Ellie's Birth Photos

Ellie is 3 months old today. I finally got around to editing the photos from her birth. It already seems so long ago that she came into our lives. After giving birth to Ellie I thought I might never feel back to normal, but I do. It didn't take that long either. My body is healed and feels pretty much the same, despite those few areas that now giggle. I have started to run again, slowly but surely, it feels great. As I look back on these photos I just think about what a crazy experience it all was. All mothers sacrifice so much and all have their own unique birth story, here is a little glimpse of mine.

 I had to be hooked up to antibiotics since I was so sick

 This is how I managed to get through 7 hours of contractions....I couldn't have done it without him

 Finally got an epidural

 Still waiting into the evening, testing out the GoPro

 This girl was awesome! She was a residents and we just clicked. Her shift ended and she came back for the delivery. I am so glad she did!

 Popsicles and Jello...thats all I had to eat for 22 hours

 epidural started to wear off, and I could definitely feel the contrations

 Ellie was posterior...had to lay on my side to try and get her to flip

 Love him!

 O you know...just pushin

 There she is..my beautiful babe

 Off she went to get monitored in the nursery. 

Ellie Ann- 12 weeks

I cant believe it has been 12 weeks since our little Ellie entered this world. It is already hard to remember her at only a few weeks old, she was so tiny! She is getting so big, and her personality is really starting coming out.  I thought I would never feel the same right after having her, but I feeling back to normal, and even ran a mile today.Parenthood has been a crazy journey so far, but so rewarding. It is so trying somedays with her, but it's amazing how a tiny child can bring you to your breaking point, then in a single moment once they fall asleep or crack a smile you can look at them and realize it's all worth it, and they are so precious. She is on the verge of laughing, and I can't wait to hear it! Parenthood is amazing, I love walking into her room in the morning and seeing her light up with a smile when she sees me. Jared is doing  great as a dad, and does so much to help out.

 Ellie is been a pretty good baby so far. She is a great sleeper, she wakes up about once a night to eat, and has even slept through the night a few times. She isn't the best eater, and has made me want to give up on breastfeeding a few times. I am going to stick it out but boy does it frustrate me. Luckily she takes a bottle, so there have been those few nights where I am out of ideas and I give in. 

Before I had Ellie, and even while I was pregnant I didn't really know how I would be as a mother. I am actually impressed with myself. I find that her crying doesn't bug me too much. Dont get me wrong I have the days when I am totally spent but as far her crying in the car, it doesn't give me anxiety. I guess I figure she is either tired or hungry. If she is tired she is bound to fall asleep and if she is hungry we will be home or wherever we are going in 10-15 minutes and she can eat then. I am always worried that her crying is bugging someone else, because it doesn't bother me too much. I cant wait for her to hit more mile stones, we are grateful to be her parents, she is an absolute joy!

BTW: Jared has been dealing with her this whole time, she is having a bad day and night :/

Eleanor Ann Medley

I realized that I would soon be meeting my daughter at 6:15 in the morning on Monday, March 12. I woke up to use the bathroom and as I was leaving the bathroom my water broke. For those of you who have never experience your water breaking, holy cow, it is a gush of water. Doctors say it can be a gush or a trickle, well this was a gush, and it kept on coming! I yelled for Jared, and we got our bags together. In my mind I thought my water broke I HAVE to get to the hospital NOW. Well we got the the hospital and got admitted by 6:30. My contractions started getting strong and regular by 7:30. They were 5 minuted apart and lasted for about a minute. I was dilated to a 3 at this point. I labored naturally for 6 hours, and had made no progress...still a 3. I couldn't believe that I hadn't made any progress, so I got an epidural. I was so happy I got it, I was finally able to get some rest. Pretty much everything I had written in my birth plan went out the window. I was sick and had a fever so I had to be on antibiotics, and I was put on pitocen since I wasn't progressing. I was able to take my mind off things by watching the Bachelor season finale, and Miriam was there...we had to watch it together!! At this point I was dilated to a 4 or 5, and things started moving faster. At Midnight the doctor had me push, I would make some progress but not enough to keep pushing so I kept waiting. It was finally time to push around 2am. The doctor realized that Ellie was posterior so she had to be turned. So I pushed for 2 hours and felt every minute of it. The epidural had started to wear off, it was crazy! Ellie finally greeted the world at around 3:45, weighing 8lb 15 oz. Almost 9 pounds!!!! She had to be taken right to the nursery to be monitored because her heart rate had gone up pretty high during delivery. She also had a fever since I had a fever. Jared went with Ellie while they finished things up with me. I was SO TIRED. I had labored for 22 hours, and couldn't eat anything except jello and Popsicles the whole time. I was so out of it. We ended up staying in the hospital for 3 days. Ellie had to be in the ICU only because she had to be on antibiotics as a precaution. It was tough having to go to the ICU every time I had to feed but the nurses were so nice and helpful, which made it a little easier. We were so happy to be able to come home and settle in. 

This was such a crazy experience, not at all how I thought it would go. I had an awesome experience delivering at American Fork Hospital, everyone there was so nice. Jared and I are so proud of our beautiful daughter. I can't believe we made this baby. After 2 weeks things are feeling more natural, I am feeling so much better, we are getting use to having a baby in the house. We just love Ellie so much, and my love for Jared has grown so much. I am so grateful for him, I couldn't have gotten through labor without him. We love our little family, and can't wait to see Ellie grow. 

The Three of Us

One of the first times I realized I was falling in love with Jared was when he played this song in front of me.  I was making a playlist for the hospital the other day and put this song on it. I listened and realized that our family wont just be the two of us anymore but the three of us, and we will have a new little one to fall in love with. Still counting down the days.........

3 More Weeks!!

3 Weeks until my due date!!!! In the last few weeks I have had such a mix of emotions. Part of me is anxious and nervous, not just about labor but about motherhood in general. I feel sad that my little girl is soon going to be here and not in my belly anymore. Even though I have been so uncomfortable my baby will never be as close to me as she is right now. She is definitely getting some last kicks to my ribs in, making sure I wont forget what it was like to have her in my tummy. I cant wait to hold her little newborn body in my arms and have her snuggle on my chest. 

Today I was asked to come in and say a few words about motherhood to the young women in the ward. I was asked during sacrament meeting so I had a few hours to ponder motherhood and my thought on becoming a parent. I re-read the Family Proclamation to the World and thought about the huge responsibility we have as parents to raise our children. As women we are given such an amazing gift from our Heavenly Father to be mothers and carry a child. Going through pregnancy I have gained a stronger testimony of the Plan of Salvation and the fact that a spirit is being sent to Jared and I. Heavenly Father is entrusting us with one of his children, and it is such an honor. I have realized that I want to strive to be a better person and commit myself to studying the gospel more so I can be an example to my children. 

33 Weeks

As I continue to grow, and grow, and grow I cant help but think that a grabber like the one pictured above would come in so handy! For all you who have been pregnant, wouldn't this be amazing? Bending over had become a chore. Getting dressed is a workout in itself, especially trying to put on shoes. Thank goodness for my slip on Uggs :) I think about how the grabber would come in handy when laying on the couch and the remote is just out of reach...... I should really get one of these! 

The baby is the size of a pineapple, weighing 4 pounds and measures 17 inches. I swear sometimes she feels like a pineapple too, poking and prodding my ribs (ouch!). Its daunting to think that she will gain 3-4 more pounds by the time the delivery comes. I welcome it though, as long as she is healthy. Jared and I are starting to day dream about whether she will have dark hair, or big brown eyes, who she will resemble more??? We cant wait to meet her. The weeks are going to pretty fast believe it or not. We have had our birthing class every week which we have really enjoyed, and I have the Bachelor to watch every Monday with Miriam (its our guilty pleasure). The countdown continues until the delivery day!!!