One Year Later...

This morning at 5:11 a.m. I was half way through the squat track during a Body Pump class at 24e thinking to myself:

I might not make it to the end of this...I think I added too much weight. My legs may give out. Is my quad supposed to burn like that? Oh man, I drank too much wine last night. And that bread pudding might not have been worth it.

Then I realized that exactly one year ago I was experiencing the worst pain of my life, followed by indescribable, surreal joy...followed up with more pain, then back to joy.

Barrett William Seal graced us with his presence at 5:11 a.m. on August 18, 2013. He was three weeks early, but fully developed and ready for the world. Mom and Dad were extremely naive and thought we were prepared. Needless to say, we have learned a lot in the past year and I am sure B has MUCH more to teach us.

B at two days old, still in the hospital.

I made it through the squat track and the rest of the workout because I kept thinking of the one, all-encompassing phrase that sums up the past year.

"This too shall pass."

From sleepless nights, endless feedings, seemingly pointless crying fits and miserable car rides, to runny noses and countless pediatrician visits...all the hard times dissolve into warm snuggle sessions, toothless grins, first words and baby laughter. The thing mom and dad have to remember is that all these times pass just as quickly as the others; being aware and present in the good and bad times is equally important. Knowing that B won't only eat beige food forever and will eventually stop teething is hard to comprehend in the moment. At the same time, while he is jabbering to himself, peacefully playing with his toys (or the remote) we have to take the time to adore the preciousness that is our sweet B.

Dad is seriously hysterical! 

"Ma, it's pizza...it's beige and I like it." - B

Parenting is hard. Harder than the squats I did this morning, fighting traffic, or managing challenges at work. Seeing his sweet face, hearing him mumble "ma-ma-ma," and even waking up in the middle of the night puts everything in to perspective.

Ready for Auburn Gameday!

Tidbit Tuesday: ChapStick

At 1:00 a.m. August 18, 2013 my water broke...evidently. I wasn't entirely sure it had even happened until my back pain started to cycle and I could barely stand up. The back pain turned out to be contractions and at 4:15 a.m. when we arrived at St. Vincent's Birmingham I was "complete"...i.e. about to have a baby, three weeks early, in less than an hour, sans pain medication. So at 5:11 a.m. we met B for the first time and our lives were forever changed.

But let's rewind to that 56 minute period from when we got to the hospital to when B arrived. Pain meds would have been lovely but I only needed two things - ChapStick and Dad. 

ChapStick was essential because out of nowhere my lips were dry as the Sahara. Dad did a great job of reapplying in between pushes. It was such a strange necessity I felt compelled to write to Pregnancy & Newborn when they requested submissions for suite essentials. 

Suite Essentials in the March 2014 issue of Pregnancy & Newborn.

And I couldn't have done it without Dad. He did a great job keeping me calm because he was calm. He stayed by my side as they wheeled me into the birthing suite, rearranged the bed into a table, pulled out the stirrups, and flipped on the high beams pointed directly at my...well, you get the point. When I started to push, with nurses on my left, Dad was on my right making sure I was breathing. When everything else was chaotic, I knew it would be OK because he was calm. We did it together - and no one even knew yet because it all happened so quickly.

Dad and sweet B hanging during our first days at home.

Dad making sure B is warm enough at his one month check up.