We did it!!

We were trying on outfits on Lyla and we were pretty entertained. Obviously, she wasn't.

"Seriously?"

She just LOVES to sleep on her side, it's the cutest thing!

A last shot looking at her clubbed feet. This was just after her last full bath since we have to now only wipe her down with a washcloth.

Our little angel getting her casts on. She was so relaxed!

Right after they finished casting her.

She looks so cute in this picture... she is such a model!

Lyla and my dad (Papa Brian). He was so nice to come out and visit us for a few days!

Loungin' Lyla... we have to elevate her feet if her toes start to look purple so every time we lay her down we just prop her feet up to keep the circulation going... She is too cute!

Well we did it... we got Lyla's clubfeet casted. It really was a day I had been dreading ever since we found out she had clubfoot. So naturally I had been really emotional the day before and would cry at random times. Then when the day came, I cried on the way to the hospital and kept myself mostly composed at the Dr.'s until they were about to cast her. Lyla LOVED to curl her legs up to her body when she would get burped or held so every time she would curl her little legs up I would just think about the restrictions that were coming up and then sort of break down. What can I say, I'm an emotion/hormonal wreck, haha!
Anyway, Lyla did awesome at her doctors appointment. We got to the hospital she was a little bit fussy and so I fed her while we were waiting and then she was fine. When we got in we met our doctor and she was kind of quiet, which made me nervous at first, but when she realized that I was pretty emotional she started talking to us a little more and made me feel a lot better. Anyway, she was really nice and we feel really confident in her abilities to take care of Lyla. We asked the doctor about Lyla not having to have surgery and she said that she has only not done the surgery on 2 of her patients and she thought she would need to with Lyla. She said it was more of a procedure rather than a surgery. So, we're not too worried and if she needs it then we want to do whatever is best. Anyway, they pretty much got straight to business and started casting her legs and Lyla did SO GREAT! She was awake the entire time and didn't even cry or fuss or struggle at all. She was just so calm throughout the entire casting process! I really was just so proud of her. I think Heavenly Father really blessed her to be calm, probably more for my sake than hers. She really was just a little angel through the whole thing. It ends up that they think they will need only about 4 casts (changed weekly) on her right foot and the left foot they "went for the gold" and corrected it to where it is supposed to be. So in the end her last cast on her right foot will look like the one on her left. They also said they will probably put a holding cast on her left foot until the cast on her right foot gets to where it should be. So, hopefully by February she will be all done with casts and will have moved on to her braces. They said she will have to be put in braces for 3 months for 23 hours a day and then only at night for 3 years. Anyway, after a few short instructions about the casts they sent us on our way and that was that! We have another appointment next Friday to get her second pair of casts. They said that usually by the 2nd appointment the babies are on to them and they are a little more fussy, but I'm hoping Lyla will show them all up and be just as good. They also said that the first couple of days the babies have the hardest time with adjusting to the casts and Lyla has done really well with that too. She had a hard time for the first day when she couldn't curl her legs up when we would burp her. You could just tell she was trying to move them up but she just couldn't. I felt so bad for her. Fortunately, I think she has gotten used to the idea that she can't curl them anymore. She is also able to move her legs around, even with the casts on and gets quite an ab workout doing it. Also, before she would always turn on her side when we would lay her down on her back and thought that she wouldn't be able to with her casts on, but she manged to do it today. We thought it was so cute! She really will be such a strong baby. We'll have to see what she'll be able to do with the braces she'll have to wear. Poor thing, we're holding her back from exercising her skills! All in all, Lyla has done so well with these casts and has hardly fussed about them and has made it so much easier for her mom, which then makes it easier for her dad :)
Nate and I are both just so in love with Lyla and we are so proud of how good and calm she is. She is the best.
As for other things, Nate finished his last class a few days ago and does not have any finals, so he is pretty much done with school for the next few years! YAHOO!!! I am so proud of him and for all that he accomplished during his schooling. He loves school and is excited for the time that he goes to get his masters. He is such a smart guy! Also, my dad came up to see me and Nate and Lyla. We really enjoyed having him up here and we had a good time with him. He was a good comforter to me with Lyla's casting. Lastly, Nate's mom left today :( She was going to leave tomorrow but since it is going to be stormy tomorrow and since Lyla has been doing so well, she left a little early. She has been a HUGE help. She cooked, cleaned, got up with Lyla in the middle of the night... she even got it so Lyla now only wakes up once during the night to eat. She was also a really good physical and emotional support for Nate and I. Nate hurt his knee playing soccer and I went through a rough patch with my recovery and I was really emotional with Lyla having to get casts and Pat was just wonderful through it all. So tonight will be the first night that we have Lyla by ourselves... ahh! What makes me even more nervous is Nate is leaving Monday morning at 10:00am to fly to Ohio for an interview and will not come back until Tuesday evening!! So I will be with Lyla by myself for over a day with no one here to help but me! I am really not looking forward to that and I don't want him to go but I need to suck it up and not be selfish. So yeah, wish me luck!
I hope everyone is doing well!

Family Update!

New Family Photo!

Lyla... looking cute

Close-up

The best stocking stuffer EVER!

I love that smile!!

Lyla fell asleep as she was feeding...

Nate and Lyla taking a little nap... Nate LOVES holding her like this.

Lyla and mom resting together.

Lyla's "Take Me Home" outfit. I love this picture.

She looks a little stoned here but she's still cute...

We found this at our door when we got home... We have awesome friends!

One of our first adventures of parenthood at home... a bath. She hated almost every minutes of it!

The first time I changed her diaper (Nate has been very diligently taken most of the diaper duty... and I didn't even have to ask!)

Nate's mom, Pat, came down to Utah from Idaho to stay with us for the first week. She has been such a great help!

Lyla, chilling on the boppy. I just thought she looked so cute here!

Well we've been home for a few days now and things have been going pretty well. I have been recovering somewhat nicely. Lyla has a little bit of jaundice, so we have to get her tested for the next few days. We don't have to do any lights or anything but they said as long as she feeds frequently she'll be fine and her body will get rid of it. Unfortunately, that hasn't really been our strength. She has had a tough time eating frequently enough and just eats when she wants to. So we would sometimes go 5 hours without feeding and she would only feed for 5-10 minutes. I had been getting pretty concerned. The past day we both have been getting better with it. We also went to a lactation consultant today and we feel a lot more confident in her feeding abilities. It turns out that she gets a ton of milk in a short amount of time so we don't have to worry about that. She has also been eating a lot more, so it seems to be getting better. We also saw our pediatrician for the first time. He said that her club feet actually look really good. He said that he doctor who treats her at Primary Childrens will be very pleased because her feet really aren't that bad. He also said that he doesn't think she will need to have surgery and that casting should be enough for treatment! So, that left us feeling really good. We have an appointment at Primary's on Friday, which is the day they do casting, so more than likely she will get her first casts on that day. In all honesty, I am dreading that appointment. I think I will have a hard time with it, but I know it needs to be taken care of.

Anyway, I love being a mom. I never thought I could love and care for someone so much, and I have only known her for 4 days. I love being able to feed her. I love that she already knows who I am. I know I probably won't love this forever, but I love being up with her in the middle of the night to feed her and then to just snuggle with her afterwards. I always want to be with her. I just love her to death. I think it's so interesting that my emotions are so tied to her and how she is doing and all the things that are coming toward her way. Even though I won't be working anymore (which I love to work), I really could not be happier and would not have this any other way. As for Nate, he LOVES being a dad. He said today that he never expected that he could feel the way he does about Lyla. He feels so protective of her and has been my biggest helper. He changes her diapers and clothes, does the main part of bathing her, swaddles her in blankets, holds her and calms her down. He pretty much does everything but feed her and he loves doing everything he can to make her happy. And when she cries, he gets flustered and assumes responsibility to get her to stop. It has really been cute watching him develop his relationship with her. Nate also loves to sing to Lyla and she seems to love it too. His singing will always get her to either stop crying or more often, she will fall asleep at the sound of his voice. He has also been getting excited to see that she is starting to recognize him as her daddy. In short, even though it has been and will be a lot of work, she has been the greatest joy in our lives thus far. We couldn't be happier.

Lyla Elizabeth Wright

Our new little family!

This one was actually taken right before...

Well... we did it! Lyla Elizabeth Wright was born on December 5, 2008 at 1:47pm. As I woke up to my alarm this morning at 6:45 I had my first contraction. I tried going back to sleep but had about 2 more within 15 minutes or so. So I decided to get showered for the day while I could (just in case they were to get worse). Then Nate had work and I wanted to go in to turn in my badge since it would be my last day. At that point my contractions were about 7-8 minutes apart. Then when we got to work they suddenly were 2-3 minutes apart! So I kept e-mailing Nate to tell him that he needed to forget about work and take me to the hospital. About 30 minutes later, he finally came down and got me. We went home to pack really quick (as it was on the way) and we hurried on over to the hospital.
When we got to the hospital I told them that I was in labor. They took me back and I had to stop in the middle of going to my room because I was having a really strong contraction and a bunch of nurses kept asking me what number child I was having. As I told them that this was my first, they kind of gave me a look as if they were saying "uh huh, sure you're in labor!" So they finally checked me and saw that I was almost dilated to a 5 and they decided to go ahead and admit me! To make a long story short, I progressed quite quickly. I got my epidural almost immediately and I am very happy with my decision to get one because after it kicked in I had hardly felt a thing! The doctor had thought I wouldn't deliver until the evening but when he checked me, I was completely dilated and all ready to start pushing. They then thought it would take about 2 hours to push, but I only ended up having to push for about 30 minutes (during which they had me stop pushing because the doctor wasn't there yet).
Finally when she was mostly out, they saw that her umbilical chord was wrapped around her neck 3 times so they quickly cut the cord to unwrap her. They then pulled her out and took her to make sure she was okay. She has a little head full of dark hair which completely took us both by surprise. When they took her for testing she let out a little short and random high pitched scream and then she stopped. So they jostled her around and BOY OH BOY she has quite a set of lungs!! She was just screaming! All the doctors and nurses in the room were cracking up because they had never heard a baby cry like that! She ended up weighing 7lbs 4oz, and was 19.5 inches long. Her club feet are just as we expected. We haven't talked to a pediatrician about them but her right foot is turned inward at a 90 degree angle and the left is at about a 45 degree angle, so it hardly looks clubbed. Anyway, she is doing really well. So far we know that she hates the cold and is just as stubborn as her mother.
We are so excited to have this new addition to our family. We love her so much and she keeps getting cuter and cuter every moment.

Probably the Last Post...

Well this will probably be the last post I do before I have my little baby...

I am scheduled to be induced this coming Monday at 6:30am!!

I would, however, like to go into labor on my own and not have to be induced. I've been trying all sorts of methods that people and other sources have said to do to get yourself to go into labor. I haven't been on a long walk yet (but plan on taking a really long one tonight with Nate) but I have been massaging my feet and hands on the pressure points. I massaged my hands last night for a while and I had my first real contraction during the night that actually woke me up... but it wasn't that bad. Anyway, we'll see if any of these methods work! If anyone has any advice, please let me know!

Wish me luck!

A New Due Date!!

Here is a quick update. I went to the doctor's on Monday and I have finally progressed!!! I am now at a 3 and am effaced 80%! I also have a new due date, Dec. 8th, on which the doctor has scheduled for me to be induced if I haven't had my baby by then. I know it's usually better to try and go into labor yourself so your chances of having a c-section are lower but he said at that point my risk of having a c-section will be just the same as if I were to go in by myself. I can't tell you how relieved that makes me because a company wants to fly Nate out for an interview and they told us to choose the dates of Dec. 4, 10, and 16th. YEAH RIGHT! Like I am going to choose for my husband to be gone on either of those dates when I have no clue when the baby will come! So now we can choose the 16th and have it be safe. Anyway, the doctor said I could have my baby any day now and he said he didn't think that I would make it until the 8th but it's completely possible that I do anyway. So, I changed the dates of the polls to end earlier but just know that I now have a new due date... DECEMBER 8th!!!!!!

Poll & Other Things

Okay everyone, I put up a new poll because they are just fun! Please vote!!

As for an update... I am feeling good, just big, sore, and like my joints are all loose... which they probably are :) It's getting harder to even walk, which just makes me feel pathetic. I am really working on disguising the waddle. I'm not perfect at it though. At this point, I have no idea when I will have my baby. I feel like I could go at any time (early or late). I really have no idea. I know my body is making the preparations for it and have been for a while, but those preparations could continue for a long time. Who knows.

Here is a picture of me on my 37 week mark!

As for other things... I am excited and not excited to stop working. My last day will be either this Tuesday or I may work the week after Thanksgiving, depending on how I feel. I am hoping to work the week after because that's a whole other week of pay! Nate and I are both getting really excited though. Also, we have some good news... Nate did get a job offer in Chicago. We're really excited about it but we still haven't made our decision. We have until the end of the year to decide. We're waiting to hear back from a couple more companies to make a decision. We'll keep you posted on that topic.

Lastly, I saw Twilight last night. I must say I really love all the books... I think they are all just really good! The movie was definitely not as good as the books, but that was to be expected. Mostly it was really corny and awkward, but it was entertaining. I really liked a few of the actors in it... but unfortunately they were not Bella and Edward. The girl who played Jessica was absolutely AWESOME! She played her so well, better than I expected. Also, the guy who played Mike Newton was pretty good too. I hated the way they portrayed Jasper. Someone had said that he was like Edward Scissorhands and it is so true. Bella seemed very... disbelieving the entire time, like she was just shocked at every conversation. It just seemed really unnatural. Edward just seemed like he was on the verge of tears most the time. He just seemed a lot less mature than I had imagined him in the book. I feel bad because I think it could have been a really awesome movie but it just wasn't. It was fun, funny, and entertaining. That's all.

Nate and I are working on the Harry Potter series. We have been listening to them on CD and the narrator is just awesome! We just ended book 4 and are now on book 5 and we love them!

Anyway, that is all for now... I hope all is well!

No news... :)

FYI... I went to the doctors today and no progress has been made since my last post. The only thing new is that as of this morning she is now in the head down position, whereas before she was sideways. I'm not too bummed about the "no progress" since I am only 35 weeks and it happens to a lot of people to stay at one point for forever... Ha! I'll keep you updated!

To Be In Labor, Or Not To Be... What is my body doing?!

Well here's a small update. A little over a week ago I finally figured out what Braxton Hicks contractions felt like and realized I was having them a ton! I had been feeling them increase the past week and was feeling a little "pelvic pressure". I wasn't in any pain and my baby had been moving a lot so I wasn't really that worried. Tuesday, I decided to call my doctor since my next appointment wasn't for another week and they told me that I needed to go into labor and delivery.

I don't know what I was expecting but that definitely wasn't what I thought they would say. Anyway, long story short... I had been having contractions every 2-3 minutes (I thought I was only having like 4 an hour) and I was dilated to a 2 and was effaced 70%!!! At that point I was only 34 1/2 weeks along, and I am pretty much 35 weeks now. They did say though that babies born around 34 weeks or later generally do fine and they wouldn't do anything to prevent labor. So, what happened was that I was dehydrated, which caused me to have more contractions. They gave me a bunch of fluids to slow them down... which they did, but then they increased, then decreased again, and back and forth. So finally, after my 3rd bag of fluids I had slowed and they rechecked me and I hadn't dilated any further... so I decided to go home.

They said that I could either have my baby any day now, or I could have her around my due date. So there really is no telling. They also gave me a few precautions to follow. My biggest concern is Nate. Right now he is in San Francisco for an interview and will be back tomorrow... but then he will also be gone next Thursday for another interview and will be back Friday. I am just hoping and praying that I don't go into labor when he is gone... I would have a REALLY hard time with that. For now, I am just going to work on getting things ready for the baby in case she does come early so we can be as prepared as possible.

Anyway, I have another appointment on Monday so I will keep you posted!

CALIFORNIA!!!

Well these pictures are all out of order but that is okay...

This past weekend, Nate and I were able to go down to California to go see my family one last time before we have our baby. I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with family, as well as have a baby shower!!

Below are a few of the pictures from the trip...

I wanted pictures of Nate and I because we hardly have any!! I don't love these pictures because I look so tired and my make up had worn off for the day... However, it was good to FINALLY get some pictures of the two of us.

Below is a copy of pregnancy pictures our brother and his wife did...

Another copy pose of our brother's photoshoot...

Nate in the wild...

The sun was really in our faces... but we pretended that it didn't bother us :)

I love this picture of my mom. My step-dad, Rik, randomly put bunny ears on her head (what makes it better is that she can't do anything about it) so we decided that a picture was necessary...

We also went to a ward trunk-or-treat. This is my brother Mike and his wife Jen killing him :)Jen's face is classic.

Close girlfriends from high school at my baby shower! From left: Me, Brittany, Lizzy (the one who planned the shower), and Christina.

Me and Brittany... we have known each other from the very beginning!

I received SO MANY cute baby things from my shower. Below is a jacket that I WISH I could wear! Too bad it's made for a two-year old. After this shower, my baby will be the most stylish girl around!

My wonderful grandma and cousin.

My mom and I... bad lighting...

Step-sister Rachel on very left, sister-in-law Nicky with my three nieces, from left: Zoey, Hannah, and Ryann.

Finally, we went to Woodranch (the restaurant I used to work at) with my brother Mike and his wife Jen, and my dad, Brian. It was so yummy!!

All in all, it was a marvelous trip. I LOVED spending time with my family! Nate was also able to go hold out signs supporting Prop 8. I felt so blessed and loved from all the wonderful gifts I received for my baby at the shower. People really are so generous! Nate was such a tropper and drove the entire way down there and most the way back. He really is wonderful!

A Birthing Plan?

Well, everyone says that you need to make a Birthing Plan and of course, be flexible with it. To me, all I had really planned was going into labor sometime and then going to the hospital, getting an epidural and then having the baby! This really has been my "plan" or idea since high school. However, all these new methods are coming around that I had no idea even existed. These methods range from 1) a silent birth (Katie Holmes, a scientology thing), 2) natural birth (no drugs), 3) epidural, 4) water birth (giving birth in a tub?), 5) HypnoBirthing.

Recently I have heard about HypnoBirthing and that every woman who has done it has SWORN by it. I have a friend who is doing it this way and she is due a month after me, and she is taking this six week course to do it! I definitely don't have six weeks to spare but I will have to admit, this method does sound appealing to me after hearing different testimonials about it. I am enrolled in a prenatal class that I am hoping will be sufficient enough to get me through because I do want to be able to relax as much as I can and let my body do what it needs to do. I know it's completely possible, I mean epidurals and water births haven't been around for that long! I do want to say, however, that I am definitely not ruling out an epidural... that still sounds appealing to me as well. Anyway, if anyone has any advice/opinions on any of these methods, I welcome them so it can help me make a decision on what would be best for me.

Hope to hear from you all soon!

Another Update

30 Weeks!!!

Same day, different shirt.

So, here I am. Getting bigger by the day. Doctor says my baby seems healthy, I am measuring right on track, and my weight gain is right where it shold be. I feel like venting... I know I am not huge or anything, and I know I am supposed to be gaining weight, but it still stings every time I see myself gaining like a pound a day. Two days ago in the morning I was one weight, then this morning I had gained two pounds from that day! It just so hard/annoying to watch the numbers on the scale go up and up and up! Maybe part of it is because I know I have gained in other places rather than my belly (ie: love handles and legs... particularly my soft thighs, etc.) and I haven't done anything to prevent that. Another part is probably due to the fact that the past few days I have had to have Nate help me put on my boots because it hurts too much to bend over and try to do it myself. That was a lesson of humility and Nate is just loving every moment of it. I'll just have to work extra hard to be back in shape after my little one comes. I don't want anyone to think I am unhappy with the way I look, I think I look just fine and I know weight gain is normal and healthy and I really do feel great, but it's just watching the numbers rise that tends to throw me off. Does anyone else ever feel this way when they are pregnant? Anyway, that will be the end of my soap box. Sorry for the vent. Hope everyone is doing well!

I Love Girls Nights!

Last Friday I had a girls night with my two cousins, Val and Leslie, and two of their old roommates! It was so much fun!

Cousins: Leslie, Val, and me!

Above: The Girls!

Thanks for a fun night girls!

Little update

Baby
We just had an ultrasound on Thursday and it was SO amazing! I didn't get my profile picture, but we did get to see her face and we saw her yawn TWO times and she kept opening and closing her mouth while sticking her tongue out. It was the cutest thing ever! She also has a comfort position... she loves to have her hands up by her face. That's where they were last time and that's where they were this time. We tried for like 15 minutes to get her to move them and she wouldn't budge!

Also, I'm 27 weeks. Holy cow! I am officially about 3 months away from my due date. I just know these next few months are going to fly by! We are getting quite prepared though. A little over a week ago we bought a dresser and a crib for the baby's room. They both match and are a deep cherry color wood, and they are both absolutely beautiful. The dresser has 4 deep drawers on one side and a cabinet on the other side that has shelves in it, so it will store EVERYTHING from diapers to blankets. I was so excited! We got them both used from a couple in Salt Lake, and we got an awesome deal! So now, our baby stuff includes: a crib, a dresser, a stroller, a car seat, a bassinet, a glider, and a play yard.

Family
Nate's sister Rachel just had her 2nd baby boy, named Cameron! Also, Nate's brother Joe and his wife Naomi just had their baby last night! It's a boy and his name is Layton. Congrats to them both! Also, if any of you know my brother Mike, check out his blog post entitled "the other day". If you don't know him then you may not want to look at his post because you won't understand it the way other people who know him do. A little warning, it's slightly crude but I think it's his funniest post yet!

Birthday
My birthday was a little over a week ago. Nate was so sweet and took me out to Brick Oven for dinner the day of. Later that evening was when we bought the crib and dresser. We had the actual birthday celebration last night and he took me to Cheesecake Factory! It was SO yummy and it was a ton of fun. He also let me buy a really nice flat iron because I just got a new hair cut and need one for it and mine burnt out forever ago. Then my birthday present is a mini shopping spree, which I have not taken yet because I can't decide what to spend my money on!

Nate
Is such a great husband! He was a HUGE help to me when I had enrichment the other night. He was there helping me set up and organize. He also stayed with me during the whole thing, helping with random things, he also helped baby-sit the kids whose mom's were busy with the activity. He even stayed afterwards and helped me clean up! He really was such a great help since I was feeling really tired, stressed, and pregnant. I really love the fact that I can count on him for anything and I know he does all of this because he loves me and wants to make me happy. Anyway, sorry for the little lovey-dovey rant about Nate but he has just been so great lately. I definitely scored big time in marrying him. :)

I'll post pictures soon, I promise!

My Progression

I'm really glad I have been taking progress pictures of my belly. It has been so much fun to watch! Anyway, here is the progression of my pregnancy so far.

14 weeks

15 weeks

16 weeks

18 weeks

20 weeks (or close to it)

24 weeks

I feel like I am growing so much more quickly now! I look back at the earlier pictures when I was so convinced I was showing. I will say that I WAS showing, but compared to what I look like now, that was nothing! I know I'll only be getting bigger.

As for the baby, she is kicking up a storm!!! I first felt her move at 14 weeks but it was really really faint. Starting at 20 weeks, I starting feeling her kick SO STRONGLY! And now, she has only gotten stronger! I can honestly see my stomach moving when she moves and Nate has even been able to feel her kick that strongly since 20 weeks! I think I just have a really strong baby and it will probably hurt toward the end. I'm just praying for no broken ribs!

Nate and I are doing well. We're both busy working. He is getting ready to start school again soon and is beginning to prepare for interviews for recruiting season this fall. We're both excited, anxious, and nervous. The next couple of months will be very very busy and will just fly by! We love this time of our lives and how we are just living so spontaneously! Life is good!