So, I need to vent. And when I'm done.. I'd appreciate knowing if anyone else has had a similar experience with an OB, or other professional that helps with pre-natal care and birth.
I'm just over 32 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child and saw the OB yesterday. As he was leaving, I asked him at what appointment I should discuss a birth plan with him (or his 2 other collegues in the practice, since I can't choose who I see...). He asked if I had one now, and I said not yet (as I wanted to build my birth plan with the drs and be able to ask them questions about their standard practice procedures). And this was his response, "Birth plans are things that first-time moms do who don't know what they are doing, and they print a birth plan off the internet, and they never happen the way they said. We get some women who want soft music and pink lights, some want to birth on their hands and knees. Some don't want any pain medication even though they are screaming at us in pain, but those are usually the ones wearing hemp skirts and have hair down to their butts. Just let us know of any requests when you get to labor and delivery and we'll try to make it happen."
I was so taken-aback at this unprofessional and condescending opinion from my doctor that I'm seriously considering switching doctors... if I even could at this point. I mean, those comments seriously turned me off from wanting to ever see him again, didn't answer my question (when would be a good time to discuss this with you?) and did the exact opposite of inviting me to discuss my concerns and wishes with him at any time in the future. (I think the comment about the "hemp skirt wearing, hair-down-to-their-butts" women is what really pushed me over the edge...)This is the ONLY OB/GYN office in town, the next closest is 20 minutes away, or 35 minutes away, but I ruled those out before because I preferred the hospital here in town. I'm just really not liking this OB... (ok, so this is more a personal rant--earlier, I had mentioned to him that I used to be a social studies teacher, and he casually said, "I hated history in high school. But now I read history books all the time and I realized that high school history teachers only teach the "fake history." They don't tell you all the real stuff that happened." -- seriously?! Don't you think about what you say or who you are saying it to before it comes out of your mouth???)
Now, I realize there are 3 doctors in this practice. I met one of them once, who was nice, but English isn't his first language and he's got a heavy accent and not that I have a problem with that, but I'd rather have a doctor that I can communicate with without a language barrier in case there are complications during delivery that need quick attention and I can't ask him to repeat what he said (is that aweful?). And the 3rd doctor I met is actually really awesome-- I've met him 3 times and he's always listened to me, asked questions, and has been sure to include Brad in the discussion and was friendly to munchkin.
I just want to know that my OB(s) and I are on the same page and that they can respect my wishes. And I don't think the time to get on the same page is when I'm having contractions and getting admitted to labor and delivery. I'm an educated woman that tries to be in-tune with her body and knows it better than a doctor that has only seen me once or twice to look at my chart and tell me how far along I am. I know that the best plan is to practice and prepare for giving birth before the time comes, and the dr should be a part of that process.
So what would you do? Find a new dr in a further away town? Suck it up because i'm being too sensitive about petty things? ask the nurses what day dr#3 is on call and try to go into labor that day, or schedule an induction on that day (even though I don't want to be induced)? Any other creative ideas?
And further... do I report this dr for his unprofessional comments? Was it unprofessional enough to warrant that kind of action? Or am I over-reacting?
Friday, April 6, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Spring is in the Air!
I'm LOVING this weather! It's been in the 70s for the last 2 weeks,so we've been spending lots of time outside lately.
We got munchkin a fun slide from a secondhand store for only $16 (new usually goes for $50, on sale you can find one for $35-40). She loves it, and asks to go slide every morning soon after waking up.
We also got some sidewalk chalk. Munchkin loves to color, and it doesn't get better than coloring outside on the ground! (The pictures of our sidewalk art must be on Brad's phone; I can't find them!)
One thing I'm not excited about is all the bugs... except these little buggers.
I've missed lightening bugs the last 5 summers-- Utah doesn't have these little beauties; Naomi is going to love them!
PS: After posting this, we had a cold front come in and a freeze/frost warning that lasted over a whole day (Sunday night to Tuesday morning)! While many people are upset, I welcome this little reminder that it's still spring and not summer-- because a killing frost like that can help kill off some little buggers that were getting a little too comfortable with the warm weather. :-)
Happy Spring Time, friends and family!
We got munchkin a fun slide from a secondhand store for only $16 (new usually goes for $50, on sale you can find one for $35-40). She loves it, and asks to go slide every morning soon after waking up.
We also got some sidewalk chalk. Munchkin loves to color, and it doesn't get better than coloring outside on the ground! (The pictures of our sidewalk art must be on Brad's phone; I can't find them!)
One thing I'm not excited about is all the bugs... except these little buggers.
 |
image from: http://pestcemetery.com/lightning-bugs/
I've missed lightening bugs the last 5 summers-- Utah doesn't have these little beauties; Naomi is going to love them!
PS: After posting this, we had a cold front come in and a freeze/frost warning that lasted over a whole day (Sunday night to Tuesday morning)! While many people are upset, I welcome this little reminder that it's still spring and not summer-- because a killing frost like that can help kill off some little buggers that were getting a little too comfortable with the warm weather. :-)
Happy Spring Time, friends and family!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
A First-- Fixing Up a Dresser
We got this dresser from the Goodwill back in October or November for $10. I decided it was ugly and needed a paint job. And since the weather is beautiful, it was perfect for working outside. :-)
So I removed the old paint and stickers.
then sanded it down to remove some stubborn paint and stickers and smooth out some blemishes the dresser acquired while i stripped the old paint. (Thanks, Jessie for letting me borrow your sander!)
Then I painted the dresser-- purple base and drawer fronts, yellow knobs, and a blue top. (to match the letters I painted for munchkin's room)
Isn't it pretty?!
I think so!
 |
| putting the knobs back on the drawers |
 |
| The drawer fronts |
Adventures with an Angry Appendix!
Warning: This is super long, but I didn't really know how to break it up to make it smaller. Enjoy!
It started out like any normal Thursday. Brad was awake and leaving the house at 5:30am to go play racquetball with some friends/co-workers. After munchkin and I were awake and happy, we give Brad a call at work to say good morning and wish him a good day.
But at 9am, Brad casually mentions that he's not feeling so great. No big deal, just some digestive issues, which he's had in the past, and that I shouldn't worry. So I say a short prayer for him to feel better, and don't worry.
Around lunch time, Brad webcams home during his lunch hour to say hi to munchkin (typical for days when he plays racquetball and leaves the house before munchkin wakes up) and mentions that he's feelings really bad, that he went to the store to buy some antacids during his lunch break, and may come home early. Still, I'm thinking (and he's reassuring me), "it's not a big deal. This has happened 5 or 6 times before. It'll last for a couple days, then go away." Munchkin and I say a short prayer that he'll feel better as soon as possible.
Only at 1:30pm, Brad calls me and sounds like he's in a LOT of pain and is asking me where the nearest urgent care center is (as he's driving home from work). Having the internet is awesome in moments like this. I pull up a local map and search for urgent care centers between his work and our house and give him directions to the one closest to where he said he was on the route home. He gets there, and I tell him to call as soon as he can. he calls back 10 minutes later-- apparently urgent care centers don't take cases of abdominal pain and told him to see his regular doctor or go to the ER. He's on his way home, grumpy and frustrated. I call his (soon-to-be) doctor and ask if they can see him, but since he's never been seen there before they can't see him (talk about a catch-22!) (I had called the office a week previous to set up a "new patient" appointment and establish Brad with a regular doctor, and the earliest appointment was 2 weeks away, so because he had not seen the doctor yet, he couldn't go to the office for a 'same-day' call-in appointment.)
We'd been told before that it was likely a stomach ulcer-- when he'd had these episodes before they were at times of high stress. They would last 2-3 days and Brad described it as lots of pressure from inside that occasionally moved. He'd feel it in his back on the right side, then in the front on his left side, then in the groin. I thought, for the first time, it might be a kidney stone (after looking up his symptoms on the trusted webMD.com). Brad gets home and he's in a "low-pain" moment. The pain came in waves of severe pain and dull pain. I explain the situation and tell him we can go to the ER. We have insurance now, unlike all the times previous, so if it was really unbearable we could go. He says, "It's not the worst pain I've ever felt in my life, and I think I can imagine worse pain. But I do want to know what it is and I'm sick of feel like this and the stomach ulcer meds never work! Let's go to the ER." We pack up munchkin and some lunch (since naomi had been napping and i hadn't eaten yet) and go to the ER that's only a mile away from our apartment. We get in pretty quickly-- abdominal pain is taken pretty seriously in the ER, apparently.
Brad describes his symptoms multiple times to nurses, physicians, and doctors that all come in and out of the room before they order some blood work. All along, munchkin is making friends with all the nurses and other patients and their families, and learning how everything works... buttons, tubes, and everything a toddler can find interesting in a hospital (which is pretty much everything). When they come in to put Brad on an IV, I call some friends to see if they can pick up the munchkin because she's getting to be a bit of a handful and my very tired and very pregnant self can't seem to keep her under control anymore. They can, and it's no big deal-- I tell them it'll prolly just be a couple hours before they send Brad home with either some meds and/or tell him it's a kidney stone and he needs to tough it out. Thanks so much Becky and Tim!
The nurses come back, letting us know the blood work came back "inconclusive," but that his white count was "slightly elevated" suggesting a "minor infection of some kind." So they are going to do an ultrasound. that's also "inconclusive." So they are ordering a CT scan of his abdomen. He drinks some orange Gatorade with added iodine for contrast and an hour later, they are taking him to get scanned. He comes back, eager to relieve himself of all that Gatorade. ;-) And the nurse says they are reading the scans and we should hear from the doctor in about 45 minutes to an hour.
When the doctor comes in, he asks, "So, what's your favorite food?" Apperently, it's fried chicken... I don't know why I don't know this...
My mind starts racing...What's Brad eating that's causing this pain?
Is he about to put our family on some weird diet because Brad's got some funky allergy,
or his diet has too much of whatever causes kidney stones?
Did Brad eat something strange? no, that would have been the toddler, right?...
He goes on to offer me a sandwich (it's now after 7pm and I barely ate lunch as we came to the ER 5 hours ago, so i'm very grateful). He says that the scans were "unusual and inconclusive." His appendix looked "a little strange, maybe inflamed" and his bladder was "extremely full." So in cases like this, they call in a 'tie-breaker' or specialist. Well, Brad reassured the Dr that his bladder was no long "extremely full" and we all had a good laugh.
Another 30-45 minutes later, Dr. Hudzik comes in to ask Brad to describe his symptoms. He looks really confused by Brad's symptoms, explains a bit of digestive anatomy to us and lists a few things it could be. His symptoms don't sound anything like appendicitis like the nurses told him they think it was-- most patients with appendicitis are doubled over in pain and can't move, but Brad was sitting there pretty content (apparently the IV had a non-narcotic pain medicine to reduce swelling and it was working pretty well). He said that he could, but it was HIGHLY unlikely, have "chronic appendicitis." He had seen only 1 case of it ever before, but that guy had a 1 in 10 anatomical anomaly. It was his practice to talk to the patient before looking at test results, so he said that he was going to look at the CT scans and blood work, then come talk to us about our options. 15 minutes later he comes back with a smile on his face, and informs us that against most odds, it turns out Brad has this 1 in 10 anomaly called a "retro-secal appendix" (I know I probably spelled that wrong!) where the appendix, instead of kinda free-floating in front of the colon, was tucked behind and beneath his colon, neatly protected and in an ideal position to allow a case of chronic appendicitis. He says we can wait to see if the pain goes away like the previous 5 or 6 times, or we can just removed the appendix. He also told us that he's not 100% sure it's appendicits because Brad's symptoms as he describes them seem so unlike typical appendicits, but that the CT scan looks pretty convincing and his white count is "really high" suggesting a "raging infection." (At this point, I ask myself... what happened to "slightly elevated" and "minor infection" that the nurse mentioned!??! Which is it?!)
We decide to opt for the surgery, and the doctor says he'll inspect a couple things while in there to make sure it's not something else causing the strange symptoms. the surgery team should be ready in about an hour. We call Brad's family, my family, and text a couple friends to ask for prayers. We call a friend to ask for a blessing (the same friend who was watching munchkin, and they offer to let her spend the night since I'll be at the hospital late) and he comes with the bishop of our ward to give a blessing. I'm sure it was a good blessing, but i wouldn't know-- it had every interruption there could possibly be-- seconds after it started, alarms started going off, my phone rang, and nurses tried to come in. I'm so grateful for blessings of the Priesthood-- it helped to keep both Brad and I calm.
Minutes after the blessing (around 9:30pm), Brad is getting wheeled up to surgery and I'm directed to wait in a dim waiting room all by myself until someone comes to tell me the surgery is over... my phone is dead and I occupy myself by counting flowers on the wall paper, praying for our cousin who just under went open-heart surgery twice in one day and thanking Heavenly Father that this was a relatively simple procedure that should only last about 1 hour, and talking to baby Ruthe Maedean. After an hour and a half, I started pacing the room, wondering why no one has come to tell me what's going on if the surgery only took 1 hour. Nurses and custodial staff notice me and start offering me cups of coffee, which I politely decline (after trying to explain to the first nice woman that I don't drink coffee because of the Word of Wisdom and not making much sense, I just start to indicate my round baby bump and tell them coffee is bad for the baby- a few minutes later the same first woman who I incoherently tried to explain the Word of Wisdom to brings me a cup of hot cocoa).
Dr. Hudzik comes out a few minutes later to let me know that it was indeed appendicitis and we made the right choice to get it removed when we did. he didn't find anything else to be concerned about; the surgery went great with no problems; they were waking him up in the recovery room right now and he should be going upstairs in 20 minutes or so; and to make sure Brad rests and takes it easy and some other things to know as Brad recovers.
A little while later, I meet the nurses and Brad on his wheely-bed in the hall to go up to his room. He's pretty groggy and keeps asking, "They didn't put a catheter in, did they? They better not. I told them not to put a catheter in!" The nurses just smile and laugh. By the time we get to the room, he's turned paler than the bed sheets. He says he's feeling like he might throw up, and then starts repeating, "I can make it. I haven't thrown up since I was 10. I'm not going to break my record. I can't break my record. I'm not going to throw up." Eventually, his color comes back and he says he's fine and does a tiny celebration for keeping his never-throwing-up record going strong. :-)
Over the next 2 days, he recovers well and tries to be in good spirits, even though he's in a lot of pain. Munchkin came to visit, which made him smile and she got to see Daddy's "boo-boos."
She even made him a get well card with Nana. (She came to visit and help watch munchkin while Brad was in the hospital. Thanks so much for everything, Nana!)
Brad took a week off work to recover before starting to work from home for a few days, and then returning to work this Thursday. He's feeling much better, but still has some slight pain if he tries to move very quickly or change direction quickly, and it still on orders not to lift anything heavy. He really misses playing racquetball!
In the end, we're so grateful for: (including but not limited to, and not necessarily in this order)
insurance!
super nice nurses that don't get bother by munchkin
caring doctors
a great surgeon (who we found out last week lives in the apartment building next door!)
modern medicine
prayer
Priesthood blessings
family and friends
our health
not having to go on some funky diet :-)
We feel so blessed!
It started out like any normal Thursday. Brad was awake and leaving the house at 5:30am to go play racquetball with some friends/co-workers. After munchkin and I were awake and happy, we give Brad a call at work to say good morning and wish him a good day.
But at 9am, Brad casually mentions that he's not feeling so great. No big deal, just some digestive issues, which he's had in the past, and that I shouldn't worry. So I say a short prayer for him to feel better, and don't worry.
Around lunch time, Brad webcams home during his lunch hour to say hi to munchkin (typical for days when he plays racquetball and leaves the house before munchkin wakes up) and mentions that he's feelings really bad, that he went to the store to buy some antacids during his lunch break, and may come home early. Still, I'm thinking (and he's reassuring me), "it's not a big deal. This has happened 5 or 6 times before. It'll last for a couple days, then go away." Munchkin and I say a short prayer that he'll feel better as soon as possible.
Only at 1:30pm, Brad calls me and sounds like he's in a LOT of pain and is asking me where the nearest urgent care center is (as he's driving home from work). Having the internet is awesome in moments like this. I pull up a local map and search for urgent care centers between his work and our house and give him directions to the one closest to where he said he was on the route home. He gets there, and I tell him to call as soon as he can. he calls back 10 minutes later-- apparently urgent care centers don't take cases of abdominal pain and told him to see his regular doctor or go to the ER. He's on his way home, grumpy and frustrated. I call his (soon-to-be) doctor and ask if they can see him, but since he's never been seen there before they can't see him (talk about a catch-22!) (I had called the office a week previous to set up a "new patient" appointment and establish Brad with a regular doctor, and the earliest appointment was 2 weeks away, so because he had not seen the doctor yet, he couldn't go to the office for a 'same-day' call-in appointment.)
We'd been told before that it was likely a stomach ulcer-- when he'd had these episodes before they were at times of high stress. They would last 2-3 days and Brad described it as lots of pressure from inside that occasionally moved. He'd feel it in his back on the right side, then in the front on his left side, then in the groin. I thought, for the first time, it might be a kidney stone (after looking up his symptoms on the trusted webMD.com). Brad gets home and he's in a "low-pain" moment. The pain came in waves of severe pain and dull pain. I explain the situation and tell him we can go to the ER. We have insurance now, unlike all the times previous, so if it was really unbearable we could go. He says, "It's not the worst pain I've ever felt in my life, and I think I can imagine worse pain. But I do want to know what it is and I'm sick of feel like this and the stomach ulcer meds never work! Let's go to the ER." We pack up munchkin and some lunch (since naomi had been napping and i hadn't eaten yet) and go to the ER that's only a mile away from our apartment. We get in pretty quickly-- abdominal pain is taken pretty seriously in the ER, apparently.
Brad describes his symptoms multiple times to nurses, physicians, and doctors that all come in and out of the room before they order some blood work. All along, munchkin is making friends with all the nurses and other patients and their families, and learning how everything works... buttons, tubes, and everything a toddler can find interesting in a hospital (which is pretty much everything). When they come in to put Brad on an IV, I call some friends to see if they can pick up the munchkin because she's getting to be a bit of a handful and my very tired and very pregnant self can't seem to keep her under control anymore. They can, and it's no big deal-- I tell them it'll prolly just be a couple hours before they send Brad home with either some meds and/or tell him it's a kidney stone and he needs to tough it out. Thanks so much Becky and Tim!
The nurses come back, letting us know the blood work came back "inconclusive," but that his white count was "slightly elevated" suggesting a "minor infection of some kind." So they are going to do an ultrasound. that's also "inconclusive." So they are ordering a CT scan of his abdomen. He drinks some orange Gatorade with added iodine for contrast and an hour later, they are taking him to get scanned. He comes back, eager to relieve himself of all that Gatorade. ;-) And the nurse says they are reading the scans and we should hear from the doctor in about 45 minutes to an hour.
When the doctor comes in, he asks, "So, what's your favorite food?" Apperently, it's fried chicken... I don't know why I don't know this...
My mind starts racing...What's Brad eating that's causing this pain?
Is he about to put our family on some weird diet because Brad's got some funky allergy,
or his diet has too much of whatever causes kidney stones?
Did Brad eat something strange? no, that would have been the toddler, right?...
He goes on to offer me a sandwich (it's now after 7pm and I barely ate lunch as we came to the ER 5 hours ago, so i'm very grateful). He says that the scans were "unusual and inconclusive." His appendix looked "a little strange, maybe inflamed" and his bladder was "extremely full." So in cases like this, they call in a 'tie-breaker' or specialist. Well, Brad reassured the Dr that his bladder was no long "extremely full" and we all had a good laugh.
Another 30-45 minutes later, Dr. Hudzik comes in to ask Brad to describe his symptoms. He looks really confused by Brad's symptoms, explains a bit of digestive anatomy to us and lists a few things it could be. His symptoms don't sound anything like appendicitis like the nurses told him they think it was-- most patients with appendicitis are doubled over in pain and can't move, but Brad was sitting there pretty content (apparently the IV had a non-narcotic pain medicine to reduce swelling and it was working pretty well). He said that he could, but it was HIGHLY unlikely, have "chronic appendicitis." He had seen only 1 case of it ever before, but that guy had a 1 in 10 anatomical anomaly. It was his practice to talk to the patient before looking at test results, so he said that he was going to look at the CT scans and blood work, then come talk to us about our options. 15 minutes later he comes back with a smile on his face, and informs us that against most odds, it turns out Brad has this 1 in 10 anomaly called a "retro-secal appendix" (I know I probably spelled that wrong!) where the appendix, instead of kinda free-floating in front of the colon, was tucked behind and beneath his colon, neatly protected and in an ideal position to allow a case of chronic appendicitis. He says we can wait to see if the pain goes away like the previous 5 or 6 times, or we can just removed the appendix. He also told us that he's not 100% sure it's appendicits because Brad's symptoms as he describes them seem so unlike typical appendicits, but that the CT scan looks pretty convincing and his white count is "really high" suggesting a "raging infection." (At this point, I ask myself... what happened to "slightly elevated" and "minor infection" that the nurse mentioned!??! Which is it?!)
We decide to opt for the surgery, and the doctor says he'll inspect a couple things while in there to make sure it's not something else causing the strange symptoms. the surgery team should be ready in about an hour. We call Brad's family, my family, and text a couple friends to ask for prayers. We call a friend to ask for a blessing (the same friend who was watching munchkin, and they offer to let her spend the night since I'll be at the hospital late) and he comes with the bishop of our ward to give a blessing. I'm sure it was a good blessing, but i wouldn't know-- it had every interruption there could possibly be-- seconds after it started, alarms started going off, my phone rang, and nurses tried to come in. I'm so grateful for blessings of the Priesthood-- it helped to keep both Brad and I calm.
 |
| in the ER waiting to go to surgery |
Dr. Hudzik comes out a few minutes later to let me know that it was indeed appendicitis and we made the right choice to get it removed when we did. he didn't find anything else to be concerned about; the surgery went great with no problems; they were waking him up in the recovery room right now and he should be going upstairs in 20 minutes or so; and to make sure Brad rests and takes it easy and some other things to know as Brad recovers.
A little while later, I meet the nurses and Brad on his wheely-bed in the hall to go up to his room. He's pretty groggy and keeps asking, "They didn't put a catheter in, did they? They better not. I told them not to put a catheter in!" The nurses just smile and laugh. By the time we get to the room, he's turned paler than the bed sheets. He says he's feeling like he might throw up, and then starts repeating, "I can make it. I haven't thrown up since I was 10. I'm not going to break my record. I can't break my record. I'm not going to throw up." Eventually, his color comes back and he says he's fine and does a tiny celebration for keeping his never-throwing-up record going strong. :-)
 |
| Shortly after surgery. Yay for not throwing up! |
 |
| Munchkin and Daddy enjoying breakfast :-) |
 |
| Get well NOW, Daddy! |
 |
| A few hours before going home, feeling better. |
In the end, we're so grateful for: (including but not limited to, and not necessarily in this order)
insurance!super nice nurses that don't get bother by munchkin
caring doctors
a great surgeon (who we found out last week lives in the apartment building next door!)
modern medicine
prayer
Priesthood blessings
family and friends
our health
not having to go on some funky diet :-)
We feel so blessed!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Best Toddler in the World
Parents,
Imagine your toddler walking into your room, covered from head to waist in vanilla yogurt...
Did you just have a daymare about the mess you just KNOW you need to clean up in the other room?
Yeah. I thought so.
That's what crossed my mind when this cutie walked into my room saying, "e mess. e mess," while I was packing this morning for our weekend trip to my cousin's wedding.
I cleaned her up in my room. Avoiding the inevitable. If i didn't go in the other room, the mess wouldn't exist. Right???
...
right...?
...
Riiiiiight.
well, I knew this would be a moment to capture, so I took the camera with me. Ready to capture "ground zero" in the living room where I had left munchkin to watch Sesame Street while I packed.
And there it is, folks.
No, I'm NOT kidding. This was it. Some blobs dropped on the table, and some transfer left on the chair.
I searched every nook, cranny, couch cushion, blanket, sq. in of carpet and wall, and toy in her bedroom. This couldn't be it, could it?!
I mean, every parent at some point finds their toddler covered in butter, or peanut butter, or yogurt, or something sticky or greasy or both, and the little one has given a makeover to whatever room they committed the crime in. Right?
I just take this as further proof that I have been blessed with the Best, MOST AMAZING toddler to ever make a mess in history. She even did this...
You're looking at the foil lid to the newly opened yogurt container sitting in our trash can.
thrown away by the best munchkin in the world.
Yes, friends. be jealous.
My best, most amazing, and awesomest daughter seriously got into the fridge, opened a container of yogurt, threw away the foil lid, sat at the table to eat, and came to tell me she made a mess.
I love my munchkin!!!
Imagine your toddler walking into your room, covered from head to waist in vanilla yogurt...
Did you just have a daymare about the mess you just KNOW you need to clean up in the other room?
Yeah. I thought so.
That's what crossed my mind when this cutie walked into my room saying, "e mess. e mess," while I was packing this morning for our weekend trip to my cousin's wedding.
 |
| covered in vanilla yogurt... kinda hard to see cuz the yogurt is white, and so is the shirt, but it was COVERED and sticky! |
I cleaned her up in my room. Avoiding the inevitable. If i didn't go in the other room, the mess wouldn't exist. Right???
...
right...?
...
Riiiiiight.
well, I knew this would be a moment to capture, so I took the camera with me. Ready to capture "ground zero" in the living room where I had left munchkin to watch Sesame Street while I packed.
No, I'm NOT kidding. This was it. Some blobs dropped on the table, and some transfer left on the chair.
I searched every nook, cranny, couch cushion, blanket, sq. in of carpet and wall, and toy in her bedroom. This couldn't be it, could it?!
I mean, every parent at some point finds their toddler covered in butter, or peanut butter, or yogurt, or something sticky or greasy or both, and the little one has given a makeover to whatever room they committed the crime in. Right?
I just take this as further proof that I have been blessed with the Best, MOST AMAZING toddler to ever make a mess in history. She even did this...
thrown away by the best munchkin in the world.
Yes, friends. be jealous.
My best, most amazing, and awesomest daughter seriously got into the fridge, opened a container of yogurt, threw away the foil lid, sat at the table to eat, and came to tell me she made a mess.
I love my munchkin!!!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Modesty and the BYU Honor Code
eh... this is the first i've heard about this story (yay for living back east again!). i'm amused by how much attention this is getting, and reminded of how small the world gets when you live in Provo and/or go to BYU...
go check out the story, watch the video.
and now go check out the Dress and Grooming Standards of the BYU Honor Code, if you're unfamiliar with it. (if you go to BYU, you likely have this memorized, in which case- just keep reading.)
some people are strongly defending that she's not wearing anything "immodest." I heard a rumor that she got hired by a clothing company that specializes in making modest clothing to be a model. just checked it, she's already got some modeled pics up on http://www.crisandkates.com/
some people are getting angry and saying things like, "you signed the Honor Code and if you're not going to live it, then go to a different school!" (the trump end to any conversation about the Honor Code among the BYU species...)
those are the really disturbing thing-- calling the guy who wrote the note a bully, telling the girl she's out of line and needs to repent, comparing the Honor Code to "forcing women to wear burkahs," ... just WOW!
and now my opinion:
looking at her, i don't think she's dressed immodestly or that her clothing encourages unwanted attention to her body, or that her clothes promote negative thoughts about her. but like it or not, BYU's honor code as it relates to appearance isn't always about the Spirit of the law when it gets broken down into the nitty-gritty rules(though if you follow it by the letter you can't go wrong, think of it as an "extra high standard").
so yeah, she did technically break the Honor Code. (and i'm not totally against the "no leggings" rule in the honor code, since there are many degrees of leggings depending on color, sheer-ness, and tight-ness [which is really more of an issue of body shape and size than how the item is made].... though the rule does make her outfit and i'm sure others' outfits "against the honor code", even though i think it's acceptable...but i digress...)
what that guy did wasn't really the worst he could do either. do i think her clothes are "immodest?" no. is it breaking the honor code?-yes. so the guy felt he should say something, and he gave her a note, which granted may or may not have been written in a "nicer" way, but i'd really prefer to have a person write me a note or address me privately instead of just turning me into the HC office. i had roommates who were anonymously turned into the HC office and never knew why because people would get offended about something trivial and just turn them in, instead of talking to them about it in person first. so, maybe the guy was a bit uptight about the honor code... but he handled it the best way he could and feel good about it.
do i think this woman needs to leave BYU because she's not obeying the honor code perfectly as it's written? uh, no. the favorite trump end to all honor code conversations ("you signed it, if you don't like it go somewhere else!") is stupid, kills potentially meaningful discussion, and makes the assumption that people who break the honor code aren't worthy of BYU (and by extension forgiveness or the Atonement).
The Atonement is awesome and available to everyone-- BYU student or not, Mormon of not. We're all learning to be our best. Students at BYU are not the "judges in Israel." I think a lot of people over at BYU need to get their heads screwed on right and realize there are more important things to worry about, like the reality of the Atonement, their own personal testimonies, and their own need for repentance instead of everyone else's testimonies and need for repentance.
(ok, i'm gonna stop now before i become too hypocritical and make this a bigger deal than it should be.)
Friday, January 27, 2012
Sibling Rivalry Starts Early
Munchkin and I were sitting on the couch, watching Sesame Street this morning when little Ruthe started kicking. A Lot.
Well, Naomi must have noticed because she turned around and said, "stop!"
I asked her "stop what?"
she answered, "no!" and poked my belly.
I just laughed, and was thinking 'silly munchkin!" When I noticed that Ruthe kicked again, Naomi turned and poked my belly and said, "no! no!"
My silly little girls-- fighting already and Ruthe hasn't even been born yet! This should be interesting in the coming months...
Well, Naomi must have noticed because she turned around and said, "stop!"
I asked her "stop what?"
she answered, "no!" and poked my belly.
I just laughed, and was thinking 'silly munchkin!" When I noticed that Ruthe kicked again, Naomi turned and poked my belly and said, "no! no!"
My silly little girls-- fighting already and Ruthe hasn't even been born yet! This should be interesting in the coming months...
Monday, January 23, 2012
What's in a Name?
I've been contemplating names lately. With good reason, since we just found out Baby #2 is a GIRL!!! Anyways, I wanted to just record my thoughts on how important a name is, and why we chose he names we have so far for our girls.
I think a person's name is more than just what they are called. It's part of who they are, and the inspiration for a name can be just as important as the name itself.
Our first daughter is Charlotte Naomi.
~Charlotte after my mom (Charlotte Lynn) and myself (Charlotte Marie). I think my grandma got the name Charlotte from a friend of hers... I'm not sure. Oh, and we also learned that Charlotte was Brad's grandma's middle name, so I guess it came from both sides of the family. :-)
-From BabyNames.com, Charlotte means: Free, also feminine form of Charles (which means: free man).
~Naomi was a name chosen by Brad. He told me long before we were even engaged that when he was somewhere around the age of 10 or something that he was reading the Bible, read the name Naomi, and decided then that it would be his first daughter's name. Luckily,I liked it as well. ;-)
-From BabyNames.com, Naomi means: gentle, beautiful (in hebrew), and (in Japanese) honest/correct/frank, and beauty.
Our newest little one (expected to arrive late May or early June) will be Ruthe Maedean.
~Ruthe after Brad's grandma (Ruthe Charlotte Neeley). Funny story-- we asked Brad's grandma where she got her name, and why it was spelled with an -e at the end, since the common spelling is Ruth. As I remember it, she snuck off to see a fortune teller when she was a little girl who told her that if she spelled her name with an -e on the end would have better fortune or luck in life, or something like that. And from then on, Grandma spelled her name Ruthe because she liked it. So, we're going to keep the good fortune coming and keep the spelling Ruthe.
-From BabyNames.com, Ruth(e) means: friendship (in Hebrew)
~Maedean after my great-grandma (Francis Maedean Harkins-- who went by Maedean or Mae). Today would be her 85th birthday. She passed away almost 8 years ago, and I love and miss her very much. I remember her as a strong and loving woman, and am so grateful that I had the opportunity to get to know her in this life. In fact, her last year in this life, I spent a large part of my summer with her and have very fond memories of that time.
-From BabyNames.com, Maedean means: uh, my great-grandma? this isn't listed on any baby names site that i can find anywhere... i even googled the name, and there's maybe 5 people with that name in the US, but think most of them are actually Mae Dean, two separate names. Lucky girl gets a pretty unique name! :-)
On another note, while we didn't plan this on purpose, our two daughters will be Naomi and Ruthe-- like in the Bible story that Brad read many years ago. I hope that my girls will have as close and good of a relationship as sisters as did Naomi and Ruth in the Bible. I also hope that both my girls will live up to their names-- they have some amazing examples of strong, faithful, smart, and beautiful women to look up to. Amazing women who sacrificed much for their families and were full of so much love. This is everything I hope for for my daughters.
I think a person's name is more than just what they are called. It's part of who they are, and the inspiration for a name can be just as important as the name itself.
Our first daughter is Charlotte Naomi.
~Charlotte after my mom (Charlotte Lynn) and myself (Charlotte Marie). I think my grandma got the name Charlotte from a friend of hers... I'm not sure. Oh, and we also learned that Charlotte was Brad's grandma's middle name, so I guess it came from both sides of the family. :-)
-From BabyNames.com, Charlotte means: Free, also feminine form of Charles (which means: free man).
~Naomi was a name chosen by Brad. He told me long before we were even engaged that when he was somewhere around the age of 10 or something that he was reading the Bible, read the name Naomi, and decided then that it would be his first daughter's name. Luckily,I liked it as well. ;-)
-From BabyNames.com, Naomi means: gentle, beautiful (in hebrew), and (in Japanese) honest/correct/frank, and beauty.
 |
| Beautiful is definitely a word to describe this little one-- she is beautiful in character, spirit, and body. |
~Ruthe after Brad's grandma (Ruthe Charlotte Neeley). Funny story-- we asked Brad's grandma where she got her name, and why it was spelled with an -e at the end, since the common spelling is Ruth. As I remember it, she snuck off to see a fortune teller when she was a little girl who told her that if she spelled her name with an -e on the end would have better fortune or luck in life, or something like that. And from then on, Grandma spelled her name Ruthe because she liked it. So, we're going to keep the good fortune coming and keep the spelling Ruthe.
-From BabyNames.com, Ruth(e) means: friendship (in Hebrew)
~Maedean after my great-grandma (Francis Maedean Harkins-- who went by Maedean or Mae). Today would be her 85th birthday. She passed away almost 8 years ago, and I love and miss her very much. I remember her as a strong and loving woman, and am so grateful that I had the opportunity to get to know her in this life. In fact, her last year in this life, I spent a large part of my summer with her and have very fond memories of that time.
-From BabyNames.com, Maedean means: uh, my great-grandma? this isn't listed on any baby names site that i can find anywhere... i even googled the name, and there's maybe 5 people with that name in the US, but think most of them are actually Mae Dean, two separate names. Lucky girl gets a pretty unique name! :-)
 |
| Profile view of Ruthe Maedean at 22 weeks. |
On another note, while we didn't plan this on purpose, our two daughters will be Naomi and Ruthe-- like in the Bible story that Brad read many years ago. I hope that my girls will have as close and good of a relationship as sisters as did Naomi and Ruth in the Bible. I also hope that both my girls will live up to their names-- they have some amazing examples of strong, faithful, smart, and beautiful women to look up to. Amazing women who sacrificed much for their families and were full of so much love. This is everything I hope for for my daughters.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Baby #2
It's a girl!
We're going to name her after Brad's grandma and my great-grandma.
So excited to have another little girl join the Neeley family!
 |
| 15 weeks |
 |
| 22weeks |
Monday, January 2, 2012
A Neeley New Year
As we welcome a new year, we are grateful for the experiences of the past year that have helped us learn and grow closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ. We also have high expectations and goals for ourselves in the coming year!
Memorable Stuff from 2011
1. Munchkin's 1st birthday!
2. Brad's first full-time job!
3. Leaving Utah, moving East, and being closer to family!
Goals for 2012
1. Hold FHE each week. We really struggle with this one, especially with a toddler. But as a family with a young child-- FHE should be even more fun! A friend of mine put this list together with some awesome FHE ideas for toddlers and I'm excited to try some of them.
2. Practice the piano at least 15 minutes each day. I've always wanted to be able to play a musical instrument. Brad and his family have been very supporative and given me self-teaching books and practice pieces. One of my most treasured Christmas presents this year was the simplified versions of some church Hymns, from Brad. I'm excited to practice and have music in our home more. I know 15 minutes isn't much, but an hour each day isn't realistic with a demanding toddler, and it's still practice everyday.
3. Attend the temple at least 6 times this year (or every other month). Attending the temple has become so tough! It's almost 3 hours away, so we either need to go separately or find another family to go with us that we can swap babysitting with during sessions. Either way, it means double the time in Columbus for both of us to do at least 1 session. And that time adds up: 3 hours driving, 4-5 hours at the temple, and 3 hours driving back. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to live within minutes of the temple while in Provo and to go more often. It helped me strengthen my testimony of Jesus Christ and the importance of temple service.
4. Develop healthier life-habits, like being more active each day (physically and mentally) and eating healthier foods. There's not an easy way to quantify this one and measure it, but to help us reach this goal, we are getting a family YMCA membership (and setting a goal for Brad and I to each use the membership at least 2 times per week) and trying to eat more fruits and vegetables throughout the day. And I've been exercising with a pre-natal workout dvd or playing Just Dance while the munchkin naps 5-6 times per week.
Happy New Year! And Best wishes on meeting your goals in 2012.
Memorable Stuff from 2011
1. Munchkin's 1st birthday!
2. Brad's first full-time job!
3. Leaving Utah, moving East, and being closer to family!
Goals for 2012
1. Hold FHE each week. We really struggle with this one, especially with a toddler. But as a family with a young child-- FHE should be even more fun! A friend of mine put this list together with some awesome FHE ideas for toddlers and I'm excited to try some of them.
2. Practice the piano at least 15 minutes each day. I've always wanted to be able to play a musical instrument. Brad and his family have been very supporative and given me self-teaching books and practice pieces. One of my most treasured Christmas presents this year was the simplified versions of some church Hymns, from Brad. I'm excited to practice and have music in our home more. I know 15 minutes isn't much, but an hour each day isn't realistic with a demanding toddler, and it's still practice everyday.
3. Attend the temple at least 6 times this year (or every other month). Attending the temple has become so tough! It's almost 3 hours away, so we either need to go separately or find another family to go with us that we can swap babysitting with during sessions. Either way, it means double the time in Columbus for both of us to do at least 1 session. And that time adds up: 3 hours driving, 4-5 hours at the temple, and 3 hours driving back. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to live within minutes of the temple while in Provo and to go more often. It helped me strengthen my testimony of Jesus Christ and the importance of temple service.
4. Develop healthier life-habits, like being more active each day (physically and mentally) and eating healthier foods. There's not an easy way to quantify this one and measure it, but to help us reach this goal, we are getting a family YMCA membership (and setting a goal for Brad and I to each use the membership at least 2 times per week) and trying to eat more fruits and vegetables throughout the day. And I've been exercising with a pre-natal workout dvd or playing Just Dance while the munchkin naps 5-6 times per week.
Happy New Year! And Best wishes on meeting your goals in 2012.
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