Let me first start by saying that this little girl of mine was bound and determined to make it to her due date. I was confident that I would deliver her that night, and it didn't help that my doctor was convinced as well seeing as how I was dialated to a 3 as soon as he took the stitch out. I even went into labor and delivery that night thinking I was in labor because I was having consistent contractions. So the next week at my appointment, my doctor said he would strip my membranes to help put me into labor. Well that didn't work either. So it wasn't that I was desperate to get this baby out of me, but every time I saw my doctor he would tell me I would have her any time and it made me really anxious to meet this little girl. So at my NEXT appointment, they found protein in my urine. My doctor didn't really want to see me progress into preeclampsia, so he said that as long as I kept it secret safe, he would break my water that day. I was more than happy to do that, so he broke my water and I waddled (literally) over to labor and delivery.

 

 

As I got to labor and delivery I called Alan and told him, "It's a beautiful day to have a baby". He said to me, "It sure is!" Then I said, "No seriously, we're having the baby today." His reaction was too funny because he got so flustered (he had just gotten off work, so it was getting close to his bed time) and could barely form a sentence. I guess I should have told him it would be a little while before he was there, so he rushed to the hospital as fast as he could. 

I got into the room and all hooked up around 10:00 in the morning. They decided to give me pitocin to help speed up the process because my water was already broke. Little did I know how bad that was going to kick my butt. It was within the hour that my contractions were one on top of eachother and I wanted to die.

 



 

 

This was right before they gave me the epidural and I was not in the best frame of mind then. Even when I had Henry my contractions were never that bad.

 



So the angle is absolutely terrible, but what can ya do?



My sister Rachel was in charge of taking pictures, and she did a great job documenting everything.

 



At 12:45, Olivia Jude was born. I was a hot mess as soon as I saw her and could not stop crying.

 



 

 

 

 

 

Olivia Jude Roberts

November 20th, 2012

7 lbs 6 oz, 19 inches

 

Love you to the moon little girl. 



 

Grateful for family! 2012

 

(Alan couldn't be in the picture because of work.)

I have always been a fan of Halloween, but having a kid to dress up is by far my favorite part about it. I took Henry to the costume store and let him pick out what he wanted to be. He loves playing Mario Kart, so it made sense for him to pick the Mario costume.

 

I decided to up the ante on his costume and draw in his moustache and some eye brows. The first time Henry got a look at his reflection in the mirror, he got so scared and started crying hysterically. He wanted to wipe it off so bad, so my mom pulled up a picture of Mario on the internet and showed Henry that he looked just like Mario now. Eventually he got over the trauma and we were able to go on about our festivities.

 



We went to Henry's school the night before Halloween to the little fair they put on every year. It amazes me at how timid he can be in situations like this. He is always very quiet and while he participates in activities, he also likes to sit back and watch what's going on.

 

 

 

 

 Henry has a best buddy at school (Aiden) and there are some days when he refuses to go because he knows Aiden won't be there.

 

 

 

Halloween day came and Henry was so excited to go trick or treating. We had been practicing what to do when we got to the door, and how to say thank you after each treat. This picture is a little blurry, but it shows just how happy this dude was to be out getting candy. After each door he would come running towards us screaming, "I got ANOTHER one!!"

 

 

 

 

Needless to say Henry has been asking me if we can go trick or treating almost every day since. It was a fun night and I can only imagine how much fun next year will be.

 

My mom and sisters put together a really fun shower for all my St. George friends and family. It was really fun to spend a day with everyone and everyone spoiled us rotten! It's too fun to buy stuff for baby girls, so I can't blame anyone!

 



 

Every year Alan's parents go to Palm Springs and spend a week in their time share. We're usually lucky enough to get invited and this time there was enough room for us to invite the Moser's and their sweet baby girls.

 

There were a ton of ducks on the property and needless to say HJ was in heaven. That little dude would get so excited every time he saw them, and we even managed to feed them until security came and made us stop.

 



I celebrated my 28th birthday while we were there, and this sweet girl made me a cake. It was exactly how I wanted to spend my day! Friends, family, pool and cake!

 



This is how we spent our afternoons.. completely wiped out from swimming all day! Nothing beats vacation!

 



 

As my due date creeps around the corner, I've been getting more emotional at the thought of Henry not being my baby anymore. I don't ever want Olivia to think that I didn't want her, because that's quite the opposite of what I want. But Henry has been the center of my universe now for over 3 years and we're comfortable with each other.

 

We have a schedule down and we're really good about sticking to it, and adding a baby into the mix is going to shake things up. I worry that I won't be able to spend as much one on one time with Henry and that he will feel left out. Sometimes I tend to dwell on this too much and it turns me into an emotional mess.

 



 

I do know that he is going to be a great big brother. I had some doubts in my mind, but after spending a week vacation with our friends and their twin girls, there was no doubt left in my mind. He was meant to have a little sister and no one will be able to come between the two.

 



So as long as I make a mental effort to make sure I include Henry in everything we do, I think we'll be just fine. I will be forever grateful for all this time I've been able to spend with my boy and getting to know him better as his personality that's only getting stronger every day.

 



What a blessing it will be to meet our baby girl in just a matter of weeks and get to experience this type of love and bonding again. It seems unreal that I could find more love in my heart for another human being, but I'm ready for it.

 



When I was about 15 weeks pregnant, my fears of losing the baby began to go away and I was feeling more at ease every day. One of the lessons I learned while in the hospital with Henry was that I need to set small goals and be grateful for every little thing. The first goal I set with this pregnancy (after my 15 week mark) was to make it to 27 weeks. I knew that if Henry could survive coming that early, then chances were good Baby Girl would as well. My next goal was to make it to 30 weeks, and as of this morning.. I did it.

I told Alan I wanted to experience all the ups and downs of pregnancy, and that I would try not to complain about it all. So far I think I've been doing ok with not complaining, but I now have a respect for women who deliver full term with every pregnancy. Being this far along is not comfortable and it has dramatically slowed down my usual pace. Having a 3 year old and trying to keep up with him has proven to be a little challenging, but lucky for me I have an amazing family who has been willing to step up to the plate and take over when I need a break. I'm also lucky in that Henry will still take close to 2 hour naps with me every day and that has been awesome.

I love feeling the baby kick almost all day, and I already know that I'm going to miss that when she's here. She is such an active little thing, and I never remember feeling Henry move this much. Every morning when I'm sitting in class I put my hands on my belly and feel her move. I love that I can already build a relationship with her, and we haven't officially met yet.

I've had a lot of questions as far as what happens in the hospital with a normal delivery, what to pack to the hospital, and simple things like when she will get her first bath. I've also been contemplating on having a photographer in the delivery room, but it's all still up in the air. Either way, I can't wait to experience all these things for the first time.

Can't wait till you're here Baby Girl. I love you.