Maybe it's no coincidence...

I consider this to be a bit personal, however, it's my online journal and I want to document this.

I've had several dreams about our baby (Vaughn even had one a few weeks ago). I also had one before we were married, I was scared to tell Vaughn for fear that he would think I was crazy! In each of these dreams, our baby is a sweet, cherub cheeked baby girl with dark hair. I love dreaming about her. The dreams are always so sweet and we are so happy and in love with her. I wake up with a smile on my face.

I had a funny dream about our babe last night:

My parents had the privilege of choosing the crib bedding according to the gender of our baby. For some reason, my parents knew the gender already and Vaughn and I were to be surprised at the gender of our baby by their choice of bedding. Apparently we already had the ultrasound to determine the gender and kept our eyes closed so only my parents and the doctor knew. So I walked in and was totally bummed out when I saw that the bedding looked boy-ish (I really wouldn't be bummed out in real life though). My parents said they picked a neutral style so it could go for either a boy or a girl and they casually emphasized BOY.

My parents then handed us the ultrasound photo and had written below: It's a GIRL!!!

I screamed and jumped up and down and I think I may have even threw myself on the bed and cried (remember, this was a  DREAM). Now I'm not saying that we are for sure having a baby girl but, after all these dreams about her,

maybe it's no coincidence.

* * * * 

BOY or GIRL ? ? ?

May 24th is the big ultrasound day! 

(hopefully our baby let's us in on this little secret)

Just for fun, I added a poll there to the right. Do you think baby McFarlane will be a girl or boy? Vote, vote, vote!

P.S. We heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time on March 26th, what a neat experience that was!

I can't figure this out!

So this may seem really quite silly but, it honestly gets me down sometimes. 

I look at Rebekah Westover's photography blog frequently and I've noticed she gets 30 + comments, if not more about her work on each photo post. I'm lucky if I get a comment. I know I shouldn't compare myself to her, she's been doing it for 8 years. But, it makes me sad. Is that the dumbest thing you've ever heard?! I get lots of hits on my blog everyday and I'm not sure why people rarely leave a kind comment or two.

Here are some questions that go through my mind: 

Am I not a very good photographer? 

Are people just shy and don't want to comment? 

Do people not like me? 

Do they just not like my work? 

Any thoughts?

I try so hard to keep up with blogging my work as it's very good advertising. I then get discouraged after I work so hard on a photo shoot, post-processing, blogging and then only receive one comment. I spend an average of 2 hours from start to finish to post an engagement/bridal/family session on my blog. Weddings take double that time. Maybe I have to be a photographer for 6 more years to get 30 + comments on each photo post, I don't know? It really does make my entire day when I get a compliment comment about my work. I LOVE that!

In the meantime, I'll just keep doing what I do.

* * * * * *

On a brighter note, only 199 days to go until baby arrives!!

Whoo hoo, we're out of the 200's!

I've been counting down the days for my appointment tomorrow, I'm so excited! This time we'll actually get to see our babe instead of a microscopic grain of sand with a heartbeat. I'm so in love already!

Cantaloupe Island

We decided to go explore Antelope Island on Saturday. I feel bad because I was so incredibly tired, I was pretty much out of it. Vaughn hiked up to the highest point while I took a nap in the car! I honestly really wanted to go but, I had no energy at all. This baby is a lot of work! I promise the next time we go to Cantaloupe, I'll hike with you. I love you Vaughn!

Pregnancy.

My very first experience with this joyful miracle!

So our plan was to start trying for a baby in November and it didn't take long for baby to become a reality!

I took a pregnancy test on January 31st (by then I was 3 1/2 weeks along) and couldn't believe my eyes when TWO pink lines appeared instead of just one. We've had a few "false alarms" since we've been married and I was just used to the one liner appearing. I was shaking with excitement and kept thinking oh my gosh, oh my gosh, no way!? I showed Vaughn the test and told him "You're gonna be a daddy". He couldn't believe it, we are so happy, nervous and excited!

Because I'm 10 (& a 1/2) weeks, Here's 10 things :

 (and other random thoughts)

1. First of all, in case you haven't already caught on, we are thrilled at the thought of becoming parents and having a cute little babe around! Being pregnant is thrilling, miraculous, scary and weird all at the same time and we are very anxious to meet our special treasure.

2. I have been nauseated but have never lost any lunch (if you know what I mean) and I have to eat at least every 3 hours. I'm starved by then and it feels so weird to have an empty stomach after eating only a few hours earlier. I get "night sickness", not morning sickness and again, just nauseous feelings. It makes for uncomfortable, sometimes sleepless nights.

3. Vaughn sometimes likes eggs in the morning. I cannot handle the smell of cooked eggs. Seriously, so horrific to my senses.

4. I'm exhausted by the end of the day. I could sleep and do sleep until at least 8:30 am everyday. That's 10-11 hours of sleep each night, crazy!

5.  The only thing that we have purchased for baby so far are 50 diapers. We got them for $5 off ksl.com!

6. Vaughn massages my feet (he hates feet) before we go to bed. It's very kind of him.

7. I'm excited to watch our baby and my belly grow. I've already bought a pair of maternity jean capris and they are super cute, stylish and comfy, I can't wait to wear them!

8. I've always loved the month of October. If I couldn't get married in the summer, my second choice of month was October. I'm so glad to be having a baby in October!

9. I can't wait for the second trimester (only one more week to go) when I can get some energy back, hopefully?! We are going to be posting photos of me as I progress throughout the pregnancy so watch for those starting in about 2 weeks!

10. Vaughn has been very supportive and understanding, I la la love him! Did we mention that we are sooooooooo Excited?!

First comes love..

.. then comes marriage 

.. then comes baby!!!
Surprise!

Here's a digital scrapbook page I made forever ago, so happy that I can finally post it!

Yes, that is the positive pregnancy test pictured below, yay!

This is how we told my side of the family:

I'm 10 weeks along right now and wish we could speed things up somehow! 

We are beyond excited for our sweet little babe, joining us early October!

Valentine's Dance

Here's part of our ward at the dance. We are on the front row to the left. 

We love our ward, it's the best!

Married Couples ~ Creative Romance

I just barely discovered this awesome website on creative ideas for romance, where have I been?! This stuff is so fun, I just had to share it. I LOVE being married and being able to do stuff like this! Now go and do something romantic for your hubby..

Get the inspiration: