Excitment In The Air...

There's lots and lots to be excited about these days! First and foremost, I'm 7 months pregnant and things continue to go smoothly. I had an appointment today and the doctor says I'm right on schedule. She had me stay a little extra (well, it actually turned into about 75 minutes extra...after we were already 90 minutes late for my scheduled appointment...good times!) and be monitored for about 15 minutes because there was a deceleration in the baby's heart rate while she checked it with the doppler. After the 15 minutes of monitoring, she was convinced he's a healthy, active baby and cut me loose. I wasn't really ever nervous about it...guess my adrenaline really needs a good kick in the pants to get going after 4 1/2 years in the ED. My tenure in the ED also helped me not to freak out about the long wait time...it's just the norm, so I came prepared with a book. I think next time I'll remember a snack too!

Secondly, it's almost fall! I think fall is my favorite time of year...it's close rival is Spring. But, I just love the cooler weather, the change of colors, and for some reason, it makes me super nostalgic. You can imagine that at 7 months pregnant, I'm really looking forward to fall this year...the temperature drops and my baby is due! An exciting time...

With the cooler weather, it also means a break from back-breaking yard work. We've had so much rain this season and with the rain comes lots and lots of weeds. Seems like the monsoons are hanging on quite a bit longer this year. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining...I love the cooler temperatures the rain brings and the smell of rain on the desert. But, when your hubby is so busy that he can't really help with the yard work...well, it gets tiresome. In only a few more weeks, the weeds will slow down and that means that I can too, a little bit, anyway. I spent about 6 hours last week pulling weeds, weed-eating, and mowing the side of the mountain we live on. PHEW!! Funny thing was, I didn't realize that my pooch had caused my pants to slip down a little and the tail of my shirt to come up in the back. I had about a 6 inch long by 2 inch wide sunburn right on my waist band. OUCH! Very sensitive area! And, it was a REALLY bad burn since it was exposed for about three hours that day without me knowing...lets just say that's probably the first time that area ever even saw sun!

Thirdly, Brian has officially taken part 2 of the CPA exam and will take part three at the end of this month. We will get his scores in August. If all goes well, he will take the final exam before the baby comes in October and then we'll be done with the testing! This will be a great day! Brian has been so diligent with his studying...I'm proud of him, but I'm ready to have my husband again!

And lastly, isn't everyone getting excited for this year's election?!?! Okay, I know the candidates might not spark the greatest excitement in all of us, but there are some really important issues on the ballot this year. So, don't miss out! Get registered. And, for all you Arizonans, I STRONGLY recommend that you check out this website. It's all about the marriage amendment on our ballot this year. A similar amendment was on the ballot in the state of California and the Church actually wrote a letter to the members to be read in Sacrament meeting encouraging them to support this amendment. I've yet to hear if a similar letter will be coming to AZ, but I do know that local leaders are strongly encouraging us to get involved. It's really simple...get out and contribute. If you can't contribute monetarily, then consider giving your time...calling people, setting up signs, registering people to vote, passing out flyers, and just opening your mouths! Okay, so I just wanted you to be informed about that issue. But, what I really wanted you to see/know is my enthusiasm for this guy below! Okay, so not really...but Brian got me this shirt as an early, gag b-day present and we thought we'd have a little fun with it. I can't wait to wear it in La Jolla in a few weeks!

Also, I thought I'd post some recent pictures of the pregnant belly. I haven't taken any since the 20 week pics and I realized that I need to be better about that...I have to quit thinking that my memory will always be pristine...need to be a better recorder...especially with photos! Anyway, here are some pics that Brian snapped!




And, this pic is just because I still CAN! We'll have to try again in a few weeks!