April 12, 2010

You were born on April 12, 2010, the team of Doctors decided their was not enough fluid surrounding you and it would be best to induce labor, so they started at 5:30 a.m. and you were delivered at 6:12 p.m. When you came into the world their was a NICU team there waiting your arrival, the Doctor quickly carried you over to the team and they just looked at you, and all your Daddy and I could hear were your wonderful lungs, crying into the world saying I have arrived, I am here and I am a force to be reckoned with. The team of NICU Doctors and Nurses just commented on how cute you were and quickly gave you back to us, laying you on my chest, and then you looked at me and my heart has never felt the same, you knew who I was as soon as they laid you on me. I imagined for so long who you would look like your Daddy or Me or a combination, and when I saw you, you exceeded all my expectations of beauty. I don't think I stopped crying all night, I was just so happy, and my heart was just filled with happiness. Your Daddy walked taller and prouder and the way that he said "His Daughter" couldn't have made me happier. Our payers were answered, you were still early by 4 weeks, but you were perfect and the 5 months of not moving and bed rest were all worth it, you didn't have to go to the NICU you came upstairs with us, and you left the hospital with us two days later. You changed our lives for the better the day you were born, and we are sure God exist because you exist.

Leading up to your Birth

The back story of the day you were born. Before I begin, I prayed to God that you were born anytime after April 9th, those were the best chances. Well on April 9th your Daddy and I went to the hospital to get a scan and to take out the cerclage. I was so excited to have the cerclage taken out, as soon as it was taken out we got to look at it, and it really looked like a piece of floss, we thought to ourselves that this piece of floss has kept you in all that time, that with a lot of prayers and were so thankful. We were then sent over to the ultrasound tech and there they found that there was low fluid surrounding you, from there we were admitted to the hospital and what an adventure that turned out to be. We stayed on the floor that I had spent two months earlier praying for you to stay, and this time we knew that you were going to be coming sooner than later, and were happy and not scared. The team of Doctors admitted us in the hospital to see if they could get the fluid back up, and if they couldn't they would induce me once I hit 36 weeks.
The adventure that came that night, there was a spill in the labor and delivery floor just one floor below us, and the smell warranted us being evacuated to another wing of the hospital. In retrospect it was just so comical. Your Daddy had just left to go get us some food and then the nurses come rushing in saying get your phone call your Husband your being evacuated, and they put me in a chair and rushed me to another wing. Of course your Daddy comes back and there are firemen and trucks everywhere and the wing where we were was completely shut down, think about how scared he must have been. There is never a dull story or a dull moment in bringing you into this world, but it doesn't matter because you were and are worth it all, and I wouldn't change anything because I have you.

Happy Birthday!

Today is the day that you will be born my miracle. We have hoped and prayed for you so long, your Daddy and I are sitting in labor and delivery right now just looking at each other in amazement that we made it this far ad that we are going to be having you in the next couple of hours. We are just so excited and have so much hope and love for you. You are our dream come true. The Doctor that is suppose to deliver you is Elizabeth Roberts and she is also excited for your arrival and she has worked very hard to make sure your arrival day would come. You are still early being born at 36 weeks 1 day, but we are praying that you are healthy. We have had quite an ordeal trying to get you hear and one day when you are old enough we will be able to laugh and joke about the events that led up to your birth day. All the nurses that took care of us while we were in the hospital for 2 months are so excited to see you and I can't wait to show you off. My hope for you right now is that you come out kicking and screaming and healthy and happy. I am going to let your Daddy add to this page, he is a little shy so just bear with him, you are his little girl and he doesn't want to make any mistakes!

Hi Kayla it's your Daddy! Today I am very nervous for you arrival, it has been quite a ride to get you this far. Your mommy and I have spent quite a few months in and out of the hospital to get to this day. And we have met lots of great people along the way that you will soon get to meet. I can't wait to meet you today and hold you in my arms. Just remember mommy and daddy don't always look like this, it's been a long weekend! And don't make fun of daddy for crying because I'm sure I will. Just make sure you come out screaming and kicking for us, and one last thing, I'm hoping you grow into your feet because there huge! Love you!

Be Thoughtful....

I had a friend of your Daddy's and mine come by yesterday and she came with her husband. Jamie and Noah Jones, they bought a gift for you and can I tell you how special it was. First let me tell you that we love these two very much but haven't been able to see them because life happens, but Jamie came to visit me a couple times in the hospital and had given me so much hope. Her husband Noah was born early at 28 weeks, and one day you will meet Mr. Noah and you will understand how wonderful he is, and knowing that he made it gave me so much hope when the Dr.'s would tell me of all the things that could be wrong with my child if born too early. Well anyways, Jamie made you this wonderful bag, I will show you pictures of it one day and you may not appreciate it until you get older but the inside pattern was made of limes and lemons, and the meaning was that your Daddy and I have made lemonade with the lemons we had been given, so incredibly thoughtful. She also made you a blanket with your name on it, and onesies with your initials and funny sayings for your Daddy and me, one day I will explain more, but for right now you are too young for those lessons just yet. The reason I feel that it is important to write about this is because, she will never know how much that meant to me, I will never throw away the kindness she shared with us, I will never question her intentions, I am just thankful for her being so thoughtful, she took the time out and made a difference. Please try and make a difference in someone's life, you may take it lightly but it does effect the way the other person is for a lifetime.

April Really...

I cannot believe that we made it to April, back in January we never thought we would get here, the Dr.'s and the staff look at us in amazement every time we walk through those doors, at first I was wheeling in after the hospital bedrest, my strength is coming back one day at a time. I made a cake for your Uncle Todd yesterday and thought to myself one day my Kayla and I will be making cakes for Daddy, and Uncle Todd, and all the people we love. I am not the best cook in the world but am willing to try anything and hope that you will be open to try and explore new things every day. I can tell you one thing I have learned on this earth is that you have to keep trying new things so that you can expand your mind, there are many times that I have met people and they turn their noses up at things they have never tried, and those closed minded people don't get far. When I entered my first race, inspired by my college housemate Mandy Hoeser Shifflett the guy at the training presentation asked a question that has somewhat in many ways changed my life, he asked "When was the last time you did something for the first time". I ask this to myself all the time, it challenges me to try new things, explore new challenges and impress myself by the things I really can do when I make an effort. So my darling baby always try new things, you will be impressed at how much you really can do.

34 weeks

I am so overjoyed that today I am 34 weeks, your Daddy and I are going to celebrate by going out to dinner. I have not been out to dinner since November trying to keep you cooking so that you can be healthy! On Tuesday they will be taking out my cerclage and then we will just wait and see when you will make your arrival. I was reading on my weekly updates and 34 weeks is another magical mark along this journey of what we have branded you as Kayla Grace. There are so many people praying for your safe arrival, there are so many people that already love you even though you have not met them yet. I am allowed to do modified bed rest now, but I still want to protect you and make sure you will be okay, I would walk a mile under fire to make sure you are okay; somehow I don't think that my incestuous worrying will stop when you are finally out. As I lay here right now, I am so thankful I was able to help your Daddy put together your room yesterday even if I was sitting down the entire time, but most of all I wonder what you are going to look like. Will you have my cheeks, my eyes, my lips? Will you have your Daddy's curly hair, his beautiful smile? What will your personality be like? Both your Dad and I are fun people in general but our motto in life has always been we work hard so we can play even harder. Whatever you look like you will be ours and you will be perfect, after all you are a Peay!

My Revelation

As a mother to be I find it funny how I will walk through fire, fight with doctors, and do my damnest to defy all odds when given a grim fate, but when it comes to my future I let someone tell me no and think twice.....The Mama within is going to be coming out in all aspects of my life and she is a force to be reckoned... with.....Kayla Grace has already become my hero and my inspiration.....

I am so filled with such emotion when I think of how much you have changed my life and I haven't met you, but I know you, I love you. I was talking to your Daddy the other day and he grew a little sad and I asked him why, he said honey I have seen you fight with doctors, calling them crying, and you not moving for months at a time to protect our child, I am afraid what would have happened if you didn't do all that. I looked back at him and said we are fighters, and we are Peay's, and we will know how to survive even when they try to pull us down.