Newborn pics

My sister Kelsi took some beautiful newborn pictures of Emily Mae

and I can't help but show them off!  Not just because it's Emily, but because my sister did such a beautiful job.  It was her first time doing this and we are so pleased with how she captured Emily.

Enjoy! :)

Emily with our wedding rings.  She's so tiny!  I love it :)





I think her eyes are going to be blue... but she has her daddy's face.  Not much of her mom in there!

My sister called this one "for all eternity."  It is such a beautiful description.

Our little angel.  She is just so precious and Kelsi captured her perfectly.  Can't wait to do more soon!



Emily Mae

We are excited to introduce you:

EMILY MAE BOONE

Born June 25, 2012 at 1035 am

4 pounds, 9 ounces

18 inches

We have had an exciting two weeks since Emily was born!  I thought we would give you some pictures with a brief version of her arrival here.

At about seven months along, my blood pressure started to creep up and I started to show signs of what is called pre-eclampsia.  We ended up going to the hospital for observation on June 21.  Everything looked fine, baby passed the non-stress test with no issues.  I'm glad everything was good at the time, but I was frustrated that we had to spend the entire afternoon that way.  I was almost to 36 weeks at the time and I wanted to spend as little time at the hospital as I could. 

On the next Saturday, it was my mom's birthday.  I was feeling increasingly worse, but I didn't want to miss the family birthday party.  So away we went, knowing that if things felt worse in the morning, we would head back to the hospital. 

And things were worse in the morning.

I knew we needed to go to the hospital, but I am stubborn.  So we packed some bags and the carseat, got Ashlyn to my mom's and headed out.  After an ultrasound and some other tests, we sat in the observation room and discussed our options with the doctor.  The ultrasound showed that the baby had been under stress due to the high blood pressure and she was not growing as well in utero.  She measured to be 4 pounds 15 ounces, give or take 12 ounces.  But she looked healthy and she was going to be 36 weeks the next day.  So it was decided that induction was the best choice. 

Our girl was coming!

After a long night of induction and an epidural at 4 in the morning (I'll spare you the gorey details), Caleb and I called our moms who were both sleeping at my parents' house.  It was time for the party to start!  At that time, Caleb and I were both more than ready for the baby's arrival.  It has been a long sleepless night!

Long story short, Emily Mae was delivered with a few good pushes and she came out smaller than expected.  But she passed every test they put her through in the next 48 hours, including a carseat test and jaundice levels. 

I spent the night on Magnesium, which is by far the worst part of the entire delivery process.  Emily ate and ate and then ate some more.  We gave her a bath and she held her temperature even after that.  She never went to the NICU, which was amazing to me.  I kept waiting for the doctor to change her mind about us taking Emily home with us, but they let her take us home when she was 2 days old.

Heavenly Father gave us a very strong willed girl.  I can feel her strength every day as she eats and grows and show everyone that size doesn't matter when you have a heart like hers.  We are so blessed to have her in our family.  Ashlyn is thrilled to be a big sister, and Caleb continues to be the most amazing husband and father a girl could ask for. 

If you want the nitty gritty version, I can include that later...but for now, just know that Emily is safe at home and continuing to gain weight and grow.  We are so proud of her!  Enjoy the pictures! :)

Little Em's first bath.  Tht is my hand, not a great comparison, but she is tiny :)

Bath time is exhausting

Enjoying her bassinet at the hospital.  Isn't she pretty?

They wanted to send Em home in a car bed because she was less than five pounds, but she was obviously too long for it.  So we got to take her home in the real car seat!

Sister Love

Home Sweet Home!

How sweet is she?  I can't get enough of her!

Our little beauty

Emily got the hiccups one day.  I couldn't resist!

Thank you for the support and prayers!  We are so happy to have Emily here!



We are excited to announce that Emily Mae Boone joined our family yesterday June 25, 2012! After much excitement and stress Emily was born at 1035 am. 4lbs 9 oz. 18 inches tall :) she and I are both doing well and hoping to send pictures soon. Thanks for the love and prayers! We are so happy she is here :)

Joke is on us!

Well family and friends we thought we had a few weeks but by this time tomorrow our little girl will be here! We will send you the story soon. Until then keep us in your prayers. She and I both need a lot of them!

36 weeks = Bed Rest

Well, we made it to 36 weeks and things are going well.  Except for finding myself confined to our recliner with swollen feet and heat intolerance in the middle of June.  Here's the scoop...

About three weeks ago, we went for a check up and my blood pressure was higher than it had been running.  Since then, we have been checking it every day at home and no amount of water or elevation is bringing the swelling or blood pressure down.  Reducing my hours at work hasn't made much of a difference at work either. 

This week we went for another check up and nothing had improved.  So the Dr. sent us to the hospital for observation and lab work.  My first question: what happens if things don't look good?  The MD: Well sometimes we have to get this baby out for your safety and for hers.  Yikes.  So off we went to the hospital.

As a nurse, I am not a good patient.  As soon as I saw the hospital bed, the gown, etc., I started to panic...tears...etc.  The nurse for the day was amazing and reminded me that all nurses share the same fear of being the patient.  And so we got hooked up to the monitors and spent two hours watching and waiting. 

Everything came back normal and they sent us home with orders to stay off my feet, stay cool and drink lots of fluids.  We go back on Monday and hopefully we can keep this baby cooking for two more weeks, which may mean bed rest for me.

The good news: this baby girl is fine.  She shown any signs of stress this entire time.  So we happily continue to let her grow as she should.  And we have air conditioning, which is a novelty here in sunny Flagstaff.  So we continue to wait, and I try not to worry.  In the meantime, I thought I would update our blog with pictures.  It's been a while.  So here we go. :)

Ashlyn moved into a new room in our house to make room for baby sister and she got a new big girl bed.  Her first test run in the "star" bed.

Ashlyn's preschool had a bike rodeo.  They had to go through different parts of the road like crosswalks and stop signs and railroad crossings.  She never wanted to stop!





We celebarted our first anniversary with a weekend in Scottsdale.  It was perfect weather and we spent all day at the swimming pool.  It was a great weekend, ending with dinner at the best steakhouse either of us have ever been to!  Excuse my swollen, large body.  Pregnancy is not kind in photos...





Our anniversary dessert.  They treated us so well there.  It was so fun!

Ash's preschool had a science fair with hands on projects for the kids to try out. 

Here she is grinding corn into bird food.  She loved the fair and wanted to re-do all the projects at our house later that week! :)

I gave Ashlyn a little sleeping mask that I found in my stuff one day and this is how I found her in the car one day.  Don't be fooled...she is deep asleep!  She slept for almost an hour like this!

 

We took Ashlyn on a a little trip as a family to Phoenix while Caleb was doing some training. 

Here she is at the play place in the mall. 



Swimming at the pool while Dad is in training.  This girl LOVES swimming!

We went to get ice cream and found this fountain.  She kept staring at it so longingly while we ate some ice cream, I couldn't resist letting her run around for a while.  Dream come true :)

And last but not least, here is our baby crib.  Pink Giraffes!  She is really coming! 

We are so excited for another girl in our family!

Hopefully next time you hear from us, I will have a baby sleeping by me :)

30 weeks...single digits! :)

Seeing as we are too busy to even post pictures, I thought I would just do a quick (or long winded, I'm not sure) update of the last few weeks. :)  Pictures to come, eventually...

We have had a super busy month of April/May.  And it is only getting busier!

The baby: 30 weeks and counting.  I feel like I am breathing a little easier this week.  With all of my professional training, Caleb keeps asking me at what point I would feel comfortable going into labor if it was preterm.  First response: never.  Ha ha I am wishing this baby wouldn't come out because I am starting to realize she has to come out somehow.  And it won't be a cake walk.  But in reality, I am breathing a little easier this week because I know she is growing and she is healthy and everything is going far better than expected.  Our current birthing plan consists of four words: healthy mom, healthy baby.  And no, we don't have a name picked out yet.  But we are all excited for her to come!  And she is moving more than ever.  It is the coolest feeling.  Things that get her moving: music, especially when my sister Kelsi sings and when Caleb, Ashlyn and I are all at home and there is a lot of chatter going on.  She also likes to move when I am concentrating really hard at work...it is very distracting!  But I am enjoying it.  And yes, I will be working until labor starts, or someone tells me to stop.  But all my co-workers have plans in their head of how they will deliver the baby for me.  The best comment was from a male co-worker of mine: "Yeah, I took a class on that in nursing school once.  It shouldn't be too hard right?"  Ha ha, yeah, dream on buddy.  I will be looking for the nearest exit sign!

Ashlyn: The big sister in our house is getting bigger every day.  Today was actually her last day of pre-school.  Kindergarten starts in August, about three weeks after baby sister is born.  HUGE blessing!  Ashlyn will be going to school with her cousins Jake and Alisa.  She is thrilled to be wherever they are, so seeing them every day at school will be a big treat.  She is playing spring soccer right now and continues to score at least 3 goals per game.  We are excited for AYSO.  She can swim to the bottom of most swimming pools without plugging her nose, and she can ride her bike without training wheels.  Our next goal is helping her learn to read.  She is great recognizing letters and short words like "and" and "the".  It is really exciting to see her brain work!  She asks "Why?" a lot and she is curious about how everything works.  With all that curiousity comes more mischief, but she and I are learning to be patient with each other about what the limits are when it comes to curiousity.  Ashlyn is now the proud owner of her first CD player.  We made her a bunch of CDs and every day she races up to her room to turn it on.  It is the first time since I have known her that she feels completely secure being alone.  Usually she wants to be where someone else is nearby, but with her CD player, she plays in her contently for hours at a time.  It is a great thing!  And of course, she can't stop talking about being a big sister.  It is her greatest excitement in life, which makes me so happy :)

Caleb: The man of the house just finished another semester of school.  He decided to take a break for the summer.  Anthropolgy was a tough stretch for him and he deserves a good break.  He continues in the mortgage business and still loves it, which is a good thing.  Most of his races have fallen through for the summer, including a 100 mile bike race and a marathon.  He was an early riser for training, but now he likes to sleep in a little more.  Secretly, I am glad he won't be in the thick of training for the St. George Marathon when the baby comes.  I love watching him run, but it won't be nearly as fun with a 4 week old baby this time.  Maybe next year!  We are still trying to figure out how we can get to the Lake with my family for the 4th of July, even though I will be days from delivering at that point...knowing Caleb and his love for the lake, we will end  up there somehow!

Jenni: I am working a lot and really enjoying it.  I would rather be at home being pregnant, but circumstances won't allow that just yet, so I am learning as much as I can.  I am working day shift in the Cardiac ICU...adults are not nearly as fun as kids in my job, but I get to do a lot of really cool and meet some very interesting people.  And it is a small hospital, so I feel like I'm at home most days at work.  I am also enjoying being a mom on my days off.  I have never learned so much in my life.  I won't lie when I tell you that I cry about it, I get angry and some days I just want to quit.  But then Ash and I cuddle up to read a book or watch a movie and I feel better about life.  Or when she calls from her mom's and wants to tell me about her entire day and then tells me that she misses me.  It's moments like that that make it all worth it.  Not to mention the incredible man that I married.  Caleb is the biggest blessing in my life.  I know that I would be the worst parent without him.  He brings me back to earth and reminds me how to be patient and loving.  I have never known a more Christlike person.  Oh and did I mention I am going through the temple in a few weeks?  I am so excited!  Both of our entire families get to be there and I know that it will be a great day!  We are still waiting on the sealing approval, but being able to go through myself is just as exciting! 

That is our life in a nutshell these days.  I will post more pictures from soccer games, our 1st anniversary and birthdays and reunions and stuff soon.  As soon as this month is over and we can breath again.  Or, at least Caleb can breath easier...I think my breathing is just about to get more difficult! :)

26 Weeks

We are starting the count down today with 14 weeks left!  I can't believe it!  We are setting up the crib this weekend and it is actually feeling like this baby might actually come to our house someday!

In other news, we are busy as ever.  We are in the waiting stage of being approved to be sealed in the temple sometime this summer and we just finished our temple prep class for church.  We had amazing teachers, the Goodmans, who are leaving on their mission in a few months.  The class really strengthened my testimony of how important the temple is for our family. It will be an amazing day and I am really excited to be there with Caleb. :)

I have been working nights, which has been really hard on my thyroid, and thus hard on our baby, so starting tomorrow, I get to work the day shift until this baby girl gets here.  It is a huge blessing!  I already feel healthier sleeping at night.  Not to mention, my pregnant body is a lot more comfortable on a normal schedule! 

We have had a lot going on in our family.  Ashlyn is finishing up her first and last year of preschool and getting ready to start another soccer season!  She is excited to go to the lake with the Seaman family this year and she is even more excited to be a big sister!  "Baby sister" gets a lot of kisses and many conversations - including whispered ones that even I don't get to hear.  It is pretty sweet to watch.  I can't wait to see how that little relationship unfolds.  And Ashlyn is dying to share a room with "baby sister"... I told her to let "baby sister" get here first and then we would look into bunk beds. :)  In the meantime, Ashlyn gets new sheets for her big girl bed and lots of time with Mom at the park.  It is a good compromise for everyone!

Caleb is busy with mortgages at the bank and trying to endure his one class this semester: anthropology.  If any of you are familiar with Flagstaff, it is a very liberal town, especially in the academics world.  He didn't like the class before, but his distaste increased even more after the conference talk about our creation: "If a printing press exploded, would it create a dictionary?"  Regardless, he is enduring the class and we will all be glad when this semester is over and he can get back to crunching numbers.  He has been a great sport while I work the night shift.  The dishes get done and dinner is usually provided when I wake up from sleeping.  We are both excited to be back to the same schedule again. 

Speaking of General Conference, we started our camping season on Friday night before Conference.  We spent the night at Beaver Creek, just an hour south of Flagstaff, and we were lucky to dodge the sporadic snow storms hitting Flagstaff lately.  It was perfect weather and we enjoyed s'mores and playing in the creek together.  I think Ashlyn wanted to stay just because there was no regulation of Dorito intake and she got to eat s'mores for breakfast!  We were glad to have her around and as always, we thoroughly enjoyed her company.  She is a crack up!  I'll have to write down some of our conversations someday...she is one inquisitive kid and she definitely keeps me humble and on my toes!  We love her and I'm glad she's excited to have another female around our house! 

Ashlyn enjoying Beaver Creek 

This picture is my favorite.  She was all dressed for camping and she had her flashlight, hat and sleeping bag all in tow.  She was so excited and I think camping lived up to her expectations!

My favorite big sister!

My mom bought two matching outfits for Ashlyn and "baby sister"

I don't think Ashlyn has stopped grinning about that.

And Ashlyn has the girls' outfits planned for the ride home from the hospital. 

WE CAN'T WAIT!!! :)



22 weeks and counting

can't believe this baby is already five months along! Just a quick little update on the bun in the oven...

We went to get our 20 week appointment and got to find out whether this is a brother or a sister baby. Ashlyn got to come with us, which was an awesome experience. She was fascinated and the ultrasound tech was so good with Ash. She even let her take her own picture of the baby to keep. More on that later...

Our baby is looking healthy and happy. And when the time was right, we found out that we are having a baby girl! We are all so thrilled to be having more pink in our home! :)

We do have some names picked out, but those will be kept close to my heart for now. If you ask Ash, the baby's name would be Sally Hannah Montana Joy Boone. Not sure it made the cut yet, but at least it is creative!

If you want my honesty, I was a little overwhelmed with the thought of a girl when we first found out. I went straight to my mom's house and listed my numerous fears about having a girl, not to mention that she might turn out like her own mother. Yikes. Fortunately, my own mother has forgotten the teenage years and she reminded me what a blessing it is to have daughters. After browsing the baby girl section at Target and laying awake for a few nights, I am feeling really excited about this baby girl. :)

As for the rest of the family, Caleb is thrilled. He couldn't be more excited about more girls in our home, and that is the honest truth. He loves Ash more than anything and he is excited to have another girl around to love. I know he will be great dad to our daughter.

And Ashlyn...well, let me just tell you, she couldn't be more happy to be a big sister. I framed the picture from the ultrasound for her and she takes the picture everywhere. It is adorable. She will come to me and say, "Can I take my baby sister? I don't want her to get lonely." And then she took the picture to church and when she sat down by me at the end of our meetings, she said "Yeah Mom, I showed pretty much everybody at church." Needless to say, she is feeling pretty proud of her baby sister. And we are all excited to welcome her into our family!

I'm going there someday

We are quickly approaching our one year wedding anniversary, which means some big things coming for us this year.  New baby, of course, which is growing well, and now we are preparing to be sealed in the temple, which is also very exciting!

As we have started talking about setting dates and how we can be more prepared for this event, we have felt very strongly about making our home a sanctuary for the Spirit to dwell.  We know that we will be tested and tried as the time gets closer and we would like to be prepared for those times that are coming.

So I am asking for your advice...

What do you do to make your home more of a sanctuary for the Spirit?

What did you do or do you do now to prepare for temple attendance?

The man in my life

I have been thinking about the man I married today.

It has taken me a few months, but I now know

that I am the luckiest girl in the world to be married to him.

I was terrified to be married. Commitment phobia.

I liked the idea of it, but actually doing it was another story.

After almost 9 months of marriage, I know he is the best part of me.

I could not have done better for myself.

Now, with a baby on the way, new job,

some craziness with Ashlyn, school,

and some other unnamed drama,

I love seeing Caleb in his element.

I knew he was a good dad,

but I had no idea how amazing until we started living every day life together.

And that quality carries over into our relationship.

He is the best husband.

The same month we started dating, I was diagnosed with Graves' disease (hyperthyroidism).

He has supported me through every doctor's appointment.

Every frustration and every disappointment.

He even loves me when I can't wear contacts for weeks

and I have to wear my silly old lady glasses.

Even when I gain weight because my medication slows down my metabolism.

Even when the doctors told us

that this disease will make it really hard for us to have a baby.

Caleb never stops believing in me.

And he is so good at taking care of me.

He is the best thing in my life and I love falling in love with him every day.

This past week I had to go visit quite a few doctor in Phoenix. We needed a good game plan for our little one to come into this world as healthy as possible without feeling the effects of my thyroid. We decided to make a trip out of it and spent the night at a hotel in Scottsdale.

While I made a game plan for our new little one,

Caleb played with Ashlyn at the swimming pool. He is seriously the best dad. Just invite these two over someday and you'll see. They are best buds and I know this new baby will feel the exact same way about its dad because Caleb is just like that.

Consistent.

Heavenly Father knew I would need that. And how grateful I am for it.