Eli's here, and we couldn't be happier!

I finally went into labor. Here are the details, as I remember them...

On Thursday July 24th I woke up feeling contractions about 9 minutes apart. I got really excited thinking today is the day. YIPPEEE!! I was also a little sad because my doctor was out of town and he wouldn't be back until Friday. I really wanted him to be there, but if Eli was ready to come there was nothing I was going to be able to do to stop him. Well needless to say the contractions stopped and I was a little sad. Jacob's parents called and invited us over to their house for lunch. I started to get dressed and while I was getting dressed I noticed that my contractions came back and now were 6 minutes apart. I told Jacob, but told him not to tell any one else for fear that they would stop if I started telling anyone. I wish I could tell you Jacob was able to keep it in but with in 5 minutes of being there Jacob spilled the beans. Linda and Cecil were very excited to hear the news and could not wait to hear what I found out at my doctor's appointment at 1:50. Linda gave Jacob a hair cut, and I called my mom and sister to give them an update on what was going on. We even played a little joke on them and told them Linda had checked me and I was 5 centimeters dilated. We thought we were so clever, but they didn't fall for it. Then we were off for the doctor.

We arrived at the appointment and my contraction still hadn't stopped, but they also were 6 minutes apart and not painful. As I was getting weighed Jacob said, "Stacy Doctor Huish is here." I looked at the nurse and she informed me that he had gotten back that day!! This is when I got really excited Eli could come today and everything would be great!!! After being checked I was informed I was 90% effaced and 3 1/2 centimeters dilated. We decided to strip my membranes and see if that would help speed things up. I was told that stripping your membranes was really painful, but I was pleased that it wasn't that bad so I was really glad I did it.

As soon as we left the office my contractions started getting pretty intense and were 3 minutes apart. We decided it was time to meet up with my Mom and Stephanie as I was pretty sure our baby boy was going to be born that day. We met up with them at my parent's house. All the kids were there and they were going crazy with excitement. They couldn't wait for the baby to come. We decided all the kids around was a little too much so we left for Wal-Mart to walk around and buy a stop watch. My contractions continued to stay 3 minutes apart and were getting more and more intense. We then decided we should go get my hospital bag. We drove to my house got the bag and headed for the hospital. I was worried I was heading to the hospital a bit early but on the way there I had 2 really painful contractions and I was really glad I was on my way there.

Once we got to the hospital we finished registering. I had already pre-registered so it was nice that it went so smoothly. It went smoothly until the lady informed me there were no beds and I would have to wait a second. So I got to walk around the waiting room with all these people having pretty bad contractions. Just when I thought I couldn't take it any more they took me back to a bed in triage. The nurse I got was named Kennly and she started setting me up to all the machines after she set me up I told her I was very thirsty. Once I said this Kennly was concerned that I was dehydrated and that is why I was having such bad contractions. She didn't want to give me an IV because I was dilated to a 4 1/2 and she was afraid it would stop the contractions. So for the next hour Jacob and I just fought through the contractions hoping I would dilate more and they would keep me. I must say this part was the most frustrating because my nurse was not very informative and she made me feel like I had done something wrong. Jacob did a great job calming me down and reassuring me Eli was fine. After an hour we got another nurse and she was a lot more helpful with more encouraging information. I wanted to walk around to try and speed things up so that is what I did for the next hour. My mom and Jacob took turns walking around with me. The next time she checked me I was dilated to a 6 and I decided I was ready for my epidural. They called doctor Huish and he said that would be fine, and I was officially admitted to the hospital.

Now came the bad news. They were in the middle of switching shifts and they didn't have a bed or a nurse for me AGAIN. They informed us I would have to wait and then they would take me over to Labor and Delivery. After about 30 more minutes of painful intense contractions I asked Jacob to go find out how much longer it would be. They said it would still be a while but my current nurse decided to start the IV so that I could get my epidural more quickly. More bad news... I was so dehydrated that my veins were so small they couldn't get the IV in. This has NEVER happened to me before. They finally got a tiny bit in but I had to hold my arm up so that it would drip. After that was over I got to meet my new nurse her name was Michelle and I was so happy to see her. Once I got to my room I met a lady named Candy and she was going to give me my epidural. Lets just say that I LOVE Candy. After about 5 minutes I can honestly say I didn't care about a thing. Everyone said it can be painful to receive the needle for the epidural but I found it painless. After Candy left Michelle checked me and I was dilated to a 7. I was proud of myself for lasting so long with no pain killers.

Now the waiting game started. The epidural slowed me down so I had a hard time dilating so they decided to give me patocine to help me out. My mom kept saying if she would get her water broken I am sure that would do the trick, but doctor Huish wasn't there so we found out that wasn't an option until he showed up. Once doctor Huish got there I was dilated to an 8 and they thought my water had already broken. I had no clue this happened (lets remember I honestly couldn't feel a thing or really move for that matter) An hour later Michelle decided it was time for me to start pushing.

I had to admit this part was so confusing for me. I wasn't sure how I was doing or if I was pushing correctly. My mom, sister and Jacob were so helpful at this point. I kept thinking I wasn't doing anything right but they said I was doing great. They were such wonderful coaches and helped me through the next HOUR of pushing. Yup that's right I said an hour. During one of my pushes I heard the nurse tell and show Jacob Eli's dark hair. When I heard this I instantly started smiling. A few minutes later I heard the nurse say I think it is curly. Again I really started smiling. This made me so happy because while I was pregnant I kept telling Jacob I hope he has dark curly hair! Once doctor Huish came back I pushed 2 more times and my little guy was here. It was amazing! The second I saw him I was overwhelmed with emotion. They placed him on my chest and I couldn't believe it was my baby was finally in my arms.

So after all that Eli ended up being born on July 25, 2008 at 1:53 a.m. They told us he weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 21 1/4 inches long. I kept saying he looks too chunky to be only 7 lbs. Even the nurse thought he looked bigger then 7 lbs. Later on we found out we were misinformed on Eli's weight and he was a whopping 8 lbs 7 oz!! What a happy healthy boy!!!

Things I want to remember...

1. My nurse Michelle was so nice she helped me so much. It was neat because she actually knew Ben (Jacob's brother in law) Between all her hard work and doctor's Huish's patience I have been able to recover from delivery nearly painless. Except that for a few days I seriously thought a horse had been kicking my tail bone. It seriously brings a whole new definition to getting your butt kicked!



2. Debbie's birthday is on the 24th and my dad's is on the 25th. Everyone was placing bets to see who would share their birthday with Eli. In the end my dad won and it was such a tender moment when my dad first saw him. My dad said it was the best birthday present ever and was crying!




3. I want to remember the spirit that was in the room while I was pushing. In the movies there is a lot of screaming and panic and running around. It was NEVER like that for me. Even before the Epidural we were calm and ready for our sweet angel. Once he was officially out and everyone joined us in the room there wasn't a dry eye in the room. What a tender moment this was.



4. I want to remember how wonderful Jacob was. He often made me nervous because he has such a hard time seeing me in pain. He even told me he was going to leave the room when I got my membranes striped because he couldn't take watching me in pain. I said if you can't take that how can you handle labor? I should have never doubted him. He was absolutely amazing and during some difficult times he really pushed me through.



5. Other then my husband my sister Stephanie is my best friend. Having her right there helping and encouraging me the entire time was so great. She is such a strong person and next to her I am a wuss, but she never once let me feel that way. She was so encouraging.



6. My sweet mother was awesome. She had just had a surgery earlier in the week and wasn't feeling 100% but she was there. She really knows how to comfort her little girl. Just her words and soft touch really helped me.

It seems so unreal that he is here. I feel so blessed by all the love and support we have received leading up to and since Eli's arrival. We have had so many people who love and care for us stop by. I joke that we have a revolving door right now, but it is nice to know so many people already love our sweet baby. I am so thankful to be a mom and have such a wonderful start to our little family.

Eli's Coming!

Sometimes it seems like just yesterday Jacob and I decided to start our family, but to be more honest it seems more like forever ago! We have been so ready and excited for this new addition for quite some time that I can't believe the moment is almost here. So it's 9 months later and this is where we are...

1. I think we have bought everything we need for Eli's arrival. I am sure there are going to be some late night runs to the store for things here and there, but most of these runs will be done by Jacob. I have tried my hardest to get everything ready now before his arrival.


2. We have finished all of our classes and finished reading all the books we wanted to before he gets here. I am sure we will be reading a few chapters again when we are stressed or concerned, but at least we have them done before he is crying in our arms!


3. Our hospital bag is packed. Jacob was so funny about this hospital bag he wanted it packed even before Eli's room was finished. He was so worried we were not going to have anything ready and the hospital bag is where he thought we needed to start.


4. We finally have his room 90% done. I say 90% because the rest of the room we can not finish until we have our little guy in our arms. Jacob and I are both very pleased with how the room turned out and we think Eli will be very happy in there.

Here are some pictures of the room....

Here is the rocking chair area. Jacob comes into the room often and just sits there thinking. I think both of us have done that a few times.

Here is his crib. The skirt fabric is what I basically based the colors for the room around. I was in Mesa Sales and saw it and just knew this was for my little man. No the picture frame above the crib is not staying like that. There is a mat that holds pictures and we are going to add things like his foot print, 1st family pictures, blessing certificate and things like that in it.

Here is a close up of the bumper and the skirt. I think they are so pretty together. My cousin Veronica does some interior design and she helped me with the room. I know my cousin Jenny and Aunt Carma helped a lot with the sewing too! Which I love because most the stuff in his room was made by a family member.

Here is a close up of the quilt. It has a piece of each fabric used in the room.

This a a close up of the blanket. I love the details they added. My Aunt Carma hand stitched a lot of the pieces too. I feel like this was a labor of love which makes me love it even more!

Here is a close up of the rocking chair. I love the flur de lis and Jacob approved it because he says it is the boy scout symbol...I guess we both win!

Here is the changing table and storage area. We are going to add a big canvas picture of Eli in the center where the abacus is, once he is born. I will post it once I have it done. For obvious reasons it is not done yet! Debbie helped put together the arrangement in the corner. She is very talented with things like that. In the picture frame is a picture of Jacob and I.

This is on the wall when you enter the room. It actually turned out to be one of my favorites. As most of you know I love quotes and I was lucky enough to find two of my favorites. The blue one reads "Never, never, never give up" by Winston Churchill. The green one says "Work like you don't need money. Love like you have never been hurt. Sing like no one is listening. Dance, Dance, Dance like no one is watching" We originally wanted a frog on the shelf, but since I haven't found the perfect one the rabbit can stay for a while.

This is a name board my cousin Sarah made for Eli's baby shower. She is very crafty and the colors went wonderfully with the room.

Things I want to remember....

• The night I went and bought everything for Eli's room Jacob got very excited waiting for me to return home. Once I got home he was sad to find out that the stroller was in my sister's car. Since he wanted to put it together that night we drove to her house to pick it up. While he was putting it together I was doing little touches on little Eli's room. All the sudden I see Jacob out of the corner of my eye starting to push the stroller around. I thought he was just making sure he put it together properly but then I noticed he kept pushing it down the hall. I started following him and I watched him walk around the house pushing it. He even walks by mirrors to see what he loooks like when pushing it. Everyday I find the stroller in a different room because our sweet little daddy is pushing it around the house!

• Once I turned 36 weeks you go in for weekly appointments. The doctor checks to see how you are progressing towards delivery. Well, while I was being checked the doctor pointed out where all of Eli's body parts were starting with his feet (which are nicely placed by my ribs) all the way down to his head (down in my hips) While I was receiving my internal exam Jacob heard the doctor say there is the head. After the doctor left Jacob looked at me and said was he talking about Eli's head? Was he touching our babies head? Jacob's face showed totally terror and surprise. It was too cute!


• I have officially turned into the family Buddha everyone comes up and rubs my tummy and sometimes shakes it a little. Maybe they think it works like a piggy bank and if you shake it Eli will just come right out!


• My mother's new thing is to walk up to my tummy get really close and say "Eli this is your Mamo. I can't wait to see you. I love you." She told Jacob she does this so Eli will know her voice when he comes out. Well Jacob being the little comedian that he is thought it would be funny to say the same things to my tummy but in a really deep voice. It reminds me of Darth Vader saying "Luke I am your father.", but he is saying "Eli this is your Mamo." He does this, he says, to play a prank on Mamo, so when Eli comes out he will wonder why mamo has such a high voice rather than the low voice he has heard. This still makes me laugh to think about.


• I want to remember how impatient I have become about waiting for my little man. The past few days I have stressed that he must come out. I have tried everything walking 5 miles nightly with whoever I can get to walk with me. I have gotten pedicures ( I guess the pressure points can put you in labor)and eaten spicy foods. I have even tried Bleacher laps. You should have seen the looks I got when people saw a 9 month pregnant woman running up and down bleachers and around the track. I am sure they thought I was insane. Needless to say none of those worked because he is obviously still in my tummy. I have decided he will only come out when he is ready, which I think he has gotten to comfortable and isn't planning on coming out any time soon.


• Eli has received a new nickname from me...the Possum. I call him this because I picture him with his long Brewer toes (Brewer is my mother's side of the family) wrapped around my ribs sleeping comfortably upside down inside me, way to happy and comfy. I am sure he looks something like this... (When Jacob saw this picture he said, "I hope not!")
  
• The other night Jacob and I walked from our house to my parents house. When we got there my brother was in the driveway. He pointed at me laughing and said you look like Ichabod Crane, but with a pumpkin under your shirt. This made me really start laughing.
• Eli has an anthem song it is by 3 Dog Night and it is called Eli is Coming. Every night I hear it in my head...

I have loved being pregnant and hated it at the same time. It truly is a challenge, but with one amazing reward. I feel so blessed to even be given the opportunity to carry a child and be a mother. I am so thankful for a loving husband and a healthy pregnancy so far. We are truly blessed!! Hopefully my next post will be pictures of our sweet Elijah Jennings Ash.

Home made and yummy!

About a year ago Jacob and I were starting to get comfortable with the idea of starting our family. There were a lot of things I wanted to learn to do before our baby came, so I decided to quit my job at Brewer-Caldwell. The main thing I wanted to accomplish was become like my Grandma Brewer as much a possible. In order to do this I wanted to learn how to make all the yummy comfort food she was so good at making. I know that making these items does not fully turn me into my Grandma Brewer, but I do feel like it would be a fabulous start. The list of homemade items included homemade bread, Jam, Salsa and Squash Pie. I know a Squash Pie sounds gross but trust me it was the most delicious pie EVER!!!

Due to the Tomato problem my Aunt Linda brought us a lot of Tomatoes they were giving out for free up north because they couldn't sell them in the stores due to the salmonella scare.. Well since we got so much for free. We decided to make homemade Salsa and while we were at it make jam as well. My Aunt Deana came to my parents house and Deana, Debbie, Aly, Mamo and I got busy. We ended up making 49 1/2 pints of Salsa!

It was fun sealing the jars and waiting for the little pops they made once truly sealed. It was like our little reward for all of our hard work.

We also made 9 pints of homemade Jam.

Now all I have left to learn to cook is the squash pie. The only problem is I am not sure anyone knows how she made it. (She didn't measure when she cooked) Either way I had so much fun this week with our little activity and now that I know how to make each of these (including bread....I learned to make that a few months ago) I feel like I can move on to other things my grandma did. Who knows maybe I will be a really good quilter someday!

Another Weekend....just not the most resent

Ok ok so I feel like I have been updating my blog a lot lately, but the funny thing is I am about a week behind my real life! So I guess I will just keep trying harder to keep up on current events in our house, but in the mean time here is what I did LAST weekend.

My friend Stacia from high school was in town from California so a bunch of friends got together for dinner. We ate at BJ's at Chandler Fashion Square. I can honestly say I had way too much fun. It was funny because 3 of us are pregnant and one of us just had a baby (well almost a year ago) so we had too much in common and so much to talk about. We just talked forever about the most random wild and fun things. Plus there was a lot of food and A LOT of bathroom breaks. I don't think our waitress liked us very much because we stayed for a long time and we took a long time ordering. (hello we are pregnant we have to know everything on the menu before we can make our choice) One choice we all agreed on was a giant Pizookie(sp?) (basically a giant Pizza cookie) I am not kidding this thing was huge....AND SO YUMMY!

It was so nice to see everyone and since we had so much fun we will be doing it again very soon!!

On Saturday Jacob and I went to the movies with my parents. We saw Get Smart. It was actually very funny and we enjoyed it a lot. One funny thing that happened while we were at the movies was...Jacob has this rule that he can not start eating or drinking ANYTHING until the movies starts. Well I am totally opposite and as soon as I get it I eat start eating it. We had a coupon for a free popcorn so it was smaller than usual and so obviously Jacob was worried we had too little. I start eating the popcorn and I can tell he is making it hard for me to share with him. I have to basically reach across his body and down to get it. I swear he kept moving it further and further away. I can also tell he is started to get frustrated that I keep going to the popcorn. I know this is bothering him more then usual because I NEVER eat popcorn and this one time I wanted some. Anyways we laughed about this later once her realize there was plenty of popcorn for the both of us. I think the best part about this story is Jacob's impersonation of me eating the popcorn.

After the movie Jacob had a Uncle in town visiting so we stopped by and talked to his Uncle Kelly and his family. This was my first time meeting this uncle and so it was nice to get to know more of Jacob's family. After our little visit we went out for our date. We have never eaten at Boston's before so we thought we would try it. It was casino night or something like that. Basically this means if you roll the magic number on their dice your meal is FREE!! Well, Jacob was so confident we were going to roll it he said order whatever you want because it is going to be free. I tried to order a shake, but they didn't have one. (who doesn't have shakes?) Well finally the bill comes out and the pair of dice. He has to roll a 3......but unfortunately he rolled a 5 (sad face). Good thing I didn't get my shake! Either way it was a fun night out with my hubby! Maybe next time hun.

40 weeks... are we there yet?

So I guess I never realized how long women were pregnant before. I mean I knew how long I just didn't realize that they are pregnant for a long time. I guess it just always seems to go so fast for ME. Now that I am the one pregnant I feel like I have been pregnant FOREVER! As you know I want to remember as much of this experience as possible so, here are some things that have happened, things I miss and some thoughts and feelings as well.

• Jacob and I have officially finished our labor and delivery class. I can honestly say we both have mixed feelings about how this class went. I honestly think all that breathing crap they taught us is totally out the window once the pain starts. Plus they kept trying to teach Jacob how to help me relax, but honestly everything they taught made me uncomfortable so obviously he can't use them when I need to relax!. The teacher at the very end of the class gave 2 pieces of advice that made Jacob turn to me and say, " Those two things she just told us was worth the 70 dollars." Obviously we both thought this advice was good so we better remember it. The first was she told me DO NOT start pushing until you are told to by the doctor. I guess a lot of women feel the urge and start pushing which makes them swell which make that process much harder...so wait for the doctor! The second thing was the correct way to push. Which sounds kind of weird, but if you are going to be doing it you need to be doing it right. So I guess I will be hearing Jacob say to me, "Stacy push my hand off your stomach." This will help me push the correct way.



• We also attended a nursing class since I am planning on breastfeeding. This class was only one night for two hours and I learned so much. I seriously wish the two were flipped. I am glad Jacob came with me because I am worried I am going to forget something and it will be nice to have his help. I did learn just one thing at this class that was amazing. They did a study around the world on babies that were born with no medication (no pain killers) Well right after the babies were born they placed the baby on the mothers stomach. The babies would crawl, yes crawl up the mothers stomach to their chest and start feeding. What an amazing thing!!



• The last few days I reached the point where I want Eli out and I want him out now. I mainly only say this to Jacob and I say it to him mainly because I am looking for support. One time after saying it to him he looked at me and said, "Stacy it is a little late for you to say you don't want to do this any more." Now to be very honest I am surprised I didn't rip his head off, but instead I actually found this pretty funny.



• Speaking of putting Jacob through the ringer I have another moment of brave words from Jacob. One day I called Jacob and told him when dinner would be ready. Well he did not leave work after the call so I was upset and ate dinner with out waiting for him. He was a little upset with me when he got home because he wanted to eat with me. Well he said something to me that obviously the second it came out of his mouth he knew I was not going to like. (for some reason I can't remember what he said) So he quickly changed his tone of voice and what he was saying and chose to say this to me instead "Stacy lets just get this baby out of you and everything is going to be ok." I think this is one of those stories that you had to be there for it to be funny, but it keeps making me think that Jacob probably thinks that to himself a lot. I picture me saying something totally irrational to him and Jacob's brain just saying to himself she will be normal again once Eli comes out.



• I know it is hard to believe but yes I do have some moments that are a little irrational. My main one right now is my crib. My brother had this very nice set from pottery barn that he used for Austin that he gave to us. I loved the set but the wood was a color I am not a fan of so I wanted it darker. My dad being the service oriented type of guy that he is took this task on. Well to make a long story short the type of wood the crib is made of does not take dark stain properly. This has been a source of many tears and I still do not have my crib finished. We finally settled on painting it a brown color. ( I don't love the color, but I just keep telling myself...Stacy you can not have everything!) Jacob and my dad have started working on the crib together. Now the crib, changing table and baskets have all be painted and only my rocker is left. Hopefully I will get it this week! ****One funny thing about the crib is...my nephew Chase was looking for a way to make some money and I said he could paint my crib and I would pay him. He looked at me and said" which crib? Your house or Eli's bed?" Haha I thought that was so funny. The generation gap has finally caught up to me!****



• Another irrational moment was when I found out my travel system (stroller and car seat combo) was recalled. I was very upset because I did all this research found the best for what I was willing to pay and was very excited only to have my hard work thrown away. I kept bringing up how I couldn't believe this happened and my mother in law had some wonderful advice for me. She said Stacy this is just a bump in the road. We are not in Iraq, we are not crossing the plans. This is just a bump in the road. I am glad she could help me get things in perspective, but at the same time they BETTER get my stroller fixed before Eli comes!!



• Since it is so hot outside I have been getting in our pool a lot to deal with the heat. I also invite the kids to come over and swim to help them have a fun summer and keep me company. Well it is so funny because whenever I take my shirt off I get a lot of attention and tummy rubbing from them. I guess I instantly turn into a Buddha, because they have to start rubbing!



• One day I was at Sam's Club and a little girl saw me. She yelled to her mom that girl has a baby in her tummy. I thought this was so funny then I heard her start yelling much louder MOM IT IS COMING OUT!!! I thought that was hilarious.



• Finally things I miss - 1. being able to bend over! 2.To go one day and not feel nauseous. 3. Wearing a pair of jeans and feeling comfy and cute in them again.
  
  Well I know this post was way long and I am sorry, but I want to remember these moments! Here is a picture of what I see when I look down for your enjoyment. I will have to remember to have Jacob take a picture of me so you can see a full body!
  

Weekend Events

Last weekend Jacob and I did some new things we have never done before. On Friday night we went to downtown Mesa. They were having an event they call Friday Night out. They keep the stores open later and do events for families our couples date night. They also do cruises and stuff where people show off their really nice cars. Well this one wasn't an official cruise (although there we a lot of cool cars) I think this Friday Night out was more of an ice cream social. We rode out there with the Gilmores minus Chase and met up with Cyndi, Tobi, Sadie and Noah. We then just kind of walked up one side of the street and down the other. There was an ice cream eating contest but we missed it. Instead we bought some Root beer Floats...they were only 50 cents!!

Here are the kids playing on one of the statues they have on Main Street. Noah was hilarious he kept making these funny faces for the pictures.

Jacob and I thought we would join in and get a picture on the big pink chair. I honestly just was tired and wanted to sit.

There is also this pig statue that I think is really cute down there. Ethan and Aly were climbing all over it so I thought it would be a cute picture.

I had to get a picture of the back of the pig because for some reason I think its bottom is so funny. We had a nice time getting out of the house and enjoying every ones company. I don't think Jacob had the best time, but he was a very good sport about it.

On Saturday night we went on a double date with Jacob's friend Wayne and his wife Rachael. Ever since Jacob went to India he has just loves to eat Indian food. Well there is one not to far from our house so we ended up going there. Jacob loved the food and the atmosphere. I on the other hand decided that I am not a fan of Indian food. I can say this because this is my 2nd time trying it, and for some reason I still don't feel like it is a meal.

Here is a picture of Wayne and Rachael. I think they both enjoyed the new food.

Jacob tried really hard to make the experience like we were really in India. So yes we ate on the floor. Which was quit the task being 8 1/2 month pregnant. Also Jacob ate his entire meal with his hands, which I know he just loved.

This place was really authentic and they didn't not speak English very well. So I tried to get a group picture, but they kept cutting Rachael out of it. This is the best one I got.

One last note about the weekend. Ever since playing volleyball at Utah State I have not been able to eat a donut. They showed us how bad they were for you so basically the thought of eating one makes me sick. Well, Eli obviously missed this lecture, because ever since I have been pregnant I have wanted to eat one so bad. Jacob and I will go to the grocery store and I will literally just stare at a box for a few minutes thinking about buying it, but I never will. Finally I told Jacob at some point I am going to break, but when I do it will be a Krispy Kreme donut. I mean if I am going to do it I am going to do it right. Well the very next morning Jacob was helping one of the boys in our ward with his Eagle Project and guess what they gave out for breakfast.

He told the family about how much I have been wanting a donut so they sent a whole box over to our house. I woke up to this pretty little box sitting on the counter. I thought for sure it only had one donut inside, but when I opened it up IT WAS FULL. I figured it was time for me to break and I ate not one donut, but THREE. Of course not being used to that much sugar I made myself sick. I have officially broken my need for a donut and can say I don't think I will ever want one again.

Eli's Baby shower.

On June 7th my sister threw Eli the cutest baby shower. I tried really hard to document everything I could about this special day, and show how cute everything was. Here is my attempt at making a detailed memory for myself as well as sharing it with everyone who was not able to attend.

Here is a picture of one of the invitations. (not a very good picture I might add) I say one of the invitations because not one invitation was the same. They were all similar in style and layout, but the papers used for each one was different. The writing across the front said "Little fingers, teensy feet, pure and precious...oh so sweet!

The day of the shower I walked up to Stephanie's house to see such a sweet surprise at her front door. She put together these stacked boxes with Eli's name across the front. My hormones got the best of me and of course my eyes teared up. Just for the record ...if anyone is keeping one I did not fully cry.Here is a picture of Stephanie and Ethan at the front door with the cute boxes.

Stephanie even set aside space for a Baby book for everyone to sign. Since I did not have one. Nor did I feel the need to get one I brought these cute piggy banks instead. Jacob and I have had them since we first got married and it was nice to actually have a purpose for them. This was a picture taken of the front right when you enter.

Anyone who has ever been to the Gilmore residence knows two things. First they are perfectionist so the house is always perfectly put together and clean. Second, Jerel doesn't like too many people in his home and so parties there are almost unheard of but when done they are done perfectly. Examples.....


Upon my arrival I could hear sweet lullaby music being played as well as each screen saver on their computers was changed to this...

Jerel was found in the kitchen busy doing this....

Most guys would just let their wife get everything ready for the party alone...no need for the husband to be stressing. Well not Jerel he was so helpful and I am sure it made Stephanie feel a lot better about everything.

This is an example of how perfect their home is...look at their cute family wall.

Before the party started I had to get a picture of everyone with the finished product of all their hard work.Debbie cooked most if not all of the food. My mother and Stephanie helped with all the details of the event like invitations, napkins, the display for the food...I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. Ethan and Aly even helped make the tomato sandwiches. I know, I know I have an amazing family!

As you can see everything turned out so pretty. The only thing I didn't do was take a picture of the guest of honor himself mister Eli. (meaning a picture of me and my tummy) Here are a few pictures that did get taken of me opening up some presents. I can't believe I am letting people see these, but they are the only ones I have and obviously I have to.

I am so thankful to everyone who came and supported us. We had such a great turn out with lots of love and support. I also want to say a special thank you to Stephanie, Mamo and Debbie. I appreciate all the hard work they put into the shower to make it nice a memorable for me. it was truly beautiful and perfect. Thank you all so much.