My Product Conversion

So last summer my Boss Travis was hired to go photograph this convention for a company called Melaleuca. I had heard of it because it is based out of Idaho falls and they have a store and call center here in Rexburg, but I never really knew what it was. I heard they sold stuff like soap and you had to call in your order. Anyway, so Travis goes to this convention and comes back telling us that the company sells tons of different products like make up, detergent, vitamins, and everything in between and what happens is you sign up to be a preferred customer and then you purchase 35 points worth of product (which is about $55 worth) every month. Then if you get your friends to join you get a small percentage of what they spend, so the goal is to get a bunch of friends to join and you could make a profit. People apparently make tons of money doing this and there are stories of people who have become millionaires, payed off their mortgage, or simple had a few extra thousand bucks coming in each month. That's all I knew about the company, and I wasn't about to get involved in a multi level marketing business so I didn't seek any more information.

I quit my job and then went back a month later to get my family pictures taken and Travis tells me that he is now a Melaleuca preferred customer and he thinks Nate and I should sign up too. I laughed and rolled my eyes because I told him before I didn't want to get into that sort of thing. Then he told me he'd take Nate and I out to lunch and tell me all about the company, so we agreed (just because we wanted a free lunch).

The next day we go to lunch and he starts telling us about the company. They are a large, international company dedicated to superior products. They are all about using natural ingredients so none of their cleaning supplies are toxic or harmful, and work even better than the stuff you get at Walmart. They are a truly "green" company back when green was just a color. They provide products that I am already purchasing and most of it is at a lower price, or it's comparable and much better quality. Because it's things I am already purchasing, there's no risk in signing up, because I'm going to be spending money on those same types of products whether I shop there or somewhere else. My one hang up was that I was worried that Nate and I wouldn't be able to purchase 35 points worth of stuff each month, or that we normally wouldn't actually spend $55 a month other places so we'd end up spending more than normal just to fill our quota. Since you don't sign a contract when you sign up to be a preferred customer and you can simple cancel your membership without any fees at any time, we decided we'd try it for a few months and see if we liked it. Everyone kept telling us how amazing the products were and how once we used them, we'd never go back. I was skeptical but willing to give it a shot, especially since it was no risk.

The first month I got cleaning supplies, baby soap, toothpaste, shampoo, and conditioner. They sell their cleaning supplies in a condensed form, so you just add water. They do this so that they don't waste your money shipping water and each bottle they send you makes 6 bottles of cleaner. I was worried that a "natural" cleaner wouldn't do as good as one with good ol' toxic chemicals and I was surprised with not only how great they worked, but how awesome they smelled! You know how when you clean your bathroom it gets hard to breathe if you don't have good airflow to the room? That doesn't happen with this stuff. It's really quite delightful. Also, (and please don't think less of me) I hadn't cleaned my shower in over a month (you try to clean a shower when you're almost due or just had a baby!) so I had a very dirty shower to test the product on and it left it spick and span. The toothpaste was also great (although I'm not really picky about toothpaste) and I decided to return the shampoo and conditioner in exchange for their fancier shampoo and conditioner (they'll let you return or exchange anything, even if it's half used).

The next month I got mineral foundation (AMAZING!!!! My skin never looked so good), I exchanged the shampoo and conditioner to the fancy kind. I got 3 bars of soap (that apparently last 4x longer than your average soap, so we'll be putting that to the test), salon hair spray, and some hair creme. I also got 2 free products that everyone gets when they sign up. I picked lotion and sports drink packets. I have just started using these things and so far I am loving them! At first I didn't think I'd be impressed with their products, but I truly am their new biggest fan. I love looking through their catalog and thinking about what else I need to get and looking forward to putting each product to the test. I haven't spent any more money than I normally would each month, and they have so many products that I am confident that I'll be a permanent customer.

Things I am looking forward to buying: Laundry detergent, facial treatment, more make up (all of their make up is top notch), first aid kit, cologne (smells freakin' amazing!), pre natal vitamins, protein shakes, hand soap, deodorant, sun screen, just to name some. They also have lots of vitamins, cold allergy & sinus medicine, candles & air fresheners, cereal, cookies, crackers, gum, creams & lotions, dental care, dishwashing aids, drinks and shakes, foot care, pet care, skin therapy, shaving stuff, nutrition bars, and more.

Anyways, I guess my point is is that I think everyone could benefit from being a Melaleuca preferred customer. It's no risk and I think you should try it out. Just e-mail me (mowerphoto@gmail.com) if you want more information and I'd be happy to tell you more about it. It's not just great for big families (that was Nate and my first worry, but we found that they provide things that we are already buying every month). So no pressure, if you like using expensive, toxic products then more power to you :) But if you'd like to switch stores, then let me know

Check them out www.melaleuca.com

Blaine's Birth Story

Blaine Rockne Mower

October 29, 2011

10:47 pm

6lbs 12oz

20 inches

The Beginning

I took a year and a half of anticipating pregnancy before we got pregnant with Blaine. Nate and I were sure that we would need medical interference in order to have kids, but we never saw a doctor. We prayed and prayed for a baby.

In February (around the 28th), I was in Las Vegas attending two back to back photography conventions. I was staying with Andrew and Rachel McBride and although I hate being away from Nate, I was having a really good time. The day before I went back home to Rexburg, My Boss (Travis Gugelman) had me bring a large box of scarves that we were selling for charity to Lori Nordstrom’s class. The box was large and awkward to carry, and I couldn’t pick it up by myself. I was desperately trying to drag it down the endless hallways when a man came up and picked up the box, and helped me all the way to the end. Naturally, I was grateful, but for some reason I started crying uncontrollably while thanking him repeatedly. I went back to Rachel and Andrew’s that night and we watched the TV show “The Biggest Loser.” During elimination, I started to cry again. Then, I decided to go to walmart and get a pregnancy test in hopes that there was a reason for all my uncontrollable crying. The box said that it works best if you take the test in the morning, so I hid the test in my purse and waited until morning.

I woke up about 6am and after reading the instructions over and over again, I took the test. Sure enough I saw a little plus sign indicating that I was pregnant. It was kind of hard to make out so I kept second guessing myself but in a few minutes, it was clear that it was positive. I didn’t quite know what to do. Andrew and Rachel were still asleep so I just sat there, reading the instructions over again to make sure I had done everything right and staring at the test result trying to let it sink in. It didn’t sink in. It felt fake. There was no way it was true. I called my cousin Brandon Lilly and told him that I was pregnant and had him call Nate to tell him the news. (A few years earlier Brandon and I had joked about him being the first one to know when I got pregnant, so I followed through). I waited to hear back from Nate.

Meanwhile, Rachel and Andrew woke up and sent me on my way home. I wanted to tell them, but I still wasn’t convinced I was even pregnant, and I still hadn’t talked to Nate. Finally, Nate called me but didn’t say anything about getting a call from Brandon, so I chatted with him for a chunk of time and then he said “So, I got a really weird phone call from Brandon this morning.” And I said “And you didn’t call me until now!?” Nate pretty much had the same reaction as me. It felt fake, we weren’t sure if it was really true. It’s what we’ve been waiting for for so long but now that it was here we couldn’t believe it! A few weeks later we went to the doctor and sure enough, we were pregnant!

I hate to admit it, but we called Blaine “Gwen” up until we got the ultrasound that told us we were having a boy. We knew we would name our boy Blaine, but I was kind of set on having a girl (after all, I only have sisters so I couldn’t imagine raising a boy).

Pregnancy was really easy for me. I didn’t have hardly any symptoms besides a growing belly. I grew even less fond of Chinese food, and for a week I wanted Zesty Italian dressing and a salad at every meal. Oh, and a Jacks Spicy Chicken Sandwich always seemed to hit the spot. Even in my last trimester, I wasn’t too uncomfortable and everything went really smoothly. When people would ask me how I was doing I would tell them that I was doing great and that pregnancy was easy, but it also was really boring. I hated waiting and counting down the days, I just wanted Blaine here!

Approaching The Due Date

I had a regular apointment with the Doctor on Thursday, Ocober 13th. Dr Lovell had me lay down and felt my tummy to make sure Blaine was still head down (he had been for two weeks previously) and found that Blaine was transverse (sideways). They gave me an ultrasound to see exactlly how he was positioned and the ultrasound tech kept saying things like “that sure is an odd positions” and “I wonder how he got like that.” Neither of which were too comforting to hear. I asked her if there was cause for concern and she said that they like to see the babies head down at this point. She said they might have to take me to the hospital to get the baby turned and if things didn’t go well there was a small chance that they’d c-section him. That was suprising to hear and I suddenly felt very unprepared to have a baby.

I called Nate while I was waiting for Dr Lovell to come back in and told him to come down to the Dr’s office. Dr Lovell came back and said he thought that he could physically turn Blaine back there, and I wouldn’t have to go the hospital or anything (which I would have to if he was breech). Blaine quickly and painlessly slipped back into a head down pose with just a few pushed from the Doctor. The Doctor told me that if he kept flipping sideways, then they’d have to manually flip him again and induce me to insure that we was in the right position for labor. If I started labor and he was sideways, they’d have to do a c-section.

Nate got there just as I was leaving and I had him take me out to lunch. We ate at Great Harvest while we looked out the large window in the front. I was pretty shook up. Up until then Five days after the appointment, Blaine moved sideways again. Not very much, but enough to have me worried. I moved my Dr’s appointment up a day but when I got there, Blaine had moved back to where he was supposed to be. He wasn’t really engaged down into the pelvis, but he was at least facing the right way. The Doctor told me that he might not be engaging for lots of reasons. My pelvis might not be shaped comfortably for his head, his head might be too big, he might have his hands up by his face (that’s the one I think it was based on the fact that once he was born, Blaine always had his hands up by his face), or it could just be a fluke and for no reason at all he just wasn’t ready to engage.

Not to get graphic, but the baby's head has to put pressure of the cervix in order to stimulate labor (or so my dr. tole me). With Blaine being a little floater, there was no pressure and my cervix wouldn’t dilate and it was really high. Blaine did not seem interested in labor and it stayed that way up until his due date. The week before his due date, the doctor brought up the idea of being induced. He told me that it’s best if babies come before their due date, and they wouldn’t let me go a week past it. Since Blaine was still just floating around, he predicted that things would never progress and I’d eventually have to be induced anyway. He also said that the sooner I got Blaine out, the safer he would be since there’s a change he will get tangled in his chord. He also said that there is little correlation between inductions and c-sections, but I was already a high risk c-section because Blaine was so high up, and if there was a reason he wasn’t coming down then he probably would never come down. He also told me that my labor and especially pushing would probably be extra long since both Blaine and my body didn’t seem to be gearing up for delivery.

I didn’t want to be induced. I wanted to labor a bunch at home and then have everything go normally. I told Nate that we needed to be mentally prepared for a c-section. I knew that if they told me it’d have to be that way, I would be scared, so I tried to expect it so that I wouldn’t freak out if it happened.

October 25th finally came! That was Blaine’s official due date. Kathleen and Abigail had come up on the 18th, and my last day at work was the 21st, so Kathleen and I had all day to work on my scrapbook. She got me all the supplies and taught me how to design the pages. She’s a master scrap booker and it was so much fun putting the pages together. It was a pre-designed scrapbook, so we designed the pages and wrote down what size picture would go where so that I could just insert pictures once Blaine was here. Time flew by and it was a great way to spend Blaine’s due date.

The next day, October 26th, I had my last doctors appointment. Again I wasn’t dilated and Blaine was just kind of floating. Dr. Lovell said he would bet that I would be in the same boat next week, and he felt like it would be best if I got induced. I went home, called Nate, and then called the dr’s office to have them schedule my induction. I told them that I did not want to be induced on the 30th or the 31st (I did not want a Halloween baby). So they scheduled me for Saturday, October 29th at 11am. This would be perfect because my mom and dad would be in town that Thursday through Sunday Plus, the 29th was my mom’s 50th birthday (although I was sure that since my labor would be long that I would have Blaine on the 30th).

My parents came on the 27th and bought Nate and I new bed sheets and a mattress pad for my birthday and took us out to Famous Daves. That night Kathleen came to our house and we all were able to spend time together. The next night Nate and my parents went to the Romance theater for some Halloween folk music and stories. It was a lot of fun.

Labor and Delivery

We woke up, ate breakfast (I had a jamba juice as the hospital told me to come having eaten a “light” breakfast) and checked in to the hospital. I had had my little hospital bag packed for weeks and it was exciting to finally get to load it in the car. Mom, Kathleen, Nate and I got there a little before 11am, filled out a bunch of paperwork, and were brought to a delivery room. It was a really nice hospital with plenty of seating in that room as well as a big window that let in plenty of natural light.

My first nurse’s name was Audra. She was tall and super skinner with the coldest hands I think I have ever felt. She tried twice to get an IV in my hand and then she got another nurse to come help her. The other nurse did it on her second try, so I ended up with four holes in my hands when it was all done. I didn’t mind. I felt bad for the nurse who I’m sure hated to work with my tiny veins.

After the IV drama, Audra asked me a bunch of medical history questions. Then Dr. Meredith was the doctor on call that day. (There are two doctors at my clinic, Dr. Lovell is my main one, and Dr. Meredith was the same Dr. who delivered Diedre’s baby Erik.) He showed up and broke my water somewhere between 12-1pm. He checked my cervix and said that I was dilated to a 2 and was 70% effaced, but Blaine was still floating. Then he said he’d check back with me later that afternoon. The nurses started me on pitocin sometime between 1-2pm and I began having mild contractions.

Dad and Jet showed up a little later, and we all just hung out. There was a TV in the room and so after Dad took Nate out to Costa Vita for lunch, Nate brought the DVD’s. We watched Tangled.

By time it was about 5pm, I was in hard labor. Mom and Kathleen timed my contractions and recorded them to give us something to do. I just wanted to hold Nate’s hand, so he brought his chair next to my bed and complied with my wishes. He was so sweet to me the whole time.

My contractions were about every 3 minutes and lasting for 1.5 minutes, so I really wasn’t getting much of a break. The nurse told me that I could have some nubain dripped into my IV that would help take the edge off. I was happy to have something to take off the edge. The drug made me light headed, but made contractions much much easier to tolerate.

After an hour they asked me if I wanted more nubain, or if I was ready for the epidural. I was dilated to a 5, so I told them I was ready for the epidural. They had everyone but Nate leave the room and the anesthesiologist assisted by a nurse administer the epidural. I have a minor case of scoliosis, so it took two tries to get it right, but it was easy and a lot less scary than I had envisioned. After that was over, everyone came back in the room. The nurse asked me if I felt the contraction that I was having and I couldn’t feel a single thing! I was so happy.

Then the nurse informed me that she was going to call my doctor because the baby’s heart rate was dropping with each contraction. That’s what happened to Andrea before she had a c-section. My dad tried to calm me down and said the same thing happened to Suzanne when she had Tessa, and everything worked out and she didn’t have to have a c-section. I asked the nurse if his heart rate just started dropping after the epidural, and she said that it had started a little before I got the epidural. She called the doctor two times, giving him updates. Then he came in and told me that it was time to get the baby delivered.

C-Section

I thought I was ready to hear that news, but emotionally I was not. I immediately started to cry and shake. My mind was calm and I new everything was going to be OK, but I just kept shivering and crying. Before I knew it, there were a bunch of people in the room prepping me for surgery. The anesthesiologist kept talking to me gently to get me to calm down. Then a nurse asked if we were LDS and if I’d like my husband to give me a blessing. The staff left the room and Nate and Dad gave me a blessing. All I remember is hearing that I could be calm and that everything would be OK. That gave me the strength I needed to feel and act a little calmer.

The staff came back in and wheeled me to the surgery room. I have no idea where the room is located. I was just staring up at the ceiling, listening to the anesthesiologist continue to talk calmly to me. He was so awesome. They brought me to the surgery room and lifted my body onto a new bed. I have no idea what the room looked like or how many people were in it. I just kept my eyes on the ceiling and continued to listen and talk with the anesthesiologist.

Soon Nate came in, dressed up like a doctor so it took me a few seconds to recognise him. He stood by my head and put his hands on my cheeks. Soon the curtain was up and Dr. Meredith asked me if I felt anything. I said “no” to which he told me he had just pinched me with the hemostats. It was go time. Nate was sitting with his face right next to mine to keep me calm, but I knew he’d rather be watching the surgery. I told him that I wanted him to watch, so he stood up (keeping his hands on my cheeks) and answered my questions about what they were doing. The anesthesiologist was still there, next to Nate talking with us and keeping me calm.

I was told when they had cut each layer and then I felt a really weird tug. Then they told me I would feel some pressure and I felt a hand pressing down on the top of my stomach. Then Nate told me that he could see Blaine. I asked if he had hair and Nate said yes! They told me I would get to see the baby before they took it to the NICU. Suddenly they showed Blaine to me over the curtain for about half a second and then whisked him off to the NICU. I didn’t get a good look at him. I just kind of saw a flash of a baby and then he was gone. I didn’t know it at the time, but Blaine wasn’t doing so well and they needed to rush him off ASAP.

I got a little emotional about the thought of having Blaine safely here. I was relieved about how the surgery was going. I stayed in that room while they stitched me up (oh, and I also had a mole near my incision and my Dr. asked me if I wanted that removed while he was stitching things up and I said yes. So I got free mole removal as well). It took longer than I expected to get stitched up. They had to stitch three different layers separately: my uterus, my muscles, and my skin. When it was complete, they pulled me back onto the delivery bed and wheeled me to the recovery room.

I passed my family in the hallway and got to wave to them. In the recovery room I looked down at myself and saw that I had a bandage from blood being drawn, a new wristband, and monitors hooked up to my chest. I asked the anesthesiologist when all that happened and he said “yeah, you weren’t very happy when we put those on you.” Apparent those things had happened when they were prepping me right before I got the blessing.

Soon mom, dad, Kathleen, and Jet were in the room and following them came Nate and Blaine! It had been a little over an hour since he was delivered but time had flown by so I didn’t feel separated from him. I was so delighted to finally get to hold him!

He was so little. So cute! I was so happy. I couldn’t imagine that this was my son! That I get to have him forever and he will always be a part of my life now. My memory goes a little foggy after that. After all, it was after midnight. Everyone but Nate stepped outside while the nurse helped me nurse Blaine for the first time. Then mom, dad, and Jet left after a little while and Kathleen stayed a little longer. Nate held Blaine the majority of the time and soon it was just Nate, Blaine, and me.

The nurse came in every few hours and helped me nurse Blaine and then at 5am, Nate and I were moved into the mother baby unit. It was a larger and more comfortable room and Nate was able to get his bet set up for a better rest. The nurse had me stand up and lift my feet for a few seconds. They had told me that the more I get up, the better I’ll recover so the nurse encouraged me to just try to stand to give me motivation.

We stayed in the hospital until Tuesday, November 1st. Mom and dad had to fly back to AZ on Sunday, Oct. 30th and it was hard for them to say goodbye. Abigail came and met Blaine and so did a bunch of other visitors throughout those few days. I would try to get out of bed and walk around the hallway each time I fed Blaine. I would try to add a lap each time, but found it hard to get past 9 laps. They kept me medicated on motrin and percocet and I really enjoyed holding an ice pack on my tummy.

For Halloween, all the nurses dressed up like characters from Alice in Wonderland. My nurse (whose name was Neacie) was the mad hatter. She was my favorite nurse and took great care of me. Kathleen had bought a little tiger costume for Blaine and we dressed him in that for part of the day.

Going Home

Tuesday night finally came and we went home. I must say that I was a little sad to leave the hospital because the nurses were taking such good care of me, and I couldn’t imagine getting in and out of my own bed without the ability to adjust any settings. But I still had Kathleen and Nate to help me once I got home.

I got showered up, changed into my own clothes and we dressed Blaine up in his first outfit besides the little onsie that the hospital dressed him in, and of course his Halloween costume. He wore a little navy blue onsie with a frog on it, little baby blue pants, and his little black fleece jacket. He looked so cute! I loved dressing him in his little clothes. I was wheeled to the car and we drove home to our little basement apartment.

The more time passed the more in love with Blaine I have fallen. He is the most precious baby! Such a good baby too. Everything is easy about him and he hardly cries and he always goes right back to sleep after eating in the night. Everyone who meets him can't stop repeating how cute they think he is. Nate and I love to just look at him and comment about how there isn’t anything more precious in the whole world.

Everything was easier than I thought it would be with Blaine. Pregnancy was a breeze, I pretty much skipped delivery with the c-section from which I healed very quickly from, and he was so good once he was born. I am so lucky to have him in my life and I just LOVE being his mother. I love you Blaine!

My Last Prego Post

I had another doctors appointment on Thursday. Blaine is still floating and there is no pressure on my cervix so I'm still not dilated at all. My Dr. Thinks I'll stay in this boat for a few more weeks, and they don't let you go past 1 week so I'm scheduled for an induction tomorrow (Saturday the 29th) at 11am. I am at a higher risk for a c-section because there might be a reason that he wont descend and if he can't descend then they'll have to c-section him. My Dr. also told me that I will probably have a long labor since he's so high up. Nate and I are preparing for the worst so that when everything goes smoothly we can be relieved, but if things don't go so well then we're mentally and emotionally prepared. I think that the worst that will happen is a long labor followed by a c-section. I really hope things go smoother than that, but I guess all that matters is that I live through it and Blaine is healthy and happy in the end. Think of me tomorrow and keep us in your prayers. I'll let you know how it all works out.

39.5 Weeks

One of the perks for working for a master photographer.

Thanks Travis!

Still a 0

Blaine is just kind of floating... he's not really wanting to be born right now. I think I have the patience to just wait for him to get his act together, but my doctor seems a little skeptical that he ever will. I have the feeling I'm going to end up getting induced. I've been reading a lot about it, and it seems like when you aren't progressing, an induction is a lot harder on your body. I'm not very worried about having to get a c-section because my hospital has very low rates and I've been reading that once you're past 40 weeks, it doesn't really increase the risk. If anything I might have to get a c-section because Blaine might not be able to engage down into my pelvis. He might be facing the wrong way or have his hands up or something. I just hope he doesn't get all tangled up in his chord. Right now I'm thinking I'll just wait until next week's appointment and if I'm still a 0 and Blaine is still floating, then I'll schedule an induction. Once babies go past 41 weeks there are more risks, but I don't really see a need to induce before then.

One concern of mine is that I don't want him to be born on Halloween. I know it's stupid, but the further I have him from a holiday the happier I'll be. I'd like to either have him today or a week after halloween, but not on the day or the day before or after. I really wouldn't mind having him today. The thought that I could just call up my doctor and say "let's get this thing over with" and I'd have a baby today is really exciting! But I don't think there's a need yet and I can hang on a little longer. I just don't want to put myself through a terrible birth because Blaine and I both weren't ready. I also don't want to wait too long so that there are more risks. Especially if there's a higher change for Blaine to get tangled up and have complications. I'm due on Tuesday the 25th and I have a doctor's appointment on the 26th. I'm just kind of hoping Blaine will get with the program before then so I don't have to make any decisions.

Slowly not progressing, just waiting for Blaine

Had my cervix checked this week (which was a lot more uncomfortable than I was anticipating, they really get up in there) and the doctor said that I am dilated to a..... 0. That's right, haven't opened up at all yet. He wasn't surprised since Blaine's head isn't really engaged into my pelvis. He's still just kind of floating so he's not putting any pressure down there to get things started. I know that you can be a 0 and then start labor the next day, but it's still hard not to interpret the news as "Blaine will be a while, so don't get excited." I just know I'm going to go over my due date. I was reading my grandma Arnett's memoirs and she was always over her due date several weeks so I feel like I'll be the same. She also gave birth like a champ so I hope I inherit that from her too. Though she did have a fast and unexpected home birth, which I hope to avoid.

I have been feeling a lot of anxiety the last few days about being a parent, giving birth, and quitting my job. My whole purpose of life is about to change and it's already a foreign and difficult adjustment. I'm worried about being lonely and bored, feeling like I don't have a huge drive or goals. I am trying to think of a list of hobbies, but they're all so expensive. It'll also be weird not having my income as spending money. I want Diedre back. She would take care of me and we'd work on little projects together while she would teach me to be a good mom.

I'm excited for next week. Kathleen and Abigail are coming! It's also the company Halloween party. Everyone at work isn't so sure about me running through a straw maze and venturing through a haunted house, but I say I'm up for it even if it kills me! I need some excitement. Plus, I won't get to see everyone at work as often once I squeeze Blaine out. They're my best friends and quitting work is going to be one of the hardest things I have ever done.

A little scare

Today I had a doctor's appointment. Everything was going just like normal when the doctor went to feel for Blaine's head to make sure it was pointing down. He looked a little concerned and said he couldn't feel anything. Then he felt around my stomach and could feel his head on the right side of me. He had me go into the ultrasound room so they could check what position Blaine was in and sure enough, Blaine's head was on my right side, his bum was on my left side, and his feet were downward. He was exactly sideways looking down. The ultrasound technician kept saying what an odd position this was and she acted as though she had never seen a baby posed like that. I asked her if it was a problem and she told me no. Then she asked how far along I am and I told her 37 weeks. She then took back her statement and said that at this point in my pregnancy, it was a concern. She didn't seem too worried though. She just explained that they would try to turn Blaine manually. Normally when they do this, you have to go to the hospital just in case something goes wrong, but my doctor said since it wasn't breech and since I have plenty of amniotic fluid, he saw no risk in trying to turn him there in the office. So he grabbed my stomach and pushed Blaine in the right position. It didn't hurt at all and Blaine moved quickly. The doctor then explained that if he moved again then they might need to induce me the next time they repositioned him, otherwise I'll probably have to have a c-section. Nate knows how to check to see if Blaine's head is down so I'm going to have him do that each night just so I can know what's going on. I think I'll be able to tell, but I'll have Nate help me just to be sure.

After my appointment, Nate took me out to lunch and I explained everything to him. I was really shook up. I don't know why because in my head I knew everything was okay. I think it's just because this is the first thing that hasn't gone perfectly this whole pregnancy. I'm not worried about it now. I'm just grateful that Blaine and I are both okay. The drama is in the delivery, not our health so that's something to be thankful for. Whatever happens, whether I have a c-section, am induced, or everything works out natural I know it's going to be just fine. I'm just glad I have Nate with me to go through everything with me. He's been the best.

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot to mention... it snowed today! I'm sure it'll all be melted by tomorrow, but it was still a wake up call to the Rexburg winters. Hopefully we'll have a few more good weeks before it snows again.

Breast feeding and Steve Jobs

So I went to a free breast feeding class last week. I am all for breast feeding. My mom brain washed me good enough to know it's the best route to take, but this class made me feel like breast feeding is a cult. We watched this really happy video where things like "Breast feeding is great for the environment, for you, and for your baby!" were said by a woman who was obviously smiling too big when she was talking. Also, they seemed really eager to show video of women's nipples and breasts. Something I understand is essential to see if you're going to watch a demonstration, but I was surprised to see like 20 different women, all with their breasts out just for things like the introduction. And it's not like these are pretty breasts, these are 'I just gave birth to a baby' breasts. I guess they just want me to get with the program and be comfortable with that sort of thing. I'm just glad I didn't invite Nate to come with me. We had one dad in there with his wife and I could tell he was uncomfortable. Poor guy. In the end, I'm really glad I went because I did learn a lot and found it very instructive.

In other news, Steve Jobs died today. I'm glad he resigned as CEO before he died as I'm sure apple would have been left in ruins if he hadn't prepared a way for them to run without him. Nate and I were joking that Steve must have read the reviews for the iPhone 4s and it killed him. One thing that might be good for publicity is now less people are focused on their disappointment about not getting the iPhone 5, and we're all focused on how much we love Steve Jobs (just wait for all the biographies to start pouring in). One thing is for sure, I am not super excited about apple's future now that Steve is out of the picture. I'm sure it will remain a large and powerful company for a good while, but I wonder if it will keep up with the demands for the nerds. I guess we'll just have to watch what happens next.

2 weeks and 6 days 'till Blaine's due!

My foot is asleep

I know I know, all I blog about is pregnancy things but you need to understand, that's pretty much the only thing that's going on with my lately. Plus, it's such a big change for me so it's all I think about. There are so many random things that happen due to pregnancy and the whole experience is different than I thought it would be (better in a lot of ways since I've never been sick or really that sore or anything.) For instance, my limbs fall asleep constantly.

My sister Diedre warned me about this but I didn't know how serious she was. I have to wake up in the night just to reajust my arms so that blood will find its way back to them. Right now, my foot is asleep and I'm barely leaning on it and it's only been that way for like a minute. When I kneel down to fold laundry or something, it takes less than a minute for both of my feet to be asleep. Once I thought I would just let them go numb and wake them up later. BIG MISTAKE!!! It hurt so bad like the worst pins and needles I've ever had! I wanted to cry!

On a different (still prego related) note, I went to the doctor last week and he checked to see if Blaine's head was down yet, and he took his thumb and his middle finger and stretched them apart, pressed hard just below my tummy, and wiggled his hand back and fourth and said he could feel the head and everything was as it should be. This weirded me out that he claimed to have just felt Blaine's head and I told Nate about it that night. Nate was intrigued and I told him what the doctor did and Nate tried it. Nate jumped back with a really weirded out look on his face and told me that he totally felt Blaine's little baby head move back and fourth in his hand. I tried it myself and I felt it too! It's the weirdest thing! (hopefully Blaine doesn't have problems due to us moving his head back and fourth too much that day). It was really cool for both of us and it makes Blaine seem more real.

Bending over is getting harder too. Pregnant belly is way different than I thought it would feel. It's way more packed in and squishy to the rest of me than I thought it would be. Sometimes when I bend over to get something, I get a little out of breath and it puts a lot of pressure on my insides. Also, Blaine keeps getting the hiccups in the middle of the night. The last two nights I have been kept up by his hiccups! It's hard to sleep when there's a baby twitching in your belly.

Well, that's about it. 5 more weeks to go!

I don't care if other women have given birth!

Sometimes when I think about the fact that I will indefinitely have to go through the whole labor and birthing thing, it makes me afraid. Sure I'll get through it but it's still a bit of a daunting thought. I think I hate hate hate it when people say "just think of all the women who have given birth before you." ...that's nice. Good for them! Something they don't talk about is the millions of complications that have happened before me too. I get where their coming from. They're thinking in terms of "dude, it's a common thing and you can figure it out like the rest of them." and I'm thinking in terms of "ouch, that sounds like it hurts and is difficult to recover from. That will be miserable for me to go through." I'm not saying that I'm the only one or that I'm singled out here, I'm just saying that it is scary. It's like if I had a hammer and told you I was going to stub your toe. Would it comfort you to know that other toes have been stubbed before yours and that you would heal? No. You would think "AHHH!"

Things that would be more comforting would be to say something about how I'm a strong individual, I have good genes, people will support me, it'll be worth it, time will pass, etc. Not lessening the scary and painful situation by comparing me to other people, but actually focusing on what I have to go through.

Crazy Dreams

I've always had weird dreams but being prego makes things even weirder. I have probably dreamed of giving birth at least 50 times and each time I think to myself "Woah, that didn't even hurt a bit!" Then there's also those dreams where halfway through I realize that my baby is 1 week old and I have never fed it!

I know that I'm not the only one who has reoccurring dreams about their future babies. Diedre had one where she would walk into her living room to find Ethan holding a ginormous baby and Diedre would be so confused because she never remembered giving birth or going to the hospital.

Last night I have two dreams where I had Blaine. The first dream my water broke while I was with Esther at MCC. We got into her car but we didn't know where the hospital was. We drove around for hours and finally found one. I checked in and the nurses said I wasn't even in labor, but they'd induce me since my water broke. They did but still nothing happened. Then one of the nurses checked to see how dilated I was and Blaine was crowning. She yelled for a doctor, but no one could come in time and she delivered my baby (a painless and easy birth). The baby was super cute, but no one but the nurse was there with me. Nate hadn't even been there. Finally Marquette and Cameron brought Nate and he was able to hold Blaine. I thought to myself "is this a dream? or is this finally the real deal?" I decided this one was for real but then I shortly woke up.

I'm sure my dreams with only get worse and worse the closer Oct 25th comes. I just hope that when it really isn't a dream it's still painless :)

Bluegrass

Nate and I just got home from a bluegrass concert. Our friend Nyk Vail plays in the Teton Shadow Mountain Boys. They were really good. You know what's odd? I hate country music (I've tried to give it a chance, but I just can't take it!) but I LOVE bluegrass music. Bluegrass music is just so easy to listen to and is so much fun to see live. I think it's the awesome instruments involved, my favorite being the banjo.

I've thought of playing the banjo before. I think I know myself well enough to know that I am no good at practicing or sticking with instruments. I think I might make Blaine play the banjo. How do you get kids to play instruments anyway? Nothing really lasted in my family. My parents gave us a choice and as kids we all chose to not practice and quit. Now I think it'd be awesome if I would have been forced to keep at something. Then I'd be talented. But on the other hand, maybe I would resent my parents for forcing me how to play.

I have a solution... I will force Blaine to play the banjo, and then let my second child choose to do whatever he wants and then I'll see which one turns out better in the end :)

In all seriousness though, I do think it'd be awesome if my kids could have bluegrass jams. Nate plays the Mandolin so all we need is a fiddle, banjo, bass, and guitar. Or at least a guitar and fiddle. We'll see. I'm this is one of those fantasy pictures that so many moms have envisioned for their future just to have their kids complain and not go along with it. Like my mom. She wishes we were more like the Vontrap family. Singing songs she taught us and frolicking in the mountains with her. My mother in law has also told me to beware to getting too many pictures in my head about my future. It'll be interesting to see how everything works out in the end. As long as my kids are perfect, I'll be just fine ;)

Flies and Stretch Marks

There are flies in my house! I don't know where they came from (who am I kidding, we're living in a really old basement. There are probably loads of ways they could sneak their way in), but they're there. I thought they were baby house flies because they're so tiny, but Nate explained to me that they are fruit flies (while he laughed at me). So I didn't know what a fruit fly is! But know I know, so next time I'll be able to identify them.

They live in my kitchen sink and bathroom. They must like the wetness. My faucet drips so they get plenty of water. We usually have a few dishes in the sink so I guess they have food too. Right now all the dishes are done and everything is clea

n, but they still lurk. I went to Walmart and got a fly swatter, fly tape, and window fly tape. One thing I learned is that fly tape is gross! But it seems to be working. Another thing I did was look up home remedies for fruit fly traps and I poured a cup of cider vinegar in a cup and added a few drops of dish soap to it. This breaks the surface tension of the cider and they drown (A little morbid I know, but I think it's more humane than getting stuck to tape and just starving to death). At any rate I think my traps are working. We'll see in a few days if that does the trick.

In other exciting pregnancy news, I have my first stretch mark. It's small, but it counts. It's on my right side on my lower belly. I hope it doesn't grow or spread, but it most likely will. I guess I should just pretend that I want them so that when I get them I'll be happy.

Yesterday I graduated to week 31 in my pregnancy. This means that I only have 9 to go. . . which is still a long time when you think about it. So let's not think about it. Luckily I've been crazy busy at work so time is flying by!

Here's a picture Nate took on his cellphone. I know I know, I'm adorable :)

Long boarding and feet

Yesterday Nate and I went out long boarding on a little hill that has no traffic. I watched Nate as I took a few pictures and I even tried to long board myself. I haven't been on one since I've been pregnant and it was so bizarre! I could not function for the life of me because my whole weight distribution is different. I felt like a moron! (and I'm sure I looked like one too). Needless to say that didn't last long and I just enjoyed watching Nate.

I always hear these stories of women who do fun athletic stuff when their pregnant so I thought it would be fun, but I guess I'd have to relearn with my new center of gravity. I didn't realize how much of my weight distribution had changed but now that I think about it, if you were suddenly to take away my pregnancy, I'd probably fall backwards.

In other exciting news, my ankles are getting puffy. The other day my office manager stopped me and inquired about my ankles. I told her I just naturally have thick ankles and not to worry, but she looked concerned. To put her at ease I awkwardly maneuvered my feet so that I could see my ankles and sure enough they were puffy! They're always been thick, but these suckers are actually puffing outwards, like there's a little ring of fluff around each ankle. I've seen pregnant feet like this before and I am under the suspicion that it will get worse as time goes on. Luckily, it's getting harder and harder for me to see my feet so I won't have to know how ridiculous they look. Here's a picture I took on my phone (I actually had to lean forward to include my little toes)

Why doesn't everyone just cook normal food?

When Nate and I first got married, I overheard him talking to his mom on the phone. He said that everything was going great except I only made like 3 dinners and I kept repeating meals. I was a little embarrassed that he felt that way and since then have been trying to add variety in his dinners.

This proved to be more difficult than I thought. First of all, I was new to cooking. I had helped my mom growing up and heaven knows she tried to drill the skill into my head, but I really didn't pay much attention. I also hate trying new food. I like eating the same things over again because those are my favorites.

Well, two and a half years later and I am just starting to figure out a few things about food. "Normal" recipes are subjective. A friend recently gave me a new recipe and I tried it and hated it. Nate loved it, but I'll never cook that again! Then it dawned on me that only my mother knew what "normal" food was. After all, she's the one that trained me to think her food was normal. I got a bunch of recipes from her and still continue to ask her how to make things and it's been great.

Another thing I've been working on is a cookbook just for me. The 2 problems I hate with cookbooks are first, I don't know if I like the recipe until I make it, and Second, there doesn't seem to be a ton of recipe books with a picture for every recipe. It's very hard for me to make something new if I don't know how it's even suppose to look.

My recipe book is foods I've made that I love, and I take a picture the first time I make it and put it on the recipe. It's been a lot of fun because I'm more eager to try new things to see if it's book worthy. I have made about 8 new meals since I've started my project and only about half of them make the book. If I don't love it and want to make it always, it doesn't make it. This way, in a few years I should have loads of recipes all in one place with pictures of food that I love to eat! Then I get variety and good food. That's the plan anyway.

It's never too late

... to start blogging again!!!

So it's been a great 2 years since Halloween of 2009 :) Basically it consisted of me graduating from BYU-I, getting a job at Gugelman Photography, and oh yeah... getting pregnant!

This year is the year of the babies. My older sisters Andrea and Suzanne both had sons this year. Andrea's boy Owen was born in April, and Suzanne's boy Max was born in June. On top of that my sister in law Diedre just had a boy last week! Her boy is pictured below and she named him Erik. Nate and I are having our boy (Blaine) in October.

There you have it, 4 little boy cousins all born in 2011.

Man, Erik is cute. Kathleen (Nate's mom) says that Nate had hair just as thick when he was born. I hope so bad that Blaine has hair, I think it's the coolest thing ever! Arnett babies are chubby and bald, so we'll see what we get.

So far the pregnancy has been a cinch. Really. I have had NO sickness, problems, nothing. The only things that I would call symptoms are I was a picky eater for about a week in my second trimester, and a few times I got slight heartburn. That's about it. I really hope my delivery is just as easy as pregnancy, but my aunt Kat told me that since I have it easy to pregnancy I deserve a difficult labor, and if I don't even get a difficult labor, than I at least deserve difficult children ;) I hope she's wrong.

The one thing I can say about pregnancy is that it's boring. I have 89 days left... Ugh. I already have his pack n play set up, clothes ready to be worn, book waiting to read to him, blankets waiting to cuddle him and dippers waiting to be used. It's like counting down until Christmas. Notice how no one starts counting down for Christmas 9 months before the day? That would only make it seem farther away! Well, you start counting down for a baby 9 months before it's show time. That makes things go so slow. Luckily, this week I'm in my 3rd trimester at last! Now I just need to get really busy and involved with stuff so that time flies by! We'll see how well that goes.