You are very loved! You came into the world in a difficult way, at 9:58 AM on February 24th, 2012. You weighed 6 pounds and 4 ounces. Your daddy and I were ecstatic. We were SO happy to finally meet you, and so grateful that you were overall healthy! Daddy held you first, once you'd been checked over and wrapped up by our fantastic doctors and nurses! Your Nana and Grammy Jenn had been waiting in the hospital since the day before, for you to arrive. They were so happy when you got here! I'd been in the hospital since February 14th, and we got to come home with you on March 1st. Daddy lived in the hospital with me for most of the time! After you were born, you had to spend a few days in the NICU because, since I was in labour for three days and couldn't eat anything, your blood sugar was very low, and they also thought you might have had an infection. Turns out, you didn't. You were very brave! Daddy and I stayed just a couple of floors up from you in the hospital, and spent as much time as we were allowed with you in the NICU. I got in trouble a lot from my nurses for being downstairs with you so often for so long because I was supposed to be on bedrest. But I didn't really mind ;). It was the most exciting day for your daddy and I when we finally got to bring you upstairs to stay with us in our room, and you only had to make one daily trip to the NICU for medication. The nurses down there gave you a crazy hair style because they had to re-position the IV on different spots around your scalp, so they had to shave patches of hair off each time! They kindly packaged up the hair to give to Daddy and I to bring home with us :).
Memories of spending time together with you and your dad in the hospital will always be very, very special to me. The entire stay there was life-changing for me - it was all a really, really intense experience with so many different and new emotions. I think I'll always remember the pain, relief, worry, excitement, support, and time I spent reflecting before you arrived.
Here are two songs that will always remind me of the days immediately surrounding your birth:
1) As the Crow Flies - Thrice
2) Messages - Xavier Rudd
You came home with Daddy and I on March 1st. I hadn't been home since mid-February - I hadn't even been out of the hospital! It was so surreal driving us all home in my car. The fresh air was amazing. It was a cool, sunny day and you were such a good, co-operative little baby getting home. Grammy Jenn met us at home, where Nana and Great Aunt Sue had totally cleaned and organized everything for our arrival, and where Granddad, Sittoo, and Nanny Kathleen had put together your new crib and change table. The following weeks were incredible in many ways! You'd spend your days with me while your dad was at school - we'd see him off everyday and be happy to see him when he arrived home again! You love your dad very much. Your favourite things to do with him are Baby Spaceship, Um-Bay-Um-Ba, and reading books. You're 6 weeks and 1 day old today, and your daddy doesn't live with us anymore, but I tell you every night before sleep that Daddy loves you very much. That's the truth.
So it's you and me now, babe, and we've gotta make it work. I love you more than I could ever say, but I do say it over and over anyway. I give you lots of kisses and you scrunch your face up. You are amazingly physically strong - when doing tummy time, you'd lift your head and chest up off the floor and hold it up at 3 weeks old. Now when you do it, you also kick your legs furiously, to crawl forward. Sometimes you do it hard enough to actually propel yourself forward, and it's crazy!!! You've been meeting all of your developmental milestones far before you should be, and that isn't even considering you were born 2 weeks early. You are so patient, so full of love, and pretty understanding when I take longer than you'd like to prepare your bottle. We spend a whole lot of time lately with your Nana, your Auntie Alice, your Nana Ally and Granddad Tom, your Great-Nanny Kathy, and sometimes see your Sittoo and Doo, your Granddad and Nanny Kathleen, your Grammy Jenn, and your Great-Nanny Lynn.
You are funny and silly; you sometimes make these little fake cries, and when I pick you up, you immediately stop and smirk at me as if to say, "Gotchya, Mom!" You love to snuggle with anyone, but especially me. You don't cry unless you need something. Your disposition is sunny and beautiful and content. You smile huge smiles in your sleep, and a couple of weeks ago, you've started to laugh in your sleep. It melts my heart and makes me smile so big! You crack a huge smile, and laugh so much that your shoulders move up and down. I can't wait for the day you start to do this while you're awake!
You are absolutely gorgeous, girl, and I love you with my whole heart.
Always,
Mommy
