Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Gage's baseball team - the White Sox - have been AWESOME this year! His team has had 8 wins and only 1 loss the whole season. That ranked them for first place overall in their division, tying them with another team who only had one loss as well. The two teams matched up against eachother for their final game of the season, and unfortunately, the White Sox ended up in second place after adding another loss against the Cardinals (losing 4-3) at the last second of the game when there was an error made by our team tagging the final runner sliding for dear life into home. Seriously, the last second of the last inning. So frustrating! The boys were pretty bummed about it afterwards. It was actually kind of precious seeing their pouty faces.

Coach Huggins had to boost their confidence up again by announcing they have made it to the play-offs! Winner, winner, chicken dinner! The boys will start their tournament schedule next month, and I think they have a pretty darn good shot at being amazing since they came in second in the division...a score that could have easily been a first place. It will be fun to see how they do and see if that excited, anxious feeling of actually competing for a championship sets in among the boys. Ooh, how I miss that!

Go White Sox! 

 

...and in other news, we are off to sweet San Diego next week for Sea World and San Diego Zoo!!!! I am squealing like a little girl.

Anniversary

Happy wedded bliss to us! 

Celebrating two years of wonderfulness as Mrs. Jones with this stud muffin.

- xoxo -

Preggo-ness

Let’s start out with my 22-week update from the other day by my beloved PregnantChicken because it is absolutely hilarious. Unfortunately, I won’t post all of it because it then gets into pregnant bodily functions that not everyone needs to know except for myself…

WEEK 22

Guess who’s about the size of a Barbie doll? Hint: it isn’t you. Yep, your baby is about the length of a Barbie but it weighs about a pound and doesn’t have big tits and unachievable body proportions. Although, your baby does have real eyebrows and eyelashes now, which is more than we can say for Barbie – suck on that, doll.

Hahaha!! Do you see why these updates bring me joy? Now then, I thought I’d do a post on my preggo-ness so far since I really haven’t given any details on how I’m doing, especially since  the #1 question asked by people is the infamous ‘how are you feeling?’ I think I’ll break this down into my trimesters so far:

First Trimester

• Extremely tired all the time! I would get home from work at 5:30 and pretty much go to bed by 8:30. What a toddler! I would be exhausted at the end of the day and even considered leaving work early several times just to go home and sleep.
• On top of being sleepy, I was not having very restful sleeps. This was due to bathroom trips in the middle of the night and just not feeling comfortable.
• Not much of an appetite. I thought this was a gift from the Gods! I had only heard about preggo moms who chow down an elephant but for me, I could barely finish a dang quesadilla! I looked at this as a great way to not gain a hefty 50 lbs.
• Super bad back pain. It was so harsh in January that I even booked myself a massage appointment (before knowing I was preggers) which did nothing for me. For weeks, I felt like I literally had been moving heavy objects all day and had a knot the size of a softball below my shoulder blade.
• Morning sickness a bit in the morning and more so at night. I would be gaggy on a daily basis.
• Looked chunky, not pregnant.
• Headaches seemed to be somewhat frequent. Thank goodness Tylenol is allowed.
• Hello, oily skin. This is not a pleasant thing for me since I am someone who’s never had oily skin or breakouts…even as a teen I wasn’t one of those girls who needed to wash their face every night because my skin didn’t need it, and if anything, would actually dry my face out. But now I can tell there is a slight increase in oils, and I have face wipes for night. They are refreshing.
• Hair and finger nails grow more quickly. 

Second Trimester

• Not nearly as tired. I have now gone back to my night-owl routine of crawling in bed around 11:30…maybe later if I need to finish my exciting Lifetime movie.
• Sleeping more restfully now except for the occasional leg cramps that pop up out of nowhere when I’m innocently stretching my legs out. Freakin’ painful charlie horse!
• Feeling more aches and pains. Every so often I’ll get a stretching pain around my hips/abdomen…I guess it’s a normal thing due to ligaments just stretching out and adjusting. On top of that, I’ve had a sore tailbone and even some pelvic pressure already that is so uncomfortable. I’ve had to bring a mini pillow to work to sit on for extra bum cushioning…no, not the inflatable donut.
• Feet are chunky! I am pretty sure I can say I have cankles. I look down and say “Those are NOT my feet!” They are poofy little marshmallows already, making most of my sandals unwearable because they’re too small or tight. It bothers me to wear boring, unattractive flip-flops but good heavens, they are gems! Also, I’ll be investing in pedicures now. I can’t smush up my legs to my body to paint my toesies anymore.
• Alas, my appetite kicked in. This is bad because now I want 3 dinners…and snacks…and those fruit popsicles I bought are probably the yummiest thing ever. Cuss.
• Stretchy maternity pants are the greatest invention ever! I don’t want to go back to buttons or zippers again.
• Hardly gaggy at all. But, it seems I’ve traded that in for some heartburn. Joy. I’m now on the Tums bandwagon.
• Started feeling baby kicking around week 19. It’s the oddest popcorn, bubbly feeling. I’ve only felt it with my hand on the outside a couple of times, but inside there is a party going on. Jake and I have also done the stethoscope experiment to see if we could hear anything, and we’re both convinced we could hear him moving around, I’m sure mixed with normal stomach juice sounds. No heartbeat though.
• No stretch marks on my belly at all, yet!...thighs are a different story. Eff. Thank you, genetics.
• Congestion has been common, especially when lying down and I realize I can’t breathe out of my nose. Additionally, I’ve occasionally had nosebleeds which are also common during pregnancy.

Overall, pregnancy has been such a unique experience. I had no idea there are so many changes your body goes through. If you think it’s just a big belly, melons for boobs, and puffy feet then you are in for a treat! In reality there are so many other things happening that make it a full body experience. Who knew! As the weekly update said, I am definitely not Barbie during all of this and don’t know who in their right mind says they enjoy pregnancy…oh, maybe those skinny moms from the maternity clothes magazine that have no butt or hips and look as if life is the greatest thing ever with their long, lean legs and high heels. Phh, (insert profanity). Anyway, I can’t believe I’m already half through my pregnancy and have been in total nesting mode with buying baby clothes, books, registering for items already, and scouting out the perfect crib and bedding…the fun stuff! That’s the part that gets me excited and keeps me focused on the positive things instead of the fact that I soon won’t be able to see my feet when I look down.

Happy Grad

 

I’m trying to get caught up here on my updates…last week was a busy week! Besides finding out the gender of our little pea in the pod, Jake graduated from nursing school last Tuesday from Utah Valley University! I am SO proud of my hubster. This school stuff has been a work in progress for years now, and for him to finally graduate with all the bumps in the road along the way is a big accomplishment.

Jake had earned his Associate’s Degree back in 2006 and unfortunately had to put advancing further in school on hold for awhile. Being a single, full-time working dad at the time didn’t leave much extra time or money for school, until lil’ ol’ me came along in 2008 to spot him tuition fees and encourage him to go back. Jake had planned to originally go into a medical engineering field (whatever the heck that is) but then decided nursing school would suit him best. He had to take a couple of years of hard prerequisites in order to apply for nursing school and was finally accepted into the program in 2011 among 40 other students out of more than 200 applicants. Just being accepted into nursing school was an accomplishment itself! 

The nursing grads reciting the Nightingale Pledge

The nursing program has been a 2-year program with the option to continue an additional year for a bachelor’s completion. Jake has now graduated with his ASN, giving him the earned title of an RN…or at least once he takes the big NCLEX test at the end of the month to be licensed in the state of Utah. For the nursing graduation ceremony, the nursing graduates have a special pinning ceremony separate from the normal commencement program that the University holds on a different day where the typical cap and gown stuff goes on. For the pinning ceremony, the graduates are presented with a special nursing pin that is given to them by another nursing mentor whom the graduate has asked to participate. It is a special occasion for both the graduate and the pinning presenter. 

Picture of the nursing pin the grads receive

The ceremony took place in the Grande Ballroom at UVU for the 36 graduates and their families. (Notice 36 grads instead of the 40 that started out…lost a few along the way!) The beginning of the program started out with the lights turned off and all the graduates walking in holding a lit oil lamp called the Nightingale lamp, named after Florence Nightingale, the founder of nursing care. The lamp is a symbol of the care and devotion the nurses administer to the sick and injured in the practice of nursing. Later, the graduates then recited the Nightingale Pledge vowing to practice their calling morally and devote themselves to the caring of others. Nursing instructors then spoke to the graduates as well as the Dean of nursing and two of the graduates from the class. Funny student awards were given out and then it was time for the pinning presentation where the graduates would walk up one at a time to be presented. For Jake’s pinning, he chose the Dean to present his who gave him a big hug on stage. I might have gotten a little emotional throughout the graduation.  When it all wrapped up, there was punch and cookies afterwards, which I would’ve eaten ten of but we had plans to eat at PF Changs. Mmm! 

Yay! He did it!

One other thing to add about Jake’s graduation is that he designed their programs for the ceremony this year. All of the guests received a simple folded program outlining the speakers and order of events while the graduates each received a program booklet listing the same events along with a photo of the graduate and a short biography. I think it turned out great and will be a neat keepsake for all the graduates. Since I thought Jake’s biography he submitted was a winner, I’ll share it below:

JAKE JONES

As the youngest and most adorable of three brothers, I grew up in Keizer, Oregon and moved to Utah in search of greener pastures (or snow) shortly after high school. When I’m not slaving away doing homework or wiping butts at Intermountain Medical Center, I enjoy manly things such as watching sports, playing sports, dreaming of sports, and eating tacos. When I’m not doing that, I enjoy spending time with my wife Jenny and son Gage, and look forward to meeting our new little one due in September. I’ve always wanted a career in the medical field because I really enjoy helping people and being able to make a difference in people’s lives…plus, my wife thinks I look hot in scrubs. My plan at this point is to continue working on the Medical/Oncology floor at IMC. Tomorrow, I’ll probably see if my boss is ok with that. Eventually, I’d like to get into the ED where I’m certain to bring home some good stories (without patient identifiers, of course). UVU’s nursing program has definitely been challenging and rewarding, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know my peers. To them I say, may your wildest dreams come true…and stay cool, have a great summer. To my instructors, thank you and remember there were a few that didn’t make it this far, so at least I wasn’t that bad. 

Happy Graduation, hunny! Way to go Class of 2013!