What Not to do When You're 39 Weeks Pregnant

1. Take your children to the zoo without your husband, and without a stroller.
Saturday was Trick-or-Treat at the Zoo day. I wanted the kids to be able to go, but Brian had to stay home to study for his big test tomorrow, and I thought that since they would be walking from Trick-or-Treat spot to Trick-or-Treat spot, that it would be harder to get Ethan in and out of the stroller, so it would be easier to just let him walk. Not the case. We had a paper with clues to seven animals to visit, and we had to get a stamp at each of those animals. Then when we were finished, we brought our paper to the front gate and received a bag of goodies. It was a great idea, and we had a great time, but Ethan did not want to walk! It usually takes us two hours to do the whole zoo. On Saturday it took us two hours just to get to those seven animals. We spent a half-hour, not finding the zebras, but finding the people with the stamps at the zebras. And we spent a half-hour looking for the stamp people at the elephants before realizing the clue was supposed to lead you to the warthogs. (The clue said the animal was from Asia, and the elephants are the only thing in the Asia area of the zoo. The warthogs are just above it.) Anyway, we had a great time, I'm so glad we did it, but it completely wore me out!

2. Get the flu.
Alyssa came home from school on Friday complaining of a stomach ache. We had her lay down to watch a movie, and soon she was throwing up. Luckily, it only lasted a few hours and she was completely better the next morning. Fast forward to Sunday afternoon. We were having the Olson's over for dinner, and I made chicken enchiladas and cornbread. I felt fine while making dinner. I felt fine while straightening the house. At five o'clock on the dot I started to feel queasy, so I went to lay down for a couple of minutes. The Olson's showed up just after five. I was lonely in the back room, so I snuck to get the phone to call my mom. I went back to lay down, dialed my parents number, and my dad picked up. I asked for my mom, thought, "Hhhmmm...my stomach's feeling worse," and proceeded to throw up all over our bedroom. Where was my five minute warning that I usually get? Needless to say, Brian entertained the Olson's and took care of dinner and got the kids to bed before taking off to the airport to pick up one of our friends. Ethan started throwing up around midnight, and he was so covered that Brian had to take a shower with him to clean him up. Brian took care of Ethan all night, while I slept on the couch. I was so thankful for Brian's help with everything, but it is not fun to throw up with a huge pregnant belly.

Halloween Party

Last night was the PAVA Halloween Party. Ethan kept Brian and I up a bunch the night before, so we were both tired and cranky, but I'm glad we went, and we had a bunch of fun. I was supposed to dress up as an eyeball, but we got started on Ethan's costume (switched him from a fire fighter to a car, which didn't stay on him) two hours before the party, so Brian and I just went as-is.


Alyssa was so happy with her fairy costume. She picked out the pattern, fabric and lace all by herself (and it was all 50% off!)

Ethan likes his car, he just doesn't like wearing it, so he'll probably be a fire fighter for the real Halloween.

Brian and Ethan had a great time playing all the games together.

The Mother-To-Be Special

Feeling slightly depressed after my doctors appointment, I called Brian to tell him the news. 38 weeks and only a fingertip dilated. The doctor said that if things don't look better by next week, we'd go ahead and schedule the c-section. I just told him that we'll schedule the section for as late as we possibly could, to give me more time. Brian listened to me complain for a minute, then said, "Let me make a phone call, then I'll call you back." When he called I was a few blocks from home, so he didn't tell me anything but, "See you in a minute."

I assumed he had called Claire, our babysitter, because we had talked about possibly going on a date that evening, but when I learned that he hadn't, I figured he called the Cluny's to see if we could come and see their new baby who was born on Thursday. Apparently not.

Brian asked for an early dinner, so a bit after 4:00 we had tacos, then at 4:50 he handed me the cell phone and kicked me out the door. I drove away with Brian and the kids waving to me from the front window. Within seconds, the cell phone rang, and Brian gave me directions to my destination. "Turn right at the light...What are you passing now?...Have you passed Dairy Queen yet?...Keep going straight...Turn left at the light, toward highway 47." Highway 47? Where was he sending me? He told me to turn into McMenamins. "Are you hungry?" I asked if he wanted me to go to McMenamins or Jennings McCall, the old folks home. He directed me to the basement of McMenamins, and told me to stop when I came to this:

They were obviously expecting a hugely pregnant woman with a cell phone stuck to her ear, because the two women behind the desk smiled and I heard them whisper, "That must be Carrie." A young woman approached me and asked if I was here for a massage.

"I think so," I said, and followed her to the back room. Brian said good-bye, and apparently told me to call him when I was finished, but I didn't hear that part since the phone was cutting out pretty bad. I filled out some paperwork, went to the bathroom (since I basically have to go every time I stand up), and was lead to a room with a plush-looking massage table.

"I'm going to leave the room for a few minutes," the lady said. "Go ahead and undress to your comfort level." She left. Hhhmmm...my comfort level. What did that mean? Technically, I'd prefer to keep my underwear on, but I didn't know if that would work with garments. So I unashamedly shed everything, and climbed under the covers. The table was covered with sheets, and I had two sheets over me, with the softest blanket I have ever felt on top. It made rubbing my belly so much fun every time the baby squirmed.

It turned out that being 'in the nude' was no big deal at all. The massage therapist uncovered my legs, one at a time, then had me lay on my side while she rubbed my back. It felt so good. I haven't been that relaxed in years! When she was done, she said I could take my time getting up. I wanted to ask if I could nap there for a couple of hours. I did take about five minutes to just enjoy the quiet, then I got dressed and headed home.

Brian got the biggest kiss a pregnant lady could give when I walked in the door. Apparently, he had been planning the whole escapade since lunch time. I'm so glad he did.

For those of you that don't live around here, check out the McMenamin's website. We love going there for free frisbee golf, free movies in the Compass Room, and to walk around looking at all the crazy pictures and paintings on the walls. They even have faces painted on the water pipes running along the ceiling. It's a very cool place.

Four Eyes

Alyssa just got her first pair of glasses! She is so excited to wear them, and she looks so cute. We didn't even know she was having problems. We just took the kids in to the clinic Brian interns at so his friends could pass off their pediatric exams. Trent did a great job of keeping her happy by telling her that the drops he put in to dilate her eyes would make her see fairies. At some point he got out a rainbow thing so she could see the fairy.

When we went to pick them up today, she walked around the room and said, "I see everything just the same, except that it's not blurry."

A Most Embarrassing Outcome

I'm going to tell you something, and you have to promise not to laugh at me. I have old man eyebrows. That's right, my eyebrow hairs are long and curly, just like the eyebrows on an old man. It started bothering me so much that a few months ago I decided to use Brian's beard trimmer to trim them. Well, it worked like a charm. Perfectly.

I don't know what happened today. I was in the bathroom, getting ready to take a shower. Ethan was climbing on the toilet, pointing to the hair cutters, then pointing to his head, and making his usual sound: "eh." I popped the attachment onto the trimmer, and proceeded to trim eyebrow number one. I have no idea what I did differently this time (same attachment as usual), but as I moved the trimmer along my eyebrow, I noticed that things were turning out much shorter than usual. Luckily, I stopped in time to avoid losing my whole eyebrow, but I do have bald stripes. It doesn't look too great, but it'll grow. No, I'm not posting pictures.

Kicked Out

We found out yesterday (two days after finishing the living room!) that our landlords want to sell the house. They said that when it sells they'll try to have it be so we don't have to be out until the semester break, so that will be either December (We'll have a newborn!), May (We'll have less than three months left!) or August (This would be perfect!). A lady came to look at the house yesterday, so we'll see what happens with that.

What is it about us that makes our landlords want to sell the house? This is the second time it's happened to us! Last time we were informed right after finals...right after I painted the living room and hallway a beautiful blue. But the thing that gets me, is they always say, "We're selling the house, but we don't know when it'll go, so feel free to stay until we kick you out officially." Last time they told us to stay just in case the new owners wanted to rent also (it was a basement apartment.) We stuck around until we found something to our liking, then we took off.

This time, if it lasts until August, that would be wonderful. But how do we have that guarantee? I wish they would say, "We're selling the house, and we need you out by Christmas. If it doesn't sell by then, we'll take the consequence of not getting your rent check each month." Then, at least, it would be definite, and they would be the ones hurting, not us.

So I've decided not to worry about it right now. Last time was too stressful. I'm going to pretend like nothing is going on (and show a messy house with newborn diapers strewn about the living room) and not worry about finding a new place until they tell us we have to.

Fire Station Fun

On Saturday we went to the Forest Grove Fire Station open house. Alyssa was so excited, because the fire fighters visited her school last week. She and all the other girls are in love with Fire Fighter Chad. We tried to find him, but he wasn't working until Sunday. We also found out that he has a girlfriend. Too bad, little ladies.

Ethan loved all of the trucks. Trucks are his favorite things in the whole world. Here are the kids riding in the fire truck (which was very cool, by the way). Ethan doesn't look too excited, but I think he was just amazed at the whole situation to smile. He was also missing nap time.

Alyssa and Grandma Jacks went up in the manual lift. (We asked the guy what it what called.) I was too chicken. Plus, I didn't know if I could climb into the bucket. Apparently when they were at the top the guy told Diane that it's good I didn't go, because they've never delivered babies in the buckets before.

Finally!

Brian's parents are in town for the weekend, and yesterday Diane helped me finish decorating the living room. We decorated when we moved in, but then when we moved the computer desk, it needed "refreshing" and I just never got around to it. It was great having some help, because Diane though of some things that I never would have come up with. Also, she brought some vinyl lettering that my sister-in-law, Claire, made for me. Our house finally looks put together again! It's beautiful.

This is what you see as you walk through the front door.












The couch is to the left of you, and this is our "family wall" above the couch.













To the right is the fireplace and computer desk. The picture in the middle is a drawing of Heidelberg, Germany (where Brian was born) that we got at an estate sale. There was a letter tucked in the back from the Mom. I'm assuming she gave them the picture.









This is the dining room. The picture on the right is a Mary and baby Jesus picture that Brian got for me as a graduation present when he graduated from BYU.











And finally, still in the dining room, is the quote Claire made. It says, if you can't tell, "There is nothing more nourishing to the soul than family life." I love it!

Impatiently Waiting

I called my mom yesterday and complained, "Mom, I am so done being pregnant."

"Carrie," she said, "You've been saying that for the last few months." Actually, I think I've been saying it since I was about 7 weeks along.

I'm now 36 1/2 weeks along. I know, that's a great accomplishment. I'm almost there. Just 3 1/2 weeks to go. And honestly, I can say that things aren't going so bad. I'm not nearly as sick as I was with either Alyssa or Ethan. There's some organ on my right side that's being squished and is constantly hurting, but that's easy to deal with. I can take pain. I can last another 3 1/2 weeks, even if I might complain a little.

My real impatience is due to this VBAC I'm planning on. The doctor hasn't exactly said yes, and he hasn't exactly said no. He said that as long as my body is progressing and it looks like everything will be okay, then there's no reason not to try the VBAC. Three weeks ago I was thrilled with this answer, because I thought I was going to get an immediate "no." Yesterday, I was not so pleased.

Apparently my cervix is a little soft and a little shortened. So my body is making progress and working toward having this baby, but its not quite there yet. I know that it can take weeks to soften and dilate, or it could take minutes, so just because things aren't happening now, it doesn't mean that they won't happen soon. But yesterday the doctor said, "With things the way they are now, we'd be looking at a c-section...but we still have a few weeks left to go."

So that's the ultimatum. I've got to have this baby on my own (I don't know if it's by my due date, or if I get the two week window after the due date) or I'm going to have a c-section. Stink.

I'm crossing my fingers and cleaning and walking and hoping that this baby decides to come soon. I'm so excited to finally have a baby vaginally and get the chance to have that magic moment between husband, wife and baby when you first meet. I want to hold my baby before he's weighed and cleaned and wrapped in a little blanket. I can't wait to meet this little guy.

yummy, Yummy, YUMMY Brownies!

I've got to confess. I love brownies, but I really don't like homemade brownies. They always end up tasting too flour-y. I like to stick with Betty Crocker. When Cali posted her favorite brownie recipe, I believed that they would be good, but I wasn't expecting too much, since they're homemade. Oh my goodness. These brownies are delicious! I know we're not supposed to taste the batter (especially when pregnant) because of the raw eggs, but I did...and I didn't let Ethan help me scrape the bowl. So here's the recipe. Try them out; it'll make you happy.

I Love Conference!

I've been a little uninspired concerning my blog lately, but luckily this weekend gives me something great to blog about. Conference. I love General Conference! When I was younger it always seemed like the two hours would drag by, and then we'd have to sit still for another session in the afternoon. But as I got older, I started to look forward to General Conference each Spring and Fall, and now I thoroughly enjoy it. This morning I noticed that our little family was in the living room, listening to the Lord's servants, (at least two of us were) and it made me so happy that we have this opportunity.

My favorite talk was the one by Elder Dallin H. Oaks about being good, better, and best. I loved how he talked about so many things: internet, movies, children's activities, careers. There is so much out there that we can fill our time with that isn't necessarily bad, but doesn't help us progress. It's making me stand more firm in our goal to always have family dinner together, no matter how crazy things get as the kids get older. Or I guess we're not supposed to let them get that crazy. We've slacked on scripture study this last week, and we need to get back on track. Also, I usually check my email and blogs each morning after I get the kids their breakfast. It would be so much better for me to sit with them instead of at the computer. I also like when he said that our youth are being entertained to (spiritual) death. That is so true, but it's not just the youth. Our whole society nowadays is centered around "me" and what makes "me" happy. It's pathetic, and it's got to change.

Anyway, I deem the 177th Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a huge success. Is it ever not a success? Personally, I loved it.

Who's Who On Carrie's Burden

I should probably start off by explaining why my blog is called "Carrie's Burden." (Yeah, I probably should have done that a long time ago.) When Brian and I were dating at BYU, he had a huge duffel bag that he bought while he was in Germany. He was showing it to me, and wanted to demonstrate how big and sturdy it was. "I'm sure you could fit in it," he said, and soon I was in the bag, strapped to his back, with my little head poking out the top. His roommates took some pictures of us, and they told me to look sad, 'cause I was stuck in a bag. Brian strutted around the apartment (only the front rooms, of course) hollering, "Carrie, the burden!"

He still likes calling me that. He likes the double meaning that either I am the burden, or just that I have to carry the burden. So when I was starting my blog, he suggested that I call it "Carrie, the Burden." I said a quick, "No thanks," and altered the name for my own use. So I suppose that the burden falls upon me to chronicle the crazy events in the Jacks household, which I don't mind at all.

And just in case anyone is wondering who the people are that comment on my blog, I went back a few posts to check out my commenters, and I'll tell you who everyone is. (They're in the order that I found them. If I've spelled your childrens' or husbands' names wrong, I'm sorry.)

Tonya: Tonya is a super sweet lady in my ward who emailed me asking how to start a blog. She told me she was Blake's mom, and that he was in Alyssa's Primary class. Well, I knew who Blake was, but I had never seen his mother. So it took me a few posts and watching in sacrament meeting to figure out who she is. On a great side note, her husband was just recently baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Yea!

Shaille': Shaille' is Casey Claypool's wife, and Casey goes to school with Brian. We love the Claypools! They usually look after our cat when we're out of town. Last time Casey called to let us know that the cat had pooped all over the living room, and from the way he was reluctant to bring up the bad news, we thought she had died. Appparently she missed us a bunch, and we've decided that from now on she's going on vacation with us. Shaille' is a super scrap-booker, and I would love to see the memory books she made for her grandparents. I need to have her over sometime so she can show me how to use the Scrapbook Factory program...

Brooklet: Brooklet is one of my best friends, Brooke, who I met in the first grade. She was in Mrs. Woodcock's class, and I was in Mrs. Rodriguez's class. We went in to her class one day to sing songs with Mrs. Woodcock and her guitar, and I noticed that Brooke had the coolest Crayola Caddy in her desk that I had ever seen. I don't remember exactly how we became friends, but it turned out that she was a member of the church also, and we've been friends ever since. One of my favorite memories of Brooke is when we went to San Francisco for choir. Brooke is always so fun to be around, but I just remember that trip as one of the times she was at her best. I've got pictures of her sticking out her belly, trying to be fat, pretending to be a bum sleeping on a park bench, etc. Brooke's husband is going to dentistry school in Pittsburg, so she's way far away right now. She has two beautiful little girls, Claire and Morgan.

Kimberly Nicole: Kimmy is my little sister, who is currently attending Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington. She's the youngest in our family, so instead of having the normal two parents that everyone else has, she's got an extra five people telling her what to do and how to live her life. She takes it rather well. It's already pretty cold in Cheney, so she's been eating soup a lot. She called me last night looking for some fun things to do, because she and her roommates were bored. So Kim, did you dye and cut your hair last night? I'm dying (okay, pun wasn't intended, but it's there all the same) to know!

Hawkins Family: The representative from the Hawkins family that comments on my blog is Cali. Her husband, Nate, goes to school with Brian. We felt pretty bad when we got our cat, because her name is Callie, too. We debated for a while whether we should change it or not, because we didn't want Cali to think we named a cat after her. From everything I've seen, Cali is quiet, and patient, and just generally nice in every way. She mentions sometimes that she gets upset with the kids or has bad mothering days, but frankly, it's hard to believe.

Kim: The easiest way to explain Kim is that she's Bryant's mom. I saw Kim at school activities, and watched her perform in the Joseph Smith play the stake put on last year (she was Joseph's mom), but I never really met her until we decided to have a preschool together. Alyssa, Bryant, and a little girl named Alicia were our pupils and the mom's all took turns teaching each week. Kim played on a coed softball team for church, and she was great! When our ward played against her team, I purposefully wore a skirt so I wouldn't have to play (I HATE playing softball), but they needed another girl, so I sat out by first base looking all girly and wimpy while Kim was hitting, catching and throwing balls as well as the guys. Pretty cool!

Katie B.C.: Katie B.C., otherwise known as Katie Bleazard Chen, is also one of my best friends from home. I met Katie in the sixth grade, in Mrs. Watkins class. It was the second day of school and I had forgotten my get-to-know-you assignment at home. I thought the teacher would think I was a flake and a horrible student, but it turned out okay. We needed to partner up, and even though I didn't have my paper sack with me, I partnered with Katie anyway. She was wearing a pretty cool clip in her hair. Anyway, turned out she was a member, so we had even more in common than we thought. Mrs. Watkins always commented that we did everything together. Then in high school, when she would randomly see us, she was surprised that we were still such good friends. Wouldn't she be even more surprised to know that we went to Disneyland together last spring, fifteen years after meeting each other? Katie's husband just graduated (or is about to graduate?) from medical school in California and they'll take off to Minnesota for residency next June. She has the cutest little girl, and she's also thinking of getting her doctorate in food science? By the way, Katie is Jason Bleazard's cousin, who happens to be a first year at Pacific University College of Optometry. (Wow, Kate, looks like you got the longest write-up.)

Shells: Shells is Michelle. I don't know her married name, but she used to be a Harker, making her Brooklet's older sister. My favorite thing to do when I went to the Harker's house growing up (besides hanging out with Brooke) was to watch all the sisters clean up the kitchen and quote the movie "Clue." They could recite the whole movie! I also love how the Harkers are incredibly quick in a conversation. I remember one time we were sitting in the kitchen, talking and one of them said (it was either Michelle or Monica) "Speaking of bringing things up...Lance, could you go get the such-and-such from downstairs?" My older brother had a huge crush on Michelle when he got home from his mission, but apparently she thought he was a nerd or something, because she wasn't all that interested. She's married now, just moved somewhere, and has a cute little boy. (Yeah, Michelle, I spy on your blog.)

Camille: Camille is also the wife of one of the students here at Pacific. The first time I met Camille was when we had a game party at our house during our first year. I remember thinking that she and Kevin were hilarious. She's got two cute little girls, Macey and Allyson. Allyson is only a few months old, and Camille is known by a few women in the Council Creek ward (she's in second ward) as the lady who looks like a super model while pregnant. I was in a presidency meeting for Young Women's and all the pregnant ladies were talking about getting fat and stuff and someone said, "...that lady in second ward who looks great. She's so skinny and she just has this cute big belly." I knew she meant Camille, because the truth is, she did look great. Lucky.

Anonymous: Anonymous is my older sister, Christina. She used to blog, but now she doesn't, although she does check mine sometimes, especially when I call her and tell her to look at the pictures. Christina is the person I call when I'm having a lousy day, or when I just want someone to talk to while cleaning my house. I call her for advice, for support, etc. I can always count on Christina to be furious at something when I am furious, or to at least understand that I am furious. She's the oldest in our family, and has done a great job of setting the example of how to be a good person. She has a strong testimony and has always made the right choices. She has six of the most well-behaved children I have ever met. Every time I've been pregnant, she's been pregnant with me, and it's so nice to call someone who knows just how rotten you feel, or who has great advice.

Happy Birthday, Dear Brian!

Happy birthday to you!

Here's a few of the great accomplishments from Brian's 31st year of life:
Passing the 21-point during the dreaded second year of optometry
Catching a ton of fish in Alaska
Passing National Optometry Boards

Here's to another great year, Brian! We love you!