Sunday, September 8, 2013
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 :)
Thursday, August 15, 2013
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.
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 :)
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| Emily's first plane trip! |
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| Lily loved being on the plane |
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| Lily and her Minnie Mouse suitcase |
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| cousins! |
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| Lily and Alexander had lots of fun together |
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| Lily smothering Emily :) |
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| Emily passed out on Grandpa...he loved having time with her |
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| The newlyweds! And Lily :) |
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| Mom made the dresses for the girls |
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| The wedding party |
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| Lily, Daddy, and Emily waited in the visitor's center while we did pictures |
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| We got to visit our friends Brian, Suzie and Issac! |
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| Lily loved jumping the waves |
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| beach time! (don't worry, Emily stayed in the shade) |
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| Lily wasn't thrilled about the sand at first, but then got used to it and had a blast |
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| chasing seagulls |
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| fun in the sand |
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| Michelle hanging out with her daddy |
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| Happy Emily at the beach |
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| 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!
Here's too many more wonderful years. Love you Lily bug!
For her second birthday party, we had a Minnie Mouse party at Papa Noyes' house. Lily loved it!
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| Her new Minnie Mouse shoes...she wears them everywhere! |
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| ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins |
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| She didn't wait for everyone to be ready... she was ready to blow out her candles! |
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| Minnie Mouse dress and the car from Gma and Gpa Irvin |
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!
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!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
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.
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 :)
Happy Memorial Day!!
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| We saw a friend who let Lily hold her fishing pole |
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| Gonzalez family with Margie |
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| Margie took this one...I love it! |
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:
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| Cute cake! |
Can't wait to meet our little girl!
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