First baby shower...ballet style

Last Sunday Circe and Julie put together a baby shower for both Marianne and myself.  I always forget how much fun all of the Clytie's women have together...we could talk ALL NIGHT LONG!

Julie prepared the amazing spread of food...it was absolutely delicious

Here are a few of the ladies, chatting of course!

I have loved being so close in my pregnancy with Marianne.  She hid her pregnancy from me until she was 19 weeks along (I'm still trying to figure out how she pulled that one off) in hopes that maybe I could get pregnant too.  Well, she must have spread some magic, because obviously I did!  

Oh how I will cherish the summer stretching days Marianne...and how we could laugh all day about our changing bodies :)

As we were finishing opening gifts, Marianne mentioned the Kaysville Theater opener - you know, the one that shows the two guys, one of them keeps all of his wrappers neatly put away, while the other drops his all around the floor, including his gum (eeeewww!).  She proceeded to tell everyone that by taking a look at our opened gifts, she and I must resemble the two guys in that opener... but that's why we get along so well!  Opposites attract.  :)

What a blessing it is to be surrounded by so many thoughtful, giving friends.  I felt overwhelmed as I opened one gift after another...gifts that, to me, all showed the love and excitement that so many people have for this cute little baby boy.

What a fun night...thank you!

I love them...all 40 of them.

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. 

But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."

Forest E. Witcraft

A conversation I had earlier with my sister sparked so many thoughts and feelings I have had about my "children" in primary.

Like every neighborhood and every primary, ours is filled with a wide array of personalities which has given me the opportunity to learn and grow as I better understand each child that I am able to be around each week.  EACH of them holds a very special place in my heart and in my home.  EACH of them are loved because of who they are right now.  EACH of them are special to me.

I have been in two primary presidencies: the first time I was called under one bishopric to be the 1st counselor, the second time I was called under a different bishopric to be the president.  With each calling and setting apart I was blessed specifically to have a greater understanding and love for the special needs children in our primary.  Tears still well in my eyes as I ponder the feelings I had during those blessings.  

I find myself in silent prayer as to how I can better connect with these specific children, and how I can help our other primary children to better connect with them.  I pray that the Lord's hand will be with mine as I care for them.  I pray that parents of these children will know how much I look up to and love them too...and that I desire to care for their children the way the Lord does.

During class time a few weeks ago I was able to take a walk with one of these children around our church building.  In the past, this child hasn't ever liked holding my hand.  You can imagine how overwhelmed with emotion I felt when he reached out to grasp my hand as we walked.  We took five laps around the church, and when we came back to the primary room, he quietly sat on my lap as we talked about Jesus together.  Those 20 minutes with him were priceless to me.

For the past six months I have loved seeing another of our primary children slowly make his way back to my seat during sharing time.  Each time he walked down the aisle my amazing presidency would grab all of their things and move over so that he could sit between us.  Every Sunday I look forward to the moments that this child and I have to sit together, and although I know he desperately wants to go home, I enjoy the struggle it takes to have him stay with me as we sing the primary songs together.  Oh how I will miss him when he graduates in just a few months!

My life has been so much more full since serving all of the children in my neighborhood.  I hope these children and their parents know how much I love them...EACH of them...the way that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do.  As far as I'm concerned, I have 40 of the best children in the world.

Totally WICKED.

Shane and I were able to go see the broadway show, "WICKED" last night at the Capitol Theater.  I went into this show not knowing anything about it; all I had heard is that it is all.the.rage now-a-days, so I was pretty excited to see it...and who wouldn't be excited about seeing a broadway show anyway?

We were given the tickets as a gift because I was not able to go to Vietnam, and our seats were AMAZING.  We were right next to the box seats on the first balcony!  Shane and I both loved the show...not only because of the talent put into the entire production, but because of the whole meaning of the plot.  Whoever wrote this show was SO creative!  So much to learn and take away from this musical.

What a great way to spend a night with my Dad, my brother in law, and my love!

20 weeks = 5 months

Me and baby boy at 20 weeks

 (Does anyone else feel completely awkward taking and posting belly photos?)

How far along?  20 weeks, halfway there!

How big is the baby?  Our little one is measuring 9 ounces and is around the 15th percentile in size, all except for his 38th percentile legs!  I think he got those from both his mommy and his daddy.

Maternity Clothes?  I have one pair of maternity capris that I wear every so often.  I mostly like to wear comfy pants with a few new shirts I bought in a bigger size.

Sleep?  I definitely don't sleep through the night, but I never have anyway.

Best moment this week?  Seeing a healthy baby boy who couldn't stop kneeing and kicking himself in the head!  We think he might be a little rough and tumble ;)

Movement?  TONS...I love it.  Shane has also seen and felt the baby move too.

Food Cravings?  Nothing outrageous, but I do love string cheese, apples with peanut butter, and all kinds of fruit.

Food Aversions?  No food aversions anymore, thank goodness.  It was mostly the smell of certain foods that really got to me (like homemade meatballs...ew).

Labor Signs?  Between weeks 18 and 19 I was in the beginning stages of preterm labor.  Since last Monday everything is back to normal, and I couldn't feel more relieved and grateful.

Pregnancy Symptoms?  I feel like my backside is growing just as much as my belly!  I haven't been overly emotional or moody, haven't been very sick, and I haven't thrown up.  I honestly feel so blessed with how good I have been feeling, and I hope that it will last.

What am I looking forward to?  Finishing our basement so we can begin putting together the baby's room, and so that my house feels clean again.  I can hardly wait to hold my little boy in my arms!

Weekly Wisdom:  This isn't really wisdom, but I thought that the nesting phase only happened toward the end of pregnancy.  I was so wrong!  I have been feeling the need to "nest" for at least 2 months now, and it's driving me crazy.  There is only so much organizing and cleaning that can be done, but my mind can't be convinced of that.  ;)