Only 5 Weeks To Go!!!!

It's been months since I last took a picture of the belly, but John keeps assuring everyone that I really am getting "huge!" Well, here it is...proof that John wasn't just trying to make me feel good about myself. Since we don't have a full length mirror I honestly wasn't sure how big I was. I just knew I'd given up on seeing anything below my bellybutton weeks ago. So today, at 35 weeks, I finally put my camera on a tripod and started taking pictures. I don't know how much bigger I'll get, but if everything goes as planned little Elizabeth will be here in just 5 short weeks! She's already about 5 1/2 lbs. Really, how much bigger can she get in 5 weeks? No one answer that...I don't think I want to know. Anyway, John and I are SO excited! In fact, I (the girl who never thought anything was worth ironing in her life) spent yesterday morning picking out my favorite baby outfits, ironing them all, and placing them neatly on hangers in Lizzy's closet. You don't have to tell me...I know I have way too much time on my hands. I'm ready for her to be here, but I'm sure this little one is worth the wait!

Finally Settling In

Thanks to a lot of help from my parents and Rachel Milar, John and I are pretty much moved into our new apartment, and we love it! We miss Utah A LOT and all our family out there, but Charlottesville is growing on us. John thinks he's really going to like med school (especially once he doesn't have to worry about selling security systems in the evenings). He's already up late studying every night he isn't selling, and he saw the results yesterday when he got 100% on his first quiz! I'm not much of a fan of the staying up late part and I can't say I like the formaldehyde smell John brings home from the cadaver lab, but I'm really proud of him for doing what he's always wanted to do. It seems silly, but I wonder if this is what a mom feels like when she sends her first child off to school for the first time...anxiously excited and praying that things will go well. John has the crazy schedule, but I've been keeping busy too. This week I made our apartment feel like home, met some new friends in the ward (which we LOVE), found a new doctor, and started to apply for jobs with photographers in the area. Work is slow around here, so most photographers go at it alone. But I've already had 2 interviews (although, I'm only really interested in one of them). The position I want is a full time Photoshop technician. Sounds fun, huh!?!? We'll see if it works out. Everyday I ask myself what in the world I’m getting into. Six weeks before my due date isn't exactly the ideal time to start a new career, but little Lizzy has promised to be an exceptionally good baby to help us make ends meet. Now we’ll just pray that we can find as understanding of an employer. Well, that’s about all that’s new with us. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support!

Baby Bash and Movin' On

It's been a long time since I've posted anything, but lots of fun stuff is going on in the Jones household. Mary and Jen threw a rockin' baby shower for me...the best I've ever been to. We had great food and played some really fun games, and I loved having my mom there to join in on the fun. In one game (pictured below) everyone had to rip off the length of toilette paper that they guessed would wrap around my belly once. Apparently I look even bigger than I really am because Chandi's piece wrapped around me twice. Thanks Chandi. =)

Unfortunately our summer at the beach has come to an end. John started medical school at the University of Virginia on Monday. He wondered how well he'd fit in, especially after his first encounter with other students in his entering class. The others instantly bonded as they discussed the best bars in town and decided to go get drinks together after class. Of course John didn't have much to say on that topic. And when the other guys found out that he was married they were shocked and asked in amazement, "Is being married really as bad as they say it is?" So.... we're definitely not in Provo anymore! But we're excited to be out of our comfort zone and grow a little.

The Becks

At 28 weeks I'm getting more and more excited every day about this little baby. I wanted to write a quick post thanking Jack, son of Dan and Mary Beck for being the cutest little boy ever and helping me get ready and excited about being a mom. They even let me take some family pictures of them last Sunday at the beach. What a cute family!

Congratulations to Spencer and Tyler!

Yes dad, you did see John's brother on the news! Spencer and Tyler helped make history last week when they were officially married under the new laws allowing gay marriage in the state of California. We have a new addition to the Jones family! Well, I guess Tyler was part of the family even before I was, as he and Spence have been a couple for over 6 years, but now it's official. So, Tyler, welcome to the family. We love you both and we think you're great!

25 Weeks and Still Growing!

A lot of you have been asking to see pictures of the belly. Well, here you have it! What an amazing time in a woman's life when her friends and family actually ask her to wear tight clothing and pose at the most unflattering angle so they can all see just how fat she really is. But, being pregnant definitely has it's advantages. At 25 weeks the little girl inside me is about 1 1/2 lbs and just over a foot long. No one has to know that sour gummy worms and large quantities of pink lemonade can account for much of the rest of this impressive abdomen!

Trip to Salem

This weekend was a fun one for me (Emily). I drove down to Salem help photograph Aaron & Beth Cooke's wedding and visit my family at the same time. It was fun. I liked some of my less traditional wedding shots (like the bathtub layouts below), and it was nice to leave the stress of getting the really good and more traditional photos to Teena. It was a beautiful reception and it brought back some great memories of our reception at the same location just over 2 years ago.

The best part of the trip was hanging out with my rad parents. My mom and I went baby clothes shopping and struck gold. We got enough 0 to 6 month clothes from craigslist.com to dress little baby jones in a new outfit almost every day for the first 6 months. It was so fun! We also got a sweet baby bathtub with all the bells and whistles. I must say, I have the greatest parents in the whole world. Thanks mom and dad!