Thankful

Coriena is 6 weeks old this week and we are loving having her around.



Here are a few things about her.

She is over 10 pounds and doesn't fit into newborn clothes or diapers anymore.
She is starting to smile and laugh.
She is a chatter box in the mornings.
Has her days and nights straight and is staying awake a lot more during the days.
She is not really a binki baby. She will take it for a little while but will spit it out.
Absolutly LOVES bathtime. I think we may have a little swimmer.
Is a very happy baby.

She makes my day just to see her.
She has her daddy and I wrapped around every one of her little fingers.

We are truly blessed and very thankful on this Thanksgiving Day for her.


I should also say that I am very thankful for the love of a man like Schuyler. He knows my faults and loves me anyway, and stands by me and will stand by me through anything. He takes care of me and our daughter and isn't afraid of hard work. I am grateful that we have a house over our heads, food in our cupboards, dogs and other things too keep us safe. I am truly thankful for having Schuyler. I love him so much and I am incredibly proud of him.

I am also very thankful for my family. They are always there for me and I am lucky to have them as my best friends.

I am also thankful for my friends. I have so many great friends in my life that I consider to be very lucky to have them. I don't know what I would do without all of them.

I am very thankful for the military, the people who serve our country have my highest respect and we are very lucky to have people that serve and fight for us. I love this country and am proud to call myself an American.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

First Halloween

Coriena's first Halloween has been great... At first I had planned on dressing her up as a pumpkin, but she hated it and it was too big on her so we went another route, thanks to Aunt Carri's suggestion. Also Grandma Rayna bought her a bunch of different Halloween onesies so I have taken picture of some of those (I actually have some of all of them but I am having problems with one outfit pictures..)

Enjoy!! I can't help myself she is too cute.

A mother is born...

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh


Coriena is two weeks old today. And for the life of me I have no idea what I did with my life before she came. I can't get enough of her. At night I dream about her, and I wake up just so I can see her and make sure she is ok. I just love this little girl to pieces. We are so lucky.

She has arrived!!!

Coriena Joy Brandol arrived October 12, 2010 at 9:43 pm weighing in at 8 lbs 13 oz and is 20.5 inches long.
It was a very long day and Schuyler and I are so happy to have her here.

2 days and still waiting

The due date is two days away...and I am still pregnant. We are very ready for her to arrive, we can't wait to hold her and to kiss her.

But, since I am still pregnant Schuyler and I spent the day together today. Just the two of us. It was wonderful. We were originally planning on just taking our annual drive through the canyons to look at the fall colors. It is one of our favorite things to do together every year and since we don't know if we will be able to do it next week we thought we had better do it today. However, on our way up to East Canyon we drove by the zoo... and since we haven't been able to go there this year and it wasn't that busy. We decided to stop there. So Schuyler and I enjoyed a nice day at the zoo together, we throughly enjoyed watching the baby elephant play in the mud and just spending some time together. After we were done at the zoo we did take our ride through the canyon. And it was great other than I got sick towards the end of the canyon and had to have Schuyler pull over so I could throw up on the side of the road. After 9 months of me throwing up this isn't something we have really stressed over, it just sucks that it had to happen on our day together.

As much as we both enjoyed spending the day together we are both very ready for our little Coriena Joy to get here.

Hard to believe

We are down to just over 2 weeks until the due date. And this still feels like I am living in a dream. I look at myself and I have a hard time believing that that is really me looking back. I feel like when I was little and you would put a pillow under your shirt to "picture" what you would look like pregnant, and really I am going to have my nice flat belly back again in a minute. However, this time... getting a flat belly might take me some more time than it used too.

My cousin had put some really good advice on her blog once that I keep focused on. She had a bunch of suggestions of what to do before going into labor like getting a cute new haircut and stuff like that... while I wont be getting a new haircut, as much as I need one, one thing she said did stick out to me. She said to remember it took 9 months to get the belly and to give it 9 months to get back to "normal". That isn't the exact way she put it but that says what it is supposed too. That is my goal. Other than I want to get back to what I weighed before + a couple more pounds down. That should get me in shape by June next year.

But first things first... this little one needs to get here. Which is another thing that is hard for me to believe... they are really going to send us home with this tiny little baby??? What are we going to do?? Guess we will figure it out!!

Hope everyone is doing good!

Time does fly

I can't believe how fast time has gone by. It seems like just the other day I was having my panic attack because that pregnancy test that I was sure would come back negative came back and said positive... then calming down and then panicking again because I would have to tell Schuyler and I knew he had wanted to be there when I took the test. But really I was just taking it to know if I could have a drink that night at the concert and I didn't think it would be positive so I didn't think there would be anything wrong with it... So I took it the morning of Feb. 4 after Schuyler left for work. Then all morning I tried to figure out how in the world I was going to tell him... So I went to the store and got him a present. A little onesie that says "Daddy Loves Me" and a little PJ thing that was super cute and a binky. So that I could give him a present when I got home. I left work a little early and went in and undug (cause I hid it) the pregnancy test and put it in my back pocket because I knew he wouldn't believe me, and gave him the present.. oh and stood on the opposite side of the room, waiting to see how he would react.
Yup I remember it like it was yesterday... and now here we are we have just over 7 weeks until the due date, just over 4 until we hit that full-term mark, and I am scared to death, yet so excited. Schuyler has been amazing, getting everything ready. The nursery wont look like I had hoped but it will eventually get that way, I hope. My mom has been wonderful. She has given us diapers, wipes, a bunch of blankets and countless outfits already. I don't know what I would do without her. We have had our share of scares, but now as I am sitting there watching our baby do flip-flops around in my belly I don't care about the fact that I have been throwing up the whole time or that our "wonderful" Utah heat makes me lightheaded and makes me feel like I am going to pass out. Or that walking through Walmart has made me almost pass out. I don't care about any of that. Because when I see her little foot push out on my side or see my belly making waves from her rolling around it all seems worth it. I was laying in bed last night and I could feel and see her feet going up and down my stomach so I called Schuyler in so he could feel it. I love seeing his excitement and his smile to feel that.
My sister is going to Scotland next month so I keep telling our little one that she has to stay in until at least the 14th (which is the full-term mark) so that she is back for it. I would prefer her to stay in longer than that but I figure that is the goal then after that as long as she is healthy and ready to go then she can come.

Anyways, we are all doing really well and we are at the point that we have appointments every two weeks so it should go nice and quickly from here on out. I know I have said it before but I am so lucky to have a husband like Schuyler, he is so great and supports me with everything. I have been so stressed out lately with everything going on and he just takes it and helps me out so much. I would be so lost without him in my life. He is going to be such a great dad and I am so excited to see him hold our little one the first time.

Family Time

We spent the last week on the Oregon Coast for a Family reunion. I love it there.. even with the fog and the mist and the colder weather that we had all week I would gladly go back tomorrow... (actually today but Schuyler already told me no to that). The trip out we did in two days. And the place we stopped was still really really hot... We bought a little "camper" especially for this trip so that we have a place for our dogs to travel and that we would have a place for all of us to sleep that would get me off the ground... well. I was 29 weeks pregnant on the drive out and sleeping in a camper that is really just a glorified shell with Schuyler and both of my dogs in what felt like a million degree heat didn't go too well. We had all the windows open and the back door open to try to cool it off a little and I think Schuyler and I got about 3 hours of sleep that night. But I did have a great view of the big dipper out my window so I stared at the stars all night praying that it would cool off so we could all get some sleep.

Next morning we got up and headed to the coast (YAY)!! There is just something about seeing those beautiful green tall trees lining the roads that always makes me giddy. So even despite the pain in my back and the resistance our little girl was giving me about being in the car again, I was so excited.

After a stop at a beautiful rest stop for lunch we finally made it to the coast.. and it was perfect (well kinda) It was the cooler temperatures that I have been looking forward too. But it was also foggy and misty. But that is ok. We had such a great turn out for the family reunion this year!! I haven't seen that many people at a reunion in years. It was great. Our dogs had a great time running on the beach and playing in the water. It was fun to watch.

(Our doggies... I can't help it. I am a proud momma...)

I wont run you through the whole week I will get to the pictures.. but I had a great time and a great vacation. I just love spending time with my family. I wish I had been more up to doing games and sitting by the fire with everyone but being 29 - 30 weeks pregnant and going from close too 100 degree temperatures to in the 50's degree temperatures and driving that much did quite a number on me. We got home at 3 am this morning after doing an 18 hour drive (yup did the trip home all in one day) so today is a rest and relaxation day to get ready for work tomorrow. But the whole week was wonderful and I am ready to turn around and go back. I have even been looking online at houses for sale in that area... don't worry Mom that wont happen anytime soon...

Me and Schuyler (ok mostly Schuyler but keep in mind- 30 weeks pregnant.. bare with me ok.)

Schuyler and Taison

Can't help it... Schuyler is just too good looking for me not to take this picture. :)

Remember... bare with me...

Schuyler and Keeta... couldn't help it.. Look at her look at him.. too cute.


The family and crew and everything else...

Mom and Tom! Aren't they cute!

Nick, Carri and Sydney. Great little family shot!

The whole crew

The Crew on the "Family Tree"

Little bumble bee doing its job at the gardens

The guys being guys

The five of us kids...

Our Sandcastle.. the final product was amazing

The Sealion area... They are all over there

Just me goofing off at the docks

Pretty view looking out

Just another pretty view I love the ocean...

Too small to keep but isn't he cute! Well??

See told you I love the ocean

Waves crashing against the rocks

This is at the Elk reserve

Boats lined up at the dock

Nothing but fog

Perfection

I have learned that there are a few things in life that should not be rushed.

A perfect grilled cheese sandwich is one of those many things....

Perfectly browned to perfection... cheese wonderfully melted to the point it comes out of the holes in the bread and slowly starts to come out of the bread...

Yes. This is one of the many things in life that shouldn't be rushed.

I may not be a very good cook but man oh man can I grill a sandwich!!! You should see my tuna melts... another perfect dish that can not and should not be rushed.

'And I thought I loved you then'

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the song that Schuyler and I danced to at our wedding. A lot of people may not know that I had no idea what song we were dancing too before the music started playing. I let Schuyler pick, and it is one of my favorite things about the wedding. Second only to the fact that I got to marry the love of my life. Schuyler picked 'Then' by Brad Paisley. Which is perfect....

We are coming up on 6 years of being together in July and it amazes me how much we have grown together and how much more I am in love with him then I was back then. I have learned so much about myself by just being with him. Today we put together the shelving for our babies room, that Schuyler built. I am so happy that I have a husband that can fix things and build things for our baby. Right now the babies room makes me feel like I might have my first ever anxiety attack but I know with him I will be ok.

It has been a hard pregnancy for me. I am 5 months along and I am still throwing up. It has calmed down a lot but it is still there lingering in the background waiting to poke its ugly head in at me. And when it does Schuyler is there. Getting me a wet rag to cool my face down, a ponytail holder to get my hair back, or to just sit there next to me rubbing my back until it passes. And then after that when I go and collapse in bed until my energy decides to pop its lovely head back in he is patient and waits for me. I know there are a lot of things that I need to work on to be a better wife to him. But I flat out couldn't ask for a better husband.

As I said earlier. "Our song" fits my feelings perfectly. How much I thought I loved him 6 years ago is nothing compared to how much I love him now and I know in 6 more years or in 4 more months I know how I feel right now will be nothing compared to how much I will love him then.

Announcing!!

I am a little late posting this but in case you haven't heard or haven't noticed the things that I have taken the time to change...



WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!!!!



I am 20 weeks along today and she is perfectly healthy and growing right on schedule for the Oct. 5 due date. She is going to be a swimmer just like her daddy and kicks like crazy.



I wanted to post one of the pictures from the ultrasound which is the real reason why I haven't posted this yet... but obviously.. I didn't get around to that.



We couldn't be happier!

Great Salt Lake Sunset

Sunday night I went with my in-laws to the Great Salt Lake for a little girls trip to take sunset pictures. It was a fun trip we got some great pictures. And it was actually the first time I have ever gone to where we went. It was a nice trip. And extra perk it is only 10 to 15 minutes away from my house. Below are some pictures that I took...