So - I have finally caught up. Maybe not completely, but I have come a long way. I owe a lot of that to working out. I may not SEE any results as of yet, but I can definitely feel them.
I'm currently on that BBG kick that the whole world is talking about. If you don't know about it, talk to your friends and I guarantee that at least 6/10 have either heard about it or are doing it themselves. If you look up Kayla Itsine's Instagram page you can see all of the insane results that other people have posted. NOTE: I will not be posting pictures of my before & after. I love seeing everyone else's, but I just can't. Nope.
As I was saying, working out has seriously helped me be a better mom, employee, and (I think) wife.
Our life as of now - I am currently relaxing after taking a nice bath (my therapy sessions), while Ben plays a few rounds of Call of Duty (his therapy sessions) and Luca dreams away with his tiny little snores (they are the cutest). I never knew how much I appreciated 'me-time' until I became a mom. Being a mother is sincerely one of the GREATEST gifts I have ever been given, but at the end of the day, those quiet moments where you can lay down and relax on a big comfy bed are more rewarding than ever before!
Our Luca baby is probably the sweetest kid around. He has become the center of our world. We started calling him 'Master Luca' because it's pretty clear that he runs the show. I'm hoping our young Jedi will start to get on a better napping schedule during the day because working around his cat naps is not always easy. Luckily, when he does wake up too soon from a nap and his adoring mother still has some work left to do, he will gladly accept an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Yes, we are raising a Disney baby.
All of our troubles aside, I am one happy lady. I have a wonderful husband who loves and understands me and pushes me to be my best self. I have a happy, joyful little babe who I get to hang out with every day. I have a pretty sweet job that allows me to be a mom and do what I love. What more can a girl ask for? Sure, most days there are piles of soiled clothing waiting to be washed, a cranky tired baby (with a rash that just appeared out of nowhere from who knows what), and a dinner still waiting to be made at 8 PM, but I truly wouldn't have it any other way.
Now - off to enjoy this happy moment before we start all over again tomorrow. (:
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Friday, January 15, 2016
welcome to the world baby j
This past December, 6 weeks ago to be exact, we welcomed our sweet baby boy, our little Luca Benjamin Johnson. He was born on December 4, 2015 at 5:15 PM weighing 7 lb. 13 oz. and measuring 20 inches in height.
The night before Luca was born I had a serious case of insomnia. My mind would not shut off, which had been an ongoing issue during the later part of my pregnancy (I suppose it was my body's way of preparing me for a newborn, HA.). I had completed my last day of work on November 30 (the Monday before Luca was born) and I had spent the week cleaning and preparing for when Baby J would arrive. At that point my bag was packed, the house was clean, and everything was feeling more real. The whole night I was contemplating how our life was about to change (though I had no idea how soon that change was going to happen).
My doctor had told me from about mid-pregnancy that she did not think I would make it to my due date (December 9). Luca dropped pretty early on and was sitting really low, which made simple things, like walking, VERY difficult and painful for me. When I began to have contractions at the beginning of the third trimester I was a little concerned and decided I needed to take it easy so that baby boy could stay in there as long as possible! My goal was to get past Thanksgiving and finish November at work and I am so grateful I was able to do both of those things!
The morning of Luca's birth I had fallen asleep at 4 AM only to wake up to contractions at 6:15 AM. I had false contractions in the past so I was hesitant to take these seriously. They started to come every 15 minutes or so and were so painful that I decided to ease the pain by taking a nice hot bath! I knew Ben was supposed to be up soon for work so I let him get some rest instead of burdening him with false labor.
While taking a bath, the contractions started to get closer together, from 15, to 8 to 4 minutes apart. I was in so much pain but was so nervous about going to the hospital and being turned away that I wanted to wait and be certain it was the real deal.
Once I had gone back into the bedroom and told Benjamin of my dilemma, he made the decision for me - we were going to the hospital.
We arrived at the hospital close to 9 A.M. Once there, the nurse checked to see if I was dilating and was unable to get a very clear picture because Luca was sitting so low (this had been a problem for my doctor as well). She needed to make sure that my contractions (which were coming very regularly 3 to 4 minutes apart) were doing their job. I was given the assignment of walking around for an hour before she checked me again. That was a really hard and painful hour and I am so glad that Benjamin was there to help me through (He even did the labor dance with me so I didn't feel like a fool!). At that point, my fear of being sent home was growing. I didn't know how long I would be able to handle all of the pain.
After the hour had gone by, a different nurse came in to check me. She could see how much pain I was in and that my contractions were still coming in regularly and very strong so she decided to get me my epidural and have my doctor break my water. She was my angel that day! By the time I got my epidural it was around 12 or 12:30, and my doctor came in to break my water shortly after.
Once my pain had subsided, I was able to progress very quickly. My body was no longer tense, which helped the contractions to work faster. By 4 o'clock, I was fully dilated. The nurses told me that I would rest an hour before starting to push, unless of course the pushing contractions came sooner.
Literally 10 minutes after they left the room I began to feel the urge to push. I tried to fight it, I didn't want to call the nurses back in too soon if it was false alarm (here I go again), but Benjamin came to the rescue again and convinced me otherwise. Once they had got all the equipment in, I began to push and was feeling quite a bit of pain again. The nurses had me hold off on pushing until they could get me more medicine.
Once I had been given more of the epidural, I began to push again for what felt like 15 or 20 minutes. At that point, I needed to stop once more in order to wait for my doctor to arrive. Luckily that only took about 15 minutes because our little Luca was ready to be born! Our doctor arrived and our sweet boy was delivered about 15 minutes later!
He was so beautiful! His hair was dark with a little curl (though it has straightened out now). He had the most darling almond shaped eyes, with big squishy lips! His fingers and toes were long and slender. His legs were tiny and long.
Not much has changed with our darling boy in these past 6 weeks, he still has the most adorable personality. He is a very mellow little guy who loves to be around people. He's losing all of his hair in the front and growing some new hair instead! His hair is looking less dark, and more auburn. His eyes are a green-brown color right now but change continually. He makes the best expressions and has the best smile (he gets that from Benjamin). He has been growing like crazy and is finally starting to get some baby rolls on his thighs (which we love).
I wish there were accurate words to describe the feeling you have when you see your baby for the first time. He was the most perfect little person I had ever seen! I have never felt so much emotion all at once at any other time in my life.
We love our sweet little Luca Benjamin.
The night before Luca was born I had a serious case of insomnia. My mind would not shut off, which had been an ongoing issue during the later part of my pregnancy (I suppose it was my body's way of preparing me for a newborn, HA.). I had completed my last day of work on November 30 (the Monday before Luca was born) and I had spent the week cleaning and preparing for when Baby J would arrive. At that point my bag was packed, the house was clean, and everything was feeling more real. The whole night I was contemplating how our life was about to change (though I had no idea how soon that change was going to happen).
My doctor had told me from about mid-pregnancy that she did not think I would make it to my due date (December 9). Luca dropped pretty early on and was sitting really low, which made simple things, like walking, VERY difficult and painful for me. When I began to have contractions at the beginning of the third trimester I was a little concerned and decided I needed to take it easy so that baby boy could stay in there as long as possible! My goal was to get past Thanksgiving and finish November at work and I am so grateful I was able to do both of those things!
The morning of Luca's birth I had fallen asleep at 4 AM only to wake up to contractions at 6:15 AM. I had false contractions in the past so I was hesitant to take these seriously. They started to come every 15 minutes or so and were so painful that I decided to ease the pain by taking a nice hot bath! I knew Ben was supposed to be up soon for work so I let him get some rest instead of burdening him with false labor.
While taking a bath, the contractions started to get closer together, from 15, to 8 to 4 minutes apart. I was in so much pain but was so nervous about going to the hospital and being turned away that I wanted to wait and be certain it was the real deal.
Once I had gone back into the bedroom and told Benjamin of my dilemma, he made the decision for me - we were going to the hospital.
We arrived at the hospital close to 9 A.M. Once there, the nurse checked to see if I was dilating and was unable to get a very clear picture because Luca was sitting so low (this had been a problem for my doctor as well). She needed to make sure that my contractions (which were coming very regularly 3 to 4 minutes apart) were doing their job. I was given the assignment of walking around for an hour before she checked me again. That was a really hard and painful hour and I am so glad that Benjamin was there to help me through (He even did the labor dance with me so I didn't feel like a fool!). At that point, my fear of being sent home was growing. I didn't know how long I would be able to handle all of the pain.
After the hour had gone by, a different nurse came in to check me. She could see how much pain I was in and that my contractions were still coming in regularly and very strong so she decided to get me my epidural and have my doctor break my water. She was my angel that day! By the time I got my epidural it was around 12 or 12:30, and my doctor came in to break my water shortly after.
Once my pain had subsided, I was able to progress very quickly. My body was no longer tense, which helped the contractions to work faster. By 4 o'clock, I was fully dilated. The nurses told me that I would rest an hour before starting to push, unless of course the pushing contractions came sooner.
Literally 10 minutes after they left the room I began to feel the urge to push. I tried to fight it, I didn't want to call the nurses back in too soon if it was false alarm (here I go again), but Benjamin came to the rescue again and convinced me otherwise. Once they had got all the equipment in, I began to push and was feeling quite a bit of pain again. The nurses had me hold off on pushing until they could get me more medicine.
Once I had been given more of the epidural, I began to push again for what felt like 15 or 20 minutes. At that point, I needed to stop once more in order to wait for my doctor to arrive. Luckily that only took about 15 minutes because our little Luca was ready to be born! Our doctor arrived and our sweet boy was delivered about 15 minutes later!
He was so beautiful! His hair was dark with a little curl (though it has straightened out now). He had the most darling almond shaped eyes, with big squishy lips! His fingers and toes were long and slender. His legs were tiny and long.
Not much has changed with our darling boy in these past 6 weeks, he still has the most adorable personality. He is a very mellow little guy who loves to be around people. He's losing all of his hair in the front and growing some new hair instead! His hair is looking less dark, and more auburn. His eyes are a green-brown color right now but change continually. He makes the best expressions and has the best smile (he gets that from Benjamin). He has been growing like crazy and is finally starting to get some baby rolls on his thighs (which we love).
I wish there were accurate words to describe the feeling you have when you see your baby for the first time. He was the most perfect little person I had ever seen! I have never felt so much emotion all at once at any other time in my life.
We love our sweet little Luca Benjamin.
I call this picture the bedroom takeover.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
not all who wander are lost
I bet you've heard that phrase before. We all have a little bit of a 'wanderer' inside us I suppose. It feels like Ben and I have been wandering throughout our whole marriage. Between living in four states, and traveling through several others, our life could be seen as fairly chaotic, but I truly wouldn't have it any other way.
Right now our travels have taken us to beautiful Orange County while Ben interns at an accounting firm in Irvine/Costa Mesa. As I am writing this, it is 86 degrees outside. In February. And yes, it is heavenly.
It's weird to think Ben and I have already been married for over a year. It has flown by. I can honestly say that I have fallen more and more in love with him throughout this past year and a few months than I ever knew possible.
Love is a bit weird that way. You think you've reached your peak, hit your maximum, and then it somehow continues to grow.
My excuses to keep me from writing have finally come to a halt. Hopefully I will be better from now on. If I am not, I blame Jane Austen and online shopping.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
celebrating my love
Not this previous week (yes, I am still trying to catch up), but the week before was something special. It was Ben's birthday week! Woo hoo! I am not a big fan of my own birthday, but I love celebrating the people I adore!
Ben has been incredibly busy over this last month between starting his graduate program and the accounting recruiting season. He is either working on homework, preparing for tests & interviews, or attending free recruiting dinners (this last one we can't complain too much about). Needless to say he needed a good birthday to take a break.
I had this fabulous idea of making him a birthday breakfast in the morning, but breakfast has never really been my thing. I can make crepes. And scrambled eggs. And toast. I think that pretty much sums it up. On this particular day, I had the grand idea of making some bacon and an english muffin with egg, ham and cheese! Needless to say, it took me a few tries to get the egg right (with Ben's help, sadly), and I even burnt the toast AND the bacon. That being said, breakfast was a small disaster.
After breakfast I had work and then afterwards I took Ben straight to school. (Boring.)
While he was at school, I went and picked up his own customized Cold Stone Creamery ice cream cake!!! Yum! They are seriously fantastic, although a bit on the expensive side. I bought him his favorite, chocolate ice cream with marshmallows & peanut butter, devils food cake, a chocolate ganache frosting and crushed Snicker's topping. (Melt.)
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He didn't get his cake until we had finished dinner at one of our favorite spots in Logan so far - Takara Sushi. We were so excited that Ben's cousins Andi & Amelia were able to join us! It was very delicious, even for me, who refuses to eat raw fish (can't handle the texture).
Ben is the best. I'm so grateful that I have him in my life! He has been such a blessing. He is always thoughtful of everyone and is loved by so many! Next year I plan to have a proper celebration for him, party hats and all! Love him dearly.
Side note: I have already started slacking on blogging more consistently but I am not giving up! I will be better! (I keep telling myself that.)
Ben has been incredibly busy over this last month between starting his graduate program and the accounting recruiting season. He is either working on homework, preparing for tests & interviews, or attending free recruiting dinners (this last one we can't complain too much about). Needless to say he needed a good birthday to take a break.
I had this fabulous idea of making him a birthday breakfast in the morning, but breakfast has never really been my thing. I can make crepes. And scrambled eggs. And toast. I think that pretty much sums it up. On this particular day, I had the grand idea of making some bacon and an english muffin with egg, ham and cheese! Needless to say, it took me a few tries to get the egg right (with Ben's help, sadly), and I even burnt the toast AND the bacon. That being said, breakfast was a small disaster.
After breakfast I had work and then afterwards I took Ben straight to school. (Boring.)
While he was at school, I went and picked up his own customized Cold Stone Creamery ice cream cake!!! Yum! They are seriously fantastic, although a bit on the expensive side. I bought him his favorite, chocolate ice cream with marshmallows & peanut butter, devils food cake, a chocolate ganache frosting and crushed Snicker's topping. (Melt.)
He didn't get his cake until we had finished dinner at one of our favorite spots in Logan so far - Takara Sushi. We were so excited that Ben's cousins Andi & Amelia were able to join us! It was very delicious, even for me, who refuses to eat raw fish (can't handle the texture).
Ben is the best. I'm so grateful that I have him in my life! He has been such a blessing. He is always thoughtful of everyone and is loved by so many! Next year I plan to have a proper celebration for him, party hats and all! Love him dearly.
Side note: I have already started slacking on blogging more consistently but I am not giving up! I will be better! (I keep telling myself that.)
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
pit stop at the happiest place on earth
I am a sucker for all things Disney. The minute I leave Disneyland I am wanting to go back (never fulfilled). I'm pretty certain it has a lot to do with me spending most of my childhood vacations there.
Just writing about Disneyland makes me antsy! Which leads me to the why (A.K.A. where is this random Disney craze coming from?).
While road-tripping from our temporary home in Washington to our temporary home in Utah, we took a couple weeks off to hang out in California. We spent the first night at Walnut Creek visiting our darling friends Ryan, Ariel and cute little McKay. The next day, before continuing our journey, we beached in Capitola with none other than Rachel Smith & her friends Nicole & Teddy! Can I just stop and say that we have the greatest friends in the world? It was so great to visit with everyone and it meant a lot that they would take time out of their busy schedules to hang with us!
Once we made it down to SoCal, the rest of that week was spent beaching and surfing along the coast of Malibu and spending time with Ben's family and childhood friends in Agoura Hills. It was exactly what we needed to de-stress from packing our entire lives into our car and driving however many hours it equated to. I loved seeing Ben's high school hangouts, meeting his friends and eating at all his favorite restaurants (: .
We also made it to the Los Angeles Temple which was ginormous, but also very beautiful.
The following week we spent three days at the happiest place on earth. Without a doubt, Disneyland is my happy, giddy, childish place. Even with age, the Disney magic still exists. This 'magic' could also be referred to: butterflies-in-your-stomach-all-day-long excitement. There are many who understand this feeling, and probably just as many (if not more) who are much too serious for this "nonsense" (let loose, people!). Believe it or not, you see both parties at Disneyland.
Needless to say, we had a blast. And we cannot wait to go back. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Just writing about Disneyland makes me antsy! Which leads me to the why (A.K.A. where is this random Disney craze coming from?).
While road-tripping from our temporary home in Washington to our temporary home in Utah, we took a couple weeks off to hang out in California. We spent the first night at Walnut Creek visiting our darling friends Ryan, Ariel and cute little McKay. The next day, before continuing our journey, we beached in Capitola with none other than Rachel Smith & her friends Nicole & Teddy! Can I just stop and say that we have the greatest friends in the world? It was so great to visit with everyone and it meant a lot that they would take time out of their busy schedules to hang with us!
Once we made it down to SoCal, the rest of that week was spent beaching and surfing along the coast of Malibu and spending time with Ben's family and childhood friends in Agoura Hills. It was exactly what we needed to de-stress from packing our entire lives into our car and driving however many hours it equated to. I loved seeing Ben's high school hangouts, meeting his friends and eating at all his favorite restaurants (: .
We also made it to the Los Angeles Temple which was ginormous, but also very beautiful.
The following week we spent three days at the happiest place on earth. Without a doubt, Disneyland is my happy, giddy, childish place. Even with age, the Disney magic still exists. This 'magic' could also be referred to: butterflies-in-your-stomach-all-day-long excitement. There are many who understand this feeling, and probably just as many (if not more) who are much too serious for this "nonsense" (let loose, people!). Believe it or not, you see both parties at Disneyland.
Needless to say, we had a blast. And we cannot wait to go back. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
a year ago we ate pizza
A year ago, Ben and I were sitting on the beach eating Impossible's Pizza & cheesecake as he prepared to ask me the best question that I have ever heard.
"Will you marry me?"
Haha, again, yes, I am a cheese ball. But I can't believe it's been a whole year since he proposed! It has FLOWN by. Since then, we have moved a total of three times together and have lived in three separate states, all temporarily of course.
Today Ben had volunteered to help at a 5K walk for diabetes which was a wonderful start to our day, and then of course he had homework, and I had some leftover computer work to do, so we didn't do much celebrating (we didn't even watch any football, sad sad Saturday). We did, however, have pizza for lunch, completely on accident!
So happy I get to spend my eternity with this handsome man (I could really go into detail with everything that I love about him, but I will spare you the mushy-gushy).
Yea, yea, I look like a dork. Keep in mind, when I woke up this morning (at 8 o'clock), it was 37 degrees. Not joking. Trying to mentally prepare myself for winter. I'll let you know how that goes...
"Will you marry me?"
Haha, again, yes, I am a cheese ball. But I can't believe it's been a whole year since he proposed! It has FLOWN by. Since then, we have moved a total of three times together and have lived in three separate states, all temporarily of course.
Today Ben had volunteered to help at a 5K walk for diabetes which was a wonderful start to our day, and then of course he had homework, and I had some leftover computer work to do, so we didn't do much celebrating (we didn't even watch any football, sad sad Saturday). We did, however, have pizza for lunch, completely on accident!
So happy I get to spend my eternity with this handsome man (I could really go into detail with everything that I love about him, but I will spare you the mushy-gushy).
Yea, yea, I look like a dork. Keep in mind, when I woke up this morning (at 8 o'clock), it was 37 degrees. Not joking. Trying to mentally prepare myself for winter. I'll let you know how that goes...
Thursday, September 11, 2014
on leaving hawaii
Ben and I met, fell in love and spent our first four months of marriage on the beautiful island of Oahu. Leaving was very difficult on us both. I still reminisce about our drives on the North Shore, with Ben scoping out beaches to see which had the best waves. We both miss the enveloping heat. Something about it was so comforting. Hawaii was where our story began and it still feels like home.
Hawaii changed me. And yea, I know how cheesy that sounds. But it really did. It made me realize what was really important. Nobody there cares about your clothes, your hair, your makeup or how "perfect" your body is. Or at least none of the people that mattered did. It totally exposes you. I learned so much about myself, my aspirations, and who I wanted to be.
And this is not to say that every day in Hawaii was perfect. That is not the case. I had some lows, some really lows and some even lower lows, but they were necessary in my growing process. Hawaii helped me to let go and move forward.
Hawaii introduced me to the most incredible man that I have ever met. Everyone told me that I would never find a man as good as my father. I am so so glad that they were wrong! My expectations were sky high, and he has more than exceeded them. He is my greatest blessing.
I know that moving to Hawaii was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It was a dream and I am so glad that I pursued it. I thank God every day for the amazing blessings that have come from the choice that I made to move over two years ago. I know it was inspired by Him and I couldn't be more grateful!
Hawaii, we will return someday soon. xx
Hawaii changed me. And yea, I know how cheesy that sounds. But it really did. It made me realize what was really important. Nobody there cares about your clothes, your hair, your makeup or how "perfect" your body is. Or at least none of the people that mattered did. It totally exposes you. I learned so much about myself, my aspirations, and who I wanted to be.
And this is not to say that every day in Hawaii was perfect. That is not the case. I had some lows, some really lows and some even lower lows, but they were necessary in my growing process. Hawaii helped me to let go and move forward.
Hawaii introduced me to the most incredible man that I have ever met. Everyone told me that I would never find a man as good as my father. I am so so glad that they were wrong! My expectations were sky high, and he has more than exceeded them. He is my greatest blessing.
I know that moving to Hawaii was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It was a dream and I am so glad that I pursued it. I thank God every day for the amazing blessings that have come from the choice that I made to move over two years ago. I know it was inspired by Him and I couldn't be more grateful!
Hawaii, we will return someday soon. xx
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