24 Weeks!

 (picture to come soon...)

How far along? 24w6d

Size of baby? He is the size of an cantaloupe (measuring about 11 inches)

Total weight gain/loss: +8 from my pre-pregnancy weight of 122. I am going to go ahead and say I have already reached 130... nothing much to say about that except YIKES! But I am growing a baby :) this is expected.
 

Maternity clothes? Not solely, but definitely for bottoms. I have been able to find a lot of really cute cardigans and cute blazer jackets. Now, I just need Fall to get here. 

Pregnancy symptoms this week? BACK PAIN. It amazes me how my pregnancy symptoms can change from week to week. I have also been super short on breathe lately. Sometimes when I am sitting in a certain position I feel like I can't breath very easily. It also doesn't allow for me to sleep very well...
 

Stretch marks? Nope, not yet :) 

 
Sleep: NO GO THIS WEEK... I think people think I am a baby because they say it's going to get much worse...but um people it's pretty bad right now, after all I am six months pregnant and Baby Camden is hanging out in my back :) 

 
Best moment this week: We got Camden's baby bedding and also picked dates for two of my baby showers!! 

  
Miss Anything? Sleeping...but when I get upset about not being able to sleep, I bring myself back down to reality and realize that this is all worth it, Baby Camden is all worth it.   

 
Movement: Lots and lots of movement, and I love it! Camden is pretty shy when it comes to John feeling him. Every time he is tumbling around in there, I will call John into the room to feel him and Camden will stop moving :( Hopefully soon John will  be able to see and feel him move.

 
Food cravings: Nothing in particular this week. 

 
Anything making you queasy or sick: can you guess? Heat!

 
Have you started to show yet: YES! and I really feel like I grew more this week.

 
Gender: baby boy :) 

 
Labor Signs: no "real" labor signs thank goodness. 

Belly button in or out? It's halfway out and halfway in.    

 
Wedding rings on or off? On

 
Mood?  Very happy and...super emotional ( no more joking about being fat ha ha), also been a little irritable this week ( from the lack of sleep)

 
Looking forward to: I don't know how long I will be saying this, but I am looking forward to going back to work in two weeks. It will be nice to be back on a schedule for a least two months, than John and I will have to figure things out after that...not sure what I will be doing after Baby Camden gets here. 

A Beautiful Heartbreak...

There is a song by Hilary Weeks called "Beautiful Heartbreak". While John and I were experiencing our run around with a miscarriage last year and dealing with infertility issues, I ran into this song on a friends blog. I was dealing with one of the hardest challenges in my life and literally wondered how I was going to make it through this trial. Life was depressing for me. Days were really hard. There were plenty of mornings that getting out of bed would take every ounce of my energy. I have always had a love for life and to be happy, and for about ten months I just wasn't myself. I had been longing to be a mom and I had absolutely no control over that. This concept was really hard for me to except.

I had always had life planned out for John and I. We would get married, have fun just to two of us for a year or so, go on vacations and when we decided to have children, BAM they would just come! Well life doesn't always happen the way you might have planned. God has a different plan for us and even though those trials and hardships are really hard to handle and get through, there will come a day that you will look back on that trial you endured and say...wow I made it through. I had wished many days that Heavenly Father would take away my pain of losing a baby and not being able to conceive for a while, but that's when I realized my trial had become a beautiful heartbreak. Without this trial in my life and marriage I wouldn't have learned all the amazing things about myself and the true meaning of enduring to the end. I would listen to this song "Beautiful Heartbreak" everyday, five times a day while driving in the car or sitting in my home. I would imagine myself singing and listening to this song one day when my trial was over, when I was finally pregnant again.

Tonight, while driving home from a family event, this song came on in the car. I was overwhelmed with gratitude as I listened to the very words of this song that got me through the most challenging times in my life. I listened and remembered I had told myself, one day you will get to listen to this song and life will make a little more sense. As we drove in the car, and Camden kicked my tummy, I realized wow...I DID made it through and life makes PERFECT sense. We may not understand why we have to endure such pain and heartache when we are going through it, but Heavenly Father is always there for us no matter what, you just have to reach out to him. He knows our weaknesses and he finds ways to lift us up. How truly grateful I am being given this chance to be a mom. I NEVER gave up. I fought day in and day out to figure out a way to get this baby here. I spent countless hours at the doctors. I NEVER lost sight of the fact that someday, somehow I would get to be a mom.  I NEVER took no for an answer. All the tears, the sleepless nights, the heartache I felt, it was all worth it for this very moment, where I am at right now.

Life sure is sweet :) You just have to be willing to look at it that way.

I wanted to share the words to the song and also the music video. There are a lot of people out there in this world that are dealing with their own hardships and trials. I hope you will be able to find peace and comfort from this song as I did, and know that one day you will be able to look back and say to yourself...wow I made it through...I endured to the end.

LINK TO SONG

I had it all mapped out in front of me, 
Knew just where I wanted to go; 
But life decided to change my plans, 
And I found a mountain in the middle of my road. 


I knew there was no way over it, 
So I searched for a way around; 
Brokenhearted I started climbin', 
And at the top I found... 


Every fear, every doubt, 
All the pain I went through; 
Was the price that I paid to see this view; 
And now that I'm here I would never trade... 


The grace that I feel, 
And the faith that I find; 
Through the bitter-sweet tears, 
And the sleepless nights; 


I used to pray he'd take it all away, 
But instead it became a beautiful heartbreak. 
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/h/hilary+weeks/beautiful+heartbreak_20987321.html ] 
I never dreamed my heart would make it, 
I thought about turning around; 
But heaven has shown me miracles, 
I never would have seen from the ground. 


Now I take the rain with the sunshine, 
Cause there's one thing that I know; 
He picks up the pieces, 
Along each broken road. 


Every fear, every doubt, 
All the pain I went through; 
Was the price that I paid to see this view; 
And now that I'm here I would never trade... 


The grace that I feel, 
And the faith that I find; 
Through the bitter-sweet tears, 
And the sleepless nights. 


I used to pray he'd take it all away, 
But instead it became a beautiful heartbreak. 


I would never trade... 


The grace that I feel, 
And the faith that I find; 
Through the bitter-sweet tears, 
And the sleepless nights. 


I used to pray he'd take it all away, 
But instead it became a beautiful heartbreak.

23 Weeks

Baby Camden's Target Appointment- 23 Weeks!!

What a fabulous week this was! Last Thursday I had my Target Appointment at Circle of Life with an Ultrasound tech who showed us Camden from every single angle. For a good 20 minutes I got to see this cute little boy squirming, hiding his face, and even at one point he tucked his arm underneath his legs, pulled them up and rocked himself back and forth! It was the cutest thing I ever seen. It is still so hard to think that there is this adorable little guy growing in my belly.

The Ultrasound Tech did all the measurements, looked for ten fingers and toes (ha ha) and told us Baby Camden is measuring right on. His due date has changed anywhere from November 21st to the 25th. At this appointment his due date is back to November 22nd (my dads birthday and also Thanksgiving). Baby Camden also weighed in at a good 1.6 pounds :) Only about 6 more to gain little buddy!

I am feeling so blessed I have made it this far and that our little boy is healthy as can be! What a great day it will be when we get to meet this little baby boy in just 3 1/2ish short months.

Now...here is the survey!

How far along? 23w6d

Size of baby? He is the size of an eggplant (measuring about 10-11 inches)

Total weight gain/loss: +6 from my pre-pregnancy weight of 122. Current weight 128...I think I might break 130 next week if I keep eating ice cream every night! YIKES!!
 

Maternity clothes? Yes, in fact I ventured out this week to look for some clothes because I go back to work in three weeks. Pretty much everyone has ugly pregnant lady work clothes...so online shopping will have to be the next place I look. On a good note though...I did find a lot of cute non-maternity shirts I think I can make work. My most favorite article of clothing that I know I will be able to fit in no matter how big I get is Cardigans. Is Fall here yet?  

Pregnancy symptoms this week? Pelvic pain...so badly that I thought I was going to have to make John take me to the ER. No more hip pain and leg cramps though! I am also still experiencing some Braxton Hicks Contractions.
 

Stretch marks? No, but I keep looking. My skin feels so stretched out right now and obviously it's going to be stretched even further. 

 
Sleep: Sleep was pretty good this week, except for the one of the nights when I experienced really bad pelvic pain.   

 
Best moment this week: We got a new car!!! (pictured below) and of course my target appointment. We also hung airplanes in the nursery.

  
Miss Anything? My ability to do things on my own. I am learning quickly that my body simply can't handle things for the time being. I have to wait for John to get home to get somethings done. It's been really tough on me.   

 
Movement: Lots of movement...in my pelvic area...baby boy was breech at my Target appointment and I am sure that's why I feel like my bladder is constantly being kicks.I feel Baby Camden move everyday now :)

 
Food cravings:  Lucky Charms, Apple Pie Carmel Apple ( From RMCF) YUMMY! 

 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Same as always...the heat!

 
Have you started to show yet: What do you think?! :)

 
Gender: We're having a boy and after my ultrasound this week, he is definitely a boy :) 

 
Labor Signs: no "real" labor signs thank goodness. 

Belly button in or out? It's halfway out and halfway in.    

 
Wedding rings on or off? On

 
Mood?  Happy! We get to meet Camden in less than 4 short months!

 
Looking forward to: Getting the nursery bedding next week. It's been on back order, so it will be exciting to finally get it. The nursery is coming together nicely. 

Our Black Beauty! Hello AWD ( for those snowy days), and more room for baby gear :)

WICKED The Musical

WICKED!! What more can I say...

I bought tickets for Wicked back in November. My mom was turning 50 on New Year's Eve and well...Christmas is a week before her birthday, so I decided this was the perfect gift for the BIGGEST Wizard of Oz fan I know! We waited over seven months to finally see it together. I saw Wicked the last time they were on tour here in Utah, but this time I got to see it with my mommy :) We had SO.MUCH.FUN. We also wore out black and green to represent!!

We first treated ourselves to a lovely dinner at the good ol' Olive Garden and then headed over to the show. Before my mom even saw it, she bought herself a book, a CD, shirt, and a pin. I think she knew she would love it ha ha, and she did! She said it is her favorite show and I would have to agree with her. Thanks for such a fun night mom. It was so great to have a mommy, daughter date...they don't happen often enough! 

P.S.- I get to go see WICKED again with John and his family in just two short weeks...yeah I am pretty lucky!

How Baby Boy Got His Name...

We picked a name :) We have actually known we would name our first little boy "Camden" for a long time. It's not a family name, but it does have a special meaning to it. John served his LDS mission in Baltimore, Maryland. They have a famous baseball field there called "Camden Yards". John loved this name and after we got married, you know, when you're talking about what you'll name your future children, he mentioned this name to me and we have loved it ever since. When we were told we would be having a baby boy, it only felt right that we name him "CAMDEN JOHN HUSTON". 

We are excited to take Camden to "Camden Yards" one day to watch the Baltimore Orioles play.

22 weeks!!

 Isn't it amazing to see what can happen in 10 weeks!!

How far along? 22w6d

Size of baby? He is the size of a Spaghetti Squash ( are those the big yellow looking things??)

Total weight gain/loss: +5 from my pre-pregnancy weight of 122. Current weight 127...yeah I am starting to put on weight now!
 

Maternity clothes? Yep! Found some more cute skirts this week and found some cute shirts at H&M that were cute enough to stretch over my belly (those weren't maternity clothes though) 

Pregnancy symptoms this week? A little bit of Braxton Hicks contractions, back aches, trouble catching breath, and nesting...this is a symptom right?! I want everything cleaned and organized ALL THE TIME. I am going to give my husband a heart attack. 
 

Stretch marks? Nope! 

 
Sleep: We went camping this past weekend...NEVER doing that pregnant again. my back and body has never been in so much pain! I was so excited to be back in my own bed, that I think I have slept better because it made me appreciate it a little more :)  

 
Best moment this week: Nursery is painted, furniture is in place, curtains hung, and we hung some pictures on the wall. We still have some items to take care of, but it's coming along VERY nicely.

  
Miss Anything? I just really missed my bed over the weekend :)  

 
Movement: Lots of movement...in my pelvic area...I am curious to see if this little boys feet are down there, because that's where I feel the most movement. 

 
Food cravings:  Still Macaroni and Cheese and Lucky Charms...and of course still Mexican food. There is also nothing better then an ice cold bottle of water  :)

 
Anything making you queasy or sick: um...the heat :) 

 
Have you started to show yet: Yes, growing like crazy...

 
Gender: It's a boy :) but I am making the Doctor check again tomorrow at our target appointment. Just want to make sure ha ha  

 
Labor Signs: Still false labor...those dang Braxton Hicks Contractions! At least they don't hurt, they're just uncomfortable.   

Belly button in or out? It's halfway out and halfway in.    

 
Wedding rings on or off? On

 
Mood?  Happy :)

 
Looking forward to: My Target Appointment tomorrow morning!!! We'll get to see every angle of our little boy and most importantly his cute little face :)

21 Weeks!!

How far along? 21w5d

Size of baby? He is the size of a carrott or banana (10 1/2 inches)

Total weight gain/loss: +4 from my pre-pregnancy weight of 122. Current weight 126
 

Maternity clothes? Yes 

Pregnancy symptoms this week? Hip pain and some crazy pregnancy emotions. I dropped my phone the other day and it cracked the screen...you would have thought it was the end of the world. Come to find out, it wasn't the end of the world...I am still here today :) 
 

Stretch marks? Nope! 

 
Sleep: Sleep actually seems to be getting better. I have found if I prop my feet up higher than the rest of my body and stuff my pillow under my back then I can sleep better because it keeps me off my hips.  

 
Best moment this week: We started painting baby boy's room. (it's going to be so dang cute)

  
Miss Anything? Someday I wish I had more energy, but I guess it gives me an excuse to be lazy right now. 

 
Movement: Little boy is wiggling around in there. I don't feel it everyday at this point, but I can definitely tell it's not gas anymore ha ha

 
Food cravings: Macaroni and Cheese and Lucky Charms...and of course still Mexican food. 

 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Summer heat, but as far as food...nope! I can eat anything now days :) 

 
Have you started to show yet: Yes, I have grown so much these last two weeks! and I love it!  

 
Gender: It's a boy :) and it better stay that way because this nursery will be mostly done next week and there sure isn't any pink in there :)  

 
Labor Signs: um...false labor signs. This week I had to give the Doctor's office a call because I have been having pressure like pain down in my pelvic area, along with back pain. They told me I am experiencing Braxton Hicks Contractions, which I guess is totally normal at this time during pregnancy. I bet you can imagine my emotions when I was told that. Once I read more about them, I felt a lot better.  

Belly button in or out? It's halfway out and halfway in.    

 
Wedding rings on or off? On

 
Mood? I am happy...and had some moments of irritation this week. I may have lashed out a few times (bad week)

 
Looking forward to: Getting the nursery painted and put together. (pictures to come)

20 Weeks!!! Halfway there!!!

How far along? 20w5d

Size of baby? He is the size of a banana 

Total weight gain/loss: +3 from my pre-pregnancy weight of 122. Current weight 125
 

Maternity clothes? Yup! Mostly just bottoms. 

Pregnancy symptoms this week? oh lets see...muscle cramps, HIP PAIN, and as far as new symptoms this week: Heartburn and sensitive teeth (not sure whats causing that!)
 

Stretch marks? Nope! 

 
Sleep: Same as it has been... good and bad, just depends on the night. Last night was fabulous! 

 
Best moment this week: We received our first shipment from Restoration Hardware for baby boy's room!

  
Miss Anything? Nothing really :) I am pregnant! And sure I miss sleeping on my back and tummy, but I know I will get to do that again after baby boy comes. I am just enjoying being pregnant. It's truly a blessing. 

 
Movement: I've been feeling little nudges here and there. The other night I felt a definite kick...it wasn't too strong, but it did startle me ha ha. It's the most amazing feeling I have ever felt. I wish I could feel him a little more then I do, but since I have an anterior placenta, it will still be a little longer till I can keep track of his movement. 

 
Food cravings: Mexican food, oh and I made John run to the store the other night because I wanted some kind of apple crisp pie with vanilla ice cream :) He brought back the most delicious apple crisp cobbler, the only thing that wasn't fun was waiting for it to bake in the oven...longest hour of my life! My mouth was watering the whole time. Oh and you bet it was everything I expected and more :)   

 
Anything making you queasy or sick: 100 degree weather...oh summer heat, you will be the death of me! It's been so hot we have to take Charlie on a walk at 9:30 at night. 

 
Have you started to show yet: Sure have! and I love it :) People know I am pregnant now!   

 
Gender: Boy! I just had a friend that was told she was having a boy. She shopped, bought everything she needed, and almost completely finished the nursery. Come to find out at her next appointment, she is having a girl now. Camden...heaven forbid you do this to your mom and dad. I would have a heart attack! 

 
Labor Signs: No, what are these...we really need to sign up for some classes. 

Belly button in or out? It's flat this week and sometimes pokes out just a little bit after I have eaten a big meal.   

 
Wedding rings on or off? On

 
Mood? I am so happy! I'm not sure if I have that pregnancy glow that everyone talks about, but I feel so happy these days. I get to meet my sweet baby boy in about four months!

 
Looking forward to: Pioneer Day Parade and my next appointment on the 26th. It's our targeted appointment, so I am going to get about 10 minutes of video of our baby boy :)

Fourth of July 2012

Our Fourth of July celebrations this year consisted of...

*Shopping (we got new cell phones!)*

*Family BBQ*

*Saying good-bye to John's cousin, Taylor for two years! He reported to the MTC on July 5th*

*Riverton Days with the Malm Family*

*Lots of baby holding*

*Carnival Rides*

*Glow Sticks*

*Mini Donuts*

and...

**FIREWORKS**

19 Weeks

How far along? 19w5d

Size of baby? He is the size of a Mango

Total weight gain/loss: +1 from my pre-pregnancy weight of 122. Current weight 123
 

Maternity clothes? Yup! and lots of skirts and dresses

Pregnancy symptoms this week? Leg cramps, hip pain, and my feet did swell up while we were in St. George this last weekend.
 

Stretch marks? Not yet...I have been getting better about putting lotion on lately. I don't want stretch marks, so hopefully I won't get them. 

 
Sleep:  I'm not sleeping too well. Some nights are better than others, but my problem seems to be my hips. Since I am not supposed to sleep on my back or stomach, my hips get the brunt of it all. I am pretty sore when I wake up in the morning.

 
Best moment this week: Getting to see our baby boy at my 19 weeks appointment! It had been four weeks since we had seen him. I made the doctor double check he was still a boy. Baby boy is healthy and measuring just right :) I love my doctors office. They do an ultrasound at every appointment, and ever since my 14 week appointment, they will do a 4D ultrasound every time we go in. We got to see our baby boy 4D and he kept putting waving his hands at us and putting them up by his face. I love him so much already. 

  
Miss Anything? Sleeping on my belly or back, but honestly I have a sweet baby boy growing inside of me and that makes me not miss anything. I am finally getting the chance to be a mommy. 

 
Movement: I finally have felt little things here and there! When I went to my Doctors Appointment last Thursday, the doctor asked if I had been feeling him kicking. I laughed and said...well I heard it feels a lot like gas bubbles. So either I am feeling my baby or I have gas. When he pulled him up on the screen, little baby boy was in their squirming around, tossing, and turning, but I still couldn't really feel a thing. The doctor said I probably won't for a couple of weeks because my placenta is right on the front of my belly. As far as the bubbles go...it's most likely baby moving and I have felt a few nudges here and there. :) I also had some friends tell me that the movement can feel like I floppy fish, and I can totally understand what they were saying because at times this past week I have felt a feeling just like that.

 
Food cravings:  No real cravings this week, I just LOVE food. FINALLY!!! I never thought the day would come when I could eat whatever I wanted again, but I have been and it's the best!   

 
Anything making you queasy or sick: The Heat...some days I wonder how I will make it through July and August...looks like I will be visiting the pool more often.

 
Have you started to show yet: YES! Finally I look pregnant :) and I love it!  

 
Gender prediction:  Boy! 

 
Labor Signs: No

Belly button in or out? In and most of the time it's like i don't have one. My skin is being stretched on both sides of the poor thing, so sometimes it closes off. It's not a pretty thing.  

 
Wedding rings on or off? On

 
Mood? So happy and feeling so blessed! Believe it or not there have still been days that I forget we are having a baby. I think it is something I will probably experience until I am holding him in my arms for the first time. Having a baby seemed so far out of reach a couple of months ago, and now I am finally getting the opportunity to be a mom. There are no words for how wonderful it feels :)

 
Looking forward to: The Fourth of July holiday. I love fireworks and I love being around family. I am also looking forward to my half-way point on THURSDAY!! 20 weeks baby!

St. George Family Trip 2012

This past weekend we went to St. George for our annual Huston Tuachan Theater family trip. We have done this tradition for the past three years.

John and I drove down early Friday morning. We stopped a lot on the way because well...things are a little bit different when you're pregnant. In every major town I had to go to the bathroom and stretch my legs, and eat. Driving makes me so tired! I didn't want to fall asleep because I felt bad that John would be up by himself. So, I was put in charge of the Ipod music and that kept me up :) When we arrived in St. George it was 106 degrees...so this meant we were going swimming as soon as we checked into our hotel. The rest of the family was already there, so we met them down at the pool. It sure felt nice to soak up the sun with my water noodle in tow. (with sunscreen of course)!

While swimming we got some interesting news from my mom...their neighborhood was on fire again (remember this happened two years ago) Yeah...it brought back many horrific memories, but this fire was closer and her dogs were in the house. Since there wasn't much I could do because I was four hours away, I tried to stay calm with my mom on the phone. She was finally able to go up and get the dogs, but literally had 30 seconds to do it. My dad was with her thank goodness. Long story short...the firemen are amazing and stopped multiple houses from burning ( we went and saw the fire lines). Everyone was okay and luckily, only four houses and many little structures were lost. Lets hope this isn't going to happen every two years...it's way too much stress on the family :)

After swimming we all got ready and headed to Olive Garden for dinner before Aladdin. Dinner was great, the show was great, and it was HOT! There were times in the show where I thought I was going to pass out! The funny thing was we all brought jackets just in case it got chilly...apparently we didn't know it would still be 95 degrees when the show got over. We usually go on this trip at the beginning of June and believe me...it makes a HUGE difference in the temperature. 

Saturday consisted of breakfast, shopping at the outlets, lunch, and more swimming. Ahh...the swimming was definitely my favorite part :) We didn't have much planned for Saturday night, so we decided to drive to Mesquite. The girls went and saw "People Like Us" and the boys went and had their own fun :) The movie was great! I would highly recommend it. There is some language, but what movie doesn't have that anymore?! If you're anything like myself, sis-in-law, and mom-in-law, you might even cry.

Sunday, John and I got up, went to breakfast, and began our journey home. I, again was put in charge of the music and John was in charge of getting us home, safely. We stopped a lot ( for bathroom breaks), but finally made it to my parents to pick up our cute dog and head home. I crashed when we got home! I was soo tired and it's always nice to be back in your own bed :) 

It was another successful St. George trip, and we look forward to seeing what we will come up with next year. We will probably be switching up the family tradition and heading to a different destination. It will be a little difficult to go to Tuachan Theater with a little baby boy in tow, and possibly a little baby for Brandon and Jessica too, so we shall see...maybe we will head to Jackson Hole and Yellow Stone :) 

I didn't take hardly any pictures...but here are a couple