Graduation Extravaganzas

A lot has happened over the past 2 months, but I'm much too lazy to write about it all, so I'll give a synopsis. Most of April was spent in a newborn haze, you know, where most of your energy is spent caring for a new baby and obsessing about sleep-but not actually getting any. Jamie saved up all of his vacation time from the past 2 years, so he's been on paternity leave since Asher's birth. It's been wonderful having him around. Toward the end of April when Asher was 3 weeks old, we packed up our car and both kids and made the trek to West Virginia to look for housing. That was kinda fun, but mostly not:) We wanted to buy, but after searching for a week, we just couldn't find anything we loved, so we decided to go with one of the hospital's rental homes. We're actually pretty excited, the house we got is a decent size, has a flat yard (a rarity in Charleston), and is super close to the hospital. So if anyone finds themselves in WV, hit us up! The day after getting back from WV, Jamie packed his bags again and headed out to Utah for 5 days for his brother Dan's BYU graduation. I missed him while he was gone, but managed to survive with both kids on my own (I thought of it as preparation for residency!)

Dan and his cute pregnant wife Ashley (who also graduated from UVU). They'll be moving to Des Moines this summer to start med school at DMU....wahoo!

I also graduated from UNMC in early May, but decided not to walk because I was basically too cheap to pay to for a cap and gown rental. Maybe one day I'll start to feel more sentimental about things...
      We headed up to Estherville toward the end of May to help another one of Jamie's brothers, Brad, celebrate his high school graduation. While in E'ville, Jamie also gave Asher his baby blessing. Once again my lack of sentiment and cheapness came into play because instead of buying a cute blessing outfit, I decided to borrow one from my sister-in-law (who has a little boy a few months older than Asher). Unfortunately, our chunky Ash-man was too big for it and looked like a stuffed sausage, so a white onesie had to do on his special day...

We also spent time playing with family and enjoying the great outdoors (aka Gma and Gpa's driveway) while up north.

Marlee's makeshift rain gear.

Cute cousins chillin' out maxin' relaxin' looking all cool

After spending a few days in Estherville we headed down to Des Moines to celebrate a day we have been looking forward to for a long time: Jamie's medical school graduation. Can't believe 4 years have passed by already! We will forever look back on the roller-coaster of our med school years with fondness. I think Charles Dickens was referring to medical school when he wrote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...." Although challenging, we feel like our Des Moines days were some of the best we've had. We made some great friends, grew closer as a couple, expanded our family, and most importantly, learned that we can do hard things. Even though our weekend in Des Moines was jam-packed with graduation dinners, picnics, ceremonies and family, we still managed to get together with some of our very favorite people.We BBQ'ed with our pals the Taylors, Baumgartners, and JBDB one night, and met up with our friends the DeMars and Barretts for breakfast. I'm just bummed I didn't get any friend pictures!

The fiercesome foursome, or something like that...

Both sets of Jamie's grandparents came from Utah to attend!

Pre-graduation dinner

The Dr. is in the house!

Hermanos hanging out at our hotel after party

Now that graduations are over, we're on the short countdown for our move East. Can't wait for the next chapter of our lives to begin! I hope it will be just as great as the last!

Asher's Birth

      I always enjoy reading other's birth stories, so I thought I'd write about how Asher made his grand entrance into this world. Probably it's TMI, so if you don't like reading about labor, etc...skip this post:) I felt like his birth was completely different than Marlee's. With Marlee, I went to an ObGyn group and spent 2 days in the hospital on Pitocin to induce labor since I was close to 42 weeks. I felt as though my physician was a little too quick to jump to induction since I continually measured small and Marlee came out a healthy 7lb 4oz. Therefore, with Asher's pregnancy, I decided to go a midwife...not because I was all about being "natural" (I loved my epidural with Marlee!), I just didn't want to be induced again. Once again I went past due with this pregnancy, which I was totally expecting. However, when I went to my appointment on Tuesday the 26th, I was 42 weeks 2 days pregnant according to my original due date, so I started to get a little worried and my midwife suggested sweeping my membranes to kick-start labor. I had read about membrane sweeping and knew that it wasn't proven to work, but figured what the heck!? So my midwife performed her little sweep at 10:45 in the morning and sent me on my merry way. I wasn't really expecting much to happen, so I went about my day. I fed Marlee lunch, treated myself to a little nap, visited the local health department (for an assignment I had), and went grocery shopping.
         I started to feel a few cramps at about 3 in the afternoon, but they weren't painful and I knew to expect them because of the membrane sweep. After I put groceries away and did some housework, my cramps got a little worse and my stomach was feeling pretty upset. At this point it was 4:45pm so I texted Jamie and said, "Sorry, but I'm not going to cook dinner tonight," and then asked my Mom to watch Marlee for a little bit. I decided I should pack a hospital bag, just in case, but I was pretty sure I was not in labor. I started throwing a few things together and within minutes was crawling on the floor because my cramps were pretty intense. By 5:00 I was in a good deal of pain and texted Jamie, "I think I'm in labor". No response-he was with a patient. My Mom helped me pack my bag in between contractions and kept Marlee occupied. I had her time my contractions and they were coming every two minutes. By this time it was 5:15 and I really felt I needed to get to the hospital, so I had my Mom call Jamie at the clinic and tell him to come home right away. He got home at 5:30 at which point I was breathing pretty hard and acting pretty crabby. We headed to the hospital, checked in, and got up to our room at 6:00. I was in a LOT of pain and ready for an epidural. My nurse immediately checked me and said I was, "A loose 7, almost an 8". NOT what I wanted to hear as I wanted that dang epidural SO BAD!!! I knew I wasn't going to get it. She said by the time they got an IV and fluids in me and the epidural placed, I'd probably already have the baby. Frown.
        I had not prepared for a natural birth at all and I didn't know what to do. I kept saying, "This sucks!" in between contractions. I was mad and seriously doubted my ability to handle such intense pain. My lips and hands were tingling because I was breathing so fast and my legs got so weak I could no longer labor standing. I poured myself onto the bed and found a "comfortable" (haha) position. I finally just let go of everything and my body took over. No one told me when it was time or encouraged me to push, my body just started to do it. The "ring of fire" description I've heard about was fairly accurate:) After a few contractions, Asher was born at 6:54 pm. He was a chunk and weighed in at 9 lb 5oz and 21 in long.. My midwife let Jamie catch him, and he was born in his bag of waters.
         I had heard recovery from natural birth was easier, but I'm not sure if I agree. Unlike Marlee, I didn't need any stitches, but I think it's ironic that I had to have Pitocin after I delivered Asher (to help control bleeding). I also felt pretty darn sick and weak that first night. If given the choice between a natural birth or an epidural again, I'm not sure which I'd chose (and at this point, thinking about giving birth again induces slight panic). We so love having handsome little Asher in our home and the sweetness he brings. So far he seems to be a pretty chill little guy and tolerates well his older sister's overbearing love. We feel so lucky to be able to call him ours!

Also, the day before Asher was born was Marlee's 2nd birthday (how's that for timing!?) We played it pretty low-key and treated her to a McDonald's Happy Meal since she never gets chicken nuggets at home. We can't believe she's 2 already! My, how time flies!


 

Swing and a Miss

Well, I'm 0/3 with this pregnancy. Today was my final due date (I had 3 different ones....) and unless I have a child within the next hour, I will have officially struck out. I really hoped that since this was my second time around I might actually deliver a little sooner, but history is repeating itself, and our little man seems to enjoy his accommodations as much as his sister did. As my mother says, "there's no such thing as a premature baby in our family", so I guess some babies just need to be cooked longer than others. Anyway, per my sister's request, here's a picture of me at somewhere between 40-41.5 weeks pregnant with #2. Oh, and just as a side note, when taking multiple pictures of me tonight, Jamie stated, "It doesn't matter anyways, your not going to like any of them because of the poundage". Sometimes he's so sensitive to my "delicate" condition.
(Post edit: He learned the term "poundage" from Papa Phil on the show Duck Dynasty this last week and thus has been trying to use it in any context he can lately....it is actually a term of endearment:)  But he's right, I didn't like any of them. Please come out soon little boy!

Set, Match

I can't complain, February has been pretty good to us thus far. We had eagerly awaited the official DO "Match" day for months to see what destiny had in store for us. Well, the morning of the 11th, destiny came knocking. About 8 a.m. Jamie received a rather non-climatic email from the national matching service informing us that he matched at the urological surgery (urology) program in Charleston, WV. Even though the delivery was pretty bland, excitement escalated all day as reality set in and Jamie spent (literally) the entire day on the phone talking to/texting classmates and family members. West Virginia was Jamie's #1 choice, so we feel blessed to have been granted a spot there. He loves the program and the camaraderie among the residents, and I love the family-friendly appeal of Charleston. Jamie interviewed at programs all over, with most of them centered in Michigan or Illinois. To be honest, I wasn't too excited at the prospect of living in a tiny inner-city apartment in Chicago with 2 kids or moving to run-down Detroit with its long commutes, so I was keeping my fingers crossed for West Virginia. Neither of us has lived so far east, so we're excited for our 5 year backwoods adventure in Appalachia!  It's weird to think that in just 3 months this med school journey will be through. It feels like we've been on a non-stop roller coaster for the past 4 years, but it's gone SO quickly! I'm sure residency with its 80-hour work weeks will be no cake walk, but we're excited for this next chapter of life!

Nothing says "congratulations" better than an over-sized chocolate-chip cookie!

Eating a celebratory "all you care-to-eat" salad bar dinner at Hy-Vee. We're just so fancy!

Earlier in February our poor Marlee got put through the ringer. Illness has been rampant this winter, and Marlee got hit hard. She kept getting sick and wasn't improving, so after a spout of high fevers, I took her to the pediatrician where they poked, prodded, and x-rayed her. It was sad to hear her screams as I helped the doctor pin her down on the exam table, but my heart broke even more as she later laid listless on the same table as they drew her blood, admitting defeat. She was diagnosed with pneumonia, double ear infections, and eye infections. Her doctor said she had one day to improve or else she would need to be admitted to the hospital. Luckily, she took all of her medications like a champ and started feeling better.

Time for her "puppy" (aka-nebulizer) treatment

Marlee's thoughtful Grandma Olsen sent her a get-well/Valentines package with a "fun" pair of boots included. Here's a little video of her strutting about in her new shoes:
  

Also earlier in the month when Jamie and I were in a zombie-like stump (due to Marlee's sickness and not sleeping for weeks), I decided we needed a little break and left our sickly child with my Mom while we went on a "real" date. The roller-derby happened to be in town, so I dragged Jamie out for a night of entertainment with Norfolk's finest. It was a fun date (especially when participants got tackled or clothes-lined). I've always been a little aggressive when it comes to sports or competition, so I could totally see myself getting into roller-derby one day:)

In final news, I have just one month of pregnancy left. Oh boy, am I ready for it to be over. I forgot how uncomfortable the last trimester can be! I'll spare everyone a belly picture. However, if you wonder what I look like, just go to my blog archives from 2 years ago, look at me when I'm 41 weeks pregnant, add a little more belly and overall puffiness and there you go! Enjoy!

January Doldrums

Anyone else suffering from the January blahs? January has always been one of my least favorite months...cold weather, no fun holidays to look forward to, pale, dry skin (although honestly, my skin is always quite pale). I wouldn't mind one bit if we skipped directly to Spring after December. My motivation hit rock bottom today, so instead of working on homework, cleaning, or painting my neglected toenails, I'll post a few pictures from our Puerto Rico trip we took in December. Jamie and I had a great time bumming on the beach, sleeping in, and enjoying our general lack of responsibility.

Soaking up the sun

One day we took a catamaran tour and got to snorkel off this "private beach"

Some pregnant lady who didn't want her picture taken in a swimsuit

The charming cobblestone streets in Old San Juan (walking up that hill 6 months pregnant was quite the task!)

One of the forts we toured: Castillo San Felipe del Murro (yes, I had to google that)

Bustin' out the big guns

Baby or cannon ball?

Wearing white after Labor Day is so scandalous!

Don't worry, we didn't support animal cruelty

 
We didn't get any pictures, but one night we also went kayaking through the bioluminescent bay at Fajardo. The flagellates living in the water cause it to glow in the dark. It was a really neat experience, and we felt slightly rebellious because pregnant women weren't technically allowed to participate due to the physical nature of the tour. Therefore, I slapped on a baggy shirt and spent most of the night "sucking it in" and holding a sweater in front of my abdomen so we didn't get kicked off the tour.

Not us, just an example of what the bio bay looked like

Also not pictured is the plethora of food we ate. Don't worry, we didn't go hungry. We sampled some of the local fare and also frequented the Subway near our hotel. They had a $2 special on chicken subs, so we probably ate there at least once a day. It's really kind of embarrassing, but you can't beat $2!

After a week in the sun, it was hard to come back to the cold. The night we flew back there was a horrible blizzard that we foolishly decided to drive 5+ hours through. It was quite a white-knuckle, panic-inducing drive. Luckily, we survived and so did our marriage. This cutie pie was waiting for us at Grandma and Grandpa Olsen's house when we got back...we're not sure if she missed us, but we sure missed her!

"Your mom goes to colllege"

I hope it's not too uncool to quote Napolean Dynamite anymore, because I just did. Well, I'm at about the 2 month mark since my last post, so I decided I should write an update for the ol' bloggity blog. One reason I've avoided blogging is because, well, life has been a little hard lately. Also, I tend to be a complainer (I'm working on this) and no one wants to read complaints. Anyway, here's what we've been up to:

I started school full-time at UNMC in August, so I've been busy trying to balance school, motherhood, working, church duties and being a supportive wife. Unfortunately, I've never been the greatest at balancing, so one or more of these areas often gets neglected. My education hasn't exactly played out as I planned it would when I was a 18 year-old freshman at BYU many eons ago, but that's okay. I'm grateful for the training I've received thus far and that I've ended up in a field where I can easily find a job and support a family. So after 5 years of attending 4 different colleges in 3 different states and being in school during 2 different pregnancies and 1 marriage, I will finally graduate with my Bachelor's degree of Nursing this spring (I currently just have an Associate's degree in Nursing). School has never been particularly difficult for me, but throwing a toddler into the mix definitely makes things a bit more challenging. Luckily, most of my classes are online, so with the help of daycare, my mother, and Seasame Street (bless that dear Elmo), I've been able to survive thus far. Next semester makes me worry a bit however, as I'm not sure how everything will balance when I'll have a newborn to care for during my last month of school. One day (and Diet Pepsi) at a time I suppose. Needless to say, I've been a tad stressed, and if Marlee could talk in complete sentences, she'd say my favorite pants to wear lately are my "cranky pants" (which come with an elastic wasteband- FYI). Even though I often feel stressed, being in school has been a blessing in more ways than one, and it really makes time pass quickly with Jamie being gone.

How I feel sometimes....:)

Jamie, lover of my soul, is currently on an audition rotation in West Virginia. Due to having to travel for either his "core" rotations or "audition" rotations, he's been gone for a total of over 6 months since April. Overall, his rotations have been going well and he's been working very hard. He's getting slightly burnt out in the homestretch as months of working 12-16 hour days are starting to wear on him. We have really missed each other and are counting down the days until our "long-distance relationship" will be over. He's also gone on a few Urology interviews already and has some lined up in the near future, so it's exciting to see his hard work (hopefully) pay off. Marlee sure misses Jamie as well and I often find her looking out the window saying, "Daddy? Daddy?" That girl loves her Papa. When we started this med school journey, we promised ourselves that when all was said and done, we'd take a nice graduation trip; however, with Baby #2 coming this spring, we decided to reward ourselves early. I found a great deal on flights to Puerto Rico, so we took the leap and planned a week-long Marlee-free trip mid December. If any of our family or friends feel like getting away too, we'd love company:)

Love these two cuties

Marlee continues to grow and be my sweet, spunky toddler. When she's acting especially toddler-ish I like to call her Hurricane Marlee because she can leave quite a path of destruction. I have talked before about her pacifier addiction, so a couple of months ago after one too many nights of crawling around on the floor by her crib at 3am looking for her lost binky, we decided to cut her cold turkey. Initially, it was a rough few nights, but we all got through it. I think Jamie and I were more attached to her binky than she was. The downside of ridding her of the binky is she no longer sleeps until 8 am. That was nice while it lasted. Now I debate if I even want to introduce one to baby boy. I'm sure I will, but I think I'll take it away much sooner 2nd time around. Marlee looks and acts more and more like a little lady each day, and sometimes I find myself missing my chunky little baby. Here's a couple of pictures from Halloween. She had 2 costumes this year. Jamie found a cookie-monster costume at the Goodwill (because we're classy like that) and got so excited about it that we decided to get it even though I thought she looked like a little boy in it. So that's what she wore on Halloween night when I took her to a few houses in the neighborhood (because the neighbors don't know if she's a boy or girl anyway...) However, when I took her trick-or-treating at my work Halloween party, I quickly threw together a ballerina outfit because I didn't want my co-workers to think I cross-dressed my child:)

Halloween last year, my how she's changed

Ballerina outfit

My little cookie monster

Baby boy has been doing good. I'm about 21 weeks along and feel pretty good in my 2nd trimester. I felt like I've been so busy I've kinda ignored this pregnancy, so it's been flying by. With Marlee everything was new so I always read the week-by-week development charts, etc... and this time around I sometimes forget I'm pregnant. That is until I try to put a pair of non-stretchy pants on, then I'm quickly reminded. I have no boy things whatsoever, so I'm afraid our little man may get dressed in a girly outfit or two during the first month of his life until I'm done with school and can get my life on tract once again.So that's the latest and greatest around these parts!

Changes

Well, we have some exciting news around these parts! Our little family will be increasing by one come March! By now we're pretty much experts at this parenting thing so the second time around should be a piece of cake, right!? Anyway, we're SUPER excited and just a tad nervous for the craziness that will ensue!
And since I don't feel like taking the time to write anything else, I will end this post with a picture of a dirty-faced Marlee and a giant pile of cheese. Enjoy!