For the Next Birthday – Four Years Later with Lily…

“For the next birthday…”

Lily turned 4 years old this Sunday (yesterday) and she had been telling me what she wanted for her birthday as far as a kid’s birthday party – gymnastics theme, because this is what Emma had for her 4th birthday last year.

Also, needs to be Frozen themed, because still so very obsessed with Elsa, Anna, Olaf and the whole gang, plus Emma had this at her 5th birthday.

But still as much as she tells me about what we should do for this birthday, since Emma is a year older and five already, we also get a bit of looking ahead from Miss Lily, because she idolizes her big sister and I do believe part of her wishes she was also the same age as Emma.  

So, yes, she is already planning for the next year, too, because she wants so desperately to somehow catch up with Emma (if this were indeed possible I have no doubt she would do just that!).

 

 

However, as I shared for Emma’s 5th birthday, I wanted to share some of Lily’s favorites at age 4:

1.  Favorite Color:

Pink!  Yup, she is so my daughter and carrying on the pink girl tradition perfectly.

2.  Favorite Movie:

Still Frozen and sings her heart out to Let It Go, especially hitting the high note of, “And the cold doesn’t bother me anyway!”

3.  Favorite TV Show:

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  And even from the time she was a year old and had to have a Mickey Mouse Cake, this little girl was head over heels for the mouse!

4.  Favorite Book:

Pinkalicious – Yup a pink girl through and through!

5.  Favorite Song:

Let It Go – Need I say more from my Frozen obsessed Princess!

Second Runner Up: The Soccer Song (First heard at Soccer, so why she calls it the soccer song) Aka Katy Perry’s Roar

Third Runner Up: All About That Bass (Emma Got Her Hooked, Because Her Bus Driver Played It for Them).  Yet, every time Megan Trainor sings about booties, Lily yells “Eew!”.

6.  Favorite Drink:

Elmo Juice – Yup, even after all this time this kid still loves Elmo on her juice.

7.  Favorite Thing She Loves to Do:

Play with her dress up clothes…

8.  Favorite Thing to Eat:

This is my picky eater and right now she has been asking for grilled cheese at every meal, but a close second would be Ellios Pizza (sadly not the healthiest, but if she eats it is a good day here).

9.  Favorite Animal:

Dogs or puppies, specifically our puppy, Elsa is still tops in her book.

10.  Favorite Clothes:

She will wear just about anything and unlike food this kid is not picky about her outfits at all.  Thank god, because her sister is my skirts all day long girl, but I pretty much can dress her in anything and no complaints here.

“4 Years Ago Though…”

Well, considering that Sunday wass Lily’s 4th birthday, I am reposting Lily’s birth story today (only a day later).

Saturday, November 20, 2010:

I woke up and when I got out of bed seemed Ok, but I sat down to do something and when I got back up my back was in excruciating pain.  Apparently, the baby had moved on my sciatic nerve and I could barely sit or lay down now.  Standing seemed to be the only semi-comfortable option.  But at 39 weeks of pregnancy, what woman wants to stand all day long??  And guess what this lasted all through the weekend.  Plus I kept losing mucous plug and contracting off and on, too.  Fun times, not!!!

Monday November 22, 2010:

I had an 11:45 am appointment at my OB and was told officially that I would be induced at North Shore at Plainview Hospital at 6 am the very next morning due to the fact that I was already contracting, 3 cm dilated and in such pain from the baby indeed still being on my sciatic nerve.  At around 8:30 pm that night, my doctor called me to tell me that there weren’t beds at Plainview and wasn’t sure about being induced there at this point.  He said to page him at 5:30 this next morning.  I went to bed and barely slept, because of how uncomfortable I was from the back spasms and contractions, too.  I got up around 3:30 and decided to take a shower figuring if I was to go to the hospital today at least I would be clean.

Tuesday November 23, 2010:

At 5:30 am, I did as I was instructed and paged my OB and he called back to say that he had delivered two patients during the night at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre and that Plainview was definitely out and wasn’t sure about Mercy Medical Center.  He told me to stay on a liquid diet and to call him back around noon.  About forty-five minutes later, he called me back to say that I could go to Mercy and as soon as I could get there he would start my induction.  We left Emma, who was just waking up, with my mom and dad.

We arrived at Mercy at around 8 am and they started me on the IV and monitors within the hour.  My doctor arrived in the meantime, examined me, and found that I was still 3 cm dilated and but now I was also 75% effaced.

As I was being monitored, the nurses noticed that I was contracting regularly on my own and told me I was definitely in early labor and that if I was not being induced that day, I would have most likely gone into full blown labor anyways.  So I would have been here one way or another apparently. They did, however, start me on the pit and was only on a 2 and was having contractions one on top of the other.

The contractions were very strong and as I said on top of each other that at around 1 pm, I finally requested an epidural.  Once I got the epidural, I was more comfortable and was then checked again, where I was found to be 4 cm dilated and 90% effaced, now.  They broke my water at around a little after 3 pm. just as my doctor returned from his daily appointments (he would not let them do this until he was there, because he figured being my second delivery this would be quick and didn’t want to miss it) and then my epidural pretty much wore off.  Because of this the contractions were real painful again, could feel the baby kicking my ribs with each one, and there wasn’t any time to top my epidural off.

Then, I started to feel a ton of pressure and knew immediately from my first delivery that it was time to push (or have to take a massive poop sorry but that is exactly what it feels like).  But the nurse truly thought it couldn’t be, because I was just still only 4 cm. dilated only in the last half hour.  However, my doctor came in and said, “I bet you any amount of money she (meaning me) is right, because she has done this before only 16 months ago and don’t think she has forgotten what it feels like to have to push!”

Sure enough I was 10 cm. dilated, 100% effaced, the baby was right there and I was definitely ready to definitely push.  On the first push I was able to push the head completely down.  After a set of 3 pushes, I got the baby’s head out.  After 2 more pushes, the rest of my baby was now out and born.  “I delivered this baby before!  She look just like her older sister.”  These were the first words Lily heard out of my doctor, followed by “Happy Birthday Lily Ann”, by my nurse.

I was allowed to hold her on my chest and we even had pictures taken of us with her.  She stayed with me for about an hour after delivery, before they took her way to clean her up.  I had visitors, including Emma who wore her ‘Big Sister’ shirt that night and couldn’t believe I now had two babies.

When they did bring Lily back to me it was after visiting hours were over and all our visitors had indeed left for the night.  It was now 10 pm and in walked the night nurse with this beautiful baby girl wearing the most gorgeous, white knitted hat all swaddled like a burrito.  I swear she looked like and angel (and not just saying this because she was mine).  She stayed with me for hours before they took her back to the nursery.  Then was returned to me the following morning to spend the whole day with Kevin and I.

All-in-all, I had a very quick and uncomplicated delivery.  I didn’t need an episodomy, didn’t tear at all, minimal bleeding and felt great afterwards (even my back finally began to feel better).  The baby and I were discharged the following evening (Thanksgiving Eve.) and were able to be home for Thanksgiving the next day to celebrate Lily’s very first Thanksgiving.

November 23, 2014 (4 Years Later):

I wrote the above three days after I gave birth and cannot believe this was four years ago and my “Lily Bean” (as her uncle calls her) is 4 years old.  She is in pre-school, knows how to write her name, all her letters and can count up to 50, and pretty much talks circles around me and yet can be the most stubborn child I have ever met, but I love her to pieces and truly couldn’t imagine a time when she wasn’t here.  Thank god for her….

Happy 4th Birthday Lily Ann!!!!