Long time, no blog!

Meet Scarlett Josephine
Born 11:29 am, April 9th, 2010
7lbs 13oz

Her birth was absolutely beautiful. I am a quite the severe wimp, but I knew an unmedicated birth was the absolute best way to avoid a repeat performance of my first birth. (For anyone who doesn't know the story, I pushed for 3 hours with my first and to make a very long story short we almost lost her and she ended up in the NICU for 32 days). I am very proud to say that from beginning to birth nothing went into my body but food and water. I never even had an IV put in. I gave birth in the water, which was actually an accident, but it was exactly what I wanted so I definitely didn't complain. I would never go back to giving birth half paralyized by an epidural. Scarlett's birth was the single most spiritual, beautiful, empowering event of my life and whatever discomfort I felt at times was a very small price to pay. The hypnobirthing techniques helped SO MUCH. Ive had an epidural, and this worked much better and gave me so much freedom. My labor and my birth was in MY hands, as it should be for every woman who wants it to be. In the water I didn't even feel her head pass down through my cervix, only when it was coming down to crowning. Delivery took less than five minutes. I never bore down and held my breath and counted to ten or any of that DUMB CRAP. And believe me, that kind of pushing is CRAP. I just did what I felt like I should do at the time, I can't explain it. Maybe it was pushing, maybe it wasn't. I don't even know. I couldn't even recreate it now if I tried or tell you how I did it. I just gave up thinking and went with it. Warning: religious moment coming. I have seldom felt the spirit of the Lord so strong as in that moment. I was not alone in my body and there was definitely something apart from myself in my body directing it what to do. Scarlett made a smooth transition from my body to the water, still inside her amniotic sac, and then out of the water onto my chest. We didn't cut the cord right away, and she stayed right in my arms. She gave only small, hungry wimpers, no loud crying. When the cord stopped pulsating, we cut it and the placenta delivered itself naturally with no Pitocen. Which was also a contrast to my first birth. The first go around with Tenley they used Pitocen and cord traction to deliver the Placenta and unknowingly left some to rot and die in my body, finally and luckily coming out weeks later. If it hadn't come out, we'd never have known it was even there and I'd have died from a septic infection. This time was much better. Scarlett took to the breast right away, no problem. Oh man! Then came those lovely post pardum contractions that show up when you nurse and stay for the first week! Ouch, ouch, ouch! I was so willing to will away my discomfort during labor, that was a means to an end. I was definitely not as willing to sit and suffer while I wanted to be adoring my new baby and be basking in the after glow of my hard work. I then hit the percocet straight away . Hard! When I asked the OB if it was dumb to want pain meds after I'd gone already gone through the whole labor and birth unmedicated, he laughed, very hard, and said "Not dumb enough to not take them if you want them, and I think you earned it". I then decided I wasn't going to feel guilty about taking the meds. I was so elated with the miracle of her perfect birth that I didn't sleep for nearly three days. I felt so divine that no matter how tired I was, I just couldn't bring myself to sleep. She is a healthy and contented little creature with the most intoxicating presence. You just can't help but take a deep breath and want to melt away into sleep when you snuggle her. Tenley is having a bit of a hard time with it, poor girl. She is really jealous and a little hurt at having to share her parents' and the world's attention with this new little lump that in Tenley's eyes is surely not even half as cute as she is. She does love her though. She is always trying to hold onto her face and kiss her, a little too hard, and share her sippy cup.

Tenley is going to preschool now. She is absolutely in love with her main teacher, "Miss Cassie". In fact we pulled Tenley out this week because Miss Cassie went on vacation and Tenley gets so upset if Miss Cassie isn't there. Tenley is just getting cuter and cuter and more onry every day. Its a challenge and a pleasure for sure. Her little voice is so cute. She's always coming home and talking about "Play wif fwens tooday. Color Misses Cathssie tooday", and at school she tells everyone all about "Baby Scawlett". She also tells them that we are always crying. I don't know why. She always tells her teachers that "Mawmmy's cwy-een, an baby's cwy-een, an Tenny's cwy-een..." She is a story teller, that one. I am just waiting for CPS to call me one of these days after a tale told by Tenley.

Thats got to be all the catching up for me this evening. I know I'm about four months behind, but its time for me to turn in.