And then there were 4...

Jolie Ayana Hernandez. 

Born January 1, 2012 at 4:15pm. 

7lbs. 2 oz., 19 in long. 

Here is the birth story.  January 1st was a normal day like any other.  I got up, showered, went outside with Alfred and Alec so Alec could enjoy his trampoline on the incredibly beautiful day.  It was also my mother's birthday.  She and my nephew, Nigel, came over around 12:30pm so we could give her her birthday gift and she could watch Alec in his new toy. 

Alec's last moments as an only child.

She asked multiple times if the baby was going to come that day and how that would be the ultimate birthday present. I answered multiple times "No, mom.  I feel fine, mom.  This baby isn't coming today, mom.  Sorry I can't give you what you want.  Etc, etc. etc."  I was scheduled for a c-section on the 10th of January and I was sure I was going to make it to that day.  I should have known something was up though because every single day for months I had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions and on this day I didn't have any.  We ordered pizza from Papa Johns and started to eat around 1:30pm.  Just another day...

Until around 2:15pm.  Something felt "off."  I went to the restroom.  The second I came out of the restroom, the first contraction hit.  Came out of NO WHERE!! And it was painful.  No easing into having this baby.  I yelled for Alfred and he rushed to my side.  I collapsed into his arms in pain.  I told him "This is it.  Get the bags." I attempted to start grabbing the last few things I needed to round up for the hospital but the contractions were coming too quick and too hard.  We just grabbed what we already had packed and started to go.  My mom called the doc for us so we could get on the road.  Boy, was she excited.  And scared.  She swore I was going to deliver the baby on the floor of my bedroom because of the pain I was in. 

So we got into the car and started our what is suppose to be our 30 minute trip to The Woman's Hospital of Texas.  This was around 2:30ish.  My contractions were coming every 3 minutes.  EVERY 3 MINUTES!!  I had no time to relax or gather a breath in between them.  With the hazards flashing and honking the horn, Alfred flew down the highway at around 90 mph.  Wasn't fast enough for me.  Cursing, yelling, breathing, squeezing, hitting, swearing... just some of the things Alfred had to deal with while he was driving.  Here is the kicker... my water broke in the car!  On the way to the hospital, my water broke.  That was a weird experience.  With Alec, they had to break my water for me. Not this time.  So, that kind of freaked Alfred out.  Me too.  We made it to the hospital in about 19 minutes. 

We got checked into the hospital.  I answered all of the necessary questions in between contractions.  Alfred made the necessary phone calls and sent the necessary text messages.  I yelled at the nurses. They checked me out and I was already dilated to a 5!  TO A 5!!  And things were moving quickly.  I begged for drugs and relief.  Which came around 3:30ish.  God Bless Epidurals!!  Such an incredible drug.  Shortly after my epidural, my doctor arrived.  He asked me a couple of questions.  I asked a couple of questions.  Around 3:50pm, I was already being wheeled back for my c-section.  Here are some pics from the big event...

Drugged up and ready to go.




Alfred waiting to be called back.

 

                                 

Waiting for my baby girl to arrive.

Keeping me calm.

And then at 4:15pm, our little miracle arrived.  So, from the time of the first contraction to the time she was born, it all happened in less than 2 hours.  SO QUICK.  Especially compared to Aleczander's arrival.  I was in labor with him for like 2 days.  I spent 2 hours attempting to push him out!  So this was a whirl wind event compared to that.

Blurry, but my baby girl's first picture.

Our first family picture.

She has long, skinny feet.

Daddy and Jolie.

It's crazy the way things work out.  Just the night before, Alfred was all the way in Freeport for the evening and I was alone at home.  Imagine if I had gone into labor then?  Also, it was good timing that my mom was already at my house when I went into labor, so she was able to watch Alec while we rushed away.  Thank God he was napping at the time and he didn't witness the craziness his mommy was going through.  There were a couple of things that I wished for while I was pregnant with her and for the most part, they came true.  First and foremost, I wanted her to be healthy and I wanted to make it to full term.  When I delivered her I was 38 weeks and 1 day pregnant.  I made it to full term by one day!! And she is perfectly healthy.  Thank God!!  Another one was that I wanted a girl.  Done.  I wanted her to chose her own birthday and she did.  I was hoping that Alfred would be home so I wouldn't have to wait for him to drive home before we went to the hospital.  He was here.  I wanted the labor to be short and it was.  I wanted her to look like me and she does, or at least I think so.  I wanted her to have a dimple, and she does.  Just like mine. 

We had the hat made as our way to announce her name.

Here comes a photo dump of pics from the hospital...



The ladies with the New Year's birthdays.

But there are also some things that I didn't want that happened.  I wanted her to have her own birthday but she is sharing it with her grandma.  Not a bad person to share it with, but it's not her own day.  My mom is one happy woman that her granddaughter was born on her b-day. Also, I could have sworn that she was going to be born in 2011, but she came the first day of 2012.  I was so close!  No complaints though.  The most important thing is that she is here and healthy.  Those 19 weeks of bed rest did what they were suppose to.

Going Home.

After 4 days in the hospital, we finally got to come home and start our life here.  When we left the hospital, Jolie had Jaundice pretty bad and she had lost a little more weight then they would have like to see so I had to supplement her for about a week with formula.  That did NOT make me happy.  I do not like giving my baby formula that early in life.  But I had to do what was necessary for her health.  I'm just glad that it didn't have to be for too long.  Life has been just as would be expected with a newborn in the home.  She wakes up about every 2 or 3 hours to be fed, cries when she isn't swaddled right and smiles in her sleep. 

Alec is adjusting okay so far.  He wants to squeeze her and hold her and giver her things.  The biggest problem with him right now is that he just doesn't understand how fragile she is so he is kind of rough around her.  I have also found him in her bassinet a couple of times. 

He likes to smell her and he tries to pick her up.  I think he is going to be a really loving and good big brother once he realizes that she isn't just here to visit and she is a permanent member of this family. 

Speaking of visitors, we have had a couple of out of town visitors come and visit Jolie after we got home; my sister, Christine, from New Jersey and Alfred's sister, Ashly, from Tennessee, came down this past week.  Perfect timing.  Christine was expecting to be here for Jolie's scheduled c-section birthday, but it all worked out for the best that Jolie was here before she got into town.  It allowed us to spend time together at home and for Alec and his cousin Marcel to hang out a lot.  It was nice to see them interact.

Uncle Johnny and Tia Ashly.

Tia Abby.

Grandpa Fred.

Hernandezes.

Alec with his cousin, Ava.

Cousins; Marcel, Ava and Aleczander.

Marcel.

Busted jumping on Alec's bed.

People have been asking Alfred and I where we got the name Jolie from and there isn't really a good story behind it.  I just went through some baby books and looked through lists online.  I had a bunch of names that I liked and I was constantly asking Alfred if he liked them and his input but he rejected most of the names I offered up.  Until I came across Jolie.  He came home from work one day and I simply asked him "What do you think of the name Jolie" and he replied "I love it.  That's it.  Don't tell me another name.  That's our baby girl's name."  And it was done.  We had some discussions about her middle name, Ayana.  I also got it from a baby list.  He likes it but for a while he kept on messing it up and calling her "Anaya."  He suggested that we just keep it Anaya until I stated that it sounded like "annihilation" as in "total destruction" and I didn't want that to be associated with our daughter.  So there is the name story. Jolie Ayana.  We love it.  And we love her.  <3

As mentioned in a previous blog, I love love love baby hands.  My baby girl has the most beautiful hands ever.  She has pefectly long and skinny fingers and they are just so sweet and soft. 



Jolie also has the sweetest little birthmark on the left side of her head under her hair.  It is shaped kind of like a heart.  I have taken pictures of it because when she starts growing her hair on her head, chances are that we will never see the birthmark again.

I am really not looking forward to leaving my babies and going back to work.  While I was on bed rest, I missed work and getting up and being productive with my day.  But now that she is here and I have both of my babies at home it is not something I am looking forward to.  I miss work a little bit.  But not nearly as much as I know I am going to miss my babies when I go back on February 6th.  My precious baby girl is only going to be 5 weeks old but I can't take any more time off.  By the time I head back to work I will have been gone for almost 6 months!  Looking back now, it doesn't seem like that long.  It kind of flew by. 

Next up on the agenda is my 30th birthday on January 26th.  I'm pretty sure that it will be an uneventful day since Alfred works and I will be at home with the kids.  "Kids"... weird.  I always imagined my 30th to be a big event since it is a pretty big time in one's life.  But I already have the best present ever.  After my birthday the next big event will be to plan for Aleczander's 3rd birthday.  I can't believe my baby is going to be 3!! Looking at Jolie and then looking at Alec makes me realize that time is nothing.  We take it for granted.  We need to cherish every second that God has gifted to us.  My baby boy is getting so big.

I can't believe I am going to say this, but I kinda miss being pregnant.  Pregnancy can be so miserable, especially towards the end. But it is also so amazing and magical and such a blessing.  But in those last couple of weeks you just can't wait till it's over and you can resume what you remember to be your normal life.  But then suddenly, it's over.  You know its going to end soon but when it does, you just sit there in disbelief that it ended so quickly.  And just like that, you're not pregnant anymore.  You can't protect them inside of you anymore.  You don't feel their kicks anymore.  You don't have the belly anymore.  It's just over.  Such a surreal feeling.  Such a reality check.  Then when you come face to face with your creation, you realize what a miracle being pregnant is.  I'm sure I will get over the "I miss being pregnant feeling" soon, but for now...

Here is a pic of my last night of being pregnant.  I took these on New Year's Eve while at home alone.  It never crossed my mind that it would be the last ones with the belly.

Officially the LAST pregnant photo.  : (

I think I have documented all I wanted to with this blog entry.  So, stay tuned on the events of our family of 4 (5 if you include our first daughter, Lilly, who is doing just fine).