We're Almost There!

Almost.

There WILL be an end to this pregnancy! I will be 39 weeks tomorrow, on Saturday, but since my doctor is off for the weekend, we decided to wait until Monday so he can deliver the final child. He told me this baby is going to be big. Great. Since my last baby was a petite 9 lbs 2 oz and over 22 inches long! She has a great heartbeat and appears to be doing really well so we're happy about that!

Dave is still a mess. He has gotten progressively worse this week so we took him back to the doctor for a follow-up visit. He had to have more CAT scans and we learned this morning he has a bruised kidney and lung from the accident. He is still in a ton of pain and mostly sleeps through the day. His mom, Barbara, has been so helpful to take him to his appointments since it is hard for me to get around. We actually just got back from the ped's office---Jaxson and Austin both have sinus infections. They gave us some powerful medication in hope that they will be well by Monday or at least when the baby comes home. I tell you-----it doesn't seem to stop, does it? Even though this is tough on me to go a few days over when I could be induced, maybe it is for the best: if Dave will be further along in his healing process, the boys over their colds/infections and Taylor still healthy, the whole transtition of bringing home a baby will be better!

Last, still no name......!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Our 1st 2009 Hospital Visit....but not for Jody!

My mother-in-law called this morning to see if the boys wanted to go over to her home for a few hours so I could rest. I'm not stupid, so I said "YES--that would be great!" After she left, I fell asleep while Taylor watched a movie for an hour or so.

About an hour later, my in-laws, Cheri and Dale came in and told me that Dave had been in a car accident and had been at the hospital for several hours getting CAT scans on his neck and back. I was in shock, trying to wake up and simply wondering how bad Dave was! Cheri drove Taylor and I to the hospital where Dave had just come out of his second CAT scan. Our little Taylor got really emotional and was trying not to cry when she saw Dave. Luckily he was able to talk to her a little bit so that helped calm her down.

Thankfully, we are home with Dave tonight. No broken bones, no wounds, some scratches but he'll be so sore over the next multiple days. The gal who hit him was tailgating him for a mile and when he went to slow down for a stop light, she plowed into the back of him, hitting him hard enough that it sent his truck into the vehicle in front of his! Apparently she told the police that she wasn't used to driving stick shift and couldn't stop. I've got a few neighbors on call tonight to help us out if I go into labor because Dave won't be able to drive me (he is so doped up).

Can you believe the timing of this?

Again, I am just so thankful that Dave was watched over today. Another blessing in our lives....

Final Countdown!

So, friends and family, we're almost there! Today I had my 38 week appointment and as of tomorrow, I am officially "full term." When my doctor began my exam, I told him I'd give him 100 bucks if he would move up my due date by a few days. After checking my chart, he said if he didn't have so many dates circled, he just might do it! :) He could induce me on Sat, Jan 31st, but he has the weekend off so since I really want him to deliver me, I told him I'll try to make it to Mon, Feb 2nd.

He gave me some last minute IDEAS to try to put me into labor so we'll try those out and hopefully, they won't cause me too much more pain! I can barely walk! I'm not kidding! Just this morning, as I was walking down to the faculty lounge to get my daily fill-up of ice and water, there were kids who full on stopped walking and talking to STARE at me waddling in pain like an 89 year old lady! It was the first time I've felt embarrassed about my condition. On the bright side, I'm probably the best birth control these jr high kids will ever have.....

As for my to-do list from last week, we have multiple things to cross out! Dave got the crib set up, I got some of Taylor's old stuff washed and put away, I've had some chocolate chip cookies and I got a pedicure (not that I can see it, but it's there and Dave says it looks nice). Still to do----NAME THIS CHILD!

Dave has veto-ed my top three names: Tasia, Jaden and Nicole. I just have to get excited about some other names! I'm anxious to know what we're going to name this child. So I'm going to sign off and hit the baby name sites!

I bought this cute bedding for the crib to match Taylor's bedspread!

Back in the fall, I painted the room a soft pink and then did the one wall with stripes of brown and white to match. Notice: still need to put up pictures and decorations.

Girl's Room! Taylor is so excited to have the baby crib in her room!

Jody's To Do List ASAP

So we've known since the end of May that we are having a baby in January/February. Here we are- 9 MONTHS LATER- and the following things have yet to get done:

1. Get Dave to get crib set up
2. Purchase diapers
3. Find, Sort and Wash Taylor's baby clothes
4. Remember what I need to buy for a newborn
5. Eat some chocolate (cause after this kid comes, it's all salmon and salad for the next 3 months!)
6. Start packing a bag with things for the hospital (thanks mom again for the bathrobe- I'll look so hot in red!)
7. Buy memory card for video camera
8. Wash bedding from downstairs in storage
9. Try to fit in a pedicure on my swollen feet
10. DECIDE ON A NAME FOR THIS KID!

On the bright side, my student teacher is awesome. She is a few years older than me but her kids are significantly older than mine (15, 18,19) so she has a maturity and experience about her that most BYU students in their early 20's lack. She and I have been co-teaching this week and will continue to do so until I have this nameless child.

I have my 37 week appointment tomorrow. I'm scheduled to be induced by week 39 if I don't go on my own. We're almost there! Hope I can mentally make it!

Christmas Memories 2008

Christmas Eve at Grandma Barbie and Poppie's House

We enjoyed Christmas Eve at Dave's parent's home with his sisters Cindy and Cheri. It was the perfect lead-in to Christmas Day. Here are my top 5 memories!

Top 5 Memories

5. Opening presents from the Lindsay side!

4. Delicious Ham Dinner with Barbara's yummy pineapple/walnut stuffing.

3. Discussing at dinner for the 2nd time what we should name our soon-to-be-born daughter!

2. Watching our children and Carson attempt to reverently act out the story of the birth of Jesus.

1. Learning that my father-in-law, Dale, had been in a LA gang as a young man......

WE LOVE IT AT GRANDMA BARBIE'S HOUSE!

Dave and Taylor on Christmas EveJaxson, acting the part of JosephAustin as the WisemanTaylor as MaryKids ready to come down the hall for everybody!Listening to Poppie read in the book of LukeAustin, trying to be reverantPRESENT TIME!!!!!

After leaving our grandparent's home, we came back to our house to get ready for bed! The kids were so excited! They wrote their "lists" for Santa, put out the cookies and milk and quickly hit the sack!

Jaxson (4), Taylor (7), Carson (8) and Austin (2)

Christmas Eve 08

Christmas Morning!

At 4 am, I heard voices coming from the room where the kids were sleeping. I went in to tell them to be quiet and go back to sleep since we weren't getting up until 7:00am. They were so hyped since they had seen the trail of reindeer drops (hershey kisses) leading to the living room so they knew that Santa had come! For the next 1 1/2 hours, I went in every 10-15 mintues to tell them to be quiet and go back to sleep! It reminded me of the days of yore when all of my siblings and I used to sleep in the same attic room and my brothers would wake up in the middle of the night and yell down the vents, "Merry Christmas! Can we come down now?" It always provoked the Christmas morning argument.....

Time to run in the living room to see what Santa brought!

Taylor and Jaxson got roller skates from Santa! They were so excited! The boys received new bedspreads for their new bunkbeds from mom and dad

Austin and Aunt Cindy!

Carson was thrilled to add to his Lego collection

LAST FAMILY PICTURES

I HATE pictures of myself when pregnant! My face is huge, my 8 chins just hang there, my neck and arms can make any NFL football player jealous and then my belly...... it is so huge, it practically blocks the sun if I'm in front of you!

Having said that, here is the last picture any of you will see of me until the birth of our little sweetie! :)

Dale

Barbara

Merry Christmas 2008! We had a wonderful Christmas season and feel very blessed to have good health, a baby coming soon, jobs and the gospel in our lives! Love to all!

Christmas Holiday Craziness!

The past few weeks have been fun, yet crazy! Here it is, December 22nd, and I'm not finished with my Christmas shopping. Seriously, I'm not. Are you worried for me? You should be. This year has been so difficult since I've hardly been able to walk for the past several months! I tried to do some online but that wasn't too successful when it comes to shopping for Dave's sisters, Cindy and Cheri. I still have to get them presents and my father-in-law, Dale. Neighbor's gifts are still in my house. Why? Let me show you how things are looking today:

Dave and Jaxson on the top of the driveway

Taylor and Natalie with the snowman they built in the backyard

Taylor and neighbor Natalie with their "snowbabies."

Where are the front steps?

Dave's new part-time job: shoveling the driveway twice a day! :) PS- the weather forecaster just said that Cedar Hills received 10 inches alone today! I'll dedicate those inches to my siblings, cousins and friends living in AZ and CA who are LAUGHING right now!! :)

This past weekend, we went to Park City to relax as a family. It was a great time, in spite of the fact that I had no swimming suit to cover my extended belly area and couldn't go in the hot tub with my family. The kids LOVED it! We stayed at the Westgate Resort. They had a kid's club where the kids hung out for a hour or so, we got to see Santa in the front lobby before we left and our favorite part was that everybody slept in until 8:30 am (that has never happened in our lives!).

Westgate Resort

Anyway, it is nice to be home, kind of snowed in with my children. They have been overall really good today. They just came in from outside so time to make hot chocolate!

2008 Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert

This year's concert was fabulous and my favorite by far! The guest artist was Brian Stokes Mitchell, a broadway singer whom I had heard a few months back at the Tanner Gift of Music Concert with my uncle. Brian was incredible!!!! He had a way of connecting with the audience along with an unforgetable voice! When it was announced he was the guest singer this year, I knew I had to go! I registered for tickets, along with asking my sister in Arizona and Logan to register also for me to go! Well, I wasn't chosen for tickets and was disappointed beyond belief! Neither my mother nor sister in Logan got chosen in the random drawing, so I didn't even bother to call Jenny in AZ to see if she got tickets because she had a new baby and was busy, blah, blah, blah. So, on Thursday the 11th of Dec, Jen calls me up to let me know that she hadn't gotten her mail in 5-6 days, but when she opened it, there were tickets for Friday, the 12th of December! She called UPS to see about overnighting expenses. On Friday, at 10:15am the tickets arrived at my work! THe Christmas concert was on!

Dave's mom was so nice to watch the kids overnight at her house so we could stay out as long as we wanted! Doug and Melissa (my cousin and his wife) got a family member to watch their kids overnight as well. After the concert, we had reservations at PF Changs at 10:00 pm and didn't leave there until close to midnight. Anyway, it was the greatest night and most wonderful date! The concert was amazing! I loved the bells, dancers, stories and music! The choir was amazing and Brian.....I am a bigger fan than ever now! He can SING! I love being close enough to attend spectacular cultural events! What a night! Wonder how many of these we'll be able to enjoy in the upcoming months with the baby on the way in about 6 weeks.....! :)