Olivia's Newborn Pictures

It's hard to believe Ms. Olivia Grace has already been with us for 3 weeks now - it seems like she was just born yesterday. A friend told us to enjoy every moment since the days and nights seem long, but the months and years go by quickly and I couldn't agree more. The past few weeks have been a blur, and most days and nights seem to blend together, but our hearts have never been so full. It's crazy to see how much Olivia has already changed over the past few weeks when looking at her newborn pictures - I guess they really do grow up fast!

Olivia Grace Marquez: A Birth Story

On Wednesday night, August 13th, I crawled into bed as gracefully as a 39 week pregnant lady can and started feeling sharp, strong contractions, but tried to ignore them since they were few and far apart. After an hour of pacing around the house to help cope with the pain, I decided to wake Hector up to help time the contractions. My contractions were all over the place, some 10-15 minutes apart, others 3-5 minutes apart. I was feeling really discouraged since I was in so much pain, but my contractions weren't close enough together to head to the hospital so I asked Hector for a blessing. Immediately after the blessing I knew baby girl was coming so I quickly put on make up and fixed my hair before we hit the road.

We checked into the hospital just shortly after 1am and a nurse confirmed that I was in labor and dilated 5cm. I was hooked up to an IV and the nurses alerted my doctor and the anesthesiologist. An hour after checking into the hospital I got an epidural and it was the best thing ever. Hector would watch the monitor and tell me when I was having a contraction and I would just smile and say I couldn't feel a thing while munching on ice chips.

Around 5am I heard a funny sound on the monitor, then felt a warm liquid trickling down my legs. I called my nurse and told her I thought my water had broke - she tested it and sure enough it tested positive for amniotic fluid. After being checked a few more times, a new nurse came in and told me it was time to start pushing. I dispensed some more pain medication into my IV just for good measure and then started pushing. I don't know how many times I offered up silent prayers while pushing, asking for strength and that baby girl would arrive healthy. After an exhausting 1.5 hours of pushing, the nurse told me she could see the baby's head and to hold off on pushing until the doctor arrived. Once the doctor arrived he told us we would have a baby in the next 15 minutes and Hector and I just looked at each other in disbelief - this was it.

After my doctor gave me an episiotomy, I pushed a few more times and baby girl entered this world at 9:41am on Thursday 8/14/2014 weighing in at 7 lb 5 oz and 20.5 inches long. It was the strangest/coolest sensation feeling the baby slide out. I had brought a precious human being into this world. They set baby girl on my chest and Hector and I started crying - suddenly all of the hardships of pregnancy were a distant memory. I got to watch Hector cut the umbilical cord then the nurses took her away to be cleaned and measured while I was getting stitched up. After what felt like an eternity, they handed her to me for skin to skin time and it was an amazing moment being able to hold my little girl for the first time. I have never felt so much love in my entire life - for the baby and for Hector - it just doesn't get better than that. We were finally a family of three.

39 Weeks

At 39 weeks I am dilated 2.5 cm and 80% effaced and baby girl is in the 6-7 lb. weight range. My doctor stripped my membranes again this morning and is hopeful that baby will come this week, but I keep telling myself that baby girl will be a week late so I don't get my hopes up too much. The itchy rash on my body is finally disappearing and I feel like a new person! Honestly, the rash was hardest part of this pregnancy for me since there was nothing I could do about it and was getting zero sleep at night and had to take freezing cold showers to help with the itching.

Last night my sister and I went out to dinner then headed to the Freshly Picked warehouse sale for our last girl's night out sans baby. We had to wait outside in the rain for 30 minutes before we could get into the warehouse, but it was so worth it since the moccasins were half price and I also bought some adorable headbands for really cheap! After our mini shopping spree we headed to Swig and treated ourselves to sugar cookies and dirty Diet Cokes. It was a really fun night and feels surreal to think about the next time I hang out with my sister I will be a mama and have a baby in tow!

love is spoken here

dear baby m -

 

your nursery is ready for you whenever you decide to make your grand entrance into this world. we hope you love it as much as we do!

 

love -

 

your overly anxious, eager parents

 

 

 

38 Weeks

With just 10 days left until my due date I am still dilated 1.5 cm, 80% effaced, and baby girl is weighing in at approximately 6 lbs. My doctor stripped my membranes yesterday morning to try and jumpstart labor, but still no sign of baby. The last week has been so hard since my whole body is covered in an itchy rash and heartburn is at an all time high. There have been a lot of tears shed over the past few days and poor Hector is probably just as anxious as I am for me to not be pregnant anymore! I've tried really hard to remain positive throughout this whole pregnancy journey since I know so many couples struggle with infertility and I don't want to take this experience for granted, but these past couple of weeks have been so trying!

On a more positive note, the Sales Team at work threw a going away party for me today and it was so fun. We grilled up some steaks and chicken and chatted the afternoon away over good food. At the end of the barbeque I received gift cards to Target and The Cheesecake Factory along with a personalized BlenderBottle. I've been so blessed to work with such an amazing, supportive group of people!

Ready to Pop

Yesterday my sweet neighbor hosted a baby shower for me and invited all of the ladies from the ward. There was a build your own parfait bar complete with yummy pastries from Kneaders and the cutest party favors for the guests. Since we are fairly new to the area, it was a great way to get to know all of the ladies from church and make friends. Multiple women have already volunteered to make meals and come help out around the house as soon as baby girl is born. Hector and I are so blessed to have moved into such a great, supportive ward.

37 Weeks

At 37 weeks I am dilated 1.5 cm and 80% effaced. My belly didn't grow from last week so my doctor thinks baby girl is still around 6 lbs. On Sunday night I developed a small rash on my lower belly and it is SO itchy. I asked my doctor about it and he said it was just a reaction to my skin stretching out and that it should go away shortly - fingers crossed. I feel like my body has really decided to go out with a bang during these last few weeks of pregnancy with all of the heartburn, swelling, and rashes going on.

My nesting instincts are currently in full swing and I've finally decided to tackle baby girl's room and make it look more like a nursery and less like a plain room with a crib and rocking chair. I've been pinning away furiously on Pinterest and our house has turned into a Martha Stewart sweat shop.

On Monday while booking our plane tickets to California for Christmas, the website prompted us to enter in baby girl's name and DOB. Trust me United, I wish I knew. Hector thinks baby girl will be born on 8/15 and I think she'll be born on 8/21. For once, I hope Hector wins this bet! After all, the reward will be a sweet little girl!

36 Weeks

At 36 weeks I am dilated to 1 cm, 70% effaced and baby girl is approximately 6 lbs. and head down. My doctor things she might come early which would be a dream. My original due date was 8/11 so I'm hoping baby girl comes anytime between then and my current due date of 8/18 and not a day later! It's crazy to think that next Monday I will be considered full term. Sometimes it feels like I've been pregnant forever, but now that the end is in sight I feel like it's flown by. Hector and I are so anxious to become a family of three and snuggle with our sweet little girl.

Yesterday the first set of Etsy goodies for baby girl arrived at our front doorstep. I think I have a serious online shopping addiction when it comes to all things baby. Seriously though, headbands, hair bows, leggings, and moccasins get me every time. It's time to brush up on my sewing skills since it would be so simple to make most of these items and every time Hector and I visit his family in LA we stop by the fashion district and I drool over all of the fabric. I found the most beautiful blessing gown for baby girl over the weekend, but the asking price was a little high so I sent the picture to my mom and she is going to make it for me. It will be so special to have a blessing gown made by my sweet mom for our little girl that can be passed down the generations as a family heirloom.

Baby girl, we love you so much already and can't wait to meet you. Please don't make us wait too much longer!

Work Baby Shower

Last week all of the girls at the office were kind enough to throw a baby shower for me at work and it was so fun! There was tons of yummy food to eat (every pregnant girl's dream) and I received lots of great new mama advice and name suggestions. Everyone was extremely generous and gave such thoughtful gifts including a pack n' play. Yes, one less thing to buy! I will definitely miss all of the friendships I've made at BlenderBottle once I leave work behind to become a stay at home mama.   

35 Weeks

At 35 weeks baby girl is measuring a week ahead and I am dilated 1 cm. The thought of giving birth isn't quite as daunting as it used to be since I am so over this whole pregnancy thing and just want to meet our sweet little girl and be able to hold her in my arms and play dress up with her! Hector and I preregistered at the hospital last week and took a tour of the women's center. Everything suddenly became so real when we got to the hospital - sometimes I forget we are actually having a baby and I just feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever. I recently developed some small stretch marks on my hips and was really disappointed, but was reminded by my sweet sister that I am growing a miracle and that a child is worth every last stretch mark and that I need to learn to embrace them. Even though my doctor told me there is nothing I can do to prevent stretch marks if it's in my genetic makeup, I've been in denial and slather my belly and hips twice a day with Palmer's Cocoa Butter, Bio Oil, and Strivectin. Who knows, maybe all of those products will help lessen the appearance of stretch marks - a girl's allowed to dream right? J Baby girl has really started to put the pressure on my bladder and last night I woke up to go to the bathroom 6 different times. I try to drink as much water during the morning/afternoon and taper off my water intake towards night time, but I always get so thirsty right before bed. I keep telling myself that this is great practice for getting up in the middle of the night to feed baby girl. I've resorted to wearing skirts and dresses almost every day since I haven't bought any maternity pants and it's getting really hard to squeeze into my old pants and not to mention extremely uncomfortable. Next time around I will be embracing maternity pants from the get go.The hospital bags have been packed and are sitting in the nursery ready to go. The only things left to do (besides give birth!!!) are install the car seat, deep clean the house, prepare some freezer meals, and agree on a name. Only 5 weeks left to go - let the countdown begin!