Three Weeks

Ava turned three weeks old on Thursday. It's hard to believe in less than a week she will be a month old. I cannot remember life without her. Okay, that's a small lie. I remember what sleeping 8 hours was like, but I don't remember life without the smell of lavender and vanilla after a bath, tiny smiles, smelly diapers, 2am feedings, or the curling of a hand around my finger.

This past week, unfortunately, has been very trying. With a heavy heart, I'm sad to say that my mother-in-law passed away. Our daughter met her grandmother for the first time on Saturday and they spent a wonderful day together Sunday. And while she may never "know" her grandmother, we will make sure knows what a wonderful person she was. I'll try my best to carry on the traditions my husband's mom would at Christmas...ricotta cookies, monogrammed Christmas ornaments, etc.

The next few days ahead will be difficult, but we trust that the peanut has a special angel watching over her now. We find peace and strength in the fact that she is no longer suffering. If we've found one thing out over the past few days, it's that our daughter is very blessed to have a collection of family and friends who will make sure she never wants for anything and for that we couldn't ask for more.

A Great Weekend

I mentioned in my previous post that my hormones have been a giant roller coaster so when my Mom left Friday to go home for the weekend it came as no surprise to me that when the moment she walked out of the door crocodile tears flooded my face. The anxiety of being here alone with the baby (husband was still at work) for the remainder of the afternoon was terrifying. But, the clouds of darkness lifted up when my husband asked if we could drive south to visit family this weekend. His mother spent the first few weeks of the baby's life in ICU. She was cleared to go home and anxious to meet her first grandchild. As nervous as I was to take a two week old on a two hour car ride, I was grateful to see his mom and get out of our house.

I packed and packed and packed some more (we left the house with 4 bags) and early Saturday morning we took the peanut on her first road trip. The minute I saw the 'Welcome' sign, it was like the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders. Despite the lack of sleep, I couldn't even nap. I was so excited to be around family. Don't get me wrong, we have great friends up here that are like family to us, but nothing compares to being at my grandma's where the voice volume is comparable to a rock concert or hanging out at the husband's house with his parents and brother just chatting.

The husband and I even got some alone time last night. We left the peanut with my mom and made a trip to the local carnival for a funnel cake. Classy first date out, I know.

I was sad to leave today but there's always next time. It's nice to go home and home will always be where our family is...

On another note, the dog ripped into the peanut's can of formula and devoured the powder. $95 later ($65 for a consultation with the animal poison control center and a new can of formula)  and I'm still mad at the dog. At least he's preparing us for toddlerhood.

Two Week Birthday

We had our two week check up today and the peanut has packed on the lb's, or in her case, the oz's. She gained almost 11 ounces and is now a whopping 5 lbs 15.5 ounces. We go back next Friday for a weight check just to see if she is up to her birth weight of 6lbs 1 ounce. She hasn't grown any in length since birth but we're chugging right along. The doc said her heart sounded great and her lungs, well they worked well today too!

He okayed us for a full bath since her cord has fallen off and I'm super excited to see how she likes the bath. He also okayed us for a little lotion considering her skin looks like it's peeling off. Poor kid got my dry skin.

The last few days have been good. Good and exhausting. Last night she decided we didn't need to sleep, we were up and down from midnight to 6:30am. My mom took her at 6:30 for me and I got an hour and a half. That doesn't sound like a lot but when you've gotten a total of 45 minutes over six hours, an hour and a half is glorious! Tonight, she will NOT be taking a nap at 9:30. I don't care if I have to strip her down to her diaper, she will stay awake until at least 10:30.

The husband has volunteered for baby duty tonight, he is going to see the new Batman and figures he'll just stay up. I'm looking forward to a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep.

We start tummy time tonight, fingers crossed she doesn't hate it!

Until the next post, we're leaping forward to another day!

This Thing Called Parenthood

I usually update on Wednesday's because they mark her one week milestones but as she sleeps away in her tiny bassinet not 20 feet from me, I can't help but smile. These past 10 days have been fabulous, terrifying, anxiety ridden, wonderful, and filled with more love than one can possibly imagine. My whole world revolves around a 6 lb sweet smelling (most of the time), tiny toed, little girl. Motherhood has proven to be one of my biggest, yet best, challenges so far.

We've had a few issues with breastfeeding, first with the latching and then with the milk supply but with a few formula feeds, I think we've found a happy medium. She is a night owl, which has taken some adjusting on my part but when she (involuntarily) smiles at me at 2am, I can't help but melt.

My husband has been wonderful, albet a little timid of our peanut. But he has no problem pacing a crying baby for an unlimited amount of time. He chalks it up to his calming personality (insert eye roll). Then again, I shouldn't complain, I certainly don't handle her fussing quite as calmly as he does.  The other night he came up behind me and kissed my neck and it was the best feeling in the world. To be loved by a man that gave me the world's best gift is a blessing I don't take for granted. Not for one second.

My mom has been the biggest blessing (besides the peanut) so far. I'm pretty sure our house would have fallen down around us without her. She's constantly cleaning, doing laundry, washing bottles, sweeping the floor, emptying the dishwasher... the list goes on and on. She paces with me at 2am and is a great ear when I'm trying to decide if the peanut needs to feed again or is just overtired and fighting her sleep.

My hormones have been a little more than I expected. I have sudden urges to cry (in fact, I may have shed a tear or two writing this) and when I start to run empty, really empty, anxiety takes over and I feel completely overwhelmed. But like all things that seem insurmountable, they too pass. The forgetfulness is taken some getting used to, because I have the memory of a fish these days.

All in all, our introduction hasn't been too painful. With just the right amount of bumps along the course, the husband and I are getting a good grasp on this thing called parenting. We have our two week check-up on Friday. Hopefully good things to report after!

The One About Labor

I would never have guessed that my post on the 4th would be my last pregnancy post. I definitely did not feel like I was on the verge of giving birth when I wrote that post. Our party was a success, we laughed with friends, ate a ton of good food and played a ton of corn hole. I mention that because I tell everyone corn hole sent me into labor.

The sun started to set and I decided to brave the 90 degree weather to show the boys how the game was played. After two games (one win, one loss), I couldn't take the bending or the heat any longer. I came inside, propped my feet up and took in some television. Exhausted, I decided to skip fireworks. Around 11, I went to bed anticipating a day of cleaning ahead. America's birth wore me out so I just threw the dishes and platters in the sink. 

I woke up at 2am with contractions that I assumed were Braxton Hicks. Our room was miserably hot and my bladder was miserably full. I laid back in bed but the contractions kept coming, about 5 minutes apart and strong. Stronger than any contraction I previously experienced. I called the doctor and she said to wait two hours before going to the hospital. I talked with my mom through the first hour and a half and then the contractions started coming closer together, and much, much stronger. To the hospital we went. 

At 4am I was checked by the midwife and was about 3 centimeters dilated. It was game time. I was admitted and taken to a real room. After they hooked me up to an IV, my doctor wanted me to walk laps around the hospital to help speed up the process. Apparently first labors can last a VERY long time. Except, my first labor was an exception. One lap and 5 minutes later and my water broke. 

Fast forward to stronger contractions and an epidural (thank you Jesus!) and I was 7 centimeters at 8:30. 5 hours and 5 pushes later and a beautiful peanut was born. Weighing in at 6 lbs, 1 ounce and 18 and a half inches long, Ava Madeline was born with a full head of dark brown hair at 1:12pm on July 5th. She has her daddy's eyes and toes and her momma's nose and cheeks. 

Fun facts from my labor and delivery:

The nursing staff and my doctor were fabulous

The epidural made it so I was no longer a bear-- it was not pretty for awhile

Should my husband bring a chocolate donut into the delivery room if we decide to have another baby, I will kill him 

An orange Popsicle is not a substitute for said chocolate donut

A sarcastic nurse is a fun nurse

The labor ball was not my friend
The epidural was my friend

My doctor was right, there would be no question when my water broke, I shouldn't have doubted her

Labor was not terrible and I'm very thankful it was only 11 hours
I couldn't have done it without the support from my husband and mom

I'm smitten with my peanut 

2...

Two weeks to go! Holy crap, two weeks to go! The white coat syndrome I'm experiencing at the doctor's is sticking around; I had the highest blood pressure yet yesterday but thankfully after a few moments of laying on my left side it went back down to a normal rate.

The Braxton Hicks contractions are getting stronger, in fact last night they were downright painful. Considering the doctor told nothing is happening (still) below the belt, I'm sure to have another week or so of these practice contractions. There's always next week I suppose.

The husband and I are hosting our last pre-baby party today to celebrate the 4th. It's odd (and exciting) to think that next 4th of July we'll be toting a peanut to fireworks.

Two weeks (or less) to go! Baby A will be here in no time!