Christmas Break

One of the nice things about having a husband who is a teacher is the time off he gets for holidays and summer. We've really been enjoying ourselves these past couple of weeks and it has been really nice to have him home during the tough newborn stage. He is such a great hubby and daddy and has really stepped up in taking over Michaela's care so that I can tend to the baby's needs. Other than adjusting to being a family of four and spending time with extended family, some of the highlights have been taking the kids to the local kids science museum, Rafael getting to play Jesus at the Christmas Eve Mass, and Michaela getting into a jar of Nutella! Here are some pics from his time at home:

Dear Michaela

Dear Michaela,
Happy Birthday! In many ways it is hard to believe that it has only been a year since you were born. I already can't remember what life was like before your constant presence. Yet I can still remember those first few hazy days with you. The joy I felt when I held you for the first time and when I recognized some of your daddy's features in your smushed little newborn face. The feeling of complete helplessness when I was unable to breastfeed you for the first few days (thank goodness we finally got the hang of it!). The anticipation of finally taking you home from the hospital and the terror when we realized that we were completely on our own and had to figure out our way as parents as best we could.

The first 6 months of your life you gave us a trial by fire in parenting. By the time you stopped being colicky I knew every calming technique in the book and already felt like a veteran parent. You always have had plenty of personality, but when you finally stopped crying all day it was amazing to see the little quirks we had missed before. And now, 6 months later, a little bit of your babyness is shedding away every day and I can start to see the toddler and child that you are becoming. I am so glad that I am able to stay home with you so that I can witness this constant transformation and enjoy all the little moments that I will look back on with love many years from now. I can't imaging being unable to share all the little smiles and giggles or witness the milestones as you become a fully mobile little girl.

In case I ever forget to tell you enough, know that I love you mijita, now and forever.

Birth Story

It was on this day last year (ok, technically it was Feb. 29th) that I went in to the hospital to have my labor induced. My little baby had been measuring small throughout my entire pregnancy, so we had been having weekly ultrasounds to make sure that she/he was still ok. (We had decided not to find out the sex of the baby). That day we discovered that the baby had not grown at all from the previous week, meaning that my placenta was no longer delivering to it the nutrients that it needed. I knew all along that there was a possibility of induction, but when it became clear that an induction was the only option and that it had to happen that very day, 3 weeks ahead of my due date, my heart broke just a little bit. This was my first pregnancy, I wanted to do it my way, all natural, with minimal hospital intervention.

In any case, after my 4pm appointment my midwife told me to be at the hospital by 8pm. I rushed home, calling my husband to update him on the situation. My dad's suprise 50th birthday party was the following day and I had volunteered to make all the food.....all the food that I hadn't started making yet! As soon as I got home, I rushed to get some of the food made, so that they could at least reheat it the next day. When my husband arrived home from work, he found me in the kitchen sweating over several enchilada casseroles. Never mind that the baby's room was unfinished, there were still a few things missing from my hospital bag, and I should seriously consider eating something and taking a shower before we left, I had to get that food ready!

We left for the hospital at 7:30pm with most of the food done, and my sisters planning to finish what I hadn't. When we got there, all of the rooms were full, but most of the women had already given birth, so within an hour we were escorted to our own room. When they checked me, they found that my body was in no way ready to have this baby. I wasn't dilated in the slightest, my cervix was not ripened at all, and the baby hadn't really even dropped! I told them from the very beginning that I did not want to have my water broken unless it was the last possible option. I didn't want to be forced into a C-Section situation. Let me skip most of that weekend and let you know that by Monday afternoon, after trying every possible induction method, my midwife told me gently that if I didn't want to stay another week in the hospital, I should probably have my waters broken. At this point I was 3cm dilated and my cervix was very high, so I decided to go with it.

At 2pm my water was broken. By 4pm I was seriously considering changing my stance on no pain medication, but I held out and just convinced myself after each contraction to just get through one more. I had planned to move around and try different positions to help with the pain and help get the baby into position, but at every contraction I just wanted to curl up into a little ball on the bed until it was over. By the time they checked me at 8pm I was only 6cm dilated and my arms and shoulders were sore from squeezing the bed rail during every contraction. At this point, Philip and I realized that I might be in labor for the rest of the night so he went down to the lobby to grab something to eat. Right after he left I got incredibly nauseous and threw up all over my sisters bag (she was with me while Philip was eating). After they finished cleaning it up I felt like I had to push. I told them and they said they would check me again even though they had just checked me. Philip came back into the room at this point and was there when they told me I was almost at 10cm and if I wanted to push to go right ahead. After about 30 minutes of pushing, our sweet little Michaela came into the world at 9:18pm. A whopping 5lb 1.4oz, Philip and I fell in love with this little angel and knew our lives would be forever changed. I love you, my little monkey!

I'd love to hear your birth story(ies)! If you've already written one, let me know if the comments! :)

Valentines Schmalintines

I've never really been a fan of Valentines Day. It seems like such a silly day to have to force yourself to be extra lovey dovey and mushy with your loved one. I love celebrating our anniversary, but VD has no meaning behind it, nothing to truly mark it as a special day, other than the fact that our calenders say so. Philip & I don't celebrate it at all, and to be honest it just seems like a waste of money.

That being said, I always secretly hope just a little bit that Philip will come home with something cute and simple like a single stem rose or a box of chocolates. And then I will say something along the lines of "You're so silly, you know we don't do Valentines Day!" But really I will be super pleased and he will probably get a little action that night.

The other day (like a couple of weeks ago) we were at Sam's Club and noticed an older man buy a rose to take home. I thought it was the cutest thing in the world. But then later that day, I was in the crabbiest mood in the world. My dinner had not turned out the way I wanted it to, my daughter had been teething and screaming all day, I hadn't finished the cleaning, and I was just feeling like a failure as a wife and a mom. So when I put Michaela in the bath to get her ready for bed and heard the clanking noises that usually indicates dishes are being washed, I almost broke into tears. My husband hates washing dishes. Plus it was the night before he started work again after his break and he wanted to be in bed early. So this was a big, important, romantic guesture, even though it was such a tiny little thing. These are the things that really matter to me, not some rinky dinky little rose he picks up at the gas station on the way home.

To conclude, Philip: I love you very much, and am glad that we are able to show our love for each other every day of the year, not just the day that the card companies want us to. P.S. A chocolate bar is always appreciated. :P

Snow Day!*

Yesterday was a snow day! We got a couple of inches of snow, so schools were closed and Philip was able to stay home from work. Here's a shot of our backyard:

And of Michaela's first snow experience:

And of course of the puppies who loooooved the snow:

*For those of you who live in places where several inches of snow is a common occurence, please don't laugh at us sad little snow loving New Mexicans. :P

Top 10 Things in Mommy Land

In no particular order:

*Waking up to the feel of Michaela's little fists beating against me, and opening my eyes to her huge smile.

*The fresh baby smell that lasts for hours after she takes bath.

*Watching Philip and Michaela play together.

*Having a "conversation" with Michaela as she coos and gurgles.

*The way I feel when I can calm her down or make her smile by just holding her and kissing her.

*The sound of her giggle.

*Having the confidence that Philip will do whatever it takes to keep Michaela safe and happy (other than changing her poopy diapers!)

*Nursing her and feeling the love and warmth that we share at those moments.

*Sleeping with her little sleeping body wrapped in my arms.

*Looking at Michaela and being able to recognize both Philip's and my features in this beatiful little creature.


As a side note: I found a new favorite website today with really hilarious articles. Check it out!