Gestating

Doesn’t that sound like it should be something gross like festering or infectious? Maybe that isn’t even a correct form of the word, but no, it’s what babies do before they are born. It’s a process so miraculous and beautiful, or is it? Our little boy has been gestating now for 36 ½ weeks--it feels like fifty. I sympathize with the elephant who gestates for almost two years and then gives birth to a baby that weighs anywhere between 220 and 330 pounds!! Too bad we aren’t more like dogs (whose gestation is 9 weeks) or rabbits (just over a month!) Wouldn’t it be so much easier to have babies that way? Maybe that is why dogs and rabbits procreate so much more than humans—not that I would want that many offspring!

This pregnancy seemed to be so much better than my first—in the beginning. I wasn’t nearly as sick, and since I was a lot busier the time went faster. Until I hit 30 weeks. I don’t know what changed, but at 30 weeks the clock stopped. The last seven weeks have felt like an eternity and it seems the next three will be just as long. Maybe it’s because I’m so much bigger this time, or that it is undeniably summer, or that this guy kicks me like he thinks he is a Brazilian soccer player.

I told Chad I feel like a walking contradiction. I want this baby to be born so I can have my body and he can have his. But then I remember the sleep deprivation, the painful nursing, the endless diapers and feedings, and I think do I really want that to start just yet? Especially since Lydia is still so young and dependent on me? But then I can’t wait to see what he looks like and hold his tiny, brand-new body. I want the next three weeks to go quickly, but I want to savor the time I have left for it to be just Lydia and me—just the two of us. So, you see what I mean?

Here I am just a few weeks ago at 35 weeks pregnant:



Here is me the week I delivered Lydia--that's 40 weeks for those of you who need that little help:


Althought the angle isn't quite the same, no one can say that I’m not bigger with this baby. My doctor has the measurements to prove it!

So while I wait for this baby and try to live until then without wishing away my time, here are a few best and worst of pregnancies in my opinion:

Best things about being pregnant:
1. You don’t have to fast!
2. No periods
3. You can quit worrying about your waistline. So you look fat, at least you can blame it on being pregnant!
4. You can sweetly ask your husband to do stuff you normally do like clean the bathtub!
5. You are TOTALLY justified in taking a nap everyday!
6. Feeling the baby move, seeing ultrasounds and hearing the heartbeat. You realize you really are creating life!

Worst things about being pregnant:
1. Morning sickness (luckily that goes away).
2. Trying to roll over in bed at night because it requires an 80-point turn and must be done every 30 minutes to relieve sore sides!
3. Back aches, leg cramps, round ligament pain that feels like someone just stabbed you, etc.
4. Immobility in general. Try getting off the floor, out of bed, out of a low car, out of a low chair, through a tight space, etc. It ain’t the same (and yes, I just used the word "ain't")!
5. The absolute exhaustion! It’s not the “Oh, I’m tired” that most people speak of on a daily basis; it is the woofy I-feel-like-I’ve-been-hit-by-a-train kinda tired that never seems to go away not matter how good you sleep or how long you nap.
6. When feeling the baby move turns into getting the junk kicked out of you from the inside!
7. The lack-luster wardrobe. Especially when the maternity clothes you wore with your first pregnancy don't quite cover your belly by the end of the second.

I’m sure I could go on, but I’ll stop there. Hopefully we’ll have a post a beautiful baby boy no longer than three weeks away!

Teton Wilderness

Just some pics from Chad's trip to the Tetons.

Camping for the 4th

We went to the Uintahs for the 4th. My parents own a lot in the Manor Lands which is all private land. They haul their RV up and we tag along. I must say that I appreciate a familiar bathroom when getting up twice a night to go. Anyway, my mom had this little lawn chair and Lydia LOVED it. She saw my dad sitting in his chair with a box of crackers and a diet coke by his side and decided to follow suit--though of course her drink of choice is whole milk.


For some reason, when I get the camera out, Lydia thinks she needs to squat in order to pose for me. I was trying to get a picture of her in the chair where she was comfortably sitting when I got out the camera. But upon seeing the camera herself, she got down and "posed." I have many pictures of her in this position.

Our first 4-wheeler ride!! I've been riding 4-wheelers since I was little. It is kind of a family tradition for the Carrigans. Well, we've got Lydia starting even younger than I did! She liked it for the most part, as long as we weren't gone too long. It was really cold so that might have factored in. Isn't her little helmet cute?

I had fun totally chillin' for the weekend. I let Chad and my family take the child-watching reigns so I could relax. My only complaint was that our air mattress died and I ended up sleeping on the ground seven months pregnant with aching ribs and all. I must have complained more than I thought because Chad has seriously doubted my ability to go camping again this summer.

Black Hills

So I know our trip to the Black Hills was six weeks ago, but here are some of the pictures. Behind Lydia above is Sylvan Lake. We had fun walking around it. In the summer you can swim in it and of course fish too.

Mount Rushmore


Crazy Horse Monument. This was actually one of my favorite stops. Maybe because of all the turquoise jewelry. They also have a really cool Indian museum there.

This is my absolute favorite picture of the trip.

We attempted to go rock climbing, but the weather was so cold and we didn't quite know where to go. We ended up finding a small wall and our friends and Chad went up once each. Lydia and Claire were so cold and miserable though so we had to make it a short trip.

In other news, things are going well. Chad's work is great. We're getting better acquainted with our ward. The weather has been really mild for this time of year which I'm grateful for since I'm packing around a very round belly.

And I've realized that I haven't officially announced on our blog that our baby is a boy. All the friends I've seen have had to ask. We're excited to have one of each.

We just went camping over the fourth so maybe I'll get those pictures up before a month passes, but anyone taking bets?