One Month to Go!

I seriously cannot believe that I am only a month away from my due date!  In some ways, it seems like I've been pregnant forever, yet the weeks have just been flying by ever since I hit the half way point.  I still feel like there is so much I need to get done and things that need to be bought in order for me to feel prepared for little Talan's arrival.  But I know that even if I have everything I need, I probably won't feel prepared for what is about to happen. 

*Just a side note - I don't mean to complain about anything, this post is more for me to be able to remember my whole experience, the good and the bad.

Honestly, this pregnancy has been really easy for me - at least up until these last few weeks.  I never had any nausea in the beginning and the only real symptoms I experienced up until week 34 were feeling tired and hungry alllll the time.  And since sleeping and eating are two of my favorite things, I didn't really mind.  Now that I've put on about 30+ extra pounds, I'm really starting to feel the aches and pains of being pregnant.  About a week ago I started having a really sharp pain in my left hip everytime I would walk.  The pain gradually progressed to spread across my whole lower abdomen and hips and it is now excruciatingly painful to walk or move in any way.  As long as I am just sitting or even standing still, there's no pain.  But the pain while walking has turned me into a "waddling" pregnant woman - I admit, I'm slightly ashamed.

My other really annoying symptom has been extreme swelling of my calves, ankles, and feet.  They seriously look like they belong to someone who weighs at least 250 pounds, so for me, someone who has never weighed more than 130 pounds, it really freaks me out and is actually quite uncomfortable since my skin is being stretched to its limit.  I've tried drinking tons of water and propping up my feet, and it helps a tiny bit, but they are still soooo swollen.  I'm really looking forward to having my body back in a few weeks!

Other than that, Talan is just kicking away as he gets more and more cramped in there.  My doctor told me at my appointment last week that if I were to go into labor at this point, they wouldn't try to stop it! His daddy and I can't wait to have him here!

This was at 34 weeks, so almost 2 weeks ago.

Decisions, Decisions!

I'm the kind of person who has to have a plan. I need to know exactly what is going to happen within the next few months of my life, otherwise I start to feel anxiety about it it. So we've now reached the point where Brent will be done with his Bachelor's at BYU in less than 5 months and we don't have a plan for where we will be after that - hence, my reason for slightly panicking!

We know a few things - we know that in only 3 months we will have a new little baby in our home (something I've been able to plan for months now), and we know that Brent is applying to Grad programs in a few places that we could end up. We also know what we prefer, but whether or not we will get what we want most will actually happen is all up in the air.

He is applying to University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, University of Pittsburgh, and BYU. Maryland is his first choice, mainly because they have a great Civil Engineering program and we would only be an hour and a half from our families in PA. We want to be back on the East coast close to our families so badly! The thing is, it is super expensive to live just outside D.C., and the only way we would be able to afford it would be if Brent can find a great Structural Engineering position with an actual salary that will hopefully help pay for school. I know, super unlikely that we will actually get all of that. That's why we have a back up plan...

Honestly, BYU is our last choice. It's a great program and we do love BYU, we just really don't want to stay in Utah. However, it's the simplest of all the options. We already have a place to live that we do really like (especially the ward!), and Brent has a great job at LEI Engineering. They want him to stay through grad school so bad that they are buttering him up with gift cards and hints at getting a raise. Staying in Utah is the safe option. But we just don't know if it's really what we want or what is best for our family.

So, I'm left still without a plan for now. Hopefully once we finish up his applications and hear back from some places, he can start contacting engineering firms and networking for potential opportunities. We'll see!

Baby McCrea is a Boy!!

The majority vote was that Baby McCrea was going to be a girl, but I still had my own feelings that it was a boy. I don't know how or why I felt that way, I just felt like the little thing kicking inside me was a little baby boy. Sure enough, our ultrasound showed a clear shot that indeed, our little baby is a BOY!!!And here's our first picture of the little man! I do have a picture from the ultrasound that clearly shows his little boy parts, but Brent said he would be embarrassed if someone posted those pictures of him, so we shouldn't post our baby's either. lolI absolutely LOVE this picture of his foot! It is just so clear, and both Brent and I instantly noticed that our baby has Brent's feet! You probably think we're crazy, but it's true! See, Brent has really strange feet. His big toe is actually shorter than both his second and third toes. And his pinky toe is this short, tiny little stub that barely even comes to the beginning of the toe next to it. Like I said, really strange, but we always laugh about it. And this baby has the same feet! It just makes us feel a bit closer to him and that he is actually our child that we created :)

Oh, and we do have a name picked out already. Actually, we have had all of our childrens' names picked out for a while now, so we knew that as soon as we found out if it was a boy or a girl, we would know what to call our little one. Our first born son will be Talan James McCrea! And yes, in case you were wondering, he is named after Lebron James. We're weird, we know.

Our Crazy Family Tradition

We have a lot of fun, awesome, exciting traditions within my side of the family, but only one that tends to kind of gross people out. Let me explain - you've probably heard about some people who save and freeze the top tier of their wedding cake to eat on their first anniversary. Well, when my parents were married, they did just that. However, my grandma failed to explain to my mom that you were only supposed to keep it until the first anniversary. So, my parents continued to eat their wedding cake every year in celebration of their marriage. One year my mom happened to mention to her mother about eating their cake and she quickly said, "What!?! You're still eating your wedding cake? You were only supposed to save that for the first year!" After sharing a good laugh, my mom decided that it was so funny that she had been torturing my dad for no reason all these years, so they might as well continue the new tradition! Every year, I have watched my parents eat their old, dry, freezer burnt cake on January 3rd as they celebrate their anniversary. Every year my dad adamantly protests and makes the funniest faces as he's forced to eat, and every year I would say "Dad, it can't be that bad!" and try a piece myself. I decided that when I got married, I was going to force my husband to endure this same torture every year! Since Brent and I just celebrated our 2 year anniversary, it meant it was time to get the cake out of the freezer and have a piece.

Here's us enjoying our 2 year old cake! Maybe it's just because it's not that old yet, or maybe it's because we had a fondant cake which has a layer of marshmallow fondant on the outside that is protecting the moisture, but it honestly didn't taste any different from the day we ate it at our wedding. Molly, you're an amazing baker!

And here's Mom and Dad eating their 36 year old cake! Aren't they cute!? Of course Dad complained just as much as he always does, if not even worse. He gags, begs for water, and makes the funniest faces! I can't wait until Brent starts acting that way too (is that bad?)!

I love our crazy family tradition!

Gender Predictions!?

I like hearing what other people think we are having. So far the majority vote seems to be girl. Up until today both Brent and I were thinking boy, but he suddenly changed his mind after our doctor's appointment this morning - I have no idea why. But, we only have 3 more weeks until we will know for sure and I am so excited to finally see our little one! So until then, let's hear some predictions on what you think Baby McCrea will be!16 1/2 weeks!

Heard the Heart Beat!

I had my first doctor's appointment today at 9 weeks.  I've been anxiously awaiting this appointment, just waiting for more of a confirmation that yes, there is indeed a baby growing inside me (as if the nausea, extreme tiredness, eating like I've been starved, and heart burn weren't indicators enough!).  As predicted, our due date is still June 21, 2012, and everything is on track development wise.  And, the best part of all, everything was in position that we were able to hear the heart beat for just a few short seconds!  Still no ultrasound to show everyone, and it seems like as long as everything is in check at my appointments, I won't get one until 20 week when we can find out what little Baby McCrea is. 20 Weeks still seems forever away, but then again these first 9 have flown by, so hopefully I can stay patient enough to not drive Brent crazy wondering over the next few weeks!

The Rumors are True!

In case you haven't heard yet, Brent and I are expecting a cute little addition to our family in June 2012!!!  We found out about a week ago and now that we've had a chance to tell our families personally, we're ready to tell the world because we are just so darn excited!  As of yesterday, I am 5 weeks, so still super early.  So far, no nausea, but I have been way more tired than usual (which I didn't think was possible), and eating all the time.  I'll be sure to keep everyone posted as things progress a little more.