First Day Out

Kevin and I had a wedding to attend to today in Columbia. Seeing it was an outdoor wedding, I knew that it would probably be wise to leave the baby with his Nana and Papa. To be honest, I'd almost considered not attending the wedding at all, but after a few days thought, decided to just grin and bear it.

You see, this is my first time to be away from Gabriel, and I wasn't quite sure how I would take it. Now, don't misunderstand me. I completely trust my in-laws. What I didn't trust is how I would handle not being around my son. I packed his bags, instructed his Nana on the feeding instructions, stifled my tears, and kissed my sleeping son good-bye.

All throughout the wedding and reception, all I could think about was him. I tried not to spend the entire day talking about the baby, since this was the first day out with Kevin in quite awhile. Instead, I tried to focus on conversations that we would have had pre-baby. Still, my mind continued to drift back to Gabriel.

Well, I've survived being without him for 7 hours. Pretty good, if you ask me. Now, we're finally back in our home, with him sleeping soundly in our bedroom. You know, once upon a time, I couldn't understand how any woman would want to be completely dependent and become a stay at home mom. Now I can almost understand. Almost...

It's gonna be interesting trying to get back to work.

Visit From the Siblings!

rb
Originally uploaded by xosunnydaysxo.

For President's Day weekend, my brother, his wife, and my sister all visited from Orlando. I was pretty excited for them to meet their new nephew for the first time.

Another reason for their visit, was to celebrate Erick's mother-in-law's birthday. I really didn't think I would be able to go, since feeding the baby in public is a little...uh...
awkward?! But luckily, I decided to introduce his first bottle the night prior to the dinner celebration.

We went out to RB's at Shem Creek. It's been probably almost 10 years since I've eaten there, but I assured Erick that from what I could remember, the food was good (I hoped my memory hadn't failed me). The dinner started out on the wrong foot because of hostessing problems, but the food more than made up for the long wait-thankfully.

Gabriel stayed asleep the entire time; that is, until my plate was set down in front of me--of course. But, my dear dear brother was gracious enough to feed me while I had my hands full feeding the baby. Hey, that's what family is for...LOL

I had hoped to see and spend lunch with the family at my parents the next afternoon, but unfortunately, Gabriel had kept me up most of the night demanding to be fed every hour. Needless to say, I was completely zonked by morning time and unable to make lunch and bid my good-byes.

It was good to see family again. I hope that I can get Gabriel on a schedule here soon, because I think I would enjoy traveling with the baby. Of course, taking some trips without him might be good too...eventually.

So, What Happens If I Don't See My Shadow?

Groundhog Baby
Originally uploaded by xosunnydaysxo.

I took bets on when Gabriel would make his big entry, and Anna's husband jokingly guessed February 2nd, Groundhog's Day...

While in the delivery suite, I paused between contractions, thought, and then asked, "Wait a minute. Is today Groundhog's Day?" Sure enough on the T.V. screen, CNN had a story on the groundhog making its appearance that day. The seriousness of the delivery was lightened as we all broke out into a laughter!

Happy Birthday, Gabriel!!

Happy Birthday, Gabriel!!
Originally uploaded by xosunnydaysxo.

My, my, my...Gabriel has celebrated his birthday! I went into labor early Thursday morning at 2 a.m. and was admitted to the hospital right away by 3 a.m. I almost mistook my contractions for a stomach ache, but soon realized something else was up.

At 12:14 p.m. Gabriel Shawn Marshall was born 7 lbs even, and 18" (what a shorty!). Even better, he was 9 days early!! Woo-hoo!! I guess I didn't need that last sonogram after all!

It's Sunday morning at 7:22 and the baby is still sleeping. This has been the first chance I've gotten to post some pictures of him--sorry! I can't say that I've been sleeping much, but we're working on getting acquainted with each other and figuring out a schedule. Who would have ever thought I'd be up this early on a weekend? :)

My apologies for being out of touch with everyone. I'm sure you all can understand, though. I promise to send pictures very soon, once I can figure out how to make every minute in a day efficient! So much to learn!

Just Ignore Me

Kevin and I were supposed to have our last sonogram today. It seems that somebody had scheduled something wrong, and forgot to schedule it all. I felt bad because Kevin had turned down a fishing trip to be able to see the baby, and changed his work schedule around.

Front Desk: We'll have to reschedule this for next week. There's no way we can fit you in today. Does it matter what day?

Me: No. (Looking over to Kevin) Does it matter what day for you?

Kevin: No. Just pick whatever day.

Front Desk: Okay. How about Monday at 8 a.m? But, you'll have an hour in between before you can see your midwife. Is that okay?

Me: (Looking over to Kevin) Is that okay for you?

Kevin: (Huffing) Whatever. Just schedule whatever.

Me: (Starting to cry) I'm just trying to make it convenient for you!

Kevin: (Looking puzzled) Why are you crying?!

Me: (Crying worse)



Fucking hormones.

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

kickbox
Originally uploaded by xosunnydaysxo.

Well, today was my last day teaching kickboxing. Seeing that I'm due in 11 days, I figured that I held out as long as I possibly could, and deserved to kick back a little and enjoy as much quiet time as possible while I still can.

At first I was excited about not teaching anymore, but I was surprised at how well the turnout was for my last class. I found myself more energetic than I thought I would be, and even tried to do a little floor work and bag work with them. Then, at the end of cool-down, I said my thank-you's and good-byes. One of my students even had a baby present for me.

*Sigh* I don't know if I'll return to teaching. I plan on concentrating on my new career once I finish with my maternity leave. I guess after 4 years, it's time to focus my energy on more "profitable" endeavors. Onward!