Happy New Year- June Edition

Dear 2010,

It's been a while. I mean, it's June of 2011. But, can we go back for just a few and discuss how you finished out?

In a word... awesome.

In many words...

1. Pregnancy Overview
Wow, I loved being pregnant. I've never been so happy to have my belly hanging over my pants, spending hours of the day rubbing it and pretending to hold my darling baby, and dreaming of the day when I could feel the real back of the baby forming inside. I know that this may disgust some people, but I seriously loved every second of that experience. It wasn't easy, by any stretch. But it was FABULOUS. The heartburn, nausea, exhaustion, swelling (or maybe it was the 40 POUNDS that I gained), I wouldn't have traded it for anything. The less than lovely parts include being deemed a High Risk pregnancy because I had high blood pressure starting early on in the pregnancy, which could be an indicator for Preeclampsia. That just means that I got to see a special doctor, a Perinatologist, regularly during the pregnancy, then weekly after 32 weeks. Then there was the low amniotic fluid around 33 weeks (caught by the perinatologist), and subsequent hospitalization for IV fluids... oh yeah and the orders of bedrest for the duration of the pregnancy. At first, I was all... "Yay, I'm so tired, and can finally rest!" Then, a week went by... and another... and another... a total of 5. It is surprisingly difficult to suppress the desire to nest however, I really wanted to take care of my bun as best as I could. So, my sweet family helped me do things over and over again. Including organizing the clothes. Three times. The bedrest worked, at least for a couple of weeks, when my Perinatologist found that there was a fluid level of... drumroll... ZERO. Do you know what that means? I do!! INDUCTION:)

2. Birth Overview
I wish I loved the birth experience like I loved the pregnancy experience, but... no. After being put on the cervical softening thingy overnight, with little change, the pitocin was started the following morning but with hesitation from my nurse, Debbie Downer. Let's just summarize by saying, there were some "issues", and since the baby's heart rate was not rising and falling like it should, we decided to do an unplanned C-Section. Decision made at 12:00, wheeled into the operating room immediately for the admission of the epidural, and then I laid back to let the doctors and nurses do their work. With Kirk by my side, we heard the sweetest sound in the world, as Jackson was born at 12:33pm, weighing 6lb, 5oz, and 20 inches long. The feeling of finally meeting this sweet angel from Heaven was overwhelming, but watching Kirk hold our son for the first time is something I'll never forget.

Regretfully, the rest of that day was pretty much a blur, with visitors pouring in to meet the new addition, and trying to manage the pain of being split in two, well, it's not the picture I was dreaming of in my head. It wasn't what I expected.

3. Becoming a family of THREE overview
Coming home from the hospital was something I dreaded. On discharge day, I cried every time someone walked into our room, including poor Brenda, the sweet lady who brought meals in to me for the past 6 days. She gave me a hug and told me that I'd be okay, she had faith in me. And you know what? I was okay, after a couple of weeks. Adjusting to being a Mom, still unable to function like a normal person due to the recent cut, and add to that the fact that none of us were sleeping? Wow, maybe that's why it was such a blur! Even still, I would not trade one single tear filled sleepless night for anything. The joy that being Jackson's mom has given to me is immeasurable. Seeing Kirk as Jackson's dad is awe inspiring. Watching our families fawn over this new little person is perfection. Our days are filled with smiles and our nights are filled with dreams. Well, there is still plenty of crying, and many nights are not filled with sleep, but... isn't that the beauty of all this?

So, 2010, I know it's late, but I bid you a dear farewell. You've changed my life, and I will always remember you fondly.

XOXO

Kelly