joy avery guinn

so much to tell, so little time.

okay, let me start by saying guinn and i are having the time of our lives. as you know, little joyful guinn was born may 19th at 8 in the morn via c-section. overall, it was a spectacular experience. while a c-section did not seem ideal and i dreaded it up until go-time, the experience was wonderful and incredibly special to trey, me, and the whole fam.

a quick rundown:

in the final two weeks i was pregnant, i developed this fear and anxiety about the c-section. somewhere in my pregnant mind i had convinced myself that after being paralyzed waist-down, by the spinal block, my legs were not going to "come back to life". the thought being, i have scoliosis and what if, because my spine curves, they hit a nerve?!?" i literally had convinced myself that it was possible i may never walk or RUN again!

anyway, we waltzed on in to labor and delivery before 6am. they began to prep me for delivery, and, for the first time in two weeks, i had a sense of peace that everything was going to be okay... with joy, with me. i knew that i was not in control, so it was better to soak in the moment and not let my anxiety rob me of this joy (so grateful that i got to this point).

so i walk into surgery, they begin the spinal block, and i just prayed and prayed. next, they lay me down and before i know it, i'm already cut open and guinn is watching joy make her entrance into the world! little joy was pulled out in a complete pike position (just how she was in the womb). they pulled out her little bottom and then out came her head. they quickly began checking her out across the room (video below).




after this, they placed her on me. i can't possibly put to words how special that moment was for me. three weeks later, it still blows my mind. i look at her and think, "you were just growing in my stomach for 9 months?!? and here you are, a perfect little tiny tiny human being!!" i remember when the ultrasound indicated that she was the size of a blueberry!

i've never loved anything quite like this. instant love that you can't explain until she's in your arms. and, the fact that she looks so much like her daddy makes me love her even more. when she yawns, i swear i am staring at trey guinn. it makes me smile.

so after the c-section i got the shakes! i was shaking like a leaf for about an hour. and, every so often i would try to wiggle my toes or move my legs--still no luck. i just wanted to feel my legs! about 4 hours later it was slowly moving down my body. i could touch my upper legs and feel them, then i could kind of move them side to side, and finally i could wiggle my toes!!! so now, i was completely happy! healthy baby--CHECK, healthy mom and proud papa-- double CHECK!!! as may 19th was coming to an end, i was one happy mom!!...and realizing with each moment, and continue to realize with each passing day, that i have entered the best days of my life :)

trey and i can just sit and watch joy all day long. and we do. and dream about taking her to the beach, and to the lake, and teaching her to snow ski. introducing her to good music and teaching her to dance, which trey has already begun!


a few facts about little joybird (as guinn, and now i, call her):

• she is constantly singing. i'm going to capture it on video and post it to this blog because it's unexplainable. so many people have asked me "did you sing to her in the womb?" no i did not. nothing above my normal singing in the car, in the shower, in aerobics. but she constant hums...epsecially while sleeping.


• she has very regular bowel movements and loves to pass gas in public. gets this from her dad.


• she has the cutest little booty! gets this from her mom ;)


• has trey's mouth, nose, and i believe maybe his eyes (that's TBD).


• she has my hands! identical. they're actually grandmother martha's, who happened to be a hand model in her day. so, we are fortunate that little joybird got those.


• she smiles and laughs, especially after meal time. this is what makes her the happiest. we're convinced all she does is think and dream about eating. i guess this is the life of a newborn.


• she loves bath time!
  
• she wakes, like clockwork, every three to four hours to eat.


• she doesn't really cry or fuss-- which makes our lives much easier.

overall, life is good. having trey by my side each day is such a blessing. we are getting to do all of this together and are loving it. trey seems ready for baby #2! but, i'm ready for marathon season -- then we'll talk baby #2 :)

on that note: i think that i'm competely recovered from this c-section but am still not cleared to run until first of july. i can only imagine how slow and out of shape i must be. but am SO excited and ready to take on the challenge of starting from square one and working my way up to my fastest self yet! i can hardly wait!!!

a few pics-- repetitive if you're on the fb but, here's to joy!! we love you more than we've loved anything else on earth!!