TMI?

(TMI means TOO MUCH INFORMATION for you acronymically impaired.)

We are in the middle of midterms.
This means a couple of things... migraines, late nights at school, weird hodgepodge meals through out the day, and migraines (did I already say that?) 

An interesting--I guess you can call it that-- thing happened to me the other night...

I went to the bathroom (that isn't the interesting part) and when I was done, I noticed that the 2 jumbo rolls of 1 ply tissue paper BYU insists on using were gone. No scraps even flying in the wind on the end of the cardboard roll. I sat there for a second, waiting for someone to fill the stall next to me. 

She came. I gave her a couple of seconds and once she had finished asked "Um... this is weird... Can you pass me some toilet paper?" Then she laughed and said, "I was going to ask you the same thing..." So there we were stranded. 

A third member walks in (This is beginning to sound like those 'man walks into a bar' jokes) We wait. I wait for the girl in the middle -- closest to the newest person to ask for the TP. It seemed like forever. So I quickly asked her, not wanting to miss my only opportunity to get out of this stranded situation, "Can you pass some toilet paper down two stalls?" So after a couple of seconds my package arrives. I waited there till all the other people left. I didn't want to see their faces. Moral of the story: Check for TP before you sit down, and don't stay late on campus, because they run out of such necessities. Now thinking back, I'm not sure what is worse. Using the toilet paper that two unknown sets of hands touched or just walking out with nothing. 

One day when I am in charge of designing public facilities my bathrooms will look something like this.

African Pancake Games

Three things really quick:

 1. I have been playing THIS "game" for a while and have scored 100% consecutively over 10 times. I think I am ready for my geography test today.

2. FREE pancakes at IHOP today. (go HERE for details)

3. My friend Riley showed me this game. I love it.

Abnormal Ankle

Although my legs are hairy right now, they're not that hairy. Spencer hurt his ankle playing basketball on a BYU intramural team. They started with four players, so when Spencer got injured they had to play 3 on 5. 
(But Spencer would also like me to let you know that they still beat them by 30 points)

When Spencer got back from the game and asked for some Tylenol I knew it must have really hurt. I've never known him to take any kind of (OTC or prescription) medicine. Ever. Saturday morning we took him to the Student Health Center. After a brief examination they decided it would be best to do some x-rays. Apparently the x-rays were normal. But that is according to an OBGYN who was the doctor on staff that morning. Since there were no abnormal ovaries to be seen in the x-ray he said it was just a bad sprain. Little Spencey Baby has been on crutches ever since. The swelling is finally going down and the bruising is making its appearance on both sides of the ankle and the toes.

Mobile Uploads

I was cleaning out some of the pictures from my cellphone, but decided that some of these are too good to just delete...

 First, the biggest, fattest, dirtiest dreadlock rat tail I have ever seen. (Atlanta, GA 2009)

 

Spencer enjoying a $4000 massage chair at Costco

The best chips EVER. 

 

Aubrey and I went to the BYU 'Lost & Found Sale'
There were lots of CTR rings...

And lots of expensive calculators. 

We woke up really early to get first dibs on all the things

Spencer sitting next to this 54" TV pretending its ours.

As he enjoys a Costco hotdog.

Deciding on some shoes to get in October for our calling as Temple ordinance workers.

(M)ortons Tri Tip.

 

Working on a t-shirt quilt for Spencer so we can downsize our wardrobes.

 

The day I lost 3 inches (from my hair). unfortunately not from my hips.

 A boy sleeping on campus. (Note the hand & 2liter Mt. Dew)

Chocolate covered strawberries I was trying to convince Spencer to buy this weekend.

I just realized how often we go to Costco. Think of all the times we go that we don't even snap little cellphone pictures...

Transabdominal Cerclage (TAC)

Before this last year of our lives I was naïve and oblivious to the all the problems that may arise when pregnant. I figured getting pregnant was 80% of the task, 10% was getting fat and being uncomfortable and the other 10% was just enjoying such a wonderful miracle while all eyes were on you… FALSE. After meeting with numerous amounts of doctors I’ve been told that for me, although getting pregnant is still a task, it’s the carrying part, you know, the 40 weeks part that is hard. Perhaps that has been why I have been more nervous and filled with anxiety this time around-- Because I know of all the possibilities that can arise. 

Before my traumatic delivery last year, I was unaware of the term incompetent cervix. I thought, if you’re a girl you have a cervix. But that is not the case. Some girls have nice ones, some girls have short ones, some girls have weird ones. I fall in the category of girls that DO NOT HAVE ONE. There is such a category? Isn’t it my right as a female to have a cervix? How come no one told me this until now? 

Well apparently I have a cervix but it has been so badly radiated during cancer treatments that it no longer is pliable and able to remain closed throughout a pregnancy. Most women begin dilating their last few weeks getting ready for the big day. But when you are diagnosed with an Incompetent Cervix (IC) you often begin to dilate when the baby begins to gain weight, and your weak cervix can’t hold shut anymore. (Often between 21-23 weeks) So to counteract this abnormality a doctor will often place a Transvaginal Cerclage (TVC) where a simple stitch is placed around the cervix, and released at the end of term and then one proceeds with the vaginal birth. However, for those of us less endowed in the cervix region, a TVC will not hold, but simply tear out causing danger for both mother and child and perhaps not making it to 24 weeks (a viable birth). 

So thanks to modern medicine a new and rare procedure has been perfected. A Transabdominal Cerclage (TAC). The best (and most painful) surgery I have ever gotten (and I’ve gotten some 15 surgeries). The surgery often is not performed until a failed TVC have been attempted; luckily we were able to just skip that whole requirement. A TAC entails an abdominal incision; think six inches similar to the location of a c-section, and a permanent stitch like loop being placed around the bottom of the uterus. The stitch will remain there indefinitely. And the pregnancy will result in c-section. I joined the other few women out there to have a TAC, on January 4^th. I was really excited and nervous about the procedure; I can’t imagine how I will be on the actual BIG day. Our doctor is just the best. I am so grateful we found him (or were directed to him by my doctor in Georgia). He let us know that if there was too much scar tissue from radiation that he wouldn’t perform the surgery. But when I woke up in recovery with a throbbing abdomen I was pretty sure it had been done.

 All went well and I was finally reunited with Spencey Baby. I never knew that Zofran came in the IV version but it was such a blessing. Any of you that have had abdominal surgery know how painful coughing, sneezing, laughing and heaven forbid vomiting can be. We enjoyed room service and constant television while I improved. Three days later I was released and finished the recovery process at home. Six weeks later and things are going well. I travel to the University of Utah every other week to see our doctor who is confident about the future. 

 

Spencer got to even eat my crème brulee dessert one night. What a lucky little guy. 

A Picture Worth 1000 Words

Look at how happy a little (hormone laden) urine can make us.

We are very excited and so grateful.

More on the procedure that made this pregnancy possible next time...