Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Long Overdue
I have been terrible about posting pictures of my little Ava. Really, I have just been terrible about posting...I'll try to fix that. Until then, here are new photos of my Baby Girl. She is One Month and 5 Days Old.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Fatherhood
I have no idea what Fatherhood is like (obviously) but this little project gave me a wonderful insight to what might be going through their minds.
And the photographs really inspire me to pick up my camera because I have really been slacking....
And the photographs really inspire me to pick up my camera because I have really been slacking....**Stumbled upon on For Me, For You**
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Breastfeeding: What's a girl to wear?
After months of dreaming about my post pregnancy wardrobe I failed to factor in "dressing to breastfeed." I have to face reality and come to terms with nursing bras and tank tops. It isn't so bad really, except that my options are limited. I decided the nursing tanks are by far the most comfortable and easiest to deal with when you have a hungry baby. So now my Fall wardrobe consist of Jeans, a white nursing tank, and a colorful cardigan. It's an outfit I would wear if I were breastfeeding or not (minus the nursing tank). The only issue is my current lack of cardigans. Mama needs to go shopping. This Mama also needs a new pair of flats, as all of my old ones are a little snug (I guess my feet did grow a little...).
But I'm saving up to have one big shopping spree with my two best friends who will be visiting Ava and I the first week of October. I can't wait. Until then I will swoon over these simple and versatile cardigans from J. Crew:
But I'm saving up to have one big shopping spree with my two best friends who will be visiting Ava and I the first week of October. I can't wait. Until then I will swoon over these simple and versatile cardigans from J. Crew:
Monday, September 13, 2010
When Wishes Come True...
A pretty wonderful thing happened today. It isn't super miraculous or anything, but it made my day and brought a few tears of happiness to my eyes.
I received a very unexpected package in the mail. It was a gift for Ava and I from some very, VERY thoughtful and loving people, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim. Now you should know that they are NOT MY Aunt and Uncle. They are actually my best friend Katie's Aunt and Uncle. When Katie and I were living in Baltimore together Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim used to always take us out to dinner at Woodberry Kitchen (one of the best places in Baltimore). They were always so open and kind and really made me feel like family. Unfortunately I had lost touch with them since Katie had moved to New York and I had become pregnant and moved back to Columbus. So imagine my surprise when I saw that the package was from them.
What was in the package was another pleasant surprise. It was a Sleepy Sheep. So yesterday the sight of this Sleepy Sheep may not have been as exciting to me, but you see, just this morning I was over at BleuBird Vintage and read a post about how she recommends the Sleepy Sheep. After checking it out I immediately put it on my endless Want List (we all have a Want List). I literally squealed with excitement when I saw its cute little face staring back at me from the box. I couldn't believe how random and wonderful it all was. They also included a beautiful card and a very generous gift card. The entire gesture filled me with overwhelming happiness and I actually shed a few tears.
It really amazes me how lucky Ava and I to have such loving and thoughtful people in our lives. We are truly blessed.
I received a very unexpected package in the mail. It was a gift for Ava and I from some very, VERY thoughtful and loving people, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim. Now you should know that they are NOT MY Aunt and Uncle. They are actually my best friend Katie's Aunt and Uncle. When Katie and I were living in Baltimore together Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim used to always take us out to dinner at Woodberry Kitchen (one of the best places in Baltimore). They were always so open and kind and really made me feel like family. Unfortunately I had lost touch with them since Katie had moved to New York and I had become pregnant and moved back to Columbus. So imagine my surprise when I saw that the package was from them.
What was in the package was another pleasant surprise. It was a Sleepy Sheep. So yesterday the sight of this Sleepy Sheep may not have been as exciting to me, but you see, just this morning I was over at BleuBird Vintage and read a post about how she recommends the Sleepy Sheep. After checking it out I immediately put it on my endless Want List (we all have a Want List). I literally squealed with excitement when I saw its cute little face staring back at me from the box. I couldn't believe how random and wonderful it all was. They also included a beautiful card and a very generous gift card. The entire gesture filled me with overwhelming happiness and I actually shed a few tears.
It really amazes me how lucky Ava and I to have such loving and thoughtful people in our lives. We are truly blessed.
Here I am!
Forgive me for my recent absence. Things here have been busier than usual. Baby Girl takes up majority of my time and this past week we had a very special visitor. I decided to keep the computer off and soak up as much time as possible with my new little family. It was a blast even if we mostly just lounged around the house and watched the Food Network Channel. We did manage to get out a few time and Ava had her first experience at The North Market. She was an angel and slept most of the time. We also went to a few book stores and started building up her little book collection. It was such a great week and felt like a mini vacation even though I didn't leave.
I am now getting back to my usual schedule and I'll be back later with some more interesting posts.
xoxo
I am now getting back to my usual schedule and I'll be back later with some more interesting posts.
xoxo
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The "Official" Birth Story
After rereading my first description of Baby Girls birth I knew I needed to write a better story for the sake of clarity. It is pretty obvious that I was still on my adrenaline rush when I wrote the first story.
I spent months dreaming of life with Baby Girl and to my surprise she decided she was ready to start that life on an early Tuesday Morning two weeks before her due date. I had begun my official countdown to her arrival on Monday but I was sure she wouldn't arrive until the following week or later. I knew there was progress being made after my doctor told me I was beginning to dilate and I was almost completely effaced, but those numbers meant nothing to me. I still had a good amount of energy and felt surprisingly comfortable considering it was August and I was 9 months pregnant.
Monday evening came and my lower back began to ache a little. I assumed it was because I had been on my feet most of Sunday and I had done a lot of housework earlier in the day. I mentioned the pain and the beginning of my countdown to my mom and she casually pointed out the full moon scheduled to appear the following night. We looked up more about the Lunar Effect and laughed at the possibility that the gravitational pull would bring out Baby Girl (little did we know...). I looked in my pregnancy books for exercises to ease an aching back and attempted to do a few. After no success I decided to call it a night and go to bed. I tossed and turned and only slept a little bit until I woke up at 2:30 AM because the pain was getting worse. I honestly didn't think I could be in labor because everything I had read said the birth pains would be in my abdomen, not my back. I walked around the house hoping it would ease the pain. I realized the pains were worse at times and coming about every 5 minutes. I woke my mom up and told her and of course we decided we should go to the hospital. I still had my doubts and wanted to wait a little longer so we both showered and I finished packing my back. By the time we were in the car the pains were pretty bad and I had to ask my mom to stop talking as I needed silence to get through the pain.
We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 AM. We made our way to check in and they hooked me up to the pain monitors. I was still able to answer questions and keep my calm even though the monitors were showing very high pain levels. I was fascinated by the spiking lines on the monitor. The nurse examined me and I was a good 4-5 cm dilated and definitely in labor. They set me up in the delivery room and my mom and I made a few calls and sent a few texts to let people know Baby Girl was on her way.
The contractions were getting worse but they were still manageable. I was thankful for my pain tolerance as I wanted to have a medicine free labor. The nurse kept asking how much pain I was in on a scale of 1 to 10. I was probably an 11 but I kept saying I was a 7-8 because that is what I wanted to believe. I found that sitting and rocking on the birthing ball was more comfortable than laying in the bed. I also had a fan blowing right on me (I was sweating) and my mom massaging my lower back with a tennis ball. My doctor came in at 7 AM to let us know he was there and would be making his rounds until 1 PM. I jokingly asked him what took him so long to get there. I think my sarcasm threw off him, the nurse, and my mom off. A woman in labor doesn't usually make jokes. He went on his way and I kept breathing and rocking. The pains were progressing and I was definitely vocalizing it. At one point a contraction came and suddenly my whole body wanted to push. I yelled out the urge and the nurse quickly examined me, told me to get in the bed, and called the doctor. Baby Girl was coming and she was coming quick.
At around 8 AM I had my legs up, the doctors was putting on his gloves and we were ready for action. He numbed me "down there" and the nurse and my mom kept reminding me to breath. I just wanted to push so push I did. After each push the nurse told me to relax and catch my breath and let the contractions help me. But I didn't want to stop pushing and I made that very clear. We were on a roll, why slow it down? After only 15 minutes Baby Girl was out. It all happened so fast, I was in shock. I just stared at her in disbelief that I had made another human being. I didn't cry, I just took it all in. I took in her cries, her smells, her looks, her entire being. I took in the experience. I had just given birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. I couldn't believe what my body has just done.
Ava Madelyn Lopez weighed 5 pounds and 15 ounces, measured 19.5 inches long, and was born at 8:39 AM on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. She is perfect.
I spent months dreaming of life with Baby Girl and to my surprise she decided she was ready to start that life on an early Tuesday Morning two weeks before her due date. I had begun my official countdown to her arrival on Monday but I was sure she wouldn't arrive until the following week or later. I knew there was progress being made after my doctor told me I was beginning to dilate and I was almost completely effaced, but those numbers meant nothing to me. I still had a good amount of energy and felt surprisingly comfortable considering it was August and I was 9 months pregnant.
Monday evening came and my lower back began to ache a little. I assumed it was because I had been on my feet most of Sunday and I had done a lot of housework earlier in the day. I mentioned the pain and the beginning of my countdown to my mom and she casually pointed out the full moon scheduled to appear the following night. We looked up more about the Lunar Effect and laughed at the possibility that the gravitational pull would bring out Baby Girl (little did we know...). I looked in my pregnancy books for exercises to ease an aching back and attempted to do a few. After no success I decided to call it a night and go to bed. I tossed and turned and only slept a little bit until I woke up at 2:30 AM because the pain was getting worse. I honestly didn't think I could be in labor because everything I had read said the birth pains would be in my abdomen, not my back. I walked around the house hoping it would ease the pain. I realized the pains were worse at times and coming about every 5 minutes. I woke my mom up and told her and of course we decided we should go to the hospital. I still had my doubts and wanted to wait a little longer so we both showered and I finished packing my back. By the time we were in the car the pains were pretty bad and I had to ask my mom to stop talking as I needed silence to get through the pain.
We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 AM. We made our way to check in and they hooked me up to the pain monitors. I was still able to answer questions and keep my calm even though the monitors were showing very high pain levels. I was fascinated by the spiking lines on the monitor. The nurse examined me and I was a good 4-5 cm dilated and definitely in labor. They set me up in the delivery room and my mom and I made a few calls and sent a few texts to let people know Baby Girl was on her way.
The contractions were getting worse but they were still manageable. I was thankful for my pain tolerance as I wanted to have a medicine free labor. The nurse kept asking how much pain I was in on a scale of 1 to 10. I was probably an 11 but I kept saying I was a 7-8 because that is what I wanted to believe. I found that sitting and rocking on the birthing ball was more comfortable than laying in the bed. I also had a fan blowing right on me (I was sweating) and my mom massaging my lower back with a tennis ball. My doctor came in at 7 AM to let us know he was there and would be making his rounds until 1 PM. I jokingly asked him what took him so long to get there. I think my sarcasm threw off him, the nurse, and my mom off. A woman in labor doesn't usually make jokes. He went on his way and I kept breathing and rocking. The pains were progressing and I was definitely vocalizing it. At one point a contraction came and suddenly my whole body wanted to push. I yelled out the urge and the nurse quickly examined me, told me to get in the bed, and called the doctor. Baby Girl was coming and she was coming quick.
At around 8 AM I had my legs up, the doctors was putting on his gloves and we were ready for action. He numbed me "down there" and the nurse and my mom kept reminding me to breath. I just wanted to push so push I did. After each push the nurse told me to relax and catch my breath and let the contractions help me. But I didn't want to stop pushing and I made that very clear. We were on a roll, why slow it down? After only 15 minutes Baby Girl was out. It all happened so fast, I was in shock. I just stared at her in disbelief that I had made another human being. I didn't cry, I just took it all in. I took in her cries, her smells, her looks, her entire being. I took in the experience. I had just given birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. I couldn't believe what my body has just done.
Ava Madelyn Lopez weighed 5 pounds and 15 ounces, measured 19.5 inches long, and was born at 8:39 AM on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. She is perfect.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
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