Happy Birthday Gabriel!! 1 year old!!

Happy Birthday G-A-B-R-I-E-L J !!!!!!!!! 1 year old !!!!!! J J

One year ago (10/6/10) I was in the hospital being induced one week early because the baby was so big, and I was very swollen. My husband and I waited anxiously the first night they started to induce me, we both couldn’t sleep because of the excitement. The next day they started to increase the pytocin and I was handling it like a champ. Never did Lamaze and I had my breathing in complete control between the contractions that were now one after another because of the inducing process. Well that lasted a couple of hours and then it was time to break the water whoo whoo J This was the coolest feeling because I could literally feel the little baby bear down and all of his weight dropped down and started pressing. Now the contractions changed dramatically after the water was broken no joke, I had about 30 seconds of rest in between each contraction. Just as I was trying to get breathing down, another contraction came, I handled it good but at this time they ordered the epidural. When the doctor came in they had several students nurses that were training so our room had about 15 people in it. I sat up and in between contractions he was trying to inject the epidural, he stuck me 3 times and I guess there was a lot of blood because my husband says the student nurses got sick and had to leave haha this didn’t hurt at all but the creepy part was feeling the needle go in between the vertebrae, I could feel it scrape the sides. Well after it was injected and all set up, it didn’t work, I still felt everything as if I had never had it, so they had to keep giving me more and more medicine. At this time I was getting frustrated because I was feeling pain when I wasn’t supposed to, so I had my “drama moment” I had the doctor come back in the room and I told her that she needed to get my doctor asap because I want this baby out right now and via c-section because this epidural isn’t working. The lady didn’t even look at me, and that made me angry so I said out loud “why are you acting like you can’t hear me, when I can see you hear me, How about this, when this baby starts coming, I am refusing to push, what about that?” hahahhahahah my husband was sitting next to me, and he said when he heard those words come out of my mouth he turned his head and started laughing because he couldn’t believe I said that. Anyways, time went by and eventually I had a nice break for about 2 hrs when I didn’t feel anything because the medicine started working, so I was able to look at things my mom gave me as presents and my husband. They wrote me beautiful letters and made me home-made presents. Well as time went on the medicine wore off again so I felt everything again. My doctor kept coming in and seeing my progress and I was dilating so we were just waiting for 10 cm. They kept giving me more and more medicine but nothing seemed to work, so I just kept feeling all of the contractions and this little baby pushing down as hard as he could. J Hours went by and my husband and I got so excited because my doctor said that we are having this baby tonight and if it isn’t coming out on its own then we are having a c-section. So that made us so happy because we were so anxious to meet this little man. It was around 630 at night and I was still dilating so we just kept waiting, and by this time I was so dyhatrated because I couldn’t drink anything at all because if I needed to have an emergency c-section, I couldn’t have anything in my stomach, so I was just eating ice chips like crazy. I felt like I ran the NYC 22 mile marathon. It then became around 720ish and I was only dilated to 9cm and I became very swollen and started losing a lot of blood and then the doctor became nervous because of the swelling and blood loss, so she waited a bit to see if it got better, and when it didn’t, she then said we would need to have an emergency c-section to get the baby out. They were actually backed up that night so I had to wait about 45 minutes for my turn because it was busy at the hospital. I was in so much pain at this moment because of the pressure of this little baby trying to come out and couldn’t because he was too big. So it was finally my turn and I was so ready for this baby to come out and have him delivered safely, at this point I was in labor for 15 hrs so I was exhausted. My husband kissed me and said he would see me in a bit, and I was wheeled down the hall to surgery. My husband was putting scrubs on and waiting for permission to come into the room. I was so nervous because this is brand new to me and I became scared. I was in this room with about 10 people in the room and they all had a tape recorder and were announcing their names and what they were going to do. My doctor put some numbing ointment on my belly and wanted to test if I could feel anything, so she pinched my belly with a tool and I could feel it. So they ordered me more medicine and we had to wait 15 minutes for it to kick in. Well she tried again, and this time I didn’t feel it, but on my left side I could feel the pinch and she said that I already had too much medicine and they couldn’t give me more because it wasn’t safe for the baby, so they would have to put me to sleep and deliver the baby and that my husband wasn’t allowed in the room. At this point I became more nervous because I was scared and also anxious because when I would wake up, I would have a baby!!!!!!!!!! I had an amazing nurse in my room that I really bonded with and she was supposed to go home at 7pm because her shift ended, but while I was waiting to be put to sleep, I felt someone grab my hand and at first I thought it was my husband because the person was wearing scrubs, but it was my nurse J She told me that she wanted to make sure I was ok and wanted to be with me, and wanted to stay with meJ I told her thank you so much because I needed it. Before I know it, I was knocked out and that was it!!!!!!! My husband was able to tell me that they had the baby out in about 10 minutes because our amazing nurse went and got my husband and said “listen, that is your baby boy crying.” My husband said he started weeping and felt like he was going to die because it was the most amazing feeling to hear his cry. I was in surgery for about 1 ½ hrs getting stitched up. When Gabriel first came out, he wasn’t breathing and it took him awhile to cry so they had to make sure he was healthy. It turns out that the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice and if I would of gave birth vaginally the umbilical cord would of came out first and strangled him, and who knows what would of happened. So thank the Lord that I had him via c-section (see above people were laughing at my flip out for ordering a c-section but here it turns out that is the way God planned it) J J Gabriel Alexander was born at 9:19pm and was 9lbs!!!! He came out healthy!!!!

 The doctor then later told us that he was really hard to get out and that she had trouble with it because he was so big and was so stuffed in there and his positioning was difficult. I was woken up and wheeled into the room and my eyes had so much gel on them that all I could see was blurry vision, I saw my husband and I asked him 3 questions: 1) is the baby healthy? Did you see him? And How does he look? The next thing I know is that they put this baby on my chest and I literally couldn’t see him in detail because I was still so drugged and vision was blurry and I could see the nurses taking pictures and I knew I was a mommy J and we were a family, an official family!!!

  I pretty much went to sleep after that, and we spent 5 days in the hospital then we were able to bring little man home J

So fast forward now….. we are now at his 1 year birthday!!!! This is huge news!!! We have been blessed to experience so many baby milestones for 12 months. He went from cooing, babbling, kicking his arms and legs really fast, turning over all by himself, schooching on his back to get around, sitting up while being supported by an object, smiling, sitting by himself, standing by himself, saying words, crawling, walking, teeth coming in, more hair, growing big and healthy, and now he is saying bye, bye as he waves J We have experienced so many memories in the first year and we have video recorded every single moment, taken pictures, written in journals each month, etc. We have been so blessed and to be able to celebrate a whole year of his life and have each other as a family is a blessing from The Lord. 

His first birthday we are keeping it very intimate, it isn’t going to be all “showy” for grown-ups or huge things planned. We want to keep it with his family and keep it very small. I am making a special birthday outfit that is custom made for him, I am making my most favorite birthday cake for him (Boston éclair cake) My husband and I gave him a personalized baby id bracelet that has bible verse (Psalm 139:14 on it) I made him an actual children’s book with a story line that I came up with, and have pictures in it and put it together for him so we can read it to him every night and it is one of a kind. Then he will have a few small gifts from family members. The only thing we have planned is to take a trip to Disney world with him and we are only taking the trip because his grandma works at Disney so we get in for free.  I also wrote him a poem that I am framing and giving to him, so he can have it in his room. I feel it is so important to go the extra mile and “make” things and “personalize/custom” items. Anybody can just run out and go to a store and buy an item. To actually be creative, use your time, and energy and to have all of your love put into something that only is for him, is priceless!!! So that is the main thing with this first birthday!!  So that is his 1 year birthday!!! We look forward to many more birthdays with him and creating more family memories, expanding our family in the near future and helping mold a little man that God can use for His purpose and His will!!!! To our little Pookie, Boo-Boo may you have the best first birthday ever and may we be the best godly parents that we can be for you. Thank you for being the most amazing little boy, you are perfect in every way, God definitely makes no mistakes!!!! Love you so so much!!!