Dear Abby,

I am going to apologize yet again because the post below is what I wrote 6 months ago! I must have started it, had to leave to tend to you or your brother and never went back to it.  The good news is, I have taken wonderful notes all about you to fill into your baby book and update this blog, so you will get a proper post once we are done celebrating you at your big 1st Birthday Party on Saturday!
I love you, Abby!
Love,
Mommy

Now...onto the post that was started 6 months ago.  It is not a completed post, but might as well start now and maybe I will have Abby's 1st year documented before she graduates high school!

Dear Abby,

I am sorry to have to tell you, but you are the second child.  As much as I swore you would receive all the same treatment as the first, it has not happened.  Now don't get me wrong, you get just as much attention and love as AJ (you are quite possibly held even more than he was at your age thanks to all your colic and "issues") but I have lacked in the blog posting, picture taking, baby booking departments.  It may have taken me 6 months, but here you go Abby - this post is for you!

Love, 

Mommy

Just as we thought would happen, Abby arrived on Super Bowl Sunday - February 5, 2012!  After spending all day Saturday doing some last minute shopping for the nursery and whatnot, I had my first contraction on my way home from the store around 6pm.  The second came 20 minutes later, the third followed the 2nd 10 minutes later and the 4th came in 6 minutes after the 3rd.  Things were happening quickly!  Despite the quick progression I decided I needed to put AJ to bed one last time as an only child and then blow-dry my hair.  We finally got to the hospital around 9:30 at which point my contractions were a steady 4-5 minutes apart.  My first check was done around 10:30pm and I was 5cm.  I was feeling good and ready for the baby so I decided to decline the epidural and walk the halls. By 11:30 I was 7cm and told if I keep walking the baby should be out within the hour - so on we walked (me, Art, and my mom).  Well I got to 8 cm and then things just seemed to slow down, or maybe they didn't really and I just thought they did because of the horrific pain I was now feeling.  It was too late for an epidural and I did not want any IV drugs that would make Abby groggy, so drug-free it had to be. When I got to 9cm, I was BEGGING my doctor to let me push (in between cries of "I can't do this!).  He of course would not let me and though I think in actuality it was only another 30 minutes before I reached 10cm, it felt like forever! At 3:31am I began pushing and 8 minutes and 4 pushes later out came Abs. Or should I say out shot Abs - there was no "oh look there's the head, now push and there's the shoulders" it was all ok I'm pushing this baby out in one shot and that I did! Luckily my doctor was a great receiver, because apparently I shot that kid out like a cannonball.