Unfortunately, I neglected this blog during the second half of our pregnancy. In my defense, the months I missed included Thanksgiving, Christmas, finals for classes, baby showers, decorating the nursery, and preparing for daycare, healthcare, and maternity leave. Those were busy months and they went by quickly, but I regret not sharing them on my blog. I hope to be more dedicated to sharing now that my sweet girl is here with us!
Since it has been seven weeks since Mary Evelyn's birth, I'm going to share the highlights of her life so far in one large post. From then on, I will post more regularly.
Welcome to our new life!
Welcome to the World!
My appointment on Thursday, February 23, 2012, felt like all my other appointments. I went in, they took my blood pressure (it was high, like it had been for the past few months), they did an ultrasound to check on Mary Evelyn, and I waited to see Dr. Dipiazza. Everything changed when she came in, saw my swollen feet and decided, with my blood pressure staying elevated, that it was time for me to stop working. I took a deep breath and decided this was okay...it was just two weeks until Spring break and then she was going to induce labor a week early. I could do this!I went in to work that Friday and hid in my room while I quickly...and I emphasize quickly...made arrangements for two extra weeks of absence. I went home and settled into the idea of starting my leave early. Devin and I went to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays that evening. Little did we know it would be our last dinner before we became parents.
The next morning, at 7:00 a.m., mother nature called, as usual. I got out of bed, took one step, and.... leaked! I froze. Thoughts started racing through my head about what could be happening, the first and most demanding being "MY WATER JUST BROKE!" I hobbled as quickly as I could to the bathroom, trying to avoid a mess, where my thoughts were confirmed once I made it to the toilet. My water had definitely broke. Then I started going through the checklist in my mind..."1. Note the time...2. Call the doctor...3. Stay calm!.." (okay, so I may have added that last one!). I very calmly tried to wake up Devin in the other room, telling him the news. It took him a second to realize what I was saying, but once it sunk in he was on his feet and moving at the speed of light. We hadn't packed our bags yet, but boy did he pack them quickly! We call the doctor, who tells us to come on in. On our way to the hospital, I try not to think about the fact that this is happening a month early, such a short time, but still long enough that I hadn't quite readied my mind for dilivery. While I was a little nervous about her coming early, I was excited that everything had happened naturally. I wasn't looking forward to being induced. It may sound silly, but I've always looked forward to the anticipation of my water breaking and going into labor naturally. I didn't like the idea of a scheduled delivery. Well, I certainly got my way!
Once we got to the hospital, they whisked us up to a room, confirmed that my water had broken, and moved us to a delivery room to settle in. The doctor on call was Dr. Steve Madden, who was very nice; still, I was a little disappointed that my doctor wouldn't be able to deliver my baby. My Mom and Dad, Devin's parents, my brother, and Mary Evelyn's Godparents joined us and we spent 17 hours waiting for her arrival. Finally, about 11:30, it was time to push. That hour went by in a blur, and at 12:35 a.m. on Sunday, February 26, 2012, I looked into the eyes of my precious daughter for the first time. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, and I was overflowing with joy. She weighed 5 lbs. 3 oz and was 18 inches long. Perfect! She met her family, and we were moved to another room to spend our first night.
The remaining days in the hospital went pretty well. Miss Mary slept and ate pretty well, but she had jaundice, so we had to leave her one night before we could take her home. I feel blessed that God gave us a healthy baby girl, even when she decided to arrive early.
Mary Evelyn's Godmother, Ashley, owner of Ashley Price Photography, created this birth story for us to remember her delivery.
First Days Home
We brought our sweet girl home on Wednesday, February 29, 2012. She was a tiny 4 lbs and 12 oz. I was so happy to have her home. She was happy too !
We had to go back to the hospital the next day for them to weigh her, check her bili levels, and monitor how much she was eating. Her bili levels had gone back up so we had to make our first trip to the pediatrician to meet with Dr. Pettit. He worked with Mary Evelyn in the hospital and we like him very much. He always explains things scientifically so you really know whats going on. Naturally, as a teacher, I love this!
For the next couple of days Mary Evelyn spent a lot of time in the sunshine. Eventually her bili levels peeked and leveled off. Here are some pictures of her sitting in the sun. She always looked so cute!
Newborn Pictures
Her sweet Godmommy, Ashley took pictures of her when she was one week old. Ashley owns a photographry business, Ashley Price Photography, on top of being a full time mom and accountant. She is so talented! Mary Evelyn did such a good job....all she had to do was sleep! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the session.
Sleeping Patterns
Overall, Mary Evelyn has been a good sleeper. The first couple of weeks she did nothing but sleep, and then she developed a pattern of being awake in the middle of the night. I spent many a night looking into this sweet face.
She spends a lot more time awake during the day now, so she sleeps more during the evenings and for longer stretches of time. You can imagine this makes for one happy momma!
Bathtime
Bathtime is one of my favorite times of the day. Her first few baths were a little rough. She was not a happy girl! However, she quickly realized what a nice experience it was to have a bath, and now she enjoys it very much. I love how alert she gets during and after her bath. She makes the sweetest cooing sounds, and smacks her lips when water touches her mouth. It is precious! I look forward to many baths to come.
Picture Perfect
I won't deny that I take a million pictures of my daughter everyday. My phone goes dead almost every day because I struggle to find time to charge it when I'm taking pictures, texting them to family, and posting them to facebook all day! I can't help it...every moment is one I want to capture. I've taken pictures of us on walks, pictures of her at Easter, and countless pictures of her sleeping. When I discovered the Instagram app for editing pictures, I went crazy. For the remainder of this post I'm going to share some of my favorite pictures of Mary Evelyn so far. Look at how much she has changed!
