Mamma Monday: Vivian Louise!!!

Introducing my daughter Vivian Louise!!!

Gals, life is full of surprises and this little miracle came into this world like a whirlwind.

She arrived Thursday 12/28/17 at 11:13am weighing 5lbs 2 oz and 17 inches long.

Here are the highlights of her arrival. That Thursday morning like I do every Thursday morning I check my pregnancy app to see what size she is and what growth milestones she'll be meeting that week.  On this day I was 36 weeks.  I never got to text my 2 best gal pals what fruit/veggie she was ... because my water broke at 8:30 am.  I had a doctors appointment that day and needed to hurry and get ready.  Mr was sleeping since he had worked a late shift the night before and boy was it a wake up call when I said 'My water just broke!'

We didn't have any bags packed and the car seat was still in its box.  We had planned to address these over the weekend. We were rushing around trying to get ourselves together.  I didn't have any pains until about 9:15.  In my mind I thought I would have all day long to 'labor'.  I was also panicked because my entire pregnancy she has been laying sideways.  During all the commotion Mr was texting my Doc keeping him informed.

By 10:00 my contractions were INTENSE and 2 mins apart!!! We were quickly on our way to the hospital.  It was the most brutal car ride of my life!  When I checked into the hospital at 10:20 my contractions were 30 seconds apart.  I was incredibly stern with the receptionist as I knew I needed through those double doors and in a triage room immediately.  I couldn't undress due to the rapid and intense pain so the nurse helped and sure enough baby girls feet and legs were already out!  Next thing I know there are 8 nurses in the room and they start rushing me into an OR.  At this point I had shed a lot of tears.  Fear, pain, shock, amazement; basically I had all the feels. 

Mr knew the doc on call and she was very reassuring.  I held on tight to a nurse while she finished undressing me while the anesthesiologist was prepping my back for the epidural.  

And then at 11:13 our baby girl cried and I was a Mamma!  

Mr stayed by her side while they cleaned and checked her out.  He cut her cord and kept telling me how beautiful she was.  The nurse was so sweet continuing to hold my hand and wipe my tears.

Because she was a month early and so teeny tiny she had to go to the NICU.  Thank goodness it was for only 36 hours she had her iv because it shattered my heart.  I would sit and hold her as much as I could.

Her newborn clothes swallowed her up and so did our love for our petite girl.

As we held our greatest blessing we remembered the days that we prayed for the things we have now.  We had never been so grateful to God for gifting us this miracle.

The joy and love she brings is beyond measure and words.

Dress Beautifully in Baby Love 

XOXO Sarah Louise

And then there was 3 ...

Where have you been??

Well gals, I've been growing a baby!
Mr and I have been praying for a healthy baby for quite some time and we are beyond grateful to God for this great blessing!!

Despite our hopes it's still the greatest surprise when those dreams become reality.
I had just earned a new career position that I had been working very hard towards and knew its responsibilities and travel were going to have my plate full. But God knows better than we do and just 2 weeks after my first day I saw double lines on the test!

After the surprise, shock and joy came the struggle.  The struggle of 24/7 sickness.  I expected fatigue but the extreme nausea and throwing up around the clock (it will wake me up in a dead sleep) was something no one prepared me for.  My doc prescribed me medicine to help.  And while it has helped me endure I still find myself sick as a dog almost everyday.  Taking it isn't an option - it's a matter of survival. I find that no place nor time is off limits - I carry bags with me at all times.
And I'm so glad I have my own office so that I can shut the door when needed.

With all that said, beyond doing my best in the office everything else has been neglected.  I'm most grateful to Mr as he has picked up my slack, my gal pals for encouraging me and for my sweet sister who when over at our house cleans my room because I'm too sick and tired.

My focus has been taking care of myself and health.  I sleep, eat what I can (boiled noodles, potatoes and crackers mostly) and exercise as much as my body will let me.

So after taking the Summer off (unexpectedly) I'm coming back!

I miss writing to you gals! I miss sharing my outfits!

I'm going to be 20 weeks this Thursday, half way! and I'm having to accept that this sickness doesn't seem to be easing up any so I'm going to try and get back to the things I love.

When it comes to fashion these days I haven't been hitting the racks as I see no need to purchase when I know my body is inevitably going to expand. But no worries I'm staying up to speed on trends. And while a huge part of me wants to have a visible bump to show off I'm still not there yet.  I tell myself to embrace it as the time will come when I will be forced into maternity pieces.

Thank you for sticking around and having patience.  I have a ton of posts lined up!

I'm already learning that motherhood requires strength and that grace is more important than perfection!

Dress Beautifully When Growing a Baby!

XOXO Sarah Louise