At our appointment with our midwife this week, she asked us if we wanted to find out the gender of our baby. Surprised, we said "sure, but we thought we couldn't find out until week 20 and that's a month away!" Well, it looks like we're having a son!
People sometimes asked us if we "had a feeling" about the gender before we knew. I've always wanted a boy as my first, but if I had to guess I'd tell them a girl because of a goofy dream I had before we were even off birth control. It went like this: fast-forward to Dani being full-term and delivering a healthy girl in the hospital. Dani isn't discharged for a few days, but I get to take our girl home from the hospital the day after she's born. So what do I do? Take her hiking at two days old of course! She's a trooper in her baby carrier as I'm tromping all over sandstone dunes in Southeast Utah, not one peep. Only catch is we are on a short leash, as we have to get back to the hospital every two hours for mom's milk.
So anyways, we'll have a hiking baby - but we'll probably wait at least a little longer than 2 days to take him on his first adventure.
On Thursday we're officially 16 weeks and 4 days, making our official due date July 10th. We're pretty darn excited! Below is a clip of the ultrasound - he does a little jab with his elbow.
In other news, Dani's brother Jacob just got engaged to his girlfriend Karlee! We are so excited for them. Karlee is fun to be around, perfect for Jacob, and we couldn't be happier that she's joining the family. Their date is June 22nd in the Payson Temple, and we're so looking forward to their summer wedding.
This week our troop put the finishing touches on our race sled and we headed out to East Canyon State Park for our annual Klondike Derby winter campout!
The assembly crew
That night we chowed down on hobo dinners and dutch-oven peach cobbler. The other leader and I were only woken up once from a boy who was too cold, and after getting him up and moving he slept the rest of the night just fine. In the morning before the sun was up over the mountain we enjoyed a balmy 14 degree morning before the sled races! Unfortunately, one of our boys fell while pulling our sled and we didn't make it very far in the preliminaries. We might've only had four boys that were able to come, but we sure had a good time together!
We seem to keep getting storm after storm and the snow is just piling up. I love it!
This week was pretty rough for Dani. We know there's no magic date for the "morning" sickness to go away, but it was discouraging for her to feel better for a little bit and then go back to feeling lousy.
On Tuesday my buddy Todd and I drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon to snowshoe to White Pine Lake. Todd used skins on his splitboard and he let me borrow a pair of snowshoes. We were one of the only ones to hike that trail since the last snowfall, so we were breaking trail most of the way. I realized pretty quick that I am out of shape! It felt like wearing flip-flops in knee-deep water while sinking down into mud, except with heavy winter gear and all snow. It was all I could do to keep up with the guy who's been fighting fire as a hotshot all season! Regardless, we enjoyed catching up and breathing the smog-free mountain air. It was incredible hiking through the blanketed trees and deep snowdrifts with white mountain peaks surrounding us.
Our trail through the trees
This week I had my first ride-a-long with Morgan County EMS. I will be volunteering with them just like I did down in Moab. Morgan is a small community of less than 10,000 residents about 25 minutes away from my house. Our call volume is pretty small, so sometimes it can be boring around here. I usually just bring my homework and hang out at the station until we get a 911 call. It will be a good way to force me to take a full study day for the week while still doing what I love on the ambulance.
The call we had that day was for a woman with a kidney stone in extreme back pain. She was at the Morgan Health Center and we transported her to McKay Dee Hospital in Ogden. We don't have a hospital locally, so we take all of our patients to Ogden. A fairly uneventful day, but I love being back on the ambulance.
Igloo: built of blocks of hard snow
Snow cave: shelter dug in deep drifted snow
A quinzee is a shelter made by piling snow into a mound and then burrowing into it. I've always wanted to build one and sleep in it, but living in Moab I never saw enough snow to make one. That all changed when we moved to northern Utah! I spent the day after our white Christmas making a huge snow pile, and the next day carving it out. It was long and wide enough for two people to lay flat! I spread out a tarp and threw out our sleeping pads and bags and Dani and I slept that night perfectly cozy.
Dani had a streak of good days, and we were able to drive down to Provo to hang out with some of her friends, namely Candace who was visiting with her family from Alabama for Christmas. Nearly all of Dani's college roommates have babies, so it was nice to hear their stories and get some good advice for new parents.
Candace with Ollie, Dani, Michelle with Everley, and Laura with Josh
Unfortunately later this week Dani started feeling sick again, but she encouraged me to go hiking to alleviate my case of cabin fever. I did the Ogden Canyon Overlook trail, which starts at Snowbasin ski resort and goes up about 2.5 miles to the top of Ogden Canyon. There was quite a bit of snow but there had been enough people who skied the trail to pack it down enough for me in my hiking boots. After I escaped the overflowing parking lot of snow sports enthusiasts, I didn't see anybody else on the trail until I was almost to the trailhead again. It was a perfect day of solitude.
Christmas is always a joyous time of the year, but this year Chris and I couldn't be happier with our gift - a perfect little baby. That's right folks, WE'RE PREGNANT!
Christmas Day we got a lot of snow, but Dani also got a long awaited
break from her all-day-every-day nausea. Yay!
We are so thrilled to be expecting our new best friend this July. But if we are being honest with full disclosure - being pregnant is the worst. Don't get us wrong, this little miracle was planned and we are so honored with the opportunity to become parents, but my body has yet to get on board with this whole pregnancy thing. And the first trimester is not being nice. People talk about "morning sickness" but there are no morning parameters surrounding this sickness. I have been nauseous 24/7 since finding out at 4 1/2 weeks, it has yet to let down, and I have tried EVERYTHING. I have only had a handful of good days of feeling somewhat normal (thanks to a lot of prayer, as these days have fallen around the holidays where they were extra prayed for). This has been hard because I was planning on working, eating super healthy, and exercising my whole pregnancy but clearly the Lord has other plans. Luckily my husband is really a saint and not only is he going to school and working but he has also taken on the mantle of taking care of all the household chores as well as being incredibly patient with me. He's back to his bachelor diet of quesadillas and eggs, and I am getting by on toast and applesauce. I have occasional moments where I want to try other foods and almost always regret it afterwards; because once you throw-up most foods it's really hard to want them again.
On Thursday I rendezvoused with my boss in Richfield, where we carpooled the rest of the way to Las Vegas for the 25th annual American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress! Dad registered me as his assistant, and we enjoyed four days of learning from functional medicine doctors from all over the world. While he was in a specialized module about weight management, I was taking notes for him with thousands of other doctors, NPs, and healthcare professionals in the general session.
Dr. Mark Rosenberg educates the masses.
Because I've been working for my dad this year and I just finished my first semester of nursing school, I understood a lot more than I otherwise would have of this conference. I've heard all about inflammation from dad but now I know more about what triggers it and how to avoid it. I've learned the basics of statin drugs, proton pump inhibitors, and antibiotics in school but now I understand some of their unintended but serious adverse effects and some better alternatives.
I met Dr. Rolf and Dr. Silvia Binder, inventor and CEO of Ondamed.
I learned side-by-side from Dr. Silvia Binder on one of
the machines we operate in our office.
A lot of people feel like Mark Twain when he said "the only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not." However, people who decide they've had enough of crappy health and start to make some healthy changes discover what it really means to feel good and be healthy. If they are on a trip and can't find any real food, they discover how disgusting junk food actually tastes. Here are the highlights of what we talked about:
Inflammation is the root of all disease. It even triggers autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular problems, obesity, and hormonal imbalances. Glutenis inflammatory for all people, even if they if they don't realize they're sensitive to it. Limit other inflammatory foods such as dairy, corn, and sugar. Avoid exposure to toxins such as chemicals and heavy metals like those found in vaccines, deodorant, and food packaging.
Our bodies are 10% human cells and 90% microbial cells. Keep your gutmicrobiomehealthy (the "good" bacteria). Some of the ways that we damage our microbiome is by eating gluten (there it is again!), using mouthwash and antibacterial soaps, consuming sugar and artificial sweeteners, and taking antibiotics. With just one course of antibiotics, our microbiome is altered forever - and for most bacterial infections there is a better way of treatment. Some of the best ways to encourage bacteroidete or "good" bacteria growth is by avoiding sugar (more on sugar later), eating organic non-GMO food, giving birth vaginally instead of by cesarean section, breastfeeding, getting out and playing in the dirt, and consuming fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, and yogurt. Everyone should be taking supplemental probiotics.
Exercise helps maintain brain health, reduces PMS symptoms, and stimulates the lymphatic system, which rids your body of toxins and waste. Frequency is more important than intensity, and if you exercise you will live longer. So take a hike! 'Nuf said.
Chromosomes are the genetic code in our body, and they are protected by caps called telomeres, similar to the plastic covering at the end of our shoelaces. They prevent our chromosomes from binding with rogue protiens and altering our DNA. Each time our cells divide, the telomeres get shorter. Telomeres determine when we die, as the shorter they are, the more we age. It's the critically short ones you have to measure, because they are the cells that cannot replicate or become cancerous. Exercise, a proper diet supplemented with omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants, and eliminating stress contribute to longer telomeres and a longer life.
Sugar... the greatest silent villain of disease. Nobody should be eating it. In addition to causing obesity and diabetes, it increases inflammation, feeds cancer cells, contributes to ADHD, autism, and dementia, lowers testosterone, wrecks the gut microbiome, and actually makes PMS symptoms worse (sayonara, chocolate cravings).
While I've already heard a lot of this stuff before from my doctor, it was really neat to hear it from hundreds of others from all over the world and be in a room where everyone is part of the functional medicine "tribe." It really opened my eyes to the art of medicine and I'm very excited for my future in it.
... our lives have been pretty crazy! Dani got a job (the day we flew back to Utah!) as a second grade teacher at Ellison Park Elementary in Layton, and after a few more days in Moab we moved up here. Dani was immediately swamped at work (I can't tell you how many hours I was in her classroom to help her get everything set up, I had no idea how much work it was!) and I started the first semester of my nursing program at Weber State University.
This cute woman's first day of school!
While I studied full-time Dani worked double-time (literally, 13-14 hour days, 6 days a week). Fairly soon after starting her job, Dani realized she wasn't getting paid enough to loose her sanity and knew there wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel, so she resigned so she could function like a normal person. All the other teachers told her that "It's just your first year - by your third year it will be a lot easier," but we're hoping to start a family sooner than that and we felt like if this wasn't going to be a life-long career for her then it wasn't really worth it.
Anyways, I like having my wife back.
School has been going great for me! I'm just wrapping up the semester and I loved just about every minute of it. Clinicals have been in a nearby nursing home, which although it isn't very exciting, it's been a great opportunity to practice my new skills. I'm also working for my dad on Fridays down in Springville, which I love. I've always told people that I want to become a nurse anesthetist, but since working with my dad I've discovered how much fun it is to help people in ways that not all doctors can. I'm considering becoming a nurse practitioner, and Weber just started their own NP program that I think I'd love. Anyhow, I still have plenty of time to determine what I want to do after I graduate.
Not long after moving into our new ward, they called me to my dream calling - the new Scoutmaster! I was pretty stoked to accept this new responsibility. Thanks to mom for buying me a large uniform back when I was 11 (it looked ridiculous at the time but is saving me money now), I just had to take off a few patches and Grandma sewed on my new ones! I am excited to have some awesome adventures with the boys.
I think that about sums it up! Here are a few pictures of what's been going on with us.
Our first hike in Layton was Adam's Canyon.
Adam's Canyon in the fall.
Slow shutter of the waterfall at the end of Farmington Creek Trail.
One of Dani's best high school friends Claudia was in the states from Spain (where she lives) for a couple weeks and she flew to Utah for 24 hours just to visit us!
Summiting Ben Lomond above Ogden.
At the peak. Mantua and Cache Valley are behind us.
"The stare down" We nearly ran into this cow moose and her calf on the trail. We didn't stick around long after this picture.
When our fabulous family vacation on Oahu came to an end and the rest of the family headed home, Chris and I took off on a much smaller plane headed to Maui -- the perfect destination for a mini lovers-cation. Chris and I have had a lot of fun and adventures so far in our marriage - from our honeymoon in Saint George, to exploring Alaska, and celebrating our first anniversary in a yurt in the Yukon - but we had never been somewhere tropical together before. And let me just say, the chick flicks got it right when they portray sandy beaches as the most romantic get aways. Though he might be hard pressed to admit it I even got Chris to agree that snow frosted eyelashes, flannel, and cozy mountain cabins can't compete with romantic sunset walks on the beach, hot sun shining on even hotter spouses in swimsuits, and salty kisses. Everything. Was. Perfect. But since this is a family and friends blog, we'll keep it G rated...
Our early Thursday morning flight to Maui gave us plenty of time to enjoy the day. The morning was filled with delicious breakfasts, buying fresh fruit from street-side farmers market (there is NOTHING better then fresh mangos!), and driving around seeing the sights and scoping out the shoreline for a perfect snorkeling spot. We arrived at our beach front home earlier than check in, but took the time to enjoy our mostly private and perfect beach. We used some boogie boards and played in the ocean, Chris caught a crab, and then we took naps on the nice lounge chairs. After checking into our room and cooking dinner, we enjoyed taking a long walk along the beach and a late night swim (which we never repeated once we learned that dusk is prime time for shark activity!).
We woke up early on Friday morning so we could truly seize the day! It was jam packed and included...
Lots of snorkeling. In true Andrew fashion we hit the beaches well before the crowds in an attempt to see the most fish. Our first beach was a bit of a bust in terms of seeing the cool underwater world, but we were still able to take advantage of our favorites - sandy toes and salty kisses. The next beach we went to, Honolua Park, was our favorite snorkeling place on both islands. We saw another sea turtle, large schools of fish, more variety of species then anywhere else, and the most colorful coral yet. We spent hours here and loved every second of it.
More fresh mangos (yes, I'm obsessed) :-)
Some oceanside hiking on Maui's North Shore to a lighthouse, Nakalele blowhole, and the famous lovers' "heart-shaped rock". We didn't find the lighthouse to be that thrilling, but Chris could not get enough of the giant blowhole. It was like a tropical Yellowstone!
In the afternoon we ventured out to find one of the well kept secrets of Maui - the Olivine Pools, also known as the mermaid pools. There's no clear trail to the pools and after much wandering we finally figured out how we could scramble down to them. We were the only people at the pools and it was one of the most beautiful things either of us have seen in our lives. The crystal blues stood out against the dark rock, and you could see and hear the massive ocean waves crashing in the background. It was a lot of fun to be a mermaid.
We then spent some time tracking down the best shaved ice on the island, and spent some time pretending to be rich people at a fancy resort as we sat in their big-comfy-lounge-chair-shaded-bed-things overlooking the ocean.
Olivine Pools
Saturday began with an even earlier morning as we had big plans to drive the Road to Hana and fill it with as many stops as possible. The Road to Hana is a 64 mile curvy road through the wet rainforest on the east side of the island. With many beautiful stops along the road it is a must-do in Hawaii and the stunning views make every stomach-turning curve on the narrow road worth it. Some of our favorite stops along the road were:
The countless waterfalls - Some waterfalls were right on the edge of the road, and others involved some short hikes (a great way to stretch road-trippin' legs).
Black Sand Beach - The black sand and the blue water were surely a sight to behold! Also at this stop we got in a really nice hike across black rock that overlooks the ocean. The hike lead us through an ancient burial ground, and had unbeatable ocean views. We also enjoyed the large lava tube that went from the beach straight into the ocean.
Red Sand Beach - We still don't know which beach we liked better, black sand or red sand. But wow! The colors here couldn't be more spectacular. We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the sand and cooled off in the ocean.
Exploring the lava tubes at Black Sand Beach
Overlooking Red Sand Beach
Within Haleakala National Park -
Bamboo Forest - Hiking through a bamboo forest was incredible. The slightest breeze would cause the bamboo to softly sway, creating a beautiful melody as each bamboo plant kissed another. If the forest itself wasn't impressive enough we arrived in a clearing at the end with an incredible waterefall over 400 feet tall.
Banyan Trees - These ginormous trees branch out and grow to incredible size. Chris sure had fun climbing on the large limbs!
Seven Sacred Pools - This was the one thing we were looking forward to the most on the road to Hana but were super bummed that a flash flood made it illegal to swim in the pools the one day we were there. It was still fun to look at the Seven Sacred Pools, known to locals as Ohe'o Gulch.
On Sunday Chris wasn't feeling too good so we took it a little easier. We started our morning off right by attending a local church for our sabbath meetings. After church we drove up to Haleakala National Park. This National Park is home to the dormant Haleakala Volcano as well as a few species of endangered birds and plants. It was wild to enter yet another unique climate and terrain on the same island. The top of the volcano is the island's highest peak and from it you could look over the ocean and see the Big Island. We had fun exploring small trails and the visitor centers over the course of the day.
The desert-like crater at Haleakala Nat'l Park
Monday morning we relaxed on the beach at our rental (we really couldn't have stayed in a better location!). We waited until the last possible moment to run in and shower before we needed to check out. We then headed to small hippy town of Paia where we frolicked the town, checked out a lot of neat shops, and had a great seafood lunch before heading to the airport in the late afternoon.
Playing on our beach at Kihei
We had a sleepy flight home after saying goodbye to our perfect tropical vacation, and we still miss our Hawaiian sun.
First of all, Joseph returned from his mission in Brazil on Wednesday! We all went to the Grand Junction airport to pick him up after his exhausting 16 hour flight, and after lots of excited hugs and a drive home, he crashed for the night. It was fun to listen to him speak with a Brazilian accent, and to see his souvenirs he brought home.
The next day, Dani and I joined the family again for a drive up north, where the younger three kids were told that we were taking a "really long trip." Early in the morning they were still guessing our destination as we headed to the SLC airport, and they still didn't know where we were going until they were on the plane to Hawaii!!! Anna joined us from Alaska, and we all rendezvoused at the rental home we were staying at near the North Shore of Oahu.
When Dani and I arrived at our basecamp we quickly changed and took the three younger kids (everyone else were so pooped from the flight that they were napping) with some boogie boards to the ocean, a short 5 minute walk. As it was their first time to a beach, it was fun to watch them play in the water and sand. The water was so warm! The last time Dani and I had been to a tropical beach like this was when we were both teenagers, so we enjoyed rediscovering the ocean too.
It was incredible to see how different the landscape was everywhere you looked; the sunny, white-sand shore all along the coast line and then towering green cliffs inland, where rainclouds constantly fed hundreds of waterfalls through the rainforest.
On Saturday we were up before the sun was for the famous snorkeling at Hanauma Bay state park. We were not disappointed! This was another first for all the kids, including Dani and I. It was amazing to swim in any direction and see a new fish or sea creature! In Alaska Dani and I would see sea anemones, crabs, seals, and an occasional whale, but this time we were IN their world, discovering their habitats. One of my favorites were the parrotfish, nibbling on chunks of coral. Did you know that a single parrotfish can poop out one TON of sand per year, just from their diet of dead coral? Blew my mind.
After leaving Hanauma Bay we went to Waimanalo Bay for the body boarding. Dad, a So-Cal born-and-raised beach bum, went out with the younger kids to show them how to catch a wave and ride it back in. Olivia surprised us with her seemingly natural ability to catch the wave and ride it in, until she ate it hard and came back in tears. I was up next, as this was one of the things I was looking forward to the most. Dani and I were paddling out, ducking under the waves as they crashed down, but had a really hard time getting out far enough before the next wave pushed us back toward the beach. I finally started swallowing seawater as the waves seemed to get closer and closer, and I was getting pummeled. Despite dad's hollering to come out farther, I was exhausted and paddled back to the beach before I could get slammed down again. Let's just say that you won't be seeing Dani or I on the surfing channel of Extreme TV.
On Sunday we enjoyed touring Pearl Harbor and the USS Missouri memorial there. Mom Brading sent us pictures of when she reenlisted into the Navy at the memorial! After catching church on our way home, we took it easy the rest of the evening, just enjoying family time.
The ancient banyan trees in the rainforest are GIGANTIC.
The next day the rest of the family went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, and Dani and I took off to explore some waterfalls of Oahu - Manoa, Lulumahu, and Maunawili falls. Manoa Falls was incredibly tall but incredibly crowded, as it is the most popular waterfall hike in the area. Lulumahu was exciting to get to because the unmarked trail crossed private property and was a little difficult to find. Our favorite though was Maunawili. It was definitely the nastiest 2 mile slog through the mud to get there, but the destination was so worth it. The mountain stream crashed into two consecutive pools that were enclosed by tall rock faces covered in ferns. The refreshing water was deep enough to dive in, and we had the place all to ourselves. It was amazing.
Tuesday the family headed to more snorkeling, this time at Shark's Cove, where we saw a green sea turtle! Swimming with it was the coolest experience - they move so leisurely and don't seem to have a care in the world. The massive underwater boulders were teeming with other sea creatures, and this snorkel spot was the family's unanimous favorite on Oahu. Later that day we drove to the Dole Plantation where we toured the pineapple farm and sampled the Dole Whip, a delicious sorbet-like pineapple dessert.
Discovering tide-pool creatures
The rainbow eucalyptus and its vivid colored bark.
On Wednesday the family called for more snorkeling, and one last trip to Shark's Cove. As it was our last day on Oahu, we had to run to Honolulu return the snorkeling gear in the afternoon. While we were on that side of the island Mom took the younger kids to the aquarium while Dad took the rest of us to hike the volcano at Diamond Head. From the top the view was amazing - you could see downtown Honolulu, the beach, and the reefs off the coast.
From the top of Diamond Head state monument looking toward the crater and downtown Honolulu.
Early the next morning we headed to the airport to say goodbye to our perfect family vacation. It was one of the most memorable experiences we've had, and it was the best way to welcome Joseph back from his mission.
