I got pregnant game

So I'm so tired of being pregnant and I'm getting sick of my own complaining. This is the last week until my due date which I hope will be the end of discomfort, well at least in one part of my body
Even though I'm ginormous and can't tie my own shoes I'm pretty proud of the fact that a guy on light rail tried to pick me up the other day. It was awesome.
So I get on the train with my huge belly and a present for the baby in tow. I sit next to this guy and he turns to me and says " that is a very interesting hat you are wearing does it have a fun story behind it?" This surprised me because it was a regular old ski hat that we bought like 3 years ago at a ski swap.
"Nope it doesn't, its just one of my ski hats." We then proceed to talk about skiing and snowboarding for a little bit and then, this is the best part, he tells me he thinks he recognizes me from somewhere. My thought is I ride the light rail a lot at specific times so he might have seen me on the train. Nope his answer was much better, "actually I was looking at a book about angels and your picture was on the cover." No lie he actually tried to use that line on me. I was in such shock of the cheesiness of the line and the fact that he hadn't noticed I was pregnant so my only response was to laugh. I think this was the wrong thing to do because it seemed to give him more confidence and he proceeded to tell me, " you know when you meet someone and there is an instant connection? Well I feel that with you would you like to get some coffee or something sometime?"
I proceeded to inform him that I was married but he was not detoured.
"Well if your husband is out of town we could get together or you could have me over and make coffee for me, I bet you make great coffee."
"Yeah?" I said, "we'll have to see." Thankfully at this time his stop came up and as he was getting off the train he tells me, "if you every want to contact me my e-mail is RussianSpy2@email.com."
I just had to laugh to myself, first of all being 9 months pregnant and getting hit on, not too shabby and secondly that there was a RussianSpy email before his. Gotta love public transportation!

Graduation

I can't believe that I finally graduated! Friday Dec 19th was the day and what a day it turned out to be. I woke up expecting nothing too exciting Rich was going to make me breakfast and then we were going to lunch with my parents. Well around 9 there was a knock on our door. Turns out Rich's, dad, brother, sister and brother in law all came out for the big day. It was so awesome.
The day couldn't have been any better than it was. The ceremony lasted about an hour and half and then that is was it. Its so weird to be on the other side of it now. Two years went really really fast.

Workin it OUT!

For those of you who don't know Blue is really into fitness. He's really been considering it as a career. This is the latest workout he is promoting.

FALSE ALARM!

Well we had quite the exciting day. It started out normal I got up battled a raging snow storm to get to work, got there and hour late and did my usual thing, changing adult diapers chasing confused patients down the hall and helping wash stinky people. All was well until about 11:00 when I felt a gush. Hmm that was interesting I thought and decided to investigate further in the bathroom. Well I got there and felt another little gush and thought hmm maybe its time I go visit my midwife (being that I work in the building next to her) So I truck down there and there and they give me a test strip to test to see if what I felt was amniotic fulid or not. Well the test they gave me came up positive. Holy crap now I was really freakin out, water breaking means baby coming. It probably wouldn't have been as big a deal but just the week before I took a strep test and found that I'm postive for strep (which is perfectly normal about 30% of women test postive) which ment I was going to have to be admitted and if labor didn't follow soon induced. Yikes!
So I walk back over to the hospital where Tallie just happens to be doing her clinicals for school in the labor and delievery unit, needless to say she was freaking out. So they admit me, put my in the flattering hosptial gown and hook me up to a fetal monitor. My midwife comes in and asks me what happen and I rely the above story and she wants to get a little more information so goes to grab the speculum. Who doesn't love to hear those words?
In the mean time I've called Rich and he is getting packed, because we still thought we had 4 weeks to go and my mom is driving 90 miles an hour down I-70 in hopes she doesn't miss a thing.
So I get set up and the midwife does the speculum thing and performs a different test and low an behold its negative. But if you've never coughed with a speculum in you it is quite the experience and not a good experienc.
Needless to say we are all a little disapointed. They keep the fetal monitor on me for a few more minutes just to make sure the baby is alright. Then they wipe the goo of my belly and send us on our way.
I'm relieved but a bit disappointed. I'm glad that I'm not going to have a kid before graduation but it sure was exciting to think we could be parents tonight or tomorrow. Tomorrow being our 5 year wedding aniversary!
Things are back to normal now, no contractions or anything so I think we still have a few more weeks till baby Ras makes an appearance. He's already hogging all the attention!

Our house?

Well I flew out to Utah on Wednesday and Rich and I have been looking at homes every day since. We are over it! I love the house we have the bid in on, we've been able to see it twice since being here. Believe it or not 23 people have actually been there and toured the house but the most amazing thing is that we are the only ones who have put a bid on it. The best part is the house is listed at 4 bedrooms and could easily be 6 but because an appraiser's demand for a room to be a bedroom is that it must have a window, source of heat and a closet, when the home gets appraised by the bank it will be appraised as a 2 bedroom home because a few of rooms don't have closets! That means it will be appraised a lot cheaper and our bid will look a lot better. Yeah. So now we are just waiting for the bank to get the stinking house appraised and then accept our bid which could be anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months. I'm not good at being patient!!

Nurse

I only have 3 more days of clinicals until I am done working for free forever! I could hardly wait to be done until I found out Salt Lake Regional's shoe code for nurses. Look at these babies.

Apparently my official title is going to be that of Knotty Nurse. I've never heard of that kind of nursing but it sounds exciting and I'm sure I will learn a lot about medicine.

Homie

So we put a bid in on the house and we a just waiting to hear. Apparently the owners have accepted it but the bank is next. The owners owe about $70,000 more than we offered so we aren't really sure if the bank will accept our offer or demand more, thats the fun of a short sale I'm told. Now its just just a waiting game.

Holy House!

So a few weeks ago Rich and I started talking and we got on the subject of houses and how great it would be for us to have one when we moved back the SLC. Well we started looking and wouldn't you know it we find one that we really like. This was last Saturday. We decided that if we are going to be serious about this we need to get down on it so we flew Rich out there on Monday. Tuesday he went and looked a some homes, nothing too exciting. Wednesday he went looking and found the holy grail of homes. Today is Thursday and we already have a bid in on the house! How is that for fast. Whew. It seems like a pretty sweet home. It's located in Sandy about half a block from the dog park, two blocks from dipple dale recreation area and about a 5 minute drive from church. Oh we are really close to trax too which would take me downtown to work! How sweet is that. Here is a picture of it.

Needless to say the past few days have been a frenzy of discussion and excitment. The home is a short sale meaning its in the very first stages of forclosure which can be a good thing or a bad thing. The previous owners owe a lot of money to the bank. We made a pretty low offer which might be accepted out of desperation or rejected because the amount is so large. We are just going to have to wait and see and that is going to be the hard part. The best thing about this house is it already has dog door!

I like beans

These jelly beans look innocent enough but I swear they are laced with crack, or some other addictive substance because lately they are all I want to eat.

Pics!

Here are some more belly shots!

Childbirth

So we finally took a childbirth class last Sunday. Do you have any idea where babies come from? It looks like a terribly painful place.

We learned a little bit of Lamaze breathing and they had us play a really fun game, I think you all should try. Grab a bowl fill it half way with water and then as much ice as possible. Now have a friend or your partner set their watch for 90 seconds (this is the average length of a contraction during the transition stage of labor) and then plunge your hand into the ice cold water while using the Lamaze he he he hu breathing method. Its really not that bad for the first 10 seconds after that you feel like your hand is going to fall off and all you want to do is pull it out. Although 90 seconds doesn't seem like a long time in normal life when you're in pain it feels more like 90 minutes.
It was a great experience to understand the pain associated with birth even though the pain in my hand will probably be a 10th of the pain I will experience in my uterus.
We are still planning on natural birth but I am definitely keeping the options available and on hand if this he he he hu doesn't work.

The long haul

Well my final quarter of nursing school has started. I'm caught somewhere between excitement and trepidation. I'm really excited to be done but I can't believe I’m going to be in charge of taking care of people by myself. Yikes! I do love it though. I'm doing my capstone clinical on the same floor I work on at Swedish which is nice because I know everyone and I know where everything is. The only downside is I’m there all the time and I know half the time I'mworking for free, lame. But the upside is only 11 more clinical days to go and then watch out I’ll be a real nurse. Well I also have to pass the NCLEX but the big ugly really annoying stuff is over. Only thing left is a nasty chew you up and spit you out test. Gotta love that!

Baby Ras is getting bigger and bigger he/she is right on where they should be. Every time they measure my uterus it’s exactly where is should be for example I’m 29 weeks so my uterus is 29cm from my pubic bone. Unbelievable that I have something that big in abdomen but when you see me you can believe it, ha! The pregnancy is going good I’m starting to get more tired and my appetite has exploded. I’ve decide I should enter a hot dog eating contest, not the ones where you have to eat so many in a minute but if you gave me an unlimited supply and let me go all day, watch out for a world record!

Belly shots

Here are some belly shots for those who have been asking for them. The baby is getting stronger everyday, my belly moves now with some of the kicks!

Baby's face

So Monday was our ultrasound; it was the coolest thing I have ever seen. Here is part of the ultrasound, we have it all on dvd. We even got some 3D images of the kid which is really cool but freaky too. We still don't know what the sex is and we made sure the ultrasound tech didn't highlight those precious parts for us. Hope you enjoy.

Somethings to remember when viewing:
1. The baby does not have a hole in its head that is just the 3D equipment being weird
2. The baby does have abnormally large feet(even the doc was impressed)
3. Don't even think of looking for little girl or boy parts because you won't see them

BABY KICKS!

Finally after about a week of trying Rich has finally felt the baby kick! It was pretty cool and I think it kind of freaked him out, but its about time. We were sitting on the couch and I looked over at him like I have every day the last 7 and say "I totally just felt it and I know you will feel it." And he says "yeah you feel it from the inside." Still I make him assume the position of hand on my every growing belly. And wouldn't you know in about 10 seconds the baby smacks him in the hand. "Whoa I felt that!" he says with a big grin on his face. It was pretty cute.

Yummy

So I've had my first weird pregnancy food choice. Dill pickles and stawberry milk together. I didn't even realize what I was doing until I was half way through both of them. Talk about a taste bud tickling combo.

Midwife

Our insurance changed so our doctor had to as well and now we get to have a midwife for the deliver of little baby Ras. I am really excited about the whole experience because during my OB clinical I was able to see a deliever performed by a midwife and delievery performed by a doctor.
The Differenc:
The midwife was there the whole time the patient was laboring, she was the one who was going in performing the checks and just being there for the patient. WHen it came time to push she was there in the room helping mom push the whole time just being patient and allowing nature to take it's course. This was mom's first baby and she deliever just fine no tearing or anything.
Now in the doctor's room the nurse was the one who was with mom helping her push and getting her just to point where the baby was crowning, then it was wait for the doctor to come in. The doctor came in waited for her to push, wasn't satisfied that it was happening quick enough so proceeded to use forceps to pull the babe out and mom ended up tearing and needing stiches. This was mom's third kid.
I had my first appointment with my midwife today and I am very excited about working with her. She is very personable and just laid back. Plus she wants to see me every month, with Kaiser I hadn't seen anyone let alone a doctor in 6 weeks!
I will be delievering in a hospital so if anything does go wrong there will be doctors and emergency staff available. It's crazy to think that delievery time is only 3 months away!

Clinicals are Lame

So I just have to vent about the 150 hours of my life this quarter that is dedicated to wasting time. Some evil person on the Colorado state board of nursing decided that nursing students have too many hours in their day so they devised a plan that will get rid of those unnessary hours and call them community health clinicals. Seriously I am a few months away from graduating from nursing school expected to be prepared to care for up to 5 patients at a time and what clinical experience am I getting right now? Suppositories and toenail clipping.
Don't' get me wrong community health does have its place, and the people who work there are angels, but I don't' think I need to sit and follow around LP N's for the most part, to enhance my learning. I've seen everything they are doing and in fact get paid to do the very same things at my job at Swedish hospital. So why, I scream to the nursing gods, do I have to go through this torture for another 50 hours?

Popped

Well I guess I've finally popped. It stills just feels like fat to me but everyone gets really excited and runs up and touches my belly so I guess its more baby now.

Heartburn

The Claim: Mother’s Heartburn Means a Hairy Newborn

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR

Published: February 20, 2007

THE FACTS It is an odd adage that has stuck around for ages: women who suffer heartburn during pregnancy will have babies with full heads of hair. But doctors have long shrugged it off.

Skip to next paragraph

Leif Parsons

Until now, that is. In December, researchers at Johns Hopkins University conducted a study intending to put the claim to rest. To their surprise, they ended up confirming it. The study, published in the current issue of the journal Birth, followed 64 pregnant women, about 78 percent of whom reported having some heartburn. After the women gave birth, two outside observers looked at pictures of their infants and rated their levels of hair.

Of the 28 women who reported moderate to severe heartburn, 23 had babies with average or above-average amounts of hair. Conversely, 10 of the 12 women who reported no heartburn had babies with little or no hair.

Other studies have shown that in pregnant women, high levels of estrogen and other hormones can relax the sphincter at the bottom of the esophagus, causing heartburn. The same hormones, other studies show, can influence fetal hair growth.

The lead author of the study, Kathleen Costigan, who runs the fetal assessment center at Johns Hopkins, said the findings came as a shock.

“We’ve heard this claim hundreds of times, and I’ve always told people it’s nonsense,” she said. “Since the study came out, I’ve had to eat a lot of crow.”

THE BOTTOM LINE Heartburn during pregnancy may mean a greater likelihood a baby will have a lot of hair.

I think I might be growing a Sasquatch.

Pretty aweseom

So I have to brag about Rich's fair booth again. Here it is.
Pretty sweet huh? They had the trailer custom made and Rich did the graphics for the sings which I already talked about. I was amazed I had no idea it looked as professional as it does. I was lucky enough to have him here for the past two days which was nice but also very busy because they are still putting things together last minute. They, meaning Austin, Dan and Rich, left this morning at 1am for Springfield, Illinois. They are open for business tomorrow night and we are so excited to see how things go.

Baby kicks?

So I'm starting to feel little flutters in my belly. Is it really the baby moving or gas? The burning question in my mind that I think will never be answered. Really though I do think it is the baby. At first I wasn't sure because I would only feel it at night when I was laying on my side in bed. Now I feel it if I"m bending over too long probably suffocating the poor thing. It's really subtle but noticeable. I'm excited I just can't wait until I can really feel it.
It's weird to think that I'm actually growing a real live human in my own body. Kind of sci fi. We got our second ultrasound today and I was really excited to see how techy the baby is but worried about it's music choices.

Carnies for life!

So Rich has started a business with two other friends. What are they going to sell you ask? Well he and his buds have entered 4-5 fairs across the US and are going to sell drinks in the state fairs of the different states.
He is out in Idaho right now putting the finishing touches on the custom trailer they had made and finishing all the signs and artwork they need. Here is a sample of what they are selling.Pretty freaking sweet right? He took the pictures of the drinks and made the sign. I have to say I'm pretty impressed with what he is able to do.
Only 2 more weeks and they will start their first fair in Illinois. Keep your fingers crossed that its really hot and people are really thirsty.

Hey baby!

So we had our 2nd doctor's appointment this week. We heard the babe's heart beat 150! Not bad the cool part was while we were listening it moved three times, each time bumping the monitor which sounds like a smack. It was awesome. I can't believe it is moving already. I still can't feel anything but it should be long until I do.

PREGO!

So we are finally pregnant! Here is a picture of the little booger.



Cute isn't he? We don't know the sex yet and don't plan on finding out but I have myself convinced that we are having a boy. Well at least when I refer to the baby I always call it a he. Only 6 more months until we actually find out. Jan 5, 2009 is our due date. Yep only 3 weeks after I graduate. Yikes! We're cutting it kind of close but I think it will be ok, at least I am hoping.
The first trimester has not been bad but I don't think I want to repeat this anytime soon. The first few weeks were easy and then about week 10 I started feeling sick. Mostly at night but still too much sickness for me. Only one more week until I am offiically in the second trimester where magically everything is suppose to go back to normal expect for the fact that your stomach is expanding at an expanentional rate. Gotta love that!
We told the parents this last weekend and that was really fun. I made onzies that had I heart Grandma or Grandpa or Unkle on them and then wrapped them up and gave them as a present. It was fun everyone is really excited. So now its just the waiting game.

Eyeball

Blue has an ulcer on his eye. He is ok we just have to put goop in it four times a day. I guess nobody told him when he is running through high grass he should really close his eyes.

Blogging

Sorry for all of you who expected new and exciting up dates from us all the time. Unfortunately life is just full of work for us right now. Rich is work as assistant food and beverage manager at the Meridian golf course which is cool because we get to golf but sucks because he usually has a 80 hour work weeks. LAME.
I was working as an orderly in the OR at Swedish medical center but I just got a promotion to Nurse Extern on the oncology/Med Surg floor. It's really exciting but tough work. I've been orienting the last couple of days and this next Tuesday is my first day alone where I will have to take care of 8 patients. I might die, but at least I'm getting lots of experience...right?

Roller Derby

So Denver has their very own roller derby team called the Roller Dolls. We went last night and it was quite the experience. When you think of roller derby, or at least when I think of roller derby, I think of crazy, tough chicks out there knocking each other down and stuff. Well get that thought out of your mind. It is an actual sport we found out, and it has a huge following.

How it works is there are 5 girls from each team that start out as a group. Behind them is one girl from each team called the jammer. So on the first whistle the pack starts off and 5 seconds later another whistle signals the jammers to start skating. The jammers are trying to get into the front of the pack, this is where there is some pushing and girls are falling down, you know the fun part. Well once one of the jammers get in the front they have to skate really fast to catch up with the pack again and then they get points for as many girls of the opposing team they can pass. Pretty cool. It was pretty fun to see the big girls just dominate the skinny girls. They all had different names too, the one jammer that was really good was call Amanda Jamin -it-in-ya. Very nice

Blue Dog

So you might not know about our lovely dog Blue. He is the greatest dog in the world in my opinion, the only problem is he has a little problem. It started when he was quite young when we would visit family in Idaho and the obsession, as I like to call it, has only advanced and intensified. Its really hard to explaing but I think these pictures can help us all understand.


The Cat's view.
We were over at our friends house this weekend and Blue happened to notice they have cats. That is a cat door he is trying to come in. Pretty funny dog.

Car and Snow

Well we found out today that the Subie is going to be just fine, about $2,000 dollars later. We are just glad it's not our money

We went skiing today and had a couple of cool pics

Car Accident

There I was sitting peacefully at a stop light waiting for the light to turn green when from out of no where. WHAMO!! I was hit from behind. Thats right the black subaru has been involved in its first and hopefully not its last accident. I, Heather, was driving but I didn't get hurt at all, thank goodness. The bumper on the car however is a different story.

It doesn't look like much but the collision repair shop said that it might be a total loss due to the age and mileage on the car. We'll see though the insurance company is still working out all the details.

In the meantime though we get to cruise around town in this.
It's a Ford Escape Hybrid. We are not too sure how great the gas mileage is on it yet but it's really quite. The best part is we aren't paying for it. Let's hear it for insurance!

Blogging

Ok so Team Rasmussen has been established.