Photo Teaser...

Things have been busy as usual for us Galbreaths here in Utah. Got back a week ago from a long weekend in Colorado meeting up with some of my family. Ash got to ski and drink, I didn't (sorry, just had to get that out). I think no matter what goes on when you're pregnant it feels like you're always missing out on the best experiences because you can't do this and can't do that. I can still remember with grudging detail all of the events I couldn't participate in fully when I was pregnant with Helena.

Anyway, I still need to download and filter through all of my photos from the trip but thought I'd share a couple of teasers that I took with my iphone from our drive down through Southern Utah to Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

Helena & Ash at breakfast in Moab, UT -- our stopover point on the way down.


Some of the red rocks abundant in the canyon/desert country of southern Utah. Coolest thing by far about Utah is the amazing scenery.

-Emily :)

Sonogram of "The New Kid"

We had our second sonogram this past Saturday and everything looks just peachy in there. My new due date is June 25th based on these measurements, which I'm pretty much over being pissed off about. For a good month I felt like I'd lost a week and a half of hard-earned pregnancy. But oh well. :)

Here's my belly as of today (23 weeks):

Whoa! That's one pale and large belly. Sorry about that. Good news is that I've gained less weight than I had at this point with Helena so I'm going to call that my accomplishment of the winter. I'm pretty sure I can't attribute this to a really good diet, either. Probably just the fact that I can't be as lazy as I was when we were childless. I am trying to exercise and do prenatal yoga a couple times a week. Anyway, my diet. If you look really really closely, I think you can tell this kid is made out of Sausage McGriddles, potatoes and frozen yogurt. Onto the sonogram pics: 2-D side view of baby's head, spine...it's sucking its fingers.

3-D pic of baby's face...and my insides. Yuck! :) Baby is still sucking its fingers and has some umbilical cord chillin' up by his face too towards the bottom so that's why it looks a little funky under its nose.

We do not know what sex the baby is, despite various bribery attempts from some family members. Only 17 more weeks to go! Yay!

-Emily :)

At Least It's Protein...

It's been kind of a hectic week around here. Lots of things breaking around the house...along with my car...and I've been home for two days sans said car with a sick Helena. Anyway, we've been passing the time watching Dora and Madagascar and pretty much the only thing I can get her to eat are peanut butter crackers. She used to scarf down the entire sandwich cracker situation, but now she's taken to doing this:

Yep, she licks the small amount of peanut butter that's on them off and then sorts them into piles. The bad ones are outside of the bowl now. And then she tries to get ME to throw them in the trash and I say "EWWW, NO!" and she gives me this look:

So annoying. It's amazing to me how little food toddlers can exist on. Anyway, I think I'm going to start just giving her a bowl of peanut butter with a spoon. A lot cheaper than buying those little Ritz snack packs, that's for sure.

Good news is we're on the up and up...my car is almost fixed, and Helena is on antibiotics for her ear infection. Now if we can just get the kitchen faucet, cable box, ice maker and master bath shower working again, that will be sweet.

-Emily :)

Curiosity + Impatience = This Video

I've been trying to take some videos of Helena to post here, but without much luck. So, here's what I'm dealing with, folks, every time I try to shoot one. There's annoying-ness sprinkled with a touch of cuteness at the end.

A couple of comments now that you've watched it. Most of the time when she says please and means it she holds up her hand like she's in school. Also, the funny thing she said to me at the end...that was literally the first time she's said anything like that to me. So hilarious. And speaking of my belly...some pics to come after our 2nd sonogram this weekend. I mean it this time.

-Emily :)

Snowboarding is Insane

I really enjoy the Olympics when they come around every couple of years. This time around, I guess now that I'm a little bit better skiier, I really appreciate the skill and endurance involved with all of the winter athletes.

Snowboarder Shaun White has been all over the network coverage...I think the half pipe finals are today, actually. But there are two videos I've caught involving him that have blown my mind.

First off, this one.

I mean seriously, HOW IS THIS GUY ALIVE? He should at least be bleeding after that. I think I'm going to find out what type of helmet he was wearing and buy some stock in that company.

Secondly, this feature...which oddly gave me goosebumps and I'm not even a snowboarder!

On first thought, the fact that he had his own private half pipe built somewhere only accessible by helicopter is insane. He'd better have some pretty sweet new jumps to show off tonight if they need to be THAT big of a secret from all other competitors. On second thought, how freaking ridiculous is this whole scenario? American excess at its best. I hope Shaun White and Red Bull both give A LOT of money to charity. Ooh! Research project!

-Emily :)

Ward Ball

So one of my coworkers is on an intra-ward basketball team-- they play once a week. As she's telling me about her latest game last week, I casually say "Man, if I wasn't pregnant I would totally be a sub on your team." Then, hilarity ensued as follows:

Coworker: "Oh, I totally know you would. That would be fun. But...you couldn't cuss...at all."
(By the way it's probably fair to say that I'm one of the most potty mouthed people in this person's life. And she can't tell me to stop because I'm her boss. Actually, the fact that she so blatantly DOESN'T curse just makes me curse around her more. I can't help it.)
Me: "Really? Like, no cussing at all, huh?"
Coworker: "No, they'll call a foul on you."
Me: "What? A foul just for cussing? And that's it?"
Coworker: "Yes."
Me: "Interesting. I probably wouldn't last long."
Coworker: "Right, that's why I mentioned it. You can only get three fouls in a game and then you have to sit out and you can't play in a game again until you have a talk with the bishop."
Me: "Three CUSSING fouls or three fouls total of any nature?"
Coworker: "Three fouls total for whatever."
Me: (Laughing) "That's hilarious."
Coworker: "I know."
Me: "So what does the bishop talk to you about?"
Coworker: No response
Me: "OK, I'm going to go now. I don't understand why there has to be so many complicated rules involved with intramural basketball games."

The next day I regaled her with my stories of high school basketball past-- making sure to highlight that a.) I used to be really pretty decent and b.) that I was in no way a no-cussing, no fouls type of player. I literally fouled out of every game but two my sophomore year.

So, I guess it's safe to say that I won't be invited to participate in any Mormon basketball leagues now or post pregnancy.

-Emily :)

I promise I didn't forget about my blog...

Sorry folks, man, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. I went on two back to back trips last week. We had to replace a previously planned trip with a trip to KC to attend Ash's grandpa's funeral. A really sad time for Ash's family-- his grandpa was a really neat guy. I then came back to SLC and the next day flew out to Houston solo to visit my friend Aimeeliz and her boyfriend Micah. I had a great time sleeping in, eating a lot, watching movies, and shopping. (By the way, I just now saw The Hangover and if you haven't seen it you have to put it on your list. So. Freakin. Hilarious.)

So, I'm back in SLC, working, mothering, growing another baby, and trying to recover from all of that traveling. I'm getting there and I'll promise to try to be more interesting in the coming weeks--I need to post sonogram/belly pictures and a funny mormon basketball story.

There you go, my official blog to-do list!

-Emily :)