Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Photos - Ivy's First 7 Weeks

This blog post is just going to be a big ol photo dump of the first 7 weeks of Ivy's life.  Enjoy!

Me and my beautiful children.

Aunt Arlana and Uncle Cameron came up to meet Ivy and spend time with us!

Ivy and I enjoyed some sunshine.

My dad and Patty came up for a visit and got to meet Ivy as well.

We went to Fremont to visit Delores and introduce the baby. 

Orion is the best big brother and a huge helper, even with diapers. 

Ivy spent some more time with Uncle Forrest

Daddy gives the best group hugs.

Relaxing quiet time.

And lots of big smiles. 

Even the dog loves this little one. 

Love makes a family! 

My mom came up to meet baby Ivy. 

Aunt Jaime was at the hospital with us, and also took great care of Orion while Ivy was born.

Ivy turned 1 month old.

And attended some soccer practice.

We took a family trip to watch the total solar eclipse
And even some trips to the zoo. 

As you can see, life has been crazy busy and filled with quality time together and with family.  Thank you all for being part of this crazy ride.

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Ivy's Birthing Story

So, Ivy is already almost two months old and I haven't blogged at all, but life has been crazy busy and beautiful.  I figured it was probably time to write out Ivy's birthing story while it's still at least a little fresh in my memory.  So, let's begin.

On Friday, July 7th we woke up at 7am to head to the hospital for my scheduled c-section.  Jaime had flown in to Omaha, and she stayed at the house with Orion so he didn't have to wait at the hospital for quite so long.  Seth and I got to the hospital and checked in, and next thing I knew we were in the pre-op room. They had me change into those super sexy hospital gowns, of course, and wrapped my legs with the aluminum foil looking wraps.  The nurse Catherine was incredible.  She made conversation and talked like we were old friends, staying in the room with Seth and I from the time I arrived until the procedure....other than when she took Seth to get some apple juice since he had skipped breakfast. 😀😀 .

Initially I was a bit concerned because the nurse told me that they didn't have a room ready for me yet for recovery and that I wouldn't be able to have visitors until I got to my room.  I told her about Orion and how excited he was to meet the baby, and she promised me that they would figure something out to make that happen.

They started my IV and pushed fluids, and it was way less painful than a lot of them have been! Catherine then did the necessary grooming 😮  and strapped the baby monitor to my gut, and we waited patiently for the time to pass.  Of course, baby was not having any of the monitor so we spent a bunch of time chasing her down, but it kept me entertained until it was time to go into the OR at 9am.  The room was cool but not too cold and for this epidural they actually allowed Seth to be in the room with me, which was so helpful for my sanity.  There were two nurses, my doctor and her assistant, and the anesthesiologist in the room for the procedure.

I talked to the anesthesiologist before the procedure, talking about all the issues I ran into last time, and he helped me feel so much more comfortable by adjusting the dosage and giving me an action plan for post-procedure.  Before I knew it, I was leaned clear over my stomach and the epidural was inserted.  I did not go instantly numb like I did with Orion, and that was a little bit scary.  They laid me back on the table and feeling slowly faded away, but I still didn't feel completely numb.  Instead I could tell WHERE they were touching, but not really feel any pain associated with it.  Eventually that faded too, and the small curtain was hung in front of me, and surgery began.

Seth stood by my side, camera strapped around his neck, holding my hand and waiting patiently.  The doctor talked to me throughout, explaining what she was doing and asking how I was feeling.  Seth and I talked about how I felt.  Last time I told him I felt like I was on a roller coaster with my entire body flopping around.  This time it instead felt like the table I was on was moving around while I held still.  I asked Seth and he assured me that the table was stationary.  It seemed like no time at all before I heard my doctor say, and there she is.  It is a girl.  Seth looked around the curtain and simply said "She's so beautiful."  I asked "She is?" and he says "Oh yes" and I just started bawling.  I was so happy she was here and beautiful that the tears just flowed.  They took her over to be weighed and measured while they finished tying my tubes and closing me back up.  As soon as she was wrapped up, Seth brought her over to meet me and I knew in that moment that all of my concerns about being able to love a second child were completely unnecessary.

The procedure was over quickly, and they took me, Seth, and baby to a labor room temporarily while they prepped my room.  They went to move me from pre-op bed to the labor room bed and instead of waiting patiently, I found myself helping them move me.  They were all very surprised that I could already move my legs.  They then brought in Orion to meet his sister.  He sat down on the couch and wanted to hold the tiny screaming baby.  I was so proud of him, holding her close and talking to her.  I'm so glad he got that time, away from everyone else, just us and his sister.  It's a moment I'll remember forever.

Eventually they did get my room ready and we were off to recovery and the rest of the family visitors.  Recovery seemed less difficult this time, which says a lot considering I didn't think it was awful last time.  The nurses were excellent and the itching and frustrations from the first time were a lot less.  The itching was well managed and there was no benadryl involved, so I didn't feel all drugged up and groggy.  The nurse checking my uterus was also much less forceful so, while uncomfortable, it didn't hurt nearly as bad.  The worst part was keeping the IV in place and taking off the bandage after surgery (I had Seth help me out).  Overall, we had a happy, beautiful baby to complete our family.  There will be no more little ones in our future so we are enjoying every second with this tiny baby, while also watching Orion blossom into his role as big brother.  It's an amazing journey.

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Welcome Ivy Elizabeth

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Ivy Elizabeth. She was born on July 7, 2017 at 9:43am.  Our little girl weighed 7lb 10oz and was 19.5 inches long.  She has a head full of dark hair and has deep dark eyes already.  We are all in love with her.  I'll post more details later, but considering she is over a week old I thought we should probably at least post an announcement, and some photos.  Enjoy!




Ivy Elizabeth



Orion loves his little sister


Daddy is enamored 

Even her yawns are adorable.

Mom and baby in the hospital.

Orion's first time holding Ivy

Me with my kiddos.

I love her face so much.

I definitely love his too! 
My beautiful little family.


Thursday, July 6, 2017

Your Amazing Sis

Orion took the time to write his future little sister a letter.  I think it's incredibly sweet and I wanted to share it with you all.  I'll type out what he wrote below, and then attach pictures so you can see it for yourself:


On the outside of the envelope, he wrote "Your amazing sis!" surrounded by hearts and a smily face:


When I open up the letter, this is what is written: 


Dear ____,   (he actually put the name, but we aren't sharing that yet!) 
       I am sooo Iksidide (excited) to be your big brother. I just want you to come out.  I've wanted a sibling and I'll have you! 

From Orion




Monday, July 3, 2017

5 Worst Parts of Pregnancy

A couple of days ago I talked about my favorite things about being pregnant.  Today, I figured I should share the things about pregnancy that I do not enjoy so much.  In general, most of my complaints have to do with being uncomfortable, but I thought it would be worth sharing nonetheless. Why not?  

The worst parts of being pregnant for me:  
  • Pain in my tailbone & hips!  This time around, my tailbone and hips have hurt on and off from almost the beginning.  The sharp pains make sitting, standing, walking, and sleeping all a challenge and I just do not appreciate the consistent discomfort. 
  • Swelling!  I've been pretty lucky in that most of the swelling is not major, but it's still very uncomfortable to have my feet swelling to where my shoes are uncomfortable, or my hands swelling enough that I have to take off my jewelry.  No bueno! 
  • Heartburn!  Heartburn is the one thing in pregnancy that I just never get used to.  I've gone through more Tums than is probably healthy and find myself getting heartburn almost daily no matter what I eat or how hydrated I am.  It's super frustrating. 
  • Becoming public property.  I've talked about this off and on throughout both of my pregnancies.  While I love the pregnancy stories from other women, I hate the comments from strangers, the stares and questions, and the fact that there suddenly seems to be no boundaries between my privacy and the people I don't even know.  It drives me crazy.  
  • Being babied!  There are so many people who seem to feel that pregnant women are no longer adults who can take care of themselves.  I get very annoyed by people telling me that I can't do something, like lifting my own watermelon at the grocery store, simply because I'm pregnant.  I know my limitations, don't tell me I can't do something!! 

So those are my biggest complaints.  Knowing the experiences some women face, none of these complaints seem to be all that major at all! 

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Week 39

Welcome to week 39! Baby will officially be here by the end of this week.  It's hard to believe that we've finally made it.  And if it isn't crazy enough, we also have 4th of July this week and family will start showing up, with Aunt Jaime making her appearance on Wednesday.  I have a feeling this week is going to go very quickly.

For baby

Baby is officially considered full term!! Baby probably is somewhere between 19 and 21 inches long and weighs between 7 and 8 pounds, but we will know by this weekend.  The skin has changed from pink to white because the baby fat has been layered over the blood vessels, making baby squishy and cute.  It will also help baby maintain body temperature on the outside.

For momma:

I am officially ready for this baby to be here.  While I still feel pretty good in general, I'm sick of waiting and starting to get pretty impatient.  Luckily we have less than a week left before baby will be here.  I'm so happy my blood pressure and everything else has been completely fine throughout this entire journey.  My tummy is big enough that I'm uncomfortable, and baby coming out will be bittersweet, but I'm ready to meet them and share with the world. 

Saturday, July 1, 2017

5 Favorite Things about Pregnancy

In my life, I have heard a lot of women complain about being pregnancy and how miserable it makes them feel.  I honestly feel sorry for these women because while pregnancy can be difficult, I genuinely enjoy most of the experience.   So what are the best things about being pregnant?


  1. Feeling baby move: I absolutely love feeling the kicks and wiggles that happen daily, and interacting with baby in those moments.  It is the part that I miss the most once baby is born.  It is highly distracting, and there are definitely times when it hurts or is super uncomfortable, but it's one of the most entertaining and reassuring parts of pregnancy. 
  2. Excitement from my family:  I'm not someone who particularly enjoys a lot of attention or expects special treatment, etc.  However, being pregnant brings a level of excitement to my family that I love.  My sisters check in on how I'm feeling, Seth regularly does little things to take care of me, and even Orion has taken to giving my tummy hugs in the morning in addition to my hug.  I love seeing the excitement around me and I appreciate all their love and support. 
  3. Growing hair & nails:  My hair has grown so much and feels super healthy.  I'm sure half of it is the fact that I can't dye my hair, but my hair feels pretty good and is longer than it has been in probably 8 years.   The same can be said for my nails.  They feel stronger and have grown longer than ever.  I have also been able to not chew them, which is a huge deal for me as someone who has chewed my nails since I was 5 years old. 
  4. No menstrual cycle!  Probably way too much information, but not having to worry about having a period for 9 months is really, really nice.  I won't dwell on it, but I appreciate the break. 
  5. Entertaining dreams:  My dreams have always been super vivid and it gets even more intense while I'm pregnant.  While I don't appreciate the horrible nightmares I've had so far, I do completely enjoy the fun dreams that come along with pregnancy.