Welcome Lovey!

It's official, Lovey Belinda made her appearance on the family stage last night at 10:07 p.m. After 28 hours of labor with my first child, I wasn't prepared for a mere three hours and was happily surprised when the little gal came after only one uncommitted push. She's a flat seven pounds, dark red hair and no extra appendages.

The whole experience was incredible. The midwives played all my favorite Barenaked Ladies songs on the stereo the entire night and one of them made it her personal Everest to make sure that my feet were being rubbed with warm oil the entire time. Thanks to my self hypnosis program, I can honestly say I felt NO pain. I was able to get up and walk to the recovery room only fifteen minutes after giving birth.

Spike was, as expected, an enormous help. He insisted on being totally involved in the delivery. The midwives sensed his competence and let him guide the baby out, cut the cord and administer the newborn tests. It was a perfect opportunity for him since it was what the doctors call a "bloodless birth" meaning the only thing that came out was a baby and none of that other unpleastant stuff. This was also fortunate for Lovey since she was born wearing an impeccable Gymboree outfit consisting of a delightful eyelet lace gown and cashmere booties. The tags were even still on the clothes in case I want to exchange them (which I don't).

Because of Lovey and my robust health, we were promptly discharged this afternoon and sent home with a year's supply of diapers. One returning home I was thrilled to find that I fit again into all of my pre-pregnancy clothes with room to spare and my belly button had shrunk back to it's happy pea sized state of bliss. The women from my church had come over while we were out and filled the fridge with delicious salads and roasts but my favorite find was the prime beef dinner that waited, still steaming on the stovetop.

Lovey is amazing. She seems to be slightly ahead of other children her age and is already speaking in complete sentences. This morning she sweetly asked that I not nurse her as she knew it would cause me too much physical hardship. I protested but in the end, her promise to be satisfied on Crystal Lite alone for the next six months won me over. But perhaps her best quality is that she insists on changing her own diapers. It's not easy for her as her tiny body is still so weak, but I watched with amazement as she not only changed her diaper, but proceeded to spray air freshener to remove any traces of the act. What a delightful child!

Are you still falling for this load?

I'm so still pregnant. Two days overdue. I have no clue who that kid in the picture is but she looks nice enough. This is the post I would have written today in my alternate universe where everything rocks. I like it there.