ONE MONTH (+ 1 day)

Ladies and gentlemen,

Miss Mila is now ONE MONTH OLD!!!

I seriously cannot believe how time has flown!

Here are some pictures of our big girl!

Thug life

Mila is quite the character and we are having fun getting to know all of her quirks.

Mila likes:

boobs and as much milk as she can possible handle... and then some more, musical toys and rattles, she LOVES looking at black and white images,  being carried around in her mobi sling, sneezing in Austin's face and touching his beard. She especially loves to "dangle"-- which is when we carry her in such a way that her legs get to dangle free and she leans on her side on one arm. 

There is also a song and dance that go with this, but the internet is not ready for that yet.

YET.

Quirks:

She talks in her sleep and it is ridiculous! 

She wakes us up in the middle of the night and especially in the morning.

We always think she is awake, but she is just chatting away in her dreams.

She farts like an adult. 

They are loud and long and absolutely hilarious.

She growls.

She growls in her sleep, when she is pissed, and also while she is nursing.

She is skeptical of Austin.

She always gives him a look that says:

"Do I know you and are you sure you know what you're doing?"

She loves my hair.

She loves to stare at it and gently touch it.

She also loves the feel of grabbing a handful and having me pull the hair away.

Mila doesn't like:

too many kisses from Fernando, not getting the boob the second she decides she wants it, pacifiers, not being held, when people need more than 10 seconds to change her diaper, when Austin sits down, and being held by too many people.

She is so precious and I feel so incredibly lucky that WSU has allowed me to teach online classes from home so I can be with her full-time. 

Hip Update:

We went to go see a specialist in Spokane who told us that it is too soon to tell if Mila is going to have to wear a brace. 

The measurements that are considered normal are for a 6 week old, and are appropriate or accurate for a 2 week old. He felt strongly that her hips would correct themselves and, even if they don't, her case is so minor that it won't be too big of a deal. 

We will take new x-rays at 6 weeks and then hopefully are done with this whole mess.

In other members of the family news:

School just started and Austin is feeling very optimistic about his classes!

Fernando is jealous but finds time to snuggle whenever he can. 

He is also obsessed with knowing where Mila is.

I am ALMOST done with my qualifying exam reading list!

I only have 4.5 books left (out of a list that was originally just less than 200)!

I talked to my dissertation chair and am feeling really confident about my dissertation and prospectus!

I will try to update the blog more, but it is a little difficult to find the time with being a full-time mom and a full-time employee and studying full-time.

August 10th

Today is August 10th, Mila's original due date!

We have been lucky enough to have 18 extra days with the most amazing little girl in the world!

Honestly, I cannot express how wonderful she is.

I still can't believe that we made her and that she is ours. 

She is absolute perfection.

She already has so much of a personality and brings us so much utter bliss.

I feel so incredibly lucky to have her and am thankful for every single moment.
It is impossible to put into words how much we love and adore her.

Now for some news:

1. The last bit of Mila's umbilical cord fell off yesterday, leaving her with a perfect little belly button! This is wonderful news as we have been terrified of touching it for fear of hurting her and have freaked out every single time she touched/rubbed/pulled it!

2. Mila is healthy and growing steadily! She is already over her birth weight and is passing every single health test like a champ! 

3. Fernando LOVES Mila and is very protective of her. He loves to give her delicate little kisses and checks on her numerous times throughout the day.

4. Because Mila was breech and had her feet resting happily on her head, her hip sockets did not have the chance to develop properly, this is called congenital hip dysplasia. Basically, instead of forming like a perfect cup around the joint, her sockets are loose. It doesn't hurt her but, if left untreated, will lead to some serious hip issues.

It completely bums me out because I want everything to be easy and perfect for her.

The treatment involves her having to wear a brace until her hips adjust into the proper shape. We have yet to see the specialist so we don't know how long she will have to wear the brace (looks like 6 weeks min and 12 months max).

Here is what our poor baby will have to wear:

Honestly, it makes me cry to think of her needing to wear this.

I know she isn't in pain and this won't really bother her at all, but I just want things to be easy for her.

After such a turbulent pregnancy, a break would be much appreciated.

Anyway, I will be sure to update the blog when we know more.

And, finally...

5. Today is Fernando's birthday! (keep in mind that he is a rescue so I had to make up his birthday and I just went with the day of his first vet appointment) He is now 6 years old!

To celebrate, we made him doggy cupcakes (which smell terrible and are hard as rocks), Austin got him a stuffed animal toy, and he put a dead bird's head in our bed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FERNANDO!!

Mila's Arrival

The day before Mila was born was spent packing and prepping for the hospital. The night before, Austin and I went on a date and it was so hard to believe how much our lives were going to change in less than 24 hours.

We arrived at the hospital at 5am and immediately I got into a hospital gown and had an IV inserted. Honestly, it was so surreal. I watched the clock ticking closer to 7:30 (when the c section was scheduled to begin) but felt pretty calm. 

When it was time, Austin and I walked back into the OR. He had to wait just outside while they did my spinal. Having never been in an OR before, my heart was pounding and I couldn't really believe it was all really happening. I sat on the table and leaned against one nurse while they injected medication into my spine.They said it wouldn't hurt but then said it would feel like a bee sting. Bee stings hurt, FYI. They chatted and asked questions about my tattoos like what was happening was no big deal. It helped keep me calm.

Almost instantly, my legs felt heavy and were numb in less than a couple minutes. After all of the proper linens were in place, Austin was allowed to come in and sit by my face.

They said the medication wouldn't make me loopy, but my random declaration of

"No sleep till Brooklyn"

seemed to indicate otherwise.

I could smell my own blood and also the smell of them cauterizing my flesh.

INCREDIBLY SURREAL!

I felt pressure here and there, like a really bad stomach massage, and then it increased till breathing was a little bit of a struggle, and then they said,

"We have a butt!"

Austin looked over the curtain and watched as they pulled her out.

I'll never forget the look on his face.

Anyway, they forgot to show her to me. Yes, they forgot to show me my child.

They took her over to the table and I could hear her screaming. She screamed like a champ! I cried and Austin went over to cut the cord as they measured her.

The anesthesiologist who was taking photos came over and showed me the above picture, which was my first view of Mila. I could not believe how much she looked like Austin.

FINALLY, they brought her over to me and placed her on my chest. 

She was so calm and I just cried and talked to my daughter.

This was Austin's first time holding her.

Proud Daddy! 

They took Mila for her checkup and stitched me up. They also did some new procedure for pain management (where I got to watch a MASSIVE needle penetrate my stomach muscles via an ultrasound)

Finally, they wheeled me back to the room and brought Mila back to me.

C section recovery is rough. Medication made me throw up quite a bit and I couldn't really walk until late that night. But spending 3 days in the hospital bonding with Mila was unforgettable.

The nursing staff was so kind and really took care to work with us and make sure Austin, Mila, and I were comfortable.

My mom came by every day and would bring food as a relief from hospital cafeteria options.

The first-ever diaper change!

Mila and her nana (wrapped in a blanket made by Amber)

Right before we left the hospital.

First family photo with Fernando

(We had just gotten home)

Three generations!

Mila is such a gift!

We are completely in love and spend countless hours staring at her and loving her silly faces and the way she kicks out her tiny legs.

We can't wait to keep updating as she grows and changes!