first bath

We gave Avonlea her first bath yesterday and she loved it! :)

teeeny tiny!

monkey toes!!

my moose baby

we tried to get her to be a "moose baby" and she actually did it! :)

little family

our little family at ms. megan's bridal shower.

baby of doom!

fortunately, this doesnt happen often.

mommy and me

2 weeks old

ZZZZzzzzzz

easter outfit and a sleeping beauty

mmmm!

cutest picture everrrrrrrr!

huge carseat? or tiny baby?

avonlea's going home outfit

the only outfit that fit her teeny tiny little body!!

Daddy looks just as tired as mommy!

first family portrait

Avonlea finds her tongue

first week update

Hi everyone
Sorry to be lacking in the postings lately, but Avonlea has been keeping me running! With J back at work, things have been really hard. My mom has been coming over in the mornings to help me, which has been a godsend. Just another set of hands is so appreciated. Plus, she cleaned my whole house! Which is amazing since all I have done is feed the baby and sleep (or not sleep.) haha.

here's a little birthday story for you (gory details not included)...

So, we went in for my induction at 11am on Thursday morning. By 12:30 I was hooked up to the medication (Pitocin) and very slowly contractions started. I was dilated 3cm when I went in, and was already contracting. The MD and RN had high hopes that I would deliver by midnight since I had come into the hospital in pretty good shape.

So, around 1, my mom and sister get there, and then it's all jokes and fun and games. We take some walks around the unit, I eat some popscicles (grape...mmmmm!) And eventually my contractions are closer together and harder to talk through. Everyone keeps asking me if it's time for an epidural yet, which I kept putting off since I didnt think i needed it then, I was managing the contractions very well.

And then I decide that sitting in the rocking chair wasn't working for me anymore. I decide to take another walk around the unit, and head to the bathroom first. And then, POP! My water breaks. yaaay! progress! and suddenly, I understood what "transition labor" is. I went from completely manageable to completely unmanageable. It was pretty terrible. And, the baby didn't like it either. She kept dropping her heart rate to ridiculously low numbers. So, within a half-an-hour, I had a monitor placed on the baby, a monitor on me, an epidural by the head of anesthesiology (because my RN kicked butt and wouldn't settle for a retarded resident), and an ultrasound. At that point I was 6cm dilated.

After the epidural, everything was wonderful again. The contractions got stronger (but I couldnt feel them as well), and the baby had a few harrowing episodes of very low heart rates that we couldnt get back up with respositioning. Suddenly, there were 15 people in the room, they put me on oxygen, and I looked out into a sea of worried faces. My MD decided to check me again before deciding on whether or not I would get a STAT C-section. I was fully dilated. yaay! So, we started the dance. And within a half an hour, at precisely 6 minutes before midnight, Avonlea joined our little family. She came into the world calm, very alert, looking around, and very puffy-faced. Which matched my puffy face very well (the medicine makes you swell like a marshmellow!) :)

This past week has been a blur of naps, feeding difficulties, lack of sleep, and watching her. She is sooo beautiful (i know, i'm biased) My heart melts when she smiles in her sleep! I can't take it!! She is a cuddle bug, thank god, because J and I are both cuddle bugs. I hear these are the "fun times", so I am working hard at not focusing on the lack of sleep and more on the fun part. So far, so good.
I have some more pics on my camera, which I hope to upload tonight. Stay tuned....

Meet Avonlea Scarlett!

Meet Ms. Avonlea Scarlett. She was born April 2, 2009 at 11:54pm. She weighs 5lbs 12oz and measured 19 inches long. She came into the world calm and looking around, checking everyone out. There will be many more postings and pictures to come, but I wanted to post just one adorable picture. :)

april fools!

last night was my last shift at work for a loooooong time! let me tell you, it felt very strange driving away knowing that i won't be there for many weeks. it seems like an eternity! but it also felt amazing. i needed a "vacation" from that place!
in other news, today is my last day of being a non-mommy. ever. it's weird knowing that your whole world is going to get turned upside down in a few short hours, and amazing at the same time. driving home last night, i kept thinking of how in the past, before major life changing events, i would stay up all night thinking about what was happening, how my life would be different. the night before i left for college....the night before graduation....before my wedding....when i got that little plus sign and had to go home and tell my husband.... i knew that last night i wouldn't be able to stay up all night and quietly reflect. momma needed to get some sleep!! and good thing i did!
i woke up with the MOTHER LOAD of all contractions! i thought i got slammed with a mack truck! so thaaaaaaaaaat's what all those other mommies were talking about!!! i mean, i've had contractions that stopped me in my tracks, but not like these!! holy crap! if labor is like that for hours on end, i want nothing to do with it! lol anywhoo, what i'm getting at is that i bet this will be an April Fools baby indeed! if not early April 2nd....i don't think there is any way she is waiting for my induction at 11am tomorrow!
so, in an effort to actually HAVE my last non-mommy day, i am going to get my bum off this computer, go take a looooong, hot shower, get myself pretty, and start my day. J is at work, my mom is on call, and my uterus is as active as a vegas showgirl! i hope i make it to my fancy dinner reservations tonight! but, it will be just fine if i don't. :)
please don't call in the next 48 hours, i prooooooooooomise i will keep people updated via text/FB/blog updates as to what's going on, if anything!

happy april fools day!!!