Labor Day Weekend Delivery

Kelly Cheryl Barrow decided to join our little family on Sep 2, 2012 at 1:44 am weighing in at 7lbs 6oz. Perfect in every way. She decided to join us a little earlier then we planned (4 weeks early) but she couldn’t have had better timing. Because it was Labor Day weekend, my ENTIRE family was able to come and visit us! It was also a long weekend so Steven was able to spend more time with me trying to figure out our little girl. Friday: I knew she was coming soon because I kept having random contractions throughout the day. Nothing serious but not something I could ignore. Before Steven went to school I reminded him to take his cell phone. To be exact, I said “Don’t forget your cell phone. I don’t want to jinx anything but just don’t forget to have your phone on today…” Well, he forgot his cell phone. Haha. Luckily, I was fine. But I knew she was coming. Saturday Night: Water broke around 6am. Yahoo! But still no real contractions. Steven and I decided to go for a little walk to try and get my contractions to come. We even went out to breakfast. But still nothing. Just to be safe, we went to the hospital to make sure it was my water that broke. Sure enough it was. They wouldn’t let us go home for a number of reasons. Right away they started me on Pitocin and 12 hrs later I got the much loved epidural. So my birth plan 100% went out the window. I’m still upset about some of the things that Steven and I felt “pushed” into. But either way, our baby Kelly is healthy and strong. About 2 hrs after the epidural I was fully dilated and ready to push. I pushed for 2 hrs. Yea, I was pretty tired by the end of it. I couldn’t believe she was finally here when they put her up on my chest. Steven and I just started balling our eyes out. She cried just a little bit but then she would just stare at us. Because she was a little early they had to take her away from me for a few minutes. Steven stayed with her the whole time keeping a hand on her, reassuring her with his voice that her dad was right there. Those first few moments with just the 3 of us will never be forgotten. Steven and I have dated each other for most of our lives. We’ve been through everything together. I’ve never loved anyone else the way I love Steven. I couldn’t believe that he and I created this little baby. I remember when we got married; I kept thinking “I can’t believe we’re finally married.” Now I look at him and Kelly and I stand in awe that we made her. That she is ours. The growth in our marriage that Steven and I have had since bringing Kelly into this world is greater then what can be measured. I am so thankful for him. Kelly is now 9 days old. To say that the past 9 days have been the hardest 9 days of my entire life would be an understatement. Apparently, it’s a big transition to be a parent. Luckily, I have SO SO SO much support; especially from my mom and mother in law. They’ve both come to stay with me for a few days. Those two women are truly Heaven sent. This is a time in my life where I can see the Lords had so clearly, directing me to become more like my Savior. Sometimes you need to be pushed and pulled to fit your heart over what the Lord has planned for you. That pushing and pulling is not always fun. But with faith, we grow closer to our Heavenly Father.

Goals

This summer has been interesting so far. I have to admit that I feel a little bit limited for pretty obvious reasons. I want so badly to be super active, have tones of energy, no fear, super awesome prego lady. You know, when you see that lady that is super pregnant but out running 10 miles?

Yea, not going to happen... BUT I do know what I can do. So here's my summer goals. 1. June 7th, Walk up and down every stair in the BYU football stadium.

2. Get my CSCS certification.(Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) 3. Be able to swim at least a mile... Freestyle. (I haven't set a date for this one yet). There will probably be other little goals added but there's the big three.

update

A lot has happened since my last post when we announced that we’ll be having a baby. Let’s see what’s changed… Oh just my ENTIRE body!!! We found out that we’ll be having a baby girl! I’m seriously excited. Since my 20 week mark my body has transitioned from looking “pudgy” to actually looking pregnant. Thank goodness, I hated that stage. I always wanted to tell people “no it’s NOT chub, it’s a BABY!” Also since my 20 week mark, Steven could finally feel baby girl’s movements. She sure loves to move… and kick… and punch… and have a gymnastics competition while I’m trying to sleep. Hahaha. Even though she moves ALL the time, I can’t help but love every punch. It’s the best when Steven can feel it. He’s already such a great dad. So with all these physical changes and with reading other peoples advice during pregnancy, I ‘am DETERMINED to stay healthy and in shape. Most every day I exercise (i.e. run, walk stadiums, bike, or lift). Working as a sports performance coach also keeps me super active. So I’ve decided that September 24th ish is D-Day aka Delivery Day. Me and baby girl; Mind over matter; A test of true strength and endurance. It might sound a little funny but I like training with a purpose. I’m not competing with baby girl; I’m competing with my body. And in the end, having a sweet tiny baby wrapped in my arms will be a pretty great reward. And who knows when the baby will come? Two weeks early, two weeks late? I guess that makes D-Day that much more exciting. PS: I've tried a dozen times to change my dang background but my blog wont let me! It's driving me CRAZY!!!

Sweet Video We Made!

Obsession

Steven and I have an obsession. It could be considered a problem... Or a blessing...(most likely a problem)... The aroma is entrancing but the after affects could be lethal. Our obsession is garlic, garlic, garlic! After doing some research I found some interesting facts. Did you know that ancient Egyptians considered garlic sacred and used it in oath-taking and as part of burial rituals. Garlic bulbs were found in Tutankhamen’s tomb, and the Egyptian Book of the Dead includes twenty-two remedies involving garlic! The Bible even mentions this wonderful herb; Numbers 11:5: “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick.” In Sanskrit, garlic means "slayer of monsters." Garlic’s most famous protective use is as a vampire repellent, but it has also been used to ward off scorpions and snakes and has been said to repel evil and invite luck and prosperity if hung over a door. I am super afraid of vampires, so maybe subconsciously that's why I eat it. Or maybe it's just because it's REALLY GOOD! I blame this obsession on my mom. I grew up in a home where balsamic vinegar salad was the families favorite meal. It was not unusual to see someone sipping vinegar doused in pepper and garlic salt. Well, these eating habits have followed me into my marriage. Steven hardly ate salad before we got married but now, he eats it probably every other day. The reason I've been thinking about this is because I realized that we use garlic in EVERYTHING! I mean EVERYTHING! Balsamic Vinegar salad, garlic chicken, mashed potatoes, on top of pizza and spaghetti, deer meat tenderizer, Sunday pot roast, pickles, salsa, fajitas... I feel like Bubba from Forrest Gump. haha. But I'm dead serious!!!

Don't believe me? The second people smell your sauteing garlic people will think you're cooking a master piece. Still don't believe me? Try Stevens yummy yummy garlic chicken. 2 teaspoons crushed garlic 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup breadcrumbs 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves Directions: 1)Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 2)Warm garlic and olive oil to blend the flavors. 3)In a separate dish, combine the bread crumbs and cheese. 4)Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly onto chicken breasts. 5)Dip chicken in olive oil/garlic mixture, then into bread crumb mix. 6)Place chicken in a greased baking dish. 7)Bake for 30 minutes or until done. Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/garlic-chicken-breasts-56453#ixzz1l0ZIfTGd

We Bought A Zoo

Ok, LOVED LOVED LOVED this movie! I've changed our life plan so that we can live on a zoo. This movie was a super unexpected surprise! I cried 2 times! Steven cried 3 times! (he has a bigger heart than me). The music, awesome! Jonsi is my new passion.

Douglas

Douglas is our little tiny baby Red Foot Tortoise. We've had him for maybe 5 months and we just LOVE him. It takes a certain type of person to love tortoises. I guess we're those "certain" type of people. Well, Doug never seemed healthy. Even from the day we got him. Things went down hill pretty fast. First he stopped eating, then his shell started to get soft. BAD!!! That's when we took him in to see the Vet. She gave him a 20% chance of surviving. So she prescribed the meds and put him on critical care food that we have to feed to him by syringe. Steven and I were SOOO sad. We'd really come to love this little guy. So after being sad we pushed the thought behind us and have been doing EVERYTHING to get Douglas healthy again. It's been 1 week since we took him to see the vet and guess what?! He's kicking that 20% and still livin! It's seriously like having a baby in the house. Well minus the crying and smelly diapers... I guess it's "similar" to having a baby in the house. We feed him his critical care food and pumpkin puree with the syringe every few hrs. Keep his tank at precisely the right temperatures and soak him in warm water that is on top of a hot pad for about 30 mins every few hrs. Baby right?!?! We're seeing the slightest improvements and we're keeping him in our prayers. I know that all this might seem kinds silly to some of you. That some might say he's just a tortoise and why put so much effort and care in to him. My answer: because I believe that God created all things; and I believe that God loves those things that he created. I mean, He created me, and I know that He loves me. I know that Heavenly Father loves Douglas too. That's why I love this little guy; because he matters.

Christmas

This semester, I had an amazing opportunity to intern for United Way. My main project was the Sub-For-Santa/ Angel Tree program. I was in charge of the warehouse, where all the gifts were brought back to. Ready for some awesome numbers?! This year, Sub for Santa provided nearly 1,800 families and more than 5,080 children with much-needed assistance while helping to maintain their self-sufficiency. And that's Utah County ALONE! People have a tendency to say that we live in a bubble here but guess what, WE DON'T! Utah County Poverty by race/ethnicity in 2010 was 12.9% White/ Not Hispanic, 19.5% Hispanic or Latino, 32.1% native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.If you're interested in some other crazy number check out the community assessment: http://uwucdev.org/sites/uwucdev.org/files/attachments/Executive%20Summary%20Piece%204%200.pdf.

The warehouse was AWESOME! Going to work felt like going to Santa's Workshop. Who wouldn't love that?! I loved being a part of something that did so much good. Life changed, CHECK!

The first couple of days of Christmas break we flew to California for a Barrow family reunion/ wedding.




The Christmas present I was most excited to give Steven was his old shot gun and hunting jacket. Yes, he already owned them but left them in Sugar Land when he came up to Utah. Steven goes hunting almost every weekend. He LOVES them ducks. So he's been borrowing his friends clothes and gun. I surprised him by laying out the gun and jacket on the kitchen table early, early in the morning, so that he could use it for a Pheasant hunt. Steven said it was the best present anyone had ever given him and that he was more excited about getting the gun the second time around. haha! So if you want to give a great present to someone, just "miss place" something they love and then re-gift it.
Speaking of funny Christmas gifts:

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was great! We stayed in Midway with my parents along with my sister and her husband, watched movies, played games, ate A LOT, swam in the Homestead Crater, and swam in the old Hot Pots that have been remodeled (They're AWESOME!). But probably my most favorite part of Thanksgiving was cutting down our Christmas tree. I did this once when I was a sophomore with my roommates Kdp, Emily, Lauren, and Amy. Cutting that tree down with my old roommates is still to this day one of my favorite memories. Hahaha. I'll save that for another day. Steven and I decided to make our tree cutting a tradition. This year was a blast! If you've never gone to cute your own Christmas tree down the best way for me to describe it is it's exactly like off the movie Christmas Vacation when they see the PERFECT Christmas tree. It might not be the best tree but it was OUR tree.



Thanksgiving day, we had Eddington Kickball