Emilia Kate

I have some serious catching up to do. To start I am now a mom. Emilia Kate Griggs story started about 3 1/2 years ago when we decided to start trying for a baby.  After a year of trying and a miscarriage we started looking into the reasons why. We went to a fertility specialist and got news that it would be very difficult for us to conceive on our own, but we weren't giving up that easily. We decided to try a round if IUI (Intrauterine insemination) Even though the odds were against us... I mean really it would have been a miracle kind of odds, we did in fact get our miracle. I was very apprehensive to be excited for this baby because of my previous miscarriage... I bought a LOT of pregnancy tests... like a lot. Things stayed good for us though and I had a fairly easy pregnancy. I didn't have a lot a nausea I got maybe one migraine but I didn't need to take any tylenol for it. Towards the half way mark I kept getting horrible heartburn though. At 29 weeks my one foot swelled up like a balloon and my blood pressure had been slightly elevated, so my doctor ordered a blood test and urine test to check for preeclampsia, which I got diagnosed with and had to stop working. I had a lot more doctor visits to check up on my blood pressure which steadily went up. Baby girl was doing just fine in there which was great news but the way things were going they knew she was going to be early, and Dr. Anderson just wanted to avoid how early we had to take her out for my safety. 

I made it to 36 weeks and by then I was over the twice a week Non stress tests and weekly doctor visits and being on semi bed rest for almost 2 months. So I took myself off bedrest since my doctor was happy I got to 36 weeks. On April 11th I had a mild headache (A warning sign for hyper tension) but I usually had a headache til I ate some real food and drank lots of water so I did those things and went about my day, went out to lunch and to a bridal shower. At the end of the shower I still had that headache so I figured that it wouldn't be long now and I better get the last things we need for baby. I walked around walmart and got the last items. While I was there I took my blood pressure at the pharmacy and it was 160/110 which is incredibly high. I sat for a few minutes and took deep breaths and re checked and it was still as high as it was. I called Dave to get home so we could go to the hospital and get checked out. Baby had been moving around great that day so I wasn't too worried about her safety. (Side note I had been told at my first OBGYN appointment that the bones in my hips were very narrow and a possible c section might be in my future.) Anyways we got to L&D and they called my doctor with the news of my high blood pressure and they admitted me to get started on laboring. I was 36 weeks and 4 days. I was only dilated to a 1 and my cervix was not even ripened they said so they ordered some Cytotec I think... I dunno this was all around 1 in the morning and I still had a miserable headache so the night was a bit fuzzy to me. Dave and I didn't sleep with the uncomfortable beds and the nurses checking in on me every couple hours to test my blood and check in the blood pressure cuff that was permanently around my arm the whole night set off to check my BP every hour. My doctor got there around 7 fully prepared to break my water and all that mumbo jumbo and when he went to check my dilation he told me there is a VERY small space for a baby head to come through, like so small that even if I was fully dilated and ready to push that I may need an emergency c section anyway. So he offered me to labor even with the probably possibly of a c section so I opted to avoid the long and difficult labor part and move forward with a c section. 

It was pretty surreal at that point everyone and their mom came into the room to have me sign forms get the epidural and a round of other things.. The only thing about the epidural part I hated was the cold part on my back they sprayed and I felt like a fish getting flipped around but other then that it was a breeze. in just an hour or so they wheeled me into the c section room had my arms stretched out on the sides of me while Dave sat next to my head. I didn't feel anything like incision wise but when they started pulling her out I felt like a toilet getting plunged. The most weird experience of my life. Then I heard her screaming and I started to cry. I have never heard something so beautiful... it's lost it's appeal now though ;)

They took her right away to get cleaned up and checked out and then Dave got to bring her back to me and I got to see her for the first time. She was so tiny I remember thinking and thinking holy shit that just came out of me and is totally alive. I was then left to get stitched up and I was doped up but I am sure my doctor thought I was hilarious because I asked him to put my placenta in the garbage cause I don't want to eat it. (Seriously I am glad that only the people in the hospital were in that room I probably sounded like a looney toon) After I was done they wheeled me back in L&D to wait for my postpartum room, and Dave came back and told me that they took my girl up to NICU to get monitored. I remember being terrified and upset that my baby wasn't with me and wasn't okay enough to be with me, but I didn't say anything. They wheeled me up to the NICU to see my girl and I just wanted to snuggle her but she had her iv in and all hooked up to monitors. What happened was she just held her breath for a second and they wanted to make sure her lungs were fully developed and they did just fine so after 5 hours they brought her back and didn't even have to admit her to the NICU. 

She was born at 9:16 and weighed 5lbs 3oz and 17 inches long. She is the light of my life and I can't imagine that we went so long without her. I am so happy that I am her mom and she is my girl.

Quick update

I always blog stalk and wait for my friends to post new updates but then I NEVER update my own blog, so I guess I will do a quick update so my friends will post and I can read all about their lives.

Dave is going to school and has 2 more years left. I wish it was 2 more minutes because I hate being a broke college student but hey we won't have mountains of debt when he is done so thank you Marine Corps. He is still wanting to do stuff with the water department for the city. We shall see two years is a long time.
I am working for a new salon called The Retreat in Springville. I LOVE it! It's literally a night and day difference from the old job. I am already way busier. BUT I would love to be way more busier so if you are reading this send your friends my way because I would simply love to have more friends visit me! I am also doing Gel polish on nails and Pedicures with Gel as well. The best part is Gel polish should last 2-3 weeks, Mine lasts about half way through 2 and 3 weeks but we can guarantee that it will stay on for the full week.
My salon did something really amazing tonight, every year they hold a cut a thon and donate all the money we make to usually something related to finding a cure for cancer but this year we donated all the money towards Believe in Bre. Click here to read and donate. It was a great success and it's amazing to do something for someone in the community and to see how other small business come together for something like this. There were a lot of donations for us to raffle off and we donated the whole days business towards this cause. I heard we did over 2 thousand dollars to donate to her and that is just an AMAZING number to see especially when our haircuts for the day were only 10$ a piece, and the raffle tickets were 1 dollar to win.
I know this is a small update but it's something. Here's some pictures of the last few weeks.

Starting somewhere

I started talking to a Dr. about infertility and we have started the whole process of elimination. That has been my top priority anyways so if you want to know more just follow my other blog
I have been loving my job at the salon, I have been getting busier and having more and more request of people that are not just family. It's been great I love this career i have chosen.
I decided after a long day and (a murdered smurf) that I decided I need to focus more on my salon job and no longer work at Brickoven. It was a hard decision until Dave asked me to quit so I can actually see him more than I do now. A girl I worked at the salon put in her two weeks so we are all getting extra shifts, which is good but if i continued to work at brickoven and the salon I would work a double on monday, thursday, friday, saturday, work at night tuesday and morning wednesday and every other sunday. I would not have a life, well I don't now so it's going to be amazing to have a weekend night off. I am nervous for not having the extra money but I know as long as we are careful we will be okay.
I also found out today that a cute lil guy named Lucas passed away last night. Lucas was living at Best Friends animal sanctuary and he was a prized fighting dog owned by Michael Vicks. I got to walk Lucas one day while volunteering at best friends last year. He was a sweet boy and because the courts demanded he not be adoptable the sanctuary loved him like they would their own dog. He was such a sweet guy and loved treats and the walk we went on. I know one day I will see him over rainbow bridge no longer scarred

Gather strengths from life's storms

I haven't really wrote much this month because it's been a pretty crappy month.
I want to direct you to my blog where I talk about these things, but I want to warn anyone who doesn't want to read about women problems you should just direct yourself somewhere else because you won't like this blog. Please no negativity either please, and thank you.
This is where I wrote about what has been happening this month...I will want to make it private so please post your email address so that I can make it private within the week.
http://trialsofconceptionhlg.blogspot.com/

Life Lately

So I haven't really gotten to update a whole lot that has been going on, so now that I am off work for the day I shall post something.
So I have been working at the Regis salon and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It has been a great experience and I love getting to use my knowledge on cutting and coloring and see the finished result without someone else telling me what to do. I LOVE being the creative one and figuring out the colors that I should use to give someone the best result, and foiling has been one of my all time favorite thing to do lately. I am also working at Brickoven again. Mostly taking food out, but I am doing a couple nights of serving... so if you're around come in and see me.
The best of all we are MOVING!! We couldn't be more excited to be in our own place again. It's gonna be tight money of course but its going to be fun to have it be us again. I will miss coming home to my mom and dads every night, and visiting, and just being around to hang out and they have been too good to us letting us live here for free, but we are very excited for this next chapter.
I will post lots of pictures as soon as we move in.

Catching up

I am having a hard time sitting down and writing anything going on knowing that only Rachelle reads this, but I am going to post something before the end of this year.
I have graduated Paul Mitchell in September, and I am now working at a salon called Regis in the provo towne center. I really love it and when I am busy doing hair it feels like I am not even working, but having fun instead of a job. When it's slow it's SLOW. I am making  hourly so that's really nice that no matter what I will be making money, but I hope to eventually be so popular that I am getting commission. So until then I am working at Brickoven again... bleh. It wasn't my first choice but it's a great job with money and I have a great manager who was willing to help me out when we are so desperately trying to move out of my parents basement.
I will try and post more with pictures and such but until then here are some photos from the last few months.

Forties fingerwaves

my graduation model

First time voter

My new Niece

final phase

kristy graduated

Finishing my hours

my core I started with 

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

I got an incredible opportunity to visit Kanab, UT and volunteer at Best Friends. It is a huge no kill animal sanctuary and I got to experience it for 2 days. I honestly could have stayed the week but school calls...
The first day of volunteering we got to work with the puppies and sit in for a puppy training session. I learned a lot about training and have been putting it to good use on Payton. He knows lay down now :) SO PROUD! We then got to walk the pups and then do some socializing. That means they want the puppies to get used to different humans so that when they go to a home they are used to people being around and lovin on them. I loved every second and I wish I could have taken all the puppies home, but my mommy said no so...
That afternoon we got to visit the kitty houses, and I was seriously amazed at how clean everything was. They had several houses for all the kitties they had to have over 200 kitties while we were there. The houses that we visited did not even smell like over 50 kitties lived in one house. They kept everything so clean and organized and were trying to give each kitty a quality life even if they had medical needs like paralized in the back legs or kitty leukemia, they even had a house for kitties doing the "biggest loser." Haha seriously one of the Kitties Milly was 30 lbs!! Seriously the fattest kitty I have ever seen in my whole life!
The next day we got to visit the bunny house, the bunnies weren't as much fun because they did not want love or to be held. so we cleaned out their cages because it had rained on them the night before and gave them new blankies to lay on and new toys to chew on. Again so clean and giving the bunnies so much love and a better life.

That afternoon we got to visit another dog town area, we were doing walks and scooping poop. (well at least I was scooping poop my group had other plans...whatever) I also got to walk one of the Michael Vicks dogs who was rescued from his dog fighting operation. His name was Lucas and he had just had surgery, I am not sure for what, but he was seriously the sweetest guy I met. He was so mild mannered and loved pets and treats... LOVED treats :)
The only thing I was instructed to not under any circumstance get him anywhere near another dog. There was an area for the dogs who had dog agressions and I am sure that is why he had not been adopted because people want more than one dog. In all honesty if I didn't have other pets I would want to take him home. Such a sweetie. Its amazing to me that the Best friends sanctuary saves these dogs that otherwise would be killed just for the idea of being untrainable and they have adopted out I think 15 of the 20 they saved. Don't quote me on those numbers but I was amazed at the training they did and how they rehabilitated the animals to be able to live inside a home and live normal lives even after the hell they had endured.

I seriously want to go back every year and volunteer I was so moved and my heart melted with every tail wag and purr noise. I am glad I went and I feel like I made a difference in the animals lives even if it's a small way. If you are an animal lover I say you come with me next year to volunteer!