It's the end of the year and time for me to attempt to remember the things that happened to me throughout 2013. It was a big year, but also quite a blur!
January: Got into a car accident while driving the Honda Civic Hybrid that we had bought 5 months earlier. The man who ran into me was driving a Chevy Silverado and turned left into my car as I was going through a green light. It worked out in my favor, though, because the Civic was totaled and worth $3000 more than what we had paid for it. Since we had only made 5 payments on it, we basically just kept the same loan and used the extra money as a down payment for a Prius (my dream car!) At 6 months pregnant, I somehow escaped that crash with just a teeny-tiny bruise on my elbow and no pain the next day. They ran tests on me at the hospital and Elisha was also perfectly fine. Andrew and I also went to a lovely Bed & Breakfast in Staunton, VA, as a babymoon. It was beautiful up there and a fun memory to make before the baby was born.
February: I think we went to some ODU games and I worked a lot. We went to the Broken Egg (our favorite restaurant) for a really nice dinner on Valentine's Day.
March: Spring began and the weather became ultra-beautiful. Andrew and I got to take some lovely hikes during my 8th month of pregnancy because of that gorgeous weather. I was a single woman for 2 weeks because Andrew was a chaperone for the senior trip to Europe. It was nice to have the house to myself for about 2 days, but then I missed him and time seemed to stand still for the next 12 days.
April: I gave birth to Elisha Gideon Garrett on April 26th. He had to go to the NICU the next day because they were afraid that there was something wrong with his small intestine. He ended up being healthy, but he had to stay in the NICU for 5 days because they put him on antibiotics for a possible infection.
May: Mama, Emmy, and Eiley came to live with us and help out with Elisha when he was first born. It was so nice to have them in town and get to see them loving spending time with my little boy.
June: I got to spend most of this month with Elisha and established somewhat of a routine with him. I went back to work at the end of the month.
July: Went on my first road trip with Elisha and discovered that he's quite a good traveler. We reunited with my friends in Kentucky and it was so great to be able to introduce him to all of his surrogate aunts and uncles at once.
August: My dad came to visit because he couldn't handle the fact that he would have to wait another 3 months to meet Elisha. I loved that he took the time to visit and that he got quality time with his only grandson.
September: Andrew went on a 3 day retreat with everyone at Stonebridge, so I experienced being a single mom for the first time. Mad props to the single moms out there because it's hard to do the parenting thing without extra help.
October: I was in a ton of pain because of a bulging disc in my back that was pinching a nerve in my right leg. It was absolutely miserable and I spent most of the month in bed and/or crying. Thankfully, Andrew has a wonderful parent at his school who has a chain of physical therapy facilities here and he was able to take care of me. Physical therapy helped me a ton in getting to be able to walk, sit, and stand again without being in misery.
November: Spent my birthday evening watching the Stonebridge Girls' Volleyball team win their quarterfinal match and then everyone went out for Mexican food after it was over. We went to California for Thanksmas and, of course, had a blast with family. It was so fun to introduce Elisha to everyone and to see how excited they all were to meet him. I was also very proud of him on all of our flights. He didn't sleep much, but he was a happy camper!
December: Went to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens and saw lots of pretty lights. Spent time with Andrew's side of the family as they came into town. Had Elisha dedicated at Andrew's old church.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
The Birth Story
Dear Elisha,
I wanted to tell you your birth story because my mom likes to tell me mine every year on my birthday. I plan to carry on the same tradition and am starting on it early. So here's a little story about the day (and night before) you were born.
On April 25, 2013, your daddy and I got home from a Stonebridge event around 7 or 8pm. He was still hungry and was craving Sonic ice cream (for reals... I was pregnant, but he was the one with the craving). We went out around 10pm and my stomach was kind of hurting, but I still ordered some ice cream for myself because I firmly believe in saying yes to ice cream whenever it's offered. When we went outside, I noticed that it appeared to be a full moon. Your Great Grandma Bradshaw, who has been a nurse for 60+ years, has said that more babies are born during the full moon than at any other point during the month. Well, this made me think that maybe it was more than a stomachache, but it couldn't be because you weren't due for another 3 days. We got our ice cream, took it home, and I ate about 1/3 of it. We spent the next hour or so timing whether there was a pattern to these stomachaches and sure enough, it was happening every 7 minutes or so. I was in labor and would soon be getting to meet you!
We waited until the contractions were about 3 minutes apart because we didn't want to go to the hospital and have them turn us away. Therefore, we got to the hospital around 3am. I was in a lot of pain at that point and asked to get the epidural as soon as possible. They said they had to get some fluids into me and then they would be able to give me the epidural. I thought, "No big deal. I'll be getting some pain relief in no time at all."... Around 5:30am, I had the fluids in me and the anesthesiologist was giving me an epidural. 2 1/2 hours after getting to the hospital! My point is that I was in a lot of pain for WAY longer than I expected. Then he gave me that injection and it was all sunshine and rainbows and unicorns.
The doctor came in to check me and said that he thought you would be born around 9am... you were born at 4:21pm. Needless to say, I had a lot of getting my hopes up and being disappointed for about 7 hours there. They would say I was ready to push, then I would push and they would say it wasn't time yet and we needed to wait a bit. There was also a point when they had to put me on my side in order for you to move and be in the right position to come out. That point coincided with the epidural wearing off. Something your daddy was nice enough to figure out about an hour after it happened. Luckily, your daddy is a great advocate and he got them to fix that epidural quickly.
Finally, around 3:30pm, it really was time to push. The doctor from the morning had left and Dr. Colwill was the one who delivered you. She was so incredibly nice- talking me through it and asking us questions about our lives. Your daddy kept making jokes, telling me he loved me, and telling me I was beautiful. He was an excellent teammate during the whole process (minus texting everyone with updates about what was happening... I did not want to hear that text message beep anymore.) They kept saying that they saw your head, which made me think you were almost out... it was another 45 minutes or so before you were actually in my arms. I pushed when they told me to and when I could tell that you really were almost here, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to push anymore. It was about 3 more times and then you were really, truly, FINALLY out!
Now, I have watched a lot of "A Baby Story" in my life, and I usually get a little teary-eyed when I see the mother holding her baby for the first time. They're usually pretty emotional about it, too. When you came out, though, I was just so absolutely relieved that you were here and in my arms. All of that pushing is really tiring and I was just so happy that it was over, so I didn't cry. Sorry about that. I was also excited about meeting you in person and being able to hold you. My point is that there wasn't time for weepy emotions and I just wanted to hang out with you... I also wanted to eat Chicken McNuggets and drink a Diet Coke because I hadn't eaten in about 18 hours. Your grandparents were nice enough to get those and have them ready for me soon after you were born.
About 2 hours after you were born, the pediatrician came in and said that you were born with a temperature of 103 degrees. They had to put you on some antibiotics through an IV and it meant that you would have to stay in the hospital nursery for 2 days. This scared me a little, but I knew that you would be okay.
We hung out in the delivery room for a few more hours because I couldn't walk, then we went to spend the night in a recovery room. I got up to go to the bathroom around 4am and your daddy heard me, so he said, "Do you want to go and visit the baby in the nursery?' I said yes and thought it was adorable because he had never cared much about babies until he met you. When he met you, he was over-the-moon in love.
We heard a loud scream as we were walking down there and found out it was you. It turns out that you had just thrown up some bright green bile and they were afraid that there was something wrong with your small intestine. They were going to have to transfer you to the NICU at CHKD. This was more scary than the news from the night before and it was heartbreaking to see you in the little mobile crib that they use to transport babies between hospitals. I've never been in an ambulance and you went in one during the first 24 hours of your life. After you were taken there, they ran some tests and found out that you were going to be okay. They just had to keep you on the antibiotics for a few more days, which ended up being 5 days and we were finally able to bring you home 6 days after you were born.
So there's your birth story- it's kind of a long one and more dramatic than I expected it to be. Hopefully the drama thing isn't something that continues throughout your life. Unless it leads you to becoming a famous actor and supporting your father and me in the manner in which we'd like to become accustomed.
I wanted to tell you your birth story because my mom likes to tell me mine every year on my birthday. I plan to carry on the same tradition and am starting on it early. So here's a little story about the day (and night before) you were born.
On April 25, 2013, your daddy and I got home from a Stonebridge event around 7 or 8pm. He was still hungry and was craving Sonic ice cream (for reals... I was pregnant, but he was the one with the craving). We went out around 10pm and my stomach was kind of hurting, but I still ordered some ice cream for myself because I firmly believe in saying yes to ice cream whenever it's offered. When we went outside, I noticed that it appeared to be a full moon. Your Great Grandma Bradshaw, who has been a nurse for 60+ years, has said that more babies are born during the full moon than at any other point during the month. Well, this made me think that maybe it was more than a stomachache, but it couldn't be because you weren't due for another 3 days. We got our ice cream, took it home, and I ate about 1/3 of it. We spent the next hour or so timing whether there was a pattern to these stomachaches and sure enough, it was happening every 7 minutes or so. I was in labor and would soon be getting to meet you!
We waited until the contractions were about 3 minutes apart because we didn't want to go to the hospital and have them turn us away. Therefore, we got to the hospital around 3am. I was in a lot of pain at that point and asked to get the epidural as soon as possible. They said they had to get some fluids into me and then they would be able to give me the epidural. I thought, "No big deal. I'll be getting some pain relief in no time at all."... Around 5:30am, I had the fluids in me and the anesthesiologist was giving me an epidural. 2 1/2 hours after getting to the hospital! My point is that I was in a lot of pain for WAY longer than I expected. Then he gave me that injection and it was all sunshine and rainbows and unicorns.
The doctor came in to check me and said that he thought you would be born around 9am... you were born at 4:21pm. Needless to say, I had a lot of getting my hopes up and being disappointed for about 7 hours there. They would say I was ready to push, then I would push and they would say it wasn't time yet and we needed to wait a bit. There was also a point when they had to put me on my side in order for you to move and be in the right position to come out. That point coincided with the epidural wearing off. Something your daddy was nice enough to figure out about an hour after it happened. Luckily, your daddy is a great advocate and he got them to fix that epidural quickly.
Finally, around 3:30pm, it really was time to push. The doctor from the morning had left and Dr. Colwill was the one who delivered you. She was so incredibly nice- talking me through it and asking us questions about our lives. Your daddy kept making jokes, telling me he loved me, and telling me I was beautiful. He was an excellent teammate during the whole process (minus texting everyone with updates about what was happening... I did not want to hear that text message beep anymore.) They kept saying that they saw your head, which made me think you were almost out... it was another 45 minutes or so before you were actually in my arms. I pushed when they told me to and when I could tell that you really were almost here, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to push anymore. It was about 3 more times and then you were really, truly, FINALLY out!
Now, I have watched a lot of "A Baby Story" in my life, and I usually get a little teary-eyed when I see the mother holding her baby for the first time. They're usually pretty emotional about it, too. When you came out, though, I was just so absolutely relieved that you were here and in my arms. All of that pushing is really tiring and I was just so happy that it was over, so I didn't cry. Sorry about that. I was also excited about meeting you in person and being able to hold you. My point is that there wasn't time for weepy emotions and I just wanted to hang out with you... I also wanted to eat Chicken McNuggets and drink a Diet Coke because I hadn't eaten in about 18 hours. Your grandparents were nice enough to get those and have them ready for me soon after you were born.
About 2 hours after you were born, the pediatrician came in and said that you were born with a temperature of 103 degrees. They had to put you on some antibiotics through an IV and it meant that you would have to stay in the hospital nursery for 2 days. This scared me a little, but I knew that you would be okay.
We hung out in the delivery room for a few more hours because I couldn't walk, then we went to spend the night in a recovery room. I got up to go to the bathroom around 4am and your daddy heard me, so he said, "Do you want to go and visit the baby in the nursery?' I said yes and thought it was adorable because he had never cared much about babies until he met you. When he met you, he was over-the-moon in love.
We heard a loud scream as we were walking down there and found out it was you. It turns out that you had just thrown up some bright green bile and they were afraid that there was something wrong with your small intestine. They were going to have to transfer you to the NICU at CHKD. This was more scary than the news from the night before and it was heartbreaking to see you in the little mobile crib that they use to transport babies between hospitals. I've never been in an ambulance and you went in one during the first 24 hours of your life. After you were taken there, they ran some tests and found out that you were going to be okay. They just had to keep you on the antibiotics for a few more days, which ended up being 5 days and we were finally able to bring you home 6 days after you were born.
So there's your birth story- it's kind of a long one and more dramatic than I expected it to be. Hopefully the drama thing isn't something that continues throughout your life. Unless it leads you to becoming a famous actor and supporting your father and me in the manner in which we'd like to become accustomed.
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