Maternity Pictures

I love pictures. I take tons of pictures, save them on two computers (just in case), print them to fill albums, and frame and hang them all over our house...but if we are being honest, I never saw myself taking maternity pictures, let alone loving them as much as I do with these.

My body has changed, a lot. And I would be lying if I didn't find myself looking back at pictures from before I was pregnant and missing my body more than I imagined. I sometimes don't recognize myself, everything about me looks different! Not only have a blown up like a balloon (no thanks to this Texas heat), but it's as if everything from my skin to my smile has changed. And you know what? I'm more than ok with that. My body is doing incredible things and I love it for that.

My life has changed so much over the past 34 weeks...and despite all the trials we have been faced with, I am happier than ever before, I feel closer to my husband than ever before, and I am only 6 weeks away from being able to kiss the little boy that I have been growing for almost 9 months. This is all part of the journey that our little family is on, and I want to do everything I can to hold on to these feelings and memories that we are making, and that is exactly why I found myself taking these maternity pictures and being so glad that I did.

Thanks to my parents for buying me such a nice camera for Christmas, and my sweet friend Lauren for standing out in the Texan heat to take these pictures for us, aaaand of course thanks to Kirby for being such a trooper and taking so many pictures with me!

Baby, You're a Firework

The fourth of July just happens to be my favorite holiday. It falls smack dab in the middle of summer for one, and holds some of my favorite memories. Any holiday that can be spent outside all day is held in high regards in my book...and those patriotic hymns...man. I have said this before and I will say it again, for some reason, (aside from hymns about the restoration/pioneers), those patriotic hymns get me all teary eyed just about every time. Plus, I love that for a whole weekend every shirt, swimsuit, soda can, just about everything in sight becomes all red, white, blue, and star spangled. And then there is the food...the barbecue, kettle corn, snow cones, all of it. I love it all! But let's get down to the real reason this holiday is #1 for me, those fireworks! Nothing is more exciting or beautiful than watching the night sky light up over and over again with color and light so bright you can see it when you close your eyes. 

This year, after a pool party and barbecue with Kirby's office, we just so happened to stumble upon a perfect night. We had done some googling to find where we should watch fireworks, and found so many results that we didn't know where to go or what would be our best option. 

Our friends had done the same, and randomly, together, we picked a show on Lake Lewisville (mostly because it promised food). So a 20 minute drive later we pulled in to Little Elm. It was about 7:00 in the evening and still scorching hot and unbearably humid. So we meandered around...picked up some of the necessities (aka kettle corn and a snow cone), met up with a few more couples, then decided it was time to park our blankets at a nice clearing we found in the grass and wait for the show. 

Having never been to a show there before we faced the same direction as everyone else, but had no idea where the fireworks would actually be lit off, we were just hoping to have a good view.

So we sat there, playing games, swapping treats, and singing patriotic hymns without shame... and then all the lights in the park turned off and seconds later we felt, more than heard, the first firework go off immediately in front of us. 

I have NEVER in my life been so close to the fireworks at any show, let alone one this big. As we lay on the blankets each firework erupted immediately above our heads. They were so close and so perfectly above us that the fireworks took up every bit of the sky in our sight. My heart stopped for a few beats as the magnificence of it all sunk in. 

I just laid there in the arms of my husband, next to dear friends, my little baby dancing in my belly, with a huge American flag blowing in the wind to my right, a little girl behind me singing her own version of America the Beautiful (really just singing America, America, America over and over) and the most dazzling display of fireworks I had ever seen going on right above me...I can honestly say that was one of the happiest moments of my life. Period. (I might have cried a few happy tears).

When it was over, and the park lights came back on, we laid there for a second longer, in awe...and one of our friends said "there is no way we will ever be able to truly explain to anyone else what we just experienced." 

It was that amazing, and a piece of my life that will forever be a special memory.

Plus, to top it all off, we somehow got out of the parking lot and down the congested highway in a matter of minutes! Fate was on our side that entire night my friends! The way home included crossing one long toll bridge...and FYI the magic never stopped. The entire drive across the bridge made the night even more memorable. Every ounce of the horizon...in all directions, was lit off with fireworks going off along the banks of the lake. You could not look anywhere without seeing more being lit off and reflected in the dark waters. 

I think I was living in a fairytale for the night, that's the only explanation.

 {Don't worry, I know how large I am}

 {And don't mind the fact that our husbands wore basically the same shirt and we had matching skirts...and seconds before we left I was trying to squeeze my belly into a similar blue shirt}

 {PS: That's not the lake...that's a park/parking lot, Texas is still flooded}

 {if only we knew then how perfectly placed our blankets were!}

 {I told Kirb I love how happy we look in this picture...and he said "we don't look happy, we ARE happy." He speaks the truth}

{when the only ounce of light is coming from the fireworks}

I wish there was a way to thank every person who has given me the chance to live in this free country, I love every second of it...

A June in Dallas

June looked a lot like May...minus all the flooding and crazy storms. Don't get me wrong, it still stormed, just not so 24/7 if you catch my drift! Kirby still works, I still play, Sodapalooza is still a regular routine, and the local food is still the highlight of our weekends. But, aside from the routine of our week days, the June weekends hold some special memories.

We might not have as much family around us as we would like to, but we are lucky enough to have Kirby's older brother and his family 4 hours away from us in Oklahoma. So the weekend before our nephew turned 4 we were able to take a road trip to visit them for an early celebration! We left immediately after Kirby got done selling on Saturday, getting there late at night, and staying up until about 4 in the morning catching up. Kirby and I slept on a blow up mattress wedged between the little boys' beds...I was sure that when Dominic woke up he would be freaked, but he woke up in the middle of the night, sat straight up, looked at us, and all he had to say was "I have ninja turtle sheets!" Man those boys make me smile and I am so glad Kirby has a little buddy to share his ninja turtle love with. I could go on and on with the funny things we heard and saw those little boys do that weekend...but I will keep it short. I will say though, that around 8:00, after less than 4 hours of sleep, they both peaked their little heads in where Kirby and I were still sleeping, and Dominic just whispered "see?" to Lincoln, as if proving we really were there. After that I was too excited to go back to sleep! Kirby said it was like watching a little girl on Christmas morning. So I spent the next few hours wrestling, bug hunting, and doing all the fun things you get to do when you have nephews to play with and all the other adults are still sleeping! Our little boy is going to have the best cousins...and they are already obsessed with the baby growing in my belly. They got to feel him kick, and Dominic kept talking to the baby and trying to "wake him up" if he wasn't moving. The weekend went by too quickly...but the fun was worth it. We got to watch Dominic ride his scooter and bike at a skate park, play at the pool, have a barbecue, and give Dominic his first "real" baseball hat. Also, can I just say that Kirby and Lincoln have the sweetest bond...they were practically inseparable, and when it came time to leave Linc kept saying "but I want you Kirby!"

Happy Birthday Four Year Old Dominic!

{Road Trip Selfies}

{discussions during our bug hunt}

{birthday boy in a baseball hat}

{Uncle Kirby > Jungle Gym}

{These two...and Linc's Face}

Then on another magical weekend we were able to just barely make it to the last session at the Dallas temple after work...and it was amazing, duh. The Dallas temple is old, big, and very pretty. And while it was difficult to fit in, and a little chaotic to get to through all the road construction, every second of it was worth anything. The comfort and peace we felt there were just what we had both been needing, and the blessings were obvious and immediate. Oh, and the temple date of course had to be followed by tacos and shakes.

The rest of our June nights consisted of more tacos, good old Texan BBQ, movies, friends, game nights, you know...the usual.

Oh and you should probably know that my husband decided to bring home a massive dinosaur of a TV that a customer was getting rid of...and while it isn't the prettiest, it has been so much fun! We hook our netflix up to it, and snuggle on the couch just about every Sunday these days.

I am so proud of my husband and the hard work that he devotes himself to...no matter how crappy he is feeling or how wet and hot it is outside!

I am also missing my family and friends a lot these days...I seriously talk to my mom about every day and we FaceTime them almost every week. I can't wait to be back home with our new addition to the family!

Keep on keepin on,

Love, Madison

Fathers

Fathers day was a few days ago...and this year was extra special. Not only did I get to celebrate my own father and his influence on my life, but this was the first time I was able to call my husband a father as well. And while our sweet little babe hasn't fully entered this world, he has fully entered our lives, and Kirby has taken his role as a father very seriously. 

Nothing fills me with more love than seeing the love my husband possesses for his little guy. I can hear it in his voice, I can see it in his eyes, I can feel it in his touch when he rests his hand on my belly each night. He loves our little boy fully, and that makes me love him even more than I already did.

They share a special bond, my boys do. When the baby is putting pressure on me in uncomfortable places, or punching me where he knows it hurts, all Kirby has to do is place his hand in the center of my belly and start talking or singing. Then baby boy moves right under his hand and curls up under his warmth...then depending on the song he might start dancing. 

Since the first day we felt the baby move, Kirby has loved singing to the baby almost as much as the baby loves hearing his songs, and I love watching the bond grow. He has three songs he always goes back to...Home on the Range, She'll be Coming Around the Mountain, and You Are My Sunshine. The first two all started with him being silly, but that's the kind of dad he is going to be. The kind that can get you giggling when you least expect it. But almost every time he starts You Are My Sunshine, I have to hide the tears rolling down my cheeks. Those two precious boys are my sunshine, and I would be heart broken if anything took my sunshine away.

Fatherhood sure looks good on my Kirby.

Since Kirby met my dad he has said that he hopes to be like him when he is a dad, and there is no hiding why. My dad, raising 4 daughters, is one of the most patient and hard-working men alive. My dad would sew the straps on my ballet shoes when I was little, show my recital videos to the men at work, and sit down with an emotional and frustrated little me through all types of homework and grueling school projects. He would set up the tent in the back yard so that we could "camp" and warm my car up at 6:00 in the morning before seminary. He still irons my church clothes when we visit over the weekends and he spent days painting, unpacking and cleaning our house before we moved in. He might have 4 girls, know every One Direction song, and read books like The Selection (a glorified version of the bachelor but with a prince and princesses), but he is still one of the manliest men I know. He lives and breaths sports, football, basketball, golf, you name it...whether it be watching the pro teams, going to college games, watching the little specials on TV, or playing the games himself, he is all in. Oh and the outdoors...he is very outdoorsy. He can fix your car, completely remodel your house, and get those perfectly even and straight lines mowed into your grass. He was always one of the cool dads, you know, the dad that all the youth like to joke around with at church? Yeah, that was him...actually it still is. 

So yes, my Texas-sheet-cake loving, pop-song singing, marathon running, non-stop project doing, hiddenly artistic, couch napping,  dad... who once accidentally used salt instead of sugar in the pancakes, is the kind of dad that I am glad my husband has the chance to look up to. The kind of dad I am blessed to call my own, and the kind of dad I am proud to have as a grandpa to my little boy.

Happy Fathers Day Kirby, Happy Fathers Day Dad, and Happy Fathers Day to all other fathers out there!

A May in Dallas

I arrived in Dallas at the very end of April. Kirby had been here for two weeks without me, and those two weeks were killer! I was finishing my student teaching in a 6th grade class in Idaho Falls and it was time for him to start his job for the summer. He drove out with one of the other guys who is selling with the team, and I moved in with my in-laws so that the renters could get settled into our place for the beginning of their new semester. 

In case you didn't know, I am madly in love with my husband. Anytime spent away from him is hard on me...and those two weeks were particularly hard. I cried, a lot. I cried when I had to crawl into an empty bed at night, I cried whenever someone asked me if I missed him, needless to say carrying a baby turned me into a baby. When the two weeks were finally up, I packed our little car, said good-bye to my sweet sixth graders, and drove myself down to Utah. Once there, I stayed the night with another wife from our office who was about to make the long drive for the second time, with me. We left early in the morning and drove the entire day until we reached Amarillo, TX, stayed in a hotel, then finished the trek to Dallas. We got there early in the afternoon, while Kirby was already working. So I started unpacking our car, and carrying as much up to our 3rd floor apartment as my pregnant body could handle...then the sweetheart I call my companion made a surprise trip back from work to help me finish unloading and to take me to lunch. The second I saw him I was in tears (again). A hug has never felt so good as that one in the parking lot, with my big old belly between us.

And as soon as Kirby started talking to me our little baby boy started going nuts...he is such a daddy's boy already.

I did what I could to make the little apartment feel like home...which was hard considering all of our decorations and furniture were put in storage in Idaho for the summer. But that first night back in our queen sized rental bed with my sweetheart by my side was the best night's sleep I had had in weeks. Nothing feels more comfortable and right as being with my husband. 

Soon the stresses of moving hit me. Getting rent, internet, insurance, doctor information, and everything else that comes with moving and being six months pregnant has been one of the biggest hassles of my life. I am now 28 weeks pregnant and still don't have a doctor lined up! I have had to jump through so many hoops here it is almost funny. Texas is definitely not Idaho...and I am quickly realizing that things here work a lot differently than they do back home. On top of all of that...my morning sickness has been back to full blown. I prayed so hard day and night that I would not be sick at my in-laws or on that long car ride...and Heavenly Father answered my prayers because even if I felt nauseous, I did not throw up once over those few weeks. But, the first day I experienced in Texas, I was right back to running to the toilet in the morning and Kirby was right there by my side, as he has been through this entire process.

And HELLO! Where is my Blue Bell Ice-cream?? Can the recall be over yet? Blue Bell in bed each night was our favorite summer tradition, not to mention I have been craving the pistachio almond ice-cream since day one of this pregnancy! I demand it be brought back!

*rant over*

 Also, as I am sure you have heard and seen...Texas is quite literally under water. We have probably had a total of 5 sunny days so far, it has been rainy/stormy non-stop! Most nights we get restless sleep as we try to ignore the thunder that causes our ceiling fan to wobble, and lightning that lights up our room through the closed blinds. I have always been a fan of thunder storms back home...but those are nothing like the storms here. As beautiful as they are, it is often hard to appreciate them when my phone is getting constant warnings of floods and tornadoes headed our way. We have seen our fair share of streets covered in inches to feet of water, we have heard the tornado sirens, we have heard of the deaths and damage cause by these storms, and now the beauty I used to appreciate now fills me with fear. Kirby has had to hold me tight while I silently pray through my tears that we would be spared from the tragedies night after night. But we have been lucky. While the rivers near us cover the trees on their banks, and the streets get temporarily covered in water, we live up high enough that the flooding we experience ends up settling farther down in Dallas. So really, we are so lucky to have been kept safe through it all...but we continue to pray for those who have been affected by the weather here, and hope the worst of it is over (even if going to church in the pitch black of a power-outtage was kind of fun haha) Also, this tiny baby inside me ALWAYS knows when there is a storm going on. He has this torpedo move he does during a storm, where we can literally feel him spinning in circles inside me!

But aside from the woes of settling in, being sick, not having Blue Bell, and having close calls with nature, we have been enjoying Dallas so far. Naturally we have been loving having tacos and bbq at our fingertips again...and it feels wonderful to have Torchy's Tacos near by for the 2nd time! But one of my favorite things from this summer is a magical tradition called Sodapalooza. Let me tell you about this brilliant concept: spend $7.99 on a fancy cup at the beginning of May...fill that fancy cup as many times as you want at any Race Trac (gas station) with whatever beverage you want until the end of July! To a pregnant girl who craves slushies like nobody's business and has a Race Trac on the corner across the street, this fancy cup is heaven in my hands. I've become pretty good friends with the workers at our near-by Race Trac...often making more than one trip a day to fill my cup with half coke slush and half cherry slush ;)

Kirby has been more than happy with his decision for the summer. He has switched companies and now works for Alterra Pest Control. We love the people we are with and Kirby seems happy with his job, which is all I need to be happy! He still works long hours like he has the past few summers...but get this...remember how our Saturdays used to be non-existent? Meaning his longest days were Saturdays? Well now he gets home between 4 and 5 and we actually have time to go on dates and be together on the weekend! We have tried to take advantage of the amazing city that holds never ending possibilities...and will have a lot more exploring to do over the next few months. But mostly, we have been seeing a lot of movies. We are both movie people, and with the upcoming bundle of joy, we figured we had to take advantage of our baby free nights at the movie theater! And of course, being a couple of foodies, we have tried to try a new place each weekend to test out all the gems of Dallas.

....oh and you might already know this, but I take every holiday very seriously. Here was part of Kirby's Cinco De Mayo surprise ;)

So this was kind of boring and whiney...but hey guys, it is what it is. I love my life, and next month is going to be even more exciting I am sure!

2nd Trimester Recap

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that I have officially entered into the third and FINAL trimester of this pregnancy! So let's chat about the past three months, aka the 2nd trimester. From day one I have been looking forward to the day when I enter the second trimester. Everyone said that once I made it through the first trimester I would feel so much better, I would not be sick anymore, I would not be so tired anymore, everything would be sunshine and roses! Well friends, I have news for you, this is not the truth for everyone! I quickly realized that every pregnancy is different. There are no rules, there are no time tables. There is only a unique mom and each of her unique babies causing unique pregnancies.

Through a majority of the second trimester I was just as sick and tired as the first, but I had learned little tricks to ease the morning sickness and make it more manageable. Toward the end of the trimester the sick days were far fewer and more spread out, and now the mornings are becoming a lot more enjoyable!

I will give the "sunshine and roses" people a little credit. The 2nd trimester really was full of fun surprises and happy moments, aside from the sickness. We got to see our sweet baby on the big screen and he (yes HE) is already a sassy little cutie, even if "little" might be a bit of a stretch considering our macho man is already in the 95th percentile! His little button nose and plump little lips are already begging us for kisses, and those darling little toes had us giggling like school girls. He danced around the screen, moving constantly and kicking at the doctor as she pressed on my stomach.

And speaking of moving...baby boy is a freaking acrobat! He NEVER stops moving, and I love it more than anything. Everything from little flutter kicks to straight up somersaults. Sometimes I look down at my belly and it's like I'm watching an intense massage chair in motion. Lately his favorite thing is to push out as far as he can on my left and right side at the exact same time...over and over. On the rare occasion that he is being shy, we have figured out a few triggers that always get him bouncing: Kirby's singing, spicy food, cold food, keeping my hand in one place on my stomach for too long, thunderstorms, and laying on my right side.

PS: baby boy is already a total daddy's boy and it is the sweetest thing. With Kirby's long work hours, he is gone for the whole day and a lot of the night. But, as soon as he gets home and starts talking to me, no matter what time it is, the excited little baby kicks start!

I spent a little over 2 weeks without my baby daddy and it was rough. I had to finish my student teaching, and he had to be in Dallas for work, and let me tell you, that's when I realized the full extent of the raging pregnancy emotions. Everything made me cry. I cried every time we had to say good bye on the phone!

While we were apart I had to go to the doctor by myself for the first time! Baby's heart beat is still going strong and the monitor picked up the tiniest little hiccups! But I sure missed my husband, and I know that baby missed his daddy so much too...the second we were back with Kirby he went nuts!

But on other news...my belly is getting pretty huge...thanks to how big baby is! And he is putting a lot of strain on mommy's body! My belly button is creeping it's way out. I definitely have an outtie at this point, but there is still a long way for that sucker to go before he is fully out in the open. I don't have any stretch marks (yet) thankfully. I have been drowning myself in oils and creams every night in hopes that I can ward it off for as long as possible. Oh, and that dark line thing that shows up on the lower tummy area has extended almost to the bottom of my ribs! I didn't even know it could do that!

My cravings as of lately have been for a mixed coke/cherry slurpy, orange juice, cherry pie (but I don't know if I can blame the pregnancy for that one, it's been more of a 23 year long craving), peach passion Jamba Juice, anything else peachy, and fresh fruit. Pesto is really the only thing I absolutely cannot even think about eating without feeling sick...even typing the word was a stretch! I also have a hard time with Italian seasonings, particularly oregano, so spaghetti has been mostly out of the picture, but I can do pizza a lot of the time...so who knows.

And FYI crazy pregnancy dreams and the whole forgetful "pregnancy brain" those are NOT a myth! I won't bore you with detailed accounts of either, just know they exist.

So yeah, things are pretty normal. Lots of tears, sketchy dark lines, stretch mark cream, outtie belly buttons, tumbling unborn babies, cravings, psychotic dreams, and crazy brains...that's all normal pregnancy stuff right?

16 weeks

17 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

 

 25 weeks

26 weeks

27 (and a half) weeks...entering the 3rd trimester!