six months of life in photos...

Six Months...Backwards...starting in September...

Sept3: Violette wanted to show off her pretty

new pink Star earings...WOOT!

Sept2: Mama Lovin' on Baby Vi :)

Sept1: Violette smiling big to show off her new teeth!!!

August2: Violette was rockin' her shades,

and basically just being her adorable self!!!

August: Daddy and Lettie hangin' out

watchin' a movie.

July3: Lettie was singing in the car

July2: Our Endowment at Draper Temple!

July1: Our family sealing at Oquirrh Mt. temple

What a beautiful day and experience!

Our Beautiful Violette in June getting a change of Casts for her feet

Mama and Baby in May chillin in bed...

Notice how big the binky is compared to her tiny face! LOVE IT!

Six Months...Wow..

The last post I made was nearly six months ago...I've been kinda busy...I don't know how you new mom's do the blogging and facebook, and keep your houses clean...and take care of your baby... BUT....here is the Bird's update since April....

Violette:

She is doing wonderful (despite her cough and runny nose at the moment) She is just the biggest ray of sunshine. Anyone having a bad day...really just look at her sweet face and everything in the world is okay again! She is the most beautiful little girl ever...her smile just melts my heart. We have been so blessed at her calm and happy spirit. She hardly ever fusses.

She is my world and I love her so much! She got her first tooth at just FOUR MONTHS...and her second followed just a week behind. She's moving around and getting into EVERYTHING! She's just starting to crawl...wanting to walk...but we're gunning for her to keep to crawling for a bit. She's been so ahead developmentally which is so wonderful and fun...but at the same time makes time fly by even faster...she's doing all these big girl things already... I was walking through the store the other day and saw a preemie outfit and nearly cried remembering that Violette used to fit into that size clothes...given she's still 2-3sizes behind by her age...she's still wearing 0-3 months and she just turned 6months on the second of Oct...I can't believe it's already been six months. CRAZY. She will be a fairy for her first Halloween! I'm so excited!

Her feet are doing GREAT(despite all the troubles we've had with sores, and ulcers). Her feet are almost completely anatomically corrected now!

In June she was blessed by her Daddy and surrounded by MANY people who love her! (and more exciting news to come later on possibly in it's own blog)

Scott:

Doing well! Went back to work with Wal Mart...and is working part time at the haunted forest right now and really enjoying that (me not so much...don't get to see him often when he works from 6am-1am...) Scott was such a big help with Violette the last three weeks when I was out of commission...but I'll leave that story for my update! In May Scott turned 21!!! WAHOO...lol.

He absolutely ADORES Violette...and she LOVES her daddy so much too. It's so fun to see the two of them play, or nap, (usually nap) together.

Scott is still talking and being crazy in his sleep...the other day he threw a full laundry basket at me in his sleep...haha. That will teach me to leave laundry out... ha ha. All in all Scott is doing great! :)

Em:

As for me...WOW...what a whirl wind it's been the last six months. . .I've been so blessed that Scott is so willing to work so hard to take care of us girls, allowing me to stay at home with Violette. It's been a challenge, but SUCH a JOY! My health has been a roller-coaster ride for months now, but I think we've got the thyroid issue under control now...for the most part...still makes me tired, and sick a lot easier than most but...it's alright it could be worse. I've been involved in two GREAT benefits one was last month (sept) for my sweet high school soccer coach who's wife was killed in a plane accident in Nepal...going to climb everest...we did a benefit dinner and silent auction. It felt good to be apart of something that would help someone who's touched my life, and had an impact on me. The other benefit I'm involved in is going on right now. My sister-in-law is celebrating her fifth year being cancer free by trying to raise 25,000 and because we aren't good for monetary goods, I've helped with doing fundraising...from selling concessions at sporting events to doing a fundraiser at my brothers school he teaches at...and this coming Tuesday we will be doing a benefit concert staring my good friend Peter Breinholt....this concert was a tough one to pull together as quickly as I did...BUT thank-goodness it worked out. . .we're so close to reaching our goal of 25,000...hopefully this concert will do it for us. For specs on that if you're interested in attending you can check out my facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/mama.bird220

About 3 weeks ago I re-herniated my L5-S1 disc in my back...*I have four discs that are herniated, thank-goodness I only re-herniated one* It was crazy how quickly it happened...I was fine sitting on the floor with my nieces and when I went to stand up all of a sudden I couldn't get all the way up-right and could hardly walk. When I got home, thankfully Violette fell asleep and I was able to lay down, but when I tried to get out of bed the pain was so excruciating that I couldn't move, Scott basically had to lift me out of bed. spent the evening in the ER...*I hate hospitals....* and well basically from there I bounced from Dr. to Dr.... I eventually ended up with Dr. Faber (AMAZING if I might say so...) who is usually booked out for MONTHS. I was able to get in within a weeks time and the day I went in he took his lunch to do "Injections" for me... Let me explain, it's kinda like an epidural...but the needle is the size of a pencil and about six inches long. They numb you first just with a local...lytacaine(s/p?)... well it didn't work on me and I felt ALL THREE (pencils) needles go into my spine. . .It was SO painful. They said it would take 7-10 days for the steroid to kick in all the way...and well it's been about that and I'm still not COMPLETELY pain free but I am moving around and able to take care of my baby now...that was the worst part of it all...having to sit back and watch others care for her. I wasn't able to hold her longer than about ten minutes or so. I've been so blessed with wonderful people around to help me with her while I was out of commission.

And...just two days ago, Oct 7 I turned 23...WEIRD! I feel so old. ha ha. It was a nice quiet birthday. Scott took me out to dinner at TEXAS ROADHOUSE which we LOVE...so yum! He got me Beauty and the Beast on Bluray...AMAZING!!! I LOVE IT! And yesterday Mom took me out for lunch to the Smoking Apple BBQ...which was actually quite good! My Brother-in-law Nick, Brother Jayson and his family came as well...which was a nice surprise! I have a GREAT family. Love 'em all!

As A Family: Our biggest news is that in July we were sealed together in the Oquirrh Mt. temple. What a beautiful experience it was...and when they brought Violette in..I can't even put into words the feelings I had to see her...it was the most amazing feeling in the world to know that my daughter and my husband are now mine for, FOREVER!

The beginning of August we had the bird family reunion. We all went and camped out in Fruitland at Scott's grandpa's place. It was nice to get out of the city and not worry about the hub-bub of life for a few days.

All in all we're doing well. We're now living back at Scott's parents house rather than with my Dad. It's been nice being here...built in babysitters...he he. Nice for when Mama needs a nap. lol.

That's all for now, I'll post pics of the last couple months later! :)

Em, Scott, and Lettie-Mae

I've never seen anything...as beautiful as you

This song's chorus describes our little Lettie PERFECTLY!

BEAUTIFUL -Jim Brickman

From the Moment I saw you,

From the moment I looked into your eyes

There was something about you

I knew I knew

That you were once in a life time

A treasure near impossible to find

And I know how lucky I am to have you

Chorus:

Cause I've seen the rainbows that can take your breath away

The beauty of the setting sun that ends a perfect day

And when it comes to shooting stars, I've seen a few

But I've never seen anything...as beautiful as you

Holding you in my arms

No one else has fit so perfectly

I could dance forever with you, with you

And at the stroke of midnight

Please forgive me if I can't let go

Cause I never dreamed I'd find a Cinderella of my own

Chorus:

Cause I've seen the rainbows that can take your breath away

The beauty of the setting sun that ends a perfect day

And when it comes to shooting stars, I've seen a few

But I've never seen anything...as beautiful as you

Chorus repeat:

Cause I've seen the rainbows that can take your breath away

The beauty of the setting sun that ends a perfect day

And when it comes to shooting stars, I've seen a few

But I've never seen anything...

Oh Oh, Oh no, I've never seen anything...as beautiful as you

From the moment I saw you,

From the moment I looked into your eyes...

Funny How Things Change...

It's funny how things that used to be important to me...just don't seem so important anymore. . .

Like facebook...I used to get on facebook everyday sometimes for hours at a time (Silly I know). Now that I have this amazingly beautiful little girl to look after, facebook, and watching tv, or movies just isn't that important to me anymore.

Even sleep...as much as I LOVE to sleep...I treasure the moments that I have to spend with Violette (I am however, so grateful for Grammy-Tara, and Grandma SuAnn, and Tracy who've all watched Lettie-Mae while I've rested so that I'm functioning well enough to give her the care she needs)!

In the wee hours of the morning I get to sit and rock my little miracle and watch her smile as she dreams. We really are so blessed that she's here with us! There were so many things that could have gone wrong... things that did go wrong...and things that should have prevented her from being here today... In talking with my mom the other day she made me, if not both of us realize how truly lucky we are that she is here. I knew that Dr. Berry was worried during the delivery and I knew things weren't going well...but I didn't realize just how bad they were.

Knowing now what I do...I feel even more guilty when I get frustrated with the lack of sleep or the constant feeding, the lack of time I get to spend with my husband...and every other frustration that comes from being a new parent. I have to constantly remind myself how blessed I am that Violette is here, and that I get to experience all those things...(frustrations)... as a new mom!

I can't imagine life without her! All the things that I used to think were so important...that I've come to realize aren't... i'm okay with the fact that I can't do them! Because the time I would spend on the computer, or doing other meaningless things are now spent with my little Violette and I LOVE it.

Violette Mae

Violette Mae Bird

April 2, 2010

8:15 AM

**I woke up at 5:00 AM with horrible contractions only 2 minutes apart...**

and woke Scott up to go to the hospital.

After gathering all our stuff up we headed to the Timpanogas Hospital!

Arriving at about 5:50 the Nurses were doing shift change.

It took them about twenty minutes to come in and finally get things going.

I started pushing at about 8:00 and Violette was born at 8:15!!!

Labor was a total of 3 hrs...and only 15 mins of pushing!

(above) Violette was so tiny that we didn't have any clothes that would fit her.

Auntie Angie bought her this and a few other Preemie outfits that are just ADORABLE!

(Above) This was the day after Violette was born. I stitched the frog on her onezie. . .

(Above) I was holding Lettie Mae and watching her sleep and she smiled! SO CUTE!

(Above) This was taken right after Violette was born.

She had a really hard time maintaining her temperature so we had to do lots of skin to skin.

**Violette was born with severely clubbed feet and will have to see an orthopedic surgeon. **

Other than that and her small weight she is very healthy and strong!

Dr. Berry thinks that she's so small because her umbilical cord was so long and skinny that she wasn't getting enough nutrients or oxygen.

The umbilical cord was about 4 feet long. It was CRAZY!

(Above) Lettie likes to stretch out! She's a silly girl!

(Above) Again in preemie clothes from Auntie Ang!

**At the hospital we had some GREAT nurses that were so helpful,**

and took wonderful care of Lettie and I!

HOWEVER...there were two that I could have gone without.

One of them we'll call her "Boney Legs"

(because she looked just like "Boney Legs" from the book.)

She was just very rough and forceful with Lettie. I didn't like how she handled her.

The other...she was our last nurse...she was a complete MORON!

I had asked her for pain meds and she said she'd be right back with them...two hours later... "OOH I just spaced it. Sorry"

THEN...we were getting ready to leave and she hadn't gotten my Rx's ready for me.

While we were waiting for her to get them she tried to give me another person's meds.

I kept telling her..."I don't take that. I don't even know what it is..."

"Oh! that's the other mom that I'm discharging!"

AND THEN... she wrote down all of some other babies info on our paper work and had to re-do it when I said, "uh...has my baby really gained two pounds in two days?"

she looks at the paper..."Oh dear...that's a different babies information. Sorry."

This went on with several things...how do people get jobs in that field when they are that ridiculously stupid?

(Above) Just hangin' out bein' cute!

(Above) The blanket that Violette is laying on...

was a little blanket that my Great Grandma Mae (Worthington) Jarman made for me.

Grandma Mae is where we got Violette's middle name!

Just bein' cute again

(Above) Violet kickin' it on Grandma Mae's blanket again!

**We almost had to have an emergency C-Section. **

The umbilical cord was wrapped around Violette's neck.

Every time I contracted her heart rate would drop from 146 down to 40 beats per minute!

It was really scary and everyone was nervous.

But Dr. Berry did a fantastic job of bringing our baby girl safely into the world!

We were very lucky that she came so quickly.

THREE DAYS!

Only three more days until we get to meet our little Violette Mae! (Scott and I changed the spelling of her name this week...we decided we liked it spelled this way more! Not that it wasn't different enough ha ha)

I'm getting so anxious to see her beautiful face, look into her eyes, and hold her in my arms!

It's rather nerve racking that I will be a mom! I sometimes feel like I'm still just a kid so what the heck am I doing HAVING ONE?! ha ha.

Thank-goodness for the amazing Mother I have and the great Mom's I'm surrounded by. I can see how the pro's do it. . . I just hope I do even slightly as well as my Mom has done...I think Violette will turn out okay if I follow in my Mom's steps and love her more than life...and always make sure she knows how much I love her.

YAY...I think I can make it through three more days! (I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...)

Discovery Park with the kiddles!

Today after Scott got off work we went to Discovery Park in Pleasant Grove... I had never been there before, but it was really pretty awesome! Lots of things for the Kiddlin's, (Scott's nick name for them) to do! Next time we want to take kites too!

Here are pics from the day:

(the first two are just pictures of the park it's self so you can see how big it is)

Now to the FUN pictures of the kids...

Just the kids... sitting on-top their favorite slide!

"CHEESE Memmee! CHEESE!"

Mia and her little pal on the twisty slide!

They have these beehive-fort things that the kids can climb into and hangout in!

I think this is one of the most darling pictures of Miss Mia Kate!

Mia watchin' for Rachel to come down the tube!

"WEE!!!!"

This thing would jiggle when you stepped on it.

It was supposed to simulate what an earth quake would feel like while you're walking!

Sissies hangin' on the Monkey-Bars havin' so much fun together!

They played so nicely today! No fights!

Need I say more? Blake would follow Scott around EVERYWHERE if he could!

Scott just adores his lil' buddy Blake.

This was one of the girls FAVORITE things...

which they had to wait forever to do cause ALL the kids wanted to go on the tire swing!

I think the people of Provo could probably hear them Shrieking with Joy,

while Scott was pushing them...

All in all it was a REALLY fun time! The kiddlins had SO much fun and didn't want to go when we had too. There was SO much to do and learn! They had little places all over the giant park where you could talk to each other on different sides of the park. The girls really liked playing on the Monkey Bars and showed us lots of fun tricks!

Blakey LOVED the swings and slides!

We will definitely be going back...but maybe not on a Saturday cause it was JAM-PACKED!

Next time we want to take kites to fly in the big field that they have there too!

We wouldn't have been able to go without Scott there to help keep track of all the kids!

EM

Wow a new found-much greater-appreciation for my Mom.

Over the course of the last nine months I have gained a deeper and a much greater appreciation for my Mom! (and I'm sure that appreciation will continue to grow as Violet does)

I don't think that anyone can have a true understanding of what sacrifices and the kind of love that a mother has until you are one... (sorry boys but you just won't ever FULLY grasp it...until your body can be pregnant and have a baby)

My full appreciation came this last week... I'm two weeks from my due date and I was baby sitting my brother's wonderful kids, whom I love so much! When I put them down for a nap the second day I just sat and watched them and started to cry...(only just out of pure tiredness... my nephew (2) didn't sleep at all during the night so I was up with him)

I sent my mom a text that just said, "Mom...how did you do it? How were you pregnant, and still caring 24/7 for four other kids?"

She replied, "Lol, you're welcome"

Really though, Motherhood is really hard work...doubly, (yes Cort I did use "doubly") hard when you're pregnant and caring for more kids! But...if mothers didn't do what they do, who else would? I then text my mom again and said, "well, thank you for loving us enough to do all that you did." she simply said, "I love you more than that Em." Which I know she does...and always has.

I truly have an amazing mother! She worked every day of my life and took care of our home, and all five of us crazy kids. I really wonder how she didn't go absolutely nuts and leave at times. I know we weren't always the best kids...and still aren't. But she loves each of us so much. You can see it in her eyes when she talks about us... or when we're all together and she's watching us interact with each other. I know she would give her life for any and all of her kids. Her whole world revolves around us. It feels so great to know that you are loved so deeply and so intensely! There is nothing that compares to that of a mothers love for her children.

So...I guess I just want to thank you mom for everything that you've done for me...especially being the youngest. I'm sure it must not have been easy for you to raise five kids and work full time. But I know you did it because you love us...Thank you for always making us aware of the love you have for us. Thank you for being so supportive of me in all that I've done. Thank you for loving me, and for helping carry me through life for so long. Thank you for the time you've given to me!

I love you so much!

what an amazing husband I have!

So, basically I'm not, nor have I ever been real great at being complimentary...or appreciative to my absolutely- most incredibly-radamafreakin'awesome- AMAZING husband.... But he deserves so much praise and thanks, and compliments! I sometimes wish I could get up on a big building with a megaphone and shout to the world how much I love him!

Scott has been so patient and understanding of my mood swings and discomfort throughout this pregnancy! He's really been so great the whole time! He's constantly doing things to help me!

*He will jump right up from dinner and do dishes and put everything away...which means so much to me...so sweet!

* sometimes he will do some laundry...just to help me out, even though he works 40 hrs a week to provide for our family!

*He also cooks a lot for me since I have a hard time with raw meat, and most the time just feel poopy...and he's an AMAZING cook!

Scott just does the sweetest things for me.

*Sometimes he will come into the bathroom and wash my hair for me cause I'm too tired, and don't have the energy to do it myself...

*When I'm done in the shower he will lotion my legs and feet...since my baby-belly gets in the way.

*The day Tracy gave me a baby-shower afterwards I laid down and crashed...and while I was asleep he went out and bought a set of storage drawer things to put violets diapers and toys and clothes in....he set it all up and everything. It was so sweet!

*The other day Scott brought me home the hostess raspberry filled doughnuts and orange juice! YUM! When I asked why he got them he answered simply, "Just because I love you...and I know you really like them."

*I've been wanting to get my hair recolored for quite sometime now...it's the one thing I do to pamper myself, but you're not supposed to in the beginning of pregnancy, and we just haven't had the money to do it.... but the other day Scott let me...and was so great about it...cause the color didn't take all the way the first time so we had to do more to it...we ended up being there for four hours...but he was so sweet and didn't complain at all...He just kept telling me that he loves me. He's so thoughtful and loving...

*We were supposed to go for sushi tonight (St. Patty's day)... but when My brother and his wife needed help watching their kids while they moved...Scott was just fine with changing our plans! Which was really awesome of him, because he's really been looking forward to going for sushi...it's his favorite! When he got home from work he was so adorable with the kids, and so helpful!

*Scott's been playing this new game that he got for the Wii... and he's so sweet to me...during the middle of playing (you can't pause this game...) he will get me a drink or just make sure I'm taken care of...and most of the time when he does so, he dies... But it's just nice to know that I come before his game and he is willing to take the time to help me out!

*One of my VERY MOST FAVORITE things about Scott is that he constantly tells me that he loves me...even when I sometimes don't deserve it...I love the constant reminder that he does feel that way towards me.

All in all.... I really have the most fantastically wonderful husband in the entire world, whom I love with all of my heart...plus some! My love for him grows more deeply and more intensely with each and everyday!

Love you Baby-Daddy!

pictures from the baby shower that Tracy gave Em!

Baby Shower time! Oh how fun! I'm not typically one that likes showers...just for the fact that I don't really love being the center of attention! But this one was really fun, I do admit! PLUS...I was hopped up on Morphine! I hope everyone knows how much I appreciated their gifts and the support they've given...I don't think I was in the right mind to really convey that appreciation! I mostly just laughed at everything that was said and said, "uh-huh, yeah, okay" a lot. ha ha. But thanks to Tracy who threw the shower! It was great!

Scott's grandma Wood made this darling quilt for us! It has little animals hand sewn on it. It's so cute! She also made these cute sleepers with lace on the bums, and burp cloths that will be SO amazing! They're extra thick so that it doesn't soak through and get mom or dad all yucky! She also did these two cute recieving blankets! Thanks Grandma Wood!
This is one of the many outfits that we got! This one is from Aunt Chelsie! :) So cute! Love it!

This is the baby bump at 8 months and one week! pretty much I felt...and still feel like a ginormical beached whale!

Don't know if you can tell...but I was HIGH as a KITE when we had the shower...because this was the same day we made the early morning *4am* trip to the hospital where they shot me up with Morphine...that kicked my butt for four days straight!

OMG! My cute step-sis-in-law, (what a mouthful) Claudia made this adorable diaper cake!

It seriously is the cutest thing ever! It had a ton of goodies on the inside too!

Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you!

First Year for the Birds

Scott and I just celebrated our first anniversary on February 20, 2010! We've had a wonderful whirl wind of a year!

Scott joined the Navy...it took them until October to get him a job, and then he left for boot camp on December 14...right before Christmas, which was extremely hard on both of us. . .However only a few days in Scott slept walked once and was given an honorable discharge. The Navy doesn't allow sleep walking because they worry about the sailors sleep walking off the aircraft carrier.

In August we found out I was expecting...what a miracle and a blessing! We weren't sure what to think at first but we're VERY VERY excited! In November we found out our little baby was a girl. She'll be named Violet Mae Bird. Her due date is April 12.

November we moved into my Dad's so that I wouldn't be alone...which was a blessing while Scott was gone. Scott's parents gave us a night at the Anniversary Inn for Christmas (which we celebrated early since Scott left a week before) It was AMAZING! We stayed in the "Swiss Family Robinson room. Our bed was up in a tree, and our shower was a water fall! We had such a fantastic time!

Christmas wasn't much of Christmas because we were apart. But we're really looking forward to having a wonderful one this year with out little girl!

January we were able to be reunited after 5 loooooong weeks apart!

February was an exciting time for us. Mom moved back home from Az, and we got to celebrate her birthday with her. Then Scott and I celebrated our Anniversary by going to Carrabba's Italian Grill (BEST Calamari EVER)! We had a nice evening together....

We're looking forward to many more happy years together!

Ready Or Not Here I Come!

On Monday March 1, 2010 Violet decided that she was going tease us and make us think she was coming...

Thursday March 4, she decided she WAS COMING...but slowly. Pre-labor has begun. Contractions are pretty crappy. 5-6 minutes apart...but lots of erratic little ones in-between so the Dr. sent me home until they are more regular. I was dilated to 1.5 cm the same day, and Violets head is right there and touchable! The nurse said not to expect going more than a couple more days!

Saturday EARLY (4AM...I'm sure Scott was displeased with this) I began having TERRIBLE contractions that were only 3 minutes apart. . .so it was off to the hospital again! Well...Obviously we still don't have Violet here. She's being a stubborn booger! When we went in they checked me twice and wasn't dilating anymore...so in much pain I was sent home once again to wait some more. The nurse jammed a needle in my hip with Morphine... which I don't ever want again. Man did that hurt...and still does.

Now we're just playing the waiting game! Crossing our fingers that she doesn't decide to wait much longer cause Mom can't take much more of this!

We can't wait to meet our little Violet Mae!