A Month of Thanksgiving.

Where has time gone? The last time I posted, Ellie was being blessed, we were moving to Meridian and the summer was just starting. Now, all the leaves have fallen, Ellie is CRAWLING, Alex is enjoying  his job and the holiday season is upon us. I will give just a quick recap.

June- Trip to Vancouver to see grandparents! We also took our amazing two week trip to Singapore. I could write an entire blog post just about that. It was truly a unique experience and such a wonderful time to see my parents.

July- I taught swimming lessons at Christine’s pool, it felt so great to be back. Ellie moved into her own room, is eating solid food like crazy, and sleeps like a log J

August- Alex started working as a PSR, helping kids and adults with social anxieties/disabilities, addictions etc. I did a weekend on my own with Ellie at a family reunion. Ellie turned 6 months!

September- Another trip to Vancouver, to meet our new nephew and see family. This was the first fall that either of us didn't have school, I guess that applications kind of count, but it has been wonderful to have a break from the books.

October-  We took a trip to Provo! It was great to support our friends in their wedding, see Amber and Adam and other friends. My dad had a business trip in Boise and we had him around for a week. Ellie had her first trip to a pumpkin patch and enjoyed the little petting zoo. She is crawling all over the place!

November- Is it really November already? We took family pictures this last weekend. Ellie didn't smile much, but hopefully we got a couple of good shots. Alex and I joined our local gym. I am determined to get back into shape, let’s just say it’s a work in progress. Alex and I are both teaching the 8 year old kids in our ward. Alex is their scout leader and I am their primary teacher. It has been a learning experience, and the good times definitely help with the not so good times. Applications are going. Alex has worked so hard on them and we wait (not so patiently) every day to hear back from the schools. Alex has decided to also apply to some DO (Osteopathic medicine) schools this year and we are looking forward to hearing back from those schools as well.

This time of year always makes me think about the good things that I have. I n life it is easy to get overwhelmed and feel like you have so far to go. It is easy for  me to see friends my age who are buying houses, have “real” jobs, are in great shape etc. And think that I am so imperfect. Well the good news is, I am imperfect, but I am trying to be better. I have to take each day at a time, slow down and appreciate all of the good things I do have.

Most importantly, I have a Savior, who loves me for who I am (imperfections included). The gospel means so much to me; it truly is my greatest treasure. I love Alex and Ellie and I am so grateful that we can be together forever. I know that I am a child of God, I have divine potential and I work toward that each day through prayer, scripture reading and lots of other things.

I wish you the best holiday season, remember to be grateful and do service for others continually. I’ll try to post again soon.

How Our Lives Change

In addition to adding a new member to our family, we have experienced a lot of other changes recently! Ellie is wonderful and she is growing everyday! In April Alex and I both were able to graduate from BYU and even got to walk Ellie across the stage with us! The same weekend as graduation we blessed Ellie. My dad was able to finagle a business trip the same weekend and it was so great to have him there. We appreciated all the support from siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends!

This last week we packed all our things and moved out of Provo! It was really hard to leave Provo. Alex enjoyed his time working with all the missionaries and is sad to leave the MTC. I’ve been working with Provo City Recreation for almost 5 years and I also was sad to say goodbye to coworkers! We are excited for this next chapter in our lives.

We will be living in Meridian, Idaho. We are living with my brother and his wife in my parents’ house (since they are still in Singapore). Unfortunately, Alex didn’t get into medical school this last year, so we have begun the process again, and are much more optimistic! We have a game plan and have learned from our mistakes and look forward into getting in this year. We are applying all over again, but have added a few Texas schools, South Carolina, Iowa, California and Utah to the list! We’ll keep you posted on how this goes!

For now, we are visiting family in Vancouver and next week head off for a two week adventure in Singapore. We are nervous to travel with Ellie, but are so excited to see family and a new part of the world! We’ll be back at the end of June and will start to get settled in Meridian then! Wish us luck! 

Our Newest Addition

On February 26 Miss Ellie Marie Doroshkin came to our family! Her arrival into this word was a little bumpy, but ultimately she was healthy and happy! I know a few of you wanted to hear the whole story, and I apologize that it is now 3 ½ months later and I’m just now doing this! To start off, I have to tell you that I did a lot of preparing for Ellie’s birth. I read lots of books and articles about all different kinds of delivery. I had my goal delivery in mind, but I prepared myself for anything that might happened. I think that my preparation is what saved me that day. Nothing went the way I had planned, and I am glad I knew a little bit about alternative ways to deliver a baby, because in the moment, there is not a lot of time to ask questions.

Sunday, February 24 (40 weeks and 6 days pregnant). Alex and I woke up to go to church, like we always do on Sunday mornings. This morning was a little different though. By the time we got to church I was experiencing some pretty good contractions. We decided to head off to church and see what happened. By noon my contractions were coming about every 8-10 minutes! We finally thought this was it. We went home and made sure everything was ready. Contractions kept coming, but not any closer together. After walking a lot (even going up to campus to walk in the WILK) and around 6 pm, contractions were finally about 3-5 minutes apart. Time to go to the hospital! We were sadly disappointed when they checked us in, did an exam, only to find out we weren’t in labor. I was only dialated to a 1 and wasn’t progressing. Bummer! That night Alex and I returned home, hopeful that in the next few days, we would have our baby girl.

Monday, February 25 (41 weeks pregnant). Because I was now a week overdue, they scheduled me for a non-stress test. Basically I was hooked up to a monitor that kept track of my contractions and Ellie’s heartbeat. There were a few concerns after the test and so they decided to induce me. Apparently there wasn’t a good reason not to, since I was overdue. So I checked into the hospital around 10am. They started me on a few different drugs to induce labor. I had really wanted to have a natural birth and so felt determined not to take any pain medication just yet. Fast forward 12 hours. 10 pm- still only dilated to about a 1. Pain was tolerable. During those 12 hours, Alex and I watched a movie, played the wii and ate French fries!

Tuesday, February 26 (41 weeks and 1 day pregnant).  Fast forward another 4 hours. Contractions were starting to become painful and very close together. Still only dilated to about a 2.  By this point, I was exhausted. After talking with my doctor, she recommended that I get an epidural. She said that there was still a long ways to go and that I needed to have some energy to push. I agreed and at 3 am I got an epidural. Wow! Did that feel great! I slept for the next 4 hours and at 7 am they came in a checked me again. I was about a 3. I was trying not to get frustrated, but I didn’t think it would be like this or that I would take so long to dilate. After a few more ideas and drugs, I was at a 5! Hurray! It was now about 2pm and I figured if I kept progressing, maybe by that night we would have a baby! Hour after hour, nothing happened! At 4:30 pm I was still at a 5. My doctor has one last trick up her sleeve. Ellie had turned and was wedged almost diagonally in the birth canal. My doctor was going to try and turn her and see if that would help move things along, and also make pushing later much easier.

The next 10 minutes were the scariest of my life. While they were trying to turn her, Ellie’s little heartbeat just plummeted. The beeps were so slow and Alex and I were very worried. My room became the scene you would see on TV! Doctor and nurses were everywhere. Trying to get me to move so her heart rate would rise. They gave me a shot of adrenaline to get my heart rate to rise and it started to have a positive effect on Ellie. In the process I heard “prep the OR, we need to get this baby out.” They prepped me for surgery, Alex got to get dressed in his gown and into the OR we went. They started surgery at 5:09 and by 5:18 Ellie was born. She was 7 lbs 11 oz and was 19.5 inches long. Alex held my hand the entire time, keeping me calm and expressing his love. I couldn't have done it without him! After 30 hours of labor, a lot of pain medication and a surgery later, I was simply exhausted. They put me in recovery, but all I could think about was holding my little girl. I was able to see her in the OR for a minute but I hadn't held her yet.

That moment when I held her in my arms was perfect! The love I felt for Ellie and Alex is indescribable. I had just done the hardest thing in my life, but the payoff was beyond comprehension. Alex’s Mom was able to come down to Provo and help me while I was recovering in the hospital and for that I will always be grateful. Alex balanced his classes and being there for me and was absolutely wonderful. We were in the hospital for 4 days and then got to come home on Friday, March 1. My mom was able to fly in from Singapore a few days later and stay for a week. It was a crazy time for our family, but so great!

Fast forward 3 months. Ellie is a perfect baby! She eats well, is sleeping through the night and smiles like crazy! We love her and have enjoyed every moment being parents. I’ll try to be better about keeping the blog updated. Thank you all for your love and support during this time!