Aubree is T H R E E months old

I woke up today with the realization that my sweet pea is three months old. I think back to her birth and replay it in my mind and it feels like just yesterday but in the same thought so long ago. Aubree is still nursing like a champ and her rolls prove it. These days she is in love with the ceiling fan and the movement on the television and her chunky legs are forever kicking while her arms search for things to grab and hold onto. My favorite time of day is nap time while I get to rock her to sleep and she grabs my hair and looks into my eyes. She smiles in her sleep as she dreams of heaven. Like her daddy she breaths out of her mouth. She is the cutest morning person we know, her sweet coos, smiles and toots never get old. Aubrees new little tongue tricks and the way she sucks on her bottom lip always puts a smile on my face. Recently she has learned that her tiny frown and pouty lip gets her lots of loves and kisses. She showed gramps her frown and pouty lip and then burst into tears until the second he picked her up and then she went back to smiling. It made us all laugh. She now sleeps through the night and eats every three or four hours. I love nursing and being able to connect with her in a way no one else can. I can comfort and give her something that is so unique and just mine. With Aubree around everything is smiles and baby talk and I wouldn't have it any other way. Each stage is new and exciting with her. I feel as though my love with Ben grows more and more each day as I watch his relationship grow with his daughter. Seeing the love he has for her rekindles the love I have for him. Brighter and stronger our love will shine. We can thank this little piece of heaven we have in our home. Aubree you are best and most beautiful thing that has ever happen to me. Happy three months my daughter. Mommy loves you more then words can express.

The Joy Of Motherhood Comes In Moments.

After playing all morning with Aubree I watch her drift off to sleep. I honestly could spend all day watching her, and sometimes I do. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing. Ben will walk through the door after work and I won't have the bed made or house cleaned. I will still be in my pajamas either laying next to Aubree or playing with her. Luckily he doesn't mind. I feel as though these little moments will and are going by to fast. The house and everything else will still be there, but she will never be this little again, I will never have these moments with her again. I cherish the quiet moments I have with her all by myself. I want her to grow up remembering how much fun we had together. It's amazing how much love I have for this tiny little human being. Sometimes I can't believe she is mine and I get to be her mom. She has the sweetest spirit and I feel like she knows me and we know each other. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of the plan of salvation and I know we will be together forever. I am so blessed to be married to someone who loved me enough to take me to the temple and make me his forever. He is the best partner and father, he is my soulmate. I can't wait to see what the future brings us. This new chapter with Aubree is already so wonderful I can't imagine how the rest of our life is going to be. It just keeps getting better. I hope I can be the best mother to my children and the best wife to Ben. Elder Russell M. Ballard once said; "What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else." I truly believe that being a mother is a gift and I will enjoy these special simple moments I have with my daughter. <3

 

Imperfection Is Beauty

                                                                                                                                                                 It's 5 am and I just finished nursing my precious daughter. I look at her in awe and in wonder of how she could possibly be mine. It's amazing to think that Heavenly Father trusts me to raise this beautiful girl to help her return to him. Over these last two in a half months I have learned that motherhood is not easy. It has taught me to be selfless and patient. I have struggled since having Aubree with many things, for one I have struggled with my postpartum body. I feel as though I was prepared more for growing my belly then I was for the aftermath. Being left with this saggy, scared skin and an empty belly was scary and sudden. The only comfort I found was holding my daughter in my arms and telling myself it is all worth it. My insecurities left as quick as they came. I soon began to remember how amazing my body is and how I was able to grow another life inside of me; one of the most sacred, precious and challenging things a women is capable of doing. I began to see that I earned my new body, I carried my beautiful Aubree inside of me and am thankful for the body that I have. I am reminded of my strength and all the amazing things that I as a women and now a mother are capable of. I believe I am beautiful and I love my body. Although motherhood is hard, it is the most beautiful journey and I as a mother will do anything for my daughter. I will raise her with love and compassion and will teach her to love all imperfections. <3 

T E N W E E K S

I can not believe our Aubree Jane has already been with us for two months. It feels like just yesterday she was in my belly. In the weeks leading up to her birth I was extremely miserable. I remember everyone at work asking everyday if I was due yet or if there had been any progress, it got to a point where people were saying, "your still here!?" and it got old really fast. I was HUGE! My feet where swollen, my hands were swollen, my face was swollen, I had the waddle, and I was so over being pregnant. I tried everything to get her to come early, I walked the track almost every night, I got my ankles massaged, I jumped on the trampoline, I went to the park and got on the swings, I ate spicy food, I bounced on an exercise ball, we had sex, I took cohosh drops, and finally I tried castor oil. Two days before Aubree was born I took half the amount of castor oil that everyone said to take... when I didn't have any contractions I took the other half the next day. That day I had some good ones but they went away as soon as I went to sleep. That weekend before her birth I could of swore she was going to make her arrival. But I was frustrated because I could not tell if I was having real contractions. I was having some cramping but I just kept waiting for the pain to get much worse, and it just didn't! That weekend I called my doctor and rescheduled my  next appointment which was suppose to be Friday to Tuesday because I was dying to know if I had made any progress. I had been two centimeters and 75 percent effaced for weeks now and after trying all those things I needed to know if I had made any progress!

          So Monday came and Ben got sick with the twenty four hour stomach flu, he stayed home from work and so did I because I didn't get much sleep the night before. So we both rested most of the day Monday and felt a lot better Tuesday. Ariel was with us all that weekend and left Tuesday morning. As I got up to tell her goodbye and get ready for my doctors appointment I was having cramps but nothing like I was expecting them to be like.

They felt like period cramps, not as painful as I was expecting contractions to be like. Ben went to work on Tuesday morning and I told my boss i would be in after my doctors appointment. I arrived at the doctors office and I felt the cramps getting a little worse, I told the nurse and she smiled and said the doctor would be with me in a moment. When my doctor came in to check me I told her about the cramps and she proceeded to tell me that I was in active labor and was four centimeters dilated and 90% effaced and I needed to get to the hospital right away. She asked where my husband was because he usually goes to every appointment with me. I told her he was at work and she told me to call him right away. The nurse told me she knew today was the day for me. My doctor told me to let my family know we would probably have a baby sometime that night. I immediately text Ben, my mom and dad and Michelle to let them know I was in labor and was headed home to get my bags before heading to the hospital. Ben was all the way in Scottsdale and had to drive back to the house to shower so I decided to wait at the house for him so we could go to the hospital together. So as I waited 30 to 45 mins for him to make the drive home I did some laundry and packed his bag and finished packing mine. I paced the house and called him multiple times to tell him to hurry.

The contractions were not bad at all. I was more anxious then anything, but I was still smiling and couldn't believe we were going to have a baby in less then 24 hours. I text my boss and told her today was the day our baby was going to arrive. I can still feel the excitement as I remember these moments... When Ben got home he showered as fast as he could and we were off to the hospital!

          When we arrived we went straight to the labor and delivery room and got set up. Since I was already dilated to a four I was able to get my epidural right away, but right before she was going to give it to me, my doctor came to pop my water. It was a huge gush of water and as soon as that was gone, my contractions got more painful, but luckily i did not have to feel that for long since i got my epidural right after that. Soon I was relaxed and sleepy. My parents were on their way and Ben's family had arrived to visit a little as we waited. The next time my nurse checked me I was already dilated to a nine, I then started freaking out because my mom was not there yet! The nurse said she wouldn't check me for awhile so that my family had a little more time. I called my mom and dad and told them to step on it because i was already at a nine. They both hurried but I was stressed out that they wouldn't make it. Soon after that i got the urge to push, I told Michelle and she told me i needed to tell the nurse, so i did. I was terrified at that point and all I wanted was my mom by my side. The nurse came to check me and said i was fully dilated and ready to push. I did a few practice pushes and then my mom came running in! Soon after that my dad came in and I felt much better. I focused on pushing and after about 30 mins of pushing my sweet baby was born. I remember feeling a huge wave of relief as she was pulled out then placed on my chest. Hearing her cry and seeing her beautiful face for the first time was indescribable. I felt so much love it was as if a part of my heart was missing and was then made whole. Holding her skin to skin for the first time was heaven. Her little eyes looking up at mine melted my heart.

The room was silent for those first few moments after she was born, everyone was in awe. Ben was able to cut her cord and his parents, my parents, Sarah and my good friend Kimberly were able to be there. 

          Staying in the hospital for those two days was a blur. Visitors came and went but all I could think about was my little girl. She scared us a few times by not passing her hearing test the first time and then the nurses telling us there was blood in her stool. Thankfully she came home on the second day as healthy as can be. She has been the best baby ever. She is so calm and eats and sleeps like a champ. She has such a sweet spirit and fills our home with warmth and love. I couldn't imagine life without her and feel so blessed to be her mom. Being pregnant and giving birth to Aubree is one of the most cherished experiences I've ever had. I am so blessed to be her mom and could not be happier. I love my sweet little family!

Aubree Jane Mulcock

 

I haven't had the chance to blog about the newest addition to our family, her name is Aubree. She was born on Tuesday April 30th at 3:12 pm weighing in at 8 pounds 15 ounces and was 21 inches long. I feel so blessed to be her mom and I love her with all my heart. She is the light of my life.

 

 

February. March. April.

I am not even sure where to begin. The last few months have been so busy I haven't even had time to stop and think. February was filled with doctor appointments, getting Ben a new truck, Valentines day, getting our 3D ultrasound, maternity pictures, getting my endowments, and getting ready to move! I happen to be one of the lucky women that had to do the three hour glucose test where I got blood drawn four times and had to sit at the doctors office for three hours. Thankfully I have an amazing mother in law who sat with me the whole time and made the experience easy and quick. We were happy to find out that the test came back great. We also were able to trade Ben's truck in for another one that he loved. My dad was happy working with him doing that and we were happy getting a lower truck payment. Valentines day came and went with dinner, flowers and a big stuffed bear. I told Ben we weren't doing anything for each other because we needed to save money for the move but of course he always has to surprise me with something. :) After Valentines day we got our 3D ultrasound done!

It was the most amazing experience and I was beyond excited for it. We got to watch our beautiful daughter kick and yawn and got some amazing photos of her. I loved being able to see her sweet little lips, nose, chubby cheeks and hair! Michelle and Sarah got to come with us to experience that and it was a wonderful day. The weekend after the ultrasound we had our maternity photos done in Safford by high school seminary teacher, David Palmer. He is a fantastic photographer and I was grateful he was willing to take them for us. I had printed out pictures that I liked so our session was quick and easy.

The photos turned out perfect and I love every one of them! The most special part of February was being able to go through the temple. Getting that temple recommend and being able to go to Safford and go through the Gila Valley Temple with all of my friends and family was an incredible experience. I felt so much joy and I know that Dylan was looking down on me smiling, proud of me. Then to top it all off we found a beautiful house to move into! It is in a wonderful neighborhood and has a great ward. We were thrilled to move in.
 So the beginning of March came and we moved into our new perfect home! I still can't believe we live in such a beautiful home with such a nice neighborhood. I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to start our family here. Our new home has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a huge kitchen/living room area, a big backyard and a two car garage. I am going to love staying home with our daughter in this perfect home. Soon after we moved into our new home we celebrated our one year anniversary! We spent the day together and that was all that mattered. I remember when we got married people always said, the first year is the hardest... but if you ask me.. our first year was wonderful! It was not hard at all, we grew and fell more in love each day. What more could I ask for. Ben has given me everything I could ever ask for. The weekend of our anniversary he took me to the temple to be sealed. Now he is mine forever and our children are ours forever. I am so proud of Ben and all the positive changes we have made together. He has made me a better person and has made me the happiest I have ever been. Our sealing was beautiful and we had so many family and friends there supporting us. I felt the love of not only our family and friends here but I also felt the love of my brother and our daughter in heaven. I know they were cheering us on and are happy we made it to the temple. Since we have been sealed we have been to the Mesa temple with my family. What a wonderful feeling it is to be worthy to go to the temple whenever we want.

After all the fantastic experiences and memories that we made we had our last ultrasound where they measured the baby and all that good stuff. Michelle was able to come with us and I honestly didn't know what to expect. I had felt huge and was thinking our little girl was going to measuring above average, but the ultrasound tech told us that she was measuring a few weeks behind and already weighed 5 pounds 4 ounces. I was so confused and upset! I went home and cried because she also moved our due date back to May 8th. I didn't know what to think, so at our next doctors appointment when the doctor said the ultrasound results looked good and everything seems great I was a little relived. She also told us that I was dilated to a 1 and 75 percent effaced. I was happy and excited. I had walked a mile the week before and planned on walking a mile once a week until her due date.
A few days after that my work had a surprise baby shower for me. Ben surprised me by being there and I was shocked at how many gifts and people had come to support me. I have never felt that loved and thankful for my job. I will honestly miss my co workers and consider them friends. March 30th came quick and we had our baby shower that Bens grandma planned. It was beautiful and I had a wonderful time visiting with some of my closest friends and family.  Easter Sunday came and went and we celebrated by painting my belly that morning. It was a blast! Ben got so creative and made it look great! If only I could have kept it painted all day. We had brunch with family and then relaxed the rest of the Sunday. I still laugh looking at my Easter egg belly.

The beginning of April started out with our OB tour at Banner Gateway hospital. We were able to see and discuss labor, delivery, postpartum and the nursery. It was a neat experience and I felt a lot better and less scared. I felt like I knew more of what to expect and I liked that. As we got into the middle of April I got more and more tired of being pregnant. My feet, hands, ankles and face got swollen and my belly got huge! People at work would say things like, "your still here" or "you look like your going to pop!" Sleeping was a joke, I could not get comfortable in any position. So all I did and focused on was getting her out of my belly. Ariel came to see me multiple times in April helped me walk laps and stay as comfortable as possible. Having her company made me less cranky. I am so grateful for her. I got my hospital bag all packed and ready and I went to my doctors appointments every week.