pregnancy essentials

There are a few things that every woman finds to be able to make it through a long nine months of pregnancy.
Nobody else's suggestions helped.
So these are mine.
For the first 5 months at least.

1. Coke. Whatever chemical is in a cold Coke just really burns away all those nasty tastes and nauseous feelings.Who knows what the heck else it's burning away, but I honestly wouldn't be able to eat half the things I do without a Coke to wash down every couple bites.

2.  Netflix and a quality bed. For some reason laying in bed is just so much more comfortable than any couch or chair that I have tested out. But an important element of a quality bed is a mountain of pillows that you can surround yourself with.

3. A Husband. Or someone else to do absolutely everything for you. I'm pretty sure I would be living in a waste bin if my husband (and mother) wasn't there to help cook and clean. And give me massages. And respond to my every request. And carry things I can't. And heat up my rice bags. And keep me sane.

4. Throw-up Bowl. Preferably next to your bed. And in your car. And in your purse. And in your husband's car. Cause you never know when it's gonna hit, all you know is it aint gonna be pretty! So also keep some sort of breath freshening/teeth cleaning supplies near those barf bowls.

5. An arsenal of food. You never know what the heck your belly is gonna wanna eat. I honestly never thought that your belly could dictate so strongly what you put on your plate, but pregnancy gives it a mind of it's own. Some days it will want an avocado and the next day the thought of an avocado will make you want to throw up. Have a varietous selection so you can feed that already picky baby whatever he wants.

camping

I have just been itching to go camping lately.
And so we planned on going to a nearby campsite with toilets and tables so that if I started to feel too too sick, we would have resources to help me feel better.
BUT everyone and their mom loves to camp in Utah and of course, most places are first come first served.
So instead, we drove deep into the Uintahs, took a few wrong turns,  and pitched our tent near a river and some cow pies.
And for our 9 o clock dinner we ate.....wait for it.....
Salmon and asparagus tin foil dinners!!!
I nearly died, it was so quick and delicious.
I am honestly camping no other way from here on out.
And the sleeping wasn't too bad.
Bruce stood guard alllll night, we could hear the river running, and it just took me about ten minutes to flip my pregnant body over every couple hours....
It was a nature-lovin dream!
Next time we're just gonna try to get there before night fall.

priorities

Lately I've been thinking about what's important to me.
What are my priorities?
What am I doing to honor those priorities?
And what am I choosing to spend my money on?
It's so easy to see what other people are doing or buying and to shift your focus to the lives of others.
But everyone is different and everyone values different things.
I need to focus on my family and where we are at and what we want.
Since Summer has started I wanted to continue making adventure and quality time important even though I've been so sick.
So I decided that even though I can't go on all the adventures I had been wanting to go on, I can make it work for me.
I looked up the easiest hikes around and have been slowly doing them so that I can still feel like my priorities are being honored.

The first hike is The Grotto in Payson canyon.
This hike took quite the drive to get here so it's not one I will frequent often.
But it is PERFECT for children.
It's not steep, but has some river crossings.
And the ending has a nice waterfall, but there's not space at the top to sit and hang out.
Which is OK because it's only 1 mile, out and back, so you won't need to lunch at the top.

Battle Creek Falls in Pleasant Grove was a little longer, at 1.5 miles out and back.
And holy cow it was STEEEEEP for this pregnant lady, but is still a good hike for all ages including kids.
And the waterfall at the end is a little more impressive with lots more space to hang out and eat a snack.

Both hikes are always pretty dang busy with packed parking lots so go into it prepared for that.
But don't let it deter you from these fun hikes.

So, priorities honored, no matter how modified.