Throwback Thursday Stories: The Day I Became A Mommy

 Birth Day: July 24, 2008

 One year old

 Two years old

 Three years old

Four years old

Five years old

Six years old 

Six years ago today, our little drama princess made her grand entrance into the world...two weeks overdue and following a very long and difficult labor.  What we expected to be the happiest day of our lives was very nearly the worst.  I am still trying to wrap my mind around how far we've come from that day...and how six years can go by in the blink of an eye. 

She is the daughter I've always wanted and in so many ways she is my mini me.  She feels everything deep and wide and perceives more than just the surface.  She notices body language and emotions written behind weary or tear stained eyes and often sees straight to your heart.  She understands far more than we often expect and has such a tender and compassionate heart for others. 

Sometimes I wonder who is learning and growing more, because the way she faces her fears head on and dances and sings through life no matter how dark the day challenges me so often to choose gratitude in the middle of the biggest storms of life.  There are few things more precious than being a mommy...and I'm so grateful for that day six years ago that brought her here in our arms. 

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Since our old xanga blog is in need of upgrading and I don't have the time or energy (or money) to do so, I thought I'd share the post my husband wrote right after she was born as well as the words I shared later on that day, both for my own memory keeping and for those who haven't heard her story before.  I'm warning you, though - it might cause unexpected tears, because these are hard memories to read about and remember...but they are still part of the beautiful story God has written for our firstborn. 

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She's Here!

(Ted's post, written just hours after her birth)

Steph and I went to the hospital at 6:30 Wednesday morning and her doctor induced her. At about 12:30, things weren't moving too fast, so they broke her water. She started getting stronger contractions, and by evening, they were getting VERY strong.  Stephanie had wanted all along to have a more natural birth, with no pain medications.  That turned out not to be realistic around 8:15, so she requested an epidural.  The risks to baby and mother seemed very minor to me, so I was happy to see her get rid of some pain.  She was still moving along slowly, and we weren't sure if they were going to need to use more medications to speed things up.  She was still at 5cm at 11pm.  Grandma Mary and I were getting pretty tired by then and I went to the family lounge right next door to sleep on the couch they had.  I had just dozed off when Mary came in saying "She's complete!"  Steph pushed like a trooper for about 1.5hrs with a fever reaching 105 deg F.  At 2:38am on 7/24/08, we had a brand new baby.  She is 6#, 9 oz. and 20 in long.

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Our brave little girl...

(my post, written just a few hours before the scariest moment of my life...when she began having seizures and was helicoptered to the nearest NICU hospital)

We've all had a chance to rest a little bit today after a LONG labor and delivery.  My fever - praise the Lord - went down really fast and I was able to sleep for about 2 hours this afternoon.  We had a few visitors this morning, but spent the afternoon resting and enjoying the quiet.  We're about the enjoy some yummy Italian food with my mom and brother, DJ, but I thought I'd give you all a little update on how Valerie is doing.  

After delivery, Valerie had a lot of meconium in her body that had to be pumped out, because she passed some while inside of me.  She also had a fever (because I did) and was given some oxygen to help her out a little after the stressful delivery.  Neither of us were able to hold her right away, because they took her right to the nursery and kept an eye on her.  Once they got her off the oxygen (at about 5:30 this morning) they brought her into our room and I was able to nurse her for a little bit.  Then, the pediatrician came in around 8 and brought her back to the nursery to do a check up.

I noticed when she was in our room that she was breathing fast at times and the doctor was concerned about this, especially since she swallowed so much meconium.  They decided to do some blood work to check her blood count in case of infection and did a chest extra to check her lungs.  Around 10, Ted and I went to the nursery to check on her and the doctor told us she did have a little bit of pneumonia.  They started her right away on some IV meds and put her back on the oxygen.

She was quite upset with all the activity going on, so it was hard for Ted and I to leave the nursery and visit with some of our guests.  We were thankful, though, that she was being taken care of and would be able to get better.

After resting this afternoon, we checked on her again and her oxygen levels were almost at 100%.  They have her in an isolet to keep her warm and give her some oxygen.  Since her levels were doing so well and she was getting quite upset, the nurse let me hold her.  I can't even explain what that did for me.  I was starting to feel a little down about not having her in the room and being able to nurse her, so it was so comforting to hold her and see her look up at me with bright eyes.

She didn't quite calm down for me though, because she was hungry and mad that I couldn't feed her.  So, Ted got to hold her for a while and was able to put her to sleep.

As of an hour or so ago, the pediatrician let us know she will be in the hospital for at least 7 days to keep her on IV meds and completely clear out the pneumonia.  I will probably be discharged Saturday morning, but will be able to stay as a guest until Valerie is discharged later next week.  We're hoping her oxygen levels stay the same and by tomorrow she may be able to come to our room.  

Please keep her in your prayers, but know that God is so good and has kept her in His precious hands throughout this.  We are so proud of how well she is doing and praising God for keeping her safe.

If you would like to visit, we will probably be up to visitors at the earliest by Friday night.  You can call either of our cell phones to find out if it's a good time to visit.  Since I will probably be here until Valerie is discharged, I would certainly love to have visitors throughout the weekend and next week.

We are so thankful for all your prayers, emails, phone calls, and encouragement.  We can't wait to bring her home and let you all enjoy her, but are just taking it one day at a time here.  I am thankful God is in control and know that He will take care of her.

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To read more of her first couple weeks, check out these posts on my Girl of Grace blog.