I am defiantly a sheep...

1. taken by casey. 32 weeks.
2. Little W @ 33 weeks. healthy baby.
growing great. weighs about 4 lbs 12 oz.

Casey one day told me that this year is the year of the dragon. He was born in the year of the dragon and now our son will be as well. We then looked up what animal I was. I was born in the year of the sheep. We then went on and looks up what characteristics a dragon and a sheep had. A sheep is someone who worries and stresses over a lot. (which is just like me).

My life is great but I think I am going insane sometimes because I have so much going on. I know that it is half because I am pregnant and I have baby brain but it is also because I am starting to stress out about many things.

1. Graduating. I have so much to do before little W comes into our life. One thing is to get most if not all of my portfolio done. This is a problem for me because I am having a hard time finding the motivation to do the work. I want to do all of these projects but half of me just doesn't have the energy or motivation to do. I have all of these ideas but I just can't kick myself in my butt and do it. Example of this is right now. I am at school waiting for Casey to get out of this night class so we can go home. I should be doing homework but instead I have been looking at blogs and now writing this post. I know that I am able to do it but all I want to do right now is spend time with Casey just relaxing and wishing that I could hold little W. (sidenote: I am so excited to be able to hold this little guy in my arms and be able to be with him and take cute little pictures of him.)

2. Becoming a parent. Becoming a parent is a very big deal. I sometimes ask myself, "am I really ready for this?" well do you know what... there is no going back now. I am going to be a mommy in 4 to 6 weeks. I have been thinking about all the things that I am going to have to do before he even gets here. and then all of the things that I have to do once he gets here. I know that no one is ready to become a parent, it comes with time but it is still something that I am stressing about.

3. My pregnancy. I am done mentally and physically. I wish that I could just be done being pregnant. Lately, I have been having a horrible time sleeping just because I am not comfortable and once I find a comfortable position I have to get up and go pee. Another thing is that I have been having bad back pain. Sometimes it hurts so bad that I just can't move (well I feel that way). I sometimes even feel like I am a really big person because it is hard for me to move around and get up.

Story: One day Casey and I were just on the couch watching some tv. I got up to throw something away. note the trash can is about 5 to 7 steps away from the couch. Once I got up and walked over to the trash can then walked over back to the couch and sat down, I was out of breath. I was breathing hard. Casey turns to me and said, "was it really that difficult to walk over to trash can the throw something away?" I responded with a "yes" and a "duh" look on my face. 

I also feel loop-sided. I lose my balance multiple times a day. I know it is because I have a big belly in the front and nothing (emphasis on nothing) in the back to balance it out. I worried that something isn't right. I have been having dreams that I lose the baby. So that makes me even more worried. But I know that everything is fine. He is a healthy baby. He is growing great. I am doing great and gaining more weight, which is good since I lost so much. I am having normal pregnancy symptoms. I am growing at a great rate. Everything is great. My doctor actually said when I went in last that I am regular.! So yippie for that.

 I am glad that I am about to be pregnant and this last bit of my pregnancy is NOT like my first bit. I am glad that I am pregnant with a healthy little boy. I am glad that I am able to get pregnant. and I am glad that I am pregnant with an amazing husband that is trying so hard to understand everything that goes on when your pregnant and is understanding when I am going insane. He is very loving to me and I can't wait to see him hold our son for the first time. (I might cry, I almost cry just thinking about it.) He is going to be an amazing daddy just like he is an amazing husband!

To sum it up. I know that I am going insane and I am really stressed but if I think about my future and how I am going to be a mom to an amazing little boy that I made with my amazing husband nothing else matters. I just am praying for the best for him and that is all I want.

♥ The Schroeder

The time is getting closer..!

It is getting closer and closer to March. January is half way over already. We just finished our first week back to school for our last semester at the LDSBC. I am starting to really buckle down and get my portfolio done before this little guy of our arrives. It is just 7 to 9 weeks away. We are getting more and more excited to be parents and to meet our son.! I am starting to think about everything that we need to get and do before he gets here. I feel like I have all the time in the world but when I really think about it, the time that I do have will just fly by and sooner than I know it, I will be a mommy and Casey will be a daddy! I will have a little boy in my life that I will love with all my heart and more. Oh goodness, I think it is really starting to hit me that I will be a parent to a son. He has been moving all the time inside of me and I am loving the feeling, but it makes me just that more excited to be able to hold him and just let him fall asleep in my arms. I just can't wait! On the 23rd of January, I will be getting an ultrasound to make sure he is growing great and healthy, and I just can't wait to be able to see him again. Even though I won't be able to see what he really looks like and physically hold him, I still can't wait to be able to see him move on the screen and see how he is doing. Oh I am just so excited! :]

♥ The Schroeder

Christmas and New Years.

I know it is way past Christmas and New Years, but I finally got around to posting about it.

Casey and I both had to work so we didn't get to go anywhere for Christmas but we were okay with it. It was hard for me to not be by my parents or by family. We spent our second Christmas together just us two. We both said that it will be the last Christmas that we would be able to do that since we will be having a little guy join us in 8 to 10 weeks. We lucked out and only had to work the first part of the week before Christmas, so we decided to go up to Bear Lake and see my sister and her family for a couple days. We got back Christmas eve day and joined Casey's cousin's for a party that night. We then went to temple square on Christmas eve.

Christmas Day we woke up in the morning and opened presents at 7 in the morning because I am like a little girl when it comes to Christmas morning and wakes up at the crack of dawn to open presents still at the age of 20. I actually woke up at 3:30am (which is because I had to use the bathroom) and turned over to Casey and asked if we could open presents then and he said "no santa hasn't came yet." I think he just wanted to sleep more, so we went back to sleep and waited until 7:00am to get out of bed to open presents. Casey was very good to me this year. He got me everything that I asked for and even more. Even though everything was little that we got for each other it was a very great Christmas. We spent the rest of the morning just relaxing with each other watching the Disney Parade. We then went to church to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. When we got home from Church we facetimed with Casey's family and my parents. Then we started to cook our Christmas dinner. It was the first time that Casey and I cooked a Ham and Yams so it was fun trying to figure everything out. It turned out great! :]

New Years Eve we celebrated it at Casey's cousin's. It was fun being around family. We went home around 10:30 and just chilled with one another until midnight! I get tired very easily so I feel asleep at 11:30 but Casey made sure to wake me up at midnight to say Happy New Years and give me a kiss. He is such a sweet husband! On New Years day we just relaxed with each other and just spent the day together. Nothing to big, just a relaxed holiday.

For our last week of break my parents were in town for my uncle's funeral. It was great being able to see him and the rest of the family. The smith's are in our prayers and thoughts. We love them very much. While my parents were in town we just spent time with them. It was great to see my mom and dad while I was pregnant with a belly. They got to feel our little guy kick, even though he didn't kick as much as he usually does because I was on the move and wasn't just relaxing at home. I loved having them here and hate to see them leave. The next time I will see them I will be having a baby or I will have a baby! It is crazy to think that I am going to be a mommy in 8 to 10 weeks. I am way excited but getting nervous at the same time. Casey and I both can't wait to meet our little guy, we are way excited to be parents are start this new chapter in our lives.

Well this break has been filled with adventures and fun times. We start school on monday. I am semi ready for it. It was my last day of work at Staples yesterday and now I am going to be a tutor for interior design at the school for this semester. I haven't really done as much as I wanted to get done with my portfolio and other things that I wanted to get done this break but I sure did get to spend lots of time with my family and with my amazing husband! Well now it is school time.. our last semester at LDSBC and in Utah! Yippie!! We are ready to be back in California, closer to the family! :]

♥ The Schroeder

Whats going on..!

So I have decided that life is crazy! School is out for the semester which means 3 weeks off! Well for me that means 3 weeks of trying to get ahead on my portfolio so I can finish it before baby Schroeder comes.!  Casey is working more since it is the holiday season, which is nice and not so nice at the same time. Nice because we get money and not so nice because I want to send time with him. I am only working about twice a week because I get to stressed when I work and am trying to get everything done that I want to get done. I put my notice in to stop working which will be on January 7th. I am quitting early because (1) I have school everyday next semester so it would be hard for me to work anyways (2) it is getting strenuous on my body bending over and standing all the time and (3) I need to focus on getting my portfolio done and put all my extra time that I have into that.

Lately, pregnancy wise, I have been doing good. I have been dealing with heartburn at night where sometimes I have to sleep sitting up, which is so not comfortable. I also have been having really bad cramps in my right leg. My doctor said that is it normal so I am not worried about it, just loving all of the fun things about being pregnant. Since I am 28 weeks pregnant that means that I am in my third trimester! That means that I will be have this child of mine very soon and it is going to come sooner than I think! So I have been starting to think of all the things I need to do and get before he comes! I am very excited to finally meet him and see what he looks like and how he is and his personality. I can't wait! Since it is the Christmas season, I have been seeing all of these cute little outfits for Christmas and I just want to buy them but I know he won't be here for Christmas so I don't. Next year I will defiantly be buying some though.

Me at about 25 weeks

Me at 27 Weeks

Baby Schroeder 26 Weeks

I am starting to sort through all the clothes that I do have for him and putting them into piles of what size they are and whatnot. My sister also gave me tons of her baby boy clothes that she has as well, which we are very grateful for. I know Casey is very grateful for it because that means he can say no to me when I ask if we can buy some clothes for the little guy because we have tons, but I still want more. I don't fit in most of my regular clothes now, which is exciting because that means I am growing! It is getting colder outside and since I have this belly that sticks out I don't fit in most of my winter jackets. So casey and I went to get me a new one and we got a deal! We went to old navy and got this jacket which is normally $90 for $26! Ya amazing deal! Go us! and It is super cute! I love it!

New Jacket

I am just weighing my normal weight but is sure I will be gaining more this next trimester and be getting bigger as well. I do feel like I am huge but I know that I will just be getting bigger. The other day at work someone asked me how far along I was and I told him I was 7 months and they said you are tiny for 7 months. I just laughed.

Because of the lovely pinterest, I have found some DIY stuff that I want to do for our little guy. This past weekend I went to Joann's and got everything that I needed to do it. I am going to make this diaper strap as well as some ties that you sew onto a onsie. I am so excited to do them, but I hope they turn out since I am not the most amazing sewer ever. I will put up the final product once I finish them. But here is a picture of what they are suppose to be like and the fabric I will be using.

Both fabrics are going to be ties.
The baseball fabric is also going to be used for the diaper strap. 

Well that is all that is going on here. Just getting ready for our little guy to come and getting ahead on school work. Fun stuff!

♥ The Schroeder

oh what a day.

A saying I found on Pinterest. 

Being pregnant is great but sometimes I am so excited to be done with it. I have so many emotions where sometimes I just don't know what to do with them. I can't make my mind up or decided on anything. I feel like I am going to be getting every pregnancy symptom possible ((which probably isn't true but it sure feels like it)). I am sick of worrying about gaining weight. I know I need to since I lost so much during the first 3 to 4 months of my pregnancy, but I just can't wrap my head around the fact that I need to gain weight. It just is a fact thing for me to do. I really don't want to gain weight because I am scared out of my pants that I won't be able to lose it and then I will be "fat". I feel like I am never going to feel normal again. This is applying to being able to eat normally. To explain more, I pretty much couldn't eat when I was sick with morning sickness, then when I started to get an appetite I was scared to eat because I was scared that I would just throw it back up ((which is not fun and is a hard thing to overcome when that is it you did for months)). Then I got sick with a bad cold, which made me just want to drink juice and eat little of things. And now I am starting to feel better from the cold, I start getting heartburn. I feel like the world is coming after me! I am just so scatter-brained right now that I just don't know what to do with myself. I just don't know what is going on. I have no motivation to do my homework, listen during class, or clean our apartment. I really need some help. I know what I am doing is what the Lord wants but I sometimes wonder, can I handle this. I really don't like my job, correction I hate my job. I just don't enjoy it and don't see where I would use it later in my life. I really want to quit and be able to focus on school and being a homemaker, but I know that I need to work so we can have money to live off of. I have so much to do for school for my portfolio that I just don't know where to start. I just feel like I don't know what I am doing and I won't be able to do what I see in my mind, so then I won't be happy with the work that I do. I have this big portfolio event that is going to be happening a month after our little guy is born and it is stressing me out! I know I have like 5 months to do it but with everything else that is going on during those 5 months makes me feel like I won't have time to do it! I want to try and finish it before I even have our little guy so I can focus on being a mom when he comes. I know that I will have help but it still scares the crap out of me. And then I start thinking about being able to give him the best life that he deserves. Casey and I are a poor young happily married couple, we don't have much to give. Yes, we are going to give him everything we can but there is so much more that I want to be able to give him. He isn't even here and I am worrying about where he will grow up, if he will have friends, what choices he will make, teaching him to choose the right, and much much more. Is this even normal for me to be going through.?! I bet it is but still I am just going crazy. Ok it might be some of the crazy pregnancy hormones that I have right now but I am just ready to be done sometimes but I don't want to be done but I know if he comes now then he has a very little chance of living and that is not something I want. I want a healthy baby boy. And I know that we will have this healthy baby boy. I do love my life and I do love everyone that is in it and I do know that what I am going through is suppose to be happening and that I will be able to get through it even if it is going to hard but I have great supporters that will support me and I have the Lord to guide me, but sometimes I just don't know what to do. That is all. Goodnight.

♥ The Schroeder

Just my thoughts...

Sorry in advance if this post is totally random and scattered. 

So since I have been pregnant I have had these moments where I just start crying for no reason. Yes, the hormones are making me a cry baby. Last night it happened again. Casey and I were just in the car driving home from target when I just started to cry. I just started to go on and on about how amazing of a husband Casey is and how much he takes care of me and loves me. Then I started to go on about how I need to be a better wife and all. Casey just let me get it all out and then told me that I am the best wife that he could ask for and he wouldn't want anything different! Oh I love my husband! He is so understanding and so caring! I couldn't ask for a better husband or best friend!

Being pregnant has been an adventure. It has scared me at times where I tell myself that I don't know what I am doing and getting myself into. I am scared that I am just not ready. But when I talk to Casey about what we are about to get ourselves into we both know that we will be ready when the time comes and when our little guy comes he will be the best parents he could have. It makes me feel better. I am just so excited but nervous at the same time. It is crazy to think that only in about 18 weeks Casey and I will be parents to a little guy! I can't believe it sometimes! At times I just want our little guy to be here already! Being home alone isn't to fun anymore, I get bored. But I know once there little Schroeder comes along I will never be alone, which I am actually excited about. Yes you can call me crazy but I don't care, I am excited to start this next chapter in my life and have these new adventures!

Family. Last weekend Casey and I were able to go see my parents in Livermore. We had a blast! It was great being able to spend some time with them. I have sure missed them both and needed to see them. My mom has been going through chemo for her cancer and it has been hard on me not being able to be down there and helping her out whenever she needs it. She has done so much for me in my life and still doing so much that I just want to help her! So being able to go down and just spend time with them was amazing! The whole trip we kept on saying that this probably will be the last time we spend time as just us four because the next time I will see the both of them will probably be in March when our little guy comes and joins us on this earth. My mom and I kept on saying "next time you will be here we will have a little guy with us" or something of that matter. Casey and I were just so relaxed and happy while spending time with my parents. When we got home I started to cry because I didn't want to come back. I just wanted to stay there and be with my parents all the time or with any family for that matter.

I love being with and around family! Family does bring great happiness in my life and I cannot wait to have a family of my owe. Casey and I are both so excited to start our family and be able to spend time with our children to come. I cannot wait!

♥ The Schroeder

Little Schroeder is a....

BOY!!

Our Halloween costumes we made.!

Casey and I are super excited that we are going to be having a BOY! We both didn't really care if it was a boy or girl but we are now excited that its a boy. I cannot wait to meet this little guy.

We found out a couple weeks ago but I have been busy with life and just has been a slacker on blogging our life. I am now 21 weeks along, which means I am half way through! So exciting! I have been feeling much better, barely any morning sickness. Just every now and then I feel very nauseous. I have been gaining weight, which is a good thing because I lost almost 20 pounds from being sick with morning sickness (yah, it wasn't to fun).

 I am starting to show a bit more which is also exciting! I am starting to not fit in my normal jeans anymore, it really matters on what pair of pants I am wearing but sometimes I have to use a rubber band or my belly band thing. Since I am starting to show, I starting to feel like I am fat. I know I am not but I cannot help but feel that way when my tummy is sticking out all the time. And I know it is just going to get bigger. 

On Halloween I felt our little guy move for the first time, which is amazing! I did not know if it was actually him moving or not but I feel it more now and it's him moving alright! It feels like a little flutter. The other night I wanted Casey to feel it so he can experience what I was feeling so I took him hand and put it on my lower tummy (that is where little Schroeder is) and had him sit there until our little guy moved. And he did! Casey felt him move. He said it felt like a little punch. Today we were just laying on the couch watching some TV and we wanted to see if we can see the little guy move. And if you look long and hard enough you can see a little movement when he moves. It also helps that I can feel it as well, so I know where to look. But it has been way exciting getting to feel and see our little guy.

We cannot wait to meet him! Only 18 more weeks!! :]

 ♥ The Schroeder