The Incredible Shrinking Brain

Keith and I have decided to take a birthing class with a couple of our friends to prepare for the inevitable. Last week in class, our teacher informed us that women's brains truly do shrink a bit during pregnancy. Let me tell you, Keith and I are convinced she was telling the truth. Let me relay just a few recent moments:

Saturday we helped Rachel unload her moving truck into the new apartment. Before they left she handed me an extra key and told me not to lose it. Well, a minute later I found myself bewildered as I stared at the strange key in my hand. I turned to Keith and asked where it came from. He didn't know so he asked the family and Rachel relayed the whole scenario for me-told me I looked her in the eye and even responded. I still have no recollection of this happening.

Sunday, my family asked where Keith was. I told them he was outside and they informed me that he couldn't be because he had just come in, sang a little song (as usual) and even talked to me. Once again, I have no recollection.

Today I started school. trying to be prepared and studious, I packed my bag the night before with my books and packed a lunch. Minor detail, I completely forgot a writing utensil. A little important considering it helps to take notes on the syllabus which by the way, I didn't print out for class. Not because I was lazy but simply because I don't remember getting the mass e-mail sent out last week telling the class to print it off and to have it read for the first day. It sits in my inbox now and reminds me that I have lost my mind. Pray that my teachers have mercy on me this last semester!

Home Again

That’s right, I’m actually calling Idaho home. I’ve finally come to peace with the idea that my life is officially and completely in Idaho. I’m a resident with a driver’s license and a home address. Our little girl will forever have the privilege of telling people throughout the duration of her life that she is an Idaho baby. 3 years ago I don’t think I would have been okay telling people that I lived in Idaho. Not that there’s anything wrong with Idaho, my heart just wasn’t tied to the potato state. Well, 3 years of school in Rexburg and a move from Spokane to Idaho Falls with my family and I find myself quite attached to this state that easterners are completely unaware of.
This attachment actually presented itself quite suddenly. I always felt homesick for Rexburg after a summer of working but I was always quick to attribute the feeling to the nostalgia for my college life. But let me tell you, flying out of Vegas and back to Idaho Falls made me more excited than I could have ever imagined. Yeah I was sad to leave Keith for a couple more weeks but I was excited to be back with my family and into a routine. I was tired of a big city and the traffic, smog and irritated drivers that accompanied it.
Wednesday that welcoming embrace of home enveloped both Keith and I as we saw the sign declaring we were officially in Idaho. We have truly grown to love the wonderful, kind people that make up Rexburg. Although meager, we love our small strip of downtown shops and the clean pedestrians that walk the streets in any type of weather. We love the fact that we can count on bumping into friends and professors at Broulims, Albertson’s, Wal-Mart, campus, basically anywhere we go in this town.
So does all of this mean that we plan on permanently living in Rexburg after dental school? Unless the average winter temperature increases at least 40 degrees, I’m going to have to say no. But I hope that we will be able to find a town in a state that is as lovely and welcoming as Rexburg has been.

Time Flies

I am so bad at keeping up on this blog. I wish I had some pictures to post but our camera is acting up and I completely forgot to bring it with me when I went to see Keith in St. George. He is supposed to take some pictures of the places we went but he's been busy with work so I don't know if we'll ever get any on here. Here's a re-cap of the trip which was a BLAST:

Monday the 4th I flew into Vegas to visit Keith after three weeks of being apart. Keith picked me up in Vegas and took me straight to get some much needed food and do some shopping. We went to the outlets with the intention of looking for cologne for Keith. Keith was sweet enough to take a detour and let me look at the maternity store. He went so far to help me pick out clothes and patiently wait in the dressing room with me as I tried on outfit after outfit. Needless to say, I was the one who went home with shopping bags, not Keith. Later, my sister Nycole and her husband Scott took us to BJ's for some deep dish pizza and to see the "Dark Knight" which we both thought was amazing.

Tuesday, Nycole and I dragged Keith out to do some shopping (I swear I haven't been shopping this much in a long time) which was a lot of fun. Me and Nycole both found some really cute jeans and we rummaged through the baby clothes for quite some time. That night I surprised Keith with tickets to the Blue Man Group for an early birthday present. It was a lot of fun and definitely different. We both liked how small the theater was and appreciated the clean acts. On Wednesday we headed up to St. George to stay with Keith's cousin Becca and her husband Mike. We drove through a pretty good lightening storm which was fun to watch and a little scary when our car hydroplaned a couple times. Thursday we went Jet Skiing with a couple of Keith's friends and got fried despite the sunblock. The water and beach felt amazing though and we had a really good time. Friday was our relaxing day, we just hung out with Mike and Becca. Mike's mom was so sweet and took us all out to lunch and knitted us the cutest little hat and booties. We ate mexican for dinner and let's just say I won't be doing that again anytime soon. Poor Keith was up with me in the middle of the night as I begged for tums and felt my esophogus wear away in a pool of acid. Saturday we walked around the temple grounds and checked out the visitor's center, toured Brigham Young's winter home, played lots of Nintendo, ate some amazing pizza at "2 fat guys pizza", watched some Olympics and relaxed. Sunday we took a tour of the tabernacle on the way out of town then headed back to Vegas to visit some awesome friends- Holly, Kathy, and Mellissa. We loved seeing everyone and really appreciated everyone for letting us into their homes.

Keith and I are meeting up this Saturday in Utah and I finally get to bring him home with me! We are both so grateful for his work but we have hated being apart.

We have been so blessed lately. BYU-I requires most students to complete internships for their majors and Keith and I both needed to find one in order to graduate. I was lucky enough to get one at Targhee Women's Clinic and Keith scored a spot with the free dental clinic here in town. Both should provide plenty of learning opportunities and real world experience. Keith has also heard back from two dental schools- Nova (in Florida) and Case Western (in Ohio). Both have asked him to come for interviews which is really exciting. So our lives this fall will consist of school, internships, flying across the country, and a baby. I think we both feel up to the challenge now and we are anxious to see where life will take us this next semester.

47 Questions from Mel (actually 44 b/c I didn't want to answer 3)

Quick update: Keith is officially in St. George selling pest control and it already feels like he's been gone for weeks! In reality, he left yesterday morning. We debated this for so long but we both kept feeling like this was the right thing for him to do. I would have gone with him but I have to do an internship and the school wants to make it as difficult as possible by making me drag it out for ten weeks in the fall. I didn't want to worry about it after the baby came since I'll already have classes to attend and I have to do ten hours a week, so the school is letting me start it 4 weeks before school begins and I can finish October 23rd. I've been stressed about finding an internship but really lucked out at my doctor's appointment today. I asked if they allowed interns and they said they could accommodate for me. Thank you Targhee Women's Clinic! By the way, I love that clinic and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an OB in Rexburg. Both Doctor Lovell and Doctor Meredith are amazing and the staff is so incredibly nice. I had to wait especially long for my appointment today (they were busier than usual) and was a little upset, but all was forgiven when I was taken back and treated so respectfully. I've gained another 5 pounds and am measuring right on for 24 1/2 weeks. It seems like my belly grows every time I wake up so it was nice to know I'm not measuring above average. Another reassurance that it's a girl: her heartbeat measured 152. I learned today that babies heartbeats measure between 120 and 160 with girls being closer to 160 and boys being closer to 120.

Here's my answers to the 47 questions and hopefully Keith can find time to do this too:
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My dad’s cousin Natalie. Both my parents were good friends with her and she passed away in a car accident right after she got married.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Yesterday? My hubby left me for 6 weeks
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I used to but now it’s all scribbles because I only write to take notes
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey, you can never go wrong
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Currently growing one
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I hope so
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Absolutely. Especially with Keith it’s the only way I can defend myself
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Nope, I’m a wimp
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? What isn’t my favorite! I love cereal, toasted oatmeal squares is one of my all time favs but it’s way too expensive to buy unless it’s on sale
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically, I used to be but not anymore. I need to hit the gym more often. Emotionally I think so…unless Keith leaves me to stay alone for a night (or 40!) and being pregnant I don’t feel like I have as much control as I used to.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Anything with chocolate. I love Reed’s Dairy- fudge brownie is my favorite right now. And when I can get it, half-baked Ben and Jerry’s beats anything
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Probably the way they carry themselves and what kind of attitude they portray
15. RED OR PINK? Red but I’m sure with our little girl coming everything is going to turn pink
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I’m a total wimp when it comes to doing anything risky like cliff jumping, roller coasters, skydiving, I have no desire and sometimes I wish I did.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? The Beckers! Connecticut is just too far away
18. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Brown
19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? 2 sandwiches (my appetite has definitely come back) and a whole lot of veggies
20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Nothing
21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Teal because it’s my favorite color right now
22. FAVORITE SMELLS? Bread baking, cookies baking, vanilla, cinnamon, rain
23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Keith
24. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I love Mellissa and will totally miss our prego talks when the semester ends
25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Basketball, gymnastics, tennis is actually good when it’s Wimbledon
26. HAIR COLOR? Naturally I’m pretty sure it’s dirty blonde, and I’m normally blonde but right now it’s nasty bronzy blonde
27. EYE COLOR? Blue
28. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Legally blind without them
29. FAVORITE FOOD? The food I eat most is cereal and I love anything sweet. I love anything dairy and I’m really craving Chinese right now
30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? I used to love the scary ones, now I love the happy endings. But I am soo excited to see “The Dark Knight”
31. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Fried Green Tomatoes
32. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Black
33. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer!
34. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses from my hubby
35. FAVORITE DESSERT? Ice cream and just about anything covered in chocolate.
36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Currently I’m not reading a book because it’s finals week and I won’t study if I have a book to read. The second school’s out though I’m starting “Eclipse”
37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don’t have one
38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? It must have been bad because I can’t remember at all
39. FAVORITE SOUND? Rain falling, the lake when it’s calm and no one is around
40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles
41. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Washington DC but I don’t remember it.
42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can roll my stomach now that it’s big!
43. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Logan, Utah
44. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE WHERE WOULD IT BE? Europe

Tag: Rachel cuz she didn’t do the last one and Aimee

Random news

I officially have a foot long baby growing inside of me which is crazy! Keith and I were able to see her kicking tonight, it was really fun to watch my belly as she practiced her soccer skills.
I feel like I need to share an experience I recently had. I read a note written on facebook by a friend from high school who fell away from the LDS church. Appearantly he was really upset with a statement issued by the First Presidency of the church regarding same-sex marriage in California. He ended up twisting the message around and really bashed on the church using previous statements that were made in the 1980's. It made me so sad that he would go out of his way to do something to hurt the church's image and it frustrated me that he cared so much to put that much effort into something he should no longer care about. His note also made me realize how important it is for people to stand up for what they believe in. I hesitated in responding to his note but finally did, defending my beliefs in modern day revelation and the sanctity of families. I don't normally do that but after reading the article in the Ensign on using technology to share our beliefs, I really felt prompted to do so. I would encourage everyone to always "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places" and to heed the counsel given in the Proclamation to the Family: "we call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."
On a lighter note, we had an awesome 4th of July weekend with Keith's family. We stayed with Keith's sister Katie and her husband Brandon on Thursday and Friday night. We played so many games and had a blast with them. For the 4th we went to Keith's brother Kirk's house. The boys helped sheetrock the basement while the girl's chatted upstairs. I was able to hold baby Sophie a lot and loved every second of it. She is such a sweet and beautiful baby!
I only have a week and a half of school left. I cannot believe the semester is almost over but I'm so ready for that 7 week break. Keith is debating right now whether or not he should sell pest control these last months of summer. Hopefully we'll decide within the next couple of days whether or not it's worth it.

The Newest Member of the Shaw Family

Keith's brother Kirk and his wife Joy just had their third child!

Sophie Isabelle was born yesterday and we just wanted to say how excited we are for them. We're glad that our little girl will have a cousin so close in age.

DAT

It's official, Keith has finally taken the DAT (Dental Admissions Test) and he passed with flying colors! Really is anyone surprised? Keith has been under so much stress preparing for this test but his hard work has really payed off. He got a 20 on the science overall and a 19 on the academic overall. Both are above average and with his competitive GPA and early submission, he should have a good shot at securing some interviews this fall. I am so proud of him and so happy that he can enjoy the rest of his summer.

Last Monday we found out that

I guess it's not official until the baby actually comes but we can hope that three different doctors told us the correct gender. We had our ultrasound on the 16th when I was a little over 20 weeks. It was so fun to see her moving around and see the growth she's made in the past few weeks. Right now she's measuring a little smaller so they're thinking the baby probably won't come until the first week of November. My due date is still October 31st but we're not counting on a Halloween baby.