Madison Ashley: 7 Months

Madison Ashley: 7 Months

I am lucky if I make it to your one year with these month to month updates as late as I am posting each month; however, I will continue because it is so important to me to document your first year!!

-We are not sure how much you weigh exactly; however when you had a sick appointment recently, you weighed 17 pounds, so that should be pretty accurate, not sure how long you are, you have definitely grown some.

-Size 3 diapers

-Size 6 month clothing, some 9 month clothing and all 9 month pajamas

-Still taking 7-8 ounces of formula every 4   hours

-Are well into solids. You love oatmeal cereal and almost all of the fruit/veggie combos we have given you thus far. You have oatmeal cereal in the morning and a fruit/veggie blend in the afternoon. You keep eying my food and I think you may be ready for finger food in the next month or so? I need to start making you solids more chunky!

-Still going to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 pm and sleep continuously until we get you up around 7 am.

-Latest nicknames: bug de love, little one, Madison (French Accent), puddin pop, puddin...so many nicknames...poor child will be confused once she starts understanding!

-You are just starting to put vowels and consonants together (a lot of da da da da da and ga ga ga ga...)!

-Every once in awhile you let me rock you or soothe you to sleep and I savor ever minute of it. 

-Sitting up is old hat to you bow; it makes doing everything so much more fun.

-We are starting to see a lot more of your really sweet personality. You smile and "shriek" a lot when you see Mommy, Daddy and of course Bella. We LOVE it!!

-I need to start babyproofing everything!! You are starting to crawl faster. I look away for a second and you will have moved a good distance when I look back! Your crawl is still more of an army crawl; you haven't quite mastered the leg portion. 

-You still love anything crinkly. You especially loved wrapping paper and bows this month.

-You still have no teeth; I am thinking soon!? 

Madison, we love you so much and can't believe how quickly you are growing and changing! 

We love you, bug! 

Madison Ashley: 6 Months

It is the 29th of November (14 days past your half birthday)! Honestly, you are just so much fun these days, that I just didn't want to spend time writing an update. This month with you has been the absolute best!!

At your 6 month well visit you weighed 16.2 pounds and are 25 inches long. I think the length is right; but cannot remember for sure as it has been so long since your 6 month appointment!

-Size 3 diapers

-Size 6 month clothing, some 9 month and mostly 9 month pajamas

-Still taking 7-8 ounces of formula every 4   hours

-Are well into solids. You love oatmeal cereal and almost all of the fruit/veggie combos we have given you thus far. You have oatmeal cereal in the morning and a fruit/veggie blend in the afternoon.

-Still going to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 pm and sleep continuously until we get you up around 7 am

-Sadly, a month or so ago you decided that you do not like to be rocked to sleep anymore. If I try to rock you, you cry and get fussy. You much prefer for me to out you in your crib and you almost always put yourself to sleep. Such a big girl!

-Are sitting up really well now; it is so nice to be able to plop you down and you can play with your toys for awhile by yourself

-You have started looking up at me when I am holding you and you generally get this big smile on your face when you make eye contact with me...it makes me melt

-You also love to make eye contact and engage with us only to smile and immediately hide on our arm like you are bashful; so cute

-Got baptized this month at Milden Presbyterian Church in Sharps, VA, where a number of people in you Daddy's family have been baptized, married, etc...it was really special! Your Godparents, Brooke and Michael and their son, William made the trek for the event as well!!

-Helped with the special surprise I gave Daddy for our anniversary,  a Yeti cooler (see picture below)!!

-Had your first Halloween. You were a strawberry. You loved picking up candy out of my co-worker's bowls at work for our Trick or Treat. You had so much fun!

-Began army crawling the past week or so. I have a feeling we are going to have one very mobile baby very soon!

-Are extremely talkative lately....you become more vocal all the time!

-Love anything crinkly. EX: at your 6 month appointment, you love the paper on the examining table and loved patting it repeatedly to hear the sound it made

Madison, we love you so much and can't believe how quickly you are growing and changing! 

We love you, bug! 

Madison Ashley: 5 Months

You were such a little wiggle worm during your 5 month pictures, that these will have to suffice! Better luck next month! :)

Sorry Madison, I am a few days late with your 5 month post for several reasons:

1) Either you are experiencing a growth spurt, 4 month sleep regression, teething or all of the above so needless to say our lack of sleep these past ten days or so has made it difficult to find the energy to blog. :(

2) You were baptized today (October 18th) at Milden Presbyterian Church in Sharps, VA and thus were in Virginia all weekend for the big event. 

-You had your first pumpkin patch experience and loved touching the pumpkins (you are really into touch these days). You also seemed to enjoy the hayride and just stared contentedly at the scenery the whole ride.

Update: On 10/21 you began sleeping through the night again (our definition is 10-12 hours of continuous sleep)! We are so relieved and happy to have our good sleeper back!!

5 month stats: 

-Weigh approximately 15 pounds (not sure how long you are)

-Still in size 2 diapers (but almost ready for size 3)

-Still can wear some 3-6 month clothing; but filling out most 6 month clothing now

-Are finally able to wear some of the baby moccasins I bought you. You have very small feet!

-Take anywhere from 6-8 ounces half breastmilk/formula every 4 hours generally

-Started you on oatmeal cereal at 4.5 months and after two feeding attempts began to LOVE it! We have been trying to feed you oatmeal cereal twice daily now

-Started you on several solids in the past week and so far you really like apple and sweet potato. I am excited to see what other foods you enjoy.

- I plan to pull out my Baby Brezza this weekend and start putting my culinary skills to work (ha...we will see how it goes)

-Are sitting up and have been for about 2 weeks now. You are still a bit wobbly and can only do it for about 10 minutes at a time; but you are getting better at it.

-This is really nothing new; however, I have to mention how smiley you are most of the time and how much you love to giggle. Oh your giggles are the BEST!

Madison, I know I say this every month, but you are the best thing that ever happened to Mommy and Daddy and we are constantly overwhelmed by the amount of love we have for you! Happy 5 months!

Madison Ashley: 4 Months

Stats:

-Weighs 13 pounds 13 ounces per her doctor on 9/15 (42nd percentile)

-Are 24.25 inches (42nd percentile)

-Are in size 2 diapers and mostly 3-6 month clothing; you can just now fit it newborn size shoes (you have Mommy's small feet)

-Bedtime is around 8pm and you sleep continuously until we wake you around 7 am 

-Eating approximately 7.5 ounces of breastmilk every 4 hours during the day

Since last month you:

-Got to meet your new little bestie, William Baker Mazhari! You don't know it yet, but you are going to be forced to be friends! 

-Are giggling. I think you did a little bit of this at 3 months, but it is so much more now!

-Are smiling so much more every day. It is so obvious that you recognize your Mommy and Daddy with your smiles

-Started at school on August 24th and the first day was really tough for both of us; however, after day one you have done really really well. You seem to really like your teachers and they always tell us you are one of the happiest/easiest babies they have ever had! Makes me feel much better knowing that you are not crying your head off at school all day. I continuously check my email waiting for that picture or two from your school....I love seeing your sweet, smiling face!!

-You already were pretty vocal; however, this past month you have taken it to a whole new level. No Mama of Dada yet, but you seem to be getting pretty close!

- You try to sit up on your own but can't quite do it yet. I think it will happen in the next month or so.

-Continue to LOVE your exersaucer and now LOVE your Kick n Play Gym. You can batt/grab the toys and enjoy the attached mirror. 

-You can now grab toys and have an interest in them. Your favorite toy is the Manhattan  Winkel Rattle. 

-Are currently experiencing your first cold.  I hate seeing you sick, but you have been such a trooper and still sleep through the night (even sick).

-Can roll from your back to your side easily and can roll from your tummy to your back. 

-Our current nicknames for you: love bug, bug de love, Madisoon (with a French accent...I don't know)! 

Madison, I didn't think it was possible, but we love you even more than we did previously. You are the greatest joy that I have ever known. I can't wait for the many firsts we will have with you this fall/winter!! Happy 4 months sweetheart!! 

Madison Ashley: 3 Months

I cannot believe that just like that you are already 3 months! Where has the time gone? In some ways it seems like you have always been with us and in others, like you have just gotten here!

 

3 month stats: 

-You do not have your next doctor’s appointment until 4 months, so we are not quite certain how much you weigh. We believe that you weigh around 13 pounds, maybe a bit more.  

-You take a bottle with 7-8 ounces of breastmilk every 4 hours (woo!) which makes life so much easier for us now that we only feed you every 4 hours. You are a bit of a slow eater (always have been) taking anywhere from 20-35 minutes to finish your bottle.

-You are still in 0-3 month clothing and size one diapers but it appears that you will be in 3-6 month clothing and size 2 diapers here very soon.

-Sleep: You generally go to bed around 8:30 pm and sleep continuously in your crib until we wake you at 7 am. You eliminated night time feedings long ago and we are so thankful for that! You are the best sleeper and we are so thankful! During the day you have 2-3 naps varying in duration, but generally anywhere from 1-2 hours each. The last nap of the day is kind of spotty and we anticipate you dropping this nap at some point in the future.

 

Highlights:

-You went to the pool for the first time a week ago. You seemed to enjoy sleeping on Daddy’s chest and dipping your feet in the pool. We sat you down in maybe several inches of the water and this didn’t seem to phase you in the least. Maybe next time we will let you put your hands in the water..ha!?

-You rolled over for the first time (from tummy to back) at 12 weeks! You hadn’t rolled over since until 5 days later when you did it again!

-You smile all the time now. It is our favorite. You are such a happy baby!

-You giggled for the first time {I think} several weeks ago! You have done it a number of times since.

-You "talk" to us all the time now by cooing and seem so insistent on trying to communicate with us as much as you can. Your Daddy and I love having these five minute "conversations" with you where we mimic what you say and smile at one another. We never get enough of this.

-You are still loving your exersaucer, tummy time (for 10 minutes usually), and your play gym. 

-Speaking of tummy time, you are getting so strong and can lift your head and neck for an extended period of time a that you can see things around you. 

-You are very interested in both black and white and color images/patterns. You especially love the pink stripes on your Milk Snob car seat cover. 

-You are starting to be interested in mirrors (see picture below) specifically your own face.

Happy 3 months Madison! We are so happy that you are ours, sweetheart! 

 

 

 

 

5 Things we will do differently with Baby #2

Oh parenthood....you have given us quite a run for our money! We really thought that all those other parents were crazy and it really couldn't be as much work nor as hard as other parents had warned us it would be. I WAS WRONG! I totally understand the common expression, being a parent is one of the toughest/hardest jobs you will ever have. I agree with this wholeheartedly. Now that we have been officially parents for a little over 2.5 months, looking back at the first two months, there are definitely some things we will do differently the second time around.

-ONE- While in the hospital we will ask that we get a break and that our new little one spends at least some time in between feedings in the hospital nursery.

Now don't get me wrong, we want to spend those precious first moments with our new baby and we will cherish every bit of it, however, with our first little one, that second night in the hospital I think I would be lucky to say I clocked in 30 minutes of sleep total. After several nights with absolutely no sleep, it is very hard to function. This first time around, I felt guilty asking for the nurses to take Madison. I thought maybe this would make me a bad parent. I mean, not wanting to savor every moment with my newborn = bad parent? I felt I would be judged. Next time, no mommy guilt....getting at least several hours of sleep will make me a better parent and I can savor the amount of time we have with our little one more. I say enjoy the help in the hospital while you can because once you leave, you are on your own!

-TWO- I will (try) not to obsess over EVERYTHING

This first time I worried and obsessed over every little thing: whether she was getting enough to eat, sleep, whether her feet were cold and she needed socks, when to put her on a schedule, whether I am creating bad habits that I will have to break later, and even whether she was still breathing (ALL THE TIME). Worry, worry, worry....

Ugh...every parent worries about their child, my understanding is that this is a big part of being a parent, HOWEVER...I definitely think I took it to a bit of an extreme according to my husband. I will try to tone down the obsession and worry with the second one and know that odds are everything will work out in the end and the constant worrying is not making things any better.

-THREE- I will not worry about how much weight I gained during pregnancy and how I will lose it after

I was extremely concerned that I would have a difficult time losing the baby weight and that it would take me 6 months or more. I am happy to say that I did not need to worry. Breastfeeding definitely seemed to help a good bit I will admit. I walked out of the hospital two days after giving birth and was pleasantly surprised that except for some swelling in my face, ankles, etc...I was feeling pretty good about the amount of weight I had lost. Now, a little over two months postpartum (other than some toning and some general weight loss goals I had pre-pregnancy), I am back down to my pre-pregnancy weight. I will not worry so much the second time around. I am hoping it comes off as easily with baby #2! No need to obsess, just enjoy being pregnant...it really does go by so fast!

-FOUR- Know that the first two weeks with a newborn are simultaneously AWFUL and WONDERFUL. 

Sorry, no sugar coating here. I really wish someone had been more frank with me about what the first two weeks are really like with a newborn. I think it is better to know what it will be like than think the first two weeks will be magical. They are wonderful in the sense that you are so happy and overjoyed over your new baby, however at the same time, the first two weeks are the WORST. A nurse at the hospital told me several times that if we could get through the first two weeks, we could get through anything. She was so right!

For first time moms, why are the first two weeks so tough? Extreme sleep deprivation (feeding your baby on demand as instructed which ranges from every 45 minutes to at best every 2 hours...and yes this happens all night as well), breastfeeding for the first time (you will be extremely sore), being overly concerned that your baby is not getting enough milk, being an emotional basket case of hormones....think crying out of pure exhaustion and being completely overwhelmed with all things new baby  (and as mentioned heighten those emotions because of the hormones)...I think you get the point. It is HARD.

On the bright side, know that it gets SO MUCH better after those first two weeks. Your breasts will begin to heal magically after those two weeks. Your baby will begin to stretch his or her feedings for longer  periods of time. You will begin to gain confidence in your abilities as a parent. Your baby is likely getting what he or she needs nutritionally and after those first two weeks you have either made the switch to formula or have visited the lactation consultant a time or two. Your hormones will level out. All in all it gets so much better.

I will keep all of this in mind with the second one and just know that all of these things are normal.

-FIVE- Know that it is ALL WORTH IT. I promise.

As hard as those first several weeks were with a new baby, I honestly did question why anyone has children. I know that probably sounds awful. I always said I wanted two children, however, during our first month with Madison, I told my husband I was not sure I would be able to go through this whole newborn process again with a second child. Fast forward to about 6 weeks in with Madison...when she smiled for the first time, I melted. I remember looking up at my husband and saying...okay....we can have a second one. Just like that, I was hooked. It is worth it. Children especially new babies are a ton of work, but once you start experiencing those exciting first baby milestones...there is nothing like it. Parenthood has many ups and downs, but I will never regret the decision to have a baby.

I mean look at these smiles...

Madison Ashley: 2 Months

2 month Stats: At your 2 month check-up you weighed 11 pounds and were 22.5 inches long.

You generally go to bed between 10-11pm and sleep continuously until 5-7am depending on the day. Last night you slept 8 hours straight! You are a great sleeper at night and we are so thankful!!

You currently eat anywhere from 3.5-6 ounces of breastmilk per feeding. You are taking bottles like a champ. You eat every 3 hours, however we have been stretching your feedings gradually within the last week so that you will begin to eat every 4 hours, so currently you eat every 3.5 hours or so. 

You began smiling regularly for Mommy and Daddy around 6 weeks and I can now get you to smile for the camera (which makes for better pictures)! You began to coo in the past two weeks and you and I have mini conversations in a language all your own. I love every minute of it. You are taking steps with assistance and can make it across the living room this way. You love "walking" so much that sometimes if you are fussy this is the only way to calm you down! You love your Bumbo seat which we introduced to you around 6 weeks and also have taken interest in your play gym. You will sit under your play gym for 15-20 minutes at a time and sometimes will even fall asleep in there! In addition, you have started to take interest in black and white images and faces. Finally, you have become so much more alert and aware of your surroundings this past month. 

You took your first trip to the beach (Hilton Head Island) and you seemed to like "walking" on the sand and dipping your feet in the water. You took several naps in the sun canopy we purchased for you.  

Nap time during the day is the one area we need to work on more. You will take several naps during the day, but seem to fight us on them and it seems you would prefer to either sleep in our arms or albeit not sleep at all!! I think you are afraid you are going to miss something; I know the feeling little one!

Madison, we love you more than anything and I am so thankful I am your Mommy! 

Madison Ashley: 1 Month

 

I cannot believe that over a month ago we brought the miracle that you are home from the hospital. You have to know that Mommy wanted you so badly for a very long time and you are Mommy's biggest dream come true. It is crazy how protective I already am over you. The idea of something happening to you makes me turn into a big, ferocious mama bear. I have a feeling that is not going to change any time soon; you are just so precious to us. We will never take for granted that we are so lucky to be your parents!

We had so many firsts this month. Regarding Outings. You:

-Made many trips to Publix. The daytime grocery attendants now know your name (ha...maybe we go to the store a bit too much?) and how old you are and greet you every time we are in the check-out line.

-Ran numerous errands at Lowe's, Target, you name it...we take you out a lot!

- Went to several breweries and restaurants. You haven't (yet) had one bout of crying while we have been out with you. I think we have been pretty lucky, but we try to time it that you are well fed when we go out (or sleeping) so you have been such a trooper. Most of the time we put you in your Boba wrap strapped to Mommy and you are golden, you just sleep through the entire thing.

- Went to Virginia for the first time to visit your grandparents on both sides and great grandmother on your Mommy's side. You (overall) were a trooper. On the trip up, you slept in between feedings and did not cry at all! On the way back, you had several fussy periods; however, you really did a lot better than either of us expected.

- Went to Lake Anna for the first time. You seemed to love sleeping in everyone's arms and didn't fuss much, if at all.


Your current favorites. You:

- Love to be snuggled with Mommy as much as possible. You LOVE the Boba wrap. You love for me to hold you and will almost always stop crying when I pick you up (I love this). According to your Daddy, I have a special touch and (unfortunately) he cannot seem to calm you the way that I can. I love our little snuggle sessions on the couch with you on my chest and a blanket covering us. You seem to love this just as much as I do as you frequently snuggle up and fall asleep this way.

Things you dislike:

-Not being fed right away. Your cry goes from zero to manic in about four seconds. You. want. to. eat. NOW. I don't blame you, you know what you want. You do not seem to care about a dirty or wet diaper or much anything else, but give you the bottle or boob, ASAP. I think you get this from your Daddy. You have your priorities straight!

- Being away from Mommy

-Your carseat. You will cry when we put you in it unless you are completely asleep or once we get driving in the car.  Most of the time if you are not completely asleep you will start crying when the car stops.


1 month (or before) Milestones:

- Lifted your head up the day you were born (not kidding) while I was holding you on my chest.

- Lift and move your head from side to side. You like tummy time and do not fuss as long as we limit it to 10 minutes or so.

- Can stand and support your own weight if your arms are held.

-Smiled around 3 weeks old at me for the first time.

Highlights:

- Took a bottle for the first time successfully at 3 weeks. Mommy has been pumping and you eat approximately 4 ounces every 3 hours during the day. Before taking the bottle, you were solely breastfeeding and were a huge fan of that. I will still nurse you sometimes at night, but you like to take your time, so, generally I pump and we give you a bottle these days.

- Started sleeping approximately 5-7 hours straight at night beginning around 4 weeks (so thankful!!) You generally go to sleep around 10-11 pm at night and sleep until 4 - 5 am continuously. Sometimes depending on whether you had a light feeding before bed, we may have to feed you around 2:30-3 am. You are such a good sleeper and we really hope it continues. IT IS AMAZING! I probably just jinxed it. Oh well. 

- Are happiest in the morning. I think it is all that sleep you get at night. Sleeping and eating... you are obviously your father's daughter!! Ha!

- You like your Wubbanub, but only when you feel like it. Fickle like your Mommy!

-Like to be swaddled (but only when you are very sleepy). Otherwise, we try to swaddle you and you squirm, trying to get out of it.

-You weighed 8 pounds 13 ounces at your one month well visit (gained 2 pounds since birth) and are now 21 inches. You are still in newborn clothes much to our surprise. My mom kept telling me that big babies run in our family, so I thought you would be in newborn sizes for a minute. Instead, you are a petite little girl (love it)!

Mommy and Daddy's lifesavers for the first month: MamaRoo, Wubbanubs, Baba Wrap, Aden and Anais Blankets, Bob Stroller, SwaddleMe wraps, Aden and Anais bibs, Dr. Brown's premie flow nipples, Dr. Brown's bottles.

Madison's Birth Story

On Wednesday, May 13th, I had my scheduled 39 week OB appointment and was pretty much convinced how it would go. I just knew that the doctor would tell me that I hadn't progressed at all labor-wise and that they would see me for my 40 week appointment. Instead, the doctor informed me that I was measuring small for 39 weeks and recommended an ultrasound be done to figure out why. I was a bit concerned and was anxious to have some answers. Surprisingly, through the ultrasound, the tech estimated that Madison was already approximately 7 pounds 6 ounces; thus she was not nearly as small as the doctors had originally thought (they had estimated for several weeks that she was a little over 6 pounds). The tech measured the amount of amniotic fluid surrounding Madison, completed the ultrasound, and then escorted me back into one of the examine rooms to wait for the doctor.

The doctor came in, sat down and said: "so you are 38 weeks and 6 days and your amniotic fluid levels are very low...so... (long pause)...let's have a baby!!" I just looked at her, absolutely shocked. Did I miss something!? I proceeded to ask her to clarify whether she meant now and she said yes, now, and to call the hubby. She then asked how soon we could get our hospital bags and get to the hospital.  Still in complete shock and stumbling over my words, I mumbled that we could be there in the next two hours and she told me she would call labor and delivery and alert them we were on our way. I walked out of my doctor's office in pure shock and excitement and immediately called Evan who was still at work (it was around 4 pm). Evan was understandably a bit flustered and assured me he would leave work right away. We were going to get to meet our little one early! I was thrilled!

I drove home (extremely distracted and I probably shouldn't have been driving), called my parents and then hurriedly packed the last minute items in our hospital bags. Of course it took a bit lot longer than I thought it would. Evan arrived home, we packed up the car, got Bella, and drove to Ruth's to drop off Bella.

We arrived at the hospital around 6:30 pm, checked in and I was immediately hooked up to the baby monitors and was given an IV. Additionally, I was given a ripening agent to encourage my cervix to open up (as I hadn't made any progress up to this point). Sleep that night was nearly impossible (due to my excitement and the extremely uncomfortable hospital beds) and I think I maybe got one to two hours total.

Around 8 am the next morning (5/14), our nurse came in and allowed me to take a shower, eat breakfast, and then started pitocin around 9:45 am.

Thus began the waiting game. For the first several hours after starting the pitocin, I started having fairly light contractions. By midday, the contractions had picked up and they were starting to be somewhat painful but bearable. I honestly think one of the hardest parts of being induced was not being able to eat for over 24 hours. My last meal was breakfast around 8 am and I was not allowed to eat anything other than clear liquids until after Madison was born (a little after 10 am the following morning).

By early evening (a little before 6 pm) the OB on call came to check my progress and we were hopeful that I had made significant progress. My contractions at this point were becoming extremely uncomfortable and I was starting to discuss with Evan when we thought I should ask for the epidural (which I knew I would want). Unfortunately, the OB announced that I was only 1.5 cm dilated, which was only .5 cm more than I was that morning before they started the pitocin. I was extremely disappointed and frustrated. I had been in labor all day and had only progressed half a centimeter. I tried to keep it together, but I started crying. I was hungry, my contractions were basically right on top of one another and I wasn't progressing. To top it all off, I knew that the chances of having a c-section increase significantly when you are induced, so at this point, I was already starting to mentally prepare myself for that result. My parents arrived a few minutes later and were startled to see me so upset. Evan explained to them that we had just gotten very disappointing news.

Soon thereafter, I requested the epidural. I did not care that I was only 1.5 cm dilated. I had been laboring all day and my contractions were right on top of one another and were quite strong and painful. Turned out to be the best decision I made all day. Around 10 pm that evening, my epidural was administered and within minutes, the relief I felt was amazing. The epidural even made the bed much more comfortable for me and I was able to get in a good amount of sleep that night.

Early the next morning (5/15) around 6 am, a nurse came to check my progress and announced that I was 9 centimeters dilated. I looked at her, pleasantly surprised and shocked, and asked her to repeat that. She again repeated that I was 9 centimeters dilated. Evan and I were so relieved and excited to hear that I had made so much progress that night. And the best part, is that I didn't feel any of it...I had just slept right through it. The nurse informed us that she would check back in a couple of hours, but that we would likely be meeting our little girl that morning!! We were so excited at that point and I could not stop smiling!!

The next several hours flew by and before I knew it, the nurse came in to check me again and announced that I was 10 centimeters dilated and she could see the baby's head!! I couldn't believe it. It was a very surreal moment; we were about to meet our little girl. The nurse scrambled to get the OB, Dr. Fishburne (whom we really liked a lot) and carts were wheeled in for the last minute prep before I was given permission to start pushing. Before the doctor stepped in, the nurse instructed me that I could give one strong push during a contraction, so I did. As I was pushing, the nurse looked a little surprised and told me to stop pushing as according to Evan her head was already making an appearance! The doctor quickly came in the room and within three pushes and six minutes (not kidding I am not exaggerating), Madison Ashley was born at 10:46 am. I could not believe how quickly the pushing went, but I am not complaining. To put icing on the cake, I apparently had extremely minimal tearing that only required several stitches. It was such a great way to end a process that had been quite lengthy and frustrating at times.

Madison was quickly put on my chest and it was such a surreal moment to be holding our little girl. She barely cried and just looked calmly around the room with her beautiful blue eyes. Madison was cleaned up and Evan got to hold her. They looked so cute together, I wanted to cry. Definitely one of the happiest moments of my life.

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Morning of May 14th, after beginning the pitocin.

 Sleeping after the epidural was administered. 

 Go time on 5/15.

Can't believe she is over a week old already!!