31 fabulous weeks!

That is right I am into the single digits of this pregnancy. Let the countdown begin.

I haven't ever written this down before and have regretted it. My Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) kicked in around 31 weeks this pregnancy. The itching isn't horrible quit yet, thank heavens. I am hoping with a the combinations of strict diet of no fats and sugars,  keeping my body (i.e. blood cool) and working out everyday I can keep my itching bearable. I also hope I don't break out in hives like I did with Lil' B. Now that was terrible because the hives lasted a few weeks after the pregnancy when the ICP leaves as soon as the baby is born.

The plan at this point is to drive to Utah to deliver this baby. I love my OBGYN. He knows me and my deliveries and it is so hard to trust anyone else. It is also easier to have the baby in Utah as we can get more help from family. Finally, our insurance works in Utah just as well as it does in California so why the heck not.

This baby couldn't have it's due date at a better time as the boys go on a two week school break starting March 14. The plan is to drive to Utah on the 14, visit my doctor on Monday, March 18, and hopefully the doctor decides to induce labor either the 19 or 20th. A girl can plan and dream how she wants her delivery to go, but we all know the baby comes when it is ready. I just hope this little one is on board with our plan. BTW the baby is due March 24 and we are waiting to find out the gender.

I am still riding my bike to the boys school at least twice a week and love the exercise. The bike riding isn't hard on my body at all. I am also doing some Zumba, weight lifting, and yoga during the week. I learned with Coaches pregnancy and delivery that exercising during pregnancy makes me feel awesome and the delivery goes so much more smoother.

Little B and his "car"

B got this very cool "car" from Glama Tuzie and Grandpa Jim. He absolutely loves his "car" he races around the house all day on it. When it is nap time or bed time and we have to go upstairs he begs us to bring it up with him. Best of all he can take his "car" outside and ride around with his brothers. The only thing missing is saddle bags that could carry all of B's favorite toys of the day. I might have to commission cousin Abi to come up with something that will work to carry a few toys in.

Long Beach Aquarium

Dad had a business trip in Long Beach last week and since the boys were not back in school yet we decided to tag along.

We spent one day exploring the Long Beach Aquarium which was really cool. Ash was excited that his family finally got to see the aquarium so he acted as tour guide. He went last year for his field trip.

The boys got to touch many different sea creatures including: sea anemone, jelly fish, star fish, sea cucumbers, stingrays, and the most exciting of all SHARKS! The older boys could have spent the day petting the sharks. Another fun thing they got to do was feed some beautiful birds of paradise. Ash and Coach loved holding the birds. Poor little B couldn't get a bird to land on him. The birds must know that little people can be dangerous.

Mom's favorites include: spending the day with her boys watching them explore and learn. I also loved the sea lions, seals, and sea otters. I did pet all the sea creatures, but I wasn't a big fan.

The next day dad finished work early and we headed out to Disneyland. It was a cold day so we virtually had the park to ourselves. Lol when I say to ourselves we only had 10 to 20 minute waits in line vs. 30 to 40 minute waits. I think it was one of the best days spent at Disneyland. Everyone got to ride the rides they wanted to.

 

Ash on his favorite ride California Screaming. Ash loves this ride so much he doesn't even mind that he has to ride it alone. He is such a big brave boy.

Poor Ash has to ride lots of rides alone as he is the only one who is 7 and can. Although sometimes this works to his advantage because we can shove him in the single rider line where the wait is very minimal.

 Ka-cho!

 Lil' B is finally big enough to ride the bumper cars. He was so excited!

Look who we ran into!

Rocking in the New Years Francis Style!

We had a fun time ringing in the New Years this year.

We did timed activities throughout the evening and the kids got a kick out them. Not to mention it was a great learning tool to help the boys with telling time.

Some of the fun activities include: New years interviews where we wrote down what made 2012 great for each of us and how we are going to make 2013 memorable. I have stored away these interviews until next year. For one of Ash's New years resolution he said he would try really hard to not talk in class (both school and church). My good little boy has stuck to this resolution so far. He comes home from school or church and reports how well he has done. I am so proud of him. 

Another activity was playing games we did both board games and video games. We had a blast. The favorite activity of the evening was eating smores by our camp fire (the ipad with a roaring camp fire), singing songs, and telling stories. We also set up the tent and the boys got spend the night in the tent. The evening ended with us ringing in the New Year with New York at 9:00 p.m. Living on the West Coast has it's advantages. The kids were in bed by 9:30 p.m. and Nate and I were in bed by 10:30 p.m. We are not the party animals we use to be.