The many outfits of Christmas

One thing about having a winter time baby is getting lots of first Christmas outfits/PJ's. Below is a sampling of the many outfits of Christmas!

Christmas 2011

For Christmas this year Pat and I decided to forego our normal trip to Boise and spend our first Christmas in Lehi. I confess I was a bit sad with the decision. This was the first year ever that I wasn't spending the holiday at my parents house, but with the little one we decided it was just too soon to travel, and while I certainly would have loved to be with our families, I'm glad we decided to stay home. Being at home gave us the opportunity to start some of our own family traditions. My only requirement was reading about the birth of the Savior in Luke and Pat requested we eat pizza on Christmas Eve (ha!) Both were pretty easy to accommodate. Christmas Eve was spent together as a family, cuddling on the couch eating pizza and watching Christmas movies. Before we headed to bed we ended the night by reading in the Bible and putting presents under the tree. It was a perfect evening. On Christmas morning Dylan woke up at 6:30 so we decided to all get up and go open presents. As always we were all pretty spoiled. One definite highlight was a necklace my sweet little boy got for me (he's so thoughtful). After presents Pat made a delicious breakfast. Confession - we didn't make it to church! We've been holding off taking Dylan but really wanted to go on Christmas. Dylan had other plans for us and we just didn't quite make it. The afternoon was spent mostly napping. That evening my brothers came over for a delicious Christmas dinner of Chile Colorado. I am so lucky to be married to such a great cook! It my opinion it was a pretty close to perfect Christmas spent with my little family in Lehi.

Our Tree with all the presets underneath

Dylan with his presents

Even the puppies were spoiled!

We are so grateful to be a little family and while we didn't make it to church we are thankful for this time of year where we are able to be together as family and reflect on our Savior and the many blessing that he has given us.

Merry Christmas!

I subjected Dylan to my own personal photo shoot - I think it turned out pretty well if I do say so myself! I take little to no credit and give it all to the adorable little boy.

One Month

"I'm one month old today!!"

I can hardly believe Dylan has been here for an entire month already! When I was pregnant a month felt like an eternity and now as all parents seem to say, it's as if time is flying by! It's crazy how much life has changed - some days I feel like I haven't accomplished a single thing and then Pat reminds me that I've done the only thing that's important and that's care for this little boy. That being said I hope to one day figure out how other moms manage to shower, get dressed and feed themselves! Below are some pictures taken over the last month as well as a few tidbits about Dylan at this stage in life.

• He loves to have his back rubbed/patted
• His favorite place to be is cuddled on his daddy's chest
• It took nearly an entire month, but he is finally nursing (hurray!!)
• He's giggled a few times - all while nursing
• He grunts all the time - perhaps acid reflux???
• He likes it when mom sings him primary songs
• He's got his days and nights totally backwards - he loves to be awake between midnight and 3

Dylan and Charlie the bear -

the plan is to take monthly pictures with Charlie and watch Dylan grow!

Taken right after bath time -

he likes real baths so much better then those dumb wash cloth baths!!

Check out that smile and those dimples!

Sleepy time with mommy

Cuddled on daddy's chest with the puppies

Our family is so blessed! I love watching Patrick be a daddy - he is so good at it! Who knew that one little boy could change my life so much! I feel so happy and fulfilled. I love being Dylan's mommy!

Oh Christmas Tree...

Pat and I are both big fans of real Christmas trees - I think it's mostly the smell of a real tree or perhaps because we both always had real trees growing up (in recent years my folks have switched to fake and I think Pat's have totally given up the tree, but as kids, they were always real). In past years I have insisted on heading out the day after Thanksgiving to get a tree, however, this year we've both been so tired that I honestly questioned if we'd manage to get a tree at all. Luckily Pat knows how much it means to me and wouldn't let me go without one! We didn't get one quite as early as usual but I am happy to report that yesterday we went and got our tree. I know Dylan didn't know what was going on and he won't remember going, but it was important to me that we went as a family to pick the tree. I of course had to choose one of the coldest days so far to go get it! We didn't examine the trees as much as I usually do because of the cold and wanting to get Dylan back inside, but we still managed to get a pretty good tree and I'm loving sitting in the soft glow of the Christmas tree lights as I type up this post!

All bundled up in his snow suit! He reminds me of Randy (Ralphie's little brother) from the Christmas Story!

Using the carrier for the first time - trying my best to keep him warm!

The glow of the tree I'm enjoying right at this moment!

(I do realize it's leaning a bit, please don't mention it to Pat!) ;)

One day at a time

Today I have been...

• Peed on
• Pooped on
• Spit up on
• Had my puppy run away
• Tried to chase after said puppy
• Only to be reminded my knee is still numb from my epidural and I can't run (I got really lucky and he came back home)
• Meant to text my neighbor but somehow instead posted the text to my husband's coworkers Facebook - the text was about pumping milk

Luckily I'm pretty good at laughing at myself and I have a sweet baby boy to help me keep things in perspective!

My first two weeks

*I am a total cuddle bug - I love to lay and sleep on my daddy's chest

*I sneeze a lot and in multiples just like my mommy

*I get the hiccups ALL the time

*My favorite time to be awake is between 12 am and 2 am

*I have now peed on mom, dad and myself - yuck!

*I refuse to breastfeed which is discouraging and exhausting for mom!

She is constantly pumping!

*I have the cutest dimples (I know you can't see them here, but aren't I adorable?!?)

*I've started to smile regularly - it makes mommy giggle

*I have the stinkest toots!

*I love car rides

*I spent 12 hours on the bilibed to help clear up my jaundice, it broke mom's heart

*I have the longest fingers and toes

*I am so tough! I didn't cry one bit when they pricked my heel for blood work

(it happened three days in a row!)

*I just celebrated my first Thanksgiving - daddy and mommy are so thankful for me!

Labor and Delivery

most of you (if not all) probably don't want to read the details of my labor and delivery, but seeing as I use my very sparse blogging as a journal of sorts, I'm going to blog about it, if for no one else but me. That being said, there will be photos, so feel free to skip the writing and just look at the cute baby

11/7/11 - The 7th marked 38 weeks gestation, and meant it was time for another doctor's appointment. Pat and I headed to our appointment with no expectations. I was certainly feeling ready to be done being pregnant, and I was way ready to be done working, but I wasn't feeling like the baby thought it was time. The doctor confirmed at the appointment that I wasn't ready. I was only dilated to a one and he even made the statement "plan on being pregnant next week." After being checked we continued to chat about some of my concerns, including the perceived hernia I previously wrote about. The Dr. then surprised us both by saying, "actually let's plan to induce you next week on the 14th." I was ecstatic! We finally knew when this little boy was going to arrive. In addition to scheduling the induction he set up an additional ultra sound at the imaging center to get a better idea of what was going on with my hernia. This turned into a minor freak out on my part. I had the ultrasound on Wednesday which confirmed I had a hernia and then was told I needed to find a general surgeon in the next two days that would operate on it when I delivered the baby. I managed to find a doctor who saw me on super short notice and then actually suggested waiting to operate until at least six weeks after delivery - it was a relief, however, I hate that I still have this to worry about a surgery in the not too distant future!

11/13/11 - Being a scheduled induction meant that I was checked into the hospital the night prior to our delivery date. As I mentioned, my body wasn't prepared for labor, so it was necessary to give it some extra help. I don't remember the name of what I got, but it was used to ripen my cervix. When the nurse gave it to me she told me she wasn't sure how I would react to it - apparently some women don't have any side affects at all, others have severe cramping. Unfortunately I fell into the severe cramping category. It was a long painful night. No matter what I tried I couldn't get comfortable, and of course every time I moved to get relief from the cramping I would move my monitors and the nurse would have to come in and re-position them. I'm pretty confident that my night time nurse hated me. I also was getting up very regularly to go to the bathroom which included unplugging all my monitors and taking them as well as my IV along with me. Around four I called the nurse and asked if I could take a bath to try and get some relief. A different nurse came into the room and helped me into the tub - it sadly didn't really help - that being said, after a failed bath attempt the nurse got permission to give me some pain reliever through my IV. I got this around five and managed to snooze until six.

11/14/11 - Come Monday morning I was pretty miserable. There were multiple times during the night/early morning where I asked Pat if we could go home. The sad part was, I wasn't really having regular contractions and didn't feel any closer to having a baby. Around 8:30 I finally saw Dr. Young. At that time he broke my water. I was super grateful to have had that happen in a hospital bed as opposed to sitting at my desk at work (yuck!) and he started the pitocin in my IV. Where I was already so uncomfortable I also requested some more pain reliever in my IV. The nurse left to get the medicine and in the few minutes she was gone I decided that I was ready for my epidural! I was sorta embarrassed to ask for it as I was only dilated to a three, but the pain over ruled. Once that was done I finally slept comfortably. I snoozed all the way through contractions until I reached about an eight. At that point I wasn't feeling pain, but could certainly feel the pressure of the contractions. It wasn't long before I was a 9+ and the doctor was on his way - it was time to deliver! I honestly don't remember how long I pushed for, I do remember saying I didn't want to do it anymore and even though I couldn't feel it I knew exactly when I got my episiotomy (this unfortunately didn't keep me from also tearing naturally) , but in retrospect it really wasn't very long at all. I think I pushed for 45 minutes max and then baby Dylan made his appearance! What an indescribable feeling! My little boy was finally in my arms. I felt a mix of relief, joy, and concern - I just kept asking everyone if he was okay, I needed pretty constant confirmation that he was perfect and I dare say that he is perfect! Patrick and I made an absolutely amazing little boy.

And as promised - here are some of the first pictures of our little Dylan. We love him so much and feel so blessed to have him in our family.

He's Arrived!

Dylan Charles Holloway

November 14, 2011

8 pounds 4 ounces, 19 inches

A precious miracle from our Father in Heaven

Blessed beyond measure

Dear Dylan

We're ready...and so is your room!

My not so adorable bump

Back in June Pat and I enjoyed a fun, but wet trip to Boston, which resulted in us both coming down with a cold. I was about 20 weeks pregnant at the time and my cold happened to get pretty nasty and included lots of coughing, sneezing, and nose blowing. All of that added up to one super sore abdomen. For about a week I had a horrible pain right above my belly button (it hurt to stand up!) and I swore I could feel a small knot. At the time I mentioned it to my OBGYN and he assured me it was probably just a pulled muscle, but if it didn't get feeling better to let him know. To my relief it improved significantly and I forgot all about it.

At about 30 weeks I finally started looking undeniably pregnant. I had a full baby bump and one adorable spot on my belly where the baby was consistently sticking out. The doctor said he thought it was probably a foot. I would occasionally push on it and it would go in and then later be popped back out. I fell in love with that little foot. However, over the weeks it didn't move and was getting quite a bit bigger, at that point I decided it was actually my baby's cute baby bum. Every where I went people would comment on my bump and I would smile big and say "I think that's his bum" and they would feel it and I would love it.

Then right before 37 weeks said bump became extremely painful. Too much standing, bending, lifting caused my little baby bum to cause me pain to the point of getting teary eyed. I went into my next appointment and asked the doctor about it, assuming baby had been comfortable in that spot for so long that it just became horribly stretched and sensitive. To my horror the doctor said "I actually think that's a hernia, I'll take a look at it after you deliver." He was so casual and nonchalant about it, but frankly it's freaking me out. I keep imagining my insides poking out through this hole in my body, not to mention it's getting more painful by the day. Some days it hurts to put a shirt on because it rubs against it. On top of all of that, I can't even tell you how many people I let rub my "adorable" hernia. Oh me, oh my! Today is my 38 week appointment and I'm hoping to get more information about said hernia, if there's anything I can do to help with the pain and how it may impact my delivery. Just another ache and pain to add to the joys of pregnancy!

Sasquatch

Our weather took a nose dive this week, dropping nearly 20 degrees literally over night. On Monday our high was 72 and Tuesday it was 55, plunging us right into fall and reminding us winter is around the corner. For the most part I was prepared for the change and threw on a long sleeved maternity top Tuesday morning as I got ready for work. Next I rummaged through the bottom of my closet and pulled out a couple pair of sensible pregnant lady shoes - a pair of Converse and my good ol' Toms. To my horror, I couldn't so much as get the Converse to go on my foot, no matter how I tried, the heel of my foot was not going into that shoe, next up, the Toms. I managed to barely squeeze my foot into the shoe, but determined if it was that tight at 7 am I didn't want to know how they'd feel at 5 pm after a full day of work. I pulled off the Toms and slid into my trusty flip flops and ran out the door. Nearly everyone I encountered at work had some sort of comment about my choice of foot wear, to which I simply replied "it's all that would fit on my foot." That evening when I got home from work my husband was equally unimpressed with what he saw on my feet and drove me down to DSW (one of my favorite shoe stores). We looked up and down the aisle for anything that looked comfy and was bigger than an 11 (my normal not pregnant lady foot size!) For you ladies with large feet, you know how impossible it can be to find an 11, let alone anything larger. After walking down all the aisles and trying on a few pair of super comfy looking 11's that didn't work, I headed over to the men's department. As I slipped on a pair of men's Converse the dear DSW employee approached me and said "we have Converse in the ladies department if you want to try those on instead" she looked horrified as I explained to her I normally wear a size 11 and my now huge pregnant lady feet will no longer fit in a woman's shoe. She gave me a somewhat awkward "oh, okay" and walked away. Luckily for me, I was able to come away from this shopping experience with not one but two ladies shoes - both moccasin type shoes with warm fuzzy slipper like material on the inside. I'm not going to lie, they are a bit snug and there's no way in hell they'd go on with a pair of socks, but I am hopeful they are going to work for the next four(+/-) weeks until this baby comes out and then I am praying that these feet of mine go back to their "normal" size of an 11 and that I'm just experiencing swelling due to pregnancy and not permanent foot growth because of pregnancy! As a kid when my feet were growing like weeds my dad used to tease "if those get any bigger you're going to have to start wearing the boxes" the joke isn't so funny now as I fear this may become my reality.

Stage 5

Remember a few weeks ago when I posted this blog and was grieving the loss of my HR career? Well I am happy to report I have reached Stage 5 of the grieving process which is Acceptance. Not only have I accepted the end of my career, I am now counting down the days! I let my boss and coworkers know that I won't be coming back after the baby is born and now I'm just ready to be done! I am doing everything in my power to stay motivated and engaged, luckily I have a few projects to wrap up before I go! Six more weeks until the baby is due and until I trade in the HR business for mom business! Hurrah!!

REM Sleep

I am sort of in denial of the fact that I ever even reach the point of REM sleep these days, but I must, because I'm having dreams, extremely vivid dreams, some of which could be classified as nightmares. A few nights ago I had a dream that I was horrible at being a mother. I wanted to be good at it and I was trying so hard, but I just simply was bad at it. It seemed no matter what I did it wasn't enough, or was just flat out the wrong thing to do. At one point during the dream I suddenly exclaimed "oh no, the baby is outside!" and then proceeded to go pick up my crying baby from a puddle in the pouring rain. He was swaddeled all nice and tight and had a hat on his head to keep him warm, so as you can see I was obviously trying to do good things, but that didn't counteract the fact he was lying soaking wet in a puddle. I'm sure the dream came from a few of the fears I've been having lately, namely that

1.) I am not going to bond with my baby

2.) I really am going to be bad at it seeing as I don't have a clue what I'm doing

3.) I am going to suffer from post pardom depression

With that, I suppose I shouldn't read too much into the dream as the very same night I dreamt that Pat was standing at the vaniety rubbing toothpaste all over his belly. I have no analysis of, or reasoning behind that one.

Me & The Animal Kingdom

This week marks 32 weeks. Only 8 weeks to go (give or take a week or two)! I know that a lot of first time moms go past their due date and I could deliver as late as 42 weeks, but I'm hoping this baby has mercy on me and decides not to do that. The wait and anticipation are kinda killing me. Physically I am feeling pretty good, but emotionally and mentally I am way over waiting for him to arrive. In my ideal world he'd be all nice and ready to go at 37 weeks, which for those who don't know is considered full term. That being said, I have come to terms with waiting 8 more weeks, I am hopeful it will only be 5, and the thought of it being 10 kinda makes me want to hurt someone. As I sit and wait, I decided to find out some information about just how long of a wait (gestation period) us humans really have in comparison to the rest of the animal kingdom - here are my findings.

Animal Average Days

Hamster 16

Chicken 22

Kangaroo 35

Dog 63

Lion 108

Sheep 151

Bear 210

Hippo 240 (this one surprised me!)

Human 280

Horse 366

Blue Whale 373

Elephant 684

In short, the information I found didn't really make me feel any better, it did make me feel grateful I'm not giving birth to a whale and made me feel really bad for momma elephants. Speaking of momma whales and elephants, while I might not be giving birth to either one, I am certainly looking like both - don't believe me, here's picture proof!

When I grow up

As a little girl if you were to have asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up, the answer would have been a mom, more specifically a stay at home mom. Motherhood was always the “grownup” goal. Even at a young age I realized there were other important aspects to this goal, for example, I knew I wanted to be an educated mom and that meant working hard in school and making good grades, it meant going to college and getting my degree so that one day I could teach my children and help them to understand the importance of an education, so this is exactly what I did. Then came that great day when I graduated from college. I was so proud of my accomplishment, yet it also came with the realization that I was now officially a grownup and I was nowhere close to becoming a mother. I had no children, husband, or even a boyfriend. I realized I needed a Plan B, and this was scary and challenging. I figured the first step to moving into adulthood was the ability to provide for myself, so I found a job. It wasn’t the ideal job, but it paid well for a young girl right out of college and it was after all only a job until the real plan of motherhood became a viable option. After about six months at this job I realized I needed more than just a job, I needed a career, a way to provide for myself for the long term. I felt completely immobilized. I had never thought about a career, something to do for the rest of my life other than motherhood, I was lost. As luck would have it I found a job in my current field and quickly realized that this job had the ability to be more, to be my career. I enjoyed what I was doing and saw there were opportunities, so just as I had done with my education I worked hard and was able to turn my job into my career. Over the years I advanced myself both in pay and position, taking on new titles and new responsibilities. I realized I was good at having a career and for the most part really enjoyed it. I still hadn’t lost sight of the desire to be a mom, but I loved the sense of accomplishment that came with providing for myself and reaching career goals. After a number of years, I met my husband, and the opportunity for Plan A became a bit more of a reality. My husband was extremely supportive of my career, but also of the goal of motherhood, so together we started working on Plan A. It turned out motherhood wasn’t as simple as deciding I wanted a baby. I once again found myself working hard for my goal, doing whatever the doctor asked of me. Then in March we found out we are finally going to have a baby. I am going to be a mother. I am ecstatic. Finally this lifelong goal of being a stay at home mom is going to happen. At first thought choosing Plan A was so obvious, it is the “A” plan after all, and doesn’t that make it the first and the best plan? But wait a second, what about Plan B? The career that I’ve worked so hard for, that I’ve cared and nurtured over the last seven years of my life, can I really just let this plan die? I once again find myself scared. I don’t want to seem ungrateful, because trust me I am immensely grateful for this little boy we’re about to welcome into our family and that I have a husband that is going to be able to support our family and allow me to stay home, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to be mourning the loss of my career. If nothing else I am certainly mourning the loss of my income and the changes and challenges that will present! But more than that for the last seven years my career has defined at least a part of who I am, it’s where I spend most of my time, it’s the source of my adult interactions, it requires me to continually push myself to achieve more. I am going to miss Plan B. It scares me to walk away from something I’ve worked so hard for, the realization that one day if I come back to this career path that I will likely be starting over. In a sense, I feel like I’m throwing away the last several years of my life. I do realize that there are women who either out of choice or necessity have children and career and that I am making the decision to be a stay at home mom, but it certainly isn’t as easy of a choice as I thought it would be. I look forward to the new experiences, opportunities and challenges that come with Plan A, but for now I’m taking a moment to mourn the passing of Plan B.

Two-Thirds

Well folks, I am happy to report that I have officially reached the third trimester, 28 weeks today(!) and for the most part, feeling great. Sure I've got various aches and pains, not to mention the heartburn (oh the heartburn!) but overall I have no room to complain. Not only can I not complain, I am super grateful - I just got off the phone with my nurse and my glucose test came back fine and my blood pressure was perfectly normal at my appointment today (it's been a bit high at the last two appointments). I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but I'm really loving this phase of pregnancy. I love the little kicks and hiccups and am kinda in love with my growing belly! At least when it's covered, uncovered it's pretty yucky and already covered in stretch marks, but I figure no one really saw my stomach before pregnancy, so it shouldn't matter too much. Here's hoping that the third trimester is as kind to me as the second was! Just 12 weeks to go and our little boy will be in our arms. Hurray!

Night Owl?

Lately I feel like Dylan has been super quiet during the day - to the point it's concerning. I will sit and poke/push/pat my stomach trying to get him to respond, and I may get a kick or two, but not much. That being said, the last few nights I've woken up and he's in there going to town! Does this mean his sleep cycle is already backwards?? I know I'm in for a lot of sleepless nights, but this night time movement is making me nervous for what the coming months may hold!!

That being said, two nights ago he woke me up with my first baby hiccup experience

and I was so totally in love!

Baby Boy Updates

7/18 - As my alarm went off this morning, I painfully pulled myself out of bed and got into the shower. I was not feeling much more awake after my shower and in my normal lazy way I sat down on the ground to dry my hair. Once my hair was dry I decided it was impossible for me to stand up and get ready, I was just too sleepy, so I laid down on the floor. Suddenly as I was laying there I felt a tiny "pop" in my belly, almost like a bubble. I laid still for another minute and then came another "pop"! It suddenly dawned on me, I had just felt my baby move! Needless to say, I stayed laying on the floor for quite some time after that trying to encourage some additional "pops", consequently making me quite late for work! I only got the two small "pops" that morning, but in the weeks that have followed there have been times where my belly feels a little something like this… "POP, pop pop POP pop" Oh how I love feeling this little guy move around in my belly!

8/1 - Today we had a follow up ultrasound. At the initial ultrasound they couldn't get a clear view of Dylan's* heart, so they just wanted to take another look to make sure everything is okay. To our relief, everything looks great. They were able to see all four chambers and confirm he's looking good. I love every chance I get to look at our little boy. Towards the end of the ultra sound we were looking at his face when Dylan started yawning sooo big, then stuck out his tongue and yawned again. It was the most incredible thing. I couldn't stop giggling and crying at the same time. Somehow seeing those tiny baby yawns just made everything seem that much more real. Our little sleepy boy just growing away, getting ready to join our family. As we drove home from the appointment Pat made the comment, "we made that together, it's our greatest project to date." We love you little boy and can't wait to meet you, but we'll be patient as you still have some serious growing to do!

*Name subject but not likely to change

Quite the cook

Dear Friends,

On Friday we decided to have an "easy dinner" and do breakfast. I cooked some french toast, sausage and hash browns. On Saturday Pat informed me it's the best meal I've ever made him. I was and am so embarrassed. So, if you happen to read this, please send me some cooking tips and/or your favorite recipe, I clearly need the help!

Signed,

Domestically Challenged

My big day!

While I know most everyone at this point knows my news, I thought I should write an official blog documenting how I celebrated my 29th Birthday! I spent my birthday (or at least part of it) at the doctor's office, having my first official ultra sound! I personally thought it was the perfect birthday present I could get and honestly the only thing I asked for. My dear doctor agreed to let me have it a few days earlier then normal so it'd be on my big day. I am excited to report that my "motherly instinct" was correct and IT'S A BOY! The second the technician pointed out his little boy part I got all teary eyed and then couldn't stop the rest of the visit. It was the most incredible thing to see all his little body parts and get confirmation that his organs are growing and developing just as they should! After the appointment we packed up the car and headed to Boise to celebrate the rest of my birthday weekend! It was a great great day and I am so excited to meet my little boy in the next several months! 29 is going to be great! Happy Birthday to Me!

*not the most attractive photo ever, but that's my 20 week baby bump

and one very goofy but proud papa*

Pat's Birthday in Bean Town

For Pat's Father's Day/Anniversary/Birthday Present I decided to "surprise" him with a trip to Boston. The plan was to tell him on our anniversary and then actually be there on his birthday, but I'm horrible at keeping a secret, so it didn't quite work out that way! I did manage to spend all the money for the trip without telling him!

Day 1 - After a very early morning (woke up at 4) and a very long airplane ride, we arrived in Boston and managed to get a very cranky very deaf cab driver. Even with his profanity we refused to let it bug us, because we had finally made it and it was clear even from the cab that Boston is a beautiful city! We stayed at the Marriott Copley which attached to two very high end shopping centers. When we arrived we decided to walk over to Fenway Park and for the record, I totally underestimated how out of shape, pregnant, and tired I was! I was very thankful to make it back to the hotel and rest up for day two.

Day 2 - The second day was Pat's birthday and the reason for the entire trip - to go see the Red Sox play! Sadly the day was pretty rainy (as was the rest of the trip) but we still managed to get to Fenway and see 90% of a baseball game. The game took six hours with all the rain delays, and the Sox ended up losing but neither of us minded, we were at Fenway and it was awesome! We bought plenty of Red Sox gear and of course stadium food - it was a pretty great day!

Pat enjoying is sausage sandwich on Yawkey Way!

Sitting in our awesome covered seats at the stadium

and the only picture we took of the two of us the entire trip!

Day 3 - On the third day we toured the city and managed to figure out the subway system! Our first stop was at Flour Bakery and it was delicious! We then headed downtown to check out some historic Boston sites. We saw the State House, the site of the Boston Massacre, Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall. We loved all the old historic buildings mixed in with the new and modern. As I said before, Boston is a beautiful city!

Day 4 - By day four we were both pretty tired and Pat had come down with a cold, but we didn't let that hold us back. We jumped on the subway and headed over to Harvard. Such an amazing beautiful campus. I loved just hanging around and being in the college environment, for a brief moment (very brief) I wished I could go back to school!

Day 5 - This was our last day in Boston, but we had a pretty late flight, so we managed to see the Boston library, Trinity church and take the duck tour. We really should have done the duck tour on the first day so we had a better idea about the city, but it turned out to be the perfect way to spend those last few hours where we had to be out of the hotel but it was much too early for our flight!

Overall it was a great trip and we look forward to going back one day to catch an entire Red Sox series next time!

Happy Daddy's Day

Once a daddy's girl, always a daddy's girl.

I love you dad!

Pregnancy Woes

So I haven’t really blogged as much about pregnancy as I thought I would. I really thought I’d have a lot to say about it, and I suppose I do but, I keep my mouth shut because I don’t want to be a whiner. Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled to be pregnant, but the truth is, it’s not that fun. The things I’ve experienced lately have consisted of breaking my nightly bathroom trip record. I hit five times last night, and what was more depressing was the realization that the number is only going to increase. In direct correlation to this I've been 20 minutes late to work every day this week as I can't seem to pull myself out of bed at 5:30. Or, I’m at this lovely stage where I don’t look pregnant I just look fatter than normal. This situation has created ridiculous levels of paranoia where I am convinced that every random passerby is judging me for being so grotesquely overweight, which in turn causes me to want to scream really horrible profanities at them. I luckily have been able to refrain from this behavior so far. Or the other day Pat wanted to discuss something that immediately made me angry and I refused to talk about it. I let him know I was too tired and grumpy and perhaps we could talk about it the following day. Or the guilt I feel every time I drink a Coke and wonder if this is going to be the one that does permanent damage (yes, I am a horrible mother who hasn’t given up soda).

Basically being pregnant has really brought out the pleasant, positive, upbeat side of me.

I’d hate for you to think it's all negative. I do have my monthly doctor's appointments that I confess give me a bit of anxiety, however, every time I hear that little heartbeat mine skips a beat and then I remember that I really do love being pregnant, even if I don’t have many positive things to say about it.

Oh Wednesday...

3:00 a.m. - woke up suffering from a horrible allergy attack.

5:30 a.m. - alarm goes off - "accidently" sleep for 20 more minutes

6:45 a.m. - throw up

7:20 a.m. - stuck in grid lock on I-15

8:45 a.m. - tear a huge hole in my pants

other things happened today, but really, once you tear a hole in your pants, what else is there to say.

Happy Days

May 23, 2009

Husband & Wife

June 5, 2010

Sealed for Time and All Eternity

Loved you then.

Love you now.

Will love you forever.

Happy Anniversaries.

Feels Brand New

For the last week and a half we (when I say we, I mean Pat and the hard wood floor installers) have been transforming my front room from this

to this

I am super in love with it! I am also thrilled to finally have my furniture out of the garage and back in my house! Pat wouldn't so much as let me lift a finger as "I have his property in me." This meant I spent a whole lot of time sitting on my bed. Thanks babe for all the hard work!

Mother's Day

Last year I tried to convince Pat that I deserved something for Mother's Day as I was the future mother of his children and the mother of his two four-legged hairy children - he didn't go for it. This year though with Baby Holloway busily growing he decided I had a legitimate argument for celebrating my first Mother's Day, and he didn't disappoint. He started the day with making me a delicious breakfast in bed, followed up by this amazing gift. (which is also my anniversary, birthday and everything else present)


Now if I can only figure out how to use it before the little one arrives!

And of course a very special mention to my own mom who has made me who I am today. Thanks mom for always answering when I call (multiple times a day) to ask advice, or chat or just rant about whatever happened that day. I am sure these calls will only multiply as my own little one arrives. I love you!