A Morning Sickness Memory

With this pregnancy, I've been battling morning sickness pretty consistently since week four. However there's a miracle drug that I've been prescribed this pregnancy called Zofran. It has kept me going and more importantly keeps me from throwing up at inopportune moments, such as on my patients while at work. I know this to be a potential problem, since I once almost cleared a DC subway train at rush hour. Having said that, I'd like to resurrect a memory from the days of my last pregnancy when I had decided to battle morning sickness without medicine, on my own.

While in DC, Ben and I planned a fun weekend off for our anniversary. We awoke early one morning to go to Williamsburg. We were so excited because for the first time we would be riding an Amtrak train as well as getting out of downtown DC for a bit. Below is an email I sent to my family the day of the fateful incident.

Hello everyone, This past week in my pregnancy I've thrown up a few times at night. However this morning we had to get up early (5:30) to be at Union Station (the train station) at 7am. I ate breakfast but we were rushing around all morning and I didn't feel well. We took the subway at rush hour and as we were approaching our transfer station I started to feel very sick. I told Ben, "When we get off this train I have to find a garbage can". Well the train didn't stop quite soon enough and before I knew it I had thrown up in my hand. I won't be disgustingly descriptive, but let me just say that it isn't an easy task to keep vomit in a cupped hand. Anyway, at that point the train had stopped and a bunch of people were standing in front of me, crowding to get off. I was standing behind two very well dressing business people. I wanted to scream, "Get out of my way!" but I knew I couldn't open my mouth or I'd be paying the dry cleaning bill for the $2,000 Armani suit of the guy in front of me. Finally the door opened to the metro train and I ran out.

There are no garbage cans on the bottom floor of the metro, so I ran under a staircase to a barred off area and let it all out. For those of you who don't know, Ben can't stand the smell of vomit or to see anyone throw up... so he kindly offered to go find the station manager to get someone to clean it up. So thoughtful :) So I stood there by myself with all our bags making a spectacle of myself. The funny thing is, yesterday was St. Patrick's Day and every DC pub was packed so I'm sure there weren't just a few people who thought I was a hungover drinking amateur. Oh well :) But there were a few women who came over and offered me wipes and tissues. When I told them I was pregnant they were both sympathetic and said something like "been there done that". Even the women who were in the station manager box asked Ben if he knew the gender of our baby after he told them I was downstairs throwing up. I later reflected on my mother's advice: "You always need to carry a plastic bag". It was the good advice I didn't take. For the record, it was my first time ever throwing up in public.

I later snapped a picture of where I threw up. If you know DC, it may
interest you to know it was at Metro Center, off the red line.

After having repeated this story, I must say that I am feeling much better about this pregnancy. Yes I am sick, but I have yet to throw up in my hand during rush hour on the Subway in one of the busiest cities in the US. Or on one of my patients for that matter. So far, I think I can call this morning sickness experience a success.

Washington, D.C.

Back by popular demand! This is Ben again. I have no desire to write a post today, or in the next fiscal year, but I wanted to share this little video with our blessed blog audience. This is just a quick compilation of some of the video I shot while we were in D.C. One of these days I'll put it all into a documentary, but for now, this is all you're gettin'. Enjoy!

Eastern Market Finds

Last week Ben's mom and little sister came to DC to visit us before we return home. Ben had work or class most days (with final papers and such), so Jane, Chelsea, and I had a great time touring the sites and museums. There was a close-call with a near government shutdown, however we still got it all in. We were all happy because Jane and Chelsea got to see all they wanted, and Ben and I got to spend time with them.

A few nights we had Ben all to ourselves. We had dinner at the famous restaurant, "Founding Farmers". I'd give it 3 stars... just normal food. Not spectacular.

There are many great things about my mother-in-law, and one is that she loves to shop. And I love to shop. And I have been lacking a fun shopping partner since I've arrived here in DC. So Saturday morning we took Jane and Chelsea to get Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes (delicious) at the Eastern Market and then... we went SHOPPING! Ben even got in the action. We wanted to get some unique souvenirs before we come home.

My purchase was the decorative tins on the left. Aren't they so cute? I'd been eying them since the first time we went to the market. Jane found a two cute skirts, and Chelsea got a hat knitted in the shape of a donkey. And Ben? Being the artist that he is he picked out some original art from DC. My picture below isn't very good, but it really is a cool painting of the Capitol and DC rowhouses.

Tourist tip: The Eastern Market on Saturday morning is a must-see if you are going to be in DC. It has people from all over the world selling art, jewelry, soap, candles, clothes, etc. We bought my tins from a Polish man, Ben's art from a man from the Republic of Georgia, and Chelsea's hat from an Ecuadorian man. So it's a cultural experience, as well as a really fun place to shop.

Cherry Blossoms!

I have always wanted to see the cherry blossoms in Washington DC and so I was thrilled when I found out we would be here for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Although it is still chilly and there are huge amounts of tourists, Ben and I took some time this week to walk down to the Tidal Basin. Verdict? It is a beautiful sight and just as breathtaking as everyone says.

Philadelphia and Valley Forge

Ben's professor planned another excursion for all the students last week to go to Philadelphia and stay at Valley Forge. Now I'll start out by saying that the trip was great, but the confession I have to make is that Ben and I are getting "touristed out". I can illustrate this principle with another example.

When I was a teenager my mom and dad packed us up and took us to Nauvoo. At the beginning of the trip we loved to see the historic sites, the period homes, but by the end of the week my sisters and I were adamant, "If we have to go inside another old house we're going to scream". Typically, as vacation time passes, the novelty wears off and one gets "touristed out". A girl on the tour this weekend told me, "When I was in France, I got to the point that I didn't want to see even one more cathedral".

Having said that, I don't want you to think Ben and I aren't enjoying our time out here. We love it. We realize that we may never get another opportunity like this again. So we're trying to soak it up. But there's still a little voice in our heads yelling, "If I have to visit one more battlefield I'm going to melt away".

PHILADELPHIA

We only spent a few hours on Saturday in Philly so we didn't see everything one can possibly see, but we enjoyed ourselves and became acquainted with the city of "brotherly love".

In front of an original 1709 street that has been preserved.
It's considered one of the oldest neighborhoods in America.

Inside the Pennsylvania State House aka Independence Hall,
where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed.

With the Liberty Bell

VALLEY FORGE

Valley Forge was a great site to visit. It was interesting to hear the stories of bravery, patience, and struggle. And we went on a fairly cold day. When we kept complaining about the cold, the tour guide told us, "I'm sure glad this wasn't the original group at Valley Forge or we would have never won the Revolution". That puts it into even more perspective. And since Valley Forge isn't a battlefield, there was no melting away :)

The cabins. Twelve men (and their families) lived in each one.

George Washington's Valley Forge headquarters

So Happy Together

Ben is always saying I put all the "proper" pictures on the blog, so I thought in honor of our 11 month anniversary I'd put some more candid, down-to-earth, realistic pictures. Pictures of Ben and Athena being... Ben and Athena. And maybe this will just reveal how dorky we both are. But from the past 11 months I can tell you, it's being dorky together that is so much fun.

February 2010- Engagement pictures.
Starting at the beginning we were a match made in heaven.
Ben said something like "Show me your teeth" and this is what happened.

I think this was the worst day of Ben's life. Three hours of being a model was too much.
He eventually lost it. I promised him we won't do it again until we have kids.

Ben was heel clicking and it looked like fun...

I found out it's pretty hard to do in boots. Check out my hair.

April 2010: Trying to imitate the gorilla arms and faces at Hogle Zoo

July 2010: We were once obsessed with Sonic drinks. Very very obsessed.

August 2010: At my family's cabin.
You know, a BB gun really is a very masculine weapon.

November 2010: Jane's birthday party.
I think we'll still be pretty good looking when we get old.

March 2011: Modeling the train tracks at Harper's Ferry

This doesn't have us being geeks, but I thought it should go here too. Last night
Ben's boss took us to Blue Man Group for FREE! We had a great time, although I'll admit that we didn't think it was as good as everyone had said it to be. Maybe we're a
tough crowd? Either way, it was fun to see a show in DC and celebrate our
11 months... with Ben's coworkers. Ha ha.

Williamsburg

Overlooking the James River, Virginia

Last Friday Ben had class off and had to do an "enrichment activity" instead. Since my mom and sister Julia have always raved about Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, I talked Ben into making that his activity. Of course, I had to tell him that Jamestown and Yorktown were also close by, but he ended up loving the colonial part too. In fact, because it's so close to our year anniversary, we made it an anniversary trip as well.

Friday morning we left early and took an Amtrak train, which is not as glamorous as it sounds or looks for that matter. It was a long, slow, nearly 4 hour ride, but we were rewarded with gorgeous weather the rest of the day. We walked from the train station to our hotel, which ended up being it's own adventure since it was over a mile and Ben had to haul all our luggage behind him over all kinds of terrain. Finally, we arrived, checked into the hotel, and spent the rest of the day relaxing and walking around Williamsburg. There are lots of fun houses and shops and so much to do.

All the buildings are in colonial style

Everywhere we go we tend to enjoy it like a child would.
Thus this picture :)

Then Saturday Ben woke up to exercise and run around Williamsburg while I slept in, then brought me waffles for breakfast in bed. He's my hero. We rented a car and drove a few miles down a beautiful scenic highway along the river to Jamestown. Jamestown was the first English settlement in America in 1607 and is most famous for Pocahontas and John Smith. However, they have great actors and reproductions and we even got to see it on a day they were doing a "Military Through the Ages" show.

Showing off colonial armor in the reconstructed fort.
No Indian would ever get us in this garb.

Behind us are three reconstructed ships after those that brought the first settlers

The Revolutionary War camp. They even ate lunch they
cooked over campfires to make it more authentic.

Ben sporting an original Vietnam era Bazooka

Notice how much harder it was for me to hold

Later in the day we also went to Yorktown battlefields, the last battle of the Revolutionary War. There is a driving tour we followed to see all the sights. For dinner we ate in a grimy pub with the redeeming quality of a beautiful view of the ocean, then drove home and watched the BYU game. Sunday brought church and a nap in a park off the river, then the train ride home. In the end we were disappointed to have to leave, but it turned out to be a great trip and a great way to celebrate our first anniversary.

Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry

On Saturday Ben's professor arranged a day trip for all of the students to go to Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry. We started early and visited 3 different states in one day. Below is a map that documents our route:


View Larger Map

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

We began at the Visitor's Center with a movie telling the story of the importance of the battle; how it turned the tide of the war so the Union could win. The tour then moved upstairs to the Cyclorama, a huge painting depicting the battle in a circle. It was a sobering experience, especially as we toured the museum and saw the faces of many who were killed on both sides. Each had a family, dreams, and aspirations. Each had a vision for the future. It impacted me greatly to think of so many families affected.

After the museum, we boarded the bus and a tour guide drove us around the battlefields. A few times we got off the bus so he could show us various monuments. Much of Gettysburg is very well preserved and accurate because original veterans returned in the 1880's or so to explain what happened and mark locations. Above, Ben and I are next to an original Civil War cannon. We also got to see the spot that won the Union the battle, Little Round Top. It was easy to defend because it was high ground, rocky, and without many trees.

We also got to stop by the Gettysburg cemetery, most famous for being where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address. The monument on the left marks the spot where he gave the speech.













It was a very beautiful place. I wish we could have stayed longer to ponder on such hallowed ground. As I looked over the multitude of graves, I thought what a pity it was for so many to lose their lives. But at the same time I'm very grateful for those who lost their lives and died fighting for what they believed in. In the end, we are still one nation, under God because of their sacrifice. We left the cemetery in the afternoon and ended our visit by eating lunch at General Pickett's buffet nearby.

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Harpers Ferry is a small town situated by the intersection of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. It's most famous for the hanging of the abolitionist John Brown in 1859 (which contributed to the start of the Civil War), but is also a great tourist attraction today. We absolutely loved it and would have loved to spend the whole weekend there. It's a city full of history and beautiful countrysides. Thomas Jefferson even called it, "perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature.”

The town is full of old shops, narrow roads, and original stone walls and stairs that have been preserved. It floods often, and although the river was high when we visited, the buildings were still safe. Apparently many people float the river in the summers because it is really warm.

Anyway, we were captivated by this beautiful place nestled into the Blue Ridge Mountains and would recommend it to anyone. There are quaint bed and breakfasts there as well as a great custard shop. Really, what more can you ask for in a vacation spot?


Oh and last of all, Ben pointed out we were in John Denver country. After seeing it for ourselves, I now know why John called it "the place I belong". It's beautiful.

Good Things at the Barlow Center

Tonight we were invited to a married couples get together at the Sowby's, the senior missionaries who run the Barlow Center. They live just across the street and were kind enough to have us (five couples) over for snacks and games. We had a great time getting to know the Sowby's as well as the other couples we rarely see.

Ben & I intently playing "Two truths and a lie"

We had such a great time. Thanks to the Sowby's!

Newseum / Waiting for Superman

One of the best kept secrets in DC is the Newseum- a 7 story building on Pennsylvania Avenue dedicated to the history of news and journalism. We went for free with Ben's class on Friday (it's $22 per adult regularly), then returned Saturday since we had so much more we wanted to see. The exhibits are so well thought out and displayed. Many historical events are told from the eyes of journalists: 9/11, Katrina, the fall of the Berlin Wall, etc. They even had a gallery dedicated to Pulitzer
winning photographs.


We also got to see one of the antennas from the top of one of the twin towers, as well as large sections of the Berlin Wall. Anyway, it's definitely a must-see if you have $22 laying around and are going to be in DC. And if your husband is a broadcast journalism major. Then it's a "can't miss" :)


On a side note which has nothing to do with the Newseum, Ben and I watched a great documentary this weekend called "Waiting for Superman". It's about the state of public education in our country and very worthwhile. We just rented it off iTunes, although it may be available through Redbox. So if you're looking for a good movie that will make you think, we highly recommend this one.

Living in the Barlow Center = Prep for parenting

I believe living in the Barlow Center has been part of Ben and my preparation for parenting. I know I've already mentioned the 18 guys who live on our floor, the perpetually messy kitchen, and the lack of privacy due to our room being right by the common room. Sounds like being a parent, right? But what all you parents out there are saying is, "You still have to get woken up in the middle of the night. Then you'll have a taste of parenting!" Well I'm here to tell you, if that's what it takes to know parenting, I'm ready to be the mother to 18 boys.

That's right, Ben and I have had our fair share of wake-ups while living here. Just a few weeks ago, we both were awakened at 4:30 am to loud laughing and talking in the common room. I thought "Who in the world is awake? Tomorrow they have class!" I couldn't fall back asleep so I threw on some clothes and kindly asked the 2 guys who were typing a paper due the next day to "keep it down". They felt really bad, and both apologized the next day. And I felt bad I'd made them feel bad, but come on... did I sign up for this?

Then a few weeks later I was exhausted after working a 12 hour shift until 7pm. It took me an hour on public transport to get home, and after talking with Ben for a bit I fell promptly asleep. I had to be up at 5am again for another 12 hour shift, but my wonderful dreams were interrupted about 2:30am when I heard a knock on our door. I wanted to ignore it but it came again. So I threw on some clothes and opened the door to find one of the guys telling me (I am not making this up) that he had a temperature of 110 degrees and he didn't know what to do. I explained that it is impossible to live with a temperature of 110 degrees, and he later mentioned the second temperature he took was 99.8. Gees. Anyway, I gave him Tylenol and Motrin and went back to bed. I thought he'd thank me for saving his life, however the next day he informed me that the medicine wasn't working and he was going to the doctor. Good thing I was around...

And last but not least, this past Saturday Ben and I didn't feel well and decided to go to bed early. At about 11pm Ben was sawing logs but I was still trying to fall asleep. Then a knock came. I refused to answer it. The knocker gave up after one attempt but persisted elsewhere. Ben's phone soon after vibrated with a text, which Ben read to me the next day. It was from the same 110 fever kid and read (once again, I am not making this up) "Is Athena awake? Janie has something poking out of her neck." I was flabbergasted, but ignored the issue completely and guess what, everyone lived.

So if nothing else, thank you for letting me rant about the difficulties of raising eighteen 20-something boys. I'm sure all you parents can empathize. And if you have any tips about how to control the aforementioned behaviors, I'd love to hear them. I'll be sure to include them in the parenting book I'm writing about my experiences here.

The Pentagon

Last Friday Ben and I got to take a brief tour of the Pentagon with his class. I liked it, but it was very different than I expected. I was so surprised to see that's it's like a city; it has it's own restaurants and food courts, dry cleaners, post office, barber shop, even a flower shop. We had a good time on the tour though and enjoyed getting to go inside such a high security place.

Practicing our political face

Outside the Pentagon at the 9/11 memorial (there is also a memorial inside).
Each bench represents a person who was killed during the attacks.

Mount Vernon

For President's Day this year, Ben and I thought it would be fun to go to Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. It's about 20 miles south of DC on the shore of the Potomac River. Since it was President's Day it was free (it's usually a $15 charge per person) but it was also PACKED with people. On a busy summer day they have about 6,000 visitors but on Monday they had 15,000. But we just braved the crowds and slight rain and had a great time. We got to see George and Martha's graves, a museum of family artifacts (including Washington's dentures), and a working plantation with animals. They even had a surprise birthday party in the afternoon and did a show with actors. It was really fun and I think we'll go back again when it isn't so crowded.

Ben and I with George and Martha

The memorable moment of the trip was our taxi ride to the plantation. One of the BYU students asked, "Now whose faces are on Mt. Vernon again?" I don't think we stopped laughing all day. She was so disappointed to find out we were just going to see an old house.

It has a beautiful view of the river

The front of the home