Thankful Thursday

These are my blessings for today:

• Our Car: Our transmission was acting really funny, and we were so scared since transmission problems can be pretty expensive to fix or replace, and we're poor college students. However, my smart and able husband checked the transmission fluid and refilled that first, and now it's working wonderfully. I'm awfully grateful as this next month our car needs to be ready to go at any moment.
• Our new Camera: we just bought a new camera since mine is officially dead and beyond repair. We like it a lot so far, and we're excited that we have it in time for Baby.
• Sunshine: It's sunny today, and as I am not ready for winter yet, I am so happy that the sun is out even though it's a bit chilly.

Epidural Or No

So I went into this pregnancy thing just assuming that I would have an epidural. I didn't know a lot about it except that it is inserted into the epidural layer of your spine and blocks out a lot of pain as a local anesthetic. I kind of thought it was just a shot-a one time dosage thing. However, when I went to childbirth class the video they showed about it said that it was continual or periodic dosage, and they leave the catheter in your back. I don't really like the idea of a little tube being taped to my back for however long it takes Baby to decide she's really coming. However, it seems to me that an epidural is the most effective pain reliver for labor.

Some others that I'm researching include pudendal blocks and spinal blocks. I've also read about natural births by just using breathing and relaxation techniques, but I think I'm too much a pansy to try those out just by themselves.
So for the seasoned mothers out there, what pain relief do you recommend? What things do you wish you had known your first time?

The Little Things

Black Cats and Ghost, Skeletons too. Clowns and witches all say BOO!

I am so excited for Halloween. I love holidays. On October 1, I decorated my apartment with ghosts and bats and pumpkins. I am now waiting anxiously for the night we buy our pumpkin to carve into a jack-o-lantern. I've been singing Halloween songs, and they bring back memories. For all those Whittier Wildcats who went through music with Mrs. Winters here's a few Halloween songs to remember:

Have you seen the Ghost of John?

Long white bones with the skin all gone

Oooooooooo Oooooooo

Wouldn't it be chilly with no skin on?

Black Cats and ghosts, skeletons too

Clowns and witches all say boo

Pumpkins with eyes shining so bright

Make me shiver with fright

Halloween, Halloween

We all love Halloween
BOO!

There was an old woman all skin and bones,
Ooo, ooo-oo-ooo,
She lived down by the old graveyard,
Ooo, ooo-oo-ooo,
One night she thought she’d take a walk,
Ooo, ooo-oo-ooo,
She saw some bones a-layin’ around,
Ooo, ooo-oo-ooo,
She thought that she would sweep them up,
Ooo, ooo-oo-ooo,
She went to the closet to get a broom,
Ooo, ooo-oo-ooo,
She opened the door ….. and BOO!

The Hospital Bag

As my due date approaches, I've been thinking what to take in my hospital bag...I'm not quite ready to pack it, but being on a budget, I'd like to start making a few purchases here and there so I can have what I need when it is time to pack it.
My whole life I've known that women going to the hospital to have a baby usually take a bag with them. However, past this idea, I've never given much thought to what goes into the hospital bag. I've seen several lists online and given several from my childbirth classes, but I'm wondering what exactly will be needed or wanted. So far this is what I have come up with:

• change of clothes (probably smaller maternity ones since I won't be back to normal size yet)
• socks: I hear your feet get cold, and I hate having bare feet
• hair ties and bobby pins. I hate having hair in my face or on my neck
• toothbrush and toothpaste other toiletries
• nursing pads
• comfy pajamas in case I get to change out of a hospital gown
• clothes and blanket for baby
• snacks for Justin
• snacks for me (I know I can't eat during labor, but I can eat as much as I want afterwards)
• gum
• camera/batteries

For those experienced mothers out there, is this a good list? What have you found helpful during your stay at the hospital?

It's that time again...

Another Thankful Thursday:

• Lasagna: mine is baking in the oven right now and it smells heavenly. I love good food. Justin cracks up about how excited I get about food and treats, and I just realized that nearly all my thankful thursdays mention food in them somewhere.
• Fall: all the leaves are starting to line the side walks and cover the yards of rexburg. We had our first few snowflakes today, but I think it will be a little while until we get a real snow storm, and I am more than content to enjoy the warm autumn sunshine and beautiful red, yellow, and orange leaves.
• Childbirth classes: I don't really enjoy going to these, but they are helping me to prepare for that big day that is soon approaching. Most of the time Justin and I can't help laughing while practicing our breathing and relaxation techniques, but I think it's good preparation for us. Especially Justin since he's a boy and hasn't really thought about labor and delivery very much in his life. I feel somewhat more prepared because what girl doesn't grow up thinking that more than likely she will give birth to a child so she pays attention to other women's stories and makes an effort to learn about such things.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:

• Blogging: It's opened up a whole new world of staying in touch and being involved in others' lives especially family and old roommates. I love seeing everyone's families growing and their adventures.
• Halloween decorations: As yesterday was the first day of October, I decorated our house for Halloween. I don't have tons of decorations, but I have enough to make our apartment look festive, and that's enough for me.
• Prophets: I've been listening to NPR for the last several days and have been depressed by all the talk of the house market failing and the big bailout. I'm so glad that we have prophets who have counseled us to stay out of debt, get our food storage in place, and live within our means. Not that we have very much food storage or are completetly on our own financially, but we are not in lots of debt, we're able to pay our bills, we have food storage to last us a little while, and we're doing our best to live within our means and plan for the future.
• General Conference: I'm so excited for this weekend. I love listening to the Prophet and other general authorities. What a blessing it is to have them as guides right now. I loved the RS broadcast. I watch a talk from it over again each morning as I eat my breakfast. I love this time of spiritual feasting.
• Lastly, I am grateful for Fall. I'm sad summer is on its way out, but yesterday I had my first leaf crunching walk of the season, and it was so fun and fitting for the first day of October. I love the sound of crunching leaves under my feet, and I love the bright colors. I just hope the fall lasts awhile and doesn't turn to snow too quickly.