Wiggles...

I had been getting really antsy to feel Camden moving around in there. My pregnancy book said it happens between weeks 16-20 for most people, so for the last month I have been anticipating his movement at all times of the day, but not kowing what I was feeling for.

Finally on October 7th, the day I hit 20 weeks, I feel a weird little fluttering/twitching that was unquestionably him moving around! Of course, he waits for the last minute... just like his Daddy :). It is so much fun to feel him flipping around, and I can't wait to kiss his chubby little cheeks. But for now, I don't mind keeping him all to myself :)

Our 20 week ultrasound on Friday the 9th went really well. My favorite part was when they measured his little belly- like measuring out a little belt for him. The rest was kind of boring compared to the Fetal Foto ultrasound at 16 weeks, probably because it was more medical rather than for entertainment. But hey, I could stare at this little guy all day.

It's a BOY!

I have been MIA from blogging... I guess I have a reason!

For those of you who have not heard, we will be welcoming Baby Camden in February of 2010, and we couldn't be more ecstatic about it!

We waited quite a while to break the news. I think this is because it was so hard with the first miscarriage, so we wanted to wait and make sure that this little guy was a fighter (which he definitely is).

I feel so grateful for the long road that we had to take to get to this point in our lives. It sounds so crazy to say it, but I don't think I would have the same feelings for this baby that I do now, had I not been through so much to get him here. I remember wondering why Heavenly Father would take away a baby from me so soon with the first pregnancy we had. That was definitely a trial of my faith, trying to comprehend God's reasons for the trials I was going through. Now I feel like I see his hand even more so in my life, and the life of little Camden. I know that without a Heavenly Father watching over this little guy, he probably wouldn't be able to grow from a tiny little bean to a living, breathing baby.


Although the first 16 weeks of this pregnancy were difficult (throwing up every day all summer), I tried reminding myself that the sickness means that the hormones are working... the last couple of weeks have been really great. One of my students asked if I was pregnant... so I guess I am starting to show a little bit :)

Cayman, we miss you!

Seven Mile Beach

Hell, Grand Cayman

On the way to Hell, Summer was a little grumpy... So I told her to "Oh, Go to hell!" That made her laugh...

On our way to Stingray City, we stopped to snorkel. Yes, I can swim, but the life vest makes it easier!

One of the tour guides suddenly dove off the boat and came up with several huge starfish.

Me and Mommy Dearest at Calypso. I love her SOOO much :)

Don't really know what is up with my hair... But we sat here until I felt cold, so we moved inside :) Am I high maintenance?

Kyle gettin some love from the Stingrays in Stingray city. One totally sucked in his hand, it was the loudest noise! It could smell the squid he had just fed to another one.

All of the Stingrays stay here because they are fed. It is not a beach, but a sandbar way out in the middle of the ocean. They feel really slippery and come and glide up against you.

Giving the Stingray a smooch.

Kyle was loving it! I got out after they tipped over the bucket of squid and were going crazy. I don't want a hickey-leg like Car Car!

Friendly rays...

The balcony of the Sovereign... i'm sad that my parents are moving into their condo tomorrow. This place was so sweet!

Their condo is to the right, and the beach is the backyard! What a life, mom :)

Cruise ships port here almost every day. The beaches get really crowded.

The blowholes... I was trying to stay dry, while getting as close as possible for a pic... don't worry, of course as I get close enough for the pic, a huge wave totally claps me on the back.


Love Kyle and Holly's faces, and don't I look content?

That didn't last long.

Chillin at the Sunshine Grill!

I think this was one of two nights where I actually did my hair and wore something other than a swimsuit.

Kyle looks like a kid on Christmas morning. This is Singh's Roti shop. They make authentic Trinidadian food, where Kyle served his mission. It was really good!

Paratha and PearDrax, a good combo!


At the Turtle Farm... want to know why they have an actual farm? While they claim to introduce some to the wild, their main purpose is for Turtle Soup.

No, I am not freakin kidding! How disgusting is that? It is Cayman's famous dish. Yuck.

Heart Worming

A literal quote from a student's paper, about Marley and Me:

"This book is a very entertaing heart worming book that shows the love for an animal is a great thing in someones life."

Last time I checked, heart worm was not entertaining :)

Excuses...

My students kill me. I tell them for one month when an assignment is due, we work on it in class, but for some strange reason, they had a "catastophic" event that prevented them from getting it handed in on time. Oh well, at least it is entertaining. Here are some funny (and some not so funny) excuses I have heard today for late term papers:

"I had to go to the emergency room for stomach problems"
"I forgot"
"My mom had to use the computer last night"
"My printer ran out of ink"
"My computer crashed"
"I thought today was the 27th, not the 28th"
"If I buy you a coke, can I turn it in late?"
"I though that was for extra credit"
"Can I go to the computer lab to type it?"
"I didn't get it"
"I was too confused"
"I had to work"
"I have mono"
"I had girl problems"

and the day is only half over...

Life is Good...

even when you don't get what you want. If I spent more time saying that, and less time complaining about every little thing that goes wrong, I would be a much better person!

One thing I have realized, you will NEVER have everything that you want in life. Once you get it, there will always be something else that you "need" to make yourself happy.

The little things in life truly make me feel good.

Like today, Kyle and I took a run, and I love how hard it is to push yourself to keep running, but how good it feels once you are done. I came in and collapsed on the couch until my heart slowed down, I swear I could feel the stress leave my body.

Then, Kyle went to work, and I turned on Taylor Swift's "Fearless" and belted my little heart out in the shower (I am sure the neighbors could hear me, but since we don't really know them, I didn't hold back!). I seriously felt like I was in high school again, in my parent's basement. Allison always used to play her music so loud when she was getting ready with me. I don't think I have listened to music like that since we lived together. Good times!

Yes, I have been rambling, but this is really like my online journal. And I want to remember how I feel today; a simple, relaxed, happy feeling!

Just for me...

I knew that this past Mothers Day would be really difficult for me, but I felt I had prepared myself for it. Kyle had to work, and so I was at church alone, which is hard enough on a regular Sunday. The topic was a pretty sensitive one for me that day, but over this last year I have learned how to put on a smile and get through it.

Sacrament came, and went, and I held it together.

After everything was over, I felt pretty relieved, but as I was pulling out my hymnbook, my Bishop stood up to the pulpit. He said that although this day was meant for the praise of Mothers, he felt like he should acknowledge those women in our church who had not been able to bear children yet. I could feel the tears coming, and I tried blinking them back, but all of the emotions I had been holding back came spilling out. He read the following quote from a talk by Sheri Dew:

"Nevertheless, the subject of motherhood is a very tender one, for it evokes some of our greatest joys and heartaches. This has been so from the beginning.... Some mothers experience pain because of the children they have borne; others feel pain because they do not bear children here. About this Elder John A. Widtsoe was explicit: 'Women who through no fault of their own cannot exercise the gift of motherhood directly, may do so vicariously.'

For reasons known to the Lord, some women are required to wait to have children. This delay is not easy for any righteous woman. But the Lord’s timetable for each of us does not negate our nature. Some of us, then, must simply find other ways to mother. And all around us are those who need to be loved and led."

I know that God is aware of the pain Kyle and I have been through this last year. I am so grateful for what was said that day. I often have felt like there isn't anybody who understands what we are going through, which is probably very true if I only consider the people around me, but untrue if I consider my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I need to be patient, and I know that somewhere on God's timetable, there is a place for Kyle and I to become parents. That day made me feel like there was something that needed to be said, just for me.