Bailey May Farnsworth

I have seen everyone posting their birth stories lately, and I decided that I wanted to go ahead and write down Bailey's story too, while it's still fresh in my mind.

I guess to tell the whole story, we will start back at 28 weeks.

We were having a garage sale one Saturday when I noticed that I was experiencing some contractions. Nothing bad, but enough for me to know what they were. I experienced pre term contractions with Carter too, but his started around 32 weeks. This time, it was an entire month earlier. Luckily, this time around, I knew more about contractions and full blown labor, so I knew that I didn't need to go to the hospital, but decided I better schedule an appointment to make sure they weren't doing anything. I went to my appointment a couple days later and they checked me and told me I was just partially dilated- not even to a one yet. They went ahead and ran a test to see if I was at risk for pre term labor. The test came back negative. They told me to just take it easy but that I didn't need to go on bed rest. That was a relief because with an active 2 and 1/2 year old, that would be really difficult for the next 12 weeks...

Everything seemed to go pretty well after that point. I was still experiencing some contractions but I could tell they weren't close enough together to be doing anything. My sister came into town while I was 33 weeks and I spent just about everyday over at my parents house with them. On a Thursday morning, I woke up and threw up (which isn't uncommon with my horrible heart burn), I didn't think too much of it. My mom text me that morning and asked how I was feeling. She said that both my dad and sister had been throwing up all night. I told her that I thought I was fine, that my throwing up was just related to heart burn. I went ahead and went out to my mother in laws that day and around lunch time I started throwing up again. Slowly, I started to just feel crummy. I called Keith and told him what was going on and explained that I thought it was just best to go home. He left work a few minutes later and took us home. On the drive, I just started getting worse and worse. I knew I was going to be sick again but just wanted to wait until we got home. I could feel my head and hands start getting tingly. I asked Keith what that meant, and he said he didn't know. I told him I just wanted to go home and lay down. As soon as we got home, I threw up again and went and laid down. We both knew that we needed to get me hydrated but by that point, it was too late. I couldn't even keep a sip of water down. I still felt tingly, so I decided to take a shower. My hands started losing feeling and at that point, I knew we needed to go to the hospital. We packed up and started driving. (Now you must know that I LOVE my OB doctor. The problem is, he's in Gilbert. Which is about an hour drive from our house.) We knew we wouldn't make it to that hospital, so we started driving to the closest hospital- Banner Thunderbird (which is still a 20-30 minute drive). I did alright for the first 10 minutes of the drive, but by the end, I was a disaster. My hands clamped shut into a fist and I could slowly feel my entire body going numb. I could barely breathe. This is the scariest thing that has ever happened to me! We got to the hospital and they were able to get fluids back in me. This hospital was a nightmare- that is why I will never deliver there- but that's a whole other story. They went ahead and checked me and found that I was dilated to a 3 and 80% effaced. They ran the test again to see if I was at risk for pre term labor and it came back positive. I had no choice but to be put on bed rest.

The next few weeks were not much fun. I had AMAZING family and friends that helped out with Carter so much, but it was really hard to not be able to watch my own child. I was counting down the days until I turned 36 weeks, so I could be taken off of bed rest. I had things I wanted to do to get ready for the baby and Keith was about to go through a big merge with his company. He was running a large part of the transition and told me that the baby just couldn't come from May 1st- May 8th. I thought, "Great!" That will make me 37 weeks and then she can come.

The wonderful day arrived. I turned 36 weeks. I had my doctor's appointment scheduled for that afternoon and was looking forward to being released from bed rest. My mother in law drove me out to my sister's house in Mesa to hang out for the day before my appointment. We had a fun normal day just letting the boys play. It was time to go to the doctor and I was so excited to hear what he was going to say. We got in the car and I poured some water from a water bottle into Carter's sippy cup for him. I replaced the water bottle between my legs and we kept driving. We were just about to the doctor's office when I felt this tingly sensation between my legs. I went ahead and felt down there and could tell it was a little wet. I picked up the water bottle and could see a little puddle in the seat. I looked at my mother in law and said, "Either this water bottle is leaking, or my water just broke..." She just smiled and said, "I'm sure it's just the water bottle." I handed it to her and looked down and could see the puddle getting bigger and bigger. At this point, we were pulling into the parking lot. I looked at her and said, "I don't think that's the water bottle." She told me to go in and explain what happened. I walked in the door and told the lady at the front desk, "Hi, I have a scheduled appointment right now, but I think my water just broke..." Her eyes got huge and she told me that she would go grab someone. She came back and asked if I was sure. I could hear this dripping sound and I looked down and could see a puddle at my feet. I told her "I think so. I'm making a mess on the floor. I'm sorry.." She told me not to worry about it. One of the nurses came running out to get me and told me to go ahead and get undressed and that my doctor would be in to check me. At this point, I knew I needed to let Keith know what was going on, but everyone was moving so fast. I knew a text would freak him out but I didn't have enough time to call him. I think I sent him a text that said "My water just broke. Dr. Huish is about to check me know. I'll call you in a minute." I barely hit send when the doctor came in. He said I still had a lot of fluid in me so he wasn't sure if my water broke or not. He tested it and it came back positive. He told me I was dilated to a 4 and that I should head down the street to the hospital. I guess my mother in law had called Keith while I was getting checked so he had already left work and was heading to the hospital. I got to the hospital around 2:45. I wasn't really experiencing any contractions at that point. Around 4:00, I started having contractions but nothing too painful. They were about 3-4 minutes apart. After about an hour and a half, I told them I was ready for the epidural. They went ahead and called my doctor to make sure that was alright and he told them to start me on pitocin to get the contractions a little closer together. My doctor came in at 6:00, right after the epidural and pitocin were given to me and checked me. I was dilated to a 6. He told me that we were having a baby tonight and that he'd see me in a couple of hours. I went ahead and text my mom and told her I was dilated to a 6. She said she was on her way. I told her that she didn't have to come yet because we were still a few hours away, but she said she couldn't wait. The nurse came in at 6:45 and asked how I was doing. I told her I was doing good but for having the epidural, I was sure experiencing a lot of pressure. She said she was going to go ahead and check me, even though my doctor did less than an hour ago. She checked and said, "It's time to have a baby." I was shocked. In 45 minutes I had dilated from a 6-10. She went and called my doctor and told him to come back. I text my mom and said, "Just kidding. I guess it's time to push." This epidural was a lot different than with Carter. With him, I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't move my legs, feel any pressure or contractions. This time, the pain was numbed but I could still feel pressure and the tightness of the contractions. I think it took less than 30 minutes of pushing and only 4 contractions to get her out. The problem was my contractions were about 2 minutes apart. I would push during a contraction and then we would have to sit there for 2 whole minutes and wait for the next one. It was the most awkward and uncomfortable minutes of my life. No one said a word between the contractions and I just wanted the pressure of the baby coming out to be over. It wasn't so bad while I was pushing, but just sitting there was horrible. But out she came. The doctor said, "Oh we are glad she came early, she's a 9 pounder!" I thought, "What???" My barely 36 week old baby? But sure enough. She was 8 lbs 8 oz. 21 inches long. She was absolutely beautiful. They put her skin to skin on me and she started lifting her head and looking for food. They told me to go ahead and feed her if she was looking for it. She latched on within minutes. I couldn't believe it. We're still thinking that my due date might have been off, because she seems like she was a lot further along then 36 weeks and 0 days.

She has hair! :)

They still treated her as if she was a premie though, since she came a little early. She was being really noisy, just grunting and moaning. Carter was the same way, but since it's a sign of respiratory struggle, they wanted to take her back to the nursery and have her monitored. After 12 hours of monitoring her, all of her vitals looked great. She wasn't showing any sign of respiratory distress but she was still moaning and groaning. The pediatrician decided to go ahead and admit her to the nursery and have some tests run to make sure there wasn't any infection. As soon as she was admitted, she started doing great. The noises were dying down. But since she had been admitted and tests had been taken, we had to wait the 48 hours for the results. I was a little worried because I knew that our discharge times would be off by 12 hours. She would have to stay longer than I would and I was not alright with that. It was hard enough having her 2 doors down from me, but I didn't want to have to go home without her. Luckily, we were able to have a "nesting room." We got to stay in our room for the extra night with her. The tests all came back great and we were able to take her home the next morning.

Now we are just working on getting back to normal. Poor Keith.. Remember how he said we couldn't have the baby May 1st-8th... Yeah.. Oops! She came on the 1st. He worked from the hospital. A baby in one hand and a computer in the other. Changing diapers while talking on the phone. I seriously don't know how he did it and is still doing it. I'm so lucky to be blessed with such an amazing family. I love them all so much.

Growing Way Too Fast!

Carter turned 18 months last week. I can't believe how fast this past year and a half has gone. It still feels like just yesterday I was bringing him home from the hospital. However, I'm loving every single day with him. This age is so much fun and Keith and I swear that he is the cutest kid in the whole wide world.

I had been looking forward to Carter turning 18 months for the past 3 months. Church had gotten a little difficult, so I started bringing him into nursery to play with the other kids. Our nursery leaders are the best and didn't mind at all. I think this also helped him get use to the leaders, other kids, and the routine. This Sunday, I brought him to nursery, and he just took off. Never looked back. I know I didn't want him to have a difficult transition, but that was it? Keith took my hand and guided me to Sunday School, but I had a tear in my eye.  I made Keith go check on him every once in a while, to make sure he was doing ok. (I know, I'm one of those moms). He did just fine. My baby boy is growing up too fast...

Before we left for church.

He never ceases to amaze me with how smart he is. Keith says morning prayers with him every morning before he leaves for work. They kneel down together, fold their arms, and Keith whispers the prayer in his ear. Whenever someone says "amen" he always shouts YEAH! He loves to pray. He knows our dinner routine. As soon as I put him in his highchair, he folds his arms and waits for one of us to pray. I love it. However, sometimes on the weekends, we get a little informal and eat dinner on the couch or just help ourselves. On Saturday, I made Carter some dinner and put him in his highchair. Keith was eating on the couch, and I was making myself dinner. I hadn't heard a peep from Carter, assuming he was eating quietly, I looked over at him and he was just folding his arms and staring at me. I felt so bad and told Keith to turn off the tv and come say our dinner prayer at the table. We always thought we were teaching him, but it turns out, that he's teaching us just as much.

March Madness!

This past month has been absolutely crazy! It was a fun month but I'm glad that life is getting back to normal. I did a horrible job at taking pictures of all the craziness, but I'll do the best I can..

We went to San Diego at the beginning of the month for Taj's baby blessing. It was a short trip but it was a lot of fun. (Thanks Ashley and Jeremy for letting us stay with you guys. Carter had a blast.) And I really didn't take any pictures this trip.. I think this is the only one I got.

Then March Madness began. My family started doing a tournament last year, so it was fun to get everyone to put brackets in. Sadly, my bracket is pretty much toast, but we've had fun watching the games. Carter will do anything with his dad, so I snagged this picture one night while Keith was watching a game.

Over Cooper's spring break, we all went to the zoo. It was a lot of fun to take all the boys. Unfortunately, we went on a day that it was 90 degrees, so the splash pad was the favorite part for the boys.

We also had to say goodbye to the Hunter's this month. It was sad to see them go, but I'm so excited for their new journey in Atlanta. Carter will miss his best friend though.

The end of March is a busy month for birthday's. Brayden's birthday was the 20th, Hudson's was the 25th, and Bre's was the 29th. We skyped Brayden on his birthday in Japan. I wish I could have been there in person, but I'll get to see him in a couple of months. For Hudson's birthday, we went to his t-ball game and then opened presents and had cake at their house. Again, I did not take pictures, but i did get this one of Carter at the t-ball game.

Easter was so much fun this year! This was the first holiday that Carter got into. We had been hiding eggs around the house the week before to get him ready for Easter day. We had our own little Easter egg hunt when he woke up (I'm pretty sure he thought that was the best morning ever). Then we had church, went to my parents house and did an Easter egg hunt with the boys, and then went to Jared and Kristen's house for Easter dinner.

Then Monday was the Diamondbacks opening game. Lindsay and I became huge dback fans in 2001. We started watching them the entire season before they won the World Series, so you can't say we just jumped on the bandwagon. I think this was year number 8 that my dad has taken us to opening game. This year, unfortunately, Lindsay and Dis weren't able to come down. It wasn't quite the same, but we still had a blast and it was a GREAT game. I'm excited for the rest of the season. Good or bad, we'll be watching all season long. :)

And that is our March madness for you!

2 Year Anniversary

Keith and I just celebrated our 2 year anniversary. I can't believe how fast it has gone by. I also feel like I've been married to him for forever because it's hard to imagine life before him. I feel so blessed to be married to such an incredible husband and father. I love him even more than the day I married him.

This year, we left Carter with my parents for the weekend and enjoyed the time together. It was still hard to leave Carter but he had a blast at Grandma and Pop Pop's house. 

They took him to go see the goats, and now he is obsessed with animals and the noises they make. :)

Carter continues to grow like crazy. He went from being my little baby to my big helper. After I change his diaper, he picks it up and throws it in the trash for me. He's very good at following directions. He'll put his clothes in the hamper if you ask him, he'll run to the bathroom when you tell him it's time to brush his teeth. But then again, he likes to help me with things, I don't necessarily need his help with. But I can't complain, at least he's trying. :)

Helping Dad at work.

Helping bring all the rocks from the backyard to me. :)

Helping me do the dishes one day..

Helping me do the dishes today..

And helping relocate his school bus slide. (which he did successfully all by himself)

I feel so grateful to have such an amazing family. Both my boys put smiles on my face everyday. I couldn't ask for much more than that.

January Update

Let me start off by saying that we had an amazing Christmas and New Years, but I am so glad that the holidays are over and life is getting back to normal. Lindsay and Dis were able to come down for Christmas this year and it was a blast. Thanks to Dis, we were able to get some great family photos.

We spent New Years Eve playing games and lighting fireworks with Joel, Isabel, Jameson, and Desiree. There is never a dull moment with that crowd. I'm glad those boys are still good friends after all these years.

Now, it's back to normal life...Well, sort of. Keith is on a business trip in Iowa right now and Carter and I are hanging out alone. It's a good opportunity for Keith and we'll get to see him tomorrow!

Carter is continuing to grow like crazy. I swear, he wakes up every morning and his clothes get smaller and smaller and he can all of a sudden reach things he couldn't the day before. I am absolutely LOVING this stage. He's picking up so much and he's really good at entertaining himself now. That makes for a very happy mom. :)

Here's some facts about Carter.

-He knows how to say please, all done, more, and up in sign language and he's really good at blowing kisses.

-He will give anyone kisses and high fives.

-He can now RUN. I literally have to chase him for bed now.

-He LOVES to be naked. I would have the happiest kid in the world if I just let him run around in his birthday suit.

-He can say mom, dad, please, yes, uh oh, and make monkey and dog noises.

-He also likes to copy things you say, though he doesn't always know what he's saying. Today I told him "good throw" after he threw me the ball and he said it right back to me. I also told him "thanks dude" one day and he repeated that too. Guess I should be more careful what I say around him.

-He LOVES food. He's getting a little bit pickier with age, but this kid hardly ever refuses food.

-He loves to put things in different places. If you can't find something, you know who to blame. :)

-But mostly he just LOVES his dad. He's seriously his little shadow. He has to go and do whatever his dad is doing and it just melts my heart.

I LOVE being a mom and I love my boys. :)

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

After church today, we went back to my parents house and the whole Farnsworth family went to take a nap. As I was laying in my old bedroom, listening to Keith snore, I looked up at a bulletin board that I had put pictures on a couple years ago. I was remembering all the good memories those pictures provided, but one really stood out. 

This picture was taken 5 years ago and my life has never been the same since. Tanner and I invited Liz and her sister to go see the temple lights with us. It was a cold and rainy day and I'm pretty sure we were the only ones on the temple grounds. We went inside and showed them the beautiful statue of Christ. Inside two sister missionaries approached us and talked to us. After we listened to the presentation, they invited Liz and Emily to fill out the reference cards and have the missionaries come teach them. Emily was excited and filled it out while Liz seemed a little hesitant. We went back to the Cathcart house after that and who do you think was there? Elder Hardy and Elder Rogerson, the two missionaries serving in our ward. We told them all about our experience and set up their first discussion for the next day. The next day, they taught the first lesson and at the end they asked them, "If you come to know the church is true, will you be baptized?" The room turned completely silent. Emily looked scared to death, but Liz replied. "Yes." Now, the missionaries turned white. She said, "If this church is really true, then that is what I need to do." I was shocked. We talked a lot that night and she had a ton of questions. As I was thinking about what I should say to her, I thought to myself, do I know this is true? The gospel had always been a lifestyle to me. I did the motions. I read my scriptures, I said my prayers, I went to church, but was that enough? I got down on my knees and prayed so hard that night. If I was going to help Liz find the truth, I needed to know for myself that this gospel was true. The rest is history. Those next two or three weeks changed both of our lives. We came to gain a testimony of this gospel together. From that point on I have no doubt who my Savior is and what He has done for me. I know that He lives and loves me. I know that Joseph Smith restored this gospel to the earth and that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today. I'm so grateful for both the trials and the blessings in my life. I have become a stronger person from them.

I'm grateful that Heavenly Father put her into my life. We both needed each other at that moment. I'm grateful for this time of the year that I have to remember my Savior. I love that everyone's attitudes seem to change this time of the year for the better. Everyone has the spirit of giving in their hearts. I wish it could last all year long, but I will enjoy it while it's here.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Love,

The Farnsworth's

1 year down, 29 to go...

We have officially been in our house for a year now! I made it a goal to be in our house for Halloween last year so I could pass out candy to the kids. However, I was on bed rest and we didn't realize that our doorbell didn't work, having just moved in, so we had maybe two kids (that knocked) the whole night. This year was different though, no boxes, a working doorbell, and a little firefighter crawling around the house. I feel so blessed to be in our home. I still have more that I want to do to the house, but I've been told that you're never done. There's always something you want to do.

Halloween weekend was a lot of fun. We went to our ward's Trunk or Treat on Friday and then to my parents on Saturday. Carter knows how to sign, "Please" so he would do that at each car to get a piece of candy. It was so cute. We got to the end and were talking to a guy in my parents ward and Carter started signing, "please." We explained what he was doing and told him he better give him some candy. :)

Keith's sister Michele is coming into town tonight so we are going to do a pre-birthday celebration for Carter on Saturday. I've been having a lot of fun getting everything ready. We took him to Toys 'R Us the other day to get his birthday presents and as soon as we went down the car isle, Carter started signing please. Yeah, it's safe to say that he loves his cars. I'll try and take lots and pictures and update after this weekend. I can't believe he's turning one. I'll probably cry my eyes out on his actual birthday. I walked pass the baby clothes section at Walmart the other day and they had a onesie that said baby's first Thanksgiving and I thought, "Oh how cute." and then I almost cried when I realized that it won't be Carter's first Thanksgiving. It all just goes too fast. But I am extremely grateful for an amazing year, an amazing home, and an amazing family.