10.09.2013

Wednesday September 25

I woke up on Wednesday
feeling great. Baby Mac was due in a week and I had a long list of things, 
"To Do".
There was no time to waste! The first thing on my list was an ultrasound that morning. 
I had been measuring somewhat small for being 
39 weeks so my doctor had me sent in for an ultrasound, to make sure everything was okay. 
When the ultrasound was over, the tech told me she would be right back. 
She left the room for a few minutes then came back and said, "You are actually
 measuring low on amniotic fluid. You need to go to the hospital and 
your doctor will meet you there. That's really all I can tell you". 


Whaaaaaaaaaat???? 

She then tells me where the hospital is and to have a great day.
No YOU have a great day lady. 


I called Joe and told him 
what was going on, luckily he was already at the hospital for his rotation. He met me outside and we went in together. 
They admitted me in and hooked me up to a bunch of monitors
(Keep in mind, I still have no idea what is really going on at this point). 
After about an hour of tests the doctor came in. 
He told me I am below the normal threshold of amniotic fluid and that the baby was no longer going to grow
inside of me. Then he proceeded to tell me that they were going to start an 
induction. 
I sat there confused, I mean... 
I guess no one knew how much I still needed to do 
before the baby came.

 I asked, "Okay so like can I leave?"
Rookie mistake, obviously.
 He replied, "You wont be leaving here without your baby". 


Okay rude. 

They moved me into the labor and 
delivery room, set me up to an Oxytocin drip, 
as well as an IV. I sat there trying to wrap my head around things. I didn't wake up expecting to have a baby that day. 
I was SO unprepared, I didn't even have my 
hospital bag with me. So I did what anyone in my situation would do, I made a big long list of things 
I needed and handed it to Joe with a smile. 
He was so good to me that day. 


Don't mind this. 
This is just me fruiting my looms 
before being induced. 
I had No0o0o0o idea what was coming.

About an hour went by and I couldn't really feel anything. 
I was super calm, sitting there reading a book. 
Joe arrived back at the hospital with everything I asked for, including a bag of food. 
He went to go warm supper up for us and the nurses left with him.
I started to move around a bit to get comfortable and... Well... this was the worst idea I'd ever had. As I moved something burst! 
I was hit with this massive contraction and my water broke at the same time. 
Well at least I think that was my water... 
It really felt like I had peed my pants and let's be honest, at that point, who can tell the difference. 


I couldn't help but squeEeEeEeEeEeEeEal! 

And where the *Beep* was everyone?! 


I started ringing the nurse buzzer and luckily in walked Joe.
 It was official, labor death had begun. My contractions started getting faster and more intense. I went from 
2cm - 9cm in about an hour. 

..................

People told me labor is just like bad period cramps, yah well those people are liars. I don't know about you but my time of the month aint ever felt like that. My whole body was shaking and I was 99% sure I was going to throw up from the pain. It was awful. They had to turn off the drip because my body couldn't handle what was happening. At that point I was begging anyone and everyone for some drugs.


Natural, shmatural - I got nothin' to prove!  

In came the anesthesiologist 
and in went the epidural. 
I bow to you woman that have 
been through a natural birth. 

Because everything happened so fast, I could still feel the contractions but they were no where near as painful as before. I started to be induced at 4 and around 8:30 the doctor came in, checked me, and told me it was time to push. Let the games begin! Contraction, push, contraction, push... and then... it happened, the head crowned and...

*hit it Johnny* 


"I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down and the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire
The ring of fire."





Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand there he was. It was over. 
He was here. They put him on my stomach and
I went into total shock.


We had our baby boy. 
We had our Declan. 



You know, they tell you once you have the baby you forget about all the pain. 
Well those people are also liars... But they are right about one thing, it's totally worth it. I would go through it all over again. 

We love you Declan James 
and we are so happy 
you are a part of our family.  



 Declan James MacDonald, 
born September 25 at 9:22pm. 6lbs 5oz. 



10.01.2013

The past 
9 months
 have been my 
favorite. 
I've loved every kick, every movement, 
every time I got to hear your heart beat, every change in my body, I've loved it all. 
You are a peaceful spirit. Thanks for being so 
good to me and so easy to carry. I promise I will forever try to be just as good to you.  












"Behold your little ones. Pray with them. Pray for them and bless them". 
Gordon B. Hinckley



Photo credit goes to: Kaihla Tonai Photography

4.02.2013

3.19.2013

Confessions of an Ames-aholic

  • I cry an embarrassing amount when I watch Ellen. I'm pretty convinced that she is an angel.
  • I also cry when people win on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" sOoO.... perhaps I am just abnormally emotional
  • I prank called people for a large portion of my childhood (you can go online and find Judge Judy's voice, and make "her" say certain things. So if Judge Judy has ever called you... SPOILER ALERT, it was me!)
  • I have no idea how to spell the name Breanne. As much as I love the name, I can never get it right. If that is your name, I will always call you BRE, when I am writing you a message. Is it Breanne? Breann? Breane? Breadfsdgan? I can't keep it straight okay!
  • I love zombies
  • I NEED a clean house. I don't care what else is going on in the day, as long as my house is clean
  • I have a mustahce - A big one
  • I wash my hair every few days (2..3..4..) I am very particular about my hair/bangs. Some may even say annoyingly obsessed (they're wrong but whatever)
So awkward. How'd this get on here?
  • One time I got kicked out of class and as I was walking out to write notes, low and behold I saw my sister sitting at the end of the same hallway, guilty of the same crime
  • I used to think I was part Spanish, and told a lot of people that (ya sorry guys... wasn't true at all)
  • I got drunk and married someone once - But that didn't really work out (hahah totally kidding... about the drunk part at least...)
  • I went to a Bryan Adams concert once and have forever loved him since
  • I love being tanned, but not as much as that tanned mom
  • I cut my own hair like I'm doing it a favor (I think I need to go on that weird addictions show)
  • I take a lot of pictures of myself, then think, "What am I doing? My sister would mock me so hard for this" and then I delete them. Well... most of them ;)
  • I live in my purple house coat 
I'm so pretty in the morning... 
  • I have so much love for people that sometimes my body can't handle it and I will just burst into tears (Joe is my witness), again... perhaps I am just abnormally emotional
  • My nieces are the sweetest!
  • I think about my friends and people in my life constantly. I want to know everyone is okay because nothing makes me happier than seeing people happy
  • If I think I've offended or hurt someone, I lose sleep for days- I seriously can't live with myself (quite the change from Ames '06, amirite?)
  • I hate shaving. Honestly, so annoying. But I also don't like when Joe keeps his distance... Life is so unfair
  • I paint my nails every 2-3 days
  • I cannot master the "smolder" look for the life of me. And heaven knows I've tried. If you zoom in on the picture below - you will understand. 
Embarrassed 
  • I've worn a retainer every night for the past 7 years (to infinity and beyond!)
  • I tell everyone Joe picked out my ring (try and give the guy some credit). FALSE. I picked it out. Top to bottom. I went to every jewelry store in Edmonton and tried on every different type of ring until I found the one I have
  • Sometimes, when I'm bored, I record myself singing into my phone so that I have something to laugh at
  • I have so many good friends in my life. I am the luckiest. 
  • I love watching videos of people falling, seeing it in real life is even better 
  • The only thing I know how to bake are banana muffins, and those things are freakin' fool proof
  • When Joe and I went to Cuba, I wore sunscreen that was SPF 80 (woulda bought SPF 100 if I coulda found it).
  • And my final confession, I wrote most of this post while sitting at work and smiling like this: 

Happy Tuesday everyone! 


3.13.2013

It's tough being a part time model.

Joe and I had so much fun with Lanae last week doing a photo shoot! She is so talented and even managed to make us look good after two days of unwashed hair and two weeks of not shaving our beards, I mean beard. Joe's beard. Just his. 

Check out her site :) http://ivyellephotography.blogspot.ca/ 
























2.28.2013

Today has been 
wonderful. 
There are so many bitter moments, ugly relationships, 
devastating circumstances, and ruthless words. 
So what about the good? 
What about hope? 
Life isn't always the way we plan. 
It's not always the way we want it to be. 
People can surprise you, for better or for worse. But what happens when we all try and be kind? 
Nothing spectacular happened today.
 I woke up at 5:45 am, got ready, took the hectic drive to TD, worked out my shift, and drove home. 
On my way home,
the sun was warm and I was calm. I started to think about how sweet this life can be. We have days where we can't wait for them to end. Our husbands, kids, parents, jobs, can all make us crazy. 
But then something happens.
 You drive home to that soft song on the radio and that warm sun on your face. You get home and eat two wagon wheels, and don't even care that you forgot to put them on a plate, so when you melted them a little, they went all over the microwave. 
You see a love note from your husband 
and a picture of the two of you on the kitchen table. 
You call your sister and hear her kids in the background, 
you always feel a 
little piece of home when you call there. 
You put Ellen on and think, 

"what a wonderful world".


That's the kind of day it has been. 
In the words of, 
the ever so wonderful Ellen, 
"Be kind to one another".  








Happy Thursday everyone - know that you are loved :) 



2.09.2013


Happiness in marriage and parenthood can 
exceed a thousand times any other happiness 


-James E. Faust



 I love you Joe. Thank you for the best day!