2014 is going to be BIG!

Literally and figuratively, 2014 is going to be a BIG year for Ben and I. I am ringing in the new year at 23 weeks, with a beautiful baby bump that is only going to get bigger, Ben is getting ready for school starting next week, and our plans with a new home, new job (for Ben), and an expanding family will only get bigger as the Davies Duo becomes the Davies Trio (sorry, no alliterations :( ). 

Needless to say, we are pretty excited. Pregnancy wise, I am loving my second trimester, and with the exclusion of today, I haven't been nauseous for about a month! Sleeping is okay now that I've found the exact formula of how to sleep comfortably, but I'm still struggling with staying in comfy positions. After about 16 weeks a prego lady shouldn't sleep on her back because the uterus is bigger and higher up in the abdomen and can press down on the Vena Cava, the main vein that carries blood back to the heart after oxygen has been distributed throughout the body, slowing blood flow to to the uterus and the baby, and to mommy causing nausea, fatigue, and slowing of fetal heart rates. It's not good, but let me tell you, it is hard when you are dead asleep and don't realize you are once again on your back until you wake up to pee (this happens a lot for me these days as Finch gets bigger). Now, I know you can't help when you are asleep and the body naturally changes positions to improve blood flow throughout the night, so really, your body is protecting the baby and yourself by prompting you to roll over onto your side after a little while, but for a while I had to learn to accept that rather than have a mini heart attack each time I realized I was on my back for too long. I am also having a lot more energy which has been fantastic, and like I said, the nausea is gone (knock on wood) so I feel like a semi human again. Now I mainly worry about slipping on the ice, falling over from my balance being off, finding the next foot rub, food craving, and not wetting the bed at night ( I play a game of seeing how long I can go before I have to wake up when I have to pee, then I start to dream about finding a bathroom and then I panic knowing that at some point, my bladder is going to show me who's really in charge). So far it's Liz: 6, Bladder: 0. *victory pregnancy waddle*.

Now, isn't that the cutest maternity top? I LOVE stripes, I seriously have stripes everywhere in my wardrobe :)

Also, our little Finchbird (we are calling him Finch which is short for his middle name, Finchley, partially after my one of my favorite literary characters, Atticus Finch, and a province in London, my favorite city in the world) is doing so well. He kicks more and more now, and landmark moment: Ben felt him kick a few days ago for the first time! He touched my tummy while we were watching a show on his laptop when I felt Finch kick. I asked Ben if he felt it and he said yeah. I told him that was a kick and he got excited because he thought it was just a hard heartbeat from my abdomen. Nope, it was a kick! We've discovered that Finch is fan of folk music, opera (he really is my son, Luciano Pavoratti has the kick of approval :) ), and I have a new playlist ready so I can introduce him to my favorites while he is in my tummy and can't escape :). When I lay on my left side especially, I can feel him moving, and when I lightly tickle my tummy, he responds. We are pretty much head over heels in love with this baby, we've probably watched our ultrasound 20 times and it's only been a week since we got the disc. 

It is getting pretty surreal thinking that I am in my sixth month of pregnancy now and that we have about 4ish months until he gets here. Ben starts school next week and by the end of his semester, I will be either about to pop, delivering the baby, or a new mama. Let's hope he makes it through finals, I don't know what the policy is for missing a final for a baby ;). We are working on our nursery now, and I finally filled out a baby registry, it is hard trying to think of what I will really need and what is just fun. Currently, my mission is to find a rocking chair/glider for the nursery so I can rock Finch to sleep or nurse him in a comfortable place for us both. My mom had a rocking chair for me when I was little and I have fond memories of her holding me, singing and rocking me to sleep. I would love that for my little boy :).

Thinking about 2013, it's been a crazy, but wonderful year. Ben and I couldn't be more blessed as we look back on our adventures so far. I have grown to love my husband so much more than I could have ever imagined, and I have had some hard, some wonderful, some funny, and some bittersweet lessons given to me. I wouldn't change any of them, they are shaping me into the best me I can be. As I look back on 2013, I realize that I have never been more loved or watched over. My family has been such a love and support to me and both sides, and the Lord has truly kept us in His loving hands over and over. We have always been provided for, and my testimony of the gospel and my love for my Savior has only increased and I know it will only get better in the year 2014. While I am missing my brother and have a long time before I see him again, and while I am probably too poor to see my family whenever I would like, I am so grateful for my family. I am grateful for opportunities to love, serve, and get to know them even more with each day as they are shaped into who they want to be. I look forward to seeing what 2014 has in store for them all,  2013 has had ups and downs for all of us, but I can't help but look back at 2013 with very fond and loving memories for not only me, but also for my family and friends.

Have a wonderful New Year, and cheers, be safe, and see you all next year ;) !

Mission Possible, Baby Kicks, and Baby Jesus

          Well it is snowing in Rexburg, and most of the population has dispersed throughout the country to celebrate Christmas with friends and family. Ben and I are preparing to enjoy a quiet and happy Christmas with just us, our cat, the baby bump, and our little tree.

           Last week was a very wonderful, and very bittersweet week for me and my family. I left early early on Saturday morning to go to Salt Lake City to see Daniel off before he reported to the MTC. There were a lot of fun, wonderful memories were made, and many tears were shed. We spent Saturday at Mr. Mac getting Daniel his new suits and ties. Daniel looked awesome. He has lost about 90-100 lbs since beginning his weight loss, and we found that he looks very dapper with grey and navy blue. On Sunday, we went to a morning Christmas concert in the Conference Center that showcased Deborah Voigt, and John Rhys-Davies. Yes, folks, Gimli was there, reciting scripture, and flying through the air as he retold the inspiration for "A Christmas Carol". It was fantastic. Daniel and I had just seen The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug the day before, and it was fresh in our minds. Later, we spent the day with family and enjoyed our time together. It was a busy busy week, and Daniel and I laughed and had great memories, quoting movies, and making jokes until our poor parents could hardly stand it any longer.
          When it came to taking him to Provo, life suddenly seemed to fast forward. So fast, too fast. Suddenly we weren't just eating lunch, we were driving towards Provo. Suddenly we weren't just driving through Utah, we were getting off of the freeway exit to Provo and we were only five minutes away. Daniel and I were trying to decide which movie was worth being the last quote we said to one another. We went from Kung Pow, Galaxy Quest, James Bond: Casino Royale, Joe Dirt, and then back to Kung Pow. It was wonderful, and so fast. Then we were at the Provo temple, saying our last goodbyes, hugging, smiling, taking pictures as a family which included my mom accidentally recording me instead of taking pictures, making Daniel touch my tummy in case my little guy moved one more time for him, and then we were pulling up at the curb at the MTC. We gave our last goodbyes, and then watched as Daniel walked away, embracing his future, excited beyond imaginable belief to be FINALLY going on a mission, and that is when I began to cry. I'm even crying now, as I write.
           His journey has been so long, and so rough, and there have been so many times when he could have turned back and nobody would have thought any less of him, and he could have resumed school, gotten a job, or given up. No, he never did those, he prayed, he fasted, and then he got back on his feet and got back to work. The Daniel who started the journey of weight loss and mission prep and the Daniel today who is serving a mission in the MTC are so different in such a beautiful way. He is such an inspiration to me, and so strong. I couldn't be prouder of the man he is becoming and for his dedication to the Lord and his determination never to give up what he knew he needed to do to be the man he wants to be. He is doing so well now, his letter to us said that he was loving the MTC, his lessons, and his companion who is very shy. He is where he needs to be and he is so happy, and so excited. So many prayers have been answered in his behalf and even though he can't read this and won't see what I have said, I know that he, my parents, my brothers, and I want to thank you all for your support to him and your encouragement in his behalf, and your love. He needed it and it has meant so much to us and to him.

*wipes eyes and rubs tears away smearing mascara* This is going to be a long post, I hope that everyone still reading is okay with moving forward! Today, Ben and I met with our new doctor, and got to see our little boy again. When we first moved back to Rexburg, I was very much caught up in the hubbub and joy of pregnancy research. I recommend that every mother get carried away in research because you learn a lot about yourself, and you learn a lot about what is out there. I did research on natural birthing, I met with midwives, I watched "The Business of Being Born", I joined the newslist for "Mama Natural" and thought that even though I have always professed to wanting a C-Section and to be knocked out, I could change and be Mother Earth in a bathtub with candles, Enya, and Ben in a swimsuit helping me push, naked, while everyone watched and cheered me on. I saw so many naked women birthing in bathtubs I wasn't weirded out anymore. Then I realized that I needed to step back use the research I had gathered, and the knowledge I had from my nursing courses, and let the Holy Ghost guide me to what was right for me and our son.

Now let me preface this next part by saying that I am making this opinion for myself, and after researching many options and prayerfully considering what would be best for me, my son, and our family. I think that whichever you choose, whether it is elective C-Section, Natural Labor with some interventions, natural labor without interventions, Induction, Epidural, Water Birth, Hypnobirthing, Hypnobabies (yes they are different), home birth, birthing center, hospital birth, eating your placenta, not eating your placenta, breastfeeding, or not breastfeeding you have the right to choose whichever, and I will never judge you, I will just hope that you have done your research, you have considered your options, found the right doctors, midwives, doulas, birthing coaches, and that you are happy with your decision. I don't care, all I want is for you to and your baby to be okay. 

              Ben and I decided after meeting with both sides, and learning about possible health complications that run in the family, to go with a doctor, have a hospital birth, and if I have the time to do so get an epidural (even though I don't know if I will have the time, apparently really fast births runs in the family, yay on one hand, holy ouch on the other). We met our doctor, and we love him. He was awesome, and we got to do a surprise Ultrasound. We got to confirm again after a lot of joking, that we are having a boy, still (once again, he was not shy, I may have a budding nudist in my hands come April/May) and he looks wonderful. No abnormalities were detected, and he is even a little bigger than we thought meaning that my due dates may be off, so we may need to shift the due date a week or two :) All is well, and we are thrilled. He was so beautiful, and I love that I got to see him :) I feel his kicks over and over, and I know with each kick he is doing well. He loves music because he moves around a lot with it, and I feel this warm fuzzy feeling when I listen to something, especially Christmas music (I'm not a big Christmas music person so I know it's not me) and primary songs, and when I sing. More and more, he looks like Ben as a baby, but he always has my nose, and I am so thrilled as I think about what he will look like and smell like, feel like, sound like, and be like. Each and everyday, I fall more and more in love with this little boy that is an answer to prayers and my dream come true.

Sorry for the odd angles, my computer wouldn't let me get a better shot of our picture. This is our son's face :)

Lastly, I want to finish with the joy of Christmas and family in this Christmas season. I may not have a hugely decorated tree with lots of tinsel, holly, and mistletoe, and we may not have many presents under the tree, but we are so excited for celebrating Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ. As I listened to "Away in a Manger" during Sacrament meeting yesterday, I couldn't help but marvel in the joy of the birth of a Savior who would love and serve and atone for the sins of all of God's Children. I love that there is more service rendered, and family is more valued during this time of year. I wish that this spirit would continue throughout the year with all people, but I love that each day I can remember Him, His life, and rejoice that He lives, and has overcome death and sin for us all, that He has shared His love and life to each of us if we but seek Him out. I testify that He lives, and that He is our Savior and Redeemer, and that He came to Earth to live for us, to teach us, and to show us the way to be able to return to our Heavenly Father. All is well with Him in my life and I love that I can celebrate His life and His gift to me, my family, and to all of us in this Christmas season. I wish you all a very Happy and Merry Christmas. Whether you have family or not, I hope you have friends, and loved ones with you at this time. I hope that you know you are loved and appreciated for all you do, and I hope for you to have the best Christmas and Holiday season imaginable. 

Have a Merry Christmas.

Love,

Liz, Ben, and Baby Finch (yes, the name is changed)