ok, so the last posting was 11/11/07 and SO much has happened i do not know where to start.
I will start by telling you i was canned from my job on 11/26 and began a three week BORING stint of sitting around and playing house mom until the arrival of our beautiful baby girl...
On December 18th, i gave birth to our wonderful bundle of heart warming joy - Romy Amelia-Janet Mullins, 7 lbs, 3.6 oz., 18.5 " long. It was a Tuesday. The preceding day I was Christmas shopping with Ted's mom and at around noon began feeling a "different" kind of cramping (contractions) so she began to time them. The day went on and the contractions went from being 10 mins apart to being 4 mins apart and we found ourselves at Wal-mart purchasing a stop watch so we could keep better track of the contractions. i was beginning to convince myself this was it. Jackie was able to show Ted just what to do before departing for the evening...and resisting his requests to stick around "just in case". The contractions then started to become erratic and further apart...this was when i gave up hope and went to bed. Two weeks before this, the same thing happened and nothing came of it.
We went to bed. I woke up around 2:30 am with more cramping but ignored it, sucked it up, turned over and went back to sleep. These twinges of cramps came and went until Ted got up for work. I wasn't sure, as i was suffering from the sleeplessness from the night, how often these pains were coming...so I waited for Ted and then announced it may be a good idea to start timing. He did....and we got what we were waiting for. They were coming every 5 mins, lasting for one minute, and went on for one hour. The pains were bareable. I had to breath through them although they still kept me on my feet. I wasn't nervous about the pain just then....i was nervous about welcoming our child into the world. I was about to create my own labor story.
After calling Dr. Baker, he insisted that i come to the hospital although he was not convinced that i was in labor since i was still very jolly. We got there, around 9 am, i walked myself to Triage, was hooked up to machines to monitor the contractions...and after Dr. Baker performed an internal check, he announced that i was 4 cms dilated and that we were having our baby that day. Oh boy. i don't remember what i thought to myself at that point....because the rest is such a whirlwind and i blurrrrrr. Ted tells a much more entertaining story beyond this point. Here's what I recall:
They got us a room where we were going to deliver and set up camp. The contractions were still relatively the same. Dr Baker decided to break my water. Soon after that i was 5 cm. I didn't progress as quickly as the Dr anticipated so he suggested pitocin. I immediately declined and the Dr gave me a few more hours to progress on my own. I progressed....and things got interesting.
The contractions were becoming more and more intense but with the help of my WONDERFUL labor coach, i was able to get through each painstaking one of them by knowing when the end was near. with his soothing voice and consistant rubbing of my leg, each plateau was manageable. I was in a zone. I was so focused until....the woman giving birth next door to us began screaming bloody murder. i became off-kilter. i panicked. i thought - if it's going to get much worse than this, i may need something. Get the Dr. let's find out.... After being checked again, i was told i was 9 1/2 cms dilated, 10 with a contraction and it was time to start pushing. SWEET! i could not have been more excited. They emptied my bladder and it was time.
The pushing was the hardest. but again, with Ted, the nurse and the Dr. - i had the best cheerleaders i could ask for. I have no idea how long it took to get her out - seemed like forever....but there she was! It was 4:31 pm. She was placed on my chest and i thought OMG - there you are. there's my baby girl. welcome! please don't let anyone touch her. :-) she stayed with me for a few mins until they took her to be weighed and measured. it was this time that Ted had with her and the rest for me was repair work....OUCH. that sucked.
The first two weeks after having a baby are a blur to me. I was high on endorphins and happy as a clam. my world could not be much better and life certainly could not offer me much more happiness than i had already gotten. Ted helped out at home so much i had only Romy to focus on. He was everything I needed him to be! Ted, you rule baby. I love you so much.
She is a great little baby. She sleeps, she eats, she poops... a lot ... and she makes me smile endlessly every day. Trying to develop a schedule is difficult and just when i think i have her figured out, she changes. She keeps me on my toes.
Managing my time has become a challenge. I focus on dirty floors but am learning how to let go... a little. I nap when she naps....sometimes....I eat when she naps...I catch up on emails when she naps. thank goodness she naps. Being a mom has its ups and downs. The downs are the things I go through due to lack of sleep. There has not been much to complain about and nothing out of the ordinary, my body just hates getting little to no sleep. The ups - they are endless. Her smiles, her coos, gurgles, gagas and attempts to talk....her toes, her hands, her belly, her butt, her chubby legs....the thought of her crawling, talking, walking and learning how to ride a bike...
Life, this one we created.....our little girl Romy - you are the best! i cannot wait to see what else unravels.
Thank you for choosing us to be your parents!
