Still here.

Maybe I need to stop recommitting to my blog. It seems to be the kiss of death to any new posts. Knowing it has been almost a year since my last post, the thought of having to play "catch-up" makes me want to scrap the whole idea. So instead, I'll do a quick recap, and then move on.

We're back in Arizona! If you'd asked me a year ago if we'd ever be back in Arizona, I would have given a definite "no". But after months and months of interviewing in Washington, we started to consider leaving our beloved NW. The whole process was inspired and a new, better job fell into place with little to no effort by Brent. We feel incredibly blessed to be back in Arizona, where we left many good friends and lots of great memories. We love our new ward and the great friends we're making. Our house and neighborhood are amazing and Isla is loving all the added space (with a backyard to boot).



To add to the blessings we have received, we found out in December that we're expecting Baby Lacey #2 in August! In another week and a half we find out if Isla will have a little brother or sister. She will be a great older sister and will LOVE having a playmate besides mom.

Speaking of our little Isla... she's not so little anymore. This month she turned 18 months and has definitely become the queen of the house. She loves to "talk" aka ramble on and on with out making much sense. But has slowly begun to add more and more words to her vocabulary. She continues to say "dadda", "hey", "hi", and "Isla" but has recently added "shoe", "key", "bye-bye", "hot", and finally... "momma". She enjoys singing with daddy and has started to sing the ABC's on her own (though we might be the only people who can really tell what she's saying). At her 18 month visit she continued to be off the chart in height and 45th percentile in weight. She loves being outside and really loves when daddy gets home and wrestles with her before bed.



All in all, we have no room for complaint (though I can always find some), and feel very blessed to have a healthy little family. I hesitate to say that I'll try to post more, but I will. We'll see how this goes...

Not so little anymore.

Now that Isla is almost 8 months old, I thought it was time to finally update our blog.



Isla was blessed Thanksgiving weekend. She looked like a little princess in the dress that her Aunt Shannon made for her big day. Both sets of grandparents were able to attend, along with many aunts and uncles. It was a special day.





In December, Isla took her first big road trip to Montana. We had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa Lacey, Aunt Shannon, Aunt Natalie, and Uncle Justin. Isla almost slept through Christmas morning, but managed to wake up before she missed all the fun. Grandma and grandpa gave Isla a warm snow suit and daddy started the brainwashing by presenting her with her first piece of BYU apparel.





Isla has grown and changed so much in the last few months! She is a very happy baby who always seems to be smiling. She loves to talk and wiggle and is constantly making us laugh. She rolls and sits up and would probably be crawling, if she didn't hate being on her stomach so much. She LOVES to stand, and could easily walk before she crawls. We can't imagine our lives without our little Isla girl. I'm so grateful to be her mom. Happy Mother's Day!!



More updates to come, along with more current pictures. :)

If you hadn't heard...

Introducing Isla Jean Lacey

If you hadn't heard, we had our little girl on September 14th, 2010 at 4:08 am. Isla weighed in at 7 pounds 11 ounces and stretched out to 20.5 inches. It was a very eventful couple of days, leading up to her birth. I'll spare too many details, but Brent and I went in at 8 pm on September 12th and were officially induced the next morning. With lots of IV problems and 3 hours of pushing (fun!), little Isla finally made her entrance into the world.

Within seconds, she was looking for something to eat and latched on right away. By Wednesday morning, we were home and healing.

Now, seven weeks later, all are healthy and happy. It's crazy how the time has flown! Minus the little scare Isla gave us after not gaining weight, she is healthy, happy and gaining as she should. She's still tiny, but she's now cooing and smiling all the time. She has consistently slept through the night for almost a month, and mommy couldn't be happier. :) We love her so much, and can't imagine our lives without her.

Brent and I have felt so much gratitude for the many friends and family who have helped us through this transition. Thank you for making us feel so loved!

I'm not going to lie, and say that our blog won't be all about Isla now, but I can't. She has quickly become the center of our lives and we can't help but brag and show off this little cutie!

There will be lots more Isla to come.

What a day!

It was quite the day today! My official due date was yesterday, and I was very excited to have my 40 week OB visit today. I couldn't wait to hear how I was progressing and when this baby was coming.

I should have known it would be a long visit when I got to the doctor's office and they had double booked my appointment. Forty minutes later, I was in an exam room and being told that I still wasn't dilated! At all! Besides that, the baby was ready and positioned perfectly. So we started talking about options for induction and when I could/should do it. I was told that I would have to come in the night before and receive a drug to help me dilate (which could take up to 12 hours), then I would be induced the next morning.

Okay... sounded easy enough. But then my doctor also wanted me to have a non-stress test done as I mentioned that she wasn't moving AS MUCH. Maybe I should have been more specific. She is always moving. So anything less is probably normal for most babies. So... she sent me across the hospital to have some tests run. Two hours later I managed to freak out my husband, worry my family that I was having the baby, have a very detailed ultrasound (which I loved!) and spent 20 minutes with monitors hooked up to my stomach. The conclusion: baby is fine and healthy. What a relief and thank heaven for insurance!

We did learn some fun things today:

#1- Our baby has hair! It was pointed out to me in the ultrasound and I was so excited!

#2- Our baby may not have inherited the "Platt Melon Head", as the ultrasound tech said it was normal for a baby at 40 week. Thank heaven!

#3- The baby is now weighing approximately 8 pounds, 9 ounces. Exactly my birth weight! Let's hope she doesn't get any bigger.

#4- She's as camera shy as her mother. She kept her little arm over her face the entire ultrasound!

#5- She'll have her mother's chubby cheeks (on her face). :) When you can see them from the ultrasound, you know they're "bad".

#6- This baby will either have a birth date of September 13th, or sooner.

#7- Last, but not least... she's the most adorable baby ever!!

There you have it. My oh-so-exciting day at Evergreen Hospital. We're so glad that she's healthy and that we get to meet her soon!

A little redundant.

I'm really struggling with keeping my blog up, and I blame Facebook. I don't feel that I have anything new or excited to post, that hasn't already been posted on Facebook. Is anyone reading this that doesn't have a Facebook account??

Well, just in case, I'll write a quick post. Today marks week 37 of this pregnancy. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone! At the same time, I feel that I've been pregnant forever. I saw a digital pregnancy test commercial on t.v. today, and got a little reminiscent. We used the same test and I remember how crazy it was to see the word "pregnant" as clear as can be. That was December 26th, and the last 9 months have been full of so many changes for our little family. I'm even more in love with my amazing husband than I was before, and cannot wait to meet this little one.

My doctor informed me today that the baby is dropping and that now it is just a matter of time. How surreal. It looks like the next post will be to introduce Isla Jean to the world.

It's a girl!!

This last Thursday, we finally got to see our little one in our first ultrasound. It was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives! We both watched in amazement at what we made. The tech first made sure that everything looked good, then told us we had a happy, energetic little girl coming in a few months. She moved and squirmed the entire ultrasound (like she is as I'm typing this).

It was so amazing to watch her squirm and stretch. Brent tried to see if the tech could tell whose hairline she would have, but she said she couldn't tell. I do like to think that she already has my nose. :) We can't wait to officially meet little Isla Jean in September!

Enjoying the journey... or trying.

Well... my blog resolve was a little short lived. Here we are in April! I can't believe how the time is flying. I'm enjoying Spring Break this week, so I thought I'd take a second to update our lives via our blog.

We are officially pregnant. I know that should be obvious by 17 weeks, but having heard the heartbeat (twice) and seeing the belly grow (along with emotional outbursts), it's becoming more official in my mind. We could not be more excited to be looking forward to the birth of our little one. But there have been certain parts of pregnancy that have really frustrated me. I know that all you moms our there know exactly what I'm talking about. I want nothing more than to bring this child into the world. But do we have to learn all these little lessons of patience and endurance along the way?? Of course we do.

More specifically, I'm talking about the weight gain. I have always struggled with my weight. That is nothing new. I spent years trying to lose weight, and only failing. After I moved to Arizona, I finally discovered the gym and became a runner (in my own right). I loved watching my body change! Finally, I was comfortable in a size 8/10 and enjoying the life of a medium size.

Then... marriage hits. You get happy, and you get fatter. I said it wouldn't happen to me, but it did. I have the most amazing husband who has always made me feel like the most beautiful person in the world! I no longer stressed about my size and just enjoyed our social eating habits. But as we got closer to starting a family, I tried to buckle down and really lose some extra pounds to make my pregnancy that much more enjoyable.

Then... the holidays hit. And boy, did they hit! And to our joy and surprise, we were pregnant after a miscarriage and 6 months of trying. We couldn't have been happier.

Then... the nausea hit. And what made it better?? Food!!

I have gained almost 20 pounds in 17 weeks. This has been the biggest trial of my pregnancy. I don't know how to handle it, and I'm afraid that I'm not enjoying this amazing time in my life as much as I should. As the nausea begins to subside and I continue my gym routine, I'm hoping that I can just sit back and enjoy the ride. I have wanted to be a mother my entire life. I can't wait for this baby to join our family! I am making a resolve right now to enjoy the journey.