~Easton's Birth Story~

I figured I better write this down before I forgot all of the details. Easton's birthday was an eventful one to say the least. Labor was the most intense thing I have ever been through but I would do it a thousand times over if it meant I would get my little Easton at the end of it!

I had two friends that were due on the same day as me (May 19, 2014). I thought that was all fun and games until they had their babies before me. I would get on stupid facebook and low and behold they would be posting pictures of them and their new babies and there I was still pregnant. I didn't exactly have the easiest of pregnancies. I threw up almost every single day. Once, I even threw up in front of my kids at school. Embarrassing. The longest I went without throwing up was 3 days throughout my entire pregnancy. So... I was very ready for my baby to make its appearance.

It drove Eric crazy when I would log onto facebook and see their pictures and burst into tears because I was very ready to be done AND hormonal. Starting May 12th we started doing everything possible to try and induce labor. We walked and walked and walked and walked some more. I also tried drinking lemon juice, eating nasty eggplant, bouncing on the bed, running up and down my stairs, walking with one leg up on the curb and the other in the gutter, running a mile, doing squats, you name it, I did it!

Nothing was working, NOTHING. I was starting to think I was going to be pregnant for the rest of my life. I figured nothing was going to work so I gave up on trying. Eric came home on May 15th from working a night shift and he crawled into bed. Since nothing I did was going to make my baby come I decided to lay around in bed, feel sorry for myself, and watch Netflix all day long. As I was watching my movies I felt a couple of gushes. It wasn't anything big or crazy so I didn't really think anything of it. When Eric woke up I told him about it and he freaked. He was sure that I was in labor and I was sure I was not in labor.

I was finally able to convince Eric to stop freaking out because I had a doctors appointment later that day and I would ask him about it. So, when we got to the doctor's office he did the usual exam and said that I was really close to having a baby and blah, blah, blah. He was just about to leave when Eric gave me the eye so I told the doc what had happened earlier. He said he would run a test to see if it was amniotic fluid. He was gone for a few minutes and he came back and said, "Well, go home and get your things, you are in labor."

All the color drained out of Eric's face and my heart skipped a few beats. It was suddenly real. So we raced home and got things squared away there. On our way to the hospital I made Eric stop at Taco John's and get me a chicken taco. It was delicious in case you were wondering. We got to the hospital and got checked in and they took me up to the delivery room.

My doctor came in and broke my water at 6:00 p.m. It was the strangest feeling ever. I felt like I was peeing my pants but I couldn't stop it. I didn't know there was that much amniotic fluid in my belly. Water was literally gushing out of me. I soaked through every towel in the room and it was flowing off the bed and all over the floor and my doctors shoes. I watched my belly go from freaking HUGE to about the size I was when I was 6 months pregnant. My water didn't stop gushing all night. They had to continually bring in more and more towels for me. The nurse even said that she had never seen that much amniotic fluid come out of someone before.

Within minutes of having my water broke my contractions started hurting more and more. They were okay if I could get up and walk around, with a towel between my legs mind you, but the minute I sat down or laid down they would hurt like crazy. However, it wasn't long before Easton's heart rate started taking a dive. If I laid on my left side it would stabilize and be okay. If I rolled over onto my back or shift in any way his heart rate would drop. So... I had to lay on my left side for the rest of the night.

By 3:00 a.m. My contractions were really strong. I was having 3 contractions in a row with each contraction lasting about a minute and only 45 seconds in between to rest. By then I was only dilated to a 5 and before my water broke I was already a 3. I told Eric that I wanted an epidural so he ran and got the nurse and at 4:00 a.m. I got my epidural and it was the best thing ever. Seriously.

I was able to doze here and there and by 7 I was fully dilated. I was able to start pushing but again I couldn't move from my left side. I pushed my ever living guts out or at least that is what it felt like anyways. The nurses and Eric were able to see Easton's head so I got really excited thinking he would be coming out soon. But nooooooo... I pushed for 31/2 hours without progressing. My doctor came in and told me I would have to get a c-section. I started crying because I did not want a c-section. He looked at me and said, "Tiffany just be happy you didn't live 100 years ago because both you and the baby would be dead." I had to agree!

So they started prepping me for surgery. As soon as they gave me more anesthesia I felt like I couldn't breath. I honestly thought I was dying. Eric said I turned ghost white and I told the nurses I was going to pass out. The last thing I remember before waking up in the operating room was Eric leaning over me saying, "Don't leave me Tiffany, don't you leave me!"

When I did finally come to everything was really hazy but I do remember smelling my own skin burning...not exactly the best smell in the world! As they would cut me open they would cauterize my skin. Gross. Anywho, it was really hard for me to stay awake. I didn't feel good and I just wanted to sleep. I kept having to tell myself to wake up so that I could see my baby when they finally got him.

Next thing I know, there was a really loud suction cupping sound and boom, Easton was out. They were holding him up over the sheet and he was covered in gunk and screaming his head off. It was very clear to me that he was a boy (we didn't find out what we were having). I thought he was the cutest thing I had ever seen in my life. I didn't think I would think he was cute when he first came out but he was absolutely perfect to me. It was so exciting and I couldn't believe that he was finally here but I was still struggling with staying awake.

I don't remember them sewing me back up or wheeling me into the recovery room. I don't even really remember breastfeeding Easton for the first time. From the time they gave me more medicine for my c-section until about 8 hours after Easton was born is all really hazy and I have had to ask Eric about a lot of things that happened during that time period.

Having a c-section and having to spend 3 days in the hospital (most of which I was hooked up to oxygen) was definitely not how I planned on having Easton. It was down right miserable for about 6 weeks. However, I would do it a million times over for Easton. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I still have moments where I can't believe that I am a mommy! It is the best thing in the world!

Easton Eric Small

Born at 10:50 A.M. on May 16, 2014

Weighing 7 llbs. 1.5 oz.

19.5 inches long

100% Perfect

Boring Prego Update

Let's get the formalities out of the way first... Eric and I are doing great. Nothing exciting has really happened. Therefore I will just do a boring pregnancy update. :)


Weeks: 24 and a half-ish

Cravings: Melted cheese and everything I can't have right now (sushi, rare steak, and runny eggs).

Weight Gain: 13 pounds.

Workouts: I still go to the gym 5-6 times a week but I am pretty sure I did my last run a few days ago. It seems as if my excessive weight gain has taken a hard hit on my legs. So now I stick to the bike, elliptical, stair master, and weights. I think I am going to do some swimming this weekend as well. And if I am being completely honest with myself, I will probably try running again because I am kind of addicted to it.

Weirdest Thing About Being Pregnant: The dreams. Seriously. They are so vivid and odd. Last night I had a dream that I had a c-section and I could look inside my belly and see my baby blinking up at me. Then I later dreamed that I had a red headed little girl but a few years later she was black with dark ringlets. I told you, weird.

Favorite Thing About Being Pregnant: Feeling and seeing the baby kick. I have been able to feel the baby for a while but it has only been about a month since I have been able to see the baby kick. Eric got to feel the baby kick on January 3rd. It was pretty awesome.

Favorite Quotes Involving My Belly: Eric's grandma said, "Well hell, you don't look pregnant, you just look fat." And one of my former students grandma looked at my belly the other day and said, "Not much longer huh?" Ugh... yeah only 3 and a half months....

PICTURES!!!!!!

~~*Tiffany*~~

It's About To Get Personal Up In Here!

So... remember that last post? The one where I said I was going to try and update my blog more often. Well... that obviously didn't happen. Ooops! Perhaps someday I will be more ambitious with this thing.

A lot has happened since the last time I posted. In fact, the last time I posted I was pretty depressed. August happened to be our two year mark since Eric and I had started trying to expand our family. That's right, we were having unprotected sex people! With every day that passed I was starting to feel more and more like a failure. It seemed like the harder I tried to get over the fact that I sucked at making a baby the more bitter I became. I seriously hated facebook and all the people who kept posting things about how awesome and pregnant they were. And what sent me into an uber rage mode was when people would complain about how uncomfortable they were due to their pregnancy. I just wanted to tell them, "Do you have any idea how many other woman would kill to be that uncomfortable?" That may sound super witchy but that was how I felt. Eventually I got over it and was semi-happy for those that could do something that I couldn't.

I kept praying that Eric and I would be blessed with a baby. After months and months of doing that with no results I finally switched to praying for understanding. Understanding why I couldn't get pregnant. Understanding why crack heads and the woman Eric and I saw at a concert who was at least 8 months pregnant chugging a beer got babies but we didn't. Understanding for why I was so bitter and angry. When that understanding didn't come I eventually gave up. I hate to admit it but I cracked. What was the point of talking to someone who I felt wasn't even there? So then I became even more bitter. I was bitter towards other women that were pregnant, I was bitter towards God, and at times I was bitter towards Eric because he just did not seem to get why I was a wreck every month for 2 years.

So what did Eric and I do to try and combat my bitterness? We bought a Harley Davidson in August of course! Duh. I was bound and determined to forget about having a baby and start focusing on doing fun things with my hubs. Eric and I also started filling out applications for adoption. We knew it was going to be a long process so we started working on it right away. We even found a lawyer that had done adoption cases before. And since we were just focusing on us and adoption I went off of the awful fertility medicine I was on and quit tracking my cycle. 

Pretty soon after we bought our Harley, Eric left for the Police Academy in Douglas and I started school again. The weeks started passing by and summer was starting to fade away. Eric was only home on the weekends which was okay because I was pretty swamped with getting my classroom up and going. 

On September 15, 2013 I went to Laramie for a presentation at the University of Wyoming. On the 16th my teaching partner and I headed back to Gillette. The car ride home was awful because I felt like I was going to puke the entire time. I continued to feel sick for about 2 more weeks. I was convinced I just caught a bug from one of my germ carrying students so I didn't think much of it. My mom did though. She noticed I had been under the weather and told me to take a pregnancy test. I did the opposite. I bought tampons instead because I was starting to cramp and I just felt like my period was right around the corner.

After a few days of prompting from my mom I finally did it. I took a pregnancy test. Keep in mind, this was not the first test I had taken. That's probably why I put it off for so long. But I put on my big girl panties and took one anyways. I didn't even let myself get my hopes up because I knew that if I did the only thing that would end up happening was that I would be heart broken for another month. Imagine my surprise when I saw two dark pink lines indicating a positive pregnancy test!! I couldn't even move. I don't think I even breathed for a good 10 minutes. Finally Eric called up and asked what was taking so long. I pretended to be upset like all the other times. He of course acted all pissy like usual. He doesn't have much patience for my blubbering. I then took the test downstairs and showed him. He just kept asking over and over again if I was sure that the test was showing a positive. 

So to sum up this post, God chose to bless me much more than I deserve. I am now almost 22 weeks pregnant. :)

Get With The Program Tiffany

Holy crap. I am really behind on this thing... I kind of gave up on it for a while. I'm not sure if anyone even reads this but that is okay because it will be for my own record anyway. 

A lot of things have happened within the last year. Eric and I are now in our second year of living in Gillette, WY. I like it here but Eric is not a big fan. Something about being so far from his family... I don't get it ;) Just kidding. I do feel bad for him because of how close he is to his family. That is why we try and make it up to Evanston, WY to see them whenever we can.

I finished up my first year of teaching. I have never been so stressed in my life but I have never felt more rewarded either. My kids and I worked our butts off all year. I have to brag a little bit, we scored the best in the entire school on all of our stupid tests we have to take!!! Whoop whoop! I am now in my second year of teaching and it is soooooooooooo much easier than last year!

Eric got a job as a police officer. This has been a dream of his! He loves his job but it is super stressful and hard for him at times. He really struggles with having to see people who have lost a loved one. He hates it when someone is hurting especially when they are hurting with the loss of a loved one. Other than that, he has some pretty funny stories when he comes home. People amaze me!

We also have bought a Harley since the last time I wrote. VROOM VROOM BABY! We love going for rides on it. So much fun. Seriously.

Along with a new Harley, we have also gotten ourselves into "Crazy Dog People" category. I will accept your congratulations later. We have decided to get two new hound puppies. We are going to try and train them up so that we can take them mountain lion, bobcat, and raccoon hunting. The best part of this is... they will be outdoor dogs that live out in the country on my parents land! Roxy and Kayda probably would not appreciate it if we brought two more dogs into our crazy home.

I know that this is not a very exciting post but I have to ease my way back into it! I am going to try and keep a better record of the things happening in our lives because we have some pretty exciting adventures we are trying to embark on. I am going to try and write at least once a week. Maybe if I post it on here, I will feel more inclined to do it... Wish me luck!

~*~Summer so Far~*~

This summer has FLOWN by so far. It makes me really sad. Especially since I start work in less than a month!!!! What the crap. Growing up sucks! I suppose it is a good thing that Eric and I have been having a pretty exciting summer so far!!!!!

To kick off our fun in the sun time we went to some graduations. Brandon's and Collin's to be exact! They have grown up so fast :' ( Collin will be taking over this awesome trailer once Eric and I move. He will start classes at LCCC at the end of August. As for Brandon he is going to be staying in Gillette and taking some classes there while working. He is earning money for his mission. He can't put in his paper's until May. I am proud of him for working towards a mission but I am also secretly sad too. Two years is a long time without being able to see my Brando. Depending on whether or not Eric can get a job in Gillette, Brandon may be moving in with me! Yahoooo!

Eric and I waiting for Brandon to cross the graduation stage!

He DID it!!!

My cute lil' family <3

Collin with his big brothers!

After the two graduations Eric and I decided that we did not want any little Kayda puppies running around so we got her spayed. She was one sore unit for a little while. Shiba Inus do this screaming thing and anytime something like a blade of grass touched her tummy she would scream. It was quite interesting. It sounded like we were trying to kill  someone at our house there for a little while!

Poor Kayda did not move from this spot for at least 24 hours!

After that, Eric and I spent some time with the world's classiest people... AKA we went to demolition derby's in Gillette and Laramie. I tell ya what, that is an interesting crowd!

At the derby in Gillette

At the derby in Laramie

We have also done a little camping this summer! We went up with our Frome friends. It was a blast. Funniest part of the whole trip was when Ashley kept saying she felt like she forgot something. After about an hour she burst out saying "I forgot the hot dogs!" It turned out that forgetting our dinner was no biggie, we just had some quesadillas! That was a first! But it was D-LISH!

Ashley and My Baby up Camping!

Eric and I's truck tent!

Ashley and Casey's VAMPER!

Sitting by the fire!

The Frome's also enjoying the camp fire.

Sami's cute lil sack of potatoes jammies!

On the way out I dared Eric to go slap this HUGE bull that was out in the field. Eric ran when it started charging him. Good idea Eric. GOOD. IDEA. He really was HUGE!

After our camping excursion we got to hang out with Tyler, Katie, and Briggs! It was so fun to see them especially because we won't be here when they come back from Nebraska :( I got to kiss and kiss on this little man! He is so stinking cute. I wanted to put him in my pocket and take him home with me but Tyler and Katie did not agree!

Cute Baby Briggs!

Next, Eric and I celebrated the 4th of July with the Fromes!!! We went to a ward breakfast first. Then we came home and I took a little siesta seeming as how stuffing my face makes me REALLY tired. After my nap we had some lunch at Casey and Ashley's and then we were off to Freedom has a Birthday in Washington Park. While there we became pretty convinced that the fire burning near Laramie made some people crawl out of their holes and come to the park. There were some very interesting people there... Like teenagers running around in fuzzy animal costumes and old people that were high off their rockers swaying to the music interesting! None the less, we had fun!

Sami Loves Eric!

Sami in her 4th of July outfit. SOOOO cute!

Eric and I enjoying our bbq!

Last but not least, Eric and I went SKYDIVING. Seriously. It was the coolest thing in the whole entire world! I have never felt anything quite like falling 12,000 feet! Eric had gone once six years before and the Wednesday before we went Eric's mom invited us to go with them on that Saturday so we went! The scariest part was getting to the edge of the plane and actually jumping. Once I got over the fact that I had just jumped out of an airplane, it was pretty relaxing. You just let your arms and face flop in the wind! I giggled the ENTIRE time. I'm sure my 6'8" partner thought I was bat crap crazy! But seriously, if you have ever thought about skydiving, DO IT!!!!

Before we jumped!

In our sweet jumpers!

Floating!

Happy to be alive!

The family group that jumped!

Overall, we have had a great summer so far! We just have to finish packing now... No fun!