Uh... Question.

How did she go from this:



To this...





To this??





Time flies... but we are loving it!

My cousin Andi was kind enough to let us barge into her house the other day and get some pictures of the great granddaughters in their darling Christmas dresses from Great Grandma Godfrey... Unfortunately, getting four girls into a crib where all four of them are under the age of two resulted in NO pictures working out, but we got the cutest individual and group shots of cousins together... Thanks, Andi!

Colbie and Brynn

{Officially} Wrapped Around Her Finger...

Last night when we got home from work, Colbie was a little bit fussy. Cam had her, so I ran out to the car to grab his drink that he'd forgotten. When I came back in, this was the scene that greeted me:




{Sorry this photo is bad... I use the camera on my phone and it makes the pics kinda funky from emailing}

She LOVED it! But who would blame her...

Marathon Post!

It's time for a marathon post... I realized today that it's probably time to post our Halloween pictures since there's about 2 feet of snow outside. So here we go! {Brace yourselves for a long one!}

{Halloween}

This year we dressed up at "Cutlery" for Halloween! Pretty easy peasy costumes... But Colbie was the cutest little spoon! We had fun making the rounds and trick or treating- and Cam and I enjoyed eating Colbie's candy. :)




With cousins Cooper and Brynn at Grandpa Chris and Grandma Kier's house. We were missing Lincoln!

{Blessing Day}

Colbie was blessed on November 7th. Incidentally, it was the same day that my brother and his wife blessed their little girl, Brynn, who is almost exactly one month older than Colbie. It was a very busy but fun and special day! Both Cam and Nate gave beautiful blessings, and I love that these cousins will have such a special day to share!


Behind the scenes of our little makeshift photoshoot... Nichole and I were working hard to get cute faces out of these little girls!






Colbie got to wear the same dress that Paige and I were blessed in!

{2 Months Old!}

Weight: 12 lbs. 15 oz. {95th percentile}
Height: 23 1/4 inches {80th percentile}

She just keeps getting bigger and cuter! She is now smiling and cooing, and loves to sing along to Christmas songs. Here are a few recent pictures.


We were at my mom's and noticed that this polar bear that Grandpa Chris gave her was right next to her mouth. We tried to move it and Colbie got very upset. So we put it back in and she just stared at it... Our Colbie Bear loves her stuffed bears!


This picture is kind of bad... but you get the point! NOT happy to be in the hat.


Looking up at Nana's Christmas tree- the girl loves her lights.


Today was her two month checkup. I wanted to catch some smiles before the dreaded shots... Our little girl is getting so big!

So we are doing well and very happy! Hope everyone is staying warm!

I Am Grateful...

I am {grateful} for these kissable, chubby cheeks.



I am {grateful} for the blessings of motherhood.
I am {grateful} for the perspective it gives me on things that I used to take for granted.

A lot of things haven't really gone according to MY plan, when it comes to post-pregnancy life...
-I still haven't recovered from my difficult delivery.
-School next semester is {unfortunately} going to take me away from my baby for a period of time everyday.
-I'm having a difficult time dropping my last 10 pounds.
-My house is a mess, and Colbie's nursery still isn't done.

But on days that I feel like I'm failing at this job, or that I'm somehow lacking, I get to look at this sweet little face:



I'm reminded of what is {truly} important.

Happy Thanksgiving!

{Halloween and blessing pictures coming this week!}

Smiles!

A little sunshine to balance out this nasty weather...



Now her signature look...



Great Grandma and Grandpa Godfrey gave her this cute outfit... I was so excited to put her in it! Thanks, GGGG!!!

I Know I Owe You More Than This...

Colbie Eliza Cutler



Born September 27, 2010
8 lbs. 2 oz. 20 inches long

Took castor oil Sunday, Sept 26 at 7:30 pm
Threw up at 9 pm, Started getting steady contractions
Went into the hospital at 2:45 am, dialated 4.5 cm
Progressed to a 5 in an hour
Got epidural around 6 am

Slept most of the day, steadily progressing
Dialated to a 10 at 12:45 pm
Made me wait for an hour to push while baby descended (they don't tell you that you have to do that sometimes!)
Started pushing at 1:50 pm
2:50- Still pushing...
3:50- Still pushing...
4:15- Started getting text messages, people asking if the baby had been born. I was still pushing.
4:30- Dr. McCulloch comes in. With forceps.
4:50- Sweet little Colbie Bear makes her debut.

Shortly after, Colbie made a visit to the NICU to get gunk cleared out of her lungs (no meconium, just gunk).
Tore like crazy, thanks to forceps. My blood pressure dropped. More like crashed. Earned an extra day in the hospital because of it.

Three weeks later- poor little Colbie has a stuffy nose.
She just wants to be held, I didn't get to shower until 4 pm, zero makeup was applied, and I spent the day in sweats.

My friend asked me what my favorite part of being a mother was. Besides cuddling this sweet girl, I realized that the rest of it is really hard.

But I LOVE THIS LIFE.

It is so rewarding to have this little girl look up at me and recognize that I'm her mother.





Can't imagine life without her.

Still Preggers...

Time for an update!

Weeks: 39 1/2!

Progress: 3 centimeters and 80% effaced.

Contractions: At my appointment last Thursday I mentioned that I'd been having some light contractions since the night before, so my doctor stripped my membranes. That really got things moving along and my contractions were getting closer together and more uncomfortable (but not terribly painful). When they got to 4 minutes apart, we went to Labor and Delivery and they monitored me for an hour. As soon as I got into the bed, my contractions relaxed and got irregular, and since I was still at a 3, they sent us home.

I've still been having contractions since then, but nothing consistent or too painful. I'm determined to not go back to L&D until Cam has to carry me into the hospital from the pain. I do NOT want to ever be sent home again, it was not fun!

My next appointment is on Thursday (due date is Friday).

We're still hanging in there! I honestly think the only thing that's keeping me sane is the fact that I am sleeping pretty well, all things considered. Cam is a great trooper and is getting anxious to hold his little girl!

We'll keep everyone posted.

Quick Update

I should wait to do this update until my doctor's appointment, but I've gotten a few requests the past couple of days, so here it is!

Weeks: 38

Progress: Almost 2 centimeters dialated, 60% effaced. At both of my last appointments, my doctor commented on how "soft" my cervix felt. {Is it weird to blog about your soft cervix?}

Contractions: I now know what they feel like {no fun}! I usually have them for 4-5 hours, but nothing regular and they always go away. But- PROGRESS.

We'll keep the world updated!

But Who's Counting...?

ME! And my sweet, patient HUSBAND!

I ran into a cute lady in my ward today at lunch and she asked me how many days. When I said only 23, she said, "But who's counting? But seriously... DON'T COUNT."

I cannot help it!

Not when every week in Primary our 5-year-olds ask, "Did you have your baby yet?" "Are you having ANOTHER baby?" or "Is your baby coming out of your bum or your belly button?"
One darling Primary child... he's our handful child... last week announced that "Sistur Cutlur got a lot fattur weally fast."

Don't count????

I can't reach my toes (although I love the excuse to go get a pedicure!).
I can't cross my legs.
My walk is now a shuffle (I'm sure the waddle is only days away).

Don't count???

You bet your sweet patoot I'm counting. Even if I have to add on an extra 7 days for a 41st week, I CAN SEE THE LIGHT!!! And believe me, when you figure out that you've been pregnant for all of the year 2010, the light looks REAL GOOD.

Cam's been so good and supportive through these last nine months... although as it gets closer he's letting on to how much he dislikes having a pregnant wife. Yesterday in his class he announced that his wife was having a baby this month. His professor promised him that a baby was going to be a huge adjustment. Cam agreed, but stated that after adjusting to a hormone-overloaded wife, a baby will be a much more pleasant adjustment.

Don't count??

We're gonna count.

*On a side note: my brother's wife had her baby yesterday! We're so excited for little Brynn to join our family, and for Colbie to have a little cousin so close in age!

**Separate side note: This post isn't supposed to be whiny. Hopefully it's entertaining. That's what I was going for!!

Survey Question...

When does everyone start putting up their decorations for fall? I am absolutely itching to get those lovely green, orange and red embellishments up! What if I promise to wait until the end of September to put up my Halloween stuff? Is it still too early?

I think that since I'm kind of at a stand-still in finishing Colbie's room (we won't even get her crib for another six weeks!), I'm starting to look to other locations to spruce up. Your thoughts?

They Should Lie To You.

I know that doctors are wonderful and books are wonderful and Babycenter is doubly wonderful because they make sure that you are uber-informed on everything that is happening with your baby and your body when you are pregnant... but they should lie their buns off on one thing.

They SHOULD NOT tell you that at 37 weeks you are considered full-term.
They SHOULD NOT tell you that, if your baby comes a little bit early, that she'll be ok.

Because, I know, in my heart, that every minute this little girl stays inside me is so important for her growth and health... but... I'm getting tired, y'all.

And I start thinking things. Horrible things. Things that I'm sure every pregnant woman at the end of her rope has thought.

I'm just admitting to it.

Maybe my blood pressure will spike, just enough, that my doctor will induce me...
Maybe if that stupid teenage girl HAD hit us coming out of the mall tonight, the stress of the accident would've sent me into labor... {sidenote: just the stress of nearly being hit gave me into a couple contractions}
{This one's my favorite}
If I find enough good reasons (i.e. Cam's LSAT, my best friend leaving on a mission, another friend coming to Logan to visit, my little sister Mookie's baptism) to ask Heavenly Father for her to come early, He'll oblige...

Can I get an AMEN??

In case nobody knew this, I'm not a very patient person. When I decide I'm ready for something, it means that I'm ready NOW.

:)

Anywho... other than my rant, all is well here at the Cutler household! I will be posting nursery pictures ASAP! Peace out.

Good Grief.

Ever feel like this...



...?

Today is one of those days.

I am trying to become crafty and thrifty at the same time. It's a tricky thing to do!

I want a footstool for the rocking chair in the nursery, so I went to the D.I. and got a [OLD] sweet footstool for $4! I was feelin' like a rock star! I even had done my research and knew that Hobby Lobby was having a sale on fabric so I headed over there and got some to recover the footstool (it's all cute and delicate and pink...). Brought it all home, rolled up my sleeve, keifed my husband's box cutter, and got to work!

My sweet $4 footstool? COMPLETELY MADE OF STRAW. As soon as we stripped away the old leather on it, it completely fell apart. I didn't even know it was possible for a footstool to be stuffed with straw.

I'm sure the best of the best handy crafters have all of their horror stories, but it just put this 8-month pregnant girl in a serious funk. (A bad enough funk that my husband confided in me that he wants "the old [non-pregnant]" Haley back. I do, too. :)

But I think I'll use the cute and delicate pink fabric as curtains. It would be better curtains than a footstool.

I guess some good came from The Great Footstool Fiasco.

Another Overdue Post

Good grief this seems to be the common title in my posts... My apologies. We cancelled our ridiculously expensive internet about a month ago so I am doing this post on my spiffy phone!

This will be a short and sweet post! Cam and I are doing splendidly! Cam is busy working his little hiney off, working at Wilson Motor and preparing to take the LSAT in October. He puts 100 percent into everything he does and his two girls are so grateful for him!

I am just growing bigger every single day, and I am definitely counting down for this sweetheart to make her debut. I hit 32 weeks tomorrow! I am also working at Wilson Motor, as a receptionist, and I am very much enjoying the work! On a final note, I have started to swell and retain impressive amounts of water in my thighs and calves. It's kind of baffling to me, my feet and ankles hardly do anything!

Finally, this little babe is very very active, especially between the hours of 10 pm to 12 pm and 5 am to 7 am! She loves when her daddy talks and sings to her, and she calms right down, much to her mother's relief!

That's all for now! If I don't get around to posting for another month, I will try to improve when our little girl is born and I have someone to play my brag pipes about! :)

If I Haven't Seen You Since January...

Alright people, I'm happy to announce that this post will have pictures!! After a heartfelt plea from my sister, it still took me two weeks to post some prego pics. :) But they are here! First, a quick update on what's going on in our lives!

So, The Man kind of interfered with our whole "summer in St. Louis" plan. Basically, Medicaid informed us that, if we weren't currently in Utah using our prenatal Medicaid, they had the right to cancel it. Cancelling the health insurance for me and our baby didn't really sit well with us, so we packed up the car and headed back home to Utah the next day. We did some 2,600 miles in a week. Argh. Although, I do think we have a career as truck drivers in our future. :)

We are sad about the missed opportunities, and we were really enjoying our jobs out there, but it is good to be home (and insured!).

As far as this pregnancy goes, the phrase I've kept hearing over and over again in the doctor's office is "right on track," which is a lovely thing to hear. I'll confess, because I was so sick this whole pregnancy, I wasn't able to keep prenatal vitamins down, so every time I went to the doctor, I was very nervous about this little girl's health, but she's doing just great! She's getting nice and big, and is super active!

We took the first picture while we were still in St. Louis, coincidentally the same day that we found out we were going to have to pack up and leave. But it took me a while to get to posting it, so we took another more recent one for good measure!

21 weeks...


Almost 24 weeks...


We will try to keep up with the picture posts from now on! Have a lovely Memorial Day!

Stickittothemanucleosis

I'd like to stick it to The Man today, Jack Black style.

The Man is bringing us down.

Step off.

San Loueee!!!

Aka, Saint Louis.

(You have to say it with a French accent though. It's way more fun that way.)

We have arrived here in beautiful St. Louis, Missouri, and we are all settled and working hard. I don't know if the nesting is kicking in or what, because I have never EVER finished unpacking and setting up my house in one day before. I rarely even feel like starting until three days later. It's sad, but oh so very true. When we moved into my brother in law's house, it was three days before the kitchen was put together, and when we moved into the basement apartment close to my mom's, our home stayed half packed up because we were leaving for Las Vegas 4 days later. Everything got unpacked AFTER we got home. :o)

So needless to say, I was shocked when the urge to unpack everything AND go to the grocery AND cook dinner struck my fancy, but struck my fancy it did. I'm hoping I'll pick up some good habits while I'm here.

We had a long and somewhat uneventful trip out here (I also discovered the camera when we were halfway through Kansas, so no pics... sorry!). But I did learn some things, which I would like to share with you today:

#1- If you just enter a captial city into Mapquest, it will take you to the capitol of the city. (We had planned on staying in Denver our first night, but I don't think the capitol would've let us chill there)
#2- Denny's is delicious. I ate there for the first time. I'm now officially grown up.
#3- Every town in Kansas is home to someone [kind of] famous. And they let you know.
#4- The 2nd friendliest yarn store is in Kansas. Not sure where the 1st one is.
#5- Stress greatly antagonizes my morning sickness. The first morning when we left Utah, I was miserably sick. The next morning when I woke up in Denver, feeling fancy-free, I was not sick for the first time in weeks. I. was. ecstatic. I woke up this morning with no stressful encounters, and yet another sick-free morning. Sheer bliss.
#6- Missouri is beautiful. LOVE IT!
#7- I miss my family, but I do NOT miss the snow that they are still getting.
#8- Next time we're moving, BRING A SHOWER CURTAIN. We've been having baths standing up. Sounds all fantasiful and romantic, but I didn't have singing mice and birds to help me like Cinderella, and it wasn't grand at all.

There's much more, but I don't want to bore you [too late].

On a more serious note, this is my first time living away from my family outside of Cache Valley. I thought it would be very difficult for me, especially considering that I had a very difficult time our last two days in Logan, but I have been doing just fine. For the first time in my life, I left my house not knowing where I was going, and I found a grocery store all on my own. It's a silly thing, but I felt a sense of independence that I haven't ever felt before. I had a very profound epiphany that I could live somewhere outside of Cache Valley, and I could still feel like I was home in a place where I belonged. Very big epiphany to have for this 21-year-old.

I guess being married and pregnant wasn't enough to feel like a grown-up, I needed to be out on my own.

Anywho, as soon as I find a Target and get a shower curtain and some other necessities, I will post pictures of our humble abode!

WHAT have I gotten myself into?

First off, I am excited to announce that we are having a LITTLE GIRL!! Cam was convinced that it was a boy, but when the tech told us it was a girl he got all grinny and misty-eyed. I think this little girl's already got Daddy wrapped around her finger.

Not only did we find out that it's a girl, we found out that this girl is VERY, VERY STUBBORN. I have NO idea where she gets it! :) This baby was facing my back, curled up, and had her hands and her feet in front of her face, and no matter how hard the tech shook my belly (yeah, that hurts today), SHE WOULDN'T BUDGE. It took the tech a good hour to get all of the shots he needed because she refused to move at all (it took him 20 minutes to coax a money shot for gender). I think he was actually working up a sweat and was cursing our difficult child after we left.

What does this mean for me? It means that I am preparing myself for a headstrong little girl that likes things done her way. (If you ask my mother, she'll probably tell you that I deserve one.) But we love that we got to see her for so long, and got a little shot into this baby's personality.

In other news, we are getting ready to ship off for Missouri on Monday, so our next post will hopefully be from there!

New Milestone...

I haven't slept well for the past week.

The normal pregnancy woes... can't get comfortable, I can't sleep on my belly anymore, if I move too quick I get sharp pains, numerous bathroom breaks, crazy dreams, etc.

I'm realizing this right now because Cam is napping [snoring] away peacefully in the next room, and I want to hit him in the head with a pillow, because it only took him one minute to doze off.

And he will stay asleep until he intends to wake up.

I think the nights of blissful sleep are a long way gone for me. I will miss them dearly.

Another Pictureless Post...

I don't know if anyone cares that I don't post pregnancy pictures, but to those dear people who are looking for them, this message is for you: As soon as we find Cam's camera cord, we will be posting some! Now that you can actually tell that there's something there, I'm not sure we can get away with not posting pictures much longer.

Anywho... here's a new update for you folks!

Weeks Along: 16 weeks and one day.

 Had a doctor's appt. last week, and the baby's heartbeat was strong. I'm also starting to feel the baby move.

Weight Gain: 5 pounds total weight gain.

New Purchases: My mom took me shopping yesterday, and I got a lot of cute Sunday maternity clothes. It was the first time I've stepped foot into a maternity store, and to be honest, it was lovely to put clothes on that fit and I felt good wearing. Counting down to May 4th! It's our ultrasound appointment, so my purchases will include lots of pink or blue!



Morning Sickness: I built up a tolerance to the Phenegran a few weeks ago, but luckily my sickness hasn't been as unpleasant. I stopped fighting the sickness when I first get up in the morning and it's weird, but it's made all the difference! Still there, but I'm getting better.

Food Cravings: Nothing too specific. I am just always hungry. I wake up in the middle of the night starving. It's a weird feeling, because before I was pregnant I would have to remind myself to eat. I'm still craving lots of sweet and tart things... like Sweettarts. :)



Food Aversions: Anything that has made me sick so far this pregnancy. Looking forward to September when I can eat them again.



We are still planning on leaving for St. Louis on May 6th. I got a job working as the Field Office Manager, and I am looking forward to getting out of the restaurant biz for a while and trying something new!

Confession...

Cam and I haven't spent a night away from each other since we were married seventeen months ago.

Tonight Cam is in Elko, Nevada.

To quote my dear friend, Will Ferrell.

"YIKES. That is ROUGH."

A Monthly Update

I guess it's time for another update... we're not huge picture people, so we'll try and start working on it and get some prego pics up soon. But I thought I'd update on the pregnancy so far!

Weeks Along: I'm hitting 13 weeks tomorrow!

Weight Gain: Because of my sickness, I've stayed the same, but it seems that the weight on my fingers, arms and legs and has gone to my belly! (I'll enjoy that while it lasts...)

New Purchases: Two pairs of maternity jeans (love them!) and T-shirts in a bigger size. Hopefully Cam will let me steal his basketball shorts for a while. Other than that, just starting to collect maternity clothes from other mamas that are gracious enough to let me borrow them.

Morning Sickness: I'm happy to report that there haven't been any more trips to the hospital, and I now have more good days than bad days (Phenegran is a wonder drug, people!). I'm getting well enough to enjoy a [semi]normal diet again.

Food Cravings: Salty, sour, and sweet! But not chocolate sweet. AirHeads, Sweettarts, Sour Patch Watermelons, Salt and Vinegar potato chips, and pickles. The one weird craving is chicken strips and french fries. I feel great for hours after I eat a chicken tender platter from Angie's or Juniper Take Out.

Food Aversions: Eggs, white bread and really rich food. No spank you.

Cam is already so excited to be a Daddy and talks to Bug Jr. every night. He is wonderfully patient with me, and between all of the food cravings and mood swings, I know that it can't be an easy task!

Also, on a random note, Cam is going to sell security systems this summer, so we will be heading to St. Louis, Missouri on May 6th! We are looking forward to a fun adventure this summer. So if anyone is looking for a vacation spot this summer, make plans to come visit us!!

2010 Surprise and A Very Un-Valentiney Valentine

This probably isn't news to anyone, with how sick I've been, but in 2010 this Cutler family found out that a new family member will be joining us in September! We are very excited (and nervous!). I'm only eight weeks along, but my morning sickness has pretty much already announced it for us. I guess this baby wants everyone to know that it's coming!

This horrible morning sickness was a curse that I thought I was prepared to take on... I saw how sick my sister was with her baby, and I've heard stories from my mom's pregnancies. But, trust me, NOTHING could've prepared me for what I have been experiencing each day. I was bad enough last week that I ended up in the hospital with an IV Friday night... a bad beginning to our Valentine's Day celebration.

I just keep telling myself that it's all going to be worth it, and I know it will! We are very grateful to have a baby on the way, and so grateful for all of the prayers and support that have gone out to us, especially in these last few challenging weeks!

Hopefully now I'll have more interesting things to post more often!