Emmy Time!

Hello Lovely Readers!
I just need somewhere to brag...

My husband Steve received his THIRD Emmy nomination yesterday!  He won an Emmy in 2008 for Weekend Newscast, was nominated for evening news last year, and is nominated for evening news this year!

I'm so proud! 

Now I have to go to St. Louis with him at 39 weeks pregnant (gasp!) and wear a formal....Oh My!

I hope he wins, it means the world to him!
Love,
Jen

32 weeks update, surprise baby shower, and ASU...

 Jackie, Me, and Lindsey

Hello Lovely Readers!!

Pregnancy update
How far along? 32 weeks 4 days!

Total weight gain: 33 pounds so far....I only gained 2 lbs last month!  Yay me!  I never thought I would see 228 lbs on the scale...can't wait to lose it!  I haven't weighed since my last appointment, so next Tuesday we will see the damage at my appointment!

Maternity clothes?: Still loving the grey's anatomy scrubs!  Only wearing dresses, but I made the mistake of trying to wear dress pants on the first day of school, and I was a sweaty mess before I made it to class.  I had a class today where we had to put each other on backboards, so I wore jeans.  Its still in the high 90s in Arkansas!

Sleep: I am sleeping ok, but having to wake up and pee around 3-4 am.  I'm not happy about missing sleep.  Yesterday morning I had a very vivid dream that Steve was cheating on me with a girl from Arizona and I woke up very upset with him and woke him up "to just hold me."  I know it was selfish, but I felt like I was going to have a panic attack and needed him to tell me there was no girl in Arizona.  I know I'm irrational.  I try not to be, but sometimes I truly CAN NOT help it. 

Cravings: I could eat all day long....craving mostly junk, like french fries and cokes.  :(  I'm not looking forward to my weigh in next week. 

Best moment this week: The baby shower last weekend, and my surprise shower Sunday!  My sweet friends Jackie and Lindsey decided to throw me a shower, and invited me to Lindsey's house for dinner and to watch True Blood, and when we got there they had made me a diaper cake and wrapped several presents!  They made me open each one, take a picture, and talk about it.  It was so much fun!

The diaper cake and Steve's gag gift!

A super cute monogrammed onesie!

Movement: Every day I feel her, Steve feels her daily now!   Mom has felt her a couple times, Mary tried Saturday but no luck yet!

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: I've been having contractions and lots of movement, but nothing "like labor", as much as a first time mom can tell...

Belly Button in or out? In.....but stretching!

What I miss: Having energy to do things.  If I don't get my time to sit down, I start feeling woozy and faint and have to take a break.  I used to be able to work hard and play hard all day then sleep and feel refreshed at night.  Now everything is hard, even the things I enjoy, like shopping or taking care of a really sick patient.

Weekly Wisdom: Even when you don't feel like it, make time for your friends.  I was dreading going out to Lindsey's because I wanted to rest.  The girls had worked hard and I thought about cancelling and saying I was too tired (it was true!) but they wanted to bless me.  And were very successful.

Milestones: First 2 baby showers, (see my last blog for the first one), moving Laura to ASU (to my old dorm, sniff sniff), starting back to school, Avery's kicks starting to HURT (kid, when you read this, know you can really hurt me!), and passing TNCC. 

Laura, Terry and Mary

Favorite Moments:  Rolling onto ASU's campus, watching Jackie and Lindsey bring out stacks of gifts (that were all from the two of them), imagining holding Avery when I can't get back to sleep, knowing that God is in control, and finding out all the good news on my first day back at school (see previous post), passing TNCC!

School update:
I've only been one day but I am learning so much!  I wrote my first H and P yesterday, almost finished my oral presentation, turned in my objectives, and saw 3 patients with my awesome preceptor.  I made a list of all I need to do and I totally feel like I can do it!  The Lord is good!

Prayers and Praises:
Please pray for Steve and work.  Please pray for Avery's health and safe delivery.  Please pray I will be able to complete or nearly complete school before Avery arrives.  Thank God for answered prayers of Laura making it to ASU safely and starting out in church/BCM.  Thank God for my mom being able to quit her job and take care of our sweet baby when I return to work.  Thank God for his provisions no matter what. 

Love you all,
Jen

Yard sale and Baby Shower! Plus a new school countdown and GREAT news!

Hello Lovely Readers!
This week has been rough but fun!  I'm 31 weeks and 5 days today!  I've recently been chastised for not posting belly pics...here is one from 29 weeks!

 I love seeing Steve with his hands on Avery and arms around me!  It's probably my favorite thing ever!

Steve and I sorted through every nook and cranny of our home and had a huge yard sale!  We made almost $300!  We have yet to clean up all the aftermath, but I did take all the clothes to donate Monday, and his sister Laura came over and "shopped" this afternoon.  I have the best husband ON EARTH.  He sorted everything, priced most of it, and ran the yard sale Saturday while I worked.  I helped price, clean, and set up items but he did the majority of the work.  I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful man!


Sunday, we missed church so we could clean the house for my baby shower.  My lovely sister in law Rachael and her amazingly talented mom gave me a beautiful shower.  Steve and I got the house in order, then he weeded the garden (!!!!!) and they arrived around 1 pm to set up.  It was beautiful, and my house was so crowded!  I barely got to talk to anyone, but we received so many amazing gifts for Avery!  It was so wonderful to see so many of my friends and family.  I can't believe I am having another baby shower on the 28th!   I'm so blessed! 

 The Shower!

 With my grandma in Avery's room

 My mom and I.  (Everyone says we look alike...what do you think?)

 Sweet sweet Rachael!  My brother chose well!

My grandma (dad's mom), me and Mom!

Monday I cleaned and sorted and worked on my graduate portfolio.  I turned in 2 sections instead of only 1!  I was so proud that I finally got it done!

Tuesday I spent the day in TNCC at Arkansas Children's Hospital.  TNCC is a class for ER and ICU nurses about taking good care of trauma patients.  It was so interesting, but I don't sit for 9 hours very well!  It was so hard to stay still and stay awake!  I go back and learn more, and then test, on Tuesday.  It will be fun!  I'm not too excited to be tied onto a backboard...but we have to practice on someone and she said we would practice on each other!

Today was my LAST FIRST day of school.  I had class from 9-4, so I thought, but it started at 10 and was in a different room than I thought.  I got to go by and see a sweet friend from interventional radiology and then stopped by my advisors office to go over my graduate portfolio.  Class started at 10 am, and so many amazing things happened.  I knew for sure that I can do this, I will graduate, and the Lord loves me just by all that happened in the first few minutes of class.  First thing, our instructor announced the syllabus online was wrong and she had completely revised it.  This could have been very good or very bad.  I'm choosing to think it is very good.  She cut our write ups from 10 to 5, cut out our scholarly paper completely, changed our web assignment to a presentation (which I already knew about and it's my turn to give a power point presentation rather than a poster), and cut it from 4 tests to 3 tests.  The only part that scares me is now we have only 4 hours in a window of time to take our tests, and they will all be on Wednesdays.  Since I have every minute of my life planned out until September 23, and my work schedule until October 16, this disheartened me because it will take a lot of work to arrange that time to take the tests.  The best news was that if we write an article for publication, it will substitute for either one test or all 5 write ups (at my instructors discretion).  I'm starting on my article tonight!!!  If she would accept it as my last test (more time with Avery Grace) or my write ups, I would have more time to study and do clinical instead of homework!  I'm so excited!   Unfortunately I still have to do 270 clinical hours, but she can't cut that because of state and national regulations.   She let us leave at 1130 and I had a lovely lunch with Steve, called pediatricians, dropped off scrubs at a consignment shop, met with Steve's sister Laura, then came home and took a glorious shower!  I was so hot from moving around campus today!

So the school countdown is as follows:
3 tests
1 presentation (September 29)
270 hours
5 write ups
Graduate portfolio (Due September 21)
Portfolio defense (October 5)
Article to submit for publication (which will kill one test or 5 write ups)
Class/teacher evals
Site Visit  (September 23)
Goals (due with first write up)
Weekly log (every patient seen with a few tidbits of information)

All this in the next 8 weeks, or if Avery listens to her mommy, 9 weeks.  If she comes a week late, I have 12 weeks of paid leave and will be off until 2011!  If I don't get all my hours done, I'll have to go back as soon as I can before December and work out more time.

The best news....my mom is quitting her job.  She has been very unhappy there, and now will be able to keep Avery for me if I have to go back to school after she is born (if I don't get the hours done) so I can graduate!  Plus she won't have to go to day care!  I can't hardly wait for my mom to keep our sweet little girl!  Please pray for my mom and dad as they adjust their finances and change around some of their bills so my mom can stay home! 

Please continue to pray for us.  I have a very stressful time coming with all of the demands of school (though they are less than I thought!) and I hope my body and baby cooperate, because I am so close to graduation!  If I can stay healthy and able to work, I know it will all work out.  If anything unforseen happens, like bedrest, etc, I know God will take care of it, but I know I will struggle with the details.  Please pray specifically that the times my teacher sets for testing work with my packed schedule.  I asked her about it and her answer was, "if you are at work or clinical just take the test on your lunch break."  I'm a very stressed test taker, so trying to take a test on my 30 minute lunch break will probably put me into labor!  Please pray for Steve, I know living with me right now is NOT easy!  I'm a big stressed out hormonal woman!

I'm excited for this weekend.  Laura, my sweet sister in law, is moving into my old dorm at ASU on Saturday, and since I can't do any homework that day (since I won't have seen a patient yet), I'm riding up with her to help!  I can't wait to buy Avery an ASU outfit!

Love,
Jen

Evidently, I've been a good girl this year...

Hello lovely readers!
Steve just brought me home a new laptop (completely unexpected!) and a Nikon D3000 (I've wanted it for a while!)!  I have wanted a DSLR for a few years but have been scared of learning how to use one!  My computer was very slow and not doing well, so a new computer will save me a lot of headaches...I can't hardly believe it!  My 27th birthday is tomorrow...not believing that either!  

27 will bring a lot of changes....finishing my masters degree, becoming a mommy, and perhaps moving out of state for Steve's job.  I couldn't be more excited! 

Now for the fun to begin...I have to learn how to use a DSLR...help!  I have always been interested in photography and have a "good eye" as they say...but I don't know anything about lenses, settings, etc.  I basically know how to point and shoot.  It will be a fun project to work on with little Avery while I'm off on maternity leave!  I will have a captive subject!

The laptop is a huge blessing.  I normally blog and shop, etc on my husband's laptop.  Mine takes over 5 minutes to turn on and boot up.  It also takes a long time to search and pull up documents, and frequently crashes.  I've complained about it randomly but never imagined he would get me a new one!  I don't know a lot about computers but Steve does and frequently is "tech support" for my mom and me.  I can't wait to figure out the camera and learn to edit pictures on it!

The best part is tomorrow is my actual birthday!  I'll be working 7-7 then having dinner with my parents, brother and sister in law, and Steve.  I get to pick where we go, and I'm thinking Olive Garden!  With these temperatures, salad sounds wonderful! 

Today I had lunch with my inlaws and extended family!  We had KFC and chocolate cake...yum!  Mary and Terry and Laura gave me $50 for me (to spend as I wish...preferably on a pedicure per Mary) and $150 to buy a gift from them for Avery.  Mary suggested a pack and play or a glider since mine is ugly :( and not fixed yet. 

This week should be fun, I am working Monday Wednesday and Saturday.  The Rhea Lana consignment sale is Tuesday in West Little Rock so I plan to go there to shop and hopefully find a good deal on some nursery necessities.  My first shower is next Sunday (at my house) so I have to clean up this week...we are having a yard sale on Saturday to whittle down some of our extra belongings to make lots of room for Avery! 

Church today was a blessing as always...I can't wait for God to show me an open door and instruct me on how to go through it to bless others!

Lots of love,
Jen

29 weeks and 5 days update!

Hello Lovely Readers!!

Pregnancy update
How far along? 29 weeks 5 day!

Total weight gain: 33 pounds so far....I only gained 2 lbs last month!  Yay me!  I never thought I would see 228 lbs on the scale...can't wait to lose it!

Maternity clothes?: Still loving the grey's anatomy scrubs!  Only wearing dresses....its been 104 and 107 degrees in Arkansas!

Sleep: I had a bad leg cramp on Saturday morning...I woke up screaming and Steve woke up and massaged it for me.  We both lay awake for a couple hours before we could go back to sleep....  My poor husband!  He thought something was horribly wrong!

Cravings: Food in general.  I am so hungry!  I'm kind of over mexican food because I almost got sick on Saturday night....she's starting to take up more room and I can't eat as fast as I am used to eating.

Best moment this week: Meeting mom at Babies R Us and working out a travel system with the very helpful Tim.  He took 3 strollers out to my car to see if they would fit in my trunk...my jogging stroller combo did NOT fit...and my trunk is very large!  We ended up with the Graco lemongrass stroller and Graco Snugride 32 carseat. 

Movement: Almost every day I feel her, Steve has felt her a few times....mom felt her this week too!

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: I've been having contractions at work and today at Walmart...I let my OB know and he said "take it easy."  Ha!  He has no idea who he is dealing with!  I can't sit still!

Belly Button in or out? In.....but stretching!

What I miss: Being able to move fast and not be in the way.  Working in the ER I often have to ask families to move because I can't get around the room with my belly!  I am really missing red wine right now because Steve is sitting next to me drinking it!

Weekly Wisdom: It might feel like a waste of money, but get a manicure once in a while.  I look down at my pretty nails and get a self esteem boost!  Also, when your drivers license is about to expire and you have a 3 month window to renew it, do it early if you are pregnant...I got mine today and the expiration date is Monday...I could have gotten it in June and not looked as fat!

Milestones: Buying a car seat and stroller, getting a sweet package from Nanny.  Nanny sent us a handmade pink blanket and I cried.  I have a similar one from when I was born.  She also sent us some sweet clothes and a Tennessee cheerleader outfit!  My sweet friend Tracy from Interventional brought me down some gorgeous pink and leopard baby clothes...I love them!

Favorite Moments:  Waking up this morning and realizing..I have the day off.  It didn't matter that I had to do errands all day....I was just so relieved to have the day off!  Opening the package from Nanny Saturday morning, getting my hair, nails, and toes done Saturday, and cooking dinner for Steve tonight.  I love being domestic and rarely have time!

School update:
I'm out....I paid my tuition and secured two preceptors for fall.  I took my drug test for school today.  I've turned in all my papers.  I cleaned out my notebook and got it ready for fall.  I go back August 18.  I'll be working on my portfolio this weekend...I can't wait to get it done!  I am nervous about getting all my hours done, but I'm going to try.  God has a plan!

Work update....I've worked 5 shifts and feel more comfortable every day.  It's hard to drink enough water and eat at a consistent time.  I hope Avery is doing ok in there...I've been walking so much she is never going to let me stop walking once she gets here!  She won't know what it is like to be still!

Love,
Jen