Can't have milk? Okay, I'll buy clothes.

Lily is now 11 weeks old and has more clothes than most adults. While I would like to say that we were given them all, the truth is that I have given in to my inner shopaholic and can't seem to resist cute clothes, bows, shoes, etc. for HER! The trouble with this is that she out grows the clothes within a month! She is on the upper side of the weight/height percentage for children her age, which has made it easier to venture into the cuter items that begin at 3 months old. Don't get me wrong, newborn clothes are adorable too, but at 3 months the stores start carrying more of a variety. Now, I am still a smart/thrifty shopper so I spend most of my time at places like Target and Kid to Kid, but they still add up. Unfortunately, websites like Baby Steals and Etsy have also stolen part of my paychecks, but not as often.

The funny part is that my addiction seems to be contagious as Mark doesn't have an issue with my infant item hoarding. In fact, on more than one occasion, he has enabled and even encouraged it. For instance, being that he is more of a "cool" dad, he likes to find items that have girly/blinged out skulls or rocker stuff. She had her first pair of converse allstars before she was even born and can't wear them for a long time...but they have skulls with pink bows. He also has a thing for onesies that have the accessories already printed on. But, for those of you who know Mark, you have most likely seen his tux shirt, Santa suit shirt, and skull "shirt and tie" shirt. Today we went to one of our weekend ritual places, Babies R Us, and walked out with two hot pink/black little dresses with matching leggings. However, I didn't know we had TWO until we got to the register and noticed the big grin on my husband's face. Really?! Lily already has him wrapped. LOL.

Anyway, as the title of the blog reads, "Can't have milk?" that brings me to my next subject. I have pretty much had to give up most dairy items (however I still sneak cheese sometimes) due to it causing Lily discomfort after breast feeding. It must make her little stomach really bubbly or something. I used to give her Mylicon on a nightly basis, however it started to become a hit or miss with it. I would rather for-go the milk than keep giving her medicine. But...let me tell you, I CRAVE it sometimes. I didn't crave alcohol like a lot of women do during their pregnancies and I will have an occasional beer now, but milk is like my forbidden fruit. What in the world? I didn't even like milk that much before I got pregnant and had Lily. I know that it is probably my body telling me to get more calcium (which is why I started back on my prenatal vitamins), but gees! You hear of women not continuing to breast feed for a myriad of reasons, but have you ever heard of someone stopping because they missed some type of food/drink too much? As soon as I stop breast feeding (whenever that is), I think I'll say, forget the liquor, give me a brownie with a large ice cold milk chaser!

Hello!

I have decided to start a blog to help keep our relatives and friends up-to-date with the happenings that go on in our family. I hope to blog at least once a week, at least while I am still on maternity leave...but we will see how often I am able to since being a parent is pretty time consuming. 


So, where to begin? Since this website is primarily dedicated to our daughter, I guess it is fitting to start with her birth. The story is actually pretty interesting considering what a whirlwind it was. I had a very normal pregnancy for the most part, except my first trimester, which I was considered "high-risk" due to having a miscarriage less than a month before we found out we were pregnant again. The first trimester included the morning sickness and increased tiredness. Both the second and third trimesters were pretty typical as well... Lily was growing perfectly and even measuring a little ahead than schedule. Mark and I had planned for me to work up until her due date, which was April 30 and up until the 29th, I had been able to do just that. On the afternoon of the 29th, I had my last doctor appointment prior to her due date. Mark was going to meet me at the hospital with lunch and we were going to have our last sonogram to see how big she was measuring. But, as luck would have it, he was running late from work and couldn't pick up lunch. Ironically this turned out to be a blessing considering what was going to happen later that afternoon...


The sonogram showed Lily to be around 9 lbs. 5 oz. and I wasn't dilated at ALL! My doctor was a little concerned with inducing me with a baby that could potentially be this big when most of the time it would end in a C-section anyway. So, he planned for me to come in that following Monday (May 3rd) for a confirmation sonogram. If Lily was still measuring that big, we would schedule the C-section that afternoon. So...at this point I am planning on having another weekend to prepare (even though we were ready). Mark had to go back to work, so he left while I was checking out. After I paid and was walking out the door, my doctor comes up to me and asks if I will stay a little longer to take a non-stress test (test that monitors the baby's heartbeat and movements). He said he re-reviewed the sonogram and I didn't have much amnionic fluid left in the womb. So I obliged, and the test revealed that whenever Lily would move, her heart rate would drop drastically. After reading me the results of the test, my doctor just simply states..."Well, plans have changed. The nurses are waiting for you upstairs, we are going to take your baby now." 


WOW. I really didn't have any time to digest what was going on. It was 4:00 in the afternoon, I called Mark and asked if he was ready to be a daddy. He replied, "NOW?" I didn't tell him about Lily being in distress as I wanted him to be completely excited. So, after a few more phone calls, I went upstairs to the Labor and Delivery floor where three nurses were literally waiting for me. I was rolled in a wheelchair (even though I walked the entire way earlier), where they took me to my first room and proceeded to hook me up to IV's, monitors, take my blood, and register me all at the same time. I just laid there and answered the questions while still trying to comprehend what was going on. It wasn't until my nurse, who was watching my contraction monitor, asked me if I was in any pain did I realize it was happening. I told her no and asked why. She replied, "Because your contractions are two minutes apart." However, I didn't feel anything and wasn't dilated. Weird. 


Mark finally got there as they were rolling me to the operating room and gave me a quick kiss. After we got to the OR, it was all very quick. Epidural in... doctors came in... and Lily was out! At 5:31 PM, Lillian Rose Jemison was welcomed into this world at 8 lbs 11 oz. and 19.25 inches. As soon as the nurses had her clean, she was placed on my chest, she held her head up and wanted to eat! It was so funny and so precious! I could not have asked for a more perfect gift from God, and I thank Him everyday for our daughter.