REBECCA'S BIRTH STORY

Here I am again, realizing that the last time I posted on my blog is when we announced my pregnancy. And now, here we are and Rebecca is almost 8 months. I have some major catching up to do!

In the thick of being pregnant, it felt like forever until baby girl was going to be here, and now that she is here, time is flying WAY to fast and she is getting so big. Andrew and I can't imagine our lives without her and are so blessed to call her ours.

I wanted to share Rebecca's birth story and the events that led up to her being born--mostly so I have it in writing and don't forget it ha! Giving birth to my daughter was such a special moment and I have such a testimony of God's love for his children, because I now have a greater understanding of what it means to love a child more than anything.

-Birth Story-

So around 38 weeks, my doctor checked to see if I was dilated at all, and to my disappointment, I was still at a solid zero. Based on my progress, my doctor was predicting I would go late, which I honestly wasn't too excited about. My body was swelling a lot (especially my feet) and I was feeling pretty poor. On top of that, I got a horrible cold and cough a week before Rebecca's birth, which made that last week sooo much harder. At 39 weeks, I finally made some progress and was dilated to a 1.5. YAY! I was sooo happy to know I was getting closer to baby girl coming. The week before Rebecca was born, I stopped working and just spent time relaxing at home. Looking back, I am so glad I did that. Since I ended up getting a cold, it was really the best thing for me to take it easy and prepare for our little one to come. On December 22nd I started to feel some real contractions. They weren't anything too bad, but I definitely couldn't ignore them. They were about 9-7 minutes apart so I still had ways to go before I could show up at the hospital. The next day, December 23rd (my Birthday) the contractions really started to come. They were about 5-7 minutes apart and sometimes even closer than that. Andrew and I spent the day watching movies and living on the couch. Quite honestly with all the contractions I was having that is all I wanted to do for my birthday hah! Hour by hour, the pain increased--however I was waiting for my contractions to be about 3-4 minutes before I went into the hospital.

Around 11 pm I finally laid down in bed, but wasn't able to sleep. My sister-in-law Rachel flew in that night and arrived around 12 ish to our place. One hour later, my water broke while I was laying down. It was such a weird feeling, but regardless, that meant I was going to the hospital, and I was sooo excited. We arrived at the hospital around 2:20 am and once they had confirmed that my placenta was fully ruptured, I had to wait until I was dilated to a 5 to get the epidural. Now, this next hour or so was probably the hardest of the them all. I have no idea how women have babies naturally because those contractions were reallll painful! All I can say is that I was sooo happy once the Anestheiologist came. Once I received the epidural I was so relaxed and within the next two hours was already dilated to a 10. At 8:30 am I started pushing and after two hours, baby girl came (Shoutout to my sweet husband and amazing sister-in-law for coaching me through everything--I couldn't of done it without you both)! My doctor put her on my chest and the first thing I saw were her big, eyes! She was so alert and was looking all around. What a miracle and blessing it was that she came, on her due date, and also completely healthy.

What made Rebecca's birth even more special was her birthday -- December 24th, 2017 -- born on Christmas Eve! She was our perfect, early Christmas present and we spent Christmas day in the hospital. We were one of two families in Labor and Delivery, so we were really spoiled. We had AMAZING nurses, and I am so grateful for my doctor. She came in on even though it was Christmas Eve to deliver our sweet baby girl, and I was so thankful because she really made the delivery go so smoothly. As Rebecca is growing so much everyday, I think back to that special day when she came into our lives, and I am SO incredibly grateful, and honored that Heavenly Father Blessed me with our sweet daughter. She has changed my life, and has taught me so much about God's love for me, and all of His children. There is truly nothing so special, and amazing as being a mother. I can't wait to share more of Rebecca's growth, and progression on this blog. Thank you for reading!

xx, Erin

Rebecca Julie Clark

Born December 24, 2017 at 10:35 am

Salt Lake City, Utah

WE'RE HAVING A BABY

SO...it's official, I'm pregnant! Andrew and I will be having a baby girl come December of this year. I am 21 weeks along and I am so GLAD to be in the second trimester. I was pretty sick for the first few months which was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I love food and not being to eat normally was difficult, but it has gotten so much better over the last few weeks which I am so grateful for. 

Baby girl is due December 22nd, which is such a fun time--mostly because it's my dad's birthday and literally if baby girl is born early or late her birthday could land on any of my family members birthdays as many of them were born in December too. Who know's, maybe we will have a Christmas baby? :) Now that we know the gender I am so excited to start planning baby girl's room, buying clothes and all of the other fun things that comes with having a girl. Time is going to fly by and I am looking forward to the coming months. Pretty soon the Clark home will grow from two to three and Andrew and I couldn't be happier with this opportunity to be parents.

I'll be sure to share more updates in the coming weeks and some fun projects I will be working on for  Baby girl. 

-Erin

WHERE HAVE WE BEEN?

I have decided if there was an award for procrastination, I would totally win. This blog of mine has totally taken a backseat in my life and I am so sad that I haven't been posting as much. With summer approaching, I am REALLY going to be better (fingers crossed).

When trying to include all the things that have happened or have been happening, the biggest one I can think of is celebrating our one year anniversary on April 16, 2017! I totally understand now why people say that time flies...because it really does! It truly has been an extraordinary year--Full of laughter, learning, and so much happy! Life and marriage is by no means perfect but I can truly say that this is been one of the happiest years of my life.

As a surprise for our anniversary, Andrew took me to the Homestead Resort in Midway, Utah which is so beautiful and calming. We also went and explored the crater, which is on the resort property. I am SO bummed because I forgot to get a picture of the inside. It was SO awesome! Also, I had egg's Benedict with fried green tomatoes. That was a TOTAL win, and SO yummy.

I am excited for our many anniversaries to come and all of the adventures that await us!

Another big life change, was the passing of my father's mother, Mariel Taylor. My grandma was an extraordinary women, who had a love for life, shopping, art, music, and who was determined, and such a hard worker. Although I miss her, I am grateful that she is no longer in pain from the ailments of mortal life. I was able to go to her funeral and to be will my family for a few days, which was so special. I felt so much peace, knowing that Grandma is ok, and that I will see her again. I know she would be so proud to see her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren living the legacy she would have wanted. I am so grateful for my knowledge of God's plan and that our relationships will not end on this life, but that they will go on in the life to come. 

Life is truly a blessing, and it is to be enjoyed--every moment of it! I hope that this week, we all savor the everyday, and special moments of our lives, as they are something to be appreciated and enjoyed.

For some happy, read - Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives

Love,

Erin

When you and your cousin are on the same flight! WINNING!

Cousins!

Maxy boy!

I love this photo of me, Ann, and our Grandma Taylor!

Mother's day! Andrew did SOOOO good. All my favorite things on one tray. I am one lucky woman!

This was just from a couple weeks ago, but I was able to go to one of my young women's middle school musical performances. She was OUTSTANDING and I loved it all. Being in Young Women's is truly the best!

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO

Hey guys! It's been over two months since I have posted on this blog and decided it was time for an update. 2017 is flying by and it's blowing my mind that March is nearly over! Life has been really good for us so far for 2017! Andrew is really enjoying his job and I am glad that the weather has warmed up! One big thing that happened is Andrew and I celebrated our First Valentine's Day as a married couple. I made dinner for Andrew at our apartment and enjoyed decorating with lots of red and pink! He brought me home beautiful flowers, chocolate, and the most special card! What more could I ask for? I am grateful for Andrew, for our marriage, and our life we have built together. Life is by no means easy, but being married to my best friend definitely helps. Through sickness, through pain, through he good and the bad, there is no one else I would rather experience it all with. Just a couple of weeks ago I caught a nasty cold and had to take a day off of work. I am usually one who just pushes through being sick, but this time, I felt defeated. I literally had no energy and wanted to do nothing. I'm pretty sure I watched all of Pride and Prejudice and Emma--and used a full box of tissues. Being sick gave me a big appreciation for my body, and when I am not sick! Andrew was so good to me and took great care of me while I was feeling down. I am feeling a lot better which has been a blessing!

                                   February was a great month. And March was even better!

Luckily, I got better just in time for Andrew and I to take our trip to California where we spent three full days at Disneyland! We walked a LOT of steps, and also ate a LOT of food, so i'd say it balanced each other out. It was so fun to just enjoy both parks and get to go on all the rides we wanted to with it not being so crazy. Some of my favorite parts included riding Hyperspace mountain and the Cars ride, eating the Monte Cristo sandwich, and going to lots of the shows, such as the Frozen play! Plus, the weather was wonderful and warm. Andrew and I are most definitely California people. We also enjoyed spending time with our families! I think one of my favorite parts about California is just that it's the home of our parents and siblings. I love the company, the conversation, and memories made! Overall, the trip was perfect, and I am glad I was able to spend it with Andrew.

 Andrew bonding with Mia. This was a rare occurence and I had to document it.

BEST OF 2016

WOW is all I can say to the year 2016! Andrew and I have been so incredibly blessed this past year! We graduated college from BYU-Idaho, Andrew started his first job at Global Access as a Financial Analyst and I started an internship with Nordstrom and found a full time job right after it's completion at PW Companies. We moved into our first apartment. Bought a used washer and dryer, a couch, bed, and a table (Are we adults or what?). We received callings in our ward (me in Young Women's and Andrew in Sunday School) and WE LOVE IT! We visited Southern California and the Bay Area to visit our families. We went to the dentist using our own insurance. That might be weird to include, but we were so proud of ourselves to said we used our own insurance to go haha. Oh and my permanent retainer fell out when I was eating a sandwich so I had to get a new one! (You never realize how expensive those things are until you need one haha). My sisters moved up to Utah which has been the biggest blessing. We've also been able to to go to the temple a lot with so many so close! We've spent time with my cousins and grandparents (shoutout to the Graham, Hinton Family, and Hansen family). After almost a year at working at his first job, Andrew was offered a position to work at Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City! We also witnessed my sister Haley's Endowment in the LDS Draper Temple with my parents and Annie's Endowment, along with her getting married in the LDS Newport beach LDS Temple! We spent Christmas with our families in Southern California, ate a lot of food (and chocolate) and had the time of our lives!

I know I just summed up so many things in a pretty lengthy paragraph ha, but It is pretty crazy to me to see all the things that have happened this year! The year has flown by and it's been quite the adventure for Andrew and I! Most importantly, I am so thankful for the gospel, over everything because that is what has kept us grounded through the ups and downs of this year. To be honest, there have been some hard moments this past year of adjusting to change and learning together as a married couple, but I wouldn't trade any of those hard moments at all for anything! Andrew and I have learned a ton, and are grateful for every moment we get to spend with each other. We are so excited to see what the 2017 has in store for the Clark family, and for all the many adventures we will go on together! 

Stayed tuned for more posts and surprises :)

Love, Erin

My sister Hil's kiddos! Love them!

I made a rainbow cake for YW in Excellence, and I was so proud it didn't fall over. ha

This has easily become my favorite meal this year. Homemade Chicken Tikka Masala! Recipe is found here. It's the best, and you have to try it!

The first snow of the season. If you could only see what it looks like now outside...

MY BOSOM FRIEND VISITED ME AND WE MADE UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATERS!

Annie's birthday! Baby Ann isn't a baby anymore!

Target Trips with my sisters. A must!

This is a pic of Andrew as a toddler! Couldn't resist getting a picture of it!