Wow!! What a ride this year has been. As you all know, the biggest would be the addition of our son, Quince, to the family. Born in May, he has added a lot of excitement to our lives. Thank you to everyone this past year. Before I take this look back, I want to individually thank a few people, in no special order. I’ll keep them brief, but really these words don’t convey how lucky and grateful I feel.
Laura: You’re friendship has been irreplaceable. While I was pregnant, you were one of the few people I could tell about the crappy parts of being pregnant and not get a funny look from you for my not enjoying every moment of it. Now with Quince, visiting you at Itty Bitty not only provides me with the best tasting lattes around, but much needed conversation that doesn’t always revolve around my baby and being a mom. I think I am a happier mom partly because of you.
To Tanya and Janet: There is no doubt in my mind that you two have helped keep me from going into a postpartum depression. That brief time in the morning when you steal Quince away and allowing me to do whatever have, at times, helped in ways I didn’t realize until later that day or sometimes a few days later. Between the real conversation and Quince stealing, there isn’t enough Thank you to cover.
Kami: Without you I wouldn’t have the amazing nursery bed set and a very large hotel bill. When you first gave me a spare key to your apartment, I figured it was like when you give someone else a key to hold in case you lose your set. While we were in NICU with Quince, it was nice to come back to a place that more like home. Thank you for making me leave Swedish those few times Richard returned home. I’m sure I needed it. The always open invitation to stay has made all these extra appointments in Seattle that much better.
Lauren: You’re continued support via email and the occasional dinner are something I have always enjoyed, but this year have been especially grateful for. It’s often easier for me to type things than say them and you have helped me work out a number of things in this manner.
Bob and Tricia: When we visited you a few times while you were stayed at UW Medical, I never imagined we would be in NICU, it’s a place for micro-preemies and preemies right? Little did I know that visiting you would better prepare me for this year. Having you stop by for an hour or more during the week or just drop a text saying hi means so much.
Maria: Meeting you(and the family) is one of this year’s highlights and I’m so happy to have done. While it would have been nice to have met at a baby group or park, running into you nearly each day in the family or pump room always caused me to leave with a smile. I think about you guys often and look forward to having Quince play with Gabriel and Sofia as they all get older.
Al & Cas: As one of the first people I phoned to say we will be airlifted to Seattle, Cas, your calm voice on the other end of the phone(at 6am) is something I will not soon forget. Upon our arrival to Swedish, I felt a slight bit of relief to see guys were there waiting for us with open arms and food. Not that this is a new comment, but I dislike the distance which prevents us from getting together more often. I look forward to starting the new year in your company.
Katie(for chatting online) and Tj(for all the text messages): All those days on bed rest would have been lonely and maddening if not for you two talking with me. Thanks to skype for allowing Katie and I to use the video, making it seem like we are once again younger and in the same room together. Thanks WoW, for being around so that Tj can pester me about how my dps sucks and I need to get better. Where would we be without it to bring us nerds together? Also, Tj it was a lot of fun having you and your brothers visit. We hope you come again and this time bring your wife and kids.
I’m sure that I have many more people to thank, but the mentioned above seemed to stick out in my mind. Now for the look back at last year.
What can I say to roll it up into one word? I don’t think I can actually. This time last year I was feeling rather uncomfortable and not happy that my wardrobe went from a huge closet lasting a couple weeks to a few single items lasting barely a week. Honestly, the move to pack up all of my normal clothes was a very sad one for me. Our guest bedroom was being turned into a construction zone as Richard and Mike took it from wood paneling with a badly made closet to drywall. Paint was put on the walls. That’s when Kami and Alicia took to the scene, turning the simply painted empty space to an amazing color-coordinated themed nursery. Doctor appointments didn’t hold anything surprising as every time I was told that “it was going perfectly”. My only hiccup was failing the 1 hour glucose test and having to do the 3 hour version.
I took a prenatal yoga class which I felt was good for my physical and mental health. It allowed me to see how other pregnant woman were progressing and handling life. A few of the other ladies in the class were due around the same time as I was. I’m happy to say that we have become friends and I enjoy seeing their kids next to Quince. One of the ladies I met there also took the same set of childbirth classes Richard and I signed up for. We enjoyed getting to know them and their soon to arrive daughter more through these classes.
All things pregnancy related went well up until the last month. My blood pressure spiked and my midwives became slightly concerned I had developed preeclampsia. However I showed no other sign of it. I was ordered to be on a full non-hospitalized bed rest, up to eat and use the bathroom but the rest of the time I was to lay down. Along with this came twice weekly visits to the our hospital for non-stress testing.
The weekend before Quince was due, Richard, Kami and I walked our way around downtown Seattle and the WA State Convention Center at Sakuracon. My only regret is not checking the honored guest list and learning the the voice actress of Usagi from Sailormoon was in attendance. She could have signed both my box sets! Dang it! >_< It was cool and weird she was so thrilled I was pregnant and had to pat my stomach. Kind of like when I met the voice actor for Speed Racer, that moment will stick with me forever. The only other thing that annoyed me about Sakuracon this last year was I couldn’t catch up to anyone to get pictures.
The next week appeared to be anything but routine. More non-stress testing but something was different. I seemed to be going through pre-labor, I had read about it in my books and online. Knowing that pre-labor often fools many first time parents, Richard and I didn’t think it to be anything that required immediate action. This was echoed by my first non-stress test of the week, it showed contractions but nothing to get excited about. My mid-wife also noticed them at that week’s appointment. That same night we phoned down to the clinic thinking labor was a for sure go and after a trip to the clinic, getting checked, it wasn’t. My 2nd non-stress test for the week yielded a bit more excitement. I received the bedside ultrasound; their findings were simply that my fluid was low, but not to a dangerous level yet. And I had rhythmic contractions. So much so, the nurses predicted I wouldn’t make it for my now scheduled non-stress test for Monday. Those nurses are so right! That night(Thursday) we checked into the hospital at 2:30am. After a long, exhausting labor Quince arrived Friday night at 7:45pm, weighing in at 6 pounds 14 ounces. Since he got stuck in the birth canal, the cone head he had was epic and he stood tall at 20 inches. This would be very amusing to us as after 3 full weeks at Swedish in Seattle, Quince checked out just above 8 pounds and the same 20 inches. Undoubtedly, if you are here reading this you have read about those 3 weeks at Swedish so I will spare us all a recap here. 🙂 In a few words, those 3 weeks were painful, joyful and a testament to what Richard and I can handle as a couple. In all honestly, I started writing about our labor but have still yet to finish. One day I will, and it is my hope that when Quince reads it either when he has a child of his own or after we pass, he’ll understand how much he means to us even after all the hardship. When we first discovered we were pregnant, we kept it very hushed, worried that it was a repeat of our first pregnancy which ended in miscarriage. Yes, every pregnancy is different, even for the same person however so many things about this one mirrored our miscarried one that it was hard to not compare the two together. A very special and huge Thank You to Sally across the street, as the cats and turtles would not have made it that month without her.
June was our first month home with Quince. The cats, although thrilled we were finally home, weren’t sure what to make of this new bundle that just seemed to sleep all the time. I was still getting up to alarms every 3 hours at night as Quince still wasn’t waking up on his own consistently. Although the schedule was not new, somehow being home caused it to be so much harder than it had been in the hospital. I guess it’s because my own bed was so cozy in comparison. That first month home Quince transformed from this little blob that barely wakes to a really alert, chilled out baby. The first few times we heard him cry was like music to our ears. My dad came over and spent our first weekend home with us and other family members visited throughout the first week. We met his school teachers that month. All of which have been amazing sources of information and aid to us. To fill out our week a more, Quince and I started attending the New Baby group offered at the hospital. A few of the ladies I took yoga with also are in attendance sometimes, it’s exciting to see the personalities of our babies come out.
One of the highlights of the year was our first big trip back in August: Whistler and Sechelt, B.C. During our stay in Sechelt, Quince had his first real giggle. Whistler is beautiful in the summertime and I highly suggest visiting during then if you aren’t big into winter sport activities.
We had a good first Christmas together, but I can’t say the same about our Thanksgiving. Quince had a rather nasty cold over Thanksgiving and we didn’t realize how bad it was until we arrived. Both Richard and I felt bad.
I could go through each month individually, but generally speaking they are filled with like this: School, baby group, going to morning coffee and doctors appointments(both Port Angeles for normal well-baby and followups at Swedish). Adjusting to the addition in the family, at times, hasn’t been easy. Day to day mom life is easy enough but add in Richard and sometimes I get feisty. Despite everything that has happened this year, there isn’t any other person in the world I would rather have gone through this with. Having just started a new year, I can happily say that I do still love my husband and I’m looking forward to what this year will bring us.