Friday, January 31, 2014

thinking spring



Thinking spring over here! The delivery truck dropped off  veggie seeds for our garden today, and it got me thinking of cool sunshiny days, and working in the garden with my little one snug on my chest in a carrier. That works, right?  Plus, with baby on my mind I am forever falling in love with things to dress her up in for when we aren't working in the dirt. 

Here is where all of these darling pieces hail from. Notice how they would all mix and match for maximum adorability? 

1) Boden Knitted Jacket          2)  Land of Nod Rocker           3) Tim & Leslie Diaper Bag
4) Baby Gap Rain Boots           5)  Boden Applique Pinnie       6)  Boden Cardi
7) Pretty Collar Onesie    8)   Boden Vest


P.S. Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. I found out that I passed the edTPA!! I kept myself busy all the day long, right until 10 pm when results were released. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might quit working altogether. I am relieved out of my mind!!! I ran hobbled down to tell hubs, and kissed him all freaking over his face. He was slightly concerned about the dampness of the kisses, but I told him he should not mind because it is the spit of a champion.

-farmwife

Thursday, January 30, 2014

baby cakes

Cakes. They speak to me. Mini things. Likewise. Mini cakes?! Nothing could be more appealing! Especially to a preggers. Which is why I decided to bake my small pinterest obsession into reality. It seems a pretty fitting activity for a person whose wardrobe has been narrowed down to her husband's pajama drawer.  


I started with a boxed cake mix ,and mini tiered cake pan that I bought one day after I watched Cake Boss for the first time. And last time I might add.  But the shape stifled my creative ability, so I cut each layer into parts, and then put them in a freezer for a little nap and easy frosting later.


Then I made your standard buttercream frosting. Only to decide it tasted pretty standard. So, in true Kayla fashion I went and browned some butter, dumped it in, added a little more powder sugar, a little more vanilla, and just a dash of salt. Or two. It's neither here nor there. And it was delicious. 




I got out my best safeway sprinkles, and colored my frosting pink and essentially attacked my little frozen cake slices with reckless abandon and the occasional addition of construction paper hearts. 


And they came together kind of adorable. 











And a family picture of all of the cake siblings together for your viewing pleasure.
Husband ate the middle one first. 
And my chickens got the scraps. 
And maybe melly dog even got a bite of cake, too. 


to look at the cakes that inspired me, go here


-farmwife


maternity sess

BEHOLD! My maternity photos! 






I am so grateful for my talented friend rebecka who did these for me!
You can find her over here

Sunday, January 19, 2014

34 week update!




Total weight gain: I do not even want to know. 25+ ish. I just figure whatever extra I eat goes to baby's chubby cheeks of course. 

Maternity clothes? Yep and I am starting to grow out of some. Good thing I am not working at this point because husband's t's and sweatpants are actually what fits best!

Best moment this week: She was really moving last night and I got a neat video to send to a few family members. She is so strong! And probably so incredibly cramped in there. 

Stretch Marks? No, but there is this great story called I must have scratched my tummy taking my shirt off, and had somewhat of a breakdown to the hubs about my new "stretchmarks" that disappeared  in a few hours.  False alarm people!

Miss Anything?  ... my addiction to diet coke and being able to put on my shoes without feeling like i am going to fall over/die. 

Movement: She is a squirmy little thing! She is especially active in the evenings and late at night. Hopefully we can change that around a bit before she arrives or I will be one tired momma. 

Food cravings: Surprisingly no! I still love the things I used to love, and hubs has been lucky that I have not shoved him into the car to the store from some craving induced fury.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Sometimes in the morning I just feel nauseous, but I hardly ever throw up like in the first trimester, thank goodness!              

Symptoms: My back muscles on my left side are MESSED! I have been sleeping on my left side since it is supposed to be great for baby and I, but I have knots that no man or mom can conquer. I think we might have to call in a professional.  Other than that I have had a few braxton hicks contractions, and this awesome pressure from baby that gives me a reallly special walk. The other night my back muscles were hurting and I had acid reflux so badly I was just awake for a few hours in the night. I had a glass of milk and a piece of white bread to try to calm it down. It was my first sleepless preggers night. 


Belly Button in or out? It is so very out. 

Looking forward to:  My baby shower, and getting all of her clothes and things washed and set up. Because I have not done ANY of that yet!!  We still need to buy her crib and whatnot.  Hubs is convinced baby will wait as long as possible to come out, but I just look at this tummy and wonder how it is physically possible that she could stay in there for 6 more weeks!

Other things: PEOPLE ARE SO NICE TO THE PREGNANT! I am overwhelmed by how kind strangers are to me! They will take my cart in the parking lot of the grocery store so I don't have to put it away, let me cut to the front of lines, and generally leap out of my way. It is the sweetest thing and I have been so grateful. I don't even mind that 90% of the conversation directed at me is pregnancy/baby related, because really it's the vast majority of what is on my mind. 

I am thinking about starting to pack my hospital bag. I just need to find the perfect coming home outfit for baby and something comfy that actually fits me for the hospital. From what I have read my maternity clothes should be just fine coming home since I will still look about 5 months pregnant until my uterus fully contracts back. Cool right!?.... and stuff. 

Sunday, January 12, 2014

WGU in review : )



          I had half of my degree finished when I got married, and living in a rural community didn't provide a ton of options for me to finish. My husband had heard about this school and recommended that I look into it. 2 Years later,  I would say my experience with Western Governors University has been pretty fantastic!

Pro's:
- They transferred a ton of my credits from BYU-I and Big Bend Community College from my running start days. 
-You really do go at your own pace. As long as you want to keep shelling out the cash, you take take as long as you please! I wanted to go as fast as I could. 
- Pricing. I looked into a lot of online schools, this one was really well priced and well reviewed. After a $500 dollar scholarship I applied for, I ended up paying about 2,900 per 6 month "semester" ( of which I completed 4 including student teaching). Some schools I looked into wanted 4 times that!
- These people are on the ball.  It is really well organized and legitimate.
-You have your own personal mentor who calls you and encourages you once a week. I loved my first mentor! I felt like I was chatting with a friend each week.
-Aside from student teaching and my pre clinical experiences portion- I essentially earned my degree on my couch. or in bed. 
Con's:
- You have to be extremely self motivated. You make your own schedule. If you struggled to show up for actual class, online education would really suck for you. I will not lie, it was HARD for me to turn down activities with friends and family, especially around the holidays to get things done! It was difficult just with myself and my hubby, I realistically cannot say that I could have done it with children or one more freaking chicken and kept my sanity. It was really tough towards the end.  That being said, someone with better time management skills might have been ok, minus student teaching ( read unpaid full time job).

I began with WGU about 5 months after Elliott and I got married. So almost our entire marriage I have had this monkey on my back, and this added stress! It has been a new adventure and a lot more fun being married now than ever. I am glad we have a little bit of time before baby comes, to be just hubs & I, and for me to get my home in tip top organizational shape to bring our little peanut home to!

Speaking of the little peanut.... I got to hold the newborn baby of a friend a few days ago. Looking at that tiny tiny adorable baby really hit me hard. I sent my husband a text that said something to the effect of ... " DO YOU REALIZE THAT WE HAVE MADE A REAL LIVE TINY PERSON AND THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE ACTUAL REAL PARENTS!???" He thinks yes, he does. I am not entirely sure how the fact that humans can actually create life, and that there is a baby growing inside me right this second doesn't blow people's minds completely out of the water more often.  I mean seriously!! What kind of an amazing miracle is that! People always comment on how my hands are always on my tummy. Maybe it's because a person kicking me from the inside out hasn't ceased to be a novel experience? Oh yeah, just that baby I hoped and prayed for, splashing around in there... and stuff? I don't think I will be able to even entirely fathom the situation until I am holding that sweet girl in my arms for the first time. I can't wait to meet my baby. 


And here's an awkward photo for your viewing. You know, just me saying hello from behind my shiny balloon tummy. It  was a good morning present to my little sister. Just keepin it real. 

-farmwife

Sunday, January 5, 2014

32 weeks!




How far along? 32 Weeks 


Total weight gain: 25 pounds

Maternity clothes? I couldn't wear anything else!  I am not a tiny bump preggers. It is pretty substantial. I am kind of in awe of of it. 

Best moment this week: Being told that she is head down at my last appointment & hearing her loud thumping heart beat.  This baby knows what to do!

Stretch Marks? Nope, which is incredible really.

Miss Anything?  Not particularly. I have realized that I still have 8 weeks (or more!) left of this pregnancy so I am just trying to settle in and enjoy it. 

Movement: Since she is head down now it is a little bit different, a lot more squirms and stretching than full out kicks, but I still get those, too. 

Food cravings: Still on my milk kick. I will quick drinking/eating so much dairy a little bit before her due date, I hear it makes for cranky babies once you start nursing. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope : )

Gender: Baby girl!                      

Symptoms: If I eat too much salt I swell up. It was especially bad the day after thanksgiving and the day after christmas. Too many salty snacks! If I drink tons of water and get some exercise it is much better, and I can still wear my wedding ring.  I also feel like someone kicked me really hard between the legs essentially all the time. It is actually quite painful.  I was  worried that I was dilating early, but I got checked, and apparently it is just ligament stretching pain/pressure from baby! And it's common to feel that way. So here's to the penguin waddle! And I should add that I have zero energy whatsoever.  Baby must be having a growth spurt because I am exhausted!


Belly Button in or out? It is so very out. 

Looking forward to:  March 5th! I am ready to snuggle this baby girl. 

Saturday, January 4, 2014

so long 2013!

Welcoming a new year is my absolute favorite. My little one punching me in the bladder is a reminder of the adventure ahead, and how blessed our little family has been in the past year. We have had some ups and downs, but when I take a step back and try to look at the big picture I feel proud of us. When I was thinking of new years resolutions for myself, which always seem to be very specific, I could think of 1,000. None of them felt right. I thought about the baby weight I will want to loose, a house to always have clean, and meals worthy of magazine spreads to prepare, but I have decided to come from  a different angle. I told my husband I just want my new years resolution to be a big heart on the refrigerator (despite the fact I told my little sister it was just to pee my pants less in 2014 than I did in 2013 #preggersprobs). Luckily, someone on pinterest illustrated my sentiment in a far more attractive way.
 I know that being a new momma will be overwhelming at times. I know that dirty dishes might spend the night in the sink. I know that I won't get to check off everything on my to do list. But the things that do get done, I want them to be done with love.  I spent 2013 in survival mode, rushing and checking boxes and stressing about finishing school. While I am happy to have my dipolma en route, I want to really focus on the PEOPLE in my life. Because their happiness is what makes me happy.  I just want to slow down a little. I just want to take in each day. I want to celebrate the little things. I want to smile more.  Here's to 2014 being the slowest and sweetest year. 

-farmwife