Mamie's feet

Mamie is doing pretty good. Wade accidentally pulled her feeding tube out on Friday (not as big of a deal as it sounds) and we decided to just leave it out till we went to the doctor on Monday. They said she had gained enough and it sounds like she's been eating enough so they decided to let her keep it out.

We went to the orthopedic yesterday and got some bad news. Her right foot is clubbed and the left one has a bone that is vertical instead of horizontal. Another doctor had told us that the funny shape of her feet was probably just due to weird positioning in the womb and the fact that she wasn't able to move them. Well, I was expecting that she would have to have casting or something sometime, I just wasn't expecting it to be as soon or as dramatic. The dr.said we could start the casting as soon as right then! for the right foot but the left was something he needed to find out more about. We'll have to come in weekly to have the cast changed. I was really hoping we were cutting down on these doc appointments :-( Just when we have the last of the plastic surgery appointments for awhile, along comes this. Also, he said after that they will have to attach her feet together with a bar to kind of train them in the right position. Full time for a couple years I think and then part time for a few more. I was not expecting that much at all. I just wish my baby could have a chance to be a regular little baby without all these extra things on her. We are going to get a second opinion about the feet though.

I posted a whole bunch of pictures here on my blog so make sure to check them out.

The latest

Today we had an all day appointment at the spina bifida clinic. We met with urology, physical therapy, Dr. Merkens-the main spina bifida doc and a social worker. Plastics also briefly came to do a quick touch up on her back. They put silver nitrate on the granulation tissue, it only takes a minute. Then we met with a "medicaid specialist" although I don't know how she can call herself such. Dr. Merkens gave us a new feeding routine to try. He said we can do all her tube feedings as bottle feedings first and then whatever she doesn't finish, just give through the tube. I tried to feed her her midnight feeding but she didn't want to wake up so I just gave it all through the tube.

I had a seizure last Thursday, as if we didn't have enough to handle! I had taken Mamie out for her 6 AM changing and feeding. She was on the changing table when I collapsed into a seizure. I have always been more prone to have them right after I wake up (although I haven't had one for 5 years) so for now on Robin is going to carry her to the changing table and put her back at that feeding.

Mamie is such a little sweetheart. She is getting more and more responsive and we're just sure she's gonna give us a big smile any day now. She laughed in her sleep the other night-it was really funny-she is quite a noisy sleeper, making all kinds of grunts and other noises.

I am very excited for my parents and my sister and her family to come this weekend for Mamie's baby blessing. It will be great to see them and show off my little Mamie.

Mamie's first smile

We think Mamie had her first reactive smile today. She smiles a lot in her sleep, but she was awake for this one. I was holding her and she just decided to smile at me. It was so cute!

Yesterday we went into the feeding clinic. I had expected better progress. She hadn't gained as much weight as they'd hoped. She's still in the 50th percentile, but I guess she was in a higher percentile before. So instead of taking out the tube like I'd hoped, they're keeping everything the same except giving her a little more through the tube feedings, and when I nurse, I should nurse both sides instead of all 30 minutes on one side. Basically, she just isnt' getting enough when she nurses. Either her suck is not strong enough or she just tires out or both. She does good with a bottle but I guess that's easier?

I have some really cute pictures to download when i get my computer working again. I had to get a new cord. I'm using Wade's now.

Today we went to the last Tuesday market of the summer, sigh. I guess the Saturday farmers market will go on till September or October though, but it is a little early for me. I like the Tuesday market because it is in the evening.

I am really looking forward to both my parents and my sister Kellie coming to visit next month. My parents have seen Mamie but not out of the hospital and Kellie hasn't seen her at all.

It's amazing how each little step has been such a big deal for us with Mamie. At first, it felt like a big deal to be able to just hold her little head in my hand. Then a few days later I was able to attempt to bottle feed her. Then when I was able to hold her on my lap on a pillow(on her tummy of course) and then try nursing her, and then they redid the one plastic surgery and I couldn't hold her even on my lap again. Then I could actually hold her again. Each little step has made me really appreciate each little thing more and not take it for granted. Mamie is such a little sweetheart. She really is a good-natured baby. Although I don't get as much sleep as I used to, I've definitely seen worse babies. She is pretty easy to calm although as soon as she loses that pacifier she starts breathing really fast and getting super stressed out.

She likes to stick out her tongue a lot and "taste the air". We call her our little lizard. She's so funny when she's looking for something to suck on and you stick the pacifier near her mouth. She so quickly finds it and gobbles it into her mouth. It's hilarious how fast she does it, as if she's never been fed and this is her only meal.

Wade's blog is pretty funny so make sure to check it out. I especially like his Battlestar Galactica analogy.Bye!

We have a thumbsucker

Little Mamie is getting better and better at finding her thumb when she wants it. It is so cute. Sometimes she'll have her pointer and middle finger on either side of her nose while she's sucking her thumb. We took her on her first outing (besides doctors appointments) on Saturday. We went to see Wade's brother Parker's band, "Lindsey Pool" perform at a street fair thing. The drummer's brothers baby was born the same day so we took a picture of the babies together.

Wade and I had quite a time switching Mamie's feeding tube to the other nostril the other day. We tried and tried and tried and she screamed and screamed and screamed and we kept hitting a wall or it would come out her mouth instead of going down to the stomach. Finally we temporarily gave up and then tried again later after we'd given her her sedative and we got it. But then the next day she pulled it out and we had to put it in again. This time we waited till after we'd given her the sedative to even try, but she still got very mad. A few times we even thought we had it but then tested it with air to make sure we had it right and we didnt' so we had to pull it out and try again. Finally we got it. This time I taped it on with a stickier material that we use for her would care.

We had several appointments the other day, one being at the feeding clinic where we visited with our favorite doctor, Dr. Merkens, among others. We worked out a much better feeding schedule so that Wade and I could get some more rest. They said just try to nurse 3 times in a 24 hr. period and if she doesn't go for it, don't worry about it or trying to make it up later. Wade will do one bottle feeding, and we will tube feed the rest. I dont' have to pump as often either. We were very relieved by the new schedule.

Wade recently fell while in the bathroom and hurt his chest area very badly. He wondered if perhaps he may have hurt, maybe even broken a rib. He wound up going to the doctor and they said there was no point in doing an x-ray because if it was broken there wasnt' anything they would do about it, so they just gave him some pain medication.

Sometimes we call our baby Mad-Eyed Mamie because of this funny look she has when she is laying on the side of her head. One eye is open more than the other and looking all around. It's very cute and funny.

Little Mamie

It's been awhile! Little Mamie finally came home on Friday. We were very excited but it's been exhausting. She's been on a schedule of eating every 3 hours. She has been making good progress with learning how to nurse but is not quite there yet. Sometimes she is just too out for me to even try. So when that is the case, we have to tube feed her. She still has the feeding tube that goes up through her nose down to her tummy. Both Wade and I were trained how to put it in. Each time we feed her through it, we first have to make sure it is in the right place but putting the stethoscope to her tummy and then putting in 5 mL of air. Then we attach the syringe and put in the milk. We each made the mistake of not plugging up one of the little entrances to the tube when we attached the syringe and lost a lot of precious breast milk all over the floor, but we are definitely learning from our experiences. Some times now I nurse her and then we tube feed (gavauge) the rest, and other times we gavauge all of it, like in the middle of the night. Hopefully she will soon be able to nurse only and we can take that darn tube out of her nose. She is constantly hooking her little finger around it so we have to be careful. It is taped to her cheek. Fortunately we have not had to replace the tube since she's been home, but we have had to retape it to her cheek a few times when it starts to come loose.

On her back is what's called a wound vacuum where a thicker tube sucks any gunk away from the wound. So we have to carry the vac around with her and be a little careful with that too. I cant' wait till our baby is not attached to any more tubes! I think they said we would probably have the vac 2-4 more weeks, but the wound is healing nicely. On Monday, we went in for her dressing change at 1:30. All went well and we were about to leave, but then she started having some fairly big twitches while she was asleep in my arms. We were right in front of the emergency room at that point, about to leave. But we decided this didn't look normal and wondered if it might be a seizure or something. So we were admitted and stayed in the emergency room for most of that night till we were transferred back to the NICU where she'd been before. We got an isolation room this time though because she'd already been home and they try to keep those babies away from the others because of germs. Long story short, they ran several tests and didnt' find anything. The pediatric neurologist concluded it was something that happens occasionally in babies, not anything to really worry about though. Although he did advise us to try to videotape it if it happened again. However, the nurse did notice that the wound on her stomach where the shunt goes down to wasn't quite healing properly so that got dealt with and dressed and we finally took her home again on Wednesday.

My last days....

Well, tomorrow is the big day. The day I will be induced! I will just try not to think about it. Only way to get through this day. I know I will never sleep tonight unaided-my friend Shelly recommended I take a Benadryl so I can get as much sleep as I can. I barely slept last night. I ended up watching TV till like 6 AM ish. I then fell asleep so I decided to skip church today to let my body sleep when it could. I finished my latest book, "Vengeance Child" last night. The coordinator at the doctors office I go to is always teasing me about my book selection. My Mom and Dad should be getting here in a a couple hours from their brief stay at Jeni's. We are supposed to call the hospital as early as 6 AM tomorrow and they will tell us exactly what time to come in. Wade got me a special gift of People magazine to read in the hospital and forbade me to read it before then. At least I dont' have to give birth to 6 babies at a time, like Kate from John and kate plus eight.

Yesterday I went and had pedicures with Marissa and Connie. Robin treated us. My toes look beautiful. They even put acryllic over the 2 disgusting falling apart toenails so they actually look normal. I got pink toenails with flowers. Then we went out to lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Later in the day, Brent treated me, Wade, Parker, and Connie to Coldstone. It was a pretty nice day in helping me to get my mind off things.

I still have the remnants of my cold. Or maybe it's allergies, or a combination. Anyways, I am still blowing my nose a lot. And getting sinus headaches too.

Little Baby Mann was so active last night. I don't know what the heck she was doing in my tummy! It was like a constant, quick, pulsing. From my understanding, I shouldn't be able to feel her heartbeat or anything. I have felt it before though-it's kinda weird the way it is very rhythmic and very obvious. Maybe she is practicing boxing.

Brent said that he went to the temple the other night and was thinking about what our baby was doing right then, and had the impression that she might be talking to his mom, maybe getting some last minute instructions. I thought that was pretty neat, and imagined her in heaven, chatting with Grandma T too, and any other passed on relatives.

Well, I guess next time you hear from me, I'll have my little girl!

June 3

Well, I went into the doctor yesterday, and my amniotic fluid was way up! 16! woo-hoo Before it was about 6-8. It should be 10 or above but they don't get super concerned till it's under 5. But they were monitoring it closely. Now I dont' have to go back on Friday. Yay!

I have just been spending my time playing more Farmtown, reading, making cards, and keeping track of finances. I made some beautiful cards last night. I was so proud. Of course, I copied one of Robin's. It was so cute, I just had to do one like it. The book I'm reading is called "Blood Sins" by Kay Hooper. It is really good. I got it off the Best Seller cart at the library. I have also still been playing lots of farmtown. Sometimes Seth or my friend Shelly is playing too and we chat a bit.

I chose the decor for my blog because it reminds me of the colors for my baby's bedding. Robin, Marissa, and Connie are throwing a shower for me this Saturday and Jeni is coming for the weekend. Yay! We will probably make some more cards. Well, that's about all I have to say.

As of late...

I still need to figure out how to post pics! Particularly so I can post them when the baby comes. After all, I don't think I want to post too many pics of my fat 'ole self now. I know I'm supposed to be fat, but still...

I had some computer problems the past week. I was playing my new favorite past time, "Farmtown" on facebook and got a virus. I got super worried about losing valuable things on the computer and somebody getting valuable information but fortunately I got it fixed.

The doctor decided my low amount of amniotic fluid must not be because I'm drinking enough, so now they are monitoring it twice a week. I had a little scare on Friday and ended up going to the hospital, but all was just fine. Wade and I were there for a long time, but turns out it was all okay. I cant' believe i only have 5 weeks left!

Robin has a absolute ton of stamping/scrapbooking materials so I have gotten into card making. It is a little overwhelming when I start because i dont' know where to start, there is so much stuff. But I have made some really cool cards and am proud of myself. As I mee ntioned, I have also spent, no, wasted, a lot of time playing Farmtown on facebook. It is really fun but I think I am becoming an addict. I also just finished a book called "Lost boys" by orson scott card. It was pretty good.

I have enjoyed going to the Farmers Market with Robin the last 2 Saturdays. They dont' have any fruit yet, it's mostly plants, crafts, and food vendors but they should have some fruit very soon. It is just in walking distance of the house, so it's a nice way to spend a Saturday morning.
Last week, Wade and I went to the Rose Festival in downtown Portland. There were lots of food vendors and games and we saw part of 2 acts-a clown one and a magic one-but they were both pretty lame. We did see a lot of cool reptiles though. It's been going on all week, I was thinking of maybe going to the parade tonight but me and Wade didnt' really feel like it. This is such a beautiful area and I love all the open markets and events going on.

Today's appointment

Today at our appointment, there was some good and bad news. The placenta has moved enough that it looks like I probably won't need a C-section. However, the baby may have a clubbed foot (which honestly doesn't seem that big a deal after everything else) and the amniotic fluid is low. They said it could just be because I'm dehydrated. So instead of going to Jeni's (my sister's) house tomorrow like I had planned, I have to drink plenty of water and then come back on Thursday! If it's still looking like that, I will have to be admitted to the hospital so they can hydrate me with an IV. If I'd known water drinking could have that affect on the amniotic fluid, I would have tried harder at it! I am hoping all will be well and maybe I can still go to Jeni's on Thursday, but we shall see. It is a 3 1/2 hour trip there and I was going to stay a couple days. I was really excited about it. I will be very bummed if I can't go at all. ;-(

MRI

Well, today I made it to OHSU hospital in Portland all by myself-it was my first time driving there alone. OHSU is Oregon Health and Sciences University. Anyways, I got there without any mistakes and all went fine. I had an MRI to see the baby's brain. I was worried she was going to make it take super long because she was being active in my tummy but I think she did okay. (It IS awful noisy in that big ole' machine, they gave me earphones to listen to music but but my poor little baby had to listen to all that noisy pounding for 45 minutes!) I got really hot in there and was pretty uncomfortable. I was able to put my legs up a little but not really enough, and laying down flattish is getting a little painful. They let me see the pictures afterwards but all they were really able to tell me so far is that the front of our baby's brain ventricles are not looking too big so that is good. I think we'll find out more in a day or two if they call us, otherwise probably not till our next appointment on the 12th.

I am trying to get to the gym to swim more often. On Monday I met a man in the pool who told me that according to numerology, my baby would be stubborn and independent. Not that I believe that silly stuff, but I thought some of the stuff he said would be really helpful for her if she IS that way, like the independent and determined qualities. :-)

Anniversary dinner and baby

I do intend to post some pictures but I have to wait for Wade to show me how, so it could be awhile. Last Friday, we went with the Mann family (Robin & Brent, and Marissa & Dade) to Wade's brother's opera, "Falstaff". He was in the chorus. I had slipped my shoes off during the show and afterwards I tried to slip them back on and they wouldn't fit! My feet were all swollen up! It happened again on Sunday too during Stake Conference.

On Saturday night Wade and I went out to dinner for our anniversary. I took some pictures of that night so I will try to post them later. Wade got me some lovely flowers with some of the same types from our wedding. As an anniversary gift, Wade's parents paid for us to go out to a Peruvian restaurant called Andina in downtown Portland. We loved it! The appetizer we first got turned out to be cold when we thought it was warm, and since it had chicken in it, Wade of course would not eat it cuz he doesn't do cold meat. So we asked the waiter if we could try something else and got the other thing we'd considered. It was a beef, raisin, and olive filling in a pastry crust and was absolutely delicious! For our entrees, Wade had the rack of lamb and I had mahi mahi. Mine came with a fried rice with quinoa which was quite tasty. Then we shared a creme brulee trio for dessert-there was blackberry, honey, and vanilla creme brulees, all delicious. So that was a very fun night.

The next day we had stake conference and I kept noticing all these cute little baby girls. I'd been feeling fine before church and all, but I don't know, it just kinda got to me and I started crying during the meeting. So Wade and I went outside for a bit. He is such a good husband and is always so comforting to me. I've been reading this book called "Children with Spina Bifida:A Parents Guide" and have just read about some sad situations and I guess got thinking about things our baby wont' be able to do and stuff. In one of them, there was this little girl at a family reunion, and she was racing toward all the other little kids and the playground in her wheelchair. The mom was watching and saw her little girl slow down as she got closer and then turn around and come back. "Mommy, that playground is not made for me," she said. Of course it just broke the mom's heart and I am sure I will have many of those situations. I know I should try to think of all the things she WILL be able to do, but nevertheless, it's just really hard sometimes dealing with this.

We had a ultrasound and appointment this week on Tuesday and there is not much new. On Wednesday we met with the neurosurgeon. It was not very lengthy. He or the other neurosurgeon at the office will be performing the closing of the spine surgery and putting in the shunt 24-72 hours after the birth. It was mostly just meeting him.

Well, that's all for now!

Easter

First of all, I have to make a corrrection-Kellie told me the shower was actually thrown by my sister-in-laws Jen and Connie as well. Maybe mom too? I'm not sure. Sorry, I just assumed Kellie and Jeni because those were the RSVP people.

Well today me and Wade taught our new Sunbeam class. We had 3 boys in sharing time, but the 3rd never made it to class because as he said, "I don't like them!" (meaning Wade and I). We had a good laugh about that. The other 2 were very cute and we had a good time trying to teach them, the key word being TRY. The one was very quiet and the other one very talkative. He went off on a lot of tangents. It was very cute.

Wade is dissing my Josh Groban music. I don't appreciate it. He is such a snob. Jeni will have to show him what's up. ;-) Hehehe

I am making some deviled eggs for Easter dinner which of course Wade won't eat because they have both mayonaise and pickles-2 of his arch enemies. Hopefully the rest of the Manns will like them. I missed coloring eggs and watching little ones look for them this year. :-( So sad.

Today is Wade and my anniversary. We will probably go out to eat next week to celebrate, but I did bring the top layer of our wedding cake back from Salt Lake.

Our baby is still being quite the little kicker. She just moves so much-especially during movies. We have another ultrasound next week and meeting with the neurosurgeon.

Later!

Baby shower

Well, I spent last week in Salt Lake with the family. It was a little exhausting, I must be getting used to the quiet of a house of 4 adults. Plus I grew a lot bigger in that one week I was gone. I guess my body was just exhausted from the growing. Wade was surprised when I got back and he saw how much bigger I was! I like it when he refers to me and the baby as his girls.

Jeni and Kellie threw me a shower. We had a really good turnout and got lots of good stuff! I thought it was really cute that my niece Sydney wanted to give something from just herself since my older nieces did, so she donated a book of her own to the baby. We played a couple games and Kellie made a lovely diaper cake. Jeni made a tablecloth out of a heart and crossbones print fabric, since my baby likes pirates. hehehe We had cake and chocolate strawberries. I wish I'd taken a few more pictures but hopefully with the ones Jen and Kellie took, they'll be enough.

My almost 4 yrs old niece, Elizabeth, enjoyed touching my tummy and saying she could feel the baby move. Usually it was not a time when she was moving, but that's okay, she liked thinking she could feel her. She also asked me if she could wash my baby, so I promised her that yes, she could wash my baby after she was born. I think she got this idea from when she had a bath with my 2 year old niece, Gabrie.

All in all, I had a good time with my fam but was glad to see my Wade again.

Update on baby

I had another ultrasound and appt. today. The placenta is still low but the baby is no longer in breach position currently. They said today that the level on the spine is looking like an L4. That is not an L5, but at least it's not an L3. I asked about the head measurements and strangely enough, the head is actually looking small right now. It's in the 5th percentile. The doc said it is common for the brain to slip back a little because there is more room with the gap in the spine (or something like that) but that with the hydrocephalus that usually evens out more but it's still looking small. Hmm, strange. Well, we shall see what comes of this. They had me take a test for gestational diabetes. I had to drink this orange drink, which really just tasted like overly sweet soda and then have my blood drawn an hour later. Well, that's about all that's new for today.

I'm been finding a lot of hymns, either on my Cd or just hearing them at church where I really appreciate the words. I never really thought of myself as the type to be doing this, but if it can give anyone else the strength and comfort it gives me sometimes, I would like to share it. So here are the words to my latest "favorite", 'How Firm a Foundation". (All the verses are good, I just put the ones I liked best.)

(3rd verse)
Fear not, I am with thee, oh be not dismayed
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand

( 4th verse)
When through the deep waters I cause thee to go
The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'erflow
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress

(5th verse)
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply
The flame shall not hurt thee, I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine

(7th verse)
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake
I'll never, no never, no never forsake!

Our baby

Well for those of you who don't know, on February 24 I went in for my ultrasound. I prefer not to think about the details of that day so, long story short, we found out our baby has spina bifida. It was very devastating. We talked to the perinatologist who explained more about it to us. Many of you might know or know of someone with spina bifida but you really can't compare any two cases, they are never the same. Anyways, with spina bifida, there is a gap in the spine. Basically, it sounds like the higher the gap, the worse the disability. At the very bottom of the spine is the area that controls bowel and bladder control so I guess most people with spina bifida do have problems with that. The perinatologist told us it looked about like an L5, which meant she would likely be in a wheelchair, I guess kinda paralyzed or something from the waist down. He said hydrocephalus often goes along with spina bifida. The fluid leaks out through the hole in the spine and goes up into the brain. At our most recent appt. her head measurement was 12 when it should normally be 10 for a baby at this point in the pregnancy. We don't know how much bigger it will get. This could likely cause brain damage though, we just don't know to what extent and will just have to see how things go. A few days after the first appt. we saw a pediatric neurologist up at Doernbecher's Hospital in Portland who was more optimistic about the outlook, sounding like she may be able to use braces rather than a wheelchair. But then on the next appt. (with our new perinatologist up at the hospital) with a more recent ultrasound, they saw that the gap was actually looking a little higher, like maybe an L4 or L3, so who knows? It sounds now like she may be able to use braces as a child but more likely have to use a wheelchair as an adult. Again, that just sounds like the most likely scenario right now, it could be a little better or worse. I guess maybe I'm more worried about the extent of brain damage and her mental ability. There are also other possible syndromes that could go along with the spina bifida that we may have to deal with. I was looking at some pictures of babies with spina bifida the other night, I guess hoping for a little comfort that she could still look normal. I found that some did, and others did not, I am really worried about her having a big head. They will do some operations right after birth, one of them to put in a shunt ( a tube) that will drain the fluid from her brain to her abdomen. It will be under the skin so it won't be visible. It is also sounding likely that I will have to have a C-section. I guess the placenta or something is low right now. Well, that is how things are going right now. I will try to keep you all updated.

Valentine's Day

Well for most of Valentine's Day, I hung out with Jeni and Lizzie who were visiting for the day. Elizabeth enjoyed investigating Wade's parent's house where we are living-she was pleased to see they had many toys. Then we went to Joann Fabrics. Elizabeth was trying to convince Jeni to buy her a treat. Jeni said, "Are you gonna share it with me?" and Lizzie says, "No," and pointing to the word Reeses, says, "it says 'own'," indicating it was meant to be one's own, and not shared. She is so funny. Then she picked another treat and said that that one said "mom" on it while the other one said "kid". We drove buy a pretty Catholic school and she said, "It's the temple!-a house of God a place of love and beauty!" all in one breath. She is such a funny little cutie. We also went to Old Navy where I got a new maternity dress and sweater with some gift cards I had and then had lunch, well i guess it was dinner, at Olive Garden.

That evening, Wade and I went to the very lame stake dance where I did not win a prize. But at least I got to wear my new pretty dress. For Valentines, I got Wade some new pajama pants and a candle. He got me a candle holder and a 48 pack of Snickers! I am always craving them, so now I have a huge stash! Woo-hoo!

My back has been doing better, but now I think I have a bladder infection or something. Or maybe the baby is just pressing on it a lot. I dont' know. To think-I'm only half way there! ugh! 20 more weeks of this!

This baby is getting on my nerve!

Lately, I have been getting some really bad back pain. It is in my low lower back, almost my butt I guess, on the left side. It is a sudden and severe pain that hurts when I move, I never know which movements will trigger it so I have to go slow. It's kinda funny-it reminds me of when dad would do that yelp thing like he was in awful pain and we'd all look at him and then he would just go on with whatever he was doing like nothing happened-no explanation or anything. It reminds me of that only in that sometimes it will be very quick and I will make some painful noise and then it will be over. Sometimes it is longer though, or I get stuck in a position that I can't seem to move out of. On Thursday night, I couldn't get off the bed. In my n, I kinda slid onto the floor. I had to wait there for a few minutes till I could try getting up. On Friday I called the doctor and the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" Just kidding, anyways, they couldn't move my appointment up but made some recommendations. So on Friday evening, we went to get a brace thing at a pharmacy but we are not sure if we got the right one. Plus, I realized it is too small so I will ask the doctor specifically what brand and also get a bigger size. On Saturday, Wade and went to a really nice spa/gym that his mom is a member of and got us week long passes for. We went in the pool and hot tub. I tried to move around a lot in there and do little exercises and stuff. I also have been icing it and then using a heating pad on it. All these were things the doc said to do. They said from the sound of it, the pain is probably from a nerve, like maybe the baby is pushing on one or something. Well, today i was having a nap and tried to turn over but it was so painful that I couldn't at all! At least not for several minutes. So I am going to call the doctor again tomorrow. I originally had an appointment for this coming Friday, I just really would like to get in before then because this is seriously hindering my job search. Plus it just really hurts. I am afraid I will get stuck or fall when nobody is home. Wade's parents have both been nice enough to offer to take me to the doc tomorrow if I can get an appointment. My problems sound really similar to what Robin (Wade's mom) had during her last pregnancy. I just hope it can feel better. Well, that's what's going on with me!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, today is my birthday, I am now officially 30 years old and honestly I don't mind a bit. Last night Wade and I went to the Portland temple. It was very pretty and reminded me of visiting the DC temple because it was in this wooded area with all these nice homes. It was a good thing we went then because it is now closing till the 23rd.

Afterwards, we went out to a Japanese restaurant for my b-day with Wade's parents. It was very yummy. Today Wade is making me a tasty birthday dinner and a cake.

Wade was offered a sales job which he has decided to take. I have an interview on Tuesday with Kay Jewelers and Motherhood Maternity said they will call me this week. They are both only hiring part time so maybe I could do both. That would be nice. I think I could make more money at the jeweler but the maternity store sure would be fun at this point in my life. Both stores are at a mall in downtown Portland so I would probably end up taking the Max train to work. Portland is a really cool town. There are so many neat shops and the color and decor of everything is so pretty. I wish it was more sunny though.

Whoever reads this, particularly family, please feel free to leave comments. It lets me know someone actually reads this. Plus I just like it. Later!

Our stopover in Prosser

Well we arrived safely in Hillsboro, Oregon late last night. We were able to stop at Jeni's overnight on Wednesday and Elizabeth was as cute and funny as ever. Me and Wade were trying to tell her she is too big for a pacifier. She thought about it and explained to us that no, it still fit in in her mouth just fine, and that it was a pacifier for a big girl. She sat next to me and we looked in the "Grilchin Graphic" (National Geographic) and she told me all about her interpretations of all the pictures, which was very comical. She saw a picture of a cow fetus and was a little freaked out by it. She got this scared and disgusted look on her face and said, "I don't want to look at that one." Once I explained what it was, she was a little more intrigued. It was also really funny when we showed the video of our ultrasound. She couldn't see how it looked like a baby, but then she said it looked like an animal baby. She said she could see its' horns, and something about sharks swimming in my tummy. She is very imaginative and tells great stories that make no sense whatsoever. Wade and I walked to the store and had lunch at the Blue Goose, taking her with us. She saw two ladies there who she thought were very silly because one of them was "talking like a man". I really hope the lady didn't hear her say that. It was really funny though because she clearly thought the lady was trying to be silly. Elizabeth liked to sit in my lap and stare at me and stroke my face and tell me she trusts me, which in her mind apparently means the same as I love you. She is such a cutie. She slept with me in the bottom bunk on Wednesday night and when we heard her little voice say, "Will you scratch my back?" , Wade started laughing from the top bunk saying he guessed this must be a family trait.

For those of you who thought Matty's picture this year looked like he was being abused, he told me that he was about to smile and that they just took the picture too early. When we left on Thursday, he was fighting some imaginary foe in the yard.

Lindsay and Brandon were fun too, I just got to spend the most time with Lizzie because the others were at school but I am excited to see them more often now. Later!

It's a Girl!!!!

Well we had our ultrasound appt. today. I have been wanting a girl and it just felt like that's what I would have. Well, I was right! They showed us the cute little footsies and the alien face and the little kickin' leggies and the little girlie parts! It was very cute and since we wouldn't be here for the next appt. when they usually give the DVD, they gave it to us today.

We are trying to get ready to leave for Portland tomorrow but Wade's electronics are taking up all the space in the car. Hmph! We'll see if we ever get out of here!

16 weeks pregnant

Well, for those of you who don't know, I'm pregnant. Wade and I went to an appointment last Tuesday and they said I was 15 weeks, just as we had figured. The doctor said we could come in in one week to find out the sex. We had heard we wouldn't be able to find out till the 20th week, so we were pretty excited. I got a call from the doctor's office on Friday evening at like 5:45 pm saying to call them back and that they would be open again on Tuesday. Well, that is when my appointment is, so.....I just hope it's not anything bad.

Wade and I moved back from Hawaii at the end of December. The job didn't work out. Going to Hawaii set us back financially quite a bit, but we had some fun experiences. My parents came to visit the week before we moved back and we went on a fun snorkeling trip on a boat. We saw whales and I was very excited about that. We flew out from Maui on December 16 into Portland to spend a few days with Wade's family. We were supposed to fly to Salt Lake on the 22nd, but we got snowed in till the 27th. Then we came back to SLC and we intended to stay with my parents for awhile, but last week we decided that Portland would be better for us. So as soon as we can get packed up, we're off to Portland to live with Wade's parents! I am sad to leave my family again but I will be happy to be closer to Jeni. I will only be about 3 1/2 hours away from her. Later!