Birthday and Graduation!

I'm a little behind on this post, since my birthday was on the 10th and Mike graduated on the 11th. It was such a fun weekend, and it was even better that our family was able to come.

First, birthday dinner at Red Robin. I LOVE my birthday, even though it's kinda sad getting older and older. Arianna really liked my birthday balloons :)

The graduation ceremony was awesome! I have waited for this day for so long. Arianna did really well during the whole things, but got a little tired toward the end as you can see. She is such a sweetie!!

Mike and I. YAY!!

Mike and his momma!!

Four generations :)

We finished off the evening by opening some of Arianna's Christmas presents. She really loved helping rip off the wrapping paper and loved every present so much she stuck each one in her mouth.

December Already??

(Disclaimer: Mike said that I could only share this photo with the caveat that it may or may not be our Christmas card photo :)

Wow, I can't believe it's December. It's definitely my favorite time of year! I remember last year we didn't do too much for the holidays, because I had crazy morning sickness. This year I'm hoping things will be different, especially since it is Arianna's first Christmas.

To start off, Mike and I hit up Black Friday for the first time EVER! Man was it crazy!! We went down to the Woodburn outlets in the afternoon, and all of the stores were so crowded. Luckily, we found some pretty good deals. We got Arianna a few hats, outfits, and a winter coat. The hard part was resisting the urge to immediately have her put them on and wear them rather than wrapping them up for Christmas. I can't say that I've actually wrapped them yet, but she has definitely not worn them. We also got gifts for all of our family members, so (cross your fingers) I think my Christmas shopping is finished. This is definitely the earliest I've gotten my Christmas shopping done!

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to decorating. I know, this is the best part of the holiday season. I really really want a real Christmas tree this year, but we just haven't gotten around to going yet. Mike is always at school really late during the week, so maybe we can go this weekend. I think it would be cool to go to a farm and chop one down myself!

For the Relief Society Christmas dinner, we talked about Christmas traditions, and I'm really excited to start some traditions of our own now that we have a little one. I was thinking of making some PJs, but since I severely lack sewing skills I might just make some cookies instead.
We also thought it would be fun to go to the zoo lights or the Polar Express.

What are some of your family traditions?

5 months :)

We have a thriving 5 month old on our hands...

... and I mean literally "THRIVING"! She is a whooping 17 pounds 4 ounces and just keeps getting bigger and bigger. The rolls are oh so cute!!

She is a precious, precious child who loves to be held. She loves it when we sing songs and loves having conversations. As you can imagine, she LOVES to eat!

She loves to go on walks and just be outdoors. She loves to play, and her favorite toy is a little turtle that plays music. She loves to be read to and really gets excited looking at the pictures.

She loves to throw temper tantrums, and she has definitely not been the easiest baby in the world. I hate to admit it, but sometimes when her face gets red and she starts to cry I think she looks so cute!!!

We love her and can't imagine life without her!!!

Why We LOVE Oregon!

Green, Green, and MORE Green!!

We sure are enjoying these last few days together before I have to go back to work. At first I was really excited at the fact that I'll be interacting with adults on a regular basis again, but as the dreaded day approaches I have become more emotional and anxious about it. These past 4 months have been the happiest of my life, and I can't bear the thought of missing details from my little one's day. Alas, I know she will be in excellent hands while I am away. Does anyone have advice on how to cope with the transition back to work?

Beary Cherry

Isn't she the cutest!! Too bad mom keeps torturing her by making her pose with oversized teddy bears. Ahh, she is getting so big so fast!

I know, I'm a slacker

I really have been severely slacking on the baby postings, but I am going to be more dedicated, because Mike and I have decided that Arianna and I are going to stay with my parents until the end of August. It was kind of a last minute decision, but we decided it would be best given that Mike has to finish his board exams and get our house ready to rent at the same time. It was also really hard for me being home by myself for 14 hours each day. It's definitely going to be hard to be away from him for so long, but I have to keep telling myself that it's for the best. In the meantime, here are a few pictures of the little one. I have a ton on my camera that I'll upload in the next few days, too!

Arianna Earley

Finally the moment we have all been waiting for...

Introducing...
Arianna Earley
Born May 23, 2010, at 5:58 pm
8 pounds 4 ounces
21 inches long

Mike and I are completely and utterly in love with her! Her birth was not an easy one. My water broke around 11:30 pm Saturday night, and I was in labor for about 19 hours after that. Oddly enough, my water broke just after we finished seeing Date Night at the movie theater. It was a relatively small amount and barely noticeable. On the way home from the movies, I called the on-call doctor at my hospital, and she told me to come in right away. We went home and started gathering items I would need in the hospital in case I would have to stay. My water kept gradually leaking more and more, and I was becoming more and more convinced that this was the real thing. The only thing that kept me guessing was the fact that I hadn't had any contractions that were really painful. In addition, I was a week ahead of my actual due date. Once we arrived at the hospital, my water started gushing. My pants were completely soaked as we went up the elevator, and I was admitted to triage to get checked out. They decided to not check my cervix. They only wanted to test the water to confirm that I was starting labor. We didn't have to wait long to find that it was. The nurse talked to us a little about what would happen once we were admitted to the maternity ward, and then we were officially on our way. The nurses gave me the option of starting labor right then with pitocin, but I decided to forgo that option and try to get some sleep. At around 3 am the contractions started to get more and more intense, and sleep was impossible. I started to get up and walk around a little bit to get more comfortable. My plan was to see how long I could labor drug-free. However, if I needed an epidural, I wasn't opposed to getting one. Mike was a great coach throughout the process helping me with breathing techniques, accompanying me on walks, and massaging my back for me. As the contractions became more and more intense, it became harder and harder for me to focus. It was a hard decision, but at 7:30 am I decided to get an epidural. I was only dialated to a 3 at that point, and felt more disappointed than I thought I would that I wasn't able to labor drug-free. However, I hadn't slept the whole night and was so tired. I didn't see how I could keep going at that point the way my labor was progressing. It was a relief to finally catch up on some sleep.

The nurses came by every few hours to make sure that I was rotating sides I was sleeping on. Our little baby did not like it when I slept on my right side and the heart rate was starting to alarm the nurses. They gave me an oxygen mask for the rest of my labor to make sure the baby was comfortable. By the time I was dialated to a 7, the contractions were getting more and more uncomfortable despite the epidural. By then I had been laboring over 12 hours, and the nurses decided to start a pitocin drip to speed things up. It worked perfectly, and I was dialated to a 10 in no time. by this time the doctor came in and asked if I felt like pushing. I felt a lot of pressure, so I quickly agreed to start trying. The doctors and nurses were great coaches, but I found myself getting discouraged that I wasn't getting anywhere. Throughout the process they were closely monitoring the baby's heart rate and kept me on oxygen. After a while, I noticed that the doctor was becoming more and more uneasy, and exited the room for a few seconds. The nurse I had stayed with me and helped me push. Suddenly, the doctor came back in, told me to stop pushing and that the baby wasn't reacting well to it. Every time I would push, her heart rate went down, and my doctor tole me that they needed to do an emergency C-section right away. Before I had time to digest the information that she was giving me, the doctor wheeled me into the operating room. All I remember after than was everyone telling me not to panic and the doctor telling me that I could still deliver vaginally with future children and to not feel bad that I had to have an epidural. All I could think about was my baby and started crying. I think I cried throughout the whole operation, but I was so grateful that Mike was there with me. After a while I heard the doctor say that the baby's heart rate was stabilizing and that she was coming out. I heard our little baby cry and Mike kept saying over and over that she was such a beautiful baby. I cried and cried tears of joy that she was ok. They laid her into Mike's arms and I was able to meet her for the first time. It was the most overwhelming feeling, and it made the whole experience worth it.

I'll post more pictures soon :)