Beachbody Coach

I decided that enough was enough. I'm tired of being overweight and unhappy with my body. So I signed up to be a Beachbody Coach. I'm committing myself to healthier eating, fitness shakes (Shakeology), and Insanity, while motivating other's at the same time to reach their fitness goal's too. My personal goal is to lose 30 pounds in the next 6 months. That is only a little over a pound a week, totally doable! If you want to join me check out my website: www.beachbodycoach.com/GPOLLARD Let me know how I can help YOU reach your goals. Every 30 day's I will be running a challenge group on Facebook. It is a way to keep us accountable for our workouts and healthy eating. Contact me and let me know if you want to be a part of it!

Hannah's Progress

In early January of 2012 our 3 year old daughter was diagnosed with
Post-Viral Cerebellar Ataxia (ACA: Acute Cerebellar Ataxia). It was a
long hard road to recovery for her. It took 8 months for her to walk
again, and months to do many other basic things like eating and talking.
I decided to create a video documenting her recovery over the past 3 years.
The first video is a short clip that didn't make it into the video, but it really show's what a struggle it was for her to learn to walk again.

Logan's Birth Story

Logan Jacob Pollard

As it turns out, what they say is true, no two labors are the same. With Hannah I started having contractions in the middle of the night and I labored at home for an hour or so until my water broke and I went to the hospital. With Liam I felt him drop before I went to bed and I woke up to strong contractions in the middle of the night, but the doctor had to rupture my membranes before he was born. Now for Logan's birth story.

Three day's before he was born I started having nausea before bed every night. It was annoying and making it hard to sleep. Little did I know that digestive issues like nausea and diarrhea are signs that labor is just around the corner. On Monday night I had irregular contractions that were starting to feel a bit more crampy, but didn't think much of it since my due date was about 2 weeks away. I went to bed and woke up about 3:15am to use the restroom and when I stood up my water broke. I'm not talking about a trickle of water, it was like you see in the movies, a big rush of water as I yelled at Jake to get me a towel so I could waddle to the bathroom without making a bigger mess. My doctor told me to head to the hospital if my water broke, so we called friends and family trying to find someone to come be with the kids while we went to the hospital. Jake's mom headed to our house, but they live 15 minutes away and I was too anxious to wait so I actually drove myself to the hospital :) I picked my mom up at her hotel on the way and checked in.

At the hospital my contractions started getting stronger, but after a while they became irregular and mild. When they checked me I was 2.5cm and 80% effaced. I decided to walk the hall's to see if I could move labor along, it seemed to work because contractions got stronger, but little progress was being made. I used a birthing ball for a while too but contractions were still irregular. At 9:30am they decided I needed some pitocin to help jump start my body into true labor. I was nervous about being administered pitocin because it was something I never needed before, but they started it very low at 1ml/hour and gradually increased it  by 1 ml every 20 mins. They only needed to go to 4ml/hour before they took me off because my contractions became very strong and regular as my body kicked into gear. At about 12:30pm my OB came to check me and I was a 4 and 90% effaced. He decided to go back to his office to see patients because it looked like I had a few hours to go.

The contractions got very intense and were 2-3 mins apart, but I was able to stay calm and put my energy into trying to break the bar on the side of the bed in half. At this point I wanted to move around and find positions that were more comfortable, but no position is comfortable when you are in active labor. I decided it was time for an epidural. I got one at about 1:15pm and didn't feel a thing as they placed it. By 1:45pm the contractions were less intense but I could still feel them on the left side. The nurse checked me right after they gave me an epidural and I was at a 9 and 100% effaced. They called the doctor and he had to turn around and come right back to the hospital. He checked me at 2pm and said I was complete and it was time to push. The good thing about still feeling part of my contractions was that I knew when to push. On the next contraction I pushed and everyone got excited because they could see his little head :) The nurse leaned in and told me that she had never seen the babies head on the first push. I pushed through 2 more contractions and little Logan was born at 2:03pm on Tues February 4th. They placed him on my chest and I instantly fell in love. It is such an amazing feeling to look into your babies eyes for the first time. As soon as he came into our world we couldn't imagine it without him in it.

The last picture of my baby bump. 36 weeks pregnant.

Meeting our son for the first time. 

Love at first sight.

I was surprised he only weighed 7lbs 11oz, our other kids were all well over 8lbs.

Calm while holding daddy's finger.

Right after the kids met their new baby brother and our first picture as a family of 5!

Hannah holding Logan for the first time.

She loved him right away.

Such a cutie.

So alert.

So sleepy :)

Snuggles with my precious little one.

First ride in his car seat.

The required sleeping daddy and baby picture :)

Kisses

Already an excellent big brother.

Half-Way There!!

Last week was my 20 week ultrasound. Jake was able to take a break from his clinical rotations and come be with me and the kids. Unfortunately not everything can go as planned though. The OB was delivering a baby and we had to wait 2.5 hours for my appointment. By that time Jake had to head back to work so I used my phone to FaceTime him so that he could at least partially be there.

Every time we have had a baby I have been wrong about the gender. When I was pregnant with Hannah I was sure it was a boy. When I was pregnant with Liam I was positive we were having another girl. True to my track record I was wrong again with this little one. We are having another:

BOY!!!!

We are so in love with him already! He looked adorable during the ultrasound. Rubbing his little eyes and waving to the camera. Such a precious little boy. We can't wait to meet him!

Baby Bump at 20 Weeks

Baby #3

We are expecting our third little bundle of joy to arrive around February 15th of next year. February isn't the most prefect timing for us. As of now Jake is supposed to be finishing up a 6 week OB rotation in MONTANA the month I am due. Montana people. That is not O.K. Hopefully we will be able to rearrange his schedule so that he will be a bit closer to home when baby decides to come.

 This pregnancy is flying by because our family has so much on its plate. Hannah is in preschool and dance, Hannah and Liam are playing soccer, Jake is a 3rd year medical student, and I am teaching 6 Zumba classes each week. As of a couple of days ago I am 19 weeks pregnant. We find out in a little over a week if we are having another boy or girl. The kids think it is a baby sister, or rather Hannah does and Liam goes with whatever Hannah says. Smart boy.

2 weeks ago I felt the little one kick for the first time, and ever since I have felt a non stop flutter of movement. It feels like the relationship you have with your baby really starts to develop once you feel those little movements. The first trimester was pretty rough. I felt sick almost all day. I had never really experienced morning sickness before. Thanks baby for making sure I didn't miss out on that pregnancy experience. As soon as 12 weeks approached I haven't felt nauseous much at all, but I still am pretty tired. Here are some ultrasound and baby bump pictures. We can't wait to meet this little one!

Little Peanut at 7 weeks

12 Weeks

16 Weeks

19 Weeks

Disability

Disability -  A physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.

It has taken me 20 months to freely admit this, but Hannah has a disability. I know why it has been hard for me to admit it. Because for the first 3 years of her life, she was perfectly capable of doing anything and everything a child can do at those early stages in life. She started talking early, walked on time, loved to color, hardly ever cried or got hurt. She was every parents dream child. I pictured her being an accomplished dancer and talented artist.

But in January of 2012, those dreams were put on hold as we carried our little girl around who no longer had the coordination to walk on those perfect little legs anymore. Our hopes were kept alive when doctors told us that children with Hannah's diagnosis are usually up and running again in a few weeks. Weeks past, then months, and finally relief and excitement set in as we witnessed our precious little girl take her first steps again. For a long time I referred to her as temporarily disabled, because we were assured she would be back to normal again soon. But more time has passed and we realize that her condition might not be as temporary as we hoped.

Many parents with disabled children at times probably wonder and imagine what their child would be like if they didn't have their disability. Maybe Jake and I were blessed because we don't have to wonder, we got to see Hannah and watch her thrive for years. It is still so hard for me to look at photos and videos of her before she got sick. I don't think those reminders will ever get easier. But I take comfort in the fact that even if she doesn't fully recover in this life, because of our Saviors sacrifice for us, she will be perfect again.

Hannah is not disabled. She has a disability, but she will not be defined by this disability. Yes she has a physical impairment that makes it hard to do certain things that require fine motor control, but she has it in her to do all that she wants. I can't wait to see all that she will accomplish. I have learned so much from her and I am forever grateful that she is my daughter.

Goodbye Seattle

 It's official. We no longer live in Seattle. But, we would probably still be living there if it wasn't for the help of some incredible friends who just happen to be our neighbors. 3 different families watched our kids from morning until bedtime, and one of those families fed us dinner too. Usually you have to ask people for help, but these lovely families offered their assistance and we couldn't have done it without them. So, thank you dear neighbors and friends, you have been answers to prayers our entire time in Seattle. We had another amazing helper during our move, Jake's little brother. Instead of having fun on his 3-day break from school and work he flew up and helped pack, move boxes, and drive one of our car's. Thank you so much Brando, we love Uncle B!

Loading up the truck

Last picture in front of our apartment in Seattle. I think its pretty fitting that you can see the moving truck packed to capacity in the background :-)

 There are so many things I will miss about that wonderful city. There have been a lot of negative things that happened to us while in Seattle. Jake's cancer diagnosis and Hannah's battle to recover from Post-Viral Cerebellar Ataxia have all happened here. But we have still had an abundance of incredible memories that we will cherish forever. So here is my list of things I will miss about Seattle:

1. The trees. I grew up in a small town up in the foothills and surrounded by trees. I love trees, I always have. I am going to miss the gorgeous never ending view of tall dark green trees.

2. The great appreciation for sunshine that one develops in a rainy city. Because it rains a lot, you learn to take advantage of the sun when it does make an appearance. We have learned to always take advantage of a sunny day and I feel like we have actually spent more time outside because of it.

3. So many places to go and things to see: The Children's Museum, the beautiful and abundant scenic parks, the amazing restaurants all over the place, Pikes Market which is such a fun an vibrant part of the city, and the cute little nature trail that was right by our house and travels along the shoreline of Lake Washington.

4. The Woodland Park Zoo deserves its own number. That zoo is incredible. We had a season pass and went as often as possible. They have every animal you can think of and the way it is set up makes you feel like you are walking into the natural habitat of each animal you see.

5. Our ward and the friendships we have formed within our housing community. I don't think so many wonderful people have ever lived in one complex together. We were so blessed to live where we did.

6. Hannah's preschool. She has made some great friends and her teacher is wonderful. We will also miss the incredible team of doctors and therapists that have been there for us throughout Hannah's recovery.

Hannah with her preschool teachers. The one she is hugging is her favorite, Katie.

7. The Space Needle and city skyline. I love how you will be driving and all of the sudden the Space Needle pops up in the distance and you realize how beautiful it is all over again.

8. The bike trails. The trails are wide and long and beautiful.

9. My Zumba classes. I was just starting to get to know and love the regulars who came to my classes at the locations I taught at. I will miss their enthusiasm and smiling faces. 

The list of things I will miss could get longer, but I will stop there. I will conclude with some reasons I am excited about living in Boise:

1. How close we live to Jake's family. Jake's wonderful parents and siblings live in Boise. Hannah is going to love having her little cousins to play with. And when they ask to go to Mimi's house (like they already do) I can say "OK kids" and be there in 10 minutes. The only thing that would make it even better is if Grandma Geri and Papa Ron lived close too :-)

Bowling with Papa

Mimi helping Hannah bowl

Hannah loves her cousin Katelyn

 2. We will be neighbors with our bud's the Hill's again. They are pretty great. Jack has been Hannah's best friend for 3 years in 3 different cities.

Just becoming friends in Moscow, ID.

Hanging out in Seattle, WA.

Hugs in Boise, ID.

3. Very little precipitation. Boise is a high desert so we won't be getting much rain. Yay. Jake is actually sad about this, but I can't wait to become acquainted with my friend the sun again.

4. Our apartment has a dishwasher!!!! We have lived without a dishwasher for 2 years, which is about 2 years too long.

5. A bigger place to live that actually costs less than our teensy weensy apartment in Seattle.

6. Our complex has a pool! We have already been swimming once and the kids LOVED it.

7. New Zumba classes to teach. I already have 2 classes to teach lined up at one gym and when I get there I will be getting a few more at different gyms. It is very exciting to get my own classes since I subbed in Seattle for a long time before getting my own.

8. Jake is done with classes! He has 2 years of clinical rotations in Boise, and then he will be done with medical school! There is light at the end of the tunnel guys.

9. We don't have to move again for 2/3 years!!!! Yay!

Jake and the kids with our big ol moving truck.