One Month

It is hard to believe it has already been one month!

It has flown by and at the same time I feel like she has been with us forever! 

It has been pretty incredible getting to know this girl.  

(Who would have know that someone so tiny could already have a personality?)

Some info about our one month old girl:

- 22 inches long and over 10 pounds

- gorgeous dark blue/greyish eyes (we'll see if the color lasts)

- swaddling works wonders in helping her relax

- loves to eat; nursing or bottle, breast milk or formula

- can hold her head up

- pacifier is her best friend (and mine!)

- sleeps best in her carseat

- will not tolerate a wet or messy diaper

- a very loud voice that she likes to use

- extremely alert - will be up for hours at a time just watching everything around her

- not a fan of tummy time

- made it six hours during the night (if only it were consistent!)

- loves to sprawl out on the ottoman

- complete cuddle bug

- enjoys bath time

There is nothing quite as awesome as watching our baby girl become her own little person!

Emersen

I have to admit, it still doesn't seem real.  I still can't believe that I went through nine months of pregnancy, then labor, and am finally a mom to the most precious little girl!

Emersen Maree McKay

Friday, September 30, 2011

5:25 am

8 lbs 5 oz  ◦  21 ¼ in

We absolutely ADORE her! 

 Emersen's Birth Story -

   I always wondered how I was going to know when I went into labor.  Well, when they say you will know, it's true.

   At the end of the school day on Wednesday, my back started to bother me and I started feeling contractions.  However, because I was so worried I could be wrong, I headed home from school and forced myself to stay busy - getting everything done in case she came!  Well, by the time Robert came home and we went to bed, I decided it might be a good idea to track my contractions.  Turns out they were 5 minutes apart, but only lasting about 30 seconds.  The contractions were strong enough to keep me up most of the night, but not enough to do anything.  Plus, I did not want to bug anyone at 3 am!  So when Robert got up, we talked and I decided I may as well go to school since I was feeling okay and I did not have sub plans done!

   Well, apparently all that I needed to do to get this labor progressing was go to school.  Within an hour of getting to school my contractions started to really hurt and were only 3 minutes apart.  So I sent a text to my cousin Abby(she works at the doctor's office), and she said that I should get ready to go to the hospital.  So when my kids when to special, I called my sub and went home.  I called Robert and he was going to finish up and school and then come home.  

   At about 2:00 we decided to head to the hospital.  Before we left, my awesome husband gave me a really sweet blessing that I am certain helped me to feel so calm and peaceful during everything.  After we got to the hospital and got checked in and into our room, it was about 3:00.  Once they finally got me hooked up, they noticed that my blood pressure was really high, and Emersen's heart was really steady (I guess there is supposed to be some movement with contractions and all).  So my nurse was worried and didn't want me out of bed until we heard from the doctor.  After a few hours we heard back from Uncle Eric.  He wasn't concerned, so I could get up and walk around and try to get the labor progressing!  After Robert and I went for a walk, I had progressed two centimeters (to a six), so I decided I wanted to get my epidural before they broke my water.  First off, our anesthesiologist was amazing; I did not feel anything...not even the initial shot!  Second, epidurals are incredible!!!  I don't know why anyone would choose to go without!  At about 7:00, Uncle Eric got there to break my water.
  Well, over the next few hours our families came to visit and we had fun chatting and hanging out.  I was so tired since I had been up the night before, but with all of the people coming and out, I did not get much sleep.  Around midnight my nurse came in to check on me and I still had not made any changes.  At that point she started the pitocin.  By about 2:30 I had finally dilated to a ten, and it was time to start pushing.  At this point I remember thinking that I could not believe how easy everything had gone and that in just a few more minutes it would all be over and we would have our baby here!
   Yeah...not exactly how it happened!  Pushing ended up being a long process - almost 3 hours to be exact!  For whatever reason, our little girl was not cooperating! At this point I had been up for almost 48 hours, and I was exhausted.  Plus, when I continued to see/hear that we were not making any progress, I was frustrated!  At about 5:00 am, my uncle came in and asked if we would like to try to use the vacuum.  Robert was very quick to say yes!  They reminded him that it needed to be my decision.  When they told me I could be pushing for a few more hours, it was a pretty easy choice!
   Within about 15 minutes and just a few pushes, Emersen was finally there!  It was the most amazing feeling when Robert told me he could see her, and then even moreso when I sat up and saw her little body!  She came out screaming and with her eyes wide open!  She was so alert and very aware of her tongue and mouth.  By the time they cleaned her off and gave her to me, I was so out of it! Before I knew it, our families were there taking pictures and holding our baby! 
   The whole progress from pregnancy to delivery is seriously a miracle!  Its still hard to believe I went through all of that and am now a mom!  I am so grateful to have such an amazing husband who was seriously the perfect support every step of the way.

Its a good thing that she is so sweet because I look like death!

How do you moms look so beautiful and rested after giving birth?!

She was so interested in her tongue...as you can see by her bubbles!

Don't you love that look?

6 weeks...

In 6 weeks, this little girl will finally be here!  

The last eight months have seemed to both last forever and fly by.  It is crazy to think that on October 2 (hopefully no sooner), our lives will be forever changed.  As the day gets closer, I feel increasingly amazed and overwhelmed at the incredible responsibility that is being given to us.  To be honest, it completely stresses me out!  

When I think about where she is coming from - the presence of our Heavenly Father - I want to do everything I can to ensure that we can provide a home filled with the Spirit where she will be able to feel how much she is loved.  I'm so grateful to have the gospel which gives me both peace and guidance...it definitely makes this job seem a little less nerve-wracking! 

Gratitude

"We need to be more grateful. It's one of the marks of strong character, to have a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude for blessings that are ours. We need more of that spirit in our homes, in our daily associations, in church, everywhere. It's so easy to cultivate the spirit of appreciation."

- President Ezra Taft Benson

I am grateful for:

• a great lesson given at church (from our awesome Bishop)
• the foot rub my sweet husband gave me after church
• the fact that my feet are not always this swollen ☺
• our baby girl who never stops kicking 
• home teachers who we love to have visit
• a classroom that is now 99% ready for school to begin
• Daniel & Marie (and the kids) coming to town this week
• the stormy weather
• our super cute puppy, Lisbon
• this new cookbook and the really delicious recipes we have already tried
• my new scriptures
• a hard-working husband (who is kicking butt at his AmEx internship)
• the fact that I am normally part of a two car family (right now we are down to one)
• the temple reopening this week
• the "I am Mormon" ads (I mean, how adorable is Paris?!)
• a recent trip to the cabin
• my principal who is so nice with this pregnancy
• and this list which could go on forever....

"Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves.  They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable."

- Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

How Do I Love Thee?

 

I ♥ Elder Holland and this devotional!

Sonic Ice

This little thing has made my summer and pregnancy extremely pleasant! 

I'm lucky they sell it by the bag!

MO

I remember being engaged and thinking that once we were married life would settle down, things would be a little less chaotic, and we would have so much more time together!  Clearly I was clueless.  Two years later, and I would say that life has only gotten busier!

Because our schedules have never seemed to match up, our only trips together have been within a short car ride and lasted just a couple of days.  So when we realized that we had a 5 day break between my school getting out and Robert's AmEx internship starting, I was seriously excited!  And then, because my babe is so wonderful, he suggested we visit Daniel, Marie, and the girls in Missouri (something I had really been wanting to do). 

So we miraculously found this great deal on flights, my principal even let me take off a little bit early, and we flew back to spend a long weekend in Columbia.  The timing was definitely a little crazy - it came after tornado warnings and Marie being induced a couple of weeks early - but we had a lot of fun!

So here are a few pictures from our trip:

So fun to meet Jacob (only two days old)!

And so cute to see these helpful big sisters!

At the park:

How cute are their outfits?!

Madi could not handle the sun!

I promise, Robert had fun!

How hilarious is Grace's expression!  But she loved it!

Overall, it was so fun to finally take a trip together!  Plus, we loved seeing family (and also getting a little preview of our life to come in just a few months).  I cannot wait until we get some time off together again!