Our little gem

So I know that a lot of people are waiting for the news on Baby Spoon's birth. Momma Spoon went into active labor Sunday, hitting some powerful contractions in the early afternoon. We had tried a relaxing bath to take her mind off of the contractions, but her water broke after the bath. We blame Daddy Spoon's friend Eric. He posted a SNL 'Celebrity Jeopardy' skit, and the laughter is probably what did Momma in. (But no worries, Eric. We won't send our people after you)

It was about 4 pm when we arrived at the hospital. I totally wanted to speed as fast as could be down the interstate, but decided that Baby Spoon's birth-story didn't need any police chases involved in it. (I would've let them follow me straight to the hospital though. No joke) We drove calmly and arrived with Grandma Spoon at the hospital, where we were taken to a nice delivery room while Grandma waited outside. Momma was already dilated at 7 cm when we arrived in the delivery room. So from there we began to play the waiting game for her to reach 10 cm and begin the hard part of active labor. (and yes, Momma Spoon did receive an epidural, which helped to slow things down and reduce her pain)

The active labor began after midnight, about 1:30 am. A nurse helped Mommy Spoon through the process over a period of four hours. When no progress was made, the nurse brought in our doctor and later the OBGYN on duty also arrived to assess the birth. The doctors both recommended a C-section for several reasons, a few of which that Baby Spoon's tiny little head was probably getting bruised and Mommy was running out of energy. After a private discussion, we agreed to go through with the surgery.

After the doctors wheeled Momma away for some anesthesia, I was brought in to one of the surgery rooms to help comfort Mommy Spoon while the doctors worked. It was eerie to watch. There were a few moments when I had to focus on Mommy, not the doctors, because I was getting queasy from seeing the surgery occur. (Something else that helped me out was having my camera in hand. I shot a ton of photos) At 7:13 am -on the same day as her Auntie Nadia's birthday- the doctors brought out our little gem. Ophelia Patricia Allison Leonhardt weighed 9.96 pounds, was 21 inches long, has blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair. (She also has very healthy lungs. Her feisty temperament is best expressed by the healthy crying she does to voice her disapproval of any and most things that are cold. Takes after her mother with that one)

Between shooting pics of my new daughter, cutting off a piece of the remaining umbilical cord and comforting Mommy Spoon during the finishing parts of the surgery, the doctors were able to put Mommy back together. I got to hold my daughter for the 30 mins that the final part of the surgery took. (Win!) The entire delivery team was amazed at the size of our daughter, and the anesthesiologist thought she was the size of a toddler, not a newborn. Since the surgery was difficult and painful for Mommy Spoon, she was given a cocktail of at least 6 different painkillers. So we waited in a post-op recovery room after the surgery and delivery for most of them to pass through her system.

It took most of yesterday for those drugs to work through her system. After we recovered from the post-op, Mommy, Baby and I were moved to a new room to bond as a family. Grandma was finally able to meet her first grandchild, and both us tired parents were able to rest from the long night's effort. While the nurses made sure Mommy Spoon wasn't feeling any pain from the surgery, I had the heavy work of comforting Baby Spoon while she was fussy, changing diapers, notifying family about the fantastic news (my brother Matt who previously had had the heaviest baby -at 8.4 pounds- had a moment of jealousy when he heard about Opal's weight) and even washing her when bath time came around. Plus the horrible duty of taking photos. ; )

Today we have been resting and catching up on our sleep. (Kinda crazy how we felt after being awake for almost three days after a delivery like the one we had) Everyone in the extended Spoon family has been excited for us and amazed at our Baby Spoon. The doctors and nurses have been focusing on Mommy Spoon's recovery and helping Baby Spoon to nurse. Her blood sugar level was low yesterday, and we had to feed her some formula to boost the BSL -which made her picky about the lunch Mommy was packing. Since figuring out the trick, Baby Spoon has been very good about nursing. She also does a good job at making faces and filling her diapers for Daddy to change. (While holding her after changing a diaper, I felt something pop and thought she had immediately filled another. Her messy diapers are epic. So I ran to check her new diaper while Mommy laughed at me. It hurt her to laugh about that) WE COULDN'T BE HAPPIER. We are well pleased with our fantastic baby girl. Our gem. -Daddy Spoon

Those three words

Well, it's time to say those three magical words everyone has been waiting to hear:

Off we go!!!

Wish us luck, keep a prayer going for us. -Daddy Spoon

The waiting game is the worst!

Well, everyone, Mommy Spoon is having contractions every 20-30 minutes at this point. It looks like we're going to go to the hospital sometime this afternoon. We've done about all we can think to do at this point. Being active, walking, relaxing, all of it. Now we face the waiting game.

I'd make another pop culture reference -or first-letter in the paragraph acronym- for this post, but right now I can't think of any. Try and find some of the acronyms I've already done, they're really fun to find. Well, I did make one for this post. It's my thoughts on reaching the finish line.

Now, though, is the time to get off this computer and take care of Mommy Spoon. Wish us luck, keep us in your prayers! -Daddy Spoon

Belly grins

One of the photos that I wanted to take very badly before Baby Spoon made her debut was a cute shot of me and the baby belly. I had seen it in a parenting magazine and really liked the image. After we finished our garage sale bargaining with Mommy Spoon's friend yesterday, she was nice enough to take a few pics for us.

Here they are! -Daddy Spoon

Both Mommy Spoon and I have different takes on which of these two pics is better. I like the one above, her the one below. You can enjoy both!
Aha! I know that you're in there, little one. When will you come out to play games with Daddy Spoon?
Belly grins, Daddy grins, everyone grins. It sounds like a Dr. Suess book, lol.
Yes, we do have a great thing going on. And it will all become even greater after tomorrow!

Daddy Spoon is a silly Daddy

Hee hee hee, I pulled a fast one on Daddy Spoon last night. Mommy Spoon was having some big contractions and both she and Daddy thought that I would make my debut last night. So Daddy stayed awake til 3 am waiting for Mommy to tell him that we would be going to the hospital. And that's where I got Daddy! Hee hee hee, Mommy and I were sleeping pretty good by then and Daddy stayed up for no real reason at all.

I'm such a stinker. Hee hee hee!

Tonight, tonight

Though one of my favorite songs -and I don't want to get anyone's hopes raised prematurely- tonight, tonight may be the night. Mommy Spoon is having some big contractions tonight. "The impossible is possible tonight," as the song goes... 

Most definitely! We may become parents of a magical, wonderful Baby Spoon tonight. What a blessing indeed.

If so, we'll be posting pics after things calm down. If not, tomorrow I'll be posting some lovely pics taken earlier today. Either way, there will be photos! -Daddy Spoon

Exciting news!

We did some very exciting things today. Mommy Spoon had some contractions this morning. I don't know what those are about. It feels like someone is rocking the boat. I can't figure out what to do when that happens, but I'm sure I'll get some inspiration soon. I'm one smart cookie.

Another thing that we did this morning was to go with one of Mommy Spoon's friends on a huge garage sale hunt. It happens once a year in a very posh area of town. It is the place to go to find some good deals. And find good deals we did! Daddy Spoon bought a nice bike for $10, while he and Mommy found a brand-new pack-n-play for $35. We also got a play gym for cheap too. I'm decked out, folks! Stylin' and profilin' as Mommy Spoon says. Hee hee hee. Even Mommy Spoon's friend found some good deals. Everyone was happy.

If you ask me, I think Daddy Spoon is happier about the pack-n-play than the bicycle. He wants to take me camping now! Eeep! I don't know if I'll like that. Who knows though? It could be very cool. I'll have to find out for myself. Hee hee hee!

Tonight was an easy, relaxed night. I tried to be as well-behaved as possible. Mommy Spoon rewarded me with some ice cream from DQ. I like ice cream! MMMMMMMMM, tasty. But I do confess the only time I made a fuss was when Daddy and Mommy were kissing. I gave a polite little kick to remind them to cut out that nonsense. I can see it, ya know! Good behaviour can only last so long, gosh!