Week 13: Chicago and a move

Okay.. this is going to be 2 weeks worth of events because I can't count. oh no. Maybe 3. Something went wrong. Blame it on mommy brain? Done.

We #hotelprius'd our way back to Springfield and dropped the dog off at a kennel. After a quick rest and re-pack, we headed straight to Chicago!

Chicago was filled with great fun and some brand new preggo experiences! Our hotel was far enough away from my parents' that we had to take the L to meet them. Every morning the train was packed with rush hour people. It was enough to let some serious nausea set in. Additionally, since the Mike and Lauren and Co cuties were there, we had some late starts on Chicago activities. Overall, this didn't really matter because we were just there to enjoy everybody's company BUT it meant that breakfast always turned into brunch. Brunch does not compute with 1st trimester people. No no no.
So Chicago was the closest I have been to puking. One morning I woke up thinking, yeah.. today is the day I toss my cookies. I dry heaved a couple times on the way to the train. The first train to come by was jam-packed. I looked at Kaio and was like, NO WAY. So we let it go and waited for the next one. I spent the time by harassing a station worker. I told him I didn't want to puke on everybody on the train. He gave me a plastic bag and some napkins and told me to not worry about the people. He was super nice. THE NEXT TRAIN WAS EMPTY. There can be miracles, if you belieeeeeeeeeeeeve.

Later, I chased Kaio for a half block just for fun and had to stop to think about puking again.
Altogether, Chicago was really fun!

Tiny weird water closet at our hotel. 

Mom and baby cuteness at the Natural History Museum

Scarf ladies

When we got home it was a mad dash to get all the heavy stuff loaded into our trailer for storage.

BUT we had another doctors appointment! Finally! I thought it was supposed to be an ultrasound but it was just a sonogram. Nevertheless, it was adorable. That little fast heartbeat made everything seem so real. Kaio has been telling everyone that is was a boy heartbeat. He could tell. ;)

So Kaio left for Colorado and I had one more week left of work. I would pack pack pack all I could after work but maybe I also took some naps? It was a bittersweet last week of work. I really did love working at that company. I will absolutely miss the people more than anything else.

At this crazy stuffed point, the calvary arrived and helped me with all the last minute packing and cleaning. It was a heaven-send. So grateful for the love and support that is in that Fordland Branch.

 I arrived in Colorado very tired and worn out. But Kaio knows me too well. He must have heard me think earlier that week, "wouldn't it be cool if Kaio put up the Christmas decorations?" I walked into the apartment and it was simply magical. It brought all the joy I had been missing this Christmas season since so much grief and worry has accompanied the season. A real Christmas tree. Lights. Our stockings hung on our fireplace mantel (we have a fireplace!? yay for being in Colorado!) It was adorable and maybe I cried. (I totally did).

Merry Christmas everybody! I hope that you will be able to be near those you love! 

Week 12: #HOTELPRIUS #IMAWESOME

(? I got behind and maybe my numbering system is off... I'm gonna fudge the weeks in the next few posts and maybe no one will notice??)

Wheeeeeee! Road trip! We had a tiny bit of a rough start, what with all the huge life changes we made in the last week... Had to take a tiny pit stop and talk it all out before we could continue. Kaio is great. He never lets any bad vibes linger in our relationship. We talk it out. We listen and get crap done. Then we continue on, happy as clams.

We made it to Armarillo Texas and set up hotel prius for the first time. It was super cold and we had never done it all the way before so it took about 20 min for us to get everything together (none of those minutes did the dog find time to go potty). We were at a Flying J. Many other cars/mini camper type things were around. The only slightly disconcerting thing was a big white rape-y van was next to us and running a super loud generator. But we all lived at it was fun! The doggy had to stay in his little travel kennel because we weren't sure he wasn't gonna go potty all over us.

We made it to Barstow by the next night but had to stop in Arizona because the pup refused to go pee at any of our pitstops. He held it until about 5pm and then he starting shaking. Oh NO. This guy has gotta go! We were only 2 miles away from an exit but he had nothing left. He peed on my lap. Poor little guy. We pulled to the side of the road and he peed for about two minutes. We should have better prepared Drogo for pit-stops. So, we had to stop in Arizona and take a shower. It was $12 for Kaio and I to share a shower stall at a Flying J. It was nice. Clean. And I felt so much better about finishing up that day without pee all over me.

Prius in stealth mode, with the privacy covers on.

Back view

Side view

California was super fun! We stayed with Kaio's dad for a few days and it was really fun! We went to the flea market and had a great game night where everybody came and played Kaio's favorite game, Smash Up. Kaio's dad left for Utah and we spent the next few days, including Thanksgiving, at his mom's. We went to Apple Hill that is about an hour away from Kaio's house. We bought apples and fudge and cider and too many yummy delicious sugary things. Really a lot of the activities we did are kind of a blur. All I know is that we had fun and it was a good time. Oh, we did do a little bit of Black Friday shopping...

Drogo was thankful for the chickens. He defeated one and it made him feel like he was 10lbs!!

BF in Cali 

VS. BF  in Idaho. (These two are ADORABLE)

All the while I am still prego... not having very many issues except the fear of the excessive squishiness to come.

Week 11 and plot twist

Prep week. This was the mad dash of getting things ready to leave for our Thanksgiving trip.

BUT WAIT! Um crazy plot twist in our totally unstable lives... We are moving to Colorado. Kaio got a promotion which means that he has to go on the road full-time. It was a crazy hard decision to make about whether is was the right thing for us and the baby and how everything would work out. We spent  a lot of time on our knees and I made a lot of flow charts and lists. I tried to think about quitting my job this week but I didn't want to let that fester while I was gone on vacation.

Quitting was actually already on my mind. Unfortunately. Before we even got the news about Kaio's promotion, I had finished application and interviews for other companies. I love so many things about my company but there are some things that are just unacceptable. Disrespecting my intelligence. Disrespecting me as a person. I know that I may not have the same amount of experience as other people but I know that I am equally the same amount a person and should be treated as such.

WORST NEWS ABOUT THE WHOLE THING: Kaio only gets Christmas Day off. WHATTTTTT. We were planning on a whole week with my family in Idaho. Ouch. Ouchie. Sad face for the rest of my life.  Sooooo, we took off my remaining vacation days in addition to the ones we already planned to see my parents (just in case there was no way for Kaio to be around during the holidays).

So, this week, what had been the planning to get ready to leave for Thanksgiving in California turned into planning to leave Missouri by the 8th of December (Kaio) and also adding a million more hours in the car by meeting my parents in Chicago after Thanksgiving. Lots of details. No time.

Kaio's task: wrap the presents that are coming with us on the trip. His response.

Week 10: Primary program

Feeling good and great and awesome and maybe stressed.

Well, finally, not anymore.

We had the primary program today and it was great! So nothing else really existed this week except to survive that. The kids did great. There was a little bit of miscommunication of song placement so I maybe (lightly) shoved one of the kids off the stand to go back to his seat. Our chorister's due date was today but she made it and didn't go into labor in the middle of the program! My favorite part of every practice and the real thing was one sunbeam. His line was supposed to be "Temples make it possible for families to be together forever." Ha, he always said "impossible" and it was adorable.

After, I went to talk to the stake primary presidency whom had come to see the program. We talked in the primary room which felt a sauna. It was the first really cold sunday and somebody cranked the thermostat to "the fires of hell". I brought ice cream for the kids for sharing time and it was only a few minutes before it all totally melted. We watched a church video and I relaxed, feeling like I just got a free pass to relax until next year!

The awesome support I get from my mama :)

Week 9: First trimester can suck it

I don't really feel pregnant. Except that I feel inclined to sit every 30 minutes at work... but I'm not entirely sure that is a new thing. I have been feeling super blessed with my minimal pregnancy symptoms! I know I have had a lot of things help me prepare for it.

1. Frequency of pee-stops: I've been peeing my whole life. I'm pretty good at it. AND NOW I DO IT ALL THE TIME. yup.

2. Nausea: Before I got pregnant, I was taking a medicine that would make me feel downright icky for most of the morning. I got the "must be morning sickness" jokes all the time. SO funny, ha. Well, jokes on you punks, I am pregnant now and morning sickness can suck it. It's nothing compared to an accidental double dose of that medicine (yeah... which leads me to my next point).

3. Mommy brain: I've got a pretty good long term memory. But anything that has happened in the last five minutes is free game. This was pretty true before I got pregnant. I've just got a lot of things wandering on up there... I basically just DVR current crap and catch up when I stop thinking about ridiculous things (most likely about the mysteries of turtles and space). ANYWAY, so my mommy brain is really probably the same or only slightly worse but somehow better? I mean better because people give me a break for it now as a cute pregnant thing. Yay!

4. Emotional swings: I am awesome at this one! (At having the mood swings and also keeping them in control...) Only because of extensive training. Growing up with brothers teaches you important lessons. The relevant lesson here is keep-your-crazy-lady-stuff-to-yourself. After much practice and many crazy teenage years, I finally could partition my real emotions and my period emotions. They feel totally different. One is crazy and emotional and irrational. The other is silly and fun and still crazy. It's easy to not give stock to something you know is fake. So when Kaio asks why I'm crying or whatever, it's simple. I'm pregnant. I'm crying. Hug me and I'll probably stop soon.

In other news, trying to get ready for the primary program! It may be a disaster, but with primary you can always count on it to be an adorable disaster! Yay :)