James Crew Peterson

So as you can tell, I've failed in updating this blog but thats because I have a freaking baby now! There isn't enough emojis in the world to express how I feel about motherhood or the past two weeks of it.

James Crew Peterson

Born: March 27, 2016

Weight: 7 LBS 4 OZ

Height: 20 Inches

Yes, a whole month early and on Easter. My due date was April 22nd which is the day Thomas has his graduation ceremony.  If he came a week earlier than that then he would have interrupted finals week.  But thankfully he actually came at a time where Thomas could miss school and work.  Seriously this kid and his timing.

It all started on Saturday night.  We had a friend over and ended up going to bed around 12:30.  I've pretty much gone to bed from 9-10pm every night of my pregnancy so it was a pretty big deal I stayed up that long.  I got up an hour after laying down to go pee.  Then another hour passes and as I was laying down sleeping, I feel a gush of water come out but by miracle I was able to hold it..(well most of it..). I woke up Thomas and said "I think I'm peeing the bed! Help me up!!" So I seriously run waddle with my legs closed, probably looking really awkward, to the bathroom and I "peed" like a race horse. I was soooo confused for two reasons. 1) I had peed an hour before and there is no way I could have that much liquid stored in my bladder for that short amount of time 2) it was 2:30 in the morning and I was so sleepy that nothing made sense at that point.  I told Thomas and made him look at my pee (what are husbands for??) which was a weird orange color.  With the two of us being really groggy we put it together that maybe, just maybe, that was my water breaking.  I didn't really think about my water breaking ever.  Apparently only 10% of women experience their water breaking naturally.  We thought "lets just go to the ER, worst case scenario we will just do the walk of shame home because I peed myself."  

Luckily I had been so OCD and anxious about James' arrival that I had already packed my hospital bag weeks before so we just put some last minute things together and I took a body shower (because RIP clean body for the next 24 hours).  We were then on our way to the hospital!  I decided to drive which probs wasn't a good idea because that's when I started feeling my first contractions.  It was only like a 10 minute drive so it wasn't too bad.  We show up to labor and delivery and I tell them about the gush of water.  They tell me that they have to take a swab to see if it really is amniotic fluid and it'll take 30 minutes to get the results back.  But the nurse tells me she is like 98% sure that my water did in fact break and they already start admitting me to the hospital.  By 3:30 am I was officially "in labor."

I was 3cm dilated at that point which the nurse said was great for a first time mom.  Cool? Thanks I guess? Now it was a waiting game.  By 5:30 am, I had already gone through 3 nurses.  Apparently Easter was a popular day and a ton of women went into labor so there was a shortage of staff.  Honestly I couldn't even tell because I was very much taken care of.  By 7 am, the sleep deprivation and the hunger strike.  They were able to feed Thomas but I made him go on the other side of the room since I couldn't eat. Worst feeling ever. Yes, even before labor. BUT I could eat ice chips.  It was the good ice too...ice pebbles AND it was flavored.  Stepping their game up. They said if I had come in a few weeks, they'd have a snow cone machine by then. Not fair. Jk.

Anyways, I try to sleep but between the hunger, the nurses asking a billion questions and the stupid blood pressure cuff squeezing the crap out of my arm, sleeping was a joke.  Not to mention the contractions getting stronger. By about 10:30 AM, I was dilated 6cm and thats when I asked for the glorious epidural.  The anesthesiologist was my best friend solely because he complimented my newly done pedicure and well because he gave me the drug.  Because I've been shoving a needle inside me every week due to my arthritis, the epidural didn't scare me one bit.  I am so glad I got it.  It really was the best decision for me.  I loved labor, especially the pushing part. Yes, I could still feel it.   I only "practice" pushed with my nurse for 30 minutes then my doctor came and 4 pushes later at 2:51 pm James was here!  She held him up and said "Woah! He's a big preemie!" 

Thomas was able to capture when I first saw James

the final push

my first reactions

^^ we like this photo because it looks like James' is so happy...which he better be..jk jk.

The whole experience was perfect.  I honestly can say I enjoyed labor.  It was great to have my husband by my side the entire time and it was the most beautiful way to celebrate Easter.

It has now been a little over two weeks since his birth.  I'm recovering very well..

                                ^^...except for the massive elephant feet I had for a week..

and we're still adjusting to little sleep.  Thomas has been the perfect dad.  He's super hands on and really stepped to the plate even though he's never really been around a newborn.  He's a natural.  

As for James, well he's been a fighter since day 1.  He didn't need any NICU time and he passed all of his test which made our hospital visit just 48 hours.  He did, however, have Jaundice and he was in basically a tanning bed for 2 days.  That was pretty terrible for multiple reasons that I don't want to remember.  There are times where I want to get frustrated/mad at James for being a bit needy but then he'll smile really big in his sleep, and it melts my heart even though I know he's only smiling because he's farting...motherly love, eh?

And now heres a few pictures of my little J crew

xoxo

The perks, the wierds and the woe's of pregnancy

So I'm heading into my 26th week of pregnancy which marks 7 months.  Lately the YSA of the ward have been asking me when my due date is and when I tell them they say "so close!!" and in my head I'm screaming "not close enough!!"  Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful to be pregnant and this is a miracle baby due to my diagnosis last year but pregnancy has not been easy for me in any way.  All woman are different and you sort of have expectations of your own but I think maybe mine were too high?? Also there's a lot of things women don't talk about when it comes to pregnancies.  Sure the swollen feet, morning sickness, the waddling, etc. but theres so much more!! Here is my list of the the woe's, the weirds and the perks of MY pregnancy.

I'll start with....

 the WOE'S:

• Morning sickness and vomiting (though this is a pretty normal symptom, no one in my family had it except me) I literally laid on my couch for 3 months. I barely went out, ate or did my hair/make up. I cringe looking back at the first trimester and my heart goes out to all the women who suffer from morning sickness throughout their entire pregnancy.  
• Arthritis flare ups.  No, not the normal pregnancy related ones.  I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was 14 years old and I remember them telling me 70% of women who have RA and get pregnant, their symptoms go into remission for those 9 months.  Another expectation set too high because I fell in the 30% where my symptoms are still present. I can't take my injections or any anti-inflammatory pain relievers. It doesn't help that I'm about 50 pounds heavier than I was before pregnancy and hypothyroidism and also my baby is getting bigger which causes more pressure on my joints.  But thankfully, I have a sweet husband who massages me every night.  I also permanently smell like Icy hot. 
• I miss sleeping comfortably and I have to accept the fact that I won't be for the rest of the year. Bye sleep. Miss you already.
• I'll also randomly feel super nauseous if I haven't slept well.

the WEIRDS:

• My hair is so much longer but SO tangly. No matter how many times I brush it, it always ends up as a rat's nest.
• Stretch marks. I saw my first one on my stomach at week 13 and asked my cousin who was 28 weeks at the time if she had any and she said no.  So I of course freak out and I'm embarrassed by it.  I definitely have a lot more but they are perfectly lined like a tiger. Seriously, they are.  Now I'm more proud of them for being so nice to me. Weird, I know.
• My digestive system has been awesome.  Constipation is not something I have to worry about. #sorrynotsorry
• Ever since I started my second trimester, I can't tell if I need to pee. Like I don't feel that sense of urgency anymore.  I'll feel a little off and then think "maybe I need to pee" and then I feel better.
• I don't like hot cheetos.  Anyone who knows me knows that this is a big deal.  I hated them my first trimester, I finally got to eating some my second trimester but I don't care for them anymore.
• I cry so much more now. I guess it's pretty common to be hormonal but for me, it's weird.  I cried when I watched dumbo for the first time, cried during elf which I've seen a billion times, I cried when the mash potatoes were gone at Thanksgiving dinner. I legit got so pissed at pizza hut for getting our order wrong that I cursed (not my best moment.) I cried when I randomly remembered that I was so mean to my cousin when we were little and one day in Elementary school, she bought me a big stick popsicle because I didn't have any money to buy one. Like seriously??  This is me: 
  

• When we went down to San Diego for Christmas break, we went out to eat Chinese food with my family.  As we were heading out, a random waitress (not even the one who served us) just came up to me and rubbed my belly and said "soo cute!" in her little Chinese accent. I thought WOAH LADY...my family doesn't even rub my belly then I thought, hey she's probably buddhist and wanted to rub my belly for good luck.

the PERKS:

• I can eat anything and any time I want (including church) without feeling judged. I do this every Sunday and call it "snacks in the back." Thomas loves it too since he eats half my snacks...
• Maternity clothes are like wearing sweats all day. SO COMFY. I don't want to go back to regular clothes...ugggh.
• I can now feel Baby P kick! He kicks the most when I watch Star Wars, eat tamales or bagels.  I love that he already has a little personality even inside my belly. I can NEVER get enough of feeling him move.
• I have already been super blessed with my mom and a couple of my friends who love baby P so much that he's been spoiled with lots of clothes! Baby clothes are just THE CUTEST. I can't get enough!!
• I don't have diabetes! I call this a win because I was expecting to have it and not be surprised.  But I am so grateful I atleast don't have to deal with that!
• The ULTIMATE perk: using the "I'm pregnant" excuse for basically anything. I even think Thomas uses it more than I do.  Free pass for anything. #noshame

I keep dreaming about life with baby P.  It's so exciting and a little terrifying for mostly selfish reasons (no sleep, what if he isn't cute??, name choosing is a lot of pressure) but it's been fun to watch him grow.

Can't wait to hold you baby P!!

xoxo

Gender Reveal

Happy 20 weeks baby P! Every week really is an accomplishment and something to be grateful for.  So I made my appointment for my 20 week ultrasound on November 30th.  I really thought I'd be anxious to find out the gender but I was fine until the morning of the appointment. It was a mixture of excitement and a bit of being worried.  I'd be lying if I said I don't tend to get nervous every doctor's appointment or ultrasound.  Thomas was able to come with me and I started to get reaaaaally impatient in the waiting room, especially since we waited an hour to finally be seen. Rude. 

The technician stated that she was going to get some of the baby's measurements before telling us the gender.  I actually really enjoyed this part.  It was so neat to see the baby moving and to see the profile, legs, and arms.  It was even more amazing that she could see the baby's bladder and the four chambers of the heart.  How is that possible?!? Not only is it incredible that she could see inside me but also inside my baby? It was like inception.  

Anyways half way through she tells us that the umbilical cord is in between it's crossed legs making it hard to see the gender.  I even had to change positions and try to move the baby.  Talk about stubborn.  The technician then said she would continue to take the other measurements since baby P wasn't having it.  She takes more measurements and then all of a sudden she goes "THE LEGS ARE UNCROSSED...ARE YOU READY?!? It's a boy!!" 

Woah. I can honestly say I was so blown away.  I honestly thought I was having a girl. I've always wanted all boys for various reasons but I know sometimes Heavenly Father just laughs at certain "plans" we make so I just convinced myself I was having a girl and I was seriously ok with it.  But now I am so so ecstatic I'm having a boy. I think about him all the time.  It really made it real for me and I get giddy thinking about his future and Thomas being a dad. I feel so blessed and currently I can feel him move in my belly.  I thought it wasn't going be until after I gave birth and was able to see baby P's little face that I'd think that all that terrible morning sickness I experienced was worth it but I already feel that way.  I get weepy thinking about it. Ok so I get weepy ALL THE TIME.  I cried when the mash potatoes were gone at Thanksgiving (it's a true story), I sobbed when I watched dumbo for the first time and am currently crying while watching Juno.  Seriously?? Oh well. It makes me feel like I have more of a heart and that I'm less robotic.

He looks like an actual baby now!

Below is our gender reveal video that our good friend Scott made us.  We talked about it the night before for about 20 minutes.  And by talking I mean formulating ideas for it.  I am so so pleased with the end result! I love this video so much. I even catch Thomas watching it by himself....makes my little heart sing.

xoxo

Lubbock!

So about 4 months ago I bought a plane ticket to visit my sister Jackie in Lubbock, Texas.  Saying that I am in love with her kids is seriously an understatement.  I facetime them everyday and this past summer, I finally decided to put my hate aside for Texas and go visit her. Jk. They've lived there for over two years but the plane tickets are pretty pricey so it's just been something I've put off but I'm so so glad I finally went! As I was flying in, it was exactly what I imagined it would be.  Brown and flat.  The weather was pretty nice though compared to Utah where it's getting pretty dang cold.  When I arrived to their cute little home, this was waiting on my bed for me:

So cute right? Jackie is always so creative and thoughtful. She was always known as the perfect one in our family.  And this is proof. (side note: lemons may look random, but I have to use them in my water because mucus in my throat is a major problem..sorry TMI)

I spent the week watching the kids, eating Jackie's delicious meals, playing with their new bunny Leo and just spending time with them.  It was low key but so perfect. I really did enjoy every minute.  Here are some more pics:

Family picture with all the kids including Leo. Those faces!

My precious Stela. She's kind of my favorite. She has the sweetest heart.

Lucas and Leo. That smile is going to get him in trouble when he's older.

Jackie and I. We hate this picture but I couldn't NOT post one of us. We're 6 years apart but still super close and I'm so grateful! She definitely took care of me. Love you Jack!

I also got to see one of my companions Hermana Spencer! It was so great to catch up and talk for a few hours.  We forgot to take a picture but it's okay because surprisingly enough we see eachother like every 6 months even though we live far from eachother.  

I'm going to miss Lucas asking me why he can't see my baby yet or Stela constantly pointing at my belly asking if the baby is ok or Sofia constantly making me art pieces. Never would I have thought I'd visit Lubbock, Texas.  Pretty ugly place but the people are pure gold.

xoxo

Halloween

...the holiday I never really cared about, to be honest.  And it definitely was something I wasn't paying attention to until about a week ago during church when they announced our ward Halloween party.  I knew the other Bishopric wives would be dressing up so I felt a little obligation.  Which is fine because it made me do some last minute thinking and shopping (heaven knows I need anything to get me out of the dungeon aka our little basement). I thought finding a couple's costume would be easy. False. It's harder. Maybe because it was last minute and we're on a budget.  So I found two shirts on amazon that went together and we went for the "we put effort into this but not enough to win a costume contest" look.  I decided to make it a little more fun and make it into "dia de los muertos" style.  Sadly, Thomas had his 3 hour LSAT class so I couldn't put make up on him.

If you know me well, you know I suck at life when its comes to the arts. So the thought of doing my own make up was horrifying.  As I started to put the white make up paint on, I had to redo it because I wasn't doing it right.  How did I even get that wrong???? So you can imagine that I started panicking when I actually had to the more detailed part.  Turns out, that was easier. So it's not the best, BUT FOR ME IT WAS THE BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT OF MY YEAR THUS FAR. Besides growing a baby.

Sorry if you can't really see the shirts...mine has a baby, Thomas has burgers and fries. Supes cute, right? The only way I got Thomas to even buy these shirts is promising him that this is his costume for the next 10 years....men I tell ya.

I tried to go for the dead look. No smiling. Also this shirt ended up being HUGE on me because when I ordered it, I thought it was a sweat shirt. Minor detail. But it was too late to return it.  

We got honorable mention in the costume contest which is fine since we're basically disqualified for being in the bishopric.  The party was fun and it was great to see the YSA dress up. Plus we ate lots of chocolate. Win.

Not too bad for last minute, eh?

xoxo

Trimester II

The day has finally come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Can you tell I'm excited by the exclamation marks?) I am officially in my second trimester. Is it weird to congratulate myself? Probably. Nonetheless I am so relieved to be in this phase of pregnancy.  I heard its the best.  I already feel like I have a bit more energy, not as bad morning sickness and seriously within the last week I really feel baby P grew because my belly is looking more preggo.  Thank goodness. Could it be all in my head? Maybe, maybe not.

Really I just wanted to write this post so you can all see the new and improved layout that my friend Hannah did for me.  Isn't she awesome?  She's pregnant too and ready to meet her little girl any day now.  Hopefully by Tuesday though because I made a bet with Thomas and I'm pretty sure Hannah wants me to win.  Hannah has been awesome to hang out with.  Even though we are in completely different phases of pregnancy, it's always nice to chat with someone about all the weird pregnancy quirks and everything else pregnancy has to offer.  She isn't working either so each week we go to each other's house and just chill.  I mean we could sit on the couch and not do anything and we are both content.  I love it.  I'm so grateful for her friendship!

Things to look forward to:
*Our ward halloween party with the YSA next Tuesday. Yes, we have costumes. Pictures to follow.
*Less than 3 weeks I'll be going to Texas to visit my sister and her cute babies. So so excited.
*My first maternity jeans should be coming in the mail any day now. Stretchy pants, yes please.
* My oldest sister Melody called me earlier today saying she met the CFO of Ju Ju Be's (which I never heard of) and she's hooking me up with one of their diaper bags which are BEAUTIFUL.

Loooooove it.  I'm a lucky girl.  Thanks Mole!!


xoxo

Love is all you need

 Not sure how many of you know this, maybe because I've calmed down as the years have passed on but I love The Beatles.  I've always felt this love for the 60's for some reason.  The music, pop culture, history and even the fashion (I really do think the fashion trend now is totally 60's influenced).  I love The Beatles' classic songs but also their really really weird songs that make you feel like you're on drugs even if you aren't.  Yeah I said it. So when I heard about The Beatles Love Show in Las Vegas about 8 years ago, I freaked.  Vegas is only like 6 hours away! Easy. Well, every time I planned to go it just never really worked out.  I probably had mentioned that it was my dream to Thomas and kind of brushed it off.  I guess in my mind even though I really really wanted to go, it just probably wouldn't happen for awhile.

  So about a week before my birthday, Thomas and I were having dinner and he randomly blurts out that he has something to tell me. Looking at my confused face, he proceeded to tell me that he wanted to tell me what he got me for my birthday.  I initially think "well that's weird since we still have a week to go but since when am I ever patient, let's hear it!" So he tells me he got tickets to The Beatles Love show for next weekend and he wanted me to mentally prepare because remember I'm in the "I hate food because it makes me want to puke but give me food because I'm sooo hungry" phase and I'm just so exhausted all the time. Growing a baby is a lot of work, I tell ya. Anyways so you would think I would be sooooooo pee my pants excited but my first thought was "we can't afford this.." "I'm sick as a dog, the last thing I want to do is be in a car (which is one of my worst enemies right now) and get even more sick for 6 hours" "Thomas has school and work which means he'd be missing out on money we so desperately need" blah blah blah.

Since when did I become the nagging wife? Good thing Thomas is always so patient and loving.  He just calmly says that he bought the tickets with his first paycheck at his internship earlier this summer and has kept it a secret the last 3 months.  He then says that I can take my motion sickness pills and sleep the whole car ride while he drives the 6 hours.  At that moment, I stopped with all those worrying thoughts that crowded my excitement and as I looked into my husband's face, I realized never gave him the reaction he deserved.  He had been planning this for months and I'm sure he thought of a ton of reasons not to do it but he wanted to make my birthday special.  He sacrificed for it. And that's what made it special.

The show was magical.  It was colorful, weird, fun and memorable.  They did an incredible job.  As the show went on, the more and more excited I got.  I just didn't want it to end.  Except I really had a pee the last 40 minutes so I was having a complex. Also, poor Thomas sat next to a drunk woman who kept singing so loud and then yelling at her husband that she needed to pee and that she was hungry.  They ended up leaving after 20 minutes...thank goodness but who pays that much money to see a show only for 20 minutes??? Beyond me.

I can now say I've seen The Beatles Love Show.  I'd definitely recommend it. Here's an awful colored picture of us:

We thought the picture would look a lot cooler but really it didn't.  I also feel like I'm in the pudgy phase of my pregnancy.  Look I know I'm going to get bigger but you have to remember that I've already gained 35 pounds BEFORE I was pregnant because my stupid thyroid decided to stop working therefore I don't fit in 90% of my clothes anymore. I hate pictures but I'm working on it. I'm really trying hard to be confident again but it's a process. 

**GOOD NEWS UPDATE: I am now 12 weeks.  I heard baby P's heartbeat for the first time last week.  Nice and healthy.  My blood results came back in and my thyroid levels are back to normal so the medication is working!  Which is great I can tell people that because honestly I haven't felt much of a difference because the whole pregnancy thing took over.  My poor body...it really is a trooper.

Anyways thank you for the birthday wishes, cards and gifts. All so sweet.

Heres to being a quarter of a century!

Love and Peace<3