Pages

Friday, October 7, 2016

Labor Day Weekend

We had so much fun labor day weekend :)  It was  really jam packed, but it was awesome.  Here's what we were up to:

Saturday we drove over to Annapolis (it's probably just about 30 minutes away).  Annapolis has such a cute downtown area.  I don't know how to explain it other than it has a very historical feel.  There are old churches, government buildings, brick-paved streets and some city blocks still look to me like they would have in the 1700s.  I could really just let my mind wander with what would have happened there.







There are cute little restaurants and we had a fun time wandering in and out of the shops after grabbing a little brunch and in between an ice cream cone.  This was a perfect activity with Aaron; he slept soundly nearly the whole time in the stroller.  We also enjoyed watching all the sailboats from the pier.





Sunday we went to church, came home, and packed our bags for the night because we were heading to Philadelphia.  There was a temple open house and I thought the open house plus the long weekend was the perfect excuse for a little trip!  We got to Philadelphia in the early evening, checked into our hotel, ate some sandwiches for dinner, and started planning for the next day.

We visited Independence Hall, saw the liberty bell, and went to the  temple open house.  Aaron was once again almost perfect for the whole day.....what a trooper!  He even slept the whole way on our drive back home.  I hope I am not doomed for my second baby since Aaron has honestly been so easy going.






Also, I have to share this story because I think it is just to funny!  I needed to feed Aaron and was looking for a comfortable, private spot.  We went into the visitor's center and were trying to find an empty bench so I wandered upstairs where I saw it was mostly deserted.  Lo and behold I stumbled upon a (semi) private balcony complete with a rocking chair overlooking Independence Hall!  What a great place to nurse a baby while on vacation; I honestly still cannot believe my luck!  This has to be the best place I've fed Aaron in with the worst being the back seat of a very crowded air plane next to a line of travelers all needing to use the restroom.  What are your best and worst places for feeding your babies??  Leave a comment or send me a message--I would love to know!


And....I don't have a place for this picture but it's just freaking cute, okay?





Love,
Kristy Jane

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Grimm Family Adventures

We've been here about a month so far and it is nice to finally start to feel a little settled.  The end of my pregnancy and the newborn stage with Aaron was all so stressful for the last few months since everything was chaotic with moving and making big decisions and traveling around.  It is so nice to finally have things calm down a bit and be able to get in a routine with Aaron.

The area that we live in seems to be really nice.  Maryland is so much different than any place I have ever been.  It is absolutely filled with trees and so so green.  It is beautiful!  However, it does take some getting used to.It's hard for me to find my way around and get a sense of direction here because to me it all looks relatively the same and you cannot really see landmarks on the highways (and sometimes even the roads) because it is all so wooded.  There are lots of walking paths near us that run through different neighborhoods and I have really been enjoying doing that with Aaron most mornings.  There are also at least two small lakes that I know of near us that are fun to walk around as well.  

This is a really nice walking trail in one of the neighboring neighborhoods (about 7 minutes away from our place probably).  It feels like you are in the mountains or somewhere in the country even though you are so close.

At a little lake near us.  Behind us is the more downtown area of Columbia (the city we live in).  They have a lot of restaraunts near this lakefront, paddleboats on the weekends, concerts, dancing, etc.

We've seen so much wildlife near us in the city.  I always see bunnies and squirrels on my walks and often I see deer.
Another one of the nearby lakes.  This one is more like a park with a nice playground, fields, walking paths, bike trails, fishing, etc.


We live probably about 30 minutes to an hour away from Washington DC (depending on traffic) so we've been able to have some fun Saturdays so far as well.  There is so much to explore in Washington DC so even though we've been there a few times we still have so much more to see.  It's nice that we don't feel like we have to see it all in a day.  That way when it's hot or Aaron needs a break we can just go home and come back another day!
The National Monument.

I can't remember now exactly, but I think this was at the Jefferson Memorial.  We didn't want to climb all those steps with the stroller so this is as close as we got.  Definitely need to remember to bring the baby carrier for that next time.

At the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.  We only did the first floor this time and are excited to go back.

The Smithsonian Castle


So funny story....the first time we went to DC David wanted to go to "The Smithsonian".  We were walking around looking for "it" until we realized it was a collection of a BUNCH of different museums.  Haha, so funny.  Good thing we didn't ask for directions.  So far we've been to the American History Museum and the Natural History Museum.  Next on my list is the Holocaust Museum and the Art Museums/Sculpture Gardens.  I love museums and I am the type of person that will look at and read almost everything in the exhibitions so it takes us quite a bit of time to stroll through even one wing.  The best part of DC is that it's all (mostly) free!  

We also live about 20-30 minutes from downtown Baltimore.  Last weekend we went to Baltimore's "Inner Habor".  Baltimore was so much different than I expected it to be.  I thought it would be dirty, dangerous, slummy looking, etc.--but it isn't at all (at least not where we were anyway).  It was so clean and beautiful and felt so nice to walk by the water.  It actually reminded me a lot of San Diego's harbor area and it was nice to be in a place that felt a little bit like home.  There are paddle boats, water taxis, maritime museums, old ships, shops, restaurants, a large aquarium and a few museums down here too.  We are excited to go back and do some of those things in the coming weekends.

It is so much cooler to walk down by the water with that nice breeze!

The old ships really remind me of SD.  I like Baltimore because it felt a little more like something I am used to.



As I am proofreading this I am realizing that I have the same outfit on in all of these pictures.  Haha!  I guess I only have a few outfits I like to wear right now.  #momlife #postpartum #nursing

And for good measure here are some pictures of my cute baby because what's a blog post without that?
He spits up a lot--hence the burp cloth tucked like a bib.  We've always got to make sure we've got clean burp cloths handy.




This kissy face cracks me up!











Saturday, June 18, 2016

Aaron's Birth Story

Aaron's now 7 weeks old!  It really is amazing how quickly they grow.  And I don't mean just like how people say "they grow up so fast" or "in the blink of an eye" kind of growth.  I mean that literally, they grow so fast!  He was once so tiny and in just a few weeks reminds me less of a newborn and more and more like an alert baby.  Anyways, before he grows too much I really would like to write and share the story of his birth.  So for anyone interested, read on knowing this may will be a lengthy post.

 At your 36 week appointment your doctors start to check you weekly to know how you are doing and how you are progressing.  At 35 weeks I got the news that David was going to be out of town for a few days for a job interview.  Not ideal, but I thought, "I'm only 35 weeks, no big deal".  Then I go to my doctor appointment and they tell me I am 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced.  The nurse said "wow, first baby?" and the doctor said something to the effect of "you probably won't go into labor this week, but you never know!  Best to prepare!" and that I probably wouldn't make it to my due date.  That got me really worried.  Like what if I go into labor and I'm all alone and baby is still too small!  But fortunately, I got through the week just fine.

I think the next week (37 week appointment) I was 4 cm and 90%.  All the doctors and nurses told me they thought it would be soon and they were (for lack of a better word) impressed that my body was progressing so easily for a first time mom.  Now they really had me thinking that it could literally be any time now and that from now on any time the baby decided to come would really be okay.

At that 37 week appointment I was also approached to be part of the ARRIVE study.  Which basically is a medical study looking at the effects of induction at 39 weeks vs. no induction vs. induction at 41 weeks.  All the women in the study are randomized to induction at 39.5 weeks or waiting for your body to go into labor naturally/induction at 41 weeks.  Basically, they are trying to see if there are any benefits to inducing at 39 weeks (which has been found beneficial in the UK, but no study has been done yet in the US).  I heard about this study in our prenatal class and the nurse there thought it was a fantastic thing to be part of if you could (you need to have absolutely no pregnancy complications, be healthy, be a first time mom, etc).  My doctor told me it was also an exciting study for them as doctors to be part of and that no matter which random group I was assigned to baby would be just as healthy at that point.  He also told me that he didn't think I would make it to 39 weeks (so I probably wouldn't be able to be part of it anyway), but that if I did it would be an easy induction on me.  So with that said, the next week I decided I would be part of the study.

At my 38 week appointment my doctor told me I was still at 4 cm.  Which to be honest was a little disappointing.  They had been telling me all along it would be early and that I was progressing so fast and now at 38.5 weeks there was no change.

The next morning they called me to tell me which group I was randomized to: the induction group and they had me assigned to have my baby Sunday.  Then called me back and told me actually it was to be Friday (just two days away).  This got me so anxious...was I ready for this??  We decided to tell just our parents that I was being induced because we didn't want to have to give millions of updates to everyone and wanted to be able to just enjoy the day....which thank goodness we did because of what happened next.

At the temple...which we thought would be our last night just with each other.

Thursday night we get the call to go in at 6 am in the morning, but to call when we leave the house just to make sure they are ready for me.  So I prepare and try to get as much sleep as I can, but obviously I am so anxious and excited that I am just up all night thinking.  Like remember going to Disneyland as a kid or Christmas Eve?....that times about 100.  So basically, I don't think I really got any sleep at all.  I wake up and call.  They said they didn't have any room for me...too many babies!...of course in Utah Valley in May ;)  They said call back in a few hours.  This process continues all day.  I was feeling so disappointed.  Here I had my hopes up and nothing and I kept getting the run around and feeling like it was never going to happen.  They promise me the next morning (Saturday) I can come in at 6 AM.  We wake up ready to go.  Call.  Again.  No rooms available!  Finally I just decided to go into work to get my mind off things.  This was the most helpful idea yet.  It really helped the time go by and give me something else to do!  Finally I get a call around 2 that they are ready for me!  We jump in the car and go.

We get there and it takes forever to check us in.  They had just switched over to a new computer system that morning and all the assistants/nurses/doctors were still figuring out how to use it to check people in, order medications, process notes, etc.  Finally at about 5 pm we had everything situated and they started me on pitocin.  I can't remember if they had checked me after that or not, but about 30 minutes after the doctor came in to break my water and pretty soon I began feeling contractions.  David and I were watching Ratatouille to pass the time.  Pretty soon after that (maybe 20 or so minutes) the contractions started getting much much stronger.  I thought to myself, "oh no, if it took this long to get the pitocin ordered and started I wonder how long it will take for the epidural??".  At about 6:00 I decided that it was enough to where I could ask for the epidural (you really can ask for it whenever you want, but I wanted to feel the contractions at first and didn't want to be a complete wuss.....haha).  Probably within about 2 minutes everybody came in and started the epidural.  They told me even though they didn't know how to do it in the computer they would get me taken care of first and then figure out that part later--what a relief!  The anesthesiologist took one look at my back and said that I had the perfect anatomy for an epidural (my spine is very poky and boney.....sort of like a dinosaur)...finally it was good for something!

When we first got to the labor/delivery room


I can't remember exactly now, but I think they checked me again and I was somewhere around an 8.  Then pretty soon later a 9.  Then 10 and they had me rest and descend for 1 hour.

The nurse had me start pushing at around 9:00.  We didn't push continuously, but she would have me practice then give me breaks for a few minutes while she got other things ready.  She was great and kept telling me I was doing such a good job.  That made me feel really proud and in control and like I could really do it.  At about 9:30 the doctor came in and got everything ready.

I am lucky in that my epidural worked very well for me.  I could feel the pressure of the contractions, but not much of the pain.  Which was perfect because when the baby got down so far the monitor had a hard time picking up the contractions so I was really in control of when I should push.  I also still had pretty good control of my legs and could pretty much still lift them up myself (although it was easier with help).

The hardest part for me about pushing was heartburn!  There was so much acid in my throat and every time I would push I would just feel like I was going to throw up.  Finally the nurse gave me one rolaid....but of course that wasn't enough for all the acid I had in my throat.  The plain ice chips sort of helped, but I just had to deal with it and she let me know it was okay if I just had to throw up--it happens sometimes.  Thankfully I didn't ever actually throw up.

Within a few pushes with the doctor and at exactly 10 pm Aaron was born!  When he finally came out, I was still in the middle of trying to push really hard with my eyes closed and the doctor had to tell me, "Kristy, look, open your eyes!".  I was astonished that he was finally here in front of me.  It felt like such a miracle to me and I could feel that was a moment where my life would forever be different.  They put him on my lap and I got to stroke him and love him for a minute.  Then they took him over to get weighed, cleaned off, do all the test, etc.  David stayed by me (because at this point my upper body was shaking and he was a bit worried), but I told him to go over to Aaron and take some pictures.  Before I knew it Aaron was back on my chest, the doctors and nurses were gone, and it was quiet again.  Aaron and I tried nursing and they left us alone for maybe an hour or so.  They also brought me a turkey croissant and water (I was starved at this point), which David helped me eat because I was holding/nursing/cuddling/in awe over Aaron.










Then we were transferred over to the mother/baby unit and they gave Aaron his first bath.  Finally around 3 AM (after two nights of basically no sleep because of the anticipation) we all went to bed.  Aaron slept until morning.








The whole experience was great for me.  I really enjoyed it all and to be honest it was a lot easier and better than I ever expected it to be!  Really the hardest thing was all the anticipation and getting the run around about getting into the hospital for the induction.  But all worth it in the end!  Such a sweet, beautiful, perfect little baby.


Tuesday, May 17, 2016

We're Moving.....

....to Maryland! 

A while ago I said we had an announcement to make in a future blog post...but then we had Aaron and life gets really busy I'd rather use his nap time to nap myself instead of blog.  But we are moving to Maryland very very soon (by the beginning of next month).  Anyways, let me tell you the story of how this came to be.

A long time ago David and I had been looking up places where we might want to live one day.  Mostly for fun, but also with some seriousness.  When searching "best places to live" and other variations of that so many places near Washington DC come up.  We kept talking about how cool that would be....without really thinking what it would actually mean and without being too serious about it.

This past year I had been sort of nagging David about making sure he went to career fairs and making connections and thinking seriously about his plans post graduation and other things like that.  Last summer he was working on a wind tunnel project for one of his professors and had to call one of the companies that built something on the wind tunnel for some kind of trouble shooting or something (as you can tell, I clearly know so much about what he does).  He noticed the company happened to be in Maryland and asked them about potential openings when he graduated.  He emailed them a little bit, but we didn't really think much of anything would come from it.  Then, they contacted him about an internship and we thought (with our circumstances) no can do and moved on to other things.

Then, they started emailing more and more and somehow got a video interview set up for a full time position.  It went pretty well but we  I wasn't all too sure about it.  Soon afterwards, they offered him a position.  However, it wasn't much better than opportunities we had here in Utah and so David turned it down.  We started thinking about buying houses here and trying to rent out a basement apartment and things like that and we were getting excited about that although I could always tell David wasn't quite settled.

Then, one day after work he said he wanted to take me on a date just because.  He even took me to one of my favorite places--Zupa's.  Once we got our food and had chatted a little about our day, David said, "well, the reason I took you here wasn't really just because" (or something like that) and told me that the company in Maryland had contacted him that morning about another position.  This one paid quite a bit more and was a much better starting off point than any of our other options.  He asked how I felt about it and I said it was worth looking into.  Then he said "well, I'm glad you feel that way because they already booked me a flight and I am leaving on Monday".  I was a little a lot shocked.

A week or so later, he was offered the job and after lots of talking and thinking and praying we decided it was what was best for David's career and also for our family. 

So now we are moving at the end of this month all the way across the country with a brand new babe!  Lots of new things all at once, but we know we can handle it with each other and are excited for our new adventures.

Please come visit us??

Love,
Kristy Jane


Tuesday, April 26, 2016

38 weeks/39 weeks




How far along: 38 weeks, 6 days (so, I guess almost 39)
Maternity clothes: Yes of course at this point.  Unless you count basketball shorts and David's t-shirts as non-maternity :)
Stretch marks: Just this week I got three tiny ones on each side.  Such a bummer to go that long, then get them at the very end.  But they are small, so I think they will fade easily at least.
Sleep: Hmmm.... there's not really a way to ever get comfortable any more.  Either my neck hurts, or my back hurts, or my side hurts no matter how long I arrange the 5 pillows I sleep with every night.  Plus insomnia.  So there's that.
Best moment this week: Seeing a lot of both of our families.  David graduating BYU! Making some key decisions to where/what we do next (I'll announce that in a separate post soon!...if you are close enough with me to read my blog regularly you probably already know what I'm talking about)
Worst moment this week: Some of the best moments were also some of the hardest!  It was great to see family and go to David's graduation this weekend, but it was also really exhausting for me.  Also, we were happy and excited to make a big decision, but a little scared and anxious too!  Lots of mixed feelings this week ;)
Movement: Started to move a little bit less, but my doctor says that is normal once they descend and just don't have a lot of room anymore.
Food cravings: Dr. Pepper. I have really been liking that this week.  Which actually is strange for me because I don't hardly ever drink soda.  But the past week I went to Maverick twice to get a Dr. Pepper fountain soda and then I also bought some at the store too to keep in the fridge.
Aversions: I wouldn't say it's an aversion, but my appetite has decreased quite a bit and some days I feel nauseous too.
Queasy/Sick: Yes, some days I have felt a little nauseous but it hasn't been too bad.
Other Symptoms: Tiredness and if I am being honest with myself some moodiness too.  I feel lucky that I have had a pretty easy, comfortable, healthy pregnancy but these last few weeks have been really exhausting on me physically, emotionally, and mentally.  I think anyone that makes it this far without being tired/moody deserves a pat on the back, a cookie, and a sodalicious Dirty Dr. Pepper on me!
Gender: BOY!
Labor signs:  At my 36 week appointment I was 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced.  The next week I was 4 cm and 90% effaced.  This week I was the same.  But, I really haven't felt contractions very much!  All the doctors and nurses were surprised my body was preparing itself so quickly so passively (especially for this being my first), so I really had my hopes up that baby would be coming soon.  I was a little disappointed today when there wasn't any more progress, but my doctor said this was probably as far as I could go passively and that the next step would really just be full on labor.  So here we wait!  I've also had lots of lower back pain/aches but not anything unbearably painful.
Belly button - in or out? Kind of out and kind of flat.  It's funny to me that the belly button you've had your whole life suddenly looks so different!
What I miss: Mmmm.....can't think of anything really.  Some sushi sounds good though.  That will definitely be something I treat myself to afterwards :)
What I am looking forward to: The baby being born, obviously!!!!
Milestones: Full term baby!  After 37 weeks the baby is considered "full term" even though your due date is at 40 weeks.  Mostly it means that you are likely to have a healthy, well developed baby if born 37 weeks or after.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Week 31 Update


How far along: 31 weeks
Maternity clothes: Yes, mostly.  I still have some leggings, maxi skirts, and tunic shirts that are okay to wear, but for the most part am in maternity clothes. The week before I noticed my t-shirts kept showing my belly and that was (of course) embarrassing so I searched high and low for cheap maternity clothes.  I'm actually pretty frugal when it comes to shopping and spend a lot of time looking for good deals (I'm sure my mom is laughing about this, but it's true now I promise!) and I reallllly didn't want to spend a lot on clothes I can only wear for like 10 more weeks.  I looked online and went to many stores (I was surprised how many stores in Utah County don't have a maternity section...or at least a maternity section bigger than one rack).  Finally I found good deals and some cute stuff at Burlington Coat Factory and Old Navy.  I'd definitely recommend that for anyone else in the same position as me!
Stretch marks: Nope.  And I probably will delete this question when they show up and just not answer it anyways. So you'll never know ;)
Sleep: Some nights okay, but most nights not okay.  I just get up too often to go to the bathroom, or can't get comfortable, or have a weird dream, or the baby is kicking, or have insomnia.  But, at least it is preparation for all those sleepless nights to come.
Best moment this week: Getting all those new clothes is always fun!  Plus we had a double date night with our friends.  We went out to dinner and saw the play "The Andrews Brothers" at the Covey Center.  So, so funny!  It was a  really small production (4 person cast) and I was afraid it would be weird, but it was super funny and the actors were such hams!  I'd definitely recommend it.  I think it's showing the next two weekends.  
Worst moment this week: Umm, haven't really had anything too bad happen....I hope I didn't just jinx myself.
Movement: The baby was going CRAZY yesterday!  Just getting a lot stronger I guess.
Food cravings: Well, I could always think of something that sounds good, but I really never have a craving like "I need this right now. GET IT FOR ME NOW. I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT IT" kind of craving.
Aversions: Still chicken. I don't know why at all and I hope that goes away after the baby comes because it really limits what you want to cook and eat.
Queasy/Sick: This has come back a little if I'm not being careful to drink lots of water and eat healthy and often, but for the most part I'm okay.
Other Symptoms: "Pregnancy brain"-the other week the choir was singing in church and I started singing the fist line with them in the congregation until David looks at me and asks "why are you singing?". Haha, then I shut my mouth and we laughed.  I hope it was quiet and most people didn't hear me, haha.  And also just forgetting things or mixing up recipes. Stuff like that. Heartburn-I try to always make sure to do a combination of Pepcid to avoid it and Tums if that's still not enough.  I've tried to avoid foods that cause heartburn but I still get it even from things like bread so I've just accepted it now. Tiredness-this has definitely come back.  Not as bad as the first trimester, but still I get really tired by the evening (or sooner).
Gender: BOY!
Labor signs: I don't think so
Belly button - in or out? Oh my goodness, it's mostly out.  An outie, how embarrassing.  Haha!
What I miss: A bathtub!  I really wish we had a bathtub in our apartment.  That just sounds perfect to me every night.
What I am looking forward to: My baby shower is coming up next week and some of my family is coming in for it, so I'm looking forward to that!

Milestones: We are going to some prenatal classes this week and next. The baby is apparently 18 inches and 3.2 pounds.

Monday, February 8, 2016

Happy New Year!

So, I was planning to send out a Christmas card, but then Christmas came and went.  So then I though I'd do a New Year's Recap on the blog.  But then, January came and went!  And although it's now February....I'm still gonna do it!  So happy New Year!  Here's what we were up to in 2015! (At least what I can remember and have pictures of...)


Winter:

This happened to be a "warm winter" in Utah so we were able to go on lots of bike rides (We got bikes last Christmas).  It's fun to bike around and I think my bike is so cute and David loves to use his.  David was a champion and would often bike all the way from Orem (we live almost all the way down University Parkway) clear to BYU on a lot of days.  We had some visits from family for weddings and other things, went to Boise for New Year's, and of course had outings with out good friends the Anderson's.









Spring:

We went to Boise again for our new niece's blessing and every one of David's siblings got to be there!  It is always nice to have everyone together.  Also, Kyle and Sharon were living there for one of his rotations so we got to see them too.  And now they live there permanently so Boise is a nice visit for us because we'll get to see both of our families!





Another highlight of Spring was "Treat-Yo Self Day 2015" Tom and Donna style!  We got massages and both splurged on some items we had been wanting for a while.  Then we went out for a really nice dinner and David surprised me by getting a hotel to spend the night in SLC.





Summer:

Filled with all the Utah city festivals we could fit in (if you don't know Utah has a festival almost every weekend in the summer complete with carnivals, fireworks, parades, etc).  We also went to the pool as often as we could and hosted a few pool parties.  We found a farm to pick buckets of fresh cherries.  And of course went to Brass in the Park every Sunday we could in June for picnics and music (another one of our favorite traditions in Utah).  We took some trips to Kanarra, San Diego, Las Vegas, and the Ranch.  Man...summer is such a great season....writing about it now makes me miss it. 
















Fall:

David went back to school (for the last time) and we settled back into a routine for the most part.  We went to Cornbelly's and some other favorite fall places.  Of course we had game nights with our friends!  David was part of a haunted house for Halloween.  And we got to go to Las Vegas for a wedding.  We spent Thanksgiving in Kannara with all of David's family and had Christmas in San Diego.  Best of all this season, we announced I was pregnant and began looking forward to May 2016!










We are looking forward to even better things in 2016!  David will be graduating in April, our baby is due in May, and we look forward to more adventures together.







 

Template by BloggerCandy.com