What is second to a Mother's Love?

A dog's.

I stressed [even prior to the pregnancy] over how the dogs would adjust to a child. Verdict: I stressed for nothing. I didn't worry about Sydney so much (the above picture is how I predicted she would be) but Dixie I was worried. Sydney is much more into the baby than Dixie but Dixie doesn't seem to mind (and I don't mean in a "she tolerates the baby" sort-of-way just frankly doesn't seem to be bothered in the least.

I knew Sydney would like the baby. It was a change and I think Syd was getting bored. She needed a job (after all she is a working dog) and a job she found. Prior to the Apple's arrival during my bath Sydney would guard the door of the bathroom. I took a bath recently during Apple's nap time and noticed Syd wasn't there guarding,but I came to find her guarding the sleeping babe (thus, the above picture - and excuse the mess on the night stand, I wish I could tell you it was just a bad day, but since the baby that is how it always looks). It may be hormones, but it absolutely touches my heart that Sydney loves her as much as her own, like a mother.


And here is Dixie. Dixie will sniff her occasionally, but for the most part doesn't really notice her. It has not affected Dixie's daily routine except the fact that I am home and she loves the extra ear scratches and cuddling time she does with me and the Apple (one thing I read up on when a new child comes into the picture - is that dogs don't need extra attention they just need their routine to stay constant and we have made sure we've done that).

L.O.V.E.

I cannot get enough of her.

Transition

I apologize I have been slacking in the blog department. But it is not because I don't want to, my laptop (the new one I got for my birthday) is out of commission. It just stopped working one day. So I am using Brad's mac (and I'm actually loving it). So I thought I would play catch up.

The transition is moving along nicely. However, I will admit it was more difficult than I anticipated. I always wanted to be a mother, so accepting that the transition is more difficult than expected was hard for me. I would like to blame it on hormones and the fact that at 3 weeks I am still recovering and still not feeling normal. It doesn't help that my leg has still not healed (did I mention a nerve was damaged and my left leg remained numb - it's getting better but my foot is still numb). I want to add and say I love this little girl to pieces and I enjoy every minute with her. I actually get anxiety that as every day passes she is another day older and well, I wish her to remain a baby, my baby. I love holding her. I love napping with her. I just love to be with her. Brad's parents were kind on a Saturday, and told us to bring her by so we could go out to dinner. We were gone for an hour and a half and I missed her terribly. See, I'm babbling. I will move on.

We went on a lunch date with Daddy last week so we got fancy. Which, of course, means pictures.

She is beginning to smile.

Her cord finally fell off, she got a real bath this week. You can see what she thinks of it. This was the only one she has cried since then.

And you can call me a bad mom, but yes, she sleeps on her tummy and it has improved my well being. On her back she was only sleeping in 30 minute intervals. One night (a very sleep deprived night) I put her on her tummy in desperation and she slept for 4 hours. So we bought one of those sound and movement monitor mats and she had slept that way ever since.

My mom came out for a week and a half, and it was so nice to have her. My dad came at the end to meet the new addition. I bawled my eyes out when they left. The bawling actually began 2 days before they left and continued 2 days after they left.

Platonically in Love

Yes, I will admit it I am platonically in love with my doctors. I'm not even sure you can use the word "platonic" in that form. I had to go in to the doctor for a quick visit and I got to see both the doctors, the one who delivered our babe and my actual doctor. I brought my camera just in case.

Here she is with Dr. F, my doctor who was on vacation - notice the tan?

Not one of my favorite pictures of me, but I did just have a baby a week ago.

And Dr. I, who delivered her.

She is Here!

And she captured our hearts right away.

My doctor was out of town, however, the on call doctor was amazing. I loved him just as much. Here we are after the "rescue mission". This doctor is retiring in May, so I'm happy to be one of his last deliveries. He even gave me a bib for her with his name on it.

And this was my awesome/amazing delivery nurse. Unfortunately, her shift ended right when I was dilated to a 10. But she came up and visited us the next day.

Some have requested the "story". I don't really like birth stories, so here is just a synopsis.

• I was dilated to a 3 and 70% effaced for 3 weeks
• Since I was overdue I had to take a non-stress test
• In the non-stress test my amniotic fluid level was very low (it should not be lower than a 10 I was at a 5).
• I had protein in my urine
• I had very high blood pressure
• The placenta was aged.
• The nurse summed it up, "Your body is done". I was admitted to the hospital.
  
• They started the induction, however not quickly (I am strep positive so the antibiotic has to run for 4 hours).
• After 4 hours active labor began.
• Labor went smooth I would say even easy, delivery was the hard part.
• I pushed and pushed for 3 hours. I was exhausted and she was stuck. Did I mention my pelvic bone was narrow?
  
• After 3 hours they prepped us for a c-section, however, the doctor wanted to try forceps first. The difficulty: I wasn't even crowning.
  
• After the longest and most painful 7 minutes of my life (even with the epidural) the doctor did an amazing job and out came the baby safe and sound (which I might add during all this her heart rate stayed the exact same she never stressed)
• She was beautiful she had a few "battle wounds" but she was healthy. And we were thrilled. I cried, Brad cried, even the nurse cried, and the doctor cheered.
• And now we are home learning our new life and truly loving it.
  

40 Weeks and +

Well, my due date came and went. And this week, I'm trying to talk her into NOT coming because my doctor is on vacation. I do have an induction day set for next week which is my 42nd week (most docs don't like you going past 42 weeks). It's just the waiting and waiting that kills me. All last week I was having what you call "false labor" which I think needs to be called "teasing labor". I'm not miserable, per se. I mean being this big and pregnant isn't exactly comfortable, but I'm tolerating it just fine, or I'm just used to it, and I can't remember what it's like to not be pregnant. Last week I had 2 things happen to me which are key indicators that labor will start shortly (again I'm sparing you the details). Everyone kept telling me, "Oh you will for sure go within 48 hours" HAHAHA [inset sarcastic laugh] 216 HOURS later she still has not come, apparently that is NOT a key indicator for me. More evidence to support the theory that anything is possible in pregnancy and nothing is ever "normal". So here is picture of me from today 40 weeks and +. (See my swollen feet and ankles?).

What's up?

It's April 10th, this is what my mantle looks like because you know it is Spring:

But the weather disagrees:

And it makes me sad.

Naturally Inducing

We have been taking it easy this weekend - in hopes a certain baby would make her debut. I have been consistently progressing each week, and at my last doctor's appointment I was 3 centimeters and 70 % effaced - pretty good numbers, right? My doctor told me I would go within 10 days which means before my due date.

Then on Thursday 2 BIG key indicators that tell you labor is in the very near future happened (I will save the gory details of what those are exactly but I'm sure the ladies can guess). So I mean, this weekend seemed so perfect - not to mention convenient. My doctor is on call (ON CALL! And well I'm a tiny bit selfish and loved the idea of having him to be the one to greet, check in, and deliver) and it's the weekend. And with a husband who started a job only 2 months ago (no time off) it would have been perfect.

So.... since nature was doing quite well I thought why not help push it along?

Massage - Check.

Resting and relaxing - Check.

Long walks (with dogs even) - Check.

Jumping Jacks - Yep

Bouncing on an exercise ball - Doing it at as I type.

Hitting the right acupressure points - Yep! (And they tell you ONLY do these IF the doctor says you need to be induced because apparently they work that well - they don't work, not for me anyway).

Castor Oil - Umm yeah I tried. I couldn't keep it down, it was that disgusting so I did an alternative.

AND GUESS WHAT??? Nothing.

I've come to the theory the baby will come when the baby is good and ready to come, nothing will push her, prod her, or tell her otherwise. I wonder who she sounds like? Which means I better stop pushing, because if she is like who I think she is (me) then pushing only means pushing back harder. Lesson 1 learned child. Baby 1 Mom 0. And so it begins...

3 Times One Week

I don't reread books (There are only a few books I have reread), and I don't like rewatching movies (we have to be out of options and a long time in between for me to rewatch them). I'm not sure why but it's just not my thing. So for me to have watched this movie 3 times in one week is, well, surprising. But I LOVE it.

Intuition?

She knows something is up. What that is exactly she is uncertain about, it's obvious by the way she paces (she paces when she is nervous). She never lets me leave her sight. She follows me everywhere. It kills her when I leave, I know because I can tell by the look she gives me. She is a wise soul.