April 19, 2011

It was a beautiful day in Texas.... the 16th anniversary of the OKC Bombing (both me and mr. fix-it are from OK and April 19th is one of those "I know where I was" days)...  2 weeks before she was due... the day we met the Tiebreaker.   (Yea for making a comeback to blogging - I promise I have lots to talk about besides the newest addition, but... while I sit with her on the couch - she's sleeping and smiling those newborn smiles in her sleep! - I just want to catch y'all up and share some pics!)

mr. fix-it snapped this picture of me right before we left for the hospital for my 3rd csection. 

We did so many things differently this time.  We didn't find out the gender (we had with the big kids). 

And we picked a name before the birth day.  That was huge for us!  I still haven't decided what we'll call her on the blog (I'm throwing around a few ideas... like Punkin, which is sooo cute when her brother calls her that... or Sugar, which is what I call her.  TBD!) 

But I will share with you what the Tiebreaker's name would have been... if she would have been a he.  Max Edmund.  We went with family names (another first!) for both the boy and girl middle name choices. 

Here I am, with the hats I had made (from Etsy seller Brownies N Butterflies) for either occasion!

When my dear doctor called out, "It's a GIRL!" I just couldn't believe it!  I hadn't been able to feel one way or another the entire pregnancy... but even on the day she was born, her heartrate was around 110... and both Sissy and Gman had gone by the unofficial rule that girls had higher heartrates (Sissy's was usually in the 170s), boys lower (Gman's was usually around 120-140).

An even bigger shock... her size! She was significantly my SMALLEST baby, weighing in at only 6lbs, 10 oz. And at 18 1/2 inches, she was a good 2 inches shorter than her (consistently 90-100%tile) siblings.

As soon as Daddy shaded her eyes in the OR... she opened them!

It's amazing how all 3 trips to the OR were so special in their own ways - and completely different!  Waiting to find out the gender was SO INTENSE.  I was a complete bundle of nerves that morning, more than ever!  Waiting to hear.... is the most special surprise, like every Christmas rolled into one.  Amazing!

My first chance to hold her....

And the big kids come to meet her!  (That's mr. fix-it's mom, holding Gman.  What a lifesaver she was!)

You can see just how excited Sissy was.  No one had told her if it was a brother or sister until she walked in that room.  She was in love, instantly!

And she's so good with her... holds her so carefully.  This was the first time...

And then... on Good Friday... we got to come home.  And we tried - for the first time - to get a picture of all 5 of us.  Note that there's only FOUR people in this picture.  Someone wasn't cooperating.

So daddy tried to hold him.  Still not working.

He wanted mommy.  So he's holding my hand.  But only time (lotsa time!) will erase the look on a child's face after they've had a complete meltdown.  So.. this is what we got.  It's not the perfect picture I was hoping for... but it's real. ;)

And these days... look fairly similar to this first full day home.  Two sisters... relaxing and enjoying life.  And each other.  :)