Farewell to Friends!

On Thursday, August 12, my good friend Holly hosted a farewell party for me at her home. I have so many wonderful friends in Utah who came to wish me luck and say goodbye! I am so grateful for wonderful friends and the knowledge that we will always be friends, no matter how far apart we live! I am sure going to miss my Stansbury Park neighborhood and friends...they are the best!

Me and Holly: Michelle Williams and Krista Turpin

Kenzee Peterson and Jennifer Morrey

Kirsten Garcia, Aceneth Warner and Amber Adams

Samantha Anderson and Carolyn Clawson

Laura Grimm, Mindy Anderson and Robin Frederickson

Breanne Nelson and Kenzee Peterson

Acenteth Warner holding Grace

Kerri Rustad and I

Man...I sure miss you gals already!!! Lots of love to you all!

Buy My House!

Now that we're all in Florida, we really need to get our home in Utah sold! We have even found a home in Florida that we'd like to buy...just waiting for our home to sell! So...if you know anyone in Utah that's looking for a great house...send them to mine! Here's the link for the listing:
http://www.utahrealestate.com/969334

Aerobics Babies...

Remember my post about our aerobics group...HERE?

Picture taken March 29, 2010...

Well here we all our with our cute babies...

Picture taken August 12 2010. Amber and Dillon at 3 months, Kirsten and Cooper at 2 months and me and Grace at 3 weeks. This picture was taken at my farewell party given by Holly before my departure to Florida (more about that to come)...

Lots of Stuff...

WOW!...it's been a crazy few weeks since my last post! My postpartum depression got really bad and I was struggling so hard, that I wasn't doing any blogging or anything. Just trying to get through each day. On Sunday, Aug 2, after receiving a blessing from my bishop, I called Trent in Florida to let him know how it went...(not only had my postpartum been bad, but it was just so hard being apart from Trent and I didn't see how we could continue to do so). When Trent answered the phone, I didn't even get a chance to tell him about my blessing before he started talking. He said, "I'm sitting here talking to Mike and Annette and I've decided that I'm coming to get you guys." Those were the sweetest words I'd ever heard!

So, yes, we are leaving the house, because it hasn't sold yet. We are leaving it furnished, as we will be staying with Mike and Annette (a huge blessing). Once the house sells, the moving company will get all our stuff and get it to Florida. My ward is coming in tomorrow and Wednesday night to pack up everything that's not furniture and stack it in the garage! I am so blessed to have so much help and so many people who love me! We also have friends and family who will be taking care of our yard so that the house stays nice...and hopefully sells soon! Please pray for the quick sell of our home, as we can't buy another one in Florida and "put down our roots" until it does so!

The day after we made "the plan", I took Grace in for her 2 week check up. She hadn't gained any weight since her 1 week check up so her pediatrician wanted me to breastfeed her and then we would weigh her again. This was to check how much breast milk she was getting from me in a feeding. Well, after weighing her again, I took her back in the room to get her dressed....and she stopped breathing, turned blue...holy cow, scared me to death! I yelled for the nurse, who yelled for Dr. McMillan. Dr. McMillan took her and she was breathing again. She checked her out and handed her back to me so that we could talk...and she stopped breathing again! So, long story short, we were sent up to Primary Children's Hospital to have her checked out. At Primary's, they did a spinal tap on my baby (a heart wrenching site that I will never get out of my mind), took lots of blood and urine samples and did a chest x-ray. They wanted the blood and spinal fluid to culture for 36 hours to see if she had any kind of infection. That first night was pretty scary as her body temperature had dropped and they couldn't get it up again. They had heat packs under her and a warmer over her. She wouldn't wake up...they referred to it as hypothermia. They think that she got so cold because they had her undressed for so long while they did the spinal tap and such. Because, she had her temperature taken that morning at her Dr.'s appt and she was just fine. So, they continued to monitor her and her blood and urine cultures for 36 hours. During this time, I discovered that I wasn't making enough milk to feed her (probably because of all the stress). The doctors encouraged me to breastfeed and then supplement with formula, but after talking with Trent, we decided that I was just under too much stress to try to continue to breastfeed. So, it broke my heart, but switching Grace to formula is what we felt was best for her and her continued growth. And, I must say, that she is thriving on formula and starting to put on weight! Yay!

After being released from the hospital, my sister and her husband informed me that the kids and I would be moving in with them until Trent got here to take us to Florida. My sister lives just a couple of streets away and seeing how we were getting things packed for Florida anyway, it was simple to just take our suitcases to her house. I know that some of you are thinking, "my gosh, lady, just get over it and live in your own house." But, I can't tell you how wonderful it's been to be at Mindy's house. The first two nights that we were there, she insisted on taking Grace for the entire night so that I could get some sleep. I hadn't really slept since before being put on best rest...and that combined with my postpartum had made me a complete basket case. And, with Grace on formula, it worked out that Mindy could give her her bottles. It's also been nice to spend this last week with my sister. It's going to be so hard to leave her and her family when we venture off to Florida, so this seems like the perfect way to spend our last days together. It really has been a huge blessing! I can't believe how incredibly wonderful Mindy and her family have been to us over these last few months. Mindy and I have always been close, and I never thought it was possible to love her even more, but the last few months have brought us even closer. So, yes, this time and "trial" has been so incredibly difficult for me, but wow, the closeness that Mindy and I have shared is a result of this trial that I will always be thankful for!

In addition to moving in with my sis, my dad, his wife, and my half sister's 2 daughters came for a visit. So, Mindy has really had a houseful, but it has been wonderful! It has really been a great week spent visiting and loving each other. And, thanks to meds and a little bit of sleep, I am doing a lot better, and continue to feel better each day!

Trent will be here Wednesday night (Aug 11). He and Karlee and Carson will take off in the van on Friday morning, bright and early, for the 3 day cross country drive to Tallahassee, FL. Grace and I will be flying out Saturday morning (Aug 14). So, we will beat him there, but we figured that driving cross country with a new baby who needs to eat every 2 hours would take a week, instead of 3 days. I'm glad to be flying, but also nervous to be flying alone with a newborn (how in the world am I going to go to the bathroom?) So, by Sunday night, our family will be together again, at Mike and Annette's house, in Florida! It will be bitter sweet, as we have so many wonderful family and friends here in Utah that we will be saying goodbye to. But, our family needs to be together...and everyone understands that! Hopefully once we get settled into a home in Florida, we'll have lots of visits from our Utah family and friends!!

Ok...so enough about that...here's some pictures!!

This is my friend, Amber's little Dillon and Grace. Dillon is 3 months and Grace was 10 days old in this picture!

First Stroller ride:

Oma and Grace Aug 1, 2010:

Grace at Primary Children's Hospital Aug 3, 2010:

Cousin Britten and Erik came and gave Grace a blessing:

Samantha and Grace:

Grandpa Grimm and Grace:

Grandpa and Carson:

My beauty!

My next post will probably be from Florida...so stay tuned!

We love you all!!

Baby Grace - First Week

It's hard to believe that our little miss Grace is over 1 week old! We are just loving her to pieces! None of us can get enough of her!

Trent left Sunday night to go back to Florida (via a short business trip stop in Houston) and that was rough! It was so hard last time he left, but seemed to be much worse this time! I just don't want him to miss a single thing...thank goodness for webcams and internet! I know that it is just as hard (if not harder on him). I'm really trying to put on a brave face (and attitude), but that's not easy with the hormones all out of whack. Everyone tells me that it takes a couple of weeks for them to get back to normal, so I'm impatiently waiting it out...and crying constantly. Hopefully it gets better soon because I feel like a basketcase all of the time. Just really hoping to get this house sold so that we can all be a family again in Florida...sooner rather than later :)

My C-section incision seems to be healing up nicely. I'm in a little less pain each day, so that's good! Still haven't gotten a good look at it, as the steri-strips are still clinging on for dear life...and I'm just going to let them come off when they're ready to...as I'm not sure yet that I want to see the incision...LOL!

On another note, Grace saw Dr. McMillan yesterday for her 1 week check. She had gained all of her birth weight back! When we left the hospital, she was only 4 pounds 4 ounces. Yesterday she was 4 pounds 11.5 ounces! (Yep had to get that .5 in there). So...I must be making good milk...LOL! Dr. McMillan said that they typically like to see them back to their birth weight by the 2 week check up...so our little miss Grace is doing great!

She doesn't sleep at night! Hhmmm, I wonder why? When I was pregnant, especially those last 3 weeks, I woke up every night at 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30...and raided the fridge every time! So...I apparently ruined her...because she doesn't like to sleep at all at night. She's just wide awake and wanting to be loved! Of course, I'm happy to oblige...but I'm thinking that I need to sleep! Of course, I've always battled insomnia, so it's really nothing new, I just can't take anything now because I don't want to sleep through her needing me. So...the battle for sleep is on!

Ok...enough of my rambling...you all want to see pics!

Her first bath at home:

Looks like a smile to me...

Carson loving her to pieces!

Daddy's last day at home:

Oh man...one of my favorites so far!

And again...I'm still being so well taken care of by great friends, neighbors and family. It's overwhelming and amazing that so many people love us and are so willing to do anything I may need. This Monday, I had 3 phone calls from friends wanting to bring dinner this week. Which is so wonderful as I continue to heal and adjust! I am just so grateful for all of you and your love for me and my family!

Announcing the arrival of our little miracle!

I've been home for 2 days now, but haven't blogged yet about our sweet little Grace. Mostly because I was trying to piece everything together, as I didn't want to miss or forget a single part of this momentous event. So, I kept putting it off. But then my wise sister told me a couple of things that really made sense...I'm going to quote her and then I'll get down to all the facts...

First, she said that, "I don't think you ever forget those moments. Just remember some of the things that happened are insignificant. You don't forget what's really important."

And second, "Most important is how you feel when you meet your little one for the first time."

So, with that being said (and said so well), I'm going to try and just remember the important stuff. Remember though, that my blog is like my journal...so this could get long (you've been warned)!

After a sleepless night (I was too excited to sleep), Trent and I arrived at Mountain West Medical Center on Monday July 19, 2010 at 6 am and got checked in for my scheduled induction. Because I was only 37 weeks, my body wasn't quite ready to have a baby. So, they started me on "Cervidil", a prostaglandin that helps get the body ready to induce labor. This is a 12 hour "treatment" (for my lack of a better word). Once it had been in for 12 hours, I had finally started to dilate and Dr. Archer was able to break my water and start me on pitocin. Also, shortly thereafter, I was able to get my epidural! Yay for epidurals!...and Yay! for Matt Smith the CRNA at MWMC who placed it...he is a pro and as I told him, "one of my new best friends!" I didn't feel a thing...really...and that's coming from me...a wimp!

3 hours later, the nurse (Stephanie) came in to check me. While doing so, she discovered that our little Miss Grace had decided that she wanted her hand on top of her head. When Stephanie first told me this, I giggled and said, "aww how cute." She told me that she was going to go call Dr. Archer. At this point, as I looked at her face and watched her leave the room, I looked over at Mindy and said, "that's not good, is it?" Mindy told me that everything would be fine and that I needed to calm down. (Thankfully my sister has a cool head in these situations and can hide her true feelings! (You'd think that as close as we are, I'd be able to read her better...must be part of her RN training). I then started crying and told her that I was going to have to have a C-section, wasn't I? Again, she said to be calm ..and Trent was also telling me that everything would be ok. A few minutes later, Dr. Archer arrived and checked me. He confirmed what Stephanie had told him and he then told me that he would try and push her hand back down where it should be. When he couldn't do that, he apologized to me and told me that a C-section was the only option for a safe delivery for both Grace and I. At this point, nothing mattered to me except getting Grace here safely...so I didn't care that I had to have a C-section...I just wanted her to be ok! I told the doctor this...as he really felt bad that we had to go this route. (Just a note about him...I've said it before, he is just a fabulous Doctor and person...I mean who else out there has a Doctor that apologizes for a c-section?). I also told him that I wanted Mindy to be there also...and would that be ok. He didn't even pause before agreeing! I am so grateful that he let both Trent and her be in the operating room with me...as usually it's just the father! Thank goodness Mindy works at that hospital...I think that helped.

So, they started getting us ready, Mindy into scrubs, Trent into a sterile suit and me...who knows what they did with me...it's all a blur! I can say that from the time he said I needed a C-section, until they pulled Grace out was 30 minutes (maybe less). I was so impressed with the hospital staff and how well they all worked together to get everything prepped! At one point, I was in the OR and the room was being prepped by the nurses and staff...Trent and Mindy were told to wait just outside so as not to be in the way, Dr. Archer came up to me and took my hand and gave it a squeeze...just what Trent would have done if he were standing next to me. I'm sure Dr. Archer could see my fear and worry! (See that's one of those "important moments" that my sister was talking about...because that is just one of those gestures that I will never forget. It truly did bring me some comfort).

Once they had the OR prepped, they rolled me onto the operating table and brought Trent and Mindy in. They both sat up next to my head...Trent closest to me. Trent held my hand and they got started. A few minutes into it, Trent got up and moved across the room to take pictures (as I had told him beforehand that I wanted pics), and my sister scooted over next to me and took his place holding my hand. I didn't feel a thing and was able to talk to my sister, Trent, the doctor and nurses and also Matt (the CRNA...who was up at my head the entire time making sure that all was well with my meds and vitals). Mindy said that Matt had added a tube into my oxygen mask that had gas...I'm guessing it was happy gas, as I remember some things I talked about, but not all...LOL!

And then I saw movement in the corner of my eye and turned my head to see Dr. Archer had come around the sheet and was holding my beautiful baby girl up for me to see. He had just pulled her out of me and cut the cord...she was all scrunched up and covered in goop...but she was here and she was mine! He then handed her off to the nurse who took over her care while Dr. Archer took care of me. Soon they were able to give me her info...

Grace Helen Ladle
Born July 19, 2010
11:37 P.M.
4 pounds 11 ounces
19 inches long

I was worried when I heard how small she was, but Mindy kept telling me, "she's pink...she's ok...she's perfect."

Once they had her weighed and respiratory had done their thing with her, they wrapped her up to whisk her off to the nursery for more measurements, a bath, etc. But before doing so, the nurse brought her over to me and placed her next to my head. Cheek to cheek. Matt un-strapped my right arm so that I could touch her. And this was that "moment"...that first moment when you meet your child, straight from Heaven! I can't even begin to describe it...it just was! Even though it was different than I had imagined (as I thought I'd be sitting up in bed, just having had a normal delivery and holding her), it didn't matter. It's the "moment" that matters and the feelings that I felt in that moment. And what I felt at that moment was pure love for my little angel, awe at her perfect-ness, gratitude to Heavenly Father for entrusting her to us! Like I said, it really can't be described. All I can say is that I LOVED her immediately with everything in me!

Trent then followed her to the nursery while Mindy stayed with me. It took about an hour, maybe longer, for Dr. Archer to stitch me up. But, Mindy did say that she has never seen so much care taken and such intricate stitches, as he stitched me layer by layer. At one point the nurse assisting him told me that he was "giving me a head start on getting my abs back." How great is that?...I had told him when he first said I would have to have a C-section, "well, there goes my abs."

About an hour and a half later, I was in recovery and my beautiful little angel was brought to me, all clean, dressed, and with a pink bow in her hair.

Ok...now for the pics:

My last belly pic before Grace's debut:

Getting ready to head to the Operating Room:

Trent in his sterile suit...the funny man, as always:Grace being weighed...4 pounds 11 ounces:And...my "moment"...cheek to cheek with my little miracle! And yes, that's a tear coming out of the corner of my eye!Grace gettin her first bath:Too cute...and yes, perfect!Finally...my Grace is in my arms!Meeting Karlee and Carson:Meeting Tyson and Bayleigh (she'd already met Aunt Mindy!):My sweet little angel:Yep, these clothes drown her :)...but she sure is adorable!Daddy's girl!Karlee's in love!Dr. Cullen Archer, Me, Grace and Trent:Bright eyes!I'm going home! Again, I am overcome with love and gratitude to so many! This little miracle has been a long time in the making and I couldn't have done it without the love and support of family, friends, neighbors,my Doctor and his staff, the hospital staff...and so many more! Thank you all for helping us through this crazy time! Thank you for loving us and taking such great care of us!

I'm still in awe each time I look at her...as she truly is perfect...and miraculous! We truly are blessed!

Stay tuned...I'm sure there are LOTS more pictures to come!!

Hugs!

Tracy

Trent is home!...and awaiting the big day...

My love, soul mate and best friend arrived home this morning! I can't even say how great it was to have him hold me! It seemed like the closer his arrival got, the more I missed him! Anyway, it's great to have him home for a week.

And, in just over one day, I will enter Mountain West Medical Center to have our little Grace! To say that I'm nervous, anxious and scared would be an understatement! I feel like a kid awaiting the big Disneyland trip! On top of that, I have such mixed feelings that I feel like I'm going crazy. I'm excited and anxious to meet our sweet little miracle, I'm scared about the actual delivery, and at the same time, I'm kind of sad that she won't be inside me anymore. Are these typical feelings before the "big day"? I told Trent tonight that we may have to try and do this again, because I'm going to miss feeling her inside me so much! Of course, this little miracle took 16 years, so even if Trent agreed to try this again (yea, right), I don't know if it'd even be possible! Anyway, wish me luck...one more day of bed rest and then the fun begins!

Again, I have to express my extreme gratitude for all of the help and service that has been given to me and my family over the past 3 weeks! I am overwhelmed with a thankful heart to all of you who have taken such great care of my family!!

Keep watching the blog...my next post will probably be pics of Miss Grace!

Bed rest, Doctor's Appointments, Gratitute and a New Friend!

How's bed rest going??? That's the question that I get every day by concerned family and friends! Well, it's going...what more can I say? It's not fun, to say the least...but hey, it's only for 10 days...and man, I have friends who had to do it longer! My sister did it for 10 WEEKS! So I can't complain! What I can do, though, is express my intense, overwhelming gratitude for all of my family and friends who've made bed rest possible! I really couldn't do it without you! I've had meals brought in for my kids and me every single night, my kids are almost always occupied by friends and family, and my best friend came over yesterday and scrubbed my house for 3 hours because I had someone coming to look at it last night and I have all the Tooele County Realtors walking through it this morning! And when I say that friends and neighbors have been entertaining my kids; I mean, like TOTALLY spoiling them rotten! Carson has been to McDonalds for lunch, has gone swimming 2 days in a row, Karlee has played at friends' houses all day, they've had sleep overs at Aunt Mindy's house, Granny and Grandpa Ladle took them both one day and took them to lunch and ice cream...and that's just what I'm remembering right now! So many people are just taking care of my kids so that I can sit on the couch and read books, watch movies or digi-scrap! Oh yea, and speaking of movies, my neighbors, Rick and Amy (the very same who took Carson to Mcdonalds and swimming), brought me over "Bounty Hunter" the first day that it came out on DVD! I've been waiting for that movie and it was SO great! Oh yea, and I can't forget all of the phone calls and drop in visits from friends and neighbors! I LOVE the calls and visits because man, bed rest can sure get boring! And so many of you want to bring dinner, but are sad because all of the days have been filled! (You can bring it to me after the baby's born and Trent goes back to Florida...as I'm sure I'll be overwhelmed...LOL). Anyway, THANK YOU!!! You're making it possible for me to follow my Doctor's orders to stay down!



I also have to give a HUGE shout out to my kids!!! WOW...they have really stepped up and have been such a huge help during this time! Karlee has learned how to do the laundry...(and she likes doing it...wonder how long that will last?), Carson empties the garbage's, they've both dusted and vacuumed for me, unloaded the dishwasher, fetched me drinks, snacks, the phone, remote, plugged movies in for me...and on and on! I couldn't ask for 2 greater kids! It also shows me what a huge help they're going to be when Grace arrives!



I saw my Doctor on Monday for a NST and blood pressure check. My blood pressure was down from Friday, it was 120/60. Still high for me but better than last Friday's. So, bed rest is working. He told me to keep doing what I'm doing...ummm...nothing!!!!...and that he would see me again on Thursday. As long as I can keep my blood pressure down and the proteins in my urine under 300, he will let me go to the 37th week. Well, I AM going to the 37th week (Monday) because Trent doesn't get home until Saturday morning...and having Miss Grace earlier than that is not an option that I like. So, yes, I'm doing exactly what he's telling me to do...ummm...nothing!



Today my sister went with me to my appointment. How grateful I am for her and her love, support and medical knowledge! My blood pressure was 130/58...so still high but not bad. Had another NST (Grace is doing great) and an ultrasound to check Grace fluids...and they are fine also! So, we are set for Monday morning...6 am to get things started. As of today, my cervix is still closed, so my C-section risk is 30-40%, but I'm OK with that. Crazy how 2 months ago, a c-section was on my "don't want that" list, but today, all that matters to me is getting Grace here safe and sound and healthy. And...me staying healthy and safe also! So, if that's the way this ends up going, that's OK...a scar isn't such a bad thing :)


Trent flies home early Saturday morning and we are all SO excited to see him! I know that he is excited also. My mom is taking the kids overnight on Friday and then Trent's parents are picking them up from my mom's on Saturday morning and taking them with them to pick Trent up from the airport. So they'll get to see him before me :(...but that's OK...maybe they'll be done mauling him by the time they make the 20 minute drive home, and I'll be able to have him all to myself :)


Going in another direction, I am so excited about a new friend!!! I emailed my husband's new boss a few days ago (as I've never met him). I wanted to express my gratitude to him for his understanding and flexibility during this crazy time for us. (As he is giving Trent a week off to be home for Grace's delivery and her first few days at home!) Well, I have all of my blogs and the link to my digi-scrapping store as automatic signature lines on all of my outgoing emails...so they show up on any email I send out. I didn't think anything of it, as most people don't really look at signature lines...or do they :) Anyway, he saw that I'm a blogger and a scrap-booker, so he forwarded my links to his wife...who, yes, is an avid blogger and scrapper! She emailed me and introduced herself and man...we are going to be great friends!!! So, I haven't even gotten to Florida yet and already I have 2 sister's in law, 4 nieces, 1 nephew and 1 niece-in-law...and 1 NEW FRIEND! How great is that??!!!!



And last, but not least...a great thought...shared with me yesterday, by my good friend and neighbor, Carolyn. It is so awesome that I'm sharing it with you all:


“People often say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder.” Salma Hayek



Love to you all!

The best laid plans....(yea, right!)...and July 4th Fun!

If you remember my last blog post, I was actually feeling pretty good after my "big scare" last Sunday. I had been taking it easy...but all in all, I was feeling fine. My Doctor's nurse called on Tuesday to follow up and see how I was doing. After indicating that I was feeling fine, she called my Doctor to update him and then called me back and said that he was OK with me waiting until my regular scheduled appointment that Friday to see him. That was only 3 days away and, like I said, I was actually feeling quite well compared to Sunday!

Fast forward to Friday. I go in for my appointment happy and content. They called me back and told me that my nurse was going on vacation in a few weeks so she was training a new nurse to cover for her while she was gone. The new nurse was the one that took me into the room to get my blood pressure. Well, she took my blood pressure and told me what it was and I'm like, "oh no...that's not right...take it again". So, she took it again...higher this time. I said, "please go get Cheryl (the regular nurse) to take it." I was convinced that the new nurse was screwing up my blood pressure. Well, Cheryl comes in and takes it...it was a little better - but still bad! My blood pressure throughout the pregnancy has been 109/58...sometimes even 106/58...and I've been dang proud of it! Well, Friday it was 160/90...158/90...145/90 (Cheryl's was the lowest :D). So, I asked her what that meant. She looks at me and says, "it means an NST and bed rest." I had no clue what NST meant (non stress test)...but man, I sure knew what bed rest meant! I said, "NO"! "Afraid so", she said. So, she leaves to get Dr. Archer and I laid back on the table, closed my eyes and started slow, deep breathing...because by darn it...I was going to get my blood pressure down and make them retake it!!! Dr. Archer came in and asked if I was ok. I told him I was just trying to calm down. He looks at me and says, "it's not going to make a difference." Darn it!!! In the meantime, he's looking over my labs from my hospital visit on Sunday, he opened the door and asked Cheryl to call the hospital and get the nurses notes faxed over. He then looks at me and tells me that it's bed rest (confirming what Cheryl had told me) and that...(ok here's the kicker...the one I wasn't expecting...) "it was now medically necessary to induce labor at 37 weeks." SAY WHAT!!! NO...this IS NOT THE PLAN (I'm screaming in my head).

He took a lot of time to explain things to me and then they got me hooked up for the non stress test. Meanwhile, I called Trent, as I was talking to him, Dr Archer came in and asked if he wanted to talk to him. So I handed the Dr. the phone and he then took the time to explain everything to Trent! Can I just say that my Doctor is the best!!! Following my NST, he did an ultrasound to check Grace's blood flow, fluid levels, he measured her head and stomach, and told me that she was just over 5 pounds...give or take 12 ounces. I'm thinking...please let it be give not take! We also discussed that she would gain another approximately 1/2 pound in the next week. He told me that she looked great and that she should be just fine. Her lungs would be developed at 37 weeks and that we should be able to take her home after 2 days...which is the norm. So, that made me feel a lot better!

So, yes, the best laid plans...yea right!! I'm learning a lot this week about "plans" and my OCD and my strict policy of sticking to plans! I've decided that it doesn't matter if Grace is the first baby born in the new women's center (that's not going to happen now), or her going to 40 weeks. What's important is getting her here healthy...and keeping myself healthy in the meantime! So, I'm doing what I've been ordered to do by my fabulous Doctor. I'm staying down. I'm swallowing my pride and letting others help me. My friend Holly has organized dinner for every night this week...and this wouldn't be possible without so many wonderful family, friends and neighbors who are so willing to serve me and my family during this time. My sister and her family are also doing so much for me...helping with my yard, taking my kids, running me around to appointments, etc. My mom and in-laws call every day to see what I need...and so many others that I can't even name! It's been hard for me to let others "serve" me...but like my mother in law keeps telling me, there would be no service if there weren't people that needed to be served. One day, I will be able to be the giver rather than the receiver and I will serve with a smile, because I will remember this time in my life and the wonderful, willing people who are serving me with a smile and a huge heart! So, thank you all! It truly means the world to me and my family...and it's allowing me to follow my doctor's orders!

On another note, you're probably wondering about Trent. He will be home one week from today. Saturday morning, he will fly home and will be here through the following week! I am so grateful for his new employer and their willingness to be flexible during this time...and for allowing Trent to be home for a whole week! He is truly loving his new job and the wonderful people that he is working with and becoming friends with!

Even though this is a very trying time for us...we truly are being blessed and watched over!

So...here's me on "bed rest"...I'm all set up on the couch with my phones, the remote, my book, water, snack and of course, my laptop!

And, my week 36 belly pic...don't worry...I only stood up long enough for Karlee to get the picture!

On another note...this past weekend, before all the complications started, we were able to celebrate the 4th of July with family. On Saturday, the 3rd, we had our annual BBQ at my mom's house. We ate yummy food, the kids swam in grandma's little blow up pool and I was able to spend time visiting with my mom, grandparents and sister!

4th of July BBQ at Grandma's house:

Also on the morning of the 3rd, Mindy and Kyle took the kids up the canyon to ride the 4 wheelers. They had SO much fun! I can't believe that Karlee drove all by herself! (Carson, I can believe...) Of course, Carson now wants a 4 wheeler for Christmas! It was perfect because they got home just before we had to leave for Grandma's and I told them to just get their swim suits on and they could wash all the dirt off of them in grandma's pool...LOL!

Karlee:

Carson:

Karlee, Carson, Tyson and Bayleigh:

Sunday, the 4th, after my scare at the hospital, my kids played at Mindy's house for the rest of the afternoon. Around 6 they called me and said that Aunt Mindy was cooking pancakes and eggs for dinner and I needed to come over and eat with them! Right on...I love pancakes and eggs! After dinner, Mindy and I sat on the porch while the kids did some fireworks in the street out front. And...Mindy even painted my toe nails for me! How great is that...she must really love me to touch my dirty feet!

Cousins on the 4th of July - sitting on Mindy's front porch: Weston, Carson, Tyson, Sam, Karlee Austin and Bayleigh!

So...there's the past week in a nutshell...or not a nutshell...more like a novel!! Thanks again for all of your love and support! I couldn't get through this without you all!!!

Hugs!

A big scare!

So yesterday started out just like any other Sunday...got the kids up and ready for church...had a wonderful lesson in Relief Society...then everything started to become a little crazy!

I was talking to my visiting teacher before Sunday School started and she asked me how I was doing. I told her that I was always out of breath because every thing's so squished up inside me. I told her that it was all "getting old" but then I added that I'm not going to complain because I certainly don't want Grace to come early...that I could definitely handle 4 more weeks! Well Sunday school started and I started not feeling so well...started feeling nauseous and lightheaded. I kept telling myself to just breath and calm down because I figured that panicking wasn't going to help matters. Of course, I'm prone to panic attacks and I kept thinking, "I'm going to pass out in church and then every one's going to be talking about it". So, that leads to me getting more panicky. Finally I got up and left the room and decided to go to the restroom and then to just walk around the halls to see if that helped. After a few minutes of that, I poked my head into the Primary room and grabbed Carolyn, my good friend and neighbor. I started crying and told her that I didn't feel well and needed to go home and could she please take care of my kids. Of course, she got worried and teary also, but said that the kids would be fine and to just go home. She also asked if I had someone to call. I told her that my sister, Mindy was in church also but that I would call her on her cell phone. By now, my stomach was hurting and cramping (little did I know, those were contractions)!

By the time I made the 5 minute drive home, I could barely walk into the house because I was contracting so bad and in so much pain. I finally got a hold of my sister (she didn't have her cell phone with her, but luckily her husband, Kyle did). She left church and rushed over. (For those of you who don't know, my sister is also a Registered Nurse). When she got to my house, she started feeling my stomach and then she called my Doctor. She told him that I was contracting and that it looked like the baby had dropped. (It really did look like she'd dropped...but I think it was because of the contractions and the way I was laying). Anyway, he told her to take me to the hospital.

By the time they got me hooked up to the monitors at the hospital, my contractions were about 1 minute apart. They gave me an injection to make them stop and then hooked me up to an IV so that they could get some fluids in me and draw blood to run some labs.

When the labs came back, they indicated that I had a Kidney Stone, I was dehydrated and that my potassium was low. So, they added another bag to my IV (that had potassium in it). By now, thankfully, the contractions had stopped and I was starting to feel better and calm down a bit! I had been so worried that this baby was going to come early and that Trent would miss it. Of course, we were keeping him updated, but he was frantically trying to figure out how we was going to get out of Florida and get home!

My sister was such a trooper! She is so level headed in these situations and I'm SO lucky to have her. She held my hand through it all. Later as we talked, she indicated how worried she was when she saw the monitor and saw how close my contractions were, but that she knew she had to stay calm so that I wouldn't freak out. As they were getting ready to release me, the nurse told me that when I first came in, they were pretty sure that I would be "getting a ride out of there"! (The hospital is a small town hospital and isn't equipped for premature babies, so they almost always fly the mother up to the University of Utah if she's going to be having a premature baby). I told the nurse that I'm SO glad she didn't tell me that in the beginning...my blood pressure was already through the roof...:)

So, all in all...I am fine today! No more aerobics or running for me though! This was too scary and I don't want this baby to come early and have Trent miss it! I kept telling the nurses yesterday that "this isn't the plan...the plan is for an induction on the 2nd of August when her daddy can be here". Of course, all of you that know me, know that I'm a "planner" and get really upset when things don't go according to plan :)

It's amazing to me what a little kidney stone can do to a pregnant woman! I'm also so very grateful for my sister and her husband as well as friends and neighbors who have been so great during the first week that Trent's been gone. Big and little acts of service have been given to us...I come home from running errands and my grass has been mowed...or there's cookies on my porch, phone calls and emails almost daily of people checking up on us. We are definitely in good hands...and even though I miss Trent fiercely, I know that we're all going to get through this time and that soon we'll all be together in Florida! So, 28 days until my induction (because we ARE sticking to the plan :)) and 26 days until Trent is home for 10 days! In the meantime, we're still praying with everything in us that our house sells in this tough market and things continue to go smoothly with baby Grace! Yesterday was definitely an indication that our prayers are being heard and answered, as we also pray daily that "Grace won't come early".

So thank you all for your kindness, prayers and friendship! I'll never be able to fully express my gratitude to you all! I know that Trent is also SO grateful for all that you're doing for us while he can't be here! On a side note, his new job is going wonderfully and he is so happy (despite missing us) and we continue to know that we made the right decision!

And last, but not least...my 35 week belly pic! We love you all!