A Labor of Love

Kyndall,

All my life, all I have ever wanted was to be a wife and a Mommy.  I never cared about fame, fortune or an impressive career.  All I wanted were these two things.  I was blessed to meet your Daddy a few years ago and he fulfilled the first of my two life dreams.  The second dream came true one year ago today, when I met you for the first time.  I've never written down how this all came to be, so I thought that your first birthday would be a good time to do that.  I know you won't understand any of this now, but I plan to print my blog someday, and hopefully it will be something you will treasure forever.  After all, that's why I do this---for you.

It all started in the fall of 2008, shortly after Mommy and Daddy moved to Charleston.  We decided we were ready to start our family, but little did we know what a long road we had ahead.  Mommy has some pretty serious health problems and it turns out that made it very difficult for us to have a baby.  I visited several doctors for about a year and a half before we finally found out we were expecting a baby.  The day we found out was one of the most exciting days of our lives!  I'll never forget that day!  It was February 2nd, 2010 and I decided to take a pregnancy test, just like I had done so many times before.  To my surprise, I looked down to see two pink lines, which meant I was pregnant!  I didn't believe it and I really didn't know what to do, so I called my friend Betsy.  She said to be sure, I should go get a second pregnancy test.  I sent Daddy to the store and he came back with the fancy digital kind.  I took it and anxiously awaited the results.  To my shock, the word PREGNANT flashed across the screen!  I still remember feeling like I was dreaming.  Could this really be happening??  I called the doctor and they pretty much told me I was crazy and that there was no way I could be pregnant.  They had just done blood work a few days prior and it came back negative.  The very next day, I had more blood work done and they called me to confirm that I wasn't crazy and that I was in fact pregnant!!  Oh happy day!  I was so relieved and so excited to tell Daddy the good news!  You were truly a miracle baby!

February 2nd, 2010---Such a happy day!



Although we were excited, we had to keep our big news a secret for several weeks.  We wanted to make the announcement to everyone when all of our family would be together, so they could all find out at the same time.  I remember having such a hard time keeping this to myself.  I wanted to scream it from the rooftops and tell everyone I knew!  I spent the next few weeks devising the perfect plan for how to make the announcement special and memorable.  I came up with the perfect idea!  I knew that on February 27th, we would all be gathering to celebrate MeMe's 90th birthday.  MeMe is your Great-Grandmother, your G-Daddy's Mommy.  After a day of celebration, including a party and dinner at Osaka's, we went back to Grammy and G-Daddy's house to visit.  Grammy (My Mommy) also had a birthday the week prior, and I wanted to recognize her birthday as well, so I had a special cake made.  After dinner, as everyone was sitting around visiting, I snuck into the kitchen and came walking into the living room with the cake.  Everyone sang Happy Birthday and she was surprised.  However, nobody in the room expected the cake to say this......

I'll never forget the look on her face when she finally saw what the cake said!  She went into shock and yet everyone else in the room was still clueless.  She finally said "My cake says GRANDMA!!!" and everyone caught on and started cheering and celebrating!  It was so special to have ALL of our family there!  All four of your Grandparents, plus all 3 of you Great-Grandparents were there, as well as Aunt Kelly, and several other extended family members.  Everyone was so surprised, because Mommy and Daddy had not told anyone that we were trying to have a baby, much less the struggles that we were facing.  After the news sank in, we sat them down and told them the whole story of our struggle to get pregnant so they too could realize what a little miracle you really are!

Nonie and Grammy on the night they found out they would be Grandmas!



Aunt Kelly was excited too!

Everyone got this as a gift!  Your first ultrasound picture!

Over the next few weeks and months, we waited patiently as you grew stronger and healthier in Mommy's tummy.  Because Mommy was considered high risk, we visited the doctor quite frequently and we were able to hear your heartbeat and see pictures of you more often than most Mommies are able to.  Here are a few pictures of you before we ever knew if you were a boy or a girl.  All we knew was that we loved you very much!!

9 weeks along



12 weeks along

Mommy's 1st Mother's Day---17 weeks along and still not sure if you're a boy or a girl!

With your "brothers"

Finally, on May 28th, 2010, we found out we were having a baby GIRL!!!  Mommy was so so excited!  I had always wanted a little girl!

Even before you were born, I was already making you into my little Princess!

Again, we had to keep our exciting news to ourselves until we could tell the whole family.  Thankfully, the day we found out that you were a girl, we were on our way to Tallahassee for the weekend.  We went to Longhorn's Steak House with Grammy, GDaddy, Aunt Kelly, Nonie and Poppie and that's where we told them the exciting news.  I didn't want to just TELL them, so I came up with a creative way to reveal your gender.  I filled a black balloon with confetti and I had Aunt Kelly pop the balloon over our dinner table.  When the balloon popped, pink confetti went flying everywhere and everyone knew you were a girl!



The next day, we went to Two Egg so that we could do the same thing with your Great-Grandparents.  They were so surprised and very excited about their first Great-Granddaughter!

The next few months were so exciting!  Knowing that you were a girl, we began picking out furniture and decorating your nursery.  We also were blessed to have several baby showers, as well as a maternity photo shoot with my BFF Betsy.  Here are a few pictures I thought you might enjoy seeing of our journey to your birthday.

This is our life verse for you.  It's so special to us, that we decided to have it placed above your crib so that we could see it everyday and be reminded just what a blessing you are!



I continued to feel pretty good, up until the last few weeks in the summer.  My doctors got concerned and put me on a strong dose of steroids, in order to make me feel better, as well as to help you grow stronger, just in case you decided to come early.  You gave the doctors a scare when they realized Mommy was walking around having contractions and didn't even know it!  So once a week, we went in for tests where they would hook my belly up to a monitor and watch your movement and your heartbeat.  I looked forward to it every week!  On September 18th, we went to our birthing class at the hospital.  We learned all about what to expect when the time came for you to make your appearance.  We toured the hospital and looked forward to coming back mid-October, when you would be born. 

The very next day was Sunday September 19th.  I woke up and told Daddy I didn't want to go to church that morning because the birthing class had made me paranoid about my water breaking in public.  I knew I still had 4 weeks until you were due, but I was trying to avoid all public places, just in case the time came early.  Well, I guess what they say is true--A mother's intuition is never wrong.  Just a few hours later, my water began leaking and I called the doctor.  Dr. Hamilton was on call for Dr. Ottinger and she told me to come on in to the hospital so they could check me.  At this point, I still didn't know for sure that I was in labor.  Daddy and I grabbed our bags, which thankfully had been packed for weeks, and headed to Roper St. Francis Hospital.  We went ahead and called the Grandparents, but told them not to head towards Charleston until we were SURE I was in labor.  Upon arriving at the hospital, Dr. Hamilton confirmed that I was in fact in labor and that we would be meeting you in just a few hours!  Although it was still 4 weeks until your due date, you made it obvious that you were ready to greet the world!  We called all of the family and told them to jump in their cars as fast as they could and get to Charleston! 

The next few hours were spent anxiously awaiting your arrival.  Amazingly, Mommy never really experienced a whole lot of pain.  The experience could not have been more easy for me.  I'm so thankful for that!  I did get an epidural, but even prior to that, the pain was bearable for me.  I sat up in bed and made phone calls to friends, snacked on ice chips, and watched football with Daddy.  Sometime around 2:00 a.m. (I think), all of the family arrived, including your Great Grandparents who drove all the way from Two Egg.  They all came in to say hello and visited with me until it was time for you to be delivered. 

Our last picture as a family of two!

Grammy and Daddy stayed in the room and helped coach and encourage me.  It only took about 45 minutes of pushing and you were here!  At 4:54 a.m. on September 20th, they laid you on my chest and I remember crying and smiling all at the same time.  I couldn't believe that you were here!  The baby I had always dreamed of was laying in my arms starring up at me with big blue eyes.  You were so tiny.  You weighed 6 pounds 5 ounces and were 18.5 inches long.  You were perfect and I couldn't get enough of you!  Grammy used her cell phone to send pictures to the rest of the family members who were waiting in the lobby for their first glimpse of you. 

Once the doctor said it was alright, we called all of the family in to meet you.  Everyone was so taken with you and thought you were the most beautiful baby in the world.  Even though it was 5:30 in the morning and everyone had been up all night (and had just driven 7 hours to get to Charleston), they all took turns holding you and spending time with you.

Daddy followed you to the nursery so that he could watch you get your first bath and take pictures for Mommy, since I was in recovery.  It seemed like forever that you were gone, and I couldn't wait to get you back into the room with me.

We spent the next day getting to know you and learning how to best take care of you.  Despite the fact that you were a month early, you were healthy and thriving and we were SO thankful for that!!  The doctors only kept you for one night, and on Tuesday September 21st, we were released to go home!  I was so excited about dressing you in your going home outfit.  It was very special, because it's the same dress that I wore home from the hospital 28 years ago, and also the one Aunt Kelly wore home.  Your Great-Granddaddy Basford picked it out when my Mommy (your Grammy) found out she was pregnant with me.  It has such a special meaning, so I was thrilled that you were able to wear it too.

Meeting your brothers....

Our first week at home was exciting and exhausting all at the same time.  Grammy and Nonie stayed with us to help out, which was such a blessing.  As expected with most newborns, it was difficult to function on very little sleep, so we all took turns taking care of you while the others rested.  Two days after you came home, we took you to your first doctor's appointment with your wonderful pediatrician, Dr. Traynham.

When you were four days old, Aunt Kelly finally met you.  She wasn't able to come the night you were born, but she came to Charleston as soon as she could!  She was so excited to finally meet you!

When you were just five days old, Betsy drove all the way to Charleston to take your newborn portraits.  I was so very thankful that she did this for us!  We had such a good time dressing you up and taking pictures, all while you were sound asleep!  Look how tiny you were.......

The next few weeks were kind of a blur, as we settled into a routine and learned to live on a lot less sleep!  Although it was a difficult transition, I will always treasure those times.  The sleepless nights, the rocking, the swaddling, the spit up, and the pure joy of having a newborn to love. 

On this day, your first birthday, I want you to know just how much we love you.  We have always loved you and we always will, no matter what.  Our prayer is that you will love Jesus with all of your heart and grow into a beautiful woman of God.  You are a gift straight from Heaven and we are so thankful that the Lord chose us to be your Mommy and Daddy.  We will always do whatever we can to keep you happy, healthy and safe from harm.  As a Mommy, I have learned to put myself second.  You are my priority.  I no longer think about myself, because my world revolves around you.  It's a sacrifice that I am happy to make. 

Kyndall, thank you for being the sweetest, most precious baby I have ever known.  You are my greatest accomplishment and what I'm most proud of.  You may be a toddler now, but you will always be my baby. 

Happy 1st birthday!  I love you more than you could ever know!!!

I always think of you when I hear this song.  I call it "our song".