Foot Rodeo

This is from a few weeks ago, but I forgot to post it...

This weekend our stake had its first annual foot rodeo.  Here are the boys on the pony ride.

Henry got a little scared.

 They both ended up liking it.

There were other activities like a chicken chase for little kids and a pig chase for bigger ones.  Mutton busting for little kids and calf riding for bigger ones.  After standing in line for an hour to ride a sheep, Jaxon decided he didn't want to wait anymore.  I was looking forward to seeing him ride it, but I bet he would probably cry when he fell off and that wouldn't have been fun.  Then, the lunch line was SO long we decided to forget about the free food and go out to eat lunch.  Costco yogurt really hit the spot:)

Thanksgiving Prep Talk

I don't like how Thanksgiving is basically forgotten or overshadowed by Christmas.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas.  But I feel like the population in general needs a holiday to focus on being thankful for what we have.  It would be better if we moved Thanksgiving to like September when there aren't any other holidays around so people could really celebrate.  Then, we could get out our Christmas trees weeks before December 25 and no holiday would be forgotten.  That's what I say we should do.

I really want to teach all my kids how important it is to be grateful.  In my attempt to prep Jaxon for Thanksgiving I asked him what he was thankful for.  His response?

"Santa."

How ironic.

It's Normal

Good news...it's normal to have sporadic shooting pains across your uterus when you are pregnant!  Also, a general aching is perfectly normal too!  Who knew?!

Warning...I'm not in a good mood and when I'm not in a good mood I get really sarcastic, or "sassy" as Devin says.  And I complain a lot.  And Devin currently is watching the dumb Suns game.  So read on if you still want to...

Yeah, so I went back to the doctor today and she asked why I came back today after just being in on Thursday.  I told her I was still having pain that wasn't comfortable with and the doctor did not address it last week.  I thought today she might give me a reason and a way to FIX it, but no such luck.  There is no fix.

Today the doctor took time to explain that basically since this is my 3rd baby my uterus is "worn out."  Really?  After only 3?!  I still want some more kids, but I'm not real fond of the idea that this constant discomfort is to be expected with each pregnancy from here on out.  I don't consider myself to be a baby when it comes to physical pain.  I mean, I trained for and ran a marathon and I birthed my last kid without any drugs on purpose, so I think I can tolerate a fair amount of discomfort.  But I am so tired of THIS pain.  And, it's definitely not going away until this baby is out of me.  Yea!  6 more weeks of a achy, crampy-feeling uterus!

And, I still have to poke myself 4 times a day and go back in a week to go over my numbers.  Devin says I shouldn't go back if my numbers are good because what's the point?  If they are good, what are they going to say?  "They look good.  Come back next week."  I don't know.  I do know that I don't want to take my kids with me again.  Wow.  No amount of toys or snacks could make a difference today.  Two kids boys in that little "Love Boat-themed" room for 1 hour, no thank you!

I sure hope this labor and delivery goes smoothly.

You're Not Listening To Me

So those pains I was referring to, they didn't go away that night.  I had them through the night and all day Thursday.  I'm still having them now and it's Friday afternoon.  They're probably nothing, but they are still concerning.

I went to my previously scheduled doctor appointment (with ultrasound) hoping to find out what was going on.  The ultrasound seemed to be uneventful.  The tech asked if I had any concerns and I told her I had been having some weird pains down the sides of my uterus.  She said it was probably just the uterus stretching.  I don't really think that's it, but I didn't ask further because I was going to ask the doctor.

For the followup I saw a doctor I haven't seen before.  She seemed nice enough at first, but by the end, I didn't want to see her again.  After introductions, this is an idea of how the discussion went...

Doc  "Everything on the ultrasound looks good.  The baby is about 5 pounds and his head is down, both good."
Ruthann  "Thanks.  I was wondering about these pains I've been having..."
Doc  "Where are the pains?"
R  "Around the sides of my uterus.  They aren't like anything I felt with my previous 2 pregnancies."
Doc  "What causes them?  What makes them better/worse?"
R  "I don't think anything in particular causes them.  They come and go and I just try to sit or hold still until they pass.  It feels kind of like a little bubble in there causing pressure and then it pops and goes away then more bubbles come."
Doc "Well, everything on the ultrasound looks good.  I see you couldn't finish the 3 hour glucose test."  [Notice she didn't finish addressing the pain issue.  Since "everything looked good" she just moved on.  If it's nothing to worry about then fine, but tell me why they are happening or why you aren't worried about them, because I am!]
R  "Yeah, I have been recording my blood sugar 4 times a day.  They have all been under 120, except once and that was because I ate a Krispy Kreme donut."
Doc  "Did you go to the diabetic teaching class?"
R  "No, they called me for an appointment, but I didn't go."
Doc  "Okay, when is your appointment?"  [She thought I meant I hadn't gone yet, but had an appointment to go.  What I meant was that I wasn't planning on going.]
R  "I canceled it.  Since all my numbers were low I figured I was doing okay."
Doc  [Total disbelief on her face that I wasn't just following orders like some maternity patients.]  "You should go.  It's your decision, but we strongly urge patients to go.  You could have diabetes but just be controlling it with your diet.  [Wait, isn't that the goal--control with diet, not pills???!!!]  We won't know since you didn't finish the test.  They might present information you already know, but probably some you don't."
R  "I'm sure I would learn something, but I feel like everything is fine so I probably won't be going."
[I was totally getting annoyed at this point.  I wasn't saying I didn't think I would learn anything in the class, I just think it wouldn't be worth my time and effort to go there when it according to my sugar levels, I'm fine.  Plus, she said they want to teach me how to control it with my diet?  Well, it looks like I'm already doing it!  I'm more concerned about these pains running through my uterus!]
Doc  [Frustration clearly showing on her face] "Well, I want you to come back next week and we'll look at your numbers again.  Unfortunately, this is my last day in this office.  I will be moving to the Queen Creek office that opens on Monday."
R  "That's the office I'll be going to from now on actually.  It's a lot closer to my house."
Doc  "Oh good!  We can continue there!  I'll see you next week!"

Now I realize I shouldn't have told her I'd be going to that office!  I won't be making appointments with her again.  It wasn't just the things she said.  It was her attitude and tone and facial expressions that gave her away.  Another thing that came up was my little visit to the hospital.  She didn't know I had been in.  It bugs me when doctors don't even take the time to read my chart before they come talk to me.

If there is something about the diabetes that I should be concerned about, let me know!  I am NOT saying I know more than the doctor, but as far as my knowledge goes, I don't see any signs that are concerning regarding the diabetes.  I wanted an answer about the pains!  She skipped over that and just kept pressuring me about the diabetes!  It's like telling a child not to touch the stove but not explaining WHY.  If she would have given a reason as to why the class was so important, I would have been more inclined to go.  But, she never explained why it was so necessary, so to me it wounds like I there's no reason for me to go except so they can bill my insurance for another office visit at the rate of $150 per hour.

Devin was there with me but had to step out with Henry when the doctor and I actually had this conversation.  He came back in the middle of it.  He said it felt like such a business meeting, not like a doctor visit.  He said the doctor seemed to take no notice of the thing I was extremely concerned about.  I know pregnant women can definitely be overly dramatic, so I am glad Devin noticed on his own.  It wasn't just me being dramatic.

I am not against doctors at all.  I'm so thankful there are people who go to school and learn all about humans so they can help people who are sick or injured.  I'm just not a fan of this particular doctor.  It was frustrating.  I'm not just going to blindly follow orders.  Give me a reason for why you want me to do something and I'll consider doing it.  I'm not just doing it because you said so.  And, I didn't appreciate her blowing aside an issue I specifically came to the doctor to get some answers about.

I have another appointment (with a different doctor) on Monday.  If the pains are still happening I'll go.  If they go away, I'll cancel.

Another Night At the Hospital

This time it wasn't because of me though.  It was Devin!  He was at wrestling practice and wrestling one of the kids on his team when the kid drove his shoulder into Devin's ribs.  There was a pop and then Devin started having a hard time breathing.

Devin called me and said, "Hi Sweets.  I have to go to the hospital.  I probably broke a few ribs."  I said, "What?!  You?  How?  Are you joking because you better not be trying to play a trick.  It's not funny!  Do you need someone to drive you?"

Luckily, the boys were already playing at my mom's for the afternoon so I just grabbed a few things and headed to meet him at the hospital.  On the drive there I started thinking about how what if one of the ribs punctured a lung or something and he was seriously hurt or all these other things that were freaking me out.

When I got there one of the assistant coaches was in the waiting room.  He helped calm me down by letting me know it wasn't anything as serious as I was imagining.  Phew!

I went back to see Devin.  They were drawing blood and starting an IV.  We waited for an x-ray to see if the ribs were broken.  They weren't.  So, the doc did a CT scan to see if his spleen was damaged because he was still in a lot of pain.  The scan showed that the spleen was okay so the doctor said the pain was from the separation of the rib cartilage and the force of the injury.  He said Devin would be sore for a while and shouldn't be lifting or doing anything that increases the pain.

We were so thankful he wasn't hurt worse and didn't require surgery on his spleen or anything like that.  With all my baby issues lately it would have just made things even harder around here if Devin was physically unable to help me for a long period of time.

We sat and waited for all these tests from about 5 pm to 9 pm.  And, the hospital cafeteria closed at 7 pm so I had to go grab something for dinner.  I had a headache in my eye sockets, like when I looked to the sides it hurt--weird, I know!  I was also having some weird pains in my uterus and was getting a little worried, but figured they'd go away.  (More about those later.)  While I sat with him, he thanked me for being there and having a good attitude.  Then, he apologized for having such a bad attitude when I was in the hospital last week.  I laughed and said something about how now that the shoe was on the other foot he was sorry.  He said he thought about it a few days earlier as he was reading a bedtime story to Jaxon about how Nephi didn't complain when he was in bad situations even though his brothers did and how complaining doesn't make any situation better.  I am so thankful to be married to such a sweet man who always tries to be better and says sorry when he feels like he needs to.

When we got home from the hospital and were getting ready for bed, Devin asked if I was in the mood to "make crippled love."  I laughed and told him that yes we were both feeling like cripples, but we weren't going to be making love.  Of course, even though it hurts him to breathe and I'm getting bigger by the day, he still has lovemaking on the mind!

One thing I forgot to mention is that Devin wasn't even supposed to be wrestling!  Previously, he had hurt his neck so I asked him not to wrestle for a while.  If he had listened to his wife and not been wrestling, he probably wouldn't have hurt his ribs!

You Look...

I went to a friend's craft night after watching kids all day.  Upon my arrival, one of my friends said, "You look frazzled."

I told her, "I look like this everyday."

I wasn't offended or anything, but I thought, "Well, I've been up since 5 am, and I've been watching 6 kids all day.  Plus, I'm 8 months pregnant.  Yep, I'm sure I look frazzled.  Oh, and why would you tell someone that?  Do you think they like to hear it?  There are other ways to let people know you are concerned besides telling them how they don't look good."

It reminded me of something I read on Facebook the other day, "My coworker said "you look...tired today..." ya, well I am.  And you look fat today.  In fact you look fat everyday."

It made me laugh.

Harry Potter Halloween Party

Some friends had a Harry Potter themed Halloween Party.  All my boys had a fun time dressing up.  They all looked so cute!

We were sorted into our houses, had treats from Hogwarts, walked through Platform 9 3/4, played Harry Potter trivia, and did more fun stuff!  We had a great time visiting with friends!

Jaxon and Henry were voted the "Best Homemade Harry Potter Kids Costume!"  Henry identified a few of the people dressed up as Hermione and Hagrid without any help.  It was cute.

Hallow's Eve

While Daddy was at work, Mommy ran errands.  Henry really did fall asleep...

Jaxon just pretended!

Eventually he did fall asleep but it was cute while he pretended.

 After Daddy got off work we went to eat at Johnny Rockets.  Henry was in such a fun mood he was dancing to the music and being so cute.  He has such a silly personality.  He's so much fun!

Jaxon was in a good mood too.  We had a great time getting out having a family lunch!

6 in an Hour

If you've been pregnant before you may have heard the rule of thumb:  If you have 6 contractions in an hour, call the doctor or head to the hospital.

Well, Tuesday afternoon at about 4:00 I started having contractions 4 to 10 minutes apart.  When Devin got home at 6:00, they hadn't stopped.  I didn't want to find someone to watch the kids are drive all the way to the hospital because I figured they would just stop.  But, by 8:00 they were still coming.  So, Devin and I got ready and headed to the hospital.  

We got there about 9:00 pm and they admitted me because I had a fever, aches and chills like the flu, my heart was racing, and of course, the contractions.  They hooked me up to the following:  fetal monitor, blood pressure, finger oxygen, and IV.  So many cords!  I could barely move and could not get comfortable.  Plus, it was a total pain when I had to pee.  I didn't have a single attachment when I was delivering Henry and it was so much better!  It was a reminder to me that I want to have a natural birth again.

The nurses said the flu can cause contractions and that I was really dehydrated and that can cause them too.  They did an ultrasound to see if the contractions were thinning out my cervix.  It looked like my cervix was still "nice and thick" but I was dilated to a 1.  They weren't worried about that though.

They wanted to keep me for a while so they could rehydrate me, monitor my heart rate, fever, the contractions, and the baby's heart rate.  The contractions and fever caused his little heart to race too.  It was almost 170 instead of 130 where it should have been.

Devin and I eventually fell asleep and around 1:00 am, the nurse came in and said my contractions slowed down to about 1 every 10 minutes, my fever was down, and my heart and the baby's heart were slowed to a normal rate so I could go home.

Devin pretty much despised having to sit there.  He kept saying, "You can just drink some water or Gatorade at home.  You don't need an IV.  If we could get you home where you could rest and get hydrated, you would be fine."  I don't consider myself much of a worrier when it comes to health and injuries for myself and even my kids, but I guess I've always been generally healthy and not really had anything to worry about.  But, I was worried about my little baby and I was glad we were able to make sure he was fine.  Even if it did mean spending half the night at the hospital.

Lesson learned:  Drink plenty of water, especially when you are pregnant!
And, don't get the flu!

So, that was Tuesday night.  I slept most of Wednesday and I was so glad Devin stayed home to take care of the boys.  He dealt with their every need, plus mine too so I could rest.  He made me yummy chicken noodle soup for dinner!

Thursday morning I had to be at the lab at 7:30 to do my 3 hour glucose tolerance test.  I took my 1 hour test about 2 weeks ago and my blood sugar was at 168 and the "healthy cutoff" is 130.  So, the doc ordered the 3 hour.  So, there I was, listing to conference on my iPod a few minutes after drinking the nasty ultra sugar concoction when I started to get light headed.  I went up to tell the nurse at the counter and I must not have looked good because she let me come right back and tried to find a place for me to lie down.  She said, "Try to keep it down or you'll have to do it again."  I wanted to say curse words, but held them in.  I just couldn't bear the thought of doing this again.  Other than that comment, she was really nice.

Well, I wasn't able to "keep it down" so they let me lie down while they called my doctor.  The doc wanted me to come in to "discuss options."  I already had an appointment to follow up for my time in triage so back to the doc I went.  I was still having flu symptoms, but no contractions, so I wasn't worried, I just felt terrible.

At the doctor, she said my options were to try and retake the test or just treat me like I have gestational diabetes.  I told her I wanted to do that.  Then she told me I would have to test my blood sugar 4 times a day.  Then I wanted to change my mind.  But, she said if my numbers were good for about a week, we wouldn't worry about it.  She said the glucose test at the lab could have just been a bad test.

She advised me to eat lean proteins like chicken, turkey, and some pork.  To eat lots of veggies, but she mentioned that carrots and corn have lots of sugar--not like candy, but for veggies they were some of the highest.  And, for everything made with white flour, eat the wheat flour version of it.  I typically eat like that, so this shouldn't be too hard.  The only thing is I eat a lot of fruit too, which has more sugar than veggies.  Oh, and my occasional ice cream dessert.  I googled "gestational diabetes" and I don't fall under any of the risk factors, nor do I have any of the symptoms...

Causes

Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:

• African or Hispanic ancestry
• Being older than 25 when pregnant
• Family history of diabetes
• Giving birth to a previous baby that weighed more than 9 pounds
• Obesity
• Recurrent infections
• Unexplained miscarriage or death of a newborn

Symptoms

Usually there are no symptoms, or the symptoms are mild and not life threatening to the pregnant woman. Often, the blood sugar (glucose) level returns to normal after delivery.

Symptoms may include:

• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Frequent infections, including those of the bladder, vagina, and skin
• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weight loss in spite of increased appetite

So, now it's Friday and I feel much better.  No more fever or chills and only a few contractions, like before I was sick.  I'm supposed to test before breakfast, which is considered my fasting test and that should be 95 or lower.  Then, 2 hours after every meal I have to test again and those should be 120 or lower.  My blood sugar last night was 124 (hopefully still coming down from the glucose lab test) and this morning my fasting was 74 and after breakfast it was 91.  Yes, that's only three tests, but so far, so good!

I want to do everything I can to stay healthy for my whole life.  I don't like the thought of depending on medications to live or the thought of having a chronic illness, like diabetes.  (If I do have gestational diabetes, at least it goes away after pregnancy.) Devin said he doesn't want diabetes just because he doesn't want to have to test his blood sugar all the time.

Trunk or Treat

Here are the boys before we headed to the ward Trunk or Treat.  Devin almost boycotted the event because they didn't have the traditional chili dinner this year, but I convinced him to come along anyway.  

 Gramps and Granny stopped by to see the boys in their costumes.

Henry tried about 10 different candies, but didn't finish a single one.

Preschool Halloween Program

I was so happy to see Jaxon sing with his preschool class.  They were adorable!  (He's Ironman.)

Dishwash

Jaxon was sitting on the counter and had a drink of water.  He swished it around in his mouth, spit it in the sink and said, "That's like Reina's dishwash."

"Mouthwash?" I asked him.

"Oh, yeah.  Mouthwash."

Primary Program

This past Sunday was our Primary Program in church.  It was the sweetest thing ever.  I thought since some family came to watch, Jaxon might want to just stay seated with them and not go up to participate in the program.  But, he was so excited to sing for everyone that he went right up.  He said his line perfectly, "Jesus said, 'Come follow me.'"  When all the little kids sang I could just feel their sweet spirits and their perfect little testimonies.

I hope all my boys can continue to learn about the gospel and strengthen their testimonies through service and making good choices.  The gospel bring me so much comfort and happiness I want them to have that blessing in their lives too.

Jack-O-Lanterns

This was our pumpkin carving adventure this year.

 Jaxon told Daddy what he wanted his jack-o-lantern to look like and Daddy carved away.

 Henry was more interested in my sewing machine than his pumpkin.

Jaxon admiring his carved pumpkin.

 Here's Jaxon's jack-o-lantern!

Henry was being so goofy!

He was making everyone laugh:)

 Then Henry wanted to look at the newspaper instead of put it under his pumpkin.

He said, "Oh, swa-berries!" (strawberries)

 And finally he got down from the table all together and set up his stools so he could reach his "Harry Potter wands."

Jaxon watched Daddy do Henry's pumpkin.

 Time to take them outside!

Examining their work.

(Good thing the boys had baths so they could lay on the ground outside.)

Yea for Halloween!

31 Weeks!

Here's my growing baby at 31 weeks old.

I'm feeling good, but oh so tired!

I've got a doc appt on Thursday and by then I'll be 32 weeks.  It has almost been 12 weeks since I've been in, so it's about time!

Bye Bye Binki

Yesterday was the day.  We told Henry he was a big boy now and didn't need the binki.  There were a few times he asked for it through the day, but after reminding him that he doesn't need it anymore, he stopped crying within a few minutes.  The day actually went better than I expected.

I didn't put him down for a nap mostly because he didn't really seem tired.  Every once in a while he does okay without a nap.  So bedtime was really the first time he really wanted the binki.  He cried for a while and woke up 2 times in the night wanting it, but didn't cry for too long when we told him he couldn't have it.  

Sometimes he likes to carry around the kitchen towel during the day.  Devin suggested we give him a blanket to replace the binki since he seemed to like the towel.  He also predicted that Henry would want the towel though.  Devin was right.  Henry wanted to sleep with the kitchen towel.  I tried giving him a few different soft baby blankets we have and he only wanted the towel.  So, I guess that's what he can have.  

I think nap time today will be tough.  Since he doesn't sleep in the crib for naps like he does at night, it might take longer for him to fall asleep because I'm sure he'll keep getting off the bed.  But, we'll see how it goes...  Maybe he'll surprise us!

Devin said it's a little sad that Henry is growing up.  I told him that I agreed, but we're gonna have a new baby in a few weeks.  "Yeah, but this is baby Hen Hen" he said.  Yeah, little baby Hen isn't a baby anymore.

New Discovery

Henry discovered his nipple today (just one of them) and said, "Mommy, Henry have mole on belly."

Jaxon corrected him and said, "No Henry, that's your peck.  Boys have pecks and girls have boobs."

Thanks Jaxon.

Wishes Do Come True

Have you ever used the Mix N Chop tool from Pampared Chef?  It's used to chop ground meats.

For the past few weeks I have been wishing I had one.  I have seen them used at shows and always thought they looks like a great tool to have.

Well, yesterday I was searching in our drawer for the meat mallet when I found we had a Mix N Chop!  I guess I forgot I bought one.  I was thrilled when I found it, like seriously so excited.  I used it last night and it made chopping up the ground beef for Shepherd's Pie so much easier than using a spatula.

No Strings Attached

Devin knew I didn't have a very good day on Monday so he came home with a note that said,

"Hey Sweets.  I love you so much.  How about a back rub?  No strings attached.
Unless you want strings..."

Isn't he thoughtful?  I'm sordof being sarcastic, but mostly serious.  He is thoughtful and funny too.

I did get a nice back rub and that's all I'll say about that.

Dragonfly

Mommy and Jaxon did a fun project on Sunday afternoon.  I saw this idea at Michael's.  It looked easy and fast and we only needed a few supplies so I thought it would be just the right kind of activity to do with my little guy.  I was right.  He loved making them!

I only had directions for the dragonflies, but Jaxon wanted to make a caterpillar and a butterfly too so we improvised on those.

(Notice Henry's cereal bowl in the background.  That kid would live on cereal if we let him!)