New Used Car

So Todd and I went down to Carmax last Thursday and traded in my 2004 Nissan Sentra for a 2004 Nissan Murano. We have always talked about wanting a bigger car but we weren't sure about having a car payment again. My car was payed off and the Nissan Murano was obviously going to be a little bit more money. Actually we didn't start seriously looking until last Wednesday night. My car had been hit the week before along with my sister's car during the middle of the night. We had them parked on the street and obviously some drunk driver rammed into them. Mine was in a lot better condition then my sister's car but instead of paying to fix it up, we just traded it in. There were a few other things that were wrong with the car so it just gave us the push we needed:) We love love love our new car and are having so much fun with it. I'm glad we have more room for Matthew and it can be comfortable for all of us. We've already got the carseat ready to go and we enjoy turning around to look in the backseat. It's just a really fun time for us and we couldn't be more excited!

Baby Shower

My wonderful sisters had a baby shower for me on May 2. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed being in the company of such wonderful ladies! I'm not one to enjoy being in the spotlight so I don't really have any great pictures to share. I was never really looking at the camera but I'll share a few from the day that turned out okay.

I think the funniest moment of the day for me came from the game my sister Kimberly had prepared. Before the shower she asked Todd a few questions and at the shower she asked me the same questions. My job was to try to answer them the same as Todd. One of the questions was about how big my stomach was. Todd guessed 5o inches! I think I guessed 40 which was almost exactly right. Anyway, I went home after the shower and was like "50 inches Todd, really?" He told me that he was just guessing my size by comparing it to his size (38-40) and that I had to be bigger than him. It was pretty funny:)

I'm so grateful for all the generous gifts we received to help us prepare for little Matthew's arrival. I actually enjoyed getting 3 sets of diaper bags because we were able to trade them out for items we still needed/wanted. We are so very excited and are grateful for such wonderful friends/family! Thank you!

Front/Back Carrier

Johnson's Travel Pack

Bath Center


Cute Mittens/Sleepers

Me with Casey (one of my preschool friends!)

Baby Shower Cake

Fun at Lamaze

Todd and I were able to take a 4 week Lamaze class through the hospital education program. We went every Thursday night during the month of April and we actually had a pretty good time. There were about 10 couples and sadly we do not have a picture of the group yet. Still trying to get that from whoever brought their camera the last night.

Basically we talked about the different stages of labor, practiced a few breathing techniques while having a focal point (mine was one of our 3D ultrasound pictures of Matthew), and watched a few birth stories. I feel like the class was helpful in some ways but I'll be honest and say that when the time comes to have Matthew, I'll probably forget half the things I learned! At least I'll have Todd there with me.

Speaking of Todd, this blog is lacking when it comes to pictures of him. So I can't pass up the opportunity to post a picture of Todd from Lamaze class. On the last night of class we had a little party, ate some yummy food, and then watched each of the guys try on this little beauty, hope you enjoy:

Full Term!

Okay, so I've reached 37 weeks which is considered a full term pregnancy! We are getting more and more excited each day. It has felt like such a long journey and soon we will be holding little Matthew in our arms! I visit with the doctor each week now and so far I'm 50% effaced and 0 cm dialated. I'm still carrying high and I figure I still have a few weeks to go. We'll see what happens I guess:) Here are all the belly pictures I've procrastinated adding. I am feeling pretty big now and starting to feel uncomfortable more often, especially at night. All in all, my pregnancy has been great and I'm still just so thankful to my Heavenly Father for this precious gift!

30 Weeks

35 Weeks

36 Weeks

37 Weeks!

Sneak Peek!

I'm so happy Todd and I decided to have a 3D ultrasound! I've been wanting to but Todd wasn't really interested until about a week ago. Well I guess he's getting a little anxious to meet the little guy as well because he asked me if I was still interested:) Of course! So I made the appointment for Monday evening and we were so excited. The only problem was that Matthew really didn't want his picture taken! He was sleeping and had his face covered with his hands and his feet! We tried putting pressure on my stomach and he wouldn't budge so we had to reschedule our appointment. We went back earlier this afternoon and were able to get a few good pictures. The placenta was covering the left side of his face most of the time but it was still really neat to see him. It's amazing how you can get early baby pictures before your child is even born:) We also have a 15 minute video of the whole session but I'll just post a few of the pictures on here. We can't wait to meet Matthew in 8 1/2 weeks!

Third Trimester!

I'm a week into my third trimester and I'm feeling so excited! I have 11 weeks left and it seems so close now. I'm still mostly excited but every now and then a little nervousness kicks in. Sometimes I'm a little nervous about the actual birth process, wondering if my baby will be healthy and well, and wondering if I'll be a good mom. I think about this precious spirit that has come from our Heavenly Father and I pray that I will be able to teach him and help guide him to live a righteous life. I want Matthew to know we love our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ with all our hearts. I love that he will have great examples in his grandparents, aunts/uncles, and his cousins.

It's been fun feeling Matthew move around and even more fun watching him. I remember the first time Todd and I saw my stomach move we just looked up at each other and laughed. It was such a fun time together and we still enjoy watching our little guy roll around:) I still haven't had any pain from Matthew moving around and I usually feel pretty good. I'm enjoying watching my stomach grow each week and I wonder what I'll look like by June! I feel big now and I still have 2 1/2 months left.

Here's a little story about my growing stomach:

The other night I was sitting on the couch with my nephew Rexford (he's 2 1/2) watching "Caillou" and he was leaning against my side. Then he sighed and moved to rest over my legs. I asked him if my big belly was in the way and he said, "Aly, can you move your belly?" We both started laughing, it was pretty funny. I just kind of shook my belly and said, "No, I can't move my belly, baby Matthew is in there." Then I told Rexford that Matthew would be here in a couple more months. Rexford said, "Yes, in the hospital." It's fun to see how much he knows about the situation. Whenever we play together and he runs into me or knocks my stomach he says, "Oh, sorry Aly, I didn't mean to hurt your Matthew." I think it's so cute and I hope I'll still have some Rexford playtime when Matthew is born. I'm hoping Kim and I will still hang out a lot:)

28 Weeks

29 Weeks

Pregnancy pictures!

I never posted my ultrasound pictures from January (which I still haven't scanned to the computer!) but I do have a few pregnant pictures I can post! I haven't been great at snapping a picture every week but here's what I have so far!

19 Weeks

20 Weeks (Forgot to close the closet door!)

23 Weeks

26 Weeks

26 Weeks Front View