yes. potty training.
because my 20 month old wants to.
that's right. be jealous, parents of toddlers everywhere!
I have the most awesome little girl ever. She amazes me everyday with her awesome-ness. Following are my Facebook status updates of the last 3 days chronicling the beginning of Munchkin's Potty Training Adventures. Because these are the fun things that should be in a journal of some kind, and not get lost in the black hole of Facebook status updates.
Showing posts with label mommy stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mommy stories. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Bed Hog
So we found a new apartment, but we can't move in until Saturday even though Brad's first day of work is Wednesday. We worked stuff out with the property manager and Brad can sleep at the apartment by Wednesday night, but Naomi and I are staying with Brad's parents in Beaver until Saturday when we can move in fully.
That means-- my first nights away from Brad :-(. And because I was feeling all sad and loney in the bed all by myself at night and really cold, and Naomi was having nightmares and crying all night-- I decided to let her sleep with me at around 2am.
Worst night of sleep EVER.
My munchkin likes to sleep curled up on top of the pillow with her little baby butt in my face. if I moved away, she scooted closer. Until my head is hanging off the side of the KING SIZE bed! I get up and move to the other side of the bed, and she moves too. Snuggles up on top of the pillow and sticks her bum in my face! This continues for a couple hours, every hour or so, i have to get up and go to the other side of the bed because I'm now falling off the edge. Around 5:30am, she starts sleep crawling all around the bed, laying in random places and waking back up and moving to another place on the bed every 20 minutes or so. At about 6:30-ish, she crawls on top of me, tucks her little feet under her, lays her head down on my stomach, and--yep-- her butt is in my face again. I roll to the side, she is cuddled upside down against my side and I get to sleep til about 7:45am before she wakes up, crawls out of bed and then goes upstairs.
This is why I will NEVER let my kids sleep in my bed again. So tired!
But her cuteness makes up for it :-).
That means-- my first nights away from Brad :-(. And because I was feeling all sad and loney in the bed all by myself at night and really cold, and Naomi was having nightmares and crying all night-- I decided to let her sleep with me at around 2am.
Worst night of sleep EVER.
My munchkin likes to sleep curled up on top of the pillow with her little baby butt in my face. if I moved away, she scooted closer. Until my head is hanging off the side of the KING SIZE bed! I get up and move to the other side of the bed, and she moves too. Snuggles up on top of the pillow and sticks her bum in my face! This continues for a couple hours, every hour or so, i have to get up and go to the other side of the bed because I'm now falling off the edge. Around 5:30am, she starts sleep crawling all around the bed, laying in random places and waking back up and moving to another place on the bed every 20 minutes or so. At about 6:30-ish, she crawls on top of me, tucks her little feet under her, lays her head down on my stomach, and--yep-- her butt is in my face again. I roll to the side, she is cuddled upside down against my side and I get to sleep til about 7:45am before she wakes up, crawls out of bed and then goes upstairs.
This is why I will NEVER let my kids sleep in my bed again. So tired!
But her cuteness makes up for it :-).
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
6 Weeks Down, 34 to Go
Baby Neeley #2,
I really don't want to make a habit of comparing you to your big sister, but she NEVER made me feel this sick. Mommy would love it if you could stop making her want to vomit every hour of the day. Thanks!
Love, Mommy
I really don't want to make a habit of comparing you to your big sister, but she NEVER made me feel this sick. Mommy would love it if you could stop making her want to vomit every hour of the day. Thanks!
Love, Mommy
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Big News #2
More big news! I don't know how much good, big news our family can take this year, but we are recognizing the blessings of God raining down on our little family right now.
First of all, Brad got a job offer!!! We are so excited to start our new life in Canton, Ohio. We came back East on faith and prayer, and the Lord has blessed us ten fold.
And more big news is #2... yep. you guessed it--This little cutie is going to be a big sister!
First of all, Brad got a job offer!!! We are so excited to start our new life in Canton, Ohio. We came back East on faith and prayer, and the Lord has blessed us ten fold.
And more big news is #2... yep. you guessed it--This little cutie is going to be a big sister!
Baby Neeley #2 is due May 28th! We are so thrilled!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Everyone Loves Chocolate
Including our munchkin.
Brad surprised me with a package of Dove's Chocolate with Caramel today for Valentine's Day. I found it in the car with some twizzlers and a love note on my way to work. I put them in my purse for later since I had to work and was going to Zumba right after. When I got home, I'd forgotten they were still in my purse and let Naomi play in the living room while Brad and I cleaned up our Valentine's Day dinner-- yum, steak! It was quiet in the living room.
Too quiet.
Brad goes to see what's going on, and finds this cheesy grin...
The Munchkin had found my chocolate, opened the bag, and ate 3 chocolates by the time we found her. She even took the foil off! of at least three of them...
Am I a terrible mom, or what?!
Too quiet.
Brad goes to see what's going on, and finds this cheesy grin...
The Munchkin had found my chocolate, opened the bag, and ate 3 chocolates by the time we found her. She even took the foil off! of at least three of them...
Am I a terrible mom, or what?!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Laundry Day Meets Picture Day
I'm pretty sure laundry day is munchkin's favorite day(s) of the week. She loves to help out!
Sorting the laundry. (Or trying to stand up after helping sort the laundry.)
These are dry. Let's take 'em out!
Taking a ride in the laundry basket.
Adjust some settings and clean the lint trap...
Putting the clothes in the dryer.
Make sure there's a dryer sheet!
It's ready to go, Mom!
Now it's time to get out and fold the laundry.
I have so much fun with my munchkin!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Munchkin. Peanut. Nugget. Teeny. Squirt.
All the nicknames Naomi has been given. Yep, she's small. There are 3 and 4 month old that weigh more than she does. But you know what? She's healthy, happy, and growing strong.
I've gotten kinda... ok, maybe A LOT, defensive about munchkin's size lately. I've always known she was on the smaller side as far as her weight was concerned. I'd asked her doctor about it at every well-baby check up, and he never seemed concerned. She was gaining weight consistently, even if it wasn't very much (about 1 lb. per month). At about 6 months old, we went to the WIC office for munchkin to be weighed, measured, and just checked up on. The nutritionist came in and weighed her and said, "Looks like she's gaining about 1 pound per month. that's right on target for a breastfed baby." then she pulled out her growth chart and then said, "It looks like she's dropped off her curve. Let's work on feeding her more so she can get her weight up." I was confused, but I just let it go and remembered that only a few seconds before she had told me my daughter was gaining weight perfectly. The chart doesn't matter.
Our neighbors also had a son who was on the smaller side. But his doctor was really worried about his weight, though he seemed to be growing about the same rate my munchkin was. So our neighbors went to a lactation specialist and found out that their son wasn't getting much when breastfeeding. this started me on a trail of constant worry that the same thing was happening to my munchkin. i started reading up on how to breatfeed well, but it was tough since it seemed all the material was meant to newborns, not a 6 month old or older and trying to balance introducing new "solid" baby foods. I continued to worry, but kept pushing my thoughts to the back burner since it seemed like munchkin was happy, energetic, alert, etc. She was meeting all her develpmental milestones on time or early. She was always moving, chattering, playing, smiling.
Then, fast forward to our holiday trip back "home" to visit my family. I was constantly bombarded with "advice" and comments about how I must not be feeding her enough because she's so small. She weighed "nothing." She was as small as a peanut. I continued to feed her as normal. When the family saw how much solid food she ate, it started a whole new round of comments, including, "You feed her too much!"
Seriously?!
She would breastfeed 5-6 times a day and have 2 solid food meals which consisted of 1 serving of cereal (approx 4 Tbls.), 1 serving of a veggie (a 4 ox jar) and 1 serving of fruit (anywhere from 1/2 to 1 whole 4 oz jar).
I was quick to defend my little girl. Repeating that the doctor said she was healthy and growing well at the last well-baby visit. The nutritionist said she was gaining perfectly, but she had "dropped off her curve." This began new accusations that my doctor was stupid and I should switch providers because if he wasn't concerned, then obviously there was something wrong with him. Needless to say, by the time I got home on Tuesday, I was thoroughly worked up into a complex about whether my daughter was getting enough breast milk, if she was eating too much solid food, if she was healthy, yada yada yada.
So I called the WIC office because they offer free consultations on breastfeeding and nutrition and scheduled an appointment. They weighed munchkin, then I fed her for about 10-15 minutes, then they weighed her again. She didn't eat very well; she was very distracted, looked around at the new surroundings, and just wanted to play and not eat. Turns out, she only ate .2 oz. The consultant said that normally that would be cause for alarm, but after looking at naomi, decided that it was prolly because she wasn't very hungry and just wanted to play. Normally, they woud like to see 2-4 oz transfered for a "light meal or snack" and 6-8 oz for a large meal. They observed her playing and interaced with her, and also measured her height and head circumference.
Results:
I've gotten kinda... ok, maybe A LOT, defensive about munchkin's size lately. I've always known she was on the smaller side as far as her weight was concerned. I'd asked her doctor about it at every well-baby check up, and he never seemed concerned. She was gaining weight consistently, even if it wasn't very much (about 1 lb. per month). At about 6 months old, we went to the WIC office for munchkin to be weighed, measured, and just checked up on. The nutritionist came in and weighed her and said, "Looks like she's gaining about 1 pound per month. that's right on target for a breastfed baby." then she pulled out her growth chart and then said, "It looks like she's dropped off her curve. Let's work on feeding her more so she can get her weight up." I was confused, but I just let it go and remembered that only a few seconds before she had told me my daughter was gaining weight perfectly. The chart doesn't matter.
Our neighbors also had a son who was on the smaller side. But his doctor was really worried about his weight, though he seemed to be growing about the same rate my munchkin was. So our neighbors went to a lactation specialist and found out that their son wasn't getting much when breastfeeding. this started me on a trail of constant worry that the same thing was happening to my munchkin. i started reading up on how to breatfeed well, but it was tough since it seemed all the material was meant to newborns, not a 6 month old or older and trying to balance introducing new "solid" baby foods. I continued to worry, but kept pushing my thoughts to the back burner since it seemed like munchkin was happy, energetic, alert, etc. She was meeting all her develpmental milestones on time or early. She was always moving, chattering, playing, smiling.
Then, fast forward to our holiday trip back "home" to visit my family. I was constantly bombarded with "advice" and comments about how I must not be feeding her enough because she's so small. She weighed "nothing." She was as small as a peanut. I continued to feed her as normal. When the family saw how much solid food she ate, it started a whole new round of comments, including, "You feed her too much!"
Seriously?!
She would breastfeed 5-6 times a day and have 2 solid food meals which consisted of 1 serving of cereal (approx 4 Tbls.), 1 serving of a veggie (a 4 ox jar) and 1 serving of fruit (anywhere from 1/2 to 1 whole 4 oz jar).
I was quick to defend my little girl. Repeating that the doctor said she was healthy and growing well at the last well-baby visit. The nutritionist said she was gaining perfectly, but she had "dropped off her curve." This began new accusations that my doctor was stupid and I should switch providers because if he wasn't concerned, then obviously there was something wrong with him. Needless to say, by the time I got home on Tuesday, I was thoroughly worked up into a complex about whether my daughter was getting enough breast milk, if she was eating too much solid food, if she was healthy, yada yada yada.
So I called the WIC office because they offer free consultations on breastfeeding and nutrition and scheduled an appointment. They weighed munchkin, then I fed her for about 10-15 minutes, then they weighed her again. She didn't eat very well; she was very distracted, looked around at the new surroundings, and just wanted to play and not eat. Turns out, she only ate .2 oz. The consultant said that normally that would be cause for alarm, but after looking at naomi, decided that it was prolly because she wasn't very hungry and just wanted to play. Normally, they woud like to see 2-4 oz transfered for a "light meal or snack" and 6-8 oz for a large meal. They observed her playing and interaced with her, and also measured her height and head circumference.
Results:
- Her weight isn't even on the charts anymore. She's like, -5th%ile at 14 lbs. 6 oz.
- She's 26 1/2 inches long/tall. That's about 70th%ile.
- Head circumference is 17.5 in. somewhere around 50th%ile, i think.
- She's "cruising," or walking while holding onto things for stability.
- She has plump cheeks and a baby double chin, fat pads on the tops of her fingers, and her feet. No rolls on her arms, legs, or belly.
- She is very social and interacts appropriatly with others, like responding when someone talks to her, smiling, lots of conversational babbling, etc.
- She is very curious and likes to explore her surrounding.
- She is very active and alert, not lithargic at all.
- No physical deformities, like a sunken head or eyes. good complexion.
- Excellent motor control for her age.
Friday, October 8, 2010
You Do the Hokey Pokey and You Turn Yourself Around
That's what it's all about.
Especially when you're a mommy. Man, I got turned around this week. The recapturing beauty challenge doesn't start til next monday... i started it this past monday. So I get to turn myself around and do it all over again starting monday. but i've love this. i'm enjoying the challenges, and i'm really feeling better about myself this week. thanks BYU Women's Services for this awesome oportunity.
Yesterday, I did something really strange. at least for me. I did the hokey pokey. in the middle of the library. out loud. and YES, I DID turn myself around. it all started while wakling to the library with munchkin. she was straped to me in the baby carrier, facing outwards. she was wearing a warm foot pajamas outfit, but her hands were really cold while outside. so i held her hands, but she didn't want me to hold them in one place. so i started moving them out and in, in and out. well, needless to say, I started singling the hocky pokey in my head, and before I knew what I was doing, I started singing out loud and turning myself around. we got into the library, and i didn't stop.
"you put your left hand in, you take your left hand out. you put your left hand in and you shake it all about. you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around. that's what it's all about! yeah!"
i got the strangest looks. from the confused "what the hell is that woman doing?!?!" stare to the "awe, look at the mommy making a fool of her self" smile.
but you know what. since i started this recapturing beauty thing early, i've felt a desire to not just be beautiful for myself, but to teach my munchkin that she is beautiful. i don't want her to be like me and constantly doubting herself, her appearance, and her self worth. and that begins with me being a good mommy. a beautiful mommy. a confident mommy that isn't afraid to make herself look absolutely ridiculous doing the hokey pokey in the middle of the library, because she loves herself. if i can be confident and beautiful enough to do THAT yesterday, and today, and tomorrow... and all the other days, then as my munchkin grows up, she will know that she is beautiful, worthy, and amazing. that she can do all those crazy things, and at the end of the day, she is SO LOVED! by her mommy and daddy. by her Heavenly Father. by her friends and family, and everyone that matters.
i love my munchkin. she is beautiful. and i'm going to be her beautiful mommy.
Especially when you're a mommy. Man, I got turned around this week. The recapturing beauty challenge doesn't start til next monday... i started it this past monday. So I get to turn myself around and do it all over again starting monday. but i've love this. i'm enjoying the challenges, and i'm really feeling better about myself this week. thanks BYU Women's Services for this awesome oportunity.
Yesterday, I did something really strange. at least for me. I did the hokey pokey. in the middle of the library. out loud. and YES, I DID turn myself around. it all started while wakling to the library with munchkin. she was straped to me in the baby carrier, facing outwards. she was wearing a warm foot pajamas outfit, but her hands were really cold while outside. so i held her hands, but she didn't want me to hold them in one place. so i started moving them out and in, in and out. well, needless to say, I started singling the hocky pokey in my head, and before I knew what I was doing, I started singing out loud and turning myself around. we got into the library, and i didn't stop.
"you put your left hand in, you take your left hand out. you put your left hand in and you shake it all about. you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around. that's what it's all about! yeah!"
i got the strangest looks. from the confused "what the hell is that woman doing?!?!" stare to the "awe, look at the mommy making a fool of her self" smile.
but you know what. since i started this recapturing beauty thing early, i've felt a desire to not just be beautiful for myself, but to teach my munchkin that she is beautiful. i don't want her to be like me and constantly doubting herself, her appearance, and her self worth. and that begins with me being a good mommy. a beautiful mommy. a confident mommy that isn't afraid to make herself look absolutely ridiculous doing the hokey pokey in the middle of the library, because she loves herself. if i can be confident and beautiful enough to do THAT yesterday, and today, and tomorrow... and all the other days, then as my munchkin grows up, she will know that she is beautiful, worthy, and amazing. that she can do all those crazy things, and at the end of the day, she is SO LOVED! by her mommy and daddy. by her Heavenly Father. by her friends and family, and everyone that matters.
i love my munchkin. she is beautiful. and i'm going to be her beautiful mommy.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Postpartum Eating Disorder?
I don't know how to begin this... and I'm not sure why I'm blogging about it. I think I just want to know if this is normal, if if there's something wrong with me. so here it goes--
This has been on my mind obsessively since last week. I got a stomach bug that kept me in the bathroom for about 3 days (sorry, this may be TMI), and I hardly ate anything for the week. Because of this, I lost nearly 10 lbs in 3 days.
Since having a baby, I've been borderline obsessed with my weight. I check it almost everyday on our Wii Fit. Every fraction of a pound gained or lost can make or break my mood for the rest of the day. And when I realized that I lost almost 10 lbs in 3 days (because I hadn't eaten and "purged" myself of all food in me due to being sick)-- I was ecstatic, thrilled, excited, overjoyed, etc! I wanted to celebrate. and never eat again.
Celebrate what? after a few minutes on contemplating why I was happy, I realized that this seems sick. celebrating being sick to lose weight? what was wrong with me?
That night, I was able to eat a full dinner. And when I was done, I wanted nothing more than to get sick. Feeling full made me feel fat. I wanted every calorie I just ate to go away. But again, I realize this before going to the bathroom, and I KNOW that thinking like that will only lead to eating disordered behavior. So I didn't do what my stomach was crying out for me to do, and instead, I just went to the living room to weigh myself on the WiiFit, do some yoga, and feel depressed until I go to bed.
And every time it's meal time, I have an internal battle. To eat or not to eat? To purge or not to purge? And every time, I know that the correct answer is to eat something healthy, and to not purge it. Because if I don't eat, or if I purge it-- that means I have an eating disorder. And I don't.
Right?
I told my husband about how I've been feeling last night and he suggested I do some research. This is a study I found on postpartum and eating disorders. I'm still not sure if it helps. It basically said that women are really concerned about their weight after having a baby. Well, duh! I don't need a study to tell me that.
And, like I said, I've been obsessive about this lately.
-I still eat "normally", meaning I don't binge and I don't starve. Though there are times when I forget to eat because I'm busy taking care of a baby or working.
-I've never purposefully purged. I'm just happy when I get sick and can't keep food in me.
-I don't count calories. In fact, I don't even look at calorie content so that I won't count calories obsessively.
-I don't over-exercise. Who can with a new baby? But I won't lie-- if I could exercise all day, I would live on an elliptical or treadmill, or in a pool.
+On a side note, this also makes me think of when I was in high school. My junior year, I'm pretty sure I had some disordered eating/exercising problem. All I would eat was lettuce or celery (because someone had told me they have "negative calories", meaning that you burn more calories eating them than are in the food) and I would workout for 2 hours after school everyday until the school gym closed.
Do I have an eating disorder? Does anyone else do this?
This has been on my mind obsessively since last week. I got a stomach bug that kept me in the bathroom for about 3 days (sorry, this may be TMI), and I hardly ate anything for the week. Because of this, I lost nearly 10 lbs in 3 days.
Since having a baby, I've been borderline obsessed with my weight. I check it almost everyday on our Wii Fit. Every fraction of a pound gained or lost can make or break my mood for the rest of the day. And when I realized that I lost almost 10 lbs in 3 days (because I hadn't eaten and "purged" myself of all food in me due to being sick)-- I was ecstatic, thrilled, excited, overjoyed, etc! I wanted to celebrate. and never eat again.
Celebrate what? after a few minutes on contemplating why I was happy, I realized that this seems sick. celebrating being sick to lose weight? what was wrong with me?
That night, I was able to eat a full dinner. And when I was done, I wanted nothing more than to get sick. Feeling full made me feel fat. I wanted every calorie I just ate to go away. But again, I realize this before going to the bathroom, and I KNOW that thinking like that will only lead to eating disordered behavior. So I didn't do what my stomach was crying out for me to do, and instead, I just went to the living room to weigh myself on the WiiFit, do some yoga, and feel depressed until I go to bed.
And every time it's meal time, I have an internal battle. To eat or not to eat? To purge or not to purge? And every time, I know that the correct answer is to eat something healthy, and to not purge it. Because if I don't eat, or if I purge it-- that means I have an eating disorder. And I don't.
Right?
I told my husband about how I've been feeling last night and he suggested I do some research. This is a study I found on postpartum and eating disorders. I'm still not sure if it helps. It basically said that women are really concerned about their weight after having a baby. Well, duh! I don't need a study to tell me that.
And, like I said, I've been obsessive about this lately.
-I still eat "normally", meaning I don't binge and I don't starve. Though there are times when I forget to eat because I'm busy taking care of a baby or working.
-I've never purposefully purged. I'm just happy when I get sick and can't keep food in me.
-I don't count calories. In fact, I don't even look at calorie content so that I won't count calories obsessively.
-I don't over-exercise. Who can with a new baby? But I won't lie-- if I could exercise all day, I would live on an elliptical or treadmill, or in a pool.
+On a side note, this also makes me think of when I was in high school. My junior year, I'm pretty sure I had some disordered eating/exercising problem. All I would eat was lettuce or celery (because someone had told me they have "negative calories", meaning that you burn more calories eating them than are in the food) and I would workout for 2 hours after school everyday until the school gym closed.
Do I have an eating disorder? Does anyone else do this?
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Post-Pregnancy Woes and Wonders
Having a baby changes your life-- well, duh. Anyone can tell you that, even if they don't have kids. I mean, one day you don't have a baby and the next you do. But I've discovered that after having a baby, there are things that change that don't necessarily have anything directly to do with that cute little bundle of joy. Here's my post-pregnancy woes and wonders.
Woes
1. stretch marks. they don't go away. they might fade and not look so bright, but it still leaves my skin feeling like a balloon formerly stuffed with pudding and now deflated and some pudding is still trapped inside. ugh!2. i've lost my abs. now, i've never been what people would call small, but i have to admit that i was quite proud of my "small" and FIRM abs. i mean, i could do 100 crunches or sit ups without breaking a sweat before i was preggers, and now i struggle to do a measly 10.
and i've got a post-preggo gut. thanks, Heavenly Father for this humbling experience of losing my most prized feature of this wonderful body.
3. i thought my hips were huge before... boy, was i wrong. turns out, carrying and then pushing a baby out from between my hips made them even bigger.
4. i've lost all the baby weight and am a few pounds below my pre-preggy weight (this is NOT a woe!), and yet, all my clothes are too small. how does this happen???
5. my boobs can vary in size by over 1 cup size depending on time of day and how recently munchkin has eaten, and many times, i'm lopsided. especially in the morning when i feel like my left side is about to explode!
6. i'm losing hair... i loved my thicker hair while pregnant, and now i think i've lost enough to make myself a decent wig with my own hair.
7. you remember how when you're in high school and you think that everyone is always watching and judging you? but they're really not cuz everyone's too self-conscious and busy thinking the same thing that they don't really care about you. well, when you're a mom, suddenly, everyone and their dog is watching and judging you. perfect strangers in the baby section of a store can tell you how terrible a mother you are for letting your child have a binkie, buying less than the most expensive all-natural diapers, feeding your baby "evil" canned baby food "full of dangerous preservatives" instead of all-natural homemade baby food, and putting blue on a baby girl (because, of course we WANT to give her gender confusion and make everyone think she's a boy...?).
Wonders
1. I'm a mom. This seriously still amazes me everyday; i don't think it will ever cease to amaze me. This in itself is enough to balance out the above woes, but I'll continue.
2. I love someone that pukes on me on a daily basis. And occasionally poops or pees on me too; and then smiles about it.3. I produce a 24 hr buffet for a baby. How awesome is it that my body was designed to feed my baby. I think it's pretty cool!
4. Breastfeeding and taking the mini-pill = no period! I love this!5. Watching my munchkin learn to do the simplest thing- like touch her feet to put them in her mouth, rolling over, laughing, smiling, and recognize her name.
6. Naomi sleeps through the night like an angel-- usually 10pm to 7 or 7:30am. I am probably the world's most spoiled mommy, because I can still get a full night's sleep almost every night!
7. Brad can and does change dirty diapers very often when he's home; even though he was adamantly opposed to it before munchkin was born. He's the best father and husband in the world!
Friday, August 13, 2010
A Grateful Heart is a Happy Heart
so, yesterday, munchkin was crying and i was getting a headache, and decided a nice walk outside would do us both some good. while out, i decided to go to the grocery store because we needed some milk and bread.
at the check out, the cashier-lady commented on how adorable she was. i mean, who can resist munchkin's cute little baby smiles? then she proceeds to tell me how much she would love to be able to stay home with her kids and just take care of them, and not have to work.
***now, i've been trying to find a a job all summer, so far, without success.***
and here's this kind woman here to remind me how awesome it is that i get to be a full-time mommy all day, everyday.
all i can reply is: "well, i'm very lucky right now. i get to do just that!"
I love my munchkin. I've decided that things will work out for the best. whether that means i get a job, or I get to stay home with munchkin. either one is good: a job means i can support out family; brad can take a full class load and quit his job (or at least cut back on hours); and we can move back east sooner. but staying at home with munchkin means: i get to see her everyday as she grows and develops SO FREAKIN" FAST and we don't have to leave her with a babysitter.
I love being a mommy, and I love my family. I'm so grateful I get to spend so much time with them. I'm happy!
at the check out, the cashier-lady commented on how adorable she was. i mean, who can resist munchkin's cute little baby smiles? then she proceeds to tell me how much she would love to be able to stay home with her kids and just take care of them, and not have to work.
***now, i've been trying to find a a job all summer, so far, without success.***
and here's this kind woman here to remind me how awesome it is that i get to be a full-time mommy all day, everyday.
all i can reply is: "well, i'm very lucky right now. i get to do just that!"
I love my munchkin. I've decided that things will work out for the best. whether that means i get a job, or I get to stay home with munchkin. either one is good: a job means i can support out family; brad can take a full class load and quit his job (or at least cut back on hours); and we can move back east sooner. but staying at home with munchkin means: i get to see her everyday as she grows and develops SO FREAKIN" FAST and we don't have to leave her with a babysitter.
I love being a mommy, and I love my family. I'm so grateful I get to spend so much time with them. I'm happy!
Friday, July 23, 2010
What's Wrong???
Ok, so I'm on the job hunt. when i tell people this, they always ask: how's that going?
I reply: not so well, but i'm trying to stay postive. something has to come up. it just has to.
and the inevitable response is something along the lines of: have you tried (this)?
yes
have you looked here?
yes.
have you talked to someone?
yes.
well, what about . . .?
yes, people! i've done it all! I have applied for EVERY, literally, EVERY teaching job that i'm qualified for within 1 hr driving radius from provo. public schools, private schools, charter schools. i've registered with teacher-teachers.com, and every school district website in utah, jobs.utah.gov, americorps.com, and monster.com. i've gone to career workshops and counselors. i've built and rebuilt my resume a dozen times. i spend 5-6 hrs per day on the computer looking for jobs. i don't know what else i can do!!! and i'm still not getting called even for an interview!
what else can i do? because the impression i get from some (not all, but quite a few) is that i obviously must not be trying hard enough or i'm doing something wrong. hell, i'm even doing my spiritual part-- praying, paying tithing and fast offering (or rather, encouraging my husband to do so cuz i don't exactly get paid in anything more than dirty diapers and baby smiles), and i would be fasting (only i'm breastfeeding, and that don't mix well with fasting).
I want a job. I need a job. and i'm doing everything i possibly can to get one. i'm frustrated and stressed about how to pay rent and how my family is going to eat once brad starts classes again in a little over a month.
what am i doing wrong?
I reply: not so well, but i'm trying to stay postive. something has to come up. it just has to.
and the inevitable response is something along the lines of: have you tried (this)?
yes
have you looked here?
yes.
have you talked to someone?
yes.
well, what about . . .?
yes, people! i've done it all! I have applied for EVERY, literally, EVERY teaching job that i'm qualified for within 1 hr driving radius from provo. public schools, private schools, charter schools. i've registered with teacher-teachers.com, and every school district website in utah, jobs.utah.gov, americorps.com, and monster.com. i've gone to career workshops and counselors. i've built and rebuilt my resume a dozen times. i spend 5-6 hrs per day on the computer looking for jobs. i don't know what else i can do!!! and i'm still not getting called even for an interview!
what else can i do? because the impression i get from some (not all, but quite a few) is that i obviously must not be trying hard enough or i'm doing something wrong. hell, i'm even doing my spiritual part-- praying, paying tithing and fast offering (or rather, encouraging my husband to do so cuz i don't exactly get paid in anything more than dirty diapers and baby smiles), and i would be fasting (only i'm breastfeeding, and that don't mix well with fasting).
I want a job. I need a job. and i'm doing everything i possibly can to get one. i'm frustrated and stressed about how to pay rent and how my family is going to eat once brad starts classes again in a little over a month.
what am i doing wrong?
Friday, May 7, 2010
Attack of the Exploding Diaper!
it started out as any normal day ( a great day, in fact, for having a newborn baby because naomi had just slept nearly 7 hours through the night). but little did mommy know that her arch enemy-- the poopy diaper-- was preparing a deadly assault.
approximately 1500 hours and 15 minutes: mommy noticed that baby's diaper was dirty and decided to change it. nothing out of the ordinary.
3:17pm: mommy places a clean diaper under the dirty one. mommy opens the dirty diaper. wet. poopy, moderatly full. no signs of diaper rash.
3:18pm: mommy grabs a baby wipe and proceeds to clean the soiled area.
3:19pm: mommy removes the dirty diaper and wraps it up in preparation for disposal.
3:19pm: ATTACK!!! a stream of icky yellow baby poop launches itself out of naomi's baby bum, across 5-6 inches of changing table and another 6 inches of carpet and lands on mommy's tummy and runs down her pants.
3:20pm: mommy rapidly tries to clean the carpet to prevent baby poop stains. calls daddy for backup-- no answer. distress message left.
3:21pm: mommy stands up to see a fountain of pee raising 2 inches into the air before drenching the baby changing table and everything on it.
3:22pm: mommy sets up the baby bath tub. fill with water. call daddy again. no answer.
3:25pm: mommy wipes off baby's entire lower-half with baby wipes. wrap baby in a towel. put baby in baby bathtub. ATTACK!!! baby towel is hit!
3:26pm: call daddy for backup; still no answer. call BYU-info, ask for the number for the secretary at daddy's work. ask secretary to retrieve daddy from the basement and send him home, mommy needs emergency backup!
3:28pm: call Grammsie-- "come back to utah! I need your help!"
3:29pm: ATTACK!!! yellow baby poop begins to boil up and over baby's legs while she's still in the babytub. "Grammsie, I REALLY need your help now! Can't you teleport to utah and save me?!"
3:30pm: turn on kitchen faucet, rinse baby in sink. be careful not to drop crying baby as she thrashes about.
3:33pm: wrap baby in daddy's towel. put on clean diaper. swaddle in baby blanket.
3:34pm: daddy arrives at home to a happy and smiling baby, but a very poop-covered wife, bedroom, and kitchen.
approximately 1500 hours and 15 minutes: mommy noticed that baby's diaper was dirty and decided to change it. nothing out of the ordinary.
3:17pm: mommy places a clean diaper under the dirty one. mommy opens the dirty diaper. wet. poopy, moderatly full. no signs of diaper rash.
3:18pm: mommy grabs a baby wipe and proceeds to clean the soiled area.
3:19pm: mommy removes the dirty diaper and wraps it up in preparation for disposal.
3:19pm: ATTACK!!! a stream of icky yellow baby poop launches itself out of naomi's baby bum, across 5-6 inches of changing table and another 6 inches of carpet and lands on mommy's tummy and runs down her pants.
3:20pm: mommy rapidly tries to clean the carpet to prevent baby poop stains. calls daddy for backup-- no answer. distress message left.
3:21pm: mommy stands up to see a fountain of pee raising 2 inches into the air before drenching the baby changing table and everything on it.
3:22pm: mommy sets up the baby bath tub. fill with water. call daddy again. no answer.
3:25pm: mommy wipes off baby's entire lower-half with baby wipes. wrap baby in a towel. put baby in baby bathtub. ATTACK!!! baby towel is hit!
3:26pm: call daddy for backup; still no answer. call BYU-info, ask for the number for the secretary at daddy's work. ask secretary to retrieve daddy from the basement and send him home, mommy needs emergency backup!
3:28pm: call Grammsie-- "come back to utah! I need your help!"
3:29pm: ATTACK!!! yellow baby poop begins to boil up and over baby's legs while she's still in the babytub. "Grammsie, I REALLY need your help now! Can't you teleport to utah and save me?!"
3:30pm: turn on kitchen faucet, rinse baby in sink. be careful not to drop crying baby as she thrashes about.
3:33pm: wrap baby in daddy's towel. put on clean diaper. swaddle in baby blanket.
3:34pm: daddy arrives at home to a happy and smiling baby, but a very poop-covered wife, bedroom, and kitchen.
The Birth Story: Naomi Edition
I've got the cutest little girl ever! She's seriously perfect in almost every way-- she's even sleeping through the night already, even if her "night doesn't start til 2am," it at least lasts til 9 or 10 am!!! Yes; I'm know i'm the luckiest mommy ever!
pictures to come soon!
The Birth Story
So, my due date was Monday, April 19th. The day came and went, and Naomi had no intention of coming. I cried myself to sleep that night because I wasn't going into labor and was convinced that she would decide to come on Thursday night or Friday morning-- which is when i was supposed to graduate from BYU. my family was coming into town on Wednesday for my graduation and they wanted to meet the newest member of the family before leaving Saturday morning. but Brad, being the righteous and wonderful husband that he is, reminded me to pray for comfort and then offered to give me a blessing. It brought great comfort, and i was able to go to sleep peacefully despite knowing that my little girl would not be coming that night.
Tuesday, April 20th at 10:30am, I was scheduled for an NST (non-stress test) since i was "past-due." Basically they hook me up to a monitor to measure baby's heart rate and mommy's contractions. I apparently had 3 or 4 contractions while i was there, but i didn't feel them. The nurse said she was concerned about a couple dips, so she had the specialist doctor look at it and he said i needed to go to the hospital to be induced, "right now." i looked at her in shock-- wait, what? the dips she was concerned about,she called them "late decelerations" and it looked like baby's heart rate went down just before i had a contraction, and she explained that it meant something like my placenta was "getting tired." we bargined with her that we needed to go home for some things and run some errands before going to the hospital, so she gave us an hour.
we got to the hospital about 12:45pm. I was started on pitocin within 20 minutes. I was supposed to pick up my graduation gown at 1pm, but the nurse was already upset at letting us take an hour to get to the hospital, so after checking in, Brad left to go get my cap and gown about 2pm or so. I just watched tv and relaxed. About 2:30pm or so, my midwife arrived and wanted to break my water, but Brad wasn't back yet, and he wanted to be there, so I asked her to wait. I called Brad and he said he would be there ASAP. (This whole time, I still don't feel as though I've felt any contractions and I've been on pitocin for almost 2 hours.) He gets there and my water is broken at around 3pm-ish. Within about 20 minutes, I begin to feel slight tightening which I assume is contractions because it makes the monitor happy and lines start making bigger humps on the screen. Brad is at my side, and we just start watching a movie (Madagascar 2:Escape to Africa) as the contractions begin to get stronger and stronger and last longer and longer. Within 30 minutes, I'm fully utilizing the breathing techniques I'd learned and constantly reminding myself-- I need to relax, tensing only creates pain. relax, breath. relax. relax, breathe. relax. Relax... RELAX! ok, i don't know how to relax--BREATHE!!!
I begin think-chanting to myself, "i can do this, i can do this. I can do this!" (think of the story "The Little Engine That Could.") when the nurse checks me, however, and I haven't made ANY progress at all... I feel like I've wasted all my energy for nothing. I'm at 4 cm and 70% effaced. (now, you gotta understand-- I was dialated to 4 1/2 cm yesterday,before they even induced me, and 80% effaced. When the nurses checked me after getting to the hospital, they told me I was only 3 cm and 60% effaced.) i was in freaking active labor and I had gone backwards?!?!?! That's when I got upset... I became vocalizing upset-- not yelling, mind you. just pretty peeved off and wanting to vent my opinion. The pitocin is at full strength, and I tell Brad, "I'm beginning to think about getting that epidural." He's wonderful and encouraging and does exactly what I had asked him-- reminds me of everything we'd learned, my body was designed for this ("especially well designed" he adds), I am strong and can do it, our baby girl is worth it. He holds my hand, massages me, breaths with me-- even the nurses are impressed and jokingly offer him a job cuz he's just that amazing!
This lasts about 2 hours when the nurses tell me i need to use the bathroom. We were good until then-- once in the bathroom, alone, with the contraction that wouldn't end after 3 minutes, I begin crying. I no longer think I can do this. My moaning turns into sobbing as Brad helps me back to bed; "I really think i'm going to need the epidural," I tell him, feeling defeated as I'm crying in the terribly immodest hospital gown that hides nothing from everyone in the room. "let's have the nurses check you. if you're not to a certain point by now, then you can tell me and we'll get one for you. " i agree, and want to be at least 6cm or more to keep going without the drugs.
I'm only 5cm. But i had made progress, i tell myself, so I don't give brad the signal right away. i think for about 7 or 8 more minutes (through 3 contractions) before i start crying again, and say the magic words-- "I want the epidural. please, get me an epidural!" The nurses go to call the anesthesiologist and my midwife arives to check on me and help me calm down since she realized i asked for the epidural. She shows us some new things to do to help relax-- they work amazingly well, but it's really tiring for Brad. He's sweating withing less than 10 minutes. The anesthesiologist still isn't there, and I don't know how much longer Brad can last, or myself without his help. I ask there nurses-- apparently the anesthesiologist is out for dinner (it's a little after 5pm) and so they called his back-up. He's on his way and will be there in about 30 minutes. I basically cry and hum to myself really loudly until he gets there 25 minutes later. The epidural takes the edge off immediately, and after 10 minutes, I can't feel anything and my toes are just a teeny bit tingly.
Over the next 2 hours, Brad and I relax and talk until I'm fully dialated and ffaced. Then the midwife advises me to take a nap and that she will be back in about an hour so we can start pushing. She just wants me to relax and let some contractions move the baby down further so that pushing will be easier. A half hour later, I begin to feel pressure from contractions and like I should push, but my midwife isn't there and the nurses are busy. Luckily, the epidural allowed me to simply breath and relax through them easily for another half hour. When the midwife showed up, an hour after she left exactly as she promised, we began pushing and Naomi was in my arms within 40 minutes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So... in the end, I threw my birthplan out the window. Kinda needed to, but oh well. I had psyched myself up for a drug-free birth and that didn't happen; and yet, I'm not really disappointed at all. Going into it, before I knew I would be induced, I was confident that I could have my baby without taking drugs despite the horror stories of pain in childbirth that a few women absolutely insisted on telling me after I asked them not to. I kinda believed that "as long as they don't give me Pitocin, i can do it"-- because every woman who encouraged me in my desire to give birth without drugs supported me because they had a terrible birth experience when given pitocin. Pitocin was the arch enemy and made birth terrible, but I could do it. When my midwife made me face the reality that I would likely be induced (since they would induce at 41 weeks and babies in my family traditionally were 10-14 days late), she encouraged me and let me know of women who still gave birth without getting an epidural or analgesics when given pitocin.
the day I was sent to the hospital to be induced, I was confident that I would TRY to go as long as I could without getting an epidural, and hoped i would have the strength to go through it without getting drugs despite being induced. well, I couldn't. but that doesn't mean that I'm upset with the way thigns were handled. and pitocin didn't make birth a horrible experience. I'm glad I have a happy and healthy baby. And i don't feel disappointed in myself for getting the epidural. I'd still like to try for a non-drug birth next time, but I think all in all, it was definitely worth it.
pictures to come soon!
The Birth Story
So, my due date was Monday, April 19th. The day came and went, and Naomi had no intention of coming. I cried myself to sleep that night because I wasn't going into labor and was convinced that she would decide to come on Thursday night or Friday morning-- which is when i was supposed to graduate from BYU. my family was coming into town on Wednesday for my graduation and they wanted to meet the newest member of the family before leaving Saturday morning. but Brad, being the righteous and wonderful husband that he is, reminded me to pray for comfort and then offered to give me a blessing. It brought great comfort, and i was able to go to sleep peacefully despite knowing that my little girl would not be coming that night.
Tuesday, April 20th at 10:30am, I was scheduled for an NST (non-stress test) since i was "past-due." Basically they hook me up to a monitor to measure baby's heart rate and mommy's contractions. I apparently had 3 or 4 contractions while i was there, but i didn't feel them. The nurse said she was concerned about a couple dips, so she had the specialist doctor look at it and he said i needed to go to the hospital to be induced, "right now." i looked at her in shock-- wait, what? the dips she was concerned about,she called them "late decelerations" and it looked like baby's heart rate went down just before i had a contraction, and she explained that it meant something like my placenta was "getting tired." we bargined with her that we needed to go home for some things and run some errands before going to the hospital, so she gave us an hour.
we got to the hospital about 12:45pm. I was started on pitocin within 20 minutes. I was supposed to pick up my graduation gown at 1pm, but the nurse was already upset at letting us take an hour to get to the hospital, so after checking in, Brad left to go get my cap and gown about 2pm or so. I just watched tv and relaxed. About 2:30pm or so, my midwife arrived and wanted to break my water, but Brad wasn't back yet, and he wanted to be there, so I asked her to wait. I called Brad and he said he would be there ASAP. (This whole time, I still don't feel as though I've felt any contractions and I've been on pitocin for almost 2 hours.) He gets there and my water is broken at around 3pm-ish. Within about 20 minutes, I begin to feel slight tightening which I assume is contractions because it makes the monitor happy and lines start making bigger humps on the screen. Brad is at my side, and we just start watching a movie (Madagascar 2:Escape to Africa) as the contractions begin to get stronger and stronger and last longer and longer. Within 30 minutes, I'm fully utilizing the breathing techniques I'd learned and constantly reminding myself-- I need to relax, tensing only creates pain. relax, breath. relax. relax, breathe. relax. Relax... RELAX! ok, i don't know how to relax--BREATHE!!!
I begin think-chanting to myself, "i can do this, i can do this. I can do this!" (think of the story "The Little Engine That Could.") when the nurse checks me, however, and I haven't made ANY progress at all... I feel like I've wasted all my energy for nothing. I'm at 4 cm and 70% effaced. (now, you gotta understand-- I was dialated to 4 1/2 cm yesterday,before they even induced me, and 80% effaced. When the nurses checked me after getting to the hospital, they told me I was only 3 cm and 60% effaced.) i was in freaking active labor and I had gone backwards?!?!?! That's when I got upset... I became vocalizing upset-- not yelling, mind you. just pretty peeved off and wanting to vent my opinion. The pitocin is at full strength, and I tell Brad, "I'm beginning to think about getting that epidural." He's wonderful and encouraging and does exactly what I had asked him-- reminds me of everything we'd learned, my body was designed for this ("especially well designed" he adds), I am strong and can do it, our baby girl is worth it. He holds my hand, massages me, breaths with me-- even the nurses are impressed and jokingly offer him a job cuz he's just that amazing!
This lasts about 2 hours when the nurses tell me i need to use the bathroom. We were good until then-- once in the bathroom, alone, with the contraction that wouldn't end after 3 minutes, I begin crying. I no longer think I can do this. My moaning turns into sobbing as Brad helps me back to bed; "I really think i'm going to need the epidural," I tell him, feeling defeated as I'm crying in the terribly immodest hospital gown that hides nothing from everyone in the room. "let's have the nurses check you. if you're not to a certain point by now, then you can tell me and we'll get one for you. " i agree, and want to be at least 6cm or more to keep going without the drugs.
I'm only 5cm. But i had made progress, i tell myself, so I don't give brad the signal right away. i think for about 7 or 8 more minutes (through 3 contractions) before i start crying again, and say the magic words-- "I want the epidural. please, get me an epidural!" The nurses go to call the anesthesiologist and my midwife arives to check on me and help me calm down since she realized i asked for the epidural. She shows us some new things to do to help relax-- they work amazingly well, but it's really tiring for Brad. He's sweating withing less than 10 minutes. The anesthesiologist still isn't there, and I don't know how much longer Brad can last, or myself without his help. I ask there nurses-- apparently the anesthesiologist is out for dinner (it's a little after 5pm) and so they called his back-up. He's on his way and will be there in about 30 minutes. I basically cry and hum to myself really loudly until he gets there 25 minutes later. The epidural takes the edge off immediately, and after 10 minutes, I can't feel anything and my toes are just a teeny bit tingly.
Over the next 2 hours, Brad and I relax and talk until I'm fully dialated and ffaced. Then the midwife advises me to take a nap and that she will be back in about an hour so we can start pushing. She just wants me to relax and let some contractions move the baby down further so that pushing will be easier. A half hour later, I begin to feel pressure from contractions and like I should push, but my midwife isn't there and the nurses are busy. Luckily, the epidural allowed me to simply breath and relax through them easily for another half hour. When the midwife showed up, an hour after she left exactly as she promised, we began pushing and Naomi was in my arms within 40 minutes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So... in the end, I threw my birthplan out the window. Kinda needed to, but oh well. I had psyched myself up for a drug-free birth and that didn't happen; and yet, I'm not really disappointed at all. Going into it, before I knew I would be induced, I was confident that I could have my baby without taking drugs despite the horror stories of pain in childbirth that a few women absolutely insisted on telling me after I asked them not to. I kinda believed that "as long as they don't give me Pitocin, i can do it"-- because every woman who encouraged me in my desire to give birth without drugs supported me because they had a terrible birth experience when given pitocin. Pitocin was the arch enemy and made birth terrible, but I could do it. When my midwife made me face the reality that I would likely be induced (since they would induce at 41 weeks and babies in my family traditionally were 10-14 days late), she encouraged me and let me know of women who still gave birth without getting an epidural or analgesics when given pitocin.
the day I was sent to the hospital to be induced, I was confident that I would TRY to go as long as I could without getting an epidural, and hoped i would have the strength to go through it without getting drugs despite being induced. well, I couldn't. but that doesn't mean that I'm upset with the way thigns were handled. and pitocin didn't make birth a horrible experience. I'm glad I have a happy and healthy baby. And i don't feel disappointed in myself for getting the epidural. I'd still like to try for a non-drug birth next time, but I think all in all, it was definitely worth it.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
False Alarm
Well, today we got to have our first practice run for going to the hospital. Woke up this morning about 6:30am with some minor cramps and backache, but they just got progressively worse all morning as i took a shower and got ready to go to school. By 8am, I was late for school, sitting on the couch, telling Brad I didn't want to go to school today-- I was in no condition to teach, I could barely stand up straight. (Luckily, we hired a substitute for me at school just yesterday. She's really getting baptized by fire with teaching!)
We decided to put the hospital bag and carseat in the car, just in case, but that I would still go to school-- afterall, I needed to get leson plans and the assignment for my students to the sub. I had two contractions during the 8 minute car ride to school, and couldn't stand up straight to walk into the school. I got lesson stuff handed off to the sub, fairly quickly, then told Sharon "I'm not staying!"
Brad made me call my midwife, and they recommended I go to the hospital to get checked, just in case because I may or may not be in real labor. Still having contractions while I check in,, but they practically disappear as soon as they hook me up to the external monitor. When the nurse checks me, I'm still dilated to 4cm, 80% effaced, and at a 0 station (same place I was on Monday at my last midwife appointment). I tell the nurse I want to go home, and so they let me go-- but I may or may not be back tonight. Apparently I've progressed really far for a first timer without any pain or complications so far, and I figure that awesome!
Naomi, make up your mind-- either hurry up and come, or stop tricking mommy and daddy. We're busy and can't just run to the hospital for a couple hours! just kidding-- we'd do any thing for you, kiddo. We love you lots and are really excited to finally meet you face to face. xoxo
We decided to put the hospital bag and carseat in the car, just in case, but that I would still go to school-- afterall, I needed to get leson plans and the assignment for my students to the sub. I had two contractions during the 8 minute car ride to school, and couldn't stand up straight to walk into the school. I got lesson stuff handed off to the sub, fairly quickly, then told Sharon "I'm not staying!"
Brad made me call my midwife, and they recommended I go to the hospital to get checked, just in case because I may or may not be in real labor. Still having contractions while I check in,, but they practically disappear as soon as they hook me up to the external monitor. When the nurse checks me, I'm still dilated to 4cm, 80% effaced, and at a 0 station (same place I was on Monday at my last midwife appointment). I tell the nurse I want to go home, and so they let me go-- but I may or may not be back tonight. Apparently I've progressed really far for a first timer without any pain or complications so far, and I figure that awesome!
Naomi, make up your mind-- either hurry up and come, or stop tricking mommy and daddy. We're busy and can't just run to the hospital for a couple hours! just kidding-- we'd do any thing for you, kiddo. We love you lots and are really excited to finally meet you face to face. xoxo
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Almost to the Finish Line!
So I had my 38 week check-up with my midwife yesterday. They offered to check my for dilation, I didn't think anything had happened, but Brad was curious, so I said, "Sure, go ahead."
I was already dilated to 4 cm! Now this surprised me, cuz I 've been thinking-- where are those Braxton-Hicks contractions people are complaining about by this time? I'm feeling great, no signs of going into labor. Why do people complain so much... this really isn't bad at all! Just earlier that day, someone told me I couldn't be 38 weeks pregnant because I seemed to happy and comfortable. apparently I couldn't be 2 weeks from my due date because I wasn't miserable, at least according to nearly everyone I've talked to lately.
Well, I'm feeling good. Last night was the first time I felt remotely sick-- I actually threw up everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, I had eaten that day in the bath tub while brushing my teeth. Never had morning sickness, but wow. And a few more unpleasant signs that I might go into labor soon, but I'm sure no one wants to know about that.
I think I've finally started getting a dull back ache that I've been warned of, adn I've been trying really hard to pay attention to my body to notice if I'm having contractions-- turns out I am, but I must have a high tolerance for what people could call pain. This isn't painful, it's just some light pressure and tightening.
So baby Naomi, mommy and daddy have started to actually believe that you might come soon. I've started writing the birth plan, and today I plan on finally packing that hospital bag. MAybe even get your carseat put in the car. After I do the laundry, of course. And vacuum out the car. And organize the still unpacked boxes. And do a number of other things. We love you, Naomi, and are very excited to meet you in the coming weeks... maybe days.
I was already dilated to 4 cm! Now this surprised me, cuz I 've been thinking-- where are those Braxton-Hicks contractions people are complaining about by this time? I'm feeling great, no signs of going into labor. Why do people complain so much... this really isn't bad at all! Just earlier that day, someone told me I couldn't be 38 weeks pregnant because I seemed to happy and comfortable. apparently I couldn't be 2 weeks from my due date because I wasn't miserable, at least according to nearly everyone I've talked to lately.
Well, I'm feeling good. Last night was the first time I felt remotely sick-- I actually threw up everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, I had eaten that day in the bath tub while brushing my teeth. Never had morning sickness, but wow. And a few more unpleasant signs that I might go into labor soon, but I'm sure no one wants to know about that.
I think I've finally started getting a dull back ache that I've been warned of, adn I've been trying really hard to pay attention to my body to notice if I'm having contractions-- turns out I am, but I must have a high tolerance for what people could call pain. This isn't painful, it's just some light pressure and tightening.
So baby Naomi, mommy and daddy have started to actually believe that you might come soon. I've started writing the birth plan, and today I plan on finally packing that hospital bag. MAybe even get your carseat put in the car. After I do the laundry, of course. And vacuum out the car. And organize the still unpacked boxes. And do a number of other things. We love you, Naomi, and are very excited to meet you in the coming weeks... maybe days.
Monday, February 8, 2010
It's Just a Little Cold
It's just a little cold. no biggie, right?
Last week, starting about Tuesday night, I started feeling just a bit under the weather. Nothing serious that a good night's sleep couldn't fix. But I'm student teaching and hopelessly devoted to being the best student teacher i can be-- so I stayed up late working on lesson plans.
Wednesday came. I began a bad cough, so Brad insisted I go to the doctor. Dr says it's just a minor respiratory virus that kids have been getting but that adults can usually shake off pretty easy. I may just feel yucky a little while because I'm pregnant, and have asthma, and Utah has the worst air quality in the country. I was home by 3pm when Brad practically had to force me to eat lunch, then fell asleep until 8pm. I even skipped Brad's last hockey game of the season! I was back asleep by 10:30pm. All lesson planning was thrown out the window and I picked some movies for the kids to watch at school the next day. I at least put thought into what movies I would show; none of that watching Aladin in US Gov!
Thursday came with a vengence. I was coughing and exhausted, but went to school anyway because it was a short day and I figured I could make it till 12:30pm. US Gov watched "A More Perfect Union," Psychology watched "A Beautiful Mind," and my revolutions class started reading "The Communist Manifesto." After getting home, I promptly fell asleep until 8-ish. I woke up with some energy, so I spent an hour washing dishes that I had neglected the past couple of days, then collapsed on the floor of the kitchen in tears, realizing that I hadn't eaten since 8:30am. I was starving my poor, unborn baby. I am a horrible mother to a child that isn't even born yet! Gotta love those pregnancy hormones! And I couldn't even think of something I wanted to eat or had the energy to cook. Brad got home from class about 10:45pm, found his emotionally wrecked wife, and took me out to get hamburgers. I promptly collapsed into bed by 12:30am.
Friday morning, I woke up miserable, coughing, tired, and having difficulty breathing. But I still got ready for school. When I woke up Brad to take me to class, he refused to let me go. Instead, he calls the school director and my mentor teacher and tells them I'm too sick to go in. He agrees to take in the movies, but I have to stay home. I fight about it until the last second, insisting I could still go and just show movies like I did Thursday, but that ends when I have an asthma attack, start coughing uncontrollably, and can't breath. I go back to bed and wake up at 10-ish; Brad called his aunt June and she calls in a bunch of prescriptions for me-- a new inhaler, an asthma controller, cough syrup, and a short round of antibiotics (just in case); and Brad drives to Park City to borrow a humidifier from her to help me breath easier. While he's gone, I go back to sleep on the couch-- dozing in and out of consciousness for the rest of the day while watching "The 10th Kingdom."
Saturday and Sunday was much the same thing-- lots of sleep, except Sunday I stayed up til 12:30am because I realized that I have classes again in the morning and haven't planned ANYTHING! This Monday morning, I wake up after a horrible night's sleep and again, can't stop coughing. But I somehow convince Brad that my coughing isn't as bad as last week and I can do it. He drives me to school, but insists that he walk me inside-- I still can't stop coughing and I'm about to fall asleep while walking up the stairs to my classes. My mentor and the school director tell me to leave my lesson plans with them and they'll find someone to cover my classes for the day. When I get back home, I sleep from 9am-2pm. Brad makes me lunch, and now I'm sitting here, still coughing, planning more lessons and hoping I can get back to teaching tomorrow.
Parent-teacher conferences are this week-- gotta get ready! Just a little cold can be a big deal.
Last week, starting about Tuesday night, I started feeling just a bit under the weather. Nothing serious that a good night's sleep couldn't fix. But I'm student teaching and hopelessly devoted to being the best student teacher i can be-- so I stayed up late working on lesson plans.
Wednesday came. I began a bad cough, so Brad insisted I go to the doctor. Dr says it's just a minor respiratory virus that kids have been getting but that adults can usually shake off pretty easy. I may just feel yucky a little while because I'm pregnant, and have asthma, and Utah has the worst air quality in the country. I was home by 3pm when Brad practically had to force me to eat lunch, then fell asleep until 8pm. I even skipped Brad's last hockey game of the season! I was back asleep by 10:30pm. All lesson planning was thrown out the window and I picked some movies for the kids to watch at school the next day. I at least put thought into what movies I would show; none of that watching Aladin in US Gov!
Thursday came with a vengence. I was coughing and exhausted, but went to school anyway because it was a short day and I figured I could make it till 12:30pm. US Gov watched "A More Perfect Union," Psychology watched "A Beautiful Mind," and my revolutions class started reading "The Communist Manifesto." After getting home, I promptly fell asleep until 8-ish. I woke up with some energy, so I spent an hour washing dishes that I had neglected the past couple of days, then collapsed on the floor of the kitchen in tears, realizing that I hadn't eaten since 8:30am. I was starving my poor, unborn baby. I am a horrible mother to a child that isn't even born yet! Gotta love those pregnancy hormones! And I couldn't even think of something I wanted to eat or had the energy to cook. Brad got home from class about 10:45pm, found his emotionally wrecked wife, and took me out to get hamburgers. I promptly collapsed into bed by 12:30am.
Friday morning, I woke up miserable, coughing, tired, and having difficulty breathing. But I still got ready for school. When I woke up Brad to take me to class, he refused to let me go. Instead, he calls the school director and my mentor teacher and tells them I'm too sick to go in. He agrees to take in the movies, but I have to stay home. I fight about it until the last second, insisting I could still go and just show movies like I did Thursday, but that ends when I have an asthma attack, start coughing uncontrollably, and can't breath. I go back to bed and wake up at 10-ish; Brad called his aunt June and she calls in a bunch of prescriptions for me-- a new inhaler, an asthma controller, cough syrup, and a short round of antibiotics (just in case); and Brad drives to Park City to borrow a humidifier from her to help me breath easier. While he's gone, I go back to sleep on the couch-- dozing in and out of consciousness for the rest of the day while watching "The 10th Kingdom."
Saturday and Sunday was much the same thing-- lots of sleep, except Sunday I stayed up til 12:30am because I realized that I have classes again in the morning and haven't planned ANYTHING! This Monday morning, I wake up after a horrible night's sleep and again, can't stop coughing. But I somehow convince Brad that my coughing isn't as bad as last week and I can do it. He drives me to school, but insists that he walk me inside-- I still can't stop coughing and I'm about to fall asleep while walking up the stairs to my classes. My mentor and the school director tell me to leave my lesson plans with them and they'll find someone to cover my classes for the day. When I get back home, I sleep from 9am-2pm. Brad makes me lunch, and now I'm sitting here, still coughing, planning more lessons and hoping I can get back to teaching tomorrow.
Parent-teacher conferences are this week-- gotta get ready! Just a little cold can be a big deal.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
On Teaching and Being Preggers
So, I'm fully in the midst of student teaching, and beginning my third trimester of being pregnant. What a roller coaster I am on! Those in the teaching world have called my situation "baptism by fire"-- I started teaching my very own classes on day 1 of student teaching. Somethings have gone really well-- somethings that I thought would be problems aren't which makes me really happy. But on the flip side, there are things happening that I never would have imagined.
I stay up till midnight planning and wake up at 5:30am to do some more planning before classes start at 8:30am. I have 1st period US Government, 2nd period Financial Literacy (co-taught with my mentor teacher), 3rd period US Government, 4th period Psychology, 5th period revolutions through History, and prep period during 6th and 7th (for now anyway. I'll prolly be teaching another section of US gov next term). It's a full day. And being pregnant complicates matters-- like the fact that I need to eat small snacks throughout the day, but don't have time. Yesterday, I didn't bring any extra snacks other than my lunch-- and after school I had a student teacher meeting. No extra food, no time to pick something up, and no refreshments at the meeting. Needless to say, I was terribly nauseous by 5pm and the meeting didn't get out till close to 6pm. Driving home, I almost passed out, but luckily a friend called me and kept me conscious for the drive home until I could grab the quickest and easiest thing to eat. After picking up my dear husband from class at 8:15pm, I went home and quickly fell asleep. I didn't get any planning done for my classes the next day, so I woke up at 5am to prep for all of my classes.
NOTE: planning 3 lessons in 3 hours for 3 different classes is a recipe for disaster. Luckily, my BYU professor came to visit me yesterday so I didn't need to be on my best for her review-- but still, my kids deserve better. This weekend is all about planning the best lessons ever. For my kids, and also for my Teacher Work Sample.
I have also started knocking things over with my ever expanding baby belly. Wish me luck!
I stay up till midnight planning and wake up at 5:30am to do some more planning before classes start at 8:30am. I have 1st period US Government, 2nd period Financial Literacy (co-taught with my mentor teacher), 3rd period US Government, 4th period Psychology, 5th period revolutions through History, and prep period during 6th and 7th (for now anyway. I'll prolly be teaching another section of US gov next term). It's a full day. And being pregnant complicates matters-- like the fact that I need to eat small snacks throughout the day, but don't have time. Yesterday, I didn't bring any extra snacks other than my lunch-- and after school I had a student teacher meeting. No extra food, no time to pick something up, and no refreshments at the meeting. Needless to say, I was terribly nauseous by 5pm and the meeting didn't get out till close to 6pm. Driving home, I almost passed out, but luckily a friend called me and kept me conscious for the drive home until I could grab the quickest and easiest thing to eat. After picking up my dear husband from class at 8:15pm, I went home and quickly fell asleep. I didn't get any planning done for my classes the next day, so I woke up at 5am to prep for all of my classes.
NOTE: planning 3 lessons in 3 hours for 3 different classes is a recipe for disaster. Luckily, my BYU professor came to visit me yesterday so I didn't need to be on my best for her review-- but still, my kids deserve better. This weekend is all about planning the best lessons ever. For my kids, and also for my Teacher Work Sample.
I have also started knocking things over with my ever expanding baby belly. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Drum Roll Please!
And the baby is..................................................................................
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A GIRL!!!!!!!
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A GIRL!!!!!!!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
"I Like to Move It, Move It!"
The beloved song of king Julian from Madagascar is now baby Neeley's theme song. I had my 16 weeks appointment on Monday and the nurse couldn't find baby's heartbeat because baby was moving too much and hiding. BUT-- we could hear non-stop baby kicking noises...
Our little baby likes to move it, movie it!
Our little baby likes to move it, movie it!
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