Playing with Daddy!

This morning Shawn and I woke up at just about the same time (which doesn't happen very often).  Jackson also woke up and gave me a pretty sweet kick to the side to let me know he was here!  Shawn put his hand on my belly so he could feel Jackson kick, but the little stinker didn't move again.  So Shawn started poking my belly, and Jackson kicked back twice right where Shawn had poked!  So he poked again, and Jackson gave him three quick little kicks again! 

I think Jackson and Daddy have a new game :)

Success!!

Well, I have lots to blog about today, all of which is Jackson related :)

First of all, apparently the third time is the charm!  Monday we had our last doctor's appointment and Jackson finally let us get the picture of his lips!  In fact, it was the first thing that we saw when we started the ultrasound!  I guess Jackson got over his camera shyness, or maybe he was just actually awake this time.  She also printed out a picture of his face for us, which looks much more like a face now than a skeleton (which is what he looked like last time).  Every time I look at the picture, my heart just melts and I get so excited to meet our little guy in a few months. 

Here's his face without labels.  It's ok if you can't see it, it took Shawn a while to explain it to me :)

Some labels to help you see it better!

We also found out at our appointment that our doctor will only let me go 7 days overdue before inducing, so by February 7 we will definitely have our little guy here!

Another exciting development from Tuesday is that we are now at 28 weeks, which officially marks the beginning of the THIRD TRIMESTER!!  It feels good to finally be down to the last leg.  I got to say goodbye to my second trimester with a stomach virus, which gave me quiet the flashback to the first 21 weeks of being pregnant, but all is well now and I'm back to eating and drinking like a normal pregnant woman.  And of course, here is a picture of the baby bump (which is really more of a belly than a bump) at 28 weeks!

Shawn wasn't home, so you get a mirror picture!

And lastly, my awesome friends Rachel, Vilja, and Colleen put together a baby shower for me (and Jackson) last Saturday.  It was great to catch up with friends and family and we got some sweet stuff for Jackson.  Thanks to everyone who was able to come!  Here are some highlights. 

Blanket from Shawn's mom with positive affirmations on the back

One of the few pictures where I don't have a weird expression on my face :)

Homemade quilt and taggie from Luone!

Tommy was our entertainment!

Thanks girls!

Be Grateful!!

This morning I was visiting a gentleman, whom I feel is a very wise man, when he reminded me of these words found in the Doctrine and Covenants section 78 verses 18 and 19.

18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

19 And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

The gist of the conversation is that we need to show our gratitude for the things we have been given. If we are thankful for what God gives us, then He will give us more.

This makes sense. If you give someone a gift and they are not grateful for it, how likely are you to want to give them something in the future? Not as likely. However, when they are grateful you will give again and more if we can. God always has more to give.

I have seen that in my life and we are seeing this outpouring of love in our lives right now. We are very thankful for all we have and grateful that God is mindful of us!

Our outstanding October

Wow!! Can you believe it?! October has come and gone so fast! Here is a little peak at our outstanding October.

Courtney and I decided to surprise our good friends down in Cali by showing up on their door step!! Their reaction at the door was priceless. Needless to say, we had a great time together just visiting, relaxing and catching up as best we could. Here are some pics.

Me reading to Addi!

Courtney and the girls!!

Addi vs. the Cupcake!

The whole gang together again!

Poor Adelle cried herself to sleep on Courtney's shoulder when she found out we were leaving the next day.

For work I decided to grow out a goatee to better fit in. I made it about 3 weeks before I got rid of it. It wasn't too bad for 3 only weeks time. What do you think?

To end the month we celebrated Halloween with some friends. Courtney decided it was my turn to be pregnant for a change. Below is the end result.

Good thing I had my doctor close by! The dress came stain and all for only $6 at DI! How do you like my socks with sandals?

Courtney is staying busy with school and work. She loves the classes, the teachers and her classmates. Jackson is kicking like crazy and harder than ever before. I can feel him kick more and more as we grow closer and closer to his arrival. I'm enjoying work a lot and in 2 months have gone through almost 11 books on tape just from commuting!

Oh yeah, and Courtney chopped off all of her hair . . . ok, maybe just 7 inches. It looks great!! Sorry, no picture.

Here's to an exciting November!