Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is always one of my favorite holidays. I love having one day where you can truly reflect on everything you're thankful for in life. It's always so easy to complain about this and that in your daily life but it's always important to take a step back and appreciate all of your blessings in life.

I know this year Mark and I both have so much to be thankful for. I say this all the time, but I truly feel so blessed in every aspect of my life. I have a wonderful husband, now a beautiful daughter, amazing family, supportive friends, a home, jobs to keep a roof over our heads, and a God that loves us.

Happy thanksgiving to you all! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Now let's get that Christmas shopping started!!!

My first 2 (1/2) weeks as being a mom!

So it's been 19 days since I've become a mom! It's so crazy how all I wanted was time to just fly by when I was pregnant and now that she's here, I just want it slow down a bit. Funny how that happens! As I was rushing around the house this morning trying to get as much things done possible as I can in the hour or so Lucy will nap, I was thinking how much my life has changed being a mom. I'm sure all other mommy's out there can relate to these:

• I've always been one to be on time for everything. Now, I've turned into the girl that's always late. How the heck do you judge enough time to get yourself and a newborn out the door?!
• There are days that I don't even get a chance to take a shower, let alone brush my teeth. Gross, I know. And when I do get a chance, it's the quickest shower known to man because it never fails Lucy wakes up as soon as I step foot in the shower.
• My clothes, and even my hair, consist of baby spit-up at all times.
• I spend at least 75% of my day with a baby attached to my boob!
• The highlight of my week was renting a movie with my hubby (while Lucy sleeping on my chest the entire time).
• Suddenly taking time out for a meal is a huge task. Who has time to eat anymore?!
• I haven't slept longer than a 2.5 hour stretch since she's been born.
• I'm in bed by 8pm every night.
• I've become a professional one-hand-typer these days (even doing it now while I'm holding Lucy in my other arm!).

But you know what? It's all worth it! There's nothing I love more than being a mommy. Especially Lucy's mommy. It can be trying at times but the minute I look at her, I think to myself this is exactly what I'm meant to do. I just love her to pieces!

Here are some pics from the last 2 weeks. (I've been slacking with pics.. who has time to take pictures?! lol)

Lucy's first outing. We went to Maw-Mee's house to visit her, Great Gram, and Aunt Fallon. She also went out to her first stores - Michael's and JoAnn Fabrics.

This is when we went to dinner at my aunt Pam's.

At Maw-Mee's

Just loungin' in her bouncy seat..

Here she was watching daddy iron his work clothes.

I love watching her sleep! This was the first time she slept in her crib. (For a very short nap!)

Cute pic I shot from my cell phone (in the dark) of Lucy sleeping with Daddy..

This was at her first doctor's appointment at only 5 days old! As you can tell, she wasn't a fan..

Overall, my baby girl is doing really well and is very healthy! At her 2-week doctors appt. this past Tuesday she had gained 9 oz. in one week and grew 1/2 an inch so she's doing very well! I think she's been going through a growth spurt as all she wants to do these days is eat, eat, eat. Talk about tiring!!

I promise I'll try to post more updates more often. I'm starting to get more adjusted so hopefully I'll start finding more time! Until then.. I'll be back soon. :) Gotta run!

P.S. another you-know-your-a-mommy-when moment is that it takes you literally 8 hours to get this post finished! I started this around noon and now it's 8:15pm and I am just now able to sit down and finish!! Phew.. busy day in the Lagana household. :)

She's here!!!!

So sorry it's taken me a week to get this posted! They aren't lying when they say how much busier your life will become with a little one! I barely have time to even brush my teeth these days, let alone update a blog! But better late than never, huh?

So before I introduce you to my baby girl.. here is her birth story!

On Thursday morning, November 3, 2011, (40 weeks, 4 days pregnant) we were scheduled to be at the hospital at 7am to start the induction. We literally were walking out of the door at 6:40am when I noticed a voicemail message on our house phone so I checked it real quick only to find that the hospital called and said they had to put us on hold due to the L&D floor being so busy. They said to call us back at 9am and they'll let us know what to do from there. Talk about BUMMED! I wanted to cry because I thought my baby girl was never going to come! Thankfully we took advantage of those 2 hours and went right back to sleep (I definitely needed that) and when we called back at 9am they said for us to come at 10. Whoo-hoo!! We were going to have a baby that day afterall!

So we arrive to the hospital at 10 and after getting checked in, hooked up, etc. etc. we finally were able to start the Pitocin around 11. I definitely started feeling the contractions pretty much right away but they weren't unbearable by then at all. Here's me patiently waiting to get that baby out!

At around 1pm, my doctor came in to check on me and I was about 4cm dilated. Yay for progression! She then broke my water and for the next hour & and a half, Mark and I just sat in silence as the contractions REALLY started to hit me. I went back and forth about when to get the epidural. My nurse came in at 2:15pm to check on me and asked if I was ready for one yet. I told her they were really coming on hard but still manageable but I would make a decision at 2:30pm on what to do. That only lasted 5 minutes because at 2:20pm I sent Mark out to let her know that I was ready for one! Haha.. they were definitely getting VERY uncomfortable so I took my doc's advice on getting one before the contractions got too bad because the more relaxed I was, the quicker she would come.

So at 2:45pm I got the epidural. Now let me start off by saying I was absolutely terrified to get it. I read way too many horror stories online and I have seen that needle on t.v. before so it scared the bageezie's out of me. My nurse told me it would feel like a bee sting - "A BIG hornet big sting". Um, ouch!! But guess what? It was by far the easiest/best part of labor! It didn't hurt a bit. I think it felt like a tiny little pinch in my back for a second.. hurt less than a bee sting! Thank God that was out of the way..

So from 2:45pm until about 5pm I was sooo relaxed and just felt so good. I saw the contractions coming and going on the screen and in the beginning I didn't feel a thing. However, around 5pm I don't know if it wore off by then or not but I was in so.much.pain. The contractions hit me HARD. I could barely speak. Around 5:30pm I was in tears and started feeling sooo much pressure down there. My nurse came in and checked me and I was 9cm and the baby's head was starting to crown! So at 5:30pm I started to push. I pushed with all my might for about 45 minutes and at 6:17pm my baby girl was born!!!

Introducing Lucy Brielle Lagana, born 11/3/11 at 6:17pm weighing 8lbs 1oz and 19 1/4 inches long...

I was so overwhelmed with emotion. How can you all of a sudden love something this much instantly? She was perfect in every way possible. I just couldn't get over her! After she was born Mark and I were given a little time to bond with her as a new family of 3. Then all of our immediate family was able to come back and at one point I believe we had at least 12 people in the delivery room! She's one lucky little girl to have so many people love her so much!

We were able to go home Saturday afternoon. Look how itty bitty she was in her carseat..

So far she's been the absolute best baby. She's a great sleeper and although we got off to a really bad start breastfeeding, I stuck it out and so glad I did because I love nursing her! There's no better bond between mommy and baby.

Here is a picture of her I took when she was 4 days old.. (one of many photo shoots to come!)

And here are a few pictures of her from her very first real photo shoot with my cousin. (Thanks Melissa for these AWESOME pics!!)



Thank you all so very much for keeping up with my blog and following my pregnancy journey. I will continue to update often so please follow me into the next chapter of motherhood! I will continue to post pics of Lucy and the Lagana family. Before I go I have to say that I can't even begin to explain how blessed I feel with everything given to me in life. I have the most wonderful life - an amazing husband, our little home, a wonderful dog, a supporting and loving family, and now the most precious daughter anyone could ask for. God is good. :)

Happy (belated) Halloween!

Even though I was so hoping Lucy would be here for Halloween, it still was a good one! I wanted to share a few pics of the cutest little trick-or-treaters around...

Ashlyn the owl

(don't you just loove those baby blues!?)

Brody the scarecrow

And of course.. Silas the frog :)

So I went to the doc today and finally there was progress! She said I was a little more dilated (about 2 1/2cm) and about 70% effaced. Whoo-hoo. Glad my body finally decided to budge. I'm still hoping I go into labor on my own but doesn't look like that's gonna happen. Either way, she'll be here in 2 days! Ahh, so excited and nervous at the same time. I'll definitely try my hardest to make a blog post this weekend to finally introduce our baby girl to the blog. :) Everyone wish me luck!!!