One Big Week!

As Austin put it, this past week was probably the biggest week of his life! No pressure or anything... haha Austin took both of his step one med school boards! I think the only people that can truly understand how stressful the past 6 months have been preparing for these tests, are those who have gone through this whole experience themselves. Austin worked his butt off, studied more than I have ever seen him study before, and I couldn't be more proud of the work he put in :) We will find out in a month or so his scores, and hopefully all of his hard work will have paid off.

This was Austin studying those last few days before his tests. I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that every day he would go down to the clubhouse to study because it meant he got free A/C. He had no problem setting up camp, kicking his shoes off, and basically making this place his home away from home haha

Friday night after Austin got done with his second test, we headed over to Scottsdale for a much needed date night :) We tried out a movie theater called Studio Movie Grill where they serve you food while you enjoy the movie. It really was a fun experience, and something different for a change. Unfortunately I went against my better judgement of getting pizza, and got pork tacos instead that didn't sit well in my stomach that night... but we still had a fun time relaxing and enjoying some time together.

Saturday morning Austin woke up with a huge smile on his face realizing he no longer had to study, but had time to do whatever his heart desired. I joked that Austin isn't going to know what to do with himself, and needs to find a hobby! A few hours later Austin told me that he wanted to go check out a car down in Gilbert. He had been emailing a few people over the past two weeks trying to find us something more baby appropriate because let's face it, a baby in a baby bug just don't really work :) After some test driving, and tough negotiating, we got ourselves a 2010 Camery!! We were very excited seeing as this is the nicest car either of us have ever had. It was kind of nerve racking putting your trust in someone else not to sell you a crap car, but with a lot of help from Austin's dad Wade I think we made a good decision. Plus Austin and his dad now have matching cars haha

We made it back to Glendale just in time to host a little celebration pool party at our apartment with all our friends! It was so fun seeing the boys relaxed and hanging out, while the wives had some much needed girl time :)

It never really hit me until last night how long this past year has been. As Austin and I were talking about what we are going to do together over the next two weeks, I realized that I had forgotten what it was like to have a husband to do things with! We have been so blessed with awesome friends, and family who helped us get through this past year. Now we get to enjoy a few more weeks of Austin and Jackie time before we welcome the arrival of a little one to the fam!

10 More to Go! (Weeks)

We have made it to the 30 week mark! That means we only have 10 more to go! Maybe more like 9/8 if this baby really wants to make mom and dad happy haha because at this point in the pregnancy... time is starting to stand still. I can't get over how stretched out my belly feels all the time, and yet I still have to get bigger! I answered these questions back at 20 weeks so I figured I would answer them again now that we are at 30 weeks. 

How far along? 30 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 20 lbs...
Maternity clothes? Yes some. I can only wear maternity pants, but I don't really like the maternity tops so I just go up a size in regular stores or find flowy tops :)
Stretch marks? I haven't seen any.. but then again I am starting to have a hard time seeing all sides of my belly haha And I use lots of stretch mark lotion to keep them away! 
Sleep: Just alright. I usually wake up a few times in the night to go to the bathroom or because I am so uncomfortable. 
Best moment this week: Going to the doctors and hearing that things look good! 
Miss Anything? I really really miss sleeping, or laying on my stomach. Also I'm starting to miss my normal clothes. 
Movement: All the time. He is breached so I don't feel painful kicks as much. More like I look down at my stomach and see his head bulging out! Kind of freaks me out sometimes haha 
Food cravings: Cereal, breakfast foods, pizza and anything cold. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really... 
Have you started to show yet: Oh yes!  
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? More like stretched out... no longer a belly button at all haha 
Wedding rings on or off? On for most of the day, but as it gets hotter I can feel it getting tighter. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy :) sometimes moody when my stretched out skin is hurting. 
Looking forward to:  Meeting this boy already! Although I know he still has lots of growing and developing to do... also looking forward to Austin being done with boards so we can start organizing/putting his room together.

When I got home from my Texas trip I had lots of presents waiting for me! More like lots of presents for Paxton (yes I think we have finally decided on a name!) As Austin was putting the stroller together the other night he said, "This is the first of many things I will be building for my little boy :)" so I snapped a few pics to remember. 

 Taking it for a test drive! 

I think we have almost all of the big stuff now! All that is left is a crib and some of the smaller things. Oh please let these next 10 weeks fly by! haha 

When Your Husband Studies for Boards...

You go to Texas! That is exactly what I have been doing these past two weeks. Hanging out with the fam in Texas, while Austin works his butt off to do well on the boards!! Some of my friends are still gone because they left for the whole month, but I knew Austin wouldn't be able to last that long with me gone ;) Here are a few things I did back in the Lone Star State....

I think my family wanted to make sure this little boy comes into the world right... as a true lover of Texas :) 

My mom's friend Marie had these cute hats made for me! Last time I was out in April, I was showing her some of the ones I loved. She found pictures of two of them to copy, and they turned out perfect!! We are so excited to use them in his newborn pictures :) 

And even though he already has tons of baby clothes, my mom just couldn't resist getting a few more haha 

 I had seen this craft on Pinterest to make 4th of July paper stars, so I did a little test run for my mom. I plan on making some for our house now that I'm back. 

 My family was invited over to a ward friends house for a Memorial Day Barbecue and swim party. I did feel really bad that day knowing that most everyone was out enjoying the holiday, while Austin was stuck in a library back in Arizona. I just had to keep reminding him that one day these sacrifices will pay off :) 

My mom and I also spent a few days at our community pool trying to get our little man to turn over. He is breached, and the doctor said bouncing around in the water might help. I kind of felt like a dork just bouncing all around the pool but that's ok hahah Gotta do what you gotta do!

 Also while I was there, Jessica was asked to create a poster for someones graduation party. We stopped by Party City to pick up a few things, but kind of got distracted along the way... 

 For a few days my mom was on the hunt to find some "Tiffany Blue" nail polish. We finally found the color, but I also wanted my nails to be pink. Hence the two tone nails.. haha Most people have told me they aren't a fan, but I like them :) 

 I flew out a few days before my dad had to go in for some surgery on his nose. This picture was after it was all said and done. He's had this surgery before, so luckily it wasn't as bad as before and he was able to recover fast :D

 On my last day in Texas, my mom really wanted to go to the Kimball Art Museum and see the exhibit on Impressionism. I wrote a paper on Impressionism my last year at BYU. Unfortunately I didn't really remember much, but I can say the art work was a lot more impressive in person. Something I wasn't overly excited to see turned out to be really fun!  

I really am soooo appreciative of my family letting me follow them around for two weeks. It was hard being away from Austin for that long, but I know it helped him and me out a lot! I wasn't lonely at home, and he was able to put in some long hard hours of work. Now that I'm back I feel like I'm a constant distraction, but Austin reassures me that I'm not haha. We are both hoping and praying that these sacrifices will pay off when he takes his tests in two weeks!