32 weeks!

*I spent sometime editing this post and of course it published it without any of the corrections! Please look past my mistakes...I will try to get it fixed soon. No motivation right now. Thanks!

Well its been awhile and I have to apologize cause its been longer than 2 weeks. My goodness though its going to take me a little bit of time just to recall all that has been happening.  I apologize ahead of time if this is long or if I seem to ramble on a bit.

Lets see since my last post I have made it a few more weeks and Colton is still doing great! So that's reason enough to celebrate...to me it is. On the 9th my sister flew in from PA. She stayed the night and then headed down to Yellowstone for a couple days. I had to work that day until around lunch time and decided to try a place we had heard about it town for lunch. We had never been there just because the hours are weird. One of those M-F breakfast and lunch places only...so anybody that works it is basically impossible to ever get there. Anyways its suppose to have the best burgers in town. Here is a picture.

Yeah I had to move the bottom of the bun so you could even see it.  It was HUGE and this is just an original they have a double. Needless to say it lasted a couple meals but it was really good!!!

Almost forgot. Look what Katie brought all the way from PA. They were absolutely amazing!!!! I could literally eat all of these in like 1 day. I am not just saying they are the best peaches cause they are family...they really are. If you haven't had one well then you are missing out.

Later that week (Thursday) my college roomies came into town with their kiddos.  It was great having them visit and finally getting to meet Callen.  We had fun mostly just hanging out around the house.  We ventured out to the local Pizza Place and Children's Museum (not the best museum...I would recommend the water park instead...oh well now I know). We also enjoyed some Phase 10, a couple red box movies and movie theatre popcorn! It was great just hanging out with them again I truly miss them and many times I wished I lived in OK. It was also great getting to pick their brain on being a parent...since they have small ones I think they are great resources. Needless to say I am not sure Callen had the most fun on his first trip to MT and maybe the next visit he will enjoy a little better. It was also a first Airplane ride for Miss Harper and Callen too. I hope they were able to get their wings on their plane ride home. I learned I have a lot to learn. They are pros and getting car seats in and strollers popped up and everything else. Like I said I have ALOT to learn.

Jeremy with Harper and Callen!

That Friday night we had a girls night at the Sip N Dip. I mean you have to check out a bar that has a mermaid that swims behind the bar.   Not going to lie she wasn't the best mermaid...she wore goggles and didn't even swim through the hoops. Piano Pat (the old lady that plays the organ) was on vacation as well. So no "Ring of Fire" for us that night. It was still a good time and don't worry I was the DD.

Saturday Montana Heather and Amanda hosted the most wonderful baby shower ever! No joke...just type baby shower in Pintrest and its like you walked right into the shower. I LOVED everything about it. I don't have any picture except the few on Facebook but hopefully I can share more later. The amount of detail they put into everything was amazing and they pinpointed my personality to a T. I owe them some HUGE thanks! It was better than I could have even imagined! I am currently working on my Thank you cards as well. Thank you for all the love and support from here in Great Falls and from everyone far away. Your generosity and love was unbelievable and I will never be able to thank you enough. We feel so blessed and know Mr Colton is certainly loved and blessed. We walk into the Nursery sometimes and can't help but see how much love there is and how blessed we really are and he isn't even here yet! It just makes us even more excited to meet him.  Thank you girls for hosting such a great shower and thank you to everyone for truly making it an amazing day.

 Part of the gifts! Like I said we are beyond blessed. I hope I can get another picture of what the room looked like. It was really pretty. There are pendants that were hanging above this table and then the kitchen was full of the pom-poms you can see in the background. There were a lot more you can't see in all sizes at different heights. It looked really cool. They even found letters that were the same color. They are already in the Nursery.

 This is Amanda S beautiful creation! She is so talented and it tasted so good. I am so glad they sent some home with me that night...that meant I go seconds. No joke it was so good. So all the letters and numbers have meaning which is so cool that she put that much thought and time into it. Thanks!

 These are the game prizes and part of the games and even a book to keep track of gifts! The games were so fun. If I can get a few pictures of them I will be sure to add them in the future. We played "The Price is Right", guessed how big I am getting with toilet paper and made babies out of Play Dough ( I was the judge).

Diaper wreath right when you walked in the door!

These girls always make "Fancy" food! They are so good at it. I mean how cool is it that it that the food  taste amazing, looked amazing and fit in with the color scheme. Cool if you ask me.

A frame to write words of wisdom or something for the parents to be...you will see it hanging up in the nursery already!

Maple Scones...just one of the many wonderful treats. They even had a drink called Pregnancy Peach!

After the shower it was time for all of our house guest and family to leave. I always hate goodbyes and certainly can't wait to see them all again.  Love you all!

The next week just consisted of another week of work and then heading to a Birthing class at Benefis Hospital that weekend. We went with our friends and that made it more bearable.  It was the shortened class so we got a tour of the Labor and Delivery floor and she talked about what signs of Labor are and stuff like that. They also talked about Swaddling and how to give baths. To some of you this may be common sense but for this girl who doesn't have a kid I was ok with them teaching everything. So I have always been a BIG wimp when it comes to pain. If there is anytime for me to step up to the drama queen plate it would be when I am in pain. So all the videos they made me watch have instilled fear in me. Yes, I know I don't really have any options now but I am not sure the instructor helped me out at all. Ok if you are going to be judgmental towards me now it the time to tune out....ok with that being said. If there was an option were I could just opt out of the whole pain this. Just knock me out and wake me up when its all done then I would like to check that box! Unfortunately the way my body reacts to pain is I pass out. I remember slicing an Avocado once and was trying to get the pit out. Well Jeremy has this handy way of doing it so I attempted...yeah it didn't end so well. I whacked my finder tip practically off and started seeing blood. I quickly ran to Jeremy who was on the Treadmill (don't let this fool you he never runs on it) and he had to tell me to sit down and be the EMT(thank goodness he really is one! lol) while this girl freaked out. I almost passed out from an Avocado. So yeah not sure how I am going to handle all this. My Dr reassures me they make amazing drugs...thank goodness. This lady teaching class insisted everything be natural. I mean you name it...let hope she is not my nurse cause she will hate me.  Nothing against it, just not for me! That was enough fun in one weekend for me.

This is Jeremy smiling...can you tell! (yeah I can't either). I also warned the Boohers that this was going on my Blog so they better smile. They will know better next time. LOL. Sorry guys!

Sunday Jeremy ended up being gone practically all day. He got called in for some Wild land Fires. They have gotten quite a few calls about that lately. Here are a couple picture of my hubby on Monday. Love him and really proud of him and what he does at work. I never really see him in action so I tend to forget how much tougher than me he really is and how much cooler his job is than mine. I love when he has time to get a couple pictures, then I can see him in action. I did really miss him though this week.

So I have had a mix of emotions lately. So we got word that Jeremy will not have to leave until the first week in October. I feel blessed with that and will take it. Its much better than August. I still wish he didn't have to leave more than anything and still praying a miracle happens.  So like I said I have mixed emotions. I am so excited to meet COlton and I know Jeremy is too. We can't help but get even more excited each week. At the same time there are days I just cry cause I know as soon as Colton is here then Jeremy will be leaving very soon after, which breaks my heart. So do I be happy or not. I am trying to be on the positive side. We have wanted a child more than anything and its feels so good to be given this blessing. I will still be able to talk to Jeremy and though the time zones may get the best of us we will make it though it. He is still safe and alive and I can see and hear him. I know we have a special relationship and trust with each other that a lot of people don't have. We have been through a lot    including distance in the past. Just not something we want to do again.  I use to think in college that it really sucked that he lived so far away that if I just made it through college life for us would be great...then he went to Iraq. I thought well ok thats just 2 things we have make it. Well then the AF through the 1.5 years apart and I thought ok well there will be nothing else. I would have never imagined the AF would do this to us again. But God has a plan and I am trying to just trust him even though I would really like to see whats going on.  I will save my rant for the next post. There are some comments that people to say to me about Jeremy leaving that I really can't stand...they really get to me. Just can't believe some of the things that people say to me. Oh well! It is what it is.


Here are a few extra pictures I decided to throw in!

This is Dusty...the new and improved Dusty. He kind of looks like a Chihuahua now but he really loves it.   Its been on the hot side here (for Montana not compared to the south)so he got a summer hair cut, he thinks he pretty much owns the house now.

Colton got his first piece of mail...it has arrived before he has!

Obviously the crib and some decor

The closet is starting to get organized! I love he totes and kind of obsessed if you can't tell. They are the perfect color and the perfect size...I am in Love!

Our chair finally came and we installed some blackout shades. I think it is all coming together.  We have one more sign that will hang on the wall behind the chair. She is working on it now. We ended up buying it off of Etsy. I could spend all day on that site. There are some fun things to buy or google. Oh and my finished product quilt is there too. I think it turned out pretty good.

Until next week and I will just continue to count my blessings and be greatly for everything I have and have been given. As you can see I have amazing friends and family and definitely can feel the love! Thank you for your continued prayers and support I really, really appreciated them!!! Much love!

How Far Along: 32 Weeks(last friday)!!! I have slacked at the pictures. So at this point I am feeling Huge! Putting socks on for work is getting harder everyday and I feel like I double in size weekly. I am trying to keep positive though and just accept it and try to enjoy  everything. 

Total Weight Gain: Still leaving it out. Last visit I was measuring 25 weeks at 29 and this last week I was measuring 30 at 31 weeks. Dr Henzel thinks he finally moved position. 

Maternity Clothes: I don't like any of my clothes anymore. Well I guess I just don't like the selection I have and I don't feel like going out and spending more cause I rather buy stuff for the nursery.  

Sleep: Not as great as it use to be....just getting uncomfortable now. It takes some work to roll over and it just started this week that I am getting kicked so hard that its starting to wake me up.  

Best Moment this Week: This week I am enjoying all my time with Jeremy. But my favorite thing this week is something that Jeremy has been doing. He has been recording some books on my IPad for Colton.  I can then play them while he is gone. It has made me smile unbelievably....I LOVE IT! He is so animated when he reads and is doing the most amazing job. I could hear him in the other room when I was sewing while he was reading "We are Going on a Bear Hunt." I thought it was the cutest thing ever and I hope Colton cherishes the story time as much as I will. 

Miss Anything: The usual but its all worth it and really not that far away. 

Movement: Yes! All the time. I think he is having a dance party sometimes.  He has also located my ribs...fun! 

Food Cravings: Still love cheese but could eat apple pie everyday!!! Having to eat smaller meals more often. I have been having MAJOR heartburn still. Even water gives me heartburn. I have been taking Pepcid AC and Tums and they seem to help out.  If its like the Old Wives tales then I would expect to see a full head of hair.  

Gender: Boy! 

Wedding rings on or off: Still on for now but occasionally my hands swell up. 

29 Weeks

So blessed to have made it 2 more weeks! God is good!

Well I have to apologize ahead of time this might the most disorganized post yet to date. I have some random picture that do not really go with each other. I figured I would post them anyways and you can sort through the post then. Sorry :(

So this last week we finally finished our dresser/changing table.
So here is the finish product!!! I LOVE it and think it turned out just how I wanted. I think Jeremy is pretty proud of his handy work too. He keeps showing everyone. Love that guy.  I am not sure why the bottom picture looks so different. The color in the first picture is more true. We decided to stain the top so it would match the crib. We also found the handles at the re-use it shop and spray painted them.  It may not be everyones taste but thats ok.

I also entertained myself by making a quick quilt to try to make all the colors in the nursery come together. I love quilts and decided to just make one myself. I just have to finish the binding, but that is one of my least favorite parts. Probably because I am not good at doing it with a machine and usually do it by hand so it takes forever. Honestly I don't know some days how I have patience for sewing but I seem to manage.  I think the colors look weird in the picture but in person it actually looks good...trust me!

So when not working on either one of those projects we kept busy with doctors appointments, working at the Fireworks stand for work (Montana is like a war zone on the 4th...you have to see it to believe it), and just enjoying a few BBQ's.   We attempted to get a 3D ultrasound done this last week and Mr Colton wasn't the biggest fan.  It wasn't all his fault we couldn't get good picture. If you can see my placenta is blocking his face so we couldn't really see his face to well. He also decided to hang out with his hand by his face the entire time and also turn his back to the camera each time. Needless to say we didn't really get any picture. We did get this cute 2D one. I think he will look just like Jeremy and nothing like me. Just a feeling I have. Plus when we could see his face structure for a second or two I think he looks just like him.  Well at least they have the same nose...Jeremy may beg to differ. But that's my story and I am sticking to it.  We go back this week again to try the 3D picture but I think we will get the same results.

So here is an update on the flowers that Jeremy planted for me that I mentioned a little while back. Best husband ever! He said he wanted to be able to cut flowers all summer long and have fresh flowers on the table. They have started to bloom and they look awesome! Here is the first set of blooms.

So Friday I decided I needed to get out of Great Falls. I had no idea what I wanted to do but I wanted to get away for the day when I still could. We asked permission from the Dr and she said it was fine. So we went down to Butte, MT and went to the sapphire mines. It was actually a lot of fun and a great time out of the house. The sun was out and we were able to actually find some MT sapphires. Go figure I took pictures of everything except the actual treasures. We had them sent off to get cut so now I can't actually get a picture.

 Here are a few pictures of me cleaning off the gravel. I was really bad at this so this was mainly Jeremy's job.

 This is Jeremy flipping the clean gravel so then we can start searching for the sapphires.

 I love MT...really I do. I am not a big city person so this was a fun day off.

Here is Jeremy searching for the sapphires. They are usually in the middle on the top.

We had a blast! The staff was the friendliest you will ever meet and made it a really fun experience. Random story the lady helping us and telling us if we had any stones worth while has a daughter who's husband was in the military and was gone while she had her son. His name was Colton. I thought that was cool!!! Maybe I am the only one. She was the sweetest lady and really helped us figure out what to do with the sapphires we found. We had 4 stones that were worth even making into Jewelry and she said maybe worth almost 500 dollars. I was thinking in my head she was going to tell me they were worth 10 dollars. Obviously I am not making big money off of these but it was kid of about the fun experience and I can't wait to get them made into something. One was a really bright blue and another was a little over 2 carats  (of course Jeremy found both). It was not a huge find but for days worth of entertainment for 20 dollars I am not complaining. It was a blast!!!!


On the way home we decided to stop by the lake and grab a burger. It was recommended to us from one of the Firefighters Jeremy works with. He is from the area. The food was so good! If you ever go mining near butte stop in at 7 Gables. Its a local bar. I had to laugh though because this is how you know you are in MT. In the summer everyone drives 4wheelers. I mean down main street or anywhere you can think of. So it was no different at this bar.

Also at this bar they understand everyones love for Ranch Dressing! You don't even have to ask for it..it comes with the ketchup and the mustard as a basic. Why don't more restaurants jump on the bandwagon and do this. (it was in the fridge)

So not much else going on in the Wray household other than that. I am so excited for this week.  Monday Katie flies into MT, Tuesday we have another ultrasound and Thursday Heather and Amanda get into town with their kiddo's, Friday my parents are here and Saturday is the Baby Shower! I am so excited for this week!!! I hope to have lots of pictures to post...until then I am going to start cleaning up the house a little bit.

How Far Along: 29 weeks!!! I don't have another picture yet. I am in a couple of the ones posted above and they were just taken today so maybe you can tell from there. 

Total Weight Gain: We will just leave that out from here on out.lol

Maternity Clothes: I told Jeremy today I don't know what I am going to do when I have to wear regular jeans again. Its real nice not having to deal with zippers or buttons. He just laughed at me.

Sleep: Getting a little harder to roll over in bed but I still sleep pretty good. I joke with Jeremy sometimes that he should just push me out of bed.  

Best Moment this Week: Seeing Colton again and as always spending time with Jeremy. He makes me laugh all the time and love just spending time with him even if its just singing along to the radio in the car with him or working on the nursery. He has been taking really good care of me. 

Miss Anything: The usual but its all worth it and really not that far away. 

Movement: Totally feeling it. His feet are by my right ribs and he likes to poke at them. I am OK with that though. The movement feels different now...more prominent and fells like actually movement instead of just little pokes. Oh well!  My favorite part is when Jeremy is praying....he always moves around every night. I think that is so cool!! He likes Jeremys voice a lot better than mine...but he does hear me all the time. I just think its awesome! 

Food Cravings: No change! 

Gender: Boy! 

Wedding rings on or off: Still on for now but occasionally my hands swell up. 

Looking Forward To: This week!!! Seriously can't wait to see everyone! Little further in the future I can wait to meet Colton and I think Jeremy is getting pretty excited too. 

Thanks again to everyone for keeping us in your prayers and checking my blog. I appreciate all the support and feel the love! We will never be able to repay all our friends and family but please know we truly appreciate it!!! Thanks

27 Weeks

There hasn't been to much excitement going on around our house the last couple weeks so I figured a post to sum them up would be fine. Plus I am don't think the frustration of watching the NBA finals is good for me :) (I was watching it while writing this). Its been fun watching the thunder but pros and college are so much different. I think I will stick to watching the College Sports...they are more fun!  While I am on the topic of sports I really wish I was living in OK this year. It would be nice to see a couple games but at the student price instead of the Alumni or O-Club Price. I think I will be pretty busy though, so don't think I would really get to any games anyways. I am totally ok with that!

So this post should really be about how BLESSED I am to have such amazing friends!!! Yes, I use that  word a lot lately (blessed) but I think it is appropriate. I think this cause I really do have a lot to be thankful for...even all the small things. My friends have been nothing short of remarkable. I don't think I will ever be able to thank them enough but I hope they know how much I appreciate them. I can't begin to list all the things they have done for me...thing like reminding me its ok to cry sometimes and that they are always a phone call away. Whether its reassuring me that I am loved and that I always have support or whether its taking me out of the house to make sure I am not a hermit (I am very good at that). Even looking at my registry to tell me what I am missing or giving me advice. I love them all! Its support and love from all over the US and its unbelivable. I am probably my worst critic. I over analyze everything and want to know every detail. I am sure that gets annoying...yet they are still there. Its amazing to me!!! So to all my AMAZING friends...I love you!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for all you do!!!

Now away for non-mushy stuff...

So the dresser we have been working on..well I have some work in progress pictures. Actually we are really hoping to have it finished maybe by this weekend. I think we are both just getting anxious to get the nursery all put together. Some days I think, goodness I still have 3 months to go. Then other days I have the momentary freak out of Oh My Goodness!!!! I only have like 13 weeks!!! Its varies but most the time I still think its a ways to go.  I am counting week 27 as being in my Third Trimester...so I guess I am 2/3 through the pregnancy.Back to the dresser. I think Jeremy was doubting my color I picked. But we have the dresser/changing table painted and he kept saying he loved the color. I am thinking he is just not that great at visualizing what its going to look like. Thats ok... thats the fun part for me. Plus I still love him! So right now we are in the process of distressing the dresser. I think it looks ok so far but we will have to wait until it is finished to see what the final out come is and if its really looks ok.

What it looks like once Jeremy was done sanding! I think it looks great! 

Then I ruined it by adding a bright teal! Yes, its bright but I LOVE it! Don't worry when I add pictures of the distressed look it is not near as bright.

I am using sandpaper to distress it and make it look older

Jeremy working on staining the top and the legs

I also wanted to add a quick picture of the beautiful flowers we have been picking. I would say Dahlias are my favorite flowers but next in line would be Peonies! I love them! So we have one bush in the back and look at all the gorgeous flowers it has given us. Anyways I love them!

Lets see pregnancy wise I am hanging in there. I honestly feel like a Hippo. Jeremy tells me everyday that I do not resemble one. But still I feel that way. I am just trying to go with it and enjoy it. I feel actually really good so I can't really complain. I probably get asked that the most...how I am feeling. I am ok with that though. What else are really suppose to ask a pregnant chick...so I don't mind. I have gotten a few comments I have to try to just laugh off. The base Dr the other did inform me I was looking round...umm thanks! I guess! lol. Then the other night I hinted to Jeremy (I thought I did) that KFC potatoes sound amazing. He didn't get the hint. Apparently I am suppose to directly ask for what I want. Well he didn't have time to get any by the time I just asked so needless to say my go to food choice was mac n cheese. ( i realize these are both bad choices...never mind that)... well I guess that wasn't flying with Jeremy. He said that was to many carbs for me that close to bed time. What?!?! Dang it Jeremy I am hungry! So there I sat and ate my SALAD! At the time i wasn't happy, but now i really laugh about it. I did ask him 5 min before KFC closed. I also now think a salad was a MUCH better option and much healthier for me. At least he is looking out for me.

Also with this pregnancy I didn't think there was such a thing as Pregnancy Brain...I was wrong. I have been a quilting fool since I have been in MT. Well I was trying to work on a quilt and was actually motived to get something done...well I swore I broke my machine. So Jeremy took my machine in so I could get it fixed (I would have but its heavier than I am allowed to lift). This kind of put a damper in my production line. Needless to say there was nothing wrong with it. I didn't thread it correctly!!! I forgot how to even thread my own machine...I guess its back to square one for me!!! lol.

Saw the idea online but tried making my own pattern with some OSU fabric I have...it has a place to tie the side to a car seat so they won't kick the blanket off. I figured it was worth and try. 

Besides forgetting everything I am fortunate to only have to work half days at work now. I am not near as exhausted and feel so much better through out the day. I am so thankful for that. I didn't realize how exhausted I really was... I thought it was normal.  We don't have another Dr appt until July 2nd and then we are trying to get another 3D ultrasound done on 3 July. I am hoping Colton will let us see his cute face. We are so EXCITED to meet him! Needless to say I have had some very interesting dreams about him lately...including taking him horse back riding with me....car seat and all. I don't think that will work out to well. LOL! Its has been an interesting journey and besides everything that has been going on we are just trying to enjoy it and really enjoy each others company while we still can. I would be lying if I said I didn't have some bad days.  Last week was one of my worst. I made it the 4 hours I was at work without crying and made it to the car and just bawled the entire way home and just held Jeremy when I got home. I can't explain how much I will miss him. I can't explain in words how much he means to me and how hard it is having my best friend being away. Just the thought is not fun to me. Maybe I am a drama queen or just a cry baby but it never gets easier saying good bye and I hate it. Nothing is official yet, so I will keep you updated if I hear anything. It looks like he might be able to stay for the birth but not much longer...keep saying my prayers though!

Since our little water loving Black Lab tries to swim in her water bowl we bought her a small pool.  Sage thought it was a big water bowl at first and just drank the water. Needless to say Tally LOVES it! Never met a dog that loves to play in the water so much. 

This little stinker had a little to much fun the backyard today...he decided we needed a new hole dug in the backyard! Dusty!!! Maybe it was his way of telling us he wanted a bath or we didn't turn the TV on enough for him today.

How Far Along: 27 weeks - I got asked twice today when I was due so I am definitely sporting the baby bump now.  Jeremy told me not to long ago I was going to get 4 times as big...not to be mean or make this sound bad in anyway, but I hope not. Its not easy not being able to work out...so still a possibility! lol 

Total Weight Gain: Around 16 lbs still...think i am suppose to gain a pound a week from here on out. We will see! 

Maternity Clothes: Cant still wear a lot of my regular shirts just sporting maternity Jeans. 

Sleep: Shortened hour at work means this girl gets to sleep in...I feel like I have so much more energy. 

Best Moment this Week: Spending time with Jeremy. Pretty sure I passed my glucose test too so that makes me feel great too. 

Miss Anything: Still the working out thing...being able to ride horses or basically do any sport. Its all worth it though and totally ok.  

Movement: Mostly moves during the day and hasn't really woken me up at night. Lets pray it stays that way. As soon as I wake up he starts kicking at my sides...like he is sideways. Who knows what he is doing.  

Food Cravings: Obviously KFC potatoes...not much else. Love cheese still!

Gender: Boy! 

Wedding rings on or off: Still on

Looking Forward To: Getting the nursery done and even though the Baby Shower is still a few weeks away I am still excited to see friends and family. 

Not much else going on in Montana! I am loving the weather and wish I was able to just enjoy it a little more. Think I might try to go do some fly fishing or something (that doesn't require me to be on a boat). Thanks again for everyone who has been checking in and keeping us in your prayers.  We really appreciate it! Well I hope to have another update for you next week...take care until then.