Lucy Marie Olsen

This is a bit lengthy. Don't feel obligated to read it all; but I wanted to write every detail so I could remember this day perfectly. 

Lucy's birth is something I wont ever forget, I wish I could relive it every day. It was the most amazing day that Matt and I have experienced other than our sealing. There is nothing better than bringing a new little spirit into this world, knowing that Heavenly Father trusts you to raise them, teach them, and love them. To be honest, I still can't even talk about Lucy's birth story without crying and I may or may not be crying as I type this. I feel so blessed to be Lucy's mom and I still can't believe she is ours. She is absolutely perfect. 

To begin this story, I'll take you back a few weeks. When I went in to my 36 week appointment Dr. Spencer checked me and did and did an ultrasound. I was dilated to a 2 and 70% thinned. He told me my cervix was soft and ready to go. I was feeling really confident that I would be able to go into labor on my own and that we would be having a baby soon! At this same appointment, we also found out that Dr. Spencer would be out of town on my due date. I started to panic a little bit because I couldn't imagine anyone else delivering our baby. He told me that if I didn't have her on my own I was a good candidate for an induction and that could be an option if I wanted to. A lot of people had asked me during my pregnancy if I would want to be induced. To be honest, I really really didn't want to be. I know that lots of women get started and have perfectly healthy babies and deliveries, but I wanted to avoid it at all costs. Matt and I decided we would wait a little longer to make that decision, and hopefully Lucy would just come on her own. Fast forward two more weeks, I went in for my 38 week appointment and I was checked again, I hadn't progressed at all, and Dr. Spencer was leaving to go out of town the following week. After a lot of discussion and debate, we decided to go ahead and schedule an induction for the upcoming Monday! That was only four days away and I was a bit in shock. After we left the doctors office, I kept crying and was having a major anxiety attack. I couldn't believe that we would be having a baby in just a few days and suddenly everything seemed so scary. 

We spent the next few days finishing all preparations and making sure everything was ready. I was still pretty nervous about being induced and felt a little guilty, as if I was forcing Lucy to come out before she was ready. Sunday night around 11:00 Matt gave me a blessing. At midnight I went into Labor at exactly 39 weeks. :) My contractions were about 4 minutes apart and felt different than all the braxton hicks I had felt before. I kept questioning if I was really in labor or not, so I decided to try to get a few hours of sleep, since I was scheduled to go into the hospital at 5:30 am. I finally fell asleep around 2 and woke up at 4:30. We got ready and headed up to the hospital. I got hooked up to all the machines and monitors and was still contracting about every 4 minutes. Dr. Spencer got there around 6:45 and checked me, I was dilated to a 4 and 90% thinned. He then broke my water and thats when the contractions REALLY started. They were every 1 to 2 minutes and really painful. Matt kept trying to make me laugh but I could barely focus on making sure to breath. About an hour later I was able to get my epidural, which is heaven!! I have no idea how women go through labor and delivery without one. After my epidural was in affect my nurse, Peggy, started my pitocin on a very low dose. After only being on the pitocin for about a half hour, Lucy's heart rate started to tank. And when I say tank, I really mean it. She was down in the 60's and was struggling to get back up to a healthy rate. I had two nurses in my room within minutes and I was put on oxygen and continued to change positions until her heart rate got back up to where it should be. Peggy talked to me about the possibility of having a C Section but tried to keep me calm. She then decided it would be best to take me off the pitocin. I was worried I wouldn't progress very fast without it, and be in labor for most of the day. Thankfully I continued to dilate every hour and was moving pretty fast. My nurse came in to check me before she went to lunch. This was around noon, she told me I was dilated to a 7 and she thought that when she got back from lunch I would be ready to have the baby. I didn't take her too seriously, because with my mom and sisters, once they get to a 7 they stop progressing. To my surprise, Peggy came back from lunch and I had dilated to a 9! It was about 1:20 and the techs and nurses started prepping my room for the delivery. As soon as Peggy left the room, Lucy's heart rate dropped again, and wasn't coming back up. She rushed back in and said that she felt like I needed to be checked again. It had literally only been two minutes and I was dilated to a 10 and ready to push. She had me push through three contractions to help move Lucy down a little bit and to teach me how to push. Dr. Spencer got there and we were ready to go. I was very lucky and only had to push four times to get our little girl out and at 2:02pm she was born. We did however have a small issue. Lucy's cord was wrapped around her neck twice, and she was very purple. Dr. Spencer stayed very calm, quickly got the cord off and she was finally able to breath. It was no wonder her heart rate kept going so low. Even though Lucy was quite small, and could have probably used another week or two in my belly, I know Heavenly Father was looking out for us. Had she stayed in any longer, we may not have gotten her here safely, or at all. I know that everything happens for a reason, exactly when its supposed to happen. I don't think it was any coincidence that I went into labor that night. Not only did I get to avoid being "induced", but our sweet girl was able to make it here safe and sound. I am so thankful I had such an amazing nurse and doctor. I know that they were both inspired to handle things the way they did. They both took such good care of me and our little one. 

The minute I heard Lucy's cry, I couldn't help but cry too. In those special moments of her being born, the veil seemed very thin and I could definitely feel the comfort and love of our Heavenly Father. I knew that our sweet little girl was coming from his presence to ours. It was very overwhelming, and so rewarding. I don't think I will ever be able to fully describe the way I felt right then; the moment I became a mother, but it was amazing. I never understood how rewarding motherhood could possibly be, until it happened to me. I can't imagine our life without Lucy Marie. She brings both Matt and me so much joy. She is truly a special spirit, and even though I don't want her to get any bigger, I can't wait to see the little lady she grows up to be. With every late night feeding or while Lucy sleeps during the day, I fall in love with her even more. Being a mom is the greatest blessing I could have ever been given and I am so glad that I have been given this wonderful opportunity. My life has been forever changed, and I couldn't be happier! 

Now for the picture overload... 

 Talking to my mom on the phone. She was coaching me on how to breath during a contraction. 

 After my epidural... Happy as ever! 

 Matt had to take a test the very next morning, so he was studying while we waited for baby. 

 So tiny. 6lbs 6oz 19.5 inches long. 

 Putting on her first diaper. 

 Holding her for the first time. Its a good thing you can't see my face.. I was a crying mess! 

 After her first bath, so sweet and so clean.

 Family Photo

 She came out sucking her thumb.. haha its really cute. 

 Little grandpa wrinkles and a big yawn! 

I seriously can't get enough of her!!! I am so happy she is here and so happy to be her mom! 

I love you so much Lucy Marie Olsen. 

Our new addition

Lucy Marie Olsen came into the world Monday, July 30, 2012 at 2:02pm. She weighed 6 lbs 6 oz and was 19.5 inches long. She is so tiny and the most perfect little babe. We feel so extremely lucky to have her here!

I will post more pictures and the birth story in a couple days, when I'm not tied up holding my sweet baby girl.

Welcome to the world baby Lucy, we love you so much!!!

The Belly...

Last week, we [last minute] scheduled some quick maternity pictures. I feel like I waited a little too long to get these taken, my face really started filling out the last couple weeks :( But aside from that, I had my friend Michelle Liegert take these.

My belly keeps growing each day, but thankfully my weight gain has been put on hold.. Weird right? Even though I love feeling all of our baby's little movements, hiccups and kicks; I am definitely ready for her to be here. We have ONE MONTH left. Yikes. It went by so quickly, it is almost scary. When I think about the last 9 months, I really can't believe they have already come and gone. She can come at anytime now and be totally healthy. It's a weird feeling, knowing that at anytime our lives are going to change forever, but I really can't wait to meet her and start our journey through parenthood.

Slacker

I can't believe how much I have neglected this blog... Especially during one of the most exciting times in our lives! I guess that just shows how tired I have been... And busy!

This last week I finally finished one of the worst semesters of my life! I have been so busy with working and trying to get through some of the most time consuming classes I've ever had. I finished working the first week of June and that took a lot of stress off. It's crazy to think that the next time I go back to work, I'll be a mother.

As we get closer to my due date, I have started feeling a little overwhelmed. I can't wait for baby to get here and can't wait to be a mom, it is all I have ever wanted to be; but it is a huge lifestyle change and responsibility. Im just so glad that I have Matt to experience all this with me. He has been the best husband and I know he will be such an amazing dad. He loves our little girl so much already, and if it was up to him she would be here today! :)

We only have a few weeks left so we have been doing our best to get things ready. We finally got the nursery painted and her crib set up! The paint and crib are both perfect! We are just waiting on her mattress and then we can put all her bedding on. I still haven't decided what to do yet for a chair... But hopefully we will get it figured out soon! There is still a lot we need, but we still have some time, so let's hope we get it all taken care of before she arrives. I had my first shower yesterday and we got so many cute outfits and baby needs. It was fun to see all my high school friends and I felt so blessed to have had such good friends all these years! I have a few more showers coming up and I am so excited for those! Overall life has been going well and we are just getting ready for our next chapter in life! Hopefully we survive! :)

As for the rest of our summer, I have been spending lots of time at Cherry Hill and just trying to relax and survive the heat. That season pass is the best investment. A few weeks ago we took a trip up to North Ogden to eat at Daddy D's with our friends the Jensen's. They have some crazy food.. but we sure enjoyed it! I can't wait until we go back. We also finally made it out on the lake for the first time this year. Although I couldn't really participate, it was so fun to go and hang out on the boat and enjoy the sunshine. Nothing too excited has happened.. but hopefully in the next few weeks I will have a lot more to blog about! :) We are enjoying our summer and feel like we are in the perfect place in our lives... I can only imagine that it just gets better from here. 

Oh and I can't forget our sweet Maeby... She is as cute as ever!! I seriously love my pup!!

Babies come exactly when they're meant to

I have gone back and forth debating whether or not to post this blog, because the story of how our baby came to be is so sweet to Matt and me. But after sharing it with a few people, they all told me I would be mad at myself if I didn't write it down. I think they are right.. I want to remember the experience we had with becoming pregnant for the first time, and not forget one little detail. So here we go....

Since Matt and I got married, we always told ourselves we would wait about three years before starting our family. We both wanted to be done with school, and see where the next chapter of our lives took us. I think all along I always kind of knew we would never make it that long. :) Both of us can't wait to become parents, and I think even though waiting three years for a baby seemed ideal, we knew we would start when Heavenly Father told us to. Many of you may know of the struggles that one of my sisters has had with infertility and the trial that it has become in her life. I also have another sister who hasn't struggled in the fertility department. I always wondered where I would land once we started trying for a family, and worried that I too would have to work very hard to bring children into this world.

Back in October 2011, I went to see my OBGYN at the time, just for a regular check up. As the two of us talked, we discussed how birth control had kinda screwed up my system and some of the things I had been dealing with since going off birth control. I stopped taking birth control just a few months after Matt and I were married because it turned me into a crazy person. Even though I wasn't on the pill, we were still preventing and had not planned on getting pregnant any time soon. While at my appointment, my doctor talked to me about my chances of being able to have a baby. He told me that it would most likely be something I would struggle with. Due to my family history and many of the symptoms I have had, he was worried I wouldn't be able to get pregnant as easily as I would have hoped. In the moment of this all, I kinda brushed it off and just thought,"We will worry about it when it actually becomes an issue, there is no point in stressing about it now." After I got home, Matt and I talked about what the doctor had said, and we both agreed that we were not ready to start a family and that we would deal with the issue once the time came.

November 11, 2011 is a day I wont ever forget. Matt and I planned to go to the temple together for a date. We had no specific purpose in our attendance that night, only to go and do the lords work and enjoy a great evening together. :)  That night as I sat through the session I was overwhelmed with an impression that there was a spirit waiting for us, and that now would be the time to start our family. My sister had been trying to get pregnant for close to two years, and I kept thinking,"This is for her, not for me.. not yet.." Again the very strong impression came that Matt and I would be starting our family. I was a little confused because it wasn't something we had seriously talked about doing yet, and with what we had learned one month earlier, I was completely taken by surprise. After the session ended and Matt and I sat in the Celestial Room, I couldn't ignore the feelings I had and knew that the spirit was softly but firmly whispering to me, that my time to become a mother was now. I decided I would keep this to myself unless Matt said something about it. I wanted some time for it to settle in and wanted to make sure I was feeling the right things. It was literally less than one minute after walking in the door to our home when Matt looked at me and said, "I think we are supposed to have a baby. It was all I could think about while in the temple." I knew at that very moment, we would be starting the next chapter of our lives.

We talked about how we were a little nervous to really take the plunge and start trying to get pregnant, but knew we couldn't ignore the promptings from the Holy Ghost. We decided we wouldn't start really trying to get pregnant, but just wouldn't be as careful and see what happened. We expected for this to take a while. It seemed like the perfect plan, we were headed in the right direction without having to really make the full on commitment. As the next couple weeks went on, my mood was changing and I was extremly tired. Matt and I both kept joking that I was pregnant, but didn't think it was even possible yet. Two weeks later on November 26, 2011 we found out we were indeed pregnant. As we looked at that little test, and saw the little pink plus sign, all we could do was hug eachother and cry. We were so excited and overwhelmed and honestly shocked at what we were really seeing. I dont know if I was already pregnant that night we were in the temple, or if it happened soon after... either way I know without a doubt, this baby was sent to us from a loving Heavenly Father who trusts us to raise one of his children and teach them all we can. This experience has brought Matt and I so much closer together. It has been the greatest thing that has ever happened to us, and we can't wait for our sweet little daughter to get here.

I was so excited to tell our families, but also a little nervous because I knew that my sister Jen, who has struggled with becoming pregnant, would be so happy for me, but it may also be hard for her. The night we had planned to tell our family, we were gathered all around when Jen announced she would be having a baby around the same time I was!! I have never been more excited, and I feel like Heavenly Father has definitely blessed our family in so many ways!! Baby Girl Olsen and Baby Girl Shumway are only 3 weeks apart. I cannot wait for their arrival!! On a side note, my sweet sister in law Emilee is also expecting, and she is only 4 weeks behind me! Baby Boy Call will be arriving the first of September (If he decides to cooperate and continues to cook a little longer... ) So many babies all at the same time! What a fun time for all of us!

16 Weeks                                                                 20 Weeks

25 Weeks                                                                 29.5 Weeks

As of today I am 30 Weeks, and only have 10 weeks left! I can't wait for our baby to get here, but I know I will miss being pregnant. I feel so blessed to have had such a healthy pregnancy and been able to continue working and going to school. I am also so grateful for Matt and all that he has done for me and our family during this time. He is a constant example to me, and I know he will be the greatest dad ever.