Week in Denver - Moving story cont.

After my parents picked Zach and I up from the airport we went straight to the Denver Zoo since Zach's obsessed with animals. He was pretty excited about the animals that were easy to see. He often got as excited about seeing the pictures of the animals on the information plaques as he did the real animals. The favorite from this trip was definitely the gorilla.

Other highlights include:

Playing with Grandpa's glasses

Visiting Grandpa at work

Having his first McDonald's ice cream cone

Going to a really cool park and Zach realizing that in spite his fear of swings last summer, they're probably one of his favorite things ever

Going swimming. For your benefit I'm not posting any of the shots with me in my maternity swimming suit.

A really nice baby shower my mom threw for me (I only got pictures from before it started)

and getting to meet Grandma Bowen in the airport on our way to Houston since she was there for a connection before heading to Boston.

Thanks so much to both sets of parents for all your help with the move. My dad flew down with Zach and me so I could have help through the airport. He also helped us with unpacking the trailer, entertaining Zach while we unpacked things, and got to hang out with us for Memorial Day. Derrick's dad kept him company on the drive down and helped Derrick get a good deal on the car he bought before I got down there. Derrick's lucky I really like it.

Provo to Houston

So moving while 7 1/2 months prego and taking care of a very active toddler was quite the challenge. We had a lot of STUFF to sort through since we lived in our Wymount apartment for 3 years and are both pack rats. We also hadn't sorted through things from our single days with all the wedding craziness going on.

In order to find enough boxes we relied on several of BYU's "cardboard only" dumpsters and went dumpster diving several times. One amazing find was 19 computer monitor boxes in perfect condition.

For the move we used an ABF U-Pack trailer. We needed to pack all of our stuff carefully into the trailer and they'd drive it to Houston for us. Apparently everything was shaken the whole trip and anything not well secured got broken. My sister who moved 2 weeks before learned that lesson the hard way for us...poor microwave and bookshelf.

Several guys from the ward, our neighbor Jesse in particular, helped a ton with getting everything loaded. A few friends helped watch Zach at different times. The trailer left the day before we did so we got to live for 2 days using paper dishes and no furniture. We borrowed an air mattress and a pack 'n' play for sleeping and ate meals on the floor (not comfortable especially when pregnant). Zach thought the paper dishes were pretty cool (the picture is obviously from before we loaded the couch and chairs).

We saved all our cleaning until the day before we left (Friday, May 21) so we could get the trailer completely loaded in time for pick up. Derrick had to go into work for part of the day and I was at break down point from exhaustion and from feeling like I was going to go into early labor before even making a dent in the cleaning. It didn't help that Zach was throwing tantrums from feeling neglected and having all his stuff packed away. Several friends from the ward came to my rescue and just started showing up. They were amazing and cleaned our bathroom, kitchen, pantry, and windows!

On Saturday morning (the 22nd), Derrick took Zach and me to the airport where we flew to spend a week with my parents. Derrick went back to our apartment to finish the last bit of cleaning and return everything we'd borrowed. He then drove to spend the weekend in Grand Junction with his parents before he and his dad drove our car to Houston.

36 Weeks

The end of this pregnancy is in sight and we should be meeting our little guy in about a month. Yesterday was the month mark before my due date and as of tomorrow I've finished week 36. Below is a belly photo from about a week ago.

Now for some random thoughts and info mostly for journaling purposes:

- This little guy kicks and wiggles more than Zach did. If that's any indication of a higher energy level I'm in trouble.

- I met my doctor here in Houston for the first time today. She's very friendly and animated and thankfully less awkward than some of the doctors I saw in Provo (on our insurance in Utah I went to a group of doctors rather than just one). Sounds like the baby's head down but not "engaged" yet and I'm dilated about a finger width.

- While thankfully there haven't been any complications, this pregnancy has been a lot harder than with Zach. Last time I felt great from the start of the 2nd trimester until a week before Zach was born. This time I've had a lot of pain throughout the whole process so this has been a very long pregnancy. The worst has been some bad sciatic pain that makes moving and walking hard at times. At least I know it will all be worth it.

- I failed the first glucose test but passed the 3-hour one with flying colors.

- Zach still seems pretty oblivious to the fact that his life is going to change so much. He'll sometimes point to my belly and say baby. A couple of days ago he kissed his hand before putting it on my belly (to give the baby a kiss) but I don't think the concept will click until the baby comes home with us and doesn't leave.

- We're pretty sure about a name but it could still change. We were sure about the name Zachary early on last time so it's been weird to not be calling the baby by a name when we talk about him.

- In some ways the concept of having another kid in our family has been pretty unreal to me. Last time I kept thinking "we're going to have a baby!" and this time in addition to that I can't help but think "we've already got a baby". The idea of having another little boy I'll love as much as Zach is sometimes hard to picture. I figure it'll happen once I get to hold the little guy.

New Address

These past couple of weeks have been exhausting. We've been selling stuff on KSL and Craigslist, packing, cleaning, and moving from Provo to Houston. Send us an email if you would like our address since I'd rather not post it for the world to see. Maybe I'll eventually get around to posting a prego update, more details about the move, and about my baby shower while in Louisville. For now, I'm ignoring all the boxes I need to unpack and things I need to organize so I can go to bed. Happy Memorial Day!

iPhone App Competition Results

During March and April Derrick and two friends participated in BYU's iPhone App competition. They spent hours designing an app for a charity called the tipping bucket. For those of you who want more info on the competition, there are two other posts about it here and here. Anyways, the exciting news is that Derrick's app received the most votes for the audience choice award during the final event! Each member of the group received a free iPad. Congratulations again Derrick!

More Catch Up - Birthday, Anniversary, and Mother's Day

Besides Easter, we've had several other holidays to celebrate during April and May.

Birthday

As Derrick mentioned in an earlier post, my 24th birthday was April 9th. Derrick was very cute and worked to do a lot of little things for me. He got up with Zach so I could sleep a little longer. While I was sleeping he helped Zach color a birthday card for me.

When I got up my presents were wrapped and on the table. I got the new sewing machine I'd asked for, a bag of my favorite candy from the BYU Bookstore, and a closed circuit security camera to use as a baby camera in Zach's room. Derrick always has to find a way to sneak something technology-related into my presents but this one ended up being really fun. Now we can see what Zach's doing while he's shrieking and making knocking things around while in his crib. My favorite time watching him was when he picked up his blanket, wrapped it around his waist like a skirt, and started marching back and forth in the bed :).

Derrick came home from work with a dozen orange roses. We went out for dinner then had Melissa and Nate, Jason and Cassie, the Johnsons, and the Estradas over for cake and ice cream. Derrick made a "better than whatever" cake the night night before it turned out amazing. Zach provided the entertainment as seen in the video below.

After everyone left and we got Zach to bed, a couple from the ward came over so Derrick and I could see Clash of the Titans in 3D. The movie was pretty terrible but it was fun to get out together.

3rd Wedding Anniversary

Derrick and I have now been married for 3 years. It's pretty crazy to think of how much we've had happen in those 3 years. Some of the bigger events are when I graduated from BYU with a BS in Communication Disorders, Zach joined our family, Derrick graduating with a Masters of Information Systems Management, expecting our 2nd little boy, and getting ready to move to Texas for Derrick's new job.

Over these past few years I've seen more and more that Derrick is the perfect match for me. We have so much fun together, he works hard, and he takes such good care of Zach and me. I love you babe!

To celebrate, Derrick brought me a bunch of tulips. He got brownie points for this one since he'd caught the hint I'd dropped several days earlier that I really liked the ones I saw while we were driving past campus :). He got off work early and we went to do a session at the Provo temple while Melissa and Nate watched Zach for us. After they left Derrick made a fancy steak dinner and we had a fun night hanging out at our apartment. We thought it was great that we didn't need to do anything fancy to have a really enjoyable anniversary.

Mother's Day

Although this was my 2nd Mother's Day since Zach was born, I'm still getting used to the idea that it's now a holiday for me too. Though it's a lot of work and pretty exhausting at times (especially since I've been prego with #2), being a mom has been the greatest job. Zach brings so much joy to my life. He keeps us laughing everyday and I love him so much. It's also such a joy to see how he returns that love. There have been times during this pregnancy where I've been laying on the couch and not feeling up to getting up to play with him. Several times when this happens he'll start bringing me books to read him and cuddle with me while I do so. I love that he's come up with a way to play with me that I can manage when I'm not feeling so great.

Since we had 8:00 a.m. church we didn't do anything to celebrate Mother's Day until afterwards. Ward council was cancelled so Derrick got to be with me all day. After getting Zach down for a nap we made stuffed french toast for lunch. It turned out amazing. We then took Sunday afternoon naps. After a dinner of my choice made by Derrick, we called/skyped with our amazing moms/mothers-in-law. We both feel incredibly lucky in the mom department.

Choppin' the Hair

As some may have noticed from pictures of Zach, his hair was getting pretty shaggy and curly. As further evidence of his need of a haircut, here's a picture of what his hair looked like if we tried to give him a faux hawk (sp?)

Zach didn't like getting his haircut at first but once I pulled out the digital camera and started showing him movies of himself (one of his favorite things to watch/do), he calmly sat until Derrick was done.

This finished product. For some reason Zach kept pulling this deer in headlights look every time I tried to take the picture. This was the least scared looking of the options.

Some of the pieces cut off were over 2 inches long.

It took me a day or two to get used to the lack of curls since I was so used them and I think the shorter hair makes him look older.

Master Derrick Bowenn

After 5 years at BYU Derrick earned his Masters of Information Systems Management. He's done a great job balancing school, work, and family and we are so proud of him. Both sets of parents made it out for the ceremonies and we really appreciated their love and support. I loved having backup in keeping Zach entertained through commencement and convocation. It also helped that instead of walking back to his seat after picking up his diploma at convocation, Derrick walked straight out of the Marriott center. Zach had reached his limit for the whole thing by then and we weren't even close to half way through all the names of people graduating from the Business School.

Derrick (as well as Melissa and Nate who were also graduating) sat with us during the ceremony for everyone - commencement? I get the names mixed up.

Reading books with Grandma Bowen

Derrick looking hott in his cap and gown. I was told to hold Derrick's diploma cover and wasn't purposely trying to hide my baby bump.

Zach really liked Derrick cap. Too bad the flat inside made it keep falling off.

Easter in GJ

Over Easter weekend Derrick, Zach, and I drove to Grand Junction to help celebrate our nephew Ryan's 3rd birthday (which was April 1st). It was fun to see that Zach and Ryan are getting close enough in age to interact and play more.

Ryan and Zach in Grandma and Grandpa Bowen's new, big bathtub. Zach is still lining animals up every chance he gets.

As part of the birthday celebrations we all went to Chuck E Cheese. It was a nice deal for us since Zach only wanted to play on the slide and even had to be dragged away at the end. Because we didn't buy tokens for the different games and such our visit was free.

Between birthday celebrations we enjoyed watching as many of the General Conference talks that Zach would let us. There was a big focus on families this time around and I've really enjoyed being able to go online and listen to or re-listen to the different talks.

On Easter morning, Ryan and Zach woke up to find Easter baskets waiting for them. Since there was already candy in his basket it was hard to convince Zach to look for eggs. With some persuasion we got him to pick up some of the eggs and put them in the basket.

As a final note on Easter weekend, Derrick's sister Tonja had her baby on Easter morning. Her name is Ellen Grace and she is a very cute little girl.

Jen's Birthday

A quick shout out to Jen on her birthday. She's way fun to be with, chillaxs with a couple of my boys pretty often, and is at least 18 today. We're coming up on 3 years of awesomeness and having lots of fun together.

iPhone App Competition

Family and Friends! Put it on your calendar- April 13th (Tuesday) at 6pm in W408 of the Tanner Building on campus- come to the iPhone Development competition and vote for our app Tipping Bucket! Bring all your friends and come support us!

Wahoo!

About a year ago Zach tested positive for being allergic to wheat, dairy, eggs, and peanuts. I took Zach to the allergist this morning to have him retested and we got some great news! Zach has completely outgrown is dairy allergy. Oh the possibilities this opens up! We don't have to buy expensive almond milk anymore! I'll have to make him some homemade Mac N Cheese with his quinoa noodles tonight to celebrate...and maybe give him some ice cream :).

Another piece of good news we got is that Zach is now only mildly allergic to wheat rather than very allergic to it! His reaction to the skin prick was so much smaller this time around. The doctor is thinking that we can get Zach retested in a year and he'll probably have outgrown that allergy by then! I can't wait to be able to give my little boy some bread.

Zach is still very allergic to eggs and peanuts but those are so much easier to work around and/or avoid. The peanut one is bad enough that we need to keep his epi pen handy. We're so grateful for the progress he's made. This is definitely an answer to prayers.

Now for a couple of random pictures. I love the crazy static hair in the first one.

Good News

Zach is now doing so much better. It looks like the diet the doctor told us to give him helped do the trick. You know you're a mom if you get excited to see solid poop? Thanks to everyone who prayed for him!

Poor Zachary

Poor Zach has been sick for 3 weeks now. His symptoms have included: puking, diarrhea, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, and sometimes grouchiness. With it all he really has been a really good sport and has been his happy, crazy self most of the time.

My symptoms have included: Lack of sleep, overexposure to toddler bodily fluids (and the smells that come with them), painfully dry hands (from so much cleaning and laundry), and lots of worry. Being 2nd trimester prego doesn't make things easier.

It's really hard to be the mom when your little one is so sick. It's hard to see them so miserable and not know how to make it better. It's hard to see Zach get skinny when you're doing your best to feed him foods his body can handle. Zach used to be an amazing eater but has recently become extremely picky and scared to even try most things we offer him.

We've taken Zach to the doctor twice now and ruled out several possibilities.

• It's not contagious - it's a great blessing to still go play outside when he feels up to it
• Though he's gotten pretty skinny, he hasn't lost enough weight to worry the doctor
• It's not a bacteria infection, ear infection, or pneumonia
• It's probably not a food allergy - His diet is already restricted enough with his being allergic to wheat, dairy, eggs, and peanuts.

Right now, the doctor thinks that Zach had a viral infection in his intestines. These can last 1 to 2 weeks and leave enough damage that the body can take up to a month to fully heal. Zach hasn't puked since last Wednesday and this goes well with the current theory. He gave us a special diet to try to help Zach's intestines have a chance to heal. If Zach isn't better by Thursday we call back and the doctor will do further testing. We're really praying this diet works and would appreciate any additional prayers for Zach.

Derrick has been wonderful through all of this. He gets up with Zach and me in the middle of the night so one of us can clean and comfort Zach while the other cleans up the rest of the mess. He helps with dinner and gives me chances to get more sleep when he's got to be exhausted too. He's also been a shoulder to cry on. Derrick does all this while in the last semester of his master's program, working part time, and serving as the ward executive secretary. He's a wonderful husband. My sister Melissa has also been an amazing help through all of this as well.

iPhone App Competition

I wanted to let you know about a good cause and ask for your help.

I'm on a team in the BYU/Omniture iPhone App competition, and I wanted to share the app we created with you. The easy link is: http://bit.ly/tb_app

We decided to help out a charity (http://TippingBucket.org) with our app. They host a project on their front page for a limited amount of time, and the project sets a goal for money they want to raise during that time. If they meet their goal, the bucket tips and the contributors are charged. If the bucket doesn't tip, no one is charged. 100% of contributions go to the project. Our app makes it easy to check the status of the bucket and to make contributions. Check back daily to see how the bucket is going.

A lot of teams chose to make simple games, or other mindless entries. Help us show that supporting a good cause is a good approach for these competitions. Please share the app with others you know with iPhones or iPod Touches.

I'll be keeping everyone updated on the competition as it goes along. The analytics tracking period lasts about 3 weeks. (Starting today)

Zach's Got Something to Tell You

Looks like Zach will be getting a little partner in crime. Here's the proof :).


We had our 20 week ultrasound today and are so excited to find out that we're having a little boy. This little guy was curled into a cute ball. Everything is looking good and his heartbeat is very strong. After measuring him, the ultrasound technician said my due date may be moved from July 29 to July 20. That'd mean I'm 21 1/2 weeks prego rather than 20! We'll find out for sure at my next appointment. I'll post a belly picture once I get around to taking one :). Until then, here are some more pictures of Zach. With this kid running around how could we not be incredibly excited to have another little boy?

Love the bed head look

Reading with Derrick

This kid loves to draw

What?! He's actually kinda smiling at the camera?

Goofing around during dinner

Little Helper

Meesa and Andrew, Derrick's sister and brother-in-law, came into town last week and took us out to dinner. Zach doesn't do well stuck in a booster chair for long periods of time so I brought some of his toys to entertain him. Not surprisingly, he got them pretty dirty. Instead of washing the toys myself I decided to get Zach involved and have him help me. I cleaned the sinks and counters really well (so I wouldn't cringe at the thought of Zach touching them) and then set everything up. Zach was so excited to help me and had a blast. We spent a good hour of the morning giving his animals a "bath". Maybe I'll get him to help me clean more of his toys? Here are some pictures of the adventure. No matter what I try I can't get him to look at the camera anymore.

Baby Shoe Tutorial

I received some requests to write a tutorial for the baby shoes I make so here it is. As I said in my last craft post, I used this pattern to make the shoes and only made a couple adjustments. I've never taken a sewing class or really been taught to sew more than straight lines so I made up some of this as I went along. As another side not, because of Zach I can only make things at night so please excuse the bad lighting on the photos :).

1.) Using the pattern in the link above (this website: http://goosiegirls.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/baby-shoe-tutorial/) cut out 4 of each piece - 2 from fabric and 2 from felt. Make sure you have pieces cut so that you'll have a left and a right shoe.


2.) Iron all the pieces of fabric.

Assembling the pieces

3.) Using an iron fold in the rough edges.


4.) Sew the strap onto a piece of felt.


5.) Cut off the excess felt and set aside. Repeat steps 3-5 for the 2nd strap.


6.) Place 2 corresponding sole pieces together with right sides facing out and sew. Repeat for 2nd sole.


7.) Place 2 corresponding side pieces together; wrong sides out. Sew leaving 1 unfinished edge so you can turn the piece right-side out. Repeat with 2nd side piece.


8.) Turn side pieces right-side out and iron.


9.) Sew around the inside of the curve, keeping close to the edge. Repeat.


Putting the pieces together

10.) I'm not sure the best way to explain this next part so hopefully the picture makes sense. I lined the pieces up as shown below so I wouldn't need to unpick part of the shoe and resew it to add the strap. Make sure you don't sew the strap down when you're going around the other side.
Due to the shape of the pieces I found that it was easier to position the pieces as I sewed rather than pinning it all in place ahead of time. The ends should overlap a little bit. There have been a few times when the side piece ended up being a little short to line up with the start. To fix this I would attach the side further in from the edge of the heel of the sole rather than lining up the 2 pieces.


11.) Turn the shoe right-side out. Because I didn't want the strap flapping around I attach it to the top of the shoe. See picture below.


12.) To make the strap into a buckle I hand-sewed on a hook and eye. Velcro also works.


13.) Embellish as you like and you've got a finished pair of baby shoes.


Here are a few other shoes I previously posted in case you would like a few more ideas for embellishments.