One of my greatest gifts

Jillian Avery Leach is here. Words cannot express what overwhelming emotions have come over Peyton and I since her arrival. I thought I would blog not only to share, but also to document for myself the past few days.



First of all, the night we were to go to the hospital we ate with some of our crew...my mom and Peyton's family. We all talked about other things, but conversation kept going back to what was to happen in just a few hours. Peyton and I decided to go in just us two at 3:30AM and let my mom and his mom come once they got up and ready so they could get a few extra hours rest in...we figured they would need it. So, naturally, I slept MAYBE an hour. How could I? I got up and freshened my toenail polish at 12:30AM because I had a vision of chipped toenail polsh in the stirrups...vanity, vanity.

So Peyton and I rise and head off to the hospital...searching for a door to get in (hospital was locked up tight!) He drops me out and I head on up because I worried about beating the other inductions and having a "good" room! I get up there and the nurse meets me at the window and immediately escorts me to a GOOD room! I was in my hospital gown in the bed doing paperwork and recieving sticks for me IV when Peyton got to me...which was only about 5 minutes! They put me on fluids and monitors but informed me that my pitocin wouldn't start unitl the baby woke up and her heart rate rose. So, my pitocin started at 5AM...Peyton took control of TV and tried to catch some zzz's on the couch. Nurse shift change happened at 7..when we were greeted with our assigned Nurse and Nurse Tech...Ashley and JANSEN! We were so excited to have such wonderful attention and care. My mom and Martha came together shortly after and brought Peyton some breakfast..I recieved....ICE chips! YUMMY:) Dr. Pharr came in about 8:15 to break my water and immediately the fun of real labor came..very painful. I requested to get on the list for epidural. I got it several hours later because of the fastly progressing women and cesareans happening around me. When I did get it - HALLELUJAH! - I was feeling good:) After a few checks they thought I was going to section, but they held out for me...and, after 45 minutes of pushing, Peyton and I, along with our little team welcomed Miss Jillian to the world. WOW! Words can't express the true amazement and the feeling that something GODLY MIRACULOUS just happened when you deliver a child, or at least thats what I felt - and still feel to this day. What an incredible blessing.


She is just perfect in every way.

(PS - thi sblog was started on July 5 - and finished on Feb 1!!!) Are you shocked? Life with a newborn is FABULOUS, but it doesn't allow for much time for extras:)

4 AM and 24 hours away....

So, its 4 AM on July 1st and I'm not sure I've slept a wink yet tonight. Is acid reflux, my wandering mind, my anxious feelings, my tiny bladder, or my general uncomfort to blame? Not sure, but I have gotten amazingly used to living without sleep, which was one of my biggest fears even before I ever got pregnant. I got up and figured this may be the perfect time to work on this here blog. I spruced it up a little but plan to do lots more - I have grande ideas for when I have time, but then again that may be a few years now!

Anyway, so my labor induction meets my in less than 24 hours and well, I can't begin to write all my thoughts and anxieties. But I really am amazingly calm about it all. I'm even surprising myself on that one... Across the room stares at me a baby swing, around the corner awaits a well-stocked baby room, beside my bed sits a cradle, and in my car's back seat perches a car seat, all of which are things that I have lived with for the past few days, weeks or months. However, its kind of dawining on not only me, but my husband as well, that a baby will now accompany all of these things in only a few short days. Out of the blue tonight he said (as he was cleaning his golf clubs and catching up on golf central nightly while sitting in his recliner) "I know we aren't planning on letting her sleep with us, but I bet it would be fun to let them sleep with you sometimes." I tried not to make a big deal about it, but my heart melted. He just exposed to me his very own "daddy heart". It showed me that even while watching golf and cleaning his clubs that he is still very much thinking about the baby, which makes me not feel like such a hair-brain for thinking of her at ALL points of the day:) (BTW, we decided it MIGHT be ok to let her get in the bed with us on Saturday mornings so we can have a little family bonding time snuggling with her:) AWW!

Anyway, so my dear precious Jillian will be here very soon, and I cannot wait to finally meet her face to face instead of face to belly:)