Dear Baby,

Oh hey little guy! We can’t wait to meet you!

Direct quote from your father: “This is the only time I think I’ll ever say this but…show me a (insert word for male genitalia)”. I can tell you that I’ve never seen a happier James. He was beaming all night at the thought of getting a son.

We had your aunts and uncles over to tell them whether you are a boy or a girl.

Most of them thought you were a girl. Your Uncle Connor was the only one who got it right.

Don’t mind the fact that your mama never gets ready anymore. You are making it very hard for her to fit into her clothes or have the energy to do her hair.

Happy Baby Boy Day!!

I promised.

I promised my cute friend Elizabeth that I would post my pregnancy stick picture. It’s hard to believe that this:

Has turned into this:

By the way, we have a very exciting announcement…check back in a few days.

Belly Pics

I’m technically almost 15 weeks in this picture from today but…holy mamma! That belly popped out of nowhere! I think I’m in for a long road of baby belly!

President’s Day

Announcing…

Can you believe it?! We are going to be parents!

Here are some exciting stats:

11………..The week of pregnancy I am on

4…………The week I was when I found out I was pregnant

2…………The number of pregnancy tests that I took

21………..The number of days I went without a single Diet Coke (those of you who know me know what a huge sacrifice this was for me).

1………..How many weeks we waited before telling our families (we have no self control).

5………..The number of years it took me to get my acne under control.

1………..The number of months it took for the acne to make itself at home after I quit my meds.

9………..The week that we saw our baby in an ultrasound and saw it’s tiny arm waving hello.

8………..The week that I was hit with morning sickness.

2………..The number of 16 hour shifts I have had to work since finding out I was pregnant.

0………...The number of times I have actually thrown up (I’m a lucky duck).

840………The number of times a day we thank Heavenly Father for the opportunity to be parents. (the number of hours I’m awake x minutes/hour)

Pregnancy is surreal. In some ways, I feel no different….except that I always feel crappy….and I’m always exhausted…..and I’m always kind of ornery. But really, I don’t feel like I’m growing a human being. This baby though, is one lucky child. I can’t imagine coming into a home where it will be loved more or surrounded by more love by both families. It is also the first grandchild on both sides so it will be one spoiled child.

 

Now you all know our exciting news. We can’t wait until September!

A Very Pinterest Christmas

What did we do before Pinterest? We didn’t have cute ideas for treats and decorations, that’s what. Erin and I had a Christmas treats night. We saw this “Santa Hat” snack mix and had to make it. It turned out so adorable…and quite tasty.

Erin also had a Christmas Party with Mountain America and, lucky for me, Travis had to work that morning (sorry Trav!). I took full advantage of the free all-you-can-eat brunch at the Little America. As you can tell from my beaming face, I have never been happier (thanks MACU!).

December 19th was our 2 year anniversary. We were lucky enough to both have the day off. We started the day at Kneaders- my favorite place for breakfast. I don’t know how anyone can resist this French Toast, it’s basically dessert for breakfast.

James is one of those who has the willpower. Not only can he resist the French Toast but he doesn’t even like the toppings for his pancakes. I don’t complain…more for me.

I love getting dressed up so James let us be fancy for dinner that night. We had a great day eating, lounging and reminding one another how grateful we are to be married.

Here are some more Pinterest crafts. This cute little homemade snow globe added a little charm to my bare shelf.

Lovin’ me some Mario. Thanks for the present Jamesy!

Allison made Sara this sweet Scrabble board (also, thanks to Pinterest)…I have the cutest sisters-in-law.

It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas…

 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Copeland home. The tree is up and the stockings are hung. The finals are finishing, the shopping is done.

I even got a little early Christmas gift from my mamma:

Isn’t he a cutie? I can’t believe I’ve gone 24 years without hearing the sweet, sweet sound of Justin Bieber rapping The Little Drummer Boy….because honestly, who hasn’t been waiting for a rap version of that song? He really puts the rum-pum-pum-pum in my drum-um-um-um.

Pilgrims, Indians and a Feast…Oh My!

I love thanksgiving. I love the food, I love spending time with family, and I love the Black Friday ads. I love that everyone is especially grateful for things they might not normally express, I love that the air is crisp and that the leaves are crunchy under my feet. This year, I had to sign up for a holiday call shift at work and picked the night before/morning of the big day. I thought that even if I got called in, I would not have to work on Thanksgiving and could catch up on some sleep before the event. My call shift began at 11pm on the 23rd and sure enough, I got that call that I was needed at work at 11. I struggled my way through re-dressing and driving the long route to the hospital but was excited to participate in the surgery that would be starting at midnight. There had been a patient who was on life support and who made the selfless choice of being an organ donor upon her passing. I had the great opportunity of participating in her organ procurement that night where her heart and both of her kidneys were taken and immediately sent away to be given to others. I was overwhelmed in those late hours with the spirit of God- seeing one life end but also knowing that the lives of 2 others would be prolonged because of the generosity of this woman and her family. What a lucky opportunity for me to see this happen and to participate in such an honorable cause- I truly felt thankful for organ donors that night.

Though I was grateful for the experience, working through the night is not easy. The last thing I wanted to do at 5am was to go home to prepare for the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5k that I was signed up to run at 8am. For anyone who knows my sister Erin, you know that she is one persistent cookie. I knew that she would not be happy if I ditched out on the race 3 hours beforehand. So..here we are, happy as clams to run in the cold. I will say that I am glad that I went- we had a great time. I am glad for a sister who is always pushing me to be healthier and supporting me even when all that I want to eat is a cupcake.

If it looks like I haven’t slept in 24 hours, that’s because I hadn’t slept in 24 hours.

After going home and sleeping for a few hours, James and I made our rounds for Thanksgiving dinners and (my personal favorite) Thanksgiving desserts.

When we got back home, I got to work on my favorite part of the whole weekend- Black Friday. It all started when I was little…I blame my mother for my shopping addiction. Nothing makes me happier than spending money (much to my dear husband’s dismay). As soon as I could fend for myself, my mother had be fighting through crowds for deals. Sometimes she would send me in and she would stay in the car (“You’re smaller, you can squeeze through easier”, “They’ll be nicer to you, you’re a kid!”). Needless to say, I learned quickly the ins and outs of having an effective and efficient Black Friday. I started dragging my friends along as soon as I could drive. My Junior year of high school, we made it into the newspaper because we were first in line at Target. When asked what we were there to get, I think that all of our responses were, “Nothing really, we just came to be apart of the madness”. Though that was fun, I must say that I enjoy shopping now even more than I used to. Now I have people to shop for, and now I have money. I don’t even care who I go with- this year I just went alone!

Yes, I have a problem.

All in all it was a great weekend. In lieu of Thanksgiving though, I feel that I should publically acknowledge the things I am grateful for. First, my husband. I am so proud of him and love him more and more every day. Second, my family: My mom and dad, my step-dad and his family, Erin and Travis, Courtney and Canden, Gentry, Connor, my in-laws, and all of our extended family. I would be nothing without them. Third, my job. I am so lucky to have my dream job and to love going to work every day…I know what a rare blessing that is. Forth, I am surrounded by the most amazing and supportive friends. I love each of them and their husbands and couldn’t be more grateful for their examples and support they give to James and I. Above all, I am grateful for a heavenly father who loves me and my husband and who has blessed us more than we deserve.

 

Bring on Christmas!!