4 Years

Nick,

Where have these last four years gone?!  I can still remember what we were doing this night four years ago: polka-ing around the dance floor at our wedding!!!  That was one of the most amazing and memorable nights of my life, and who knew that it would lead to two beautiful daughters and a very busy life!!!  Tonight we celebrated this milestone with dinner at TGIFridays and then a stop at Barnes and Noble on the way home :) 

We now are a family of four, which keeps us so incredibly busy, but is so rewarding at the same time.  I am thankful that God brought us together, as I wouldn't want to "do" this thing called life with anyone else!  I love you and look forward to all of the years to come!

XOXO
Nikki

Letters to My Children

So, I have decided to intermittently depart from the A-Z blogging challenge that I was embarking on to write "letters" to my daughters, the main purpose being to help me remember what they were doing when :)

Dear Emma and Olivia,

It's me, Mom.  This is my first letter to you in what I hope to be a series of letters.  Just a mere 12 days ago we went from being a family of 3 to a family of 4 with the addition of Olivia Dawn on June 1, 2013.  You decided that 1:35 a.m. was as good a time as any to let me know that you were on your way!  My labor and delivery was so quick:  only about 5.5 hours from the start of any contractions until you were here with us!  Your Dad almost missed you making your appearance as he was taking Emma down to be with Papa and Nenner Osborn! 

And Emma, you were such a trooper, being woken up at 2:00 a.m., rushed to the car and wisked away to a strange place with lots of stuff going on (the hospital.)  As the nurses were putting my IV in, you were asking "What you doing?" and having a hard time sitting still!  Daddy even had to take you to play with some toy trains down the hall, and let you run around to get some energy out! 

I have really enjoyed getting to know you, Olivia, and getting to watch you, Emma, become a wonderful big sister!  Emma, you are such a big helper for me and help to change Olivia's "little poopy diapers!"  You love to hug and kiss Olivia, and unceremoniously shove the pacifier back into her mouth, even when she's not crying for it!!!  You don't like it when Olivia cries, and the other day on the way home from daycare you were getting all teary-eyed when Olivia was crying and you didn't know what to do to help :)  And Olivia, you are such an easy-going little girl and don't mind your big sister poking your face or rubbing your head just a little roughly!  You are a good sleeper, and can be a pokey eater, but we don't mind because it gives us more opportunities for snuggling!  You like to sleep on Daddy's chest or in the crook of his shoulder, and you also love being swaddled at night.  You enjoy looking around when you're awake, and the three of us love to lay down on the floor with you! 

Your Daddy and I are so blessed to call you our children and we love you both more than anything!

Love,

Mommy

Introducing Olivia Dawn Spotanski!!!!

Miss Olivia Spotanski is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!  At 7:00 a.m. on June 1st she made her speedy entry into the world!  I have decided to break up my post tonight into 2 parts: the birth story and the pictures!!!

Here She Comes:
Just a heads up: some slightly graphic details follow, but I wanted to record everything here as I remember it for the future!

1:35 a.m.  Woke for the first of what are usually four nightly bathroom visits.  Barely had I made it to the toilet when I noticed a slight gush of fluid that didn't feel like I had used the bathroom yet to cause.  A moment later I realized that I had gotten my wish of my labor kicking off with my water breaking, as it did with Emma!  When my water began to leak with Emma, I never noticed contractions until they put me on Pitocin at the hospital to make them stronger and more regularly spaced; therefore, when it broke this go around, I planned on going back to bed for a few hours to get a little more rest before going to the hospital.

I made my way back to bed, careful not to wake Nick, and laid there for about 30 minutes, too anxious to fall back asleep.  Thus, I headed back to the bathroom to gather up our last minute items, when more fluid began to literally run down my legs.  It wasn't but a few minutes later that the contractions kicked in, and I knew that waiting until 6 or 7 to head to the hospital just wasn't going to be an option. 
"Nick, I think we need to head to the hospital," the phrase awkening a groggy husband at 2:15 a.m.  He jerked awake and after "really?" and "you think it's time?" he sprang from bed and kicked it into high gear helping to gather up the stuff we had deemed as "last minute."  We loaded the van and Nick brought a confused Emma down and buckled her and her blankie into her carseat.  When told that we were going to get her baby sister, she really got excited!

The drive to the hospital this time was pretty similar to last time: Nick speeding a bit and needing to be reminded of where to go and to stop at stop signs :)  By the time we arrived at the hospital at 2:30 a.m. the contractions were 2-4 minutes apart, and some of them were pretty intense.  We were admitted to our Labor and Delivery room, and when the nurse did a cervical check I was already between a 3 and 4, and was eligible immediately for my epidural (Thank God!!!!)  However, that didn't happen until about 4:00-4:30 as the nurse had a hell of a time getting my I.V. in a vein (it took 4 tries), and I honestly think that that part was more painful that much of my labor!  Once I finally received my epidural it took but a matter of minutes until it began to kick in, and within 10 minutes I wasn't feeling anything anymore and my legs were feeling like lead! 

Around 6:15 a.m. the nurse checked me again and I was dilated fully and Olivia's head was "right there."  By this time, Mom and Dad were about 30 minutes away and we didn't know if they were going to make it before my doctor arrived to deliver the baby!  Dr. Hoffman made it to the hospital around 6:45 a.m., just after Nick ran downstairs with Emma so that she could be with Papa and Nenner while we finished our business upstairs!  With each contraction I could feel Olivia moving closer and closer to the "exit", and the doctor didn't know if Nick would make it back in time or if she would just come out without any pushing!  Thankfully Nick made it back upstairs around 6:58 a.m. and a contraction began shortly after.  About a minute later Olivia's head was out (and she was already crying!) and at 7:00 a.m. she officially joined the world!!!!  Stats: 6lb 3oz and 19.5 inches long.  This labor was about 5 hours long, which seemed crazy fast to me!

Miss Olivia is such a pleasant little gal.  She isn't a big eater, but isn't fussy either.  She only cries when I am changing her diaper, when she wants swaddled, or when she has a gas bubble.  Her hair is dark as dark can be (and kind of wild, to boot!), she has darker skin (but some of it we think is foreshadowing some jaundice), and squeaks like a little mouse when upset!!!  Emma is soooo in love with "her baby" and wants to help in any way possible!  I love seeing her love on Olivia, and can't wait to see how she interacts with her at home :)  So thankful for my two beautiful girls and amazing husband! 

And now for the good part........PICTURES!!!!!