I'm BACK!

Actually, I’ve been back for a week now. And I apologize for not writing sooner. Getting back to my blog with so much time passed has been somewhat daunting. It’s like calling an old friend who you haven’t spoken with in months. You want to call. But there’s so much to catch up on. You know you’ve got to block off several hours of time that you just don’t have. And where do you even begin?

Okay, now that I’ve taken the first step, where were we? Ah yes, me pregnant, on bed rest and miserable. I remember now.

Well, a lot’s changed since then and I’m excited to tell you all about it. The beginning seems like the only logical place to start, so I’ll begin with the second week of November (when Isabella was born) and catch you up to speed since then. I can’t promise to remember everything… I lost a lot of sleep in those first few weeks.

I’ll spare you all the gory details (unless you want them, if you do, send me an email or give me a call and I’ll be happy to tell you all about it!), but I gave birth naturally…well, not naturally, but with an epidural and without a c-section, at 6pm on Monday, November 10th, 2008.

Labor was intense, but definitely not the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. It was a powerful experience; I felt powerful, like Superwoman (though I can assure you that I looked nothing like her doing it!). I was calmer in labor than I am at a deadline (and most other days for that matter). I didn’t want a back rub, a kind word, or even a hand to hold. Staying focused was the only thing I could remember from childbirth class and really the only thing that kept me going. Per my request (I’m putting that lightly, my DEMAND), my husband was the only non-medical person in the room when our daughter came into this world (though I now know that my mom and step mom snuck onto the delivery hall and heard her first cry with their ears against the door).

Seeing Isabella for the first time was more incredible than I could have ever imagined and more meaningful than I have the words to describe. I had no idea what she’d look like, but once I saw her, she looked exactly as she should. Though I’d never seen her face before, it was so familiar to me, like I’d known her my whole life.

Well, we go to press with February’s magazine tomorrow. So, that’s all the time I have to catch up today. Ta-ta for now, old friend. I’ll write soon. Until then, here’s a few pics of Isabella’s birthday!