Look Who's One

 

Yesterday was Rachel's first birthday! And we spent it at home with bad coughs and runny noses. We've been hit with sickness this year. Nolan spent Sunday afternoon at Urgent Care. Turns out he has pneumonia. He's on meds now and he's almost himself! Now this week Rachel is the sick one. We went to the doctor on Monday because she had a bad cough, but we probably went to early because all the doctor said was that she had a bad cold. Darn it. Today her cough is worse, so we'll see how tonight is. All this to say, Rachel's first birthday was kind of a bummer.

This past year has gone so quickly! It's hard to believe that a year ago I was in the hospital recovering from Rachel's birth. So crazy. I had a c-section with Rachel. I also had an emergency one with Nolan. Although I wanted to have a v-back with Rachel, it didn't happen. She was breech (as was Nolan) and I decided not to try the version (flipping the baby). We did it with Nolan and I ended up with the c-section anyways. So this time we scheduled the c-section. When we went to the hospital the labor and delivery nurse did an ultrasound and saw that Rachel was head down. Of course she was! We discussed it with the doctor an ultimately decided to continue with the c-section. The doctor would not induce so that I could have her then because it would be too risky, and I had just said all of my good-byes at work. It would have awkward to go back and say, "Just kidding! Didn't have a baby yesterday. So, can you reactivate my email? I may be here for a couple more weeks." And they said that Rachel had an "unstable lie" meaning that she would probably flip again. Yeah, I was there, so I said, "let's go for it!"

And she was born around 9:30 AM (I think...I'd have to look again). This c-section was a lot different that Nolan's. Read more about Nolan's birth here. One, I was conscious for the whole thing. Man, that surgery took a long time! I got very anxious during it, and the wonderful drug guy (can't spell the actual word) was wonderful. I would tell him that I was beginning to freak out, or throw up and he'd pump me full of goodness. Thank you, sir! He made the experience that much better.

And here we are, a year later. That sweet little baby that I held in my arms is on the verge of toddlerhood. She has a smile that warms your heart and makes you smile back. She has the cutest little giggle, but she doesn't giggle a lot. If you get her to giggle, you're pretty special. She's beginning to find her independence. Feeding her is impossible. It's best just to cut it up and leave it on her tray. She takes joy in shoving food into her mouth, all by herself. She's close to walking, is a pro at saying "bah" for almost anything, and her favorite thing to do is to bug play with her brother. She brings joy to our lives and we are so thankful for her!

And now I must go and rock that precious little girl, wipe her runny nose and give her kisses to make her feel better. Looks like we're going to be heading to the doctor again tomorrow to get her checked out. Here's hoping for meds this time in order to justify that wonderful health plan deductible! Gotta love it.