So...here's Bailey's story.
I found out I was pregnant on October 11, 2009...two weeks before my wedding (oops). Scott was shocked at first, but then a big smile slowly crept across his face. I cried and said, "My mom's gonna be so mad at me." But once the shock wore off...oh, it was glorious. I had wanted to be a mother for as long as I could remember, and now it was happening.
Being from an Italian Catholic family, I was afraid to tell my family right away (pregnant before marriage?!), but I will never, ever (for as long as I live) forget the night we told all of our friends. It was the night of our wedding, and we had all gone to a hotel after the reception to continue the celebration. Everyone was gathered in our room talking and laughing and Miley Cyrus' "Party In the USA" was playing on the radio. I'd had to beg Scott not to tell anyone pretty much all that week, but he wore me down and I gave him the go-ahead. He walked into the hotel room and burst out to all of our friends, "Hey, guys...me and Jess are pregnant!" And there was a big cheer and lots of "I knew it!"s, and we were swept up in hugs and kisses and happy congratulations...it was one of the best moments of my life, and I will always remember it.
As the weeks passed, we told my family and our co-workers, and I reveled in the feeling of being pregnant. I gave in to my cravings for Slim Jims and canned peaches, and Scott made sure that we had both in the house at all times. I was exhausted, and passed out before 9 most nights. We found out on January 19, 2010 (my parents' anniversary) that our baby was a girl, and I think Scott and I were both in a bit of shock for a solid day before wrapping our heads around the fact that in a few months' time we'd have a daughter. My parents and Scott's helped us get the nursery ready -- soft pink and cream walls with ballerina bear bedding. We registered for all the things we thought we'd need to bring a new life into this world, and I looked forward to every doctor's appointment and ultrasound we had scheduled.
I watched in awe as my belly grew bigger and bigger, and I documented the first time a stranger noticed that I was pregnant and not just chubby. I was oddly thrilled the day I looked down and realized that I couldn't see my feet anymore. The first time I felt a little flutter, I got teary and forced Scott to keep his hand on my stomach for the better part of the evening, even though we both knew it was too early for him to feel anything just yet. I floated through each day in a cloud of happiness, and swore that I could stay pregnant forever.
In my third trimester, the doctor moved my due date back 10 days to June 21st and I didn't mind a bit. The 21st is my grandfather's birthday and I was feeling fantastic at this point, appreciating my body more than at any other point in my life. As June approached, I had weekly appointments with my obstetrician, and I never got over the thrill of hearing my daughter's heartbeat each time. Towards the end, she was a little ninja in there, always kicking and rolling, and she used to push back against the doctor's hand when we tried to listen to her with the doppler. By June 21st, my due date, she was showing no signs of being ready, so the doctor set up an induction for the following Monday, June 28th, and off we went to enjoy our last week as just Scott and Jess.
We spent the week hanging out at home and occasionally going out to a movie or for ice cream, packing our bags for the hospital, gazing into what would be our baby's room, and getting the "final touches" ready for her arrival. I spent a lot of time sitting still and quiet, gently stroking my belly and committing to memory what it felt like when she tumbled and rolled in there, knowing that I'd miss this experience when it was all over.
On the night of Saturday, June 26th Scott and I stayed up late, playing video games (him) and reading (me) in between folding loads of laundry. I remember being SO HOT and munching cups full of ice cubes all night. We got our laundry finished and went up to bed around 2am. At 4:30 Sunday morning, I woke up with a stomach ache. After a minute it went away and I fell back to sleep. A few minutes later I felt a quick, sharp pain, and sat straight up in bed. I waited another few minutes, and there it was again. Thinking this was "the real deal", I waddled down the hall to the bathroom, called my doctor who confirmed that I was officially in labor, and then shaved my legs and combed my hair in between contractions. I waited until I was completely ready to go before waking Scott up, then shook him a little until he was semi-coherent. He blinked a few times and then slowly rolled out of bed. "I don't think you understand," I growled. "We need to go NOW." While he threw some clothes on, I grabbed my pillow and went downstairs to call my mom and let her know we were on our way to the hospital.
We got to the hospital just before 6am and I was immediately taken into a room, changed into a gown, and given an exam to see how far along things were progressed. As soon as the nurse said, "You're 6cm dilated", I asked for an epidural. It took a solid hour or so before the anesthesiologist arrived, and I spent the time breathing through contractions and snapping at Scott whenever he came too close (poor guy wasn't very good at the whole "comforting your wife during labor" the first time around). My mom got there while we were waiting, and she massaged my belly and helped me breath through the pain of the contractions until the anesthesiologist (and my blessed epidural) arrived. After that, it was smooth sailing.
Once the pain subsided, I was able to enjoy being in labor and, oh, I was so excited to finally be meeting my little girl. I chatted with my parents, my in-laws, my sister and brother-in-law, who all showed up at the hospital when they found out the baby was coming. Bets were made on when the baby would make her appearance (my mom and the doc both agreed she'd be here by lunchtime), and I wondered to myself what she would look like and if she would recognize me when we first laid eyes on each other. In between my excited thoughts, I fought off the sadness of not being pregnant anymore by the time the sun went down that day, and I focused on the fantasy of holding my daughter in my arms after all these months of carrying her.
After a little while, the epidural began to wear off and I started feeling a bit of pressure on my right side. The next time a nurse walked into the room, I asked her for more of the juice. After a quick examination, she told me I was at 10cm and ready to push and that the doctor would be right in.
This is it...this is it...this is it.
I was nervous and scared and thrilled and euphoric all at the same time. I heard my mom's voice in my ear whispering for me to "Push. Push, push, push" and I focused on Scott holding my leg and doing his best to encourage me while staying a safe distance away, and I thought about how it would never be just the two of us again. In the span of a few seconds, in the blink of an eye, our whole relationship ran through my mind. The first day we met, 8 years before. Our first date. First kiss. College graduation. Our first trip together. Vacations. Holidays. New jobs. Scott proposing to me in New York City at Christmastime. Moving into our first home together. That positive pregnancy test and all the emotions that went with it. Our wedding day and all the months afterward that led us to this moment, this place, the birth of our first child.
And with those thoughts in my mind, I pushed. We were going to meet our daughter. Today was the day, and I was ready.
At 11:48am on June 27th, 2010, Bailey Reece made her way into this world. She was 7lbs even and had a head full of dark, dark hair. The doctor laid her on my chest, and she looked up at me with the most alert blue eyes and grabbed onto my finger. Here was my daughter. The baby I had dreamed for and wondered about these last 9 months was right here, in my arms. And she was perfect.
By the end of the night, our hospital room had been flooded with visitors. Both my family and Scott's came by, and all of our friends. Calls were made and received, and conversations were had about who she looked like and what she would be like. And through it all, I kept thinking I'm a mother now. We did it. Our daughter was here and she was safe and we had the rest of our lives to watch her grow up and see the little person she would become.
We brought her home two days later and walked her up to the nursery that Scott and my dad (and, later on, both of our mothers) had so painstakingly worked on to make perfect for her. Scott laid her gently in the crib and we welcomed her home.
A little while later we brought her downstairs and put her in the baby swing to rest while we put in a movie and wound down from the excitement of the past few days. I couldn't help staring at her every few seconds and marveling, over and over again, how lucky we were. How grateful. How blessed. She just kind of looked around, her eyes falling on an object here or there every few minutes, and I couldn't help noting again and again how perfect she was. From her big blue eyes (courtesy of me) to her chubby little toes (courtesy of Scott), she was amazing. Wonderful. Perfect.
Ours.
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Bailey Reece
Born June 27, 2010 at 11:48am
20 inches. 7lbz.
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