nursery sneak peak!

Halloween is tomorrow! What!? Although we don't have any parties to go to, and I'm still down, and we have yet to figure out what to be, we will have a good time! My family in Utah is pretty into Halloween. Well, every holiday for that matter... and that's a huge understatement. My sister plans a big Halloween party each year with a costume contest, pumpkin carving contest, and other games. This year we were still able to attend via FaceTime, which was so fun! I don't know what I would do without that little webcam. My siblings and their families all had some pretty creative costumes! And Eric and I had tons of fun just watching my crazy family party :) Next year we hope to be there for Halloween which means Baby Payne will come too! And she'll be like... 10ish months old! Check out these pictures from last Halloween's parties when Eric and I were just a week away from being engaged! My sister had a murder mystery party and then we were mimes for the actual day :) I can't believe how much has happened since then!!

Alright, so onto what's been happening these past couple of weeks. Eric has been working his bum off at school and just got 100% on his latest English paper! He spends so much time studying, reading, and writing. I'm so proud of him and so grateful that he works so hard so we can have the best life possible for our family. I've still been spending most of my days filled with HGTV, Duck Dynasty (life saver), hanging out with Eric, reading, and just focusing on keeping this girlie growing where she should! The ward we're in here and the people in our neighborhood are SO friendly! They've reached out so much! I've had lots of visitors come and bring treats or just hang out for a while :) I feel pretty blessed that although I can't really reach out, and go places to meet people, they're kind enough to come to me so I feel comfortable here :) 

Since my last update, I've had two doctors appointments. I was looking REALLY good at the first one with my cervix measuring at 4.1cm (which is considered totally awesome and at the top of what it should be!). The doc said at this appt. that I have a better chance of actually going full term, which is something we never thought would be in the cards for us! Then by the next appointment a week later, it had dropped a full centimeter to 3.1. Now, 3.1 is still in the good, average range and we're happy with it! We'll just have to see what happens by our next appointment. I'm 32 weeks along tomorrow, which makes us so happy!! If we make it full term, then we only have 8 weeks left, which is not a lot of weeks!! I'm not to the point where I'm totally miserable, but I am getting big! I have a serious outie belly button, and an immense amount of heartburn through out the day. But with a bigger belly, comes a bigger baby, and it is SO much fun! She's constantly wiggling, kicking, and trying to break free. I've had some kicks to the ribs, but she prefers to hang out down low still for the most part. She also gets hiccups at least a couple of times a day. She's already so funny and crazy, and she's very obedient to Eric's voice. I swear, the girl understands him haha. We can't wait to meet this child. 

I promised to post some pictures of her nursery, but we're just not all the way done yet! However, I will post a couple of "sneak peaks" of things that are pretty much done :) Her room is tiny, so we've had to use the most of the space we have and I think we've done a pretty good job so far! 

That's only about half of her tiny clothes.. maybe less. It still needs some organizing, but you get it :) Most of her clothes were hand-me-downs or gifts. My diaper bag is the JJ Cole for Target version of their $70 diaper bag. Mine was $30 and just as cute :) Go deals!

Her crib :) My amazing in-laws gave us this and her matching changing table. We got her bedding for $50 through the classifieds from a couple who felt it clashed with their daughters room and never used it :) It's perfect for us! The grey and pink blanket in the back was made by my wonderful sister :) For the canopy, we just used cheap lace curtains from Ikea, a sewing hoop and ribbon. When she's big enough to pull on it, we'll take it down and put the curtains on the window.

Rocking chair! Another grab from the classifieds. We spent $100 on a $500 rocker that's in amazing condition, AND it's super comfy. No reupholstering necessary. This one will last us for all the kids we have, I'm sure of it :) Winks the elephant is ready for her :) The pink blanket was made by my grandmother, and I'm very happy to be able to display it in her room :)

Tiny handmade shoes I received at a shower  hanging on a small dresser we got at Kmart for $50 :)

Once everything is on the walls and all set up, I'll take more pictures :) We can't say enough how grateful we are for all the hand-me-downs, gifts, and cards. It's helped more than people will ever know. It truly is amazing how kind and generous people can be. We feel beyond blessed :)

This weekend, something amazing is happening. The one and only Eric Payne will be turning 24 years old! He's already gotten some presents from his parents and I can't wait to give him a fun birthday weekend! I'm so grateful this boy was born. I'll tell all about it soon! 

That's all for now, folks!

good news!!

Where has October gone!? My heck. It's almost half way over already! I didn't think that being on bed rest would make things go by faster. I must say though, I've really enjoyed this month so far. I've been able to get a lot of stuff done! You wouldn't think I could do much when I need to lay down all day, but it actually helps me do things that I've neglected. I've been able to get Baby Payne's nursery almost all the way set up! Most of it has been me directing Eric to do things, but I have done a few projects that I've been wanting to do for months :) Later this week, I'll dedicate a post to her room :) I've done a lot of reading on parenting, which helps me feel a little bit more prepared (although I know once she's here, I'll have no idea what I'm doing haha). I was also able to make a new website! Although I've put myself on maternity leave until at least January, I wanted to get a new site up and running. Check it out! melindapaynephoto.com. I've gone through and totally organized our computer, which was desperately needed indeed. Lots of deleting and putting pictures and documents in their place! I've also been able to pick up my guitar again. I've been playing since I was 16, but haven't been nearly as into it this past year. I would love to teach our kids to play someday, so I just have to make sure I keep up on it and keep learning! It's so relaxing. I've also enjoyed just being able to lay down and watch my favorite shows :)

Despite the fears we have of our baby coming early, this scare has really brought Eric and I closer together. It has made my love for this man grow like mad, and I truly have never felt more loved. This may get mushy, so bear with me here. I just have to share a bit of why he is so amazing. He isn't afraid to show me how much he loves me, and these are some of the things he does (men, take notes):

-He refuses to let me open my own door in his presence. He believes that chivalry is not dead, and he can't wait to teach that to our kids.

-He's never stopped bringing me flowers. It's not a daily occurrence, and I honestly never expect them. But that's what makes it so special. They always come at the perfect time. He says that he loves the look on my face when he comes with flowers, and that's what makes him want to keep doing it. Whether it's a single rose, or a big, fancy bouquet, I feel SO special each time. (To all those women who claim that they don't like getting flowers... You're lying.)

This is my most recent bouquet. It's beautiful and smells so good :) I love being able to look at them all day.

-He doesn't complain. Eric has become my poor slave these past few weeks. (really, a good chunk of my pregnancy since I was so sick in the beginning). He makes me most of my meals, keeps me on top of my meds and drinking water, and is there for anything I need. I know it's hard on him at times. And I hate making him do everything for me.. I feel more like his child than his wife. But he does it with no complaint. When I ask him to do something, or get something, I always get one of three responses: "Gladly!", "You bet sweetheart!", or "Of course!" all ending in HUGE smiles and forehead kisses. I always make sure to say my please's and thank you's. He's very positive and optimistic, which keeps me going :)

-He LOVES our daughter. He releshes in every kick and squirm he feels. He gets excited at all the tiny baby clothes, shoes and bows (to the point of giddy laughter and occasional tear. Shhh). He's actively involved in my preparing for parenthood, and doesn't want to be left out of anything. We already make each decision together. He talks to her, and gives my tummy kisses :) He also thinks a pregnant belly is sexier than a 6 pack.. so... that makes me feel great :)

-He's open with me. He let's me know what's on his mind and wants to make sure that we always know what's going on. Communication has been key to the success of our relationship so far.

-He steals kisses. A lot :)

-I often catch him staring at me, like he's never seen me before. Even when I'm not wearing makeup :)

-He is a man of God. He reads scriptures with me and prays with me each day. I love him so much for this.

-He always makes sure I'm comfy. He got me some INCREDIBLE jammie pants to live in (it's like wearing perfection). He makes up the couch for me every day and sets up pillows and blankets. It makes a huge difference :)

-He holds my hand in public and around the house.

-He gives me unexpected foot and back massages. (and is always willing when I ask him for one).

-He dances with me. Just the other night, we were getting ready to go to sleep. My makeup was off, hair undone, with sexy oversized jammies on. He looked at me, and asked me to dance. He turned on the song that we danced to at our wedding (Never Stop (Wedding Version), by Safety Suit. Look it up, it's the best ever). I cried. And I fell in love with him again.

-He asks me what he can do for me.

-He cuddles with me, even in front of people. He cuddles me to sleep (I know that's not a lot of couples thing, but I can't sleep with out it) and he cuddles me when we wake up. Even if it's just for a minute. He needs to wake up early for school, and he will set his alarm earlier just so he has extra time to take cuddling me.

-He tells me he loves me through out the day. And he means it.

-He tells me I'm beautiful. Gorgeous. Hot. All that good stuff :)

-He makes me laugh. :) all day, every day. He knows just what to do and say and he's not afraid to be a dork :)

I could go on forever.. but I think it would turn into a novel (not that it hasn't already...). He is amazing and I am SO grateful to have him as my husband. Our baby is in for a treat to have a dad like him :) I'm eternally grateful for the love he has for me. He is my hero.

Now, some other things that have happened!! It rained for the first time since we've been here and I could wear a SWEATER. I hate Utah winters. Always have, always will. But I LOVE Utah fall. I didn't think I would miss the fall as much as I do living in California, but I was kind of over the whole 90 degrees in October thing.. Then it cooled down a little. And it rained... and some leaves kind of changed a little! And I felt better. And now I'm grateful that it won't get any colder and I don't have to worry about snow. I still love living in California :)

The view from my back window the day it rained. I can't even tell you how refreshing this was :)

And the good news!! After almost two weeks of being at a stable point, my condition with Baby Payne has improved!! We're so happy!! It gives us a TON more hope that she'll stay in much, much longer. I'm still on bed rest and on meds, because they are obviously doing something. I'm still high risk, and being monitored weekly. My OB was ecstatic with my progress, and we're all feeling some serious relief. We are so grateful for all the concern and all the prayers. I believe that Heavenly Father has had a big hand in helping us out :) Our little girl is continuing to grow and she's just as crazy as ever! We love her and we are so grateful for this angel. We definitely need her, and she needs us. We're excited to meet her, but not for a couple more months ;) 

That's life for now! We're feeling calm, things are good and we are happy, happy, happy :) 

September! Part 2

Alright, if you missed the first part of September, check this post out. And now, here's the rest!

After we had lots of visitors, poor Eric got sick. REALLY sick. He was down for a few days, and seriously is just starting to feel back to normal. Eric's parents were out of town most of the month. They drove Megan back to Utah and stayed with her for a little bit, and then they went to New Jersey to meet their new grandbaby girl :) It was nice to have some time to ourselves after all the craziness, but it was so sad to see my husband so sick all the time. He's been working so hard with school, I knew it has been pretty taxing on him. I did manage to get another pregnancy picture after a 7 week delay.. haha. I'm getting big!

Last week, he began to feel better and things were pretty much back to normal :) Then, last Monday at 26 weeks and a few days I starting feeling a lot of crampy pain. I've had some pain with this pregnancy, but it's always gone away after rest. This time, it was not going away, but getting much worse. I called an on-call doc and she told me to go into the ER. Obviously, my first concern was the baby and hoping that I wasn't in labor. The hospital moved us in really fast, ran a bunch of tests and concluded after a few hours that I had a kidney stone. This was insanely painful, but not something that could harm the baby. I was so relieved! However, through all the tests, the nurse found that I was already beginning to efface. (This is where your cervix begins to shorten in preparation for labor. Next step is dilation, then, ultimately, a baby! This doesn't typically begin to happen until at least 35 weeks) She told me not to worry because women can walk around for weeks and weeks being effaced and nothing happens. I was a little concerned, but I had an appointment with my OB the next morning. They sent us home and that night and the next day were insanely painful, but I survived! With the help of my amazing husband of course ;)

So. We went to see my OB the next morning. He was concerned with me being effaced, but let me know that they took a test where they check if I'm releasing labor hormones. That test came back negative, which is awesome :) He ordered an ultra sound to check the actual length of my cervix, which we came back to do that Thursday when I was 27 weeks. I also had a glucose test that day, so I got to drink a drink of straight sugar haha I love sugar but.. that stuff was nast. Luckily though, no diabetes! Woo! Our ultra sound was fun, we LOVED seeing our baby girl again! She was so crazy and funny! And she looks SO adorable :) We were both in heaven seeing her twirl around and kick and open her little mouth :) But, when she checked the other stuff, she had some not so good news. My cervix was looking really short. Like WAY too short for how far along I was. So she sent my back into the doc and he did another exam to check himself. He couldn't hide his concern. He said at this point, it's normal for it to be AT LEAST 2.5 cm, but normally up to 4 cm. Mine was 1.5 cm.. which is not good. Luckily I wasn't dilating yet, and we already knew I wasn't releasing labor hormones, but he was still very concerned. He sent us to the hospital right away to be monitored.

Once we made it there, I just broke down a bit. I was so nervous, but also not trying to stress out too much so I didn't harm baby girl. A high risk OB doc came in to talk to us, get some personal history, talk to us about our options, and let me know a little bit more of what was happening. She was very kind and thorough, and definitely calmed us down a bit. Most of our stay at the hospital was pretty boring, but Eric made for very entertaining company :) It was fun to listen to our babies heart beat and we had a really cool nurse :) I seriously am so grateful for the great care we got. I highly recommend Mission Hospital for those of you reading in Orange County :)

They ran a few more tests, and I just waited for my OB to come in and talk to me after he reviewed everything. The hospital food was... fun... but we were both getting REALLY hungry. There's a food mall right across from the hospital and inside that mall was a Buffalo Wild Wings. I don't think Eric could speak with out saying how badly he wanted it.. haha Poor guy. Anywho, the doc finally came in a little bit later that night and let us know that I wasn't having contractions, but he was worried about me continuing to progress. So he put me on bed rest and put me on a medication that could possibly give us a slight chance of slowing things down.

I'm now being treated as a high risk pregnancy and my doc will continue to check me every week. Besides taking it super easy, and using this medication, there really isn't anything else we can do but take it one day at a time! I'm so happy that we made it to 28 weeks!! Each day is slightly relieving. Baby Payne is insanely active and I am never really worried about how she's doing. I just worry about what my body's doing and hoping that it realizes that it's not time to bring her to this world yet. I have my first check up appointment tomorrow since it's been a week, and I'm pretty anxious to see if anything has changed!

It's been a stressful week, but I'm SO grateful that I had a kidney stone and we caught this early on :) I see it as a tender mercy from God for sure :) Bed rest isn't easy, but knowing that I'm doing something to help our baby girl helps a lot. Plus I have HGTV, Pinterest and Duck Dynasty. So... It's not too bad ;) Eric and his parents have been amazing in helping me out so I can stay down as much as possible.

There she is!! Look at her perfect little profile :) She was growing right on track and estimated at 2 lbs 1 oz. I'm sure she's grown a lot more in the past week :) 

We got her a special little present :) Her name is Winks :) 

As soon as we found out we were having complications, my mama sent us this adorable carseat so we'd be ready whenever :)

September!

August was crazy. September was also crazy. I think I just have to bank on having a crazy (but beautiful) life from now on! So much has happened and I've slacked so much on writing, that I'll have to try and summarize as much as possible. Okay. Go.

We got pretty much settled in by the end of August. Then, we had the opportunity to host Eric's cousin Craig, his awesome wife Kathleen, and their 6 amazing kids who came from Texas for a little while. Their two youngest kids are adopted and the littlest one was going to be sealed to them in the Newport Beach LDS temple. Kathleen asked me to take some pictures of the fam while they were in town, which was such a great opportunity for me! I loved every second they were all here, and I seriously am SO blessed to have married into such an incredible family :)

Eric taught the kids how to body board :) It was so adorable :) He's going to stick our kids in the ocean as soon as they can open their eyes... hahaha

The two little ones :) 

Not too long after they left, my sister in law Megan came to stay with us for a couple of weeks with her two boys from Utah. I love my nephews, but they certainly got crazy! There definitely wasn't a dull moment the whole time :) Megan is also pregnant and while she was here, she found out she was having a GIRL!! Oh my gosh, I'm so excited for our little baby girl to have 3 girl cousins her age! And I'm so excited that Megan get's to have a girl to dress up and play with after having these two crazy boys haha We did plenty of fun crafts and lots of shopping for our babies :) Her and my mother in law also planned a baby shower for me while she was here, which was SO much fun! We got lots of adorable things for our baby!! 

I got a little doggy fluffy coat for Baby Payne :) I LOVED it :)

We've gotten so much fun stuff!! We seriously are so grateful for all the gifts and hand-me-downs. I kind of went crazy in decorating her nursery right away. I just felt a serious urgency to get it all set up and ready to go. It's not all the way ready yet, but I swear I will post pictures of it once it's perfect :) This girl will be well dressed, and regularly photographed, that's for sure. haha

Our friends Kari and Will went to Disneyland on a family vacation. Seeing as Disneyland is like... a half hour away from us, we HAD to get together. We spent a great day at Newport beach! It was such a blast :) I love those two :)

The last part of this month proved to be quite scary and challenging so I'll separate the posts because the next one is bound to be lengthy haha 

To be continued....