36 Weeks

The end is in sight!!!

Feeling like crud

I really don’t want to be that pregnant woman who whines. Seriously, after everything I’ve been through to become a Mom, you would probably think that I would be glowing and happy every day through out this pregnancy. But, maybe that is exactly the problem…I have become a Mom twice already with out ever being pregnant and it worked out great. Although I have had a very normal and uneventful pregnancy so far, I am hitting that last month mark and I am feeling EXHAUSTED and ready for this experience to be over. I now understand why God made pregnancy so miserable…I am actually looking forward to the delivery…something that scared me to death just months ago. Now I am thinking…bring it on! Let’s get this baby out of my uterus and into my arms.

Not so long ago, I had very little compassion for a complaining pregnant woman. In fact, I felt like smacking any woman who had the nerve to complain about her pregnancy discomfort around me. In my head, I’d think things like, “What are you complaining about? Just be glad that you can be pregnant and bring children into this world.” Now I understand so much better what it’s like to be completely grateful for the chance to have a baby, to bring a child into this world, but at the same time to feel completely miserable while experiencing something so miraculous. In fact, I have felt the shame and guilt of not being happy at every moment during this pregnancy. This truly is a miracle to have this chance to do this…I know SO MANY women who want this more than anything else in this world. So the guilt comes every time I think or talk about how miserable I am. But, I have to remind myself that I am only human, too. Becoming, well, quite large, having a hard time doing daily tasks, feeling more tired than I’ve ever been before, sleepless nights, swollen feet, rib pain, hormonal surges that make me emotionally crazy on top of taking care of two little, active people while still trying to stay on top of my home and church responsibilities is starting to take its toll. And, my experience with getting ready for new babies in the past has been so completely different. With Bella and Ez, I had energy, excitement, and the total use of my body to run around getting everything ready for the new bundle of joy. This time, I am excited, true, but it is soooo much physically harder to get ready for a new child when you are the one actually carrying the child. Go figure!

So, I am not writing this post to try to garnish sympathy. I deserve none. I am just another woman going through another pregnancy. It happens all the time. But, I want to write honestly about my experience as it happens and this is where I am at right now. Tired…Miserable…Excited…And feeling ready for this last month to fly by. And to my friends who struggle with infertility, I understand if you want to smack me right now. I really do.

Practice Makes Perfect!

For the past month or so, Bella has been wanting to learn how to blow bubbles with gum. She has constantly requested that I blow bubbles with my gum so that she could watch and learn. Well, on our long drive home from Utah, Bella went through a whole pack of bubble gum and became quite the little skilled bubble gum bubble blower. She is so proud of her new skill and keeps talking about how she is going to teach all of her friends how to blow bubbles. I'm proud of her, too!

Farewell to Mom and Dad

My parents are leaving this week for their mission to Osorno, Chile. They are replacing some awesome missionaries who just returned (Blaine's parents!). This weekend they had their mission farewell at church and all four of their kids were able to be there, plus a few of their grandkids. Although we will miss them, we are proud that they are choosing to serve the Lord and we know that they, along with all of us, will be blessed for their service. Next time we see them (because I doubt we are going to make the Chilean pilgrimage this time with 3 kiddos) I will have an almost two year old that they have never met. This makes my mom sad but we understand the sacrifice. And video chat makes the distance so much shorter. Afterall, Blaine's parents got to know Ez through video chat and he totally knew who they were when they came home.

Mom, Dad, and "The 4 T's" in birth order. Unfortunately for me, I look like I am about to give birth to triplets. Soooooo not fun to be taking so many pictures lately!

8 of their 13 grandkids.

My sibs and I with our last remaining grandparent. Grandma Erlene Ellingson is my dad's mom and I am named after her (my middle name). All the grandkids affectionately call her Beema.

The grandkids surprised Grandma and Grandpa with a big heart cookie that they made them.

It was supposed to sprinkle but it showered instead...

Hours before leaving Utah, one of my good friends, Jen, gave me a baby "sprinkle". She wanted to give me a full-blown baby shower but I wasn't comfortable with that since this is my third child. So the compromise was that she would give me a baby "sprinkle" instead. We invited a few friends to meet at the Olive Garden to eat and have a good time catching up. Well this baby and I were definitely showered with love and gifts. Thanks to all of you who came out to "sprinkle" some love on me and this baby. She will be one well-dressed little girl. It was also so fun to catch up with people who I normally don't get to see...some people I haven't seen since high school were even there. Thank you for coming! You guys are awesome. (And, I can't believe I am even posting pictures at this point...I am so plump right now it is painful for me to see these pics. But, this is reality so here it is...)

Allen Family Reunion

Every two years the Allens have a family reunion. This year we went to a cabin in the Uintah mountains. It was a lot of fun and so cool that this huge cabin housed all 31 of us comfortably. We had fun fishing, riding ATVs, participating in an art extravaganza, and overall just hanging out with family. It was good to have Mom and Dad Allen there after their recent return from their 2 year mission in Chile. I have to say, I really lucked out by marrying into an awesome family. Here are some pics...

The kids loved riding on the ATV with Dad. Blaine said that Ez kept trying to push Blaine's hands off of the handle bars so that he could drive all by himself!


The art extravaganza.


Aaaawwww. So cute and yet so cheesy all at the same time.


All of the grandkids with Grandma and Grandpa Allen. Yes, I am well aware that my kids are the only two out of them all that aren't cooperating...


Let's just say that a spongebob fishing pole isn't the best way to find success on a fishing excursion. Or at least that is their excuse!


On the way out of the mountains, we ran into hundreds of sheep walking right down the road. The kids loved it. Blaine, our driver, not so much.

We stayed in Salt Lake for a few days after the reunion and we were able to visit Temple square, eat at the Pie and Cafe Rio, and visit with some friends. In addition, as is tradition on our yearly Utah trip, we were able to visit with Bella and Ezra's awesome birthfamilies. Every time we visit with them, I am reminded of how lucky we are to have these kiddos and how lucky we are that they come from such incredible people and that they have so many people who love them.

4th of July

We had a fun Fourth of July celebrating with family. We went to our small town parade, which the kids loved, because it is a bit like Halloween except all the kids have to do is sit on the curb with a bag and people walk by them and throw candy at them. It is quite exciting. Ez LOVED watching all of the cars and fire trucks. He just kept saying excitedly, "ooooh!" It was cute. Since this parade and the parade that we went to in my sister's hometown, Bella has been recreating parades at home by walking around with signs she has made and throwing candy at Blaine, Ez, and I. So fun!