mrs. weasley

Quarter One. Done.

Alan has finished his first quarter of naturopathic medical school. We made it. He did well on his finals this last week, and I did well dealing with him and his PMS. 

Last night we had dinner at True Food Kitchen in Scottsdale with some of the naturopathic students. Alan and I ordered the strawberry salad and some shrimp noodle dish. The food was okay but kind of bland. I would have much rather had the shrimp pad thai from Pei Wei. I also may have eaten dinner before going the restaurant. I was afraid I wouldn't get full and still be hungry. We all know that I can't skip a meal because I'm pretty sure I would wither away. I also didn't want the female to be impressed with the amount of food I can eat. Since I had Kensley, I can't stop eating (I do limit myself to 3 meals a day).

I asked one of the other wives if she liked her meal and she said she did but it was about a third of what she normally eats. I told her my secret.. that I ate before dinner. Yeah, she was jealous! If we wouldn't have spent so much money on the meal there we probably would have gone to another restaurant for dinner.

I am glad that the first quarter is done. I keep telling myself it will be the hardest one because we had to get into a routine and get used to Alan not having any time. I am still working 4 days a week so we don't have to be in so much debt when he is done. Instead of $300,000 it will only be $200,000. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. I'll let you know in 4 years.

I am thankful for the days that I get to stay home with Kensley. It's weird to think that she is 4 months old already! It seems like we just had her, but also seems like we have had her forever. I can't remember what our life was like before. (much easier I'm sure) She was definitely worth the wait!

She is such a fun baby and is happy all the time. She loves to sleep like her mom and has been sleeping through the night since she was a month and a half. She loves to talk and to laugh. It's hard to believe that she will be starting school by the time dad is done. It seems like forever away.

We are also so thankful for all of our family and friends that have helped us during the last quarter. We have needed a lot of help with taking care of Kensley. So a huge thanks to my mom, Kaylee, Karen, Tracie, and A'Lisa. We love you guys!!

Now we get a two week break with dad.

Conversation with my Medical Student

My husband started school at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. He is going to be a witch doctor. They had an orientation for family and friends at the school during the first week. The husband of the a graduating medical student spoke and told us some of the changes that our student will go through. He said that during stressful times asking them to do a small task can cause them to explode. Luckily, Alan doesn't get upset very often. (I can't probably count on one hand how many times he has been mad since we have been married.) Instead of getting angry, Alan gets sarcastic (more than he normally is).

Alan is taking his midterms for this coming up week. He had a midterm review Saturday morning and then spent the rest of the day studying. When I came home completely exhausted from a long day of work (ha, ha) I noticed how out-of-control our yard is. I didn't want to get a letter from the HOA so decided I better do something about it. (It's a good thing they can't see the back yard) I mowed the lawn, clean the leaves out of the rocks, sprayed the weeds, and trimmed the plants. Since it wasn't dark yet I decided to start on the backyard. 

I was out back trimming the first large plant (the entire thing filled up my garbage can) while Alan was standing at the patio door watching me. This was our conversation:

Jenny: "Don't you feel bad watching me trim these plants right after having a c-section?" (I blame everything on the c-section).

Alan: "Yeah. I'm real torn up about it on the inside. Kind of like you are."

Real. Funny. Alan. I can't wait for many more conversations like this.

Sleepless in San Tan Valley

As many of you have noticed from the bags under our eyes, we are a little sleep deprived. Just a little. 

Thankfully, Alan was able to teach Kensley how to sleep through the night so we are doing much better. I will share with you the "trick" he used.

About a month ago, Kensley woke up in the middle of the night crying. I had already pumped a bottle and put it on Alan's nightstand. When she woke up I told him that I had put the bottle there. I heard him lean over and grab it. A few seconds later Kensley started crying harder and choking. I heard water pouring and thought I didn't put the lid on the bottle all the way. I jumped out of bed yelling at Alan. I yelled "Alan Bradford!" Yeah, he got the full name. I flipped on the light and saw what had happened. Alan didn't grab the bottle. Instead, he grabbed a full bottle of water and poured it all over the baby. She didn't care for it. I was so mad! She was soaking wet and so was the bed. That is when I realized we needed more sleep. Shortly after this incident, Kensley started sleeping through the night. I think she learned her lesson.

The Quinny

One of the things Alan and I were most excited to use after Kensley's arrival was our stroller. It's called the Quinny Buzz, and we thought it was amazing. Our friends, Matt and Tabitha, have the same stroller and they highly recommended it. Brand new the stroller costs about $600. Luckily, I found one on Craigslist for much less than that. The only catch was that I had to drive to Tucson to buy it. When I was 8 months pregnant my dad (who was convienently unemployed at the time) and I went on a road trip to purchase the stroller. I couldn't wait to get home to show Alan.

Alan was off from work the week I had Kensley and the week after. I was a little worried about being alone with the baby. I'm pretty sure my family was worried for me too. Since I had a c-section, Alan was doing the majority of the work. It was really nice and easy to get used to. 

I was dying to get out of the house so my mom and I decided to go Christmas shopping. We went to the place where everyone knows her name...Kohl's. Everything had gone smoothly so far. I was able to get the car seat off the base (I practiced with Alan before), and I had only ran into a few of the racks of clothes in Kohl's. (I didn't practice my driving skills.) We went take the car seat off the base of the stroller. My mom was trying to help me because of my limited abilities (I blame the c-section). We couldn't get the car seat to release from the stroller. I was so embarrassed because we were in the middle of a busy parking lot. I kept telling my mom to pretend like we knew what we were doing. Maybe I should have practiced this too. 

Since Alan was working at the hospital I wasn't able to talk to him to get help. We could only text back and forth. So he gave me instructions on how to do it. Still couldn't. We were shaking the stroller (with Kensley still inside) like crazy responsible adults trying to get the levers to release. I was so ticked. I wanted to throw the stroller into the street. After about 20 minutes we decided to take the baby out of the car seat. Good thinking.

Finally, we called my dad to come over and help us. Before he could, a man came out of Kohl's and said, "you're still trying to get that car seat off of there?" Ahhhh! Yes! Is it that obvious?! We'll it took him about 30 seconds to get the car seat off. I thanked him over and over, told him I am a new mom, and this was my first time using the stroller. Then I got in the car angry and completely humiliated, which soon after turned into hysterical laughing (my hormones were still crazy) (I blame the c-section).

We pulled out the receipt and looked at the time we checked out in the store. We had been in the parking lot for 45 minutes. If you see me in the parking lot loitering with the car seat attached to the stroller I probably need some help.

Here is a picture of the stroller. Kensley is wondering why she has such an awesome Mom. Well Kensley, it's only the beginning...

10 Best Things About Grandma

Yeah, I am pretty sure I have the best grandma ever. She is definitely a riot and I am pretty sure no other grandmas compare to her, so don't even try. Here's why:

1. Grandma had all of her fillings replaced in her teeth with gold. She tells me everytime she see me that when she dies I am to remove all of the gold. Yeah, no thanks.

2. Grandma is an amazing athlete. I have watched her compete a few times in the Senior Games in Tempe. What an experience. No only can she racewalk like a mad woman, she swims, bikes, throws a javelin, and can do the high jump. She will pretty much do anything to get a medal. She has hundreds of them. My family always tell her that those are going in the casket.

3. Grandma has run the St. George marathon 3 times while in her 70's. Someone told her that she wouldn't be able to do it. Well, she had to prove them wrong. Every year she calls my mom after the race and swears she's never doing it again. Yeah, right. She hasn't been able to the past year because she has surgery on her knee. Don't worry, she recover and come back around.

4. Grandma complains when there isn't enough fat on her steak when she goes to Texas Roadhouse. I told her that was disgusting.

5. We love it when Grandma comes to town. She always has a car full of boxes that have random things in them. My grandpa spends most of his time loading and unloading the boxes. She also brings things to keep her busy. My favorite is when she brought her dry cleaning down to take in to the cleaners, and I think she brought her typewriter down to be fixed. Apparently, they don't offer these services in St. George.

6. Yep. Grandma has a typewriter. Whenever she sends us something the address is always typed and sometimes the message. If the message isn't typed it's written in shorthand.

7. Grandma is always looking out for us. She is the queen of cutting out articles from the newspaper and sending them to you. Recently, I have received articles about crib safety, other couples that have gone through fertility treatments, ads for other fertility treatments and anything else you can imagine. Its always fun to get an envelope in the mail addressed from grandma because you just never know what it will be.

8. Grandma is always prepared. If you ever get hurt, I am sure will have the items needed and she will bandage you right up. This will always include using white tape. She is even prepared for her own death. Grandma took the time to write her own obituary so there is one less thing for us to do. (Little does she know that we are going to enhance it.)

9. Grandma is crazy about picking up change. Anytime she sees a coin, she will pick it up. Doesn't even matter if it is in the middle of a busy intersection-she will make grandpa stop the car so she can get out. She carries a little book and writes down the places she finds money and how much.

10. Grandma is always doing things for others. The last time she came down she gave me a blanket that she had been working on for the baby. She entered it into the St. George fair. She made the blanket for me back in 2008. My baby is finally due in November of 2011. I told her I was sorry that it took so long and that she has had to store it.

I told you that I have the best grandma. No, she isn't for sale. I am also pretty sure that I am grandma's favorite. Don't tell anyone they will be jealous.

An Infertile Woman's Mother's Day

Alan and I haven't been able to have children. So pretty much there is no need to ask us anymore about having children. We will definitely let you know when it happens. Since we can't have kids...Mother's Day could be an emotional day for me. I knew it was coming and thinking about it all week. The thought came to me to be thankful for all of the things that I am able to do since I'm not a mother yet. Here is a list of the things that I enjoy that mother's aren't able to enjoy whenever they want: 

• The first thing is sleep. I love to take naps after a long day at work and I also love to sleep in on the weekends (I am not able to do that as much as I would like). 
• I am able to go to work full- time. I am working 50-60 hours a week right now and it would be extremely difficult to do that with children. I am really grateful to have a job and work as much as I do. I love what I do. 
• I am thankful I only have to take care of myself because sometimes that can be difficult. I can't imagine being responsible for another little person.
• I am able to take a relaxing shower/bath every night and read. Alan and I are old people and like to read before we go to bed. With all of the money that I have saved on diapers, I am able to buy books.
• I never have to find a babysitter. 
• You can still see the original color of our carpet, and the only mess that I have to pick up is my own.
• I am able to pick up and leave any time I want and it isn't a process.
• I am able to go on vacations and have a relaxing time. I can't wait for NYC in October. 
• I don't have to clean up any throw up or poop. That's just disgusting.
• I don't have to hear, "Mom" a hundred times a day.

So instead of being bummed today that I can't have children, I decided to be grateful for  things that I am able to do without them. Don't get me wrong, I do want kids. I just can't control when they come. The wait will just make it that much sweeter when we are blessed with them.

Snow in Arizona?

I am not as young as I think I am. I am almost 30. I am experiencing multiple health issues and feel like I should be living in a retirement center playing Bingo. On New Years' Day I talked my parents into taking me sledding. That morning we were trying to look up where snow was in Az. I called a hotel in Payson, Arizona to see if they had snow and the hotel worker said yes. When we were leaving out of town we were debating whether to go to Flagstaff or Payson. We decided to go to Payson. 

When we got up to Payson, I got a little worried because there was no snow and it was about 60 degrees. I started to wonder if the hotel employee even knew what I was talking about. We started seeing patches of snow (not even enough to make a snow angel) and I thought that maybe that qualified for snow. I didn't tell the hotel employee I was going sledding in it. We drove for another 20 miles or so. I was determined that I was going to the snow no matter how far we had to drive. My dad wanted to turn around and come home. Everyone was starting to get hesty because there wasn't snow. After another 30 minutes of driving we started to see more snow and it was getting deeper. We drove past the perfect snow-covered hill and of course it was closed by the forest service. It used to be a gravel pit and a few years ago some people got hurt and sued, so now its closed. If you were to sled on that hill and were caught you could get fined $130. I am pretty sure that when you are sledding it is at your own risk. 

The forest service lady was really nice and told us of a place we could go. It was called Happy Jacks Lodge. It had a couple of perfect hills. I went down the biggest hill and jarred all of my insides and caused a few bruises. I realized then that I am not a kid anymore. We had such a blast there. My dad was hilarious to watch sledding because he would lay down on his back and lay perfectly still all the way down the hill. We got such a kick out of watching him. My mom is always fun to watch- including her screaming and laughing. We went and toured a few of the cabins that you are able to rent. I will definitely be going back up there in the near future. If you want to go let me know.

Hoardy Hoard Hoard

I have been meaning to blog about this television show that I find extremely fascinating, but I just haven't had time. Well, now I do have time at 1:30 in the morning. I don't have anything else that I could be doing. (that wouldn't disrupt everyone in my house)

A few weeks ago, my husband found this show that is incredibly disgusting that you almost can't watch it. The show is call Hoarders. It goes into different homes and shows all of the things in their house. Then they have a crew come in clean it and throw things away. I would love part of that job- not so much the cleaning, but the organizing when they are done would be right up my alley.

In one lady's house she had the bathroom full of used adult diapers that had been in there for a few years. She had mounds of trash all throughout the house. She had her toilet in the kitchen and each night she would strap herself down so she wouldn't fall into the garbage. One night she fell and wasn't able to get up and an emergency crew had to come in and save her. They couldn't believe the mess. The ended up condemning her house because the garbage had completely ruined the floors. The also have a psychiatrist there to help the people work through the emotional part of hoarders. I find it really interesting. I would love to understand what goes through the head of a hoarder. I am just the opposite. I am a compulsive thrower-awayer (if that is even a word). 

You should definitely check out this show, but don't watch it while eating dinner. There is a good possibility that you will lose your appetite. 

Garage Dwellers

Our neighbors probably think we are extremely strange, but guess what neighbors? We think you are equally as weird.

The reasons they think we are weird:

• We come and go at all hours. No schedule at all. They never know when to expect us. When we come home I pull into the garage and shut it immediately like I have something to hide.
• We have matching scooters. One pink, one orange. Gay. (Can I say gay in a blog post?) We are also members of a scooter club.
• Alan takes pictures of mushrooms in the front yard. I am not really sure why either. I actually thought that was strange myself.
• One night I saw a black widow outside the garage. As I was talking on my cell phone, I grabbed a shovel because I was going to kill it. I didn't kill it and decided to quit after I took a few swings at it.
• One morning I was heading out to my car with all of my stuff for work. I was late-like I am everyday. I didn't notice that the garage didn't open all of the way. One of the panels was still down. As I was backing out I heard a huge noise. When I got out I realized the garage caught the antennae of my car and my car was stuck under the garage door. I freaked. It took me a few minutes of evaluating the situation to decide what to do. I knew if I pushed the garage button again, it would go down. The roof of my car went down so I figured I could keep pulling out with damaging any more of my car.
• When Alan was bringing in the groceries on day. The garage didn't go all of the way up...again. We finally got that fixed. He wasn't paying attention and ran right into the garage door. He hit it so hard with his head that his glasses flew off. He also had a mark on his hat where it hit. When he told me that story I couldn't stop laughing.

The reasons our neighbors are strange:

• I hate to tell you that your garage isn't a living space. You don't need to have your couch, tv, computer (complete with desk and chair) out in the garage. That is what you have a house for. Why are you always out there? It doesn't matter what time I am coming or going you are in the garage.
• When I say "hi" to you and wave, you are supposed to do the same and not stare at me like I am an idiot. (even though I am)
• Please stop buying ice cream everyday from the ice cream man. I am tired of him coming everyday, blocking my driveway, sitting there while you buy your spongebob squarepants ice cream for you and your daughter. I don't think popeye the sailor man should be a song the ice cream man plays unless he is selling spinach.
• Every weekend you have a huge party (Friday and Saturday). I don't like having your friends with all their cars blocking my driveway. Since I am paying the mortgage on my house, shouldn't I be able to pull into my garage? Hmmm. I also have to work on Saturdays so if you could keep it down with the yelling and swearing, that would be appreciated.
• I am glad you have ATVs. I am glad that all you do is tear them apart and work on them in your front yard. I have never seen you ride them anywhere except down the street when you are drunk. Interesting.

I could keep going, but I won't because I am tired.

Just when I thought I had seen everything...

Many of you know that I am a dental hygienist. I have seen many ridiculous, disturbing things working in the dental field. There isn't a whole lot that can surprise me anymore. When I was a dental assistant we had a patient that would only come into the office to have teeth pulled out. Normally, he would pull them out at home and only come in when he needed some help. Interesting. It never crossed my mind to pull my teeth out with a pair of pliers.

Today I saw a rather interesting patient. From the get-go she had a completely bad attitude. She makes me (Betty Bad A) look like a pansy. As I was cleaning her teeth I noticed she still had bands around her molars from braces. I knew that she had to have just gotten her braces off because her teeth were straight. I wondered why the orthodontist didn't take those bands off. Then I noticed all the globs of cement on each tooth. I asked her when she got her braces off. She proceeded to tell me SHE took them off a couple of months ago when she decided she was done with them. She had used pliars to get them off. Neat. If I were a parent I would be ticked if this was my daughter. That was only the beginning.

I went up front to ask her mom if she knew her daughter had taken them off. She told me she knew and she told her to take them off because the insurance wasn't going to pay for them anymore. The daughter had the braces put on in Rhode Island where our tax money paid for them (she was on state insurance). Their family moved out here and found out that the state of Arizona wouldn't continue to pay for them. And that is why she ripped them off. The mom started to yell in the lobby of the dental office about how the state of Arizona doesn't cover anything. She told us that moving to Arizona was a huge mistake because all of her welfare benefits are better in Rhode Island. She plans on moving back there as soon as possible to receive those awesome benefits once again. She babbled on for a good 20 minutes making herself look completely ridiculous. You have no idea the things that I wanted to say to this lady. And this is why I love my job and who knows maybe my next post will be from Rhode Island.