Happy Easter 2011

Easter this year really was just wonderful. Although we didn't participate in tons of Easter season activities (like dyeing eggs and hunting for them), we really enjoyed the time we got to spend with family.

Playing it low-key, Trevor and I each got an Easter "basket" with a chocolate bunny:
So, it's not the most extravagant basket you've ever seen, but I'm telling you, that solid, dark chocolate bunny is the best I've ever purchased!! Yummm! Dove chocolate really is delicious!

I also continued with tradition and made my bunny cake this year:
No, it's not the best one I've ever done, but I still did it nonetheless :) For past bunny cake pictures, see here and here. After quickly icing the cake after church, Trevor and I stopped by Meg and Steve's house for dinner and to see the family for a couple hours, and then we traveled down to Elk Ridge to see Trev's parents for a couple more hours. We came home with only half of the bunny's round head left. I'd say we did pretty good! :)

Oh, and, another tradition, you've got to wear an Easter dress on Sunday, so here was the one I chose this year:
I'm guessing this is probably one of the last times I'll be able to wear this dress on Easter. I guess it just depends on how my body changes during pregnancy. ;)

Anyway, I really am so grateful for Easter and for the ability we have to remember that Christ was able to overcome the grave and rise again! He suffered and died for us, so that we might repent and live with Him again, and then he rose the third day. What a wonderful message for us all to remember throughout the year.

Also, I'd love for you to read the Easter message written by my wonderful missionary brother. It's on his blog, HERE.

Happy Easter!! I hope yours was wonderful as well :)

Dear Everyone (Version 2)...

Hi! It's me again!

So, you may remember my last letter I wrote on January 20th where I had kindly asked if you could all stop getting pregnant and having babies because I was having a difficult time watching everyone achieve what I had been hoping for for a while...

Well, I just wanted to let you know that you may resume your baby-making because Trevor and I are

proudly...

happily...

excitedly...

and successfully...


GOING TO HAVE A BABY! :)


I guess I should have been patient just a teeny bit longer :) We found out on February 20th (at almost 5 weeks) which means I am officially 12 weeks and 1 day along today!
That doctor's appointment I had and the medication I took worked miracles in the first month of trying! I'm so grateful for all of your prayers on our behalf and for the power of modern medicine!

Allow me to tell you a little bit about our adventure so far. Because I took Clomid, a fertility drug, for a month, I was able to have an early ultrasound soon after my 8 week doctor's appointment. Since the baby was so small, they couldn't hear the heartbeat using the hand-held dopplar and they couldn't quite tell if it was just one or if there might have been two (one's chances of multiples increases quite a bit when you take Clomid.)

Well, I was pretty sure it was just one because I hadn't been feeling very sick at all - just tired (ok make that exhausted) - and I just felt like one was the right number :) So, to make sure, we had an ultrasound. Please indulge in these next four pictures of our little bean:At 8 weeks and 2 days our "little bean" was just about 2 cm long! And yes, JUST ONE :)
You can sort of see where the head area is and also the umbilical cord!
Baby had a heartbeat of 166 beats per minute, which, by the way, we were able to both see AND hear! It was truly the most amazing part of my week!
Just a little blob of a fetus, I guess :)

Well the good news is that we're now 4 more weeks down the road since the ultrasound was done!! :) The doctor was easily able to hear the heartbeat (now 150 bpm) today with the hand-held dopplar and told me he thinks everything is going great!

Honestly, I've been so un-sick so far that sometimes I forget that I'm pregnant, or I worry that I don't feel "pregnant enough" (whatever that means). So, whenever I get a chance to hear that little heartbeat and remind myself that it IS real, I just get so excited :)

And yes, I've been documenting the belly a little bit. I'm really not showing too much, although my pants and I now have a love/hate relationship. Rubber bands have become my friend! And some days (and times of day) I'm WAY bigger than others. I think I just get food babies right now ;).

So now, if you're interested, please excuse my cheesy pregnancy belly pictures. Trevor says he's just not a fan, but I'm sorry, I have to document the belly (or lack thereof!):



Anyway, I again wanted to thank all of you for being so supportive for us. We had a rough year last year with Trevor being sick and with us just not being able to get pregnant. It was definitely hard, but looking back I'm realizing that God sometimes really does have impeccable timing. Again, I know many of you prayed for us and I really am so grateful for the miracles that God works every day.

We're definitely not taking this adventure for granted. We're loving every minute of it!

Oh - and because you're all dying to know...

Little bean is due October 25, 2011!!

Love,

Alex, Trevor, and "little bean" Shipp

Crazy Weather

I think Utah is still trying to decide if it IS, in fact, April, or if we are freakishly stuck in January. I mean, it IS spring now, right? And it has been for almost 3 weeks, right?

Well, it's April 9 and it's been snowing all morning (fortunately not really sticking this time!). But, that isn't all! Last Saturday, April 2nd was a GORGEOUS day... think of nice 70 degree weather and sunshine. Then, overnight, we got 5 inches of snow, and it continued to snow on and off all day Sunday. See, I have proof:Tree branches had fallen on cars because the snow was so heavy and unexpected. But, I will say it was a really gorgeous Sunday drive up to Elk Ridge to watch General Conference with Trevor's parents.

I felt bad for all the spring birds, though, as they all had no where to stand except the roads where the snow had melted. All of their nests and branches were covered in snow and too cold to stand on. So, we tried not to hit the hundreds of birds that were hanging out on the roads as we drove up to Elk Ridge. It was kind of creepy, actually. Think of Hitchcock's "The Birds"...

Spring weather, please come soon! I miss the warm and the sunshine!! And I have some really cute new shoes I'd like to wear.

Sincerely, Alex