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Saturday, January 31, 2015

All Things BABY!

With a lot of my cute friends due with babies lately, I thought I would put together my own "Must Haves" baby items list. This is kind of long, but I know what it's like to sit on the computer for hours trying to find the perfect registry list to mimic! I found a bunch and then just registered for the most consistent items and asked my friends about the rest and that's how we made our haul and I am pretty happy with all the items we use.

FIRST OF ALL, every baby and every family is different. If I have learned anything as a mother it is - "Google it - try it. If it does work: Google it and try something else"! (<- Not joking) I ask my friends and family lots of questions and that helps, too! Also, I have learned as a mother to try not to compare you baby (or LIFE) with others - they are all different. What works for Marlo, may not work for other babies, however, it's always nice to know what has worked for others. It's already hard enough being a Mom - don't make it harder. I avoid the drama and try not to get too involved in totally legit Facebook discussions and that helps :) Watch this video. It's all so true! I can relate to completely.

I'll put it in a ABC order and also try and link the actual item I have...

For Baby:

Aspirator - The NoseFrida ROCKS! It's so weird at first but it gets the boogies out better than anything else! Come their first cold, you'll be so grateful you have this. (I know I was!)

Bath Time Goodies - We borrowed this tub (but in pink) from my sister. It's perfect and hopefully in the next month we won't need it for Marlo anymore because she will be sitting up. We never bathed Marlo in the sink because I didn't want to worry about keeping my sink clean at all times - although it would have been a great motivator! We use Johnson's for Shampoo and Body Wash. The lavender scent smells so good!

Bed - Marlo slept in a bassinet (it was propped up in a holder) for the first 3 months and then we transitioned her to her crib (my Dad made our crib - it's amazing). I have a pack 'n play but haven't used it yet. We were originally planning on putting her in the pack 'n play in her room and I am so grateful we got a bassinet passed down to us from a friend to use instead. WAY smaller and more compact. I will definitely use the pack 'n play as she gets older and may need a "cage" to keep her out of things.

Blankets - Aden and Anis swaddles are EVERYTHING! People build them up for a reason. A 4-pack will be plenty. Then I would get a few floor blankets that are think and fluffy. Believe it or not, we have NO minky blankets! Mostly because no one got us any, but I think it's fine. Also, to make your swaddling easier - try this. So helpful! Marlo was swaddled to bed for the first 3 months and now we use a sleep sack which is so great, too. No blankets in the crib - and take off your bumpers - to reduce risk of SIDS.

Boppy - So I ordered the free one you can get online (only pay $12 in shipping) but I totally regret it because it's small. It does the job, but sometimes I have to prop her up more with a pillow wedged. Next baby, I am totally getting one of these! Even if you don't breastfeed, this is great for on the floor, propping them up after you feed them a bottle, or to use while feeding them a bottle. Your hubby will thank you too because their arms get tired during those long few hour naps :)

Bottles - I like MAM and Dr. Browns. Marlo takes either really well. Lately, she has preferred the MAM because it has a faster flow (even though I have a slower nipple on it) than the Dr. Browns BUT, I like to keep her flow slow because I still breastfeed her and you better believe it doesn't come that fast! And I love this for drying bottles and such. It's classy and doesn't take up a lot of room. (If you plan to bottle feed or you aren't sure, I wouldn't buy a bunch of bottles. (If you are exclusively bottle feeding, not sure what to tell you because we aren't at that point.) You may get a ton for gifts - I would take it back to get store credit so you only have 1 of each type to try out and then asses how many bottles you will need. We have too many, probably. ALSO - Just buy the big one's. They move up to eating 4-6 ounces so fast that the little bottles are useless! Even our lightweight can down a 6 oz bottle and has been since she was 3 months.)

Bouncer - We just bought a used bouncer that vibrates for $10 and I am glad we did because Marlo doesn't care for it now, she loved it when she was younger. If your baby is bigger, they will grow out of it fast. But Marlo is small and still fits in hers, she just can sit up in the Bumbo now. (P.S - You don't need to buy a Bumbo for about 4 months so don't stress about having it right away.) A lot of my friends have this one but I love this one but it's pricey. 

Breastfeeding - I use this pump, but, if I did it all over again I would buy a much smaller and simpler pump. I tried to double pump once and I was a mess. It couldn't even handle it and it started leaking my milk in the tubes! Nightmare. Anyway - take it from me, who has a good relationship with the pump, you don't need a double pump. I won't go into much more detail about pumping, but if you have any questions, let me know. (If you know you're going to pump, which I highly recommend even if you are going to stay home with your baby (you never know when you may need a bottle or extra supply), I would ask the hospital for LOTS of milk storage bags. They only gave me a few samples so I had to buy some, which is fine because they are fairly inexpensive, but I heard if you ask they will give you a lot!)

A few tips on keeping your supply up: Fenugreek (totally works), LOTS of water (you will be totally parched every time you breastfeed - trust me - Nephi hates it because if I don't have my water he has to get up (even during the night) to get me water or else I feel like I am going to die), oatmeal (it's magical), and Mother's Milk Tea (just used this the other day because I had a supply scare and it worked SO well!). Breastfeeding is hard, scary, and so emotional. Again, I won't go into much more detail but I have had an interesting experience that if you are interested in hearing, ask away :). 

Carrier - We registered and got an Ergo 360. Mostly because I knew Nephi wouldn't wear a cloth sling and because I felt like it was sturdier and after doing my research it proved to be the best for what we were specifically looking for. I have tried the Solly Baby Wrap and I REALLY liked it for me. Next baby, I will get one. It would have been convenient many times and great for bonding. I never really got into the baby-wearing thing and I wish I did - not that it's too late. We just recently started putting Marlo in the Ergo more around the house because she has been having days where she wants to be held and she really likes it! She faces outward and falls asleep sometimes in it. We are training her for when we go to Hawaii in a few weeks :)

Carseat - This was by far the HARDEST thing to shop for! I read blogs after blogs about it and tried to find one not ridiculously expensive that I would regret it, but save and long lasting. Just DON'T get a Graco! They always have recalls on them. They seems so appealing with the travel system, but just resist that urge. I got the Chicco KeyFit 30 and we really like it. It's actually bigger and little heavier than I would like, but, it has great reviews. Ideally, you want something for 35 lbs. and this is for 30 lbs., but she will probably be too tall for it anyway when she gets up to that weight so we will have to switch out to a forward facing. (That will be another major challenge.)

Diapers - Everyone told me Papers Swaddlers were the best - and they were pretty great! We used them for newborn (which she was in those for the first month - not typical) and then we used what everyone else gave us. We've used: Huggies Little Snugglers, Target ("Up & Up"), Walmart ("Parent's Choice"), LUVS, and Honest Company. Here's my ranking:

1) Pampers Swaddlers for newborn and even size 1 (they are just a little pricey)
2) Target for everything else! Usually on sale with gift cards and work so great. They actually run a little big too. Marlo is still in size 1. She will probably move up to a size whenever we run out of the size 1. You can always fold the diaper down in the front. 
3) LUVS - Cheap and cute! They work great. The only thing I don't like about them is that they don't have a wet indicator on it so you can't just check to see if their wet by looking at the outside of the diaper.
4) Huggies Snugglers - She's had a few more blowout's in these. I think they run small. 
5) Parent's Choice - Also a few blowout's in these and I think they run small as well. They are really cheap though so not a terrible option to save money.  
6) Honest Company - I know, I know - they are cute, and organic, but they don't absorb a BIT! We just got a pack as a gift and Nephi could not wait to get rid of them. Her poop would just slosh around in it - ha! Sorry for the detail. But it was bad. Bad blowouts. I would only use if Marlo had an allergy to normal diapers. 

People say that there are better diapers for girls than boys - I wouldn't know. But worth some experimenting! ALSO - This blog SAVES me! I always forget a good price on diapers per piece to look for and when I wanted to stock up I didn't want to buy too much and have her grow out of them so I looked at her blog dozens of times...a week...her blog stats probably highlight that she has a stalker in Idaho Falls. Ha! Hard to stock up on inventory when kids are different but I haven't met 1 person her doesn't like the Target brand so I would stock up on size 1 to start (3 jumbo packs would be a good supply). 

Clothes - I only know from a baby girl perspective, but I would evaluate what you get from your shower (I didn't really register for specific clothes - only white onesies) based on sizes and essentials. I think you want 4-6 pj's (if Marlo didn't mess or spit up, she wears jammies 2 nights in a row - bad Mom?), 6 white onesies (long sleeves with the mitts are great for newborns), and then you add on however many outfits after that! Marlo didn't have a ton of clothes for her size at first and now she is in 3-6 months and can still wear some 0-3 and has a ton of clothes! BUT, she is very skinny, but tall/average, so she's hard to shop for. I'm still learning, but I am glad I returned a bunch of pj's because I had a lot of footsie onesies and I like to dress Marlo in outfits during the day and then consider most footsie onesies as pj's - but that's just me. If you're having a girl, just ask me where to shop for bows and headbands!

Diaper Bag - I have a City Carryall diaper bag by Petunia Pickle Bottom. They don't have my style anymore, but I LOVE it. It's a great size for us because we honestly don't cart around too much. I love the size, it has great pockets, easy to clean, and have a fold out diaper changing station (that is kinda of small but still great). It's hard to choose the best size and fit but I really like this one. For me, I just wanted one that was neutral but matched me, and that has a zipper on top! I would highly recommend a diaper pouch so you don't have to take your whole diaper bag to the changing room. My sister made me a super cute one and I love it! 

Formula - We like Similac a lot and Sam's Club brand. Marlo hasn't had any bad reactions or constipation from it. It's a great supplement for her when she needs it. The best advice I got was if 1 kind works - stick with it and don't experiment too much! I have a bunch of samples and she has tried Enfamil before too and was fine so I may just try to finish using that up because formula is EXPENSIVE! (One of my biggest motivators to keep breastfeeding is to avoid the formula bill.)

Glider/Rocker - I just bought one on a garage sale group on Facebook for $30 and then my grandpa made cushions for it with the fabric I picked out! At first she didn't really care for it, but now Nephi rocks her in it before she goes to bed each  night. It's not a game changer for her, but it looks cute in her room! Next baby, I want to splurge on one of these! It would be more comfortable for me to sleep in if needed.

Humidifier - Love having a humidifier. In their first few weeks they will be naturally a little congested from being in the womb so the moisture can help with that. And when they get their first cold you will be so glad you just have it and you don't have to go out and buy one mid-panic. Just BUY one (or register for one) NOW! Try and find a spot in your room and their room where to put it. You may need to improvise but it's worth not having the nursery look totally cute. 

Monitor - No joke, we use this set (its considered VINTAGE now!). My Mom used it when I was a baby! But she brought it over when she came for the birth and I thought it was a joke but we kept it and it works great. Marlo isn't very mobile yet so I am not too worried but we will need a video monitor soon I am sure. This is the one I want based on this blog post. Also, would love to have this but I am not as paranoid as I thought I would be because we don't elevate the crib and we took the bumpers off and she doesn't sleep with a blanket.

Stroller - This one the second hardest item to choose! I assumed I would get a travel system but then was talking to my sister and friend and they both said NOT to get a travel system but to get a nicer stroller and that it would be worth it. They suggested the City Select by Baby Jogger and after doing my research, I was convinced! Like cars and other technology, strollers upgrade and get new features all the time. This made me super anxious that I would buy something and then a new and improved version would come out! So, I knew I had to have the 2014 version of whatever I had. That made my decision more expensive, but, my group gift at my shower in AZ was money for the stroller which I had hoped to use it on the car seat and stroller, but, ended up just using it on the stroller. I got mine on a super sale and haven't seen it lower since. This nice thing about the City Select is that they have a version that you can turn it into a double stroller. You have to buy those attachments but when that times, we will do that. At least we already bought the more expensive part (not even using out own money). I have to say that I was worried I would have buyers remorse but I have NONE! It's a little heavy, but compacts flat (you have to take the seat off) and then you have to buy an attachment for the car seat. We used it as much as we can and now Marlo is big enough that we can just put her in the seat part instead of having to bring the car seat.

Swing - Some kids don't like to swing and that knowledge terrified me about buying a swing! I didn't want to pay a lot of money (or even $20) on a swing and then Marlo not even like it! So, we just borrowed one from Nephi's aunt and it's been great! I didn't have to pay for it AND I don't have to store it (MAJOR PLUS). She likes to swing side-to-side (not front to back) and she takes her naps in it. It was really great when she was a newborn because when she slept all the time and I had to do things I could just buckle her in there. Now, we use it as a tool to actually get her to take a nap. She will take 2-3 hour naps in that thing! If you had to choose between a swing and a bouncer, that would be a hard choice because you never know what your baby will like more!


I hope this helped you think of items to add or take off your registry! It can be overwhelming and everyone today me just to wait till she gets here to get everything - but I am glad I didn't wait on everything :) Good luck!


Sunday, January 18, 2015

MILESTONES & WEEKENDS


We love seeing Marlo go through new milestones! This weekend, we tried Oatmeal Cereal (we had some given to us from a friend). She wasn't the biggest fan :( The only reason I was in a rush to try it was because for 2 days in a row she didn't sleep through the night. Even when she was sick last week she slept through the night so I was hoping we could get her on cereal to help her to sleep through the night again. But, looks like we will have to try again in a few weeks! 


But, good news is that she is back to sleeping through the night again - whew! We love our sleep apparently because we were both kind of a mess for 2 days. It's easy to forget what it was like in the beginning, but Marlo has been sleeping through the night for about 6 weeks so it feels like it's always been this way! 

This is the last time she will be able to wear this dress! Too short :( It's one of my favorites on her. 
Nephi changing Marlo's diaper on Saturday. 


We had a good relaxing weekend. Two weekends ago we had family in town and last weekend Marlo was sick and it was kind of terrible so we were looking forward to a chill weekend with a healthy babe! On Friday we rented When the Game Stands Tall and hit the bed early. Saturday we hung around the house, cleaned, did laundry, napped, and then went to the new sandwich shop Togo's (really yummy) and Orange Leaf. 

We have church at 9 a.m. now so today we've had a long day of relaxing, I made beef and broccoli, and of course we have been watching football! Marlo took a almost 3 hour nap, which was awesome, and I have been catching up on blogging and doing things around the house. I LOVE 9 a.m. church! It makes for a long Sunday which is great for us because our time together during the week is so limited. Love this little fam of mine. 

Blessing Day


1|4|2015 
Marlo Ingrid Guymon

Sandcreek 3rd Ward - Lincoln Stake - Idaho Falls, Idaho

Blessing by Father, Nephi Guymon

In the circle: Martin Smith, Boyd Guymon, Sheridan Smith, Zach Johnson, Tim Cannon, Donald Guymon, Darryl Guymon, Brent Guymon, Tyson Guymon, Jonathan Guymon, and Andrew Bodily




















 

Sunday, January 11, 2015

{Birth Story: Marlo Ingrid Guymon}

B I R T H * S T O R Y
Written by Mallory

Tuesday, September 2, 2014
We go to our doctors appointment and I am dilated to a 2 and 90% effaced. I was tempted to have them strip my membranes because with the next day as my due date and having had no contractions, I knew that I wasn't going to have this baby anytime soon. I opted not to and tried to stick with allowing this baby to come on her own time (against my selfish desires). OH, and it was my birthday too. I kept forgetting that. I got my carpets cleaned and went to dinner with my parents and Nephi.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014
NO BABE - Still working. I want to die.

Thursday, September 4, 2014
I think I had 1 contraction in the morning and it freaked me out. I went to work and told my boss I was going to start my maternity leave, packed up my desk and was out of there and out to lunch with Nephi to enjoy our last moments of just the two of us.


Friday, September 5, 2014
NO BABE. Enjoyed the day by organizing the final details of my house and worked on Marlo's room. Took an evening walk with Nephi and ate pineapple to get this baby going!

Saturday, September 6, 2014
Woke up at 4:30 a.m. with burning tummy pain. Went to the bathroom (no signs of baby), went back to bed. Woke up at 8 a.m. with burning tummy pain (almost like cramps). Laid in bed waiting for Nephi to wake up. Had another burning tummy pain and told him that I THINK I am having contractions  - I am not sure. Over the past few weeks anytime I would have braxton hicks or anything that felt slightly like contractions (to my current understanding) he would want to start timing. Uh, NO. I did not want that. I only wanted to time when it for for real - and I knew I would know when that was. So, after another burning tummy pain, we officially starting timing them on the app on my phone. For the remainder of the day I had contractions every 20-40 minutes. At one point, I went almost an hour during a nap and we decided to go for a walk to the gas station to get a Vitamin Water to take to the hospital.  Our bags were all packed and we got showered and ready for the hospital earlier on in the day which made the day feel looooong. Nephi was a little zealous to say the least.

During this whole day full of contractions and preparation, I kept catching myself not wanting the contractions to grow closer together, but kept saying on the outside that I wanted her to come. I clearly felt conflicted, scared, and nervous for the whole thing. I really wanted to meet her, but I really liked just being Nephi and I and our great life together. But, the feelings of not wanting to be pregnant anymore would soon remind me and then I would want her out! I look back now and can say that I LOVED carrying Marlo, but at the time I wasn't so flowery.

Around 9 p,m. we were all sitting around watching "Saving Mr. Banks" and my Dad made the comment, "If you don't stay active, you are not having that baby tonight." That scared me because maybe it meant that I was going to be having these contractions (that were getting worse and more evenly 20 minutes apart for 60 seconds/piece) for a few more DAYS!? So I called the hospital and told them where I was at and asked them if I should stay active or sleep. They said to try and sleep and labor as long as I can at home. My parents left and went to my brothers to stay the night there and Nephi and I started getting ready for bed. I, of course, was interrupted every 15-20 minutes with contractions. I told him to get the hospital bags out of the car because it had our tooth brushed and make-up in it.

At around 11 they started getting to be 10-12 minutes apart and every 2-3 contractions I would have a back labor and that KILLED!!! I couldn't get comfortable and they were getting LONGER! 90 seconds to 2 minutes some of them and I started sweating. When they were around 8 minutes apart, I called the hospital and told them where I was at and they said to come in. My doctor told me to wait until they were 5 minutes apart so I kind of felt like a baby that I was already exhausted and ready for the meds! (Up until this point, I hadn't made a decision on whether I would get an epidural or not, but you better believe after a few back labor contractions, I was going to get the epidural!)

By the time we got to the hospital, my contractions were 5 minutes apart and I started getting so nervous. When I get nervous, I get quiet. I don't remember even talking on the way tot he hospital besides to tell Nephi that I was having another contraction and hit the button on my app. Nephi started recording as soon as we stepped out of the car and started walking towards the doors. We (ahem - I) waddled to the doors and rang the bell because the doors were locked,

"Hi, can I help you?"
"Yes, we need to get up to labor and delivery."
"Are you visiting someone?"

{{It's 12:30 at this point.}}

"Uh, no, I am in labor."

We walked up the stairs because I was feeling brave and as soon as we opened the door to the L & D floor, a nurse greeted me, "Hi Mallory, your room is this way..." I went to the room and they gave me my gown. I was shocked because I thought they would take me into an exam room first to make sure I was in labor, but I guess they believed me! The nurse was really relaxed and just watched me go through my contractions, and I tried to breath and I kept repeating, "I can't, I can't" and she didn't even try to coach me through it...ummm, that is why I came, I need help, lady! They asked me a ton of questions of course including when my last doctors appointment was and how dilated was I at that appointment. I told her I was at a 2 on Tuesday and you could tell she wasn't too convinced I was actually in real labor. But, I proved her wrong when she checked me and I was at a 5 and 100% effaced. Yeah, lady. Let's get this thing going! She said my cervix felt like I have already had a baby it was so soft! (TMI? Maybe. Sorry.) Then she asked the magical question and 3 contractions later, I had a needle in my back. The anesthesiologist was amazing and let Nephi watch and walked me through everything. It could not have gone smoother!


Nephi's parents arrived and we chatted for a bit. The plan was to start me on pitocin and then have the doctor break my water at 7 a.m. and the nurse said that the baby should be here by noon. GREAT. Planning...I like planning, I thought. Nephi's parents left and my Dad left and Nephi and my Mom shared the couch bed (don't worry, it was big enough and hardly awkward because they are best friends). I was in and out of sleep for a bit. The nurse said she would come back in at 5 a.m. to start the pitocin so I think we set an alarm to wake up at that time to be ready for her but she didn't end up coming back in until about 6 ish and by that time Nephi's parents were back in and everyone was ready for me to get going. Kind of a weird feeling to have people just looking at you waiting for you to pop a baby out.

**I didn't have my original doctor. He was out of town, you know, hunting in Africa, and I was left with the only doctor he had on call who I had a 1/2 dozen people tell me NOT to go to. Great...just great...**

They said the doctor probably wouldn't be coming till a little later that morning and so we knew we had a little bit more time. I was in and out of sleep until I suddenly felt like I was going to throw up so I yelled at my Mom and Nephi to help lift me up and we grabbed a barf bag and they sat me up just in time to barf. I did that another time an hour or so later and the anesthesiologist came back in and gave me some Zofran. This was a good sign, however, that she was dropping and pushing up on my stomach! I think it was around 9 a.m. that I was to a 10 but still no sign of the doctor...

Over the next 2 hours the nurses proceed to tell us he was coming in a 1/2 hour...oh he has an emergency c-section...oh he wants your water to break on your own...suddenly, I had an oxygen mask on because Marlo was in a little distress. My levels were great but her heart rate was up a little but they kept coming up with excuses as to why they were waiting. At one point, I thought my water had broken but it was just a little gush of fluids. Ugh.

Finally, around 11 a.m. my water broke! I told the nurse and she lifted up the blanket and her eyes widened. "Oh, yes. Let's change your sheets." She quickly left the room and then came back and explained that I Marlo had a bowl movement inside of me and that there was likelihood of meconium aspiration so when she was born that they wouldn't give her to me right away and that they would have a NICU and a respiratory nurse there to treat her and clean out her lungs. I was a little upset that I wouldn't get to hold her right away but mostly just agreed with whatever the nurses said would be best.

Over the next little bit my contractions increased and I started to have a little pain -- or more pressure. I could feel the waves of the contractions slightly but mostly felt a constant rectal pressure that was increasing. Oh man, it was painful. I told the nurse and she hit the button for more medicine in my epidural but it didn't really help. When the anesthesiologist came in I told him and he was pretty worried. He gave me a bit more but said he was really concerned about break-through pain and said it was very dangerous at this point. He said he would come back and check in 30 minutes and at that point we were getting ready to start pushing and they said the doctor was on his way in the building. The pain was still coming so he gave me another round (i think?) and then around 12:30 I started pushing with every contraction. After 1 round, the doctor came in, shook my hand awkwardly over my widespread legs, and checked me all dressed up in his church clothes. So glad he went to church that morning - thanks for being worthy, Doc. He looked at the nurse and said, call me when your ready, and then left the room.

By this time we had a new nurse who had been with us since 7 a.m. and she was awesome. She communicated, repeated herself, was very clear with what to expect and what to do and how things would feel. She also didn't set up any false expectations throughout the day. She was kind of all business and I liked it. Nephi grabbed 1 leg and my Mom grabbed the other leg. My Dad was on the other side of the curtain and I started pushing. At  5 to 1 p.m. the nurse yelled for another nurse to call the doctor. Within a minute he was back in the room and as he was putting on the gloves I started getting another contraction and the nurse said, "Okay, ready...go..." I pushed 3 times, and the doctor had his gloves on and was down at work and said, "push again..." so I pushed again and he said, "can you do 1 more?" I nodded yes, and pushed and then she was out!  (Pushing was not nearly as hard as I expected but I think that's because I was really clear with the anesthesiologist that I did want to feel enough to push and it was the perfect amount of medicine for me to do that and not have pain.)

Marlo Ingrid Guymon
9|7|14 - 6 lbs 9 ounces  -1:03 p.m.


She came out and he put her on my belly for only a moment. I just starred at her, knowing that she would be swept away, and then Nephi cut the cord and she was gone. I mostly watched Nephi watch her. My Mom was hugging and kissing me and I was so distracted watching my cute little family across the room. Nephi's face was priceless! It felt like they were over there FOREVER! Then I remembered the doctor and him and the nurse were exchanging words and stats back and forth. The nurse kept saying "he" and "him" referring to Marlo and I was like, "I know you are saying 'he', but it is a girl, right?" "Oh, yes, it's a girl! Sorry!". GEEZE. Scared me.

Suddenly, I felt the tugging. "Ouch" I said and the doctor finally looked up at me as he brought a thread up. "Uh, is everything okay?" I asked. "Ya, just performing an episiotomy." Oh, okay. What? -- Seriously though. Through all my reading and researching I didn't even know what that was. They mentioned it to me when I was signing all the papers but I didn't ask for an explanation because I didn't expect any complications [which really bugs me when people automatically think they are going to have complications with their birth or pregnancy without any prior knowledge or history]. So he tugged for what seemed like forever and I felt all too much - which really made me question how much more medicine I got...he didn't bill me for 2 epidurals which he said he may have to do I don't think he gave me another one. Wow, I am brave ;).  No, but it really hurt afterward.

FINALLY, they brought sweet baby Marlo over to me. It took a few minutes while they were sucking out her lungs for her to cry, but she cried most when they did her footprints. Nephi carried her over to me all swaddled up and I got to hold her. She had her eyes open and she looked like a little alien. Haha - Okay, maybe like a little dolly alien. We all throught she looked a lot like Ava (my niece) and we just starred at her and looked at her features and pointed out which features were what and took pictures. Then Nephi's family came in for a few minutes and got to hold her and then left. I fed her (she did OK) and then bathed while Nephi and my Mom went with the other nurse to bathe Marlo. All I have to say is those nurses are special souls. As she was wiping me down after my bath I said to her, "You're a good person." She just looked at me and we laughed.



I met Marlo in the recovery room and she had a cute little purple polkadot bow headband that Nephi picked out for her - it was perfect for her! So we spent another day and a half in the hospital. Had a lot of sweet visitors, great nurses, and zero to hardly any sleep but we drooled over her and we still are!









Friday, January 2, 2015

2014 in Review

Since we haven't posted in a year and a half...we thought we would break down what happened each month of 2014 and create a clean slate for 2015 blogging!

PS - All the links are the vlogs that Nephi has made about those particular events. We stopped bloggin', but kept vloggin'!

JANUARY - Found out we were pregnant! See me take the pregnancy test! (Well, not actually "take" the test, but wait outside the bathroom with Nephi and see my face white with shock.) We went to AZ to tell my parents and get out of the winter for a few days.

FEBRUARY - Revealed that we were having a baby! Shocked an awed almost everyone, especially our families. I traveled my last week of my first trimester for work to Denver and then onto Orlando. What a trip!

MARCH - Went to a Utah Jazz game with some coworkers. This was the second time we have been able to go and get the CEO's floor seats! It's an incredible opportunity.

APRIL - Celebrated our 3rd Anniversary! Also, Mom visited for Easter and was here when we found out that we were having a GIRL! Oh, and we went to see Ellie Goulding in concert with Tim and Kira. It was around the time that Marlo starting getting super active kicks and she jammed out with me and I was on my feet for 2 hours and didn't die.

MAY - Smith Family Reunion in Oceanside, CA. Nothing better than being on the beach with your whole family! Spent a few days in AZ where Emily, my Mom, and Jean Coates put together a gourmet baby shower - seriously gourmet.

JUNE - I went to Philadelphia for work and fell in LOVE! Also, being 6 months pregnant and travelling has it's perks. I got to skip a huge line in the bathroom at the airport. It was awesome.

JULY - Nephi and I both got new jobs! Major blessings. Also, my awesome sister-in-laws hosted a darling baby shower for me.

AUGUST - SOLD my car and BOUGHT a new car! Just in time for a new baby.

SEPTEMBER - Had our annual Eastern Idaho State Fair trip at almost 9 months pregnant AND Marlo Ingrid Guymon made her appearance 4 days late - September 7, 2014 (6 lbs. 9 oz.). Meet Marlo! My parents came and of course we had Nephi's family in town to welcome this cute little babe.

OCTOBER - I enjoyed maternity leave with Marlo and she celebrated her first Halloween as our little ducky.

NOVEMBER - Traveled to Spokane to spend Thanksgiving with Neal, Angie & Grayson! Had a blast and Marlo was a super traveler.

DECEMBER - Went home and had a sunny Christmas in AZ and a beautiful wedding for my baby sis, Caitlin.

Being pregnant almost all year will always make 2014 a special year for me and Nephi. Not only did we welcome a healthy baby girl, but we grew as a couple and literally as a family. Here is to another great year!