a love story (during naptime)

I love bragging about my husband.
He hardly ever brags about himself, so somebody has to right?

Jeremy has such amazing work ethic. He got his dream job a month and a half after graduation. At a company that only hires by recommendation of its own amazing staff. His managers loved him, everyone he works with love him. He always took extra patients, and they loved him too. One of his patients made Amelia a darling quilt because he was her favorite nurse. Everyone gave him a hard time when he left. Now that I'm close to graduating, everyone is calling him back. I'm so proud of the man he is, that he is so smart, so patient, so loving.

I am so lucky for each day and each memory I get with him. Top left picture was our first Chinese New Year together, top right picture is the day I got baptized, bottom middle is when I proposed him when we bought his ring. When you're a nurse, you get to see many family dynamics. I'm grateful that we are married, that we never had to have a paternity test, I'm grateful that we are financially secure, that I've never been injured or housebound due to a domestic violence situation, I'm grateful that he was never incarcerated, that he was my labor support person the entire time, that he never left and he never ate in front of me. I mean, life is just easy with Jeremy Ray. Nothing about our relationship has ever been complicated, because loving him is easy.

I've always been the kind of girl who wants darling pictures with people I love. and if you know Jeremy, he's always been the kind of guy who will do anything to get out of a picture. Aren't these pictures evidence enough of how much he loves me? He reads my blog, he cleans our home, he makes enchiladas and pizza because he knows I hate getting my hands dirty, he tells me to text him so he knows I got somewhere safe. He stopped warming up the shower 10 minutes before he got in because he knows it bugs me, he kisses me on the neck because he knows I like it, he holds me while I fall asleep, even though his work schedule makes him stay up late, he plans date night, he edits my resumes, he helps me with nursing homework, he takes our cranky baby in church while I teach primary. I could go on and on right? It's the little things and the big things.

Also, it doesn't hurt that we have great intimacy, or in other words HE IS AMAZING IN BED (tmi? Jeremy asked me why I don't tell people more often).
We truly have married each other, everyday.

life is so good.

four, maybe five

Amelia has four teefs, and one more coming in. Today, I thought we should put them to good use:

That's right. Those are steamed carrot chips. Nope, not pureed, not mashed, just steamed.
Wish us luck!

january at the bodtchers

most of my pictures are of amelia. sue me.

1. ringing in the New Year with a kiss 2. love her sleeping lashes 3. prepared with puffs at the restaurant 4. sometimes, it still blows my mind that I'm a mommy 5. dada pushing amelia around the house 6. learning to reach down, for the good stuff anyway 7. love me some kisses 8. darling water bottles for Melissa and Kohen's baby shower.

9. attack!! 10. "come 'ere and gimmee a bath, mom!" 11. visiting sweet Kohen in the hospital 12. 3 musks on the first day of school 13. Emmett's face says it all 14. gotta have that carrot, even when I'm climbing 15. found some new entertainment in pushing that swing 16. "hmmm, yeah I think I'll try some of that..."

17. this is one of my favorite pictures of all time. cutest baby bum in the world. 18. successfully trained in going to sleep by herself 19. I passed. my heart still races a little thinking about it 20. playing with a mirror while dada looks for shoes 21. love me some cream cheese wontons 22. appreciating the finer things in life- daddy's in trouble! 23. loves these matching outfits 24. full out date at noodles&co, followed by les mis.

25. this girl can climb a full set of stairs 26. "dad's always sleeping, while I'm wide awake!" 27. this is what doing laundry looks like for a mommy 28. I have been to the store three different times to buy a storage bin for our christmas tree. I gave up. we're ghetto and this is still in our front room 29. Nemo was a pillow that night 30. "mom, can you please bring me my cell phone and the salt?" 31. only the best kisses for the cutest girl in the world 32. just enjoying the refreshments at the bridal shower.

33. ah gong's glassess are her fav 34. story: once upon a time, my baby starting screaming bloody murder when I put her in her bathtub. no really, it was out of nowhere My brilliant friend advised me to start back to basics with swaddle baths. ta-da! did the trick. now we bathe the normal, "big girl" way 35. all of this gets eaten in about two weeks 36. "get back to your situps, dada!" 37. loving on her new bathtime sponges 38. mommies should really not be able to get sick. seriously, how do you take care of your babes? 39. "...and the house on the sand washed AWAY!" works everytime.

blessed

whenever I hear a song of a bird or look at the blue blue sky
whenever I feel the rain on my face or the wind as it rushes by
whenever I touch a velvet rose or walk by a lilac tree
I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world
Heavenly Father created for me.

He gave me my eyes that I might see the color of butterfly wings
He gave me my ears that I might hear the magical sound of things
He gave me my life, my mind, my heart
I thank Him reverently,
for all His creations for which I'm a part,
Yes I know Heavenly Father loves me.


my last post sounded a little whiney. like, my life is super hard or something.
and then during sharing time at church, we learned this song
and it really put things in perspective for me.

my life is good.
I really am blessed for all that I have.
sometimes it's easy to get lost in the cutest and the newest. it's easy to see "better" things you want on blog, pinterest, insta, facebook, etc. etc. etc.
I'm grateful for the gift of the holy ghost, and for comfort and answers to prayers.
like this simple song, reminding me what's really important in life.
yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me.

thanks to Melissa Robbins, all the way back in 2010.

busiest week of my life

okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but honestly

Monday- cleaned, shopped and wrapped for upcoming showers, and tried to catch up on homework since I had been sick tuesday and wednesday and then worked friday and saturday the week before. all while this was happening:

during this time I opened an email from National Student Nursing Association. (let me back up and explain, as VP in the Nursing SAC, one my huge responsibilities this year is to start at school NSNA chapter at the U.) so I open this email, and then I read "blah blah blah deadline February 6th." I keep re-reading this line in a panic because I know that I still have tons of homework today and Jeremy is still sleeping and that my schedule is packed and there is no way I can do everything in two days.

seriously, I am freaking out.
I finally come to terms that I will just have to suck it up. I finish my homework. and then I calmly re-read the email. turns out I only have to come up with 10 USNA members by the 6th. whew.
and then I tried a new lasagna soup recipe:

Tuesday- 7 am to 7 pm: inducing women, delivering babies, charting like crazy. My preceptor invited me to an employee meeting the next day from 4-5 pm. Obviously I was pretty relunctant to agree.
my Jeremy worked a grave that night so I pick amelia up from grandma bodtcher's, gave her a bath and a smooth goodnight, and finished my homework.

Wednesday- had an early morning SAC meeting. felt so guilty that Jeremy got home at 0630, so I woke up extra early to play with amelia, in hopes that she would take a nap by 0830 when I left. At the SAC meeting, the presidents asked me how they could help me with starting a chapter. I love them. One of my best friends is going through a really hard time right now, so I tracked down Isi and Austin to give her a priesthood blessing before class. If you get a moment, please pray for her family.

Class includes discussions of how hard it will be to find a job after we graduate, and I am convinced that I have screwed myself over with my labor and delivery capstone. Honestly, why. why why why why.

Thankfully, after school we head over to a bridal shower for one of my favorite cousins. okay, let's be honest, who's cuter, sweeter, funnier than my darling Kira? I love that girl and so glad to celebrate her with family and friends.

 

and also, Jeremy went out to dinner with his dad and brother that night, and brought me back some fries and frysauce from olympus burger. that stuff is amazing.


Thursday- 0700-1900 in labor and delivery. okay, I'm just telling you right now, being a nurse is intense. I'm still pretty green, but I spend all day watching fetal heart tracings and contraction patterns, making sure mom is contracting and progressing enough, but not too much that baby is in distress. I'm admitting patients and educating and orienting and inserting iv's  and performing vaginal exams and calling anesthesiologists for epidurals and inserting foley catheters and assessing pitocin rates and teaching how to push and assigning apgars while making sure baby is dry and crying and teaching how to breastfeed and passing off report to postpartum nurses, all while charting like I'm going to court. I love it, I really do. thoses babies and those parents who love their babies with all their hearts are worth every moment.
of course, I get a lunch break, where I pump breastmilk and flip through pictures Jeremy sends me:

I wonder how we got so lucky to get the cutest baby in the world.

I am also wondering where my baby is, and where my husband is finding the time to build this tower.

and then I have my midterm evaluation, where my preceptor has nothing but good things to say, but believes in experience on a med/surg unit before becoming a labor and delivery nurse. my unit won't hire new grads, and I'm pretty desperate to be in labor and delivery. ah the stress.

I go home to find that Jeremy has made me homemade pizza and breadsticks.
and that Amelia fell asleep ten minutes before I got home.
people. I'm not saying I'm a saint or anything, but healthcare workers who serve you are sacrificing and so are their families. I wouldn't be doing things if I didn't feel like I should be, but it is heartwrenching to miss your baby the way I do.

Friday- is a repeat of Thursday, but this time I help with a caesarean, I witness a forcep assistance and an episiotomy, and I clean up bowel movements. third shift of the week is always hard, and I am trying to smile while I try not to cry because I am so nauseous. third shift is the hardest.
When I go to pick up Amelia from Aunt Emily, I struggle to put her in the carseat because I know she's going to be asleep when I get home. 20 minutes in 48 hours.

it's fine.
good thing I have Alicia to vent to about my life.

Saturday- thankfully I got to spend all day with my sweet baby. I must have taken 50 pictures of her that morning.
We went to Olive Garden for a surprise baby shower for Jessica! We love her and a good excuse to see each other outside of nursing school.

I swear we had just talked about all putting our hands on her belly, just like the picture we took for my baby shower. Right after this picture was taken, "WAS I THE ONLY ONE WITH MY HAND ON HER BELLY? WHY DIDN'T ANYONE SAY ANYTHING?" I promise I'm not normally this creepy...

 

 

this one is definitely much better. whew.

 

It was also Chinese New Years eve, so we headed over to my parents:

 

 

love their cooking and love their love for us.

 

my mom also gave us matching jackets and red pocket money! she is the sweetest.

 

Jeremy went to work while Amelia and I spent the evening catching up with Aunt Collette. We're so glad she's feeling better and so proud of her already being an amazing mother.

 

Now it's Sunday morning, and I'm cramming for my primary lesson. When I was called last december, I stared at the second counselor and thought I can't do one more thing. I'm barely coming to church as it is. He says, ____________________ (something along the lines of ''I know you're so busy, but the presidency felt stongly in asking you to serve") and I accept.

I love my 5 year olds, I pray for them all the time, I hope they're hearing the testimonies we bear to them.

 

 

I bet you're wondering where are the stories mentioning Jeremy. Schedules like this are hard on a marriage. I am so lucky to have an amazing husband who has my back and has supported me through everything. Also, I am so happy for this upcoming week, where we will probably have more time to build on our love story more.

true love is breastfeeding your sick baby, and getting snot all over your chest, 5 minutes before you leave for school.

no really, it's true.
The only thing that hasn't been pure misery about amelia being sick, is that one time she blew a snot bubble half the size of her face. I'm still sad I wasn't fast enough to get a picture.