Introducing Mia Antonia....

She has finally arrived after 10 long months of anticipation and wondering what she would look like, how our lives would change, and what all those sleepless nights and eating every 2-3 hours that everyone talks about would be like...and now we know!  I am a little behind on keeping up with the blog due to those sleepless nights and tons of feedings, but every minute has been worth it!  Our lives changed for the better on Monday, March 15th....

We woke bright and early (me at 4 am so I could enjoy my last shower without having to rush to feed or change a crying baby!) to head to the hospital for my induction.  We arrived at Jupiter Medical Center at 5:45 am and got checked in to the birthing suites and shortly after that the nurse got me hooked up to an IV of pitocin (my first IV and I was a little nervous about having all these tubes in my hands and of course got queasy!).  I was still only 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced, but at zero station.  The doctor came in around 8:30 am and broke my water....and then I thought the fun would begin, but for the first few hours, I didn't feel the contractions, so Steve and I just chatted and Brandi came to visit us with baby Lucas (who was born on March 13th right down the hall).  We were able to walk the halls with the portable montior, I relaxed in the rocking chair, and the birthing ball came in handy when I started to feel the pain of those contractions.  At 12:30, I had progressed to 4 cm and wanted to hold off on the epidural, but had some pain medication via the IV to take some of the edge off...well it didn't take much of the edge off, but before I knew it, I was too far along for the epidural.  I progressed very quickly and then was pushing and all of a sudden....there she was, the most beautiful little being I had ever seen....and in that moment, I was a MOM and my heart was forever changed.  What made this whole experience even more remarkable is my amazing husband who breathed through every contraction with me and got to witness one of the most incredible miracles in life...the birth of his child.

Mia Antonia entered this world at 2:26 pm weighing 7 lbs 6 oz and was 20.5 inches long (going to be tall like her Daddy!).  The rest of the day was a blur with the nurses cleaning her up and the doctor taking care of me, Steve by my side making sure we were both doing alright, and my parents, brother and sister coming to meet their grand daughter/niece for the first time with lots of gifts for her.  One funny thing I remembered was the phone ringing and it being handed to me...it was the hospital cafeteria wanting to take my order for dinner that night and all three meals for the following day - seriously!?  I couldn't even think of food at that point, let alone hospital food! 

It is surreal to me that I carried this baby for 10 months and she is now here...in my living room napping in her swing.  There are moments when I think back to her birthday and wish I could do it all over again (minus the labor and delivery part) - I just want to see her for the first time, feed her for the first time, hear her first cry....you don't realize how fast it goes until you have your own baby and then you know what everyone is talking about.  That is why I will cherish it all regardless of how much sleep I've had, if I've had enough time to sit down to one meal all day or had time to take a shower...because she is worth all of that and more!