Childbirth Classes

Derek and I started attending the only class that West Virginia offers for childbirth. I really wanted to find a Lamaze class but unfortunately this tiny town doesn’t offer it. The class offers 5 classes on basic information from breastfeeding to managing labor pain.

I thought I knew it all based on the endless episodes of A Baby Story, Bringing Baby Home, Birthdays , Amazing Deliveries, Teen Pregnancy & Teen mom all of which the TLC and VH1 channel offers. I know it sounds like all I do is watch TV but I’ve been keeping myself occupied “nesting” for the most part, when I take a break at least one of the baby related episodes is on TV.

My plan is to deliver naturally. Most think I’m crazy when pain relief is so accessible. I figure, child birth is a natural part of life, many have done it before me (including my own mother) …so why can’t I? One of the main reasons I’d like to deliver naturally because I want total control. I’ve never been drunk, but I have been given medication that has made lose my sense of control and I hate that feeling. My entire pregnancy has felt uncontrolled (due to sickness) and I’d like to at least feel like I’ve had some control during part of my pregnancy. The thought of not being able to feel my legs…or feel if I’m pushing hard enough once the epidural has been administered terrifies me!

At the last class we attended, there were about ten other couples. I often forget I’m in West Virginia until I hear the Southern drawl that the majority of the locals’ possess here. It was interesting to hear the introductions and what other couples plan to name their children. Imagine a southern drawl to following double names (these were actual names from the class): Eric Dickenson….Sarah Lynn…Anna Belle. When It was our turn for introductions, I told them what I’ve told many of you…due to unwanted opinions and the likelihood that someone will take offense that he is not named after a family member we have chosen not to share the name until our son is born. I can’t imagine what kind of response we would have gotten because our little boys name is very unique compared to the names we had just heard.

We were taught breathing techniques and relaxation methods. Honestly, envisioning the calming sunrise as I hear waves wash ashore doesn’t calm me at all. The breathing techniques were hilarious because my husband was intentionally trying to make me laugh. .. I need to figure out some relaxation method fast or else I’ll be screaming for the epidural. Running and journaling are calming to me, both of which will not be conducive to relaxing during childbirth. Suggestions anyone?

Measuring BIG

I had what I think was my last ultra sound last Monday. My doctor has been telling me for the past month that I'm measuring ahead of schedule. A couple of weeks ago he told me to cut back on the refined sugar. For some reason his advice triggered me do the exact opposite.



Last Monday he gave me the stats of my baby. He is now in the 89% and is nearly 5lbs. Those stats scared me into action. Who likes to be told that they are fat? It's worse when the doctor is telling you that your child is VERY BIG. I have cut out refined sugar from my diet. I have replaced it with Splenda (which I hate) so I just go for the sweet yummy fruits like watermelon, pineapple and mango.

I've misplaced the latest ultra sound image of our little boy. Honestly, I couldn't really make out the body parts anyway because he was moving too much. Derek thinks that he will have my eyes and lips, I think he'll have his daddy's cheeks and nose...I hope that combination makes for a very handsome little boy.



I had Derek take this picture a few minutes ago...I know my hair is a mess but it is reality and I have my bad hair days. Derek threatened to stop taking profile pictures of me if I continue complaining about how huge I am. I'll just complain about how huge our son is. I can feel his every move now. I can identify his large hard head and his feet. My entire belly tends to shift back and forth and it looks odd, but I'm glad that he is active. I'd be worried otherwise. I'm counting down the days to delivery day!

Hard Work Pays Off!

This week Derek was accepted into the Sigma Sigma Phi National Honorary Osteopathic Fraternity. I'm especially proud because there were times when we were applying for Medical School that we felt discouraged. Several people suggested he try looking into other career options and some flat out told him that many don't make it. I can recall our frustrations when he wasn't accepted into medical school after applying the first year. The following year, we were so thankful to get into West Virgina's Osteopathic School. Now that we are here, we realize the Lords hand in our lives in specifically directing us here. Everything fell into place as far as finding a place to live, having sufficient savings to move and meeting great people once we arrived here. The school couldn't be any better, it continually ranks top 10 in the Nation. The little town isn't so bad (although I still have my occasional complaints). Overall, we are happy. I think about the other schools that we wanted to get into so bad and I really don't think we would have been as happy(as far as school curriculum & overall learning experience).

The following pictures were taken before the Sigma Sigma Phi inauguration dinner:


Can you tell my husband loves getting his picture taken? Here is saying "OK...I'll take a picture...but I don't want to!


This is the letter he received that notified him that he was accepted...just one day before the inauguration dinner. We almost thought that he didn't get accepted.

Derek attended the inauguration dinner last Wednesday. He was feeling bombarded with all the studying he still needed to complete and he's been under the weather for some time now. He wasn't as excited to attend as I thought he would be. Once he attended the dinner and returned he was content.

He learned more about Sigma Sigma Phi's objectives and purposes, which are: To further the Science of Osteopathic Medicine and its standards of practice, to improve the scholastic standing and promote a higher degree of fellowship among its students, to bring about a closer relationship and understanding between the student bodies and the officials and members of the faculties of our colleges, and to foster allegiance to the American Osteopathic Association and to perpetuate these principles and the teachings through the maintenance and development of this organization.

Derek was surprised that not all the students that he had interviewed with were accepted. He said that the organization is truly seeking out those who will make a difference in the world. He said that he felt special at the dinner, it was nice to mingle with the professors that are a part of the organization. They have a lot of service activities that they are excited to about this next year.


The pin he received


His certificate, that we have proudly hung in our office.



I'm so proud of him. I'm glad we didn't let other peoples discouragement and pessimism hinder his ability to get accepted and to excel in medical school. I will never try to hinder someone else's dreams by being the one to discourage!

In Full Bloom, 30 Week Update

It's official, I can not see my toes! Time to treat myself to a pedicure!!!!



According to my book What to expect when you're expecting I should be experiencing the following:

Stronger, more frequent fetal activity-
Definitely, he's most active early in the morning and when I'm laying down. He hates when I fold my arms across my chest or place anything on my belly. He can also recognize his daddy's voice, at the sound of it he tends to squirm around.

Heartburn, indigestion-
Tumbs goes everywhere with me. My stomach always feels like it's in my throat especially when I eat dairy products.

Leg cramps-
This week I haven't taken Skofeild out for a walk at all and I have no desire to do my pregnancy yoga video

Backache-
Nothing new to me but at times it seems more extreme

Stretch marks-
Not yet...and I hope not ever! My belly gets a lathering of Coco Butter twice a day. Hopefully the humidity here will help too.

Difficulty sleeping-
I can't ever find a comfortable position and when I do, I either need to get up to use the potty or the baby starts kicking

Pelvic pressure & Achiness-
I try not to wobble but I do...I know I look funny but I guess that's part of pregnancy

On a positive note, the great thing about being pregnant is people seem to be more polite. People open doors for me, I get food served to me first. I love being treated special. I also really enjoy feeling our son move, sometimes it wakes me up but it is truly a miracle to have a baby growing inside of me.

I have an ultra sound scheduled for Monday, now that I'm in my 3rd trimester appointments are scheduled every other week. Last week I was told he was still measuring big. I'll keep you updated.

Spring Cleaning

Once upon a time when I was single, I was in total control of my own space. My clothes were organized by color, my seasonal clothes were packed away based on what season it was and my shoes placed in a nice row. Now that I'm married at times it's hard to keep things organized. I'm in no way saying my husband and I are sloppy, it was due to a lack of time. The first two years of marriage I worked two jobs and when I wasn't working, I was training for an upcoming race. Derek was taking a few classes and working full-time, when he wasn't working he was working on his Medical school applications. When I was home the last thing I wanted to do was organize and we don't live like slobs either. If you can imagine nearly three years of paper work jammed into our desk drawers, tons of clothes stored in our closet (some I hadn't worn since my skinner days)and old unecessary stuff. I finally decided it was time to organize EVERYTHING. I guess some call it "Nesting" because my motivation is our son, who will be here in just two months!!

I'm so excited for my mother and grandmother to come out and help. We bought a guest bed to make sure they will be comfortable (thanks to our nice tax return, our hard work paid off last year). After sleeping on an air matress, I don't wish to do that to my guests. We just need a few more items to finish the nursery, other than that our files are in order (we no longer will have to spend hours looking for specific documents), closets are organized and our guest room is ready!

Derek has been slammed with tests nearly every week. He's also been sick, we thought it was allergies at first but he's been consistantly coughing for almost two weeks. It's been tough because he hasn't had much time to rest due to all the studying, but his hard work has been rewarded. He was invited to apply and interview for the Honor Society. I'm so proud of him, he works so hard to do well.

Stay tuned for a pregnancy update next week. I'll be 30 weeks this week!

Spring Break 2010

Spring Break finally came around and left just as quick as it came. Derek and I planned a two day trip to Richmond, Virginia and a day trip to Kensington, Maryland to attend the D.C Temple. On Wednesday we dropped off Skofield to boarding for the first time ever. It was quiet sad and to make matters worse we had just watched the movie Hatchi (a movie about a dog’s devotion to his owner) the night before. Skofeild looked so sad; we think he thought we were abandoning him. I know this sounds pathetic but we were nearly in tears leaving him at boarding, it was a chain link fence that separated him from the other dogs and a bare concrete floor. He is so used to the comforts of our home. If we were that sad leaving our dog, I wonder if we’ll ever leave our son with anyone. When we arrived to Richmond, VA we rested a bit, and then headed to the Maymont Park, a historical FREE park. It was amazing, there were themed gardens, animals, aquariums and a historic mansion. We spent over three hours in the park and we took tons of pictures. When we returned to Rochelle’s house (my BYU-I college roommate) she and her husband made a delicious steak dinner. Rochelle and her husband are always so hospitable when we visit.
Here are a few snapshots at the Maymont Park Me and Rochelle, she's 18 weeks pregnant and I'm 26 weeks pregnant. It's so fun to reminisce about our college days! I'll have to post some pictures of my crazy college days one day. On Thursday we drove 1.5 hours to Virginia Beach. I was thrilled to find a Greek restaurant because I’ve been craving random unobtainable ethnic foods throughout most my pregnancy. It was a bit overcast so we didn’t get into the ocean but it was still very nice out and we enjoyed walking up and down the boardwalk. We attempted to go to Williamsburg but between the bright orange detour signs and our GPS taking us to random places other than Williamsburg I lost all desire to visit the site. We returned to Richmond and swung by a craiglist seller’s house to pick up a slightly used jogger. I’m quite pleased with it, it only cost $35. We’ve been searching for one online but the good ones cost over $200.00. Here in Lewisburg, Craigslist is nearly nonexistent so whenever we travel to big cities we try to see what we can find. We left early Friday morning to pick up Skofeild by 9am. He was so very excited to see us. We missed him so much. On Saturday morning we traveled to Kensington, Maryland with the Bishop family. Thank goodness they offered to drive because we were so exhausted. A convert from our ward was receiving his endowment and was sealed to his wife in the D.C Temple. It was so nice to be in the temple with my husband, it’s a rare occasion now that we live so far away from the nearest temple. We’re excited to return home in December to be able to attend once again. Maryland is by far the most diverse place I’ve ever been (I consider myself well traveled too). We saw restaurants for nearly every South American, Asian, African and Middle Eastern Country. We had Caribbean food for lunch (nothing like my grandma’s cooking but we were still pleased). I really wanted El Salvadorian Papusas for dinner (another non obtainable food in WV) but I thought we should go somewhere we would all enjoy. We settled on the Olive Garden. We didn’t get home until 3am and upon arrival I vomited all over the Bishops driveway…gross I know but I couldn't’t help it. Good thing it rained the next day so I didn’t have to clean it up. Our Spring break was great but I’m DONE with traveling until our son is born. I am beyond exhausted.

CHECK OUT OUR HOME VIDEO: THE RODEBACK RENDITION OF 'GOOD EATS'

Burned OUT

This week Derek had a test in Behavioral Medicine, Pharmacology and Physiology. He had several tests a couple weeks ago and he just felt overwhelmed with having to learn so much information in a short period of time. Every night he'd study until 12am but even then he still felt like he needed to study more in prepartion for his exams. This is the look I get when I try to document everyday life. This is the night before Derek's exam. He wouldn't approve of this picture but I thought it was perfect because it shows just how exhausted he was. He never crashes on the couch unless he is super tired. He of corse did well on his exam and is excited to get a week off for Spring Break. On Saturday we decided to go to Sherwood Lake with several of our friends who are in medical school as well (and their families). James Bishop (Left) and Stewart North (Right) Skofeild needed a break from our little apartment as well so we took him along too. Derek and I (25 1/2 weeks pregnant) We also plan to venture into civilization sometimes this week. I'm planning a cheap getaway to Virginia and we also plan to go to the D.C temple with other ward members. We can't wait to find a decent place to eat out, we really miss good food.