a baby shower

"I've never had a baby shower before!" Is what I kept saying all week when our Sunday plans would come up in conversation. I was, needless to say, excited! Stephanie planned it all and decorated the Wall house just perfectly! It was an actual baby SHOWER! We had plastic babies in our ice and had to shout "my water broke!" when it melted and floated to the top; we had blue ribbons tied to our wrists we had to forfeit if we were caught saying the word "baby" (I lost that game real quick); each guest had to guess my belly size with a piece of yarn; there were yummy cupcakes and homemade calzones... Lots of talking and laughing and so many cute presents! We are so grateful for everyone that came and helped us celebrate little Uriah! We are even more so grateful for all Sherri and Stephanie's hard work of throwing us the shower! Our little man is loved so much already, we can't wait to bring him into this world and share him with all of you! Thank you!

Fairbanks {part 2}

Our last couple days in Fairbanks looked similar to the first... Yummy cinnamon roll breakfasts, lazy time in our sweats, family trips to the gym, and time talking and playing with all ten (and two halfs!) of us! 

On Monday night Stephen and I got to be honorary members of Friends Church and attend their staff Christmas party! Friends has such a great staff, all who are close friends with the Wall family, so it was fun to enjoy dinner and games in their company :)

On our last night in Fairbanks we had ourselves a mini little Wall family Christmas. After spending the day with Jon and Steph running errands and playing with Triston (and after Stephen's man date with an old high school friend, Steven Norris) we headed up to the Walls for Thai food (not your traditional Christmas dinner, but a Wall Christmas dinner), talking, games, stocking hunting, and presents. Every year Santa comes to the Wall house and hides our stockings, leaving Sherri with clues to where they might be. Well, the boys found Nerf Guns in their stockings and the Wall men turned into boys. Not to say we didn't join them in the childish fun...

We also got in lots of love time with our newest nephew, James. Who is too cute and perfect for words. Aaron and Rosie did good! ;) It's awesome to see them as parents, now, and we're so excited for the adventure this little boy will be taking them on! I got in all the loves and kisses and hugs I could the week we were there; he'll be 6 months old next time we see him!

We had an amazing time in Fairbanks with Stephen's family (despite the cold!) and are so happy we were able to sneak up for a week of fun! We love you guys and can't wait to see you in May!

Fairbanks {part 1}

This year was the year for a Ryan family Christmas, so we took full advantage of Stephen's time off of school and headed up north, first, to spend some time in the snow with the Walls before heading to Idaho to celebrate Christmas. Stephen and I got into Fairbanks late Wednesday night (two Wednesday's ago) and had a non-stop, busy, fun week with his family! 

The first few days in our trip included playing in the snow ^^ before the weather turned and reached -45! Yes, NEGATIVE 45 degrees! And no, that's not abnormal. Crazy, right?! You cannot live in Fairbanks without that wonderful auto start! Nor can you make it from your car to the front door without your nose hairs freezing and your lungs cutting off your air supply! Inside, though, is always nice and cozy and warm and welcoming... Which is where we spent most of our time!

Sleeping in, listening to Christmas music, wrapping presents, lots of talking, annual cookie decorating with friends, family trips to the gym for basketball games and zumba class, lots of 'oohing' and 'awwing' over Triston and our new nephew, James, movies, games, church...

  

I know Stephen was happy to spend so much time with his brothers, playing racquetball, Halo, "the ball game"... The boys even got to spend a night on the slopes snowboarding (however illegal it may have been), and I got plenty of time with my sister-in-laws relaxing, with one being pregnant and one a new mom, we had lots to talk about! And we both got to enjoy a triple date to see the Hobbit, a mini dinner date just for us, time with Stephen's parents, and staying in bed a little later than usual.

But that was just our first four days! (I told 'ya it was busy!)

the way my iphone sees it

We're back! Our trips were obviously filled with lots of smiles and babies :) We had a wonderful time and are so thankful to have spent this holiday season with family! Thought I'd share with you these few photos as a preview, more will come to the blog with all the details of our trips I'm sure you're just dying to hear... ;) Hoping you all had a very Merry Christmas!

thirty.

In my 29th week of pregnancy...

In my 30th week of pregnancy...

And now, at 30 weeks complete!

Can't believe I only have ten weeks left! I miiiight even be crossing my fingers for one or two less... As long as he's healthy, I wouldn't mind getting to meet him sooner rather than later :)

My doctors appointments are now every two weeks apart, but since our vacation started as soon as Stephen's final was over, I canceled the next two and won't be going back in until January, which they said was perfectly fine because everything is looking great for baby and I!

With no doctor's appointment, though, I don't know how much weight I've gained. I'm ok with staying blissfully unaware for now, though ;) It'll be a whopping big number come January, I'm sure, but all the Christmas cookies and feasts will be too hard to avoid! Maybe the holidays is the best time to be pregnant... I'm supposed to be gaining weight!

My intestines officially hate my iron supplement. Goody. And while it has yet to fix my oh-so-very-tired-all-the-time problem, I'm sure it's doing baby and I some good!

His kicks and twitches and rolls are starting to feel different now that he's bigger and is running out of room. My belly is no longer perfectly round, for he's usually got a knee or elbow or head or bum sticking out somewhere. I can't always tell the difference and wish I could see what he was doing in there! Stephen gets a kick out of feeling him move! Wish he could feel it from the inside! One, so he understands when the tears of annoyance come, but two, because it's just about the weirdest and best feeling in the world!

He has yet to get a case of the hiccups, or I at least have yet to feel them. I've read they kinda feel like your baby has a strong twitch...? If that's true, then I might have felt them twice, but it's hard to know!

When the back pain started a few weeks ago, I knew it was only going to get worse... And I know it will still only get worse... But OUCH! When evening rolls around, my back just can't take it anymore. I've tried baths and pillows and pads and stretching and everything the book says... Nothing has made me feel the slightest bit better but falling asleep. (Which is really hard to do!) Stephen's become a pro at the pregnancy massage, which I am very, very grateful for! (Poor guy, all he gets is my attempts to be showered by the time he gets home from class...) So any and all tips for relieving back pain would be very much appreciated!

Still slowly adding to his wardrobe... I said 'goodbye' to my amazing Gap discount by purchasing him two pairs of big boy jeans that were too cute to pass up. I organized all his clothes a few mornings ago while Stephen was reading to me. Partly because I love looking at them all and partly so I could make a list of what we have and what we still need. Everyone is so excited to meet him and love on him, I know he'll be plenty spoiled!

adios!

All our bags are packed, and we're ready to go! Ok, not really. At least not yet.
Stephen has his last final at 2:30 and I think I might be just as excited for it to be over as he is! We're both looking forward to not waking up at 6 am tomorrow and spending a few extra hours reading and cuddling instead. (I say that like I wake up at 6 when he does every morning... pretty sure I didn't get out of bed 'til 10 today...) Regardless, two weeks with family and friends (actual time with Stephen!) in the snow, baking cookies, playing with babies, gifting, double dating, baby showers... It's all sounding pretty nice right about now.
We catch our taxi to the airport at 5 and will be in the air at 8, Fairbanks bound! After one week there we'll be flying back through Seattle to Idaho, to spend Christmas with my family, before coming home to bring in the new year together :)
I'll blog when I can (hoping to snap a 30 weeks photo today before we leave and have a baby update posted within the next few days), but I have a feeling my nieces and nephews are going to be stealing all my extra time and I am more than happy to hand it over...
Must get back to deep cleaning the house (because I hate coming home to a dirty one!) and force feeding Stephen all the food left in the fridge! Happy holiday times to you all!

S & A

S: "Thank you for marrying me."

A: "Thank you for asking me to."

boys, boys, boys!

It's official. The Wall family has got to have an extra Y chromosome floating around out there. Stephen comes from a family of three boys - Aaron, Jonathan, and Stephen ...The baby :) Jonathan and Stephanie had the first grand-baby in the family, Triston Jonathan, last September. Aaron and Rosie had baby James Wesley just a week ago on November 26th. We are due with our little man, Uriah Michael, in February, and Jonathan and Stephanie found out today that their baby #2 is also a boy! Jacob Jeffrey! Grandma and Grandpa Wall will have three sons and four grandsons come May! Lucky little Uriah has already got three best friends, two that will just be a few months away from his own age! ...Boys, boys, boys!

Aaron and new baby James - We're so happy for you, Aaron and Rosie! He is perfect (Ohh those cheeks!) and we cannot wait to meet him next week! You two are going to make amazing parents! Know that your little man is loved dearly by us already!

Baby Jonathan and baby Triston - Twins?! I can't believe Triston is already 15 months old! He is such a handsome little boy with so much energy and spunk! We're so excited for him to be a big brother! Happy for the three of you and your new family! Can't wait to meet little Jacob Jeffrey!

And baby Stephen - Seriously can't wait to get me one of those!

The Wall family is bound to make a girl at some point (They have aunts! It must be possible!) but for now, I think we're pretty happy with our boys :) And can you blame us?! Look at them!

change

From Oregon to Alaska to Washington to Idaho! It just wouldn't be right if we didn't move about every 9 months or so, so in June we're packing up again and moving to Boise, Idaho! In Stephen's third and fourth year of medical school, the students complete 6 week rotations in each medical field. There are many options for the students as far as when and where each rotation can be done; you could spend each 6 weeks in a different city if you wanted to! But, with a little one in the picture and my large desire to hang stuff on the walls, we decided one city, one home, would be just fine. Though we're still considering a 6 week rotation in Fairbanks, one in Pocatello, and maybe even one in Montana! (We're just trying to live in the entire northwest before we move for residency...)
I'm feeling a little apprehensive, and a little like a hypocrite, about moving to Boise... When I left Pocatello for college in Oregon in 2008, I said I was never moving back. Not because I don't love the people, but because I always felt like I wanted something different, something more... And to me, Boise is Pocatello. It's still the same people, same landscape, same everything, just with better shopping. To me, you don't really get out of Pocatello until you cross that state line. And now we're moving back? For two years?
I am so very much looking forward to being closer to my family, and we're actually moving there with our good friends the Andersons, and I know once residency comes and we're shipped off to who knows where in the United States I'll miss being so close to home and my roots... But still...

It was two Sundays ago that our pastor did a sermon on change - adaptability, endurance, and focus. He was going over Acts 20:24-36, and looking back in my journal the day after we officially accepted our Idaho track invitation, the sermon really struck a cord with me. "Change will come to you. You can either deal with it with resolve or resistance." What's it going to be? Change is hard. But it is also inevitable. You can't freeze time. But in those times of change (in all times!) hang on to Christ - Christ doesn't change. And with Him, you can begin to embrace change with joy.

So maybe moving back to Idaho wasn't in my plans when I left it, but hey! We're no strangers to change! And a lot still has to happen (and change!) before June arrives, but regardless, Idaho is a part of our plans now and I am going to embrace this next adventure of ours with excitement and joy! Great weather, cheaper housing, closer to my family and old friends, a great place to raise our baby, having a home base for longer than 9 months...  This is change I can get on board with!

as of late

It's been two weeks since my last blog? Yikes! Stephen had the long Thanksgiving weekend off from school, so when I wasn't working (which was every day last week ...boo for working retail during the holidays!) I was stealing all his extra time :) And in return, he stole all mine... Hence the no blogs. But really, I let him have it... I miss him when he's away at school or tucked away in his study, so any and all opportunities to cook, cuddle, read, eat, watch movies, shop, walk together are taken full advantage of!

We had a wonderful, long, quiet and relaxing Thanksgiving weekend together and have so much to be thankful for... Our incredible families, our growing baby boy, our wonderful marriage, amazing friends (Including the friends we got to share Thanksgiving with! To the Andersons and the Pepsnys, we cherish all our time spent in your wonderful company! Thank you for inviting us into your homes!), the opportunity of medical school, our perfect living situation, all our "things" that we don't need but have been so graciously blessed with... And our God who gave up his only son for us... Us...! Oh how we are ever so thankful! :)

And since? I've been glued to the couch watching Friends blowing my nose and coughing up a fit! Turns out, being sick while pregnant is no fun! I can't take anything for it, so it's dragging out... Hoping I'll be better for work on Monday (I've already had to call in sick twice!) and that I don't give it to Stephen (who has his first final this Friday!). I'd also like to start feeling better before the holidays! ..Just in time to travel to Alaska and Idaho! I put my two week notice in earlier this week and we fly out on the 12th, the day of Stephen's last final! First to Fairbanks for one week where we'll get to meet our, now, five day old nephew, James!, and then to Idaho to spend Christmas with my family! We're both looking forward to the time off of school and work, with each other and our families! With this trip planned, bringing in the new year, celebrating my birthday, and a trip to the beach set for the end of January, February and our baby boy will be here before we know it! :)

We took a little walk today under sun and through the wind... It was beautiful out! ^^ Still looks like fall out, even though I consider December 1st the start of winter! Can't get enough of those leaves and red trees! ...And that house! We walk past it all the time and I want to own it! (We refer to it as our house) Our walk ended at the store with fresh bread and pomegranates! Yumm! :)

Lucky to have Stephen here to love on me and make me feel better! Praying he stays strong in studying for his finals and is able to finish with a bang! :)

twenty-eight

During my 27th week of pregnancy...

During my 28th week of pregnancy...

And now, at 28 weeks complete! (Plus two days!)

At about 17 inches long and a little over 2 pounds, he is seriously always on the move! Seven to ten pm is his favorite time of the day and at any given moment during those few hours you can feel or see him tap dancing his way across my belly! His new trick is to hit both sides of my belly at the same time! I can't tell which end is a hand and which is a foot, but he is either one very long baby (quite possible!) or he's running out of room! There have been a few nights where I am exhausted from work and the kicking and rolling won't cease and it is officially uncomfortable and annoying and I want to cry (and I have!) ...But then he'll take a break for just one minute and when the next kick comes I can't help but smile and laugh! He's already driving me crazy and I already love him so much I don't care! I know I'm going to miss the movements once he's here, so I'm trying my best to not take advantage of this time.

I've gained just under two pounds since my last appointment two weeks ago, and since a pound a week is what I'm aiming for, I did good! :) Though they always ask if I need/want to see a nutritionist because I'm technically a few pounds under the average, or what they're hoping I'd be, but I always say no because I like eating pretty much whatever I want whenever I want... The weight will come eventually ;)

I got to hear his heartbeat thumping away at 143 bpm! Even though I know by all the movements that his heart is hard at work, I love getting to hear his heartbeat! It makes everything a little bit more real and exciting...

My belly is measuring in at 27 centimeters and they say the centimeters coincide with how many weeks along you are, so I'm just barely smaller than "normal". With thankfully, no stretch marks! (Knock on wood!) Though I am officially in maternity pants and maternity pants only... I am not my sister who wore her low rise size twos all the way through her pregnancy! Baby boy is sitting too low! Nothing zips! :( Haha! The incredibly unattractive stretchy band is oh so comfortable, though!

My glucose test came back with a very low number, which in this case is a good thing! Though no one was concerned I had diabetes, it was reassuring nonetheless! My iron levels were much lower than they'd like, though, so I've been put on an iron supplement. I used to be anemic when I was younger, so I wasn't surprised. This might explain all my weak and sleepy days! I thought the third tri-mester low was just hitting me early! Hoping after a week or so on these pills my energy levels kick back up to normal!

twenty-six

During my 25th week of pregnancy...

During my 26th week of pregnancy...

And now, at 26 weeks complete!

Baby and I had a doctor's appointment yesterday! But it was the not so fun one where they make you drink that sugar juice and get your blood drawn. Also, where they, apparently, give you the tetanus/pertussis shot that hurts! Like hell! (Pardon my french, but my left arm is still sore so I'm a little bitter about it.) The juice wasn't so bad, tasted just like orange soda and was only a little dixie cup amount. All that sugar did not settle well in my tummy, though, and left me feeling like I was going to get sick! Which I almost did when she gave me that shot... Went white in the face and almost fell out of my chair! Have I ever mentioned that I hate going to the doctors? The blood draw wasn't too bad. They were testing for diabetes and anemia and had to take some extra for some tests I had done in Idaho at my first appointment (if I want to deliver in that hospital, even though they have those tests on file, they have to actually perform the tests there), but the guy was really nice and it was over quickly.

On a happier note, I got to hear his heart beat! Only for a short bit, but there it was, beating away as fast as could be, inside my belly... What a crazy thing this all is, pregnancy. I am making a human being inside of me. A human being! Will I ever get used to this? It's all such a miracle...

Annnd I've gained weight. Which is good, yes, the best reason to gain weight, ever! But knowing that doesn't make stepping on the scale any easier. Woof. I'm only a couple pounds behind what they usually recommend now, so I'm pretty much all caught up and am going to have to start being more careful about my weight gain so I don't overdue it! (Does this mean no more maple bars?!)

My belly button better not be an indication of when this baby is done because I've still got plenty of weeks left and it is poking out of whatever I wear! It has been for awhile but there is officially no hiding it. It's also kinda fun, though, because that means there's no hiding my belly anymore :) No matter what I wear, I look pregnant! I love when people ask me about my bump at work! When I'm due, is it a boy or a girl... He's not even here yet and I could talk about him all day!

Baby is still rolling and kicking constantly, which I LOVE until he starts kicking my ribs! (Something I apparently used to do to my mom. Payback?) I have yet to feel any hiccups which could be starting anytime! I have, however, felt a few contractions. Good 'ol braxton hicks. They say they can start as early as 20 weeks and the first set of mine hit me at about 22. I've had them twice since. Luckily not at work...yet! They never last for long and have only managed to bring tears to my eyes once (mostly because it was the first time and I was slightly terrified at what was happening!). I'm hoping they stay this sparse through the rest of my pregnancy!

The back pain has officially hit! And I hate to complain because I know it will only get worse! It really isn't that bad... Just super annoying. Bending down at work all the time doesn't help, either. I'm slowly adding more pillows to the bed to try and fix the problem. Also trying to not take up so much room I push Stephen out of it ;)

I've started to add a few notes and pictures to Uriah's baby book... Looked into tours of the labor and delivery center... I know a lot still has to happen before February arrives, but with all that we have going on, I just know the time will fly by! One more trimester left?! Ahhh! :)

weekend with the parents {day 2}

(Yes, there's a finger in this photo. It was raining and we didn't want to ask her to take another!)

Due to our late night on Saturday, we opted to go to the 11:00 church service on Sunday, which Stephen and I rarely do due to his studying, but the extra couple hours of sleep were greatly appreciated by this pregnant lady and her babe. It was another amazing sermon (one I'm sure you'll be reading about later this week). Jeff and Sherri really enjoyed themselves, too, which I was happy to hear because being the pastor and pastor's wife of an incredible church of their own, they can be understandably biased when it comes to attending other churches. I know Stephen and I compare every church we attend to Friends and always find something that makes it just not good enough, not quite as good as Friends... But we truly love our church home here in Seattle and I'm happy we got to share a Sunday of that with Stephen's parents :)

After church we took Jeff and Sherri to Qdoba and introduced them to the Taco Bell upgrade (the Wall family usually gets lunch at Taco Bell after church on Sunday in Fairbanks, an old Wall family tradition the boys have continued on with their wives). We headed home, and after a much needed nap (I can't seem to get enough sleep!), the four of us got some hot coffee and cookies and hopped on a bus for down town! We walked our way through the main drag of shops and meandered our way through the Pike Place Market, stopping, of course, for dried fruit and doughnuts! We showed Jeff and Sherri the gum wall, the view of the water, the first Starbucks... And all that other stuff that's down town Seattle ;)

We came back to our house for a game of Ticket to Ride (Stephen's favorite game!) and more talking, before they loaded up their bags and started their trek home! We are so happy they were able to hang out with us for the weekend (thank you for coming!) and stay in our home! We loved getting to show them around and share our new lives with them :) We love you two and can't wait to see you next month!

weekend with the parents {day 1}

Jeff and Sherri got into Seattle late Friday night, and of course, we were thrilled to see them! (Ps, late, means like ten.) After showing them our apartment and catching up, the four of us headed to bed before our busy Saturday!
In the morning, we took the long way to campus past the water (Lake Washington). It was sunny and beautiful out, but cold! Jeff and Sherri had just spent a long weekend in Florida and were heading back to Fairbanks on Sunday night, so I told them they couldn't complain about the weather ;) We got to show them the hospital and the Health Sciences building where Stephen has his classes, along with the rest of the gorgeous campus. We made our way to the Ave for some Pho noodle soup lunch, Cafe Alegro for some peppermint mocha's, and to the U-Village shopping district where I work for some retail therapy. And then to home, where we put our feet up and rested, talking some more before we got ready for our evening!

The Broadway production of Wicked came to Seattle and we decided it would be a fun thing to do with Stephen's visiting parents! Not something they can do in Fairbanks... Our friends Ben and Amanda went for her birthday earlier in the week and raved about it, and I've heard from many friends in high school and college that it's incredible, so we were looking forward to it! But not only did Ben and Amanda recommend the play, they also told us about the Wicked lottery. Two hours before the show, you can go down and enter your name for a chance to win two front row tickets for $25 each (nose bleeds were going for $117 the night of the show!) Because we had watched their daughter while they were at the show, Ben and Amanda offered to put their names in the drawing for us so we'd have 6 chances to win, and we needed two of our names to be drawn. Lucky for us, Amanda's name was the second drawn, and mine the fourth! Out of nine names drawn! (Couldn't thank the Head's enough for coming to help us out! We wouldn't have been able to go had they not come! Thank you, thank you, thank you!) Since we had two hours before the show started, we walked the couple blocks into down town for some yummy grub and beers (for those of us not carrying a baby...) and then walked our way to the front row of the Paramount Theatre and fell in love with Wicked! Actually, to say we loved it was and understatement. It was amazing. Incredible. I've seen The Lion King (actually on Broadway in New York!) and The Beauty and the Beast (with Stephen in Anchorage), but Wicked became my new favorite. The music, the singing, the costumes, the acting, the story line... Uriah kicked and rolled every time Elphaba (the "wicked" witch) sang, but GAlinda was personally my favorite! I would recommend it to anyone and I would see it again in a heartbeat!

Saturday was a late night getting home for us (and by late this time I mean midnight), but we loved our busy day with Stephen's parents!