Grandma

My Grandma passed away last Tuesday. It was a hard time for us as family and friends gathered to remember her. Here are some of the fun memories I have about my Grandma...

When I was little Billy and I would run to our rooms to clean them everytime Grandma drove up. We knew that she would check on how clean our room were so we wanted to make sure they were up to standard!

Grandma got me a dog for one of my birthdays even though my mom was very against the idea (unfortunately, the dog didn't get to stay around for long...) It was my favorite birthday present ever though!

When I was in college Grandma used to make me these really great care packages that included all of my favorites; a jar of olives, smoked oysters and crackers, and candy! I could eat for a week from those packages.

Grandma has made me tons blankets, pillows, and other craft items that I have around my house. It's fun to look at them and see how much she thought about us grandkids as she made them.

Grandma LOVED Barry. Everytime I would see her she would ask me "where's my Barry?".

Grandma was really excited about our little baby on the way. We found a little baby outfit in her house that she had bought to give to him. That will be a special outfit for him when he gets to wear it!

http://www.albertleatribune.com/articles/2007/09/30/obituaries/09-27-2007/obit1.txt

Happy Anniversary!

Today is Barry and I's 2nd anniversary! It comes on an uneventful day when Barry is off at work and I am at home getting papers done for school. We did celebrate last night by going out to dinner and renting a movie. It was nice and relaxing which is what we needed after all of the bathroom and car trouble going on!


In honor of our anniversary my strange dream last night was about getting married. (part of pregnancy seems to be having really vivid, strange dreams so going to sleep is always an adventure for me!) So, in the particular dream Barry and I were married but I was going to get married again...to Barry. So, I had this big debate about whether I was a polygamist and which Barry I loved more. I think this dream perfectly depicts how Barry and I have changed over the last two years. Barry and I and our relationship is so different than what it was two years ago. It is fun to think about how much better I have grown to know my husband over the last two years. I am looking forward to how much things will adjust and change as we grow our family! Here is to many more happy years!!

On a side note, I am 25 week pregnant today, only 15 weeks until we meet our new little person!

An Adventure!

Today I locked myself out of my house. We don't have any secret hidden keys so I was in a little predicament... I had just called the auto mechanic about my nonstarting car and was a bit flustered. I decided to go for a walk, separated my car keys from my house key, and walked out the door. As soon as the door clicked shut I realized that I had my car keys, not the house keys. I was without a key, phone, purse, or bathroom, this was trouble! Unfortunately, I don't know any of my neighbors and didn't feel comfortable asking any of them to hang out in their home until my husband came home. I couldn't call Barry without a phone, and I couldn't bum around shopping without my purse. I decided to go see if my sister-in-law was home. Luckily she was so I was able to leave a message for Barry and visit with her while I waited for him to call back. I had fun catching up as I hadn't seen Michelle in awhile. It made the time locked out not seem like an ordeal but a fun afternoon! Lesson learned: Check which keys are in my hands BEFORE I leave the house!

Utter Frustration

That pretty much sums up my day today. I had to leave class for a scheduled dr. appt that I made before I knew my fall class schedule. I told the instructor and let him know that I would be back for the last hour of class (I have three hour classes). However, as I am sitting in the waiting room watching the minutes tic by I realize...going back to class is probably not going to be happening. I waited for AN HOUR AND A HALF before I saw the doctor. And of course my appt took all of 10 minutes. Apparently they are trying out a new scheduling system....I let her know in no uncertain terms that it doesn't work. Now, I know that normally you wait for a dr. appt for a little bit but when you have to see the OB every 4 and soon to be 2 weeks, their timeliness matters. I want to complain but I don't know who to call. I feel like just calling the appointment line and asking who do I talk with to make a complaint. Maybe enough people will call so that they go back to the old system...where I would walk in the door, give my name, find a magazine, and be called in before I could open it. The saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes to mind here! Now, the rest of my day just feels off kilter. It's been raining all day so I have had to run around in the rain. Got lost going to a different grocery store that is in route from the clinic. Of course had to wait in the endless line to check out at the store. Then walk with groceries in the pouring rain to the car. To top it off, I am driving Barry's car because mine has decided that it won't start. And, Barry's car needs new brakes which I was reminded of when I almost slid through the stoplight because of the rain and bad brakes. I need to go to bed and start over but we have our birthing class tonight so I have to cook dinner so Barry and I can eat before class and get the snacks ready that I am bringing. Calgon take me away!

On a more fun note...my due date is moved up to January 8th. This one is actually official from my OB rather than me trying to communicate with the OB, Ultrasound Tech, and Nurse Practitioner who don't talk to each other.

My nose, his chin?

Lately I have been wondering what our little boy is going to look like. I sit and study the ultrasound pictures like that will help me predict! We already know that the baby's second toe is longer than the big toe...of course that is a trait that Barry and I share so genetically that was pretty probable. I am curious to know if the little Saeger will have the Olson chubby cheeks or Barry's cleft chin and widow's peak. I know it's less than 4 months until we will see him but it seems like so long! So, what do you think...my chin and Barry's mouth? The other way around? I guess only time will tell...

Wow

So, we successfully attended our first Bradley birthing class. Our instructor is new so there is only one other couple in the class. I think we are going to like it a lot! However, we watched a video that was a little out there. First, I have never seen so many babies being born in one sitting. I have even seen the real thing and it didn't compare to this video montage of births we witnessed. It may be because Bradley does not teach the traditional on your back birthing method (which is one of the worst positions to deliver a child through) that it looked so strange to me. We also saw a couple water births and it made me sad that it is not an option for me, my hospital doesn't do them.

We also have learned 5 different exercises to help strengthen and stretch the pelvic area for better birthing. It scares me to think that one day in the not too far future I will be birthing a child. No matter if I practice every detail of what I am learning or ignore it all, I still will be giving birth in one form or another very soon!

Birthing Classes

Barry and I start our next step in the process towards the birth of our child. Birthing classes! Our first class is tonight at the Peapods studio in St. Paul. We have decided to go with the Bradley Method which supports natural birth. They teach methods of relaxation and breathing that help the mother get through the labor without unnecessary medical intervention. They also do education on what happens during the process of birth so that fear of the unknown can be replaced the joy of the process. My hope is to make it through the birth of our son without drugs. The class also teaches husbands a lot of techniques to use in the delivery room to assist and really be a part of the process. I am sure Barry is soooo excited about that!