Sunday, November 30, 2008
The latest pregnancy excitement...happy 2nd anniversary (or not!)
On November 17, 2008, at 2 in the morning, a blurred night of vomiting and diarrhea began. Sorry to be so explicit in my descriptions, but the details are necessary to explain what happened as a result. I threw up every hour at least once, until 7 in the morning when I just couldn't stand it any more. I was dehydrated, nauseous, and hurting, and the part they told us in our prenatal classes about the dangers of the baby getting dehydrated kept coming into my mind. I waited until 7 AM to call my doctor, and he told me to go into labor and delivery. The only thing that redeemed me that day was the IV they gave me (but I still felt EXTREMELY thirsty and dreamed of when I'd be able to again get a nice big glass of ice water from the fridge and drink to my heart's content). I was so out of it, the nurse at the hospital (who thankfully was my bishop's wife) had to take care of me, even having to lift me out of the bed to go to the bathroom and listen to me whine all day. She told me she was going to check to see if I had dilated at all, and sure enough, the vomiting and the diarrhea had caused me to start going into labor (not sure why or how that works...whether it was the intensity of it or just the dehydration that caused it). I started out that day at a 2, and by the end of the day went home dilated to a 4 and effaced to 80%. I remember crying when the nurse told me I was dilating. I was saying, "I caaaaaan't do this today. I don't have any energy. I can't even push!" (After being awake throwing up since 2 in the morning, I really was so weak and had no nutrients left in my body whatsoever, and if it helps to paint the picture of how pathetic and out of it I really was, I can add the part that I had to call the nurse in to change my sheets twice because I accidentally went on my bed...it was really SAD!) Having the baby that day was my worst nightmare...I don't think I could have enjoyed her at all. So, they stopped labor enough to go home...with the IVs and meds they gave me...and Corban came home from work in time to take me home, since they wouldn't let me drive myself home and Corban works 45 minutes away and couldn't just run over and take me home real quick. We'd been home about 5 minutes before I ran into the bathroom and tossed my cookies all over the place. I felt SO bad. I was crying, "Please bring me a rag and a bucket. I'm already down here (on the floor). I'll clean it up." He insisted that I was NOT cleaning it up and that I needed to go get in bed, so I went and got in bed while my sweet husband did a dirty job I wouldn't want to do if the tables were turned! The next day was our second anniversary. He got me the most beautiful red roses I have ever seen, we made homemade chicken noodle soup (the first meal I'd eaten in two days) and then I fell asleep on the couch. What an anniversary, huh? I don't even remember having a 2 year anniversary! My poor sweet hubby had to do so much that week. I had so many meds given to me that day in the hospital that it made the baby sluggish and it scared me that she didn't move much the rest of the week and I had to go have her heartrate checked to make sure she was still healthy and kicking in there (her heart rate was slower than usual, but it was still healthy! How could all those strong meds NOT slow down her little developing system!?) So, for two weeks I have been walking around dilated to 4 and effaced to 80%, which the doctor has confirmed twice since then! He told me before he left for 5 days for Thanksgiving that I was to have no strenuous activity...having hiked 10 miles in Alaska and 6 in Zion just last month, I thought he was referring to me outlandish unpregnancy-like behavior. When I asked what he meant by strenuous, he said, "NO HANKY PANKY and NO WALKS!" Well, my mom called Thanksgiving morning and what was I doing? WALKING! That's my favorite thing to do! But, it obviously didn't bring labor on because here I am still waiting to have this baby! Pregnancy has still been good to me, although my body just hasn't been the same since that day I spent in the hospital! It only started this week that I can't get up out of bed to go to the potty in the middle of the night without grasping for my hubby to help get this butterball out of bed (I officially hit 50 pounds of weight gain last week!). And, this baby is taking over my stomach in a way I never imagined. There is always some huge bump somewhere...I can't believe she isn't uncomfortable enough in there to want to make her way out already! It's a bit frightening to have learned last week that my grandma was 10 pounds when she was born, my aunt was nearly 10 pounds, and my brother was nearly 10 pounds. And here I am, 39 weeks today, and no sign of this baby coming yet. I can't even begin to imagine me giving birth to a 10 pound baby. Oh, the excitement this birth will bring! Corban is hoping she won't come the TWO days of the entire semester that he has to give presentations, which are Tuesday (2nd) and Wednesday (3rd). I am hoping she will come on December 4th or 6th, just cuz they fit into my schedule best, but I guess only God knows when she will come. Ah, the fun waiting game of pregnancy! ;) People are surprised to learn that I am walking around dilated to a 4 and effaced to 80%, but hopefully it just means that once labor starts, it will go quickly! (One can only hope, right!? Especially when I'd like to do this without an epidural!) Next post I will likely be a brand new mom to a healthy and perfect little Corelle Elyse Christensen!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Election Shmection...eat, drink, and have someone else work and pay your taxes, for tomorrow you die!
Warning! If you are someone who voted for Obama and who gets offended by political talk and the commentary of a conservative, then stop reading now or I am not responsible for your feeling defensive! Read at your own risk!
The election is over. As quickly as it started, it is over. In a way, I am disappointed, only because I got such a kick out of hearing the completely uneducated people talk about how wonderfully utopian our society would be once Obama took over. The Howard Stern show, for example, asked a woman, "How do you like Obama's vice presidential choice, Sarah Palin?" (Yes, I said Sarah Palin...while you and I know it should be Biden, that is the point of this story...the woman was CLUELESS!) The woman replied, "Oh, I think she's great! I really like that he chose her!" The same lady was asked what she thought about Obama leaving the troops in Iraq? "I think it's a great idea. I am glad he is going to do that!" And then the lady on election day who, on National Radio, said, "I'm not going to have to pay my mortgage or my car payment or buy gas once Obama wins!" The sad thing is, HOW MANY PEOPLE REALLY BELIEVED THIS STUFF? What gets me most is, I was talking to someone on my facebook about some of the stuff Obama said, like the comment he made about putting the coal companies out of business and that he stands for socialism and has some very liberal views, and another friend had the nerve to say that us Republicans are using scare tactics to try to get people to vote for McCain. How asinine is THAT!? Scare tactics? How about quoting STRAIGHT from the HORSE'S mouth? How can there be any arguing of pure and simple fact? Leave it to the democrats to find a way. They were comparing Obama to Palin as if Palin was running for president because there wasn't enough flaw to find in McCain...that's like comparing your mama to my cockatoo. They aren't even in the same league. When Sarah runs for President, then let's talk about her in comparison to the other presidential candidate, but until then, we should only have been comparing her to Biden, but NO....we didn't spend time looking at how qualified he is, see tabloids about him, hear about his fashion or his glasses or his imperfect family. WAIT? I hear you saying his family IS perfect? Okay...I should have done better research, but I thought that there aren't any perfect families out there. The funny thing is, you never heard anyone saying, "When McCain takes office, we're all going to get free groceries" or any other asinine thing like that. That's because people who were voting for McCain UNDERSTOOD his values, researched who he was, and didn't just go on blind worshipping ignorance perpetuated by the media. That's not to say that some democrats didn't do their research, but I'd really be interested to know how many actually did! It makes me wonder, however, when I hear someone really intelligent tell me, "All that is just scare tactics" when it's all based on FACTUAL research. Did this intelligent person even do their research as I would have guessed? Or why would they be telling me that something quoted directly from the mouth of their Presidential choice wasn't true? Did they even know what Obama said or didn't say? McCain voters knew all about Obama AND McCain...many Obama voters seemed to know next to nothing about McCain...or Obama for that matter!
Some might say I am just being bitter because McCain lost, but in reality, it's not that at all. I don't lose sleep over this election. I know the world will go on. It is just that I do think a lot, and I rarely take the time to put my thoughts on paper or to share them with anyone else. Did you ever think that most of the Classics (I am talking books, the ones that have been around for centuries!) have some kind of hidden political undertone that they are centered around? Well, back then they had to hide behind putting their deep thoughts into books because coming right out and saying them wasn't allowed...in this country (at least for today) it is allowed and I will orate as I feel the urge to do so. The thing that lingers for me following this election is, NOW? When I am having a child? But I like America the way it is! We all have roofs over our heads, we have shoes on our feet, we have food in our bellies, we have the freedom to worship as we choose, we are all pretty much spoiled. Don't get me wrong, I know there are people out there who don't have all of these things, but the majority of us do, and we work hard. What better way to discourage an already increasingly lazy country to not want to work? Who would need to if the working people of the nation will pay for their ride? If you haven't lived in a socialist country, I HAVE! Do you know how many people lived off the government simply because they COULD? It wasn't a pretty sight. I really hope we don't head that direction as a country! I think back to what Clinton did and wonder how the parents of the world explained that one to their kids? It reminds me of the (new) Miracle on 34th Street when the news said, "Parents, you may want to take your kids out of the room for this next story. Tonight, Santa Claus is in jail." Whether the president's role is, for all intents and purposes, to be that of example or spiritual leader or NOT, he does take on that role anyway. I imagine parents saying to their kids of Clinton, "He's a good man, Honey. We have to respect him because he is our president. Just don't do what he does. Having sexual relations with other women besides his wife is none of our business because he is a person with a life, and he can do what he wants on his own time." YEAH RIGHT! When you are in office, all eyes are on you. Are mistakes acceptable? By all means, yes. But what about things that are disgustingly and obviously perverse. Fortunately my baby will still be a baby for the next 4 years, but I hope we haven't just headed down a path of increasingly lower morals and a nation with an attitude of "If it feels good, do it," which will permeate into our schools, our children's beliefs, normalizing things that years ago we wouldn't have imagined being acceptable. How do you explain to your kindergartener, 'God meant for man and woman to get married." Child: "Mommy, then why are they teaching us at school that women marry women and men marry men?" And, parent to child, 'Honey, taking the life of another is wrong, God taught us not to kill." Child: "Then why did the President tell us on TV that it's okay to kill babies if they aren't born yet?" Oh...I know this is all only speculation, that it may not come to this, but as a parent-to-be, I do have to wonder what the future will be like for this little girl and her siblings. I know I must not be the only one out here. The scariest part? How loose the morals of our nation already must be to vote for a man who has so few. It seems we are moving farther and farther away from being a nation who worships God and knows that In God We Trust(including doing the things He would want for such a blessed and wonderful nation He created) and more and more into becoming a nation who wants to ignore the consequences of choices and just live for today. After all, who wants to get up and go to work every day? Let's make sure to provide for the people who don't so they won't ever learn to be responsible and provide for themselves (and I am not talking about people who really fall on hard times, who lose their job through no fault of their own, who can benefit from welfare and food stamps for a period in time while they get themselves back on their feet).
A friend sent me the blog of her cousin that I found to be really quite informative. I am going to include a link to it...it's the November 2nd entry that had so many awesome things in it! I especially like the comic about taking Obama's wealth...even if you only go there for that, it's worth it! The African American guy on u-tube is really funny (and true) too! http://robbieandtiffanynolan.blogspot.com/
The election is over. As quickly as it started, it is over. In a way, I am disappointed, only because I got such a kick out of hearing the completely uneducated people talk about how wonderfully utopian our society would be once Obama took over. The Howard Stern show, for example, asked a woman, "How do you like Obama's vice presidential choice, Sarah Palin?" (Yes, I said Sarah Palin...while you and I know it should be Biden, that is the point of this story...the woman was CLUELESS!) The woman replied, "Oh, I think she's great! I really like that he chose her!" The same lady was asked what she thought about Obama leaving the troops in Iraq? "I think it's a great idea. I am glad he is going to do that!" And then the lady on election day who, on National Radio, said, "I'm not going to have to pay my mortgage or my car payment or buy gas once Obama wins!" The sad thing is, HOW MANY PEOPLE REALLY BELIEVED THIS STUFF? What gets me most is, I was talking to someone on my facebook about some of the stuff Obama said, like the comment he made about putting the coal companies out of business and that he stands for socialism and has some very liberal views, and another friend had the nerve to say that us Republicans are using scare tactics to try to get people to vote for McCain. How asinine is THAT!? Scare tactics? How about quoting STRAIGHT from the HORSE'S mouth? How can there be any arguing of pure and simple fact? Leave it to the democrats to find a way. They were comparing Obama to Palin as if Palin was running for president because there wasn't enough flaw to find in McCain...that's like comparing your mama to my cockatoo. They aren't even in the same league. When Sarah runs for President, then let's talk about her in comparison to the other presidential candidate, but until then, we should only have been comparing her to Biden, but NO....we didn't spend time looking at how qualified he is, see tabloids about him, hear about his fashion or his glasses or his imperfect family. WAIT? I hear you saying his family IS perfect? Okay...I should have done better research, but I thought that there aren't any perfect families out there. The funny thing is, you never heard anyone saying, "When McCain takes office, we're all going to get free groceries" or any other asinine thing like that. That's because people who were voting for McCain UNDERSTOOD his values, researched who he was, and didn't just go on blind worshipping ignorance perpetuated by the media. That's not to say that some democrats didn't do their research, but I'd really be interested to know how many actually did! It makes me wonder, however, when I hear someone really intelligent tell me, "All that is just scare tactics" when it's all based on FACTUAL research. Did this intelligent person even do their research as I would have guessed? Or why would they be telling me that something quoted directly from the mouth of their Presidential choice wasn't true? Did they even know what Obama said or didn't say? McCain voters knew all about Obama AND McCain...many Obama voters seemed to know next to nothing about McCain...or Obama for that matter!
Some might say I am just being bitter because McCain lost, but in reality, it's not that at all. I don't lose sleep over this election. I know the world will go on. It is just that I do think a lot, and I rarely take the time to put my thoughts on paper or to share them with anyone else. Did you ever think that most of the Classics (I am talking books, the ones that have been around for centuries!) have some kind of hidden political undertone that they are centered around? Well, back then they had to hide behind putting their deep thoughts into books because coming right out and saying them wasn't allowed...in this country (at least for today) it is allowed and I will orate as I feel the urge to do so. The thing that lingers for me following this election is, NOW? When I am having a child? But I like America the way it is! We all have roofs over our heads, we have shoes on our feet, we have food in our bellies, we have the freedom to worship as we choose, we are all pretty much spoiled. Don't get me wrong, I know there are people out there who don't have all of these things, but the majority of us do, and we work hard. What better way to discourage an already increasingly lazy country to not want to work? Who would need to if the working people of the nation will pay for their ride? If you haven't lived in a socialist country, I HAVE! Do you know how many people lived off the government simply because they COULD? It wasn't a pretty sight. I really hope we don't head that direction as a country! I think back to what Clinton did and wonder how the parents of the world explained that one to their kids? It reminds me of the (new) Miracle on 34th Street when the news said, "Parents, you may want to take your kids out of the room for this next story. Tonight, Santa Claus is in jail." Whether the president's role is, for all intents and purposes, to be that of example or spiritual leader or NOT, he does take on that role anyway. I imagine parents saying to their kids of Clinton, "He's a good man, Honey. We have to respect him because he is our president. Just don't do what he does. Having sexual relations with other women besides his wife is none of our business because he is a person with a life, and he can do what he wants on his own time." YEAH RIGHT! When you are in office, all eyes are on you. Are mistakes acceptable? By all means, yes. But what about things that are disgustingly and obviously perverse. Fortunately my baby will still be a baby for the next 4 years, but I hope we haven't just headed down a path of increasingly lower morals and a nation with an attitude of "If it feels good, do it," which will permeate into our schools, our children's beliefs, normalizing things that years ago we wouldn't have imagined being acceptable. How do you explain to your kindergartener, 'God meant for man and woman to get married." Child: "Mommy, then why are they teaching us at school that women marry women and men marry men?" And, parent to child, 'Honey, taking the life of another is wrong, God taught us not to kill." Child: "Then why did the President tell us on TV that it's okay to kill babies if they aren't born yet?" Oh...I know this is all only speculation, that it may not come to this, but as a parent-to-be, I do have to wonder what the future will be like for this little girl and her siblings. I know I must not be the only one out here. The scariest part? How loose the morals of our nation already must be to vote for a man who has so few. It seems we are moving farther and farther away from being a nation who worships God and knows that In God We Trust(including doing the things He would want for such a blessed and wonderful nation He created) and more and more into becoming a nation who wants to ignore the consequences of choices and just live for today. After all, who wants to get up and go to work every day? Let's make sure to provide for the people who don't so they won't ever learn to be responsible and provide for themselves (and I am not talking about people who really fall on hard times, who lose their job through no fault of their own, who can benefit from welfare and food stamps for a period in time while they get themselves back on their feet).
A friend sent me the blog of her cousin that I found to be really quite informative. I am going to include a link to it...it's the November 2nd entry that had so many awesome things in it! I especially like the comic about taking Obama's wealth...even if you only go there for that, it's worth it! The African American guy on u-tube is really funny (and true) too! http://robbieandtiffanynolan.blogspot.com/
Pioneer women squatting behind a tree giving birth would scream "Give me that epidural, NOW!"
So, birth classes have been interesting...the perk of them is that they are the one thing Daddy really gets to do that includes him in the experience of being pregnant! 2 hours a week for six weeks, and whammo! You know everything there is to know about the birthing process. OK, so not really, but you really do learn so much that you have to decipher which stuff you want to use and which info you want to let slip right on out the other ear. The thing that got me most was that we finished watching an epidural movie, and it listed the pros and cons of having an epidural. I have absolutely nothing against women who get epidurals...God gave us the intelligence to be able to create them, and I know many women love them, and if a woman has been in labor for hours upon days, why not give her body the rest?! I also know I could totally change my mind when the time comes, but I, for one, am NOT enticed by the idea of:
having possible fever, sweats and chills
possible vomiting and diarrhea
a possible migraine for 2-3 days after
a needle being stuck in my back (YUCK!)
not being able to walk and move around as much as I would like to (I want to be in the BATHTUB, for Pete's sake!)
and, worst of all...
my baby's heartrate and breathing possibly slowing down
I know all of these are only possibilities, but I would definitely rather endure labor for 12 hours and get it over with than have a migraine for 3 days following. There isn't much worse than a migraine, in my opinion, and 1 day of pain is way better than 3! So I was talking to our prenatal teacher about this, and she is PRO-EPIDURAL (even though she's never given birth) and she said that giving birth is not something for which you get a medal of honor for enduring the pain. I wanted to reassure her that it was not a medal of honor I was seeking, but a lack of all the other crap that goes along with getting one. She told me that a pioneer woman squatting behind a tree giving birth would scream, "Give me that epidural now," so why not take full advantage!?
I had to laugh. Those poor pioneer women. They were so strong they could probably survive a lot more than the rest of us. I wonder, actually, how many of them didn't find birth to be THAT bad because they didn't have epidurals as a way out so they just braced themselves for what was to come and knew they HAD to get through. I say that only because I have read or heard somewhere that our perception of labor has changed because women tell horror stories about it as if it's not something that thousands upon millions of women have survived for millenium. I am practicing the self-talk that tells me "I can survive...my mom didn't even have epidurals back when she had me and she survived, my grandma didn't have them either and she survived," and I hope to be able to go without as well. I just want to live every moment of the short experience, the painful and the not-so-painful. I am not telling any other woman that this is the right thing for her, only that it feels like what I want to be the right thing for me!
The other things we learned in our birth class...they either do an episiotomy on first time moms or they tear, in 99% of cases. Yeah, took this one to OB/GYN and he said it is NOT true. He said they have ways of helping the head to come out without cutting or tearing and that they will only do it in emergency situations. We also learned in birth class that they won't let you go over 41 weeks at Valley View Medical Center. Checked this one out with doc, too. He said that it is not uncommon for a first time mom to go over (even by two weeks) and that while he would monitor the baby a lot, they will NOT make you give birth just because you hit week 41. That was also reassuring, since I have heard that being induced makes labor even more painful. My mom was overdue with me (due on the 4th and I was born on the 20th) so I am not in any rush to give birth just because I hit 40 weeks. After all, I am still normal (at least I think so!) and I was born when I was good and ready! But, my favorite part about prenatal classes was learning all the possible things I can do during labor...take a bath, walk, dance with my husband, listen to music, roll on the ball, and lots of other things I totally want to try! And I can't try them if I'm flat in bed without the use of my legs!
So, adventures in birthing have been quite like following the election that just took place. You have to hear it all and then research for yourself what is true and what works for you. That's what I've been doing. Oh, and at my last appointment I asked my OB/GYN which pediatrician he recommended. He said he likes them all, but it's a matter of getting the right personalities together. I asked him again who he would recommend. He said he would recommend Dr. So and So because he is soft-spoken and we'd get along really well. I had to look at him to make sure he was talking to the right person, because a doctor soft-spoken enough might run the other direction if I dished out a little of my teasing. The ladies at the front desk of the OB's office said that they go to the "soft spoken pediatrician" who IS NOT soft-spoken at all and that they LOVE HIM! So, who knows what to expect going in...but at least he comes highly recommended!
Oh...how could I post a blog about my OB/GYN and not mention my weight!? Last time I went in, he said to me, "I won't mention the 48 pounds you've gained since it seems to be a sensitive subject, but you were really small to begin with." I laughed right out loud. I mean, besides Corban hearing the doc comment about my weight and being the literal person he is and taking it very seriously, and telling my mom on the phone that I have gained too much weight, I am really not worried about it! It's all in my stomach. Have you seen the rest of me lately...I mean, yeah, my feet get fat some days, but other than that, I look just like I always did. So, anyone who's concerned about my weight...suck it up and don't worry! There is one HEALTHY chubby little baby in there! And, for the record, the doc's records are wrong...I have only gained 40!
Oh...and when the doctor learned I hiked to Upper Emerald Falls, he didn't have a word to say! He isn't even SURPRISED by what I get up to anymore ;) Okay, so he did say one thing..."It's a good thing you are in shape!" he said!
having possible fever, sweats and chills
possible vomiting and diarrhea
a possible migraine for 2-3 days after
a needle being stuck in my back (YUCK!)
not being able to walk and move around as much as I would like to (I want to be in the BATHTUB, for Pete's sake!)
and, worst of all...
my baby's heartrate and breathing possibly slowing down
I know all of these are only possibilities, but I would definitely rather endure labor for 12 hours and get it over with than have a migraine for 3 days following. There isn't much worse than a migraine, in my opinion, and 1 day of pain is way better than 3! So I was talking to our prenatal teacher about this, and she is PRO-EPIDURAL (even though she's never given birth) and she said that giving birth is not something for which you get a medal of honor for enduring the pain. I wanted to reassure her that it was not a medal of honor I was seeking, but a lack of all the other crap that goes along with getting one. She told me that a pioneer woman squatting behind a tree giving birth would scream, "Give me that epidural now," so why not take full advantage!?
I had to laugh. Those poor pioneer women. They were so strong they could probably survive a lot more than the rest of us. I wonder, actually, how many of them didn't find birth to be THAT bad because they didn't have epidurals as a way out so they just braced themselves for what was to come and knew they HAD to get through. I say that only because I have read or heard somewhere that our perception of labor has changed because women tell horror stories about it as if it's not something that thousands upon millions of women have survived for millenium. I am practicing the self-talk that tells me "I can survive...my mom didn't even have epidurals back when she had me and she survived, my grandma didn't have them either and she survived," and I hope to be able to go without as well. I just want to live every moment of the short experience, the painful and the not-so-painful. I am not telling any other woman that this is the right thing for her, only that it feels like what I want to be the right thing for me!
The other things we learned in our birth class...they either do an episiotomy on first time moms or they tear, in 99% of cases. Yeah, took this one to OB/GYN and he said it is NOT true. He said they have ways of helping the head to come out without cutting or tearing and that they will only do it in emergency situations. We also learned in birth class that they won't let you go over 41 weeks at Valley View Medical Center. Checked this one out with doc, too. He said that it is not uncommon for a first time mom to go over (even by two weeks) and that while he would monitor the baby a lot, they will NOT make you give birth just because you hit week 41. That was also reassuring, since I have heard that being induced makes labor even more painful. My mom was overdue with me (due on the 4th and I was born on the 20th) so I am not in any rush to give birth just because I hit 40 weeks. After all, I am still normal (at least I think so!) and I was born when I was good and ready! But, my favorite part about prenatal classes was learning all the possible things I can do during labor...take a bath, walk, dance with my husband, listen to music, roll on the ball, and lots of other things I totally want to try! And I can't try them if I'm flat in bed without the use of my legs!
So, adventures in birthing have been quite like following the election that just took place. You have to hear it all and then research for yourself what is true and what works for you. That's what I've been doing. Oh, and at my last appointment I asked my OB/GYN which pediatrician he recommended. He said he likes them all, but it's a matter of getting the right personalities together. I asked him again who he would recommend. He said he would recommend Dr. So and So because he is soft-spoken and we'd get along really well. I had to look at him to make sure he was talking to the right person, because a doctor soft-spoken enough might run the other direction if I dished out a little of my teasing. The ladies at the front desk of the OB's office said that they go to the "soft spoken pediatrician" who IS NOT soft-spoken at all and that they LOVE HIM! So, who knows what to expect going in...but at least he comes highly recommended!
Oh...how could I post a blog about my OB/GYN and not mention my weight!? Last time I went in, he said to me, "I won't mention the 48 pounds you've gained since it seems to be a sensitive subject, but you were really small to begin with." I laughed right out loud. I mean, besides Corban hearing the doc comment about my weight and being the literal person he is and taking it very seriously, and telling my mom on the phone that I have gained too much weight, I am really not worried about it! It's all in my stomach. Have you seen the rest of me lately...I mean, yeah, my feet get fat some days, but other than that, I look just like I always did. So, anyone who's concerned about my weight...suck it up and don't worry! There is one HEALTHY chubby little baby in there! And, for the record, the doc's records are wrong...I have only gained 40!
Oh...and when the doctor learned I hiked to Upper Emerald Falls, he didn't have a word to say! He isn't even SURPRISED by what I get up to anymore ;) Okay, so he did say one thing..."It's a good thing you are in shape!" he said!
Free trips to the bathroom with one regularly priced ticket!
Okay, so it's been a while (again) since I wrote, so I am writing out of neglect rather than having something to say, but I never wind up with a lack of things! It's amazing how I can turn nothing into 2 pages! Hey, I had to make it through college somehow! ;) But, things are great! My parents came up for 4 days in October (they hadn't seen my pregnant belly yet, so they were motivated to make the 8.5 hour drive, with the last hour being a treacherously snowy road over a mountain pass) and we had a blast together! I will have to post some of the pics for all to see...we hiked to Upper Emerald Falls at the start of my 7th month of pregnancy, and while it wasn't the 10 mile hike we did in Alaska in my 5th month, it was still quite rigorous for a lady with a big looming belly (it got pretty steep at the top and my balance isn't so good now that my body is out of proportion!) I was able to show my parents Angels Landing, and they had a whole new appreciation for the pictures of Corban standing on top of a tower of rocks on top of Angels Landing posed like a flamingo...I had to wonder if he had any brains in his head at that moment! The other thing we did was go to Les Mis at Tuacahn. It was my second time seeing it, but my parents hadn't ever and who could ever see Les Mis too many times anyway? It is so amazing! The amount of depth and symbolism in that play really enthrall me...but I think people seeing the play who haven't read the book wouldn't necessarily grasp just how much symbolism there really is in Hugo's writing! Although they aren't paying me, I must use this opportunity to advertise for Tuacahn, our outdoor amphitheater in St. George (well, Ivans, technically!) Their shows are always AMAZING, so if you ever get the chance to go through St George in the summer or fall, I would really recommend you stop! Corb and I would even be happy to come down and join you!
Speaking of plays, I won tickets to a Shakespeare show here in Cedar City, the home of the Shakespearean Festival (people from all over the nation come here to see our Shakespeare plays) and the problem was, people kept asking me, "Oh, have you seen one of the plays?" And I understand the concept of taking advantage of having something so renowned so close and being able to say you've experienced it...my problem is I've never been a fan of Shakespeare. Don't get me wrong, I like his story lines, but his language to me is like trying to read a book in Chinese when I don't speak a lick of it. I don't get the accent or the phraseology, nor do I appreciate the costumes. So, when asked if I had seen a show, I always said, "Not my thing," and the part I didn't add was, "And for $40 a ticket, there's not a chance you'd catch me at one of those shows!" So when they were giving away tickets on Tradio one morning (a radio version of a garage sale, so to speak) I called in with the answer to the trivia question and won tickets! WOW! Finally, my chance to experience the thing Cedar is most renowned for! And for free! A safer bet on something you almost know you'll be mad at having spent the money on before you even go! So, Corb and I went. It wasn't the show that bothered me so much as the fact that, minutes before it was starting, I had to relieve my pregnant bladder. I understand the bit about not walking in late to plays and it being disrespectful and/or disruptful or whatever word you want to use to describe it, but if you've been pregnant, you know how it gets after your 7th month when you can pee before you leave the house, but the bounce of walking quickly into the show makes you have to pee again 10 minutes later! So I go to use the restroom and get ready to walk in RIGHT AS the show was starting. Two ushers had an absolute conniption fit and would not let me go in to the show. They were so not kind about it! I seriously felt they were totally NOT understanding about pregnancy and I even half contemplated talking to their boss about their discrimination towards full-bladdered pregnant women. While the two YAY-HOOS sat there and talked about what to do with me, I wound up missing the first SEVEN minutes of the show. Free or not, it was my RIGHT to see those first SEVEN minutes, which were critical to the play, but instead I got to hang out in the lobby with my two favorite ushers of all time. Then, even though my seat was only 6 rows from the back, and I was in the aisle seat, they insisted that I sit in the very back row by myself. So I sat there more frustrated than anything, unable to completely enjoy the show because I really felt like telling someone off, in addition to wishing I were sitting with Corban holding his hand and wishing I hadn't missed the first part of the show. The first time they dimmed the lights (half an hour later!) I got up and ran over to my seat and was finally content. I learned two things that day...First, as we were walking out, Corban said that he much prefers Tuacahn to the Shakespearean Festival, and we both agreed that we aren't missing much if we never see another Shakespeare play, and Second, I won't ever go to a play again while I am pregnant in the event that I MIGHT have to pee because feeling like I am being treated like I've committed a crime of some sort isn't at the top of my list of favorite things to do. What can I say, you live and learn! So, if you get the chance, unless you have a deep appreciation for and love of Shakespeare, I would highly recommend a Tuacahn show...the outdoor setting is BEAUTIFUL and they understand if you have to use the little girls' room, AND you get a much better show on top of all that! Three amazing bonuses for one low cost (ha ha! Only a pregnant woman would appreciate the perk of Free trips to the bathroom included in the cost of one regularly priced ticket!)
Speaking of plays, I won tickets to a Shakespeare show here in Cedar City, the home of the Shakespearean Festival (people from all over the nation come here to see our Shakespeare plays) and the problem was, people kept asking me, "Oh, have you seen one of the plays?" And I understand the concept of taking advantage of having something so renowned so close and being able to say you've experienced it...my problem is I've never been a fan of Shakespeare. Don't get me wrong, I like his story lines, but his language to me is like trying to read a book in Chinese when I don't speak a lick of it. I don't get the accent or the phraseology, nor do I appreciate the costumes. So, when asked if I had seen a show, I always said, "Not my thing," and the part I didn't add was, "And for $40 a ticket, there's not a chance you'd catch me at one of those shows!" So when they were giving away tickets on Tradio one morning (a radio version of a garage sale, so to speak) I called in with the answer to the trivia question and won tickets! WOW! Finally, my chance to experience the thing Cedar is most renowned for! And for free! A safer bet on something you almost know you'll be mad at having spent the money on before you even go! So, Corb and I went. It wasn't the show that bothered me so much as the fact that, minutes before it was starting, I had to relieve my pregnant bladder. I understand the bit about not walking in late to plays and it being disrespectful and/or disruptful or whatever word you want to use to describe it, but if you've been pregnant, you know how it gets after your 7th month when you can pee before you leave the house, but the bounce of walking quickly into the show makes you have to pee again 10 minutes later! So I go to use the restroom and get ready to walk in RIGHT AS the show was starting. Two ushers had an absolute conniption fit and would not let me go in to the show. They were so not kind about it! I seriously felt they were totally NOT understanding about pregnancy and I even half contemplated talking to their boss about their discrimination towards full-bladdered pregnant women. While the two YAY-HOOS sat there and talked about what to do with me, I wound up missing the first SEVEN minutes of the show. Free or not, it was my RIGHT to see those first SEVEN minutes, which were critical to the play, but instead I got to hang out in the lobby with my two favorite ushers of all time. Then, even though my seat was only 6 rows from the back, and I was in the aisle seat, they insisted that I sit in the very back row by myself. So I sat there more frustrated than anything, unable to completely enjoy the show because I really felt like telling someone off, in addition to wishing I were sitting with Corban holding his hand and wishing I hadn't missed the first part of the show. The first time they dimmed the lights (half an hour later!) I got up and ran over to my seat and was finally content. I learned two things that day...First, as we were walking out, Corban said that he much prefers Tuacahn to the Shakespearean Festival, and we both agreed that we aren't missing much if we never see another Shakespeare play, and Second, I won't ever go to a play again while I am pregnant in the event that I MIGHT have to pee because feeling like I am being treated like I've committed a crime of some sort isn't at the top of my list of favorite things to do. What can I say, you live and learn! So, if you get the chance, unless you have a deep appreciation for and love of Shakespeare, I would highly recommend a Tuacahn show...the outdoor setting is BEAUTIFUL and they understand if you have to use the little girls' room, AND you get a much better show on top of all that! Three amazing bonuses for one low cost (ha ha! Only a pregnant woman would appreciate the perk of Free trips to the bathroom included in the cost of one regularly priced ticket!)
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