25 Weeks Pregnant

How far along? 25 Weeks (completed 6/21/14)

Shirt: Motherhood Maternity   Shorts: Motherhood Maternity   Sandals: DSW

 
 Total weight gain: Oh man, are you ready for this? I gained a LOT this week! YIKES! I'm up a total of 20lbs... just a little ahead of the 'recommended' weight gain according to the books. But hey, those pounds were delicious, haha ;)

Maternity/baby clothes: Nothing new

Stretch marks? Looks like I've gotten just a couple more on my sides. No fun, but what are you gonna do right? They're genetic. I'm dealing with it.

Sleep: Terrible.... just terrible. I can't get comfortable. I've been waking up to use the restroom a lot again (I guess that's just what happens when baby gets bigger huh?). But the worst thing is that my hips are KILLING me! I wake up constantly, having to switch sides because my hip hurts so bad from the pressure (I'm assuming). I'll wake up and stretch it to try to relieve some of the pain, but it doesn't help much. The pain sticks around all day too. Sleeping this week just hasn't been my cup of tea.

Best moment this week: Our 1 year anniversary! I cannot believe it has been a year since we got married. Time just flies by, and now we're going to be having a baby in just over 3 months. Life is insane. But a good insane. I'm loving it!
We didn't do much to celebrate since we are saving up for baby, but we spent a really great day together. And really, what else do you need to have a good time, other than your spouse? It's not about how much you spend or what you do, but about the company you're with. My company couldn't have been any better. Mushy, I know, but I just love my husband and am so grateful for his love and all his hard work (always), but especially lately putting in 65-70 hour work weeks.
So for our anniversary, we got up and had breakfast at Kneaders, because quite frankly we're obsessed with their french toast! Then we came home, did some cleaning that we didn't have time for earlier that week so the house would be clean to come home to that night. Then we may, or may not have taken a nap... okay, so we did. Haha what can I say, we were both tired! After our lovely nap, we got ready, grabbed some shakes, and headed out to the Utah Valley Parade of Homes.

To the first home of the day.

We spent a lot of time in the car, lots of chatting about the future, and thinking back to our wedding day.

Mmmm.... shakes! And being silly of course, which is what we do.

After our long day of driving and walking through some really beautiful, and some not so beautiful homes, we headed off to dinner. We went back to where we had our first date (and the chips and salsa/queso we were craving)... Chilis. Classy, I know ;)
It was delicious! We headed home after filling up on some really delicious food and played some card games, we LOVE card games. I can't remember who won, we were both pretty out of it at this point. Then the rest of the night we just relaxed and enjoyed each others company. Great day, great night, great first year! Love you babe!

Photo Credit: Mikki Platt Photography

Miss anything? Being able to sleep comfortably.

Movement: Yes, however her movements decreased by a ton the beginning of this week. I hated it. She was so so calm. She would move maybe once or twice like every 5 hours, very very unlike her. I wish I could say it didn't scare me at all, but I'm already a worry wart, so of course, I worried. Luckily at the end of the week she perked up a bit. Not much, but was a little back to her normal active self, thank heavens.

Food cravings: No real cravings this week.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not this week!

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Continued congestion, acid reflux, dry skin, leg cramps, blah blah blah. These get old don't they? I'll throw in some new ones. Not all bad either! I have noticed my appetite has increased, I'm back to eating like I did before I was pregnant. After the whole nausea of the first trimester my appetite just kind of stayed low for most of this trimester too. So glad it's back! I've noticed the last week or two also that my hair is getting thicker, and I lose less in the shower than I used to. It's always grown fast, so I haven't noticed an increase in its growth as far as length goes. Not so fun symptom is my back pain has increased quite a bit this week.

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy :)

 
Looking forward to: Our next appt! And our 2nd year of marriage :)

24 Weeks Pregnant

How far along? 24 Weeks (completed 6/14/14)

Maternity Dress from Target. Cardigan... I seriously can't remember where I got it, it's been too long.

 

 Total weight gain: I was down 1lb all week. So, total gained thus far is 17lbs.

Maternity/baby clothes: Nothing new.

Stretch marks? Sticking with what I've got so far. I didn't notice any new ones this week.

Sleep: Not bad, not great. Tons of really really weird dreams this week though. Seriously, so strange.

Best moment this week: Going to Hogle Zoo with my hubby on Saturday. It was fun to get out of the house, though we were completely exhausted by the time we got home. We both took really long naps. We're old! Haha! Best part of the zoo (and I think my husband would agree), just might have been lunch. I mean seriously, it was soooo good! Just a burger and fries, but incredibly tasty.

Best burger and fries I've had in... well, I don't even know how long because they may have been the best ones I've ever had. Good job Hogle Zoo!

Nom Nom Nom!

Second best part of the zoo? The bears of course! Not just because they are my favorite animal, but because they were actually awake and doing things. They were chasing each other around, fighting, and just playing in general. Kind of looked like a lovers quarrel too between the 1 male and 2 females.

On the run!

Miss anything? Not missing much this week. Life and pregnancy is good :)

Movement: Yes! She just gets stronger and stronger by the week (thank goodness!). Also, she will now sometimes react back to me when I push on my belly in places. It's just the cutest getting to interact with her in some small way! Melts my heart already <3

Food cravings: A doughnut! We were at the zoo and I saw someone walking around with a doughnut, after that... I just HAD to have one. And seriously, it was like the best one ever. I don't know what the zoo does to make their food so tasty, but if you're there you should try their doughnuts for sure! Okay, so maybe this wasn't a real pregnancy craving, but this section is always so boring.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not this week!

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Continued congestion and acid reflux per usual. Still been getting some occasional cramps/contractions. Extremely dry skin... note: black clothes and dry skin do not mix. Also, due to me trying to prevent leg cramps, my ankles are killing me. Weird right? Well let me explain. When I wake up I always have slight leg cramps, and I know that if I stretch my legs out and point my toes as usual when I wake up, it will make them about a million times worse. So instead of pointing my toes, I flex my feet hard for a while til the cramp goes away. Due to all this flexing, and not stretching, it is oddly starting to hurt my ankles. I don't know what's worse, the ankle pain or leg cramps.

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Mostly happy, slight moodiness after my nap on Saturday, but that is pretty typical of me after taking naps anyway.

 
Looking forward to: Our 1 year anniversary! It's next week, and though we aren't planning on doing much since we are saving for baby, I am still very excited! What a great milestone :)

23 Weeks Pregnant

How far along? 23 Weeks (completed 6/7/14)

T-Shirt: Target (Maternity Section) and Skirt: Non-Maternity from Target. Gotta love comfy maxi's!

Total weight gain: Finally got a chance to weigh in... and it was a little depressing, haha but it is what it is right? I'm up a total of 18 lbs so far. Eek!

Maternity/baby clothes: Nothing new in this section.

Stretch marks? Thankfully nothing more than what I've previously mentioned, and I'm REALLY hoping it stays that way. Though I know it's highly unlikely.

Sleep: Not so great this week. Not so great at all. I tossed and turned a LOT! I just could not get comfortable, with or without the body pillow. Sleep was definitely a struggle. Let's hope next week is a little better!

Best moment this week: Our doctor's appointment! Got to see our little girl again, and that is always a joy! :)
She is looking healthy still, but they again weren't able to get everything they needed. So bummer (NOT!) we have to get another ultrasound at our next appt. Super excited! She has flipped, so she isn't breech anymore... as of right now. But who knows come next time. They were unable to see her little lips though to rule out a cleft lip. Hopefully she'll let us sneak a peak in 4 weeks.


Miss anything? It has been getting harder to get up from sitting and/or laying positions. So I'm missing being able to just get right up when I need to. I make so many funny noises trying to get up now, it's got to be amusing to those around me. It's not so bad when I'm in a hard chair like at work or church or something, but when it comes to soft things like couches and beds... it's a problem. Haha!

Movement: Yes! Lots, and John has been able to feel more movement lately too. Instead of just one big kick every once in a while, he'll feel a couple in a row or just more of her movements in general. I love being able to share that with him. Also, she is big enough now that I can actually see some of her big movements when I look at my belly. It's so fun... and weird. I don't think it'll ever not be a little weird.
Oh and also, my adorable little kitty Kissa (Kees-a) loves to lay on my belly when we are watching tv. She always has, ever since she was just a tiny little kitten. But I don't think the baby likes her laying there anymore. Everytime Kissa lay's on my belly, baby kicks hard and repeatedly. It's so funny because I know Kissa can feel it now. It irritates her so she always jumps off and cuddles with John instead. I'm sad that I won't get to cuddle with her much longer, but it's fun to see this tiny bit of interaction between the two.

Kissa laying on my growing belly. Love her and her cuddles :)

Food cravings: Nothing still

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not this week!

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Some continued congestion and acid reflux per usual. I've got a feeling those will be sticking around til the end. Also I've still been getting cramps/contractions. But nothing to be worried about. They don't happen often enough to be of any concern as our doctor told us. He did give us more info on all that though in case things change. Another thing I've had ongoing for pretty much the whole pregnancy that I think I've mentioned previously, I just haven't listed it every week is my dry skin. It's just terrible. Always super super dry. Thank heavens for lotion! I hate dry skin. Other than that, I've been feeling pretty good. I am so grateful for the second trimester and the ease that it brings compared to the first!

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Might have been a little (okay, a lot) moody at the end of this week. Hormones much? Sorry to my hubby for taking the brunt of it. I think I jinxed myself by recently telling someone that I have been less hormonal pregnant than I was prior to pregnancy. Oops!

 
Looking forward to: Having absolutely no plans next week! Sometimes it's just nice to not have to worry about anything taking up your weeknights. I plan to actually cook, get some cleaning done, and a whole lot of relaxing. It will be great!

22 Weeks Pregnant

How far along? 22 Weeks (completed 5/31/14)

Total weight gain: I was out of town again for this week's weigh in... so who knows! I can't even remember the last time I got on the scale. It's been a busy couple of weeks. But I'll be sure to weigh in next week since we have nothing going on over my usual weigh in day.

Maternity/baby clothes: No new clothes for me. Really there probably won't be any new ones for a while, if at all. So I'm changing this category to be Maternity/Baby Clothes... because well, I want to show off the cute things I've been receiving and the few I've purchased. 
In this weeks pictures I am wearing maternity capris from Macy's and that's it for maternity wear. The shirt is just a plain t-shirt from Target.

 
Now, check out the cute things we've received from Grandma Dudley so far! I know she's bought more, but I haven't seen it yet.

All the clothes are from Carters and Osh Kosh. I'm not sure where she got the nursing pillow, swaddles, or leggings from.

These are items I've bought so far for our little girl.

The two really bright ones were bought a couple months apart. Forgot I had bright stuff already, but apparently I really like that bright coral color.
The 'Sweet Like Grandma' outfit is from Macys. And the other two are from Carters.

Stretch marks? Unfortunately, I do have something to report in this section this week. First I noticed just a couple new ones on my sides. They are small now, but who knows how much they'll spread. And remember the new ones on my legs from last week? Yeah, those are for sure stretch marks, and there are a ton of them! When I realized how bad they were, I almost started crying... literally. Even just thinking about them right now makes me want to burst into tears. I have been having a really hard time with all the body changes that have been going on lately. I just can't look in a mirror for a while. It's depressing. However, I know every stretch mark and change that my body makes will be totally worth it the first moment I meet our little girl.

Sleep: Pretty good this week really. I can't complain :)

Best moment this week: So many good moments this week!

First: A huge thanks and shout out to these lovely ladies that threw me a surprise baby shower during our last dance class this week.
 

They are the sweetest! I had so much fun dancing with them the past 8-ish months, can't wait to start up again next year! They all pitched in and got me some really fun and cute stuff. Wish I would've taken pictures of the cute balloons, cupcakes, etc from the party, but I didn't even think to. Here are the gifts I received.

The onsie says "Mommy's little dancer" on it... too cute! And one of the girls made that adorable pink blanket. Thanks again ladies!!

Second: My new glider! AHHH! Seriously, as soon as it was out of the box and my hubby was carrying it to the nursery I was literally jumping up and down with excitement! I told him it felt like Christmas. It is sooo comfy and I just love the material and colors we picked out! <3
 

I love love love it!

Third, and lastly: Our little weekend getaway with some of our good friends to St George. We took no pictures the entire time... because I was either too lazy or relaxed. I'm gonna go with relaxed to make myself feel better. But it was really just so fun. We stayed in a friends family condo, went swimming, ate good food, played a lot of games (actually, played a lot of one game), stayed up late, and laughed til we cried. Just a blast! And the best part was that it was pretty much free for us! John had to work in Cedar City on the way back, so his boss covered expenses for him. Always nice to save some money when you're getting ready for a baby.



Miss anything? Hmmm... I don't think that I am missing anything right now. Feeling pretty good!

Movement: Yes! And they are getting bigger! On Thursday night we were in St George playing some cards, and she kicked me so hard I literally jumped, it scared me. Knowing how strong she is right now freaks me out for movements in the future. I have a feeling they are going to hurt. She's so strong! Also, I have figured out how to get her to move if she hasn't for a long time and I start to worry. All I have to do is lean forward. She will always start kicking if I lean forward.

Food cravings: Nadda

Anything making you queasy or sick? A little queasiness from driving again, but not nearly as bad and it was mostly because the road was just so bumpy.

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Some continued congestion and acid reflux. Been getting cramps more frequently too. The funniest symptom this week was from the heat in St George and the drive down there I think, my feet were SO swollen! Actually, it wasn't even just my feet... my feet, ankles, and legs up to my knees were extremely swollen. I could not get over it. It was funny and depressing all at the same time. Like I'm not kidding, my feet were HUGE! See for yourself.

Note: My right foot is swollen in this picture as well, but my left foot takes the cake. It's HUGE! Oh the joys of pregnancy ;)

Also, one morning I woke up and got the worst leg cramps I've ever had. I sat up really fast just saying "Ow, ow, ow..." over and over, John shot up out of bed not knowing exactly what I was in pain from (seriously, I've never seen him move so quick!) and rushed over to my side. I told him it was leg cramps and he helped me stretch them out. Best husband award! I am really not looking forward to those if they continue. Man they HURT!

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy! :)

 
Looking forward to: Our next appt! It's next week... YAY!

21 Weeks Pregnant

How far along? 21 Weeks (completed 5/24/14)

This was right before we left to go camping, so I'm looking rather haggardly. No sense in getting ready when you're just going to be driving then heading to bed... or maybe I'm just lazy? Haha both, I'm sure.

Total weight gain: I'm not sure on this week, because we were camping when I normally weigh myself. So I'll have to get back to this next week.

Maternity clothes: Nothing new. In my photos I am wearing a maternity top from Target, and the capris are maternity ones from Motherhood Maternity.

Stretch marks? Pretty sure my legs are getting new ones. Boo! I mean, I already had some on my thighs before anyway, but they are creeping their way toward the front of my thighs instead of just on the sides.

Sleep: So not good the beginning of this week. I honestly could not breath out of my nose due to the congestion, per usual these days. I ended up borrowing a humidifier and some Vick's VapoRub from my parents to try and help me breath and keep my mouth/throat from drying out at night. I don't think the humidifier helped to keep me from drying out too much, but the Vick's did help with the breathing through my nose. After a couple days I could finally breath through one side, so I actually got a bit of sleep. By the end of the week I was able to sleep pretty well, which was needed. I had gotten hardly any the first few days.

Best moment this week: Camping! I love camping! We went over Memorial Day weekend on my family camping trip. It was a lot of fun and relaxation. Here are just a few photos from the trip. I took hardly any, I'm so terrible with photo taking. But... enjoy!

Just some fun pics of us hanging out. I didn't get pictures of half my family. But they were many more of us there.

The hubby making some dutch oven... YUM! And my oldest brother helping out with the coals, because ours weren't good for some reason.

My nephew Jace! He didn't want to take a picture with me, but I finally got one with his head up... cutie!

Family photo in front of our tent!

Miss anything? Beginning of the week I would've said being able to breath out of my nose again, but since that was mostly gone by the end of the week, I got nothing. Which is good!!

Movement: Yes! And I love it :)

Food cravings: Nadda, boring... I know.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Guess what!?!? I have not gotten sick from riding passenger in a car in like a week! YAYAY!! I made it all the way down to and back from our family trip without getting sick. It was just the best!

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Felt rather dizzy this week. One day was pretty bad, I didn't want to drive home from work, but I made it safely. As mentioned above, the congestion continued. It was really really bad the beginning of the week and started to taper off by the end. So I still had some congestion, just not quite as bad. Otherwise, I feel pretty good to be honest. I am feeling a lot like myself again and I am loving it!

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy! :)

 
Looking forward to: Our next appt! We get to do another ultrasound and I am excited to see my little girl. Also, still looking forward to when she is big enough that John can feel her more often as she moves. It's only once in a while right now.

20 Weeks Pregnant

How far along? 20 Weeks (completed 5/17/14)

Total weight gain: Up 2 lbs this week. So a total of 11 lbs gained so far.

Maternity clothes: Didn't buy anything new this week, but I am wearing both maternity jeans, and top in my pics this week. Both from Motherhood Maternity. Very comfortable!

Stretch marks? Haven't noticed anything new yet.

Sleep: Not so great this week. Hubby and I switched sides of the bed so I could sleep on my left side with a body pillow more easily. Now I'm on the left side of the bed, so he is not in front of me when I'm on my left side. It is just more comfortable that way, and I can move the pillow and myself easier than if he was in front of me. Oh and speaking of... I started using a body pillow to sleep with. I didn't think having a pillow between your legs would make that big a difference, but it really does! I've noticed that when I use it my back hurts a lot less the next day. So that will be sticking around the rest of the pregnancy I'm sure! The worst part of sleep this week though has been my congestion. It's just so bad, I can't breath through my nose, and the alternate is just not fun and keeps me up. Breathing through my mouth at night keeps me awake more often than not. I'm just always waking up because I'm so dry and need water to hydrate my mouth again, and again.... and again. Not loving it.

Best moment this week: Definitely when John got to feel the baby move for the first time! It only happened once, just a really strong kick or punch or something, but it was the best! When I felt her move I would wait to see if he reacted at all. He didn't with most of them, but then the really big one he looked at me like he was in shock, and asked if that was her. It was cute, he was so excited! Can't wait til she is a little bigger and stronger so he can feel the movements more often.

Second best moment this week was Mothers Day. I don't really consider it my first mothers day since the baby isn't born yet, but John surprised me anyway. I woke up to blueberry muffins being made, fresh flowers, and some cute new earrings (I am wearing them in the pictures). It was adorable, and he is just the best husband a girl could ask for. He really knows how to make me feel special. Love you babe!

Miss anything? I'm going to stick with being able to breath normally again this week. The things we take for granted... right?

Movement: Yes! So it was Monday that John felt her move for the first time. Pretty normal movements all week, except Thursday she hardly moved at all! But she made up for being so calm Thursday, because Friday she was moving around like crazy! I think she was moving the entire time I was at work... and that night. It was just constant, and I loved it :)

Food cravings: Monday I had a crazy craving for fruit, but that was it for the week.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Let's see.... on Friday night we went out for Mexican because I thought that I could finally handle eating it again. Well, I was wrong. As soon as my plate of food came out, it made me want to hurl. It was sad, but I managed to down like 4 bites, then took the rest home.

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Such bad acid reflux the beginning of this week, probably the worst I've had yet as far as that goes. But it went away around Wednesday, then my congestion came back worse than ever (as previously mentioned). I seriously don't think I slept a full nights worth of sleep between Wednesday and the end of the week.

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? I feel like this question should be answered by my husband every week. Haha, maybe I'll start making him chime in on here. I would say happy, but I'm probably just blocking out the moody! Lol! I know my boss would think moody. He thought I was in a bad mood all week, but I wasn't... I just didn't want to be at work. I wanted to be home getting ready for baby, even though it's still so far away til she gets here.

 
Looking forward to: My family camping trip next week! We are going to Huntington State Park. I have never been there, but it should be fun. I love the outdoors! And the best part is, it's free. Who doesn't love free things, right?

19 Weeks Pregnant

How far along? 19 Weeks (completed 5/10/14)

Week 19

Total weight gain: No weight gain this week, which is just crazy because I specifically ate way more this week after hearing baby was measuring 2 days small for our due date. So I thought I'd definitely be a couple pounds heavier this week. Oh well, still up 9lbs total so far.

Maternity clothes: Didn't buy anything new, and probably won't for a while if I do at all. No maternity clothes in the pics this week either. Somehow I managed just to squeeze into my pre pregnancy stuff. Bad idea by the way. Boobs just aren't meant to be that smashed for that long! It was pure bliss to take that dress and belt off after church! Haha

Stretch marks? No new ones, thank heavens! I have a feeling they are about to start popping up all over though. Really not looking forward to it. But hey, maybe I'll get lucky and bypass them on my tummy? Fingers crossed!

Sleep: Not too bad this week. No leg cramps, and my congestion started to die down so I slept a lot better than last week!

Best moment this week: Ummm.... our doctors appointment! It was our '20 wk' check up where they do an ultrasound to check all the of baby's vital organs and what not to make sure baby is growing healthy and there are no complications. I was soooo nervous going into it, but so relieved and happy after we left! Baby was still breech and sitting really low in my pelvis, so the u/s tech couldn't measure or see everything he needed to to make sure baby is completely healthy, however everything (like 90% of the needed things) he did check was looking great and healthy!  Happiest thing ever to hear I think! We are scheduled for another u/s at our next appt to finish checking the things they couldn't get this time. Also, luckily he was able to move baby just enough and go low enough that we were able to find out the sex of the baby!! YAY! You can find that out below. All in all, it was a fantastic day! :)

Miss anything? Not really missing anything this week. It was a good week!

Movement: Yes! I was hoping John would possibly be able to feel something this week from the outside, but no luck. One night while we were watching tv, I kept my hand on my stomach to see if I could feel from the outside and their was one movement I know I could, so I told him to hurry and come over. But baby stopped moving after that, silly baby.... must be shy. Maybe in a couple weeks he'll get to feel some of the fun!

Food cravings: Dutch oven potatoes! Oh my gosh, I can't even tell you how badly I want those this week! I wish we had a dutch oven so we could've made some, but we don't. Good thing we get some on Mothers Day! Seriously cannot wait!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Still just the riding passenger thing, so we try to avoid that at all costs.

Gender: Its a................................ GIRL!!! :D I am so excited!! John was slightly disappointed in the appointment when we found out. He was totally set on it being a boy this week, but he's still really excited too. And lets get real, he is going to be wrapped around her itty bitty finger, he'll love it! One of the reasons I am so excited it's a girl also, is that this will be the very first baby girl on my side of the family. I put baby in italics simply because I already have a beautiful little niece on that side, however she was introduced into our lives when she was a bit older. I want to say maybe around 4 or 5? So she is really the first girl grand daughter, but we didn't get to enjoy her as a baby. So glad she is in our family now though! My mother however, is just simply ecstatic that she gets a baby grand daughter finally! All of my brothers have had adorable little boys so far, but she has been dying to buy sundresses and girl clothes for far too long. You're welcome Mom! ;)

Labor signs: None

Symptoms: Headaches, headaches, headaches... they are unrelenting. Got a bit of nausea on Friday and Saturday. I have been having a lot of acid reflux, which is just gross and uncomfortable. I also lost a lot of my energy I had gained back recently. I was just exhausted all week! A lot of shortness of breath too... like all the time. Who knew breathing would become such a chore, haha! Honestly though, I feel so much better now than I did in the first trimester that I am just happy it's not as bad and I feel way more normal.

Belly button in or out? In, however I have noticed over the last couple weeks that my belly button is way more shallow than it used to be. So so weird! Makes sense though, what, with a big old baby filled uterus moving up past it, haha! I just really don't want it to pop out, though I know that is very unlikely.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy! Just such a good week. Loved, loved, loved it :)

 
Looking forward to: The halfway mark next week and it all being downhill from there. I cannot believe we have made it halfway through already (well, almost).