Scentsy Candles

I am selling scentsy candles which are wickless candles and will be hosting my launch party on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 from 5:30-7:30 in Logan, UT. If you are interested in attending, please let me know and I would love to drop off an invite. Anyone who attends can enter a drawing to receive a free candle warmer valued at $30. If you can't attend but would like to check out the scents, please email or call me and I can drop off a sample basket.

Scentsy has 80+ fragrances and the candles come in small bars or large bricks so you can use only what you need and change the scents easily by saving the unused portions. The aroma is absolutely amazing because the bars contain more fragrance oils than most candles. You can use them in candle warmers you already have. Scentsy also offers car candles, room sprays and small plug-in warmers for small rooms.

If you have any questions or would like to host your own party, please contact me. You can check out my website at: www.scentsy.com/durtschi

Bad news and Good news

I went to the doctor's today for my weekly check up and the bad news is baby Olivia is breech but the good news is I still have 30 days until my due date so that should be plenty of time for her to turn over. My blood pressure is a little high but I know the cause of that is because work has been super busy/stressful and I have been working long hours. Hopefully next week things will die down and I will be able to take it easy.

I saw my doula on Tuesday and she went through a couple of birthing positions and exercises with Mike and I. All we have to do now is practice. I received a foot zone on Wednesday which was nice but Kathy said my feet were so puffy it was like zoning a balloon. They both recommended that I started walking daily and honestly I haven't wanted to do anything lately but if it will help the swelling I should give it a try. After my last hypnobirthing class on Wednesday I went on a 1 mile walk and I tried to walk as fast as I could and my swelling actually went down once I got home which is amazing because my feet are usually the worst at night. So my new goal is to take a vigorous walk to help my circulation and get more oxygen in my lungs to help my energy level and in the long run my labor/delivery should be easier.

After taking the hypnobirthing class and reading some books and practicing the relaxation techniques I feel very prepared and ready for the labor and deliver. The bad news is I am a little nervous about bringing a new born baby home. I know everything will work out but I worry that I won't know what to do at the right time. Oh well.

Weird things are happening to my body...but I guess that is normal

Pregnancy is like a science experiment going on with my body. I have read a lot of books and they tell you about all these things that could happen but when it really does happen sometimes it can be quite surprising. Here are some of the weird things that I have experienced in the past week:

1. Both of my arms falling asleep when I am asleep. The weird thing is I am not sleeping on them or laying in a position that could cut off circulation.
2. Feeling pins and needles in my feet when I stand up sometimes.
3. My ankles disappearing by the end of the day.
4. Feeling like I am suffocating in the middle of the night because I am so congested.

Obviously there have been a lot of other things I have experienced in the past 9 months but who could remember them all. Not me that's for sure.

38 days to go...

I haven't posted for a while because I have been super lazy. I am trying to juggle between this fine line of feeling like I am accomplishing things and getting rest. If I push myself too hard then I get sick then I try to rest but that drives me nuts because I can't clean/organize/shop/finish projects or do anything at home.

I feel like my belly is growing at an enormous rate. I didn't know it would be possible to go to the restroom more than I already was but I was wrong. In the middle of the night I feel like a beached whale trying to roll back into the ocean when I wake up to go to the restroom.

This weekend my feet started swelling and yesterday my toes looked like sausages and my ankles started to disappear. I tried to lay down, ice my feet and jump on my rebounder to get my lymph system going. Hopefully I can keep it under control.

This weekend my ears felt clogged and the last time I was zoned my TMJ was hurting. I finally put it together today because my TMJ hurts and my ear feels like it is infected and I have a headache. I guess I won't be chewing gum anymore and now I have to ice my jaw.

Baby Olivia must be running out of space in my belly because yesterday she jabbed me and it really hurt. I was sort of surprised how strong she is getting. I can't imagine what it is going to feel like in a few more weeks.

Mike and I are super excited to have Olivia. I am a little nervous about taking care of a newborn, the breastfeeding and crying but I guess everyone goes through that. And even though I will miss having Olivia in my belly I am super excited to get my body back. I think Mike is more excited to get his non-pregnant wife back.

Three Year Anniversary

It was our 3 year anniversary yesterday. I can't believe it has been 3 years. Sometimes it seems just like the other day we just got married but on the other hand it seems like we have known each other always. We didn't do much yesterday except get some aggie ice cream because we had a hypnobirthing class but on Monday we went out to dinner at the Coppermill which was great because they have fantastic raspberry jam and excellent air conditioning. Over the weekend I made one of Mike's favorite cakes which consists of a layer of chocolate cake, then a layer of chocolate pudding with cream cheese and a layer of cool whip topped with crushed skor bar. It was fantastic after it chilled over night. Unfortunately after eating a few pieces a day I really packed on the pounds. Mike and I usually go on vacation for our anniversary but since I have been pregnant we didn't plan anything which is okay because we get to go to the fair this weekend which I haven't been to in 3 years.

How did Mike and I meet?

The first time I met Mike was back in 1987 in Mrs. Stewart's first grade class and he sat right in front of me. He was pretty hyper back then too. We were in the same 4th and 5th grade class, we had the same home room in 7th and 8th grade which meant our lockers were right next to each other. Our lockers were next to each other in the 9th grade and that is really the last time I remember seeing Mike. I took the nerdy route which meant AP and concurrent enrollment classes and homework and I assume that Mike took the jock/popular crowd route. I went to college right after graduation and Mike did the partying thing.

I did see Mike a few times during college i.e. the TSC patio, the aggie shuttle and the white owl. I moved away to Cali and SLC and moved back and the next time I saw him was at the Sports Academy. I was running on the treadmill and he came over to say hi. He gave me elevator eyes and that made me feel so uncomfortable and then he proceeded to hit on me. I was dating someone else at the time so I didn't call him but about 1.5 years later when I was available I got the courage to do call and we hung out.

This was during the summer of 2004. Mike was back in school, I just withdrew from school after my first year of working on my Master's degree and was planning on attending massage therapy school in April. We weren't looking for anything serious but that changed spring 2005. In April we had the conversation that changed our lives. I just wanted Mike to tell me I was his girlfriend but he ended up asking me to marrying him at the end of the summer which was exciting and terrifying at the same time. I wasn't planning on getting married until the following year.

We got married August 6, 2005 outside in his parents backyard. It was beautiful. Anyone who has been married for atleast a year will understand when I say that getting married is so exciting and the first couple of months are so much fun then the excitement wears off and reality sets in. Not that it is terrible but trying to build a new life with another opinionated adult can be difficult especially when one is a control freak (me) and the other one is such a free spirit (Mike). We have had our ups and downs just like everyone else but looking back all those trials have made us stronger and better and if we haven't learned our lesson yet we are bound to make the same mistakes again until we learn. Mike and I have changed/grown so much over the past years I can't imagine what we will be like when we are in our 50s.

In both of our patriarchal blessings it says that we were guided to each other by divine intervention. I am so thankful that someone was looking over both of us and helping us stay on track so we had the opportunity to reacquaint and get married. I love Mike and he is such an amazing friend. I know we are perfect for each other because we bring out the best in each other.

Diaper Bag

So I received a lot of great advice on diaper bags and I was planning on holding off to buy one but after a lot of brainstorming and talking with Mike we decided on a bag. I wanted something practical, versatile and convenient so I started looking into lumbar hiking packs that could be used as a diaper bag. Mike and I are really outdoorsy and it would be nice to get something we could use for a variety of things so we went to a local outdoor store and started look at mountainsmith lumbar bags. I didn't realize that they were so pricey i.e. $75 which made me really hesitant to buy one.

Luckily for me I found one on ebay that was brand new and no one else was bidding on so I got it for the beginning bidding price of $45. From all the great reviews I know that this bag will outlast the kids and then Mike and I can use it for hikes/day trips. Here are the features that Mike and I liked about this bag: durable, ability to carry it 5 different ways (lumbar pack, shoulder bag, briefcase, add-on to full-size pack, on the shoulders with an accessory), it is medium size but has the ability to expand when we have more kids, unisex and best of all we got it for an awesome deal.

High Blood Pressure

A lot has been going on but I have been just too lazy to post or more like avoiding it because I was a little worried. Last week I had a doctor's appointment and my blood pressure was unusually high for me. The nurse measured it at 110/80 twice and then had me lay down on my side and measured it again at 110/75 which doesn't seem high but my blood pressure has normally been around 110/55 or 110/60 during my pregnancy. The doctor was a little concerned because it had jumped so much but I didn't have protein in my urine, my feet and hands weren't swollen and I haven't had any headaches. But I had gained 5 lbs in one month. So I had to go back in one week and he recommended that I take it easy and whenever I got the chance to lay down and prop my feet up. Basically he said he didn't want to tell me that I have to quit my job and go on bedrest unless it was necessary and if you know me going on bedrest would be a nightmare.

So I tried to take it easy but it was hard the first few days but on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday I got plenty of rest and I went in today and my blood pressure was okay. Unfortunately still gaining a lot of weight but that is a topic I don't like to discuss. It was still high for me but nothing to be concerned about yet. He said that toxemia progresses very rapidly so if I was going to get it I would have gotten it but I still have to take it easy. Much easier said than done. Why? The month of August is the busiest time of the year for me at work and that is when I usually work long days but I have devised a plan that should elevate the stress of working on the computer all day. It will still be somewhat stressful to get ready for fall semester and wrap up my projects before Olivia comes but I think I will be able to manage.