We Should Just Raise Alpacas

We've all been there. That nagging desire to pull the covers up over your head and stay that way until Saturday. The moaning and groaning you do in your head (or out loud) as you get ready and put on those uncomfortable clothes. The cement blocks that develop over your shoes as you drag yourself to your car. Yup... going to a job you hate every day totally sucks donkey balls.

Unfortunately, right now, Puff is in that situation.

And it kills me.

In the spring of 2011, Puff and I were presented with an impossible scenario: Transfer to Detroit with his current job or hope and pray something else came up at his company. We took our chances. There was no way I was about to move to Detroit. (Seriously, why would anyone want to move to Michigan?!?!) We were thrilled when they restructured and created a new department and Puff was offered a job and we were guaranteed to be able to stay in South Carolina.

Then July 2011 hit. And the shit hit the fan with it. The job was not what it was advertised to be. The structure of the company is all wonky and their policies piss me off so bad, it's hard to hear Puff talk about it sometimes. He goes to work frustrated every morning and comes home pissed off every night. He can't focus on anything else. Even during "The Lion King" he whispered to me that he was thinking about work.

It breaks my heart.

But right now, he is the sole bread-winner in this family. Bimmer and I depend upon him and his paycheck. I pray every single day that he is able to keep his cool and keep his job. I pray that we will be able to find him something new, and quickly. We aren't sure if we want that job to be here in SC or back home in The Fort, but we just want some stability to return to our lives. His distaste for his job is putting a strain on our marriage and keeping him from spending enough quality time with Bimmer.

I don't even dare think about my own unemployment status. That scares me more than anything. Thankfully, Bimmer has been keeping my days busy and purpose-filled.

We are in a new season of our lives. We are on the cusp of having to make some big, major, life choices that could lead to some insane changes from our norm. Who's along for the ride?

One Whole Month

An "I'm a mom of a one month old" brain dump...

 

* I cannot even believe one month has passed already. It has been the most difficult, yet most rewarding, month of my entire life.

 

* They aren't kidding when they say nothing compares to a mother's love. I love every single thing about Bimmer. From the way her hair curls out around her ears to her little fat rolls around her ankles. From her "sucky face" she makes when she's hungry (which precedes the bloody-murder-feed-me-now-or-I-will-cut-a-bitch wail) to the open-mouthed face plants she lands on my cheek when I am burping her. (They're the closest thing to baby kisses I get!) Even her imperfections are perfect to me.

 

* My husband really is sexier than ever when he's taking care of Bimmer. When he kisses her, changes her, and calls her his "little angel," my heart just melts. I fall in love with him over and over again.

 

* I am hopeful that we will be getting to the point here soon where she will sleep for longer than 3 hours at a time. Until then, I will gaze lovingly into her eyes as I feed her by the glow of her night light as she graps her hand around my pinkie. But I won't talk to her. Because I don't have much nice to say at 2:30am.

 

* Sometimes I swaddle her when she's really mad. It's not to calm her down. It's really just a distraction since she hates it so much. It keeps her occupied and quiet for a few minutes while she plots her escape and wiggles her arms free. It usually gives me enough time to eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast.

 

* Puff and I have a lot on the agenda for July. By the time I am posting my two month brain dump, our little one will have been to more states than some adults. She will have met her grandma and both great-grandmothers too. The joy this little bundle has brought all of them, without them having met her yet, is amazing. I figure there may be some tears of happiness in the coming weeks. Please don't rob us while we're out of town. I promise everything in the house is covered in dried formula and baby poop.

 

* I am not so silently panicking about not having a babysitter, since there are going to be appointments coming up that are not baby-friendly. Any takers? LOL! A big shout out to all those friends and family members who have dropped everything to visit us thus far and for all your gifts, love, and support. Even if you're not nearby, those Facebook messages and cards you send have brightened many days. We are lucky to have you in our lives!

 

* Am I a bad mom since I have yet to change the sheets in Bimmer's crib? In my defense, she has yet to spit up or go to the bathroom on them. So technically they're still clean, right?

 

* Lastly, I have to share the moment of clarity I had where I realized I was the mother of a newborn. No, it wasn't because of lack or sleep or because I didn't have time to shower. No... it happened when she was about 3 weeks old and was screaming her head off at 4am for a bottle. I was starving and had to pee. So, I found myself sitting on the toilet eating a graham cracker. And I somehow managed to get crumbs in my panties. That? Well, that was the moment I realized my life is not my own anymore. My life belongs to Bimmer.

 

 

Happy one month of life, little princess. Mommy and Daddy love you!

Project 52 - Week 4

Ahhh... sleep. I remember you fondly.

 

Although, if I think about it, sleeping in 3 hour chunks with Bimmer is probably more restful than the waking up every 45 minutes to pee that happened at the end of the pregnancy.

 

A sleeping trend is starting to emerge and I am very thankful for that. She typically falls asleep around 9pm in Puff's arms and stays there until I take over the night-shift around midnight or so. It's a habit we probably need to think about breaking here soon. She is very keen on only being able to fall asleep if someone is holding her. We get roughly 3 hour chunks of sleep at a time until about 8am each morning. For the most part, she's good about just eating, getting changed, and going back to sleep overnight. (Except on the nights she's gassy. It breaks my heart to see her uncomfortable!) Her several hour long wakeful period is usually mid-morning. We have also found the trick in getting a 2 to 3 hour nap in the mid-afternoon. Putting on "The Price is Right" seems to just knock her right out! That leaves Mommy time for a shower, lunch, and a marathon of my new TV crush, Scott from "Income Property."

Now if we could just get her to like sleeping in her crib! I think it's just too big and wide open for her. She likes to feel more cozy. I would say that for baby #2, I would consider buying some type of bassinet. Although we'll outgrow The Bungalow doing that, so maybe it's time to start a house hunt!

 

The housekeeping and my personal hygiene have fallen by the wayside a bit (although I still manage to shower every day) but there is nothing I would have rather been doing these past 4 weeks than taking care of Bimmer. The cliche is true... I never knew my life was missing anything until I had her. She completes every dream I could ever have. Even if she keeps me awake half the night.

I will sleep later.

On Compromise

Earlier this spring, one of Puff's good friends filled me in on some gossip that I've had a hard time getting out of my mind. Apparently, when Puff and I were just starting to get serious, the MIL told a few of his friends that I wasn't good enough for him. (In so many words... you get my drift.) She said that our relationship would never work because it would be really hard because we weren't enough alike, there would be too many compromises, and it would be way too difficult.

Yet, here we stand... 4 years together. 2 years of marriage. 1 beautiful baby girl.

 

Part of me chalks it up to her being wary of her son getting in over his head. Part of me likes to think she was just trying to look out for his best interest. Yet, most of me just thinks she's a jealous bitch who thinks of me as stealing her son. Well, he's 34 years old. He can't stay tied to you forever.

All that cattiness aside, her comments about compromise and about not being alike enough struck a chord. Aren't all relationships (romantic or otherwise) jam-packed with some type of compromise? To be honest, over the past 4 years together, I've never felt like I've had to give up too much of myself in my relationship with Puff. Nor has he felt that way either. (OK, so it's a huge, giant compromise on my end to have house guests, but other than that...) I wish the MIL could hear herself. She's the one who never wants to compromise on anything when it comes to visits or holidays. It's always been her way or the highway. We bend over backwards to accommodate her wishes as often as possible. Thankfully, we've grown more of a backbone lately and have had to put our foot down. It can't be a one way street. Especially not now that we have Bimmer as our top priority.

As for not being enough alike? My first instinct is to ask her if she even really KNOWS anything about me and my likes and dislikes. But that aside, I will agree with her. On the surface, Puff and I don't have a ton of similar interests. But you know what? We've learned to embrace each other's interests over the years. I never knew I'd love to take an aimless convertible ride through the mountains to hike to a waterfall. And I'm pretty sure Puff never thought he'd actually like to watch "Project Runway." The similarities that are there are the things that matter most. I was "perfect" on paper with Mr. Smith, but that didn't end the way everyone thought. Why not? Because sometimes being perfect on paper isn't the place to be perfect.

Yet, it is an amazing compliment to me and Puff to hear others tell us they envy our relationship. Or how happy they are for us to be together and how they hope to have that one day. Or to just tell me, in general, he's the best guy I've ever been with. And not to fuck it up. (I heard that a lot from my family early on in our dating!) I think it's pretty obvious to most people how much in love we are with one another. Yes, we will have ups and downs. There will be compromises. There will be times when I've just had enough car shows or he's tired of picking out paint chips for the dining room. But at the end of the day, we are a unit. A happy, loving, family.

And no crazy person can take that away from me.

Best Dad Ever

Puff got to celebrate his first Father's Day this year. I missed Mother's Day by less than 2 weeks. Darn! That just means Puff & Bimmer get to go all out next year for me, right???

We started off the day by taking some photos to send to my dad...

 

When Puff was in the shower, I got Bimmer all set up and ready to surprise him with his gifts when he came into the bedroom. She was a bit pissy, so unfortunately, that big ol' pacifier is in the way...

 

After her mid-morning bottle, we plopped her in her car seat and headed out for her first experience at a restaurant! We purposely chose a bar/pub that serves brunch that we knew wasn't typically very crowded. It was kinda dark and mellow and she chilled the entire time. We were so happy! Daddy got to enjoy his 11:30am beer. After that, we walked through a nearby park and snapped a few pictures of Puff with his baby girl.

Later that afternoon, we had a little photo shoot in the backyard, which was obviously NOT on Bimmer's agenda...

 

But she calmed down enough to surprise her daddy with a German chocolate cake...

And we ended the day with a trip to Babies R Us (to buy an aquarium for the crib, which will hopefully entertain her enough to keep her in there for awhile) and dinner at Steak N Shake. Two restaurants in one day for our 3 week old? Yup. Thankfully, she was perfectly behaved at that restaurant too.

When we got home and over-night that night? Notsomuch. Perhaps she just needs the smell of burgers and chocolate shakes to make her sleepy!

Project 52 - Week 3

Bimmer is such a growing girl! She is hell-bent on not staying a teeny baby for long. It breaks her mommy's heart!

This week, she started taking 4 ounces in some of her bottles. And she can even hold her head up for longer than 15 seconds at a time during tummy time! Whenever Puff is holding her and trying to do something (ex: making a bottle one-handed) she likes to practice her neck muscle skills and "head-butt" her daddy. Her hair is starting to get lighter too. And her hematoma on her head is almost totally gone. Yay!

She still loves to be held, which makes my life a bit difficult during the day to get anything done. She did sleep in her swing for the first time this week though. Um... never mind that I had to hold her for a good half hour first to make sure she was in a deep sleep. And we locked it in a stationary position, so there was no actual swinging. But it was a nice break for me to actually eat some lunch, take a shower, and pre-write a blog or two!

Quick update on my recovery... My incision is healing really nicely and in general, I feel pretty good. Puff and I have been taking walks with her since she was 8 days old, so I am slowly getting some light exercise. I am off the pain pills, but lifting or bending or stooping is still awkward. I had gained 48 pounds with the pregnancy and am down to only needing to lose about 18 to 20 more pounds to get back to my pre-baby weight! I know it will take some work once I am cleared for normal activity, but dropping that much in just 3 weeks is definitely a good morale boost!

Put the Boob Away

I'm a little bit behind the times here, with that whole giving birth thing, but I definitely wanted to weigh in on this whole controversy...

 

Before I get off on a rant here, I want to be very clear that while I am not a personal fan of breastfeeding (especially in public), I understand and respect your decision to do so with your own child. "Attachment parenting" isn't my issue here. Being a dumbass, however, is.

I'm still trying to figure out what in the world went through this woman's mind when she decided it would be perfectly normal and OK to have her photo plastered on every newsstand (and internet site, TV show, etc.) across the land with her boob whipped out in her son's mouth. A son who is clearly old enough to go to the fridge and get himself his own glass of milk. I heard that she also breastfeeds her FIVE YEAR OLD step-son. (Where is the birth mother in all of this???) Now... last I checked, that was kindergarten age. So, I'm pretty certain little Johnny Boob-Sucker has probably already been ridiculed for this.

Why do I say that? Because I was once a kindergartener, for starters. I even remember the incident where one poor girl peed her pants in class. And I remember making fun of a certain boy for these certain pants he was wearing. I'm pretty sure they got teased for the rest of the year. Can you imagine what kids would say and do to a boy whose step-mom just told the universe that he breastfeeds? That kid's therapy bills are going to be astronomical!

Not to mention the actual kid whom they showed on the cover. You don't foresee his middle school locker one day being plastered with that photo? Or his fraternity brothers using that against him during rush week? This mother really thought there would be no possible negative outcome from doing this? I understand that she thinks breastfeeding is best for her child, which is fine. Breastfeed him til he's 12 if that's what you want. But don't force the child into a situation where he will have to defend himself against your stupidity for the rest of time.

I read after the article was released that the paparazzi was starting to follow her around and she was getting mad and upset by it.

Really????

I'm pretty sure you have no right to be upset by that. You brought this on yourself by not thinking clearly, not concerning yourself with the consequences, and most likely, you did it only to boost your blog hits.

Way to be "Mom Enough."

What Happens in G-Vegas

Not so long ago, I posted HERE about the city of Columbia. So I thought I would continue with my little travel tour of my great state and introduce you to a city that probably not many of you know about... Greenville. In fact, for the 7 years I lived in Columbia, I visited Greenville only a handful of times (typically for concerts, or for visiting a friend) and I never got to actually see much of the charms. Now? Well, Puff and I frequent the area quite regularly, since it's at the base of the mountains. And we all know how often we like to go get our nature hike on.

First and foremost, their downtown is totally awesome. They revamped it within the past X number of years and it now boasts some super awesome boutiques, like Wish (which doesn't have a website!) And while there are several locations now around the state and NC, you can't pass up a stop at Mast General Store to stock up on candy from their giant barrels at the back. I sometimes want to go swimming in them! And always pick up a French Chew to gnaw on later. For food, our all-time faves are Rick Erwin's and its sister restaurant, Nantucket. The steaks at the original are heavenly (and not that unreasonably priced) and the blackened halibut at Nantucket will literally make you jizz yourself. Oh yeah... and both places feature hands-down the best, most awesome, raspberry martinis I have ever had! Did I mention the city has parking garages that are free on nights and weekends too? Score!!!

Another awesome feature of Greenville is their Falls Park. I remember visiting it with The Ex and Kimhead years ago for the first time and never quite realizing how spectacular it was. It's literally right in the middle of town! You can feed the ducks at the top of the falls and then picnic at the bottom. We have hit up several festivals throughout the years that work this feature into them, like Artisphere and Fall for Greenville. They even have a Saturday market that runs weekly during the summers. And if you follow the river farther downstream, there are cool trails and playgrounds, and a plane. Don't ask me why. It all ends up at the Greenville Zoo, which is really pathetic in size, but inexpensive and fun. The playground right outside the zoo is a great place to picnic and you can hear the monkeys!

Beyond that, you can check out a game at the Greenville Drive stadium. They're an affiliate of the Red Sox (so this Yankees girl has a hard time rallying behind them) but the stadium was mimicked after Fenway, so it's worth a $5 ticket if you're in town for a game. Especially if you have kids. And on a super random note, the museum at Bob Jones University (yes, Puff and I were allowed on campus there... but he wouldn't hold my hand since we weren't married at the time) is really great. Sure, it's all religious works, but they're from legitimate big name artists from the past. (Apparently, according to the website, it's the largest collection of religious work in the western hemisphere.)

My two favorite parts of Greenville though? First, the weather is noticeably cooler than elsewhere in the state. This is pretty important during those dog days of August! And second, it's the gateway to the mountains. Just over an hour from Asheville (home of the Biltmore) there are tons of hikes, waterfalls, state parks, etc. within a reasonable distance. You can even see the mountains from the highway as you approach town! I never thought I'd be more of a "mountain girl" than a "beach bum" but then I realized one important factor... there's not any sand in the mountains!

Happy travels!

Project 52 - Week 2

Bimmer is a growing girl! She weighs in at a healthy and big 9 lbs. 6 oz. That's a pound since birth! The fact that she likes to eat around 3 ounces per feeding probably helps. So glad I'm not breastfeeding or I would be permanently topless!

She is such a good eater, so alert, has different cries for different things, and a distinguishable "hungry face." The doctor said she skipped a lot of the "itty bitty baby" things. She is our little over-achiever. She is awake so often during the day too... like for the bulk of 5 hours sometimes. She hates to be put down though and hasn't warmed to a swing or bouncy seat.

Which is why I just typed this entry one handed!

And why I have already lost 27 of the 48 pounds I gained. It's near impossible to find time to eat these days. But she's worth all of it.

Nursery: Finale

I know, I know. I should have posted this before Bimmer got here. So sue me! I have a perfectly legitimate reason... the flat screen TV.

But more on that in a minute...

 

This is one side of Bimmer's room. We already had the tall dresser, and were very happy it squeezed into that tight spot by the closet. I've already talked about some of the decorative items (HERE) so I won't bore you with those again. And yes, we realize we will have to relocate the crib once she is mobile, since it's within grabbing reach of the window blinds. But for now, it was where worked best to accommodate everything else we needed in the room.

 

Since Puff and I got accustomed to sleeping separately during the insomnia part of pregnancy, this guest bed had to stay. Plus, it comes in handy on nights when one of us can stay in the room with the baby and the other one can get some real shut-eye in the master bedroom. Thankfully, since Bimmer was a girl, we didn't have to buy anything new. My Granny had gifted us that quilt about a year ago from her personal stash, and we had already gotten the pillow shams and throw pillow from West Elm. (Gosh, I miss shopping at West Elm!)

Two things of note... yes, I know the painting is really too high on the wall. But when we sit there daybed style, it's high enough for us to not be knocking our heads on it. Second, the ugly black nightstand. This is just a casualty of me losing my job. We have every intention to replace it with some sort of low bookshelf with baskets that can be used in the future for Bimmer's toys and books. For now, it's a holding space for my hair dryer, toiletries, and other misc. goodies that don't fit anywhere else in The Bungalow.

 

So... this is the reason I'm behind the curve on getting this posted. See, we had our new flat screen TV on this dresser up until Bimmer's arrival. We had discussed having the cable company come out earlier to install a jack in our master bedroom, but we just never got around to doing it. So, we wanted to keep it hooked up as long as possible in her room. But once she got here, the TV got replaced by a changing pad. We had originally registered for something purple and white, but decided the soft blue, although boyish, worked with the painting and brought in another pastel color to the room that didn't challenge anything else. And yes, unfortunately, our room isn't big enough for the foot stool that goes with our Ikea chair, on loan from Kimhead. It's a definite bummer, since we LOVE that chair. For now, we'll just prop our feet up on the bed!

There you have it.... Bimmer's nursery is finally finished! Don't worry, I'm sure we'll update you as we update it. I'm still undecided about curtains. And there will be that whole furniture switcharoo happening in a few months. Hope you like it!

"New" Tunes Tuesday

"Some Kind of Trouble" by James Blunt came out in the fall of 2010, so I'm a wee bit behind on reviewing it as new music. However, I didn't get it until Christmas 2011, so I've been jammin' to it this spring for the first time. Or well, as much as you can jam to some James Blunt.

We all know "You're Beautiful" from years back and probably got totally sick and tired of hearing that song. In fact, many of you probably wrote him off after that song and never listened any farther. Yet, for some reason, I picked up that album. And the next one. And then a third. It's a bit out of my typical musical genre to like something so, well, mellow. But I found that popping him on at work sometimes was great background music. And the longer I listened to the songs, the more I grew to like them. (The song, "1973" off his 2007 album is my all-time fave.)

And "Some Kind of Trouble" doesn't disappoint. It's smooth and relaxing music. But it's still poppy and cool. And some of the songs are even a bit more upbeat than his previous stuff. "Stay the Night" and "I'll Be Your Man" are my favorites from this release. They're a bit more upbeat and just kinda want to make you tap your feet.

 

I can't really say one album is superior to another, but I definitely would recommend trying it out. Just some laid back, cool, easy listening.

Project 52 - Week 1

Back in this post, I mentioned I was going to temporarily suspend Flash Bulb Fridays in favor of another project. Well, after being inspired by another blog's "Project 52" where they take a photo each week of something in their life, I decided to do the same thing with Bimmer.

Actually, I mentioned recently that Puff had bought me these awesome blocks that I planned to use. And while I don't intend to start posting photos of me and Puff or our friends or family, I will go ahead and post one year's worth of weekly photos of our little angel, Bimmer. My hope is to post them on Fridays, but as I have quickly learned, being the mother of a newborn who eats a lot and is otherwise very alert, having time for much other than her is difficult.

So... here's our sweetheart. Hope you pop back often to see our little one grow!

Bimmer's Birth

As you are well aware by now, Bimmer has made her debut. And we kinda, maybe, sorta can't get enough of her. But I thought I would share a bit of her birth story with you! Apparently, that's the thing for mommy bloggers to do. And since technically I am now a blogger that's a mom, I feel obligated.

 

So, "labor" technically started for me during week 37. The baby dropped super low, I dilated to 2cm. and effaced to 70%. By week 38, I was up to 3cm. dilated and 80% effaced. We were soooo certain she was going to come soon and put me out of all that uncomfortable late-pregnancy misery. Except, at my week 39 appointment, I hadn't increased any. Awesome. However, they gave us the good news that we could induce on May 24th. It was such a weight off our shoulders to be able to plan people's visits and get finished packing and get the house in tip-top shape. Then on the 23rd, something felt "different" to me early that morning. Not long after Puff left for work, I began the fabulous "bloody show" portion of labor. But I wasn't having any noticeably consistent contractions, so I spent most of the day on the couch, trying not to freak out.

Around 2:30pm on the 23rd, I started to have menstrual cramps. They were pretty strong, so I just curled up in bed and tried to get comfortable. I talked to several friends and tried not to let Rach's horror stories of 20 hour labors get to me. Not what someone petrified of labor wanted to hear!!! Around 4pm, the contractions started to come in 10 minute intervals. Puff was still at work, trying to wrap up loose ends for his upcoming time off. They started to come closer to 7 minutes apart around 6pm, but Puff was still at work. I took a shower, since the pain was going around to my back and the hot water felt good. Also, yes, I am vain enough to admit that I didn't want to go to the hospital without freshly washed hair. Puff finally got home around 6:30pm and we went to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner. I was writing down contractions in between eating a quesadilla and chips!

Round about 8:30pm, the contractions were definitely coming every 6 to 8 minutes apart, so we decided to pack it up and go to the hospital. Well, after we finished watching "Chelsea Lately" from the night before. I managed to walk myself into the hospital, but by the time they got me in a gown and into bed, I was definitely in a good bit of pain. They checked me and I was only 3 1/2cm dilated, but my contractions were then 2 to 4 minutes apart. The doctor actually said I could go home and sleep in my own bed if I wanted, but the pain was mounting, so I opted to stay. Around 10:30pm, after several painful trips to the bathroom and a few bags of fluid, I was able to get an epidural. It was heavenly. They were waiting to see if my toes would get tingly, but before that happened, I had a contraction and couldn't feel it, so all was good! I got to about 5cm by midnight and around 2am, they came in to break my water. When they did, they said I was 10cm dilated and could start pushing!

Apparently my epidural was working "perfectly" since I could still move my legs and feel the pressure of oncoming contractions, which helped with the pushing. It definitely took some getting used to and I got tired fast, couldn't catch my breath, and my arms were so sore from pulling my legs back. The doctor and nurse said they could see that she had a bunch of hair, but also that there was some swelling on her head. Cue two hours of strenuous pushing later and I was no closer to having the baby. She was stuck on my pelvic bone.

 

The decision to have a C-section was made right then and there and within 10 minutes, I was being pushed down the hallway to the OR. Puff was very nervous and I was trying so hard to be stoic. I was scared to death when they wouldn't let him come in to hold my hand while they prepped me for surgery. But I just tried to stay calm and keep my mind focused on other things. Puff came in eventualy, all decked out in his scrubs, and held my hand and rubbed my head. The doctor said I would have a baby in about five minutes. And sure enough, there she was! They held Bimmer around the drape quickly for me to see as I started to cry when I heard her cry. It was amazing.

 

As they were tending to the baby and Puff was snapping pictures, the doctor's started to patch me up. Someone asked me how I was feeling and I remember telling them I was having some pain on my left side, so they upped whatever was going into my IV. The next thing I know, I remember screaming "OW!!!!" at the top of my lungs. The nurse told me they were putting my uterus back inside. (Didn't need to know that, but thanks!) And that was the last thing I remember... they had to totally knock me out and apparently I was snoring within about 30 seconds. Since the C-section hadn't been scheduled, I only had an epidural and not a spinal.

And it wore off.

I remember sorta coming back when they rolled me from the operating table over to the bed to take me back to the room. They told me I had to hold Bimmer. I was so delirious. Although, I think I remember telling her that we were going to take her zorbing and white water rafting! I'm sure the nurses pushing the bed thought I was insane!

It wasn't until a few hours later that I was really coherent enough to hold the baby or do anything with her, thanks to the heavy-duty IV drugs I had been given. But that was OK... Bimmer and I still got to bond. I will definitely have more stories to come about the rest of the hospital stay, our visitors, our homecoming, etc. But for now... just know that Bimmer was born via emergency C-section on May 24th at 4:53am, and minus having a giant cone-head (that's what happens when you push for 2 hours before a C-section apparently) she is absolutely perfect. Our little chunkster weighed in at 8 lbs. 5 oz. and was 22 1/2 inches long.

Puff and I are over the moon. We love our little girl with all our hearts.

I finally have my family.