My Natural Birth Story

So my freaking out about just having to schedule an induction date must have seriously done the trick to help coax Brynlee into entering the world!

Her due date was scheduled for December 18th and when that day came and went I was needless to say more than slightly irritated.  I know, I know, it's an estimate, it's not set in stone, and usually your first child takes longer anyways.  Well none of these seemed to set into my mind my entire pregnancy haha so I thought that she would either come early or right on time.  Well she get's one thing certainly from her Dad ;) she likes to be fashionably late!  All I had been thinking about for 9 months was seeing that sweet little baby and bringing her into the world, I was no longer patient.  I took a ton of good long walks (well, as many as my swollen feet would allow me to) and tried to just pass the time by studying for finals, cleaning, and doing some fun crafts..I pretty much did all of my early labor projects within 2 days haha

December 20th came and we got to spend some time with Rich and Jess Jensen (Ben's family) and went out to dinner with them.  We went to Applebee's and usually I really can't eat that much but for some reason I was absolutely starving! I ate all my spinach and chicken ravioli and probably a good portion of the spinach dip that we had as an appetizer too! It was quite a bit of food for someone who was 9 months pregnant.  Well after we said goodbye and Jess tried to convince Brynlee that it was time to come out, we parted ways and me and Ben just hung out.  We went to bed around 11pm and at around 2 am I woke up feeling sick to my stomach.  I chalked it all up to me being a super pig and eating WAY to much.  I'll spare you from the graphic details but I had to make a mad waddle to the bathroom to throw up everything that I ate.  Then the cramping started...Oh boy...

I still didn't really think that I was in labor but maybe pre-labor, but that can take anywhere from a couple of hours to days.  So I didn't want to get to excited yet, and it could have just been a stomach ache because of me being a little porker and all.  Well all my stomach pains just kept on getting worse and worse and I couldn't believe it! There was no doubt in my mind that I was in labor, so we waited about an hour and than started timing them.  They ranged from lasting for over a minute at two minutes in between all the way to last only for 40 seconds with 5 minutes in between! They were sporadic for quite a bit. I was completely unsure about what to do so we called in to talk to the midwife on call and she said that it definitely sounded like I was in labor and that it was completely up to my discretion about when to go into the hospital.  Well we had planned on laboring at home as much as possible so that we could both be more comfortable and avoid any unneeded intervention and monitoring.  So the contractions were getting so strong I hopped in the shower and it felt so good just to bend over and have the water hitting on my back.  I had terrible back labor!! Than my birth ball became my best friend and saving grace

Our child birth instructor Katy had said that you can kind of tell what type of person you are going to be like when you are in labor by your reaction to when you stub your toe.  Well I apparently turned into a sailor! I'm so glad that our neighbors above us weren't home to hear me and our neighbors next door had moved out that day! I'll never forget Ben's face when a certain word came out of my mouth during a really painful and what felt like forever contraction.

At around 5:30 a.m. I decided that it was time for us to go to the hospital I have no idea how close my contractions were at the time.  I was just trying to manage through the pain! By the time we got to the hospital and got checked into a labor and delivery room I was really feeling the pain.  The nurse there was so nice though because she worked around me because I refused to sit down on the bed haha I only wanted to sit on my birth ball and bounce! It really did hurt ten times more when I sat down on the bed. So they did the required fetal monitoring and as soon as they had finished the 20 minutes she took it right off of me

My midwife Helene got to the hospital at around 6:30 am and she checked to see how far dilated I was.  I was  9 1/2, so almost complete! They said that I probably came just in the nick of time!  By then I was really feeling the need to push and the nice thing about the midwives is that they really let you do whatever you want when you are in labor! So I began to push down with every contraction like I was going to the bathroom.  It was pretty intense and there I am moaning like someone who hadn't pooped in like 10 years.  Sorry, but that's really what it felt like! I know TMI, but seriously your reading a birth story what did you expect?! :)

I had already planned on not wanting to give birth lying down, but rather work with gravity.  So instead of lying down I was bent over on the side of the bed using my forearms to prop me up standing right in front of my midwife.  Ben was amazing and got me a cold wash cloth and using my headband we were able to hold it there hands free! He was super supportive and was holding my hands on the other side of the bed.  The urge to push was getting stronger and stronger and I definitely didn't fight it.  I'll never forget when my midwife was sitting behind me and all of a sudden she started seeing the babys head, she goes "Oh and there's the baby" She was so surprised it all happened so fast! My water than broke all over the floor haha oops! And than it felt like only a few minutes and I was pushing her out! Yes, I gave birth standing up...for some reason people keep finding this very odd, but it makes sense to me.

It was the most amazing experience of my life and I will never be able to forget it! Apparently it's not that common, but I lucked out because I was only in labor for 5 hours total, and around 1 hour of that was actually spent in the hospital.  It still blows my mind how fast it went by!

Unfortunately I tore.  Like a ton! A partial 4th degree perineal tear which is the highest you can go.  After I delivered the placenta and I was sitting down with Brynlee on my chest skin to skin, a doctor came in and stitched me right up.  They gave me a pain killer, tylenol, and a stool softener that I have to take every 6 hours.  Surprisingly I really don't feel any pain at all! I know I'm really blessed. There is some discomfort when I sit up and down but it doesn't hurt.  When I think about it I really did get everything that I wanted.  I did it all natural (they didn't even offer me and epidural, she just asked on a scale of 1-10 what level was my pain).  Delayed cord clamping for sure, and I lucked out and didn't really need any intervention, and got skin to skin with the sweetest baby girl that was ever born

Brynlee Theresa Stanly came into the world at 7:27 am weighing in at 8 lbs 6 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg, Idaho

I'm not going to lie, I loved child birth...seriously! It was so hard but I felt empowered and I know it was because I was prepared and committed to what I wanted.  It hurt like crazy at times but one thing that I'll never forget was when my midwife told me that she could see her head and I just smiled as I was standing up bent over the edge of the bed and knew 1. this was almost over (haha), 2. I'm really doing this! and 3.  I can't wait to hold her.  I felt so much love and excitement for this little girl that I was able to block out some of the pain.

Me and Ben could not love this little girl any more! She is absolutely the biggest little blessing

At the hospital her jaundice level was a little high so we brought her into her pediatrician this morning and they tested her again and everything seems to be just normal.  They updated her weight and she lost a little she's now 7 lbs and 12 oz and 21 inches long.  She loves to snuggle on her momma and eats every few hours. Brynlee's favorite thing to do is sleep on our chests in just her diaper with a warm blanket over her.  I've never seen a happier baby :) We are one lucky family!

Due Date Came and Went!

Well if you didn't know my due date was yesterday, unfortunately no baby yet! As much as I'm enjoying this time and getting a lot of cleaning done and cooking I just want to be in labor already! I feel like the size of a bus (and not the short ones).

I'm super bored actually! Since school is out and I don't work anymore I just feel like a bum! On top of that it's super hard to walk now because my feet are swollen and I'm now a size 9 (prepregnancy I was a 7).

We are so excited for baby to get here! We are debating between two names; Sadie and Brynlee.  SO we are just going to decide when we meet her.

I had an appointment with one of my midwives on Wednesday and she said that she estimates the weight to be around low 8 lbs.  Looks like we have a little turkey ball on our hands!

We had the uncomfortable talk about induction and set a date just in case.  It's the 27th! So if I don't go into labor spontaneously by than that will be the big day! I'm hoping that it doesn't come to that because I really didn't want to use an synthetic drugs and be hooked up to an IV.  But whatever happens at least I have Ben with me and I know that it will be an AMAZING (and painful lol) and SATISFYING experience.

We had our last childbirth class yesterday and it went great! I highly recommend Katy Rawlins from birthidahofalls.com  She knows what she is talking about! One of the most important things that I learned from this class is that I have a right to choose what kind of birth experience I want.  I feel empowered to make choices and to tell people no, I'd prefer to do it this way.  Lastly, I know that you can't really plan child birth.  You can make a list of a billion things that you do and don't want but chances our most of those are going to fly out the window, so it's important to know what you will not cave in on unless it is medically necessary.  If and when things don't go as planned for our little girls birth I know that I did everything in my power to be prepared and knowledgeable of what is happening, and for me personally I think that is what makes all the difference on whether you have a satisfying birth or not.  You have the choice!

Pink and Aqua Nursery is Complete!

Well our baby girl's room is finally done! And just in the nick of time as well, considering my due date is this Sunday :)

We are really happy with how it turned out and the best part of it is that a lot of it was done on the cheap through different DIY projects, buying stuff on sale, and just shopping around for the best deal in general.

I made the lamp, the "I'm a Child of God" picture was bought on etsy as an electronic file for only $3 and I had the frame already so all I had to do was go and print it out, I also made the embroidery hoop wall hangings from scaps of fabric that I had and you can get the hooks for like $1.

We we're really fortunate with our families being able to get some of the bigger pieces for us so that we could still have a small Christmas! The Stanly's bought us our crib and my mom got us the dresser, and we got the bedding from Pottery Barn Kids.  It was the only thing in the room that I splurged on :)

This chair was a total gift from Ben! We were walking around Walmart one day picking up some of the stuff that we still needed for the baby and we said we should get this for you, it's probably more comfortable than the regular recliner that we were going to put in there.  What a sweetheart! Now we have some owl accents as well throughout the room because I thought they were cute, but this is by no means a "theme"! Every time Ben see's something with an owl on it he try's to convince me to get it! I again made the lamp, and I painted the ceramic owl, and the table...check this out!!! Was $25 from Walmart and is super perfect! We absolutely love it! We got the owl pillow as a baby shower gift from the Stanly's and I was able to get this paper lanterns for just a couple dollars a piece online.

We finished up the day before yesterday with finally hanging the shelves that I had gotten on the wall.  Because we've been so busy and I tend to hang things crooked, I've been waiting several weeks for this to get done! I'm so happy with how it turned out and how much storage space our changing table gives us.  Thanks Dad!

"So that's what they're for!"

So this post should probably have a little disclaimer if you are anywhere near a super private person and if the subject makes you uncomfortable then I'm sorry you should probably just stop reading now! I've got a little something to say about this and I'm not going to be shy about it! :)

I hate how in this country there is a stigma associated with breastfeeding.  So many people have a issues with getting their babies to breastfeed and are embarrassed to get help.  Sure there are lactation consultants at the hospital but their way of doing things are a lot different then if you saw a doula that was a lactation specialist.  In our country we have to have a giant blanket covering our whole upper body so nobody feels "uncomfortable".  Seriously?! If you are uncomfortable about me breastfeeding than here is a thought, don't watch! Ugh who would have thought of that?  Apparently we are now so ashamed of our bodies that women can't breastfeed without being behind a closed door with a blanket over us, so that nobody else feels "uncomfortable"!  You want to know what's really uncomfortable?  A newborn latching on only to your nipple and pulling! You can talk to me about how breastfeeding makes you feel uncomfortable when you actually know what it's like.  

Stepping off my soap box now.

So your probably wondering where on earth is this coming from she doesn't even have her baby yet?  Well I got the AMAZING opportunity to attend a 3 hour breast feeding intensive class where we learn about the basics of breastfeeding, the benefits, positions and latching (yes, with baby dolls), and common problems and what you can try to fix it.  My childbirth teacher was teaching the class at the Agape Birth Center and I asked her if it would be beneficial to me to wait until the baby was already born to go to one, or before.  She was so sweet when she said if you take the class before you will be so much more prepared for it and you could potentially avoid some of the struggles that other women experience.

I learned so much at this class! There were 5 of us who were expecting and 1 women who had her baby girl just 2 days ago.  It was such a special opportunity to have her there.  She was very open and not shy.  This was her second child.  Her first child she had such a hard time breastfeeding that she said she gave up and used formula.  She was crying while she said that because she knows that if she had just sought out the help and had been more prepared from the start should could have nursed him, she said that she was willing to do anything to nurse her new baby.  It was a very beautiful experience being able to actually see someone nursing and she was so open that she let Katy (the instructor) pretty much walk all of us through it. just sitting right in front of us.  All I've ever seen of breastfeeding was a women covered up with a blanket, I had never really seen a child actually nursing and let me tell you it was the most amazing beautiful thing!

There are so many benefits to breastfeeding

Benefits for Baby!

• Early breast milk (colostrum) is literally liquid gold- nothing beats it! It provides baby with so many nutrients and antibodies to protect them, help them thrive, and fight diseases.
• Formula fed babies have a lot higher risk (not a guarantee) of asthma, obesity, diabetes, and gastrointestinal track infections.  
• Since breast milk is a living organism it's easier for baby to digest 
• No formula changes with the growth of your baby.  Your breast milk changes from colostrum to mature milk around the 3rd to 5th day after birth.  Mature milk contains just the right amounts of fat, sugar, water, and protein for your little one.  

Benefits for Mommy! 

• Life can be a little bit easier! Obviously your going to spend the first while feeding every 2-3 hours but eventually the feedings will get a little longer in length and your baby will sleep longer stretches as well.  When that happens it makes going out a lot easier, you don't have to make formula ahead of time.  Think about all the time you can save by not having to make, measure, and sterilize! 
• It feels good! Yes for a while it can and will hurt because your nipples are not conditioned to it yet.  But when you nurse you are releasing oxytocin in your brain because of the skin to skin contact with your baby.  It can help them feel more secure, warm, and comforted.  It's a great way to bond with your baby! 
• Breastfeeding saves you $
• It's good for your own health.  You bounce back to your prebaby weight faster.  Breastfeeding is linked to lower risk of health problems such as, 
• Diabetes
• Ovarian cancer
• Breast cancer
• Postpartum depression

I don't want it to come across that I think that women who formula feed are bad moms! Cause that is not the case! Sometimes due to medical reasons a baby is unable to nurse and I think at that point the best thing that you can do is try to pump, pray, seek help, and hope for the best.

This class taught me so much valuable information especially about how critical it is to start breastfeeding right after birth and how we choose to labor and give birth can effect breastfeeding as well.  Whatever drugs and fluids (like an IV) you get your baby gets as well.  But think about how small their body is and how much they are getting?  It's very common to see babies whose mothers have gotten epidurals to come out lethargic and unresponsive, this makes them being able to latch properly very difficult which makes it hard for your milk to let down.  In addition pacifiers and bottles should be introduced till after 6 weeks.  This isn't really due to much to nipple confusion but really the flow of the bottle.  When you bottle feed your baby never has to work for it, but when you breastfeed the milk just doesn't poor out, they have to give it a little effort! 

I just want to end with how grateful I am to have a body that God created that has given me the greatest privilege to be able to nurse my baby.  I know that I am more prepared now than I was yesterday, and that this class taught me that if this is really important to me to not give up.  If I have problems with nursing I am completely dedicated to providing my daughter with what I see as the very best source of nutrition.  I just want to share the information that I learned with other mothers and future-mothers because it has already blessed my life and I definitely feel empowered. 

38 Weeks and Contractions...in your LEGS?!

So yesterday we had our comfort and coping child birth class.  It was such a blast!  Not to spoil any surprises to those who are going to take Katy Rawlins class down in Idaho Falls, but she had us do practice contractions.

Your probably thinking...practice contractions, that's impossible! Well probably, yes.  But she had us go and do a wall sit for a minute.  It hurt so bad!! I'm not even kidding, we couldn't use our hands or anything or put our hands on our sides we just had to keep doing it at a complete 90 degree angle.  I thought I was going to die haha

Well then she had us do another one about a couple of minutes later to represent transition in child birth.  When you feel like you can't possible do it anymore.  I thought I was going to cry. 

Well than we learned a bunch of visualization techniques and breathing that seriously worked!  She had us do another wall sit, but this time she told us to use the techniques that we used to work through the pain.  They really did work! For me I breathed in through my nose and breath out of my mouth.  As I did it I pictured that I was breathing in one color changing it in my body and breathing out another color.  Sounds a little nuts?? Well it may be, but it works! It didn't take the pain away but allowed me to focus on something other than my throbbing burning legs. 

Than we talked all about our comfort bag.  I knew that there were things that I needed to bring to the hospital, but I never would have thought of some of the comfort items that she suggested, such as a rice pack that you can heat up in the microwave, and even....take two tennis balls wrapped them in a stocking and there you go a sweet massage tool :)

And of course food!! I definitely plain on snacking throughout the birth on stuff like granola, apples, and hello...I'm sure Ben would appreciate some food as well!! And plenty of juice, Gatorade, and WATER! And a little treat for whoever is in the room...I'm going to make some brownies! :) After putting up with me in labor, I'm sure they deserve a treat ;)

I finished our "Priorities and Preferences" sheet, otherwise known as a birth plan outside of a hospital, so I'm happy to be all set with that.  I just have a few things for example such as no constant electronic fetal monitoring (instead we would like to use a doppler), no IV or Hep lock (this allows me to move around as much as I like and not be tethered to an IV), and we want delayed cord clamping (this is when you don't cut the umbilical cord for at least 3 minutes and it's stopped pulsating (provides lots of good nutrients and antibodies for the baby)...and then some other stuff as well :)

Other than that I'm glad that the semester is coming to an end, Sadie will be here in AT MOST 3 weeks :), and we are just so excited for this little adventure to begin! I have less than 2 weeks left until my due date, but chances are I'll go over! So I'm just trying to enjoy the last few weeks of feeling her move and catching her little foot when it sticks out.  It still blows my mind when she will completely move and I see my stomach do like a wave. Or when she sticks her bum out.  I'm going to miss that feeling! 


However....I am not going to miss being the size of a mini bus, the terrible back pain, and peeing every 30 minutes.  38 weeks has treated me well so far, but I can't wait till I can see her, and hold her in my arms, and talk to her...even though I talk and sing to her now, I can't wait to be able to look into her eyes and do it! 

Trials and Comfort

I usually try not to express my feelings and emotions to much on our blog, and like to use it as just a tool to show what we have been up too.  But I got the very strong impression to write about an experience that I had today.

This is really difficult for me to actually write, and I've tried to write down my feelings a few times but each time I do I just want the hurt to go away so I try not to think about it.  My family and my aunt Pat's family have always been really close.  My Aunt Pat and Uncle Paul are two of the nicest people you will ever meet.  For spring break/Easter we would go down to Virginia and visit their daughter Kelly and her family.  She has two of the sweetest kids ever, and it blows my mind because how old they've gotten because I remember holding Brynn in my arms when she was just a little baby! Kelly was really great about staying in touch with me over facebook when I moved out here to Idaho for college.  Even though we always lived so far away from each other I always knew that if I needed her she would be there.  She was really important to me.  Kelly unfortunately was in a bad situation at home and in winter she died, very unexpectedly (details are not appropriate to share so please don't ask).  I was in school that semester and we basically had no money, I tried to convince myself to just put the $850 airplane ticket on a credit card and go to her funeral.  I really wanted to be there for my family, but I had a gut feeling telling me not to go.  I followed my gut, and either the day of her funeral or the day before I talked to my Aunt Pat and I will never forget the feelings that I felt when we finished the conversation.  She told me that she knew that I wanted to be there, and if there was any way possible I would be.  When I got off the phone with her and had myself a good long cry something in my heart was telling me that it was important for me to remember Kelly by the memories that I had of her and that for me I didn't need seeing her at her funeral to be the last memory.  I know that I will see her again, and that gave me so much comfort.

The reason that I was thinking a lot about Kelly today was in my sociology class we were discussing domestic violence, and it just really hit home with members of my family.  If you know that someone is being hurt- you have to be there for them, don't judge or criticize them for not leaving, but let them know that they are being brave for telling someone and provide them with references to resources that can help them.  The most important thing you can do is listen and believe them.

That being said, sometimes there is no escaping death.  It's apart of life, and it should be.  It's the only way that we can live with God again and have the greatest happiness and joy.  It's painful, sad, heartbreaking, sometimes we don't think it's fair, and usually it just plain sucks.  But it happens.  When it happens please don't turn to bad habits to cope, but rather look for the ways positive ways that this person has affected your life.  What did you learn from them?  How will their death make you do things or see things differently?  Believe me, I know it's a heck of a lot easier said than done, but it can be done- in time.  I have been able to forsake the anger that I felt for the person that took my cousins life away and honestly forgive him. That only came after I had found peace in the plan of salvation

We've all lost loved ones and some of us really struggle with that every day.  This short video that I watched really strengthened my faith in the Lord that death is not the end of us, and that we will be together again.  Families are eternal and everlasting, death does not triumph over life.

Meet Ruby!

Well after realizing how small our little 2 door Pontiac Grand Am was, and seeing as though it had gotten into like 4 accidents, and with winter coming along it was only 2 wheel drive and scared the living daylights out of me when the roads were even the slightest bit slick....

We bought RUBY!

She is pretty much my favorite car ever

and we got a pretty good deal on her too. 

And we definitely put her to the test on the way home! 

The dealership was all the way in Jackson, WY about 2 hours away and every time we go I cry when we go through the Swan Valley Pass.  It literally is the scariest thing in the whole world when there is snow on it.  And even though it's only November there was a ton of it! Enough that people were snowboarding down the side of the mountain.  Well our little blue car could barely make it up the mountain, and it's brake aren't too swell anymore (we are in the process of fixing them)  With my hands and nails digging into the car and sobbing a bit because I have this overwhelming fear that we are going to somehow drive off the side of the freaking mountain, I actually told Ben that we should just turn around!!!!  Well we are glad we didn't!  Ben drove the little blue car home and I got to drive Ruby.  She has all wheel drive so it was a lot less scary, and the tires were pretty good too.  She does have some miles on her but a lot of them we're from the highway. I had some preferences for the new car, because I was going to be the one primarily driving it because it's the safer one, so Ben wanted me and Sadie to be as safe as possible.  What a good guy! He's so sweet!  I had my heart set on a hatchback, or a non dorky looking wagon.  I really like the space and this may sound stupid but...I can see better out of the back window which = less accidents!I also wanted something that had really good gas mileage.  Ruby definitely does! She gets 26 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.  They filled it up at the dealership and when we got home from the 2 hour drive the tank was still on full! It has a really nice interior and is in good condition.  Ben knows that this car has to last us a while so I'm going to take really good care of it! Changing the oil every 3 months and rotating the tires, I'm going to treat this car like a second baby!

The Birth Day Class is a Great Investment!

What an interesting class! I definitely recommend this to any of my friends in the Rexburg, ID area who are expecting or will be soon ;) it's definitely worth the time and money especially if you are going to do a natural birth.  I never realize how much I didn't know or even think about!

The first class we talked all about what our ideal birth experience would be.  It was a really small class for this session just us and another couple and than there will be a few different couples coming at random weeks for classes that they missed.  Katy Rawlins is the instructor and is a certified doula as well.  She is so funny and really knows her stuff.  One of the best parts is the fact that it doesn't feel like a class that you would take a school or at the hospital, it's more relaxed and realistic so I feel comfortable asking questions and not feel stupid.

My favorite part about the 1st class was discussing what your partner will be doing while your in active labor, and especially what he won't be doing.  Please no counting! Childbirth is a natural process and in fact it releases the same hormones in your body as when your being intimate with your spouse.  You want to feel as relaxed as possible to ease the pain, and having someone counting in your face 1,2,3,4,5,6 screaming YOU CAN DO IT! COME ONE YOU CAN DO IT! I realized in the class that it was certainly not relaxing for me! haha

Another thing that I loved was learning the best way to make noise.  You always see people screaming at the top of their lungs during childbirth but that's actually counter productive! It's proven that making noise when you are in pain helps to cope, but there are different types of noises.  When you are moaning in a low pitch you are actually relaxing your cervix...go on try it...now scream in a high pitch, do you feel it tighten up?
Well I don't want to give away any of her secrets but just a little teaser for all my mama's out there.

Her class is worth it, it's fun, it's affordable, and I feel more confident that I can have Sadie in the least invasive way possible without any unnecessary medical intervention.  Also me and Ben left feeling even closer to each other and having a better idea of what to expect and what we can do.

http://birthidahofalls.com/?page_id=2

33 weeks :)

Well it's official we are all signed up for a birthing class! We were originally going to try hypnobirthing, but I didn't get signed up for the class in time at it was over $200! That seemed way to much to me for a 7 week class.  So after much praying that I would find something we certainly did.  And just in time! The class is called The Birth Day Childbirth class and runs out of Idaho Falls.  The lady Kathy that teaches it was so nice when I talked to her on the phone! I told her that my due date was December 18th and she was like oh we will definitely be moving the class schedule around then so you can be at all of the classes before your due date.  She also moved the first class for me because I was scheduled for my last day at work during the time.  She is so accommodating and nice! And there is another couple in Rexburg that is taking the class so I told her to feel free to give them our information if they are interested in carpooling.  Anything to save money for diapers right?! ;)  This birthing class looks pretty fun too, and has a ton of good reviews.  I guess a lot of people don't take birthing classes here, but for me I just wanted to feel as prepared as possible and feel like I understand what is going on.  It's a personal choice and I'm feeling really relieved that I was able to sign up.  My midwives are pretty happy as well!

This week we finally set up her dresser (which took forever!).  I don't know how Ben did it, but thankfully it is really good quality and seems really sturdy, were happy with our choice. I washed all of her 0-3 months clothes.  And next week we are getting our changing table so that will be really nice to have everything all set up.  That was a pretty big concern for me, I just didn't want to feel like I was rushing at the last minute and slacking off in school and getting overwhelmed.  I've pretty much always been like this.  I like to be as prepared as possible. 

I have another doctors appointment next week.  It's weird to start going every two weeks.  It definitely means the BIG DAY is getting closer! 

I have one more day at work and than I'm done.  My blood pressure is thanking me right now :)

2 months left

Well I just had my 32 week appointment.  It went great everything is looking good, Sadie is moving a ton and has finally flipped.  I never would have thought she was though because I still can't take a deep breath!

Ben- Working so hard, has applied for a couple of different jobs one is a manager-training-position at a sporting goods store (crossing our fingers for that!)  He's doing really well in school.

Brittany- Studying my butt off! Seriously, everybody has told me that going to school when your pregnant is really hard, believe me they were right.  But surprisingly I've seriously never had better grades! As of right now I have 5 A's and 1 B.  I put my 2 weeks notice in at work because 1) I was getting really stressed out and neurotic, 2) we got our pell grants in FINALLY...so we are riding on that cushion right now, 3) We've got everything that we need for the baby (except a billion diapers ;) we only have a few boxes as of right now, and 4) It's surprisingly painful to stand on my feet for 7 hours and when I get home at midnight I still have homework to do.

It's one of these weird bittersweet things.  I'm going to miss all the people I work with! But I will definitely be in to say HI and since I was like 16 I only ever not had a job my first year here...so just thinking about not working is almost uncomfortable.  But I'm also really excited to spend the next 8 weeks just enjoying pregnancy, school, CLEANING, making some yummy food, and just preparing for Sadie's big arrival.

On another good note...I'm an aunt again! Grace Marie Fischer was born on October 19 we haven't gotten to meet her yet and won't for a while because she's in Minnesota with everyone else, but she looks absolutely adorable in all the pictures and I can't wait till she meets her little cousin who will be just a couple of months younger than her!

Internship, Pregnancy, and Nursery

Well summer has officially come to a close and I'm not going to lie but I am so happy!! I miss school so I'm going to try really hard this semester to get the best grades, stay healthy and active, and just try to have a good rest of the pregnancy. Ben had his first day at his internship at the Behavioral Health Center down in Idaho Falls. He can back pretty excited because they will get to shadow counselors and psychiatrists around. There is an adolescent wing and also a wing that has people with severe mental illnesses such a Schizophrenia. He said that it really isn't anything like the movies portray and most of the people are relatively normal (no straight jackets). He's also Ben working really hard at Freedom and has kicked some major butt in the sales department, bringin home the BACON! He'll cut his hours back a lot because now he usually works 50 hours a week so that's going to drop to like 25. I'm also cutting my hours down to 20 and I'm only working 3 days a week so it isn't bad at all. 


School starts on Monday! We went on campus to fill out the last of his internship papers and for Ben to get his TB test and it was like a zoo, and since everything has moved we had NO idea were anything was so we looked like total newbies. It was kind of fun!  We are really excited to get back to going to school every day, the only thing that I'm not looking forward too....Waddling up that giant hill, it's still so stinking hot out and my back really hurts. 

I'm in my last week of my second trimester! 26 weeks! My weight is completely on track and I'm been exercising a lot. I usually do Cardio ever other day and weights every day. I feel really good whenever I exercise and it's making me think more about what I eat. I haven't completely cut out the bad food ;) I doubt I ever will! Life is short, but I definitely eat in moderation meaning Taco Bell once a week. My midwife told me that I should cut out some carbs and eat more protein (story of my life). I eat eggs with bell peppers almost every day with a small cup of all natural yogurt with grapes, blueberries, and raspberries. It's delicious! So I've gotten used to having to plan out my morning so I have time to eat a good breakfast, then I usually have and apple or banana as a snack. Then either a salad or sandwich with some vegetables. Then usually more vegetables before dinner. And dinner is some form of chicken with either brown rice or whole grain pasta and more vegetables. I eat a lot of vegetables throughout the day haha. But I give myself some leeway because I really do enjoy food. My back pain has been getting a little bit better, but I still wake up every night around 3am to go to the bathroom. It is driving me nuts! 

The nursery is coming along really great! I've really enjoyed getting everything ready for when Sadie arrives, it just makes me so excited to go into her room. We've got a ton of stuff for her and I still have a few more months. Ben's awesome parents got our crib for us as a baby shower gift and we are completely in love with it! It's so nice and sturdy but still really easy to move. 

Tons of DIY nursery decor

Well since deciding on a color scheme for the nursery. I have been putting together a list of DIY projects that I would really like to get done this summer before school starts.  Since I know that a lot of people who read our blog our expecting or already have children I thought that I would share these.

Embroidery Hoop Wall Art

http://elegantpaws.blogspot.com/2011/02/embroidery-hoop-wall-art-tutorial.html

Reasons why I want to try:
1.  I LOVE PATTERNS! Yes, they brighten up rooms and add variety to some very plan walls.  I already have a few fabrics picked out...take a look
2. SUPER CHEAP! Well kind of the embroidery hooks cost at most $2 for the larger ones and I don't need more then a yard of each fabric, and I will have leftovers so I use them to make headbands :)

Chevron Rug

http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com/2011/04/chevron-painted-rug-from-ikea.html

Reasons why I want to try:
1. Already have the rug all I need is the paint!

Lamp Shade Cover

http://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/decor/articles/2010/09/03/20100903DIY-easy-home-decor-projects.html?page=2

Nursery Ideas

I  LOVE looking at nursery ideas,

I can't wait till we start putting together Sadies room, sadly it won't be for another few months.  So right now I am trying to just keep everything organized by putting things in cardboard boxes and labeling them.  It really is a lot better then the system that we had before...which was NONE! I'm completely in love with this bedding, and it's on sale!

I'm really leaning more towards the top one because I love bright colors, and they actually stimulate the babies eyesight.  See babies can't see pastel colors at all for a while.  And I just like that it has hints of turquoise in it. We want the color scheme to be pinks and reds with turquoise We wouldn't get the sheets though just the bumper and skirt and do a turquoise crib sheet. I found an awesome pair of turquoise curtains at....Wal-Mart! Who would have thought!

 
I got these awesome white lamp bases and shades too! I'm actually going to get some fabric and cover the shade with a pattern and I might keep the base white or paint it.

We really lucked out with our family, because they want to help us with some of the big purchases like a crib, changing table, a small dresser, and a glider. We're kind of weird so we actually have all our furniture picked out that we would like to get!

I still haven't sold Ben on this so we probably won't be getting it haha but a girl can dream right!

And it's even practical, look at the hooks! 

 and we will definitely be getting some of these in pink and turquoise! We have to have some color with all these white walls!

I'm one of those people who love having sayings on the wall, Yes I know typical Mormon. And I absolutely love  this in a matted frame

and this 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/70963699/you-are-my-sunshine-5x7-inch-print-by

and I have already made up my mind that when she is born we will be ordering this announcement to frame in her room.  How cute!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61864580/star-is-born-baby-birth-announcement

We're Having A..........

GIRL! 

Sadie Theresa Stanly

So after a very long time of waiting we are officially going to be the proud parents of a little girl! The doctors appointment was AMAZING! I'm pretty sure this was so far the second best day of my life (1st being marrying Ben).  When we got there I was getting so excited and anxious that I was pretty much giddy. My mid wife is seriously amazing and was so sweet when we we're checking the baby out it blew my mind how big she had gotten since the last time we saw her.

8 week ultrasound

20 week ultrasound

It was awesome hearing her heart beat as well. It was at 160 and she's a pretty active baby! It was so cool seeing her kick me to and move her arms! I think seeing her and how much she has developed as made me even more excited! She was a little on the small side but my mid wife said it's really nothing to worry about at this point and that she measured everything and it's all in proportion to her body. It doesn't really surprise me either because both me and Ben aren't very big people.  

I am so HAPPY that we are having a girl! She is going to be so cute, and my niece has decided that she is naming her Sass-a-frass.  Which will probably fit her perfectly if she is anything like her mother, she will definitely have some sass to her! 

We have already started gathering a lot of baby items including a bassinet, monitor, a few packages of diaper, enough baby lotion and shampoo to last us for a few months (I love buying bulk haha), nursing cream, diaper cream, and plenty of clothes.  I feel so prepared! I had a a dream the other week that she came early and our apartment was a construction site! And we couldn't find any of the things we've already had.  Let's just say that I was very stressed when I woke up.  I told Ben my dream and he just started laughing saying that the only thing a baby needs is love, diapers, and a boob.  If it was up to Ben we probably wouldn't have all this stuff already. But I can't help it! I'M A PLANNER! It all works out in the end though as long as she is happy.

Tasty Planner and Baby Names

We had a wonderful 4th of July we spent it with some of Ben's family that came up from Utah and had a yummy dinner and watched the fireworks.  Last weekend we went down to Idaho Falls to deliver some of Ben's 4G devices he sold people.  Work has Ben insane for him! But it's nice to have a little extra cash in the paychecks coming up :) One night he worked from about 1pm to 12am...in addition to getting paid hourly he made a commission of over $200 in one night!! WOWOO Way to go Ben! you just bought us a crib :) We actually have a list of things we will need to buy and a timeline so we don't get overwhelmed with everything.  My work has been good, busy, but stressful. My morning sickness is virtually gone so that has been very pleasant!

Because my morning sickness is gone I have really decided that we needed to start planning out our meals for the week.  We were spending so much money on groceries but I felt like we didn't have anything to show for it.  Thankfully we finally listened to the BILLION of people that told us we needed to go down to WinCo in Idaho Falls for grocery shopping.  I was very skeptical but I am completely converted.  WinCo is amazing! We literally got our groceries for two weeks for less then the cost of one week if we would have gotten them here in Rexburg.  It is definitely worth the 30 minute drive down there! So a little over a week ago I made a goal that I was going to plan out all of our meals for the week and make sure I make every one.  I am happy to say I DID IT!! Yes, Ben has been very well fed once again.  But it's seriously all thanks to Tasty Planner  I kept all my recipes there, they have a handy little planner so you can see your week, and get this once you add a recipe to the planner it automatically adds it to a grocery list for you.  So all I had to do edit it to take out the things that we already had.
Weekly Menu w/ links to all the recipes:
Saturday:  Chicken Supreme
Sunday:  Italian Chicken and Potatoes and Cookies and Cream Parfaits
Monday:  French Toast with bacon, eggs, and hash browns
Tuesday:  Penne all'arrabbiata and Garlic Bread
Thursday:  BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches and pasta salad

T MINUS 2 weeks and 3 days till we head on over to the Dr's and find out if we are going to be parents to a hilarious little boy or a cute baby girl! We have a list of 20 names, yea I know we are crazy.  But picking out a name is the funnest part.  I'm going to be keeping them a secret though until we are completely decided on one so ya'll are going to have to wait till we find out! :)

School

So one day I was browsing online what classes I needed to finish my degree and then I was like maybe I should just try to add them, I honestly didn't think that registration for Fall classes had even been opened up.  Well apparently they did.  And I was about a week late.  So I got most of the classes that I needed but there was one that is a pre-requisite for another 3 classes so I couldn't take any of them.  I'm going to try to add it at the beginning of the semester, and since I know the teacher and have taken 2 classes from him and see him just about every week at T-bell I'm not to scared.  I can always bride him with tacos!

There is more good news.  My major is sociology so there are NO online classes available.  However my minor is business and they pretty much offer every class online.  So instead of deferring when our lil' bebe is born I'm going to be a full time student and do online classes.  I'll be able to finish up all the classes for my minor that semester.  So thankfully I will be FINALLY graduating in April 2013.  It took me a year longer then it should have but I didn't exactly know what I wanted to do, and just took classes that I didn't need and couldn't be used in my degree audit.

So yea being able to take online classes is just such a blessing! I know it will still be hard especially with a newborn baby, but I really want to graduate as soon as possible.  It works out pretty nice because I will be home all Winter semester, and Spring I'm off track.  I'm planning on not working for at least 3 months after the peanut is born.  But Ben works during the day (as soon as he get's out of class Monday-Friday 1-6) So when I go back to work it will only be at night time.  I've been reading a lot of books and I just really want to bond with my baby.  We've also been going back and forth on whether I should get an epidural.  I've heard some positives, like your not as exhausted and it's easier for you to breastfeed and there is a quicker recovery.  And I've heard the negatives- some people say that you don't really experience the euphoria that comes after birth (In my own opinion though people who assume this may never have had a child or an epidural, because everyone I have talked to has said that they were completely coherent).  Honestly we're probably going to get an epidural because being able to nurse my bebe is SO IMPORTANT to me.  Who knows really though, we have plenty of time till D-day.

The BIG DAY is scheduled! July 22 we will be able to put a name to this little one inside of me when we find out if it's a boy or a girl.  I say girl- Ben says boy.  We bet a foot rub for whoever wins.  So everyone cross your fingers because my feet are ACHIN'.