Brenda’s Pregnancy Journal

Friday 3/25 ~ My mom, grandma, mother-in-law & 2 sisters-in-law all went to the nail spa where we got spa manicures & pedicures, along w/ being able to sit in these big comfy massage chairs. It was just lovely. My feet  hurt more lately & the girl who did them, spent extra time rubbing them & it felt sooo good. It’s so fun to have pretty nails! Afterwards we went to lunch & it was just fun to have a girls morning out. I’m blessed with such a wonderful family that loves to be together.

Afterwards we went back to my parents house where my sis-in-law Katie painted my belly - isn’t it great? She’s the artist in the family. We had a lot of fun with it & I have a million pics of my little easter egg Elliot.

here we are, supposedly the most studious & serious couple when it comes to childbirth, but at lamaze class we can’t stop making jokes & giggling. The teacher certainly gives us plenty to laugh about. While I like her philosophy on childbirth, she is a bit of a scatterbrain. And because of what childbirth entails, she certainly doesn’t hold back when it comes to discussing any topic. And there’s just something about the way she says & does things that is a little off the wall, we can’t help ourselves sometimes.

When practicing our breathing, massage & efflarage, she happened to use one of the women as her example, the hilarious thing was - this girl is extremely ticklish - so much so that any touch at all sets her off. But apparently the teacher didn’t realize this & kept going, making the girl absolutely miserable, Charlie & I couldn’t help cracking up.  The teacher also walks around physically demonstrating different techniques & last night when she was explaining back massage & showing Charlie where to put his hands, she grabbed his waist - well it was supposed to be his waist, but let’s just say she got a little too close for comfort. The whole class was laughing at that point - and I think Charlie was beet red, and of course in fun he made a big deal about it, asking where he could file a report! She often finds herself going off on tangents & she’s not always easy to follow. I’m not concerned b/c I think Charlie & I have already learned most everything she’s teaching, but I do wonder about the other couples, if they’re able to follow along okay. Charlie & I just couldn’t stop giggling last night at all the little things that happened - and of course when you’re not supposed to giggle it makes it even harder to stop. It made me feel like we were in highschool again, and it was kinda sweet. Experiencing this pregnancy with Charlie has made me fall in love with him even more, he’s going to make an incredible dad & I just can’t wait to see him holding his son.

Hospital Bag

Sunday evening we went to a Laker Game. Charlie had been given tickets from a basketball parent -they weren’t just any old tickets, they were Luxury Box Tickets. We arrived early for dinner served in the suite, then watched the game while being waited on hand & foot. Then the dessert car came by and we had a snickerbar cheesecake & a carmel apple. I had a great time getting to know the wife, we found we had a lot in common - she’s super crunchy!! And she too feels like the wierd one around most of her friends, so we had a great time chatting & finding that we have so many of the same views. Like me, her lifestyle changed when she saw other people deal with health issues, and it motivated her to study - and once you do your research…well it’s hard not to change. They were very nice people & when we left they gave us a gift bag for Elliot - a stuffed basketball, a blanket & a Laker outfit. It was a pretty incredible evening. The only downside was that the Lakers lost, but the evening was so fun it hardly mattered. (to me at least)

We were on the go Saturday - morning to night. We began the morning driving to LA to do an automotive survey. It took about 1.5 hours where we had these mini computers & went from vehicle to vehicle evaluating each car against a prototype. It was interesting, but the best part was the $100 each that we got for doing it! The bad part was that I slammed my thumb in one of the doors - OUCH!

From there we went to my parents house for lunch to celebrate my brothers’ birthdays. It was nice to have some family time & I got to hold our niece Natania quite a bit. I can’t believe my little brother Danny is 16!! He’s going to get his drivers license later this week. wow. I can’t imagine how I’ll feel when Elliot is that old! And Daryl is already a dad - and he’s a great dad too, it’s so neat to watch him take care of his daughter.

In the evening we attended the Basketball Banquet. I enjoyed catching up with the other coach’s wives & Charlie did a great job with his presentation. His team gave him a signed basketball - celebrating their undefeated league championship. I’m so proud of him. It made me look forward to next season when I’ll get to take Elliot with me to daddy’s games.

We celebrated five years of marriage today. It’s so amazing how time goes by, and it seems like yesterday and forever ago all at the same time. To celebrate this year we kept it low-key. We went to Downtown Disney to the Build A Bear Workshop. We had previously recorded Elliot’s heartbeat onto a little recorder, so we built a teddy bear with his heartbeat inside. The bear is super adorable & soft, we put him in a little blue T-shirt. I just know he’ll be Elliot’s favorite. I love how Charlie & I have similiar tastes - we had no problem choosing the right bear & the right clothes. It’s pretty cool to squeeze the bears heart & hear Elliot’s beating. Afterwards we just sat & watched people walk by - paying attention mostly to those with little kids. We had planned to go to a movie, but there was nothing showing we were interested in, so we took a much needed nap instead! For dinner we went to Black Angus & had filet mingon. I could not be more grateful for the husband God has given me, it’s been a wonderful five years!