Settling In

Jake and I arrived in Mesa about a week ago, and have almost completely settled in. The original plan was to stay with his parents, but we decided that they have enough on their plate right now with a wedding in the works and some other guests planned for next month. So we moved into my parents' basement. We did some major cleaning and renovations to our area, and now it's beginning to feel like home. Temporary home, that is.

One big change for me was doing laundry with sleepy kitties nearby. Ethel has always loved a damp towel, and my hang-to-dry pile of clothes were an inviting place for a nap for her. Fred just sleeps all the time.

Changes on the Horizon

Today is my last day of work. I don't mind because I'm not friends with anyone here. I'm not going to miss anyone except for maybe an occasional 'I miss my co-workers' type thing. No one except my boss officially knew I was pregnant until yesterday, when someone asked cause they said I was starting to show (it's a good thing I am pregnant, or that would have been pretty embarrassing). I say no one "officially" knew because I could hear whispers and I could see tummy glances for a couple of weeks now, from the people too scared to ask me anything.

Anyway, Jake's last final ends at noon today, and then we can start packing. That's right, we haven't started packing for our move this weekend yet. Jake's 2-week final period is so intensive that it's impossible for him to focus on other tasks, so we decided it would be best to just wait and do everything today and tomorrow. I started a little by cleaning up the extra bedroom (aka nursery) and doing laundry, but we have a long way to go. Plus, my primary presidency decided not to find a replacement for me even though they got a 5-week notice that we were moving, so I told them I could be at church on Sunday to teach my class.

So, I will see all of the Mesanites on Monday. We'll throw a pool party or something next week, since I hear it hit 100 degrees in the valley this week.

Front Yard Updates

I just wanted to show some pictures of our new and improved blooming front yard.


Here is one of our 2 yellow lantanas. I was telling Jake the other day that if we lived in any other state besides Arizona, I wouldn't think this is beautiful, but here, anything with color is magnificent.


And here is what I like to call our willow tree. It's really one of our 2 mesquite trees. About a month ago, this was nothing but sticks and huge thorns. Now it's out of control. I absolutely love it, but I know we have to do something about it soon since it's taking over our side yard and our neighbor's yard too.

The Ultrasound

Well, you are probably all here for one reason. It’s because Jake and I
had our baby ultrasound today and you are all probably wondering how it
is doing. Well to let everyone know, the baby has 10 fingers & 10 toes
and appears to be very healthy all around. Our assistant’s name was Alla
and she spoke with a very thick German accent, but we enjoyed working
with her a lot. So I guess the big question on everyone’s mind now is if I
am having a boy or a girl. Well, let’s just say that you’ll have to look for
the answer in the text, because it’s hidden very carefully. Don’t tell
anyone what it is if you figure it out, but let me know if you do.

Cathy's Pants

I am too big for most of my pants. Too big for all of them if it wasn't for my friend Rubber Band. But I am too small for maternity wear. Plus I don't have any yet, which also makes it hard for me to wear. However, I do have one thing that has helped me through this awkward stage in my life: Cathy's pants.

(on the right)

I am blessed with a sister who is a size bigger than me. Now, this might not seem like a blessing to her, but it is. Cathy was fortunate enough to go through this thing people call "puberty" when she was a teenager. She grew in all the right places, and so she is an average girl now with these things called "hips". I on the other hand, skipped that phase. Or, I guess I should say I decided to enter it way late, leaving me with very little time to mature. I ended up with a flat butt. So I wear (wore) small sized pants. Cathy wears regular sized pants. And now I get to too, thanks to my weekend in Mesa last week and my ability to take some of her jeans back to Tucson before she realized it.

I guess I'll have to go shopping soon.

My Trip to Mesa

Last Wednesday, I took a mini-vacation to Mesa. This was for 2 reasons: First, Jake started finals last week, and had an 8-hour final on Friday that I didn't want to be a distraction for. And second, I'm quitting my job in 2 weeks and they don't pay out my accrued vacation time. I've worked for 6 months straight without taking a day off, I think I deserve something.

Anyway, I spent the end of last week reading books to Mabel, running around with Oliver, watching HGTV, looking for a summer job, and just relaxing.

On Thursday, I decided to go visit my old job in Phoenix. As I was driving down the freeway in Tempe, I noticed that Jake's brother was driving next to me, so I got to see him too. He was a little surprised to see me.

Here is a picture of Oliver Saturday morning after we accidentally let him stay up past his bedtime on Friday night.

p.s. Check back Tuesday to hear our baby gender news!