Two Months!

Ok, so Emily has been two months old for a couple weeks, but I wanted to blog about it before she got too much older. She has grown out of her colicky phase (mostly), so that makes things a lot easier! She comforts herself by sucking her thumb - which she gets from me - and puts up with her sister smothering her with love. She is definitely different from Lily in many ways, especially in how she does her schedule. Lily was on a regular schedule super fast. However, Emily is different almost every day. We are getting into a more regular routine with her going down around 10:00 for around 4 hours before eating again...so not sleeping through the night yet, but she's getting there. At her well baby check up, she weighed 10 pounds 6 ounces and was 21 inches long. She's growing fast!! She is super expressive and smiles and laughs all the time. It's super adorable! Love this little girl so much :)

NC trip/Cheryl's wedding

We went to North Carolina to visit family and be at Cheryl's wedding. It was an awesome, exhausting, frustrating, much needed trip. I love NC, the green, and the beach. I love being called "darlin', ma'am, hun, and sugar" by everyone. There's no place like the South, and I miss it a lot. Don't get me wrong, Utah is wonderful too. I love the mountains and the fact that it's not humid, but NC will always be first in my heart. The girls were great on the plane, on the long drive to and from D.C., and adjusting to a not-so-regular schedule. It was great to see my siblings and their kids and my niece LaRae (she was there for the wedding). Even though I didn't get to see all the people I wanted to see while we were there, it was great to go. Pictures will now serve to narrate the rest of what happened on the trip.

Emily's first plane trip!

Lily loved being on the plane

Lily and her Minnie Mouse suitcase

cousins!

Lily and Alexander had lots of fun together

Lily smothering Emily :)

Emily passed out on Grandpa...he loved
having time with her

The newlyweds! And Lily :)

Mom made the dresses for the girls

The wedding party

Lily, Daddy, and Emily waited in
the visitor's center while we did pictures

We got to visit our friends Brian, Suzie and Issac!

Lily loved jumping the waves

beach time! (don't worry, Emily stayed in the shade)

Lily wasn't thrilled about the sand at first, but then got
used to it and had a blast

chasing seagulls

fun in the sand

Michelle hanging out with her daddy

Happy Emily at the beach

Lily and Grandma in front of B's Barbecue...best BBQ ever!! 

The funniest thing about the trip was when we were landing in Salt Lake City. Lily had been awake for the whole trip and was sitting in the window seat. She was looking out the window while we landed. After we were on the ground, I thought she was trying to see things around the wing of the plane, but it turned out that her head was bobbing because she had fallen asleep! Of all the times to sleep!! It was pretty funny :)

Lily is 2!!

I can't believe my little bug is 2 years old!! She is such a sweet little girl and definitely makes our home a happy place. She weighs 25 pounds and is 33.5 inches tall. She is very smart and aware of what is going on around her. She's super talkative and says words and phrases in both languages. She loves being a big sister...so much so that she wants to smother Emily with kisses every chance she gets. The only movies she watches are Tangled (which she wants to watch every day), Tarzan, and Phonics Farm. She is very affectionate and loves kissing all her family members and friends. If you ask her who her boyfriend is, she'll say Colby, our neighbor's son. She's going to miss him when they move (we will miss them too). She is also pretty bossy. She tries to tell everyone else what to do and is very concerned with others' well-being. She has good maternal instincts and does everything a mommy would do with her baby doll. It is adorable!

For her second birthday party, we had a Minnie Mouse party at Papa Noyes' house. Lily loved it!

Her new Minnie Mouse shoes...she wears
them everywhere! 

ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins

She didn't wait for everyone to be ready...
she was ready to blow out her candles!

Minnie Mouse dress and the car from
Gma and Gpa Irvin

Here's too many more wonderful years. Love you Lily bug!

Emily Sofía

After what seemed like an eternity, our little angel joined us on June 19. I say an "eternity" because I had pre-labor contractions for days. They were very painful because they were all in my back, but of course they were not productive, so it felt like I was in labor forever...which I wasn't. But, come on, I mean, if you're gonna be in pain, it should be doing something, right? Oh, well. I digress...what follows is the story of my second little girl's birth.

I went in for my doctor's appointment on Monday, two days overdue, and got checked. When my doctor said I was only one centimeter dilated, my heart sunk. I mean, I knew things could change quickly, but this was not good news. We discussed the options, and I got scheduled for a non-stress test for Wednesday morning. I went home and just went about the rest of the day as usual. When Faiver came home from work, we walked over to Seven Peaks for some cooling off, which was really nice. I could feel some contractions, but they weren't regular and would go away after just a few hours. The rest of the evening passed without event. Tuesday was a little different. I had contractions on and off all day long...contractions in my back which were very painful. I tried to just ignore them because there was no regularity to them. I actually got quite a bit done. I even made a nursing cover all by myself (well, with guidance from my mom). It's only the second thing I've ever sewn completely on my own. I went to bed around 10:30 because I thought maybe just maybe my contractions had done something, so I wanted to get some good sleep just in case I went into labor during the night. Around 2:00 in the morning, I couldn't sleep anymore because of the pain in my back, so Faiver and I went to the hospital to see if I was progressing. I got hooked up to the monitors and checked, but unfortunately I was still only about 1 1/2 centimeters dilated. They kept me for an hour to see if anything changed, and when it didn't they called my doctor to see what she wanted to do. She gave me the option of going home or being induced. I decided to go home because I knew I'd be more comfortable there and possibly be able to get some more sleep. I did get some more sleep which was good! I went to my non-stress test in the morning. During the test, we found that my fluids were low, so I needed to be induced. So, I went up to Labor and Delivery and was admitted. I got checked and was still only a little over 1 cm dilated, so I was told that they'd use pitocin and cervical balloons to help me reach the "active labor" portion of labor (because before 4 cm, you're not considered to be "in labor"...ha!). I had back labor again, so I asked for an epidural...I knew I was in for a long ride and didn't want to be in excruciating pain the whole time. After I got the epidural, things were pretty good. I slept a little, got checked every now and then, and eventually lost feeling in my legs, which was a very weird sensation. Around 12:00, the balloons came out because I had reached 4 cm. Happy news! Then there was more waiting around and getting checked. Faiver was such a champ just sitting in the hospital room with me. His friend, Russell, brought him some lunch, so that helped out a lot. I was a little jealous that I couldn't eat anything except ice chips, but it was ok. :)

The pitocin was doing such a good job, that they had to reduce it quite a bit so I didn't have the baby before my doctor could get there. She was in surgery at another hospital, and of course wanted to be the one to deliver. However, even with the pitocin hardly doing anything, my body had taken over and was ready to have a baby! Around 7:00pm, I felt some pressure and asked the nurse to come in and check me. When she did, she discovered that my water had broken (numb legs made it hard to tell anything had happened) and the baby's head was crowning. She looked at me and said, "try not to push. I'm going to call Dr. Grover and hopefully she'll make it before the baby comes." I was like, sure, ok, I'll try. Another plus of having the epidural was that the urge to push was not as strong, so I could wait for my doctor. She got there in the next 5 minutes, and they were all ready to deliver my little girl. Faiver helped move one of my legs (the nurse did the other) since I really couldn't. He was so encouraging while I was pushing...I'll always remember that smile. After just 5 minutes of pushing, our little Emily Sofia was born at 7:11pm on June 19. I was overwhelmed with joy at seeing her and even remember laughing/crying when I saw her for the first time. The nurse laid her on my chest while she got cleaned and the doctor sewed up my tear. Oh, and Faiver got to cut the umbilical cord this time! He was so happy. When Emily was clean, she was laid on my chest for some awesome mother-daughter bonding time. Faiver was already on the phone telling our loved ones the good news, and Emily was trying to lift up her head to find him. She could hear his voice!! When I told him that, he rushed over and started talking to his new daughter. It was priceless.

After a bit, Emily was taken to get a real bath, and I was moved to the Mother-Baby floor to wait for her. My mom brought Lily in for a few minutes to see Mommy and her new sister. She was so happy to have a new baby and just wanted to hold and kiss her. She's going to be a great big sister to Emily. After they left to get some sleep (Faiver, too), Emily and I had some alone time until I was ready for her to go the nursery so I could get some sleep. What a day!

The rest of our hospital stay was pretty normal. We had some wonderful visitors (Russell and Katie; Brother Noyes; Katie, Kayson, and Annley; Margie; Scott; Carla; and maybe some other people that I can't remember right now...sorry!). The second day that Lily came with my mom, I was holding Emily and she said, "poke!" (I poke her nose sometimes and say that). So I said, "Lily, do you want to poke Emily?" She looked at me and very emphatically said, "yeah!" It was hilarious!! The second night we were there, I got done feeding Emily and had her go sleep in the nursery. The nurse brought her back about 10 minutes later and said she was still hungry. I knew she wasn't...she just wanted to snuggle with Mommy, so we slept together until she was ready to eat again. It was a special time.

Now we are at home and getting used to the new addition to our family. Lily loves her, and it's wonderful to finally have her with us! Welcome to the family, little Emily!

Sorrow and Peace

I have struggled with whether to write this post or not, but I feel like this is the best way to express everything I'm feeling. A good friend of mine lost her husband in a tragic accident a few days ago. I cannot imagine what she is going through because I have never lost anyone that close to me (I've lost grandparents and a brother, but I think a husband is a much closer relationship). She is like a sister to me, and we did many things together when we were younger. I did not have the privilege of knowing her husband, but I could tell from pictures and the things she said about him that they had a beautiful relationship. Both of their families are mourning the loss of this wonderful young man. However, peace can also be found in this time of tragedy.

My friend is a wonderful example of this. Even though I know it's terribly hard for her to cope with the loss of her husband, her faith in the Plan of Salvation (go to mormon.org for more information) has provided her with the strength she needs. She has said that he is now on a new adventure and that she knows she will be with him again someday. Not that she believes or hopes it but that she KNOWS it.

My heart breaks for her, but I also have faith in our Heavenly Father's plan. I know there's nothing I could do if I were there to ease her pain, but I all I want to do is hug her. I talked to her father, and he told me to always cherish my family and to hug my husband a little tighter...we never know how long we have together because our time is not promised to us. He also told me not to sweat the little things. I agree with him completely. As people, we tend to take these relationships for granted and not realize what we have until it's gone (not all the time, but it does happen). I made a promise to him and myself that I would not let that happen anymore. Of course I know that my life is not going to be perfect and that I'll still have disagreements with my husband and one day with my daughters, but I do not want to make those moments define our relationship.

I am grateful for the knowledge that families can live together forever. I love my friend, and I ache for her every time I think about her loss, but I know she is surrounded by loved ones who offer her comfort. I don't even know if she reads this blog, but I want her to know that I love her very much and that I am with her in spirit even though I cannot be there for her physically. She and her family are in my thoughts and prayers every day.

Memorial Day 2013

The weather in Utah was perfect for spending time outside! Margie came over to hang out with us, so that made it great too. After Lily's morning nap, we packed up a lunch and headed into the canyon to eat and spend some time outside. Lily loved it, and it was great to have the day with Daddy :)

We saw a friend who let Lily hold her
fishing pole

Gonzalez family with Margie

Margie took this one...I love it!

Happy Memorial Day!!

A baby shower

We had a baby shower this past weekend! We didn't realize it was Memorial Day weekend when we planned it, but we were still surrounded by friends and family, and it was a beautiful shower. The biggest thanks goes to our wonderful family friend who threw the shower and even thought to buy Lily a gift so she wouldn't feel left out (she got a Minnie Mouse and a book...she loves that Minnie Mouse and carries it with her everywhere!). There was lots of food, but this one is probably my favorite:

Cute cake!

Can't wait to meet our little girl!

Sympathy Emotions?

When I was pregnant with Lily, it seemed Faiver gained sympathy weight right along with me. He had an appetite like mine and wanted to eat every time I did. Of course, by the end, I couldn't hold much in my stomach because the baby was taking up most of the space, so he may have gained more than I did toward the end. :) And of course it was much easier for him to lose the weight after she was born...I don't think he even had to try! Well, with this second pregnancy, it is much the same. My handsome hubby is putting on some sympathy weight and has an even heartier appetite than before. However, last Sunday I realized that weight gain is not the only thing he gets from me when I'm pregnant...

He also gets more sensitive and emotional!! I'm extra sensitive (emotionally) to every little thing when I'm pregnant, but that's also because I have a bunch of hormones doing crazy things in my body. I said something to Faiver on Sunday before church (I don't even remember what it was), and he took it completely the wrong way, got upset, and wouldn't talk to me the whole car ride (which isn't very long 'cause we live in Provo, but still!). When we were getting out, I had that "ah-ha" moment, and I realized what was going on...he takes on my emotional state too!! When I told him about it, at least is loosened him up, and he got over whatever it was that happened. It would be adorable that he feeds so much off of me during my pregnancies if it wasn't so darn annoying :) One of us is supposed to be the rational, non-hormonal one!! At least now maybe he knows a little what I feel like most days...

I love him!!

4th Anniversary

Tuesday, April 30th was our 4 year anniversary. It is amazing to think we've been married for four years already, have a beautiful daughter and one on the way. Life has changed a lot in four years, and we've had many wonderful experiences together. Like with any marriage, some days are better than others, but the devotion we feel for each other helps us get through anything that may come our way. I am grateful for the blessing of an eternal family and the joy that my wonderful husband brings into our lives. The traditional gift for a 4th anniversary is fruit or flowers...Faiver gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and I gave him a bouquet of fruit from Edible Arrangements. The modern gift is appliances. We each received an appliance we had really been wanting for a while. We didn't even plan to follow the traditional/modern gift exchange ideas :) Faiver took the day off from work, so we had the whole day together. We spent time playing with Lily, buying our appliances, and just spending time together. For dinner, he took me out to Chef's Table for dinner (and I got to have creme brulee for dessert!!). It was a wonderful day...the perfect way to spend our anniversary. Happy 4 Years, Honey!!

Love this guy so much!!!

My Sweet Daughter

I love my daughter so much, not just because she's mine, but because she is wonderful, sweet, and smart, constantly amazing and surprising me. We are raising her to bilingual; her father speaks to her only in Spanish, and I speak to her only in English. Most of the words she says right now are English because she's at home with me all day, but having Margie around has been great because she gets more Spanish during the day now too. She understands both Faiver and me equally, though. Sometimes, it's incredible to see what she really understands. She surprises us a lot. For example, just a couple day ago we were sitting on the couch playing and talking. Margie got her to say "Costco" (super cute), and I was asking her if she loved all the people in her life, to which she answered "yes". So, I asked her if she knew who Emily was (that's what we're naming baby number 2), and she said "yes." Then I asked, "Lily, where is Emily?" She immediately patted my tummy!! I mean, we've been trying to spark understanding by telling her there's a baby/her little sister in there, but I don't think we've every specifically told her, "this is Emily." We talk about it around her, but it's never been directly specified to her. I couldn't believe it!! I think she'll be a great big sister.

Lily loves having Margie in the house. This morning, she's been hanging out just with her (which is why I can get all this blogging done at once), playing "baby"with her, listening to music and "singing" together as well as dancing - she loves to dance. She makes sounds like "whoa," "ouch," and "uh-oh." Here are the words she says so far (most of which don't sound too much like real words, but she's getting there): agua, ojo, butt paste, hola, hello, hi, kiss, Margie, Papa Noyes, no, yes, si, please, paci, hat, ball, bubbles, bus, out, Mommy, Papa, Daddy, juice, oh!, amen (with a Spanish "a"), eyes, baby. She loves to be outside, though this week has been hard because it's either been raining or too cold to play outside. She loves phones - lucky for her Margie's phone is from Colombia, so she gets to play with it a lot since she can't really call/text anyone accidentally. Her food likes continue to impress me. One day, I named different things in the fridge to see what she wanted for breakfast. The only thing she said "yes" to was cucumber. Seriously? Yep, that's what she had for breakfast that day. She loves bologna. Yesterday we had crescent rolls stuffed with bologna and cheese. She way there was bologna inside, made an excited noise, picked out JUST the meat, and left everything else on her plate. She prefers fruits and veggies to meats and carbs. She still eats pretty much anything we put in front of her, which makes mealtimes super wonderful for me. She loves to help around the house. Sometimes she's more hindering than helping, but it's still cute. Her laugh makes my day 100 times better no matter what else is going on. She loves animals, but only if they're in pictures or videos - up close, she's scared. She does the motion and sound of riding a horse every time she sees a picture of one. If it's cold outside, or she wants her blanket on her, or anyone else is putting a blanket on, she'll say "brrrr."

Watching the rain

I just love this little girl so much!! It will be interesting to see what the future years bring us :)

Easter 2013

I know this is coming late, but this is how we spent our Easter. It was pretty fun this year because Lily was old enough for us to do Easter-y things with her. I filled her eggs with Cheerios, Goldfish, Vanilla Wafers, and fruit snacks. She loved it!! (and I didn't have to worry about rationing out candy, which we don't want her to have a lot of anyway)

When she woke up, she got her Easter basket

Cute Easter outfit!

She loved her Easter egg "hunt" (We just put them on the
lawn and she picked them up)

Success!!

Getting ready to dye Easter eggs

After she ate one, Daddy helped her
decorate an egg

Lookin' good (except the one that was supposed to be
purple...the color didn't work out)

Of course the talks in church were wonderful, and we also focused on the real reason for celebrating Easter. We are every thankful for Jesus Christ and His example and teachings. Because He was resurrected, we can be too. Our Savior showed us the way to return to Him, and we strive everyday to follow Him in all we do. Happy Easter!!

Happenings

April has been passing by way too fast! I can't believe that it's already past the middle of the month. Nothing too exciting or life changing has been happening lately, but my daughter always keeps me entertained. Also, it's been really nice to have Margie staying with us. I will really miss her when she moves into her apartment at the end of the month. At least she'll still be close and can come over whenever she likes! Here are some pictures of things we've been doing lately:

Eating Arequipe like a true Colombian

She loves her new sunglasses

She likes to put on everyone's shoes! These
are Margie's slippers

Snack time with a friend :)

Her new favorite thing at the park

Wanted to help me take out the trash - she
went all the way outside, and I lifted her up
so she could throw the trash in the dumpster

Waiting for Daddy and Margie to come
out at the Color Festival

She eats the hot dog, leaves the cornbread

Her new favorite seat - poor Margie's legs!

"taking a picture" of her newly painted toes

Her choice of accessories 

Riding the carousel with Daddy - took two
turns to decide she really liked it

Enjoying her new organizer - Margie and I
put it together!

Making a candy necklace at Cosmo's Easter Egg Hunt

She did not like Cosmo!

With Daddy before the big "hunt"

Margie and Daddy after Holi (Color Festival)

She did not like the mess!

We played with some more colors at home, so Lily and I
could participate. She was traumatized!! She wouldn't fully
calm down until all of us had taken showers and changed.
(We didn't take Lily in for the actual festival because it was
just way too much powder)

Margie and the puppy my sister-in-law
rented for us to play with

As close as she would get to it!

Good times!