Our Birth Story

(Addie's first bath)

(cuddling with mommy the day we went home from the hospital)

Monday February 20,2012 started like a normal day, we woke up had a nice relaxing morning and then spent the afternoon walking Southtowne mall. That evening Mike and Heather came over to hang out and eat pizza. I started having contractions while they were there around 11 pm, Heather would get so excited every time I would start to flinch. Mike and Heather left our place around midnight and I proceeded to get ready for bed; still having contractions about 15 minutes apart.

1:30 am: Randy and I had just gotten into bed and were turning off the lights when my contractions changed. They got super intense and started to radiate down my legs and all over in my back. I started thinking, hmmmm… this might really be it. 

2:00 am: Randy got up to go to the bathroom and all of a sudden I knew this was not just a normal bought of random contractions. I yelled at Randy to turn on the tub for me and start putting in the rest of our stuff in the hospital bags. I sat in the tub for the next 45 minutes trying to relax and wondering if I really was ready for this. Finally Randy came in and said that it was time for us to go. Suddenly I was not ready to start this labor process; I was scared and excited. I asked Randy to give me a blessing of peace, comfort and strength, it helped immensely. And before I knew it we were in the car and headed to the hospital. 

3:30 am: We get to the hospital, check in and get all settled in our labor room. The nurse came in to check me and told me that I was only 1 ½ cm. and 90% effaced but the baby had dropped super low. She suggested we spend the next hour walking the halls to try and make things progress faster. So we walked…. An hour later I was checked again and had dilated to a 3, still 90% effaced with an even lower baby. The nurse again suggested another hour of walking and said that she was pretty sure we would be admitted if I could get my cervix to move forward so they could break my water. 

6:30 am: At last we were officially admitted and they stuck an IV in me. I was still pretty much at a 4 cm, 90%, but my cervix was slowly moving forward! Progress!! And I fell in love with my sweet nurse Marianne. She was the greatest nurse in the world! I loved her and her little Who nose! 

9:00 am: The resident Dr. came in checked me and decided it was time to break my water and get things moving! I was not expecting that much liquid to come out of me, but WOW! How is there that much water inside of me. I was so amazed at the pressure I started to feel almost immediately. 

10:15 am: I gave up trying to be brave and was given my blessed epidural! Oh thank Heaven for wonderful epidurals and the sweet relief they bring! I was at last able to relax and sleep a little bit. 

 12:00 pm: My nurse came in to check me again, I hadn’t made any progress and the baby was having a little trouble each time I had a contraction her heart rate would drop. So they started to fill my amniotic sack back up with water to cushion her umbilical cord. 

(Waiting for things to start moving along)
12:45 pm: Nurse checks me again and tada! I had moved to 9 ½ cm. and was fully effaced, baby had dropped to a +1. The nurse was really proud of my progress and sent a message to Dr. DeSano to have her come down and check me. 

1:30 pm: Dr. DeSano came in and introduced herself to us. (Remember my real doctor is on maternity leave so I was left with whichever of her partners was on call.) She checked me and was really happy with my progress, but little baby girl was still sunny side up. She suggested that I move to my side with my leg up in the air to try and turn baby by myself. 

 2:15 pm: After 45 minutes of me laying on each side with my leg up in the air the nurse came back in to check, baby still hadn’t moved. So she suggested I try and relax while she went to get a hold of the doctor and see what she suggested. 

 2:50 pm: Dr. DeSano checks me, baby still not turned but she thinks that baby has dropped enough that I start pushing she could turn baby with her hands. We wait till my next contraction and I push with all my might. Baby turns but when Dr. D moves her hand baby moves right back to where she was. Dr. D says to start pushing and she will check back later. 

3:15 pm: Nurse Marianne brings in medical student Dr. Moran. She is like the sweetest little thing in the world. She asks if she can be a part of our birth by helping me push. The pushing begins and continues for a very long time. For the first hour or so I felt really great! My nurse and student dr. kept telling me that I am doing great at pushing. Randy was the most amazing labor partner ever! He counted to ten over and over. He kept asking me if I needed water or ice chips, he would stroke my hair in between contractions and tell me I was amazing, he was the most incredible person in that room; I fell in love with him all over again. At last my nurse said that I had made enough progress that if I wanted she could bring a mirror in and I could see the baby start to crown. I never thought I would want to see that, but I was kind of curious and said that I wanted to have the mirror. It was pretty amazing to see my little girl’s head as I pushed; but eventually I asked to have the mirror moved because I also found it frustrating to hear them say I was making progress and pushing so well but not seeing the progress when I looked in the mirror. After awhile I started to get really tired, I started to drift in and out in between contractions I was really delirious through a good chunk of my pushing. I simply let my brain go, and started to only zone in when I heard Randy say it was time to push again. I would listen to him count to 10 three times in a row and then relax and let my brain wonder until he told me it was time to push again. 

5:50 pm: Dr. DeSano comes in one more time to check me. She is a little concerned about the amount of blood I am loosing each time I push, so she asks me to push while she tries to turn baby one last time. I push so hard I thought I might pop a vein! After I push Dr. D looks at me and says that we might have to discuss other options of getting baby here, she is a little concerned about the blood loss and how baby’s heart is doing with each contraction. I push one more time and as I push something happens with baby. Her heart dropped a little bit and then spiked through the roof! It went all the way to 185 and would not come down for the next contraction. Dr. D looks at me and says that she is going to try and use forceps to help guide baby out and if that doesn’t work we are going to have to do a c-section. 

 5:55 pm: I look at Randy and can see the fear and worry in his eyes. He looks at me and tells me to breath; we had talked about our ideal pregnancy and I had always said I didn’t want the doctor to use forceps and I wanted to avoid a c-section. Of course I would be willing to do anything to bring my baby into the world healthy. Dr. D can see that both of us are freaking out a little bit, and tries to reassure us as best she can. She starts to tell the nurse to make the phone calls she needs to. Within minutes our room went from being filled with only a nurse and two doctors to having about ten different doctors and nurses making the necessary preparations for anything that could happen. They even brought in a little baby crash cart. 

 6:01-6:02 pm: Dr. D gets the forceps ready and waits for my next contraction; they tell me to push. I hear a tiny little cry and look up at Randy, he is crying and looks at me; “can you hear her?” He asks me. I push two more times and see them lift my baby girl up! Randy and I are sobbing when they lay her across me. I can’t begin to describe the feelings I had when I looked down at her. She looks right up at me and grabs my finger with her tiny hand; I am a mommy! 

(Our Amazing team of doctors and nurses! Dr. Moran, Nurse Mariann, Dr. DeSano, and unfortunately I dont know the last Dr. on the end, she helped Dr. D with the delivery and cleaning me up at the end)
Welcome to the world Adalee Joan Bradford; born 02-21-2012 at 6:02, weighing 7 lbs even and measuring 21 inches long. I think the number two is going to be her lucky number! She seemed to be a big fan of it when she was born.

(Holding my little girl after her first bath)

Waiting...

How I wish this post could include adorable pictures of my snugly baby; but alas there are no pictures except for perhaps this one. Randy took this one of me this morning.

**Can my butt get any bigger?! I swear it has grown just as much as my huge tummy! Moving on! As of today I am 39 weeks and 3 days pregnant! Whoowho! I cant complain about my pregnancy, I was only sick for a few weeks my first trimester. The worst of it came in the morning while I brushed my teeth; I actually considered just using Listerine for awhile there. At last the sickness ended and I felt like a normal human being again. And then I started to grow, and grow, and grow! I soon found myself struggling to tie my own shoes and reach over the counter, of course Randy found all of this extremely amusing. I had a little problem with my hips for a few weeks but with a few visits to the physical therapist teaching me how to walk like a normal person; aka not having to waddle like a pregnant lady. Pretty soon I had made it to my third trimester! It seemed to go so quickly! And then times started to slow....I think I started to get really impatient when Tasha had baby Eliza, then Amy finally had Carter, and I thought okay its Addie's turn now she can come whenever she wants. But little girl has made herself quite at home low in my pelvis. She seems to drop lower every day, but does she make any other kind of progress? Very little. And I know many of you say or will say you still have a few more days! Just be patient! Enjoy the time you have right now to do anything you want. But in all honesty all I want is to hold my baby, I want to smell her sweet smell and kiss her tiny little toes! But, I have to wait, wait, wait, wait. My adorable, senile substitute doctor (Yes, I have a substitute doctor because my original doctor decided to get pregnant and have a baby.) keeps telling me I cant be pregnant forever. I don't think he knows what he's talking about, since he has male parts, not female parts. But I guess he's right, eventually I will either "hatch" (as Noah says) or they will induce me and my child will unwilling enter the world. Until one of those things happen I will try and enjoy this time. I do love spending my mornings in bed with my adorable hubby who loves me even when I yell at him because "his daughter" wont come out!! I love that my apartment is nice and clean and all of Addie's clothes are washed, and folded waiting for her in her completely finished nursery. And I love that I can get ready for the day in a slow easy pace, instead of rushing through it in order to get to work on time. So for now I am waiting and trying to enjoy my time.

THE Nursery

Okay I know I have been promising this for a very long time but at long last I have decided to post pics of the nursery! So to introduce the nursery I decided to do a before and after. The nursery use to be the office/storage/guest bedroom; needless to say we had a lot of moving around to do before it was ready for us to start our nursery project. After giving away our spare bed, throwing away a bunch of stuff (Randy's toys), and moving the desk/ computer into our room we were ready to start! The pictures will tell the rest of the story....

Putting books on the shelves and getting ready to put the fairy on the wall.

Randy putting all the bubbles up on the wall. This took us FOREVER!

Fairy Love.

The saying that is over the closet.

Fairy wall!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

This is the fist baby thing Randy put together. He was really proud of himself...now when I tell him I bought something for Addie he asks how long it will take him to put it together! hahah

The crib. I was not planning on getting a white crib but I really do love it! And the bumper that I made! I am pretty dang proud of myself.

Obviously we are still missing the pictures that will go over the book shelve. *Note our awesome swing from Aunties Jari and Brenna.

The closet/changing table area. So we took the doors off the closet and put up curtains so if I want I can close them up and hide all that stuff. They will eventually have hooks and ties so I can tie them back when I am changing and getting her ready for the day.

Inside the closet. I love that I can use this space without taking up any room in the actual room!

Window...not much to say here really. *Note our glider from Ty and Meg! I will be getting a new cushion for it so it will tie in with the rest of the room but all in all I think it will be great!

View from the hallway. So we still have some work to do in this little space of ours. I want to get a rug for the floor, there is a saying that we want to put over the crib and then I need to get dimmer lamps, small shelves for a few different places in the room, and a picture of the Salt Lake Temple. But if we had to we could bring Addie home tomorrow and she would have her own little space! I have to give a huge shout out to my amazing husband who did A TON of work putting together the crib, swing, stroller, and all of her toys. And then moving furniture around over and over until I was happy with the way it all looked. I am so freaking excited to be a mom! Every little kick and nudge I get makes me want to hold her in my arms!I am terrified to go through labor but the end result will be totally worth it! EEEEEKKK See you in 35 days my little Addie! Mommy and Daddy love you so so much!

79 More Days!

I have been really bad at keeping up with this thing. But in my defense I have been very busy doing other things!
A quick update on my family and how they are doing since the accident. The boys are both doing really well. Carl was able to start work about a week and a half after the accident. I think he is still in a lot more pain then he lets any of us know. Dave has a pretty cool scar on his tummy! He started back to work this past Monday. He says he is doing pretty good I think, although again I think he is in more pain then he will admit to.
Jen is a whole other story. A few days after she got home from the hospital she went in for a check up and found out that she would need surgery on her back. She spent the next week in Vegas getting surgery on her wrist and on her back. She is still healing from the back surgery and we are praying her incision will finish closing. Please continue to pray for all of them especially Jen.
Besides all the family drama things are going pretty well for Randy and I. We have been very busy getting ready for the baby! We have completely emptied out the office and changed it into the Nursery. Randy amazed me and put all of his toys and posters away in storage!
We took down the closet doors, washed the walls and baseboards and then started moving baby things in. We were lucky enough to get a super nice crib and changing table from a friend of Glenda's for really cheap! I made the crib skirt and bumper pads all by myself (with a lot of help from my mom) And for those of you freaking out about the bumper pad, please give me some credit and know that I am not an idiot. The bumper pad will come out every time we lay the baby down to sleep.
We also bought some vinyl stickers that are really the only way we can decorate the walls in our apartment besides pictures. We are missing just a few more things for the nursery but for the most part we are ready for baby to come home to that room! YAY!!
I can not believe I only have 11 weeks left in this pregnancy! I have been so so blessed to have a relatively easy pregnancy. Things have gone so smoothly for us and I am so grateful for that! We have truly been blessed. I simply can not wait for our little girl to become a part of our family.
**** I promise I will post pictures of the nursery in the near future!
Thanks for all the prayers and the love you are sending our way! We are being blessed for sure!

Famiily Means Everything

This past weekend was a really horrific one for our family. On Saturday morning around 8:15 I got a text message from Jen telling me they were getting in on the road, to come up for a baby shower my Engh family was throwing for me. By "they" I mean Carl, Jen and my little brother Dave who has only been home from his mission for one month.
I fell back asleep for about 20 minutest when I was woken up by a phone call from my mom. I knew the second that I answered my phone that something was wrong. I felt it in my gut. My mom confirmed this feeling by telling me that there was an accident and everyone was greatly hurt.
Over the next few hours we got many different stories of what was going on and what was going to happen to my family. In the end we found out that Carl had a cracked sternum and two broken ribs. Jen had a broken wrist and foot, and was being taken into surgery to take care of some perforated bowels.It turns out that there were five major rips in her bowels, her intestines were ripped in half. She will have a scar that runs from her belly button to her sternum. Dave was having severe pain in his neck, and back. Later the doctor decided to take him in for the same surgery that Jen had; most of the rips in his bowels were small with lots of bruising. He will have scar to match Jen's.
The doctors and nurses keep saying what a miracle it is that all three of them survived. Especially Jen, she took the brunt of everything.


The cause of the accident was the right front tire. I am told the bearings in the tire seized and the tire fell off. When you combined that with a truck going 70+ MPH it truly is amazing that I still have three of the most important people in my life here.
The recovery time for all of them will be long and hard. Jen and Dave wont be able to eat like normal for at least three months. Carl has a long and painful healing process to go through. But I know they will all make a full recovery.
This weekend made me wake up a little bit and recognize what a blessing it is to have the family that I do. I only have one sister, she is my best friend. There are things that the two of us have gone through together that no one else in this world could understand. Carl has been there for me through some very hard times, he took care of me until Randy came into my life; he still takes care of me in some ways. And my sweet "little" brother means the world to me. I can tell him things that only he will understand. He is my biggest fan, he always tells me I can do anything I want to do. I am so grateful I still have them in my life.
The small little things in life that tend to get in the way what it really means to be a family dont matter. I know that I am guilty of being wrapped up in myself and what is going on with me. I am constantly looking forward to a future date. I dont appreciate the time I spend with mine and Randy's family. This past weekend made me realize I need to change this. I need to take the time to appreciate my family. In the end they are all we have in this world.
I am challenging myself and everyone else to take the time to call your siblings and parents in the next day or two and tell them how much you love them. What they mean to you and how grateful you are to have them in your life. Because you never know when you will say your last I love you.
Jen, Carl, Dave; I love you. I am so grateful you are in my life. You mean everything to me and I am so glad you will all be alright. Please work hard at getting better and taking care of yourselves. Your little niece needs all three of you in her life!

Ten Years Ago...

On September 11, 2001 I woke up and started my day just like every other day. I got dressed, read scriptures as a family, said family prayer and left for school. I got out of my dads truck when he dropped me off and headed to class like every other day. Half way to the school I was stopped by three of my best friends telling me that a plane had hit the World Trade Center, "Whats that?" I asked. How was I to know that from that day on I would never forget or ask that question.
I was confused and shocked but made my way to my first period class. I walked in right as the second plane hit, I remember the terror in my teachers eyes and I knew right then something was not right. Something was changing my world forever. For the rest of the day we did nothing but watch TV. We watched coverage of the pentagon, I remember just thinking over and over what is going on?! Why is this happening? The day is mostly a haze, I remember coming home from school and crying with my mom. I was terrified, it was the first time in my life I didn't feel safe living in America. The images of 9-11 are burned in my memory for eternity.
Randy and I have been talking about this day for a few days now. We have told each other our memories and our fears. It amazes me how even now ten years ago the fears and anxieties I had that day can come back just by seeing pictures or seeing footage of that day.
I still cant make sense of that day. It still makes me sick to think of all those that were lost or lost loved ones that day. It terrifies me to think that these things happen in our world. I know though that we are being protected by many brave men and women and I am so very grateful for them.
I wish I could make sense of this horrific day but I cant. I will never forget my feelings and fears of that day. I dont want to, they are a reminder to me that I am lucky to live in America. I am so grateful to the service men and women who are fighting to protect us and make the world safe for us. God bless America. May we never forget what we felt on 9-11-2001. May we always be grateful for our lives and our our liberties.

First Trimester Conqured!

I have been so bad about blogging lately, not just blogging for myself but keeping up to date with all of my friends. Not good. So I am re-committing myself to blogging! And lets face it I finally have something to seriously blog about, so I should be a blogging machine.
I am so happy that I am on the last week of my first trimester. It seems some what unreal though. I cant believe I have been pregnant for over 13 weeks now! 3 months! And on the flip side of that I have only 6 months left of this pregnancy. WEIRD! I had a small flip out the other day just thinking of all the things that need to be done before this little baby comes into our lives to stay. The next few months are going to fly! I am actually so grateful that we have so many holidays to break up the long months.
I have learned a lot about pregnancy and parenthood already. So for those of you who have yet to join the mommy team you can learn from my life experiences, and those of you who are already super moms you can snicker at my lack of understanding. :)
-Pregnancy is not easy. Hear me out on this one. I have heard that from plenty of women in the past but I never understood it until I got pregnant. There is a part of pregnancy that just can not be explained, it has to be experienced. Its amazing to me how hard it really is, but even more amazing is my willingness to do anything to make sure our baby is healthy.
Example: Needles, shots, and blood work. I have never been a fan of any of these things. In fact I have been known to go to great lengths to avoid them, and yet I have been poked and prodded by so many needles its nothing to me now. I even wear the bruises they give me with a little bit of pride.

-Morning Sickness Sucks. I will admit that my morning sickness was nothing compared to my sister-in-laws or my mothers, for that I am deeply grateful. I haven't thrown up every morning, and looking at food didn't have me running to the thrown every 20 minutes. I did however pay tribute at least twice a day after brushing my teeth for a few weeks. I have never spent more time kneeling in my whole life. I would like to say this about morning sickness; (my sister-in-law, gave me this little ray of sunshine) being sick sucks, but at least its a small sign that the baby is growing and developing the way it should. I love silver linings.

-Your body changes in ways you would never imagine possible. I wont go into all the gore details about this fact; because to be honest I am still grossed out by many of them. Lets just say that I am no longer surprised by anything I see in the mirror in the morning.
-It's okay to cry. I have been proud of myself and the few minor break downs I have had. I will admit that my emotions are much closer to the surface these days and they can change faster than Randy can blink his eyes. I am so grateful I have an understanding husband who simply smiles at me and tells me he loves me when I am being a bit crazy.
-It's worth it. I know every mom out there would agree with me on this point. I really would walk through hell if it meant that this little baby will come to me healthy and happy. My every thought and action now revolve around this baby. I swallow pills the size of a big tootsie roll every morning to ensure baby is getting the nutrients to make it strong and smart. I drink water constantly and pee constantly to make sure I am staying hydrated. I eat food I don't like just so my body and baby get the things they need in order to make this pregnancy as healthy as it can be.
And I do it all because I love this little baby the size of a large lemon, more than I ever thought I could love someone or something. This baby has been such a blessing in our lives already, I can not wait to see how it continues to bless us in the next 6 months and then once it come to this world.

It's all worth it when I hear its fast heart beat and see it move around and kick on the ultrasound. A picture is worth a million words but when I look at this one I come up blank. I am simply amazed at what my body is doing, amazed that I have a baby growing inside me and that Heavenly Father has entrusted me with one of his special children. It can be overwhelming at times but I tell myself everyday, It's worth it. I can do this, and when I feel like I can't I know my Savior is there picking up the slack and making things easier for me.
PS- I know I'm the mom and I'm bias but is my baby not adorable!? Look at its little nose! Oh I'm in love!