rubba-dub-dub

leah's first sponge bath... we tried to do it in our bathroom sink. you forget how wiggly and slippery those little newborns are. add in aubrey crying because leah was crying and it made for quite an experience. our second attempt at a bath was a lot quieter and a lot more productive. you would think we would have this stuff down after doing it once. nope. i think things like baby sponge baths make room for things like potty training after time. no worries though.... we are pros again. i think.

Our Christmas Blessing

December 11th, 2007

I am sitting here staring at my new baby girl. I feel so truly blessed with this healthy little bundle. Little Leah has taken us on quite a ride these past 9 months. From our scary time in the Dominican Republic... to all the tests at the end of this pregnancy... to our unexpected repeat c-section on Friday. God has been so good to us, and I am excited to go home and be a new, different family. I don't feel the anxiousness that I did the first time. I have felt God's presence these past two years as I have stumbled through being a mom. He has always given me exactly what I needed for each moment. I know he loves and cares for me... and that He listens even when I am up alone in the middle of the night feeding a rocking a crying newborn. I know who I can call on and I anticipate many mornings that Aubrey, Leah and I pray for our day.

Lord God,
The past few days have been a whirlwind and I am sorry that so often I only call on you in times of pain or anxiousness... Thank you for sustaining me through it all, you are a good God. Thank you Lord for Leah, for the joy she has already brought to our little family. I have seen you work in the "every days" of motherhood and as I start to think about what lies ahead, being a mom of two (wow, that's weird to say). I know that you will be there to help me. Lord, help me to come to you to be filled up, so that I can be the best mom that I can be in my humanness.
Lord, I pray for Leah right now that same prayer I prayed for Aubrey. That she would come to know you and love you.... and that she would have a heart for this hurting world. Let both my girls have a sensitive spirit which sees past themselves and speaks into the lives of others. Let them see you in everything. Be glorified, Lord, in each of our lives as we figure out how to be a family of four.
Lord, thank you for your continued blessing. Please keep us protected and safe. Help Aubrey to know how much she is loved and transition well. Help me to honor Matt, he is so amazing and I don't want to loose perspective because of hormones or frustrations. Help me to take it easy and relax and enjoy our time together as a family these next few days.
Thank you Lord, for your son Jesus. Remind us again this holiday what you have given us. Salvation..... and your Amazing Grace.
In your Precious Name, Amen.

December 7th, 2007

ok, it's my turn.

some of you may remember and if not you can check the "dust" but 2 years ago i played a mean trick on matt. i had gone to the hospital to see if they could flip aubrey because she was breech. after and unsuccessful attempt turning our little girl i decided to call matt and play a little joke. i called and said, "hey hun. what are you doing? um, they decided to take me today. you need to come to the hospital." to which he replied, "what?!? we have 2 more weeks!"

just kidding.....

PROBLEM: when you lie, it comes back to bite you in the butt. fast forward two years and i need to make that phone call again, but this time it's the truth.

i walked out of an ultrasound with orders to go directly to labor and delivery. leah was progressively getting smaller with each ultrasound that they did, although they have yet to know why. i picked up my cell to call matt and looked at chris and said, "he's not going to believe me.... i've said this before."

(for matt's version see previous blog)

chris took me right over to labor and delivery.... new problem. I DIDN'T BRING ANYTHING WITH ME. i really didn't think that "today is the day" and my bag and THE CAMERA were sitting at home on the bedroom floor.

all i could think was, "oh great. leah is getting gypped already. there won't be any photos of her birth, she'll think we love aubrey more. she'll be scared for life. i will have to pay for counseling." (ok maybe not all that, but at least first part.)

thankfully, they made us wait quite a while and we had the camera just in time to capture our little girl's birth. i hadn't anticipated another c-section.... but went into mommy-mode as soon as our doctor explained to us what would be best for leah. we had our little girl in our arms minutes after i went in. when i heard those first sweet little cries i gasped. i had been waiting for that moment for so long. there is something about our whole experience in the dominican republic, the early contraction and bed rest that made hearing her cries so important. she was here, she was safe, she was healthy and she was ours.

she's here!

friday at 11:45ish i get a call from melissa: "i'm not joking with you this time... i'm at the hospital and they're sending me over to labor and delivery to have a c section."
naturally i responded "your joking right, your not being serious." and so the story begins.

melissa had gone to the hospital to have yet another ultrasound and the verdict was that leah was the amazing shrinking baby. each time measuring a little bit smaller than before. so the doctor said "better out than in..."

so i got off the phone and looked over at greg lusby (as we stood in the tiny electrical closet of the office building we were working in) and said "did you hear all that?"
greg said "yeah."
i said "ummm.... i guess i have to go?"

off the the hospital i went. apparently to sit and wait for a bit, which i did not think was usually part of a un-planned, last minute, not necessarily emergency c section. in any event i arrived at the hospital around 12:15pm. first the plan was 1:30pm she was going in... then 2:30pm. then finally the anesthesiologist arrived (he's the one we were apparently waiting for)... and he said "umm... it's going to be a little longer i have to go back downstairs for an emergency."

we said "no big deal... no rush"

finally around 4:15pm melissa was wheeled into the OR to get her spinal (which is some mysterious thing that apparently husbands are not allowed to watch)
by 4:25pm they were calling me in.
by 4:33pm Leah Angely O'Malley was born.

6 lbs. 1 oz. 18" long

beautiful!

death to frosty

you figure it out.