30 day photo challenge Day 1 and 2

Here it goes!

Day 1: A self-portrait

Okay so not super flattering! This is me trying to show off the super mushed tour d'eiffel from my birthday cake!

Remember the whole OCD thing???

Here's Day 2: A Picture of what you wore today

 

What!? Don't tell me I'm the only one who runs around their house in spandex pants and giant orange sun hats!

30 day photo challenge!

Okay so I always see these and think it would be fun to do......and that's as far as I get!I'm committed this time!

As you will notice I'm doing day 1 and 2 at the same time because, let's face it, thoughIwouldneveradmitIamslightlyOCD and just can't handle doing the first day on the second day of the month!

 

Yikes!!!

Well, I suck at blogging!

What have we been up to the past 7 months???
Well, I have been teaching at Metropolitan Arts Academy, Joe is going to grad school to get his MBA in Finance, Bella is growing up way too fast and getting even sassier and entertaining and Ava is growing right before our eyes! She's ready to start crawling any day here! I just got back from a week at girls' camp (it was amazing!) and sat down to read some blogs and realized I haven't blogged in 7 months! Here's some photos from the past seven months:

 Ava's blessing

 Our little Christmas package

 bella had surgery. Her Scentsy Buddy was the only way we made it through!

 Our Christmas tradition at Thornton's treeland

 We went to Mesa for Michelle's wedding

 Bella and her cousin Sarah at the Mesa Temple

 Christmas

 Our entourage trying to get through the Phoenix airport

 See I told you getting too big too fast

 I went on a skirt making binge

 Many trips to the zoo

 Bella discovering her inner artist

 once again...too big!

Well, there you have it! The past 7 month in a nutshell! I've recommitted to blog more often, we'll see how it goes!

Miracle Baby

6 months ago I thought I would never get to hold this precious little girl in my arms. On Mother's day I started to hemorrhage and continued bleeding until the end of July. I spent every waking minute wondering if my baby was still alive. I stayed up at night crying and pleading with my Father in Heaven to heal my body so that the bleeding would stop and the chances of a miscarriage would go down.

Our prayers were answered and on Nov. 16th Avalyn Genevieve Wilcox was born at 2:40 am weighing 7lbs 5oz!

I started having contractions late Sunday night and at 1:30am made my way to the hospital. Joe waited for his mom to get there and then came and met me. They were hesitant to admit me because I was 37weeks and 5days. Since I was dialted to a 5 they sent me on a walk to see if my contractions would pick up and if I would dilate to a 6.

Well, I power walked my butt off for an hour and it paid off because sure enough I was a 6! This was about 3:30 am. I thought for sure wed have a baby by mid morning.

OH NO!!!! My contractions started to fizzle around noon...they started me on pitocin and I once again power-walked my butt off! I dilated to a 7 and stayed there forever!!! They finally broke my water...and I was stuck at a 7! The mid-wife checked me and discovered that Ava was sideways and couldn't fit under my pelvic bone. Which explained the excruciating back and nerve pain I was experiencing. This was about 8pm! I finally caved and got an epidural. The pain was so intense I couldn't breathe! (I pulled all the muscles in my lower back!) The OB came in and said I wouldn't deliver her vaginally and we needed to talk C-Section...I said I wanted to talk to the mid-wife. She came back and checked me again and was able to turn Ava.

30 min later I was a 10! I pushed for 45 minutes and Ava was born at 2:45 Tuesday morning!

She ended up having Jaundice and we had to spend 24 hours in the NICU under photolights. We're still trying to get her levels down. She's now at home with a light band that goes around her waist.

She is the sweetest baby. We just adore her. I was so worried throughout my pregnancy about being able to divide myself between two babies. For 2 years Bella has been my entire world. It's amazing how your heart stretches and makes room for more. I couldn't imagin life withought my little miracle.

Bella's First Trunk-or-Treat

Last night was our ward Halloween Carnival and Trunk-or-Treat. I wasn't quite sure what Bella would think of all the Halloween costumes and such. True, she was a little meffiante at first, but quickly got into the swing of things when she found out candy was involved! How she ever learned that word, I will never know!
She loved playing all the games. needless to say she did not win a goldfish! You had to toss ping pong balls in mason jars filled w/ water. Well, bella thought it would be much more fun to chuck them at Joe who was standing on the opposite side of the room! The poor beehives had to chase the balls all over the gym! She did however, win the cake walk and scored herself a delicious brownie and cupcake!

Here's a few highlights from the night and our Pumpkin Carving

I'm pretty sure this was the most enjoyed cupcake there ever was!

                                

Wow! My stomach is bigger than my pumpkin! 4 more weeks!

A couple of sickies hanging out watching Sleeping Beauty

Pumpkin Patch

Following tradition we made our yearly trip to bi-zi farms Pumpkin Patch. A little advice...Don't go the 3rd Saturday in Oct. It was soooo busy! It was so packed that it was hard to walk around anywhere!

We still had a pretty good time! Bella loved all the animals and being able to play in the hay and sample fresh pressed cider. She especially loved the ponies. The line was SO long though so we didn't wait around to ride them. Next year.

 She thought this guy was pretty cool!

 My two favorite people

 She picked out her "pum-pim" all by herself!



Oh Bella!

Bella cracks me up! We got a bottle in a baby shower gift. I told her it was for the baby...she then insisted that I pulled up my shirt to show her my belly and put the bottle up to it and made drinking noises!

Love her!