birth day...

Claire is now one years old! I can hardly believe the time has gone so fast, looking back. I wanted to share the birth story because I wasn't blogging yet when I had her and because it is mostly for Claire that I write, I wanted her to know her story before I forgot it.

Pregnancy was not an easy thing for me. I was barffy almost every day. So much so that I never WANT to be prego again (we'll see if that actually happens...ha ha). My sister Becky decided to get married on June 28 in Yellowstone National Park. My OBGYN was totally great about my going up there to share her special day. He always said that he was as good a doctor as any. So, I went! Nick and I researched the hospitals along the way in case Claire decided to come early.

Becky had a BEAUTIFUL! wedding. My whole family came and even my dear Aunt Dixie and her clan. It was great to meet Adam's family and get to know them a bit better (they live in Florida, so I'll assume we'll get to meet seldom). I did receive a lot of flack from all my extended family for deciding to go. "You really decided to come?!" was a common phrase. It became a joke and we decided that if Claire DID decide to come that we would name her "Tatonka" (you know, from Dances with Wolves...It means buffalo) Yellowstone Sorensen. Nick didn't love the idea, but I think I TOTALLY would have done it if she were to have been born there! What a great story! And I would have called her Toni (Well, I would have said it TAW-NEE).

But, she didn't...She waited for me to come home and have a few more days of sleepless days and nights, barfing...bleh.

July 4 came and went. The next day was a car show and you know that Nick has to go see the cars! So we went down and looked around for a few hours. In the heat. Worked like a charm. Later that night (at about 2am). I started feeling the contractions. It was a Sunday, so Nick was up early to get to Church meetings. I told him we were close and I would call him when I was ready.

We went in around 10am. I was dilated to a 6' and the doctor (who was not MY doctor, because he was not on call for this particular Sunday) broke my water and found it to be miconiumed. I waited and waited and waited. Finally when I was at an 8, I couldn't stand it anymore---especially because the nurse (and dang doctor) kept saying things like, pushing could take up to 2 hours, are you SURE you don't want an epidural. Grrr...So, I took one, and in the nick of time, too!

I pushed for about two hours (and I'm no dainty girl! I was pushing!) But she wasn't really coming. So, finally they noticed that her heart rate was going up around 200 (supposed to be about 90-120) every time I pushed, and she wasn't really progressing. They sent for the doctor. He cam in and noticed that she was posterior. He tried to turn her, but she wouldn't budget. They kept threatening to do a c section, but she would always start moving just enough to convince them to wait until the next contraction. I was so bugged too because they sent in eight nurses due to the miconium, the increased heart rate and the fact that she was posterior. i'm a "shy" (about my body, I know I'm not shy about much else!) girl so I kept telling them, "Could ya just leave!?" or "Stop looking at me!". Drugs and pain...what a wonderful way to make friends...

She was delivered at 7:15pm, after 3 1/2 hours of pushing! The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck a few times, which is why the doctor couldn't turn her and why she was posterior and couldn't be turned. She popped out at 7 lbs 5.9 oz, 21 1/2 inches long. Her ratings (that I never remember the name of) were an 8 and a 9. She she was great that way...

Nick and I got a few pictures with our beautiful, naked, sticky girl and then she was whisked away. They were worried about her lungs.

They stuck her in the NICU for a week, monitoring her pneumonia from the inhalation of miconium. This really wasn't too scary. Nick kept everything in perspective. The hardest part for me was the feedings in a foreign place with so many dang people trying to help me learn how to nurse. It was another 'shy' moment for me and I had to share it with like 15 nurses! I also didn't love the fact that nurses were telling me what to do! GR! Already being an emotional wreck from all the hormones only added to the flame and I was easily offended by all of the nurses. Sigh...what do you do? I've decided I could never be a NICU nurse because I hated all the ones Claire had (but one...) and i would hate to stick a baby so many times with those dang IV's! I remember one night it took about 8 sticks with a needle to finally get one to take! AGH! I hated to hear her scream for those sticks. I had to leave and let Nick deal with it.

Our baby is now a year old and WOW! She is the most independent thing I know! Mimi (Grandma Rosi) calls her Dora the Explorer because she is ALWAYS on the move, finding things to get into! The other day I found her sitting on top of the open door of the dishwasher! I and turned my back to put a pan away and she climbed right up! Beware of sharp objects!!!!

I love you, baby! You are sweet with the biggest belly laugh I've ever heard from a little thing! You do love to explore and you love it even more when you get to hold something I don't normally let you hold (keys, forks, etc) and whine and whine if I take it away. You are the fastest crawling machine there ever was! I love to hear the sound of your little hands and feet as you go from one room to the other in the biggest hurry you'd think there was a fire or a spider. Your daddy loves to chase you around and play hide 'n seek with you. If I could get you to hold still for more than a second, you might actually like books or even to learn your body parts, but you won't hold still if you can help it! Then it's just a battle of wills. You do love to give me a hug, but then want immediately for me to let go so you can do whatever it is that you want to do. You love games that involve hiding something for you to find (this includes hiding Daddy). You converse with yourself and others on a regular basis. Just jabbering away like it was the best conversation you've ever had with your stuffed dog.

We love you so much, Claire-bear, Cmonster.