1 Month

I love being a mom. The things I thought would be hard to adjust to are not the things that I have trouble with. I love waking up in the night for feedings. Why? Because that's extra time I get to spend with Lyla. The things I've had trouble with are:

- Not getting to spend as much time with Daniel. We were married for over 7 years before Lyla came. It was the two of us for a long time, and I miss him so much.

- Unwanted advice. I know people mean well, but it's hard sometimes to get advice when you really really don't want it. I've always questioned whether I'd be a good mom, so when people tell me things, it makes me feel like I'm not doing a good enough job.

- People wanting to hold Lyla. From day 1, people asked to hold her, and for some reason feel that they deserve their cuddle time with her. Even people from my ward who I have never spoken to come over just to hold her. For the 1st 3 weeks I cried just at the thought of someone else holding her. I feel very protective, and just want her all to myself. I waited this long for her, that I can't bring myself to let anyone else near her without breaking down.

Lyla is growing so fast, I honestly can't believe it. She just loves to eat. It's only every 3-4 hours, but it's obviously doing something.  Here are her growth stats:

Aug 24th: 4lbs 15oz

Sept 10th: 6lbs 1oz

Sept 24th: 7lbs 4oz

 She is just such a blessing in our lives, and I am so grateful she's mine. 

I can't believe she is already 1 month old. I really wanted to get professional pictures taken right after she was born, but she came early so we couldn't plan ahead, and then we moved to Washington 2 weeks after she was born. So it never really worked out. When she turned 1 month, I didn't want any more time to go by without taking some pics, so I turned my living room into a studio. I went online and Googled some posses, and then tried my best. So they aren't perfect, but I still love them.  

First Bath

It took 2 1/2 weeks for her umbilical cord to fall off, which is longer then normal. So we were so excited when we could finally give her her first real bath. She absolutely loved it. She just lay there while we washed her. I don't know what it is, but there is something amazing about giving a baby a bath.

How I Get Things Done

This is where Lyla hangs out when I shower. I put her swing in the bathroom, and she falls asleep to the sound of the water running. 

This only works when she is asleep. She is still too small, so if she were awake she would just get angry that she is squished and can't see anything. 

Sacrament

We attended Daniel's cousins Missionary farewell. It was Lyla's first sacrament meeting (only 2wks old), and she did great. Her adorable outfit was given to us by Daniel's mom.

Pics of Lyla

Going for a walk

Today we decided to go for a walk. Lyla's first walk outside and she loved it. She basically slept the whole time. It was a perfect day and nice to get outside. It had been a week since we came home from the hospital, so it was nice to move.

Coming Home

I was so excited to go home from the hospital. I was looking forward to the comforts of my own home, and to having my family together. 

 That bulge in her left side is actually her knee. The outfit was way too big for her.

 She didn't like being put into her car seat, but once she was in....she was happy!

I was so happy to have her home. I just sat on the couch and stared at her for hours.

Two hours after we arrived home, Daniel's mom arrived. It was such a blessing to have her there. 5 days later his dad came by to visit. 

Lyla's Birth Story

I have thought about this story everyday since it happened. Replaying it over and over in my head. When you wait so long for something, and you finally get it, it seems very surreal. I still can't believe she is actually here. 

Before I got pregnant, I decided that I wanted all the pain medication that the hospital could offer during labor. Once I was pregnant, I ended up doing a lot of research about the pro's and con's of pain medication, including an epidural. I had read several blogs of friends who recently did home births, and how much they enjoyed the experience. So I made the decision to try go un-medicated. We signed up for a Lamaze class, and found a wonderful midwife. These midwives will only deliver in the hospital, which is exactly what I wanted for my first. I didn't want to risk anything going wrong. Due date: Sept 10th.

Aug 24th - 12:02am

I woke up for my usual potty break. When I stood up, I felt some leakage. I didn't know if I had just wet myself, or if my water had broken. After 10 mins in the bathroom, Daniel asked if I was okay. I told him I thought my water had broken. He very calmly got dressed, and started gathering our bags. I told him I wanted to wait at least an hour, to make sure my water had actually broken. 

1:10am

We arrived at the hospital. They checked, and confirmed that my water had broken, but that I was only dilated to a 1+ and 90% effaced. They hooked me up to an IV for some fluids while they monitored the baby for 20mins. Then they unhooked me from everything, and we went to the labor room where I changed out of the terrible hospital gown. 

2:20am

Since I was only dilated to a 1+, I figured I had a long night/day ahead of me, and decided to get into the jetted tub. By this time, my contractions had started, and were close together. The warm water really helped.

3:45am

My contractions were really intense, and I decided I couldn't be in the tub anymore, that I needed to move around. I asked my midwife to check to see how much progress I had made. I was now at 3cm. Still a long way to go. My midwife recommended taking something to help with the pain, so I could get some rest. Most first time mom's labor for up to 18hours, and she didn't want me to get tired out. I agreed to the medication. This helped take the edge off the contractions, but I still felt every single one.

6:05am

My contractions had become unbearable. My body started to involuntarily push. I started to question whether I could go through with this or not. I kept telling Daniel, "I don't think I can do this", "I don't want to do this anymore". When I told my midwife that I felt like pushing, she found that I had dilated to a 7, and 100% effaced. That's when Daniel said to me "This is the worse it's going to get." In our Lamaze class, we were taught that at 7cm, that's when the pain is the worse, and it eases after that. I knew then, that as long as it didn't get any worse, I could do this.

6:25am

My midwife told me to just push whenever my body felt like it. For me, this was my favorite part. Being able to just listen to my body, and not have someone else telling me what I had to do. The pain of contractions had completely disappeared, and all that remained was a desire to push. It was just Daniel, the nurse (Vicki), and my midwife (Melissa) in the room. The lights were off, and the room was quiet. It was everything I had hoped for. 

7:08am

Melissa told me to open my eyes and look down. When I opened my eyes, I saw my daughter for the first time, her eyes open and arms outstretched towards me. I held her in my arms under a blanket. She just lay there quietly. I couldn't believe what I had just done, and that she was finally here. She was perfect in every way.

I am so grateful to Daniel for being so amazing. The Lamaze class really helped him learn how best to help and support me during labor, and I'm so glad we took that class. There is no way I would have been able to go through labor without him. He stayed calm during the whole thing, and helped me to relax so that I could have the best experience. 

 With my midwife - Melissa. She was amazing and really helped me stay focused throughout my labor and delivery.

 We feel so incredibly blessed to have Lyla in our lives. It makes everything we went through to get her, absolutely worth it. 

Beautiful Belinda and Lyla

I (Daniel) felt like we needed some more pictures of Belinda one Saturday morning, so on our way out of the house I grabbed the camera and started snapping pictures.  I love this sequence, I started taking pictures really fast and pretended to be a photographer in a photoshoot.  Belinda thought it was funny and started laughing.  I can't get enough of that smile!

This one I love so much.  Lyla, we can't wait for you to be here!  Less than 5 weeks to go!