March 9th March 9th March 9th

Today is March 9th. A day we have mentioned more than a thousand times the past nine months. We've tried not to focus too much on it because it's more of a guess date than a due date, but it's been a talked about day nonetheless.

In two weeks max we are going to have a newborn baby. I keep slipping and saying Ryan and I need to enjoy our last days as single people - but we're definitely not single people haha. Then I try to think of what I can say - our last days not being parents? That doesn't really work either because I feel like a Mom. I'm always watching what people around me are saying because I don't want to baby to hear anything bad and I haven't listened to normal people music for at least three months. Our last days of having our baby contained in my belly. That's it.

I put together belly shots over the past 40 weeks - kinda fun to see the progress.

I feel like I say this every post and here I go saying again that pregnancy and being a part of creating this little life is a miracle. Ryan and I feel so blessed. I had lots of time this week to spend preparing for Eden's arrival. This is a special time. We hope she decides she is ready to be born soon - but if it takes a bit longer we're ok waiting - at least today we're ok waiting (who knows how I'll be feeling tomorrow...).

Ryan had his first game for a basketball league he plays in last night. I sure love watching him play basketball! I kept telling Eden during the game that the view of the game is WAY better from outside of my belly so she should definitely consider that sound logic in her deciding to be born decisions.

Anyone need a new yummy recipe? We've been devouring these chocolate muffins over the past few weeks. I seriously cannot bake them fast enough. Delicious and a healthy choice when you're craving something sweet. They are super easy - basically I just throw all the ingredients in the Vitamix then blend and bake. ** NOTE: I have been using 1 cup of Agave as the sweetener - however Agave is kinda expensive - so I'm going to try experimenting with NuStevia. I'll let you know how that goes. Also, I end up baking the muffins for around 12 minutes - adding 5 chocolate chips to the top of each muffin - and then baking for another 4-6 minutes.

My Mom is the queen of recipe modification and she made the following modifications to the recipe and her version is super yummy too - it has a bit of a banana flavor and the consistency is almost brownie-ish!

Additions:
2 Bananas
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds

Modifications:
No Applesauce
2 Full Eggs (Instead of 3 egg whites)
1 1/8 Cup Water (Instead of just 1 cup of water)
1/2 Cup of Agave (Instead of a full cup of agave)

Don't stress if you have to bake this version quite a bit longer than what the original recipe states - I think my Mom said it was around 30ish minutes to get them baked all the way through - just check them fairly often and use the toothpick trick to know when they are done.

Also - we just use paper cupcake liners not foil ones - the muffins do stick but it doesn't bother us.

Any suggestions for getting a jump start on labor would be appreciated. We'll try anything (I think...).

Big bump on board

Thanks for all the sweet comments and great recommendations from the last post! Y'all are the best!!

I think I used the on board words in this post title subconsciously because my almost entire extended family went on a disney cruise this week. We didn't go. Obviously. We were going to play a joke on them that Eden was born while they were gone but decided that it would be rude. Kind of like planning a cruise when RyKy couldn't go - sheesh thanks Meg... I still love you though.

I keep thinking my belly can't grow anymore but it just keeps growing. No stretch marks yet. I slather $49 lotion over my belly every morning and night and so far so good. Some people/docs say it's all genetic but I think the lotion is saving me from my genes. Still have 3 weeks (or more) to know for sure though. I'll take any stretch marks/lbs necessary to get this girl here healthy though. Pregnancy is a miracle and I'm thankful for it every day.

I have a couple of tips for any fellow/future preggos.

- Lean forward when you're emptying your bladder - it will give you extra minutes before you have to make a trip to the restroom again which means like 5 trips to the restroom during the nights instead of 6 - sweet.

- Make a mountain of pillows at the foot of your bed and sleep with your feet on them, you'll have normal ankles in the morning.

- The baby becomes a space heater so don't dress warm.

- Don't be timid to start wearing nursing bras - got some at motherhood - and they are so much more comfortable for my expanding ribcage - plus I found out it's kind of a big deal to not wear bras with a normal underwire because it can cause mastitis. Ouch.

Ry did a little maternity shoot with me this morning before church. He is such a sweetheart.

Looking at these pictures I just can't believe I'm looking at myself. I definitely don't feel as big as I look. I feel big - but not this big... I'll count that as a blessing.

We made a grown up purchase this week. It's called a lawn mower. Ryan was going to do some overdue yard work all day Saturday and put it to use. He woke up super sick. Go figure. I've resigned myself to making any plans lately. Everything ends up getting done eventually but never the way I try to plan it. 

I only have 2 more 55 hour work weeks - then I'm down to a 25 hour week - then Eden should be here - and if she's not I won't be working anymore. Just doing some serious nesting. I wish she could tell me when she will decide she's ready to be born. I'm determined to wait until she decides she is ready but it would sure be nice to know when that will be. We have two baby showers on the 24th so hopefully she waits until after that.

We took hypnobirthing classes back in October/November. The breathing techniques have definitely come in handy for the braxton hicks contractions/surges/waves I've been getting. Our minds have more power than we give them credit for. Our OB and hypnobirthing instructors are completely perfect. If we end up moving back to Utah for PhD school, I will be content that we moved to Texas just so I could take hypnobirthing from this particular instructor and deliver the baby with the assistance of this particular OB. If anyone needs recommendations for either of these professionals in the West-Houston area, let me know and I'll send you the contact info, I love them that much.

7 weeks later and our HOME

If my brain is firing correctly (which I never count on these days...) the last time I shared a picture of the bump was for week 27. I think you could still call it a bump at week 27 - now it's more of a something much larger than a bump that I'm not quite sure how to classify...

Weeks 32 and 34!

I enjoy being pregnant about 23/7. There is this hour at bedtime after a long day where my ankles and calves are swollen and I look in the mirror and see all the places other than the belly that are growing and getting chubby and I start to complain and wish I didn't eat everything in sight that day and Ryan tells me we're never having another baby and then I say that I just need to get some sleep and I'll feel better in the morning... Then I get some sleep and feel better in the morning and Ryan says we can have more babies. Phew. He's going to be way to good of a dad to only let one child experience being his daughter/son.

Feeling life moving inside of you is one of my favorite body sensations. It is so special. I'm definitely looking forward to holding this baby in my arms but I feel like a part of me will miss feeling her inside of me.

While Shalayne was here over Christmas break we used some of our time together to refinish Eden's crib and changing table. Here's a little sneak peak of her room.

Yes, we picked yellow. Crazy, I know, but the room just needed some color! I still need to track down 2 more red knobs for the changing table and do a million other things to her room but... life is kinda hectic at the moment. I'm not planning on finishing her room until she is here. She'll be sleeping in our room for the first few months anyway and it will give me something to do while I'm at home so I don't go stir crazy.

Her collection of clothing is growing - here's just one of the piles and the few pieces of clothing actually on hangers. I bought a bunch of children's hangers the other day but have yet to get everything hung and organized.

And since I've started posting some pictures of the house - would you maybe like to see more? If yes, keep scrolling down. If no, do whatever else you want to do.

This is the view once you've walked a few steps into the house (past the office and soon to be music room). Across from the kitchen is a built in computer desk and wall of cupboards. It's so nice to have the computer as part of the living area of our home. One of the features my dream home will have - can't believe we got it in our first home. Oh, and the redhead sitting at the computer desk is kind of a favorite of mine too.

The kitchen. It has a dishwasher, more than 3 square feet of counter space, more than 4 cabinets and we aren't using a sheet to cover our pantry - big upgrades from our basement apartment in Ogden. Also love that it's connected to the living room area - it's so nice that it's all so open. Cooking is one of my favorite things again!

There are lots of windows in the home - natural light is definitely a fave. Can't wait to get some bright pillows and fun curtains to add some color. Ryan picked out the rug. The rug and mantle decor are the only decorations in the house at this point. I'm going to have lots of fun decorating when I'm on maternity leave if our budget allows :)

Ending tonights series is my new best friend, our tub. Definitely have enjoyed its company.

Darn, I did not take a picture of the fancy pantry Ryan and my Dad built... It deserves a post of its own someday.

Oh my, there are so many wonderful things about this home. We still don't totally feel like we really live here. It's so surreal and we feel blessed the the max.

If I wait to blog about Eden for another 7 weeks, she will most likely be here - wow. Time to make some car seat decisions and make sure we've got all the other essentials. Any favorite baby products you couldn't live without?

And any carseat recommendations? I never want to read another online car seat review again...

The Janis 9

Our plan was to get some serious weeding done in our yard right now but it's like 80 degrees outside. Way to hot for a pregnant lady to be weeding. So, I've been doing the next most productive thing... catching up on y'alls blogs and even updating ours. Here's a little snippet of our Christmas. More updates to follow.

This Christmas the Janis 9 - or Janis 9.5 as my Dad calls us (already thinking like a Grandpa...) - were all in Texas together. It was a special time. We skipped the presents and focused on other Christmas celebrations and remembrances. I don't think we will ever have a Christmas like this one again. We were old enough to have mature conversations and devotionals - the kinds of things that get hard as grandkids start coming into the picture. Plus, it will be a long time before we are all in the same place for Christmas. Dover will be on a mission for the next two Christmas's and who knows where we all could be after that. We had an especially neat discussion led by my Dad on Christmas Eve about the Atonement - it's neat gaining new understanding of principles with your family.

And of course we had lots and lots of fun!! So many awesome game nights and yummy meals and conversations. Each of us planned a meal with new fancy recipes that we had not tried and oh my goodness we ate well.

One of the favorite activities was 'elfing' ourselves to make a music video...

We're totally on youtube - check us out.

Family videos are kind of a big deal at our house and we're pretty sure this one will be a favorite. I love family, especially our family!

She is so helpful...

Eden and I are working from home today.

As in, like our first home that we moved into on Saturday. Merry early Christmas to the Wayments!

She is so helpful. Staying nice a calm while I get my work done - NOT.

Notice how her head/hand/foot/bum or some part of her is sticking out and making my stomach lopsided. She's been going crazy all morning. Guess she's just excited about the entire Janis family being in Texas RIGHT NOW. We have to keep working today and tomorrow but then will be spending time with everyone 24/7. Hooray!

A Thanksgiving Trip to Utah and Baby Updates

The last seven weeks have been BIG growth weeks. See...

Little girl has been growing continuously - and - little girl now has a name. Everyone asks and maybe I should wait to tell but....

 Pardon the crooked tights and allow me to introduce -

Every night when we say our together prayer, we thank Heavenly Father for baby Eden.

Thanksgiving in Utah - collage style for quickness :)

1. Ry on a plane

2. Ky on a plane - going to UT was a great excuse to pull out winter boots

3. Shay picked us up from the airport

4. Ry so happy to be back to his stomping grounds

5. Meg making us stylish - shellac style - she's so good at the whole beauty thing

6. Rough housing with Reese and Bo

7. Best buddy bonding time

8. Our shiny shellac nails - toes were shellac-ed too but no pics :(

9. More Bo-Ry time

10. Thanksgiving meal at the Wayments - SO YUM!

11. Nephew Caden & 12. Nephew Conner

(so fun to see these cuties)

13. All the boys at Blake's Eagle Court of Honor - so glad we could be in Utah for this!

14. Father and sons at the Court of Honor

15. Shopping at the new H&M with the ESSIGS! We woke up early to meet them in SLC for all you can eat french toast and sourdough pancakes at Kneaders, shopping, and then they accompanied us at an ultrasound for Eden - it was so wonderful - we can't get enough of spending time with these two!

16. Trying on twinner outfits in H&M with Alyse

17. Treats at Sams Club with Courtney - I was pretty much dead at this point (woke up at 2am UT time to get to the airport and this pic was taken that day at like 8pm UT time...)

18. Mario Kart time... I think it's more entertaining to watch these three play then to try and compete

19. Visiting Grandma & Grandpa Bjornn at the Family History Center in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

20. Getting ready to eat our HUGE tootsie rolls from Ry's mom on our flight home

This was such a fun trip! Way to short and completely packed. We tried to do everything and succeeded for the most part. Definitely did not succeed at taking pictures of everything though...

A few other favorites:

Black friday shopping with Court - shopping for a little girl is way funner than shopping for yourself

Sunday brunch with the Carvers for 2 hours that felt like 2 minutes - why did that have to be so short - and why didn't we get a pic with you two??? Shame on us...

4D Ultrasound - so special to have most of the Wayment fam at one of Eden's ultrasounds

Cafe Rio

Dinner at Zupas and great conversation with Ry's parents

Seeing Tanner and Jess's cute house

Getting some early Christmas presents for Eden (hooray for baby clothes!)

Seeing the extended Janis family on Thanksgiving evening

Lots of Killer Bunnies matchs

I feel like I'm forgetting some other things we loved, probably because it feels like the trip was months ago and I have pregnant brain and I should be making my lunch for tomorrow and getting into bed right now. Basically, we feel so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends we can't spend enough time with! Why can't we all just quit our jobs and spend time together all the time?

Guess what - we're having a baby in March (oh wait, you already know that). So guess what else - we are moving into our house on SATURDAY! At least that's the plan. Next time I blog I could be posting from my built in desk in the kitchen - AH!