Day #265

Every night when I go to bed I think that I can't possibly become more uncomfortable.  I wake up the next morning and find that I was wrong.  Sleeping no longer heals the pain, I wake up sometimes more sore that when I went to bed.  Paisley is uncomfortable too-she's been poking and prodding me more and more as she has less and less room to move.  I'm just starting to feel bad for her at this point.  I really have been trying to enjoy this last little bit of being pregnant-but when my ankles look like elephant feet and I can't breathe most of the time, it's really hard.  And really, I'm just very impatient.  I want to meet her...

Day #264

Yesterday was a difficult day for me.  I had the opportunity to help out some friends by filming a funeral.  It was a very odd transition-typically I am asked to capture happiness and joy, not sadness and grief.  This was a particularly sad funeral-it was for a sweet baby boy who was only 5 days old when he died.  I honestly wasn't sure that I would be able to go and keep it together being that I am very pregnant and with that very emotional.  I have just enough EMT left in me that I was for the most part able to just film away and capture what was going on.  It was a physically and emotionally exhausting day... 

Day #262

Well, they stripped my membranes yesterday...and I'm still pregnant.  I'm trying to maybe think of things that I like about being pregnant.  I can see why people miss it, I'm sure as the memories fade only the good things shine through.  There is something really special about creating another person within yourself.  It's nice to know that she is completely safe with me-and that I get to take her everywhere I go!  I can't hear her yet if she is crying, I'm not worrying about her sucking her thumb too much (I don't know if she's doing it) and I only have to worry about feeding myself to feed her (which is how I can then justify the need for more and more food, particularly brownies...).  I just need to be patient and enjoy these last few weeks I have with my baby girl before she is on the outside...

Day #261 My Birth Plan

1. I would like to be referred to as "Princess Cupcake" exclusively by the entirety of the hospital staff for the duration of my stay.
2. When my baby arrives I would like it to be a girl.  They said it was a girl but just in case it isn't, please make that happen.
3. I don't want ANYTHING to hurt-down to a painless IV stick and easy labor.
4. I would like my hands, feet, back and perineum to be massaged simultaneously throughout my labor.
5. After my baby's arrival I would appreciate at least 3 compliments of how skinny and fabulous I look every time any hospital attendant enters my room.
6. While I am being complimented I would like to hear how perfect and beautiful my baby is also.
7. Oh, and I could really go for some chocolate cake...

FUNDRAISING CONCERT FOR DEYTON

This is for Derek and Krystal Sorensen-we know them as Ryan Wright's sister and brother-in-law.  

There is a concert being put together to benefit the Sorensen's. Pass the word along...

August 7th 7:30pm at Jazzy Java.

City of Ashburn, Greg Judd and Kyle Wilson will be playing

Day #258

Happy Pioneer Day!  I keep whispering to Paisley that if she would like to come out today or tomorrow we can do fireworks for her birthday!  I think that is exciting but I don't think she really cares.  Maybe.  If anyone feels that they have superior coaxing abilities please feel free to drop by and give my belly a talking to.  

Day #257

I need someone that hasn't seen me in awhile to tell me if I've dropped or not.  I'm feeling more pressure in my  lower abdomen like I'm stretching more-I hope that means I'm dropping.  That would be good.  If you could then tell me that my cervix is dilated to a 5 and I'm in labor and I can't feel it...that would be even better.  I broke down yesterday and finally signed up for WIC.  I've been putting it off because I want to believe that we don't need the help...but we do.  I guess 1 in 4 women in the U.S. currently use WIC-that eased the hit to my pride a little.  They are so funny because they REALLY want you to breast-feed, which I am planning on and they still drilled me.  Anyway, back to me dropping-anyone want to take a shot at it?

Day #256 of my misery, i mean gestation...

it's hot.  i've gotten heat exhaustion almost everyday for the last week and a half.  i came here loving the heat-and i can say that because i have worked not one but 2 summers outdoors in st george and been fine!  if i spend more than getting from the car to my destination outside i get the headache, nausea, and general dizziness of heat exhaustion.  it's scary.  and i worry that i'm baking my poor child.  i pat my belly everyday and tell her that she can come out now.  i hope she's thinking about it...

Pregnancy Rant

WARNING:  This may be too much information.  Proceed with Caution.

I can no longer see my crotch and it's beginning to weird me out!  If I look down I can't see my feet either but I can peer around my belly to see them.  I simply cannot with my crotch.  I have broken out in a peach fuzz that I never knew was possible.  Everyone I've talked to says that it goes away after you have the baby...I sure hope so.  I've never been so fuzzy.  I always thought that pregnant women could just eat and eat and eat...You Can't!!!  There isn't room!  The most delicious, wonderful food can be sitting right in front of me and I can't even make a dent.  I will eat until I'm filled and be starving hungry 2 hours later only to eat 2 bites more of something.  I only hope I can hang on to this eating pattern after-I'll be sure to lose weight.  I am beginning to go a little crazy-I'm starting to believe that everything that happens to me is a sign of labor.  Ooo, my back hurts-this could be a sign of labor.  Actually, I think that is a sign of pregnancy, I don't remember a time that my back has not hurt.  Oh!!  And I just want to lay down on my back.  It is so hard to explain because I wake up after 5 minutes of sleeping on my back with this feeling of impending doom like I am doing something that is very bad as my hands and feet begin to fall asleep.  So frustrating.  I still have morning sickness.  I know at this point that really makes me a weirdo, but if I don't take my Zofran first thing in the morning I am throwing up bile before I have anything in me to throw up.  I am SO grateful that I live in this day and age with wonderful things like Zofran and Google to calm my labor fears.  One of my bigger pet peeves has definitely been loss of energy lately.  I was doing so much better there for awhile and now if I have even a 4 hour shift at work I'm exhausted.  I feel like such a pregnant women, waddling around with my hands pressed into my lower back.  There's more, but this has gone on long enough.  Thanks for listening...

The Belly

It is so weird to look and see how big my belly really is!  I knew I was huge but I didn't realize how far out I was until I saw these.  I didn't know if I would be able to do it, but I did do some nudes too that turned out really cool (tasteful maternity nudes).  It is amazing what dramatic lighting can do for dimples and stretch marks.  Those pics are available for home viewing only...We didn't want to offend anyone by posting them online.  Hopefully only 5 more weeks and we get to meet baby Paisley!!

The 4th, Camping, and fun in the sun

These are big boy sparklers that aren't actually supposed to be held in the hand...
Navajo Lake, up on Cedar Mountain.  It was so nice to get away to a cooler place, and I haven't seen forest in a long time.  It rained a bit, but it just made it all the nicer.

And I don't know if you can see it, but this is Jon emerging from the water slide at Dixie High School.  We went last weekend with Steve & Kim and it was really fun.  Teigan made it down twice, but wasn't really sure that she liked it.

It's baby time...

While the nursery is not done, it's getting there, which is making me feel so much better.  Even though 60% of first time babies are late there is always that little voice in the back of your mind saying "what if she's early?"  We just ordered the carseat, which is the only thing you have to have in order to legally leave the hospital with them, so I hope it gets here in time.  I still have a good month left but I still worry.  Dr Benham is hopeful that she may be early because my uterus has been very active and she's head down ready to go...but, that still doesn't mean anything absolute.  We'll see.  I hate waiting games.  I really shouldn't be feeling like this is a waiting game yet either-it's just barely July tomorrow!  Oh!  And if anyone knows anyone trying to get rid of a changing table let me know.  I would prefer wood so we can just paint it, but we're really not picky at this point...

Away We Go...

'Away We Go' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

I am a water creature...

I love the water.  Love, love, love the water.  I have been begging Jon to go swimming all week and we finally went last night and we weren't even there that long but all I needed was some time in the water.  I really relate to the movie Big Fish in that very odd way.  I was thinking about it too-I have a history with water.  I started swimming long before I could remember and my Mom had to really keep an eye on me around water even before I could walk because I would find ways to make it into the water.  My most fervent prayers as a child were to please be turned into a mermaid.  I was The Little Mermaid for Halloween a couple years in a row.  In 4th grade when we had to pick a historical place or monument in Idaho Falls to do a research project about, I chose the Idaho Falls Aquatic Center.  I took every swim class there was, and I even did all of the swimming merit badges.  I went on to Swim Teams, and then became a lifeguard and a swim teacher and started teaching those merit badges and coaching the swim teams.  I don't know if the chlorine just gets into your system or what, but I love it, and when I'm away from it for too long, I really do feel like I start to dry out-I need it.  Oh, and the exquisite pain relief that comes from sliding into that water.  Maybe I just like to be weightless.  I just love the water...

And Here we have Idaho...

Finally, my baby sisters graduated.  
Idaho Falls got a Cafe Rio!
You'll notice I caught her with her tongue out and everything...
Oh yes, this is the very upscale Bed Bath & Beyond in Idaho Falls.  They totally have John Deere everything for the entire house... 
And, last but not least, our favorite.  These were for sale at a gas station right over the border into Idaho.  If you just can't bring yourself to cut off the sleeves on one of the denim shirts you already have...you can buy them cut off and already frayed for you!

It was so nice to see our families.  We don't get to see them very often, so it's always nice to go.  The weather was fabulous-rainy but not too cold the entire time.  And we got to see everyone, including my Grandma Clark who flew up from Texas for my sisters graduation.