Happy Birthday Grey Olivia Manning

my due date has passed and what a disappointment that can be. i for sure thought i would have this baby before or on August 24th but it didn't happen. at my last doctor appointment she told me that they would induce but there were so many woman on the schedule that they would have to wait until September 6th to schedule me. WHAT!!?? I couldn't believe it. i can't wait that long and my family from arizona is flying in on the 5th to visit for the weekend. that timing was not going to work for me and i let the doctor know it.

so she came back and told me she could tentatively get me on the schedule for august 31st. that made me feel a lot better. once you have a date set in your mind for 9months it is pretty hard to go beyond that point and not feel ready.

so we checked into the hospital at 10:30am on the 31st. our nurse laura was so sweet and i was excited to have her by my side through this adventure.

laura started the pitocin and what i thought would be a short process turned into a 20 hour labor!

although i had the medication, my contractions were not strong enough to change my cervix so i was encouraged to do lunges and walk around the hospital. my mom and i had a fun time laughing hysterically as i did yoga poses and lunges in my sexy nightgown.

while theo left the room for about 20min we had a slight scare. laura couldn't find the babies heart beat on the monitor and they were about to give up and stick an internal monitor into her scalp. obviously worried about the baby and the fear of having something done like that, my mom and i started praying for a heart beat and with one last try, laura found it! we were so thankful and could finally relax.

since i had the medication, i was only allowed what they call the liquid diet which consisted of anything you could see through. so i ate a lot of gummy bears over that 20hour period.

during those 20hours we had a lot of time to talk and reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for in our lives. we talked about vail and what a good big sister she was going to be and how much fun we had watching her grown into this amazing 2 year old.

theo got a chance to get a couple hours of shut eye but i ended up having anxiety/panic attacks during the last 8 hours of labor. my mom and i didn't get any sleep and i had to use the breathing techniques i learned in yoga to get me through the anxiety. i think the problem was that my epidural was numbing but i could still move my legs. i felt trapped!!! i wanted to move but couldn't....it was a strange feeling. 

so i powered through those long hours and when the doctor came in to tell me it was time to push my anxiety went away and i was filled with this sense of energy and confidence. i couldn't wait to meet my baby girl.

so i started to push and i have to say that i LOVE giving birth. i wish i could pause time and watch myself as i go through this moment that is truly a miracle. i pushed for about 25minutes when we finally met our angel. what an amazing moment that was. i had my two best friends, my mom and theo, by my side, cheering me on as i worked to deliver our girl.

they instantly put her on my chest and we melted together. i was instantly filled with a love that you can't explain, it is stronger than any feeling i have ever felt. my baby girl was here in my arms and it made my world that much better.

happy birthday my sweet Grey Olivia Manning.

September 1, 2012

4:29am

7.88lbs and 20.5in

i am so thankful for such a healthy baby girl. 

after all the bonding i couldn't wait for vail to meet her baby sister.

baby grey bought vail a gift for when she arrived at the hospital. it was a ballerina jewelry box that plays music filled with jewelry for vail to wear. 

she opened it and instantly started telling everyone in the room that her baby sister bought her this gift. it was a touching moment to see how in awe vail was of this miracle sitting in front of us.

she instantly wanted to hold her sister and of course we made that happen. she wouldn't stop kissing her and was so full of joy. what an amazing moment that i will never forget.

then grandma and papa got a chance to meet her. thank you mom for being such a great coach. i couldn't have done it without you and i am so happy you got to share this moment with me and theo. we love you.

it was time for my mom and dad to take vail home for her nap and i was sad to see her go. i didn't want to spend the night away from her for a second time but knew she was in good hands. she loves going to grandma and papas house. i think it was harder on me than on her.

when they got home my mom told me that vail was a little emotional. she was as sweet as ever but every once in a while she would get emotional, look down at her jewelry box and tell her that her baby sister bought her this. then she would start to cry and say i want my mommy and baby grey. this brought my parents to tears as they could see how much vail already loved her sister and how badly she wanted to be with us. she is such a loving little girl that is so in touch with her feelings. i am just amazed by her love for those around her. she had a great night with my parents and luckily we got to go home the next day.

 as you can see, there is nothing but joy on vail's face as she holds her baby grey.

we can't wait for this journey with these sweet angels we have been blessed with.