Birth Announcement

So this is like two months late and still not printed, which means people won't get this in the mail until James is at least three months old at which point a birth announcement seems almost silly, but anyway...here is our birth announcement courtesy of my sister-in-law Becky.

One Word Meme

You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.
Not as easy as you might think!

1. Where is your cell phone? Husband
2. Your significant other? work
3. Your hair? Down
4. Your mother? teaching
5. Your father? sleeping
6. Your favorite thing? sleep
7. Your dream last night? stressful
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? happiness
10. The room you’re in? living
11. Your ex? none
12. Your fear? evil
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? further
14. Where were you last night? couch
15. What you’re not? well
16. Muffins? yes
17. One of your wish list items? skinny
18. Where you grew up? Utah
19. The last thing you did? tie
20. What are you wearing? clothes
21. Your TV? On
22. Your pets? turtle
23. Your computer? old
24. Your life? stressful
25. Your mood? irritated
26. Missing someone? nanny
27. Your car? gone
28. Something you’re not wearing? make-up
29. Favorite Store? amazon
30. Your summer? hot
31. Like someone? eh
32. Your favorite color? green
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Do you cry a lot? no

Before & After

Isabelle recently got a hair cut. This was her first ever hair cut and I waited until my mom was here to do it as I was worried I"d ruin what little hair she had. Isabelle inherited my bald at birth, slow to grow hair gene, which is why it took just over two years of hard growing for her to get enough hair to trim half an inch out of her eyes. Mom also evened up the back a bit and I think she looks way cute. So here she is before, during and after her haircut:

James decided to try and get in on the fun by popping out all of his pretty hair. I was very excited when he was born with, what I thought of as, a full head of hair. But I guess he didn't like being unique and pushed all of his hair out to match his sister. Here he is before and after:

Where did his hair go you ask? Why he rubbed it off in his crib of course:

And here's one more picture for you to admire: Isabelle feeding her new bunny just like mommy:

Don't forget to burp!

Daily (Sunday) Routine

A few of my sisters-in-law are blogging about their daily beauty regime, so I thought I'd join in. On a normal day (ie mon-saturday) when I'm not going out to a church thing or on a date I get up and....that's it. Before bed I use some generic Equate brand "Deep Cleaning Astringent". Also when I shower I use Clean and Clear Blackhead Clearing Scrub...mostly for the exfoliating stuff as I've never had a black head...right out of the shower I use Clean & Clear Oil-Free Dual Action Moisturizer. I think it's funny that all of these people I know use fancy grown up moisturizers like Oil of Olay. I think of that as grown up lotion...since I'm still not an adult in my head I've never considered buying this. Of course now that all of these people I know are using it I'm thinking maybe I should too....aww peer pressure. ;)

So my Sunday/date night make up routine is as follows:

I apply a foundation to my eyes: "Almay Hypo-Allergenic 'Nearly Naked' Touch-Pad Liquid Makeup". I do this because when I got married my friend Margie demonstrated to me that if you don't put on foundation first, then color of your makeup doesn't stick/show up as well...so I put some on my eyelids.

Next I use either my "Almay Intense Color" eye shadow for brown eyes or some pink shadow from a ginormous thing of makeup my mom gave me for Christmas about six years ago...called "Markwins Presents". I think it was intended for prepubescent teenage girls rather than serious makeup appliers, but I use it anyway. Side note: although it seems I"m devoted to Almay products I think this is really just what my friend Margie told me to get for my wedding and I haven't bought anything new yet...yes my makeup is almost all at least four years old. Moving on.

Eyeliner: Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner "Black/brown" on the top and Covergirl Brow and Eye Markers Pencil on the bottom.

Mascara: Almay Intense i-Color in Brown Topaz....it came with the Brown Eye's make up stuff my eyeshadow is from.

Cover up: I spot cover two red spots I have on my cheek and any other 'problems' as needed with Lancome Paris coverup in Ivoire. I got this at the Lancome counter where I got a makeover before I got married to see what kind of makeup to use for the wedding...if I spent $25 I got a free gift, so Margie and the counter girl said the coverup was the best buy.

Powder: L'Oreal Translucide Loose Powder in "Translucent" I use this more to cover the cover up then anything else...

Blush: Revlon Smooth-On Blush

Lipstick: Lancome Rouge Sensation in Henne...this was part of the free gift with purchase I mentioned.

So there you have my makeup routine...I'm sure I should probably replace all of my way old makeup and that I maybe do stuff in the wrong order or something, but that's what I learned and I haven't updated. I tried the L'Oreal Bare Naturale Foundation stuff, but it felt too thick and I had to use soap to get it off. This makeup all comes off with a damp cloth, except for the eyeliner which I actually have to use makeup remover for.

Oh and my hair product of the moment is Garnier Fructis Style "Curl Shaping Spray Gel". I put it on after a shower and scrunch my hair then let it air-dry. Sometimes I spritz a little extra on after it's dry to tame frizzy's but that's it. I used to use a really nice conditoner spray type stuff from...some company that starts with a P...it's in a white bottle...I can't remember...oh wait! Pantene Pro-V, that was it...anyway but then they stopped making it...jerks. So I've been exploring other avenues. The Garnier Fructis stuff has been working so far, but I'm open to change.

Isabelle Video

Like Father, Like Son

Which one is which?

Tagged

4 Jobs I’ve had:
-Telemarketor
-Usher/House Manager for Browning Center for the Performing Arts
-Office Assistant for Psychology Dept at WSU

-Secretary at TWU

4 Movies I watch over and over:
-Princess Bride
-Goonies
-Labrynth
-Indiana Jones Series

4 Places I have lived:
-Cedar City, UT
-Ogden, Ut (Dorms then Apartment)
-Denton, TX (Apt, Apt, House, House)
-Only lived in three towns...

4 TV shows I watch:
-Bones
-Smallville
-Supernatural
-Lost

4 Places I have been:
-Germany
-Ireland
-France
-Turkey

4 People who e-mail me regularly:
-Dad
-thadengroups msgs
-Babycenter weekly updates
-Tearese

4 Favorite things to eat:
-Cheesecake
-Albertsons Chocolate Chip Cookies
-BBQ
-Pasta

4 Places I’d rather be:
-With Patrick when he has had plenty of sleep and doesn't need to be anywhere/get anything done...a very rare occurance.
-Alone with no babies to take care of.
-Ireland w/o kids
-With family

4 Things I look forward to this year:
-Mom coming to visit on Thursday
-Family Reunion in July
-Umm..Christmas?
-Reading all the new books coming out in various series

4 People to tag:
-Tearese
-Margie
-Josh
-Dave

60 Things You May Not Know About Me

I stole this from a girls blog that I read. Sorry if you were hoping for baby-related updates, my brain is too frazzled to type coherently without a format. ;)



1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
The base for the baby's carseat, Isabelle's toddler seat, some random metal/armour bits that Patrick hasn't cleaned out and Patricks work jacket.

2. When was the last time you threw up?
About six weeks ago when I got a 12 hour stomach bug. I was 38 weeks pregnant....when I was 38 weeks pregnant with Isabelle I got a really nasty bug and threw up 10 times in as many hours. It sucked. I'm hoping this trend doesn't continue with my subsequent pregnancies.

3. What's your favorite curse word?
Freak'n A...I know it's stupid, I don't know why I say it. One of my roommates my freshman year of college said it alot so I guess that's where I get it.

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?
Patrick, Isabelle, and James...I don't really see anyone else.

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
Sleeping...like any sane person that doesn't have a job was...or any lazy person that doesn't have a job.

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Getting Isabelle out of bed and dressed.

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now?
Feeding Isabelle and the baby and preparing to put Isabelle down for her nap.

8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
No

9. What is the last thing you said aloud?
Umm..."You love the blue train?" Isabelle is watching a show...

10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
Depends on the day...strawberry cheesecake ice cream is good....and english toffee...cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip.

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Water

12. What are you wearing right now?
Maternity jeans (still don't fit into my regular ones) and grey maternity shirt...*sigh*

13. What was the last thing you ate?
Cold Peach Crisp last night before bed.

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
Nope...I dont' want to buy fat clothes.

15. When was the last time you ran?
I don't recall.

16. What's the last sporting event you watched?
I think I watched some ice skating on tv a few months ago...but not the whole 'event'

17????
This question seems to have dissappeared.

18. Who is the last person you emailed?
Probably my dad. He emails everyday.

19. Ever go camping?
Sometimes...I think the last time was over New Years break four years ago.

20. Do you have a tan?
No...I don't tan, I burn and freckle.

21-23 are missing too...

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw?
Yes...otherwise there are too many bubbles for me to handle.

25. What did your last IM say?
I don't remember...Margie do you?

26. Are you someone's best friend?
I think so...

27. What are you doing tomorrow?
Nothing....feeding the babies...watching tv...same thing I do everyday.

28. Where is your mom right now?
In Cedar City, UT probably getting ready to go home for lunch.

29. Look to your left, what do you see?
A window looking out on our front yard and busy street....and a very very messy desk that I clean occassionally and Patrick manages to clutter back up within hours of cleaning...thus the only occassional cleaning...whats the point really?

30. What color is your watch?
Black

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
Kangaroos...Steve Irwin..Bonfires with Fosters beer on the beach...really tan guys with leather hats and cool accents.

32. Would you consider plastic surgery?
Probably not it's too expensive and people would probably make fun of me...although I wouldn't mind straightening my nose.

33. What is your birthstone?
Aquamarine...it's ugly.

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Usually drive through.

35.How many kids do you want?
Four or Five. Here's why: You can't have just one, they'd be lonely. You can't have just two 'cuz they may hate each other, you can't have just three because you know the two would gang up on the one...so you have to have at least four. There's five in my family, so that's kind of what I was thinking.

36. Do you have a dog?
No. Dogs are of the devil. ;) They're nasty and I don't understand why people have them in their house. Of course I'm very very allergic, so this may color my opinion.

37. Last person you talked to on the phone?
My visiting teaching partner. She called me yesterday and asked me to go to Enrichment with her. I didn't want to , but I did anyway 'cuz I'm nice like that.

38. Have you met anyone famous?
I met Billy Idol once...it was awesome.

39. Any plans today?
I was thinking of going to get an allergy shot since they'll be closed Monday, but I decided against it. That was pretty much the extent of my plans...oh and to update my blog...and maybe email my sister-in-law to see if she will let Isabelle come and play with her kids. That's it.

40. How many states have you lived in?
Two. Utah and Texas. Patrick finds this amusing.

41. Ever go to college?
Yeah a couple of times. ;) I have an AA in general studies, a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Applied Anthropology.

42. Where are you right now?
In my living room at the computer desk.

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
My two babies...they need so much attention...'mommy feed me! I need to be burped! Change my diaper! I'm crying for no discernable reason...fix it!'

44. Last song listened to?
Theme song to Jay Jay the Jet Plane. It's sad, but I have these songs in my head most of the time. I think by the fifth baby I will have gone completely insane.

No 45 either...

46. Are you allergic to anything?
Yes. All grass except Bermuda, cottonwood trees, cedar trees, hackberry trees, ragweed, pollen, all animals with hair, fur or feathers, HAY (which is a grass), mold, dust mites...

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
My old ratty fake-o motorcycle boots. They are falling apart and I really need some new ones...maybe some that are actually made of leather this time?

48. Are you jealous of anyone?
Sometimes I'm jealous of single people with no family obligations, but not usually.

No 49...

50. Is anyone jealous of you?
Who ISN"T jealous of me!? ;)

51. What time is it? 2:02 pm...I started this at around 12:15, but had to go feed the babies.

52. Do any of your friends have children?
Most of them...all of my 'church' friends....come to think of it I only have two or three friends that don't have kids...but I don't really socialize with them that much anymore...not because of the kid thing though. At least I don't think that's why...

53. Do you eat healthy?
Not really. Maybe that's why I'm still in my maternity clothes..

54. What do you usually do during the day?
Check email/blogs, watch PBS shows with Isabelle, feed her and the baby...read...nap. That's about it.

55. Do you hate anyone right now? .
No...I don't think I have really hated anyone...hate is a very strong word. I've disliked several people though.

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
No. I say Hi to Isabelle alot though, does that count?

57. What are your feelings on chocolate?
Chocolate is very, very good...and probably pure evil. ;)

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
Well, I just had a birthday, so almost an entire year from now I will be 28. I'm getting old.

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
No...but I live real close to one. Everytime an opportunity to go has come up I've either been pregnant or saddled with a very young infant and thus either not able to go on the rides or forced to trade off with Patrick or whoever... Plus it's way expensive.

60. How did you get one of your scars?
Biopsy on my stomach. The stupid dermatologist did three different biopsies to identify Excema...you'd think that was common enough she could ID it right off....now I have a huge circular scar on my stomach...not that I'd be showing anyone my stomach anyway with all of my baby stretch marks, but it's still annoying.


So there you have it. 60 (54) things you may not have known about me. :)

James' Story

So we left our house Tuesday night around 7:30 to go eat and drop off Isabelle before we had to check at the hospital. We went to IHOP where I couldn’t eat very much since the baby had decided to spend his last few hours on top of my stomach, making it impossible to eat more than half of my sandwich (so sad). After dinner we took Isabelle to Tammy’s house and were very happy to see her totally relaxed and enjoying the whole situation. I had been telling her she was going to sleep over and by the time we got there she was very excited and kept saying; “Sleepover a Tammy’s YAY!” So we hung out chatting for a bit and finally left Isabelle, who didn’t seem to care that we were leaving at all, and headed back up to Denton. We pulled into the parking lot at just past 10pm and slowly made our way up to maternity. I had been dragging my heels and suggesting that we just don’t show up…I asked Patrick if he thought they’d call to see where we were and he said no. This made me a little miffed…what if we were in an accident? But I can understand that the staff at the hospital is not going to check and make sure everyone scheduled to come in actually shows up. So we made it up to the labor and delivery desk, me feeling stupid the entire way….what were we doing at the hospital anyway? It’s not like I was in labor…I kept thinking everyone would look at us weird as we come strolling up to the desk to have a baby rather then hunched over in pain. But they just asked for my name, checked me off a list and led me straight to a room…the same room we were in the first time we checked in to have Isabelle (before they sent me home). They don’t have that many rooms, so I guess that wasn’t too weird, but it still seemed funny to me. It was also strange because it was a mirror set-up of the room where we actually delivered, so everything seemed backwards to me from the way I remembered.
So I get changed and they hook me up to monitor me for a bit. First they have to check my cervix, which is still very far back and only a ‘loose’ one. They inform me that I’m actually having contractions about every ten minutes or so, but they’re very mild…I thought that was nice as it seemed to mean I would have been there soon on my own anyway. So the nurse, Nicole, tells me that they’ll insert a pill thing right up next to my cervix that will help it ripen. She says they can insert one every four hours, up to four times and then they’ll have to start me on pitocin. She says that she doubts I’ll need more then one or two of the inserts since I’m so far along. So she sticks it up there and Patrick and I settle in to watch an episode of the TV show Bones on the laptop that we brought. After the show we decide to sleep. I woke up to use the facilities once or twice and noticed that the contractions were picking up. By 2:30 they were every two red lines (…this was confusing ‘cuz the monitor seemed to be recording them differently then I remembered so it was hard to understand times and such) and were hurting. Not to the point that I was squirming or anything, but they did hurt. So when the nurse came in to check me a little after 3am I informed her of this. She had told me to let her know when I noticed a ‘difference’ in them….whether they hurt more or were more regular or what. She knew I wanted an epidural, but I couldn’t get one until I was dilated to at least a four, so she said there was another drug called Nuvane(?) I could have until I was dilated enough to get the epidural. So I told her they hurt and she monitored me for another twenty minutes before getting my drugs. She said (I think…or maybe I figured this out later?) that since they were progressing so well I didn’t need another insert. So at 3:30 she gave me the shot of Nuvane…two minutes later I felt it kick in as my insides were suddenly jittery and my lips seemed to go numb. She kept telling me I needed to close my eyes and relax to let it work. So I did…apparently this drug is a narcotic similar to the Ambien they gave me last time. It didn’t really seem to do anything for the pain…what it did was cause me to fall instantly asleep (quite unwillingly most times) the second a contraction stopped….I was dreaming in cartoons and all sorts of weird things… around 5am (I think, I managed to make myself stay awake long enough to see the clock across the room) the contractions were really hurting. The nurse came in to check on me…I noticed because my moaning kept making me more alert. Sidenote: I do not moan dramatically when I am in pain…especially where people can hear me. I may do it if only Patrick is there, but no where else. The drugs made it very hard for me to consciously control the way I was handling the pain of the contractions. I did not like this at all. I think if I hadn’t been drugged up it wouldn’t have been so bad. Moving on.

It was at this point when I asked when I could get an epidural and she told me of the 4 centimeters thing. She offered to check but I said to just forget it since I was sure I hadn’t progressed that far (I didn’t say this as eloquently as that since I was, as I said, totally drugged up and out of it…I now wish I would have let her check me at that point). So she left. The next two hours are a blur of pain to me…I remember being in complete agony when the contractions came and being sure that there must be something they could do to fix it. I wanted to ask the nurse to check me and make sure I was okay, I wanted to ask if there was anything they could give me to counteract the stupid Nuvane, I wanted Patrick to come over and check on me and I wanted, oh so desperately wanted, an epidural. The problem was that with the drugs in my system I would instantly fall asleep once the contraction ended…oh I would dream that I called to Patrick (well I think I may have for real once or twice, but he didn’t hear me) and I would dream that I talked to the nurse, but then I would wake up and realize that it was just a dream. The drugs made it so I couldn’t look at the clock/monitor to gauge how long the contractions were lasting (to give me an idea of when it would stop) or to see how close they were. When I was in the grips of a contraction and semi-lucid I was unable move at all, much less speak and felt that if I made any sort of major motion I would throw up. By 7am I was feeling a tremendous amount of pressure in my nether regions with each contraction and I was sure that the baby was going to come out on its own if I didn’t call someone. I finally managed to fight pass the drugs and push the nurse call button on the bed. When they came on I asked if someone could come and check me please. In came my new nurse (shrift change) who was nine months pregnant herself (I found out later, she wasn’t that big) and said cheerily; “Is it time?” I managed to gasp out; “I want an epidural!” So she came over to check me and exclaimed that I was at a seven and she’d call the anesthesiologist right away. I collapsed with relief (very momentarily) and Patrick woke up and came to see how I was doing. I was unable to talk to him at all…or the nurse really…until I realized that the effort of calling and moving onto my back to be examined had pushed me over the edge and I was going to puke. I said; “I’m going to throw up!” and they got me a bag. A contraction or two later I puked and lost control of my bladder all at the same time…wonderful fun that! ;)
So now I’m curled up on my side with a death grip on the railing and another barf bag clutched in my hand. I very rarely opened my eyes (again stupid drugs) and was only really conscious for each contraction. Inside I was totally freaking out not only from the lack of control the drugs had given me, but also from the utter certainty that the anesthesiologist would not get there in time and I would have to deliver without drugs. If I had planned on this eventuality and had nine months to prepare myself with pain techniques or whatever it wouldn’t have been so bad. But I was scared to death that I’d have to push him out all on my own with no preparation at all. My doctor came in at one point and tried to talk to me…she said; “How are you doing?” and I managed to shake my head slightly. Then she asked; “Just waiting for your epidural?” and I nodded just as slightly. She then left to go to a meeting and said to call her when it was time. Finally, finally a freaking hour and a half later, the epidural guy came. After a huge ordeal (for me with my contractions, drugs, and pulled leg muscles) to get me on the side of the bed and curled over a pillow, the doctor kept trying to ask me questions; how tall are you? I could whisper out 5’6, but the nurse had to tell him…he asked me something else too, but I don’t remember. Anyway, so I’m bent over the pillow and he’s saying things like; oh it’s going to be cold….you’re going to feel some scratching…there will be some pressure, here it comes…watch your hair, I don’t want to get it in the tape…. In my head I was screaming at him to get on with it, but couldn’t say anything for real. The nurse finally informed him that she didn’t think I cared much at this point and I managed to nod in agreement. So he finally gets it in and I lay back. A few minutes later the pain in my back is nearly gone, but I can still feel the pressure with every contraction. However I can talk at this point and they said it was normal and that may not go away. I asked how long before the Nuvane was out of my system (it’s now about 8:30/9am) and the nurse said it should be almost gone at this point. Patrick comes back in and I manage to get some rest.
About 10am the nurse comes back in to check me and says we’re ready to go and she’ll call Caren to come back over. I think the drugs were mostly gone at this point and I was feeling much better despite the pressure. Just before Caren comes in the nurse asks if it’s okay for some highschool students to come in and observe the birth. I thought this was weird, but she said I could say no if I wanted. I asked if they were boys or girls and she said they were both girls so I said they could. Finally Caren shows up and I start pushing at 10:20. Pushing wasn’t much fun since the epidural only worked well on my right side. Up to this point I had been lying on my left to let gravity help the drugs work over there, but was now on my back. This meant that I was slowly but surely getting the feeling back in my left side…not fun. So I pushed and pushed….at the end it hurt to push (not that bad compared to before, but I still felt cheated since I shouldn’t feel any pain with my epidural) but I did anyway. The baby came out at 10:50 am. When he did I felt an enormous release of pressure from my stomach that I hadn’t realized I had been feeling for months by this point. The placenta came out a minute later and I again felt a release of pressure. I thought that was interesting since I didn’t even notice the placenta come out last time. Anyway, so they took the baby to be cleaned (per my instruction, I don’t want icky baby on my stomach fresh out of the womb…) and weighed. I was a little concerned since he didn’t cry right away, but it was okay after a second. He had (and still does kind of) a deep growly kind of cry that the nurses all thought was cute. They took him over to be weighed and informed me that he was 9lbs, 10.7 oz. To which I exclaimed; ‘Freak’n A!” Everyone thought this was hilarious…’cuz normal people don’t say stuff like that I guess…just us Mormons from Utah. So Caren sews me up and is concerned I won’t be able to urinate because of the location of the tear ( I could, it was fine). They bring the baby over and tell me I should try to nurse him in the next hour or so. Then they all leave.
So I nursed the baby…they came back in and were so impressed that he could breastfeed already. This confused me since they were the ones that told me to do it. Why would they tell me to if they didn’t think he could? Anyway, they took him to be checked out and Patrick left to go run some errands. The nurse wanted me to be able to use the restroom before moving rooms, which meant waiting for the epidural to wear off. Finally around 2pm she decided to just stick in a catheter and empty my bladder. After that I was wheeled off to my room for recovery. A bit later…quite a bit later actually…I was getting concerned since the last time I was there the nurses had been very strict about the fact that I HAD to feed the baby AT LEAST every three hours. By the time she brought him to me it had been 4 ½ hours since his last feeding, so I thought that was weird. She told me I could have the baby with me the whole time except at shift change when they needed all the babies in the nursery to be checked. She also said that they had changed the rule about having to be awake if the baby was in the room. I thought that was great since it was a stupid and unrealistic rule, she agreed. So she left me with the baby and I fed him again then hung out for awhile until Patrick came back…around 7:30pm… My friend Margie came to visit at about 7:15, which was nice. Patrick had called to let me know Isabelle was doing well and that Tammy had offered to watch her another night for us. I thought that was wonderful since I had changed my mind about Patrick not having to stay over with me and really wanted him there that night. He stayed over, we had food and watched a show…the next day he left early to work on getting the furnace all hooked up at home. I spent the whole day by myself unsure about when I was checking out, which the nurses kept asking. They also kept reassuring me that I didn’t HAVE to check out, but I needed to let them know if I was staying. Finally around 7 Patrick and Tammy came. Isabelle did really well at Tammy’s house and didn’t even seem to miss us. She thought the baby was cool, but didn’t care much about us. I got dressed and we checked out, getting home a little after 8pm…about six hours later then I was thinking we’d be coming home, but oh well. Patrick had managed to get everything set up with the furnace so we were able to have heat last night, which was nice.
So in conclusion, I didn't mind being induced...well I still would rather go into labor myself any day, but it wasn't that bad. However, I really, really hated the drugs they gave me and next time I will just tough out the contractions until I can get my epidural. That way I can at least know when they are coming and can watch the clock knowing when they will end rather than feeling totally out of control. The End.

Big Night

So tonight's the night. Despite all of my efforts in walking and unnecessary bending over and cleaning things, I have not gone into labor yet and will be checking in tonight at 10pm to be induced. I'm hoping that it's not too traumatic. I'm trying to psych myself up by saying that it will be just like last time, only without the three days of labor preceding when we checked into the hospital. So that's a good thing right? I was also toying with the idea of just not showing up, but then when I do finally go into labor, who knows if my doctor can be there or not. This way I at least know that she should be the one to deliver me, so that's a comfort. After several babysitter sickness crises, we're back to our original sitter for Isabelle. I'm hoping Isabelle has fun sleeping over at her cousins house and doesn't cry hysterically for two hours when they put her to bed....like she kind of did when we visited my sister and she was alone in a strange place. I also hope she doesn't randomly aquire a dog allergy while there and get sick. She hasn't shown any inclination to do so before this so I doubt that will happen. So yeah, I guess we're having a baby tomorrow. That seems so wierd. I've felt really detached from this whole pregnancy, as if it's all just pretend. I was thinking maybe it was because I had Isabelle to take care of everyday and so I wasn't thinking too much about the new baby. But now I'm thinking maybe I felt this way about Isabelle too...like she was just an abstract idea of a person until after she was born. I'm hoping this baby becomes much more real after he's born so I don't treat him differently or anything. I don't know about boy babies....babies are girls in my head...although I'm told they're just like girl babies, only they can pee farther, so we'll see. Okay well next update will have pictures and hopefully a good story to go with them. Wish me luck!

Pocket Rosies...

The other day Isabelle randomly came up to me and started asking for "pocket rosies," I finally figured out she meant she wanted to play Ring Around the Rosies. We had never done this before, so I'm assuming she learned it in nursery at church. Anyway, she's an old pro now, as evidenced by this video. :)

No baby news to report. I'm going in for a non-stress test tomorrow (40 wks) to make sure the 'fetus is still thriving' and then they're going to schedule me to be induced sometime next week. I'm guessing Wednesday as I'll be 41 weeks then, but it could depend on when my doctor is on call, so who knows. I'm hoping the stinker will just come out by himself and not try to be a month late like his daddy was. ;)

Baby Dreams

I had a dream last night that I ran into my old friend Eden. She was hanging out at my house (which was my parents house) and we were supposed to be recording Gilmore Girls (which was actually Charmed) for her mom while she and her sister were out. It was a new season where at the end the sisters all merge into one person. We agreed that the ending where they all got married and had careers and kids was better. Anyway, the baby started kicking and I went to look in the mirror to show her how you could see his feet. When we looked, you really could see his feet (very obvious feet outlines....and hands)! Then I noticed that if I stood at the right angle under the red light (?) you could actually see into my stomach and see the whole baby. I could see that he was playing with a doll I had put in there for him to play with (don't ask me how I did that). I thought it was sweet that he liked it...then I noticed he was pulling the pacifier out of the dolls mouth and trying to suck on it. This worried me since it was too small and a choking hazard. So I reached in (not up my you know what, but just in through my stomach somehow...took out the baby and took the pacifier from him. But then when I tried to put him back in there was no way he was going to fit back in the hole, which was rapidly shrinking. So then I told Eden she would have to drive me to the hospital. She didn't like this idea since she didn't know how to drive. It took a long time to gather all my stuff and when we got outside her mom and sister were there and said they'd drive us. They started driving before I got the carseat all buckled in, much less myself, which really annoyed me. Then when we got to the hospital, they wouldn't listen to me when I told them where maternity was and we ended up wandering through the halls looking for it. No one offered to carry anything so I was lugging this huge baby in the carrier (he was HUGE, at least 20 lbs, with blond hair and really close set blue eyes...and everyone kept calling him Eric....I later realized that I think he was supposed to be the Aaron baby from Lost that is way too big for a supposed two month old)....anyway so I was lugging the baby and my bags and my back hurt and no one was helping me. We finally found maternity and I was like; I just had this baby like 40 minutes ago (plunking him on the counter) what am I supposed to do? They were all amazed...especially when I said how he just came out...no contractions, no pushing, no viscera...at this point I was sure something was wrong since that's not how you have babies....and he was fully clothed and huge....and not crying...and didn't look at all like me or Patrick or a newborn. Then I woke up. I decided that him 'just coming out' was not a good idea and I was not comfortable having the baby by myself....without medical personnel assuring me everything was okay. I also hope he's not ginormous with blond hair and close set eyes....and I hope his name isn't Eric, 'cuz I don't like that name. Okay that's all.

Book Meme

I stole this from my sister, who stole it from someone else.
Here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.


Book: "Heroic Armor of the Italian Rennaissance: Fillipo Negrolli and his Contemporaries"
Metropolitan Museum of Art


"It appears instead to have been inspired by a popular form of armor worn since the late fourteenth century throughout the Islamic world, notably in Iran, Turkey, and the Mamluk kingdom in Syria and Egypt. The torso defense was fashioned as a short-sleeved jacket opening down the front and constructed of vertical rows of lamellae (small plates) connected by mail, a type of armor that was fairly lightweight, well ventilated, and flexible and that required less time and skill in the forging of the small lames than European armors constructed of large, anatomically shaped plates. Closely related to these Islamic examples is the Russian bekhter, another close-fitting mail-and-plate armor in which the plates are smaller, more numerous, and more compact, with the closing at the sides rather than down the front."

Can you believe that was only three sentences? Crazy huh. If you haven't guessed our computer is over by all of Patricks work stuff, so his are the closest books. I'm not going to tag anyone either, but if you want to do this feel free. :)

Also: 39 weeks, 1 day and no sign of baby yet. Isabelle says he'll come tomorrow, but my body isn't giving any indication if that's the case. I'm thinking he's going to be late like she was so we still have two weeks...which sucks. Oh well.

The End is in Sight!!

First of all, let me just say thanks to those of you who voted on the name poll...and to those of you who haven't let me say; "There's still time!"
Now on to better news. I'm 38 wks today and when I went to the doctor for my checkup she said that my inner cervix was dilated to a 2 and the outer was at a fingertip (ie 1). I have never heard of the cervix referred to as an inner vs. an outer. Anyone out there have a clue what that means? I mean I'm assuming it means the front of the 'tunnel' is a one and the back is a 2...but if that's true, then how did she get past the one to check the 2? Anyway, so any insight you moms of many have would be nice. Last pregnancy there was not a thing going on down there at 38 wks. At 40 wks the doctor said I was 'maybe' a fingertip dilated. When I went into the hospital for the first time (at 40 wks 6 days) and was sent home I was dilated to a 2. The next afternoon when I saw the doctor I was a 3 and that evening when I went in for real it was at 5. So maybe this means I'll have the baby soon? I hope so....well relatively speaking anyway.
Patrick's good friend in Louisianna is getting re-baptized this Saturday and has asked Patrick to be the one to perform the honors. He agreed and is planning to drive down there (possibly with Isabelle) Friday night, baptize him Saturday and then drive home Sunday morning. It's only a five hour drive, so if I do go into labor, chances are good I won't have had the baby before he gets home...unless I go super duper fast or something. But it's a little worrying just the same. I also have my baby shower this Saturday morning and there were a lot of last minute preparations and stress that people have gone through to make it happen so I'd feel bad if I missed it. So the soonest the baby can come is Sunday night. (You still good to watch Isabelle Tammy?) He can also come anytime after Sunday, but preferably sometime next week, not the following. Okay that's it for the update. :)

Name Poll - Please Respond!

Okay so I only have three weeks before this baby is due (I'm hoping it will come in two) and we're still no closer to choosing a name. So I was wondering if you could all answer this question along with your reasons if any...and tell your friends so they'll answer too! Which name do you like better and why:

1) James Patrick Thaden


2) William Patrick Thaden


I like both of them and can think of good and bad reasons to use either one, but what do you think? Inquiring minds want to know!

Which Jane Austen Heroine are you?

I stole this from my sisters blog. I haven't read much Austen, so I don't really know anything about this person...

Take the Quiz here!

"You are Marianne Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are impulsive, romantic, impatient, and perhaps a bit too brutally honest. You enjoy romantic poetry and novels, and play the pianoforte beautifully. To boot, your singing voice is captivating. You feel deeply, and love passionately."

Hmm...

Video?

I've heard that the video links we send people sometimes don't open or take a really long time. So I thought I'd see if blogger would somehow load them faster. If it doesn't or if this really slows down your computer, let me know. I know some blogs that I've been to with videos as an entry really make my computer sluggish until their site is totally loaded...which takes about 3-4 times the normal amount of time. So if it does that, let me know and I"ll take it down. :) But if it works better than I'll upload more.

It just keeps getting bigger...

So I know I suck at updating...sorry. I just never feel like I have anything to contribute. We went to Utah for Christmas, it was fun, but my sister blogged about it so I didn't think I had much to add. Isabelle was very sick, but got everyone else even more sick after we left...we're talking doctors, ER, unable to breathe, etc... It made me glad she seems to have inherited Patrick's strong constitution and doesn't get too sick over anything. In my head I was looking forward to our trip to Utah followed by having the baby. Unfortunately it doesn't quite work like that and I still have at least three weeks left, assuming he comes on time and not a week late like Isabelle. I have been way more uncomfortable with this pregnancy (backaches, sideaches, pulled leg muscles which refuse to heal, contractions if I walk for more then two minutes, gigantor stomach, etc..) not to mention I have to chase Isabelle around this time. So rather than blog about how much pregnancy sucks, I've abstained and saved you all the constant rant. Anyway, so I still have three weeks and it seems like forever. I keep thinking I should do stuff to prepare, like get out the cradle and such, but then it seems silly to get it out and have it sit empty for weeks while Isabelle claims it as her toy before the baby gets here. I mean honestly I could get it out at the first signs of labor and still have time to sit around before the baby came. I figured out last night that from my first real contraction (ie lasted 20+ seconds, was followed by more at regular intervals) to delivery, I was in labor with Isabelle for 58.5 hours. I read that second babies are much faster, coming in as much as half the time. That's great, but it still means I probably have at least 29 hrs of labor to look forward to. So I could totally wait to get my hospital bag together, get the cradle out etc... I probably won't, just in case it only lasts 30 minutes or something insane like that, but I could.

Isabelle will be two years old on Sunday. That's crazy that she's so big already. I'll probably post some birthday stuff after this weekend. Until then here are some pictures of my ever expanding midsection. :)
12 wks

16 wks

20 wks

24 wks

28 wks

32wks

36wks



Okay I know some of you are shaking your heads and saying...she's not THAT big, I don't know what her problem is. Well I feel like I'm THAT big, so I think that counts...and I'm already 23lbs heavier then I was when I delivered Isabelle so that says something...maybe that I like chocolate too much...hmmm. Anyway, it's very depressing. I don't know whether to hope for a 10 lb baby like Christine or to dread pushing out something that big. Given our family history I doubt it will be that big...I was 7lbs 8oz and Patrick was just over 9lbs, but a month overdue. Isabelle was 8lbs 1oz, so I figure this one will be about that. Okay that's all. :)

Which Harry Potter Character are YOU?

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Yep, I was an INTJ the last time I took this kind of test too. Hmmm...me and Snape? I can live with that. :)

Twilight and Vampires

After hearing my sisters-in-law and various other mormon sources rave about the "Twilight" series by Stehenie Meyer I decided to see what all of the fuss was about and bought the first book in the series last Saturday. Just like Christine, I then had to run to the store on Monday to purchase the other two books in the series. I just finished the third (after a couple of 3am nights up reading) and I'm glad for the experience. I was reluctant to read these books at first since all of the excerpts available on Amazon made them seem very juvenile.

SPOILER WARNING

If you do not want to spoil the plot of these books stop reading this post right now and suffice it to say that I enjoyed them and they're worth reading....you can scroll to the bottom for a list of other vampire-themed books/series that I would recommend if you're interested.
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Okay...as I was saying they seemed very juvenile. The protagonist, Bella, is in highschool. Now this isn't a deal breaker in and of itself as I really really like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and she was in highscool for the first three seasons in that show. My concern was that the vampires were also in highschool. Now vampire lore varies depending on the author and I had read books in which, while you can make someone a vampire through biting and other methods, some vampires are born that way. They are born as infants with superhuman strength/speed/ etc...and a craving for blood. They continue to age until they are ready to become a full vampire and "die". After this they live solely on blood (before they ate food and stuff) have even greater super strength etc, and can no longer go out in the sun. So I was concerned that the 17 year old vampire love interest was actually only 17 years old. This made the books seem incredibly less interesting to me, age-ist that I am. However, rest assured that though Edward and his "siblings" attend highscool, they are not actually teenagers (ie, he became a vamp in 1918) and have a good reason for going to highschool when they don't technically have to. Also while the first half of the first book is greatly concerned with silly things like science, calculus, the lunch room and dances, the rest of the book (and series) does not dwell on these issues at all.

One issue I had with the books was the author making the vampires all so young. I know, I know, it's supposed to be a Young Adult book, but you could have made them in their mid-twenties or at least looking like they were in their mid-twenties or so (you know if the issue was people died younger back then...they also seemed to age faster as I recall...30 looked like 50 in some places). I didn't like how Bella had only been with Edward a few days before she suddenly wants to be a vampire too. I realize that the issue is that Edward looks so young and she didn't want to look like his mom by the time she turned, which is why I think it was dumb to make him so young, but still! You'd think she'd give it a little more thought...no more of her favorite foods for one thing...that would be hard to give up. On Buffy, Angel could pass for anything from 22-36 if he wanted. So if she wanted to join him in the ranks of the undead (which wouldn't happen in Buffy-land since vamps there are inherently evil) she would have ten plus years to decide and to live her life without worrying about looking too old. I also didn't like how Bella doesn't seem to see the need for college. So let's say he makes you a vamp after graduation...then what? You'll just go "be a vampire" for the next century? Don't you think his multiple degrees and your lack of knowledge would get on your nerves after awhile? This is like people I knew in highschool that just wanted to get married...and that was why they went to college at all. Then once they snagged a husband they dropped out. Yeah, so you're married, but what are you going to do now? Sit around "being married?" The kids will only occupy your time for so many years and then what? Get a hobby? I don't know, I guess I have strong opinions about college. Okay, moving on.


What I find absolutely hilarious is the Mormon following that these books have. There was even an article about them in Meridian magazine today. This is greatly due to the fact (I'm assuming) that the author is LDS and attended BYU. This also had me concerned about reading the books as I've met several mormons who have very strong opinions about this genre of literature and I wasn't sure how the author would handle the whole blood/killing/living forever/ soul v. no soul issues that are inherent when dealing with vampires. It's been my experience that when an author is mormon members of the church assume that the book will then of course be up to church standards in dress, language, sexuality, etc. So I was very interested to see exactly what kind of vampire series this would turn out to be were that the case here. Now I'm not saying that it isn't...the main characters never have sex or dress overly provocative (that they said anyway) and I think there were maybe two or three swear words in the entire series, which was pretty remarkable for books these days...but it's not that different from many, many other vampire books I've read.

The whole werewolf/vampire/human love triangle thing is explored in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter (by Laurell K. Hamilton) series (and many others I'm sure). Anita does not have sex with her vamp/wolf boyfriend(s) and must choose between them. However this only lasts for the first six books...but after that the sex isn't too explicit and she only has sex with whoever she has decided on at the time (it changes later)...but by books ten/eleven the series has completely degenerated into something closer to porn literature loosely held together by a very thin plot...so my recommendation is to stop after six if you don't like the sex, and after ten if you actually want to read an entertaining, non porno story. (I went through eleven, bought twelve and have never made it past the first 40 pages though I've had it for years...I think there are 14-15 books in the series now).

The whole non-human blood drinking thing, the soul v. no soul, idea of a vampire counsel, "imprinting/soulmates", mind reading, "special abilities", etc...is also explored in many other books I've read. So really the only unique aspect of this series is the way in which it has led normally vampire resistant mormons into the growing culture of "vampire chic lit." I have heard of ward members passing the books between each other, holding twilight themed parties, and waxing rhapsodic about the intrigue, mystery and romance these books hold. Again...I liked them. I bought the series, I would probably read them again. However as a 13+ year fan of the genre I say if you're looking for something new and uniquely mormon, look elsewhere. If you like this type of book, then this is a good series to explore. There are some plot holes that the author has yet to fill, but she is still writing (next book released in Fall 2008) and will hopefully answer these questions in subsequent books.

I was going to write a list of vamp books along with a short synopsis of how they differ from the Twilight series, but I'll try to keep it short. So here is a list of vamp books I like and/or would recommend. I'll try to post mormon-type warnings if you are interested in other books like Twilight etc.. but are leary of the genre. Okay so here they are:

"Women of the Otherwold" series by Kelley Armstrong: Not necessarily 'vampire' books, but do have vampires and werewolves and such. Some sex and strong language, but very very low key...(no incredibly graphic, goes on for pages sex scenes) I don't remember exessive bad language either. One of the characters is a witch, so if you are offended by paganism, then maybe skip those parts.

Undead and Unemployed(wed,appreciated, etc...) series by Mary Janice Davidson: These are a very light hearted series about a ditzy blond who becomes a vampire on her 30th birthday and finds she's immune to the things that normally hurt other vamps; holy water, sun, etc.. They're funny but do have explicit sex. I don't remember the language being that bad though I'm not sure the average mormon would appreciate these.

Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice: I read these when I was 14 and very into vampires and death and such. They seemed prolific to me and any serious vampire fan should probably read at least the first three. However, that said I have never been able to re-read these. Rice's version of God/ the universe/etc...is very different then mine and I found it a little harder to get through as I got older. However I don't remember any bad language (or very little at least) or explicit sex in the first three books. However I later heard a theory that all of Rices' vamps are bisexual, but I did not get this vibe while I was reading the series.

Blood (debt, pact, lines, etc..) series by Tanya Huff. The protagonist in this series is a human P.I. that discovers vampires exist on a case she's working. She soon has a whole love triangle thing going between Henry Fitzroy (a vamp, the bastard son of Henry VIII (?) who writes romance novels for a living) and her former partner (I think), human investigator Mike Cellucci. I enjoyed these books and don't remember any explicit sex...more the type to fade into the darkness and then the next day get out of bed together then describe the act sex. I think they've actually made this into a tv show on Lifetime, but we don't get that channel.

Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn. Protagonist is a werewolf, but there are vamps in here. Very little, if any, sex that I remember. Some language...but not too much.

Urban Shaman series by C.E. Murphy: These aren't really vampire books, but have the same feel as some of the other series I've listed. The protagonist discovers that she is a shaman and has to go save the world and such.

The Hollows series by Kim Harrison: Protagonist is a witch, but her BF is a vamp. It's a world in which fairytale creatures have come out after half of the human population was wiped out by a supervirus in the 50's. Otherwise it's not a fantasy world or anything. Some sex, violence, language...I think maybe the sex would be the most worrisome thing, but she only sleeps with her boyfriend...and I think they only describe it once in the five books I've read, which is pretty good.

Laws of the Blood by Susan Sizemore...not to be confused with her vamp romance series which I haven't read. Again little to no sex, some language and violence. Protagonist changes from book to book, but all in the same world.

Diana Tregarde series by Mercedes Lackey: there's a vamp in the first book, not so much the other two, but still good. I don't remember any sex, but I think there was some language.

Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris: I really enjoyed these books, has vamps, weres, telepaths, etc.. But there is sex and language in these...however they are not the main plot, but may be too much for some. I think they're making this into a series on HBO.

Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton: Like I said above, these are good to a point. No sex until the sixth book, but lots of language. Wouldn't recommend at all past book ten.

Garnet Lacey books by Tate Hallaway: Protagonist is a witch, vampire boyfriend. Some sex/language, but okay.

Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Biggs: Protagonist is a 'skinwalker' (ie changes into a coyote) raised by werewolves has some vamp friends. No sex, some language. These are very good.

Sunshine by Robin McKinley: Protagonist is a human with 'talent.' Kind of falls for a vampire...kind of. No sex or language that I remember. This is a stand alone book as far as I know, but the author could totally make a series out of it if she wanted to.

Okay so that was like the longest post ever, but I thought I'd let the mormon twilight fans know of these other series. Sorry if you got bored halfway through and had to stop. ;)

PS: Christine; you were Jane and Brian was Jacob at the party am I right?