7 23 weeks

23 weeks 4 days

-I feel great! The only side affect I'm experiencing is heart burn, and it's a killer. Baby girl better come out with a full head of hair with all the heart burn I'm having!

-No stretch marks.

-I've gained about 7 pounds. All my clothes still fit great!

-My hair is growing at a super sonic rate. I chopped my hair to my shoulders last October ish and my hair is already to the middle of my back. I love pre-natals!

-I'm a lot bigger than I was my last pregnancy at this time. It's crazy how different pregnancies can be.

-My hair is baby fine and it normally gets oily really fast. I usually have to wash it every day or at least every other day just to keep it from being plastered to my head (gross!). The last couple months I've been able to go days without washing it because it's not oily. Like, at all! It's been so nice!

-I've been craving Twix, Macaroni and Cheese, corn, pineapple, and ice cream.

-Baby girl's heart rate is at 148 (the same as last month).She's about the size of a large mango and is just over a pound in weight. She has some intense kicks and loves my sciatic nerve.

16 that time i got stranded in another country

Last year the man and I took a cruise through the Caribbean. One of our stops was in Jamaica and it was an amazing experience! Since Dave and I spent every second off the ship together I never bothered taking my wallet. He payed for everything and I figured why carry mine around if I wasn't going to use it? So I left my wallet, phone and passport on the ship. No big deal for most people. We went throughout the day normally, spent time on the beach, went shopping, walked around the town, you know the usual touristy things. The time was coming for us to return to the ship and we were heading back. Somehow we got separated and our plan was that if that ever happened to just meet back at the ship. So that's what I planned on doing. As I got closer to the ship I noticed it was getting further and further away. Isn't it supposed to be getting closer? I mean I was speed walking my way to the ship. As I turned onto the walkway to the ship I noticed it wasn't there, it was out to sea!!! I immediately started panicking and ran back to the port to see if any of the Royal Caribbean employees could call them and tell them to wait. There was no way for them to do that. And since I didn't have any type of identification with me basically they told me I was out of luck. I was petrified! So I went to find a phone I could use to call someone, anyone. Maybe my Mom? Oh yeah I didn't have money with me, not even spare change. And I didn't even know how to call out of the country! So I went back to the port office to see if they could help and guess what? The doors were locked. They were closed! I sat on a bench outside of the office and cried and cried and cried. I thought I was going to be stranded there forever as a bum sleeping on benches.  

The next thing I knew an employee was offering for me to stay with her until I figured out a way to get back home. I was so grateful! I knew how worried Dave must have been and I knew he was doing everything in his power to fix it but I knew that probably wouldn't make a difference. I was freaking out because we still had five more days left of our cruise. What was I going to do for five days without any money? The next day I made my way to the local airport to see if maybe the customs department could somehow help me. No luck but I did run into a very nice lady who was indeed willing to help. She happened to have a private plane and couldn't say no to a poor American girl who was balling her eyes out. I figured being in the states trying to prove that I was a real American citizen was better than being a homeless bum living on the streets of a foreign country. So I hopped on the plane and prayed Dave wouldn't come to Jamaica looking for me! Oh did I mention the lady helping me was Kim Kardashian? She really is so nice in real life! We made it to Orlando and I was able to call my parents who graciously put me up in a hotel until Dave returned. I called, texted and emailed Dave letting him know I was safely in Orlando hoping that he'd think to check. I was home! I was safe and I met a huge celebrity! I was so afraid I would never see Kyson again and I could not wait to give him a giant hug.

There's just one piece of information you should know and that's that none of this happened.. This was the dream I had last night! I just want to show just how real and intense my dreams are. Every night! I've never once had a dream where I was falling or being chased by gorillas. All my dreams are real life things that could happen! I woke up so freaked out from this dream that I about started crying. My real life experience in Jamaica was one of the best times on my life and I would love to visit again but I would never want to be stranded there. Unless I could eat all the Jerk Chicken I could handle, for free. Then I might consider being stranded there!

Jamaica 2012

13 why i love you

Dave

You are such an amazing role model to me! You have shown me so many things about myself that I never used to notice. You've made me love me more! And that is so important, how you can you truly love someone else if you don't love yourself first? You have given me a life I never dreamed about and you've given me an adorable little boy that I admire so much. I am so glad you're the one I'm going through this life with and the one I get to spend Eternity with! You're relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus is so precious to me. You can see it in your eyes how much you love God and I love that you teach Kyson the Gospel. You can make me laugh so hard I pee when no one else would be able to and you let me know just how much you love me every single day! You put off such a great energy and it's so easy for you to make friends and get people to like you. I love that! You're an incredibly hard worker. There was a time where you had two jobs just so we could have a nice vacation. Not many husbands would do that! How you manage to go to work, go to the gym three times a day, go to school, and spend time with me and Kyson blows my mind. You're kind of amazing! You let me complain to you more often than I'd like to admit and you never tell me to get over it, quit wining, or even roll your eyes at me. You let me get all my feelings out and you do it with a smile. I wish I could say I'm that patient with you! You always help me clean the house and you never let me take out the trash! That's big because you know how disgusted I am by trash cans! It's no secret that we've had some serious issues in our marriage but look at us! We overcame everything and we came out on top! You're my man and even though you make me so angry sometimes, you're the one I want. You're the one I want to make mistakes with and you're the one I want to learn and grow with. Plus you're so hot!! And that's why I love you!

Kyson

You little boy, amaze me every single day! You're such a blessing in my life and I adore you so much. You are the sweetest little thing and I love how cuddly you are in the mornings. You are so silly and it melts my heart when you laugh. You told me that I'm your best friend today and it totally made my entire year! You are such a smart little boy, I mean what other four year old can count to 100 by himself?!  You have a passion for learning and you draw me the sweetest pictures. I've kept them all! You remind me every day that 'we love Jesus' and I couldn't be more proud that you know that! You tell me how beautiful I am and you kiss me multiple times a day. You're going to make one heck of a man someday! Your future wife is going to be one lucky girl. If I ever approve of her! No one will ever be good enough for you, ha! You are so excited to be getting a baby sissy but you will always be my first born and we will always have that special mommy/son relationship. I'm having the hardest time knowing you start school in just two months and it's breaking my heart knowing that I wont get all day with you but at the same time, I am so happy that you get to have an education when so many kids go without. I want nothing but the best for you! And now that I'm balling my eyes out typing this, just know that I love you so much! You're my baby boy and you bring me nothing but pure joy! And that's why I love you!

Baby girl

Your daddy and I tried for a long time to get pregnant with you. You are such a blessing and a gift straight from Heaven! We prayed for you, fasted for you, and hoped for you! And now you're so close to being in my arms. You're coming into an amazing family. A family that laughs together, plays together, prays together, loves each other, grows together, and learns together. A family that puts God first, always! You are already so loved by so many people and I know you'll be spoiled! You're coming into a world full of evil but it can't scare you. This world is also full of beautiful things, happiness and love!! You've just got to be strong! You've got a big brother who is already protective of you, he already loves you and kisses my belly goodnight. I'm so happy that you're mine and that I get to have girls days with you. I can't wait to do your hair and paint your nails. Go shopping and get ice cream with my daughter. You're going to make mistakes and get your heart broken, but don't worry I will always be there for you and daddy will always have his guns cleaned, loaded and ready for when those boys are mean to you ;) You will also thrive in life and I can't wait to watch you grow into a beautiful young lady and have a family of your own. And that baby girl, is why I love you. Already!

11 Dave's favorite recipe

I don't share a lot of my recipes on here unless it changes our lives and this recipe definitely has! Ha! I found this recipe off of pinterest about a year ago and we immediately fell in love with it. It's not the easiest recipe but it's definitely not hard. Dave loves it, I love it, it makes killer left-overs, and it's very filling. And it's a Weight Watchers meal!!

Cheddar Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

Ingredients

1/2 lb penne pasta

4 slices of bacon, diced

1/2 Tbsp butter

1 large chicken breast

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 package dressing mix (1/2 oz)

1 cup milk (I use 1 1/2 cups for a runnier sauce)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

Directions

Cook pasta in boiling salted water, drain, return to pot and keep warm.

Meanwhile cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Drain all but 1/2 tablespoon of bacon drippings from pan.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the reserved bacon drippings, then add chicken to the same skillet. Cook until tender, no longer pink and slightly browned.

Sprinkle the flour and ranch dressing mix over chicken and stir. Stir in the milk and cook until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the cheese and the bacon until cheese is melted. 

Enjoy!

9 Memorial Day weekend

Dave had a four day weekend and we had so many fun things planned that would keep us outside in the sun the whole time! Friday we kicked it off by doing yard work ha! We also registered for our baby shower and it was a lot of fun. But by Friday night Dave caught a stomach bug that kept him in bed until Monday morning.. It was such a bummer! He felt better on Monday but it was so windy that it was way too miserable to be outside at all! So the weekend was spent cleaning and relaxing mostly. We did sneak in a few fun things though. Oh and Dave found a Star Wars marathon on T.V. that he insisted we be apart of. I know way more about Star Wars then I'd like to admit..

Anyways I did a lot of painting with Kyson over the weekend and we even taught him how to play Jenga, he's such a cheater! We had breakfast for dinner and spent an afternoon at the Splash Pad. And Kyson blew my mind by counting to 100 all by himself! We're raising a genius!!

 

Since Dave was feeling better on Monday we let Kyson decide what we would do that day. He chose the Arcade and ice cream after.

It was a good weekend considering most of our plans had to be cancelled do to a sick hubby but he's feeling better and we still managed to have a good time. Four days all to each other was just what we needed!

11 insta latelys

If you'd like to follow along on my insta journey, find me.

denise_madsen

(denise_madsen)

I'm always looking for new people to follow!

My sweet Grandma passed away at age 90 a couple weeks ago.

Having movie nights snuggled up to my hubby are my favorite. Oh and The Impossible is one of the saddest movies EVER! Even though it has a happy ending.

Throwback Thursday!

Finding out the little kicking machine in my belly is a girl! I was so happy I cried!!

Having a killer gender reveal party with some of my best friends!

Such a heartbreaking tragedy! But I loved this.

Baby registry! If you live in Utah I'd love to see you at my baby shower! Just email me your address at deniseeyre@hotmail.com

14 gender reveal party

Last weekend we had our Gender Reveal Party! My friend Vashti offered to throw it for us and we were ecstatic! All of my closest Texas friends were there and even Dave had a friend show up. It was so great to be surrounded by some of the people I hold closest to my heart! I just wish I lived closer to my family for events like these. There were so many kids running around and it was just the best day. We socialized, snacked on food, and played some awkward pregnancy games. I've never had so many people staring at my boobs at once haha. I cut the cake and served it and it was SO good! And then came time for the reveal! Our reveal was a pinata. It was so cute! It was a little box with streamers tied to the end of it. One of the streamers would release the bottom causing all the colored confetti to fall out. Dave and I started tugging at the streamers and nothing happened. I was too impatient so I just grabbed all of them and pulled hard! And out fell all the pink confetti!

(sorry for the poor quality, camera phones don't work too well with lots of fast movements!)

We are thrilled to be adding a daughter to our growing family and cannot wait for her arrival!

24 we're having a...

We couldn't be more excited!!

Now who wants to teach me how to make bows?!

13 Boy or Girl?

We had our gender ultrasound yesterday and we couldn't be happier with the results! We're having a gender reveal party on Saturday so until then what do you think we're having? Here are our results according to old wives tales.

---

Rumor has it that if you are carrying your baby high, it's a girl. Carrying low? Stock up on blue.

Similar tales say if you carry in front, you've got yourself a little boy, and if you expand horizontally, it's a girl.

-I think I'm kind of in between high and low. Maybe I'm having an it? haha so I'm going to say a boy and a girl for this one.
 And I'm carrying all in the front, so BOY.

Legends say that if you are having a little girl, she'll steal your beauty. So, if you've got acne and other not-so-pretty skin blemishes, you've got a little princess coming your way.

I don't have any acne so BOY.

 Take off your wedding ring, tie it to a piece of string, and hang it over your belly. If it swings in a circle, you are promised a boy; back and forth indicates a girl.

BOY

 Your baby's heart rate might be an indicator of its gender. If your little one's heart rate is under 140 beats per minute, you're having a little boy. If it's over, get ready for your little girl!

GIRL

 Craving sweets? According to some, that means your going to have a little girl. Salty and sour cravings indicate a boy.

GIRL

  Chinese birth charts use your age at conception and the month you conceived to determine the sex of your baby.

BOY

 If you're stricken with a queasy stomach during your first trimester, think ribbons and bows. If you sail through your pregnancy with nary an upset stomach, it's blue all the way. 

BOY

So what do think? 

12 vacationing

Do you ever facebook stalk yourself? Or sit at your computer for what seems like hours just looking at your own pictures? Today was one of those days for me and I gotta say. I enjoyed it! It was fun reminiscing on Dave and my dating days, being newly weds, new parents and all the fun vacations we've taken. We're coming up on our fifth wedding anniversary and I'm happy to say we've done SO much as a couple in five years! 

I've always had a passion for traveling so when I married Dave at least one vacation a year was a requirement for me. Can you say spoiled? Vacationing was something that my family did a lot as a kid and it's something that I really wanted to share with Dave and do with our own family. Dave on the other hand thought traveling was a waste of money! What the? Who thinks like that? It took some time talking him into it and once we went on our first trip as husband and wife I thought I had it in the bag. Wrong! Dave still wasn't convinced that we needed a travel fund! It actually took me a few years to convince him that it was worth it and that seeing other parts of the world, even if it's just a state we've never been to was definitely not a waste of money.

Last year after months of begging I finally demanded that we go on a cruise. We went all out for that vacation and finally, finally Dave had traveling in his blood! He loved it! And now he's throwing out ideas for upcoming vacations!! We're both itching to go on another big trip but with a baby on the way, selling our house and Dave being in school it's just not going to happen any time soon. Bummer! But we do get to go on some get away's before this wee one arrives. That'll have to do!

 Utah

 Mount Rushmore

 Las Vegas

 Zion National Park

 North Dakota

Sea World, San Antonio

 Haiti

 Jamaica

 Cayman Islands

 Mexico

 Florida

Dallas

 I will always cherish these memories and I'm so glad that I was/am so pushy about traveling. Living in Texas has definitely not been my favorite experience in my life and I certainly haven't been hiding how much I don't like living here but I'm glad that we're surrounded by such amazing places! We'll only live here for a couple more years and there's still so much we want to experience before we move! Dave and I cannot wait to see more of the world and more of our own country.