Hallie Mabelle

My beautiful Hallie Mabelle was born on June 15 at 11:45 pm. We arrived at the hospital at 7:00 am that morning after being in labor the whole night before. When we arrived I was 3cm dialated and very excited that my body had actually gone into labor on its own. I was able to walk around and get in the tub during my labor because of the new wireless monitors, so the experience of the labor was wonderful. Antonio and I were alone and able to bond through the experience of bringing our daughter into the world. At 11:00 am they came to check me and break my water, I was dialated to a 4 and my water had already broke on its own. The pain was intense, but so worth it! After all, I had wanted this experience ever since I had Emma. At 3:00 and 8:00 they checked me and I was still a 4. I hoped I would progress further,but knew that a c-section would be the next step. The midwives and doctor gave me plenty of opportunity to try to get the labor to progress. However, at 11:00 we decided that the c-section would be the best and safest delivery for my little girl. Although it is still hard for me to accept that I will never have the chance to deliver my babies, I am glad that Hallie made it safely into my arms!After our four day stay in the hospital, we were excited to take our little girl home! Although I must say, the four days were nice and gave me time to try to rest and recover!

Emma was very excited to see her new little sister at home. She wanted to hold her and care for her from her the minute she met her. The adjustment has gotten a little more difficult this week, but Emma loves and adores her little sis. Hallie is adjusting well and is as beautiful as ever. I am so blessed to have a baby to hold in my arms and love and cuddle. I am aware now at how quickly they grow. I pray I can hold on to these moments and treasure them forever!

This was Hallie for her first outing! Isn't she just beautiful! She really is "berry" sweet! At her two week appointment yesterday she weighed 8lbs 5.5 oz, that 1 lb 2 oz more than a week ago. I am so excited to see her happy, healthy and growing. Being a mom has to be the best job in the world!

A Camping Adventure

Before I move on to my beautiful Hallie, I thought I should post about our adventurous camping trip. Santana, Gabe and my family all decided to go camping at the end of May, when I was 38 weeks pregnant. I knew I was crazy, but I thought our family wouldn't have the chance for outdoor adventures if we didn't go out on a limb and just decide to try it out. The first night was a disaster. We arrived after 10pm, Santana and Gabe had already set up camp (that was nice), and Emma didn't want to wind down for bed. So, we basically stayed up the whole night, with cat naps in between. Emma didn't want anything to do with the tent, I don't blame her when she's used to her nice cozy room. So, Emma and Mommy ended up sleeping on the seats in the back of the car for about 2 hours. That was quite hard being 38 weeks pregnant!


However, the next day Emma proved to be the best little camper. She took her nap in the tent and spent the rest of the day roaming the outdoors and enjoying hot chocolate. She had a blast!!

She thought she owned the camp grounds. She is a natural!

Mom, Manuel, Santana, Gabe, Antonio and Kylee all got to ride the river rafts, while Emma and I held up camp. We witnessed some beautiful accents of nature in the meantime. It was a lot of fun!

These are the macho men, that made fun of the girls that were excited to have a shower near by. Little did we know they would spend the $6 in quarters that mom left on their own showers. Leaving the girls scrounging for change!! After all, they didn't want to smell like fish!

So, lesson learned, if we're going to camp, we need to arrive early so the little ones can get used to the environment before you expect them to sleep in it. And, bring enough quarters for even the macho men to have a shower. We had a blast and enjoyed all of the yummy food and fond memories. Thanks Tana and Gabe!