Meet the Russons

Two weeks ago (on the 15th) my good friend, Emily got married!

The night before the wedding: a bunch of Emily's and Jason's friends and family met at Faz for dinner.

Coming out of the temple - the sealing was beautiful, and they looked so happy.
Pregnant best friends due exactly one week apart.Scott and me, Rob and Marisa, and Caitlin and Brig
The mariachi band at the receptionCutting the cakeScott was the DJ - he did an awesome job. It was so fun dancing with some of my Danville friends, especially Marisa. We got really into it - I was so tired by the end of the night. I'm not as in shape as I used to be, but it felt so good to dance like that again.

Miracles Happen

I've been putting off this post for a while. I've been so nervous that it's not really true, or that it will go away if I get my hopes up. Clomid is a miracle. I got pregnant with the first round and am now 10 weeks 5 days. I'm still nervous that I will miscarry, but I'm also very hopeful. There's such a difference between this pregnancy and my last pregnancy 2 1/2 years ago. With my last pregnancy, I felt like it was owed to me to be pregnant. It never even crossed my mind that the pregnancy could fail since my mom and sister had never had any miscarriages. I was devastated when we lost the baby, and it has been a struggle and an eyeopener all at the same time. With this pregnancy, I am more cautious, but am also very aware of the miracle it is to be pregnant. I'm not really showing yet. I have a very slight pooch - sometimes it's bigger than other times, so I'm starting to believe that I'm really just bloated a good part of the time (more than you cared to know). People laugh and tell me that I'm not showing yet, but to me, there's a change, even if it's just a small one. Besides, it's more of a reassurance to me that this is all real if I can convince myself that my body really is changing, even if others can't see it. Thanks again to everyone for the many prayers and comforting words. I love you all.

This is at 8 weeks 4 days. The baby looks like a little gingerbread man. It's so neat being able to see the heartbeat (it was really strong) and to see the arms and legs. The baby was even moving around. It waved to me, and then it looked like it got a hiccup because it's whole body jumped. It was such an awesome experience.

P.S. The due date is October 12.

It's Business Time

This clip was censored from my sister's blog because of her kids. Since I don't have any, I can post whatever crude, funny things I want. Enjoy.

Bridal Shower . . . & a week later - Hawaii

Okay, I'm a total slacker. I hardly ever look at my blog anymore, and I obviously haven't been updating it often, even when I've had things to post. So here's a combined posting of my friend, Emily's, bridal shower from a little over two weeks ago and my trip to Hawaii this last week.

The bride-to-be

Marisa and I made a deal to be business partners for our dream job whenever her husband gets a job out here. Later I can look back and remember that this is the day it all began (sort of).Stephanie Moss, me, Debbie Lee, Emily, Marisa

the gals w/ the mamas

HAWAII

We started our trip in Kauai, where we spent our first day kayaking (I was too lazy to take pictures).

We then flew over to Oahu where we spent two days visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) and Pearl Harbor.

The PCC: This was probably my favorite day in Hawaii. I loved learning about all of the different Polynesian cultures and seeing the unity that these people have. I loved watching the performances, especially the night show. The dancing is amazing! (It really made me miss dancing in my own life. It has always been a release for me, just like running is for others, but it's so hard to find opportunities to dance anymore.)

Just watching the shows.

These are the Mauris from New Zealand. This dance was dedicated to all of the people serving in our military, fire departments, and police departments, so I had to take a picture (even though it didn't turn out very well). I was so proud of Scott and his dad when they had them stand up in front of everyone. It was really emotional.

The Samoan fire dancer. He's an amazing man (with really gross feet - they're really big and flat from never wearing shoes, and they have scars on them from fire dancing).

Visiting the temple. It was so peaceful here.

A sculpture of Lehi blessing Jacob

I really like this sculpture.

The House of the Lord - Holiness to the Lord

Scott putting on way too much sunscreen.I thought the trunk of this tree was so neat. It was kind of creepy.Taking a break for shave ice.

Pearl Harbor - aboard the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

The ship under the water.The anchor that was thrown from the U.S.S. Arizona when it was bombed.We ate here twice while in Kauai. I have to admit, it made me sick to even smell or think about BBQ after eating there the second time. It's so much meat! I'm going to have to settle for salad and fruit for the next while.

Fear in Pregnancy

Besides my family, Scott's family, Sammie, Grandma, and Dani and Bev, I have now told Caitlin and Tiffani that I'm pregnant. I still have waves of discouragement and fear, but I am also hopeful. I pray that this is the real thing. I know I need to trust in the Lord. I feel that I do and that I have faith, but then why do I fear? I shouldn't fear anything because no matter what happens, I will be a better, stronger person. I guess I fear because I really want this baby - and the idea of having to endure another miscarriage is so painful. I love the child growing inside me, but am scared to grow too attached too soon incase it is taken away from me. I know I can't keep living in fear of the future, otherwise I will never feel peace. My dad taught me recently that I need to take what I'm given each and every day and make it my goal to find peace with it. My dad is so full of wisdom and peace. I look to him as an example of hope and optimism - he looks at handling a broken lightbulb as just something he needs to take care of that day. He compares the broken lightbulb from one day to having his broken kneecap today, and that he can handle it with optimism and look at it as a way to master his emotions, gain patience, and find peace no matter what he has to deal with. He is even so strong talking about losing my sister, Sarah, when she was 17-years-old (a little over 14 years ago). He has found peace with it, and uses that experience as a way to say you can't fear for the future. You need to find peace with everything you must go through. I hope, with my dad's encouraging words, that I can find more peace than fear in this pregnancy each and every day.

Bunco!

Two of my friends and I co-decided to start having a ladies Bunco Night once a month. There are 12 girls who will regularly come, with a different person hosting it each month (If you can't come one month, you find a sub to take your place). Tonight was the first month, and we had the party at Cherrie Mead's house (of course when I have something to blog about, I forget to take my camera). It was so fun getting to know a bunch of new people. Plus, there were prizes for the winner, the loser, and the person who got the most Buncos (I was trying to keep anyone from witnessing my extremely competitive side, so I tried really hard to act like I didn't care if I won - which is of course a lie. Who doesn't like winning? And besides, I've really had to tone down my competitveness after marrying Scott. He won't play games with me because I usually win - except for Yahtzee - the skill in that game is very limited, so he'll play that with me any time). Anyway, there's nothing like a fun game night to look forward to every month, and I can't wait for the next one!

New HCG Results

I am 5 weeks pregnant today! Monica from the infertility clinic called back with my HCG results. They went up from 571 to 1,127 in 48 hours. This is a really good sign, since they want the number to double every 48-72 hours. Scott and I are really hopeful, but are still nervous. I have my first appointment in 11 days, Tuesday, February 19. The nurse said that we may be able to hear the heart beat. Hopefully we do. I just continue to pray that all is well.

Baby's progress:
The heart should be beating on its own already . . .