way or the other. With that said, I thought it would be funny to see how many people think it will be a boy versus how many people think it will be a girl. And ARE the pros and cons for either one? I was thinking if it's a girl I get to dress her up in pretty bows and tutus and poofy dresses, but if it's a boy I get to dress him up like a little gap model. If anyone has any opinions, please let me know! We will definitely keep everyone updated when we find out EXACTLY what we are having!

Tagged by Denisha

1) Did you date someone from your school? I dated a few people from high school, but for the most part I tried to steer clear of boys I'd see everyday..
2) What kind of car did you drive? I think EVERYONE from my school will remember my Toyota van. There was hardly any paint left on it, it was held together by duct-tape and a pot in the front, and in lieu of seats in the back, we had a couch - yes, that's what I said.
3) Did you pass your drivers test the first time? No - I think it took me 3 times actually...that's really embarrassing.
4) Were you a party animal? Hahaha....I like to think I'm the one-person party - which I'm not, but that's how it works out in my head.
5) Were you considered a flirt? I'm sure I was - I flirted SHAMELESSLY, with other people's boyfriends too! Apologies to anyone who was affected by that..
6) Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Yes, do you have a problem with that?
7) Were you a nerd? I was and always will be.
8) Were you on any varsity teams? No. I'm pretty sure you need to have some type of coordination for that.
9) Did you ever get expended or expelled? No...I had an unexplained urge for all teachers to love me.
10) Can you still sing your fight song? I'm pretty sure I never would have sung it in high school, let alone now.
11) Who were your favorite teachers? Mr. Venner - sooooooo HOT!
12) Where did you sit at lunch? Normally at my house or someone else's.
13) What is your school's full name? T.F. Riggs High School
14) School mascot and colors? We were the governors, so technically our mascot would be the governor...LAME. Colors? kelly green and white
15) Did you go to homecoming and who with? We didn't have a formal homecoming dance. So yes, I went, but never "with" someone.
16) If you could go back and do it again, would you? Heck NO! I would rather have a root canal, and if you knew me, that's a really big deal.
17) What do you remember most about graduation? It was SO HOT! And I got a really bad sunburn ONLY on the top of my thighs - and my arm hurt, because I fell through our glass coffee table the night before. I definitely wasn't that sad though!
18) Were you in any clubs? I feel like I was in a lot, but I don't really remember too many.
19) Have you gained weight since then? So??!!
20) Who was your prom date? Prom...why didn't I figure out to just go with a best buddy? Although I will have to say, my dates for both years were really cool and fun.
21) Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? Probably not...I can't imagine how awkward that night would be!
22) Did you have a job while in high school? Yes...all of them dealing with food...KFC/Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Mesa's Diner.

Pregnancy & Food

So, before I got pregnant, I had heard many things about the weird cravings I could expect, but nothing could have prepared me for the real thing! First of all, it's not just cravings, it's LIFE or DEATH! I have to eat every 2 to 3 hours, and it is absolutely NOT an option to skip any meal. All of a sudden I feel a rage inside me and remember that it is time to feed - and I pretty much growl like a dog if anyone (Billy) gets in my way. In fact, the other day I couldn't figure out what to make for lunch, and while I was trying to decide Billy tried to talk to me. I absolutely flipped out and couldn't stop crying - because of the food! Haha....it's been interesting.

Aside from the hunger-induced rage, there are also cravings to consider. Now, I haven't had too many crazy cravings, most of which I feel are just my body getting what it needs. Before I got pregnant I would never have had a glass of plain milk, and now I can't get enough of it. We (and by "we" I mean "I") go through 2 gallons of milk a week now! But a fun craving I have had in the past week is for relish hot dogs from Orange Julius - and no other hot dogs will do. Luckily I have a wonderful husband that just doesn't ask questions!

Baby B

So....as you have probably guessed by our title, we are expecting a new addition to our small family! We are 12 weeks along, and baby b is expected to make his/her first appearance April 30, 2009. We are so excited to have a little bundle of joy - although I have to tell you, it has not been a bundle of joy thus far. When it comes out we're going to have a little talky-talk about all this morning sickness stuff!

Today we had our second appointment at the doctor and it went really well! By the way, our doctor is the bomb - he paid for medical school by going on Jeopardy - how awesome is that? You KNOW he's a winner with those kinds of credentials. During the ultrasound, we got to see our little baby's heartbeat, and then our baby just started jumping around, it was the cutest thing! I feel like it was performing for us....showing us how freakin' awesome he/she is. Because she IS awesome...I mean he/she....

Customer Service

So, I'm wondering where and when "service" was taken out of customer service..I really feel like they should just call it "the phone call that will just make you angrier than when you called in the first place." - Just a suggestion. When is the last time you called your mobile, cable, or internet provider and you got someone who was actually HELPFUL on the phone? Below I have listed my customer "service" pet-peeves.

When I spend 30 minutes being put on hold and transferred, just to learn I called the wrong number.

Having a snotty employee tell me it's "company policy" with no other explanation.

Asking to speak to the employee's supervisor, and then they tell me no!

And.....my number 1 pet-peeve......when I can't understand the employee, because they don't know how to speak English. Seriously!!

Now, this next one isn't so much a pet-peeve as it is a true story. My husband had a run-in with his cell service, Sprint, and talked to two employees that were just atrocious. So he got online and found out Sprint has an executive number you can call in case customer service didn't quite cut it. Long story short, 5 minutes after Billy called that line the problem was fixed. Does anyone else find it interesting that Sprint knows their customer service is so horrible that they have to provide an extra number to call? Shady....

Honeymoon

Billy and I left for our honeymoon the Monday after we got married. We were super excited because we had rented a house for a week in Arcata, CA. This house was supposed to have a view of the coast as well as the Redwoods, and it ended up being a disaster! We ended up leaving the house the next morning without looking back and had a great honeymoon, despite the hiccup at the beginning.

On our way to Oregon, we drove through the Redwoods as well as stopped at the coast for photo ops. We decided we would go explore Salem, OR, which is where we plan on living for the next 3 years while Billy goes to law school. Thank goodness we did! We ended up having a blast in Salem and found a sweet apartment to rent on the good side of town. In Salem it actually does matter which side of town you live on, and if we wouldn't have stayed to look at neighborhoods and apartments we might have ended up kicking ourselves.

After Salem, we drove up past Portland and stayed with our cousins Brittany and Adam Zollinger. We basically played games all weekend, which is definitely my idea of a good time. We also kayaked on the river, and by "we" I mean Billy - he tied my kayak to his and paddled me around so I could keep up with everyone else!

Our Travels

" 

Above you'll find pictures of Billy and I in different spots we've traveled to - mostly South Dakota and New York. Going on road trips is something that, early on in our relationship, we realized we enjoyed. Also, the DVD player Billy had installed didn't hurt..

We took a few trips to South Dakota in 2007 for Billy to get to know my family better. It turns out they like Billy WAY more than they like me! We had a blast watching sunsets and feeding the ducks, but mostly it was me harassing everyone to play with ME instead of Billy.

We also flew out to New York to attend Billy's grandmother's funeral. I was finally able to meet all of his family in the town he grew up in: Greene, NY. It was great to meet the people he grew up with, and to also see the pop. 2,000 town he grew up in! It was nice to see that someone's hometown was more hick-filled than mine. After visiting Greene for a few days, we took the opportunity to drive down to Long Island to stay with Billy's aunt and uncle. On our way down to Long Island, we took a detour and stopped in........Scranton! We are both HUGE Office fans and I was totally psyched to visit the town and see what it had to offer (which wasn't much). After staying with Billy's aunt and uncle, we took the train to New York City and spent the day there shopping, visiting Ground Zero, eating on the Pier, and touring the Human Body Exhibit (which was disgusting). This is a trip I'll never forget, and I will jump at the chance we have to travel back to NYC!

Being poor (emphasis on the no money) students and with hiking gas prices, our traveling days are stalled for the moment. We can't wait for the day we can travel once again and explore things together.

Our Wedding

" 

Billy and I decided to get married on June 21st, 2008 in the Salt Lake City Temple. Several things went wrong that morning that were stressful: First, we couldn't find the keys to the car my mother-in-law and her family were planning on using to drive up to Salt Lake. After hours of worry, I realized I had stuck them in my purse! - Ooops.... Second, our wedding slideshow was not yet finished (Billy) and it was quite stressful to put the finishing touches on it before we left for Salt Lake around 1 o'clock that day.

We arrived at the temple around 2:30 and were sealed for eternity at 4 o'clock - a moment neither one of us will forget. As my mother and I went back to the bride's room, I kept exclaiming, "I'm married!" It was a wonderful moment, one that we both felt ready for, and it was a commitment we felt comfortable making. As we stepped out of the temple we were greeted by our friends and family, and that was such a wonderful moment! It was great to share our happiness with the people we love, and we really appreciated all who were able to make it to Salt Lake.

We decided to have our reception in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on Temple Square to make it easiest for our guests. Once we were done taking pictures around the temple, Billy and I arrived at our reception a bit early, which gave us an opportunity to say hi to all our guests. We decided to keep our reception small, so we invited 74 people, which included a few friends and mostly family. For our meal (which I was super excited for) we had salad, chicken cordon bleu, and some kind of dessert in a waffle cone. By that time, I was STARVING, as I was too nervous to eat much the entire day. I'm pretty sure I didn't pay attention to anyone while I was snarfing down our delicious meal! 

During dinner, we opened up the floor for toasts, which is a tradition in Billy's family. It was great to hear well-wishes from our friends and family; in fact, it was so great that I think we should do this once a year! After dinner we cut the cake, and then danced. It was the perfect (kind of) wedding day, and, like our engagement, I feel it set the tone for a wonderful marriage.

Our Story

Billy and I met March 23rd, 2004 on a blind date of all things! We were set up by our mutual friends, Ted and Stephanie Cross, and our first date was at Outback Steakhouse in Orem, Utah. Although the date didn't go very well (Billy later told me he thought I was vapid at first), we saw each other several more times. Although we clicked well, we fell out of touch and didn't see each other for over a year. After this we saw each other several times throughout the years; however, they were always short exchanges and always left me wondering what could have been.

In May 0f 2007 my roommate Shauna introduced me to the wide world of Facebook, and I was addicted! I located Billy (who was working in Las Vegas at the time) and we started sending each other messages over Facebook. We finally agreed to see each other again on July 4th, 2007, and I consider that date the first day of the rest of our lives. 

It wasn't long after this that we realized getting married was our next step. In October Billy asked my dad for my hand in marriage, to which his reply was, "Billy, I like you, are you sure you want to do that?" Even with my father's warning, we were engaged on November 3, 2007. Billy had been working up in Idaho that week, and had been planning to ask me on the Friday night he got home, right before we were to hop a plane to New York to attend his grandmother's funeral. Although he thought he was being top secret about the whole thing, I figured it out and skipped classes that day so I could make sure I was mentally prepared - and to make sure I looked totally hot!

As we were driving to Billy's condo, I could tell he was nervous, but I could also tell he was wearing nice clothes and had fixed his hair (Billy worked in film at the time, so this was not the usual for him when he has been lugging gear around all day). I smiled to myself, knowing exactly what was going to happen. As he opened the door to his condo, our playlist started on his speakers, and he had candles, flowers, and sushi for us (our favorite date!). He told me all the reasons he wanted to marry me, and got down on one knee. As far as engagements go, it was absolutely PERFECT for us, and I feel it helped set the tone for a wonderful marriage.