Pregnancy and all its Glory...

Oh pregnancy... What a bittersweet thing!  You have someone growing inside of you that you love SO MUCH yet you hate the way you feel...

My pregnancy has been relatively easy by just about everyone's standards.  I think the hardest part was getting over the shock of actually being pregnant!  

It all began on December 17th.  Michael was taking a final that night, but after that we only had one paper left on the New Testament (a class we took together).  That fall semester I had been extremely tired and sick so we had taken a pregnancy test once before in November.  I came back negative like it should have (thank you birth control!) and we moved on with our lives.  But that night, after Michael had suggested several times earlier in the week, I took another test.  Well, actually I took three...

My first thought was, "what does this even mean?! I can't be pregnant!"  Then I paced around the apartment for 2 hours to wait for Michael to get done with his final.  When it was finally time for me to go get him from campus I had to be extra careful not to cry, pass out or speed on the drive up the road.  I made it to the parking lot alive and waited another 10 excruciating minutes for him to come out (the boy loves to talk!).  When I can see him coming in the rear view mirror and all of the panic starts again and I can hardly breath.  He jumps into the car, I ask him how his final went, act like I'm listening when he tells me  how long and hard it was, and then I dump the bomb shell.  The conversation went a little like this:

"Michael, I finally took those pregnancy tests... We're having a baby."
 "What?"
"I'm pregnant."
*silence, tears, and hugging followed*

After the shock had worn off that night, we decided it would be best to tell our families at Christmas.  Honestly, I knew my mom would have a heart attack if we did it any other way.  Our friends Kailey and Jeff were the only ones who got to share in our exciting news while still in Rexburg.

Once both families were in the loop I had to start thinking about doctors appointments.  All I can say is thank goodness for babycenter.com!  That site has basically walked me through this pregnancy.  My first appointment was on January 11th at Madison Women's Clinic in Rexburg, ID.  There they confirmed that I was pregnant and about 9 weeks along putting my due date on Aug 15th.  (side note: the first pregnancy test I took in November, remember the one that came back negative?, well... I was actually pregnant...)

baby boy at 9 wks

I knew that I wanted a more natural birth plan than the one being set up in Idaho.  So, when we were thinking about moving to Alaska for the summer the first thing I did was look up birthing facilities.  The Juneau Family Birth Center was a no brainier.  Here I can have the natural birth I want with close access to the hospital if I need it!  The midwives here are great and love our little baby.  They always have a student midwife with them at our appointments because the baby is so easy to find and you can easily feel his little body parts with your hands.  Let's just say, this guy is just like his dad!  Loves to be in the spotlight   :)

All in all, we're so excited!  This little boy is making us so happy and we haven't even met him yet.  With one month to go till our due date, we're busy getting ready for his big entrance into the world.  Wish us good luck!!!!

he's a boy! 22wks

First Trimester:

* comma like tiredness

* only ate fruit!!

* minimal morning sickness (although, when it hit I wanted to die)

* no body pains

* still fit into all of my clothes!

* felt the baby kick at 12 weeks

Second Trimester:

* tiredness was gone and I felt good!

* my belly started to pop

* no food cravings

* no morning sickness at all

* still fit into my clothes with the help of a belly band and hair elastic

33wks 6 days

Third Trimester:

* My clothes DO NOT fit

* I will fall asleep in the middle of a conversation

* snoring has become a new norm (sorry Michael!)

* I'm huge

* I only want to eat milkshakes        

* I'm a mess of hormone ridden attitudes (again, sorry Michael!)

* my feet and hands swell if I walk for too long

* my heals hurt when standing

* and I'm ready to have a baby...

Things I miss about not being pregnant:                              

* wearing my wedding rings

* being able to roll over in bed

* having the energy to keep the house clean

* not having public bathrooms as my second home

* not having to persuade a little someone that my rib isn't a foot rest

* being in control of my emotional status

* getting to eat what I want, when I want, without worrying it will hurt the person inside of me! I miss coke!

Little feet!

Things I LOVE about being pregnant:

* the baby!

* feeling his little kicks, elbows, hiccups, ect.

* when I do cave into my milkshake desire, everyone looks at you with understanding in their eyes

* dreaming about what my little guy will look like

* shopping for cute little boy things

* the excitement in Michael's eyes!

The Alaskan Dream

I've procrastinated blogging for far too long.  I'm ashamed to say I even created an account (about 5 months ago) so that I could stalk other peoples blogs more easily!  But this obsessed 'blog follower' needs to join the bandwagon and start writing herself.  Here goes nothing!


Life in Alaska has been so amazing.  For those who don't know, we moved to Juneau at the beginning of May to work for the summer.  Michael is driving for Alaska Coach Tours and LOVING it.  Basically he gets to talk to and entertain people all day long... something he was born to do.  The best part is the people are locked on his coach and can't run away! He has learned a slew of interesting facts about the city and the wildlife it has.  It's so fun to drive down the road with him and learn about the eagles, bears and buildings all around me.  


I am working for a company called Wings Airways.  They are a float plane company that flies around the Taku, Noris, Hole-in-the-Wall, East Twin and West Twin glaciers.  One of their tours stops at the historic Taku Lodge where you get to enjoy a salmon feast.  Honestly people, it is the best salmon there is on earth!  They catch it every other day (extremely fresh!), brush it with butter, and cook it for you on an outside grill.  ***For reference on how good the food is, go find Paula Deen's February 2011 magazine and you'll see a two page spread on the Lodge... I love Paula Deen... ***
After the salmon feast is prepared, the staff at the lodge sprays the grill off and the bears come to enjoy the drippings.  Yes, I did say bears.  On my first trip out there, a bear sprinted across the front yard to enjoy the salmon flavored water while we were eating.  On my second trip, a little black bear was hanging out in a tree just waiting for everyone to go inside so he could have the grill to himself. So fun!

The plane that took me to the Lodge

Our little Black Bear friend

Although the lodge is a blast (and I wish I could spend everyday out there), I spend most of my days on the docks where the cruise ships come in.  Every hour I head down to the docks, collect the people going on our tour and bring them back to our office.  
***One benefit of being pregnant is that angry tourist don't say much to me!  I think they realize that it wouldn't go over too well for them...***
I absolutely love all of the people I work with.  The girls in the office work so hard to get every departure out on time and our rampies and pilots are simply amazing at what they do.  I truly am blessed to have such wonderful coworkers!  

View from the flight of Juneau

Alaska still has its challenges.  First is the weather.  On a nice day here you can't find a more beautiful place on earth.  The mountains are stunning, the glaciers breath taking and the wildlife is so abundant.  But, those nice days are far and few between.  In May, 29 out of the 31 days were rainy.  In June we saw our first sunny and warm days but even they only lasted a three day span!  You would not believe the number of people with sun burns.  I think everyone was just too stubborn to by sunscreen because they knew they'd never use it again.  I have heard from the locals that this is one of the rainiest and coldest summers they can remember.  At least I know this weather was saved especially for us...  Everyday I have tourists ask me, "Are we really flying in this weather?!" (mind you, that simply means overcast with misty rain). I simply tell them, if we didn't fly in this weather, we would never fly... Over cast has become the new norm in my life.

One of the few clear days on record

The second challenge has been the fishing.  Poor Michael.  He goes just about every day he has off from work to try and catch one measly fish.  At the beginning of the summer he was shooting big and wanted to hook an Alaskan King Salmon.  That dream has been pushed to the side and now he doesn't even care if it's a salmon at all.  Please keep Michael and his fishing in your prayers.


Well, I think this post is good for now!  Next time I'll catch up on the pregnancy and how the little guy is doing!


Love, 
Madi