Daddy’s in bed taking a nap, a much needed nap.  Last night Vienna cried off & on for nearly an hour no real reason (other than maybe gas!) and poor Sam stayed up trying to calm her so that I could get some sleep.  I tell you, it is very frustrating not knowing what she wants or how to help her when she cries like that. It wears you out.

So far parenthood’s been great!  For the most part she sleeps well, eats well, and doesn’t even seem to mind getting her diaper changed.  All in all it seems we’ve got a pretty laid back baby (taking after her father… wwhheeewww!!!) She doesn’t do much more than eat, sleep and soil diapers, but she brings SUCH joy to this house. 

For me (Melissa) it’s the promotion I’ve waited a lifetime for.  Though sometimes I worry I’m not going to do something right, for the most part it’s been very comfortable bringing her home, I guess I’ve just spent so many years of my life imagining this moment.  I sit and stare at my daughter (my daughter..wow,just to be able to say that!!) and wonder what she’s going to grow to look like, to be like, to enjoy… will she be sporty? musical? a cheerleader (please Lord, not sure I can handle that!!) Will her hair turn blond? darken?  Will she look like Sam? Me?  aww… but must of all it’s just so much fun watching her little face contort as she dreams away. 

It’s also wonderful not being pregnant anymore.  I don’t know who these women are that say they just LOVED being pregnant are… but  from my experience they HAVE to either be lying or have a sever case of pregnancy amnesia!!  The last two months of pregnancy I was simply miserable, so much so Sam’s not sure HE’S ready to go through that again just yet!!  But even before that amnesia kicks in we agree Vienna is worth it! 

One thing I wasn’t prepared for either is the enjoyment of watching her with her grandparents!  My parents are just so in love with her already… its fun to see them enjoying her.  Not to mention watching Vienna with her daddy!  ooohhh… talk about tweaking at your heart!!  Sam’s already such a good daddy, and wonderful husband, that it just makes me wanna scream with joy (I know, but I’m a loud person by nature…)

Anyway… the sheer amount of people calling to congratulate us, to stop by and meet our daughter, who have given us clothes for her and have been so encouraging and excited for us… its humbling to see how many people care about us and are so happy for us.  We feel so blessed and so thankful to have just been able to have Vienna, but then to have so many excited for us as well… it’s a double blessing! 

Wheeww! We made it… Wahhhooooooo!!!!

There was a scary night as “nothing too scary” turned out to be a bit scary as far as her heart rate went. Vienna did have to stay in the hospital an extra night, so I (Melissa) had to stay with her. It’s now Friday and we JUST got home with her an hour or two ago… She’s quietly laying next to me kicking her feet and checking out her new digs! =)

Labor, though the worst thing imaginable I must tell you **insert tired grin**, went as well as anything that painful can be expected. But Sam was SUCH a great support coach I made it!!

She was ready to come into this world! In fact when she finally made her arrival it was all at once and she shot across the table!! Because the umbilical cord had been wrapped around her neck, they did whisk her over to a bassinet where they gave her oxygen and warmed her up and stuff, so it was almost a full half hour before I got to see her! She didn’t hardly cry, but I can assure you, she has now found her “cry button” from deep within!! =) Complete with “feed me feed me” face. =)

Thanks for all those who were praying for her little heart. We had thought they were going to send us home yesterday, however her heart rate kept dropping low and got down as low as 73 yesterday (120 is considered normal) , so they decided to keep her in the hospital over night for observation, which meant I stayed there in a “sleeper” room while Sam had to come back home (he was such a trooper!) The pediatrician actually took a second EKG and sent that one to OHSU (Oregon Health & Science University… a very good teaching hospital up in Portland) and had the head baby cardiologist specialist look at it. They asked if there was any “sudden death from heart related issues” in the family, which we didn’t and then it took until the next morning before the dr would tell us what everyone thought… Now, since she wasn’t hooked up to a monitor or anything all night, after the first few hours of despair (and a lot of Sam’s help) I was able to calm down. This morning the dr told us she just has a bit of a long QT interval at times (yeah, I know… can’t really explain what it is) but that the OHSU specialist said we just need to see an EKG in a month or so… She will most likely grow out of it. And she has no symptoms of problems with her heart other than that so.. =) She’s good!! We are trusting since she had NO low heart rates all night last night (and they checked her constantly) that all is well and the Lord has her little heart adjusted to beating on it’s own now that she’s out.

I can’t tell you how great it is to have her home!! =) She’s so tiny all her clothes are too big! (except her preemie hat!) even the hospital t-shirt is a bit of a “flash dance” fashion on her! (it hangs off her shoulders =) But she’s so sweet I don’t think it matters. Saturday afternoon we are going to take our first family outing and go to Walmart and see about finding her a smaller dress to wear to church on Sunday.

They kept us in the hospital an extra day for Vienna’s heart condition (which shows up as a long QT interval on her EKG) while the doctors and nurses conferred. At one point her records were even run by the head of cardiology at OHSU. The consensus is that she’s not in danger and will probably grow out of this condition. We just need to have her checked by a doctor a little more frequently than would otherwise be normal.

To look at her you’d never guess that she is anything less than perfectly happy. She was discharged from the hospital today, and we are thrilled to finally all be home. Having a baby is a VERY good thing! =)

Here’s her hospital picture.

We are thrilled to announce that after nine long months of waiting, we are the proud parents of a beautiful* baby girl: Vienna Elyse.

She was born yesterday, August 8. 2006 at 11:41pm.

Weight: 6 pounds 15¾ ounces

Length: 20 inches

Color: deep blue/ruddy pink

Labor was too long (I’ve never heard of the other kind), but both mom and baby are doing very well. Vienna came out with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck like a fur stole. (It didn’t cause any problems in the process.) She was so busy looking around and following voices that the nurses could hardly get her to cry as needed at first. So far she is proving to be a very content baby.

Her heart rate and temperature are just a little lower than our health care providers would like to see, so we would certainly appreciate your prayers on that subject. But all evidence is that she is much more comfortable in her new surroundings than in the old ones.

We praise God for the birth of this beautiful little bundle of joy! She has been dedicated to Him long since.

Baby Pictures.

* professional opinion of 3 registered nurses, 2 midwives, and 1 medical doctor (to say nothing of family members!)