36 Weeks

It’s been a busy week so far and I didn’t manage to get a picture taken on Monday so I am technically 36 weeks and 2 days pregnant in this picture.

We are getting SO close! I had a doctor’s appointment last Friday and the doctor checked my progress for the first time. I was more than one centimeter dilated and 70% effaced. Apparently, it is not uncommon for women to be one or two centimeters dilated for a few weeks so this progress does not necessarily mean that I will deliver early, but it is a good sign that things are naturally progressing towards a smooth delivery with no need for a C-section, which I am very happy about. The baby is in the right position, he is the right size, and he’s got a strong little heartbeat. Everything looks great! We can’t wait to meet him! I have to take my last final for this term on Wednesday (the 16th) so hopefully he will at least hold out until then, but after that, he’s got the green light!

Now to catch up on some of the highlights of the past couple of weeks…

On May 29^th, Jeff and I got to attend a baptism for Beau, one of the boys in our Sunday school class. He is such an awesome kid with a great personality! We have loved having him in our class. He adds a lot of life to our class and volunteers to read quote after quote and scripture after scripture. We were so happy to be able to go and see him be baptized into the church and the next day at church, Beau asked Jeff to join his other friends and family members to participate in his confirmation. It was an awesome experience. Beau is such a great example.

Jeff and I with Beau at his baptism

Last Monday, my entire immediate family (minus Patrick’s wife, Ashley) came into town for my sweet cousin, Tiffany’s funeral on Tuesday. Tiffany had been fighting an undiagnosed illness for about 5 years until she passed away at nine years old. She is my dad’s sister, Valerie’s youngest child.

On Monday night, when my family arrived, we all went out to Pizza Pie Café for dinner and stuffed ourselves, taking advantage of the all-you-can-eat buffet. We made plans to go swimming after dinner at the Cotton Tree Inn, where they were staying, but when Jeff and I arrived, we discovered that the indoor pool and hot tub were under construction and the outdoor pool was far too cold for our liking. So we ended up sitting outside talking for over two hours instead. It was so much fun to talk and laugh and catch up with my awesome family. I was so glad that they could all make the trip.

On Tuesday morning, we all met at the stake center in American Fork for the viewing and funeral services. It was a wonderful experience to see my aunt and uncle and cousins and hear them talk about Tiffany’s life (even her brother, Randy, who is on a mission was able to speak for a few minutes via Skype). They are such a strong family and this little girl has brought them even closer together. In her short nine years here on earth, Tiffany set such a great example and affected countless people’s lives. The stake center was packed full of people who loved her. Although, it was sad to have to say goodbye to little Tiffany when she was still so young, hearing about all of the good that she did during her life and seeing so many people who loved her and were touched by her influence was truly uplifting and inspiring.

Cute Tiffany

A recent picture of Tiffany

Jeff’s youngest brother Kyle is attending EFY on BYU campus this week and Jeff and I got to enjoy having him stay with us for two nights before dropping him off for camp on Monday morning. Jeff picked him up at the airport around noon on Saturday and we spent the rest of the day playing guitar hero, going to Jump On It and Olive Garden, and watching The Italian Job. It was fun to see Jeff get to spend some one-on-one time with his brother. They teased each other to no end and tried to beat each other’s high scores on guitar hero, but I’m sure it was all out of brotherly love. It was great that Jeff had someone to go to Jump On It with. We still had enough gift card money left over from Christmas to go twice, but obviously, in my current condition, I can’t go jump on trampolines for an hour. I went with them to take pictures and work on my research paper. They were completely worn out by the end of the hour and were happy to go and replenish their lost calories at Olive Garden soon afterward. Jeff’s parents generously sent Kyle with a gift card so we could all go out to dinner there. We stuffed ourselves on endless soups, salads, and bread sticks, and even got dessert. It was delicious! We ended the night by watching The Italian Job before bed.

Jeff with some flipping action

I'm pretty sure this was about 20 minutes in and these guys were already getting tired! Jumping on trampolines is exhausting!

Taking a short break

Playing catch with the Nerf football they brought

The next morning, we all had a good day at church and Kyle came to our Sunday school class since we teach his age group (15-16 year-olds). We spent the rest of the day watching Disney movies (The Princess and the Frog and Happy Feet); playing “Mormon Bridge,” Mexican Train, and Guitar Hero; and making snickerdoodles. It was a good day. And the next morning, Kyle was off to have a great time at EFY.