I wonder if she knew?

I wonder now if she knew. If, perhaps, my OB-GYN had a suspicion of what was to come.

A week prior to my due date, we began to discuss a day of delivery. I had some complications and rising blood pressure, but nothing too drastic. I probably could have waited for labor to begin naturally. But she insisted on scheduling a date and time.

She insisted that we plan a delivery for April 8th. Not one day past my original due date.

She asked – more than once – if I wanted to opt for a C-section. She had two C-sections herself. She was more than happy to schedule one for me too.

I was one month shy of 30 years old. I had only gained 30 pounds of pregnancy weight. I was decently healthy and not overweight.

This was my first pregnancy. I feared the complications of surgery. I opted for an epidural-supported vaginal delivery.

She asked me a couple days prior. Was I sure I did not want a C-section?

Nope. I was going to do this “right”.

We scheduled the induction process to begin the night before my due date. Nothing happened.

The following morning, we waited. And waited some more. Nothing happened.

By noon, they broke my water. Things began to progress. But the pitocin-powered fast deliveries featured in others’ birth stories? Not at all what happened to me.

Finally, after hours of pushing, after my face & head felt like they were going to explode from stress, after utter exhaustion set in, a nurse midwife asked the big question.

“Did anyone tell you this baby is large?”

Um, what?!?

I still wonder if she knew. Was my kind doctor really just a fan of the C-section delivery? Or did she know my baby girl would be born at 9 pounds and nearly 22 inches long?

I did not want to listen. I wanted to be all-powerful. I feared the thought of surgery.

Maybe next time I should ask more questions. Or listen to her advice.

Lesson learned.

 


- - - -
This week's RemembeRED prompt from The Red Dress Club: Write a post that either starts or ends with the words "Lesson learned." Word limit: 400 words.

Birthday Fun

I apologize in advance for my lack of creativity on this one, but we're still recovering from a whirlwind birthday weekend. Amelia is officially a 3-year-old. She had a great time being spoiled by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. The weather decided to cooperate so we could gather with neighbors, family, and Amelia's BFFs at a nearby park for playtime and cake. My girl is spoiled rotten, but soooo happy!

Weekends like this remind us how blessed we are to be parents.

A special thank you shout-out to BuildASign.com for Amelia's birthday signs! Our girl loved the custom signs on her big day.

Click the photo to see all their fantastic sign and banner options.


Some highlights of our party weekend:

 
A life-size Minnie Mouse balloon!



Ready.... Aim....



FIRE!



Playground time



Yummy Publix cake - Minnie Mouse, of course!



Sugar and spice - sweet girls

Here's to a great 2011! Love you, my precious daughter.

Put on your party hats!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my spunky, hilarious, brilliant, and beautiful daughter!

2008...

2009...

2010...

2011 - all grown up!  



Princess Amelia,

Mommy and Daddy love you so much! We wish you a very happy birthday. Watching you grow and learn has been the greatest joy in our lives. We are so proud of our 3-year-old!

Happy Birthday!

The first time

The first time I tucked you in, wonder outweighed fatigue. I could not sleep because I couldn't take my eyes off you.


The first time you rode in a car, you slept through it. For me, the world became a frightening place to drive.


The first time Daddy danced with you, I melted.


The first time you walked, I cheered you on.


The first time you rode a horse, I held on tight.


The first time you walked far from my side, I was proud and a little bit sad.

In a few days, you become a three-year-old. Whatever firsts may come our way over the upcoming years, two things are certain:

(1) I will always be there because you are always in my heart

(2) I will always be your cheerleader because I am proud of you

Happy almost birthday, my princess! I love you always and  forever.

My favorite mommy

Happy birthday to my mom!  If I am a good mommy to my little princess, it's because I learned from her.



Fit for a princess

Amelia turns three in a few short weeks. Three years old! That is hard to believe. But, I have plenty of time to brood and sulk in future posts. This one is super exciting for me. I finally get to reveal Amelia's big girl bedroom!

Here are our "before" shots: This is Amelia waking up on the last morning of her baby room.

The theme was frogs, and her walls are a light sage green and white. Daddy put up the chair rail and painted everything, including the adorable custom cattails to match her bedding.

I was on a mission to find bedding that would increase the girly factor but still allow us to keep the wall colors and Daddy's special cattails. Do you know how difficult it is to find girly bedding with frogs?!?

Here she is, celebrating her new big girl bed - before Mommy found anything to put on it.

But thanks to countless Internet searches and finally JCPenney.com, I found the perfect bedding set! Bright girly colors, frogs, and butterflies. And a sale price too. Woooo hoo! Check out my princess' lovely new boudoir:


"Mommy! I very, very like it!"


Now, some details:

I found the sheer flowy pink and white curtains at WalMart. These may be Amelia's favorite part of the room. She loves to touch them and ooh and ahh at their silky feel.

The wall decor is 90% mine. I purchased plain, inexpensive white frames, a pack of coordinating scrappbook paper, and some stickers. Voila! We have feature wall art for above the bed:

Similar idea for the other wall, except I used tissue paper and photos of Amelia. This was up in her nursery also, I just changed out the paper areas with her new colors.

Most moms of little girls probably have more hairbows than they can deal with. I love the rainbow effect of multiple hairbows, so I made my own hairbow hangers. I purchased dragonfly and frog pre-painted wood pieces from the Michael's craft store, Attached some ribbon with craft glue, and clipped on the hairbows. It looks adorable on her wall!

Finally, I accented some existing wall features with stick-on mirror butterflies and pink star-shaped flowers (found on clearance at Target!) to pull in the butterfly theme. While at Target, I happened to notice some new ecclectic bug and butterfly frames and picked up two of those to fancy up her dresser:

We love, love, love the transformation. I'm by no means a Martha Stewart (or my amazingly creative friend, Cheryl), but I had a LOT of fun with it. Yay, for Amelia's room growing up!

Amelia growing up? Hmm... that's an entirely different feeling.

A very long day

In less than three months, my little girl will turn three years old.

Upon the announcement of our soon-to-be bundle of joy, the experienced mamas in my life dispersed ongoing wishes and words of advice. Many of them said, "Enjoy it - they grow up so quickly!"

No kidding.

Amelia's life may be moving quickly these days, but do you know what didn't? Her birth. The longest hours of my life. As my parents roamed the hospital and sat anxiously in the waiting area, they saw several other families arrive - and leave - while I still had no baby.
The books tell you to have a birth plan. The books tell you to know what you do and don't want on delivery day. For me, thinking ahead turned out to be a waste of time and brain power. I had absolutely no control over that day.

I went to the hospital the night before. We were inducing because of increasing blood pressure and other minor issues. Steve watched the NCAA basketball championship game while I tried to fall asleep, knowing I was to experience a pretty dramatic event the next morning.
 

(about to check in)



I will spare all the labor and delivery details, but my body did not cooperate with the pitocin drug. Labor took forever. In fact, Amelia wasn't born until 11:57 p.m. that night, about 30 hours after our arrival at the hospital.

Many things happened that day. Ongoing vomiting, fatigue, thirst, and impatience to name a few. But the most frightening part came when I heard these words...

"We're going to call a NICU team in here for delivery."

Apparently, when my water was broken, thick meconium was present in the fluid (meconium, if aspirated by the baby, can cause irritation, infection, or airway blockage). My newborn baby girl was going to be handed to someone else within seconds of her birth. And to top it off, the medical team wanted the tiny head electrode on her throughout labor, to monitor her stress level. (This electrode is one of the things I had a big NO next to on my birth plan... but when it came down to it, I had zero say in the matter. It was for her safety.)

I was devastated. I was probably too tired and nauseous to properly express my concern in words, but my heart sank. And it stayed heavy throughout the day with the "what ifs".

The "pushing" phase of my labor lasted over 2 hours. Amelia was turned a bit sideways, my contractions were not coming in a helpful, timed pattern, and - surprise - Amelia was enormous. When she was finally born, the NICU team scooped her out of the midwife's hands and began to check her out.

"Lungs look clear. She's breathing fine. She looks great!"

Those were the best words I had heard all day. Finally, relief.

 

 

Prompt #3) A moment you truly felt relieved.

Happy double special day to me!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there. I get a double celebration today. Not only is it my second year as a mom to my spunky little girl, it is also my birthday. Although a friend of mine swears I am 29 again (this way she can be 29 as well - we're the same age), I am firmly planted in my 30s for a while. Exactly 8 more years, to be exact. Not too bad, I suppose.


Steve and Amelia decorated Mother's Day and birthday cards for me this morning. I was not allowed to go downstairs for a little while, so I finally got around to painting my toenails a funky & bright hot pink. Summer toes!


My cards were adorable and quite decorative. Amelia insisted on using not only stickers, but also markers and animal stamps (using the purple stamp pad, of course). And just before we all got some breakfast in our bellies, Steve and Amelia left the room, coming back downstairs with a gift bag. Amelia proudly handed it to me, saying so matter-of-factly, "this Mommy's."


Amelia and Steve bought me a Nook! A Nook is Barnes & Noble's version of the Kindle - an ebook reader. Check it out RIGHT HERE. Steve thought I needed a gadget. He's been a little obsessed with his iPhone lately, and I've been fighting jealousy since I only have an old cell phone that Amelia recently dunked in the toilet. The Nook should be fun. With an upcoming vacation on our horizon, I look forward to traveling with a slightly lighter bag. Thanks, honey!!!


Amelia hasn't been the nicest girl so far today. Her attitude has gone downhill since her art efforts this morning. We have our fingers crossed that a nap will bring her back to us, smiling and ready to be sweet again.


Have a great day today, mommies! Parenting is a tough job. But a great one too.

Happy birthday to my girl!

Dear Amelia,

Happy birthday! You are such a big girl now. Two years old! Time has gone by so quickly since you were born. I look back at photos and barely remember that tiny, helpless baby you once were.

Now when I think of my Amelia, I recall a spunky, funny, and energetic toddler who loves to play. I know that you're struggling to grow up and assert your independence. I promise to let go of your hand when you need me to let go. But I will always be near to pick you up should you fall. I am proud of you for trying so many things all on your own, but also hope you are never afraid to ask for help. Daddy and I are always here for you, whether your needs be big or small. There is nothing we would not do for you.

Thank you, Amelia for being YOU. No one in this world could make me laugh so much every day. You really are funny. And smart. And the brightest ray of sunshine in my life.

Happy birthday!!!!

We love you, we love you. Morning, noon, and night. We love you, we love you! You make our worlds so bright!