Cadence's story

Saturday was a pretty normal day for us. We did some laundry, knowing that the baby would be here soon and chances were good it would be a few days before there was a chance to do any. I attended a candle party that my friend Amanda hosted and Emily was the consultant for and then I met Josh at church for 5pm mass.  After mass we decided to go out to dinner, Chipotle, it was good.  As I was pulling in and parking the man next to me opened his door right into my door, I was already in park so he should have seen me there, it wasn't like I pulled in to his opening door. Anyway, it looked bad at first which made me really crabby, but most of it just rubbed off so I let it go.  I haven't had time to inspect it in the light yet.

After dinner we went home and just hung out. I lit my ginger pumpkin aroma melt courtesy of party lite, it was fabulous.  We put Coen to bed around 9 and I wasted some time and went to bed around 9:45.  As I was laying down I had a contraction, nothing too intense, but the most intense one I had had all pregnancy.  It only lasted 20 seconds or so, so I brushed it off.  Josh came and tucked me in, I told him that we should have a plan in case she decided to come that evening.  As we were talking about bringing Coen to Kendrick and Lindsey's I had another contraction.  Satisfied with our plan Josh kissed me good night and went downstairs to watch a movie. 

 I was in bed for about 3 more minutes before I had another contraction.  Again nothing strong but 3 in a row got me a little excited.  I was no where near the rule of 1 minute every 5 minutes for 1 hour, but I was still excited.  Then I heard/felt a pop in my stomach. At first I thought it was some gas moving around, but then I remembered that your water breaking can feel like a pop and I thought about it for a few seconds, decided that I really didn't think it felt like gas or my stomach so I sat up, climbed out of bed and goosh, I was soaked.  My water definitely broke.  I called down to Josh and he instantly knew that it was time!  We called Kendrick and Lindsey and the hospital, dropped off Coen and headed to Unity.  My contractions were every 2 minutes, but only lasting 30 seconds.  We got to the hospital and it took about an hour to get the paper work done and monitors on.  The contractions were getting a little stronger each time.  We were finally left alone so we popped in What Happens in Vegas.  We got about half hour into it and I was in pain.  The contractions were so much stronger and were still every 2 minutes.  

I got an IV and got some fentanyl, and slept for half an hour.  Fentanyl is suppose to work for 2 hours but after a half hour I was no longer feeling the effects, it was at this time that I decided to get an epidural.  I didn't think I would need one but this labor was so much different than Coen's, much more intense and no time to relax between contractions.  It took about 20 minutes before the anesthesiologist put the epidural in, that was a hard 20 minutes, but the epidural went well and really helped me progress fast.  Soon I was feeling the pressure that signals pushing time. I was checked and was at an 8.  One more contraction came and I told her I would need to push soon, she checked me again and I was a 10.  They quick changed my bed to a birthing bed, called the on call doctor because my doctor was not quite there. Changing positions relieved some pressure so I was able to hold off pushing for a few contractions.  My doctor (who wasn't actually my doctor cause she was on vacation in California) walked in the room, put on a gown and gloves I pushed twice and we had our baby girl!!!  5.5 hours of labor, an epidural, and 2 pushes, overall I would say it went really well.

We left the hospital yesterday went out to Perkins on the way home.  We got all unpacked, Josh cleaned the house and while he was washing dishes the power went out.  We went and picked up Coen at 4, hung out at home until 4:30/4:45 still no power, so we went to my parents so we wouldn't have to sit in our cold dark apartment.  Around 6 the power came back on, we left my parents around 7:45 and came home once again.  It was nice to be home in my own bed, even though I really didn't spend much time there last night.  Coen slept all night in his bed though, so that was nice.  

Coen is adjusting well, he insisted on holding Cadence last night and reading Elmo to her, it was really cute.  This morning he rushed downstairs to see her, he is very interested and likes to help out by carrying things for her and us.

If I ever make it upstairs to my computer I will try to post some pictures.

Sesame by Coen

The waiting game

Well it looks like this baby has a very good chance of being born in December. I made a special trip to the doctors today in hopes that I was at a point to be induced, however I am not and the doctor really has no good reason to induce me. I totally understand and don't really want to be induced, especially since I'm not favorable and run a higher chance then of having complications and needing a C-section. It would be nice to have next week home with the baby for recovery and bonding and to have some extra time before Brittany's wedding to get a dress and shape up a little but it looks like I will get the whole week to myself instead.
So I am going to just keep going, hoping that the baby decides to come soon on her own. My doctor will be out of town from Tuesday-Sunday but then Monday (December 1) she said she would induce me. I will be just over 40 weeks and should be much more favorable to be induced.

So for now we will just wait and see and hope that she decides to come soon on her own.

No baby yet

Well I was really hoping to have the baby this weekend, but that doesn't seem like much of a possibility any more. At first it was wishful thinking but when my doctor told me things were progressing and she wasn't going out of town this weekend I became a little more hopeful. Oh well. This week really wouldn't be ideal to have a baby, since I have patients every day. I was planning on still seeing a couple of them if I had the baby over the weekend because they are for competencies but if I have the baby now, there wouldn't really be much time to get out of the hospital to see them. So whatever, its up to the baby now. I have another appointment on Friday and she will try to get labor going again for me (she actually did this past Friday too, which was surprising). However, I can't go into labor immediately after my appointment, I have to wait until after my candle party.

I am hoping that people come, only a couple of RSVPs so far. I would love free stuff if people buy things but I am more concerned that this party will count as one for Emily. I think enough people will come and buy things that it will work out ok. Emily's party today was really successful so I have high hopes for mine.

It seems so crazy still that any day now we will have two kids. With Coen I was very ready to have a baby in the house, this time around I am just ready to have the baby out of me. I haven't given much thought to actually having a baby in the house. Hopefully everything comes back to me. I figure I'll have some time off to catch up on reading and stuff so that will have to be sufficient. Today I spent a good portion of the day cleaning and "nesting". I finished getting the baby's room ready, put up the mobile, took out some baby toys, made a pile of things that need to be washed before the baby can use them/wear them. I'm not sure if I was actually nesting, which they say is a good sign that labor is coming, or if I was just bored and needed something to do.

My first Sunday with no studying and of course there are no good movies on TBS.

Day 3 of boards

I'm done!! For now at least. I really am not feeling like I passed, but there's nothing I can do about that now. I will find out my scores in 3-4 weeks and if I need to, I will retake the exam. So until then I am going to enjoy not studying and hopefully have this baby soon!

Day 2 of boards

Ouch...

Day 1 of boards

Well I knew today's exam was suppose to be a little easier than the NBDE boards but I think I may have set a record. I read all my questions thoroughly, thought a little about the ones I didn't know and was still finished in 2 hours, we had 6 to take the exam. So we'll see.

Tomorrow will be the longest day, 400 questions, and more challenging than todays.

Last night I had more nightmares and anxiety about going into labor than about taking these exams. Just two more days and then I can have this baby. I'm still hoping that three days of test taking is enough to put me into labor.

The nightmares begin

Well, my last weekend of studying is coming to an end. I spent most of yesterday and today taking practice tests, which I progressively did worse and worse on. So we'll see. I'm starting to get very nervous about the actual test. Luckily I still have two days to do a quick review and cram everything I can into my very full brain. The first day of testing is Wednesday and will be the "easiest" of the three days. The second day is a full day of testing with the most difficult questions and the third day is only half a day and should be a little easier than the second.

Friday after my test I have another doctors appointment. Hopefully there will be some kind of changes. Who knows, maybe three days of exams is all I need to put me into labor.

Friday night Josh and I are planning on going to see the new Saw movie to celebrate me hopefully never having to study again. (we're looking for a babysitter if there are any volunteers). I can't wait.

Time to place your bets

Ok everyone, time to place your bet on the baby's birth date, and weight. If you'd like to be more specific you can pick a time of day also. I am thinking there will be a prize for the person who is closest.

Some things to consider:
Full term is 40 weeks which will be November 29th for me.
As of right now there are no plans to induce.
I am in a wedding on December 6 and will beg to be induced well before this date comes.
At 35.5 weeks the baby was estimated at 5lbs 11oz.
I went full term with Coen
This pregnancy is a lot different than it was with Coen.

Good luck!

People on the bus

I often encounter many interesting characters on the bus, usually in the afternoon. Some how I manage to sit right next to these people. And because I'm pregnant I think that means "open invitation to comment to on my growing belly."

Well yesterday's bus conversation was the worst one yet. I get on the C (I should have waited for the A which was only 30 seconds behind the C and flew by us about 2 stops later), but I got on the C and sat down in the front, near a woman who rudely was taking up 2 seats with her bag. As soon as I sat down she said, "What are you having?" I didn't quite hear her so I asked "what?" and she repeated her question. In a very excited manner I responded "a girl!" And she responded to me with, "I'm having an abortion tomorrow."

I didn't know what to do or say. I turned my head, first angry and disgusted then sad. I almost moved to the back of the bus because she then continued her conversation with me. I tried to make it obvious I wasn't interested in talking to her but she kept going. I wasn't about to tell her that I thought she was wrong, the bus was over crowded and is just not the place for that kind of conversation. So as I tried to ignore her I also said a prayer for her. It was all I could think to do.

Ultrasound

So I had another ultrasound yesterday. The baby was measuring just slightly smaller than average, approximate weight 5lbs 11oz. Since I am measuring a little small but the baby is measuring normal I feel that maybe my fluid level is low. The radiologist will read the scan and send the results to my doctor and either she will call in the next day or two or I will just wait until my next appointment on the 7th to find out.

The baby is definitely a girl and seems to by getting very crowded in my belly. There didn't seem like there was much more room in there. Hopefully it won't be too much longer. I'm really thinking the 8th would be a nice day, I for sure don't want to hold out until the 29th...

We'll see what the doctor says.

One month to go

I am so excited, only one month left before we bring home another baby! It seems like it has taken forever to get here, but I think this last month will go very quickly.

My clinic schedule is practically full, with only a few appointments left for patients who need to reappoint. If I go early then I will have a lot of cancellations to make. This weekend is Halloween, next Tuesday is election day followed by board exams on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday so the next two weeks will be busy not only with clinic but with extra hours of studying, trick or treating, and voting. I have made good progress on my studying so far and the material is a lot easier than for the first written part because it is much more clinically related and 75% of the material are things we use on a regular basis. There is still a lot I don't know though, things that are obsolete clinically but for some reason we are still tested on them.

I am really hoping I have this baby early, because I need a break. I keep saying I'd like to go as soon as boards are done (the 8th) but would be overjoyed if I could just have the baby the Monday of the week of Thanksgiving. Then I would have my full 6 weeks of "maternity leave".

I have a Drs appt. tomorrow so we'll see if there have been any changes. I am little concerned about the baby's growth because I haven't been putting on much weight lately and my fundus measuring has not increased as much as it should. But hopefully everything will check out normal tomorrow.

I will try to update more often as the due date gets closer and things start progressing.

Another one of those weeks

What another long week it has been. I honestly could not tell you what happened on Monday. One day this week our last goldfish died, so we were left with one pleco in the tank, which hides a lot so Coen lost all interest in his fish, until today when we got GUPPIES!! And a couple of neon tetras. The guppies are actually very pretty, I enjoyed picking them out and can't wait until they reproduce so we can have more color combinations.

Today was quite crazy because Coen had a fever last night so he wasn't suppose to go to daycare, well we didn't know that so we dropped him off anyways and they called and told us we had to come and pick him up. I had a seminar this morning, patient in the afternoon and Josh was at school for conferences. After calling some people and actually managing to make some plans Josh decided he would just come home. Coen was actually doing pretty well but by the afternoon was getting more and more whiny and his temp. kept going up. So we decided to take him in to get him checked for strep throat since its been going around his daycare. The rapid came back negative, but it turns out he has an ear infection. So he's now on antibiotics for the next 10 days. At least he's not contagious.

Tomorrow Josh and I are playing catch up. We are both so far behind in school work and studying. We are sending Coen with Maria to my parents for the day so we can have some time to get stuff done. Then tomorrow night I am going to scrap mania at Archivers and am sooo excited! I am planning on catching up on our family album and maybe even working on Josh's album, which I started in the spring and was hoping to complete by Christmas.

We are thinking of getting a babysitter for the next 3 or 4 Saturdays so we can have some study time, which I really need this next month since I am taking boards the first week in November, so if there are any volunteers who want to spend a fun filled day with Coen just let us know!

Busy-ness

Everything has been moving so fast lately, I can barely keep up.

A few main points from the last few weeks.
My 1 hour glucose screen came back very high so I had to do the 3 hour. It was long and painfully boring but everything looks good. They told me I need to eat less sugar and exercise more. Funny they never said anything about exercise when I gained 60 pounds with Coen and now that I chase him around, walk every day, will be starting a pilates class, and have only gained 7 pounds so far they feel the need to tell me to exercise more. Go figure.

We bought fish, as most everyone already knows. We bought 5 goldfish, 2 plecostomas, and 2 snails, which is way too much for our tank I guess because they got sick, which happens when they are stressed and dirty. So we treated our tank, which ended up killing the fish that didn't even have the parasites. Then the one with the parasites really bad died. So now we are down to 2 goldfish, 1 pleco, and 1 snail. At least I'm pretty sure the one snail is still alive. I thought it was dead, then it moved to the wall, but now it is just sitting on the bottom again. The big one is still in the tank, I wanted to give it a couple of days to prove it was dead, but I should probably take it out soon before it starts rotting or something. If we can manage to kill these goldfish soon we will be switching to guppies or tetras or something not so dirty. Coen absolutely loves the fish though and I find them relaxing also, which is good, because life has been hectic lately.

I started studying for boards. Yuck. It is hard to find the motivation each evening. But little by little I will relearn everything I was once taught and hope that its enough to pass.

Clinic is going really well also. I think I managed to schedule my denture competency patient today. That was my biggest stressor, because they take so long to make and if you have to wait for extractions to heal then they take even longer and I really didn't want to be working on them in April or May or June. I still have quite a few competencies to complete, some composites, amalgams, and a crown, but those all take a lot less appointments to complete so even though I would love to get them done soon, if its spring semester and I am just starting it won't be that big of a deal.

I also volunteered to be the yearbook chair. What I was thinking, I'm not really sure but I really need to spend some time getting that organized so my committee members can start making their pages. It really shouldn't be much work after this initial set up- I hope.

Josh's teaching is going well. He has a lot of students that don't show up regularly which is frustrating to him. There is talk of him being "promoted" to .8 time. Which would be pretty sweet for the checking account.

Only 2 more months to go before baby #2 is here, which will only make life crazier, but exciting.

4th year

Tomorrow is the start of my final year of dental school! I am looking forward to no classes and only 2 patients a day. Hopefully this year I will gain a lot of experience and improve my skills along with pass all of my boards. It should be more relaxed than the past three years. Fall will be busy, with some studying for boards in early November, but no classes to study for this year!

Josh on the other hand is looking forward to a very busy year. Even though his job is only part time, he will be taking 2 classes for his masters along with RCIA classes. He and Lindsey will be taking RCIA together and Kendrick and I are encouraged to attend so hopefully we can arrange a babysitter for most Tuesday evenings (any volunteers?) so that Josh and I can have a "night out".

Today has been a pretty lazy day. We took a short walk with Coen's new (but used) wagon, which he loves, and we might go out to dinner to say goodbye to the last day of summer vacation.

Subway game

So I decided today that I am going to participate in the Subway Scrabble game. I have been to Subway 4 times since it started and have been an instant winner all 4 times, so maybe my luck will continue on to the online scrabble game too. Today I entered in a bunch of codes and was not an instant winner on any of them, but I do have a lot of letters so far so maybe I will win a vacation or something.

Anyway, if anyone goes to subway and is not going to participate in the online game, I would love to have the codes on your game piece. You can feel free to email them to me at ande8262@umn.edu.
Maybe if I win I'll even share the prize!

so disapointed

Well family, I am a little disapointed in all of you. Josh has officially been a part of the family for 3 birthdays, unofficially for 6 and yet no one wished him a happy birthday. I know he doesn't have facebook or update his blog any more but that doesn't mean he is totally unreachable. He does on occasion still answer his cell phone.

At least I remembered and even showered him with gifts for the big 2-6. Josh is now the owner of The Office season 1-3 (and soon to be 4) and of Heros season 1 (and soon to be 2 also). He also got the standard gift for dad, a tie. Well three actually, to match his new brown shirt and a whole drawers worth of dress socks. Back to school shopping is now complete for Josh.

So if you get a chance, wish him happy birthday soon. It sucks getting old and its even worse when no one remembers.

back to work

Well my week of vacation sure went fast and I am now back for another week at the CUHCC clinic. Yesterday was rough. The patients were difficult, the instructor in my face, and my hands not quite done with vacation. Today is going much better. The patients have less involved lesions, the in my face instructor is on vacation the rest of the week, and I seem to have regained fine motor control in my hands.
Next week I will be on the mobile dental unit, which is a lot of fun. And as an added bonus I get to spend Wednesday at the state fair giving tours of the RV! I will also have some free time, and can stay at the fair as long as I want, so if anyone will be there Wednesday, let me know.

Coen started daycare yesterday and had a really good first day. The instructors (they consider it a school) said usually if a child has a good active first day the second and third days are more difficult, but when we dropped him off this morning he jumped right in with no hesitations. I think Coen might be an exception to the rule. He absolutely loves playing with the other children. I've been really worried that he is behind other kids his age socially, and physically but from the little I have observed of the other children his age he is right on schedule, if not a little ahead, especially physically. Socially he does pretty well too, but I'll feel better once his vocabulary improves. Josh and I think daycare will really help his language develop.
Friday Coen gets to take his first fieldtrip to the Children's museum. He will even be riding a bus! Its hard to believe how grown up he is already, this past 16 months went so fast! I think I really am ready for another baby in the house because Coen just really isn't a baby anymore.

A big day for the soon to be dentist

Today I shadowed a dentist and then we sat down and talked business. Basically I have a job. Hooray! There will be an official contract in January, after he buys out his partner so nothing official yet, but still very very exciting.
:)

My favorite things right now

10. That our health care for the fall got figured out
9. That Josh has a chemistry job
8. Being 6/10 done with this pregnancy.
7. My small amount of weight gain
6. Scrap booking
5. Dumpster diving
4. Being on vacation!
3. The Olympics, especially synchronized high diving and water polo- amazing that they are treading water the entire time!
2. Hot days, cool nights
1. Coen laughing in his sleep

A whole month crammed into a week

Last week was so busy, with a lot of major events happening, it really seemed like a whole month went by.

I finished my last final on Friday, I will never have to take another class or test if I choose not to. Hooray!
Thursday our car was spray painted. Filed a police report, made a claim, then I decided to attempt to scrub it off with finger nail polish remover, it actually worked without taking the car paint off. It doesn't look perfect, that side of the car kind of looks a little dirty, but maybe I will have some time soon to go over it again to try to get the rest off.

Thursday Josh was also offered a job teaching high school chemistry at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis. It is only a .6 position (just a little over half time) but it is all chemistry and it has full benefits and the pay wasn't too bad so we decided it was worth it. All of the other positions that Josh has been interviewing for have been mainly physical science (9th grade) and other randoms such as physics or engineering. Josh's dream position is chemistry so we will keep the belt tight for one more year so that Josh can get some really great experience and also be a little less busy than a full time position which will really help when the baby comes this winter.

Since Josh will be starting work soon I emailed the daycare at CSCC and asked if Coen could get in soon, and they have an opening now so he will be starting as early as Wednesday! There is a lot of paper work to fill out and medical forms to get from the doctors but once those are done Coen will be in day care full time. I think I am going to try to push his start date to next Monday, I would like one more week to hang out with him.

Yesterday we went and bought Coen's first big boy twin mattress. It was kind of frustrating though because 2 weeks ago we went to Slumberland to check out their mattresses, and found one we liked for $199. A little expensive for us, but we figured it would last quite a few years (10 or more). So yesterday we went back to Slumberland to buy it and it was now $219 and had their big flashy sign saying "hot buy" right next to it. We asked the sales man how come it wasn't $199 any more and he said, "well the price of petroleum is going up so that means that the price of steel is going up also." Load of crap because actually the price of gas has been dropping! So then I asked him how they could label this mattress a "hot buy" when there had been a significant increase in the price, and he really didn't have an answer for us, so we walked out. It was kind of shady... We ended up at the original mattress factory where a very helpful salesman sold us Coen's first mattress, and mattress pad, which was the same one they sell at slumberland for double the price!

Coen slept in his bed last night, he did wake up twice but we walked him back to bed and he fell asleep both times. He was already asleep when we put him to bed so we'll see what happens tonight when we put him to bed when he is awake. We made sure to pick out a mattress that both Josh and I thought felt comfortable just in case we end up laying with him for awhile.



I have this whole next week off, and am very excited to just get housework and errands done. We thought about taking a mini vacation but decided to just stay around here. We might end up at the beach one day and we are going to a movie one day and the Renaissance on Saturday so overall I think it will be a nice relaxing week off.

Scrapbooking

This weekend I took my first class at Archivers. Maria and I made some clear cards. They turned out pretty cool. I've had my scrap booking stuff set up in our living room for a couple of weeks so that whenever I get a few minutes to myself I can try to catch up on scrap booking. Since the card class I've been so excited to try the new techniques that I learned and have made a couple of my own cards. Now I just need a reason to send people cards...

I was also able to complete our family album from April 07-April 08 this weekend. It is a huge book, mostly of Coen but a couple of other events too. Now I am trying to finish our Florida album, which is smaller and much more manageable.

This week I have a TMD final, which is going to suck and a paper due for my old people class. Clinic should be a little easier this week. I am going to try to get Josh scheduled with me for Friday afternoon for an exam and cleaning so that should be a nice short day. Friday I think we are going to go to the drive in and watch all three movies. I want to see them all so hopefully I will make it. The first one starts after my usual bed time...

What a weekend

So this weekend was suppose to be relaxing, with not a lot going on but it turned in to quite a busy weekend after all. Friday night we ended up going to the Twins game with Maria, Theresa, and Leo. It was Leo's first game and it was a great game with the Twins beating Texas.

Saturday we ended up getting a lot of stuff done around the house and some errands ran. As soon as I can find some time I have a big project to work on. I am painting a "big boy" bed for Coen. In my mind it looks really cool so we'll see how it turns out. I'm aiming for totally awesome but will settle for decent. If anyone is artistic and is available to help I would be willing "employ" some painters. Saturday night we went to Fogo de Chao with Karla and Estephan, a Brazilian restaurant in Minneapolis. It was AMAZING, and I don't really eat a lot of meat. Chao means fire from the ground and the way southern Brazilians bbq is to slowly roast meat on this fire from the ground and as it gets done to cut thin slices and eat for hours. There were 15 kinds of meat and many many servers (mostly from Brazil) who walk around with these huge skewers and cut you slices of meat, mostly beef, and just amazing. Josh and I both fell in love with a garlic seasoned top sirloin. We ate for about 2 hours and it was great. It was very expensive but to be able to thank our nanny for a wonderful year of taking care of Coen it was worth every penny.

Sunday Coen actually slept in so we were able to go to a later mass. Then we went to Kohls to replace my watch battery. However, when they put the new battery in they found that the second hand sort of twitched back and forth. I was devastated because Josh had given me that watch for our first Easter and I absolutely loved it, but they replaced it for free, so that sort of made up for it. I like my new one but am still sad about my old one. After Kohls we headed to Canterbury (after picking up my friend Liz and Emily and Eric) . It was a zoo! Traffic was horrible to get there, there was no where to sit and it was hot. All because it was extreme race day. They did have a couple of cool races, but it was frustrating to watch the first one without a place to sit. We finally did find some pretty good seats and did not move until we left. The ostrich race was pretty hilarious but we didn't make it to the camel races. Maybe next year, or maybe we will avoid this weekend at the races all together. It was kind of stressful for me, with Coen and the heat and sooo many people.

Then this evening we cut Coen's hair. Well, I cut and Josh took some pictures. They are on facebook if you want to see. I think I did a decent job. I was a little sad to see his curls go but he does look pretty cute still.

Tomorrow I am back in the regular clinic at school. I finish off my last week of oral surgery this week. I had a lot of extractions at the crazy clinic so I think everything will go smoothly.

Ready for the weekend

Finally made it to Wednesday of my second week at the crazy clinic. So far this week hasn't been too bad. I've done a couple of extractions, and rocked, a few emergencies and a few fillings. I just have one more day to avoid the freak out dentist since he is not here Fridays and then it should be clear sailing. Overall it really hasn't been that bad of an experience I love love love working with an assistant all day. I haven't had to clean up my cubicle all week or take radiographs. Love it! Unfortunately when I get back to the school's clinic I am all on my own again.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. It's been awhile since we've had a weekend that had more free time than planned time. We are taking our nanny and her husband to dinner Saturday night to a brazilian restaurant to say thanks and then Sunday I think we are headed to Canterbury to watch horse, ostrich, and camel races. Other than that I am hoping to finally get the rest of my house organized. I've already decided to rearrange our bedroom, Josh is thrilled, but I think it will give us more space for some extra furniture. Coen has too many clothes to share a dresser so we'll need another one for the baby.

So if anyone wants to join us on Sunday I think it's going to be a fun afternoon, races start at 1:30.

Halfway

Well I have made it to (and passed) the halfway point of this pregnancy. So far I feel that it has gone faster than with Coen. I guess that's because I am so extremely busy that I need more time to prepare and so naturally it will seem as if I don't have enough time instead of too much time, which was the case with Coen.

School kind of sucks right now. This coming week will be my second week at the CUHCC clinic for some outreach. Last week was awful, I almost didn't go back on Tuesday. I have to say though, it did get better as the week went on. However, every day I am warned about one of the instructors, I guess when he gets stressed (which is quite often) he takes it out on anyone in his way, and since I am usually "in his way" because I need check offs while I am working, it is not uncommon for him to freak out at the students. So I am a little nervous for that. The hormones have been a little high this pregnancy and sometimes the tears just come, I can usually hold them off until I get home from school, but sometimes they just come out. As was the case when Kendrick and Lindsey walked down the aisle.

What a beautiful wedding it was. Everyone looked so nice, especially the bride, the weather was gorgeous and really, there weren't any major mishaps. I was a little bummed that I missed the vows. Coen decided to be a little stinker right at the end of the homily so I had to take him out. I heard Father Zehren say his line but couldn't hear Kendrick or Lindsey, but it all looked very nice from that back of the church. Josh had a super great time dancing (and drinking), so did Coen and I (the dancing part). We are so excited that Lindsey is finally officially part of the family and that now both Kendrick and Lindsey live super close! Although we will do our best for as long as we can to give them some privacy so they can settle into their new apartment and new life without too much crazy family around.

It was good to see so much family there, which is what inspired me to get blogging more. Aunt Vicki says she checks our blogs so this one is for you! I will try to keep them coming a little more frequently.

Well we had our ultrasound yesterday. We went a little earlier than normal, which can sometimes make it hard to take measurements and stuff but I think that went ok. The technician just couldn't get a great view of the spine because of the position of the baby. So I might have to go back for another one. Finding the sex was a challenge too because the baby's feet were in the way, but we got a good look once she jostled my belly a little bit and made the baby move. However, on the way home Josh decided that he didn't want to tell anyone the sex. So that's what we're going to do, keep it a secret until the baby is born. If I would have known that ahead of time I wouldn't have wanted to find out, because I'm afraid that I will accidentally let it slip. I also think that Josh is going to let it out, he's kind of a dork like that.

But overall I thought the baby looked pretty normal, we won't get the official reading from the radiologist for awhile. I have my appointment on Monday, but because of the long weekend I doubt it will have been read by then, so I might have to wait another four weeks. All of this waiting can really drive a person crazy!

Moving Day

Well today is moving day. Most of our stuff is in boxes and ready to go. I'm a little nervous since I won't be here most of the day. Josh tells me it will go just fine.

So if anyone is free today and tomorrow we'd love some extra hands. Just stop on over, we'll be here or our new place, 1054 E.

same old news

I feel like I haven't posted in awhile, and I actually have some time today but I really don't have much to blog about.

Coen started throwing temper tantrums, full blown on the floor, kicking and screaming. I thought I had another couple of months, or 6, but I guess he's starting early. I think it is partially because he doesn't really talk yet so he gets frustrated that we don't understand him. I guess his father used to do the same thing.

School is still school. Not too many exciting things happening in class or clinic. I'm starting to study for my jurisprudence exam, I'm a little nervous because I am not very legally inclined but after hearing some of the topics on the exam it sounds like basic knowledge.

I have at least one patient for my board exam, as long as her lesion doesn't get too much bigger. I need a radiograph of my mom's tooth still, but I think hers will be my second lesion. Then I just need a scaling root planing patient, which are sometimes hard to come by, but 2/3 already has eliminated some boards stress. (as long as their lesions don't get too large)

We're starting to pack things up in our apartment. Not too much longer before we move. I can't wait until that's over.

New stuff

So life has been unbelievably busy lately. Back home from Florida, dad's assault, school started again. I'm in my oral surgery rotation and outreach this summer. Last week I pulled a bunch of teeth. Its fun but not thrilling. This week I am on the Mobile dental unit. We are spending the week in Blaine at the Anoka County Human Services building, its pretty cool so far, I've done a lot of operative work which has been fun.

Josh and I also bought a new vehicle. A 2008 Ford Taurus X, its a crossover and its pretty sweet. We weren't planning on buying one quite yet but started looking and of course I fell in love with this pre-owned one, it was a pretty good deal and I didn't want to pass it up. So we now own two vehicles which is actually going to be pretty nice this summer since I will be able to drive to my outreach sights and save some time by not having to take the bus!

And if anyone didn't hear yet baby #2 is on the way. I am just finishing the first trimester, so baby #2 will be due sometime at the end of November, my official due date is the 29th.

June 21st

So... what's everybody doing on June 21st? Because, we're moving!!! We were offered a 3 bedroom and went and looked at it, didn't really like it because the hallway to move in was so narrow we didn't think our furniture would fit but then we were offered a different one, with a different stairwell that will hopefully accommodate our furniture better. We haven't seen the place yet, but I saw one that is supposedly the same, so lets cross our fingers... I'm hoping to get in and take a peak later this evening if the current resident agrees. I'm a little nervous to move, the bedrooms are smaller but overall there is a lot more room.
This is where Coen was born though, and I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to leave yet. But we are so crowded so I know we will enjoy our space better. So if anyone is available to help move that would be great. Let me know!

Finals week

Well finals week is here again. At the start of my third year it feel like I would never be done with school but honestly third year went so much faster than I ever imagined it could. In just three days I will be done with finals and my last day of clinic as a D3. Then a week in Florida and May 12 I will be a D4. The fourth and final year! Amazing.

All I have to do is pass an oral surgery and orthodontic exam, see two more patients and I am free! We leave Thursday when Josh finishes class, around 6:30 for Florida. We'll be driving all night the first night, taking it slow but steady Friday, getting a hotel wherever we end up Friday night and making it to our resort in Fort Myers Beach sometime Saturday where we will spend 6 days 5 restful nights at the Pink Shell Resort (www.pinkshell.com) where Coen can play outside without his winter coat and maybe even go barefoot! Then early Thursday morning we will start our adventure back home, hopefully without having to get a hotel. I cannot wait!

Kitchen

So dad made us a new shelf/counter for our kitchen. It was to expand our counter and give us a place to put our microwave. We had a small microwave cart prior but it was just that, small. So dad dropped it off after work today and we set about rearranging our kitchen to accommodate our new furniture. We don't have 4 person access to our table but we rarely need 4 so when we do we can just pull it out, otherwise we feel that it gives us more space and sooo much more counter and shelf space. The unit was built to put the microwave underneath but I think we'll try it out on top for awhile. Here's some pics, sorry there are no before shots.

Coen's party

Just wanted to make sure everyone knew that Coen's first birthday party is Saturday at noon, at mom and dads. Everyone's invited.

I can't believe Friday he'll be one, it went so fast. Friday will also be Coen's first ball game. He went to a couple in utero but those don't really count cause he couldn't experience all five senses of baseball. In fact his first ball game was Twins v. Royals at Kansas City.

Family Picture

Tonight Josh, Coen, and I went to Proex to have our family picture and Coen's 1 year portrait taken. It was a disaster. Well not a horrible horrible disaster but still not very good. Coen refused to smile. She tried everything, elmo, a ball, blocks, tools, a frog that croaked, peekaboo, sneezing, tickling, growling, etc. Still no smile. She was very insistent on the smile. I wish I would have just asked her to take a few pictures with him just looking forward, that probably would have been better then the half smiling goofy looking anywhere but the camera faces that we ended up with. And Proex is pretty expensive to just have so so pictures. Josh and I have definitely taken better pictures of Coen ourselves. We probably would have done his one year portrait ourselves too, but we wanted a family picture and that's really hard to do.

There is definitely some talk of us investing in some backgrounds and maybe some better light sources so we can attempt to do some pictures on our own. I love taking pictures, especially of people, and really especially of my own kid.

I get to pick up our pictures on Sunday. Despite the sitting not going fabulously we ended up with a couple of cute pictures which led to a lot of money spent on prints. So there will be some wallets for anyone who wants one and some 5x7s for the godparents and grandparents.

So sad

Well spring break is over and I'm back at school. I started off my Monday morning with one of the hardest restorative composites I've ever had to do. But the dentist I was working with said I did a great job, so that made me feel pretty good.

This morning Josh Coen and I received some devasting news. Karla's husband was accepted to a PhD program in North Carolina and is on the waiting list at the UofM so more than likely Karla will not be our nanny next year. You could tell she was so sad too. I guess there is still a chance he could end up here, but I think he has to let North Carolina know soon. So we'll keep our fingers crossed in hopes that it will all work out. I just don't know how we'll be able to find someone as amazing as Karla, she is the reason why its ok for me to be at school all day long. I know Coen is being cared for by someone who loves him as much as we do.

What a sad day.

First Steps

So every day we try to make Coen stand on his own, but stubborn as he is he just sits down. Well yesterday with no prodding from Josh or me he let go of the TV and took a couple of unassisted steps towards us! It was great. And now today he is standing on his own, not for very long but his balance has improved soo much, and he is taking even more balance steps. (Yesterday there was a lot of leaning his body forward and basically falling into us- cute but not very productive)

I was hoping he would be walking by his birthday so that he was good by the time we went to Florida, but had pretty much given up on the idea since he wasn't showing any progress or desire to make progress. But now my hope is back. Two months until Florida so hopefully he'll make some great progress.

Sometimes I just don't understand

So Sunday I started feeling sick. Really bad sore throat kind of achy. Monday I had a fever, sore throat and extra achy. Emily called said she had strep throat, since I spent Saturday night with her I assumed i also had strep. I decided I should go to the Dr. and get a culture and Coen probably should too since I kiss him, share my ice cream with him, we drink from the same glass etc. Both of our rapid tests were negative. Tuesday night I had a missed phone call from the Dr. office about Coen. So this morning I called back, he's positive for strep. He has shown no symptoms yet I have shown all symptoms and still negative. They refuse to put me on antibiotics and I can't really blame them because of all of the ab resistant strands of bacteria out there but I am still sick, my throat hurts so much, and I work in a health care setting and am potentially passing out strep to all of my classmates and patients.

So tomorrow morning I am going in for another throat culture, gag me again- I know I have strep throat.

To become a dentist

So I'd like to take this opportunity to enlighten anyone who cares to read on what it entails to become a dentist in the state of Minnesota.
First, you must actually get into dental school, a feat in itself. But once you're in it doesn't get any easier. Not only must a student pass all of the course work and all 60 some competencies but then there is the matter of the board exam.

There are two types of boards, WREB or CREDTS, to be licensed in Minnesota (and some other states) CREDTS must be taken. This exam is in two parts. Part I and Part II. Part I consists of a written portion on everything science. Gross anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, dental anatomy, occlusion, microbiology,and pathology. This exam is usually taken during the second year because that is when all of the science background classes are fresh in your brain.
Part II however, has five subparts to it. Part 1 is another written exam, this time testing on clinical information, more pathology, pharmacology, and a whole lot more, which I haven't studied for. This exam is usually taken early in the fourth year. Parts 2 and 3 are taken on a typodont (fake mouth). This exam has historically been taken in the early part of the fourth year. However, this year they tried a new integrated format and had third years take it, with the fourth years. So I took parts 2 and 3. Part 2 consists of three crown preps, one anterior (#9) all ceramic, one posterior (#28) porcelain fused to metal, and a posterior (#30) full gold crown. #28 and #30 are also prepped to be restored as a three unit bridge. Part 3 is the endo portion consisting of accessing and locating canals on a molar tooth and on accessing and completing a root canal therapy on an anterior (#8) tooth.
Parts 4 and 5 will be happening soon for the fourth years and consist of the live patient portion of the licensure exam. An anterior composite and posterior two surface amalgam must be done along with a scaling and root planing portion. Not only do the students have to find their own patients that meet the strict requirements but they historically also pay their patients and assistants for their time, not to mention the cost of the exam, which for parts 4 and 5 is approximately $850. It is a very stressful situation overall.

So if I seem crabby this time next year, its probably because I haven't found any acceptable lesions for the board exam so please be willing to be screened for that ideal lesion. You'll get a free filling out of it, and maybe some extra cash too.

That settles it

Quarter of a Century

Well as most (all) of you know this past weekend I turned the big 25. I have lived through one quarter of a century. So I'd like to reflect a little on the bigger, more memorable events. I can't be as detailed as Matts was, I am not a great historian and don't remember exact dates, I will do my best though to come up with a rough estimate.

January 5 1983, around 7:30 am I was born at Unity Hospital.
Pretty sure I was immediately forced to share a bedroom since the basement was not finished.

February 17 1986 I finally get a sister. Little did I know 6 more were soon to follow.

September 1988 Kindergarten. The only time I will ever share my name with another student in my class.

September 1989 First grade, Mrs. Moline, everyone thought she was the meanest teacher, but I sort of liked her. Struggled with the word "our". So I tricked the teacher by saying "hour" when she asked me to say "our". Sneaky Sneaky (its funny the things you remember) First birthday party, pretty sure it was a sledding party and pretty sure Katie and I invited most of the same friends to both of our parties, which were more than likely on the same day. This will happen for the next 5years or so. First grade was also the year I broke my arm, falling off the bottom of the slide. I was the middle "car" on our train down and Shelly and Matt wouldn't let me out, so I bailed ship, over the side and broke my arm. (ships and trains, I guess I wasn't the smartest first grader) My parents didn't believe me when I said it hurts, so finally two days later they took me to the ER, yup broken.

September 1990 Second grade. I remember getting sick a lot, once I threw up in the hallway, all the way to the bathroom. I made my mom set my hair in curlers and comb them like Shirley Temple, the kids made fun of me so thankfully that day she came to our class for a special reading group and I had her comb them differently. Now that I look back, I'm sure they were much cuter the Shirley Temple style. Second grade was when I also had my first real experience with dental surgery (minus all of the baby teeth I had extracted) I had my lower frenum cut and stitches placed. After 2.5 years of dental school I still really haven't figured out why it was necessary....

1993 5th grade science fair. First indication that I would become a dentist. I soaked all of the baby teeth my mom had saved in coke, some I brushed, some I didn't and I observed and recorded the outcome. Not brushing= completely rotten teeth. Got my first perm, not so pretty

1994-1996 Middle School. Big Middle School. Joined OM, did really well. Continued for 3 more years. Watched Voyage of the Mimi in science class, can still hum the theme song to this day. Was the top reader in Mrs. Goldman's reading class. Wore a lot of stretchy legging pants, not so many jeans. Fell in love with Ms. Commanders veiled Chameleon. Cried everyday about sharing a room with three sisters. Parents finally couldn't stand it and put an addition on. Now I only had to share a room with one sister, but at least she let me choose the paint colors. Got my braces. Loved my braces.

1997-2000 Highschool. Started Clogging. Joined the marching band. Joined the speech team. Joined the debate team. Joined Cross country. Was in a play. Was in NHS. Did Irish dancing. Had my tailbone removed. When to prom 3 times. Was very involved with the youth group. Went to London and Paris. Got my braces taken off. Loved my straight teeth.

2001 Graduated, with highest honors. Was voted most likely to succeed. Accepted to St. Scholastica.

2001-2004 Attended St. Scholastica. . Bought a veiled Chameleon, it died, bought another veiled Chameleon, it was mean so I sold it. Ran Cross country for 2 years, met Josh, inroduced Josh to the family, mom didn't like him. Applied and got accepted to the UofM dental school. Earned my BA in biology in 3.5 years.

August 2003 Josh proposes after spending a day at the State Fair. I say yes. My parents have champagne waiting. Now mom likes him.

January 2005 Josh and I have the biggest fight of our life, the wedding is called off. I begged for forgiveness. Wedding is back on.

February 5 2005 We get married, one of the nicest days Minnesota has ever seen in February.
We honeymoon in Jamaica for a week.

May 2005 Matt and Laura get married, I get my first sister in law.

August 2005 I start dental school, I am scared. I meet Heidi Pound. She saves my life. She introduces me to Becca. I am alphabetically assigned a locker partner/body buddy, Liz. Jen is Becca's body buddy and fellow "a" classmate. The five of us have been inseparable since. Some days they are the only reason I can drag my butt out of bed. Dental school has been rough.

July 2006....
April 4 2007 Coen Bryan is born at Unity Hospital, the same hospital I was born at. Best day of my life, thus far.
August 2007 I pass part 1 of the boards. Family vacation to Yellowstone.

January 25 2008 I turn 25. I am still in dental school, some days still dragging my butt out of bed. Only 1.5 years left to go. 25 years old, one wonderful husband, the cutest baby and a quarter century of memories.

water weight 2008

If you cannot view our biggest loser blog waterweight2008.blogspot.com and would like to get in on this, email me, ande8262@umn.edu so you can comment and read comments and even make your own posts.

quarter century blog coming soon, hopefully