32 Weeks

This is the fastest moving pregnancy ever. However, I feel as the weather cools down ~ it's going to seem to go slower. Or maybe it's the fact that I'm getting more and more uncomfortable at the tail end of this process. The hard to bend over. Period. If I anticipate doing that, I usually just get on my hands and knees. Haha.
I'm carrying this baby a lot lower than the other two which makes the simple act of "sitting" really uncomfortable. The worst is sitting in a vehicle; ironically. I have to say that this pregnancy has forced me to use better posture because if I sit up straight it's not as bad as slightly slouching over. When I sit in a vehicle, that's when I get more practice contractions. So, I've been trying to avoid too much long distance driving.
I would rather walk around or lay on my side. Funny, my feet haven't hurt at all lately like they did in my second trimester.

These pictures were taken at my friends birthday/dress party........

This was when we went to the salt flat last Saturday. It's challenging to strike a yoga pose (especially Tree pose) while pregnant! The rest of them look great though!
lol

On a another comical note, here are a couple of photos Ava took of me with a representation of the baby's estimated size (a cantaloupe)...... lol

My doctor appointment was on Tuesday. The baby is weighs an estimated 4 + pounds. I also measured at 33 weeks, whatever that means. Maybe I'll be a week early? Who knows. I could end up a week late, heaven forbid.
lol
I don't have to go back to the doctor for another 4 weeks, but then I'll go every week until the big day.

There are fun things about this stage. I feel every movement really strong. I also noticed since the last few weeks, she's been getting the hick-ups (like Ava and Isaac did) almost daily. Isaac got a kick out of that when he felt it with his hand for the first time. Ava asks me if the baby is awake or sleeping so she can feel her move. It's cute to see them get excited. They both say, "I can't wait for the baby to come out." Isaac wants to push her on his ride-on car. I told him he'd have to wait a while for that kind of fun. Haha
Ever since I told Ava that the baby could hear her voice, she puts her mouth by my belly and talks to her.
Sweet moments. I think Ava and Isaac are ready for this new change coming to our household.

Me and my little melon

I'm making more of an effort to slow down at this stage. Mostly because I don't have a yard and garden that needs constant attention anymore. Woo Hoo!
There are also those days when when I'm afraid if I don't keep busy, I'll have more time to think about how uncomfortable I am..... lol
If I get some "me time" I'm going to do some more yoga......or just take a nap.

In Other News:

• Bryan had his fingernail pulled off at the doctor's office yesterday. Out with the old; in with the new.....at least he's on the mend. He's also been working hard running samples in the BYU lab on the weekends.

• Yesterday was my last day to work in Ely until next spring. *sniff*I will continue to do massages here at home for a couple of weeks (or around there).

• Is there going to be a government shutdown on October 1st ??????

Saturday Stroll

Sarah, Jamie, and the kids came out to visit last weekend. They brought a friend, named Ryan, and we wanted to show him around. We ended up being crunched for time on Saturday, but we thought we could at least go to the salt flat and sink hole. The winds were cruel that day. But, we still had some fun.

The salt flat makes a great place for photography. We got some cute snapshots of the kids:

I played around with the editing settings.....  :)

I brought Ava and Isaac's bikes even though they had a difficult time trying to pedal against the wind......

Gotta enjoy this Fall weather while it lasts.......

Ava's Seventh Posted Art Gallery

...... just another continuation of Ava's artwork this year. It changes constantly.
I gotta keep up with the times :)

We sent this one to Grandpa in Ohio; Ava found the turkey feathers too :)

Our friend Roberta had a poetry class during the Summer Reading Program in Baker. It's never to early to begin poetry with kids to get their creative juices in the little brains going. Roberta is a wonderful teacher. Here is Ava's product:

Ava's artwork also made it one of the pages of the Snake Valley 2013 Phone Book this year.
Kara Conrad's picture made the cover:

Dilzia Villarreal and Ava's made the back page:

Ava's is the Kingsnake:

Until next time!................

Envenomated

Sunday, September 8th ~ the day Bryan calmly walked into the house around 2:30 pm and said, "I've been envenomated." I think my reaction was something like, "You gotta be kidding me." 
He showed me the tip of his middle finger and he mentioned going ahead and packing a bag for him while his adviser, Bev, (and some students) sped to Delta post haste. Looking back the whole scenerio was calm.
The ambulance met them halfway. Honestly, I never thought that Bryan would be one to get bit. He was attempting to retrieve one of the rattlesnakes (which had a transmitter) under a rock, when the snake had other plans and ended up piercing Bryan's finger with one fang. It didn't take long before his finger and hand began to swell. Then, came the following manifestations of pain and weakness. Nausea, vomiting, and headaches would soon follow.

I dropped the kids off at mom's house and drove the 98 miles to the Delta hospital to meet up with Bryan.  By then, they had already given him a couple of vials of anti venom and his first drip of morphine. He said the pain was excruciating and he could feel it follow his lymph system to his arm pit. You can see the swelling advance up into his wrist......

Delta didn't have enough anti venom, plus with an case this serious they decided to transport him another 80 + miles to Provo. I think I was at the hospital for only 15-20 minutes before we said our goodbyes and departed. I had to go back home and hold the fort down and make sure the kids got to school. Plus, at 7 months pregnant, a hospital chair can't be too comfortable all day to sit in......

I talked to Bryan on the phone. Apparently it took them 8 hours to finally manage the pain somewhat. Morphine hadn't touched it! He was miserable in ICU for a few days. They ended up using 8 vials of anti venom! They did their best to monitor his pain and swelling. 

A large blood blister, called a hemorraghic bleb, formed from bleeding under the skin around the bite site. The surgeon took these two photos below of Bryan's hand before and after he used a scalpel to relieve the painful pressure. Of course, this meant inflicting pain to lessen pain. 

The bleb, before the scalpel: 

After the scalpel:

On Wednesday, I rode in with mom, Audrey, and Adam to visit Bryan. I stayed in the hospital while they attended my uncle's funeral (yeah, hell of a week)

I tried to get photos of different stages of Bryan's finger and hand when I could. I was also happy to just sit with him and cuddle in the twin hospital bed :)

The nursing staff was probably thinking, "I don't know who needs that hospital bed more?"
lol

Here is the "Pain Scale" poster. Bryan's level probably hovered in the 8 - 10 mark most of the time. While I was there on Wednesday, they moved him out of ICU up to one of the regular floors, which was a positive sign......

Finally, they found that alternating two different pain medications (Dilaudid & Percocet) through the day seemed to manage most of the pain. Occasionally he would need nausea medication. The bite site would continue weeping. We were all looking forward to his discharge from the hospital on September 11th.

Check out these "goals":

I returned to Provo on Wednesday (9/11) with the kids to pick up Bryan and take him home. Ava missed a few hours of school that day. She didn't seem too disappointed. We were all looking forward to seeing Bryan. Luckily, he was feeling a little better. We even paused to shop for groceries in Payson on the return home. Bryan now knows first hand (actually first finger) how it feels to get bit by a Great Basin Rattlesnake. He can share that experience in his future talks, if the opportunity presents itself.

The day after we got home, September 12th, marked our 9th wedding anniversary. It was pretty low key. We will make up for it next year ~ on the big 10  :)

I was relieved when that week came to an end. Too much excitement and time behind the steering wheel gave me a few more uncomfortable braxton hicks contractions, and made me much more aware of pregnancy hormones.

Rattlesnake bites are always a risk when you are a wildlife biologist; specifically Herpetologist. Bryan had a clean record for a long time, handling countless rattlesnakes over the last 22 years. In this profession, the odds eventually catch up with you.

He went and got his blood drawn yesterday; it appears to be clotting normally and the results looked good. Today, he had an appointment with the surgeon, who was happy with the way it was healing. Overall, great news; Bryan may just lose his nail......

What did we get out of this experience?

NEVER work under pressure. If it can wait, for safety sake, let it.
Rattlesnake bites are one of the most painful thing you can go through.
This will never happen again.

* Special thanks to all our friends and family for their loving support, thoughts, and prayers!

Bryan is back to work, and back in the field with the rattlesnakes; perhaps with a fresh perspective.......