Savannah Emily Merrill

Last Monday, I called Dr. Broadbent and begged him to let me be induced on the 1^st instead of the 2^nd so Corey could definitely be there. He was very nice and called the hospital and arranged for me to go in to start being induced at 12:00 a.m. So, we went in and first they checked me to see how dilated I was. I was still fingertip. I hadn't changed a bit in over 3 weeks! So, they monitored my contractions (which were regular, but so slight I couldn't feel them) and then put some medicine on my cervix that was supposed to soften it up. The medicine burned horribly but I figured it was worth it if it put me into labor. So, they sent us home at 2 a.m. and told us to expect a call Tuesday morning about coming back in around 7 a.m. to get some more medicine. They said I would come back 6 hours after that to get started on Pitocin.

Tuesday morning came and no phone call. I called the hospital and they said they were overwhelmingly busy and had no beds so I couldn't come in yet. This was very frustrating because I wanted to have her as soon as possible so Corey could spend as much time as possible with her. So, I ate tons of pineapple and Corey and I decided to walk around the mall to see if we could get things started. We walked around some stores and we also spent quite a bit of time walking up and down the escalators. I'm sure some people thought we were crazy, but we were feeling pretty desperate. I was having some cramping, but nothing that I hadn't been feeling for weeks. Finally at 11:30 we got a phone call and headed over to the hospital.

At this point we thought we were finally on our way. But, when we got there, we had to wait about an hour and a half for anybody to even come in and talk to us! When they checked me, they found out that the horrible, burning medicine had done absolutely no good the night before. That wasn't cool. The nurse kept leaving for very long periods of time and we sat there having no idea what was going on. At one point, Dr. Broadbent came in the room and said he hated the stuff they'd used on me before and didn't think it worked very well. So, he said he wanted me to get Siddecat which is a pill they place on the cervix that he thought would work better. So, he left and then we sat there for probably another hour having no idea if I was there to stay or if they would put the pill in and send me home or what. Then someone came in and started having me sign paperwork. I asked, "Am I here to stay?" and she said, "Of course, didn't your nurse tell you?". Well, she hadn't which was very frustrating, but eventually she came in.

She told us that they would place the first pill at 3:30 and then come in and place the second at 6:30. She said that they hoped I would start contracting enough sometime after that to be ready for Pitocin. She said I should expect about 10 hours of labor after that and then 1 to 3 hours of pushing. So, they placed the pill and we started the long process of waiting. She also gave my my i.v. which was quite the adventure. I'm kind of terrified of i.v.s and I have tiny veins. She tried a vein on my right underarm and it burst right away. Then she tried one on my left fore arm, got out one tube of blood, and then it burst. At this point, Corey was very pale and had to sit down so he wouldn't faint. Poor guy. As soon as he felt better, he came and sat next to me as she tried a vein in the top of my right hand. It worked, but it didn't stop hurting until the i.v. was removed hours later. I have two huge bruises from where the veins burst. Just the first of many aches and pain from the night…

Around 5:15 I decided I should probably do some homework. So, I started. But, the second I opened up the word document, my water broke. Honestly, I thought I had peed my pants because it was so much and I was super embarrassed. But, Corey thought we should call the nurse to check and it was actually amniotic fluid. She said that was a really good sign. They checked me and I had dilated some which was really good news. Needless to say, the homework was put on hold as contractions started to get stronger and I started to get excited.

When they came in to check on me at 6 I had dilated some more and they decided I was doing so well that I didn't need the Pitocin. At this point, the contractions were every two minutes and they were getting pretty bad. The nurse told me to let her know when I wanted an epidural. I said, "Really? I can get one now? I thought I had to wait." She said that since my water had broken they had to deliver me no matter what so the epidural was fine. I was in so much pain. Corey was great. He laid on the bed next to me and let me squeeze his hand. He was trying so hard to be supportive and helpful and I'm afraid I wasn't very nice. But, I really hurt. He was great though. Around 6:30, the anesthesiologist was finally able to make it to my room. Corey was smart and didn't look at the needle at all so he wouldn't get faint again. I had been pretty scared about the epidural, but I figured it would be worth it. So, I laid on my side and they injected me with the numbing stuff. They warned that it would hurt quite a bit, and it did hurt some, but it wasn't nearly as bad as a contraction. As soon as that took effect, they put the epidural needle in, inserted the catheter, and taped it down. It felt very strange, but it was mostly a lot of pressure, not pain. Within minutes, the pain from the contractions was gone. I totally respect that some women don't want pain medicine during birth, but for me the epidural was a wonderful thing. I was able to relax and Corey was able to feel his hand again.

After the epidural had been in for about 30 minutes, they checked me again. I had dilated to 5 centimeters! They couldn't believe it! Normally they expect people to dilate one centimeter an hour. A new nurse had come on shift and she was way better than the previous nurse. She noticed that Savannah's heart rate was having some problems. So, they put heart and contraction moniters up inside the uterus on her head. The heart was still having problems so they gave me an oxygen mask. It started to get better then, but they nurse said that the umbilical cord was probably wrapped around her in a harmful way and that it would have to be closely monitored. This scared me, but she said it was nothing to worry about as long as she kept monitoring it.

At 8, they checked me again and I had dilated to 9 and ¾ inches! They were very surprised and said I should have a baby by midnight. The nurse said she would call the doctor and then I would start pushing. My mom and Corey were both in the room and I decided I wanted my mom to stay. I'm very glad I did.

I started to push at 9:25. I'd never realized what a difficult process that is. It's hard to push when you're numb. Corey and my mom were both great though. They both kept encouraging me and helping me. Corey fed me about a hundred ice chips. No matter how much I pushed, I was making very little progress. For some reason, my contractions weren't very strong. They were only going to 60 on the screen and when I would push really hard I could get them up to 80. Normal contractions get to 80 on their own and then pushing makes them even stronger. The nurse gave me Pitocin, but that only increased the frequency, not the intensity. I was getting very tired and I felt like it would never end. I took some breaks, but it was still a lot of very hard work for a long time. Plus, remember how I always complained that Savannah loved to kick me in the ribs? She did that up until the very last second. Her head was in the birth canal and the rest of her body was squished up against my ribs as far is it could go. The rest of my stomach was soft and there was this hard little ball right under my left ribs. The nurse had never seen anything like it. So, I was pushing her down as mush as I could between contractions.

At midnight, the nurse decided that I had pushed enough without progress and so she decided to call Dr. Broadbent. He got there at 12:25. He said felt her and decided her would try to get her out with forceps; if that didn't work, he was going to do a C-section. I was not okay with a C- section and desperately hoped the forceps would work. So, he got ready and I made sure not to look at the forceps because I knew they would scare me. Then I felt tons of pressure and was told to push. I saw Dr. Broadbent cut me with scissors and I tried not to think about that. I pushed and Corey started getting excited. He told me to just push once more really hard because she was almost out. I pushed one more time and she came out. It was 12:33 a.m.

My memories after that are a bit of a blur. I watched the doctor cut the cord and they showed her to me and rushed her over to the bed they have in the room to check her out. The cord had been wrapped around her neck but the doctor had fixed it right away. They started to clean her up and Dr. Broadbent started to stitch me up. It was surreal to watch him sewing me up and not feel it a bit. He said my tearing was pretty bad; it was as close to being 3^rd degree (tearing the rectum) as possible while still being second degree, which I am grateful for. I was so exhausted from the delivery that my teeth were chattering like crazy. I watched Savannah get cleaned and checked but I couldn't hold her because they were a bit worried about her breathing. Corey was standing by her taking tons of pictures. They weighed and measured her. She was 7 pounds, 4 ounces and 18.5 inches long. She had quite the pointed head from being stuck in me so long and she had little red bruises on her face from the forceps.

After about 30 minutes I finally was able to hold her. It was wonderful. I was laughing and crying at the same time. The second she was placed in my arms, she looked right into my eyes. Corey said she hadn't looked at anyone like that yet. I couldn't believe that perfect little baby was mine. I tried and failed at breastfeeding, so instead she sucked on my finger. We got some pictures and Corey held her for a few minutes. Then they took her to the nursery to get cleaned up and Corey went with her. I was moved to my new room. Eventually, they brought Savannah in and people came in to see us. After a few more hours we finally were able to get some sleep around 6 a.m.

We stayed in the hospital until the afternoon of the 3^rd. I was exhausted and sore, but it was really a nice time. My favorite was when Corey would hold her and take her for walks in the hall. He loves her so much and is a fantastic daddy already. He would want everyone to know that he even changed the first messy diaper. We took her home Thursday. Corey left Friday morning to go back to Gillette. It's hard to be apart and we both can't wait for Christmas Eve when we get to be together for good.

Wedding Pictures!

Our New Car

So, we bought a car a few months ago. It's a 2007 spicy orange Chevrolet Aveo. We love it to death. It's cute, stylish, and it gets great gas milage. Also, we got zero percent interest on it which was a huge plus. I need to post some pictures to truly do it justice though.

Our Best Friends

One day after we'd been married about 7 months, I asked, "Corey, can we get a pet hamster?" He said, "No." I said, "What if we name it Goomba?" Well, with his newfound obsession with the little mushroom type things on Mario, he couldn't help but smile and say, "Fine."

So, a few nights later, I ventured to the pet store to get a new furry friend. There were two female teddy bear hamsters in stock and they were both simply adorable. I was with the Petco employee trying to decide which one to get when I said something like, "They're both so cute! Too bad they can't live together." The over eager employee assured me that they could in fact live together, so I happily bought both of them and we named the second one Yoshi.

So, we lived in bliss with our new little friends. They slept together, ate together, and ran on their ball together. Then, one night a few weeks later, Corey noticed that Yoshi was trying to kill Goomba. So it turns out that pet store lady was wrong and that every single web site about hamsters was right... I was so sad and was trying to decide which of our little friends to get rid of when Corey had a great suggestion. He suggested we just keep both of them and buy a new cage. So we did.

They really are very cute. Goomba loves food and periodically stuffs her cheeks until they look like they're about to burst. Yoshi chews on the bars of her cage non stop and has developed a bald spot on her nose because of it. They have both become very friendly. We love them :).

Our First Apartment

Our first apartment was quite the adventure. It was a little basement apartment east of campus in the tree streets. It had pipes sticking out all over the place, wood panelling, and an infestation of huge spiders. The owner's dog would bark at us every time he saw us. The bedroom was carpeted to the extreme. Really. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all carpeted and the ceiling had some really odd stains. The kitchen floor had a huge drain in it. It also didn't have an oven or a stove. It wasn't really what you'd call a kitchen. It was always cold in the winter and the upstairs neighbors were often incredibly noisy. Now, this sounds like it would be miserable, and maybe for some people it would be, but we kind of liked it. It was cheap, close to campus, and we were just so happy to be together that we didn't care what our surroundings looked like. Plus, I'd been sharing an apartment and a single bathroom with five other girls for a year, so the amount of space I suddenly had was wonderful. When we look back at that apartment, we do so with fondness, but I don't think we'll be moving back in anytime soon... :)

Happily Ever After, a History; Part 7: Paradise

On the evening of the 26th, Allison and her fantastic husband were preparing to fly to Puerto Rico thanks to the generosity of Allie's uncle Mark. They were excited to travel together for the first time. They took a red eye flight on Jet Blue, had one layover, and arrived in Puerto Rico Monday afternoon. They went to the hotel room that Allison had found for them at a fantastic price. They were excited to see that it was literally on the beach just like the website had promised. They checked in and went up the elevator to their temporary home for the week. They walked into the room and were assaulted by a musty, moldy smell. They were so tired that they ignored it for the time being and fell asleep. Honestly, they didn't mind the smell/slight ghettoness of the hotel. They were happy to be together and to not be going broke by staying somewhere nicer. They went to dinner later, vowing that they'd have the energy to explore the island the next day.

So, on Tuesday morning, they explored their part of the city. They got dozens of brochures and recommendations from people for what to do. Everybody kept saying, "Make sure you go to Old San Juan and walk around. It's great!" So, they decided to do that. They got a taxi after much tribulation missing the bus and they went to Old San Juan. It was full of lots and lots of shops. So, they went shopping. They saw lots of random things and bought a few knickknacks. It was fun, but honestly, they thought that it was a bit overrated.

On Wednesday, they had bigger and better plans. They'd seen a brochure about a rain forest and decided that would be a great way to spend a day. So, they rented a car (a little red Corolla that they became quite attached to) and drove to the rainforest. Allison was very grateful to have Corey there because she never would have found her way anywhere on her own.

The rainforest was beautiful! Everything was lush and green and there were waterfalls everywhere. They did a few hikes. One of the hikes ended at a beautiful waterfall with a huge pool that they swam in. It was remarkably idyllic. Well, besides all the tourists... They saw an ancient tower, they went to a rainforest museum and had a great day.

Once Allison was too tired to hike anymore, they went to dinner at a little restaurant on the beach. After dinner, they decided to check out what looked like one of the best things to do on the island. They went to the beach and walked up to a company that did guided kayak tours and signed themselves up. As the sun set, the guides taught the group the basics of kayaking. These particular kayaks were two person kayaks. The guides warned that each pair would have to work as a team. Allison and Corey weren't worried about that :).

The group started to follow the leader through the ocean. He led them to a Mangrove Orchard. The group rowed their way through a canal. It was amazingly romantic. The moon was full, the water was warm, and Allison and Corey were together. As they kayaked in the canal, the other pairs kept arguing and running into things, but not Allison and Corey. They cooperated and were mishap free. The canal led to a large bay. As the couple kayaked in, they noticed the water doing funny things. Every time one of their paddles moved in the water, it would light up like it was full of diamond dust. It was amazing! Once they reached the center of the bay, the guide told them there were bio luminescent organisms that lived in the water that would light up with any movement. It was fantastic. After about 15 minutes in the bay, they turned around and went back to the beach. It was a great trip.

The couple had some issues getting home that night. They got lost multiple times. Corey ran two red lights! The first was accidental, and then it was so much fun that he did it at the next light when he saw no one was coming. Allison had always known he was crazy. Eventually, after a stop at Wal-mart to buy a cd and some air fresheners for their room, the couple made it back to their hotel.

The next morning they got really adventurous. They decided to take a ferry to a gorgeous island they'd heard about. They were very excited. After a few mishaps and a long line, they were on the ferry and ready for adventure. When they got to the island, they were a bit disappointed... It was kind of scary and non-touristy. There didn't seem like a lot to do and all the restaurants were closed. They eventually found a place to get some pizza. After that, they found a visitor's center that told them where to rent snorkeling equipment. Allison had never been snorkeling and was very excited.

So, they rented their equipment for $75 and went to explore. There was an old rusty ship that was kind of creepy right by them, but off in the distance they could see what looked like a lovely beach. The only way to get to the beach without being forced to walk over thousands of very sharp rocks was to swim out there, so they did. They saw a few cute fish on the way and it was lots of fun.

The beach they swam to was very pretty. It was empty except for one Puerto Rican family. They left their snorkeling gear on the beach and decided to go exploring. They went around a bend and Corey noticed one of the little boys from the family dart out and look at us and then run back. Corey thought this was weird, but Allison didn't think much of it.

After exploring a bit, the happy couple decided to swim back. To their utter dismay, their snorkeling stuff was gone! They looked everywhere, but it was nowhere to be found. They hated to assume the worst about people, but it appeared that the family had stolen it. So, they were forced to walk across many sharp rocks barefooted while Allie's back fried. Her sunscreen must have washed off. It was sad.

So, the couple finally made their way back and was relieved to find out that none of their other stuff had been stolen. Luckily, the nice rental shop man didn't make them pay anything more than their $50 deposit for the missing stuff. After eating at a little place where Corey taught Allie to order in Spanish, they drove back to their hotel.

That night, Allison insisted that Corey take her gambling. In Puerto Rico, you only have to be 18 to gamble. So, they went to a nearby hotel with a casino and they gambled away their life savings. By life savings, I mean $5. Corey was doing really well, but Allie was not. They had so much fun though! In the end, Corey started to lose the $3 he had gained and so they cashed in their chips and left with $5 in their pockets. They might not have been as hard core as everyone else, but they sure were smiling more.

The next day it was rainy, but they'd already paid for a day trip, so they decided to brace the weather. Allison was actually a little grateful for the rain because direct sunlight hurt her back very much. They drove to a dock and got on a boat. The boat was cool. The trip included all you could eat and drink and that was exciting too. Allie and Corey did feel like they deserved a partial refund since they alone didn't drink any alcohol, but they didn't say anything. The boat went out to an island called Culebra. They stopped at a beach that has been ranked one of the top 10 in the world. It was easy to see why. The sand was pure white, the water was warm and a lovely clear blue. The beach turned into a forest of lush green trees about 30 yards back from the water. It really was just like paradise.

So, they played on the beach and in the water. They snorkeled and it was amazing! They saw so many fish! After lunch, the boat went to deeper water for better snorkeling. The fish were even better there! They took some leftover rolls from lunch and dropped the pieces in the water and the fish swarmed them. It was really amazing. At one point, they saw a tiny jellyfish. Allison's mom had been stung by one once, so Corey saw just how fast Allison could swim if she wanted to. He still mocks her about that... After snorkeling for a while, everyone got back on the boat and went back.

On Saturday, they decided to visit the Camuy Cave. They'd seen a brochure and it looked amazing. It was. It was a giant cave with amazing formations. Unfortunately, their camera's flash decided to break that day, so none of the pictures were very good/possible. The day was spent exploring the cave. On the little bus ride from the parking lot to the cave, there were several spider's webs with giant black and yellow spiders. Allie still gets scared even thinking about them.

Sunday was sadly the date of departure and the plane left around 6 a.m. The couple went to bed early and decided to wake up around 3:45 a.m. to get to their plane on time. So, the alarm went of at 3:45. They woke up and then promptly fell back asleep. About an hour later, Allison awoke with a start and realized that they had to book it or they would miss their flight. So, Corey ran to the car which was parked several blocks away in order to avoid paying $20 a night for parking and Allison hastily packed up all the odds and ends they'd neglected the night before and then managed to get all the luggage downstairs all by herself. Luckily, they had enough driving experience in the area to know exactly how to get to the airport. They drove as fast as was reasonable, turned in their rental car, and hitched a ride on an airport shuttle. When they walked into the airport, they saw a huge line to check in! They patiently waited and then when they got to the front, they were informed that they had to go have their bags x-rayed first. Time was tight, but they did what they were told. Then, the x-raying took twice as long as it should have because the airport employee didn't notice the bags the first time they went through because she was too busy talking to her coworker. Needless to say, the couple was frustrated, but against all odds, they still made it to their flight on time.

So, they flew home and relaxed for a day and a half before starting school again. And yes, the honeymoon was over, but the wonderful marriage was just beginning.

The End

Happily Ever After, a History; Part 6: The Best Day

Allison woke up nervous and excited on August 25th, 2007. Here it was! The day she'd been waiting for! She was about to get married! She woke up her wonderful friend Tara and they went upstairs together to start preparing for the day. Allison sat down at the kitchen table while her fabulous friend Jill did her hair beautifully. Then she put on her make up, hugged her sisters and friends for the last time as a Butterfield, and her and her mom got in the van to go to Bountiful.

Their first stop was to pick up the wedding cake. Allison was so excited! She'd picked out a gorgeous cake. It was three tiered with dark green vines with purple flowers climbing up the sides. It was going to be half chocolate and half vanilla with raspberry filling. The picture of it was the most gorgeous cake Allison had ever seen and she couldn't wait to pick it up.

Allison and her mom pulled into the driveway of the family friend who was making the cake. They were invited into the kitchen. Allison saw a cake on the table and thought, "That can't be my cake. That must be a cake for a birthday party or something." To her dismay, Cake Maker Lady* walked in and said, "There's your cake! Do you like it?" Allison was distraught. This cake was very mint green with neon and pastel flowers on it! This wasn't what she'd picked out. Allison said, "I love it! It's beautiful." Allison lied. She quickly got in the car so she could hide her true feelings from Cake Maker Lady who her dad happened to home teach.

As Allison and her mom drove away, Lori (her mom) asked, "Do you really like the cake?"

"Well, I kind of wanted my wedding cake to be white..."

"Yeah, I know. Maybe we can fix it. We have Rachael bring her special cake decorating frosting and we'll have Jeanette try to help us fix it. If anyone can, she can."

So, Allison felt a little better and started to think about the upcoming ceremony again. Then she looked behind her.

"Um, mom? The cake keeps swaying."

"Don't worry Allie, Cake Maker Lady said that type of cake will be fine to go to Bountiful."

"Okay..."

Then Lori tapped the brakes. The cake tipped over. They immediately pulled over into the Ream's parking lot to assess the situation. As they looked at the toppled cake and scraped it up from the dirty van floor, they started to laugh hysterically. Allison no longer cared that her cake was green because this was hilarious. And, it was her wedding day. How could she let baked goods ruin that?

So, with elaborate schemes involving styrofoam and tons of frosting, Allison and Lori went to Corey's grandparent's house to pick him up and drop off the cake. He looked so handsome. Allison was so excited! At first he was worried that Allison would be very sad about her cake, but when he saw the way her and her mom kept giggling, he decided no to worry about it.

The three drove to the temple. As Allison and Lori went into the dressing room, Allison was a little sad that she would be wearing her temple dress to the ceremony instead of her wedding dress. But, it was what the matron of the Mount Timpanogas Temple had strongly suggested and Allison was always one for obedience. As she started to change into her temple dress, a nice temple worker asked if she wanted to wear her wedding dress instead. Allison asked, "Is that really okay?" The wonderful lady told her of course it was and Allison excitedly left her little locker and went to the beautiful bride's dressing room. After she was ready, she looked in the mirror and smiled. She was ready to marry the man of her dreams.

The look on Corey's face as she walked out of the dressing room was priceless. He couldn't stop grinning and looking at her in her dress. The couple had a couple of minutes together in the Celestial room and then they went to their ceremony.

The ceremony was wonderful. Allison had been warning Corey that she would cry and that it would probably be the first time in their courtship that she would see him cry. But, as they kneeled across the altar and looked into each other's eyes, neither of them could help but smile. It was all they could do to stop themselves from grinning out right, which neither of them felt would fit the solemnity of the occasion. It was the best that either of them had ever felt. When the ceremony was over, the sealer said, "Everyone, come greet the new Merrill family. As Allison's mom hugged her, she started to cry from sheer happiness. This was exactly what she'd always hoped and prayed for.

After the ceremony, there was much rejoicing with everyone who wasn't able to go inside the temple with the couple. Allison didn't mind that she had to keep smiling for dozens of pictures because she didn't want to stop smiling anyway. Once pictures were done, the couple left to drive to Ogden for the reception. Their first stop as a married couple was Arby's. In defense of the utter non-romanticness of this, they were in a hurry and hungry.

When they arrived at the reception center, they saw all the brave people stoically trying to save their cake. It wasn't going well. The bottom layer had been thrown away and the remaining cake was small, lopsided, and pitiful. Allison tried not to think about it as she rejoiced with her fantastic bridesmaids and got ready for the reception.

When she left the dressing room, her Aunt Jeanette walked up and said, "This cake is hopeless. I'm going to have Harmon's make you a new one. It will be done in about 45 minutes. We'll decorate it with tons of fresh flowers and it will be pretty." Allison was very grateful to her fantastic aunt. And, when the cake was done, it was very pretty. Not as pretty as Allison's dream cake, but she was happy nonetheless.

The reception was so much fun! There was dancing and good food. Allison and Corey couldn't stop smiling at each other and hugging. It was a fantastic party. When it was over, the couple walked out with bubbles being blown all around and stepped into the Blazer that had been decorated with lipstick and glowsticks of all things. And the happy couple drove into the future with glowsticks to light their way.




*Name has been changed to protect the nice yet clueless