I can’t believe it’s been a year!  My baby girl turned one at exactly 9:11 PM Wednesday.  I am so happy and I feel so blessed to have her in my life.  I know that I may vent about her teething and sleeping issues.  But in all honesty, I wouldn’t trade being a mom for anything else in the world.  I remember when I went into labor.  It seems like yesterday.  I woke up around 4 AM to use the bathroom.  On my way there I yelled, “Uh-oh, Uh-oh!!! Honey!!!  MY WATER BROKE.”  My hubby is usually a slow mover, but he came flying out of the bed to see what was going on.  He wasted no time in cleaning up, while I jumped in the shower.  I guess reality didn’t quite set in because I called my mom, my mother in law, my boss of course, and I even texted some family members and a bunch of friends.  My hubby knocked a little sense in me and told me that we had to go to the hospital.  We grabbed the hospital bags and bounced.  By the time we got to the hospital, I still didn’t feel a thing.  My mom met us there and stayed with with us the entire time.  The nurse brought us into the pre-labor room and the doctor later came in to check if I was dilated.  It turned out I was only about one centimeter along.  I knew in that moment that we’d be in for a long day.

Hours later I still felt nothing.  No pain at all!  I thought to myself, “I may have the easiest labor in history!”  The nurse gave me cervidil (something that’s inserted in your va-jay-jay to soften the cervix and cause contractions).  It didn’t work.  I still felt nothing.  Then they gave me pitocin,  an IV medication which can also induce labor.  Well, that didn’t work either!  By this time I was moved to the labor and delivery room.  Not only was I not having contractions, I also wasn’t dilating.  They increased the dosage, and that did it.  Then the pain came with a vengeance!  Even though I was started to feel intense contractions, I still wasn’t further dilated .  I was told that in order to fully dilate, I had to relax through the pain.  But, how can anyone relax through excruciating pain??

I wanted to hold out on the epidural.  But at the rate I was going, the doc would have no choice but to do a c-section.  I would be at a higher risk of infection, if the baby didn’t arrive within 24 hours of my water being broken.  I was prone to infection and they didn’t want to risk something bad happening to my baby.  So, I gave in and got the epi.  I know that people may have their negative opinions on epidurals, but it was a life saver.  It had been hours and I was so exhausted.  I had worked through my entire pregnancy and as luck would have it, I went into labor just a few hours after coming home from work.  I was already missing out on sleep as a result of the pregnancy, add on a full time work schedule, and a couple of hours driving each day…you get my drift.  Getting some rest was like heaven.

Within a half hour of getting the epi, I went from being 5 centimeters dilated to a full blown 10 centimeters.  Then the doc said those magic words, “We’re ready to push!”  It only took another 20-30 minutes and my little Princess came right out.  I couldn’t believe it!

What a difference a year makes.  My baby girl is now one and I remember the day she came into the world like it was yesterday.  I see how much she’s grown and I couldn’t be more proud.  I remember when we first brought her home.  She never wanted to be put down.  We had to keep moving in order to keep her comfy.  She also loved being rocked to sleep with music playing.  To this day, she still likes being put to bed with MTV hits or VH-1 Soul on in the background.  She’s not crazy about cartoons, but she loves watching music videos!

As far as celebrating the big day, my hubby and I took off from work.  We wanted to spend the entire day with her, but we had to prepare for her weekend birthday soiree.  We did have some family time in the AM, and later in the evening.  She spent a few hours at daycare, and her teacher made this cool birthday hat and took this pic.  Princess clearly had a great day.

I couldn’t resist taking a few snapshots myself.

I’ll be posting a recap of her bday shindig, complete with pics.  Please be sure to check in again.

To my Princess…
I remember when you opened your eyes for the first time.  The sun was a bit too bright, but you were so curious and wanted to see the world.
I remember our first family stroll.  You were three weeks old and a bit fussy.  But, now you love the outdoors.  Daddy’s been taking you for walks everyday, as long as the weather holds up.
I remember your first shot.  You cried a little the first time, and I wanted to take the pain away.  But, you’ve gotten much better at it.  You haven’t cry for all the others, not even when you got your ears pierced.
I remember your first day at daycare.  I felt sad being away from you for the first time.
I remember when you started holding the bottle on your own.  You were only 4 months and held it so well.
I remember when you began sitting up on your own.  You had just turned 5 months!
I remember when you started eating solids.  You were about 5 months old.  I don’t think you were quite ready, so I ended up waiting a few more weeks before we tried again.  Now you eat like a champ!
I remember when you took your first crawl.  I had the camera ready to go for weeks because I wanted to get it on tape.  I missed it, but I’m so glad that your daddy was there to capture it.
I remember when you were baptized.  You didn’t cry at all during the ceremony.
I remember when you stood up for the first time.  I wasn’t there, but I heard all about it.  Soon you’ll be walking on your own.  


I love you more than you know and I would do anything for you.  I enjoy each moment spent with you.  I cherish these memories and I can’t wait to spend many more birthdays with my little Princess.  There will be many more memories.  The best is yet to come!