Wolf Keep

The students I work with were going on a field trip to the Wolf Keep located outside Missoula. Dale and I decided to tag along on their journey.

It was by far one of the coolest experiences I have ever shared! I dont know what I was expecting, I certainly havent spent much time with wolves. The owner started the wolf keep years ago. An girlfriend left him with her pet wolf and everyday, while stoned and drunk, the owner walked the wolf at least 4 hours a day. He walked himself sober and promised to protect wolves. Thus, the wolf keep was started.

Today, he has maybe 40 wolves (?) including a red steppenwolf. The owner, Karl, allowed us to toss hot dogs over the fence as he shared his knowledge of wolves while stoking his pipe. I never realized how amazing, yet frightening these wolves are. They act just like dogs one moment and the next are screaming and howling. We watched the wolves fight. We heard what sounded like a motorcycle in the distance and was actually just a wolf telling us to back off. Not a noise I would ever like to hear camping a night!

With all the debates going on about wolf delisting it was interesting to engage with wolves first hand and gain the perspective of someone who works with wolves daily. It will be interesting to see how their presence in Montana changes over the years as the subject continues to be debated.

I will attach some photos soon!

Some Good Pregnancy Movies

My husband is working all weekend so I rented some good pregnancy movies! If you have some time, check them out! Also, if you have other suggestion, let us all know!
10. For Keeps?
Yes, there were teen pregnancies before Juno. Back in 1988, when Molly Ringwald was still an ‘80s It girl and John Hughes’ muse, she shocked everyone by playing a high school senior named Darcy who gets pregnant, gets married and tries to make it. Such drama.

Best line: “I'm pregnant. Can you pass the turnips?”--Darcy
9. Junior
Oh, Arnold, what possessed you? As scientist Dr. Alex Hesse who, as part of a fertility research project, agrees to carry a pregnancy in his own body, the Schwarzenegger mostly pulls it off. Still, what a bold career move.

Best line: “Does my body disgust you?”--Alex
8. Father of the Bride 2
In the delightful Father of the Bride, Steve Martin’s George Banks has to reluctantly give away his darling daughter in marriage, so the logical step for Bride 2 would be for said daughter to get pregnant thrust George into grandfather-hood. Except in this scenario, Banks’ lovely wife (Diane Keaton) also gets pregnant at the same time. Oy vey!

Best line: “Now, going to the movies, that'll be economical: one child, two seniors, thanks.”--George
7. Nine Months
The whole nine yards from the male perspective--in this case a selfish commitment-phobe, played by Hugh Grant, who realizes he might have to change his lifestyle for better or much, much worse when he finds out his longtime girlfriend (Julianne Moore) is pregnant. Sound familiar?

Best line:
“I'm ten days late.”--Rebecca
“And there's no way you could have had it and just not noticed?”--Samuel

6. Waitress
Keri Russell plays a very unhappily married waitress/pie-maker extraordinaire who is none too pleased to find out she’s pregnant. Of course, things happen for a reason and her mind starts to change, especially when she starts an affair with her obstetrician (Nathan Fillion).

Best line: “Dear Baby, I hope someday somebody wants to hold you for 20 minutes straight and that's all they do. They don't pull away. They don't look at your face. They don't try to kiss you. All they do is wrap you up in their arms and hold on tight, without an ounce of selfishness in it.”--Jenna

5. She's Having a Baby
This is John Hughes’ take on the whole concept of parenthood, as experienced by a yuppie couple, Jake and Kristy Briggs (Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern). Being young, they are perhaps a bit unprepared for the full reality of it all--but that’s when it gets fun.

Best line: “And in the end, I realized that I took more than I gave, I was trusted more than I trusted, and I was loved more than I loved. And what I was looking for was not to be found but to be made.”--Jake Briggs

4. Baby Mama
Tina Fey hits the nail on the head, playing a single, successful women, who is told her uterus is too hostile to have a child, and so goes the surrogacy route--except she doesn’t expect to be saddled with working class moocher Angie Ostrowski (Amy Poehler) as her baby mama. Ah well, it all turns out OK in the end.

Best line: “Can I just spray a little PAM down there right before the baby comes out?”--Angie.

3. Knocked UpA classic case of the “Ooops!” When total slacker Ben (Seth Rogen) inadvertently hooks up with hottie Alison (Katherine Heigl) for one night of drunken pleasure, they don’t expect the results of a misused (or NOT used) condom. Yep, knocked up indeed.

Best line: “You know how they say to never drink and drive? Well, never drink and bone.”--Ben



2. Rosemary's Baby
OK, probably not the most enlightening or happy view of pregnancy but nonetheless important to note for this feature since poor Mia Farrow goes through hell, quite literally, during her first pregnancy--carrying the child of SATAN, that is.

Best line: “He chose you, honey! From all the women in the world to be the mother of his only living son!”--Minnie Castevet (Ruth Gordon)
1. Juno
As unwanted teenage pregnancies go, Juno (Ellen Page) proves it doesn't have to be a totally unhappy experience. She knows she can’t keep the baby, so she finds the right set of parents (Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman), and although things don’t necessarily go as planned, Juno handles it with a fair amount of wit, charm and warmth.

Best line: “Yea, if I could just have the thing and give it to you now, I totally would. But I'm guessing it looks probably like a sea monkey right now and we should let it get a little cuter.”
Some other fave's:
Where The Heart Is, 2000
Saved, 2004
How to Deal, 2003

ENJOY!!!

Its a baby! Due October 27, 2009!

Dale and I shared a huge moment of relief today when we saw our little one flickering away on the ultrasound screen! And to think I was worried I wasn't actually pregnant!!!

We are 8 weeks 2 days and due October 27th. Which means our baby was conceived around my birthday! Our little gummy bear is not even 1 inch but we could still see its heartbeat! We have our next appointment April 16th, I will be in my second trimester then!

I was a little worried about how our doctor's visit would go. I randomly picked our doctor from the phone book and I am so glad I did! Our doctor, Dr. Baumgartner, is a very nice, professional man who slightly reminds me of my Uncle Tom--the guy who delivered me! It turns out our doctor is from Arizona, went to school in Seattle, and lives in Missoula with his wife and six kids! We had a lot to talk about during our appointment!

The best part of the day (besides seeing our ultrasound) was the goody bag we got to take home. The doctor provided us with a copy of What to Expect When you are Expecting, a bunch of free magazines and baby catalogs, samples of prenatal vitamins, formula samples, and a Pregnancy journal.

The last few days, I have been a complete basket-case. Most of pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness have gone away. I was reading all these things about how that could be a sign of something more serious. The last two nights were sleepless, full of nightmares of miscarriages, or seeing an empty ultrasound. I was so freaked!

I guess I am one of those lucky individuals that breezes through pregnancy. The doctor said I was lucky! We are healthy, happy, and have practically perfect genes on both sides...so we are blessed! We were also very happy to hear that once you see the baby's heartbeat, chances of miscarriage are 1%. I think it is safe to say, we are definitely having a baby!

The 8th week emotional roller coaster

I am almost 8 weeks along and I am on the emotional roller coaster. I cant stop crying. I hit my head on the closet door and I cried for 20 minutes. I heard a radio ad about pet care and I cried. I started to watch a movie and I cried before it started. We have our first appointment on Thursday and I am extremely nervous. I am so afraid that something will be wrong and I cant shake that feeling. I know its just first-time mom jitters...I will update you more on Thursday, until then, I thought you would enjoy this.

Ps. I cried while reading this...and its not even sad!

Q: Am I more likely to get pregnant if my husband wears boxers or briefs?
A: You'll have an even better chance if he doesn't wear anything at all

Q: What do you call a pregnancy that begins while using birth control?
A: A misconception

Q: What is the easiest way to figure out exactly when I got pregnant?
A: Have sex just once a year

Q: What is the most common pregnancy craving?
A: For men to be the ones who get pregnant

Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college

Q: My breasts, rear end & even my feet have grown. Is there anything that gets smaller during pregnancy?
A: Yes, your bladder

Q: My wife is 5 months pregnant and so moody that she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q: What's the difference between a pregnant woman and a Playboy centerfold?
A. Nothing, if the pregnant woman's husband knows what's good for him

Q: What position should the baby be in during the ninth month of pregnancy?
A: Head down, pressing firmly on your bladder

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant

Q: What is colic?
A: A reminder for new parents to use birth control

Almost 7 weeks!

Everyday this week I have discovered something different about my body and this whole pregnancy thing is starting to sink in. I am almost 7 weeks pregnant (according to my calc) and this week the morning sickness started:(

I had my usual breakfast and could hardly stomach it. I ate a piece of toast instead and napped for two hours only to wake up nauseous then. At work, it is so embarrassing because I am not that much older than the high schoolers I work with and every time I run to the bathroom I think teachers and students assume I am a pregnant teen, as they look at me with deeply sympathetic eyes.

Ice cream and water with lime have been my best friends during these queasy times--of course ice cream has and always will be my best friend!

I also have this stupid cough right now. It hasnt gotten worse or better and the school nurse said that the cough has been going around and there is nothing I can really do for it. It is especially annoying at night, right when I am about to fall asleep the coughing fit starts. I will ask my doctor about it when we go but for right now, its a minor discomfort.

Aside from the morning sickness I am starting to experience all the wonders of pregnancy. Relatives may want to stop reading now as it may be a little TMI.

My boobs have swelled up and are extremely sensitive. I dont fit into any of bras anymore and their size is causing extreme back pain. In addition, my veins are pulsating through my chest and my areolas have gotten extremely dark--so dark I thought Dale may have bruised them during the night!

I noticed yesterday that I have a dark line running up my lower belly. I know that for some women this line gets super dark and I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be one of those women....which kind of freaks me out because I thought that line was always a little weird.

I have a bump! Before getting pregnant I always had a little extra pudge but the last couple days I have noticed by little belly feeling hard and making my jeans impossible to keep zipped. My pants are getting tight and much sooner than I expected!

Here are some of my weird cravings this week:
1.) Pickles with mustard
2.) Cottage cheese with blueberries salt & black pepper
3.) Ice cream with bananas...okay not that weird, but I usually hate bananas.
4.) Navajo tacos
5.) Orange soda

All these changes are so exciting! However, I am super nervous all the time and just keep thinking that I am going to wake up one day I wont be pregnant. We have our first ultrasound on March 19 and I will relax after that, I think? Dale and I have so many questions! Is sex safe? Can I eat this? Can I take cough medicine? Is running okay? What about having animals sleep on our bed? The list is endless! We are first timers and I suspect that the questions will never end!

Our Big Journey

From 02.25.09 POSTIVEly Fun

***I posted this somewhere else but thought I would post it again for you all.

Dale and I met in January 2008 and fell in love and were married in October 2008. Last year was a wonderful year as we traveled, met each others families, and began sharing our life together. We loved Seattle but knew that it was time to venture out and settle down. We decided to move to Missoula, MT because I am originally from Montana and have dreamed of nothing more than starting our family in Montana.

We havent been actively trying to concieve, we just stopped taking birth control. All month, I have had pregnancy signs and never recognized them. I was waking up at 2 am thirsty and hungry. I had these sudden cravings for kale and swiss chard. I love blue cheese and the sight of it sent me hurling. It wasnt until I woke up at 4 am last week and realized that my period was a week late.
My husband and I took our home pregnancy test--nervous of its results. Not even seconds later 2 big pink lines appeared. I dont think it could have been MORE positive.
I brought the test to my husband and showed him, it took him a minute to figure out what the two lines meant, but the second he figured it out, he had this priceless expression of joy and happiness.

We laid in bed and discussed our future. We have moved fast but my life has never felt more natural or full of life. We have an incredible journey ahead of us and I look forward to the next 8 months.

Emma Update

Our dog, Emma, is growing bigger everday however it looks like she may soon be reaching her full size. So far she has been a fantastic addition, not perfect as she still has accidents in the house and chewed through a pair of underwear. Emma can now sit, shake, lay down, and dance on command. She is great on walks and when you play with her she has this wonderful expression that shows extreme happiness as her tongue hangs off to side and head a little crooked.

There is something so satisfying about owing a dog. They are loyal, listen, and make up when they do something wrong. I love when Emma stretches out on our bed and throws her arm over my leg as if to cuddle. I love coming home to Emma when she wags her tail so hard her little but swaggers. I especially love seeing Emma run to Dale when he comes home all happy and excited.

Owning a dog can be hard work but it is also very rewarding. I was always afraid of owning dog, not wanting to deal with the hassel, but I am glad I got over that fear because Emma has had an indelible mark in our family.