Miller's Shower (Baby Shower's part 4...)

I had my 4th shower at the Miller's house on March 12th. It was so beautiful! Linda and all my sis-in-laws did such a great job. It was complete with delicious (and beautiful) food, flowers, and decked out with bird decor. It definitely had a Spring feel to it :) I'm so blessed to be a part of this family. Everyone went around and told me why they thought I was going to make a good mother....and it got a little emotional! I'm surrounded by amazing women and I love them all so much!

The great spread! So yummy :)

Me and my mama. Also we played "How big is mama's belly". It's always so funny to see how big some people measure it!

I got some great gifts! The letters are actually supposed to read "E.M" for Ella Miller, but I had them switched for the picture and it looks like I'm making it all about "ME"! Hahaha!

Thanks to everyone who has come to/thrown all of my showers. I feel so loved and supported on this journey. It has certainly been a long one, I'm having a hard time remembering not being pregnant! But I'm so happy that I've been able to experience this and feel my little one grow. It's an amazing, miraculous thing. Adam and I are literally buzzing with anticipation to finally lay eyes on this girl. We already love her so much, it's going to be crazy to feel that love grow once she's here!

Friend Shower (Baby Shower's part 3.....)

My friends Stacia, Helina and Brittney threw me my friend shower. It's always fun to have all of my friends in one room!!! We played some cute games and ate some very good food :) There were five of us all together who were pregnant!! The weather wasn't the best that day, so I really appreciate everyone who came out to help me celebrate! I have great friends!!

Jessie, Ali, Rachel, Me, Stacia, Lacey, Tammy, Brittney, Helina (and her cute boys Bennet and Gabe)

Ali, Me, Jodi, Brit and Lacey are all expecting!! Lacey is due any minute.. Jodi and I are due the end of April, Ali is due in a couple of weeks, and Brit.....well, I'm just not sure!! I think closer to October!

Lindsay and Me :) I haven't seen her in so long, I'm so glad she came!

Ali ad JJ (that's what I call Jessie, but I won't say why:) )

Stacia and Helina...people always mistake them for sisters! I can see the resemblence :)

Tammy and Lacey...I worked with these girls and LDS Hospital a long time ago, but we've stayed in touch and get together at least a couple of times a year.

Beehive Tea Room Exclusive! (Baby shower's part 2..)

So my very best friends Phyllis and Liz through me a special Baby Shower with just me, Phyllis, Liz, Ellie and Jill. We had it at a place called the Beehive Tea Room in Salt Lake....it was SOOOO cute! It's got several rooms all decorated with different old fashioned art work and furniture. It was so nice and thoughtful of them to do this for me, and it was really fun to spend the afternoon with them!

Some pic's of everyone together enjoying our tea and Italian Soda's :) These girls are all like family to me. Phyllis and Ellie have since gone back to London where they live. I miss them so much, but applaud them for doing what is right for them in their marriage. Ella will know how much they love and cared for her before she was even born :) Jill was always like a 2nd mom to me growing up, I think I probably spent as much time at her house as I did my own! And Liz and I have been like sister's from birth. We were born three days apart! Love you all sooooo much!!
Some pic's of me opening presents and drinking my Italian Soda. I got such cute gifts from everyone, thank you so much!!
We had some great drinks, scones, sandwiches, and desserts here. It was all so good!
We decorated bibs for Ella after we were done eating :) I'm sure they will all come in handy!! Thanks again girls for such a special day!!

Fancy Nancy Baby Shower Soiree Extravaganza....(Baby Shower's part 1...)

My mom threw me my first baby shower....and what a way to kick off these fun parties!!! It was themed around a Fancy Nancy Tea Party. It was decorated BEAUTIFULLY, my Aunt Kathryn brought some fancy hats, we were dressed in fancy clothes, and we ate very fancy food! I am so grateful for my mom and sisters and everyone who contributed to this special day, I had such a great time!!!!

I got so many great gifts from my family. My sister Amy made me an amazing quilt, I've never seen anything like it!!

These are some of my family members that came out to support me in celebrating Ella's arrival. I have the best family!!

The beautiful decorations and delicious food. Mom and the girls really went all out...I don't think anyone can deny just how fancy this soiree was :)

Some pic's of me and some of my guests....my best friends Phyllis and Liz came to my family shower, because they are just that.....more like sisters than friends :)
Thanks again everyone for such a great day!!!!!

Preggo Belly Pic's

I've always been a big fan of maternity photography, so I was excited to have my sister in law Alex take some pictures for me. She took these of me at about 29 weeks. She is so talented and I appreciate her taking time out of her busy Saturday to do this for me!!! I hope my daughter will look at these one day and know how much her mama loves her and enjoyed being so close to her for 9 months!! It's funny how you can feel so much for some who you have yet to see or hold, but me and Adam already love her soooo much!

P.S.....sorry if you are not a fan of the pregnant belly, but I think it's great :)

New Ella Pictures :)

These are just a couple of shots from the last ultrasound we had on Thursday. It is always so fun to take a peek at our little girl, she always gives us a show! She is developing beautifully and seems to be having a ball in there :) At one point she put her face up to the screen and we could see her little chubby cheeks, eyes and mouth opening and closing. I can already tell she is a gorgeous little girl :) As far as I go, my cervix is now measuring at a completely normal length, which is a huge blessing! We were so worried before, but now we can just relax and enjoy these last few months. Adam and I are so excited to meet our little girl!!! It's been just the two of us for so long, and although I'll admit that there's a little part of me that is going to miss our one on one lifestyle, there's a much bigger part of me that is so excited to take this next step with Adam and start our family. I'm about 28 weeks now, only 12 more to go!!!!!!

Such a slacker!!

Wow I hate when I slack off and then have to catch up with this whole blog thing. Christmas came and went......It was awesome because my doc took me of partial bed rest right in time for Christmas :) We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at the Millers. We did our traditional activities of pinata and limbo. Then in the morning we opened presents with Adam's parents and then went to the Jones' for breakfast. Then we headed over to my parents for lunch and presents with the entire Pinson clan. The Holidays are always hectic, but I love having so much family time :) Although, when about 7pm hits on Christmas night, I'm ready to get on with life! I had my decorations down the very next day. Although that might have something to do with the fact that I have a baby due in April and am a little anxious :)
My bump is growing more rapidly now, and although I quite enjoy the appearance of it, the discomfort that comes along with your insides being relocated and your skin being stretched beyond it's limits is less desirable. These pic's were taken when I went to dinner and a movie with Phyllis, Ellie and Liz. It was our last time to all hang out together for a while. Phyllis and Ellie moved to London on Sunday (somewhere where they actually get some rights). It was really hard to know they were leaving, but I know they are doing what they have to do, and I really respect them for it :) I'll miss them lots though!!! They'll be back in February for a few weeks to get the rest of their stuff, and then hopefully they'll be back again for the Holidays :) My laptop has a camera in it, so we are going to Skpe a lot!!!

Well, that's all I feel like writing for now, more to come later ;)

**UPDATE!!**

Yeah!!! So I went and talked to my doc today and she said that she looked at my most recent ultrasound and she said that my cervix actually looks longer than it did last time! Which means I'm not on partial bed rest now! Yeah!!!!!!!!!! Still gotta be smart about my activity level, but I'm just happy to have a little freedom back :) Merry Christmas to me :)

Resting---Easier said than done!

So, for anyone who actually reads this and doesn't know, I'm on "partial bed-rest". Meaning, for the time being, I'm allowed to go to work, due to the fact that I sit at a desk most of the day, but after work, it's feet up! This is because during my 20 week ultrasound when we found out we were having an "Ella" and not a "Jack", the ultrasound tech also noticed that I have what is called a short cervix. A normal, ideal length for the cervix of a pregnant woman is 4 cm. Mine is measuring at 2.8 cm. When Adam and I first got this news, we were a bundle of nerves to say the least. Of course we were both on the internet looking at the risks involved with the diagnosis, and the internet did a darn good job of scaring the crap out of us! Fortunately we were able to go talk to my doctor and she assured us that while it's not the best news, it's definately not the worst news either. I have since had a follow up ultraound and I'm still at 2.8cm, which is great news :) If it get's shorter, there's the possiblity of having to go on full bed rest and maybe even surgery to close my cervix until baby Ella is ready to join us.

Now, there was a time when if someone told me, "After work, I don't want you lift a finger! Come home, kick your feet up, and relax." I would have thought I had won the jackpot. It turns out that's not the case. It's a lot harder than it sounds to depend on others to do things for you that really you feel perfectly capable of doing yourself. Not only that, but my mom just had a total knee replacement and I'm not able to help her out with anything, which sucks. Lucky for me, I have a great support system which is making this a little easier. Adam has been busting his butt working two jobs, doing all the dishes, all the laundry, and the food prep. He get's to bake cookies for the neighbors and make food for Christmas day lunch. I don't know what I would do without his constant concern and support. I've also had my mother-in-law over here to clean, which was a HUGE help. And I'm sure I've had many prayers and thoughts on mine and Ella's behalf as well. Hopefully we can continue the trend of staying the same and Ella can stay put as close to my due date as possible.
Luckily I was able to go to Midway before I was put on pbr and have dinner at my friend Britney's house. Her place looked beautiful and we had a lot of fun eating and talking :) We try to get together every Christmas.

I went to Festival of trees with Phyllis and Ellie earlier this month. This is when I was still quite cocky about the fact that I'd had such an easy, sick free, complication free pregnancy!! Life has a funny little way of putting you in your place, doesn't it?! I had a great time with my friends though :)

My friends Phyllis, Liz and Ellie (who was taking this pic) came over to my place and did our Christmas tradition. Ever since we were little (as far back as I can remember!) we've watched a series of vintage Christmas cartoons and exchanged Christmas gifts. We did it a little early this year because they were going to Las Vegas the week of Christmas. They are such great friends and have been so supportive and concerned for mine and Ella's well being through this!

Girl!!!

So I went to my 20 week ultrasound yesterday, and they informed us that we are going to be having a baby girl! Adam said he already knew, because he had a dream about her about a week prior. Everyone had some kind of intuition except for me! Oh well, I know who's in there now and I'm so excited to be welcoming a daughter into my family next year. Adam couldn't be happier either, he kept saying "I can't believe I'm this excited!" He's been such an amazing support system to me during this pregnancy. He's really been there for me to help out with chores and just be there for me emotionally when I'm having a hard time with something. I'll try to keep updated on how the second half of my pregnancy goes!

Thanksgiving/Moab 2010 (warning: lots of pictures!)

This year was such a great Thanksgiving!!! I started it out with a little tradition. Every year on the week of Thanksgiving I go to my Grandma Pinson's house and have a sleep-over with my cousins from California. We drove up to Logan and put some Christmas flowers on my Grandpa's grave and told little memories about Grandpa. He was a very colorful guy!!! We miss him a lot and miss the house that Grandma and Grandpa used to live in. We drove by it just for old times sake :) My cousin Haley is pregnant too, so we got to swap prego stories! Her little boy Jackson is so stinkin' cute, he has so much personality! I had a lot of fun spending that time with my family. Me and Haley at Logan Cemetery
My second cousin Jackson and my cousin Kelli


Jackson checking out the Kindle

Jackson getting a smoocher from his mama Haley


The night before Thanksgiving, I went to my mom's to help her cook. My sister Amy and her family were there as well. We stayed up lating cooking, baking, and laughing :) I didn't get any actual Thanksgiving feast pictures, but it was AMAZING! We had 8 different pies, two rotisserie turkey's, yams, potatoes, carrots, jello, rolls, and so much more! Adam said it was the best dinner he has ever had (I think he says that every year though!) After dinner we had a little birthday party for out November/December Birthdays. It was a busy, fun, noisy, yummy day!
I caught a glimpse of the couch and saw all of my nieces piled on top of Adam while he was reading them Rudolph. Soooooo stinkin' cute, right???



The day after Thanksgiving, we woke up bright and early and headed out for Moab with the Millers. They go every year, but this was my first year going. My brother-in-law Greg rents out a beautiful condo for us to stay in. The first day everyone wanted to go repelling. Due to doc's orders, I was not allowed. So me, Steph, Mandi and baby Jude hiked off trail down to the slot canyon where they would be landing. Not the easiest hike in the world for us! I did manage to twist my ankle in the slot canyon, so I had to hike back up injured, but I toughed through it :) The next morning Adam and Greg went on a bike ride, then we all hiked to some beautiful arches. Adam was there to help his pregnant, injured wife, so I managed pretty well :) We had so much fun outdoors and we played lots of games and ate good food indoors. This is definately a trip I will want to repeat!

The whole clan (minus Steph, who was taking the picture)

Just the girls :)

Me (5 months) hikin' it up in Moab!

Nate enjoying the amazing view

Mandi, Josh and baby Jude(who was such a good little sport, considering it was like 20 degrees!)

Josh and Jude hiking

Josh and Jude again :)

Greg checking out the sites

Brian taking in the view

Brian and Nate

Brian(the mountain man!) and Kelli

Me and Adam. He was such a big help helping me get through some of the tougher spots of the hike! Thanks babe :)

Adam needed a rest after lifting me through a lot of the hike!

Of course he had to find a boulder to climb!

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE!

So last night I got to go to the So You Think You Can Dance Concert. It was awesome! I went with my sister Amy, and we met my sis-in-law Kelli there. We were all dancers and we LOVED the show, so it was great that we got the oppurtunity to go see the dances we loved so much LIVE! One of my favorites was a western Hip-Hop dance to "My Chick Bad" by Ludacris. It was performed by Lauren and Russell. There were SO many great dances though, I really enjoyed watching all of them. I'm greatful I got to spend some time with my sisters! I wish that my other sis-in-law Amanda had been there though. She put it all together and then ended up having to go out of town. We missed you Amanda!!!!

So Much Halloween 2010!!!

Wow! I think this year was the most eventful Halloween we've had in a long time! We had so many fun Halloween activities to go to. The first one was the annual Pinson Family Halloween party. I was Edward Scissorhands this year and Adam was Mr. Clean. My fam always goes all out for Halloween and I love it!! We get together at a cabin in Harrisville and the whole Pinson extended family parties it up :) What a great family I have, right?!?!

Then we had a Trunk or Treat at the Twin Peaks ward. This is the first Trun or Treat that I've participated in, and it was really fun. I left the Edward costume at home for this one, since the little ones at my family party were not a fan, I didn't want to scare my primary kids! After the Trunk or Treat, we had a chili cook-off in the church, and Adam made and served home-made root beer. We had a great time with everyone!
On Halloween Day (or the fake Halloween I should say!) I went to the Millers for our Mystery Lunch and Party. Everyone looked really cute!! Adam had to work but I had a great time with our fam. We had things like "bloody tumor" and "eye of newt" for lunch :) Then the kids bobbed for apples and we played some other games and had a great time!

Halloween night Adam and I went to the backstreet club for a Halloween Party. It was good to see everyone dressed up! Here's Mr. Clean and Joe Dirt playing Foosball :)

After the Backstreet Club, we went over to my best friends house (the Holmes) and did our traditional party. Jill always makes awesome food for everyone and we just hang out and talk and laugh. Phyllis and Ellie are moving to London come January, so this may be the last one of these we do for a little while :( But we had a great time and love haning out with them whenever we can!!!

All in all, we had such a fun Halloween season this year, and now I'm ready to move on to Thanksgiving! (Hopefully I'll have a bigger baby bump by then!! I totally have bump envy of other girls I know that have bigger bumps than me!)