Back to the Grind

Hey everyone! We're back in Nebraska, and getting everything back to normal. I am absolutely loving having Brian back around, and the kids are getting used to daddy being back, too. Eliana is definitely still having some issues with Mommy being the only one allowed to comfort her, which has been a little hard on Brian, I think, but I expect that as we continue getting used to being back together as a family that it will ease up. Liam adores his daddy and mommy, and is letting Brian put him down for naps, though he does insist on Mommy for bedtime.

Brian started school yesterday, and we are looking forward to seeing how this semester ends up going. He's a little nervous about it, as he has far more responsibilities and classes, as well as needing to write up his internship practicum paper. His summer ended up really well, and he learned a lot working at NSF.

The kids are in their own bedroom. Woohoo! Yes, Liam does end up in our bed most nights for at least half of the night, and Eli likes to come wake us up at unreasonably early hours and cuddle, but hey, at least they start the night in their room, right? Eliana is working super hard on potty training, and as long as she doesn't have anything (read diaper or panties) on her bum, she uses the potty every time! Good job, Eli! Liam is working on being awesome. And by awesome, I mean that he sits up by himself, is starting to crawl, is getting his top two teeth (he already has his bottom front two), and insists that anytime we are eating that we feed him food as well. He loves guacamole, and honestly hasn't rejected anything that we've tried to give him. Though he's not super fond of plain old rice cereal. But he'll eat it if he has to. He's also the happiest baby in existence. I love his smiles!

As for me, I'm just working on settling back in. After my summer break, I'm looking forward to starting to do some crafty things again, and I have two quilts in the planning stages. I'm also hoping to do some canning in the near future, as there is an organic pick your own farm that should be starting peaches next week. Yum! I also plan on making some new curtains for our house, because the ones that the landlord put up are hecka ugly. Just taking them down is an improvement. I'm also going to try and convince Brian, and then the landlord, that the kitchen needs to be repainted. Because the entire thing, including the ceiling, is the yellow color of dried grease. Make me barf. And I want it to be pretty, so there. This weekend we will be getting our crib and dresser/changing station for the kids room! So excited!!! Thanks Mom and Steven! You guys are seriously awesome! I'm actually really looking forward to getting to put those together. Because I enjoy that sort of things immensely. Anyway, I really should get back to the kids and take over the laundry from Brian (that man is a saint, incidentally), so I shall chat with all of you lovely's later!

I'm DYYYYIIIIINNNNGGGG!!!!!!!!!

Okay, just as fair warning, if you're easily grossed out by descriptions of terrible things happening to your bodily functions, or don't want to read about horrible things happening to lady parts, skip this post. No, seriously, you may not want to read it. I'm going to complain though, because it's MY blog, and I can. So there.

So I got an IUD again after having Liam to help with the postpartum depression issues and the fact that I was hugely terrified of getting pregnant again anytime soon. I thought, because the only problem that I had with the last one was improper placement, that if this one was placed correctly it would be the perfect birth control. I really don't know if I believe that anymore, and I'm seriously reevaluating the stupid thing. Firstly, I got a uterine infection. Apparently 30% of women with the mirena IUD get one in the first 6 months. I honestly didn't realize that was that high of a risk. So not cool. I found this out because I went to the doctor for feeling nauseated, having cramping, lower back pain, burning and swollen down there, hot and cold flashes all night long, and dizziness. Turns out the dizziness and nausea were from an inner ear infection though. So they diagnose the uterine infection, send me home with a prescription for antibiotics, and tell me all should be well within about 3 days.

Now, I know that antibiotics can do some nasty crap to you. So I went and got a probiotic to help with things. Problem is, you can't take it for at least 2 hours after the antibiotic, and I have to take that 3 times a day. So basically I can only take it right before bed, since it's supposed to be a once a day thing. So we're doing that.

Two days later, I have a yeast infection on top of the uterine infection from the antibiotics killing off all the good bacteria and leaving only yeast, which antibiotics don't kill. AND diarrhea from the antibiotics, leaving my entire pelvic floor feeling like it's on FIRE. I was seriously crying every time that I had to go to the bathroom, because I had killer everything. And I'm allergic to disposable pads. If I use them for more than about 5 days I get a horribly burny itchy rash from them. And I had to use them because let's face it, I don't want to get my cloth pads infected from the crap from the underworld and go through round after round of fighting this stuff. AND the hemorrhoid that I got from birthing Eliana decided to start acting up ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Literally wanted to die. I kid you not.

So I went to the store in the morning, got some yeast infection meds, and some yogurt because that is supposed to help against yeast and the diarrhea caused by the antibiotics. And then I stole my baby's diaper rash ointment (PS, shameless plug for the earth mama angel baby bottom balm: That stuff is AMAZING! and it smells good.) and am using that for the irritation from the diarrhea and the rash from the pads. Started the monistat, and began eating a scoop of yogurt everytime I go past the fridge. And then we hit evening, and the world decided to laugh at me one more time. Liam started glurping. Tons. I had completely forgotten that if I eat dairy, my babies throw up. And he is. Mind you, he's completely happy while doing it, and it's just spit-up, but he doesn't spit up at all as long as I'm not eating dairy foods. So yeah. I'm apparently going to just try to get through this the best that I can, and hope that things go better quickly. Especially since the antibiotic is decreasing my milk production as well.

All in all, if this ever happens again the IUD will be gone for good. As it is, I'd rather recover from childbirth, that was more comfortable. Heck, I might even choose to go through childbirth rather than deal with this many problems with the lady parts.

Someday maybe I'll look back and laugh at all this....

A Summer of Trials and Blessings

Hey everyone. Just thought I'd let everyone know what is going on with our family.

As many of you may have heard, Megan and I are separated for the summer. I have an internship with the National Science Foundation this summer as part of my coursework at UNL. Unfortunately, we could not all go together to DC for a number of reasons. But Megan and the kids are with my family in Idaho and they are having a wonderful time playing with grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and cousins. We have the opportunity to chat via video chat every night (thank you Google!) where we enjoying talking, singing songs together, and praying together. Technology, in this case, has been a tremendous blessing. I did, however, have the opportunity to fly home and visit everyone for Fourth of July weekend.

Liam is four months now. He has already teethed two bottom teeth and is a rock star at rolling over. He currently is working on scooting. He is a genuinely happy baby and enjoys milk and is learning about rice cereal and applesauce. Liam loves chatting with daddy online (as well as chatting in general). He is a little chubbers and daddy can't wait to take him to his first baseball game and get him his own glove. (It may or may not be an excuse to finally get himself one.)

Eliana is two and a half and lets everyone know it. She is extremely independent and loves Barbies, books, and helping to cook. Princess is her theme (go figure) and especially looks up to Rapunzel. Something to do with long hair. She loves to have daddy tell stories about Princess Eliana and he graciously develops fairy tales out of thin air. She also enjoys going to the park and playing in the water and on the slides.

Megan is enjoying the company of family and enjoyed a trip to Provo in June to see the ol' Provo family and had a lovely time. Gardening has been her favorite thing (besides talking with her husband) with strawberry and raspberry picking in full force. Lettuce and tomatoes are on their way. She feels very blessed to be around family for the summer.

I have been working hard on my internship with the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics doing a lot of data detective work trying to work on some analysis. I don't have a lot of extra time on my hands but have gone out twice with a fellow student to see Washington D.C. and some of the sights. I feel very blessed to have an inexpensive place to live with some very nice (and nerdy) members.

We will be getting back together near the middle of August and heading back to Lincoln to start a new school year. Mostly, we are looking forward to being together again. We have appreciated the lessons from this adventure, but our anxious to learn more together.

All the best to y'all. Hope you are enjoying your summer.

Importance of Studying the Atonement

From Richard G. Scott's April 2010 General Conference address:

There is an imperative need for each of us to strengthen our understanding of the significance of the Atonement of Jesus Christ so that it will become an unshakable foundation upon which to build our lives. As the world becomes more devoid of foundational standards and as honor, virtue, and purity are increasingly cast aside in the pursuit of appetite, our understanding of and faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ will provide strength and capacity needed for a successful life. It will also bring confidence in times of trial and peace in moments of turmoil.

I energetically encourage you to establish a personal study plan to better understand and appreciate the incomparable, eternal, infinite consequences of Jesus Christ’s perfect fulfillment of His divinely appointed calling as our Savior and Redeemer. Profound personal pondering of the scriptures accompanied by searching, heartfelt prayer will fortify your understanding of and appreciation for His priceless Atonement. Another powerful way to learn of Jesus Christ and His Atonement is through consistent temple attendance.

http://lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/he-lives-all-glory-to-his-name?lang=eng

The Birth of William Michael

Hello loveys! It's been about a month now since Liam was born, and I rather thought that I should write down the story of his birth. He's napping next to me in his bouncer seat right now, and will probably be up soon. Eliana, our proud big sister, is watching Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses, which her grandma Tutu, my mom, got her. I am immensely grateful for my mom's help and support, as things would have been much more difficult if she had not gotten here when she did. She had originally planned to come out on March 3rd, but we both got a prompting that she needed to come the week before, and she was luckily able to do so, for which I could not be more thankful. On to the birth story!

On Sunday morning, I was woken up by some slightly crampy contractions. It wasn't a big deal, and when I got up they stopped hurting, and just felt like some pressure. Since that was what my contractions felt like with Eliana until I was 5 cm dilated, I was concerned that they might be the beginning of labor for me. We went to the hospital when they were 4 mins apart, but I was only at a 1. I felt that it was better to be safe than chance having Liam at home. That night I was woken up by painful contractions at about 3 in the morning. They were consistent and getting closer together until about 6 am they were 5 minutes apart and I called my doula to come over. Julia got to our house about the same time that the sun came up, and my mom woke as well. When the sun came up, my contractions spaced to between 15 and 20 minutes apart and stayed that way all day. When the sun went down again they went straight to 7 mins apart. I got a little bit of sleep but woke at 2 am with contractions again. This time they weren't as regular, and were far more painful. I woke Brian up partway through the night and had him help me through them, because I really didn't want to be alone like I had the night before. We decided to call the doctor when their office opened and went in to get checked on because I had been in labor since Sunday. (Note that this was Tuesday morning.) Dr. McNeely wanted to break my water and see if that would get things to jumpstart, but I wanted to wait and see if things would happen on their own as he thought Liam would be born within the next day regardless. I was at a 3-4 cm dilated and 80% effaced. I also knew that I wouldn't be willing to go past another 24 hours and that if I had the same thing happen that night, we would be going to the hospital regardless. After our doctor's visit, I went and got adjusted by the chiropractor, and that helped immensely, especially since I had been having a lot of problems with my pelvis and hips throughout the pregnancy. As soon as I was adjusted my contractions hurt far less, which was nice. They continued through the day at between 10 and 15 minutes apart.

That night I went to bed at 10:30, and Brian came in an hour later after working on some homework. I woke up at 12:30 (so it was now Wednesday, March 2) and couldn't get back to sleep. I woke Brian up and we worked through my contractions together. At 2 am, my contractions went to 4 minutes apart and I knew that we needed to go to the hospital. We called Julia (my doula) and she came over, getting pulled over on the way. Luckily, she only got a warning, after telling the officer that she was headed to a birth. Meanwhile, I told Brian that we needed to go, and while he told me to wait a few minutes, Eliana cried out in her sleep "no, daddy, don't go!" and my mom woke up a few minutes later, came downstairs and told me that she had just dreamed that we needed to go. Needless to say, it was quite interesting that everyone in the house was either dreaming or thinking that we were going to the hospital at the same time. My contractions spaced out a little in the car on the way to the hospital, and by the time we were checked in were back to 4 1/2 minutes apart. We got the most amazing nurse, who was honestly an answer to my prayers. Her name was Nicki. I wanted to do everything as naturally as possible, and she supported us in every way. She suggested positions to try, some of which helped a lot.

I tried the tub after doing some standing positions and some sitting on the toilet (which ended up being the best ways for me to labor). In all honesty, for this labor I HATED the tub. I think part of that was that it was a little cooler than I would have liked, but I also had a harder time relaxing through the contractions in the water. I think it would have helped if Brian had been in the tub with me, but I didn't ask him to get in. Maybe next time we'll try that instead. I had been 5 cm when admitted, and was 7 when I got out of the tub. Our nurse called Dr. McNeely at that point to let him know, and it turned out that he was already on his way, and had only 5 minuted to get to the hospital. I am so grateful that we got him as our doctor, as I believe that for our circumstance there couldn't have been anyone better. I got to an 8 pretty quickly, but I stayed there for a while. I'm not really sure how long, but it was at least an hour or more. Because I had been in labor for so long, Dr. McNeely was worried that my body was stalling, and I rather think that he was right. So first they put me in the most uncomfortable position possible, trying to make my contractions stronger. I was on my right side in bed, and Brian had to sit on Nicki's lap to get to where I needed him to be. Rather an amusing picture though:


Next they wanted to see what would happen if I pushed a little, as my water had still not broken and I hadn't dilated any more. This was actually the only point that I swore at, as it was really painful. Having someone check your cervix during a contraction while pushing a little bit is not fun. AT ALL. Unfortunately, pushing a little made my cervix start to swell a little bit, so they scrapped that idea quickly. At that point, Dr. McNeely was a bit worried because it seemed I had stalled, was utterly exhausted from 3 days of labor and very little sleep, and told me that we would need to do some sort of intervention, and that his thought was to do an epidural. I really started to despair at that point. Luckily for me, Nicki, our nurse, intervened and suggested breaking my water first, as I had told her how much I hated the way the epidural with Eliana had made me feel. Everyone left so that Brian and I could talk about it, and I was at the point where I felt as though my body had failed me, and that I might as well get the epidural, because there was a part of me that didn't want to feel it anymore. Luckily for me, Nicki talked to Dr. McNeely some more and he agreed that we would break my water first and then do an IV so that if I did want an epidural I could have one. Nicki also strong-armed me a bit into it, and I absolutely know that I wasn't rational at that point, and that it was the best thing to do. I'm really glad that they went for breaking my water first. After they did the amniotomy, I got up (rather slowly, I'll admit, as the contractions had just gotten a lot different) and did a few contractions standing and leaning on Brian's shoulder with Julia doing a little bit of pressure on my lower back and reminding me to relax. (Which was my favorite was to labor pretty much the entire way through). The birthing stool was suggested to me, as I had also been comfortable laboring on the toilet, and I said yes. They put it on the lowered foot of the bed, and raised the section behind it so that Brian could sit behind me and support me. It was a very long 3 steps to get to it, and I honestly didn't know if I could get up onto it for a few moments. Somehow I did (with quite a bit of help), and it seems like only moments until I was pushing. Pushing itself was a very intense experience. Not bad, just intense. I did end up doing some yelling while pushing, but it was very throaty and a bit growly. But loud. Because, after all, I am Megan. And Megan tends to be loud. Julia told me later that I sounded like a warrior. Which I'm quite okay with. It was something that I couldn't really control, anyway. I also really liked just pushing how and when my body told me that I had to. I didn't have anyone telling me what to do, and I don't think I could have actually listed to them if they had. Pushing only lasted about 10 or 15 minutes, and once Liam's head was out, the rest of him slipped out very quickly behind it, and he was passed straight up into my arms, where we dried him with receiving blankets and held him in arms for the first time. While we were drying him he peed on the doctor, which was a little bit funny, as Dr. McNeely couldn't figure out where the wet was coming from and we all realized that Liam had christened his arm.


Afterwards, Brian cut Liam's cord (which he didn't do with Eliana) and we (Liam and I) moved onto the bed proper to have some bonding and skin to skin time. At which point he decided to get meconium all over me. 3 times before we finally decided that he probably needed a diaper. Let me tell you, that stuff is sticky and a little hard to clean up. Liam weighed in at 6 lbs and 4 oz. After peeing and pooing, so he was probably slightly more than that. Which still makes me laugh. He also looked EXACTLY like his daddy. To prove it, here are the pictures:
Brian

Liam


Brian went and got my mom and Eliana not too much later, and that was rather wonderful. Eliana was so excited to see baby Liam. When a nurse came into the room that had not previously been there, Eli shouted: "No take baby Liam!" and put her arms protectively over him. Hilarious.

As for me, this birth was a wonderful experience, and I wouldn't choose to do it any other way. I think that it helped me learn how much strength women truly have, and it was very empowering. I learned a lot about myself, and about my relationship with the divine. I know that God does not send his children alone into this world, and that we were watched over by angels at every step of the way. I believe that I felt their joy as I held my little boy for the first time. I know that Heavenly Mother is strong, because Her daughters are made in her image, and we are strong, we women. I also know that we are never given a challenge that we cannot overcome, especially as we seek God's help in our trials. I am so grateful that I was able to go through this experience at this time in my life. I learned so much, and I wouldn't have changed any of it. I wish that more women were able to realize the blessings that can come from having children in the Lord's timing and in the way that their body was designed to do it. I realize that not everyone wants to feel all that labor is, and I agree that it was very hard, but to me it was a very worthwhile endeavor, one that I think every woman can learn more about herself through. I also recognize that there are times that interventions are very needed, and can be lifesaving, and I am grateful especially that none were needed for us this time. Above all, I think that the most important thing is to go hand in hand with God and listen to the promptings of the spirit as we bring his precious children into this world.

Long Needed Update

So we have been absolutely horrible about posting, I know. Life just gets busy, and in all reality, I'm not very good at making sure that I journal, let alone blog. Life is going pretty well for us these days. We moved out here to Lincoln Nebraska at the very end of July, and we've been here for I think almost 6 months? We found out just before we moved that we are having another baby! I am actually due a month from today. I can't believe that I only have 4 weeks left until my due date. I'm not counting on this little boy actually making his appearance on that day, but it's good to have a general idea of when to expect him. I'm sooo ridiculously excited to be having another baby. Eliana is getting extremely big these days and is amazing! I am finding more and more that she is one of the biggest joys in my life (though some days I think that she is also a challenge. Mostly because we are cutting molars right now). I have been keeping myself very busy with being a stay-at-home mommy, and am finding that I really enjoy it. So Eliana is 2 years old now, as of November, and we are going to be adding a little boy probably next month in March. Hopefully he will be in March, because my mom is planning on coming out and I really want her to be here for his birth. We are really excited about it, and I am hoping to be able to have an unmedicated and natural labor this time (I was induced and had an epidural for Eli). I wish that I could do a home birth with a midwife, but that is actually illegal in this state, and Brian and I decided that it was important to follow the law. We did a lot of praying about it, and we ended up finding an amazing doctor who I think will be just what we need for this birth. So I know that the Lord is looking out for us, and I am so grateful for the blessing of personal revelation in our lives!

Lincoln is definitely a different experience. To be honest, I have a horrible love/hate relationship with this city. Firstly, it is crazy hard to get anywhere! The planning is just plain bad. Mostly because it is an old city that was never expected to be as big as it is. The newer parts are easier to get around in, but the older parts, you are lucky if there are two lanes each way in traffic. And don't get me started on all the one-way streets. It's enough to drive you crazy! People here are pretty friendly, but it has been hard making actual friends. We have some friends in the ward, and we are super happy to have them, but I really miss everyone back in Provo. It's hard making new friends. Our ward is small, but it's pretty good. I got called to be the primary chorister, and Brian is one of the counselors for the Elder's Quorum. We are enjoying our callings for the most part, and I absolutely love the kids in our primary. They are a joy to work with.

Brian is doing really well in his Master's program. He really enjoys what he is doing and I am so happy that he is. He got a 4.0 for his first semester, and is working really hard this semester. We are hoping that he will continue to do as well. We are so blessed that his tuition is being paid for by an assistantship, and they actually externed him out to the state DHHS. That came with a pay raise, so no complaints from us. We are hoping that he will be able to write a paper for something that he is working on there, but there are no guarantees. We really want to make sure that he is able to get published again in his master's degree, because right now he is looking at doing a doctorate and it's easier to get accepted and funded if you continue to be involved in research. That being said, two of the papers that he co-authored during his undergrad have been accepted for publication! Woohoo! It is also extremely likely that we are going to be going to Washington DC for the summer for an internship for Brian with the National Science Foundation. We are just waiting to hear for sure at this point, and then we will be able to start looking for a place to live for the summer. Then we'll have to find another place here in Lincoln for next school year. Hopefully we will be able to find something a bit bigger than what we are in now. When we moved from Provo we lost 300 square feet, which is really a lot more than you would expect. Everything will depend on finances and what we can find though, so we will see.

I have been keeping busy with a lot of sewing projects, and have finally finished with a pair of knitted shorties for Eli! Woohoo! It's taken more than a year to finish them though, silly me! I am working on a quilt for the new baby, which I am really excited about. One of these days I will have to post my project pictures. Not sure when though. I am also finishing a major purge of our stuff. We have way too much! So I'm going through and getting rid of the stuff that I know that we don't need. Of course, with adding a bunch of stuff for a new little one, we are probably breaking even on amount of stuff, but at least we won't have to haul even more around with all of our moving.

So that is most of the major stuff that has been going on here in the Wells household recently, and here are some gratuitous cute pictures!

Graduate School Here We Come

Hey everyone! Thought I'd keep the few of you who read here up to date. I have been accepted to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Survey Research and Methodology program for this Fall. So in July/August we will be moving out to Lincoln, Nebraska. They work hand-in-hand with Gallup and they've actually offered me an assistantship with Gallup as part of my acceptance. In short, grad school is basically paid for. I'm really excited about it.

Hope all is well. We'll give you more updates soon.