So today's my birthday! I'm taking it better than I did last year. I was totally spazzing because I realized I was in my mid-20s and my early 20s were spent on work and school. Not that I'm the party type but it's like I never even had a chance to breathe! In the 5 years we've been married we've seldom been able to do things with friends, visit family, have a vacation, go anywhere etc. But this year feels a little better. Maybe I just feel like I'm accomplishing something because I'm having a baby in a few months.
So aside from that there's another reason for me to post extra this week. A friend from church had twin girls almost 2 weeks ago and lost one on Thursday. During her pregnancy they detected a heart problem with Baby A and thought that she would need surgery right after birth. Then she started having contractions early and had to go on bed rest, and was later even hopsitalized. The main concern was that the baby's lungs needed to reach a certain development to handle the surgery. Happily, she made it past the safe point even and the surgery was not done right away. To me, things were really looking up. Then later I was told that since she was under 5 pounds she may not survive surgery, and she may also not surive without it. I don't know if they did the surgery or not, I never heard anything else about it. Everything I do know came from Facebook.
Even though it's not my baby, I'm feeling a lot of emotions. I couldn't imagine loosing Teddy. And I'm angry because I feel so unprepared for her death. With our faith, we believe in miracles, we believe in healing. But it's all part of God's plan, it may serve a greater purpose not to be healed. In all, Abigial has it better, heaven over life on earth. It's just when I'm sick or there's something going on with me physically, I try to be honest with people about it. There are times when people who don't even know me, but rather other believers on facebook, have said that I lack faith to admit those problems. In this case, every time I talked to someone (except the last time) I was given the impression that surgery would fix the problem, but it would be great if that wasn't even needed. I know people who have had heart surgery upon birth and I've heard other stories. Maybe I just didn't realize how dangerous it was still in 2010, but I still feel like the situtaion was described to me like this "either the Lord will heal her, or the doctors will." I prayed for them all the same, I suppose it wouldn't have made much of a difference if I was told that she would probably die, but this was the first time I've ever been entirely positive and hopeful of everything turning out fine, and I've been utterly crushed. I guess I just don't have enough faith to even begin to understand why this had to happen, why she even had to live at all to only die 9 days later.
To make it worse, I've barely even talked to Stephanie in all these years. As I said, we couldn't even keep up wiht our current friends, let alone make new ones. I was still in Alaska when I heard about the complications with the pregnancy and I sent a card. I didn't know if I should try calling, upon coming back I didn't know if I should visit, especially while we were trying to get settled. Then before I knew it, she was in labor. Now, I don't know if she'd even want to see me. I almost wish I wasn't even pregnant to make her feel better. When I was struggling to get pregnant after years and years of trying it was difficult to see other pregnant women having everything I ever dreamed of. Maybe Stephanie's just way sweeter and nicer than me, but everytime I try to put myself in her shoes I think that the last person I'd want to be around is a very pregnant lady. I finally had a chance to buy them a gift last week (before Abigial's death) since we didn't have a Target in Fairbanks and there wasn't a lot available online. Now I have no clue if I should give it to her still, or when etc. I can't imagine the pain of losing one but still having to take care of another. The sorrow of expecting to bring home 2 and only having 1.
So for all my complaining, I am grateful. I know how blessed I am. But I want to be totally honest in this blog. I knew there were pregnancy symptoms out there that were not pleasant, but the few friends I had that had been pregnant either practically witheld information or never complained of these weird symptoms. Just the other day I read that belly buttons don't always pop. Why would that information need to be concealed?! So, for my other friends reading this who may be pregnant one day, I want to be honest about how I feel, even though I know it's not as awful as most and that I'm blessed beyond measure compared to some. So SPD sucks, and it's horrible to know that I'm going to be in pain every day until Teddy comes, but I'll take that any day over most of the alternatives.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
28 weeks, with the end in sight
So far this pregnancy the really only things I've disliked were horrible exhaustion in the first trimester and nauseau. I never had vomiting and even things like my scent aversions could, for the most part, be avoided. Aside from the stress of our crappy situation in Alaska and moving I've had a blessed pregnancy. And I'm not discounting that at all, but I'm so thankful there is an end coming!
Last week I wrote a little about the Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction pain I was having (SPD). Near birth the body produces a hormone called relaxin which actually loosens the ligaments which hold the pelvic frame in preparation for the baby's exit. Some women, lucky me, produce it much earlier and the result is a loose pelvis with no support for the baby and weight or even normal movement. Many women don't start to produce the hormone until they are in labor, it's not exactly something that's intended to start 13 weeks out and you be comfortable and walking around the whole time.
Today I kind of had a melt down thinking about the fact that I'm going to be in this type of pain or worse every time I try to move until the baby comes. It doesn't help that Doug twisted his knee playing on his Dad's softball team Monday night and thinks the pain is the same because it hurts when he moves. No, it's not the same. His will go away, and he was stupid to play to start with. He had helped his dad at work earlier that day, then helped at the church clean up early that evening and just did too much physical activity in too short of a span on a body that's not used to it. The week before he went and pulled a muscle in his chest while swinging. Thankfully, they lost and so it's the end of the season. If he wants to play next year he's got to get in shape. I'm not taking care of a baby and an injured husband who still thinks he's 16. I know it sounds like it wouldn't be a big difference, but 9 years is a lot. I remember when I was about 8 my mom was seduced by the neighborhood children to try to do a cartwheel. She was 28 and sprained her ankle and was in bed for 3 days. We were practically helpless. Unlike most people, even as a child I didn't consider that old and still don't, but now I understand that even at that young age your body can't keep up. Even for those that work out it's a seldom few that can maintain it at the rate they did in high school. Reality call to Doug, slow down and/or prepare yourself for that.
Anyway, back to me (yeah one of those whiney days, well should still be night for me). So the SPD hurts if I'm doing anything but laying or sitting. Sitting is decieving because it won't hurt while I'm doing it, but once I take a break it hurts for hours. After sitting for a while, say 2 hours, that hurts worse than walking for 30 minutes, even though there's no movement at all. At this point, if I do something early in the day I need to rest in the afternoon and then can do some more in the evening and then need to rest. It still hurts way worse in the evening if I've been active earlier in the day, but I can kind of muscle through it. Preparing for the natural childbirth is how I felt about it for the last week. But childbirth is not a 13 week event and the pain is only going to get worse as he gets bigger and engages later. I'm most annoyed because I can't clean the house, or even one room, without pain and needing to stop. I can't go grocery shopping (which includes going to several stores as I shop the sales) all at once. I was in Target yesterday to pick up a few things and it felt like I was going to be ripped apart. I just got some things we needed and wanted to browse the home decor aisles and baby aisles and actually even needed to add a few things to the registry, but I just couldn't do it.
And all of this is why I was freaking out before hand about moving and not being able to get anything done before now. It was going to be a push if I was able to fully move and function the way most pregnant women are. But now I can't. And Doug just doesn't get it. Once he starts a job he'll be working 50+ hours a week and won't be able to help much. I swear I am the only person who knows a broom works in this house. He's not usually so bad but his Dad has him doing things and in general he's just trying to enjoy his time off. Not that he put off finding a job, but he's never had a vacation. He had time saved up from Sheetz and used it last year to fly to Alaska and find a job there. This year we were driving while he got paid for his time off, but definitely not a vacation. So right now, he doesn't understand the idea of having a routine since it's not needed. It's not that his whole life revolves around work, but he needs that steady thing that takes up most of the day to plan other things around. Whereas I can keep myself busy with a to-do list. Mom is not only busy, but kind of annoying me, as happens from time to time in our relationship. So I don't want to have to depend on her to come help me daily to get things done. If that needs to happen I'd rather wait until after the baby is here!
Well, on the upside at least I don't have these symptoms: nauseau, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, hemerroids, spotting, itchy stretch marks (though I do have them!), horrible back ache, excess gas, excess forgetfulness (got some though), headaches, consistent swelling of ankles (mine comes and goes depending on activity), daily leg cramps (just the occasional), restless leg syndrome (especially since it hurts so much to move them now!), carpal tunnel or varicose veins. So besides all my complaining, I guess I can deal with the SPD.
Also, it turns out the best birth for SPD is a non-medicated one, ideally in a birth pool. Turns out I knew what my body needed all along, so maybe now my sister-in-law (and others) can quit thinking I'm crazy when they've never researched anything about it to start with, and now it's practically medically necessary.
Another good side: after much begging and procrastination we've finally started working on the nursery. By we I mean Doug and his friends, because I could barely stand to go upstairs to pee the other night, let alone hammer pannel board into the ceiling rafters (and I shouldn't be on a ladder anyway). Next comes priming and painting. I hope he can get them done before he starts work. We also intend to put carpet down since it's just concrete right now. Not my favorite choice, since every where recommends not using wall to wall carpet if you can, but I'm sure it will be fine and it's more economical than even peel and stick tile since we'd still need a good size rug. But that's going to have to wait until after Doug get's a paycheck. I'm going to try to resist the urge to get all the things Mom has for Teddy and put them in there until then, because it would require moving a lot of things back out. But we'll see how that goes. Well, thanks to SPD, I have a legitimate reason to not have to lift a finger to help. Though that annoys me more than it makes me happy.
Oh, and my appointment was yesterday. We mostly just went over the paperwork, recommended some pediatricians/family practice physicians and she looked at my file and agreed to the due date of 11/18. So Teddy will probably be here by 12/2 at the latest (right now I'm hoping 2 weeks early actually but that's unlikely)! So I'm going back next week to do the more routine visit (blood pressure, fundus height, fetal heartbeat, weight), and also to do the glucose tolerance test and get my rhogam shot, or reference to a lab at least. After that it should be appointments every 2 weeks. Oh, and we paid the deposit on the birth. Feels like that makes it so much more real!
I think I need to start blogging more than once a week since I drone on and on.
Last week I wrote a little about the Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction pain I was having (SPD). Near birth the body produces a hormone called relaxin which actually loosens the ligaments which hold the pelvic frame in preparation for the baby's exit. Some women, lucky me, produce it much earlier and the result is a loose pelvis with no support for the baby and weight or even normal movement. Many women don't start to produce the hormone until they are in labor, it's not exactly something that's intended to start 13 weeks out and you be comfortable and walking around the whole time.
Today I kind of had a melt down thinking about the fact that I'm going to be in this type of pain or worse every time I try to move until the baby comes. It doesn't help that Doug twisted his knee playing on his Dad's softball team Monday night and thinks the pain is the same because it hurts when he moves. No, it's not the same. His will go away, and he was stupid to play to start with. He had helped his dad at work earlier that day, then helped at the church clean up early that evening and just did too much physical activity in too short of a span on a body that's not used to it. The week before he went and pulled a muscle in his chest while swinging. Thankfully, they lost and so it's the end of the season. If he wants to play next year he's got to get in shape. I'm not taking care of a baby and an injured husband who still thinks he's 16. I know it sounds like it wouldn't be a big difference, but 9 years is a lot. I remember when I was about 8 my mom was seduced by the neighborhood children to try to do a cartwheel. She was 28 and sprained her ankle and was in bed for 3 days. We were practically helpless. Unlike most people, even as a child I didn't consider that old and still don't, but now I understand that even at that young age your body can't keep up. Even for those that work out it's a seldom few that can maintain it at the rate they did in high school. Reality call to Doug, slow down and/or prepare yourself for that.
Anyway, back to me (yeah one of those whiney days, well should still be night for me). So the SPD hurts if I'm doing anything but laying or sitting. Sitting is decieving because it won't hurt while I'm doing it, but once I take a break it hurts for hours. After sitting for a while, say 2 hours, that hurts worse than walking for 30 minutes, even though there's no movement at all. At this point, if I do something early in the day I need to rest in the afternoon and then can do some more in the evening and then need to rest. It still hurts way worse in the evening if I've been active earlier in the day, but I can kind of muscle through it. Preparing for the natural childbirth is how I felt about it for the last week. But childbirth is not a 13 week event and the pain is only going to get worse as he gets bigger and engages later. I'm most annoyed because I can't clean the house, or even one room, without pain and needing to stop. I can't go grocery shopping (which includes going to several stores as I shop the sales) all at once. I was in Target yesterday to pick up a few things and it felt like I was going to be ripped apart. I just got some things we needed and wanted to browse the home decor aisles and baby aisles and actually even needed to add a few things to the registry, but I just couldn't do it.
And all of this is why I was freaking out before hand about moving and not being able to get anything done before now. It was going to be a push if I was able to fully move and function the way most pregnant women are. But now I can't. And Doug just doesn't get it. Once he starts a job he'll be working 50+ hours a week and won't be able to help much. I swear I am the only person who knows a broom works in this house. He's not usually so bad but his Dad has him doing things and in general he's just trying to enjoy his time off. Not that he put off finding a job, but he's never had a vacation. He had time saved up from Sheetz and used it last year to fly to Alaska and find a job there. This year we were driving while he got paid for his time off, but definitely not a vacation. So right now, he doesn't understand the idea of having a routine since it's not needed. It's not that his whole life revolves around work, but he needs that steady thing that takes up most of the day to plan other things around. Whereas I can keep myself busy with a to-do list. Mom is not only busy, but kind of annoying me, as happens from time to time in our relationship. So I don't want to have to depend on her to come help me daily to get things done. If that needs to happen I'd rather wait until after the baby is here!
Well, on the upside at least I don't have these symptoms: nauseau, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, hemerroids, spotting, itchy stretch marks (though I do have them!), horrible back ache, excess gas, excess forgetfulness (got some though), headaches, consistent swelling of ankles (mine comes and goes depending on activity), daily leg cramps (just the occasional), restless leg syndrome (especially since it hurts so much to move them now!), carpal tunnel or varicose veins. So besides all my complaining, I guess I can deal with the SPD.
Also, it turns out the best birth for SPD is a non-medicated one, ideally in a birth pool. Turns out I knew what my body needed all along, so maybe now my sister-in-law (and others) can quit thinking I'm crazy when they've never researched anything about it to start with, and now it's practically medically necessary.
Another good side: after much begging and procrastination we've finally started working on the nursery. By we I mean Doug and his friends, because I could barely stand to go upstairs to pee the other night, let alone hammer pannel board into the ceiling rafters (and I shouldn't be on a ladder anyway). Next comes priming and painting. I hope he can get them done before he starts work. We also intend to put carpet down since it's just concrete right now. Not my favorite choice, since every where recommends not using wall to wall carpet if you can, but I'm sure it will be fine and it's more economical than even peel and stick tile since we'd still need a good size rug. But that's going to have to wait until after Doug get's a paycheck. I'm going to try to resist the urge to get all the things Mom has for Teddy and put them in there until then, because it would require moving a lot of things back out. But we'll see how that goes. Well, thanks to SPD, I have a legitimate reason to not have to lift a finger to help. Though that annoys me more than it makes me happy.
Oh, and my appointment was yesterday. We mostly just went over the paperwork, recommended some pediatricians/family practice physicians and she looked at my file and agreed to the due date of 11/18. So Teddy will probably be here by 12/2 at the latest (right now I'm hoping 2 weeks early actually but that's unlikely)! So I'm going back next week to do the more routine visit (blood pressure, fundus height, fetal heartbeat, weight), and also to do the glucose tolerance test and get my rhogam shot, or reference to a lab at least. After that it should be appointments every 2 weeks. Oh, and we paid the deposit on the birth. Feels like that makes it so much more real!
I think I need to start blogging more than once a week since I drone on and on.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Before and After
These pics didn't fit in my other post. So here's before and half way done pics of our bedroom area. We're still unpacking. Eventually we want to paint the paneling white, we'll be getting a king size bed, the big chair is being moved to the nursery, the couch being moved to the laundry/game room and things generally organized and cleaned up. I want to get some small chairs so that I can have a few friends down there when my father in law wants to use the living room or just when I don't want to hang out on the bed! Until a better arrangement can be made at least(I have my plans, oh yes, I have my plans...) So far it's already a big improvement from the first day. Unfortunately we probably won't have time and money to do the bigger fixes (painting) until after Teddy is born.
Welcome 3rd trimester!
So here's a pic of me from Monday. And before pics of the nursery. Still working on the after parts!
So this week I started my 3rd and final trimester! Teddy is due in less than 13 weeks! That seems sooooooooo close! And finally I got my school check so we have been able to catch up on bills, we can start on the nursery etc. I expected this check to get here before us. Especially annoying is the fact that it's supposed to help with the cost of school (ie instead of a job) and it gets here at the end of week 11 out of a 16 week semester. Good things I was able to pay for my books before hand!
This week has kind of sucked besides this check. We found out that our voicemail hasn't been working and it turns out that Doug missed a call from Lowe's about a job, which is now closed, last week. We're trying to look on the positive, that it wasn't meant to be, but it would have been so nice to have that burden figured out! I also went to the wrong place and missed my appointment this week! The new birth center is opening up after labor day, which I knew, but never asked where else to go. Turns out that she was going to have to reschedule anyway since she had a birth to attend, the life of those that bring life into the world! But I was bummed because I was looking forward to meeting her again and hopefully getting a final word on my estimated due date. My next appointment is for this next Tuesday at 2 pm, I should make that one, haha!
But good news too. A friend from my church has been on bedrest for months and expecting twin girls. She successfully delivered them both, though they have different birthdays! They said that one would need heart surgery and now they're just waiting for her to gain enough weight. We still believe that gives God plenty of time for healing. Divine healing is a process unlike miracles.
At this point things don't really change too much by the week for the baby. So he's a little longer and larger than he was last week, though all of that's just estimated anyway, and he's got some more control over his eyes and can hear better etc.
Neat news: Doug was able to hear Teddy's heartbeat! I'm so jealous! I wish I could bend down there and listen, but that's pretty impossible right now.
Oh, and for everyone else who it's not quite hitting home yet that he'll be here in less than 3 months, can take a turn being pregnant for me, lol. I've started having some pelvic pressure the other day. It's spd, pelvic joint related pain due to all the changes. It's not horrible, but kind of uncomfortable when standing and walking. I'm almost waddling from it. Sadly, I'm sure it wil get worse since there's only so much space for him to go and in just a few weeks he will be putting more weight on it and be dropping.
Now that I can look down and see my big belly and feel him kick and jab all over and am getting uncomfortable, it's really hit home that I'm going to have a baby. A real baby. All mine. Well, and Doug's. Forever. A newborn. I've never been around a baby under 2 weeks! I'm really afraid that I'll break him or something. I mean, I will get to hold him when he's just a few seconds old, after his first few breaths. If he cries and is upset, I'm the mommy. There's no one to pass him off to. I'm great with kids and babies, so I know I will be fine and that with the mommy intuition it will be fine, but it's just so weird to think about!! And I think about him getting older too. What will his first words be? What about school? I want to homeschool (that's the plan right now) but what if I change my mind. Even if I don't at what age would I be ok with him going to public school, if ever. How will that affect him developmentally, socially, educationally? What real values do I want him to know? How to parent effectively- not too soft and not too harsh? What type of mother-in-law will I be? I could go on and on. It's a weird thing to be imagining both the beginning and even into the end of his life. It's like some sort of sappy life flashing before the eyes near death experience scene from a movie. Except the life I'm thinking more about isn't mine as much his. That being said, I will try to let him live his own life! Well, once he earns it and is actually an adult at least.
So this week I started my 3rd and final trimester! Teddy is due in less than 13 weeks! That seems sooooooooo close! And finally I got my school check so we have been able to catch up on bills, we can start on the nursery etc. I expected this check to get here before us. Especially annoying is the fact that it's supposed to help with the cost of school (ie instead of a job) and it gets here at the end of week 11 out of a 16 week semester. Good things I was able to pay for my books before hand!
This week has kind of sucked besides this check. We found out that our voicemail hasn't been working and it turns out that Doug missed a call from Lowe's about a job, which is now closed, last week. We're trying to look on the positive, that it wasn't meant to be, but it would have been so nice to have that burden figured out! I also went to the wrong place and missed my appointment this week! The new birth center is opening up after labor day, which I knew, but never asked where else to go. Turns out that she was going to have to reschedule anyway since she had a birth to attend, the life of those that bring life into the world! But I was bummed because I was looking forward to meeting her again and hopefully getting a final word on my estimated due date. My next appointment is for this next Tuesday at 2 pm, I should make that one, haha!
But good news too. A friend from my church has been on bedrest for months and expecting twin girls. She successfully delivered them both, though they have different birthdays! They said that one would need heart surgery and now they're just waiting for her to gain enough weight. We still believe that gives God plenty of time for healing. Divine healing is a process unlike miracles.
At this point things don't really change too much by the week for the baby. So he's a little longer and larger than he was last week, though all of that's just estimated anyway, and he's got some more control over his eyes and can hear better etc.
Neat news: Doug was able to hear Teddy's heartbeat! I'm so jealous! I wish I could bend down there and listen, but that's pretty impossible right now.
Oh, and for everyone else who it's not quite hitting home yet that he'll be here in less than 3 months, can take a turn being pregnant for me, lol. I've started having some pelvic pressure the other day. It's spd, pelvic joint related pain due to all the changes. It's not horrible, but kind of uncomfortable when standing and walking. I'm almost waddling from it. Sadly, I'm sure it wil get worse since there's only so much space for him to go and in just a few weeks he will be putting more weight on it and be dropping.
Now that I can look down and see my big belly and feel him kick and jab all over and am getting uncomfortable, it's really hit home that I'm going to have a baby. A real baby. All mine. Well, and Doug's. Forever. A newborn. I've never been around a baby under 2 weeks! I'm really afraid that I'll break him or something. I mean, I will get to hold him when he's just a few seconds old, after his first few breaths. If he cries and is upset, I'm the mommy. There's no one to pass him off to. I'm great with kids and babies, so I know I will be fine and that with the mommy intuition it will be fine, but it's just so weird to think about!! And I think about him getting older too. What will his first words be? What about school? I want to homeschool (that's the plan right now) but what if I change my mind. Even if I don't at what age would I be ok with him going to public school, if ever. How will that affect him developmentally, socially, educationally? What real values do I want him to know? How to parent effectively- not too soft and not too harsh? What type of mother-in-law will I be? I could go on and on. It's a weird thing to be imagining both the beginning and even into the end of his life. It's like some sort of sappy life flashing before the eyes near death experience scene from a movie. Except the life I'm thinking more about isn't mine as much his. That being said, I will try to let him live his own life! Well, once he earns it and is actually an adult at least.
Friday, August 13, 2010
98 days to go!
So at 26 weeks Teddy is between 1.5 pounds and 2 and between 9.5 inches long and 14, depending on the website you look at. That's because at this point fetuses totally vary. I can tell he's getting big. I can feel him kicking down low and up high all at the same time, he's really starting to flex his muscles! Sometimes he kicks pretty hard and consistent and I have to remind him that he needs to settle down because he's not allowed out yet!
Also, according to the websites now he can hear us even better, start to open his eyes and breathe in amniotic fluid. He's practicing for life outside but hopefully not any time soon!
I am starting to get overwhelmed. I'm getting tired again and it's hard for me to remember things! I keep making to-do lists and very few things on them get completed. At this point I really think the only thing that will save me is that this semester ends September 26th, and if I don't take classes the next semester then I'll have several weeks to do all the little things to get ready for Teddy. But there's problems with that idea. I'd need to get my loans deferred until I start the next semester, which would be February. Then I'm worried that after that long of a break I will have problems adjusting. I think I'll have to try to contact the professors beforehand and see how flexible they can be with me, my ones this semester are not being flexible at all. Also, it would be better if I could graduate earlier, and of course, since I'm not working it's nice to get the financial aid money.
That's on top of still needing to get settled in this house physically and emotionally, and Doug finidng a job and getting caught up on my homework due now in addition to the final papers and exams due in the next 5 weeks. 5 weeks doesn't seem like enough time to get the work done. Even more crazy is the fact that in 5 weeks I'll be 31 weeks along!
At any rate, I guess it will all get done. I've always been stressed and busy like this, I just hoped that when it was time to start motherhood it wouldn't be this way. The craziness starts now. And next week I'll start my 3rd trimester!!
Also, according to the websites now he can hear us even better, start to open his eyes and breathe in amniotic fluid. He's practicing for life outside but hopefully not any time soon!
I am starting to get overwhelmed. I'm getting tired again and it's hard for me to remember things! I keep making to-do lists and very few things on them get completed. At this point I really think the only thing that will save me is that this semester ends September 26th, and if I don't take classes the next semester then I'll have several weeks to do all the little things to get ready for Teddy. But there's problems with that idea. I'd need to get my loans deferred until I start the next semester, which would be February. Then I'm worried that after that long of a break I will have problems adjusting. I think I'll have to try to contact the professors beforehand and see how flexible they can be with me, my ones this semester are not being flexible at all. Also, it would be better if I could graduate earlier, and of course, since I'm not working it's nice to get the financial aid money.
That's on top of still needing to get settled in this house physically and emotionally, and Doug finidng a job and getting caught up on my homework due now in addition to the final papers and exams due in the next 5 weeks. 5 weeks doesn't seem like enough time to get the work done. Even more crazy is the fact that in 5 weeks I'll be 31 weeks along!
At any rate, I guess it will all get done. I've always been stressed and busy like this, I just hoped that when it was time to start motherhood it wouldn't be this way. The craziness starts now. And next week I'll start my 3rd trimester!!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Finally moved!
I'll try to do another post after Thursday but felt the need to at least write some about the last few weeks.
So it was 2 weeks driving and then last week we attacked the basement at Doug's dad's house right away. We hoped to get it all done by Friday but by Thursday everything was catching up with us. So we finally started working on some things again yesterday and have all the books up on the shelves. There's still so much to do. But first the trip.
So we left Fairbanks on Monday, July 19th. The hotel in Anchorage was amazing! The company Doug worked for in Alaska owned it (Courtyard) and so we got a killer discount. Prices were usually close to $200 and we paid $40. After 2 weeks on an air mattress that mattress was heaven. I just wish we got to spend more than one night there! Tyler arrived late that night, with some delays in his flight. Of course we hit up Arby's on the way to the hotel and then Wendy's later. We hoped the Wendy's there would be good because the one in Fairbanks was just awful, but no. It must be an Alaskan thing. Tyler was amazed at the cost!
Tuesday we drove down to Portage Glacier, about an hour south of Anchorage. I was somehow under the impression, even after research, that we would be able to walk on the glacier. Instead it was across from us on a lake. It was dreary and rainy and cold at around 50 degrees, so we didn't get to see the pretty water. It was still a nice experience though. Originally the plan was to drive through a wilderness preserve and see a bunch of Alaskan animals but we decided to go gold panning instead. That was the neatest side of the road place ever! They are a functioning claim still and had a list of recent finds they had some over $7,000. Then we headed north and finally got on the Alaska-Canada highway around 11 pm.
I had told Doug how rough the road was for me last year and it seems that he didn't quite believe me. In addition, while we would have still had some daylight (between June and December you actually LOSE daylight versus gaining it from January-June). When I drove last year I had about 24 hours of day light versus the 4 hours of nightfall that northern Alaska gets in July. And it was so cloudy. Tyler and I dozed off before we reached the Canada border. Doug said he had to go about 15 mph, which is why we didn't reach the border until 2 am. Crossing into the Canadian border there is a joke (as is coming the other direction) than it is at the other cross points in Montana and Washington that I experienced.
The next few days are practically a blur. Towns with hotels and restaurants are hundreds of miles apart. I had to meticulously plan gas stops as well. The places in the tiny settlement are often abandoned now, insanely expensive, and often times watered down. We had 10 extra gallons of gas with us, just in case, and we did use it once. I spent a few hours researching gas prices online, where I could find them listed, the week before we left to have an idea of how much we'd be spending at each place. We actually got really great gas mileage, sometimes around 24 mpg, versus the estimated 15. That saved us a bundle even though prices had gone up in some places. We drove the entire 1,390 miles of the Alcan in about 28 hours. Tyler had horrible jet lag and it turns out that my feet decided to swell the ENTIRE trip so we only drove a few hours. Doug drove most of the way and we did have to pull over at a "rest area" for a few hours.
About the rest areas. Unlike in the US, they are just gravel lots where you can park, with some trashcans and latrines. Doug corrected me, they're not even portapotties, as they have tanks and these were just ditches. There are no lights and it's just concrete walls with a pitched roof and some narrow windows for the scent to flow out of. Doug checked them to make sure there were no "pedophiles" which I had to remind him that I probably look a little old for them now, haha. I guess he meant rapists. Then we found out that if you're over 6 feet tall you can peer in the windows, without the other person noticing usually. There were times there were not toilet paper and definitely no sinks or soap. As awful and primitive as all that sounds, there were times when there was nothing and I literally had to pee on the side of the road. Turns out my experiences in China and the squatting potties there came in handy. And again, all of those situations were better than the bathrooms in China!
Then we had to drive the still other 900 miles to Seattle. The distance between Anchorage to Seattle is 2,300 miles and from coast to coast it is 2,700 miles. Essentially, we drove cross country twice on this trip! There were definitely some beautiful places along the way and it would be wonderful to travel again in an RV (so we can sleep, eat and pee in one place!) and stay at some of them for awhile. I'll load pics on Facebook soon!
We waited in line for nearly 2 hours to cross the border. So we decided not to try to attend Bro. Ed Byskals' morning service on Sunday. We were so exhausted and would then be driving over night on Sunday again so it just wasn't going to work out for us to plan the extra 4 hours to cross the border twice. In addition to the fact that Tyler didn't want to go and there was no where to leave him. We were literally in line so long that I was able to leave the car, walk across the street to the tax free shop and use the bathroom and come back, with the car moving a total of 10 feet. Which that alone is amazing considering before then we had not moved in 30 minutes.
The hotel in Seattle was pretty nice and it was so nice to just unwind for a few days. On Saturday we had plans to go to the Museum of Flight, but they had a power failure and were running on emergency power and couldn't operate the simulators. So we came back on Sunday and it turns out that Doug and Tyler weren't able to go on them anyway. They had weight restrictions, which they were fine on, but then also restrictions on the difference in weight between two people, which would then put Doug and a stranger over the limit. But that's ok because they would have cost extra and there was more than enough to keep us occupied for 5 hours! We got to tour the Air Force one used by Eisenhower (the first jet one) and then JFK used it briefly. After that it was demoted to the VP ride and it's actually the one that Lyndon Johnson flew on to get to Dallas after JFK was assassinated. Though it's not the one that he was inaugurated on. The current Air Force One is much more luxurious than this one was as can be expected in the time of 50 years, but it was still neat. We also toured the Concorde they have on exhibit. The seats and things are inclosed in this rounded glass that I could barely fit through. Seriously, the world conspires against pregnant women!
After the museum we headed out for Yellowstone National Park, about 13 hours away without stops. We decided to eat farther on the road which blew up in our face. Turns out there weren't a lot of towns for the first 4 hours and we were starving! We even got faked out by a decoy Pizza Hut sign but never found it. :( We finally ate at Denny's in Montana around 10 pm.
Yellowstone was overrated. We were exhausted from driving overnight. Well, Tyler slept but he was still suffering from jet lag (first time ever flying) and some allergies, and the fact that his body was not used to real food versus protein shakes for the last year. People were pulling over because they saw trees, streams and deer. By this point we had seen buffalo, a black bear cub, stone sheep, moose, deer, and a few others that I can't remember right now. The whole point was to see Old Faithful and then get back on the road. We arrived and had to wait 40 minutes for her to erupt. Then it was pretty neat, followed by the sulphur smell which Tyler and nearly everyone else was not expecting, and we got just a little mist on us. Honestly, I think it would have been easier to watch it online. Originally going through Yellowstone was going to save some time compared to wandering very north in Wyoming (until you pass the Mississippi you basically have to go where the roads are and there are hundreds of miles of land bipassed). But there were huge bluffs and it was 105 degrees. Our Durango was pretty weighted down and filled with winter weight coolant still so she was not so happy and almost overheated a few times!! Thank goodness for our vehicle expert Tyler.
We finally got to Denver around 6 pm. Just in time to visit Chris, and the drama that comes with it. We dropped him off at work the next morning and then got the oil changed, then on the road to Hutchinson, Kansas. We were off the interstate for the last hour or so which slowed us down as there were tons of little towns on the way. Then we somehow got lost in the town, possibly because NO ONE would give me my aunt's address and instead kept trying to give me directions from where they THOUGHT I was. Sigh. But once we got there it was quite enjoyable. Wonderful Tex-Mex food and some time with family. Doug and Tyler enjoyed talking with Papa and Uncle Mark about cars while I got to talk with Nana, Aunt Jera, Aunt Jill and my cousin Kristin. Her daughter has grown so much in the last year but is still so beautiful and I even got to sneak a peek at my cousin Saana for the first time. Around 10 pm we finally left for our hotel in Hesston. A little too close to Mennonite college territory for comfort, lol!!
Up and at it again in the morning to visit my aunt and her family in Jay, OK. It was the first time I had seen them in 18 years! It was really nice to see my cousins all grown up, and with children of their own and talk with my aunt. I really wish this part could have been longer! They treated us to some amazing Italian food. I didn't get a chance to tell them, but they cook like my Nana which of course makes sense but is neat to enjoy so far from her!
We stopped somewhere in Missouri for the night and then continued to our good friend Briana and Michael Priester's home in Bloomington, Indiana. On this day we passed through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. It really makes a difference going through that many states comapred to travelling 500 miles in the Yukon. And each state looked a little different versus the Yukon and British Columbia for the most part looked the same. Anyway, wonderful evening and morning at B and Michael's!! B told me "We're just doing some easy grilled food" which I knew could not be true. B's mom is an entertainer extroadinare and the apple didn't fall from the tree at all. They had steaks, barbecue chicken, an amazing antipasto salad, gourmet olives, baked potatoes, and I can't rember the other thing but it was amazing as well. Their guest bedroom is just perfect with the most comfortable bed I may have ever slept in. A great breakfast of sausage, eggs, cinnamon rolls, pancakes etc. Just the perfect hosts. Haha, maybe Doug and I can do that some day, but I doubt it!
Then we drove a few hours to Doug's Uncle Junior and Aunt Polly's house in Centerburg, Ohio. That was the neatest house! They expanded a 100 year old farm house and there were antiques everywhere. You could look at the walls for hours before you could really take it all in. He also has a clock shop as he collects clocks, and also a workshop as he does car restoration work. Their landscaping was amazing and they even had a cute little cabin for guests too. Oooh, and I'm sure it's haunted! When I first got in bed I felt a tingle on my leg, sort of like someone unexpectedly touched it, but I excused it away. Then after a bathroom trip I got back in bed and felt it again, but with more pressure on my spine. There was no way it was just the sheet rubbing me or something. I turned over expecting to see something, but no. :( It wasn't scary or anything, seemed playful like. It was pretty cool. They were so sweet, I hope Doug and I can be like them when we're their age. And Aunt Polly treated us to some good country cooking. Ham, sweet corn, garden tomatoes, mashed potatoes, amazingly sweet blueberry cobbler. In the morning a good breakfast with bacon, eggs, toast and juice. And before we left they loaded us up with sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, ham sandwiches, jerky, oreos and chips.
The last and final stop was at Aunt Katie and Uncle Joe's in Alexandria, VA. They're such a neat couple and had some lovely pot roast, corn, mashed potatoes, veggies and bread for dinner. Katie is an expert at using her slow cooker. We didn't get to stay very long, as we were all exhausted and anxious to get on the road to the Valley.
We arrived in Harrisonburg around 2 pm on Monday, August 2. We had to get some gas so Doug took a pit stop at his old Sheetz store. I had to grab some cheese fries and an oreo creme drink. Amazing! We had dinner at my Mom's that night and crashed on our old leather couch/futon that we bought shortly before moving and had sold. Well, we sort of sold it. She was a co-worker and was going to spend most of the summer in China, but had already paid for it. She was supposed to contact my father-in-law to arrange picking it up and the oversized red chair (she was able to leave that day with the ottomon). They playd phone tag some but somehow she never came and got it. I even talked to her about it back in October and she was supposed to get it that weekend. I was never able to get back in touch with her and don't have her number now, so I guess it was our gain. I'll try seeing if my old boss has her information (she may have moved for all I know!) to give her money back as I can't imagine she still needs the items a year later. It's kind of weird that she didn't keep in touch with me about it. I'd hate to scam her out of her money.
Anyway, the next day we decided to tackle the main room we'll be using in the basement and even some on the nursery. Our friends Jon Jon Correa and Jonathan Huffman came by with some Domino's to help and my mom tackled the bathroom for me. Wednesday we worked some more on it and as I said practically crashed by Thursday. So hopefully we will finish this week and of course I have mounds of homework to do!
Teddy is doing great. I didn't feel him move too much while we were on the road, I guess it put him (and me!) to sleep. I felt my first outside movement at Junior and Polly's though. Sunday night at church he was kicking up a storm and after service Doug was even able to feel him (finally)! Yesterday and today he's been pretty at it. I've even felt a few up near my ribs so I'm sure I'll be like all the other moms and end up trying to dislodge a foot from my ribs soon! Oh, and shortly after I felt my first outside kick, he discovered my bladder! Thank goodness it was on that end of the trip where there were plenty of places to stop. And my feet have finally stopped swelling! So, as I said at the beginning, more on Teddy later. Well, I guess I avoided homework long enough!
So it was 2 weeks driving and then last week we attacked the basement at Doug's dad's house right away. We hoped to get it all done by Friday but by Thursday everything was catching up with us. So we finally started working on some things again yesterday and have all the books up on the shelves. There's still so much to do. But first the trip.
So we left Fairbanks on Monday, July 19th. The hotel in Anchorage was amazing! The company Doug worked for in Alaska owned it (Courtyard) and so we got a killer discount. Prices were usually close to $200 and we paid $40. After 2 weeks on an air mattress that mattress was heaven. I just wish we got to spend more than one night there! Tyler arrived late that night, with some delays in his flight. Of course we hit up Arby's on the way to the hotel and then Wendy's later. We hoped the Wendy's there would be good because the one in Fairbanks was just awful, but no. It must be an Alaskan thing. Tyler was amazed at the cost!
Tuesday we drove down to Portage Glacier, about an hour south of Anchorage. I was somehow under the impression, even after research, that we would be able to walk on the glacier. Instead it was across from us on a lake. It was dreary and rainy and cold at around 50 degrees, so we didn't get to see the pretty water. It was still a nice experience though. Originally the plan was to drive through a wilderness preserve and see a bunch of Alaskan animals but we decided to go gold panning instead. That was the neatest side of the road place ever! They are a functioning claim still and had a list of recent finds they had some over $7,000. Then we headed north and finally got on the Alaska-Canada highway around 11 pm.
I had told Doug how rough the road was for me last year and it seems that he didn't quite believe me. In addition, while we would have still had some daylight (between June and December you actually LOSE daylight versus gaining it from January-June). When I drove last year I had about 24 hours of day light versus the 4 hours of nightfall that northern Alaska gets in July. And it was so cloudy. Tyler and I dozed off before we reached the Canada border. Doug said he had to go about 15 mph, which is why we didn't reach the border until 2 am. Crossing into the Canadian border there is a joke (as is coming the other direction) than it is at the other cross points in Montana and Washington that I experienced.
The next few days are practically a blur. Towns with hotels and restaurants are hundreds of miles apart. I had to meticulously plan gas stops as well. The places in the tiny settlement are often abandoned now, insanely expensive, and often times watered down. We had 10 extra gallons of gas with us, just in case, and we did use it once. I spent a few hours researching gas prices online, where I could find them listed, the week before we left to have an idea of how much we'd be spending at each place. We actually got really great gas mileage, sometimes around 24 mpg, versus the estimated 15. That saved us a bundle even though prices had gone up in some places. We drove the entire 1,390 miles of the Alcan in about 28 hours. Tyler had horrible jet lag and it turns out that my feet decided to swell the ENTIRE trip so we only drove a few hours. Doug drove most of the way and we did have to pull over at a "rest area" for a few hours.
About the rest areas. Unlike in the US, they are just gravel lots where you can park, with some trashcans and latrines. Doug corrected me, they're not even portapotties, as they have tanks and these were just ditches. There are no lights and it's just concrete walls with a pitched roof and some narrow windows for the scent to flow out of. Doug checked them to make sure there were no "pedophiles" which I had to remind him that I probably look a little old for them now, haha. I guess he meant rapists. Then we found out that if you're over 6 feet tall you can peer in the windows, without the other person noticing usually. There were times there were not toilet paper and definitely no sinks or soap. As awful and primitive as all that sounds, there were times when there was nothing and I literally had to pee on the side of the road. Turns out my experiences in China and the squatting potties there came in handy. And again, all of those situations were better than the bathrooms in China!
Then we had to drive the still other 900 miles to Seattle. The distance between Anchorage to Seattle is 2,300 miles and from coast to coast it is 2,700 miles. Essentially, we drove cross country twice on this trip! There were definitely some beautiful places along the way and it would be wonderful to travel again in an RV (so we can sleep, eat and pee in one place!) and stay at some of them for awhile. I'll load pics on Facebook soon!
We waited in line for nearly 2 hours to cross the border. So we decided not to try to attend Bro. Ed Byskals' morning service on Sunday. We were so exhausted and would then be driving over night on Sunday again so it just wasn't going to work out for us to plan the extra 4 hours to cross the border twice. In addition to the fact that Tyler didn't want to go and there was no where to leave him. We were literally in line so long that I was able to leave the car, walk across the street to the tax free shop and use the bathroom and come back, with the car moving a total of 10 feet. Which that alone is amazing considering before then we had not moved in 30 minutes.
The hotel in Seattle was pretty nice and it was so nice to just unwind for a few days. On Saturday we had plans to go to the Museum of Flight, but they had a power failure and were running on emergency power and couldn't operate the simulators. So we came back on Sunday and it turns out that Doug and Tyler weren't able to go on them anyway. They had weight restrictions, which they were fine on, but then also restrictions on the difference in weight between two people, which would then put Doug and a stranger over the limit. But that's ok because they would have cost extra and there was more than enough to keep us occupied for 5 hours! We got to tour the Air Force one used by Eisenhower (the first jet one) and then JFK used it briefly. After that it was demoted to the VP ride and it's actually the one that Lyndon Johnson flew on to get to Dallas after JFK was assassinated. Though it's not the one that he was inaugurated on. The current Air Force One is much more luxurious than this one was as can be expected in the time of 50 years, but it was still neat. We also toured the Concorde they have on exhibit. The seats and things are inclosed in this rounded glass that I could barely fit through. Seriously, the world conspires against pregnant women!
After the museum we headed out for Yellowstone National Park, about 13 hours away without stops. We decided to eat farther on the road which blew up in our face. Turns out there weren't a lot of towns for the first 4 hours and we were starving! We even got faked out by a decoy Pizza Hut sign but never found it. :( We finally ate at Denny's in Montana around 10 pm.
Yellowstone was overrated. We were exhausted from driving overnight. Well, Tyler slept but he was still suffering from jet lag (first time ever flying) and some allergies, and the fact that his body was not used to real food versus protein shakes for the last year. People were pulling over because they saw trees, streams and deer. By this point we had seen buffalo, a black bear cub, stone sheep, moose, deer, and a few others that I can't remember right now. The whole point was to see Old Faithful and then get back on the road. We arrived and had to wait 40 minutes for her to erupt. Then it was pretty neat, followed by the sulphur smell which Tyler and nearly everyone else was not expecting, and we got just a little mist on us. Honestly, I think it would have been easier to watch it online. Originally going through Yellowstone was going to save some time compared to wandering very north in Wyoming (until you pass the Mississippi you basically have to go where the roads are and there are hundreds of miles of land bipassed). But there were huge bluffs and it was 105 degrees. Our Durango was pretty weighted down and filled with winter weight coolant still so she was not so happy and almost overheated a few times!! Thank goodness for our vehicle expert Tyler.
We finally got to Denver around 6 pm. Just in time to visit Chris, and the drama that comes with it. We dropped him off at work the next morning and then got the oil changed, then on the road to Hutchinson, Kansas. We were off the interstate for the last hour or so which slowed us down as there were tons of little towns on the way. Then we somehow got lost in the town, possibly because NO ONE would give me my aunt's address and instead kept trying to give me directions from where they THOUGHT I was. Sigh. But once we got there it was quite enjoyable. Wonderful Tex-Mex food and some time with family. Doug and Tyler enjoyed talking with Papa and Uncle Mark about cars while I got to talk with Nana, Aunt Jera, Aunt Jill and my cousin Kristin. Her daughter has grown so much in the last year but is still so beautiful and I even got to sneak a peek at my cousin Saana for the first time. Around 10 pm we finally left for our hotel in Hesston. A little too close to Mennonite college territory for comfort, lol!!
Up and at it again in the morning to visit my aunt and her family in Jay, OK. It was the first time I had seen them in 18 years! It was really nice to see my cousins all grown up, and with children of their own and talk with my aunt. I really wish this part could have been longer! They treated us to some amazing Italian food. I didn't get a chance to tell them, but they cook like my Nana which of course makes sense but is neat to enjoy so far from her!
We stopped somewhere in Missouri for the night and then continued to our good friend Briana and Michael Priester's home in Bloomington, Indiana. On this day we passed through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. It really makes a difference going through that many states comapred to travelling 500 miles in the Yukon. And each state looked a little different versus the Yukon and British Columbia for the most part looked the same. Anyway, wonderful evening and morning at B and Michael's!! B told me "We're just doing some easy grilled food" which I knew could not be true. B's mom is an entertainer extroadinare and the apple didn't fall from the tree at all. They had steaks, barbecue chicken, an amazing antipasto salad, gourmet olives, baked potatoes, and I can't rember the other thing but it was amazing as well. Their guest bedroom is just perfect with the most comfortable bed I may have ever slept in. A great breakfast of sausage, eggs, cinnamon rolls, pancakes etc. Just the perfect hosts. Haha, maybe Doug and I can do that some day, but I doubt it!
Then we drove a few hours to Doug's Uncle Junior and Aunt Polly's house in Centerburg, Ohio. That was the neatest house! They expanded a 100 year old farm house and there were antiques everywhere. You could look at the walls for hours before you could really take it all in. He also has a clock shop as he collects clocks, and also a workshop as he does car restoration work. Their landscaping was amazing and they even had a cute little cabin for guests too. Oooh, and I'm sure it's haunted! When I first got in bed I felt a tingle on my leg, sort of like someone unexpectedly touched it, but I excused it away. Then after a bathroom trip I got back in bed and felt it again, but with more pressure on my spine. There was no way it was just the sheet rubbing me or something. I turned over expecting to see something, but no. :( It wasn't scary or anything, seemed playful like. It was pretty cool. They were so sweet, I hope Doug and I can be like them when we're their age. And Aunt Polly treated us to some good country cooking. Ham, sweet corn, garden tomatoes, mashed potatoes, amazingly sweet blueberry cobbler. In the morning a good breakfast with bacon, eggs, toast and juice. And before we left they loaded us up with sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, ham sandwiches, jerky, oreos and chips.
The last and final stop was at Aunt Katie and Uncle Joe's in Alexandria, VA. They're such a neat couple and had some lovely pot roast, corn, mashed potatoes, veggies and bread for dinner. Katie is an expert at using her slow cooker. We didn't get to stay very long, as we were all exhausted and anxious to get on the road to the Valley.
We arrived in Harrisonburg around 2 pm on Monday, August 2. We had to get some gas so Doug took a pit stop at his old Sheetz store. I had to grab some cheese fries and an oreo creme drink. Amazing! We had dinner at my Mom's that night and crashed on our old leather couch/futon that we bought shortly before moving and had sold. Well, we sort of sold it. She was a co-worker and was going to spend most of the summer in China, but had already paid for it. She was supposed to contact my father-in-law to arrange picking it up and the oversized red chair (she was able to leave that day with the ottomon). They playd phone tag some but somehow she never came and got it. I even talked to her about it back in October and she was supposed to get it that weekend. I was never able to get back in touch with her and don't have her number now, so I guess it was our gain. I'll try seeing if my old boss has her information (she may have moved for all I know!) to give her money back as I can't imagine she still needs the items a year later. It's kind of weird that she didn't keep in touch with me about it. I'd hate to scam her out of her money.
Anyway, the next day we decided to tackle the main room we'll be using in the basement and even some on the nursery. Our friends Jon Jon Correa and Jonathan Huffman came by with some Domino's to help and my mom tackled the bathroom for me. Wednesday we worked some more on it and as I said practically crashed by Thursday. So hopefully we will finish this week and of course I have mounds of homework to do!
Teddy is doing great. I didn't feel him move too much while we were on the road, I guess it put him (and me!) to sleep. I felt my first outside movement at Junior and Polly's though. Sunday night at church he was kicking up a storm and after service Doug was even able to feel him (finally)! Yesterday and today he's been pretty at it. I've even felt a few up near my ribs so I'm sure I'll be like all the other moms and end up trying to dislodge a foot from my ribs soon! Oh, and shortly after I felt my first outside kick, he discovered my bladder! Thank goodness it was on that end of the trip where there were plenty of places to stop. And my feet have finally stopped swelling! So, as I said at the beginning, more on Teddy later. Well, I guess I avoided homework long enough!
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