You're not in Utah anymore...

it's so fun to compare houston to provo/orem. after growing up in houston, then living in utah for six years, then moving back to houston, i notice things here that i didn't notice before.

-there are so many colors here! seriously, provo has latinos and super white peeps like me. there are so many ethnicities here and i love it.

-country music is played everywhere. you know you're in texas.

-such. good. food. kirk loves bbq (there is plenty of that here) and i love mexican. i feel like i've died and gone to heaven. AND i can enjoy the food because a) i'm pregnant and hungry all the time and b) my mother-in-law loves to eat out. yesssss.

-drivers here are sooo aggressive. but they're good drivers. so even if the guy cuts you off, he does it with speed and precision and he knows what he's doing. in utah, people just seem to be a little more out of it on the road...

-there is a serious lack of pregnant women. the most pregnant women i've seen here have been at the obyn's office and at the WIC office. makes sense that you would see preggo women there. i get at least one "when are you due?" question here per day. in utah, people wouldn't even give you a second glance. so funny.

-billboards are a bit...different. multiply the beer billboards by ten, and knock down temple square/food storage billboards to zilch.

-and of course, the humidity levels are sooo much higher here than in utah. but that's a given with h-town. i have to re-figure out how to do my hair without having frizzies bursting off my head.

anyway, just some thoughts i had.

things i want to make before the baby comes

cute headbands for my baby girl. i'll probably try this way to make them + the easier pantyhose way (that i'm assuming i'll be able to figure out without step-by-step instructions)

a carseat cover. i already have all the materials, and the fabric is sitting (already washed) on my kitchen table. next to the sewing machine. just waiting to be done...

speaking of pictures...

kristen (my sis-in-law) took these great maternity photos last week. i think she did a great job!

awkward

one thing that i would change about myself is that i am so stinkin' stiff in pictures...especially when i am the only one in the pics. someone takes a camera, and bam! cheezy/awkward smile comes out. i just don't know what to do with myself!

it's not that i feel ugly. i feel like i am beautiful in my own unique way. sure, there are things i would change about myself...but in general it's not a lack of self-confidence. it's just a shyness in front of the camera i suppose.

my sister once told me that she hated herself in pictures, so she practiced smiling in front of the mirror. maybe i could do that? or maybe practice not smiling because the only thing that i can do is do one smile?

anyway, then it got me thinking: is it really so bad that i feel awkward in pictures that are just me? i mean...how many times am i going to really need pictures just taken of me? i didn't have bridals taken (my dress came in the week of the wedding) and my maternity photos are done. i am assuming i will always pose with someone else so it shouldn't be a big deal.

but it still irks me. it is irksome.

baby hill is moving like crazy right now. she is irked as well. i bid my blog a goodnight.

Kirk bought me this beauty today

apparently he wanted to buy this for me for christmas, but barnes and noble wasn't selling it at the time? anyway, we were at the store and even though i said i didn't need to get it (as i drooled over it), kirk insisted. he said "it was a pregnancy present."

well if he's going to force me, i can't say no...

My mom rocks

10 things i love about my mom:

10. i can talk to her about anything. i feel really lucky that i can have an open and honest relationship with her.

9. she's an awesome writer. she's already been published in a couple of publications, and she is working on lots more!

8. she is an example of someone who gets off her butt and pursues goals. she has done this by graduating with her bachelor's in her 40's even though she didn't have to. she also has written a book and is trying to get it published right now. she always talks about "what she wants to be when she grows up" and i know she'll continue to be five different women in one, reaching for enough goals to last a thousand lifetimes.

7. she always puts us kids first. she told me once that she never wanted to get so involved in a project that she couldn't stop it at a moment's notice for her kids. maybe this is why the craft room has a bajillion unfinished projects, and if something ended up in the mending pile it was doomed to never emerge again. but i never felt like i was bothering her by asking for help on something, or needing to talk. i love that.

6. she keeps a clean house. those who know me best know that i am not known for having a spotless home. :p i use her as my inspiration to be better in this particular part of my life.

5. she is a health nut. kirk thought it was weird that white bread is like candy to me--we rarely had it in the house. :)

4. she has great advice. kirk knows that if i'm not sure about something, all i need to do is talk to my mom and she'll be able to convince me one way or the other. not just because she's my mom, but because she knows what she's talking about.

3. she serves faithfully in her church callings and has always encouraged us to attend church activities to support the leaders.

2. she loves my dad and she loves us.

1. she's my mom. :)

45 days

baby hill is due in 45 days. i simply cannot believe it. that's not that far away at all.

pregnancy complaints (so i remember the next time if these are normal or not):

-getting up to pee at least once (if i have barely any water before bed), but most of the time 2-3 times per night

-breathlessness for no apparent reason. don't panic--it will go away. just take deep breaths

-charlie horses (have had two). remember to relax and tell kirk to massage the leg, instead of screaming "foot! foot!" and having a very confused husband.

-baby moving on to the sciatic nerve. sitting down helps.

-itchy belly. rub lots of lotion on it. :)

-achy muscle right under the right shoulder blade. make sure to sit up straight (bad posture makes it worse) and have kirk pound it like crazy. having a pillow propped up behind your back helps too.

-intense hunger. always, always, always have food and water on hand. the hunger hits suddenly and hard. eating small snacks throughout the day is much better than stuffing your face and being incapacitated for hours.

really, i feel like i've had a very easy pregnancy. these complaints are not constant (except for the hunger, of course) and as we get closer and closer to meeting her, it seems totally worth it. i love being able to feel her move all the time now. she is an active kiddo and that makes mama worry less. i know that she's relatively healthy.

we are now officially moved to texas. i can't help but think that once the summer is over, we are going to move back to utah. not this time! we are here for at least the next four years. apparently once you are in the baylor medical circle, people tend to stay in the baylor circle. going to baylor medical --> baylor residency --> working at the huge medical center in Houston.

this doesn't happen to everyone, of course. but i kind of hope it happens for us. i love texas, and *gasp* i love Houston. yes, it is hot and muggy and has insects as big as your face. but it's home. it's where i graduated from high school. it's where kirk and i met and fell in love. it's where we got married. it's where our baby girl is going to be born.

and most importantly of all, it has real Mexican food. yummmmm.