9-10 Month update

I neglected to post a nine month blog update because between traveling this summer and chasing after our very quick little pumpkin… I kinda lost track of the time ;)
  

Weight/height/details:

16.4 lbs and 27 ¼ inches at her nine month check-up – 15^th percentile for weight and 50^th for height.  She’s still petite but I was super happy with her weight gain… which isn’t really suprising sincet he child eats EVERYTHING within her reach (both edible and inedible)

 

Eating:  She’s completely on formula now – anywhere from 16-24 ounces a day, just depending on how long she’ll sit still to drink her bottle.  Three meals a day and basically eats anything I give her.  The only things I haven’t given her yet are peanut/nut butter and sweets/sugar/etc…  she eats everything.  There have been numerous times where Patrick has looked at her tray and said “there’s no way she’ll eat all that” and she proves him wrong.  She also gets vocal if food isn’t put in front of her as soon as she’s in the highchair… oh the drama… and the saving grace of puffs to distract her for a few minutes while I get food ready ;)

Milestones:  Teeth (just two bottom ones, came in around 8.5 mos), first beach trip (July), first time away from mommy for longer than 5 hours (we went on a long weekend to FL in June), clapping, waving sometimes, and we’re working on high fives and blowing kisses.  The number one milestone – mobility!  She crawled right around 8.5 months and just took off.  If speed crawling were an Olympic sport, she’d be set.  She will Not. Sit. Still.  At her My Gym class she can’t be bothered with anything that requires sitting and listening or staying in my lap, and she is verrryyyyy BUSY all day long J  She’s also now crusing, pulling up on tihngs, attempting stairs and most recently thinking Sadie makes a good step stool.  She will literally climb up the back of the couch and would go over the side if she could!

Sleep:  Still bedtime around 7 and sleeps 12 hours.  Her morning nap is getting shorter, but she still takes two a day with a longer one in the afternoon.  I’m actually super excited for her to give up the morning nap but she’s definitely not ready for that yet.  Still requires noise machine/bunny/paci for sleep.

Loves/Hates: 

LOVES:  Sadie is still numero uno.  She tries to show her her toys, share her paci (gross but at least she’s sharing?) and is basically obsessed.  I have yet to figure out how to explain “gentle” to a baby so Sadie is not so interested in Aubrey’s obsession since it results in a lot of pulled hair and tails… that dog should be canonized for real.  Other loves are still swings, climbing anything she possibly can, eating, board books that have flaps she can pull, blocks/knocking blocks down, balls, singing, clapping, the puppet show at My Gym, her bunny, and remotes.  She has also recently discovered the air conditioning vent and is obsessed with sitting in front of it, loves kitchen measuring cups, and tearing up magazines paper… why do I buy toys? 

 

 

 

 

HATES getting her diaper changed/anytime she’s on her back, car rides in general, giving up toys, being still.

Other: We are under contract for selling our house and on a new house!  Hopefully we will be closing on both at the end of August!  So I’m trying to get myself mentally prepared for packing up the house with a baby…  she’ll probably try to climb every box ;)

Besides that, I’m thinking about her first birthday, which I CANNOT believe is almost here.  How on earth do I practically have a toddler??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Summertime and 7-8 Months!~

It's FINALLY summertime!  I love love love this time of year and I am so excited for all of the fun plans we have coming up (weddings/cookouts/friends having babies/beach trips...)  We are loving the extra daylight and spending as much time as possible outside without overheating - thank goodness for baby pools ;)

7-8 Month update:

 

Weight/height/details:

15.4 lbs… finally starting to put on a little weight and get some chunky little lovey thighs J

Milestones:

 First long road trip, first girls weekend, first time in the pool, meeting four great-grandparents, getting herself onto all fours and rocking (no crawling yet!), “walking” while holding our hands constantly, belly laughs, LOTS of babble noises including babababa, dadada, mamama.

 

Going for a walk with Daddy



 

 

 

With my Grandma and Grandpa at Grandpa Boyle's 90th Birthday!

 

Looking up at Grandpa Huke!

 

Four generations of women, Aubrey, me, my mom and her mom :)

 

Sleep:  two naps a day apprx 1.5-2 hrs each, one morning and one afternoon.  Bedtime is between 7-7:30 and she wakes anywhere between 6 and 7 AM.  Still using the noise machine.   She also has a favorite lovie – a bunny that Aunt Ellen got her J

Loves/Hates:  LOVES Sadie, swings (Daddy just put one up in the tree in the front yard!), music class, “walking” while holding our hands, kisses, stacking cups, blocks, shakers, iphones/ipads, tickles, giggles… HATES getting her diaper changed/anytime she’s on her back, mommy walking away/out of the room, staying strapped into her stroller or car seat for a length of time – my walks and runs are limited some these days and I’ve had to take her out and carry her more than once!

 

Aubrey is already a water baby... loves the pool, bath, boat... we can't wait to take her to the beach later this summer :)

 

 

 

 

 

Eating:  Aubrey eats EVERYTHING put in front of her… I basically cut everything into super small pieces and she eats it!  Smoked salmon, broccoli, meatballs, eggs, spinach, you name it!  I make her little quiches and pancakes with fruit for breakfast, lunch is still a lot of times on the go – LOVE the organic pouches of baby food with a straw attached!) and dinner is typically leftovers from something I’ve eaten.  She is obsessed still with avocados, bananas, any type of fruit, eggs… she is an eater!  I just started weaning her this week…  I am mixing breast milk with formula for her day time bottles and still nursing morning and night.  I have had a LOT of guilt about this… I feel somehow like I’m failing not going until one year with just breast milk but it’s just super convenient to give a bottle during the day and not have to worry about pumping/finding somewhere to nurse.  The rational part of me says if she’s getting some breast milk still until one year then that’s awesome, the mommy guilt part of me… ugh.

Other: We are getting ready to go to Florida for a long weekend just Patrick and I!  Aubrey will be staying with Nana and Papa.  I am not worried at all about her… just about myself, lol  Pray for me next weekend, I’ll need it (and lots of mimosas) to deal with missing my little sidekick!  Never been without her for more than 5 hours!  However, I am super excited for some one on one time with my hubs and sleeping past 7/going for a few days without being in charge of the life of another human being… all while knowing she is in more than capable hands!!

~Aubrey Grace - 6 Months~

 

What a beautiful, blessed weekend!   We had Aubrey baptized Saturday and it was just one of the most beautiful, special days of my life.  Our church, St Ann’s has the ceremony for the sacrament of baptism separate from mass, and it was truly wonderful.  We were lucky enough to have a gorgeous day Saturday and had a reception afterward on the patio of Nolan’s kitchen.  It meant more than Patrick and I could ever express to be surrounded with family and close friends as we celebrated dedicating our sweet girl to God and the church. 

 

  with Nana and Granddaddy 

 

 

 

Auntie Ellen!

 

 

our beautiful Sanctuary

Uncle Michael and Patrick with Aubrey 

 Aubrey with her Godfather, Matt

My loves... this just melts my heart

 

Aubrey with Uncle Brian and Aunt Diane

 

 

Seriously Charlotte people - go to Kais for any cookies/cakes/etc... they deliver every time!

6 Month update:

Weight/height/details:

We go to the doctor next week but she’s about 13.8 pounds

Milestones:  She is sitting by herself, splashing in the bathtub, and is constantly doing what I call the baby boat where she’s on her tummy and has her arms and legs up and moving as if she’s swimming.  She’s ready to move!  She can pick up smaller items now and we work on using her pincher fingers constantly.   She is also incredibly alert and into EVERYTHING.  She is so interactive now, tilting her head to the side if you do, shaking her head at you, giving huge grins and flirting… it is such a fun age!

Sleep:  she is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! WHOOOHOOO!!!  Lol.  Bedtime is around 7 – 7:30 PM and she sleeps until somewhere between 6:30- 7AM typically.  Every once and awhile she decides she’s ready to go around 5:30 AM which is not awesome, but she is doing great through the night.  She won’t, however, take naps when we’re out and about anymore.  So I’m feeling a little more trapped at home during the mornings because she really does need a morning nap and afternoon nap. 

Loves/Hates:  LOVES Sadie still, her exersaucer, chewing on everything she gets her hand on, bubbles, splashing in the bathtub, “talking”, walks and runs in the stroller, her lovies, standing up (with help, obviously).  HATES when the attention isn’t on her (spoiled already),

Eating:  We have tried carrots, butternut squash, carrots, potatoes, bananas, cucumbers, mangos, and avocados so far and she’s likes them all except avocado.  We eat oatmeal mixed with a fruit in the morning and have another “meal” around 5-5:30.   She still nurses every 3.5 – 4 hours during the day since she’s supposed to be getting the majority of her calories from milk. 

Other: I have noticed a correlation between dairy and the amount Aubrey spits up.  She has always been a very spitty baby, but I felt like it had gotten even worse in the past month or so.  I am not a big fan of medicating for anything unless as a last resort, so before I took her to a GI or tried putting her on a reflux medication, I thought I’d try and adjust my diet since I’m still nursing to see if it made a difference.  I’m not saying she’s allergic to dairy or that she has reflux because she has been growing/gaining weight, but I have noticed a DRASTIC difference when I eliminate dairy in the amount she spits up.  That said, I have been eliminating dairy on the regular basis.  I don’t go crazy since I am pretty sure she isn’t allergic – I’m sure that my food is cooked in butter if we go out to eat/on a special occasion, I’ll eat something with cheese, etc…  but for now, I’m buying yogurt and milk that is made with almond milk or coconut milk and not eating dairy products.  Who knows, maybe it’ll help me loose a few lbs… still working on those last 10 lbs…

 Coming up in April is Aubrey’s first girls weekend in Richmond!!! So, so excited J  Also coming up is her first Easter which I am ridiculously excited for because of her dress and her Easter basket!  Other than that, I am just overwhelmed daily it seems like with love for this little one.  I am SO, so grateful to be with her 24/7 and am soaking up every minute.  She is an absolute joy and I am really living in the moment 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 and 5 Months

Dear Aubrey,

It’s completely cliché but you are growing so incredibly quickly!  I remember while I was pregnant thinking about the “someday” when you’d be sleeping through the night, six months old, crawling, walking, then one year old, etc … and thinking that the day for any and all of those milestones was so very far away.  And now you are growing and changing daily, becoming a more active, curious, busy, smiling, FUN baby each moment and it feels like the milestones are hurtling towards me at a ridiculous speed.  For the first time in my life I truly know what it means when people say they wish they could freeze time. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am SO excited for any and all of those milestones and moments ahead and I can’t wait for you to continue to grow and to show you the world, but there are times when I’m holding you after nursing you at night and just tear up because I want you stay my baby forever.  I met a friends newborn baby a week ago and while you are still little, it was insane to see you next to a true newborn and ever since I have been thinking how you won’t be that little again… It’s sad in a way but also makes me cherish every little moment with you because it made me re-realize that every day is just precious.  I am SO, SO happy to be your mommy.  I can’t imagine a world without you and as your Daddy and I navigate this new chapter of our life, we are learning and growing and just so proud of you (and ourselves so far!) 

4 and 5 Month update:

I keep finding myself composing letters in my head to Aubrey, there is so much I want to tell her and want to remember in terms of how I'm feeling/emotions/experiences.  I plan on hand writing her one each year and giving her them when she's older, but thought I might start writing ones at other times as well when the mood strikes... I had a week or two where I was literally so SAD that she was growing up so quickly even though obviously it's amazing... I just missed my little newborn!  But now I am just embracing how much FUN she is at this point and am so incredibly excited for everything to come!

Weight/height/details:

4 months – 12 lbs and 23 ¾ inches long!!
5 Months – 13.1 lbs – not sure of length, but she is growing, growing, growing!

 

Milestones:  She is changing SOO much/quickly!  (See letter above, lol) Let’s see, by 4 months, she was “standing” on her legs as she’s being held – her legs are getting so strong!  She also is sitting up on her own in her Bumbo, and has giggled a few times!  She also started reaching out for things and grabbing onto things more (noses, toys, hair, etc) 5 Months – she rolled from her stomach to her back!  She is wiggling and moving CONSTANTLY and as soon as she figures out that she can roll to get where she’s going… uh oh.  She also has now started eating oatmeal after her morning nursing session and sits up in her highchair and plays on her own.

Sleep:  She takes a shorter morning nap (usually about 45 minutes to an hour) and a longer afternoon nap (about 2 hours).  She’s going to bed around 7 PM and I still am doing a dream feed.  She has slept completely through the night from dream feed (10:30ish) until 6:30 – 6:45 AM several times!  She wakes up around 3AM but either needs a pacifier or, as of last night, puts herself back to sleep!

Loves/Hates:  LOVES, loves loves Sadie, ha!  She is constantly reaching out for her, wanting to grab her ears, her fur, etc.  If Sadie is in the room, that’s all Aubrey cares about, it’s adorable.  She loves chewing on her fingers, Kindermusik and singing, light up toys, any toy that crinkles, being read to.  Hates being away from mommy… I’m trying to get her in the gym daycare room several times a week and encourage independent play some but there are times if she can’t see me, she gets sad.. which breaks my heart and I don’t want to become a trend!  She also hates not being able to get what she needs/move if she’s on her stomach and sees a toy she wants but can’t reach.  I wouldn’t be surprised if she creeps/crawls sooner rather than later because she gets so frustrated and wants to move so badly!

 

 

Firsts: In the past two months, she’s been on her first plane trip (to Austin), experienced her first snow, and slept all the way through the night several times!

 

Other:  We have our first long weekend just the two of us planned for June!  Super excited, but super nervous about leaving our little one for such a long time!  I’m starting to pump a lot and freeze now so that she has enough while we’re gone! 

 

3 Month update!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!  Now it’s time to bundle up and start 2014!  We had a busy and wonderful Christmas seeing my family and family/friends in Cary and High Point.  Aubrey was a champ being away from home for a full week, I am so proud of her and feel blessed she’s still so adaptable to her surroundings.

It’s so hard for me to believe Aubrey is already 3 months old.  It seems like she grows and changes every day – she went through a major growth spurt last week – and while it’s incredible to see what each day holds, I truly want to freeze time.  I just hold her and watch her sleep sometimes at night after she falls asleep nursing and I really think I could stare at her all night long… I just don’t want to miss a thing!

Weight/height/details:  I’m not sure of her length – at her appointment 4 weeks ago she was 22 ¾ inches but she has definitely grown since then.  She weighs 11 lbs 8 oz and is getting some baby rolls on her thighs which I’m obsessed with… WHY are the baby rolls soo adorable.  (And WHY are they not adorable on new mommies? Lol)

Milestones:  She’s rolling over!  From stomach to back going right and left.  She can also prop herself completely upright when on her stomach with her hands.  She’s still kicking and talking like crazy and makes new noises every day.  She’ll also put her hands together now and loves grabbing onto anything.  She smiles constantly, and responds to us talking or faces we make at her. 

Sleep:  Still sleeping about 5-6 hours consistently for her long stretch at night.  She’s slept from 10 to 7 a few times but not with any regularity.  I am trying to get her naptime in her crib at least once, trying for twice a day and she really goes down without a fuss the majority of the time.  It’s very obvious when she’s tired, it’s as if a switch was flipped and her eyes are tired, she rubs them, and starts trying to snuggle anything she’s around.  She loves snuggling a little blanket or animal now which is super cute.

Loves/Hates:  Still loves bath time, the mornings when I get her out of her crib, when I sing to her, her Ocean play yard, any type of light up/musical toy, being sung to, kicking, sucking on her fingers, when we makes her “dance”…. She kinda just loves her life, like I said, she’s a very happy baby!  HATES: being cold, having her diaper changed in the middle of the night if needed… that’s really it for now!

 

Other:  Activities: We started Kindermusic – a weekly music class with other moms and babies up to one year old.  We sing, use different noise instruments, dance… Aubrey loves it, she stays engaged and awake the whole time!  The Morrison library has a baby story time which we went to for the first time this week which was really fun.  Also started taking her to the YMCA child center while I work out now that she’s a little older.  I’m looking forward to getting into a routine with her now that the December craziness is over!

loving snuggle time :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Thankful - 2 Month Update ~

Happy Thanksgiving loves!  Betcha can guess what I’m thankful for this year ;) 

I fully intend to blog a monthly update on Miss Aubrey for our own memories to keep track of milestones, what she likes/dislikes at different ages/etc.  BUT…. The first month I was in a blissful and sleep deprived haze of cuddles, night feedings, and visitors soooo it just didn’t happen.  But it was an awesome first month J

So she’s not actually two months quite yet – but we’ve got family coming in for Thanksgiving then we’re headed out of town next weekend (which I am slightly nervous about… packing for a baby, eek!) so I figured I’d go ahead and get this one written.

Weight/height/details:  I don’t know exactly because she hasn’t gone to her 2 month appointment just yet but she’s definitely over 21 inches now and I’m estimating 9 lbs 12 oz based on weighing her with me on the scale and then weighing myself and figuring the difference.  She’s in her 0-3 month clothes and I may or may not have cried when she no longer fit in my favorite newborn pajamas.

Milestones: She can grab and hold onto things – your finger, the items hanging from her play yard, your hair… she’s got a grip!  She’s also kicking like crazy, can lift her head pretty high during tummy time, and is babbling up a storm which is SO fun… she’s the best right after she eats in the morning and early afternoon, just super active and talkative.  OH, and she can smile!  Which is pretty much the most amazing thing ever.  She doesn’t do it all the time yet, it’s sporadic, but we get a least a couple each day when we’re playing with her.

 

Sleep:  She is in her crib at night and started giving us a 5-6 hour stretch.  Hallelujah!    Very thankful for that as well J  It’s amazing what a full 4.5 consecutive stretch of sleep can do after 7 weeks of 3ish hours at a time.  I might even be able to do basic math again, who knows?  That’s the other reason I couldn’t write a blog for the first month, there would’ve been crazy grammatical errors and I probably couldn’t formulate enough sentences because I had baby brain (which is a nice name for stupidity due to lack of sleep!)  So we have a bedtime routine that I try to begin around 6:30 or 7 that consists of bath, get on pjs, swaddle her, then feed while I sing to her.  She will sometimes fall asleep while nursing, but has started to stay awake in which case I try to rock her to sleep.  We have a noise machine in her room as well.  Once she’s out, I try to put her in her crib without waking her up, say a prayer if I didn’t already while rocking her and sneak out of the room.  So the whole process can take anywhere from 45 minutes to and hour or a little longer just depending on how much she’s slept that day.  Then right before I go to sleep, she gets whats called a “dream feed” which is giving her a bottle I pumped earlier that day to “top her off” if you will right before we sleep.  This was she’s as full as she can be when we lay down for her longest stretch of sleep.  It’s called a dream feed because you don’t wake her up if at all possible, just hold her and feed then put her right back down, which is why it’s easier to do using a bottle.  Depending on how long she sleeps for, I sometimes will bring her in the bed with us in the early morning (4-5 am) just because she’s too adorable to put back in her crib at times and she won’t be our baby forever… and because Patrick loves her with us and I think he’d have her in the bed all night if he had his way J  He can sleep through anything though!  She makes a lot of noise for a little person and I don’t sleep well if she’s there with us all night!

Okay, that was a long section, but it took some trial and error and combining of different sleep methods I’d read about to figure out this routine and it seems to be working so I wanted to share and also make sure I remember it! 

Loves/Hates:  LOVES bath time – although you have to be careful because she HATES being cold and will try and scoot down into the water as far as she can… adorable.  Also LOVES talking, talking, talking – shocker J  LOVES being sung to (her favorite songs currently are Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Silent Night (I guess they’re her favorites, they make her stop crying the easiest, ha), being held and cuddled, watching me dance/make faces, and her car seat and going for drives.  She HATES tummy time – you’d think I was torturing her – and sometimes hates something about the time frame of 5-7PM – the only time of day she’s fussy if at all… who knows?  The verdict on Sadie is unknown – she’s definitely intrigued by her and starts at her, but not sure that she loves her in her face.  Sadie loves her though!  Every time we’re playing on the floor, Sadie comes right next her, she gets up with me during the night to check on her or feed her… it’s pretty awesome.

Okay, that’s all folks.  Hope everyone has a fabulous holiday weekend, travel safely, and stay warm!

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

~ Aubrey's Birth Story ~

I can’t believe our little lady is already two and half weeks old!  I feel like I will never forget her birth and everything leading up to it, but I want to write it down to make sure (especially since I have already realized that lack of sleep = stupidity/forgetfulness).  It’s a long post because I wanted to try and record as many details as possible and warning in case you didn’t read the title of this post – if you don’t want to read about a birth, don’t read this!  I love hearing people’s birth stories though, I think it’s the most miraculous thing in this world.

Friday afternoon the day I was actually 40 weeks; I went and had a massage.  The girl I’d been going to throughout my pregnancy swore she could put people into labor and so I figured, why not give it a shot?  I don’t know for sure if it was the massage or the three walks a day I was taking, the pineapple, spicy food, or bouncing on an exercise ball, but something worked! 

 

Saturday morning, we went on a 2 mile walk with Sadie.  I came home, had a bath, and contractions started around noon.  It basically felt like how you’d feel the day after doing a lower back workout at the gym, but I knew it was contractions because it would come and go.  I hung out for a little bit and talked to my sister, who decided she and Ben would go ahead and head our way since she felt like it would definitely happen that day or night and then she and Ben could be here when we left for the hospital to be with Sadie, etc.  So Patrick and I went to the grocery and got things to grill out that night and they got in town around 5ish.  My friend Robin came over as well and we spent the evening grilling out and talking.  I think it was sooo helpful to have people there because while I was keeping track of the contractions, I wasn’t sitting by myself just waiting for the next one to come; instead I was distracted by conversation.  Plus, I ended up having a good meal for dinner, which ended up being a lifesaver since I didn’t eat again until lunch the next day and needed that strength later that night J

Around 9:30 - 10 PM, the contractions were definitely more intense, but still not the unbearable pain I had imagined.  I didn’t want to go to the hospital only to have them tell me that I wasn’t ready yet and to go back home, but since they were about 4.5 – 6 minutes apart, I decided I’d rather go and have them send me home but have some idea of my progression than wait any longer.  So I had Patrick get his stuff together (I’d packed a bag for myself and Aubrey weeks prior, ha) and we left for the hospital a little before midnight.  Once in triage, the nurse checked and said I was between 3.5 – 4 cm dilated.  She brought in an IV to hook me up to and actually asked me if I wanted the epidural right then, which caught me off guard since I was still managing the contractions pretty well.  I said no, not yet and they let the doctor know I was there and checked me into a delivery room.  We met our L&D nurse (who is an ANGEL) and she started monitoring me. 

By the time the doctor came in to check me, I was 5 cm dilated and the contractions were getting much stronger.  She told me she was going to go ahead and break my water.  She warned me that once she did, things would progress very quickly.  She also told me to keep in mind that if I did decide that I wanted an epidural to keep in mind that from the time I told her I wanted one, it would actually be 45 minutes before it was in my system (after calling the anesthesiologist, him coming and administering, etc).   Well, let’s just say that as soon as she broke my water, the pain was awful.  I felt two contractions after that and said “yep, we can go ahead and order that epidural now!”  Once the anesthesiologist got there, they were less than two minutes apart and it was terrifying to have him putting that needle in my spine while trying to go limp, slump over, hunch your shoulders (which btw is exactly the opposite of what you naturally want to do during extreme pain).  If my nurse hadn’t been there/the amazing person she was, I don’t know what I would have done.  She kept me calm, focused, steady breathing… she was incredible.

After that, I couldn’t feel the contractions any more, just pressure during them and my body shaking uncontrollably.  Really strange that you know your body is reacting to something and you can’t feel it… anyway, a lot of time the epidural slows down the labor process, so I told Patrick to take a nap and I would try to rest (it was now close to 4 a.m. I think)  Well not too long of a time went by and I felt the pressure during the contractions becoming really intense.  I hesitated to call the nurse back in because I didn’t want to bother her for no reason (that’s the thing about having a baby, you have nothing to compare it to in order to know if the pain/pressure/whatever is real or if you need to suck it up and deal with it a while longer, lol).  I called her back in and asked her to check me and she told me that I was basically ready to push and she couldn’t believe how quickly everything went.  She went to tell the doctor and I told Patrick to wake up (the man can sleep anywhere/through anything, I swear)

I could actually feel the pushing which sounds horrible but actually was a blessing.  One, because despite the pain and the physical and mental effort it took, it is something that  is indescribable and literally miraculous that our bodies can do and I’m kind of glad I was able to experience it.  Two, because I could feel pain, I was MOTIVATED to get her out.  I only pushed for about 20 – 25 minutes.  The hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but I will never ever forget it.  You’re literally using every ounce of strength you have while holding your breath to push this baby, three times in a row, then taking a break in between where they put an oxygen mask on you to replenish your air supply.  However, during the “break” you can’t let the tension go because if you do, the baby could regress, sort of like a two steps forward one step back type of thing.  This is when I really focused and where I swear, being a runner and practicing yoga helped me immensely, keeping my concentration.  And praying.  I was praying and centering my thoughts on her birth so intensely and I absolutely believe that it made me stronger and her delivery smooth.  Once her head was visible, I was so anxious because I knew once her head was out; the hardest work would be done.   At one point, the doctor encouraged me to reach down and feel her head to keep me motivated to keep going… which sounds weird I guess but the whole experience was so surreal, it was amazing.  And it worked – I had a surge of energy and started doing four pushes in a row instead of three at a time – we were so close to meeting her! 

And at 5:40 AM October 6^th, we did!  Aubrey Grace Agnew came into the world at 7 lbs, 5 oz and 20 inches long - exactly the same measurements as Patrick was when he was born!  Once she was born, they put her immediately on my chest and it was the most incredible thing in the entire world.  Patrick and I were both in complete awe and amazement that our daughter was just brought into this world and seeing her there was just incredible.  Hearing her cry for the first time was the most beautiful sound.   They took her to the side to clean her and check her vitals, etc then brought her back for about an hour of skin on skin time.  She nursed right away which is incredible in and of itself – how crazy is it that they just instinctively know how to do this? 

right after she was born :)

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, I would describe her birth as beautiful and perfect.  It went quickly, all of my nurses, the doctor and Patrick were absolutely wonderful, we even had a great view of the Charlotte skyline from our hospital recovery room J  I could not have asked for a better delivery and am overwhelmed with gratitude at how well it went.

 

view from our hospital recovery room

 

Aubrey at two days old

 

Since then, we’ve gotten into a little bit of a routine – she’s eating every three hours, sometimes going to four hours at night and overall is a really good baby so far.  We are in awe of her every. Single. Day.  Literally, not one day passes without us looking at her together and saying “Can you believe that we created this person and that she’s actually our baby and we get to keep her forever?”  Everyone tries to explain the feeling of becoming a parent to you, but the truth is, it’s indescribable.  I will never be eloquent enough to express the depth of love felt or the pure joy it brings.  To say we are blessed is an understatement!