Christmas in Salt Lake

This year, we met my family in Salt Lake for Christmas. Blaine got out of school a week earlier than I did, so the plan was for him and Jake to drive out ahead of time so we could have a couple of days with his siblings before they leave and because we knew Jake would be too big for a plane... and we're still scarred from that horrible thanksgiving trip. But then a couple things came up, and so I ended up driving out with them and had to miss a couple of days of school.

Its about a 17 hour drive, so the first day we drove 7 hours to my uncle's house in Kansas. Its a small town near the Colorado border and is convenient because it is right on our way. It was especially nice of them this time since I only gave them a couple of hours of heads up since our plans changed so last minute.

The next day we went 10 hours to Provo, but first we stopped in Denver to eat lunch at Boston Market and then in Grand Junction for our first Cafe Rio dinner in 6 months. It was sorely missed, but thanks to my lack of appetite and pregnancy palate, it was not nearly as delicious as I had hoped.

Anyways, we were in Salt Lake for a little over 2 weeks so I'll just show some highlights of the trip. A lot happened and Jake grew a ton, but I'll just let these pictures do all the talking. 

Nowheresville: starting our long journey

We got pedicures for Alexis' 22nd birthday... can you tell I didn't shower?

I chose O.P.I.'s Plugged in Plum and LOVED it. I usually am not a huge purple fan, but in honor of Alexis' special day and favorite color, I gave it a whirl. Mom and Alexis got back scrubs while me, Liv, and Abbie got pedicures. We got a really fun bunch of girls to do our toes. They jumped in on our John Tucker Must Die quotes and even did a Kim Kardashian impression. It was fun... Come to think of it now though, we never took a picture of all of our toes. Sad...

We also all went to see Frozen together. The movie was good, a little sad, but I LOVED the music. Idina Menzel is the voice of one of the sisters and there are 2 songs that are phenomenal. I will be awaiting the Broadway premiere of Frozen. After the movie I got my picture taken with this Abercrombie model... ok, he's my brother, but he's so handsome and the cold temperatures don't scare him. We also went to Outback for dinner after the  movie since my baby's been loving steak a lot.

Me, Blaine, and Jake stayed at my grandparents. My grandpa was an orthodontist so he and Blaine bond over that. Just look at what Blaine found. We also found his old work magnets on the fridge. 

 Austin loved bonding with Jakey :)

One night we also went sledding. It was so freezing, though, that the hill had turned to pure ice. It was fun and they went far (I could not participate), but it hurt their bottoms so bad that we didn't last long. Blaine took Jake down a couple times, though, and he liked it. And when it wasn't his turn to go down, Jake would chase people as they slid down the hill.

 We went to Temple Square to see the lights and eat dinner at the Lion House. Blaine and I loved (well, Alayna loved and Blaine probably mildly enjoyed) going to see the lights every year when we lived in Provo. We didn't get any amazing pictures this year like we had in the past, but oh well. In addition to a million beautiful lights and music, there are also several nativitys from around the world. I ran over to take a picture with this Native American nativity as a joke since Blaine is half Indian, but then after we took the picture, my mom pointed out, "Thats a kiwi!! Thats New Zealand."

Thats the temple where Blaine and I got married 4 1/2 years ago!

Something new in the Joseph Smith Building was this photo booth in the Family History section. It was so awesome. I made my family do it. It was supposed to be your family arriving in America at Ellis Island, so we told everyone not to smile, to preserve the historical accuracy, but Dad, Craig, and Alexis didn't get the memo. And it looks like Blaine, Austin, and Aaron died on the ship along our journey from Europe. 

Everyone went skiing, but I couldn't go because I didn't want to risk a fall, so no pictures of that. I did get to participate in snowmobiling though and that was a lot of fun. It was just our family and we had our own little guide, who had a bit of a 'tude, but got better as the journey went on. It also turned out that he was from the same town that Blaine's Dad is from in Montana and knew a lot of Blaine's cousins. We got to wear this really awesome and flattering racing suits, but they did keep me warm. 

And lastly, just some random pictures of the trip.  

 Blaine got lots of baby practice in with all my cousins.

We weren't able to see everyone we wanted to while we were there, but we were able to see a couple of our friends. And when we did, where did we go? Zupas. Home of the ONLY salads I like. (Besides Cafe Rio, but that lost its magic with me for the time being.)

Driving home... bad weather, bad health.

 Lastly, we were also able to squeeze in a family picture with all 10 of us, but I'm not thrilled with how I look. 

How I Got Pregnant…

I knew I couldn't have a baby while being in college because I needed to be able to graduate and work since Blaine was in Track and couldn't, and we just had some other personal things to worry about at that time. But Blaine and I both graduated in the Spring of 2012 and that is when I went off birth control and started trying. After one period, I didn't get any for months, so I went to a couple doctors over the next couple of months that were not helpful.

Finally Blaine and I did some research and decided to go to the doctors at the University of Utah's Reproductive Endocrinology unit starting in November 2012. It was all the way up in Salt Lake, but it was so worth it. I loved my doctor. From my very first appointment to my very last, I was never rushed or moved along. He would sit and talk and take as much time as I needed or wanted. My first doctor was a part of the first successful IVF pregnancy in Utah and had been the head of the department.

Apparently I do not ovulate regularly and have polycystic ovarian syndrome. I was very lucky to have Blaine at almost all of my appointments, especially since he is very science/medically minded and detail oriented. I really can't tell you much about the details of my diagnosis. But he also put me on thyroid medicine which I take as soon as I wake up every morning. I can't eat for 30 minutes after and can't have calcium for 4 hours.

Anyways, my doctor knew that June was our deadline for a baby before we moved away for dental school. So I started with several months of Clomid at various doses, which did not work. So then we added Dexamethasone which made me super nauseous. I even threw up in the car on the way to one of my appointments. Side note about my appointments, there was a sign in the waiting room prohibiting small children from being there due to the sensitive nature of their office.

Sometimes the medicine would produce a healthy egg, at which point I would get a trigger shot to force ovulation. Lots of times though, the medicine wouldn't be enough. So then I moved on to injectable medicines and I would have to give myself a shot everyday. Sometimes Blaine would bring it to me at work so I could take it at the same time everyday. Along with all this medicine also came just as many ultrasounds.

I also had to go to University Hospital several times to get my blood work done and to pick up medicines from the pharmacy since it was slightly cheaper. Yes, slightly. We spent several thousands of dollars on this endeavor. Yes, SEVERAL THOUSANDS. And then on top of that, leaving most appointments depressed, we would go out to eat and then stop at Nordstrom Rack or Ikea on the way home and spend more money.

Like I said, I liked the University setting because they were entirely patient and research oriented, rather than money and quantity oriented. Another reason I preferred them was because, although I had one doctor, he would discuss my "more difficult case" with the team of doctors and get input. After a while with my first doctor, he brought us into a conference room with a big white board to discuss our options of where to go from here. He had a flow chart all written up on a piece of paper, which he then drew on the white board. It was very sad, but very sweet. I really loved that doctor.

After discussing our options, we all decided on one path, but because it was more intense and would require me coming in more frequently, he passed me on to a new doctor. He is older and only comes in 2 days a week and taught the Med students the other days of the week. So then I started meeting with the current head of the department, who was very nice and knowledgeable as well, but I loved my original doctor the best.

Finally the month before I we moved,  we decided to try artificial insemination. But then 2 days before we moved, I found out it didn't work. Meanwhile, I knew several other people getting pregnant for the first or even second time without any troubles at all. It was hard and sad and unfair. I cried a lot. A lot. Going to church was the worst because there are tons of cute little kids everywhere and lessons about families or  children or motherhood would spark all sorts of crying. So I am very aware of and sensitive to people in similar situations.

I was lucky to be working at a job that offered me lots of flexibility and good friends, so that was helpful in being able to go to all of my appointments. I also had lots of friends who knew what I was going through and would pray for me and put my name in the temple. My parents went through a similar struggle when they were my age and my dad kept telling me to be active in my own life and to not sit around waiting and being depressed.

Anyways, Blaine and I moved to Oklahoma in the beginning of June and we decided to take a little bit of time off. We needed to save up more money and also take an emotional break since it was so draining and constantly on our minds. So I got a job that took up all my time and energy. And then we got our puppy Jake. Soon after that, I had a particularly rough week at school. I was just extra tired and irritable, and that Friday was our first playoff game, which meant I would be gone from 7am when I left for school until about Midnight. So on Thursday, I went in to talk to my principal to explain my feelings and ask for the next day off. She asked me if I was on my period or pregnant and one thing led to another and pretty much I had an embarrassing melt down in her office, complete with tears and everything... but I got the next day off: Friday, November 22.

Side note of my embarrassment, a couple weeks later I was in the office after school and it was just me and the secretary and she was asking me about my Christmas plans and next thing I know, she gave me a "mom hug" and told me she was there for me if I ever needed her. So I knew she had heard about my melt down. It was very sweet of her, but just drove home my embarrassment.

Anyways, so Friday I had the day off and Blaine had every Friday morning off, so we were home together. We slept in and then while he was brushing his teeth, he told me to take a pregnancy test just for fun. I was hesitant since I had taken several over the past year and they had all come up negative. But I decided to just do it. So I did the test and then passed it to him. His eyes got big and he said, "It says you are!" So I immediately started crying and said, "That's not funny!" But it was true!We even bought 2 more tests and those were positive as well.

So 2 days later, I told my mom by showing her the positive tests on FaceTime. And then later that day or the next day, we told Blaine's family and the rest of my family. My dad struggled to understand if I was talking about Jake being my baby or what. I think of Jake of my adopted baby, though. You know how people struggle to get pregnant, so they give up, relax, and adopt a baby... and then get pregnant right after just on their own? Thats what happened with us after we adopted Jakey :)

So a couple of girls in my ward had told me how great their doctor is who is in our ward. So I called his office and they said his next available appointment was in January. So I made an appointment with another doctor in the meantime and then planned on just switching to the doctor in my ward that I wanted. So remember that Thanksgiving flight fiasco? Well the only good thing to come out of it was that we were able to go to our ward that Sunday and I went over to talk to the doctor and just quickly ask him if there was anything I needed to know or do since I was on thyroid medicine and have PCOS.

He really is the greatest. I had never ever spoken to him before this, but he said just come in tomorrow morning and we could listen to our baby's heartbeat. So we did and it was amazing! We also got our first ultrasound picture of our baby. It determined that I was 7 weeks, 1 day. Then we went to get my blood work done and I hadn't eaten or drank much since my appointment was at 8:00 am. So the lady had a hard time drawing my blood and it hurt. She told me she'd whoop me if I didn't take better care of myself. So she gave me some graham crackers and sent me on my way. So then we left the doctors to go to IHOP and I threw up water and crackers on the side of the road.

Anyways, I will have to go back and catch up on the past couple of weeks. But this is the story about how it I found out I was pregnant. It really is our little miracle because I don't know how it happened. After all that time, money, and modern medicine, it happened on its own. I believe in being proactive and that Heavenly Father helps those who help themselves and don't just sit there and wait and not do their part. So sometimes I wish we would've saved all that money or used it to go on a romantic Mediterranean cruise, but if thats what it took to get us to this point, then so be it. At the time it seemed so far away and so unfair and so uncertain. But looking back now, I feel bad. But mostly I just feel excited and grateful and, in the words of Cam from Modern Family, I just can't wait to be a "stay-at-home-mom/trophy wife!"

8th Graders and the Nursing Home

I LOVE my class. And lets be real, my students do, too. I get to make up my own curriculum and teach whatever I think is appropriate for young teenagers to know to be good people and responsible adults and citizens. Our first unit followed Sean Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. This second unit that we're on right now is about qualities of good leaders. We've spent a lot of time on bullying, cyber-bullying, being smart and safe online, manners and etiquette, picking a leader and writing an acrostic poem about their qualities as a good leader, and most recently, we have been talking about serving others. Our school baseball field backs up to the local Nursing Home, so it was a perfect opportunity for a convenient service trip. So I got in contact with their activities coordinator a couple weeks ago and set up a couple visits.

So on Wednesday (our first day back after 4 snow days) I took my 3rd hour class over and we hung Christmas stockings on the doors of the residents. The activities coordinator was so excited to have us and gave each of my students a hug and thanked them for coming. The administrator even came over and thanked us for coming. She told the kids that lots of people don't come because they're scared to be around the old people or worried they'll get sick, but that stuff is not true.

On Friday I was able to take my 2nd and 7th hours. 2nd hour has a lot of kids in it, so one of the kids played the piano for the residents to enjoy with a couple of other students. One of them has a grandmother living there, so he (yes, HE) and some of his friends painted her nails in his room. That was really sweet. He's a good boy that I've talked about before. (All the girls were talking about him on the way back. "Did you see him with his grandma? He is so sweet. I can't believe he painted her nails. Whoever gets to be his girlfriend is so lucky. Etc..." And then the rest of 2nd hour just continued to hang stockings. We came to one room, though, and the activities coordinator came running over, "Oh no, no, not that door." And then she mouthed to me, "Jehovah's Witness."

7th hour had the best experience though. We were supposed to help with Bingo at that time, but an older gentleman had showed up unannounced and offered to play the guitar and sing for them, so that took the place of Bingo. So the activities lady said, "If you're willing, I have an idea that I think would mean a lot to our residents. Some of them don't have any family or get very many visitors. Would you like to visit them and just talk a little bit?" So of course we said yes, but I was a little worried about how my students would react. Would they be awkward? Would they even talk? But man, they stepped up and I was so impressed. They stuck together in groups of 2 or 3 and visited lots of people. I went around and checked on each group and chimed in when I needed to, but they did so great and the residents just loved it. This one man, for example, had them pull a blanket out of a christmas bag with pictures of his great-grandkids on it and he just went on and on about it and my kids were able to ask questions and be interested and supportive. The activities coordinator got a little teary-eyed watching that because she said she visits him everyday and he's never shared that with her.

When we were leaving the class to head over there, I said, "Leave all your stuff, we'll be back." A couple of them were holding little clay things, so I asked what they were and apparently they had made fossils earlier that day in Science. So I let them bring them to the nursing home and they turned out to be good conversation starters. As we were leaving, the kids were so excited and sharing stories of different experiences they'd had and asking if we could come back. I think next semester I'd like to bring my classes once a month - it'd be enjoyable and special for the residents, appreciated by the staff, a growing and unique service experience for my students, and one day a month that I don't have to prepare a lesson. I was supposed to be at the high school pep rally during 7th hour on Friday, but I skipped it to take my class to the nursing home and it was the right decision.