Baby is Still Baking

Now that I am no longer on bed rest we just get to sit and play the waiting game. This baby is quite the tease, every time I think we're on our way; my contractions are getting stronger, more painful and closer together, they go away! Just stop! So it's a little frustrating. But I guess our baby isn't quite done yet.

Kind of like a cake that just won't set up. You keep checking on it, but it's STILL not done so you leave it in the oven ;)



I'll reach 39 weeks on Monday but my next appointment isn't until Thursday.

So, for now, we wake up every morning wondering if today is the day, and crossing our fingers, hoping it won't be too much longer before we get to meet this little man.

Pregnancy Update

This little man in my tummy is getting awfully impatient!

This past weekend we had all of our boys home. For the two days they were here I had contractions and other labor pains all day. Yesterday was a little easier, because things were quieter and calmer, but I continued to to have pains.

By about 6pm yesterday I was really miserable. I continued to take my Nifedipine, drink lots of water and took 2 baths but I couldn't get the contractions to stop; they were actually increasing and becoming more intense. Around 10pm I called my midwife to see if there was anything else I could do. She told me to take another pill, soak in the tub and if it didn't get better in an hour or two to go in to Labor and Delivery at the hospital.

Still no luck, so Ryan and I went in to Labor and Delivery around midnight. I got all hooked up to the monitors. The baby looks strong and healthy, but I was definitely having contractions. The nurse checked my cervix, I was only dilated to a ONE - courtesy of all the medication I'm sure. Right now I'm at 35 weeks, and we'd all like this guy to stay put for one more week.

They gave me a shot of Tributaline, in my arm. It's another drug to calm the muscles of the uterus. We stayed for an hour after I got the shot with no change in my contractions. The nurse seemed very surprised that the Tributaline did not stop them and said, "It looks like you're just going to contract and there's nothing else we can do about it."

She advised me to go home and try to get some sleep, keep taking the Nifedepine, and if it didn't get better, or if it got worse to 'come back in the morning.'

I tried, unsuccessfully, to sleep all night. I finally gave up and got up around 6:00 - So I'm hoping to get a nap later today. I'm still having contractions and feeling miserable, but I don't think it's any worse that it was around this time yesterday. But it seems to get worse at night, so I guess we'll just wait and see.

I was REALLY hoping to make it until after my baby shower, which is THIS Saturday, so I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and hope for that. I have a Doctor's Appointment on Thursday, at which time we'll do the Strep B culture and they'll probably advise me to go off the medication and just let what will be, Be.

And that's what's going on here!


My belly at 34 weeks - August 2010

What Summer??

It doesn't feel much like summer, we haven't done anything fun!

I am now pregnant with our 4th little boy. Unfortunately this pregnancy is not going as well as we had hoped. (Does it ever?)

We'd hoped to take a few trips, but my body isn't cooperating. At Labor and Delivery they told me that I have an "irritable uterus," I don't think that's a very nice thing to say! My body decided it was done being pregnant, but the baby isn't done "baking" yet.

I've been taking a drug called Nifedipine, it relaxes your blood vessels and decreases your blood pressure. Since I already have low blood pressure it's made me very sick. I get nauseated, dizzy, and have bad headaches, it's no fun!

Even taking the yucky medicine, every 8 hours, I was still having contractions all day. I was told however, that since there were still no changes in my cervix that the medicine was doing it's job. So I was sick and I was in pain! For some reason enduring contractions that aren't actually doing anything seems even worse!

A little over a week ago I had a really bad day. My contractions got down to 3-5 minutes apart, they were longer and stronger and were getting difficult to cope with, not many breaks in between. Ryan took me in to the hospital.

We found out that I wasn't effaced or dilated, yet, BUT that my cervix was soft and "mushy" so it was "ripening" which is BAD at only 30 weeks. They upped my Nifedipine intake to every 6 hours and put me on strict bed rest. They want me to come in this week to determine whether or not it is necessary to do the IV treatments with the Antenatal steroids to mature the baby's lungs, just in case.

It was a week ago yesterday that we sent our kids away. That makes me sad, and I miss them. Canton spent Saturday through Wednesday night her in town with my Aunt and came by to see me nearly every day for about an hour, he gets homesick. Their family left on a trip on Thursday so Canton spend Wednesday night and Thursday morning with Ryan and I before Ryan drove him down to Preston to spend time with his brothers and my parents.

That's where the three of them are now. I don't know how long they will be gone or just how we plan to get them back. But it IS much easier to be on bed rest without them here.

BUT my boys have had a chance to get out and do some fun things, while with Grandma and Grandpa that they wouldn't have been able to if they had stayed here: like being in a parade and throwing candy, watching fireworks, playing with cousins, going hiking, and playing at the park.

So I guess it's all working out for the best.
I hope the rest of you are filling your summer days with fun and adventure, and not laying on the couch like me.

Just Another Day

I haven't much to say and have no pictures to make what I do say more entertaining, so I'll apologize in advance.

We are living in our new place, it is a better environment for all of us. But we have not yet sold our home. We haven't even moved all of our belonging over and there are still many projects to be done there.

It is fun to have a back yard for the boys to play in. We are slowly getting used to our new ward and it's different dynamics. Even the bishop stated while talking with us, "We are starved for young people." It is very true.

We miss our friends, but hope to makes some new ones soon close to where we are.

My pregnancy is going well. I am now 23 weeks into this adventure. We found out at our ultrasound that we are expecting our fourth BOY! So no pink or Disney Princesses for us, but he's healthy and growing well.

Ryan is working in Idaho Falls managing the Fred Meyer Jewelers store while their current manager is on maternity leave. Ryan really likes managing, it's been a fun and empowering experience for him. He likes being in charge and having some control over his schedule and environment.

Ryan has been working in jewelry for 10 years and has much knowledge and experience to share. It is hard for us to have him gone so much. As a manager he has to work 6 days a week, 10 hour shifts (with an hour lunch) add the 2 hours of drive time and he's gone for 12 hours every day. I just keep telling myself that it's temporary and I can do anything for a few months.

That's all that is going on with us.

A Fun Family Outing

We had a neat weekend; we drove to Burley, ID last Friday and stayed at the Fairfield Marriott hotel.

Saturday we got up at 6:00am, went down to breakfast and then had to meet in the lobby at 7:45 all dressed in our fancy clothes, ready for family pictures. We all dressed in brown, blue and green so we could match!
Ryan took some pictures while we waited for our turn with the photographer (for individual family pictures.)

We took pictures in the park next to Shoshone Falls. I'll be excited to see how they turn out.



We went to the Twin Falls temple to watch Ryan's brother and his wife be sealed to their 2 adopted sons. So many people were there to support Eric and Bonnie. Ryan's Aunts and Uncles from the Green side and the Stavast side. Grandpa Green (Don) was there and so was Grandma Stavast. Lots form Bonnie's family, family friends and even the foster family that had, had Bill and Austin before Eric and Bonnie got them.

We were in the biggest sealing room I had ever seen! It was beautiful! I was quite emotional. It was a wonderful ceremony, and it was so neat that Eric and Bonnie finally have children of their own to keep forever and ever!! It was neat to watch them interact with the boys in the temple and to see those little boys... Bill and Austin are the same ages as Tate and Canton so it was extra near and dear to my heart.

After some pictures we went back to the church and had a very nice lunch. Once we got back to the hotel we were all very tired and took a nap - then we all played in the swimming pool! Lots of little cousins and Grandma too! Oran was so cute and very comfortable in the pool; kicking his legs and flapping his arms on his back or his front. He kept going from person to person, Uncle Neil, Uncle Eric, Grandma, Mom or Dad. But Tate was very clingy and panicky! He's never liked being in the water, but I was hoping he would get better. Canton was doing really well until he got a little too fearless and got into some trouble. I swam over and rescued him, but after that he was content to sit on the stairs and kept saying "I couldn't see, and I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't talk! It was too deep and I was sinking!!" But before we left the pool area he was getting a little braver and walking around in the 3 foot section.

It was a fun time! I always love spending time with family adn the hotel stay made it extra fun and special.

Best Discovery Yet

For years I've been trying to find ways to make money online, from home, in what little time I can find in between being a Mom, wife, housekeeper, cook, hair stylist, conflict manager and random other jobs that different situations require. I've spent hours upon hours on sites like inboxdollars, memolink, mypoints, creationsrewards, rewardport, and filling our hundreds of online surveys to watch the money slowly trickle in. It's been great using that money for Christmases and on other "Me" items over the past 6 years, but it's been a lot of work and very slow in adding up. BUT, thanks to my good buddy Callie I am now a proud member of the swagbucks community.

I have found a new love! Swagbucks.com - I don't know if any of you already swag, but I thought I'd spread the love. I've been a member for a couple of weeks now and have already earned over 1000 Swagbucks - it's awesome to watch them grow so fast!

If you've spent as much time trying to earn points online as I have you know how long it can take to build them up. So I'm excited. It's a free program that pays you "digital dollars" when you search the web. It only happens occasionally, but those dollars add up and you can redeem them for prizes (I've already redeemed two $5 Amazon gift certificates, because they have so many things at Amazon. That's 450 swagbucks each.) But you can use it for other gift certificates or prizes, like an Xbox, Wii, Iphone, CDs, DVDs, Health and Beauty products (so many choices!) Or if you wait until you have 700 swagbucks you can redeem for $5 paid through Paypal. Every once in a while they'll have a code that you can find to get some more swags, it's like a treasure hunt!

It's completely free to do. If you do online shopping, you can go through them to get more swags as well. If you want to sign up, go to http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Annarac if you have any questions, just ask me and I can see if I can help you out. I like getting stuff for free or discounted. It's not a whole lot of money, but if you're going to be on the web anyway, it's worth a shot!

(I downloaded the toolbar and use it for all my internet searches, instead of google, like I used to, and that's how I've earned most of my SBs it's super easy. Plus you earn swagbuck every 24 hours just for having and using the toolbar!!)

You probably think I'm a dork, but I'm hooked!! I can't wait to buy all the things I've put on my Amazon Baby registry from gift cards earned through Swagbucks!

I hope some of you sign up, 'cause it's a blast, and if you're going to be searching the web you might as well be getting a little something for it!

Moving mingled with Tears

We are planning to move from our house very soon. We've had our house on the market for a few weeks and we have signed a 12 month lease on a new apartment. It all seems to be happening so fast and I have a lot of mixed feelings.

Our house has been one headache after another - in need of constant maintainence and repair. If there is one thing I have learned from owning this house it is that my husband IS NOT a "fix-it man" or much of a "Do-It-Yourselfer." But I have grown to love this house. We have put so much work and love into this house that it has really grown on me.

For Sale ">

Our house feels like home, and as I wander from room to room I see our personality oozing through the walls. I made and hung the curtains myself, I picked out all of the paint colors, and tile, and I worked alongside my family to make this "fixer-upper" a home.

Our house has been a challenge, and I've never liked the neighborhood but it is going to be hard to leave it and all of the friends we have made in this ward. We are only moving across town, but it might as well be a lot farther. I've learned from past experience that if you don't see people at least once a week you have a
way of loosing contact pretty quickly.

I am overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. Ryan is working and going to school, I am taking care of our three little boys and growing a fourth. I can barely keep dishes clean, my kids fed and clean clothes in our drawers and I'm trying to pack our belongings and repair all that needs fixed. Being pregnant makes me so tired!

But after much prayer and many tears I think that we are doing the right thing. this move will be good for our family. Our living expenses will be lower, and our little boys will have a yard to play in that is SAFE!

We will be moving into an apartment with a main floor and a basement, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a fenced backyard. We will be living close to friends who will help us if we need it, and without having to pour so much of our income into a house that needs help we'll be able to start paying down our debt and saving a little too.

Celebrating Easter

For some reason I've found this holiday a little depressing this year. With all of the stress and work that comes with selling a house and moving, I have over looked it a bit and I have let it sneak up on me. Tomorrow is Easter and I'm not feeling at all prepared.

I feel like our Easter Celebrations have been so, empty, frivolous, and silly. As Janet Hales put it:

"For years I felt that our family's Easter celebration was as hollow as the chocolate bunnies we devoured on Easter morning. All my life I had been told that the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the most sacred and significant events in all creation. If that is true, I reasoned, then shouldn't Easter, the commemoration of those events, be the highlight of our year?"

My children have been excitedly chattering about the Easter bunny all day. If I had thought ahead I would have prepared the egg hunt and baskets for today and have it be a strictly Saturday activity, but it's too late for that. It might be too late for just about everything. In my determination to get repairs made on our house, pack a few boxes and have the house clean enough to show to perspective buyers there has been no time for shopping or playing "Easter Bunny." I have bought a single egg, blade of grass or piece of candy - But it is expected.

Ryan is still at work so I asked him to get a few things (I hope he doesn't go over board.)

I think what I will do is stick a slip of paper in each egg, with the candy (so there is no revolting), that has either a scripture reference or a song we could sing. That way we can bring Christ back into our celebration.

I thought we could also watch a video about the resurrection either before conference starts or in between sessions.

I hope that is all goes well and that I feel a little better about the whole thing tomorrow.

So, So, Tired

We've been working on our house non-stop since Monday and I'm exhausted!

Gail Bishard, a Realtor and a good friend of ours, came on Monday morning and looked through our house. We sat down and talked, signed papers and before she left she pounded a "For Sale by Gail" sign into our front yard.

There is only one month left on the home buyer tax credit so we are crossing our fingers and hoping to find a buyer planning to take advantage of that credit.

We bought this house as a major fixer-upper and had to do a conventional loan to get it. But Gail told us that Conventional loans are so hard to get right now: high interest rates, high credit scores, and large down payments, so she wants our house to be approved for VA and FHA loans which means more work for us.

We were hoping to be able to sell the house as is: lots on improvements but still some things to fix - but I guess it's not working out that way.

In our paper work we agreed to have the garage painted, the porches painted, the front bathroom in fully functional condition, a working heat source in every room, and all the wood work finished. So we've been working like crazy, but still have a long way to go.

Ryan was hoping to work on the front porch today, but then it rained, followed by snow!

I think I'm too tired to paint any more just yet, perhaps if I go lay down for a while I'll be able to get more done later... Here's hoping.

If anyone wants to volunteer some service hours we would love a little help!

Money Woes and Lots of Stress

Things have now reached the point where we can no longer ignore them. It's been nearly a year since Ryan's pay at Fred Meyer was cut by 4% and his hours were cut back to part time. He went back to school to keep student loans at bay (which will be $800 a month when we DO have to start paying them back.)
We have come to the conclusion that we need to sell our house, and find somewhere to rent that doesn't cost more than our current mortgage and has lower utility costs. I will miss our ward and I don't know where we will go (we have yet to find somewhere that meets our needs and is within our price range.)
There are things that still need to be done on our house, but I don't feel like I can do most of them myself and Ryan doesn't have the time or motivation to finish them off. So I think the best thing to do is to do my best to get it clean (with the help of my kids :P) and get it on the market right away; then we'll just have to see what happens.
I need to put my trust in the Lord, exercise a little faith, and trust that things will work out for the best.