Happy Birthday Willa!

Friday was our sweet Willa's birthday!!  Unfortunately, she had a bit of a hard day.  We had her check-up yesterday morning where she got four shots, and her tummy still isn't quite recovered from her virus last Saturday.  This whole week has been tough for her, she just hasn't really had an appetite and has been a little whiney and sad.  She's also cutting five teeth right now (four on top, one on the bottom), they are so close and totally visible under her gums.  I think that might be a lot of the reason she isn't eating.  Maybe it's apropo that she's not feeling great since I'm pretty sure that she wasn't feeling too great one year ago.  It can't be comfortable being pushed through the birth canal!

Here is a birth story recap, because who doesn't love a good birth story?! First of all, Willa was originally due on October 28th (two weeks later) and I figured that she would probably be overdue since it was my first baby and my pregnancy had been going so easily.  Ryan was supposed to be out of town on the day she was actually born, but had a tonsillectomy and wasn't up leaving.  Shannon was all set to be my Doola, however, if he had been gone.  

Two days before Willa was born, Ryan still wasn't feeling well enough to go running in the morning so we decided to just go on an early morning walk together. I'm so grateful we were able to have that time to reflect and savor our life  - where we were and the big changes that would be happening soon - before Willa was born.  We made big plans for a last date and temple trip that weekend.  Ha!  

Since I didn't run that morning, I went to the gym during my lunch hour and was amazed at how good I felt!  I did the stair master for 20 solid minutes, and not the easy one, the hard one that looks like an escalator.  Then, I ran 1 1/2 miles on the treadmill at a 9:30 pace.  The only reason I stopped was because my lunch hour was over and I had to get back to work!  That evening I told Ryan how amazing I felt!  I think it was those endorphins that are supposed to click in right before you go into labor.  Most women clean their house, but I happened to be at the gym so I worked out.

The next morning I went on my regular 3 1/2 mile run and still felt great, but when I got back I had "indications" that maybe I actually would have the baby soon.  I also want to mention that the day before, I had completely cleaned out everything at work.  I finished all the little tasks and only had a few things left to do.  That was also such a blessing, I really feel like Heavenly Father was watching out for us and preparing us to have this baby two weeks early.  

I was having regular but weak contractions so I got ready and decided to go into work and finish up the last details (it would only take an hour or two).  Ryan was nice enough to volunteer to drive me to work, I rode my bike all the other days - even just the day before.

Things progressed, my water broke, yada yada, Ryan picked me up about 11 a.m. and we went to the hospital shortly after.  After a few hours at the hospital they started some pitocin to pick things up. They came in and checked me at 9 pm and I was at 5 cm.  It's supposed to take about an hour/cm so we thought she would be born sometime early the next morning.  Ryan left to get some dinner at Del Taco and I upped the epidural dosage.  The anesthetist warned me not to let the contractions get too bad, or else the epidural wouldn't ever catch up with them.  When they had checked me, I had started feeling some pain again so I pushed the epidural button a couple of times thinking that the pushing part was hours away.

Well, about 40 minutes later the nurse came in to check, then she came again, then she came again and gave me oxygen, then she finally decided to take a look and behold - the baby was basically crowning and was so low down the birth canal that that was why they were having trouble picking up a heartbeat! The nurse was like, "Can't you feel that pressure?"  Having just upped the epidural, I was completely numb.  I had to phone Ryan and tell him to hurry back!  They set everything up, told me to push - which was hard since I couldn't feel a thing.  I pushed a few times, said I could maybe push once more and she was out!  She was born at 10:13 pm.  It was so fast.  I'm kind of proud how fast it was.  I think then, I was kind of in shock.  Ryan said he was worried because I wasn't asking about the baby, I was just saying, "That was so fast, that was so fast!"  Hey, all the nurses were saying the same thing!  Still, I really feel like exercising for the entire pregnancy really prepared my body for labor.  I recommend the book "Exercising Through Your Pregnancy" by James Clapp for everyone.

My favorite part of the birth was seeing them pull Willa out, having her immediately start screaming, and seeing the purplish/gray skin redden as she breathed in the oxygen.  It was so amazing and I loved how loud and quickly she screamed and turned pink. 

There is actually another side to this birth story.  My mom and dad were on a cruise in Panama when I gave birth.  My mom hadn't wanted to go on the cruise, but I assured her that she would be back in time for the birth and that I would probably be overdue anyway, ha ha.  Willa, though, was two weeks early and they were on their cruise, totally incommunicado.  The day Willa was born, my mom and her friends went to a psychic show on the ship.  They had to all write a question on a piece of paper and put it in a bowl.  The psychic drew my mom's question and without even reading it he said, "You will remember this cruise and me because the baby is going to be born today."  My mom laughed it off, but the next day the ship was in port.  She got off the ship and had cell phone reception for just a few minutes.  Her phone beeped and there was a text message with a picture of Willa, but no writing.  She started screaming and everyone around remembered the psychic show from the day before!!  It is still so bizarre.

Here are some photos.  It's so strange right when you have a baby, on one hand you are so excited and happy.  On the other hand, you just want to stuff that baby right back inside of you and pretend that she doesn't exist!  I did NOT want to leave the hospital and was terrified that they were actually sending us home with her.  

First Halloween at two weeks old, I love this photo.

One Month

Two Months

 Three Months

Four Months

 Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

 Eight Months

Nine Months

Eleven Months

Here are some pictures from her birth day yesterday.  

Morning sleepyhead with dolly:

This was after her shots and she was still able to muster a few smiles (though not many) for me:

Escape Attempt:

Ah, it feels much better to just lay back and relax:

I don't know if you can tell from the photos, but she has really slimmed out since she started crawling.  In these last photos she really is starting to look like a toddler to me.  At her check-up she was in the 50th percentile for both height and weight and had only gained a few ounces since her last appointment three months ago. She is a speedy crawler and I love to see when she really shifts it into a higher gear.  If she is playing in the kitchen and I open the fridge door, she is there lightening-fast.  It makes us laugh every time because she drops what she is doing and books it to the fridge to look inside.  Once she gets there, she says, "Ooooo" in a cute, high voice.  I think the cool air is new for her.

She loves chicken nuggets, but I can also get her to eat a little broccoli, green beans, and peas if I start with those first; trying to figure out something that she will eat is still my most frustrating thing.  She'll try most things, lick them, put them in her mouth, then spit them out and throw them off of her high chair.

She's got a very mad, "OOoonooo" when she doesn't want something.  It sounds like no, but I'm not sure if she's actually got the N.  She babbles mama and dada and I think she knows what they mean, but who really knows.

Having a baby is kind of like getting married.  Before I was married, I thought marriage was a good thing.  My married friends were happy, it seemed like a natural-enough step to take.  After I was married, I can't explain the difference, but life was so much better.  It makes me understand better why Heavenly Father wants us to be married.  It is a better way of life.  I feel the same way about having kids.  Before, it looked good, people seemed happy with their kids.  Since Willa was born, life has been so much richer.  I can't explain it, but I really have more appreciation for Heavenly Father's plan and for His desire to have us marry and have children.  Ryan and I have been so happy with our little Willa and we are excited for the next year!