Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Today

Today I had the last of my scheduled doctor visits.  It feels like the end of an era!  As I was leaving the examination room, I almost felt sad not having anymore regular appointments with my doctor.  Change always makes me feel nostalgic.

Can you believe it's December 2nd already?  I can't.  Seems like it took forever for September to come, and now September, October, and November came and went already!  Yikes!


Friday, November 27, 2009

Friday Finds

Went to Lowes today. Two times.

Bought a washer and dryer.

Came home with a cactus.

The washer and dryer will be delivered later.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Monday Morning Musings - This last month

It's been an interesting month since my last post.  Some of it's been great and some has been not so great.  Nothing horrible has happened.  I've just had an interesting time adjusting to life as a mother.  Lots of mental and emotional turmoil.  I decided to talk to my doctor about it and we decided that I was probably suffering from Postpartum Depression and needed some medication.  It kind of surprised me because I wasn't feeling particularly sad or "depressed."  Just really, really extremely anxious about everything.  And that's just not me.  But after just about a week and a half on the medication, I started feeling much better and now I feel back to normal!  Hooray for modern medicine!

Now for the great parts.  Cadence started smiling!  She's such a smiley baby now!  It's so cute and is a sanity saver!




She's also starting to enjoy her play gym a bit more.  She makes all kinds of cute coos and grunts as she's playing.




And, unbelievably, she slept for SIX STRAIGHT HOURS one night this week!  I've been lucky if she did four and I got three.  I'm hoping for a few more sixers!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Thankful Thursday - Welcome Breaks

I'm grateful for people who will hold my crying baby and not just immediately give her back.  It's a welcome break and I love it!  Thank you!  Thank you!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Way Back When Wednesday - Ok, so it wasn't that long ago... Part II

Continued from last week's Way Back When...

It took them so long to stitch me back up.  Or at least it seemed like it took so long.  Time passed by slowly when half of my body was numb.  My two doctors chatted a bit while they worked, and I tried to chat with them as well, but I didn't have too much to say other than, "How many kids do you have Dr. Skinner," and "I think I'd like to do this again with my next kid!"

Then they wheeled me into the recovery room.  At this point all I could think about was the HORRIBLE taste in my mouth (having a baby hadn't really hit me yet).  I kept asking the nurse in the recovery room if I could take off the oxygen mask, but she didn't do much about it, until the nurse from the OR left.  Then she happily took it from me.  And she gave me some gum.  Wonderful gum!

I was in there for about an hour, pretty much alone.  I think I was the only patient in there so it was just me and the two nurses.  One sat right next to me and read a magazine.  Both were nice and easy to chat with.  

By the time they took me to my room, I was only able to wiggle my left foot and the toes on my right.  But it wasn't long before I was able to move everything.  But I didn't really want to.  It was an odd feeling getting feeling back.  I kind of expected it to be painful like when your feet fall asleep, but it wasn't like that at all.  It was just weird.

After a few minutes, they brought Cadence into our room.  What can I say about those first few minutes?  They were wonderful and scary all at the same time.  In one way, it felt like she wasn't my baby at all with the c-section and hour long wait in the recovery room.  In another way, I knew she was mine because she was my CLONE!!  I couldn't believe how much she looked like my newborn pictures.  There was no mistaking, she was my child!

The three of us only spent three days and two nights in the hospital.  I was lucky enough to have Derek be able to also sleep in the room with us.  And boy, did I need him!  Those two nights were really rough for me.  Seems like night time makes everything worse!  I was feeling anxious about EVERYTHING and had absolutely no idea what to do for her or how to do it!  I used my call button frequently.

I was so sure I'd keep Cadence with me day and night in the hospital.  I really didn't want to put her in the nursery.  I was really worried about her feeling sad or neglected.  But at about midnight on the second night, I was at my wit's end.  She was being so fussy and I was so frazzled.  I was bawling because my baby girl was crying and I couldn't do anything to help her!!  See the hormones?  I talked to a nurse and decided to put her in the nursery so I could get some much needed sleep (Sometimes I wish I had that option now!).  Best decision I made that night!

My recovery went pretty quickly.  I had bit of pain, but it was quite manageable with some drugs.  I was able to walk to and from the bathroom the first day, and by the second and third day I was confident enough to carry Cadence around with me.  Sitting up was a trick, but that's why hospital beds have those cool remotes right?

The morning of the third day, my doctors told me I could go home whenever I wanted to; Cadence and I were both doing just fine.  Of course, it took all day to get the needed paperwork together and for my doctor--who was now also Cadence's pediatrician--to sign her off.  But she finally came around 5:00 that evening.

It was so nice to get out of that hospital!  It was nice being waited on hand and foot, but the bed was uncomfortable and I really didn't miss getting my vitals checked twice a night!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Top Ten Tuesday - Favorite Parts About the First Month

As of last week, Cadence is one month old!  Time is weird.  Looking back, it's seemed to fly by so quickly, but getting through each day and night has seemed like it's taken so long.  Must be something about newborns.  Or maybe just children? 



My Favorite Things About Cadence's First Month

  1. Finally getting to see what she looks like.  Derek and I discussed this for a long time.  We're pretty accurate so far.  She looks a lot like me but with blond hair and blue eyes.

  2. Finally making a choice on feeding.  As I said before, looking back on time, it seems to fly.  This choice really only took me two weeks, but the stress of the two options made it seem like so much longer.  Now I'm completely happy and guilt free about the choice I made!

  3. My Project 365.  I made a goal to complete a P365 of Cadence from day one.  It's taken some effort.  Most of the time, I'm so busy taking pictures is the furthest thing from my mind, but I'm so glad I'm doing it!  It's going to be so fun to go back and see how much she's changed.  Heck, it's already fun to go back and look through the pictures and it's only been one month!!

  4. Seeing Cadence's unique personality come out.  Some parts of this are less fun than others.  She has quite a temper!  But when she's happy, she's happy!  And it's so much fun to play with her!

  5. Willow's attitude towards Cadence.  Most of the time, Willow pretty much ignores her.  She seems to know she's there, but doesn't really care.  Even when Cadence is crying extremely loud.  Willow just kind of looks at us like, "Well, what are you going to do to stop this?"  But the other day, she got really brave while Cadence was in her bouncy seat on the floor.  Willow did the curious cat move and slapped her on the head with her (clawless) front paw.  Cadence didn't really like it that much...

  6. The portability factor.  Cadence is still pretty portable.  So even though I'm feeling a little trapped these days, I don't feel too trapped.

  7. Cute little clothes.  Cadence was pretty big when she was born, but not too big.  She still fits into the cute little girl clothes.  And with as much as she spits up, she's wears two sometimes three different outfits a day!

  8. My boppy pillow.  This pillow has been one of the best baby items I've used!  Cadence has been pretty heavy as we hold her since day one so a support is necessary.  I'll tell you just how necessary it is.  It's pink stripped and Derek still asks for it! :)

  9. Great help from family and friends.  Having a baby and becoming a mom has been a really hard transition for me.  It really stresses me out.  I'm sure it stresses every parent out, but it seems a little more extreme for me.  I've been really blessed to have great family and friends who are willing to go the extra mile to help me out.  One friend in particular really goes the extra mile.  Thank you so much Tanya!

  10. Getting to hold and snuggle with Cadence.  There are times during the day I just like to sit and snuggle with my sleeping baby!  Even when I have a ton of other things to do.  She's just too cute!




Thursday, October 22, 2009

Thankful Thursday - A hardworking man

This week I'm particularly grateful for my husband.  Derek is the greatest!  He works two jobs, one of which starts at 3:00 AM!  And he's always willing to help me out with Cadence when he's home.  He'll take her for an hour or two when he gets home from his early morning job so I can get a little more sleep, and he's always offering to do whatever's needed in the evenings after he gets home from his handyman job.   He really works around the clock!!  What a hard working man!

AND for the past week Derek's been extra nice by offering to stay up a little later at night so I can get some extra rest because I think I'm coming down with something (hopefully it's just a little cold).  This is a big deal because he really needs his sleep at night so he can get up early. 

I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband!  And I'm so excited for the next job he'll be doing because he'll be able to do it from home in the garage.  That way if I get lonely for him, I can just step outside!




PS: And I can't forget my dad as well. He's been a lifesaver, too!  If he hears Cadence and I having a really rough time, he always takes a break from work to work his grandpa magic to get her to settle down.  He's also a hardworking man!  Not only does he have his full time computer job, he is also the primary caregiver for my disabled mom.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Way Back When Wednesday - Ok, so it wasn't that long ago...

I've decided that it feels a little strange to know when you're going to have your baby.  To not eat anything after midnight the night before your c-section.  To walk into the emergency room check-in and tell them you're there for your scheduled c-section.  But it's not a bad feeling.  And I've decided that next time I'd like to do the same thing.

I was full of anticipation the evening of Monday, September 21st.  We had taken my mom over to Nampa Care for a respite stay that afternoon, and I ate a big dinner and ate a bunch of snacks--right up until midnight, my deadline.  I didn't want to be totally starving in the morning.

The next morning, Derek and I got up early so that we could be at the hospital by 8:30am, my appointment was at 9:00.   They checked me in and sent me upstairs to the labor and delivery area.  One of the nurses took me to a delivery room, handed me a couple gowns and asked me to change.

After I got changed, they hooked me up to an IV and to the monitors that track contractions and the baby's heartbeat.  When my doctor came to check on me, she said that I was having some nice--as she put it--contractions.  But I couldn't feel them.  And I couldn't figure out what she meant by "nice contractions."  Maybe they were regular?  Or maybe they were the normal braxton-hicks?  It didn't really matter what they were because I was going in for a c-section anyways.  I was really nervous.  I think I peed at least five times in the two hours we were waiting in the room.

While we waited for my c-section (we were eventually told that it would happen around 11:00 or 11:30), a four doctors came in to talk to me: my doctor, my surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and a med student.  The med student was weird.  I wasn't completely comfortable with him.  He seemed a little young, and made too many dorky jokes.  The anesthesiologist was a little strange too, but he was funny.  He said that he was called Mr. Glamor Shots because he likes to take pictures of the babies in the OR.  A little weird, but nice because neither Derek or I were available to take pictures of Cadence at that point.

Finally, they took me down to the OR.  I rode on the bed (such a weird experience!) and Derek came a bit later after changing into scrubs.  Next was the spinal block.  This was one of the things I was most nervous about.  They have to put a needle into your spine and inject body paralyzing medication!  They had a little trouble at first.  Most of it was my fault.  I kept twitching when they pricked me which evidently, I wasn't supposed to do!  You try not twitching when someone sticks you in the spine!

When we finally got it in right, I started feeling my feet go numb, a signal that they should get me laid down.  Another odd experience, people helping you lay down and get situated.  They actually told me not to try to lay down!  I guess it was for my own safety, my bottom half was slowly becoming paralyzed.  Falling off the table wouldn't have been good...

The anesthesiologist had warned me before about the spinal block making some people feel nauseated, but they had some meds to keep that from happening.  And that very thing happened.  I started freaking out a little because I hate feeling nauseated.  I kept telling the nurse that she'd better hurry up and give me the medicine or I would throw up in the oxygen mask!  Then I started feeling a lot of pressure on my chest.  The nurse told me that was a normal side effect of the spinal block.

Both of those really horrible feelings wore off and I started actually feeling sort of comfortable.  A lot of people said they felt cold, but I felt the opposite.  I was nice and toasty!  It was almost like being in a nice, warm bath.  I also felt a little sleepy.  The anesthesiologist told me that was a possibility because with a spinal block, half of my body wouldn't be taking in any sensory information, and that it can be quite relaxing. 

The actual surgery was surreal!  Like everybody said, I couldn't feel anything, but there was a lot of pressure.  And she was really packed in there!  I was told it took three doctors and a pair of forceps to get her out!  Derek later said that while everybody was pushing on my stomach the table was moving around like crazy, but I didn't even notice.  Derek was really great, he held my hand and rubbed my head the whole time!

They got her out after quite a bit of pushing and pulling.  I could hear her cry, but couldn't see anything because the blue screen was still up.  After they got her wiped up and prepped, they briefly showed her to me, handed her to Derek and then pushed him in the direction of the nursery.

To be continued next week...

Monday, October 19, 2009

Monday Morning Musings - Shortcuts

Do those text shortcuts bother anybody else out there?  Not only do they butcher English grammar, I always read them like words!  Really odd words.  And yes, I do know they are acronyms. 

The worst one for me is ROFL.  Everyone else in the world probably reads that as it's supposed to be, "rolling on the floor laughing" (Who really does that anyway?  I've never laughed that hard because of an e-mail, text message, etc.).  I can't help but read it phonetically, and it sounds like a disgusting puking noise.  And that's not funny at all!

I do have to admit though, I have used LOL a few times.  It's more true to life for me.  Sometimes I do laugh out loud after reading e-mails, text messages, and blog posts.  But the acronym thing still drives me nutts!

But emoticons, I love those!  Does that make me a hypocrite? =^..^=

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Pumpkin Patch

Our friends the Ortons invited us to go to the pumpkin patch with them.  So of course we just had to dress Cadence in her pumpkin outfit!  She was so cute and so well behaved!



Here's a great example of Willow investigating Cadence.  This is about as close as she gets.


We definitely brought home the cutest pumpkin!


Thursday, October 15, 2009

Thankful Thursday - A good washer and dryer

Recently the amount of laundry to be done at my house has increased.  Ten fold!  Wonder why?  Ha!  So I'm really grateful for a great washer and dryer that easily gets the job done.  Now I'm off to do another load!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Top Ten Tuesday - Reasons Why I Love/Hate Costco

I sort of have a love/hate relationship with Costco.  I think a lot of us do.  There's so much great stuff there.  But that's the problem, there's so much great stuff!  It's so easy to go broke.  But I can't break myself of the Costco shopping habit, nor do I really want to! :)




Top 10 Tuesday - Reasons Why I Love/Hate Costco

  1. Love--The quality of their produce.  Costco's produce never goes bad on me, and there's plenty of it!  Nothing makes me madder than to buy fruits and vegetables that just go bad within a day or two.  They're expensive!!

  2. Love--The Cafe.  Where else can you buy a hot dog and soda for a $1.50?  And they're good hot dogs!  The pizza's great too. 

  3. Love--The book section.  It's almost like they choose books for me!  I can always find at least one... or two books that I just can't live without.  And their nearly half off prices make it that much harder to leave without them!

  4. Love--The clothes.  This last weekend, I got a new coat, boots and a new shirt all for really great deals from Costco making the store a winner in my book!

  5. Love--The electronics section.  I can't usually afford anything there--we're poor folk--but I love to peruse.  I think I'm a techie.
     
  6. Hate--The organization of the food. The isles don't have signs telling you what's where and the organization doesn't make that much sense to me, so I usually go through every isle to find the things I need.

  7. Hate--The selection.  Costco doesn't have a wide variety of choices.  In fact, they almost have no variety.  They carry the one brand of an item, and that's it.  Sometimes they have the Kirkland brand along with the name brand, but not very often.

  8. Hate--The "deals."  As I wrote in #7, Costco often only carries the name brand items which isn't always a bad thing.  Sometimes name brand is better.  But we're kind of fooled into thinking buying in bulk is such a great deal.  Yeah, sure.  You're getting a good deal on name brands.

  9. Hate--The time I spend inside.  I always loose track of time when I'm shopping.  A-L-W-A-Y-S.  It's like time stops for me.  Not a good thing.  And it's especially bad in Costco because of reasons #3-5 (plus the movie section too).

  10. Hate--The amount I spend.  I'm sure this is the same story for everybody.  You go in thinking you only need one or two items and come out with a $100 receipt.  One time I even came out with a $387 receipt.  But that was when I was cooking for a month.  Lots and lots of meat!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Monday Morning Musings - My birthday

My birthday was this weekend, and it was AWESOME!!  Derek always does a really good job of making the day special.  The whole day was all about me.  I got to choose whatever I wanted to do; he even let me choose what to listen to on the iPod! 

The cutest part of the day was in the morning.  Derek came home from his early morning job and took Cadence so I could go back to sleep (she had kept me up quite a bit of the night and I really needed more sleep).  He also offered to make me pancakes for breakfast.  After I woke up and got ready for the day, I came out to have breakfast.  Derek was struggling a bit taking care of Cadence and making food, so I took her.  He looked a little sad and said to me, "This morning isn't working out like I wanted it to.  I wanted your food to be ready for you already, and you weren't supposed to have to do anything!"  He's a keeper!! :)

And Derek planned a surprise evening of fun for me.  He invited our friends over for games and trifle (It even stayed a surprise until just before they came.  That's a record for us, I usually find everything out!).  So much fun!  Thanks guys for the great evening!!

I got some great presents.  Thanks Mom and Dad Nay and Mom and Dad Cheney for the birthday money.  I'll be putting it to good use soon!  And I'm so excited to watch Yes Man and eat yummy snacks with Derek.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Thankful Thursday -

We had a horrible night on Tuesday.  Cadence started crying and puking around 5-6pm and didn't stop until about 11pm, slept for a couple of hours, and then cried from 3-7am.  She was really miserable!  Fortunately, my dad was willing to help us out for part of the night and it was one of Derek's mornings off so we were able to take shifts. 

And we were lucky enough to have already had an appointment scheduled for the next morning with her doctor.  So Wednesday morning, we took her in and we talked about possible solutions.  We decided that she might just not be tolerating the milk-based formula very well so the doctor sent us home with a couple of soy-based formula samples and told us to come back on Friday.

The difference the last 24 hours has been like night and day!  She hardly spit up at all (she couldn't keep anything down all day Tuesday), and she slept so well last night.  Two 4 hour blocks!  We're all so happy! 

We've got so much to be grateful for!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Way Back When Wednesday - Sheets

We had an interesting first couple of days in Korea. Our plane didn't land until late in the evening, and then we still had to go through baggage claim and customs, find our boss Mr. Kim, and then get out of the airport. Then we had a 3.5 hour bus ride to Sokcho, where we'd be living. We arrived in Sokcho at 2am. A co-worker named Hyo-Jin met the three of us at the station and we all went out to eat. Yes, out to eat. I really didn't expect to be going out at that late of an hour, but I guess we were all hungry and there were restaurants open.

After eating, we finally got to our apartment. Mr. Kim told us to get some rest and that Hyo-Jin would call us later that day and take us to buy the things we needed for our apartment. We didn't end up resting at all because the apartment was a mess (the girl who lived there before left us "treasures").

Later that morning, Hyo-Jin called us to say he'd be there in about 15 minutes and he'd take us to E-Mart (the Korean equivalent to Wal-mart or Target) to go shopping.  I was relieved because there were no sheets on the bed, and we hadn't brought any with us.  We were told that the apartment would come with everything we needed (ha!).

So on our way to E-Mart, I explained to Hyo-Jin that we needed to buy some sheets for our bed.  He looked concerned, but seemed to know what we were talking about.  He took us all around E-Mart showing us where everything was.  It seemed so big to us at first!  Two stories with an escalator ramp!

After we had found most of what we needed, Hyo-Jin took us to the bedding section to help us find the sheets.  We couldn't find any anywhere!  He kept apologizing saying, "I'm sorry, I am a man.  I don't know anything about sheets," and "I'm sorry, I am not a housewife.  I don't know about sheets," and "I am not married, I don't know about things like sheets." 

Except he wasn't exactly saying "sheets."  Unfortunately, he was mispronouncing the long "E" sound.  He was pronouncing it with a short "I" sound, making it a completely different and completely inappropriate word.  After about the second or third apology it was getting really hard not to laugh.

And we had no idea what to do.  We didn't want to insult him and correct his English (he was also an English teacher at our academy), and we didn't want to have to explain what he was saying.   But then again, we didn't want him going around saying a bad word in the place of a completely harmless one.

So we delicately corrected him, telling him about the vowel change he made.  He was a little embarrassed, but grateful that we helped him avoid swearing unintentionally. 


Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Top Ten Tuesday - Fall

Like I wrote yesterday, Fall is finally here!  It's my favorite season; it has so many great birthdays and holidays!

Top 10 Tuesday - Fall



  1. Nice cool weather.  It's my favorite time to be outside.  I'm neither sweating nor freezing.
  2. Warm sweaters.  I love sweaters!
  3. Pretty Fall leaves.  I remember when I was a kid, my parents used to take us on a ride through Provo Canyon to look at the leaves.  It's a great memory.
  4. Halloween.  I'm not sure why Halloween is my favorite holiday.  There aren't any presents.  It's not about being together as a family, but there is something fun about dressing up and cute scary things.
  5. My birthday.  I'm lucky my birthday is in the fall... or maybe Fall is my favorite season because of my birthday.  Either way, I love having my birthday in October.
  6. School starting.  I'm not going to school right now and I don't like going to school (too much studying), but it's always exciting to meet new teachers and buy new supplies.
  7. Hot Cocoa.  I love hot chocolate and it's cool enough in Fall that I can get away with drinking it without looking weird.
  8. Long pants.  I prefer to wear long pants and -- similar to number seven -- it's cool enough in Fall that I can get away with it without looking weird, like I do in the summer.
  9. Wrapping up in blankets.  I feel all nice and cozy wrapping up in a blanket and watching TV.  Can't do that in warm weather.
  10. Cadence's birthday.  New to my top ten list, Cadence's birthday marks the beginning of Fall.  Now Fall has even more special meaning to me!!!!


Monday, October 5, 2009

Monday Morning Musings - It's Finally Fall!!

It's finally Fall, and I am so excited!  Although, I haven't been able to get outside for the last couple of days. It's been pretty rainy here.  Cool, rainy weather and a new baby don't go too well together...

One of these next few days I'm going to have to get my warm weather clothes out again--and check to see if they still fit...  Good thing I've got a birthday coming up soon! :)

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Thankful Thursday - Wonderful In-laws!!

Derek and I were so lucky to have Derek's parents come help us out this last week!  We were really sad to see them go this morning!  They were such a great help around here with fixing meals, cleaning up, mowing the lawn, holding the baby, etc...   I couldn't ask for better family! 




Thank you guys so much for volunteering to come up and help!!  You are the best!!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Way Back When Wednesday - Well, just last week...

It's not really a true Way Back Wednesday.  It really was just a week ago, even if it does feel like a lot longer with the lack of sleep!!!




Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Top Ten Tuesday

My friend Kristi and I joked about me making this top ten.  And I couldn't help myself.  It's a little cheesy, but here it is!



Top Ten Things I Liked About My C-Section

1-10.  Not having to deliver nearly 10 pounds of baby!




Monday, September 28, 2009

Monday Morning Musings - And Baby Makes 3!!

Here's what I've been musing about lately...



Her name is Cadence.  She was born last Tuesday, and was a whopping 9lbs 12oz, 22 inches long!  That's all I've got for now.  I have a newborn!! :)

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Way Back When Wednesday -

I recently attended the baptism of my first piano student.   He was so cute, and his dad did such a great job even if it was a bit unconventional. :)  It had been a while since I attended a child's baptism, and it made me think of my baptism. 

I was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the age of eight by my father on my birthday.  It was a Tuesday evening.  I remember that specifically.  Having my baptism on my birthday made the evening just that much more special to me.  Also, I was the only one being baptized.

There were a number of other things that made my baptism special to me.  First, I didn't wear a white dress.  I wore a white pant jumpsuit.  I don't exactly remember why.  Seems like it was because there wasn't a dress in my size available?  Or maybe I just really didn't want to wear a white frilly thing.  That's characteristic of me.  I remember showing off to my friends who were wearing dresses that I was wearing pants by unfolding the folding chairs using my feet and legs.  Looking back on it, the pant jumpsuit was more like a cropped-pant jumpsuit and nothing to be excited about...

Also, I played the special musical number.  I learned to play the Hymns Made Easy version of "We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet" on the piano just for the occasion.  I temporarily panicked when I got to the piano and couldn't find my song book.  It turned out that it was just behind the other hymn books the pianist had used the opening song.  As I remember, I played the song well.

After my wonderful baptism and confirmation, we had a birthday/baptism party at our house.  A lot of my friends, family, and other members of our ward came.  I had received an electric keyboard that morning for my birthday and my friends and I were having fun listening and dancing to it's pre-recorded music and rhythms.

One special gift I received that I really want to continue as a tradition in my family was my first real set of scriptures--a triple combination and a Bible with my name on them--in a scripture case.  I already had the missionary edition of the Book of Mormon to take to primary, but something about the reverence in which my parents gave me my new set, and the fact that it was given to me especially for being baptized, made a big impression on me.


Monday, September 21, 2009

Monday Morning Musings - Life Changes

I'm not sure which is worse.  On the one hand, you've got not knowing the day your life is going to drastically change.  It'll come at some point; you know what will happen, or at least you have an idea.  You just don't know when. 

On the other hand, you've got a scheduled date.  You know almost down to the minute when it's going to happen, and the anxiety caused by the hugeness of the change builds up because in the back of your mind you're constantly thinking, "this is the last time I'll be doing this before..."

Or at least that's what's going on with me.  I'm in the second category of life changers.  I think I stress myself out more than the actual event does because I'm always thinking!  My c-section is scheduled for Tuesday morning.  As in tomorrow morning.  And it's just hitting me now. 

I've been pretty excited about having a scheduled c-section rather than going into labor whenever my body and baby decides it's time because of what my doctors have advised me. But now that the scheduled big day is coming up I'm starting to freak a little.  Just on the inside at this point though.  I don't do so well with pain.  For goodness sake, I have to have my husband hold my hand when the nurse takes my blood for tests!  I'm a major wuss.  Plus, after the pain comes a baby and all the changes that requires.

In some ways just letting it happen could be better.  I wouldn't have time to worry about everything.  But that would probably mean I would freak out in a bigger way on the big day.  This way it's spread out a little more.  Derek will probably be grateful for that! :)  And I'm sure when all is said and done, it'll all be worth it.  That's what I've been told by every mother I've talked to whether or not they went through labor, had a c-section, or a combination of both. 

So keep me and Derek in your prayers this week.  I'm sure we'll do fine, and I'll probably even surprise myself with how well I make it through the next few days, but it's always nice to have people praying for you!


Thursday, September 17, 2009

Thankful Thursday - Friends' Advice

This week I have been so thankful for the wonderful advice and encouragement I've received from my great friends on my up coming c-section (It's this Tuesday!  Can you believe it?!).  I'm a bit of (okay, a lot of) a worrier so it's really important to me to know at least the basics of what I'm getting into. 


Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Way Back When Wednesday - Teacher, Do You Like...

It's taken me two weeks to figure out exactly how to write this Way Back When story. There's so much background information you have to know (it's another Korea story), and the subject is a little, um... sensitive? Well, sort of. You'll see what I mean as you read.

Learning to talk to children in English in Korea was an interesting experience.  Learning to talk to anyone in English in Korea was interesting.  You'd think it would be easy, the conversation being in English and all, but it wasn't.  There was the lack of vocabulary (it seemed like some students learned one word and vaguely used it for everything), accent (P.S. I hate Konglish!  It comes into this story, but it's also bad enough for another post), and the cultural differences that always sneak into language.  But I learned some tricks to make it easier to figure out what people were trying to say.

With children--which were the majority of my students--I usually tried to expect child specific conversations.  Things like stationary, school, video games, comic books, and popular TV and movies were common conversation topics.  If I expected topics such as those, usually I caught on.  If they varied to something other than what I thought was normal conversation material for children, we would all become very confused and frustrated.  But like I said, usually I was right on.

But not in this story.  My first class of the day was a class of six very bright 9-year-old girls who all spoke English very well.  Actually, some of them sounded quite American!  They were very comfortable speaking English and really enjoyed talking to me about all kinds of 9-year-old girl things.

Knowing that, it shouldn't surprise you that it surprised--or more like shocked--me when one of the girls came up to me before class and with a flawless American accent asked me, "Teacher, do you like (insert correct name of male reproductive organ here)?"

See?  This is where the subject gets a little sensitive...

I was shocked!  I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped and I had to pick it up quickly before this student noticed she had said something inappropriate.  When most students learned they had said something inappropriate, they wanted to know what it was and what it meant.  Then they would tell all their friends and I'd never hear the end of it.  Plus she was 9 years old!  She didn't need to be using that word at all!

My mind started racing to figure out what she was talking about.  Maybe I had just misheard her?

"Say that again?"  I asked, trying to sound like nothing was odd, inappropriate or shocking.

"Teacher, do you like (same correct name for male reproductive organ)?" she replied adding emphasis to both "teacher" and the word I couldn't for the life of me figure out why she was saying.

Hmm.  My next thought illogically was, well of course I do; I'm a woman.  But I was smart enough not to say that out loud; although she probably wouldn't have figured out what I meant.  So I decided to continue asking her to repeat herself, thinking that maybe I would figure out what she was saying if I heard it over and over.  "What?  I don't understand what you mean."

"You know, (same correct name for male reproductive organ), Aphrodite!"  Then it hit me.  She meant to say, Venus.  Konglish, and cultural differences struck again.

"Oh, you mean Venus." I said, immediately relieved and putting quite a bit of stress on the V.  "Venus, with a V."  I even held up my index and middle finger in a V shape to add to the emphasis on the V.  "Sure, I guess I like Venus."

"Okay!" She said and skipped back over to her classmates.  Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice how awkward the conversation had been going.

Koreans have trouble with Vs, and quite a few other letters of the English alphabet.  There just isn't a sound or combination of sounds in Korean that is anything like a V.  So they make due by pronouncing Vs like Ps, which they do have in Korean.

Usually, this and other substitutions cause little or no confusion on my part because I'm expecting it.  Unless the substituted sound makes a completely different word and almost makes sense in the sentence, as it did in this conversation.  Most of the reason why I was so confused and couldn't figure out "Venus" rather than, well... you know... was because every word she said was pronounced perfectly.  Her grammar was off, but the pronunciation was perfect.

Also, what kid comes up to you and asks if you like Venus.  It just doesn't make sense.  Like she's someone I know or something?  I had no context to go by.  What I found out recently is that's only odd for an American kid.  In Korea, they use Venus to advertise for just about everything.  She's everywhere.  I guess for a Korean kid, she's something like Harry Potter.  Not really a real person, but so ubiquitous and familiar that it's like you do know them as a real person.  It's not weird to ask someone in America if they like Harry Potter, so I guess with as familiar as Venus is in Korea, it's not odd for a Korean to ask an American if they like Venus.

Unless, of course, they pronounce Venus with a P.

You Might Be Married to a Handyman If... (Part II)

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You Might Be Married to a Handyman If... (Part II)

  1. ...you can't drive the 2nd car because it's a dirty, 40 year-old stick shift Ford F-150 that starts in the 2nd gear.

  2. ...most of the gifts you or your family buys your husband are tools or gift cards to Lowes and Home Depot.

  3. ...you have to check your husband for sweat, dust, paint, mortar, grout, etc. before giving him a hug or kiss.

  4. ...you have an extra category of laundry: lights, darks,  and husband's work clothes.

  5. ...there are enough reference manuals in your house to build a house, possibly out of the manuals! :)

  6. ...every time you go to someone's house your husband ends up fixing something, or looks at something they want fixed or redone in the future.  (This one's my favorite because it means people are always happy to have us come over, and/or a job in the future!)

  7. ...your husband's cell phone has dust in every crevice.  He has to wipe it off every time he uses it.  (Amazingly, it still works!)

  8. ...your husband has double sets of callouses on his palms.

  9. ...most of your furniture is or will be handmade.

  10. ...you buy Powerade in bulk.  Big time.

    And a Bonus!

  11. ...every time you hold your husband's hand there's something rough or scratchy--a cut, scrape or puncture wound.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Monday Morning Musings: C-Sections

This entire pregnancy, I've had this sneaky suspicion that in the end, I would need to have a c-section.  There's nothing wrong with c-sections; Derek and I were both c-section babies.  I was just concerned with having to go through some amount of labor and then have the doctors finally agree with me and do a c-section.  Seems like WAY more pain that I really need/want to go through, right?  Maybe I'm just being a wuss again.

But at my OB appointment last week (Wednesday), my doctor measured me at 45 weeks.  That's right, 45 WEEKS!  I don't feel that huge.  And I thought most babies were done at 40 weeks and then came out!  Plus, I was only 38 weeks along at the time.  She suggested we get another ultrasound to see what was going on--just to make sure everything was okay.  Then after that, we'd talk with the OB doctors who would be performing the surgery about a scheduled c-section.

The very next morning (Thursday) at 8:30am, I went in for my ultrasound.  It didn't take very long and I was assured that Dr. Skinner would call me that day to tell me the results.  Well, that was a bit of a fib, but I shouldn't have really expected a phone call that day.  Dr. Skinner's a really busy doctor.  Sometimes it takes up to a week to hear back from her.  Frustrating, but understandable.

Early the next day (Friday), the OB office called and said, "We need to get you in for a consultation appointment in preparation for your c-section."  I was a little shocked because I thought I'd hear from my doctor first, but I didn't argue.  I asked the receptionist a few questions about what was going on, and she said Dr. Skinner had referred me to Dr. Colwell and that he had an opening that day at 1:30.  I told them that would be fine.  Better than fine actually.  How often do you get a doctor's appointment same-day?

Just after that call, I called Dr. Skinner's office and asked to speak with Dr. Skinner, but everyone goes through her nurse first.  So I left a message, hoping that someone would call me back before 1:30 so I didn't look stupid at Dr. Colwell's office.  Within the hour, I got a call from Dr. Skinner herself!  Amazing!  She told me that she did look at the ultrasound results and determined that since my baby had the potential to be 10 pounds (holy heck!), a scheduled c-section would be best, and that she did call Dr. Colwell's office for the consultation appointment.

I felt that since this was kind of an important decision to make, Derek had to go with me.  He's not big on attending my appointments because he's always nervous that he'll have to watch me be examined.  But this appointment wasn't bad.  Just talking mostly.  Dr. Colwell and his colleague both looked at my records and determined that my baby was too big for me to be able to deliver.  I'd need a little help.  Also she hadn't descended yet, which she should have.  I asked if that could be because she's too big to fit down in where she's supposed to and he thought that was probably the reason.  Great, I thought, a big baby with a big head!

And it turned out, Dr. Colwell had already scheduled a date for me, Tuesday the 22nd.  Not as early as I'd like, but he was limited by the 39 weeks rule (which is the Thursday of this week), and his schedule (Tuesday of next week was the first opening he had).  But he also told me that if I go into labor between now and then, they'll just take me right in for a c-section.

So now my mind's a bit at ease.  At least I know I won't have to go through hours of hard labor before the doctor takes me in for a c-section.  But now I have major surgery to think about!!  So all you mothers out there who've had c-sections, what's it like?  Any advice?

Friday, September 11, 2009

A Way Back Wednesday, Thankful Thursday and Friday Finds All in One!

It's been another one of those weeks. I just haven't gotten the gumption up to posting.  I'll blame it on being almost done with being pregnant (yay!!).

But today, I have a treat.  A three in one.  Well, it's a treat to me.  How often can a blogger combine a story from your past, a thankful thought and a bunch of great links?  Not very often, but with today being 9-11, I think I've found a way.  So here it goes. 

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Way Back Wednesday
On September 11, 2001, I was sitting in Mr. Rush's AP Environmental Science class.  It was my senior year in high school.  I remember Mr. Rush being a bit late so we all happily chatted until he got there.  Once he did arrive in class, I could tell something was really bothering him.  He had a very serious look on his face and he was usually a pretty easy going kind of guy. 

After we all quieted down, he somberly announced what had happened in NYC and that there was a huge fire in D.C. (which turned out to be a rumor).  At that point, only one plane had hit.  Like every other American that morning, we were shocked and scared.  We were all so upset that we decided not to do any studying that day.  How could we concentrate when we felt like our world was coming to an end?  We had no idea what was really going on out there.

Most of the rest of our classes that day were like that.  The library had the news playing on their TVs.  I remember one of my friends told us about seeing the coverage of both towers falling while she was in the library.  She was shocked and really, really upset.  She said something like, "I can't believe I just watched 1000s of people die!"  It was a really horrible day at school.

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Thankful Thursday 

With 9-11 happening this week, I've been reminded of how grateful I am to be American, and to live in America.  I'm grateful that even when horrible things happen, our country can pick itself back up and keep moving.  Being an American, it's hard to imagine what life's like for other people in countries with less freedom.  Freedom is so natural for us.  I appreciate that. 

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Friday Finds

Here are a few 9-11 related links I found this week.  Each of them has a slightly different take.  Enjoy!

Nine Eleven, The Pioneer Woman.  Sort of a then and now post.  I love her writing!

9-11 Quilt that Traveled the World, The School of Good Enough.  I have known this blogger for years.  She's an excellent quilter.  And she doesn't just make regular quilts.  She is a quilt artist!

Patriot Day, Cake Wrecks.  This post is a little more on the humorous side--as you would expect with Cake Wrecks--which might sound like a bad thing on such a serious day.  But I enjoyed it.

Remembering 9/11, A Thrifty Mom.  A traditional 9-11 memory.


Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Top Ten Tuesday - You Might Be Married to a Handyman If...

This is by no means a rag on Derek post.  I love all of these quirky and sometimes inconvenient things that come with being married to a handyman.  I'm lucky to be married to a man who has his dream job and is amazing at it!

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You Might Be Married to a Handyman If...

  1. ...your husband says something like, "I felt like half a man without my hammer!"

  2. ...you open your fridge and see a giant paint roller wrapped in a shopping bag.  (He was keeping it fresh for later use)

  3. ...you look in the fridge for the butter and find a sponge brush in a sandwich bag.  (Same as number 2, keeping it fresh)

  4. ...your mini-van is a two-seater because of all the power tools.  (This has only happened once or twice.  Usually our van is a four-seater with plenty of room for tools)

  5. ...you find a paint brush drying on the edge of your bathroom sink.

  6. ...you find your husband with a far off look in his eyes.  You ask him what he's thinking about and he says something like, "tile," or "plans for the deck I'm working on," etc.

  7. ...the Parade of Homes becomes a mega-date every year.  (And I love it!)

  8. ...you watch a lot of HGTV because it's "educational."  (It's growing on me.  At least it's entertaining and not vulgar or violent)

  9. ...your garage has some amount of sawdust in it... at all times!

  10. ...your husband can make or fix anything you need!  (Yesterday he started on a great set of shelves for baby stuff.  He's almost finished; all we need to do is paint.  Pretty soon I'll have 5 more shelves to store stuff in!  Yay!)



PS: I told Derek he was the subject of today's post. He got pretty into the topic and gave me 12 more things to go on the list. So look for another You Might Be Married to a Handyman If... post next week!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Monday Morning Musings - Making Room

We are making room for the baby! My dad and I went to the U-Haul store this morning to get boxes so we could get all the blankets, towels and sheets we weren't using out of the hall closet in our house and into the storage unit. I couldn't believe how many unused sets of sheets and towels we had around the house!!!

The next step is to transfer our sheets and towels out of our room into the hall closet making all kinds of room for baby stuff. Then Derek's going to build another shelf for even more storage. I'm so excited!

And then (you thought we were done, didn't you?) we're going to move the computer desk out of our room and into the sun room, making room for the crib. THEN we'll be set. I think...

Friday, September 4, 2009

Another Travel Dream



Do you see those beautiful trees, foggy clouds, and historical buildings?!  Someday when I visit Australia, I'm stopping by here!

(Photo courtesy of Martybugs' contribution to Wikipedia)