Transition to Medical School (Post by Sam)

I have officially completed my first week as a medical student! Orientation week was a whirlwind of every imaginable emotion. It consisted mainly of lectures and breakout sessions intended to prepare the UUSOM class of 2021 for a successful four years of medical school. There was also a day at the UNI ROPES Course and a tour of the cadaver lab thrown into the mix. The whole week was such a barrage of information that it would be impossible for me to fill you in on all the details (nor would you be interested), so instead let me give you some highlights. I would like to share with you three things: something I'm proud of, something that was hard, and something I look forward to. Who knows? I might even stick with this pattern each time I post.

Something I'm proud of: I'm proud of myself for reaching out and making friends with as many people as I could during the week. As a natural introvert, I often freeze in large group settings. At the start of the week, when I saw my 120+ classmates with whom I will be sharing the next four years of blood, sweat, and tears, I felt pretty intimidated. But I put myself out there and got to know people from all walks of life.

Something that was hard: After lunch on the first day, I started to feel a headache come on. It escalated over the next four hours, to the point where I could barely listen to what was being said. Then during the last hour of orientation, I started to feel extremely nauseous. When the day was over, I left the building as quickly as I could. Jordan drove me home and I immediately booked it to the bathroom. I thought for sure I was going to throw up, but I didn't (my twelve-year streak without vomiting continues!). I was able to sleep off the headache and the nausea, but the headache returned every afternoon for the rest of the week. I think I finally realized that it was a tension headache, because when Jordan gave me a neck and shoulder massage it helped me feel much better. I'll keep my fingers crossed that I won't have any headaches next week!

Something I look forward to: Right now I'm excited to start my classes. This is the first time in my life when everything I study will be focused on preparing me to be a doctor. Furthermore, I feel like I can let go of all of the baggage I carried as an undergraduate and start with a clean slate. This semester is pass/fail only, so I can use it as my opportunity to find out which study habits really work for me. Here's to an amazing four years of medical school!

Noah's Birth Story

Noah is two months old (tomorrow), but I still want to record some thoughts from his birth for my memory! He is the sweetest, smiliest baby. We love him so much.

The morning of March 20th, 2017 I went in for my 38 week doctor appointment. I had been dilated to a 3 and 75+% effaced for the past few weeks, so the doctor offered to strip my membranes. I really didn't think doing so would put me into labor based on my slow progress during early labor with Claire. I decided I wanted to have my membranes stripped, hoping that it would just slowly get things moving along. If I would have thought I was going to have my baby that day, I don't think I would have gone ahead with it.

Doctor Ollerton stripped my membranes around 8 that morning (which hurt super bad, yikes) and then I went on with the rest of my day. I was a little crampy and had some light bleeding but felt pretty good. I actually went and worked out on the elliptical at the Rec Center on my way home from my doctor appointment. Sam was home from work that day, so we spent the morning cleaning our house and getting things done. I remember telling Sam that if I did happen to go into labor it would be a great day because I had finished the final few things on my to-do list and our house was all clean.

Claire and I went to lunch with my mom and then we went over to my parents' house to hang out and help Tara and Danny register for classes online. Around 3:00 in the afternoon I started have mild but consistent contractions. I started timing them, and they were about 5-7 minutes apart. They really didn't hurt much, so I still wasn't convinced I was in labor, but they continued to be consistent for the next few hours. We came home, did some laundry, and went to Costco. All the while I was timing the contractions that kept coming. I was confused because they were not very painful but were very consistent and had been for several hours. After Costco, we went for a short walk with our little family of three. I still wasn't sure I would be having a baby that night, but my contractions were starting to hurt a little more.

We got home and got Claire dinner and gave her a bath. Around 7, I called my mom and told her we were thinking I should probably go to the hospital and see what was going on. She said she would come over around 8. I put Claire to bed, all the while timing contractions.

Around 8, my parents came over and Sam's parents just happened to be in the area and stopped by to say hi. They had no idea I was possibly in labor. It was so fun to sit and visit with both of our parents for a while. I was still timing contractions and having them every 3 minutes by this point, but I could talk through them pretty easily. I kept asking everyone if I should really go to the hospital and they said, "Yes! Go!" We finally left a little before 9.

We got to the hospital a little after 9, and by this point the contractions were starting to hurt. I had been in denial that I was actually in labor up to this point, but by the time we got there I was pretty sure this was the real deal. They put us in a triage room and said they would monitor me for an hour. (I was dilated to a 4 and needed to be a 5 to be admitted.) I started getting a little nervous that I wasn't going to have a chance to get an epidural because the contractions were really picking up and with Claire's delivery I went from a 2 to a 10 really quickly. I finally got the nurse to check me again and was almost a 5, so they admitted me. Hooray!

My mom, mother-in-law, and Tara arrived around this time. They got us all settled in a room around 10 pm, and we were so excited! I still couldn't believe I was really going to have a baby! Almost two weeks early. The contractions were pretty strong now, and I asked for the epidural. It took a bit for the anesthesiologist to come, but it all went smoothly once he got there. After they put the epidural in, I was a happy camper! I honestly felt like they had put happy drugs in me because I was so giddy. It was really fun to have Sam, my mom, Penny, and Tara all there with me. We hung out and chatted for a while. They came to check me a little before midnight, and I was all ready to go!

Things went SO quickly from there. The doctor came in, I pushed for less than five minutes, and Noah Samuel Roberts was born at 12:01 am! Born on March 21, 2017. I got to hold him on my chest right away, and we were so happy. He looked a little like Claire to be but also very masculine. They weighed him, and we were so shocked that he was 8 lbs 4 oz (and 20 inches)! I thought for sure he would be smaller than Claire since he was almost two weeks early, but he was almost a full pound BIGGER! He was so cute, and we were so grateful and happy for his safe arrival. My only complaint is that I need to stop having babies at midnight haha :) It makes for exhausted parents from the get-go.

So grateful for our Noah boy and the joy and peace he brings to our family. We love him so much.

Claire @ 2 1/2

Eating blueberry pancakes. She LOVES blueberries (and pancakes) and all fruit!

I love finding little scenes like this around the house and seeing her imagination in action.

Love when she lays her head on my shoulder and snuggles.

Watching Trolls & Moana clips on Daddy's phone

Baking with Nora (Krause)

Playing dress up in her swimsuit

Watching Trolls with her cousin Stade (they're 9 months apart)

Claire LOVES watching Tara dance and tries to imitate all the moves

She loves Tangled (Rapunzel) and so does Nora :)

Fun with friends at a bounce house

Just wanted to jot a few notes down about Claire at 2 1/2! This is such a fun, cute age. I just love seeing her personality grow and develop and watching her learn. She is really my best little friend, even at 2 years old, and I am so grateful to have her.

Eating: She is generally a great eater (went through a picky phase for a while where she wouldn't eat much chicken or meat, but she's over that). She usually has a sippy cup of milk (6-8 oz) when she wakes up and then has breakfast around 9 or 9:30, a snack around 11, and lunch around 12:30 or 1. She loves oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, an apple (sliced) and a piece of cheese for a snack, and scrambled eggs or a peanut butter and honey toast for lunch. She sometimes has a snack after her nap, or just eats an early dinner, around 5:30 or so. She loves broccoli and most fruits and veggies and does pretty well eating whatever we are eating for dinner. Her favorite restaurant is chik-fil-a (she loves the kids meal with a juice box, fruit cup, and nuggets with chik-fil-a sauce).

Sleeping: She is a great sleeper usually. She sleeps from 8:30 or 9pm to 7:30 or 8 am most days. She has gotten a lot better about going back to sleep without getting upset when she wakes up during the night (which is not often) and needs something (medicine, a dry pull-up, is scared, etc.) She has started waking up with her pull-up dry some mornings, so maybe she will be done with those in the near future.

Growth Stats: 

• 37 1/2 inches (96%)
• 31 lbs. (79%)
• Wears a size 6.5 or 7 shoe and 3T or 4T clothes 

Development: 

• She has been great about going to the bathroom lately and not having any accidents. The last 2-3 months have been markedly better, but she has been potty trained since June 2016. She still isn't very independent in there (likes help getting on and off the potty and being wiped), but I am ok with that. We don't remember her really at all, she just tells us when she needs to go and is pretty good about holding it if we aren't right be a bathroom. She wears pull-ups for naps and at bedtime and has started waking up with her pull-up dry some mornings, so maybe she will be done with those in the near future.
• She is really into letters lately and is getting really good at identifying letters when we are out and about. She just knows capital letters, so we need to start working on lowercase too. We also need to work more on numbers and counting. 
• She loves to sing and can sing lots of songs by herself. A few favorites are ABCs, I am a Child of God, A Child's Prayer, and any song from the movie Trolls :)
• She is really observant and asks "Why?" all day long. She is also very sweet and often randomly says "I love you!" or "I missed you!" or "You're the best!" 
• She is very social and loves going to church or to do things with friends. She is a little shy at first with new people, but warms up really fast. 
• She loves to read books with us and has a handful of books that she has totally memorized. If we miss a word or a page, she corrects us haha!

Her Favorite Things: Trolls (the movie), Disney Princesses, Daniel Tiger, singing primary songs, going to nursery, playing with friends and cousins, the park, going to Mimi's house, makeup (especially lipstick), pretty dresses and shoes (changes outfits constantly), playing pretend, play-dough, bubble baths, painting/gluing/cutting with scissors, reading books, going to the library, going for walks, strawberries, Cinnamon Life cereal, chicken nuggets, oatmeal with peaches, cheese, vanilla yogurt, cottage cheese, apple slices, milk in a sippy cup, playing on the ipad, chik-fil-a, dancing and watching Tara dance

I wrote this out for my mom when I have the baby and thought it would be fun to save here:

Baby # 2 Pregnancy Update (28-36 weeks)

At about 32 weeks:

How far along: 36 weeks

Total weight gain: 30 lbs.

Notes from Dr. Appointment(s)/Thoughts: Everything has looked really good so far. I am so grateful for a healthy baby and a healthy body! I really haven't had a lot of aches or pains or general discomfort or complaints lately, and I have been able to continue working out most days (usually just walking or the elliptical). I didn't work out at all during Claire's pregnancy (I had an injury from the marathon I had recently run and I was just nervous to overdo it), and I have felt so much better physically and emotionally this time since I have continued to workout regularly (minus the first few weeks when I had really bad morning sickness). 

I am also grateful that my thyroid has been good throughout this pregnancy! I take levothyroxine for an underactive thyroid, and this medicine typically has to be adjusted during pregnancy. They have tested my thyroid monthly (during both my pregnancies), and it has never needed to be adjusted! This is a big blessing as adjusting medicine can be difficult even if you're not pregnant. 

Other items to note: My blood pressure has been looking good. My stomach has been measuring pretty much right on for my due date, sometimes a little bigger, sometimes a little smaller. I haven't had any swelling yet in my feet or ankles, so I'll be curious to see if that happens this time. (I know I swelled a little with Claire, but I can't remember at what point that happened.) 

Starting on Monday, they will check my cervix, so it will be interesting to see if I am dilated at all. (I wasn't ever dilated with Claire until I was in active labor, the day I had her at 40 weeks + 1 day.) I feel like this baby is lower than Claire was and maybe bigger, so I wouldn't be totally shocked if I progress more quickly and am dilated a little, but I don't really expect to go into labor early. I will be induced on March 30th if I haven't gone into labor by then, and I like that plan, so hopefully our little guy is on board with it :-)

**Update from doctor appointment: My blood pressure was great! (107/70) They did a swab for group-B strep (I will hear the results next week). They also checked my cervix, and I was dilated to a 1 1/2 and 70% effaced! Wahoo!(I was never dilated at all with Claire until I was in active labor, so this was exciting to me!)

Maternity clothes: Yes! My wardrobe is shrinking quickly as my stomach is ever expanding. 

Stretch marks: I got pretty bad stretch marks the very last week I was pregnant with Claire :/ They are still there, but nothing new to report.

Sleep: Sleep is becoming harder and harder. I get up 2-3 times to use the bathroom, have a hard time finding a comfortable position, and just have insomnia sometimes.

Aches/Pains: Nothing really to report! I feel so grateful for that! I think exercising has helped a lot in this regard. My hips were so sore with Claire's pregnancy, and I haven't noticed that much this time at all yet. 

Best moment so far: It's been fun to get our little nursery all set up and get everything ready around the house for baby boy. We're almost ready for him! 

Movement: He is pretty active throughout the day, especially if I drink something cold. I would say he is most quiet and doesn't move much during the morning and gets more active as the day goes on. Usually from like 7-10pm he is really active.

Cravings/Aversions: Oatmeal. Peanut Butter. Apples. Carrots & Ranch. Yogurt. Chips & Salsa. Chocolate. 

Looking forward to: Meeting our baby boy!!!

Sam's mom surprised us with this gift, and I am so excited about it and so grateful for it! Hopefully this will mean more sleep for all of us. I am the type of person who is up checking to make sure the baby is breathing every 5 minutes.

My sister-in-law Kori made this for us, and it is so beautiful! She also made one when Claire was born. Such treasures! (It's hanging on the porta-crib right now because we're not quite ready to transition Claire to a big girl bed. Hopefully baby boy will be ok in the porta-crib and rock 'n play for a while!)

Some cute this items we found for the nursery.

Another wall in the nursery.

I love how the quilt goes so cute in here!

Baby #2 Pregnancy Update (Weeks 23-28)

How far along: 28 weeks

Total weight gain: 21 lbs.

Notes from Dr. Appointment(s): I had another ultrasound at 25 weeks and everything looked good! The baby still looks big but not so big that I will need to be induced if I don't want to. I will most likely get induced on March 30th (three days early) if he hasn't come already (which I'm guessing he won't). I also had my glucose test which went well (I think! No news is good news, I'm guessing) and my monthly thyroid test. My next appointment is on Jan. 16th and then I start going to the doctor every two weeks. Time is flying!

Maternity clothes: Yes! I can wear my normal sweats and pajamas and some workout clothes but other than that I wear all maternity stuff, mostly leggings and dresses.

Stretch marks: I got pretty bad stretch marks the very last week I was pregnant with Claire :/ They are still there, but nothing new to report.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well. I get up once to use the bathroom.

Aches/Pains: I have some round ligament pain (particularly on the right side) here and there, but overall I feel pretty good!

Best moment so far: Seeing how excited Claire is for baby brother to get here and sharing the fun moments of pregnancy with her and Sam. Hopefully she still likes him once he's actually here and she realizes my attention will be divided. That part makes me a little stressed and sad.

Movement: I feel movement all throughout the day, particularly when I drink something cold. I would say he seems a little less active than Claire was generally though. 

Cravings/Aversions: I have been super hungry lately and it is such an effort not to eat all the time. Yikes. My main cravings are cereal/toast/treats. I still workout most days, so that helps, but I definitely need to shape up my eating after the holidays.

Looking forward to: My next doctor appointment and starting to get stuff ready around the house for the baby. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

We started the tradition of making a "Thankful Tree" last year, and Claire was SO into it this year. She loved the whole process of making the tree and writing what she was thankful for. She loves crafts.

We finished adding leaves to our tree for FHE a few days before Thanksgiving, and Claire really wanted to pose by putting her arm around Daddy. So cute--it was cracking us up. (And, no she doesn't have hairy pits--just a weird shadow!)

We had a great Thanksgiving this year with Sam's family. Sam had to work until about 2pm, so Claire and I hung out with my family in the morning. I went on a walk with my sister-in-law Sheridan, and Claire hung out with Tara and helped her make a pie. Then we got ready, finished making our rolls (pretty interesting but fun with my 2-year-old helper--she's so into helping me in the kitchen right now), and Sam's sister Sophie and her husband Evan picked up Claire and me to head over to Sam's parents' house. (Sam met us there so he could come straight from work.)

Our dinner was fabulous, and we had such a fun day hanging out and spending time with family. I never want to forget how fun and cute and sweet Claire was that day. She loves her cousins so much and was thrilled that she got to sit at the kid table with them. She especially loved playing with Daci who was so sweet to dress her up in lots of fun costumes and play dolls with her. I was just so pleasantly surprised that she was genuinely happy and played pretty independently all day even though she didn't get a nap! Sam and I got to just relax and eat and enjoy each other's company. Definitely the most relaxing Thanksgiving since she was born. We were trying to soak it in because next year we'll have a busy 8 month old! So crazy to think about! Anyway, we had such a great day, and it was fun seeing Claire have so much fun. She loved telling people, "Happy Thanksgiving!" and singing, "Thank you, for everything you do!" (from Daniel Tiger).

After dinner and dessert, all the grandkids made gingerbread houses. This was probably Claire's favorite part of the day. She happily and pretty independently decorated her little house for at least an hour. She was also chatting non-stop as she decorated. She kept saying things like, "Oh my gosh! It looks so good!" It was so cute.

Claire with Daci & Yia Yia

I am so, so grateful for my handsome, patient, hard-working husband, my sweet little Claire bear, and our little baby boy on the way! This year has been very good to us. I am also grateful to be surrounded by so much family who we love and appreciate so much.

Baby #2 Pregnancy Update (Weeks 18-22)

How far along: 22 weeks

Total weight gain: 12 lbs. (although I haven't checked since Thanksgiving to see the damages haha!)

Notes from Dr. Appointment(s): We got to have our big anatomy ultrasound at 21 weeks, and it went well! Baby boy is measuring BIG, so they want to see me back for another ultrasound at my next appointment to possibly change my due date. We also weren't able to get a clear picture of his face, so the tech will check that next time as well. Overall, he looked healthy and strong, and we are so grateful! It was surprising to me to hear that he was big! Claire always measured right on for her due date and weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. when she was born (one day late). It will be interesting to see how big this little guy is! I do feel like my belly is bigger this time around. Hopefully everything goes smoothly at our next ultrasound and everything looks great. I will also do the glucose tolerance test at my next appointment. So far my thyroid has been good, and I haven't had to adjust my medication at all. I never had to during Claire's pregnancy either--I'm so grateful that has worked out so well! 

Maternity clothes: Yep! About in the same boat as last month. I am starting to live in maternity leggings and dresses. I'm all about comfort :)

Stretch marks: I got pretty bad stretch marks the very last week I was pregnant with Claire :/ They are still there, but nothing new to report.

Sleep: I sleep pretty well, not great, but not terrible. I always get up at least once to use the bathroom and feel like I never get into a super deep, relaxing sleep because I am always having the craziest (weirdest!) dreams. Thanks to my body pillow I am pretty comfortable though.

Aches/Pains: I had some back pain (particularly on the right side) and some cramping for a few days straight (right around the 21 week mark). It was a little alarming and frustrating, but I tried to drink lots of water and rest up (and not pick up Claire quite as much), and I have felt a lot better the last few days. 

Best moment so far: Sam has gotten to feel some kicks, which is always fun, and our 21 week ultrasound was great!

Movement: Starting to feel lots of big movements! So fun! I would say I've been feeling definite movement since about week 18 and really strong big kicks and rolling around the last two weeks or so. This baby feels like he is sitting a lot lower than Claire was.

Cravings/Aversions: Not really craving anything specific right now. I get hungry a lot but also get full quickly. My only real aversions are things that I make for Claire often that I made for her when I was feeling really sick (i.e. animal crackers and frozen chicken nuggets)--I never really eat/have eaten either but it always grosses me out a little to make them for her.

Looking forward to: My next appointment and ultrasound at 25 weeks