Little Happy Things

I've mentioned before how I had baby blues at the beginning of Lizzie's life and although it has gotten better, there are still plenty of days where I feel defeated, exhausted, and stressed. I hate feeling like that...HATE. What I have found to help is as simple as... taking care of myself and doing things I like. I spend all my time and energy caring for my baby which is great of course, but sometimes a mom's gotta do something for herself too ya know? I don't think it's selfish. It's not like I'm neglecting my baby to take care of myself. It's definitely harder to do with a baby but it is possible and so worth it.When I do things that make me happy, I'm a better mom. If any of you moms out there feel the same way and want some ideas, here are some little things I do that make me a happier mommy.

Dress up for the day - Getting dressed in cute clothes actually makes me happy! It's pretty simple I know. Even if I'm not planning on going anywhere special but just going grocery shopping, I feel better when I get dressed and put on make-up. I feel good when I look good - surprise? Now there is nothing wrong with staying in yoga pants all day which I still do some days. I'm just saying I feel better when I get ready for the day.

  

Get out of the house - I'm a stay at home mom and I love it! But that means I usually don't have some place where I have to be. Going along with the #1, get ready and then actually go out! I've never been to Walmart so many times in one week as I have once I had a baby. I can always think of something we need just so I can get out. I also enjoy going on walks with Lizzie. We go on walks every day. I'm fortunate enough to live in a place where it doesn't get too cold in the winter so I take full advantage of it by going outside as much as I can.

Exercise - Along with going on walks, I like to go jogging with Lizzie. I was a runner before I got pregnant, but I can't go running by myself as much now so I just take the baby with me! It's definitely harder because now I have to push a heavy jogger with a heavy baby in a heavy carseat but hey I'll get stronger right? Yoga is another thing I like to do. It's nice because I can do it at home while Lizzie naps. I hear exercise videos are also great! Hmm...I should get one.

Visit friends - I would also add seeing family to those who live close to them. I schedule play dates often in order to get together with other mommy friends. Who cares if the babies are too young to actually play with each other? It gives me a chance to have some adult interaction.

Dates - My very favorite. Tyler and I have always tried to go on dates at least once a week since we got married but it has been quite a bit harder since having the baby. We usually just take her with us; when she gets a little older we'll get babysitters more. Most of the time we'll take her to dinner with us and then watch a movie together when she's asleep for the night. It's not extravagant, but I look forward to the weekend because I get to spend time with my husband. I really believe dating strengthens a marriage and is especially needed when kids come into the picture.

I know some of these ideas aren't for everyone but they work for me. And mothers aren't the only ones that need a reminder to do things for themselves once in a while. Now just find what works for you, what makes you happy, and do it! 

On Motherhood

When I found out I was pregnant, my biggest fear was labor and how painful it would be. I was afraid but so excited. I was always looking forward to meeting this baby but I didn't think much past labor and delivery. Little did I know that the hardest moments of my life were actually after that.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade being Lizzie's mom for anything. I can't believe the love I have for her, the love I felt so instantly upon meeting her. However, her 3 months of life have been the hardest 3 months of my life. I've heard it time and time again but it is so true that nothing really prepares you for motherhood. I read books, went to classes and yet I felt clueless when this beautiful girl came into my arms. Every week there was a new problem: Jaundice, constipation, colic, napping. And not to mention I had the baby blues. I couldn't help but think that I must have the hardest baby in the world...or I wasn't a good mom. It seemed like all the other mommies just had it figured out. I don't know how many times I told myself, "maybe I'm just not cut out for this."

Tyler has been a life saver. Not only did I snag a terrific husband but he just happens to be a terrific father as well. He is always willing to help with Lizzie. I don't know what I would do without him. Living away from my family hasn't been as difficult as it has become now. My parents visited when Lizzie was born and I sobbed when they left. How can I do this alone? But I have realized that I'm not alone. I have Tyler, and most importantly, I have my Heavenly Father. Let's just say that I have never prayed so much in my life! And along with that, never have I received so many answers to them. God is good.

Motherhood has been rewarding already. Watching Lizzie grow has been a joy. In her early days I would get excited when she would just look me in the eyes. Now she smiles at me and she laughs. When I go get her in the morning after she wakes up, she smiles up at me which totally makes my day. This is only the beginning of our special relationship. And it's only going to get better.

Being a mom is the most difficult thing I have ever done and I've never been so exhausted. However, at the end of the day, I would never give it up. I love Lizzie and I love being her mom. I am extremely blessed to have her and Tyler as my family. So here's to this new life that is motherhood. Bring it on!

   

Lizzie

This is the story of Lizzie's birth. I've always liked reading birth stories; I want to write one for each of my kids so I can always remember the special day.

On Saturday, July 26, 2014 Ty and I were just getting ready for my mom to get into town. It also happened to be Lizzie's due date. I didn't feel any different and the day was going on an on and there was no sign of going into labor. My mom got in around 4 pm and we got her all settled in. Then we just sat in the living room and talked for a while. Around 6 pm I got up to go to the bathroom and.......nothing special. When I got out I suggested we go out to dinner because I was hungry. Right when we were about to walk out the door I felt a little gush in my pants - uh oh! I checked in the bathroom and it was definitely not pee. I got instantly nervous and excited. We quickly grabbed the hospital bag and car seat and ran out the door! On the way over to the hospital we weren't too talkative; I think we just both couldn't believe this was finally happening. I was so nervous about the pain I was about to go through (even though I planned on getting an epidural). And I was a tiny bit annoyed that I didn't get to eat and wouldn't eat for a long time haha. I was relieved, however, that my water broke at home and not at the restaurant we were about to go to!

Well once we got to the hospital they sent Ty and I to the triage room while my mom waited in the waiting room. We were the only ones in there so that was nice. My nurse checked me and I was dilated to a 2. My contractions were very mild - just like the Braxton Hicks ones I had been having the past few weeks. The nurse said she could still feel my bag of waters so she did a swab test to see if my water really did break. The lab results came back as positive so that was a relief. We were told that the bag must have broken at the top (weird??) instead of the bottom. While were still waiting to be move to our room, Ty told me he had prayed that I would go into labor specifically on that very day. I had prayed for the same thing. God is so good.

Around 8:30 the contractions got a lot worse and they were close together, about 2-3 minutes apart. I was 3 cm dilated. We were also sent to my room around this time. During these contractions I would squeeze Ty's hand with one hand and hold the bed handles w/ the other. He gave me a priesthood blessing which was comforting. I'm so thankful my husband is a worthy priesthood holder. Anyway the contractions just kept coming and I felt like I got no breaks between them; they were 2 minutes apart and I wasn't even dilated that much. My body was shaking a lot and I just felt bad that Ty had to see me this way. I couldn't wait to get that epidural. My plan was to wait until I got to 4 cm dilated because I heard it doesn't slow down labor much if you wait until then. The next time they checked me I was at a 4.5 and got the epidural by around 10 pm. Let me just say, it was definitely not as bad as people told me. I was bracing myself for some pain- an intense pinch, pierce, poke, something! I hardly felt it at all. I was surprised when they were done getting it in. Ty also said that the needle wasn't as big as he thought it would be. The epidural was amazing, I don't care if anyone calls me a wimp. Ty and my mom ate dinner in the room, but I didn't care because I was finally pain free and got to relax. In hindsight, I was glad I didn't eat dinner before I went into labor because I probably would have felt a lot worse. When I got to 9 cm my body was shaking again like crazy, it was working so hard and I wasn't even feeling it. They got me ready to push at 9.75 cm and nearing 5 in the morning. When they turned me to sit up I got really nauseated and wanted to go right back to my side, but I had to sit up to get this thing over with! I just couldn't shake that nauseated feeling though so they gave me a barf bag and, well, you know what happened. Side effect of epidural? Or just my body working so hard? I don't know but that part was not fun.

Pushing was harder than I thought! Duh. I feel lucky though because I didn't have to push for too long. I finally started pushing at 4:45 am. I pushed through 4 contractions (3 pushes per contraction). Each time they told me to push as hard as I could for 10 seconds - 10 seconds have never seemed so long! Before each push they'd say "take a deep breath like you're going under water" so Ty kept saying "you're going swimming!" I kept wanting to say this is nothing like swimming! But I get where he's coming from, me being a swammer and all. I guess I have swimming for the lung capacity to make it through these pushes. Anyway so by the time I got to my 4th contraction of pushing, the head was crowning, and I remember asking if the baby had hair and the nurse said she had lots of hair. I thought Ty wouldn't watch any of the gory stuff happening down there but he watched it all w/o passing out! So proud. They made me wait with the head right there for the doctor to come in because they just always have to come at the last minute. Dang that was a lot of pressure I was feeling down there, verrrry uncomfortable. When the doctor came in I pushed again and the head came out. Ty kept saying, "she's right there, she's right there!" One more push and she was all out! Miracle. The first thing the nurses and doctor said was "she's big!" I was shocked that this big baby was inside of me. As I held her for the first time I was so overwhelmed and couldn't believe this all happened. I'm still in awe to this day, it feels like a dream. We can't get over how perfect our little girl is. She weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 12 oz (the exact weight I was when I was born) and she was 20 inches long. Born at 5:08 am on July 27, 2014. That date, which never had meaning for me before, is so significant now.

 

     

We named her Lizzie Marinda Gentry. Marinda is Ty's mother's name; he always wanted to name his daughter after his mom so we did. We love being this little girl's parents. After waiting so long to meet her, she's finally here. I never could have done this without Tyler by my side. He is such a good husband and is already a wonderful father. I'm also grateful my mom got to be there too. I guess Lizzie was just waiting for her to get into town before making a grand entrance! I'm so glad I was one of the lucky ones with a great birthing experience. Sure it was hard, but labor wasn't ridiculously long, there were no complications, and the baby was perfectly healthy. Now bring on parenthood!

 

 

4th of July 2014

 I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July! We sure did. I'm so grateful to live in the beautiful U.S of A. I give a big thanks to my parents who immigrated here when they were young. How different my life would be if they hadn't- um, actually, I guess I wouldn't even exist! I try not to take for granted all the freedoms and opportunities I have for living here. We're definitely fortunate.

So what do we do for fun around here in Sierra Vista on the 4th of July? Here's some of the stuff Ty and I did. Proud to be an American!

We started off the day with a some good ol' American pancakes - yum! I tried a new recipe I found on Pinterest and it was a success. I recommend it to you all. Click here for the recipe.

Later we went on a hike. Definitely not an intense one...ok so maybe it was more of a nature walk but hey I'm 8 months pregnant. So there's that. Now you're probably wondering, "A hike in the middle of a summer day in Arizona???"  Yes. We're just beginning monsoon season here which means it has been cloudy and temperatures are cooling a bit. Hooray!! Bring on the rain. So here are some pictures from our little "hike".

 

 



And what's a 4th of July without a barbeque?? So Ty and I had a barbeque with our friends, Jazmin and Danny. Scrumptious. And it started pouring rain by this point!

Our last activity of the day was watching fireworks! Duh. It was still raining but that didn't stop this town. We were a little late so we just drove into a parking lot and watched the show. When it was over (or so we thought), we started driving home and then they started going off again! So when we got home we watched the rest from our driveway. We realized that we should have just watched the whole show from our house because apparently we have the perfect view. Well, we now know what we're doing next year. I'm pretty sure that was my first rainy fireworks show- it was fun!

All in all, it was a good 4th of July. Hope everyone had a great holiday. God bless America!

Baby Shower Trip

I got to go back to Utah this last week for a couple baby showers and to just have one last visit before having the baby. So can I just say I have the best family and friends ever?! It was wonderful to be able to see all these people I love so much. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law, threw one shower for me and then my mom and friends threw another one; both turned out so good! I really appreciate all those who planned and came, it meant a lot. It does, however, make me miss Utah even more so thanks for that (haha).

Besides the baby partays, I got to catch up and hang out with my friends and of course I got to spend some quality time with my fam. There was a lot of shopping and eating involved - nothing wrong with that! So here are some pictures from my little trip. The next time I take a trip to Utah...I'll have a baby!

Little sister and I

My Dad's birthday dinner at Cheesecake Factory. Yum!

Preggo sister-in-laws! This was taken after baby shower #1

Baby Shower #2

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Besties!

Baby belly buddies!

Love these girls to death!