Birth Story

Many people have been asking about my birth story, so I decided to write it down.

On August 4th, I went in for my doctors appointment and he decided to check me after I told him about the hip pain I was experiencing. I was 3 cm dilated and my doctor predicted I would not make it to September. He said 2-3 weeks because the baby was head down. I was thrilled. I had woken up that morning sick of the heartburn and discomfort of laying on my side when I wanted to sleep on my back.

Unfortunately, the doctor was wrong. He suggested that I be induced at 39 weeks because I had been having inconsistent contractions that hurt my back for weeks and with my slight scoliosis it could make labor much harder if I was any more sore from a month of contractions. I was put on a wait list for induction for August 31st.

The morning of the 31st, I got a call just after 7 am from the hospital, asking if I would like to have a baby today. Of course I said yes! After a quick shower we headed to the hospital to be induced.

My induction officially started at 9:30 am after they had checked me in. At 2 pm, the doctor came in and broke my water. Contractions got more painful and very frequent. I lasted one hour before finally asking for an epidural. I hadn't wanted one because I was afraid of needles, but the scoliosis and contractions were too much. The anesthesiologist came in and started my epidural. While he was doing it and I was sitting up and cross-legged, I felt another contraction and this time I felt like I needed to push. The finished the epidural, and the nurse checked me. I can still picture the concerned look on her face as she checked me a second time. She told me she felt a slit and it could either be a closed eye or a bum. She went to get an ultrasound machine and came back with another nurse. They looked at baby girl and told me she was complete breech.

The next hour flew by. They called the doctor to confirm that I would need a c-section and then started prepping. Jose and I had about 5 minutes alone before they took us to the OR in which Jose was able to give me a priesthood blessing. That blessing helped both Jose and I stay calm and positive, and turned the c-section into an incredibly spiritual experience for us. At 3:43 pm, our daughter was born. She was 6lbs 9oz and 18in long and pure perfection. Jose and I adore her!

I am incredibly grateful for modern medicine that brought our baby girl here safely. I'm grateful for all of the doctors and nurses that took care of us and helped us over the 3 days we were at the hospital, and for all the people who helped us after coming home. I am especially grateful to our Heavenly Father who has blessed us with this darling little girl.

A {baby} for the Olivers

Our hearts are full and my belly is too! We are extremely happy to be 17 weeks pregnant with a baby girl!

On January 9th, I took a pregnancy test and saw two pink lines. I was pregnant. When Jose came home from work, I shared the news with him and we hugged and prayed together. This was an unexpected surprise.

A few weeks later, we went in to the doctor for our first appointment and saw our tiny 6 week old baby. It was barely the size of a grain of rice, but we were able to hear the heartbeat. That was an incredible moment. To know that I really was growing a tiny human inside of me.

After the appointment, we shared the news with our families and close friends. We just couldn't wait to share the joy! Our family was so surprised! We all enjoyed our little secret for just a few more weeks until Jose and I shared our announcement on facebook. Our player 3 is coming soon...

On April 5th, Jose and I went in for an ultrasound at 16 weeks exactly. I was so scared, but so excited. I had felt like maybe mother nature was just playing a prank and I wasn't really pregnant; like maybe it was just a fluke and I wasn't really going to have a baby. During this ultrasound, I could either find out the gender of our baby, or baby would not cooperate, or perhaps something unexpected would be seen and they would tell me I was dying or something. The unknown scared me the most. But once we got in and they looked in at the baby I heard the heartbeat and all my fears vanished. Hearing the baby's heartbeat and seeing the profile of the baby's head made it feel real again.

Then the technician said "Looks like baby is curled up in a ball, let's see if it will move." And she pushed on my belly a couple of times. I held my breath and watched as the baby stretched out, waved its arm at us and then the tech moved the sonogram down. And there we saw... "it's a girl." I looked at Jose and smiled. I was shocked to finally hear what my baby would be, and felt so much love.

A few days later we gathered our family and friends together, heard their guesses and visited with them. Then we announced our baby would be a girl! It was so much fun to see all of their reactions and talk to them about our baby. My brother even came up with a nickname for her. As a little girl, my dad liked to call me Poobie, or Pooh Bear. So it only makes sense to nickname our baby... Piglet.

{2016} A New Year for the Olivers

2015 was INSANE.

January.... Jose and I spend time together without our other friends. It was our first time alone together.

February.... Jose says he wants to date but only if it is serious enough to go to the temple. I say yes. We start dating.

March.... Jose and I, along with some other friends, go to San Diego for my birthday! While there, Jose and I talk about marriage.

April.... Jose proposes. I say yes. We are engaged.

May.... Jose and I go apartment hunting. We find an apartment. We also take engagement photos.

June.... Jose and I send out wedding invitations. At the end of the month, I move into our apartment.

July..... Jose and I kneel at the alter and are sealed together for time and all eternity.

August to December.... Jose and I live happily together. We have our setbacks, and our successes. But no matter what we are together.

This year we fell in love, got married, traveled to San Diego, Seattle, and Las Vegas. We lost Korah and got Sky. We watched friends and family get married. We celebrated each month of marriage and continuously fell in love with each other over and over.

I am so grateful for everything 2015 has brought to us and I cannot wait to see what 2016 will bring!

Christmas Traditions {5 Days of Christmas}

Since it was our first Christmas together, Jose and I had 5 days of Christmas! 

On our first day of Christmas, we went to Payson for dinner with the Belnap family. We watched "A Wish for Wings that Work" and let Sadie and Landon open the presents we got them. 

On our second of Christmas, we had a lovely Christmas dinner together, followed by opening our Christmas pajamas and watching The Santa Clause. 

On our third day of Christmas, we woke up and opened our presents to each other and our stockings from Santa. Even Sky had one. We had a great time opening up our gifts and just being together. We spent that day playing our new games and then went to see Star Wars for the second time. Overall it was a very fun day for us, but Christmas was not over yet! 

On our fourth day of Christmas, we went over to Jose's parents for the evening. We ate dinner and then I pulled out the sugar cookies to have the girls decorate. We decorated the cookies together and had such a good time doing it! I hope to make it a tradition for years to come! After decorating cookies, we waited until midnight to exchange gifts. Then Jose and I drove home in the first bit of what would be a lot of snow. 

On our last day of Christmas, we woke up early and drove through terrifying snow and ice-covered roads to get to my parents house. One we arrived we ate, and then opened our presents. My family had set up a secret santa gift exchange so we got to exchange our gifts then and watch Nephew S open all his presents. Since he is 1 1/2 he is actually pretty entertaining to watch. Then we opened a present from Garrett and Caisa to everyone... pink and blue balloons, announcing a baby! It was a great surprise (that wasn't very surprising because Caisa seemed tired and nauseous at Thanksgiving...) Then came our favorite part of the day, Skyping Elder Ben! He was happy to see us and meet Emalee. We talked about everything coming up this year and about how crazy the last year was for us. He also bore his testimony in Mandarin for us to hear and we recorded it too. 

It was such a wonderful first Christmas for us! I look forward to many more together! 

{Rehab} starts for Sky

Our sweet Sky finally started rehab this week! First, we went and met Tena and Annette at Alta Dog Rehab. They showed us exercises and stretches that we could do to help our girl get better faster. Then they helped her walk in the underwater treadmill to help build strength in her leg. She did so good!

Then a few days later we took Sky swimming to help her with strength and range of motion. She did amazing! Almost didn't need any help getting in or out of the water. After only 12 minutes though Sky was so tired! Annette was very proud of her and so was I! Sky is getting better!

Christmas Traditions {Festival of Trees}

One of my favorite thing we did this year was go to the Festival of Trees. We went on the last night when our nieces were performing on the main stage. So after watching them perform, Jose and I enjoyed the festival together. We had scones, and enjoyed walking among the beautiful trees. Our favorite was the Legend of Zelda tree, but we also enjoyed the Star Wars and the Harry Potter trees.

Christmas Traditions {Lights at Temple Square}

On Thursday, December 3, Jose and I went to see the lights on Temple Square with some of my family. It's something I had always dreamed of doing with the man who would be my husband. This year, I actually have a husband to go with! So we bundled up and walked around Temple Square. We saw the statue of Christ and listened to the nativity story on the lawn. As I looked at Mary and Joseph, I admired how supportive and understanding Joseph was to Mary. And then it hit me. My Jose is supportive and understanding too. My Jose is caring and kind. As I stood watching the nativity, I felt so much gratitude and love for my husband. I'm so grateful we had the opportunity to visit the temple grounds and reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ.

Also, it's so much better with a husband to keep you warm.