Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to let everyone know we are doing great, and wish you all a Merry Christmas.

She is just so excited for christmas.

The sweet picture

And my mom says Sadie looks a little devilish in this one. lol, I wonder why.

Where to start?

I can't believe that i haven't posted anything since September. My computers keyboard seems so alien to my fingers. Hopefully by January we will have the Internet at our place (finally) and I'll be a good blogger from then on. I wanted to update with everyone with Eloise's birth story. Lets just say it has been a very long, and short, month.

This last pregnancy for me had gone very well. Everything was normal, and better than normal in some ways. At my 32 week appointment she was measuring at 35. I was a little shocked with how far ahead she was measuring, but I wasn't worried about her since I would be having a scheduled c section. You can imagine my surprise when at my routine 34 week appointment on Friday October 29th the Ob decided to send me to labor and delivery. I was very shaken but still not worried that there was going to be anything wrong. My wonderful mom came and watched Sadie while Scott took me to the hospital. I was on the monitors for about 6 hours and didn't have anything to eat for 8. It was miserable and scary. The monitor was picking her heart rate up at 230 bpm. After all that they said that there was nothing they could do then and they sent me home with some appointments for the following Monday. Needless to say it was a long Halloween weekend. I was glad that I was able to spend it dressing Sadie up and having fun. On Monday I went to my first appointment with the Perinatologist. They did an echo cardiogram and while talking to the doctor about my other appointments that day she informed me that I wouldn't be going to them. She told me that my little baby girl was in atrial fibrillation. The bottom valves of her heart were beating at 230 bpm and the top or atrial valves were beating between 400 and 500 bpm. By this time I am terrified because I had read up on different types of fetal irregular heart rates. I was sent to Mercy San Juan Hospital, funny enough the hospital I was born in. They have one of the top NICU's in the region and luckily it is only 20 min from where we live.

They were waiting for me when I got to the hospital. I met with the pediatric cardiologist within 15 min and a plan was made. While he was there he did another echo and I got to hear her little heart. It was the scariest moment of my life to hear that little heart beating 500 bpm. I spent the next week 4 days in the cardiac telemetry unit with a nurse sitting at my side 24/7, and an emergency c section kit at my feet. I had to be there instead of labor and delivery because they had to give me twice the dose of a strong heart medication so that some of it could get to her and slow her heart. Unfortunately and fortunately her heart is too strong. Thankfully it was too strong to quit working from the stress that week, but it was too strong for the medicine to have much success. And so the decision was made to take her out and fix her heart after.

I think I may have been numb to fear after so much time in the hospital. At 35 weeks exactly on Friday November 5th, at 10:29am Eloise Nichele Hancock was born.

She shocked the doctors by being 6 lbs 12 oz and 20 inches long. The whole surgery was very miserable for me. The anesthesiologist had given me too much medication in my spinal and so with that I couldn't stop throwing up. I felt like I was dying. It was causing problems for the doctors with closing me up too. I couldn't sit up for hours after and I didn't get to really see my new little one until 5 the next morning. She had some respiratory distress and was on a little oxygen for 2 days but over all she was doing really well. They had to shock her poor heart twice to get it to beat normally but it has been fine since. She was in the NICU for 13 days. It was one of the hardest times of my life, but I am grateful for the perspective it has given me and that I have a healthy 1 month old at home. I was able to see and meet other families going through what I was and more.

We aren't able to take her out of the house very often, which can be hard, but it is giving us the chance to bond as a family. She is doing very well and starting to get chunky. For those that are wondering the condition that she had is very rare and random. They said that they only see it once every couple years. I was quite the celebrity in the hospital too, lol. Now we are busy getting ready for Christmas. Sadie is very excited and so am I. I am grateful for all my friends and family that have helped me and my family, even if it was just asking how I was doing. Like I said hopefully we'll have the internet soon and I can keep you updated along our journey.

Getting ready to go home from the hospital. Happy Day!

First night home.

First morning home, Sadie loves being a big sister. And yes she is sleeping on a blanket, that is how unprepared we were when she came home, we didn't have any sheets. I found out at 11 am that she could come home and we were picking her up at 6 pm on Thursday the 18th

26 weeks and counting

Time is just flying by. I can't believe that I only have 3 months left until our new little one gets here. I thought that I would post some belly picks to see how fast she is growing. I had my last Dr's appointment on the 1st and she was measuring 1 1/2 weeks ahead. Needless to say I feel huge. I am definitely bigger this time than I was with Sadie. Everything is going really well, I passed my glucose test, yay!, and my weight is looking good. I am so excited to meet her and it is looking like I will get to choose when that happens. My doctor says that we will schedule a repeat c -section, which I am fine with. It is a lot less scary now that I know what to expect. And in other good news, my brother got home from boot camp and airborne training last night. He is only going to be here for a week before he heads off to Fort Bragg where he is stationed. He is a paratrooper in the 82nd airborne division. I am so proud of him and know that he is happy too. I just wish he wasn't going to be on the other side of the country. Oh and we are waiting for my younger brother Branden's mission call. I am so bummed that I am going to have two brothers missing this Christmas, but I know they are doing good things. Anyway, hope you enjoy the pictures.

Here I am at 20 weeks

And here I am at 26 weeks

Stuff, but mostly Sadie

Hi! So I thought I would post something, just so I wouldn't be a total slacker. Here are some of the things that are going on with us. As of today I am 25 weeks and everything is going great. She is quite an active little bean. I have picked up a new skill too, I can now knit (on a loom anyway). I have been knitting baby beanie hats and cocoons. It is nice to have something to do that keeps me busy but that isn't really physical for the rest of my uncomfortable body. Sadie has developed a fear of monsters and is having a hard time sleeping in her bed alone, so needless to say our night time routine has gotten...fun. We have spent the rest of the summer being relaxed with a lot of swimming and chalk drawing. Here are some of the things that miss Sadie likes to do these days.

She likes to help mommy when she is feeling sick.

She likes to find ways to eat left over mac and cheese.

She likes to find and eat the left over frosting from her cousin Ty's birthday cake. Oh and wear cute band aids even though she doesn't have an owie.

She likes to wear daddy's clothes.

She likes to play with mommy's messed up attempt at making rubbery play dough. I forgot to cook it. It was still fun though.

And she loves to paint, and put on makeup. sometimes she thinks paint is makeup.

She is growing up so fast and it is so fun to be able to talk to her more and more and actually be able to understand what she wants. Another thing that she loves to do that I didn't have a picture of is sing. She is learning more songs and added to her list are the wheels on the bus, and some old songs my grandma used to sing to my mom, and my mom sang to me. She is very excited to be having a baby sister, and talks to her all the time. When I talk to her about the baby it is not our baby it is her baby. She is still a crack up and I hope she stays that way.

And it's a .........

GIRL!!!!!!



We are so excited to be having another little girl. The doctor said that everything looks great. She was a bit of a wiggle worm during the ultrasound so we couldn't get the best picture of her profile, that and her hand was by her face so the picture wasn't that clear. She did wave at us though. It was so cool to see her perfect little hand and fingers moving. I got to take Scott and my mom to the appointment with me, Sadie had to stay home with my dad because children under 12 aren't aloud in the office. Sadie was super cute when I told her she was going to have a sister, she looked around the house calling for her sister. After we got back Sadie had an accident where she fell out of my moms car and kind of skinned up her face.


She is tough though and was fine in a matter of seconds. In fact she was more concerned with the fact that she didn't have any moles or freckles on her face like I do. She still makes me laugh all the time. Her new fun activities are pretending to steal my nose and eat it, then give it back, and singing popcorn popping, head shoulders knees and toes, and the ABC's. She loves to sing them with me and so sometimes I end up singing them 15 times in a row. I amazes me how much she is learning and doing just by watching and listening to me. I am so excited and feel so blessed to be having another little one.

July

To say that I am exhausted would be an understatement. We just got back from vacation with my family. We took a trip up to the Oregon coast where my dad had rented a lake house on ten mile lake. It was a lot of fun but I am ready to get back to normal life. While we were gone we celebrated my birthday. It wasn't the most exciting day of my life but it was okay. We got after a quick stop in Shasta. That was an interesting thing in itself. There was a big mountain bike race going on at the ski resort so they had the lift running. We were able to go on it too. I was really excited until we took off from the platform, when I remembered that I am really afraid of heights along with a squirmy 2 year old sitting next to me. Needless to say I freaked out and was crying when I could just imagine Sadie sliding through the bars and falling. It tool about 10 min to get up the mountain too. The ride down was much better. I had Scott take Sadie with him and my dad and I got to ride down with my mom. I was able to close my eyes for the first few minutes and then I got comfortable enough to actually watch what was going on. Over all it was a pretty good day.

And now I come to the fun part. We find out what we are having on Friday the 23rd. I am taking guesses as to what you all think it is going to be. I have no feelings either way so I'm no help. So far in my family the vote is pretty much evenly split. I plan to post as soon as possible on Friday with pictures and everything so be looking for it. So far this pregnancy has been pretty easy. I have only gained a few lbs and the baby is very active. I just hope that it continues to go as well as it has. I still have to go through my pictures from the trip and then I will try to post some of them too.

What a month!

And we haven't even made it half way yet. Let's see where to start. Well my mother had surgery on the 25th of May, she is doing really well. Less than a week after her surgery she was out and about with my Dad, younger brother Aaron, and two of my nephews Ty and Matthew. They packed up and decided to head out to Sand mountain in Fallen, Nevada. My younger brother and father like to ride dirt bikes and four wheelers and my dad has this big thing called and RZR, it is like a golf cart on steroids. Any way while they are out there my dad gets into a bad accident in the RZR, he flipped it onto it's roof. The thing is basically totaled now and my dad had to make a trip to the ER. He is okay but he had a very deep gash on his forehead, and had to get stitches. While this was going on my brother Aaron rolled one of the four wheelers. He doesn't complain much so we didn't think much of it. Then Monday night rolled around and it couldn't be ignored any more. If it wasn't for the fact that he has really strong muscles in his core and back he would have broken his back. He has a large hemetoma (however you spell it) under all the tissue in his back. It kind of looks like a water bed when you touch it. They are all okay now but it was an eventful few days.

Then Sadie's birthday arrived and I have to say I was busy. She had a big Princess party, and all of our family was invited. She was a little tired when she was opening her presents and that is why she doesn't exactly look happy in the pictures. After she had a good nap she was able to really enjoy her gifts and take everything in. And now pictures, enjoy!

Yes that is a light saber. I figured since all her cousins are boys that they should have something fun to enjoy too.

Her first time seeing a frog.

Princess Table!

Playing with her cousin Matthew

Finally enjoying her cake after her nap.

And now princess pictures.

She is wearing her Princess and the Frog dress.

And attempting to show us her teeth.

She loves looking like Cinderella.

She is looking at herself in the mirror. Oh and yes I know, her room is a mess!