Osborne Family

Baby Boy Due In March!!!

2011-09-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

Things have been so wild and crazy over the past few months! David and I took Mollie to Memphis with us while we took our Orff Master Class, and prior to that, we found out that we are going to have our second baby in March. The due date is March 8th, but due to my last c-section, we will have another one on March 2nd.

Today, we went in for my check-up at 13 weeks, 6 days, and we got so lucky! My midwife was detained, so the ultrasound tech came in and said, "I'll get the baby's heart rate in my room." Surprise ultrasound! I begged her to see if she could find out the gender. She had just gotten a brand new awesome machine, and well, there it was! BOY!!!

She said, "I can't give you my guarantee, but I'm 92% sure it's a boy." I mean really. What else could THAT be???

All this time, I've felt like it is a boy. We're so excited. We won't be 100% sure until my 18 week check-up on October 6. Here are two more images of our SON...

Mollie has already named him. Marshmallow!

Mother's Day

2011-05-07T19:49:00.001-07:00

I don't know when the last time was that I wrote a blog post. Does that matter? I have wanted to. I write in my mind- it just doesn't get put on paper or html. So much goes on here. So much is going on here!

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. What a day! So many emotions come up with it. I think back to three years ago. It was painful. I didn't think I would ever have a child of my own. I wanted to celebrate for everyone else, but it was bittersweet. A little smiled curled on my lips. That was it. That was all I could do. I celebrated my mother.

Two years ago, I was pregnant. Who knew it would happen? I savored everyday of that pregnancy. I felt like it too so long to become pregnant that I needed to enjoy every moment- good or bad. I felt warm inside when I opened a mother's day card that was addressed to me from a friend. It was incredible.

Last year, I celebrated Mother's Day for the first time. I had a 9 month-old of my own on Mother's Day! I felt happy. I felt OLD. I was a mama. That was just one day though. What is it to be a mom?

Tonight, I listened to my almost 21 month-old daughter giggle banter about the different things that she could lick, and found myself totally engrossed and happy to be that way. I didn't care to do anything else in the world. I gave her a bath, got her ready for bed, and I snuggled up next to her reading "The Pokey Puppy."

The book creaked as I opened its pages. It was brand new- had never been read before. I felt so peaceful there remembering reading a 29 year-old edition of that book as a child. Who had I read it with? My mom? My dad? A brother or sister? I remember its old, musty pages. I remember the illustrations. Listening to my daughter giggle at the puppy and yell "strawberry" at the berry the puppy sniffed in the book melted my heart. At any given moment, she could have lifted her water cup and cracked me in the head with it, as she did on so many occasions. I didn't care.

All I know is that I love all of these tiny little moments, recollections, and connections that appear out-of-the-blue every day of my daughter's existence. They are perfect little treats in our busy day-to-day lives. I love them, I love her, and I look forward to more tomorrow.

To my mother, I love you! You are with me in everything I do with her, my own daughter. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Fantastic Giveaway from Crave Photography

2011-04-21T18:31:00.001-07:00

Crave Photography is having an amazing giveaway from my favorite vendors! Visit their blog for more information here.

Fix It Friday - Rachel Osborne Photography - CS4

2011-01-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

Here's another I Heart Faces "Fix It Friday" challenge. Below you will see an image taken by another photographer, and ,below that one, you will see the image edited by me in Photoshop CS4. To see more of my photography, please visit my professional blog:
http://rachelosbornephotography.com/blog
or my website:
http://rachelosbornephotography.com

Check out this great giveaway from Sylvia Cook Photography!

2011-01-17T18:55:00.000-08:00

Check out this birthday bash giveaway with @Sylvia Cook Photography, I've entered....have you? She is giving away over $1000 worth of great products and photo editing actions. Just visit her blog for more information...
http://photographybysylviacook.blogspot.com/2011/01/birthday-giveaway-little-boy-is-turning.html

I won a photo challenge!!! {I Heart Faces}

2011-01-15T08:05:00.000-08:00

I am so thrilled that a photo I took of Mollie came in 5th place in last week's I Heart Faces photo challenge: Smile. I thought long and hard about the best smiles I have seen: happy smiles, goofy smiles, toothy smiles, toothless smiles. Smiles are great, no matter what! When I think of my daughter, I can't help but think of silly smiles. She loves oranges, and her daddy taught her how to make an orange smile. Orange you happy to see this smile?

Here is a link to the winner's page and my website below that.

http://www.iheartfaces.com/2011/01/photo-challenge-winners-smile/

http://rachelosbornephotography.com/

Here is a link to my winning blog post:
http://rachelosbornephotography.com/blog/2011/01/10/i-heart-faces-smile/

Fix It Friday - Rachel - PS CS4

2011-01-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

Here is the I Heart Faces "Fix It Friday" of the week. First is the original image, taken by someone else, and below it is the image I took. To see more of my work, please visit http://rachelosbornephotography.com or my blog where you'll find some I Heart Faces entries:
http://rachelosbornephotography.com/blog

Busy Times!

2011-01-07T19:36:00.001-08:00

What day is today? What time is it? What YEAR is it? Time is flying by. That's the only way I can describe it. One thing I have learned- never make a to-do list for a vacation. It never gets done. We had more than two weeks off of work for the holidays and did maybe one thing off our list. Was it something important? No. You know how I know? Because I don't even know what it was! Sigh.

Little Miss Mollie is full of surprises. She is hilarious. Today, I wrote her name on the Magna Doodle, held it up to her without saying anything, and she looked at it and said "Mollie" then went about her business. Okay. I know the kid is smart, but what was that? Last night, I was eating a cookie with a snowman face, and I let Mollie take a few nibbles off of it. She looked at David's cookie that sat on the table waiting for him, and I could have sworn she said in a very matter-of-fact way, "Are you going to eat that?" It sounded more like "Are-oo-go-eat that?" She laughed immediately following her question. Once she got hold of her own cookie, she stuck it vertically in her mouth and made sure that both David and I took full notice.

We love her so much. She is so funny, sweet, and musical. She may only weigh 20 pounds and have only 5 teeth, but she's a doll. We love our little Mollie!

http://rachelosbornephotography.com

I Heart Faces Fix It Friday #81

2010-12-17T18:50:00.000-08:00

I actually have time to edit other people's photos right now! Who knew? School is out, so I have a nice break that I can work on our photos and do some photo challenges. Below, you will find the original image (I did not take this photo). Underneath, is the image I edited with Photoshop CS4. I took a little of the branch in the center out, because I felt it was distracting from the couple. For more of my work, please visit www.rachelosbornephotography.com or my blog, www.rachelosbornephotography.com/blog Thanks! And hey, unlike the name on my link on the IHeartFaces.com page, I spelled photography right there! :)

Fix It Friday - Rachel - PS CS4

2010-12-11T18:01:00.000-08:00

This is the original image above.

This is the first time I have tried one of the I Heart Faces Fix It Friday posts. For this challenge, you edit another person's photo. I use Photoshop CS4.

Sweet Puppy Tori

2010-12-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

The other day, I went down to our old forgotten Dell computer in the basement. There are still a lot of photos and files that need to be transferred to one of our Macs. I stumbled upon this photo of our family dog Tori who we lost a few years ago. She was an amazing pet. I am 99% sure that she thought she was human. I loved that dog. What a beautiful Australian Shepherd!

Gaining Fame

2010-11-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

There is my sweet little Mollie modeling some really cozy and beautiful children's clothing on Zulily.com today. I'm so proud to see her there. She was so good and patient when I photographed her that day. She doesn't mind me chasing her around with a camera, but it can be tricky to get her just the right way for commercial photography. It's a funny feeling to go on a website you look at daily and find yourself looking at an image that A. you took and B. is of your daughter. I can't help but smile.

These photos are something that Mollie and I can do together. I don't want her to be a supermodel or a beauty pageant contestant - I just want her to be comfortable in front of a camera. It's the same way with my students and dancing. I don't want or expect them to all be famous dancers, but I would love for them to be comfortable enough with who they are someday to want to dance at their own proms. I want Mollie to feel comfortable enough in front of a camera that she doesn't cringe when someone says "smile" or go into a different room when a photographer is present.

I hope that someday, I can teach Mollie to share my love of a camera from both sides of the lens.

Birthdays

2010-10-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of celebrations going on this time of year. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and our birthdays. I look forward to all of them. At some point though, birthdays stopped being really exciting for me. Does that mean that the fun and celebration of a birthday is mostly for children? Or, does it just mean I don't want to grow up? Either way around, the most fun for me has been spending time with my daughter on my birthday. I love that my birthday is always during our 3-day weekend Fall Break here in Athens, and I get to make a birthday wish that the UGA Dawgs beat the Gators in Florida every Saturday within that break. (Go Dawgs!)

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, everyone!

My Little Pony

2010-09-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, I had a Fisher-Price pony to ride on. I remember the black mane, polka-dotted neck, red seat, wheels that made a clicking sound, little blue compartment underneath for hiding necessities, and the reigns that made the horse neigh. Several of my favorite photos from when I was a toddler involved the horse. At some point, it was sold at a yard sale.

Jump ahead to a few months ago, and I decided that Mollie just had to have one. Thank you, Ebay! It took me a little while and some sneaky bidding, but I won one. Granted the white plastic has yellowed some with age, my little Mollie loves it. She makes the horse "neigh", and she tries to climb on it. We still have to help her stay on it, but once on, she rocks back and forth while walking to get it moving. It's just precious. Here is a photo I took of Mollie and her horse at the Botanic Gardens. Enjoy!

The Girl Loves a Good Outfit

2010-09-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Mollie's 1 Year Photos

2010-08-29T18:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we spent three wonderful hours with Teresa Vickery. Last year, she photographed Mollie at 12 days-old and she also did my maternity photos. It was so great to have such a wonderful person and photographer taking the reins for me! I loved not having to worry about taking the photos for a change. Teresa always does beautiful work. She never ceases to amaze me! Finally, a new good photo of the three of us!
To see a preview, please visit her blog:
www.teresavickery.com/blog

Mollie's Birth Story

2010-08-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: This is my birth story. I tried not to be too graphic, but yes, I am desctiptive about what happened during my daughter's birth. If you don't want to know about birth, don't read it. It is also long. You may want to have a cup of coffee while you read it.

One year ago, I went through the best experience of my life, the arrival of my daughter. This is her story.

Mollie Rose’s Birth
August 14th, 2009
There was no sign that you were coming. My last appointment to see Meredith, my midwife, yielded nothing inspirational. “One centimeter” she said with a pat on my leg. She gave me lots of tips for getting you moving, but I really didn’t think those old wives’ tales would work: Evening Primrose tablets, Scaliani’s Eggplant Parmesan, etc. On a side note, the eggplant parmesan was delicious but took David FOREVER to make. Thank you, David.
I thought you’d never come. I whined to your father, “She’s never coming out!” He laughed when I commented that you would be a teenager, still inside me, with your head sticking out beside my shoulder.
“Oh, she’s coming out alright,” he responded.
Every night, we walked out of our driveway and down Deertrigger Landing. It was hot, humid, and my body ached. My belly was so heavy. Initially, I didn’t want to walk very far, but as your due date came and went, I became rapidly more inspired to march further down the road amongst the chirping crickets and blinking streetlights. We got back to the cool of our house and I would either plop down on the couch or sit on my purple labor ball and bounce in the moonlight by the back door. I loved staring at the moon dreaming of you. I bounced. I bounced hard.
On one of the last nights before your birth, there was a meteor shower. We drove around east Athens searching for the perfect spot to watch the display and wish on a star for your arrival. We stood by the field behind Whit Davis Elementary where I managed to spot a fireball that looking more like a basketball snaking through the sky. Of course your father missed it. Poor thing!
It was still bright, so we got back in the Rav-4 and rode down Barnett Shoals Road over to where Classic City Landscaping is located. We pulled the car onto their gravel driveway and stood staring into the dark expanse of night sky focused for any streak of light that passed. Although we didn’t see what we hoped for, it was very special to stand with David in the quiet of the night and stare up into the peaceful sky with my arms wrapped around you, snug in my belly.
As I mentioned before, Wednesday the 12th of August came and went. I had no hope of you coming; I had showed no signs that you would come anytime soon. I went to bed on the 13th feeling as I had for several months: tired, achy, and having to go to the bathroom even though I just went! It was customary for me to get up four or five times to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. It seemed like every hour. Around 3:12 A.M. in the morning on the 14th, I sat up, feeling like I had to urinate. I felt a slight gush: so small I thought I had wet my pants. Feeling embarrassed, I went into the bathroom, and I began to realize that my water may have broken. I sat for a moment and pondered.
In our birth class, labor progressed slowly. Advised to stay home and rest for as long as possible, I thought that I should get back into bed and not bother David. He was so exhausted from going back to work and from my constant begging for back and ankle massages. I got back into bed, started feeling cramps, and experienced another trickle of amniotic fluid. At that point I knew that I couldn’t just lay there.
I went to the bathroom again to make sure that I wasn’t just wetting my pants over- and-over again, and then stood beside David’s side of the bed. I don’t recall exactly what I said, but I remember saying something along the lines of “David, I think my water broke.” It took him awhile to wake-up. He asked if I was sure, and I said “no.” So, I called my Mom. I could tell she was excited and worried about me. Her water broke first with almost all of her children, so we both knew that it was highly likely for me as well. I hung-up and called the answering service for Women’s Healthcare Associates who had Meredith call me shortly after. I told her that I wanted to stay home as long as possible, although at the time I was starting to feel such strong contractions that it seemed ridiculous to make such an announcement. It was around 3:45, and she said to give her a call back around 7:00.
David made me an egg which I ate after writing a note in my pregnancy journal. I had that same sense of anticipation one feels when they get up early on Christmas morning or when embarking on a vacation. I didn’t mind being up early, and my adrenaline was flowing. Angie Reuter, my doula called, and I tried to speak to her. By then, it was getting hard to talk to her. David periodically rubbed my back, especially during contractions. He also started packing the car. I don’t remember if I spoke to Angie twice or just once. I may have told her at that point that I thought I needed to go to the hospital. We notified Meredith, and we attempted to speed things up at home.
While David walked the dogs and packed the car, I took a shower. Ha! I screamed, banged my fist into the wall, and wondered why I was taking a shower. Did I even shave my legs? When I got out of the shower, David asked, “Can I go take a shower?” I think I snapped at him and said, “What?! No, you can’t take a shower!”
We went out to the car, which David was cooling with the air conditioner for me. I looked up to the stars behind out basketball hoop and saw a shooting star. I made a wish that my labor would be safe and fairly painless and that our little girl would be healthy. Another contraction came along, and David rubbed my back on the driveway. I did not want to get in the car and have a contraction right away. I didn’t want to sit down. They seemed to be coming every five minutes or so.
It hurt to sit in the car. I had another contraction when we got to one of the last speed humps in our neighborhood. That was painful! I think I recall another one on College Station after Kroger and another one on this side of the Loop. I’m sure there were more! At one point I hit the side window so hard with my hand that I thought I was going to break it. I dreaded the ride to the hospital. It was no fun!
When we got to Athens Regional, we went in the Emergency Room door. Since Meredith called, they knew we were coming. They sent me into one of the check-in windows and the person asked, “Is she here for an induction or a c-section.” That made me mad! During a contraction I said through my teeth, as if they couldn’t tell, “I’m in labor!”
A woman escorted us from the Emergency Room through some doors to the elevators. She asked if I wanted a wheel chair, and I said “no.” We rode up to the Mother-Baby Unit, and a woman was waiting to take us into Labor and Delivery. The nurses at the nurse’s station all turned and looked at me as we walked down the hallway. The woman escorting us said, “Sorry, you’ve got a long walk, you’re all the way down the end here.” I didn’t like hearing that.
My request for a room with a tub from Meredith yielded us one of the “big rooms”. It had light colored wood floors, art on the walls, a gigantic window that spanned the length of the room, and plenty of seating for visitors. A strange sensation came over me. The room was prepared for birth. It expected birth. It knew what to do. I had no idea what was going to happen or what to do. I was both excited and anxious.
Our first nurse that checked me in was a parent to Sophia, one of our music campers. I quickly asked her if she wanted to see my birth plan that I had toiled over for months, and she said, “Why don’t you just tell me what you want to have happen- anytime anyone gives me one of those nothing goes as planned.” I told her that I wanted to have a natural labor, only using medicine if absolutely necessary and if I ask for it. She agreed and showed me where the hospital gowns were. I told her that I had brought something to wear, and I went into the bathroom to change into my pink tank top with white trim and black fold-over top skirt. I assured David that I would be fine for a moment, and he went to get our bags, my birth ball and pillows, and to move the car.
In the bathroom, I started feeling like I had to go, but I was only feeling intense labor cramps. In the mean time, my nurse came back into the room. When I left the bathroom, she said she needed to start an I.V. I requested a Hep-Lock so I wouldn’t have to be hooked up the entire time. I lay my right forearm on a pillow and looked away. Before I knew it, she was wiping my arm with a towel saying, “I hit a valve.” Needless to say, my entire right forearm turned a nasty shade of purple within a short amount of time. David’s eyes got huge when he returned and saw it.
That room seemed so well prepared for me: the bed with its linens and lining paper, monitors plugged in and powered, and a bassinet in the corner. It was as if every second of my life prepared me to be there in that moment. Even though I was there, my mind started to wander out of the room. With each contraction, I lost the ability and realization of my presence at Athens Regional. My eyes shut and I wandered into darkness.
My labor began to blur. Looking back on it, there is a large quantity of time that I only remember flashes or instances. I remember the intense heat of each contraction swelling in my hips. The pain felt like a red-hot bowling ball pulling me down by my waist. During these contractions, I only wanted David. I did not want to sit down. Not once did I ask to sit or lay down. I wrapped my arms around David’s neck and buried my face in his neck. The distinct pattern of his thinly striped blue and brown short-sleeved button down shirt flashed before my eyes when I opened them after each contraction.
I remember Sarah, my fabulous nurse, periodically placing a fetal monitor on my belly. It felt good to have the cool gel on my hot skin. Meredith arrived with a red Starbuck’s reusable coffee cup and placed it near me. I was in too much pain to tell her how nauseous the smell of the coffee made me. Several times, I threw-up. Things seemed to move so quickly.
Angie, my doula arrived at some point. I was so happy to have her there. I had such a fabulous system of support. When I had a contraction, she would do the hip squeeze on my back. Unfortunately, I never really liked it. I wish it would have helped! Even in our birth classes, I didn’t like it. I did love having my back massaged during labor. It was wonderful. At some point I also decided that the waist band of my skirt was too painful and decided to just not wear it. That helped a lot.
Sarah, Angie, and Meredith tried to encourage me to use the birth ball, but I found sitting down terribly uncomfortable. Meredith offered me a birth stool, I started to sit on it, and I immediately found it too painful to use. Through my delirium, I started missing my mother. I wanted her there. I alternated between saying I wanted pain medication and that I wanted my mom. I was told that in order to have an epidural, I’d have to sit down for a couple minutes. That was the last thing that I wanted! However, my mom was phoned and arrived shortly after. She gave me the comfort that I needed. I was so happy she was there. She sat quietly in a corner beside the long window. (I later learned that Sarah explained to her what was going on and my mom asked why they weren’t giving me anything for the pain.) At some point during the day, the phone rang, and I came to find out it was the parent of an old student wondering if I was in labor because I hadn’t been on Facebook!
Periodically, Meredith checked me, and that hurt terribly! (5 cm at 8 A.M.) When I was around 7 centimeters (10 A.M.), I got in the shower. Stepping into the tub took a lot of effort as lifting my leg hurt immensely. David put on his swimsuit and supported me in the shower for what he told me was 1.5 to 2 hours. I leaned on him and the warm water ran on my back. The cramping pain of labor started making me want to push. David called to Meredith and told her that I wanted to push, and she said it was okay if I felt like I had to. That surprised me since I had always heard not to push until told to. Perhaps that was since I wasn’t dilated enough to actually move Mollie.
I don’t remember why I got out of the shower, but when I got out, I was having some serious contractions. Maybe that’s why! I started to really hang on David. At one point he asked for some help, and Angie took over letting me lean on her. It wasn’t long before I wanted David again. I think he got a 10 second break! He sat on the edge of the bed and I leaned on him. With each contraction, I dropped to the floor. Poor David! He was so tired, and I was wearing him out. He really needed help.
My forehead was raw from rubbing it into the stubble on his chin during each contraction. In the corner, my mom whispered the words “I love you”. It comforted me. As my belly tightened, my eyes shut, and I saw darkness. Each contraction seemed to last for about 30 slow counts. I could see the numbers in the darkness, flashing into visibility. They appeared white and then blurred into the blackness of my vision. When my eyes opened, I saw the light wood floor spotted with blood. Towels quickly swept it up, and Meredith joked, “She had NO bloody show before today!”
When checked after the shower at noon, I was almost 10 centimeters, “with a tiny lip” of cervix left. Amidst my contractions, I could hear wheels moving across the floor and I began to notice items moving closer to me in preparation for Mollie’s birth. Earlier, I had asked if Mollie could be kept in the room after she was born so she wouldn’t leave me by going to the nursery. Sarah was prepared to do all of her check-in procedures in the room.
Meredith repeatedly encouraged me to try a hands and knees position, but I had refused. I didn’t want to bend like that! However, at this point in labor, I dropped to the floor, tightening deeply in that position. Meredith said something to the effect of, “Midwives like to see a patient on their hands and knees.” Somehow, they managed to get me up onto the bed to check me again. She tried to get the cervix to move.
I remember having my temperature taken and that it was starting to rise. The fetal monitor was also used periodically. After awhile, Meredith told me that Mollie’s heart rate was a little low and that I needed to have an epidural to help it get back to normal. I felt defeated. Hadn’t they told me earlier that I would have to sit down for 10 minutes too?
The male anesthesiologist came in, and I didn’t sit down until he was ready to start. I don’t think I took a single breath when he stuck that needle in my back. I curled into David’s arms. It really wasn’t too bad. The contractions were terrible, but in a matter of moments, I no longer felt them.
I lay back, and clarity returned to my mind. My legs were numb, and my pain was gone. I was able to laugh, make jokes, and reflect on the morning. I couldn’t believe that what I was experiencing was thought of as “painful” to people in labor. They had never really experienced labor!
Throughout my labor, the day changed. The long glass window reflected the darkness of our arrival, the transition into daybreak and the golden heat of afternoon. As I lay happily in bed with the epidural flowing into my spine, the sun started to drift downward toward evening.
I remember Angie getting David some food- a sandwich and salad maybe? At some point Meredith or Sarah told me that when Meredith arrived, she and Sarah met in the hallway. Meredith had told Sarah that she was afraid I was in for a terribly long labor because I wasn’t dilated or anything a few days before. She was glad I was moving along so well. I had also asked how much longer they thought things would be (several times) during my labor. I never really got an answer.
The good news was that I was fully dilated. To help Mollie’s heartbeat, I had been given Tubuterine, which slows down contractions. When I was 33 weeks, I spent a few hours at Regional due to early labor, and they gave me the same medicine. On this day, the medicine helped her heart rate, but it virtually stopped my contractions. I was only having them every 7 minutes when they had been almost non-stop prior to the medication. So, I got a small dose of Pitocin.
The Pitocin revived my contractions. Due to the epidural, I couldn’t really feel them. Each time one would come, I felt a small amount of adrenaline in my veins, and breathing felt strange. I was finally allowed to push. Meredith helped me onto my knees on the bed, and each time a contraction came, I raised myself up on my hands and pushed.
Around 6:00, Sarah had to go home. I was so sad to see her go! She introduced a transition nurse whose name may have been Jane or Janet. She stayed for about an hour. Since being on my knees hadn’t helped, I now tried pushing while I lay down. Meredith assured me that for some people’s hips, that position can be very helpful to get a baby out. Jane/Janet held a leg and Meredith held the other, and I pushed.
During my pushing, the nurse shift changed, and another nurse came. Her name was Carmen. We really liked her too! Every time I felt the surge of adrenaline, I’d say, “Am I having another?” They would look at the monitor, say “yes”, and I would push. In between contractions, I sipped Sierra Mist. Big mistake! Every time I pushed, I burped! It is hard to keep pushing when you burp. It was frustrating that this kept happening. However, I focused all my energy on each push. When a contraction came, I pushed two times for 20 counts each. I wanted my baby. It took me a little while to get the hang of it. So that I could feel the pushing, Meredith called to make sure it was okay to lower the amount of medicine I received from the epidural. Once adjusted, I felt intense hot pain in one spot inside my right hip. I couldn’t tolerate it. They increased the epidural again and placed an ice pack on the spot. I also had difficulty holding my right leg when I pushed due to the IV in my arm. At this point, I was receiving my second round of antibiotics for Group B Strep. Meredith said that Dr. Leach had joked with her via text message about how long my labor was taking, “Shouldn’t that baby be here? Aren’t you a midwife? Isn’t there a doula there?”
As I pushed, the sun started to set. A rosy glow hovered in the corner of the window. I had been pushing for awhile, and Meredith stopped to speak with me. She told me that the baby hadn’t been really moving down. She said that I had pushed for about 2.5 hours and that after 2 hours of good pushing, the baby should have moved. She thought that I had only been pushing really well for an hour or so. She then told me that I could try some more. My heart sank when she said that if the baby didn’t start to move I would have to try a vacuum or have a C-Section. When I heard this, it was as if I had 5 energy drinks. Each time a contraction came, I pushed not twice, but three times. I held each push as long as physically possible. I did not want to have a C-Section.
After 4.5 hours of pushing, Meredith told me that she had spoken with Dr. Andrew Leach (who she had been communicating with via text message during my labor), and he said that they needed to try a vacuum. I started to cry. I was afraid that the vacuum would hurt me or the baby. Meredith was very reassuring and asked me what I was afraid of. She said it was very safe.
Before I knew it, there were a lot more people in the room. Somehow, night had fallen. It was about 10 P.M. The lights were off in the room, and spotlights were on above my head. Other nurses in blue gowns, caps, and glasses were in the room, and Dr. Leach came in. They were ready for the baby. I didn’t look at the tray of medical tools, but I did see the long purple vacuum. It really didn’t look like what I expected. It was about a foot and a half long, almost torpedo shaped, and a rather pleasing shade of purple. When my next contraction came, I pushed as hard as I could until Dr. Leach told me to stop. I heard the whir of the vacuum, and expected to feel pain. I felt nothing. We tried again. Nothing. I believe there was one more attempt, and once again, there was nothing.
Dr. Leach stopped and looked at me. He slowly told me that the baby had not moved. He then said that I needed to have a C-Section. He paused. I cried. David was beside me holding my hand, and I saw my mother’s face turn into a saddened frown. All I could say was “okay.” Looking back on it, I am so impressed with how kind Dr. Leach was. It is hard to describe now, a year after the fact, but I really feel as if he understood how badly I wanted to have Mollie naturally. He understood how devastating it was for me that things did not go as I wished. I tried so hard. The irony is that I always avoided having prenatal appointments with Dr. Leach because I did not want to have a male doctor examining me. There he was speaking so kindly to me, and there he was, moments from delivering Mollie.
I remember Meredith saying something about how things would be moving quickly since the decision had been made to have the surgery. A clipboard was handed to me with a consent form to sign. I was shaking so much that I am sure my signature was impossible to decipher. David hugged me closely, and I cried into his arms. At some point, Angie took our picture with my camera. I didn’t really want a photo of that moment, but someone there had said we should take it.
Carmen helped me into a hospital gown, and my pink tank top was threading down the IV tubing and away from me. Before I knew it, my bed was being wheeled out the door, down the hallway, past the nurse’s station, around a corner, and to an operating room. I happened to take a glimpse of a rectangular clock overhead with red digital numbers that said something around 10:45. Was it really that late? It seemed like the sun had just set.
David was not with me. He was changing into scrubs in my room and would join me once Dr. Leach had begun the surgery. I was lifted onto the operating table by several people. My legs were too numb to do it myself. I did not like being in that room. I felt totally defenseless and lonely. The Anesthesiologist started preparing me for more medication, binding my left arm to an extension of the table. It was uncomfortable and not at the correct angle for my body. He said there was nothing he could do about it.
A sheet of blue hung above my belly. I heard Dr. Leach say “Uh, oh.” That concerned me a bit! I didn’t know what happened. I asked, and they said he had dropped his phone. There were two male pediatric nurses to my left and several other nurses in the room who totally ignored me. I saw Meredith off to my right putting on expensive green gloves that went up to her elbows. Earlier in the day, she had mentioned them when we commented on how many gloves she seemed to go through during my labor. She said they were very expensive. (I later found out that Meredith left moments later. Dr. Leach was about to deliver a baby at St. Mary’s when he got called to Regional to do my procedures. Meredith, being the other practitioner on call, had to go to St. Mary’s to take his place. She missed that baby’s birth by just a few minutes. She got back to Regional just a short while after Mollie’s birth.)
David came in, and I was so happy he was there. He sat beside my right shoulder and held my hand. My Nikon D200 hung around his neck. I have no idea what he thought of the surgery. He said he really didn’t look at what they were doing.
On T.V., I had watched enough episodes of “A Baby Story” to know and expect tugging during the surgery. I was not prepared for how much or what that really meant. I could feel Mollie moving in my belly, and Dr. Leach almost knocked the sheet down because he was tugging so hard. I was terrified I would feel cutting, which they assured me I would not, and I was terrified the sheet would fall.
I started to be so uncomfortable that the Anesthesiologist told me that if I couldn’t handle it, he would have to put me all the way under. I did not want that. I could still feel that hot pain by my right hip. Right when it began to be more than I could bear, Dr. Leach lifted up Mollie and said “She’s out.”
I think I immediately started crying. I stopped worrying about the surgery, and started worrying about her. I heard them say something about her being an “8” on the Apgar Scale, and David made a comment, “She’s an effin’ genius!” I think we were both momentarily embarrassed those words came out of his mouth.
Mollie was whisked around my right side and take over to a table where the pediatric nurses were. As she passed, I noticed the swirl of dark hair on the top of her head. “Is she okay?” I asked David over and over again.
I stretched my head over my left shoulder as hard as I could while watch the top of her head as she lay on the table. She had such a tight cry! David assured me that she was alright. I could see them putting her feet up to stamp them, and I sent David over to check on her. She was now a “9 on the Apgar Scale and weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces at 20.2 inches long. Before I knew it, he was back with our daughter.
I melted into her eyes. I cried. I think David asked me, “Isn’t she perfect?” and then something to clarify that Mollie was the perfect name for her. We smiled and cried. I noticed that one of her eyes, her left, seemed a little swollen. I was worried. “Is her eye okay?” He assured me that it was. She started to cry, and I told her that it was alright. She stopped crying. She knew me. David moved her face close to mine, and I kissed her cheek. They left and went to the nursery.
I have always been an impatient person, but I have never felt as impatient as I did at that moment. I wanted to hold my baby. If I could have twiddled my thumbs, I probably would have as they stitched me up! Soon after, I was being wheeled back past the clock which read something around 11:40. Mollie had been born at 11:12 P.M., 20 hours after my water broke.
I was taken back to the room I labored in by the Anesthesiologist. As we entered, he saw Angie sitting near the window and snapped at her. “This is a surgery recovery room, you can’t be in here.” If I hadn’t been so tired, I probably would have said something. She said “okay” and left. I was alone in a darkened room with Carmen. I was glad she was there.
For what felt like forever, I think almost 3 hours, I stayed in that room. Carmen adjusted my medication, and much to my dislike, she periodically pushed on my belly. That HURT. I hated it. At one point, the nursery called and asked if I wanted Mollie bathed. I asked if David could do it. They said that was fine. I wanted my baby!
I kept asking, “When can I see my baby?”
Carmen replied, “When you’re not in as much pain.” I should have just lied.
I came to find out that during the surgery, Carmen had to push Mollie back up so Dr. Leach could get her out. She was stuck! That’s why the curtain almost fell.
Finally, Carmen started to wheel me down the hallway to the postpartum rooms. It felt like it took forever to get there. As we passed over a bump in the hallway, she instructed me to hold a pillow tightly to my belly which would give me comfort over the stitches and staples. It helped.
As I entered my room, I was surprised to find my mom, David’s mom, and Angie all inside. I was sad that I was missing my one dream for childbirth: meeting my daughter in privacy with just my husband there. I wanted her to lie on my chest with him beside me: us finally a family. It took us so long to conceive Mollie, and after feeling like we would never have our own child, I dreamt of that moment of our first meeting for so long. Everyone who was there loved us, and we love them. They are all supportive and wonderful people; I just wanted a private moment. I’m still sad that it wasn’t what I wanted it to be. There I was in the room, and both David and Mollie weren’t even there yet.
I heard wheels in the hallway, and David appeared wheeling a clear plastic bassinet on a steel frame into the room. He stopped at the foot of the bed. A nurse followed him. I couldn’t see. The nurse started talking about how to clean Mollie cord and all sorts of other information that I could have cared less about. I didn’t listen to a word. “Can I hold my baby?” I asked. She started to hand me Mollie. David said, “Can I hand her to my wife?” He held Mollie out to me, and I felt complete. I was so happy. I couldn’t stop looking at her.
“Should we tell them her name?” He asked.
I nodded, but I was once again disappointed that I did not have private moment to share Mollie’s name with my mother. I had dreamt of it for nine months.
I said, “Mollie Rose”, and they all smiled. I don’t think my mom could believe it.
She either said, “What?” or “Really?” I love that my daughter is named after my mother name.
At some point that evening, Angie helped me with nursing Mollie, and our guests went home. My mother kissed me and touched Mollie’s cheek. We took Mollie out of the paper gown with pictures of teddy bears on it that she was dressed in and laid her on my chest. Her softness melted into my skin. She was so perfect. Her tiny hat slipped off of her head, and I noticed two red circles on the top right side of her head from the vacuum. These marks went away in a few days. I have no idea what time it is when we went to sleep.
Over the next few days, David did so much for me and Mollie. He rocked her, swaddled her, soothed her, diapered her, and bathed her. He helped me eat, feed Mollie, get up, get into the bathroom, get onto a mean nurse, thank the kind nurses, and even shower.
As we left Athens Regional, I couldn’t believe I was taking my baby home. I had a child. She was mine. I got to keep her! We left the sanctity of the hospital for the hot concrete and cars in Athens, Georgia. It made me nervous to take Mollie into the real world, but I knew she was safe with us. David and I have never wanted anything as much as we wanted our baby girl. Our baby girl! Oh, how much we love her! Having her in our car just seemed so simple. After all the complexities of having trouble conceiving and the discomfort of pregnancy and labor, she was a tiny little gift right there before us. I cannot remember life without her, nor do I want to.
At that time, if you had asked me, I would have said that I would not try to have a natural labor ever again. It was terribly painful. However, I know that just about everything that could go wrong did, and I know that my baby is so much healthier because I did that for her. Not only did I do it for her, but I did it for me. If I could do that, I can do anything. I have already reflected on that pain countless times. It has lifted me up and pushed me on. The pain was a gift, but there will never be another gift like that of my child.

I'm having fun!

2010-08-10T12:34:00.001-07:00

I am having so much fun taking pictures! Over the weekend, I did a newborn session, and about a week ago, I photographed a second grader. It was amazing. Enjoy my blog:
http://rachelosbornephotography.com/blog/

I'll be running an ad in the next issue of Athens Parent. Let me know if you see it!

Finally! My business on my terms!

2010-07-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

I have adored photography for years. It has always frustrated me a little because I have wanted to do it more, but I haven't had the means to do so. Well, I've done it. My LLC paperwork is underway, I have my website, I am learning all I can, and I am making it happen. I want it to happen. I am feeling satisfied again in my life. Don't get me wrong- there is nothing more in my life that I love more than being Mollie's mother. I just haven't done ANYTHING for myself in ages. I don't know when the last thing was that I did for myself or that I really wanted to do. I feel like I have been given a swift shove towards endless possibilities. Finally!

Please visit my website at www.rachelosbornephotography.com and let me know what you think!

Please Help!

2010-07-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

I hate to ask anyone for anything, but a few seconds of your time would mean so much to us! We entered Mollie in 102.1's cutest baby contest that could win her the position of being Rattles and Rhymes' spokes-baby position and some nice prizes. All you have to do is click on the link, create a simple login, and then go to "click here to vote", choosing "Mollie". (Her photo is the one of a baby in a light green/blue polo dress crawling on a boardwalk.)
http://magic1021fm.com/contests/cutest-baby-2010.html

You can vote once a day, and your vote would be very much appreciated. Please feel free to send the link and her info to your friends and family. The only way for her to win is with your help! Thank you a million times over!

Sincerely,
Rachel and David

St. Simons Vacation

2010-07-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

We took Mollie to the beach for the first time from July 6th-9th. We have been terrified of how she would do on the car trip to St. Simons Island. Would she scream? Would she flip-out? She actually did really well! We were blessed that she played with toys for 2 hours, napped for an hour or so, and then played for a little while longer before we stopped for lunch at our favorite Thai restaurant in Savannah, The King and I. Mollie flirted with EVERYONE in the restaurant and tried yellow curry with tofu. We then traveled another 1.5 hours to the Island. She did have a bit of a melt-down, but the Karl application on David's IPhone saved the day.

There was nothing like seeing Mollie's eyes light up at the sight of the ocean. She smiled, kicked, and said, "Mmm". She ate sand, got sand EVERYWHERE, and kicked the waves as they tickled the shore. She saw crabs on the beach, went to the Tidelands Center on Jekyll and the Sea Turtle Rehab Center, and she now knows "turtle". I think that she made friends with about 200 people during our vacation. She waved at them, shrieked at them, and made sounds and gestures that they thought was her blowing kisses. She definitely knows how to work the crowd. I wonder who she got that from?

Here are a few pictures from our trip- I'll post more in another blog.

Mollie Preferred Eating in a Big Chair

Posing in the Shirt I Wore on the Beach
While Pregnant with Mollie Last Year

Such a Sweetie!

My Wild Baby

Enjoying an Evening on the Beach

8 Months-Old in April

2010-05-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

Back in April, we took Mollie to the Botanic Gardens for the first time. I was so happy to finally be taking photos of my own child there! Not that I haven't loved taking photos of all sorts of cute kids there, but it was so special to be able to plop Mollie in some of my favorite spots.

I LOVE this one!

A moving baby bug!

In her Easter dress.

Another cute dress!
I bought this and her Easter dress the day we found out we were going to have a baby girl!

Making sounds with her fist in her mouth.

I love the look on her face in this picture!

Beautiful Baby Blues!

As I was saying...

Mollie loves her Daddy!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful morning on Mother's Day- homemade waffles, a nice time at church, and an impromptu visit with my brother Matt. The best part was spending time with David and my baby girl. I feel so blessed that I got to not only experience being a mother on Mother's Day, but I got to experience being a mother on Mother's Day to a baby that I carried for 9 months. 2 years ago, I didn't think I would ever experience either. A year and a half ago, I didn't think I'd ever experience being a mother to a baby that was half me and half David.
What a blessing!
Love to all of you mothers out there!

Test Results

2010-03-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

A GASP of relief! Mollie's liver enzymes have dropped a lot. AND her AAT levels were normal. There is no chance of her having that dreadful illness that causes liver and lung disease. We'll get her blood rechecked in two weeks. Your prayers have worked wonders. Thank you so much!

Photos I Should Have Posted!

2010-03-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

And Now We Wait...

2010-03-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Mollie's lab experience was so much better on Wednesday. The tech did everything she could to make Mollie comfortable. Mollie didn't cry or even make a face! She just watched her draw her blood. Now we wait. I have no idea how long. I am trying to enjoy these days, knowing that our world could drastically change when we get the results.

I remember when I got diagnosed with Crohn's that I started wishing I could spend one day where I didn't have to think about it. I wanted to time travel back a year or two, but I knew that would never be the case. It's a part of me now. I'd like to go back to a time when Mollie was perfectly healthy- I hope that is what happens when we get her test results. Please keep praying! Your prayers worked for blood work to go smoothly. We thank you a million times for that. Keep those prayers coming!

Blood Work Today

2010-03-24T04:58:00.001-07:00

What a lucky little girl we have to have so many people praying for her! Today, we will take Mollie to get her enzymes checked again around 4:00. Please pray that the technician is quick and gentle and that the results are what we have all been praying for. Your prayers mean the world to us!

Mollie's Health

2010-03-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

I have NEEDED to write for sometime now. Not only should I have written, but I have emotionally needed to. Let me say that I hate roller-coasters. I don't go on them- I take photos of David riding them with his arms up over his head. He got me on Space Mountain when we went to Disney back in 2002 because he got the concept of that ride mixed up with the Epcot Dome ride. When it stopped he said, "Did you like it?" I said, "Didn't you hear me screaming?" He looked perplexed and said, "I thought you were screaming because you liked it!" I said, "No! I was screaming because I was terrified." My eyes had been clenched so tightly that tears had been forced down my cheeks. Unwillingly, I have been riding a roller-coaster for the past month. Tears have again been working their way down my cheeks.

Back on February 18th, a few days after Mollie turned 6 months-old, she caught the stomach bug that David and I had both had the night of February 15th. We thought she'd throw-up a few times and be just fine. That was a Thursday morning. This also corresponded with her 6 month doctor's visit. At the appointment, her doctor thought she didn't need her Zantac for Reflux anymore, so he told us to stop giving it to her. While she was there, she threw-up her Rotovirus vaccine. That afternoon she started throwing up. By the evening she seemed better. Friday night, she was very fussy.

Saturday morning came, and I nursed Mollie in bed next to me. She threw-up EVERYTHING she had just eaten and freaked out. With that began a horrendous saga. She was miserable all day. We had already given her pedialyte on Thursday, so we started it again. We saw her doctor on Saturday. He had us keep giving her pedialyte every 15 minutes- milk would not stay down. Sunday, she just laid in our arms wanting to be rocked. The same went for Monday. She couldn't keep milk down. Monday night we went back to see her doctor at 6:30 PM. He admitted her into Athens Regional Hospital. The poor thing just laid in my arms as we waited for her room.

It was incredibly strange to walk back into the hospital Mollie was born in just 6 months prior with her so ill. I looked up at the window of the room I labored in. A camera flashed. So many memories flashed for me.

We were so sure that Mollie would get her doctor-ordered IV in a few hours, and we would be on our way home. Our Monday night trip to ARMC didn't end until Friday afternoon. Mollie had two IV's, four heel pricks, and an x-ray. They thought she had Hepatitis and even CMV due to elevated liver enzymes. She slept in a bed with me, which totally destroyed being able to sleep alone for about 10 days. She was constantly woken up, and I wasn't able to nurse her until Friday morning. (Might I add that using a pump for about a week straight about 6-7 times a day is MISERABLY PAINFUL.) I was so happy to be able to feed my baby again. I was terrified that she had forgotten how to nurse. It was Thursday when a nurse finally listened to our speculation that Mollie's reflux was acting up. Prilosec saved the day! She was back to her giggly, wild self so soon after that.

After being in the hospital, Mollie's doctor wanted us to get her liver enzymes rechecked to make sure they went back down. I was sure that they had, so I almost didn't take her to get her heels pricked again. We went to LabCorp, where the ARMC nurse said we could go, waited 30 minutes, and found out we had to go to a Regional First Care Lab. I had been to the one on Oglethorpe before when I needed to get a drug test for our adoption application. I liked it. Mollie was hungry and getting a little fussy, but I was happy to go somewhere I had had a positive experience.

When the nurse called Mollie's name, she said "Only one parent." This freaked me out because David was planning on singing to Mollie and it took 4 of us to hold her at the hospital in order to draw blood. I went back and the technician had me sit with Mollie in one of those blood-drawing chairs. I said, "Aren't you going to prick her heel?" She proceeded to prep her arm. To make the story shorter, she "felt a vein", she missed the vein, she let David come back to the room eventually, David looked at the situation with an expression of "WTF?", she removed the needle upon my firm direction, we noticed her "Student" name tag, she got someone else to prick Mollie's heel, and Mollie got very very very scared and upset. Not so happy with the people at Regional First Care. Dear RFC, please send experienced technicians to deal with babies in the future.

Here is where our roller-coaster starts to accelerate at a rapid pace. On Monday, David came home and said, "I had a message from Mollie's doctor- they want to go over her test results." From my experience with lots of docs for my own health issues, I know that they will tell you your test results over the phone if nothing is wrong. I felt queasy. We got worked in the next day at 4:10.

Mollie's doctor came in and said that her liver enzymes were still elevated. My brain thought- elevated like maybe 10-15? He pointed at the sheet of paper with her test results. He pointed to a number around 15 and said that they should be somewhere around there. Then he pointed at another number that was around 160. "Her enzymes are still high, and we want to find out why." A paralyzing numbness started seeping down my spine. He went on to say that high liver enzymes usually mean Hepatitis, but that those tests in the hospital were already negative. So, he said he would recheck her liver enzymes in another week, hoping they would go down. (In the hospital, he thought they were high from all the vomiting she had done while ill.) If her enzymes are high in a week, we'll need to go see a Pediatric GI doctor. Here we go, I thought. "He'll check her out and see if he can figure out what's going on." He said, "If worse comes to worst, he'll do a liver biopsy." A what? Needles, anesthesia, surgery on my 7 month-old? He then started describing Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/aat/aat_whatis.html), which essentially causes the liver to destroy itself and the lungs. Individuals usually get COPD or Emphysema. It isn't usually caught until an individual is older. Children with it generally have respiratory issues such as asthma. "How do you get that?" I asked. "Both parents have to have a recessive gene." I didn't know the gravity of this illness until I got home and it sunk in.

Would my child need a lung transplant? Can I give her part of my liver? I wondered and cried. Will she be able to run around and play with other kids? Will she be hooked up to an oxygen tank? I know that the doctor said it causes weight loss- will she be tiny? (She is just 14 pounds, 9.5 ounces. She was 14. 7 when she went into the hospital after a week of not eating. No weight gain.) I wonder if her liver is in there destroying her tiny organs while I hold her. Why can't I just scream at it to stop? I would give her my heart right out of my chest if it would make her better. All my life, I have wanted a child. After years of heart ache, prayers, an adoption plan, and medication, she got sent to us. She is a gift. She always will be. This just wasn't part of the plan.

Please pray for us. Please pray that her liver enzymes go down when she is tested again on the 24th. Please pray for us to find continued joy. Please just pray. Thank you.

Beware the Ides of March!

2010-03-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

My father has always taken good humor with Caesar and his demise. So, in honor of him and his annual "Beware the Ides of March", I present our toga baby. Et tu, Brute?

Mollie had entirely too much fun in this costume. Well, maybe not as much fun as I did.

Happy 6 Month Birthday, Mollie!

2010-02-14T13:24:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that our little Mollie is 6 months old today! For her celebration, she hosted some of the babies from our birth class and their parents. Emmy and Elena were lots of fun. The three girls played with Mollie's play kitchen and sported matching Valentine's headbands.

They enjoyed cake and party hats. I take that back- they enjoyed watching the cake and wearing party hats. :) I don't think the three of them were awake at the same time for more than 15 minutes!

After our company left, Mollie sat for some photos. She is doing so much better with sitting up! After about 30 seconds, she topples over, but she is getting stronger every single day. We are all convinced that Mollie will have her lower left front tooth any day now. It is almost visible under her gums. Anything is fair game for chewing these days! Her hands are her favorite chew toy!

Yesterday, when I wrote my blog, I wrote a about a lot that had changed. Upon reflecting on what I wrote, I realized that I didn't write very much about what we had GAINED. I wrote about things we had lost! I hope I didn't sound too negative because we have gained so very much with our little girl in the past 6 months.
We now have...
A snuggle bug,
A laugh machine,
An audience for singing, jokes, music, puppetry, and dance theater,
A friend for the pets,
A dinner guest,
A conversationalist,
A member of the Osborne reading club,
and
Someone who can always make us smile.

6 Months Ago...

2010-02-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

It is almost impossible for me to believe what happened 6 months ago. 6 months ago, I was sitting on a purple birth ball with my hands on my belly bouncing away by the door to our porch in the moonlight. I had just taken a walk down the street with David in the August humidity, and I was convinced that "this baby" was "never coming out." Hours later at 3:12 AM, I sat up in bed, and my water broke. 10 hours of natural labor, 10 hours of unnatural labor, an attempt at a vacuum birth, and a c-section later, we had our precious Mollie Rose in our arms.

I cannot believe how the time has flown by. It hasn't just flown by- it has zoomed by! It is almost like the time moved as quickly as a space ship in a sci-fi movie when it goes into warp speed. You know- when they hit a button and the stars start shooting by like white streaks.

In 6 months, we have gone from:
Going out to eat way to much and lingering in the restaurant until we felt leaving,
Laying on the couch watching absolutely nothing on t.v. for absolutely no reason,
Sleeping on the same floor of the house,
Never going upstairs,
Driving to Atlanta and other locations on a whim,
Going to church and staying in the pew until mass was over,
Singing/Playing in the choir every week,
Making meals together,
Going on dates a lot,
Going to movies when we felt like it,
Loathing the midi-esque music that accompanies children's toys,
Watching an entire t.v. show uninterrupted without getting up,
Playing with the dog without picking things up from the floor,
Both riding in the front of the car,
Going on shopping excursions,
Taking naps,
and
Going to sleep around 9 or 10 and waking up for work at 6 or sleeping in until 10!

TO...
Going out to eat 3 times in 6 months and picking up A LOT of carryout,
Sitting on the couch to nurse a baby what ANYTHING that is on t.v. and liking it,
Sleeping in different rooms since December (weaning to Daddy),
Going up and down the stairs all the time,
Driving more than 30 minutes away twice since July,
Rarely sitting in the same pew together for more than 15 minutes at a time at church,
Playing at one wedding at church in January,
One of us cooking/eating at a time,
Going out twice since Mollie was born,
Going to a movie once (see above!),
Finding the music on Mollie's toys "endearing",
Watching "Lost" on Hulu in 1.5 hours, in 15 minute intervals,
Playing with the dogs outside/hiding Mollie's squeak toys,
Getting used to riding in the backseat and communicating through the rear-view mirror,
Going shopping at the mall once alone, once as a couple, and once as the three of us,
NAP? What's that?,
AND
Going to sleep at 10 or 3 or 8 or 11 or...
Waking up at 4 or 3 or 10 or 5:45

You know what though? I wouldn't trade the last 6 months for ANYTHING. They have been the most difficult 6 months, the most challenging 6 months, the most amazing 6 months, the most life-changing 6 months, and the most loving 6 months. They have been pure joy. What a gift.
Happy 6 month birthday, Mollie Rose!

Scary Mama Moment

2010-02-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning, David came in and woke me up with Mollie. He said "I've got good news and some kinda scary news. The good news is that Mollie slept all night in her crib." My head was swimming with ideas of what the "scary news" could be. I immediately thought that she had managed to get her swaddle over her face while she was asleep. Then he said, "She slept on her stomach." I felt ill. I had no idea that Mollie was able to roll over in her swaddle, and I was well-aware of the danger that this poses for infants. Babies who can roll onto their stomachs must be able to roll back over in case they are in distress. (can't breath, etc.) David said that Mollie was laying there perfectly swaddled and asleep. He was scared too.

The risk of SIDS has terrified me since Mollie was born. She slept in our room until she was about 4 months old. Then we started alternated sleeping in her room upstairs with her. I have been very cautious about keeping things such as blankets and pj's away from her face. David is the master of a tight swaddle that can't budge. I don't let her sleep in bed next to me- even though she would love that. (So would I!) We tried to get her to sleep with a pacifier for awhile, I breastfeed her, and I don't smoke. There is a humidifier next to her crib, and we keep her room a cool 70 degrees with pj's that keep her warm but not too hot. We always place her on her back to sleep and don't use wedges. All of these precautions help reduce the risk of SIDS. Last night, after my day of freaking out about our sleep slip-up with Mollie, the news had a new SIDS report. New research has shown that babies who die from SIDS have been found to have a seratonin deficiency, causing them to have a hard time rousing themselves in a time of distress. In other words, if a baby is having trouble breathing on his stomach, he won't wake-up to roll over. This is so scary! They have no way to test for this deficiency so far.

Nothing in the world terrifies me more than losing my sweet little baby that we tried so hard to get. I hope we can all pray for these little angles as they lay peacefully resting in their beds.

Last night, our little Mollie went to sleep in a sleep sack. She slept for 15 minutes and woke-up. This went on a few times before being relocated to her bouncy seat. No swaddle equaled less sleep for all involved, but a safer sleep for Mollie. I gave in and fed her around 1:20, finally getting about 3.5 hours of sleep for myself. I wonder how long it will be before she sleeps through the night again- she did it once in her crib!

My little baby is 5.5 months old now. It seems like yesterday when she was just one day old, sleeping in my arms in the hospital.

5 Months and All Things New

2010-01-22T16:04:00.000-08:00

On the 14th, Mollie turned 5 months old. How on Earth did THAT happen? I can think about all of the things that we have done with Mollie, and it adds up to a lot. But it is so hard to think back to when she was smaller. She is already almost an entire head longer than when she was born!

Everyday seems brand new with a baby in the house. We have new adventures all the time! Mollie screams at music on a daily basis. Right now, David is singing her "What a Wonderful World", and she is letting out piercing shrieks. She loves kicking her floor tom drum with her feet when she is laying on her pack 'n play listening to David sing. She also loves her little maracas. What a little musician! Every night, she and David do about 45 minutes of music time. Needless to say, David's guitar playing has gotten quite good!

Mollie has been eating solids for about 5 weeks now. We have gone through all the traditional foods: bananas, sweet potatoes, peas, apples, squash, carrots, and pears. She loves them all. We've decided to stay away from prunes for the time being. :) Mollie has a pink sippy cup that she loves holding after she eats. She takes a few sips of water. Very refreshing!

Last night, Mollie cracked us up. She was in her tub on the counter in the bathroom playing with a little terry cloth duck. She plopped it in the water, and at the same moment brought her left arm (which had been hanging out of the left side of the tub) up. Her fist was overflowing with about 5 cotton balls. She didn't even look at her hand. It just floated up with cotton balls in it like they were supposed to be there. So silly. Then she preceded to shriek for about 10 minutes after her bath.

Mollie is determined to walk. She has been trying for 2 months already! By holding her under her arms, she will stand. She can even hold onto the table or her exer-saucer and stand for about 10 seconds on her own- or until she gets distracted and reaches for something across the room! She likes to "step step" towards the dog or cat. Her feet start prancing in place. It is hilarious. It is especially funny after a bath, seeing a nude little baby trotting across the bathroom floor. In the past few weeks, her wiggling steps have grown into actually leg lifting and moving forward. That child will walk soon, and we are IN for it.

Last Monday (Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday), we took Mollie to Memorial Park for the first time. The day before, she rode in the stroller like a "big girl" for the first time. No infant carrier. So, we thought it would be fun to go to the park. No reaction to the zoo- she had no clue that she was looking at alligators or owls! So, we went to the pond. Mollie saw a few Canadian Geese. I quacked like them, and she cracked up. A couple gave us bread that we fed them too. We then went to the play area and tried a slide together. No reaction. In her defense, it was a pretty dinky slide. :) She then went on the baby swing, which she loved! Her eyes were twirling around watching all the kids playing. (I think 4 of whom were my students.) She rode on our laps on a swing, and then rubbed her hands all over the painted bulldog statue. Lysol, anyone?

Quack! Quack! Quack!

Daddy quacks better.

What's so great about that?

Okay, now this is fun!

Pretty blue eyes!

We are having the best time with our baby! I'm smiling right now as she coos, and David wiggles Mollie's hand in her mouth, producing the sound: "uh- bub- bub- ru-la- bub".
Mollie and "Habib" from the Monkey Store. (I'm sure you know who's idea that was.)

Holiday Fun

2009-12-29T09:37:00.001-08:00

This year was BY FAR the best Christmas of my life. Never has it meant more to me than it has this year. We were able to really feel the meaning of Christmas by having our baby girl in our home. I could have cared less about the gifts- we had our gift! Mollie! (We did love and appreciate the gifts though!) We loved seeing the day through her eyes, even though they were just a little over 4 months old. Merry Christmas!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

A morning chew.

Ready to open presents!

What's that fun thing?

I like this whole present thing!

Paper? What's this all about?

Our musical baby!

We gave Mollie "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly".
We sang it to her while she turned the pages.

A librarian, perhaps?

Yes, I put a bow on my baby's head.

Silly face!

Mollie's "big" gift from Mom and Dad: the Baby DJ Walker, of course!

Daddy shows Mollie how to really mix a song.

Christmas breakfast.

Christmas smiles!

Mollie hunts for something in her stocking that my Mom made her.

Mollie knows that her Uncle Matt is crazy!

Checking out her Aunt Heather.

Family Photo!

Photo time with Grandpa and Grandma Carow.

Mollie loves hanging out with her Great-Grandma Bombino.

So cute in her gingerbread dress! I got it at the YMCA consignment sale.

Santa Baby!

Mollie looks a little wild in her Santa suit!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T18:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!
May you enjoy countless blessings this holiday season.
Love, David, Rachel, and Mollie

Blessed

2009-12-19T12:23:00.000-08:00

I am warm.
I have a roof over my head.
I have a loving husband.
I have an angel for a baby.
I have a great family.
I have food.
I have clothes.
I have a great doctor.
I had my baby in a wonderful hospital.
The tree is lit.
The gifts we have we are given to share.
Share love and kindness this Christmas.
Let's all find a way.
What would happen if we all found a small way to do that?

The stereo is playing Claire de Lune, and my baby rocks safely in her swing. This song will forever melt my heart when it comes to Mollie. It was the first song she heard after her birth- the first song we heard as a family. It probably played a hundred times in my hospital room. I am so lucky. Christmas has never meant more to me and my husband. We are so blessed. To think how long it took- every moment was worth what we got in return. We have a little slice of heaven to love.

So Thankful!

2009-11-30T18:16:00.001-08:00

I always knew that my perception of holidays would change once I had a child. I had no idea how much. I want everything to be simple and perfect for Mollie. I want to be with her. I want to be with her Daddy. I want her to feel loved and feel how much her parents love each other. That right there is what the holidays mean to me now.

On Thanksgiving, we spent the holidays with both of our parents and families. It was nice getting to relax and enjoy the day together. Mollie slept for a good part of the day and made faces across the table while we ate. She had a smile for everyone.

I am already looking forward to her first Christmas. I don't want to rush the days leading up to it at all, but there is so much to look forward to. We can't wait to see her yank at Santa's beard, rip wrapping paper- which I am sure she can already do, laugh at a holiday wind-up toy, stare at the lights in amazement, put on her Christmas dress for church, and I really can't wait to hold her on Christmas Eve and let it all sink in. Last year, being pregnant, Christmas took on a new meaning for me. Now, having a miracle baby of our own, I know it will just be unbelievable. I can't wait to really, really feel that meaning of Christmas.

3 Months and Lots of New Tricks

2009-11-19T15:19:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday, the 14th, Mollie turned 3 months old. I can't believe it! The last 3 months of my pregnancy were incredibly slow, and these past 3 months definitely made up for it. It is amazing how much Mollie has grown both physically and in her abilities.

She can now smile at ANYTHING, laugh so hard it makes us cry laughing, hold a mallet and hit a lollipop drum, play a frog guiro, play a keyboard, play a small toy piano, sing, participate in a nightly "concert" with her daddy for 45 minutes, hold her head up, roll from her stomach to her back, roll from her back to her side, prefer to try to sit-up, turn the pages of a book, play in her exersaucer, sleep through the night- oh, wait... I'm dreaming that one up, reach out to touch things, sit in her bumbo seat, pull toys and objects to her mouth to chew on them, and occupy herself with toys for a fair amount of time. She also met Hairy Dawg, met Uga VII, and marched with daddy (or should I say "on Daddy") in Sanford Stadium during Alumni Band.

I love to snuggle with my baby girl!

Mollie is cozy with her daddy!

The more fun and adventure, the better!

Did I mention her ability to make great faces?

The Lengths a Parent Will Go To...

2009-11-11T15:19:00.000-08:00

This is my dinner. A delicious butternut squash and bartlett pear soup. It is in a blender in our bathroom. My baby is asleep in her bouncy seat in the kitchen. These are the lengths a parent will go to in order to keep her baby asleep!

End result: a tasty dinner and a happy baby.

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Lawn Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-11-03T16:01:00.000-08:00

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Lawn Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Back to Work

2009-11-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

I have had twelve weeks to prepare myself for tomorrow, yet I am in shock. Tomorrow, I am going back to work teaching music at my elementary school. Throughout my maternity leave, I have tried to not think about November 2nd. I wanted to savor every moment with Mollie- even the ones where I was so tired that I tried to nurse the pillow laying beside me in the middle of the night. I cannot believe that I will get up tomorrow, leave at 7 and not get home to see her until 3:30.

I feel very fortunate that she will be with my mother. I trust her, and I know she will do what is best for Mollie. There are just so many variables that are stressing me out:
Will she melt down when I leave?
Will she freak out when she wakes up from a nap, and I am not there?
Will she have enough to eat?
Will she take 3 or 4 bottles during the day when she has only had one bottle at a time in the middle of the night?
Will my Mom be able to interpret her cries?
Will she sing to her?
How will pumping at work go?
Will I get enough milk?
Will I be able to hide in my closet without a fifth grader opening the door?
Will I be able to eat my lunch and pump and have enough time in lunch break that is less than 30 minutes?
Will I have time to pump while utilizing my planning time?
Will I have time to pump at the end of the day too?
Will I get to have some "happy awake time" with my baby when I get home, or will she be fussy and mad?
AND Will I be able to keep my mind on doing a good job at work in the middle of all of it???

I will be so glad when I am home tomorrow afternoon with my baby girl snuggled up in my arms. I have to think of that and not everything else. Wish me luck. I need lots of happy thoughts and prayers.

Boo!

2009-10-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. I LOVE having an excuse to put on a costume and eat candy. Since my birthday is October 30th, my Mom managed to have my parties on Halloween a lot when I was a child. My friends wore costumes, and the entire group went trick-or-treating together. It was so much fun! This holiday has taken on a whole new meaning now.

Mollie has two Halloween onesies, two costumes, and two bibs. It just happened that way! She started out as Baby Bear (we were Mama and Papa bear), but she got hot quite quickly.

Today, we ditched the bear costumes for Redcoat paraphenalia. David and I wore UGA/Redcoat shirts, and Mollie wore her amazing Redcoat uniform that my cousin Rebecca made. I must say how talented Rebecca is. I think she could make anything out of cloth. Anything! She made the bustle for my wedding dress that seemed to have an AWOL bustle when we bought it. She can make amazing costumes. I'm just in awe of her ability. Thanks, Rebecca!

I will always remember sharing my favorite holiday with Mollie for the first time. I have enjoyed watching her study the orange lights, smile at David in a witch's hat with a green wig, and not seemed phased at all by the scary monster heads with light-up eyes.

Laughter and Smiles

2009-10-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

I always thought it was precious to see a baby smile. Everyone wants to be the one to get a big toothless grin shot their way or hear a silly giggle erupt from a tiny body. We have been anxiously awaiting those occasions. Mollie started smiling a few weeks ago, and we receive each smile like it is a prize.

When Mollie first laughed last Sunday, October 25th, it was almost unbelievable. It just happened. Now, each laugh is like a giant seal of approval. When Mollie laughs, we know we have made it. We know we are actually doing something right for her. Parenthood is such a struggle. That sweet little chuckle is enough to make the worst sleepless night a dream come true. Now, if only we could stop embarrassing ourselves by acting ridiculous so that we can get more laughs from her! (I.E. making raspberries with our lips as I did in this video.)

Becky Mae Poppy Fields Necklace and Earring Set GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-10-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

This site has some beautiful things and giveaways!

Becky Mae Poppy Fields Necklace and Earring Set GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Vote for Mollie!!!

2009-10-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

Mollie entered the Gap Casting Call contest. Here is the link to our favorite photo. There is a fan favorite competition that you can help us win! Please vote and send the link to your friends!

http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/rosborne81/824437428/

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-10-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Pumpkin Patch, October 20th, 2009

2009-10-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

We took Mollie to the Milledge Avenue Baptist Church Annual Pumpkin Patch to pick out a pumpkin and to take a family photo. My Mom has gotten quite good at using my Nikon D-200 SLR camera. Last year, she took a great photo of us on Thanksgiving. Notice how Mollie is looking at the camera!

Mollie had a great time being photographed! I took photos of her to enter in the Gap Kids baby photo contest. I made sure to dress her in one of their outfits! She was quite content sitting in her Bumbo seat and looking at the cars zipping down Milledge Avenue.

I must admit that I am trilled that I was able to take some photos of my baby actually looking at the camera. I know it is very hard to photograph children, and it is even more difficult to get photos of them looking at the camera and not at the ground. She was more interested in looking the opposite direction, where people were picking out pumpkins. I can't believe how big she has gotten!

Grandma Carow came did such a great job taking our family photo, that she needed a photo with Mollie too. Two Mollies in one photograph! I love the look on our little Mollie's face.

Of course, there must be at least one melt down. I don't know who looked more upset:
Daddy or Mollie.

Mommy loves her baby girl!

What a sweet baby! She has grown so much in 10 weeks! Here she is just 9.5 weeks old.

Hopefully, Mollie will love October and Halloween as much as her Mommy does.

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-10-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

These are gorgeous costumes!

The Best Thing We Have Bought for Mollie!

2009-10-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

It has been terribly hard not to spoil my child. There seem to be a million things that babies "must have" out there. Luckily for now, Mollie does not know that she is spoiled! You can imagine my dilemma as I ended up in Kohl's last week with my mother and I saw all of the Fisher-Price toys 50% off. I immediately tried to find an excuse to spoil my child again. I found one item for Mollie's Christmas present, and then I noticed the Rain Forest Soother.

The Rain Forest Soother was on our Baby Registry, and we didn't get it. No problem. I really didn't think that we needed it, and I definitely thought that Mollie was doing just fine without it. She has a mobile in her crib. That should be good enough, right? Well, this thing ended up being $20 from $45 after the 50% off and a coupon my Mom had. So, I bought it. I was going to keep it for a Christmas present also, but then I showed Mollie when we got home. That thing got her attention better than a college football game on T.V. (On a side note... No, I am not allowing my child to watch television. That football game was a simple act of exhausted desperation on my part.)
Well, why waste the soother for two months in the closet waiting for Christmas? I showed David when he got home from work. It sat on the coffee table until the evening. Evening in our house = fussy baby central. Mollie had a major melt-down: the kind where sticking one of mommy's "mute buttons" in her mouth is the only way to quiet her down. She had just eaten an hour before. So, I picked up the soother, turned it on, and showed Mollie.
As soon as Mollie opened up her crying eyes, she stopped screaming. David said, "That's trippy." The little red frog swung back-and-forth, the blue water fall lit up and twisted, the fish swayed in the bubbling water, and music played. She was zoned out and zoned in at the same time. PERFECT.
This thing has saved us on several occasions now. Who knew? On behalf of myself and my husband, I would like to thank you, Fisher-Price. Thank you for saving our sanity and our ear drums from who knows how many past and future Mollie melt-downs.

Why should anyone go hungry?

2009-10-15T13:39:00.001-07:00

As I sit breastfeeding my 2 month-old baby on our sofa, warm under a blanket, I am struck with a thought. Why should anyone go hungry? This child, nuzzled to my chest, is getting all that she really needs to survive. She doesn't have to pay for it. She shouldn't have to. I think of children across the world with bloated bellies, starving because they can't get a simple meal. Starving. The grace of God placed this baby in my arms. His grace has given her food.

When a basic human need is food, how did we end-up in a position where people must PAY for it? Shouldn't we all get food? Yes, produce must be farmed in order for it to grow, but what about those who struggle and farm where nothing can grow? Think about your dinner tonight. I don't mean to sound like your mother, but think about the children starving in the world when you eat your Super-Sized Value Meal. How did we get so lucky? How did they get so unfortunate?

Happy 2 Month Birthday, Mollie!

2009-10-14T14:30:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that it has already been 2 whole months since I had Mollie at Athens Regional. The past 8.5 weeks have been a blur of diapers, feedings, tantrums, cuddles, and smiles. We have loved every minute of it!

Today, Mollie went to see Dr. Glassman for her 2 month check-up. She weighed 10 pounds, 5 ounces, and she was 22.5 inches long. That puts her weight and height in the 50th percentile, and her smart little head in the 75th percentile.

She got an oral vaccine and three shots today. That was the single most terrible thing I have ever experienced. From the look on her face to the cry- words cannot describe it. I cried too. Poor thing! She did not stop screaming until I was able to feed her in the car after her appointment. Then she passed out for 4 hours!

Prior to her shots, she was quite the happy girl, chatting away. She loves to talk. Knowing her father, why wouldn't she? She is already able to match our inflection when she talks to us. I know she'll be a great little singer! She loves music, especially spirituals and songs sung by Sweet Honey in the Rock. 80's music is also one of her favorites. Don't try to sneak her any new pop music. She knows it's just not as good!

Please Help Us Find a Home for Ruby!

2009-10-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

Ruby is a sweet, loyal, and playful 1 year-old female Schnauzer/Lab Mix who is looking for the perfect home for her. She loves to nuzzle your neck and play in the yard. She is not aggressive in the least bit; she just wants to play and be loved. She weighs around 50-55 pounds. Ruby is spayed, up-to-date on her shots and heartworm medication, and crate trained. We adore Ruby, but after bringing home a new baby, we sadly can’t give her the time and energy she needs to be happy. If you or someone you know is interested in purchasing Ruby for $25, please email David or Rachel at osborned@gmail.com

Two Cents

2009-10-11T19:19:00.001-07:00

Throughout my pregnancy, I got A LOT of advice. Mostly, people told me that my lack of sleep was preparing me for the lack of sleep that came with a new baby. Sorry folks, not quite! At least when I am in my bed to sleep now, I am ACTUALLY sleeping. In the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I rarely slept. I spent more time rolling into a sitting position and waddling to the bathroom in the middle of the night than I did sleeping.

During our birth class, we were cautioned about lots of unsolicited advice. I was very afraid of this after the foreshadowing of my pregnancy. Surprisingly, I haven't been swamped with advice like I was afraid of. In our class, Pat just said, "Say thanks, I'll try that!" Who knows what you try anyway? People mean well, but unless I am doing something that will burn the house down, let me see what I can do! If you don't let anyone try something for themselves, how will they learn? Sometimes the best two cents one could give is full-fledged support. If that helps, who knows how much those two cents could turn into?

Maybe fifty cents?

I think that Mollie already understand that fifty cents are better than two. She already would prefer the big shiny quarters in front of her! This photo was her Daddy's idea. :)

Boppy's, Bumbo's, Bouncers, and More!

2009-10-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

Everyone has said that babies don't need much. I have honestly tried to believe them. Yes, they don't need anything but food, warmth, and diapers, but I have found that babies certainly LIKE to have more. I know we live in a materialistic society; I don't want my daughter to HAVE to have lots of stuff. However, I have foundthat certain things put a great big grin on her face. Look at the sense of accomplishment on her face in her Bumbo seat as she sits up like a big girl for the first time. I am not thrilled that I didn't find a used one for her, saving a few dollars, but I am so glad that we got her one. She LOVES it. The dog loved it too.

We are now not only home to a new baby, but we are also home to two Boppy's. My mother even has a Boppy at her house. What is a Boppy? A magical pillow to prop a mother's weakened arms from toting a growing baby for countless hours. It makes me wish that I had a boppy for my belly while pregnant. Wait. I did. I had a Boppy pregnancy wedge and a boppy sleeping pillow- both for nighttime. Why doesn't Boppy have a pillow for bellies during the daytime? Mollie also has a Boppy newborn lounger that has been wonderful. It is like a giant fluffy beanbag (only a pillow) that she can snuggle into.

Speaking of Boppy's... Did I mention that we also have a boppy bouncer seat? Yes, they make bouncer seats. Who is this Ms. Boppy? She must be loaded. Anyway, WE LOVE our Boppy bouncer. Many a-night has come that Mollie has not been fussy nor has she wanted to sleep. So, her patient doting daddy has sat-up with her in the kitchen: she in her boppy seat and he beside her watching old episodes of Family Guy via hulu on the computer. As a music teacher, the songs it plays are enough to make me ill, but my baby loves it, so I can't complain. I dare say that I am starting to find them catchy. That's another story...

Lastly, I must mention the ever-faithful techno-color swing. At first, Mollie wasn't that into it. She just didn't like it. David made a few attempts at getting her to fall asleep in it when she was just a couple weeks old due to Harvey Karp's promise of the Happiest Baby on the Block. That did not make our child the Happiest Baby on the Block! Finally, a few weeks ago, she started to show interest in the Rainforest mobile on the top. Then, I made the brilliant discovery that Mollie enjoys the swing when it goes side-to-side. Coupled with the "sleepy" music instead of the "happy awake" music, it gets her doped up, and before we know it, she's out! This has been a blessing. Everyday, around lunchtime, I set her in the swing with the magical combination of settings, and she passes out. I get to eat my lunch! It's wonderful. I don't know who enjoys it more, Mollie or me!

So, who needs all this stuff? It is true... when Mollie NEEDS something, she needs our arms, a blanket, food, or a clean diaper. She doesn't NEED anything else. We always needs to remember that. I have to remind myself not to get caught-up in the weekly Babies 'R Us flier that shows up in our mailbox. We have to balance the what only comes at the store with what only comes from us. Mommy and Daddy have all that Mollie needs. I want her to always know and trust that. Wal-Mart and Target don't sell love!

Mollie may only be a few weeks old, but she has already figured that out.

All good things must come to an end...

Mollie's Baptism - August 30th

2009-09-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

We were so fortunate to have lots of friends and family gather for Mollie's baptism on August 30th at the UGA Catholic Center. She was very well behaved - only 15 days old too! She only made one little peep at the end of mass. Mollie slept right through her baptism.

Afterwards, we all came back to her Carow Grandparents' house for lunch.

Mollie wore her grandmother Mollie's baptismal gown. It was bought by her grandmother's great-aunt and sent to Georgia. Since then, it has been worn by Mollie's great-aunt, great-uncle, their children, her aunts and uncles, cousins, and second cousins. The ribbon was tied by her great-grandmother Rachel and added for her to wear. The charms have also been worn by many family members. The two photos of her in her gown were taken by photographer Teresa Vickery during her newborn photo session when she was 12 days old.

Long Time, No Blog... For Good Reason!

2009-09-18T11:39:00.001-07:00

We were thrilled to welcome Mollie Rose into our family at 11:12 PM on Friday, August 14th. She weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 20.2 inches long.

Notice how she was looking at the camera less than 3 hours after her birth!

Due Date is Here!

2009-08-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that today is my due date! Throughout this entire pregnancy, I have felt like I wouldn't make it here. Everyday that I have been pregnant has been a blessing. Now that the day is here and nothing is really happening, it is strange! I thought this baby would be early- especially after the doctor told me she probably would be. I don't feel like little Baby O wants to come out anytime soon. I guess she is just too cozy! If she stays put until Monday, I will have an ultrasound to make sure her environment is still hospitable, and they will start to induce me Thursday night (August 20th). The last thing that I want is to be induced! Please pray that she'll decide that stretching out in a nice cozy bassinet beats being all balled-up in a cramped uterus!

Baby O Tried to Escape Last Night!

2009-07-02T18:15:00.001-07:00

So, last night Baby O tried to make a break for it at 34 weeks! I started having regular contractions every 2 minutes, so the doctor sent me to the hospital. They took great care of me, monitored Baby O's heartbeat and my contractions, stopped the contractions with some injections, and we made it home in less than 3 hours. I was a little worried today with "practice" contractions, but they were nothing like the real ones I had last night. For the time being, I think her exit strategy has been foiled. I could tell that she was upset when she figured out she wouldn't get to actually enjoy independece day on the 4th. She'll have to wait. What a little stinker.

David and I had maternity photos done on Monday, and there are previews available at this site... http://heartstringsphotography.blogspot.com/2009/06/rachel-34-weeks-maternity.htmlMore to come in a few weeks! I hope you enjoy them. The same photographer will be doing Baby O's photos at 2 weeks. Check out the great baby bracelets Heather's sister made for the baby. You'll see them in a photo. :)

Baby O is Okay After the Car Accident! :)

2009-04-21T17:01:00.001-07:00

Camera Shy Baby O at 23 Weeks and 6 Days

Baby O tries to suck her thumb.

Baby O looks like she has a microphone!

Baby O's little hand.

Baby O's foot. That's her heel on the top right.

We feel so thankful that our little Baby O is okay after my car accident on Saturday. I went to the paranatologist today, so we got to see Baby O at 23 weeks and 6 days. During the ultrasound, the doctor now placed my estimated due date at August 9th. It was August 12th! (If that means anything.) If it keeps changing, I won't even make it to the first day of school. I have a wonderful video tape of our baby playing peek-a-boo behind her hands. The doctor said she was totally fine. She has a good heartrate, and she has good blood-flow through her umbilical cord. She now weighs 1 pound, 7 ounces. Last time we were there at 18 weeks, she weighed 9 ounces. It's just amazing to see how much she has grown. Over the past few days, she has been pretty quiet, but that ultrasound got her moving. Good luck detecting her face under her hands below!

Car Accidents Stink

2009-04-18T14:33:00.001-07:00

I know that accidents happen. I am just very frustrated right now. Protecting Baby O has been my number 1 goal since we found out she was bobbing around inside me. So, I am driving down Barnett Shoals Road this morning, taking a detour to satisfy my hash-brown craving, when I smash my car. I was driving in the right lane, and a car was going to turn left from the left lane next to me. I am minding the speed-limit, when a car comes out-of-nowhere, turning across infront of me. I hit them going 40 MPH. I would not be surprised if the individual to my left had "waved them on." The car on my left was out-of-there. I don't even think I had time to put on the brakes. I just thought, "This can't be happening." My only thought right after was, "My baby, my baby!" I said, "I have to go to the hospital." My St. Christopher medal had shot off the the visor and lodged between the wind-shield and the dashboard. I know he was watching over me. The police were there quickly, and the EMS came to check me out. I called David who was deejaying the Catholic Center Human Race 5K, and he dropped everything to get to me. My poor car. The driver's side front is crumpled up. I managed to back it onto a street. Then it got towed. I took off the front fender of the late 80's model white buick I hit. They managed to drive away after all was said and done. I went to Athens Regional Hospital, and they took good care of me. (I am never going to the St. Mary's ER again. BAD.) I was in quickly, the doctor checked me out and did an ultrasound while checking the baby's heart. She was happy and entertained in her amniotic sack. Yay for that! I am just very, very sore right now. Fr. Tom even came to the ER- so did David's step-brother. That was so nice of them. My neck and back are sore, and my right thumb hurts the most. I think that all the weight of my upper body got caught on my thumb which caught on the steering wheel. I was so scared. I feel so blessed that our baby is okay. She is all I was worried about.

Dancing Baby

2009-04-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

I have to say that this baby knows how to move. I can't help but wonder what she is thinking. I think that she just wants to party the second things get quiet. Sounds a lot like her father! David and I can both feel a tight bump near my belly button sometimes when I lay down. He pokes it and says, "That's weird!" Then he pokes the same spot and says, "Where did it go?" I don't think she likes to be poked!

Dealing With a Nasty Cold

2009-03-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

I am still working on the fine art of being sick while pregnant. Oh, how I long for Mucinex and Nasonex and... Sudafed officially stopped working around 2:30 this afternoon. I can't breathe. I feel very blessed to have a sweet little friend tapping my belly in response to my coughs. I am going to believe that Baby O is encouraging me and not saying "stop coughing!" She really is entertaining. I feel a kick on the left, then on the right, then by my belly button. She's all over the place. I even felt her squirm across my belly like she was swimming from one side to the next. She moves around enough that David manages to feel her move at least once a day. I love watching his face light up when he gets kicked. What provokes a kick from Baby O? David beat-boxing beside my belly. Baby likes to party.

It's a girl!!!

2009-03-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

David and I were so excited to find out that Baby O is a girl! We will no longer be calling her "It". I hated that. I didn't believe it when the ultrasound tech said, "Looks like you're having a girl..." I had to hear it from Dr. Rosemond. The tech had seen some cord between her legs, but the doctor confirmed her! My Mom came along, and I am glad she was able to see. We have a great videotape of the ultrasound, and they took a 3-D picture of her.

She already has a name, but you have to wait until she is born to find out. David was sweet and gave me a card that said, "I knew it was going to be a girl!" when we got back to the car. I said, "How did you know?" Then it occured to me, "You bought two cards!" I reached into the map pocket behind my seat, and sure enough, there was the other. I was laughing so hard that I was crying. We went to TJ Maxx after the ultrasound, and I went a little crazy buying cute girl outfits. I just needed that connection with our baby's gender.

Last night, I think she knew she had really made her presence known, and she proceeded to do every form of modern dance possible in my belly. At 4 AM, I sat up starving and cracking up laughing. I ate a banana in our dark room, laughing the entire time. Poor David. Thank goodness we took a personal day today to go to the film festival downtown.

Thursday is Gender Day!

2009-03-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

David and I cannot wait until Thursday. I have an appointment with Dr. Rosemond at 3:15 to hopefully find out Baby O's gender. We are crossing our fingers that Baby O is being indecent and is willing to flash us. Ha! Over Spring Break, David came up with a little rhyme during dinner...

Baby, Baby, oh, so slender,

Please just tell us of your gender!

If all goes as planned on Thursday, I will be raiding our TJ Maxx, Target, Wal-Mart, and maybe Rattles and Rhymes for some gender specific clothes. I can't wait!!!

Now, how on Earth will I sleep Wednesday night? How will I concentrate at work on Thursday?

Rounding Out

2009-02-23T13:49:00.001-08:00

So, I know that I am not very pregnant, but today I am feeling BIG. My students have yet to figure out that I am pregnant, but I feel like I have a big sign on my stomach. I ordered pants from Old Navy, but I can't seem to find something that fits right. I ordered 5 pairs, and I am keeping two. This rubberband thing isn't going to work much longer. The "secret fit belly" pants I got at Motherhood Maternity 3 weeks ago suddenly fit. They were huge in the belly then. Now, they fit. If only the store in Athens wasn't so teeny tiny. (Beware of the store at the Mall of Georgia- those sales associates are rapacious!)

15 Weeks!

2009-02-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

Today, David and I went to the doctor to hear Baby "O's" heartbeat. The nurse couldn't find it, and she made us very worried. I don't think it helped that she was trying to find it near my belly button. She said, "Have you felt the baby move yet?" Then she said, "I'm going to send you down to the doctor." The doctor had no problem finding our growing peanut with the ultrasound. The baby was reclining on its side with its knees bent. It looked like it was reading a book. She said, "What a sweet baby!" David recorded the hearbeat with his IPod. We were thrilled to get to see how much the baby has grown. Hopefully, we'll know the gender on March 19th. I am dying to know! I keep having dreams that the baby is a boy. We'll see what happens!

I'm Pregnant!

2009-02-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

You have all been such an amazing network of support through our adoption process. We were about to schedule our home visit, when we received miraculous news! On November 20th, I found out that I am pregnant. We are so excited. We were dying to tell everyone, but we wanted to make sure that things were going alright first. This has been the hardest secret to keep- especially for an impatient person such as myself. I will be 13 weeks on 2/4, and I am due on August 12th. I have had two ultrasounds- the first at 5.5 weeks and the last at about 10 weeks. At our last ultrasound, Baby "O" waved at us and promptly flipped over. It was AMAZING. We feel blessed by your friendship and we will keep you all posted!

Please help us pick our "first impression" profile photograph!

2008-11-16T15:49:00.000-08:00

In our profile, we will show photographs that represent us for perspective birthmothers to look at and get to know us. These will go along with our "Dear Birthmother" letter. Today, we took some photos, hoping to find a good "first impression" photograph. Could you help us pick? We narrowed it down to two, and they look almost exactly the same! Good luck!

Choice #1

Choice #2

Baby Essentials

2008-11-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

Several of you have asked, "What do you need before the baby comes?" So, I made a list of things that we do not have and we will need. If any of you "mommies" out there know of anything else that I don't have listed, please let me know! There are other things that we have on our registries that we'd like, but we feel like these are the most important. Obviously, we will need bottles, diapers, and formula, but we don't want them to go bad or be the wrong kind. I listed items based on the registry that they are on. (Our Wal-Mart registry is a "Wish List"- NOT a Baby Registry.) We are desperate to find oval-shaped bassinet sheets!

Target

Boppy Cover (Safari)

Changing Pad

Changing Pad Covers

Bassinet Pads

Diaper Champ

Diaper Bag

Wipe Warmer

Mattress Pad (already have 1)

Crib Sheet

Wal-Mart

Boppy Bouncer Seat

Cribsheet 2-Pack

Aquarium Bathtub

Baby's 'R Us

MATTRESS (This is our #1 want.)

Chicco Car Seat Base

Mesh Crib Bumper

Humidifier

Swaddle Wrap/Blanket Sleepers

Dr. Brown's Bottle Gift Set

Dr. Brown's Drying Rack

Dr. Brown's Dishwasher Basket

We Are Blessed by Our Friends!

2008-11-12T15:27:00.000-08:00

After the Athens Symphony Winter Concert on David's Birthday, November 8th.

We want to thank anyone and everyone for the items that they have donated to us to sell. I just did some counting, and we have made over $1300 in the past month by having yard sales, selling on Craigslist and Ebay, and from birthday gifts. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! We feel so very blessed to have such great friends and family members.

Nursery Photo and Bassinet Assembly

2008-11-05T15:03:00.000-08:00

Here is our new bassinet in the nursery.

Next to it is the cute hamper and wall hangings that Paulene sent us for my birthday.

She said to get ready for all the laundry!

Thanks, Paulene, Matt, and Mattie!!!

David puts the finishing touches on the Bassinet.

I'm happy to be making our Bassinet!

Figuring out what goes where...

Cleo wishes that she could help. Alas, no opposable thumbs.

Yard Sale #2 and Halloween

2008-11-01T17:05:00.001-07:00

Today, we woke up before the birds, and had our second yard sale. It was a brisk 36 degrees. We were blessed to have several great items donated from our caring friends! We made about $300 at the sale, and I hope to make another $250 on Craig's List. We are anxious to order our crib set! :)

"HELP US RAISE MONEY TO ADOPT! Sofa, File Cabinets, Household, Carpets, Clothing, Denon Tuner, Printers, Books, Appliances, Something for Everyone! Sat., 11/1 From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. "

Last night, we had our 5th Annual Halloween party. It was great seeing friends. David and I went for simple costumes this year- it was great fun! David had fun using his DJ lights to make our second-floor creepy! (If I could figure out how to add more than one image, I would!)

Bassinet and Blood-Work

2008-10-27T07:06:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, David and I used some of our credit card points to buy our bassinet. It matches the future nursery quite nicely. You may think it's early to buy things, but we want to include a photo of the nursery in our profile for birthmothers to see. We want them to see that their baby will have a room to himself that is cozy and inviting. It was fun putting it together with David! It vibrates, has a mobile that lights-up, and it plays music. Incidentally, the music leaves a bit to be desired, but I think we can take care of that! :)

I just got back from having 3 vials of blood drawn for my physical, which is on Tuesday of next week. David will have his on Monday. Once we are done with those, we will just need to have a drug test. This is all part of our home study. On Monday of next week, we will also have our individual interviews as well as our infant care meeting. We're very excited!!!

Please help us with our Yard Sale on November 1st! Thank you to L and J for giving us 3 great big boxes of stuff to sell. You guys are great friends!

Help Us!

2008-10-21T14:12:00.001-07:00

We are having another yard sale at my parent's house on November 1st! We need all the help we can get. If you have anything you would like to get rid of, we will come take it away!

Moving Along!

2008-10-21T14:06:00.001-07:00

We are super excited that we seem to be moving along very quickly with our home study paperwork. Last night, we attended our legal issues meeting. We didn't get to visit with the lawyer, but it was still helpful to discuss things that may come up with the adoption. We have already sent our fingerprints to the FBI, and our doctor's appointments are scheduled to happen in the next 2 weeks. I pray that we won't have to wait long once we are waiting! We both can't wait to bring Baby Osborne home. :)

Our Adoption Journey

2008-10-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am proud to say that I have just finished my self-study. Originally, the paperwork was about 5 pages. Now it is 5! David is working on his on our other computer. We are be blessed to be going on this adoption journey together. Last weekend, our friends came together and helped us with a yard sale which raised about $450. We hope to have another one soon. On Tuesday, we will meet our social worker for our first interview. We are very excited! Thank you for all the well-wishes!