Munchkin

So. Amongst all the mess of moving and sorting and AHHH.. I've almost forgotten that our baby girl Munchkin is going to be 5!!! I can't believe it! She is so smart and so funny and has such a great sense of humor. She is very helpful and mostly doesn't complain about doing what she is told. ;) I remember the day we found out we were pregnant. Hunny was out mowing the lawn while I was trying to figure out how to read the test! (I took 3 just to be safe) I came running outside and waved him to come in. "Look!" He of course knew before I even did. Apparently I don't pay that much attention to my body and my moods and whatnot and he does. He's always been good about that sort of thing. :) So through the next 8 months, I tried to prepare for what I thought I was going to be a natural at. April 29th. That was my due date. Of course you hear the stories that babies come early, so when 7 months came and I started having contractions, I immediatly thought, "This is it!" And of course, no luck with being early. So, April 29th, I had a doctor appointment. "Well, let's check and see where you're at!" said the doctor. "YOUCH!!! What are you doing!?!" I cried. No one prepared me for that! "Well, you're going to have a baby today!" So we went back home, ate lunch, rested a bit, and headed back into the hospital. We were ready! We were ready to have this little girl natural! Oh dear. So I tried the breathing. I tried to take a shower. I threw up. I just missed Hunny. Woops! Sorry dear! "Clean up on aisle 3!" Ok, that was it.. give me a shot of narcotics. Yes, apparently narcotics are legal in a hospital. Anyway. I guess my eyes rolled back into my head and I finally got some rest. No one told me it'd be this hard! So, after that wore off, I just couldn't take the pain, so I caved in and got a walking epidural. My sweet hunny whispered before we made the decision, "Are you sure. I know you wanted to go natural and I wouldn't want you to be disappointed in yourself for not." He is so sweet. :) BUT GIVE ME THE EPIDURAL! :) (I love you babe) So, at 7pm the doc came in a checked me. 7cm. Yay! Ok, now you can have the epidural. So the nurse comes in at 7:30pm. I have horrible veins.. so she can't find it. "Can you hold still?" And not in a nice tone at all. I mean really? I am laying on my side with my arm behind me trying to control breath through these contractions and you're asking me to be still!! Finally she got it in. Then came in the wonderful man with the epidural. With a walking epidural, I could still feel the pressure, just not the pain. So, the doc came in at 8pm and said, you are 8cm. You should be having this baby very soon. Let me know when you feel you need to push." 8:45.. Uh Hunny, I think you need to get the doctor! My doctor was so amazing! She was a mid-wife doctor and was so gentle and so kind and walked me through the whole process. She was amazing! She came in at 9pm and 3 pushes later, 9:21pm, I was holding our sweet baby girl! She was so precious and so beautiful! I was able to spend the first hour holding her a nursing her. Cuddling her and talking to her. Hunny stayed with her every step of the way to get cleaned, checked, and tested. I couldn't believe that this little person came out of me! I don't think it really hit me and that I really fully bonded with her until she was a week old. And, to this day, I feel really guilty about that. Not as though I could help it. That first week, was like taking care of a real doll, except, I couldn't just leave her in my pile of toys for a few days and play with her later. :) I still remember her sweet smell. I still remember her throwing up on me all the time and taking showers 3 times a day sometimes. I still remember those late night feedings and those 3 hours cries from gas. Oh what I wouldn't do to have one more moment with her 5 years ago. Not as though I am not enjoying her now of course. But thinking back and what I'd do different and taking more time to snuggle and cuddle and play. Makes me sad to think of how big she has already gotten. My sweet sweet baby girl. I love snuggling with her and talking with her and singing with her and laughing with her. She truely has been a huge huge blessing! It's funny to look back and remember that I thought I knew all there was to being a parent. I mean, I had nieces and nephews and worked in the nursery at church and and.. :) No one prepared me for the joys and heartbreaks of being a mommy. The joys of watching them learn and grow and the heartbreaks of watching them grow. :( I am so thankful that God has blessed me with my kids. I remember thinking 6 years ago that I'd never be a mom. I have endometreosis and was never really explained how severe it was. The longing and desire of being a mom and it might not happen! What a blessing and a joy it's been these last 5 years to watch our children grow from inside my belly to baby to toddler to preschooler. Sniff.. sniff. We always joke that we'll put bricks on their heads to keep them from growing up! Or that they can't grow! They have to stop! Then they say, "But I want to get big like you! Jesus will help me to grow and you can't stop Him!" Oh I love our kids!