October 18, 2003 - Your Birth!!!

I was induced Friday night at 9:00 p.m. Heavily induced with magnesium sulfate, I was severly swollen. Mommy was very, very sick. After 16 hours of labor, you were born on Saturday at 1:07 p.m. weighing 4 lb. 11 oz., 18 1/2 inches long. And Suprise! You were a girl!! We didn't find out until you were born. We were so very happy. They quickly wisked you off to the NICU. Daddy and both sets of grandparents went to see you while Mommy went back to the room to get over her sickness. I couldn't stop thinking of you. I wanted to see you so badly but I couldn't leave my bed. I was so heavily drugged so that I wouldn't have a seizure or stroke. I missed you. My heart ached. I just had you and they took you away. It was a very hard night. I was able to see you the next morning. It was wonderful! You were so beautiful! Black hair, beautiful skin...all the nurses kept saying how beautiful you were. I knew it too! I got to hold you for the first time. It was amazing!!! What a wonderful day!

October 17, 2003

It was a Friday that your Daddy took me to the doctor's office. It was the most gorgeous day in sunny North Carolina. We couldn't have asked for a better day. Again, my blood pressure was sky high and they could not get it down. I had to stay for 2 hours as they tried and tried. I thought, "Here we go again to the hospital for another round of tests". But then the doctor came in the room and said you are going to have this baby. We were ecstatic!!! We were so ready to meet you!! We had waited so long and that day was here. He told us we could go home and pack. So we got in the car and started calling our family and friends. We packed and took a picture of me in front of the house. Then we were on our way to Duke.

Mommy got sick...

Mommy was getting very swollen - a little too swollen. I had an appointment this particular day. I took my lunch break and went to the doctor for a regular checkup. When the nurse took my blood pressure, she asked if I had come up the stairs. Being that I was 7 months pregnant - I almost laughed think "are you kidding me?" I told her that I had been sitting on the couch for 20 minutes. She looked very concerned and walked away. They immediately sent me over to the hospital to run tests. They told me that I had pregnancy induced hypertention. I was sent home on bedrest and had to lay down at all times. My blood pressure would spike if I even sat up. Within two weeks, my state went into pre-eclampsia. I was in and out of the hospital several times. They were trying to keep me pregnant without risking either of us. It was a hard and emotional two weeks.

17 weeks and a hard day...

Today we had an ultrasound with you. The doctor had seen an ultrasound the week before and he was concerned that your little tummy was not filled with fluid. So today he wanted to look again and see what was going on. Your tummy was still not filled with fluid and he was able to see that your lip had not completely formed. He told us that you had a bilateral cleft lip and palate. It was a hard day. We didn't know what challenges you would have to face. We loved you so much the same - none of that changed. The doctor set us up for an appointment with the plastic surgeon. It was so comforting to meet a very skilled doctor, to see pictures of his repairs and know that he would be doing yours and hear of the issues we would face - mostly feeding issues. It was a great visit and we felt so much better as we left with so much hope that you would not have to endure much pain. By the end of the week, our spirits were lifted.

Was I ever sick...

I was so very sick in my first trimester with you. I ate Taco Bell to make me feel better. It was the ONLY thing that made me feel better. I just loved feeling you inside of me. It was worth the vomiting every single morning. Yes, thank you very much. :) Daddy loved to talk to you. Do you know how he knew I was pregnant with you (although he didn't tell me til after the fact). He came home and I had gone through a whole jar of pickles. Yummy!

The start of your world...

Daddy and I had been married almost a year when we found out we were pregnant with you. We were so excited! I had bought a little white onesie with little baby chicks on it and there was one baby chick that was trying to run away from the group. Daddy came home from work and I told him that we couldn't go home for Thanksgiving to see our family (15 hours away). He asked why and I told him that we were going to be having our first baby as I held up that little onesie. He was so excited. You were due to be here on November 19th. We went out to eat that night and you couldn't wipe the smiles off of our faces. We instantly fell in love with you!