Visitors!

Starting tomorrow ... for the first time ever ... we're having visitors! While we lived in Utah there were always lots of family members coming and going, with lots of people to visit and stay with. But now, my family is coming just to visit us (and of course DisneyWorld & the Beach).

Tomorrow my mom & Steven are flying in from Arizona and they'll be here for a whole week. He has a whole week off from school for October Break this year, so they're spending it with us. I think my mom is looking forward to seeing her pregnant daughter, seeing where we live, going "baby shopping", and to one of my doctor's appointments (not our ultrasound though, we can't find out the gender until the start of November.) Steven is looking forward to DisneyWorld, Swimming, DisneyWorld, not being the only kid around, and DisneyWorld.

Then on Friday we have Paige flying in from Utah and her fiance Ben flying in from New York. They'll be here for a long weekend. Since they're living across the country while engaged - this is one of their several trips to see each other until they get married in December. Tyler and I haven't ever spent time with Paige and Ben together, so we're really excited to finally all meet!

Luckily I'm starting to feel a lot better, so hopefully I'll be able to keep up with these tourists. My appetite is almost back to normal, and I haven't felt nauseous in 3 days. For the first time in months, I was actually really hungry when I woke up. I'm sure there will be some more symptoms coming along, but so far I'm starting to like the 2nd trimester. I'm not showing yet, but I'm sure I'll start "popping" soon enough!

Birthday

My 24th birthday was definitely unique. I've had weird birthdays before: one year I went to the podiatrist, one year it was the weekend of my Grandpa's funeral, often times it falls on General Conference Saturday. But this was my FIRST birthday in Florida and my LAST not being a mom.

The main reason this one was so weird though, was that it fell during the week of Tyler's company's Regional Sales Meeting in Tampa. Since Tampa's only an hour away, it's a quick drive. With nothing much to do in Orlando, I decided to go with him for the 4 days.

Tuesday I checked out Clearwater Beach. I didn't realize how WARM the water would still be!

I'm usually a pretty big wimp when it comes to getting in the ocean, but I guess I'm not in California anymore! I had fun playing around in the waves and didn't even mind getting in all the way since it was so warm. It was just like Cancun all over again ... the water wasn't quite as blue ... but the waves, temperature, and sand was all the same.
One random thing, a seagull flew down and grabbed my half-eaten cookie right out of my hand!

That night, we waited until midnight and then I opened some of my presents at our lovely room in the Holiday Inn Express.


Wednesday (my birthday) didn't start out quite so hot ... but it got better as it went on luckily. Tyler took off at 7 am to go deep sea fishing with all his co-workers. He had never done anything like that before, but I think he had a pretty good time!

He caught this shark! ... but I think they had to let it go ...

Anyways, when I woke up I didn't feel quite so hot. I hadn't "gotten sick" for the past 3 weeks, but sadly the toilet and I were got quite acquainted that morning ...

I recovered after a few hours and then got off to my day. Since we're Annual Passholders at DisneyWorld, the "get in free on your birthday thing" doesn't mean much to us. SO instead, if we go on our birthdays, we get a $79 gift card that we can spend at any store on DisneyWorld Property. But since I had to pick it up on my birthday, I went to DisneyWorld by myself!


Tyler had set up my afternoon for pampering. I had a pedicure appt (that sadly I had to miss since my late start in the morning) and a hair appointment. Now that I'm finally feeling good enough to do my hair again, I got my hair cut and colored!

Then I headed back to Tampa for my birthday dinner with Tyler (and all his co-workers). They had planned a barbecue at his bosses house for that night, when Tyler told them it was my bday, they decided to make it a birthday bbq. They were actually really sweet and got me a cake, flowers, and decorated the house. Although I had only met these people briefly in January, it was actually a lot better than I thought it would be.


We ended the night back at our hotel, glad to finally be able to finally just relax together.

I'm sure my next birthday will be quite different with a 6 month old! Crazy .. I can't even begin to fully grasp how much my life is going to change. But I'm so excited (and so is Tyler)!!

Happy 24th Birthday!

I would be remissed if I didn't publicly tell you all how much I love my wife. Rach just had her birthday on Sep. 30th and I wanted to get on here and mention a few of the things I love about Rachel:

• Rachel's smile and laugh - too cute!


• Her intelligence - she is right 98% of the time


• Crazy memory - she remembers things that I had long forgotten


• Great cuddle buddy - no night sleep feels right without first cuddling her


• Always does what's right - she might be the most obedient person I know


• Her ability to make up lyrics to almost any song while listening to it - she has personalized songs from almost any genre (Colbie, Kanye, Rascall Flats, The Office theme song, etc)


• Her beauty - she wil tell you otherwise - but I don't think there's a cuter person in the morning before getting ready - I love you!


• The Realist - Rachel definitely knows when it's time to balance out my craziness - she's the yin to my yang


• She knows me so well - it's amazing how she can figure out what I'm thinking or needing without even asking - if anyone were ever meant to be a detective it's Rachel


• Her booty - enough said


• Her eyes - love looking into them


• Her tummy - that's where the little baby is - 15th week!


• Her testimony - Rachel knows the things that are the most important in this life, and I know that together we can accomplish all of our goals!!

In summary, I love you babe, ever since I first started talking about PB & J. It's been a great 3 years since your 21st birthday. Love you!

Time Flies...

Last night I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep when I realized how old I really am. My birthday is next week (the big 24), I'll definitely be in my MID-twenties and Next Summer, I'll be a mom. But I especially feel old considering what my younger siblings are up to.

My little sister is a senior in college, and getting married in 3 months. It seems like I barely just graduated. Next Summer, she'll be the college graduate, and living in New York with her husband.

My little brother is a freshman in college. He's living in Helaman Halls at BYU, loving dining plus and all his new found freedom. I haven't gone to the same school as him since I was in 6th grade, and he was in 1st grade. Back then we were new to Mesa and I had to walk him to his class every morning to make sure he was ok. Anyways, it seems like I was just at BYU and now he's there takin classes I just took a couple years ago. Next summer, he could be anywhere in the world, because he'll be on a mission!

Now they're enjoying my favorite enchiladas and sweet potato fries at Gurus without me!

Luckily, there's Steven, my youngest brother (who has read every post of this blog, Hi Stevey!!) He's in 4th grade, turning 10 this year ... Next Summer, he'll be ... in basketball camp and swim team. Luckily he keeps us all young!

When I told him I was pregnant and that he was going to be an uncle his first question was, "Oh wow awesome! Wait, are you soooo fat?"

Love you guys, but boy time flies!

"Only" 195 Days

Seriously ... "ONLY" 195 Days to Go? The little ticker to the right is kinda bothering me right now. I don't think it should be allowed to use the word "only" until it's less than 100 days to go. 195 sounds a little much at the moment. I've still got over 6 months.

Amazingly, the past 3 days I've eaten a regular lunch -- a big task for me. The only thing I will eat is turkey and cheddar cheese slices on saltine crackers with some fruit on the side. And of course it only tastes good if Tyler prepares it :-) What a good husband I have. Luckily he's home all week.

And so far, so good with Zofran!

BYU Game & A Beating Heart

I haven't updated for a while ... mostly because I wanted Tyler to post about his experience at the BYU/Oklahoma game last week. I don't think that's going to happen so I'll do my best to relay his experience...

As soon as this epic game was announced (sometime last year) he was determined that he would go. How could he pass up the chance to see Max lead BYU to play a top three team in the new Cowboys Stadium?? It all came to reality when the Munns family (our adopted family in Orlando) decided to roadtrip out to Texas and invited Tyler and I to come along. When they invited us, I was about 8 weeks pregnant and was not feeling well at all. The thought of a 16 hour road trip to a football game didn't sound all too appealing to me. At first Tyler decided he should stay home with me, but I told him that he should just go! He left the decision up to me ... and LUCKILY I told him he could go, or else I would have felt guilty the rest of my life!

He had the time of his life, and obviously the Cougars pulled out the win! He was lucky enough to get a seat on the 4th row so he had an amazing experience in the new Cowboys Stadium (which he says everyone should go see, even if not for a game - just go take a tour if you're in Dallas)

Here are some pictures from his experience (via his iPhone so not that great of quality...)

It worked out great for Tyler because he was able to meet up with a lot of friends from BYU, even got to see his favorite aunt and uncle Karen & Sherm, and got to officially meet his new brother-in-law to be Mr. Ben Lewis!

But as much as I'm sooo happy for him and his experience and I know that everyone at the game just loved it, and it would have been so great to see everyone ... I am SO glad I didn't go.

I didn't realize that being pregnant was going to affect my body as much as it has! Before this summer, I NEVER got sick. Tyler had never seen me sick. I never missed a day of work, college, or high school due to illness. I'm just healthy! So when I found out I was pregnant, I honestly felt that I would be immune to the "morning sickness thing."

Well, I guess I shouldn't be too dramatic because it hasn't been THAT bad, but I've definitely experienced quite a bit more discomfort than I expected. For the past month I've had all the normal symptoms: Nausea, No appetite, Exhausted all the time, Can't sleep at night, Sensitive to Smells etc etc. Some days I laid in bed all day and ate saltines. But, I'm starting to have more good days, and my appetite is coming back, so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Tyler really wasn't expecting me to get so sick either, but he has been amazing. Since I can't stand the smell of food, he's done all the cooking and grocery shopping this past month. He's taken care of me better than I could have ever hoped for!

We went to the doctor yesterday and I found that after 12 weeks of pregnancy, I've lost 7 pounds... I really was NOT expecting that, I was hoping I had gained a couple honestly. I guess it just proves I'm not eating enough. But my doctor was not too concerned and he prescribed me some medicine (Zofran ... anybody tried it?) that I can start to take. BUT the best part of the appointment is that we heard the heartbeat! We weren't able to hear it that long because the baby was moving around alot, but when we heard it, it was so incredible! And it's also incredible to think there is a baby the size of a lime really moving around inside me!

I've been really hesitant to believe that this was really going to happen, that there really was a baby inside, and that we're really going to be parents in March. For the past 2 months I've told Tyler that when I hear the heartbeat, then I KNOW it will be real. The chance of miscarriage goes down dramatically once you've heard the heartbeat, so at that point I could truly accept it. Well, that time is now. This really is happening! I'm so excited, and now I can let it sink in more fully. I think a trip to Babies'R'Us may be in store this weekend...

You may have been wondering...

It's September!! Most of the country is now gearing up for autumn to arrive, bringing with it the chilly nights, colorful trees, and a change in wardrobes. Here in Orlando however, we’re getting ready for comfortable weather again! I’ve been told that the best time to live in Orlando is October – March so I’m getting excited to experience that for the first time! August has been a super humid month with all the hurricane activity nearby AND we even got 7 inches of rain – that’s more than it rains yearly in Mesa! I’m excited to experience this fall and winter in Orlando, but sadly my UGG boots, gloves, scarves, and Pea Coats won’t be a part of it.

Anyways, I’m realizing that this past month was way more boring than May, June and July had been. Back then our blog was pretty exciting with a new trip each week! During August I didn’t even leave the state, and I only spent one night away from home, (in July I only spent 10 nights at home). For the past few weeks, Tyler has been spending his time working locally in Orlando, and has taken day trips to Tampa, Gainesville, and Clearwater. But other than that we’ve just been here at home (with a few trips to Disney of course)!

Also, I still don’t have a job so, “WHAT has Rachel been doing,” you may ask??

Well mostly I’ve been reading this …

It's true, I'm pregnant!!!

I’m due the end of March, so we’ve still got a while to wait, but we’re really excited and the timing is perfect! Tyler is going to be a great dad and it's been fun to see him so excited. I’m now entering my 11th week of pregnancy and I’m really excited to get out of the first trimester…


Here is a picture of the little seed taken a couple weeks ago.

Here comes the "From Tyler" section...

I couldn't be more excited!! It's so amazing to see that little picture above.. So much fun at this point in our lives! Rach has been so great! I love her so much - and it's crazy to realize there are now 2 heartbeats in her body! The reality is that our life as the Jennings Family will now be changing dramatically - no more trips on a whim, or date nights every other night - but I'm so ready to be a Dad!