Third Trimester!

I'm so excited to hit another pregnancy milestone: The 3rd and FINAL trimester! I can't think of a more perfect little celebration than being asked to eat a king-sized Snickers bar for breakfast this morning--Dr's orders! Yes I could've chosen to drink the Ocean Spray Cran-grape juice instead, but does anyone really choose the juice? I had plans to drink the juice, good intentions to drink the juice, but when it came right down to it, the Chevron was more convenient than Walmart. And since I had put off the purchase of this needed snack until I was already on my way to the appointment, stopping for the juice would've made for a longer delay, as well as a warm drink--Yuck! So I chowed down on the Snickers bar and enjoyed it quite immensely until about 3/4 of the way through, when I realized that a king-sized candy bar is quite big, quite rich, and a tad hard to finish (much to my surprise). The sugar headache that came about 30 minutes later was a bit of a shocker too, but still a fairly small price to pay for a yummy chocolate indulgence.

With that said, I passed the glucose test and all is well--thank goodness! I was stressed about this test ALL MONTH because of the HUGE growth spurt I had last month. I was certain that gestational diabetes was to blame. Phew! What a relief!

I wasn't as lucky with the Iron test, which I did not pass. Thankfully it's not a big deal AT ALL! On the contrary, it's actually great news because I will now be on supplements, and expect to feel a whole lot better :) More energy comin' my way!

In other pregnancy developments, the little baby is doing great and kicking away. The other night when I was holding Annabelle in the rocker, he kept kicking, as if he wanted her off my stomach. I thought to myself, "And the battle for the lap begins!" Ha ha.

Also I have been officially banned from exercise for the remainder of this pregnancy due to my sciatic nerve problem. It has intensified the past few weeks, and I am carrying this baby extremely low, hence the problem in the first place. My first reaction was stress and disappointment (I love to exercise and strongly dislike gaining added pounds), but I figure there is absolutely nothing I can do about it, so I should search for the silver lining. Coincidentally the silver lining happens to be the order itself! How many times in our lives have we wished for an excuse not to work out? Now I have my excuse, and I'm going to happily utilize the extra hour every day doing something else I love--reading. I am sure that taking a 3-month sabbatical from working out will provide me with more than enough motivation and excitement for hitting the treadmill post-partum. I am eagerly looking ahead to that day, but more for the baby than the treadmill actually :) 13 weeks to go!

Oh, and if you see me around and think "What is she wearing?!" It's probably just the Prenatal Cradle I'll be sporting under my clothes to give my belly a boost and my back a break. Pregnancy is SO HOT! :)

Have I Done Any Good?

I love this video clip. It reminds me what truly matters and what truly makes us happy.

Last night Annabelle woke up at 4:00am and I could hear her gagging. I went into her room and she was throwing up--lying down! She had vomit coming out the sides of her mouth and was having a hard time getting air. I sat her up so she could get it out as easily as possible. It was so scary. From there, we began a process: Take a bath, brush her teeth, dress her in clean PJ's, change the bedding, rock, go back to sleep. This process was repeated over and over and over again for a little over 4 hours. Needless to say we were all exhausted!

Nevertheless it reminded me of something very important--the fulfillment that comes from service. As I rocked her and took care of her I was overcome with love and concern for her and her well-being. Immediately after she had finished throwing up the first time, I wrapped her in a blanket and held her tightly against me for a few minutes, telling her it was okay and that I loved her. It wasn't until I got up that I realized her vomit had gotten all over me, and we were both a mess! And it didn't matter. We got cleaned up and nestled down in the rocking chair. It was then that I realized why I felt so much love, fulfillment and joy in the midst of being beyond tired--it was the result of serving and helping someone else, of forgetting myself and immersing all thought and action into the care and well-being of someone I love. It's funny because everything logical and rational would tell you that performing this type of service for someone else, even your own child, can be pretty disgusting, stinky, messy, and exhausting. And I suppose it's all of those things when I think back on it. The irony is that through acts of service, however difficult to stomach, we will draw closer to those we serve, and feel even MORE LOVE for them than we did before. Isn't Heavenly Father amazing for being able to bless us with those feelings? I know and have felt many times that the people we serve receieve a little help, but that WE are the ones who are served MOST, that our spirits and character are strengthened, lifted up to fulfillment and content.

Each time I serve, I seem to tell myself I need to do it more, yet I have allowed the hustle and bustle of everyday life to crowd out these desires and intentions way too many times. Because of this, and because of my experience with Annabelle last night, I am going to make service a family goal for April. I am excited to begin this week! At the close of each day, and at the end of the month, we can ask ourselves "Have I done any good?" And hopefully the answer will always be "Yes!"

PS: Annabelle is on the mend and we are having a WONDEFRUL day at home together.

I Love You THIS Much

Tonight Annabelle stretched out her arms and said, "I love you this much Robyn!" How cute is that?! Well Annabelle, I'd need arms that wrapped the globe a few hundred times to express my love to you. Love you forever!

Attack of the Sciatic Nerve

"The sciatic nerve is a large nerve fiber in humans and other animals. It begins in the lower back and runs through the buttock and down the lower limb. It is the longest and widest single nerve in the human body. The sciatic supplies nearly the whole of the skin of the leg, the muscles of the back of the thigh, and those of the leg and foot. It is derived from spinal nerves L4 through S3. It contains fibres from both the anterior and posterior divisions of the lumbosacral plexus."

I want to blame this nerve for everything wrong in life. I want to blame it for rainy, windy, cold days, bad moods, irritable responses, unshaven legs, hermit-like tendencies, additional pounds, a bad haircut, restless sleep, missed walks, missed workouts, a lack of reaching out and an abundance of reaching in, on and on and on. I want to say it's viciously attacking me. But that would be insane and totally pointless. After all, it's a NERVE, which means it doesn't have a mind and motive of its own, nor does it involve itself in devious thought processes which result in bad days and embarrassing moments for its possessor...as much as I want to believe these crazy notions. The definition of the sciatic nerve at the beginning of this post did NOT include anything to suggest it has a brain, heart, or soul of its own (as much as I hate to admit that).

If I didn't blame my sciatic on all aforementioned discomforts and pathetic behaviors, my alternative scapegoat would definitely have to be the haircut! However, that happened quite recently and my deplorable complaining began way before the haircut, more accurately termed "The hairchop." Yet again it is something without mind, heart, and soul, and therefore cannot be blamed for anything...not a darn thing!

So the blame and responsibility lies on me. Didn't want to admit that, but when life handed me a few lemons, I'm pretty sure I took them and mixed them up with some strong alcohol and a few hallucinogens. The Result? A flat-out distorted view of who and what are responsible for my actions and responses. Don't do that! Now I'm twice the distance from lemonade that I would've been had I acted appropriately! Backwards steps for sure!

Stephen Covey teaches that "What we all need is a pause button--something that enables us to stop between what happens to us and our response to it, and to choose our own response...Be proactiv--Habit 1--is the ability to act based on principles and values rather than reacting based on emotion or circumstance."

Thanks Stephen. Got it. Implement usage of my Pause Button. I was wrong. Anyone want to go out for some lemonade?

Read a Story with Annabelle and Miss Kim

The past few weeks Annabelle has been requesting story time in the car. She'll say "Mommy read me the story about Cinderella." Other times she'll request Belle or Ariel. I tell her these stories over and over and over again, adding a few new words each time, and varying the length depending on how far we still have to drive. She LOVES it, and I LOVE how much she loves princesses! She just lies back in her car seat without making a peep until I say "...and they lived happily ever after." Then she'll immediately request another story.

This past week she has been requesting stories involving her, her tumbling teacher, Miss Kim, and all the tricks and skills she can think of. "Mommy tell me the story about Annabelle, Miss Kim, and the bar (or the beam or the straddle rolls, etc.)." So I make up little stories about her, Miss Kim, and all the different tricks they do together. She loves it and loves Miss Kim! I always end the story with Miss Kim giving Annabelle stamps on her hands, feet, belly, nose, and toes (Annabelle's favorite part of class) :)

I'm so happy she loves going to class, and loves her teacher. I'm hoping that the more she likes and trusts Miss Kim, the more she'll want to try the new tricks with Miss Kim spotting her (skills on the bar especially)! Right now she's a little hesitant and fearful, but getting better and more brave every time! The first 2 weeks she wouldn't even touch the bars, and now she will hang from the high bar! Flipping over it (with help) is something she's just not quite sure about yet. Here's to hoping that "Miss Kim will lift Annabelle's legs over the bar in a flip, and Annabelle will smile and say Ta-Da! Then Miss Kim will say 'Oh Annabelle! You did so well. Let's go get some stamps for your little hands and feet." Ha ha :)

Annabelle's 1st Crush!

Annabelle has been bitten by the love bug, or the 2-year old equivalent to the love bug :) The lucky little guy is Dominic and he's in her tumbling class at The Little Gym. Last week she started following him around, grabbing his hand and putting it in hers, and leading him around the room. This went on for about 10 mnutes and was pure entertainment for me, his parents and Mrs. Kim. I thought it was darling, and I also thought she'd forget about little Dominic by the time we went to class this week.

I was wrong.

As soon as we entered class today, she ran up to Mrs. Kim and said "Where's Dominic?" She found him and began her attempts to get his attention and play with him. He's quite the challenge to her--nice enough to let her hang around, but undoubtedly there to play and do tricks. Well about halfway through class, after Annabelle had unsuccessfully tried to get his attention, he came right up to her and gave her a hug! She smiled and went on her way. Then on the way home we had this little exchange:

Annabelle: "Mama I like Dominic."
Me: "I know baby. He's a fun friend."
Annabelle: "He was really nice to me today."
Me: "Yes he was."
Annabelle: "Mama he has good skills."

I laughed so hard! It was so cute and so fun at the same time. Our first mommy/daughter boy talk :)

Worth Training For

About a month ago we had one of those embarrassing and anxiety-filled sacrament meetings. You know...the kind where you leave home right after the meeting because you need your child to eat and go to sleep RIGHT NOW. Actually, you yourself need a meal and a nap too! I'm sure it didn't look like anything out of the norm to anyone else, but I knew we had hit a crossroads and something had to change.

Annabelle was acting up and running back and forth across the aisle, trying to convince a few boys to join her every now and then (although I can't blame her for that. Everything is more fun with a couple friends in tow)! Each time I asked her to come sit down, she refused. When I walked over to get her, she started running away toward the back of the cultural hall yelling "I want my daddy!" A little embarrassing. My only consolation was that when Josh cut her off on the other side, she started running from him yelling "I want my mommy!" Phew! We were both on an even playing field :) She knew she was caught so the crying began. The situation didn't improve throughout the meeting. Out to the foyer she went in tears, back into the meeting she came without resolve to change her behavior. Well she may've lacked resolve, but I sure left with more than enough for both of us!

In the most recent book I read, there is a chapter titled "All's Quiet in Church." It talks about a program of reverence training. I'd done this with Annabelle months ago and had great success, but due to inconsistency in church attendance from illnesses and holidays, we'd lapsed back into old habits. The author suggests practicing at home an hour each day for three weeks. Annabelle and I have done it between 2 and 3 days a week for 45 minutes each time, and that seems to be enough for her. We call it "Quiet Time."

I put General Conference on the TV (I have it on the DVR), and she sits beside me on the couch. She's not allowed to get down from her seat and she has to talk in a whisper if she needs to tell me something. Let me tell you, the first 3 sessions are TOUGH! Oftentimes I questioned whether I was doing the right thing because she had such a difficult time staying there, and would become so upset when she had to return to her seat. I hate seeing her sad because she's such a sweet, happy girl! It breaks my heart! But I knew it would pay off in the end, and we'd all be happier.

After 2 weeks of training I can now say what a wonderful blessing this has been and what a complete difference it has made in Annabelle's church behavior. I don't want to say that she was bad--she wasn't! She's just 2, and needed to be taught and trained to be reverent in church. Of course something like this doesn't come naturally to children. I kept reading this quote: "I know it is possible to train our little ones to be reverent in the Lord's house. I sincerely believe he will assist us in this program if we will only enlist his help. So we mustn't give up. We only fail if we quit trying."

This was a wonderful teaching tool for me as a mother. It has calmed my nerves and given me confidence. Annabelle still needs occasional reminders, which is to be expected, but she is doing so well. I was so proud of her behavior on Sunday, and her little whisper is just about the cutest thing I've ever heard in my life! I didn't even want to take her to nursery--I wanted to keep her with me :) I will definitely continue doing this with all my children--a sanity-saver and blessing for sure!

March Books!

"Families are Forever...If I Can Just Get Through Today"

Janice Madsen Weinheimer

I can't find a picture of its cover, but this book is a MUST for all mothers! I don't think it's in publication today (published in 1980), but there are several copies on sale at Amazon for as little as a penny! Also...to give it a little more clout, it was recommended in a 1980 Ensign article titled "Books for Latter-day Saints." It was listed as one of only five recommended books for "parents and marrieds."

Now...on to the good stuff! This book has literally changed my life, and taught me SO much about homemaking, mothering, scheduling, planning, raising children, productivity, etc. Next to my own mother and an adorable little angel named Annabelle, this book has taught me the most about the wonderful season of life I'm in. Coincidentally my mother is the one who insisted I read it, and therefore found and purchased it for me (does that mean she gets the credit for what it taught me too)? Probably :)

I just finished reading for the THIRD time! Yes you read that right, and yes I think I'm finally catching on and learning what I need to :) As I was reading it through this time, I read it as an instruction manual (with pen and notebook by my side the entire time) ready to take notes of the practices/hints/ideas I wanted to implement into my own life. The author is nuts and accomplishes more than I (or you) will ever need or want to in any given day, which is why I pick and chose those things which I felt would make the most positive changes in my life. She has 9 children! Not only does she have 9 children, but included in those 9 children are a set of triplets and 2 sets of twins! I suppose that's why she has some clue on how to successfully manage and take care of a household :) I learned a lot about scheduling and planning, yet the greatest knowledge I will come away with is her parenting and teaching styles. She just makes A LOT of sense when it comes to parenting and raising children and teens--common sense. Sometimes I think we look for the unknown tricks and secrets of having good kids when common sense and intuition always work best. She does a great job of teaching common sense approaches to life and children--actual approaches that even I can handle and feel good about.

It was challenging to find my "favorite quotes" because I have favorite sections and favorite stories instead. But for the sake of this post, I will copy down a few quotes.

"That is what life is all about. The joys and satisfaction that come from raising a family simply cannot be measured. Many a night we fall into bed thoroughly exhausted, but it's worth it. When they begin to leave home is really the only difficult time. We hope and pray as they go out into the world that we've done a thorough job--one that would be pleasing to their Heavenly Father. Has their training been sufficient? Has it been deep enough...? Only time will tell."

"The days when I read and studied the gospel and took time to have my private prayers were my better days. I had more patience and more love, and the things in my household ran much more smoothly. I was also able to accomplish more. By spending some time in gospel study and prayer each day, you will be able to accomplish more and have a better attitude."

I love this book!

23 Weeks!

23 weeks down, 17 to go! Yesterday was my 23-week appointment and I had a HUGE growth spurt! Four weeks ago I was measuring at 19--yesterday I measured at 27! I must say I feel about 8 months pregnant right now, and I'm hoping the growth is just a "spurt" and not a new trend for this pregnancy. I am now measuring 4 weeks ahead!

On a positive note, everything looks great and I've been feeling those little movements a lot more this past week. It's so reassuring to be able to feel movement. No more wondering if he's ok in there, if he's breathing; no more waiting 4 weeks to hear his heartbeat just so I know he's doing well. Such a relief! I've also been able to exercise and get to the gym regularly this past month, and that has been such a blessing. Those endorphins and that little slice of extra energy sure go a long way when you're pregnant!

Dancing/teaching is a little more challenging, but I'm hanging in there pretty well with my company girls :) So far I've only had to cut out the technique exercises on my back and rolling on my stomach (which is a bit sad because I love choreographing all types of rolls and movement on the floor--hallmarks of a modern dancer I guess). My Intermediate Modern class actually NAMED the floor because I make them use it so much; the floor is "Bob." We sit, roll, and do all kinds of dancing on "Bob." Ha ha

Overall I'm feeling good. This pregnancy is somewhat hard on my emotions, but I'm learning to recognize it and deal with it. I sooooo want to love pregnancy, but the truth is that I never quite feel like myself and I have a difficult time emotionally when I gain weight, even though it's for a beautiful, wonderful, and miraculous cause, and even though I stay active. The trick is getting outside yourself as much as possible and doing those things which make you feel good on the inside (because the outside has to take a back seat for a little while). I am definitely excited for the next 17 weeks to dwindle down because I love labor and delivery, and I LOVE babies.