Ari's first modeling shoot

Here are some pictures I took while Ryan was at school. We are working on getting Ari's birth announcements done and I was trying to save a little $$$ by doing the photo myself- I mean how hard can it be to photograph a 5 day old baby, right ?!?!?























Yeah, we will probably stick to Kiddie Kandids....

Ari Burton Williams

Here it is the moment you have all been waiting for - Little Ari Burton
Sweet Angel Boy
6lbs 7oz
19 and 1/2inches long

Proud Dad

Oh, yeah did I mention that we had our first blizzard of the season the night I went into labor. It started snowing at about 1am and did not let up til well after Ari was born. Here is the view at the parking lot from our hospital room.

Here is a size comparison for you, to put things into perspective. On the right is the outfit we intended on taking Ari home in - it was a size newborn- Ari is on the left in the outfit he ended up going home in - its a preemie outfit Ryan had to stop and get before he picked us up from the hospital. He really is tiny, but perfect....

Going home, at last

A little bit of catch up .....

Yes... I know the only thing you guys are coming to our page to see is pictures of Ari - HOLD ON - there is some much needed catching up to be done. So here it goes. Ari was due on November 30th, and although at every Dr.'s visit I was assured I would see his tiny little face BEFORE my due date- days came and went. Not that things weren't going on- I spent the better part of November dilated to a 3 and 85% effaced.....
We tried EVERYTHING - a legendary pizza, spicy foods, walking, a pressure point massage,we walked around the mall at midnight the day after Thanksgiving, we walked around Temple Square EVERYTHING.... and still no baby Ari.

Here I am at Temple Square (I refused to buy a maternity winter jacket since I was only going to be pregnant for the first part of winter- so yes I just look fat - but at 9 months you just don't care anymore)

But alas, I have a very kind Dr. and she said that IF Ari did not come by my due date she would gladly induce - if that is what I wanted. And sure part of me wanted that "Hollywood" delivery where I woke up in the middle of the night drenched because my water broke - so Ryan and I could rush of to the hospital - I had no problem scheduling an induction. So the date was set- December 1st at 7am I was to report to the hospital and get induced.
That being said Ryan and I started to enjoy the idea of knowing exactly how it was going to happen- we planned for someone to take care of Berkelee, and felt we had "time" to get everything done that we needed to before baby.
November 30th came and I got up and went to work as expected- just like every day before (well except I took home all my stuff at the end of my shift and I really did not care at all - all day - about doing anything)
Ryan and I had a nice night of relaxing and enjoying each other planned before the big day - so we left for dinner at Tres Hombres to start our date. As we were waiting to be seated, I felt a little funny. Could it be - a contraction- hmmm... Now this had happened before, ALOT and every time I would get excited and tell Ryan - they would stop. I had no reason to believe this time would be any different so I just kept it my little secret. We ate dinner, and talked, uninterrupted (something I hear we will not do again for some time now that we have entered the world of parenthood) all the while I was having mildish contractions. I kept looking at my phone to check how far apart they were- but felt for sure they would stop since they were not consistent. I was waiting for the four minutes apart rule. Ryan wanted to go out shopping or walking around but I said maybe we should just go home - so after a quick stop at Blockbuster to rent Evan Almighty, we came home and the contractions were still coming.
At this point I realised that this might actually be it and I better confide in my other half. So I told Ryan that I was having contractions and had been since 8pm and that I didn't tell him cause I was sure it was not the real thing. So we started keeping track and writing down every time I had a contraction. Ryan gave me a blessing and I took a quick shower before we headed off to the hospital, thinking for sure they were going to send us home and tell us to come back tomorrow.
When we got the the hospital - the nurses all knew who I was- since they work 12 hour shifts they had already worked on my paperwork for the following morning (when I was scheduled to be induced)
Every time someone asked my name, they would say - aren't you supposed to come tomorrow? It was kind of funny. So they checked me out and called my Dr. and sure enough - we were staying the night. When we got there I was still a 3 and at 4:30am I couldn't sleep anymore due to the contractions coming about every 5 minutes and getting strong - so I got my epidural - my Dr also had them start me on pitocin anyway to see if it would speed up my labor. At 10am they checked me again and I was at a 10 - it was time to push. After an hour of pushing little Ari Burton Williams was here. I can't believe it still - it really was a picture perfect delivery (thank goodness for epidurals)
I guess Little Man Ari wasn't going to have anyone tell him when to come....

Ari Burton Williams is FINALLY here...

Ari Burton Williams was born December 1st, 2007 at 11:09a.m. He is 6lbs 7oz and 19 and 1/2 inches long. Ari, Mom and Dad are all doing well - please be patient with us - we will update this blog ASAP with pictures... (in between diapers, and feeding and laundry and ......) We love you all and we miss you!!!!

Nesting....?!?

Okay so maybe I have started the "nesting" phase. Which means projects are in full swing in our household. In addition to trying to organize our upcoming move, Ryan and I have been using our spare time to complete my list of projects in preparation for baby Williams arrival. After much debate we finally decided on black furniture for the baby's room... that being said we had some painting to do. First we repainted the changing table- it was an all day project but it turned out awesome. Then I painted the storage baskets we bought in baby blue and green - just to add a little color to the nursery. Here is the finished project



Then I decided to take a shelf that we had been using in our bathroom and repaint it to match. I am going to put the babys first books and some beanie babies from grandma Sievert and his night light lantern and stuff on it- I painted a basket for it too



And after months of searching and our original travel system being discontinued- we finally found a travel system that we both liked equally. Ryan and I have even practiced strapping our practice baby in the car seat ( we are still trying to use the doll to teach Berk to be gentle around the baby- not sure how well it is really working, guess we will find out soon) Here is our new car seat and travel system.
Berkelee being such a good dog




Now all we need to do is finish our move and have the baby... we will keep you all posted - we love you and we miss you

Happy Halloween!!!!

I really can not believe I agreed to this but - here it is baby's first "unofficial" Halloween. Yep here it is in all its glory- my big ol baby belly. Ryan and I had a very low key Halloween, just a little belly painting and laying around. Berkelee didn't want to dress up this year - and we decided it was too much effort to get him into costume anyway. So this is it - our Halloween treat for all of you. We love you and we miss you. Hope you all had a Fun and Safe Halloween.

Were Moving ....

As if there are not enough changes happening right now, Ryan's new job, new baby coming, etc.... WERE MOVING. We have been spending a lot if time debating what to do about our apartment situation and the new baby and space, etc. And we threw around the idea of staying at our tiny place month to month for a while after baby comes, or we thought about breaking our lease a few months ago. And after a lot of prayers and sleepless nights we have finally decided to move and we found a great place too. The only crunch is that our current lease is up November 24th- for those of you keeping track, that is 6 days before my due date. Our new place is available November 1st. Now there are pros and cons to this situation. CON - we will be paying rent at two places the months of November-not our ideal situation. PRO we will have an entire month to move in and get our old place cleaned up - which at nine months pregnant is about how much time I expect it to take for us to move. In my perfect world I have scheduled everything so that baby Williams will just naturally make his appearance on November 20th - I am dreaming that my water will break just as the last box is unpacked... however now that I have this planned I am sure he will decided to come on the 5th or something.
So that is where we are at- anyone ANYONE who wants to help - that would be greatly appreciated
We love you all and miss you tons

Oh Thank Heaven for Little Boys.....

Saturday night, while the boys were all at Priesthood session - My in laws threw me an amazing baby shower. It was so nice to have family around once again. This visit Ryan's parents, his Aunt Anne, Aunt Ellen, and Uncle Butch were all able to come into town (mostly for conference). The baby shower was a great way to spend the evening and Ryan, baby and I were given so many great gifts - our nursery is really coming together.... only a few things missing - mostly baby Williams.
Aunt Ellen, Ella, Aunt Anne, Katie, Martha, Whitney and Kasey




Carina and Ernestina


Grandma Williams (Ryan's mom) made this georgeous blanket for baby Williams

Kristin got baby Williams a fancy Baby Bonkie so he can swaddle is style

Lots of baby booties to keep his little feet warm


I am so excited for little baby Williams to get here - start placing your bets on when the big day will be

Sundance, Anyone????

Sundance, Anyone??? Okay well I am getting a little bit ahead of myself here- but I am hoping that there are some free passes to the film festival for baby Williams and I. Ryan landed an awesome internship with Park City. This is such a blessing- while the commute is a little bit more then we would like and a little scarry with the upcoming snowy season, Park City is just about the best city to score an internship. The planner is really well known in the "Planning World" and very well respected- he will be able to teach Ryan a lot and hopefully get Ryan's feet into a lot of other doors and opportunities. Also Park City is one of the "More" well known cities in Utah- just about everyone, everywhere has heard of Park City so it will look great on future resumes and job interviews even out of state. And last but not least- Ryan will have to help plan and work the Sundance Film festival - only like the most famous annual event in Utah- and that is where I am planning on scoring all of my private party passes for the baby and I. I just know baby Williams is destin to be friends with Kingston James Rossdale (Gwen Stefani's baby) or little Violet Affleck.
Thank you to everyone for all of your prayers- Ryan had a hectic time of interviews and it really did pay off. We love you all

Our baby - for now

He was the first addition to our family- and for the time being he is still the "baby" of the house, so I thought Berkelee deserved what could possibly turn into his last "post". I am fully aware that as "spoiled" as some of you think Berkelee is - the times they are a changing. Really we could not have asked for better "practice" for being parents in my opinion. Berkelee has been great and I am hoping that he will continue to be just as amazing when we bring home baby Williams. So far- Berkelee has helped me personally make it through this pregnancy. He has always been so understanding when I could not take him out because I was laying in bed too sick to get up. Berk held "it" for hours while I laid in bed waiting for Ryan to come home. He snuggled with me on my worst days, regardless of how short my patience would get with him.

He really is the sweetest dog we could have asked for... but like I said, the times are changing and I am sure once Baby Williams is here - Berk will take the back burner in our lives- so here it is my tribute to him (we are not getting rid of him, I just realised that this post makes it sound like he is going away or we are getting rid of him- NOT THE CASE) I just know that Berkelee posts are probably going to be a thing of the past soon enough- well unless its to report how cute Berkelee is with the baby, or Berk happens to be in the background of a photo of the baby, etc.

So here's to the cutest dog ever....

First, and Last Football game of the Season?!

Go Utes!!!! Well Ryan, Kristin and I attended our first Utah Football game for the season- and I am pretty sure speaking only for myself of course - that it will be my last football game of the season. Ryan got us great seats - ROW 58. Oh, and it was only 85 degrees. Luckily the Utes played awesome and the game was exciting - plus you can not be in a bad mood when your team is kicking some butt. However the crowded trax, the hike up to the stadium and the never ending stair climb up the 58 rows was enough "football" for me for one year. As I sat there sweating from the heat and the hike, I realised - I am not going to be any "less pregnant" as the season progresses- so this might just be it for me at least.
Here are some pictures from the game



Kristin and I




Ryan and I again



All and all, we had a great time at the game and Utah won...

Dinner at the Roof

Well since I was already logged in and blogging I decided to post this one too. Ryan's parents came in town August 17th-20th. It was so nice to visit with them- we really wish all of our family could be closer. While they were here we were treated to a very fancy dinner in celebration of Lindsey's birthday, Ryan's birthday and the upcoming newest member of the Williams clan. We went to the Roof, on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, overlooking Temple square. We had a gorgeous view and dinner was amazing- (I am so grateful to be over the "sick" part of this pregnancy)

Update ....

Okay so it is a long time coming BUT I promised pictures so here they are. These pictures are from our Babymoon- Birthday trip to Vegas that we took in July. So yeah they are a little behind- but they are the best we can do. We celebrated Ryan's birthday on the 4th of September. We went to Ryan's favorite restaurant Tepanyaki and had a great time. Other then that nothing else is really new- we are anxiously awaiting our newest addition - I can't believe he will be here in about two months - it is really going fast... yikes. We still have so much to do, and we are still looking for a new place to live (agh... cross your fingers and remember us in your prayers- my due date is November 30th and our current lease is up November 25th....)
Here are the pictures I promised- there maybe more coming

The notorious "baby bump"



Here is Joy enjoying a few Birthday Shots.....



Ryan wasn't crazy about this foreign soda



Our best attempt at a photo together



Ryan with his idol.....

25 Weeks and counting ....

For those of you counting (hopefully I am not the only one...) we are at the 25 week mark. Which means only 15 weeks left. I wish we had more exciting updates for the blog today. Nothing is really that new. We are just working and Ryan is busy getting ready to get back to school. Ryan's little sister Kristin is finally coming back after the longest summer ever- we have missed her dearly (Berkelee seems to miss her the most and is VERY anxious to see her again). Ryan's parents will be in town for the weekend and so is his cousin and aunt. So this weekend we are planning on having a nice family visit.
We have done a horrible job at photographing this pregnancy - sorry- I would say that I promise to post some pregnant Joy pictures - but I would hate to make a liar out of me. I will try - that is the best I can say.
As far as this pregnancy goes - so far so good- the morning sickness seems to have gone away and we haven't seen any other really horrible side effects. I still have a numb spot on my leg - which has been diagnosed as a pinched nerve caused by the pregnancy. I do have a cold right now - which is trying but will only make me stronger. No crazy cravings yet- however this baby seems to be a fan of mexican food as much if not MORE then his mom.
So basically that is our update - not much new - maybe there will be some pictures in the future, but I wouldn't hold your breath- we are lazy.....

It's a ......

It's A BOY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Babymoon like a ROCK STAR

In keeping with our celebrity style pregnancy- we are Babymooning like Rock stars..... What you haven't heard of a Babymoon?? A babymoon is a vacation taken while pregnant or, sometimes, for new parents. The idea is to let the pregnant woman and the new dad be pampered, live it up (minus the alcohol) and, in general, enjoy the last moment of peace, quiet and adults-only entertainment of their lives. Babymoon packages can include : unlimited complimentary in-room movies, late check-out, cravings bag, foodie treats, sport massages for dad-to-be, pregnancy massage for mom-to-be and non-alcoholic cockails. Go on a shopping spree with a personal shopper to show you all the beautiful baby boutiques. So there you have it- this Saturday we are leaving for our own little Babymoon.

Okay so we are not jetting off to a tropical resort for our babymoon. Instead we are going to spend the weekend in a Desert Castle. Where we will be dining like royalty. Oh and Ryan has promised to be my own personal shopper and point out all the luxuries that we need. That is right, for my Birthday/ Babymoon we are heading to Vegas and staying at the Excalibur Resort. We are going to go to the Knights of the Round Table dinner and show and spend the rest of the time there relaxing by the pool, shopping the shops and eating all the food I have been craving but could not stomach for the last 5 months. ( we are going on two solid weeks of no throwing up!!! )

Viva Las Vegas!!!!!!

15 more days.....

We had another Dr. visit on the 28th of June- and we were really excited to make our next appointment since it will be for our 20 week ultra sound, at which point we would be able to find out the gender of our little one. HOWEVER- the Dr. was all booked up on the 12th, and the 13th and 14th and 15th... and so on and so forth all the way til the 19th!!!!!!!
So now the count is down- 15 more days til we find out what our little bundle of joy is. We are anxious and excited and can not wait to share our big news with all of you. Oh and here is a bit of exciting news ( well exciting for me atleast) I have officially gone 7 whole days without throwing up - which is the longest run I have had- so this may be it - I may be on the home stretch.... thank you all for your concern, support and prayers-

Oh, baby

Well we had picked out the bedding that we wanted for the nursery almost immediately after we found out we were pregnant. I have always really liked stars and had wanted to incorporate them somehow in the nursery since they are pretty gender neutral. I wanted something really simple, neutral and not so babyish (if that makes any sense at all) I am just not big into cartoon characters or bugs- I think I am going to try and keep bugs away from my baby- so I don't really understand why the fascination with bugs on baby bedding- YUK, not cute- crawley....

Anyway I stumbled upon a cute set that was not to expensive- (it is kindof amusing how expensive sheets that are garanteed to get puked on, peed on and poo'd on can cost so much) and Ryan liked it just as much as me. Here is a picture of the bedding- its not a great picture but you can get the idea- we don't know what color our crib is yet but its neutral enough that it really shouldn't matter. Its basically beige and off white with little accents of pink, blue and green. Then depending on girl or boy you can get crib sheets and accent blankets in pink or blue. We hadn't planned on getting it so soon - but wouldn't you know it - we stopped at the store to take a look at it and it was being clearanced out. In fear that we might miss out on what appears to me as the most perfect baby bedding ever- we got our bedding all in one shot. (Thanks Mom and Dad)

So little by little we are getting ready for this new addition.

Tonight - since Ryan and I are on a budget we decided to find a cheap date alternative. So we went to babies 'r' us and started our baby registery. Registering is kinda fun - its like going on a shopping spree and spending $0. Really I think we had no idea what we were doing- that is probably evident when you look at our registery. The only thing I am dead set on is our stroller- I am basically in love with it- here it is - again its kinda plain and neutral but the visor will go all the way down , not just over the car seat portion.

In other news- there really isn't any other news - we are pretty boring. Just work and school and thats about it.

6 weeks and counting

6 weeks and counting for those of you who are wondering when we will be finding out the gender of the newest little Williams. I went to the Dr. on Tuesday and everything thing is going perfect. Pee looked good, blood pressure was exactly where it should be and baby's heart sounded like music to our ears. I was even given a new perscription for some heavy duty anti nausea medicine (we are talking $35 a pill)!!!! This stuff should really work and hopefully I only have a few more days or weeks of needing it. We have another appointment in a month - and then two weeks after that appointment- we get to have the gender ultrasound!!!!!! So place your bets now.

We came to the decision to find out what we are having based on a couple of things. First and foremost- we look at it this way- the day the baby actually arrives is going to be filled with plenty of excitement of its own- so why not get a little "teaser" half way through. Secondly, this is our first baby and therefore we have NOTHING - while I like greens and yellows as much as the next guy it would be really nice to be able to splurge on some gender specific items. And finally - I hate surprises I can not wait for things like birthday presents and Christmas - let alone the gender of my first child. Although I have already set myself up for the disappointment I may encounter if my child has decided to take a more modest approach. Let's cross our fingers that we have a future exhibitionist so that I (and all of you) will get to know if pink or blue is appropriate.

As for the big surprise - Ryan and I have decided that while we will be sharing the gender of our upcoming child with everyone- we will be keeping the name a secret until the big day - feel free to offer suggestions and ideas, nothing is set in stone until baby arrives - however you will not even get a hint from either of us- so don't bother trying......

Here is something fun- for all you moms out there let me know how often this Chinese Gender Chart worked for you
http://fertility-facts.com/Tools/chinese_birth_chart.htm

Bye Bye Belly Button Ring.....

It's official - my belly button ring is gone, after almost a decade of being my own personal sign of rebellion, alas it is gone. While I have not gotten a baby bump yet, I couldn't help but worry that it would appear overnight, and if I left my belly button ring in it would leave an all too unpleasant scar. So out it came. Really it's a milestone- just one more thing I am giving up to make room for the new stage I am entering in to.I can't help but remember "when I was a child I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a (wo)man, I put away childish things." (1 Corinthians 13:11) I guess this is just me finally putting away some of my childish things. Don't get me wrong, I would give up my belly button ring and so much more for this little person I haven't even met yet. (I just wish this little one would give me a day or two without morning aka all day sickness) This is week 13 and I am on the verge of entering my second trimester. Numerous pregnancy books and websites assure me that this new trimester will be my "honeymoon of pregnancy" so lets all cross our fingers....
Beyond that we are starting to make room for baby - or atleast we have started to think about cribs and bedding and strollers and car seats. Its almost as fun as wedding registery- yeah!



Oh - in other news - May 14th we celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. For a treat Ryan and I went to the Melting Pot ( I was on anti nausea medicine so I could actually enjoy and keep down an entire meal) Our dinner was delicious- and we had a great night of just enjoying each other and having great conversation. The impending arrival of our newest addition has given Ryan and I a new perspective on being alone with each other. I am sure it is the lingering thought that as soon as baby arrives - our world will never be the same. I am just glad to be married to such an amazing person who takes such good care of me and my needs. I am truly the luckiest...

Guess Who's Pregnant?

Okay, so you had a minute and if you still haven't guessed - it's Joy!!! (although for those of you who were guessing Angelina Jolie - Pitt, you might still be right)

That's right Ryan and I are having a baby- We are officially due November 30th 2007. I started to feel a little funny the day we left for California- food just wasn't tasting right and I was peeing all the time. I really didn't think that much about it, I figured I was just anxious to get to California. Then when we got back I still wasn't feeling "myself" so we decided to take a pregnancy test- It turned to "pregnant" right away. I really couldn't believe my eyes....

We are so excited!!!!!!

So here are the first pictures of the latest little Williams, eat your hearts out......