Another first Monday of the month and this this time it's April, which means we are going to recap the goings ons of last month.  First,


Nickel Cade
four day poop
eating bananas
climbing the Y
Travel plans
book babies
Dinner with friends
photo projects
work
bug photography

baby in towl
car purchase
baby with tv face
moma and baby with tv
bench  and frames
bannana fingers
moma and baby pillow talk

February

Baby girl has been sick for about two days, like a running faucet from every orifice of her body-she purrs like a kitten-which would be cute except for the fact that it's caused by all the boogers in her nose and lungs. She got it from her daddy who's still recovering himself and on occasion they will synchronize hacking coughs in a show of solidarity.

Emma, during feeding time, has started watching shows from the 70's and 80's  like MacGiver, MASH and Magnum P.I.  Mash is her favorite.

Things continue to go well with the new house.  We are mostly moved in, which from what I understand, is the point everyone in the process on moving calls it good and simply starts living.  The last three weeks have not been two eventful.  Emma has been busy with baby and other projects.  She recently took Tylathryn out into the freezing tundra of Utah Lake for some engagement photos.  Got some good ones too.  This was followed by an impromptu dinner over at our house with Jean and Steve, Kathryn, Tyler, and Ryan's brother Jared. There's been a flurry of wedding planning.

Emma enjoyed going up to Logan to hang out with mom, Johanna, Kathryn, Dallin and Elsie, and other than that it's been a pretty chill month.

Aliya has discovered that cellophane is fascinating. 

So is Playing Hooky in the Mother's room during Sunday School. 

  

 

This is How Aliya politely asks for a bath. 

Tylathryn

Baby Girl likes to sleep with her Daddy

January

 Baby Girl wearing her "antique pioneer wedding dress" (says Ryan) We didn't force her to wear the bonnet-but she does look a little like a cancer patient. 

January was a very busy month. Aliya is no longer a newborn-she is laughing and smiling at us now and acknowledges that we are people-I'm not just a milk producing robot and she and Ryan have long philosophical conversations.    

We took Aliya snowshoeing with Steve and KJ and she loves riding in the Snugli and looking at everything. 
  We flew to california to see Ryan's parents. Aliya's first plane ride was a success, she enjoyed the experience and never cried once. (It helped that it was just an hour and she got 100% of mom and dad's attention.) Mom and Dad took the new stroller and promptly forgot that they had it and left it at the airport on the baggage carousel.  WE went on a couple hikes, looked at newt eggs, grandpapa considered throwing Aliya around but decided to wait until she's a little older as she's just developing head control.

 Baby Girl wearing her "antique pioneer wedding dress" (says Ryan) We didn't force her to wear the bonnet-but she does look a little like a cancer patient.

We went up to Logan for her blessing and everyone oohed and awed over her unbearable cuteness and chill personality. She got to meet Great-grandma and Grandpa Hanks and Sandy, and Ryan's parents were good enough to come out to Utah for the blessing.

Climbed the y

Bought a house

Gave the baby lots of baths

She's learned to stand sit hold head, she's almost rolling. She gets Yeasty neck when she stores up all her drool in her third layer of neck folds.She also Giggles.

We went with Ryan's parents to body world and saw a bunch of dead people's plastified bodies which was interesting. 

Emma went metal detecting in California and found some pennies and stuff,

Baby Girl

                                   When we found out we were having a baby we were so excited! (And I had those attractive maternity pants to look forward to!)

                                   

We still did a lot when I was pregnant-went to hawaii, went to california, did lots of hiking and photography-and Ryan found a way to take lots of not-so-flattering photos of me...

I had been working for new haven and my last day was October 17th. I was expecting that the baby would come early and all my checkups pointed to that. I was dilating at 36 weeks and by 37 weeks I was at 3 cm and already 70% effaced. At 38 weeks i was at a 4 and at 39 weeks I was still at a 4. The dr stripped my membranes last Friday and said he would be surprised if the baby didn't come in the next 24-36 hours. I was half expecting a Halloween baby or a baby on Ryan's birthday. 

I started recognizing contractions on Saturday and after watching them realized they were coming in pretty close just a minute or two apart- though they weren't hurting at all. After tracking them for a while we called the hospital and they recommended that I go in to be checked. We went and spent an hour there and I stayed at a 4 the whole time and they ended up sending me home. I was a little discouraged but at the same time I didn't feel too bad physically so it was ok. The contractions continued Sunday and Monday but at that point I was not putting any expectations on when the baby would come just trying to stay productive and let things come as they may. 

During the last couple of weeks I had been really enjoying my free time. I had two whole weeks to catch up on projects develop my photography skills, de-stress, fish, go for walks, take more photos, actually be social, etc. without the stress of my job I had the mental and retinal energy to do all the things that I could while very very pregnant. 

The last weekend before Aliya was born I started feeling more cruddy but overall I can't complain about my pregnancy. I never threw up, I was able to work throughout it. I was able to stay active and healthy and wasn't too sick, but I did miss climbing and biking and running and having energy. 

(Laying in the corn box the night we went to shoot zombies with DJ and Jenny)

By Monday(Nov 3) I wasn't feeling great but decided to get some things done (at this point I was almost making up chores). I went to New Haven and returned my keys, I picked up the lawnmower from the shop and mowed the lawn ( while having contractions) I cleaned a few things in the house and made about five more pages of my quiet book. Ryan came home from work and we went out for ice cream and a smash burger. I was starting to have more and more painful contractions. Jen came over to get copies of the photos from the biking shoot we did and brought me some food. She left pretty quickly as I was starting to be in pain. We decided to watch the contractions for an hour and when they kept hurting and being consistent we went to the hospital around 9:30. The drive there was rather painful as the cold car made me shake and hurt. At the hospital they checked me and said I was still at a 4 1/2 but that my cervix was more effaced than before. They had me stay for an hour and checked me again at 11, it was a very painful hour and every contraction made me feel so sick. Like the worst moment from your worst flu lasting for hours.
        At 11 they checked me and said I wasn't progressing and that I would need to go home and would I like some painkillers ( Percocet or morphine) I couldn't  believe they would send me home like that I thought I was dying. We asked for a little time to think and decide. Ryan gave me a blessing and I went to the bathroom and had what I will call a "death poop". Where it felt like my entire body was wringing itself out. It hurt so much and made me so sick. I went back to the hospital bed and had a couple more very painful contractions. Fluid started running out of me and I had Ryan grab the nurse. She checked me again and said that I was at a five and they were going to admit me. I felt very relieved and also felt very terrible. 

They started me on an iv and we're going to try to get penicillin in me for the group b strep and a few liters of fluid before the epidural. I had to wait until 12:30 for the epidural but once it was in me the sick awfulness of contractions was gone and I was able to relax a little even though I was shaking uncontrollably. 

The doctor came in to break my water but right as she was going to do it my water broke. I pushed for about an hour with Ryan and the nurse helping me. And then they told us to slow it down because the doctor was helping the woman next door who was having a baby right then. Pretty soon Aliya could wait no longer and the nurse was anxiously calling the doctor "so the baby is crowning. When will you be here?" The doctor arrived threw on her scrubs and within seconds Aliya was out. Ryan cut the cord and it became clear that Aliya wasn't breathing. She was blue and wasn't crying or anything. They called in the NICU staff and about 15 nurses were suddenly in the room huddled around the warming table trying to get her to breath, they called a code and asked for a resuscitation cart. I kept asking them if my baby was okay and they kept trying to distract me. After a few tense minutes she started breathing she didn't cry but she was breathing they brought her to me. 

She breast-fed right away and was a sweet baby she almost never cries we spent a day and a half in the hospital because we had to but I didn't tear hardly at all and wasn't in any pain I was very blessed. 

After bringing her home I fell in love with her I had no idea how much I would love this little girl the closest experience I've ever had to this was falling in love with Ryan. I feel like my heart has expanded I could just stare at her all day. Sometimes I tear up just thinking about it. The first couple nights it was hard to sleep at all partly out of excitement and partly out of watching to make sure she still breathing. 

I love being a mother more than I ever thought I could. 

At the Hospital  

                                    

Coming Home!

we were so excited we could hardly sleep-that and we wanted to make sure you were still breathing

 
Time with Grandmama

                   

Out on a Hike

I had noticed a squiggle on Aliya's bum and told the doctor about it, when he checked it he said that we'd need to check for a sacral spine defect so we went in for 2 ultrasounds, at first Aliya wasn't happy about it, but then she just fell asleep like a little angel. and everything was fine.

First Bath! She didn't exactly love it. Also she hates it when things touch her face

 I couldn't stay inside all day so we bought a snow suit and an insulated bunting so that I can take her out on walks in the cold winter. 

                      She loves her mama (and her milk) and seems to hate dresses (or getting dressed)

 Ryan is such a good dad 

                           

We love being parents and everything that comes with it.