Our Christmas Present

Today Katy and I added a member to our small family. Although I won't take much time to include all the details, I decided I should write about our big day and include some pictures. Since I'm running on three hours of sleep (which is more than Katy got until now), here are the highlights of the day:

Sunday, December 21, 7:00pm - Katy calls Dr. Allen because she was having unusual sensations. He tells us to go to the hospital just to be safe.

Sunday, December 21, 9:30pm - Dr. Allen diagnoses Katy with severe Toxemia and breaks her water.

Sunday, 9:30pm - Monday, December 22, 11:30am - Weak contractions all through the night that result in very little progression toward labor. The doctor decides Katy will have to do a C-Section.

Monday, December 22, 1:45pm - Madison Marie is born: 5 lbs, 1 oz and 17 inches long.





Madison was technically about 37 weeks along, but was immediately re-evaluated as measuring closer to 34 weeks, 35 at the most. She's so small that they need to keep her in their baby nursery under close supervision at all times. Neither Katy nor I have held her yet, and Katy has only seen her at all for about 30 seconds right after she delivered. As soon as Katy can stand on her own, we can walk her to see Madison. They say the baby is extremely healthy for her size, and there's nothing to be anxious about. Katy and I are grateful for the prayers and support of our family and friends. We couldn't be happier with our Christmas gift this year.

Four Weeks and Counting!

The other day I went to watch Vocal Point sing at a Christmas breakfast, and over our quiche and cinnamon rolls, the guys started asking me what it's like to be pregnant. Ha. Women have tried unsuccessfully to make men understand this for hundreds of years. This was my attempt:

Football three-a-days. Every day. For nine months.

Oh, and for the first two or three months you have the flu, and for the last two or three you have the tackling dummy strapped to your abdomen.

At least you get a cute, cuddly little bundle of joy out of it all, which is more than we can say for football. :)

And...we're back!

After nearly two months of not updating our blog, I'm recommitting! I have no excuses any more. I'm home all day now, and have to get off my feet every few hours or they swell so much I can't bend my ankles (hooray for wearing flip flops in December!). I've never been one to spend much time on the internet- but I've been told the transition to stay-at-home mom might change that. :) No matter what, I think I can manage half an hour a day keeping in touch with friends and family.

Oh, and I cheated. I copied and pasted a few entries from my personal journal below as blog posts- so hopefully they fill in the gaps a bit!

To catch up:

Micah has just four days of classes and a week of finals before the end of Fall semester. He's taking MBA classes along with his last undergrad requirements, performing with Vocal Point once or twice a week, and staying busy in our ward's Elder's Quorum Presidency (not sure how he does it- I'm a stress-case with just a job!). He recently accepted an internship offer from the IT Department of the Church for this summer, which means we get to stay here and won't be moving in April... and then again in August...like we usually do. For which I am extremely grateful.

Thanksgiving was was my last day at work, and I'm very excited to spend the next few weeks getting things ready for the baby. I'll be the first to admit I'm completely far gone with the "nesting" thing (and I thought I was OCD before!). I was a little concerned that without a full-time job, this last month would crawl by- but I have so many projects to keep me busy at home that the days seem to go even faster. Ask me again after New Years; I might feel differently then. :)

Newest picture coming soon...

My Wonderful Husband

"Cherish your spouse as the greatest possession of your life and treat him or her accordingly. Make it your constant goal to add to the happiness and comfort of your companion. Never permit yourself to let down in your affection or your respect or your faith in one another." -Gordon B. Hinckley

Micah is always, always thinking of me. No matter how busy he is, how much he has going on in a day, or how much is on his mind, he is constantly looking for ways to make me happy. Yesterday he was gone from 7:30 in the morning until nearly 11:00 p.m. I was in bed long before he got home, but I woke up to a beautiful bouquet of red roses on the table this morning. Between classes, exams, presentations, and a Vocal Point performance in Salt Lake, he somehow found time to bring home flowers for me. He sure knows how to keep a girl happy!

This isn't an unusual occurrence, either. A few weeks ago- on HIS birthday- he brought home daisies and easter lilies (my two favorites!), complete with a "Happy Birthday" note telling me how much he loves me. I guess he just couldn't let me spoil him all day.

Micah is a wonderful example to me of the selfish, unconditional love that should exist in a marriage. Sometimes I can't help feeling I'm far, far behind him, but he makes me want to be better every single day. How did I get so lucky?!

Worth It

I called in sick today. Lately, on any day it's a massive struggle just to get myself out of bed and into a hoodie and jeans to go to work. I'm just so exhausted all the time. Like I-climbed-a-mountain,-ran-a-marathon,-and-then-got-hit-by-a-truck
-all-in-one-day;-and-then,-instead-of-being-able-to-sleep-and-let-my
-body-rest,-I-toss-and-turn-all-night-and-have-to-start-the-next-day
-even-more-tired kind of exhausted. But I still have two months to go, so I figure I'll keep working as long as I can in order to keep the time going as quickly as possible.

But today I just couldn't do it. Micah and I are both coming down with a cold, and that combined with my usual exhausted state just did me in. I spent the morning reading the last in a series of "fluffy romance novels" (as my dad calls them) and then attempted to do a load of laundry and organize the closet in the baby's room. After less than two hours of trying to be productive, I was too tired to do anything else- but once I got back in bed I realized I was too hungry to sleep. A bowl of chicken soup and a nap later, I had just enough energy to do the dishes and fold the laundry before going to get Micah from school.

Everyone keeps telling me to get used to this- it doesn't get any better once you have the baby!, they say. I guess if I'm doomed to spend the rest of my life in a half-awake, zombie like trance, at least I'll have a baby to show for it. :) Honestly, it's more than worth it to me. All the sick, uncomfortable, exhausted days (and weeks and months...) are a small price to pay for the incredible privilege it is to be entrusted with one of Heavenly Father's children in our family. There are days when Micah and I just look at each other in absolute amazement and anticipation for this blessing- it's so hard to believe sometimes! We know it will be hard, we have no doubt it will test our patience and strain our relationship (and our budget), but we are excited to take on the challenges that come with having a baby. Our baby. Our baby that will look like us, rely on us, need us; who we can raise and teach and love. I can't wait.