What a Blessing

Last week we all went to Arizona so Honey* could be blessed.  In the week (or rather months) leading up to the trip, I was very nervous about having her on the plane for 4 hours breathing in everyone else's air and just generally getting all those germs on her.  The flight there, she slept pretty much the whole way and cried a little bit when she was hungry (but I was ready with a pumped bottle).

We had a great time IN Arizona except for poor little Honey getting allergies and drying up.  When we landed in Arizona we went to Globe to see GoodLooking's sister play basketball then home to his house.
Thursday, we went to the Temple and out to lunch (we got a gift certificate Christmas of 2010 but couldn't use it because the place was closed due to plumbing problems).  Then just hung out and recovered from the long travel.

Friday morning, we went to my parent's house and hung out and went to my favorite Mexican place (thanks mom and dad!).
Saturday, GoodLooking took his nephew to the zoo and then we drove back to GoodLookings house.  Me, my parents, some cousins, and aunt and uncle went to another mexican place for dinner.  It was my aunts birthday and she got Honey a gift (how kind).  It was a cute book with fun stories to read to her.

Sunday, we visited and went to church to bless Honey.  It was a great day at church but was really windy outside.  Honey was really stuffed up in the nose and screaming for most of it so ended up going to my aunts house that is across the street.  We got a humidifier for Honey and that seemed to help a lot.
Monday, we just hung out and had Family Home Evening.

Tuesday, we went to Phoenix to come back to Hotlanta.  The flight had about 30 people on it so we could sit wherever we wanted.  We were supposed to sit on the side with just two seats but we chose to sit on the side with three and Honey slept between us for most of the flight.  She was a bit more fussy but it was fine because there were only 3 people within 10 rows either direction of us.

All in all, Honey is a pretty good baby.

*While in Arizona, GoodLookings mom was explaining how you pronounce her middle name in spanish (Hawnay) and it came to me.  Honey.  (her middle name is pronounced a little different than Honey but I like it so that is who she is)

Reverse Chronology

Meaning that the pictures go where she is oldest to youngest.

 Me trying not to laugh because it hurts my staples.

 the major swirl in her hair

 first ride in car seat

 first 5 minutes of being home.

 First family picture... man I look terrible.

 Grandma and baby time

 The heartburn paid off.

 My beautiful big princess

 has quite a double chin

 I love her!!

Look What I Made!!

It was a good sabbath day.  Church went well and everyone was telling me they hoped not to see me the following week (in hopes that I will have the babe).  GoodLooking made me Eggplant Parmesan for dinner (the first serving I ended up chucking because I had to cough really hard).  So I had some more.

I thought that maybe my water had broken so at about 7:30 pm we went to the hospital to get that checked out.  Turns out, I was still 1 cm and I think 50% and they tested for amniotic fluid and there wasn't any so they sent me home and we went to bed.

At 12:40 a.m. I had my first real contraction (before that I had just been having "practice" ones that just feel like a bad cramp).  I didn't wake up GoodLooking yet cause I thought maybe they would just go away... They didn't so after about one hour of me moaning,  he woke up and he held me while we timed them and decided what to do.  Around 4, we went back to the hospital.  (After this point, everything kind of blurs together because I just remember being in pain and going to the hospital many times.)

They monitored me and told me to walk around the hallways and gave me some pain medicine shots.  I wasn't progressing so they sent me home.  A couple more trips to the hospital, a trip to Krispy Cream, a trip to the doctor, being stripped twice, walking around the outside of the hospital (notice photo of me trying to get up stairs), and trying to go to bed monday night is what I remember.  TRYING being the key word.  The contractions really picked up.  I was in the bed and GoodLooking was on the couch.  I was screaming at this point... not just moaning.  I didn't care about the neighbors anymore.  I was in pain and I didn't care if anyone else could sleep.  They were about 3 minutes apart and the most pain I had ever felt in my WHOLE life.  

So, back to the hospital.  The first time we went to the hospital, we were talking about how strange it was that I was so calm and we weren't in any hurry and it was surreal.  THIS TIME, however, we ran a red light and rushed in.  While we were checking in, I couldn't concentrate and I was screaming through a contraction.  They checked me and I was 2.5 cm so they admitted me and gave me any epidural.  How I got from the checking room to the heaven (epidural) room, I don't know and it didn't really matter because I was getting an epidural.  I then blissfully drifted into amazing sleep (I hadn't slept in about 24 hours) with nurses coming in and out shooting me up with drugs and flipping me over (so the epidural didn't numb just one side of me).  Then, when I was around 3 cm, they said that her heart rate was too fast and was dipping down during contractions (the contractions that I could no longer feel).  So they broke my water and put a thing on her head to watch her for 15 minutes.  I told GoodLooking to go get my backpack cause I wanted my contacts on instead of my glasses.  The doctor cut that time in half cause there was meconium in the fluid and they came back in to say we were going to do a C-section.  GoodLooking wasn't back yet so they gave me my phone and he walked in as I was calling him... No time for contacts.  They wheeled me in and got started.

At 3:50 a.m.  Betty Jane Bryce was born.  9 pounds 8 ounces and 21 inches long.

I could hear the nurses and doctor guessing her weight.  and she cried and I threw up and Jingle Bell Rock was playing on the radio.

Her amazing feet almost didn't fit in the area where they put her foot print.

 She had to have an I.V. for antibiotics just to be sure about the meconium.

She is so beautiful.  Everyone always says that about their babies but this one really is.  I look at her and say "how did she fit in my belly?"  "no wonder I was so uncomfortable the last 3-4 weeks of pregnancy".  We waited for her for a long time and now she is with us and we feel so blessed and excited and amazed and ah man she is cute.