James's mom, brother Joseph and Jacob, and sister Anna came to visit. Anna was here only until Monday, but everyone else arrived Friday and left Thursday.
We had a good dinner on Friday night, and then Melodie with shopping with me and helped me get the Bountiful Basket. After we came home, we put everything away and played a game.
Saturday, everyone went yard sale-ing and met up with Anna, who drove in from SLC. We had lunch and then hung out. After dinner, we had Anna's birthday cake and presents. It was delicious. We then watched Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Though gory, it is surprisingly clever and entertaining.
Sunday, we had church, lunch, and then family talk time. Rex is in Ecuador and Sam in Ohio with his family, so we talked to them. My family is in Mexico picking up Mara, so we did not talk to them. I can't believe it's been a year and a half already! We played a game of Ticket to Ride. I lost.
Monday, we went to D.I. to have a look around. After lunch, I had appointments for OT and with the orthopedic surgeon. They both went well. The appointment with the ortho was a lot better than last time. Last time, I considered never going back. Luckily, I don't have an appointment for another month. Anna had to leave a bit before dinner, which was sad. Everyone went to Steinaker while I relaxed and made dinner. It was really nice to have a little time to myself. After dinner, we watched Johnny English, a hilariously dumb movie that I have seen a few times. It still makes me laugh.
Tuesday, we took a day trip to Harper's Corner in Colorado. It's part of Dinosaur National Monument that we hadn't seen. We saw the small visitor's center, many wonderful overlooks, and had a picnic lunch. Overall, it took from 9:15 to about 2:45, so it was the perfect length. A lot of stuff was wheelchair accessible, which is great for Jacob.
Wednesday, Melodie and I went to the temple for the 7:30 session. Then I went with James to a lunch date for our anniversary. Then I took a nap! It was my first one since Saturday. so it was much needed. We ended up cooking at home while I rested on the couch. The pizza I'd eaten for lunch did not settle well, even with lactase pills. (It did taste great, though!) I helped Melodie clean pictures and videos off her phone, which freed up something like 6.5 GB.
Thursday, I went to OT at 9 and then we all went to the library summer activity afterward. The boys had a great time. They always love the library stuff. Everyone had to leave after that, which was very sad. We had such a fun week, and it went by way too fast! We have just enough time to wash everything before Christian, Rachel, and Myles arrive for the 4th of July weekend tomorrow. Can't wait!
I also have my 3rd piano lesson that I'm teaching today. They have been going well, I think. I even woke up to the house still being clean after my nap. It's been a good day, but everyone is really sad that Grandma left.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Siesta
I'm still learning to roll with this pregnancy tiredness. Overall, I am very grateful that I only need a little siesta (1-2 hours), but the rest of the day I'm fine and don't have to lie on the couch like I did with Katie. (That pregnancy fatigue was killer.) I go to bed around a normal time. Earlier than that, it's actually too darn hot. We open the windows at night, but it's not really cool enough to do that until 10:00 these days. Most days I wake up at 6, so today I actually got out of bed and worked in the garden pulling weeds for an hour. I have another hour or two to go before the lawn is weed-free again. I wish I could keep up. Getting up at 6 instead of lying in bed might actually work. It's wonderfully cool at that time of morning, and being outside in the dirt puts me in a good mood.
Saturday, we went to SLC for Rachel's bridal shower. I had a great time meeting her family. I gave her a few recipes and baking ingredients. James went to hang out with Anna, so they all went swimming while I was at the shower. After they picked me up, we went to the Bean museum (natural history) in Provo and then to Bridal Veil falls. It was a long day, but we had fun and made it home safely.
I had some form of appt. every morning this week M-Th. Mon. and Thu. (tomorrow), occupational therapy; Tues., checkups for the boys; and Wed. (today), I had my first OB appointment. It went really well. They couldn't hear the baby yet, but he did an ultrasound, so I got to see the little bean and its heartbeat. Now it seems real!
We went on a very long adventure on Mon. to Sheep Creek (up in Daggett County). It was amazing, and we saw lots of cool geological formations. Every time I think I've seen it all, I see new things and am amazed by the beautiful place I live in. We cooked lunch over the fire and then drove back via Red Cloud Loop. It was very long. We didn't get back till 4, so I didn't get a nap and had a headache the rest of the day.
Speaking of headaches, that was the very first one I had the whole pregnancy, and I know it's because I ate a hotdog. I have actually had a very strong aversion to meat, even chicken, so I have eaten it only a handful of times and avoid it whenever possible. It doesn't smell or taste good anymore. The same is true for oil/butter. If I eat more than the tiniest amount (like a drizzle in a big dish of something), I get terrible reflux. Those two things have helped me stay pretty healthy so far, only gaining 1-2 pounds during the past 8 weeks. Normally, I've put on more like 5 by now. The extent of my nausea is that sometimes nothing sounds good except for one certain thing, but it's usually something simple like rice, broccoli, or potatoes. When I have a healthy craving, I make sure to embrace it. :)
James has been working on classes, studying for the Praxis, and fishing with his new spear that I got him for Father's Day. Summer is great.
Saturday, we went to SLC for Rachel's bridal shower. I had a great time meeting her family. I gave her a few recipes and baking ingredients. James went to hang out with Anna, so they all went swimming while I was at the shower. After they picked me up, we went to the Bean museum (natural history) in Provo and then to Bridal Veil falls. It was a long day, but we had fun and made it home safely.
I had some form of appt. every morning this week M-Th. Mon. and Thu. (tomorrow), occupational therapy; Tues., checkups for the boys; and Wed. (today), I had my first OB appointment. It went really well. They couldn't hear the baby yet, but he did an ultrasound, so I got to see the little bean and its heartbeat. Now it seems real!
We went on a very long adventure on Mon. to Sheep Creek (up in Daggett County). It was amazing, and we saw lots of cool geological formations. Every time I think I've seen it all, I see new things and am amazed by the beautiful place I live in. We cooked lunch over the fire and then drove back via Red Cloud Loop. It was very long. We didn't get back till 4, so I didn't get a nap and had a headache the rest of the day.
Speaking of headaches, that was the very first one I had the whole pregnancy, and I know it's because I ate a hotdog. I have actually had a very strong aversion to meat, even chicken, so I have eaten it only a handful of times and avoid it whenever possible. It doesn't smell or taste good anymore. The same is true for oil/butter. If I eat more than the tiniest amount (like a drizzle in a big dish of something), I get terrible reflux. Those two things have helped me stay pretty healthy so far, only gaining 1-2 pounds during the past 8 weeks. Normally, I've put on more like 5 by now. The extent of my nausea is that sometimes nothing sounds good except for one certain thing, but it's usually something simple like rice, broccoli, or potatoes. When I have a healthy craving, I make sure to embrace it. :)
James has been working on classes, studying for the Praxis, and fishing with his new spear that I got him for Father's Day. Summer is great.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Sick
We had a really good time at the fair last Thurs. and Fri., but Sat., Sun., and Mon., we had sick kids of the throwing up sort. I caught it myself on Tues. and spent all of Wed. in bed. I think the worst part about being sick is just how boring it is. Well, I don't much like not being able to eat either. I haven't yet today because I am afraid to, but I do feel quite a bit better than I did yesterday. I even got caught up on cleaning and cooking. I guess my standards are a little OCD, but I am at least happy now with the state of cleanliness of my house. James cleaned up the majority of the puke, for which I am grateful.
So, the fair. Favorite activities included the candy drop, book pond, building with Legoes, seeing the Scales and Tails show, and going through the Little Red Barn. The kids get to pretend to be farmers, and they absolutely love it. It doesn't hurt that they got a free treat at the end.
Aside from playing catch up today, I have my first piano lesson during which I will be the teacher. I am a little nervous because I have no idea what I'm really doing, but I'm sure it will work out fine once I get things figured out. We also have the weekly library activity, which the kids love going to. There are always snacks and fun activities.
As for my finger, OT is going well. I may go a little crazy from having to go 3X a week. It's not so bad actually being there, but it is quite a time commitment. I can now eat and write with my left hand (hurray!), and the finger is making lots of progress in its flexibility. I got the stitches out on Monday from the orthopedic surgeon in Vernal. I was actually not impressed with him or his office. He seemed to disagree with everything I've done so far, criticized the exercises as being too extreme, and said he wouldn't have done the surgery; he would have referred me to a hand surgeon. Thanks, dude. That was really helpful advice. If he treats me as stupid as he did at that appointment when I see him again, I think I will not go see him again. I'm not going to put up with his disagreeable attitude, especially since he isn't the one who did my surgery.
It should be a much better weekend than week since everyone is well now. Thank goodness!
So, the fair. Favorite activities included the candy drop, book pond, building with Legoes, seeing the Scales and Tails show, and going through the Little Red Barn. The kids get to pretend to be farmers, and they absolutely love it. It doesn't hurt that they got a free treat at the end.
Aside from playing catch up today, I have my first piano lesson during which I will be the teacher. I am a little nervous because I have no idea what I'm really doing, but I'm sure it will work out fine once I get things figured out. We also have the weekly library activity, which the kids love going to. There are always snacks and fun activities.
As for my finger, OT is going well. I may go a little crazy from having to go 3X a week. It's not so bad actually being there, but it is quite a time commitment. I can now eat and write with my left hand (hurray!), and the finger is making lots of progress in its flexibility. I got the stitches out on Monday from the orthopedic surgeon in Vernal. I was actually not impressed with him or his office. He seemed to disagree with everything I've done so far, criticized the exercises as being too extreme, and said he wouldn't have done the surgery; he would have referred me to a hand surgeon. Thanks, dude. That was really helpful advice. If he treats me as stupid as he did at that appointment when I see him again, I think I will not go see him again. I'm not going to put up with his disagreeable attitude, especially since he isn't the one who did my surgery.
It should be a much better weekend than week since everyone is well now. Thank goodness!
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Lowering My Standards
I don't mean in the moral sense. For me right now, I have to face the fact that I can't accomplish in a day what I could 2 months ago. It is quite a change to need 9 hours of sleep instead of 7-7 1/2 and only have 1 1/2 hands. My weeks are going to be something like this:
working out 3X (not 5, because I am way too tired)
yard work 1 hour per week instead of 1 hour per day, and James will do all the mowing from now on
reading to the kids (no change there, since it doesn't require much energy)
occupational therapy 3X a week
piano - none, but I may still start lessons since they start out right-handed
cleaning - normal, but James has to wash the big dishes
dinner prep - James has to do most of the chopping, but I can manage stirring.
nap - every day from 1-3. I tend to wake up early with the sunshine but go to bed late (11ish), so it is needed! I never need naps when not pregnant.
crafty stuff - none, but I finished those 4 rugs before hurting my hand, thankfully. Eventually I'll get around to cutting up some quilt squares, but I don't even have a big pile to do yet.
Basically, I can get the basics done but nothing beyond that. Since I worked hard to be really productive during the last 6 months, I almost feel justified sitting around a lot more. Almost.
On an unrelated note, it appears that Katie's eczema is gone. I did nothing except apply colloidal oatmeal lotion all winter. By spring, it just disappeared. Not even her weekly bath seems to bring it back. I guess she just had normal, really dry skin. It's nice that it's gone. Right now the challenge is her long hair. I am not good at doing hair with 1 hand, so she's probably going to have her hair down all summer. Oh well.
working out 3X (not 5, because I am way too tired)
yard work 1 hour per week instead of 1 hour per day, and James will do all the mowing from now on
reading to the kids (no change there, since it doesn't require much energy)
occupational therapy 3X a week
piano - none, but I may still start lessons since they start out right-handed
cleaning - normal, but James has to wash the big dishes
dinner prep - James has to do most of the chopping, but I can manage stirring.
nap - every day from 1-3. I tend to wake up early with the sunshine but go to bed late (11ish), so it is needed! I never need naps when not pregnant.
crafty stuff - none, but I finished those 4 rugs before hurting my hand, thankfully. Eventually I'll get around to cutting up some quilt squares, but I don't even have a big pile to do yet.
Basically, I can get the basics done but nothing beyond that. Since I worked hard to be really productive during the last 6 months, I almost feel justified sitting around a lot more. Almost.
On an unrelated note, it appears that Katie's eczema is gone. I did nothing except apply colloidal oatmeal lotion all winter. By spring, it just disappeared. Not even her weekly bath seems to bring it back. I guess she just had normal, really dry skin. It's nice that it's gone. Right now the challenge is her long hair. I am not good at doing hair with 1 hand, so she's probably going to have her hair down all summer. Oh well.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
I Was Wrong
This last week has been a little crazy. Last Saturday I helped my friend Cherissa move a little bit, actually more like cleaning so she can move in these next few days. Didn't feel very useful because of my fingers taped together. Also, I have been pretty tired because I am now almost 6 weeks pregnant! I am due around 1 February. When I put it that way, it seems like ages from now. I have been getting by with a 20 minute power nap each day. I am starting to feel a little bit of nausea, but as long as I stick to starchy things and not greasy things, I actually feel pretty decent and have a good amount of energy, much more than I did at this stage with my third pregnancy.
I don't remember what else we did on Saturday. On Monday, we left for Rexburg. It went smoothly until Idaho Falls, and we had to stop to fix a flat tire. We were a little bit late to celebrate Joseph's sixth birthday, but it was still fun. Christian and Myles and Rachel came over, and Rachel even took some pictures of my kids. They turned out really cute.
Tuesday is when the real fun started. Rex called the doctor in Rexburg to see about an appointment for my finger, because he thought I had severed my flexor tendon. I waited for several hours, but I saw the doctor in Rexburg about it, and he signed me up for surgery the following day, Wednesday. Wednesday was absolutely miserable. I couldn't eat all day, and surgery didn't happen until almost 4 PM. Because of my pregnancy, I had to be awake for the surgery. It was really weird to have my hand being cut open while I was awake, but I made it through because I talked to the anesthesiologist the whole time. They were probably a little tired of me by the end. Recovery was OK. Mostly I was just very hungry. I was able to go home within an hour of getting out of surgery.
The next day we left for Albion, Idaho, for the family reunion. It has been fun so far, but very tiring. On Thursday, we had family dinner together and gathered around the campfire later in the evening. Friday, we had breakfast, a workout, and then got boats ready for the rain gutter regalia. We had lunch and the annual auction. We won a couple of things: a princess blanket for Katie, a bag of Legos, and a random binder. There were singing, the talent show, and poems after dinner. Our kids were really worn out and went to bed a little easier than they did on Thursday night. Katie is still a terrible roommate to her brothers. She sings very loudly for at least half an hour before going to sleep, even when she is very tired.
The kids were kind enough to sleep in a little bit this morning. I feel like I finally got enough rest. I wasn't able to take a nap right now, hence the blog post. We had the rain gutter regalia this morning, and then lunch. I did about half of a workout before breakfast, but the pancakes were calling my name really loudly. It is been a bit of a challenge to only have one hand, since my left hand is all wrapped up in a splint. However, I will get the split off on Monday and start physical therapy, which I will have to do for three months. The part I'm scared about is getting the medical bills for all of this. Right now it is afternoon and everyone except Katie and me, plus a few stragglers, went to a place called Steadman's. Since I can't swim or shower without wrapping up my hand, I felt it would be best to stay here and let my tired girl take a nap. She loves her new princess blankie.
It has been great to see the family, but I am ready to go home tomorrow, as I always am by Sunday morning. I like that James's family is so close-knit. Mine never has been because of the great distance between the places they live. It's too bad, really, because reunions are really fun, even though they can be quite stressful. I still can't believe I'll have 4 kids by this time next year. :) That will be an adventure on its own.
I don't remember what else we did on Saturday. On Monday, we left for Rexburg. It went smoothly until Idaho Falls, and we had to stop to fix a flat tire. We were a little bit late to celebrate Joseph's sixth birthday, but it was still fun. Christian and Myles and Rachel came over, and Rachel even took some pictures of my kids. They turned out really cute.
Tuesday is when the real fun started. Rex called the doctor in Rexburg to see about an appointment for my finger, because he thought I had severed my flexor tendon. I waited for several hours, but I saw the doctor in Rexburg about it, and he signed me up for surgery the following day, Wednesday. Wednesday was absolutely miserable. I couldn't eat all day, and surgery didn't happen until almost 4 PM. Because of my pregnancy, I had to be awake for the surgery. It was really weird to have my hand being cut open while I was awake, but I made it through because I talked to the anesthesiologist the whole time. They were probably a little tired of me by the end. Recovery was OK. Mostly I was just very hungry. I was able to go home within an hour of getting out of surgery.
The next day we left for Albion, Idaho, for the family reunion. It has been fun so far, but very tiring. On Thursday, we had family dinner together and gathered around the campfire later in the evening. Friday, we had breakfast, a workout, and then got boats ready for the rain gutter regalia. We had lunch and the annual auction. We won a couple of things: a princess blanket for Katie, a bag of Legos, and a random binder. There were singing, the talent show, and poems after dinner. Our kids were really worn out and went to bed a little easier than they did on Thursday night. Katie is still a terrible roommate to her brothers. She sings very loudly for at least half an hour before going to sleep, even when she is very tired.
The kids were kind enough to sleep in a little bit this morning. I feel like I finally got enough rest. I wasn't able to take a nap right now, hence the blog post. We had the rain gutter regalia this morning, and then lunch. I did about half of a workout before breakfast, but the pancakes were calling my name really loudly. It is been a bit of a challenge to only have one hand, since my left hand is all wrapped up in a splint. However, I will get the split off on Monday and start physical therapy, which I will have to do for three months. The part I'm scared about is getting the medical bills for all of this. Right now it is afternoon and everyone except Katie and me, plus a few stragglers, went to a place called Steadman's. Since I can't swim or shower without wrapping up my hand, I felt it would be best to stay here and let my tired girl take a nap. She loves her new princess blankie.
It has been great to see the family, but I am ready to go home tomorrow, as I always am by Sunday morning. I like that James's family is so close-knit. Mine never has been because of the great distance between the places they live. It's too bad, really, because reunions are really fun, even though they can be quite stressful. I still can't believe I'll have 4 kids by this time next year. :) That will be an adventure on its own.
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