Thursday, December 31, 2009

Decade in Review

How did I not realize this was the last day of the decade until just now? Yeah. I guess I haven't been paying attention.

Really? A DECADE has gone by?

Goodness.

I've seen a few people doing a "decade in review" on their blogs, so I thought I'd join in. Though you are getting the edited version because there's a cute little baby who is getting increasingly bored in her bouncy seat... so here we go...

2000: A sophomore in college, I meet my future hubby! We start dating in November.
2001: I travel to Italy, England and Mexico.
2002: My grandma (my last living grandparent) dies, I was very close to her and this is a tough time for me.
2003: I graduate from college, move 75 miles away to be by future-hubby and get a job in the banking industry. I find that my new paycheck - though meager - will pay for weekly mani/pedis - sweet! In July, future-hubby asks me to be his future-wifey.
2004: We get married on January 10th - best day of my life (until recently :). We travel to Spain and Portugal on our honeymoon. I switch jobs in April and start working in the mortgage industry.
2005: Hubby and I move into a pet-friendly apartment and adopt our first furbaby, Maxx Thunderboots.
2006: We adopt our second furbaby, London Belle. We move back to the city where we went to college (and where my family lives) and buy a house. My job transfers me to a local branch and I continue working until August, when I quit to start graduate school.
2007: We travel to Mexico with my family. We travel to Paso Robles, CA, and have one of the best vacas together tasting lots and lots of wine. Our interest in wine turns into a hobby! We buy a hybrid (and lots of wine).
2008: My brother and SIL get married. I travel to Mexico. I graduate with my Master's Degree. We decide to start TTC in the summer. We get pregnant three times, and miscarry three times. First half of year is okay... second half SUCKS A$$.
2009: We get our fourth BFP. Expecting it to turn out just like the previous three, we aren't thrilled. SOMEHOW, this one sticks and after a wonderful pregnancy, our beautiful daughter, Eliza, is born 11/14/09! BEST. YEAR. EVER.

I am a lucky woman, and so very grateful for having such a blessed year. If 2010 is half as good, I will be thrilled!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Monday, December 28, 2009

WTG B00BIES!

I had my 6 week PP visit this morning with my wonderful midwife. I realized I never got a picture with her in the hospital - I wanted one with her and Eliza as a baby. Hubby took this one with his phone, but we should have done it at the beginning of the visit instead of the end when she was fussy - ha! Look at that poor sad face. Up until this point, she had been quite happy hanging out with daddy!

They have an infant scale at the clinic so we weighed the "little" miss -- she came in at ELEVEN POUNDS! Geez, girl! She is long though - 23 inches!

And so, to this I say: WAY TO GO B00BIES!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Christmas


We had a lovely Christmas. The 2-day snowstorm we got hit with through off some travel plans, and the ILs almost didn't make it here, but they ended up arriving on Saturday evening and we celebrated with them this morning. We were with my family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Overall, it was a fairly low-key Christmas - a lot of our out-of-town family doesn't fly in for Christmas, so there aren't many of us around the Christmas tree... but hopefully someday we'll have big family Christmas gatherings when there are more little ones!

We enjoyed a quiet holiday with family and our new baby girl. She was the only gift I wanted. I just stared at her as she peacefully slept on Christmas morning and thought about where I was last year at this time. Happy, yes, but not complete; I was recovering, healing, trying to continue on the journey. What a difference a year can make. We are so lucky...she really is our miracle girl.

Eliza didn't get many gifts this year (we didn't get her anything - we didn't think a 6-week old needed gifts - is that horrible of us??!!), but her aunties and grandparents couldn't resist, and they did get her a few books and some really fun collapsable fabric blocks. Oh, and I managed to finish her Christmas booties just in the nick of time. I LOVE how they turned out (though this isn't a great pic of them); I think I'll make another pair for her in the 3-6 month size.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Pics

5 weeks old! Our little beauty is really starting to look like...er... a person! Here are a few pics from this week.

This one was taken of Eliza laying on daddy's lap, doing "bicycles". When she starts to "crank up" as we call it, we can sometimes cut her off at the pass by doing this, if the fussiness is due to gas. It really helps get the bubbles out. And then we laugh like mad at the bubbles coming out. Because SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE. The dynamics of the entire process are astounding, considering she is less than two feet tall.


This photo is just so darn cute, I can't even stand it. My mom knit her the red hat (which, conveniently enough, is so stretchy it will likely fit her until she's 18). She was happily riding around the house on dad's shoulder one night when I saw her little eyes peeking out at me. What a sight.


And here we have Eliza with her fur-brother, Maxx. Her EIGHTEEN POUND fur-brother who has been incredibly patient with the new little member of our household (and her shenanigans that keep mom and dad's hands and laps busy) - especially considering that he could, if he wanted to, SIT ON HER to show us how he REALLY FEELS... but he doesn't because he's just a great big ball of sweet teddy bear goodness. We love you, fatty.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Project!

I'm all set to make a pair of these for Eliza - hopefully I'll get some time this week when daddy is home (he took a week off work - soooo excited!). I want her to wear the booties on Christmas, and then I'll make them into a Christmas tree ornament. I read about a family doing this for each of their kids and thought it was a sweet idea. I think I'll embroider her name on the soles, too.

Hope I get some time this week! I'll post a pic (IF they turn out...).

I still need to work on a Christmas stocking for her... I better get busy!!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

One Month

Yes, I am already behind - Eliza was one month old on Monday, and here we are on Thursday and I'm just getting around to posting this. I'm in the midst of a hellish grading extravaganza... I've graded like one million papers in the past week (yes, ONE MILLION), and have barely had time to look at my child. My parents have had all the fun with her, and of course I've been missing things ("OH, I think she just smiled! Oh, she did it again!!" Gee, thanks Mom...), and crying myself to sleep over it (well, not literally... but still...). This sucks! I'm almost finished, just about 30 left to go of the last assignment my students handed in last week.

AND YET, on Monday I still managed to remember that it was her one-month birthday and snapped a few photos (and even caught one of the ever-illusive half smiles she's been doing lately). See? I'm not the horrible mother I've been fearing I am...



My beautiful girl: you are one month old. We have enjoyed every single minute with you since the day you were born. Even when you are crying and fussy, your dad and I always say "she's still the cutest, bestest baby ever born!". And it is true. You are generally a very content little girl. You love being held, you love nursing, you love when your Grandma M sings to you, and you love laying in your changing table staring at your cow picture (it's a little weird, dear child of mine, but whatever floats your boat :) and you love bath time, too. Oh, and you love your mom and dad, of course! ;) You have started smiling once in a while, which is so completely adorable. The smiles you give us are still few and far between, but when we see one... it's like a little glimpse of heaven.

We want to thank you for continuing to be such a great sleeper at night. Your body knows when it's night time, and after you nurse at around 9:30 or 10:00, you are out like a light. You wake up a few times at night, but you always wake up so gently... and I know you are telling me you want to nurse. Then you drift off to sleep again. Your dad and I love sharing a bed with you. We know this precious time won't continue forever, so we are enjoying it while it lasts.

I am sorry I've had so much work to do during your first month of life. I'm sure you are one of only a few babies out there who has attended graduate classes at a mere two weeks of age! I'm sorry I had to drag you all over campus when I'm quite sure you'd have rather been at home sleeping... but I think you secretly loved going to school and being fawned over by all my classmates...! On Tuesday, you came to class with me while I taught, and you slept almost the entire time. My students were tickled to meet you; they all said how beautiful you are and that you look like me. And you have had lots of great bonding time with Daddy, Grandma M and Grandpa P while I've had to sit at the table and grade... so I doubt you have even noticed that Mom has been busy.

You and I have still gotten our quiet time together; this time with you calms my heart and mind like nothing else. The hours I have spent looking down at you while you nurse have been magical, and some of the best hours of my life so far. You are my miracle, Eliza. You are my girl. I love you.

-Mom

Monday, December 14, 2009

Nomnomnom

I could just stick 'em in a pita pocket and eat them!

(reference, anyone?)

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Realities

  • Showering. I think I'm finally up to showering at least three times a week - hooray! Let's not talk about how often I showered when we first brought her home. Thanks. Oh, and this may also apply to brushing my teeth... eeeggghhhh... yeah. All I can say is I'm glad we're back to normal in that department.
  • Running to the store. Having a baby in the wintertime (and especially right before a blizzard), you just don't want to leave the cozy warm house very often and brave the freeeeezing cold temps. And so, your Tar.get runs become less frequent. But no problem, you have a husband! And so, you put a shopping list together. You put "shampoo" on it. HOWEVER, if you think that means he'll know which shampoo brand to buy, you might be incorrect in that assumption, and you might end up shampooing your hair with Sua.ve Green Apple shampoo. It could happen.
  • Sleeping. We bought a co-sleeper before she was born, put it next to our bed and planned for her to sleep in it from day 1. And then day 1 got here, and it was 2 am on day 1, and she wouldn't sleep, and we hadn't slept in like 20 hours... and so I brought her into our bed, and - gasp! - let her sleep on her side because the girl LOATHES sleeping on her back - and WE ALL SLEPT! So, it turns out that the reality is YOU DO WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO TO SLEEP. And so, for now, we share sleep. And we're cool with it (thank you, Dr. Sears!).
  • Being a Mom is awesome. This is my favorite reality. It's so true. Eliza fits into our family like a missing puzzle piece. It's beautiful. It's surreal. I love being her mom. She is my little sugar bear, my Eliza bean, my precious miracle. I couldn't be more grateful for my life and my little family. We are complete.

(Excuse me while I go try to get the green apple scent out of my hair...)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

The Kindness of Bloggers



Isn't this hat the cutest? A dear blogger friend, Missy, crocheted it and sent it to me (and a pair of adorable booties, not pictured because the little miss was a bit too squirmy!) before Eliza was born.

I was so touched to receive this beautiful gift from Missy. She has been through a lot in the last year and a half. We started TTCing around the same time last year - we were both so happy and optimistic about the road ahead of us. Unfortunately, neither of our journeys went as we thought they would. Missy is still out there in the trenches, and though I know that she will one day soon be a mommy, it breaks my heart to see her struggle. I wish things were different for her, I wish they were easier, and I wish I could make things better for her. Even in the midst of all that she has been through, Missy was happy for me and celebrated with me when this pregnancy finally stuck and when Eliza was born. She has been a true friend, and this thoughtful gift is just one way she has shown her kindness and generosity.

Thank you Missy, Eliza loves her hat and booties!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

She made me buy it...


While on a trip to our local natural baby care store, Eliza and I tried out the Kangaroo Korner Pouch Sling.

As soon as I put her in it, she was all like: "Mom, you MUST buy this for me." And then I was like: "Eliza, it's kind of pricey, and we already have two other carriers for you", to which she said: "Pshaw, Mom, each carrier has a different use, don't you know? THIS one is perfect for quick in-and-outs, and the fleece will keep me super warm in this crazy-ass cold weather you make me live in." So I said "Honey, you make some excellent points!"

Okay, so some of that might have been embellished for the sake of dramatic effect...

Here's what actually happened: she looked up at me and I melted into a puddle of "okayhoneywhateveryouwant!"

I'm screwed (but isn't my new sling great?? :)

Monday, November 30, 2009

Baby Bullets

  • BFing is going better than I expected, and for this I am incredibly grateful. I love it. It's such a special time between Eliza and me. We are lucky that she is such a GREAT nurser.
  • We visited Grandma (my mom) today at work and while we were there we put her on the baby scale - she's up to 8 lbs 10 ozs! Way to go, bo.obies!
  • Eliza loves to move! I suppose most babies at this age do, but wow, movement is like an instant baby-crying-stopper. She especially likes the 'elevator' that daddy does with her - he holds her in both hands and lifts her up and down. Daddy's biceps love it, too ;-)
  • On this note...I officially hate stoplights! She is content when the car is moving, but as soon as we stop moving, she gets a little mad at the world.
  • Oh - quick plug for an awesome baby product that we love: the Cooshee Changer. It doesn't need a cover, it's made of some type of futuristic foam or something and you can just wipe it down with a baby wipe if (when) it gets various baby fluids on it! Heheh.
  • I have been wearing Eliza a lot, and it is lovely. I have looked forward to doing that for so long, and the time is finally here. I have the K'Tan and the Moby, and I really like both of them. I'm starting to prefer the Moby as it provides a bit better back support for mama, but the K'Tan is great for a quicker in-and-out. Hoping to get an Ergo for when she is a bit older. I think that one will be great for hiking up North next summer.
  • I know it is too early to say what 'kind' of baby Eliza is (content/quiet/fussy/good sleeper/not-so-good sleeper/etc...), after all, she is constantly changing right now - and frankly, I'm not one to label my child in that sort of way... but I will say that, so far, she's been a joy to take care of. Sure, she has her fussy time of day (often in the evening before bed), but generally she is easily soothed (see above re: Daddy's biceps) - as long as we keep on soothing her! She has some wonderful periods of quiet alert time, which are so much fun. That's when we do tummy time, or we talk to her, or we tour the house, or talk to her about all the fun things we're going to do when she gets a little bigger. Sometimes, we just stare at her as she takes in her world. We call it 'Baby TV' because we could just stare at her all day long.
  • Sleeping at night: THIS I know will be an ever-changing animal, so just because it's been going well so far doesn't mean this pattern will necessarily continue... I will just count my blessings NOW... but really, we've been lucky in this department, I think (*knocks on wood*). She nurses before we go to sleep, and then she falls asleep and sleeps anywhere between 3 and 5 hours (last night we got 5 straight!), then nurses again, then falls asleep again for about 2-3 hours, wakes up and then nurses again (at this point it's usually the early morning and hubby is getting ready for work), and then will fall asleep for 1-2 hours again. We stay in bed until about 9 or 10, just nursing and dozing... and by the time we get out of bed, mom feels pretty rested! I also try to get a nap in during the day. This has worked really well for us, and I have felt surprisingly well rested (this coming from a former 10-hour-per-night sleeper). This was one of my greatest fears, as I NEED my sleep... so I am thankful that it has been going well. EVEN if it starts to not go so well, at least I've gotten some good sleep early on in her life (while I was/am still recovering and getting used to being a mom!). She still isn't loving her co-sleeper, so she's co-sleeping with us for the time being, but it's fine with us. In fact, we prefer it right now.
That's what's going on in our little world... I just had so many things running around my head that I wanted to say, I thought bullets were the way to go today. I'll leave you with a few pics from Thanksgiving.




Thursday, November 26, 2009

Eliza's Birthday

FINALLY! I wanted to get this done by the 2 week mark, and I've made that goal with 2 days to spare.

DISCLAIMER: this is really long. No, I'm serious. It's, like, REALLY long. I wrote it more in personal reflection/journal format to have as a keepsake for me and Eliza, so I truly left no detail out. Reader beware! ;)

I went in on Friday the 13th (so glad she wasn’t born on that day!) for gels – similar to Cervidil, but not as strong I guess. The gel is applied near the cervix. My midwife, Anne, said that if labor was already imminent, it would be enough to push me over the edge, but otherwise would probably not work – if not, I’d need to come in the next night to start the Cervidil.. She checked me and I was 3 cm and 60% effaced. I didn’t have much hope that the gels would work, but she thought they might, especially when the monitor started picking up small contractions once the gel was in. I couldn’t feel them at this point. I went home at about 1:30 and on the drive home I started to feel crampy (in my back, exactly like a menstrual cramp, but WAY less painful), but nothing really bad. Anne said this might be a side effect of the gel.

I got home and fussed around the house a bit. I did the dishes, cleaned a little… it’s my nature to do this, though, so I don’t really know if this meant anything about labor starting or not! Though everyone says it does. The cramping started to pick up around 2:00 or so, and I thought they might have become regular, but it was hard to tell. I still felt everything in my back (I expected to feel everything in my back since that is where I feel menstrual cramps – I always expected labor to feel like this actually – I get incredibly horrible back pain during my period… long story for another time!). I decided to take a bath to help the cramps. It felt good (and I got a chance to shave my legs just in case this was labor! ☺). By the time I got out of the bath, the cramping was pretty uncomfortable, to the point I needed to stop and use some type of pain coping technique to help. They were still easy to breathe through, and getting on my hands and knees really helped. STILL, I was completely in denial that this was labor. I kept thinking ‘it should hurt more if this is really labor’! At 3:00, my mom called from work. I was on my hands and knees in the nursery and told her how I was feeling. She immediately said “it sounds like this could be it!” Still, I didn’t believe it. The contractions didn’t seem to be coming at any regular interval, and in fact my back pretty much hurt constantly. So I thought maybe I was just feeling the side effects of the gel.

Things continued like this until 4:30. Then the cramps got worse and I was really feeling them. I wasn’t timing them (probably should have been!), so I didn’t know how far apart, but it felt like they were coming pretty often. Who knows – time loses all meaning in labor! My mom called and said she was coming over, and that she was in fact really close to my house so she’d be there in a minute. When 15 minutes passed and she still wasn’t there, I was kind of worried, and wanted her to get there ASAP! I was draped over the arm of the couch at this point, breathing through the contractions as best I could. She called again and said she had gotten into a fender bender like two blocks from my house and was waiting for the police to get there. What great timing! I think she could tell from the sound of my voice at this point that I needed her, so she said “never mind, I’m coming right now, I can just file the police report online!” She was at my house right away. She helped me get through the contractions and suggested some different positions. I was really focused on helping the baby move down into my pelvis so I was using every position known to be good for that – squatting, rolling my hips, walking, etc. I remember being very focused on the baby and wanting to do everything I could do help her move down. Mom was checking baby’s heart tones every so often with the doppler and she sounded nice and strong. At around 6:00, she checked my cervix and I was at a 4 and 100% effaced. This was definitely it! I finally believed it ☺. Andy got home around that time – I was so glad to see him. He took over for mom and started helping me get through the contractions. He was extremely good at helping me – the birth class had apparently helped him a lot! Mom made me some ramen for dinner, which I ate in between ctxs, and we just continued to try different positions for a couple of hours. Around 8:00, mom checked me again and I was 5 cm. At this point, mom suggested we head to the hospital; she was worried the car ride would be too uncomfortable for me the longer we waited. So Andy ran frantically around the house throwing things into a bag (um, even though our hospital bag had been packed for weeks! We ended up bringing WAY too much stuff !). The drive was okay. Very uncomfortable, yes, but it was only about an 8 minute car ride.

We got to the hospital and I was in a lot of pain by this point – the ctxs were strong and seemed close together to me, though time really does lose all meaning in labor (did I say that already?). The waterbirth suite was open, so we got there and started filling up the tub. In the meantime, my AWESOME nurse (SO glad I got her) suggested lots of different positions for me to try, which helped. Moving around felt really good. We tried the birthing ball, doing pelvic rocks, walking, squatting, etc… one thing that really worked was sitting on the birthing ball in the shower with the shower jets pointed at my back (so I was facing away from the shower head). It felt so good, and I could move my pelvis around on the ball in circles. I highly recommend this position! The tub was full by this point, so I got in and labored there for at least an hour or so. I remember thinking at this point ‘I can do this! I AM doing this.’ As long as I got a break in between ctxs, I was fine. The rests – albeit small – felt divine. Even though the labor was completely still in my back, I was doing it. This was what I always suspected labor would feel like (in my back), and I was used to that type of pain, so was able to handle it so far.

At midnight, the ctxs started to pick up all of a sudden and got a LOT stronger and closer together. They felt like they were coming one after the other. Anne checked me and I was at a 6. I was frustrated by this, but tried not to be too frustrated because I knew that dilation is not linear – I could certainly be complete in only a short amount of time, it wouldn’t necessarily take hours more… but still, the pain was getting harder and harder to deal with. Anne suggested we try sterile water injections as a method of pain relief for the back labor, so I agreed, hoping it would work. MAN, those things hurt. They basically just shoot a small amount of sterile water (not saline) into the lower back just under the skin in four different places. It’s supposed to trick the brain somehow… not sure exactly what the neurological reasons are that it works… but it has to do with pain of getting them injected. So we did those at about midnight or so and it did seem to work for a while, but I don’t think it worked as well as Anne was hoping. After this point, something changed in my labor – the ctxs started coming close together, and then really far apart, and then close together again. I remember I would get like a five minute rest, which would feel great (and I would almost fall asleep), and then I would be hit with a MEGA contraction. Then after that, another regular sized contraction would come like one minute later. It was weird. I got back in the tub around 1:00 and labored there more. The pain was getting really unbearable and I started to feel like I was losing control, and losing my focus a little bit. Contractions were still coming at weird times, they were not regular at all. I got out of the tub around 1:45 and Anne wanted to check my cervix again. I was still a 6. She also noticed that the baby was, as far as she could tell, posterior. She thought this might be the reason for my back labor. She suggested at this point that we break my water to see if that would help make the contractions more regular. I agreed.

After that, I got back into the tub and things really started to pick up. I thought at first that this was a good sign – contractions were coming every minute or so, very strong, very hard and very regular. Then at, I think, around 2:00 am the contractions stopped stopping - that is, I got no breaks in between them and was wondering what the H*LL was going on! I remember saying “I’m not getting a break anymore – I NEED THE BREAKS! Why am I not getting a break?” I could tell mom and Anne were concerned and this was when they started talking about the possibility that my labor was becoming “dysfunctional” (not a word I wanted to hear!!). Mom explained that because baby might be posterior, she was probably trying to turn to an anterior position and this was causing the constant feeling of having a contraction without getting a break. It was excruciating! Those breaks between contractions are imperative to the process, I have decided! At this point I felt myself starting to freak out, and was very upset that things had stopped progressing like they should. I had been at this for 12 hours and was very tired. I kept saying: “I am soooo tired. I need to sleep.”

At this point I could hear Anne and my mom talking over me in hushed voices and I knew what was coming. Before labor started, I had asked them to please not offer me drugs unless and until my labor reached a point where this would be helpful in their opinion – unless they truly thought it was necessary. I also asked them to please ignore me if I started asking for them. They did both of these things for me, and I am so grateful. I knew going into things that if they (Anne and mom) suggested an epidural, it would be because it was necessary at that point – and not for any other reason (convenience, to get me to shut up – haha ☺). And at 2:30, when I was still at a 6 and still hadn’t gotten a break from the mega contraction, they finally said “okay Ella, we think it’s time to start discussing an epidural.” I was sad, frustrated and upset, but I trusted Anne and mom, and I knew it was the right choice. I needed it in order to bring my baby into the world. I had lost control and felt my body tensing up from the non-stop, powerful back pain I was experiencing. I cried and felt like a failure; I remember apologizing to the baby, apologizing to Andy… oh my goodness, it was so dramatic – ha! ☺ So, at about 3:30 (it took him FOREVER to get there!!), the anesthesiologist arrived and administered the epi. I felt immediate relief and was able to sleep. I slept for about an hour and a half or so.

When I woke up, Anne checked me and I was complete and ready to push! Pushing was my favorite part! I really liked pushing. I felt so in control and with every push I knew I was closer to meeting my baby girl. It was weird at first – I definitely had to learn how to push. Anne was a great coach, telling me what I was doing right, what to do more of, etc… so I got the hang of it quickly. I pushed about three times with each contraction. I preferred to be on my side at first, so I pushed like there for a while, and then Anne suggested I try the birthing bar. The nurse installed that on the bed, and wrapped a sheet around it so I could pull myself up with the sheet while pushing (kind of hard to explain… but the sheet was wrapped up like a rope). I REALLY liked the bar. I could pull myself up while I pushed and really curl myself up and focus my ab strength on pushing. As I was pushing, mom was taking pictures (eew, I know – but in the end I was really glad she did) and showing me the progress I was making (they had a mirror up, but the bar was blocking it). It was awesome. Finally, after an hour and 45 minutes, Anne said “Ella, reach down and grab your baby!” And I did, and it was the best feeling in the world! I grabbed her and pulled her onto my chest. She SCREAMED right away, and didn’t stop for about a full hour after she was born – she made her presence known! And mom and dad cried right along with her. She was finally here. Our girl, our miracle girl. We sat there and cried together, all three of us. We didn’t take our eyes off of our daughter for at least a full hour. They allowed me to keep her on my chest for quite a while – Andy cut the cord after it stopped pulsing, the placenta was delivered, Anne stitched me up (I had a superficial 2nd degree tear), and all the while my eyes were on my daughter. It was quite a feeling of shock and awe – I mean, I KNEW I was pregnant for 9 months, I knew I was having a BABY, but… omg, there was a baby on my chest! MY baby. It was crazy. It was completely shocking! In a good way, of course ☺

They finally took her and weighed her – Anne’s guess was closest at “over 8 lbs!” I guessed about 8 lbs, and she came in at 8 lbs 5 ozs! At 41 weeks 1 day, I thought that was a healthy sized girl. Everyone was saying: “you grew a wonderful, healthy baby girl, Ella! Way to go!” It was such an amazing experience. The entire thing was so rewarding, so wonderful! Even though the labor was difficult, didn't progress as well as it could have with a posterior babe, and became “dysfunctional”, I made it through and I’m happy with the decisions we made to bring our baby girl into the world. YES, I would have preferred to avoid the epi, but it clearly was what I needed at that point, and I trusted the people around me who were supporting me and guiding me through the decision. In the end, I feel great about what I accomplished, about laboring for 13 hours on my own, using many different pain coping techniques, and for pushing my baby out! It was an empowering, life-altering experience and I am so proud of myself and of my baby. She did as much work as I did in being born, after all!

Whew, that was long! Glad I got it out, though. Thank you for reading!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

FYI!

I'm hard at work on my L&D story... typing one-handed is SLOW! :) Hope to have it done by tomorrow, but I have also learned not to plan too much these days!

Daddy's first day back at work is tomorrow :-( Eliza and I are so sad to see him have to go back. *crying*

Anyway, just wanted to let you know I didn't fall off the face of the planet, my baby girl is just much more appealing than my laptop!!

I'll leave you with two pics. We took our first bath together this weekend. Daddy took some great pics!



Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Eliza Live!



I still haven't had a chance to get Eliza's entire birth story down, but I thought I'd share this video of Eliza from her second day of life.

Btw - thank you sooo much for all the sweet comments! We also think our girl is pretty darn beautiful, but we might be biased :) We are so in love with her; it is overwhelmingly powerful. Things are going great so far, I think. Eliza is a really good nurser (yay!) and we've been able to get some 3 hour stretches of sleep in between feedings a few times, which feels great to mom and dad! Trying our best to follow the "when she sleeps, you sleep!" motto... well, we try. She is just so cute to look at when she sleeps, we don't want to close our eyes! She is currently sleeping peacefully against my chest in the Baby K'Tan. Wearing her brings tear to my eyes. I've been waiting so long for this (and every other, for that matter) moment.

Have I mentioned how in love I am? Oh, maybe I have...

Monday, November 16, 2009

INTRODUCING...

Our long-awaited, incredibly beautiful (if we do say so ourselves), daughter:

Eliza Margaret


Born Saturday November 14th at 7:16 am

8 lbs 5 ozs

20 inches long

She has completed our world!

We finally made it here, and we love it.

Birth story and details to follow... :)


Eliza's Stats

Birth: 8 lbs 5 ozs
Going home: 7 lbs 10 ozs
5 days: 7 lbs 13 ozs
2 months: 12 lbs 6 ozs
4 months: 17 lbs
5 months: 18 lbs 12 ozs
6 months: 20 lbs 13 ozs
9 months: 24 lbs 3 ozs
12 months: 26 lbs 13 ozs
15 months: 28 lbs
18 months: 29 lbs 3 ozs
2 years: 32 lbs
3 years: 34 lbs

Alice's Stats

Birth: 8 lbs 11 oz
2 Months: 13 lbs 10 oz
4 Months: 17 lbs 15 oz
6 Months: 20 lbs 4 oz