I decided I would finally give Friday Fill-Ins a Shot. Most of those I happily blog-stalk participate in this Friday ritual, so I figured it was worthy of my time as well. Here goes...
1. I believe whatever doesn't kill you ... very definitely makes you stronger. If you know anything about my past experience in the teaching world, you know I had a very, very, very bad placement that really made me doubt myself in just about everyway. However, I persevered and have come out a much stronger person and have slowly built back my confidence in myself and my ability to teach.
2. If you're good at something, ... keep doing it, but don't do it so much that you no longer enjoy it.
3. Why so ... HOT? Now, I will say that it's been better this week so I can't complain as much, but I wish it could be about 70 degrees year round. That would be so MUCH more comfortable!
4. Something is out there, it's ... a cat! Seriously, with 3 black cats lurking around the house there is always one waiting to step in front of you and try to trip you up.
5. If my life were a sitcom, it would be titled ... Happiness Through Love, Hardwork, and Medication! :)
6. Sitting on my back porch I see ... my newly stained deck and also the reason why I know longer want to live here, my mean neighbor's back yard. When they have their shed door open the lovely phrase F*** You! is written on the inside. Doesn't that just scream, "I'm such a nice guy; live next to me?"
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to ... dining somewhere good with my husband, going to Bike Source so Adam can purchase new mountain biking tires, and reading my new book about baby's first year, ...tomorrow my plans include... doing more laundry, trying to get more of the baby's scrapbook finished, relishing in the fact that Adam is getting a hair cut, and maybe going putt-putt golfing... and Sunday, I want to... spend some one-on-one time with Adam, get the car seat base installed in his car and my mom's car and take my car, Adam's car, and Mom's car to have them safety inspected at the fire department, and relaxing!
Well, hopefully you've enjoyed by first attempt at Friday Fill-Ins. Have a great weekend everyone! One more baby-birthing class for us on Monday!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Happy Birthday to Me and the Wonders of the Think Method!
Yes, I am putting in my own Happy Birthday plug. :) I am officially 28 years old now. I can't say I feel drastically different than I did yesterday, but I did get some EXCELLENT news today, so maybe I'm actually feeling younger and more sprightly! :)
This morning I got the best present that any expecting mother can hope to get. I got to see my daughter! I had an ultrasound. This ultrasound was in my doctor's office rather than at the more specialized center so the printed out pictures were not stellar. Adam, my parents, and I, however, got to get a pretty good real-life peek. :) And, here's the most exciting news - the Think Method works. So, for all you doubters out there you better start thinking more positively! After much picture-staring and discussion with Sadie, she has made the shift from breech to head-down! Woohoo! Go Sadie! Go Sadie!
And, in even better news, not only is Sadie head down, but she is way down! This means that she's more likely to start pushing against my cervix and causing me to dilate and efface. This in turn means that she can be born! Yeah!
In addition, the ultrasound also calculated Sadie's weight. Prepare yourself, she's a giant... the head, stomach, and leg calculations combined to guess that she now weighs about 6 lbs and 14 oz. Since our last ultrasound 4 weeks ago that means that she's gained more than the projected half-pound per week. According to my doctor her growth should slow down a bit after week 36 (that's still 2 weeks away!), but that she is definitely still on track to be over 9 lbs. Amy, you will also be glad to know that when she measured her head my doctor's comment was, "Whoa, that's one big head!" So, I guess Bryn is destined to have a big-headed buddy! :)
All in all, things are looking pretty darn good. I'm certainly feeling lots of movement still and I'm getting kicked a lot more in the ribs, which I guess is a good thing. Adam and I have baby birthing class tonight and are eagerly looking forward to sharing the success of the "Think Method" with our teacher. We fully expect her to give us a "baby birthing prize" or something! :) We'll keep you posted.
Hope all is well with all of you! I'm sure I'll have lots to share after class tonight!
This morning I got the best present that any expecting mother can hope to get. I got to see my daughter! I had an ultrasound. This ultrasound was in my doctor's office rather than at the more specialized center so the printed out pictures were not stellar. Adam, my parents, and I, however, got to get a pretty good real-life peek. :) And, here's the most exciting news - the Think Method works. So, for all you doubters out there you better start thinking more positively! After much picture-staring and discussion with Sadie, she has made the shift from breech to head-down! Woohoo! Go Sadie! Go Sadie!
And, in even better news, not only is Sadie head down, but she is way down! This means that she's more likely to start pushing against my cervix and causing me to dilate and efface. This in turn means that she can be born! Yeah!
In addition, the ultrasound also calculated Sadie's weight. Prepare yourself, she's a giant... the head, stomach, and leg calculations combined to guess that she now weighs about 6 lbs and 14 oz. Since our last ultrasound 4 weeks ago that means that she's gained more than the projected half-pound per week. According to my doctor her growth should slow down a bit after week 36 (that's still 2 weeks away!), but that she is definitely still on track to be over 9 lbs. Amy, you will also be glad to know that when she measured her head my doctor's comment was, "Whoa, that's one big head!" So, I guess Bryn is destined to have a big-headed buddy! :)
All in all, things are looking pretty darn good. I'm certainly feeling lots of movement still and I'm getting kicked a lot more in the ribs, which I guess is a good thing. Adam and I have baby birthing class tonight and are eagerly looking forward to sharing the success of the "Think Method" with our teacher. We fully expect her to give us a "baby birthing prize" or something! :) We'll keep you posted.
Hope all is well with all of you! I'm sure I'll have lots to share after class tonight!
Friday, July 18, 2008
New Nursery Photos
Happy Friday everyone! The day here is looking to be beautiful, despite the ridiculous amount of heat. I know, though, that it could be worse. We could be visiting my sister in Phoenix where they are trying for another record-breaking string of consecutive days over 100 degrees. I really don't think I could survive there in the summer! Plus, crazy Rhian is spending her days outside scouring the side of the highway for any archaeological remains so that the Arizona Department of Transportation can widen the highway. She works from 6 am to 3:30 pm with, I'm assuming, a break in there for lunch. This particular job is actually not in Phoenix, though, so the company is paying to put her up in a suite Monday through Thursday, at their expense, giving her per diem money for food, providing transportation to and from the worksite (including to and from Phoenix), and paying her an hourly rate. Now, I still would not want to be crawling around in the dirt in 118 degree weather myself, but Rhian seems to actually be enjoying this job. This is excellent news, since this will likely be how she'll be spending a great majority of her time over the next several years. But, back to the topic I said I would be writing about - the nursery.
I am posting the worst of the pictures first. This picture was supposed to show you the nicely framed window, the turtle hamper, and the crib. The crib is complete with freshly laundered mattress cover (thank you Mike and Kathleen), mattress pad (thank you Mom), animal print sheet (thank you Pam), decorative comforter (thank you to me), and one very soft and wonderfully sounding Sleep Sheep (thank you Dee and Ashley). It's a little dark so you'll have to look closely for all of the above mentioned things.
Now on to the better photos. As I have previously posted, Sadie is already a bit of a clothes hog, though she really doesn't know it yet. :) This is a picture of her closet. You can see 0-9 months clothes hanging. Then on the bottom of the closet in a laundry basket are 9-18 month clothing. Yes, she already has so many clothes that I had to start a basket to hold the overflow! You can also see on the shelf immediately below her clothes a basket full of baby socks and hats and a basket full of pacifiers, pacifier clips, and bibs. In addition, my fantastic Vera Bradley Capri Melon diaper bag (thank you to my Mom for attending the outlet sale in Fort Wayne) is on display on the right side of the shelf.
On to something new that I haven't posted before. This is a picture of the door leading into the hallway. You can see the Pack 'n' Play in the corner (thank you to Jerri, Debbie, and Jackie), an IKEA hanging device on the door, a giant safety pin that's holding the hand-knit blanket that Adam's Grandma made for us (thank you), and our baby swing (courtesy of one of the resale events that Mom and I attended).
This next photo gives you a peek at a wall you have seen in a previous post but with new additions. We now have several excellent board books (thank you to the Harris family, Pam, and my mom), a video monitor (thank you to Aunt Julia and Kary), a fantastic 3-tiered fan (thank you to my mom), our car seat, and a different angle of the crib.
Here is a photo of our diaper changing station. You can see the lovely pink crates that are storing many diapering goodies (thank you to Patty and Jerry), the Stride-and-Ride Lion (thank you to Kristen and George), and our new Diaper Genie II which I got an EXCELLENT bargain on at Babies 'R' Us with a sale this week and a coupon!
And finally, an area that has become one of my surprise favorite parts of the room. During our early-June trip to IKEA we bought a white bookshelf unit. It's FANTASTIC!!!! I bought 4 bins (2 pink and 2 blue) to slide into 4 of the 8 spaces (from the Container Store). Then we have room on top to display the cow humidifier (thank you Jenny), the Twilight Turtle, the Brightlings Stations (thank you Tiger and Megan), an IKEA lamp, a picture frame (thank you Patty and Jerry), and a crocodile clock. You can also see various toys and books in the other shelves.
So, for a room that isn't overly large, we've fit quite a bit in and I think it still gives you enough space to easily maneuver. We're pretty pleased with how everything has turned out this far. Now we have to wait for the electrician to come and install the overhead light and fix the outlets, but all-in-all this room is potentially ready for Sadie!
Well, my mom just called and she's on her way over the pick me up! I haven't even showered yet for the day, so I've got to run! Hope you enjoyed! Have a great weekend everyone!
I am posting the worst of the pictures first. This picture was supposed to show you the nicely framed window, the turtle hamper, and the crib. The crib is complete with freshly laundered mattress cover (thank you Mike and Kathleen), mattress pad (thank you Mom), animal print sheet (thank you Pam), decorative comforter (thank you to me), and one very soft and wonderfully sounding Sleep Sheep (thank you Dee and Ashley). It's a little dark so you'll have to look closely for all of the above mentioned things.
Now on to the better photos. As I have previously posted, Sadie is already a bit of a clothes hog, though she really doesn't know it yet. :) This is a picture of her closet. You can see 0-9 months clothes hanging. Then on the bottom of the closet in a laundry basket are 9-18 month clothing. Yes, she already has so many clothes that I had to start a basket to hold the overflow! You can also see on the shelf immediately below her clothes a basket full of baby socks and hats and a basket full of pacifiers, pacifier clips, and bibs. In addition, my fantastic Vera Bradley Capri Melon diaper bag (thank you to my Mom for attending the outlet sale in Fort Wayne) is on display on the right side of the shelf.
On to something new that I haven't posted before. This is a picture of the door leading into the hallway. You can see the Pack 'n' Play in the corner (thank you to Jerri, Debbie, and Jackie), an IKEA hanging device on the door, a giant safety pin that's holding the hand-knit blanket that Adam's Grandma made for us (thank you), and our baby swing (courtesy of one of the resale events that Mom and I attended).
This next photo gives you a peek at a wall you have seen in a previous post but with new additions. We now have several excellent board books (thank you to the Harris family, Pam, and my mom), a video monitor (thank you to Aunt Julia and Kary), a fantastic 3-tiered fan (thank you to my mom), our car seat, and a different angle of the crib.
Here is a photo of our diaper changing station. You can see the lovely pink crates that are storing many diapering goodies (thank you to Patty and Jerry), the Stride-and-Ride Lion (thank you to Kristen and George), and our new Diaper Genie II which I got an EXCELLENT bargain on at Babies 'R' Us with a sale this week and a coupon!
And finally, an area that has become one of my surprise favorite parts of the room. During our early-June trip to IKEA we bought a white bookshelf unit. It's FANTASTIC!!!! I bought 4 bins (2 pink and 2 blue) to slide into 4 of the 8 spaces (from the Container Store). Then we have room on top to display the cow humidifier (thank you Jenny), the Twilight Turtle, the Brightlings Stations (thank you Tiger and Megan), an IKEA lamp, a picture frame (thank you Patty and Jerry), and a crocodile clock. You can also see various toys and books in the other shelves.
So, for a room that isn't overly large, we've fit quite a bit in and I think it still gives you enough space to easily maneuver. We're pretty pleased with how everything has turned out this far. Now we have to wait for the electrician to come and install the overhead light and fix the outlets, but all-in-all this room is potentially ready for Sadie!
Well, my mom just called and she's on her way over the pick me up! I haven't even showered yet for the day, so I've got to run! Hope you enjoyed! Have a great weekend everyone!
Monday, July 14, 2008
MEALS, Differentiated Instruction, and a Baby Shower
Hello everyone! It's been a busy past few days. Since last I have blogged, Adam and I attended a breast-feeding class, I attended a 3-day conference on differentiated instruction, and my mom, Adam, and I (with Pam :) ) made our way to and from Indianapolis for a fantastic baby shower thrown by our friends Amy and Ben! So, I decided I would keep this blog entry in time order and start from our breast-feeding class.
Our breast-feeding class was last Thursday night. It was offered by Pat Rice, who is also our instructor for baby birthing class. We had to bring a doll with us and then be prepared to listen, participate, and watch a video. I was a little worried about this class and had fear that we might be whipping off our shirts and actually having to fully expose ourselves during the participation stage of the class. Fortunately, those fears were just that - fears - and there was no whipping off of clothing! Yeah! :) During our class we learned several positions that seem to work best for breast feeding, particularly at different phases of the baby's life. For instance, apparently one of the easiest ways to nurse immediately post-delivery is with the mother laying on her side and the father helping the baby to latch on and get in a position that will both allow the baby to be fed and the mother to not have pain. We also learned that we should record the time of day when we attempt to feed the baby (particularly while at the hospital) and let the nurses know. But, we should not worry about the actual length of time that Sadie nurses. This is because "normal" nursing time can range from anywhere between 8 and 35 minutes. Some babies are very fast and others like to take their time. Instead of worrying about time, we are instead supposed to observe MEALS. This stands for:
M - Mouth widely open (like Mick Jagger and with the mouth resting about 1/2 an inch back from the nipple)
E - Ears wiggling (this is to be a very smooth and slow movement and she should be keeping an even tempo - like a metronome)
A - Areola compressed (breast feeding is really about the areola (the area around the nipple) and not the nipple itself)
L - Lips flared (the chin should be touching the breast and Dad moves the baby's lips around by pressing underneath the chin)
S - Swallows (baby should only need to be burped if she's swallowed a lot of air)
This sounds easy enough and I'm certainly a big fan of memory devices such as this one. I've put it on yet another note card that we will be carrying with us in our stack of note cards that we're taking to the hospital. I'm hoping these note cards will prove useful and not just a tedious extra thing to carry. I think in the heat of the moment it may be nice to have something already prepared to look at and help both of us regain our focus, but depending on my amount of pain and frustration, I may just want to throw all of the cards in the garbage. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. :)
On one final breast-feeding class note, we also learned that the mother can consume up to 1 pound of chocolate per day without having to fear she is going to cause her baby to have an allergy to chocolate. So, if nothing else is making me feel better during my many upcoming sleepless nights, at least I can have chocolate! :)
Alrighty - on to topic 2 - differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction is a fancy term for finding different (differentiated) ways to teach (instruction) all of your students. The conference I attended was the Midwest Conference on Differentiated Instruction and I'm really glad that I went. I attended only one horrible presentation and the rest I was able to glean at least some useful information from. I got some great ideas about organizational devices to use, motivational devices to use, and math songs that will help get math concepts "stuck" in students' heads. I took a lot of great notes, received several good handouts, and even got 4 new books on how to better differentiate in the classroom. Hopefully all of this will come in handy next year and make the school year flow more smoothly. For anyone that's interested, I'd be happy to tell you more, but I figure that most of you aren't itching to know more about differentiated instruction so I'll move on to the "good stuff." :)
Topic 3 - The Baby Shower
Our good friends Amy and Ben hosted a dual baby shower for Adam and I and our friends Alicia and Suellen. Sadie is due on August 31, but baby "P" is only a few weeks behind and is due on September 17. We are both having girls so we've really created ready-made friends. Isn't this fantastic?
Here are the four of us opening some of our gifts:
As you can tell from the picture, we have some very generous friends! To give you an idea of some of the gifts we received, we got: a baby bather and bathing products, a "Stride-and-Ride" Lion (it converts from a walker toy to a rideable toy), some clothes, a baby gate, an exploration station, a safety kit, and more! All of our gifts are very much appreciated and will be well used and well loved.
Here are some more pictures of our friends in attendance:
In the foreground of this picture you can see Jason, Kristin and Miles, Emily, and Andrea's back.
In this picture you can see Amy, Rob, Cathy, and Pam.
In this picture you can see Mike, Andrea (Andy) and Andrea's husband, Josh.
In this picture you can see Sarah, Pam with Shaylee, Kristen, and Adam and I.
And, one final picture that is perhaps my favorite. Two of our smallest party guests: Emily and Hannah. :)
Hopefully this photo is just a sneak peek at what Sadie and Baby P will look like together in 2 years!
All in all we have had a wonderful last week and felt very fortunate to get to catch up with some old friends. Tonight we have our hospital tour after baby-birthing class, so I'm sure I'll have more to report on soon. Thanks for reading! Take care!
Our breast-feeding class was last Thursday night. It was offered by Pat Rice, who is also our instructor for baby birthing class. We had to bring a doll with us and then be prepared to listen, participate, and watch a video. I was a little worried about this class and had fear that we might be whipping off our shirts and actually having to fully expose ourselves during the participation stage of the class. Fortunately, those fears were just that - fears - and there was no whipping off of clothing! Yeah! :) During our class we learned several positions that seem to work best for breast feeding, particularly at different phases of the baby's life. For instance, apparently one of the easiest ways to nurse immediately post-delivery is with the mother laying on her side and the father helping the baby to latch on and get in a position that will both allow the baby to be fed and the mother to not have pain. We also learned that we should record the time of day when we attempt to feed the baby (particularly while at the hospital) and let the nurses know. But, we should not worry about the actual length of time that Sadie nurses. This is because "normal" nursing time can range from anywhere between 8 and 35 minutes. Some babies are very fast and others like to take their time. Instead of worrying about time, we are instead supposed to observe MEALS. This stands for:
M - Mouth widely open (like Mick Jagger and with the mouth resting about 1/2 an inch back from the nipple)
E - Ears wiggling (this is to be a very smooth and slow movement and she should be keeping an even tempo - like a metronome)
A - Areola compressed (breast feeding is really about the areola (the area around the nipple) and not the nipple itself)
L - Lips flared (the chin should be touching the breast and Dad moves the baby's lips around by pressing underneath the chin)
S - Swallows (baby should only need to be burped if she's swallowed a lot of air)
This sounds easy enough and I'm certainly a big fan of memory devices such as this one. I've put it on yet another note card that we will be carrying with us in our stack of note cards that we're taking to the hospital. I'm hoping these note cards will prove useful and not just a tedious extra thing to carry. I think in the heat of the moment it may be nice to have something already prepared to look at and help both of us regain our focus, but depending on my amount of pain and frustration, I may just want to throw all of the cards in the garbage. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. :)
On one final breast-feeding class note, we also learned that the mother can consume up to 1 pound of chocolate per day without having to fear she is going to cause her baby to have an allergy to chocolate. So, if nothing else is making me feel better during my many upcoming sleepless nights, at least I can have chocolate! :)
Alrighty - on to topic 2 - differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction is a fancy term for finding different (differentiated) ways to teach (instruction) all of your students. The conference I attended was the Midwest Conference on Differentiated Instruction and I'm really glad that I went. I attended only one horrible presentation and the rest I was able to glean at least some useful information from. I got some great ideas about organizational devices to use, motivational devices to use, and math songs that will help get math concepts "stuck" in students' heads. I took a lot of great notes, received several good handouts, and even got 4 new books on how to better differentiate in the classroom. Hopefully all of this will come in handy next year and make the school year flow more smoothly. For anyone that's interested, I'd be happy to tell you more, but I figure that most of you aren't itching to know more about differentiated instruction so I'll move on to the "good stuff." :)
Topic 3 - The Baby Shower
Our good friends Amy and Ben hosted a dual baby shower for Adam and I and our friends Alicia and Suellen. Sadie is due on August 31, but baby "P" is only a few weeks behind and is due on September 17. We are both having girls so we've really created ready-made friends. Isn't this fantastic?
Here are the four of us opening some of our gifts:
As you can tell from the picture, we have some very generous friends! To give you an idea of some of the gifts we received, we got: a baby bather and bathing products, a "Stride-and-Ride" Lion (it converts from a walker toy to a rideable toy), some clothes, a baby gate, an exploration station, a safety kit, and more! All of our gifts are very much appreciated and will be well used and well loved.
Here are some more pictures of our friends in attendance:
In the foreground of this picture you can see Jason, Kristin and Miles, Emily, and Andrea's back.
In this picture you can see Amy, Rob, Cathy, and Pam.
In this picture you can see Mike, Andrea (Andy) and Andrea's husband, Josh.
In this picture you can see Sarah, Pam with Shaylee, Kristen, and Adam and I.
And, one final picture that is perhaps my favorite. Two of our smallest party guests: Emily and Hannah. :)
Hopefully this photo is just a sneak peek at what Sadie and Baby P will look like together in 2 years!
All in all we have had a wonderful last week and felt very fortunate to get to catch up with some old friends. Tonight we have our hospital tour after baby-birthing class, so I'm sure I'll have more to report on soon. Thanks for reading! Take care!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Baby Birthing Class Winner and Loser
We had baby birthing class again on Monday night. Adam was "Mr. Correct Answer!" We were discussing amniotic fluid and question number one arose - You may see little white flecks in the amniotic fluid - what are the little white flecks? Adam, clearly having paid attention last week, knew the answer. (Sidenote: I was thinking to myself - poop, it must be white colored poop!) Adam says, "The stuff (vernex) that's coming off the baby's skin." This was the correct answer. Vernex is the stuff that you have previously heard referred to as "cheese." It's basically the gunk that covers the baby's skin when they are born as is the body's own natural lotion. So, it looked like we were off to a great start - right? Score one for Adam!
Then we continue through class and were discussing why breathing techniques are so important to use during labor. One of the advantages of breathing correctly is that it oxygenates the uterus during labor. And here was question 2 - Why would oxygenating the uterus be so important during labor? (Sidenote: At this point I'm thinking, "Gosh, oxygenating any part of your body would be important, maybe it's so your uterus can already start to heal itself?") Ah, but baby birthing class superstar Adam has the answer again - the more oxygen the uterus gets, the stronger the contractions it can make and the faster you can get the baby out. How does he know these things?
Finally, we got to a question that I, too, actually knew the answer to, but Adam was the one who actually shared the answer with our instructor. What do you need to make sure the laboring mother is doing every hour? Answer - Emptying her bladder. This is because the baby will be moving right over top of the bladder and if the bladder is full, this will be MUCH more painful.
So, yes it's a good thing that Adam made us appear like all-stars because I certainly did my best to turn that right back around. :) While discussing breathing techniques our instructor kept pointing out the importance of breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Now, while this sounds great to 99.9% of the world, it does not sound so great to me. I would LOVE to be able to breath through my nose, but unfortunately I did not inherit that ability from my own parents. Any of you who know me well also then know that I suffer from rather horrible allergies - funny since I have 3 cats and live in a place where the pollen count is always astronomically high, right? Anyways, I decided to brave the question - What if you can't breath through your nose? To this our instructor replies, "Ah you must have pregnancy rhinitis (sp?)." Now, I should have probably just said yes and left it at that, but I instead said, "No, I have horrible allergies and can't breath through my nose ever, not just when I'm pregnant." Score one point for the "not looking so good anymore, are we?" team! So, either no one else in our class was brave enough to mention that they can't breath through their noses or I'm really the only one. Either way, simply asking the question made me feel a little inferior to my fellow classmates. The "real" answer to my question, for all you inquiring minds, is that you should breath through your mouth but tuck your tongue behind your teeth so that your mouth still produces saliva on a more regular basis.
But, fear not, I was able to keep scoring "loser" points for us. Our instructor asked if any of us where aware that our babies were currently in a breech position. Having just confirmed this again with the doctor on Monday morning, I was able to say, without doubt, that Sadie is still quite happy being a "breech baby." (Sidenote: By remaining breech, Sadie can consistently aim her kicking, giant feet straight into my bladder!) Of course, and yet again, I'm the only one who speaks up and says that my baby is breech. So I'm left with thinking that either I am the only mother whose child is already being uncooperative or I am the only one brave enough again to speak. Judging from the looks of the other mothers in the room, though, I'm going with option one. So, to encourage Sadie to move into the correct position, the instructor tells me that I need to find a picture of a woman's pelvis with the baby in the correct upside-down, ready-to-come-out position. Then I am supposed to place this picture somewhere where I will see it multiple times each day and talk to myself and Sadie about getting into position. I tried to post the lovely picture that I found, but it keeps saying that there's an error with the format, so no luck for you!
Finally, our night ended with having to get onto the floor to practice our level one breathing techniques. Now, I don't mind getting on the floor at all. What my problem stems from is that our instructor wanted us to place a pillow under our heads, a pillow under our knees, and lie on the rock-hard floor on our backs. Just thinking about the possibility of this position pretty much made me instantly start hurting. Even in my nice comfy bed I find it nearly impossible to lie on my back. So, when the instructor asked if anyone was struggling with this position, guess who got to raise her hand again? (Sidenote: I will say that there was one other person in our class who has also been having lower back pain and would not even attempt the position, so I didn't feel like quite as big of a loser this time around). The instructor helped Adam to position the pillow under my butt and then kind of roll up the bit that was sticking out so that my knees could be slightly elevated. While this position was not great, it was at least vaguely tolerable. Then, while reclining in this position, we got to practice "relaxing". This is funny since it is hard to relax when the position you are in is not comfortable, but I made the best of the situation and was able to get as relaxed as I could at 32 weeks of pregnancy. :)
So, the night had its ups (Adam) and its downs (me). We did learn a lot and we have quite a bit of "homework" to do this week in the form of making notecards and practicing all of the techniques we have learned so far. Next week our night will conclude will a tour of the labor and delivery ward at Riverside. I'm actually pretty excited about this because then I will be able to picture everything more clearly in my head.
To end this post on a happy note, I have to share a funny story about my daughter's visit to the doctor this morning. I had my standard check-up with the doctor this morning. I wait and wait and wait until it's 45 minutes after my scheduled appointment time and then the doctor wanders in and spends about 5 minutes with me before moving on to her next patient. Apparently Sadie was not going to have any of this "only 5 minutes with the doctor" business, though. Before the doctor even arrived in the room she had been moving about like a busy little bee. I informed the doctor of this before she tried to find Sadie's heart beat, but until she actually had the wand out and over my belly, I'm not quite sure that the doctor understood what I meant by, "She's been moving around A LOT this morning." Every time the doctor would locate Sadie's heart beat, Sadie would start to move and kick and punch. This movement accelerated her heartbeat so that her readings were 190 beats per minute. Because the doctor wanted to make sure that this was not a "constant state" for Sadie, she had to keep following her around in my belly and trying to get her to calm down. Sadie finally calmed down to around 160 beats per minute, which seemed to satisfy the doctor because she cleaned the goop off my belly and said that I definitely had a "wild child." I found the whole thing quite funny! :)
Well, I fully expect to be exhausted for the next several days, so I'm not sure when I might post again. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I have an all-day conference 8 am to 4 pm in downtown Columbus. This is an education conference on differentiated instruction. I am excited to be attending the conference, but this will be the most "real work" I've had in a while. I then follow it up each night with some sort of activity. On Wednesday night I have water aerobics. On Thursday night Adam and I have breastfeeding class (Adam's super excited about this one!). On Friday night I have to pack and get ready for the trip to Indianapolis for Baby Shower # 2. So, if you don't hear from me for a while, don't worry. I'll be back soon! Take care!
Then we continue through class and were discussing why breathing techniques are so important to use during labor. One of the advantages of breathing correctly is that it oxygenates the uterus during labor. And here was question 2 - Why would oxygenating the uterus be so important during labor? (Sidenote: At this point I'm thinking, "Gosh, oxygenating any part of your body would be important, maybe it's so your uterus can already start to heal itself?") Ah, but baby birthing class superstar Adam has the answer again - the more oxygen the uterus gets, the stronger the contractions it can make and the faster you can get the baby out. How does he know these things?
Finally, we got to a question that I, too, actually knew the answer to, but Adam was the one who actually shared the answer with our instructor. What do you need to make sure the laboring mother is doing every hour? Answer - Emptying her bladder. This is because the baby will be moving right over top of the bladder and if the bladder is full, this will be MUCH more painful.
So, yes it's a good thing that Adam made us appear like all-stars because I certainly did my best to turn that right back around. :) While discussing breathing techniques our instructor kept pointing out the importance of breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. Now, while this sounds great to 99.9% of the world, it does not sound so great to me. I would LOVE to be able to breath through my nose, but unfortunately I did not inherit that ability from my own parents. Any of you who know me well also then know that I suffer from rather horrible allergies - funny since I have 3 cats and live in a place where the pollen count is always astronomically high, right? Anyways, I decided to brave the question - What if you can't breath through your nose? To this our instructor replies, "Ah you must have pregnancy rhinitis (sp?)." Now, I should have probably just said yes and left it at that, but I instead said, "No, I have horrible allergies and can't breath through my nose ever, not just when I'm pregnant." Score one point for the "not looking so good anymore, are we?" team! So, either no one else in our class was brave enough to mention that they can't breath through their noses or I'm really the only one. Either way, simply asking the question made me feel a little inferior to my fellow classmates. The "real" answer to my question, for all you inquiring minds, is that you should breath through your mouth but tuck your tongue behind your teeth so that your mouth still produces saliva on a more regular basis.
But, fear not, I was able to keep scoring "loser" points for us. Our instructor asked if any of us where aware that our babies were currently in a breech position. Having just confirmed this again with the doctor on Monday morning, I was able to say, without doubt, that Sadie is still quite happy being a "breech baby." (Sidenote: By remaining breech, Sadie can consistently aim her kicking, giant feet straight into my bladder!) Of course, and yet again, I'm the only one who speaks up and says that my baby is breech. So I'm left with thinking that either I am the only mother whose child is already being uncooperative or I am the only one brave enough again to speak. Judging from the looks of the other mothers in the room, though, I'm going with option one. So, to encourage Sadie to move into the correct position, the instructor tells me that I need to find a picture of a woman's pelvis with the baby in the correct upside-down, ready-to-come-out position. Then I am supposed to place this picture somewhere where I will see it multiple times each day and talk to myself and Sadie about getting into position. I tried to post the lovely picture that I found, but it keeps saying that there's an error with the format, so no luck for you!
Finally, our night ended with having to get onto the floor to practice our level one breathing techniques. Now, I don't mind getting on the floor at all. What my problem stems from is that our instructor wanted us to place a pillow under our heads, a pillow under our knees, and lie on the rock-hard floor on our backs. Just thinking about the possibility of this position pretty much made me instantly start hurting. Even in my nice comfy bed I find it nearly impossible to lie on my back. So, when the instructor asked if anyone was struggling with this position, guess who got to raise her hand again? (Sidenote: I will say that there was one other person in our class who has also been having lower back pain and would not even attempt the position, so I didn't feel like quite as big of a loser this time around). The instructor helped Adam to position the pillow under my butt and then kind of roll up the bit that was sticking out so that my knees could be slightly elevated. While this position was not great, it was at least vaguely tolerable. Then, while reclining in this position, we got to practice "relaxing". This is funny since it is hard to relax when the position you are in is not comfortable, but I made the best of the situation and was able to get as relaxed as I could at 32 weeks of pregnancy. :)
So, the night had its ups (Adam) and its downs (me). We did learn a lot and we have quite a bit of "homework" to do this week in the form of making notecards and practicing all of the techniques we have learned so far. Next week our night will conclude will a tour of the labor and delivery ward at Riverside. I'm actually pretty excited about this because then I will be able to picture everything more clearly in my head.
To end this post on a happy note, I have to share a funny story about my daughter's visit to the doctor this morning. I had my standard check-up with the doctor this morning. I wait and wait and wait until it's 45 minutes after my scheduled appointment time and then the doctor wanders in and spends about 5 minutes with me before moving on to her next patient. Apparently Sadie was not going to have any of this "only 5 minutes with the doctor" business, though. Before the doctor even arrived in the room she had been moving about like a busy little bee. I informed the doctor of this before she tried to find Sadie's heart beat, but until she actually had the wand out and over my belly, I'm not quite sure that the doctor understood what I meant by, "She's been moving around A LOT this morning." Every time the doctor would locate Sadie's heart beat, Sadie would start to move and kick and punch. This movement accelerated her heartbeat so that her readings were 190 beats per minute. Because the doctor wanted to make sure that this was not a "constant state" for Sadie, she had to keep following her around in my belly and trying to get her to calm down. Sadie finally calmed down to around 160 beats per minute, which seemed to satisfy the doctor because she cleaned the goop off my belly and said that I definitely had a "wild child." I found the whole thing quite funny! :)
Well, I fully expect to be exhausted for the next several days, so I'm not sure when I might post again. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I have an all-day conference 8 am to 4 pm in downtown Columbus. This is an education conference on differentiated instruction. I am excited to be attending the conference, but this will be the most "real work" I've had in a while. I then follow it up each night with some sort of activity. On Wednesday night I have water aerobics. On Thursday night Adam and I have breastfeeding class (Adam's super excited about this one!). On Friday night I have to pack and get ready for the trip to Indianapolis for Baby Shower # 2. So, if you don't hear from me for a while, don't worry. I'll be back soon! Take care!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The Wonderful World of Baby Birthing Class
On Monday night Adam and I got to partake in our first baby birthing class. Truth be told, I have actually been looking forward to these classes. This is primarily because it signals that the end is near and Sadie will soon be here. My husband, on the other hand, has not been so excited. This is primarily because the classes are every Monday night in July and run from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. He thinks this time commitment is a bit over the top and he's not happy that he has to spend this whole time block talking about things that he doesn't like to talk about in front of people he does not know (i.e. a baby coming out of me!). However, after our first session, some of his fears seem to be eased as the other father's do not seem ecstatic to be there either!
We were given many tasks to "practice" for the week. The first task is to be able to explain dilation and effacement. When the cervix dilates this means that it opens up to allow for the baby to move down the birthing canal. Dilation is measured in centimeters and the most you can be dilated is 10 cm. Many of you have likely heard of dilation. What you may not have heard of is effacement. Effacement is the thinning out and pulling up of the cervix. Her analogy was to compare this process to pulling a turtle neck shirt over your head. Just as the turtle neck flattens out as you pull it over your head, the cervix flattens out as it is stretched to make way for the baby. Effacement is measured in percent, as in "You are 20% effaced, 50% effaced, etc."
Another task we were told to practice is the Mitchell Method of Relaxation. This is basically a series of steps that the laboring woman is supposed to follow to calm her down during the labor process. We are supposed to run through this process until it "becomes like second nature." Adam is supposed to give me a series of commands that I will then follow and relax. Additionally, he is supposed to do all of this without actually saying the word relax since hearing that word generally tends to be a trigger for tensing up. We are also supposed to go through this method with positive thoughts on the mind because positive thoughts lead to positive progress. :)
Ok, so who knows how well this will actually go? Our instructor does seem to really believe that thinking positively will lead to positive progress, though. I do tend to believe that thinking positively does make you feel better and therefore that may make you feel like things are moving along quickly, even if they are not. I will do my best to be positive. :)
One funny/amazing thing we learned is about breast milk. Apparently breast milk is the cure-all for just about everything. Your baby has scratched herself on the face - squirt some breast milk on her scratches and she will heal more quickly. Your baby has pink eye - gently rub some breast milk into her eyes and the infection will more quickly cure itself. Your husband has bad acne - yes you guessed it - breast milk. When I told my sister this she looked it up on the computer and found that breastmilk has even been shown to help kill some forms of cancer. All of these wonderful benefits of breast milk are supposedly due to the fact that breast milk is very full of white blood cells. So if you're feeling ill or suffering from a strange ailment, find a woman who is breast feeding and ask her to turn on the tap for you! :)
Well, we are only one class down and have four more to go, so stay tuned for more amazing updates! I'm sure we'll have some fantastic stories to share! Only one more work day this week! Woohoo! More baby-room pictures to come soon.
We were given many tasks to "practice" for the week. The first task is to be able to explain dilation and effacement. When the cervix dilates this means that it opens up to allow for the baby to move down the birthing canal. Dilation is measured in centimeters and the most you can be dilated is 10 cm. Many of you have likely heard of dilation. What you may not have heard of is effacement. Effacement is the thinning out and pulling up of the cervix. Her analogy was to compare this process to pulling a turtle neck shirt over your head. Just as the turtle neck flattens out as you pull it over your head, the cervix flattens out as it is stretched to make way for the baby. Effacement is measured in percent, as in "You are 20% effaced, 50% effaced, etc."
Another task we were told to practice is the Mitchell Method of Relaxation. This is basically a series of steps that the laboring woman is supposed to follow to calm her down during the labor process. We are supposed to run through this process until it "becomes like second nature." Adam is supposed to give me a series of commands that I will then follow and relax. Additionally, he is supposed to do all of this without actually saying the word relax since hearing that word generally tends to be a trigger for tensing up. We are also supposed to go through this method with positive thoughts on the mind because positive thoughts lead to positive progress. :)
Ok, so who knows how well this will actually go? Our instructor does seem to really believe that thinking positively will lead to positive progress, though. I do tend to believe that thinking positively does make you feel better and therefore that may make you feel like things are moving along quickly, even if they are not. I will do my best to be positive. :)
One funny/amazing thing we learned is about breast milk. Apparently breast milk is the cure-all for just about everything. Your baby has scratched herself on the face - squirt some breast milk on her scratches and she will heal more quickly. Your baby has pink eye - gently rub some breast milk into her eyes and the infection will more quickly cure itself. Your husband has bad acne - yes you guessed it - breast milk. When I told my sister this she looked it up on the computer and found that breastmilk has even been shown to help kill some forms of cancer. All of these wonderful benefits of breast milk are supposedly due to the fact that breast milk is very full of white blood cells. So if you're feeling ill or suffering from a strange ailment, find a woman who is breast feeding and ask her to turn on the tap for you! :)
Well, we are only one class down and have four more to go, so stay tuned for more amazing updates! I'm sure we'll have some fantastic stories to share! Only one more work day this week! Woohoo! More baby-room pictures to come soon.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Baby Shower # 1
On Sunday June 29 at 1:30 pm, my mother hosted my first baby shower for me and for Sadie. Preparations for this baby shower began weeks in advance! I created the invitations on Microsoft Publisher and put them all in the mail. My mom handled pretty much everything else. :) We went to Flower Factory together and got lots of decorations. Then my mom's friend Holly, who I've always called Aunt Holly, came over in the week before the party. She made her famous sugar cookies and decorated them, despite having sliced her thumb on the Sunday before the shower (she has several stitches in her thumb!) My dad even got in on the cookie decorating! I made a few cookies too and had some help eating them when Amy, Bryn, Shay, Andrea, and Hannah came to visit! :) I'm quite glad I had visitors to keep me occupied and to motivate me to clean my house! :) My mom and Aunt Holly also made sandwiches and all sorts of other goodies to get ready for the party. Then Aunt Holly brought over her collection of glass serving plates to add to my mom's collection. Aunt Holly also brought over a punch bowl and punch glasses. In addition, she brought over this really old baby stroller. It was very cool and that was where we had the guests put all of their presents. Silly me, however, did not take any pictures of all of this. I'm hoping that my mom's friend Julia, another person I've always referred to as my Aunt, took some pictures of everything all set up. Aunt Julia also helped with getting all of the snacks and punch ready and just generally helping with the final touches of everything. Plus, Aunt Julia and Aunt Holly both work to keep my mom sane, so their help is ALWAYS appreciated greatly by me! The house really looked nice and I'm bummed I don't have more pictures of the whole set-up.
Another thing I did in preparation for the party was to assemble a folder for each guest. Each guest's folder had a nametag on the front and then directions for what to do while waiting on the inside of the folder. I had a huge and diverse collection of guests. I had relatives, family friends, co-workers from Dublin, co-workers from West Jeff, and old friends. One thing that each guest had to do upon arrival was to get a drink with a "baby" ice cube. Inside the ice cube was a frozen plastic baby. The idea was that whom ever's ice cube melted first to "free" the baby had to shout, "My water broke!" It was pretty funny, but the babies didn't stay frozen for as long as anticipated, so it was a game that ended pretty quickly. Other activities the guests were to be working on were filling out an advice page and their baby bingo sheets. My mom also had the guests try to answer 11 questions about me and my likes and dislikes.
Let me show you some of the pictures of guests at the party:
Picture 1 is Jerri (my co-worker at West Jeff), Patty (my mother-in-law), Jeanie (Patty's sister, Adam's Aunt), and Sarah (my sister-in-law)
Picture 2 is Molly, Emily, (Holly's daughters) and Aunt Holly.
Picture 3 is me opening a gift. You can see Molly and Emily again as well as Dee and Ashley (family friends) and several co-workers in the background, including my principal, Debbie.
The party was a HUGE success and Sadie is going to need to have her clothes changed at least 5 times a day in order to wear all of the clothes that she received. Despite Adam's great fear, I think Sadie may be an even bigger clothes hog than me! We also got some wonderful other gifts including a video monitor, a BeBe Pod Orange chair, a pack-and-play, wonderful books, and many, many other goodies. As soon as I get it all organized in Sadie's room, I will post further pictures. Adam and I are tremendously thankful for all that we received and thank everyone who attended. Sadie is certainly one very lucky little girl!
Adam and I took our first baby-birthing class so I have quite a few funny stories to share and will get to those ASAP. Hope you're all off to a great and SHORT week! :)
Another thing I did in preparation for the party was to assemble a folder for each guest. Each guest's folder had a nametag on the front and then directions for what to do while waiting on the inside of the folder. I had a huge and diverse collection of guests. I had relatives, family friends, co-workers from Dublin, co-workers from West Jeff, and old friends. One thing that each guest had to do upon arrival was to get a drink with a "baby" ice cube. Inside the ice cube was a frozen plastic baby. The idea was that whom ever's ice cube melted first to "free" the baby had to shout, "My water broke!" It was pretty funny, but the babies didn't stay frozen for as long as anticipated, so it was a game that ended pretty quickly. Other activities the guests were to be working on were filling out an advice page and their baby bingo sheets. My mom also had the guests try to answer 11 questions about me and my likes and dislikes.
Let me show you some of the pictures of guests at the party:
Picture 1 is Jerri (my co-worker at West Jeff), Patty (my mother-in-law), Jeanie (Patty's sister, Adam's Aunt), and Sarah (my sister-in-law)
Picture 2 is Molly, Emily, (Holly's daughters) and Aunt Holly.
Picture 3 is me opening a gift. You can see Molly and Emily again as well as Dee and Ashley (family friends) and several co-workers in the background, including my principal, Debbie.
The party was a HUGE success and Sadie is going to need to have her clothes changed at least 5 times a day in order to wear all of the clothes that she received. Despite Adam's great fear, I think Sadie may be an even bigger clothes hog than me! We also got some wonderful other gifts including a video monitor, a BeBe Pod Orange chair, a pack-and-play, wonderful books, and many, many other goodies. As soon as I get it all organized in Sadie's room, I will post further pictures. Adam and I are tremendously thankful for all that we received and thank everyone who attended. Sadie is certainly one very lucky little girl!
Adam and I took our first baby-birthing class so I have quite a few funny stories to share and will get to those ASAP. Hope you're all off to a great and SHORT week! :)
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