Victoria's First Days at Home

Time for a little blogger ketchup.

Here are a few sweet pictures from when Victoria was first brought home.  Thanks to a good bit of love, Kristine's mother Carol came from Utah to help out with the new baby.  Peter immediately appreciated the attention.

Peter did not know what to think of Victoria.  He didn't think people came in that size.

So little and cute.  Kristine looks appropriately like a happy newly sleep deprived mother.

Our good friends, Dave and Angela Couzelis, came over with baby Makayla, who at 2 months Victoria's senior, was soon to become her first friend ever. 

A little sleepless baby bliss and two days later Dave left heading back to Iraq for three months.

Babytime in the Clay House

With the advent of Victoria's birth comes all kinds of fun and funny pictures.  Victoria is very sweet and communicative.  By communicative, I mean she lets you know when she isn't getting what she wants.  She has different cries for food, nap time, play time and just wanting attention. 

Here she is at two months. Growing, growing, growing.

 Here she is hanging out in her jungle playyard.  She really likes animals, but hates being on her stomache.

Victoria got her first ride on a carousel.  She really likes movement, so this was right up her ally.  Thankfully Grandymom was there to make sure she didn't fall off.

 

Time for the tubby.  At first Victoria isn't quite sure whats going on...

but then she realizes how nice it feels.

As you can see Syracuse gets A LOT of snow. This is how it is when you are a winter baby in Syracuse.

Its a good thing we got all bundled up for our first snow angel. 

Baby Victoria

Click here to view this photo book larger

Hospital visits

We were lucky to have lots of happy family visitors over the course of the 5 days we were in the hospital. Sorry Aunt Nicki I didn't get a picture but you're part of this big day too!



Grandymom Whipple came all the way from Utah to help me heal and get back to normal when Dave has to go back to Iraq. She's not only a pro at raising kids after having 8 of her own, she's also a pro grandmother with more than 20 grandbabies!

Megan, Paul, and baby Zoey stopped in and brought beautiful happy flowers in a vase with a purple ribbon and all. So thoughtful! Thanks!

Grandpa Clay sees baby Victoria with socks on her hands to help keep her sharp nails from scratching her face.

Grandma Clay came to visit lots too.

Grandymom helps Victoria nap while chatting with Grandpa Whipple in Utah. We finally got to have her in the room with us after 3 days of trucking back and forth to the NICU. they were worried about her lungs and any meconium that she might have from the birth. But, thankfully, the tests just showed some extra fluid and trauma to the lungs that, after a few days of an IV and time in an incubator, dramatically improved. She'd lost some weight but was still in normal range so they released her from the NICU just in time for 1 full day in our room before being sent home from the hospital.

The happy (though visibly sleep-deprived and exhausted!) parents. Dave was absolutely INCREDIBLE in making this whole motherhood thing easier on me. He held my hand the whole time and came and cuddled in the hospital bed whenever we got a chance to sleep. It's almost been a mini-vacation in the hospital after spending more than 7 months apart. I can't express how much I missed being next to him and how wonderful it's been to have my kind and loving husband back at my side (if only temporarily). I know it's been a rough experience for him, too, and he's going to need his own recovery after his long return air flights to Iraq. We are SO blessed that the timing worked out to have him here for Victoria's birth. She will only be 5 days old when he boards the plane back to Baghdad, but we will all be happy and grateful daddy was part of this life-changing experience.

Baby's first stuffed toy--a smiley snowman from Grandma Kathy. It's as big as she is! A perfect memento of our sweet winter baby.

Our sweet baby girl asleep on my legs. And check out that head full of DARK, STRAIGHT hair! Dave promises she's the right one--that he actually saw her come out of me in the operating room--but I don't know where she would have gotten that dark hair from! :) J/K. Her daddy had dark hair when he was a baby but we hope it will lighten and she'll look like her mommy and daddy soon. She's amazingly expressive with her little hands. They are ALWAYS up at her face just like they were in her sonogram pictures. I have to fight her hands away in order to try and feed her and she's already opening them up and wiggling her individual fingers around. She likes to make circles with her wrists like she's stirring a pot. It's really cute.

We'd just had her first photo shoot with the in-hospital company that comes around to take pics in your room that they put online.

Hanging out on our last day in the hospital as we wait to be discharged. It's been a LONG and emotional journey, but we are grateful to have our beautiful girl coming home safe and healthy.

Victoria's arrival

My first real view of our baby girl. They wouldn't let me see her right away because they'd taken her over to the NICU to work out the junk in her lungs. Here I am in the recovery unit with her NICU cart. They had to check on me every 15 minutes or so to work my uterus back to a normal shape and make sure I wasn't bleeding out or having any problems with the incision. It was hard to see her so "hooked up" but we are glad to be in a day and age when they can bring us a healthy baby girl despite having a rough start.

A proud new daddy.

Some kangaroo care and extra lovin from an exhausted mommy.

Our growing family.

V Day

Thoughts from a new daddy:

There aren't very many moments that redifine our lives. Today is one of those times. For time and all eternity the David and Kristine Clays are now 3 in number. We really didn't think she was coming this quickly after mutiple doctor visits identified a complete lack of dialation, and Victoria's stubborn refusal to drop. On monday the 13th, the doctor decided in light of Dave's imminent return to Iraq, inducing was now an option. We went to the hospital that night to prep for the next day's induction. The first night we started with such high hopes, not knowing the emotional rollercoaster awaiting the next day. After a contraction-filled night and little sleep, we induced the next morning. The pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) brought on hard labor for 14 hrs. At the end we found Kristine had only dialated to a 3 or 4 and the epidural did not work. In order to get a little girl out we had to do a C section. Once the decision was made Victoria was out and in our arms in about an hour or so. (as you will see) She has lots of beautiful dark hair and great color. She was 8lbs 5 ounces and 21 inches long. Kristine says she looks a lot like her father. Victoria was having some trouble breathing and was taken to the NICU, but is now breathing very well. She likes to cuddle up next to her mommy for extra warmth and loving. Thankfully both mother and daughter are healthy and strong. With Victoria's size and weight, it is no wonder why she didn't deliver before. She wasn't going down because she really didn't fit down there. She is a wonder and a blessing. We are so incredibly happy to be able to see and hold her. She is our miracle, and thank God.

Almost there...

*I had prepared this blog post back in my 39th week (the end of November) and didn't finish it before Dave came home so it kinda got left behind... and once you get behind it makes it hard to make additional blog posts!*


Here are some pics from the WONDERFUL baby shower Kathy, Nicki, and Megan hosted for me in November.

Victoria's initials embroidered on a gorgeous purple blanket. From Dave's co-worker in Iraq. Thanks Natalie!

The cake. As always, Kathy does great cake decorations and it was yummy too!

My 38 week pic:

And the 39 week pics:

Well I must say that this week has definitely been a rough one. Every day I think my belly couldn't get any bigger and, guess what, every day somehow it ends up larger than before. I'm very front-loaded and awkward and my back gets more and more angry with every ounce I gain though I know it's important and the baby needs this time to grow those last layers of fat to get her through the upcoming winter snows! All the same, I'm admittedly ready to be a mommy for reals and be done with the whole belly business.

Saturday I witnessed my own pregnant clumsiness...and paid the price for it too! Kathy had invited me to come down to Auburn and see Harry Potter with her. It was fun and we went to an AMAZING and authentic Mexican restuarant afterwards. While we were there, we discussed what I wanted to do for my mom when she gets here and we talked about the bed that Nicki has since she replaced Connor's bed a little while ago. She suggested I head over and visit Nicki which I thought was a great idea.

I had a great chat with Nicki and then went upstairs to see how she'd upgraded Connor's bed. Well, on the way back downstairs, I managed to slip and fall flat on my butt and slide a few steps before coming to a seriously embarrassing stop. I sat there kinda dazed and waiting for the pain in my backside to subside enough to stand up while Nicki rushed over to see if I was alright. I was immediately worried about the baby but didn't say anything as I didn't want to worry Nicki any more than I wanted to think about how worried I really was. After a minute I got up and despite already feeling the goose egg (well more like a goose LINE) grow on my right cheek, I managed not to cry and to say my goodbyes and head back to Camillus.

Walking to the car I realized that I'd hurt my ankle too but I thought it was probably just the shock and would go away by the morning... Again, I was more afraid that I had hurt the baby or that I'd go into labor and it would all be my fault that Dave missed her birth. I cried and prayed all the way home where I got online and was able to see my wonderful husband barely waking up on the videoscreen. As he calmly asked how I was doing, I broke down into a fresh wave of tears and told him in all my anxiety what had happened and that I was feeling contractions even while talking to him. He reminded me to take things easy and that it was just an accident and not to feel bad if the baby came before he got here. I put some ice on my ankle and managed to get to sleep with Dave's reassurance that we'd get someone to bring me the sacrament and give me a blessing the next day.

Sure enough I had a very hard time walking the next morning though I knew my ankle wasn't broken as I could easily put weight on it and it only hurt when I moved the wrong ways. Casey and Bryan came over to give me the sacrament and also volunteered to bring me dinner Sunday night. It was sincerely touching and wonderfully comforting to have them respond so quickly and cheerfully in my time of need. I asked Brittany to come look at my ankle and wrap it, which she did after we had a wonderfully candid discussion about marriage, the pressures of dating, the sexual frustrations of abstinence, and life in general. As I calmed down throughout the day and took time to rest and hopefully heal a bit, the contractions disappeared, I felt the baby moving normally, and no blood appeared to say there were any problems. I had an OB appointment the next morning which further confirmed that everything was alright. Big bruise on my butt, smaller and more painful bruise on my ankle, but happily cushioned baby continuing to grow.

So, as my body gets more and more frustrated and weak with the demands of pregnancy, my heart and testimony are strengthened by the generosity and thoughtfulness of those around me. I had numerous texts and Facebook posts of support, and even an unknown sister from the ward offer her daughter to come over and clean my house! I gratefully took her up on that offer today and have 2 clean bathrooms and vacuumed carpet as a result. :) The point is, I am increasingly grateful to see how the Lord is watching over me and my family--especially our growing little girl. I'm so glad the fall wasn't worse and I'm humbled to see how people really care for me to offer assistance.

Now on to a few more days of waiting and the VERY long-awaited arrival of my wonderful handsome husband. I continue to pray that this little one will wait long enough for her daddy to welcome her into this world and so far she seems to be cooperating and understands how important her patience really is. 3 more days to being reunited with the love of my life and an unknown number of days--yes days--until we officially become parents.