July | 2012 | Smith Family Weblog

Archive for July, 2012

8 Jul

An exponential increase

Posted by Rebecca in Family, Owen, Parenting, Rebecca. 5 comments

I’ve reached that weepy period where Bryan approaches me sweetly but carefully, conducting due diligence on the postpartum depression front. I return his kindness with a rather caustic, “I just had a baby—I’m allowed to cry.” Sometimes, it’s tears of frustration, wherein the admittedly minor aches and pains and lack of sleep catch up with me during a weak moment. Other times, I can’t help but be overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the love I feel for this new little being.

When I was pregnant with Olivia, I recall being very concerned that I wouldn’t have the capacity to love her as much as I loved Ava. The idea of it seemed unfathomable. It was remarkable to find that the addition of a new baby somehow resulted in an exponential increase in that extraordinary emotion. Not only could I love Olivia as much as Ava, but my love for Ava grew in those moments she took on her role as big sister. I loved Bryan more as I watched him snuggle up with both of his daughters.

And, in all three additions now, I’ve found that my love and gratitude for my own mother has grown beyond what I ever thought possible. The capacity just continues to increase, and my heart swells over and over again.

Owen is so fortunate to be part of an extended family that includes some of the most generous and caring people I’ve ever met. We are so grateful for our parents, grandparents, siblings and friends. And, of course, we’re grateful for Owen himself, who helped us prove once again there’s no capacity limit on love.

7 Jul

Owen – Days One & Two

Posted by Rebecca in Owen. 3 comments

Apologies for the blog neglect—turns out watching a newborn sleep is extraordinarily time consuming. I know several days have passed since Owen’s birth day, but I thought I’d go back and record a bit about his entrance into the world.

After four weeks of false labor, it’s easy to second guess what constitues the real thing. I had yet another convincing set of symptoms Monday afternoon and evening, but despite a fair amount of walking, contractions had slowed considerably over the course of the evening. I went to bed shortly after midnight, assuming I’d wake up to find labor had stalled yet again. Instead, I woke two hours later, noting contractions had increased in frequency.

I made my way downstairs around 3:30 am, turned on the tea kettle and spent some quality time with Pinterest. Around 5 am, I emailed my mom to explain that while I was a bit reluctant to say I was officially in labor, I did indeed feel as though I was making progress. Within 30 minutes, I suggested to Bryan that we drop the girls off at school when the doors opened at 7 am. An hour later, I knew I needed to go to the hospital right away.

We agreed that Bryan would drop me off first, then take the girls back to the west side. I was admitted shortly after 7 am, really only able to share my name and my very strong desire to have an epidural as soon as possible. Bryan returned by 7:20, and the nurses informed me that I was much too far along to have any sort of pain medication. They also said that while I was ready to push, I needed to wait for our doctor who was about 10 minutes away. I did my best to convince the nurse at the end of the bed that she could indeed deliver this baby, as I surreptitiously pushed despite orders otherwise.

Our doctor did arrive, though, and within a push and half, our sweet son entered the world about 40 minutes after we arrived at the hospital. He was quiet and unbelievably purple as he laid on my chest. A quick exam showed him to be perfectly fine, if not quite bruised due to his extremely efficient descent. He was alert and calm and absolutely beautiful.

Owen weighed 9 pounds, 8 ounces, which given his gestational age of 39 weeks and six days, required blood sugar testing every three hours. This thwarted my desire to go home yet that afternoon, but we enjoyed a quiet day and night in the family birthing suite. My mom and Dave arrived around 2:30 pm, with two big sisters anxious to meet their little brother.

All of Owen’s tests turned out to perfectly normal, and he even managed to avoid the significant issues with jaundice the girls experienced. Before our release the following morning, we dressed Owen in an outfit Bryan picked out for him—the two were nearly identical in their plaid shirts and khaki pants.

We’ve spent the last few days snuggled up and enjoying time with our family and friends. More to come!

4 Jul

Welcome, Baby!

Posted by Rebecca in Owen. 7 comments

Owen Douglas Smith was born July 3, 2012 at 7:43 am. He weighed 9 pounds, 8 ounces and was 21 inches long. We arrived home at noon today, and everyone is doing well. I look forward to sharing more about his birth and at least a few of the 12,000 photos we’ve taken so far, but in the meantime, here’s my favorite shot from the hospital photographer. He’s incredibly sweet and we’re pretty darn smitten.