So Sad

I just got back from the doctor and all I can say is I am still really really pregnant...No, I haven't dilated one bit from last week. Yes, I cried when I left the doctor's office. Yes, I just finished crying. And yes, I will probably continue to cry off and on until this baby is out! I had absolutely no idea how much my emotions would be thrown for a loop! Okay, I have gone through this before when I am on my period or something, but nothing has ever lasted for days and even weeks! All I have to say is poor, poor Jeff. He has been sooooooo patient though and just sits and holds me and tells me it will be alright, even though my emotions range from outright anger to the deepest depression I have ever experienced. It is tough and I am glad I don't have other children right now as I learn how to cope with these mood swings. Lots of praying and lots of reading my scriptures and listening to uplifting music have helped some and then venting to my mom helps too because she just listens and I can say whatever I darn well please without worrying about being judged and her not loving me anymore.

The doctor told me last week that he would be able to induce me at 40 weeks, but now he doesn't think insurance would cover it until I am 41 weeks because I am too healthy. By then my mom will be gone and Jeff will be in finals and that is what upsets me. He has six tests and two clerkships to do that week. And these aren't just your run of the mill tests. Dental school tests you study for at least a week in advance if you want to do well, so hopefully he will get some study time in the week my mom is here.

I did get my membranes stripped today and I lost my mucous plug a week ago, but still no contractions. I have tried acupressure and exercising practically until I could only lay on the couch and breathe, like today I walked six miles and cleaned the whole house and yesterday I did elliptical for 40 minutes and walked for another 40...nothing. Not even Bracton Hicks contractions! Really, I am not that uncomfortable and I don't mind being pregnant, but I am scared that the baby will come after everyone has left and Jeff is taking a final. Sorry for the pessimism, but I have to warn you, it may just get worse after the baby is born, according to post-partum information! :)

On a happy note, though, one of my friends just had twin girls early than expected and they are both healthy and doing well! That makes me smile because they have been waiting so long for these babies! Here is a real smile :)!

Our Christmas Tree

Jeff and I set up our Christmas tree this weekend. It was so fun and really made it feel more like the holidays. Out here it has been about 70F so it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving or Christmas are near. The grass is still green and there are leaves on the trees (although they are dying). It is strange and I don't exactly like no snow and no cold, so we will for sure be moving back to the northwest as soon as Jeff is done with dental school. Here is the finished product! I took off the flash so you could see the lights on the tree better.
Jeff setting up the lights.
These are Jeff's precious ornaments...his cars. Hallmark puts out a new one each year and his grandma started buying them for him when he was young. Every year she still sends him one. He has quite a collection and it is his job to hang them up. They are very special :)
A terrible picture of me hanging stuff up on the tree, but you get the idea.
This picture is for everyone to see my haircut that Jeff gave me! Yep, he cut it all by himself! He did a great job!This pic didn't turn out, but you can see my tummy and how far it sticks out. I am a little over 8 1/2 months pregnant AND I went to the doctor today. I am so excited because I am 1-2 cm dilated and 20% effaced! Still don't think I have had any contractions, but I really have no idea. Maybe he will come soon! The doctor also said he thinks the baby weighs 6-7 lbs. right now. I was a little concerned because I had a dream the other night that the baby weighed 10 pounds when he was born! Ugh!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Wizards in Winter

Last Saturday Jeff and I went to a concert put on by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. We figured it may be our last time doing something fun together just the two of us, so we splurged. It was Jeff's first concert and mine too (almost) and it was awesome! Some of it was a bit cheesy, like the blond long-haired girls who kept head banging and dancing like strippers to the side and the narrator way overdid his part, then rocked out on the chair he sat on to the side. He was just plain wierd! But the rest was awesome! They had fireworks and fire that changed color and came up out of the middle of the audience. When the fire lit up, we could feel the heat from it. And the guitars were great! Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves and would have rated it an 8-9 out of 10. One thing is for sure, the baby really enjoyed it! He was going nuts the whole time! Needless to say, he slept a lot the next day.

Timbaland pres. OneRepublic - Apologize (Original)

This is my new favorite song. I am not sure why I like it, but I especially just love the beginning. No idea what it is about and probably best that way!

Just One More Post for Today

Today I went to dental school! Jeff had a group presentation and was singing a song he wrote, so I went to watch and just hang out. He also dressed up, as you can tell. Their presentation was about elderly and oral health, so he dressed up in his old baby blue suit with highwater pants and white shoes. It was a hit! He was hilarious! Pretty much he saved his presentation...It was getting a little boring. He got tons and tons of compliments and had the whole class laughing, including the professor.

Here are the lyrics:

Put in a home the other night
Everyone tells me it will be alright
They took my keys so I can’t drive
Just because I turned 65

Now that I’m 65
I am barely alive
Can’t remember you name
Elderly and in pain, Elderly and in pain

My mom told me prevention is the key
To stopping periodontal disease
I ignored all her constant pleas
Now my mouth is full of caries

Just cuz I turned 65
I am barely alive
Life just isn’t the same
Drilled on and in pain, Drilled on and in pain

Pulled all my teeth and gave me dentures
All they feed me now is a can of Ensure
My dentist told me I’m getting old
Then he took my entire billfold

Just cuz I turned 65
And I am barely alive
But I am not to blame
Lost my teeth and in pain, lost my teeth and in pain

For those of you who live nearby and missed out, I would encourage you all to ask him to play and sing it for you. It is worth it.

Our Recent Blessings

Jeff and I have been so so so blessed when it comes to receiving stuff for our baby. I had a wonderful baby shower where I got tons of stuff that I didn't even think of getting and probably would have just done without.

We recently bought this pack and play, which will act as our bassinet as well for the first little bit. When we went to Target last Saturday night to look for one, we saw this one on sale $20.00 off and wanted it but they were all out and they said they didn't have any in the back. Well, I went there on Monday with a friend and just for kicks walked by to see if, by chance, they had more of the pack and play and they did! Two more! So Jeff and I went to Target later that day and he asked the manager if we could have it for the price we originally wanted to buy it for and they said yes! So, we got this awesome pack and play for a great price! It has a changing table, bassinet insert with crib bumpers, a mobile, and plays music/sounds. I love it and my wonderful husband set it all up! So exciting! P.S. This is the only new thing we bought for the baby. Everything else has been secondhand, but still in great condition. Craig's list all the way!
Another great "deal" we have gotten lately is this recliner. I was looking for one so I could sit in the baby's room and rock and nurse him, but they were all so expensive and us being dental students, I was just going to have to do without, but our missionaries are moving out of their apartment and had to get rid of all their furniture, so I asked about it, thinking it would be in terrible shape and not worth it, but still interested in at least looking. This is what we got! I couldn't believe it! It is the exact recliner I was looking at at Sam's Club. Of course, it is a little worn and there is a small tear in the fabric on the left arm, but it is in great shape and it doesn't stink either :).
Now we are ready for the baby to come. The lice are gone. Meals are all made. I just need to get my bag packed and the baby actually needs to stop swimming around in my ribs and make his way down a little! Jeff and I are predicting a baby that is over eight pounds, 21 inches long with a big head and that he will be late late late by sevaral days.

George Update

George is doing better! This is him recovering from his sickness. I actually took this picture when I was pretty sure he was going to die. I wanted one of him still alive, but now he is back to normal and flaring his gills at me and being his moody old self! I am so happy! Whoever thought a fish could actually get better and that they need vitamins and antibiotics when they get sick? With a little babying he is healthy once again. It may take us awhile for his fungus problem to get totally better, but at least he is eating again. Yeah for George!

The past couple days I have been super busy trying to put together some meals to freeze in preparation for the baby coming. I have so much to do now that the whole lice ordeal is over (knock on wood AND cross your fingers). Yesterday was the day the lice were supposed to come out again and I found nothing...so far. They hatch every 7-10 days, so I still have a couple days to go before I can say we are home free. Today I am going to clean everything again just to make sure and cook some more meals.

I also have a doctor appointment. I am now seeing the doctor once a week. Last week I was still very very pregnant and hadn't progressed at all. I am pretty sure I am about the same this week too. Still never felt a contraction and the baby still is kicking me in the ribs, so I doubt he has dropped at all. Oh well...we don't want him to come yet anyway. Give me a couple weeks and I will be ready.

George, our Betta Fish, has also been really really sick. I changed his water a few days ago and since then he got worse and worse, just sitting at the bottom of his bowl. Then yesterday morning I woke up and Jeff said he was dead. I ran out to see for myself and touched him and he moved very slightly. He wasn't quite dead, just almost dead. He couldn't swim very well. His fin wouldn't move. It was like he was paralyzed and he was swimming on his side and he hadn't eaten for a couple days. I started crying and realized how sad I would be if he died, even though we have to hand feed the dang thing and he won't eat his food if it gets soggy and you have to point to it in orger for him to see eat it. I would like to excuse my tears by saying I am pregnant and emotional, but really I probably would have cried anyway. Jeff just tries not to laugh as he comforts me. I was not sure if we should just put him out of his misery or hope for a recovery. I made Jeff pray for George in our morning prayers and the thought actually crossed my mind of having him dump a little consecrated oil into George's water...Don't worry though. It was just a THOUGHT :).

Soooo, what did I do the rest of the day? I started doing research on Betta fish to see what was wrong with him and see if we could help him get better. After researching, I didn't feel like I had found the issue he was having. I thought it could be Swim Bladder Disease, where their swim bladder that helps them swim straight gets inflamed because they are consitpated. This can be caused by feeding them flake food, which we do. Still, I wasn't quite sure. I made my way to the pet store and picked up some pH balancing stuff, which I guess I was supposed to be putting in his water anyway. I have just been using Kentucky tap water...nasty! Then I went to another pet store to see if they had any medicine. The lady there said there was no use in buying anything cuz it sounded like he was doomed. I left there mad and determined to save him!

I went to Walmart later that day and bought some distilled water, which you are supposed to use and some worm food, which is supposed to help with digestion. I also tried to feel George a pea. Several web sites said it should clear up the constipation, but he didn't want to eat and it just sank to the bottom. Regardless, by the end of the day, he had started swimming around quite a bit, although it still looked like he was swimming drunk. I started to hope he was getting better!

Then last night I shined the flashlight on him to see if I could see anything wrong with him. I saw white patches all over his head. I looked that up and walla (sp?) I found out he has a fungus! I was bummed because the pet stores weren't open, so I brought him into our bedroom last night so in case he did take a turn for the worse, he would at least die in our presence and not be alone. Did I mention that Jeff was trying not to laugh at me this whole time? He has done a really good job at being patient and also mentioning we will never have another animal again. What a patient husband!

The first thing I asked Jeff this morning was, "Is George alive?" Then I took Jeff to school and went to the pet store again. I got him some medicine and we will now see if it works. He does seem to be doing SO MUCH BETTER and even ate one flake of food this morning! Maybe he will actually make it!

Signing off for now,
Pathetic Melea who will be really really sad if George dies

Granola Mix

This is mainly for my sister, Valissa, so she can make this herself, but if anyone else wants the recipe, feel free to try it out. I usually cater it to my own personal preferences in terms of nuts I add-or don't add and the kind of oats I use. It is yummy and healthy and all natural (minus the brown sugar, which you could use honey instead if you wanted). Just a quick tip, this recipe makes a ton of granola, so I put it in two large Ziploc bags and stick them in the freezer. When I want some, I pour a little in a cereal bowl and add milk. The frozen granola makes the milk colder and it also stays crunchy a bit longer. Plus, it is super duper filling!

10 c. oats (I usually go to the grocery/health food store and buy them in the bulk section AND I mix barley, wheat oats, etc.)
1 c. wheat germ (I usually substitute ground up flax seed)
2 c. raw sunflower seeds
1 c. sesame seeds (blended up) or other mixture of seeds (I use amaranth because it is supposed to be really good for you)
1/2 lb. shredded coconut (you can leave this out if you want)
3 c. almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans or whatever you want (I put in a little more than this and you can chop them if preferred)
1 1/2 c. brown sugar (or honey)
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. molasses (Barbadoes is a great brand)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 tsp. vanilla

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. In large bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, coconut, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and nuts. In saucepan combine brown sugar, water, oil, honey, molasses, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Heat until sugar is dissolved, but DO NOT BOIL!!! Pour syrup over dry ingredients and stir well. On la arge cookie sheet or cake pan, spread granola and cook 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn over and cook 15 more minutes. Can add raisins too!

A word on behalf of the coconut...my husband, who claims he hates coconut, never even noticed there is coconut in it and still has no idea. Also, he claims he hates nuts (especially pecans and walnuts) but ate them as well. Chop them up if you don't like them and you won't even notice they are there!

Kentucky Storms

Storms out here are so neat! Unlike most people, I love storms, I love the rain, and I love snow. Sun is great too, but there is something about a storm that I absolutely love! It gives me goosebumps watching it and I love running in storms, except out here I don't think I would because the lightening is pretty serious stuff. Power usually goes out somewhere in the city after a storm. Anyway, here are some pics of it pooring down rain!
And here I am at eight months pregnant! My hair is totally messy and my shirt is wet because Jeff and I had just gotten home and had to run through the rain to our apartment. I have gained about 17-18 pounds so far. It varies from scale to scale, but regardless we are getting excited!

Jeff and I went up to Indianapolis this weekend and didn't take any pictures, so sorry, but I was lice free for four days and that was great...until this morning. We got back last night and I woke up this morning, went through my hair, and pulled out four live lice and three or four eggs. It would be an understatement for me to say I was not bummed. I wanted to cry when I saw the first live one crawling through the comb. The good thing, though, is that they were still relatively small live ones, so they couldn't have been alive long to do too much egg laying. I am guessing the lice must have hatched while we were gone and then got in my hair again. So today I am washing all our clothes again and cleaned the whole house again and am going to clean the car again as well...but it's not like I haven't been doing that everyday anyway.

Another bummer from all of this is that my nephew is being born right now just five miles down the road and I can't see him for at least a week, maybe more, because of these nasty things. It is really hard to be quaranteened in your apartment all day by yourself for a couple weeks. As you can probably tell, I am really trying NOT to cry and lose it. Pregnancy hormones... :)

Trying to look on the bright side of things, I still have four weeks until the baby comes, so that will hopefully be plenty of time to get rid of the lice AND we did have a fantastic time in Indiana. We went shopping on Saturday and Jeff found some nice pants and I found a new pair of shoes! Yeah! These are the first pair of new shoes I have had in a LONG time. I think the last pair I bought was before we were married. Now I am stylin'. If only I could go out and actually do something to show them off! Maybe next week. :) I think I will go read a book now and get my mind off things.

I'm Clean!!!

My daily ritual this past week has included waking up and showering, then spending a good hour going through my hair with a nit comb to try to get the leftover lice out and their unhatched eggs. I was finding about 20 eggs and a couple live ones up until yesterday when I finally had a breakthrough and discovered white vinegar! I sprayed it into my hair each time I showered, morning and night, and let it dry like that. Since then, the numbers have drastically dropped to six yesterday and two this morning....AND ZERO tonight!!! I am so so so so happy! Because I am paranoid, I will probably continue doing this twice a day at least tomorrow and maybe Saturday, but hopefully by Sunday and a couple days of zeros I will try to tone it down a bit to once a day until I can finally phase nit combing my hair everyday. I feel clean and cannot describe the incredible amounts of relief I am feeling.

My sister-in-law thought of where we might have picked up the lice and both Jeff and I feel pretty confident that she is right. A few weeks ago now Jeff went on a dental school trip to rural Kentucky to do sealants on underprivileged elementary aged children. He worked with them for two days and was definitely close to their hair. My guess is he picked them up here and brought them home with him. They probably loved me because I have longer hair and more hair on my head then Jeff, so I started itching first. Anyway, the timing is perfect. Most of the time people have lice for 2-3 weeks before finding out. I am just so so so thankful that we may be on the uphill now! Yeah!