Emery Collen Jolley 10/21/12

A year ago today at about this time, 8:30 pm, I was sitting in a hospital bed after laboring for about ten hours and I was still only at maaaaybe 3 centimeters. Everyone was saying that I would probably my baby the next day. But they were also a little worried about our little girls heart rate dropping a bit whenever I had a contraction. My sister (in law) Katelyn was the only one saying, guys we just have to know that she is going to come before midnight and it will happen. Pretty soon I started to feel a little pressure, which soon turned into feeling the contractions... which if you have an epidural shouldn't happen. Apparently I had used up all of the juice through out the long day and my epidural wore off. Pretty much as soon as the epidural wore off I started REALLY feeling pressure. So they checked me and i was at 5 centimeters within an hour. About 30 minutes after that, and Sorry for anyone who gets weird about bowel movements, I seriously felt like I was going to poop right there and then with my mother, mother in law, father in law,  brother, sister in laws, and brother in law all right there in the room.  When I told the nurse how I was feeling they ushered everyone (besides Stephen) out of the room to check me and I had progressed to ten REALLY fast. Everyone came in wished us luck and then add they were sent out to wait in the waiting room I was told that I would be pushing for about 2 hours. However at 10:41 pm after only 3 contractions I had delivered my 6lb 6ploz tiny Emery Colleen. She had her cord wrapped around her neck twice, which is why her heart rate kept dropping, so Stephen didn't get to cut it. It might have been the hormones, endorphins, or a combination of the two but I couldn't help but cry. Even covered in goo I loved her.

I always knew I wanted to be a mom. When people would ask what I wanted to be when I grew up I would always say that I wanted to be one. And I really love babies, especially ones that I am related to. I just figured I would love her like that. But it is so much more. It's more than I could try to explain.

Not only did I fall in love with my girl but I fell more in love with my husband as I watched him mold into a dad. I knew he would be a good dad because of the love that he has for his nephews. That being said I didn't know just how hands on he would be. Even though he almost pukes with every poopy diaper, he still changes them. Since I wake up at the butt crack of dawn he has started to take over the midnight  wake ups, which thankfully only happen once and a while now. He constantly wants to hold, play, and be with her. I am so thankful that I married him, and that I married into his family.

They have been there for us almost every day for the past year in one way or another. Considering that they live only around the corner makes that pretty easy to do though. When I went back to work after my maternity leave mother in law started watching Emery every day without hesitation. When my mother in law wasn't available my sister in law always has been there to fill in.

And last but not least my own mother who I strive to be and love like every day. She has always been there for me, and if she couldn't be then I know that she really really wishes that she could be. When she can she drops what she is doing to talk to me, give me advice and to just listen to me when I'm scared or upset. She has always my best friend. And I truly hope that I can have that same relationship with Emery. I miss her so much all of the time. I wish that I could see her more than just a few times a year. It breaks my heart that she can't share the sweet moments with me and my little family whenever I want to. I know that I can be a little annoying with how many videos and pictures I post on Facebook and
Instagram but I just don't want my family in Oregon to miss anything.

Happy birthday to you miss Emmie-Lou. I didn't know that I could love someone so much before you came along.

Added a few if my favorite photos from this past year

You know its a good birthday when...

1. Your sister in law finds out what her baby is. (even if it's the day after your real birthday

2. You have brownies and ice cream rather than cake. Yes, i don't like cake.

3. You get to spend your time at church with a bunch of cute toddlers rather than teaching pre teens. (not that i don't like the kids, i just really hate teaching)

4. You get amazingly sweet chubby cheeked baby snuggles.

Fourth of July weekend '13

This year for the forth we did what we normally do and hung out with Stephens family at the parade route where they were all going to sleep out. It send like every year without exception there is a couple making out right next to us. You can see just how close they were in the picture of emery standing up in the play pen. She was a good sport. She stayed up extra late because there was just too much going on. She loved having her cousin Boston play with her and smushing her face up against the mesh. The next morning we woke up extra early and went to the parade. Emery wasn't too fazed by it and got passed around from person to person. Her cousin Beckham had fun waving at all of the floats.  After the parade we went home to hey some more sleep because we had hardly any at all the night before and watched far too many episodes of "New Girl" on Netflix. I would like to pose a question, can you really watch too many episodes of New Girl? I don't think so. Before going to grandpa Richards i had a hankerin for a snow cone. We went to the snow cone shack by the chillies in orem and boy am i glad that i got a small because those were far from small. It was as big as my head, which says something cause i have a deceivingly large head. them we went to Grandpa Richards for fireworks. It is easy to say that emery LOVED them. Her eyes practically popped out her head. It was the funniest thing ever. Beckham on the offer hand just say there in awe of it all. I love those kids so much
I love the forth of July and this country. Im happy to live in thus country

The night before the parade

Every year we wait out the night before the fourth of July parade in Provo. And every year there is a couple making out next to us. TRADITION!

like my sneaking a creepy picture of them with my baby in the foreground

Hard to sleep

Lately emery hasn't been sleeping through the night. I think that it mostly is because we have stopped swaddling her do her arms are now free to do what they want. this past week has been especially rough since she has been having some painful looking diaper rash, and maybe something else but i just can't pin point it. The point is that i am not a easy sleeper in general and am now wide awake at 1:40 am with my mind running a million miles an hour.
A lot of things have been changing for us, and it will be better for us in the long run, but for right now it is just very tough to deal with. Most of the time i try to keep my cheery disposition, but deep down i just miss my family, hate working, am so tired, and want nothing more than to be with my little girl.
I really wish that i could spin this post to be more up beat but i don't really know if i can. At least i have an amazing husband who is trying his hardest to help provide and finish school quickly so that i don't have to go through with this for much longer. I don't know what i would do without him. I also have the best mother that i could ask for, which is probably why i miss her so much. Before emery was born i could in a way ignore my feelings of missing my family so much and just live life, but now i just wish that they could see her grow and watch all of the new things that she can do.
Sorry for the sad ranting. Just thought I would get a few of my thoughts out of my mind.

Baby Emery

There are so many people who i love who are rarely ever, or have never been able to see my baby girl in person who mean so much to me. I hadn't updated this blog since we announced that we were even having a baby so i figure i might as well start now. Don't get your hopes up that i will keep it up. I seem to get too busy with other things that i neglect this blog. Here its our little love Emery Colleen Jolley.

Wow it has been a loooooong time.

Honestly I keep my blog going so that I can keep up on my friends who are pretty amazing at posting. You see I would rather read than post. But alas, the biggest thing to rock this little family of two's world has happened.

WE'RE EXPECTING A BABY!

It's pretty exciting, and still kind of surreal. I have been very blessed so far with an insanely easy pregnancy, knock on wood,  which is why we were able to keep it a secret for so long. I am now 18 1/2 weeks and finally made it "Facebook Official," haha.

For a few days I had been feeling weird. Not sick, just weird. My period had been a little weird for a few months so it didn't surprise me too much when I was a few days late since I had been having the normal sign's of the flow coming. Ya know moody, bloated, and other norms. Since we had started trying kind of in December/January I took a test after just about 2-3 days late. Negative. Then I another few days in the wee hours of the morning (around 4 am,) I took a second test cause I really, really had to go, and....POSITIVE! I climbed back into bed, and couldn't hold it in so shook Stephen awake and told him, "Babe, I'm pregnant." He said "really? wow." He paused bit longer, then asked "aren't you going to get ready for work." I laughed, "No it’s only 4." Then he rolled back over, and asked "why couldn't you have told me in a couple hours? Now I can't sleep" Haha, I love him.

We told our families the day that we found out. I went to work, but was just too distracted so I went home early. Stephen has a weird work schedule so he doesn't work during the day that often, and that day was no exception. I wanted to wait until Valentine’s Day to do something cute, but Stephen just couldn't wait to tell his mom. (He really, really loves her. Probably his best of best friend, but isn't that how it is supposed to be? If I ever don't know where he is, and he can't feel/hear his phone ringing I call his parents house, his mom, or his sister Kate. However that is another story and this one’s about our little one who is on the way.) You see his amazing grandmother passed away the month before in January, and his mom was feeling understandably pretty down. We were in the car on our way to Zupas, and he made his argument. "Can we please tell my mom, I just know that it will make her so happy?" After a little bit longer I agreed, and we told her on our way to Target. Then he couldn't wait to tell his sisters. So we went to the mall, and at Coldstone he took his newborn nephew, and said "I will really need the practice." They didn't get the hint, until we blatantly said that we are having a baby. His sister Kate called his dad, who was on a mans trip with some family. So pretty much everyone in Stephens’s entire family found out in just a very short amount of time, and we hadn't even been able to tell my parents.

Like I said before I have had a very easy pregnancy so far. I was only sick for about a week, which was perfectly timed around flu season, and an air quality issue at work. So I was able to hide leaving work, or not coming in without looking too suspicious. Also my stomach has not gotten too much bigger yet. I just look a bit thicker. For these reasons we were able to keep it a pretty good secret from our friends, and especially my friends in Oregon. There were a few that we couldn't wait to tell namely Riley/Kelsey Mauch, Kyle Treece, Karli Riddle Johnson, and my friend from work Stephanie and maybe a couple more. Other than that, we were pretty quiet about it until our first ultrasound appointment when we told a few more friends, and if people asked about it we would tell the truth, but nothing too extensive. Finally this week at our last ultrasound appointment when we found out what we are having (A GIRL) is when we really let it out. A lot of people at work who I deal with on a daily basis didn't even know, and asked if it was a joke when I put a sign up on my cubicle about it. Nope not a joke, there is definitely a baby in this belly.

When it came to thinking about gender, I just didn't want to be hopeful one way or another because I did not want to be disappointed. There are pros and cons to both, and I know that I would be just as ecstatic if we were having a boy. Other people had their opinions. Kate has a way to see what the gender is before the ultrasound. Technically it is 70% correct, but it has yet to fail. It may sound a little gross, but you pee on top of some baking soda. If it fizz/foams it’s a boy, if nothing happens it’s a girl. Guess what it did when I tried this test, nothing at all, not even a little fizzle. So from then on Stephen's entire family said it was a girl. My dad is funny, and said that we were having a boy since there are SO many boys on my side of the family; I am the only girl of 5 children in my family. I laughed when my dad said that, and reminded him that the woman does have a little to do with the gender; she does not create the sperm.

We have had so many blessings come our way since we found out about the baby. We moved from the basement of our friends the Riddles to have a two bedroom apartment. It was a little sad since it was the first place that we lived in since getting married, and they had treated us very well. Plus it will be a bummer that I won't know exactly when their kids come in from out of town just by the sound of their granddaughter Alea's loud running. Or be able to just be a stairway away when my best friend Karli comes to town. However, when we found our new place we knew we just had to jump on it. It is just a little bit more expensive, but not nearly out of our price range, and has plenty of space/rooms/cabinetry/storage. It is just a few blocks down from Stephens’s parent’s house, and is in their ward. It will be very convenient especially when I inevitably have to go back to work, and they have graciously said they would do some daycare while we are working. It has cut my commute almost in half, and didn't even affect Stephens. Plus it is in a really good and safe neighbor hood just down the road from UVU. We just couldn't pass it up.

We have both received pretty substantial raises, and Stephen was even promoted to be the general manager at Classic Fun Center, where he has worked off and on since he was about 17. Time and hard work really do pay off. Since my last post, which was FOREVER ago, I got a new job at a law firm. It's not doing hair, but it pays almost double what I was making doing hair alone, and I have received quite a few raises since I started.  I have picked up some extra clients from friends who I work with. Plus I am able to do hair on the side still.

We were already blessed to have our own amazing parents who love us so much. I am very thankful to get along so well with his family that I am able to go over there, and just be a part of the family. And Stephen fits in perfectly with mine. Already his mom Karen, sisters Katelyn, and Kirstie are planning a baby shower. My mom and dad have made plans to come out here while I am pregnant, for the birth, and for the blessing. Also my dad was very gracious, and got us airline tickets to go out to Oregon in July. When I think about all of our blessings the stupid hormones that are raging inside of me make me fight back tears. Not that we aren't having our trials, but the blessings are outweighing them by far.

We are so excited to welcome our little girl into our life. It is scary at times, but I already know that I have never loved anyone more than this little one inside of me.