3 Months old

Just a couple pics from Maya's 3 month "photo shoot" :)

Her nursery.... {finally}

Here's a peek at Maya's room...

2 Months

So, I'm a little late on this post, but I thought these pictures were too cute to not put up. (Of course I do, she's my baby!) I had good intentions of posting much more often, but I get distracted by this sweet little girl in our house. I spend my time snuggling her, listening to her "talk", playing with her, ... I often create posts in my head, but by the time I get around to writing them, something new and more exciting has usually come up. I still intend on posting pictures of Maya's nursery. Maybe next week ;) Anyways ~ I have been blessed to have spent the last 10 weeks around the clock with this sweet little girl, snuggling, learning about each other, and falling more and more in love. Unfortunately, harsh reality set in last Monday when I headed back to work. It came much too quickly. Gone are the days of sleeping in, watching Regis and Kelly, taking mid-morning naps, afternoon naps, watching Oprah, etc... I had been anticipating this change for a long time, knowing it would be awful. I couldn't bring myself to leave Maya in another room, much less leave her for 8 hours while I was at work?! All I have to say is that we survived.... but it wasn't fun. I cried each morning that I left her and counted down the hours until I could come home to her. I was much more sad than Maya was. In fact, she wasn't sad at all- she didn't even know I was gone. (And THAT made me sad) Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she loves her daddy, but part of me was sad that she was perfectly happy with a bottle {of pumped breast milk} and hanging out with Dad all day. But at the same time, I am THRILLED that they get that bonding time. I made it through one full week and even went back to work again today (not that I had a choice in it.) I often wonder if I should have taken more time off of work, but I am convinced it wouldn't matter how much time I took off, it would still be hard. Hard, as in: cry for days before going back to work, not want to put her down, break all the rules (like bringing her to bed with me) kind of hard ;) You get the point. But, did I mention that we survived? Thanks for following all my rambling. Now that I have made a short story long, we are doing wonderfully. Happy, healthy, and very much in love! I love my family! <3

One month!

Our baby is one month old!

Words cannot describe how amazing the last month has been!

Baby Love

Maya Grace Liddell....

arrived on Saturday, October 23rd at 5:53pm. She weighed 5 pounds, 14 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long! We are soooo in love! Who would have thought it would have taken me four weeks to FINALLY get a post up about our baby girl?! Oh - that's right, you all did!! Apparently the first four weeks (and then some) with a newborn are extremely emotional and tiring! Who knew? :) Wow- I have barely opened my laptop since we arrived home from the hospital!

Her Arrival ~

I don't really know how to make a long story short, but I'll try my best :) On Friday, October 22nd, I went to bed feeling rather "yucky." I woke up around midnight and realized the "yuckiness" had become mild contractions. This time it was the "real ones." I always wondered how I would know when the contractions were "real" and not just Braxton Hicks. Everyone assured me that you "just know" and boy, is that true. The pain of contractions is very real! Rob began timing my contractions and continued throughout the night. Early Saturday morning I finally made the phone call to the hospital when my contractions were about 3-5 minutes apart for a good hour and a half. I was really hoping they would tell me to come on in, but that was not so :( Instead, the nurse told me to give it another hour or so and then call back. By this time I was really beginning to feel the pain, as the contractions were getting closer together and more intense. We finally packed up the car and headed to the hospital around 6:30 am, desperately hoping they would not send us home. Much to my excitement, we arrived at the hospital and they determined that the contractions were, in fact, progressing labor. YAY! An added bonus was that my midwife also happened to be in labor and delivery that day! They admitted me, asked me a million questions, began my IV, and ordered my epidural. Before going into labor, I was undecided as to whether or not I would get an epidural. However, once labor began, it didn't take me long to determine that I absolutely wanted one! It was such a life-saver. I had been feeling pretty miserable {and crabby} and once the epidural was hooked up, I was finally able to relax and rest as labor progressed. How do women do it without?? I don't ever want to know ;) I progressed pretty steadily throughout the afternoon, pain-free I might add. Rob and I hung out around the room, watching tv and napping here and there. Around 5:15 my midwife came in to check me and I was complete and ready to push! I pushed for about 20 minutes and Maya was born. It was the most amazing experience I have ever had in my life. Rob was such a trooper! They immediately brought her to my chest and I was able to hold her skin-to-skin. I cried and couldn't believe how absolutely perfect she was. I couldn't get over her perfect fingers and toes, her beautiful eyes and little nose... I was just in awe, overwhelmed with love for this little girl I had just carried for 10 months. It truly is amazing! Here are a few pics from the first days... will update again soon about "life at home." More pics to come because God knows we already have hundreds of them ;)

Our new family of 3!

38 Week Update

I had my 38 week appointment with my midwife this evening and all is looking well. She estimated baby girl Liddell to be around 6.5 pounds and said she sounds wonderful. She is still in the head down position, ready for delivery! She "checked" me and determined that my cervix is still "closed." However, she made it very clear that this is just a measure of where my body is at right now and has no bearing on what tonight, tomorrow, or next week will bring! I could go 3 more weeks for all I know. {Let's hope not!}

What I do know is that I am feeling much better this week than last week. The swelling in my ankles and feet has gone down significantly. In fact, I've lost 4 pounds since my appoinment just last week. My midwife attributes the weight change to the extra water weight I was carrying last week! Yuck- thank goodness the swelling has subsided {for now!} Good-bye marshmallow feet! I know most people call them cankles, but these babies were far beyond cankles ~ Just ask Rob ;)

~ 38 week belly picture ~

I have to take a moment to thank a wonderful friend for being so dang thoughtful that it brought me to tears today! Flowers are just the icing on the cake for all that she did for me today. Thanks Jen for making my week! Thanks to Rob for being in on the "little secret" and for not spoiling the surprise even when I threatened you ;)

Peace

As my due date approaches, I am finding that I have days when I feel completely at peace with our baby girl's pending arrival and then I have days when I feel moments of complete panic and anxiety! {As if it really matters if every last onesie or pair of socks is washed!!} :p

Last night as I was prepping for what I hope to be my last full week of school, I began to feel some pretty strong contractions. Although they were totally sporadic, I admit, I felt a moment of panic. Rob and I were just relaxing, watching tv while I was typing up some lesson plans on the computer. At one point I remember looking at him thinking, "This could be it!" followed by "Crap~I don't have all my lesson plans done for this week!" Thankfully, once I got up and moved around, the contractions subsided and the evening proceeded uneventfully. I say thankfully because I'm really hoping she'll hang out in there until her due date! As much as I would love to meet this little girl and hold her in my arms, I know that it's best she stay put for just a few weeks longer.


I know one of these times, this really will "be it" and Baby Girl Liddell will be on her way, whether or not the laundry is washed and put away, the dishes are clean, the floors are swept, the lesson planning is done, or my toenails are polished. {But for the record, my toenails ARE polished ~ just in case} :)


In the meantime, I am enjoying my moments of quiet: my mornings when just the kitties and I are awake eating breakfast, my afternoons of walks and play-time with Annie, and my late nights of chatting with Rob before falling asleep. I know our lives will change in the most amazing way possible, but that at the same time, things will never be the same. That thought makes me kind of sad, but excited at the same time. Rob and I had 6 years together of just him and I before getting married. After living together for almost a year, we decided to add to our family by adopting our two furry cats, Ellie and Macy. Only months after getting married, we added to our family again with our yellow lab, Annie. Now, having been married for a year and a half, we are getting ready to celebrate yet another addition ~ this time, a baby girl, to our lives! So for this moment ~ I am feeling at peace...

My favorite part of this quote is the last sentence:

"it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. "