Helmet Head

Lucy had an appointment with her surgeon last Thursday and he said that she should only have to wear her helmet for three more months!  So excited to have my little girl helmet free!

Mommy Manda

So it's been a while since Lucy's surgery, I can't believe that she is 7 months already!  It's amazing to me how much time flies now that i'm busy with her.  Lucy is doing amazingly well.  She's a trooper holding out with her helmet through a very hot and dry summer that came early this year.

one week after Surgery 

yesterday after her bath.

the Easter dress I made for her

worn out at the mall earlier this week

I love this little angel

bouncing is the best thing ever!

or maybe swinging is

After Lucy's surgery Nick and I decided that it was time to act on the prompting we had that I need to be a full time mommy and I was able to quit my job and start staying home full time.  To compensate for my lack of income Nick switched to the night shift at his work that pays 2 dollars more an hour.  He struggles with working nights 3-4 nights a week but he does it because he loves us and he knows how important it is for me to be here for Lucy.  He is AMAZING and I love him even more because of his sacrifice. I know that our tight budget stresses him sometimes but we are loving that we get more time as a family!

I love being a mom.  I love watching Lucy grow and develop and learn new things.  I wish I had been better at blogging or journaling so that I could remember all the amazing things I get to see through her eyes for the first time. I love watching her discover things like grass and sprinklers and animals. Today Lucy discovered her shadow and we played with our hand shadows on the wall.  Wednesday Grandma Gilbert taught her to clap her hands to play patty-cake.  She's trying to learn to wave but I don't know if she's figured out it's supposed to be as a hello or goodbye because she just does it all the time.  We went to visit friends and family in California at the beginning of June and Lucy started scooting.  She is SO close to actually getting her tummy off the ground and full blown crawling!  We have started solid food and she has learned how to do the pincher grasp and LOVES to pick up Cheerios.   She loves avocado, watermelon and pears. We went to the water park that we have passes too last Monday for family night and discovered that Lucy LOVES to swim.  she was splashing and laughing and jumping to her heart's content.  She loves animals, she tortures our cat because she doesn't know how to be gentle and just want's to love it.  She giggles like mad every time we see the Dogs at Aunt Jenny's or Grandma Gilbert's house.  But I think Lucy's favorite thing in the world is her Daddy.  She thinks he is the funnest, funniest most amazing thing in the world.  Nick is so good at making her smile and distracting her when she thinks she wants to cry.  When he comes home in the morning or when he gets up in the afternoon her whole face lights up to see him.  

I'm so happy that we have Lucy and I know that she is a blessing and a miracle from our Heavenly Father.  So many things could have been different and we wouldn't have her.  I love each new thing she learns and I am so excited to watch her grow up (not to quickly though).

Surgery

The Hardest day of my life so far was Monday, February 6, 2012, also known as surgery day. Lucy was born with Cranio Synostosis (her skull was fused prematurely) and she had to have surgery to remove the portion of her skull that had fused so her brain and head can grow properly. Her surgery was scheduled for Monday morning at 8 am. That meant that she had to stop eating at 4am, not an easy task for a 2 and a half month old. So we got to primary children'sat 6:15am and i was already emotional from hearing her scream for food and i had to say good bye to my baby as they took her away to surgery. An hour and a half after she went into surgery they called down to the waiting room that she was done, fine and the Surgeon would be down to see us shortly before we could see her in recovery. An hour later, the Surgeon walked into the waiting room asked to speak to us in one of the consultation rooms, he told us that while they had been removing part of her skull it was attached to the Dura (the protective layer around the brain) and that it had torn so they had to open her up more than they had and repair the damage. He told us that she had lost blood and spinal fluid, had received a blood transfusion and they didn't know if she would have permanent damage and possibly right side weakness or not. They were sending her to the ICU to recover and we would be able to see her there in a bit. We didn't get to see her until almost noon, 4 hours after I had sent her away into surgery. We spent the next 24 hours in intensive care watching her vitals closely and getting her pain under control. It was so hard to hear her wake up and scream out in pain when the morphine was wearing off. By Tuesday Morning they were able to switch her to oxycodone which works longer than the morphine and were able to move her out of the intensive care. During the first night they had to catheterize her because she wasn't urinating, but the second morning they took that out as well as her arterial line that was monitoring her BP. Tuesday afternoon her iv infiltrated and her poor little leg swelled to almost twice it's normal size. But luckily, they took it out and watched her sodium and urine output and she didn't need to have it put back in. Wednesday, Lucy was well enough to come home. Something that Nick and I were really looking forward too. Luckily Lucy doesn't seem to have any right side weakness but when we got her home on Wednesday she did scare us by starting to twitch in her right arm and leg. We got a hold of the nurse practitioner in the neuro surgery department and she said there wasn't any reason for Lucy to be having seizures but then on Thursday she called me back and said she had talked to Lucy's surgeon and he wanted to put her on an anti seizure medicine for a month to be on the safe side while she is healing. All in all I have my happy baby back, she is still in pain every once in a while and groggy from her medicine but she loves to smile at mommy and daddy and play with her toys. I think she has mommy wrapped around her fingers because she's thrown a couple of temper tantrums since she's been home when she doesn't get fed the SECOND she decides she's hungry (I'm talking holding her breath screaming tantrums). But after this week I think she gets to be a spoiled brat for a few days. Boy am I happy that she's home and all right.

"Goose" Pictures

Stationery card

Sweet Pinstripes Girl Birth Announcement

Birth announcements & graduation announcements by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

She's here!!!

Lucy Virginia Gilbert was born on Friday, November 18th, 2011 at 5:17pm. She was 6lbs 10 oz and 18 inches long. We are all adjusting to being home and the new sleep schedule. I love this little girl so much, and Nick is so cute with her.

almost

Thursday morning I went to my OB appointment and my blood pressure was high. My doctor was worried about toxemia and pre-eclampsia so she sent me over to the hospital for monitoring and said that if my pressure didn't go down they were going to deliver me that day. Well, judging by the fact that you all know I'm still preggers and don't have a baby yet you know my pressure went down, but boy was it an adventure. When I got to the hospital they were trying to draw blood but they couldn't get a vein. they tried each arm and then blew a vein in my left hand and finally ended with my right hand. I felt like a pin cushion. I have nasty bruises on the back of both hands. Well, I got a two hour nap interrupted every ten minutes by a blood pressure cuff and listening to little Lucy's heart beat on the monitor. Luckily my BP went down and I got to go home. I was freaked out about needing to deliver so early and abruptly so i'm glad that it didn't happen. Today I am officially 37 weeks and I am much more ok with delivering when ever she is ready to come now. I am already dilated to a 4 so it may be sooner rather than later. We'll just have to wait and see.

Counting the days!

Well I'm down to less than a month, 30 days to be exact, till my due date. But according to the doctor yesterday i'm already dilated to a 3, so let's hope it's sooner, but not too soon. I'll keep you posted about Little Lucy's debut.

Little Girl Gilbert

I can't believe it has been almost a year since I updated this blog! Especially when there is SO much going on in my life right now. Nick and I moved into his parent's old house last December and we are actually closing on it in about a week from now. We are excited to have our first home. About two weeks after my last post I started a new job at Integrated Employer Solutions. I started as a receptionist and in March was moved into the Payroll/HR department. I wear a lot of hats at work and it requires a lot of effort and energy and LOTS of overtime. The biggest change in my life however is the fact that Nick and I and I are going to be parents around Thanksgiving to a little girl. I can't say that I absolutely LOVE being pregnant, it has been an interesting and different experience, but I am SO happy to be able to experience it. Especially now that she is getting big and making sure I know (by kicking) what she likes and doesn't like. I am so excited to meet her in about 10 weeks! Oh man.... 10 weeks.

Salem Witch Trials

So, I'm sitting in my living room waiting for the 5pm news to start on ABC because I'm supposed to be on it tonight, and I just saw myself on one of those little blurbs they have to get people to watch! It's kind of exciting! I've done little things for news stories before (like when Brandee and I were in line for Harry Potter 5 and were filmed playing a potter board game) but this is the first time where it's an interview with ME! and all because of my ancestry! So it turns out that because it's October and people like human interest stories the news picked up on a story that genetree (a DNA geneology company) started earlier this month. Genetree contacted me to ask if I was aware that I was the descendant of Rebecca Nurse (a Salem witch) and Reverend John Hale (one of the main forces behind the trial). Now, I did already know about this historic twist in my lineage but I hadn't really thought too much about it until now. Kind of exciting right? Just a fun little Halloween treat!

the farm house wher Rebecca Nurse lived in Danvers Massachusetts (Salem township). I went here in 2004 as well.
Reverend John Hale ended the Witch Trials when his wife was accused of being a witch.
Reverend John Hale's Home (I went here in 2004)

MARRIED!!!

I LOVE my Husband. We are still waiting for the photographer's pictures to come back but here are some pictures that Nick's Aunt took with his camera. It was a wonderful day and it was amazing that Nick's best man's dad could perform the ceremony. Everything went wonderfully and I got a LOT of comments (or well my mother-in-law got them and repeated them to me) that it was the best wedding reception that they had ever been too!

Two and a Half Weeks

I know I've been remiss in my posting and that you all want more information about my life (or you've all given up on my blog all together). Well I'm getting married in two and a half weeks and I can't wait! It's amazing how stressful planning a wedding can really be! All in all I think the biggest lesson I have learned while planning is to compromise and let go (which will be a VERY good lesson to have already learned when I am married). I still have little things that need to be completed before the big day but yesterday Nick and I finished the major things that we need done before we can get married. We now have our marriage license and our temple recommends, so if EVERYTHING else goes wrong or falls through we can still get married. I know that these last few weeks are going to fly by but I can't help but think they are NEVER going to end. isn't it always that way with something you are excited about?

I'm ENGAGED!!!!!

That's right I'm getting married. And NO this is NOT an April fools joke! I'm SO excited and I can't wait till August 7th!!!

Vegas, Baby!

The reason Nick and I had to celebrate Valentine's Day two days early is because Saturday, February 13th, Brandee and I met in Las Vegas for a three day weekend! It was really fun to get out of town and do some relaxing time with my best friend. I'm so thankful that my boyfriend and her fiancee were so understanding and let us ditch them for V-day! Brandee and I mark our friendship anniversary on Valentine's day and this year marked 9 years of best friend-dom. While we were in Vegas we got to go see the Cirque Du Soleil show "Love" which is done entirely of Beatles Music and is entirely AMAZING! I'm so happy that I got to go!

Valentine's Day

Nick and I Celebrated Valentine's day two days early on Friday the 12th this year because I was heading out of town the next morning. He gave me this beautiful bouquet of planted tulips (my favorite flower), and I gave him a gift card to the gap that he already used to buy new jeans (what I told him the card was for). We went to dinner at his sister Jen's house in Lehi and had fondue with her and her boyfriend Josh and then Josh and Nick gave Jen and I pedicures while we watched the Time Traveler's Wife on DVD. It was a really good Valentine's day. :)

Tubing!

Nick and I went tubing in Park City with my sister and her family and her sister-in-law's family at the beginning of February. We had lots of fun sliding down that hill and I was extra excited to try out my new ski outfit that I got for Christmas.

New Table

Kortney and I got a new kitchen table and I love it! We can actually have people sit around our table now. We still need have a dinner for all our friends and break it in though.

A Quarter Century

Last Month I turned 25. I'm old now. :) I had a good birthday week. Sunday before my birthday my Aunt Janet invited Nick and I over for a family birthday dinner (Yummy stake and mashed potatoes!!!). On my birthday I took the day off of work and slept in but when I did get up Amy and I went and saw the movie "The Young Victoria" (I love random history movies and this one was really good). In the evening I went out with 14 people to Buca di Beppos and then we headed back to Kortney and my apartment for cake and ice cream (Kortney made and decorated the cake for me, she's pretty much amazing). Nick brought me flowers for my birthday and they were so pretty I thought that was my gift but then when I went to bed that night I found that that little sneak had left my real gift on my pillow. He got me a beautiful silver bracelet that is so sparkley that it makes me happy every time I see it.

New Years in February?

Nick's a little deliriously tired in this picture.

I figure I should do a little catching up. I went home for Christmas and New Years (yay for no snow!). After Christmas Nick flew down (he flies Jetblue for free) and we spent the next week together in LA. I was happy that he got to meet my friends and family. We spent New Years Eve camping out at the Rose Parade route. Nick had never even watched the Rose Parade on TV so it was really fun to watch it with him and see how awesome the parade was to him for the first time.

Three Weeks...and Counting.

So there's a boy. He's pretty great. He's currently sitting next to me preparing a lesson for Church. :) I enjoy spending my time with him. We always seem to have something to talk about, but when we are silent it isn't awkward. He is just enough sarcastic to make things interesting without making me feel like I'm being picked on. He LOVES the gospel and we can have deep discussions and talk about the scriptures and such. I really like that. But we can also goof off and talk about any random thing under the sun too. I really like that he is sincere, honest and humble. He will tell me what he thinks or feels about something without worrying about how he might be perceived. His honesty is amazing and refreshing. So that's what has been going on in my life for the past few weeks. Most of my time has been consumed by Nick Gilbert. And I'm really happy.