One year ago today...

...my sweet baby was born! Hannah Elizabeth arrived on March 22, 2009 at 4:43am weighing in at 6 lbs 14 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. Has it really been a year?!
Just for a recap (for those who don't know our birth story), I'll post a shortened version of the events of Hannah's birth!
(I realize this is late being published, but I started to write this on her actually birthday)
Let's start with March 21st...it was a Saturday, I was HUGELY pregnant, swollen, miserable. I whined to Micah all day that I did NOT want to return to work on Monday, nor did I want to go to church the next day and hear "You haven't popped yet?!" We lounged around for most of the day until finally, sometime in the late afternoon, I decided I was going to do something about my condition!
We got ready and headed to eat at Arbys. I ate like a horse (how unusual! ;) )despite feeling just a tad nauseous. I had had inconsistent "contractions" throughout the day, but nothing worth reporting to anyone. After dinner, we headed to Target to grab a few things for the impending birth. While there, I did start having time-able cramping...three minutes apart. It wasn't overly painful, and I was able to walk and talk through them, so I chalked it up to more intense Braxton-Hicks and we continued on our way.
After Target, we headed to Marshall's to pass time. By this point, it was around 9:00. I was getting tired, still cramping, and a little queasy. We decided to head home for the night.
On the way home, we stopped and got M&M Mcflurrys from McDonald's...I was craving one! Little did I know it would be my last meal before Hannah arrived!
Once we arrived home, I decided to lay down for bit, just in case for some slim chance I was actually going into labor. Within ten minutes, I was on the floor on all fours moaning in pain. Micah bolted up the stairs faster than I'd ever seen him and before the contraction was over, he was downstairs with our hospital bag in tow.
At this point, my water started breaking and I started panicking! I called my Mom and Dad (who were about an hour and a half from home at this point), so they jumped in the car and started on their way to the hospital. I called the doctor and they told me to head on in.
At exactly 12 midnight, my water really broke. If that is not the weirdest feeling one can experience in life, I don't know what is. Of course, Micah had to peak under the sheets to see what all of the fuss was about. He then reported that I was in fact, "sitting in a puddle of water", haha.
I roughed out the contractions until I was 4cms, at which time I opted for an epidural. The first one didn't work and only numbed my left side, leaving all of the pain on my right. They tried for a second time, and SUCCESS! I was virtually pain-free for the rest of the labor and delivery.
At around 4:00am, I felt an increasing amount of pressure, so I called the nurse in to check me. I was at 10cms and she informed me that it was time to push!
I had been waiting for this moment for the past nine months, however, upon hearing those words, I have to admit that I was gripped with panic.
As they readied the room and table, I was flooded with a million emotions. I was so excited to finally see my baby girl and become a Mommy, but the thought entered my head, What if I'm a bad Mommy? What if I don't love her?! How funny to think back on those thoughts now, a year later. If I only knew then how much I would love this precious girl! I suppose it was hormones and sheer exhaustion at that point!
And so the real work of labor began...I pushed for 45 minutes, and Hannah was born healthy and vibrant at 4:43am after a total of 6 hours of labor. She was just perfect and my heart felt as though it was going to swell out of my chest. The first time I held her was indescribable...



We were overtaken with love for her...and such joy that she was finally here and perfectly healthy!




As I sit here a little over a year later, I am still amazed that I love her more everyday. What a blessing from a good God!

<1st Birthday Party post to come!!>

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm not really that in to this holiday, but it's also my Grandma's birthday, so that makes it much more special! We were blessed enough to celebrate another year with her and I'm so thankful that she is alive and well! I just love her!
We celebrated in style (all in green!) this evening at Uncle Gene, Aunt Cheryl, and Grandma's house!
Sittin' with Grammy



The Birthday girl!

Everyone came to celebrate and join in the festivities!

Even Hannah was enjoying the party!

Lighting the candles, then singing "Happy Birthday!"



Hannah spent most of the evening running through the house. She enlisted the help of anyone who had the energy to tag along. She was so worn out by the end of the night! It was a great evening and I'm glad we got to spend it with those that we love!
And just for fun...
A year ago today I was enormously pregnant and a little disappointed that I wasn't in labor.

Don't ask...we're a little weird. These were our sad faces...that I wasn't in labor. haha
And one more...I was 38 weeks pregnant here...exactly a week before my precious baby girl made her debut. I can't believe it's only 5 days until her birthday!

Okay, that's as far as I can go into talking about her birthday! I'm not going to think about it until Sunday for her party...and even then we'll still have one day left until she's a toddler! **she'll always be my baby**

Just keepin' busy!

That's what we're trying to do with Hannah! She's always on the move, and since she's not exactly "mobile" just yet, she needs someone to hold onto her wherever she walks. As one can imagine, this gets quite tiring after a little while. I've been trying to find activities for her to enjoy while seated. I think I've found one! I gave her two of my stainless steel mixing bowls, a stainless steel ladle, and all of her leapfrog refrigerator magnets. She moves the magnets from one bowl to the other, than "stirs" them with the ladle. It's so cute and it kept her busy for about an hour!



In other Hannah-related news, I picked up a few more things for her party. I had bought a bright pink tablecloth and dessert plates at Target (because they were REALLY on sale), so I bought light pink cups, silverware, and napkins as an accent color. I think everything will go really well together and it goes along with our "all-pink" theme! I couldn't a pastel Happy Birthday sign, and it's too late to order one, so I had to settle for one in primary colors. I'm sure no one will notice and it will still be cute!
Sorry these posts have been so short! It was a long day for us! Micah was sick with some nasty stomach virus, so none of us got much sleep last night. So little in fact, that I stayed home from work today. Ugh. He's feeling much better now, thank goodness. Hopefully we'll all be back to normal by tomorrow!
G'night!

Here's to shopping & sharing!

I had to make a Target run this afternoon to pick up some last minute supplies for Hannah's birthday party, so we headed out in the dreary weather together. I found what I was looking for, and of course, Hannah picked out a few toys to bring home.
While we were out, we met up with my friend Jheimy and her 16 month-old, Ayla. Hannah was thrilled! She loved Ayla and about climbed out of the shopping cart so she could touch her!
After Target, we headed back to Jheimy's house to play. Jheimy is the awesome mother of FOUR kids! Trinity, Karina, Isaiah, and Ayla. Hannah was so excited to be surrounded by all of these people! Ayla is a petite 16 month-old, so I think Hannah felt more comfortable playing with her. The bigger kids all doted over Hannah and that brought many squeals and giggles.
Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so I missed all of the cute stuff. Jheimy got a few pictures, so hopefully she'll share them with me!
That's it for today!

Busy days & bubbles

Today was pretty busy for us! Micah worked this morning, so Hannah and I were left to prepare the house for company alone. We had our friends Tom and Maggie over for a visit. It's the first time they've met Hannah, and she'll be a year old in 8 days (I can't say any more about that because I may have an emotional breakdown). It was so nice to see them and we had a great time!
While they were here, Hannah managed to take SIX steps by herself! What progress! She has acquired a few bumps and bruises this weekend to show for it, though! Yesterday, she fell face first into a coffee table and has a lovely "knot" on her forehead. This evening, she fell backward before I could catch her and smacked her head off of the floor. Learning how to walk is serious business!!
I've taken a TON of pictures over the last few days, so I have picked the ones that are the cutest for your viewing pleasure!! ;O)
Hannah's hair was SO curly after her bath tonight, so of course I had to grab the camera! Micah took the first one for me since my hands were a little sudsy!






Micah came home from work early on Friday, so we headed out to Costco for some groceries. Hannah was sporting her new jean skirt and sweater!

Hannah has been a little fussy lately (probably due to teething) so Micah and I will try anything and everything to keep her occupied. She enjoyed playing with the dryer ball on Wednesday night.

...and a few pictures from earlier in the week. I thought these were adorable!

Silly face.

She realized there was a bow in her hair and wanted it out!


Then she tried to put it back in.

She doesn't use her walking toy much for walking these days. It's now her "hide-away".

And finally, my trial run of Hannah's giant cupcake. It isn't perfect, but I thought it was a good start. I've already revamped my plans and hope to make a much better one for her birthday party next week!

Well, I think that about sums up our week! Hopefully I can keep up with my blog this coming week so I don't have to upload so many pictures all at once!
Enjoy the last few hours of the weekend!

A little under the weather.

Me, that is. Which is why I didn't blog last night. Micah and I made a Target run last night to pick up the cake mold for Hannah's party. He had the brilliant idea to buy some malted milk eggs. So, last night before bed, we decided to chow down on those and some buttered popcorn. I'd also like to add that neither one of us had dinner because we both had large, filling lunches. Within ten minutes of eating, I was sooo sick. I spent a good part of the evening hovering over the toilet. I never did throw up (whew, thank GOD!), but I'm sure I would have felt much better if I would have. I'm still a little queasy this morning, but I'm feeling much better!
Hannah and I had a good day together yesterday. We played, headed to lunch at Harold's Inn with Gram and Pap, then went "warehouse hunting" with a few people from our ministry (For His Glory International). You can check out our website at www.forhisgloryinternational.org
I got a few cute pictures of Hannah (with my new lens!) yesterday that I felt were worthy of sharing!
Flipping through the Kohl's ad!

Then tearing it up into itty-bitty pieces!

In deep concentration...

Hannah puckering her lips! So adorable, but not quite associated with giving kisses. She currently "bites" when we ask her to give kisses! haha


Pardon the snot and slobber. This was taken right after a series of sneezes. :O)


As for today, Micah, Hannah, and I will be lounging around until our prayer meeting tonight. I'm going to attempt a trial-run of Hannah's cupcake cake. Wish me luck! I'll post pictures if it even slightly turns out the way it's supposed to!
Have a great one!

Just a quick note...

I worked today, so there isn't much to report from my end. My Mom said she and Hannah had a good day, so that pretty much sums it up. Hannah did end up taking both her morning and afternoon naps today, so that made it easier on everyone!
I ordered a new lens for my camera on Monday, and it arrived today! I'm still getting used to it, as I have been using my 18-55mm lens that came with the camera (the new one is a 50mm). I took a few practice shots tonight!
Snacking on some Puffs!

Smiling at Daddy.

She was obviously getting a little sleepy, hence the stary eyes.


...and a couple practice shots of Micah's guitar...


Goodnight!

A visit with Great-Grandma!

Today was a much better day than yesterday! I took Hannah to the doctor's this morning because of her ongoing constipation issues. It turns out everything is fine and she actually is improving! Not to be too graphic, but she had three "poo's" today!! Yay!
We came home from the pediatrician's office around 10:15, so I hurried and fed her a late breakfast (don't worry, she nursed before the appointment!) and got her ready for her morning nap...FAIL.
So, two days in a row she has NOT taken the normal two naps. For an HOUR AND TWENTY minutes I wrestled with her; rocking, singing, swaying, trying to let her cry it out...nothing was working. I was about to the point of banging my head off of the wall. She was clearly exhausted. Her little eyes were red and puffy from crying and she could barely keep them open from fatigue. She cried so hard she was hyperventilating. Ugh. FINALLY around noon, she did fall asleep in her crib for about an hour and a half. She didn't take her afternoon nap, however. So here it is 8:15 and she's tucked in bed and ready for the night. I am, too. Patrick woke us up this morning at 3:30AM wretching and vomiting, so I was up for an hour dealing with that. Hannah was also up early at five minutes to six. She did go back to sleep, but once again, I was up. So, I'm feeling a little sleepy this evening.
On a more positive note, my Dad spent the day with my Grandma and took all of us out to lunch!
We headed over to Vesuvio's (the Italian restaurant my relatives own) and had an amazing lunch! Hannah was really well-behaved and pleasant. Everyone loved her! (of course!) She LOVED to hear my Great Aunt Mary's Italian accent. She smiled and giggled and didn't take her eyes off of her! It was so cute!
After lunch, all of us headed back here for the afternoon. I got some great pictures of the action!
Looking up at Great-Grandma.

And back at Pap.

Great-Grandma was so happy to spend time with Hannah today!

The sun was so bright today (yay!) that the lighting isn't great in this picture, but Hannah's expression was so precious I had to post it!

All she wanted to do was walk with Pap!


...everywhere in the house!

She took a minute to sit with Great-Grandma...

...and then was off and running again!



And just because I'm a little goofy, I took a picture of one of the blueberry muffins I made for dessert. It just looked so pretty that I couldn't resist...haha!

Well, that about sums up our day today! I work tomorrow, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous after what happened on Tuesday. **sigh**
I'm hoping the day goes smoothly and quickly until I get home with Micah and Hannah...and then time can slow down again!
Good night! ;)