What's new on the baby front?!

Well as of today we are 15 weeks and 4days, and going strong. I was thinking that some of you, especially those who don't live in town are probably wondering how things are going, how I'm feeling, etc. I thought I should share some of the good stories about this pregnancy, some of you had heard the stories, but most of you have not. You know when Brint and I are involved there is always a good story, so here goes (and since we don't have any pics to share, I thought I'd show you baby pics of Brint & myself)...

~The placenta brain, as we call it in the biz, or pregnancy forgetfulness as you my know it, hit me again big time. We have a monthly meeting (third thursday of every month) at church, called Branch Council, where all the Presidents of all the auxiliaries get together to bring up calendar items, welfare issues, and other church related issues that we work together on. Right after that meeting I have a PPI (Personal Progress Interview) with our Branch President, where we talk even more in-depth about welfare issues and the needs of those in the church. So these are pretty important meetings. Well, for me, that week came and went. Usually I think about those meetings days before we have them, so I can discuss with our President about the issues at hand. It wasn't even a thought in my mind. I wasn't till I received an email of the minutes taken at that meeting, and I received that email on a Saturday. GASP!!!!! Couldn't believe that I did that, I have made it to ALL the meetings since I became president a year and a half ago.

Sunday morning, after sacrament, I went up to our Branch President and gave my deepest apologies. About how it completely did not even come to mind, etc. He said ...and get this ..."That's ok, I just told the whole council that you were excused because you have pregnancy brain." NICE!!! Well, at least he was light hearted about it and understood since him and his wife have three boys. I bet they were hootin' it up at the meeting when our leader made that comment. Very Nice! :)



~I work every other Monday to help out with payroll at work. A couple of weeks ago I got off two hours early from work. Brint and I rode together that day, and he was getting of at 5:30pm. So I needed to kill some time till he was off. Where does a girl go to kill some time ......Target of course. I actually haven't been in a couple of months, I hear the gasping out there, it's just been to hot to go anywhere. Anyway, I wanted to go particularly to look at maternity clothes, and baby stuff (price things out, etc.), but of course one has to shop Target head to toe. I think I was an hour into my shopping experience, I was half way through the baby section, stopped and looked down at the floor and thought "I could really just lay down here on this linoleum, and totally go to sleep." Never in my life has a store floor look so enticing. That's when I knew it was time to go, otherwise they would find me on isle 22 curled up with a blanket. Now that's tired!



~Got to hear the baby's heart beat again last Tuesday. Brint was so excited that he wanted to recorded it on his phone. So I laid down on the table, pulled the top of my pants down a little, and Amy our Nurse Practitioner went to work. She found the baby on my right side, after some pushing on my filling bladder. I look up at this special moment, and Brint and Amy are in cahoots to get his phone to record ...don't mind me! After a couple of minutes they were done. I sat back up, got my self re-situated with my clothes. Brint was checking the recording, and Amy asked "Did you get it?". Brint said he didn't think so, Amy said no problem we'll do it again. Next thing I know I'm getting pushed (gently) back down, and had to pull the top parts of my pants down ...again.

So Amy went to work again to find the baby, looking on the right. Finally she found the little on the left, all the while pressing again on my ever filling bladder. I don't think the baby was all to happy either being pushed on. I looked up again, and there they were hovering over the phone to get the recording....don't mind me. This time it worked, whew! All kidding aside, the coolest part was when we heard, both times, the baby moving around inside. It sounded like if you scratched a needle on a record (remember those round things that played music). I loved that part. Our next appointment will be on Aug 31st, and I will be 18 1/2 weeks along. You know what that means ....we'll be able to know what this "fuzzy-gummy-bear" is going to be. So let's all pray that his/her legs won't be crossed, or be a typical Argall and be difficult. Hee, hee!

(I think I was destined to be a Jane Austen girl!)


~For my Birthday, the girls at work celebrated it with me on a Wednesday. After an a half an hour or so they (Micki, Sandie, Gwen, Teresa, Joyce, Julia, and Joy) all came around the corner singing me Happy Birthday. Micki was holding a tray full of her yummy brownies, a bunch of fresh pick "Micki's road side flowers" (she loves risking her life to get the prettiest flowers on the side of the road), and a cute ballon that everyone had signed. The surprising part was what was going up to the ballon. Taped and stapled all the way up was folded (in different shapes) money and checks. I was STUNNED!!! They said instead of bringing in food or ordering out, they wanted to make a birthday/baby fund. Words cannot say how touched I was, and still am.

Throughout the day, when I left to use the bathroom, or had to go to other parts of the department, I would come back and more money would be stapled to the ballon string. In the end they blessed me with $200. The money will go towards a crib, and some very overpriced maternity clothes.

Thank you, thank you Micki, Sandie, Gwen, Melissa, Tipton, Linda, Joy, Erin, Sharon, Ronnie, Teresa, Joyce, & Julia (and by the way Julia made the best fresh salsa ever!). My angles of L&D ...I love you!!!

(I love that curly head boy!)

Now I've been sitting here for 15 minutes and here I am again, knowing I have quite a few more stories to tell you, but can I think of them ......nooooo! Ugh, I guess until next blog posting.

**I love the pic below, because it's of four generations. In the front on the left is my great-grandma, in the middle is my mom one month before I was born, and on the right is my grandma!**

The Surprise of a lifetime!!

Where have we been???? Well let me tell you.........

After almost 13 years of marriage, and 10 years of trying, it has finally happened!!! Brint and I are expecting our first baby January 27, 2011. We are in shock and awe. We had gone to our doctor back in November 09 to talk about using fertility meds, like clomid. They told us just let them know when we are ready to start. So Brint and I were looking at waiting 6 months to a year to start. I wanted to loose some weight before we got started.

Back on May 19 I realized my monthly had not arrived, Brint was excited, but I told him let's wait a week or two before we go crazy. So by the next week, he was driving me crazy about taking a test. Finally in the middle of work on a Thursday (5/27), I couldn't stand it anymore. Marched down to the pharmacy (love that I work in a hospital), bought a test, and took the test as soon as I got back to my department (so glad you don't have to wait till the morning anymore). Well, just my luck!!! My test was as clear as mud. I had one dark line, and a VERY faint second line. Great!! What the heck does that mean????

I pulled my good friend Gwen (who's a delivery nurse and a nurse practitioner) into the bathroom, surely she'd know what that would mean. After the first shock of what I was showing her, she said "Yep, I think your pregnant girl!!" My heart was pounding by then. I decided to take another test in the am, old school style, to see if that would make a difference. So the next morning I was up at 530am to get ready for work, Brint was following me like a little boy for Christmas. I did my test, waited a few minutes, and saw the same thing. One dark line, and a second VERY faint line. Crap!?!?

So then I just told Brint that we should wait a couple more days and repeat. By then I told my good friend Micki of our new possibility, and she was just as bad as Brint. She kept saying "you need to re-test". Then that crazy girl couldn't take it anymore, and by Friday 6/4 she marched down to the pharmacy, bought a test, and I took a third test and she took the test herself. When done we compared my stick to her stick. She said "See mine is as white as the driven snow. You are pregnant girl!!"

I was about 50% convinced. I had no symptoms, except my missing my monthly and a sore chest. I went ahead and made an appointment. My first appointment was June 8th with Dr.Hunt (love her), and by then I was 7 weeks. When I got there, my blood pressure was up a little, for me, because I still wasn't convinced that I was pregnant. I told that to the nurse, and she said "Well, you have nothing to worry about, because you are.". She held up their test, and I saw the prettiest pink and blue lines I have ever seen. Dr. Hunt examined me, which was a little awkward for me since I work with her often in L&D. She answered all our questions, and prepared us for what was to come. They drew about a half a gallon of blood, just kidding, for my prenatal labs. Then set me up for an ultrasound appointment for that Friday.

June 11th was our first ultrasound. I was nervous about weather there would be a heart beat or not. Then we caught our first image of what only can be described as a "Fuzzy-Wuzzy-Gummy-Bear". The BEST part was seeing the little flutter from inside!!! The baby is alive and thriving. Yippee, on cloud nine for the day. I remember Brint leaning over me to get a closer look at the little flutter inside. It was sweet. He is the happiest guy in the whole world!!


Although it's our first fuzzy picture, and we love it, the technician moved her had a little when she captured the picture. Seconds before you could really see a shape of the little one. Oh well, just grateful for the pic we do have, at such an early time. Boy does it make it even more real.

This week we had another appointment (July 6th). I will be 11 weeks on July 8th. This appointment was for lab results, questions, and fetal heart tones. I was very nervous about that. Since the last appointment the only symptoms I've had is major fatigue, my chest is sore, and I have to make sure I eat every meal and on time. Otherwise, I feel like crap the rest of the day. So since my symptoms have been so mild, it was making me worry. Most of my friends say, consider yourself lucky. I was still worried beyond belief, thinking of friends and family that had lost a baby at the same week I currently was at. Brint and I have been praying for this baby's life, growth, and development from the first day we suspected.

However, today before we left to our appointment, we got on our knees and prayed to our Heavenly Father. So the moment came where she asked me to lay down so she could check for heart tones. She said "Now don't worry, it can take a couple of minutes to find it." Not worry ...me ... yeah right!! The whole time I kept saying in my head "Please Heavenly Father, please let there be a heart beat.". It seemed like it took for ever, and my heart was really starting to pound. I think my nurse practitioner could tell, because the next thing she said "It's ok Dayna, it's like trying to find a needle in a hay stack." A couple of seconds later she said "There it is!". She turned the volume up, and there it was. My sweet relief!! The sound brought me to tears, as I heard that little heart galloping like a horse. He or She was alive and thriving with in me. Brint was behind me tearing up just the same. The NP said "See, everything is going to ok! You are both healthy and well." She was right. I feel 100% convinced that everything is going to be ok. Although, there is a long rode ahead of us, I am looking forward to it now.

So there it is, in a gigantic nut shell. That's is where we have been, and what we have been doing these past two months. I promise my next blog will be soon, now that we are further along and I'm comfortable letting everyone know. Thanks for all your support and the faith you had for us over the years to have a family. I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for this opportunity and this blessing. This baby came at Heavenly Father's time, not our time, which makes this baby even more special for us. I can't wait to see what this little one will grow into, and can't wait for him/her to grow in the gospel.

On our church's website they have video messages, that are always beautiful, warm your heart, and bring a tear to your eye. I think this one was dedicated to me. It calmed my heart long enough till my last appointment. Please go to the web site below. Enjoy!!!

(Copy & Past Link below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbYLKVgwztY&feature=player_embedded

P.S. I have already had a placenta brain moment (or what others call "pregnancy induced ....what do you call it???" DUH moments). I had pics of my pregnancy stick and my friend Micki's pregnancy stick, to go with the stories above. When I went to down load the pics from my memory card, from my camera, instead of putting it into the memory card hole. I put it right in the CD hole!! So now my memory card is floating around the inside of my laptop. And so it starts, Mac City here I come!!!

A happy man!

I was just talking with my mom today on the phone, and we were catching up on things. I told her that I think I just made my Uncle Bill very happy. We had our friends, Katie and Ryan ...and Nicole too, over for dinner on Sunday before they left for their trip. I also had forgotten that we had signed up for the Missionaries to come over too for dinner. So in total we had seven people over, including Brint and myself.

I made something simple, and something you can make a lot of.... soft tacos!! All these people need so many plates, what is a girl to do?? Well, use the new plates she just inherited of course. So into the pantry I went to get the pretty cream white plates, that are newly washed and ready to use. These were my Uncle's party plates. He had, and now I have, twenty of these "party plates". Super informal, yet super pretty. My dinning room table, is pushed off to the side in the dinning room, so we all couldn't sit there. Plus our kitchenette table is way to small. So we all ate alfresco style on the floor around my Uncle's coffee table. One of the the Missionaries sat in the "Kings Chair". After dinner he said, "I could go to sleep in this chair!". I told him he would be one of many men who have sat in that chair of my Uncle's, and fallen asleep after a good meal.



After dinner, we had Katie's YUMMY red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. Woo, hoo! What could I put these beautiful slices of heaven on, well of course my Uncle's glass plates. So back into the pantry I went to get those newly washed, waiting to be used, dishes. Perfect!!

As, we all sat there eating, enjoying our leisurely good time, I realized how much of my Uncle's items had been used. And had been put to good use!! I could feel his presence about us, happy as a clam that we are using his items they way he use to use them. I felt a sigh of relief, and a sense of accomplishment. All I can say is, that is more dinner parties to be had. Who want's to come??

I am grateful!

I am grateful for what I witnessed yesterday! My good friend Laurin's son came home from his mission last night. We all came together to meet at the airport to welcome him home. There were family members, friends of the family, and almost our entire branch. Boy were the TSA agents happy!! Anyway, as the plane landed we all stood up as a large group holding signs, and posters. We all notice another family with their own poster, which said "Welcome Home Captain ......., We Love You". One person asked the family who they were expecting, and they said their loved one from Iraq. So we decided that our group would cheer for that soldier when he came through the door too.

Two flights came in around the same time. The first flight was carrying the soldier. It was such a great moment, he came through the door full fatigues and pack. Very surprised to see all the people, the whole airport broke out in applause. His wife ran to him and it was such a great moment. I looked around, and thankfully, standing next to me was my friend Dest who too was tearful over this moment. As soon as the applause quieted we all yelled out "THANK YOU!!". Such a great Goose-bump moment.


Then the second flight arrived, all of our hearts were pounding. Especially for our dear friend Laurin as she has literally counted down the days. We all held our breath with each person that step out, thinking it might be our return missionary. A lot of the people getting off the plane smiled at the posters that said "Welcome Home Elder Howell". A pilot from one of the planes knew what the word "Elder" meant, and quickly asked where the mom was. He talked with Laurin for a little bit.



On a side note, no matter where you go in the world, LDS church members are all alike with our similar back grounds, love of the gospel, and support for each other, even if you've never met. Love it! After some time, that much anticipated Missionary came through the door. His mom and sisters just went running, and showered him with love, while we all cheered and applauded. Again, it was a great moment!

I am so grateful to have experienced these two young men return home , one from protecting our country, and the other spreading the gospel. They volunteered to leave their family for long periods of time, protect and changed the lives (for the better) of people whom they'd never thought they'd meet, they both fought for good against evil, and were watched over closely by our Heavenly Father. I feel comforted knowing there are young men like these protecting our world both physically and spiritually.

For the love of California!!

I have been helping quite a few people lately plan their trips to visit California. With all the talking that went on, and some blogs that I follow, made me yearn a little for home. So what is the best way of bringing a little bit of your old home to your new far away home?? The internet of course.

I spoke with people about San Francisco and the ocean coast. All the nook and crannies that made my life a sweet bliss. Everything in our family is based on food. We say "Oh if you visit there, you must eat at such and such!". Well I did it, I carried on the tradition. "Fooding" my way through California.

So what was my first thing I droolingly (I'm full aware that "fooding" and "droolingly" are not words, yet they best paint my picture) spoke of???? Well, of course, if your in San Francisco you MUST visit the Boudin bakery (hey, Samantha Brown did a show about it!!). Where, as my stomach starts to growl, you get the BEST sourdough bread in the world. Then they push the envelope further, by making it into a bread bowl with a creamy, potato filled clam chowder!! I'll wait a minute, while you wipe the drool off your keyboard.....


In fact they even have a "what kind of bread would you be?" quiz. And here is what I am ...explains everything!!


Anyway, I went on line and (THANK HEAVEN FOR TECHNOLOGY!!) looked up the Boudin bakery web site. Wheerrrreee, you can buy loaves of their heavenly bread. This sweat, savory, tangy, crusty bread. That is ONLY made in San Francisco since 1849 .....and that is Sour Dough Bread!! Here is what showed up at my front porch. (Props to Timber and Kiki for not tearing open the box ...brave FedEx man!)


Amen brother!!

Here is the rest of the pics of the heavenly items we received!!


The hardest part was trying not to rip open the bags and go at it. I put one immediately in the freezer, before it was harmed in any way. The second I put in the pantry, behind dishes, till Brint came home. That night we had some toasted buttery slices with our dinner. Boy was it worth the wait. I missed that flavor, texture, and twinge in your neck from the sour dough. Aaaahhh!!

Of course the whole time, I was thinking of the person who introduced me to this heavenly bread. Well, and "fooding" your way through a trip. I have a pic of him in my kitchen, as that was his fav place to be, and to entertain!! I think the pic of the Boudin bread and my Uncle Bill says it all (click on the pic to see it close up, I just unpacked the green stemmed wine glasses he has on that table. And last week I washed those white dishes!).



Now, another place I've told my friends to go, it to a small town just out side of Monterey. Can any of my Calif. friends guess it?? Castroville, the artichoke capital of the world!! I told my coworkers about a town where ALL it was, was a town full of farms that grew artichokes. Artichokes that are grown right up to the edge of the ocean cliffs. Artichokes, that are kissed every morning by the misty ocean fog. Artichokes, that are from the size of a small cell phone, to bigger than a baby's head.

So now I have one friend in particular ready to sign up. We looked up the web site to a family farm that I knew of, and apparently Martha Stewart too (she just did a show there). The farm is called Pezzini Farms. The prices are amazing. She decided to order them online (Again~ THANK HEAVEN FOR TECHNOLOGY!). The next thing you know they were shipped straight from the California soil to her house in North Carolina. I totally scored, as she gave me a big ziplock storage bag full of the baby artichokes. These are the kinds where you snip off the tops, to get the thorns off, and toss them in the steamer. Then ....wait for it ...you eat the WHOLE thing!!! Aaaaahhhh!

Here are the little beauties just steaming away!

Sorry that these next pics are blurry, my camera was getting low on battery juice, and refused to take the pics with the flash. Rude! Anyway, I know everyone has their own love of what they dip these little yummies in. Some with butter, some with mayo, and some with dipping sauces. As for me and my home, we use mayo!!

I served these jolly green minis with a pan seared and wine glazed pork chops, fresh chive mashed potatoes, and some Boudin bread. Which I regret that I didn't get a pic of, since the slice was already in my mouth!

The nice thing about these little guys, is that you don't have to worry about the prickly "choke" in the center. You just eat it up! So what is your favorite food and from where. Do go "fooding" through your trips?? Please say Brint and I are not the only ones!?!

Crystal Clear

Just had to show you these three pretty little pieces. One piece is obviously for cream, the other two, I think, are probably for oil and vinegar?? Don't know, but I think I will use them as little flower vases. There is nothing like sunshine and freshly washed cut crystal.


Speaking of a pretty sunny day. I managed to get this pic of these very colorful birds.

If you click on the pic, you will see the bright yellow and red that these sweet birds bring. Ahhh, I love spring!!

Ode to Robert...

I just had to get this out, before his next big flick (Iron Man 2) comes out. My coworker and I were talking about movies, and often quote them, and realized that we share the same love for Robert Downey, JR. Ever since he appeared in our life in 1985, he has been our (well my) first heart throb, with those BIG brown eyes. I have always been a sucker for guys who have a natural sense of humor!

Can't have an "ode" with out a favorite list. So here is my fav RDJR movie list

1. Chaplin

2. Iron Man
3. Air America

4. Heart and Souls


5. Soapdish
6. Only You (best eye candy movie...sorry had to say it)
7. The Pick Up Artist


8. Chances Are
9. Home for the Holidays (Diane this one is for you!)

10. Sherlock Holmes

11. Back to School
12. The Soloist
13. U.S. Marshalls












Ok, so I went a little crazy with the pics, but I just can't get enough. Keep it up Robert!!!