the barrons

the barrons

about us

We're from the Syracuse, NY, area and started dating when we went to BYU-Idaho for college. We were married December 2008 and have a daughter, Sophie. We will be welcoming a new baby in November 2013! We currently live in Mason, Ohio, near lots of family! Drew is working at Liberty Mutual Insurance as an Auto Claims Adjuster. Carissa is now a stay-at-home wife and momma! We know there's more in store for us in our future, and we say, "Come what may and love it!"
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27 October 2011

one sixty one

Drew's LSAT score: 161! He did great! The highest possible score is 180. Drew made the 83rd percentile!
Okay, so Drew's not thrilled about the score, but it IS really good. I am very proud of him and I am so glad he is taking the opportunities he's given to further his education to better support our family in the future. What a stud!

24 October 2011

7 more weeks...

Whoever said pregnancy is 9 months lied. It's almost 10, for goodness' sake! 7 weeks until Baby Sophie is due!



Can you believe it?! She's getting so big! At my 33 week appointment today, I measured right on schedule: a 33 cm belly! Thankfully, my blood pressure is doing okay... a little on the high side, but my Doc says it's still in a safe range. Whew!
I'm feeling larger and larger every day and am even starting to... dare I say it... "nest". I didn't know when the urge would come, and I even worried that I might not ever feel like organizing and cleaning and preparing our home for the baby, but the time has come! We got our carpets cleaned and are now, slowly, organizing everything back into its place.
This week I have a few things on my list: deep-clean the bathroom, wipe down the baseboards in the whole apartment, and wash and put away Sophie's clothes! That last one is a particular favorite of mine! I am VERY excited to get everything put in its place and ready for baby girl's arrival!

22 October 2011

32 weeks!

I've gotten WAY behind on blogging. Sorry if you've been checking to see what's up and nothing is.

I'm actually working on 33 weeks now (today is 32 weeks 5 days), but here are some quick pictures from yesterday:
32 weeks 4 days


See the lack of effort being put into my new "low-maintenance" 'do? Well I love it. I can just blow-dry and go and no one can say I didn't try. Well, except for me, but that's beyond the point. It'll be so much easier to maintain short hair when Sophie comes!
Surprisingly enough for some, I am still loving pregnancy! Sure, I feel more fatigued, hungry, achy, lazy, anxious, overwhelmed, and slightly crazy, but it comes with the territory! I love my body and what it's doing; I am growing a little person! Our little Sophie's getting so big and strong... I can tell she's getting a bit cramped in this belly of mine. Poor babe. No matter! She'll be out in no time: only 6 1/2 more weeks and she'll be completely "cooked"!
Here's a bit about Sophie's growth this week:
"In the latest womb reports, your amazing baby has now developed sensitivity to temperature! Which means you’re likely to get a swift kick if you put a hot pad or bag of ice on your ginormous belly. For the Elton John lovers out there - baby’s got blue eyes. Actually, even if you're too young to know who Elton is, all babies have blue eyes at this point. This could easily change after birth (or even between now and labor), but for the time being, blue it is. Thanks to their recently matured lungs and a strengthening immune system, over 90% of babies born in their 32nd week survive! So - go ahead and throw a mini-party right now because it’s pretty much a done deal - you've got a human-bean that's going to make it! That's not to say you actually want your wee womb-squatter to pack their bags and move out now, because they'd still end up in the ICU for a good while, rather than in your arms at home. Babies are best when fully baked!" -Baby Gaga
"Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments." -the bump
Love it. I can't wait to see my girl. I can't wait to see how she looks like me and Drew... If you didn't know, I was adopted when I was a baby (best thing that ever happened to me), and I don't know any of my biological family. I've seen a picture of my birth mother, and that's it. So I'm really anxious and giddy to see my sweet babe and see someone who finally looks like me biologically. I know it will be an amazing experience. I can't wait!

11 October 2011

We Idaho Barrons...

Have been up to so much lately!

Drew took the LSAT on October 1st! We find out the results (a score up to 180) via email on October 26th. We're thinking he did pretty well, but there are still those doubts that everyone has after taking a big test. You know what I mean.
The weekend of the LSAT was fun-filled! Since the closest test center for Drew to go to was at Idaho State University in Pocatello (about an hour drive from us in Rexburg), we thought it would be a good idea to stay in a hotel near the campus the night before. We got into town, went straight to dinner at Red Lobster (YUM!) for a nice treat to ourselves, and went to a movie to help Drew relax and keep his mind off the test. It was a crazy time. We got lost, almost missed the movie, ended up going to one that was way too late, and finally got back to our hotel to relax, unwind, and sleep.
Poor Drew. I was worried he'd be so tired the next morning (he had to be at the test center by 8:30 am), but he was a trooper and was wide awake when it came time to leave. I suppose it may have even worked in his favor to, kind of, stick to his same type of schedule... we stay up late and wake up early for important things all the time. We're awful.
After dropping Drew off for the LSAT (I felt like I should have gotten a picture or something... kind of like documenting the first day of kindergarten), I perused the town. Well, there wasn't much I could do, but I wandered a few stores, watched General Conference online, via the McDonald's free wifi, and read a bit of my nerdy junior fiction book. It was quite the day! I picked a very mind-exhausted Drew up, we left town, and headed for Idaho Falls (on the way home, of course!). We stopped at our dear friends', the Larsons, home and finished watching Conference with them. After that, we went shopping for items on our long "preparing for Sophie" list. After a long day, we went home to snuggle with our kitties. It was much needed.

Since that crazy LSAT weekend, Drew has started a second job working the early morning custodial job he used to have a few years ago. Hours: 4 am-7 am. Yes, he is nuts. Two jobs, 14 college credits (final semester!), a somewhat-demanding calling at church, AND helping prepare for a baby. He's my superman.

I have been keeping busy, too! I now watch a 2 month old baby girl on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a little bit of pay. These past couple of weeks, I have been working at our disabilities agency job in St. Anthony. It's been good! I'm getting worn out pretty quickly these days... but more on the wonderful world of pregnancy in my next post! I'm trying to find crafts and new recipes to freeze to keep myself busy on the days that I don't work. Scrap-booking, making baby head bands and bows, and sewing chair covers and new skirts are just a few of such crafts....

Not much else going on, but HEY, we do a lot! Some days I would LOVE to just sit and watch paint dry. Soon I'll be able to watch something much more wonderful in my quiet time... Is there anything more soothing and sweet than watching a baby sleep?