20 Weeks Pregnant: What your Mama Doesn't Tell You

22 Weeks


What I actually feel like


1. Officially only one pair of pants left that I can button up.
2. I'm down to only one puke a day and peeing just 3 times a night. It's all very exciting.
3. I now sleep with 5 pillows minimum.
4. I find myself finding excuses to tell even random strangers that I'm pregnant...just so they don't think I'm fat.
5. "Miss nurse, please don't make me get on that scale."
6. My hips are bruised from only being able to sleep on my sides.
7. Hun, I know it's 72 degrees in our apartment, that's why I'm turning the air conditioning on.
8. Amazed and grateful to have a supportive, patient husband who still unconditionally loves me and is somehow still attracted to the crazy pregnant lady that is me.
9. Breaking down and finally going maternity shopping...it's just as terrible as I imagined.
10. I can't sleep at night because I'm so excited to find out what we are having, rollover to discuss excitement with Porter...he's fast asleep on his stomach. I resent him.
11. Seeing our 3/4 of a pound babe's private parts and realizing it's a girl...totally worth it.

16 Weeks Pregnant. What Your Mama Doesn't Tell You.

Before lunch.
(This isn't the best shirt I know but these were the only pictures we had. You're gonna think I'm enormous by 20 weeks, trust me)


After Lunch.


What I Really feel like.


1. All of my clothes shrank.
2. After trying to lead a healthy active life for 26 years, this whole sit around eat, and gain a few pounds a month thing is not being handled too well.
3. Yay, NBC Thursday! Crap, I fell asleep again.
4. So. Sick. Of. Food.
5. We haven't gone to a movie theater since December.
6. I haven't pooped in 3 days.
7. Can't do: scrambled eggs, Porter's colonge, cayane pepper or metal jewlery.
Won't Do: Cook healthy meals or 8am ward council every Sunday.
Shouldn't Do: Walk anywhere near Nordstrom Baby department.
8. Bra shopping, haven't done that since the 8th grade.
9. "Yes Porter, I AM wearing your pajama's again. And yes, it IS 2pm. Get used to it.
10. The whole "feeling better by 2nd trimester" thing. Total sham.
11. Goodbye waist. Hello Headaches
12. Asinine acid reflux every night around 10pm followed by puking. If I puke up rainbow colored tums one more time...
13. Distinguishing the difference between gas bubbles and actually feeling our little ninja baby...all worth it.

12 Weeks Pregnant: What your Mama Doesn't Tell You

**Forward: Before you read my personal pregnant journal know that I am sarcastically serious through out it all. Some excerpts might be a little TMI and this is not to deter anyone from getting pregnant :) More just comic relief for the every days of pregnancy, and for all you mamas who know exactly what I'm going through and can laugh with me. Although the majority of it may sound some what awful, I really have never felt so blessed and overjoyed to go through this amazing process called motherhood.

I don't have an official "12 week" belly picture...but I figure this pretty much sums up the month.


(Porter took this picture laughing the whole time saying: "But hun, you'll wanna remember this!" as I'm screaming: "shut the door, you're disgusting!"....Look at me now, I can't believe I'm actually putting it on my blog)

1. I can officially keep a conversation going smoothly on the phone or in person with Porter while puking
2. Everyone tells you about the barfing part but fails to mention the loss of bladder control WHILE barfing part. It makes for a hilarious-horrible time.
3. Unused dog-poop bags come in handy for car pukes...till you run out.
4. I already feel as if I am not appreciating my 1st pregnancy. I know next time around I will laugh at how easy I had it the first time with no kids.
5. Pepperoni pizza and Cheeseburgers. My go-to snacks. (yes, I said snacks)
6. "No sir, I will NOT be picking up my dogs poop." Thanks for asking though.
7. No matter how many minutes a day I spend over that ONE toilet we have Porter somehow still refuses to clean it. And no matter how many times he beckons me into the candle-lit bedroom I'm still feeling nauseous...I guess it all evens out right?
8. Im pretty sure this baby is the size of a pinto bean...peeing 5 times a night...really baby...is that necessary?
9. Have nothing to wear; start crying. Can't find the car in the Target parking lot; start crying. Cute hubby brings me home a new shirt, awwwww, notice it's a size L; start bawling.
10. Beef. It's what's for dinner.
11. For 5 short minutes we see our gummy bear of a baby move for the first time...totally worth all 12 weeks.

We are going on 4 years of Marriage which in the LDS world may beg the question...."And no kids???" To that endless question we have been hearing as of late I'll give you all some google image answers:






We have been blessed with 10 nieces and nephews and I have nannied 12 different kids over the past 3 years so we are under no illusion that having children is a magical, blissful time.

Although...you may be wondering "Then why post a complaint about kids you don't even have?" It can only mean...



Yes, yes we are 20 weeks pregnant, And ecstatic.

We know that raising a family will be the hardest thing we will ever do. We know we can kiss sleep and our savings account goodbye. But we also know it will be the greatest most rewarding job of all time. We have thoroughly LOVED our 4 years of child-less marriage and would not change it for the world, but cannot wait for our eternity to be parents. Wish us luck, even though we think we may be prepared, we know we're in for a rude awaking come August 30th.

PS...It's a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Stay tuned for my pregnancy diary updates)

Best. Christmas Card. EVER.

Jolly Holidays! from Tia Bowen on Vimeo.

Thanks for makin' us look so in-love and dang good Tia!

Meet two of my Nephews...

Yeah, they're pretty cool. Ten and seven...and yes, they DID go to church like that.

San Francisco For the Sistas

Spent a much needed Ladies weekend in Danville a couple weeks ago. We had the ultimate girls weekend filled with manicures, pedicures, shopping, eating, movies and staying up late laughing. SOME of us even squeezed a 6 mile run into it as well. Spent a day in the city where I have NEVER had better weather, I was preparing for snow-ski attire on 8:00am in November in San Francisco, but it was a blue-bird 70 plus degrees. Crazy.

In my sister Rachel's words; preparing for the weekend mostly went down like this: (keep in mind we are all on a 5-way phone call)

Michelle: Come on ladies it will be fun, lets run a race in San Francisco. It's only a 10K.
Nicole: Yes! I'm in, I just ran 7 miles this morning.
Rachel: Really? Can't we just get together and hang out?
Denise: I'll only do it if someone will walk with me.
Rebecca: Nope - no fun. I have been working my tail off out here in Phoenix - no way am I coming on a trip to wake up early and run.

Michelle and Nikki talked us all into it. Airplane tickets were bought, babysitters arranged, just one small item overlooked - signing us up for the race. According to 3 of us - AWESOME!! We had a great weekend of shopping, eating and movies. Then on race day, the young ones woke us all up and convinced us of taking them to the City so they could "sneak in." As we pull up we hear the starting gun go off and the announcer yell "They're off!" Out of the car hop Michelle and Nicole and run through the starting point 3 minutes behind the pack. Us oldies walked it far behind them. The weather was GREAT - I've never seen a nicer day by the bay. We finished it off with a walk across the Golden Gate Bride. Fun Weekend.

(Thanks for letting me plagiarize your blog Rach, takes me right back to high school. Copy. Paste. Done.)

Newport Beach with the Ladies

Last month Me mom and two of the three sisters flew to Southern California for cousin Breanna's wedding. Quick trip with beautiful weather, good company and even better dancing!!!

These Days

Today was Denver's first snow! Although we are so excited for the ski season the fall has been so beautiful here. In reality Porter spends most of his time studying and working and me nannying and watching all my shows, but we try to have SOME fun as well.


We went on a hike to try and find fall colors but we pretty much just found mountains with pine trees.



Here we are being bandits because we may or may not have "accidentally" taken our sweet bandana napkins from the restaurant home with us.


Last weekend we had friends visit for the Halloween weekend. We spent it making yummy meals, carving pumpkins, decorating spooky cookies and having scary movie marathons.


We had a pumpkin carving competition us vs. Cam & Tia vs. Blake & Terese...Here is our spooky final product. (totally took 1st place :))



Here is the Bowens carved pumpkin....if you look closely you can see Edward scissor-hands, right? Ha, Tia could have gotten a little frustrated half-way thru.




We all drove down to Colorado Springs to go to a University if Utah football game. They beat Air Force Academy which was a pretty fun game, got to see a bunch of skydivers and jets even flew over before kick-off. But most importantly we ate at a favorite BBQ place called Rudy's. We grew to love this place when we lived in Austin but haven't had it since. YUMMMMM.





After the game we drove up to Breckenridge and stayed a couple nights in a condo just below the slopes. Sadly we didnt take many pictures :( but it was fun, it was snowing and we hung out in the picturesque mountain-downtown. THe saddest part of the weekend was the burnt apple-pie. POrter was so excited to eat it he thought it would be a good idea to turn the oven on broil to make it cook faster....here is the result. :( We had an amazing halloween weekend, so fun to be with friends in the mountains

Fall O Fall

Now that we are here in the great state of Colorado, Autumn is upon us. The days are nice but the nights are chilly, time for; sweaters, home-baked goods, fires, spooky decor, and dark nail polish. My favorite time of year. Unfortunately we have been having camera AND Video camera mal-functions so we have not taken nearly as many pictures as we would usually...but here are some highlights. (A "CA to CO moving" video is in the works, stay tuned)


3 speeding tickets later...one in each state we crossed, we made it to beautiful Denver.
The Rockies are green and enormous, we have tried to take advantage of the weather before it starts snowing! (there is actually snow on the mountain tops already)
Porter's first day of grad-school. He looks smarter already. CU's hottest MBA student by a long-shot.

We've been biking...hiking...

Camping...


In honor of 3 birthdays; Porter and Cam's 29th, and Tia's 25th we met the Bowen's for a weekend of camping "half-way" in Santa Fe New Mexico. Not many pictures to reveal but we spent the weekend hiking, eating, camp-fireing, and numerous intense games of hearts. Perfect weather and now we can check Santa Fe off the bucket list of course :)



Denver Temple


Went to a Giants vs Rockies game with friends. Of course we went to the ONE game that the Giants lost....but still a fun game. Great stadium with an amazing view of the Rocky Mountains.

It's ben a good fall so far, can't wait for Halloween. The Holiday season is coming on fast!