Anti-Dent-ite

I'm not an Anti-Dentite. I really liked some of the dentists I've had. But maybe not this time.

I got a root canal last Tuesday. And of course, it's not her fault... or is it. I'm just so sad because I hadn't seen the dentist in 2 years (since I got married) and after that last pre-marrital visit I vowed to floss once to twice a day. I did a killer job.

So I go to the dentist last month, just for "a good one" - or because we have insurance now and I have one cavity and I need a crown. I accepted that because I had some problems with one tooth before, and I can be ok with one cavity. But 4 weeks later here I am with 1 filling, TWO crowns, and a root canal. One tooth chipped after a cleaning, verifying that I need a second crown. And after MUCH pain it was confirmed I needed a root canal.

I would like to note that I had NO pain when I went in for my first visit.

Brett says it's really a blessing because I probably needed all those crowns and a root canal for a while, but it only showed up when we got insurance and were able to pay for it- as opposed to showing up when we were in school and insurance-less.

He's probably right.

However, here are some conversations between my dentist and my hygenist that have may poisioned me against her.

Hygenist: "So Dr. have you been feeling better?"

Dentist: " Oh blah, I'm just getting rid of this cold. My daughter was laid up with me all weekend, but we're finally getting better."

Me (in my head-because she has her hands in my mouth):... GET YOUR HANDS OUT OF MY MOUTH IF YOU'RE SICK!!!!!!!!!

conversation #2

Hygenist: So Dr. have you gotten your halloween costume yet? (yes, the hygenist always starts out these cheesy fake conversations by saying So, Dr.)

Dentist: Yes, I bought my daughter a witch costume for only $38. What a steal!

Hygenist: $38 - that is a really good deal.

Me (in my head): uhhh... what happened to a $2 hat from WalMart and $3 dress from D.I.? I guess I know why I magically need to see the dentist every week for random things....

Or maybe I should have brushed more when I was younger.... sigh.....

Thoughts From a Crazy Stay-In-Home Mom

Right now I'm a "stay-in-home mom." It's been hard to get out the door and it's driving me a little nuts. So here are some thoughts I've been stewing in lately, decored by some unrelated pictures.

Here is Marie in my favorite NewBorn outfit. My little Sailor Girl. I can't believe she's almost grown out of this... oh sad!

Epidurals are great, I wish I could hand them out for Halloween, just so everyone could know how great they are.

I know my dad isn't gonna like this picture. He isn't always this mad. Maybe Obama was on TV and that's why he's so mad. Marie looks secure though. I bet he's thinking "Don't worry Marie, I will protect you from a liberal, fascist America!"

I wanna vaccinate Marie, but my mom informed me that I haven't been vaccinated with most vaccines. And here I am. Alive and well. A total jerk sometimes.. but alive and well.

Proud Grandpas. Can't get enough pictures!

(haha but I forgot to take any last weekend when she got blessed! AAK!)

Marie is getting her shots on October 6th. I can't decide whether to space them out though. I'm afraid she'll have a reaction by combining them. Hmm like an epidural, I can't find a real good case against vaccines. So far I'm in love with modern medicine... but I'm still questioning "the man" so as he won't metaphorically "hold me down."

Aww! Scriptures+a baby+ a grandpa= super peaceful home.

Ron was so rad to fly out for Marie's blessing. However, we were not rad for not celebrating his birthday while he was here. If you are reading this you should comment and tell us how to make it up to him. We are crappy.


Marie has officially grown out of this outfit!!! I'm gonna cry.

I rented a book on potty training yesterday. However, once I got home it made me so sad to think of her that grown up. I guess I would be even sadder though if I was wiping her bum when she is 12.

I just hope I feel that good about the vaccines. I am hoping worst case scenario is that Marie will turn into some X-Men like character and have super powers. I hope she can fly. ... or start pooping money. That would be great to.

Blame Me or Thank Me

If you are one of those people that becomes upset when stores sell holiday gear WAY to early- you can blame me. I snatch it up like I'm havin' a heart attack.
I'd like to thank Target for these little impulse buys.

Poor girl. She thinks if she just goes limp we will leave her alone. Sorry Princess, as long as they sell it in your size and it's a $1- you're gonna end up wearing it.
Muhahahaha.....

Labor Story (or as I like to call it: "Old Hat")

YEP! This is it. The month-late labor story. It's technically my journal entry, so it's very detailed. The short story would be:

I pushed. A baby came out.

If you wanna cut it down just read from "Sunday" on. Happy Readings!

marie asks a friend, "how did I get here?"

Batman is such a good movie. How is a movie good? It is really good if you have really painful- tear inducing contractions 15 minutes apart while watching it, but still don’t want to leave. That is how you know.
Yes, I cried during Batman, but only because I was having painful contractions.

It started Wednesday. I picked up Jesse, Maresa and Beth from the Sac Airport and suddenly was so tired. I offered to take them to the Train Museum (my brother being an avid train fan) but was secretly joyful when Maresa wanted Beth to go home and get a good nap. I wanted one to. Then on Thursday we were playing in the pool and I had never felt so tired, but relieved by the pressure the water took off my stomach. Maresa and I floated with kick boards for a few hours and I was again, secretly relieved that they just wanted to stay at the apartment and play in the pool.
That night we all left to San Francisco to meet up with my Dad and Malcolm who had biked down HWY 101 through Oregon to meet us. We ate in China Town at the place with the cooked ducks in the window which still have their heads on.
After our gluttonous oriental meal we were standing outside when I folded over in pain. It was my first real contraction! Maresa put the smack down and made everyone hurry up and go home. We got back and I got everyone’s beds ready for the night. Even if I am in labor I want my guests to be cozy. Martha Stewart- eat your heart out!

Friday I took people to the Airport and waved goodbye to my dad and my brother. Before they left we ate at In-N-Out Burger. Everybody seems to like it. The day before Maresa wanted it, the day before that Jesse wanted it, AND the day before that I was with the church youth group and we ate there also. I think Marie had enough of my crappy eating and was ready to get out!

Brett spent Saturday listening to me complain. Nothing new for him, but this time it was about the contractions I was having every 30 minutes. We were invited to a party but decided to go to see Batman instead. Marie was already beginning to be a good “excuse machine”- to get me out of stuff.

Sunday
My mom called and decided to bump her flight up a day. Good idea. 6 am Sunday 27th I had some awesomely bad contractions. Brett left at 7am to pick up my mom. Good thing he left me because my water broke while he was gone. But I didn’t know that until I was actually at the hospital. Confused? Me too. Somewhere in between picking up my mom, making several phone calls to the hospital, and ALOT of pain we went to the hospital.

anxious daddy

Have you have ever seen the Office episode where Michael eats an entire thing of pasta before running a 5k? Eating anything before you go into labor is a bad idea! I had eaten fruity pebbles at 6:30 am. At that point I had no idea that I would REALLY go into labor and I wouldn’t eat for the entire day. Even though the nurse gave me something for my nausea, at 6:00 pm I cracked and my mom gave me part of a cookie. Just a tiny bite! Bad Idea Jeans. I could definitely feel that tiny bite for the next two hours. Seriously- Bad Idea Jeans.

third time's a charm

Epidural x 3.
Apparently you don’t get any awards for enduring contractions. So I signed up quick. However, the first two injections didn’t take to my right side. I knew because I was clinging to the side of the bed, writhing in pain, and the nurse asks “on a scale from one to ten, how much pain are you in?” “uhh, a nine!” I said through clenched teeth. Seriously lady! Just look at me and guess!
Getting the epidurals early was totally worth it. It allowed Brett, my mom and I to watch Seinfeld on DVD for hours. However, I think it wore off at 7pm. That’s when I started pushing. For the next hour I pushed, just like in the movies. And just like in the movies I cried and screamed. I remember seeing a blur of lights and a crowd of people around me. Brett was coaching me the whole time, which was cool because we never really practiced anything like that. His coaching came naturally as did my physical ability to push a baby out of me (plus or minus a couple epidurals). It’s very cool- the whole “reproducing” thing. The entire nine month process is so fascinating, nauseating and tiring, but fascinating.

this is what pregnancy feels like in the end

There are so many things that women go through in pregnancy that later help them empathize with their child. Waking up in the night because you are hungry, thirsty, or simply really uncomfortable, being a picky eater, and even losing your privacy. Giving birth is a very “naked experience.” That’s why I was so glad to have an awesome female doctor and a whole team of female nurses. Not to say that I didn’t have some wonderful male doctors and nurses. However, for me to have my first experience with all women was a blessing which meant a lot. Minus the first nurse who didn’t want to admit me and kept asking for me to rate things on a numerical scale, I loved all of my nurses and my doctor. They were so sweet and cool. Also having my mom there made things even more special.

my favorite nurse telling marie how pretty she is

My doctor though, had a bad day. She came in crying at one point. Apparently her dad had to be taken to a hospital for some unknown virus. I expected her to leave, but she stayed on for the rest of the night and her dad got better. It was weird having my doctor in need of medical aid. Surreal in a way.

Marie came out with the cord wrapped around her neck twice. Brett saw it, but not me. He later said how heart stopping that was. I am glad I didn’t see it and I’m glad the doctor didn’t tell me. Later she said that she had known the whole time the baby had the cord wrapped around her neck because the heart beat was so slow. I’m glad she didn’t tell me that either, but just coached me and made me focus. Everything turned out perfectly.
At 8:17pm little Marie was born. Her cone head was gorgeous and her squeals were beautiful.

Marie's first Monday.

Two days and a million tests later we were set free. I came home to a very clean house and meals for a week thanks to my mom and a generous Relief Society. Bringing home a six pound human being was really scary, but having my mom there was very comforting.

I have no complaints or dramas. Marie’s birth was (I think) as easy as they come.
Let’s hope it’s a symbol of how easy she will be to raise… knock on wood.

Ode to Mechanical Mommies

Apparently this "mom" thing is a 24/7 deal. Which is great, dont get me wrong. If I am going to be awoken by anyone at 3 am I would rather it be this cutie than anyone else.

So it's good to have backup. I'd like to thank Ange for this little gem. It it's the only thing that keeps Marie asleep when she's grumpy. It's given me countless hours of Rachel time (aka time to shower, eat, and do laundry).

The next contraption is awesome for burping the baby, however you need to strap her in properly before you leave her in it.

Sick Day

Today is a sick day. But I have my mom here so it's all good. Funny thing, she said that she was thinking of getting a flight out soon. So yeah, I'm faking it.
Kidding.. I wish I was kidding. I haven't been sick for over a year with even the littlest cold. Hmph. The streak is over.
Uh oh. My mom just said "no sugar" until I am better. I wonder when the next flight out is...



In baby news Marie is not sick. Instead she is enjoying the things she loves. She loves to eat, she loves to be held, and she loves "the blue curtain." I don't know why I put that in quotes, the blue curtain, is just that- a blue curtain. I think heaven must be blue, because she gets so happy and calm when she looks at it. Also, in a Child Development class I learned that "babies favorite color is blue" which Marie just proved to me.



Here she is at two weeks. The next pic is her at 4 weeks. She has gotten so chubby!

Sorry this is lopsided, but who do you really want a better view of anyway? She wants to be held all the time, even if it means a little multi-tasking.

I call this picture "Party On, Dude!"

I can't forget how Marie loves her musical bear, and all music for that matter. She also enjoys having a "fresh bum" (or being changed). However, right after you change her she has this awesome trick of going to the bathroom right after you put a fresh diaper on her. Good trick. We should put that in her "talents" category. Her other talents include making baby dinosaur noises, and baby elephant noises.

That is all for now. Brett's coming home soon. He has to change and be on his way to a dinner with the General. Kinda sounds like a sitcom. "Dinner with the General." It usually consists of buying really expensive food and having a really boring conversation. Note the price of the food correlates to the boring-ness of the conversation. Higher the price = Intensity of the boredom.

Good thing I'm sick.