The Last Friday

I think this October the 16th was just as busy as last year's. Settle in, I have a tale to tell...

Last October 16th was my first day of maternity leave. I started it off by getting up early and getting ready like I would if I was going to work. Instead of piling in the car and heading off to Fort Worth, though, I started cleaning! Now, some may say I cleaned like a madwoman because I was nesting, but honestly, it was just because it was my first day off and I had a lot on my to-do list. I never felt a 'need' to clean during my pregnancy.

I did floors, bathrooms, laundry, dishes, and blinds, then I went out and grocery shopped, took the dog to be groomed, got my oil changed, and got my tires rotated and balanced. Then I came home and made dinner and the elements to a Boston creme pie.

Towards the end of the day, my lower back started hurting, and I just credited it with all the housework I had been doing, and moved on. Hmmm....

After dinner, Kyle and I relaxed for a bit, then he went upstairs to the Man Cave and I hopped in the shower. As I dried my hair, my water broke. I remember telling Kyle, and him looking at me like I had just told him I had decided to move to Mars and become an eggplant. We hung out in the bedroom for about 30 or 45 minutes, attempting to measure contractions and trying to decide if we should go to the hospital. We eventually pulled out a few of our books and read that when your water breaks, you should go, so we packed up and went. We decided not to call anyone yet, though, in case we were sent home.

I remember as we slowly walked through the parking lot in to L&D, someone coming out said over their shoulder, "Good luck!"

We were admitted at about 10pm, and after that, most of the night is a blur to me. I know that once we were settled in our room, Kyle called our parents. Some time later, they showed up, and apparently spent the rest of what was for everyone a week night and work night pacing the waiting room. I labored for about 9 hours with no pain meds, and at one point in time seriously thought I was talking to Hilliary Clinton, who was just on the TV in our room (I'm told all the blood leaves your head during labor... that's my excuse, anyway).

At 6:40am, Audrey Grace joined our family weighing 7lbs and 6oz. She was perfect in every way, and was so good-natured from the start that she didn't even cry coming out. Here are some pics from Audrey's Birth Day to remind you of how she started out:

Mimmy meets Audrey

Gramps and Audrey

Our little Burrito of Joy

Proud, tired Dada

Of course, this October 16th was a crazy one, too, but for a totally different reason! Audrey's last Friday was spent in preparation for her big day! From morning until after dark, I was cleaning and cooking, and Mimmy joined in at about 11am to help with the creation of the birthday cake and such, while Pappy entertained the soon-to-be Birthday Girl.

Audrey starts her day with some light reading

Audrey plays with Mimmy and Pappy

Now, get ready for this one, kids... while playing with Pappy, Audrey took her first wobbly steps! I caught her secondary and following steps on video (coming soon), but it was quite a way to celebrate her Last Friday.

Audrey enjoys some bites of puffed wheat

Pappy gives Audrey a pre-dinner shoulder ride

Mimmy calms the Beastie with a hypnotic tummy scratchin'