Here is a video of our little guy trying to sneeze and open his eyes

Just to let everyone know that I haven't told already, our Baby's due date got moved up from December 28th to the 16th!! I am very nervous/happy/excited/anxious, and am frequently prone to nausea when I think on the reality of it and very reluctant with regards to labor and all it entails. All I wanted was to be moved up, but now I feel particularly rushed to get all his things ready. It is a great blessing, however, considering now there is a better chance of my family being able to spend ample time getting to know him this holiday season. Just pray I don't throw up/pass out when I feel the labor starting!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I know its cheesy, but I always love reflecting on the many blessings we have in our lives, especially at times when I tend to feel down or lonely. This weekend taught me a lot about gratitude, and mainly how we should simply be grateful that nothing is going wrong :)
The first fiasco we experienced was the plumbing backing up. (I am so grateful we live in the upstairs)! We had to resort to making bathroom trips to another family's home who was out of town, which wasn't awful but for me the trips were frequent. Then that night we noticed a really awful smell coming from Chad's room. He had stepped in a dog's mess and not only tracked it into his room but in an attempt to get it off his shoes rubbed it into the carpet. The smell was so bad we could smell it upstairs!
Then as we were getting ready for bed that night we noticed some ants in our bedroom on the bed. I then discovered they were all over the chair and in our closet on our clothes!! I hate bugs of any sort, especially when they're in my sleeping space!
The bad luck ended there for me and Jared, but not so for his parents, Mike and Sabrina. They got a call the next morning (as Mike and Jared were snaking out the blockage in the plumbing-yuck), that one of their condos had found a water leak, and some mould. Turns out the leak had been there for about two months, pooling water under the house and causing some damage. Ugh.
Since then things have been, thankfully, uneventful! As we reflected back on the chaos it made me really appreciate all the wonderful comforts we enjoy living here, in this home and in the U.S.. We have been so blessed with our little baby, health insurance, Jared's new job, and money we've been able to make in the mean time. We are so grateful for such wonderful parents, siblings, and extended family that we not only love as family but friends too.
Oh, and GO COUGS!!

I am sorry for being such a horrible writer! I need to catch up on my journal too, and return several phone calls!
This week ended up being much busier than we anticipated at the start of it, but I welcome the distractions. I worked at another company where I was the main receptionist/secretary for 5 groups of lawyers and a company called ECR Inc. I love being busy and especially with the chance to earn some money! If anything this experience I've had dabbling in different offices has shown me how much I enjoy working and feeling productive. I would love to have more opportunities in the future to work once my kids don't require my undivided attention. Jared loves that I'm willing to work in the future, as some wives in this area have been without young children for years but seem to go month after month occupying their time with often expensive hobbies to pass the time. It is a good thing we're having this baby though, because otherwise I might like working too much to leave!!
Everything is going well, and thankfully uneventfully with the pregnancy. I have been so blessed to be comfortable and healthy, with no complaints for this entire 7 months. I anticipate the arrival of our little guy greatly, but am learning to enjoy the fact that he is being taken care of now, and that I have him all to myself for the last time. We are starting to "nest" and get everything ready, and in just over a week the birthing classes start!!

Another week has come and gone relatively uneventfully. Work is going well for me, keeping me occupied and giving me something to do during the days besides shop for Baby! I really wish I had a dog as a buddy.
The job search continues for Jared, not to say he hasn't had things to do. He has become the ward go-to guy for random tasks, such as yesterday when he was Santa at a house showing :) I'll have to put up a photo of that one for sure. We were teasing him that he'd better get a job before spring when there aren't any characters needed for a while. To his credit he did a great job, and he is fantastic with kids, so much better than me. When we babysit the kids in the ward they always like him better. I've already taken the role of disciplinarian. So much fun!
Well I hope you all have a great week!!