The Story of Oly's Birth

In case you haven't heard the full story of how Olympia entered this world, (and in my personal opinion, it's a good one) let us fill you in. On Thursday the 13th, I went for my weekly check up at The Birth Center. It was only the second visit in 9 months that Tim had to miss because of meetings at work. They realized my blood pressure was high, around 145/95. They had me lay around with a fetal monitor strapped to my belly and I finally was affirmed that this was one crazy kid! Usually they wait 20 minutes to sense the baby move twice- she was rocking and rolling every minute. After a lot of lab tests they realized I had preeclampsia and sent me home to bed rest.

On Saturday morning, the midwives were getting worried and since she was only a few days from her due date, decided it would be best to induce us, which had to be done at the hospital. We arrived at Bryn Mawr Hospital and by noon my blood pressure had stabilized and it was too late to induce so they checked us into the maternity ward and we would wait until the next morning. The hospital was actually quite comfortable and the nurses were extremely nice. We ordered great takeout from one of our favorite restaurants, cuddled into the twin bed together and watched 'Wedding Crashers' on tv. (The movie actually helped us by adding another birth mantra: "Rule #76: no excuses, play like a champion.")

We were mostly just disappointed that she wouldn't share the same birthday (Nov. 15th) as her cousin Jasper, further cementing their fate as a terrible twosome in the future. At almost exactly one year apart they will certainly be a formidable team.

Sunday morning at 8 they started my IV drip of Pitocin, a synthetic version of a hormone your body makes naturally during labor. It took several hours to kick in. The monitor showed there were contractions happening but I didn't feel a thing.

The last Belly Picture, 39 weeks. I look tired.


"Oh hey, I'm just planning my holiday cookie recipes with Martha Stewart and waiting to have a baby."



Pitocin, being an artificial start to labor, is often more painful and intense than if it would've happened naturally. And it was! The first contraction I felt was very strong and they were 60 seconds apart from the beginning. I was free to move around and use all of the natural pain relief we had practiced in birth class, but I never moved from the bed and no one could touch me, let alone massage me. After 3 hours of labor I was fully dilated and started pushing.

The great thing about The Birth Center is that their midwives have full hospital privileges at Bryn Mawr so Denise and Lisa, a student midwife, delivered her. We never even saw a Doctor. I pushed for 3 hours and I remember sensing everyone looking at each other wondering what on earth was taking so long (I was feeling the same thing but figured my sense of time was probably a little off.) Having her arm over her head slowed things down a bit and she came out with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck twice. That didn't phase her at all. I was further vindicated during the birth at everyone exclaiming what an active baby she was in the womb. See? I wasn't just a complainer- she really was kicking me in the ribs every ten minutes for the last 4 months!

Both Tim and I completely forgot there was another surprise after she came out- the gender! We were reminded when Denise asked Tim to announce it, but there were so many hands and blankets over her body, drying her off and getting her warm that he couldn't see. I'll never forget him exclaiming with such glee, "Just tell us!"

The cure for Preeclampsia is having your baby. They kept us there for 24 hours to watch me, but I am fully recovered.

She was perfect and has been ever since. And that is the story of Olympia Louise's birth.

It's a Girl!

Olympia received these beautiful roses in honor of her birth day from Silly Grandmom (her great-grandmom Reading)! It's a rare injection of pink in the house, since she inherited her entire wardrobe from her cousin Jasper. Apparently when Olympia's other Grandparents show up in a few weeks they're bringing, as Eva says, enough girly clothes 'to sink a ship' so we won't be lacking for long. Thanks so much Grandmom- they're beautiful!

Baby Gets a Bath...and Papa Gets a Shower

Oly and I settled into my favorite chair to watch the Flyers game. A sleeping baby and watching my favorite team is pretty much what I've been dreaming of for nine months. So I was a bit skeptical when I heard, "Let's give her a bath in between periods." But for some reason I agreed. Hallie got the "tub" ready and I woke up a sleeping baby and stripped her down to her birthday suit. She was not pleased with her papa at this point. I carried a screaming baby over to her bath and just when I was about to put her in, she peed all over me, and our kitchen floor. This was not going well...































...despite a spirited protest to start, she relented, and as it turns out, she likes a warm bath very much. You can see in the photo above that she even started dozing a bit. After it was all over and she was completely relaxed, I scooped her up in her hooded monkey towel and brought her close to my chest to keep her warm. Turns out she was a little too relaxed, as she again peed through her towel, both of my shirts, and all over the kitchen floor for a second time. That's when Hallie says, "It's no big deal, baby urine is sterile." I'm pretty sure that is something that parents tell themselves so they fell better when their kids use their shirt as a toilet. Next week she's going to tell me that poop tastes like chocolate. For those keeping track, that's three times I've been peed on in the first week. I'm pretty sure the odds makers in Vegas set the over/under at 5, so I'm feeling pretty lucky at this point.

To recap, I went from a sleeping baby in my arms, in my favorite chair, watching hockey, to a screaming baby, a floor that needs to a mopped (twice) and a new load of laundry that needs to be done. Someone is going to have to convince me that baths are a good idea going forward.

Afterwards, Oly and I called a truce, and despite all the extracurricular activities, we made it back in time for the third period. She settled into my arms and we watched the Flyers win their fifth straight. It turned out to be a pretty good night after all.














And for those who just can't get enough, here is a short video of her bath.

One Week Old

Finally! An awake baby on her One-Week Birthday. (I'm very, very sorry about my camera skills, I'm working on getting better. I also don't know how to flip them so you're not craning your neck to view them. Don't give up on us!)
These videos, depending on the viewer, are either thrilling or mind-numbingly boring. The lighting is low because that's how we like it around here these days so you can't see that her eyes are a very dark blueish gray.









And here's a picture of her sleeping in her Papa's arms. Except for when she's hungry, she can only be soothed by him. She drifts into the deepest sleep in his arms.

Smooshed face baby

(Caitlin- This is what we were doing when I talked to you on the phone)

New Camera!

Sorry for the delay, we know there are grandparents waiting very impatiently. (Get your face farther away from the computer screen- you're going to ruin your eyes!)
We got a brand new fancy camera last night which takes amazing pictures, but all we have to post are these, which are basically identical. It's all she's done since yesterday. Stay tuned for more video of her awake- soon hopefully!

Snow Day

We woke up this morning to several inches of snow! True, Oly never left the house- but she still wore her snowflake suit for the occasion. Try and stay patient, we'll go buy a new camera tomorrow.
What kind of animal does she look like in these pictures? I can't pinpoint it.....

Olympia's First Visitor

Olympia was expecting her first visitor this evening, our good friend Adam. She put on her Phillies onesie for the first time, as he's a huge fan just like her.

He showed up with pizza, wings and wine- so we let him hold our baby.














And it was also nice to have someone to take the very first picture of the three of us. As you can see, Tim hasn't showered much or shaved at all since Oly was born. He's been too busy doing everything needed to keep this house in order as well as cooking for me day and night. He's out of this world. When he's not being my chef/maid, he's staring at his baby girl. It doesn't leave time for much else.
You may also notice that all of the pictures in this post are of poor quality and very blurry. That's because they're all taken with cell phones. Where is our camera you ask? Well it's out on the back deck in the snow. Last night we tried to turn it on but it wouldn't work. Figuring that the batteries were dead, I set it next to me on the couch. Then I noticed a smell.....then smoke. Our camera caught fire. I am not kidding. There's even a little hole on the couch. I think a battery exploded and melted the insides. So tomorrow will be 'Baby's First Trip to Circuit City'. Expect better pictures to follow!

My Ladies

I'm willing to take other suggestions, but the only description I could think of for this picture is *&%^$@ adorable. What more could a guy ask for?


Look at those cheeks!



See if you detect a pattern in these pictures...











...as I'm sure you picked up, her hand is always near her head, which is what made it so difficult for her mama to get her out! She didn't make it easy on Hallie, which is why she is grounded until she is one, no arguments, no excuses. And no phone calls that aren't screened by me, especially ones from boys (yes Grandpas, that includes you). She's tried to butter us up since then by being cute, cuddly and warm, but I'm not falling for it (okay, maybe I'm falling for it a little).

48 hours after an exhausting birth, Mama finally got her cocktail from her live in mixologist. She needed it to wash down a medium rare burger, two luxuries that I am sure she is happy to have back.



All I can say is that it was much deserved. Olympia's mama is a rock star, and my hero.



And finally, we'll leave you with a picture where Oly Lou has her eyes open. It is a rare commodity these days, so enjoy.

Hiccups

Introducing

Olympia Louise Reading

Born Sunday, 11/16/2008 at 6:11 PM, EST

8 lbs, 9 oz

21 inches

The first pictures

The first of many pictures. She's already several minutes old because she stayed in bed with Hallie for awhile before they weighed her and checked her out. This little warming cart was right next to the bed as well.


We're only dozing. The bed, though very comfortable, was soft and seemed slanted towards the edges so she slept in a bassinet between the bed and the cot that Tim slept on.


Stork bites! Does anyone have the list of signs that your child is the next Dalai Lama? They've already faded considerably and we miss them.


Some photos really are self explanatory.





She has found her thumb a few times and seems to enjoy it.


The ride home from the hospital. She's wearing a pink hat, a green striped onesie and a blue reindeer suit. You should have seen the discharge nurses' confusion. So many colors! What's the gender?! Please stop the madness!

First Video to Keep You Happy While We Eat Some Sushi

This was a video we took of her very early on. Being almost 30 hours old now, she does much cuter things. She's obviously hungry in this picture.