Blizzard Bloghop (During a Real Blizzard!)

Hello Blizzard Bloghop visitors (if you haven't heard about Blizzard Bloghop and you think I'm losing my marbles, check it out here). I am currently writing this while here in Maryland it is snowing and is supposed to be a real-life blizzard. Woah! (Edit I woke up to like a gazillion inches of snow this morning)

My name is Rachel, but here in bloggy land I simply go by Mrs. P, the abbreviated form of my (newish) married last name!

I started this blog in order to organize my crazy thoughts of everything that was going on at once. As a newly married, newly pregnant Marine wife, I had a lot going on. Now, as the wife of a deployed Marine with a newborn, the fun (craziness) just doesn't stop.

Let's start from the beginning. In 2008, I was a wild-girl party animal. I graduated from the U of MD Baltimore Co. May 08 with a degree in psych (with honors) and a specialty in partying/being a drunk (with no dignity). I was planning on going to law school, but the one I got into (with a scholarship) was in Michigan and well.... I just didn't wanna go to Michigan. SO I decided to work at the Child Development Center on the Army post I've lived next to basically my whole life (Army brat married to a Marine... oops hehe).

That fateful evening I met my hubs (the dark Italian one on the left)

While working there, I met some people and one fine day, was invited to go bowling at the base post Bowling Alley. It was there that I met a group of rowdy, strange, funny, and mildly attractive Marines. One happened to be named Jonny, and I found him particularly dorky. (haha he's gonna murder me when he reads this). Anyway, this silly guy and I ended up hitting it off and then he kissed me, and we always like to say it was Love at First Kiss. After that we had a few ups and downs and he ended up proposing to me 3 months later.

6 months after that, we were married. And 2 weeks after that, we found out we were expecting (Honeymoon Baby!!)! Yea, we don't waste anytime, but I've learned as a Marine Corps wife that there is no time to be wasted! So we happily (and not so happily, like I said, ups and downs) spent our lives in the surrounding area of Camp Lejeune, NC. Until December when we found out Mr. P was headed for the sandbox. On Dec 8, I did the hardest thing I've done yet in my young life (yes, even harder than labor), I said a temporary goodbye to my other half.

On Jan 15, I did the second hardest thing of my young life and gave birth to our gorgeous daughter. Now, together, Ariana Ralyn and I send hugs and kisses (and toilet seats...) to our beloved hero from around the world. And here I am to blog about the days (hours... minutes... seconds) of my Life as a Marine Wife, waiting to be reunited with my one true love.

Thank you, bloghoppers and other bloggy friends, for stopping by and taking a minute to read about lil ol' me!

Your Questions, Answered (Oh, and There are Pics)

Here ya have it ladies, all the things you've been dying to know! Ok, maybe it's not that serious, but... let me just pretend, mk? I could have separated this into several posts, but I don't get to post that often as of late (I say this after having already posted today, I'm a liar liar) so it's all rolled in to one and I am hoping you take the time to read! Also, there are a couple questions that IRL friends have asked, so I just included them.

ARIANA/PREGNANCY/BIRTH

Do you like pregnancy or just tolerate it? (Mrs G.I. Joe)
It definitely wasn't my fave period ever, to be honest. I know I should say things like it was magical and all... and don't get me wrong, I know I am blessed to have been pregnant and to have my daughter, but it just wasn't my favorite. The first trimester I was in and out of the hospital because of how sick I was, and while the second and third weren't that bad, I was fat, I couldn't indulge in any grownup indulgences (I miss having a couple drinks, ok?!) I was moody and crampy and... yeah I'm glad she's out now.

The day I went into labor. I believe I was in the middle of telling my mom that I wasn't ready to go in to the hospital, that I wasn't in labor yet.

What was your favorite junk food while pregnant? Do you still like it? (Chelle)
Chocolate chip cookies and OJ! And I am having an extremely hard time giving them up. I mean, OJ's good for you, but the rate at which I eat Choc Chip cookies is not. I think it has to do with the fact that I was limited to my choc chip cookie intake due to her PAC thing, but I'm certainly making up for it now. I'm giving myself 4 weeks before I get into serious healthy-eating, working-out, get skinny mode ;-)

How did you pick your daughters name? Is there a story behind the name? (M in the Midwest) Did you both agree with the baby's name right away? OR did one of you have to convince the other? (Kiwis and Cocktails)
Ok so, originally, daddy picked this name. Some others we were looking at included Charlotte (a family name from his side, but I hate the nickname Char - sorry if that's any of your nicknames, I'm just not a fan, I love Charlotte and Charlie... but no Char), Jaclyn, and some other ones that randomly popped into my head. Daddy (Mr. P) found Ariana on a baby name website, and it's an Italian name (like daddy is a partially Italian man) and it means "Holy One." I loved the name, but at first I thought it may be a little too... "ethnic" for me. It sounds horrible, but I'm waaaay on the light (White girl) spectrum and I was afraid that her name sounded almost Spanish and I would look too white to be her mom. Yeah, dumb I know but... Anyway, so that was like the forerunner and I still liked it but was iffy and then when hubby was getting ready to deploy I was like OK Ariana is the name we've been using ANYWAY and the name daddy, who won't get to do much, picked, so we'll let him pick her name and we'll go with it. Ralyn is a combination of mine and his mom's name (Rachel - yeah, we have the same name) and my mom's name (Evelyn), hence why it is spelled with only one "N." (Ariana is spelled with one N because I believe Anna and Ana are pronounced differently and her name is Ar-Ee-Ah-Na). Ralyn also means "Little Lamb" and Rachel means "Lamb" so it's almost like... Me Junior. And I'm awesome, so of course two of me is like, double awesome ;-) Yea, that was a long story for an easy question, but I'm a wordy person (as you know if you've been reading this haha).

Did you have a boy's name picked? (Kiwis and Cocktails)
We really hadn't found one that we were set on. We had discussed Jackson and/or Jack at length, and I really wanted his initials to be JDP, like daddy, but besides that we hadn't gotten far (we'd even discussed Jackson Danger, because when I met daddy he told me his name was Jonny Dangerously hahaha). Long story short, I knew she was a girl from the beginning.

How is your sleeping schedule RIGHT now? Seriously. I need to know this. :) (Kiwis and Cocktails)
Haha, well... with the help of my mom it's not too, too bad. She eats about every 3 hours (when she's sleeping, more often when she's awake) so at night it goes something like this (this is only an example, the times when this occurs vary each night) 7pm-9pm we try to keep her awake, then sleep from 9-midnight. Midnight, she yells so I take her out to change her which takes oh, we'll say about 10 min, to keep even numbers... then I feed her for about 10-15min. Then I put her down and pee, the clean my nipple shield off to be ready for the next feeding so... 5 min. Then she is usually yelling so I pick her back up and lay down and we drift off so add another 5 or so min. So, we woke up at 12... and ended up steeled about 35 min later. So 1235, back to sleep, then she's usually ready to eat again around 3 (or basically, 3 hours from when we started last time). Some nights, she chooses a time where she judt wants to be awake (one night it was 3-5, another it was 5-7). When gramma and grampa were visiting, they spoiled me and she slept with them so all I had to do was feed her, then they took her back and my mom changed her (so spoiled, I am!). So while I may lay down at 10 or 11pm and get up around 9am, it is very patchy sleep. Luckily, she sleeps a lot during the day too, so I can get some good naps in. And like I said, my mom makes it much easier, so she'll take Ari and let me get a good nap in for a few hours when I need it bad. And now that she's started sleeping in her crib, it's getting easier. And I am definitely adjusting to this odd sleeping schedule... lol

What's the deal with alcohol and breastfeeding? (IRL)
I'm still trying to figure this one out. I know it's the same as alcohol and your blood, you just gotta wait it out til it's out of your blood stream before you feed again. And they say that 1-2 drinks is ok when your baby is this young, as often as they are eating. But I'm not sure the exact formula for later in life, like so many drinks = so many hours to wait. Hence why I'm stocking up on expressed milk for St. Patty's Day. It may be a month and a half away, but I'm going to be prepared.

Mr.P/Marine Corps/Military-esque

Where do you and Mr. P want to be in 10 years? (Mrs. G.I. Joe)
Wherever the Corps wants us to be I suppose. Mr. P told me from the very beginning he plans to do this a long time, so I'll be right there next to him! I think I'd like to have another child (or maybe 2 more... who knows) but it's hard for me to think in such large increments of time when things change from day to day sooo much (as I'm sure you can relate). I guess we just want to be together and happy and we're good to go! (Was that a cheap answer??)

Is your Hubby staying in the Marine Corps until he retires? (Mrs. Muffins)
He is indeed a "lifer." Like I said, he told me from the very beginning that his plan is to do this a long time, so I needed to make sure I was in for the long haul. He has all these plans though... different tracks he wants to take within the Corps, he's got a different plan every week. "We could do this..." kinda things. Which I think is really cool and may be one of the reasons he plans to stay in so long - there are so many opportunities and different routes you can go. And the security and benefits are nice, too.

How do you think marriage has been different than dating? (Kate)
I get benefits and am recognized more by the Marine Corps. :-P Ok, I know, I know; that's not what you were really asking, was it. Well, I've got a ton more responsibility since we've been married (and I'm not just talking about preggo/having a baby). I took it upon myself (because Mr. P is horrible with all things finance) to take charge of all our finances. Bills, balancing the check book, savings, etc. It was a big load to take on, especially since I was just learning to do it for myself, but I think I've pretty much mastered it. Pretty much. I also have the responsibility to make sure Mr. P does his best always (not that he doesn't) but I guess that's where "Nagging wife" stereotypes come from... now that we're married and I depend on him, and Ari depends on him, I am always making sure he is on top of his game (and when he slips and is not on top of it, I am on him like white on rice. And not in a happy way). He probably doesn't like this difference, but it just happened, because like I said, we depend on him. Also, living together in general was a big change. He swore up and down when we met how neat he was and how clean our house would be (he'd yell at me about my messy room and swear that our house would never be like that) and well... it wasn't true. We had to adjust to each other's lifestye quirks (like he doesn't fold his towel the way I WANT it folded, and I leave my clothes every where). And I guess we're just generally much more dedicated to each other. There's a committment to not only love and be faithful to one another, but to make sure the other is always doing their best, feeling good, getting all things taken care of, supporting one another... I don't mean it in a negative way but it's more work. Not work like we have to work to be happy but work in a sense that there are just added responsibilities in a marriage than when you're "just" dating. But in any case, I do love marriage, much more than dating, and I am so happy that I married the man I did :) (yeah, cheesie, I know. You're totally allowed to vom now).

When does Mr. P come home? (IRL)
I include this question, as I'm asked it on the reg. The truth of the matter is, even if I knew, I couldn't really tell you. So, the vague answer I stick to is "Late Summer... so they say." Because of OPSEC, even when he does tell me a date, I can't tell you. I can't do a ticker or anything fun like that. Boo. I have a date that I picked in my head, which is sometime in August, but it's a totally made up date that I just count down too because I know it will be generally "close" to when he's coming home. If it's sooner or later than the date I chose, I have no idea. I pray that it's sooner, that way when I find out he's coming home but I still have days left I can be all Oh HAPPY SURPISE instead of it going past the date I chose and then being like... Oh... sad... Regardless, when he's home, you will know it. I'm pretty sure my entire world will be aware ;-)

How does Mr. P feel about missing the birth (IRL)?
Yes, people have asked me this. I just have to say... How would you feel? He's dealing, and it's something we were prepared for. And although he was SUPER excited the day of her birth, he's been pretty bummed out about how much he's missing. I mean, obviously. But like I said, he's dealing. It's his job and we were prepared for it so we just kinda gotta... suck it up. Tough as nails, right?!

What do you find to be the positives and negatives of living in J-Ville? (Chelle)
Well, we don't live actually in J-Ville. I personally haaaate J-Ville haha. We live riiight outside of JVille in a town called Richlands. It's nice being outside of all the Marine Corps hub-bub. However, positives of living in JVille would be proximity to base (it takes the Mr quite a while to get on base and the traffic is horrendous), close to all things "in town" (the mall, the restaurants, the stores, etc.), and mmm... that's really all I got. Negatives I'd say would be TRAFFIC, I HATE driving in JVille, hubs calls it a sess-pool of bad driving, (all the bad driving habits from different areas of the US combined in one area), so much USMC in one place (I like having the support on base and what-not but sometimes being around it 24/7 you just want to breathe, where we live there are other Marines close by but we're not constantly surrounded). I guess those are my only major points. It's much quieter out where we live too (we're kind of in the middle of nowhere) but we spend a lot in gas because everything we basically need is either in JVille or on base, which is about 20 min from us.

Are you active in the KV (Chelle)?
For those non-Marine wives, KV is the Key Volunteer Network, where Marine Corps spouses get together and try to keep other spouses in the loop (generally speaking), basically the FRG for you Army ladies (at least that's what it used to be called, not sure if that's what they still call it...) Anyway, we don't actually have a KV anymore. Apparently, before I became a Marine wife, when the KV was still alive and kickin', they had a lot of issues with it. Women were gossiping, pulling rank, and there was no structure (this is all I hear about it, mind you I wasn't a part of it so I can't personally attest so therefore these are not my opinions on it). Anyway, so it was shut down and thus came the Family Readiness Network, which yes, I am proud to be a part of! The Family Readiness Network is a bit different from KV in that it is more structured and command-run. We are "governed" by the FRO (Family Readiness Officer) who is a trained and paid individual who "rules" over everything Family Readiness. Then each FRO Assistant has to attend a training. Training covers things including general topics like deployments, communication, USMC structure etc. as well as confidentiality, which was, apparently, a big issue with the KVN. I am indeed a Family Readiness Assistant, and was very active in it before hubby left (I like it because I've made my best friends down here through it and it helps me get some insider info, maybe not much and maybe not top secret, but enough that I came home and told hubby when the ball was when he didn't know ;-D) I only became less active because of my increasing pregnancy and then having a newborn. I honestly do think it is a great system and encourage all our wives to get involved, or at least know who our FRO is and how to reach her.

What's the best piece of advice you received as a military spouse? (Or if you didn't get any, what advice do you WISH you'd received?) (Lisa)
Oh, good question! Well, I've grown up military (kind of) my dad is now retired Army, so I had a bit of an idea of what I was getting into. But, my matron of honor in our wedding was my great friend from high school who also happens to be a Marine wife and she had this amazing speech she gave to us at the wedding that was full of lots of advice. I wish I could remember the whole thing (I have it on video but I'm way too lazy to go find it right now) but I think after she summed it all up the best advice I got was - No one said it'd be easy, but they did say it'd be worth it. And that's really the way you gotta think of it. It's not going to be easy. It's going to be the hardest damn thing you've ever done in your life. And people are going to ask you how you do it and why you do it and tell you they couldn't do it. But you do. Because it's worth it. And there really is nothing better. Oorah! ;-)

Me and my wonderful MOH

MISCELLANEOUS

What's one movie you can watch over and over again? (Mrs. G.I. Joe)
Clueless. I used to watch it all the time in high school... college... ok just in general. I still watch it when I need a lil cheering up, or if there's nothing on tv, or if the cable goes out...

Do you have any tattoos? Would you get any (more)? (Lisa)

I currently have two. The first one I ever got is three stars on the inside of my left wrist. I got this right after becoming an alum of my sorority, Phi Mu. It stands for "Love, Honor, Truth" which is the open motto of our sorority. It is also shaped like the 3 stars on our badge. The second I got when Mr. P went to get his tattoo. He had this big huge plan for a tattoo and I had only briefly thought of getting one. Upon mentioning this at the tattoo parlor, the receptionist said, Oh we've got an open artist for walk-ins if you want, so I was like yeah sure! Anyway, the tattoo is "Ceci Passera Aussi" on my left rib cage. This is French for "This too shall pass" (and if you're fluent in French and that's not what it is, I don't wanna know... I can keep on believing that the translator and the people I asked were correct, mmk?) Anyway, This Too Shall Pass has been a mantra in our household since I was little - whenever we hit a bad spot my mom would always say this. If I was sick, feeling down, whatever - This Too, Shall Pass! And hubby and I are both French so that's why I picked French. And I want MOOORE haha. I want some kind of moto tat (Marine Corps related) but I haven't decided what and whether it's the very best idea yet... I'm thinking maybe just a yellow ribbon?? And maybe something for Ariana. And I've always wanted a phoenix on my ribs (probably under the Ceci Passera Aussi) but I'm a chicken. And it'll be expensive.


What's the best book you've ever read? (Lisa)
Ok so when I was in like elementary school I read this book called "The Doll in the Garden" and I read it over and over and over and it's stuck with me ever since. I haven't read it in ages, but I still think about how awesome I thought it was. I guess I'd say that's the best book I've ever read since it has stuck with me all these years. Also, the Harry Potter books, hands down, are amazing.

Ariana's Arrival Part II (Switch It Up!)

So when we left off, we were still walkin the hospital, 5 cm and in good spirits. I also forgot to add that I had such a great support team when I went into labor. My amazing mom was there with me, of course. As well as two of my awesome NC/Marine Wife friends, Whitney and Raechel. Whitney was my birth partner at lamaze class when Mr. P wasn't allowed to come due to work.

Whitney and I, Raechel and I, respectively. Don't ask why I'm grabbing the crotch of my gown, maybe it's cuz I'm just gangster.

Ok, so back to the story. Walking the halls, feeling hungry, and being bored, I was ready to speed things up. Contractions were between 4 and 5 min apart at this point and I was still talking through them. It was around this point the nurses agreed to speed things along as well and spoke to the attending MW about breaking my water. I can't tell you the time this occurred because I wasn't really paying attention, but soon after my walk I know they came in and broke my water. That was an interesting experience in and of itself, basically peeing your pants and having no control over it. It was chilly in the room and the fluid was warm, so I didn't mind it (haha, I'm not kidding). Very quickly following this, the contractions quit playing and started getting serious. The intensity spiked rapidly and they started getting a bit closer together. I breathed through them but they freakin' hurt, I'm not gonna lie. I was doing ok until the attending MW came in and I asked her about taping. You see, I'd been told repeatedly that while the commander of the Naval Hospital won't let you take photos or record during delivery, many midwives would bend the rules a bit, especially for wives of deployed spouses. I brought this subject to the attending MW's attention and she would not agree. She was an active duty MW and said basically that what the commander said was solid rule and couldn't believe anyone would suggest otherwise. This news was not what I wanted to hear, especially as things were getting more intense and I was really missing my hubby. I broke down for a few minutes and just cried and said how much I missed Jonny and that I just did not like her (the MW). It was also at this time that the great switching began.

Right after breaking my water, Ariana's heart rate began rapidly dropping. My nurse came in and hurriedly told me to change positions. I had to roll over to my side and they continued to monitor Ari's heart rate closely. This would not be the last of the position switching. Throughout the night, Ari would decide she didn't like how I was laying and her heart rate would begin to descend. The nurses always caught it and came in running to get me to change things up. Quite a few times an entire team was there "just in case." I was very impressed by this fact, that had anything gone wrong, people were there and ready to take action. I believe at one point there were 8 doctors/nurses in there. MW and nurses attending to me and getting us in position to raise heart rate, pediatric nurses/docs getting the warmer and baby equipment ready in case she had to arrive very fast, and corpsmen (Navy Medical Emergency Personnel, basically) were there in case things got really intense. It was a good feeling knowing that everyone was ready. It was not a good feeling hearing the monitor slow down, but I was positive that nothing was going to go wrong. I did spend a large chunk of time on my hands and knees during delivery, as that was where she was most comfortable and would keep her heart rate ticking steadily. There was also a time where I had to swish my butt back and forth to make her feel better. Are you surprised that she really likes her swing now??

Still in good spirits, even on hands and knees (Yes, my tongue's sticking out inside the mask)!

After the water broke, I was also put on oxygen to help baby out because of the heart rate issues. Soon after the water was broken I was also asking for an epidural. It was actually a tough decision for me to make. I was steal tolerating the contractions and had wanted to go naturally as long as possible, but I decided to get it then because I was in pain and knew it was only going to get more painful. I wanted to enjoy my delivery. I am very happy with my decision and glad I went with pain assistance. I ended up having to get a little extra of the epidural and a little dose of pain killers as well, as they weren't really kicking in the way they should. Once they kicked in it was smooth sailing... for the most part.

Along with the miracle of childbirth, I experienced another miracle the day of my delivery (besides my hair staying so nice). Raechel (from above) went to visit one of our friends from the battalion whose husband has a little more access to email. She emailed him and let him know that I was in labor and to tell my husband and... I got a Phone call from the hubs during labor! He says "you can thank Lt N's wife, she sent him an email and he came up to me and said Porto, you're wife's having your baby, you need to call her." Haha! From there he called the hospital and was eventually patched through to me! So he did get to be there, in a way for labor. He was even there for pushing and he got to hear his baby girl cry out! It was amazing and I was truly lucky and am very thankful to the N's for helping out!

Talking to the proud poppa from across the world, he was still there

Anyway, as the contractions strengthened, I started feeling like I had to take a huge poop. I told the nurse this, I really need to poop. Apparently, during child birth, this is a good feeling. It means things are moving down and you're baby is almost ready. I had to wait a bit longer and then it was time for pushing. Pushing wasn't too bad, just very tiring. It was like running a marathon and I kept running out of breath. I pushed for 25 min, which apparently is pretty awesome. They told me with Ari being my first baby and an epidural I could be pushing up to 3 hours. Yeah, we def were not having that. When she came out, it was with a splash. Then as her head was hanging out (apparently, it's not like I could see any of this...) the MW had to get the cord from around her neck. She was blue headed to purple. One big push and a big yank from the MW later and my daughter was born. It took her a second and then she let out a yell and was handed to me. Luckily, the splash she was born with rinsed her off and she was just wet, not gooey or bloody or goopy, when they set her on my belly. After that it was a hustle and bustle of cleaning her up, checking her out, and me feeling like I was going to pass out from shear exhaustion.

Don't worry, that alien head is molded down to normal now :)
We're kind of a big deal ;-)

She loooooves her Gramma

The hospital stay was decent. Most of the nurses were very nice and helpful. The lactation consultants and nurses helped with breastfeeding (which I'm still learning, a topic that deserves it's own post), the food was actually really good, and I began adjusting to being a new mom. I got wicked cabin fever and was glad to go home when we did, though. Now we are just hanging out getting adjusted. She slept all day today so I won't be surprised if it's a rough night for us... hopefully I will be proven wrong, we shall see (she's asleep right now but will probably be waking up for a feeding here soon). So for all that were curious, there is my story of Ariana's world debut.

Oh and I just want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Gianna Christine who was born to my good friend Caitlin today. She is Ariana's best friend from the womb. Weighing in at 8lb 8oz and 21in long. I can not wait to meet her!!

Ariana's Arrival Part One (See Ya In An Hour!)

Ok first, a few disclaimers.
One. Any post labeled Ariana's arrival is gonna be about birth (obvi) so if you're not interested in reading about it, it makes you feel weird, or any other reason you may not want to read, then just don't read. Just a head's up about the topics at hand ;-)
Two. I'm writing this as she sleeps so I don't know if I'll get the whole thing out (hence the "Part One" portion) and if I do it may be a little long, bare with me.
Three. I'm working on catching up on all of my lovely bloggy friends, but I know you understand that I'm super behind and am slow at the catch up process.


That being said here we go...

Begin Thursday morning, 940 (ish) in the morning. I've got my 38 week check up (I was 38 weeks, one day at this actual check up) with my original midwife (here on abbreviated with MW). Got my weight checked (not pretty) then headed in to the appointment where I was checked. Turns out I was 4, almost 5 cm dilated. MW asked if I wanted my membranes stripped so I said sure if it'd speed things along, she did that and said to me "Ok, I give you about an hour or two. Go and have a light lunch because they will starve you once you're admitted, then come back in two hours tops, sooner if your water breaks, you're gonna have a baby soon." Let me just say, she wasn't kidding about them starving you.

Went home and had a grilled cheese sandwich and a pineapple yogurt and played some Mario Bros Wii with mom (yes, I'm serious). Contractions were irregular and uncomfortable at most. We ended up waiting about 3 hours because I kept telling my mom I just don't feel like I'm in labor. We headed in though, because MW had said so. We got to L&D and it was a full house. They asked if I was ok to wait in the waiting room for a triage room to open up and I was like yeah sure, no prob! I walked around the ward trying to speed things along, and continued getting contractions which had become about 5 min apart but I was still able to talk through them.

When a triage bed was available, I was moved in there and checked. They always check ya out before admitting you, because so many people come in with false alarms. I had myself convinced they were going to tell me I wasn't having strong enough contractions and were gonna send me home, thinking I was overreacting even coming in, but luckily MW had sent up my file and told them I'd be there and they knew what to expect. The doctor that checked me said I was a full 5, on the way to 6 (I was later told by another MW and a nurse that I felt more 4 almost 5 at that time, I guess size really is relative haha) and I was admitted. I was officially admitted to labor and delivery at 1500 (3pm) Thursday, January 14.

Thumbs up to being admitted, lets get this show on the road
Just showing you I was having a great hair day, clearly it was the day for magic to happen

Contractions continued on the same path, about 5 min apart and 5 cm dilated, I decided to walk the hospital again. By this time, I was getting hungry and wasn't allowed to eat. I was also getting pretty bored. I was ready for things to speed along and did not wanna just sit in the hospital all night.
I was antsy to get the show speeding along, I am such an impatient person!

Ok, be on the lookout for part two, gonna spend some time with mom playing Mario to kill some boredom while Ari is sleepin.

I've Been Missing for a Few Days...

Cuz I was having a BABY!

Ariana Ralyn P.
Born Friday, January 15, 2010, 1:44am
6lbs 10.5oz, 19.25 in long
Today in her homecoming outfit. She's much happier when she's dressed.

I will update on the whole shebang soon, but right now I've got a checkbook to balance, laundry to do, and a yelling infant to cuddle with, soooo I'll be back!

PS It's pronounced AR-ee-ah-na. Not Air-ee-ah-na and not ANNA. Got it? Good. ;-)

Maybe Today

Quick update on the doc appointment.
I'm dilated to 4, almost 5, centimeters and my MW stripped my membranes.
She told me to go home, have a light lunch, and be back to L&D to have a baby in 1-2 hours.
I'm home, about to eat, and getting the last of my stuff together.

Just wanted to keep everyone who's interested in the loop. Cross your fingers that this midwife is actually accurate!!