06Oct 2014

Gonna Be a Mummy // 33

By K + Z 0 Activities, Family, Food, Personal, Pregnancy Permalink 0

This is my absolute favorite time of the year. It’s starting to cool down, there is pumpkin flavored everything, and all is a little bit cozier. We spent a lot of time this week with family because of General Conference weekend and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mid week I had a lunch date with my grandpa and cousins at Johnniebeefs. My grandpa is obsessed with this place. He says the hot dogs are authentic, just like the ones he had in Chicago in 1945. Unfortunately, I opted out and got a chicken burger. But they looked delicious!

I also spent some time each night this week washing baby girl’s clothes, blankets, and sheets. It took hours. Probably the most time consuming part of prepping for baby so far. It didn’t help that I have been a little exsessive in the clothing department. Zach and I put the rest of her room together between conference sessions. Now all we need in that crib is a little person…

We also went out twice this week on a date to dinner and a movie – once again, trying to get those date nights in before she comes is one of Zach’s priorities.

Saturday while all the men were at Preisthood Session we had my Pollock/Ross family shower. It was a “mummy-to-be” theme and everyone dressed up! My aunt and cousins made all this delicious food and had everything completely decked out in Halloween decor. It was so much fun and baby girl was spoiled again. Not only with amazing hand-made gifts but with pumpkin cupcakes (her and I had two).

My favorite costumes were my mom’s cousins (my second cousins) who dressed up as biker chicks! They wore all that leather the majority of the night, which alone was impressive!

I love my family and am once again humbled by the support they have shown Zach and I. I couldn’t ask for better people in my life.

Sunday was lazy and glorious. No make-up and dressed in our “comfy cozies” – that’s what my nieces call pajamas. I let Zach sleep in until the first session of conference while I worked on a person project. It will eventually be for baby girl. I haven’t done any watercolor for a while and Sunday morning was the perfect time to get going on it. My skills are rusty, but I enjoyed it so much.

Sunday afternoon my mom and dad came over to our house for the last session of conference. We listened while folding all of the bambino’s clothes that I had spent all week washing.

After the session the guys turned on the 49ers game as quickly as possible and my mom and I finished up dinner. We had manicotti – Zach’s request – and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for dessert. We also did an estimated arrival date for baby girl. Each family member [including Zach’s parents via text message] guessed a date. If Zach or I win, we get to be taken out for dinner. If anyone else wins, we take them out to dinner – the three of us!

Please notice my own father’s date – Nov. 25th. That puts me at 41 weeks and when I will have an induction scheduled, most likely, if I go that long. Thank you to everyone else who had a little mercy on me. Zach seems to think that if my due date is the 18th, she will come on the 18th and that day only.

Week 33. Seems like work stuff and baby stuff have consumed my life lately, as it should. I spend my daytime hours working on freelance and other work projects and my afternoons and evenings [with Zach’s help] setting up all the baby swag. I have this mega master baby-to-do checklist and there are not very many things left on it. In less than a month I will full-term and it’s tripping me out!

Here’s to being 8 and a half months knocked up tomorrow! 34 weeks, here I come!

29Sep 2014

“Normal” Crazy

By K + Z 0 Family, Friends, Personal, Pregnancy, Projects Permalink 0

While in Charleston, my sister-in-law and I had a pretty funny conversation that has stuck with me for the last few weeks. We were talking about the last few months and how crazy they have been. Usually, well at least for Zach and I, things are already crazy. But lately, things have been an abnormal amount of hectic and busy. I kept saying that with my brother’s wedding, our Girls’ Trip to Charleston, some giant work projects, and with some big baby stuff out of the way – hopefully my life can go back to “normal” crazy. Just the right amount of busy that you don’t go insane, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, this week was not back to normal. But we did get a lot accomplished and checked some big stuff of our to-do lists!

Monday when Zach got home from work we rushed off to our breast feeding class at the University Hospital. It was almost a 3 hour class and Zach braved the entire thing with me and didn’t complain once. Even after seeing all the strange nipples in the instructional video. Our only details on the class before attending were that spouses were encouraged to join and we could bring snacks if we wanted. As soon as I mentioned snacks, Zach perked right up. He asked if he could bring In N Out Burger to the class. I am a horrible wife and refused.

Even without his double double, he was such a great sport…

I have had the opportunity to work on some very fun projects the last few months, but some are still in the works. Some, however, have finally come to the point of being public. I got to design a fun Halloween Party invitation for a friend that I worked on the La Caille bridal shoot with. She throws a giant bash every year and this Halloween the theme is Arabian Nights!

Also, the company I have been helping with graphic work, Lemmon Lane, has officially launched their website and products! I did their branding and also helped them create all the production files for their pillows and building blocks. Their stuff is to die for!

Tuesday I taught a mini lesson at our Relief Society activity on design in your home. I haven’t been to a RS activity since I was in the presidency! I miss seeing the ladies in our ward outside of our three hour church block. It was a lot of fun!

When I first found out I was pregnant I made a fitness goal for myself. Sounds stupid, but without goals in my life I feel like I become stagnant. So I set a goal for myself: maintain multiple mile runs until I was 8 months pregnant. I accomplished this goal Wednesday! I ran a 5k (3.1 miles) on the treadmill. I have been doing this a couple times a week up until now, but it has been gradually getting harder. Not necessarily uncomfortable, just harder. I was so happy when the treadmill read 3 miles that I started to cry. Sounds ridiculous, but goals make me a better person…

I looked pretty foolish to my random gym mates, I am sure, crying on the treadmill.

Baby girl and I made it! I even said to myself, out loud, “We did it!” and snapped a pic to commemorate my accomplishment. I drank four bottles of water and then promptly drove to Swig to reward myself [and baby] with a sugar cookie! My egg-shaped self managed to do it – and plan to continue to run – until I can’t anymore. I think exercising has helped my pregnancy immensely and even though I get some weird looks on the treadmill, working out has been the best thing for me.

The nursery is almost finished. At least the “big stuff”. Other than hanging a few hooks, setting up a few of her random necessities, and washing and organizing – we are good to go! I hung all the artwork for her gallery wall above her changing table this week. It was my last difficult task to do on my nursery list.

Friday Zach and I went out on a date for dinner and a movie. We are taking advantage of this last month [plus some weeks] by trying to go out on a date a least once every week. We alternate on who gets to pick dinner and who gets to pick the movie. It’s a good thing, too, because I would pick Mexican food every time if it were up to me!

Saturday I had my very first baby shower. It was thrown by my closest high school friends and held at my friend Brittney’s house. I was so overwhelmed by all that they did to make it so special. I can’t thank them enough for all the work they put into it. I feel so lucky!

And how cute are these Diet Coke cans…? Britt is a vinyl master. My friend Whitney also made all of these amazing treats – including homemade Swig sugar cookies!

Thank you to everyone who came and helped! I know how much work goes into showers and it is not easy. I teared up all the way home thinking of how blessed I have been all these years to have these girls in my life.

8 months down. Feeling large. Our hospital bags are almost completely packed. I also filled out a birth plan this week and about had a coronary trying to weigh my options on what to do and when to do it. And what to do if and when those things don’t happen. I know I can do it as long as I have Zach there alongside me, keeping me focused. Now if I can just keep him from sneaking away and going to In N Out Burger while I’m in labor…

21Sep 2014

I’ve Just Seen a Face

By K + Z 0 Family, Personal, Pregnancy Permalink 0

This week was a hard one for me. I had my 31 week appointment and my doctor told me she wanted me to get a special ultrasound to check the growth of baby girl. I am not measuring normal, and even though I know that it is because I am carrying her far in my back, I still was sick about it. Sounds stupid, I know…I realize people get these all the time – some people get multiple growth ultrasounds during their pregnancies, but I still was worried. Mostly because I had joked all this time about Zach and I having a midget baby and felt now that it was really happening. Also, it seemed as though everything with this pregnancy had been going so well that something bad was bound to happen, eventually. They scheduled my appointment for Thursday morning.

It was basically a replica of my 20 week anatomy scan. It was much quicker and I got the same tech as I had at my previous ultrasound, who I loved. Turns out all the heartache was pointless because baby girl is perfectly fine. She is actually measuring a week early! It was a huge relief to me knowing that all was well and I feel incredibly crazy for feeling so worried.

By complete coincidence I had scheduled a 4D ultrasound later that evening, weeks prior. After the good news earlier that morning I began to get really excited to see what she looked like. As soon as Zach got home from work we left for Fetal Fotos.

I’m a huge Beatles fan, thanks to my dad. Baby girl has a few subtle hints in her nursery, even. The first thing that came to my mind when I saw our little girl’s face was the song “I’ve Just Seen a Face”. Zach grabbed my hand and I have never felt anything like this particular feeling before. All this time she has been weird skeletal images on a screen, and now she was a really tiny human. Our tiny human! With eyes that could open and close, hands that were grabbing her toes, and HAIR! My baby has HAIR! I was completely bald when I was born (and Zach didn’t have too much more hair than I did) so I was elated at the fact that we could see her tiny tufts of hair on the back of her head. No words can describe it, honestly. That’s why the song kept playing over and over in my mind, I think.

I’ve just seen a face
I can’t forget the time or place
Where we just meet
She’s just the girl for me
And I want all the world to see
We’ve met…

Fallin’, yes I am fallin’
And she keeps callin’
Me back again…

21Sep 2014

Charleston

By K + Z 0 Family, Food, Vacation Permalink 0

This year for our Hendo Girls’ Trip we had two pregnant chicks: Siri and myself. Siri is due two weeks before me. Out of consideration for us “knocked-ups” they decided to do an earlier excursion. We usually go in November when the boys are hunting, but since Siri will already have a newborn by then [she is having an induction date scheduled sometime soon], we planned it for September. Last year we went to Chicago and we loved it so much we decided to go somewhere new again! Charleston, South Carolina was the lucky host city.

It is a special place to Zach’s sister Lori – two of her birth mothers [Lola’s birth mom and Will’s birth mom] were from Charleston. None of us had ever been and we were elated to explore a new place!

Traveling while pregnant is sexy, no? I’ve never felt more egg-shaped in my life!

We arrived around 4:00 local time. The street on which we were staying was closed down to regular traffic for a little shopping and dining event. It was so much fun to see all the people out and about.

We shopped for a bit before heading out for our dinner reservation. It was my first time experiencing southern food. Shrimp and grits – definitely worth trying!

Our first full day we went on a walking history tour of Charleston. Our darling tour guide, Palmer, showed us around. We learned a little bit about the Civil War, saw a lot of historic architecture, and even spotted some familiar landmarks [and when I say landmarks, I mean movie scenery and set locations].

Side Note: Charleston is humid. Hot and humid. The first day was so much so that we all basically wore work-out attire. I brought one of the only dri-fit shirts that actually fits these days – which happens to be a peachy color. I deemed myself “Katie and the Giant Peach”.

If you’re a fan of the movie The Notebook [let’s be honest – what female isn’t?!] then you might recognize this mansion…

That night we dined at another local spot called SNOB, where I tried Carolina gold rice. Later we stopped for treats on our way back to our hotel. Milkshakes, fudge, and for me – pumpkin ice cream! It was my favorite dessert of the trip, to be honest. We took our spoils back to our room to watch The Notebook. The hotel we were staying at had Apple TV. I hope the rest of the world catches on to this trend…

That night Lori got a call from the adoption agency she has been working with for the process of getting her fourth baby. The birth mom that had picked her and her family had gone into labor early. It was after midnight when she got the call and the Charleston Airport was already closed. The sweet little baby boy was born less than an hour later. Lori caught the first flight home in the wee hours the morning. We were so sad she had to leave early, but so excited for her!

The next day we took a plantation tour. We explored Middleton Place [the Patriot was filmed there] and spent the majority of the day on the property. We had lunch – the homemade cornbread was my favorite, took a carriage ride, toured the house, and explored the gardens.

When we returned back to the city we all got changed for dinner at Hall’s Chophouse. It was only six blocks away from our hotel so we decided to walk. The light drizzle we were in soon turned to pouring rain. I’ve never been caught in a storm like that before. It wasn’t so much rain as it was sheets of water coming down. We were all drenched within minutes!

The next day was unscheduled. We had a lunch date at Cru Cafe – my favorite lunch of the entire trip.

I then made all the girls walk over a mile to Sugar Bakeshop for some delicious cupcakes. The blueberry lemon and almond were my favorite. I hope they were as pleased as I was to try them. PS – If you’re wondering why my hair is in a scraggly knot on my head in every single picture and also why we all have a slight sheen to our bodies, it would be due to the high humidity. I’ve never experienced humid air like in the south before. I have mad respect for ladies that curl and style their hair each day in Charleston, you are all my idols!

We shopped for a bit together before all going our separate ways. My favorite buys were some killer deal items purchased at Madewell and a Christmas outfit for baby girl at a shop called Kids on King. Shopping for myself these days is not as much fun…being egg-shaped and all.

That night we had dinner at HUSK – where we all tried crispy fried chicken skins and deep fried catfish.

The weather decided to turn rainy again so we spent our last night in Charleston at a very unique movie theater. Cinebar – where you could order brownie sundaes, chocolate cake, milkshakes, and popcorn and have it brought to your theater seat. Which we did, obviously. We stayed cool and dry that night and enjoyed the 100 Foot Journey. It made me ache for Paris already.

It was such a fantastic long weekend. I can’t describe how much I love being with my mother-in-law and sister-in-laws. We know how to have a good time, no doubt about it.

As for southern food, I have made my ratings.

Shrimp and Grits: B / southern Cornbread: A+ / Carolina gold rice: A / southern Buscuits: A / Fried Chicken Skin: C+ / Fried Catfish: D

Sadly, we found out the birth mom had decided to parent the baby on her own that Lori and her family had been involved with. It was devestating news and my heart is broken for Lori and Travis. Hoping heaven sends another sweet baby [and a willing birth mother] to the Waylands very, very soon. In the meantime, we are all sending prayers and positive thoughts their way.

I officially turned 31 weeks pregnant while in Charleston and am thanking my lucky stars that I am pregnant in Utah and not in South Carolina. Dry heat is the way I wanna live, that’s for sure!

19Sep 2014

Paris Maternity Photos

By K + Z 2 Personal, Pregnancy, Vacation Permalink 0

Here are our maternity photos that we had taken in Paris. I still can’t believe they turned out [considering how random and last minute it all was]. We decided to meet our photographer at the Pont des Arts. We then made our way down to the water, then over to the Louvre, and a nearby garden plaza last. Our photographer wanted to take the photos without all the tourists, so we had to meet her at 7:00 am. The sun was barely up and it was freezing, but we are thrilled at how they came out.

The scenery and the locations are so special to the both of us, which make these photos even more meaningful…

18Sep 2014

My Brother’s Wedding + The Birthday Boy!

By K + Z 0 Family, Pregnancy, Projects Permalink 0

To say that the last few weeks have been hectic is a total understatement. I realize leaving the country and coming home four days before my brother’s wedding was totally our decision, but to add to the mix – it was Zach’s 29th birthday this last week and I left the day after my brother’s wedding for a girls’ trip with the Hendersons. But first, my brother…

His wedding dinner was Thursday of this last week. My mom and I took on the centerpieces for the dinner ourselves. My sweet friend, Martha, ordered the succulents for me from Ensign Floral and the day after we got home from Paris I picked them up. Days prior to leaving for Paris I had been collecting mason jars, vintage books, and wooden boxes for the tables. Tuesday of this last week we put all the stuff together and I arranged all the succulents in their appropriate containers.

For our first time making floral centerpieces of any kind, we were all pretty pleased at how they turned out.

The vintage soda pop crates my dad found were a total hit – by far my favorite pieces!

Wednesday night Zach and I went out for his birthday dinner. His real birthday wasn’t until Friday [which was the day of my brother’s wedding] and I didn’t want to skip his annual tradition, so we dined at Benihana Wednesday instead of Friday. He has been going to Benihana for his birthday for as long as he can remember. We also went and did a little birthday shopping before hand.

He was such a good sport to spend his 29th birthday with all my crazy family members. I couldn’t have hand-picked a better husband, honestly.

Thursday was the wedding dinner. It was held at the Gathering Place. We spent the first half of the day setting up all the tables. Luckily, my mom and I had organized it well so it was pretty efficient. We had enough time to head home and all shower up before the whole thing started.

So many family members and friends came to support Blake and Brittany. It was such a special thing to be a part of. I couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out. It was also wonderful to catch up with so many people we don’t see that often. Two of my cousins are expecting babies as well – so we had to get a photo. Carissa [on the left] was due 19 days from the time this picture was taken. I am 30 weeks [plus a few days]. Kylee [on the far right] is 18 weeks. And we all conveniently wore black – so we even matched for said photo.

The next day was the wedding at Magnolia Grove Reception Center. The ceremony was held in the outdoor courtyard and the weather was a dream. I am so excited for Blake to experience married life. I have never seen him so happy.

Again, I was overwhelmed with the support Blake received from our family and all of our long-time friends. As I type this he and Brittany are enjoying their honeymoon in Costa Rica! It was a late night – which ended with Zach and I stopping at McDonald’s for some midnight nourishment. We were so grateful that everything went so smoothly and we are all relieved to have all the madness over. At least for a few hours…

Zach passed out minutes after crawling into bed and I stayed up to pack for a weekend in Charleston, South Carolina with my sister-in-laws and mother-in-law.

Sometime during the night (Paris appropriate time, I assume) I received an email from our photographer that took our maternity photos while in Paris letting us know our pictures had been edited and were ready for review. I can’t believe how lucky we are that the only person that replied to all my many inquiries about maternity photos turned out to be so talented and so easy to work with. She only sent me a few to preview, but I can’t wait to see the rest!

30 weeks and still feeling great! Less than 10 weeks until we get to see what this [very active] babe looks like!

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