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Monday, December 21, 2009

Ba Humbug!

It really doesn't feel like Christmas. I swear this year was a whirlwind. In a year I went from dating to engaged, married and pregnant.
It's been a crazy year for Kiel too, he gave up his hot sexy bachelor status, became a husband and is now preparing to be a father (he can't wait, now that he knows it's a boy.)
We also have moved twice this year. And moved our 100 pound moose in with us aka Montana the dog ;)

Maybe it doesn't feel like Christmas because just last week we were celebrating the New Year with my gal pals.



Or maybe it's because it was a whopping 85 degrees on Saturday and Montana is already losing his winter coat.


Or maybe it's not Christmas because I have yet to buy one present (accept for Kiel) and have no desire to battle the late-vicious-holiday shoppers (well, with that descripton who would?).

Maybe it's because I'm just now starting to bake my Christmas cookies (without coconut, per Kiel's request.) and the store was out of baking powder - seriously.

And lastly, it's probably because all of the presents under the tree are already opened and played with, thanks to my impatient gimme fingers.

So my verdict is, Christmas came too fast - I'm not ready. Year 2010 is next week.


At least I will be in the bay area - cold weather don't let me down.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Merry Christensen


Way back when I first became an aunt at age 13 I learned all about pregnancy and how hard it could be on the woman's body. At that age I was skittish around bellies, especially those that had movement in them. To me pregnancy resembled an alien abduction or at least how I imagined an alien abduction would happen. Let's just say I had quite the imagination and watched too many movies.


As I got older, more nephews and nieces were born and I observed all of those pregnancies as well. I developed my own theories and one that always rang true was:


Easy pregnancy = Girl

Hard pukey pregnancy = Boy


Based on that theory I guessed right every time. I should have bet money, I would have raked in the dough, oh well, I'll call it a loss in economic opportunity ;)


My pregnancy (we're talking about me now, after all it is my blog) has been nothing to complain about. Sure, I've had my rare pukey moments and days where I felt like I was living on a ship anchored in the ocean but over all I've felt great.


Great = Girl


I was sure we were having a girl until my first real ultra sound (the 6 wk one doesn't count). I saw our baby at 12 weeks and it was lying in my belly sleeping on its back. Nothing could disturb it. The doctor was trying to get a measurement but the baby would not move. So the doctor poked and prodded some more until the little baby bounced up one time and turned to it's side, back facing us and went back to snoozing away. At that moment I thought, is my husband inside of there? It was a precious moment only a mother and father could find precious. (After all, let's face it at that stage they're pretty lumpy and my kid had two lumps on top of it's head that resembled horns, I swear.)


After that moment I was on the fence; well it's possible to be a boy, the Chinese calendar says it's a boy and Kiel really wants a boy.


And so we waited six more long weeks.


Today was the big day. Kiel came with me and we both waited patiently, since we were patients (bad joke) in the doctors office. Finally Dr. Naylor came in and put that warm gel on my belly and started poking around. We first saw the top of the head and checked out the brain, he then moved to the belly and the face. We saw a hand by it's mouth and then we checked out the umbilical cord along with the kidneys. "Everything looks great" Dr. Naylor reassured. "Now do you want to see what you're having?" Before I could answer Kiel piped in a fast "yes!" So the doc scooted down by the legs and measured the femur, and added "this is the strongest bone in the human body." Who cares just show us the good stuff I thought. Then he took a picture of it's feet, "oh what cute little baby feet" he continued and "it has all 10 toes." Woo hoo, I thought, move along. And so he went up between the legs and Kiel and I both looked and thought we saw something in between. "Girls don't have that, do they?" I stated/asked.


"Nope, they sure don't" Dr. Naylor said.


And that's when Kiel jumped out of his chair and yelled "I knew it!"


So there you have it baby Christensen #1 is a boy and we are more than overjoyed/thrilled/excited/(enter synonym here)!


Merry Christmas, a very merry Christmas!


And Kiel says "see, prayers do work!" well, we all knew that anyway:)


So my point (yep, I have one): My theory is wrong~ we're having a boy!


The end!

Update!!!

My theory has proven right for all of my nieces and nephews, it just didn't work on me because, and this is just a theory, I'm sorta manly (you'll notice when you look at my feet).

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Say Weeeeeeeeeeeee!

Christmas came early this year. I came home from work and my husband had my present, all wrapped in a bag from Best Buy under our tree.

and that's not all. He also got me the super mario brothers game. My favorite! But don't worry folks I won't be doing a 72 hour marathon anytime soon.

It was a great activity to do for FHE! It certainly brought us closer together, oh that Mario has magical powers.

Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 7, 2009

My Inner Battle


Ever since I found out I was pregnant I've been battling with myself on what to do once the baby is born:

Do I go back to work? Or do I stay home?

I'm sure there are strong opinions that sway from one side to the other depending on whose reading this.

And I know that I am not just a Woman and I will not just be a Mother, but I am a Latter Day Saint Woman and will be a Latter Day Saint Mother and yes there is a difference. I am encouraged to stay home, I am promised multiple blessings to my family and children if I do so. But for some reason I am still trying to do both. Kiel and I worked out a schedule, he would be home with the baby 4 days out of the week and 3 days that next week and I would home with the baby 3 days out of the week and 4 days the next week. We share the duties 50/50. But it hasn't felt right.

My loving husband told me he doesn't need my help to provide, he can do that and will do that for his family. And it's not that I feel like I need to provide, but I do love my job. I like being part in an industry where woman thrive in the work place. I also have had a glimpse of how hard it is to be a stay at home mom and selfishly I would like to have a 4-day break. And I am afraid what will happen if I quit until my babies are ready for mom to go back to work.

So again, I battled.

And then I read this talk Mothers who know by Julie Beck

...and I finally swallowed what I had known all along. My purpose is not to become CMO in the beauty industry. I am to thrive in another job.

I am to be a Mother.

But not just a Mother, a Mother who knows how important it is to sacrifice.

Because as said by Julie Beck...

Mothers Who Know Do Less
Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world's goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord's kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power.

So soon I will be a Mother that stays home full time and cleans her husbands castle and a milk machine, burping rag and a zombie from lack of sleep...can't wait ;)

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Insomnia

I was wide awake at 3am, this morning. After my usual tinkle I couldn't go back to sleep.

I was hungry, but for what?

I tossed and turned for an hour and then gave up. I made couscous and turned on the tube.

Kiel came out to see what the heck I was doing, plus he had to get ready for work.

"I can't sleep." I explained

"So you're cooking and watching T.V.?" He shook his head, and then started watching the tube with me amongst getting ready for work.

He left and it was only 5:15am, I was still wide awake.

I didn't know what to do. I would be dead if I went to work at 9am. I'm dead by 4pm with normal sleep.

It took me till 7 to write an email to my boss.

So now I have the day off, to sleep and catch up on housework, but first...

I'm hungry.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

I smell something good...

There have been a few people in the kitchen...

Check out what's cooking and whose doing it here ;)


Chow!
M
(ha ha get it? I said Chow, instead of ciao! As in chow down. Man I'm funny)