Utah

     I LOVE going to Utah and being with my family. This time was so fun because Tessa got to meet the rest of the family and Cory was able to join us for a week. We had a blast while we were out there. Tessa and I flew out a week earlier than Cory so I was a nervous wreck flying with a three week old baby all by myself. Thankfully she was so good and slept the entire time. 

      For once my whole family was together for a holiday, that never happens!! We all went down to St. George and stayed the weekend with Whit and I forget how LOUD it is when our whole family gets together haha. We did a little hiking, rolled Easter eggs, had a bbq and just hung out. It was so nice to be able to spend time with everyone. 

      My Grandpa has his 80th birthday while we were out there. I'm so grateful to have him as my Grandpa. He is such a great man and I'm so thankful for how good he treats my Grandma. Happy Birthday Grandpa. I love you so much!!!

One Month

I can't believe that our little girl is already a month, time has flown by! We are so in love with her and are so happy that she is here with us. We couldn't have asked for a better baby.

-She loves to lay on our chests
-She is starting to smile and it's THE CUTEST thing ever. It melts my heart anytime I see her smile.
-She is still wearing new born clothes
-She has a really strong neck. She could hold her head up, not for very long, since the day she was born.
-She weighs 8.5 lbs and is growing like a weed
-She only wakes up about once every night
-She sleeps in her bouncer in her pack n play. Once we get back from Utah she is going to be sleeping in her own room.
-The only time she cries is if she is hungry
-She LOVES to eat. At her one week check up the doctor was shocked at how much she eats
-She loves bath time and shower time
-She likes to watch the fan spinning and the ceiling lights 

Tessa's Birth Story

 I knew that I really wanted my Mom and Sisters to be in the delivery room with me when Tessa was born so Cory and I decided that we would have my doctor induce me on my due date. My family flew in late Wednesday night and thank goodness they didn't fly in on Thursday because the airport was shut down due to a winter storm.
Friday morning we were all set for me to be induced. Cory and I decided that he should still work that day because we didn't want him to waste a vacation day sitting in the hospital. When I got to the hospital with my family I had so many emotions going on inside of me, I was so excited to get our sweet little girl here but I was also nervous and scared. We arrived at 9:30 a.m. and I didn't get pitocin till about 11:30 a.m. Cory came to the hospital not long after that and I was so excited to have him there with me. Soon after Cory got there, they checked me and I was still only a 1 1/2 so we knew it was going to be a LONG day of waiting. The nurse told me that I could have my epidural around 8 p.m. and that they would break my water after they gave me the epidural. After that things started to progress a little faster than they had been.
Cory's Mom came up around nine but I still wasn't close to having the baby so she and Ashley went to my house to sleep. At 1:30 a.m. the nurse came in to check me again and I was at a 7. Everyone got really excited because I was finally making good progress. We called Ashley and Shelley to come back because we knew that Ashley would never forgive us if she missed the birth haha.
Around five in the morning the nurse came in and checked me again and I was at a ten but Tessa was a little stuck. The nurse had me get on my hands and knees and sway from side to side whenever I could feel a contraction. I did this for twenty minutes or so and then she said it was time to try and push. I didn't know what to think when she said that!  I always pictured labor being awful but honestly I LOVED every minute of it. Pushing was hard and wore me out but even while I was doing it I still liked it.
After about 30 minutes of pushing, the nurse told us that Tessa's head was starting to come out and I just stared bawling. I couldn't believe I was so close to holding my little girl in my arms. Cory had told me the whole time while I was pregnant that he wasn't going to watch her come out. I was a little bummed out about that and I was hoping that once we were in the delivery room he would change his mind. Luckily he did change his mind and he came up to my side with a big smile and said "Shauny I saw her head". That made me more happy than anything else and it made me want to push more. My doctor, Dr. Forseter arrived right after that. They put a mirror up so that I could see her being born and honestly it was the coolest thing ever to watch her come out. Dr. Forseter looked and me and said "okay Shaun give me one more big push". I knew that it was my last one so I pushed really hard and there she was! They laid her on my chest and I can't even describe how amazing it was to hold my little girl for the first time. She was wide awake and just looked at everyone and everything around her. It's crazy that you can have that much love for someone that fast.
We had all thought that she was going to be really small when she was born; so when the nurse weighed her and told us that she weighed 6 lbs 14 oz, we were all surprised that she was that big. Honestly after they took her to get weighed and everything I was so exhausted that I didn't really care. I hadn't slept in 24 hours and giving birth isn't exactly a walk in the park. I don't think I have ever been so exhausted in my entire life but it was so worth it.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

I'm beyond grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing us with this sweet little girl. She has brought so much happiness and joy into our lives. She has only been in our family for a short time but in a way it fees like she has been in our family forever. We love you so much Tessa and we are so thankful that you are in our family.

How far along? 36 Weeks

Total weight gained: 14 pounds. I stopped going to the gym this week. I really wanted to make it through my whole pregnancy but I don't have the energy to go anymore.

Maternity clothes: Still mixed in with my other clothes. Suprisingly I still fit into most of my regular pants.

Sleep: I hate the night time now. I wake up almost every night and can't go back to sleep.

Best part of this month: Getting the nursery done. It was the biggest relief when we finished it.

Worst part of this month: Sometimes when she moves she pinches a nerve in my pelvic area and it about sends me to my knees. The pain doesn't last long but it hurts so bad. I have a hard time being comfortable

Food cravings: I haven't had any this past month

Gender: Still a little girl, we hope ;)

Symptoms: Besides being tired 24/7 and the nerve pain I have been doing pretty good. My doctor checked me last week and I'm not dilated at all but he was a little concerned of how small she she is meauring. He sent us for an ultrasound at the hospital to make sure that everything was okay. Thankfully everything came back normal she is just a really small little girl. 

Belly button in or out: Out

Wedding ring on or off: On

Looking forward to: Having her here. I can't believe that I only have four more weeks left, it's CRAZY!!! My Mom and sisters are flying in a couple days before she is due and I can't wait to see them. I'm so grateful that they are coming out here to help me.

Happy or Moody: Happy

This has been a pretty good month for me. Until this week it has freaked me out that she will be here so soon. I felt like I should still have a couple months left but now I'm so ready to have here. 

Merry Christmas

I can't believe Christmas has already came and gone. Time goes by way too fast!! Since my family is coming out here in Febuary and Cory and I are going out there in March we decided to save the money and stay here this Christmas. Of course I missed being home with my family, and I may have had a little break down for a min, but it was so fun with Cory's family. I thought I married into a pretty normal family until I spent Christmas with them. They do a "pants dance" and "shirt dance" everytime they get a shirt or a pair of pants which is hilarious to watch. I love spending time with his family and I'm so thankful that I like being around them or it would make it so much harder to be away from my family. Riley had us this year for Christmas. He gave us a cute little outfit for the baby and an I owe you a night of babysitting both the baby and Baxter. I was so cute! He is going to be such a good Uncle. She is one lucky girl to have so many Aunts and Uncles that love her so much!

 

I didn't take hardly any pictures this year, which now I regret. I'm sure as soon as the baby gets here I won't

be able to put the camera down haha.