I am so blessed!

I've only got 6 weeks to go, and considering that, I feel great. I mean, sure, I've got some minor discomforts:

• I get heartburn almost every night, but it usually goes away. And if it's really bad, I take some Mylanta, and it is gone almost instantly.
  
• Sometimes my back hurts, but it's not every day, and as long as I'm just sitting, it doesn't hurt at all.
• My legs swell up a little bit, but not to the point that they are uncomfortable. I only notice it when I take my socks off at the end of the day and see the dent they made. No swelling in the hands or face (yet).
• Occasionally Wombsly will either punch me real hard or stick her feet in my ribs, but she moves around so much that it doesn't last long.
• I have to get up at least 1 time in the night to go to the bathroom, but hello, I'm going to have to be getting up much more than than that pretty soon here!
• I can't lie on my stomach. This isn't so much a discomfort as something I really miss.
  

As you can see, these things are not a big deal. I think that I'm being compensated for the rough beginning I had. I mean, seriously, that was the absolute worst 10 weeks of my entire life. Hands down. I'm SO grateful that the nausea finally subsided, and that I'm not one of those women who is sick for 9 whole months. While we're talking about gratitude, I'm grateful that:

• I was finally able to get pregnant. We prayed pretty hard for this little miracle.
• The baby is healthy.
  
• I am healthy (seriously, I think I surprised everyone, including myself, on that one).
• I have had so many doctor appointments. It means that we get to have an ultrasound once a month, and hear the heartbeat once a week. What a comfort to have that reassurance every week!
• I have such well qualified doctors. I feel like all of them know so much, and they take great care of me.
  
• I have a loving and supportive husband. I'll tell ya, it makes everything worth it when he looks at me and says, "Thanks for taking such good care of Wombsly." Kind of makes up for the fact that she can't say it yet.
• I can be a stay-at-home mom.
• We've been given so many gifts from friends and family. It makes us all feel loved :)
  
• I don't have to be pregnant in the summer!
• I have been loaned so many maternity clothes, I don't think I'll get sick of them until it's time to give them back.

I could probably go on, but I'll bet I'm boring the audience. Just know that I am one happy camper to be where I am in this pregnancy. But it's a good thing we still have 6 weeks, because we're not quite ready for her arrival. Temporally or emotionally. Of course, I doubt that we'll ever be "ready" emotionally, but at least we can gear up for another month and a half.

Ahhhh.

I just sat outside in the sun in my short sleeves and capris. I had to come in after a half hour because if I stayed out there longer, I'd probably get burned. It felt wonderful. Spring has sprung in St George!

New Poll - Mobile

First off, thanks to all who voted on the poll last week, I feel like we got some really good input. And the comments were great too! Lots of good advice. Now I've got a new poll up about yet another baby item - the mobile. We don't have one as of yet. They do sell a very cute ladybug one at Target that would go great with her room. So, the question is: Is a mobile for the crib necessary/helpful? Go vote!

Weekly Quote 2/25/08

"And our name is mud.
(And the strike is on)
And I can't stand blood."

Nobody guessed it. Of course, it's not a contest to see if you can guess the movie. Anyway, here is another quote from the same movie. It's a good one.

Baby Sling

On Tuesday I made myself a baby sling. It was actually really really easy. It's basically a Maya Wrap sling (btw, I really like the name of color 27 - Grown). Notice that one of those slings costs $49.95. That's a lot of money. I also find it interesting that they have posted instructions on how to make your own sling. Anyway, let's review the cost of this homemade sling:

Fabric - $6.59

Thread - I already had some that matched the fabric perfectly.

Rings - We actually made these slings for an enrichment activity back in September. Well, some people made them. I was busy puking my guts out. But they ordered the rings all together, and when the ring lady found out this was for an enrichment activity, she sent a bunch of extra rings along with the order: rings that were odd colors, etc. So I picked some of those up back then, knowing I wanted to make a sling eventually. And thus the cost = free.

Needles - I bought thicker needles for my sewing machine, but I ws planning on buying those anyway. Those were $2.

And that is all you need. So, this sling cost me a grand total of $8.59. I'd say I got a good deal.

Pregnant Belly 2-22-08

I kind of feel like it looks about the same as the last photo I put up. Maybe because I'm wearing the same jacket?

Highlights

As promised, here are some of the other President's Day weekend (and Valentine's Day) highlights:

• For V-day, I made a delicious dinner of tortellini, salad, and garlic bread. And we had candles, because that makes everything more romantic. Also, we watched We Are Marshall, a great movie. I love having a Redbox 2 blocks away!
• On Friday, we had a ward party with a Valentiney theme. I sang a medley of songs from My Best Friend's Wedding as part of a quartet (Wishin' and Hopin', I Say a Little Prayer, and The Way You Look Tonight), and Clark had some fun proving that he was Smarter Than a Primary Child. It was all very fun. Oh, and they had excellent food. Dessert potluck. Guess what I had? PIE!
  
• Saturday morning Clark painted my toenails. I could probably still reach them, but it would be a lot of work. And he did an excellent job, I might add.
• Saturday the Blockburgers arrived, we put together a crib, and went out to the Panama Grill for dinner. Tasty.
• Sunday we had the usual runaround at church. I discovered that my bag weighs like 30 pounds (it adds up when you have to bring a big hymnal, scriptures, RS manual, and a book about the hymns for the RS music time). And soon we'll have a baby, carrier, and diaper bag to add to the mix.
  
• We also went hiking on Sunday in Snow Canyon. I'd never been to Jenny's Canyon before, and it was REALLY cool. We also hiked around Upper Galoot. And I rediscovered how fun it is to say Galoot. Say it like John Wayne would say it. If it's not fun, you must be doing it wrong.
• Monday morning we went out to breakfast at Denny's. I never go out for breakfast, which is a shame because I absolutely love breakfast food. Afterwards, Christy and I went shopping for baby clothes while Clark, Jessica, and Steve shot hoopies. I'm certainly glad I didn't have to go watch them shoot hoops, and Clark is generally glad when he gets out of a shopping experience, so it worked out well.
• The Blockburgers took their leave Monday afternoon, but don't worry! The Phippens were in town! Karen stopped by (Justin was feeling sick, and the kids were all asleep in the car), and she got the 5 cent tour of our home. It was good to see her, even if it was a quick stop. There have been too many times when they come down here and we miss each other, so this helped to even the score a bit.
• As Clark mentioned, we went to the Parade of Homes Monday afternoon/evening with the Hunts. It was a lot of fun, I'm really glad we went, but I was SO tired after all that walking. For the first time ever, I could tell my hands were swollen since my ring wouldn't come off. It went right back down as soon as I got home and laid on the couch. I think I've done pretty well to get this far with minimal swelling. And I didn't get out of breath unless we were going up a really steep hill, so that's a good sign that my health continues to be good.
  

So, as you can tell, we had quite the weekend. It was busy, but not so busy that we didn't have some downtime as well. Really, the perfect weekend.

As a side note, I hate the way this blog layout does bullets. I did not choose cutsey flowers for my bullets. I just don't know how to change it. If anyone knows, please tell me.

Wombsly has a crib!

I've got a number of highlights from the weekend (how sad that I'm just now posting about last weekend - tomorrow is Friday already!), but the biggest highlight of them all was the visit from the big Blockburgers, and the setting up of the crib. We love to have people come visit! And we especially love having the Blockburgers come to visit! We had a great time, and now Wombsly has a crib! We still need to rearrange her room, but things are finally starting to come together. Good thing, she'll be here before you know it! More highlights (and maybe even some lowlights) from the weekend will follow shortly.

The Builders

Grandpa Blockburger

The cute ladybug bedding!

The Proud Soon-to-be-Papa

New Poll

Alright, friends. As it turns out, we're having a baby in 8 weeks max (could be as soon as 4 weeks, how weird is that?), and so we're trying to get everything ready for her arrival. So I need advice. And I've decided that the only way to get everyone to respond to my call for advice is to create a poll - it's fun, it's fast, it's easy, and it's anonymous! So cast your vote today!

Today's poll is this: Should we get a swing or a bouncer? As you can tell from the links, I've found a bouncer that I like, but I don't really know about the swings. Personally, I'm more partial to the idea of a bouncer, simply because it's cheaper. But some people might think it just doesn't do the job. So let me know your thoughts. Also, if you have any advice on what type of swing is best, let me know in the comments section. Thanks!

Weekly Quote 2/18/08

"I would like you to dance (Birthday)
Take a cha-cha-cha-chance (Birthday)
I would like you to dance (Birthday)
Dance yeah"

Such excellent music by the Fab Four. Sorry for the delay on a new quote - I blame Abraham Lincoln. New quote up!

Another Doctor Update

The latest and greatest from Dr. Fagnant:

I had my first nonstress test done. We'll be doing them every week from here on out to make sure that the baby is healthy. If things were to go south, that could be one of the side effects - the baby not getting enough oxygen, and thus not moving much. But don't worry, she's fit as a fiddle. And it was actually kind of cool to hear her heartbeat accelerate immediately after I felt her kick.

I mentioned to Dr. Fagnant that I had a few dizzy spells this past week - they were pretty intense, actually, and just came out of nowhere. Not a feeling of being lightheaded, just really dizzy all of the sudden. While I was sitting. Doing nothing. And he asked me if I'd been tested for anemia. Well, funny he should mention that. I actually had been wondering if I could have anemia a couple of weeks ago, seeing as I was slightly anemic pre-pregnancy and was taking prenatal vitamins for it. And I asked the nurse (medical assistant? whatever she is) about it. And she said, "Well, we took your blood at the beginning of your pregnancy, so if we didn't notice it then, then I'm sure you're fine." But remember how everything was different at the beginning of pregnancy? As it turns out, when they took my blood for the glucose screening test, they also did a hemoglobin check. And when Dr. Fagnant looked at the number, he noticed it was a little bit low. So he told me to take an extra iron supplement. Gee, it's nice to actually get the results for a test back, especially when that test indicates that there could be a problem. And even more especially when you specifically ask about it. Lame.

I then bombarded him with a bunch of questions, mostly about labor and delivery. He said that it might not be necessary to use the forceps/vacuum, and that the nurses at this hospital are actually really good about letting the baby descend on its own quite a ways before making you push. I guess the big deal here is that no one wants a cardiac patient pushing hard for an hour or more. But if I have an epidural, and the baby makes her way down quite a bit, then we might be able to do this without assistance. He also allayed my fears that an assisted delivery means a harder recovery. He said that as long as the person knows how to use the forceps, which he does, it shouldn't be much different than a regular delivery as far as healing goes. So that's good. He also told me that they wouldn't let me go a day past 41 weeks, which means we will most definitely have a baby by April 16! And if things look good, he said he would induce me as early as 39 weeks. While this doesn't seem like a big deal to some people, it is to me! I know some doctors down here won't even consider inducing you until you hit 42 weeks. That's a whole extra week! I was excited about it.

I also had to tell him that I've been feeling pretty out of breath when I go up stairs. Once again, we've got to decide if that's just the pregnancy talking, or if there is something deeper. I feel pretty confident that it's the pregnancy. Especially since it's mostly after I've eaten a big meal that I get so out of breath, indicating that there just isn't enough room for my lungs to expand. But I'll have to keep my eye on it, make sure it doesn't get worse.

There you have it. It was a very informative appointment, we talked about a lot of stuff and I felt like i got a lot of answers. Which is funny because I know that he was particularly busy that day due to all of the medical assistants being out sick, but he still took the time to answer every question on my list. He really is a good doctor. He knows his stuff. And he gives very thorough explanations of everything. I'm kind of sad that I'll have to go back to my other OBGYN after this is all over. But, barring anything extreme, I'll be back to the regular once a year check ups, which will be a nice change.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today I went to the grocery store for my weekly shopping trip. I had almost forgotten that it was Valentine's Day, until I walked into the store and was bombarded by all the decorations, flowers, balloons, candy, etc. But let me just say that I was very glad that I picked today to go to the grocery store. I got to see all the people buying tokens of affection for their loved ones. There isn't anything better than watching 3 or 4 men mill around the floral display, trying to find something for their significant other. Unless it's watching people leave the store with their arms full of flowers or balloons. It just makes me happy. Happy Valentine's Day!

Doctor Update 2/13/08

I've decided it's time for another doctor update. February is the month of doctors visits for me. I see Dr Fagnant (my OB) once a week now, Fridays are the days. Even though February is only 29 days long, I really lucked out and get to see him 5 times in February. I also saw Dr Gonzales (perinatologist) last week, and I saw Dr Chander (cardiologist) today. And I had an echo done last week in preparation for seeing Dr Chander. Lots of doctors. So here is the news:

I'm still doing quite well. No heart failure as of yet. I haven't noticed any shortness of breath. I have noticed more swelling in my legs, but we are all fairly certain that is due to the pregnancy and not a heart issue. The echo looks good, about the same really. Last time I had an echo done (back in May or June), it was determined that I have a 40% left ventricle ejection fraction. This is the number that everyone has been so concerned about. At this echo, that number went up to 45%. Granted, there could be some margin of error, but still. I'm doing just as well as, if not better than, I was last year before I was pregnant. I'd say that's pretty good.

We also talked a little bit about how labor is going to go. All along it's kind of been up in the air, everyone seems to have the attitude of, "Let's just wait and see how things are going. Let's get to next month and then see what's going on." And that is how it has to be, since no one could predict how my body would react to all that extra blood. But we're creeping up on "full-term." (I'm 32 weeks today!) So Dr Gonzales told me that I would pretty much have to get an epidural (and I told him that I would pretty much have required it anyway - make me as numb as you can!), and that it's almost a guarantee that I'd need to have an assisted delivery (the forceps or the vacuum). Just something to be prepared for. They'll have a heart monitor on me, and they'll keep a close eye on how things are going. If they have to do a C-section, then so be it. It all depends on how I do (this seems to be the theme of the pregnancy, doesn't it?). He mentioned that during the 2nd stage of labor (you know, the pushing part) your cardiac output goes way up, and we we have to see if my heart can actually do that. If not, then there is a risk of pulmonary edema, among other things, which is bad, so they'll get the baby out however they can. But for all we know, everything could go just fine (kind of like how everything has gone thus far). He wants me to meet with an anesthesiologist, just so that they can be familiar with my situation. But I don't really know how that meeting would go. . . I really think it would be better if the doctor just met with them/talked to them on the phone. Or even better, if they had my records and birth plan there at the hospital. Seeing as there are a lot of anesthesiologists, and who knows who will be on-call that day.

Anyway, there are the answers we've got so far. I've got a whole list of questions to ask at the OB this week, so I'll probably do another update after that. This was a really long post, sorry bout that. If you made it this far, good job! Go get yourself a cookie, you deserve it!

Ruby Tuesday

Yesterday was Clark's birthday, as it turns out. (I really enjoy the fact that I put a link there, when all you have to do is scroll down to see that post.) After much cajoling, I persuaded Clark that we should go out to dinner to celebrate. We're trying to save money these days (someday we've got to buy a home), but I kindly reminded Clark that we had some gift certificates to Ruby Tuesday's, and so he was convinced. Now, for those of you who don't remember, we had a terrible experience the last time we ate at Ruby Tuesday's. And it was my birthday. But they did make it up to us with some gift certificates. Yes, this all happened 6 months ago. I think we would have gone back sooner, but less than a week after the experience, the puking commenced. This continued through October, and then we had Thanksgiving and Christmas, it just never happened. Couple that with the fact that every time I felt like I needed to puke I would think of the turkey guacamole burger I ate there, and you can understand why it took us this long.

Anyway. We went. And it was delightful! We walked in and were seated immediately! Our waitress was very attentive - Clark's glass was never more than half empty! (Mine got all the way to empty once, but they refilled it pretty quick). All in all, the service was great. And the food was good, too. Clark got the Sirloin and Bistro Chicken, and I got the Chicken Bella (with mashed cauliflower instead of broccoli - really pretty delicious). I'm glad they decided to give us those gift certificates, because now I would consider going there again. Good job, Ruby Tuesday's. You made the right call when customer service was concerned.

One year older and wiser, too.

Happy Birthday to my favorite person in the whole world! I know I'm glad you were born. And I'm really glad that we have this fabulous picture of you. :D

Weekly Quote 2/11/08

"I say vote yes! Vote yes! Vote for independency!" Yes, that was from 1776, the musical. We all love Mr. Feeny. New quote up!

Tag Part 2

Ok, 6 quirky things about myself. Here we go:

1) I've always got a tune running in my head. One time my roommates decided to see how long it would take before I started singing a song out loud. I didn't even make it 5 minutes. And that is just out loud, not even the stuff in my head. And most of the time I don't even know that I'm singing. Like the day I started singing, "Where did you go little thing, where did you go little thing. . . " Clark looked at me like I was a crazy person. I guess I can't blame him.

2) I have a degree in Exercise Science, and yet I hate exercise. This isn't new news to most of you, but it's still quirky if you ask me.

3) I took dance classes for years and years (all kinds, ballet, jazz, modern, tap, clogging, folk, ballroom, etc), and yet I don't feel like I've got any moves. For instance at dance parties, I always look like an idiot. I think it's the spontaneity of it all.

4) I love being the ward organist. I think some people don't admit they can play the piano so they don't get stuck with a music calling, but I absolutely love it. There are no meetings, practicing is "magnifying your calling." It's fantastic! Now that I've said that, I'll probably get released.

5) I like bland foods. I just don't need a lot of flavor for me to enjoy something.

6) I like the number 8. It's good.

WOW, that was like pulling teeth. As I'm sure you could tell by the brevity of the last 2. But now I am caught up on all the tags.

Another reason to come visit us. . .

Today was a short-sleeved shirt, flip-flops, windows open kind of day. Just thought all you northerners should know.

Tag Part 1

I've been tagged - TWICE! I guess I've got some catching up to do. So we'll start with Alex's tag.

10 Years Ago:
Let's see. . . 10 years ago I was 16, and at this time of year (maybe a little later) I was probably trying out for all sorts of fun things in preparation for an awesome senior year - A'Capella, Ensemble, Dance Co, Songleading. Lots of fun to be had. Even for social rejects like me :)

Snacks I Enjoy:
This is an ever changing list, especially with this whole pregnancy thing. Currently I am on a White Chocolate Raspberry Yogurt kick. I also have an orange, a bagel, and cream of wheat just about every day. Wow, that makes me sound so healthy. I also like dry ramen noodles, cheese crackers (Goldfish, Cheez-Its, Cheese Nips, Better Cheddars, you name it), and most everything chocolate.

5 Things On My To-Do List:
-Vacuum the couch
-Doctor's appointment at 11:30
-Doctor's appointment at 1 (February is the month of doctors visits for me)
-Go for a walk
-Make the bed (wow, I'm pretty boring)

Things I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
-Pay tithing
-Buy a house
-Pay off our car
-Get another new car
-Go on a cruise (of course, this would have to be sometime in the months following Wombsly's birth)
-Buy lots of new clothes!
-Buy a dresser for ourselves
-Put a whole bunch in savings
-Oh, and probably try to find some good charity work. I guess I don't look into that sort of stuff as often as I should, seeing as we don't have billions of dollars.

3 of my bad habits:
-Being terrified of the phone. This is why I never call any of you - I get so nervous for some reason. I don't even call Cafe Rio anymore, I just order online.
-I bite my nails when I'm nervous. And sometimes when I'm not. But I'm trying to be better!
-I'm in a constant state of worry. Just ask Clark.

5 places I have lived:
-Salt Lake City
-Provo
-St George
-Um, that's it. I guess I've lived in different apartments in Provo. Woo.

Jobs I have had:
-Exercise Specialist
-Secretary of the BYU Cancer Research Center
-Dishwasher
-Cashier
-Receptionist at a Ballet Studio

Things people don't know about me:
-I cry. A lot. A lot a lot. And yet since I've been pregnant, I've probably only cried a handful of times, and most of those were because I couldn't stand being sick anymore, which I think is somewhat understandable.
-I have contacts/glasses, and yet I still can't see very well. Clark is constantly having to read things for me - signs, menus at fast food restaurants, subtitles on the TV (don't worry, we don't watch many foreign films). I've told Clark before that if he saw what I saw when I'm driving at night, he'd probably never let me behind the wheel past dark.

Yeah, we're going to stop there, since my next task will be to think of 6 quirky things about myself, and we don't want to use all our good ideas on one post, now do we?

As for tagging other people. . . I'll tag Clark (because I don't expect him to ever be tagged anywhere else [and I have even lower hopes for him actually doing this]). And Michael Scott. Because I think we'd all like to know what he's up to these days. (Stupid writers strike.)

Hooded Blanket

I finally did it. I completed my hooded blanket project! I decided I wanted to learn to crochet about 2 1/2 years ago, and so I purchased a little kit complete with hooks and patterns with big letters on the front: I Taught Myself to Crochet! And I bought a pound of yarn for the pattern I liked best - the Hooded Blanket. I decided that I would have the blanket done before we had our first child, it was my goal. I figured, how hard can it be? As it turns out, it's a lot harder to teach yourself to crochet than you might think. Christy helped me learn the basics (single crochet and double crochet stitching), and from that I made a scarf (which I love, but I never wear, because I now live in St George). I thought I was then ready to tackle the blanket. I got it out, started it, and knotted yarn ensued. I got like 2 rows in, and gave up. 2 rows that were very much not what they were supposed to be, I might add. And so it sat, waiting for the day when I'd get motivated again.

Well, thanks my friend Megan and our "Thursday Crochet hour," I finished it this week. And I think it's cute. And really, now that I look back on it, I just needed that little bit of extra help getting started, and then it was pretty easy. It's a good thing that we had our bout with infertility, otherwise I am pretty sure I would not have reached my goal. And I even have 9 weeks to spare! My next project: baby booties.

Weekly Quote 2/4/08

"Somewhere down buried in the sand
Two birds give out a song
And all of Ruby Falls is singing along."

Hooray for Guster! I kept thinking that I'd already used this song as a Weekly Quote, but I didn't find it anywhere. Ruby Falls from Ganging Up On the Sun. Love it. New quote up - and I thought it was somewhat appropriate as it has the word "vote" in it, even if it isn't referring to primary elections.

Lots to do! Lots to buy!

What a great weekend! We kicked it off on Friday night by watching Breach, which I thought was an excellent film. I kind of expected it to be more of an action movie, but I was pleasantly surprised by what it was. I recommend it.

Then on Saturday we started out the day with a relaxing morning (and watched President Hinckley's funeral), and after that became busy little beavers. We went all over St George in search of two things: a rocking chair and a stroller/car seat. We've been looking for a travel system online for quite a while now, but we just haven't found anything we particularly like. We've decided that we like Graco as a brand, and we even decided on the Passage model, but I hated all of the patterns they come in. Very frustrating. So you might say that we were casually looking for a travel system while out on our rocking chair trip. Now, when I say rocking chair, I really mean glider. We don't exactly have a lot of space in our little apartment, so while a big, comfy La-Z-Boy would be nice, we just don't have room for it. Not to mention that I have no idea how we'd get it up into Wombsly's room. Or how we'd get it out of her room, since we aren't going to live here forever. So we're looking for something a little smaller. In fact, we're looking for a glider. Yes, I just said that. Anyway, we went to all the big furniture stores around town, but none of them seemed to have what we wanted. And then we went to Wal-mart and found one. Of course, you can't sit in it at Wal-mart because they are tied down to the shelf. So who knows how comfortable it is. But it is cheap. Target sells a similar model. So at least we know we can go get one at either of those 2 stores. We'll have to see if we can get permission to sit in the one at Wal-mart, because I'm not buying a chair that I haven't sat in first. And if it's not comfy, then maybe we'll have to head out to Vegas and see what they have to offer. But at least we started the search, and made some progress.

As for the travel system, we looked at Wal-mart and didn't like them (surprise). Then we went to Kohl's, because I'd heard that they have strollers and car seats there, but they don't seem to have any in the store. I'd look and see if they sell them online, but their website doesn't seem to be working right now. So on the way home from this very long adventure, we decided to stop by Target and at least look at the strollers in person, just to see if they looked different from the pictures online. Let's just say I'm very glad we did. We found one that we both had rejected based on the online photo, but when we saw it in person, it was much better, very cute. You can see the online photo here. And here is a picture we took of it (in the box still). Don't you think they look different? As a side note, my parents are taking care of the cost of the travel system for us, isn't that kind? Thanks G&G Anderson!

Pregnant Belly 2-3-08