June Update

Well, the first trimester is over, and I have to say that it really wasn't that bad. I say this now, because I pretty much don't remember the last three months. I vaguely remember puking a lot, sleeping a lot, and driving Randy crazy because no food EVER sounded good (this is still a bit of a problem). But in between my boring life (my brother in law Matt recently said that I sounded like a grandmother, what with all the napping and the knitting) a few things of interest did manage to happen--in spite of my beached whale syndrome.

The first exciting thing was that over Memorial Day weekend we hit the sales with our tax rebate money and a gift from my parents and finally graduated to a real bed. For those of you who haven't visited our house, we didn't exactly have a lot of furniture when we moved in. We also didn't have a lot of extra money and didn't want to go into debt, so we opted to go kind of ghetto and we slept on an air bed since we moved in at the end of last August. It worked fine until I got pregnant and started having a hard time sleeping on the inflatable wonder. My dad had been wanting to give us a bed for some time, so I finally caved and let him spoil us.

The one down side . . . our cute chinchilla can now run and hide under there if she is ever wiley enough to get away from me. Eventually we will build some kind of frame around the edge to prevent this, but for now I guess I just have to be faster.


Randy got us an amazing deal at the RC Willey outlet by purchasing our other two items at the same time. Randy really wanted to get me a glider rocker for Mothers' Day, but discovered at 11:30 p.m. the night before that Walmart doesn't sell them. At least in their stores . . . you can find them online. Anyway, we shopped around and found this one at RC Willey that we love. I tested it on baby Sam, and he seemed to approve :o)

Our final part of the shopping spree was a clothes dryer. We have had a washer since last fall, and had been hanging all our clothes up to dry on a drying rack. While the process was extremely eco-friendly, it wasn't the most time efficient. Plus it was a little awkward trying to dry large items such as sheets. Needless to say, I was a very excited girl to finally have my laundry process streamlined, especially with the prospect of all those little baby clothes that will be coming this winter.

The final piece of furniture that we added we didn't purchase, it was delivered here by some friends of ours who took a family vacation in their suburban down here from Salem over the holiday weekend. This cradle was built by my parents when they were expecting me, and now it is waiting by the side of our bed for our little one. The picture really doesn't do it justice--they did an incredible job. We are very excited to be able to use it this winter!

And speaking of the new addition, my parents have been wanting to see a picture of their pregnant girl. There really hasn't been a lot to see for the first three months. I was so sick at the beginning that I lost weight, and I really haven't been gaining it back yet. So far the grand total is 2 pounds. But I am finally starting to show--at least I can tell, I'm not sure if other people really can. So here is a picture anyway of the tummy progress so far. Personally I feel like I have eaten a huge Thanksgiving dinner that just won't digest . . . it is a very strange feeling I'm trying to get used to of having my stomach stick out like this. I haven't moved on to maternity clothes yet, I am just starting to look chubby in my regular clothes.

The other big landmark we passed was feeling the baby move for the first time. About a week ago I felt the little squirm/flutter, and that has been exciting--for me at least. Randy is jealous because he can't feel anything yet. We will get to see the next picture of Baby Johnson (Randy affectionately calls it Marvin) on the 21st of this month . . . so feel free to place any last minute bets on what we're having.

Oh Baby!!

This morning Randy and I got up early and headed over to the hospital for something very exciting: our first ultrasound. And here is our little bug! If you need help navigating the blob, which I did, the head is the big round thing on the left, and at the bottom there is a little foot sticking out. If you know what you are looking for you can also tell some little arm buds are on each side. I of course think it is the cutest thing in the world, but I understand if it is just a weird blob to everyone else :o).

We also got to listen to the little heartbeat, which was going strong at a little over 160 beats a minute. The radiologist was really cool and spent a lot of time showing us all the different things. Anyway, everything is looking good, and the due date was right on for December 9. We are so happy and excited to meet little baby girl/boy Johnson.

Oh--as a side note--got my anti-nausea medicine today. Makes me sleepy, but I did keep a whole pop-tart down earlier!

If I were a dwarf, my name would be Sleepy . . .

My poor husband. Over the past week and a half . . . two weeks . . . I've been asleep for most of it so I don't remember for certain . . . my morning sickness has kicked in. To the point where I have nearly projectile-vomited across the jewelry store at work. When I haven't been losing the few foods that I can tolerate, I have been asleep. Or wanting to be asleep. Randy is pretty much going out of his mind. It is just starting to get warm and have the kind of weather here where you want to go for a bike ride, or throw a football around . . . and sadly all of those things sound completely horrific to me right now. So most of our activities have been late-night runs to the store to gather a variety of ingredients that happen to sound okay for me to eat at the moment.

So far the weird cravings have been for pretty random things. One night I really wanted Sushi rice (white rice cooled off by being mixed with a rice vinegar/sugar/salt sauce) with avocado and olives on the side. Sunday I really wanted a Soy milk smoothy with banana, peanut butter and cocoa. Sadly we had no banana and nobody we knew had a banana, so that craving had to wait. Instead, Randy was very sweet and made me a cornmeal waffle with chocolate chips sprinkled in it, topped with peanut butter and fresh homemade syrup. One night pickles actually did sound good, so I had some of those. My friend Leith suggested oranges helped her, so I've had a couple of those. Mostly I've lived on Orange gatorade, Ginger ale, and a few bites of bland food here and there. I've been trying to put as much food down as I can because I'm afraid I'm losing weight, but it is hard when pretty much even the thought of most food sends me gagging to the toilet.

Speaking of eating well, I've had quite a few people worried that my veganism is going to affect the health of my baby. To put some fears to rest, as well as satisfy curiosity, this is what I have found through my reading.
"Got a beef with beef (and chicken, and fish, and eggs, and dairy) — but your mother-in-law's got a beef with you not eating it ("Babies need meat to grow," she's fond of chiding)? Tell her not to worry (and to quit chiding). Vegan mamas-to-be can grow babies with the best of the meat eaters (and in some ways, even better — since you'll be getting so many notable nutrients from the fruits, vegetables, and whole grains you're probably already enjoying in copious quantities). You'll just need to be a little extra conscientious about scoring your quota of the following vital nutrients."
I take my prenatal vitamin every day, drink fortified soy milk where I get my vitamin B12, some extra protein, Vitamin D, calcium, as well as other random things. I eat legumes and whole grains where I get protein and vitamins. So I am doing my best to take care of both me and baby, and so far--other than all the funny, normal, sometimes annoying symptoms of pregnancy--we are feeling fantastic. Some articles I found helpful: http://goveg.com/lettuce.asp and http://whattoexpect.com/index.aspx?puid=0d153601-21ca-43c2-a71f-708c48429b9b&p=1

Snuggle Bunny

I've been feeling the effects of baby more and more over the past week or so--aka certain smells or even visual descriptions have me running to the bathroom to throw up--and I pretty much sleep all the time. Randy has been great for the most part (although he did call me a Level 27 Progesterone Knight the other day--I may or may not have been a little cranky) but I know it has been hard on him that I take so many naps. Luckily we have a funny little squirrel who will gladly cuddle up in a blanket with me, either for a nap or for some knitting time.



Speaking of knitting, I finally finished my last little project: fuzzy socks. I was just using left over yarn from other projects, so that is why they don't exactly match. But they are warm and comfy nonetheless! Plus most of my use for fuzzy socks is either around the house in my pajamas, or hidden underneath boots in the winter, so I'm not too worried about making a fashion statement. It was fun to learn how to use four double pointed needles to knit in the round. I think I am going to take advantage of this time before I know what gender the baby is and knit a bunch of socks for next winter!! Plus I have some Christmas projects that I want to get started on early . . .

Pretty Darn Exciting

So if you haven't already heard, there is another little Johnson on the way!! Randy and I are so thrilled. As you can tell from the little alien/bean widget, I am very early in the pregnancy. If I have it calculated correctly, I am due December 4, but we'll let you know if the doctor tells me otherwise. I am feeling great so far, but people have been telling me that I probably have about two more weeks of feeling okay before I start throwing up when I smell pretty much anything. We are so grateful that this little miracle happened for us, and can't wait to meet little baby girl/boy!

Last month when I was at Walmart picking up some flannel for a blanket for baby Sam, I saw the cutest little girl flannel and I had to buy it--just in case I have a girl sometime. It has little moneys on a pink background, and is pretty much the most adorable thing ever. So when we found out that we were expecting, Mandy and Mallory surprised us with a present for our little one: the cutest stuffed monkey from build-a-bear. It even has a cute little squeak when you squeeze his arm! I'm pretty sure it's going to be a big hit when our little one comes. :o)




The other thing that has been going on at our house, is a lot of jewelry making. One of the services that we provide at Sakora is restringing pearls, and so we are all trained to do that. Randy discovered that he really, really likes to string pearls, so he has been going a little crazy. He helped me make a necklace for my friend for her birthday, and then he went and bought four strands of different colored cultured pearls and strung them in a three-strand necklace for me. Then he still wanted to do more so he made me a matching bracelet. So if any of you want a cool necklace--let Randy know. He'll do it for you for the cost of the materials :o). Like I said, he has found a new passion. I don't mind--I get lots of pretty jewelry!!

Back From the Dead

So after a long hiatus, I'm back. I blame my absence on 1: my parents finally came to visit (yay!) the first weekend in March, and 2: I was immediately struck down with the cold/flu that has been making the rounds. So I took a couple days off work, and was pretty much a zombie for two weeks, but I'm feeling back to my old self again.

So to fill you in on the few events I remember from the last month, here is a little summary.

Ski Trip: Before I got sick and while my parents were here, we hit the slopes for the second time this season. We took a lesson this time, and had so much fun. Our instructor helped us with the finer points of turning, and by the end of the day we were tired and very happy.




Jane Austen Extravaganza: In spite of feeling very under-the-weather, I hosted a Jane Austen party on the fifteenth. Several of my bookish friends and I congregated at our home and delighted in hours and hours of Jane Austen yummyness. We made it through Jane Austen Regrets, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Persuasion and then if that wasn't enough Austen for one day, a couple of die-hards stayed on and watched Becoming Jane. Randy was thankful that he was at work during all of this girl time.

Craftiness: A year ago I picked up knitting with the help of a hilarious instruction manual my mom bought me entitled, I can't believe I'm Knitting! I have come to really enjoy knitting, and I have a few projects under my belt. I made some entrelac scarves for both my moms for Christmas, and a pink one for my niece Sydney. I made a pillow so I could learn how to cable knit--and my latest project is actually just for me: fuzzy socks. Fuzzy socks are my favorite thing to have in the winter, and here in Utah they are indispensable. So that has been keeping me occupied in random spare moments. I also managed to crochet the edging around a baby blanket for my newest nephew, Samuel, who is just as cute as can be.

Family: My favorite moments from the past month have been spent with family. Having my parents here was wonderful, even if it went by too fast. We managed to have a few game nights with Joe and Mandy--and recently Mallory--in between all of our work schedules and my getting the plague. We had to have a Monopoly tournament (which turned out to be contentious!) and we had to try out my favorite game of all time--Clue. I think we also got a few Rook hands in. I also loved having Ethan, Sydney and Anna over for some play time. I don't get enough time with my nieces and nephews!! I also loved the little time I've got to spend with Samuel. He is the sweetest baby, and I couldn't wait to get over the flu so I could go visit him.


Cooking: One of my birthday presents from my parents was this amazing cookbook, and I have been having so much fun trying out new recipes. I am officially addicted to their Sushi rice, which I can eat by itself, or with curry vegetables on top. I just bought the ingredients to make vegan california sushi rolls, so I'll let you know how that goes. I also have tried out their squash ravioli, and some Indian food: Dal and traditional flatbread. This morning I made the flatbread and Falafals . . . I feel like a new world has been opened up to me. My kitchen is a mess, but my tummy is happy!

Turn About is Fair Play

When I was just graduating from high school and looking for a major to specialize in, my dad kept (jokingly) pushing me towards accounting. He got his BS in accounting and his MBA and CPA license after that, so maybe he wanted someone to follow in his footsteps. Mostly I think he was just hoping that someone would successfully teach me how to balance my checkbook (believe me, he put me through rigorous courses that didn't stick for years). In any case, my creative temperament balked at the idea of studying anything with--gasp--numbers involved. I was the girl who, at the end of my junior year course of pre-calculus in high school, told my teacher that I was done with math. She couldn't understand my decision. She at first tried to convince me to take calculus with the rest of my friends the next year. When she could see I was determined, she tried to get me to take a course in AP Stats. Finally when she could see I really was set on my "no math" policy she said in exasperation, "But Alicia, you're so good at math!" I remember looking at her blankly, wondering how she could have not noticed the vacant and puzzled expression on my face the entire year.

In any case, I entered BYU with a declared major in broadcast journalism (I wanted to be the next Anne Curry). After a few semesters of that I decided to go into history teaching, then pre-law, then History again--this time no teaching emphasis--then I was about to transfer universities so I could go into fashion design--until I met an amazing writing teacher who opened me up to the world of being an English major. I loved to read, I loved to write more, and once I discovered that I actually liked doing literary criticism, I was sold. And I never looked back.

Recently though, I have become convinced that my dad has somehow gotten his "revenge." About a month ago my boss was completely lost trying to use a new computer program her husband had installed to better organize her business, Quickbooks Pro. She isn't the most tech savvy so I offered to sit down and take the tutorial . . . which has evolved into my being the official bookkeeper for Sakora. I handle inventory, I organize sales tax, enter in recites and track sales. One tutorial on how to enter inventory has turned into many, many other tutorials since, until I feel pretty competent with the program. And oddly enough, I actually have fun doing this kind of thing. Who would have thought . . . Dad!