Today was a GREAT day

I've completely slacked at blogging. But I have photos to share this time! First thing is first, I cannot be MORE happy. and cannot be MORE proud of my Seth.
A Gtalk conversation today:



Seth had his first interview with Adobe (Used to be Omniture - Adobe bought omniture a few months ago?) early-mid January. Then he had his second and third interview with Adobe a week later. Then they asked for his consent to do a background check. And after two weeks of not hearing anything either way (except the background check people calling and asking for proof of employment that he had listed on his resume, some of which were from high school years) - they called today and offered him a job!!!

We were driving around doing some errands this evening and got a call from the local office. (Most of Seth's correspondence has been with the Adobe headquarters in California) They gave him more details about the job offer and ever since then we've been floating on clouds. It's a serious career job! The guy who called him just kept saying how impressed they were with Seth and the interviews, and how excited they were to have him join "the team", etc. etc. I'm SO proud of Seth. This is such a huge blessing.

He starts next Tuesday! Benefits start day 1! YAY!!!! for double coverage for the baby's delivery, with just two weeks to spare. He'll work 9-5 - YAY For normal hours! Seth asked about a few days off for when the baby is born/we're in the hospital... and they're so flexible - said that wouldn't be a problem at all. Maybe they'd have to give him some reading material to read while he is out for those few days - but they're totally supportive of him being with us and they offer two weeks maternity leave for spouses. He may not get to take the full 2 weeks straight up - but they'll let him get away as much as possible. Anyway - we went out for Cafe Rio to celebrate. :) We are incredibly blessed. (**last night I had one of my little 'stress' moments about the current situation. Seth prayed specifically he would get a job, and specifically said "tomorrow". Right on.**)

SO what else has been going on!?!

Doc Appts: weekly, going just great! Blood Pressure hasn't acted up. Doc checked me last week and I was 25% effaced, not quite a finger dilated. Cervix is moving to the middle - he was happy about it all considering it's my first.

Non stress tests: weekly, going great! two tests ago they had to "buzz" her awake. Her reflexes are amazing! she instantly, I mean instantly, jumped at the little buzz sound - and then went right back to sleep :) She was asleep this last time too, but woke up and started going on her own after a bit. however, I think a current nap time is 11:00am. She's always in the same position. head down, face planted toward my back and so we can't see her face. Which is perfect for delivery, but I wish I could see her to make the weekly ultrasound more "worth" it.

we hosted a super Super Bowl Party! We had a lot of people come over for the commercials... maybe a few of us were there for the football? I did enjoy the football... the Saints were pretty clever for a few of those plays, especially the opening kick second half. Anyway - Lots of Food! Lots of Friends! It was a great time. I hope Ali will post or send me the photo she took of the group...

Recliner! I finally settled on a chair that will be for rocking the baby. We had been looking at a number of La-Z boys from RC Willey for a few weeks. La-Z boys are still rock-able when they are reclined (not with the foot rest up though). We were just deciding on leather or microfiber. If we went with leather - our first choice and they had an awesome one on sale in January - we'd have to declaw Raja's front paws. Which would be another few hundred dollars we did not have. But a few weeks ago we stopped by the RC Willey outlet in Provo and found the most perfect tan microfiber recliner - with no stains/scratches/problems. No clue why it was at the super clearance store! We got this $600 chair for $281 including tax!! Which was the perfect price for my Christmas present from mom and dad to almost cover it. So lucky! It's so comfortable! AND on KSL a few days before we discovered the chair - I found this pink ottoman. The lady trying to sell it actually gave it to us for free! It rocks, perfect size for the chair. I want to make a microfiber matching slipcover for it though. I'll be able to relax/sleep so good while rocking the baby. I'm super excited about this chair situation - if you couldn't tell already :) AND that's me 36 wks 3 days prego.... officially 9 mths pregnant!






Car seat and Stroller!! BIG purchases came in the mail last week... Seth put together the stroller, and my No Car Seat nightmares should go away now. We got Graco's 'Melbourne' style travel system (THANK YOU grandma and grandpa Burke! :) ) It was a very exciting moment to put it all together.
















Here's a little photo of her closet, it's more organized at the moment though - I worked on her room a lot Saturday.



What else... Our taxes are filed! That's a plus... the return will come just in time for Valentine's Day :) I like that. I kind of want to splurge a little of it toward a pedicure and maybe pregnancy massage? We'll see...

Here are a few pictures of baby girl's room that is still in the works... Still planning to do something with the walls - just can't decide yet. I'm not good at this interior design stuff though. I think I have 5 different shades of purple going. We did get her crib bedding for $25 off KSL - crib bumper, sheets, blanket, quilt, dust ruffle. A total score! It's perfect! Plus we have our guest bed still in her room (it's not going anywhere) but it has the lavender quilt my grandma Hartley hand stitched and gave us as a wedding gift. I Love that quilt! And I love that it fits in baby girl's room perfectly.





















The fabric laid out on the bed is my rag quilt in the making... And notice the bassinet turned upside down? Yea... that's because Raja tried to make it her own bed. We've had to yell at her a few times when we catch her in the crib. Sigh... we'll see how this works out. We have baby supplies placed strategically in the bed so she can't sleep in it.

Still open to name suggestions/opinions... We still like: Scarlet/Kayla... more new options would include Nora/Hazel. we'll see what she looks like... and will be taking the name book with us to the hospital.

The evening I super wanted to capture her moving around a ton on video - both cameras' batteries were dead. And still can't find the charger. lame. I get emotional when I really think about how close I am to delivering a baby. I'm incredibly excited to meet her. Nothing keeps me awake at night but when I think about what life will be like with her and the new experiences that lie ahead. I get too excited I can't sleep. Parts of me is nervous/scared that something will go wrong. Parts of me still warns myself to not get more attached. I'm doing so well though. I have frequent braxton hicks. and in the last week I've had some lower abd pain that feels like serious muscle pullage. The Zantac has helped the heartburn a ton - but occasionally I add some tums to get me through the day. I have loved this experience. The good and more challenging parts of it. I feel so blessed, I occasionally reflect on the days I pleaded through prayer that Heavenly Father would bless us with a viable pregnancy. and think about the extreme moments that I felt so much frustration/disappointment/anger,etc. I am grateful I've had those experiences and know I wouldn't have learned some lessons or gained a certain understanding of Heavenly Father's plan of happiness if I had not had those trials and difficulties. Life is good and Seth & I have been so blessed!

Oh! last Tuesday, Groundhog Day, Seth and I celebrated the 4th anniversary of our official last first date. We went to the malt shoppe for a mint oreo shake! ... and dinner. I love this tradition! We will be in Utah for the next 2-3 years to keep it going too... Which reminds me of a weird realization we both had last night. When people ask our daughter in 15 years - "where were you born?" She'll reply, "Provo, UT". weird. That's like birth capitol of America.I hope you all have a wonderful week - and a very enjoyable Valentine's Day 'weekend'!

Wrestling Tourny & 34 wk check up

Friends. This is an update on our busy, busy weekend. Friday early afternoon we rode down to Richfield with Aunt Heather and cousin Andra and friend Reagan. In Richfield we helped out at The Beehive Brawl - a huge wrestling tournament for kids 6-15 yrs old. My Uncle Andy hosts this huge and growing event, this year almost 900 kids were signed up! And it was a huge success, we got done last night at 6:00pm!!! That is amazing. We left the arena about 8pm.

Friday we sold shirts most of the time, handed out coaches meal tickets and coaches passes for parents, etc. to be down on the mats with their wrestlers. Saturday Seth and I each worked a computer covering two mats (entering in scores/updating brackets). My mats were 12 & 15 yr olds wrestling, Seth got to see the little guys wrestle at his. Brought back lots of memories watching my brothers wrestle and going to their meets. My mats had all the drama - I saw a ref get ejected, and a ref eject 3 coaches... tempers were raging, faces were fuming blood red, I was just waiting to see who the first one would be to throw a fist... luckily it didn't go that far though.

It was a fun time! However I felt a bit (incredibly) uncomfortable by the end of each night. I slept SO good Friday night, and was refreshed for the big day Saturday but could barely move as we walked out of the place. Baby girl enjoyed the entire day, I'm sure she wanted to know what the heck was going on!! It was SO loud all day, lots of buzzers, yelling, whistle blowing. She never calmed down, I felt sore getting up and walking around just because of her constantly moving. It was so fun though, so glad she's so active. It's my favorite thing, to feel her move. I've had an extremely lazy Sunday. Slept in as long as I could, pulled my hair back/no make up for church... ate left overs for dinner. and slept. Oh, and the best - a jetted hot bath and reading my book. Doesn't get better.

My 34 week OB check up was last Monday. She's measuring a tad big, sounds fabulous, and there's no complications! What a blessing. Because of before pregnancy high blood pressure, which has been well controlled with meds this whole time, they are still watching me closely and doing all the pre-cautions possible to assure a good delivery and healthy baby. So my doctor will now see me for weekly visits and I'm doing weekly non-stress tests at the hospital. No need to worry, all pre-cautionary. Which is fabulous. My doc did say he will not let me go past my due date. If a non-stress test ever shows concern he'll probably just induce me before putting me on bed rest. This concerned me a little, but he said he feels completely confident in inducing me any day after my 34 wk mark so no need to worry. After 37 weeks, maybe he'll just have us pick an induction date. This makes me happy/excited... but nervous too- because that is so soon!! So we'll see what happens!!!

Our first non-stress test was Wednesday. We had to wait an hour before getting started. I had a lot of my questions answered. It worries me that a non-stress test is only 20 minutes during an entire day, and an entire week. What if baby girl is doing perfect for those 20 minutes but then something happens and she gets 'sick' right after that and we don't find out in time before the next non stress test? For me they are worried about preeclampsia. I'm grateful there are a number of symptoms to look for before something bad could happen. But super grateful I haven't had any of those symptoms! Tomorrow is my weekly doc appt, Wed is my 2nd non stress test, and Thurs is my 35 wk mark!! I'm SO close to being full term, this all has absolutely FLOWN by. The nursery preparations are in the works, I'm working on a rag quilt for her (brown/light green/ purple colors). Seth and I will be welcoming home our baby girl in no time! Totally excited!!

About baby...

Today I am 33 weeks along. I really love it, all! I think I'm getting pretty big, I'm feeling big - as in I appreciate Seth putting socks on my feet for me when he is around when I need them to be on. :)

Baby girl is pretty active... I read online about doing recommended counts of fetal movements during the baby's most active time of the day, and that there should be at least 10 every 4 hours... um try 10 every 4 minutes, at least. She has her days when she isn't as active as usual, of course I worry. I'll drink something cold or jab myself a bunch. Usually doesn't help - and then she'll decide to let me know all is well. I've tried to get a few videos of her being so active - you can see my shirt move lots, etc. but the videos never come out well enough to post. Maybe in a few weeks... I am carrying her pretty much right in the middle... some say they carry their child very low, or very high. Maybe she's a little on the high side, but pretty much right in the middle.

We got the second room a bit more organized and set up so we can start making it her room. We got a crib two days ago!! We scored from an ad on KSL classified's. This was a whopping $40! I love that it is solid/sturdy wood, and not the spoke-like slats. I plan on painting it if the weather permits a warmer sunny day sometime soon. I just really don't like light wood. Don't worry, I've done some research on what paints are safe, etc.
Seth went to pick up the crib while I was at work. I loved the excitement in his voice when he told me he got it. He feels her so much now, it's not just kicks it's all the movements that can be felt now. Seth thinks she especially enjoys it when he shakes my belly up and down, side to side like you would if you're mixing kool-aid in a sealed pitcher. That's not just her going up and down, side to side - but all of my insides too. So he doesn't get away with doing that for too long. Sometimes he'll give her kisses, or pat her on the bum, or talk to her - cheesy, sorry! But I love it.

I've been SO blessed to feel so amazing, at least so far, with this whole adventure. I really don't feel very different than I did before the pregnancy. Sometimes I forget I'm pregnant, and then she'll remind me :) I'm still wearing my wedding ring, I have days when my feet will swell some. I'm grateful my blood pressure is doing well, and that she doesn't hurt me if she kicks my ribs. I've heard that's painful. I'm grateful tums cures my heartburn right away! I've had heartburn for the last few months, some foods give me more heartburn than others - but if I am burpy (which feels like all the time) I have heartburn.

But what I am the most grateful for is.... I sleep SO GOOD! :) I've always been able to fall asleep wherever I am, and so quickly. No matter how many times I have to get up to pee, or what time it is, I can fall right back to sleep. Biggest Blessing Ever. Only "complaint - my hips don't work so well right when I get up, I think of it as being a 70 yr old German shepherd who's hips don't work anymore. A pillow between the legs while sleeping helps, some.

ANYWAY - our birthing/hospital class is this Saturday, we're going to the 6 hour-all-in-one-chunk class at Utah Valley, where I'll be delivering at. My next appointment is next Monday, and after that I'll be going in every 2 weeks. It's coming down to the wire! I'm trying to let it sink in completely, and convince myself this is very real and time to put the room together, checking off a shopping list. But parts of me are still in denial, really. I feel like a part of me is still afraid to be attached, or accept this is going to happen and everything is going to be just fine.I don't let that stop me from getting completely excited and daydream about what it will be like as a new mom, what she'll be like, what our family will be like.

So... here's to 33 weeks! That countdown on the side that says 49 days to go - is more crazy b/c it says "231 days so far". Wow...oh - and of course the famous question everyone asks... "What will her name be?" Well, we will definitely not decide anything until we see her. And we haven't officially looked over a name book. We're very open to suggestions. But we both love "Kayla" and "Scarlet" - and they are so different than each other. We will just need to see her.

blog following

Help... I'm trying to set up my blog following stuff... and I seem to have added to my own list - that I follow my own blog. duh. how do I take that off? Thanks...

What am I going to do...

With these two?




Seth got a new game for Christmas, Forza III, he likes the racing ones. Raja always comes to sit on his lap so he has a hand rest/warmer. Seriously. The other photo is of Raja giving him kisses while he is playing... they're best buds. I'm jealous of their friendship. The only time I get that kind of attention from Raja is in the middle of the night when she is starving and HAS to have food before we wake up. She knows I'm the only one who will get out of bed to fulfill her wishes. And she will not leave me alone until she gets food. (I'm learning though... feed her once a day, just before we go to sleep).

I need to blog about our Christmas and the vacation we had in Michigan over the holidays. It's just going to be such a lame post because we DIDN'T TAKE A SINGLE PHOTO!!! The ENTIRE time. I really need to stop telling myself, "Oh good, so-and-so has their camera and taking lots of good photos right now. I should be taking some too but I'll just borrow their memory card later and add them to the laptop. Or have them email me the good ones." A new year's goal of mine is to take more photos.

Go Hawkeyes!!

We won the Orange Bowl Tonight... So proud of my hometown team!! I have much more to blog about, but for now... Way to be Hawks!

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas (eve) Everyone!! We're in Michigan this year for the season, and surprised there really isn't that much snow! I've heard we should get some tonight though... the same stuff we went through in Utah on Tuesday, amazing. Seth & I hope you are all healthy, warm, and truly happy this Christmas. Here is our Christmas Letter:

Merry Christmas! 2009 has come to an end and it is the wonderful Christmas

season again. We are healthy, happy, and grateful for a wonderful year. Lots of

new things happened, just to fill you in …

Perhaps the most exciting highlights of 2009 for our family are the additions. In February we welcomed “Raja”, the ninja cat. She is the sweetest, feisty, absolute coolest cat one could ever desire. She’s a part of the family and she knows it. Third time IS a charm – On Christmas day Megan will be 30wks along with Baby Girl Burke. A name will be hopefully decided once we see her around March 4, 2010! After the first few pregnancy adventures, we’re very grateful to be blessed with this active and healthy girl.

We moved twice! We left BYU Housing in June for a basement apartment in Orem. We were there for about 6 months before needing to move again due to zoning laws. We are still settling into our new home of just a few days in an Orem condo. With this condo’s heated floors, baby friendly layout, and jetted tub we’re thinking it wasn’t that bad to leave our “perfect” set up with a garage, fireplace, and amazing covered side porch.

We escaped Utah to go to Iowa two times this summer for family events including a sibling High School graduation, nephew baby blessing, and a Nauvoo cousin wedding. Those vacations are always welcome to break up the routine of everyday life. Megan doesn’t even mind the drive! Can’t say the same for Seth though. (Seth says that’s because the past four times she hasn’t driven any of the 18 hr trip).

We celebrated our last childless wedding anniversary in November. We took a weekend getaway… getaway from Raja? … to Park City. We also saw The Trans Siberian Orchestra in concert. It’s difficult to put the first three years of our marriage into words that explain how awesome, amazing, and wonderful it’s been. But I guess you could say we’ve become the best of friends and much more.

Megan was offered a new job at a medical billing office in July. It seemed to be a risky switch from her stable job at wonderful BYU, but turned out to be the best decision. She absolutely loves her new job and responsibilities. She enjoys filling up her extra time with reading, trying out new craft skills, and preparing for the baby.

Seth graduated with his Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology, from BYU this month!! With just a few weeks break, he’ll start school back up the end of January at University of Phoenix to get a masters degree in “Mental Health Counseling”. Because his employment from the last 3 ½ years is a BYU student job, he has been laid off. We’re looking hard to find him a new job, but as many of us have been affected, the job market is just not a progressing one at the moment. We feel confident it will all work out though.

Our lives have been abundantly blessed this 2009! Our faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ has increased and we’ve felt the great love of our Father in Heaven individually and as a couple throughout our wonderful and difficult moments. Merry Christmas! We hope you’re all well and happy!

Much Love,

Seth & Megan Burke