So Prep

This week, I've been particularly productive, actually. Yesterday, I wrote all my thank you's from my last shower (I still need to find some addresses and stamps, but they're all written). Today, I tried making some freezer meal things.

I made 5 breakfast burritos, a jar of marinara, and...

Calzones. They didn't exactly work out as well as I was hoping, but I made 15 and a little more than half of them are okay enough to freeze, probably.

I've also been working on my hospital bag. Turns out, it's like packing for a surprise trip but still knowing that it's going to happen. Not exactly the easiest thing to do. Thank heavens for all the helpful pinterest blogs for their lists and suggestions because I seriously have no idea what I'm doing, really. But what first time mom does? I'm going to post all the things I end up putting in it sometime this week or next and I might post things I wish I had or that were unnecessary.

I've also been cleaning and organizing, like one does. And washing Milo's clothes so all that's ready to go. It still feels like there's a ton of stuff that needs to get done but there's also a lot that is already done or will be okay not done. Everything will be okay. Right.

love, Miss Ellen

Maternity Shoot

I posted these to facebook a little while ago, but I like making sure I document things on here because things on facebook tend to get lost until timehop brings them back. Sean did them. The ones with the bed are our bedroom and outside is directly out our front door and across the street. So convenient!

 This is the one I edited, Sean did the rest cuz he's so profesh.

It's really so weird to see how large I actually am. No wonder my back and pelvis and shoulders hurt all the time... I'm sure Milo is getting nice and cramped up, though. I'm starting to feel less violent movements, but still little jabs and wiggles here and there.

Guys, did you know how awesome water is? I've been drinking like 3-6 huge steins of it every day (and I say stein because I don't know the exact measure of the large glass mugs I've been using) with crushed ice and it's so glorious besides the constant having to pee. Also, it's supposedly helping heartburn but I don't know if I entirely believe that because tums are my midnight best friend lately. That and my pillow fortress that [sadly] keeps me from cuddling on Sean (which he's probably okay with seeing as it's summer and hot and he's already a furnace).

Also, I did some of Milo's laundry today to get ready for his and it's SO LITTLE! Still a strange thought to imagine a teeny tiny human person fitting into those teeny tiny outfits.

That's probably enough for today.
love, Miss Ellen

Hi Again.

So I accidentally just read someone's blog that I haven't read in a long long time and she just had a baby in March so I naturally read the birth story because, you know... pregnant. Now I'm way more excited than nervous. It's still an insane thought that a human life is going to magically escape my body and then grow up to be a member of society, but I'm starting to feel less like freaking out and more like being excited.

I'm excited to cuddle it and talk to it and play with him and sing to him. Him. Milo. Milo Fox Donner. Ooops. I'm totally not crying right now. And there's a stranger in my house fixing holes in my wall. Perfect timing, Ellen.

Milo Fox Donner. I've been saying his name for so long but it never meant the life inside me, just a future child I was going to have eventually, not next month. Every time a student would ask me "What are you naming him?" I would say "Milo. Milo Fox." and it meant that was a name. Now, it's his name.

The panicky part of me is still thinking that I have a lot a lot to learn. I never babysat infants, my youngest sibling was practically my age, and I always got nervous holding other people's babies, so that's where we're at right now. I'm sure a maternal part of me will magically appear and I'll learn all the things like swaddling and diapers and rocking, but until then I can just be excited. And read lots of informative articles on how to do those things. Thank you, internet.

It might also have helped that I made Sean give me a middle-of-the-night blessing a few days ago because I felt the worst heartburn of my life while sleeping and he made sure to include that I would be calmed and less nervous about the whole thing. What a good guy.

So now I'm going to relax and maybe take another nap and eat more food because my energy levels are low, it's too hot out, and my to-do list for the week has been shortened enough, thanks to a certain grandma of someone's.

Love, Miss Ellen

34 Weeks

So we're getting pretty close here, huh... Here's a picture of my gigantic belly to prove it.

See what I said? I'm getting HUGE. Probably not as huge as I think... but I'm definitely feeling like a whale at this point. Extremely uncomfortable most of the time, tired a lot, waking up (and making Sean wake up to give me rubs) with heartburn in the night, peeing a lot, getting winded easily, etc. 

Supposedly, this week, Milo is a whole 18 inches long and 5 pounds. Whaaa? That's like real baby size. He's no longer just a nugget, that's for sure. And my aching back and shoulders definitely reflect that. 

BUT! We're getting really close and that's a good thing. Baby showers are starting to happen and we're starting to plan "the big day" and all, so it's all pretty exciting. I'm going to paint the crib this week and then next week start making freezer meals (if that works out... I'm not a great chef...) and hopefully we'll be able to start stocking up on important things. I have a list (well, more like 9 or 10 lists... don't judge). 

I am, though, praying that our pool opens soon because I've been dying to go swimming for a while and it's just right there, not being open but looking ready. Bums. Soon, though. I hope.

OH! And here's some good news! Milo is going to have a COUSIN in December!

"We chose a song from this band as “our” song when first started dating, danced to that song at our wedding 5 years later, and now 2 and a half years after that we took our baby to hear it…or mostly pretend that our baby could hear it. Baby Donner coming December 2015!" 

Congrats, Brady and Katie! 

Anyway, it's likely that I'm heading back to bed right now or eating something. We'll see how things pan out.

love, Miss Ellen

Borderline

I'm on the borderline of being entirely ready for this little cusser to be here and stop kicking me in all the parts, but still somewhat terrified of the whole process. I'm sure that everything will be okay, but it's still kind of a scary prospect.

Anyway, I'm 32 weeks now and the most uncomfortable all the time. Somehow, sitting, standing, breathing, staying awake, and almost everything is hard. Sleeping isn't bad, though. I only get up a couple times a night to potty or adjust but it's never because Milo's got a fist or foot in my ribs like everyday when I'm driving home from work.

Speaking of work... only 5 more school days and 3 of them are half days! Today, my students are at Lagoon (the amusement park) so there's no school. The next few days, the majority of my classes are doing fun things like launching rockets and dissecting frogs and watching movies, so it's easy breezy from here on out.

Right now, I'm building the baby playlist for the hospital. Turns out, it's way more stressful than I thought and I really hope I still think I'm hilarious and good at picking out music when I'm in labor... We'll have to see. Or just turn the music off.

I had a doctor's appointment today and she said that I'm pretty much the poster child for awesome pregnancy, so that's nice. I measure exactly where I'm supposed to, Milo's heartbeat is perfect, my blood pressure is great, and I'm feeling just as I'm supposed to. She even liked our baseball nursery.

[The bed is for Sean's mom to stay in while she's here and Milo will be in our room until about Christmas, depending on who all is coming to visit.]

So that's where we're at right now and I've only made 9ish lists based around the next couple of months. *lists are subject to change.

Awesome.

Love, Miss Ellen

On Mothers, To Milo

Around this time last year, I had a melt-down. We had been trying to have a baby for several months and had not gotten anywhere and I was getting nervous. I rushed out of sacrament and into the nursery room we were in charge of at the time. Lots of tears happened and it wasn’t pretty, but by the time kids had started coming in, I had pulled myself together (as far as I remember) and it was a generally good day. Later that night, your Dad and I decided to tell my family that we wanted a baby, seeing as we were to be living with them in a few months. 

Last November, a couple months after actually moving in with them, I found out I was going to be a mommy. I couldn’t be more thrilled. I had only just recently realized it at the time, but I only ever always wanted to be a mom. I had tried out different career options and possibilities but all I wanted to do was stay home and teach my kids and watch them grow up and it was all finally happening. 

On this Mother’s Day, while I sit here watching your little head poke around my right side (I know, gross) and your little jabs that actually hurt sometimes, I am the most grateful for the mothers that came before me and taught me all I know. 

My mom taught me the values of laughing and having a clean house. She could crack jokes as well as a whip at our house, and that doesn’t mean slave labor. If there’s a garbage bag in my hand, you better know to get your tiny butt upstairs and clean up your toys before I take them. 

As much as I know you’re going to want to destroy everything (seeing as you’re likely to be your father’s son), I’m definitely going to be following you around cleaning up messes and making you help me because I’m a mean mom and you need to know the value of a clean house too. And I might make some really good jokes now and then and if you don’t laugh, you have to clean my messes too. Maybe someday, you’ll turn out to be a comedian. We’ll see. 

Your father’s mom taught me the values of learning all you can and taking things with a grain of salt. She’s always learning, it seems, and teaching others what she can. And, seeing how she had 5 boys and 2 girls and that husband, I’m just assuming that she had to take things in stride and be patient with everyone. Your father is a shining example of her hard work and dedication to whatever she may be doing. 

I hope to be able to teach you values like these someday. Thanks for being my most adorable son and you’re welcome for me being the best/hottest mom. 

Love, Mom

The Little Biggest Update!

Okay, so only a whole heck ton has happened since I posted last. That could be because everything of ours was away in storage for a few weeks as we packed up and moved house.

So we bought the house! It was a long and arduous process with plenty of tears and some very frustrating things, but as I see a few of my work friends buying houses, it seems like that's really the way it goes for everyone.

We're still in the process of putting everything together, but it's getting there. our kitchen is pretty much set up and the living rooms are being worked on, but we still have yet to really touch the uppest stairs (bedrooms, laundry, full bath) although every essential furniture piece is set up and good to go. We just need to paint, figure out where we're going to hang all our wall stuff, and move some stuff around.

In the meantime of all the house stuff though, we found a new friend/addition to the family!

{I know... not a great picture.}

His name is Strider and he's a heeler (mix?) that we adopted! He's from Albuquerque (it only took me 3 times to get that spelling right... Sean would be upset... Sorry babe.) and is quite a sweetheart. We still have a few things to teach him (like with most rescued dogs), but he's housebroken, cuddly, and apparently very hungry (although his foster mom was super nice and I'm sure didn't neglect him).

I'm really glad Sean's an animal person because, even though I'd love to be right now, I still have quite a few things to learn. All things to prepare me for being a mom though, I'm sure.

Also, Happy Third Trimester to me! Now for the home stretch. I'm honestly completely terrified and excited. I had a dream this morning that Milo was the happiest, cutest baby you could ever see with dark hair and cute everything. I'm sure that's exactly how he really will be.

The only thing really is that I'm super uncomfortable a bunch because he's all stuffed up into my right side. I can feel his head sometimes and it's super weird and kind of gross.

Anyway, it's late and I'm super tired. I just wanted to post a thing before Sean and Strider got back from a quick walk.

Love, Miss Ellen