A Colorful City Community

I know I have said this probably a million times since we have gotten here.. 

& Although I TRULY am so grateful for our opportunity to be in San Antonio, that we both were accepted into the programs we have been dreaming about, and for progression in life..

Life really has been such an adjustment lately.

Blake's hard/busy schooling is about to do us in... & everything from city living.. city driving.. having to make all new friends and start all over.. being pregnant.. not having a full time job(s) [aka finding ourselves suddenly broke].. 

Are all things that have been just different all at once and that I have good days and definitely harder days with.. 

But THEN there are days [or a few hours in a day] where Blake gets to take a break from studying..

And I am reminded of the beautiful things in life.. and realize that all the things that matter are okay.

Luckily Saturday was one of those days..

Every October San Antonio has an annual Chalk it Up city celebration downtown!

And since I love a good [free] opportunity to get out and enjoy the liveliness of downtown, I have been looking forward to this colorful event for the last few weeks. 

Blake was really sweet and made sure to get everything done and plan things so that we could go, and even convinced our new friends [and their puppy Oliver] that it would be fun to spend the afternoon out.. 

{I concluded that if you move somewhere new and want to make friends I guess you just need to have a dog.. Oliver was quite the hit with passer-by's.. who'd of known it was as simple as that}

Despite all of my whining.. we really have been blessed to meet some really wonderful people.

Like this Pinata Man for example.. 

We really lucked out with that guy..

[Just kidddding.. This is Logan and Abby.. our new fun ambitious friends all the way from Iowa. They are BOTH in Optometry school with Blake and have been such a blessing to us, I think they keep Blake going through the week.]

And through out the afternoon I think we were all continually amazed by these drawing people in the streets, these aren't even featured artists.. 

They just closed off different sections for everyone in the public to chalk up if they wanted to and you would have thought this was happening in the middle of an art school.

[Maybe it was.. who knows where I am half of the time..]

     

  

And then there was us..

Not only were our drawings just slightly less impressive than those other previously shown drawings but after we started drawing we realized that we were practically standing on top of this sign.

We decided to just roll with it at that point..

I really love art.. and in fact I enjoy making art and things beautiful.. but drawing is just one of those talents that I really appreciate in other people.

And boy was there so much to appreciate this afternoon..

I also concluded they must have special chalk.. because not once have my chalk pictures with chalk from the dollar store been this bright and colorful.. or beautiful.

So once I find me some special {magical} chalk then maybe we will be able to redeem ourselves and feel worthy of hanging out with these down town chalk artists. 

Something else fun about the city.. besides for the fact that they hold these events by the riverwalk {{because that's beautiful}} is how many people come to these community events!

I love the hustle and bustle and just the liveliness of  everything.. I love how often they have fun things going on if you look for them.. and I love that we get to be a part of it.

 

Maybe there is hope for us yet and we can become big city people.. 

I do know that I can't wait to take our kids to things like this... all of the laughter and the families were so fun.

{However we probably should practice our drawing before we bring them back so at least we can impress someone.. }

:) 

I just wanted to end my post today with a quote that my Grandma shared from President Hinckley that really hit home for me with everything going on.. I hope it can uplift your day like it did mine.

"Don't be gloomy. Do not dwell on unkind things.Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. Even if you are not happy, put a smile on your face.'Accentuate the positive,' Look a little deeper for the good. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life."

-Gordon B. Hinckley

Dr. Bingham

We have a little while before Dr. Bingham is official..

But it has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

Last week Blake convinced me to come in so that he could check my eyes and practice with all of the real equipment..

& Even though he practices on me at our kitchen table with the equipment he can bring home..

[I am pretty sure he probably has all of my prescriptions and eye flaws memorized, and after a couple more times I am pretty sure I will have those eye charts down.. so hopefully I don't get replaced with a more challenging patient soon..]

I was dying over this more official examination.

Oh my heavens.. how handsome is this guy in his doctor lab coat..

For the whole first part of the examination practice he had to keep reminding me to look forward at the letters and not at him.

{Unfortunately the letters weren't looking cute and more official than I had seen them before..}

I am pretty convinced I am going to be blind from all this practicing by the time Blake graduates Optometry school,

& we still have quite the road ahead of us.. this schooling experience is harder than either of us anticipated,

AND I have definitely never seen my calm cool collected patient husband so stressed..

But I sure love this Optometry student. In fact, I can't tell you how much I love this hardworking Optometry student.

It's so fun watching him working towards what he has always wanted to do and I have been so impressed with him.. he wakes up at 5:30 every morning

 [which is extremely amazing for Blake because he is definitely the night owl of the two of us]

 and even though if we are spending time together in the morning it's definitely me helping him study.. he always works really hard to include me and make sure his priorities are right.

And just in case I haven't been mushy/impressed enough..

I feel like it's necessary to point out the fact that..

He also  saves me from these ridiculous creatures I find in our house.. and hardly even makes fun of me
that much.

Where even are we living?! 

I don't know if it's that our house was built back in the stone age or if it's just Texas and the heat and humidity but I have never seen so many bugs [or salamanderish creatures] in my place of residence.

I am getting  pretty good at getting rid of the bugs on my own,

[cockroaches are disgusting enough to be in their own category and don't count as bugs.. right?]

But coming home to this little guy, it didn't seem appropriate to squish him or flush him and I definitely don't have what it takes to grab him in a kleenex to throw him outside..

So when I called Blake in a panic he only laughed a little bit and talked me through the situation until he got home and could remove our little prisoner from the premises.

It's all going to be worth it. It's all going to be worth it. It's all going to be worth it.

This is my daily mantra.. I'll let you know in 4 years how it's working out for me..

But moral of this blog post.. people can be pretty amazing.. like in this situation, my husband,

 I find him pretty amazing.

I know that we are on this earth to work hard and then we will be able to reap the fruit of our labors and they will be so much more rewarding than if they had come easy.

Thank you Blake for being such a loving hard working man, and a pretty darn good looking eye doctor in training. 

I love you.

My New Life as a Sweatshop Worker.. I mean.. Seamstress {& a small sneak peak of the nursery}

So with just over 10 weeks left until this baby girl comes..

[& That is if she doesn't come a single day early..]

I have been figuring it's probably about time to start getting things ready for her..

But when I started looking around at bedding.. and clothes.. and things for the nursery..

Everything was adding up quick.

So as much as I have to admit that I would have loved if I could have just ordered everything I wanted and had someone else put it all together.. I started making some ambitious goals.

And our house has kind of looked like a sweat shop the last couple of weeks..
 

 

I would never have referred to myself as a sewer.. I still am not sure that I would because...
[I mean really is.. sewer.. even a word?!]
Trust me I will not be selling what I am making on Etsy any time soon.

However I must really love this baby girl.. because as looooong as it has taken me to stress about plan, coordinate, and make everything I think things are finally starting to come together.

Here is a {very} little sneak peak into our nursery 
{or more just our nursery bedding}..

Ta Duh.
I made all of it.. the bed skirt, crib sheet, the whole cabudal. 
 & If you want a tutorial for the crib sheet I would be HAPPY to direct you to the one I used.
:)
The rest of it I kind of just made up as I went.. which I would be happy to explain that to you too.. just don't be expecting anything professional sounding.

However I have to say that I am actually really excited about how it turned out..
[the teething rail comes up in swoops & it's hard to tell so I'm going to have to change the bows..
but other than that..]
 And.. one of the best parts {besides our child will have somewhere to sleep} is that I spent about $45 dollars making everything.. where on Etsy the bedding that looked just like this that I liked was anywhere from $300-$500 or more. 
Just in case you're getting ambitious ideas yourself.. I do have to be honest and say, that if I knew what I was doing it would have even cost less because I had about twice as much fabric as I needed for the rail cover dangit.

After I add pillows and finish putting everything together.. I will be sure to show everyone.

Don't judge this creation yet.. haha This is the beginning of what I think is going to be a very awesome mobile...
& Was essentially free because we used branches from our back yard and I sewed the birds out of left over fabric. So as soon as Blake gets a break from school and can help me put it all together/hang it all up..
trust me, it's gonna be good.
:)

And... dun dun duh..

I am at the end of my 29th week!
 

This week has been a little rough for me.. {which if you've asked me about my pregnancy in the last week just skip this section because I'm sure you know} I feel like I have been going through a near quarter life crisis of sorts.

People have been really nice, and I have been getting comments like "wow you can actually tell now?!".. 

But despite my eating extra yogurt and snacks between meals since I have been paranoid from our last Doctors appointment..

 

I lost weight at the beginning of the week. I almost died. I even cut out a couple of my running/work out days this last couple of weeks because I was worried I was burning too many calories.

So even though I have worried [& worried and worried] and can I clarify that I have never had the problem of accidentally losing weight in my life.. until of course I am trying to gain it.

But she is still SO active.. and it's pretty awesome because she leans against the outside of my stomach so if you rub your hand against my stomach you can feel her body.

So short of gorging myself with donuts I really am not sure what else to do.. so I am just going to be healthy and pray and wait until our ultra sound next Tuesday.

I hope everyone's enjoying the beginning of October and Fall..
[San Antonio..still seems to believe it might be summer..so I have been enjoying everyone's pictures of pumpkins and leaves. Hopefully this city is just a late bloomer]
& I will update about life and things other than baby soon..

Happy Friday.

Botanical Gardens By Night

So this new phase of our lives has definitely been an adjustment..

Going from me being able to work full time & actually even both of us working full time before we moved.. To being VERY poor graduate school students with baby bills..

Has been actually fun in so many ways but a little bit stressful financially..

We have had to budget down to the dollar.

But with that being said I have had a greater appreciation for what we do have and for coupons and sales and especially for things that are free!

So one night when Blake and I were feeling a little bit down about what we could afford to do we sat down and just looked together through different websites and whatever we could find and made a list of different free events going on in San Antonio that looked fun..

& I was SO excited when we stumbled across this..

The San Antonio Botanical Gardens were hosting a movie night right in the middle of the gardens..
Normally it cost money to just come and look around in them, but this night after they were closed for normal hours.. everything was free.

So of course I begged Blake to let us go early so we could explore the gardens before the movie..

& Like I imagined, they were just beautiful..

And it was really nice being able to walk around them while there actually weren't very many people there.

And not having very many other people to witness our actions..we got to do our favorite thing and act like little kids and climb over all of the fun things they had in the gardens.

[A lot of the times I feel like we have a big joke going on and are just pretending to be adults.. but people keep going along with it so why make them feel bad and tell them they are wrong..]

 Luckily, they must have known we were coming because they had chairs ready for us that fit perfectly...

Besides the fact that I could barely get back out {it must have been gravity the comfort pulling me back in}

I think these will probably our next dining room chair purchase.

They even had a really awesome Lego exhibit around the park..

[Some people's talents absolutely amaze me.. me and my siblings were pretty proud when we built a house for our lego men..]

But after this awesome creation we actually ran into someone I had met at a girls night a couple of weeks ago and her husband {who also is going to Optometry school} so of course they were awesome and we got talking and ended up walking around the gardens getting to know them..

& Since I have limited absolutely no multi-tasking abilities that was about where my picture taking of the exhibits ended.

But I have to say that I have had so much fun exploring this city and getting to know the sweet people here..
It's amazing what there is when you are willing to explore and find it..
& I am grateful for someone who is willing to humor me and loves to find new places and have fun with me.
What a blessed girl I am.

And then after the Sunset we got to lay down and watch a movie in the middle of all of the beautiful flowers and plant life with our new friends..
It was a dream summer night out for me, just what the doctor ordered.



I think if we can survive the near death experiences insane amounts of traffic and roads and interstates in this city..
[Justtt kidddding mom.. I don't have near death experiences.. don't start worrying..]
I really could get used to it here.
I am loving all that living in a city has to offer to and explore now that it has cooled down a couple of degrees.

I guess we will probably stick around for a few more years..
:)

::28 Weeks::

So I had my 28 week appointment yesterday..

[& a Whooping Cough shot.. which my arm is still screaming to remind me of.. oh shots.. what a necessary evil..]

And things went alrighttt... 

They did the gestational diabetes testing.. and a shot..

[I prolonged the flu shot another week.. because I am a baby.. but when you get older people seem to occasionally listen to your whining, it's wonderful]

And baby girl was moving lots and her heart was beating perfectly healthy.. 

But there was good news.. and slightly NOT as good of news.

The good news is we get to see her in a couple of weeks because we are going to have another ultrasound.

Yay.. those are the only Dr. visits I find very fun.

The not as good of news is we are having the extra ultra sound because I am measuring small.. 

so I think they just want to make sure that everything's healthy.

& As a first time mom.. and pregnancy that's gotten this far.. I worry about everything but don't really know what else to do.

She is moving quite a bit.. and I am eat when I am hungry.. so I guess we will just pray and let you know in a couple of weeks how things are.

Also according to the nurse I have still only gained 6 lbs.. 

{BUT they also didn't let me eat for a few hours before my diabetes test..and when they weighed me.. 

so who's fault is that I ask you}

I took these pictures too..{not because I look way different than last week.. or because these are very flattering} but because what fun is a blog without pictures, and I wanted to show you thats it's the weirdest thing if I lean back or am laying down on my back you can hardly tell I'm pregnant.

 [not that I do that.. because they tell you not to haha... & I really don't very offften but she seems to move a lot when I'm on my back so sometimes when Blake wants to feel her she leaves me no choice..;)]

Bodies are weird. I have just never paid so much attention to mine.

Things are pretty similar this week to last..

Except for I have been EXHAUSTED. That's probably my least favorite thing.. since I am not a huge sleeper and I normally have quite a bit of energy, this is kind of killing me.

It's also quite an adventure finding things to wear everyday. I still haven't bought any maternity clothes..but I do have to be a little more creative with my clothes since it's hot here and my belly is making my dresses too short.

I can also still wear jeans but it kind of pushes her up into my ribs and isn't as comfortable as before.

 I am having an internal struggle since we are pretty tight on money and I would only wear these clothes for a few months.. the fact that I haven't grown in 10 years has hindered my ability to reach top shelves but spoiled me in the clothes area.

[only TWELVE more weeks! Hallelujah.]

So I think that's about all pregnancy today.. but let me just reiterate one final warning..

TDAP shots.. {aka whooping cough} apparently immobilize {yeah I'm exaggerating.. a little} your shoulder 

for days. So food for thought because let me assure you no one will tell you this at the hospital.. they are into putting your health above your dislike of needles.. weird.

& On that note.. I hope everyone's having a good week. :)

::27 Weeks::

So when I first decided to start a blog it was mostly because I thought a couple of other blogs were really fun to read & I thought it would be a good way to record life/remember experiences.

&& One of those blogs writes what she calls Tuesday Tidbits every Tuesday to keep track of what her kids are doing and how they are growing.. SO I thought that might be fun with my last tri-mester just to keep track of my pregnancy and what's changing since I haven't been very good about journaling or blogging about it and it would be fun to remember.

 {at least for me & hopefully for others to be a part of this exciting experience in my life}

SO this week I am 27 Weeks along.. 

[[6 months exactly & 3 more until full term]]

01.I have gained about 7-8 lbs (from my regular weight) to this point.. but I did lose 6 lbs from my normal weight right when I first got pregnant because I was so sick..

So although I'm not quite where they tell me I'm supposed to be my Dr.'s seem to accept this. 

{I'm not really sure what their other option would be.. stuff with me with donuts?}

This is me on my way out the door to my prenatal yoga class.. I'm the second smallest person in the class next to the girl that is 14 weeks along. But I have definitely been getting bigger..

Last night Blake looked at me and was like, "Hailey you look like you're going to pop." & I was excited and like "REALLY?!" Then he laughs and says, "Well.. No. But you definitely look pregnant." 

:)
I'll take what I can get.

02.I actually feel pretty good minus the nose bleeds and charley horses at night..

& I will say I am more tired and hungry than normal.. but if I squeeze in a 30 minute nap during the day I feel like I still can get quite a bit done and not have it bother me too much.

03. I can't run as much as I could before I was pregnant {probably because I'm already that weird mom that is overly paranoid about hurting baby girl} but I still try to run until I'm uncomfortable and do lots of elliptical and yoga.

04. Um she kicks harder and harder every day.. when it's not on my bladder I absolutely love it. It's nice to know she is doing okay..

05. I am normally way anti eating right before bed.. but lately, especially if I have gone out and am getting back late, if I don't eat a bowl of cereal when I get home I think I'm going to die..

& 3/4 times if it's at night it's probbbably Captain Crunch {which I never eat in the morning}..   

really healthy right.

06. And finally..it is impossible for me to wear my hair down from a bun around here.. I can't decide if it's because I am hot because I am pregnant or if it's that I am hot because Texas is absolutely ridiculously hot. 

[or possibly because our a/c is broken for the 3rd time in the last month and a half.. because that is awe.some. too]

But I guess we will probably never know until next summer.

& I hope this picture doesn't offend everyone in the world..

If it does just pretend my belly is part of the wall since it blends in pretty well with it's lack of sun interaction.

I actually don't really like bare belly maternity pictures.. BUT I took this picture for me and then was thinking I don't know if I don't post it on here if I would be able to find it again.

& Since I can't put this in my journal I wanted to save it for me.. My favorite thing is to look at the difference between my ribs and my belly I feel like that is what makes me feel the most huge pregnant.

My next Dr.'s appointment is next Tuesday so we will see if anythings different.

But I am {probably deliriously} hoping that she will come in 10 1/2 weeks.. 1 1/2 weeks early when Blake gets out of school.. I want her to come as far from Christmas as possible.

So mark your calendars.. December 6th. 

:)

Maybe we can pray/I can run her out into the world..

Thanks for everyone who has been so kind and encouraging about this experience.. I don't know what we would do without our sweet family and friends.

It definitely wouldn't be fun, I love you guys.

A Night Out On the Town

So although first I have to say it is so different living in a city.. driving can be absolutely crazy..

[The East Coast was busy but New York City has subways and it was just a different experience]

But it also can be SO fun.. San Antonio feels so alive to me.

I have been SO proud of this sweet man of mine.. Optometry school is hard and busy.. and he has been working so hard at doing well in school and being a good husband.

It's definitely been an adjustment for us, there is a lot less together time than I wish there was with my class being at night and how hard Blake's 22 credits are.

But the time we do get to spend together he definitely makes count..

Saturday night [after Blake spent the day at a gold tournament and we got to go to an awesome conference for church] we decided we needed a night out together to do something fun, and without complaining about being tired he sweetly took me out to the San Antonio International Music Festival..

These were our excited faces.. {If you can't tell..} when we walked around the corner and heard the drums and accordions and guitars and singing and saw all of the excitement and lights..

The festival was amazing.. most everything was in different languages.. but just to feel how alive everyone was and how happy {especially at like 10 o'clock at night} we were lovvving it.  These are our kind of people.

& Even though nobody on EARTH knew what they were saying.. 

[& by nobody.. I mean me.. probably someone on earth might have known]

It was impossible to not to want to dance and sway along with the music.

{Just another side note.. can you tell I am 6 months pregnant in this picture.. I am vowing for the next 3 months to wear nothing but tight clothes so that maybe someday everyone won't think I am dreaming this little baby up]

And then by some miracle I think we got the best seat in the house.. 

Sitting on this beautiful fountain centered right with the stage.. I was in heaven.

I wish I could pause time and keep this handsome man with me always. 

We stayed and laughed and just enjoyed being together until the bands refused to play any more music and everyone started clearing out..

It was such a fun atmosphere, it almost all felt like a dream.

I am so grateful for our opportunity to be in San Antonio and for the nights that we get to take a off from hard work and just enjoy life.

I feel like since money has been really tight around here we have been a little discouraged about going out as much as we would like to.. but I can't believe when you really look around how many things there are to do that are actually free.

{Except for parking.. nobody in San Antonio has ever heard the words Free Parking}

You have to look around kind of hard and plan for it.. but I am grateful for what this experience is teaching me about appreciating what we have and making it go a long way. As well as appreciating the experiences and the people we are blessed to be around.

What an adventure life is.

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure.

There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."

-Jawaharlal Nehru