SLIDER

Side Effects of Pregnancy

6.28.2012


Frequent bathroom breaks.  I don't want to know how much toilet paper I go through.

Coughing, sneezing, or laughing too hard resulting in an "Oh, Bummer!"... (then refer to above statement)

Using my belly as a table for my bowl of ice cream while watching t.v.

Good face days.  Yes, I've got that pregnancy glow!

Sleeeep!  I can get 8 hours of peaceful slumber and sometimes still be pooped by 10:30AM

Stretch marks.  I got one measly stretch mark on my hip with Jed.  This kid had better be a saint because there seem to be quite a few showing up this time around.  Boo.

Sitting.  Lots of sitting.  It hurts to walk or stand for too long.  So I sit.  A lot.  On the couch.  In the grass.  On the swing.  In the sandbox.  You name it, I can make a spot for my bum.

Grunting must always accompany picking anything up off the ground, especially myself... (refer to above statement) 

 Long hair.  Loving it.

 Heat = swollen limbs.  See you in a few months, shiny diamond ring!

Clothing is awkward and fits funny.  I'm awkward and funny.  I get looks and comments everywhere I go.

An intense urge to clean and organize my entire house from top to bottom.

Hunger.  I'm always hungry.  And almost everything always sounds good.  I love food.

 Looking like I'm hiding a basketball under my shirt.  Please don't try to bounce me.

A turkey timer (aka belly button) whose timing is wrong.  It sticks out through my clothes even though I still have a few weeks until D-day.  

Frequent comments about how well I wear pregnancy.  I don't know if they're true or not, but thank you for trying to make a whale of a woman feel pretty!

Watching my stomach roll.  I love feeling all the kicks and jabs from this tiny baby growing inside me.  What a miracle!

The anticipation of a new family member!  A precious baby boy.  There's so much to look forward to!

About Me

6.21.2012

Bron would say this fits me to a "t".
I think he's right.
Unpublished

Unpublished

6.20.2012

I can't quite put my finger on it, but something isn't quite right.

Bron has been a little depressed, a little more irritable, a little more short-tempered.  The responsibilities of being both a husband and a father is wearing on him.

Perhaps it's because work is slow.  Milk prices have plummeted and feed prices are high, which means dairy farmers aren't doing well right now.  It's making Bron's job as a dairy nutritionist repetitious and tough.  However, folks say that if he can make it through this slump in the dairy business, then he will do well.

Perhaps it's the responsibilities of home ownership and all of the costs that are tied up in that.  There are lots of home improvement projects he'd like to do, but they all can't be done at once; there's only so much money to go around, you know.

I know a part of it is simply the challenges of having a two year old.  Jed is a whirlwind of energy these days.  If he is awake, he is GOING!  Thank goodness he sleeps well.  However, Jed still doesn't speak much.  We're really working with him on that, but it's going to take lots of time and patience.  Jed seems to whine for and about everything!  It's frustrating.  He's learning though that we ignore his whining and react much better to the word, "please".  Jed is also a boy.  Boys are destructive, especially when they're frustrated.  Jed doesn't listen to us very well either.  Our commands of "no" and "stop" don't do a thing until we get up on our feet and enforce them with a time-out: putting Jed's nose on the wall or putting Jed in his room.  It's exhausting!  Sometimes we just wish he would listen.  I know this stage won't last forever, but the day to day living of it makes it seem so.  

Honestly, I think it's this pregnancy that's really dragging Bron down.  I'm not my usual perky energetic self for nearly a year, or more accurately, and year and a half!  New babies are an adjustment.  It's tough on our relationship.  This summer is going to be especially hard.  Bron and I enjoy doing things together: running, biking, hiking, exploring, etc.  I'm seven months pregnant.  I can't run.  I can't bike.  (Bron is afraid all the pressure on my cervix will send me into early labor.)  I can't hike very far either.  Heck, I can barely walk a few miles.  My genitals have been extremely swollen this pregnancy.  I joke to Bron that my vagina is turning inside out!  It's not; everything down there is just simply swollen and there's no cure except delivery.  It hurts!  It especially hurts after being on my feet for a long period of time or after a walk.  I have to sit down.  I sit a lot.  It's a bummer because I love being outside and on the go, but this summer, it's just not possible.  Sex is non-existent in our relationship right now.  We've tried it; it doesn't work right.  I miss it!  Bron misses it!  That sexual relationship between a husband and wife is important; it's a time to bond, to enjoy one another!  So needless to say, our relationship has become rather boring.  We talk.  We watch movies together.  We cook together.  What we should do is go on more dates together.  (But that is complicated by the need for a good babysitter.)

Bron is really missing those days of being instantaneous, when we could just pick up and go anywhere at anytime.  We've been pretty good at taking Jed along with us everywhere, but as he gets bigger, it gets harder.  He needs a good nap.  He needs a diaper change.  He's hungry.  He needs to be in bed no later than nine.  He's wandering off and needs to be constrained!  Being responsible parents is kind of a drag sometimes.

I think Bron resents my embracing motherhood one hundred percent.  My life, my mind, my world, revolve around Jed, this pregnancy, cooking meals, and keeping the house clean.  He wishes I could talk about things other than my children or even photography (my other passion).  And Bron is right.  I need to be both a WIFE and a MOTHER.  A wife should come first, but as stated above, it's a bit hard for me to put on a thong and act sensuous right now.  Reading up on politics bores and frustrates me.  So I ordered a subscription to National Geographic.  Bron and I once had a two or three hour "discussion" (read: bordering fight) on intelligence spurred by an article I read in one issue.  I hope educating myself in other things will make me a bit more interesting of a person to talk with.

I often ask myself what else can I do?  I think I need to pray about that more.  I know my Heavenly Father can help.  After all, He wants our relationship to last for eternity, and so do I.

I'm pretty positive that Bron isn't the only husband and father with these feelings.  I suspect they're quite common.  Men just don't express them very often.  

The good news is that this pregnancy won't last forever.  I'm thinking one more pregnancy might be all we can handle.  Maybe, maybe two.  I just don't know.  All I know is that I want my husband to be happy.  This family doesn't work without him.  I love Bron with all my heart.

I hope we're able to get through this rough patch sooner than later.

Father's Day

6.17.2012

This holiday reminds me just how lucky a girl I am to have so many great men in my life.  I have a loving Dad, an awesome father-in-law, and of course, I am married to an amazing man who is the best father and husband a girl could dream of.  My favorite sound to hear is Bron telling Jed, "I love you so much, Buddy."  Melts my heart every time.  Happy Father's Day!  I know the job isn't always easy, but I appreciate all that you men do.  I love you! 


We began our Father's Day weekend Friday evening by touring the Parade of Homes in our area.  It was a lot of fun to browse through brand new homes and glean ideas; I even brought my camera to snap some pictures of our favorite things.  However, the show also made me realize just how beautiful a home I already have!

Saturday morning we went to an Elders' Quorum (church group) activity that included a barbeque lunch and shooting guns out in the desert.  I didn't know Bron was such a natural skeet shooter!  (And yes, I did shoot some guns too.)  So fun!

Sunday, Jed and I awoke Bron with a rendition of "Happy Father's Day to You!", a card, and a little present.  We topped the day off with grilled pork chops and Bron's favorite cookies.   And then... maybe we ran through the sprinklers in the backyard because it was so hot!

I'd say we celebrated Father's Day pretty successfully around here.  Bron totally deserves it.

What 8:47 PM Looked Like Last Night

6.14.2012


Last night Jed was all ready for bed: he had on a fresh diaper, had brushed his teeth, and was wearing his new pajamas.  Then as I was filling his nightly sippy with water, Jed escaped from the house.  (He always escapes.)  I followed him outside and this is how I found him.  I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures.  He was just too cute playing outside with his car.

Bedtime seems to be exactly the time when Jed turns on the playful and cute.  He is wired and wild and entertaining.  His antics tend to buy him an extra half hour.  But we don't mind too much.  Summer sunshine makes evenings feel perfect for playing... even if I am tired!

Corinne

6.11.2012


This weekend my New York life collided with my Idaho life.  When we moved from upstate New York a little less than a year ago, I never expected to see anyone or anything associated with our temporary home there ever again.  I was wrong, but so pleasantly surprised!

On Friday, I ventured up to Rexburg (BYU-Idaho is my Alma Mater) to meet Corinne.  It was a bit strange to see Corinne out West here, but so much fun!  We went out to lunch, went shopping, and got caught up on just about everything.

Corinne is a beautiful girl inside and out.  She's marrying this cute young man next week.

First, however, she needed an escort for her first time through the temple.  She asked me to be that person.  I felt honored and overwhelmed.  Why in the world, of all the people in her life, would she ask me?

"Because you're here," Corinne said.  She also went on to tell me how Bron and I had been an example to her and how we young women leaders pounded into her head the importance of the temple.  I didn't think anyone was really listening to those Sunday School lessons!  But Corinne listened.  And I am so proud of her.  She is making smart and good decisions that will affect the rest of her life.  I couldn't be more happy.

However, these good decisions haven't come without a price.  Listening to her stories, considering her broken family background and what she's had to overcome to get this far, is astounding.  Corinne is independent and strong. She's blissfully in love and ready to take on life's next challenges while still loving everyone around her.  I may have been her youth leader, but she's an example to ME!

Our morning in the temple was a special one.  I think I'll always remember it.  Corinne glowed.

And then, of course, I begged for ten minutes of the love birds' time to take a few pictures outside.  I am overjoyed for them.  Congratulations Corinne!  I love you, girl.


 To see more pictures, click HERE.

My Crazy Play Dough Eating Son

6.06.2012


This picture says so much about the cute and crazy little boy I take care of everyday.  The words "cute" and "crazy" are no exaggeration either.  This two year old can make me frustrated one minute and laugh out loud the next.  I love him to pieces! 

Yesterday we made play dough.  We squished it and rolled it and made a mess on the kitchen table.  All the while Jed tried sneaking in bites of play dough.  I think he did it just for my reaction because he laughed every time I exclaimed, "GROSS!"  Oh well.  It's edible; it's just loaded with a disgusting amount of salt. 

Our Weekend Adventures

6.04.2012

 

We had a busy, hot and sunny, perfect summer weekend!  The highlights:

::  We made friends with a little frog living in our backyard.
::  Took a break with some refreshing homemade limemade (a Tucano's copycat recipe)
::  Yard work.  The back courtyard no longer looks like a construction zone!  Bron and I laid down weed barrier, placed the flag stones just so, and filled it in with three inches of rock.  Beautiful!
::  Hung out with our friends who will be moving soon.  We will miss you Stucki's!  
::  Fed the fishes at the fish farm.  Jed test tasted a piece of bread or two himself.
::  Ate a picnic dinner complete with fruit and oreos in a park under some shady trees.
::  Gawked at a huge alligator on a farm.  Yes, there are ALLIGATORS on an aquatic fish farm IN IDAHO.  Even though he laid perfectly still, no one dared get too close to the fence!  Two year olds probably look like an appetizing meal.
::  Saw the infamous Balanced Rock! 
::  At seven months pregnant I hiked to the top to see the rock up close and personal.  Yeah, I'm that cool.
::  Made some fun memories!


P.S.  This summer sunlight is going to kill me!  Jed refuses to go to sleep until well after 9PM and is up with the sun at 6AM.  Then because he didn't sleep enough at night, he's cranky and whiny and needs to take an excessively long nap.  So we're experimenting with blankets to black-out his room.  Hopefully Jed stays asleep longer.  Otherwise, sayonara evening movies and relaxation!  I'm going to bed when Jed goes to bed.  A pregnant lady needs her sleep.  Keep your fingers crossed the blankets work!

P.P.S.  The blankets work!  Jed is getting a full night's sleep again.  Hallelujah!

Let the Countdown Begin

6.01.2012

30 weeks down and 10 to go!

I have just 10 weeks left of pregnancy before I meet this baby boy!

I've pretty much resigned myself to being pregnant forever though.  Ten weeks is still a long time.  This belly is beginning to feel like it's a permanent attachment.

Then I realized that it is June!  Summer is finally here.  Maybe these sunny days spent playing at the park and wading in the lake and enjoying family reunions will fly by fast and before I know it, it'll be August.  Blessed August!

I'm excited and nervous for all the changes that August represents for me.

I've been having some very vivid dreams lately.  When I was in labor with Jed I told the nurse I had a "nightmare" that the baby weighed 9lbs 4oz.  She reassured me that my baby wouldn't be that big.  Then lo and behold, a few hours later, Jed debuted at exactly 9 pounds and 4 ounces!  We were both a little shocked.

So maybe my dreams can come true?

I hope so.  I think I saw my baby boy's smooth fat cheeks and beautiful toothless smile; that baby melted my heart.  I'm still waiting to have a dream that tells me how much this baby boy will weigh though.  I'm terrified of delivering a ten pounder.  I suppose it doesn't really matter.  I just pray every day that this baby will be born healthy.      

So let the countdown begin!  I'm anxious to meet my boy!

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