Ellie's 2 month update and my 2 month postpartum update!

     So today was Ellie's 2 month Dr's appt which I have been dreading because that means 2 month shots. :( I wasn't there when Ellie got her first shots in the hospital but Jacob said she screamed pretty good. Well the appt went very smoothly! She was all happy an smiley the whole time up until they gave her the shots. She cried for about 30 seconds tops and then once I picked her up she calmed right down and even let me feed her! After that she went to sleep! I was so amazed I got off easy! (Little did I know what a couple hours later would hold) So here are her stats; she is 10 lbs and 7 oz which puts her in the 30th percentile for weight and Dr. Guthrie said that was in the average, and she is 23 inches long which puts her in the 80th percentile for height! Holy cow she's gonna be a tall girl! Dr. Guthrie checked everything else and declared her a perfectly healthy baby! I was a proud mommy! Later in the afternoon though after she woke up from her nap, the poor thing started to feel the effects of the shots. She had 3 pokes total (one of the vaccines had 4 vaccines combined, I can't remember all the names) I could tell she was in pain because her cry was not her normal cry and she wouldn't eat, take a pacifier or be soothed by rocking. I gave her some Tylenol and that seemed to take the edge off but she was pretty much crying from 4pm-6:30pm, which was when I gave her her evening bath. She LOVES the bath so I was hopeful that it would settle her down and it did! She was crying right up until I put her in the water and then she stopped! After I got her in her PJ's and she and I played for a bit on our bed. She seemed like her normal, happy self! Then I fed her a little bit and she went to sleep which is right now, it's only been about half an hour so we'll see if she stays asleep. 
     So a little bit more about what Ellie has been up to the past 2 months, She wasn't an easy baby at first, she was very fussy and demanding and would cry out of nowhere. It was frustrating but now we are starting to get into a schedule so she has been much happier. We call her our little Drama Queen :) The first few weeks of her life she wasn't gaining enough weight so we started supplementing with formula. That was really tough because I had wanted to exclusively breastfeed but I wasn't also getting her to latch on properly which led to me getting torn apart when I did feed her. I was disappointed that I hadn't gotten more help and I still am, but I guess I will try again next time around. Now we have gotten into a rhythm now where I pump in the morning and evening (so those feedings are when she gets formula) and then the rest of the day I breastfeed and give her the milk that I pumped. So I would say she gets 3/4 breast milk and 1/4 formula and she has been doing well on that! Which makes me feel better because at least she is getting the benefits from the breast milk. So some other things, she smiles now in reaction to our faces and she follows us with her eyes which is fun! She loves music and enjoys laying on the floor kicking her legs with the music. She started rolling over at 2 weeks old which was exciting to see her do that. She is a very particular baby and thrives on routine, so we have to be pretty strict with our nighttime routine to get her to bed, (feed, bath, PJs, play, feed a little more again, rock her and then she's out! She has been such a joy to our lives and even though she's not always an easy baby, we wouldn't have it any other way because we adore her.

1 hour old 

1 month old

2 months old

     So I am pretty much back to normal now, the recovery from the c-section has had it's ups and downs, in the hospital it was frustrating because it hurt to move so I couldn't even get up to get my baby from the bassinet when she was crying, lucky I had Jacob! The first few weeks were pretty good, I just had to move slowly. What really sucked was getting out of bed in the middle of the night so we invested in a "Rock and Play" which is a sort of bassinet but it's at bed level so I could just reach over and pick her up without having to get out of the bed. I highly recommend it! Now I am feeling like myself, I have about 5 more pounds until my pre-pregnancy weight (although I wasn't in the best shape before I got pregnant so I have lots of work to do!) I can fit into my regular jeans! I only gained 25 pounds my whole pregnancy and lost 20 of it within the first 2 weeks which was nice. I wasn't all that big while pregnant (well, that's what everyone was telling me, I felt like a whale) I still wore all my regular clothes besides jeans.One of the horrible things that are still lingering are my baby belly (it looks like it did when I was 5 months pregnant) and stretch marks! Ohhhh how I hate stretch marks! I didn't get them until my last month of pregnancy, I had thought I would be one of the lucky women who never got stretch marks but oh no! I look like a tiger it's so bad! And they are still hanging around so if you have tips for getting rid of stretch marks please let me know! I have my mobility back and I plan to start working out again. It's so great to be back to normal but I do miss being pregnant. I had a pretty easy pregnancy, I think the most annoying side effects I had was lower back pain and peeing every 10 minutes (sorry tmi) but for the most part, it was smooth sailing! I miss feeling her kick and move around inside me, but I'd much rather have her here! I love being a Mom and wouldn't trade it for anything! 

Ellie's Birth

Whew! What a crazy past few weeks it has been! I wanted to get this post up sooner, but mommyhood is time consuming! Which is good! I'm typing this while little miss Ellie is in a milk coma haha. Alrighty, so July 29th was the day of our c-section, we didn't have to go to the hospital until 3pm so the time before that was so slow! We were both anxious to meet our baby, so we spent the morning cleaning, and  packing and getting last minute things ready. Finally it was time to go! My parents came over before we left and my Dad and Jacob gave me a blessing. Then we were off! We checked in and sadly, only one person was allowed back with me in Triage. So my parents had to stay in the waiting area. They took Jacob and I back and they started hooking me up to all the machines. We found out that I was having contractions at that point so it was a good thing this baby was coming today! I was so uncomfortable strapped to that bed! Her head was pushing up into my rib cage with each contraction. So after they got my IV in, the anesthesiologists came in to talk to me about how the spinal works and they gave me this HORRIBLE tasting drink to combat the nausea that the spinal causes. After the nurses were done asking me a million questions, they said now we just had to wait for my doctor to get here. They told me my c-section would have to be pushed back because they had an emergency c-section going on. Luckily, it was only pushed back like 30 minutes. 
     While we were waiting for my doctor to arrive, Jacob went to the waiting room and let my parents come back one at a time to see me before the c-section. They came and saw me, gave me words of comfort, then wished me luck! When Jacob came back the nurses sent him to go and get his jumpsuit on. I was left alone for like 5 minutes and that was when I started freaking out. I realized this was actually going to happen. In a few moments, I would be a mother and have a baby. That part didn't really freak me out, I was most worried about the spinal, I don't like being numbed and I disliked the idea of a needle going into my back. Jacob came back and I told him how I was feeling. He just gave me some comfort and he said he knew everything would be ok. He seemed so at ease so I felt better. At last they came to get me, they let me walk to the operating room which I was so grateful for! I was so uncomfortable that that short walk made me feel a lot better! They had Jacob wait outside the operating room while they set me up. I was shaking so bad while they were getting the spinal ready. I tried to hold still as they started. The guy giving me the spinal was sympathetic and kept assuring me everything was going fine. He stuck the needle in and it did hurt, but only for a moment, then it felt like pins and needles spreading through my back. It was weird! After they got that situated they laid me on my back and started prepping everything. It was awkward because I was completely naked except for my gown that was pulled up to my chest. I was just laying on the table, totally exposed. I guess when you have a baby, there's no shame haha. 
     The doctors got the curtain up, and then Jacob came in. He sat by me and held my hand, and it started. My doctor was talking to me from behind the curtain, letting me know what was happening. After a few minutes and told me I would feel a lot of pressure, I felt her pushing and tugging on the baby (whose head was still wedged in my ribs) and then I felt this weight lifted from the center of my body, I wondered if that was the Dr pulling Ellie out and my thought was answered by a little cry! I immediately started tearing up and I looked at Jacob and he started to cry too! They brought her around the curtain to show us briefly and I was so amazed that this little person had been inside me just seconds before. She started to really cry and they took her to get cleaned off. I had Jacob follow her so he could take pictures. I couldn't see her but I could sure hear her! I laid there listening to my baby cry and I was just in shock that we had just had a baby. It was so fast! After getting Ellie cleaned up, Jacob brought her over to me and the nurse laid her on my chest and let me hold her. We both just stared at each other. It was one of the best moments of my life. 
     They let me hold her for about 5 minutes, then they had Jacob take her and they went to recovery while they stitched me up. It took about 20 minutes, then I was wheeled to recovery where was had to stay for about 2 hours. They hooked me up to a ton of monitors, gave me some morphine and then the nurses helped me breastfeed Ellie for the first time. It was amazing the bond I felt with her. During this time, Jacob was sending pictures and updates to everyone waiting in the front. 
     Finally we were able to go to our room, and once we got situated, Jacob went to get everyone from the waiting room. I sort of remember everyone coming to visit, I was a little out of it haha. So much had happened! All I really remember is being super itchy! Apparently morphine makes you itchy. Soon, everyone left and we started our first night. I didn't sleep at all that first night! I just held baby Ellie and stared at her. I was afraid if I went to sleep I would wake up and it would all have been a dream, or I was afraid someone would  come and take her away from me. Silly I know but that's how I felt. Well that's the story of Ellie's birth! Now here's some pictures!

She wasn't happy to leave my belly

 The first time I held her

 After her first bath

 Daddy and daughter time :) 

 Our first family picture :)

 Going home!

 She has big blue eyes! 

My experience with having an External Cephalic Version

This morning we were scheduled to have our baby turned. It's official name is called and "External Cephalic Version." The doctors and nurses just refer to it as a version. We went in at 7:45am to the hospital. My mom and dad came with us as well for support. They took us back to Triage where they hooked me up to a fetal heart monitor and a contraction monitor. They monitored her heartbeat while they asked me some questions about my medical history. Finally they took me to have an ultrasound to determine her position. She was still breech, very high up in my ribs. They took me back to Triage and started getting me ready for the version. They had to hook me up to an IV which was kind of funny because the nurses were having the hardest time finding my veins! The first nurse didn't even attempt to poke me because she couldn't even find a good vein in my arm because I'm so puffed up from being pregnant. The second nurse came in and started searching my arm for a vein, once she thought she found one she stuck the needle in, well when she did the vein "rolled" as she said and she couldn't get it in. She tried maneuvering the needle for a while (yeah that didn't feel too good!) After about 10 minutes she gave up on getting the IV in my arm and put it in my hand instead. Lots of poking! After they finally got me on the IV the doctor came in to talk to me about what they were going to do. He assured me he's done this many times and he said that the chance of me having an emergency c-section was 1%. I felt confident that he could do it. He told me I was having some mild contractions so they were going to give me a shot of Terbutaline to relax my uterus. Holy cow that stuff burns! It felt like they injected acid into my arm. The nurse warned me the Terbutaline would make my heart race (as if it wasn't already!) They brought in the ultrasound and laid me flat on my back and put like a whole bottle of gel on my stomach, then the doctor started pushing and pulling on the baby which hurt! She did not like it either, as soon as he would lighten his hold on her, she would whiplash back into the same position. he kept pushing harder and harder and I was trying to breath and relax but I couldn't catch my breath which made me panic and gasp for air and for some odd reason I started to laugh. I think I was trying to look like I was ok even though I was in pain. I didn't want them to stop because they thought they were hurting me so I laughed it off.  The nurse kept monitoring her on the ultrasound while the doctor kept trying to turn her, then he suddenly stopped when he noticed her heart rate had dropped. He stopped and told me to try and breath which was hard because I now had tears coming out of my eyes from the pressure. They noticed I wasn't breathing very good so they went and got me an oxygen mask. Her heart rate had still not picked back up even though they had stopped so they had me turn on my side to see if that would help. After a couple minutes her heart rate climbed back up so the doctor told me that he didn't think it was a good idea to keep going. he said he thinks the cord is in the way and that might be why she won't turn and that she's in the breech position for a reason. He told me he thought if he kept going I would end up being that 1% of an emergency c-section. So sadly, I agreed. They had to  keep me on the monitors for a while to make sure my breathing returned to normal and that her heart rate stabilized. After about half an hour the nurse said we were both doing awesome and that we could go. 
   So now we will be having a scheduled c-section. I'm very grateful that our baby is safe and that she will be ok. The reason I am not looking forward to a c-section is because I had wanted the full birth experience. I wanted to feel what labor was like and  I wanted to see her being born. I wanted to have her in my arms as soon as she was out. I wanted the whole experience. The nurses were telling me that I was lucky I wouldn't have to experience the pain of labor, that I would just get to lay back and let the doctors do the work. But that just upset me, I wanted to work for my baby, I wanted to bring her into the world. I also did not want an epidural, reason being is that I like to be in control of my body. I don't like not being able to feel or control my body. People think I'm crazy that I didn't want an epidural if I were to have a regular birth, but again, I wanted that experience of feeling my baby being born. Yeah sounds strange but that's what I had wanted. I know this isn't the worst thing that could happen. I am very grateful my baby is healthy and that I have wonderful, skilled doctors and either way,  I will have a baby! It may not be how I wanted it but that is life. I know I am lucky to have a healthy baby and that there is modern medicine that makes it possible to deliver her by c-section. Back in old days a breech baby meant complications and sometimes killed women and their babies. So I am very glad for the skilled medical field we have today. I want to thank you all for your prayers on our behalf and showing us all your love and support. In the end, we will have our baby girl and we will love her! 

Not so great news from the Doc :(

So today we had our 35 week ultrasound to check and see if Baby Girl is in proper birth position. Just like always, she was being stubborn. And it turns out she is breech. She has her feet curled up next to her head which is right under my rib cage. We met with the doctor right after and she told us the odds of her turning head down on her own are not good this far along into the pregnancy. She said there is a procedure they can do at the hospital to manually turn the baby but it only has a 60% success rate and there is a high risk the cord could get wrapped around the baby which would lead to an emergency c-section that I would not be conscious for. Our only other option would be a scheduled c-section at 39 weeks. Jacob and I decided to take the risk and try the procedure to turn her. We realize it is very risky but we both feel that we should try. If they manage to turn her successfully without problems then everything can go as planned. We're both very scared and of course worried about the baby's safety. The procedure is sometime next week, we have to wait for the hospital to call us. It's scary to think we could have a baby next week. We are praying that everything will be ok. We feel everything will be alright. The Dr checked my cervix and I am 60% effaced and 1 cm dilated. This baby is going to be here sooner rather than later it seems now. Right now we are doing everything we can to prepare for the baby, getting our bags packed, making sure our jobs are aware of what's going on and getting last minute items. I'm trying to stay positive, it's just scary to think if things don't go right I won't be awake for the birth of my baby. But I know I will be in good hands. We can only pray, who knows, maybe by some miracle she will feel the need to flip around on her own then we wouldn't have to worry! We shall see. . . Sorry this post isn't so bright and cheery but I feel like keeping everyone in the loop. 

Hawaiian Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

I instagramed a picture of our dinner last night and decided to post the recipe since it is one of our favorite dishes and it is so easy to make. I don't really use exact measurements, but here is how I make it:

1 Lb (or more) of Chicken Breast Tenderloins
Flour
2 eggs
Olive Oil
1 Green Pepper
1 large can of Pineapple Chunks in juice

Sauce (I don't measure really, I just add amounts until it tastes good!):
about 1 1/2 cups of sugar 
1 1/2 cups of ketchup
2 TBS of soy sauce
1/4 cup of Pineapple Juice
a little more than half the bottle of apple cider vinegar 

Heat a pan or skillet to medium heat. Add the oil. Dip the chicken in egg and then coat in flour. Cook in pan until golden brown then transfer to a 9X13 baking dish. Once all your chicken is cooked, cut up your green bell pepper and saute in the leftover oil just to get the flavors out. Then put in the dish with the chicken. 
For the sauce: add the sugar, ketchup, soy sauce and pineapple juice. Whisk together until blended then start adding your vinegar. Now like I said, I don't use exact measurements, I keep adding until I get the flavor I want. I like to use apple cider vinegar because it is a bit sweeter and less intense then regular vinegar, but if you like strong vinegar flavor then use whatever kind you like. Pour your sauce over the chicken, making sure it gets well coated. Then add the pineapple chunks on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes then serve over hot rice ( like to butter the rice to add some savor in it). SO DELICIOUS! I would say this could feed a family of 4. We always have leftovers and it's still good when reheated!

Baby update and Spring Break!

Hello! So as most everyone knows, we found out last Monday that we are having a GIRL!!! Yay! So we both had the day off but our appointment wasn't until 2:30 so we had to occupy ourselves until then. We went to Ihop for breakfast and it ended up being super crowded and their kitchen was way behind. We didn't mind since we were trying to kill time but our poor stressed out waitress felt bad that we had to wait so long and I guess at one point they lost Jacob's order. So she didn't even charge us! Whoo hoo free breakfast! Then we decided to go and get Wreck it Ralph and then we took our car through the car wash and got it vacuumed. We went home to watch our movie and then it was finally time to go! I had to drink 20 oz of water beforehand so when we got to the office I was ready to pee my pants. I signed in and the office was packed so I knew it was going to be a while. I bounced around in my chair and I finally couldn't take it anymore, I asked the receptionist if I could just go to the bathroom a little bit because I was about to explode! Haha! She said that was fine. After we finally were called back. The tech started and we immediately saw her spine. She had her back to us and her legs crossed! Stinker! We couldn't see anything so the tech told me I could go and completely empty my bladder so I did gratefully! When I came back she had flipped around so she was facing us, but she had her legs crossed and pulled  up to her chest! No!  She was trying her best to keep her parts covered! Finally we poked her enough where she moved for a split second and we got a good look at what she was! A girl! We were so happy! After the ultrasound we had a Dr's appt. My Dr came in and told us everything looks good, heart rate and size were right on track, but then she told us since she was curled up so tightly they couldn't get a good picture of her heart or her brain. The Dr. wants me to go to a high risk pregnancy clinic to have a more in-depth ultrasound. Now when I heard the words "high risk" I started freaking out. Did she know something and wasn't telling us? I asked her if anything was wrong and she assured me it was just because they couldn't get a good picture. Well I felt a little better but still nervous. My appt is this Thursday and I am hoping all goes well and that she will cooperate too. 

Well onto spring break. Jacob really wanted to go to the Dunes so back in November we started planning a trip with my dad to the dunes to go riding. Well since I'm pregnant I can't ride the atv's but I went for the camping fun. We left on Tuesday and got back Thursday. It was so much fun! Jacob had a blast riding with everyone, my friend Shanae and her family were there as well and so were some other guys from our ward. I had fun sitting around relaxing and eating! By the way I have my appetite back! It's wonderful! I love camping. I want to go back when I'm not pregnant so I can ride! So that's how we spent our spring break. 

Let's see more updates . . . . I am feeling the baby move now! It's so exciting. It's just little flutters but she's definetly  moving now. She likes when I play music. I can eat again which I am so happy about, although there are still some foods that gross me out (like pickles! haha) I have been craving Big Macs (yes, specifically Big Macs) and sour candy. It's so nice to be able to eat again! Anyways, that's all the updates for now! Here are some pictures!

Baby girl!

 Jacob getting ready for a ride!

 Shanae!

 Dad cooking some breakfast

 campfire!

Catching up!

Hello! Whew I'm not very good at this whole blog updating thing. First off I'll update on the story of our pregnancy! Jacob and I found out on December 8th that we were expecting. We had not been planning this baby so we were quite surprised and of course excited. I had not been feeling well that past month but I had attributed it to the fact I was starting a new position at a new store and trying to find my place there. I was very stressed out so that's why I didn't suspect I was pregnant earlier. December 8th however was a really hard day, I had my last day of training in Scottsdale and the whole day I was feeling so tired and just not well. I came home and slept for like 3 hours and I woke up and I immediately had a random thought to take a pregnancy test. I thought that was a weird thought because I was pretty sure I was not pregnant. Jacob was in the front room studying for finals. I snuck into the bathroom and got one of the tests (we always keep a box of them just in case) I took the test and made the mistake of looking at it right away, there was already a positive sign forming. I started to get nervous and excited but  I told myself to wait the full 3 minutes because looking at it right away was not lucky. Well after pacing around the apartment for 3 minutes, I went to go look again. Positive. I then called Jacob to me and he thought I was calling him because there was a bug in the bathroom! haha! He came in and I pointed to the counter where the test was. He saw it was positive and he hugged me. We were so happy, but a little shell shocked because we had been planning on saving up more money before starting a family. But we are so grateful for this little blessing, and you know what? There is never a perfect time to have a baby so we know this baby will bring our family together. 
      I am now 14 weeks and in the 2nd trimester! Finally! I haven't vomited at all so far (fingers crossed!) but I have been very nauseous and barely able to eat anything. My doctor told me I need to gain some weight because I haven't gained any! It's actually harder than you think when the thought or smell of food makes you want to flee a room! I'm hoping now that I am in the 2nd trimester things will ease up on my stomach so I can fatten this baby up. 

     So what else is new? Well for our 2nd anniversary we went to San Diego for the weekend to enjoy some time away from school and work and we got to visit my sister and brother in law and my nephew Bradley! It was so relaxing. We didn't really plan anything, we just did whatever we wanted. On our anniversary, we spent the day at Sea World (we originally wanted to go to Disneyland, but fun rides are a no-no for preggo people) It was so fun because Jacob had never been and we had a blast walking around and going to the shows and even playing catch with dolphins!  

Right now we are just going to work and Jacob is going to school. I am not in school this semester because my new job is all the way out in queen creek and I work 9-10 hour days and that coupled with being pregnant would stress me out so my education is on hold right now. Jacob got me a DSLR camera for Christmas so I have been having fun learning how to use it! New hobby yay! Alright, I'll post some pics now!