Christmas Break

My goal for 2020 is to write on my blog every week (or almost). I am already behind by a couple weeks, so I am going to catch up this week and hopefully keep the momentum going! I will start with our adventures of Christmas Break (I'll write about Jay's birth in another post) and follow with the first of the year.

Christmas Break was a lot of fun! Matthew finished with his finals just before Oma left, so I was able to have him home without required school work for two weeks. Leading up to Christmas we made treats in the evening, including puppy chow, English toffee, and fudge. We had never made fudge or English toffee before, so we were very relieved when they turned out so well! These treats started with M's idea to make the first treat as our date night. The treats easily lasted through the break and beyond...I am still eating fudge.

Puppy Chow, with green and red sprinkles to make it more festive.

The trio making English Toffee

We loved Christmas! It was our first Christmas by ourselves, and only my second time not being home for Christmas. Our schedule on Christmas operated to Jay's schedule, meaning when Jay woke up for the day, we woke up. We took breaks to feed him, to feed ourselves, and squeezed all the Christmas activities in between. We went with the Bryce family traditional meals this year of French toast with buttermilk syrup for breakfast and ham with cheesy potatoes for dinner. We got several fun gifts, I've showcased some of the favorites.

Our slippers were our gift we opened on Christmas Eve.

Jay's Christmas outfit, the socks even jingle. So cute!!

Some of my favorite candies filled my stocking, yum!!

Probably Matthew's Favorite Gift.... HAHA, they entertained us all week.

We got homemade ladder ball from Nathan and Michela, summer fun can't come soon enough! 

M wearing most of his Christmas presents

I won these glasses at a Christmas party last year, Jay seemed to like them alright.

Christ's birth took an extra special meaning for us this year because we had Jay. He is a miracle baby, a large reason his name is Jay is because he fought through several scary times and still made it. I cannot imagine what Mary went through when she had Jesus. The Church released a new Nativity movie this year, and when M and I watched it in the hospital, it felt so much more real. There I was, surrounded with medical assistants, modern medicine, and giving birth was hard enough...and there was Mary, in a stable, among animals and no family, giving birth to the Savior of the world. WOW, truly what a woman. I am so grateful for her sacrifices to bring our Savior to the earth, and for the Savior who was born in the most humble of circumstances. Because of Him, I can be together forever with my family, I can return to my Heavenly Father, and live forever! 

M didn't take much of a break from his studying, and jumped right into test prep for the next CPA exam. He passed the first one with flying colors back in November, and is getting ready for the next one at the end of January. I am constantly amazed by his diligence and ability to study, learn, and do well on tests and everything related to school. He's a genius, and he's getting pretty good at being a dad while studying. He studied and watched Jay every day when I took a nap.

M & Jay studying together

We got some fun new games for Christmas, including Exploding Kittens, Rivals of Catan, and Monopoly Deal. We love playing games and we enjoyed playing any minute that we could.

Our first time playing Rivals of Catan, teaching Jay early.

We also celebrated our 2nd anniversary, and M outdid himself as he always does. I woke up from a nap, and he had prepared a slideshow, written lyrics for a song that he actually sang to me, bought me a dress...did I mention he wrote a song AND sang it to me. M is self-professed as not a singer, so this was a huge surprise and so much fun. I felt so loved, and truly this has been the best two years of my life thanks to him. We ordered takeout that night, and enjoyed our candlelight dinner while Jay was sleeping.

Matthew with the slideshow on the TV, music playing, and singing the song about our best two years. 

The song lyrics, edited to fit our life.

Candlelight dinner with sparkling goodness to drink.

Did I mention, that M still does all the dishes two years into marriage...incredible!

New Years was a fun party out at Aunt GayLynn and Uncle David's house. I am so disappointed in myself that I didn't get any pictures of our evening there. Aunt GayLynn made shrimp tacos, and Leese made some yummy guacamole. We played Quiddler, chatted, and had toasts at 10 PM, 11 PM, and 12 AM (none of us knew if we'd make it til midnight). One of the best parts about living in Utah is living near them.

2 Weeks Old - Jay

Now, 2020 has continued to be a year full of excitement. We've had to take Jay in multiple times a week for weight checks, and finally at 4 weeks he made it past birth weight! It's a miracle!! We've been working so hard and praying that he would be able to gain it back without having to supplement with formula, and we did it! Grandma Blaylock came to visit and help during M's first week back to school. It was so helpful to have her here. I got to take walks in the afternoons, and naps every day. Jay got totally spoiled with lots of cuddles, and we got spoiled with yummy food. Now, this week I am learning to mother without anyone around during the day while M's at school.

First date since Jay - so grateful Grandma Blaylock was able to watch him for us to quickly get out. 

M's last first day of school! He will soon be a master. 

Jay's tummy time at 1 month

This was the day we went to the doctor and found out Jay had passed birthweight and was gaining, it is a day to remember and cherish!

Too cute not to share

I am excited for what 2020 has to offer for our family! There will be big changes including going back to work, M graduating and passing CPA tests, moving states, finding  places to live, balancing parenthood with M starting full-time work in the fall, and much more. It's going to be great, as it already has been filled with tender mercies from our loving Father in Heaven.

Becoming Parents

Since it's been almost three months, it's about time I record the journey we went through to bring little Jay into the world. Oma flew in on December 6th, because based on my other sisters' experiences, the first babies come early. I tried so hard to get things tied up at work by the time Oma arrived, that when she got there I enjoyed the rest of the day off on Friday and then the weekend, hoping it was my last time logging into work. Every night, Mom was hopeful as she heard me get up that I was going to open her door and tell her I was in labor and we were going to the hospital.

Monday rolled around, and I didn't have much to do at work because I had handed almost everything off, so I worked a couple hours and then took the day off. I repeated this pattern all week, working a little and playing most of the day. I know Mom came to help me with Jay, but what fun it was to just be able to hang out with her! We went on walks around the mall, did some Christmas shopping here and there, and got pedicures. I never had a pedicure before, so it was such a fun treat. We also made cookies, because Bryces always need cookies. One evening we got tickets to the BYU basketball game and that was so fun!! I even did some jumping around to the music to see if I could encourage Jay to come. I loved being able to spend the time with Mom, fully recognizing I won't get much one-on-one time with her again.

Mom scooping cookies.

Go Cougs!

Leading up to Christmas, Mom read us Christmas Jars. I loved it! Reading stories is one of my favorite traditions.

Pedicures

Ladies afternoon out, so fun.

On Friday I had a follow up doctor's appointment, now over due by 4 days. M was in a final, so Mom came with me to my appointment. Dr. Rees was very kind, and said, you're not progressing and this baby is big...we need to induce. I reallllllly didn't want to have to be induced, but over the past weeks I hadn't made progress and knew I needed to get moving for Jay got way too big. When we determined that was what needed to happen the doctor said he'd schedule something for Monday. Mom's flight home was Thursday, so she asked if there was any way we could do it sooner and Dr. Rees said he'd go check the schedule. He came back to the room and said they had a room open right then and that I should go to the hospital. I quickly said M was in a final and asked if I could wait, he quickly said no and that I should go to the hospital. So, Mom and I drove home and then straight to the hospital where they started me on some medicine to prepare my cervix for delivery. When M finished his final, he gave me a call and I told him I was in the hospital and Aunt GayLynn would be picking him up from campus to bring him. I was so happy when he arrived, and grateful to have had Mom there with me in the meantime. Looking back, I am so grateful I didn't know I was going to be induced that day. I would have stressed and not slept and lucky for me, I just got to drive myself to the hospital and have the baby without the pressure leading up to it.

So, into the hospital we went on December 13th. I started medicine around 1 o'clock, and M and I enjoyed the rest of the day together. We watched some Hallmark movies, walked around my little room because we weren't allowed to roam the hallways, enjoyed lunch from Mom and then dinner from the hospital (they had an extra one so M got it). We even played some cards. As the night wore on, we decided to head to bed and try to get some sleep, hoping the next day we'd have a baby, but the nurses were thinking it may not even happen until Sunday.

Burgers, fries, and a milkshake - definitely the best food to start your labor with, yum!!

M was pretty excited about his fold out bed, and swore it was comfy.

Chillin' waiting for the baby to decide to come.

Our meal on the house because they had extra.

Around 1 AM, I remember starting to feel the beginnings of contractions, although I didn't really know what they were. But, by about 2, I really started to feel them and the nurse said I was beginning to dilate. Woohoo! The rest of the night, I didn't really sleep as contractions got stronger and stronger. It seems like it was about 4 AM when I started to grip the sides of the bed each time I felt a contraction and then shortly I was squeezing M's hand or doing anything else I could to work through the pain. By 8 AM I was dilated to a 5, half way there and I was thinking I could hold out a little longer on an epidural...but, through a few more contractions and knowing the anesthesiologist was right next door, I called the nurse and we decided we were ready. Once that kicked in, I fell asleep. I was so tired, I slept off and on until about noon. My water broke around 10, and when the nurse would come check on me at 11 I was dilated to a 10. She didn't want me to push though because the doctor wasn't there yet, haha so I went back to sleep. Around noon she came back in and said we could start to push. Pushing was kind of fun and with a mirror I could see slight progress, even so slight I sometimes wondered if pushing was even helping. :) The doctor came in around 12:40, and by 12:50 with maybe 2.5 pushes Jay was out. The doctor even told me to just do a half push the last time. How incredible it is to see a little baby come! He was screaming from the get go, which made all the nursing staff very happy. 8 lbs. 15 oz, they said it was the biggest baby they'd seen in a long time and one of the least complicated births. Jay was measured in the hospital around 19 inches, but when they stretched him two days later at the doctor's office he measured 21.

First moments holding Jay

Sweet baby boy, all wrapped up to take him to baby/mom unit

First family photo

Oma cuddling Jay, I couldn't find a pic that had all of Oma! 

Daddy enjoying Jay

Jay meets Uncle David outside the womb.

M and I just stared at Jay in amazement for almost the entire time we were in the hospital. We stayed at the hospital Sunday, and came home Monday. Saturday night, Jay was a champ and the nurses took him for a few hours at night so M and I got some good sleep. Sunday was a good day at the hospital. We had some people come and give us a spiritual thought, followed by the sacrament. What a blessing of having a baby in Utah! Then, we got our celebratory dinner for lunch. They bring in candles and sparkling cider, it was very fun. Mom came and visited us for a while that evening, which was wonderful too.

Eating our celebratory dinner/lunch

Jay - One Day Old

Monday came and we were fairly anxious to get home, but we waited until we met with the lactation consultant. Jay had stayed up all Sunday night screaming and wouldn't eat and I didn't get much help from the nurses on staff...they would come in, say oh, keep trying and we'll come back soon...two hours later of screaming. The took Jay for about an hour and I slept and M slept, but boy were we tired. With the lactation consultants help, I got Jay to eat a good feeding, I pumped and then we got to go home!

Jay all ready to come home! 

Family loaded in the car, heading out

We were so grateful to have Oma there when we got home. She saved us! We were so tired, and she took Jay, gave him cuddles, even got up with me a few nights to try to help me when I was feeding him. Jay and I had a hard time figuring out nursing so we went to another LC while Mom was with us, multiple trips to the pediatrician for help, and got in somewhat of a rhythm just before Oma left on Thursday.  We were so not ready for her to leave, but luckily M was finished with all his finals so he would be home to help me and to change every single diaper.

Oma giving Jay a nail trim, he had really long nails when he was born

Made by Kara, it was Me, M, and baby Jay

We had some fun adventures the first weeks of Jay's life. I am so grateful M was home to experience them with me! One that sticks out in memory is Jay's first sponge bath. We just got him undressed and started the bath, and he peed, we got that cleaned up, and he pooped...we ended up just leaving the diaper on at that point and for the other sponge baths we had to give him. Another was when Mom was here and I was changing Jay's diaper he started to poop, so I pulled him up on the mat so he wouldn't get in it and the poop just kept coming...Mom quickly got me another diaper mat and I moved Jay over there. AND, the poop kept coming half way up that mat! I was amazed at how much came out of that little guy and just had to laugh. Incredibly grateful Mom was there to save me with an extra mat and help with all the clean up.

Having a baby is a whirlwind and sometimes it feels like forever ago, and other times it feels like just yesterday. We are grateful for our miracle baby and he truly does bring so much joy. I am grateful for the trust Heavenly Father has given us to let us raise one of His sons, and I pray we'll be able to do what we need to, to help Jay return.

Looking Back at 2019

I have to say that I am not too sad to see 2019 go. It was a great year, filled with blessings and miracles, while also full of challenges and a few trials that I honestly hope to never experience again. Throughout all these things, I truly have seen the hand of the Lord and know He has blessed my family beyond anything I ever thought possible. When reviewing 2019, here are a few of the major highlights.

I started to coach leaders at work which has been a lot of fun. I get to help these senior leaders progress and become even better at being leaders. When I was in college, I always thought coaching sounded fun and I loved leadership, and that's why I chose to pursue the degree I did. I hoped that someday, if I was able to work long enough, I would be able to work in a role where leadership, coaching, and teams came together...and it's been a dream come true.

M and I lived in Denver with Matthew's parents from January - April. It was a blast! We spent almost every weekend (at least every other weekend), in Longmont with the Merrills. We loved spending time there, and can't wait until we actually live close to them again. M got to learn some new skills while helping Jason finish their basement, and I got to snuggle cute babies (twinsies, and Kylee and Tia) while spending time with Katey. Living near a sister is one of the best things in the world, and a great blessing. We also took a trip to Pima for a quick weekend in February when Sisterbug got married. It was so fun to be in AZ with the whole family and enjoy the celebrations! M's parents were fantastic hosts. I cooked a few nights a week, and Grandma Blaylock cooked the rest of them. It was an amazing break, and we got a much wider variety of foods than we usually do when I am the only cook around. We spent conference weekend with the Merrill's at the cabin where we played in the deep snow and built the biggest snowman I've ever seen...M and I could barely lift the body and the head.

Here's a pic of us at the cabin with Kylee and Tia, building the biggest snowman ever...check out the hair.

Klaire and Curtis's Wedding 

Couple Pic

On our way home from Denver, moving back to Utah

Right after M finished his internship, we headed off to the Bahamas for a cruise. We left for the cruise the evening of Easter Sunday, and earlier that day we found out I was pregnant! On the cruise we played games, got sea sick, swam in the Bahamas, snorkled, went parasailing, and enjoyed the last day of our trip on land at Volcano Bay in Orlando, FL. Because of seasickness, it will take a lot of convincing to go on another cruise, but overall we had a good time.

On the island, Cococay

Parasailing, so cool! 

We started the summer with adventures to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park where we camped on Friday evenings and hiked all day Saturday - we even got to Zion early enough Friday that we did some hiking that day too. We hit these tourist sites before most people were out of school, so it was much less busy that middle of the summer. We had so much fun and loved seeing the new scenery. We hiked all the way down through and out of Bryce Canyon, and that got us ready for Angel's Landing at Zion.

Me and what my coworkers call "My Canyon"

Down inside Bryce Canyon

On top of Angels Landing

Near the trail head of Angels Landing, this was after we finished the hike

Just after these National Park adventures and one of my trips to Denver, we got in our first car accident of 2019 where we hydroplaned going about 70 MPH, followed by rolling down a 30 foot ravine. Miraculously, M, Uncle David, and I walked away from the accident (and into an ambulance). I still shudder at this experience and pray harder than ever when we are driving that we'll be safe. The feeling of being totally out of control in a vehicle is terrifying. I remember while it was happening, not knowing if I would live, if Jay would live, or Uncle David or M would. When I realized I was still alive at the bottom of that ravine while hanging upside down by my seat belt, I didn't care about any of my belongings in that car and all I could think about what get out of the car and get everyone else out. No worldly possession in a moment like that matters (not even the car), only the lives of those in the car. Uncle David had an impression a few moments before the crash to protect his head, and heeding that prompting saved his life. M helped him get out of the car after both of us had crawled out...I sat on a rock spitting out blood with a throbbing head and side. I suffered a mild concussion, some bruised ribs, and a nasty face injury. Luckily, all of the scans and x-rays confirmed nothing was broken - although my face was VERY swollen. Uncle David had some chest and back pain, that luckily were nothing serious. Mom and Aunt GayLynn met us at the hospital, and were able to take us home to Grandpa's for the evening and then eventually home for the weekend. We were so blessed to find out just a few days after the accident that our baby had survived and looked good on the ultrasound, measuring 12 weeks (about two weeks bigger than we thought). At times the moments of that day still replay in my mind...and when they do, I try to remember the miracles, focusing on how blessed the four of us are to be alive and well. We were shown so much love and support by family, and by our neighbors who sent get well cards and everyone who said LOTS of prayers on our behalf.

The view of the car from the road, just by the Portage exit.

The car after it was pulled out, and towed to the yard...Uncle David was in the back seat...angels saved him.

The day after the accident, this is where the air bag hit.

Two weeks after this accident, I went to San Diego for a conference and was so excited when Klaire, Curtis, and Matthew joined me for an extended long weekend. We had a blast touring the city of Coronado, playing in the ocean, visiting the Mormon Battalion museum and enjoying family time which was much needed after the travels and near death experiences of the accident.

Walking the beach on Coronado Island

San Diego Temple

The rest of the summer flew by with family coming into town for the Brady family reunion when we had a revolving door of guests, trips to Grandpa's whenever the weather permitted, and many trips to Denver and one trip to Texas. We wrapped the summer with a trip to Arizona, and Matthew went to Mexico while I stayed at home and worked. We also tried to go to as many temples as we could in Utah because we knew it was our last chance without a baby and in Utah surrounded by temples. We made it to Manti, Bountiful, Brigham City, Ogden, Logan, Payson, Cedar City, and of course the two Provo temples. We had previously been to Oquirah Mountain, Jordan River, Timpanogos, and Salt Lake City so we didn't check them off again.

The classic cousin picture

Bryce party at the Merrill's pond

Manti, UT Temple

Payson, UT Temple

Brigham City, UT Temple

Bountiful, UT Temple

Betty Jane and I making cookies

Swimming at home every day was certainly one highlight from our trip.

Just as the semester started and I came back from another trip to Denver, we got in another car accident on our way to Grandpa's. This time, it was a sunny day, and we were rear-ended by a driver who was looking at their cellphone and not paying attention to the stop and go traffic. Once again, miraculously we walked away, this time with no airbag injuries but rather some whiplash and added anxiety to driving. To add to this, earlier that day, I had fallen down half a flight of stairs at the Blaylock's house where I sprained my foot...yes, foot, not ankle. I thought it may be broken because by the time I trudged through the airport, and to the train station, and finally home, it was swollen and hurt everywhere. The non-stress test on the baby that I went to early the following week showed he was just fine and we could feel relief again. And, the x-ray on my foot showed no broken bones, but I did have to wear a boot of the next month. Our brand new car was totaled and we again faced the car buying experience. We now have a bigger car and hope to keep this one for many years to come.

M had washed the car that day, you can tell...it's sparkling.

I have the best husband, he took great care of me (as he always does).

Our 2nd new car

Fall was filled with M's studies, more trips to Denver for work, baby showers and preparations, etc. Nathan and Michela got married over the Thanksgiving holiday at my 38 weeks along mark. I prayed so hard that Jay wouldn't come until we were back in Provo. Thankfully our prayers were heard and we got to enjoy the week of Thanksgiving in the mountains with the whole Blaylock family.

Baby Shower, with Cheryl, Me, Grandma Eddington, Ashley, and Steph 

Lisa was my barista (again)  - we had Momosa's

 My last trip to Denver, it was so fun to visit the Merrills. 

Halloween Truck or Treat

Logan, UT Temple

Last trip to Grandpa's before the baby came.

Ogden, UT temple for Nathan and Michela's wedding.

We played Heads Up, and all the Blaylock brothers were acting/guessing, too funny not to share.

40 weeks along with Jay

The best gift of all concluded our year when Jay was born. He's the biggest miracle of all and the biggest blessing. His name comes from his great-grandpa Blaylock, whose middle name was Jay. And, one of the reasons we really loved the name is because it means victory. He fought through 2019 to be here, and we couldn't be more grateful!

Becoming a family of 3!

Here's to 2020 being an even better and more fun filled year.