The Arnold Family

40 Weeks and Our Sweet Baby Girl...

2010-09-23T08:06:00.002-07:00

That's right...in one day we made it to 40 weeks and welcomed Brooke into the world. She was born on her actual due date September 15, 2010 at 1:27am. Only 4% of babies are born on their estimated due date...we feel pretty lucky. She was 6lbs 12oz and 20 in long! After delivery our nurse also told me it was Neonatal Nurses Day...it must have been meant to be, LOL! I'm going to add more pictures but for now I will leave you with Brooke's birth story! It's kind of long but I wanted her to be able to have it for when she is older :-). It has truly been an emotional week but everything has been worth it for her and I am so glad I could document all that happened!

Brooke’s Birth Story

9/14 9:30am I woke up to contractions 6-7 minutes apart.

9/14 12:00am I think this MAY be the start of labor as contractions cont throughout day about 6 minutes apart but we have a midwife appointment today so we will see.

9/14 3:30pm At the birth center for midwife appointment and the contractions are 5-6 minutes apart…I need to sit and rock on birth ball while waiting for the midwife…Susan is our midwife today and she checks me. I am 5-6cm and 90% effaced with Brooke’s head low…it REALLY is labor. She tells us it’s ok to go home for now because the contractions are still far enough apart but that it would be tonight or tomorrow when she would come!

9/14 4:30pm We just left the birth center and WOW checking me must have kick started labor because contractions are 4-5 minutes apart and strong…I am feeling them in my back! I call Auntie Meg to tell her the news. We stop at Wal-Mart to pick up a “birth ball” for me to rock on…walking around Wal-Mart is a little uncomfortable. We then stop at Fry’s to pick up labor snacks…I tell Brant to go in alone and hurry because I am now very uncomfortable. I squirm like crazy in the car while waiting…sitting with back labor is NO fun! We fill up on gas just in case and grab Arby’s (I was starving and it sounded amazing!). I am so uncomfortable in the car now.

9/14 5:30pm I am eating Arby’s and hanging out on the birth ball.

9/14 6:30 I get into warm bath to relax…it feels great and makes a huge difference for my back…I get the feeling Brooke is OP with all this back labor!

9/14 7:30pm We start calling everyone to let them know labor has started.

9/14 9:00pm I continue snacking and drinking plenty of water.

9/14 10:00pm I am somewhere between late first stage and transition…think it’s time to lay down and having Brant give me the massage we learned in Bradley…I need to moan through each contraction now. Contractions are 4 minutes apart…I think I will be doing this throughout the night and until tomorrow some time.

9/14 11:15pm Oh m goodness…in one contraction I hit transition HARD…I jump up and tell Brant we have to go to the Birth Center NOW…there is lots of pressure and contractions every minute!!! Brant runs around like crazy to get everything ready and I call the midwife…she says come NOW! I have to stop every minute to have a contraction…I start crying because I don’t want to have her in the car!

9/14 11:18pm We are in the car and racing to the birth center…people are driving SO slowly around us and I am angry…I feel the contractions completely in my back L but I can moan through them…I can’t believe this is happening.

9/14 11:30pm We pull into birth center and run in…CeCe is the midwife on-call (she was also when Brooke tried to come at 32 weeks so we know her well) and Fania is our nurse…both are super amazing and talk me through everything. CeCe checks me and I am 8-9cm and 100% effaced. Brooke’s head is engaged. The tub is filled so I get ready and jump in! It’s a whirlwind of checking my vitals and listening to Brooke’s heart rate (which did AMAZING the whole time….I remember praying each time the Doppler went to my belly that I would hear that perfect little heartbeat…it was a little scary for me because I kept thinking like a NICU nurse).

9/14 11:43pm Back labor is INTENSE but I am so close I just have to deal with it and meet my little girl…my body starts naturally pushing on its own but I have to make it through some more contractions before I’m ready to push. I pray she doesn’t come too soon…if she waits just a few more minutes she can be born on her due date!

9/15 12:15am We made it to 9/15/10 her original due date and I am officially 40 weeks! I begin pushing and water breaks after two little pushes! Pushing is very hard with the back labor but my body just keeps giving me clues as to what I need to do…CeCe and Fania gently give me tips on what will help bring Brooke down. Brant is being AMAZING…he has not panicked once and knows exactly what he needs to do! This is happening so fast there is no time to really think. I know I can’t turn back now and keep saying out loud that I can do this! Laboring on your hands and knees usually works best for back labor but I think I may have pulled something in my back and my wrists are going numb from holding myself up…they have me get in the most comfortable position I can and it helps SO much. Brooke is right there!

9/15 1:00am My most effective pushing started about this time. I am still able to talk after each push…of course I would be able to J! This part is SO hard but the fastest…I have to be patient and breathe her out. Fania is fanning my face and it feels amazing. Brant is trying to give me as many sips of water as he can…I can’t get enough.

9/15 1:27am Brooke is born peacefully in the tub!!! She looks up at us from the water and Brant and I pull her up to my belly…we are both crying. Oh my goodness she is here and I…WE did this! She cried for just a second then lay calmly on my belly while we waited for her cord to stop pulsing. While we wait we all take turns guessing what she weighs…we all think 7-7 ½ lbs. It takes about 12 minutes or so then they let Brant cut the cord. They have Brant hold her while they finish with me and help me out of the tub. For the next two hours we lay in bed with our sweet beautiful baby girl on my chest. I sip lots of juice and eat cheese and crackers…I need my strength now more than ever.

9/15 3:45am Fania comes to weigh/measure her…she sneaks in just under 7lbs at 6lbs 12oz and 20 in long…she’s perfect! At this time they want me to get up and use the restroom…they know I am weak so the nurse goes very slowly. I end up passing out for a few seconds anyways and we decide it’s best to get an IV with fluids…I didn’t want too many medical interventions for her birth but when it came to our health and safety there were no questions asked. They also check my CBC just to make sure I didn’t lose too much blood or wasn’t anemic before giving birth. (I find out the day after having her that I am anemic and this leads to a whole other story…see the end)

9/15 7:00am Brant goes out and gets us IHOP…it tastes AMAZING and I can’t believe I’m eating IHOP after just having her. My mom, Aunt Gina, and sister arrive from Phoenix to meet her and help us the first day at home. Delivering her with just Brant and I was truly amazing but it is so nice to see family and show her off!

9/15 1:00pm We leave the birth center with our beautiful baby girl.

9/16 10:00 We go to Brooke’s first pediatrician appointment…she is doing great but I really do not feel or look good. The birth center wants us to come back for breastfeeding help and to talk to me about my H&H (Hemoglobin & Hematocrit results).

9/16 11:00am We are back at birth center and trying to breastfeed…I am in tears and in so much pain. They come back with my results and it looks like I am not only pretty anemic now but have been since before having her. After another blood draw I get two liters of fluids there and then after the results come back even lower we are sent to the ER for a blood transfusion. It was so horrible to have our sweet new baby in such a dirty place but her daddy was doing a good job of protecting her. They confirm that I did not have a hemorrhage after birth but that I have been anemic and the birth put me over the edge. My mom, grandma, and sister show up from Phoenix to take Brooke home. We have to have them bottle feed her for the night with formula…when they take her away I can’t stop sobbing but I know it’s for the best.

9/17 5:30am After a very long night in the ER we arrive back home to our little girl and hope the craziness is over.

9/20 We had a few more speed bumps along the way but I am now feeling MUCH better. They said I could have tried eating very healthy but it would have taken 6 weeks to regain my strength without the blood transfusion. I am so glad I did it. We had a lactation consultant come to the house the afternoon after coming home from the ER and with her help we are now doing very well with breastfeeding. It’s a learning process and we are both getting better at it with each feed. Now only if we can get some sleep?! I want to mention how absolutely amazing Brant has been through all of this but words cannot describe what he has done for me…for our family. We feel truly blessed and thank God for how everything turned out.

7 days left...39 weeks!

2010-09-08T19:51:00.001-07:00

**39 week midwife appt update** We had our 39 week appt today! I gained another pound...now up 15 lbs woo hoo! And she definitely dropped as my belly only measured 37 cm! Brooke tried to give us a little scare by having a low resting HR (which she had while I was in the hospital too) so our midwife put me on the monitor for a little while just to make sure. It was so reassuring to have her do this...I think had I been at a Dr. office they would have listened with the doppler for 2 sec and not even noticed. As soon as she put me on though Brooke decided to wake up and kick the monitor (she never has liked it, LOL) and did great through two strong contractions. We go again on Tuesday for our 40 week appt! It's at this one we'll start talking about natural ways to induce labor...I definitely do not want to go all the way to 41 weeks and need Pitocin...it's the devil, LOL!

That's right...just SEVEN days left until her due date! We've been working on lots of little craft projects to keep busy and are actually patiently waiting. I am pretty content with staying pregnant. Of course my back hurts but I love feeling this little girl squirm around inside me and know I only have a little while left to have her all to my self. We've been going on nice walks at Reid Park but no other crazy attempts to evict this little one. Many other mamas on my birth board are trying the entire gamut of "labor inducing" tricks but for the most part I feel too lazy or too scared to try them, LOL!

I actually woke up today and thought my water was leaking. We went in to the birth center to get checked and did an NST (where they hook me up to the monitor to watch Brooke's heart rate and my contractions). It wasn't amniotic fluid and Brooke looked great so we came back home. It was nice to see she was handling the contractions well that I was having...very reassuring :-). It was also wonderful not to have to go through the whole hospital experience over again to find out it's nothing...you just call the birth center, go in, and they have you sit in a comfy recliner in a cozy little room where they monitor you. We have been getting calls daily (sometimes more than once, LOL) from family to see how we are doing. We know they love us and can't wait for her arrival but I am starting think they think we won't tell them when she's coming HAHA! We'll just call a few days later and say "Guess what?!". But even if it's not in the next 24 hours...she is on her way...no doubt about that!

The belly...

Belly shadow :-)

It's getting pretty snug in there!

Sometimes it feels like a have a little watermelon in there...one with legs that likes to poke me, LOL!

Brant working on the belly cast.

Other craft projects from this week! I had a shadow box frame that came a in a kit from a long time ago. The paper that came with it was kind of ugly and I just never did anything with it. We have some adorable scrapbook paper and decided to decorate it on our own...love how it came out. The onsies were just a plain white set of newborn ones that I know she won't be able to wear for long. I just ironed these on...one even has cupcakes on the butt :-).

I already have my Moby wrap but I got email with a code to get this sling for FREE! It came with a matching bracelet and adorable little Babylegs! It'll be nice to have just as another option.

www.sevenslings.com

38 weeks!

2010-09-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe her due date is now just two weeks away! At this weeks midwife appt I didn't have them check me...it was a little too much to handle last time and I felt like I had to recover just from being checked, LOL! But again Brooke's heartbeat was perfect, my belly measure right on at 38 cm, and I have now gained 14 lbs! I am still feeling pretty good...although her little head couldn't be pushing down any harder :-). I think she is getting restless as she never stops squirming now. I am surprised I do not have large bruises on my belly from where she keeps sticking her feet out, LOL! Brant and I have been trying to grab them every time she does it :-). My contractions are starting to get much stronger but are still not consistent.
This week we have finished getting some more things for her room and we even went to Reid Park one night for a very long walk! I decided this week that since my "belly" will not be at the baby shower that I really wanted to make a belly cast as a decoration. We thought if it turned out we might hang it in her room as well. Instead of buying an expensive kit we just went to Michaels and got everything our selves...luckily my husband is very crafty!

The new blog background is called "Brooke"...perfect!

I can just imagine her sucking on her little hand like that :-).

37 weeks!

2010-09-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

We made it to 37 weeks and couldn't be more EXCITED! Not only does that mean she is full-term now but that I can deliver at the Birth Center! We feel very blessed. On Friday (8/27) we went to our 37 week midwife appt and found out that I am now 3-4cm dilated, still 80% effaced, and her head is right there! It's weird to me that my body just keeps dilating without me knowing, LOL! Some people are screaming in pain at 3 cm! Now we just have to wait for actual labor to begin...I'm sure with consistent contractions the intensity of labor will kick in but that's what we have everything we learned in Bradley classes for :-). Brooke's heartbeat was in the 140s, my belly measured 36 cm, and I have officially gained 12 lbs (they were very happy about that!).
We were really excited to head to Phoenix after my appt but she said my water could break at any time and that we would need to come right in to have her hear rate checked and what not if this were to happen. We decided it would be safer to not go until after she is born...I was really bummed but I definitely didn't want something to happen to her just because we were 2 hours away or need to deliver at a hospital in Phoenix. Luckily my grandma was sweet enough to come and stay with us from Friday until Wednesday...it was so nice to have her! We were able to do lots of walking while she was here and get a pedicure...it felt wonderful!

New addition to Brooke's room...

2010-08-23T14:58:00.001-07:00

Paintings by our wonderful friend Beth! Brooke's room is SLOWLY :-) coming together and when Beth offered to make some canvas paintings for us we couldn't resist.

Cookies!

2010-08-22T21:27:00.003-07:00

I've been following a food blog for a while now {Picky Palate} and I made these last night...SO YUMMY!!!

Honeyed Banana Berry Cake Cookies….4 Ingredients!

1 box yellow cake mix

4 large bananas, mashed (about 2 1/2 Cups)

3/4 Cup dried blueberries

4 Tablespoons creamed honey or 2 Tablespoons normal honey

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place all ingredients into stand mixer and beat until just combined. Will seem sticky, no worries. Use a cookie scoop and scoop dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-15 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Original post: http://picky-palate.com/2010/08/19/honeyed-banana-berry-cake-cookies-4-ingredients/

36 weeks...so close!

2010-08-20T23:32:00.000-07:00

We are now 36 weeks...this pregnancy has flown by! I thought with bed rest everything would slow down but it seems to be going even faster! We are just a few days away from being able to deliver at the birth center...you must be exactly 37 weeks to do so...we keep telling her to hang on but not for too long :-). I would like plenty of time with her with what's left of my maternity leave so 38/39 weeks would be OK! We'll see, though, they come when they are ready. This week brings an even bigger belly :-), a very very sore lower back (probably from all the lying around HAHA), a little baby head pushing in places it really shouldn't, and a very anxious mommy and daddy who can't wait to meet their little girl! At our midwife appt today she listened to Brooke's heart, bowels, and umbilical cord with the doppler...she said everything sounds great! My belly measured 35 cm and I was able to gain the 1 lb they wanted me too, LOL!
We have the 3D/4D pics of her sweet little face but I still have a hard time actually picturing what she will look like and what it will be like to actually hold her. We have finished getting all the little things we need to bring her home...surprisingly babies don't really need that much, LOL, and I think most of it ends up being for mommy and daddy ;-)! So many wonderful friends have let us borrow what we need though and it has helped more than they will ever know! Our good friend's Dave & Beth bought us her bouncer and Beth is now painting canvases to go above her crib...Beth is an amazing artist/designer and we can't wait to see how they turn out! Next weekend we are finally going to be able to go to Phoenix to see family and friends who we have missed SO much...while we are LOVING our new place it will be nice to get out for a while! I'll leave you with my usual pictures...

You can barely see it on the front belly shot but a bug bit my belly this week...how rude, LOL!

Brooke's Heartbeat

2010-08-20T16:17:00.001-07:00

We accidentally recorded it as a voice note instead of a video so I had to add pictures so we could upload it :-).

Horrible Blogger :-(

2010-08-15T01:46:00.000-07:00

SO I have been a horrible blogger since 25 weeks, LOL! I am going to try and make up for it all in one post...this could be long!

26 weeks

27 weeks

28 weeks

29 weeks

30 weeks

31 weeks

32 weeks...went into pre-term labor and spent a week on hospital bed rest :-(...I am on maternity leave from this point on.

We also moved into our new place this week...thank you SO much to all of our wonderful friends and family that helped while I was in the hospital!

33 weeks

34 weeks

35 weeks

We are getting so close to meeting our little girl and couldn't be more excited!

25 weeks!

2010-06-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe there are only about 14 weeks left...it's crazy! I am definitely beginning to feel the desperate need to nest...and I can't, LOL! We are pretty sure we have found the condo we'd like to move to so I can't wait to move at the end of July and get everything ready for her. We spent all day Thursday looking at many places and then furniture for the new place. We found the living room set we love and dinning table so again we just have to wait to move to get it! Exciting news, though, we did get to order her crib set and bedding! We actually had a really hard time deciding on exactly what we wanted because we want everything to be clean and simple but in the "baby" world there's not much of that, LOL! We are pretty sure the main colors will be cream, espresso, and light green/sage with accents of light pink and yellow.

Brooke is doing good...she wiggles around all of the time especially all night when I'm at work and when I lie down to go to sleep. Some how she has figured out how to get a little foot or hand all the way in the corners of her home by my hip bones! It's cute most of the time, LOL! After a while I have to gently push on her to stop because it feels so funny. Brant started reading to her last night...Good Night Moon and Love You Forever...she actually started moving around to his voice! It was so neat to be able to have him interact with her. They say if you read the same book to them or play the same music it may be calming to them after they are born...we'll see!

She's an eggplant!

The belly...

We have our next midwife appt on Monday and I should be taking my glucose test soon as well as getting my first Rhogam shot for being Rh- (certain blood type). Before we know it, we'll be going to appointments twice a month! Our Bradley class starts next week and we are very excited to start learning all the techniques to get us through a natural delivery plus it's two hours every week for 12 weeks that Brant and I will have together!

24 weeks!

2010-06-03T05:10:00.000-07:00

Wow 6 months! It's starting to go by so fast but we are getting more and more excited each day to meet our little girl. This week she made her first trip with us out of Arizona to shoot a wedding in New Mexico. It was a lot of work but we stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast and it was so neat to be apart of Justin and Cindy's big day! Brooke helped my wiggling around as much as possible, LOL!

She's an ear of corn!

The belly...I still need to work on that tan, HAHA!

23 weeks!

2010-05-24T23:38:00.000-07:00

OK so I am a little late :-). But I am 23 weeks and 5 days...that's almost 6 months! It is going by so fast and although I am excited to meet her, I really enjoy being pregnant and would like it to last for a while, LOL! At 9 months I might change my mind ;-). As a NICU nurse the 23-28 week period is a little scary for me because it's when we can start to save babies. I just keep praying about it though and know everything will be OK. She loves to wiggle around now. I feel her constantly kicking and punching me...it's actually pretty funny. Brant is able to feel her too which is very exciting for him. I think feeling them makes it more real for the guy. I mean they know they are in there but now he can feel her too. Luckily she is still nice about it and isn't hurting me but I'm sure she'll be kicking me in the ribs soon :-).

She's a papaya!

The belly...

21 weeks!

2010-05-05T23:45:00.001-07:00

I had actually forgotten that today was Wednesday and that I am now 21 weeks...that's what working nights will do to ya, LOL! I worked three in a row and now have 7 days off...amazing! The nights actually went very well and I know I will be just fine. It will probably be a while before I can go back to days but I am looking forward to joining the normal world once again :-). This week I took care of a little one just three weeks older than Brooke...weird! Brant is completely finished with school WOOOOO HOOOOO!!! We were able to go out to dinner tonight to celebrate and are driving up to Mt Lemmon tomorrow morning to enjoy some cool weather and eat lunch! I am sure there will be pictures! Well here's Brooke at 21 weeks...

She's a banana...

She looks very comfy in there!

The belly...

Half-way there...20 weeks!!!

2010-04-29T13:25:00.003-07:00

WOW we are finally at 20 weeks and it feels amazing! After the ultrasounds and finally feeling her move...I know she's really in there. Speaking of moving around, she moves all day now. They are still soft movements but I can feel her fluttering around in there. The other night it felt like she was doing flips, LOL! At one point I was able to put my hand on my belly and actually feel her which means it won't be long before Brant will be able to feel her and he is very anxious! I hope Brooke is as much fun as Mason has been and everyone can enjoy her little (or soon BIG) movements!

In other news...I start working nights on Sunday...eek! I am excited but also a little nervous to see how my body responds to it. I am typically a night person so I am sure before long it will be no problem at all. Brant GRADUATES in 16 days and is still working his butt off to finish his capstone project. I am so proud of him! After 5 years of...well I wouldn't say fun ;-)...he will be DONE!

Congrats sweetheart...you will be an amazing architect!

Here's Brooke...

Baby Brooke

2010-04-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

We went to the 3D/4D US place today just to have a 2D gender check. I needed my 100% HAHA! She looked right away and found that Brooke was indeed a girl...good thing because I don't think a "he" would have liked the name Brooke so much. After that she surprised us and switched the machine to 4D mode...we were in awe! She had just begun moving around and we could see all her TINY features! She was swallowing, sucking on her hand, and sticking out her tongue. I could stare at her for hours. I think the best part, though, is looking over at Brant's face...he always has the biggest smile when we do anything "baby" and I love it! We were only supposed to get a few pictures in 2D but she printed several all in 4D!

It's a GIRL...we're 90% sure!

2010-04-23T23:32:00.000-07:00

HAHA! So we went for our anatomical/gender US today! Lets just say this little baby did not want to completely show us the goods. We were able to get a pretty good picture from the side where you could clearly see the three lines but I need MORE proof, LOL! We are planning on going in the next couple of days to get our 100%! For right now we are calling it a HER and her name is Brooke Elyse! We are ecstatic and even if it changes at the next US we will still be SO thrilled! It was just so amazing to see her moving all around and kicking her legs. She didn't really like having her picture taken and kept kicking the US probe :-). It was neat because that was the hardest I had felt her kick! Now I just can't wait to hear from the midwives that everything looks ok with her. I was able to get my diaper bag today and we bought her two little outfits from the Carter's Outlet! We were also able to go out to dinner and celebrate with some wonderful friends tonight, Dave and Beth! They brought us a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a cute little card. It's starting to feel more real!

Here she is...

19 weeks!

2010-04-21T16:05:00.001-07:00

We are almost half way there! Besides the few moments a day where baby decides to do a little dance and I can actually feel his or her kicks...I am still waiting to "feel" pregnant! I am sure once I wrap my head around it, the baby will be here and it will be over, LOL! My only complaint is my round ligaments. They have really been my only problem, LOL! The other day I was doing some light stretching...it felt great but about 20 mins later I realized I pulled my round ligament on my left side! It did not make work on Tuesday any easier but I am hoping going to the chiropractor several times over the next few weeks will help :-).

We now have THREE days left until we find out the sex...I thought it would never get here! We are just going to be calling everyone afterwards to let them know...unless someone wants to wait a few weeks and get more of a surprise HAHA! We are planning on going to get a coming home outfit and our diaper bag after wards! I am excited about the little outfit but EVEN MORE excited about my diaper bag :-)! We are going pretty simple on everything baby but Brant said I could splurge a little on my diaper bag as long as it wasn't the almost $400 Coach one I had wanted, LOL! So I am going with a Petunia Pickle Bottom bag which Meg introduced me to! These are the three I love...but we'll see which ones the store has and which one Brant is "OK" with...he's so darn picky for a boy :-).

Here's the baby...

It's a mango!

Baby looks a tad bit squished here...

Belly pic coming soon!

18 weeks: Upated...

2010-04-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

I forgot the BEST part of all, LOL! I finally felt the baby move for sure this last week. I thought I may have been feeling something before but I was able to tell for sure it wasn't just something in my head, LOL! It wasn't flutters like some people explain but actual kicks or punches (not sure which). It feels like someone is tapping me on the inside of my abdomen, LOL! This is what I imagine our little one doing...HAHA!

Hilarious!

2010-04-17T17:51:00.002-07:00

Now I don't have a problem with people touching my belly at all...not too many try at this point, LOL! I'm excited to be pregnant so touch away but this shirt made me giggle!

18 weeks!

2010-04-16T22:42:00.003-07:00

Things have been going pretty well! I have recently started having Braxton Hicks contractions (painless contractions that should not progress to labor). The don't hurt but are just annoying, LOL! I just make sure I am drinking plenty of water and rest when I can so they don't turn into anything more. In more exciting news...we find out in 7 days what we are having!!! It will also be our first ultrasound where we can actually see what the baby looks like and make sure he/she is healthy! I was dying to have a gender cake party (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vU7WBDFsCo) with family and friends but unfortunately Brant just can't make it back to Phoenix soon enough to do it. We'd have to wait about two weeks to go home after the US so we still need to find some other cute way to tell everyone!

The belly...

The baby...a sweet potato!

Funny...

2010-04-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

17 weeks!

2010-04-07T23:30:00.001-07:00

I know I say this EVERY week but I can't believe we're at 17 weeks. I still don't really feel pregnant and I'm not big enough for others to know I'm pregnant so it's still weird, LOL! We had our third midwife appt yesterday and it went great. It wasn't long but we were able to ask some questions and hear the heartbeat...a strong 156 bpm :-). We were also able to make our anatomical/gender ultrasound appt for April 23rd!!! I can't believe in 2 1/2 weeks we'll know for sure (fingers crossed baby participates) what we are having!
Pregnancy wise I have been feeling great but unfortunately on Sunday I started to get sick. I haven't been sick in forever and you can't really take anything for it while pregnant. I left work early Sunday (the NICU is not a good place to be sick) and then went back on Monday. I felt pretty good but by the time I got home I was achy, my throat was sore, and my lymph nodes felt huge. I thought it would have gotten better by now but pregnancy lowers your immune system and is not very helpful in recovering quickly. When I went to the midwife yesterday I wasn't feeling too bad so I didn't really think about it. I started coughing like crazy, though, and decided before I got really sick that I should go to the doctor. The NP said I have the start of Bronchitis and prescribed me amoxicillin and cough medicine. I'm really glad I went now...it could have turned into something much worse. Hopefully the amoxicillin will clear it up. I would just LOVE to stop coughing because it has made all of the muscles in my belly so sore. I am sure the baby is not too found of being bounced around every few minutes either, LOL!
My belly...which seems to be sticking out quite a bit further...pasta and salad or baby?? LOL!

Image from Babycenter....I think it looks like a little Buddha baby...just skinny :-).

I do NOT like onions but that's OK.

In other news...I think we found our bedding! We have been looking for a while and weren't sure if we'd do neutral or boy/girl. We are both pretty picky...well mostly Brant, LOL! Our biggest problem has been that we don't really like anything "baby". We had found something alsmot exactly the same at Pottery Barn but they stopped making it. We really wanted the bedding to be simple so that we could decorate around it and do more accents. We love the rug too but aren't sure what color yet. We won't be doing the valance or diaper stacker, though. It's not for everyone but we really like it. Hopefully we can order it soon!

16 weeks and an interesting article...

2010-03-31T22:14:00.001-07:00

So we are finally 16 weeks! I always thought it would be more "real" here but it still feels the same, LOL! Maybe at 20... :-).

My belly...

The baby...

From Babycenter.com, "Your baby is now about the size of an avocado (about 5 inches / 11.6 centimetres long from crown to rump and weighing approximately 4 ounces / 100 grams). In the next three weeks he'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, doubling his weight and adding inches to his length.

In or out of the womb, babies are playful creatures. Yours may already have discovered his first toy -- the umbilical cord -- which he'll enjoy pulling and grabbing. Sometimes he may even clutch it so tight that less oxygen gets through, but don't worry -- he doesn't hold onto it long enough to harm himself. The circulatory system and urinary tract are in full working order, and he's inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid through his lungs.

Sometimes, when you move suddenly, you may a feel a slight pain in your sides. Ligaments on each side of your uterus and pelvic walls are stretching as your baby grows. It's normal to feel some pain, but if it continues for a few days or escalates, talk to your doctor."

Yum...I LOVE avocados :-).

SO when I was looking for images of a 16 week baby...I came across this...creepy, LOL!

In other EXCITING news...Andrew and Theresa had their baby boy on Tuesday! I just can't believe he is finally here! We are going to see him Friday and I am already dying, LOL! Congrats Lichter family..."Baby Boy" Lichter (as his name isn't set yet and this is what we call babies in the NICU) is absolutely precious!

Here is the interesting article I was talking about...Meg sent it to me. Let me know what you think!

Birth plan? Doula? Natural birth? Not here you don't.

October 29, 2009 by Amy Gates in Moms & Family

A sign posted at the Aspen OB/GYN Women's Center in Provo, Utah has many women up in arms. What's so offensive? Read for yourself.
The sign reads as follows:

Because the Physicians at Aspen Women’s Center care about the quality of their patient’s deliveries and are very concerned about the welfare and health of your unborn child, we will not participate in a “Birth Contract”, a Doulah Assisted, or a Bradley Method delivery. For those patients who are interested in such methods, please notify the nurse so we may arrange transfer of your care.

I first learned of this sign from Naomi, the Denver Doula, who posted it on Facebook. Being a doula (which is misspelled on the sign) herself, she took a particular interest in it. When she called the Center and inquired with the receptionist as to why the sign was posted she was told, "in case there is an emergency we don't want anyone to get in the way of the doctor doing what he has to do."
Annie from PhD in Parenting was inspired by the sign to write How Not To Have a Natural Birth and believes the center might as well have said:

Because Physicians at Aspen Women’s Center care only about doing things their own way and making as much money as possible from unnecessary birth interventions, even if it poses greater risks to the welfare and health your baby, we will not participate in a “Birth Contract”, a doula-assisted, or a Bradley Method delivery. For all patients who have done any research into having the safest birth possible, please notify the nurse so that we can transfer you to a facility that cares less about control and money.

Annie added, "I guess we can at least credit them with warning women in advance. Many hospitals with the same attitude don’t have a sign hanging out front."
Amber responded, "I always thought the big ‘trust birth’ poster in my midwives office was a little cheesy. Now that I’ve seen the alternative, I think it’s truly marvelous. Really."
Miriam Zoila Pérez of Radical Doula wrote a post called Signs You Don't Want to See at Your OB-GYN's Office. She believes the sign could be translated to say:

We don’t care at all what you want as a parent, or a person in labor. We want a patient who will sit quiet and do what we say–no matter what. Oh and if you have a partner you want involved, tough. Your desires don’t matter.

Miriam adds, "They should change the name of the center to the 'Unborn Children Center' since they don’t seem to care too much about the women involved."
A commenter named Janna responded saying, "That’s what bothered me most about this hateful little sign–not once is the “welfare and health” of the MOTHER mentioned, just the “welfare and health” of the “unborn child” and the “quality” of the “deliveries.” Who would want to give birth in a place where they’re the lowest priority on their caregiver’s list? I hope women in this area have other options and the opportunity to have safe, healthy, supportive births."
Does no doula, Bradley Method birth or birth "contract" equal no women's rights?

Summer who writes at Wired for Noise says signs like this one and stories like the lack of choice with regard to our reproductive health and doctors' personal "birth plans" make her sometimes think Doctors Hate Women.

What does it say when women have to escape, have to run away in order to do something as normal as give birth? What does it say when women are treated like children, talked down to, insulted, lied to, and handed letters telling them what the god-head doctor will allow or not allow. When all you want to do is give birth and you’re doctor is more concerned with telling you to sit down and shut up, what is that if not hatred?

I have to agree with Annie that at least some doctors are upfront with what they will and won't "allow" as part of their practice. Kudos to them for being honest. Hopefully that will allow women to look for another care provider while she's still early in her pregnancy.
Rest assured if the OB/GYN I had at my daughter's birth would have given me a piece of paper with her "rules" or had a sign posted like that at the Aspen Women's Clinic, I would have found another care provider pronto. Instead, however, she paid me lip service and acted like she cared about my birth plan (though she didn't act very well and that should have been a big clue for me) and said we could "try" Hypnobirthing, etc. However, when push came to shove (no pun intended), it was her way or the highway. I had my healthy baby girl at the end of it and for that I am truly thankful, but I also got a lot more than I bargained for (and not in a good way). Then again it was that experience lead me to pursue a home birth for my second child and become a home birth advocate.
Although I admire the Aspen Women's Center's honesty, I find it truly offensive that they imply that if a woman wants a doula, natural birth, or has a birth plan, she is not concerned with the welfare and health of her baby (so much more personal than "unborn child" don't you think?) or is even putting her baby's life at risk. Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily. And how exactly is choosing a Bradley birth not good for the health or welfare of the baby? "Bradley® classes teach families how to have natural births. The techniques are simple and effective. They are based on information about how the human body works during labor. Couples are taught how they can work with their bodies to reduce pain and make their labors more efficient." What about a birth plan or "contract?" Is that harmful to the "unborn child?" The American Pregnancy Association suggests, "Creating a birth plan can help you have a more positive birth experience."
There are other things I find offensive as well, like Janna mentioned above, the mother does not seem to be included in the equation at all. Is there any concern for her "welfare and health?"
Who's time money welfare are they really concerned with? I'll let you draw your own conclusions. I've obviously already drawn mine.
Contributing editor Amy Gates blogs about green living, attachment parenting, activism and life with an anxiety disorder at Crunchy Domestic Goddess.

15 weeks and Life...

2010-03-24T14:53:00.001-07:00

Well I can't believe that we are now 15 weeks! From the beginning I have said..."When I am 16 weeks that will be weird and seems so far away"...well 16 weeks is just NEXT week now! This also means 5 weeks or less until we find out the big ?...BOY or GIRL! Pregnancy really does fly by. Maybe the fact that I am at my new job and it consumes a lot of my time plus doing photo shoots almost every weekend is making time go faster. I really am trying to enjoy each and every moment of this pregnancy, though. I am in no rush for it to be over. Well enough rambling...here is baby A this week...

We've got an orange!

The belly...pretty much the same as last week.

I thought this one was really neat...you can actually see how the baby is in proportion to me...

Actual 15 week fetus... a little blurry but still cool! Almost everything is done forming in the baby...he/she is now working on growing and becoming a chunky cute baby :-).

My posts lately have been consumed by baby...understandably but I thought I would share everything else going on in our life! For me...work is...amazing. I never thought I could love a job so much...maybe because it's a career and not a job. There are times when I am definitely sleepy and want to be in bed or don't want to get out of bed at 5:30 am but I LOVE being there. I really hope this continues. I guess the fact that the NICU has a very low turn over rate and many of the nurses are much older is good news for me. For the most part there are a lot of happy times in there...miracle babies doing things they never should have been able to do but even in the few short weeks I've been there we've had some sad/hard times. I've actually just had to laugh lately when I've seen people complaining about homework, the president, healthcare...once you've been in the NICU and seen a family going through something they should never have to...nothing else seems like a big enough deal to complain about. Life is definitely put into perspective. Anyways...each day I am able to do more advanced procedures and take care of higher acuity babies...it's very exciting! I was even able to go to a high risk C-Section the other day. That's where I realized I definitely DO NOT want a C-Section, LOL! If the medical need arises then of course I wouldn't think twice but they are a little rougher than I would like :-).

Other than nursing, Elyse Renee Photography has really taken off! Meg and I are very excited for this year. Through lots of prayer and really taking our time with everything, we feel we are right where we want to be. Having wonderful husbands that can handle the business and design side is also very helpful! It's definitely going to get harder to shoot has my belly gets bigger but Meg's will be getting smaller as Mr. M arrives in May so we will be able to switch off duties, LOL!

As for Brant...he is going to be a college graduate in less than two months! He has been working for hours and hours....too many to count...on his final project and I am SO incredibly proud of him. I just need to take his senior photos and work on his announcements....May 15th will be here before we know it!

Well I hope you enjoyed the update...Karla and Meg I know you were in desperate need ;-)!

Lemon Baby

2010-03-17T21:38:00.002-07:00

14 weeks and it's a lemon!

The belly is really starting to show now! It still goes back and forth, though...small in the morning and big at night. Soon I know it will be there to stay, LOL!

The baby's head still makes up more than half of it's body but it's still cute :-).

13 Weeks!

2010-03-10T00:22:00.005-07:00

We've got a...

Peach!

I can't get over how much it looks like a REAL baby, LOL!

Belly...

Well nothing too exciting this week. Just that much closer to being in the second trimester...one more week! Work is going great. Luckily I get to sit a lot for charting and in between cares but standing next to an incubator for long periods of time (or when another nurse steals your chair!) starts to hurt! I'll definitely need a maternity belt of some sort once this belly actually gets big enough to weigh me down, LOL! Right now I don't have trouble falling asleep but I am starting to notice that I toss and turn quite a bit and wake up when I accidentally roll to my back or tummy so I got a pregnancy pillow! It's a Snoogle and very comfy! You can use it many different ways so it won't be a waste after the baby comes. I also got an "I Love My Bump" shirt the other day HAHA! Brant hates when shirts say things like that but I think it's cute...can't wait to actually have a "bump" to wear it with ;-).

Last night I was watching 19 Kids and Counting and Michelle was able to hold Josie for the first time. I cried like a baby the whole time, LOL! Not only am I emotional now but seeing parents in the NICU each day just gives me a new perspective on the little things in life.

PS...I kind of went crazy with the pics this post but I really like it...it's fun to look at :-).

Baby Arnold

2010-03-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know...Brant and I are expecting our first little one September 15th, 2010!!! We are now 12 weeks and 2 days! We found out at 12:45 am on January 7th and have been SO excited ever since. We have chosen to go to a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) instead of an OB/GYN and will be delivering at The Birth and Women's Health Center here in Tucson. After going through our L&D rotation in nursing school, I knew exactly what I wanted my pregnancy and childbirth experience to be. I do not feel that I am sick and need a Dr., so a midwife was really the best choice for us. Brant was a little leery at first and really wanted me to be in a hospital. You can deliver at the hospital (TMC) with a midwife but I felt I would be at a much greater risk of having unnecessary interventions done. Now that we have met two out of the five midwives in the practice...Brant feels much more comfortable and is very excited! We chose to wait and announce it to the world mostly because I know too much for my own good and was worried, LOL! But now that we have seen the baby and heard the heartbeat I feel a lot better!
At our first appt. we were able to get a quick peek of the baby on an ultrasound. They normally don't do this but because it was too early (7w 5d) for a heartbeat to be heard through the doppler, she did a quick scan for us. I cried, LOL! The baby was so tiny but you could see the umbilical cord and our little one just floating around. At this appt. (12w 2d) we were able to hear the heartbeat just for a quick second. She said it was definitely there and sounded good! The baby is still low and was apparently hiding out behind my artery so it was a little tough, LOL! It is truly amazing to know something so tiny is actually growing inside of me :-)! Brant is handling everything so well and has been pretty amazing I must say! He has been doing so much around the house (especially now that I'm working) and gets so excited even over the little things. Since 4 weeks he has been rubbing lotion on my belly...not sure if he's being sweet or just trying to make sure I don't get stretch marks, LOL!
As far as how I have felt...not too bad! I had all day nausea starting just before 6 weeks and lasted until 9 weeks. I will take nausea over throwing up any day. I haven't been too tired...during the time when I would have been most exhausted I was sitting around at home, LOL, so I didn't really notice. My body has actually been surprising me. I thought for sure by now I would be completely showing and need my maternity clothes, LOL! But some how I actually lost about 7 lbs from the nausea. I now have gained almost 2 lbs back which the midwives are very happy about. They don't really like to see wt loss especially when you didn't start out over wt to begin with. While my belly is just starting to show I don't really need my maternity clothes just yet but they are just so darn comfortable that I wear them when I can HAHA!
Being pg at work is actually going quite well. My manager took the news very well and I can have 3 months off if I want! There are 5 of us pg right now so she deals with this a lot, LOL! My preceptor just came back from maternity leave so she knows exactly what I am going through.

Well enough of my blabbing...here are some pics!

The night we found out!

Second test...I took about 6 or 7, LOL!

4 weeks

5 weeks

6 weeks

7 weeks

8 weeks

9 weeks

10 weeks

11 weeks

12 weeks

Pictures...

2010-01-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures pictures taken by the photographer at graduation...

Blessed...

2010-01-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

To have an amazing family...

A wonderful husband...

The best friends a girl could ask for...

To have graduated from college...

To be working as a NICU nurse as a new graduate...

This year has brought so many amazing things to our life and I could not be more thankful!

Life goes on...

2009-12-17T01:55:00.000-07:00

Life has changed so much in the last 4 and 1/2 years. I was watching junior year’s cheer slideshow and cannot believe the flood of emotions that came back as I watched. When we were there nothing else mattered. We thought cheer was the most important part of our lives and that we might stay there forever…or die there…which ever came first:-). When I talk about it with people now I realize that I may have been terrified to tumble but I am not scared of life and I am so proud of the places I have gone since that time. I had my first NICU interview today and when the manager was speaking to me about why I wanted to work there I almost welled up with tears. I knew my junior year of high school that I wanted to be a nurse and that I would work in the NICU. Everyone told me that I would change my mind but I am knew what I wanted. I get to be apart of shaping an infant’s and their parent’s lives…I get be an advocate for not only their care but the quality of their care and I couldn’t think of anything better for me. When getting into college the pre-nursing adviser told me that I may want to think about a second major because the College of Nursing was highly competitive to get into…I told her no…that I would be graduating from U of A as an RN and there were no other options. Sitting in my interview today brought everything together. It is amazing what I now feel is important in life compared to in high school. The typical interview question was what do you feel your biggest accomplishment is? I do feel that being the first person in my immediate family to go to and graduate college is a major accomplishment but as I reflect, however, it’s not just an accomplishment…it changes your life. College has shaped who I am. I do not feel that I am better than someone who has not gone to college but it has made me a different person. I cannot wait to walk across that stage on Friday and know that I am finally done…for now ;-). I can honestly say that nursing school was not as hard or as scary as I thought it would be. Most people think I am crazy for saying that but I truly believe in life you make things as easy or as hard as you want them to be. I also think cheer prepared me more than I will ever know. When I was accepted to nursing school I thought to my self, “So you’re telling me I just need to attend class, go to clinicals, and study for tests...not practice Monday through Friday at 5am in the summer, Monday through Saturday for three hours during school, or throw my self backwards repeatedly for four straight years?!? Then I’ve got this:-).” People may think that is a ridiculous comparison but I got through nursing school without ever once thinking I was dying…so I guess it worked for me:-).

Lately...

2009-12-01T22:57:00.001-07:00

So much has been going on the last month I have not had any time to blog! Here's what has been happening lately:

-Meg and I have been doing LOTS of photo shoots
-We have driven back and forth to Phoenix a million times
-Saw New Moon at midnight with Jess and Maria
-My baby brother turned 16 and got his drivers license
-I have applied for about 9 RN positions...waiting to hear about interviews
-We found out that we are going to have a *nephew*...so excited for Meg, Mark, & baby Mason
-We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving
-I finished my thesis!!!!
-I've been getting everything ready for graduation
-I am almost done with classes...just doing final evaluations now
-I will defend my thesis on Friday the 4th
-Brant and I decided we are going to Seattle for our graduation trip in March!
-Best of all...I graduate in 17 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A new love...

2009-10-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

Although I am done precepting and don't have much going on for school, I am still keeping very busy with photography! I LOVE it SO much! Why am I becoming a nurse again?? LOL JK! I love that too but being able to do something on the side that I am also passionate about and even better doing it with my BEST friend is AMAZING! I've had a great time this week shooting some wonderful friends in nursing and even more fun editing the pictures! I'll sit at the computer forever trying to get them just right and sometimes forget to eat but it's SO worth it, LOL! Meg and I have been talking back and forth so much just trying to learn everything we can and coming up with ideas. I can't wait to make it official and get our business license!! When we first started talking about this last year I think we were kind of joking at first :-) but as soon as we had our first DSLRs in our hands...we knew it was meant to be! There is still a long way to go (especially in the learning department) but we truly feel this is how it's supposed to be. I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Meg working hard...

NICU life...

2009-10-04T23:23:00.000-07:00

Today I volunteered in the NICU again. Every time I go I love it more and more! I was able to hold a little guy whose hand was about this size...he was absolutely adorable and incredibly tiny! I am so excited that I will be working with little miracles every day!

Almost a nurse...

2009-09-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

The last five weeks I spent most of my time at TMC on the Women's Care Unit completing my preceptorship (or free internship for those of you who are like what in the world is that). We had antepartum patients on bed rest and women having gynecological surgeries. I worked with an absolutely wonderful RN named Korene who I was very sad to leave after my twelve shifts were done. She was very calm and confident in her own abilities and made me feel like I could not only be a nurse but a good one! I really enjoyed my time there and am so glad that it turned out better than I could have imagined. There is nothing wrong with being a PCT (and I have a TON of respect for those who are) but my year as a tech made me feel as though I might not like being a nurse...luckily that is not the case! Even while precepting I was able to really make a difference for my patients. Now I am done and only have lecture on Monday's and Community Health on Tuesday's until the end of the semester! Graduation will be December 18th at 2pm and I couldn't be MORE excited! Most of the hospitals will be putting their new grad programs up in November so that is when I can begin applying for jobs. I plan to apply for NICU, L&D, PICU, and ER at all the major hospitals in town. I really would love to be in the NICU right away (especially since I would like to go to grad school in two years) but there are some other places I would also love to get experience in. I am not worried about getting hired...just where I will get hired. Until then I will be working as a nanny and finishing my Honor's Thesis...I really need to get on that, LOL! Well that is pretty much all that has been happening with my school life.Brant and I are just beginning to work on this transition from college life to the real world and are so excited to see what God has in store for us! It will be so fun to move on to another chapter in our lives...our careers, babies, a house :-)...and just continuing to enjoy marriage.

Cutest face EVER!

2009-08-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

OK so I read this blog called Maybe Baby where the dad writes a blog about all he and his wife went through to have their little girl Nola and now what life with Nola is like. He is a really funny writer and even wrote a book about it! Well they had to take sweet little Nola to the ER due to excessive vomiting and I just had to show you the most ADORABLE picture they got of her. Apparently she was very upset that she had to drink Pedialyte instead of her mommy's milk!
*I hope it's OK that I am showing this picture of her, LOL!

We Moved!

2009-08-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Brant and I moved into our new apartment! We went from a two bedroom to a one bedroom to save money...about $300 a month! In square footage it is smaller but all the rooms are bigger. I can actually cook in the kitchen and move around, LOL! The bathroom is strangely big but I'm not complaining :-)! We are pretty sure it is actually an ADA compliant apartment due to wide hallways and cut-outs in the bathroom but it's like they didn't quite finish it because some things wouldn't work at all. Best of all though about being in a smaller place is that I can finally keep it clean all the time and be a good house wife ;-)...it only took me two years! Now that we are all settled in it is time to start my last semester and Brant's final year of school!!! After all this time we can't believe everything is finally coming to an end! I feel like we can really start our lives after this year. I am actually very excited to complete my five week preceptorship (internship where you don't get paid, LOL)! I will be working at TMC on the women's surgical floor. It's not at all what I wanted but I thought if I was positive everything would work out. I will be working side by side with an RN who works with post-op patients and some high risk pregnancies who need to be on hospital bed rest. The RN I am working with sounds very nice and like she actually loves working with students. I start Wednesday so I'll probably have some stories after that!

Sedona Getaway

2009-08-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago Brant and I took off to Sedona for a night to get out of the heat!
It was a short trip but just what we needed before school started. We went out to dinner and then hung out in our hotel room. Sunday morning we went out to breakfast then did a little shopping at the Gap Outlet. Can't wait till our next vacation!

New Book...

2009-08-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

So I finished The Time Traveler's Wife and I absolutely loved it! It was kind of a hard read because the date kept changing and I had to keep flipping the pages to remember where he was in time, LOL! But it was a really great love story. Many of us think our relationships are hard at times but what this couple went through to be together and make a family shows what love is truly about. I would give it TWO thumbs up and recommend it to others :-).

Now I am on to...
I am VERY excited! I love her and her show! Her family is absolutely adorable (probably why Brant and I really like the name Liam ;-) ). I have heard it's good and pretty funny so I'm looking forward to my next great read of the summer!

Bryce & Amy's Maternity Session!

2009-07-29T00:13:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning Meg and I went out to CCV to take maternity pictures for Bryce, Amy, and baby Kaitlynn! At 7am it was already quite warm but Amy was such a trooper. We are SO happy with how they turned out! They have endured a lot to make sure Kaitlynn is healthy and it felt great to be able to give them a little bit of normalcy in this pregnancy. Kaitlynn is scheduled to arrive in about a month and we wish them the best of luck!

Moving...

2009-07-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

There were some really great dances tonight on SYTYCD but my favorite of the night was by Melissa and Ade "This Woman's Work". As both of my grandmothers had Breast Cancer...one making it...one not...it was an absolutely beautiful dance! Very moving and very hard to not cry especially when everyone on the show was. I don't think it would have been the same if it was done by anyone else. Ade is such a strong partner and Melissa is so beautiful and graceful.

Great Summer Books

2009-07-22T01:34:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. I usually read books in just a few days but for some reason this one took me months...not sure why. I was a GREAT book, though, as her's usually are!

I am now moving on to The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It looked good before but the movie previews made me go for it. Although I am sure the movie will leave out parts that will leave me wishing it had been made more like the book. My Sister's Keeper did that....::SPOILER ALERT:: I mean two totally different people die at the end of the book and movie. The way the book ends is much more powerful. I still cried during the whole movie but not as much as I thought I was going to. I guess you can't kill off a child star like Abigail Breslin in a movie, though.

Hailey Rose Evans 7.16.09

2009-07-17T01:22:00.000-07:00

So today I was working on finishing up Jess's maternity pictures...I wanted to edit them in Lightroom instead of Photoshop...little did I know that little Hailey would make her way into the world tonight!!! Congratulations to Mommy and Daddy...you are going to be wonderful parents!

Good Food!

2009-07-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

A little while ago Meg introduced me to a blog called Picky Palate. The lady who writes it makes a TON of good looking food and I thought I'd try it out. Meg and Mark actually made this meal for us a while back and it was very good! The first time I made it a few weeks ago I accidentally put the oven on broil instead of bake and it completely burnt the edges of the bread...unfortunately you need the edges for the spaghetti to stay on, LOL! Tonight it came out much better! She has many other tasty things to make...many of which are desserts:-)...that I hope to be trying soon!

CALIFORNIA

2009-07-13T01:54:00.000-07:00

We had SO much fun with Meg and Mark in California this past weekend!

New Moon...

2009-07-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

Took this neat picture of the moon on our way from Phoenix last weekend! I had to mess with it in Photoshop a little because the sky was grey instead of black but I really like it! It almost looks fake.

Playing Around...

2009-07-09T02:43:00.000-07:00

Just messing around in Photoshop/Picasa:-).

4th of July!

2009-07-09T02:37:00.000-07:00

Mark and Megan were gracious enough to host 4th of July this year! We had a great time with wonderful friends, family, and of course FOOD! Actually we ate WAY too much food, LOL! But anyways the fireworks from their backyard were perfect and it was so nice just to relax and not have to go out in the crowds. Mark grilled for us and everyone enjoyed playing corn hole. I know that sounds like a funny name for a game but it is actually a lot of fun! The boys get pretty competitive...when do they not?! I, like Meg, kinda forgot about taking pictures. Luckily I remembered that I had my little camera in my purse so I was able to get a few shots of the fun:-). Can't wait for the next holiday party...what time should we be there Meg and Mark ;-)?!?

P.S. Are you happy with all my blogging Meg?! HAHA!

Hailey Visits Tucson!

2009-07-09T02:30:00.000-07:00

Last week my little sister was able to finally come stay with us in Tucson! We really wanted her to be able to spend a while here but she also went to Michigan so a week would have to do! I took her to the College of Nursing and she got her very own CON sweatshirt...I'm not pushing her to be a nurse or anything ;-). On Wednesday she helped me babysit and was able to meet my little Jack Jack, Donovan, and Andrew! Jack just loved her...mainly because she was willing to carry him around all day! Thursday we got her hair cut (it was ridiculously long and it was time, LOL), took her out to dinner and to .50 cent bowling! We think she had a pretty good time and we were said to see her go. Since going off to college and getting married, I have missed out on a lot in their lives and it is so nice to be able to spend some quality time with my siblings...well one of them anyway! My brother is 15...5" taller than me...and way too cool to be seen any where other than the skate park, LOL!

~New Hair~

2009-07-09T01:57:00.000-07:00

The week after Jon and Danielle's wedding...I too cut my hair off!!! It's a little different now because she had to fix it a little the next day...one side was way longer than the other, LOL! But I love it! I cut it short right after our wedding and have been wanting to do it again even since! I just had to wait until wedding season was over!

Elyse Renee Photography

2009-07-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

I don't have a lot of time to blog today...going to babysit the boys! But I wanted to write a quick note. So as many of you know Meg and I are working on starting a small photography business... Elyse Renee Photography...and we couldn't be more excited! If you didn't know already, the name stems from both our middle names...Megan Elyse and Heather Renee!It will still be a little while before everything is set and it is actually a LLC but thanks to Mark...the business guy... we'll be able to set it up to correct way! Brant was nice enough to design a logo for us too! What great husbands we have...they are willing to work for free HAHA! I could not be more excited to be doing this with my best friend :-)! She is such an amazing friend and while I know people say not to do business together...it actually couldn't be more perfect for us. The future is looking bright!

Manual is a Beautiful Thing

2009-06-18T09:44:00.001-07:00

Shortly after Meg and I had taken our photography workshop we decided to go to the country club and take some fun shots of each other!

Hailey's Momma...

2009-06-18T00:27:00.001-07:00

Great Weekend!

2009-06-15T00:18:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful weekend in Phoenix! Saturday morning Meg and I went to our first photography workshop hosted by Kimberly Jarman and Jennifer Bowen (two wonderful photographers!). They showed us all how to actually take our cameras off of auto and shoot in manual or where you pick the settings that work best for the conditions/picture you want. It was pretty amazing to see what our cameras can and should (for how much they cost, LOL!) do! We are still DEFINITELY in the learning/trial and error process but feel like we are actually going to be good at this...especially since we are shooting a wedding next May :-O!

The boys spent their morning SKYDIVING!!! for Jon's bachelor party! They said it was absolutely amazing and I am so happy they were able to do that for him. Phil (the boy's dad) paid for a video to be taken of Jon and pictures...it was SO cool to see what he experienced! Afterwards they had a BBQ at Meg and Mark's and got Jon a little too intoxicated, LOL! As for the girls...we kept to the ground and opted out of the alcohol fest :-). Meg, Theresa and I went to Chili's for dinner and talked baby stuff :-) for the whole evening. It was nice to get in some relaxing girl time.

Today Jessica was gracious and patient enough to let us take maternity photos of her and baby Hailey! Jessica is 36 weeks along and looks amazing! She has a pretty tiny belly still and in some shots we even had to have her move or push it out a little just to see it in the pictures...I'd be happy with that just one week before full term! We had a little trouble with our lighting (biggest part of a photo) but overall we are SO happy with how they turned out! There has been no editing done yet but I'll put a few on here for a sneak peek!

We are now back in Tucson until Thursday night when we will be driving home for Jon and Danielle's WEDDING!!! We are so excited for them and cannot believe it is already here! I gained a brother-in-law ,what seems like just yesterday, and now I am gaining a wonderful sister-in-law! We feel so blessed to have such an amazing family...and it just keeps growing!

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

2 Year Anniversary!

2009-05-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we have already been married for TWO years! Time goes by so fast! I can't wait to spend the next 50 or so with him:-)!

Our wedding video!
http://www.shootmefilms.com/weddings/movie.php?shootmefilm=Community%20Church%20of%20Joy%20-%20Sheraton%20Hotel%205-26-07.flv

My first photo shoot!!!

2009-05-05T00:42:00.000-07:00

Kristen, Tanya, & Jason are some great friends that I have known for quite some time now. They are graduating this year and considering I needed practice and they needed pictures, LOL, we thought it would be fun to go on campus and get some shots. It turned out to be a lot of fun and I am pretty happy with what I got! I wish Meg could have been there with me...can't wait until we can do a shoot together! Photoshop was a little bit of a struggle but I'll figure it out!

Almost there!

2009-04-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

So I have one day of clinicals left...EVER...and only one semester left of nursing! I am now just that much closer to being where I want to be. I cannot wait to finally be a nurse in the NICU and be apart of saving babies lives...I cannot wait to be apart of something bigger and giving back to the community! Random but I just thought I'd share:-).

Funniest Thing!

2009-04-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

So I was talking to the lady I nanny for about how darn smart little kids are. Her 4 year old son always says the darndest things and this one I just had to share! The mom was driving with the little boy in the backseat..and the little boy pointed to something outside the car and said "Look Mom! It's the money you could be saving with Geico!"!!! He was pointing to this billboard! OMG, I couldn't stop laughing when she told me this...HILARIOUS!

Meg and Mark's Wedding!!!

2009-04-08T23:47:00.000-07:00

My BEST FRIEND did it! She finally tied the knot after 7 long years, LOL! Their wedding was absolutely gorgeous and I am so thankful I was able to share in the day! My speech went well...I shed only a few tears but I can't say so much for the rest of the day...I had tears streaming during the ceremony and of course during her father's speech! It was an amazing day and I am so happy that they are husband and wife!!!

Unfortunately I ended up getting sick after the weekend of fun :-(. I have been out of commission since Sunday and it has not been fun! I am now finally starting to feel better thankfully! I go back to clinical tomorrow so we will see how it goes...now I just have to figure out how to finish all the work I got behind on. Didn't know you could get so behind in 3 days!

New Car!

2009-03-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

This isn't exactly "new" news but about a month ago now we got a new used car! I was driving on a major road here in Tucson when the Rio died on me and I had to be pushed into a parking lot! A few days later we found out that the engine was completely done and it was going to cost more to fix it than the car was worth!!! I said NO WAY...not for a freaking Kia! It just wasn't going to be worth it and so the hunt began for a used car that was going to last us a very long time. After a few days we came across an ad on Craig's list for a 2004 Civic Coupe with only 26,000 miles on it! We thought it may be too good to be true but went to check it out anyways. In the end it turned out that the guy owned a very nice art gallery on 4th ave, had art work from people in Architecture in there, and even had his house built by Brant's new firm! Talk about a small world! Brant's dad was very kind to offer to help us with it and we were able to get it! It is only a VP (value package) meaning it came bare bones and is a stick shift with manual locks and windows but it is 1,000 times better than the Rio so I couldn't complain, LOL! We ended up putting an alarm on it, made the locks power, and tinted the windows. I now want to keep it forever! I was going to get a new car after graduation but I love this one so I hope it lasts for many years:-)! The pic isn't our exact car but you get the idea...hopefully ours will soon have a spoiler too;-)...but I have to get Brant and Mark to agree to put it on! Brant keeps making fun of me and telling me it doesn't do anything...but I always tell him that it makes the car so CUTE:-)!

Meg's Bachelorette Party!

2009-03-17T00:16:00.000-07:00

So this weekend we had Meg's bachelorette party...it was AMAZING! So relaxing and best of all Meg was happy:-)! We went to Sundrops Nail Spot in Scottsdale, Paradise Bakery for lunch, checked into the Intercontinental Montelucia Resort & Spa, and then went to dinner at the Yard House and a few clubs all on Saturday! On Sunday we slept in a little and then hung out by the pool the rest of the day. It was perfect!

Trash the Dress!

2009-03-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

So I was finally able to do my Trash the Dress session with Shelly Ivy! It was SO much fun and I am so glad that even two years later I was able to do it! I only have two pictures now that she gave me print copies of my I just wanted to put them up:-)!

*IVY STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPHY*

*IVY STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPY*

Life

2009-02-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just never know how things are going to work out. I have realized in the last few days that yeah maybe along the way some bad things will happen but when you are least expecting it something wonderful can happen to you. Lately I have truly been trying to strengthen my relationship with God and feel it has helped me in so many ways. I am still not a perfect Christian nor do I know the Bible front to back but God has truly been working in my life. Trusting him fully can finally allow things that you may have never thought would happen. You realize that you really do deserve these wonderful aspects of your life and that trying (while not always succeeding) to be a good person will pay off.

I am just so grateful!

~Heather~

Too Many Options!

2009-02-12T23:40:00.000-07:00

For a while now I have had this idea of exactly what I was going to do after graduation and where I was going to go. I always thought my only real option for grad school was ASU...not my first choice by the way, LOL! And I was fine with that...I just wanted to get my DNP. Jenny showed me this website the other day, though, on grad schools all over the US. I now have about 30 choices!!! NOT that I could get into some of these but the idea of Columbia, Duke, or Vanderbilt...sounds AMAZING! Not only would we be able to explore but I could possibly get the chance to go to a wonderful school that would have never been an option for my undergrad! I was most definitely turned off by the $65,000 price tag that comes along with a school such as Columbia, but IT'S Columbia, LOL! Jenny and I were trying to also find schools that had both of our programs (she wants a dual women's health and midwifery nurse practitioner degree), which many of them do have. It would be so exciting to continue school with her...she's one of the main reasons I've made it this far:-).
I spoke to Brant about these options and of course he said that he would follow me wherever and that he actually wouldn't mind being somewhere else for a little while. But then he told me the horrible news...we wouldn't be able to have kids until after we moved back to AZ!!! Well, I don't graduate with my BSN until I'm 23 then I have to wait 1-3 years before I can even apply which makes me 26 plus 3 years of going to school....I'm now about 29!!! I DON'T think so, LOL! I'm sorry if "I want it all" but I don't think I should have to choose :-(. I don't want to say we HAVE to have kids then, but I would like the option.
Anyways...that's my dilemma. I know it would just be so much easier, not to mention cheaper, to stay here and just go on with my plan of ASU, but I don't want to regret anything. I know it seems like I am thinking about this a little early but unfortunately with a choice this big you can't just wait until it hits you in the face:-). No matter what, though, I know we'll figure it out eventually!

Just another day in critical care...

2009-02-11T21:32:00.001-07:00

So I just wanted to share with everyone how adorably cute I looked today when I went with my patient to the cath lab! You have to wear a lead vest while procedures are going on HAHA! Mine of course was bright blue with a big heart embroidered on the left side:-)!

Critical Care Rotation So Far...

2009-02-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

I have been in my critical care rotation only two weeks now but I have seen and done so much! I was really looking forward to this rotation...the care plans not so much:-(. Our theory teacher this semester is huge on going all the way down to the cellular level on all of our patient's labs that are abnormal and how their meds work...it takes a million years but it really makes you learn the stuff! I feel like a real nurse now and that I can actually help save some one's life! So anyways here is a breakdown of all the fun stuff I've seen/done:

*Five IVs just in the ED (ER...apparently it's no longer cool to call it an emergency "room" because it is not a single room but an entire emergency "department", LOL!)

*Foley catheter

*Push fast acting heart meds to pull someone out of SVTs (supraventricular tachycardia)

*Seeing many patients on vents

*Patients with trachs (hole cut into their throat with a tube inserted)

*Watching a patient, who had major neurosurgery, intubated

*Helping (and by helping I mean holding fat out of the way so the Dr could see :-) ) the Dr put in an A-line or arterial line (kind of like an IV but it's much bigger and goes into the artery)...he tried a few times in the radial artery and again in the femoral with no luck

*Central line dressing change (sterile procedure where you clean and re-dress a large IV like line that was going into the jugular vein)

*Going to MRI with patient who had softball size tumor removed...softball size hole now left

*Watching a patient try to wake up after having neurosurgery....cough reflex comes back while still on the vent, rapid eye movement, moving arms and legs...and best of all the family getting so excited!

I am hoping I will get to see/help with a code this semester (not that I want any one to go into cardiac arrest) but...I think that would really prepare me for anything that comes my way. I have noticed that I am less and less nervous went it comes to my skills...something I could have never imagined four semesters ago! Well anyways...that's what I've been up to the last couple of weeks! The pick above is what an ICU patient can look like...not all are hooked up to every machine made but it's possible.

Finally!!!

2009-01-31T16:16:00.000-07:00

This will be a short blog but I FINALLY got my Canon Digital Rebel Xsi!!! I have been looking/saving for too long now and I finally found a good deal! I decided to take advantage of Circuit City going out of business and see if they had anything worth looking at. I know it wouldn't usually be a good idea to go with a company who's going out of business but luckily their warranty company is still doing well and offering extended warranties...even if I drop it:-)! So anyways...that is the good news! I was able to get the camera and an accessory bag with an extra battery and UV filter for cheaper than any one else is even selling the camera for right now! I should also be able to get a lens that is a little more powerful within the next month! I am hoping this one will last me for a while:-)...one day we can upgrade to a more professional one once Meg and I get going with our business! I just need to learn how to use the darn thing and of course all the software that makes the pics look so wonderful, LOL!

FIREPROOF

2009-01-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

Last night Brant and I were actually going to get to spend some time together...I am amazed at how much more free time he has this semester! We decided to get a movie and he was nice enough to let me choose:-). I have been really wanting to see Fireproof...it is a lower budget Christian film with Kirk Cameron. Let me just say that it was absolutely AMAZING! I was crying through a lot of it...happy and sad tears! There were some parts that were really cheesy but it had such a wonderful message...it is all about fireproofing your marriage and that the only way to do that is through Jesus and God. Brant even really enjoyed it! The movie is shaped around a book/journal called The Love Dare, where you spend 40 days doing things for your spouse to allow your marriage to grow and all the while strengthening your relationship with God. While I have always seemed to have my faith, Brant has been struggling...I think mostly because of what has gone on with his mom. I truly feel like the movie got Brant thinking and you can't say that about a lot of movies. I would definitely recommend this movie to everyone, especially if you are married or getting married!

SO much has happened since the last time I blogged!

2009-01-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

The end of the semester went well for both of us...I made it to 4th semester! Sounds like a no brainer but thanks to one of our lovely teachers about 8 of our nursing friends were not so lucky :-(. They are keeping their spirits high, though, and doing what needs to be done to graduate! Brant finished with all A's and one B...I was SO proud of him, especially because it was his hardest semester.
We were able to enjoy almost three weeks of break in Phoenix this year. It was so nice to be able to catch up with friends and family! We were also able to see our Izzy:-)! Brant and I kept gifts simple this year with only getting each other stocking gifts. He got his gun earlier in the semester and I should be able to get my Canon xsi soon!
Right before break ended Jenny and I had Meg's bridal shower. It turned out just the way we wanted! Not too many people came but we were able to make it a fancy brunch that way with china plates and actual silverware. There was good food and of course mimosas:-)! My best friend is going to be a bride in less than 3 months and I CAN'T wait! I am so happy for her and Mark...they are entering into something so precious and wonderful. Being around them for 4 years of their almost SEVEN years has been truly amazing. There is no doubt that their love is true and that they will have a wonderful marriage!
Over break found out from Meg's photographer that she was doing another free session but this time it was for Trash the Dress!!! I emailed her right away and she offered a spot to me! I have been wanting to do one of these for a long time and I can't wait:-). Some of you are probably wondering what in the heck that is, LOL, but it is where you wear your wedding dress in an unusual location (like the desert or beach) and take some fun photos! It should be sometime in February but once she figures out the details I will know!
I know it has been almost TWO years since our wedding but all these neat things keep coming up having to do with it! Theresa showed me this thing that Nancy (Andrew's mom) had made for them right after they were married. This company either takes your actual bouquet or a recreation of it and puts it in a shadow box with anything that you want (invitation, veil, pictures...)! They dehydrate the flowers and then airbrush them back to their real color. It is pretty neat and they can make you pretty much anything you desire. If you are interested the website is.... www.floralkeepsakes.com . Depending on what you want it can get a little pricing but totally worth it for something you can never get back:-)!
This past weekend was our SECOND 1/2 marathon...we still can't believe we've even done one, LOL! It was the P.F. Chang's Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon on Sunday the 18th. It took me 24mins longer this time but I was just SO glad to finish! Considering I have only run twice....yup only TWO times since the last 1/2 I don't think I did half bad, LOL! I also walked three of the 13.1 miles...my goal was to finish not die so I felt it was necessary HAHA! I was not expecting the heat this time...I don't think others were either considering there were ridiculous lines at the water stations and a couple people were taken away in ambulances:-(. I felt much better after this one...no throwing up this time YAY! I also wasn't really sore this time either. I am assuming my body now understands what I will be doing to it about twice a year now! Jenny and I plan on always doing the P.F. Chang's and then picking one location out of state every year as well. Next year will possibly be the Disney Princess's 1/2 Marathon in Disney World...I hope it works out!
On the job front...well that has been a different story. Brant found out right after break that he no longer had a job:-(. His company laid off him as well as five architects. It was unfortunate but expected. There just wasn't enough work to go around. Luckily he is taking an internship class and in the process of looking for a new one! Times are tough right now so hopefully something will come his way. Thankfully he was not working much any way and we did not need his money for bills!
I knew I just wasn't going to be able to keep my position at the hospital my main job so luckily something much more exciting came along. I have been with care.com and babysitters4hire.com for a while and was just getting random babysitting jobs here and there. Right before break ended a mom with three little boys called to see if I could do an interview to be their nanny! A few days after my interview she called to let me know I got the job! I was so exciting to be doing this again. I was a nanny all of sophomore year and loved it. The dad is on Orthopedic surgeon and the mom is an ER nurse so it is absolutely perfect for me, LOL! They have three little boys who are 4, 2 1/2, and 5 months. They are so cute and actually very well behaved. Depending on what day it is and what is going on I do not have all of them. I feel so comfortable with their family and very thankful to have this opportunity. I still be working at the hospital once a month so that I can keep my position there. I will have been there for one year in April....that is quite a feat for me, LOL, since I haven't had a real job for longer than 3 months before due to only working in the summers!
4th semester has just started for us and I am so excited. Our Critical Care rotation will be busy but so worth it! I get four days in the ER and can't wait to see what happens. The responsibilities we will have this semester are actually making us feel like real nurses:-). I will definitely keep you updated on anything exciting we get to do!

Well I think that is it! Have a great night and I am sorry for the spelling mistakes/things that don't make sense, LOL, it was a long post:-)!

New post...

2009-01-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

Ok so I don't have time right now but I promise a new post will be coming;-)!

Until then here's a new pic from my BESTfriend's bridal shower!!!

Annual Christmas Picture...

2008-12-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

~ Merry Christmas From The Arnold Family~

Tucson Half Marathon

2008-12-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

I did it! I ran the entire 13.1 without stopping, walking, or dying!!! There were times when it was exciting, not fun at all, and other times where I wanted to hitch a ride with the passing cars. I thought I would do a recap of each mile...

Mile 1: Ok so it's frikin freezing and I just had to pee in a bush but I am doin good!

Mile 2: Still very very cold...so thankful I wore a long sleeve shirt under my Nike dri fit. At least my knees are numb, though, so I can't feel when they start to hurt.

Mile 3: Ok so I lost Jenny and Kristin...must catch up to them. I spent the rest of this mile doing so.

Mile 4: I am back with Jenny and Kristin...but of course they are running too fast for me!

Mile 5: Found my pace and also that I may have a blister brewing on the ball of my left foot:-(

Mile 6: Yup that's definitely a blister...thankfully there was some Xood(Gatorade type stuff) to make me feel better. I will end up running the rest of the race with my left toes slightly curled under so that I don't put as much pressure on that damn blister.

Mile 7: I can't believe I am at mile 7...it's not that bad!

Mile 8: Getting sleepy...

Mile 9: Yay they have GU (equivalent to very thick Gatorade) to wake me up and keep me going!

Mile 10: My knees are now numb due to the running not just the cold!

Mile 11: Who in the world thought it would be funny to put a very steep hill at mile 11? HUH?! Oh but I see that the people playing the drums are supposed to make us feel better.

Mile 12: Holy crap I'm almost there! This is where I was listening to a song from Aladdin (don't ask) and telling my self Ms. Jones is behind me not letting me stop HAHA!

Mile 13: I see the Mustang and know Brant is waiting for me at the end...I am way too excited and think I may cry! Linkin Park and Jay-z's Encore is blasting quite loudly by this point.

The last .1: Umm so it's really not cool when you cross mile 13 and realized you still have .1 to go...it's further than you may think.

Finish line: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I made it in 2hrs 21 mins (that's only 5 mins over what I wanted to run it in)...but I now feel like jello. I see a big tub full of ice and water bottles. I desperately want to jump in but figure that wouldn't be very sanitary so just take a water instead. Brant informs me that my knees are about twice their normal size...SWEET!

The next 20 mins: I spent these trying to find a trash can to puke in, eating a banana, and taking pictures with all the other crazy nursing people who ran with me!

The drive home: I was trying not to puke and keep my foot on the gas.

Home: Oh hey the blister isn't as bad as it feels, take a HOT shower, throw up twice, sleep for the next six hours!

All in all I would say it was a success! I can't believe I didn't walk once...the Lord knows I wanted to but I figured once I stopped I wouldn't be able to get going again. This is a good thing it turned out so well because Jenny, Kristin, and I have to do it all over again on Jan 18th...YAY!

~Little Elliot~

2008-12-06T00:33:00.000-07:00

So I once again forced Jason and Crissi to go out so I could get my hands on little Elliot! He is such a wonderful baby! Here's a few pics from the night...

It's been a while...

2008-12-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

Well I can't even remember the last blog I did...without looking that is. So much has been going on! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Brant's family and I even made my first apple and pumpkin pies...they were mostly homemade, LOL! I was able to finally pick up my bridesmaid dress for Meg's wedding...they are absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to wear them on the big day.

Shelly Ivy, Meg's photographer, had a free photo day on Saturday and we thought it would be so nice to have Christmas pictures taken with Izzy! The shoot was so much fun and we got the perfect shot for our first Christmas card plus some other amazing ones...I will post some when we get them!

After the holiday weekend it was back to Tucson. We saw Cirque du Soleil (Saltimbanco) on Sunday night for our 5 year anniversary which isn't until this Sunday but Brant will be busy and I will have just finished my first 1/2 marathon...most likely I will not want to get off the couch after that, LOL! We have never seen one of their shows before and it was pretty AWESOME! I would love to go to another in Vegas.

Brant has since been working his little butt off to finish all his projects due this week and next. I haven't seen him much the last few weeks but it will be worth it in the end:-). I had my Med-Surg clinical final today and it actually went very well. It was a little nerve racking having a fake patient, in a fake room, trying to be a REAL nurse, and your clinical instructing pretending to be the patient (their voice anyway) and grading you at the same time, LOL! Sounds worse than it actually was but just glad to be done. I have my Peds clinical final tomorrow which Jenny and I prepared for today. I just have to keep my positive attitude and I know I will be fine:-). I then have my 1/2 marathon Sunday...this I don't feel as prepared for but how can you really be?! I am doing it with some wonderful friends, though, and we're gonna get through it together...I can't promise we won't be dragging each other or offering to pay the boys for piggyback rides, HAHA, but we are GOING TO FINISH!

Next week we are pretty much free from anything nursing...giving us plenty of time to study for finals! I have a final Monday and Wednesday of finals week and then I am DONE with 3rd semester! I am finally on the down hill of nursing school...only one more semester of clinicals and then we will be acting as the nurse...CRAZY!

Meg and Jon are both graduating at the end of finals week. I just can't believe it...we are all becoming grown ups, LOL! We plan to go home once their graduations are over and spend a good amount of time in Phoenix this year for Christmas. Brant's firm has slowed with the number of projects they are doing so he will be able to take off much easier. I won't be working while I try to transfer to a different area in the hospital (either ER or the Women's center). I am also looking into the VALOR program at the VA which allows you to work almost like a nurse and pays $19/hr. I most likely would not be able to start that until the summmer, though.

Well that's my novel! Hope you enjoyed it!

P.S. Here are some pics from the last few weeks:

Just Keep Running...Running...Running

2008-11-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

We ran 9 miles tonight!!! I knew we could do it but just wasn't sure if we actually would, LOL! It was hard and after 1 and 1/2 hours I was getting hungry. I wouldn't say it was fun...but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Only 4.1 miles and we'll be at our goal....13.1 here we come:-)! December 7th will be here before we know it! Every part of my body is angry with me at the moment...especially my knees and hips but it's not any injury so they'll be fine. I came home and just laid on the floor for a few minutes before sitting on the shower floor for a few more...Brant thought it was funny! Maybe my joints would be a little happier if I hadn't run just once last week but whatever. Only two weeks left of clinical or three actual days at the hospital! I am in the NICU tomorrow and quite excited:-)! Hope everyone has a great night...I am going to bed early!!!

Sad...

2008-11-04T23:53:00.000-07:00

I don't usually put my opinion out there...as I was not raised that way and have just never been that kind of person...but I think it is pretty sad that people want to leave this country now that the president they wanted was not voted into office. I do not think our ancestors, THE ONES WHO RISKED THEIR LIVES TO COME TO AMERICA, would appreciate this. Many people wanting to go to countries who...may I remind you...practice some of the very things Obama would like to put into place. When you want to run because of who was elected you are not just bailing on the president but on the USA and everything it stands for. So it's time to put on your big kid pants and act like adults...no matter who you voted for! Some may have been joking but joking or not...is that really the message you want to send to others?

Andrew & Theresa's AMAZING wedding pictures:-)

2008-10-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

Hope she doesn't mind that I stole them...

Done!

2008-10-17T16:19:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my Clinical Integration paper! For some reason it took me forever (even though I started it two weeks ago!). But it's done now and that's all that matters. Now that med-surg clinical is over and that paper is over we pretty much decided third semester is over, LOL! No we actually still have Peds but that rotation is much easier and does not have a 20 page paper to go along with it. There is a med-surg test Monday and sadly I am looking forward to studying for it because that is much simpler than writing a paper.

This is random but I saw the strangest thing driving home from the VA the other day. There was this lady driving in front of me and all within a matter of seconds her small dog jumped out of the window of the car...while it was moving...and she reached out just be for it fell and pulled it back in! Never thought I'd ever see that, LOL! We will no longer drive with the windows all the way down when we have Izzy!

Oh and I will be 22 on Sunday! Not too exciting of a birthday but I am just one year older!

So Tiny!

2008-10-13T14:46:00.001-07:00

Go to this website (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sweetadeline) and look at the pictures of this preemie! They have some neat pictures of her and she is too cute!

Found some time to blog :-)

2008-10-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Of course I found some time to stop writing my paper and blog! I have been finding time all day to not type but luckily I have actually gotten a big chunk of it done with only a few big chunks left, LOL! While all of this school stuff is going on I still find my self thinking about Peyton and her family. Her father was able to write tonight and I again cried and cried. Her parents are dealing with it in the best way they know how, but her little brother doesn't quite understand. I pray that his parents are able to help him through it and that God will always allow him to remember his big sister...

I don't wanna...

2008-10-12T16:06:00.001-07:00

So everything...especially blogging and running will be slacking this week. Nursing isn't hard but they just love to make all our projects due the same week. Right now I am attempting to work on/finish my Clinical Integration paper (big words meaning ridiculously long care plan) and then sometime start/finish an Evidence-Based Practice presentation (again big words meaning summary of journal article and powerpoint presentation). Neither are hard but most of all I just don't wanna do them :-), LOL! Well I guess I should stop whining (cause I hate when everyone else does it) and just get it over with! Cause once it's over that means NO MORE MED-SURG for the rest of nursing school! We are on to Peds starting next week and that makes me a very happy camper:-)!

Thought this was funny

2008-10-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

I was looking on a nursing website and came across some blogs of other nursing students/nurses. One was from a male nursing student or Murse as we love to call them :-) and he had some things on his that I thought were funny!

This is SO true!

Also on one of his posts he was refering to an article posted by a Doctor who didn't seem to think nurses were all that wonderful and didn't have enough education...this was the student's response:

"Do you think this is an ego trip? I think so. Honestly, I know a few RNs I'd let do surgery on me and I know physicians I wouldn't want taking my temperature."

HA that's great! It makes me think of the time I was doing an observation day at the UMC high risk pregnancy clinic. They had me working with a Med student because they thought I would get to see more. Before going into see our first patient we read through the chart to prepare but unfortunately there was almost no info on her. The Med student proceded to tell me that he didn't know what he was doing or what he was going to say (because he didn't want to do OB and was only here for a week) and if I could talk to the patient to get a feel of what was going on. He was SCARED to go in the room! Are you kidding me?! A third or fourth year med student was telling a second semester nursing student to do his job...so glad he's going to be a Dr.! I told him he'd be fine and to just go in there!

Sad...

2008-10-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

Around June of this year Brant and I were at Chick-Fil-A in Tucson and noticed a fundraiser going on. It was for a little girl named Peyton who was battling a horrible brain stem tumor(Glioblastoma to be correct). We only had $5 to give but wanted to help in any way we could. There was a flyer being passed around with her info and father's blog website and since then we have been following her story. Her father had the courage to write at least once a week no matter what was happening. She was going to UMC almost everyday for Chemo and medical treatments that were not even approved yet. The drugs were making her sicker than the actual tumor but her parents did not want to give up without trying every last option. A couple of months ago they finally decided to stop treatment and have a Hospice (end-of-life care) nurse come to the house to make sure she was comfortable and to check her vital signs. As of Tuesdays blog her parents knew it would happen soon. They finally took the opportunity this past week to explain to her little brother, who is four, what death is and what would be happening to Peyton as her journey ended. At 0710 this morning little Peyton Elizabeth passed away. Thankfully she is no longer in pain and she is in the best hands possible...

I never thought I could become so attached to a story...to a family...that I didn't even know. I am sorry if this saddens some, but I am telling her story to spread the word on cancer and what it is doing to these little ones and their families.

Many think I am crazy for wanting to be a NICU nurse and dealing with the death of babies and children but this is exactly why. The nurses that helped Peyton's parents through this, especially the Hospice nurses, will never be forgoten and they were able to make a difference in their lives as well as Peyton's. Although there will be sad times I know there will be many rewards as well!

If Peyton's story intrests you more, you can visit her blog at:
www.caringbridge.org/visit/peytonelizabeth

I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday:-)!

~Heather~

Jesus is the truth...

2008-10-05T22:38:00.001-07:00

I was driving Saturday morning on Campbell to pick up Brant for breakfast and there was something that really caught my eye. On the corner of Grant and Campbell there was a guy hold a sign that said "Jesus is the truth". For some reason it really meant a lot to me. With all the political and anti-war protests people are always having on the side of the road it was really nice to see someone holding a sign that is positive! He wasn't homeless or from the looks of it crazy, LOL, and he had a huge smile on his face while waving at the on coming traffic. It was just a simple message that went back to the basics of everything we believe in.

It's all coming back to me now...

2008-10-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

We ran the Jim Click Run & Roll 8k (5mi) today! Jenny and Kevin did awesome on their time and I...well I didn't walk, LOL! That was my goal and I did it:-)! I finally feel like this running thing is coming back to me...like I might actually be a runner (not a fast runner but a runner)! I was able to keep my heart rate steady and my mind positive even when I felt like I had gone 3 miles but was really only at 1 1/2 HAHA! I was beginning to think that I was going to have to run walk the half marathon but I know think I can actaully run the whole thing! Having people all around you really helps...so does the free food calling your name at the end:-)

CODE BLUE!!!

2008-10-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is one of our creepy Sim mans and the other isn't us but exactly what we looked like during our codes today!

So today we did our mock codes in the SILC lab! We had to cover death and dying of the DNR/DNI patient first...that wasn't so cool. We talked about it for 3 hours then watched Sim lady die for 8 mins!!! We were able to get to the good stuff after, though, so it was worth it! We learned how to run Code Blues as if we were in the hospital and are patient coded. To put it simple....it was pure caious HAHA! We each had a job (patient's nurse, charge nurse, code cart nurse, anethesiologist, Dr., person doing chest compressions) but considering we had never done it before everyone was running around with their heads cut off! The "crazy" family members were the best, though. They'd come in and see what we were doing and start freaking out! Derrick actaully tried to pick Lesley up at one point after she pushed everyone off her "grandma" who was dying! We didn't think about taping it at the time so we wanna ask if we can do it again to tape it...it would be HILARIOUS! Especially watching people doing chest compressions up on the bed over the patient for 10 mins, LOL!

2008-09-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

We ran 6 miles tonight! Surprisingly I wasn't too far behind Jenny and finished in 1hr 6mins. I was able to run most of it but had to walk here and there. At least things are finally looking up with this running thing. I felt fine when I got home but then started to get really sick...I had to waste more than half of my Panda Express which is a shame. My knees and hips are refusing to speak with me at the moment and I don't think my calves are too happy either but they'll get over it. I have to write a quick care plan, ice my knees (I think they deserve it) and then I'm off to bed...clinicals at 0715!

IVs!!!

2008-09-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

So I went with the IV team today...not actually a team but one lady, LOL! She is a nurse but that is all she does all day is put IVs in for nurses who can't get them on their first couple of tries. She also does PICC and Midlines which are just deeper and more difficult IVs. They are also done with sterile technique which regular peripheral IVs are not. We only had five today but I got to do three of them!!! My first two I was right on the vein but she had to help me get in because I wasn't going deep enough and on the third one I got the back flash of blood that tells you you are in the vein! Although I didn't get all three I feel like I have the process down now...which is half the battle. Again you have to find your third hand and figure out how to connect and tape everything without losing the site. They were all "hard sticks" so I was excited just to have a shot at it and now feel like I could do them by my self on regular patients. WOW...it is so amazing to actually start feeling like a nurse:-)!

Cardiologist...

2008-09-23T00:16:00.000-07:00

**No this pic isn't me but this is how cool I look HAHA! So today I finally got into see the Cardiologist. I felt a little out of place there considering I was the only one there under 50! I had another EKG, an ECHO (which actually hurt because I don't like things pushing down hard on my chest), and a treadmill test. I had to do the treadmill twice because the Dr. wanted to see what my heart was doing when my HR was at 190. Oh and I found out that 190 is actually fine...my max HR is 199. He said he is more concerned about how I am feeling when it is at 190 than the actual number. After about 20mins of looking through my results he of course said he doesn't really see anything wrong except for something possibly to do with my conduction/electrical system. When my heart is pumping normally the signal is coming from the top of the heart where it should be but when I get up to 190 it starts down from a lower point making the conduction loop shorter. He said this causes a quicker heartbeat and is most likely what is causing my palpitations and discomfort while running. They also have me wearing a Holter moniter for the next 24hrs. I have 7 electrodes hooked all to my chest and this big black box on my hip...I look like I'm wearing a big 80's cell phone, LOL! I don't really notice it except for trying to sleep...I have to sleep on my back which is uncomfortable:-(. I take the monitor back tomorrow and then go back in two weeks to go over everything. He is having a rythm specialist go over my treadmill results to see if the conduction thing is really a problem. So I guess the good news is nothing serious is wrong...bad news they don't know why I'm having problems, LOL!

Our first Med-Surg test was this morning. I was surprised to see what was on the study guide actually on the test, LOL! They love to give us study guides in nursing and then make the test totally diferent. I thought it was very fare which usually isn't the case! I know what to study a little better next time and hopefully we'll have our results on Friday. After the test Jason brought little Elliot in to be fed and I got to hold him for a little bit...until he threw up all over me HAHA! I knew he was going to and he did! Luckily it came out of my shorts and I had time to change before the doctor :-)!

Very sleepy...

2008-09-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

We just finished with our first five mile run...needless to say I am a little tired. Oh and my hips, knees, shins, ankles, and toes hurt...oh well I guess that's my entire leg. There will be some definite icing going on tonight. It wasn't too bad. The whole water bottle holder butt thingy is not fun to run with, though. It is very heavy and bouncy the faster you run. Had to put it away after the first time around the park :-(. Kristin and I saw a coyote right before we turned the last corner and had to go all the way back around...not cool! My body actually felt pretty good for most of it except for this darn heart of mine. It was pounding so badly I would have to run one whole side the take a break for 30 sec to a min, run a another side and so on. It is quite annoying. The receptionist sent the cardiologist refferal to the house last week and I am now convinced it is lost. Which is crappy because I was hoping to go this week. Oh well.
Our first day of clinicals is tomorrow at 0645 and I have to do a clinical prep tonight for my first patient of the semester! Some how I got away with only three meds...something big will probably happen tomorrow though I am sure. Can't get away that easy! Hope all is well for everyone else:-)!

Running...Breathing...and my Heart...

2008-09-12T00:11:00.001-07:00

So we are now in like week 100 of running...ok not really more like week 4 but it sure does feel like 100. I thought after two months with my trainer and a month of running that it would be getting easier but nope...it has only gotten harder. I mean I am just jogging here not sprinting or anything of that nature. My heart pounds and I can't do a thing to catch my breath. After a wonderful experience on the treadmill last week...my heart rate reached 190 which apparently isn't cool for someone my age/weight...and I decided it was time to go to the doctor. After getting an inhaler for what we think is Exercise Induced Asthma, I also "earned my self a trip to the Cardiologist" as my Nurse Practitioner said, LOL! So I will be going there next week for an Echo (ultra sound of my heart) and possibly a Holter moniter which you wear for 24-48 hours and then take back to see if there are any major issues. I am sure absolutely nothing is wrong...there never is...it will just be nice to have someone confirm it and me not pass out from a crazy bout of tachycardia while running...which by the way is now contagious according to Kevin HAHA! I am taking my running a little slower until I find out for sure what's going on. Anyways...the last couple of times we have ran Jenny has been so nice as to stay with me/near me while we're running! It has been really helpful. Also Kristin is finally better and able to run again. She runs at about my same pace ( I am slower of course!) so it was great to have someone to run with today.

Clinicals start next week and I am actually quite excited! Our clinical teacher...who is new and a guy because there is no one to teach us...is really great. He is actually the manager of the floor we are going to be working on at the VA. I wasn't excited about the VA at first but they are actually a state of the art facility with a lot of tools that will make our job easier. Northwest is living in the 1900s compared to the VA but they are also a goverment hospital with lots of money, LOL! I am excited to practice the skills we have already learned and maybe start a few IVs :-)!! A big group of nursing kids went bowling tonight...it was a ton of fun to get out of the house besides for school or working out. These people are definitely what make the five semesters worth it!

This weekend not too much is going on. I began babysitting for a family this week...they have 4 year old who is too cute! I will be watching her all Saturday morning and then hopefully we will be getting to spend some time with Jon and Danielle! Studying for the Med-Surge exam will also be a priority...maybe ;-)!

Creepy Baby thing...

2008-09-08T22:54:00.001-07:00

So Meg and Mark did this creepy baby thing and I thought it'd be funny too, LOL!

They look pretty much the same except Breckyn's duck suit HAHA!

Lonely...

2008-08-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

Today we ran/walked 4 miles...I was lonely with a bad attitude...not the easiest way to run. I realize now how much easier running in cheer was because there were 30 other girls around you who wouldn't let you quit. Kristen didn't run with us today so I was alone. When you're trudging along on your first mile you need someone there to help you out...let you know you can do it. You should probably have enough will power to do so on your own but today I didn't :-(. I wanted to run the entire time because I am determined to run the whole 1/2 marathon and only walk as a last resort. At the end I decided to get with it and have a better attitude:-). Once we got home I remembered that this is technically only our first week of running and the fact that we are already at four miles is pretty darn good but I was being hard on my self. Unfortunately I did not hydrate nor eat properly before we went out. I was only nauseous for about two hours after running! Luckily I have a wonderful husband and friend who went out and got me dinner so I didn't have to gag the whole way to Chick-Fil-A in the car. They were either being nice or just didn't want to see that, LOL!

Well this was a pretty good first week of school and I got called off today! I was actually looking forward to only working a 6 hour sift, but oh well. This semester is going to be tiring but we've made it this far and there's no going back. We have a three day weekend and we will need the rest to be ready for this journey called Third Semester! Med-Surge should be...well it's med-surge so who knows, but I am EXCITED for Peds! They say we should be scared of the parents and of our little ones escaping their cribs to run amok in the halls but it makes me happy to think of helping such adorable little children and that of course makes me SMILE:-)!

I <3 Spandex!

2008-08-28T22:45:00.000-07:00

Ok so I don't really love spandex but after today I like it a lot:-)! Today was day three of running and we have officially recruited more crazy people! These people would be Kevin (who at first said he was only doing the 8k on Oct. 5th but is now goin for the whole thing) and Kristen K. (from nursing)! Thank goodness for Kristen because she actually runs at my pace and I have someone to run with. Oh yeah, back to the spandex, LOL! I wore my new not so cute Under Amour (sp?) ones today and I can't believe I ever lived without them! The actual running was not made any easier by them (nope that was still sucky) but my thighs were much happier today. We are running about three miles with only a few breaks of walking...I really must get back into running straight through...where is Ms. Jones when you need her to tell you you can't stop or you'll be running extra?! I finally uploaded new songs to my iPod and made a new running list...I have had the same one for about two years and there is only so many times you can listen to "AM to PM" before you wanna shoot your self. Hopefully the good ol' "Jo Bros" as Brant would call them will keep me going for a while.

*Hopefully I will get some pics up soon of our little running "team"!

Who knew your car tire could actually fall off...or almost.

2008-08-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

My car has been making this thunking sound on the right front side. We were pretty sure it was the tire but didn't see any obvious signs of there being something wrong. It was getting worse so I knew I had to take it in today (it's been doing this for three days). I was afraid it was going to be something actually under the car and it would cost a billion dollars (one of the cheapest cars in the world is also the most expensive to take care of mostly just because things always go wrong with it!). Went to Discount with Jenny this morning and within two seconds of looking at it...the guy's like "uh oh" which is never a great phrase in dealing with cars. He told us I was missing two lug nuts and my tire was trying to fall off...the fact that it had been getting worse meant that it was going to...sweet! Well anyways 45 mins and an amazing turkey cranberry from Paradise later it was all fixed! Two good things...it was free and we didn't kill ourselves or anyone driving with us :-)!

Before the tire incident we went to Sports Authority...not too exciting but anyways. After about two handfuls of clothes and an hour later we now have some much better running attire. A few things we learned:

1. Good running clothes are EXPENSIVE

2. Good running clothes are not always cute running clothes

3. Sports Authority has no coupons or discount program...sucky

and the best of all...

4. We are almost 22 years old and just now know what a good sports bra is supposed to feel like...our apologies to the girls ;-)!

We did it...

2008-08-23T01:55:00.001-07:00

Jenny and I officially signed up for the 1/2 marathon...in other words they have our $75 and there's no goin back! I decided that I am also going to use this blog as my running journal...we have been reading a book where the author kept a journal the entire time she trained for a marathon and it seemed to keep her alive, LOL! Now our journey is only half of what she had to go through but I am sure it will still find some way to kick our butts! I actually purchased about 5 books a Borders today on running...the cashier either thought I was crazy or that I possibly had never even heard of this thing called running and needed five books to teach me everything there is to know but I just wanted to be prepared. Since we only began reading them tonight I cannot tell if they are actually helping or scaring us more but I'm sure we'll figure it out. We had our first training session tonight...only 35 mins of running (8 of that walking) on the treadmill...now I know that doesn't sound like much but trust me it is just enough time to let you know that cheer shorts and short spandex are DEFINITELY the wrong way to go...I know I wanted to slim down my inner thighs but I am not sure actually rubbing them off is the way to do it cause it kinda hurts. Tomorrow Jenny and I's top priority is to hit Sports Authority for some new running clothes because apparently high school cheer attire just ain't gonna cut it!

School is almost here!

2008-08-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics from Andrew and Theresa's wedding that I really love! Things have been going really well! Summer went by increadibly fast but I am anxious to start school again...Brant is actually a little excited as well due to the fact he got a really wonderful studio teacher and a new person will be teaching the hardest class of all 5 years. Which is good news because although he doesn't get many, he deserves a break every once in a while!

This past Sunday I had to work but when I got there they had me floating to the Med-Onc floor...fine I though I'd love to float somewhere new! I didn't know what in the world I was doing though and I didn't have any one to talk to. Thankfully about 20 mins in they came back and said someone on my floor didn't come in and I would have to go back...I was never so excited to get back to 2100 in my life, LOL! Although increadibly busy, I ended up having a really good rest of the day. I think I was just able to really appreciate what I have there. I was even able to put in two Foley's in one day! I did both of them correctly...the second all by my self:-)! I just feel that much more confident now going into third semester! I have contacted the manager in the Women's Center and would still love to transfer but I only work Friday's now so I know I can make it...finally I will have a job that lasts more than three months HAHA!

I have been working hard with a personal trainer from SWAT fitness for the last three weeks...I have six months all together. I finally just realized I couldn't get back into shape by my self...it costs more than I would like but both Brant and I agreed it was for the best. I really haven't talked about it much with anyone except for a few close friends but I just really wanted it to be for me. The biggest news...I have officially decided to run the P.F. Chang's Half Marathon...crazy I know! Jenny is going to do it with me. I know it will be very hard and a long road getting there but it is one of the things on my Bucket List and this is the best year to do it...plus my trainer is going to help me getting ready for it. It is Sunday Januray 18th and it will be here before I know it! Now I just have to officially sign up for it...that I think will be the biggest challenge...once I've put in my $75 there's no going back, LOL! Maybe we can find some more crazies to do it with us:-)! Meg said she'd love to but due to her leg problems Jenny and I would be pushing her in a wheelchair LOL....it could be interesting ;-)!

Oh and Meg and Mark's house is ALMOST done!! While Brant and I can't have a house built yet...I am proud to say we are having a room built HAHA! Mark and Meg have been gracious enough to let us have one room in their house to call our own...literally they call it Heather and Brant's room LOL! Anyways...I am just so excited for them and I can't wait until they have little Megan and Mark's to put in it ;-)!

OK well that's it for now...many more updates to come once school starts!

It's been a while...

2008-08-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted in quite some time but there has been a lot going on! Between Andrew and Theresa's wedding and Newport for vacation we have been running around like crazy. It is now time to calm down for a few weeks and then school starts! Most would say UGH but I can't wait! This is going to be a busy semester but I am excited for the new things to come. Between learning how to start IVs, getting to spend more time with the little ones in our Peds rotation and dance class I couldn't be happier, LOL! Plus that means there is just one less semester until we graduate!! I also cannot wait to see everyone again...it feels like an eternity since we've had the nursing group together. It has been so wonderful, though, to spend just about every weekend this summer in Phoenix! We have some really amazing friends who always make the drive well worth it:-)! It has been really neat to see Meg and Mark's house going up...and to see "our" bedroom there coming along HAHA! We always tell them we're gonna stay with them when we come home after it's done...I'm sure they're just thrilled, LOL!

Tucson Drivers...

2008-07-21T17:37:00.001-07:00

This is the darn speed limit on the I-10 in the construction areas...I will go 60 but that is it! Sorry I do not want a ticket...grr! The crazies that are going 75 or 80 still and even doing so next to the barricades drive me nuts, LOL! Sorry for the venting, but we deal with this every weekend and I just thought I would share:-)!

~Theresa's Bachelorette Party~

2008-07-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

Theresa's party turned out wonderfully! Becky and I (even Mary and the spa lady Kelly) were running around like crazy right before it started! Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and most of all Theresa loved it! We got facials, pedicures in a bag and our makeup done. There was pizza, brownies, pop, and cake! Between all the spa activities and games, we ate and ate :-)! Andrew's party is this Sunday and then it is on to the wedding!!!

I have some kind of sleeping issue!!!

2008-07-12T02:01:00.000-07:00

So I think it is official that I have some kind of insomnia! It is 2:02 am and I just finished a bowl of Top Ramon and am drinking a Dr. Pepper! Ever since I began working at the hospital my sleep pattern has been seriously interrupted and I am not sure what to do :-(. Since I hurt my knee I haven't been able to get comfortable once I am in bed due to the pinching and burning feeling going on in there. Well I guess I am just being a big baby now and complaining way too darn much! On to better things...

Tomorrow *today* is Theresa's bachelorette party and I am quite excited for her! It will not involve any alcohol or naked men, LOL, but it will be so much fun. I was so glad when Becky let me help her with it. I still need to go to Costco for fruit/veggie tray, a cake, and roses but it will get done. I also need to get her present...something Theresa like...not too crazy HEHE! Before we know it their wedding day will be here. I was able to try my whole outfit...dress and shoes...together the other day and I am very excited (I know I know I need a different word but it's all I got)! I can't wait to see how everything comes together!

I was quite sad last night that I was not able to see my sister play her last softball game last night due to the pouring rain:-(. She was doing very well with it and I know it was important to her that I watch her at least once. We were able to get a movie and some candy last night, though, and I hope that made up for it! She is growing so fast and will be in high school in just one year! The other day she asked when I got my laptop and I told her right before I went to college...she said ok good that is when I will get mine! I loved hearing her say that...she is going to college and no one has to force her into it! She wants to be a nurse or a social worker, but doesn't know for sure yet. She wants to go straight to ASU or ASU west and not mess around with Community College (not that anything is wrong with that but we just know so many people who got screwed when they tried transferring to a university after their two years was up). I am also very proud of my brother who is so adorable :-) but she has her head on her shoulders a little more in consideration to life and the real world. Anyways...just thought I would share!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day and is actually sleeping right now!