Thankful

In honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share what I am thankful for. I don't think an Instagram post or Facebook status could do what I want to really say justice.

First and foremost I am thankful to my Heavenly Father. He has truly blessed me and I definitely do not deserve it. I strive to serve him every day but I know I could do better. He has blessed me with a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter and a loving family, what more could I truly ask for? I am so thankful that Christ atoned for our sins and died so that we might live with Him again. What a wonderful blessing that has been bestowed upon us, that we can be forgiven for our sins. I have needed the atonement several times in my life and I would be lost with out it. I am so thankful for the Gospel and that is has been restored. It has brought me such joy. I am also thankful that we have been blessed with Temples so that we may do the Lords work and that I was able to be sealed to my family for time and all eternity.

I am so very grateful for my loving, hardworking, and smokin hot hubby! He is an amazing man and I am so thankful for him! He works so hard to provide for Emma and I and he loves us so much. I am thankful for the sacrifices he is constantly making for us and which I could carry the burden he has of working a taxing job as well as going to school so that we may have a wonderful future. I never thought I was going to get married because I hated being in relationships! I would complain about wanting a boyfriend and then when I would get one, I would run away screaming after two weeks! I knew Dallas was the one for me when I went through that panic again when we were supposed to get married in 2009. He stood by my side and never doubted for a second that we would be together. He was strong for the both of us and helped me work through my inner turmoil. He has shown me what love truly is, that it is not an emotion but an action. I am so thankful that he loves our Heavenly Father so much. He has always been there to strengthen me when I just felt too exhausted to go to Church. He has shown me the importance of attending our Sunday meetings and to serve The Lord through out the week and be Christ like. I am thankful for the father that he is to our daughter. I can see the love and adoration he has for her and I never thought I could love him anymore than I did, but I do. He stayed strong when I was weak while we were trying to get pregnant. Somedays I had to be the strong one but most days he was holding me up. He is an amazing partner and my best friend and the best dad in the world.

I am thankful for my perfect daughter. She is a true gift from God. She is such a sweet spirit and I couldn't feel more blessed. She has strengthened my testimony in ways that I never though possible. She has brought me closer to my Heavenly Father just by being around. She is such a happy baby. She smiles at everyone and every person we come in contact with, she instantly captures their heart. She has taught me unconditional love and selflessness. I never thought I could love something so much in my life! My heart could literally burst when I'm with her. I never thought I could be a selfless person until her. I would do anything for her. Her laugh brightens my day and her presence brightens my life. I could not imagine my life without her and I appreciate her even more because of how hard we had to work to get her here. I am thankful  for how much she has taught me already. She has taught me to appreciate the smalls things in life again. Something as little as a smile, or rolling over, or playing with your feet. It's like the most amazing thing for her which makes it equally as amazing for me. Being a parent is an amazing gift, whether it be your biological child or an adopted child, it is equally perfect. Emma is my angel and I express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for her everyday.

I am thankful for my family. Both my family and my in-laws. They have done so much for me and my family and I couldn't thank them enough for it. I truly have amazing parents, though I was a bratty child/teenager and acted like I didn't care, they really did teach me a lot and I am able to face my life with confidence because of them. You never really appreciate your parents until you become a parent yourself. I wish I could've known then what my mother went through to bring me into this world, I would've been more respectful and appreciated her more. Thank you mom for raising me and thank you dad as well. Thank you for working hard for us and for being so loving.Also, thank you for being amazing grandparents to Emma. I know you wish you could be with her all the time but the little time you're able to are always great and memorable and she will appreciate it as she gets older. I am thankful for my brothers and for the comedic relief they give me. They are so great and have always had my back and I am so appreciative of that. They always make me laugh and are a great example to me. I am grateful for my inlaws, they did a fantastic job raising my husband. They made the man of my dreams and I will be forever grateful for that. I appreciate everything they have done for our little family. They have helped us through a lot and I couldn't be more glad. They are wonderful grandparents to our child and show her great love and care. I am grateful that they watch Emma for me a couple of days a week so that I may work and help provide for our family and get Dallas through school. I am also thankful for my brothers in law and sister in law! They are so great and always make me laugh and treat me as if I am their biological sister and I love it! And last but not least I am thankful to my Aunt Kim for watching Emma a couple of days a week as well. She has been so helpful when she has no obligation to and Dallas and I couldn't be more grateful for it. She has been so loving to Emma and has been like a second mother to me. Thank you!

My heart is so full this holiday season and I am so excited to celebrate it with Emma! I can't wait to spend many more with her and with our family as it hopefully grows! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! Remember to hug your families and express your gratitude for them.

Love you all!

The Birth Story

Oh boy! I know you have all been DYING to hear about this haha. I'm gonna tell you about the labor and delivery! Yay! But, I'll try to leave out the gory details. ;).

It was pretty crazy, I went in for my 40 week appointment and I went in fists up ready to fight for an induction if I went 1 week overdue. My OBGYN doesn't usually induce until you're 2 weeks overdue unless you have a medical reason. But I wasn't going a week overdue. I was uncomfortable, huge, and my family was going to be in town to see Emma and they were going to miss it all if I didn't go into labor on my own. Dr. Larsen checked me and told me that I was 2 centimeters dilated and 60% effaced! Yay! That was good news! He checked my blood pressure which had been fluctuating for 3 weeks and saw that it was high again. He had me lay on my side and it went back down so he said there was no reason to worry at the moment. What came out of his mouth next totally shocked me though. "Well, since your blood pressure keeps shooting up and your cervix is ready and the baby is definitely cooked when would you like to have this baby? Tomorrow or Thursday?" UM, WHAT?! Lol. I went in there totally ready to fight for it but then when he told me without me saying a word, "Let's do it!" I was not ready! I immediately said Thursday so that I could have a day to process what was about to happen. Dallas and I were about to have our baby girl in our arms! I actually can't stay pregnant forever, the baby really does have to come out and I have to be the one to get her out! Holy Crap! I went into a panic Wednesday night worrying about everything that could go wrong, because I am a freak like that. Dallas had a nice talk with me and gave me a blessing and calmed me down a lot.

We got there Thursday morning at about 7:30 am and Dr. Larsen arrived at 8:00 am to break my water and start me on pitocin. They started off slow so I didn't feel anything at first, except for the big gush of water which was really weird! After a little while I started to feel the contractions and they







felt a lot like my period cramps, at first. Then they got stronger and closer together, whew! They hurt! I picked a focal point and just breathed while I squeezed the crap out of Dallas's hand. Poor guy haha but he was so patient. I decided after a couple of hours I was over the pain and decided to get the epidural. The worst part about that was just the numbing shot that they give before the actual epidural. Well, unfortunately the epidural didn't take very well so that was frustrating. I could still feel the pain from my contractions even though the edge was off and I swear it took me FOREVER to progress! It was so frustrating when they'd come in and say, "You're a 4." two hours later, "You're still a 4." COME ON! Then they started noticing meconium in the water. Yup, Emma had pooped in the womb. She took after her daddy on that one. So of course I became a nervous wreck because she could inhale it and have to go to the NICU and she could get pneumonia. To make matters worse I started getting a fever so they put me on an antibiotic so that they could stop a possible infection. I was getting really anxious at this point and just wanted to get Emma out safe and healthy. Finally they came and told me I was a 10 and it was time to try and start pushing. It was actual going to
happen! She was coming and we were so excited at this point! It's amazing how your mindset
completely changes when the time comes. You go from total fear to determination. Dallas was on my right trying to coach me through it but I finally just yelled, "Everyone shut up!" Haha. I really needed to focus and I couldn't do it with all of these people in my ear. After an hour and a half of pushing she was finally here! I heard her little cry and I just lost it! I couldn't believe we had a daughter! She finally made it! After a year of trying and 9 months of carrying her, she was finally here! They put her on my chest immediately and she was absolutely perfect! They kept yelling, "She's huge!" I didn't get to hold her very long cause they had to check her lungs to make sure she didn't inhale her poop. They checked our temperatures and we both had a fever of 104. Yikes! Hers was just because of being inside of my hot belly for so long but they gave her an antibiotic to be safe. I was so focused on her that I almost didn't noticed that they shoved two shots in my leg. My uterus didn't clamp down and I was hemorrhaging but thankfully those shots got it to do what it needed to do. They finally got her weight and measurements and when they said she was 10 lbs everyone in the room yelled, "WHAT?!" And I had only torn to a 2! She was huge and I was shocked that I pushed that big baby out of me! An hour after I had her I threw up which is always pleasant and the nurse decided I needed to try to go to the bathroom. Which, no offense to her cause she was a great nurse, probably wasn't
the best idea. She helped me walk in there and I told my mom I was going to throw up again cause the nurse left the room. I started feeling this pressure in my ears and the room started spinning and the last thing I remember was saying, "I'm gonna passed out." When I came to I had 3 nurses and Dallas yelling, "Breanna" in my face. I was so out of body and I started laughing cause I was so embarrassed.  Later on they found out Emma had some blood sugar problems so they had to put her on a drip to regulate it so we were there for 3 days. Me for my blood loss and her for that. I was an emotional wreck. I also had a new appreciation for water and food! I didn't get to eat or full on gulp anything during my 13 and half hours of labor cause of the epidural and pitocin! And thanks to the IV my face was so swollen that I was unrecognizable for days. It was horrendous but thankfully I am back to normal for the most part! I do have 5 lbs left to lose before I'm at my pre-pregnancy weight! Thank you breastfeeding! But I still plan on losing even more weight once I'm past recovery!

This little girl, despite the fact that she is my daughter, has a very special spirit about her. I felt it the moment they put her in my arms. She's going to be an amazing woman and even though I don't want her to grow up too fast, I can't wait to see what she will accomplish as she grows. She's beautiful and may I just say absolutely perfect. I love her so much. I could not believe the unconditional love I felt for her from the beginning. Dallas and I were so overwhelmed with emotions that we were crying wrecks for 3 days haha. Motherhood is hard and I am no expert at it, that's for sure. But my maternal instincts have definitely kicked in. It's such an amazing experience and I would not trade it for the world! It took us a year to get pregnant with her and that trial was well worth it! It was perfect timing for the perfect girl.

Here are some pictures I wanted to share from her birth up until now!





















Emma Grace Reynolds 
Born June 27th, 2013 at 11:33 P.M.
Weight 10 lbs
Length 21.5 inches 





A letter to my little one

I saw this on a blog once. I don't remember who's it was but I LOVED the idea and I promised I would do it for my little one when that time came. I'm going to do my best in these next 14 weeks to write a few letters to my sweet Emma.

Dear Emma,

I don't even know where to begin. Your daddy and I can't wait to meet you. We count down the months, the weeks, the days, the minutes. You are a precious gift to us and we are so thrilled that you will be coming into our lives soon. We prayed so hard for you and couldn't believe it after 12 hard months of trying that we finally succeeded. You're our little miracle. I struggled with hope, mostly because of what doctors and people would tell me and it terrified me. I almost thought you'd never come. But there was something that kept telling me not to give up. Because I know that God is more powerful than those doctors and my disorders. I still am in disbelief when I look at myself in the mirror and see my big belly haha. I smile so wide when I feel you moving around. When I first heard your heartbeat it was like music to my ears! I just thought to myself,  "There really is a baby in there!" I remember when we got our ultrasound and I saw you, so perfect. When they told me, "It's a Girl!" and I sobbed. I was so thrilled! I loved watching you roll around and suck on your thumb. Your dad and I just looked at each other and said, "She's ours." I picture seeing you everyday! I can't even wait! But please don't hurt me haha. I love you so much already and I can't wait to dedicate my life to you. I know it's going to be hard but it's going to be worth it. Your dad loves you so much too. He's been working hard on your nursery and he talks about you ALL the time. He also takes good care of your mama. He calls you his little angel. It makes my heart full to hear that from him. You are going to be so loved little girl. And SO spoiled! Your grandma's are going to just adore the crap out of you! Haha. And I can't even imagine how your grandpa's are going to be. It's going to be crazy! First grandchild and a granddaughter! We're in big trouble! Your aunt and uncles can't wait to meet you either. They're really excited! Everyone is excited! You are so special, don't ever forget that. We love you and will give you the best we can. Any struggles we've had emotionally, physically, and financially have all been worth it because we know we'll have you!

Love you sweet girl. I don't think I can say that enough. We can't wait to cover you in kisses.

Love,
Your Mommy.

Catch up!

Wow! I am getting so bad about posting on here! Sometimes I forget that I have a blog. Oops! Must be the pregnancy brain ;).

So, I thought I would just catch everybody up on what's going on. As if I don't post enough on Facebook, right? Anyways, sweet little Emma is still doing good and just kickin away in my belly. She moves like CRAZY! It's amazing! It reassures me everyday that she is healthy and strong and it brings me so much joy. Also, I seriously grow more and more everyday. It's insane! Unfortunately I do have stretch marks :(. Dang you Mom! Stupid genetics! lol. But hopefully they will eventually fade. I've been using lotion like crazy but they say it doesn't always work and in my case it's not. But it's pretty crazy to see this belly on me. I'm not used to it and probably will never get used to it! It just stinks sometimes because I am limited to only a few outfits. Oh and FYI, Maternity clothes are expensive! Holy crap! And it's hard to find cute ones sometimes. That's probably one of the more frustrating things about pregnancy. That and peeing every 5 minutes...

We had a little bit of a scare this week. I was having really bad cramping and it was concerning me. I called the on call doctor and she told me not to worry because they were just growing pains. I said okay and tried to move on but I couldn't. There was just something nagging at me and the cramps just didn't feel right. I've had cramping during this pregnancy but these were different and not in a good way. I went to bed that night and then went to work the next morning and called the OB right at 9 and told them this was not normal and I'd like to get checked. They asked me more in depth questions about how I was feeling and decided to do a urine analysis. I smacked my head and was like OOOHHH!! I probably have a bladder infection!! I didn't even think about it. Sure enough I had a very bad UTI. They put me on an antibiotic and instructed me to rest for the next couple of days. Not doing anything is miserable by the way. I really feel for women who are put on bed rest for weeks or months. I pray that I don't have to endure it. I was going crazy just for a few days. But, I'm feeling better. I did have some spotting one day but my doctor assured me that's common with a UTI and sure enough it went away. I flipped though! Not going to lie. I have made a vow to drink more water and probably make cranberry juice a small part of my diet to try to hopefully prevent UTI's. Cause, that really sucked.

A lot of people will ask me what my cravings are so why not share?
I'm really digging french fries. I try not to give into that craving too much because it's not the healthiest but oh man is it good! haha. I also LOVE hot chocolate! We probably drive to 7-11 everyday to get me one. It's pretty bad. I'm a little obsessed. Also, I love a spoonful of peanut butter! I know that's kind of weird. But I just want the peanut butter! Not on bread, not on crackers, just peanut butter. Last but not least I loves me some cereal. I go through different kinds. I switch from Crunch Berries to Cheerios mostly. I'm sure I have more cravings but these are the ones that stick out to me the most. It's pretty crazy how intense these cravings are. It's literally all you can think about when you crave it. I can't stop talking about it or thinking about it until I have it. Lol.

Well, I'm gonna wrap this up. I need to get to bed. So I'll end with some more pictures of my growing belly! haha.







Oh and here's an updated photo of little Emma! :) Such a cutie already!


Whoops!

I kind of dropped the ball on the blog here! I've either been working or too tired to take the time out to post on here! So, I'm sorry about that! Let's see if I can remember everything I want to tell everyone haha.

So pregnancy is still pretty great! I have suffered from some pretty bad headaches but 2 tylenol and a sip of Coke usually does the trick. I don't really like coke and I was hoping to avoid caffeine all together but what can you do? The headaches get so bad I can hardly function so I have to just do what I can. Especially since I can't take ibuprofen anymore which is normally my drug of choice!

Well as most of you know we found out that we're having a GIRL! We couldn't be more thrilled! I really wanted a girl, even though I told everyone I didn't really care. That was a lie. I mean of course if she was a boy I would still be very happy and love him just as much but I've always wanted a girl first. I was the oldest in my family so I like the idea of having a girl as the oldest cause I did a pretty dang good job of it! Who knows we may just end up with all girls....oh dear...haha. But that would be a blessing! Just as much of a blessing as the rest of our kids being boys! haha. But, our appointment to find out was pretty eventful. They told me to come with a full bladder and I may have started drinking too soon because we were 30 minutes early and I had to pee SO BAD! First of all we were on the opposite side of where the place was and we're walking around trying to find it which isn't helping my situation at all! Thankfully we found a map and so we jumped back in the car and headed in that direction. We walked into the lobby and I could not find a position to help relieve some of the pressure! It was seriously so bad! I've never had to pee so much in my life! haha. Dallas is laughing so hard at me and it's making me laugh so I'm like peeing my pants a little! haha. Thankfully they were ahead of schedule and got us in 15 minutes early. Once I laid down on the table it helped a little bit. Until, of course, she pushes the thingy right onto my bladder super hard and I'm like oh wonderful! Haha. Thankfully our sweet baby was super cooperative! They found it right away and said "It's a Girl!" I was seriously expecting them to say it was a boy for a second because the boy genes on the Reynolds side are pretty strong. So I was SHOCKED! I was like "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" And started crying and Dallas was right there rubbing my arm with tears in his eyes! So sweet. Then they proceeded to show us the rest of her. The minute they went to her face she was sucking her thumb! I was like OH MY GOSH! She was wiggling and rolling around in there. It was so amazing to see. She looks perfect! I was on cloud 9 the whole time. I totally forgot I had to go to the bathroom still haha. Here's some of the Ultrasound Pictures of her. She was flipped upside down and curled in a ball by the time they got pictures of her.



So cooperative! That's my girl!  



I feel like I've been growing at a pretty rapid rate! I started showing at about 13 1/2, 14 weeks and I feel like I get bigger EVERYDAY! lol. I kind of expected it. I mean have you seen my husband? He is not a small man! haha. But I've been taking pictures of my belly every week to show my progress! So here are some belly pictures!








For some reason the one for 14 weeks won't upload right on here! Sorry!

Also we made a super cute video for the gender reveal but it's not going to let me upload it :(. But here is a picture for it that we quite like! 


We had a really cute and fun Gender reveal party on the day we found out! It was a lot of fun and everyone was super excited and shocked at the reveal! I think most people thought we were having a boy! The party was stressful to plan but it was well worth it! It turned out super cute. I always saw it on pinterest so I really wanted to throw one!


We appreciate all of the wonderful support we've had. Everyone has been so great! Of course there are the negative nancy's and debby downers that share their obnoxious views and opinions. I know some people mean well, but just know they're not welcome lol. So, please try to keep it to yourself. I would have the same respect for you. Other than that thank you again everyone! We love you all!