Dylan's birth story and first week of life

 I have been married for 15 months now, and every day I spend with Taylor, the more I love him. This is SO cheesy, but I feel like that Brad Paisley song is the story of my life. The one that goes, "And I thought I loved you then." I thought I loved him when we got married. And I loved him more as we started sharing our lives. And now as I watch Taylor with Dylan, and with me as I recover from my c-section, it just keeps growing. My heart has been so full all week and I figured I better blog for Dylan's 1 week birthday. Holy cow it's been a week already!! 

So here we go with the birth story. Sorry for the long post... but there's lots of pictures at the end, I promise!!

Since I'd been in the hospital, I had regular contractions every day. Nurses were constantly asking me if I was in pain and saying it looked like I was in labor, but I wasn't feeling any pain. Last Sunday around 7 PM though, they started getting a little uncomfortable. I took a bath and relaxed and thought it was nothing to worry about. The nurse told me if I decided I needed pain meds, then they would check to see if I was dilating. I made it til about 2 AM. And then I couldn't take it anymore. So she brought me pain medication and checked me, and I was dilated to a 1+. She said they don't get too excited about that yet, and told me to try and sleep and to let her know if it kept getting worse. 

So, I did get pretty sleepy and the Percocet did help, but not totally. This time, I made it until about 6:30 AM, and the contractions were definitely getting stronger now. I got up to use the bathroom, and was shocked when my water broke. And I mean, it broke. Just like the movies. It was everywhere and just kept coming! It was such a weird feeling. I thought all along that I wouldn't really experience labor... that the doctors would just tell me when my baby needed to come out and I'd go have my c section and never deal with contractions and the like. But oh my. After my water broke my contractions got 10x worse and I was ready for him to be out of me. I didn't really have any time to be worried. They had a c section scheduled ahead of me, but they bumped it back and took me right in. But when I say right in, it really was at least 20-30 minutes later. I was dying by the time the anesthesiologist gave me the spinal block, but ohhh pure bliss afterwards. Couldn't feel ANYTHING from my chest down. Taylor got to come watch the whole thing, and he was quite fascinated. 

Here was his get up.. 

This picture kills me. He looks just like Mario. 

I felt pressure leave me when they took Dylan out, and Taylor sounded so excited when he told me, "He's out Jill! He's out!" He was immediately handed off to the NICU team to get him to start breathing and cleaned up. Taylor was able to go watch all that too, and came back to tell me that all was well. I didn't even see my baby at all. And after that, it is such a fog. I was so out of it, I vaguely remember throwing up at some point right after surgery, and my sister holding the bag for me. A few hours later, they wheeled my bed up to the NICU and I got to see Dylan for the first time. Judson was there to document and I'm glad he did, because I have very little recollection of it. I remember being sad that my tiny 3 pound baby had what looked like a huge bag of intestines suspended over his body, and he was laying there so still. Here was my reaction to the first sight of Dylan..

I already loved him so much, and I wasn't crying over the intestines. I was crying because I was so happy to finally see him. I won't post the pictures of his intestines because the doctor warned me that a lot of people aren't prepared for that and to be careful about it. Plus, it is not the prettiest sight. But to me, it's wonderful to see the before and after. I honestly just can't believe it all fit back in him and am SO grateful for modern medicine. 

Over the next few days, I recovered from my c-section (I was pretty dang sore, I won't lie, but pain meds are a beautiful thing.) and visited Dylan upstairs 3-4 times a day. Our surgeon only had to do one official surgery. Most of the intestines went back in by themselves because of gravity. Then the surgeon would twist the bag and make a little more go back in, slowly, so that his stomach would stretch out to fit the new additions. On Wednesday afternoon, they did his official surgery to close him up and it went very well. His little tummy looked reallly stretched and red, but it's gone down now and he's been so stable that they moved him from the more critical side of the NICU to the less critical side. So yay for that!! 

 On Thursday, July 24th, I was released from the hospital and went home. It was this day that things got really hard. I'd done very well at the hospital and loved going to see Dylan whenever my little heart desired, but now all the sudden he was 15 minutes away and going to see him was such a chore because I was in a lot of pain, and just walking out to the car seemed overwhelming. Plus I was sore from pumping, and I had to plan every outing around that schedule of pumping every 2-3 hours. And I was sad, because breastfeeding is such a good bonding moment and I couldn't do it since Dylan is being fed through an IV until his intestines start to work. So I would pump, but I was sore, and I was already in pain, and I wanted to be with Dylan but I couldn't be at the hospital all day because I needed to recover myself, and yeah. It was rough there for a day or two.

But then this happened... 

I got to hold him for the very first time on Friday. I got to the NICU and found that he was off his ventilator!! Still hooked up to so many cords and lines and IV's, but once he was off the ventilator I could hold him. As soon as the nurse started picking him up to put him in my arms, I started bawling. I was so overwhelmed before, but that changed everything having him in my arms. I bawled through the first 5 minutes of holding him actually. He looked so sweet and so peaceful having that huge tube out of his mouth. I am absolutely in love with this strong, sweet little baby. 

Sometimes the nurses will swab his mouth with some of my milk. He likes it :) He licks his lips and calms right down. 

This is my favorite picture of him so far. He just looks so content!

Things are much better now. We are just waiting for Dylan's intestines to start working (it can take up to a month sometimes) and he has to learn to eat and poop before he can leave the hospital. They told me to plan on him being there until my due date probably, which is August 30th. But I am getting less sore every day, and visits to Dylan are much easier now. 

We have been so overwhelmed by love and support from everyone. Our ward, friends, family, my dental offices, nurses, doctors... it has been so humbling. My mom and  Taylor's mom and grandparents came right down to Provo from Pocatello when they heard I was in labor, and Jan and Judson were the first to the hospital to be with me before I went in to surgery (besides Taylor of course- who slept at the hospital every night with me). As I type this, there are so many people I want to thank and then I get scared I will leave somebody out. But really, we are so grateful to everyone for their service and charity towards us. 

OH and here is my new do! I had a hair appointment scheduled for a month and a half and it was supposed to happen before Dylan came, but it didn't. And I was not about to miss it... it's been 10 MONTHS since I cut my hair. That is so so bad. I love it though! I haven't had my hair this short since 3rd grade! 

Alright. The end.

becoming a momma

Today, I really thought I was going to become a momma.

It's been a huge week of ups and downs. 

One minute baby is lookin good, the next minute they've told everyone I'm having a c-section.

Ever since Tuesday when I first was admitted to the hospital, I've had these monitors on my belly 24/7 measuring baby's heartbeat and my contractions. It's called "the tracing." And once a day, they've been taking me down to the maternal fetal medicine clinic in the hospital where they take ultrasounds, do biophysical profiles, and where my high risk doctors work (found out they are actually called perinatologists, not neonatologists.. those are the doctors for AFTER the baby is born). 

I would get biophysical profiles done downstairs daily, which is where they pull the baby up on an ultrasound monitor and watch for 2 things... movement in his legs and arms/hands, and fetal breathing, where his chest rises and falls for at least 30 seconds. If they see these things, his maximum score on the test is 8/8. If they don't see all of these things, they score the test based on what they're seeing. On Tuesday and Wednesday, my baby scored a 6/8, but only after they poked and prodded him and used the buzzer noise to wake him up. 

Yesterday, they did another biophysical profile and he only scored a 2. He barely moved at all. I would get anxiety before going down to have these tests done, because it is so hard to watch a baby on the monitor that looks so lifeless! My perinatologist came in and told me she was very concerned about him and a baby that scores a 2 or 4 needs to be delivered. They said a vaginal birth would be too distressing for him at this point, and told me to get ready for a c-section. She called the surgeon and my doctor to let them know it was happening, that night! Then she asked the nurse if she would repeat the test one more time just to be sure. So, she redid the test. This time, he decided to fight. They buzzed him and tipped me on my left side, and he scored a full 8/8! So the doctor came BACK in and said okay, let's wait one more day. We'll repeat this tomorrow and see how he does. But all the signs are pointing that it's going to be soon.

So yesterday was hard. I was worried all evening and trying to wrap my head around the fact that today I'd probably have a baby. One that I hoped would be alive and fighting. The doctors told me my little guy's bowel and stomach are both pretty swollen and there is still a higher risk of stillbirth in gastroschisis babies. So we did a lot of praying and geared up for today. I had my test at about 10:45 this morning, and what would you know...

he nailed it! Passed within the first 5 minutes. He was wiggling and kicking as soon as they pulled him up on the screen, and did 30 seconds of the fetal breathing movement right off the bat. (That's usually what he missed points for). I was THRILLED.

My doctor came in and told me she was pleased. She does not feel comfortable sending me home anymore since there have been so many scares, so I'm on hospital bed rest til this baby arrives. She said personally she is hoping for another week or two until he comes, but if he does somehow make it longer, than the max time he'll go is 37 weeks before they deliver him. Tomorrow I will be 34 weeks and I am feeling great about that! I am scheduled for a full ultrasound on Monday so we'll see how he's doing then, but for now I can relax a little and don't have to be on the monitors quite as much. I am so relieved/happy. I want him to have the best chance for a smooth delivery/surgery and the later the better. 

But I am also SO excited to see him for the first time. We've got our names narrowed down to 2.. either Timothy who would go by Timmy or Tim, or Dylan. We have a frontrunner but we're waiting to see him first probably, so it's a secret between the two til then :)

I ordered a dresser, my nails are painted, and I've eaten three non hospital meals now. I am feeling fantastic :) 

Thank you all for so much love and prayers and support. It means the world to us! 

Here is what my hospital room is decorated with.. cute little cards from my nieces. 

Here is my card from Lyla- she is 3. Contrary to what it appears, this is NOT a picture of a ladybug. This is my baby at the park. Hahahaha.

And this is the card from Addie, who just turned 6. She is so wise for her years... "Dear Jill, baby's births are so hard. Love Addie" ....mmm adorable. I especially like the arm coming out of my baby's head. 

a wild week

It has been the wildest of weeks for me.

I've been wanting to blog so I can remember what's going on, but literally haven't had any time. Right now I address you from my hospital room at Utah Valley… I'm back for the 4th time this week! And I have all the time in the world all the sudden, so here we go.

It all started last Tuesday, 1 week ago today. Baby had been moving great up until Monday night, but then I stopped feeling him kick. Nothing during that evening or the next morning, so I called my doctor. They had me drink orange juice and lay on my left side and count kicks, but he still didn't really respond. So they sent me to labor and delivery to be monitored. I was a bit of a mess. I was there for about 4 hours and in the middle of it, baby started kicking and moving and everything was ok, so I got to go home. Breathed a sigh of relief.

2 days later, I went to my doctor for my weekly non stress test. In most pregnancies, they don't even do regular non stress tests, but for higher risk pregnancies they do it once a week. Baby didn't pass it, so they sent me up to labor and delivery again to be monitored. In order to pass a non stress test, the baby's heartbeat needs to show good variability and it needs to have 2 accelerations every 20 minutes that go up by 15 beats for 15 seconds. This wasn't happening… so they kept me there overnight to monitor long term. In the midst of this, they also monitor my contractions, and they seemed concerned over how many I was having. None of them were painful, but they were frequent. They checked to see if I was dilated, and I wasn't. I had another ultrasound, and baby was still measuring pretty well but his stomach measurements had dropped to 2.5 weeks behind. 

So, they decided at this point they were going to give me the shots that will develop his lungs, in case he comes early, and sent me home. I went up to Idaho for a day for my baby shower (which was so fun and I loved seeing everyone who came!) I got some really cute stuff that we've been trying to get organized. My mother in law has done most of the decorations and bedding/etc. for baby's room, and I think it's so adorable. I picked out the fabric and she sewed the sheets/bedskirt/window valance, etc. 

We still have a ton of bags and things to clear out of the room, but here's a little taste :) 

Anyway, when I got back from Idaho I had to go back to the hospital and have a test, and baby was doing alright so they let me go home for the night. But they told me they wanted to see me back Tuesday for another non stress test. 

So this morning I showed up for my test, and I was a little nervous because my belly had been ridiculously tight the last 24 hours. Not painful, but so tight I could hardly walk around. And I stopped feeling him move again. So they hooked me up to the monitors and baby was non responsive once again, meaning his heart rate just wasn't spiking up like they want to see. In fact, I had a contraction where his heartbeat spiked down, and that got them nervous. They went to have my high risk doctor, the neonatologist, come take a look, and she came in and basically told me I needed to go right up to labor and delivery and if that happened anymore, baby was coming today via emergency c-section. She called the surgeon to let him know this baby might be coming soon also. 

At this point, I got really scared. The doctors kept saying they wanted him to stay in as long as possible, so that his gastroschisis surgery would go better. It's a lot easier to put bowel back into a larger baby apparently. But, they also are feeling like something may be putting him in distress, and he may need to come sooner. So they're watching the monitors, my contractions, and his movements to assess what to do. Right now I'm having a contraction every 2-3 minutes, but so far baby's heartbeat is responding alright to them. So, I still could deliver today, but most likely they will just keep watching and unless they see something really alarming, I will get to go home again tomorrow. I feel the contractions, but they still aren't painful. 

So there's the scoop! I am stressed out and on the verge of tears at any moment, and yet at the same time feeling calm and alright about everything. Taylor has been at the hospital most of the day with me and gave me a blessing that helped calm me down a lot. And my sister and her husband came for a visit, which was so nice to just take my mind off things for awhile. The doctors are acting like either way, this baby is probably going to be coming earlier than anticipated.. it's just a matter of how early. I am hoping for 2-3 more weeks, but that almost seems like too wishful thinking.

Whenever he comes, he will sure be loved. And Taylor and I really appreciate everyone's prayers and encouragement. It's amazing how much you can love a little life inside you that you've never met. I feel so grateful that I was able to get pregnant and even though this has not been the easiest pregnancy, I'm so glad it's mine. 

In the meantime, I've ordered a car seat and a diaper bag, and the last big purchase I need to make is a dresser/changing table for his room. And then we'll pretty much be ready! I can't wait to meet you baby, but please, how bout a few more weeks! 

The latest and greatest

in the Farnsworth world is a long list today, which I am very grateful for. June has been a perfect kick off summer month, so here's what we've been up to. 

First off..

Last week we met with the surgeon at Utah Valley hospital. We learned that he came down from Primary Children's about 3 years ago and got the pediatric specialty surgery unit kind of up and running I guess. There are actually 8 surgeons though, and whichever one is on call will perform the surgery. He made us feel pretty confident that any of them will do a great job and they have all the same equipment/etc. as Primary's so we don't need to worry about delivering here. So we took a tour of the NICU and that was nice to know what to expect. 

There was actually a baby in the NICU who has gastroschisis and we got to see him. He's been in the hospital for 2.5 weeks and is doing well. He was hooked up to a ventilator and IV/etc. and he just looked soo small and vulnerable. And yet, there he was, crying and moving and the nurses were comforting and soothing him and it just made everything so REAL! They asked me if I was going to be bringing a baby to them and I said yes and they were so sweet! They said they would take excellent care of him and he'd be just fine. We got to see the baby's scar as well, which was nice cause I had no clue what to really expect. It's not a huge scar, but still decent sized from his belly button down to near his pelvic region. The surgeon told us that about 1/2 of gastroschisis babies don't have a belly button after surgery is all through... but I figure that will be a great "getting to know you" fact in the future right?? At least that's what I'm telling myself in case it happens :)

After our appointment, we went to Cubby's for a little lunch date and topped it off with an ice cream cone at Macey's. I love afternoon dates! 

 I took my glucose test, which seriously was not bad. It tasted like a very sugary orange Gatorade.. although it did burn a bit going down my throat. But, I don't have GD so that's nice! However, I am pretty low on iron so I'm taking lots of extra iron now.

I am starting to feel quite pregnant finally. 29 weeks! Here's an updated belly pic

I've gained about 11 lbs now and at my appointment yesterday with the specialist they were VERY positive about baby's progress. He is measuring ahead in everything, except just a couple days behind in his stomach (which is normal, since half his stomach contents are on the outside...) but they are thinking and hoping not very much bowel is out since his stomach measurements were so close to normal!  I've noticed it's getting slightly harder to breathe and I am constantly uncomfortable when I sleep because I've ALWAYS slept on my back and now I can't really do that. Baby is kicking and moving like crazy and I love it. He also gets the hiccups about once a day which always makes me laugh. It is seriously so fun to have a little life inside you that moves when he wants. It's weird to think he really is ALIVE in there! I watched him yawn and suck his finger on the ultrasound and my tech could even see hair on his head. One thing I like about gastroschisis... I get to have an ultrasound at every appointment!

Two weekends ago, I went to Pocatello for my sister in law's baby shower. We had a great time! Rachel is due on July 5th and her baby shower was so adorable. After the shower we went and got pedicures and either we are super lame because we all got the same thing... or we are just super cool. I think the latter.

I am getting SO excited for the 4th of July! These better last til then!

This past weekend, Taylor ran the Utah Valley 1/2 Marathon down Provo Canyon.  He was a little nervous because he hasn't been training very hard since school and track ended, just running more for fun now. But he still rocked it. He got 3rd place, which meant he won $250 bones! His teammate from BYU who also graduated recently got 1st place, and then the guy who won the Ogden marathon this year got 2nd, and Tay got 3rd. We decided to have fun with his winnings. I don't remember the last time we went to the mall and both got something we want/sort of need...but mostly want :)
Here's what we got:

New kicks! Woo hoo!

Snagged this picture right as he was finishing. So exciting! And Taylor decided he wanted a new haircut for his race, so I did a little chopping on Friday night for him. Here was the result:

Don't worry, that nastiness was gone by Sunday morning. Although it was kind of fun seeing him look all gangster. A little part of me thought it was hot... but mostly gross.

Saturday night we spent with Taylor's extended family at the Orem Summerfest parade and fireworks show, with a BBQ at his grandparents house as well. I am so happy to live in Utah close to so much family and not too far from our parents. We are blessed! 

Happy Monday!!

A baby boy...and a little thing called gastroschisis

The past 3 weeks have really been a whirlwind around our neck of the woods. We got all moved in to our new apartment in Orem, and we've absolutely loved it. 

Things it has that our old apartment did not: 

1. Luscious carpet that my feet adore

2. A storage room (or more like 3 of them) that fit a TON of extra things

3. Washer and dryer 

4. Satellite TV

5. 2 bedrooms instead of one

6. Lots of windows and space, making it feel so homey and nice 

7. 2 minutes away from Jan and Judson, which is very handy and awesome 

We will probably live here until Taylor finishes PT school, so we wanted somewhere that had some room and that we'd actually WANT to live in for 3 years. I think we picked well.

Taylor started PT school on Monday, and so far he is loving it. I am not loving how much time it already takes up, but I can't really complain. It's fantastic that he's gotten in and enjoying it, and I'm grateful he is working so hard so we can have a bright and stable future. 

 Of course I had to snap a first day picture...

What a cutie! He is all dressed up for class pictures. 

Here are a few pictures of BYU graduation that we attended 3 weeks ago. My parents and his parents were able to make it down and I was so proud of him. 

About 3 hours before this picture was taken, we went in for our ultrasound. I was very excited, but also nervous. I'd felt nervous for weeks about it, which maybe is weird, I don't know. It seems like most people are just pumped to find out the gender, but for some reason I was quite concerned about how the baby was developing and wanted to hear that everything was okay.

The ultrasound tech went through all the structures and took measurements and everything, and it was so cool to see our baby in there! She told us early on that it was a BOY (thrilled by this) and said he was growing properly and right on track with my due date. At the very end though, she said, "I do have one concern..." at which point my stomach dropped and I waited for the worst. 

"It looks like your baby's abdominal wall did not close correctly, and his intestines are outside of his stomach, meaning he will probably need surgery right after he's born. I'm going to go grab the doctor, and she will come in and answer all your questions." 

And she left the room.

And I started sobbing. 

Taylor and I were alone in the room for about 5 minutes before the doctor came in, and I was trying to control myself but I was extremely nervous. 

The doctor came in and looked at our ultrasound, and told us she believed our baby has gastroschisis.

It's basically a birth defect hernia where the intestines are outside the body, and there is no known cause for why it happens, it just happens. About 1 in 5,000 babies a year are born with it. The doctor told me I would probably need to deliver at U of U, and the baby would have surgery at Primary Children's soon after. They wanted this diagnosis confirmed by a specialist though, so they set us up an appointment and we had to wait 3 WEEKS to get in. Friday (2 days ago) was the big day. 

The doctor confirmed the diagnosis and the appointment was very helpful. Basically, it is a completely repairable birth defect. It often takes more than one surgery to get the intestines back inside the body, so our boy will be in the NICU anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months, depending on if there are complications. The UVRMC hospital we go to just got a surgeon on staff who has performed many gastroschisis surgeries, so there is a good chance I can deliver in Provo instead of Salt Lake, which would be so much handier for us. We will be meeting with the surgeon in a week or two and then we'll know where we'll need to deliver though. LOTS of doctors visit coming up. The doctor said there is a higher chance of stillbirth and bladder problems with a gastro baby, but those are still uncommon. Usually the baby just has a scar, but otherwise there are no long term effects.

Taylor and I feel very optimistic that everything will work out alright. Sometimes I still have moments of panic and worry about all the things that can go wrong, money, how we will make it all work, and if our baby is going to be okay... but I imagine everyone has some of those concerns with any baby.We have felt overwhelmed by the love and support we've received though. Both our families have fasted, I've received so many texts and letters and words of encouragement and it really does help calm our fears. I didn't want to say too much about it until we could meet with the specialist and learn more, but I feel a lot better now.

I cannot WAIT to meet my little guy and love him and hold him. I know the first little bit is going to be so hard, watching him go through surgery and struggle through the first bit of life, but I know that we'll get through it and it will just be an interesting entry into existence. I am extremely thankful it's not something more serious involving his heart/brain/lungs/etc.

So besides that, which kind of consumed our past 3 weeks, life has been great. We were able to go to Ogden this weekend and watch Taylor's dad run in the Ogden Half Marathon, and he did awesome! 1:55! It was beautiful and such a fun atmosphere, I am all pumped up to do it next year hopefully.

And now I am going to go enjoy the rest of my Sunday evening. Happy Sabbath! 

Fast cars and freedom

Soo it's been awhile since I've blogged. There's been a LOT of stuff going on with us. So many decisions made in the last 2 months, but it's been such an exciting time. First off, check out our new baby..

Hello Toyota Corolla! We got this little beauty about 2 weeks ago now, and we love it. It's scary buying a car though.. we probably check to see if it's locked about 3 times a night before we go to bed but I'm sure that will start to wear off soon, right? 

We took Taylor's car in to get it fixed because the brake light was on, and when we picked it up, the brakes were totally nonfunctioning. We would push them in all the way to the floor and the car would still be rolling. So we demanded they fix it, because it wasn't like that when we took it in at all. They had our car for FOUR WEEKS. And when we got it back finally, the brakes worked okay but still not great, and there were other problems. We were so unhappy with the service we got, but we were planning to sell it soon anyway, and this just sped up the process. Good riddance, Alero. 

Speaking of new babies though.. 

Ours is finally growing! I have been waiting for weeks to start feeling anything, or seeing any weight gain. Being pregnant has been incredibly easy for me so far, and I say that out of complete thankfulness. The only change I have had is getting frequent headaches, but I haven't had any morning sickness at all which has been quite a blessing. All my pants still fit fine, and everyone always seems amazed that I'm as far along as I am and hardly showing. On Saturday I will be 21 weeks! Here I am at 19 weeks. 

I was starting to getting worried that I hadn't gained any weight and wasn't feeling any movement yet, but this week I jumped up 2 pounds and I think I'm feeling the little flutterings of life finally! We find out the gender next Thursday, and I am DYING. I'll be nearly 22 weeks when we finally know the sex and I just can't wait. I will be so happy with either a boy or girl. In fact, I'm just glad it's not a decision I have to make. It would be hard to choose! 

Taylor got into Physical Therapy school, and we've pretty much decided to stay here in Provo and he will go to Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. It's a private school in Provo, and the PT program starts on May 12th. 

We are feeling great about it! 

It wasn't his first choice initially, but I'll be able to keep my hygiene jobs (which I just love and would be so sad to leave) and it's much closer to our families. He graduates from BYU on April 25th, so he only has a little break before life gets crazy! 

We are moving to a basement apartment in Orem next week, and I am veryy excited about it. It feels HUGE compared to our teeny little place right now. AND it has a washer and dryer. Can life get better than that?! 

Here is the kitchen. It has two rooms, one bathroom, a storage room, and a very large living room area. Our current apartment has treated us well, but it would just be too small with a new babe. 

My heart has been pretty heavy today though, and let me tell you why.

We sold sweet Tess today.

 :(

This was the night I bought the scooter, 2 years ago. Haha-- just noticed I'm wearing the same outfit as my first picture. Seriously though, this was the best purchase ever. I am so sad to see it go, but we just don't need it anymore, and we'd rather have the money. It was awesome for zipping around BYU though, and for little scooter dates in the summer. I took her on a last voyage yesterday, and we said our goodbyes. I'm glad she's going to a good home :) Luckily I was at work when she was driven away, so no tears were shed. 

Other than that, we've just been enjoying the spring weather and anticipating graduation! I've been working about 4 days a week for the last two months because I'm picking up shifts from a girl who is on maternity leave. We're glad for the extra work so maternity leave won't be a shock to our finances! 

Oh… and you know what else happens next week?

OUR ANNIVERSARY! 

We've been married for a year on April 26.. wowza how time flies. Best year of my life, no hesitation. 

We will celebrate by moving into a new apartment and Taylor running the mile at the BYU home track meet. Oh yeah baby.. we know how to party. 

I sure love this guy!! 

Let's hear it for New York!

So if you'll remember Taylor's Christmas present to me, it was a trip to New York for the 5th-9th of February. It came and went so fast! We had a blast, and here's a little run down of the trip. 

Taylor flew out with the track team on Wednesday around 10:30 AM, and I flew out on my own on Wednesday at 8:30 AM. He tried to get me on the same flight as the team but there were some complications, but everything still worked out really well. Just had to wait at the airport for a couple hours for him to arrive. We had direct flights to NY which was super nice, and then buses transported us to our hotel right in the heart of the city! We stayed at the Hilton midtown, and it was only about a 2 block walk until Times Square was surrounding us.

We thought we'd be getting a king bed in our room, but were greeted by this sight:

We probably could have gotten it changed but we were too lazy. I totally felt like Fred and Ethel from "I Love Lucy" in our separate beds, but let's be honest. I slept great. There were tons of other track teams staying at the hotel too, so it was a party. Here was the view from our room:

We had to be a little careful what we walked around in, as in that we didn't just wear our underwear with the windows open. The building right across the street was an office and let me tell you, we could see exactly what those people were doing, and they could see exactly what we were doing. Even though we were way up high in the skyscraper, the office was just as high as the hotel and I felt like if both our windows were open, we could easily have a friendly little conversation. Of course, we could have just closed the blinds.. but I liked the sights!  The streets in Manhattan are narrow! And they are all one way. 

Once we got to NY we went out immediately for some dinner and to see Times Square, which was a pretty impressive sight in my little Idaho mind. The next morning I slept in while Taylor ran with the team, and then we went and hit the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center Memorial.

It was pretty frigid while we there.. temps in the low 20's most of the time. The top of the Empire State Building was partially closed off due to ice (super lame..but luckily it was the most boring side of it that was closed) and we still got great views. BRR!! This is at the top. 

On Friday we took it easy so Taylor would be fresh for his track meet the next day, but we thoroughly enjoyed visiting 34th street and hitting up Grimaldi's Pizza, which was the best eating we did that whole trip. Goodness it was so yummy. We left stuffed and very pleased. It was a big pizza and we ate every last crumb. 

Later we went and checked out The Armory, which is where the track meet was going on. That place is electric.. it is so fun to be a spectator there. I've always rather liked track meets, which is good, cause on Saturday I sat there for like 7 hours watching races. That was pushing it… but they play loud music during the races and I don't know if it effects the runners much, but it sure made me enjoy the day more. Somehow it makes it more intense and fun to watch. Tay ran the mile and did well, he got 3rd in his heat and 6th overall.

After the race, we went to the Metropolitan Museum which was astounding to me in size. We probably only saw 1/3 of it at best before we were just exhausted. It was pretty neat, but slightly boring too? Is that bad? I felt very uncultured while we were there. I liked the statues/ etc. but I got really tired of looking at little spoons/pots/artifacts from a million different cultures. We are really glad we went, but I think Body Worlds or the American Museum of Natural History would have been more up both of our alleys. We did have an unfortunate surprise though.. as we were leaving, we thought we knew where a subway was to get us back to our hotel…but we were VERY wrong. We ended up walking like 24 blocks to get back, and let's just say I was more than a little hangry before we even left the museum, so by the time we got back… hah. We did a progressive dinner that night and absolutely stuffed ourselves by the end of it. 

My favorite aspect of the trip was seeing Wicked on Broadway….ahhhhmazing. Glinda was SO funny and Elphaba was fantastic. Couldn't have been more pleased with them, and I realized I'd been missing out on so much of the story! I knew all the music really well but you just don't get ALL the story from it. It's been stuck in my head for weeks now, and I'm totally ok with it.

Overall, things I like about New York: 

1) So many good places to eat 

2) clear air (kind of amazing it's cleaner there than it is in Utah!)  

3) public transportation is so handy 

4) lots of exciting things to do

Things I did NOT like:  

1) Public transportation is dirty and a rat ran out right in front of me in the subway.. shudder .. 

2) It was freezing cold every day and Central Park was basically an icy cold wasteland at this time of year. Perhaps my language is a bit strong there, but I'd imagine it is far prettier and more enjoyable when it's warm 

3) Public restrooms are sometimes hard to come by, which is especially trying if you happen to really need one for some reason or another (…not that I speak from experience or anything…) 

4) You are hounded on the subways and street corners for money constantly

Oh, and we really enjoyed visiting the shops in Times Square too. Especially M&M World! 

I adore this picture. 

We also learned that every time we entered the Hershey's store, we were greeted by a free piece of chocolate. We went in there every time we passed it :) 

We are so glad we were able to go and feel quite blessed, but feel no need to return any time soon! We got to do and see pretty much everything we wanted and NYC was everything I hoped it would be. If we do return someday, we decided it will be when it's warmer :) 

For now though, on to other adventures!