The Oregon Coast and Other Fun Stuff!

Hello!

You know you are a "blogger" when you want to make sure and take pictures of certain things to put on the blog...OR when you are going to be out of town on your normal "update the blog day" and your husband says "Honey, you better let everyone know we'll be gone, but you'll post an update as soon as we get home!!!"...:-) It makes me laugh. Obviously you all aren't just sitting at your computers waiting for me to update my blog. Really. But for those of you that are interested in our adventures....here you go!

So, Friday we spent the day packing, getting the car ready and relaxing. We put Beth to bed around 8, and packed the car. We have a system. Under NO circumstance is Andrew allowed to organize the car. I have been taught the art of packing a car for a trip and this is my responsibility :-). So Andrew brings the bags outside and I pack the car. It went well and we went inside to watch some TV before bed. I wasn't looking forward to waking up at 5:30am....but I knew it would be better than sleeping in and traveling late into the day.

So we woke up early, got Beth up, who was SO happy to be awake and playing at 6:30am. We got in the car and off we went. 9 hours in the car went by fast, and Andrew drove the whole way so I could sit in the back and play with Beth. Our car has a folding function on the front passenger seat, so I can fold it all the way down and put snacks, books, or my feet on the seat. It makes it so that I can play with Beth and Andrew doesn't feel all alone in the front of the car.

So after a lunch stop, and surprisingly only 1 rest stop for the pregnant lady, we got to Lincoln City. The weather was nice and after a quick round of settling in, we went to the beach. We had beach access right out side our condo.

So, after some outside adventures we got some pizza and settled in for a few fun days! The condo we were renting had 1 master bedroom w/ bathroom, a pull out sofa sleeper in the living room and a 2nd bathroom. It was NICE! So we decided to put Beth and the clothes and bags in the bedroom and Andrew and I would sleep in the living room. Close to the ocean, and we could stay up and watch movies without interrupting Beth. So we set everything up and the first night there was good!

The view from our condo. A.Maz.Ing.

The next day we decided to do some sight-seeing. We visited the outlet malls and ate lunch at a yummy place called Black Fish Cafe. I bought cute "Big Sister" and "Little Sister" outfits on clearance at Carters, and Andrew found an awesome Under Armor sweatshirt for $20. It was a good day.

Monday we woke up excited because it was TILLAMOOK CHEESE FACTORY DAY! Yum. I love their cheese curds, and their fresh Marion berry Pie ice cream. Beth loved the cow statues at the factory and we stopped at a look out point to take a family picture by the ocean.

After the cheese factory we got back to the condo and Beth was being a TYRANT. She was mad that we would not let her climb from the recliner to the counter to get into food. So after many attempts to distract her Andrew opted to put her in timeout in the pack in play in her room. We figured some quiet time would do her good and her nap wasn't too far off anyways. So we were both surprised to see Beth waltz out of the bedroom about 30 seconds later, very pleased with herself....And then we both realized what she learned.

 Yep. She figured out how to effortlessly climb out of the pack and play. Now, we don't use a pack and play at home, but on vacation or if we are visiting grandparents and she needs a nap, we will use one. I was amazed at how easy it was for her to reach her leg up and climb out. I'm guessing she would have figured it out much earlier if we used a pack and play on a regular basis, since she is a HUGE climber. So, after this we decided it was safer to sleep in the same room as Beth for the last two nights, as this room wasn't our normal toddler proofed room. The first night was rough but eventually she got tired enough and STAYED in her bed. Whew.

Tuesday was our last full day at the coast, and we decided to go to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. It was a rainy day, but luckily most of the exhibits are inside or under awnings. Beth loved seeing the "Doggies" everywhere, and we eventually convinced her they were "Fish" and she was ok calling them that. We were there during the Seal/Sea Lion feeding time, which was fun to watch and Beth had a really good time.

Beth's favorite activity on the coast was walking along the beach, picking up rocks, and then throwing them back in the ocean. She had a little bucket she carried around to collect the rocks, and it was TONS of fun for her.

We enjoyed having family time during this much needed vacation. Andrew works 40 hours a week, and goes to school full time as well. So it's rare to have him home all day to play with. We went swimming in the community pool, and played games as a family. Beth loved taking baths and Andrew loved seeing how long it would take Beth to get the pile of bubbles off her head during bath time.

*Kisses* Although Andrew teases Beth non-stop, she loves him!

All in all, our Oregon vacation was wonderful. The scenery is gorgeous, and we always had something fun to do. The drive home was a little rougher, but Beth was a champ and used her many talents to entertain us. We are happy to be home, even if our non-vacation life is CRAZY. :-)

As for other things going on, I just hit the 28 week mark in my pregnancy. Which means I am officially in the LAST trimester! Yay! I've recently found my appetite again, and so this last month was the first month in my pregnancy that I was above starting weight! With both pregnancies I've lost weight and then gotten back to starting weight around 22-24 weeks.

I had my 28 week appt today, and did the glucose test. I know most people are horrified by it, but it's never been a big deal to me. My appt today though was EXTRA good because I had the opportunity to talk to my nurse about Natural Labor and Delivery Options. I know I've been talking about this for a few posts now, and if it doesn't interest you, feel free to skip this part :-) BUT, in doing research I found a Sample Birth Plan on St. Luke's website. I was surprised to find this on their website, as people don't typically think of hospitals as "Natural Birthing" friendly. But they recommended that all moms have one and go through it with their doctor.

After downloading the Sample, I read over it to edit it to our preferences. The Sample was VERY strict, and a lot of what it had on it was "We DON'T want"....I felt a very negative vibe from it, and so we changed it to be more positive, and include things we do want. In doing this I realized I had a TON of questions for my nurse and doctor. So I asked all of my questions during my appt today and was happy to hear "YES, absolutely, that should be no problem, and we recommend it!"

My nurse (who was a L&D nurse for 10+ years prior to entering a prenatal practice) said that all of the hypnobirths she has seen were very effective and an amazing experience. Now, I know what you are thinking. Hypnobirth? What the........But the program we are doing (Birthing Through Hypnosis by Kristin Nemzer) is less "You are falling into a deep sleep" and more of "Allow your body to relax". I never practiced any coping techniques with Beth, so I had nothing to fall back on when things got tough. But I am really excited to use this program to achieve a happier, more relaxed, natural birth. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against epidurals, pitocin, even c-sections. I think they have their proper time and place. I just figure if we can birth naturally without these things, it will be a better experience for all involved. So we've been reading the manual for the course and I listen to the audio tracks from the program often. They help me relax after a long day and even help me sleep better.

I talked to my nurse about a few things that I was unsure about. I was group B strep positive with Beth, meaning it was recommended that I have IV antibiotics prior to delivery. So I checked with my doctor and found out that he will treat me as GBS + with every pregnancy, because I have had prior history. This is ok with me. I'd rather have the antibiotics just in case, since I've had 2 group b strep tests in 2 years come back positive. BUT, my nurse did say that there is NO reason I have to stay on the IV after the antibiotics. I can request to have the IV disconnected, and just keep the "Hep Lock" in case of emergency. YAY! This way I can move around without toting a IV pole the whole time.

I also found out that they are cool with pushing in other positions than on your back. St. Luke's has "Squat" bars that can be installed in every bed, and they use them often for natural delivery! Another thing I was unsure about is induction. I am keeping this option open mostly because I would love to have my sister here for this birth. So if I go to my due date, I may consider an induction so I can have this baby before she leaves. I know there are A LOT of ways to self induce, and I will save you those descriptions. BUT, I found out today that my doctor may be able to do an ALL NATURAL induction instead of using pitocin! It's done using a Foley Catheter. It is inserted and dilates your cervix using pressure instead of medicine.

I love hearing about all the "Natural Options" I have. Preparing for this pregnancy has been so different this time around. I know that labors never go exactly as you plan them, but I figure the more preparation we can do, the better off we will be. Anyway, sorry to bore you all with my pregnancy ramblings. It's a whole new world for us.

I hope every one is doing well!

Happy Blogging!