She has arrived!

Our little family has grown again! Aurora Jamison Martin entered into this world on 3/27 at 10:11 am via c-section, weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds 9 ounces and 20" long. For being such a good size, she is actually not very roly poly fat, she is pretty long and lean with a small, nice & round head and dark brown hair.  Her hair isn't as long as Bella's was but it is still long for a newborn, and there is no red, & her eyes are bluer than Bella's were, so it should be very interesting to see what happens over time. She is an amazing eater, a great latcher and has a ferocious appetite. She is down to 7lbs 14 oz as of yesterday, but my milk has come in, so I expect her to start gaining.

Personality wise, she is a bit feistier and a bit sassier than Bella, and more demanding in terms of wanting food immediately, but seems to be a low key kiddo. She is very cuddly and I have a hard time putting her down, for any reason. I just love how mushy and foldable she is, and how sweet her hair smells and how soft her skin is.  I love the newborn stage!!

Bella is doing a great job so far adjusting to her little sister. We switched over to formula for a feeding so Bella could help out and she really liked it. She always comes up to her and kisses her head and says, "you are so tiny and so cute" and loves to call her her "little sister". I asked her if we could come home tomorrow and bring baby Rora, and she got very excited. I hope this enthusiasm lasts!

I am doing pretty good. The surgery itself was not nearly as big of a deal as I made it in my head. Not a lot of pressure or discomfort, and she was out pretty quickly.  My abdomen looks like Frakenstein's monster with all the staples, but it "looks perfect" to all the nurses. I saw a little more than I would have liked, the lights above me were highly reflective, and when my doctor pulled the sheet back to tell me something, I saw what I think was my skin folded back and an organ or two...I was a little freaked out, but it wasn't that bad. The pain was not bad at all on Tuesday, horrendous on Wednesday and back to being tolerable today.  I can't wait to be pain free...

Overall, this has been another amazing experience and Aurora is a dream. I hope her sweetness and good nature lasts and we have another amazing little girl on our hands! I am expecting her to be bigger and stronger than Bella, and she can be more demanding than Bella ever was, so this could be a wild ride!  More pics to come once I am home and feeling better. Thank you all for your love and support, and I can't wait to introduce you to our newest adventure!

Bella's last day as an only child!

Tomorrow is the day!! To celebrate Bella's last few days as the only "princess" in my life, we did one final photo shoot at the Botanical Garden in our area. She got a new dolly and Belle princess dress as a special gift and we went to get milk shakes afterwards. Here a few of the best images :)

So what are you doing March 27?

I will be having a baby! Miss Aurora Jamison is set to arrive via c-section on March 27, unless she decides to come earlier on her own.  Unfortunately, after weeks of waiting to see if she would turn head down, she has been unable to do so and the doctor called off the waiting game and went ahead and scheduled me for the procedure.

I was very, very upset and hurt over the loss of the natural birth I wanted so badly, especially after such an amazing experience with Bella, but ultimately, I am focusing on the fact that it is best for both baby and me to go ahead with the C-section. There are ways to manually get a baby to move head down, but due to her placenta not being fully attached to the uterine wall, the chance of detachment & possible fetal death is too great, so the only real option is the surgery.  I even contacted some midwives outside of my OB practice who specialize in natural births, and they all agree that in my situation, a c-section is best, so I feel confident that this is the right decision.

I was driving home from my OB appointment yesterday, tearing up since I was so upset over the c-section, and as I pulled in to the drive way, the Rolling Stones came on the radio and the choir started singing "you can't always get what you want...but if you try sometimes, you get what you need" and in that moment, I realized that my priorities were very skewed; that what I wanted was not as important as what I needed, and what I need is a healthy baby, that is all that really matters. So here I am, one day later, totally accepting of the fact that this is for the best and ever grateful for the words of wisdom from the Stones. 

That leaves 20 days for me to actually start getting ready for baby...I finally got her clothes organized and bought some diapers and wipes, but overall, my energy level has been pretty low and I have done next to nothing...woops! My last day of work will be the 23rd, and then I will have a few days left to cherish the time alone with Bella, and then we all will have to brace ourselves for impact as "Rora" (what Bella calls her) comes into our lives!

We are very excited and can't wait to update you all as to how she is doing when she gets here!