Sleeper Baby

Last night was the very first time that Agnes slept through the night (10:40pm-7:40am)! Ok, so I'm a little late on the whole "sleep training" thing, but I am not sorry. Some, like my mother, don't sleep train and some do. I have tried and we have gotten very close to her being able to sleep through the night, but then we would go on weekend trips to visit people and things would get messed up again. Sooooo I gave up. Again, I'm not sorry, because she's still getting sleep and I'm getting snuggle time. Yes, she needs mommy a couple of times a night but that's okay with me... I don't mind at all :)

She's a belly sleeper now. 

It still boggles me how much she's grown, though. She can roll over now (both ways) and turn herself. She can't crawl, as of yet, but I'm thinking that will come in the next couple of weeks (I can feel it!). She reaches for me. Whenever we are at church and Paul is holding her, she always leans towards me and tries to transfer herself very slyly (I give in immediately because it's just too cute). Yes she's got us both wrapped around her adorable little finger. 

She says, "mom" and "bah bah bah." 

She's doing very well with solid food. Sweet potato, avocado, rice cereal, carrots, and peas have all been tried and liked. Banana, not so much, but we're working on it. 

Agnes just cut her second tooth and I am not excited for any more teeth. It is so tough for her and she is not a happy camper when they come in, poor thing.

Here are some videos that I can't help but share:

Like I said, I still cannot believe how time flies. This video is from the first night Agnes was home with us (when she had her days and nights confused).

Exclusive No Longer

Yesterday marked the first day Agnes Joyce started on solid food. For 6 months and 1.5 days, she was an exclusively breastfed baby. Now she is ready to take on the tastes and textures of rice cereal, avocados, sweet potatoes, and bananas (so far)!

Not only was yesterday Agnes' first solid food day, but also her 6 month check-up where she received some shots (never a fun time). She is now 16.5 lbs. and 26 ". She only gained a pound and a half since her last check-up but I guess she made up for it in length.

Since she got shots yesterday, we started her off with rice cereal. It was a new experience for us, to say the least. I heard that babies don't know how to be spoon fed yet, but I didn't realize just how tough it is to actually get the food in their mouths.

I was so excited to document her first food, I told Paul to take some pictures... He went crazy with the camera so I'll only put up a few. It was fun to see him get excited, though, and he even try and feed her himself which was adorable.

Getting ready!

Mixing the food with some mama's milk.

Yummy yummy!

Daddy's turn!

Agnes tried licked the bowl.

And now starts the mess...

Half Birthday Day!

Today our little Aggie Jo is 6 months old. Yesterday, we received a Halloween package from Paul's Aunt Kristie with some cute winter outfits for baby girl and the cutest costume! Even though she's a little young to go Trick or Treating this year, we still had to take a few pictures ;)

The story behind this particular costume is quite cute actually:

Paul's Dad and Aunt Kristie call each other "Tiger" whenever they talk to each other. It has passed down to all of Paul's siblings calling each other, Aunt Kristie, and their dad, "Tiger."

One evening, I was talking to Aunt Kristie and told her how whenever Agnes tries to stand (this was a few months ago), she is always bouncing. Hence Agnes' new nickname, "Tigger." Very cute!

6 Months and Counting

In three days, Agnes Joyce will officially be 6 months old. It's amazing how much babies grow in just a few short months. How did she get from being 6 lbs. to 20 lbs.?? It's unbelievable!

Soooo she is blabbering a lot. Screeching. Smiling. Laughing. Sitting up by herself. Rolling from her back to stomach. She plays with her toys and reaches for me when she wants kisses. She's getting to be too much for me to carry, with her in her car seat, up to our third floor apartment. She can sit regularly (facing out) in her stroller. She loves to cuddle. She is getting a bit more dependent on her pacifier.

My favorite times with her are when she just gets up from naps or long sleeps. She loves to just sit with me and snug for a bit before she plays with her toys. It makes my heart sing and I won't ever take those times for granted. I'm also a fan of her talking (for now :P ). It's just the cutest noise!

Her 2 Month Check Up

Ok, she's actually really 2 and a half months old, but I guess it's better to schedule a check up later than sooner in this case. The reason being, the doctor was on maternity leave (she gave birth to a baby boy in June) and we don't want little Aggie-Jo seeing anyone but the one person I trust... she delivered Agnes and she was amazing. Anyways, it was a heartbreaking experience because little one had to get some of her vaccinations :(

I've never seen her cry like that and I kept telling myself not to start crying as well. I was anxious for this appointment, knowing what was to come, and I now know that I wouldn't have ever been able to prepare myself for what I felt at that moment after the first shot. My poor baby!

The nurse was very quick and right away I scooped up my little girl and hugged and rocked the heck out of her (for like 5 seconds) before I sat down and nursed her. It took a while for Aggie to actually start eating (she could hardly breath, she was so upset), but when that happened it seemed like everything would be ok. Afterward, I put her up on the table and changed her... and she was all smiles again :) ahhhh relief, that was a wonderful feeling.

As we were getting ready to leave, the nurse came back in with a can of apple juice for me. She said she understood the anxiety of being a new mom and witnessing the first shots. She told me that she felt light headed when her little one went in for his first shots so she brought me some juice just in case I felt the same thing. So so sweet! Those people make doctors visits very pleasant and even though I will probably feel anxious at the next appointment, I know we are in good hands.

Anyways, Agnes Joyce is a healthy 12.6 lbs and 22 inches. She is 50th percentile in weight and 25th percentile in height (so a little short, but I don't mind... I can still rock her with one arm!). She is eating well and the nursing is going very smoothly.

She usually goes to bed at around 9 or 10 and get's up twice a night. I probably won't start sleep training her for another month or so (I don't mind having to get up and nurse her... it's tiring, but it's better than when she had her days and nights mixed up). And she usually has a mid morning nap so I am allowed an hr or so of sleep then :)

She nurses about every 2 to 3 hrs during the day (which, again, I don't mind... it gets me caught up on tv shows-- erm, I mean reading :P) and I get lots of exercise because when she isn't eating, she likes to be moving constantly, so I get my work out by rocking and bouncing nonstop! 

Speaking of, I have gone back to my pre-pregnancy weight and I feel great! Now I have to get back to my pre-marriage weight (I gained ten pounds after the wedding and before my first pregnancy check-up, so it's time to get back!)

As of now, Aggie-Jo:

Coos-- oh my goodness it's adorable! The noises that come out of her mouth make me the happiest momma!

Smiles-- I didn't think she could get cuter, but yes, it's possible! When she smile, her eyes make it look like she's flirting with you :)

Has noticed her feet! I put shoes on her last Sunday for church and she started staring at them and moving her feet up and down. I don't know if she has noticed them since (I don't put shoes on her every day), but we will see how it goes this coming Sunday.

Is still losing some of her beautiful hair... BUT I also see new growth and it's brown so I am happy to see that the color hasn't changed.

Is still blue eyed. I hope they don't change, but I wouldn't be upset if they did.

Is a morning person. Dear Lord, please help her sleep at least until 7am? Please? :)

Cannot roll over or lift her head up that much when I put her on her stomach, but we will be practicing this a lot more than we have been this past month (even though she's not a fan of it).

Follows voices with her head and makes eye contact. She knows the voices of her mommy and daddy and is intrigued by new voices and faces.

Still naps in her bouncer right next to the bathroom (or in the bathroom) with the light and fan on.

Has soothed herself to sleep a couple of times (yay!). I didn't have to nurse her or rock her and it was so nice when I came back into the room (after putting her down wide awake), she was out like a light.



I still feel sleep deprived,  but every morning I wake up to the most beautiful sight and forget that I only got 5 hours of sleep that night. She is my world and I can't imagine my life without her. :)

 Morning Stretches!!

Almost 2 Months!

Has it already been almost 2 months since this little girl was born?! Everyday is a challenge and goes by slowly... and then I look at the calendar and it's already June 13! Goodness gracious, I never thought that would happen.

Anyways, yesterday we had a break through... she smiled at me for the first time!!! She usually smiles because she's in the process of pooping and/or farting so it was extra special when I waited a couple minutes after her first smile and tried my funny noises again. It worked and now she not only smiles at me, she has started to make more cooing noises. So cool!

Breastfeeding is going well, also. 2 days ago, I introduced to her a bottle so that I'll be able to feed her during long road trips without having to stop for a long break or take her out of her seat while the car is moving. She wasn't a huge fan of it, but she ate nonetheless so I count that as a success. Last night Paul fed her for the first time and even though he acted all cool and nonchalant about it, I think he felt really good to be able to do it and hold a non-fussy Agnes (normally in the evening she is fussy and that's when he comes home from work so it's hard for him to catch her in a good mood).

That was such an exciting moment for me because I've started pumping more and it feels good to know that I'll be able to use the milk instead of just donating it (which I've been thinking about doing, too). After he fed her, they played for a bit before it was time for mama snuggles and sleep. :) 

Below are some pictures from this past week. One morning I sat her in her bouncer and opened the door to the deck and she just listened to the rain and the cars.

 This is her, "I just pooped and now I can relax" face.

She likes to fall asleep while nursing. It's rare for her to stay asleep in this position when I'm seated and not up walking around and rocking her, so I had to take a picture.

Yesterday, she fell asleep in this position...

And then slowly moseyed her way down to this position. It was quite entertaining to watch her try and find a comfortable way to lie.

 But mission accomplished and she slept for a good 30 min. to an hour or so.

Ok, so I have to share these photos, too, because as I am typing this, she is doing it again (and yes, it's the same outfit she had on yesterday. Don't worry, I washed it!).

 And this is my view :)

There's just something about holding a baby while they sleep.

Anyways, her two month check up is the 11th of July. The last weigh-in she had was at her 2 week appointment. She was 8 lbs. and 20" long. She has grown so much and I'm really excited to see the numbers in a few weeks!

Update! 1 Week 6 Days

Agnes' cord finally came off (during the night lastnight)... which means, now I can get a nighttime routine going where she gets a nice warm bath, a lotion massage, a snug, and hopefully a very easy time going to sleep.  

In other news: last night, she only woke up twice!! She still went to bed pretty late, but this has been the  fewest times she has needed to nurse during the night... her schedule seems to be improving! I'm hoping that I didn't just jinx that ;P

She's Here!!!

I had to write this as soon as possible or else things would start to drift away in my memory and I wouldn't be able to handle that if it did. This may not be posted for a little bit, but just knowing I have something written and something to add to if need be brings a little comfort. Beware, I write a lot! I want to remember everything.

As I write some of this, my Little Loodle Love is in my arms nursing away like a champ. She wasn't always this good, but we will get to that later :P

Here is her birth story:

It was Thursday night (the night before her due date) and after a good chicken drumstick, salad, mixed veggie dinner and with an episode of the Dick Van Dyke show watched, it was time to get ready for bed. I usually (during the pregnancy) got into bed around 9 to just hang out and watch some Netflix (I recently got into the show, Lost) or read some blogs (or a birthing book) for at least 2 hrs before going to sleep while my husband, Paul, would hang out in the dining room or living room to get some work done or just watch baseball. We usually went to sleep at the same time. This particular night, however, I couldn't.  The Braxton Hicks were getting a little annoying and Little Loodle Love was moving around too much to really get comfortable on my sides. It was about 12 O'Clock and I decided to just hang out for a while in the living room. After about an hour of internet searches about what contractions felt like, how you know if you're in labor, and when you're supposed to go to the hospital, I decided it probably wasn't worth my time to read all of this, so I went back to bed. Yeah, well that didn't last long. I was even more uncomfortable than before. I guess it was time to head back to the living room and hang out some more. This weird uncomfortable feeling was like I had the worst stomach ache for about half a minute and then it would just go away for a few minutes before returning. It wasn't terribly painful, just really uncomfortable.  Then my back started to hurt, too. Thats when I decided to time them (with an awesome app I found on my iPod). Here is the record I have (some have big breaks because I forgot I was recording and so I would have to delete an entry or two before recording again... but I really don't expect you to look at all that :P):

StartTime	EndTime	Duration (mm:ss)	Freq. (mm:ss)	Intensity
Apr 26, 2013 1:19 AM	Apr 26, 2013 1:20 AM	01:03	00:00	-
Apr 26, 2013 1:20 AM	Apr 26, 2013 1:21 AM	00:47	01:52	-
Apr 26, 2013 1:22 AM	Apr 26, 2013 1:23 AM	00:41	01:49	-
Apr 26, 2013 1:26 AM	Apr 26, 2013 1:27 AM	00:49	04:09	-
Apr 26, 2013 1:31 AM	Apr 26, 2013 1:32 AM	01:02	04:55	-
Apr 26, 2013 1:35 AM	Apr 26, 2013 1:36 AM	00:55	04:06	-
Apr 26, 2013 1:38 AM	Apr 26, 2013 1:39 AM	00:41	02:49	-
Apr 26, 2013 1:40 AM	Apr 26, 2013 1:42 AM	01:02	02:14	-
Apr 26, 2013 1:45 AM	Apr 26, 2013 1:46 AM	01:04	04:26	-
Apr 26, 2013 1:49 AM	Apr 26, 2013 1:50 AM	01:06	03:33	-
Apr 26, 2013 1:53 AM	Apr 26, 2013 1:54 AM	00:52	04:39	-
Apr 26, 2013 1:57 AM	Apr 26, 2013 1:58 AM	01:00	04:04	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:01 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:01 AM	00:40	03:20	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:04 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:05 AM	01:03	03:04	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:06 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:07 AM	00:50	02:01	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:08 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:09 AM	00:53	02:37	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:12 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:13 AM	01:05	03:59	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:16 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:17 AM	00:58	03:27	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:18 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:18 AM	00:39	02:02	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:20 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:21 AM	00:45	02:28	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:22 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:22 AM	00:30	01:37	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:23 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:24 AM	00:34	01:30	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:25 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:25 AM	00:41	01:18	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:28 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:29 AM	01:00	03:02	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:30 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:31 AM	01:14	02:23	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:34 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:35 AM	01:03	03:38	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:37 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:38 AM	01:04	03:09	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:41 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:42 AM	00:56	03:57	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:43 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:44 AM	00:56	02:21	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:48 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:49 AM	01:15	04:32	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:53 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:53 AM	00:47	04:47	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:56 AM	Apr 26, 2013 2:56 AM	00:39	02:59	-
Apr 26, 2013 2:59 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:01 AM	01:05	03:55	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:02 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:03 AM	00:31	02:40	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:05 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:06 AM	00:52	02:32	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:09 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:10 AM	00:51	04:42	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:13 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:14 AM	00:48	03:50	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:18 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:19 AM	01:11	04:55	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:22 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:23 AM	00:48	04:08	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:27 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:28 AM	00:57	04:20	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:29 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:30 AM	01:04	02:43	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:32 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:32 AM	00:46	02:09	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:34 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:36 AM	01:47	02:29	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:38 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:39 AM	00:45	03:44	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:41 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:41 AM	00:36	02:56	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:49 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:50 AM	00:54	08:09	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:51 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:51 AM	00:31	01:55	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:53 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:54 AM	00:52	02:27	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:56 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:57 AM	00:54	02:44	-
Apr 26, 2013 3:58 AM	Apr 26, 2013 3:59 AM	00:43	02:25	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:00 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:01 AM	00:40	01:47	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:02 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:03 AM	00:49	01:30	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:05 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:06 AM	00:57	03:04	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:07 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:08 AM	00:40	02:37	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:12 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:12 AM	00:29	04:08	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:13 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:14 AM	01:00	01:50	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:16 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:16 AM	00:43	02:10	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:18 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:19 AM	01:03	02:23	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:20 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:21 AM	00:27	02:11	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:21 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:22 AM	00:48	01:20	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:23 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:24 AM	00:33	01:42	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:25 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:26 AM	00:29	01:57	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:29 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:30 AM	00:56	04:12	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:31 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:32 AM	00:49	01:43	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:33 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:33 AM	00:41	01:39	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:35 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:36 AM	00:42	02:09	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:37 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:38 AM	00:54	02:10	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:40 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:41 AM	00:47	02:50	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:42 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:42 AM	00:25	02:09	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:44 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:45 AM	00:48	01:41	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:47 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:48 AM	00:31	03:37	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:49 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:50 AM	00:38	01:41	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:51 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:52 AM	00:48	02:21	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:54 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:55 AM	01:14	02:42	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:57 AM	Apr 26, 2013 4:57 AM	00:44	02:33	-
Apr 26, 2013 4:59 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:00 AM	00:39	02:29	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:02 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:02 AM	00:35	02:31	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:04 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:05 AM	00:56	02:42	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:09 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:10 AM	00:56	04:17	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:20 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:21 AM	00:47	11:39	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:24 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:25 AM	00:51	04:04	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:28 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:28 AM	00:42	03:06	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:29 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:31 AM	01:52	01:52	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:33 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:34 AM	00:53	03:44	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:35 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:36 AM	00:55	01:52	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:38 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:39 AM	00:58	02:39	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:40 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:41 AM	00:53	01:59	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:42 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:43 AM	00:53	02:04	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:44 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:45 AM	00:56	01:57	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:45 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:46 AM	00:56	01:19	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:48 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:49 AM	01:28	02:49	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:53 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:54 AM	01:14	05:12	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:55 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:56 AM	00:41	01:51	-
Apr 26, 2013 5:58 AM	Apr 26, 2013 5:59 AM	00:57	02:59	-
Apr 26, 2013 6:01 AM	Apr 26, 2013 6:02 AM	01:16	02:52	-
Apr 26, 2013 6:04 AM	Apr 26, 2013 6:05 AM	00:58	03:17	-
Apr 26, 2013 6:08 AM	Apr 26, 2013 6:09 AM	01:01	03:43	-
Apr 26, 2013 6:12 AM	Apr 26, 2013 6:13 AM	01:04	04:10	-
Apr 26, 2013 6:14 AM	Apr 26, 2013 6:16 AM	01:23	02:27	-
Apr 26, 2013 6:18 AM	Apr 26, 2013 6:19 AM	01:11	03:24	-
Apr 26, 2013 6:20 AM	Apr 26, 2013 6:21 AM	00:40	02:13	-
Apr 26, 2013 6:22 AM	Apr 26, 2013 6:22 AM	00:51	01:28	-
Apr 26, 2013 6:24 AM	Apr 26, 2013 6:24 AM	00:44	02:10	-
Apr 26, 2013 6:27 AM	Apr 26, 2013 6:28 AM	00:47	03:05	-
Apr 26, 2013 6:30 AM	Apr 26, 2013 6:32 AM	02:16	03:13	-

Okay so hopefully you get the picture... I was definitely in labor. This was the real deal, but I still didn't know it. I facebook messaged one of my friends (who gave birth a few weeks before to her first son) about what I was feeling and what was going on. She immediately responded (midnight feeding time for her), which was amazing! She gave me some information about what the contractions felt like for her and how maybe I was progressing faster than she was. I was still doubtful, but  at around 3, I decided to call the hospital just to see what they would say. They told me that this was the time most women came in (when contractions were 3-5 minutes apart), but if I wanted to wait a little bit, I could. I thanked them and decided that it would be best to wait a little bit, just in case it was just a false alarm (I've heard that a lot of first time moms have those). I still didn't think that this was true labor. I guess I pictured myself in pure agony, moaning and rocking back and forth with labored breaths. My breathing did change, but I couldn't stay still or just rock back and forth. I was actually power walking through the whole apartment. I decided to get some laundry done (2 loads actually). Maybe this was the time to finally pack a hospital bag... maybe? 

Anyways, after I got off the phone with the hospital, I went into the room to tell Paul. I woke him up a bit and said, "Paul, I think we should get ready to go to the hospital in the next hour or two..." He replied with, "oh, mmhmm", and turned over. So I tried a clearer approach, "Paul... I'm in labor." His response was, "mmhmm ok" and turned over the other way. So I just left him and went to the hospital by myself. PSYCH! That would've been funny. I left the bedroom and got back to my pacing, packing, and recording.

I got some make up on and some dishes done. I packed the little one's outfit for going home in. I tried the whole rocking back and forth thing for a bit (while applying my make up) and I also tried putting my hands up against the bed bending over a bit and rocking, but it just didn't seem to fit my need for speed. I decided not to do my hair because that would take longer and being in one spot was getting to be tougher. 

So an hour came and went (it was a little after 4am now) and I decided to wake my dear husband up again to let him know that in the next hour, we would be leaving for the hospital. He responded this time with, "Ok... well, how long can I sleep for before we have to go?" Yes, he actually asked me if he could go back to sleep. "Ummm... well I guess 30 minutes? an hour? I don't know..." So he decided to get up... Praise the Lord! He even helped me time some of my contractions while I paced and also when I decided to take a shower.

Before my shower. 40 Weeks and 0 Days

It took us another hour and a half to get ready (showering, more packing, plucking our eyebrows, etc.) and we finally left for the hospital around 6:15. We checked in at 6:30 and right away I was checked for dilation (not fun). They told me that they were expecting me a little sooner than 6:30 (like 3:30-4am). I was 6 cm dilated. Yup, that was labor alright!

We were taken to the Labor and Delivery room (which was pretty nice) and the epidural was administered around 7-8am. By that time I was 7.5-8cm dilated and it took a few extra sticks in my back and extra time to actually get it to work (yeah, that wasn't too fun, but it felt wonderful afterward :P). 

Very wonderful.

So wonderful that I could update facebook, call my parents, and text all of my friends and family everything that was going on...

and take pictures of my handsome husband being so patient.

When they checked me the second time after the epidural was administered, they noticed that my bag of waters was right up against my cervix so they were going to wait to see if it would break on it's own. It didn't, and by 10am, they broke it. That's when things started to progress, and by 11am, I was feeling the urge to push. 

So I texted everyone and told them that now was the time I really needed to start focusing and so they wouldn't hear from me for a little while until Little Loodle Love was here. 

[On and off I was put on oxygen because they needed to stimulate Little Loodle Love more and make sure she was moving around and catching the monitors.]

They had me do, what is called, "Laboring Down," meaning that I was not allowed to push until it it was impossible not to. So with each contraction, I did my Lamaze breathing technique and kept myself from pushing... for 2 hours. At 1 O'Clock... it was show time!

It was pretty tough to know how to push because, even though I felt pressure down there, the epidural made it hard to really feel what I was doing. So they asked me if it would be better if I had a mirror to see what was actually going on and maybe it would help in motivating me. Ummm...no thanks. I wasn't too keen on that. I continued to push. Paul actually took over, a few times, where the doctor was (she was in her third trimester and the room was really hot for some unknown reason) and we tried playing tug of war with a towel (interesting, but it seemed to work a little bit) before my hands couldn't grip properly anymore. Paul was great, though. He counted, he held onto me almost the entire time, and he was just all around amazing.

About an hour into the pushing, they could see that this Little Loodle Love had a full head of hair. This is when I was interested (so much for being uneasy about that mirror idea). They brought the mirror and then things started progressing. I was now a bit more motivated to see this little girl.

At 2:30pm (after one and a half hours of pushing) on April 26, 2013 (HER DUE DATE), My Little Loodle Love was born. She was 6 lbs. 13oz. and 19.5" long. It took them a while to make her cry at first because she was just looking around and taking it all in, I guess ;) She was so calm and quiet. She had a full head of dark hair and could not be any more beautiful. Right away she was pulled up to my chest for some skin to skin and Paul cut the cord. They gave us until 4:30 with her before they took her to get weighed, washed, and taken care of. 

Proud daddy with his Little Princess.

These were taken a few minutes after she was born.

After she came back from her first bath.

You are probably wondering about her name... well it took us until the next day to fully decide that we wanted her name to be Agnes Joyce. Saint Agnes has always been my favorite saint and is my confirmation name. Joyce is Paul's paternal grandmother's name who happens to be born on April 26th as well. :) 

The first couple of days with her were trying due to breastfeeding and the lack of milk, but now she is the most well behaved little baby (except that she sleeps during the day and awake at night). Her latch made things very painful and even though I was determined for this to work, it was still extremely hard for me to continue on. Now she is a nursing champion and barely ever cries or fusses (only when I take too long changing her diaper... but I'm a newbie so I'll get better and faster!). 

We went home on Sunday, April 28th, 2013. We had to stay an extra night because when I delivered her, I had a pretty high fever. When they took her temperature during the time she was placed on me for skin to skin time (right after she was born), she also had a fever. So they had to monitor us (and put me on antibiotics) just to make sure everything was a-ok.

My parents drove 12 hours from Colorado the day of her birth to be here with us for a few days and they were beyond helpful. My mom stayed up a lot with her (after we went home) when I was too tired to even stand, let alone rock her in my arms to sleep. Whenever we needed help in the middle of the night, all we had to do was go into the guest bedroom, wake her up, and she would come racing to the rescue with her arms out and ready to receive the little one. During the day, my dad would run errands to Walmart (he got to be a regular there) and also held her whenever he could. They stayed until Wednesday afternoon and the day before they left, my oldest sister, Nutmeg, drove all the way from Texas with two of her kids to help out with everything. Right away she asked what she could do to help. It's been so great having all of this help and I know that it would have been ten times harder without them, even my other older sister who came with her family the week before helped out a lot preparing postpartum meals as well as postpartum care for me. Even friends have pitched in with sending necessities to care for this little one and even extras that make her look so cute and fashionable.

Paul's parents and sister have also been to visit from Saint Louis a couple of times to see Agnes Joyce. It's always great when they can come see us! Paul's aunt is on her way from Illinois to help out over the weekend and Paul's mother will come help out  on Monday afternoon and stay for the week. Then my brother, Tim, and one of my best-friends, Kelly Ann, are coming to visit the next weekend and I'm sure they will be a big help, too. We have lots of visitors coming to help out and spoil this little girl, so we are not short on love here ;P

We have been so blessed. With the pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum being so great, it makes me want to welcome a second child... in time ;)

Here are a few pictures of Agnes Joyce alone and with the people that love her:

Meeting her grandparents (Paul's parents on top).

Playing with silly Daddy

Meeting Auntie Nutmeg

Naptime... one of many during the day.

Grandma being an amazing help.

Grandma

Grandma and Grandpa and Auntie time.

Nighttime in her jumper and morning early EARLY morning cuddles with Mommy.

Now little Agnes is 1 week old today and is the center of our worlds. It's amazing how one little being can change everything you do. How protective you get, how quiet you can be when you know she is fast asleep, how sleep deprived you actually are compared to how you feel. And when it's all said and done, how completely and utterly head over heels in love you are with this Little Loodle Love. :)

The night of her one week since her birthday pictures.

An example of what her daily hiccups are like. This was taken last night.