Averey is 2!!

I just got back from Pennsylvania and I will post about that whole experience in my next post. Even though I have a post about celebrating Averey's birthday, today is her actual day of birth. This is about Averey.

I had the best pregnancy with Averey (I was very sick a lot of my pregnancy with Delaney), which was really nice, since Delaney was only 6 months old when I got pregnant. I absolutely LOVE being pregnant. I know so many women complain about being pregnant, but I loved it. I loved having a life growing inside of me, and I was always so thankful I was able to be pregnant. It really is a gift. I loved laying in bed at night playing with Averey in my tummy. I would poke an area and then she would kick back. It was so amazing to me. When I was pregnant with Delaney, I knew she would be a really content, easy baby and she was. With Averey I knew early on in my pregnancy that she was going to be a spitfire, and I voiced that she is going to be how my brother, Paul was as a baby, and she has been all that and more.

Her Birth Story: With Delaney, I was induced 2 weeks after my due date, so I was kind of expecting the same thing with Averey. However, on March 9th, when I went in for my appt. in the morning I was already 3-4 cm dilated. I had been having contractions for a few days, but they were not that bad. Well that night around 10 p.m. I was having stomach cramping off and on. I was still trying to sleep, thinking maybe it was false labor (b/c several times with Delaney I was up in the middle of the night with pretty consistent contractions  for 2 hours and then they would stop). I eventually got up b/c it was getting too uncomfortable. I started cleaning. At about 12:45 a.m. the contractions were about 4 minutes apart. About an hour later I called the hospital and they told me to come in. I had wanted to take Delaney to my mom and dads house, but they said have someone come over if you can and to get here soon. My wonderful mother-in-law came over. I got to the hospital at 2:15 and was monitored until 3:15. At that time the resident came in and to check me. I remembering looking at his hands (they were gigantic) and asking the nurse is he going to check me, and she's like I can if you really want me to. He checked me and said I was about 4 cm and around 60% effaced and to walk around for an hour. So Grant and I walked all around the empty hospital for an hour. When I got back at 4:15, the contractions were definitely stronger. The chief resident checked me at this time and said I was 6 cm an 90% effaced. They sent me over to L/D, where I was rocking in a wooden rocking chair. The rocking motion felt good during contractions. I felt at this point, I was managing the pain fine. My midwife got in at 4:30 am and checked me (so 15 minutes later). I was 8cm dilated and 90% effaced. At this point she broke my water. Now this is where it got very intense. In my mind, I had made it this far and I was going to go all drug free. I got in the jacuzzi right away and the transition phase of labor was extremely painful of course. My midwife was amazing - she was with me the whole time talking to me so calmly. I got out at 5:15 and made my way over to a birthing chair. It is like a little stool on the ground you sit on (kind of like a toilet with no water :)). I was fully dilated. I pushed for 20 minutes and then out came Averey on March 10th-7lbs 3 oz and 18.5 inches. It was amazing - the whole experience. I felt so good having no epidural and no pain meds. Here comes TMI: The worst part of the whole experience for me was the stitches. I could feel it all. However, I never needed any meds or ibuprofen during or after birth. I really had very little pain postpartum . I felt so great afterwards. I had so much energy and was like I can understand how women can give birth in a rice field and get right back to working b/c it really had felt like I had not gave birth. I loved the whole process and I was so thankful to the Lord for the way it went.

Averey was so beautiful, just like her sister. I was so excited to have 2 healthy baby girls so close in age. I always wanted to have lots of girls. Averey has always been a mama's girl. The first night Averey cried all night. She cried more in her first 24 hours than Delaney had cried in the first 15 months of her life. Averey cried a lot and had very bad reflux. At 2 1/2 weeks I removed milk and soy from my diet. It did help quite a bit, however she still cried a lot, had terrible reflux, and tummy aches. She never slept good, in fact she has just started sleeping through the night in the last month. Praise the Lord! (Delaney started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks). She was a baby for what seemed like such a short time. She was getting anywhere in a room at not even 5 months by scooting or rolling, at 5 1/2 months she was crawling everywhere. At 7 1/2 months, she took her first 10 steps by herself. By 8 months, she was walking everywhere on her own. She is extremely strong-willed and stubborn. She has always tried to keep up with her sister. Averey is also a very loving, sweet girl. She tells us, "I love you" all the time. She gives us the sweetest kisses and hugs. She loves her dollys and loves books. She loves to play "baby".

We are so thankful for our sweet Averey girl and celebrating her 2 years. She brings so much spice and joy to our lives. She keeps us constantly on our toes (she is constantly doing something or getting into something she shouldn't). I love to watch Delaney and Averey playing with each other and taking care of each other. Averey makes us laugh constantly. I am so thankful that I get to be Delaney and Averey's mama. The Lord is so good to me, and I am constantly blessed by Him.