The first 15 days!

I can't believe it has been 15 days since we brought our little bundle of joy home.  We've been adjusting pretty well and Mia is an angel!  I've been having a lot of help, thank God... it's not easy taking care of 2 kids!!!  Even though I have help, I still miss some of the pampering I got when I was in the hospital...for exemple: since Mia was nursing well at the hospital, I asked the nursery to bring her to me during the night and not give her formula.  It was great having the nurses bring her to me and then take her from me when I was done so I could get some sleep.  :-)  Still, there's no place like home!

Lila went to visit us at the hospital and it was very interesting.  I missed her like crazy... I actually had to keep a picture of her next to me the entire time so I could look at it.  It was hard not to cry but knowing my mom was with her kept me at peace.  She didn't seem to understand that Mia was no longer in my belly or that there even could be a possibility of her being in there...LOL  The funny thing was that after a few minutes she was already calling that little swaddled peanut "Mia".  She even sang and danced for Mia...so adorable!  I was fearful that she would give me a hard time with Mia, maybe want more attention, or that she would be too physical with the baby but she has been SO SWEET and so easygoing.  Thank God for that!  Lila actually lets me know if Mia is crying, wants me to pick her up as soon as she starts to fuss and wants to kiss her head and hug her but always asks first.  There have been no tantrums!  Seriously!  At least not related to Mia... :-)  I'm really, really blessed to have such a good, sweet and kind little girl.  I knew she would be an awesome big sister...I'm so proud of her!

Mia is a really good baby.  Sometimes she manages to sleep relatively well...sometimes she'll go 3 hours from one feeding to the next.  Other nights (like last night...) she'll wake up every 1.5 hours to nurse.  She has been having colic and now I fear she may have reflux, too, which breaks my heart.  Seeing her in pain makes me feel pretty useless. 

Being alone with the two girls has been interesting.  Some days are okay, some days are harder.  I've been blessed with a lot of help this time.  When I had Lila, I didn't have a lot of help.  My sister-in-law has been bringing me food nearly every day which has made my life a lot easier.  My mother-in-law likes to come over to watch Mia so I can sleep when Lila naps.  My mother (my hero, really) works like crazy all day and sometimes she'll still make time to come to my house to take Lila outside or to keep me company.  I can't thank these people enough.  All I can do is pray that God will bless them SO MUCH. 

Yes, I am exhausted...but I've never been happier.  Between Lila's hugs and kisses and Mia's smiles I manage to forget how tired I am.  My husband and I look at each other and we're just speechless at how blessed we are.  God is amazing...and we're so greatful!!!

Here are some more pictures!

Mia Faith is here!

Meet Mia Faith!

Born on July 10, 2010 at 3:20 p.m.
6 lbs, 12 oz  - 19.5 inches

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It all happened so fast! 

I actually managed to sleep through the night and did not experience the false labor contractions I had been having for the past few days.  I got up at around 6 and everything was calm... even the contractions I had been having off and on were gone.  I was doing nothing out of the ordinary when the contractions slowly started coming back.  It was around 8:30 in the morning.  They were mild and coming every 15 minutes or so but I wasn't really paying attention to them since I had gone through this before.  Then they started coming every 12 minutes, then 10.  When I noticed this, I called my mother and asked her to come over.  I told JR that I was going to take a shower and that I thought I was in active labor.  Suddenly, the contractions went from mild to painful but manageable...it was around 10:45 a.m.  I called the doctor on call who said I was definitely supposed to go to the hospital.  By this time, the pain was getting pretty intense.  On the way to the hospital my contractions were already every 8 minutes and every bump on the road made me feel like Mia was going to come out in the car.  We live about 45 minutes from the hospital so, needless to say, it was pretty crazy.  Between contractions I was laughing with joy and excitement because I was getting my wish:  no need for induction this time.  JR helped by laughing (I think he was nervous...) and saying "see, this is what you wanted... you once said you wanted to have Mia the natural way without pain medication and you might get that wish too" which freaked me out because the pain was getting stronger and stronger.  This didn't stop him from trying to get a video of me in pain while we were driving to the hospital.  Why do men do that???  Luckily I was too happy to punch him in the face.

So we got the hospital and I was admitted at noon.  They left me at triage for about 45 minutes.  By then, my contractions were 3-5 minutes apart and I was 6 cm dilated.  At 1:40 p.m. the anesthesiologist gave me a spinal block instead of an epidural because things were moving too fast and the epidural takes 20 minutes to apply plus 20 minutes to start taking effect.  The spinal block takes effect in 2 minutes but only lasts 2 hours.  At 2:33 p.m. the doctor broke my water and exactly a half hour after that I was in more pain than before getting the anesthesia.  I called the nurse who called the anesthesiologist and she gave me what I call a "booster" shot in the spinal IV to help with the pain but it had not effect. Then she increased the medication on my spinal block but still, no difference. When the doctor checked me she said I had to start pushing because it was time. I was so afraid of the pain I was in but at 3:12 p.m. I started pushing and Mia came out 8 minutes after that. Amazingly, the pain was gone as soon as I saw her. I actually saw her come out of me. She looked so small but simply PERFECT. She was crying loudly which was a relief (given what had happened to Lila when she was born) and I got to hold her for a long time before they took her to be weighed and measured. At 3:44 p.m. I got to breastfeed her for the very first time. She knew exactly what to do and I was overwhelmed by the love I was feeling for this little baby that had just come out of me. I felt so blessed to be able to hold her and admire her as soon as she was born. There was no chaos in the delivery room. It was just the 3 of us and we were bonding instantly. This was all very new to me and JR. Mia nursed for almost one hour and we realized just how great it is to wait for God's plan to take place in our lives. Maybe, if I had been induced yesterday, I wouldn't have had the same experience. God's will truly is good and perfect and we're forever thankful that He allowed us to go through this wonderful experience.


Here are a few more pictures:

 

Pregnancy Journal: month #10

• Tenth month: 07/09/10 to only God knows when...

Yes...that's right...it's my due date and here I am!  We actually went to the doctor this morning with my bags all packed because they had told me my amniotic fluid was decreasing and, if it had slightly decreased again in today's exam, they would send me to the hospital to be induced.  My mother took the day off and we left her with Lila.  My heart was heavy because I already missed her as soon as I walked out the door.  After the exam, the nurse in charge said my fluid had increased (surprise, surprise...) and there was no need to send me to the hospital.  In the meantime, my doctor is on vacation and will only come back next week.  Knowing her, she'll have me wait at least a week past my due date until we talk "induction" again.  That's what she told me in our last exam - the same exam where she told me "I'm sure you won't make it to your due date, never mind go past it."  So we go back on Monday (that's when I'm 3 days late) to see my doctor who I pray will be refreshed from her vacation and will send me to the hospital.  That is, of course, unless I go into labor on my own this weekend.  Is that too much to ask?

Sigh...............

Pregnancy Journal: month #9

• Ninth month: 06/09/10 to 07/09/10: anticipating, nesting and so much more...

I can't believe it... 9th month!!! :-)

Anxiety has now been taken over by excitement...well, maybe not yet...  Yes, I am a little anxious about the day I'll meet Mia and hold her in my arms but the thing that has been making me the most anxious is WHEN..WHEN will she be here? Will I go past my due date again?  This has been an issue I constantly bring up at my prenatal visits.  From the very beginning I asked my doctor to NOT let me go past my due date but I am torn between that and being induced.  She tells me she really believes I won't go past my due date this time.  I really want to experience the feeling of going into labor without being induced but I don't know right now if it's worth waiting for the natural to happen.  I was anxious when my due date arrived while pregnant with Lila...and each day that passed I was getting more and more anxious but it was ok since I had not other children to care for.  This time it's a totally different situation.  I have been struggling to give these "worries" to the Lord.  I know He knows what's best and Mia's arrival is all planned out by Him and it couldn't be more perfectly planned.

I'm so blessed that my mom is near and will be taking a few days off to take care of Lila when I go to the hospital and to help me once I come home.  God bless her for doing that.  I'm also very blessed my mother-in-law is here and will also be helping me once Mia arrives. :-)

Nesting:  I call it an obsession now.  I don't think I can go one day without cleaning or organizing something in the house.  There's still so much to do in Mia's room but at this point I decided it can wait until after she arrives.  I managed to get the most important things done (bassinet, glider, dresser, laundry) so the decor will come later.  If you know me, you will know this is not normal behavior for Joyce...LOL... I guess I have started to learn how to pick my battles as I'm sure I'll be doing lots of that in the years to come.  I hear having 2 girls is not easy and I sort of know that since I have an older sister and a younger brother.  Our house was anything but calm.

Lila has yet to understand what's going to happen.  I anticipate she'll give me a hard time because it's really just me and her all day...I'm sure she'll be a very loving big sister but she'll struggle to have my attention divided between her and her little sister.  I'm already praying hard about this because it'll be the 3 of us alone all day for a few weeks.  Since I know I won't be getting much sleep, my patience will be short and God knows how I'll handle it.  Also trying to give this up to the Lord completely but during my sleepless nights (yes, I'm still experiencing insomnia) that's one of the things I find myself constantly thinking about.  She officially calls my belly bump "Mia" now but sometimes she calls her daddy's "belly bump" that too...LOL

Well, I hope to be back next time with news of Mia's birth!  Hang in there with me...  :-)

Pregnancy Journal: month #8

• Eighth Month 05/09/10 to 06/09/10:  anxiety, "where are my toes?", preparations, big sister Lila Grace...

Anxiety: a big issue this month.  Believe it or not, now all I can think about is that Mia Faith will arrive way too soon and I won't be ready.  I hope this is just "fear of the unprepared" because, really, I haven't started doing ANYTHING yet.  I've managed to make a list of all the things I need to buy and do but have yet to find the time to get started.  We bought Mia's dresser and a bed for Lila (so we can use her crib and mattress for Mia) but that's about it.  Now we need to paint it in the color I want and go from there.  There's also a ton of laundry I need to do which is something I'm actually looking forward to.  I love organizing things and doing it for my daughter only makes it more fun!

"Where are my toes?":  that is the question this month... seriously.  I've been hearing "oh you look so small" and "you don't look like you're in the second trimester, let alone the third!" and all of a sudden my belly just POPPED.  It's not terribly heavy just yet but it's heavy enough!  Mia is not huge... the doctor said she's about four and a half pounds this week (week 33).

I had the nicest surprise last week.  My friends and family threw a surprise baby shower and it was so much fun!  Just having the ones I love all together in one room for a couple of hours was so great.  I've been so busy with errands, doctor's appointments, crossing things off my "to do" list that I haven't had a whole lot of time left and this was such a treat!  Thank you all for the wonderful surprise and all the lovely gifts!  I love you all!!!  (I'll post pictures soon!)

Lila is still oblivious to the fact that she's going to have a sister soon.  I try to talk to her about it as much as I can but I don't feel like there's a need to really push the subject when she doesn't seem to understand it just yet.  She's always sweet when I ask her "who's inside mommy's belly" and she says "baby" or "Mina" (her way of saying Mia)...  The funny thing is when I lift my shirt and say "there's a baby inside mommy's belly...it's Lila's little sister, right?" and she pulls my shirt down and says "night-night baby".  LOL  I think what she's really trying to say is "I'll deal with her when I have to but not right now"...LOL  Just a quick note about something sweet that happened and I can't stop thinking about:  we started doing the non-stress test this week (that test where they put a couple of monitors on the belly to track the baby's heartbeat, movement and contractions).  Lila is always present at every appointment I have... for 20 minutes we got to listen to Mia's heartbeat and Lila was actually dancing to the sound of it!  It was soooo sweet!  Next time, I'll try to catch it on video.  :-)

Be blessed everyone!

xoxo

Pregnancy Journal: month #7

• Seventh Month 04/09/10 to 05/09/10: emotional roller coaster, "so in love", baby's kicks, baby's name...

Wow, seventh month... From the very beginning I've been so worried about the baby being late and now I'm actually praying she'll stay in here at least until her due date.  Women really DON'T know what they want, especially when hormones are running the show.  I already miss being pregnant so much that I don't want it to be over, even though I can't wait to see my little girl's face!

I'm so in love with this little blessing that it makes me want to cry sometimes.  I always hear parents of more than one child saying they experienced a certain kind of "confusion" when their second/third/fourth child was about to arrive... a feeling of "how will I manage to split the love between all my children?", almost as if our hearts are limited to a certain size, but amazingly, I've found out it doesn't really work that way.  Mia is not even here yet and I'm already learning that our hearts grow bigger, so we don't have to split our love between our children.  Rather, we love twice as much.  God is truly amazing in the way He built us and our emotions.

Did you notice I wrote "Mia"?  Yes, it's official.  The chosen name is Mia Faith.  I'm actually doing pretty well in calling out her name now... I say it more often than "the baby"! :o)  As I'm writing this post, she's kicking up a storm in my belly.  If it's true that the baby's activity in utero is similar to what it'll be when she's born, then I'll be up most of the night.  She's smart... this is the only time of the day where she'll be able to have some one-on-one time with me. LOL

Everything else is well.  My belly is growing fast and I'm very tired, but overall, I feel pretty good.  That being said, I'll go to bed and rest while I can!

God bless!
xoxo

Pregnancy Journal: month #6

• Sixth Month 03/09/10 to 04/09/10: emotions, big sister Lila, baby's movements, baby's name...

Sixth month is here! I feel this pregnancy is flying by. I was shocked to read on the 9th that I entered my 3rd trimester. THIRD! I'm having such a mixture of emotions...probably because we "think" this may be my last pregnancy and so I'm constantly thinking about how much I'm going to miss being pregnant. JR really doesn't seem like he'll want to have another child, mostly because he’s concerned about giving nothing but the best to the two we have...school tuition alone is outrageous, then you add healthcare and the other necessities and you think “what was I thinking when I decided to have 2 kids?”. LOL I secretly want another one...(not so much of a secret now, is it?!) Ideally, I’d have 4: 2 girls and 2 boys but only if I could get one grandmother per child! LOL

Big sister Lila turned 2 last week. She’s amazing... I daydream about how she’ll act around her little sister. I have a feeling our struggles will be more about fighting over who will change the baby’s diaper, who will hold her, who will feed her and so on. Lila is so into “mothering” her dolls. We can’t go out for a drive without her putting her “Nenem” in my bag, along with a toy bottle. Because of this, we got her a bunch of doll stuff for her birthday and now, when we’re in the house, she’ll put the doll to sleep in the crib, then put her in the carseat, then the stroller, then the baby carrier. She’ll rock the doll in her rocking chair, sing her a lullaby and even “shush” her. Lila also has a medical kit and she’ll give the doll her shot and say “aw, it’s okay” while caressing her...she does a full check-up which included taking the doll’s temperature, checking her ears and nose and mouth. She’ll even brush the doll’s teeth! She seems to understand a little more about what’s going on, but not to the point of actually “understanding” that she’ll have a sister, mommy’s having a baby, etc. I ask her “what’s inside here?” while pointing to m belly and she’ll say “baby”. Then she’ll caress/hug/kiss my belly...so sweet! Her little sister is lucky to have such a caring and loving big sister! ~:-)

This baby girl is SO ACTIVE. I’m so glad because I know this means she’s very healthy! We had an ultrasound again a couple of weeks ago. She’s head down now (and please, baby girl, don’t change your mind in the last minute and flip over, okay?!) and she’s a bit of a prude...we wanted to make sure that she is, in fact, a SHE and we almost got out of there with another “it’s probably a girl but we can’t be sure”. Her legs were crossed shut! The technician asked the most experienced person there to redo the ultrasound just to confirm the gender and after much shaking and pushing around, we got our “it’s a girl” image on the ultrasound screen. Once again, she was nonstop but managed to cooperate a little more this time while they checked her weight and size. She seems to be right on target! Praise God!

Last night I got a little preview of what’s to come in a few weeks. I was about to fall asleep when Lila woke up calling for me. So I went in her room, hugged and cuddled with her for a couple of minutes and put her down...went back to bed and then it was the baby’s turn to want some mommy-and-me time. So for about an hour, she would not stop kicking me and stretching...and dad was just snoring away beside me. Can I just say, I have the best husband in the world! He helps me out so much...more than most husbands out there. He will clean the whole house just so I won’t have to do it and he’ll do it while singing! :-) Anyone that knows him knows this is true. He loves helping me. The only thing he asks NOT to do is the laundry and I’m so okay with that! I think it has been very tough for him lately because hormones have been taking the best of my mood some days. I lash out at him for no good reason... and almost as soon as I do it, I say “I’m sorry honey...it’s almost over”...LOL At least we can laugh about it a few minutes after.

THE NAME... everyone is asking us about this is I have to say, I’m 90% sure it’ll be Mia Faith but I can’t bring myself to actually call the baby by name. I know a lot of women like to call their baby by the name while pregnant but I’m not that type. I don’t call the baby “it”...I say “she” or sometimes I’ll call her “baby girl”. Even with Lila, I always felt weird referring to her as “Lila Grace” or “Lila” because I wanted to see her face before calling her by name. What if she didn’t look like a “Lila”? I also love the name Chloe the missing 10% is for “Chloe”. JR doesn’t seem to be a big fan of Chloe. He likes Mia. So does my mom. My sister, on the other hand, prefers Chloe. I ask Lila which one she prefers and she doesn’t seem to understand how important her answer is. ~:-)

An update on the little girl, Layla Grace, who I mentioned on last month's post.  She passed away on March 9th.  We were all very sad but we can rejoice in knowing she's at peace and is in God's arms, cancer-free.  Now she knows no pain, no struggle... in her parents' words, "she's playing with the angels".  Layla and her wonderful family will always be an inspiration of strength, faith and perseverance to me, and I pray God will continue to pour peace over them every day.

I want to finish this month’s post by saying how grateful I am to God for giving me such a wonderful family. I may not remember to thank Him as much as I should, but when I look around, I see how blessed I am. He has blessed us with health, with joy, and with much more than we need in order to be happy. Sure we have tough days, but He’s always there and we’re so thankful. We celebrated Easter this month... to know He sent His son Jesus, who died for us and rose on the third day, and lives forever, and promised us eternal life, there is no greater thing. We’re so fortunate and so blessed! God be praised for His abundant grace and mercy poured over us each day.

Be blessed!
xoxo