One month

Our baby is one month! I can't believe it! She has changed so much and I love watching her grow. We had both sets of grandparents come and visit. Many friends have stopped by and met our little bug. So much has changed around here. Our pets have adjusted to Hailey and I think they like having her around except when she cries. They both give me this look like "hey can you tell her to stop" Haha.

1 month:
 -7lbs 14 oz
-becoming a wiggle worm
-awake a lot more during the day
-still has her night and days mixed up
-smiling
-still wearing newborn clothes and diapers
-loves laying on our chests
-loves moms and dads kisses

Love her so much!!!!!

Hailey Ann

Life with a newborn is pretty busy. I wouldn't trade it for anything. On October 26 our lives changed forever! We welcomed our baby girl Hailey Ann Schrader. Here is the story of her beginning:

I had come off of bedrest at 37 weeks and was cleared to go back to work. I was so glad because I was going  a little stir crazy. At my last appointment I was 3cm and 90% and my doctor didn't think I would last very long at work. I went in at 38 weeks and was still the same. No change with my cervix. I had been feeling contractions all week especially at work. Friday morning after working 3 shifts, I was still feeling contractions and they were getting stronger. I decided we needed to go to the hospital. We stopped and got some breakfast at one of the only places that was open at 6am haha. I knew that if this was real labor, I wanted some food in my belly since I know I wouldn't be able to eat for a while. We made it to the hospital and they hooked me up to the monitor and I was for sure having contractions about every 3-4 minutes. They weren't terrible but close enough to admit me. They started some pitocin to get things moving. We were going to have a baby!!! And my doctor was on call so she would be the one to deliver Hailey which I was really excited about it. So Chris and I got settled in and made our phones calls to family and friends. We walked, watched movies, and played cards. About 1pm my doctor came to check me and I was 5cm and ready for my epidural. I got in the jacuzzi tub while I waited for the epidural which was amazing! It really helped with the pain. The contractions were strong to a point where I had to breathe through them and I was getting very quiet because of the pain I was in. The epidural was amazing! Such a weird feeling of your legs being numb and so heavy. I was in a much better mood! Around 5pm or so my doctor came back in and checked me and I was 7cm and she decided to break my water. Once she did that I could see the contractions getting closer together on the monitor. I felt the pressure of them but no pain. I swear like an hour later, I felt a ton of pressure. It was so fast once my water was broken. They wanted me to "labor down" for a bit so that Hailey would come farther down meaning less time for me to push. I was all for that! Everything was getting set up and the doctor was getting all ready and it was time to push. Chris was such a good labor coach! He was so positive and encouraging which is what I needed. I maybe said 10 words during the whole pushing part. I was focused :) When Hailey's head was almost out, they said they couldn't find her heart rate which of course freaked me out. They used a probe on her head to get her heart rate but was having trouble getting it on her head. I told them Please just let me push!!! we were missing all these contractions while she was putting this thing on her head. I just had this feeling that one more and I could get her out. They said ok go and I DID! I pushed for about 40 minutes and here was our baby girl. They put her up and on my chest which was an incredible feeling. I just looked at her and she cried and then I cried and it was AMAZING! After 9 long months here was our baby girl! I was so glad to be holding her! She is perfect. 10 fingers, 10 toes. She was 18 inches and 6lbs 8 oz. We were all surprised about her weight. I had been measuring ahead the whole pregnancy and Chris and all his siblings were 10 pound babies. My doctor even guessed that she would be atleast 7 almost 8 pounds haha. I love my little peanut. It is an amazing love we have for this little girl. She brings so much joy to our lives. I had an amazing birthing experience. My nurses were amazing and I was so grateful for that (especially since I work with them sometimes :)) My doctor was great and really listened to me and what I wanted. We are so glad to have our baby girl!!

Bed rest day 6

I am so glad that it has already been almost a week. It has been an emotional week but I am very grateful for friends and family that have called and text me to make the time go by faster. I have been trying to keep busy but doing the little things I can. I have washed some baby clothes, started reading some books, watched some movies on Netflix, and had some great phone conversations. My mom flew out here on Friday night and left Sunday night. It was so nice to have her here and help get things ready for the baby. She helped clean the house and gave Chris a break. Baby is doing great! She is moving constantly and feels like she is getting bigger.
I have been praying for this little girl to stay in a little longer. So far I have still not felt any contractions. Thank goodness! Here's to one more week on bed rest (unless doctor tells me otherwise-fingers crossed)!

Bed Rest day 1

Well yesterday's check up did not go as I thought it would. I was at my 34 week appointment with my doctor and told her that everything was going great but that I was feeling some pelvic pressure but not a ton. She said that she would check my cervix just to make sure.

Her eyes said it all. I probably could of just cried right there (darn hormones!)  but I wanted to hear what she had to say. I was 1cm dilated and 90% effaced. So as I fought back tears, she told me she wanted me to go labor and delivery triage and have them put me on their monitor to see if I was contracting. I was not feeling any type of contractions. I called Chris and told him what was going on and he was going to come meet me.
I headed to the hospital registration which was right next door and signed in. They took me up in a wheelchair. I decided that I don't really like being on the opposite end of this scenario. I'm the nurse that is suppose to be pushing the patient in the wheelchair and it didn't really like being in the hot seat.

So I arrived at the OB triage area and the nurses were there waiting for me and immediately recognized me since I work up in OB every so often and got to know the nurses up there. It was nice to see familiar faces though! They were really great to me and made me feel very comfortable in an uncomfortable situation.

I was hooked up to the monitor and the nurse said, "Are you sure you don't feel anything?" And I said yes and then she pointed to the monitor that showed me having contractions every 4 minutes! Ya thats not good. I just had no idea or felt anything. My belly wasn't tight and I wasn't cramping. She called the doctor and he told her to give me a shot of terbutaline which is suppose to stop the contractions. She gave it too me and they pretty much stopped within 5 minutes. Thank goodness. Baby is doing just great and kicking and moving and measuring perfect.  Chris was there and the doctor came in to tell me that he wanted me on bed rest for 2 weeks until this baby was a little bit more cooked! I go back to see my doctor next week to see how I am doing and to make sure that I am not still dilating. They gave me medication to take home to also stop the contractions but it makes me so shaky! They say its a normal side effect so it is taking some getting use to.

 I am just so glad that baby is healthy and doing great and this bed rest is just a bump in the road. It is a wake up call that I was probably pushing it too far. Working 12 hour shifts does alot to the body. It is just hard to see Aspen look at me with those big eyes asking me why we can't go on our daily walk. I know this is the best for our baby so she understands :)

I am having my wonderful husband take me to the library tomorrow to pick out some books (since I can't even drive..grrr) so that will take up some time! I still searching for more things to do at home since I can't really go shopping. Wish me luck as I start this journey of being on bed rest. It can't be that bad right :)

A Summer Wedding

Weddings are so fun! Chris's older brother got married in Massachusetts this past weekend. We flew in on a really early early flight. We connected in Chicago and met Chris's family there because they had a connection there too. It was great to catch up with them and spend time together. It was a busy weekend full of meeting people and exploring the little town. We went to one of the Yankee Candle flag ship stores and it was AMAZING! They had so many cool things and we even got to make our own candle (first picture of Chris). We made a candle of cinnamon and pumpkin for the fall time. 

The Wedding was beautiful. You could tell that the couple put in lots of time and effort into making everything so great! The weather was perfect. I was nervous that being 6 months pregnant, that it would be pretty hot since I am hot all the time already. We had a great time but glad to be back home. Time to catch up on much needed laundry and lots of rest!

 

Uplifting

Being a mom-to-be is kinda scary. I have dreamed of the day that I would become a mom and all the joys that come along with it but it is hard now that someone is actually growing inside you and you are bringing life into the world. You worry about the littlest things. Is everything going ok in there? Am I eating the right foods? Am I doing things to harm the baby growing inside?
So many questions and worries. I was looking up some baby stuff online today and some how came across this quote:

"The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot protect you." 

I read that and it just made me think. God will not give me any challenges that I can not overcome. It warms my heart and makes me feel at ease. I know these worries are normal for a first time mom but the reassurance from God just makes it that much comforting. I just thought I would like to share!
Have a good Wednesday!!

Here is my 15 week photo! Little bump but it's getting there!

One more to the list....

 Yes we are adding ourselves to the pregnant world! It has been hard to keep it a secret especially when there are so many other pregnant people too. It is all so exciting!!!! Chris and I are super happy and excited to welcome this sweet baby into the world.
I turned 14 weeks today and due Oct.29. So we might have a little Halloween baby :) I have been feeling pretty decent just really tired but that is starting to go away. Can't wait for the next months to go by and feel this little babe move all around in my belly!!!! YAY for babies!!

(8 week appointment-saw the heart beat!)

Aspen

We welcomed little Aspen into our family over a week ago. We just knew it was the right time to get a dog which we (mainly me) have been wanting for so long. She is a beautiful yellow labrador. We got her from a farm in Colorado from a man that breeds them for a hobby. She was the only yellow lab in an all chocolate litter. She has the greenest eyes and a little light brown nose like chocolates do. She is just great! Aspen likes to take naps, run around outside, chew on rocks (we are working on that), and playing with her brother Beetle. He wasn't so sure of her at first but now they are friends even though she plays with him a little too rough sometimes. She is all signed up with training class in January. Chris and I did get the "bad parents of the day" award when we took her to the dog park when we were not suppose to yet because she hasn't had all her shots. It makes sense but we didn't even think about it till after. Luckily no other dogs were there haha. She is doing great though getting use to the cold weather and going in her kennel at bed time. We love this little one and are so happy that she is a part of our family now!

Texas

Chris and I recently went back to Texas for my cousin's wedding. My home. I love it and hope to move back there some day. I got to show him places I went to as a child and spend time with all of my family, both my Dad's side and Mom's. We got to eat at my favorite restaurant, walk to to the playground I would play at with my grandmother, and see the sites that I am so use to seeing. It was great to get to show him around everywhere.

My cousin's wedding was beautiful. It was at a winery in Grapevine, TX. We got to help set everything up and you could tell there was a personal touch with everything. My mom has 4 sisters and all of their family was there so we got things done pretty quick. I loved helping get everything ready because all of them helped set up stuff for my wedding. The night was perfect. It was a warm Texas evening with candles all around and music playing in the background. We got to catch up with family, laugh a lot, and play fun games. It is one of those times you will always remember. It was such a nice trip and was great to just get out of town with my husband. I love him and all of my family. Can't wait for the next family "reunion".

Life-size Jenga!

Kristyn (bride) and my mom+aunts

Us and my Pops

My love and I :)

Update on our lives: Chris's busy season is starting to slow down and he is enojoying his work without a ton of people around (haha by May he will be ready for people to show back up). He has had more time to spend doing little household projects and I appreciate that. We try to spend as much time as we can together since I am working full time. I love my job and the people that work there. I have a far drive which sucks but it is worth it because I am learning so much. I work the night shift which I am use to now. I like the pace of the nightshift and less distractions but hopefully in a few months I will request to go into day shift which is crazy busy.

Our one year anniversary is coming up in January and we booked a 7 day cruise. We are super excited and can't wait!! We leave out of Tampa, FL which gives us some time to spend with my best friend Katelyn and her precious baby, Kenzie. I can't believe it has almost been a year. We have made such good memories and have had so much fun. We try to take trips when possible but save time for just Chris and I to sit, relax, and talk. I love it. After our cruise, Chris and I are going to hopefully add a new addition to our family (it has 4 legs and a long tongue.....baby steps :) ).

Oh little brothers....

My little brother, Shane, came up for a visit to see Chris and I recently. It was great to see him and to have him see everything up here. He came in on the 4th of July in the afternoon and we drove up to the house and waited for Chris to get home from work. Right when we got home Shane put his stuff down, played with our cat, and sat on the couch to fall asleep. I just laughed because we hadn't even been home an hour and he was out! He slept for a few hours and we let him because we figured he was just tired from traveling buttttttt later we found out that he had stayed up the night before till like 2am and had to get up at 6am. GEEZE! We woke him up to eat BBQ with us and watch fireworks and chat then back to sleep he went.
The next morning we woke him up to go the gym and Shane and Chris played racketball while I worked out. We then grabbed some lunch and headed out to go fish! We went to a pond that the camp owns and picniced then fished! Shane was the only one who caught a fish. We had plenty of nibbles though! We were glad that it was Shane catching the fish because he was getting really inpatient with not catching anything. We were 30 minutes in and he said, "I'm ready to go, I havent caught anything!" We were barely there! Sillly boy :)
We relaxed, played the wii, did some shopping, and watch movies. It was a good time! Sad to see him go but glad to see his trail of stuff around the house go. Oh little brothers....

Work Work Work

I have finally got my feet wet at work. After 2 long weeks of orientation, I started working on the floor. I have a GREAT mentor who is helping me get a routine down. The medical/telemetry floor I am on is super busy which is nice in a way because the morning flies by and then it's lunch and then so many things happen in the afternoon with doctors coming by or physical therapy working with the patients. The patients are interesting, some sweet and some not. There was a patient whose room I was walking by and he yelled out of his room and said "Get your FAT butt in here and let me go home!" I giggled for a second and then let him know that it was inappropriate and why he needed to stay. Later I found out that he was very very confused and grumpy. He has pulled his IV out and started walking out of the floor and so on. I LOVE my job though. Yes it is early mornings and late nights but its all good when you know that you enjoy what you are doing and make a difference in peoples' lives.
Chris and I am getting use to my new schedule though. I leave before he offically wakes up and comes home after dinner. It's not easy waking up so early but I am gettin use to it and before I know it, I will be working nights, which will be a different change. The extra pay will be nice with working nice so thats what I am looking forward to but not looking forward to not sleeping at the same time as my husband. Once I get going on nights and feel comfortable being on my own, I hope to find a place on days again.
Our life as a married couple is going great!!! I love being with him all the time, our walk/runs, our conversations, our jokes, out times at many rodeos, our shopping trips, and much more. I married such an amazing man and feel so lucky!

Here's to great adventures with the one you LOVE!!!

Every 6 months

I met a wonderful group of girls my first summer at camp. I am really proud to call them my friends. We all are so different and come from many states and yet mesh like we have been friends for years.
It just so happens that we get to see each other every 6 months. It started after Summer of '09, we met up in January and then again summer '10. These amazing ladies made it to my wedding and now we are meeting this weekend for another wedding! So that makes it every 6 months! How ironic! Talia and I didn't plan our weddings around our 6 month reunion. It just happens like that haha. I can't wait to see them!

Chicago watch out for Lower Chipeta Counselors '09!

Patience Pays Off

FINALLY! After 3 months of intense job searching, lots of networking, and tons of patience, I finally landed a hospital RN job! I have been working as a home health nurse but I really wanted to be in the hospital. The job is at Northern Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, CO. It is a Banner facility which are huge in Arizona. I will be working on Medical (general patients)/Telemetry (people who need constant heart monitoring) unit. I am so excited to be working with a lot of different patients and a pretty awesome schedule. I work 3 days a week, 12 hr nights. At first I was a little unsure about working the night shift but when they told me that I would get paid a lot more, I said SIGN ME UP! I have prayed a lot and tried to stay positive when I knew I didn't want to. I had so much support from my loving husband and friends and family who helped me with connections and advice. Here is the hospital and some fast facts:
Northern Colorado Medical Center

Number of patient beds: 398
Number of inpatient visits: 16,234
Number of Emergency department visits: 54,038
Number of babies delivered: 2032
Number of employees: 2,200
Number of physicians on medical staff: 258 active staff physicians including primary care and specialty physicians
Number of volunteers: 435

The hospital is pretty big which is awesome because that means there will be tons of other opportunities down the road if I want to choose a different part of nursing. Geeze I am so excited. Sometimes it just hits me and I say wow, I got the job!!!!!

I am so excited to start this new chapter in life and all the other opportunities that it will bring for me and my hubby!

Next, on the list: donate my hair to locks of love :)

Someday :)

I love my little kitty, Beetle. He is so much fun, loves to cuddle, and loves to play. What more could you ask for??Well.....I really LOVE dogs. And SOMEDAY we will find the perfect one..It might not be for a little while because with the summer coming up and it is Chris's busy season. It would be hard to have to train a puppy with only one parent. But I have dreams that Beetle and our new puppy would look like this: HOW CUTE :)I have a few breeds in mind that would be perfect for our little family. Chris and I have watched this show on Animal planet called Dogs 101 and they go through a certain amount of dog breeds and tell you alot of information about them, along with positives and negatives about their breeds. Since we live on a ranch, there is so much space around here for a dog like this to run around and play!

I can't wait to take him/her on walks, hikes, and to the dog park. Estes Park has a pretty sweet dog park..It backs up to a lake so the dogs can go swimming and they have tons of obstacles like what you see at a dog show (like a tunnel and etc.). It is going to be so fun and we can't wait!!!

Cat...then dog....then baby?????

We shall SEE!( we are taking baby steps)

The Big DAY!

I was finally able to get some wedding pictures back and it brings back so many great memories of our big day. I love looking at pictures and really looking at them. You can really tell a lot about a picture if you just look at it for a second. Look at all the people in the picture, their faces, the background, or the lighting. I have enjoyed looking at them and really appreciate all the hardwork my photographer did. She was actually my matron of honor's mother who I have known since I was 5 and has been taking pictures for as long as I can remember. She was there all weekend taking pictures of my family and bridesmaids at the nail salon, rehersal, rehersal dinner, wedding (of course), and the day after when we had family and close friends over for a brunch. I cant even remember how many pictures she took but it is in the thousands. Here is a few I love:

Life as a married couple is great! I love being with my best friend every day. Everything (well mostly everything) is put away and unpacked. The house was such a mess when I moved with boxes everywhere. So we are glad that we got all of that taken care of. We adpoted a kitten about a month ago named Beetle and we love him so much. He is SO playful and super energetic. He also loves to cuddle and be held and I love that. We decided that we were going to start small (cat) then move up to bigger things (dog, etc.). Chris and I have a lot of exciting things coming our way! Life is good and this year is going to be great! We have a few weddings to go to this year out of state so we are excited for many trips and my matron of honor is having her baby in May so we will be going to visit her out there in Florida. Florida beach in the summer time??? YES please! We are so looking forward to our new life and all that is has in store. I couldn't have found a better man to share this journey with. Being a newlywed is so fun!

Hey 2011! So glad you are here!

Today is such a great day! We just said goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011! This past year was wonderful and so many great things happened. Just a brief summary of what happened:

2010-

-got engaged!!!!

-graduated from Nursing school, YAY!

-spent a whole summer riding horses and making new friends

-planned a wedding while still in school

-spent a lot of time with family

In 2011:

-I will be getting married in January!!

-Going to the Bahamas for our honeymoon

-Looking for a job in a hospital

-Moving to Colorado! (in the middle of their winter)

-Road trip around Colorado

-Meeting a ton of new people/friends

I am really excited for what this year has to offer and can't wait to spend it with my soon-to-be-husband!

On a different note, here is my new year's eve story....

So Chris, his friend in town, and I were going to hang out at the house and then head over to this restaurant for some live music and dinner. BUT the power went out twice and stayed off the second time. It wouldn't of been that bad if it wasn't their coldest night of the whole winter so far!!!! It was -17 degrees out side, yes NEGATIVE and we had no heat. WHEW! I was a little nervous and my Arizona skin was not prepared for this. We just stayed at the house for a little bit and bundled up. We did not want to start a fire until we got home from the restaurant but even the restaurant was out of power. Luckily they had a little genereator.

Chris's friend works for the town's power company so his boss called him and told him that he needed his help. Poor guy had to go out in that cold weather and work. He later told us that half the town was out of power and it wasn't an easy fix. So Chris and I went into town to get out of the cold house for a little bit and then went to the place to wait for him friend to get done. We waited for a while and he still wasnt done and it was like 930. So we left and got pizza and headed home because the power was back on. His friend did not get to our house until 1130!!!! He was working for about 6 hours outside. We were very thankful though that he got the power back on so our pipes wouldnt freeze!!!

It ended up being a great, fun, and WARM New Years! Thank goodness :)

It is over!

School that is!

I am so excited to say that I am finished with nursing school. No I don't have that dipolma in my hand yet but soon. December 17th at 9am to be exact. This moment is what I have kept my eyes on for the last 2 years, graduation. I have learned a lot about myself throughout nursing school and I have made some great friends along the way. I am very fortunate to have a friend who lives less than 1 mile from me, graduated from the same high school, both spent our freshman year up at NAU (but we didn't know each other), and have the same study habits. We pushed each other through school and I know that I would not have stayed sane if it wasn't for her.

I also have my family to thank for sticking it out with me. I know there were days where I was cranky/stressed and would just shut my door to the world for a little while. They were encouraging through out the whole time.

AND I have to especially thank the love of my life for helping me out as well. He sent me numerous texts/letters/voicemails about how great I am doing and that I am almost done! Everything that a great man would do! I am so glad to be ending this chapter in my life and starting a new one with him!

SO what's next you ask??? Well I am going to start studying for my board exam and looking for jobs. Most places won't hire you if you don't have your actual license so I am kind of stuck for a little bit and it is really hard when your living out of the state you are moving to. Please send good thoughts/prayers for me in hopes of finding a job in Colorado. Also, I will be chugging along with the wedding plans. There are so many details to worry about like who is going to put the centerpieces out or make sure the cake lady knows where to put the cake. I have some minifreak-outs but I have a great mom, friends, and aunts helping me through it.

Life is great right now! I couldn't ask for better and I am excited to see what the future holds for the future Mrs. Schrader.

What a weekend!

This weekend I was able to go to Colorado to spend the weekend with my love! And it was so wonderful as always!!

He welcomed me to Colorado with those BEAUTIFUL flowers! They are our wedding colors too )isn't he sooo good?!) Chris and I went to hike around the lake where we got engaged and took some re-enactment pictures. It was such a nice day and seeing the leaves changing colors were so COOL! It isn't anything I have seen before because it doesn't really happen in Arizona and in Texas, the leaves just fell off and were brown..nothing too interesting in that! We had a day full of movies and popcorn, along with a little studying..Such a nice weekend, just the 2 of us!

On another note, I AM FINISHED WITH MY CRITICAL CARE CLASS! It was a class full of a ton of information, basically telling us that there are a lot of things that can go wrong with the body FAST! It was an interesting class and I did learn a lot but I am glad that it is done...I am heading into my last 7 weeks of college! How crazy! I remember starting nursing school and feeling like it would never end...BUT here I am, almost done! WHEW...It has been a long 2 years but I am so ready to graduate and start my new life with my one and only (i love you christopher!)

So excited for Glee tonight! I'm hooked!