One Month

This last month has been quite the rollercoaster ride! Nobody could have ever prepared me enough for what comes after having a baby. Unless you've experienced it yourself, I don't think anyone can truly know what giving birth does to a person physically and emotionally. Luckily, I have the best family and friends that have really helped me out with the challenges I was faced with when I brought Dori home from the hospital. I can't thank everyone enough for helping me get through this last month and for helping me out with this gorgeous little stinker! She truly is a little angel!She'll only sleep for about 4 hours at a time but since we're only feeding her formula, Gary has really been helping me out in the sleep department! My house is more cluttered than I'm used to and there is constantly a pile of laundry to be done, but I'm learning to get used to the fact that sometimes a shower and sleep is more important than a perfectly clean house. It's amazing the kind of mess one little baby girl can create! It's a good thing I love her so much!

Welcome Baby Girl!

Dori Olive Fifield

Born October 28th, 2011

12:15 AM

6 lbs 10 oz

19" long

Just the Two of Us - No More!

I have never been a fan of maternity pictures. I can understand why people would want them, but it's never been my style. All I have wanted was a nice picture of Gary and I when I'm about to pop, and that's it!

I am just 1 day shy of a full 40 weeks, but if this little girl doesn't come on her own then she'll be born on Halloween Day! That's just 1 week away! So no matter how the week goes, we'll be parents before we know it! Gary asks me everyday "when's the baby coming?" I feel like a mother already saying "I don't know, we just have to be patient." He's getting so anxious!

With it getting so close I realize that it's no longer going to be just the two of us anymore. We've had more than 3 years of being alone and doing whatever we have wanted to, and our world is about to be turned upside down! For the good that is. Luckily we have been able to do a lot of things and go a lot of places together that would have been really difficult to do with a child, so I think we can both agree that we had the time we needed to get our youthful wiggles out before being a little more grounded. Not to say that we're done with adventures by any means! We already have plans for the types of things we'll want to do and places we want to take Dori. We'll just be packing a diaper bag more often than our suitcases!

Lucky Duck

I've been thinking a lot lately about how incredibly lucky I have been the past 9 months. Of course I have had a bunch of sickness and pains and pure exhaustion, but that's the worst of it. Baby cakes and I haven't had to deal with any major health concerns at all. Apart from one ER trip in my 4th month for what I thought was appendicitis (turned out to be severe round ligament pain...ouch!) it has really be smooth sailing. Gary has one co-worker whose baby was born a still-born in the 7th month, and another co-worker whose baby was 6 week's early and spent a lot of time in the NICU. Then I have a cousin whose baby was born more than a month early who is still in the NICU. Needless to say, I'll take the nausea, and I'll take the exhaustion if it means keeping my baby cooking full term.

Of course with all of these sad stories I hear, I can't help but wonder that baby Dori will be born perfectly healthy or not. It's hard to think that I could possibly have anything less that an all-around perfect baby, but I know anything could happen. I have been really calm in this type of thinking though, because I know that if my baby was born with any concerns, that Heavenly Father must think very highly of me in order to give me the extra challenge. And then on the other hand, I could have the most angelic, perfectly healthy little girl and it would still be a challenge. So either way I'm glad that the Lord is trusting me with this baby, no matter who she is.

I'm also beyond lucky, and ridiculously spoiled rotten that I have a week left until I reach 40 weeks, and I don't NEED anything else to prepare me for this baby. I have some very incredible people in my life who have made sure that this little stinker will be clothed, safe, entertained, comfortable, and diapered. I couldn't ask for a more perfect way to wait for her to come around!

Time to Think

I'm so glad that I've been able to adjust to spending time at home before baby Dori comes around. I love that I've been able to spend everyday cleaning my house as though she'll notice when she gets here, and I love having the luxury right now of having the time to remember to read my scriptures every day. I love that I have a few seconds to think that my room would look nicer if I made the bed, and then actually making the bed. I'm so glad that I have the chance to work at home for a while, and that I have more time to get more school done. I love the fact that if I feel exhausted I can lay on the couch for an hour and take a nap. I hear that all these luxuries are going to be leaving me once the baby comes, so I'm taking advantage of every spare second I have. Being at home this much really gives me time to think about a bunch of things....well...everything!

For starters I wonder how I'm going to balance work and school and my calling and my baby, AND keep my house clean? I wonder how I'm going to have the energy to do this all everyday? I wonder if I'll be able to feel like I'm doing a good job at the end of the day? Will my scriptures get read again? Am I really not going to have time to shower? Am I really ready for this? Well, ready or not, here she comes. According the schedule she's due in 3 weeks. That's no time at all!

I'm so excited and even though I'm not sure how I'll fit it all in, I'm actually rather calm about it all. I have wanted this baby for so long that I have to forget about some of these things. And I'm really lucky because I know that she already has an army of people waiting to love her! Most of all I'm really lucky that I have Gary who I already know is going to be a better parent than me...nobody has to even try to convince me otherwise! The talk given in General Conference this weekend about how men can be good father's to their daughters, I thought "Oh good this will be really helpful to Gary!" But as I listened to the talk, I thought again "Wait, this is already describing everything that Gary is!" They said the most important thing a man could do to be a good father is to love his wife, and Gary by far exceeds those standards. I'm one lucky duck for sure!

Anyway, I'm in the final stretch now...here we go!

Welcome to the Nursery!

I am EXTREMELY picky about nursery sets and decorating. It takes a LOT for me to commit when it comes to decorating my house, so I'm actually always changing things up to make it the exact way I want. Once I found out I was having a girl, I immediately started searching for nursery ideas and themes because I knew it wouldn't be easy. I was having such a hard time that I considered just having my mom make it all for me so I could pick and choose everything....wow, what a nightmare from the get go! It would have cost just as much, if not more, and it was so stressful trying to even find the right fabric.

Luckily my sister in law found this bedroom set at Target while she was in town over the 4th of July, which is the same weekend it was all on sale!! The only problem was, it was for toddler bedding and even for a twin sized bed, not for cribs. However, my mom is a master seamstress and she was able to convert the quilt into a crib quilt, using the edges of the quilt as the crib bumper! Perfect! I couldn't be happier! Of course the best part is all the little woodland creatures!!

Isn't Hooty so cute in the crib? Which, by the way my mom and her sisters got me for my baby shower. They are so generous!

I have to mention the little picture below the shelf is just a paper plate. It was from my shower with my in-laws, and it was too cute not to make part of the room. It doesn't even look like a plate! Also, the lamp on the table was a birthday gift from my grandma when I was about 16 or so and never really knew what to do with it. It fits perfectly in here! The dresser is my old dresser from when I was really little, so this is just about the cheapest way to decorate a room!

The glider is a gift from my mother-in law which I sit in everyday, whether I'm working, doing school, or blogging. I love it! Pure comfort! Gary's aunt made the darling "D" pillow, and I made the ceiling decor out of tissue paper...again so cheap!

Other items to mention. The 2 owl money banks on the shelf are from my sister in law Marisa, the doll on the shelf is from my sister in law Hali, the little yellow cover on the dresser is from my sister Candice, it's a baby blanket with a little embroidered squirrel on it that used to be my nephews, and the little chipmunk on the dresser is from my sister and her girls. This room was definitely contributed to with lots of love! I'm excited to see her in here!

Staying at Home

I'm pretty much a stay at home mother to a cat right now. And that won't last long because Stewie is HISTORY!! We have been meaning to take him up to West Point to live with his grandparents for a couple of weeks now but haven't made it there yet. This Sunday for sure though!! So long you little jerk! He has attacked me one too many times, and I'm not waiting for him to do it to my baby when she's born. He sure has been taking his life of luxury for granted around here!

Anyway, I am finished with work this week. I have just one more day that I need to go in to finalize some training of the new girl, and for my boss to buy me lunch and send me away. It's so hard to make this change that I'm refusing to think about it too much and get upset. On one hand, I'm ready to be done, but on the other hand, I have been working full time for so long that I'm not sure how NOT to work full time.

I have 6 weeks left of pregnancy (allegedly), so why am I done working now? Well, that is because I have a TON to do before the baby gets here. I have been taking an online course all year and I want so badly to get it done before little baby cakes comes into the picture. It would be nice to not have the stress of school once she's here so I can focus more on her. Even though I have a crazy amount to do, it's hard to motivate myself. But it must be done!!!

Sigh.

Wish me luck!

Big Fat Changes

I tell you what, this growing tummy thing is freaking me out a little bit. As soon as I accept the fact that I have almost doubled in size, I seem to have tripled in size. I can't keep up with how much I'm expanding! I do have to say though that I have reached a point where I don't really care how big I am getting. If anyone could see what I eat in a day recently, they would wonder why I wasn't morbidly obese. But I'm enjoying it a lot because I know that once the baby comes I won't have the freedom to eat a Twix for breakfast...it will be oatmeal and grapefruit. I'm totally taking advantage of having an excuse to be large!

That being said, I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of the 3rd trimester. Eating is the only joy I really have lately. I'm way more tired than I have ever been, and the simplest tasks cause me to practically suffocate to death! Bending over has become nearly impossible. Twisting to put my seatbelt on is quite discouraging. And I saw my ankles at a size that downright scared me. I love that she's moving so much more than she ever has, but are the headbutts to my rib cage necessary?

As hard as it is, I do believe I'll miss pregnancy once she is here. I never thought I would say that but I'm actually enjoying it more as it goes by...even if it does suck.

My Odd Taste In Men

You will never hear me talk about how hot I think Brad Pitt is, or Matt Damon, or Leonardo DiCaprio, or anyone who is probably considered ridiculously good looking. I have an extremely odd taste when it comes to male actors. Prepare to mock me. And these are in no particular order by the way.

Will Ferrell. The attraction didn't start until Blades of Glory, and then after that I was hooked. Jermain Clemment. Flight of the Concords. He can sing, and say the most off the wall stuff without cracking up.

Liam Neeson. It's his voice! And his ability to kick everyone's butt in the movies! What a guy!

Harrison Ford....though I have to say here that I'm in love with Harrison Ford during his Indian Jones years and that's about it.

Russell Brand. His hair, his accent, and his wit. I love the British!

Jeff Bridges. The Dude. To me, this guy is all types of what it means to be a man. I realize he's old and stuff, but I don't care.

Of course, Gary is so much better looking than all these schmucks, and he makes me laugh harder too!

10 Years

This last weekend was my 10-year high school reunion, and I didn't go. Why, you ask? Well there are a lot of reasons why I chose to skip it. While it would have been so good to see some of my really good friends from back then, I couldn't bring myself to go! Some of the worst things in my life happened during high school...not AT high school or with the people I went to school with, but I somehow associate it all in one group. There must be chapters of this sort of thing written in psychological textbooks that could maybe explain my thinking, but mostly I just wasn't ready to go back and face it all. Maybe I need another 10 years until I'm ready??

I do have some really great memories of high school though, don't get me wrong! And I had some amazing friends! The football games and late night Wendy's runs, the movie nights, the one on one deep conversations in parking lots, the severe crushes I had (that all ended up breaking my heart), learning to drive a stick shift, "fake" making out at stop lights, skipping classes to go hiking, passing notes....I really did have some good times here and there!! But I would never go back and do it again!

Priorities

I have reached the home stretch! 10 more weeks! (allegedly) I'm so excited I can barely stand myself!! Sometimes I walk into baby Dori's room and look in her closet at all the pink get-ups and can't wait to see her in them. We're pretty much prepared for the most part. I don't feel too concerned that we don't (or won't) have what we need for her. Right now things are calm when I think about her coming and I don't have a lot of anxiety...yet!

That being said, there sure is a lot of other things to think about right now. I'm swamped. Overwhelmed. Stressed. Exhausted. I can only imagine that the laundry list of things I have to do and take care of are only in preparation for what motherhood will be like. Trying to balance all of this now will seem like a cake walk once she comes. Then what?? Of course I won't be working full time anymore so that's one less thing to think about. And I'm giving myself a full 8 weeks, if I want them, to focus soley on the baby and nothing else.

With working 2 different jobs right now, a church calling, summer activities, school courses, preparing for a baby, family time, friends, etc... I'm spent for my time. I have had to calm myself down at the end of every day and say to myself "it's okay that I couldn't do it all today." There is nothing more I can do than to just keep going and hope it all fits in the next day. I have to tell myself that some is better than none, and the fact that I'm not giving up on any of it is sometimes good enough. What a challenge! I'm really lucky I have people who understand and are patient with me. I'm beyond lucky that Gary has been willing to make dinner the past few days.

Despite the chaos that is my life, I'm so happy and so excited!

Getting Fat

It's not easy watching myself expand everyday, and word on the street is I'm far from being done. In the beginning I was all about sticking to my workout routine and trying to eat healthy...mostly because it made me feel better when I would get nauseous, but also because I was frightened of getting fat. But then, all of a sudden healthy food lost its appeal, I'm getting a little too tired and uncomfortable to work out everyday, and sugar has become it's own food group again. Sigh. So here I grow. I went and tried some maternity clothes on last weekend and cried without buying anything, and then I went home and ate ice cream with Gary. It's actually really amusing to me that I'm going through all the things I have heard about so many times from other people. I guess I'm part of that club now right? And I guess I get to stay part of that club until a year after the baby is born and I'm trying to lose all the unwanted weight still. What a freakin' weird experience!

Pregnancy Loves Company

My good friend and old roommate Heidi and I are pregnant at the same time! Yay! She's 2 weeks ahead of me so she has been able to warn me of upcoming pregnancy experiences...good and bad. There are some differences with our pregnancies but for the most part we've been able to relate completely to eachother during this whole process. She is having a little boy and naming him Drew, and we're already playing matchmaker with him and baby Dori. We're sure it will be love at first sight! Andrew and Gary trying to fit in. Gary sure has that glow about him doesn't he?

Letter To My Baby

I'm just so excited...this was the only thing I could think of to do to contain my excitement for her!

Dear Baby Girl Dori,

We are so excited to meet you and to have you in our lives! I already love and adore you and know you'll be the sweetest little creature I'll ever encounter. I can't wait to give you big hugs and kisses and tell you over and over again how much I love you! You're daddy is going to be so in love with you, and I know you'll melt his heart the second he lays eyes on you. There are so many people who are excited to see you, and so many people who can't wait to love you. You'll never go one single day without feeling like the most precious human being on the planet.

I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with you. Before I took the pregnancy test, I decided to pray. For many months before I would be disappointed when I discovered yet again that I wasn't pregnant. This time, I felt like I needed to pray. I was driving home from work when I started, telling Heavenly Father that I would accept the outcome of the pregnancy test, that I would live my life as positively as I could, and that I wouldn't get discouraged if it was negative again. I went on to tell Him that I wanted to be a mother so badly, that I promised to take care of a little life if He ever chose to send me one. Who knew that the answer to my prayer was 5 minutes away!

I had planned so many different, creative ways that I could tell your daddy that you were coming, and I completely forgot all of them when I saw the 2nd pink line! I cried instantly and could barely believe what I was seeing! I was so excited that I couldn't contain it and I wanted the entire world to know!!! Your daddy was about to walk into one of his night classes when I called him to tell him the news. I was still crying and not in my right mind when I was telling him "we're having a baby!" I'm pretty sure he was in shock and didn't learn much in class that night....or many nights after that. He still got good grades at the end of the semester though. You must have been his good luck charm from the beginning!

One of the first things I'll tell you when you arrive is that you weren't very nice to me during pregnancy, but that you have a lifetime to make it up to me! I hope you'll be able to catch on to our sense of humor right away and that we can make each other laugh. I can't wait to hear your first little giggles and see your smiles every day. I hope your ready for one energetic dad that will twirl you all around, tickle you a lot, and wrestle you down just to hear you laugh! He loves to snuggle a lot too so you'll love it when you're tired and all you want to do is cuddle up to dad. You two are really going to be the best of friends, I'm already certain.

We've never been parents before, so I hope you'll be patient with us. It might get a little frustrating for all of us in the beginning when we try to figure each other out, but our intentions are good. We just want you to be a happy little baby! We'll do anything we can to keep you safe and healthy, and very loved. Try to remember that when I start crying because I'm so tired! And also remember that if you ever want any siblings, that you have to try your best to be good for us too!

We're doing all we can to get ready for you to come in 3 months, so we're very busy right now preparing for you! You're always on our mind however, and we're so excited for the day that we meet!

Love Mom

My Aunt Tami

Sometimes the light is so brightly shining in our face that we can't see the path ahead of us, but I guess that's why we have faith... to keep moving forward even though we don't know what's ahead. Eventually the path will veer off to the left or right just enough that the sunshine isn't directly in our eyes, and we can see everything so clearly. I was reminded of this on my drive to work this morning. It was raining like mad and so dark and dismal. I was on I-215, right where it stops going south and curves directly the the east. All of a sudden the sun made its way through the clouds and I was blinded by the light, and the shiny, wet pavement. I couldn't see anything ahead of me. Luckily I had driven this road so many times before and I wasn't scared. In fact it was the most beautiful view I had seen in a very long time. Maybe ever. I knew it was a sign of comfort from heaven, after a very tough weekend for my family.

My aunt Tami. How do I even describe this lady? I think back to when I was really little and just starting to have the capacity to hold on to a memory. Every Sunday my family and my cousins would all go to my grandma Bingham's house to visit, and all of us younger cousins would completely stop anything we were doing when aunt Tami pulled into the driveway. We adored her! She was so fun, so energetic, always had big hugs and kisses for us, always made us laugh...and we all wanted her attention!!! Nothing changed growing up. We still love when Tami comes around because she is literally the life of the party! There is always bound to be explosions of laughter when she is around, and I may recall a couple times that Granny didn't make it to the bathroom on time! Tami is just non-stop, energizer bunny on speed, happiest, funniest, all around time-of-your-life aunt. How could this happen to her??

Her doctors found a tumor which they removed on Saturday, but the surgeon told the family that it had been there for a long time. He couldn't say 100% that it was cancer, but with as much as he has seen in his career, he might as well have said he was 100% positive. What news to get about one of your favorite people. We don't know what is going to happen, and we don't get results back for another day or two. We don't know what course she will have to take with treatments, surgeries, etc, and we don't know what kind of rough road God will be taking her on. But, how great is it that when my mom called to tell me, that there were so many of our family members at the hospital. They all couldn't see her, but they were there with each other. I have such a great family.

Lots of prayers are going out for aunt Tami. If you have ever met her, heard me talk about her, or if you would ever pray for me over anything, please say a prayer for her and her 3 girls, and her husband. We all want to stay positive and keep our faith strong.

Happy 3 Years!

Seeing as how I have already done an Ode to Gary not long ago, I'll spare everyone the sequel. I'll just say that it's been a really great 3 years! Happy Anniversary Gary!

Eating For 2 My Eye

For the most part, the nausea has passed, which makes me happy to a certain extent. But now I can't decide if I'd rather feel nauseous all the time, or completely starving all the time. Seriously, the things this child is making me crave is outrageous! She is never satisfied until I have gorged myself into oblivion. And she has a serious love for carbs like I have never known. I swear I commit carb-icide every day with pizza, pasta, toast, cereal...you name it. All in the name of making a little one pound creature fat and happy. This little stinker better appreciate me!

What Do I Crave?

Now, we all know that I had an unhealthy obsession with Noodles and Company before I got pregnant. HOWEVER, that has magnified 10-fold. And not just any noodles, it has to be the pesto cavatappi. Pair that with a diet coke, and it's like I'm eating a gormet feast and a fine wine. If I could eat there everyday I would, probably twice a day. My favorite location is the Fort Union one....where they all know me on a first name basis. Thank you Noodles, for being one of the only things I still enjoy eating, while everything else tastes much like paint thinner. I love you!

Ode To Gary

I'm not always a huge fan of posts dedicated to the greatness of a spouse, mostly because it can get really mushy and sometimes inappropriate, but I have to give credit where credit is due, and right now it is due to Gary. With Father's Day coming up, we actually get to recognize that Gary is going to be a father to someone other than one of our pets. (see picture) Since I have been pregnant, I have seen a side to Gary that I didn't know was there. It's not that he was ever a bad husband at all, he has always made me feel like I was the most important thing in world to him. But now, that has magnified 100 times. I haven't kept it a secret from anyone that asks that pregnancy is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. It's emotionally and physically draining, and it's become normal for me to have regular meltdowns. I have needed Gary's support now more than ever, and the best part is, I have never once had to ask him. He just does it. He never quesitons me when I say I need to ignore the dishes and go to bed. He doesn't question me when I ask him to change the laundry over because it hurts to bend down already. He never makes me feel like I'm crazy when I start crying over silly little things, and he goes above and beyond to make sure I'm comfortable, well fed, and hydrated.

Gary, without a doubt, will be one of the best dad's I will ever see. Especially to a little girl. My neices ADORE him, and so do a bunch of little girls in our ward. When it was Gary's birthday, my neice's made him homemade birthday cards and colored pictures for him...my birthday was a couple weeks earlier and none of them did that for me! At church, little girls want to sit by him because they know he'll color Strawberry Shortcake pictures with them, and they think he is the best colorer ever! We went to our neighbors house for dinner one night and Gary got up with them to sing and dance to Justin Beiber for about an hour.
This is a glimpse of our future, just replace Stewie with an actual baby. I'm so glad I have him on my team and that I don't have to do anything alone!

Nursery Inspiration

If anyone knows me but at all, they know how much I love rodents and animals. If I could have birds dress me each morning, while a squirrel fixed my hair and a hedgehog shined my shoes, I would totally sign up for that kind of life! More specifially, I adore little squirrels, so I about cried when I saw this vinyl wall art for a nursery. It has everything! Nature, squirrels, and PINK! I love it so much I can't NOT get it. Granted, it's more pink than I thought I would ever do for a nursery, but I think I can handle it under these circumstances.

It's A....

Baby girl!! I'm so excited about it! Mostly I'm excited because I had a feeling for a while that it would be a girl, and I was hoping that I had enough maternal instincts to give me a clue. And I was right! Gary and I both really wanted a boy in the beginning so I pretty much convinced myself that it was a baby boy, but then after my 2nd doctor appointment, I heard the heart beat again, I was so overcome with the feeling that it was a little girl's heart beat. We had our 20 week ultra sound today and I could tell within seconds that it was a girl, but I waited for the official announcement. Yay!!! This will be the first Fifield grandbaby girl out of 5 boys, and the 9th grandbaby girl on the Weller side. Want to know the name??

Dori Olive. I'm so in love already!

It's a Thing!

When we were at Islands of Adventure in Florida, there was a part of the park dedicated to Dr. Suess....Suesslanding is what it's called actually. And my father-in-law thought he'd surprise me and the baby to be with a little outfit from Suesslanding! How cute is this? We don't know what the baby is until Monday so for now it's just a thing. Perfect first outfit!

Even

Updates on Us!

Gary: What a busy boy he is! Just started another semester at the U of U after finishing the Spring semester. And he's not stopping until he graduates in the Spring of 2012! He could have finished this Fall, but unfortunately not enough classes were offered during the Summer semester, so he has to spread it out longer. It's so great though because he's home with me more often! I actually get to talk to his face now. He did so well last semester and got awesome grades...on top of working full time and taking such good care of me. I don't know how he does it but he's such a smart cookie and he always impresses me. Recently he's been spending a little more time out in our yard, planting flowers and growing his own tree. He loves having a good looking yard and a nice lawn. I think he'd personally take care of each blade of grass if he had the time to do it!
Marci: All I ever think about anymore is pregnancy and preparing for a baby, so it's hard to say if I actually do anything else. But yes, I do. Still working full time...luckily for a physical therapy office that helps me out when I'm feeling the pains of pregnancy in my hips or neck or back. So nice!! They also have been helping me maintain my workout levels since the beginning. I would be lost without those workouts! Besides work I'm trying to finish up a couple of online courses I'm taking, and I can get really busy with my church calling. I'm in the Relief Society presidency and there is always something to be done there! I really enjoy it though. Very good things have come from it.
Stewie: Still a jerk.
Well that's our life right about now. Nothing crazy or exciting at all but we're good! Things are really nice and relaxed for us at the moment...the calm before the storm! We can't wait!

Orlando Day 5...and 6

Our last day of theme park adventures! On the little train that takes us to Epcot. If you look closely at my arm you can see the ugliest tan line known to man.Gary works for Siemens, and they are a sponsor of Epcot, and if you're an employee you can go hang out in their lounge and get drinks and chill out in the air conditioned facilities for a while! It was a nice little break from the heat!

Here's Gary posing with some troll thing after the boat ride in Norway. I think we were in England when I found Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too!

Of course, out of all the theme parks and attractions and everything, my favorite part was none other than the squirrels! And luckily I found a little fella to hand feed cashews to. I love these little guys!I really could have sat there all day!

Gary and Rick in China playing with the puppets.This bear "Duffy" was everywhere we looked! I guess Disney is trying to incorporate him in as a new character or something?

It was the flower festival while we were there so there were lots of characters shaped out of shrubbery and flowers and such.

Epcot at night right before the fireworks show. It was really cool!

The next day was Friday, and we all slept in as long as humanly possible because we were completely exhausted! It was our last day of vacation and all we wanted to do was sit by the pool, occasionally eat something, take naps and then go to dinner. It was a much needed break right before Saturday when we had to fly all day. I have to mention too that Friday night before we went to dinner, there was the CRAZIEST storm I have ever seen in my life! I have never seen rain and lightening like that before so I was a little scared for my well being. Turns out that's normal Florida weather, and it only lasted a couple hours. Thank goodness it cleared up for us to fly home the next day and we didn't have any delays. Anyway, it was a great vacation. One last hurrah for a while before the baby comes!

Orlando Day 4

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom! These are pictures of my favorite parts about the day.

Haunted Mansion is always a good time! This was one part of the park they did better in Florida than they did in California.

Thanks to Cheryl I had someone to take a picture of the best part of my day. DUMBO! A very wise person once told me that it's impossible to not be happy while riding Dumbo, and she was so right!

This was another great part of my day. Not so much the ride itself, but standing in line for it. While we were waiting to get on It's a Small World, I got an email from my brother telling me that the cancer that was found in my sister in law, had not moved anywhere, and that they got it all! Best news ever! I was so happy!Okay, so here we are looking pretty and dry for the camera. From what I remember of Splash Mountain in California, I didn't get that wet.I don't have an "after" of me and Gary, but you get the idea with Cheryl and DeeEll. Wow! Soaking wet! For anyone who plans on going on Splash Mountain in the future, take all you're pretty pictures before you get on!If I saw a character roaming around and there wasn't a big line, I would hop in with them and get a picture! Yay Goofy!

We didn't stay to watch the whole fireworks show, but we did get to see some cool animations done on the castle. It was so pretty!

It was a great day all in all! The only down side to it was the pain of our sunburns from the day before, and I had a little bout of heat stroke around lunchtime....but it all turned out well in the end!

Orlando Day 3

I really enjoyed day 3! We all slept in and then headed out to Daytona Beach for some relaxation!The water was really nice and not too cold at all. Gary jumped right in and started body surfing. I even joined in with him after a while and body surfed myself, which was a lot more fun than I expected! Of course I got so much salt water in my mouth and up my nose, but it was too good of a time to stop!Here is Gary laying out. I don't have an "after" picture of us, be we were BURNT to a crisp! That night we had to take pain killers and rub aloe vera on ourselves multiple times to sleep comfortably. Gary even went and layed on the bathroom tile in the middle of the night to cool off his skin. It was bad news!After many hours at the beach, we had dinner at "Our Deck Down Under." We were starving!This is a really dark picture of all of us, but we were all really gross anyway after spending all day in the sun and salt water. We took this picture as we came out of the restraunt. Such a pretty sight! We had such a good day, and if we hadn't gotten so toasted out there, we would have probably gone back on our last day.

As one final note: I got the ugliest tan lines known to man on this day. No pictures were taken of them, but trust me, it was ugly!!

Orlando Day 2

This first picture says a lot about our day at Islands of Adventure. This is Gary saying "I'm sorry you're sick and tired. Will you stay in this air conditioned cafe while all of us go and ride crazy rollercoasters??"I have to admit it wasn't the best day of the trip for me because there were a lot of more intense rides and rollercoasters. It's okay though because it was so hot and I wasn't feeling the best. Here they are getting ready to ride the HULK!Of course my day wasn't bad at all, there was a lot to see! We played around in Suess Landing for while which was beyond low-key!

The Cat in the Hat Ride. Not the lamest ride in Suess Landing, but pretty boring. I loved it though!

The Lorax! Definitely my favorite Suess story of all time!Welcome to Hogwarts! I was for sure looking forward to this more than any other part of Universal. When I heard they were putting in an area for Harry Potter years and years ago, I never thought that I would actually be able to visit it one day! I kept calling my sister Stacey because I knew how much she would love it! I had to buy her a chocolate frog from Honeydukes.

May I also say that butterbeer is simply delicious? You read about how great it is in the book, but you can't really imagine how good it is until you taste it! Yummy!

Here we are eating at the Three Broomsticks for lunch. I was obviously avoiding the camera because I was beyond hungry at this point and it's hard to smile when I'm hungry.

Platform 9 and 3/4. The conducter told me how lovely I was when I asked him to take a picture with me!Gary was really looking forward to Jurassic Park, but unfortunately, the ride was closed. Too bad!

All the Marvel characters were walking around. I got this picture of Cyclops lazering my baby!It was a long, hot day. Of course, so was every other day. This picture of Gary pretty much summarizes how all of us felt by the end of each day. Yawn!