Adella's Arrival

 

A week ago from today, Adella Hope Fields was born!  Because my labor with Leala took 30-something hours, I was not expecting Adella's quick arrival.  After only 5 hours of labor, Adella entered the world!  I had however mentally prepared myself for the possibility of Adella coming so quickly that I wouldn't have time to get an epidural, since that was the experience of some of the moms I knew.  And that's what happened!  Honestly though, I think I rather preferred to just get it over with rather than have it drag out so long.  In a way it was cool to feel how my body worked to get the baby out, like each time the baby dropped.  How God has created and designed our bodies is amazing!  And thankfully Adella was only 7 lbs., 11 oz, interestingly enough on 10-7-11.  Recovery has been surprisingly quick as well and Adella has had no problem nursing (though it has been a pretty painful process for me).  It still seems surreal that we're actually a family of 4 now!  Gregg and I are so blessed that God would give us another daughter.  Children truly are a gift from Him (Psalm 127:3)!

Gregg and I were happy to get to go home after only having to be in the hospital for 24 hours.  Out of curiosity we found Leala's newborn pictures and compared them to the ones I took of Adella.  We thought, along with my mother-in-law, that they almost looked like they could be twins in these two pictures.  Leala was born at 8 lbs., 8 oz., so it makes Adella seem so small.  [laughs] She's swimming in her newborn clothes!  Adella seems to have gotten more of my physical features.  She has more of my olive-colored skin, the slanted shape of my eyes, and the amount of hair I was born with.  It's hard to tell what her eye color is, but to me it doesn't look very blue.  I think she will end up with green eyes.  Either that or dark blue eyes, but we'll see.  Both Adella and Leala have my dark hair color but Gregg's cool rectangular hairline.

It has been so sweet hearing Leala say, "Hi baby-by-by-by."  Leala's given Adella kisses, hugs and gentle pats.  She's even tried to feed Adella her food [laughs].  Leala's been the big helper I thought she would be.  [laughs] It will be interesting to see how things will be with Leala and Adella once my mother-in-law flies back home and Gregg goes back to work.  It'll take God's grace and a lot of prayer some days, I'm sure.  I think this new season of life will be a good growing experience for us all and I'm thankful for it.

Pretty Pregnancy

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I've been wanting to blog specifically about pregnancy for some time now, covering helpful tips like maternity wear and fun topics like nesting, but just haven't found the time or entirely the inspiration.  

I remember how I felt during my first pregnancy when my body was going through all these awkward changes and I was going through a gamut of emotions about morphing into a mother; almost like reliving my 12-year-old pubertal growth spurt.  Sometimes pregnancy was a spiritually glowing experience, and other times it was an emotionally gloomy one.

As for my second pregnancy, having already gone through the cumbersome maturing female changes and not having to go through some of the previous discomforts like retaining water, causing my feet and hands to swell, I've felt a lot more comfortable in my own skin.  I was able to wear my regular jeans up to 7 months of my pregnancy.  My shoes never got tight and even towards the end I've been able to wear my wedding ring.  And some of my regular shirts still fit!  And for the days where I feel like being more comfortable than fashionable, I have a set of hand-me-down maternity clothes that fit!  This time around, it has felt possible that pregnancy can be pretty.

Well, as I was browsing through my friend's blog reading list, I came across this one woman's blog that has a whole page dedicated to her pregnancy!  She sure had a way of making hers look pretty!  I learned a new trick from her Dressing the Bump: (2nd Trimester) post on how to wear your favorite jeans longer (for the next one).  I'm excited about checking out her other posts on this page as well!  So, until I get something up myself, be encouraged and inspired by all the things you'll find on Aurajoon: baby!