Nice Guys Finish Full

A couple of weekends ago Bryce, Olivia, and I went out on a date night to Red Robin. My mom had sent us some money to go out and celebrate our birthdays (not for bills, specifically NOT for bills). First was Bryce's choice and what a good decision it was. We went around 3:30 or 4 pm so as to avoid the dinner rush. It wasn't very busy at all so the hostess showed us directly to our table. We flipped through the menu and both decided on the Royal Red Robbin burger (which I HIGHLY recommend). Soon enough I thought, "Well, that's weird. I never decide on something before the waiter asks what we want." Minutes passed and we were never asked what we wanted, not even a drink order! I thought that was really strange given how NOT busy the place was. Olivia and I are on the same feeding track, meaning we're always hungry at the same time and I was even able to finish her feeding and change an explosive diaper (because they are ALWAYS explosive when we're in public, - it's science) before anyone came and helped us. Finally, Bryce just decided he would bring it up with the hostess. At first we were pretty frustrated, maybe even a little angry and  really hungry after about half an hour or more of waiting (I even asked Bryce if he wanted me to swipe some of the leftover fries on the table behind us), but we decided to be kind and  Bryce patiently told the hostess that we hadn't been helped yet. 

Later we found out that the person that was in charge of our area left without telling anyone. Anyways, the hostess ended up helping our table. She took our orders and quickly brought us our bottomless fries so we could get started eating. Soon after, with many apologies and thanks for being so patient, she brought us our order. Oh my heavens, it was delicious! It was probably the best burger I've ever had. After we finished, the hostess came by and asked if we wanted any dessert (now I don't know about you, but I almost never have room for dessert when eating out - especially when they have BOTTOMLESS fries! ) and knowing what she was going to say I already started shaking my head no, but then she finished her sentence "...on the house." Ok, full or not I am not a person to turn down a free dessert! We picked the mountain high mud pie, which I also highly recommend. Very satisfied, we decided it was totally worth the wait. As the hostess came by with the bill she told us, "Since you guys were so nice and waited so patiently, I had a manager take care of the bill."

WOW!

And we thought the wait was worth it for the free dessert, but now the whole meal was free?!? Our testimony that patience and kindness are the way to go was strengthened that day. And so, nice guys don't always finish last, sometimes they finish full! 

We're 3 Months Old!

Olivia turned three months old last week and I figured that would be a good time to update everyone on how she's doing, what she loves, and milestones she's reached.

Olivia just finished her 3 month growth spurt and she's loving life. Her feedings are back on a schedule, although that schedule is stretching a little now since she doesn't need to eat as often. She's also sleeping through the night regularly. Bryce has work early in the morning so we all go to bed around 7 or 8. Bryce leaves for work at 3 and Olivia sleeps until 6:30am. I, on the other hand, am so used to her old schedule that I still wake up anywhere between midnight and one in the morning. I am one who loves sleep, so after her morning feeding I  can usually get her to sleep another hour and a half until daddy gets home. So technically, yes, she sleeps through the night but she's also nice to her mommy and lets her sleep a little while longer. 

We saw Olivia's first social smile soon after her first month of life, but now she smiles like a champ whenever she sees mommy and daddy (especially if they are acting silly). Olivia's first laugh sprouted out a couple of weeks ago. Mommy was singing and dancing for her and BAM! her first laugh! She's laughed at daddy too since then. We can't wait for her laugh to become boisterous! 

Olivia (like many of her counterparts) is not too fond of tummy time (mostly because it frustrates her that she can't crawl yet) but she is so good at lifting her head and shoulders for good periods of time. When she's on her belly she'll kick and pull so that she scoots forward and to the side in her first attempts at crawling! On the other hand Olivia LOVES to stand. She has the strength to stand on her own for long periods of time, obviously though she needs mommy or daddy's help balancing. Sometimes when mommy or daddy's arms get tired and they sit her down, she fusses because she just wants to stand some more.

Olivia has finally found her hands and she decided that they are wonderfully delicious. Many times you'll look over to find her sucking on her fists, not her thumb or middle two fingers mind you, the whole dang hand! It's nice and chilly here in good ol' Utah, so most times we'll have some mittens on her, in those cases she'll stare at her hands in confusion (mom, did my hands change colors?!) but eventually she'll suck on those too!  

Olivia staring at her hands during her 3 month photo shoot.

Olivia's favorite time of the day (besides the morning when daddy comes home) is nighttime, right before bed. As part of her bedtime routine Olivia takes a bath - which is probably her all-time favorite thing. A couple of weeks ago mommy taught her how to splash in the water and now she does nothing else. She loves it when mommy and daddy cheer for her: Yay Olivia! Good splash! 

Olivia loves music and dancing especially if it's Disney songs and especially if mommy is dancing super silly to them. I mean, that's how her first laugh broke through to the surface! She also loves it when mommy and daddy jump around like crazy heads - pretty much whenever they act silly. We already told you about how Olivia loves to stare at and suck on her hands, but she also loves to stare at her feet. She hasn't quite found them yet, I'm sure when she does she'll love to suck on those too, but she loves to follow her feet, especially when they are bare! 

Olivia loves all of her blankies especially her pink one with super cool patterns and her elephant one. Oh, she loves elephants! She'll stare at her elephant blankie for days and she has a little elephant toy that hangs off of her carseat that she just adores! Olivia loves to fly around in her mommy and daddy's arms! She's quite the little airplane! A couple of times mommy and daddy will give her a little lick of something here and there and boy does she love to taste mommy's and daddy's dum dum lollipops! At first she was really confused by them, but now when she sees mom or dad with a lollipop she'll reach out for it! 

All in all, Olivia is doing great! She's a happy little baby who is very patient with her parents. 

Real Women

You know, lately I've been thinking a lot about "real women" and how they are portrayed by the world, by books, and even by Disney. Not "real women" as in have you had your period yet, but more like what women should look like and the things they should aspire to. This, I know, can be a touchy topic and my goal is not to rant, but rather to uplift. 

Now I know everyone has heard it up to their ears about how magazines touch up pictures  to the point of non-recognition, and that a size 0 model is the way to be. And obviously there are a very few of us that actually look like that (and for those of you that do, congratulations! I'm sure there are things about your figure that are difficult to deal with too, or maybe not. Either way I'm sure you're tired of hearing about these kinds of things). The only thing I have to say about that is that it's unrealistic for every woman and girl to aspire to this way of being. There are different body types and that doesn't change with diet and exercise. For instance, I am a Spaniard and with that comes a set of full thighs and bottom. I used to resent those qualities when I was a teenager, but I have come to not only accept but also love them (on most days) as a token of my culture and family history. Plus it's easier to love them when I know my husband does. And always remember, you are your own worst critic. Those things you may hate about yourself might be someone's favorite thing about you!

For those of you who may not know, I just had my first baby -  a precious little girl. As such I have spent a lot of my time reading pregnancy and postpartum books. I learned a lot of helpful information about what my body was going through, and what it would be going through. I was very grateful for these books and the knowledge they imparted to me. I was also surprised (though I probably shouldn't have been) on the amount of time spent in these books on the topic of getting back to your pre-pregnancy shape. Now, obviously it's important to be healthy through and after a pregnancy (and always) especially if you plan on breastfeeding, and obviously that will include losing some of that weight you gained, but the way these books pushed the topic crossed the healthy line into the vanity zone. This is only compounded by the latest talk of Kate Middleton and her appearing out of the hospital with (who would of thought!) a rounded, bloated post pregnancy belly. Why? people asked... because she JUST HAD A BABY FOR PETE'S SAKE! Many people spoke out about this and how it was ridiculous that the media even cared - good for you! 

Personally, as I went through my pregnancy I told myself over and over again that my body would never be exactly the same again and I was ok with that. Stretch marks aside (because sometimes they make me feel unattractive) I really am not upset with my post-pregnant body. It's shaped a little bit differently, but that's ok. Sometimes I wish I could get a new wardrobe though, because the only time I feel badly about my body is when clothes don't fit me correctly. But that's OK! My body is now a mother's body, it functions differently than it did before and to do that, it has to look a little bit different. What a worthy sacrifice: in order to bring a child into this world, your body will be a little different afterwards. Let's celebrate that!! 

So, the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch recently arrived on Netflix instant streaming and it made me think back and remember the first time I saw it when I was a kid. I remember that through much of the movie I had an internal battle going on in my mind about whether the older sister  Nani Pelekai was really beautiful or not (shame on me!). She certainly didn't look like any of the other Disney princesses I knew; why, she looked more like ME! I thank the makers of this movie for making the beautiful older sister that you look up to look more like me than the other Disney princesses, for making her look like a real woman with hips and a butt and a belly that can actually hold all the necessary human organs inside of it! 

In the end, every woman is different - embrace that! Be as much you as you can be. Don't aspire to look like someone else, because genetics makes that impossible! Aspire to be healthy, embrace your body, and be happy.

Ok, maybe that was a little bit of a rant... Sorry!

Olivia's Birth Story

A triumphant return! So it's been a couple months -- I guess having a baby'll do that to ya. But I have now returned and my life has been turned upside down in the best way there is.

OLIVIA WAS BORN!

Olivia Renee Allred was born on July 10th 2013 at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. She was 6 lbs 14 oz and 19.5 inches long. This blog post will be all about how our precious little girl came into this world and joined our little family.

Well, first I'll have to travel back to the Saturday before Olivia was born. My mom and I had been talking about ways to get labor moving along because she wanted to spend some time with Olivia before she had to fly back home. She told me stories about how her five kids came along. One thing I thought was too funny was that when she was pregnant with both my older brother and me, she went into labor shortly after watching an Audrey Hepburn movie. Later that night I was having some dull pain in my stomach. Of course, this being my first pregnancy, I really had no idea what a contraction felt like. Looking back, I know they were very small beginning contractions. I shrugged them off at first. Well, the night was young and Bryce, my mom, and I were looking for a source of entertainment. We have netflix and decided, "Hey let's check out this Katy Perry movie everyone spoke so highly of." As the movie progressed I realized (kind of) that I was having more pain in my stomach. I was really unsure of myself so I told my mom what I was feeling. She suggested to time them to see how close they were coming. Could Katy Perry be my Audrey Hepburn? 

I was still really unsure of myself, especially in if I was timing them correctly. In my perfect labor fantasy, I always imagined my water would just break so I wouldn't have to worry about all this timing junk! Well after about half an hour of hesitant timing, we realized the contractions were coming about three minutes apart. So, we gathered all of our prepacked bags and jumped into the car (well, I waddled). Bryce admitted, "This is nothing like I imagined driving to the hospital would be." He imagined driving in the middle of the night with me screaming in pain, but the contractions weren't very painful and the drive was pretty peaceful. 

Well, we arrived at the hospital and after a brief moment of paperwork (thank goodness for preregistration!) we were admitted into a room. 

I changed into one of their oh-so-flattering hospital gowns and they checked me to see if I was really in labor. At the start I was dilated to 3 cm. In the duration of my 4-hour stay, my contractions came to be closer together (about a minute and a half apart) and much, MUCH more painful. I remember crying as I pleaded with my mom, "They're not gonna send me home, are they?" She didn't believe they would since I was freaking contracting EVERY MINUTE. Yet, at the end of 4 hours I was still dilated at 3 cm. Practice labor. Practice labor they called it! I don't think that's something someone needs to "practice" for. The nurse came in with the news that they would be sending me home with a shot of morphine. As soon as the nurse left I started bawling! I could not believe I could be in so much pain and not be progressing - not getting any closer to having my baby girl in my arms. Although, my dramatic spells of tears certainly slowed once I got the morphine shot. They wheeled me out of the hospital and as the pain faded I was able to fall asleep. 

So, Katy Perry isn't my magic labor kick start button -- but walking is! Friday evening the day before I actually went into "real" labor, my mom, Bryce, and I went on a long, brisk walk at Bridal Veil Falls. You know, my real labor was actually a lot more like my perfect labor fantasy than my practice labor was. Saturday morning/early afternoon, July 10th, I was getting dressed for my OBGYN appointment (really upset that I actually still had those to go to) and my water broke! So not only did I not have to worry about counting contractions, but labor started during the day time! (In the back of my mind I was worried about laying down to go to sleep and then labor starting when I was tired and spent from a day of pregnancy). Once again we all loaded all of our bags into the car and Bryce exclaimed, "Well, this is even less like I pictured driving to the hospital would be." It was bright and sun-shiney outside and we were happily (yet admittedly nervously) listening to the radio. 

Soon enough we were admitted to a room again. My water was breaking slowly so they were able to check my amniotic fluid there. They found out that there was meconium in the amniotic fluid and that could pose a health risk to the baby (Oh great! Like that's what I needed to hear!) So they called for the NICU personnel to be ready when Olivia was delivered. I was dilated a little over 3 cm. about 45 minutes later I was dilated to a 6. The nurse said I had a very favorable cervix, which is probably one of the most meaningful compliments I've ever gotten (at least it meant a lot to me then, because I was in major pain and anything favorable was a godsend). In fact, during my labor there was a shift change in the nurses and the second nurse thought they had me on pitocin and thought they should take me off. The first nurse assured her it was just my own labor progress. While I was a 6 cm I had the incredible urge to push - I'm sure it was the bearing down I had read about in all the numerous pregnancy/labor books. I told the nurse about the pain and the urge. She said that I was not ready for the pushing stage yet, so they gave me the epidural and I took it HAPPILY. A couple hours passed and the next time they checked up on me I was at 10 cm and ready to push! What I didn't understand is why after finding out I was at 10 cm it took so long for anyone to come assist me in the pushing stage. It was probably an hour after they checked me that they actually told me to start pushing. It was annoying at the time, but I was on the epidural, so it's not like I was in much pain and I guess I shouldn't have minded. 

So, five hours of labor, 30 minutes of pushing, and a lot of glasses of orange-flavored ice chips later, Olivia was born! It was 8:32 pm and at the first sight of my precious baby girl I started bawling uncontrollably. I cried as the did the APGAR test in the corner (of which Olivia scored an 8 at birth and a 9 five minutes later, so thank goodness(!) the meconium didn't cause a problem) and I cried as they brought her to me. She was the most beautiful sight in the world!

Getting her tests done.

Olivia's grumpy face (probably one of my favorite pictures from the whole day!)

One happy mama!

Daddy's first time holding the baby!

Well the doctor wanted to keep us an extra day because of the meconium problem, and also when she was born they found a loose knot in the umbilical chord. Luckily everything was perfectly fine and after two days we went home. The first night at the hospital, Olivia slept the whole night through! She hasn't done that since, but we're hoping!  ;)

Here's To You: Consuela and her Tamales

I want to start a chain of blogs. I will call them "Here's to you..." These blogs will just be about people I meet or run into that I think deserve some mentioning and/or praise. This will be the first of what I hope to be many. 

So, here's to you Consuela!

A few weeks ago Bryce and I were at Walmart just doing some grocery shopping. Just as we were about to leave, a small old lady standing with a cart full of corn flour and chicken asked us, "Hablas español?" And for my spanish-challenged friends, "Do you speak spanish?" By the tone of her voice, you could tell she had asked this question to many people already. Bryce answered with a resounding yes, as just the other day we were talking about how we never really get a chance to practice spanish conversationally with others. Then Bryce and the small old lady spoke for a minute or two and she handed him a small piece of paper. Bryce came back to me and said, she needs a ride. On the piece of paper was her address.

As we walked out to our car (that hadn't been cleaned for much too long) and subsequently drove to her home, we made introductions and small talk. We found out that her name was Consuela and that she was from Mexico. She had lived in Utah for a short time, but oh how she loved it here - the temples were so close! She spoke very very fondly of the temples and the inspired work that goes on through those holy doors. We also found that her husband had been sick for a long time and that she makes tamales to sell every Wednesday and Friday. 

She was very sweet to us. When she found out that we were expecting she oo-ed and aww-ed and held my hand as tenderly as one would hold an injured dove. She wouldn't let me carry any of the groceries and gave me many well wishes. She was such a sweet spirit and she definitely lifted up our day to a new level of happiness. 

We got to her home not too many minutes later. It was a humble house, but you could tell that she loved it dearly. As we parted ways hugs flew all around, she wished us well many times, and told Bryce to take good care of me and not to let me lift anything. She invited us to her tamale stand and waved goodbye until we could no longer see her. 

What a sweet spirit and an amazing lady. Instead of leaning on the government or the church for financial support, she made her own little tamale business. She loved the temple. She loved people, strangers even. In fact, she radiated love. From the moment we met to the moment we departed she had nothing but kind and happy things to say, even though life had been hard on her. It was a blessing for us to meet her and be able to serve her in some small way. 

Finding the True Spirit of Motherhood

Seeing as both Bryce and I are simple poor college students, understandably we were worried about being financially stable enough to provide for a baby. Months passed and we accumulated almost nothing for our precious bundle of joy that is quickly approaching. My sweet mother was gathering supplies for us, though. The other day we received two tupperware containers full of baby clothes and a few other items. Everything we had, we owed to my mom and her sweetness. I am now 7 and a half months along and sure, I began to worry about being able to afford some of the big ticket items like a crib, carseat, and stroller (as such items aren't normally in our monthly budget). As I began thinking of ways that we might be able to make some extra money, my mind turned to the wedding dress sitting in the closet of the room that was to become the nursery. My heart was a little bit torn. Sure I would probably never wear it again, but it's a reminder of the best day of my life. I thought about it for a little while and soon enough I had my mind made up.

As I began to see selling my wedding dress as a sacrifice for my baby girl, it no longer seemed like a sacrifice at all. Selling my dress in order to afford a crib and/or travel system for my baby girl was certainly a worthy "sacrifice." So I took some pictures of the dress and posted an ad on ksl.com. Of course, before I ever posted the ad I did some research. I looked at other wedding dress advertisements on ksl as a reference point. I looked at all the prices and how long the ads had stayed online. I decided that I should go for a medium price, so I posted the dress for about half the price I bought it at. I thought it would be ages before I received any bites from this online ad. The Lord is good to us though, and I heard from a lady who wanted to purchase the dress the very next day. The exchange is currently in the works. I do have to say though, that I believe that God is a living and ever present being in our lives. He knows us and loves us. Bryce and I were doing some research as we looked for cribs and travel systems. We saw that Walmart is currently having a baby savings event and "what's on sale?" you might ask..? CRIBS AND TRAVEL SYSTEMS! Not only that, but I was almost certain that Bryce and I weren't going to be able to have a baby shower because we had just moved to a new place and hadn't really had a chance to make new friends yet. But, we just received news from my sweet mother-in-law that she would throw us a shower. We are blessed. I am grateful for this series of events, which I know would never had happened on its own, or because of pure coincidence.

The spirit of motherhood is a spirit of sacrifice. As mothers we sacrifice our own bodies and well being to carry our children for the better part of a year, and that's just the beginning. We sacrifice sleep and our well being in the early months, and so much more in the years following. I know this was a small and certainly insignificant sacrifice, but I feel like it's put me on the road to becoming a better mother.

A 3D sonogram image of our precious little girl.

Hobo In The Dumpster

You know, a couple of months ago Bryce and I were convinced that there was a homeless person who took refuge in the dumpster behind our apartment at night. There were many reasons we believed there was a hobo in the dumpster. The first being that we heard strange sounds coming from behind our apartment at night. Now, Bryce's work schedule is a little different. During school he's working part time as a package handler at UPS. For this job Bryce goes into work anywhere between 3 and 4 in the morning and he returns after 8 am. So, Bryce leaves for work pretty much in the middle of the night and he noticed that whenever he left for work the dumpster lid would be closed (probably for protection from the cold; although I don't know anyone who would be able to survive the smell) and when he returned from work the lid would once again be open. Bryce also reported that he heard strange sounds coming from the dumpster on these early morning commutes.

Bryce wasn't the only one hearing strange noises, though. One morning after Bryce had left for work and I had gone back to sleep, I was awoken by what sounded like someone whisking something in our kitchen. I was frightened by the sound, but I was also half asleep. Soon the sound passed and there was no homeless man standing at the foot of my bed with pancakes (or any other delicious breakfast food that would require a whisk) so I thought I was ok and I went back to sleep. When Bryce came home I told him about the noise I had heard, and how it had sounded like someone was in our home, or at least right outside our bedroom window. When I had gotten out of bed that morning though, I checked all the doors and everything was locked and safe. We were both a little freaked out by what had happened. We decided to wait it out and see if we heard anything like it again.

A few days later we realized that the sound was actually those garbage cans on wheels rolling in the gravel that is our "backyard." It seems as though our neighbor woke up nice and early to take the trash out on that one creepy night.

So now whenever we hear one of our neighbors rolling their garbage can out to the front we joke about the hobo whisking past our window. Now that the weather has heated up, though, I am proud to report that we no longer hear strange sounds coming from the dumpster and I am pretty sure that the homeless man found himself a nicer place to stay. Thankfully.