Well life has changed in a big way and now almost 3 weeks after Alyssa's birth it is really beginning to set in for me. I can't complain, things have not been too hard. Maybe they've even been a little easier than I had expected. Alyssa is doing well with her formula so far. We have her on a 3 hour feeding schedule during the daytime and in each feed cycle she has feeding time, awake time, then naptime and then the whole process starts over again. I got this from the book Babywise which is a book about getting your baby to sleep through the night by 8 weeks. So far so good. I really think the plan works. She almost sleeps through the night now. Some nights she wakes twice, and some nights just once. And she had a night that she did sleep through the night. The big thing is waking them every 3 hours to eat, and putting them down at the end of each cycle to sleep before they have fallen asleep in the swing or bouncy seat. They say to put the baby down in the crib awake and let her cry herself to sleep. And it works! Thank goodness. The hardest part of the whole thing right now is keeping her awake for any extended time. She almost sleeps all the time. But she's learning and becoming more alert each day.
She's beginning to smile now, every now and then, so I think she'll really smile soon. I can't wait to hear her little laugh and to play with her when she gets a little bigger. She's already growing so fast though. I was looking at pictures we took when she was just born and she almost looks different even now. And her little muscles in her neck are getting strong. When I hold her up and burp her, she will lift her head all the way up and look whichever direction she wants. It's crazy, it won't be long and she'll hold it up on her own. And today she noticed her toys that I hung on her carseat. She started watching them as they dangled over her head. And she gazes in our eyes when we feed her. I just love every moment!
Nick and I are finally moving this week in to our new house. I will really have my work cut out for me then. I'll be organizing and putting things in their place during Alyssa's naps. After things get organized at the house (hopefully in a week or so) I have big plans for a very productive daily schedule. I'm adjusting to trying to balance time for me in with my time for her. And so this is what the big plans are about. I really want to start working out again. I didn't gain very much, in fact I'm almost my same size that I was before I had her, except a little baby pooch in my tummy. But I just feel lazy and "blah" so I want to get up after her first feeding of the day 7am and go on a walk with her, or maybe even a jog once I work my way up to it. Then I have a whole other list of things I want to do like scrapbook her book, and lay out at my mom's pool. So we'll see how all of that works out. I guess it depends on how she does with everything. Right now one of my biggest fears is that she will get collic. I really hope she doesn't. So far she doesn't seem like she'll have it, but she does act like it hurts her to go to the bathroom (ya know #2) so hopefully she's just learning how to do that and not really in pain or anything. She does cry and cry when she has to go though. Hopefully this will pass and won't develope in to anything worse. Well it's time to feed the little princess.
2008-05-17 (baby has arrived)
A Magical Week
Alyssa is now a week and a day old! I can't believe it, she's already growing up too fast. Nick and I have watched her with amazement and wonder all week, just facinated with how beautiful and sweet God has made her. The first few days she just seemed to sleep and sleep. I kind of thougt "hey this parenting thing is going to be really easy if it stays like this". But it didn't stay that way long. It didn't take long for Nick and I to reallize that Alyssa had her days and nights mixed up. So we have been working very hard to switch things around. Overall she's doing well. She has her fussy times when she just wants to be held and suck on her binky; right now is that time (as I hold her with my left hand and type with my right haha ) We have so enjoyed having Alyssa with us. She has just stollen our hearts in such a way we never even expected. Having her has also brought Nick and I so much closer than we were before. It has brought our relationship to a level that I never even knew existed. Things are so wonderful I can't really put it into words! The only thing that could make things get any better is when we move in to our new house, which shouldn't be much longer. Nick has still been working on it so we're getting close!
2008-05-13 (baby has arrived)
I'm a Mommy!!!!
I'm finally officially a mommy to the most beautiful baby girl in the world (that sounds conceited but seriously every mom thinks that about their own baby... as they should) I wanted to let you all know how the labor and delivery went and how things have been going now that we're home... so here goes.
As you all know I was scheduled to be induced on Friday morning at 7am and that morning at about 5am I woke up and was having contractions on my own every 10 minutes. By the time it was 7am and we checked in to the hospital, they hooked me up to the moniters, and my contractions were 3 minutes a part. This was before they gave me any pitossin or anything to induce me. I had went in to labor on my own, so the doctors were really pleased with that. They went ahead and broke my water, gave me my iv, and my epidural (which I highly reccomend, it worked wonders!). Things started progressing slowly but steadily, and I never felt any pain from contractions. We just hung out and talked and laughed, people came in to visit me, and I just had a relaxing time while I waited for the contractions to fully dialate me. By 3pm I was fully dialated and effaced, and it was time to start pushing. Alyssa still was pretty high up so the doctor said by pushing I could hurry her along. Well I pushed and pushed for an hour and she wasn't moving. The nurse that was coaching me kept feeling my stumach and she seemed concerned that something was wrong, so she asked the doctor to come in and check Alyssa's position. Sure enough there was a problem; Alyssa was turned with her head facing my left hip and was lodged between my pelvic bones and not going to go down any further facing that way. (baby's have to be facing up or down to come out...not sideways). So the doctor decided to take matters in to his own hands... or should I say his forceps, and I'll spare everyone the horrible details of what that means, but just know that it was very bad for me and Alyssa. When her head finally came out the doctor and nurses started to look concerned because she had meconium which means because of all the stress of being stuck and turned she had her first poop inside my tummy, which is really bad because it gets in her mouth and nose and if she breaths in to take that first breath it will all go in her lungs and set up an infection. So we had to stop pushing right then with just her head out for them to start suctioning everything out of her mouth and nose. They the doctor let me push her the rest of the way out and by this time there were about 8 nurses and 2 doctors in the room, it was very scary! Alyssa was completely blue. The doctor laid her on my tummy for a split second, cut the cord himself (Nick was going to do it) and rushed her over to be suctioned and to be given oxygen and try to get her breathing. It was the scariest thing ever! Me and Nick and both our moms were crying and just praying that she'd take her first breath and cry. It took about 5 minutes, but it seemed like an eternity before they finally got a little cry out of her. Then they wrapped her up and I got to hold her for a few seconds, then Nick got to hold her for a few seconds, then they quickly took her to be worked on so they could get her breathing right. They told us she may have to go to the NICU for the night, but thankfully she made a turn around a few hours later. She was born at 5:13pm, but Nick and I didn't get to see her or have her back to our room until after midnight. It was the longest wait! and we were so worried about her. But things really turned around, and thank you to all of you that were praying for her, I was trying to keep everyone informed, so thank you so much because when the pediatrician came in he said word for word "God worked a miracle in this baby tonight". He told us normally baby's in that traumatic of circumstances at birth don't turn around for at least 24 hours. So we were very lucky that she was stable and in our room that evening. I can't explain how much love I felt for her immediately when I saw her. It really was love at first site! I heard people say it, but until you experience it yourself you don't really know. It was the best feeling I've ever felt in my whole life to hold her for the first time. She is the most precious thing to me, and if I had to do all of that over again 10 times to have her, I totally would! It's worth all the pain and stress.... so worth it! Nick is absolutely crazy about her too! He is so cute with her. He is so protective, and worries about anything and everything that could possibly be harmful to her. He just loves to hold her and feed her and change her. He does such a good job too! And he has been awesome with me through the whole thing. He was a great support and encouragement through the labor and delivery process. And now he's still so encouraging, he tells me I'm a wonderful mommy, and how much watching me take care of Alyssa just makes him fall more in love with me. And he always wants to take her and give me time to rest. He's just the most amazing husband, which I already knew... that's why I married him, but I also know that he is going to be an amazing dad as well (he already is!).
So now Alyssa has been home for a few days, and I have enjoyed and cherrished every minute with her. Being a mommy and taking care of this little, adorable baby is the most fullfilling thing I've ever done. I honestly feel like I was born to do this. It comes so naturally, and I just love every minute of it! I even like the parts that everyone stresses about like waking up in the middle of the night to feed her, or having her cry and cry and not being able to consol her. All of that is fine with me as long as I can have her with me. It's just been amazing. I feel so complete, which is weird because I never thought I was incomplete before. It's not like I felt anything was missing, but now that she's here I think "how did I live without her?" It really is unexplainable! I'm just so happy and full right now, I'm just glowing with excitment!
I really want to see a lot of you soon! I know I'm at my in-laws right now (btw the house is almost done, they are laying tile, then we can move in... yay!) but seriously they are totally cool with any visitors coming for as long as you want. I would especially love the company during the days while Nick is at work. If anyone wants to come by, we could have lunch or tea and hang out and talk. You can of coarse hold Alyssa (as long as you're not sick) and that sort of stuff. So hopefully some of you will want to. Other than that it will be a few weeks before I'm comfortable with taking her out and about. She is still so small and I don't want to expose her to a bunch of yucky germs. Love you all!!!
2008-05-07 (39 weeks)
Reaching my Due Date!
Well tomorrow is my due date! I know due dates are just an estimation, but it feels like a great milestone to me. I'm so excited! The nerves are starting to calm, and I'm just so happy that she'll actually be here soon! I don't expect labor to be painless or completely as we plan it, but I know that it's the process that leads to her coming in to the world and that makes it all worth it in the end. So here's the BIG NEWS! I have a date set up to be induced... This Friday, May 9th! So if she doesn't come on her due date then she will be coming the day after. I'm so excited. I've heard so many different labor stories about letting it happen naturally and inducing, and you know every woman is going to respond differently every time. Some said their inductions were great, some said they were so long and they didn't dialate so it was aweful. Others have said that their natural occurring labors were too short or too long. So who knows what to expect? I guess I will see what happens with me. Hopefully everything will go smoothly. I guess my biggest fears are that I won't dialate and it will take a long time before I can get an epidural. Or that they'll break my water and the pains will come on so strong and fast. I just hope after all this that I don't end up having to have a c-section. I've heard sometimes that happens even after laboring for a long period of time. But whatever happens happens and it'll be okay in the end. I'm just so very excited! And it has taken a lot of my anxiety away just knowing that this date is set up. I think deep down I thought it would be so long before she would come on her own. I didn't want to wait any longer than I already had. So that's the update on what's going on. I'm going in at 7am and I guess we'll get things started then. Be ready to see pictures and hear all about the labor and delivery experience when I get a chance to get back on the computer. So here's to my last journal entry as a mom-to-be. Next time I write I'll be a mommy!
I can't wait to hear her little laugh and to play with her when she gets a little bigger. She's already growing so fast though. I was looking at pictures we took when she was just born and she almost looks different even now. And her little muscles in her neck are getting strong. When I hold her up and burp her, she will lift her head all the way up and look whichever direction she wants. It's crazy, it won't be long and she'll hold it up on her own. And today she noticed her toys that I hung on her carseat. She started watching them as they dangled over her head. And she gazes in our eyes when we feed her. I just love every moment!
Nick and I have watched her with amazement and wonder all week, just facinated with how beautiful and sweet God has made her. The first few days she just seemed to sleep and sleep. I kind of thougt "hey this parenting thing is going to be really easy if it stays like this". But it didn't stay that way long. It didn't take long for Nick and I to reallize that Alyssa had her days and nights mixed up. So we have been working very hard to switch things around. Overall she's doing well. She has her fussy times when she just wants to be held and suck on her binky; right now is that time (as I hold her with my left hand and type with my right haha 
) We have so enjoyed having Alyssa with us. She has just stollen our hearts in such a way we never even expected. Having her has also brought Nick and I so much closer than we were before. It has brought our relationship to a level that I never even knew existed. Things are so wonderful I can't really put it into words! The only thing that could make things get any better is when we move in to our new house, which shouldn't be much longer. Nick has still been working on it so we're getting close! 
It took about 5 minutes, but it seemed like an eternity before they finally got a little cry out of her. Then they wrapped her up and I got to hold her for a few seconds, then Nick got to hold her for a few seconds, then they quickly took her to be worked on so they could get her breathing right. They told us she may have to go to the NICU for the night, but thankfully she made a turn around a few hours later. She was born at 5:13pm, but Nick and I didn't get to see her or have her back to our room until after midnight. It was the longest wait! and we were so worried about her. But things really turned around, and thank you to all of you that were praying for her, I was trying to keep everyone informed, so thank you so much because when the pediatrician came in he said word for word "God worked a miracle in this baby tonight". He told us normally baby's in that traumatic of circumstances at birth don't turn around for at least 24 hours. So we were very lucky that she was stable and in our room that evening. I can't explain how much love I felt for her immediately when I saw her.