~Charlotte's Birth Story~ { Part 1}

{Charlotte's Birth Story}

              Time and time again I've tried settling down to write Charlotte's birth story, but, as all you mommy friends know....just when you make time, the babe decides to get up, cry out of nowhere, or need a diaper change of some sort. Another classic favorite: Finally get the time but want to sleep instead of being productive. Ha! But I've discovered something. Naps and sleep IS productive. I need to remember that forever and never feel guilty for needing some rest!

Anyway....

Charlotte's birth story. I'm beginning to forget little details, so I can't wait any longer! 

{P.S....sorry it's very long. But this is for posterity, people.}

My due date was September 16th and couldn't come soon enough. I was barely making any progress as my appointments with the Doctor started turning into weekly visits at the end. I was praying so hard to just dilate to something or have some change of any kind. But little Charlotte was just so snuggly in there...she didn't want to leave! I was about a 1 and 50% effaced a week or so before and had absolutely no contractions. {Maybe a few once. And I probably convinced myself of that}.You could say I felt discouraged. At the end I was sure ready to pop and have that baby. The fun parts of pregnancy were over and I was very ready to rip that baby out. 

At the appointment before my due date, Dr. Jones set up an appointment for the 19th of September {3 days after my due date} to see how things were going if I hadn't had her already and mentioned that he would induce me on the 26th of September if I hadn't had her by then. {Oh kill me now!} But he guaranteed me that I would NOT make it to my induction date. At this point I didn't know if I could believe him. But I kept my spirits up! 

Well...my due date came and passed and I was getting super antsy. I was just trying to somehow enjoy the last days I had before I had a baby forever...but didn't really because I was just big and wanted to get to the next phase of life. I went in on the 19th and Dr. Jones said I'd progressed to a 2 and was 75% effaced. Hooray for progress! Dr. Jones said to come back in the next morning and he'd strip my membranes to see if that would help move things along. He also mentioned taking a non-stress test at the hospital sometime that weekend to see if the baby was still okay since she was overdue. 

I got my membranes stripped the next morning {which wasn't bad at all-maybe 5 seconds of it} and prayed she would come soon. I walked some more and hoped for the best! 

Saturday, the 21st, Chad and I got up like normal and planned to go take the non-stress test that afternoon before the BYU game. We both put on our BYU attire to represent. ;) I felt totally normal that morning...but by about noon I started feeling some really intense back pain. Since I had never felt a contraction before, I didn't realize at the time I was beginning to have some mild ones. The pain started from the back and made me stop in my tracks. It didn't feel like what I thought contractions would feel like at all. So I kept second guessing myself! I called my mom and we talked back and forth and she told me they were probably the contractions and that I would totally be having the baby either that day or the next. I thought she was crazy! 

Welp, then they came in pretty intense. Not enough to make me "rush to the hospital", but to realize they were contractions. Chad and I started timing them, but because they weren't close enough apart yet, we decided to go to have a little date and go to lunch at Cravings before we went to take the non-stress test. Our last meal together as parent-less married folk! By the time we sat down to eat our food, they were about 3 minutes apart to 5 minutes apart. And they hurt PRETTY bad.

Cravings Bistro in AF. Yum!

Let's just say I didn't eat much of my lunch. Darn. 

We got to the hospital and hooked me up to take the test. I had quite a few contractions during the 45 minutes we were there, and Chad helped me through them with the breathing we had practiced the night before at my mom's. {**Side note** Learn some breathing before you have your baby!!!! It helped me TREMENDOUSLY and I don't know how I would have kept together without it! And have your hubbie learn it too because having Chad do it with me made it so much easier.} I hoped they would keep me, but they told me to come home for awhile and come back if they got closer together. At that point I was 3 cm and 80-100% effaced.

We got home and my contractions got SUPER intense. It hurt real bad. Not gonna lie. I wouldn't like to experience those again, but looks like we want more kids so.....guess I gotta put up with those a bit more! I sat at the edge of the bed at first and Chad held on to me and counted the breathing. He keep a log of the timing of the contractions. They said to call after 2 hours of contractions if they were however far apart they're supposed to be in order to go to the hospital. Ha ha, I don't remember. 2 minutes apart and 45 second long? Or something? 

Sitting at the edge of the bed wasn't quite working for me, so I walked up and down our hallway, got in the shower for a little bit...and eventually found that leaning against the wall when a contraction came and rocking back and forth was the only thing that brought a BIT of comfort, ha ha. I'm glad this wasn't video taped, ha! But seriously...when you're in labor, it doesn't matter the position...whatever makes you feel better you do! I told Chad he needed to call the hospital to see if I could come so he called about an 1 1/2 hours in and they told us to come back and they'd check me. 

Well, they checked and told me to undress and they'd get me hooked up and on my epidural in no time!

Wow, that was fast.

THIS BABY was officially COMING! 

New Mama!

Dear Blog, 

I've missed you!

Don't worry. I'm still alive. 

I've just been helping my little wee one adjust to human life. 

:)

And adjusting to becoming a brand new mama. 

It's a transition to note for sure!

And I've already had plenty of adventures in just

1 month. 

That's right. 

My baby girl is 1 month old!

Good time to get back to the ole blog, eh?

Well, I will be documenting Charlotte's birth story soon enough, but for now, I just wanted to begin blogging again and share just a few select pictures for now. I can't believe it's already been a whole month....it's just flown by but also been extremely slow all at once.  Oh ya. You feel the extremely slow at 4:30 A.M. for her early morning snack. I've come to terms with the fact that I will never sleep in again until all my children are out of the house, or Chad and I are on a vacation alone, ha ha. At least I've accepted it!

Anyway, here's some photos for ya. :)

Resting between contractions...

Chad was so great through the whole thing!
 So lucky to have him for my support. :)

First moments with Miss Charlotte. :)

There are definitely a lot more photos to share, but I just wanted to post a few to prove that I really did do it! I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! I love being a mommy so much....she is my pride and joy.

Yep. I get to look down at that pretty face everyday! Love her guts.

Birth story and new born pics to come soon!

Loves,
Ally

9 months ago

So I was looking through a bunch of my pictures on my computer, and found these photos! I realized I never actually posted them, so obviously I had to put them up! What a way to celebrate the day after my baby girl's due date, yeah?

{Nope, she's not here yet...little stinker. She is overdue!

Stop making Daddy and Mommy wait!}

We're gonna be parents!

I'm gonna be a Mama!

I know I've told the whole story before, but just for the sake of pictures, this was late one night after the shower. I had been sitting on the bathroom floor, waiting for my results. Then the Yes + turned up and I FREAKED. (Happy freak!) Plus a "oh my goodness....we're pregnant...oh dear..." freak. I went and showed Chad and he had the biggest shock on his face, and proceeded to keep that look on his face for the remainder of the night. Ha ha! We've come so far!

Love our baby girl. Can't wait to have her with us soon! {Did you hear that, Charlotte? Soon!}

Love always, 

Ally Jo

Dove Real Beauty Sketches

Belief in Beauty- Part 1

Lately I've been thinking about a subject quite a bit. And it's about time I write about how I feel about it all.

Since the beginning of who knows when, there has been such a focus on the women's body, whether good or bad. As time has progressed and the media has become more and more apart of every human's life (whether they want it or not), I, among many others I am sure, have noticed all the negativity around what a woman should look like.

Being a woman myself, I've had my times where I felt something could have been thinner or bigger or better. Awful to admit, but I feel almost every woman has had some thought or other in that direction. WHY do we do this to ourselves? Why don't we just look in the mirror and say, "Daaaaaaang, girlfriend. You is lookin' HAWT". :) How often do YOU do that? Look at that reflection and have a reaction like that?

Can I tell you a story? My story?

When I was a wee little teenager, I had an issue with my image, like every girl in the universe. I felt I had to look a certain way...dress in certain types of clothes...wear make-up in a certain way. Funny that I use the word "certain", because when it came to how I felt about myself? I wasn't "certain" at all. 

I came to a point where I didn't quite like myself as much as I should. Believe me, I wanted to. But I just felt the pressure of others around me. Of what the world was telling me to be. I just didn't feel....good. I felt like a mess of blah when it came to colors. But I didn't want to feel like that. I felt trapped. I knew I should feel beautiful, but I didn't. I was told I was a daughter of God, but I just didn't feel it, though I desperately wanted to. 

One day, I decided to do something. It was kinda spontaneous, really. I went into the bathroom and took off almost all my make-up. I left a touch of foundation and a small swipe of mascara, but that was it. Then I went into my bedroom, and took a picture of me on my camera.

When I turned the camera around to look at the picture, I was shocked. Hey, that girl is pretty. Was that...me? I couldn't believe it! I looked at myself and loved what I saw. Her skin was smooth...her lips were full...and her eyes lit up with her smile. I'll never forget how that one picture dramatically changed the direction of how I saw myself. 

Not long after, I had a personal spiritual experience that I would like to share. Late at night, I was praying by my bed. I was struggling deep inside to love myself and to feel that I was special. I was sick of playing the world's game of telling me what to look like and be. I was so sick of caring what people thought of me every second of the day. I prayed earnestly, wanting peace and my battle to be over. 

I went on to pray about other things, when suddenly, I felt a bucket of peace, as I like to call it, pouring over me. I felt calm, and almost like I was being wrapped in someone's arms. They were warm and inviting. My whole little soul filled with light and love. Then I heard these words come to me in my mind. 

"Ally, I love you."

 And I said back, "You love me...don't you?" And the arms around me seemed to give me a squeeze and the warmness increased. I felt the little pieces of my worried, broken heart piece together. I couldn't hold back the tears that had been dying to escape for a very long time. I finally knew for myself. I was loved. And I was a daughter of God. My Father in Heaven knew exactly what my young heart was going through and ached for my pain. My pain that may have seemed so little to others, but possessed my whole being for so long. I felt beautiful and far beyond the beauty of my face. But of my heart. 

Those 2 experiences I shared earlier changed the course of my self-image of myself. From then on, I have always known I was beautiful. I have loved myself and loved my body. Ya, I have an occasional day where the hair won't do what I want or I get caught up in little things, but overall? I am a much happier me. 

Now, a certain lady we all have heard of has been getting some ridicule lately from people. Lovely Kate Middelton. First off, kudos to this woman for being in her position. I'm sure she is attacked everyday. Beautiful wedding dress, too old fashioned, outfit not flattering, hair this, that-this-that-this-that. AH!!!!

Well, then she had a baby. And this hit pretty close to home, seeing as I'm a prego woman myself. The beautiful day came where she had her precious little one-the happiest day of her and her hubbie's lives. And how long was it before some stupid person/people commented on her image? That she needed to get on a diet ASAP to get rid of that little "after-baby" belly.? Etc. Etc.

This is what I have to say to them.

How DARE you.

That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. To be able to bear a child is a miraculous gift. And the belly that comes with it is also just as special. Ya, this bump of mine tends to have its time for getting in my way and causing me some discomfort. But that bump is my dearest little baby's home. And I am blessed to have her so close to me...to feel her everyday. I wear this bump proudly. What a miracle of life. And ya, it takes some time for the belly to go down and what not. Of course! And even if we do gain some weight from bearing children, that is not a problem. Like I said before, it is a precious gift to bear children. (And fyi? Kate looks HAWT! Dang girl! Look at her after having a baby!)

So, world folk? Leave women alone. Let us love ourselves.

And if you need a pick me up? You ARE beautiful. You are GORGEOUS. You are classy. You are timeless. You are one-of-a-kind. You have a light in your eyes that is fit to you. You are meant to do amazing things. Don't let any negative thoughts of your self tear down your strength. You are exquisite in every way possible. You turn heads, baby girl!

"Nothing makes a woman 

more beautiful than a belief 

that she is beautiful". 

-Sophia Loren

Believe it. 'Cause it's true.

Love always,
Ally Jo

BFF's

Found this gem today. Look at us. We are just babies!

Ah....I love my hubbie. He's been such a good friend since the beginning of our friendship almost 6 years ago. :) Chad is a gem! Love his guts!

Loves,
ABJ

23 on 23

There's always the sappy grossness 

that comes with expressing affection and admiration

towards your beloved. 

But I'm gonna eat that grossness up

because I got a guy to brag about. ;)

Today, is my husband's birthday. 

And his special

"I turn 23 on the 23rd"

birthday. 

Only happens once for all of us. 

I've been meaning to write a post 

about my dear husband again

for awhile now, 

and found a perfect day to do so.

His birthday. 

When I met Chad, I noticed something quite special about him. He was so selfless. I never remember him thinking of himself first. I loved being around him because of that. He was all about entertaining his friends. Getting his schoolwork done. Thinking of special things to do for those around him. Dedicating himself to the school by being a full blown SBO for our high school. 

I was getting used to the fact that some people come and go in our lives, especially in junior high/high school. Awesome friendships don't quite die...but some do fade with time and moving on. A part of life, as you will. With Chad, it seemed like it might be like that. I had no idea, either way. But then I realized that I couldn't shake this kid. I might have had times where he wasn't at the top of my list of who my little teenage mind thought was my best friend, but he was always there regardless of my uncertainty. 

When summer hit after my sophomore year, the year of meeting Chad, I thought we probably wouldn't see each other much. However, he keep a hold of me. We emailed back and forth. Things like, 

"thank you for hanging out with me this weekend I really liked talking with you at the ampatheater and the cemetary!" 

Love his spelling, right? :)

Then we would write about our sundays....what we learned. Experiences we had in the week. He grew to be the one I turned to. The one who understood me most. We could talk about our growing testimonies together. We could talk about our stresses. He was a breath of fresh air for me. I still have every email he sent to me. :)

Again, he was all about others, including me. What could he do for me today?-was always a question I heard regularly. 

Anyone who knows Chad knows he is very special. He definitely loves a good party and will chat with anyone who will listen. :) Since we've been married, he hasn't had as many chances to hang out with his buddies, so I get a full on party all the time. :) Yes, frequent dance parties around our place our quite normal. And though I may have heard certain stories 12 times, I love it still. :) It makes me laugh and I'm so happy to be his listening ear. 

I've never met a more dedicated man to his faith. Yes, none of us are perfect, but Chad just has this gift instilled in him of having a great love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and showing it. He is a BRILLIANT teacher. I may have never had the privilege of being in the room when he teaches missionaries or elders quorum in our old wards, but I have been his pupil many times and know he speaks with conviction and strength. He LOVES the Lord more than anything else and his is faithful servant. I am lucky to have such a man as he. 

Another characteristic of Chad that is purely exquisite is one that many may not get to see like I do. It is very rare to find someone who is very intensely driven to REALLY become better. REALLY want to change. I know we all seek it in our hearts, but Chad so actively seeks it. That can be hard to come by....especially in marriage. But he has always been that was since we started dating. "What can I do better?...I'm sorry, I need to change. What can I change? And do you have suggestions of helping me do that?....I was wrong. Lets work this out". 

Things like that. I got a divine individual for my husband. And I'm so lucky that he is loving in helping me with my quite evident imperfections. I never take for granted his willingness to change and become better. 

I have a lot more to say of course...especially regarding Chad during this whole pregnancy, but I'll save that for another day. :) Bottom line, I got a sweetheart. And he's a dang good sweetheart. I have a man who is always looking up, and stepping up. I'm just glad he lets me tag along. This man was born for greatness. And he's already doing a pretty sweet job of it. Today, and everyday....I celebrate Chad in every aspect of life. He is my rock. My love. 

And I scored some major points when I became his Mrs. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 

my best friend, companion, teacher, hero, and love.

I love you, 

Chad Edward Johnson!