*happy* Valentine's Day

We had a lovely valentine's together.

First as marrieds. Second as a couple. Last before baby comes!
We're celebrating this weekend, but I couldn't let the day go by without doing something.  It was just such a happy holiday this year.  I wanted to surprise Nelson with some kind of treat, so I made him one of his favorite foods: Milanesa! We also may have downed a dozen Cookies N' Cream cookies.  It is Valentine's Day, right?? We're supposed to indulge in sweet treats.  (the leftovers are haunting me in the kitchen now... somebody give me a distraction!) We also watched Star Wars Episode Four.  I forgot how great that movie was... and how awesome Han Solo is!  Nelson and I both were very amused. 

 38 weeks, very full belly, somewhat hidden by an apron

We don't have an actual dining room table so we eat on the floor or sit on our couch... all of it is getting quite difficult at this point.

xoxo, my love. 

Happy Valentine's Day 2012!

our little nest

So, they say that "nesting" is a sign of labor (don't read that link if you don't want to know some... stuff....)
Is this considered nesting??

I've been really wanting to decorate and color-ify our apartment.. I thought these would be cute little ways to make our place a little homier. 

 One of my Christmas gifts from "Stanta"

I've always wanted an Etsy print... but I've never been able to fork over the money.  So I thought I'd ask for this for one of my gifts!  Looks like I was a good girl 2011!

Then I went to Costco and printed some small free printables.  

(the first print is not crooked on the wall.. i promise)

This was my big project before baby came. 

Remember when I did some crafts? 

I wanted to some more and decorate. So I finally did!

I've been wanting to do this cork board map project since September, but I didn't have the motivation to do it.  About a week ago, I thought, "Let's do this thing!" so I spent a few hours working on this baby.  I'm still working on trying to make it look nicer.. so if you have any suggestions, let me know. 

I'm thinking about pinning some of the big cities we've been through... or doing a route through the U.S. of our road trip... but still undecided.  That's why it's a little plain.  But it looks a lot nicer/larger on the wall than the picture makes it seem. 

We're really crossing our fingers that baby boy comes this weekend.  It'd work very nicely into our schedules... so maybe send us your labor-inducing thoughts this way?  

Thanks.

 :)

6 more weeks of winter and....

a late baby. 

According to Punxsutawney Phil-- the official Groundhog's Day groundhog. Isn't he just a dapper looking fella?

Nelson and I said that if the groundhog saw his shadow, not only would it mean a longer winter (doesn't really matter though... it was around 60 degrees yesterday...), but it would mean that baby is coming late.  

And we all know that groundhogs are the source to go to when it comes to our weather and due dates. We will now plan accordingly. 

It's February...

I use to not like February:
1. I didn't really like all the Valentine's chocolates.  At least on Halloween you got a variety of candy... on Valentine's it was all chocolate.
2. I'll be honest: I never had a Valentine so of course it wasn't a holiday I was dying to celebrate.. boo. hoo.


But it's February now.  And I love February now.  Why:
1. I kind of love chocolate now.  mmm. 
2. I have a forever Valentine.  Oh hey, husband! :)
3. Our very first date was in February.
4. We have a holiday to celebrate our love and be lovey-dovey with each other- no shame!
5. And now we have a baby on the way!  (hopefully his birthday will actually be this month.  Come on, baby boy Pace!)

I have all these ideas in my head for the special two boys in my life.  Maybe it's the pregnancy brain working on a last-minute-planning-mode, but these things are just bam! bam! bam! coming.  (I'm also having weird dreams... like last night, I had a dream Yunnie had a skater kid boyfriend.... anything you want to tell me, sister??)

Not only do I have ideas-- but I have put some things into action!! Like...

Baby Gear!! 

Man, this shopping for this stuff is pretty fun-- no sarcasm.  I may have spent quite a bit of time in debating which stuff to get... but I feel it was totally worth it.  Seeing this stuff in our home (although it is starting to take up some space now) is so surreal and crazy.  Last night as we were falling asleep, I realized that this month (crossing my fingers) that we will become parents.  We will have an actual baby.  A baby.  Our baby.  Our very own baby.  A baby that we will think is the cutest, most precious baby in the whole world, regardless of what others may think. :) Then one year will pass... then another... and another.. then we'll be parents to more babies.  There's no turning back now!! It was a little overwhelming at first..... but then I heard my husband snore a little bit.  And suddenly, I was at peace.  Knowing that I'd be together with him through all these changes-- it was the best feeling in the world.

Alright: now back to baby gear!  We got a bunch of the essentials this past month.  We got ourselves our car seat, stroller, clothes, diapers....

I was doing laundry the other day and I thought I would throw in some baby stuff.  After I folded ours, I started folding baby's stuff... and gah! this just melted my heart.  They look kind of big in this picture, but they're so tiny and cute in-person!  

Last, but not least, we got a crib!!! It came and we set it up yesterday (with THE worst directions of all time) and had so much fun.  It's a little mini crib on wheels, and we have it set up to the side of our bed right now... I love seeing it every time I walk into our room.  I love thinking there will be a little person there in a few weeks... It's all becoming so real.  We love it. 

February is starting off fabulously.

grateful for....

This weekend was a really great pre-Thanksgiving experience.  Nelson and I got to do some service Saturday and spend all day with each other.  It took a lot longer than expected, but it was so worth it.  With one of my favorite holidays coming up, it was really great to focus on our blessings. So many of our blessings.

Being a young married couple with neither of us currently working, we try to be frugal.  It helps me though to be thankful for the means we do have to provide for ourselves.  for the family that has helped us on our way.  for the friends who graciously helped us on our way when we were married by giving us so many gifts-- both tangible and intangible.  we have this wonderful, safe, warm and cozy apartment that shelters us night and day. this fun and crazy city that brings adventure and frustration at times too. :) 

A lot of our blessings also come from the Church.  These blessings are oftentimes ones I sometimes overlook.  When we went to dinner with the Elders Quorum Presidency a few weeks ago, someone had made the comment that moving to somewhere you don't know isn't a big deal when you're a member of our Church-- your ward is your support!  our ward definitely has been a great support for us.  There are so many young couples like us that's it's been easy to connect with others.  it also helps that there are a bunch of us who are due around the same time. :)  Camaraderie.  

We went to the temple on Friday.  Our beautiful Boston temple.  We were blessed with not-so-bad traffic there and back. I'm so grateful that we have a temple nearby and that we don't have to travel for hours to go.  I remember when Nelson and I were discussing possible places to move to, and he brought up how distance to the temple was an important factor.  I didn't even think about it!  So glad to have that guy around... 

One of Nelson's friends became engaged last week and we got to talk to him on Sunday.  It was sooo evident they were smitten with each other, and it brought back some memories of our courtship and that magical night we became engaged... when we realized that forever together was in  our future.  I'm grateful for marriage. for a temple marriage. to be sealed for time and all eternity. 

This weekend though, I'm especially grateful for... my best friend.  My sweet, smart, hilarious, and wickedly charming husband.  or my "Handsome" according to the Bubs-- and boy, he sure is handsome.  Sometimes I just stare at him for a moment and can't believe I'm actually married to such an amazing man.  Last week was so hectic because of Nelson's school schedule/homework/tests/calling/my schedule/etc. and we were getting really little sleep... but he was still so willing to spend time with me.  and I welcomed it of course. He never fails to remember little ol' me. He's always willing to help me and give me words of encouragement.  he's my partner in everything, always holding my hand in whatever we do.  Ask any of our family or friends, we'll be in our own world and whisper and giggle and forget we're with a bunch of people [oops! sorry!].  

And last, but definitely not least, I'm grateful for this baby that is getting ready to join us soon.  I'm grateful for his kicks and punches [even if they hurt... a lot... sometimes].  I'm grateful that I get to see him move every once in a while.  I'm grateful that Nelson gets to feel him move and see him oh so excited when he does.  I love hearing my husband talk about our baby... hear him talk to him.  I hope this little angel of a baby knows how much we love him.  How much he is already loved by us, his grandparents, his aunts and uncles.... it's amazing what this baby has done for us/to us.  I remember the day when I came home from work and I felt so strongly that we should start a family.  I'm so grateful that we were blessed this way.  beginning our journey of growing our family.  it's been one of the most amazing experiences for us as a married couple, as best friends, to share together.  This time in our lives where our family is just us two is growing closer to an end, but we're excited!! I know that Nelson won't forget time for us though.  He's convinced me already that he doesn't forget about me, about us.  

Life is so wonderful right now.  Hoping yours is too!! 

our "front yard" + pregnancy update

On Tuesday, I went to go eat lunch with Nelson, and I stumbled upon this gorgeous view.  This is right outside our apartment building.  Isn't it beautiful??

It turned fall within 24 hours last week. 

one day the trees were green... the next, the leaves had all changed. 

there is a reason people say fall here is stunning.  everywhere you look, BAM-- colors in your face. 

the weather has been strangely warm... like, light cardigan and flip-flops warm. last week, it was freezing.  

what's goin on, Boston? 

On another note... 

I promise I'm pregnant.  I was about 23 weeks along in those recent pictures of Salem that I posted... but you can't really see the whole belly business.  I hide it very well actually.  There are some secrets that I don't sartorially make public.  Such as, that coat I was wearing in Salem... doesn't zip up anymore because of baby!  ha!  And the Bellaband, oh you sweet, sweet blessing.  I've had a hard time justifying buying a bunch of maternity clothes, and this precious piece of fabric has made life soooo much easier.  And it's comfortable. hazaa! [I don't know how in the world people wear high heels when they're out-and-about in the city AND pregnant. blows my mind. but i applaud them. way to go, mamas!]  The doc says that I'm showing a very appropriate amount for my pre-prego size so that makes me happy and content.  I also told him how much I had been craving sugar [cookies, cakes, ice cream, chocolate... you name it, i want it] and he said because of how small I was, it wouldn't be too bad to indulge in those cravings-- but don't go overboard! YEAAAAH! Clearance to eat that chocolate cake I've been eyeing at the grocery store!! But, I've taken it down a notch... I use to have dreams (seriously, dreams) about chocolate and cookies... Nelson said that I was sleep talking about making batches of cookies.  It was pretty bad.  I think this little baby boy has taken after his daddy because I never really had a bad sweet tooth before.... but the change has not been bad. not bad at all... 

Anyway, that's all.  We're doing very well.  Keep crossing your fingers for me so that it stays warm like this.  It's really hard to find a place that sells maternity coats, especially in this city.  I'm just waiting for the last second and I'll have to order a coat online or something.  Oh, the suburbs... I miss your ease of access to things. 

first came love....

then came marriage..... 

.....

......

.........

.............

Then comes baby in a baby carriage. 

We are thrilled to officially announce this happy, happy news.

And more news... 

or..... 

It's a...... 

courtesy of gickr

Thanks to my sister-in-law with the idea of  using a blue cake [the lighting doesn't make it very blue..] to announce our news!

Thanks, Polly!