Mr Cow

Oooohhh, the love Elsie has for Mr Cow (whose really a giraffe)... She has slept with this thing since she was a newborn. She would pull it up on her face to go to sleep at just a few months old. He has always stayed in the crib and used only at sleep time... Until last week!

Mr Cow has to come out of the crib every time Elsie does. We can't leave him in the car without a few tears . I had to pull him out of her hands last night to finally wash it, and she woke up twice during the process!

Today Dad got up with her, and she started crying the second he picked her up without her cow! I could hear him trying to calm her as he changed her diaper and started to prep her cereal... Finally I yelled from the back room, half asleep, and said, "she wants her cow!" He went in and grabbed it and that was the end of the fussing! Not sure what changed today to where she feels she needs this thing at her side every single second but I know I'm ordering a new one online in case we ever lose this guy!!!

Labor..

Pregnancy treated me so well.... I was never sick, I never had heart burn, I slept when I wanted, and my skin (that usually struggles) GLOWED!!! I absolutely LOVED it...

We were getting close to October 3rd, and my cousin Lara came out while I was 39 weeks, HOPING she would come. We toured Boston, did some shopping, went to the aquarium, the zoo, and everything else you can imagine... TRYING to get the time to fly by.. and lots of walking hoping that would help. Finally around 39 1/2 weeks, we started to get serious about her coming... I ate pineapple, I would bounce on an exercise ball, and finally convinced myself to drink castro oil. OHH that stuff is disgusting!!

Right after I drank it, we all went to bed, and I woke up around 4:00 AM and called my doctor because I was having contractions. He said I needed to go in because it sounded like I was in labor. My contractions were consistent but no progress was happening. We walked around the hospital for an hour, and after still no progression, we decided to go home and wait to out... WHICH bothered me... I wish they would have just induced me then. Anyways- went home, and contractions stopped and basically had a false labor.

Then 40 weeks hit... Oh I thought FOR SURE she would come a few days before her due date, if not the day of. I had a doctors appt that day, and the news they shared was, if she doesn't come this next week, we will induce you at 41 weeks on Sunday the 9th! TEARS flew down my face. This baby girl that we have waited soooo long for, finally ready, and STILL had to wait another week which by now, was MISERABLE!!! That week I was busy doing ultrasounds, and placenta testing, making sure all organs were working properly and she wasn't in any distress.

Sunday, the 9th finally came... still no dialtion and my cervix hadn't done much thinning. They started the cervidal (cervix thinning medicine) the first night. Woke up, not much progress. Decided to give me a pill, every 3 hours on Monday hoping for some progression. I was bitter, miserable, and emotional that day. I think I asked 5 times if I could call quits and do a c-section. They all laughed but that just made me more annoyed. FINALLY, Monday night, I had some light, but steady contractions. It was late, we were all tired, and decided to take a sleeping pill to have me get all the rest I can, and hopefully start labor in the morning. BOY, were they wrong. They gave me the sleeping pill with a light dose of pitocin to keep my contractions steady... By midnight, I was having full on contractions and in the worst pain imaginable... labor!! I asked for the epidural and they didn't even check me (one thing I regret) but they could see I was ready! The anastegologist did the best job on my epidural. I think I told him I loved him a million times and it still wasn't enough. I fell asleep, and slept suprisngly really well!

At 5:30 AM, I woke up, and they checked me. I was at a 10, and her head was pretty much there. The doc told the nurses to have me hold off on pushing, because he had a scheduled c-section at 6:00. Reality started to set in.. I got a little nervous. Around 9:00, I started pushing.. Felt like I pushed for an eternity.. Never saw any progress. I can remember seeing her hair, but that was all. 10:30 rolled around... I was getting tired. My nurse suggested I use a birthing bar... No progress. Finally around 11:40 AM, my doctor came in and talked about using the vacuum to help get her out. THAT made me nervous. All I could think of was a cone shaped head for the rest of her life!!! Plus, any risks of using it which he assured me that we were safe there.

I remember pushing so hard, with the help of the vacuum and FINALLY after 3 cuts, yes THREE (an episitomy all the way to the end) the relief of her head finally out... then her shoulders, and then her!!! FINALLY, after the longest wait of my life, I was able to look eyes into my sweet and most precious little girl!!! I lost it... J lost it! We had never felt such joy in our lives. She laid on my stomach for a short time, and then the nurses took her to the table to get all the meconium off her and do what they do. J went over to cut the cord, and was mesmerized by her precious self. She latched on to his fingers immediately. There's not a day that goes by, I'm not grateful for the long wait it was, the experience we had, and THE GIRL the Lord chose to come to our family. She is the best!!! We love you Elsie!!!! All 8.4 lbs of ya!!

OHH, how I HATE to blog!!

I know I'm probably the only one who really dislikes blogging. LOVE the concept, but I hate finding the time to write down all the events in my life, or the lack of events in my life?! Either way.. Not a fan. Maybe if I was more creative and witty with my words, I would enjoy it more. However, I know there will be a time that I was grateful I did this.. so here's to more blogging :/

I think I'll start tomorrow :)

What a lovely sound...

The heart beating of our little one has definitely been the most exciting part yet. We went in last Tuesday, and at first I felt like I had been hit by a Mack Truck.... my stomach was TURNING with nerves!

Jody was sitting to the bed next to me, and our ultrasound tech was a woman of little words. She inserted the "probe", (ohhh the probe, that I have had ONE to many times already), and doesn't say a word. Jody's holding my hand and focused straight on the ultrasound screen, making weird (confused) facial experssions! Making me more nervous of course. He started asking her questions of what she was seeing and what's that, what's that!! FINALLY, she said she saw everything that she needed to see, heart beat looked great, at 110 bpm- still early but great, and gave us a picture! Luckily, we met with our doctor afterwards, and he reassured us that all looked GREAT and to stop being nervous! (YEAH, RIGHT!!)

Today, we had our 7 week ultrasound and things went MUCH better this appt! We had a different ultrasound tech who was AWESOME, heart beat was at 168 bpm, and all is well! We met with our doctor again, and he told us we can come back one more time in 2 weeks for our final hoo-rah, and then we can start seeing our OB! I had a bittersweet moment when he told us we were done with him... He has been soooo AWESOME to both Jody and I and we can't thank him enough for helping us through this whole journey! BUT.... we are excited to be doing so well, and to finally have a baby on the way, and that I get to go into the real world and see a normal OB! :)

We can't express how excited we truly are. The WHOLE process has been SUCH a blessing and it's amazing looking back in hind sight, and seeing the Lord's hand in every move. He definitely has a plan thats much powerful then ours!! THANK YOU so much for all your sweet thoughts, comments, and support! It has meant the world to us both!!

It's POSITIVE!!!!

I can't even begin to express my feelings of excitement and gratitude. When you have been waiting, waiting, waiting, ..............and waiting- and have seen doctor after doctor, you never think such great news will come your way! Finally, IT DID and we couldn't be more excited, anxious, and obsessed with the whole idea of becoming parents in a short 8 months!




The excitement started a few days before Tuesday, Jan 25. J was in Orlando for a work event that weekend before, and the days we're dragging on! When your waiting for the biggest news of your life- day after day, and he had to be go on this event that was booked several months before all of this, it just added to everything! Luckily, I managed and entertained myself with peeing on sticks after sticks-waiting for that positive line to show up :)




It was Friday, January 21st. I had tossed and turned all night, waiting for that good morning pee to hopefully get the best results I could.. It was 5:30 AM and I had to go.... I took the test, waited a minute or so- nothing... I turned on the brighter light, to get a better look! I SWORE I could see this FAINT, beyond faint line, in the positive spot... I thought for sure I was seeing things or completely crazy, and was so bummed J wasn't home to verify what I was seeing. I tried to stop looking at it through out the day, but I would find myself going upstairs in my bathroom, JUST to see if I could really see something. That night- I had a hair appt with a girl in the ward. She came over and while I was doing her hair, I said I have the biggest favor to ask ya- I took a pregnancy test, blah, blah, blah, and I need you to verify if you KIND OF see something. I brought it down to the kitchen where I was doing her hair, and she said.... no! I said no wait- come in here in the bathroom where the light is brighter- NOT taking no for an answer! She walked in, and said- I KIND OF see something! YAY!!!!- I wasn't crazy.. She saw it too-but barely!!! She said I don't know if that is something to get "too" excited about- just cause it really was sooo beyond faint! I didn't tell J that night. I didn't want to get him excited for something that we could BARELY see.




That night I didn't have any more tests left. I wasn't going to just stop taking them and wait until Tuesday for my blood test- but that wait would have been the impossible!! Soo- I went and bought 2- 3 packs of First Response and 1- 2 pack of Digital Clearblue! Anyone who struggles with infertility- wouldn't think that was overboard :)... It's Saturday morning, I take another First Response- and guess what?! The line got just a LITTLE darker/brighter! I didn't want to tell J but the excitement of possibly being positive was taking over and I sent him a pic text message. Plus about 6 friends and asked if they could see a difference in the 2 tests- THEY COULD!!! J was a little confused, couldn't really see much, and didn't want me to get excited and have a disaster on Tuesday if my hopes we're getting high about all these tests and FAINT lines I was getting!




Saturday couldn't have taken any longer to fly by.. I knew I needed to wait for Sunday morning to get the best of the best urine to get a good accurate reading.. FINALLY it was 1:30 AM Sunday morning- I took another test and there was a definite line.. I sent another pic text message to my awesome friend, and she said yes, I see that one FOR SURE! I couldn't believe it still, I just couldn't! A few hours later- its 5:30 AM and I take another- another 2 definite lines showed up AGAIN and I knew good news would be coming our way!




I had heard ClearBlue Digital tests read at a higher HCG level, so I decided to take that at 6:30 Sunday morning, and it said PREGNANT!! Note- this is 3 tests, in a 5 hour time frame.. I'll admit I'm crazy at this point :).... I FINALLY "somewhat" believed that one.. I went to church, and everyone was asking how things were going and when we would find out, and I couldn't hold it in!! I told EVERYONE who asked, that I had taken a test and got the official pregnant words to show up! EVERYONE knew but J at this point.. I wanted to tell him sooooo bad, but knew he deserved to be told in person (after 4 years of trying and gone through what we have gone through) I KNEW he deserved a little surprise and I wanted to see his face light up!




He called me right before he boarded on his flight, and told me he had bought me a surprise.. A really GOOD surprise! He kept saying how he knew I was going to love it and he was proud that he was able to get a good deal on one.. I had to bite my tongue literally 4 times, to not spill the beans about how MY surprise was going to TRUMP anything he had bought! FINALLY- I heard his truck pull up, my stomach is turning with excitement!! He walks in and gives me an iPad- which I LOVED- but as we all know, my mind was not on how cool this ipad is!!! He then turns the corner, and see's my "WELCOME HOME DADDY!" sign, right my 8, that's right- 8 positive pregnancy tests! He lost it- he couldn't believe it, he said there's no way and I was saying there's no way, and was still in soo much shock even after every test kept saying yes, yes and YES!!




Tuesday we went in for blood work, and again it was a positive! They like to see your hormone level around 50-100, and we were at 133! They said that is an awesome, awesome number. We then went back in on Friday, hoping our number had at least doubled, and it more then doubled with a number of 366! We are officially pregnant and couldn't be more thankful to our Heavenly Father who has let this happen! We are now going to enjoy a full 9 months of pregnancy- whether my head is in the toilet all day long, my heart burns is so bad I am in tears, or if I gain a million pounds- we are going to enjoy EVERY minute!!! :) Next exciting news- is the heartbeat on February 8th at 9:15!! We can't wait... :)

My family in Boston

We LOVED having my family out this past week.. From Salem to Plymouth, and from Deep Sea Fishing to Fenway Park, I think we saw all that the Boston area has to offer! We are SOO grateful for the visit my family made out to see us and miss them already!! Thanks for the fun time and we can't WAIT to see you all again :)

New Toy

We are now new owners to a 17 ft. Galaxy Bowrider!! We are sooooo stoked! We can't wait to spend the 3 day weekend (and many more to come) out on the ocean soaking up some sun, touring abandoned islands, and catching some big fish!! Let the summer fun begin :)