Amielia Is Here!!

Hello Everyone! It's been tough finding time to do anything the last few days. Blog entries, laundry, showering, sleeping....they've all gone on the back burner....Just kidding, my laundry is ALL done *eyeroll*.... Really, I've just been doing the minimum around here and enjoying my little family. It feels great.

For those of you that want to know the details of Amielia's arrival, keep reading. If you don't wish to know the details, just skip around and look at pictures. Warning: The birth story is LONG. I mean REALLY LONG.

If you read my blog post immediately prior to this one, you know that we already had an all too real "false" alarm on June 10th. On Tuesday, the 14th, we went to my doctor for an appt. He was pretty surprised to see me still pregnant. He checked me and I was still at 5cm, 100% effaced. The baby was lower than Friday, which was great news. I talked to him about my concern in regards to not receiving the adequate amount of antibiotics for Group B Strep during delivery. He was confident that if I received 1 dose, things would be good. But I had recently learned from the hospital, that if I didn't receive 2 doses of Clindamyacin (I'm allergic to Penicillin), 8 hours apart, Ami would need to stay at least 48 hours. I knew that once my labor started again, it would go fast. When doing our research and preparation for this birth, I learned a valuable lesson. If there is something you can do to make your labor better for you and for the baby, DO IT. So, with confidence, we decided to be induced. This may surprise some of you, as I wanted to go "natural"....it surprised me. But it felt right. I knew that I was doing my best to make sure that I could receive the antibiotics and have the labor and delivery I wanted. My concerns with inductions were tied with the diagnosis of "Failure to progress", but since I was already at 5cm/100% I felt that my body just needed a kick start, and it would take over.

We scheduled the induction for Friday, when I would be 39w 1d. My doctor wanted to induce right at 39, but they didn't have anything available. We scheduled another appt for Thursday, for him to check me and the baby again. His Nurse, Jen, who we LOVE, said she'd keep trying to get me in Thursday. We went about our day to day things on Wednesday, and I got a call later that afternoon saying that she had gotten me in on Thursday at 7am, but that I could be bumped if they had too many "actual" labors come in. So, we got instructions to call Thursday morning at 6am to see if they still had room. We didn't tell many people about the induction, as we didn't know if it really was going to happen. At 6am I made the call and we were good to go! We dropped off Beth at my mom's (who didn't go back to sleep, sorry mom) and headed to the hospital.

We got checked in, and they started my antibiotics right away, hoping to get a head start. We met our wonderful L&D nurse, Tia, and things got underway. My Pitocin was started around 7:45am, at a dose of 1,  and I started having mild contractions about 20 minutes later. My contractions were about 3-4 minutes apart, and completely manageable. Although I needed to be on the monitors because of the pitocin, I could bounce on the ball, stand, lean, and even WALK, thanks to a wireless unit. I was happy with how I was doing, and for almost 5 hours things were wonderful! Tia brought me a "mixed drink" (sprite and cranberry juice) and we laughed about how we didn't drink, but could appreciate a good virgin mixed drink. Around 12:30pm my doctor checked me and I was still only 5cm. He said the head was perfectly engaged, and he wanted to break my water. He hoped that by doing this, my body would take over, and they could turn off the pitocin. This was music to my ears. I know how dangerous high levels of pitocin can be for the baby, and I didn't want to continue upping the dose if we had an alternative. At this point I was at a 22 for the pitocin. 

So, Dr. Davis broke my water. He asked if I planned on getting an epidural and I said "Nope"....he said that was perfectly fine as long as I could stay in control and calm. At first I was offended, it's MY labor, I can do what I want....but then I realized just how important his advice was. If I was NOT in control and calm, it would effect me, the baby and the experience. So, I took it as a challenge. About 5 minutes after he broke my water things got harder. Much harder. The contractions were coming every 2 minutes. They were strong, and very difficult to get through. I still could relax in between the contractions, but during them, I was drowning. I relied on Andrew and Jana to support me through them. Tia, was great, she noticed that with all my moving we weren't getting a strong heart tone on Ami. So, she took off the belt that held the monitor on, and held the monitor by hand through the next hour. She told me to do whatever I needed to, and don't worry about her.

After an hour of these contractions, Tia offered to check me. I was 6.5-7cm. This was great. But I started to panic. I didn't know if I could make it through another contraction, let alone 10, 15 or more. This was exactly what I was told NOT to do. Don't think about how difficult it is, just take it one contraction at a time. But I didn't.  I had tried EVERYTHING to deal with the contractions. Every trick in my bag was used. Unfortunately, I felt my body tensing up with every contraction, and I knew this would get me nowhere. So, about 3 contractions later, I decided I wanted an epidural. Did I lose the battle? Yes. But I wouldn't lose the War. I learned something at that moment that I will always remember. I was in control. I was making the decisions. And that's exactly what I wanted. So, at 2pm I got the epidural and didn't look back.When Tia asked how I was doing, my odd response was "this is better than a mixed drink!"

My dad had texted Jana asking how I was doing, and I remembered that I completely forgot to ask for a priesthood blessing before we went to the hospital. So, after I was comfortable in bed, my dad came and gave me a blessing with Andrew. It was wonderful. About 45 minutes later Tia came in and said she wanted to check me. I declined, thinking it had only been 45 minutes, really how much could I have progressed? She said she'd check back. At 3pm (about 15 minutes later) she insisted on checking me. After she checked me she said "You're 10cm, ready to push?"....I was shocked. I had gone from 6.5-10cm in 1 hour. Relaxation is amazing, my body could do what it needed. But I was still worried about pushing. Beth took 2 hours of pushing, and she was a vacuum assisted delivery. So, I was nervous. Luckily, my epidural only numbed pain, (not like Beth's where my legs had no feeling at all!).  So, I could still move my legs and body efficiently. I didn't really feel the need to push yet, so Tia prepped my 2nd round of antibiotics. 

At 3:30pm as she was putting in the antibiotics, I felt the need to push. So, we started what I thought would be a LONG process. After 2-3 contractions, she could see the head, and decided to call the doctor. The pushing process was pain free, but I could feel the progress and could work with my body. Once her head and arms were out, my doctor told Andrew and I to reach down and finish delivering our daughter. We gingerly grabbed her and put her on my stomach. At 3:55pm, after only 25 minutes of pushing, my beautiful little girl came into the world. She had a head full of dark hair, and was wide eyed. She was 7lbs 3oz, 20 in long, which is just a bit smaller than Beth. 

She was checked over, and given back to me, and we had alone time for about an hour. It was a precious time for us. After that we were moved upstairs, and she got to meet everyone else that was waiting for her arrival. Including her "Big" sister Beth. 

All in all, it was a GREAT experience. My recovery has been amazing. Because things were going well and we were able to have both rounds of antibiotics, (BARELY, since my labor was 8 hours 10 minutes), we were able to be discharged after 24 hours with a perfect bill of health. It's been such an amazing experience the 2nd time around. I got to make decisions based on what was best for me, not because of fear or being forced. I had a wonderful team, Andrew and Jana, and nurse, Tia, who did an amazing job taking care of me. Tia sent me a congratulations card that read "I'm glad I could facilitate something that was better than mixed drinks." It made us smile! We are SO happy to have this precious little girl in our family.

So much is going on for us right now, but this post is already SO long. I will update you on other fun parts of our life soon! A BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG THANKS goes out to my sister Bo (Jana), for all of the pictures and for being part of our special day. We love you Bo.

Happy Blogging!

Quick Update! I Guess I Needed to Learn Patience!

So, I decided to do a quick update, not knowing if I'll have the time or energy to do it in the days ahead. We had a VERY interesting weekend, and although I feel good about what happened, it still baffles me! 

So, at my 38 week appt. on Thursday my doctor did a cervical check. I found out I was 4cm dilated and 75% effaced! YAY! He also decided to go ahead and strip my membranes. (I had this done with Beth, I went into labor a few days later, but I'm not sure if it was related.) My doctor was on call all Thursday night, but would be gone Friday-Monday. So, I scheduled my next appt. for Tuesday, hoping I would already have the baby by then. We left the office and went over to see my Grammy, who was still in the hospital after her stroke. Luckily she is home now. We walked 7 flights up to see her, and 7 flights down afterwards. I had cramping off and on. But nothing consistent.

After we got home Andrew got ready for work and left. And Beth and I decided to go on a walk. I was having a few contractions here and there, but still nothing consistent. I called my mom and decided that it would be best that Beth stayed over at her house that night, in case something happened. I dropped her off at 7pm, and went home to eat some dinner. Around 9pm I started having regular contractions, every 4-5 minutes. They were manageable, so I jumped in the shower, and waited for Andrew to come home. He got home around 10:30, and I asked him to time them. They were 2-4 minutes apart. I wanted to wait another 1-2 hours at home, just to be sure that my labor wouldn't stall (like it did with Beth)....so, we hung out at home. And after another hour they were still 4 minutes apart. So, we went to the hospital.

At check in they told me I was almost 5cm and 80% effaced. My contractions were showing as 3 minutes apart. So after an hour, they decided to admit me. I got my antibiotics started for my Group B Strep. And after that they disconnected my IV and let me go walking. Most people get Penicillin for Group B Strep, but I am allergic. So I have to have Clindamyacin. With this antibiotic they require 8 hours in between doses, and they would like you to have 2 doses. Not having the adequate amount of doses leads to a longer required hospital stay. So, as much as I wanted my labor to go quickly, I knew I needed 8 hours before I could have the 2nd dose. After walking they put me in my L&D room and did a quick check on baby to make sure she was handling contractions well. She did perfectly. And after that they let me get in the tub and bounce on the birth ball. They weren't pushy about being in bed, being monitored, or being checked. So things were going well.

Unfortunately, after about 3 hours of laboring, with contractions about 3-5 minutes apart, I noticed they weren't as strong, and they were getting further apart. I told my nurse I was nervous about stalling in labor again. And she smiled, said just to stay active and I would be fine. I'll never forget when she said "Look at this monitor. Your contractions are coming every 3 minutes. You are IN active labor. There is no need to worry."

Well, I decided to get checked at 5:00am, hoping that I had made some progress. I felt GREAT with how I was handling the contractions, and how optimistic I was. Things were going perfectly. When she checked me she explained that I hadn't made any progress. Maybe .5 cm....but I think she was being nice. She wanted to talk to my doctor (who was on call for another 2 hours) and see how to proceed. We went out to walk the halls. She came and found us and told us the doctor wanted to talk to us. He checked me again, and said that I hadn't changed from when I was admitted. He explained that he didn't feel comfortable giving me Pitocin or rupturing my water bag, since I was 38 weeks, and for some reason, by body didn't want to dilate. I knew he was doing this to protect me from unnecessary interventions, and increasing my risks of a c-section, infection, or needing pain medication. So, I am grateful. But at the time I was SO disappointed. I was so proud of myself for how I handled 9 hours of labor, but I was mad that I was being sent home, without a baby, still having contractions. The contractions stopped about 45 minutes after we got home and I was able to get some rest.

Although my doctor was going to be off shift soon, he was confident that I would be back in a matter of hours, in labor again. But, I wasn't. And I'm still not "In Labor" although I really don't know what that is anymore. Obviously my body is confused. So I was discharged at 5cm, 80% effaced. And that is probably what I'm still at today. I have an appt tomorrow, and I'll be discussing my concerns in regards to how fast my labor will go once it starts back up, and if I will have time to get my antibiotics. Which is very important to me.

On a happier note, my sister, brother in law, and their boys are here in town! We are excited that the baby held out for them! My grandpa is still holding onto his prediction that I am going to have her tomorrow, the 14th. So I guess we'll see. 

Thanks for letting me get this out there. It's an experience that is definitely teaching me patience. I guess I needed it right? 

Happy Blogging!

Summertime! Maybe?

The weather the last few days has been quite interesting. In an effort to keep myself, and my toddler busy, we've been trying to get out of the house more often. If we don't get out, all Beth wants to do is watch Word World. Netflix is great, don't get me wrong, but my child knows that it's always available. So, she always wants it. So, the other day we went to the park, and I quickly realized that the weatherman was wrong! I dressed Beth in long pants and a long sleeved shirt. And instead of 55 degrees, it was 70 degrees out! I was sweating just sitting watching her play. So, after only 15 minutes, I had to throw in the towel. Later that afternoon I decided to try again, and go for a walk. And the weather was MUCH nicer, until it started to rain. Geez. Make up your mind! I'm good with it not being summer for a few more weeks, so let's just stick with 65 with a slight breeze.

Andrew and I had the chance to go to dinner and a movie last Friday, thinking it will probably be the last time we will have a date night for a few weeks or months. We had a delicious dinner at Louie's (you can NEVER go wrong with Italian) and then we went and saw Limitless. I wasn't too impressed with the movie, but it was a few hours with my husband that I am grateful for. He started his summer class on Monday and, although his Saturday job has ended, he's still working full time. So, our time as a family is limited.

We did make a quick visit to the hospital this week, but not for labor. My Grammy Bassett had a stroke Sunday, about a few minutes after we said Goodbye to her at church. My dad called me an hour or two later. And he started the conversation with "I have some information for you...." Which I didn't like at all. Luckily, she has recovered better than expected, and will have very minor lasting effects from the stroke.  

I've made an effort to do dishes, laundry, vacuuming, and other tidying up daily. Yeah, most of you do this anyway, but I usually have a specific day for laundry, dishes, and room by room cleaning. So doing it in small shifts every day is different. It keeps me busy, and I know that no matter when I have this baby, my house will be clean! I've been amazed how fast I've been able to finish my pre-baby projects. Last week I showed a picture of the quilt pieces I cut out, and I was happy that in just a few hours I was able to finish the front! I'll be enlisting the help of my mom to finish it. But I'm happy to have this much done! 

Recently I have started getting the "Oh, you poor thing" look from people when I'm out and about. I didn't think I was THAT pregnant, till I looked at a picture Andrew took of me last week. I do look painfully pregnant!

37 Weeks

Weirdly enough, when I took my 38 week picture, I look LESS pregnant. So, either the baby is dropping, my outfit is deceiving or I'm just weird like that!

Almost 38 Weeks

Well, I'm planning on doing lots of walking and cleaning the next few days. We'll see if anything comes of all my efforts, besides me being exhausted and having a clean house. :-) I'm trying to treasure every moment of alone time I have with Beth, it will be an interesting adjustment to having 2 girls. So, I try to make sure we spend lots of time having fun. We won't be a family of 3 for much longer!

Well, We can't wait to have our 2nd little girl join the family! I hope that everyone has a great week!

Happy Blogging!

Getting Ready for BABY!

I've definitely been NESTING. A LOT. About 2 weeks ago I made a list of things I needed to do to get ready for baby #2. The list sat around, got lost a few times, and got colored on by Beth. So, I figured I should probably start DOING things on the list so I can cross them off! There were a few projects I needed to do, some things that I asked my mom to do (cause I don't have enough patience) and things I needed to purchase. So, I got to it. The first big project was to wash all of my newborn clothes (that have been stored since Beth grew out of them). So, I got them out and realized that they ALL had yellow stains on them. WHAT. I'd heard about this happening, but I thought I did a great job washing and storing them. Luckily my good friend Kristin told me to try soaking them in Oxiclean. I soaked them for days, and they all came out looking brand new! WHEW.

So, now all of my newborn clothes are washed, folded and put away! I will need to start the same process with my 3 month clothes, but that can wait a month or two. Luckily! This week we also put together the new bassinet and I LOVE it. It's lightweight, foldable, and I love the colors!

On my list of things to do I also had put down "Start Amielia's Quilt". To give you some background....When I went on maternity leave with my 1st pregnancy I got bored quick. So my mom suggested that I make a quilt for Beth. I thought it was a great idea. We bought the fabric, and my mom showed me the ins and outs of cutting, piecing and quilting. She was very patient with me. I went into labor about 3 hours after I finished piecing the front of the quilt. Here are some pictures of me and Beth's quilt.

So, when you make something for one child, you should probably follow suit with all of the children. Needless to say, I'm glad it's an easy design (one I drafted on a piece of paper at my mom's house), and I'm also glad we aren't planning to have a lot of kids. Here are the pieces for Ami's quilt. It is missing the center white portion with her "A" initial.

On my list I had "Pack Hospital Bag"....So, I made another list (yep, I'm a list-makin-freak) of the things I want in my bag. This is important, because when I had Beth I completely forgot to pack a going home outfit for me. Which meant I went home in the same thing I came to the hospital in. Plaid pajamas. Lovely for the super hot 4th of July afternoon that we were discharged. So this time, I remembered to pack an outfit for me. Along with the other things I will need during and after labor/delivery. I felt very accomplished until I remembered that I needed to pack a bag for Beth! She will be staying with Gran Dawnie (my mom) for the days that we are in the hospital. I got together the things for her bag (after making another list, sheesh). And realized she doesn't really have any "summer" clothes. Hm. So, we decided to try some second hand stores for nice summer clothes. I was so excited when we went into Savers (my friend Katy suggested it, and I'm so glad she did). I got 3 pairs of pants, 3 skirts, a pair of shorts, and 4 shirts for $24. It was awesome.

Something that recently got added to my to-do list is a nursing cover. I'd seen some friends and family use them and I thought they were really nice to have. This way I could nurse anywhere I needed to, but still feel comfortable. I talked to Kristin (she's my sounding board), about my idea and she said she'd loan me her's so that I could make a pattern from it! Now, it may seem like I do A LOT of sewing. I don't. Really. Just recently I've really enjoyed it and I can't help but share my stories with you. So, I sketched out my own pattern, talked to my mom (my other sounding board), and got to work. I was VERY happy, in fact, I'm ridiculously proud of my finished product. Mostly because It's not perfect, but I made it all by myself. I love it!

I've felt very accomplished the last few days. Things are getting done and lists are getting minimized. It feels great. As for other things, this last week Andrew had a wisdom tooth removed. It had been giving him issues for a year or so, and we finally decided to just DO IT. I'm glad we did it before the baby came because he was uncomfortable and tired most of the weekend. Poor guy. Beth tried to be soft and make daddy feel better. It was sweet.

Well, we are 3ish weeks from my due date! My Grandpa Bassett asked me the other day "When are you going to have that baby?"....I said "Uh, well, I'm not sure Grandpa."....he said he thought it would be the 14th!...Well OK! I'll let everyone know! :-) Well, we don't know WHEN this baby will come, but we are so happy to be more prepared for when she does! I finally took my husband's recommendation and bought an exercise ball to bounce on. It's helped immensely with my hip pain. Good idea honey! And Beth loves sitting on her "exercise ball" with me. This is my most recent belly picture, taken last week at 36 weeks!

 

I'm very grateful for the time and energy I've had the past week to get things done! I'm also grateful for our friends and family that have helped us get ready for baby #2. We love you all! 

Happy Blogging!

Adventures in Cooking

So, I didn't really have anything interesting to post about 2 weeks ago, but this last week definitely made up for it. Andrew finished his spring semester in school, and we are happy to have him home more! He'll start a summer class soon, but it's all online (luckily, since we're having a baby mid-semester). And then he'll resume a busy fall schedule in August. Beth has been finding new and exciting ways to entertain herself, I guess I'm boring....It's been fun to watch her and her creativity grow. Everything is a hat....including dishes...this means she gets a bath every night most nights. She's especially excited when she does it with out hands and says "Ta-da!"

Because I am low on energy these days, I let her play with whatever she finds. Baskets, plates, dull kitchen utensils, small children (just kidding). She is always so proud of herself when she find solutions to her boredom. She recently figured out that she can wash her hands all on her own if she finds a basket to stand on. And I guess hopscotch on plates is the new cool thing!

The best part about this last week was my Dad's Birthday Dinner. My dad turns 51 today, (although my nephew has been saying Papa is 55 for 2 years, :-] ) After having to beat it out of him, my dad told my mom he wanted my Grammy's chicken and noodles for dinner. My mom has tried to make it before, didn't really like it, and hasn't tried again. I've always loved this dish, and asked my Grammy to make it for me after I had Beth (I ate it for 3 days straight!). So, I knew I wanted to learn how to make it to carry on the tradition.

I told my mom I would go over, and learn to make the dish and help prepare that part of dinner, to make sure my grandparents weren't too overwhelmed. My Grammy agreed to show me, and I was really excited. Now, this dish is NOT chicken noodle soup. It's pan fried/grilled chicken with noodles and sauce over the top. I've never known anyone else who makes it, so it's hard to compare it to. You use eggs and flour to make the noodles. Roll it flat, let it dry, then roll it up to cut noodles. Then you boil it in chicken stock and add a little flour to make the sauce. You serve the noodles and sauce over chicken, potatoes, even a shoe. I'd probably eat it.

So, Sunday afternoon I did some visiting teaching, then went over to Grammy's with my ingredients to start the process. I knocked on the door and Grammy said "Come on in to a MESS".....Ok? I walked in and saw 3 bowls of soupy stuff, and my grandpa trying to make dough out of one of the bowls....My Grammy then explained that she accidentally put 3 cans of chicken stock into the bowl, instead of 3 eggs. So, they were trying to find more flour to thicken the "soup" and add eggs to it. She kept saying "I'm 80 years old, and I've never done anything so dumb"....and my grandpa would say "No, you haven't" and I would laugh! They have been married for over 60 years, and they are so funny to watch! Well, my grandpa was worried that the dough would be too wet to cut properly, but we seemed to make it work. He would cut the noodles and I would unroll them, my Grammy kept commenting on how nice of a job I was doing unrolling noodles. :-)

My Grammy also thought it was funny that Amielia wanted to help with the process. My belly was covered in flour all day long!

My grandpa was very worried about how the noodles would turn out because they didn't have time to dry. But we crossed our fingers. They put them into boil and I went home to get the rest of my family and stuff for dinner. Eric (my brother) was on his way to Grammy's with chicken to BBQ, and he was there when I got back. Grandpa told Eric to try to noodles and he did, at first they tasted just fine. But he confessed it was because they were so hot they scalded his mouth. He discreetly asked me to come inside a few minutes later and told me I HAD TO taste them....OK. So, I made sure they weren't too hot, and tasted them. And, well, they tasted like soap. Yucko. Well, this wasn't good. Since my dad was very picky, and wanted his favorite meal to be perfect.....I couldn't figure it out, until I looked at the flour "container" on the counter. My grandparents were keeping their extra flour in an old laundry detergent container. WHAT? My grandpa said he rinsed it out, but I'm guessing that after soap is in it for a few years, flour will absorb even the slightest smell or residue. I told Eric about the mix up earlier with the chicken stock and how these noodles were having some serious trouble.

A few minutes later my parents showed up....and Eric told my dad that the noodles probably weren't going to work out. After some debating, we decided to make a new batch. I tried my hand at it, and although my dad made fun of me because I wasn't doing it the same way as his mom had, for 60 years, it was fun. We cheated and used the oven to dry the dough before we cut it. And it turned out ok. Not perfect. But I plan on trying it again soon. But without the extra chicken stock, or laundry soap. When we finally sat down at the table my Grammy grabbed her cup of White Grape Juice and said "I think I need a drink"....I think we ALL did at that point! Happy Birthday Dad!

As we were trying to decide this morning what we wanted for lunch, I decided to make a few batches of waffles. They are quick, easy, and freezable. I wasn't really feeling like peanut butter or syrup on mine. So I decided to make some homemade caramel sauce. I look for a recipe, and found a simple one online. It was DELICIOUS. You can get the recipe here (http://yummysupper.blogspot.com/2010/02/homemade-caramel-sauce.html). I would recommend letting your butter and milk (I used whole milk instead of cream) warm up a bit before adding them. Otherwise it makes the caramel harden instantly. Beth much preferred the peanut butter, that she ate with her fingers (hey, it's protein!) but she did try a spoonful of caramel, and I think she liked it, in a silly way!

Bethani's new favorite expression is the eye roll. She gets loads of laughter out of us, and anyone else watching, every time she does it. I'm sure when she's 5, and I'm no longer "cool" this expression won't be nearly as cute. But I'll enjoy it right now!

Well, we've hit the 1 MONTH TO GO, point in my pregnancy. Andrew thinks I'm bigger now, than I ever was with Beth. But I disagree. Although I feel HUGE. I'm starting to have contractions here and there. Mostly braxton hicks, but I could never really see a big difference between braxton hicks and my early labor contractions with Beth's labor. So who knows. It's really hard to get comfortable, especially at night, which makes my exhaustion even more pronounced. But, with only 4ish weeks to go, I think I can deal with it. We are so excited to add another girl to our family. I've been getting out clothes and blankets for Amielia, and it reminds me just how small and snugly Beth was. I can't wait!

Well, if you made it through this LONG blog post, congrats! Whew. We are very excited for this summer, and I hope everyone has some fun things planned!! 

Happy Blogging!

A Day to Celebrate Mothers

So, I'm sure I am one of a billion blog posters who are "dedicating" their post to their moms. I wish I could be more creative, but, I feel like this post is SO important.

My mother's day was quite eventful. I woke up feeling well rested (Thank you Heavenly Father for that Mother's Day gift). Andrew had been feeling quite sick the night before, so when I saw that he was still sleeping, I decided not to wake him up yet. I got Beth some breakfast and turned on some cartoons so I could take a quick shower and get ready. Andrew woke up, and although he was feeling icky, he got ready for church too. We made it to sacrament meeting almost on time (Hey the day can't be perfect). We listened to some great talks. One of my favorite moms in the ward talked about having a Mantra that she says to her self when times get tough. She said that this mantra has extended the life of her children multiple times! :-) She lost her husband in a motorcycle accident almost 5 years ago, and was left to raise 3 children, alone. So her words always bring tears to my eyes. I can't remember the exact mantra, but I will definitely be making my own....if only for my kids' sake.

Then a brother got up to speak. He's married to a friend of mine, and in young men's with Andrew. He's only spoken maybe one or two other times, but I love listening to him speak. He specifically directed his talk to the men in the ward. And even though his talk was unfortunately cut short by time constraints, his spirit and insight touched my heart. He asked the men "Can we be better to our wives and do better?" It was a wonderful talk. It reminded me of President Uchtdorf's talk in the Priesthood session of General Conference. If you haven't heard it, or read it yet, DO IT...here's the link....http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/your-potential-your-privilege?lang=eng

After sacrament meeting, Andrew admitted he needed to go home. So, I told him to go to the car and I would drop Beth off at Nursery and then run him home. I didn't question his need to go home, because frankly, he looked terrible, and I knew there were no major sporting events on TV that day. :-)....So I tried to take Beth to nursery, but she wouldn't let me put her down. Now, normally, I am NOT the person to take her to nursery, for this very reason. Andrew takes her, since I have a class I teach, and I can't be late. But today, someone else was teaching the class, so I tried to drop her off. I couldn't do it. She clung to me and cried. So, I took her out to the car, and Andrew and I decided it might be best that she stay home with him so I could enjoy the rest of church. After church was over, I went home and checked on Andrew, still sick, poor guy. I got Beth some lunch and told Andrew he needed to take a nap, sleep is wonderful for colds.

On a whim, I decided to take Beth to my parent's ward which meets later in the afternoon. So, we left Andrew at home, with pillows, blankets, water, his phone, and strict instructions to SLEEP. Beth was happy to see Papa and Gran Dawnie. My dad is the Bishop of their ward (The ward that I grew up in and attended for 21 years of my life). So, Beth couldn't sit with him, since he was on the stand at the front. But she did pretty well sitting with me and my mom. She did throw a minor fit or two, but it was close to nap time, and her second sacrament meeting of the day. I was so grateful I went to the meeting because I got to listen to a WONDERFUL speaker. I am well acquainted with her, and her family. She recited a quote that brought tears to my eyes. After church I sent a message to her daughter and asked where I could get a copy, because I loved it THAT much. And here is the quote:

"I grant you that there are many who approach the great responsibility of motherhood with fear & timidity, because of its dangers to the physical life of the mother, because of its pain, its sorrow & its distress; but in the very nature of things, if God should lighten the burdens, the sorrow, & the pain of child-bearing, he would endanger the enduring love of the mother for her children. There is nothing worth while we obtain unless we pay the price for it. That which is given to us freely, we consider of little value, & so, because a mother goes into the valley of death, lays her life upon the alter to bring life into the world, & because through the rearing of the children who come to her, she spends many sleepless nights, denies herself the personal pleasures of life, devotes herself with patience & care & strength almost more than she has, to the welfare of her children-this is what makes her love them. For where her treasure is, there her heart is, & the greatest treasure a woman has she gives in her service, her life itself. All that she has, she gives for her children, beginning with the great ordeal of bringing them into this life." 

 

-Melvin J. Ballard

This quote especially means something to me since I will be going through labor and delivery next month with our second child. This time around we are hoping to labor and deliver without any pain medication at all. So when Brother Ballard speaks of... "if God should lighten the burdens, the sorrow, & the pain of child-bearing, he would endanger the enduring love of the mother for her children," it really made me think. Now, I believe that there are burdens, sorrow and pain, ANY WAY you choose to deliver your children. But I think I needed to hear this talk because recently I've been questioning my ability to deliver this baby without the use of pain medication, I've never done it before. I keep forgetting that the Lord knows the difficulties of pregnancy, labor and delivery. And that those struggles teach us something greater, LOVE.  I now have a stronger testimony of my body's abilities. I know that because of our preparation, we will be blessed. Keep in mind, The "All Natural Delivery" goal is just our personal preference this time around, but everyone has the right to choose the way they want to deliver their baby. 

 

After visiting my parents ward I went home and put Beth down for a much needed nap, I checked on Andrew who was sleeping. And I finished a few things before heading to our Bassett Family dinner that evening. I got to spend time socializing and eating wonderful food with the wonderful Bassett family. My Grammy Bassett is one of those wonderful women in my life that I am SO grateful to have. She is getting older, and can't do as much as she used to, but I will never forget the wonderful memories I have of her. After dinner we returned home, Beth was put to bed and Andrew and I spent a few hours talking about the day. He felt SO bad that he missed "making the day special" for me. But I told him it was a wonderful day, even though he couldn't do much "extra" to help. While he was home sick he cleaned up the house, did the dishes, and had a wonderful card for me. He's a wonderful man.

I'm so grateful to my mother. My sister Bo wrote a wonderful blog post about my mom and I echo a lot of her praises. My mother is amazing. She is always giving, and never turns down someone in need. She is often the voice of reason, but in a calm and loving way. About 10 years ago she was diagnosed with MS, it has been a LONG, HARD road for her. But she was always there for her kids. She drove us everywhere, made it to every event, and supported us in every challenge. Luckily, she found a wonderful medication that has worked to control a lot of her symptoms. But it didn't come without sacrifice. When I was a teenager she apologized that we couldn't have the nicer things the other kids had, cell phones, the "in" clothes, cars, etc. She explained that her MS medication was very expensive. Even with the insurance coverage my parents had, her medication cost around $500 per month. As teens, we thought and said "It's ok mom, we understand, and we wouldn't want to have those other things, especially if it meant you didn't get the medication you needed." And now as an adult, I am even more in awe. I was never without what I needed. I was and continue to be very blessed by having her in my life.

 

About 5 years ago, I added another mom to my life. My mother in law. She is a wonderful woman, who is always putting herself last. She worries about the kids, their spouses and the grand kids first, and then maybe, just maybe she'll think about herself. Sometimes I want to wring her neck, and tell her to "Sit down and stop fussing! You'll never enjoy your meal if you are constantly helping kids." But she wouldn't listen, she's too dedicated. Of all the things she has done there is one that I am the most grateful for. After 3 children, my in laws decided that they were done having children. They kept to this decision for almost 10 years. Until one day, after some experiences, they decided they were NOT done. So they had 2 more children, 17 months apart. The older of the two is Sam, brother and best friend to my husband and the husband of a close friend (and now sister in law). And the last child they had was my husband. If they would have stuck to their original decision, my life would be completely different today. So I am grateful for them changing their minds. My husband, and Sam, were probably not easy children to deal with. They are full of energy and very stubborn as individuals, but put them together, and they are a force to be reckoned with. My mother in law did get good practice with Andrew's older siblings....especially the 2 older boys.....(If his brother's read this they'll say "who could she be talking about???"). All in all, her decision to bring more children into this world has directly impacted my life. Thank you Diane!

There are many other women in my life that are wonderful examples to me. I have/have had wonderful Grandmas (and Great Grandmas), Aunts, Cousins, Sister's in Law and Friends who remind me that being a mother is NOT easy, but it's definitely worth it. And to them, I am also grateful.

My mother's day was wonderful and memorable. I fell so blessed to have Bethani in my life and I can't wait till her sister Amielia joins us. I am lucky to be a mother to these two girls. It's a gift that I will never come close to repaying. My only picture on the blog this week is my "Happy Mother's Day" picture from Beth. I took it yesterday after church. She was walking around the house in my shoes, and she wanted me to look. She now says "MOM!" a lot. And I do mean the caps and exclamation mark. It's never a "mom?" or "Mom." But no matter how she says it, I'm grateful that she knows how much I love her and that I am her "MOM!"

 Happy Blogging Everyone!

When I'm not sleeping....

Sleep. It's SO important right? I've had less of it for the last 22 months, due to Beth. She was never a good sleeper. Even as a newborn she usually slept in 2 hour shifts, and at the longest, I'd get a 1 hour nap during the day. At the time, I didn't know any different since she was my first baby. Around 10 months her habits changed. And after a few weeks of her sleeping 6-8 hours a night, and 2 hours during naps, I realized  how sleep deprived I was. For the last year or so, she's had one nap a day (1-3 hours), which is wonderful! But, she was still waking up between 2-5am for milk. I got rid of her bottles at 15 months (way too late!), but I allowed her to keep the milk in a sippy cup since at the time, we were dealing with a toddler bed transition and teeth.

I realized that a lot of her bad habits came from my behavior. I made a lot of mistakes as a first time mom. I decided to buck up and get her on a good sleep schedule before I have this baby. So, in an effort to curb her late night milk addiction, I decided that she could no longer go to bed with milk. Not for a nap, not for bedtime, and not in the middle of the night. I didn't know how I was going to hold up, since I am usually SO tired in the middle of the night I will give her anything. But I was determined. So, after about a week, I am happy to report that she only has milk with meals and she rarely wakes up in the middle of the night (this has happened 3 times in 10 days). She gets to have a water bottle in her room so if she wakes up thirsty she can get a drink and go back to bed. It's amazing how much better I feel in the morning. Granted, I still get up at least twice to go to the bathroom due to pregnancy, but twice is better than the four to sometimes even five times I'd get up before Beth slept through the night.

It's been great to have the "extra" sleep since recently I've been EXHAUSTED! I'm not sure if it's due to my unborn child having a growth spurt, or my very "born" child wearing me out, but either way, it's tiring. At the end of last week I woke up with a scratchy throat, head ache, and I probably sneezed 50 times that day. I wasn't sure if it was allergies or a cold, but either way, I knew the best way to get rid of it was to sleep. So, that night I took a tylenol and benedryl (which is the ingredient equivalent to tylenol PM). I hoped the tylenol would help with the headache, and the benedryl would help the sneezing. I knew that I had a very limited window to get rid of these nasty symptoms before they turned into something worse. You see, in my sick "history" it's noted that I go from feeling perfect, to having full blown strep, laryngitis, or a nasty cold virus, within about 12 hours. So, you can probably imagine how relieved I felt when I woke up the next morning and I felt better, not worse!

Having kicked those symptoms, I jumped into the day and tried to get everything done that got missed the day before. That evening I was disappointed to have the nasty headache return, with horrible nausea. Typically my pregnancy nausea is made worse by a lack of eating. So, I tried to eat small meals, but after every meal, my nausea would get worse. That evening before bed I took a Phenergen, a wonderful anti-nausea pill. With my 1st pregnancy I could take 1-2 pills, sleep soundly through the night, wake up without nausea and go to my full time job. After a while my body got used to it, and around the 1/2 way mark in my first pregnancy, 2 pills no longer had any effect. 

At the beginning of this pregnancy I tried using Zofran (my day time anti nausea) and Phenergen (my night time anti nausea), but neither did anything. I've refrained from testing them further during this pregnancy because they used to put me to sleep, and before now, Beth was still getting up at night. So I was surprised to find that when I took Phenergen this time, it worked! My overwhelming nausea went away so I could sleep and I felt much better in the morning. The only downside? Even though I only took 1 pill, I was tired for a full 24 hours. I turned on some cartoons for Beth around 9am that morning, and the next thing I know it's 1PM! WHAT? (Yeah I know, I'm a terrible mom). This drowsy state continued all weekend. Most days I slept 12 hours at night, and I even took a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. Luckily Andrew and Beth were understanding. I guess my body and mind needed that sleep, because today, I feel much better. 

With the gorgeous weather today we decided to go to the Zoo. And apparently so did everyone else. There were 2 preschool groups, and a plethora of other parents and kids. Luckily we had made most of our rounds before the large groups got in. We stopped by the Wallaby area and got to walk inside the exhibit and see the Wallaby mama. The baby was hiding in her pouch. She didn't really enjoy the onlookers, and having a baby in my "pouch" as well, I can't say I blame her. The last thing you want is to have people staring at your midsection. 

We noticed a "Giraffe Experience: Come feed the Giraffes!" sign about 20 minutes after we got there and luckily they were still doing it for another 10 min. We paid $3 for a large leaf of lettuce and had no idea what to expect! As we got up to the almost nonexistent line, we saw a dad and little boy in front of us. The little boy was TERRIFIED. And I started to worry about Beth enjoying the experience. The Giraffe was RIGHT THERE. It was so close and I was unsure if Beth would love it or hate it. Either way, we were about to find out.

Beth was a little timid at first, but she loved it! She wasn't scared, and Andrew and I both thought it was SO COOL! We couldn't believe just how long the Giraffe's tongue was, it probably could have gotten the lettuce even if Beth had it behind her back.

It was probably the best $3 and use of lettuce EVER! I found out that they let Zoo Patrons feed the Giraffes daily from 10:15am-11:00am, weather permitting, every day. Since we have a Zoo pass, we'll definitely be coming back to do this again.

After the Zoo, everyone was hungry. For about 6 months I have been craving a really good Hot dog. Weird right? Well a few months ago Andrew and I watched season 1 & 2 of Man V Food on Netflix. And it seemed like he was always eating the most delicious Hot Dogs and Polish Sausages. So I think that's where my craving originated. I am a huge skeptic of hot dogs in general. For the last 10 years I would only eat one if my dad assured me that it was 100% Beef, no junk. My Dad has worked in food service for 20 years, so he knows his stuff about....well....the STUFF that some people put in their hot dogs. 

After about 20 min of convincing, Andrew finally agreed to go to a newer place in Boise, call Stan's Hot Dogs. We walked in and Stan himself greeted us and showed us the menu. All his products come straight from New York, including their frozen custard. He assured me that it was a great product, 100% Beef (or pork if you opted for that dog) and NO fillers. We were also happy to find out that on Mondays their special is Beef on Weck. Which is Prime rib, on a German roll, with Horseradish. Andrew had that and LOVED it. I had a traditional Hot Dog, and it was amazing. We also had their home made, super FRESH, onion rings and fries. Beth was happy to eat a few fries, but Stan came over and asked if he could give her some frozen custard. I said "Sure, that'd be great!"....Visions of an ice cream covered child went through my mind. Kids can NEVER finish an ice cream cone without it melting ALL OVER. But hey, it was a fun day, bath day, and a free sample, so lets go for it. It was awesome. The custard is sweeter than ice cream, but has less sugar. It doesn't melt like ice cream does, so Beth was able to finish the entire cone, and stay relatively clean! After tasting some of Beth's, Andrew went and got his own. This is definitely a new Monday tradition! It is a little pricey, but it's great food and great service. 

Beth was alternating her Custard Cone and a Dill Pickle, Sympathy Cravings?

Just for the record, I LOVE pickles (Dill only) and I love sweet things. But, NEVER. Ever. Together. Yuck! So I have no idea where she got this. Speaking of cravings, or lack of for me, we are in the home stretch with this pregnancy. I have 6-7 weeks left. With Beth I was dilated to a 1 at 37 weeks, stuck at 3cm for about 4 days, and had her 8 days before her due date. I know that every pregnancy, labor and delivery is different, so I figure I'll plan to go to my due date but be pleasantly surprised if this baby comes when Beth did.

After all the teasing Andrew got from the Empathy Belly pictures, I figured I'd go back to posting my own pictures. I am 32 weeks in this picture, it was taken last week. My hair is getting quite long, I'm hoping wear it braided during labor.

Well, that is our fun week. I slept through most of it, but when I wasn't sleeping it was a BLAST! Andrew has about 2 weeks left of this semester, and then he'll be gearing up for summer semester. He'll only have one online class, so it will be somewhat of a break for him. He'll need the "school break" because all through the late spring and summer we will be studying  "How to labor and delivery Naturally," "How to raise a 2 year old," and "How to handle being a family of 4."  Tough classes, but I know a lot of people that have passed them with flying colors. :-)

I hope everyone is well rested, cold/allergy free, and craving another hot dog like me!

Happy Blogging!