Keith's rendezvous with the car door

Keith is a real man now and he has the scar to prove it! Last week Keith was getting into the car after a little shopping trip and smacked his head on the door frame. He got into the car and had blood running down his face which sent me into panic mode as I frantically searched for something to stop the bleeding and my nausea. I don't typically handle blood well and being pregnant has only amplified that. Luckily we had some napkins in the glove compartment (I know they're not necessarily sanitary) and we were able to save the car interior from a new red dye job. Seeing as how it was after 5 pm and being poor college students on DMBA insurance, we opted not to go to the ER for stitches-probably not the brightest idea but we saved a little money right? The next day the wound was still bleeding so Keith went to the health center to get it stitched up:


Notice the bruising underneath, that looked pretty nasty for about a week. Unfortunately, the stitches were put in pretty late and he is going to have a good scar from it. Luckily he has fun with it and likes to tell people that he got between me and my ice cream which really isn't all that far fetched.

PUPPPS

No I have not developed a love for puppies as the title may entice some to believe, I have instead developed a beautiful rash with the name of Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy. As my family knows, I tend to have a knack for developing weird illnesses and this is just another one to add to my list. Funny enough, I knew on Saturday as I ran my hands across my bumpy belly exactly what had happened overnight. I remembered in my pregnancy class reading about some disgusting rash that could develop inside of your stretch marks and I thought to myself, "well thank goodness only 1% of women get this and most of the women who do are carrying boys." How wrong I was to think that I wouldn't be in the 1%. Just a brief description, the rash starts in your stretch marks (which makes them extremely red, bumpy and itchy) and then typically progresses its way down your thighs and arms. It develops in the third trimester and stays until after the delivery where it can linger for weeks until disappearing. Let's just say, it's like having permanent hives on your body. The reason I share this is so that all of you can know that if I am itching my belly, it's because I can't help it. And if the next time you see me I am covered in zit like sores all over my body, don't be alarmed I am not contagious and I have not developed some flesh eating disease. Because I don't want to scare those of you who are thinking of getting pregnant, I will not put a picture of the nasty rash on here but feel free to google it, I'm surprised how much I found. If anyone has any ideas on how to relieve the crazy itchiness, I'm definitely open for suggestions!
Besides PUPPPS, everything is as expected with the last month of pregnancy. We are so excited to bring the baby into our home. The doctor checked me on Friday and said I'm dilated to a 1 and my cervix is thinning so let's hope this baby wants to come a little earlier and let's hope that she comes out a girl!

Good samaritans and butterfingers

Today I was waddling my way up a hill on campus towards my car when I saw a construction worker pull into a parking spot right next to the sidewalk where I was passing. I noticed him because he pulled into a spot I knew was specifically designated for workers, he had a hard hat on and because his long locks and mussy stash were a little foreign to my Rexburg eyes. I continued on my way and becamea little alarmed as I heard brisk steps behind me. The next thing I knew I found myself walking in stride with this big burley man. He asked "what happened to your belly?" "It just keeps expanding on me." With that he laughed and handed me a package of peanut M&M's and turned around to meet up with a fellow worker. I could not keep the smile off of my face I was so overwhelmed with the kindness he had showed me. Such a simple act truly made my day and motivated me to reach out to others in such small and simple ways. I've noticed this happening much more often with my pregnancy and am grateful for all who have helped in any way. It truly makes the pregnancy more bearable (let's face it, this last month is not fun) when you constantly hear kind words, witness sincere smiles of sympathy and love and have unkown strangers reach out a helping hand.

Today also marked the third day in a row of my breaking a glass item. Tuesday, I broke a picture frame which was not too upsetting because I didn't really like it. Wednesday however, I dropped a jar of jelly in the fridge and shattered, and I mean shattered, the glass crisper cover in the fridge. Keith was sweet enough to spend an hour cleaning up the mess. This morning was probably the most upsetting. I was loading the dishwasher and got a little too aggressive. I ended up breaking my favorite glass pitcher that Keith and I received as a wedding gift. So moral of the story, do not allow me into your kitchen (where all three incidences occured) and do not let me touch anything glass.

Finally! A post worth reading - Keith learns how to blog

Well Natalie finally did it, she got me to write on the blog. Things have been going pretty well for the Shaw family. We're staying busy with school, internships and dental interviews. I am happy to say that I have gotten a few more interviews and am excited to see the schools, not pay the money to fly out there. I visited Nova in Ft. Lauderdale a couple of weeks ago and liked it a lot. The campus was really nice and I was impressed with their facilities. I interview next at Louisville in Kentucky, then Case Western in Ohio, UNLV and Marquette in Wisconsin a little later. I will post pictures later from the Florida beach. One of the dental students I stayed with rushed me over there after my interview, we jumped into the ocean for 10 minutes, then jumped back out. I changed into some dry clothes there in the parking lot then he took me to the airport and I flew out. It kind of stinks that I fly out to these places and can only stay for a day or two. I wish I was not going to school so I didn't have to rush back to my classes.

Natalie and I like our new apartment besides the fact that we are on the first floor and get to deal with the company of ants. Natalie opened up our pantry last night to find ants all over our shelves and they had eaten through are oatmeal cream pie wrappers which caused Natale to go into shock, saying "Why, why my oatmeal cream pies?" They had also gotten into our chip bag which Natalie had been eating earlier with salsa-she still can't get that out of her mind.

We like our new ward and have a new calling with the activities committee. We had an activity this past Friday that was amazing. They fed us dinner and had scones with honey butter that was to die for. Nat told me to put the recipe for it on here so here it is: 1/2 cup of butter (it has to be butter, not the wimpy margarine stuff), 7 oz. marshmallow cream and 1/4 cup honey. Whip it all together and you'll be eating it by the spoonfulls.

Both of our internships are going great. Natalie enjoys working at the obgyn office and is learning a lot. She really enjoys it when she can be in the ultrasound room helping with that. It has been fun having family so close. I love going down to Sunday dinner at the in laws. I always give my mother in law Lynette a hard time with all the sweets she cooks, but man is it good. Natalie and I are still learning new recipes each week.

My sister in law Rachel and her family are still moving in right across from us and we can't wait till they are officially moved in. The kids and I like to lay on the grass and pretend we know what constellations we're pointing at. Kate just names the stars after the members of the family. I think she pointed to the same star for me and Natalie so I am going to have a talk with Kate about renaming me a star.

Natalie and I are so excited to have our little girl and cannot believe how fast it has gone and as you can tell by the pictures, Natalie is packing. Anyways I can't believe I have typed up this much and feel like that time has come for me to end this post. Hope everything is going good for everyone. Love Keith and Natalie!

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.