Ephraim's Birth Story

I discovered I was pregnant just a few short weeks after moving across the country from Utah to Tennessee.  We had just relocated our little family so that my husband, Nathan, could attend graduate school at Vanderbilt University.

We had been wanting another child for a little while, and I knew that I wanted to do things a little differently than I had with my pregnancy with my daughter. I had a very traumatic emergency C-section with her, and I really wanted to try for a VBAC delivery, hopefully free of medications.

The first thing I wanted to do was to hire a doula.  I was concerned that in moving away from Utah I wouldn't be able to find someone I was comfortable with hiring. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the wife of our Bishop just happened to be a doula, and also a very active participant in the birth community in Nashville.  She helped me to find a clinic of midwives at Vanderbilt that were supportive of my VBAC, a monthly c-section support group called ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network), a breastfeeding conference, the Empowering Fearless Birth conference, and also a Hypnobirthing instructor in the area.

I did everything I could to try and make my VBAC happen. However, when I reached 40 weeks with no dilation, my midwives were getting a little wary.  My previous C-section and subsequent NICU stay for Evelyn had been caused by a bad reaction to induction drugs, so I was not willing to go that route and the midwives agreed.  However, because they are associated with Vanderbilt Medical Center and are overseen by the OB's there, they are only allowed to let you wait until 42 weeks without intervening. I was doing everything I could to kick start my labor, even to the extremes of castor oil and 45 minutes on the stair climber at the gym at 41.5 weeks. Even after all of that I was barely 1 centimeter dilated.  The midwives recommended considering either another induction (no way!), or a scheduled c-section.

The morning of May 20th, 2014.  42 weeks pregnant.

We are very fortunate that Vanderbilt Medical Center offers something called a family-centered c-section.  With this option you get to watch your baby be born through a window in the draping, two minutes of delayed cord clamping, and you can have skin-to-skin contact immediately while still in the operating room. As long as baby is doing okay, you don't ever have to be separated.  These were all of the things that I wanted because it was all of the things I didn't have with the birth of my daughter. She had ended up in the NICU, and I didn't even lay eyes on her for 7 hours after she was born. She was on a respirator and wasn't allowed to try to nurse for several days. Because of this she never really took to breast feeding and it was such a struggle. I didn't want that to happen again.

We decided to go ahead and schedule the family-centered c-section for May 20th, the very last possible time my providers would allow, hoping that I would go into labor on my own before then.  It didn't happen, though.

Nathan and I checked into the hospital at 11 am that morning and our doula Rebekah met us there. She was really supportive and helpful, even though it wasn't the traditional birth we had been hoping for.  I got changed for surgery and they checked me one last time, just to see if I had progressed at all.  Nope! Still shut tight and not even effaced a little bit.  The c-section was still on.

I had a lot of fear I had been trying to process over the previous nine months. I believed I had made peace with much of it, but I still had a fear of being left alone in the event of something going wrong with the baby. I didn't want Nathan to leave my side for even a moment. If he had to leave to be with the baby I wanted Rebekah there, so she dressed in surgical clothing just in case we needed her as back-up since we were only allowed one support person in the operating room.  They wanted Nathan stay back while they prepped me and did my spinal block in the O.R., but I begged and pleaded with everyone I talked to to let him stay with me the whole time. After a lot of asking and approving we got the OK for him to stay with me.  They wheeled me back to the operating room.

They have a really special nurse at Vanderbilt named Lacey who's whole job is to attend to the parents during the surgery and make sure that all of the "family friendly" guidelines are followed.  She also takes great pictures for you in the operating room. She stood by my head the whole time and told us what was happening.

Before we started, everyone was making guesses as to how big the baby was going to be. The surgeon guessed 8 pounds, Nathan guessed 10 pounds 6 ounces, I guessed 10 pounds even.

The anesthesiologist is the person in charge in a c-section, and is really important in the operating room. Our anesthesiologist was named Dr. Chestnut and the resident anesthesiologist under him told us that he literally wrote the textbook on labor and delivery anesthesia.  I felt so lucky to get him. He also was the one who said it was okay for Nathan to stay with me during the spinal block.

After they had done the spinal block (the scariest part for me!), they draped everything and I felt quite relaxed.  I had had a moment of panic right before the spinal block, but that passed and I was feeling very relaxed.  The operating room filled with people quickly.  Vanderbilt is a teaching hospital and so there were many people who were simply there to watch.  I mostly closed my eyes and held Nathan's hand while the smell of cauterizing and the tugging sensations began on the other side of the curtain.  I teased the surgeon (who was a resident) that my last c-section had healed really well, so the bar was set pretty high.  Things were relaxed and happy.  It was such a different feeling from my last c-section.

When they were ready to birth the baby, they opened the window in the draping.  It was angled upward so that I could not see my own body, only the space directly above it.  We watched through the window as Ephraim was born. He came out screaming, and it made my heart so happy to hear that sound! I cried and cried as I could very clearly see that he was healthy and fine. That was the first of many prayers that was answered. Everyone kept saying how big he was! They stretched two hats over his head to keep him warm, and they held him close to the plastic window.  Someone set a timer for two minutes, and we waited for the delayed cord clamping.  Delaying the clamping of the cord benefits the health of the baby, and I had never in my wildest dreams believed they could do that in a c-section. For two minutes I talked to and kissed my baby through the plastic sheeting. As soon as he heard my voice, he quieted and opened his eyes. It was magical.

At the end of two minutes they cut the cord and the pediatric team gave him a clean bill of health.  They quickly weighed him and everyone gasped as the scale read about 5000 grams, or 11 pounds 1 ounce!  Everyone was floored! Lacey said he was the biggest baby she had ever seen born in her time as a nurse.  Everyone kept asking if I was diabetic, and I assured them I was not!  The nurses said that if we had tried to induce, there was no way he would have come down. He was enormous!

After weighing him, Lacey placed him right on my chest for skin-to-skin.  As soon as she put him there, he began looking around for food, and with a little direction he latched on and began to suck.  He continued to breastfeed for the entire 45 minutes I was still in the operating room being stitched up. This was the second big answer to my prayers. I had feared breastfeeding would be difficult to initiate, but here he was doing it on his own!

They took him from me for a minute to get all of his stats while I was transferred back to my bed.  They placed him back on my chest for the ride back to labor and delivery.  As they wheeled me through the halls I felt so happy and peaceful. This birth was not what I thought I had wanted, but it was still perfect and lovely. I had gotten everything I had wanted. I felt like a queen on a float in a parade, waving and smiling at everyone we passed, who cooed and awwwed over my beautiful boy.

When we got back to our room, Rebekah was there waiting. She helped a little to make sure Ephraim was latching correctly and nursing well, and she stayed with us until we were settled over in our room in the mother/baby unit.

Vanderbilt has a rooming-in policy where no babies are kept in a nursery but rather stay with their mother's in their room at all times.  So from the very first moment he barely left my side except for his hearing screening and a few other tests over the next two days, but even then Nathan stayed with him. They watched his blood sugar closely just to check for diabetes, but just as I had assured them we were both healthy and definitely not diabetic.  He is just a really big baby!!  Nurses would stop in just to take a peek at this unusual child.

We were able to leave the hospital after only two days. We took our precious Ephraim Nathan home with us very happy and healthy.

Every single day for nine months I had prayed to have a vaginal unmedicated birth.  Every day I had prayed that my labor would start on it's own or that my water would spontaneously break on its own.  I trusted that Heavenly Father would answer my prayers.

What really happened was so completely different than what I had prayed for, but it just shows me how well Heavenly Father really knows me. He knows me so well that he gave me exactly the things that I had wanted (healthy baby, skin-to-skin, immediate breast feeding, delayed cord clamping, not to be separated from my baby) in a way that I can only trust was best for me. I do not know exactly why my body didn't go into labor on its own, or if it would have if we'd had more time, or whatever else.  I did not know that I could have a beautiful birth with all of the things I wanted in any other way, but I did.  I had prayed for the means that I believed would give me what I really wanted, but he blessed me with a different way to get those exact same things.  I really believe that part of the reason we were supposed to move to Nashville was to deliver Ephraim here in this remarkable hospital.

I left the hospital feeling an emotional healing that I didn't know could happen from another c-section.. and I am so grateful.

It's fun to stay at the YMCA

There were two really difficult sacrifices I had to make when we decided to leave Utah.  One was my favorite grocery store, WINCO, the other was leaving behind my gym.

I have worked out at the new Pleasant Grove recreation center since it opened a few years ago, and I was in love with it. It was part of my routine. There were so many benefits! Close to home! Family friendly! Inexpensive! Clean! New!  You can see why I was struggling with the thought of leaving it behind.

As we now know, when we do what Heavenly Father asks us to do (move away from our beloved grocery store and gym), we know he is going to give us something better.  I guess I had my doubts that he would know how important this was to me, and I was just going to have to suck it up and cut my losses.  Silly me.

Just a few minutes from my new house is the most beautiful gym I have ever seen. Looking from the outside you would think it was a fancy-schmancy health club, but turns out, it is the Bellevue Community YMCA.  When I asked a few people in the ward where they worked out, they seriously gushed about this place. Being from Utah where they don't have YMCA's, I had no idea how great it could be. I have heard that not all YMCA's are this awesome, but this one definitely is.

After looking into it, it is quite a bit more expensive than the PG Rec, but what isn't more expensive out here? Oh yeah, nothing.

Boy oh boy, though, you get what you pay for!  It is AMAZING!  The best part is that you can have up to 2 hours each day of FREE childcare while you work out!  The daycare area is also BEAUTIFUL! It is separated into 3 different areas by age, they have lots of friendly staff, an outdoor fenced play area, and a very secure system of making sure your kid doesn't go home with someone they don't belong to.

The other perks:

- Tons of machines, so there is always one available. Each machine has it's OWN TV attached. (This is huge because the best way for me to power through a 50-minute workout is to watch a good show.)

- Great family-friendly indoor pool

- Physical therapy & massage therapy on-site (for additional cost, of course, but still it's available!)

- 3 studios with different classes going 14 hours each day! (I can't wait to try Danceblast, Balletone, yoga, spin, and ballroom dance!)

- All-natural juice bar on-site

- It's not just a gym, but a community center where people come to take music classes, spend time together, etc.

- There are SCRIPTURES on the walls. Seriously.

I could go on and on... but let's just say, I'm not missing the PG Rec at all anymore. :) 

I went to work out there for the first time last week and it was so great. We had toured the facility on Monday night when I signed up for my pass, and we spent some time at the childcare center.  Evelyn had loved it then, so when I brought her back she couldn't get in there fast enough! She ran to the lady in charge (who had shown us around on Monday), and didn't even bother saying goodbye.

After my AWESOME workout, I went to pick her up and she was totally dirty and totally happy. She loved every second of it. Meg, the lady in charge, told me she had played for almost the whole 90 minutes outside (hence being sweaty and dirty), and was perfect the whole time.

I could have broken out in song I was so elated.

I can foresee many good times for Evie and I at the YMCA. The song is right. It is fun.

Evie's happy, dirty face after playing at the YMCA.

Me and the Missionaries

Something cool about living outside of Utah is that I have had a lot more interaction with the missionaries than I did back home.

Our ward has their own set of SISTER missionaries!  This means that the relief society sisters in the ward get to be even more involved! Going on splits, feeding them, etc.  It's exciting! We are the closest member family to their apartment, so if they need anything they call us first, pretty much.

One of our sister missionaries, Sister Johnson, injured her back a little over a week ago. I guess it was an old injury that she re-injured, but apparently it was very severe. She was in the ER weekend before last, and then has been pretty much flat on her back ever since then. This means that they need even more help than usual.  On Tuesday I was asked to take them to the chiropractor in the afternoon. I had already signed up to go out visiting with the un-injured sister (Sister Munafo), that evening so it wasn't a big deal at all.

Before going to the chiropractor, I took them to the post office to pick up a package, and while they were there, Sister Munafo dropped their cell phone in the parking lot. She didn't realize it until after we were at the chiropractor and by the time we got back there, it was gone.

I sent a text message to the phone, and a kindly gentleman had picked it up, and he gave us his address where we could come and get it.

I made some quick salads for dinner, and we dropped sister Johnson off at a ward member's house for the evening.  Sister Munafo and I went to visit Pete, the man who had picked up the phone. In the car, Sister Munafo told me that she was going to give this guy a Book of Mormon and see if he would visit with us.

He turned out to be a very nice older gentleman, and both he and his wife were very gracious. We did talk to him a little about the church, and left them with a Book of Mormon.  It was a good experience. 

Sister Munafo hadn't made any appointments because of the unpredictability of Sister Johnson's injury, so we just dropped by several investigator's houses, hoping to find someone at home. After trying three different places, we ended up visiting a very interesting woman named Lee.

I think Lee may have been part of a religious cult in the 70's... and she had a lot to say about religion in general. She was very warm and kind.. and like I said, had A LOT to say.  She also is a professional Colon Hygienist and has written several books about spiritual connections to colon cleansing. It was pretty...enlightening?  We left there with free copies of her books, and our heads pretty much spinning, but she did commit to read one chapter of the Book of Mormon, and she told us that she didn't have any problem believing that it was the word of god. She also told us that a TV evangelist was a prophet... so yeah.

Today I took them to Trader Joe's and the farmer's market for groceries. Thankfully, Sister Johnson's back is doing a lot better after a week of rest, so she was up for walking around quite a bit.  It was their p-day, so they took their time and enjoyed the day. They loved the farmer's market. They are such great girls. I really enjoy spending time with them.

On Wednesday they are coming over for dinner and then we are going out on splits again.

Hopefully there will be more interesting stories to come :)

Leafing through these has proven to be very entertaining.

Making Friends

I am sure that 99% of you know that I am Mormon.

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I believe in Jesus Christ and his teachings. I try to live my life in harmony with those teachings. I go to church every week and I pray and read every day. I love it.

When we decided to move to Tennessee, it was completely because we felt directed to do so by God.  We had absolutely no other reason to choose this place, and in fact we almost didn't.  We prayed and prayed and prayed...  And we knew that this would be the right place for us.

We moved here without knowing anyone.  The one person we knew here was moving away before we got here, and so I can say that right at the beginning we felt pretty friendless.

I am a social person. I thrive on social interaction. I need friends not only for fun, but also for my sanity.  It is just who I am and I have always been this way!  The first week here was a little hard for me, but then we went to church.

Our ward (congregation) here is wonderful!  I have made so many friends.  There are many many women in the ward that are in the exact same situation as I am, and they do things together several times per week.  They have welcomed me with open arms and helped me feel at home. I can honestly say that if it weren't for these incredible women, I think I would probably be in complete misery here. Feeling like I am a part of this wonderful group has made me feel like I belong here, and that this is truly my home now. I feel busy and fulfilled, and almost all of these opportunities to be involved directly relate to the Relief Society in my ward.  It is wonderful.

I am sure you will hear more about them in the future... since it is my whole social life. :)

I'll just leave it with this:  Heavenly Father is good. He knows exactly what we need and when we do as he directs, he blesses us abundantly. He knows how difficult it was for me to leave behind cherished friends and family, and he has given me even more people in my life to cherish.  He is good.

Choosing Vanderbilt

Nathan decided a couple of years ago that he would like to go to graduate school.  I come from a very education-centered family and have always been supportive of that.

Last fall when working his way through his final year at BYU it was finally time to start addressing that desire.  Nathan took the GRE and received a very good score.  We started hearing from schools, inviting him to apply and waiving application fees.  Three of these schools were Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, Notre Dame in Indiana, and Vanderbilt here in Nashville.  

We had never really considered going out of state for school.  Nathan had already started working in a research lab at BYU under a really wonderful professor, and we just assumed he would stay on there.  Then, one day Nathan came home from school and said, "What do you think about going out of state?"  He thought I would be totally against it (not sure why...), but my response was, "Sounds cool to me.. let's see what happens."

Nathan submitted his applications to those three schools, plus BYU just in case.  We heard back first from Rensselaer - no.  Then, we waited for months and months.. no word from anywhere!  During that time we both had a very special feeling about Notre Dame.  We decided that it was our first choice, and if we heard back from them with a yes, we were going. Second choice was BYU, and third choice was Vanderbilt. The reason being that we didn't know anything about Vandy, we knew it was pretty hard to get into and we didn't even think it was a real possibility.

We heard back from BYU with a yes, which was expected.  Then we heard back from Vanderbilt that we were on a waiting list.  We didn't want to bank our lives on a waiting list, so that was out.  Then, we heard back from Notre Dame with a no.  We were pretty surprised, and it caused us a lot of stress. Suddenly we had to reevaluate. We decided to wait until BYU's acceptance response deadline and if we hadn't heard back from Vanderbilt, then we were staying in Provo.

One week before the deadline, Nathan got an unexpected email from a professor here at Vanderbilt. She was interested in him, and wanted to talk to him on the phone.  They set up an interview on the phone for the following Monday, just days before the deadline.  The evening after speaking to him, she sent an email stating their intent to offer him acceptance with benefits. Vanderbilt is also a prestigious school, which could help Nathan later in his career, especially if he ever wanted to be a professor.

At this point, we didn't know what to do!  We were so conflicted.  We had been praying for months about getting into ANY graduate school, and now we were forced to make a choice in only a couple of days that would greatly affect our family in the long term.  Nathan sought the advice of his professors at BYU, who were very vague.  His research professor offered him a fellowship (additional money) if he stayed, and promised that he would be done in 4 years instead of the 5 at Vanderbilt.

It began to seem obvious that the greater benefit would be to stay at BYU.  I honestly felt quite let down that we were going to stay, but I was trying to be supportive of Nathan and his choices, and so I told him that if he felt we should stay, then we would stay.  It made logical sense... so let's do it.

After one day of having decided on BYU, Nathan sat me down and told me something wasn't right. He didn't feel like BYU was the right choice and he felt like the spirit was making him feel unsettled about it.  I told him, "Why don't we decide on Vanderbilt and see how that feels for 24 hours, compared to our BYU decision?" 

We knelt together in prayer and told Heavenly Father that we had decided on Vanderbilt, and asked Him to help us to feel peace if this was the right decision.  The difference in the way we felt over the next 24 hours was very significant. We both felt peaceful, and the next evening we sat down together, looked each other in they eyes, and said, "It's supposed to be Vanderbilt."

Nothing about coming to Vanderbilt made logical sense.  Yes, they offered us scholarships, benefits, stipends... but so did BYU.  We knew it would cost us thousands to relocate our family. We knew it would be inconvenient, hard, possibly isolated.. but we both knew it was what Heavenly Father wanted for us.  So we did it.

Here we are after A LOT of effort and money, and looking back I can already see the blessings unfolding for us.  We have only lived here a month. I can only dream of what wonderful things Heavenly Father has in store for us. He truly does take care of us.

Three nights ago, Nathan and I were talking about the path that lead us here to Tennessee.  He was lamenting that he never felt he had a good mentor in his education. Someone that had done it all before, was unbiased and could guide him where he should go and what he should do.  I reminded him that despite lacking such a physical figure, look where we are!  We have the ultimate mentor guiding us. By relying upon Heavenly Father, we have come all the way from the beginning of Nathan's college career at UVU to BYU to Vanderbilt, with really very few setbacks. He has blessed us and guided us in everything. He watches over us and if we listen carefully, he does tell us where to go.

That is the best kind of mentor you can have.

Evelyn Explores Vanderbilt Campus

Falling in Love with Tennessee

Hello friends,

Wow, it has been quite a long time since I have written a blog post.. and even longer since I've posted consistently.

Things change, though, and I am finding myself again in a phase of my life where blogging seems possible & meaningful. For quite a while I was very busy and just couldn't really find the time to write. My life had also taken on a more steady, predictable nature and I found that I didn't really have much to say.  But here we are again in another (very different) chapter of life and I think I have quite a bit to say.

In this post I am not going to try and catch you up on every detail of what has occurred in the last year (but especially the last 3 months), but I will give you the basic details with plans to share more later.  We relocated our family from Pleasant Grove, Utah to Nashville, Tennessee at the end of July.  My husband Nathan was accepted at Vanderbilt University to do his PhD in electrical engineering. He started his first day of classes yesterday, and will be done in approximately five years. Yes, five years. I know, it's a long time.  He is taking a straight-to-PhD route from his bachelors, though, so that is why it will take a while.

Despite how long it is going to take, we are comfortable here and very happy. He has a full-tuition scholarship with a generous monthly living stipend, and they also cover his health insurance, so as far as money goes we are doing fine.  Well, at least as well as we were when I was working as a poor, underpaid high school teacher... which brings me to the next great thing.

I quit my job, and I am now a stay-at-home mom.  I am the happiest I think I have ever been. I was afraid I would miss the validation that I get from working, but I am finding validation in other ways.  I am happy and content. And I get to spend all day with my little hunny-bunny, Evelyn.

What I hope to do with this blog over the next while is to share my experiences here in Tennessee so that friends and family back home (and anyone else who cares to read it), can see how we are and what we are doing here.  I also have dreams of starting a healthy food blog, and for now I think I will just share my healthy recipes here and aspire to grow that project into it's own separate blog.

I plan to update frequently, so please check back for more interesting stories regularly.  I have posts in the works that include some pretty entertaining stuff... like colonics, hot chicken, Tomato festivals, 6-legged cows and so much more.

Love you all.

Our New Home

Firmoo.com Product Review

A couple of weeks ago, an online optical store called Firmoo.com contacted me about reviewing one of their products. They offered to send me one pair of glasses for free in exchange for an honest review of their product.  So, here it is!  Nothing like free stuff to make me feel a little bit famous! :)



Firmoo.com Global Online Optical Store

For the last few days, I have been sporting some new glasses.  I decided to get some that were a little more trendy than I usually do.  I like to think of them as my "sassy librarian" glasses. Anyone who knows me understands my love of all things retro, and these definitely fit in that category.

The glasses on Firmoo.com are very inexpensive, which makes it a little easier to choose something a little more trendy.  The glasses that I chose are only $28! That price includes the cost of the prescription lenses and the frames!  Amazing! They also sell non-prescription glasses and sunglasses (prescription and nonprescription), too.  I was able to obtain my prescription from my eye doctor, and the website gives you very easy instructions on how to enter in your prescription if that is what you need.

The service was really really fast. I had my glasses in the same amount of time (about a week or so), as it usually takes to get your glasses at a local store like America's Best.  I couldn't believe how quickly they arrived!  They also came with a really nice hard case, a cleaning cloth, a soft sleeve case, and a key chain eyeglass repair kit.

As for the quality of the glasses, they are quite lightweight - which for someone like me is a very good thing. If I have anything too heavy on my head for very long I get yucky headaches. So far, these glasses have only given me a headache on the first day that I wore them, which is normal for me. Today I have been wearing them all day (about 12 hours), and no headache at all. I also noticed that the prescription is perfect and there wasn't any adjustment period where I felt like I was looking through distorted lenses.  That being said, they are not the most durable glasses I have owned. They feel like they might easily break because they are so lightweight. But, considering the price, I definitely think they are worth what you pay - if not a bit more.



So are you intrigued? Would you like to try them out for yourself?  You are in luck! You can try some glasses yourself for free!* This company offers a first free pair of glasses to everyone! Click on this link to lead you to the website where you can choose your own free glasses. I would definitely do it if I were you.

http://www.Firmoo.com/free-glasses.html

*You pay minimal shipping charges.

You can also check out my video review here:

Evelyn Meets Jesus at the Post Office

Last week I went to the post office to buy Christmas stamps and mail the Christmas cards for our international friends. The Pleasant Grove post office is always understaffed, especially around the holidays, and the line was very long - almost out the door.  I had walked to the post office, and Evie was contained in the stroller, so I decided to try and wait it out. I had a few snacks and a few books, and I was hoping it would be enough to last.  I ended up waiting about an hour, while the two clerks very slooooooowly helped all of the people ahead of me. 

At about the 45 minute mark, Evie had reached her limit. She had eaten all of the raisins, cereal, and fruit snacks. She had read all of the books and had played with all of the baby games on my iPhone, and she was demanding to get out of the stroller.

Behind us in line was a young 20-something guy that looked like a total hipster. He had long hair, a long beard, and a lip piercing.  He had been behind us the whole time, but Evie didn't realize it because she had been strapped into the stroller.  When I pulled her out and she got a glimpse of him, she shouted, "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" Over and over.. much to the amusement of everyone else in the very long line.  The man chuckled and said, "Sorry, kid. I'm not Jesus... but that would be cool."

Evie's Vocabulary

It has been a long time since I posted (almost 6 months! Yikes!), but I wanted to write this down before I forget it.  Evie is now 16.5 months old, and has a pretty impressive vocabulary. I don't mean to brag, this is mostly for my records... but heck, I think she is pretty phenomenal, even if I am a little biased.

At her 16 month appointment, the doctor told me that on average, babies should know about 7 words by the age of 16 months.  He asked me how many she knows, and I said "Oh, around 20, probably."  When I told my mother-in-law that, she said, "She knows way more than 20!", and she started writing them down. So, here is Evie's vocabulary as of December 6th:

Mama
Dada
Grandpa (ba pa)
Grandma (me mah)
Eli
Becca
Bruce
Lily
Jack
Clint
Kitten
Old
Buzz
Eye
Ear
Nose
Hair
Hot
Chair
Outside
Bike
Snack
Bath
Swing
Eggs
Slide
Num Num (yummy)
Move
Toys
Soft
In
Out
Cute
Inside
Keys
Green
Blue
Pink
Purple
Pants
Done
House
Bag
Bear
Boot
Poop
Bum-bum
"Here you go"
Temple
Jesus
Why (Super Why)
Train
Choo Choo
Beep
Vroom Vroom
Baby
Baby Jesus
Woof woof
Bye bye
Hi
Uh Oh
Elmo (moh or Eh-moh)
Grrr (lion sound)
Peep Peep (bird sound)
Eee Eee (mouse sound)
Eeek Eeek (monkey sound)
Glub Glub (goldfish sound)
Meow (cat sound)
Quack Quack (duck sound)
Bock Bock (chicken sound)
Moo moo (cow sound)
Hiss (Snake sound)
Peek
Boo
Tree
Moon
Mouse
Apple
Cheese
Ba ba (bottle, milk)
Bite
No
Thank you
Ball
Spoon
Light
Shoe
Sock
Bird
Pee-pee
Down
Up
Please
"Where go?"
"There it is!"
Phone
Dog
Teeth
Hop Pop (Hop on Pop book)
Night
"Love you"

That is a total of 101 words!  She is one smarty pants!  Not to mention that I was watching Sesame Street with her last night and  the letter R came up on the screen, and she said "Arrrr!!"  And then the letter S came up on the screen and she said "Esssssss!"  Without anyone telling her that was R or S. She wasn't just copying it, she recognized it on her own.

She also loves the show Super Why on PBS, and they are always sounding out words and letters and she sounds things out with them.

She is such a fun little girl. It is great to see her growing and learning so much. It is really rewarding.

32 lbs. down, 11 to go.

I'm back! An update on my goals...

Hi Friends!


It has been a while since I last posted. You can directly correlate my lack of writing to the business of my life... that is for sure. Between working full time, lesson plans, grading, weekly student notes, a very busy 11-month-old, serving in young women, and spending time with family and friends, it leaves little time for extra things. Like blogging.


However, I really stink at keeping a journal, so this is pretty much the only place that things get recorded. I need to get back to writing things down, before I forget them!  I will try to update you a little bit at a time.


For today, I want to call your minds back to this post: Making Goals




Back in October, I set three goals:


1. Read scriptures daily for at least 10 minutes, and use my scripture journal.

2. Do one household chore each day. (at least).

3. Lose 3 inches from my waist by our wedding anniversary. (March 13th).

I just want to report back on their progress, now that I am 9 months into my commitments.

1. The scripture goal, well... I haven't been as consistent as I would like. I am still working on this.. and it has evolved a little more into a new goal of thinking about and preparing for my YW lesson all throughout the week, starting the Sunday before. I have been trying to ponder more about what I teach throughout the week, rather than throwing something together on Saturday night.  Same with preparing for the Sunday school lesson. I have been trying to familiarize myself with the chapters to be discussed in class on the coming Sunday. I haven't been perfect, but I am working on it.

2.  Doing 1 household chore each day definitely has been happening. Yay!  Unfortunately, now that Evie is mobile and human tornado, it doesn't seem like 1 chore is making as much of a difference as it used to. *sigh*  I guess I need to do a little more.. and maybe not count making dinner as my 1 chore.

3. The lose 3 inches goal... while I was skeptical at first, also has happened! In fact, not only have I lost 3 inches, but I have lost 5 inches! Wahoo!  I have lost 30 lbs, and am down 3 dress sizes.  This is the skinniest I have ever been in my adult life.  

Want to know how I did it? 

The first thing was I was inspired by two very powerful documentaries. One is about juice fasts, and is called "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead." In the documentary, this man who has lots of chronic health conditions goes on a 60 day juice fast, drinking only freshly juiced veggies and fruits, and he completely got rid of all of his adverse health conditions.  I was having issues with weird rashes, joint pain, and acid reflux after having Evie, and I was tired of taking meds for it.  I decided to try it - at least a modified version of it. For 5-6 days of the week, I had fresh juice for breakfast, a normal lunch, and then juice and a small vegetarian meal for dinner. Usually salad or stir-fry.  This documentary is on Netflix, and they also have a website where you can learn more about the whole thing: 

http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/

The other documentary is called "Forks over Knives" and it is all about the benefits of a whole foods/plant based diet. This inspired me to go about 90% vegetarian to improve my health, and it totally worked. I haven't cooked meat for our family for almost 7 months. I have prepared meat on a couple of occasions for friends who are over for dinner, and I will eat meat when I go other places, like when meat is served for lunch at work. However, I would say that I avoid eating meat at least 3-4 days per week. I have also tried to cut pre-processed foods out of my diet completely.

Lastly (at possibly most significantly), I have been using an app on my phone called MyFitnessPal to track my calorie intake and my exercise. It has helped me learn more about the calorie content of foods, what is the right amount of calories I should be eating to meet my goals, and the balance between food and exercise. I love it, and I know without it I would not have been successful. 

The best part of all of this is that I feel like it has been a lifestyle shift, rather than a temporary diet. I think that my mentality has shifted and my understanding and relationship with food and exercise has changed significantly. 

Now, I only have about 13 more pounds to go until I reach my goal, but I am not rushing it.  I usually only lose a pound or so (sometimes less!) each week, which I think is a realistic and maintainable amount. The part I love the most is that I have been able to do it in a healthy way that is nice to my body. No supplements, no crash dieting, no messing with my metabolism. 

Before

After!  (sorry I don't have a better picture.. I'll have to take one.)

Terrarium Tutorial

Hello friends! Have you ever considered making a terrarium? Well.. if you have, this is your lucky day! I am going to teach you how to make one.

I suddenly became OBSESSED with terrariums over the last few weeks, and I have been dying to make a few. I did a ton of research before starting, because I didn't want this project to fail. (disclaimer.. as I write this, my terrariums are less than a week old, so there is still potential for failure here...)

What mainly inspired me was finding these really cool old glass jugs in my basement. One was an A&W rootbeer jug from who-knows-when, and the other is an old vinegar jug. My grandmother had kept them for some reason, and they are too cool not to re-purpose somehow.  When I started doing my research, I found some really great inspiration on google images. I also found some great websites on how to build a terrarium here:

http://www.ehow.com/video_9374_make-terrarium.html
http://www.stormthecastle.com/terrarium/
http://www.stormthecastle.com/terrarium/terrarium-basics.htm
http://www.stormthecastle.com/terrarium/terrarium-plants.htm

My other resource was a section of ebay that I think was called the reference section? They had a lot of helpful information too, which I will share with you now!

Open Air Terrarium

Closed System Terrarium

First of all, there are two kinds of terrariums; open air terrariums and closed system terrariums.

Both are low-maintenance when constructed correctly, but the closed system kind are especially low maintenance. You only have to add water once a month or so. This is because the water goes through a little mini water cycle! So cool!





The only problem with the closed system ones is that they often get pretty misty on the glass (mine are already doing this), so you can't always see the plants really clearly. If you don't mind that, then go for it! I decided to try both types, since I already had the containers and enough supplies for three of them total.

Materials:

- One glass container of the desired size and shape
- Pea gravel (fish tank gravel is perfect)
- Loose activated charcoal (can be found at any pet store)
- Sterile bagged potting soil (from any garden center)
- Live terrarium plants, moss, or seeds that you like
- Decorative elements if desired (rocks, figurines, sticks, etc.)
- Tools to reach inside of narrow neck containers if needed
- Water

Selecting a container:

Your container should preferably be made of glass. This is the best material because water adheres to it very well and creates a great "rain" effect when the water builds up on the inside. Not to mention that it is much prettier in my opinion. It should also be clear or very lightly colored glass. Dark glass, such as most wine bottles are much too dark to allow the plants enough light to survive. If you want a challenge, then choose a narrow-neck bottle. I am serious when I say that it is a challenge, but if you are up to it, go ahead. If you want something easy and quick, I would go for something that has a mouth that is wide enough to fit your hand through.

My two closed system jugs were sweet finds in my grandmother's basement, but you might be able to find something similar in a thrift shop. They hold one gallon each.  I also know that Hobby Lobby has really awesome glass containers that has very intricate lids in which you could create a closed system without the trouble of a narrow neck.

My open-air container was purchased about a year ago at the Ross in Orem, UT. It has a itty bitty chip in the rim, and so they gave me 25% off :) It holds about three gallons. I used to keep a beta fish in it, but it died the day before Evie was born :( RIP Boris!

*Note: If you like the look of the narrow neck containers but don't want to go to all of the trouble of dealing with planting things in them, consider starting your plants from seed. Seeds are much easier to put into the soil in a narrow-neck bottle than full grown plants.*

Selecting plants:

I was pretty stumped on where to buy plants, since it is now essentially winter time in Utah. Most of the nurseries here have closed down for the season, and I knew I certainly wasn't going to find what I needed at Home Depot or Lowes. I looked on Ebay and Amazon, and there are a surprising amount of live plants for sale there, if you are feeling both daring and patient. I decided not to order them online unless I really couldn't find something locally. I called a favorite aquarium store of mine in Draper (http://theaquariumutah.com/), and they said they only sell fully aquatic plants. Boo. They do sell fantastic fish and fish supplies, though. And their store is pretty much just as beautiful and impressive as the Living Planet Aquarium across the street from them.

I went to Petsmart on my lunch break on early this week to get the activated charcoal for the soil layering (more on that later), and I thought I'd just see what they had. They had quite a few "semi-aquatic" plants that are perfect for moist terrarium environments. They only had a few varieties to choose from and they were a little pricey ($4-8 each), but they looked like they were in pretty good condition. I chose these three varieties:

Peacock Fern (7 in.)
Gold Ribbon Plant (4 in.)
Umbrella plant (4 in.)

The good thing about purchasing this way is that there are several plants in each container, so you can split them up between several terrariums if you want.

Petsmart also carried what is called "Terrarium Moss". It is technically "Frog Moss", but it is the coolest thing ever!  It comes completely dry sealed in a plastic bag, and when you plant it and water it, it comes back to life! It is so neat!  It was already starting to soften up and look lively only an hour or so after its first watering. Amazing.

I also went to IKEA the same day for something completely unrelated, and decided to browse their plant section. They have quite a few plants labeled as "Assorted Himalayan Tropicals", all of which looked hearty. I selected one (who knows what the actual species is..) for my open-air terrarium. They also have a great selection of succulents and cacti if you wanted to do a desert terrarium. That might be one of my next projects :)

Just know that if you are doing a closed system terrarium, you should chose plants that tolerate moisture well. Semi-aquatic plants are good, tropicals are good, and so are carnivorous plants. I actually ordered some Venus fly trap seeds on Amazon for my next carnivorous terrarium. A good rule of thumb is to keep like plants together. If you are going to do cacti & succulents, go ALL cacti & succulents. If you are going ALL tropical, use only tropical plants.

One other tip: if you are using a narrow-neck aquarium delicate or floppy plants, like my peacock fern, were really really hard to plant. The gold ribbon plant was the easiest one to put in because it is much more stiff.

Process:

Once you have gathered all of your materials, you are ready to start!



Step 1:
Wash your container in hot soapy water.

Clean containers

Step 2:

Layer about 1 inch of pea gravel in the bottom of the container. Using a piece of newspaper as a funnel helps to guide all of your soil layers in.

Newspaper Funnel

1 inch pea gravel layer

Step 3:

Layer about 1/2 inch of activated charcoal on top of the gravel, trying your best not to mix the two together. You can purchase this in the water filtering section of any pet store. It is used in aquarium filters, and a large carton of it was about $12. This whole carton was more than enough for my three rather large terrariums. The purpose of the charcoal is to purify the water as it cycles through your terrarium. Using this will improve your odds of having a successful system.

1/2 inch activated charcoal layer

Step 4:

Add the potting soil layer, making it about 2-3 inches deep.

Soil Layers

Using tools that you make out of wire or chopsticks can help you reach inside of a narrow-neck bottle. I cut up a wire hanger and bent the ends. I also used a long piece of bamboo.

Wire and bamboo tools

Step 5:

Add your plants or seeds to your terrarium.  

Step 6:

After your plants are in place, add about 1/4- 1/2 cup of water to your terrarium. Make sure that you do not add too much water because it will cause your plants to rot. If you add too much water, leave the lid off of your container for 24 hours so that some of the water can evaporate out. You do want it to be a little steamy in there, though, especially if you are using tropical plants.

For an open air container, you need to monitor the moisture of your soil. It needs to be damp, but make sure it doesn't get too wet or too dry either.

Step 7:

If you want to, decorate your terrarium with rocks, figurines, or pretty little sticks. These weren't my first choice of figurines, but it was all I could find that was small enough. I really wanted a tiny garden gnome - but that was pretty hard to find. I may switch them out in the future if I come up with something better.

Yay! You are done!

Whose message is louder?

I've been thinking a lot about song lyrics lately. At my job, my students are constantly asking if I can play their favorite songs while they are working on assignments. I sometimes do, although usually I just play music that I like (this often overlaps with what they like too, to some regard). Because of the standards of our school (and of common professional society for the most part), I have to be very aware of the lyrics of songs. Content must be completely clean to be played in our school. No bad language, drugs, sex, violence, etc.

Because of this, I think I have become hyper-aware of the messages that popular songs seem to be glorifying lately.

I must say though, I am generally pretty open minded about music. The presets on my radio are 3 top-40 stations, 2 country stations, one oldies station, and I frequently dial surf for anything that sounds good at the moment. Lately I have spent most of my time on the oldies and country stations because I am offended by the messages publicized by the top-40 stations. Take for example the lyrics to this song by Hot Chelle Rae:

Let’s get it on, yeah, y’all can come along

Everybody drinks on me, buy out the bar
Just to feel like I’m a star, now I’m thanking the academy
Missed my ride home, lost my iPhone
I wouldn’t have it any other way
If you’re with me let me hear you say

I like it like that!
Hey windows down, chillin’ with the radio on
I like it like that!
Damn, the sun’s so hot, make the girls take it all off
I like it like that!
Yeah, one more time, I can never get enough of everybody
Sing it right back, I like it like that!
(I like it like that, I like it like that)

Till the break of the dawn, yeah, party on my lawn
Whistle as the girls walk by if the cops roll up (so what?)
Pour the cops a cup cause everybody’s here tonight
Call a taxi, pack the back seat
I wouldn’t have it any other way
If you’re with me let me hear you say

I like it like that!
Hey windows down, chillin’ with the radio on
I like it like that!
Damn, the sun’s so hot, make the girls take it all off
I like it like that!
Yeah, one more time, I can never get enough of everybody
Sing it right back, I like it like that!


(for other examples like this one see: Katy Perry "Last Friday Night", LMFAO "Party Rock Anthem")

After working with teens who have gotten into trouble for exactly this kind of behavior; to you I say: are we surprised that some kids think that this is normal behavior? That this is what happiness is? This is not an isolated example. I bet you that at least 75% of all of the top-40 songs right now have at least some of these party-lifestyle-glorifying messages in them. So many of the kids that I have worked with really think this is the way teenagers and young adults are supposed to act. The popular media that has so much influence on youth is preaching that this is fun. This is normal. This is acceptable. Expected even.

Well, I can say that I work every day with the reasons why this type of life is NOT a good idea. I see the consequences, the heartache, the tears, the scars, the brain damage. 

I have been thinking so much about how extremely influential the media is, especially to teens. Now that I am a parent, I am constantly hoping and praying that my influence and my message will be louder than popular media. I want MY standards to be the most influential upon my children. I know this is possible, and I pray every day that I can do it.

I am no expert, but I do believe that involved parents with a loving, kind, nurturing and protecting influence can help kids believe that this type of lifestyle is not one of happiness.  It is one of sadness and darkness. Kids don't know that yet - they haven't lived long enough or experienced enough to understand. You have to teach them. Teach them the right way from the very beginning. Teach them in love, and be there for them to help them grow and understand the way things REALLY are. Consequences and all.  

Trust me, there are consequences for all of our actions. Hopefully we can learn from the experiences of others before we have to make the same mistakes.

I know with the help of God I can be that type of parent. That is my greatest wish in life; to be the kind of parent that will teach my children the right way - and that they will believe me.

Are you surprised that I have been spending so much time on the oldies station? I'm not. This is just one example of the type of messages I hear in those songs:

James Taylor: Devoted to You

Darling you can count on me
'Till the sun dries up the sea
Until then I'll always be
Devoted to you

I'll be yours 'till endless time
I'll adore your charms sublime
Guess by now you know that I'm
Devoted to you

I'll never hurt you
I'll never lie
I'll never be untrue
I'll never give you reason to cry
I'd be unhappy if you were blue
Through the years our love will grow
Like a river it will flow
It can't die because I'm so
Devoted to you

Okay. #offmysoapboxnow