Ava's birth story is anything but lengthy since she came faster than I could have ever imagined. On July 11, at about 9pm I started to have some contractions but thought they were likely Braxton Hicks since I'd been having those at night off and on. They were short and consistent but not painful so I decided to go to bed. I ended up waking up almost every hour to go to the bathroom and noticed the contractions were still coming, but again they weren't painful so I'd go back to bed. At about 2am I could tell they were getting stronger but I could still breathe through them. I texted Karl since he was at work to tell him what was going on, but I still wasn't sure if it was the real deal or if my body was playing tricks on me. Since I didn't go in to a traditional labor scenario with Giuliana I wasn't exactly sure when true labor was really happening. Karl said he would wrap up work and head home so I decided to take a shower, wash my hair, and begin packing a few things. He didn't get home until about 3:15 and I was still blow drying my hair and doing my makeup when my water started to break and fluid was flowing. At that moment I knew it was going down and from then on the contractions got significantly more painful. I called my mom to come over and stay with G and she arrived at 3:50am. By this time I went from breathing through contractions to barely being able to move. The pain was unreal and contractions were coming so fast at this point I could barely catch my breath. We were already in the car when my mom pulled up and sped off as soon as we saw her. I don't even know how fast we drove or how many red lights we went through but I didn't care. I was so thankful it was the middle of the night and no one was on the road because had there been, we would have had a baby on the side of the road. Also, it was amazing that the hospital was close.
We parked right out front of the hospital, grabbed a wheel chair and Karl ran me through the hospital to labor and delivery where we woke up the sleeping receptionist. The triage nurses took me to an evaluation room but I knew something was happening. I tried to go to the bathroom but sure enough the rest of my water/fluid started to come out and I felt the urge to push. I don't think they were prepared for us! They checked me quickly and said I was fully dilated and ready to go. OMG. I mean, by the amount of pain I was in I figured I was close. I was begging for an epidural but they said I was probably just going to have the baby and I was not happy to hear that. I would have taken any relief at that point! But, we got to the delivery room and immediately started pushing. A few contractions and a lot of screams later, Ava was born at 4:10am, a full 20 minutes from the time we left the house. It. Was. Crazy. Everything happened so fast but before we knew it, she was here and all we could do was look at her and at each other and laugh that this really just happened. We couldn't believe it. Our family grew by one and our hearts doubled in size.
The last few months of pregnancy were long, long, long! Growing a human while working and chasing after an energetic toddler is no joke. I was lucky enough not to hit the big heat wave of the summer but it was definitely warming up there towards the end. I had another healthy pregnancy and the fastest delivery I could have ever imagined. And the minute I saw her face I fell in love all over again. Ava is the perfect addition to complete our family and we are all so excited to have her here. Giuliana has been such a great big sister and so eager to help with anything and everything--from singing her songs, washing bottles and helping to burp and rub her back. It is the sweetest! Initially I was worried how the age difference would affect them, but right now I am grateful that Giuliana is a little bit older, very independent, and most of all able to help us out! I hope that they continue to stay close and she wants to be a part of everything since it will be an adjustment for us all for a while.
It seems like Ava's been with us longer than 3 weeks but also like we just brought her home. We've been getting settled and trying to find a routine (if there is such a thing!) and dealing with a little bit of colic and gas. Other than that, she's been sleeping well and is a little snuggle bug that loves to be held. I'm looking forward to being home with them for the next couple of months and getting used to our life as a family of four!
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