The Goings On

Well Andrew has been in Amsterdam for a week and a half and I leave in 5 days. I hate being away from him but it just had to happen this way. I am leaving my teaching job and Christmas break is the right time to do that. I also have to finish up my Hypnobabies class.

I am really glad that I have fit that class in before I leave. It will give me so much more time to practice and prepare myself. I love this birthing technique and I really enjoy learning how to have a natural, comfortable, and peaceful birthing time. They need to maybe think about rebranding their name because it is kind of bad PR. Hypnosis leaves a wierd taste in peoples' mouths and this hypnosis is more like deep relaxation and meditating.

Here is a picture of my teaching badge.

Too bad I have to leave my amazing students and the wonderful environment of learning that I have immersed myself in for the past 4 months.

So I forgot to share our Halloween costume as a Cowboy and Indian. Arrow was a sheriff.

 

The idea stemmed from Erin's Cowboy and Indian themed birthday party weeks before.

Andrew made his first sculpture-like pumpkin carving and it turned out really well. We love magical unicorns.

Andrew got a flu or something right before Thanksgiving so I had the pleasure of taking care of him. We watched lots of movies, one of which was Better Off Dead. While watching it on Debbie's old t.v., we noticed that the family in the movie had the exact same t.v.

Debbie will probably never get a new t.v.

Andrew has been working on a movie with our next door neighbor and friend, Jake. Things got a bit wierd.

 

 

Andrew got to be kid-like in it and I realized that he looks just like his 2 year old self.

 

Speaking of cute, little Andrew as a kid. I hope that our baby boy looks just like him, except with dark hair maybe.

Yep, we are having a BABY BOY which we found out right before Thanksgiving. My parents were in town and we had the pleasure of sharing that experience with them. Here is a shot of his profile.

I am so excited to have a boy and I have had so many dreams with this baby as a boy before I was pregnant and while I was pregnant. Honestly, I just want a baby that will grow up to be just like Andrew. There aren't enough sensitive, genuine, emotionally intelligent men in this world and I hope that Andrew will be able to help me raise him to be an incredible asset to his gender.

We spent Thanksgiving in St. George with Josh and Candie's family. Dan and Meredith came too. My cute parents rode the carousel.

 

We basked in the sunny weather of southern Utah and said hi to Mr. Cactus.

 

 

Josh's dog, Gator, tried to lick my face, and homey don't play dat.

 

 

We attended our nephews' soccer games and being pregnant I got the comfy chair.

 

It was a wonderful break. Much needed since this semester has been stressful for us. There was just way too much adult stuff to deal with and we were wiped out from all of the responsibilities. 

One example is Andrew's passport. His passport was ordered the same day as mine and mine arrived 2 1/2 weeks later. 2 weeks before he has to leave for Amsterdam we get a letter saying his passport had never been reported stolen from the robbery this Summer. We had to overnight his report and try to expedite the processing since this delay had happened (which they can't just call you about, apparently). In the end, we called our congressman one day too late and he got the passport agency to ship it overnight that night. I was furious that the system worked that way since we tried everything we could to get it there in time. The Congressman said it would arrive at 10:30 a.m. and Andrew's flight was 20 minutes after that. We begrudgingly payed for a change in flights that ended up being more expensive than we hoped. Saturday morning came and the passport wasn't there. After looking up the tracking number, Andrew found that it was still in California. If it didn't arrive that day then Andrew wouldn't be able to leave on the flight he had for Monday morning. Come to find out, the passport agency doesn't understand that getting it there ASAP no matter what, would include overnighting it for Saturday and not just the next business day. I was so furious about their lack of communication and efficiency. We had to change his flight once more and I killed everyone. The end.

Not really though, I guess. But seriously, I was bout ta bust a cap up in der. The passport arrived Monday and Andrew finally made it to Amsterdam after waiting a while for his work permit to go through, they had been waiting on the passport. Lesson learned; start processing things with the Government months in advance if you can help it. We didn't have that option unfortunately. I ultimately blame the hoodlums who robbed us (taking our passports) in Harlem for this mishap.

A passport has never been so loved and welcomed as this one. I'm surprised Andrew didn't sleep with it that night.

Andrew joined his cousin Emmett's band, Aakela, at the beginning of the semester so that he could play music, which he misses doing. He only got to play one show with them before he left.

 

I captured a bit of video when Andrew played the guitar instead of the Bass.

 

I have been staying with my good friends Cassi and Drew. I love them. They have a new puppy and we were cuddling the other day. She decided to try and listen intently for the baby's heartbeat.

 

It was way too tender. I am officially 24 weeks today and entering my 3rd trimester! Woot Woot!

I have bought our train tickets and hotel reservations for Paris. We will be there for 4 days and that includes Christmas Eve and Christmas! I am so excited because we haven't actually gone on a real vacation by ourselves since our honeymoon 3 years ago. Sadly, we will not be together for our 3 year Anniversary on the 19th, but Paris will make up for it.

Andrew Colin Beck is INCREDIBLE!

I think that men probably do not hear enough how proud their wives are of them and they probably do not get enough positive support and encouragement from them. It is easy for a spouse to point out the weaknesses and annoying habits of the other. While we were dating Andrew taught me a wise principle for our marriage. That is that he is very aware of those weaknesses and the world gets him down about it enough. He needs me to be his safe haven from those attacks and he needs me to build him up. I try very hard to remember this though I am not perfect at this concept. Choosing a career that makes you happy and leads to the lifestyle you want is a very stressful and hard decision to make. I'm glad I don't have that burden. I wanted to spend some time writing about how incredible my husband is when it comes to finding a passion and making a career out of it so that he will be absolutely satisfied with working until he dies. I think that is a rare find these days and I want my husband to know that he is one of a kind and I will always have his back. As you may or may not remember, this blog is actually for him because I express my thoughts better through writing.

Take a look at the cover  photo for our blog. It is of Andrew and me on the piano in the woods. We took those for our engagement pictures. Many people say "How did you do that?" when they first see them or sometimes they are just altogether amazed. I probably would have been amazed too had I seen them the day before Andrew had this idea. When he told me this idea, I quickly started rattling off about the logistics and how hard it would be, etc (I am the pragmatic thinker in the relationship). Andrew became so offended and told me that he has done so many things that were harder than this and that when he has a vision, he will make it happen. I hadn't realized this about him yet and I decided that if I was going to marry him that he is going to be doing crazy, cool things like this and my role is to support him and have fun.

I have definitely seen Andrew do amazing things with his artistic abilities and passion for creating. When I was dating and courting him, he was really set on Media Music to become a music producer or songwriter. He even told my Dad this and knowing my logical, doctor Dad, I'm surprised he didn't laugh at him and tell him to get a real career. What my Dad probably didn't realize was that he was talking to one of the one in a million artists that really was going to make a satisfying, successful career. All I knew was that Andrew had many talents,  passion, and such a drive to be successful that no matter what he chose, he would succeed five times over. I wasn't worried in the least bit. 

Before deciding on and receiving a formal education in Graphic Design, he was a self taught artist. This boy grew up coming home everyday and drawing new characters or creating comic strips and logos,  teaching himself how to make animations on some pretty old animation software, writing movie scripts, making movies, writing songs, learning piano (he actually took lessons for that one), guitar, saxophone, drums, and whatever other instrument came his way. He has a natural ear for music and an eye for beauty. He also knew how to put together quite cool clothing ensembles.

Choosing graphic design was hard for him because he could have chosen any creative field within his hobbies and I know he would be really successful. Graphic design really struck a chord with him and it was a way for him to continue the animation and illustration hobbies while still making enough money. Just yesterday he found a stack of old writings of his and he told me that he wishes he could write and make films for the rest of his life. He is a gifted writer as well. I keep telling him that he will eventually find a job and callings in life that use all of his talents and that when we have children he can revive all of his past times. He just doesn't have time to do all of his artistic hobbies, though he tries to fit them into his overly packed world of graphic design. One time he said he needed a break from design so I figured he would go do something that required no thinking. He went and wrote a song for about 5 hours on GarageBand. When I found him I laughed so hard and told him that it doesn't make sense to take a break from something creative to do something else creative. Obviously, we do not have the same idea about what is relaxing. 

 All of this leads up to the very exciting news that he will be working for 3 months in Amsterdam with a design studio called Edenspiekermann. Erik Spiekermann started this company and among many other things he is a famous typographer and designer who is in the European Designers Hall of Fame. In the graphic design world he is a big deal. Sounds crazy right? It is the middle of his senior year and we have to make all the arrangements to work in Europe and get the money and put life on hold here, plus I am pregnant, etc. Yes it is crazy and absolutely thrilling. I am a Francophile and love Europe. Ask me if I will quit the French teaching job I love and fly off to one of the most amazing European cities, and I will quite easily say yes. Andrew and I want to eventually work in Europe and this could be the door that gets us there. 

I believe that there are many potential geniuses out there in many diverse fields. The thing that I think may stop them from really becoming those potential geniuses is their lack of ambition or drive. Andrew learned something from his mission that he has carried with him and has helped him accomplish great things. He learned that the difference between a good missionary and an excellent missionary is that an excellent missionary was willing to do things that a good missionary wasn't. There are probably so many other people that were talented enough and qualified enough for that internship but Andrew took the time to find it, apply, interview, and commit to go to Amsterdam. Andrew is pretty opinionated and very well spoken at that. He is also very talented and driven. He isn't afraid to push the boundaries or break the rules. He has incredible ideas and isn't afraid to make them happen. He is also a natural leader. If you combine these qualities with his willingness to do what other people aren't, then you have an artistic genius in my opinion. This video always inspires Andrew.

For a long time Andrew has been working on figuring out his fears and has worked very hard to overcome them so that he can reach his potential. That takes a ton of emotional intelligence and courage. I believe that trying to be fearless is another facet of becoming truly successful in a career. Fear holds so many people back from doing incredible things.

So what this post all comes down to is that Andrew amazes me. I am absolutely amazed by some of the things he creates. I could never do things like that and the world needs people like him to help make it more beautiful. Maybe most women don't really pay attention or get involved enough in their husbands' careers and so I am blessed to see the proof of his awesomeness because I have chosen to be interested and involved. Andrew would never say these things about himself because it is socially unacceptable to toot your own horn. Being his wife, I get to hear all of his desires, fears, and triumphs as perceived through his eyes and I wanted to share them. He works very hard and I cannot wait to see what life holds for us. Moreover, I cannot wait to see what gifts he passes along to our children. He is going to be the most sensitive, loving, patient, understanding father a child could wish for. I am so lucky to have him by my side and teach me how to be a little bit more like him. 

Me? Yes I do think I am special, but that is for another post someday.

Me Is Getting Cuter, In A Pregnant Way

I am about 18 weeks along and since my announcement post I have definitely grown bigger and last week I started noticing the baby kick. It's pretty amazing. We find out the gender in 2 weeks. My parents will be visiting from Florida and they get to come to the ultrasound. I am so happy to be able to share that with them since they live so far away.

So here I am with my bump.

I decided to go with a certified midwife and birthing center. This makes me very happy because I want to be able to walk around, eat, cuddle with my husband and do whatever I need to to feel comfortable, in control, and listen to my body. Obviously, I am going to stay open to the need to go to a hospital if my midwife suggests it. I am also staying open minded about the need for an epidural if needed as well. This week we are starting our Hypnobabies birthing class which I am pretty excited about. 

While we are in the  Netherlands I will be finding a midwife there. Fortunately, it is pretty much the natural/midwife birthing capital of the world. I should be back in the US five weeks before my due date, but it will be nice to know that if anything goes wrong while still there, that I will be in good hands. Socialized medicine wouldn't be such a bad perk.

I'm Pregnant! (What Life Has Really Been Like Over The Past Couple Of Months)

I am Pregnant! You can shout out loud for joy. Making a baby is a miracle!

I live in an area where everywhere you turn you see a pregnant woman. I sometimes feel like it is routine to hear that someone else is pregnant. It try to remind myself that making a baby is a miracle and blessing that God has bestowed upon us and that making a baby is actually one of the major reasons that Andrew and I got married. We are starting our eternal family!

We have been preparing ourselves every day of our lives to be parents. We collected do's and don'ts subconsciously and consciously for years. We discussed some basic things when deciding to get married and we have even read a parenting book called "Positive Discipline" and discussed our approach to parenting for years. We really recommend this book. I have been researching French parenting as well and am interested in incorporating some approaches there.

So Andrew and I are going to be pretty awesome parents and let me tell you why. Sometimes spontaneously we role play where one of us is the kid and the other is the parent and we improv this dialogue that challenges the parent to think on his/her feet pertaining to how we are going to handle a situation in parenting. The other day I was riding a bike and Andrew was running. For some reason I was falling off and having a hard time so Andrew took the role of Daddy and I became little Jimmy riding his bike. The story turned into Jimmy talking about how his friend Tommy gave him lollipops with something called cocaine in them and how Tommy invited him to a sleepover with girls. We love adding little surprises. Andrew is my best friend and playing games like this is one reason why.

So back to the baby business. About a year ago I realized I should be taking prenatal vitamins if I wanted to make a baby within the year. Andrew and I agreed that we would wait until Andrew was done with school. I didn't have a problem with that and except for the occasional baby hungry moments, we were happy to be focusing on just each other and our relationship. You need that time and should cherish it as much as possible before you start the baby flood. 

Last September after attending the temple with no specific question in mind, I received an undeniable prompting from the Holy Ghost that we should start trying to have a baby. I got into the car with Andrew afterwards and just started crying because last time we talked Andrew was kind of anti making a baby at that time, plus I was really overwhelmed by this new possibility. I told him what I felt and he totally reacted by saying that over the past couple months his mind had been softening to the idea of starting a family. After praying more and deciding together to go for it, I went off birth control.

Next was the nightmare of getting me health insurance which I had none of. Neither of our jobs give us benefits so we have had to do it the hard way and still are. I finally got setup after about a month and a half long process.

Back in December I realized that my body needed to be healthy, especially for the baby's sake. I have been eating better and exercising more and have seen great results. My Summer eating habits and work out plan were a good culmination in that journey. I actually did not document with a tape measurer how many inches I lost but my clothes were significantly looser on me. All of this was perfectly timed to me getting pregnant.

I became pregnant around July 1st.

Here are the happy parents on a date at the Little Red Lighthouse, unknowingly on the day we think was the day of conception.

Coincidentally enough, this was the first time we went to this spot and it turned out to be our favorite place to go and one of our favorite memories of New York.

4 weeks pregnant- This is a pretty great story. On our way home from Nauvoo we were driving a rental car to the airport. I had stopped to go to the bathroom an hour earlier and had to go again about 10 minutes before we got to the car rental place. I was driving and the urge was intense. We stopped at the gas station 200 feet away from Avis to fill up before we returned it. Usually I get Sudden Pee Syndrome (we gave a name to that urge to pee you get when you arrive at your front door) and I can hold it until I get to the bathroom. I stopped the car and told Andrew that this one was different. This time I could not move. I told Andrew to hand me the tiny plastic water bottle and contemplated trying to aim everything inside. I dropped that idea and just gave in. I peed all over the cloth driver's seat and my pants. I was so horrified. Afterwards I tried soaking it up with as many gas station paper towels as possible and then had to drive it right over to Avis. I got out of the car and simultaneously grabbed the paper towels I had been sitting on as the agent greeted me. He sat in the seat to gauge the mileage and eventually we were on our way. I was really terrified that he would say, "It smells like urine in here. Uh, could you explain that?" But he didn't. We got the charge a while later and there was not an extra "Had to clean up the gross pee that the pregnant lady flooded the driver's seat with" fee. I did not know I was pregnant at this time and I was really confused. Here is a picture of the seat...

5 1/2 Weeks- When my parents came to visit August 8th I had started to get nauseated. I decided this nausea was very unusual after the 5th day of it so I had Andrew and Dan go get pregnancy tests. Meredith was present as well and they recorded us checking the test to capture our wonderful reactions.

Afterwards, we took a picture of me holding the test on the bed. We loved staying in Jeff and Aurora's apartment in New York and now it is an even more special place to us..... hahaha.

Since then I have been nauseated everyday. It is usually the worst in the morning and evenings. That is perfect for my teaching schedule which is in the afternoons.

6 - 9 weeks- I got a cold that lasted 3 weeks. Apparently pregnant womens' immune systems are very weak because they don't want your body to turn on your baby and attack it or something. That plus nausea was misery. Those were also the weeks that we had to pack and prepare for our trip back to Utah, the one week I had to prepare for the new school year, and the first week of school. Those were the most stressful days of my whole Summer and I felt absolutely horrible. I made it somehow.

8 weeks and 5 days- We saw the doctor for our first appointment on August 31st. We saw the embryo move and that was super cool. Here is a picture of the ultrasound.

10 weeks- We called our parents by Skype to let them know. My parents are in Florida and Andrew's mom is in England. We were able to screen shot their reactions. Notice how the mothers did the same thing.

I am so grateful for Andrew who has been very patient and helpful when I just don't have the energy or feel sick. He also goes and buys toilet paper when I use ours all up because I pee once an hour during the day and get up 4-5 times a night. I could sleep forever and I prayed everyday that the nausea would go away. It is times like this that make me remember how blessed I am when I feel happy and healthy. I haven't worked out for about 2 months and I can't wait to feel good enough to be active again. Remember how Jillian Michaels whipped me into shape this Summer? Sad that I have pretty much lost  all of that. I was looking good.

Week 12- woke up feeling much less nauseated and life was more manageable. I still have to eat small snacks every so often.

Week 13- Went to the Doctor's office and heard the heartbeat. I had never heard anything like it. Babies are a miracle. Like any mother I was worried about this appointment because I knew that if the baby made it through to this point that my chance for miscarriage would be less than 1%. It was a huge relief to hear that rapid beating and a kick to the microphone. So overjoyed!

Here I am at 13 weeks. Not much of a bump. I'm just looking fat.

Right now, the only plan we have is for a natural birth using hypnobirthing, speaking French to our child and having this baby around April 7th. I feel like that is an awesome due date. It is one day after my due date when I was born and I was born March 30th. We are not scared at all for this crazy change and I am feeling surprisingly calm about the birthing process.

When I was getting married, I realized that the day I had been dreaming about was actually happening. I found my prince charming, and we were going to a beautiful castle to get married and to live happily ever after. It was a bit surreal. Now I am moving forward to that next stage that I always dreamed about; holding a precious baby just sent from heaven for us to take care of. I am so excited about the hard and rewarding changes that are coming our way. I love changes and trials because they shape me into a better person every time. I know that having children is that next step and if it changes me any way like marriage has in these short 3 years, I am going to be refined into a beautiful jewel through the most amazing experiences.

Back in Utah

We came home to many things we had not interacted with for months like our little Ugly Dolls that decorate our bed. Aww, tender.

Since we got back Andrew bought a new bag to replace his stolen one. He found this bag , canteen, and bullet holster or something from the Army Surplus Store.

Andrew and Meredith helped me decorate my classroom for school which started this past week.

We are living in Debbie's home but Debbie has gone off to Great Britain. Erin is living here and we are still in the basement. Erin decided to get an adorable puppy named Arrow. He is a miniature long haired silver dappled Daschund and he is very loved by the Becks. Andrew has been begging for a dog so this satiates his craving for now, even though it isn't ours. I am not an animal person but I support it because I know how happy it makes Andrew. One day we will have our own.

 Andrew also had to say goodbye to his sexy beard and longer hair. Saddest day of our lives.

Summer Jobs End and Back Home We Came

We headed home on August 18th after my last day of work.  We feel like we learned a lot about ourselves, our marriage, and how to be more like adults. We were also faced with new experiences and exciting opportunities that opened ourselves up to new discoveries. So after everything, we are really happy about our adventure in New York City!

These are some of the work that the students made, with our help.

Bouchra went on vacation halfway through and so I worked with Corinne, a lovely French woman who taught me a lot about how to teach and raise children the French way. I am actually very interested in taking principles from that and mixing them with our own philosophies. Here we are with the students on our Olympic parade day.

I wrote a little message on the playground of the school.

I'm really going to miss those cute kids. I learned a lot about children that are 3 and 4 and I learned a ton of specific French vocabulary for children that I am going to use for my own children.

Here I am waiting for the metro on our way to the airport.

Fare thee well New York City!

"Wicked" With The Parents

Momma, Dadda, Meredith and Dan spent time with us in the Big Apple. We went to dinner at a great Pizzeria and afterwards experienced the most magical, the most splendid, and the most unforgettable Broadway show. Yes, we saw Wicked! We were pretty out of our minds excited. My mother, Meredith, and I have been wanting to see this since it came out about 10 years ago. My friends and I pretty much sang it everyday in theater classes and through the halls of school and at every theater event we did.

Elpheba sings the most inspiring and moving song right before intermission called "Defying Gravity" and these are our crying faces afterwards.

We got a picture with Jackie Burns, the actress who plays Elpheba. It was so great to be able to express our gratitude for how much her performance touched us. She was very humble and appreciated hearing our feedback.

Saturday we went shopping at Uniqlo and helped my mother pick out a whole new wardrobe since she has lost so much weight. It was fun to help dress her and make her look all cute. 

Afterwards we headed on over to a local Harlem favorite called Sylvia's Soul Food Restaurant. We had some good eatin's which included Mac 'n Cheese, collard greens, chicken 'n waffles, mashed potatoes, cornbread, and banana pudding.

On our walk home we stopped by the historic Lenox Lounge so my parents could go inside and see what was happening. The set of Jazz music had just ended so our timing was bad. They enjoyed looking around though. Andrew caught a picture of us hanging out in front of it.

We thoroughly enjoyed showing our parents around our hood for the past 3 months. Before my parents arrived, we made it over to the World Trade Center memorial and tried to take in the significance of that place in the history of the United States. The memorial was beautiful and very peaceful.

We also hung out in Chinatown and ate at the Golden Unicorn Restaurant (we couldn't resist).

New York Wants Our Blood So Time To Get Outta Here.

The second to last week in NY Meredith came to visit us. It was so fun to have her there and share some of our experiences in the city with her.

One night we decided to eat at a cafe that was open to the sidewalk and streets. At one point Andrew's bag was set down under the table and after some miscommunication about who was watching it, the bag was left there alone for 2 minutes while I paid for the food 3 feet away. In that moment someone came by and swept up Andrew's nice leather bag which contained his Macbook Air and some sketchbooks. We didn't realize it had been taken until an hour later after we left to go to another store and came back.

Last time we were robbed, the police told us to install the Find my iPhone app so that we can locate our stolen mac products. We did that after talking to the robbery detectives the other month. We thought our chances of recovering it were golden since the police said they use it all the time to relocate things. We hurriedly locked the computer remotely only to read more carefully later that by doing that we ruined our chances of geo-locating it (thanks for the huge self destruct button warning, Apple!). After the Police were really pessimistic and told Andrew that they probably wouldn't find it, Andrew made a satirical illustration of a police officer. Notice his lovely water gun.

The next morning after trying to come to terms with losing a big piece of Andrew's life, the app located Andrew's computer here in Brooklyn:

The computer was connected to the internet during the night and geolocated itself before locking. After I got the exact location, I tried going all vigilante and checked out the building. It was in a ghetto neighborhood and the building location had 4 floors. After my calculation it could have been in either 3 or 6 different apartments (not bad, right?). The Macbook was possibly right behind these walls, and I couldn't do anything about it.

The police looked at video surveillance and got a shot of the guys face. They said it is really hard to get search warrants and they were going to circulate the guys picture around the precinct. It's a technique they use that's really effective for catching people 20 years down the road. Don't go to this precinct in NY (okay maybe just any precinct in NY) if you want to get help. They have bigger cases to deal with.

So after giving them a pretty specific location, a photo of the guy and a serial number of the laptop, going to the apartment building and talking to the landlord with a picture of the guy who probably lives there and even more specifically, in a certain area of the building, was probably going to take too much effort. We no longer have any confidence in the detective abilities of the NYPD. I bet that if the computer had been stolen in Provo then we would have gotten it back.

I should have gone up to one of the officers and asked for some of my tax money back. We realized that t.v. detective shows are so not real. They don't have the smarts or power to do half of the stuff you see on t.v. After having 3 separate instances of theft, we were really ready to get out of New York and go back to Provo, Utah where a parking ticket is the most action the police department gets on a good day.