Ready for Baby

People keep on asking me if I am "ready for baby" and I really don't know how to answer them. I mean, are you ever completely "ready"?

Yes, his room is all ready (and has been for quite a while). Yes, we have bedding, blankets, burp-rags, onsies up the wazoo, diapers in various sizes, bumbo, high-chair, stroller, infant-seat/car-seat, hats, socks, wipies, swing, formula, diaper bag, hooter-hiders (I made them myself!), breast pump, bottles, binkies... OH MY!!

I even have a hospital bag ready with a list I keep on adding to.

My mom is getting more and more anxious about getting a flight at the right time to head down for baby boy Carter.

I am getting anxious and bored with the waiting. I'm not due until the 28th... IN TWO DAYS... but won't get induced until the 4th.

As of last Friday I'm still dilated at a one, and as of yesterday's ultra-sound I'm measuring an eight-pound, one-ounce baby. My doctor was worried I was looking small and it turns out I'm an optical illusion :) (said in a Ron Burgundy voice).

I don't really know what else to do. I've painted one stairway, one hallway, one bathroom, and all the upstairs trim. I've reinforced my antique kitchen chairs. I've hung new things on walls that really don't need embellishment. We've replaced four light fixtures and installed one new ceiling fan. I've made about fifteen pairs of earrings and a few necklaces. I've watched season one and most of season two of Gilmore Girls... again. I've stained the outside patio chairs. I've written and mailed all my thank you cards from baby showers. I've organized all my digital pictures and put them on the server, (Now I need to print them and put them in albums). I've washed and organized all of baby's stuff--some of it more than once. I've done grocery shopping for about two weeks. I keep wiping down the guest bathroom. I started knitting a scarf for myself-- and it's not even beginning to look like fall!

Yeah... I might be losing it. Today, Blaine came home after a crazy day (crazy few weeks--he's been working so hard lately), made me dinner, gave me the cash he got for working on someone's computer and told me I should spend it on me (he is so great to me). I started crying because I am THAT crazy right now. Don't get me wrong-- I'm not sad... I'm just crazy-emotional these days. School started yesterday and I'm not teaching. I'm just literally sitting and waiting--yet, that's all I really want to do.

I hope this kid, Jacob/Gavin is almost done cooking. I really want to meet him. The ultra-sound allowed me to see his little face really well and I have to say he is freaking cute. (Don't worry, I cried then too.) I cannot wait!!

So yeah, I guess I'm ready for baby.

Enjoy the pictures:

The walls aren't pink. I promise.

Baby's first bed.

This is his bassinet. My mom bought it for me at Wally-World and we thought it could be cuter, so we added the brown fabric and cute striped ribbon for good measure. My mom is a genius. This is so cute and it totally fits by my bed.

So, here's his crib--complete with make-shift canopy. I really wanted some kind of canopy above the crib, but didn't want it to look girly at all.

Here's the rest...

Going to the Zoo... How about You?

These pictures are a little older, but our cousins were in town for Jeff Kempton's graduation and we got to meet them at Hogle Zoo for sun, animals, and family time. We love our AZ Kemptons. These are the greatest friends and we always loved spending time with them when we were kids. Still do!

Jacki and LaChae.
Isabel and Maddie (Jacki's girl). I wish the pictures I took of LaChae's girls turned out. The "cat show" at the zoo made for some bad lighting.
This is everyone. All of the Wade and Cindy clan (minus T.J. and Jeff), The Hiltons (minus Del), and the very coolest of the Lees. haha :)

Tagged!

High School Tag:
Thanks Leesa, for the tag. This was really funny to think about.

1. Did you date someone from your school?
No. Never. I dated people from school, but never exclusively. Looking back, I'm so glad I didn't.

2. What kind of car did you drive?
A '73 brown Ford truck. I loved it. It was a Beast. Then I killed it... I've never fully forgiven myself. I don't think my dad has either. I also drove a '79 silver Cutlas Supreme. I didn't love it. It was more of my brother's car-- but I did enjoy the eight-track player and the sweet loud-speaker-P/A he installed. Good times in that car.

3. What was the most embarrassing moment of high school?
I'm sure I embarrassed myself daily. I've always been prone to being an idiot. But, I think I was most embarrassed when Brad Behle pulled down Don Dunn's shorts during our boy-girl dance practice. I'd never seen a wiener before and I was shocked and embarrassed forever.

4. Were you a party animal?
Like Leesa said, every day was a party but never with drugs or booze. I was a pretty good kid.... just a little careless about other things, like stealing public property, going to the train tracks (I don't care what anyone says-- yes, we were stupid--but it was awesome!), Spying on people (This really was a serious effort. We were freakishly good at it), Soaping driveways, de-facing Bingham property, Spring Break, Dragging State Street...the list goes on and on...

5. Were you considered a flirt?
I don't really know. I probably wasn't good at flirting until I got older. I'm sure I was really awkward at it in high school.

6. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir?
No. I'm not "musically talented".

7. Were you a nerd?
Who knows? I know I've ALWAYS been a nerd/geek on many, many levels. Although in high school I SO didn't care about school (I mean studying and grades) at all. I wish I had. I didn't turn into that kind of a nerd until college made me an English major. Man, I am a huge nerd now.

8. Were you on any varsity teams?
Drill Team. I loved dance, but I hated playing sports. (Still do.)

9. Did you get suspended/ expelled?
No.

10. Can you still sing the fight song?
I actually think I probably could, thanks to Liz. She used to make us sing it in college every once in a while.

11. Who were your favorite teachers?
Hands down: Ms. Gurule. She made me want to love literature and she really inspired me later on to teach English as an adult. I actually subbed at WJ once and visited her. She was really nice, but had no clue who I was. haha.
The funny thing about teachers is that I can only remember the really good ones and the really crappy ones.

12. Where did you sit during lunch?
Thanks to what my high school buddies said, I remember that we usually sat at a table to eat and then moved to the stairs to chat. I loved "the commons".

13. What was your school's full name?
West Jordan High School.

14. School mascot?
Go Jags!

15. Did you go to Homecoming and who with?
Once, with a kid named Sean something. He was nice.

16. If you could go back and do it again, would you?
No way! While I loved so much of high school and I wish I knew then what I know now, I would never do it again. I used to tell my students that high school is not the end-all-be-all of life. I think you decide what kind of person you want to be while in high school, but really don't "find yourself" until later.

17. What do you remember most about graduation?
I remember being bored out of my mind, and that our "sashes" were much cuter tied around our necks. :)

18. Where did you go senior skip day?
What is senior skip day? I sluffed so much it was scary... Leesa, I almost forgot about the press-pass incident. Mr. D. hated me.

19. Were you in a club?
Leesa, Keri and I were in many club pictures because we were on Yearbook staff. We had a bunch of friends in these pictures with us. I'm kind of surprised we got away with it. According to the yearbook, I was an avid chess player, was in DECA, FBLA, and a Drama enthusiast.

20. Have you gained some weight since then?
Don't we all? Well, we SHOULD. :)

21. Who was your prom date?
Once with John Dinger. Once with Travis Saltzgiver. Both were really mean to me afterward. Probably because I didn't put out on Prom night. Although I did end up kissing them both later on. Weird. And gross.

22. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion?
I went and loved it. I was so glad I did.

23. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself?
I wouldn't have worried so much about so little, and I really would have taken my grades much more seriously.

I tag: Becca. Katrina. Emily. Liz. Dottie. Jami. Ange.

About to Pop

I am about to explode and must be in dire need of a head exam because I found myself in the middle of a "photo shoot" last week. My friend, Jes is both an amazing seamstress (she made my wedding dress, my sister's, as well as my niece's blessing dress), but also is a very talented photographer. She started just taking pictures of her brides for portfolio purposes, but fell in love with her camera and is now building her photography portfolio. (What would it be like to be THIS talented??)

Anyway, I was really self-conscience about getting these pictures taken, but couldn't resist the good company and pre-shoot-lunch. My sister, Laurel already posted a prego-picture from Jes's site as well as a tribute I'm sure I don't deserve, so I figured I may as well post another. This one is less body and more belly--which I can deal with. :) Honestly, who really "enjoys" being this big? But pregnancy is truly a miracle and I'll never complain (too much) about it.

*Sigh* Eleven days and counting until D-day.

My Husband and Jack McCoy

There are few things in this world that Blaine loves more than Law and Order (I'd like to think I'm one of those things)... Today, both Blaine and I haven't been feeling very well and most of our Sunday has been spent watching Law and Order: the original. There's nothing like the original.

Whenever we watch episodes, we try to decide which characters we like best from different seasons (don't worry--we have them ALL). We can't ever decide which side-kick of Lenny's is our favorite, or if we like Serena or Abbie better, but one thing is solid: Jack McCoy is our hero.

Blaine isn't alone in his love for Mr. McCoy. While teaching, I'd have students act as if they were in a courtroom defending different characters from To Kill a Mockingbird. Whenever a student or group did a great job or made a great point, I dubbed them "Jack McCoy". I thought it was an honor. :)

Anyway, today, after a particularly defining moment for Jack (season seven), Blaine was spouting his love for Jack McCoy and made the comment that he hopes our unborn son will like McCoy as much as he does. I can see it now... Coming home after a night out with the girls and finding my boys cuddled up watching their hero prosecute the bad guys. Well, I can't say I'd blame them. He is pretty awesome.

Seven Peaks

I don't care how old I am, Seven Peaks is awesome...even when all we do is chase Isabel around the wave pool and take several runs around the lazy river. I wanted a "Gidget" shot of Isabel and she more than played along. What a poser! I love her.

Top Ten

So I am obsessed with lists. Those of you who have known me for a while can attest to my constant list-making. Whether it's for groceries, "do to", summer goals, or my favorites: the top tens, I love the list. Call it OCD. Call it organization. Call it weird. Personally, I blame John Cusack, Nick Hornby and "High Fidelity".

My friend Lindsey and I spent countless hours revealing our inner-most-selves to each other with our lists while "working" at Remedez spa/salon. My sister, Michelle and I even brought our top ten phenomenon/obsession to "The College Times" at UVU (formally known :) as UVSC).

Anyway, my reason for this post is mostly due to my friend Candice-- who I am happy to say is now a bona-fide blogger. The name of her blog is: Candice. Capitalism. Conan., and she and I have loved Conan O'Brien forever. I think that our mutual love for Conan is probably why we became friends in the first place, (though I think her love transends mine) Conan is a very important person on one of my lists... the list I am resurrecting today.

Keep in mind this list hasn't been updated in a while. I'll admit that I haven't been as obsessed with this one as I used to be. I used to call it "Male Celebrities I would Marry", but maybe now I'll just call it, "Really Cool, Hott Men". Enjoy.

John Cusack
Paul Newman
Conan O'Brien
Colin Firth
Bono
Gerard Butler
Steve McQueen
John Travolta
Vince Vaughn
Bruce Willis

James Taylor is still So Cool

Blaine and I hit up Usana last night for the big event: James Taylor. I love James. It's really my mom's fault... She almost named me Suzanne after "Fire and Rain" (great song, but I like Alicia so much better). Anyway, James is especially important to Blaine and me because we saw him at Usana when we were dating, and I credit Mr. Taylor for making me fall in love with Blaine... or at least helping me to realize I was in love with him. Yes, I told Blaine I loved him on that fateful night. And life has only gotten better.
Needless to say, it was a great night. The weather was perfect, our seats were awesome (you can't beat lying on the lawn!), and we were in good company. Jami and Kristen meandered by and luckily sat by us. It was so fun catching-up and basking in the James Taylor greatness with them. We even got to witness the frisky, Cialis-induced, older couple dancing all night long. It was awesome!
Sadly, I forgot my camera--so Jami, post some pics of our new friends. I can't wait to see your shots of them doing the dip.

Playing Catch-Up: Part Two

My sisters and mom threw me a fabulous baby shower last month. My sister, Laurel already posted all about it, so if you've seen her pictures--go ahead and skip this one--I stole the pictures from her. Anyway, it was great! I feel so loved!

Laurel made the cutest decoarations... Here's a sample.
Becca, me, Val and Leesa. Some of my oldest and greatest friends.
Me with my mom. Isn't she pretty?
Melissa and little Eden. They were so great to make the trip from Richfield.
Me--enjoying unwrapping. (Don't we all?)

Playing Catch-Up: Part One

Despite my best efforts, I have been sucking at keeping up here... These are a little late, but too good to ignore--Behold: (New Mexican) Independance Day at the Carters!

Doug and Sean discovering treasure at the bottom of the ocean
Markelle and Brent
Lauren
B--laine
Jack Attack.

He loved the pool :) As did the rest of us. Obviously.