Being With the Right Person

 We decided that we would try to go out tonight and watch a movie.  Unfortunately, The Hunger Games was all sold out.  So we did the best we could with our evening and went to the mall.

We tried Charley's Grilled Subs.  I was impressed.  It was a little expensive, but that is why I married Libby.  We rarely go out to eat without a coupon.  This time is was a BOGO (a term I was introduced to this week -- Thank you Libby).  We were surprised at how good the subs looked.  So we took a picture.

After our dinner we went "shopping".  What I mean is that we didn't make it to the gym today, so we walked around the mall for exercise.   Towards the end of the evening, we stumbled upon this pleasant sight.   We decided that this is something we can aspire to achieve: spending Friday nights together, asleep on a couch.  I guess it doesn't matter where the couch is as long as it's comfortable.

Rewind.

I feel like I do this every month... 

but here is a quick review of some of the things I failed to blog about LAST month.

(At least I'm finishing February before April gets here, right?)

We decided to celebrate Valentine's a few days early so we could avoid the packed restaurants. 

We found a cute place called Pagoda in SLC, where Paul could enjoy some seafood while I got my fill of Chinese food! It was my first time trying fried wantons and I LOVED them.

Sushi for Paul, wantons for me!

February had it's creepy moments, including a text from... no one?

We were lucky enough to have my mom in Utah for a couple of weeks. Whenever she comes, she spoils us rotten! This time around, she gave us delicious honey baked ham and the ingredients we needed to make a Caprese salad.

Our "happy" meal.

The night before my mom flew home, the Utah Clan got together for a fabulous dinner. We had lasagna, garlic bread, caprese salad, asparagus and a tasty dessert.

Allie and her Nana

Angel food cake, ice cream, fresh berries, hot fudge and whipped cream.

Toward the end of February, the Nursing program threw a skating party with the Accounting program. We braved the ice with our great friends, Kait and Garen. I was a little nervous about ice skating at 29 weeks pregnant, but Paul held my hand and ensured I didn't fall. 

They're practically Olympic caliber.

It was an action packed evening.

February 28th is National Pancake Day.

This is the only day of the year that I EVER go to IHOP.

Why?

Free pancakes.

Paul enjoying the Strawberry syrup.

And do you remember when I told you about Shadows over Camelot? 

Paul and I lost the first time we played it... 

but won the second time!!

Our winning board

We also played it a third time with Kait and Garen.

Despite cheating, we lost.

That game is hard!

And now you're caught up on February!

... maybe I'll blog about March toward the end of April.

Sorry.

I am far from perfect. 

In this case, I am referring to the fact that sometimes I get upset for no good reason. Recently, I was completely ridiculous and I got very cranky. I wish I could blame it all on the pregnancy, but that wouldn't be fair. I felt bad for getting snappy with Paul, so I decided it was time to make it up to him.

Paul was at work and I invited him home to eat hot dogs for lunch.

Little did he know... I had something up my sleeve!

He came home to fresh flowers, chicken parmesan, salad, sparkling grape juice and a heartfelt card.

The great thing about Paul is that he forgave me long before I said sorry.

I am not joking when I say that he is the best husband ever.

He truly is the most patient, kind and loving man I know.

I am lucky to have found someone so amazing.

32 Weeks!

8 more weeks. What?! Can that really be possible?

Pregnancy is still going very well. I seriously feel so blessed that I have had it so easy compared to so many women. Things are definitely getting uncomfortable though! Paul drives me to class in the morning because I walk so slow now. I start off at a good pace but by the time I get to campus I am going slower than an old lady on a leisurely stroll. I'm not sure how much of my back pain is due to my back problem or just the baby getting bigger. Either way, I'm still trying my best to stay active. Working out has been reduced from 2-3 times a week to 1... or MAYBE 2 times a week. Part of this is due to my crazy schedule, but part is due to my struggle to breathe and move my tired body.

Our little man is definitely growing in there. I can't believe how much my belly grows each week. I can also tell that he's starting to get a little cramped in there. Instead of feeling kicks and punches, I now feel lots of stretching and pushing. I swear, he will just hold his legs out for 30 seconds at a time. Doesn't he know he has to share that space with me?! Silly boy. I also felt him have hiccups for the first time. I think those might be my favorite. They're so cute and little (and not uncomfortable like all of that stretching!). 

Our appointment went well this week. The doctor straight up grabbed his head! This confirmed that he is currently head down. It's always possible that he'll flip a few times before d-day, but I'm hoping he remains head down for the majority of the pregnancy. The thought of a breech baby scares me!

A few other things of note-

My belly button is practically gone.

I think I had a Braxton Hicks contraction? I didn't like it. I'm glad it didn't last long.

I have no self control when it comes to sweets.

I'm getting lazy. Seriously. Getting off the couch can be hard.

Compression Stockings. Oh my gosh. They save me during those 12 hour clinicals.

30 weeks

32 Weeks

Reasons to smile.

It's easy to find reasons to complain,

but it's much more fun to find reasons to happy.

Here are few that apply to me this morning:

-- Waking up in the morning means I get to see my husband --

-- Doing dishes means blasting music and dancing --

-- Studying means I'm getting smarter --

-- My big belly means I'm growing a baby boy --

-- Eating healthy means I'm being good to myself AND my baby --

--  Swollen fingers means it's warm outside --

Make today (and every day) wonderful.

Remember--

It's your choice.

It's Game Time.

I come from a family of very sore losers.

I inherited that competitive gene which makes being a sore loser so easy.

Since we all hate losing so much, Griffioen's don't play games very often.

Paul, on the other hand, comes from a family that LOVES games.

I don't know how he does it... but he doesn't get upset when he loses!

He just likes to play games for fun-- win or lose.

He has been working on me over the past year.

(With some progress, I might add).

Although I still hate losing, I'm getting to the point where I can accept that I had fun playing the game EVEN if I lose. It's tough stuff... but I'm getting better.

Lately, I have been on an absolute game kick.

We have played "Bohnanza" almost every night the past week or so.

It's a game centered around planting and harvesting beans.

Riveting, right?

It seriously is a lot of fun though.

I think Paul has grown tired of our nightly Bean game, so for our date tonight, we tried a new one.

Shadows over Camelot is unique because you play against the game-- not the other players.

It's an especially good game because you all win or lose together.

(no hard feelings!)

Apparently the game almost always wins though.

...At least it did tonight.

Maybe next time!