tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40146282708554856992024-02-07T01:47:32.808-07:00Je Suis StephJe.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.comBlogger358125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-14554256652731932022013-09-05T22:35:00.001-06:002013-09-05T22:35:17.883-06:004 month catchup = nbdWhelp, four months have gone by like its nobody's business:<br />
<br />
--We went on an fantastically amazing 6 week cross country road trip this summer and visited family in Colorado, Kansas, and Minnesota. We saw lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. We watched Ryan graduate from high school (Hallelujah. High school is of the ghetto). <br />
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--Two family reunions, one for my side and one for Matthew's side of the family. Nothing but good times there.<br />
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--Sarah started smiling, giggling, rolling over, and is just beginning to crawl.<br />
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--This year, instead of teaching at two schools, Matthew took a full time job at one of them. It's only about 5 minutes away from our house, which is so so nice, but I think it is also a little crazy having kids who live on our block in his classes.<br />
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--Matthew is also teaching a math class two nights a week at a local technical college. He also referees little league and high school football games. He is one busy dude. <br />
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--Natalie has become a very enthusiastic dancer.<br />
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--She has also developed a deep and abiding love for Barney.<br />
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--I basically just sit around and stare at the ceiling all day. False. I have actually really gotten into running lately. I'm not going to lie, it feels awesome to be able to pound out 4-6 miles consistently most weekday mornings, and then do longer weekend runs, when I've almost never been able to struggle past 2 or 3 miles. It's also been great to help take off all the baby weight. I just hope I can keep the momentum up and keep running/exercising through the winter. <br />
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--We love the family garden we share with Matthew's family. This year there are tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, lemon cucumbers, beets, cantaloupe, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, and last but not least, green beans. Love love love it.<br />
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And now, pictures!<br />
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"Baby, baby, I cute!"</div>
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Watching Barney together</div>
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Cousins</div>
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Snuggly sleeping baby. She doesn't snuggle very often anymore :(</div>
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Natalie LOVES Sarah. </div>
Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-29364333412530221612013-05-01T20:14:00.003-06:002013-05-01T20:14:56.236-06:00BooksI feel like Matthew and I have been <i>inhaling </i>books over the past couple of months. It really helps that he teaches at TWO high schools with TWO libraries, and the librarians are super nice at both and will hold books or recommend books that have been really fun reads. So instead of being in a 79 person waiting list for some of these books, we've gotten them right away. I'm not complaining about the extra little perk. :)<br />
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In no particular order, and providing no description for any of them, these are several titles we've particularly enjoyed (Books on the same line separated with a "/" are in the same series):<br />
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Dragonswood/Dragon's Keep <i>by Janet Lee Carey</i><br />
The False Prince <i>by Jennifer Nielsen</i><br />
Falling Kingdoms <i>by Morgan Rhodes</i><br />
Code Name Verity <i>by Elizabeth Wein</i><br />
The Scorpio Races <i>by Maggie Stiefvater</i><br />
Daughter of Fire and Thorns/Crown of Embers <i>by Rae Carson</i><br />
Pathfinder/Ruins <i>by Orson Scott Card</i><br />
Daughter of Smoke and Bone/Days of Blood and Starlight <i>by Laini Taylor</i><br />
Graceling/Fire/Bitterblue <i>by Kristin Cashore</i><br />
Ruby Red <i>by Kerstin Gier</i><br />
Earth Unaware <i>by Orson Scott Card</i><br />
First Meeting in Ender's Universe <i>by Orson Scott Card</i>Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-15865387678008784192013-04-20T12:30:00.001-06:002013-04-20T12:31:04.161-06:00Baby Picture ComparisonsOne thing is for sure: Natalie and Sarah have very different looks:<br />
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Natalie and Sarah</div>
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When Natalie was born, I thought she had a good mix of both me and Matthew in her, but now that Sarah is born, Natalie definitely looks more like me and Sarah looks more like Matthew. Observe:<br />
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Matthew and Sarah </div>
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(No baby pictures of me available)</div>
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The most obvious feature is the hair. Sarah definitely has the head full of dark hair that is common in Matthew's family. She also has darker eyes that we think will most likely be brown--like Matthew's. And a lot of her facial features look a lot like Matthew's as well, I think.<br />
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Natalie, on the other hand, has more of my lighter, wispier hair. She has blue eyes--like me, and really long eyelashes, which is is common in my family. <br />
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It'll be interesting to see if all our kids fit into one of these two molds. It will also be interesting to see if they have personality traits more similar to the parent who they look like. Only time will tell...Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-82208391425819280162013-04-15T15:11:00.003-06:002013-04-15T15:11:55.597-06:00SistersNatalie was SOOOOO excited about the baby coming and was just adorable when she first met Sarah.<br />
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<br />Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-37580855724460177482013-04-15T15:03:00.001-06:002013-04-15T15:03:47.101-06:00GrandparentsI feel so lucky that both my mom and dad were able to be there for Sarah's birth. And super lucky that my mom is staying for another week, too :)<br />
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<br />Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-65932716572731724402013-04-15T14:58:00.000-06:002013-04-15T14:58:01.038-06:00And then there were fourAt least once a day Matthew and I look at each other wide-eyed and say "We have kid<i><b>S</b></i>" (emphasis on the purality) or "We have TWO girls" or "There are TWO car seats in our car" some other variation of holy buckets how is this possible?<br />
<br />
We love it, though. Here's the birth story, and a few pictures:<br />
We were supposed to go in on Saturday to be induced, but I got a call Friday morning and long story short, because they were going to be shortstaffed on Saturday and I would just be "on call" for my induction, they had me come in Friday afternoon instead. Which made Friday morning very busy and exciting, getting last minute things done and making and adjusting arrangements for everything.<br />
<br />
We went in at 3pm, got the IV, signed papers, got the epidural, started pitocin, and then had my water broken. Before they did anything, I was dilated to a 3 and apparently having contractions every 20 minutes (I wasn't feeling all of them). When my water was broken at 5:30, I was at a 4. My parents got there a little around 6:45 or so, and at 7pm I was dilated to a 7. At 8:15 I was at a 10.<br />
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So things moved pretty fast. I might add that my epidural was awesome. I hardly felt anything at all. Some discomfort with contractions when I was at a 6-7, but a few pushes of the epidural button took care of that, and really, it was a very calm and serene process. It was fantastic. I pushed for about 7 minutes, and poof! Our baby girl was born. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sarah Elisabeth</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
8 lbs 4 oz</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
19.5 inches</div>
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Practically perfect in every way :)</div>
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Natalie really wanted to help carry the baby in :)</div>
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Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-30746138843550554712013-03-14T21:29:00.002-06:002013-03-14T21:29:35.074-06:008 months, almost 9Here is my 34.5 week belly shot:<br />
<br />
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I feel like I have gotten a lot bigger just in the past week or two. My brother commented that a couple weeks ago, he thought I looked very pregnant, but this last time he saw me, he thought I looked "great with child." Haha. I certainly feel great with child--there are plenty of aches and pains to go around. And it's getting hard to breathe.<br />
<br />
Natalie is insanely cute about the baby. She will come up to my belly and say "baby, baby" and want to lift up my shirt to "see the baby." And she sometimes gives my belly a little kiss, all by herself. Adorable.<br />
<br />
The biggest news right now, however, is the baby is breech. Every time I have gone in for a non-stress test starting three weeks ago, I keep hoping she will flip, but to no avail. I know she still could flip, but every time I go in and she still hasn't turned, it is sad. So here's to hoping that she will turn by herself, or be easy to flip around when the doctor tries to flip her. I really, really, really don't want a c-section. Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-67994300058034621092013-02-17T20:43:00.000-07:002013-02-17T20:43:07.118-07:00me, me, me--Whelp, here we are. Seven months pregnant. Less than two months until baby. Six weeks until end of internship. And really, truly, cannot wait for both events to arrive. I am really excited for the baby to get here, in fact, almost surprised at <i>how much</i> I cannot wait for her to be born, but I suspect that part of that is related to the fact that when the baby is born I will finally be done with the internship. And that will be nothing but a happy day. <br />
<br />
--The way everything has worked out with internship and being pregnant has been very fortuitous. For example, being in the third trimester means a lot more doctor appointments. Next week I start non-stress tests twice a week and will have to take off a little early for all of those appointments. If I was in clinical or community rotations, missing those hours would have been a lot more of a big deal, but with the food service rotation, I can work on my projects at home to make up hours. <br />
<br />
--I bought myself some maternity clothes yesterday. It was kind of a
splurge, but all I can say is I am really happy to have more than one
pair of maternity pants that actually fits well. And a tank top that
will go all the way over my belly.<br />
<br />
--I have liked the food service rotation a lot more than I had thought I would a year ago. It is actually pretty fun--I am working at the district office of a local school district, doing a lot of managerial and administrative stuff, but also getting a lot of time in the schools. For example, last week I spent a few hours with a manager at one school trying out different smoothie combinations on a new Vitamix blender for a smoothie program they are doing at breakfast. That was nothing but a good time.<br />
<br />
--Of course, I also have had to make a lot more phone calls this rotation, which is <u>not </u>my favorite thing in the world. <br />
<br />
--Also, I'm pretty sure I have gained a pound every other day the past couple weeks. Again, <u>not </u>my favorite thing in the world. Is it too early to chalk it up to water retention? Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-68237511879471702882013-01-18T19:40:00.001-07:002013-01-18T19:40:32.711-07:00CGMI know you are all dying to hear about my cgm (saying "continuous glucose monitor" starts to be a mouthful). And even if you aren't on the edge of your seats waiting for all the details, well, I am dying to tell everyone about it, so here we go.<br />
<br />
My diabetes rotation for the internship was great, if for no other reason than they let me try out a bunch of cool diabetes gadgets, including a cgm. I only wore it for 5 days or so, but I really loved it and was convinced I should get one, especially since I am pregnant. I remember last pregnancy thinking a cgm would have been very helpful. Also my current doctor's opinion is that a cgm is a necessity more than a luxury in pregnancy, but you know, whatever. <br />
<br />
So, what does it do? Basically it is super handy dandy.<br />
--There is another site on my stomach that has a small tube under the skin (that is taken out and changed regularly), which reads and transmits my blood sugar level every five minutes. <br />
--The device that receives the data doesn't just show you the latest number, it shows you a graph that you can expand to show up to the latest 24 hours.<br />
--It tells you how fast your blood sugar is rising or falling (or if it is staying relatively constant). So you can see if you are dropping fast or whatnot.<br />
--It alarms if you go too high or too low (I have mine set to alarm me if I go below 80 or above 150).<br />
--It has some other features too, that I haven't really used yet. When you go to the doctor they can download the past month, two months, whatever. <br />
--So it reduces the need for lots of blood sugar testing during the day. You still have to check your blood at least twice to calibrate the cgm. They say technically you shouldn't treat highs or lows based on what the sensor says, but... I kind of ignore that most of the time.<br />
<br />
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So you can see, when this picture was taken, my current BG was 127, you can see the angled down arrow which means I was dropping slightly, and you can see the graph for the past 3 hours. Nifty eh? <br />
<br />
So, there are essentially two companies that make CGM currently: medtronic and dexcom. I tried out the medtronic in October, but I actually ended up buying the dexcom. The medtronic was great because it sends the data to my pump, so you have everything on one device. The dexcom sends the data to a separate little device, so you have to carry around another thing with you. That was a major pull for me to get a medtronic, but there were three big reasons I went with dexcom:<br />
<br />
1. It is more accurate. There is always some lag time between your real blood sugar level and what it says on the cgm when your blood sugar is rising or falling, especially if it is changing rapidly. (When it is not changing, or not changing fast, there is almost no discrepancy). However, the dexcom is more accurate than the medtronic. That was the clincher for me. Accuracy is kind of a big deal.<br />
2. Inserting the sites are less painful on the dexcom compared to the medtronic. Even if I have been sticking myself regularly for over 15 years, its not like that means it doesn't hurt.<br />
3. Sites on the dexcom supposedly last longer than the medtronic. They say the dexcom will last from 10-14 days, whereas the medtronic lasts up to 7. <br />
<br />
<br />
Anywhoozle, I could go on and give an even more detailed analysis with more
observations and likes/dislikes, blah blah blah, but I think I will call
it quits here. My final thought it that when all is said and done it turned out to be not that expensive, and it
is helpful and useful and accurate (at least, accurate enough to be helpful and useful). I'm a fan!Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-25367443619480242072013-01-12T21:28:00.001-07:002013-01-12T21:28:12.886-07:0026 weeks, almost<p dir=ltr>I am so bad at taking regular belly shots. Oh well. Life goes on. I'll be 26 weeks on Monday. Almost to the 3rd trimester! And I don't want to hear "you don't even hardly look pregnant!" Every so often someone still tells me that. Thanks,  but what I want to hear now is that I totally look way pregnant. Because I certainly feel very pregnant! :) I enjoyed Nathan telling me almost every day over Christmas how big my belly was getting.  </p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kquyne-qEKuwq2Fs1hcURE1grNKXWcth0wbukkgBh4CRrdQvFe5CT7eGVKO_kB23dOLcxs7_o9GOHIE7NYkVhIDdpEJ8qyospzQtpEbWr4MNee9IO15D2AQd2xz5XVT1uEVjIZK0coU/s1600/20130112_210433.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kquyne-qEKuwq2Fs1hcURE1grNKXWcth0wbukkgBh4CRrdQvFe5CT7eGVKO_kB23dOLcxs7_o9GOHIE7NYkVhIDdpEJ8qyospzQtpEbWr4MNee9IO15D2AQd2xz5XVT1uEVjIZK0coU/s640/20130112_210433.jpg' /> </a> </div>Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-18152487527261846552012-12-31T20:05:00.001-07:002012-12-31T20:05:40.987-07:00Play pretend<p dir=ltr>Natalie got a few fun new toys for Christmas,  including a little doll and some play food and dishes. What has been really cute is I haven't really seen her play pretend a lot before but she totally got into it without any real prompting or teaching from us. One of the cutest things ever was watching her try to feed her little dolly. </p>
<div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVEUKwh6vvDXUmSgr5xOhmPczlAv6f68sVDy8jolmWm0GCEMZOvH9YuQyQfNUnegR3GgGzAidT1th-sg7l12WwJkfWSOcSz5QkiE3Dgz8MxtKdCpkywqevlUxZz-id6pib2D19Xdrw4g/s1600/20121230_210447.jpg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVEUKwh6vvDXUmSgr5xOhmPczlAv6f68sVDy8jolmWm0GCEMZOvH9YuQyQfNUnegR3GgGzAidT1th-sg7l12WwJkfWSOcSz5QkiE3Dgz8MxtKdCpkywqevlUxZz-id6pib2D19Xdrw4g/s640/20121230_210447.jpg' /> </a> </div>Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-39475463116910864432012-12-09T19:28:00.002-07:002012-12-09T19:28:58.501-07:00oh my oh my oh dinosaursA few candid shots from playing dinosaurs this morning. It's just too bad you can't capture Natalie's "rawrs" on a still picture.<br />
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Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-40605211161869496592012-12-06T17:50:00.000-07:002012-12-06T17:50:44.694-07:00THE pregnancy cravingI remember this distinctly last time I was pregnant: I was super excited for Thanksgiving. Like I kept thinking about turkey, gravy, stuffing, rolls, potatoes, etc for a couple of weeks before hand. Then there was a year where Natalie was a baby, and although I was excited for Thanksgiving, I didn't find myself so incredibly super duper stoked for it. Then this year rolls around. For 2-3 weeks beforehand I was craving all the Thanksgiving fixings.<br />
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This time though, the craving didn't stop after the Thanksgiving meal was finished. In fact, although we had somewhere between 2-3 Thanksgiving type meals during that weekend, I was still craving turkey. and gravy. and potatoes. and rolls. and sweet potato casserole. and stuffing. Oh the stuffing. If I had to pick a favorite Thanksgiving food, it would probably be homemade stuffing. <br />
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So the Sunday following Thanksgiving we pulled out of the freezer the turkey we had bought earlier that week and originally had been planning to save for a while. The following Saturday (this past Saturday if anyone is keeping track) we cooked up that hunk of meat. And then we really went all out. First we ate half of one turkey breast that afternoon. Then we made turkey soup. Then we made all the fixings that we love and adore: the gravy, the potatoes, the stuffing, the sweet potatoes, and we have been eating leftovers of it all since then.<br />
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Here's the problem though. We are almost out of turkey, but I am not anywhere close from being sick of this meal. Matthew suggested that we should buy another turkey and cook it up and just keep going... and you know what, I think that is a fantastic idea.<br />
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Maybe by January I will have gotten my fill of turkey??? Hopefully at the very latest by the time baby girl decides to show her face. Oh have you all heard? We are having a girl!Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-20514257190453778492012-11-17T16:52:00.001-07:002012-11-17T16:52:28.135-07:00life as it is Before we say anything else, I have a belly. And a picture:<br />
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Please forgive the quality of the picture. And my hair. Something weird is definitely going on up top there. Anyway I am very excited to finally start showing. It makes me feel like I am for reals pregnant. It just seems like it takes many weeks and many pounds before anything starts happening in the rotundness department so I'm pretty excited about what I've got going on. I'm 17 weeks and 5 days today, but who's counting?<br />
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Besides the belly, pregnancy is fine. I am still pretty tired (lame) and I've definitely had a voracious appetite. It is interesting comparing this pregnancy with the last one. I feel hungrier now, and more needing to fulfill random cravings immediately. I've also had more aches and pains and dizziness earlier. However, one HUGE HUGE HUGE awesome difference this time compared to last time is that I have not yet had to deal with a lot of insulin resistance. Last time I feel like it started right around 14 weeks, and here I am at almost 18 with basically no difference in insulin needs and resistance. That is amazing and makes everything feel so much easier. I was concerned for a little while that maybe that meant something wasn't going right with the baby, but everything looked fine at the last appt and the doctor isn't worried, so I am just going to take it and enjoy it while it lasts.<br />
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As far as life goes, Natalie still only says "no" without prompting and we're still trying to get her to expand her vocabulary. Matthew still enjoys teaching high school physics, although I don't understand how anyone could enjoy teaching high school. And I'm still doing my internship. So, not a lot new. I did recently finish my entire clinical rotation, so that's pretty awesome. I'm now doing community at WIC which is fun too. And I'm just about halfway done with the entire internship. Sweet!Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-17165465950736523952012-10-20T11:17:00.001-06:002012-10-20T11:17:58.509-06:00a week offI have finished two whole rotations of my internship--one at a hospital, and one at an outpatient diabetes clinic-- and now I have one whole glorious week off. I am SO excited. I'm going to sleep in, take a nap with Natalie every day, and spend lots of time playing with my baby and reminding her that her mommy in fact does exist.<br />
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When I'm not doing that, I'm going to pick up with doing everything that has gotten pushed to the wayside in the hectic-ness of everything now. All I'm saying is, working 8 hours a day (plus the 2+ hours driving time per day for my diabetes rotation), working on homework and projects at night, and then add in always feeling tired and exhausted from being pregnant... well... let's just say that things like picking up after myself, or cleaning, or making dinner, or doing just about anything else that doesn't involve a nap or sitting like a blob on the couch has been pushed to the wayside. <br />
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Despite all that, I have loved doing this internship. It really has been very enjoyable. It's nice to know that after years of school you really do like what you have chosen to do. And after this last rotation at the diabetes clinic, I am thinking seriously that being a diabetes educator is what I would like to do. We'll see though. <br />
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A few more details about pregnancy. I'm just about 14 weeks along, and so I'm starting the second trimester. I'm hoping to start feeling more "normal" soon. So far this pregnancy has been a little different from the last one. I haven't been as nausous, in fact, I haven't really had any nausea to speak of, which is a huge blessing. I have been a lot more emotional, though. And I have had a lot more cravings. I'm due April 22nd. My last day of the internship is April 4th. Considering that with Natalie they induced me at 37 weeks, and knowing that there is no way they will let me go beyond 39 weeks, it is very likely I will have the baby within a week of finishing. Yipes!Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-49785469643424042882012-10-10T16:40:00.000-06:002012-10-10T16:40:39.703-06:00When Expiration Dates Sneak Up On You<br />
So don't you just hate it when things expire before you use them. Sometimes I wish things would just wait in stasis until you were ready for them. For instance, probably our biggest food waste is vegetables, fruit, and leftovers going bad before we use them. That, or the amount of food Natalie throws on the floor. :) We actually try really hard to not let produce spoil, but it seems like some of it always hides in the corner of the crisper, or you just can't use those last couple green onions, or eat the last few grapes before they get squishy. Gross.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAqzOlnv9icN8xVepN3qTmXWsJIKxRjHoYH9VHDRPxM8i-eOp_qaXCigbAvtc8ZU7Gr60TyHBQ6nO586gUmGUfdu8EzyH2EUZJG73b7lhNs_VO7pPfk-2I70QkBA1N-ZA_2XpkcxXD1c/s1600/DSCF2259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAqzOlnv9icN8xVepN3qTmXWsJIKxRjHoYH9VHDRPxM8i-eOp_qaXCigbAvtc8ZU7Gr60TyHBQ6nO586gUmGUfdu8EzyH2EUZJG73b7lhNs_VO7pPfk-2I70QkBA1N-ZA_2XpkcxXD1c/s320/DSCF2259.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think the stuff on the left used to be parsley?</td></tr>
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Then there is the problem of coupons. I have a love/hate relationship with coupons. I love it when they get me free things or good prices on things I want (like 60 cents off the gallons of ice cream at Smith's). But then I feel that there are just as many times that they are for things that I probably wouldn't buy but then I feel that I need to because they're cheaper. Matthew is more susceptible to those than me; in fact, he's the only one who is susceptible. I just toss those ones and I have to try and convince Matthew to, too. Still, when there are good ones it's sad when they go bad because you forgot about them. For instance, recently we had a coupon for an oil change discount and Matthew noticed that it expired on 9/25, you guessed it, that day. So, we didn't have time to go do it. It's so much better when coupons don't expire. Matthew recently turned in a coupon for Apple-Cinnamon Cheerios from the 90's. More coupons should be like that!<br />
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If things are going to expire, it's nice if they tell you in advance. That way you have some time to get used to the idea and make plans. Natalie was kind enough to help us out with this, which is good because this is something else that seems like it is expiring faster than I would have expected:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She has the "coy" look down pat.</td></tr>
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P.S. We're in the market for boy names (just in case). Feel free to make suggestions, just know it will likely be rejected. :) Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-68882638482943824522012-09-16T18:35:00.000-06:002012-09-16T18:35:01.126-06:00the best birthday present of allSeveral of weeks ago it was my birthday. I got one of the best birthday presents ever--Matthew was able to suddenly start working <u>full time</u>. The school where he had gotten a job teaching physics one hour a day (so a very part-time job with a <b><i>very </i></b>part-time salary) suddenly offered him a job teaching physics full time between two schools. So instead of hourly wages he is a salaried teacher, with benefits... really great benefits, actually.<br />
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This really felt like such an amazing blessing. Instead of barely making things meet with his hourly wage plus like 4 other part time jobs between the two of us, now we actually are spending less than we are making. So we can <i>save </i>money. What a novel idea.<br />
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A teacher's salary is actually really amazingly low, but right now, to us, it feels like we are on top of the world. The only downside is that now instead of Matthew taking care of Natalie during the day, we had to find child care for her. But we feel like we have a good situation going for her--Matthew's cousin is watching her, and Natalie seems to have a great time at their house. <br />
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Last but not least, I want to talk about my birthday cake. I just think it is fun to make over the top decadent cakes. This one, entitled "Seven Sins Chocolate Cake" did not disappoint:<br />
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You can find the recipe for it <a href="http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2012/05/seven-sins-chocolate-cake.html" target="_blank">here</a>.Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-5640169541797672382012-09-02T12:03:00.001-06:002012-09-02T12:03:52.289-06:00Cute baby girl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Natalie is almost 18 months, but she still hasn't really said any words. Just in the last month, however, she has started to get really into books. She loves them! And it is pretty funny, because in most of them she has a favorite page that she flips through the book to get to quickly. For instance, in the Very Hungry Caterpillar book, it is the page where the caterpillar eats "one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese.." etc.<br />
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Thanks to her different books about animals, she has started to make animals noises. She can ruff like a dog, and go "huh huh huh" like a gorilla. So I think we are going to count animals noises as her first words. haha. <br />
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She is also quite the diva, and loves to get her picture taken. She will grab our phones and open them up, and then turn them around so it is facing the correct way for us to take pictures of her. Or, she will grab the regular camera and do the same thing. She thinks it is so fun, and it really is pretty funny. <br />
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A few pictures from my phone (I don't have a fancy smartphone, so they aren't that great)<br />
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<br />Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-47202665707181700922012-08-12T20:30:00.000-06:002012-08-12T20:30:03.514-06:00we're real adults now?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Matthew is officially done with school, which I guess means that we are real adults now, if you don't count that he doesn't have a full time job (he does have a part time job though) and that I am technically a student now in the internship. But whatever. We're totally grown ups.<br />
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And, just in case you were wondering, the first week at the hospital went really well.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-52066778877471010912012-07-27T18:24:00.000-06:002012-07-27T18:24:01.212-06:00a pleasant surpriseNatalie is a pretty lucky <strike>baby </strike>toddler. She has a ton of aunts and uncles and especially cousins (43!) that love to play with her. It has been so fun for her to practically live with 10 of those cousins. She has several teenage girl cousins who are super good with her, but what has been pleasantly surprising to me is how good the teenage boy cousins are with her. There are around four or five 13-14 year old boys (including one of my brothers) that she sees a lot and have been so good to her, playing with her, taking her to see the kitty, taking care of her, etc etc etc. Seriously I have been impressed. I would have thought that 13-14 year old boys would be totally into...I dunno... nerf guns and computer games (okay they <i>are </i>into those things), but they are also totally into playing with the 16 month old little girl. It's sweet.<br />
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Although, how could you <i>not </i>love this cutie pie??<br />
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<br />Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-40679250946460414262012-06-27T17:43:00.002-06:002012-06-27T17:43:37.531-06:00i want thatA quickly snapped series of pictures of Natalie and Nathan. Totally cracks me up.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-25431247542384873772012-06-27T17:34:00.000-06:002012-06-27T17:34:05.842-06:00water timeOkay okay I know vacation pictures are often just not the most interesting things to look at (unless of course, you vacationed somewhere insanely awesome, such as France), so I wouldn't even put pictures up except that Natalie is just the most cutest adorablest thing I have ever seen. I just can't help myself. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidd-K-nrUI2rnRFrMgIHk4kjoZtvYNA9MOMaHee83iBeSXdMjimWfZH-3k2cARXHth9CX5vZ6LTbHDnj0UhSOISadZeVwMtQbCGJaZ88KLa9C_1eFEJI_L6pmDP7wbprD44nWz2K5ND68/s1600/DSC_0231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidd-K-nrUI2rnRFrMgIHk4kjoZtvYNA9MOMaHee83iBeSXdMjimWfZH-3k2cARXHth9CX5vZ6LTbHDnj0UhSOISadZeVwMtQbCGJaZ88KLa9C_1eFEJI_L6pmDP7wbprD44nWz2K5ND68/s320/DSC_0231.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-2894820219799384052012-06-20T11:35:00.002-06:002012-06-20T11:35:48.031-06:00picking<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;">One of my most favorite things to do in the summer in Minnesota is go strawberry picking.</span></div>
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We picked over 27 pounds! Oh baby!</div>Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-26383855068383754272012-05-15T14:36:00.002-06:002012-05-15T14:36:39.174-06:00another food post! hurray!I had so much fun last year writing about food, I thought I would do a post on some of our favorite things we've made this year. I highly recommend any of the following items to everybody and anybody.<div>
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<a href="http://annies-eats.com/2011/11/01/diy-flour-tortillas/" target="_blank">Homemade Tortillas</a>: My world brightened a little bit when
these came into my life. Sure, they take more time than buying a bag at the store, but they are
totally worth the extra effort.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/11/roasted-butternut-baked-penne/" target="_blank">Roasted Butternut Baked Penne</a>: After making butternut soup
last year and not loving it, I was hesitant to make this, but I’m so glad I
did. The butternut flavor was not overpowering, but the combination of flavors
absolutely rocked my world.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/01/whole-wheat-roasted-red-pepper-fontina-pizza-with-balsamic-glaze/" target="_blank">Roasted Red Pepper and Fontina Pizza</a>: Pizza dough + olive
oil + roasted red peppers + carmelized shallots + bacon + fontina
cheese+balsamic reduction=perhaps the best pizza we’ve made so far, imho.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://penniesonaplatter.com/2011/10/14/pretzel-rolls/" target="_blank">Pretzel Rolls</a>: Basically pretzels in a form that you can eat
for dinner. Win.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/sesame-chicken-with-snow-peas-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">Sesame Chicken</a>: Easy, sesamey, not too sweet and still feels
like Chinese take out.</div>
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<a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/holiday-glazed-carrots-with-orange-and-cranberries-144461" target="_blank">Glazed Carrots with Orange and Cranberries</a>: I would even
decrease or omit the sugar in this, as the OJ gave plenty of sweetness. It was
a delicious, easy, healthy, and rather fancy dish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://annies-eats.com/2010/06/04/chocolate-macarons/" target="_blank">Chocolate Macarons</a>: I was so excited to make these, and they
turned out amazingly. I have to admit, this is something I was pretty dang
proud of, and if you have a kitchen scale, they really aren’t too difficult.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Cheesy Penne with Tomatoes and Spinach</u>: Here’s the thing. I
never liked the Kraft macaroni and cheese growing up. I still don’t. So, seeing
homemade macaroni and cheese recipes never looked appealing to me, until I
realized you didn’t have to use macaroni, and you are making a cheese sauce. Hello.
I have to say, this meal was off the charts. Seriously, truly fantastic.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/fudgy-chocolate-chip-toffee-bars/51d7d030-fe6b-4384-9e8c-e39c298c67cb" target="_blank">Fudgy Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars</a>: I jumped on the Pinterest
bandwagon in February, and this is the first thing that I made from the site.
Imagine: Graham cracker toffee crust, fudgey chocolate middle, chocolate cookie
dough top, sprinkled with toffee bits. Delish. Oh, the thing is that it is a pillsbury recipe, so they tell you to use a roll of refrigerated Pillsbury dough--I just used my favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.cooklikeachampionblog.com/2012/02/triple-chocolate-mousse-cake.html" target="_blank">Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake</a>: I made this for my half-birthday. Imagine a brownie-ish cake layer on bottom, a chocolate mousse layer in the middle and a white chocolate mousse layer on top. So good.</div>
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<a href="http://whatsgabycooking.com/bbq-chicken-quinoa-salad/" target="_blank">Quinoa Chicken Salad</a>: This one was one of Matthew's favorites. It was healthy, and had a lot of flavor. And came from Pinterest. ha.</div>
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<a href="http://paninihappy.com/mediterranean-grilled-vegetable-tartine/" target="_blank">Meditteranean Grilled Vegetable Tartine</a>: A tartine is an open-faced sandwich, and I think the marinade on this, combined with the hummus flavor was what made it unforgettable. </div>
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<a href="http://annies-eats.com/2011/02/03/sourdough-bread-the-basics/" target="_blank">Sourdough Bread</a>: Very good. Nothing more to say.</div>
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<a href="http://annies-eats.com/2012/03/08/diy-greek-yogurt/" target="_blank">Homemade Yogurt</a>: This is so easy, and so fun. I will say, I have deviated from the directions in the link quite a bit in order to get it to work better and more consistently, but now that we have a good method down, it works like a charm. </div>
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<u>Sausage, Apple, and Cranberry Stuffing</u>: I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, and I think we ate it 3 times that month. </div>
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<a href="http://half-bakedbaker.blogspot.com/2011/06/strawberry-honey-butter.html" target="_blank">Strawberry Butter:</a> This is simply pureed, simmered strawberries beaten with butter and honey. And all I'm saying is that it is definitely not disgusting.</div>
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<a href="http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/01/chiang-mai-noodles.html" target="_blank">Chiang Mai Noodles</a>: I like expanding my Asian cooking repertoire. This one is definitely in the long term rotation</div>
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<a href="http://smells-like-home.com/2012/03/take-out-fake-out-veggie-fried-rice/" target="_blank">Veggie Fried Rice</a>: Again, expanding Asian repertoire. This turned out very similar to our favorite take-out place.</div>
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<u>Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce Chicken</u>: Probably in my top two favorite meals this year. Our old bishop's wife made this for a get together thing. The flavor is absolutely amazing.</div>
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Whelp, that is it! I'm super hungry now thinking about all this stuff. A couple of these thingers don't have links--I know I should either write in the recipe or not include them here, but I don't really feel like typing it in right now, plus it will make this post even that much longer, so maybe I'll just say if you are interested in any of the three or four things that don't have links, let me know and I'll either send it to you or just do a separate post later. </div>
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</div>Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4014628270855485699.post-84219047420551488782012-05-03T12:48:00.001-06:002012-05-03T12:48:26.783-06:00natalie's latest living arrangementsI've actually gotten several requests for pictures of Natalie's room. First though, I want to point out that she likes her room. I feel the need to make that clarification because yes, her room is technically a closet/laundry room:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzHHA71JrZndEyhsz7IGLtO83Ra5HTAvCPQGiG6zg6_xUw_LX3AOvNvHOz3o3yeLnY224oP6cwVej3-kfnKh2gOBwUhlGLIDd5uYqbKp7JJSy8_9IlqvEspCrjJIJ2IEg57C47-ew26Y/s1600/DSCF2024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzHHA71JrZndEyhsz7IGLtO83Ra5HTAvCPQGiG6zg6_xUw_LX3AOvNvHOz3o3yeLnY224oP6cwVej3-kfnKh2gOBwUhlGLIDd5uYqbKp7JJSy8_9IlqvEspCrjJIJ2IEg57C47-ew26Y/s320/DSCF2024.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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And that is my hand.</div>
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The choices for her bedroom were either this room, or the front room which is right by the door to the outside. Personally, I didn't want my baby sleeping by the front door, both because I would stay up worrying about her safety, and because then when she's sleeping it is a lot harder to go in and out without waking her. Plus, her little room is all cozy. And she totally is okay with it. Look at that last picture, she's about to unload a cupboard full of diapers. What's not to love??</div>Je.suis.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12247328448678943737noreply@blogger.com1