What we've been Praying for...

4.5 Weeks

My monthly friend was about three days late but I had been through so many pregnancy tests that I didn't want to waste another one.  At this point we had been trying to have a baby for over 2 years. We have been through two miscarriages and had been working with a doctor trying to figure out our fertility issues.  He had put me on a very strict diet (that had made me lose 10 lbs in two weeks), multiple medications and had given me a few different diagnosis.  The past month I had decided that we would try one more round of Clomid and then take a break because I was just done.  I never realized how infertility can consume your life. It was all I thought about, read about and talked about. It had begun to define me and I was ready for a break.  Brady and I had also gotten to a point where we were okay with it.  All we wanted and prayed for was a child but we were able to look beyond the one thing we didn't have and realize all the things we did.  We had incredible families, friends, educations, jobs and more time to work on us. 

don't mind my blood shot eyes...
I was a little emotional

So back to my monthly friend being late.  I decided late that night that I would just take a dollar store pregnancy test so that it would ease the blow when I did finally start.  When I realized that there were two lines I could not believe it.  I yelled to Brady in disbelief and he confirmed there were two lines.  I still didn't believe so I did another "high quality" test. (The one with the words). Sure enough, the test said I was pregnant.  We cried a bit and got right on our knees.

The doctor had told me to call him as soon as we got a positive test so I called the next day and got an appointment to come in.  They did an ultrasound and everything looked "good so far". We told our families that night so that we could get some extra prayers headed our way.

7 Weeks

We went in for another ultrasound and things were still looking good. They checked my prescriptions and everything was great.  This is when the nausea started kicking in.  It wasn't terrible and with a some medication it was bearable.  Over the next couple weeks I only threw up a few times, then it started to be once a day but it didn't really effect my lifestyle too much. We were still a little hesitant, not wanting to get our hopes up but we were still really excited.

9 Weeks 

In for another ultrasound. It finally started looking like a baby!! Before then, the ultrasounds hadn't really eased my fears but now we could see LIMB NUBS! At this point I was really sick.  I would throw up multiple times a day.  My work had let me start to do everything from home so that I could barf in private. The meds would make it bearable but sometimes would give me migraines that made me throw up even more.  It was lonely being at home and I wished I could have someone with me but I was so excited that I was pregnant that it made everything okay.

13 weeks pregnant

13 Weeks

Finally out of the first trimester! Baby looked great and I was vomitting less.  Still really sick and tired but everything was looking up.

Funny story: The doctor needed some more of my blood.  I am not very good at getting my blood drawn. No one in my family is good at getting their blood drawn.  Almost everyone of my siblings has passed out while getting their blood drawn (this includes my two manly brothers who are now doctors, so it's not just a wimpy mind thing). They had taken my blood before at his office and had let me lay down and I did just fine.  I told this to the phlebotomist but she waved it off and started telling me about one girl who had fainted and her blood squirted everywhere (not something to tell someone who doesn't do good with blood). She started the draw and a little while later I started seeing spots and I was out.  Thankfully, Brady was there and tried to hold me as I convulsed and my arms dropped to my sides.  I came to and saw the nurse cleaning blood up and picking up her vials.  (I warned her).  One thing that freaked Brady out was my eyes stayed open the entire time, he was a little afraid that I had died.

16 week belly

Other than that, the appointment went great!!

17 Weeks 
I'm feeling much better and starting to exercise again. Brady is leaving for two weeks to go to St. Louis so we won't be able to find out the baby's gender for 2 more weeks. I'm so excited for this summer.

20 Weeks 
We are having a GIRL!! This is what Brady and I have been thinking the whole time, but it is nice to have it confirmed finally.  I'm excited to have a mini me running around and to have a Daddy's little girl that will have Brady wrapped around her finger. This little girl is going to be so spoiled rotten, I can't wait! Brady has started working with me as my intern this summer. He is doing research and will be my assistant for a few weeks. I'm so excited to spend time with him. I love any and all latin food! Chips and salsa, burritos and especially cucumbers dipped in hot sauce!!

26 Weeks
We went to Utah for some fun vacationing. It started off pretty rocky though,  Our flight was delayed going from Kansas City to Denver, which made us miss our connecting flight to Utah and the earliest we would get to Utah would be after the TWO showers for baby girl. So we tried to make it earlier by flying from Denver to Vegas. We then had to spend the night at the Vegas air port. This was incredibly uncomfortable and I did very little sleeping!  Then that flight was delayed so we ran through the air port and got on a different flight. To say we were flustered would be an understatement but I was so glad when we finally made it!

We had a shower at Heidi's house with the Webbs and some friends. It was a library/Dr. Suess theme and turned out so cute. We left from that to go to Stokers for another shower with the Burtenshaws. We played so many games and baby girl was spoiled at both showers!!

Next we vactioned like the best of them. We went to Pine View for a week with the Webbs and Bear Lake with the Andersons. We played at the lake and had a great time with the family. I did have a few contractions because of dehydration but some gatorade and a bath helped slow things down.

We also found out that baby girl had a cyst on her choroid plexus. We were extremely nervous and stressed but by the time we had a second ultra sound it had shrunk and was clinically insignificant.

33 Weeks

My friend Brianna threw me a shower and it was incredible. I don't have any pictures from it but it was darling and we had such a great time and yet again, baby girl was spoiled!!

35 Weeks

I'm still working and I am extremely tired, but I love being pregnant.  Brady threw me a surprise birthday party and I have never been so surprised!! It was a fun pizza and four square party.  Later that week I went in for a check up and they said that it looked like fluid was pooling so they sent me over to the hospital and told me I would probably would be having my baby. We were planning on buying a bunch of baby stuff that weekend so we were very nervous! We did a non-stress test and then a stress test and everything was fine so the doctor said to come back in next week but to take it easy.  That weekend we went to Columbia and spent lots of time buying everything we needed for the baby and relaxing! We went to a movie, I got a pedicure and we ate delicious food!! It was a great weekend before the baby.

36 Weeks

They checked my fluid levels and they were pretty low so then sent me to the hospital. This was Thursday and Boling wanted to wait a little longer and he could tell I was extremely nervous. So he told me to go home and to come back on Monday and we would see how everything looked. That weekend was conference weekend and it was perfect. We spent Saturday and Sunday listening to our church leaders and preparing for our little girl. As the weekend passed, I kept having this feeling that Monday would be the day! Friday night I had a dream about a little girl with blonde hair named Claire. Up to this point, I was pretty sure I wanted to name the baby Scarlet. We didn't make any decisions but we got the bag packed and finished up the nursery.

36 Weeks and 6 days

Monday morning we made french toast with fruit and eggs. I had read somewhere that you wanted to eat a BIG meal before going to the hospital so that you could have strength through labor. We checked in and got settled in our room. My nurse turned out to be Dr. Boling's wife Debbie. She started to put in my IV and I got extremely faint. I was laying down so when I started coming to I got so nauseous. Brady grabbed a garbage can and up came my BIG breakfast that was supposed to help me get through my labor. Debbie was so sweet and didn't seem to mind at all!

Dr. Boling came in and broke my water, there wasn't much left. Then we decided to place my epidural. The anesthesiologist came in with two students and let the students place the needle. Brady was in front of me and watching the whole thing while I leaned into him. At one point, they hit a nerve that sent strong pains down my leg. Brady got so nervous that I was going to be paralyzed that he started getting light headed. He then PASSED OUT and all the nurses and a few of the doctors ran to him and lowered him into a chair. The needle was still very painful but I was laughing SO hard that they finished putting the needle in and left. I was so uncomfortable but didn't know if it was normal so I waited for a while but couldn't handle it anymore and they came in and re-positioned the needle. It felt tons better and I was able to relax.

For the next six hours we enjoyed labor by playing games, talking to family and napping! Finally I was at a 9 and the doctor told me I could start pushing! I am a very competitive person so when the nurse told me to push for 10 seconds, I pushed for 3 hours and near the end I was so exhausted that I was sure I wouldn't be able to continue. Brady was able to deliver her and the nurses kept me going. My epidural ran out and so by the end I was in a LOT of pain. But as soon as they placed that warm, beautiful baby on my belly, EVERYTHING was PERFECT. I have never experienced joy like that. It was the closest to heaven I have ever felt.










 

Spring Break and Birthday Time

When we moved out here we planning on going to Utah twice a year, once in the summer and once at Christmas.  It just so happens that we ended up going to Utah every break this year.  Brady's grandpa Moss passed away and the funeral was the the Saturday of his Spring Break so we couldn't pass up a chance to honor and remember this great man. So after his test we drove the 3 hours the KC and hopped on the plane.

The funeral was incredible and was such a great tribute to a wonderful man.  He was always so kind and caring and the best member missionary you'll ever meet.  The thing will always remember most about Grandpa Moss is how much he loved his wife.  She passed away before I met Brady but whenever he talked about her, big tears would well up in his eyes. I can't imagine a sweeter reunion.

The rest of the week we spent with family and celebrating Brady's birthday.  We went to Syracuse Fun Place and played endless games of lazer tag, mini golf, arcade games and went bowling.  We had some delicious mexican food afterwards and he got spoiled to death with presents!

We were also able to meet baby Eli, who was born just a couple weeks before on March 4th and it was so fun to spend time with him! All of our nieces and nephews grow up so much while we are gone that we just can't get enough of them while we are there!

When Brady's real birthday came around, it was in the middle of a terribly hectic week.  So we celebrated by eating his favorite enchiladas, opening presents and enjoying some Wal-Mart made gooey butter cake (it was so crazy I didn't even make his cake!).  He was sent some incredible presents and was very surprised by his new printer.  I don't know if I have ever seen him so excited about a present... you must be a student if a printer gets you that excited. The next week we went and saw Captain America as a belated birthday present so we got enough celebrating in!

Spoiled boy w/ all his presents! 

His new OMM table to be used for massages OMM

Winter Time

 Winter seemed to never end in Kirksville.  It got SO COLD! The temperature would be in the single digits but paired with the humidity, it would create "life threatening wind chills". But with the right friends, we lived through it.  We went late night extreme sledding, played ping pong, drank a LOT of hot cocoa and cuddled with Collins darling girl Izzy.


Brady and our good friend Brett surprised Sariah and I and took us on a little get away to Kansas City for Valentines day!  We thought we were going to Columbia for some dinner but little did we know they had packed us overnight bags and had some big plans.
We first went Salsa dancing!  We were so excited because Sariah and I had been doing Zumba together and had really we really wanted to get our latin on.  The only downside was that the boys had called the day before to make sure that the place we went would be offering lessons but when we got there, there were no lessons available.  So we just started making up stuff on the dance floor and spent a good two hours making fools of ourselves.  We had a very talented salsa dancer come up and tell us to relax because it was "Friday B(%#$@s".

Then the boys took us to the hotel and while Sariah and I got settled the fellas went and splurged on TONS of treats! We spent the night jumping on the beds, laughing hysterically, eating our treats and watching movies.  We woke up the next morning and went swimming. We had the pool all to ourselves! Then we went out for breakfast and for some sight seeing. We ended the day with some delicious Cheesecake Factory. It was a perfect surprise weekend.  The boys had tons they could have been studying but instead they spent the entire weekend with us and didn't even crack open a book!

Other random shenanigans that I missed:

Pictures from the Winter Formal... SO FUN! 

Jami's SUPER CUTE belly!! 

I started doing little girl princess parties.
The little princesses make it so worth it! 

Christmas Vacation

Christmas decor in K-

We were able to go back to Utah for our Christmas vacation this year.  Because I work at the medical school, Brady and I had almost the same days off so we spent the entire TWO WEEKS in Utah.  As soon as he was done with his final we took off to Kansas City.  It's funny how when you are on vacation driving 3 hours to the airport is no big deal.  We stopped by my sweet cousin Sarah's house to leave our car and she drove us to the airport.  It was really nice to catch up with her, see/meet her sweet kids and to not have to leave our car in the airports garage.  

As soon as we flew in to Utah, it was go time! We had non-stop fun the entire first week.  We went sledding, walked around temple square, participated in the nativity, cuddled with the nieces and nephews, played games and ate way too many treats.

Our  Christmas Tree in Kville

We spent Christmas eve day at the Andersons eating a delicious brunch, playing more games and then had a really neat devotional. Then we headed to the Webbs at night for a delicious dinner and a hilarious white elephant gift exchange.  Some how Brady and I missed the fact that everyone was supposed to bring "good" gifts this year. There were gift cards, potty putter games and coveted bottles of Poo Puorri getting stolen left and right! We had a nice devotional/nativity and were sent to bed. We split Christmas day as well and enjoyed spending time with family, getting spoiled by our parents and family and seeing everyone's faces when they opened our presents.  I got really into crochet before we came home and decided to make all my nieces and nephews a hat and a beard. They were so gracious but most of them didn't really fit! That's what happens when you live far away I guess.

We slept the first week at the Anderson's and the second week at the Webb's.  Once we got there, the real fun began.  As we were getting ready for bed, Brady just kept saying that his stomach was a little upset.  I had a really bad cold so I told him I was sorry and zonked out.  All night he kept getting up and going to the bathroom trying to relieve his stomach pain. Finally, around 4 am he made his way to his dad and asked for a blessing. At this point he was in real pain and I was sound asleep.  The next day he still wasn't feeling well so we asked Dr. Brad to come over and check things out. He told us Brady probably had appendicitis and we should head to the hospital.

This whole time Brady hadn't really complained so I didn't think he had anything wrong with him. So as we were driving to the hospital I told him we could turn around if he started feeling better. It is a good thing he didn't listen to me because his appendix had burst and they had him into surgery 30 minutes after we got there.  Brady was such a sport and was so interested in the lives of all the doctors, nurses and anyone that he could talk to.  He never complained and made the experience almost fun!  The doctor told he wouldn't be able to get out of the hospital for at least 10 days (Brady needed to be back in school in 7). Miracles happened and he was out of the hospital in 2 days!! He couldn't get medical clearance to leave until the following Tuesday so he spent the week recovering.

We loved our time with our family and were grateful for their love and support. Can't wait till we see them again!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving: a time to reflect, give thanks and be surrounded by family.  This is how Brady and I would had defined Thanksgiving in the past, but what do you do when you are a thousand miles away from your family? You make new family and give thanks with them!

We are so incredibly grateful for our friend family here in Kirksville.  It is so great to have other wives whose husbands are going through the exact same thing.  Normally it would be a little different to have girls nights every night and weekend, but when your husband is away that is the only way to survive!  Brady has made some great friends at school and loves having all his classes with his buddies. We know that we were meant to come to Kirksville because the people here have helped us get through so much! We are grateful for our friends!

So Thanksgiving was spent at the Wilson's house. There was a large group of our good friends at the church and next year we will all get together but it was nice to have a quiet little dinner for our first one away from home.  I made my first ham and Sariah made an incredible Turkey.  The Gardners had some great contributions and it was fun to share in some different culture with one of Brady's classmates Hassan.

We ate ourselves silly then the girls went for a walk while the boys "cleaned up". After that we played some Just Dance and watched a movie.  It was such a nice break from all the crazy and we were really able to reflect.

Fall Festivities

Fall is my favorite season ever.  I used to think I was unique in my obsession but I am pretty sure that everyone loves fall.  October and November were jam packed with fun activities.  We had to limit ourselves so Brady could stay caught up on his studies.  Here are some fun activities that we remembered to take pictures at! (I need to get better at taking pictures, maybe I need a better camera?) 

.heading into my first surgery for work, and I didn't pass out.

.we hung out with the Wilsons a bunch. We match.

.loving life and my good friends at the phillip phillips concert. 

.B tried to grow his hair out,
he couldn't stand it long so he cut it
himself.

.halloween party. 

.yes that is a real pig.
 

.Fun walk behind the TCC.