Daddy Knows Best

In light of Father's Day coming up and the fact that my dad's birthday is just a few days away, I thought I'd relay a good pregnancy story.

A common anti-nausea pill that doctors give to pregnant women dealing with morning sickness is Zofran. The doctor warned me of the side effects, one of which is headaches. I've learned that in pregnancy, you often get rid of one symptom by receiving something else. You just have to decide what you can live with that day.  While the Zofran tended to settle my stomach, I could expect bad headaches for the next day or two. So I chose to take the Zofran only when I really needed to be sick-free for the day. Naturally on a vacation in Hawaii, I had a few days of wanting to be sick-free so I could enjoy our vacation. One night, I went to bed with a minor headache. I hoped that it would fade away while I slept but to my dismay it got worse and worse. Combine the headache (at this point a migraine) with the nausea and I was up all night throwing up and grimacing at the pain in my head every time I had to move. I would try to eat something so I could take some Tylenol but I couldn't keep anything down. Poor Mitch was desperate to help me but we both didn't know what to do. He went out of the room to tell family we wouldn't be going to the morning activities and my dad told him to go straight down to the little convenience store and get me some diet coke (we had to settle for pepsi). Miraculously, the soda was able to settle my stomach and the caffeine helped soften the edge of my migraine so that I was able to fall asleep.

It was something simple and though I felt at the edge of death that night--I really wasn't. It is just one small example of the numerous occasions that my dad has known what is best. He is a generous caretaker and I am so blessed to call him Dad.

Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you!

(P.S. As you can probably tell from the story, the other hero in my life is Mitch. I'll save him for another day though.)

Growing

I know I'm not super big yet, but I'm obviously pregnant at this point which is fun. I've been really bad at taking pictures of myself --mostly because being nauseous all the time makes you feel less than pretty most of the time. But I'm almost 18 weeks and its been a week since I've thrown up (I still feel like throwing up a lot--but its a step in the right direction!) so I'm thinking I need to start putting the make-up on again and accept the picture taking! (I won't post a picture for every single week though)

We find out baby's gender on June 7th! What will it be?

Ko Olina

Mitch and I just got back from Hawaii with both our parents, and my sister and her friend. It was a much needed trip after rough finals for Mitch and months of sickness for me. I was really nervous about being too sick while I was there. But as a tender mercy I was able to do mostly everything we had planned (which isn't a whole lot more than relaxing anyway). I only had a couple really rough nights there and the sickness piled up again as soon as we headed back home. Hawaii is just plain good for the soul. I cannot wait to go back someday! 

B. McClellan

Pardon my long absence from posting. My best friends lately have been the couch and the bathroom. 

Mitch needs an award for being the best husband. He has taken the best care of me while I've been so sick. But I'm happy to finally announce, after a 12-week check-up and a healthy heart beat, that Baby McClellan will be making an entrance around Oct. 25!!

Weekend Getaway

Truly one of the happiest places on earth! 

A Companion

I've been reading a lot of teen fiction lately. I would say it is a guilty pleasure but I don't feel that guilty about it. Anyway, I'm a sucker for the love stories in them. I feel my heart get a little faster when the girl talks about her skin burning wherever the special man brushed against her. And sometimes I have to remind myself, wait--this whole story spans about a month and by the end they are in love? Really? But who cares, it's just a story.

So on Sunday, Mitch and I got released from the singles ward bishopric. I never thought I would be so heart broken to leave a singles ward. But there is one point of that meeting that I hope to remember always, which is why I'm putting it here. As Mitch is up giving his "farewell speech" he makes the comment that he has felt a little guilty about leaving me alone for so long on Sundays and Tuesday evenings. And then he looks straight at me with a grin and says "well Heather, you got me back." I can only imagine what I looked like at that moment: puffy-eyed from crying, sniffing, and since my nose is stuffy my giggle comes out more as a snort. And even though he didn't touch me or brush against me, I felt a surge go through all my nerve endings. Mitch and I don't have a relationship like these post-apocalyptic, love in the face of death stories--but what we have is real and deep. I'm so glad to have you as my companion, Mitch.

Happy Valentine's Day.

An African Christmas

10 years ago I never had visiting Africa on my list of top 10 places to visit. (Sure I thought it would be great to go, but I had a plethora of other places I would have picked first). Then my dad got asked to go do some vision projects in the DR Congo and since my mom had some health issues, I got to be his companion. It was tough. The smells are almost unbearable, I always felt hungry, I got tired after long days of traveling and working, and the living conditions are heart breaking. But it was also life changing. There are so many Africans making the best of what they can and trying to help those around them. It made me want to be a better person. I guess it is one of those things you can't really describe, you just have to experience for yourself. Anyway, since that first trip to Africa back in 2006, my dad has gone back 2 or 3 times a year setting up vision projects for the LDS Church. Africa has grown to hold a special place in our family. My mom has been his primary companion on these trips and I'm proud to say she is keeping the fabric market in business. For Christmas this year she made each of her children a beautiful African quilt. Each one a little different, full of crazy colors and patterns (one of my favorite parts of Africa is the visual feast of colors and designs). I love my quilt! Thank you mom!