soliciting advice

i know being a mother is one of those situations where you get advice from all sorts of people ... welcomed or not.

but in this moment, i am welcoming it. because its my blog and that means people i know and enjoy are reading this blog. people whom i admire and have gathered wisdom in motherhood (since many many of my lady friends and readers are moms already) and i would like to tap into that resource.

think of all the times people gave advice to you ... now give me your tried and true views. i realize that we all lead different lives and enjoy doing things that "work for us" so no worries - i will glean what i can.

i am asking because its hard to know what brand or style of "baby essentials" to invest in before you have had a baby ... and we all know that you need to be ready! which is why i am asking these questions now and not right before i am about to welcome our bundle of joy into the world. i like to investigate and be as prepared as possible. so please weigh in on some of these questions that are on my mind - feel free to leave a comment or email me if you would rather share your opinion privately. feel free to comment on one or all of the topics listed below.

that being said - here are my questions:

1) INFANT CAR SEAT: i think we have decided to invest in an infant car seat - not a convertible car seat - this first time in hopes that we will have more than one child in a "timely" manner that will allow us to re-use car seats. so that being said, is it the best idea to get a car seat that works up to 35lbs? ... here is my thought process. the pluses with an infant car seat is that they can be taken out of the car and into church or attached to a stroller while remaining in the seat. if my kid is weighing more that 22lbs do i still want this option or carrying the baby and the seat? am i going to want to carry my 35lb baby IN the car seat still, or will i be leaving the seat behind at that point? (are those wimpy never-been-a-mother comments?) am i taking my baby out of the seat at this point anyway? the reason i ask is because i am all about a more streamlined design for baby stuff ... i am not into the tons of plastic crap that surrounds baby everything ... and a more "pared-down" version of infant car seats tend to limit out around 22lbs. tell me your thoughts.

2) CLOTH DIAPERS: i know i know ... some people swear by it and some people have horror stories. i would like to try it but i don't have any friends that have (unless any of you have but i didn't know it - if so tell me please!) i hear/read that it is gotten pretty awesome these days but i fear that i will not be awesome/crazy enough to do it. any thoughts or feelings about the topic?

3) BOUNCER/SWING: again, i am all about limiting the baby stuff (especially because we live in an apt and have a few more moves in us most likely while baby is still under the age of 1). this one can probably wait until after the wee one comes to us and we see what personality preferences emerge. but these things can be bulky and super expensive ($50+ sometimes ... sheesh). i will probably need to thrift something like this if needed. anyway ... its always good to gather research.

4) ENTERTAINER: i love the concept of this thing ... babies love these things too and it helps strengthen their legs for crawling and walking ... but AGAIN bulky! does anyone know of a really minimalist version of this? i can add my own toys but a base would be awesome. just thought i would ask the people that know.

i think those are my only questions for now. i am busy checking websites and reading reviews. p.s. i am loving albeebaby.com ... they have some good price reductions and shipping is free over $100 and only $4.95 under $100. i hate paying for shipping.

glowing

they often say that a woman glows when she is pregnant.

this is not the case for me ... unless you count that oil slick that covers my face each day.

seriously, my skin has taken a turn for the worse these days and i am break out city ... more so than when i was a teenager.

but lets end on a high note ... i am in love with bacon and egg (and sometimes avocado) sandwiches these days and i make one every morning before work to go with my milk and banana shake. i am also a big fan of bran muffins for my mid-morning snack. and popsicles - i am a big fan of those even though its still pretty chilly these days.

yeah for week 14 and not feeling so bad but still eating almost every hour! woot woot!

fortune cookie's debut

i am happy to say that nate and i were spot on with the baby's "age" ... as of my monday appointment (april 4th) fortune cookie is 12 weeks and 4 days ... making our due date october 13th (don't worry its no a friday ... i looked ... a baby expected on a friday the thirteenth in october is almost more than i can take ... i am already bummed out about celebrating my first born's birthdays in the month of orange and black for the rest of eternity - no offense to Libras and Scorpios out there ... october is just not one of my most favorite months ... but i do take comfort that my sister and my bff and one nephew are all october libras)

i had a vaginal ultra-sound (can we say fun) so we could measure fortune cookie and it was a magical experience seeing the baby like that! you can see every little rib and bone! i was able to see one little hand (five fingers on at least one)! it is amazing how defined the legs and calf muscles are ... life is a miracle.

lots of moving and grooving in their, making it a bit hard to get some good photos ... we tried to get a good hand and a fully face shot with no success ... fortune cookie was too busy having a pool party ... such is life. here are the shots we got:




This last one is my favorite ... right before we snapped this photo the baby moved ... but he/she was in full downward-facing dog pose with bum in the air and all! adorable.

Food Diary of a First Timer

Usually I go to the grocery store once a week ... but pregnancy makes me confused about what I want to eat. I end up not buying enough food that I want to eat on my usual grocery trip and then have to go back again in the week ... totally throwing off my grocery buying schedule. I never know what I will actually end up eating and liking for more than a week. Sheesh.

For my remembrance - foods I like and dislike during pregnancy so far. (Don't judge ... I was trying to just eat anything that sounded good to keep from getting sick)

Yumm =
PB&J sandwhiches
BBQ potato chips (wks 7-10)
Chips & Salsa (wks 10 - 14)
Enchiladas
Thai Food
Any spicy Asian Food
Spaghetti
Mac N Cheese
Hot Dogs (usually no way)
Corn Dogs (again, usually no way)
Grilled Cheese
Chicken Noodle Soup
Pizza - pepperoni and veggie (no sausage)
Bread
hummus (wks 7-10)
pork chops
sweet potato fries

New Yum=
Eggs (wks 10-14)
Caesar Salad (wks 10-14)
Muffins

Yuck =
Italian turkey sausage (which I usually put in spaghetti sauce)
Apples (wks 7-10)
Oranges (wks 7-10)
Pineapple (wks 7-10)
Eggs (wks 7-10)
Most veggies (wks 7-10 thankfully I am back to eating broccoli, peppers, and salad at least)
Popcorn (wks 7-14)
Sweets in general except my favorite Safeway cookies (wks 7-10 and slowly getting over this)
bagels (wks 7-14)
wheat thins (wks 7-14)
fish (I had one craving ... I satisfied it and it was great ... and then I haven't liked the idea since)

Sometimes Yuck - Sometimes Yum=
Orange juice
Ice Cream (right now vanilla based flavors are good - which i usually go for chocolate - cookies and cream is the current favorite)
Lemonade (which I usually love)
Hamburgers

I have noticed that I am really prone to the power of suggestion ... feel free to tell me what was good or bad on your pregnancy list ... I just may want to try it :)

Despite it All ... I Just Knew (A Long Journal Type Entry)

I wrote this on Feb 6, 2011 ... a few days after we found out we were expecting.

Coming up on a week of having a cold, I called my mom in frustration (because your mother is the best person to use as a sounding board) - mostly looking for validation in my feelings and thoughts. I described how I had a feeling I was pregnant but every time I took a test it came out negative and that I didn't want to take any cold medicine because I really felt like the tests were wrong. I was afraid that my cold was turning into a sinus infection and I did not want to re-live that experience from January 2009 (believe me it was AWFUL). My mom suggested that I go see a doctor and at first I didn't want to because I didn't want them to tell me I was wrong - that I wasn't pregnant and that I didn't have a sinus infection. And maybe even worse - that my body was all messed up and I wasn't ovulating (like my doctor in the past has suspected.) I just wasn't sure I was ready to hear it all.

Of course my mom told me to just go and get the ball rolling on the whole thing and by the end of our conversation, I was resolved to make an appointment with the doctor. I called an OBGYN and told them my story - I thought I was pregnant ... I was late but my period isn't regular and test came out negative ... but I still felt like I was pregnant ... AND I had a bad head cold that I was worried was evolving into a sinus infection but I didn't want to take anything if I was pregnant. They basically said - we can't give you any medical advice until we see you and you can't get in for a week or so. Then she suggested that I see my general practitioner and ask them to do a pregnancy test. So that is what I did .... and the next afternoon (Wednesday Feb 2nd) I was sitting in the waiting room waiting for them to call my name.

The nurse - Marci - was outgoing and fun and we chatted about my symptoms and then I said ... but I haven't taken any medicine because I think I might be pregnant. She squealed and said - "Do you want to find out?" ... Yes ... "Do you need to pee?" ... I could pee. As we briskly walked down the hall I frantically told her that all the at home tests I had taken had come out negative but it wasn't like me to be late.... blah blah blah.

I took the test and it came out negative. I wasn't heart broken but I was a bit confused. She gave me the pep talk of "its okay, keep trying" and told me the doctor would be in shortly to see me. In he came and I debated about re-telling the whole thing and decided that it must be noted in my chart or something that we just got a negative response to the pee test. We talked about my cold, he went to listen to my back ... and a techinician knocked on the door looking for the nurse Marci ... we resumed our exam and he agreed that I was heading into a sinus infection and that antibiotics were needed ... along with some cough syrup with codine and sudafed (available only by prescription in Oregon). He put in the order and then said good day and good luck. I thanked him and preceded to get my coat and scarf on to leave when Marci came running in saying "thank heaven's you are still here ... don't move!" So I obeyed and waited as the doctor and Marci came back in and said, "so you think you might be pregnant" and I said, "I wasn't sure if that was relevant anymore" and Marci piped in "yeah since I just told you that you aren't ... you must be a bit confused!"

Yes Yes I was.

The doctor sent me to the lab to take a blood test to find out for sure. So apparently the nurse that had knocked on the door was looking for Marci because she saw a second line appear on the pregnancy test - a very faint line - but as many of you know ... a line is a line. Once she found Marci they did another test and sure enough - a really faint line appeared a second time. They showed me the samples and said - "We think you are pregnant! Yay!" I had to tell everyone to calm down because I didn't want to get my hopes up. They were like - "Oh be positive this is great - you are pregnant - its so happy" and then I burst in to tears because I was so scared the blood test would be negative ... EVEN THOUGH I KNEW TWO WEEKS AGO THAT I WAS PREGNANT. Even before the 19th of January I thought I might be, but I dismissed it as wishful thinking. But after the 19th I was pretty sure, but the test kept coming out negative.

So they took my blood as I cried and they told me that the results usually took a day to get back from the lab but because they too were sooo curious they were going to put a rush on it and Marci would call me by 5:00pm (it was already 3:45 by then). I walked out of there in a daze and headed to the pharmacy down the street. My whole world had just potentially changed and I was sooo excited and overwhelmed and still reserved that it wasn't true. By the time I received my medicine and explained to the pharmacist that I no longer wanted the prescribed sudafed (doctor said to play it on the safe side and not take it which was fine by me) because I thought I might be pregnant ... Marci called!

Amidst signing for the medicine and talking to the pharmacist I heard Marci say that the blood test was similar to the other test - faint but for sure positive! I was definitely pregnant and there was no way I would have found out at home for another week or two. She said they would look closer at my blood to determine how far along I was and call me the next day. Again I was in a daze as I drove home to tell Nate the wonderful news!

I came home and told Nate that I needed a hug. We hugged for a bit and I took off my sweater and showed him my hot pink bandage where they took my blood. He asked me why they took my blood and I hugged him and said because they want to find out for sure if I was pregnant! He was super happy and squeezed me tight. We are soooo excited!

The next day Marci called with the results that they think that we are 5/6 weeks pregnant! That gives us an October 3, 2011 due date. Whoa. That is pretty close to what were were shooting for! By my estimations, we were more likely 3 weeks when we found out. We have since had a few baby doctor appointments and I have been overwhelmingly sick. Immediately it was discovered that I had a yeast infection and a urinary track infection - AT THE SAME TIME (seriously who does that).

Updated April 4, 2011:

A month after finding out I got ANOTHER Sinus infection ... only this one was on par with the sinus infection from 2009. I was down and out for a week and wished for death. Amongst all this I was nauseated like I have never felt before. All sorts of foods would sound good one week and the next week I couldn't stand the thought. I was totally off fruit for a month - it just didn't taste the same and I couldn't eat it. We met our doctor during sinus infection #2 and we really liked him. He gave me a strong anti-biotic (but still okay for baby) and it still took days to recover. That was awful. Then my on-going eye infection/irritation returned in my left eye and the eye doctor tried to help me. After two visits and a week, we got it straightened out. Then last weekend Nate woke up on Saturday with a terrible head cold and I woke up with a swollen right eye! Seriously ... can I get a break here? Pregnancy is going to kill me from discomfort.

We both recovered in time to keep our appointment to see the little flicker of the heart beat of our little fortune cookie. It was magical. After that appointment I shared the news with my co-workers and bosses and everyone has been really supportive and congratulatory. I feel very blessed. I have another ultra-sound tomorrow (Monday 4/4) to determine if we are 14 weeks or 12 weeks (like Nate and I think we are ... not that I want to drag this on any longer ... it already feels like forever) ... but my doctor wants to try to be as accurate as possible.

More to come ...... and it only gets better in the second trimester ... right?!

i'm spreading the news ...

remember this awesome Halloween costume idea that i thankfully realized was inappropriate for church trunk o'treats???

well its too bad we won't be at this stage next Halloween:


that is because our little "bun" will no longer be in the proverbial "oven" ... if you know what I mean (wink wink)!

Yes we are having a wee one! And we are so so so excited about it. Its been tough to keep this one under wraps - because I am the WORST at keeping my own secrets (case in point - telling people Nate and I were getting married before he had the chance to tell a few choice family members).

We just saw the little flicker of the heartbeat today and it was magical. We have a follow up next week to get a more accurate idea of how far along we are (our doctor had to rush our appointment due to a patient in labor and ready to deliver) and when our official due date will be (sometime in October).

We are super duper excited to have a baby and feel really blessed that all is going well so far! Yay for babies ... more details to come!

"despite" or "in spite"

First of all, did you know that "despite" and "in spite" are essentially synonyms and can be used interchangeably? who knew? well these people did. and so did my husband the English teacher. I like to look these things up ... "every so once in a while" (i say this all the time according to my husband, who thinks its hilarious ... its "once in awhile" or "ever so often" ... allegedly).

I digress ... even before I have had anything to digress from. The whole reason for that little discussion above is because I bought this piece of "art" (i use the term loosely here) despite of or in spite of the actual picture. But I LOVE the frame. Take a look at this beauty:


Oh did you need a close up of that crying child???? Here you go ... now you can see the tears and horror on his face. FRIGHTENING if you ask me.


Sadly I have had it in this horrifying state for many months ... waiting for the perfect painting to take its rightful place in the beautifully detailed frame. After some deconstructing - namely the removal of the horrid picture and the black velvet inner mat (not as bad as it sounds) ... i had it in its most vulnerable and minimalist state.


I love the chunky gold detailing. It looks hand carved in a kind of art deco way. It reminds me of Mayan art and hieroglyphs and I kept imagining a beautiful painting framed by the cream and gold. I love love love this frame. Its bigger than any frame I have ever owned (and I own a lot of picture frames people).


This fall I decided that it was time for us to invest in a decent piece of art - one that we would have in all of the apartments or houses that we would call home. I was also reflecting on my lack of ... let's say ... religious art in our home. Sure we have the Family Proclamation (a beautifully framed wedding gift - we love it) a watercolor of the Newport Beach Temple (painted by a woman in my parent's ward and given to me by my dad) and our wedding pictures around the house. But I really wanted something of The Living Christ in our home to reflect how important both He and His gospel is in our lives.

As I was contemplating this and worrying about it meshing with my "style" (as if I have a defined style) I was remembering my internship at the BYU Museum of Art in 2004/5 and recalling my first introduction to the artist Minerva Teichert ("She gave paintings to Brigham Young University to pay tuition so that children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and other young people could attend college".) I am mesmerized by her style - the softness of watercolor impressionism with a hint of defined outlines and a modern aesthetic. One of my most favorite paintings is her painting of Esther. You can bet that if we are to ever have a female child, this print will be in her room. It is in the Women's changing room in the temple and I love to take a moment and take in its beauty.


I think all of my favorite paintings found in church buildings or temples are by her. I particularly love her Book of Mormon scenes, although her Pioneer paintings are splendid as well. Her paintings can be found in both the Newport Beach and Portland temples - the temples I have most frequented in my life. The picture below, Christ in a Red Robe is the first picture you see when you enter the foyer of the Portland Temple. After pondering and searching I decided that this is the picture that would be perfect for our home. Its a soft and tender scene of Christ and his love for us all. Teicherts style is also perfect for the frame. I feel like her paintings (especially the Book of Mormon ones) have a very native, new world feel to them ... just like my frame!


It will be on prominent display in the Soelberg home thanks to my wonderful husband who bought it for me MONTHS in advance of Christmas. So far in advance that I wasn't 100% sure he actually bought it for me.

Today I finally took it in to a frame shop to have it mounted and a custom mat cut and archival glass fitted. It wasn't cheap (although the frame cost me only $7 at goodwill) but I think its well worth the investment. We will have this in our home, no matter where that might be.

This beauty:

will be united with this beauty:

in less than a week!

I am so excited!