I'm a Mom...My Child is under 1 years old...I Finished A Book...We Should Celebrate

This week is the first time in my daughters life I've finished a book. My Love has learned to contently play on her own with only occasional trips to my side to make sure I'm not to lonely. Today is the first time I've seen her REALLY pay any attention to a movie. Hidalgo seems to be a winner. I've marked this accomplishment in my mind because she is officially big enough to entertain herself. As long as I keep an eye open and my ears tuned in She can walk around and play while I take a breather. However, I'm starting to think there is no real way to totally baby proof a house. She has some sort of guidance system that leaders her straight to things she shouldn't be messing with. The past 10 months have been an amazing ride and with her first birthday just around the corner our little family is loving the adventure that is Her.

Dearest Olivia - Your first week home

As we drove out of the hospital parking garage with you in the backseat your dad and I joked about how they let US of all people leave with a baby. However as we paid for the parking and made our way onto the street the weight of the fact that you were really here and really ours started to overwhelm me. Your dad swiftly whisked you into the apartment when we got home to protect you from the cold. I realized then that he'd spend the rest of his life trying to protect you from hurts big and small. We were only home for a few short minutes when your dad had to kiss us both goodbye and head to work. As the door closed behind him I looked at you and burst into tears. I hadn't the foggiest idea what I was supposed to do next. I just looked at you and prayed you'd keep sleeping because once you opened your eyes you would need me. How was I suppose to know what you needed? I was terrified. After sending up several panicked prayers we started our first day at home.

We learned the first week that it's possible to function off of love alone because no one was sleeping in our house. We got our first introduction to your different cries. One of which sounds like someone is drowning a cat. That cry threw us for a loop. We learned to celebrate small victories. Every time we figured out what you were crying for was a victory...no matter how long it took us to figure it out. We learned to double and triple check the basics and remember that issues could come in combos. Mommy learned to take things one moment at a time. I wanted to enjoy every second with you not just every hour or day. I also didn't want to worry about what could happen in the next hour or day. I decided to take each meltdown and each smile as they came.

We had to take you to the doctor the day after we took you home to have you checked for jaundice. Luckily that wasn't an issue. However, doctor Spraggins was concerned about your weight. You had lost more weight than most babies do in such a short time. Thankfully, she sent us to a lactation and within an hour you and I were breastfeeding like champs. You were back up to your birth weight within 24 hours. daddy was proud and mommy was relieved.

Your first week at home was a beautiful foggy haze of love and frustration. Constant prayer for the little things and sweet moments of quiet sleep. No matter how rough a night was one look at your face in the morning had your dad and I smiling from ear to ear. You were totally worth every second of sleep lost.

Dearest Olivia-your birth

After 40 weeks and a few days you are here. You decided to make us wait. Your due date was the 31st of January but you forced us to come and evict you. Doctor Gibbs decided you didn't have enough fluid around you to wait for you to come on your own so she told mommy to go home and get some rest and eat well because at midnight we are going to start operation Olivia! (okay she didn't say those exact words).

At midnight on the 3rd of February mommy and daddy checked into the hospital to start the induction. They gave me some meds and told me to try and sleep. Honestly I didn't sleep at all. It felt like every time I closed my eyes someone was coming in to check on me. But that was okay because the room was nice :).

The medication was supposed to last for twelve hours but at some point it got lost and mommy just had to do without its help. But, that was fine because we had made progress. We were at 4 centimeters and moving along nicely.

I was determined to go into labor with as little medical intervention as possible so mommy kept an eye on everything and asked a lot of questions. Daddy made sure I was comfortable with everything that was going on. The doctors worked with us and gave me the lowest dose of pitocen they could. The pitocen quickly made mommy's contractions awful. After about 30 minutes I knew it was time for the epidural.

Daddy held mommy close to his chest and cheered her on through the contractions while the epidural guy kept poking mommy in the back. By the way the epidural wasn't bad at all especially when all you can think about is the next contraction coming up. It is a pain so different from any other pain you'll ever have. I was amazed by how much effort my body was putting in to get you out :)

After the epidural was done the doctors told me to get some rest. We didn't have time for that. In less than an hour we went form a 4 to an 8 so everyone started rushing around to get ready to greet you. People started wheeling in tables, grabbing towels, and asking mommy crazy questions like "Are you an organ donor?" All I could think was I'm here to have a baby not die. In what seemed like just a few minutes the room filled with people and it was time to push. At one point during labor there were ten people in the delivery room other than your father and I. That is pretty amazing since your birth was far from high risk compared to the other babies on the floor.

The doctors took turns helping mommy push. Daddy and a nurse held mommy's legs because they were numb from the medication. We pushed and pushed and mommy tried not to fall asleep. It was so odd...all I wanted to do was take a nap. I kept having micro dreams between contractions. I'd have to tell myself in the dream to wakeup and push. After almost two hours of pushing one of the doctors said we weren't making enough progress. She said if you didn't come out in the next few pushes they were going to use a vacuum to help you come out. That was the only time during labor I was scared. But when I looked up it was clear on everyone's face in the room that I was going to push you out. They started cheering, COME ON OLIVIA...YOU ARE ALMOST THERE! And that was all it took. The doctor came back and apologized for the rush. She saw how much progress we made and said we would be fine. We cracked a few jokes about mommy's blue fuzzy slippers and the doctors complimented your hair. Then we got back to work.

We pushed for a bit longer and before I knew it you were out. The first thing I remember hearing someone say is "Oh, she's mad." We would later find out that was just your serious face. Then I heard you cry. Aside from hearing your heartbeat it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever hear and probably will ever hear.

The doctor placed you on my chest and your dad and I fell head over heals in love with the little girl crying on my shoulder.

You were born
Feb 4th
At 11:09 pm
You were 7lbs 7oz
And 20inches long

At 11:09 pm on Feb 4th the Lord gave me everything I ever wanted. I was married to my best friend and now we had you.