Molly and Brad

Saige Updates!

2011-11-01T11:58:00.020-06:00

Man, so much has happened since last I blogged that I don't even know where to begin! Let's start with some Saige updates (most the posted pictures don't have anything to do with the list of things Saige does):

-She turned 10 months old Oct 30th! Waaaaa! This stage is so much fun, but she wont be a baby much longer! I have dreaded that since day 1. Oh well. You have to live in the present and soak up the joy in each moment, am I right?

-She crawls around the house like a puppy and pulls up to standing on everything she can. She doesnt cruise yet, but she enjoys using a walking toy to go across the living room.

-She signs "all done" and recognizes the words/signs "mama", "dada", "Saige" and maybe a few others.

-She sleeps pretty great at night, but naps are still hit and miss. The last 2 weeks, each nap has averaged 45 minutes. I hopefully can chalk that up to her 2 top teeth coming through. She had a nap over an hour thus morning, so that's promising!

-She takes 3 naps a day which I would love to condense to 2 longer naps. She is just not ready yet. She cant stay awake for more than 2.5 hours...and that's pushing it.

-After 9 MONTHS, she FINALLY sleeps unswaddled! I totally thought I could wean her off the wrap around 3/4 months, like the book says, but I have been learning that MOST babies are NOT by the book. I wish I would have recognized that earlier. It would have saved me a lot of undue stress. Brad and I love to sneak into her room and see all the funny/uncomfortable positions she gets herself into now that she isn't sleeping in a straight jacket.

-She loves trying to eat junk off the kitchen floor (old peas, Doritos, dust bunnies, etc) so I need to sweep more, as tempting as it is to let Saige be my personal Rumba.

-She LOVES opening drawers, cabinets, bins, hampers, what have you, and pulling everything she can possibly reach OUT. DVDs, pens, and batteries are her favorite things to pull out and play with. Don't worry, the batteries are D's so there is no possible way she can swallow them.

-She laughs a lot, both at Brad and I and when she does something she thinks is funny. We love it.

-She is still pretty dang bald. She has some longish hair on top, but it's sooooo fine on the back and sides still!

-She has recently discovered the wonders of the bathroom. She loves the toilet and the tub. We now have to keep that door closed.

-She just started "sharing": handing us things, then taking them back, then handing them again. Its so cute! (ps. those are Brad's duck calls that Saige is playing with. If I wasn't married to Brad, I wouldn't know what they were either :)

-She is a happy baby girl! She brings us so much joy. I recently saw this framed saying that you can hang above a baby's bed that says, in the parents voice: "First we had each other. Then we had you. Now we have everything." I just love that. Sums up how we feel about our little Saige.

Family Fun in Seattle

2011-09-11T14:40:00.021-06:00

Man, it's hard to come back from vacation, especially when you have to come back from 12 days in Hawaii...post soon to come. Right now I would like to give you one more Seattle-themed post because the last trip we had to Seattle before our tropical vaca was soooo much fun! It just HAS to be documented! :)

All the Tegeders (excpet my bro-in-law Jordan, poor guy) were in Seattle for my cousin's wedding the first part of September. We took a day long trip to Blake Island, an island in the Puget Sound that is entirely a state park. Its sweet. We took a ferry from downtown to get there.

We Tegeders are definitely over-packers. Evidence in the proceeding picture:

No, we werent moving to Blake Island. All that stuff was for ONE day.

The fam on the ferry:

My bro Troy, his wife Nancee and their adorable daughters Sadie and Erica. It was so awesome of them to fly up from Arizona!

We got to the island and set up shop. It was a perfect, sunny summer day!

Saige still takes 3 naps a day (She will be 9 MONTHS OLD in a few days! Waaaa!) and would definiely be needing her beauty rest while at Blake Island. There was no way we were going to bring the pack 'n play along with the 3 tons of other stuff we brought, so we had to improvise....

It turns our suitcase sleeping aint so bad! Here is Brad getting Saige to sleep. He is the baby whisperer in our family. He can get Saige to sleep basically anytime, anywhere. He is a fantastic father!

We found this sweet teeter-totter made from drift wood on the beach, Admittedly, the adults had almost as much fun on it as the kiddos. Here is me and Erica:

My sister Sonja (visiting from Oklahoma) sandwiched between my nieces Lovi and Summer.

Who says the beach is a bad place to show off cartwheels? My only nephew on the Tegeder side of the family, Noah, having a blast in the sand. Poor boy. The grandkid order on the Tegeder side of the family is as follows: boy, girl, girl, girl, girl, girl. Noah is left at the top with no other boy to wrestle with. Luckily, he plays great with his girl cousins, his sister Lovi and he are best buds, and he loves babies. Its not such a bad line up after all.

Saige and her daddy walking on the beach! How cute is this pictutre, really? I just love it. Little does Saige know that a week and a half from that moment, the water she will be walking in will be muuuuuch warmer....

My lovely sis-in-laws, Julie and Nancee holding my wee one.

Brad was having a blast taking pictures of family members with the Seattle skyline in the background. I really miss my Washington home when I see pictures like these.

The trip was a total blast. We rode bikes, ate a HUGE lunch, went hiking, built sandcastles, built a driftwood fort, and enjoyed good company.

Brad had to take his second round of dental boards a few days after this trip. The test was a big deral, spanning over 2 days. Guess what? He passed! We got the results recently and we are stoked for him. Its nice to see hard work pay off....with more than a little help from above :)

A Summer Update.....Finally!

2011-09-10T23:51:00.013-06:00

It seems every time I actually blog, I recommit myself to do a post every week. How hard can that be, right? Well, for a lazy blogger like me, it's nearly impossible. But I feel guilty for not posting pictures and videos of my little sweetie for people who want to see her, soooooo consider the next few posts a Cliff Notes version of our AWESOME summer of 2011 (in no particular order, I might add)!

We recently spent a week back home in Renton, WA to see my amazing cousin get married to her amazing man! At the temple sealing baby sitters were slim and kids were plentiful (plus Saige is still pretty little) so Brad kindly hung back and took care of Saige so I got to be there when my cousin was sealed. Here are some picture of the photo shoot Brad did of Saige while waiting on the Seattle temple grounds.

"What is this dish called? 'Grass'?"
"Well, I usually don't, but just this once...."
Saige about to pop from eating waaay too much green.

The temple grounds team soon after offered Saige a job as a lawn mower. She regrettably had to decline. Plus, she can find plenty of "delicious" things to eat off her own living room floor.

By the way, isn't this such a "dad" thing to do? Not only let your baby EAT GRASS, but turn it into a photo shoot? Or is it just "Brad" thing to do? Hmmmm.. :)

"I love the temple!!!"

Our little family of 3. So fun! At the end of a long day at a wedding, most women are slipping out of their heels because of aching feet. Saige's equivalent to that was yanking off her little headband. She said no more.
It was a GORGEOUS and incredibly fun day. More posts about Seattle to come...

Let Summer Begiiiiiiin!

2011-06-06T10:44:00.015-06:00

We have been having ton of fun lately, thanks to that big, yellow thing in the sky that has finally decided to show up here in Oregon. Here are a few updates:

We picnicked at the Pittock Mansion in NW Portland last Saturday- a giant, majestic mansion built in the early 1900's with a killer view of greater Portland.
We didn't put sunscreen on Saige, but obviously wanted her little baby skin to be out of the sun so we used an umbrella for protection. I didn't realize how dumb we would feel carrying it around. Oh well. Lesson learned. Saige, however, thought it was a delicious idea as you can see.
...speaking of delicious...

For Memorial Day weekend, we ran up to Seattle to spend it with my family. We had a great time, of course. We hiked Twin Falls near North Bend, WA with my brother Andy and his family.
Andy just finished his last day of Medical school at UW! What an achievement! We are super happy for him, but bummed that he and his family will be headed to Vermont next year for his dermatology residency. I googled the distance and Burlington, Vermont is 3,015 miles from Portland. Boo. Hopefully there will be a few good coat factories for him to choose from...Burlington Coat Factories, that is. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I tried to talk myself out of that joke, but just couldn't resist.

Saige and I are flying to Tulsa, OK soon to party with my sister Sonja and and her husband Jordan. We cant wait! We are going to eat, craft, swim, watch movies, go on walks, and do all the fun fun things that Tulsa has to offer. After that we are off to St. George to hang out in a pool for a week striaght with Brad's family. I've never been to St. George, but I know that sun, hot weather, outdoor pools and great company will make for a fabulous trip!

Saige Updates:
-She recently discovered her toes and loves chewing on them. Cracks us up.
-She loves to laugh, which warm our hearts.
-She is muuuuuch better at tummy time. She kicks like crazy on her stomach- it totally looks like she is trying to swim.
-She loves being outdoors. We try to go on a lot of walks.
-She is the cutest little thing ever and we love her like crazy.

30% at Gap and Gap Kids in the Washington Square Mall

2011-05-24T18:34:00.003-06:00

My Portland Friends!

Gap and Gap Kids in the Washington Square Mall has an awesome promo right now thru May 29th: Bring an item of clothes to Gap to donate (anything you would bring to Good Will) and get 30% off your entire purchase! Gap Kids requires a baby/kid clothing item. Gap kids has some cute sale items right now- Saige and I hit it up this morning!

Just to give you an idea of the prices with the discount:

Dress: $11. Shirt: $7. Jellies: $4. Swimsuit: $5.50

Don't miss it!

Just wanted to pass along the awesome deal.

LOL

2011-05-19T11:57:00.003-06:00

Saige gives us great laughs! It's so adorable I just cant stand it! Please ignore the total mess in the back corner- Saige's room doubles as a storage room...cant wait to move into a bigger place after dental school...Just pretend the stack of boxes is a beautiful grand piano or something.

The (not so) Joys of Motherhood

2011-05-16T11:27:00.007-06:00

Most mothers agree that being a mom is the best job EVER! Nothing beats nurturing, loving, cuddling, teaching, and all the others things we do with our children. Yet there are undeniable hardships that come with motherhood. I figured to keep my blog a bit more 'real life', I would write about some of the challenges of being a mom. Perhaps you can relate!

Mothering my baby Saige:

Spitting up: Saige is a big time spitter -upper. I know most babies spit up, but the frequency of hers is kinda insane. Anyone who has held her for more than 10 minutes can attest. She eats about 6 times each day. She spits up 3-4 times after every meal (no exaggeration here). So even estimating low, she spits up about 18 times a day. She has been alive for 138 days. So basically she has spit up around 2,484 times since birth, which was just 4.5 months ago. Ha! She honestly wears a bib almost every minute that she is not sleeping. Switching out a bib is easier than changing an entire outfit.

Impeccable timing: Im sure EVERY mom can relate to this one. I put Saige down for a nap, and feel a sense of relief when I close the door: time to myself! I hustle to get some chores done (dishes, paying bills, laundry, whatever) then sit down to read, sew, watch an episode of Prison Break and the MINUTE I put the blanket on my lap or hit play or open the book, what do I hear from the baby monitor? "WaaaaAAAAAaaaa! WAAAAAAAA!". You have GOT to be kidding me. Its only been 45 minutes (or less)! I eventually laugh at the timing of it all, but I wish I could set a timer for naps "Ok, Saige, you WILL sleep for 1.5 hours this afternoon". That would be fabulous!

Time away from home: I must say, I love nursing Saige. Its so much fun for so many reasons. The tricky part of nursing, as you may know, is you don't have much time between feedings if you want to run an errand without a baby. So the other evening when I needed run to a few stores without my princess, I got all ready to go before I fed her, then I nursed her, and as soon as I was done I handed her off to Brad and in my mind said "Readyyyyyyyyy, GO!" and sprinted to the car and in and out of the places I needed to go, trying not to speed on the road. Sometimes when I am out like this, I will get a call from Brad half-way thru my shopping and the first thing I hear on the line is "WAAAAAAAA!!! WAAAAAAA!!" followed by a frazzled father asking when I will get home. It cracks me up.

Someone recently told me she loved it when her baby would cry because it meant "Mom, I NEED you!" and she was reminded of her special duty as a nurturer. Keeping that perspective has really helped me during the last few months. Its wonderful that the sweet moments outweigh the challenges of motherhood. The joy brought into our lives with the birth of Saige is truly amazing and the hard times are making me a more patient and selfless person.

A Bit of Catching Up

2011-05-13T15:29:00.016-06:00

Its hard to believe that 4 and a half months have past since little Saige Mackenzie came into our family!

Here are Saige's stats as of 4 months:

Weight: 14.5 lbs. (75%)
Height: 23.2 in (80%)
Head Circumference: 16.5 in (75%)

As my sister put it, she is by no means "petite".

A few fun facts about our little baby:

-She HATES tummy time. She really just cant stand it. We think thats why she rolled over at 4 weeks from tummy-to-back- she just couldn't take it any longer! (and, yes, that was some parental bragging :) But, give me a break, I am a first time mom!)

- She loves chewing on anything made of cloth- her burp rags, her pant legs, my sleeves, our sheets, her swaddling blankets, you name it. If its soft and cloth like, into the mouth it goes.

-She loves her baths- we love giving them to her! She splashes and tries to grab the washcloth from us any chance she gets to suck the water out.

- She can roll both ways, but forgets she can roll tummy-to-back sometimes and gets "stuck" on her belly. She cries till we pick her up.

- She just started giving us 6-8 hour stretches at night which is faaaaaabulous! After 6-8 hours of sleep, she nurses then goes right back down for about 3 more. Not too shabby!

-She loves the car seat much to our delight. She sleeps really well in it.

-She loves taking naps with Brad and he loves it even more.

-She still needs to be swaddled to sleep well for naps and nighttime. Brad and I created a makeshift straight jacket so she cant sneak her little paws out any more.

-She is generally very happy and smiley!

We just love having her around!

A few quick pics...

2011-04-06T09:34:00.005-06:00

These are a few pictures Brad, his dad and his little bro Travis took of Saige during a photo shoot in K Falls.

Pictures of our Princess

2011-03-20T19:36:00.017-06:00

All bundled up to go on a walk:

Saige and daddy up too early in the morning:
Saige's Baby Blessing:
The Tegeder Clan:
Some of the Mortenson Clan:
Fashion shots:

"What do you mean you wont take me to the Beiber movie?!"

We are just loving being parents to this little darling!

The Birth Story

2011-02-17T12:02:00.003-07:00

Our little lady was due of Christmas Eve but was too cozy and warm to even think about making her debut on time. Brad and I had waaaaay to much fun together over Christmas break awaiting her arrival.

Dec 29th (night before being induced): We laid in bed wide awake until after midnight trying to calm our brains down (especially mine). Thoughts like I cant believe the day is here already...Am I ready for this baby?...Life will never be the same again...Holy cow, I have to get up in 4 hours...etc.

Dec 30th

4am: We woke up and ate a "light breakfast" as encouraged by the hospital. We said family prayer, gathered and packed the last few things we needed and headed out the door!

5:20am: We were admitted, I changed into my awesome (why isnt there a font for sarcasm?) hospital gown and we were shown into the birthing suite. Ok, St. Vincent's has huge, comfortable, inviting birthing suites and I just loved being in mine. There is a bench in the window just big enough for the husband to sleep on. Very nice!

7am: After 3 trys with the needle (which is ALWAYS the case when I get an IV), the nurse got the IV running and started me on pitocin (synthetic oxytocin). Contractions at this point were minimal and painless, so both Brad and I were able to sleep for a few hours which was fabulous.

9am: I woke up with a growling stomach and realized there was no way the Malt-o Meal I ate at 4:20am would get me through the rest of the labor and delivery. They discourage the eating of solids after labor begins, but the thought of eating NOTHING for the next 12 hours was too much to handle. After 2 lollypops and trying to get Brad to sneak me some crackers, we asked the nurse if the whole “no food” rule was true....which it was. However, our awesome nurse told us they had a “clear liquids” menu that I could order from and drink as much as I want! So I got a big meal of chicken broth, jell-o, and a protein shake and felt muuuuch better.

11am: Contractions started to become painful, but manageable. The dose of pitocin was upped every 30 mins and now I was really feeling the effects. I still hadn't dilated much, so I was holding off on the epidural which they recommended. I tried different breathing techniques aaaaaaaaaaand they did almost no good. Brad threw on The Office on our mini DVD player to help distract me which helped much more.

1pm: Contractions were totally KILLER. Coming every 3 minutes and lasting for 1 minute. Yikes. I was ready for the epidural but, surprise surprise, my stomach was growling again. I knew that after I got the epidural I could only eat ice chips so I decided to order one more serving of clear liquids. Well, it took forEVER for the food to arrive (about 50 minutes) because it was lunch time and everyone was ordering food. When it finally got to me, I had a very difficult time eating it because of the contractions and by this time I was in tears and so ready to be out of pain.

3pm: I got the epidural which was completely wonderful. I have absolutely no regrets nor shame in getting one. I am totally cool with people doing whatever they feel is right and best for them as far as pain relief goes, but it really gets to me when people badmouth each other's choices when it comes to labor and delivery, especially when people think hospitals are evil and epidurals are for the weak and faint of heart. Just had to throw that out there :) The great thing about my epidural was that I had a lot of sensation: I could move both my legs, I could feel when they checked me for dilation, I could feel the contractions coming and going. The difference was that it was all painless- the epidural took the 'bite' off everything. It was a great decision for me.

My doctor came in to check my dilation and effacement (only at 4cms and about 90% effaced) and he broke my water. Time to get this show on the road.

Brad and I took another nap after the epidural which was nice- I was able to conserve energy and get ready for the grand finale!

5pm: Woke up from my nap and was checked by the nurse: 9cm and 100% effaced! Yay! It was sweet to have dilated 5 cms in 2 hours. They let me continue to dilate fully and and prepped everyone for delivery.

7pm: I started pushing which was much harder than I thought it would be. I gave me a pretty wicked headache just 20 mins into it which made me nervous for the rest of what was to come. I tried different positions (side lying, etc) but personally found being in the sit-up/crunch position the most natural.

I have to say, my doctor was just awesome. He was determined to deliver the baby so even though he was done with his work day at 5pm and the doctor on the floor could have delivered Saige, he hung out at the hospital and visited me regularly during the pushing stage. He said he wasn't going anywhere until my baby was delivered. This was such a comfort to me!

8:30pm: Pushing, pushing and more pushing. This is when I hit my low: at one point during a contraction, Saige's heart rate when way down. My doc told me calmly that we would have to keep an eye on this and if it continued to happen, I needed to be prepared for a possible c-section. Well, that was the last thing I desired (although I am so happy they are available for women who need to have them) and I got really scared. I cried and took a break from pushing (oh, ps, contractions were painful now- the epidural didn't protect me from the wrath of the hardcore pushing and contractions!). This was the "I can't do this anymore" stage of the game which most women hit. Luckily, Saige's heart rate never dropped like that again which was great. I got my second wind and was determined to get that baby OUT! After an episiotomy and a grand total of 2 hours and 15 mins of pushing, out little Saige was born at 9:12pm. The doctor put her right up onto my stomach and I got great cuddle time with my wee one!

I have to say, Brad was the absolute best coach for me during the entire day- he was supportive, encouraging, helpful and loving. Several nurses even pointed that out. I love him so very much!

And that's a wrap, people. Sorry for both the delay in getting this up on the blog AND for the long story. It was a wonderful day and now I have my precious baby.

...pictures of Saige to come :)

Saige Mackenzie Mortenson

2011-01-31T17:28:00.019-07:00

Introducing our little sweetheart! Saige was born on Dec. 30th at 9:12pm. I will post my birth story shorty...though "shortly" for my blogging skiz-ills is undefined...it will be soon!

Even from the very first, she has been a smiler! So fun!

Dr. Bair was amazing and supportive- though he was off at 5pm, he decided to stay at the hospital because he was determined to deliver the baby! We were so grateful for that.

The incredibly happy mama.

Our little family with the newest addition.

Ty and Alan came to visit us in the hospital when Saige was just a day old.

The car ride home. She looks so tiny! It's 4.5 weeks later and she already looks so much bigger! She is at 11 lbs now.

Molly's mom and dad holding Saige in the hospital.

Brad's folks meeting Sige for the first time. She is giving them a big stretch!

Brad and Saige sleeping- quite possibly the cutest picture I have taken.

Mama and baby! I was happy that my face had shrunk back down a bit by this point. You can see in the pics of me at the hospital that I had reeeeeally puffed up the last few weeks.

Check out this crocheted purple dress! Sister Shaffer from Brad's home ward made it for Saige. Its really unbelievably detailed and beautiful. Gotta love the baggy tights!

And a little glance at life with Saige. It's funny how this doesn't bother me at all- people always say that its not as bad when it is your own kid's mess, but its so true!

More pics to come! :)

9 days left? Holy cow....

2010-12-05T18:50:00.009-07:00

So, NOW would be an appropriate time for ignorant men to ask if I am having twins:

I'm feeling really good, but the last 2 weeks I have been retaining lots of water (please, please, PLEASE be water and not chub): my fingers look like Costco hotdogs, it looks like I have rolled both ankles, and there appears to be an additional chin where there was only one chin last month. Ah, the joys of pregnancy. But besides that, I really have nothing to complain about- though the last few weeks have become increasingly uncomfortable, its totally manageable discomfort and I generally feel great!

The great news that I learned at my doctor appointment a few weeks ago is that I am 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. I know that's pretty typical for women in the last month of pregnancy and I really cannot get my hopes up that this little girl will come early. I am just excited that there is already SOME progress! Every pain in my abdomen, however minimal, gets me all excited that "this might be a contraction!" but, alas, the pain is always very short and not intense. One of these days....

Quick story: Brad and I went to a dollar theater last week. For those who aren't familiar with Portland, quite a few second-run theaters here either double as breweries or serve beer at the concession stand. Anyway, we were running late, couldn't find parking, finally get a spot, ran/waddled to the theater and finally got to the teller.

Me: Two for Secretariat, please.
Woman (who looks barley 19): IDs, please.
Me: (huh? what? Is this movie R and I look like a pregnant teenager? ooOOOoooh...) Oh, right. You serve beer.

I whip out my ID, but realized I picked Brad up from school and he only has his dental school ID which doesn't have DOB or anything. He flashed it at her, we explained he is a dental student at OHSU (hoping she would figure that a 20 year-old couldn't be a dental student and, c'mon, does Brad really look 20?)

I guess he does because she wouldn't let us in! I was so frazzled and frustrated. When I student taught 2 years ago people mistook me for a teenager once in a while, but to be turned away when we are in our mid-late 20's is just dumb. However, I have seen little signs near cash registers at 7-11's that say "I would card my mother" so I guess this chick was just doing her job. But it wasn't a bar, it want a club, it was an ultra ghetto movie theater on the SE side that happened to serve beer! It's like being carded while walking into Red Robin. Bah. So, heads up for my Portland friends, always make sure your ID is in your wallet before hitting up the Laurelhurst dollar theater.

36 weeks and counting....

2010-11-23T12:22:00.004-07:00

This last weekend Brad and I went up to Seattle to have a pre-Thanksgiving feast with my mom's side of the family. It was a ton of fun though we were gone less than 48 hours. The only crap part of the trip was a man that I had a short exchange with at a holiday craft bizarre that went a little something like this:

Man: Let me guess- 2 weeks left? (talking about when my baby is due).
Molly: No, actually just under 5 weeks left
Man: (shocked expression) Twins?
Molly: (annoyed and suprised) Nope. Just one.
Man: (shakes head with continued stunned expression) That's gonna be one big baby!
Molly: (while walking away before I throw a punch) Yeah, we'll see.

What the heck?! How can people say things like that?! And I honestly don't think I look that big! Observe:
(Yeah, I know the lipstick color is awful).

And even if I was huge, c'mon! At the time , I wasn't laughing but the more I think about it the more it cracks me up. I would be preaching to the choir to tell people who read this blog to not ask those kinds of questions or say those types of things to a pregnant women. Plus, I always thought that was common sense, but apparently not.

On the other hand, earlier this year I was at the gym when on old guy asked me if I was 20 years old and told me he assumed I weighed 100 pounds! I'll take that accusation any day! However, he told me during later that he was going blind to the point that he could no longer play tennis. I choose to not recall that part of the conversation :)

Carpet Tunnel Syndrome

2010-11-03T10:51:00.004-06:00

I don't know how many of you are fans of old school SNL skits with David Spade, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider, but some of those oldies are pure gold- anything from Matt Foley (motivational speaker) to Chris Farley as a TV commentator. However, the "Gap Girls" sketch is one of my favorites.

David Spade says, "I can't fold another sweater- my wrists are killing me. I think I'm getting that carpet tunnel syndrome."
To which Adam Sandler replies "You don't have it, you can only catch it from a computer".

Well, Adam Sandler, as we know you are WRONG! Preggo women can get it pretty hard core.

The last 5 or 6 nights I have woken up multiple times with shooting, stabbing pain in my wrists and arms all the way to the elbow. I started to get really worried, wondering what the heck was happening to me and why the pain and tingling wouldnt subside with rubbing and shaking. I already have a pretty crappy case of tendonitis in my right arm that hasnt improved for years so the thought of having a another arm out of commission just freaked me out. I woke Brad up one of the nights it was hurting paricularly bad and he suggested to take a look in my "What to Expect when Expecting" book (which I just LOVE). Lo and behold, there was a section about carpel tunnel syndrome. I slept with arms braces on the next 2 nights which helped with the right arm, but not the left (I need to but a better wrist brace for the left arm). I'm hoping for a pain-free sleep tonight with a new, sturdy brace.

I also had a check up with the doc and he said, yes, to splint them at night, drink plenty of fluid and avoid excess salt. If you read my last post, you may remember the doctor telling me to avoid excess sugar, too. Yikes. Now both my salt and sugar are taken from me! Oh, well. All I have to do to get over that is picture the cute, little baby I'll have in my arms in less than 2 months!

Ps. After downing water and avoiding sugar, my amniotic fluid has DOUBLED! I'm in the clear! Yay!

Brad and I have our second childbirth class tonight which I am really looking forward to. 9 out of 12 of the couples in the class are having girls! Crazy, eh? Luckily, none of them will be using any of the names Brad and I are tossing around.

Preggo Pictures, etc.

2010-10-21T14:52:00.011-06:00

7 months down, 2 to go! It's inSANE how fast the time has gone! I have said before that I figured coaching volleyball during the fall would really make the time fly, and it totally has. My team has done very well with a 6-4 record for the regular season and will be playing in semi-finals on Tuesday! Go aardvarks! (no, seriously, that is the school's mascot. I heard one of David Letterman's Top Ten Lists was "Top Ten Worst High School Mascots". This one might have made a top 20 list). Here is a photo of my team at a PSU volleyball match in early Oct:

A really great group of girls.I'm really hoping I can somehow coach next season, but with a 9 month-old baby, I'm not sure If I'll be able to swing it.

Anyway, here's what you came to the blog to see- me at 6.5 months:

Me and Bradley at 7 months:

And, if you can beleive it, me ONE WEEK after the above pic of Brad and I was taken:

Seriously, baby girl had a crazy growth spurt last Saturday night! I woke up Sunday morning to a MUCH bigger belly. Not only did Brad and I notice, but people at church AND parents of my volleyball players at Monday's practice. Hope this means she will come early....but truly cannot get my hopes up.

I feel pretty good! My hips is not doing so well, but I just started some light physical therapy in hopes of getting it into better shape. The P therapist said she thinks my pelvis is out of alignment, which makes sense because the pain is not only a ache, but a pinching sensation that can be quite uncomfortable.

I had an ultrasound last week and baby weighs about 3 lbs 12oz, on her way to weighing around 7.5 lbs at birth. Things are looking good! A few weeks ago, I suggested that we should make a count down paper chain, like the ones you made as a kid before Christmas, but Brad said it was a terrible idea- it would only slow time up, just like a kid before Christmas. I might sneak one onto baby's room anyway.

I have very low amniotic fluid I just found out so I need to up my water intake and lower my sugar intake...uh, that'll be tough considering we have Halloween, Turkey Day (that was for you, Karen), AND Christmas around the corner! Treats, treats, TREATS! But, obviously baby's heath come before my snarling sweet tooth.

Wish me luck! Thanks for stopping by!

Manly Stuff for the Men

2010-08-29T22:57:00.019-06:00

This post is mostly for Mortenson Men who are looking forward to hunting this fall.

The following pictures and video are from north eastern Oregon where Brad recently went scouting with one of his friends. They had a great time and saw lots of game. While I am dreaming of my upcoming vacation to Arizona and California where I will be lounging around a pool and playing with my totally adorable nieces, Brad spends his day dreaming hours pondering his upcoming hunt (which he will have much more time to do after his nasty dental board exam is completed...yuck) where he will be hiking from before sunrise to after sunset smelling much like the game he will be pursuing. I will miss him terribly! I hate being apart from him for more than a few hours. I'm still trying to figure out how to talk him out of going....any ideas?

My Fairy Princess

2010-08-21T13:02:00.007-06:00

Hey all!

I need to use my blog to put in a plug for my amazingly talented brother Troy. He just came out with an ipod application called "My Fairy Princess", a perfect app for little girls. By touching different parts of the screen, you can changes gowns, backgrounds, wings, shoes, ethnicity and more. The princess also responds to the touch by twirling, moving, curtsying, kicking her feet, etc. Here are some examples from the game:

Don't ask me how in the world Troy does this. He hogged all THAT talent and ability from the gene pool, I tell ya.

You can check the app out at the itunes store:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-fairy-princess/id386476845?mt=8

Thanks for the love!

Ps. If you haven't heard yet, Brad and I are expecting a little GIRL in December! Only 4 more months for me to go! So excited to be more than half way there! :)

Growing, growing, growing...

2010-07-26T11:26:00.005-06:00

18 weeks! 4 months! 2 more weeks till we find out if we are having a mini-Brad or a mini-Me! I wanted to update with a few pictures of the growing belly.

Below is me at 13 weeks (I basically look exactly the same as pre-pregnancy, except this is practically the first time I smiled for weeks....stupid morning sickness...):
This next one is me at 15.5 weeks in that weird "in-between" stage where you just looking like you've been eating too many twinkies and people who don't know you're expecting think long and hard before asking if you are pregnant:
And finally 18 weeks! I'm actually wearing a maternity shirt (thank you, Jena!) and pants with a stretchy waste band. I think I have officially entered the maternity clothes stage of pregnancy. Sure, I can still wear my old shirts (and do) and my old jeans (unbuttoned upon sitting), but it's a blast to wear maternity clothes as a fun reminder that I DO have a bun in the oven!:
There you have it! On August 9th we get the ultrasound that will tell us what we have been longing to know! Do I think it's a boy or girl? First boy, then girl, then boy, but for the last 3 or 4 weeks I've been thinking girl (could I be slightly convinced of this because of all the cute little girl clothes I have seen at Old Navy lately? Maybe...). But I can't bring myself to call it a "she". We always refer to it as "he". So who knows. Brad's feelings about the gender are the same as mine, so we are pretty clueless. I'm taking a poll now. So, what do YOU think?

Goslings at Willamette Park

2010-06-19T12:46:00.014-06:00

For a while now, Brad and I have wanted to help out with gosling and duckling banding that takes place each May/June near Suavie Island here in Oregon. We missed it last year and this year I felt so terrible due to morning sickness that even the thought of spending an afternoon in the rain banding little water fowl was exhausting and made my stomach churn.
Our plan B was to go check out and feed the little cuties at Willamette Park near the river. This was much more do-able for a pregnant women still overcoming her pregnancy symptoms.
We love feeding the geese bread out of our hands. This first video gives you an up-close and personal view of whats that's like (ugh, I hate hearing my voice on camera):Here is a video of the CUTEST little goslings EVER! They were so tiny and kept stumbling when they walked:

One thing I love about Brad is how much he loves animals (yes, he hunts some of them, but he really loves and appreciates them, too). Some of the animals he has caught with his hands are trout, snakes, frogs, turtles, lizards, a kangaroo rat, ducks, geese, blue jays, magpie, wren, quail, sparrow and to top it off, a humming bird! Behold:

Anyway, here is a video of another catch of his. The mama goose wasn't too happy about it, as you can see:

We had a really great time! Can't wait till Summer actually begins here in Portland so we can spend some more time by the river! Here are a few pictures that Brad took while we were enjoying our evening:
LOVE this one below! Their little bums are so cute!I know I'm smiling, but some of these geese get waaaaaay to close for comfort and kind of freak me out. They seem to react to bread the same way I react when I see cupcakes.

Ian McKellen - Ducktales

2010-06-04T16:42:00.002-06:00

So, Brad and I went up to Seattle for Memorial Day weekend because my lil' sister Sonja and her husband flew in from Oklahoma to see my folks and older brother's family. We had a blast! We did a bunch of stuff that I might write about later, but for now I wanted to post this hilarious video Sonja showed me (and we watched quite a few times, I have to admit).
It's some dude who does a killer impression of Sir Ian Mckellan, commonly known as...
...voicing different TV theme songs from the early 90's. He does Fresh Prince, Saved by the Bell, Charles in Charge (I totally forgot about that one!), and others, but his Duck Tales impression in the best. Observe:

Announcing...

2010-06-02T10:55:00.003-06:00

Hello family and friends! Hope all is well with you. As for me, I have been feeling a bit "under the weather" for awhile. Welllllll, I wanted to officially let you know that my feeling "under the weather" has been because of (drum roll please) the little baby inside me! :) Yay!!! Brad and I are sooOOOooo excited about this little raspberry! And we felt the time was right to let our family and friends in on our joy :)
Some of you know that I miscarried in February and it had taken us a long time to get pregnant up till that point. I was a little worried that we would start all over and have it take another year or whatever, but then general conference came around and I re-learned to trust the Lord and his timing. About 2 weeks later we learned the good news from a friendly pregnancy test picked up at Dollar Tree (really, how can you argue with a dollar? Plus, a nurse at my doctors office said Dollar Tree tests are just like the ones they use).

Anyway, the whole month of May I felt like garbage. I dont know why they call it morning sickness, because I felt awesome until around noon-1pm. Then it's me on the couch trying to read a book to distract my stomach and head from hurting. Nights are even worse. The great news is the last 3 days have been muuuuuch better! I can leave the house, but not for long stretches otherwise the symptoms kick in sooner and faster. And most of you know how that feels: terrible.

Sooo, there you have it! I am 10 and a half weeks along and though that can be considered early to tell people, we wanted to. Plus, with some additional progesterone I am not experiencing any of the miscarriage symptoms I felt before.

Oh, did I mention the due date? Christmas Day! Poor kid... when you are under the age of 18, you really can't wish for a worse birthday...at least not if you are in it for the presents :)

Due to this recent bout of exciting news, I will once again commit myself to my blog. Feel free to check it out as it will have updates on baby, mama, and other fun stuff happening in the Mortenson fam!

White coat, sand in the city, and more summer fun

2009-07-29T11:43:00.009-06:00

Can you believe it? 2 posts within 2 weeks! I amaze even myself! Oh, and the last post where I typed "my brother's wide" wasn't a subtle hint at her weight, it was an innocent typo. Actually, my brother recently made the "romantic" comment about her, "You barely weigh more then a bag of concrete." That will be my new work out goal- to reduce to my weight to that of bag of concrete.

Last weekend, Brad and I cruised down to Klamath Falls to spend some time with his family. On Saturday, we rafted the Rogue River near Medford and, holy cow, we had fun. It was around 100 degrees outside which made the freezing water actually bearable! I got an early birthday present from Brad's side of the family- an AMAZING fishing pole! We did catch and release all the way down the Rogue (average fish size was about 4 inches, but still lots of fun) using lures and I got to try out m new pole. Next post I will add of picture of it and me.

Unbelievably, Brad and I took zero pictures of the trip! However, I did want to add a few pictures of my cute sister-in-law Jessi and her boyfriend Richard of a few months. They were coming home from BYU-Idaho- that was one of the major reasons we went down for the weekend. This first picture shows the beauty of Klamath Falls from Brad's parents' property.
Such a good lookin' couple! Anyone see the resemblance between Jessi and Brad?My in-laws from left to right: Travis (16 year-old bro-in-law), Lynn (father-in-law), Anne (moth-in-law), Jessi and Richard.
After the rafting trip, we saw the play Music Man put on by K Falls locals. They did great! It was a quick yet mega fun weekend.

A few weeks ago, Brad officially began his 2nd year of dental school and got his 'white coat'. I'm not sure why they give dental students their coats so early (he has only worked on a handful of patients) but the ceremony was very enjoyable. Brads class of 74 has 16 LDS students- crazy, eh? Many of them are married and we wives have a great time getting together for book club, girls nights, and, in this case, wearing our husbands white coats.
We got a pic of a handful of the LDS dental students in their newly received coats.

Brad receiving his coat. The guy who announced his name and shook Brad's hand here is in the bishopric of our ward.

My folks came down to see the ceremony and enjoy the weekend with us. I'm glad this pic doesn't show the sweat trickling down our faces- it was pretty close to melting point.

I love this one of Brad. I'm going to enter it into the Mr. OHSU competition next fall. :)
Once a year, Portland imports 450 tons of sand to downtown and has a sand castle competition that I mentioned in my last post. Here are a few of my favorites.
Hungry, Hungry Hippos (this entry was called Family Game Night)
So cute- big doggie bath. The quote written in the sand next to this one said, "Anyone who doesn't know what soap tastes like has never washed a dog".
Have you seen Disney's "Up"? Super cute movie. Brad and I saw with my marmey in 3D which was fun. Here is the Up on on Paradise Falls. You can see Kevin's relief at the bottom of this castle.

Here's a camping pic. Brad and I have really become addicted to camping. Ty and Alan have lent us their amazing North Face tent that has kept us dry even in a downpour- we really appreciate that! Pops Mortenson lent us that gas stove you see there- makes camping even better!

Lastly, for my family members, since Brad and I don't have chillens of our own yet, we out up cute pix of our nephews and neices up in or house. Here they are.
Have a fab week!

Finally- A New Post!

2009-07-19T18:56:00.018-06:00

Hey there friends and family! No, we didn't die, get sick, or secretly move to Indonesia. I did, however, have hip surgery in late March which slowed me down for a while. Please forgive the missing posts! We are happy to have you back and reading up on how we are doing. As you can imagine, much has happened in the past few months. A quick recap with pictures outta do it.

In June, I finished my first year teaching. Thanks for your suggestions on how to make math fun. The semester was tricky and sometimes very frustrating, but I had a great time and really loved my students. Here are a few of my kiddos on the last day of school:

When school ended, I busted a move to Klamath Falls, OR to hang out with my in-laws. We basically played with my little 8 month old nephew Logan, sewed purses, and watched "24". Tons and TONS of fun!

The last weekend in June we got together with Brad's side of the family at an AWESOME lake house near Florence, OR. Josh, our brother-in-law, ran the 10K in Eugene, OR at Nationals so we all went down to watch and made a weekend out of it. The boyz went surf perch fishing and here are some of the best of Brad, Josh, Dad and Alan:

Brad had a week off of school between his first and second year so months ago I planned a trip to California to enjoy his time off. We hit up Hermosa Beach near LA (where Brad got in a fight with the boogie board and lost terribly. Battle wounds on his stomach and shoulder- poor guy), then 2 days at Universal Studios, then 2 more days at SeaWorld. As you can see, we met a few celebrities:

Troy, Nancee and Erica (my brother, his wide and 22 month old ADORABLE and highly quotable daughter) met up with us for a few days. We LOVED thier company!! :)

The Kruger family (my sister-in-law Julie's sister) were very generous and let us stay with them half our time in LA. Here we are with the fun kids, Janina, Iman, Andre, Nigel and Israel. We had a great time with them playing Go Fish and telling stories from our childhood.

Brad and I went fishing and camping at Lost Lake last weekend and caught lots o' trout (which I think are the cutest little fish) then Josh came up to join Brad and I headed off the Cannon Beach for the big church youth activity.

Lastly, this weekend my parents came down from Seattle. We had a great time going to downtown Portland to look at professionally made sand castles (yes, you heard that right. They ship 450 TONS of sand to downtown and proferssional teams build sculptures and compete for the top prize....actually, I have no idea if there was a top prize:). We also spent a day at Cannon Beach. Pictures to follow in the next post which I PROMISE will be soon!

Thanks for checking in on us! Keep a'comin! Here's a funny pic of a donut shop in LA to leave you wanting more!

Molly' First Teaching Gig

2009-01-31T21:26:00.002-07:00

I just finished student teaching chemistry at Westview HS in Beaverton, about 20 minutes west of Portland. I really enjoyed my experience. The school seemed to enjoy me also because they offered me a part-time teaching position for second semester. So, this last week I began teaching algebra to freshmen. I can already tell it will be much more challenging then teaching chem: the students are younger, more bouncy and less focused generally. Also, I havent figured out how to make math fun. Any suggestions?

It will be sweet to get a paycheck- my student teaching lasted much longer than what BYU requires so I volunteered a ton of additional hours to the school. It will feel nice to now get paid for all the work I have out in. I am officially lisenced in both Utah and Oregon. Woo hoo! It just feels so good to be done!

One QUICK Christmas!

2009-01-06T21:16:00.008-07:00

Holy cow- Brad and I had a most excellent Christmas break! We spent it with his side of the family at Depoe Bay, OR (jusy north of Newport Bay) on a sweet condo not 30 yards from the ocean crashing up against rocks. Perfect! We played lots of heck (or "nertz"), swam , hot tubbed, wacthed movies, hit up the outlet malls, the works. We loved spending time with our family and passing around cute little Logan (our new little nephew that hardly ever touched the crib).

One of the beaches we went to was pretty wild- the turbulnce of the salt water caused all this crazy foam to scatter all over the shore.

Addtional pics:
The ocean....

Too cute sea lions....

Brad and I at the top of a hike we took (and, yes, we know we look awesome so you dont need to comment on that :)....

After a wonderfully fast week at the coast, we drove down to Klamath Falls, OR (south central, just miles from California) where we sledded, snowboarded, sewed a TON with my awesome mother-in-law, super cute sis-in-law, and dear grandmother, and played surprising amounts of the game Boggle.

Last but not least, we had our one year wedding anniversary! So much has happened in the last year and its impossible to beleive we've been married so long. Wow, time just keep going quick. We have absolutely loved our time so far as a family. Cant wait for more!

Now we are back to the grind. I just graduated in December from BYU in Physical Science Education (WOO-HOO!) and will start working my firt real career job teaching freshman algebra and Brad began his second semester of dental school. We are busy, happy, and ever so in love.

Back on Board!

2008-12-18T21:56:00.008-07:00

Hello friends and family! It has been far too long since we last blogged! I have so much fun reading other people's blogs that I feel bad for not catching people up on whats happening in our lives! My wonderful cousin-in-law Julie took the time to set this good-lookin' blog up for us as a wedding present and its my early new years resolution to keep up on it, dang it!

Brad and I are in Portland, Oregon and loving it! He is attending the OHSU dental school and I am finishing my degree student teaching high school chemistry. We both really love what we do. Once I graduate officially next week (yay!) I will teach high school algebra and actually get paid. Hard to imagine.

Here are a few pics of our recent blizzrad in the land of Port:

I have grown up on the west side of the Cascade mountains my whole life and NEVER has school been canceled for more than 2 days in a row: tomorrow the Beaverton school district (where I teach) is going on day 5 of straight cancellation! Crazy, eh? Its been fun for me to start my Christmas break early this year!
Me in front of our house:
Christmas this year will be spent at the Oregon coast with Brad's side of the family. We will have a great time and hope not to gain more than a few pounds. Happy Christmas!

The Duck Pond

2008-04-03T21:06:00.007-06:00

Down in Springville are several ponds with lots of ducks. One of Brad's friends showed it to him last year. Brad was ecstatic because the ducks came so close to him that he was able to catch two or three of them--don't worry, he let them go after petting them and encouraging them to be good little quackers.

Despite her smile, Molly was hesitant to believe Brad that the goose wasn't going to attack her like the feathered fowls she had seen on an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

2008-03-30T12:17:00.002-06:00

After Brad's USC dental school interview we partied at Disney Land.

2008-01-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

Wedding Recap...

2007-11-02T10:45:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends and Family!
Welcome to our wedding website!

Thank you for visiting, we hope that you'll find all the information you need about our wedding here.

We have been so busy planning the wedding, the time has just flown by. But we've been having a lot of fun with it, and thought we would set up this site to start celebrating a little early!

If you want to learn a bit about how we met and came to be the fabulous couple you know and love, please visit "Our Story".We can't wait to see all of you on our Big Day!

Lots and lots of love,
Molly and Brad