just words...

Today is seriously the longest and boring day EVER!! Work hasn’t been exactly that great so to speak, and today has been especially hard. To help pass time I browsed threw my past blog entries, starting with the very first blog. I was so good at blogging. Now days I just post pictures and hope that everyone understand my lack of time. Lucy and Sterling are the center of my world and everything else is somewhere behind them. SO in efforts to improve my blogging I am going to take some time (yes at work) to “update” everyone. Let me start with how crazy of a year it has been!
I realized that a year ago today Sterling and I had our engagement pictures taken! This year Sterling will be working both jobs and I will be doing my normal nightly routine with Lucy. Crazy how fast our lives have changed! One minute we are taken engagement pictures then wedding next ultrasound, reception and now baby pictures! As many of you know Sterling and I officially got engaged April 19th 2009. July 16th we were married and November had our dinner reception. August we were surprised with an unplanned pregnancy and can I tell you that Lucy is the best “unplanned” thing to have ever happened in my life! Crazy to think that next month will mark our one year anniversary!! I am so excited to spend the rest of my life and eternity with Sterling (and of course Lucy)! In March we proudly announced the arrival of our first child, Lucy Ann Ricks. Born March 18th at 4:33pm, weighing in at 6 pounds 13 ounces and 19.5 inches long.
I will never forget that day! I was overdue and schedule for induction on Thursday the 18th. Sterling’s parent drove into town Wednesday night. We went to Red Robin for dinner and then out Nestle to visit Sterling. After that we went back to the house to call it a night because I was scheduled to start induction at 5:30am!! I folded the last of the laundry in the drier and jumped into bed to read my scriptures. I feel asleep and woke up to Sterling’s phone call at 12:35. He called to see how I was feeling and wondered if I was able to get any sleep it was at that time I new my water had broke but wasn’t quite sure because of the position I was in on the bed. I told him I was doing fine and had to go to the bathroom. He said ok I will see you shortly. After getting off the phone I moved to get off the bed and sure enough my water had broke. I wobbled to the bathroom to clean up and then wobbled back to the bedroom to call Sterling. He was so excited when I told him my water broke! He later admitted that he was 3 block way from the house and immediately put the petal to the metal. Once Sterling got home he woke his parent up and called the hospital to inform them that we were on our way. I got dressed and grab my bag and hugged everyone as we rushed out the door. We called my parents as we drove to the hospital (it was about 1am at this time). Once we got to the hospital we parked and rushed into the hospital. It was kind of funny because there was another couple walking in at the same time so it was like a race to the elevator. She looked like she was in a lot more pain then I so I wasn’t too irritated that they helped her first. Once we signed the paperwork the nurse had us walk back to a room where they had me change into a gown and then hooked up all these monitors. It was all pretty exciting and nerve racking at the same time. Once they verified my water had broke the fun began. I immediately requested an epidural. The epidural was SO EASY!! Again I was excepting the worse but the anesthesiologist knew what he was doing and what seemed like seconds the epidural was in and working perfectly! Shortly after that Sterling’s parents showed up. I kind of felt bad because it was so early (2am) and those chairs did NOT look comfortable! I of course was completely comfortable, but a little too wound up to sleep. My progress was going great and around 2pm was fully dilated. The doctor allowed me to start pushing and then stopped me because of Lucy’s heart rate. So we waited. At 4pm the doctor had me start pushing again and about 15-20 minutes later Lucy was born! It was absolutely the most amazing experience EVER!!!
After everything was all said and done they wheeled us to our room and then took Lucy to the Nursery to get cleaned up. Sterling and his parents went with Lucy to the Nursery which left me alone. As I sat there I felt so proud! I had done it! I had given birth to this little girl! I was so overwhelmed and tired. I remember later that night when Sterling’s parents left for the night, I though “ah how lucky, they get to go to bed!” I had a very hard time sleeping while in the hospital, mostly because I was feeding Lucy every 2 hours, and then there was all the noises from other babies and the nurses coming in and out constantly. And when I did fall asleep I would constantly have this dream that Lucy would fall out of her bed or out of someone’s hands, ah!! That all went away when we got released and was in the comfort of our own home. I was so excited to finally have out little Lu!
Fast forward to present: Lucy is now 11 weeks old! Crazy how fast it goes by. She loves to smile, giggle and talk. We are trying to teach her to sit up on her own and she is slowing getting the hang of it but it will be awhile. Her hair is slowly growing redder which I love!! Thankfully it isn’t bright red but more of a brownish red. At her 2 month check up she weighed in at 10 pounds and 6 ounces and 22 inches long! She has periodically been sleeping threw the night which I just love!! It wont be to much longer before its an every night occurrence which is awesome, makes waking up at 5:45 to work out just a little more easy to do. As for the parents, well let’s just say we couldn’t be more happy and proud of our little Lu. We love every minute we get to spend with her. It’s been really hard for me going back to work. But I know it won’t be permanent. Still makes it hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thankfully we have a daycare/babysitter that we know and trust. Make it a minute easier.
Ok so there’s my little update on the big events of the year so far. Keep checking in for more!