NASH UPDATE!

My little man was 6 months old on Monday! I can't believe how fast time flies. It seems like yesterday I was just waddling around with that kid pushing on my sciatic nerve and kicking the heck out of me. I guess I'll start with his stats:

Weight- 17.5 lbs (49th %ile)
Height- 25.5 in (85th %ile)
Head..................................................... 93rd %ile

It's a good thing Nash is stinkin adorable with that big ol' jug head of his. I'm not sure how many of you know this, but he's had some issues with his neck and head. He was born with Congenital Torticollis. His right SCM (sternocleidomastoid) muscle in his neck is much too strong. Basically, one side of his neck is stronger than the other....like....way stronger. The SCM is supposed to be like a ribbon, but the one on Nash's right side is more tube like because he was positioned weird in the womb. The fix for this one is actually botox to relax the muscle, and allow the other side to strengthen. Unfortunately this condition also affected his head because when he was born he had a massive  flat spot on the back left side of his head. Fancy term for that one: Plagiocephaly

We have been taking him to Physical Therapy for about 4 months now to work on his neck. About a month ago we went in and his head measurements had been reduced to a measurement of 3mm, which is generally the end goal for working with Plagiocephaly. This number represents the difference between two angular measures on his head. The Physical Therapist told us to keep stretching him and hopefully the next appointment would be our last.

Well, it wasn't. We showed up again and his measurement was back up to 6 mm (insurance usually pays for a helmet at 8mm). Since his head has gotten worse, we are going to meet with some specialists to see if he will qualify for a helmet to fix his head.

This is how my week looks next week:

Monday: Physical Therapy (a.k.a. Nash screaming while we stretch his neck)
Tuesday: Meeting with Rocky Mountain Artificial Limb and Brace for a helmet consultation
Wednesday: Trip to Salt Lake for a consultation with Utah Neuro Rehabilitation about the botox

None of this is super serious, but it's definitely taken up some of our time. I'm just glad my little man won't remember being in an embarrassing helmet for a few months :)

Here are some other happenings in my little man's life:
-Nash sleeps for about 10 hours every night (he goes down super easy)
-He takes 2 naps a day for an average of about 1.5 hrs each
-He had his first baby food last week! (he LOVES sweet potatoes)
-He has two super sharp teeth! (We didn't even know he was teething until we saw them in his mouth)
-He can roll over and almost sit up (still no army crawling yet)
-Nash loves people with dark skin! I know that sounds weird, but any time he sees someone with darker
      skin he just smiles and smiles while my blonde friends just get blank stares. Maybe he'll marry a girl with
      beautiful dark skin and I'll have gorgeous grandchildren?

A Little Tree

As I cuddled with my little boy at 3:00 am, I couldn't help but stare at him in awe. What a miracle he is, and to think it all started from little more than a couple of cells. I stared at him for a long time, carefully examining his features: his chunky cheeks, his little nose, and his slightly stuffy breathing. It made me realize, how could anybody not love something so pure?

My mind then jumped to the oh-so-controversial debates these days about when a human actually becomes a human. I immediately pictured a tree in my mind.

Trees are not always big and beautiful. They take years and years to grow into something magnificent. They can become shade, a place to study, a place to play, a place to build on, and even a home for many creatures; but how do they start out? As a seed. They start as nothing but a simple, tiny seed. If we took that seed and crushed it, did we just kill a tree? Maybe by definition we did not, but we did kill it's potential. We killed that little seeds potential to enrich somebody's life, to provide shade in the heat of day, to look gorgeous in a back yard. More importantly, we killed the opportunity that seed had to become something living and growing. We took away the most precious gift we could; the gift of life.

I have heard some people say that it is okay to kill a young tree because the environment it would have been in was too terrible a place. No matter the conditions, that tree still has the opportunity to provide oxygen for us. It still has the opportunity to nest tiny creatures and to belong to a struggling, yet beautiful world. To take away a tree's potential is crueler than to let it live in a damaged garden.

Is it sometimes necessary to get rid of a tree? Yes. Sometimes they are planted after a fierce storm carried the seed to somewhere that it did not belong. Sometimes they can grow into the foundation of a home and destroy that home. However, why would you intentionally plant a seed if you do not want a tree? If you are not ready to water the tree, protect it from the wind and insects, trim back the branches; then do not plant the seed. Use caution as a gardener, because once you plant a seed it is yours to care for.

I came to the conclusion that it is not the here and now that matters. It is what can be, and what should be. When we look at others, we should look at their potential rather than their simpleness in the present.

8 Reasons Why Babies are Actually the Best

1. They make funny sounds

• farts
• poop
• coos
• coughs
• whistling boogers that you can do nothing about
• half-giggles
• sneezes are the best

2. They are genuine

• they don't care if their hands are in extremely awkward places
• they have double-chins most of the time
• they look incredibly hilarious when falling asleep

3. They are so sweet

• they smile all the time
• seeing Mom makes them happy
• they can't help but steal your heart
• all they really want to do is eat

4. They aren't picky

• they eat their feet
• they eat their hands
• they eat toys
• they eat clothes and blankets
• they eat electronics
• really, anything makes them happy

5. They are easily entertained

• they love hands
• they love feet
• they love Mom
• they love Dad
• they love bathtime
• they love toys

6. I doesn't take much to please them

• This is crude, and you can blame my father. He is a wise man when it comes to babies:
• "All they need is a little bit of pitty and a whole lot of titty"
• Yeah.... 

7. They make you happy

• No matter how tired I am, picking up my little boy puts a smile on my face and a peaceful feeling in my heart.

8. They make you love your spouse so much more than you did before. 

• People say they want to get to know their spouse more before having children. Well here's the truth: nothing helps you grow as a couple as much as dealing with pregnancy and a baby. A pregnant woman is not something to be trifled with, and my husband was so amazing at serving me and helping me through it all. What is even more amazing is watching my husband care for and support our child. He is so gentle with him, and helps me with whatever he can in taking care of Nash. I didn't know just how much I lucked out until I saw Lendel with my litlle boy.

Lessons Learned in Utah

I was a little nervous about moving to Utah, but I wasn't really prepared for what I've encountered. Sadly, I have discovered that Utah is not so much the land of milk and honey, but rather the land of pyramid schemes, plastic surgery, and an extreme competition for the title of "Best House-wife on the Planet".

Here are some myths that have somehow worked their way into the minds of Utah women.

#1 FAKE wins all in Utah

• I'm pretty sure Utah is right behind Hollywood when it comes to the amount of...shall we say... Fakeness? Fake eyelashes, fake body parts, fake tan, fake blonde hair, fake nails, fake EVERYTHING!!!!! Why is everyone trying to hide their natural beauty?

• I believe that women should take care of themselves. We should take care of our bodies, put on a little makeup, do our hair, and look presentable. Be careful though girls, we are meant to enhance our natural beauty, not murderously drown it.

#2 You aren't a cool kid unless you run marathons.

• Now don't get me wrong, I applaud anyone who has the guts to go run until their feet bleed; but I just don't see what the big deal is. Everyone that runs a marathon puts a big sticker on the back of their car. I mean....pregnancy is kind of like a marathon right? And the last leg of that race is not one everyone could handle. You don't see me putting a sticker on the back of my car that says, "Hey! I pushed a baby out of me! (insert completion date here)".
•  Yup....this is basically how I feel:

#3 Pyramid Schemes are the only way to make money.

• Puh-lease! I'm so tired of all this garbage. The worst one? OILS. I understand that natural remedies are amazing, and can help with tons of things. However, don't you think doctors would be using them regularly if they cured cancer? 

#4 Unless you are making EVERYTHING homemade, you fail as a wife and mother.

• Let's see who can pack the cutest lunches, make the most homemade wipes, make their own laundry soap, decorate purely from old stuff found at the DI, make the best pinterest meals, sew the greatest stuff. I mean...soon we'll all be making our make-up from household kitchen products and finding cheaper ways of wiping ourselves in the bathroom! 

• Face reality ladies, life is hectic. It's OKAY if you aren't the perfect wife and mother. Messes happen, laundry doesn't get folded, and sometimes we have to spend money on things because we just don't have enough time to make it ourselves. Life will go on.

I love Logan. This is where my family is. It is here that I have received my college education, and have made so many good friends. It just breaks my heart to see so many women succumb to the idea that unless you are the best at everything, you are worthless. We women are precious. No matter what you do, someone will always be better than you. Forget about it. Enjoy the things you do because they make you happy, not because they will make you look better than someone else.

NASH'S ROOM!

When you move into your new apartment 4 days before you have a baby.... it takes a while to get the nursery done! All I have left to do is finish the "NASH" sign and hang it. I have my awesome Mom and my amazing aunts to thank for all the help! I love it :)

Nash Lendel Jeppesen

Nash joined us on June 9th at 11:39 am. He weighed 7 lbs even and was 20 inches long. He has lots and lots of dark hair, and from what I've been told, looks a lot like his Daddy. He definitely got Lendel's coloring, which I'm grateful for because he has beautiful olive skin.

We had his 2 week check-up yesterday, even though he was 3 1/2 weeks. He was great for his PKU test and only cried a little bit when they pricked his heel to draw blood. These are his stats:

• Weight: 8 lbs 13 oz which puts him in the 33rd %ile
• Head: 14 in which is the 55th %ile
• Height: 21.75 in which is the 70th %ile

Our little boy is tall and skinny with a normal head! Yay he's turning out to be fairly normal! He does have Torticollis, a condition in which one side of his neck is stronger than the other. We can't get rid of the flat spot on his left side because that's the only side he lays on because it's more comfortable. He just has to go to a little physical therapy and the doctor said his head will straighten out within a month or two! 

Nash eats great and is a really calm baby. He usually sleeps about 4 hours, but occasionally we'll get lucky and he'll go for 6 or 7 hour stretches. (Last night was one of those so I am feeling great today!) No matter when he eats at night he is always awake bright and early so he's going to make me a morning person I suppose... bummer. Here are some of my favorite pictures of our little guy!

He is starting to smile so much!

Melts my heart :)

He loves his Daddy 

Getting measured at the Dr 

Bath Time!

The Things I've Learned....

Well, obviously a lot has changed in my life in the last month! I've got a lot of catching up to do, but I'll start with a list of random things that I've come to realize since having our sweet little baby:

1. You lose absolutely all dignity when you have a child. After being ... checked... by multiple people, having to be helped when you pee, being spread-eagle for quite a few hours, and having someone watch you feed your baby... all pride is gone. I say Bless Your Souls Nurses! I have a new-found respect for all the medical personnel out there...

2. Forget the car, phone, light bulb, atomic bomb, etc... EPIDURALS ARE THE GREATEST INVENTION OF ALL TIME! We checked in the hospital at 2:00 and I had that sucker by 3:00. I wasn't playing any games!

3. Closely following the Epidural comes the disposable diaper. My gratitude for these grows exponentially each time this little angel of mine has a major blow-out. All I can say is.... "ugggghhhh" *shutter*

4. It is a wise decision to make sure that internet and TV are set up before you bring the baby home. After working or going to school, or both most of the time; sitting all day long with just a baby as company can get pretty boring. I'm like a lonely puppy at home all day and just wait by the door for when Lendel finally comes home!

5. My mother is an absolute LIFESAVER!!! She came out and stayed with me for a week after we had Nash, and she helped me out so much! I couldn't walk... or sit down for that matter... for about a week, so having her out here was the best thing ever.

6. Post-Pregnancy Bodies are..... different. It's pretty hard to look in the mirror and see what I see, but I just have to tell myself it was worth it; which it totally was. I've still got 20 lbs to go, and about these stretch marks.... yeah not sure when they will go away! Pants have become my new arch-nemesis =/

7. My husband is the greatest guy ever! He's so good with Nash, and he helps me out whenever I need it. I'll admit, he's a bit pathetic late at night when he's tired, but I still love him ;) I always tell Lendel I don't want him to go to work, but I'm grateful he's working so hard for us.

8. A Baby's smile is the most beautiful thing in the world! Nash has just started smiling a lot and it melts my heart every time. He even makes the cute little 'cooing' sounds, which just adds to it. Of course when he does this I become one of those embarrassing parents: making ridiculous faces and talking in a high-pitched voice. Judge me all you want... remember I have no shame anymore!

That's really all I can think of for now... I'll post some more pictures and what-not within the next few days as I gather my thoughts.

Ultimate Nesting

-FULL TERM- That's right.... I am now officially considered full term. Although my due date is still three weeks away, I already packed our hospital bags. One reason: I love packing. Weird right? Oh well.... I do love it. The other reason I already packed is because we are moving this weekend. Since I am so close to my due date and progressing quite rapidly, the last thing I want is to go into labor in the middle of a move. We will keep the bags in an easy place to grab and be a lot less stressed when this baby does come. Also, what better way to "nest" than to organize a completely new apartment!? I'm super excited about that part :)

Yes....you can call me obsessed!

Lendel's snacks. He can't go long without food....

All the baby stuff! These are some necessities that I've found on random blogs and what-not. I am more than willing to hear any ideas from Mommies out there who have other excellent ideas for the baby's bag....or my bag for that matter :)

This is Baby's bag all packed! (Lendel doesn't like that I refer to him as "Baby", but seeing as we aren't 100% sure what we are naming him, what else am I supposed to call him?)

Unfortunately, my ability to control my stress levels has decreased a ton. I've found myself having quite a few anxiety attacks the last few weeks when I get stressed out. Last night I was starting to panic about how we are going to get everything moved, and I was being somewhat grumpy towards Lendel. In my defense, he was having some fun with it and teasing me. He finally ran to the store to grab a few last-minute items for our dinner. (Apparently in Lendel's world you CANNOT eat beef enchiladas without sour cream). I was about in tears when he left, and when he came back, he had this in his hand:

Yup. Oreos and a Mini Rose plant. Of course I immediately started crying and apologized for being grumpy towards him. I'm pregnant OK!? Cut me some slack! What a sweet guy I've got. 

P.S. I still have my belly button! Hallelujah! 

A Wonderful Weekend

This weekend was fantastic! I had a great day on Saturday just going to random shops with Lendel. We also stopped at A&W to grab a bite to eat and a root beer float. Since every single date of ours has to be followed by ice cream for me, it worked nicely to get them both at the same time. I was on my feet more than usual so they puffed up quite a bit by the end of the night. Good thing Lendel is amazing at foot rubs! Here are some pictures to sum up my weekend:

This is my BEAUTIFUL Mom that I love so much! She's the greatest Mom around, and definitely doesn't look old enough to be a Grandma. I can't wait to see her when this baby comes! Since I didn't shout her out on Facebook like everyone else did for their Mom's, it's her turn for that now :)

Lendel surprised me with a watch for Mother's Day and I love it! I was exhausted, and didn't even realize he had snuck it under my phone before my alarm went off. I simply grabbed my phone and turned off the alarm, then went back to bed. He decided to text me to get my attention again, and I told my phone to "shut up" before I realized it was a text. Once I read the text, I realized there was a box on my nightstand that I hadn't noticed before. Sorry I'm so lame Lendel!

We got to talk to this great guy yesterday!  My brother Kyle has been on a mission in England since March of last year. Notice his name tag is in Chinese, but his mission is English-speaking. He spends a lot of time up by the university in York, where there are a ton of Chinese people. He's such a great kid! He's so nice, and never says anything bad about any of his companions, or the people he meets. It says a lot about a person when they can get along with just about anyone, and not complain about all the crazies you can meet when serving a mission. I sure do miss him! Our little boy will be almost 8 months old when Kyle gets back, but he's going to be an amazing uncle.

Ha! I just had to add this picture. This is a snapshot we got of him as he was telling us that he's received tons of care packages with toothbrushes in them. He said,"I think everyone is trying to tell me I need to brush my teeth more". What a funny kid he is.

Getting There...

We had our first real weekly appointment today. For those of you who don't know what they do for these, let's just say they do some measuring. I am already at 2 cm and 70% effaced. Again, if you don't know what that means.... don't go look it up. If you do know what it means, you are probably a woman who has had a child and this won't gross you out :) Basically... I'm already starting the first stages of labor! I was fairly surprised when my doctor threw out those numbers because I'm only at 35 weeks. I was a little worried it meant this little man would come early, but she said she still expects him to come at 39-40 weeks. She also estimated him to weigh in at about 7 to 7.5 lbs at delivery. Glorious day! He won't be gigantic!

Lendel and I both had to resist cracking up while she was checking some things out because she kept saying, "Oh you have a wonderful pelvis" and "This looks great, your pelvis is fantastic". In normal words: I GOT ME SOME GOOD CHILD-BEARIN' HIPS! Hahaha sweet....

I bought some decorations for his room yesterday, and I got so excited! Now I just need to hurry up and move so I can set up his room. Yes.... we've decided to move. We found a great place that is still really cheap and sooooo much bigger so we decided to go for it.

Graduation was on Saturday, and I am officially a college graduate with a Bachelors in Exercise Science and a Minor in Psychology. It doesn't seem real yet, but I guess it will when Lendel has to go back to school and I get to stay home with Baby :)

On Sunday, we were sitting in a meeting and Lendel leaned over to me and asked, "How long has it been since you've seen your Dad?". I started bawling. Man I miss my family, but especially my Dad. It's been about six months since I have seen him and it's just not right! I can't wait for them to come out and visit when Baby is born. I love my parents and my brothers and my sister. I also love my in-laws. I know... that can be a rare thing, but I really do have the best family on both sides.

VAMPIRE! Sort Of....

"I WANT GRILLED TERYAKI CHICKEN AND I WANT IT NOW!!! and some rice and broccoli stir fry... "
Yep... that's the text message I just sent my husband. Lendel thinks it's funny.... I think it's miserable. For those of you who have read the Twilight series, you will understand this comparison, but those who haven't: don't judge me I was in high school when I read them! I feel like the vampires do when they describe how it is to first be turned into a vampire. It's described as a "burning" feeling in your throat that just can't be satisfied! Having an intense craving when pregnant feels like if you don't get that food item right at the moment, you could probably punch a hole in a cinder block wall. So.... I feel like a vampire. Except I don't want blood (eww) and I could easily drive down the road to Panda Express, but I'm too lazy to do that (also due to pregnancy).

I think it's safe to say I'm reaching that "Oh man please just hurry up and get out of me...but not too soon because you wouldn't be ready and I would be scared for you...but as soon as possible!" phase of pregnancy. This whole time I have received numerous compliments on how I don't look "as pregnant" as I really am. Honestly, I have loved it! What waddling pregnant woman wouldn't love being told she looked small? Especially when sitting in a small bathtub makes you feel like a hippo... However, the last few days, I have received at least 4 comments along the lines of, "Wow Nicole! You've gotten a lot bigger!" Granted I'm not offended, but I really did enjoy the "small" comments. It's like this little baby is saying, "Ha Mom! You just thought I was going to play nice! But now I'm going to sit in a position that makes you look gigantic and put extra pressure on your sciatic nerve!" What a punk... good thing I love him.

Only 6 more weeks!

[*cOuNtDoWn!*]

We had another ultrasound today to check on our Boy's big ol' head! Luckily for us: His head is measuring normal!!! He weighs 4 lbs 11 oz and all of his measurements were around the 50th %ile. Surprisingly enough his femur was higher on the charts than all his other body parts. Could we possibly have a tall child on our hands? I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Lendel and I are both the smallest children in our families, but our siblings are quite.... large. Lendel has also been teasing me this whole time that "it might actually be a girl". The ultrasound tech overheard us and did a check.... don't worry.... He's still a HE!

Unfortunately, baby Boy was too big and his head was really far down so we didn't get any cute face pictures. I was really looking forward to some profiles of his face, but in 7 weeks time we will know what he looks like! All I can think about now is this little guy. Lendel and I both love him so much already, and we haven't even been able to hold him yet! 

I've seen a couple friends track some of their pregnancy facts and I think it's a good idea. Here are some random facts about my pregnancy:

-Weight gain: 30 lbs thus far. Let's hope it doesn't get to be much more...

-Stretch marks: on my sides, but luckily none on the front of my belly

-Belly button: still exists! I may not get an outtie after all!

-Favorite Smell: Johnsons all over baby wash. Oh my gosh! I could walk aroung smelling that stuff all day long. I got 4 bottles from my showers and it's a dang good thing I did.

-Weird Dislikes: dirty dishes, onion breath (Lendel is aware that if he eats onions I won't go near him for 2 days), some people.... haha I really am a bit more easily annoyed nowadays so I do apologize to anyone that feels that!

That's all I can think of :) I'm sure there's much, much more but it's not coming to my mind right now. I can't wait to meet this little man!

Spring! Glorious Spring!

My brain is super scattered about what's going on in my life, so I'm just going to make a list of my top 10 thoughts. Again, it's a really long post.... sorry! 

1. Warm Weather!!!!!!!!! (Haha sorry all you Colorado people that are just enduring tremendous bursts of wind.... I really don't envy you)

2. Only 32 days until I graduate from college..... and only 10 weeks until I have this baby!

3. I had a fantastic time with my Mom and Sister last week, but it also made me sad that I live so far away from them. I realized the other day that my Dad won't really even get to see me pregnant. Last time we went down there I was only 16 weeks along and not really showing, but next time I see him I will have a baby. Shoot.... now I'm crying.... curse these hormones!

4. Baby Boy is really starting to hurt me! I don't know what position he is in right now but some part of him keeps jabbing into my lower left side and boy does it hurt. He's only 3 lbs right now, so I'm a little nervous to see what he can do when he's 6 lbs!

5. We got a whole lot more money in tax returns than we thought we would! The Lord sure is looking out for us and our little guy, because that extra money just guaranteed our financial security while I'm on maternity leave. 

6. Although my goal is to be a stay-at-home Mom, I will be working for the next few years to put Lendel through school. It doesn't really bother me to do so though because my baby will always have one of his parents with him. I'm also glad that Lendel is going to get some great bonding experience with our little guy while I'm at work. He's going to be such an amazing Dad. I don't know how I got such a good guy.

7. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am SOOOOOOO glad that Utah State will not really be turning into BYU-Logan. 

8. I have accepted the fact that my apartment is small, but other people do it and so can I!!! (self motivation really works you see.... I just have to keep telling myself that)

9. I am an epic failure when it comes to April Fools jokes on Lendel. Yesterday I set traps up over our entire apartment including: setting the TV to loudest volume and turning it off for him to discover, putting food coloring in everything I could think of in our Fridge, taping the faucet so it sprayed on him, duck taping the toilet seat shut, and putting bowls of water at the tops of doors. Basically nothing worked, and if it did, he didn't give the response I wanted. Boo on Lendel for being no fun at all to pull pranks on!

10. I'm so sick of my hair and my face. My hair is doing weird things, and my skin is breaking out. Just a couple of things to add to the ridiculously long list of things that make you feel ugly when pregnant. Luckily I have a husband who tells me I'm still beautiful, and I know he really thinks so, although I'm starting to think maybe he just needs an eye check up...

Oh! I also wanted to send a huge shout out to those of you who came to my Baby shower. I have the best friends and family and I loved everything I got! Even more so, thanks to my great friend Hillary for throwing the best parties around! She is so talented in so many ways, and if you ever need pictures done, she's also an awesome photographer :) Her blog is titled "hillarymuelleckphotography" and you should probably check it out!

3rd Trimester!

Today is the day that marks the 3rd trimester for me! Only 12 more weeks to go until we have this little guy with us :) [13 max if I follow the trends of all my cousins and go a week overdue.... I'm really hoping this doesn't happen.]

Pretty much all I do anymore is NEST! For those of you who don't know what that is, it's the constant preparation of the home for baby to come. I am constantly planning and organizing where everything is going to go, and yes, decorations are included. I can't focus on school at all anymore!

I had a check up yesterday and my belly is measuring right on track, along with my weight gain (Hallelujah!). His heart rate was at 140 bpm and everything is looking good. I took the glucose test, and lucky for me I couldn't taste it. My husband was kind enough to pass on his cold to me right at the end of spring break. I have never had to call in sick for a cold, but man this one is a killer! Apparently pregnant women's immune systems are in the same category as the immune system of someone with AIDS.... awesome =/ Good thing I can take my go-to drug, Mucinex. I still sound like a stuffed up fool whenever I talk though.

Yesterday I had my insurance benefits meeting with my company reps. Here's a little math for you:

•  We make around $2000 a month
• Our rent is $515 a month
• INSURANCE IS GOING TO BE $415 A MONTH!!!

Yep, that's right. Not to mention the fact that the deductible went up from $3000 to $5000 from last year, and the total out-of-pocket expenses went from $5000 to $9000.

Thank you very much Obamacare....NOT! We made the decision to be self-reliant and get our own insurance instead of using medicaid, and now pretty much we are being punished for that decision. Boy was Lendel angry when he saw those numbers! We can afford it, but goodbye extra savings for a while! Luckily we have been blessed greatly thus far in our marriage financially and we will be able to handle it, but it just sickens me to know I could put $10,000 toward medical expenses before my insurance even kicks in. Better safe than sorry right? 

Other than the stress of insurance, all is well in the Jeppesen home. 

Oh... P.S.

If you ask me what I'm going to name my child and I don't tell you, don't be offended. Everybody else has pretty much annoyed the heck out of me by putting in their opinions of what I should and shouldn't name my baby. Lesson learned: We won't even be mentioning ideas with the next kid :)

Crafty-Crafts!

My craft side has decided to show up all of the sudden. I've been able to hold off for most of my schooling because I knew I would lose control and just want to do projects all the time! I'm taking an introductory sewing class at USU because I wanted some easy credits for my last semester, and I am loving it! My Mom and Grandma are amazing seamstresses, but neither are close enough to show me all the cool tricks on my sewing machine that my awesome in-laws gave me.

Here are a couple of pillows I made yesterday :) the long one is sewn shut and just stuffed with filling, but the square one has a zipper (that's way too small) and is a pillow cover. It was my first time sewing a zipper and it didn't turn out too bad! I had fun making them too!

Don't mind how crooked the clock looks, it's just the angle I took the picture at!

Yes, our couch is ugly navy blue. Oh well, we're poor college students and love it anyway!

Lucky for me I have pretty much the same color scheme in my bedroom and living room so I have one in each room. Now I just have all these to get done:

• Apron
• Car seat cover
• Car seat blanket
• Nursing cover
• Baby quilt
• Curtains for baby room

Oh so many projects so do.... I can't wait to be done with school!

Decisions, Decisions!

It seems like all my life is made up of lately is decisions! I have quite a few decisions already made that I know for a fact will not change:

1.) I am marching into that hospital, getting an epidural and any other drugs they offer me, and delivering my baby in a delivery room. (This may sound odd, but I have had tons of people ask me what kind of childbirth I was doing.) Here are my reasons:

• I was not born a dolphin, so why would I have a baby in the water??? Ha.... just my personal opinion :)
• Medicine is a brilliant thing, and if that epidural can make it so I'm not cussing my husband during labor, why not!?
• I would rather be surrounded by a staff of nurses and doctors with plenty of hospital equipment than just one midwife at home. What if something goes wrong?
• These are just my thoughts :) I obviously don't think anyone is crazy for doing natural childbirth (ok maybe just a bit), but I just don't want to go there!

2.) I am most likely going to stick with disposable diapers. 

• I have run the numbers and for me personally, it is totally worth it to spend money on disposables! I know a lot of mother's who love cloth diapers, but if it costs me $20 extra a month to not have to rinse poop down my sink or in my toilet, I'll take it :)

3.) We won't be moving into a house just yet....

• We have actually been looking, and even been to see a mortgage guy, but sadly we would have NO money left over at the end of the month in case something happened.
• Renting is great right!? Right? 
• Who am I kidding.... renting sucks. Oh well, if you can't afford it, you can't afford it :)

And here are some decisions I still have to make:

1.) Do we stay in Aggie Village?

• We could save the most money that way
• A townhome would end up costing us $80 more a month than AV
• Wouldn't that be worth it to have a dishwasher, extra bathroom, AND my dryer INSIDE my house??? Not to mention almost 300 sq ft of extra space...
• Ugh.... this is a tough one

2.) What colors am I going to do this little guys room in!?

• I'm thinking of Gray, Orange, and Cream. I want to go with a very vintage, clean look. I would love a room with mostly light colors, and tiny pops of a vintage orange color. Good thing my Mom and Aunts are pros at interior decorating!

Wow, that's pretty much it. This post really did help me organize my mind (which is a hard thing to do when you have prego brain). Excel has been my best friend lately because I have been making so many charts to figure out our finances. This baby is not really going to cost that much more for us. Hallelujah! Can't wait for this little guy to join us :)

Let the Shopping Begin!!!!

Well everyone, I was dead wrong my entire pregnancy! It's a BOY! Oddly enough, it feels so right to know that he is a he, even though I thought he was a she! Lendel said I couldn't post any pictures of the proof, but trust us; it's definitely a BOY :) I do admit I teared up a bit when I caught the first glimpse of his profile. Even though he is still a bit alien-ish, he is just adorable! It makes it all so much more real, and I love him so much already!

I've been asking Lendel this entire time what he wanted, but he always said he didn't care and would be happy with either gender. However, when the ultrasound tech confirmed that it was indeed a boy, Lendel did the Nacho Libre fist and yelled, "YES!". I looked at him and said, "I thought you didn't care?". Ha I guess it's just an inherent wish for a guy to have a little boy first.

For those of you who aren't from my hometown, you may not realize that my Dad's side of the family is notorious for having umm..... extremely large heads. Well, our little guy got it! The tech looked a little nervous at first and said, "Umm.... his head is kind of big". We both laughed and asked how big. "Realllly big", was the response we got. Yup, our baby's head is in the 90th %ile!  Hahaha oh we laughed so hard! We actually get another ultrasound because his head is measuring 2 weeks ahead. There is nothing to worry about, they just want to track his growth. He weighed in at 13 oz (2 oz heavier than he should be because of the head). All else was in great condition :)

That is pretty much the exciting stuff... Oh, except for the fact we found out our scale is off by 5 lbs. So, I've gained almost 15 lbs since I got pregnant, and Lendel has gained just as much! He was a bit distraught this morning when he stepped on the scale and saw the number. Maybe I should stop letting him have half of my milkshake every night? Ha.... oh Lendel :)

And... here is a picture of the little guy! You can definitely tell his head is big, but still! His little nose and mouth just make me melt! (And P.S. that is totally the umbilical cord, so worry not)

We are so excited! I already have all the colors for the room picked out (much to Lendel's dismay) and can't wait to finally start shopping for all kinds of cute stuff!

The Best of Times....

Well this week has been one of mixed emotions indeed. We had an absolutely grand time visiting my family in Colorado. I always love visiting, but Lendel hit the jackpot this time! The first night we were there he got a pistol for Christmas from my parents, and then ate 2 1/2 steaks for dinner. Spoiled much? I think so....   We went sledding and played a lot of games with my family (I am awful at Monopoly), and Lendel probably played about 40 hours of Halo and Call of Duty with my Dad and Brother. I am SO glad we don't have video games here ;) I loved spending time with my family, and realized just how much I appreciate them. It was odd without Kyle, who is serving in England, but it was still great to relax with the family. Of course when we left I cried, I always do.

We got some sad news the day we left for Utah. My grandpa Mortensen was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a couple months ago, and on Wednesday he took a turn for the worse. When we got into Utah on Thursday night we went straight to my grandparents house to see him. Unfortunately he was not responsive, but at least that meant they had managed the pain enough for him to sleep. That night Lendel cleaned my grandparents entire kitchen while I watched kids and my aunts took care of my Grandpa. He is such a great guy, and I sure do love him. We took all of my cousins home that night and watched them for my aunts. We played Mommy and Daddy and bathed them, fed them, and got them ready for school. We had to come up to Logan on Friday night so I could work, and got the call that my Grandpa had finally passed. It has been difficult, but there is so much peace knowing that he is no longer in pain, and that I will see him again. He was such an amazing, kind, and sweet-spirited man.

School starts tomorrow, and I'm still not registered for all of the classes I need to graduate. I'm not panicked because it was the advising office's fault and they have to let me graduate, which means I'll just be taking alternate courses for my required classes. I can't believe this is my last semester of school! I am so excited to be done and be able to focus on this little one coming our way :) I am 18 weeks along and we get to find out the gender in 3 weeks (that is if I can't convince my doctor to see me one week earlier). I can't wait to know! It will make it so much more real. This life definitely has it's ups and downs, but I still love it!