An Awesome Birth Story

We had the pleasure of spending the weekend with some friends who recently had babies!  It was one baby's first birthday party, and the other sweet baby was nine months old.  They are both super sweet baby girls and it was wonderful to spend time with them, their mothers, and our friends.  I really needed that time to unwind and chit chat and enjoy the wonderful weather.  It was so nice.

I have tons of pictures of Sylvia doing the cutest things that I should post (including our first trip to church today!), but instead I'll just post a link to this amazing birth story.  It reminded me that there are a million different ways to bring a child into this world, and no matter which way you do it, they all end just about the same way - a beautiful baby, a new mama, a sweet little life taking over a home, nothing but joy and love all around!  It's not a long story, so take a few minutes and read it.  You'll be amazed, and if you're anything like me, a little teary.

Total Bliss

Sylvia has started doing the sweetest things lately.  She can smile back when I smile at her.  She has sort of figured out that she can hit the rattle that hangs above her from her play mat.  And she prefers listening to real people music instead of the super annoying Baby Einstein jibberish that comes out of every toy she has (thank goodness).  But the sweetest thing she does now...

She's figured out the perfect position for burping after she eats.  I can now throw her on my shoulder and she lays her head down and wraps her tiny arm around my neck while I pat her back.  Until yesterday she would just wiggle and squirm and freak out when I tried to burp her like this, which meant I had to sit her in my lap and burp her there while trying to keep her head from flopping all over the place.  But yesterday she finally laid her head down and snuggled up in the crook of my neck and it was so wonderful.  She was so cuddly and warm!  I rocked back and forth for an extra half hour after she burped just because she was being so sweet.  There was something so instinctual about it, something chemical.  It made me feel really, really good.  I looked around her room and thought about all the planning and anticipation that went into it.  I thought about Sylvain and our decision to make a baby.  I thought about my pregnancy and all the time that I spent waiting and worrying.  And now she's here.  And I get to rock this sweet baby to sleep every night.  It was such an amazing feeling, like all was right with the world; like I had a little slice of balance and peace.  It's absolutely blissful.

Success!

Thanks to lots of encouragement from my own mother, I finally got the nerve to nurse in public.  I never thought I'd be "that Mom," but here I am.  I believe her exact words were, "Rach, you've got to get used to just whipping it out!"  So, during a minor league baseball game, I found a corner where I could be very discreet about the whole thing and...I whipped it out - then promptly covered it up with a blanket and prayed that the little girl could do what she needed to do without a whole lot of help from me.  And she did!  It felt really good to know that I can now go where ever I want and my child won't starve to death. 

Mom invaded our little corner long enough to snap a photo - check out those adorable baby socks!

One Month

Dear Sylvia,


One month ago today, you entered the world with all of the gusto and brilliance befitting a new baby girl. It was rainy and stormy and scary outside, but Daddy got us to the hospital safe and sound, and by the time you arrived, we could all snuggle up together as one, happy family. The first thing I noticed about you were your eyes. They were bright and beautiful; wide-awake and full of life. You pulled your tiny head off my chest and looked up at me as if to say, “Hi, Mommy. Here I am! So that’s what you look like?” You stared at me for a good long time, studying my face, taking in every ounce of information it could offer you, and I studied you, too. I couldn’t believe that the little one who grew for so long inside of me was finally out in the world. It was a strange and beautiful feeling. There you were, in my arms and ready to start your story. Within seconds Daddy and I were overcome with love for you and for each other. It was truly a miraculous night!

We brought you home on a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon. As we drove though the neighborhood, I noticed that the dogwood trees had finally bloomed, like God had lined the streets with bright pink and white streamers to welcome you home. Grammy stayed at our house for a while to help us, but as it turns out, you are one easy baby! You started your days with resilience. You know what you want and you know how to get it. You can eat well, you can sleep well, and you love to sit on our laps and play in the early morning or in the evening. You can keep yourself busy in your swing or on your play mat, but what you love most is to be held and to hear our voices. When Daddy holds you close to his big, safe chest, you usually fall right to sleep. And when you fall asleep, you put on quite a show! First, your eyes start to droop, and then your lips start to pucker. Once your eyes are closed and you’re in a deep sleep, the corners of your mouth start to turn up, one at a time for a while, then finally you raise both at the same time and flash the most beautiful, sleepy smile we’ve ever seen. Daddy and I love watching you fall asleep.

My favorite time to hold you is feeding time. You’re very good at nursing and it is an unexpected treat for me as well. I didn’t think I’d love it as much as I do, but when you and I are together in our rocker, the whole world melts away and I get to spend some treasured moments with the little girl I love. I stare at your little ears and watch your sweet face. Sometimes you’ll move your head or your feet just a tiny bit and that movement is so familiar to me as I realize that I’ve felt you move that way before, when you were on the inside. You like to close your eyes and ball your hands up into itty-bitty fists, and you clutch them around my breast as if to say, “You are mine and I’m going to hold on to you forever.” And that’s how we do it, you hold me and I hold you. When you finish, we tend to sit there for a while and stare at each other. I usually tell you how much I love you and we sing songs or read books. Your eyes travel all over my face, just like the day you were born, and I can tell you are still studying me. These are the moments I will always remember – me and you, locking eyes, learning all about each other.

Now that we’ve been home for a while, I can tell that you are growing at a remarkable rate! The doctor says you’re very healthy and I can already see my baby getting bigger and bigger each day. You have no idea how happy and how sad this makes me. I cannot wait to see what kind of person you grow into. I can’t wait to hear your voice and see you play. I look forward to your first tooth and your first steps and your first day of school. But all of these moments will take you one step away from my sweet little baby, who fits perfectly in my arms and who smiles when she sleeps.

Sylvia, I have accomplished many things in my life. I've checked off plenty of proud moments on my To-Do list before I decided to have children. I wanted to make sure I didn’t have any regrets about the places I’ve been or the people I’ve met. I wanted my life to be very meaningful before it was time to settle down and start a family. But you, my dear, are my greatest accomplishment. The moment you arrived was the single greatest moment of my life. All of my other moments have faded into the background of my black and white past on the day you appeared in bright color. The first day of your life marks the day I became a mother and of all the things I’ve wanted to be, a mother is the one I’ve wanted the most. Your story is the most important story and I feel so blessed that I get to share your story with you. I promise to let you live your story and write your story with your own voice and your own pencil. I promise to guide you through the tricky parts and celebrate your own accomplishments as you try to figure out how to live in this wonderful world. Thank you for making me a part of your story. Thank you for making me a mother. Thank you for coming into our lives and thank you for being you.

With Love,

Mommy

Keeping Baby Puke At Bay

Sylvia has decided to do this really cool thing lately where she throws up all of the breast milk she just ate!  I told Sylvain the other day, "She gulps it down like a drunk frat boy and pukes it back up like a drunk sorority girl!"  (Sorry to all of my greek friends, but I thought the comparison was fairly accurate, and darn funny.)  The scary part is, she does it when she's sleeping.  When I go to get her after a nap or in the middle of the night, she's sitting in a pool of milk and the back of her head is all crusty and gross, poor thing!  We've had two 2 AM bath sessions this week.  So yesterday morning I called the pediatrician about it and here's what she reccommended:  rice cereal. 

She said that Sylvia probably has reflux and can't keep down what she eats, so if I mix a little rice cereal with some breast milk and give her a couple teaspoons of it after she eats, it will weigh down the milk she already ate and keep it from coming back up.  As disappointed as I was to have to fool with something other than the good stuff I make on my own, I was willing to try anything to keep her from throwing up while she sleeps.  So I bought some rice cereal and one of those nifty sleeping wedges that keep babies inclined as they sleep to help with digestion.  As of yesterday afternoon at 2:00, we are puke free!  She made it through the whole evening and night time feedings without hurling it back up!  And, call me crazy, but she really seems to like the rice cereal.  I don't use much of it, but I feed it to her with a spoon and once she got the hang of it, she was all smiles and bright eyes.  I think it also helps with the gassiness, because she wasn't nearly as fussy yesterday evening as she has been in the past. 

So that was my life this week. I wish I could go back in time about eight years and say to my old self, "Get this!  In 2010, you'll spend an entire week covered in baby puke!" Then I'd stick around to watch myself faint.

Photo Fun!

I recently read on Madonna's website a "photo challenge," if you will.  Here's how it works: you go to your photo files, pick the 8th folder and the 8th picture.  Post it on your blog and tell the story behind it.  How fun is that??  Here it goes...

Oh, hooray!  Derby Party, 2009. 

I  usually glance over this photo when I'm rifling through my derby party pics.  There are so many others that display the fun times had by all at that party.  We ran many races through the back yard including this hula hoop race, the crab walk and our favorite, the dizzy bat race!  Most memorable moment from that party?  When Kent almost died as he fell into the bushes after the dizzy bat race!  I can't remember who won the backyard races or the derby pool, but I do know there were bacon-wrapped hot dogs, mint julep cupcakes, and plenty of bourbon!

However, now that I look at this picture more closely I can tell you - that's my husband rocking the hula hoop race!  I guess it really captures his fun-loving spirit and go-getter attitude!  This picture shows us just one of the many reasons I think he's the greatest person on the planet.  Love you, honey!!

Now, to all of my blogging friends - I dare you to do it, too!  It's super fun, and has the potential to make for a very deep (or silly, or embarrassing, or emotional) blog post if your stuck for material.  Have fun!

Derby Day!

Despite torrential downpours, our Derby Party was a success!  I was really bummed that we couldn't run races in the backyard this year, but the company was so nice and the food was delicious (and plentiful) so everyone was happy to stay inside, watch the coverage of the day at the track, and play with baby Sylvia!  As it turns out, I wasn't able to snap any pictures unless I handed the baby over to someone else, and when I handed her to someone else, well she was just so darn cute that I had to take a picture and...well, you see where this is going.  I only have pictures of my kid.  No pictures of our guests (unless they were holding my kid) and no pictures of the glorious food or the beautiful derby pie or the winner of the Horse Piss Beer (Trip won it for having the last place horse).  I'm sorry, I've learned my lesson.  Here are the few pics I have and unless I told you it was Derby Day, you'd have no idea.

Erin spent lots of time loving on the baby.  And she offered to babysit, which might backfire on her because we will probably take her up on it a bit too often!

Megan and Emily.  These ladies have all the dirt on Me Before Baby.  Can't you see how they're just dying to tell her all about what Mommy did in college?  Yipes!

Sylvia gets awfully cozy with Aunt Emily!

Aaaand, that's it.  I have three good pictures of my baby with three other people.  What you can't see are the fifteen other people who showed up to meet Sylvia and share the greatest two minutes of sports!  Oh, by the way, when we all sang My Old Kentucky Home I got very emotional about Sylvia's first Derby Party.  I looked at her and I looked at all of our friends and I decided it was one life's special moments.  These are the people who get to watch her grow and share in all the joys of childhood with her.  Isn't she lucky?