Berlyn: One Month New

A lot of people told me to enjoy every minute with my daughter because the time goes by so fast. However, I didn't think it'd go by THIS fast. It seems like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital in her pink footed pajamas and matching pink beanie, and now she's already one month old.

I have gotten to enjoy so many moments with her this past month, and I can only imagine it getting better as time goes on. Dressing her up in cute outfits and girly headbands has been my favorite thing, and taking pictures on my iPhone of every moment has been really fun, too!

This past week was Berlyn's first big milestone. She started smiling at me and cooing when she gets really excited. The first time she smiled caught me offguard- I'm used to only seeing her smile in her dreams, while she's sleeping! I would change her diaper, look up at her, and just keep talking to her. She would smile in reply and kick her legs around- pretty much the cutest thing I've seen her do yet. Then one night as I was talking to her, she made a sound I'd never heard her make before. I knew it was her way of trying to communicate back to me, and something about it made me emotional. It's like she is growing up right before my eyes!

I plan on taking a photo of 'B' each month for the first year of her life, in hopes that one day we can look back on them together. I have attached her one month picture here and although I never want her to get bigger, I can't wait to take the next one!

Leap Day Baby!

My due date of February 22 came and passed. At my 40 week appointment I was only dilated one centimeter. My doctor wanted to induce me, so the following Wednesday morning, that's what we did.

We arrived at the hospital early Wednesday morning to begin the induction process. However, as soon as we got there my contractions were happening every 3-5 minutes. We started to gain a little hope that maybe I wouldn't need to be induced at all. The nurse would periodically check my status and, under the provision of the doctor, finally made the decision to start me on Cervidil. This drug would hopefully begin to 'ripen' my cervix and get things going.

After having the Cervidil in for a couple hours, the nurse decided to remove it because the baby's heartbeat would drop with every contraction. The doctor said this was something very common with babies that have the cord wrapped around their necks in utero. She told me she strongly suggested performing a cesarean section and, wanting to keep the baby safe, my husband and I agreed.

To ease my pain while we waited for the time to go into the operating room, the doctor started up my epidural. Up until this point, I was in the worst pain of my life, but after receiving the epidural it was a party! I was able to have conversations, focus on my progression, and actually enjoy this time. About 3 hours after I had gotten the epidural, I was at 10 centimeters and ready to start pushing. The doctor told me I wouldn't end up needing a c-section after all!  I suddenly got very excited, nervous, and scared! And after about 10 minutes she was out and in my arms!

This day was the MOST exciting and beautiful day of my life. Little Berlyn was born on February 29, 2012 at 2:23 pm. She weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces, and had beautiful blue eyes and light brown hair. Staring at her was the only thing we wanted to do! We had our families there to welcome her also, and they were just as excited as we were. Sweet Berlyn was already loved so much.

Our Special Surprise!

The date we found out I was pregnant was June 16, 2011, my daddy's birthday. Hearing the news from my doctor that I was pregnant had me shocked, excited, and frightened, all at the same time.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I came home on my lunch break to tell my husband that I was pregnant, and that was the start of an amazing, beautiful, but sometimes scary, journey.

The first 14 weeks were very hard on me. Although I cannot say I was sick everyday, I had my share of morning sickness. I also felt like I could not function on less than 10 hours of sleep. Pregnancy puts your body through a lot- and no one tells you that. The people who love being pregnant aren't the same people who tell you your feet swell up like balloons, your boobs have a mind of their own, and your appetite can be destroyed by taking one whiff of the wrong thing. Luckily for me, after about 3 and a half months of nausea and sleepiness, I could actually say that I enjoyed being pregnant. There is something truly magical and amazing about the concept of providing life to your baby and giving her everything she needs to grow for 10 months. This is something that still baffles me! If pregnancy is not a miracle of God, I don't know what is.

The first time I felt my daughter move inside me is a day I'll never forget. I was 19 weeks pregnant and the feeling was comparable to butterflies fluttering around in my belly. That was when it suddenly became real for me. After I felt the first movements, hiccups, and somersaults, it made me a hundred times more excited to meet my baby girl.

I would have to say God blessed me with a relatively easy pregnancy. Although I did have swollen ankles, weight gain, and back pain like no other, I wouldn't trade a thing! It's funny how God just has a way of erasing that all from your memory once you're holding the sweet creation that only He could have provided for you!

Throughout this blog, I will be writing updates about my sweet baby girl. I hope everyone finds this interesting as I think it will be fun to capture and write about all her cute moments and milestones!