Marriage and babies....

Ben and I celebrated our five year anniversary this past Friday (July 29, 2011).

I am a planner. I like to set goals. I have short term goals and long term goals.

When I was little, I knew exactly what I wanted to be "when I grew up" and I knew exactly what I needed to do to get there. So, I did what I need to do to achieve my goals.

So, naturally, when I got married, I suggested to my husband that we set some goals...that we plan ahead. I KNOW that not everything can be PLANNED! However, I wanted to do the best that I could to plan things out and work towards some goals.

I always knew I wanted to have a baby. But, having a baby was a long term goal and I had several short term goals in the interim that I needed to focus on. The first thing I needed to do was graduate from law school...which I did in May, 2007. I also wanted to get settled in my career- I have been practicing 4 years this upcoming October. I also wanted to build/buy a house-- we finished building last March, 2010. The other thing I wanted to do was REALLY focus on my marriage. I wanted Ben and I to enjoy eachother and build our relationship before we added someone else to the mix. I am so thankful that we made the decision to wait before having our first child. Here is why.....

Having a baby changes everything. We are so blessed and thankful for little Julia. However, our marriage has really taken the back seat. She demands our attention 100% of the time and we give it to her. This just means we do not always give eachother the attention that we should. This is where building a marriage before having a baby becomes so crucial. With the lack of sleep and your attention focused solely on the little one, you can sometimes forget about your spouse. Not the mention the hormones! The focus is just more on your new baby and less about your marriage. I am so thankful that Ben was so supportive and understanding. I think the effort we put into building a strong marriage really paid off when we had our baby. I always knew we would be ok no matter how stressful things got. Also, I was comfortable and secure in our marriage--- things I think take time to build.

After starting this new adventure-- having a baby and all- I strongly believe that couples should spend some time building a strong marriage BEFORE they have a baby. Ofcourse, this is just my opinion based on my experience. I think we made the right decision.

Laughter

My favorite thing to do with my husband (other than the obvious, which we will not discuss on this blog) is to LAUGH.

I love it when we just crack up- don't say anything, just laugh. It makes me feel so close to him- funny how that is. Why does laughing with your husband make you feel closer to him? Laughter brings us together. It makes our time together special. It makes me feel loved. It makes me feel, well, happy.

I am so blessed that our Julia ALSO LOVES TO LAUGH----

JUNE 22, 2011

So, I was scheduled to be induced at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, June 22, 2011. I was 41 weeks pregnant at that time, which is obvious from the photos I took that morning.



However, I actually went into labor at about 11 p.m. Although, I did not know that I was in labor because it did not feel anything like what my doctor told me! I had cramps and lower back pain. I ended up calling the doctor on call at like 3 a.m. and he told me I could come in but he didnt think I was in active labor. Things got progressively WORSE! I called my mom and she said that she thought I was in labor. Anyways, long story short, I ended up at the hospital with contractions about 3-5 minutes apart. Obviously I was in active labor.

I got some pitocin and an epidural at around 8 am. I was so excited because I was progressing nicely but then it STOPPED. After 2 pm, I did not progress past 6 cm. But, the doc let me go until 6 p.m. at which time we decided I needed a C-section.

And....this is what we got!



Daddy was so proud of his new baby girl!

Time

Time is everything.

I was pregnant for 41 weeks.
In labor for 18 hours.
Stayed in the hospital for 3 days.
Get approximately 6 hours a sleep a day.
Feed Julia every 2-4 hours.
Am taking 3 months of maternity leave.
Ben and I have been married for 5 years (on July 29).
It has been almost one year since I lost my dad.
Julia will be five weeks old on Wednesday.

Time can be measured in so many different ways...weeks, minutes, hours, days, and years. It is so precious. It is so important. It goes by too fast and it goes by too slow.

I didn't have enough time with him. I sometimes do not cherish the time I have with her. Why is it so complicated?

Has it really been five years? I should be so thankful for everything we have accomplished in such a short time- a marriage, a career, a house, a baby. I am thankful. It just went by too fast.

I have a new goal in life. Take time to cherish the seconds, minutes, hours and days I have with my family. I am going to stop anticipating the next moment and enjoy the one I am in now. My baby is already 5 weeks old. Where did that time go?

I am so thankful for the time I have. The time I will have. The time I had. I wish I had more time. I wish I had embraced time more. I will embrace it now.

Emotional

This will likely be one of the most emotional weeks of my life. First, I am expecting my first child on Thursday. My sweet baby girl Julia is due on June 16. Ofcourse, I am thrilled, anxious, excited, nervous and in complete awe about our new little arrival. It is almost sereal to me. I do not think it will actually hit me until I have her in my arms. What a wonderful moment. But, at the same time, I am remembering my dad. We lost him last August. Saturday is my dad's birthday and Sunday is Father's day. So in the midst of celebrating this little life, I will also be thinking of my very special dad. To make things more emotional, this will be Ben's first Father's day--what a very special day for him as well. I pray that God gives me the strength to embrace all of these emotions. I suppose I am experiencing God in the most extreme way- celebrating life and death at the same time. Our little Julia is my little angel. I guess God knows what he is doing.

On a lighter note...here is a picture from my baby shower and a picture of Julia's room.

33 weeks and counting

I am very much looking forward to meeting my baby girl in less than 2 months. There is so much to do in the mean time and I do not think I have enough time to get it all done. I have planned from the beginning to work until I deliver. Lately, this task seems to be more difficult than I originally anticipated. I have my first trial in less than 2 weeks. I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to try a case, but am a bit overwhelmed in trying to get ready for it. We expect the trial to last 5 days and I will be "living" in Amite, Louisiana the whole time. I am not thrilled at the idea but I know it is best for all involved if I do not have to travel back to Baton Rouge every day after the trial. It is not that far, but I do not get to go home afterwards as I would have to prepare for the next day. Needless to say, it is better to be in one place the whole time. Unfortunately, my attention has been focused on preparing for the trial and not the baby. I have tried to set aside weekends to get the baby's room together but have not been that successful. I do have some things done- but I do not feel like I am near as ready as I should be at this point. It crossed my mind the other day that I might need to pack a bag at some point? I guess I just have a lot going on right now. My mom and sisters are coming into town the next few weekends. I hope they can help me get ready! I am really looking forward to being with my baby this summer.....and I am determined to take 3 months off for maternity leave. I know having a new baby is stressful due to lack of sleep, etc. But, I think it will be a nice change of pace and I cannot wait.

3D/4D Ultrasound- Julia at 29 weeks

Here are a few pictures from our 3D/4D ultrasound yesterday.