Abigail is 1 Month old!

This past month went by faster then a blink of an eye!! I cannot believe Abigail is already a month old. While this past month has been a little bit of everything - challenging, frustrating, sleep-deprived, wonderful, rewarding, you name it, we've been there - it has been one of the best months of my life. Growing up, I dreamed of the day I became a mom, and to have a daughter, it's a dream come true.

Things are slowly getting easier, we do not have a routine of any sort, but we're slowly getting there. We started with a bed time routine 2 weeks ago, and while we don't stick to an exact time (it's usually around 8 or 8:30), she eats, then gets her diaper changed, swaddle, read a story or 2, rock in her room for a few minutes and to bed. We still have her sleeping in the pack 'n play in our room. I haven't gotten the courage to have her sleep in her crib in her room, just yet.

Abigail got some formula the first few days due to the jaundice, but that was stopped at day 4, and since then it's been breast milk only. While that has its own challenges, it is so rewarding to know that I am the one that is giving Abigail all the nutrition and important things she needs be healthy and strong. I have also started pumping (with in the first week - got to start that freezer stock!) and she was given her first bottle of pumped milk the other day. She took it like a champ. While we'll only give her a bottle on rare occasion at this point, it's good to know she'll take it, hopefully that will continue.

Abigail had her 1 month doctor appointment, on Friday, March 5th. We saw the nurse practitioner, Gail. She is very sweet, answered all of our questions before we had to ask them, and also did a physical evaluation of Abigail, and she got the second dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine.

One Month Stats :
Weight - 7lbs 8oz (5th percentile) up 7oz from birth
Height - 22 in (75th percentile)- 1 inch taller
Head - 36 cm (25th percentile) - do not know what it was at birth

Abigail is slowly starting to respond to her name, about half the time, when you say her name she'll look that direction. She's getting better and better with lifting her head and moving it around during tummy time. She'll also hold her head up when your holding her and look around. She loves to scream in your ear, if you are holding her up by your shoulder.

We ventured on Friday night for dinner for my moms birthday, Abigail slept through the entire dinner. She also had her first trip to the mall and did very well with that.

I Wouldn't Trade It For The World

**started 2 days ago**

Well, 25 days ago, our lives were forever changed, and as the title says I wouldn't trade it for the world!!

Abigail Marie Ancona was born on Friday, February 5, 2010 at 9:45 am, 12 days early. That's right, it was a GIRL!!!!! I would say about 97% of people thought I was carrying a boy. I had random patients at work telling me all the way up to the end 'that it has to be a boy' and the other thing I heard a lot was 'you're going to go late, you always go late with your first'. Well, wrong and wrong.

On Thursday, February 4th, I felt a trickle of some sort. Being 38 weeks pregnant, I had to assess the situation a bit. Matt was in the office downtown that day, so I sent him an email (knowing he was in a meeting), to please step out and call me when he got a minute. I let him know what was going on and told him I'd get back to him with my assessment, in a little while. About an hour later, I knew that this was for sure amniotic fluid. Another email to Matt, with 'you may want to call me & try to leave the office as soon as you can' was sent. I got a phone call back a little bit later, and I told him this was the real deal and to look up the train schedule so he could head home on the next train.

I got ahold of my doctor (after 2 hours, they were having phone problems!), and was told to head to Labor & Delivery. I let them know that I had to wait for Matt to get home. So, at about 3:15pm, we headed to the hospital. I knew we'd be heading home with a baby, Matt was convinced they would send us home and tell us to come back when I was having contractions. Even though I was leaking fluid, I wasn't having any contractions. Before we left, we snapped a few pictures of us and Matt wandered around with me standing there telling him to 'hurry up, we have to go, we have to go now, please hurry up' It's a good thing we had packed our bags the weekend before.

After we got to the hospital, and were brought up to Labor & Delivery, it was confirmed that it was amniotic fluid. I was dilated to 1cm and about 20% effaced - long road ahead! I was hooked up to the iv, blood pressure cuff, heart rate monitor for the baby and a contraction monitor. The contraction monitor showed that I was wasn't having contractions at that time. I was also hooked up to Pitocin (the dreaded drug), which I knew heading to the hospital I was going to get, since I wasn't having contractions, and I was not to happy about that. The pitocin got turned up every 20 minutes (or about that), and the contractions became very regular and each one was getting more and more painful. At about 10:30 pm, I was dilated to 2cm and 80% effaced. Knowing that it takes the longest to dilate to 4cm and then about 1cm every hour after that, I asked for the epidural. There was no way I was going to have enough energy to push when the time came, if I didn't get some rest and relief before then. I had been trembling and concentrating on my breathing through ever contraction starting at about 9pm. Within minutes of asking for the epidural the anestesoligst was in the room, which was nice, it gave me less time to think about it!

At 3:30 am, I was dilated to 5cm and still 80% effaced. At 6:30 am I was 8cm dilated and about 90% effaced. At 8:55am, I was checked again and found out that it was time to push. I didn't have the urge to push yet, but was glad we were at the end and were going to be finding out who this person was. I started pushing at about 9:05am and at 9:45 am, we heard the words "It's a Girl!" That is a moment I will never forget. Not knowing what we were having was one of the best decisions we could have made.

Abigail weighed in at 7lbs 1oz and 21 inches long. Poor girl had a cone head from being in the birth canal for so long, but that got better within a day.

Both Matt and I are so in love with her and already cannot imagine our lives without her.

At this point, Abigail has become very aware of her surroundings. If your talking to her, she'll look your way, usually only for a minute and then she looks away. She's getting better about holding her head up on her own, though she still has a long way to go with that.

I'm hoping to get into some sort of a routine soon, and be able to update on a little bit more of a regular basis. Hopefully, shorter updates.


Last picture in our house, right before we left for Labor & Delivery

Admitted and getting hooked up

Just found out it's time to push

The very last picture of Matt and I before we become parents!

Right after being weighed, assessed, foot printed, etc - getting ready to be wrapped up to meet her mommy & daddy



Holding Abigial for the first time

Daddy and daugther for the first time

First picture of the three of us

Picture we used on her Birth Announcement

1st Valentines Day

The last day of January

Well, today is the last day of January. I cannot believe that we will become parents sometime next month! Everybody says that pregnancy flies by, they aren't kidding. I've known for 33 weeks now, that I have a life growning inside of me, and now, this life will join us in the world at any point!!! It's amazing, awesome, wonderful, exciting and scary all at the same time.

January was a great month and we enjoyed our last full month as 'just the two of us'!

On Saturday, January 9th, my Mom and my Mother-in-law threw us a wonderful family baby shower, at my moms house. We got so many items that we needed, and are so thankful for that. We even had a surprise guest - Aunt Helen came in from Tampa to be apart of it. It is wonderful to have family that cares so much about us and want to help start us off on the right track on our new adventure.

The following Thursday, January 14th, my work had a joint shower for me and one of my coworkers that is due just 3 weeks after me. I had a great time & we got even more stuff that is so helpful! It's nice to work with such a great group of people!

As of this past Wednesday, the 27th, Baby Ancona is 37 weeks along, which is considered full-term, which also means that labor could start at any time. I've had a few contractions, but nothing for the record books, we're still baking away. The baby has dropped a bit though, which is good, the problem is it makes me a bit more uncomfortable as there is more pressure on my hips now, which makes sitting for a long time, very uncomfortable, but it makes breathing easier, since there is a little more room in my lungs. However, as of yesterday, I think the baby realized that there is a bit more room to 'stretch' now and has firmly planted a foot in my right rib cage.

As this pregnancy comes to an end, it is very bitter sweet! I have thoroughly enjoyed this journey and am so thankful have been able to do it. I love knowing that I have this life inside of me, that comes with me where ever I go, can hear me talking (is that good or bad?) all of the time. I love feeling the kicks and stretches - even when they hurt or catch me by surprise - I know that I won't have that for much longer and that makes me a little sad, but yet, I am so excited to meet this little person. There really is no way to describe the feeling that you are about to bring another life into this world & becoming parents for the first time!! We will never have this first again, and that is what makes this so bitter sweet!

On another note, I know that Matt will be a great father. He was nervous as this journey started (as was I, but the excitement over ruled most of my fears), and he has come around to the excitement of it all. I know he enjoyed shopping for the stroller and car seat and what their first bike will be ;) and originally it didn't seem 'real' but as my stomach (bump) started to change and grow and we started to purchase baby items and get these items in the house, he has become more excited. Now, he also just wants to know, when!!!


Matt & I with the Grandma's

Parents to be!





Baby Ancona is Loved!!!

I was going to add a few more pictures but blogger isn't agreeing with that. I will add some of Baby Ancona's room in another post this week, assuming that this little person doesn't join us before then!