Emmaline...in a flash

Emmaline on her Birthday! 

Emmaline eating her smoothie...yum.

Emmaline and her dolly.

Emmaline with "doggy" She made a friend in Texas. 

Most recent family picture.

Grumpy pants all done eating.

Daddy and Miss Emmaline

I know...I know...it's been a while. Quick update: Bryant's is on fast track and working like a monster to get through school. Kendra is working at a local school as a one on one aid and loves her job. Not so quick update: Emmaline! Oh my little Miss Emmaline is growing up just way to fast! Can you believe that she is 17 months! Emmaline is so full of personality and finds so much joy in her life. Emmalines favorite word is doggy. We don't even have a stinkin dog. Emmalines favorite toy: her dolly, blocks, and stroller. Emmaline's favorite activity: dancing. Emmaline's favorite food....she really doesn't like to eat foods...her favorite change...but she will eat anything sweet.

Catch Up!

At the zoo. 

4th of July 

Emmaline and Papa Ridge. 

Daddy and Emmaline driving. 

Kisses for Uncle Brady. 

All tuckered out! 

Splash, Splash

Sweet girl! 

Emmaline's play kitchen! We found it at the garage sale and she loves it!

At the request of some friends I am finally adding another blogging again....and when I say again I mean I probably won't blog for another 6 months or so...but hey I will try! The last time I blogged it was about Thanksgiving...lots has happened since Thanksgiving. This Tuesday our sweet little Emmaline will be 1 years old! I can't believe how fast the time as gone!!! Her birthday really snuck up on us too. I sometimes feel really guilty because I have nothing for her birthday! Bryant has turned into a workaholic! The past two weeks he has been working 3-10 and doing school full time. He has gone days without seeing Emmaline and only seeing me for a brief 10-15 minutes when he gets home from work at night, before I go to bed. I am student teaching and so am up before he is up and a few times I have gone to bed before he gets home at night. Bryant's mother, Michelle, has been gracious enough to come and watch Emmaline during my final semester of school. I couldn't do this without her here and knowing that Emmaline is with somebody who loves her...even when she is a needy and fussy. Well...I am done writing...all you really want are the pictures so here they are. Enjoy!

Crazy!

Instead of trying to catch up on everything that I haven't talked about I decided just to move on and begin blogging on what is going on in our life right now. April 17th marked the start of a very crazy and busy time for both Bryant and I. We both went back to school. Since BYU Idaho does a track system here, we were off track in the winter and now that its spring we are back in the full swing of stuff. Over the winter we have been very blessed with Bryant finding a good job! A few catches are he is working about 30 hours a week in Idaho Falls and taking classes full time. He is such a good guy. His day consists of getting up at about 6:45 going to class at 7:45 then taking classes until about noon. The he comes homes gets a bite to eat and then heads to Idaho Falls and works until about 7:30-8 ish. Then he rushes home to see Emmaline before I put her to bed for the night. I have so much respect for him being able to do that, I know I can't. As for me I have started to take my last set of classes before I student teach. This semester is going to hard for more than one reason. My classes are senior level classes and Emmaline demands quite a bit of my attention. So far she seems to be adjusting great to being with a babysitter! I feel like my prayers have truly been answered with finding child care this semester! One of my dear friends has agreed to watch her and another dear friend has also agreed to watch her. Both are wonderful and help to make me feel better about leaving her. At home of her babysitters they have a dog! It is so cute to see Emmaline sit there and laugh at the dog! Bryant has sworn that we will never have a dog, but after seeing how much Emmaline likes the dog....I kind of think it would be fun for her to have one someday....in the FAR future. Emmaline is now 6 months old! She is growing like a weed and each day I feel like I learn something new about her! Over our anniversary weekend (April 13th) we left her overnight for the very first time! I was very nervous and hesitant at first, but after leaving her for the night....I realized it was really nice to be able to sleep through the night! On our little getaway Bryant surprised me with a couples massage! I loved it! I hope Bryant realizes what he started because now I want one all the time! As fun as it was being away, it was great to be back and have Emmaline in my arms. Recently I have felt very blessed to have a great husband and a great life. I love where we are in our life right now! I look forward to the future and the many more crazy adventures that await us!

Emmaline loves working out with mom! (More pictures to come soon!)

Emmaline's Very First Thanksgiving!

Wow! It has been such a long time since I have blogged and while I have the time I may as well! Emmaline has become the joy of our little family. She is so full of personality and even though she has some rough times-when she giggles or smiles it makes us forget about all the bad times. Emmaline had a very eventful Thanksgiving. This was the time when she got to meet most of my family and reunite with Bryant's family. This year we were able to have Thanksgiving with my family and Emmaline was a very good sport at letting her cousins play with her. She also was able to meet some of her great grandparents for the first time! I am so grateful that we have the technology to document these fun times.

Emmaline Laura Todd

On October 2, 2011 at 1:03pm Emmaline Laura Todd made her grand entrance in the world weighing 6 pounds 9 ounces and 20 inches long.  Getting her to this world was one long day!!! I was due September 29 and obviously I went over due.  On Saturday I went into the doctor and I toxemia. They strapped me up to a machine to see how Emmaline was doing and she wasn't doing very well.  At that time I was informed that Emmaline and I wouldn't make it through a regular delivery and that I would need a C-Section.  The doctor sent me home and told me to come to the hospital that night and to plan on staying.  I was working all day trying to get my homework done and trying to come to terms with the fact that I was getting a C-Section.  I didn't want a C-Section and the thought of it just scared me.  So we went into the hospital and waited to see what was going to happen.  After being admitted the doctor came in and said that Emmaline looked a little better and that I could do a vaginal delivery. I was relived that I wouldn't have to get a C-Section.  The doctor decided to give me a pill to thin out my cervix and then he would break my water and start me on pitocin.  So I took this pill and they gave me a sleeping pill and I just went to sleep.  Sometime in the early morning the doctor came and broke my water.  Shortly after that I started contractions on my own.  They weren't that bad but they started getting worse. When I asked the nurse for an epidural she said I had to wait.  I DID NOT WANT TO WAIT ANYMORE! I kept asking for it and she kept saying I had to wait.  Finally I got my epidural and it worked wonders! Once they gave me the pitocin things started picking up.  When it was time to push I pushed, but Emmaline's heart rate would drop and took a long time to come back up.  So they had me stop pushing for 30-45 minutes! It was awful! Once the doctor got there and saw me push once he said that we needed to get the baby out now or do an emergency C-Section.  I pushed and pushed and he turned her and then got the forceps and was pulling so hard that I was being pulled off the table.  Once her head came out we realized the cord was around her neck so tight that he couldn't get his finger around it to cut it so he had to use instruments.  Once it was cut I could continue pushing.  Once she was all the way he set her on my stomach.  As I went to pick her up he informed the nurses that Emmaline needed help and to get her out.  They took her to the table and let Bryant cut the remaining cord and this whisked Emmaline off to the NICU.  I had no idea what was going on and where my baby was.  I waited and waited for what seemed like forever and then they let up know she was in the NICU and doing well but that she needed to stay there and be watched for a little bit.  Bryant and the doctor got to go see her while I waited.  I hated waiting! I was able to get cleaned up and then I was moved to the recovery room.  At that time I finally got to meet Emmaline! It was so fun and I immediately fell in love with her! The hospital was amazing and they spoiled me to death! Being home Bryant and I have had such a fun time figuring everything out.  We love out little Emmaline to death!

37 Weeks and 2 Days and Getting Excited

37 Weeks and 2 Days

So people have started asking me to post pictures of me being pregnant.  I feel like a blob so I haven't been good about it-but here is one.  This picture was taken on the day of my baby shower.  Kara did such an amazing job of planning, decorating, and doing my whole shower.  I was very grateful for all the support that I had from my friends and family.  It is amazing to me everything that a baby needs.  From diapers to clippers to creams and lotions.  Such a little thing needs so much!  I have felt like the whole pregnancy has gone really fast, until now.  Now I feel like I am just waiting....which I am.  But I am getting tired of waiting.  I haven't been super uncomfortable throughout my pregnancy but now sleeping in getting harder to do...its kind of hard to get a nice restful sleep when you have to get up several times a night and go to the bathroom.  I was talking with my mom and said I just want to sleep good again...and then it hit me.  I am not going to sleep well for the next 20 years of my life.  If its not a baby, its a toddler, if its not a toddler-its a little girl-then a teenager! For anybody that knows me-I really value my naps and one of my favorite past times is sleeping. So I might have to rethink a new favorite thing...we will see.  

A Day At The Palisades

Steve and Bryant taking the Canoe to the lake.

Bryant was really excited!!!

Bryant and I getting ready to go out!

Us again...

I think we look pretty legit!

A store....

Michelle holding the canoe so it doesn't get away from us-Bryant still really excited!

Steve and David taking off...

Emily and Bryant taking off...

Steve and David....they look legit too!

Bryant and Emily...jut floating along.

Steve and David after the first time around.

32 weeks pregnant! The vest just didn't fit as well as I had hoped.

Getting ready to go!!!

It was so fun and beautiful to go to the Palisades and go canoeing! Michelle, Steve, Emily, and David came up from Utah for a night and day of funness! On Thursday Bryant and Steve got up early and went and got the canoes from the ORC.  When they got back we went and walked around campus for a little while-then it was off to the Palisades.  It was a little over an hour away but the drive was beautiful! When we got there we found a perfect spot to go in at.  I wasn't sure if I would be up to going on the canoe so Bryant and Emily went on one and Steve and David went on the other.  Michelle and I were able to visit and talk while they raced each other around the huge lake! Once they got back I decided that I would take a jab at it.  It was so fun! Bryant and I went over to the side of the lake that had all the evergreen trees and it smelled so good! Bryant and I enjoyed talking about where we were going to build our cabin at.  It's ok to dream, right:) While we were out canoeing it started to rain.  We got back to the shore as fast as possible and I got into the car while Steve, Bryant, and David put the canoes on top.  The rain stopped about the time they got done.  Go figure! Overall it was a lot of fun and hopefully Bryant and I will find time in our crazy future to go back!