Chloe Mae

On July 9th at 10:39pm, Brandon and I were blessed with the arrival of our sweet little girl. She is just a miracle! Chloe Mae weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. The adventure started at our appointment with our midwife on Wednesday night; she determined that my blood pressure was too high and scheduled a medical induction for Thursday morning. We arrived at the hospital and experienced a very long day waiting for Pitocin to kick in. The actual active labor portion of our day at the hopsital went very smoothly and was very easy. I feel so lucky! Brandon kicked right into "Dad" mode. He was such an awesome support thoughout the delivery, and he is such a natural with Chloe.

Chloe is an absolute angel! She has a broken collar bone, but she has been such a brave girl. We love her so much, even if she doesn't sleep at all at night :)!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the visits, texts, flowers, and phone calls. We are so grateful for our family and friends!

A Father Indeed

I shared this video during my Relief Society lesson on Father's Day. Brandon and I thought it captured the love of a Father perfectly. It really is worth watching. (Just click on the text below, and you'll be sent to the video.)

A Father Indeed

I am fortunate to have great "Fathers" in my life...I've been thinking about how lucky I was to have a dad who was so willing to teach his little girl important things. When I was young, my dad would read to me every night; we burned through Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, and The Swan Princess. He shared his talents with me and helped me to develop my talents. I remain so grateful for his constant support.

We celebrated Father's Day with Brandon's family. His dad is one of Brandon's favorite golf companions, and they continue to cultivate their shared love of hidden "treasures" from the D.I. (most of which are on shelves in my garage...). Brandon has inherited a few fun characteristics from his dad; they both love to tease tiny kids. Our nieces are very concerned that this constant pestering will be the story of our daughter's life. We are thankful for all that Lee does for us.

It is crazy to think of my husband as a father...I can't believe it will be here so soon! Brandon will be a truly wonderful, sweet dad. I'm pretty sure that our little girl will quickly wrap him around her fingers. We were discussing our parenting tactics a few nights ago, and he declared that he will just let me discipline our daughter so that he can comfort her and be the nice parent. He informed me that he'll just say to her, "Oh, come here, Sweetheart. Mom is so mean, huh?" (Brandon's exact words, I swear!) I know that Brandon will be a fantastic dad; I can't imagine anyone better to help raise our daughter.

Just a quick update on the baby...um, she's HUGE! Okay, maybe not huge, but she's certainly a healthy gal. It all makes me a little nervous...yikes! I'm feeling great; I worry that maybe I am feeling a little too good. I'd like to be in the "timing contractions" stage soon, and I'm just not seeing any sign of that. Apparently, I am the queen of amniotic fluid. When we measure on our ultrasounds I am at the top of the "normal" amniotic fluid range which, coupled with our growing gal, is making me feel super, super large. I love it though...I feel so grateful that everything has been so smooth with the pregnancy. I just can't wait to see her...hopefully sooner rather than later :)! Our AMAZING family has thrown WONDERFUL baby showers for us! I am overwhelmed by everyone's kindness and generosity. We love you all!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON!!!

Today we celebrate Brandon's special day. We've had a "week long" celebration in his honor. On Monday, Memorial Day, we enjoyed a BBQ and swimming with his family, Tuesday night we went to the Taylor Swift concert, and today, he's spending the day at Wolf Creek golfing. We'll wrap up celebrations for Brandon tonight with a couple's massage! Phew! He is one lucky boy!

I'm so thankful for Brandon. He is such a great husband; he makes my job as his wife easy. He is constantly making me laugh, and he always is kind and supportive. He really is my "life's delight." As we enter the world of parenthood, I am so grateful that he will be by my side; I can't imagine anyone who will be a bettter father. He has been so patient with me, even though he is ready to be done having a pregnant wife :)! I appreciate all that he does for me and our little family. I am lucky to have him! Happy Birthday, Brand!

HUGE Update

First - here is a quick picture from Easter. We celebrated in St. George with my family, and it was wonderful! My parents are always so generous!

Second - We enjoyed a very fun "Family Vacation" with Brandon's family a few weeks ago. We spent three days in Disneyland and one day in Sea World. It really was a blast! I don't know that I would ever return while 7+ months pregnant...I had very swollen ankles (and a swollen face, I swear!). The kids LOVE Brandon, and it was fun to see them enjoy Disneyland and Sea World.

Third - So, I'm a little late on Mother's Day...I'm so very grateful for my mom. I don't know what I would ever do without her. She has taught me so much, and she continues to be such a support to me. I hope the one day I can be half the "wonder woman" that she is. Brandon's mom has always been and continues to be so supportive of us. I'm thankful for her! Mother's Day gave me a nice opportunity to think about the mantle of "motherhood" that will shortly rest upon my shoulders. I hope that I am ready for such a huge responsibility!

Finally - My AMAZING friends threw me a wonderful baby shower this weekend! It was really so very nice! They are all such talented girls, and I am so grateful for all of my friends and their support. Everyone's kindness was really overwhelming. Thank you for making sure our tiny girl will be well taken care of!!!

Sew what?!

So, I'm not really the world's best blogger. I just barely make a post every month! It's awesome, right?

Anyway...with the upcoming arrival of our little girl, we have been trying to get everything in order at our house. The basement is coming along. Who knew that when you drywall your unfinished basement it covers your entire house with an incredibly messy layer of dust?! It was a freaking mess! We have furniture ordered for the nursery, and I'm just hoping it will all come together before she gets here! I have been set on sewing her bedding...I think I just had some temporary insanity going on...Luckily, I found a crib set that Brandon and I both really like (who knew he would actually care what colors are in her nursery :)!!). So, my "bedding plan" has changed. I'll be buying the crib set and just making a super cute quilt for her.

I'm getting a little nervous that I'm in the third trimester...I mean seriously, do I even know how to take care of a baby?!?! There is just a TON of stuff that we need to check off of our "to do list" before we bring her home. I'm sure that we'll make it...somehow...

My new favorite article of clothing is maternity jeans! Ha! I swear I wear them everyday! I especially recommend the pair above from Motherhood Maternity, otherwise known as "the pregnant girl store in the mall (Brandon HATES this place!)."

My most recent purchase from Motherhood Maternity was a pregnant girl swimsuit for an upcoming vacation. Let me tell you, it is hottest piece of swimwear I have ever owned! It's like a stinking muumuu with swimsuit bottoms. When I tried on my new swimsuit, I just started laughing! It's awesome! I was in the Buckle getting a b-day present for Liz, and I seriously am excited to wear my normal-non-pregnant-lady clothes. Gotta love it! At least my shoes still fit :)!

Our daffodils and tulips are finally blooming. It's a miracle because it has been a very cold, rainy spring. I swear I still miss St. George weather. Somehow I manage to be the world's best weed grower. I can kill every other plant, but the weeds thrive.

Whew! That was a long rambling post!