1 month

How on earth did time fly by this fast! I feel like she is such a big girl, no longer in newborn diapers– and getting bigger everyday! We attempted to cram many memories and "firsts" into this month, more like the first two weeks, since Daddy was leaving for a pretty long trip. We took Lillian on family outings, trips to the hospital for immunizations, the grocery store, coffee dates, walks and gave Lillian her first bath. Lillian definitely enjoys bath time as she seems most relaxed and happy during this time of the day. Being able to experience these moments together, as a family, was so wonderful. We are definitely looking forward to making many memories together in the future and documenting them for you.

Since bringing her home from the hospital she immediately showed signs of head control, for a few seconds, but without a doubt, was a bobble head at its finest . With my PT background… it's no surprise that you'll be reading lots about her physical development ;) With that being said, she hated tummy time and there was nothing we could do to calm her in this position. Since tummy time is good for newborns, we kept at it and tried entertaining her during this activity, multiple times a day- eventually she didn't mind. She smiled a lot as well- when she was gassy and sometimes during naps which melted my heart. We knew these weren't intentional smiles but accepted them; we oohhh and awww'd over each little grin.  Lillian was eating roughly every hour, sleeping what seemed like all day and was wide awake during the night. 

Just thinking about it makes me sleepy! I’m so surprised at how well this went. I thought the sleep deprivation would be the worst part of the newborn stage, but I’d say the breastfeeding and lack of schedule during the day was the most challenging part. Mornings became my favorite time of day. She would light up when anybody came to get her after she had woken up and would stop crying immediately.  During the first few weeks we really had no kind of schedule. I never knew when she would fall asleep or want to eat. With the eating, we generally could count on every 1-3 hours, but as far as a time of day, it was really hard to plan things in advance. I read the Baby Whisperer book at about 3 weeks and realized Lillian was doing E.A.S.Y. (eat, activity, sleep, you) already, so that’s the routine we followed. She was generally really happy after she ate and then got gradually more subdued in the 15-30 minutes after until she would put herself to sleep. As the days passed, more time would pass between feedings and she would waken for a few minutes more every week- we were so excited to watch her learn and explore. Since we were getting use to Lillian's schedule, outings became less frightening and more comfortable as we were able to time her feeding periods and get things done.  We finally started with normal everyday life activities like shopping, day trips and walks which became easier by the day. We were able to ride the ferry to seattle and visit pikes place market and enjoy the lovely sunny weather, outside. 

This month was difficult because my husband and father of our newborn child was leaving for 7 months. Although it was hard, it was bittersweet too as I did not have to raise our child alone while completing my journey and lifelong dream of becoming a doctor of physical therapy. The work I had to look forward to during these next few months, would have been impossible without the support of my family, especially my mother who I will never be able to repay for the love and time she was able to provide us. This time apart from my husband was the perfect opportunity for she and I to create a new and amazing relationship. I watched my best friend unfold into the most wonderful grandmother a daughter could ask for her child. It is truly an amazing feeling to have God and such a awesome family support system to help raise and provide everlasting love to our child.  This month we were blessed by another family member who was able to visit- Aunt Brigitte. We were able to spend lots of time together, bonding and exploring the Washington state area. We really appreciate the individuals who have reached out and continue to make an effort to be part of our life. 

I can’t even begin to describe the intense protection and love I feel for Lillian.  There are so many things I want to remember about this month that I have tried to cherish every moment. Lillian is so alert and full of personality already- there isn't a day that she doesn't bring a smile to my face . We are so blessed and I am so excited to continue our journey together. 

Our first week!

Our first week of parenthood was pretty much exactly what I expected. It was definitely hard and frustrating at times and pure bliss at others. A roller coaster of emotions that changed by the minute, that's for sure. The selflessness that comes along with caring for our daughter manifested deep within us and we immediately fell in love. The hardest part about the beginning of Lillian's life was that Phillip's deployment was quickly approaching, after only spending 11 days with the newest member of our family. Thank goodness we had a extra set of hands as my mother put her life on hold in order to live with me and help with Lillian for the next 4 months- what a blessing she was and continues to be. We had no idea what we were in for and what a reality check it was, but our little girl has changed our life for the better. On Lillian's one week birthday, our dear friend Mary Pena was kind enough to capture the innocence and beauty of our firstborn baby; I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I have. 
Link: Lillian's Newborn Photoshoot! Credit goes to Mary Pena

Our Birth Story

It all began on a foggy Whidbey friday morning. I was 42 weeks pregnant, overdue big time and ready to hold my daughter. With nerves racing, Phillip and I drove to Whidbey General Hospital for a scheduled induction. It was quite surreal walking into the hospital knowing we weren’t coming back out alone. “We are going to have a baby today!” I thought. We arrived at the hospital at 5:30AM and were shown to our delivery room, number 3.  We nestled in and sat patiently as I was hooked up to mulitple monitors and the IV, which is when the Pitocin drip began.  

It was early and we weren't expecting an all-nighter on our first day of parenthood, but words of wisdom convinced us to rest. I was too excited and anxiously anticipating the labor experience that I had been waiting on for so long; entertaining myself with hallway strolls, TV, FaceTime sessions with family overseas and endless conversations with hubby, my mother and in-laws, who joined us a few hours later.  What an awesome group of people to have by my side throughout this experience. Again, we waited as the nurses increased the Pitocin drip, each hour slowly creeping by. I felt nothing more than mild menstrual cramping for hours. Did I mention my wonderful mother was giving me the best foot massages? I even have a picture to prove it but I'll spare you; my feet were the size of Shrek's.  My support team took turns keeping me company, reading, napping and chatting, and we waited. 

Frustrated, I had Phillip help me with all of the cords and tubes, and we went for a walk around the room, to the hospital floor and back to bouncing on the exercise ball to kill time.  Apparently all I needed was Pitocin with a side of gravity to get things going and by 3:30PM, the real pain had begun and I was 4cm dilated. I thought.. you've got to be kidding me, that's it? The next hour was spent sitting on the exercise ball, managing my contractions. Once they became intense and more painful, my OB came in to check my progress. I was 5 cm dilated and she broke my water to continue to move the birthing process along. 

My progress was much faster once my water broke. Within an hour, I was 8 cm dilated.  My doctor marveled at the speed at which my labor was progressing. My pain quickly intensified and by 5:30PM, I leaned over to Phillip and told him that I needed an epidural, stat. It’s hard to describe what was so bad about them, but they really did take over my whole body. I felt most of my labor low with sharp pulling sensations while my entire body tightened…Little by little, the pain would subside only to restart the cycle a few seconds later. Finally, the anesthesiologist arrived and by 7PM, I began to feel relief. 

Around 9PM the nurses checked and informed me that it was 
go-time.. The nurses encouraged me to listen to my body and it wasn't until a few contractions in that I started to feel the urge to push. What started as a little urge became an uncontrollable instinct to bear down at each contraction. My OB said she could see the head. Phillip on my right side and my mom on the left, both holding my legs, were able to take a peek. I thought I was getting close and remember asking "what color is her hair?" (We had a ongoing bet about our girl being a ginger). "Dark" She responded.  I heard them turn on the baby warmer, gather necessary equipment and start getting ready for Lillian's arrival.  This was it, I thought. I was shaking, itching, pushing, throwing up, resting in-between each contraction, yearning for every ice chip Phillip fed me and appreciating the cold wash cloth my mother had placed on my neck. Everyone told me I was an excellent pusher and to just keep doing what I was doing.

I kept pushing and watching the clock as the hours passed. Lillian's position wasn't progressing and her heart rate was beginning to dip.  Meanwhile, i was exhausted and I remember thinking that her heart rate decelerations combined with the length that I had been pushing had me going in the direction of a c-section but there was no mention of the possibility yet. My OB and nurses suggested different positions for a little while longer but there was no change. After three hours of what seemed like an eternity, Lillian's heart rate was at risk and the best option was to prepare for a c-section. From this point on, the next few hours are a bit of a blur. All in all, we had no major complications and our beautiful healthy baby girl was born at 2:12am on the 11th of May, weighing in at 7lbs 5oz and 20 1/2" long.

   

 

Welcome to our blog

Family.. where life begins and love never ends. 

We are beyond excited to begin blogging about our firstborn, Lillian. We plan on using this as a place to share our special moments, experiences and memories with family and friends. Each month, I plan to include precious moments in monthly posts- developmental milestones, interesting experiences, special and adorably cute traits, trips we've taken and much more. Being associated with the military makes it difficult for us to enjoy the normalities of a steady household and keeps us away from those who mean the most. We want you to have the ability to be a part of our  lives through this journal. We love you and look forward to sharing our adventure.