Mollie Kate Bowden 12/16/2014

She's here!!! I'm sure by now you have seen my numerous picture posts of our sweet girl, but I figure I should share the story... It's long.. Sorry. 

Well, It felt like I had been pregnant for a million years... I think that's normal. But we finally had an induction date of 12/22. The doctor decided that we could get induced that day and even if a c-section was necessary, we would be home on Christmas Eve. Mollie had a different plan all on her own. Last week, I felt contractions more frequently, but I they weren't bad enough or frequent enough for me to go into the hospital.. 

That changed on Sunday, December 14th. I was having contractions around 4 mins apart that were a what I rated 7 on a pain scale. We went into L&D around 2:30 that afternoon to find out that I was still only 2cm and since I was only 38 weeks and 5 days the hospital really couldn't help me along. So back home we go... Until around 1:30 in the morning when I was hurting even worse and contractions were coming every 3 mins... Sleep wasn't happening. So this time, mom took me. Guess what? Still 2 cm... Same story. Home we go but the nurse suggested I called my dr and get squeezed in the next morning.  

We got worked in to see Dr. Shannon at 9:30 that morning... GUESS WHAT!?! 

Nothing. Same story different day... At this point I am literally hours away from being 39 weeks where the hospital could help me, I hadn't slept in over 24 hours and it didn't look like I was going to get any relief anytime soon. She prescribed me an ambien to try and help with that. So from 12:30 pm to 1:30 am I slept for 3 mins and woke up for a contraction. The WHOLE TIME. Miserable was an understatement. 

1:30 in the morning as I was getting up to walk and breath during a contraction, my water broke!!! HALLELUJAH!!! Bc I really hated to go back into that hospital and get sent home again... It wouldn't happen... I refused. 

Delivery day!! 

Got checkin in, I was 6 cm and feeling everything. Awful. Within 30 mins I was at 7 cm. and those fools tried to tell me they weren't sure if I could have an epidural because my white blood count was too high and they didn't know if there was enough time to get some antibiotics in me. Excuse me here... Screw that. No epidural? Ain't nobody got time for that. I was yelling... Luckily they pumped it on in and hooked this girl up with the good stuff. 

Because I wasn't feeling any urge to push, we were able to wait on Dr. Shannon to get to the hospital. She showed up, and it was push time! One practice round of pushing and one real round... 10 mins later... We have a baby!!!

She is literally the most perfect angel baby I have ever seen in my life. I may be biased... ☺️ my whole world has changed and I could not be happier.  AND.. She took a 3 hour nap this morning in her crib. #happymomma

 

And the countdown begins...

Well, we had a dr appointment today to find out if we get to meet this baby girl any sooner than her due date. Because let me be perfectly honest, as wonderful of a Christmas gift as Mollie will be for Ben and I, we are ready to meet her, and we would love to be home enjoying her on Christmas, instead of at the hospital...and I'm pretty positive that my (or any) doctor for that matter feels the same way. It looks like if Mollie doesn't come on her own between now and then, we are going to meet her on the 22nd. We would go in the night of the 21st. Ps. Ben gave me Lexi on December 21, 2008 and he gave me my engagement ring when he proposed on December 21, 2012. Maybe Mollie will just come on that day... How sweet would that be!? 

Either way... Do you know what this means??? In 11 days or less, I am officially a mom! I've been a mom to 4 legged babies for quite some time now, but this is the craziest thing ever. Ben is so calm and chill about it. He is so excited to be a dad (as he should be because he was meant to be one...have you seen him with the 3 Harman girls?)  Me, on the other hand... The excitement is huge, gigantic even... But the nervousness is even bigger. I'm preparing myself now to trust my own instincts, take the advice of others, and use it if I want to and ignore it if I don't. I'm so thankful to have the friends, family, and support system that we have. God has surely blessed us. It makes me emotional to think about how little we deserve but how much He provides. I can't wait to hold His little miracle. Because that's exactly what she will be. Anything that can be made in such a glorious way that was designed so perfectly is a miracle. 

Speaking of emotions... I still can't listen to the good ole Christmas songs without bawling my eyeballs out. So, I have to stick with my N*sync Christmas songs... At least if I cry while listening to them, it's simply because I miss the band. :)

 

Holy Hormones

Well, I am jumping on the blogging train.  I feel like how I am feeling right now and the adventure that lies ahead should be something I document for myself and one day, maybe for Mollie to read for herself... if these things stick around that long.  

As of right now, we have 18 days or less until our precious and wonderfully made gift from God joins our family.  The emotions have begun to overwhelm me.  I imagine that they really hit hard when one of my bestie's gave birth to her sweet baby boy two days ago on December 2nd.  We have been on this crazy journey of first time pregnancy together.  Our due date's were/are exactly 21 days apart.  Literally, we have been able to talk about the entire process, the good, the bad, and the really ugly.  And the second I saw sweet Sam, I melted into a big pile of mush and hormones.  I've been around babies my whole life, but experiencing one in the midst of growing your own really changes things.  Pregnancy has been the biggest roller coaster I've ever been on.  The whole process is the craziest, most magical thing... I honestly don't know how someone doesn't believe in God after learning all of the things the body does to prepare and grow a child.  At the same time, it is very frightening.  I find myself questioning things that I would never question. Example: Getting on a school bus to go on a field trip. I practically didn't sleep for the two days before our field trip this week all because I would not be in control of the drive.  Of course if anyone has kept up with the news of the bus situations here in old M town... you probably wouldn't blame me for being a bit nervous. 

Today has been so crazy for me.  I have cried at anything and everything.  I cried over not waking up early, which led to not getting breakfast like I planned, which led to me calling mom to go get me something... Apparently, when a pregnant person gets hungry... hormones kick into overdrive and throw the whole day for a loop! I finally got some breakfast in me and I still cried.  I think I hid it well, because none of the twenty 4 and 5 year olds that I teach saw me.  So, thats success in itself.  I think the problem is that I am getting impatient.  I am ready to meet this baby girl.  I am ready to love on her and kiss her face.  I am ready to see my husband become the most incredible dad in the world... because I know he will be.  Don't get me wrong, I am terrified... but I am so ready.  And selfishly, I am ready for her to be out of my body.  :)

I know that she will be here at God's perfect timing.  But really understanding that is hard to do.  My devotion for the day says: 
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55: 8-9

So for now, I will thank the Lord for the few nights of sleep I have left, for the few days that I can protect this baby girl inside me, and for the true miracle that comes with the chance to be her mother.  And I will remember, He doesn't mind if I cry.  He created my hormones...He totally gets it.