Things I have learned in the last 3 or so weeks

Happy three weeks to my sweet little boy!! So, rather than write Caleb's birth story (which in all honesty is probably only interesting to me haha), I'll just write about some things that I have learned instead.

The hospital/labor experience:

1. They say the average first labor is about 8-14 hours long. If your labor was that short, you are blessed indeed. (Mine was just under 28 hours.)

2. Just because you get an epidural does not mean that it will work. And if that's the case it's okay to ugly cry all you want.

3. It is not a good thing if the lower number of your blood pressure drops to the 30's during labor.

4. Despite being allowed to feed only on ice chips, you might puke a lot during labor. But hey, you've been throwing up for the last nine months anyway, so this should come as naturally as breathing.

5. If they have to poke you multiple times, you will leave the hospital looking like a drug addict.

That is a bruise, not a shadow, and the other arm matched.

6. Your dependency on pain killers will only increase your appearance as a drug addict.

7. Your baby might come out covered in hair. I don't mean just their head. Arms. Shoulders. Back. Seriously guys, I think I may have birthed a monkey.

8. Just because breast feeding is natural to do does not mean it will come naturally. To you or your baby.

9. Some babies (ie mine) don't come out of the womb knowing how to suck. This can make nursing frustrating.

10. Babies can be trained to suck. This is a great job for Daddy.

11. Just because your boobs (ie mine) are gargantuan doesn't mean they will provide enough food for your infant, at least until the milk comes in. That's where these cool supplement things come in.

Coming home:

12. If your boobs are gargantuan before you get pregnant, when your milk comes in you will look like and feel like nothing less than a cartoon. At this point, nursing has been enough of an emotional roller coaster that it's okay to cry.

13. Nursing bras in size H are really hard to find. Cry some more. Or throw your computer at the wall because online shopping for bras is terrible.

14. Whoever says nursing never should hurt is either a man, has had brain damage, or is lying. And no woman will judge you for the screams noises that come out of your mouth when that little sucker latches on.

15. Having a third person enter your home will not increase your laundry by 33%. It will increase by 333%. Because babies pee. Through. Everything.

16. Seeing your baby get shots is not the worst. Hearing your baby cry after being circumcised...that IS the worst. A slight consolation is if your baby pees on the doctor.

17. If you choose to bathe your baby boy in the kitchen sink, make sure all of the dishes on the drying rack are put away. Because baby boys can shoot far.

18. Six straight hours of sleep never felt so good.

19. Even though your baby is less than a month old, people will (amazingly) already judge the way you parent. My advice? Educate yourself, listen to your parental intuition, and do what you feel is best. That is your right. Two different parenting techniques does not necessarily mean one is wrong. People shoving their biased opinions down your throat, however, is. End rant.

20. Trimming a baby's nails is terrifying.

21. Estrogen in your breast milk can make your baby grow extra breast tissue in their own body. So basically, since your humongo boobs aren't causing enough problems, they've made your baby boy grow his own boobs too. Do you think Baby Gap sells baby bras? Because we just might need some over here.

"I have boobs???"

22. Babies smile in their sleep. That alone will make most of this feel worth it.

Also, just look at that dimple!!!!

Yay for babies! And here are some more pictures, because I'm basically in love.

That face. Maybe he's still angry about his man-boobs?

"I have my mommy's chest and my daddy's body hair. What the heck guys??"

Introducing the Newest Reichman!

Here he is! Introducing Caleb Owen Reichman, born on November 25 at 6:08 am. At 8 lbs 5 oz, 21 inches long, we think this little guy is perfect and we are completely smitten. Welcome to the world little man!

The hospital gave us that hat. It cracks me up every time I see it.

Baby yawns!!! They get me every time.

Snug as a bug in a rug

All ready for Christmas already. The onesie was a gift from my mom: "All Mommy wants is a Silent Night." 

I'll post his birth story another time if I get around to it. For now, enjoy the pictures!

Dear friends and family

Hello blog readers!

With the best interests of my family in mind, I have decided to make this blog private starting next week. Send me your e-mail if you would like to keep following.

Thanks!

Ang

Gratitude List

A lot of my friends on Facebook have been posting something each day that they are thankful for. I thought instead of doing that, I would put my whole list in one place and write it down now in case I don't have a chance to later. Some are more serious, others not so much, but am nonetheless grateful for.


30 Things I am grateful for:

1. First and foremost: A Heavenly Father who loves me, a Savior who atoned for me, and the Holy Ghost who guides me and protects me.

2. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having a knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, being led by a modern-day prophet and his apostles and other leaders, having the scriptures to go to...and all the other blessings that come from the Gospel.

3. My husband who never ceases to amaze me. He is one of the most patient people I know, he always makes me laugh, he serves me so willingly and tirelessly and puts up with me, his devotion to the Lord is inspiring, and I just keep falling more in love with him the longer we are married. And let's be honest, he is going to make one adorable daddy. I can hardly wait to see him and our little boy together.

4. Parents who have supported and loved me my whole life, and have lead great examples to me in so many ways.

5. My baby. Feeling him move inside me and seeing him on an ultrasound have been some of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. The closer I get to D-day, the more amazed I am at the miracle that life is.

6. Modern medicine that keeps me alive and comfortable--inhalers for my asthma, antacids and Zofran for my pregnancy, antidepressants, Nyquil/Dayquil, dramamine....you name it.

7. My home. Seriously, snagging this apartment was meant to be. The carpet is brand new, it has a washer/dryer (yay for no more coin op!!!!), a dishwasher, and so much space. I even have an art room AND a nursery. Did I mention utilities are included in the rent? I love our landlady.

8. The opportunity to serve a mission. By far the hardest thing I've ever done, and it pushed me to limits I didn't even know I had. Totally worth it.

9. Talents, both my own and those of others. Seriously, I'm glad there are people that know how to computer program so that I don't have to figure it out.

10. Opportunities to travel. Travel is one of the best teachers. Also, that New York wind-blown look is lookin' pretty smokin' if I do say so my list. Places I've been to: NYC, Washington D.C., Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico, Italy, England, Wales, Paraguay. Places I'd like to go to: France, Czech Republic, Austria, Canada, Alaska, Egypt, China, Macchu Pichu (sp?), Iguazu Falls, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, I could go on....

11. My siblings and their children. Look at these goobers. How could you not love them? And their parents are pretty cool too.

12. My education. So grateful I got to go to college! Also grateful though that I finally graduated. I am especially grateful as I see bleary-eyed, backback laden students trudge their way to and from campus. Suckers. (Just kidding.)

13. Nature. It's gorgeous. 

14. The temple. Isn't it beautiful?

15. Teachers. Seriously, where would be without them? 

16. Oreos. Heaven bless the individual that invented them.

17. Technology. And the people that understand it more than I do.

18. Good books. Some favorites: Les Miserables, The Count of Monte Cristo, Harry Potter, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Influencer, Cheaper by the Dozen (not even on the same bar as the movie. Don't be fooled), the Poisonwood Bible and anything by Roald Dahl

19. The ocean. Or as my husband's family calls it, the Lotion. Never do I miss it more than in the middle of a frigid Utah winter.

20. My grandparents. Seriously the two coolest people over the age of 60 you'll ever meet. Your argument is invalid.

21. Food. Please tell me there is food in heaven, because it just wouldn't be the same.

22. Friends. Friends that make me pee my pants from laughing so hard, friends that listen when I need to vent, friends that offer a shoulder when I need to cry, friends that just "get me." Friends that no matter how long it's been since we've talked, I can instantly connect with again and it's like no time has passed.

23. Chocolate. I know this is a food. But it deserved its own number. I think you'll agree.

24. Music.  

25. Humor. Because laughing is good for you.

26. The fact that mistakes aren't the end of the world, and that I can learn from them and become better.

27. Etch-a-sketches. So much entertainment.

28. My body pillow. One of the many dear friends of a pregnant woman.

29. Holidays and traditions. Particularly Christmas and the 4th of July. I love all the smells, sights, colors, music, and memories associated with them.

30. Paint, paintbrushes, fancy paper....putting me in an art store is like Belle in a library. I'm just nerdy like that. But we all have our thing.

What are you grateful for?

40/100: The birthday guest

This darling girl is simply "The Birthday Guest" because I actually don't know who she is, but I took a picture of her at a birthday party. This is graphite on brown sketch paper. Usually I really struggle with children's faces but I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out. 

On the home stretch...

We are about 3 weeks away from our due date. I am trying really hard to not be the typical anxious pregnant woman....but I'd be lying if I said we aren't super excited for our little boy to get here.

Here are the typical things I am told as a pregnant woman, along with my mental response:


"Enjoy it now! He's a lot easier to take care of in there!"
     If I wanted him to stay in there...I wouldn't have gotten pregnant....

"You are 8 months??? You are tiny!!!"
    I only look tiny. Because my two girls up top are so huge that it makes my stomach only appear small. I've already gained 30 pounds, JUST in my torso. 

"Get your sleep now!"
      Oh I am. Oh how I am.

"Remember to sleep when the baby sleeps!"
     That will definitely not be a problem! I hope....

"Bless your heart!"
    I have no idea how to respond to that, as usually I hear that phrase followed by something...er...not as kind sounding 

"You're eating for two!"
    Trust me. A fetus doesn't need to eat this much. But thank you for the excuse, which I will happily use (as much as my squished up stomach will allow!)


I am feeling so very blessed right now. Winter didn't rob Autumn of it's beautiful appearance this year. Our ward is awesome. I'm in love with our apartment. I've been able to focus on my art a lot. And despite being more than 8 months pregnant, this is the best I have felt my whole pregnancy (shout out to my friends Zofran and Prevacid for making this possible!) I am definitely feeling very penguin-like with my increasing waddle though. Oh well, it comes with the territory. I was surprised to find that I avoided some common pregnancy symptoms during the last eight months--my feet only sort of swelled up once, and I never had any true cravings. Although slurpees and McFlurries sounded better than usual. But when don't those sound good? Mmmmm....

But I have had some MAJOR cramping. Like, knees-to-floor-pain kind of cramping. But the doc said that's just my body prepping. Let's just say I have learned that my pain tolerance is already not great. Gulp. But Doc also said that the ultrasound weight estimate could be off...so here's to hoping that I don't birth a giant. Also, when the baby's hand or foot moves around, I am reminded of this scene from The Mummy:

Today I also felt my "nesting" instincts kick in for the first time, but not in the way I was expecting. I was looking at Pinterest and saw some pins about disaster prep. Suddenly, I HAD to put our 72-hour kits together. Not tomorrow. Not today. YESTERDAY. I went to the Creamery and bought a couple of their empty humungo ice cream buckets (only 50 cents each!), one to put our kit in, and another one just in case. Because what if we got snowed into our basement and the plumbing stopped working and we needed a makeshift toilet???? When hubby got home our bathroom looked like a war-zone. But folks, we are PREPARED. (Special thanks to people from my home stake who gave us emergency prep wedding gifts.)

Anyway, happy November! Don't let the early Christmas songs get you down!

39/100: Ashley

I was really craving some portrait drawing today and I pulled out a list of people I had long ago told I would draw. I then did some Facebook stalking and found a lovely picture of my old co-worker and thought it was perfect. This is done in conte crayon and charcoal on brown sketch paper. Sorry the eyes are a little bit skewed :/ 

38/100: Mickey Mouse

I painted this for my nursery since I am doing a Mickey Mouse theme :) I whipped it out while husband was playing basketball using acrylics. 

Halloween and Another Ultrasound

So, our Halloween this year was sort of lame. Especially because Hubster and I really really really like Halloween. But we got more of a trick than a treat this year because my poor sweetie had to have a minor surgery today, and so most of his afternoon and evening was spent in the horizontal position. And our ward decided to be mega lame and not do anything for Halloween. And we live in a basement apartment, so trick-or-treaters are unaware of our existence.

But that's okay. Hubbie's brother was awesome and brought him some Little Caesar's to cheer him up and we got to see his awesome get-up as Mr. Frederickson from Up, complete with a grape soda pin, walker with tennis balls, and a framed picture of Ellie. And then we watched Clue. Because that movie is awesome. And tomorrow all of the Halloween candy will be on sale, so you can bet that this pregnant gal is getting her sugar fix and pampering her man with chocolatey goodness.

And you know what--NEXT Halloween is going to be the BEST Halloween ever, because we will have our own little trick-or-treater to dress up, and he won't be old enough to have an opinion of what he wants to be, so we will get to plan some genius family costume. And I will get to eat the greater part of his candy hoard. Muahahaha.

Anyway, yesterday I had my fourth, yes fourth, ultrasound. I have low-lying placenta, which means if it doesn't move out of the way, I will need a C-section. Otherwise I could bleed to death during delivery. Nothing big. Right now we still aren't sure what is going to happen, because it is right on the borderline of where it needs to be. But honestly, as long as we end up with a healthy baby, I don't really mind how he gets here.

Oh, we also found out that our little man already weighs 7 pounds 1 ounce according to the ultrasound. This kid is a monster. That's already heavier than my birth weight, and I still have a month to go! Yikes. If this guy comes on his due date, he will seriously weigh at least 9 pounds. Merciful heavens. I am praying that he comes just a little bit early.

Happy Halloween!

On Being Offended

I have this bad habit. I love to read the many informative articles and blogs posted by my friends on Facebook and Pinterest, my pregnancy app, and even yahoo. That's not the bad habit though. The bad habit is that too often, after I finish the article, I scroll down and read the comments left by other readers. Oh my word. Don't even do it. The best comparison I can make for the "comments" section of most articles is that it is a cesspool that brings out the worst in people. While some comments are friendly and supportive, many, TOO many, are nothing short of hateful. Under the guise of anonymity, people forget that the writer is an actual person and leave comments that they would never, ever dare say to an actual person's face. Most of these spiteful comments are considered justified because the reader felt offended by the article. The irony here, is that I find that these kinds of comments are usually written in a much more offensive manner than the article itself, and often take the writer's comments completely out of context or twist them around to make them sound way worse than what the author intended. All because the reader felt "offended."

I also read a lot of pregnancy articles, many of which have a title that often says something like, "What NOT to do/say to a pregnant woman..." I find myself chuckling at these articles, because they usually imply that the pregnant woman has the right to feel super insulted at the actions well-meaning people. I am eight-months pregnant and I am not offended if my friends want to touch my protruding belly, tell me cliche sayings that I hear time and time again ("Enjoy it now--this is when your baby is easiest to take care of!") or give me advice. Heck, I've never done this parenting thing and I could use all the tips I can get. Just don't be offended if I decide that your tip doesn't work well for me even though it worked for you.

But here is what I'm getting at--people, why are we allowing ourselves to be offended so dang easily? Being offended is a choice. Yes, when you are offended, you are choosing to react that way. You are choosing to let a very negative and socially-destructive feeling take control of a part of your life. Why do we do this?? Do you know why political bantering, the "mommy wars", family feuds, road rage, and all these social battles we are going through are so ugly? I think a part of it is because we choose to immediately react to the opposing side in righteous indignation in the name of being offended.

Can I offer a suggestion? When we come across something or someone or some situation that would normally offend us, instead of getting upset, take a step back and ask yourself, "Why might a person do or say that?" We all have different experiences that have shaped us into who we are--experiences that we value. We come from different cultures--family cultures, country and state cultures, religious cultures, all of which we usually value. These things contribute strongly to a person's makeup, and therefore opinions, and that means that there are a LOT of different opinions out there.

Now, I'm not saying that everything that everyone does is right because their life experiences have made them into who they are. Not at all. Breaking the law is still wrong, and sin is still sin, we shouldn't allow ourselves to be doormats for others to walk on, or tolerate wrong behavior. I am also not giving people a free pass to make hurtful comments or act unkindly. What I am saying is that maybe if we just took the time to evaluate why a person says or does something or acts a certain way, I think we would feel more at peace, react more patiently, and respond in more appropriate ways. And here's the beauty--when we react more respectfully, we are usually treated more respectfully in return by the very person or people that were "offensive." When we take the time to see a person's viewpoint, we are blessed to control our own tempers, we build social relationships, and we are given an opportunity to see things we might have missed. I believe that there is a lot of power in that. I believe that people who choose to not get offended easily have a much greater influence over others. I believe that great leaders have the gift of being assertive without giving or quickly taking offense.

I love this quote: "Just because you are offended, doesn't mean you are right." Just some food for thought.

Let us take the time to be better listeners. Let us remember that people are people, even if they are hidden by their user name or the vehicle they are driving. We cannot always control the behavior of others, but we can control how we react to them.

37/100: Tommy

I painted this for my sister over the summer. This one was so challenging! I'm happy with the color choices, but I feel like I never could quite get his face right...so frustrating. I worked off of a picture I took of him about a year ago, but made some changes to the composition--much thanks to my sister Kathryn for her input with that! I also have a hard time depicting children. I feel like they always end up looking way older than they are. This one is in acrylic, but I feel like I'd like to try to do the same piece in watercolor sometime. We'll see.

Our new website!!

So, I'm pretty into art. If you know me, or have been following this blog, then you probably already knew that. I have had a dream for a long time of becoming a professional artist, but never had enough confidence to do it. Living in New Mexico over the summer, however, gave me the kick in the pants I needed. Being surrounded by so many successful artists made me continually ask myself, "Why not me?" And so I talked to my sister, another artist, about how I was planning on making a website. I was ready to take the next step. Well, to my great delight, she decided she wanted to hop on board too! So, I am pleased to announce that together, my awesome sister Kathryn and I have started a fine art website:

http://rrfineart.squarespace.com

We are super excited about it. We will continually post our art, as well as keep a blog that discusses various art topics (including offering some art giveaways--there is one right now!!!) If you see something you like, ask us about it! We sell originals and prints of our work, and are happy to take commissions. :D 

Anyway, I was so excited, that I wanted to share the news in case you hadn't heard. :) Have a great day!

Moving in, babysitting, and yard sales

So, we have officially started the next chapter of our lives, which will probably last about 5 years. After a very busy August, we moved into our new basement apartment in Provo, and we are totally in love with it. Right after moving in, the hubster left for California to do some cool sound measurements on an F-35 in the middle of the desert, while I stayed home and unpacked and started my new but temporary job of babysitting my adorable niece and nephew. 

Here is my nephew while we have a "car wash" in the bathroom. He loved it so much that we did it again an hour later and he asked if we could do it again the next day!

Our most popular activity. 

Anyway, life is good! It is very strange to be back in Provo but not going to school. I am busy trying to get our house all in order and so last week I did something I have never done before-- I scoured yard sales. Not that I've never been to a yard sale, but I've never done more than one in a day. I couldn't believe how much fun it was! And holy cow, the Provo/Orem area is chalk-full of yard sales. One only has to drive for about sixty seconds before they will come across a sign leading them to a treasure trove! (Or a trash trove, depending on the sale). And look at all the stuff I got!

I got everything in this picture for just under twenty bucks. That's including the book shelf and the bowl chair, which had no stains or anything. And the Scattergories game was only three bucks and was practically new. And it is seriously one of my favorite games. Yay for fun finds!

Anyway, I hope everything is going well with anyone who is reading this. :)

Adios New Mexico

Today I am finishing packing up my apartment.

When I walk through my bare apartment, I can't help but feel a little bit sad. Our time in New Mexico this summer has been a wonderful adventure for us. I made wonderful friends, we were in an awesome ward, and living here has inspired me to pursue bigger artistic dreams.

We are headed back to Provo at the end of this month, and this generates a lot of mixed feelings. I am not looking forward to the psychotic drivers, scraping ice off of my car, nor leaving so many great and inspirational people that I met here in Los Alamos. I AM looking forward to living close to family again, having a temple, Costco and mall within 15 minutes instead of two hours (yahoo!), and settling into an apartment for longer than four months.

The next few months are going to be exciting and challenging for us, but in good ways. We are having a BABY for goodness sakes. Our very first one. We are so excited for our little guy to get here. Brent starts his PhD program in Physics at BYU, doing and learning things that I can barely comprehend. We will hit our one-year anniversary of marriage. I will start my life as a stay-at-home mom, while also attempting to keep creating art and a home that is a haven for us.

Is it going to be overwhelming? Probably. Are we blessed? Completely.

36/100: Bob Ross (coloring book style)

Yay for Bob Ross! I made this coloring book page for the art center I volunteer at for fun. If you don't know who Bob Ross is, shame on you. Your homework is to look up a Bob Ross video on YouTube. This was just done with a sharpie on computer paper, nothing fancy. Yay for Bob Ross and his happy trees!

35/100: different male model

This model was simultaneously my favorite and least favorite model I've drawn this summer. He had the coolest features-- he was half Caucasian and half African-American, so he had this awesome kinky hair, high cheekbones and dark skin in addition to these piercing blue eyes. I could have drawn just his face the whole time. However, he had a hard time coming up with any remotely  interesting poses for the first two hours. But by the end it was great. This was my best drawing from the session. Done in graphite. 

31-34/100: zoo portraits

Portraits don't have to be confined to people. Brent and I went to the Albuquerque zoo a few weeks ago and I had a ball taking pictures of all the fun animals they had there. Then, an acquaintance asked me if I could teach her how to paint with watercolors. Now, watercolor has always intimidated me, but I looked at this as a chance to learn myself, and so I agreed to do it. I checked out some watercolor books from the library and did some practicing using the pictures I had taken at the zoo. I was amazed at how well they turned out! Once I started, I couldn't stop!

31:100: Jaguar (watercolor and ink)

32/100: Gorilla (watercolor and salt)

33/100: Polar Bear (watercolor)

34/100: Elephant (watercolor and salt)

30/100: zumba model (Natalie)

This lady was a blast to draw! And holy cow did she have muscles. It's fun to have models from different backgrounds because they come up with different poses. Unlike the more classical model from the previous post, Natalie did poses inspired from the Zumba class that she teaches. We also listened to Zumba music the whole time. It was great! Graphite on sketch paper.

29/100: female nude model

This model came in from Kansas and specifically asked if she could model for us. She did a lot of classical poses and I LOVED it. I had only drawn male models up to this point and it was fun to draw some curves for a change! I've included several of the sketches I did of her this time. Also in graphite.

28/100: model

My next few portraits aren't completed portraits, but I felt that it could still count. I joined a figure drawing group here in Los Alamos and I am loving it! Each person brings their own supplies and the only thing you pay for is the model! 

This model was very fun to draw. This was my sketch that I felt turned out the best. Graphite. I loved how his feet looked and felt bad that I couldn't fit them in the picture so I added them at the top to at least get some more practice in.