home about me scrapbooking our home deep contact

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Ellie's Story



I was just reading an old scrapbook magazine featuring a layout of "a woman preparing to have a baby." If I had to title Ellie's birth story, it would be the story of a woman UNPREPARED to have a baby.

Now I knew that I was turning 38 weeks on Wednesday, February 1, and that marked the beginning of the "any day now" period. However, it did not occur to me that this was not a hard and fast rule. I'm a very by-the-schedule sort of person who lives off her planner, so the concept that my child would not follow this philosophy simply didn't cross my mind!

On Tuesday, I was feeling sick with a cold so I worked from home. S and I had some Chinese food for dinner and watched Downton Abbey (we're watching Season 1 on Netflix and are hooked!), and then headed to bed early. I woke up at 1:30 AM to use the bathroom, and something strange happened, which I later realized was my water breaking. After spending a few minutes trying to convince the doctor and doula that I was just losing my mucous plug, and I couldn't be in labor because my bag wasn't packed, the contractions started in earnest.

And that's where the fun began, ha! I realized pretty quickly that (1) I was having back labor, and (2) back labor really is as bad as they say it is. I try to block the next several hours from my mind, especially since I hope to have another one! Settling into the hospital room was stressful, but I loved my nurses and my support team. After 45 minutes of pushing, Bunny was born at 12:12 PM. It was such a surreal moment and still is. I can't believe that she's mine.


This week has been an interesting one as we get to know our Ellie-bear. So far, we've learned a few things:
  • She really does not like to be wet or dirty. If she's screeching, that's often why
  • She prefers snoozing to eating--singular, I say
  • She adores being swaddled
  • Her bouncy seat is a GIFT FROM HEAVEN and worth far more than the $50 we paid for it. Especially with the birdie sounds
  • She despises her bassinet. Good thing we just borrowed it!
Despite these advances, sometimes she screeches and we just don't know why. She's a mysterious little baby:)

Hope to be back soon with some fun scrappy projects! And just to liven things up, tell me something random about YOU!



34 comments:

  1. Oh Keshet, Ellie is absolutely precious. I had back labour with my daughter and I hear you sister! Enjoy getting to know your wee dot. They are surprisingly good at making their demands clear.

    ReplyDelete
  2. She is GORGEOUS!!! Random thing about me... I lived on Guam for a year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats! She is so pretty!!!! Random thing about me - I grew up vegetarian.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations, she is precious.
    Judy

    ReplyDelete
  5. So very happy for you! She's beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  6. She is absolutely perfect Keshet. Random - I'd love to have another baby xxx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gorgeous! Congrats to you and your family!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh what a beautiful baby and birth story! So glad everything turned out perfectly! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. she is just a doll and i LOVED reading this!!!! so happy for you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. She is beautiful!!! <3 I never got to "enjoy" labor - ended up with 2 c-sections. But, my mom jokes that if I had been first, I would have been last because I was sunny side up. She would feel for you. Glad you are settling in. Again- I am sooo happy for you :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I come back from CHA and looks what happens?! CONGRATULATIONS~! She is so so precious and beautiful :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. your water broke at 1:30 and she was born at 12:12. you are a rockstar first time mama!!!
    random fact...i play the trombone. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Beautiful little girl - thanks for sharing more info about her - looking forward to more pictures and your first baby scrapbook pages!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Can I give you a tip on random screeching? Try this: Lay her on one of your forearms with her body along the length and her face/cheek cradled in your hand... and rub her back with the other. Sounds weird, but I called it the lion in the tree and daddies do it really well, especially when they are so little. I think it helps their tummy bubbles. Worked every time with my babies. But not right after feeding - I don't have to explain what happens there. ;-) Again, congrats. She is beautiful. Makes me miss my babies. Mine have big feet and smell like sweaty socks now. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. She is so precious!

    Random fact about me: I love birds. I would have one in a cage if my husband would allow it!

    ReplyDelete
  16. She is so beautiful! Random fact... I was a chorus member in all of our HS musicals!

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a beautiful little blessing. Congrats!

    Random thing about me: I won a dance contest at a club in Korea.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ohhh...she is so sweet. Babies are so amazingly wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  19. She is so beautiful!
    As for the random screeching...
    well with my little girl is was always gas. Laying her down on her back and doing the 'bicycle' with her legs always helped. Not only with the gas but I think it was fun for her too. It usually did the trick.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh, I remember those days!
    The best advice a mom/friend ever gave me was "surrender"
    I remember her telling me how much she loved the newborn phase, and I looked at her like she was crazy. My first was not an easy baby :)
    But I remembered her saying that with my second baby.
    Just surrender to it and enjoy. I just relaxed and enjoyed my baby and it was more stress free.
    I slept when she slept if I could.
    Let the laundry sit an extra day or two.
    Didn't try to do it all.
    It goes by so fast :)
    Enjoy!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. She is so beautiful, Keshet. I'm looking forward to many more stories, photos and layouts!

    ReplyDelete
  22. She is beautiful! And every day will be a mysterious blessing. Just when you think you've figured it out ... something new will happen. But you will get through it and it really is the most wonderful thing.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Nice to read her story!! She looks so sweet with the bow hat! My niece sounds similar to your Ellie - loved the cradle swing thing and never took to her bassinet (a pricey gift from my sis's friends .. oh well). But be aware they go through phases with things, she may start liking the bassinet or she may grow tired of the cradle swing.

    ReplyDelete
  24. She is so darling! That second photo is a framer for sure. :)

    Random fact: I first laid eyes on my husband when we were in high school (me a sophomore and he a senior), three years before we actually met. I was in marching band and he played water polo, and my school was visiting his school (4 hours away). I remember seeing the boys' water polo team, and even seeing the goalie (my husband) get out of the water, and thinking, gosh he must be cold (it was November)! We met later in college, but this incident didn't dawn on me until years later! :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Gorgeous baby and such a lovely story!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Great birth story.
    My pediatrician also taught me the lion in the tree technique with my little ones.
    So happy for you Keshet.
    Random thing about me: I have good parking karma :-)

    ReplyDelete
  27. I've been so out of the loop! Congratulations to you, Keshet! She is so beautiful. Love her name, and I can't wait to see more photos of her! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Loved reading Ellie's birth story! She is beautiful! and so blessed to have such a lovely mama : ) So happy for you all!

    ReplyDelete
  29. she's beautiful! So now you share a birthday with your lovely little miss? I love that! My oldest was born on my birthday as well and it was the best birthday present ever!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Congrats to you your husband and your little sweetie.
    Boy I am late to the party.
    She is adorable.

    I remember when my daughter was a baby, and I could not figure out why she was unhappy. She was fed and clean. So I decided to start from scratch and undressed her to find out that a string from her outfit was wrapped around her tiny toe. I was so upset, it was actually starting to turn purple.
    The reason for sharing this, is once I shared it with a friend a few days later same thing happened to her baby.
    So I like to share this with all new mommies.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I love hearing your thoughts:)