Meeting some of the family

Over the week some of my family came to visit baby Sophia for the first time. Sophia met her grandpa,  2 uncles, and her great grandparents! We had a wonderful visit with everyone and were so happy that they all got the opportunity to meet her. We cant wait until their next visit and to see how much Sophia has grown! 

Meeting Uncle Bryce 

Dad, Bryce, and Sophia 

Bryce loves Sophia!

Sophia meeting uncle Grant!

Grant, Bryce, and baby Sophia 

Dad, Grant, Bryce, and Sophia 

Aww I love this picture! 

Meeting Great Grandma Wise 

Holding onto her paci

Meeting Great Grandpa Wise

Great Grandma and Sophia 

Grant giving Ringo some lovin 

Great Grandpa and Sophia!

Life Changes

Ricky and I have been going through a lot of life style changes since Sophia has come into our lives. These lifestyle changes are basically to make all of our lives healthier.

Some changes that Ricky has made are 1. He quit smoking after being a smoker since his teens! I am so proud of him for that! He has been saying that he wants to quit for a very long time and he has accomplished his goal. Ricky made the change because he wanted Sophia to be raised with 2 smoke free parents and to set a good example for her.

Some changes that I have made are 1. Eliminating all dairy and soy from my diet. Sophia has been having a hard time with feedings. I have done a lot of research and talked to her pediatrician and have decided to  eliminate all dairy and from my diet to see if she has an allergy or sensitivity to dairy or soy. Hopefully if this works she will 1. Be happier 2. Not cry as often 3. Stop block feeding 4. Have less gas issues. This switch is going to be vary hard for me and actually eliminates a lot of foods I really enjoy eating. I LOVE cheese, cheese on almost anything just makes it better. I also enjoy eating yogurt and making healthy fruit smoothies with yogurt and wont be able to do that anymore. Hopefully this wont be a change that I will have to follow for a long time, just as long as I am breastfeeding. Dairy and soy are in a lot of foods and I although I dont drink milk I do often cook with it, so I foresee this being a difficult transition. If this helps Sophia I am willing to do this. I want her to be happy and healthy and if that means changing my diet, so be it!

Some changes we have made together!
 1. We decided to eliminate all meat products from our diet. Ricky and I have done a lot of research (read books and articles, watched documentaries, etc) and have found that meat is not necessary as part of a healthy diet and most people eat way more than the recommended amount of meat. Based on our research we have concluded that eating a vegetable based diet will overall be the healthier option for our family and we intend in sticking to this route. I dont foresee this being a difficult switch for me, and it hasnt been. I never really enjoyed eating meat so for me this is not difficult. Ricky has always enjoyed meat so this may be a little more difficult for him, although he is doing really well and says he hasnt missed meat.
2. We are eating more whole foods. Ricky and I have always eaten pretty healthy but we are taking it up a notch and are choosing to eat foods that are less processed. Processed foods are not healthy at all and have so many additives in them. We are going out of our way to choose the healthier option of eating more raw foods. We go to the farmers market every week and get seasonal fruits and vegetables and I plan meals around the items that we get. We are eating less and less prepared food and more and more raw foods.
3. We are active! We have always been fairly active people and are constantly on the move but we also like most Americans spend way to much time on the computer, cell phones, or watching tv. We are making an effort to unplug our lives and not eliminate but cut down on the amount of time we are using these devices and spending more time doing physical activities (taking a family walk, going to the park, running etc.) This also opens up more time to spend as a family making a garden (we intend to start this very soon! Spring is in the air!) reading books, talking etc.
4. Sophia comes first! This is the biggest and by far the biggest lifestyle change we have made. Everything that we do revolves around Sophia. Every single thing we do throughout the day and every single decision we make we consider how it will affect Sophia first. This is something that came naturally but at the same time has been our biggest change. Before Sophia it was all about what we wanted to do and nothing else really mattered. Now everything is based on having Sophia in our lives. Its also probably the easiest most natural lifestyle change we have made. We both love Sophia so much that we want to put her needs above our own, we wouldnt have it any other way.

Getting ready to feed Sophia (we were at the park)

Feeding Sophia- I love my cover! Its pretty! 

Happy Daddy, Sleepy Sophia 

These may not be HUGE changes to everyone else but to us these are pretty big lifestyle changes. We decided to make these changes to make all of our lives healthier, happier, and more fulfilling. Ill keep you posted on how it goes but so far I have seen nothing but positive outcomes due to our change in lifestyle. Happy Mommy, happy Daddy, happy Sophia!

To Our Sweet Sophia

Ricky and I have decided that Sophia is growing up way too fast already. We are really bad at taking pictures and have been making it a priority to take as many pictures of Sophia as possible. Not only to share with our family and friends but also for us to be able to look back when she gets older and remember this special time in our lives. We also want Sophia to look at these one day and to know that we care about her and love her so much. We also decided that we were going to write a letter to Sophia for her to read one day when she gets older so she can understand what a joy she brings to our lives. So here is our letter to our sweet Sophia. 

To Our Sweet Sophia, 

   The day we found out we were going to be parents was the day we fell in love with you. We may not have know if you were a boy or a girl, what you looked like, or what your name was but we loved you all the same. Everyday we watched you grow as my belly got bigger and bigger and became more anxious for your arrival. Every doctors appointment was filled with excitement as we got to hear your heartbeat and count down the days until you would be here. Finally the big day came and we welcomed you into our lives forever. 

   Labor was long and hard on all of us but hearing your cry and seeing your sweet face made it all worthwhile. Daddy announced that you were a girl and cut your cord, and you were placed on my tummy. It was the happiest moment of our lives. You were the most beautiful baby girl we had ever seen, perfect in every single way. There is nothing about you that we would ever change.

    So far life with you has take some time to adjust to. You like to cry, a lot but then you also have moments where you are wide awake and are the happiest little baby on the planet. You are also a very strong little girl. You have amazing head control and like to fight with daddy when he tries to change your diaper. You are very aware of your surroundings and its a struggle to get you to fall asleep sometimes. You love to hang out with mommy and to be held. The second you are put down you start to cry. Sometimes it makes doing things around the house difficult but you look so precious and perfectly happy when we hold you that we dont mind one single bit. 

   We love you more than either of us can possibly put into words. We are looking forward to watching you grow and see the woman you will one day turn out to be. Your our little angel and a precious gift from God that we will always adore and cherish. You already have brought so much joy and fulfillment into our lives in the little time you have been with us. Sophia, Mommy and Daddy love you with all of our hearts and we always will! 

         We love you with all of our hearts, 

                      Mommy and Daddy

We LOVE You Sophia Paige!!!!! 

   

My birth story: Yes its long but so was my labor!!!

Tuesday night (Feb 21st) I went to bed like I normally do. I didnt do anything out of the ordinary. Early Wednesday (Feb 22nd) morning I went to the bathroom and went back to bed. When I was in bed I couldnt get comfortable on my left side so I rolled over on my back then over to my right side. As soon as I rolled over I felt a pop and a gush of warm liquid, my water had broke at exactly 4:53am. I woke up Ricky in shock screaming "my water broke!!!" Ricky sat right up and asked if I was sure, and I was very sure. He told me to go to the bathroom and make sure it was clear, thankfully it was! We decided we should call my mom before she heads to work so she could start heading our way( its about a 5hr drive). The next few hours were spent washing the sheet, packing for the hospital, and walking! Contractions hadnt kicked in so we were trying to jump start labor naturally. We walked (a lot!), bounced on the brithing ball, and used the breast pump to do some nipple stimulation. All of these things seemed to work for awhile. I would start having contractions, they would be coming regularly then would just slowly go away. After about 9 hours of trying to start labor naturally we decided we should just head to the hospital.
When we arrived at the hospital around 2:30 they confirmed my water had broken and checked me to see how dialated I was, a whopping 1.5 cm!?!?! Thats it! They admitted me because my water had broken and I had to be monitored for possible infection. Ricky and I spoke with the Dr and decided that we could continue to walk around the hospital and try to let labor happen naturally. They were giving me until 5am the next morning to go into labor without having to intervine. So we walked the halls, sat on the brithing ball etc etc. Again I would have some contractions then they would slowly go away. Sadly 5am Thursday (Feb 23rd) rolled around and I still hadnt made any progress so it was time to induce.
 I was started on the smallest dose of pitocin possible by 6am. Over the next several hours the dose of pitocin increased and so did the pain. By 12:30pm the pain was unbearable! The pitocin made my contractions come one on top of the other to the point where I couldnt even catch my breath in between contractions. The nurses decided to check and see how dilated I was (3 cm) ?!?!?! In 6 1/2 hours I had only dilated 1.5 cm.  I had so long to go that I caved and requested the epidural. Ricky told me no and told me I could do it and give it a little more time. He told me this several times over and over again. I really do love him for this. Before labor we had discussed getting an epidural and he said he would support whatever decision I made. I told him I really want to go through this naturally and if it does get to a point where I request one to make sure that I wont regret my decision and to ask me several times if its what I really want. Even though I was in obvious pain and he supported my descision he stayed strong with my wishes. He really was my rock through all of this. He didnt leave my side through any of it and I really love him for that. In the end I decided to get the epidural. For me and the situation I think it was the right decision to make.
I labored for several more hours until around 10pm when I started to feel a lot of pain in my back. The nurse checked me and I was 7cm! That was promising because I was in transition and I knew the baby would be coming soon! With transition came more pain as my epidural slowy wore out and lost its effect. A little after midnight I started to a lot of pressure. Again the nurse checked me. I was 10cm and +1. In order to start pushing you need to be 10 cm and +2. I was so close to having the baby but wasnt there yet. I felt the need the need to push for the next 2 hours! It was the worst 2 hours of my life! I felt this intense need to push but everyone kept telling me not to push. Finally a little after 2am It was ready to push and id be pushing without the use of the epidural!
Pushing for me felt great! It was so hard and took a lot out of me but it was such a relieveing sensation to push. I would push when I felt a contraction and the baby would come down then "turtle" back, meaning the baby would come down when I pushed then go back up when I stopped. I requsted a mirror so I could see the baby being born. It was amazing to see the babies head come down and gave a lot of motivation to push harder to get the baby out. Ricky held one of my legs and my mom held the other. Both of them were such an amazing support to me throughout everything. Ricky counted to 10 for me and kept telling me to push which gave me a lot of motiation. Finally at 4:42 am on Friday February 24th after 2 1/2 hours of pushing my baby was born. I gave birth to a perfect 9lb 3.8oz 21 in long baby girl we named Sophia Paige.
Sophia was placed on my chest where Ricky and I marveled at how beautiful she was and how amazed we were that she was finally here. We waited for a very long time to have this baby and water her so badly , we were both overcome by our emotions. It is a feeling I will never ever forget.
Unfortunatley during the birth I tore in several places which required stiches. I also had some bleeding because my uterus wasnt contracting. I got 2 shots in my thigh and the doctor had to massage my uterus to get the bleeding to stop. Thankfully im healing very well all things considered. Because my bag of water was broken for so long and I had a fever during labor my doctors though Sophia might have an infection. She was taken to the special care nursery shortly after she was born (Ricky went with her and my mom stayed with me). Because of the possible infection they needed to draw her blood and start IV medication. Several doctors and nurses attempted to find her veins but all were unsuccessful. After hearing her screams Ricky told them they are done and to took Sophia back to me. I got to hold her and nurse her, it felt amazing to have her in my arms. It was the first time I got to have a really good look at her and she was so beautiful! I could see what she got from me and what she got from Ricky. I could see so much of ourselves in her.
Sophia had to go back to the special care nursery because some bloodwork came back and her white bloodcell count was high which is a very good indication of infection. She would need to have the iv for the medications. They again attempted several times to find her veins and again were unsuccessful. Ricky and I decided to allow the doctors to give her injections of antibiotics instead of having the antibitiotics administered through an IV. This ment a series of 8 shots that would be given to her throughout the next 2 days. Being in the hospital was a very stressful time for us. We were very worried about Sophia and her health and we got very little sleep. Sophia also seemed to be in some pain from all of the shots she was recieving which broke my heart. Finally on Sunday morning we got the all clear to go home! Sophia was found to be perfectly healthy and infection free and my recovery was going well also. It was so nice to come home and get settled.
My birthplan was to have an all natural drug free birth. Unfortulatley for me that did not happen. In fact nothing that I wanted in my labor actually happened the way I wanted it to. In the end im just happy to have my healthy baby girl. To me she is perfect in every single way, I love her more than I can even possibly say or show. Ricky and I are so proud to be her parents and thank God every day that we are blessed enough to have her as our daughter.
Sophia- Mommy and daddy love you so very much and cant wait to watch you grow! You are perfect in every single way! We love you!