December & Christmas 2017

December was a month I was both looking forward to and dreading for the past 6 months. I've been so excited to celebrate Tatum's first Christmas, and also so sad that she's already 10 months old.

I'm getting ahead of myself though. Towards the beginning of the month, we had my grandma's 90th birthday party. It was the major source of a lot of stress and frustration for me for many months, but not as much as the last month leading up to it. I had done a lot of planning over the previous 6 months, most of which was changed at the semi-last minute. My dad and stepmom were coming in to town secretly, and I had invited two of my grandma's best friends (one of over 60 years), one of which was able to make it. On the actual day of, the party went smoothly and it was worth every second of frustration and secret pillow screaming to see how happy my grandma was on the day of. I think it was mostly due to her friend, Betty's, secret arrival at the restaurant. I can't remember Gramma ever looking as happy as she did sitting and chatting with Betty. My uncle's recommendation of Alfano's Restaurant in Clearwater was phenomenal and I would highly recommend it. It was so fun spending the remainder of the weekend with my dad and stepmom after we decorated Gramma's Christmas tree on Saturday, and Betty even met us out for breakfast that morning before the tree shindig. We exchanged Christmas presents with my parents and Gramma. Brian and I were spoiled with the new Series 3 Apple Watches and Tatum got many presents, her favorites being a mini leather armchair with its own footstool, a V-Tech cell phone, and a ball pit.

A little update on Tatum... She is officially walking! She started getting to the point of actually calling it walking about three weeks before she turned 10 months and had it down by 2 weeks before, but it's crazy to see how much better she's gotten since then. She hates shoes though, so it's kind of frustrating trying to let her walk when she won't keep them on! 

She loved everything about Christmas, except for Santa. I'll include her Santa pic in here.. Great story about that actually. The Santa we went to has been playing Santa for 42 years and was a pro. We got her pictures done before we left for Utah for the holiday and she started screaming the moment I sat her on his lap, so he got her binkie, told the photographer to give him a 3-count, and pulled it out as she snapped the picture. You'll see the result, it's awesome. 

We got super lucky and got on the new non-stop flights from Tampa to Salt Lake on Delta. As soon as we heard it was happening, we got the Delta AmEx card and used our air miles to pay for the trip. Before we flew out, we opened presents together at home on the 22nd, and I was FINALLY able to give Brian his big Christmas present: A PADDLEBOARD! My mom and stepdad and Brian's parents pitched in and we got a $750 paddleboard for about $220. Best. Deal. Ever. I've been hiding it for months and with the help of my uncle going to get it for me, we successfully hid it for 2 1/2 months without Brian ever suspecting anything. Luckily we have 12 ft. vaulted ceilings in our apartment to store it. Of course, we brought back the cold weather from Utah so as soon as our 75 degree days return, we'll be taking it out! We talked to my mom and stepdad on the phone that night and exchanged presents with them at the same time. It's sad being away at Christmas but I know we'll see them all soon for Tatum's birthday in February! Also, Brian and my's big present for Tatum was an interactive rocking horse that has buttons that light up and it sings songs and makes noises. We let her pick it out in store and I still think it's her absolute favorite present. She won't leave it alone when she's in the same room with it!

Once in Utah, we were going going going. We landed, picked up our rental car, and immediately dropped Tatum off and headed to the movies to see Jumanji with Kevin, Amanda, Braxton, Corbin, and Dylan. After the movie, we ran and grabbed Tatum and headed out to grab ice cream with Brian's friend Glen and his new girlfriend that we finally got to meet! That night we had the annual Baldwin Family Christmas Party and it was so fun to catch up with everyone.

Christmas Eve was spent church hopping. We really miss our old ward in Clinton and had to go back to see everyone! It was so nice, but since we only had Sacrament meeting since it was Christmas Eve, we went to church with Brian's parents also. We got to see some family that evening and it was great.

Christmas Day was a blast, a nuthouse, and exhausting. The kids woke us up at 5:30 AM (and that was after Amanda threatened their lives for an hour beforehand) and we opened presents, followed by a big breakfast with both sets of grandparents on Brian's side. We relaxed most of the day, played in the snow (Tatum's first time!!), and then went to see the Ogden Christmas Village that night as a family. We were so happy to wake up to a white Christmas! After we got the kids to bed, Brian and I went with Kevin, Amanda, and Braxton to see the new Star Wars movie. I'll admit I fell asleep every 5 minutes but still don't feel like I missed anything. Every time I woke up, I could still follow the plot line without all the added mumbo jumbo. This is the second Star Wars movie I've slept through... whoops.

Tatum really got into the spirit of unwrapping presents, and more than once I had to drag her out from under the tree so she wouldn't unwrap gifts that weren't her own. She loved Christmas lights and we saw tons, from Largo Park here in Florida, to all over in Utah. She loves to dance and will do so to any song that comes on around her, even commercials on TV. She's crazy fast at crawling up the stairs so you have to keep an eye on her 24/7. At home we have gates at the top and bottom of the stairs, but in Utah, the upstairs flight was open and she would dart toward them anytime she got an opportunity. 

The next day, I woke up with an awful head cold and we were supposed to visit my cousin and her new baby. Given the new baby, I didn't want to take chances on getting them sick, so we missed them, but we still got to see one of Brian's old mission companions and grab some Smash Burger. That afternoon we got family pictures taken by my super talented friend Aneisa of Calder Photography (I'll post those in a separate post). Randy and Sabra met us at the studio when we were done and Brian and Randy went snowboarding at Brighton while Sabra, Tatum, Zoey, and I walked around Temple Square, grabbed some dinner at Kneaders, and headed home to hang out.

The one thing we meant to do so many times and never got around to was going to the temple. Wednesday we had planned on it, but so much happened that we just didn't get to it. I stopped by my old work, Get Away Today, to see some of my favorite people and bring lunch to my work bestie who I missed so much. That night I had a dinner date with my name twin Jessica in SLC (we went to Zao Asian Cafe and it was amazing), and then we got to see some of Brian's best friends from high school and hang out with his good friend, George. Tatum loves her "Uncle George" and his guitar.

Our last day was Thursday and we spent it returning our rental car, packing, and going to Aroy D in Ogden for the best thai food ever. We missed it so much we couldn't resist making a stop there! I think I just ate my way through Utah this trip back, although there's not as many places that I miss there as there were places I missed here when we lived in Utah, so I guess I'm winning where I'm at.

Tatum was a total champ on the LONG flights both ways, and Delta airlines TOTALLY hooked us up by moving people's seats so that we had an empty seat beside us (aka the whole aisle) both directions! It was nice because we had more space and a seat to lay Tatum on while she napped. Plus the TVs on the back of the seats are 100% the way to travel with kids! They had Frozen and Despicable Me 3 for free, so that was nice.

That pretty much sums up our month, and I'm so happy to be updating this while I still remember everything. Mom brain is definitely worse than preggo brain. I hope you all had a fantastic holiday with loved ones! 

XoXo, The Baldwins

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Kissing 2016 Goodbye

As I sit here in my pajamas watching Brian play on his new Xbox One, I'm thinking about how awesome 2016 was. So many people have had negative experiences this year, and while not every day was a walk in the park for us, we've had it pretty darn easy and we've been blessed in so many ways. Last night we rang in the New Year at our house with great friends, great food, and hilarious games. Brian and I woke up early this morning, went to church (hallelujah we have 9 am church this year), got to attend the farewell of one of my young women before she heads to the Florida Tallahassee Mission, took a nap, and now I'm writing this. It's been a pleasant and relaxing day, and what I hope to be a sign that 2017 will be the same way. I feel guilty that I don't always wake up thinking about all the ways I have been blessed. I would like to say I would make it a New Years Resolution but no one ever keeps those, so I think I will skip that plan and just try to be more grateful for what I have.

Quick recap on December... For months and months, my stepmom and I had a plan for me to fly back to Maryland to surprise my dad for his birthday. It was a special one (but I'll forgo giving away his age here) and I bought my plane tickets back in August. We successfully pulled it off and my dad had no suspicions! I flew home December 1 and got to stay through the weekend before heading home Sunday. Mary picked me up at the airport, we did some shopping, and then she dropped me off at the restaurant and I hid at the bar until they were seated and I made my appearance. Not only did I have some time to finish last minute Christmas shopping and not have to lug it all with me at Christmas, but I also got to spend a day with my mom. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones or maybe it's me getting older and finally starting to appreciate my parents a fraction of the amount they deserve, but this trip and Christmas time I was a wreck leaving the east coast. It's never bothered me this much before being so far from family, but maybe that's what it took for me to finally appreciate how blessed I am to have the wonderful parents and family I have. They are such a wonderful support system to Brian and I and I don't know where we would be without them!

Anyway, off topic. The next weekend we had our ward Christmas breakfast and I had the opportunity to go through the Ogden temple with one of my young women (mentioned previously, and our 2nd counselor in YW with me's daughter) before she heads off on her mission. I'm grateful to all the friends we've made over the last year in our ward, especially my fellow young women leaders. They are such a support and inspiration to me and they teach me so much. It was a great time to go through the temple and focus on Jesus' life during this holiday season.

On the 14th we had our last baby appointment. Baby girl is measuring where she should be, she constantly kicks and wiggles, and she likes to play chicken (as I call it, if she knows someone's hand is on my belly, she immediately stops moving). This week I was having spontaneous fevers again and the doctor had me monitoring it closely. They ran scans and tests and everything came back normal, so we're not sure what was happening. I'm trying not to be a paranoid first time mom and overall I've been blessed with a super mild pregnancy and not many issues. Ever since I've been feeling fine, but I have my next appointment this week so it'll be nice to have a follow up and make sure everything is still good!

The Saturday before Christmas Eve we had the annual Baldwin family Christmas party, and they decided to have it at the Syracuse Rush Aquatic Center again. No swimming for me this year, we didn't need the children calling out the beached whale! But it was nice to see everyone and celebrate the season nonetheless.

The week before Christmas was SUPER busy and somehow I managed not to lose it or forget to do anything important. Brian's big surprise this year came from his amazing friends. 4 of them wanted to team up with me and pitch in to get him an Xbox One. He's literally been bugging me to get one since before we got married (he tried putting it on our wedding registry...). So on Monday the 19th, I planned a big enchilada dinner and had all his friends randomly show up and surprise him. I don't think I've ever seen him so excited and it was nice he had a few days to play before we left on our trip!

Tuesday I had mutual for young women's and Wednesday Brian had ward mission visits, but Thursday we got to celebrate Christmas with a Kirk and Lindy. We went out to dinner and then exchanged presents at our house! We flew out on Friday afternoon back to the east coast and had a smooth flight. We even arrived half an hour early! Spending Christmas at home was so great and my grandma from Florida came into town at my dad's for the week so we got to see them and lots of family! After half the Christmas day in Maryland we packed up and headed to my mom and stepdad's in West Virginia. We were there until the 28th and flew back to Utah on the 29th. While in WV, my mom threw me a baby shower with friends and family from back home and it was amazing! Baby B is beyond spoiled and between the shower and Christmas, we came home with twice as many bags and suitcases as we left with. (*Side note: thank gosh we flew Southwest or our baggage alone would have cost us $200).

Baby Updates:

That Christmas trip marked our last trip pre-baby! The day after we got home marked 33 weeks and baby has grown to the size of a honeydew melon (Brian's favorite). She kicks and wiggles all the time and I can tell she's running out of room because my stomach is constantly moving now and you can see it 24/7 through my clothes. She's most active when I lay down flat at night, but luckily I haven't had too much trouble sleeping yet. People have started asking more and more when I'm due.. You know when a random person at the grocery store has the courage to ask I must look like I'm getting close to popping. My feet are always swollen now and I feel like I rotate between 3 pairs of shoes... All my cute winter boots are mocking me from my closet because I can't fit them on my feet. My back hurts constantly now, so much so that I think I've stopped noticing it because it's just the norm.

When we got home from our trip and I started organizing, I realized just how many things I don't have done. I've kept telling myself I had so much time and I made some excuses based on the fact I knew we would be having another baby shower at Christmas, but now I have no excuses and I've basically spent the last 3 days in the nursery. I would say the nesting phase is finally hitting but anyone who knows me knows it's just the planner in me coming out. Brian has been such a good sport about it though. He spent two hours in Target with me yesterday letting me be indecisive, is always ready to hang or change anything, and is always upbeat, happy, and excited. He's going to be such a great dad!

Because I'm the OCD person that I am, I'm not posting any nursery pictures until it's done, but I will include some of the Christmas and baby shower photos I have! When I get more of the decorations and all the cute stuff my mom made, I'll have to try and remember to add those too!

One last note: because I love the idea of goals and projects with every new year, I did set a goal to be better financially in 2017. Even with Brian in school, with as hard as he works we make a pretty great living for ourselves as young as we are. But there's always room to be better. Brian is a much more frugal and money conscientious person than I am, and it's no secret I'm the big spender in the family. With the baby coming this year and all the other big life plans we have, I've been doing a lot of reading (and Pinteresting) about budgeting. We came across an app called GoodBudget which allows you to have one username that everyone can sign into, you create your envelopes with a certain amount of money for each category, and you just add your spending to it every time you make a purchase. It is by far the easiest, most user-friendly, and detailed app I've come across. It's already helped us to see where all our money is going and adjust our spending (we spend way more in groceries and gas than I thought). If anyone is interested in managing your money better, I highly recommend this app!

I know the next month and a half is going to fly by and baby will be here and we are so excited!! 2017 is going to be the best one yet for sure. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year with family and friends!

*Future best friends*

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Hold Up, We're in the Third Trimester!?!

Whoever said the last few months of pregnancy takes forever clearly did not enter their third trimester the week of Thanksgiving! Life is crazy busy right now and I can only imagine time will keep flying this quickly for the next month until the new year. Let's hope January goes swiftly too because we cannot wait to meet our little girl!

To back track to where the last post left off, the weekend I got home from my work trip was our one year wedding anniversary! We celebrated the night before it since our anniversary fell on a Sunday and went to Ruth's Chris Steak House in Salt Lake City for dinner. Best filet mignon I've ever had or probably will ever have in the future! Coupled with their creme brulee for dessert and I was a very happy camper. Brian had asked if I wanted to go away for the weekend to Park City or somewhere semi-close, but I told him I thought after being away from home for 9 days for my work trip that I would want to be at home and I am SO glad I decided that before I went because I couldn't wait to relax and sleep in our own bed. There truly is no place like home!

On Monday, November 14th (the first week day post-overindulgent food trip), I had my glucose test and next check up. Don't ask me why but I somehow got myself so psyched up over this test, I was totally geeking out over it. I was afraid I would throw it up or not get to the appointment in time or something would somehow go wrong and I would have to take the 3 hour test. But to all my pregnant friends coming up on this: IT'S NOT EVEN BAD AT ALL. The drink you have to consume in 5 minutes flat tastes like a slightly sweeter version of those gross plastic barrel juice boxes we all drank as kids, and I did it in 2 minutes flat. Luckily they called me the very next day and despite my over eating and high sugar consumption for the previous week and a half, I still passed the test and the only bad news was that I'm slightly anemic and they want me to take iron pills. Lucky me!

The following weekend I had to work Saturday and then Brian and I went out Christmas shopping and got so much done! I was so happy and it's a good thing I was feeling accomplished because the entire following week I got hit with the worst head cold I can ever remember having. Maybe it's just because I'm pregnant so my immune system already hates me or maybe it's because you literally can't take ANYTHING for the stuffiness, sinus headaches, or sore throat except like Mucinex and Tylenol which doesn't help at all. (Don't get sick, preggo friends. You'll hate your life).

But it was Thanksgiving week which means lots of business, family functions, and craziness. We spent this Thanksgiving in Utah since we'll be headed home to the east coast for Christmas but it worked out well because Kevin & Amanda and the kids came up and we got to spend lots of time with them which was awesome. We celebrated Dylan, Jaxton, and Sophie's birthdays all at Chuck-E-Cheese on Wednesday, had the huge Baldwin family Thanksgiving shin-dig on Thursday, and Amanda and Lindy threw me a family baby shower on Saturday morning. Baby girl got lots of fun stuff and we are so blessed for all the family and friends who came out to support us! I have to post pictures of the shower too because Lindy and Amanda decorated so dang cute, it was basically like you stepped into a Pinterest board.

Friday marked 28 weeks with baby girl! I cannot believe we're entering the third trimester! She's grown so much over the last 4 weeks (25- rutabaga,26-eggplant 27- cucumber, 28-head of cauliflower.... These vegetable sequences don't make any sense) and is a moving, grooving fool! She loves the sound of her daddy's voice, especially when he sings to her. We're now only 28 days from Christmas and I cannot wait to go home for the holidays and for the snow!! I'm really loving winter clothes and weather since I'm this pregnant. It's so much more comfortable than summer was! I think that's all for now, but I'll try to be more prompt with the blog since I'm sure I'll fall behind again when baby girl gets here! We are so excited and so blessed to be surrounded by such loving family and friends!!

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