And...She's finally HERE!!!!

Finally our sweet lil angel made her debut into this world on Friday April 15th...(tax day baby)!

Here is my birthing story...

Two weeks before she was born on March 30th (37 weeks)  I went to my doctor's appointment.  The doctor checked my cervix and she  was surprised I had already started to dilate, I was already at 3 cm, she said that was really good and she was really excited about it.  

So the next week on April 6th (38 weeks) I went for my appointment and my doctor checked my cervix again and this time I was at a 4.  I hadn't been feeling any contractions and my doctor was again surprised that I was so dilated already and not feeling anything and still walking around.  She said it was rare because this was my first baby and she doesn't usually see that.  She also wanted to strip my membranes but I didn't want her to just yet.  So she figured I would start going into labor any day and I was fine with that I just wanted to make it past Saturday because that was the day of my last baby shower!  So everyone kept making predictions and saying I was going to go into labor before Saturday.  But I didn't think I would because I still wasn't feeling anything!  So finally after Saturday I was ready for her to come and started trying everything I could to go into labor.... except drink castor oil... I wasn't going to try that!  I kept walking around and staying busy trying to get baby to come and nothing... 

Finally Wed. April 13th (39 weeks) came and it was time for my doctor's appointment.  I went in and my doctor was so surprised that I hadn't gone into labor yet.  So she checked my cervix again and I was dilated to about 4 1/2 now so she stripped my membranes hoping it would help start things along.  As she was listening to the baby's heartbeat she said it was a bit lower than it had been before so she wanted me to go and get a non-stress test to make sure everything was okay with the baby.  So I had to go up the hospital and get this test done and what they do is put a monitor on my belly to monitor the baby's heartbeat for 20 or more min.  They also put a monitor on my belly to monitor for contractions.  So after all that they said the baby was fine and there was nothing wrong but the monitor did show I was having contractions but there wasn't any pattern to them and I still couldn't feel them so they said I was okay to go and hopefully the baby would be coming soon.  My doctor had told me she was going to be out of town from Thursday night till Sunday night, so I was hoping after she stripped my membranes I would go into labor either that day or on Thursday day... wishful thinking.  

I went home and again tried everything and she just didn't want to come out!  So Thursday came and still nothing... My mom and I were able to go shopping for some things and when we got home I wanted to go for a long walk with Teki, but after I got home around 4:20ish I went to wake him up from his nap and then I felt a gush of water... my water broke!!!  So I wasn't really sure but felt pretty sure that that was what happened.  So I went up to ask my mom and she said I probably did break my water.  But I wasn't feeling any contractions so I wasn't sure what to do, so we called the hospital and told them what happened and they said they wanted me to come in since my water was broken there was a risk of an infection if I didn't come in.  My mom and I had bought some plaster stuff to make a belly cast, so we hurried and put it on before we left.  We got all ready and I took a shower and off we went to the hospital.

Waiting to be moved to our room... last pic of my big belly!

We got to the hospital around 6:15ish and they were really full so they didn't have a room ready for me.  They put me in a temporary room and they came in to do some tests to make sure that my water did really break...and I passed!  They also said they couldn't check my cervix because they couldn't see past all the fluid.  So we waited around, they had me hooked up to a monitor to check the baby's heartbeat and my contractions.  My contractions were coming in more of a pattern and I could kind of feel something but nothing that really hurt.  Finally around 7:50 we moved to the birthing room and waited around some more... around 9ish the doctor came in and they decided to check my cervix, she said there was still a pocket of fluid that was still in there so she popped it and I again felt a gush of water.  After that they started me on Pitocin and I started to feel the contractions... they did not feel good!  But I was tolerating it because I didn't want to get an epidural.  Teki had gone to get something to eat with his sister and when he had left I was fine and when he came back I was starting to feel the contractions so he was worried for me cause I was in pain.  But he did really good to be supportive.  The next few hours were kind of a blur, I  was in and out of pain and was a bit nauseous, I actually threw up twice.  

Finally around 11ish I started feeling that need to push.  The nurses and doctors were all convinced that I was going to be there for awhile and didn't think it was going to be fast, so when I said I wanted to push, the nurse checked my cervix and again and said I was fully dilated and she said I could start pushing if I wanted to.  So of course I did, my mom grabbed one leg and Teki grabbed the other and I started pushing.  It wasn't too long after I started pushing that the nurse called the doctors in.  The contractions were painful but all the pushing was exhausting me.  It felt like forever in between contractions and having to push was so hard.  I don't even know how long into pushing it was that I heard one of the doctors say 'she has a full set of hair!'  And i was shocked that they could see her head and that I was almost there.  But then she decided to stay there... her head was stuck for what felt like forever, but I just kept pushing and pushing and I was getting more and more exhausted but I knew I couldn't stop.  Finally I could feel her moving and she was almost there, the pain was at it's worst and I could feel her head almost ready to pop out and they doctors pushing on the skin around where her head was.  Finally my next contraction came and I pushed as hard as I could and it was the worst one I screamed and then I heard it, my lil baby crying!  

Getting Weighed!

She came at 1:03 am.  I was so tired and felt like I was in shock like it couldn't be that she was finally here!  They had Teki cut the cord then then put baby up on my chest and started cleaning her off... I just looked at her and couldn't believe it.  I couldn't believe that Teki and I had made her, that she was here, that she was OURS!  I didn't want to let her go but they took her to weigh her and give her a shot.  She weighed in at 6lbs 15.8oz.  She was 21in long and just perfect!  Teki put on her first diaper, then they gave her back to me for some skin to skin, which I loved!  They put her on my chest and I couldn't take my eyes off of her, she was beautiful and I was so in love with her!  Teki's parents were there and my friend Vanity, so they finally all came in and got to see her.  They all soon left so that I could get some rest.  The nurse showed me how to start breast feeding and she started eating,  we did that for about 45 min then we were moved to our recovery room.  My mom finally left us around 3 and we tried to get some sleep.  Lusi stayed in the room with us the whole time.  She only left the room one time to go get weighed and to do her hearing test.  When the nurse took her me and Teki were so sad.  We didn't want her to leave our side!  

My lil Angel!

First Family Picture!

Loved Skin to Skin!

She is now a week old and I cannot believe how much our whole world has changed.  It is all about Lusi now and I love it!  I wouldn't change anything about it!  She is so precious and sweet.  We are so in love with her and are trying our best not to spoil her but she is just too cute it's so hard not to!  

Proud Daddy!

I feel so blessed to have her here with us and to have such a loving supportive husband who is such a good daddy!  He helps so much and is so sweet to her and me!  I also am so blessed to have my mom here to help me out.  I don't know what I would do without both of them.  I am so grateful for my family and for all the love that has been brought into our home with this sweet lil angel.  It really is the best being a mom and I am loving it so much!!! 

Love my Family!

Warriors!...

So Teki has always loved and played rugby.  Growing up he played with the Provo Steelers.  They were good, he even went as far as to permanently tattoo it on his leg!  They almost always won all the tournaments they played in and Teki was happy to be part of a team that all played well together.  But after we got married he moved up here to Sandy and it was harder for him to get to his practices.  He would head down to Provo when he could and practice and still would play in the games when they had them.  But last fall the opportunity arose for him to try out for a new team.  A new Super League team, The Warriors.  Teki made the team and since they were new they started putting things together.  They started out having late 10 or 11 at night practices, it was hard to be going to bed and having Teki be leaving but I knew it would be worth it for him to go and to get those practices in to become a better team.  In January the Warriors had their first game/scrimmage against the University of Utah and did really well 59-19.  Next up was the Las Vegas Invitational.  The team they were supposed to play didn't show up and they ended up playing another team who they killed with the score ending in 81-5.  Teki scored twice in this game!

Finally the Super League season started in March and their first game was an away game in Denver.  A lot of people were doubting the Warriors because they are a new team but they came out on top and played well against Denver, they won 38-21.  Their first home game was against Dallas and they killed it, winning 78-15!  Last week they traveled to San Francisco and they played hard but came out defeated losing 32-8.  They had a home game this past week against Seattle and ended up losing by one point!  The weather was really bad but still they tried, the score was 18-17, Teki scored their last try this game.  They still have a few more games this season.  And I am hoping the Warriors and Teki can continue to do well!  This has been such an amazing opportunity for Teki to continue doing what he loves, playing rugby.  I'm so grateful that he has been blessed with the ability to play and to continue to play!

 Notice the tattoo on his leg...

Warrior Nation!