and she knows how to use 'em. little joybird can't get enough of all this space! from a tiny womb to a big big world....i sometimes wonder if she'll ever curl up like a normal babe.
stretch it out girl. you deserve it.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
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):
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!!
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!!
Monday, May 24, 2010
HAPPY 6, GUINN!!
cancun, mexico
seaside, florida
lake travis, atx
great rift valley- nairobi, kenya
st. tropez, france
zermatt, switzerland
St. david's hospital, atx.
best guinniversary yet!!!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
10 days or less!
everything is done. i mean, everything. i can't possible think of one more thing i could do to prepare for little girl guinn. and on top of that, i'm completely done with work until august-- no more running class, no more aerobics...
we've attended childbirth class, infant care class, nursing class. we've had the entire holiday guinn painted and reorganized, cleaned out all drawers and shelves and made room for all baby guinns many belongings. we've detailed the car, installed the carseat via saferiders, graciously received or bought everything this little girl possibly needs, groomed pipes, groomed ourselves, established a pediatrician, been on the phone with blue cross blue shield multiple times to discuss our policy, emailed our families our hospital info, and packed our bags... it's all done :)
i find that each day i have to make sure that the house is in tip-top shape (clean as a whistle) along with myself, piper....everything orderly and in it's place just in case she makes her move. this little waiting period is quite awkward....knowing it's your last two weeks of life as you know it. i should be taking advantage of this time in some way--relaxing more, sleeping, etc...but instead, i find myself sitting with life on hold - feeling over the pregnancy phase but not yet in the mommy phase....kind of like being in transit. i remember on our way home from kenya i was "in transit" and stuck in the london airport-- i wrote in my journal that i never do well with the in-between. I either want to be here or there (and it's even worse when you don't actually know which is better --here or there-- but either way you're going there)....the in between is always rough for me. in this situation, i'm so ready to just be "there" with little guinn in my arms. yet i know, all the while, that i cannot truly grasp what that will look like or feel like, no matter how hard i try.
trey is busy wrapping up coursework, finishing stats exams, writing and revising papers, entering grades for his concordia course, and finishing up all his responsibilities with his UT teaching assistanship. soon, he will close down the dorm and kick out all the students :) BUT, from the day little guinn is born, daddy-guinn will be free from work and teaching until august.
we both had the summer off from work last year. it felt like the best summer of our lives. we woke up when we wanted, made coffee, watched the news, went on jogs, swam laps and layed out at gregory pool, come home to shower and then head back out the door for happy hour and time with friends.... i have a feeling this summer will be equally great but look quite a bit different ;)
we've attended childbirth class, infant care class, nursing class. we've had the entire holiday guinn painted and reorganized, cleaned out all drawers and shelves and made room for all baby guinns many belongings. we've detailed the car, installed the carseat via saferiders, graciously received or bought everything this little girl possibly needs, groomed pipes, groomed ourselves, established a pediatrician, been on the phone with blue cross blue shield multiple times to discuss our policy, emailed our families our hospital info, and packed our bags... it's all done :)
i find that each day i have to make sure that the house is in tip-top shape (clean as a whistle) along with myself, piper....everything orderly and in it's place just in case she makes her move. this little waiting period is quite awkward....knowing it's your last two weeks of life as you know it. i should be taking advantage of this time in some way--relaxing more, sleeping, etc...but instead, i find myself sitting with life on hold - feeling over the pregnancy phase but not yet in the mommy phase....kind of like being in transit. i remember on our way home from kenya i was "in transit" and stuck in the london airport-- i wrote in my journal that i never do well with the in-between. I either want to be here or there (and it's even worse when you don't actually know which is better --here or there-- but either way you're going there)....the in between is always rough for me. in this situation, i'm so ready to just be "there" with little guinn in my arms. yet i know, all the while, that i cannot truly grasp what that will look like or feel like, no matter how hard i try.
trey is busy wrapping up coursework, finishing stats exams, writing and revising papers, entering grades for his concordia course, and finishing up all his responsibilities with his UT teaching assistanship. soon, he will close down the dorm and kick out all the students :) BUT, from the day little guinn is born, daddy-guinn will be free from work and teaching until august.
we both had the summer off from work last year. it felt like the best summer of our lives. we woke up when we wanted, made coffee, watched the news, went on jogs, swam laps and layed out at gregory pool, come home to shower and then head back out the door for happy hour and time with friends.... i have a feeling this summer will be equally great but look quite a bit different ;)
thank you Molly Moody Photography ;o)
Friday, April 30, 2010
9 months!!
here we are-- 9 months!! Thankfully, i still feel amazing....if it wasn't for this rather large belly and the constant kicking i may forget i was pregnant . Oh, and all the double-takes i get from students on campus who, i know, assume that i'm "that poor college girl" who got knocked up ;) that part is hard to swallow. Of course walking from my dorm room to running class in my running gear and back pack might give off the impression that i'm "that girl". i wish you could walk for a day with me across campus. it's really kind of funny.
overall, i've loved nearly every moment of this time in my life... walking around with an obvious miracle right in front of me.
in 5 days we'll be FULL TERM! i can't believe it. she could come any day...
Thank you for your prayers and support for us at this time!! as mentioned, our little girl is breech and does not have a lot of room to turn. My doctor has scheduled a c-section for may 19th at 4pm.
on this exact day--5/19/00, 10 years ago, trey and i (and all you other chs class of 2000'ers) graduated high school.
but due to my signs and symptoms, she might make an early appearance. i will keep you posted and let you know when it's GO TIME!!
Monday, April 26, 2010
breeeeeech!!!!
it all makes sense now. i was beginning to wonder why my stomach was literally growing straight out.
mini-guinny has herself positioned horizontally instead of vertically. her head should be straight down with feet straight up. but instead, her head is pushing straight out against my belly button and her feet are pushing back against my right side.
i'm not quite positive why she's stuck in this position or what she's thinking really, but what she needs to think it that it's time to do a litte flip and get that head down and ready!
i went to the dr. last friday to find all this out. she seemed to think that baby guinn didn't have a whole lot of room in there to turn so it seems a little unlikely that she will. unfortunately, the only way to deliver her at this point is by c-section.
i go back tomorrow and will have more to report. but, i am just praying that somehow she'll find the room and desire to channel her "inner-gymnast" and FLIP BABY FLIP!!
care to pray with me? THANK YOU!!
mini-guinny has herself positioned horizontally instead of vertically. her head should be straight down with feet straight up. but instead, her head is pushing straight out against my belly button and her feet are pushing back against my right side.
i'm not quite positive why she's stuck in this position or what she's thinking really, but what she needs to think it that it's time to do a litte flip and get that head down and ready!
i went to the dr. last friday to find all this out. she seemed to think that baby guinn didn't have a whole lot of room in there to turn so it seems a little unlikely that she will. unfortunately, the only way to deliver her at this point is by c-section.
i go back tomorrow and will have more to report. but, i am just praying that somehow she'll find the room and desire to channel her "inner-gymnast" and FLIP BABY FLIP!!
care to pray with me? THANK YOU!!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
milkshake off!!!!
two weeks ago, my mom bought trey and me the fabulous Blendtec industrial blender (the one they use in smoothie stores) as early birthday gifts.
we've been blending up everything imagineable and are thrilled to use it for baby guinn's baby food when she reaches that stage.
Last night we had a little friendly competition to see who could make the best milkshake.
i stuck with classic vanilla, while guinn decided to get crazy-- blending up some sort of coffee ice-cream, banana, chocolate-chip, chocolate syrup, mouth full of goodness.
In the end, let's just say we tied.
Tonight we're making the tortilla soup recipe followed by another milkshake-off.
Thank you, nonnie!! Baby guinn's kicking has been amped up a notch or two due to the increased sugar intake. if i deliver a 9 pound child, i fully blame this new blender in our lives.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
baby kicks!!
last night i was watching our little girl squirm around in my belly and i decided to try to catch some of it on video. so here you go!
In this second video you'll notice that her butt is positioned on the left side of my stomach. she LOVES to push it out and do this little booty dance. you'll see. it's kind of her favorite move.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
project BIRDIE!!!
it is said that during pregnancy, mom's often enter a "nesting stage"
to be honest, i never imagined myself being much of a "nester", but let me tell you: something has happened, and i am living up to my affectionate nickname - mother goose (thanks jill).
trey has gotten quite the laugh out of my nesting activities. it all started when i pulled out the sewing machine. and guinn said, "do you even know how to use that thing? because, if so, i've had some pants that needed hemming!" to which i said, "no. i don't really know how to use this thing, but there's an instruction manual."
trey has gotten quite the laugh out of my nesting activities. it all started when i pulled out the sewing machine. and guinn said, "do you even know how to use that thing? because, if so, i've had some pants that needed hemming!" to which i said, "no. i don't really know how to use this thing, but there's an instruction manual."
so i had this brilliant idea and vision to hang a branch above baby guinn's crib. on the branch, would be some colorful birds pirched ever so perfectly looking down at her. while she, of course, could look up at them and feel happy :)
(our version of a baby mobile, if you will)
so the plan of action: find a bird pattern, buy some amazing fabric swatches, and stitch us up some birds!! it took a few tries (and if i'm being honest, i made quite a few "reject birds", as we called them). but now piper has a basket full of birdies that are all hers!
without further adieu, meet the little ones:
Monday, March 1, 2010
dear tiny guinn,
i'm sorry that i can't give you a bigger house to grow in. if mommy were taller you could stretch out more and bask in the greatness of your spacious little home. i can see that you are cramped as your little limbs are protruding from both sides of my belly.please hang in there as long as possible and when you can't take it anymore and have truly outgrown your welcome, then you can make your way on out to this beautiful and exciting world that awaits you! i can hardly wait to show you the ropes of this little thing called life!! you're going to love it.
your daddy doesn't stop thinking about you and he LOVES to watch you move and squirm in my tummy!! hang in there little one and we will see you soon enough!!
mommy
oh and also, you already have a bestie. her name is piper (she's kind of your big sister). she always wants to lay her head on my tummy and be as close to you as possible. and when you kick, her little white head bobbles and she takes it like a champ and doesn't even mind. please remember this because i have a feeling, she may love you a little bit more now then when you're on this side of the tum ;o)
that's all little lady! please get comfy, stay warm, and stay in there for at least 2 more months!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
