Suddenly, I feel so incredibly pregnant.

The past few weeks have flown by so fast!!! I can't believe I have not updated more. This is going to be a long one.

We haven't scanned in all the pictures yet... but this picture is pretty great! 

I guess I should start with our 20 week check up that we had. We went into the doctors and got an ultra sound and baby girl looks great. Except she kept sitting with her hands over her face and knees curled up to her chin so the tech had a hard time finding everything he needed. So after about 40 minutes of trying he told us we will have to come back in a month (which is next week now...) and get another ultra sound to finish checking everything he couldn't see. The good news is... she will be bigger and they will probably let us have a 3d picture of her... so I am pretty excited.

The tech did inform us that baby girls head is measuring two weeks ahead of schedule... Yes.. she has a big head. hahaa Hopefully that means she will be smart :)

     The day after the ultra sound I went and saw my doctor. He said everything was great and we are all on track with everything. But right as I left he took my blood pressure one more time. He informed me that since my 16 month appt. I have been getting higher blood pressure readings and I need to be careful and be aware of my blood pressure so that it does not get worse or anything. He told me not to worry but that if I got a really bad headache that did not go away I should call him right away.

Me on my IV and Morphine

     So the next day I started getting a really bad headache in my left temple. I just ignored it and kept going with my life. It lasted all weekend long and come monday it was getting pretty unbearable. So after work I called my doctor. He gave me a prescription for a migraine medicine and said if it didn't go away by morning to call back. Tuesday morning it was still there so I called and left a message. Ten minutes later I got a call from the nurse telling me to go to the hospital right away. So I went to labor and delivery and my doctor checked on the baby. She was fine. THANK GOODNESS. They checked my blood pressure. It was fine. But he was worried about my headache. They gave me a ct scan and everything looked good so they gave me some percaset and sent me home. I couldn't drive though and Eric was down in Salem teaching an American Lung association class to some kids in an Elementary school. Luckily My brother in and law Spencer and Sara are wonderful and they came to get me. Despite me being really loopy they took me to get some food at Zupas. I had not eaten all day and it was almost 4. As we were heading home I started to get really nauseated. I reached over just in time and grabbed a bag. I then lost my entire lunch into it. Delicious. I will not be craving Zupas anytime soon.  Sara and Spencer took me home and I went straight to bed for the rest of the day.

I am just this cool...

       The next morning it was still hurting. So this time I went to same day surgery and they gave me an IV. Then they gave me a shot of morphine which helped my head for an hour... but then nothing. So they sent me to the ER still on an IV. The doctor there ran more tests and everything came back normal. So they gave me another shot of morphine (the previous had wore off by now...) and sent me home.
       I slept all day thursday and sat with a bag of tater tots on my head. The cold felt nice. Eric's family came into town and his little sister, Courtney spent the evening with us. It was so fun having her there and I know that Eric and her had a fun friday morning rock climbing. I wish my head had not hurt so I could have been more fun.
       Needless to say Friday I attempted to go back to work. I was pretty sick of being in bed by then. I was able to manage but my headache was still there.
That afternoon Eric, Courtney and I went up to Ogden to visit the rest of his family. It was so much fun to see everyone. But my headache was unbearable. So I called the doctor again to update him on my status. He gave me some hardcore migraine medicine that I was only supposed to take one of and then he told me to take ibuprofen for the next two days. I took the nasty pill... and it made me throw up. Not only that it made me so dizzy I felt like I was going to die. So I went to sleep finally and swore never to take that again.
      Saturday I started out the morning with a slight headache. We went with Eric's parents and visited the Bountiful Temple to do a session. It was such a pretty temple! I am so glad we went. Of coarse my head started hurting like crazy though so as soon as we left I decided to start on the Ibuprofen. We went to lunch down at the city creek center. Which was super fun and really neat. I started to notice my head ache was starting to dull. I got really happy. The rest of night was fun and I barely noticed my head ache.
      Sunday was Easter. We went to Music and The spoken word down in Salt Lake City's temple square. Armed with Ibuprofen I survived without a terrible ache and was able to enjoy the beautiful music and wonderful spirit that was there. The prophet, Thomas s. Monson was there too and Eric and I were able to go steal a glance at him before he left out of the backdoor. It was a wonderful morning. We spent the rest of the day dying eggs and eating delicious food. It was so great to be surrounded by family and loved ones.

At Music and The spoken word

     The next week was "Spring break" So I didn't have to go to work. Monday I spent the day with Eric's little sister Emily while he took a test and went to class. Then we headed back to Ogden and went mini golfing.
     Tuesday Eric's family left so him and I went back down to Provo and I spent the rest of the day resting. My headache was only a dull ache now and I really think that had to do with the two days of Ibuprofen. Wednesday I spent the day resting and by thursday my headache was no more.
     I have no idea what caused it but I am glad its gone. I guess this story is a bit anti climatic since I have no idea what caused the wonderful adventure that was my headache. But I am really glad to have a great doctor who helps me and cares about what is going on. I spent the rest of last week headache free. It wasn't until yesterday that I started to feel it come again but I have been taking tylenol and that is seeming to kick it.
Oh well... Its all apart of the experience.

I have been doing great other then the headache of doom. And I have been able to experience the most amazing thing ever... BABY GIRL KICKING. Its been so fun becuase I can actually tell that she is kicking me! It's a strange feeling but it helps me to feel like this is more real.
     I am also REALLY starting to show. Like pretty badly hahaha. I feel so overwhelmed looking in the mirror. How much bigger can I get?! I still have a little over three more months!
     I know this will all be worth it. I had to keep remembering that Heavenly Father is teaching me something through all these trails. I am so grateful for my friends and my wonderful family who have been so supportive and loving to me. I am also grateful for my wonderful job and co-workers who are so understanding of my situation and help me all they can.
     I am so happy to meet this little bundle of fun inside me. And also...I am excited to not be pregnant anymore... but until then I am ready to keep going through... I have a lot more ahead and I am honestly excited. This adventure has been pretty fun, crazy and exciting so far.
The best thing is... I am not doing this alone. I know my Heavenly Father is aware of me. My husband is so supportive. And I know my Dad is helping me and rooting for me all he can on the other side.
:)

Hope everyone is doing well.

22 weeks

23 weeks 

An experiment in cooking...

So if you know me, you know that I do not claim to have the ability to cook. Cooking has just never been a talent of mine or even much of an interest. Since being married I have tried to develop this skill. I have attempted many dishes... some have failed and some have turned out pretty awesome. I use allrecipes.com  most of the time and I have found some way good stuff from there. But I never been able to make up a recipe on my own or even adapt a recipe to make it my own. So I decided to give it a try. I researched a bunch of recipes for enchiladas. I found a lot of them but most of them called for things I did not have in my kitchen. So I decided to come up with a recipe on my own and feed to Eric to see if its any good.
I made some on thursday and Eric liked them so much he begged me to make more for him for sunday dinner. So I did but this time I took pictures so I could share this with everyone... becuase honestly this is such an easy recipe! Now granted I didn't measure anything but feel free to try this and experiment. Mine have turned out pretty good TWICE.


Okay so first I took two large or three small chicken breasts and cut them up into small pieces. Then I cooked them on a skillet with about a quarter of an onion diced up as well. I added some garlic salt and regular salt and cooked till the chicken was no longer pink.

Next in a bowl I mixed together about a cup/ a third of a container of sour cream (you can add more if you want more... I used about half the container in my 2nd batch and it wasn't bad at all), One can of cream of chicken soup, One can of Hunt's Fire Roasted Tomatoes (I drained them first) and like three or four cups of shredded cheese (the more the better.. promise!)  I am sure you could use different tomatoes... I also think you could just put in a can of salsa and it would be just as good. I might try that next time. Then I mixed in about a third (or half... whatever you want) of red enchilada sauce. 

I then added the onions and the chicken to the mix. I put in more garlic powder becuase I LOVE GARLIC. You could also add some chili powder if you want them to have a kick. I don't really care for really spicy things so I try to keep it pretty mild. 

I then took a glass pan and sprayed some pam on it. I took some flour tortillas and loaded each one with the mixture and then rolled it and placed the seam face down in the pan. Now I used big burrito tortillas but I think next time I might use smaller ones so I can make more in one pan. 

Then I poured the rest of the enchilada sauce on top of the rolled tortillas. Then I poured another can of enchilad sauce on top... but I used a medium green sauce. It adds a little kick but not much. Then I top it all off with cheese. The more the better. I also added some sliced olives on my first batch to the top but this time I didn't have any so I went without. 

Now I cooked mine in the oven at 350 degrees. I think I could have cooked it at a hotter temperature though. Becuase it took a while. I cooked it for 45-50 minutes or until its kind of bubbling along the edges and cheese is melted. 

Now we probably needed to let it sit a while longer after we cooked it but Eric was so excited we dug in right away and it doesn't look very pretty on the plate... but it tastes amazing!!!

Now Bryan came over thirty minutes later and his looked a little better then mine. 

Anyways... It was pretty good. And I am excited that I made something so yummy!

Anyways Happy sunday everyone. 

Happiness

      I am have found myself lately on a quest to be more happy. I think that has always been a quest of mine but lately it has been pressing on my mind that I need to try a bit harder. Don't get me wrong, I am not sad... I just think that a brighter and happier attitude would do me good. Plus I have been reading this book my wonderful mother-in-law sent me called The Happiness Project. In it the Author talks about her journey to be more happy. I am only a couple chapters in but I love what she says, especially about having a positive attitude.
     I have been trying lately to be more positive, to not let little things bug me and to be more grateful for what I have. The author in the book made a great point about how she does not want to look back in ten years and think "Oh how wonderful life was... why did I not enjoy it more?"
My life is pretty great and even the hard times seem better when I try looking at them with a positive attitude. I will add to that also an "Eternal Perspective." By that phrase I mean trying my best to remember that this life is not the end... I have a loving Heavenly Father who knows me and loves me, and all the things I am going through in this life are for my benefit and growth.
     I was sitting in church a few weeks ago pondering my troubles and how I can face them with a more positive attitude. I also have this horrible habit imagining the worse case scenarios that could go on in my life. I sat silently asking God what I could do to be happier and not focus on the little things or the unknown. As I sat there I became aware of the hymn we were singing and the words stood out to me in a way they never had before.
These are the words:
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to standUpheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.  (How Firm a Foundation, third verse)


Why should I worry about the unknown? Why should I ever be unhappy? God has promised that he will always give us aid. He has been there for me before and he will STILL be there for me in the future no matter what it holds. This reminds me of my favorite scripture which is Alma 36:27 "27 And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has ^adelivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still ^bdeliver me."

This little hat once had candy in it... Eric replaced
the candy with this. There is no more candy...
but there was tons of laughter. :)

      So I started thinking about how I should be more grateful. I have lots to be happy about and I have such a wonderful Heavenly Father who has made it so I can be happy. One of the first things that came to my mind as I pondered the idea of gratitude was how grateful I am for Eric. I realize that he is the person I take for granted the most in my life even though he is the most important. He really is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. He completely changed my life. That is so cliche and yet those of you who know me... know how accurate that statement is. 
     Eric is my best friend. He helps me to be the person I want to be and hope to be. He has such a strong testimony and love of God. He is so funny. There really is not a day that goes by that he does not make me laugh. I am so blessed and grateful for him. I hope that I never lose sight of how amazing he is and how much he means to me. 
     Also... He always does the dishes. Always! Seriously... Always. And he rubs my sore feet. And he works endlessly at school trying to get good grades so he can provide for our family's future and he also works at the library making us money for rent and food and bills. And he still finds time to listen to my problems, read me scriptures when I don't feel good and hold me when I cry. I know he is not perfect. But neither am I. I am so grateful that he married me. That he is going to help me raise our baby! And mostly...I am so grateful that he is mine forever. 


     I am grateful for the hard times. As crummy as they are those are the moments where I learn the most. Being pregnant has not been easy. Just as I was becoming more and more capable of handling being sick I started to realize that now I have extra weight to carry around. My back and feet are paying the consequences. But I love this. Never again will I have my first baby or first pregnancy. This is all part of the experience.
     One of the hardest parts of being so sick was having to drop out of my classes this semester. It was a really tough decision but after a lot of prayer and talking to my doctor I realized it was a good choice. With my classes I had to take all 6 or none at all. So I withdrew from them. It turned out to be good becuase of all the doctors visits I had to make and from how sick I was. Going to work was about all I can do (and still is... ). 
This choice though came with a consequence. I was told I would have to pay financial aid back for half of my tuition. I was able to request a "tuition reimbursement" from the school but I was told that getting 100% back was very unlikely. They told me that most likely I would get 50% and I would need to pay the difference. 
Eric and I started getting notices in the mail telling us that we owed a hefty amount. But I still had not heard back the tuition reimbursement. A month went by and still nothing. I kept calling but I was told that it was processing. Notices kept coming telling me I needed to pay or figure out a financial plan.  Eric and I kept talking about different plans we could do and I decided that if by the end of this week I would call the school and find out about the reimbursement. I figured they must have declined it that is why I had not heard anything and kept getting notices of a payment due. 
Today I randomly had a panic attack while trying to go to an activity at church. I came home to calm down and there sitting on my door step was another letter from UVU. With tears running down my cheeks I opened the letter. While trying to calm myself down from the panic attack I said a silent prayer that no matter what I trusted the Lord. I asked desperately for good news... I didn't think I could handle bad news in the state I was in. As I unfolded the letter peace came over me. I realized that no matter what it said I would be ok. I was able to breathe again and my heart rate seemed to be calming down. The letter revealed to me that they had decided to refund my tuition but not only that they were giving me a full 100% refund. This may seem like a silly story but to me it stood as a tender mercy that God loves me and knows me. That he is aware of me and my situation. I feel so grateful to him and the trials I go through, even though they are not easy at times and I don't always deal with them gracefully. 


Anyways... Sorry this is a pretty long post.. I should try posting more often so there are not such longs ones when I do.


All is good with baby... We will be having a twenty week ultra sound Wednesday.
Here is a baby bump picture for you all

19 weeks and 6 days (almost 20) 

We got to see our baby!

Today was the gender ultrasound! We were able to go in at 16 weeks and have the ultrasound tech check and see if it was a boy or a girl....!!! We were able to see that it is in fact a baby girl. :)

We are thrilled. It was so awesome to be able to see her cute little face! She is a feisty one too. The doctor tried to take her heart beat before the ultra sound and at first we could not hear anything then we hear this thud and the doctor starts laughing and says, "yes your baby just kicked my microphone!" She did it one more time too before the doctor could finally get her heart beat. Her heart beat is great and right where it should be.
We went in for the ultra sound and we saw her right away. She started moving all around waving her arms and kicking her legs. The ultra sound tech was laughing. At first we could not see between her legs becuase she was sitting crossed legged. Then we started poking at her and she finally squirmed around enough that they tech was able to see that she is indeed a she and in no way a he.

I am so excited to meet her. I feel like just from seeing her today I was able to bond with her in such a great way that I have not been able to do so yet. I am so happy. I feel like this is so much more real!
She is really there in my tummy swimming around and growing! I feel so grateful to my Heavenly Father. What a joyous and wonderful blessing this is.

Anyways here are the ultra sound pictures....

Here are the Baby's little legs! 

And here is our sweet baby Girl's face! Look at her cute little eye! It kinda looks like she is smiling too :)

So as you can see we are pretty happy!
Next month we get our 20 week ultra sound and we will gets lots of fun pictures of all her cute little body parts and find out lots more information about her. And at twenty weeks I will be halfway done with pregnancy... which is pretty cool!

Anyways hope you all love these cute pictures as much as we do!
:)

Keep on keeping on!

Look at this happy face!

     So its been a few weeks since my last update. I was doing well after my IV and then I got sick again so I went in for another IV. I have not thrown up since then so I am hoping things are looking better. My doctor said the the goal is to keep me doing IVs till I don't throw up anymore. So far so good. I still have some pretty awful bouts of feeling nauseated and dizzy. But I am keeping up on medicine and keeping food down so I am hoping the worst is over... for now!
     I have had a few awesome days. I usually get sick at some point but I have had more energy and I have had an appetite. I have sure missed food. I have even worn make up! Its been nice.

Valentines day dinner!

Valentines day was super nice. I made a fun pasta dinner for Eric and I the night before and it was pretty tasty if I do say so myself. We celebrated on monday becuase Eric had a class tuesday night. So on Valentines day I came home after work feeling very exhausted and a little depressed to be spending the evening alone. When I walked in I found my darling husband waiting at the bottom of the stairs in a suit! He said his class had been cancelled and he was taking me to eat a nice dinner! So we went to texas roadhouse and I ate more food than I have since Christmas! It was so sweet and exactly what I needed. It is so nice to have such a kind husband who is aware of what I need and how I feel. I am grateful to him everyday!

Another exciting thing that has happened since my last update was that we got to see my best friend's baby be blessed and given a name. It was a really special and sweet experience. Her baby is positively adorable and so sweet. She has such an amazing family that it was so wonderful to see them. I always feel so welcomed and happy when I am around them. They are those type of people who just always make you feel important and safe.
It is so great being able to see my friend and her baby. Rachel and I have been friends since about seventh grade. We had a few years where we didn't talk much, mostly cause we had different friends but we were always friendly. We started to hang out more our senior year in high school. After that we both moved to provo for school and we became super close. Rachel helped me out through some of my hardest trials and she was always there cheering me on and encouraging me to trust in the Lord. She is one of the most amazing people I have the privilege of knowing. She is always pointing out the positive and helping you to see the best in yourself. Plus she is so dang hilarious. I am so happy she is a mommy. She is great at it. And she is so full of love. Her child is so blessed to have such a great example to follow after.

Eric and I had the privilege of going to Saint George this weekend to spend sometime with Eric's Uncle Chad and Aunt Jen. We love going down to visit when we have the time and since this is Eric's last free weekend till May we decided we should take advantage. I was so happy to see the sunshine. I even laid out in it and got some sun while Eric went golfing. I had been craving sunshine for a while now so it was nice to be able to enjoy and relax and let our cares go away for three days. It was an awesome trip and it was so nice to be with Eric's family. They are so much fun and so welcoming. I feel like I have always been a part of the family. Its so awesome.

I have had a lot of time to keep thinking of this new baby that is on its way. I keep coming to the conclusion that this life is about being all I can be and making Heavenly Father happy. I need to remember that its not always my will but his who I need to be concerned about. I know Heavenly Father wants me to have this baby and so even when it seems like an extremely challenging task, I know that I can do all things that the Lord wants me to do. I know that he has strengthened me and will continue to do so as I continue forward. This pregnancy thus far has definitely been a struggle and a trial but I know that I have something to learn from it all. I know that God is aware of me and that having a family and serving him should be my focus.
I know I am not perfect. I am far from it. But I will keep on trying my best and giving my all and at times I am sure its not quite enough. But I know that the Lord does not ever leave us to do it alone.


Monday we are getting an ultrasound. I am so excited to see my little baby. We hopefully will be able to find out the gender! The baby is the size of an Orange right now!!! And I am definitely starting to show. I went to get lunch today and the lunch lady asked me when I was due! I have a very short waist so I assumed this would happen. I have not gained very much weight only like 2-3 pounds if that. So its funny seeing my stomach already so big. But hey if my kid needs the room to be comfortable then so be it.

15 weeks pregnant! 

Eric and I on Valentines day. 

Thirteen weeks update complete with belly pictures!

      I created this blog and than it would seem that I forgot about it! It sat here with three (two and a half) posts for almost a month! How can I be so neglectful?!

Me at IV Therapy, looking excited!

     Truth is I have been pretty sick lately. This whole being pregnant thing is not as easy as it seems come ti find out. I have spent a few days on my couch throwing up all day! I even bursted a blood vessel in my eye doing so... and yes it is super creepy and extremely attractive.
     On wednesday I got the wonderful treat of spending two and half hours in the hospital getting what is called IV Therapy. It is where they pump two bags of liquid in your body so that you are not dehydrated. It takes a long time and it made me kind of tired. But I got to just lay in a bed and watch tv while I waited for the bags to drain. The nurses and the doctors were so nice to me, so it actually was a really pleasant experience. Except that the first nurse who tried to put the IV in my hand had a hard time getting hold of my vein so she had to poke me once in one hand and again in my other. She told me I was really dehydrated. I didn't even realize how much I needed fluids! I felt a lot better after the procedure. I have thrown up a bit since then but not to the extent that I was last week so that is great!
      So honestly there has not been a ton going on lately. Just me laying in bed and feeling pretty nasty. But I got a twelve week check up and heard the baby's heartbeat! Every thing is fine with baby Wahlstrom. Which makes me really relieved. I am ok being sick as long as my baby is ok. I have had to make some tough decisions with school lately. Its been tough becuase I have been trying to do everything I want to do and I have come to realize I need to do whats best for my body and my future baby right now. Being so sick has made me come down and evaluate what is the most important thing I am doing right now. I realize that is becoming mother. Heavenly Father wants me to be a mom and I know that needs to be my priority. I am not one to normally just take time for myself. I don't like to stop my plans or take a leave of absence. But seeing how sick I have been I realize that I need to trust Heavenly Father and do what is best for my body right now. This is a great path I am heading down and there will be good things along the way.
       In other news, Eric has been attending an MCAT prep course. He should be taking the test sometime after the semester is over. I am constantly impressed with how dedicated he is. He is such an example to me.
     Speaking of Eric, I have been thinking a lot this week about what I need to learn from being so sick during this pregnancy. I know that every trial or hard thing that comes our way is to help us learn and grow. I know I may not realize what that lesson is right away but I can start to try and see what I am learning. One big thing I have learned from these past few wonderful weeks is that I married the most perfect man for me ever. Not only is he my best friend but he is my support. He sat with me while I threw up all day sunday and just rubbed my back. He sat with me a few weeks ago while I cried becuase I felt so overwhelmed. He makes sonic drink runs all the time just so he can help me stay hydrated. He prays with me and reminds me of why I am here and what is most important in this life. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and father to my child.

Well I am officially 13 weeks along and according to my doctor that means I am out of my first trimester.
I figured I might as well start posting some pictures of my belly. This past month I have not gained any weight but my stomach is getting bigger. And compared to 13 weeks ago I have a belly! I also am starting to get that dark line that goes down from your belly button. Eric noticed it the other day and got so excited that I was getting a pregnancy line.

At four weeks right when i found out I was pregnant!

4 weeks! 

Me at 10 weeks!

13 weeks. I look about the same as 10 but my baby is bigger!!!

Right now my baby is three inches long and a little bigger than a lime. About the size (according to the babycenter.com) of a medium sized shrimp. My baby is moving all around and is going to start getting a lot bigger in the next few weeks.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT TO COME... we are (hopefully) finding out the gender of our baby on FEBRUARY 27TH! We are going to have an ultra sound and my doctor is going to try and tell us. I am really excited!!! 

Anyways that is about all for now. Hope everyone is doing good :)

all of our love <3

     

little baby raptor

GGGRRRRAAAAACCKCKKCKCKCK!!!

Janelle and I have been talking for a long time about how much we love dinosaurs.  This love for the prehistoric has led us to the conclusion that our baby will be forever known as our little raptor.  One of our good friends has captured the moment beautifully in the following drawing.  Oh and Janelle is unhappy because she is sick and she is sick because she is giving birth to a raptor :)