Growing Like a Weed

This little beauty is growing so quickly! It's a joy to see her change everyday and we are so thankful to share in watching her grow with all our family and friends. She has such a fun personality and I love to see it flourish! She thinks she is a big girl and that she can do everything on her own. I'm so blessed to spend my days with her. 

Shabby Chic Bridal Shower

Not only is my little sister about to be married, but she has trusted me to be her MOH! I'm so excited for this role on her big day but also excited to get to be a part of planning all her showers and bachelorette festivities! 

My co MOH (my baby sister) and the bridesmaids and I all got together and through an awesome Shabby Chic inspired bridal shower! 

In the past we have always done all our showers, with one exception, at the bank in the training room, but for this shower we held it at the Thorntown Library. It was very nice and it is free for rent to library cardholders. 

We had a big dessert bar, and I even made the cake! I am not a cake maker by any means but I have made a few cakes and they have all turned out pretty good. 

Because my sister LOVES chocolate, we had a chocolate fountain and even a chocolate tower for everyone to enjoy! 

The shower went great and we all enjoyed getting to celebrate the soon to be Mrs Hiland!! 13 more days! 

Bachelorette Bash/Beer Olympics

I have the privilege of being the MOH for my sister Chelseas big day! I can't believe that in just 13 days she will be Mrs Hiland! It seems like such a long time coming, since they have been together for the last 11 years. 

I'm so thankful I get to stand up with her along with my baby sister Michaela. All of us bridesmaids came together and through a very sweet shower and bachelorette bash honoring Chelsea! 

My sister has such special friends who all get to celebrate in her wedding festivities.

Our first of 3 events was the Bachelorette Bash which was a night out on the town. We started out the night at the hotel, which my sisters friends had gotten to earlier to decorate. It looked perfect! They did not go lightly on the "penis" attire.

We left there to go to Hard Rock Cafe where we enjoyed dinner and drinks. Then back to the hotel for games, gifts and photo booth! 

The following day was Beer Olympics at Chelsea and Aaron's house. We had a volleyball tourney, Big Brother inspired relay game, "fundies" race, egg toss, and many drinking games, which made up the beer Olympics.

We had a score board and for each event teams were drawn and then the winning teams were awarded a certain number of points to determine the winners of the beer Olympics!  

The event was complete with trophies that I made from beer cans and alcohol bottles. 

Needless to say the winners were SUPER excited to have won their titles! (Some feeling very patriotic as well) 

I think it's safe to say the Bachelorette weekend was a HUGE success!! 

Being an Aunt

I thought being a mom was going to be the most amazing thing in the world, and trust me it truly is, the being an aunt is almost just as special. 

On Thursday, April 21, 2016 my baby sister delivered a beautiful healthy baby boy Callen Michael. I was so blessed to be able to be there during the labor process and wait patiently in the waiting room while she pushed. 

My little sister was so strong, Callen arrived three weeks early and while she was having contractions five minutes apart she kept telling herself "this is not real I cannot be in labor yet,"but she was, and as soon as I saw her I knew she was. I knew she was just scared, which everyone would be. Once we got to the hospital at 11 PM they checked her and told her that she was 4 cm and 80% effaced and that she was going to be having a baby. My mom and my other sister Chelsea we're so excited! So we stayed and pulled an all night or. It was my first night away from Everly so I missed her so much, but I knew she was at home perfectly sleeping with her daddy. 

As Michaela's contractions begin to get closer and stronger Chelsea who was her birthing coach did an amazing job. The love us three girls have for each other is one that is beyond words. It is so much more than just sisterly love. We are best friends. And that goes for my mom as well, she's our best friend too. We banded together like a family that we are and help my baby sister bring this beautiful little boy into the world. 

At 12:21PM on April 21 Callen was born! He was 8 pounds and 21 inches long and tons of black hair. He's so perfect! It was a memorable occasion for everyone The moment I got to hold him was so special. I wasn't aunt! And Brian wasn't Uncle! For the first time!! And we could not have been more excited. 

The moment that I got to hold him was beyond special! He was perfect he was everything I had dreamed up and I was so proud of my baby sister for all that she has done, not only just the last nine months of having a very hard high-risk pregnancy but for delivering this little boy like a champ! #BeastMode 😉

Wine Wait is OVER!

While in Europe prior to being pregnant we went to this amazing little Italian place in Switzerland owned by an Italian couple. It was our anniversary dinner and it was so memorable. While at this dinner I had the best "bottle" of wine in my life. 

   

Disclaimer: it was a LONG meal, I'm talking hours, and this wine was only 5% alcohol.

It was a moscato di'asti! It was from Italy and it was the most expensive wine I had ever had (mind you I don't normally order a whole bottle at a restraunt, so expensive to me is not like others) it was over $40 for the bottle but once I had two glasses I decided price wise I should drink the whole bottle, plus we were on vacation and it was our anniversary, plus is was 5% alcohol.

Fast forward a month and we are back in the US. We were attending a concert in my friends field. (No joke, a concert in the middle of a cornfield, like you see in country music videos.) Brian found me a moscato di'asti for the night and I was on cloud nine! It was so good. 

Since I was the DD to drive my family home from the concert for the night, while we were at the pre-game party I was able to enjoy the whole bottle again. It was not exactly the same but it was close, and it was hitting the spot. Brian drove us all to the concert and I didn't drink anymore. (Told you this in so my Grandma knows I was good 😊) After the concert all the "drunkies" decided we needed Taco Bell, so off to taco "hell" I drove. I ended up getting a taco, then after getting home and eating we all went to bed.

The next morning around 6 AM I woke up and could have sworn I was hung over! I was puking, felt super nauseous, had a headache, and it was terrible. After sleeping on the bathroom floor until 9, I decided it had to have been taco "hell", since I didn't drink enough to ever even get a buzz let alone be hung over today. All morning I felt terrible.......the next morning same thing.....this leading to me realizing I may be pregnant and should take a test. And indeed....+PREGNANT!!!! 

Yes this was super exciting since we had JUST started "trying", but it was bittersweet because it meant that the amazing wine I just discovered would not be able to be enjoyed again for close to a year. 

Today, an entire 11 months and one day later, after working up my milk stash, I had my first "glass" of the moscato di'asti. (Did I mention it taste like Sprite!!) Another disclaimer: I didn't drink this whole "glass" because enjoying a glass of wine with a newborn is different too, plus I think my eyes were bigger than my tummy because it had been so long. But I did enjoy it in between being a mommy. It was worth the wait and since it's so low in alcohol content I was able to avoid pumping and dumping!!! 

Back to "work" after having a baby

When I began my Mary Kay business my whole goal was to be able to be a work from home mom, make money, and not miss any of my kids moments. The goal of working from home actually happened prior to even trying to have kids, so once we were pregnant, I was fortunate enough to be pregnant and working from home as well.

This was such a blessing and I wish every women could stay home while pregnant especially in the first and third trimester. For me those were the hardest. The first I was so incredibly sick I lost 20 lbs, and had to be on nausea meds until 18 weeks, and the third I was miserable, and large and not getting any sleep because I had to pee every two seconds.

So after baby girl arrived I was able to work a little by delivering products to customers when it fit into my schedule. So I was still making money. I decided to take 6 weeks off from having any appointments so I could focus on learning to be a mom. This time period was great but I was missing my Mary Kay time. Here is baby girl on our first delivery after she was born: 

After 6 weeks I was chomping at the bit to get back into a routine with working out, Mary Kay, and still being a great Mom. I knew it would be a transition, but I was ready for it. 

I held my first weekly meeting and all was great! There was a great turn out, and Everly has some time with Daddy, which turned out to be funny because she had he first blow out!! 

So now I'm learning to work while she naps, wherever that may be, and get into a routine. 

So thankful for the amazing opportunity Mary Kay Ash has created so I can do this "work" thing while still being at home with my baby girl. Feeling very blessed. 

 

"Sucker" Babies

As soon as people find out you're pregnant everyone has their opinion on what you should do and what you shouldn't do when raising YOUR child. Not only is this super annoying most of the time but sometimes the information you are getting is from someone who is misinformed. 

I can't even count how many times I was told to NOT give a baby a pacifier if they are breastfed. (Now for a disclaimer: I am not a lactation specialist or an expert by any means, but I have consulted with a lactation specialist, and have done the whole trial and error method.) I heard things like "that pacifier will be the worst thing you could do if you are breastfeeding", or "if they take a pacifier they will stop nursing due to nipple confusion." So when our daughter came out and was clearly a "sucker" I knew there was no way to keep her away from a pacifier. Granted she did come out and latch right away so latching was luckily never a problem, but I do feel if your baby is not latching or it's difficult, then you may want to try and avoid the paci. 

We tried to not give in to the pacifier but she was sucking her hands so much that it led to her scratching her face up, so we decided the paci was the way to go. The nurses kept reassuring us it would be ok because she had been feeding well and some babies are just "suckers" and the need to suck is natural. Once we have in she was as happy as can be and loved the paci. 

Today we really saw what happens when a baby who is a "sucker" doesn't have her pacifier. Believe it or not a "sucker" baby will still suck even if they don't have a pacifier, because they will use their own body. Little miss gave herself her first Hickie on her first Easter. She sucked her arm so much that she has a purple spot. Makes me sad, but makes me thankful we did not chose to withhold a pacifier from a baby that wanted/needed to suck.  The only problem is when it falls out and she finds her arm while driving home from a family gathering, this results in a Hickie. 

I would much rather have an adorable baby that's happy with a paci in her mouth as opposed to a frustrated baby with a Hickie on her arm. :-(

Again I'm not an expert and these are just my experiences but please understand that sucking is a natural instinct for babies and I'm not a bad mother for giving her a paci nor is she never going to latch again. She is such a happy baby but does require a paci once in a while. 

Why my delivery was not what I thought but still AMAZING

When you are pregnant you download all these apps to help you understand what you need to be doing and when, and what's going on with your body and baby's growth. Around week 36 all the apps suggested to make a birth plan. Me, being the planner I am, already had this done. 

My birth plan was simple. 

-labor at home as long as possible

-have an unmediated birth

-utilize all tools to keep me busy and moving throughout labor

-STAY POSITIVE (I didn't want to be that wife who screams at her husband during birth)

We sat down with a nurse at the hospital to tell her our plan, reserve a room with a tub (so I could enjoy a relaxing bath during contractions), and fill out all the paperwork. 

As Everlys due date came and went we both began to get a little impatient. At my 40 week appt the dr brought up the terrible "induction" word! We dismissed it and said we wanted to wait a little longer, so I was scheduled the following week for an ultrasound and non stress test to check on baby. 

Week 41 came around and that Monday I went in for the test. Baby was head down, non stress test was good (although she was asleep and didn't wake up until the last 10'mins, so again they used the terrible "I" word) they said she was measuring at 9 lbs, and last but not least she had too much fluid. 

At that point we no longer had a choice on the induction. Our only choice was if we wanted to come back the next day or two days later to have our baby girl.we decided to wait the two days in hopes that for some reason I would go into labor naturally. 

Things were honestly not lining up as we had "planned." I was only 1 cm dialated, 50% effaced and she had not dropped at all (due to all the amniotic fluid). So what honestly happened was I needed those two days to come to terms with the fact I was going to start my hopeful "unmediated birth" with two medications: cervidil Wednesday night for 12 hours then pitocin in the am until delivery. 

Brian had class he needed to go to and I needed to be at the hospital at 6 PM so my mom took me to be checked in and Brian was going to join after class at 9 M. I had prepared myself and Brian that it would be a long labor. 

After checking in and getting all hooked up, they decided they needed to wait to give me the cervidil because Everlys heartrate was too high. (It was right at her active time of day) After 2 hours they were able to move forward and the cervidil was inserted at 8 PM. My contractions began about 30 mins later but we're not bad at all. After Brian arrived it was of to "Sleep" as we knew the night would be long. 

Throughout the entire night Everly was VERY active and kept moving away from the monitors so about every half hour or sooner the nurses would come in to try and find her heart beat again. So needless to say we did not get much sleep and it didn't help they had me on fluids so I had to pee all the time. 

At 6 AM the nurses removed the cervidil and I was able to take a shower. (Trust me although you may not feel like taking a shower DO IT! Things are about to get messy and you will be glad you took one) Around 7:30 AM my Dr came in to check my progress and informed me I was now 3 cm and 90% effaced, I was happy the cervidil did something, but wished it was more. While the Dr checked me she also broke my water, which was an experience of its own. Due to having too much amniotic fluid it truly felt like my water broke multiple times with large gushes. Once my water was broke we realized Everly had already had her first poop (because my waters were yellow instead of clear), which meant that NICU would have to be in the room at delivery. This was totally not a big deal, but my heart did sink a little when they even mentioned the word "NICU." 

Once my water broke they were able to attach a small tracker to the top of Everlys head in order to monitor her heart rate, which helped since I didn't have to wear the monitor around my belly anymore. They also began the Pitocin at this point. They began giving it to me on a small dose, and came in every half and hour to up the dosage. This is when the contractions became painful. 

I did everything I could think of to push through them. We played cards with my Mom, I sat on my birthing ball, I walked around, and I tried to breath through them. After 4.5 hours my drip was on the highest does of 20, and my contractions were strong, long and coming every minute without a break in between. By this point I was exhausted, and in tears with each contraction. The nurse checked me and I just knew I had made a ton of progress because my contractions were so strong, so when she said "5 cm, baby still at -2, and 90% effaced", I started to cry. Of course I blamed it on the pain of the contraction, which it kinda was, but mostly it was frustration that I was not progressing and fear of having to have a c-section.

I REALLY didn't want the epidural, but by 12:30 I had to give in. My nurse said she was shocked I lasted that long bc my contractions were so hard and close together. Brian was so wonderful throughout the entire process and when the contractions got really bad he would watch the monitor and say "wow honey a new personal best, that one was 130," I don't think he realized that I didn't think that was a good thing, but I was in too much pain and my contractions too close together to even try and tell him. 

When the anesthesiologist came in I honestly thought he was a "student" because he looked to be Brian and I's age. He was very nice and did a great job but it was so hard to stay still while having contractions back to back, but I'm so thankful I did. He just happened to be an IU grad and also a fellow FIJI like Brian so I trusted him wholeheartedly. 

Once I got the epidural the pain became nonexistent. It turned into pressure instead of pain which I was ok with. My

legs were numb, my bladder had to be drained by the nurse, and I was shaking like a leaf, but I was no longer in pain! 

Before I fell asleep my nurse (who I adored) brought it what they call a "peanut ball." THIS WAS KEY TO MY DELIVERY!!!  She placed the peanut so that I was on my side with it between my legs which allows your hips to open. I fell right to sleep and an hour and a half later she came back to check me. 

"10 cm, 100% effaced, baby still high but  we are going to start pushing in 30 mins," I was so excited, shocked, scared, anxious, etc. This was it! The moment we had been waiting for and I had a wonderful painfree nap right before hand. I was feeling good! 

After pushing my family out of the room (really wasn't too hard they knew this was a moment for Brian and I), we began the pushing! This was not like the movies make it out to be. I did not scream, or cuss or tell Brian I hated him, I just focused on the job at hand and listened to my nurse, who was an amazing birth coach. After an hour of pushing Everly Yvonne was born! 

There isn't words to describe the feeling you have when you hear your precious babies first cries or the flood of emotions when they place her on your chest. 

She was perfect! She was super alert and wide awake. We were so excited to let the family come back and meet her but decided to take an hour or so for just the three of us. 

Brian was so excited to go out and tell the family he was a dad and she had arrived. (That's another feeling words can't explain is the love you have for your husband when you see him become a daddy)

Finally the family got to come in and meet her and they were so excited!! 

Finally we were moved into a post pardom room where we finished out our stay at the hospital. 

My labor was not what we had planned, but it was beautiful, full of love, and resulted in a perfect, healthy baby girl being brought into the world.