We have landed!

Where do I even begin?

The day before our flight we went to my Grandpa’s house in Dixon. He asked for us to stop by at least a day early so he could see Leah and we could spend a little time together before we took off. We got there around noon, and not even 15 minutes later we all fell asleep and took a nap. We’d been packing the hotel up the night before and were still exhausted. After our nap Leah wanted to explore the house so she got to: she walked around, got to “look” at pictures, and I took some pictures of her for my dad to see.[ That was the first time Leah had been in his childhood home in over 9 months – whenever we drive down to Dixon it’s to go to someone’s house for a party. ] After just talking for a while we went out to dinner at a little local Mexican place, then we stopped by my Tio Angel’s house to visit with his family one last time. Leah enjoyed herself as usual, and it was nice to be able to relax and see some more of my family before we made the plunge and got on our flight the next morning.

At that point it hadn’t really sunk in that we were moving for Christian or myself. We’ve both lived out of suitcases and hotels for one reason or another, and we’d been back and forth between our “usual stops” of Dixon, Galt, and Roseville…it just felt like a really weird vacation.

That night I didn’t sleep at all. Christian and Leah passed out eventually (him around midnight, her around two), but I just couldn’t bring myself to close my eyes. I was paranoid we’d lost something, we’d forget a necessity, what if Kairi gets stuck in San Francisco, or even worse: what if she gets stuck in Tokyo? I quadruple checked our tickets to make sure we were on the same flight, seats together, the right day and time. I made sure the vet didn’t overlook a single detail of Kairi’s history, and double checked her food supply we’d be giving the airline. After I finally convinced myself we were okay, and things were in order, I sat on the bed next to Leah and watched Dexter until 5am rolled around. Then it was time to wake up Christian and my Gramps to get the car loaded so we could be on our way. Our flight didn’t take off from San Francisco until 11:30am but we’d been advised to arrive 3 hours early so we could get our tickets, baggage checked, Kairi paid for and approved for flight, make it through international security, find the gate, etc. My Gramps has lived in the Bay Area forever it seems so he advised we take off 3 hours before our suggested arrival time to give us plenty of time for traffic since we’d be going through right around when people start heading to work for the day. Well it would figure that on this particular day his prayer for us showed results instantaneously – there was NO traffic the whole way to San Francisco, and even on the bridge we never once had to completely stop. We ended up in the SFO airport at our terminal a whole 4.5 hours early. We grabbed something to eat and let Leah walk around since it was a huge seating area and we were three of the seven people waiting that early. I got on the WiFi connection the airport has and woke my sister Jackie up, and she got everyone in her room so they could see Leah walk around on webcam and we could talk one last time before we took off. Even then I didn’t really feel like we were doing anything life changing…we’d flown as a family before, and came back. Nothing made this trip feel like it was anything special – Kairi was even waiting for us at our destination during our last trip – but I could tell my nerves would kick in soon enough.

After trying to maneuver the ramp with a baby, a stroller, a car seat, and 6 carry-ons (that we ended up regretting taking since only 2 of the bags ended up serving a purpose) we found our seats and settled in. I didn’t realize it until later but before the plane even finished taxiing out to the runway Leah and I were both completely asleep. She woke up ~2hrs later but I didn’t wake up for almost ~5hrs. When I first got to see our “in-flight map” we were halfway across the Pacific Ocean. I was in-and-out most of that flight, as I expected myself to be. Thankfully Leah was in a good mood and didn’t cause Christian much heartache. The last two hours seemed to drag on. They played four or five movies and a few episodes of FRIENDS so there was plenty to distract us, we were just getting antsy. Leah had woken up and was annoyed to STILL be on the plane and we really couldn’t blame her. By this point I had lost the feeling on the inside arch of my left foot though only slightly. When we were finally informed we were making our approach is when Christian and I started asking each other “Can you believe we’re here? Can you believe we actually made it?” After taking off around 11:00am and being on a plane 10hrs we were kind of expecting to land in the middle of the night – instead we walked off the plane and were welcomed to a warm afternoon in Tokyo. It was ~2:00pm when we landed.

Before we left the check-in desk in San Francisco they told us all of our baggage was checked through Okinawa. “Don’t pick-up bags, don’t re-check dog” they kept saying. All we’d have to do is go through customs and security again to get to our second flight.

This of course meant that when we landed in Tokyo we see Kairi sitting in the middle of the walkway by baggage claim and our stuff on the incoming belt. I wanted to cry my eyes out. We didn’t bother with the baggage but instead grabbed Kairi’s crate and took her over to the animal quarantine desk to see if something was wrong or if we simply needed to provide her paperwork to get her on to our next plane. The guy working the counter was nice, and although he spoke very little English he knew exactly what we needed to fill out and took only the papers he required for his records. Kairi was terrified, naturally, but was in one piece and that’s all I really cared about at that point. Christian and I were trying to figure out how we were going to push Leah in her stroller, a cart with all 6 luggage items, 6 carry-ons, and 1 dog crate through customs and to a ticket counter. Just then one of the airport employees must have felt our panic and fear because he walked over to us and asked “Are you the Zambrana’s?” and when we said yes he smiled and said he had our luggage on a cart ready for us. When we thanked him he asked if we were traveling alone with all of the bags plus a baby and a dog. We said yes and he called a stewardess-looking employee over and explained to her we needed her help. She smiled and took us exactly where we needed to go and explained what each counter meant. The ladies at the counter for All Nippon Airways (ANA) were very kind and helpful. They played and talked with Leah, got us our tickets, explained where to go and when, and took care of our baggage entirely. I was feeling frantic and completely lost when we first landed in Tokyo but after that I was completely fine. We walked to our terminal, got a drink and a snack, and that’s when I was able to get online to let people know we’d arrived. The calling card we’d bought to use while in Japan didn’t have an international number on it (only on the top part that most people will automatically throw away, go figure) so e-mails were sent instead of phone calls. Leah got to stretch her legs and run around the terminal while Christian and I took turns chasing her.

When we finally went to board our second and final plane we first got onto a bus, then we were bussed to the plane that was waiting for us a short drive down the flight line. After making it to the plane we were told it would be a few minutes and people just kind of stood around waiting to be told they could go on. After we were released to the plane Leah and I took our seats by the window and Christian took his across from me in the middle. The first plane we had been on was much bigger – since it was an international flight and all – with three seats by the windows, and six or seven across the middle. This plane was two seats by the windows, and four in the middle. We had a small delay taking off and Leah was in a foul mood so she was crying and throwing any and everything we tried giving her. When we actually started taxiing out to the runway she passed out cold and slept the first 45 minutes of the flight. The rest of the way was rough. We ran out of water and they only served tea and soda on our flight so we were screwed as far as formula, milk, or juice went. We tried teething tablets, pacifier to help with her ears, orajel, any and everything we could think of – no dice. We ended up just playing pass the baby and hoped we’d keep her calm enough to not want to kill one another before we landed. Christian did manage to get a cat nap in on that flight though not too long after he passed out Leah went into super-bad-baby mode and threw a huge fit that woke him up.

We landed at the Naha International Airport around 9:45pm local time on July 20th. The scramble to get all of our luggage together as well as find Kairi began and we hoped and prayed Christian’s sponsor would be there waiting for us to help us get to base. Thankfully he was, and he was a smart guy and asked another of Christians soon-to-be co-workers to meet him at the airport to help “just in case” we couldn’t fit in his little car. He has a 2 seater car with less trunk space than most smart cars so it was definitely necessary that someone else help out. It was a VERY tight fit but we managed to get everything in the cars. It meant all of the passengers had luggage in their laps and Kairi was surrounded by bags on the top and sides, but we got everything back to the base.

It was weird driving on the left side of the road, and terrifying watching the motorcycles weave through traffic – two things that are standard in Japan. We were warned of common practices such as cars blowing through red lights and speeding up when it turns yellow and got to see it happen more than once on the 45 minute drive to base. The whole island seems to look pretty similar from what we could see at night and on the main highway…lots of casinos. I think we counted 5 on the ride home. There are also quite a few McDonald’s and some A&W Rootbeer restaurants.

The base itself is pretty dang huge, and confusing. I think it has a lot to do with us getting use to the traffic laws to be honest. Christian was able to get an Okinawan rental car with his international driver’s license which has been a huge help to us since he won’t be getting his base-approved license until tomorrow (if all goes according to plan).The hotels on base don’t have internet except for in the little lobby down the road, and while there’s a shuttle that will pick you up from your room if they are available, there is currently only ONE servicing the entire base so we haven’t had any luck with getting a free ride. The first full day we were here (July 21st) we decided to try to walk the half-a-mile to the PX and commissary. We didn’t make it 20 feet when it started pouring. Not a little rain shower, not a quick sprinkle, downright torrential rain. Naturally Leah had nothing covering her stroller and we all got soaked. It was still ~80 degrees outside so we survived but we took that as a sign that Okinawan weather really isn’t predictable at all. Leah thought it was fun, and she laughed and played while we waited for the storm to pass so we could take her back to the room for a quick change. The humidity here is ridiculous and if I don’t put in contacts I will see nothing but fog on my glasses for a good 5-10 minutes upon going outside. I have a picture on my camera of our car and it looks like I’m standing in the middle of fog because the lens was hit by the humidity. Besides the rain and constant humidity the weather here isn’t all that bad.

It’s been two days since we arrived and my left foot is still numb. I called the hospital to ask if I should be concerned about it and it sounds like my big baby possibly picked one of my nerves and decided it would be nice to cuddle up with and has cut off the feeling to that part of my foot. I have no discoloration, no temperature change, and no severe symptoms otherwise…just numbness. I have an appointment to be referred over for my pregnancy and such on August 9th and if it is still a problem then I may see a specialist. Until then I have been told to do my best ot be on a “modified bed rest” schedule since Christian is in-processing and gone most of the day and I can’t very well tell Leah to just stop having needs. While he’s at work I am to keep my activity to a minimum and drink plenty of fluids; when he gets home I am to take my activity level down to nothing if at all possible (the nurse told me to have my husband take over duties with Leah haha) and elevate my feet. She recommended this because I have had a lot of back pain with this baby so far and from how I’m carrying (very prominently) at only 20 weeks my body is most likely strained and under stress from all of the traveling. I haven’t had much time to relax (except while writing this) today mostly because Leah is fighting her nap as usual and Christian is taking one instead. At least one of them will hopefully have a sunnier disposition in an hour or so!

Besides wreaking havoc on my innards, Baby Z is doing well at 20weeks+. I get plenty of loving kicks and punches throughout my day and my appetite is just fine. We do not have a name picked out yet for those of you who have asked, and I don’t know when we will have one. We have a girl name we like a lot but boy names are a little more difficult for us to agree on. I haven’t started shopping for boy things quite yet because while the PX here is pretty big their baby section is lacking a little in the clothing department for my taste. I sense an order from Carters.com very shortly…

I don’t have a ton of pictures to put online yet but as I take them I’ll be updating our Flickr account. Until we get a house (appointment is on Friday, waiting list is currently between 9 and 12 months…) I’ll be using the hotel internet so don’t be surprised if I am unable to update daily or if I don’t reply to messages or e-mails. It’s not done purposefully as anyone with a small child and a busy husband can tell you – I just don’t have a ton of free time on my hands right now. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, and I’ll update whenever possible. It’s nice to have a connection to our stateside family and friends still, even if it is online via the internet.

Change of plans, shopping adventures, and a baby Z update

Remember that whole "we have an official date!" announcement I made? Let's just pretend that didn't happen (even though the entry is still down there). We found out the next morning that something is going on with the moving company the base has contracted to do it's overseas PCS appointments and they don't have anyone available to do any moves for almost 2 weeks in July. So, we're back to square one, waiting for someone to tell us what's going on and to give us a date so we can try to make all of our appointments again. Right now the earliest date we'll be able to leave is looking like the 19th of July, which means Leah will be celebrating her first birthday in California after all. The original flight info sounded pretty awesome, especially since we'd be arriving at night which would have hopefully helped us adjust to the time difference a little quicker. We can only hope the new flight is direct like our original one was - I'd prefer to only get on two planes with a baby and dog between here and Okinawa, not three or four!

Besides this big change of plans not much has been going on around our house. Leah is still dead set on walking whenever possible and absolutely hates her pack & play now. Put her on the ground with some toys and she'll love you, but that girl moves so fast I can't take my eyes off of her for a second without running the risk she'll get hurt somehow. She hasn't been able to use the walker as much as before for a while because she learned if she leans far enough to the side she can pop her legs out and she tries to push herself out......onto her head. My child has no sense of danger, and that's a terrifying thought. So, the walker is only for "emergency situations", such as I just have to do dishes and Christian is still at work. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

We went out to Ross, Target, and Mimi's Cafe tonight for an impromptu family-night-out. We got some kitchen odds and ends at Ross, some new foods for Leah to try to Target along with some much needed shorts for Christian and some Hello Kitty accessories for my iPod, and we had a decent dinner at Mimi's though it wasn't nearly as good as it usually is there. Leah tried pancakes for the first time and she loved them!  She probably would have eaten my whole meal if I let her. She's very weird about what foods she will and won't eat, and right now she's still mostly on purees. I think she might be texture picky, much like her mother, and I am hoping we can slowly break her of some of that in the next 3 weeks.

That's right, my baby will be one year old in 20 days. Not even 3 whole weeks. I catch myself crying over her being so close to that first year mark nearly everyday now and I'm having a hard time letting go of the helpless baby image I still imagine as her. She can feed herself. She can stand and is beginning to walk. She can say a handful of words. She can  show you if she does or doesn't like what you're doing. She will let you know when she is hungry, sleepy, happy. She can do so much on her own that I couldn't imagine her doing before that it's kind of overwhelming. It's a lot for me to process and accept right now.

Baby Z has a check-up on June 28th which was supposed to be our final appointment with the midwife office if we were still leaving July 5th. Since we aren't going until the 19th-ish I am going to ask if I could possibly schedule my anatomy scan appointment for July 16th when I'll be 19 weeks and 3 days. I'm not sure if they'll be okay with that or not, I just know I won't be seen at the hospital in Okinawa for at least 2 weeks otherwise and part of me is kind of afraid my first appointment there will me rushed and uncomfortable, something I don't want my anatomy scan to be. I want to enjoy seeing the baby, I want to be relaxed laying down as they check to make sure everything looks great still, I want the happy tech to ask if I want to know the sex and see them smile when they tell me (if they can). I am so paranoid about the hospital in Japan it's beginning to make me dread moving there in a way. But I know there's nothing I can do to avoid it now. So far no major movement with the little one, though I can feel their little body when I put my hands on my abdomen. That's always a nice little reminder they are hanging out in there.

Tomorrow is Father's Day and Christian has yet to tell me what he wants or what he wants to do. So I guess he'll be watching the Brazil soccer match then if he comes up with any ideas we'll wing it. Leah is passed out with him in bed so I will hopefully be joining them shortly. I definitely have not missed the uncomfortable nights of being pregnant, but that's just the way it goes sometimes I suppose. :)

Onward, to the land of the rising sun

Well, it's time to go into super busy, constantly on-the-go mode. We got our orders, tickets, and appointments set up. July 5th we leave San Francisco, California and July 6th we'll arrive in Okinawa, Japan.

Let the adventure begin!

Photos from Leah's early party

This is just a few of the pictures from the party. My Flickr account is public and always updated with recent pictures. If you want to see the full size image, just click on it.

Quick update before dinner

I apologize for the very abrupt change in privacy as far as requiring an invite to read goes. I will further elaborate at a later time about the situation but for now I would prefer to just remain mum. It's not all that easy to explain so when I have the chance to sit down and put my thoughts together properly I will share the current problematic situation we have found ourselves in.

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On to happier things! We had our first doctor appointment on April 16th, Christian's 23rd birthday. I was so afraid of missing the ultrasound (it had already happened once) that we got there almost an hour early. We got the same doctor who delivered Leah, Dr. Wilson, and he said everything looks perfect. We got a picture of our little blob (<3), got to see AND hear their heartbeat, and we got my EDD: December 7th, our 3rd wedding anniversary.



We are almost 100% sure my mom will be coming out in October to stay with us until at least January to help us adjust to having two little ones and so we have someone we know and trust to take care of Leah while I am at the hospital. Since I will be delivering in Japan at a military hospital I am almost guaranteed to deliver via cesarean again. I was very fortunate to have my sister around for Leah's birth and I am not entirely sure I'll be able to handle caring for a new baby after another cesarean while still maintaining a regular routine with Leah. I know I'll fall into my own little schedule and routine but having her there will make me feel much more secure and confident.

Leah is doing great. She is up to 19 lbs 6oz, and 28 inches long. She is 9 months and 2 weeks old. She can pull herself up on almost anything within reach, can stand for about 10 seconds on her own, and today took 2 steps before falling over. They were "running steps" of sorts, she took them trying to keep herself standing upright. Haha. She still babbles "mama" often and loves hearing herself make noise. She hasn't mastered "dada" quite yet, but Christian is patiently waiting. :)

Currently we are on "vacation" in Maryland. We spent last week in Florida and we go home on Friday. When we get back to California we should HOPEFULLY get our orders then we'll be in PCS overdrive.

I'll finish our very lengthy update with a separate entry later on!

Today!!!

Today I find out my due date for Baby Z. When I have that to share I'll also write a long overdue update!

100% sure

100% sure
Originally uploaded by auphelia

Obviously big updates to come!

Well, well, what have we here?

Well ladies and gentlemen, our lives have been permanently interrupted! We found out 2 days ago that on November 23rd, 2009 we were chosen to PCS to Kadena AFB. Kadena, if you're unfamiliar with it, is located in Okinawa, Japan!

Christian will fly out ahead of us at the beginning of June to get us a house and to scope out the place. Leah and I will fly out afterwards to meet up with him. We were sad at first, but now we're filled with excitement! We cannot wait to go on a new adventure as a family. :)

This will greatly affect my 101 list so I'll be making changes shortly. Anyone who is military and has lived overseas can tell you it really is NOT that easy to get enough leave (and approval!) to leave the country you're in the visit the states. So instead of some of the locations we hoped to visit here I'll add MANY we hope to visit while in Asia and maybe even Europe again!

I have a feeling this will also affect our plans for children. We will still begin trying to conceive when we originally planned to but because I will deliver in a Japanese hospital the chances of me having a VBAC will be much lower. Depending on if I end up with a repeat cesarean we may have to stop having children much earlier than we originally wanted to. I'm trying not to think about it too much because it is a very saddening thought for us.

Leah will have her first birthday in Okinawa and my family is planning on flying out to spend it with her! I am grateful she will still be surrounded by loved ones on her first big day. :)

Kairi is coming with us as well. We have to get going on lots of paperwork and such for her but gosh dang it I am not leaving my puppy behind! I've had her since she was 8 weeks old and she's 13 months now. She helped me through Christian's first deployment when I was pregnant and alone, and she is my constant companion now that I have Leah and we're home all day. Life in Japan just wouldn't be the same without her.

We can't take our car "Betsy" with us (our Kia) so I am thankful we haven't bought a new car yet. :) In Japan they drive on the left side of the road (similar to in the UK), plus they have very strict requirements of vehicles within their country. We technically could take it but it would cost thousands and thousands to adjust it to their standards.

We are so excited to have such an amazing opportunity for our first PCS. Beale was Christian's first duty station so we're in for the adventure of a lifetime!

Plans don't always work out

I'd been having contractions on and off for about 2 weeks prior to the 10th. They got more noticeable around the 6th, and by the 8th they were easily distinguishable and moving towards being regular.

On the 9th around 9pm I started having really strong contractions. I began writing down when they happened and for how long, and they were on a schedule - first they were 7 minutes apart, then 5, then closer to 2-3 minutes apart. I called the birthing center at approx. 11:30pm, and they said because they were still manageable and I could talk through them they recommended I wait a few hours. Christian got home around 2:30am and I mentioned to him that they were stronger, but I could still talk through them so I didn't think it was a big deal. He insisted we drive to the birthing center despite my thoughts. I agreed and we took off around 3am. We got to the birthing center at 4:30am and I was measured - 8 centimeters dilated and fully effaced. We were completely shocked because I was still talking and laughing through the contractions and we knew we would be having the baby during our stay. We went through the admittance process, and we got into a birthing tub filled with hot water. We stood there for about 4 hours, then family arrived so we got out temporarily (read: 15 minutes), then got right back in. We stood in the tub, and I breathed through contractions without pain medication, for a total of 10 hours. I got out to push on the bed (as well as in a few different positions) around 1pm. She made quick progress and moved down into my cervix within the first hour of pushing. The midwife and nurse were excited because they thought it would be a smooth, fast first time birth.

Then things completely went to a standstill. She wasn't descending further, and the contractions were instead causing her head to get stuck in a painful position. I continued to push for 2 hours in hopes that I could still deliver naturally. Her heart rate dropped drastically (from ~150 to ~110), as well as my blood pressure. At the three hour mark my midwife decided it was time to call in an OB and get their opinion on the situation. Both my midwife and the OB agreed that an emergency c-section was necessary. Christian broke down a little bit, but at that point I was far more concerned with Leah's health than my birth plan. I continued to push with every contraction until the anesthesiologist was ready for me and gave me a spinal (similar to an epidural, but no tubing). I was given Stadol about an hour before because my midwife was concerned by my lack of rest throughout labor (I didn't sleep the night I went into labor, I didn't take a nap the day before, and the evening before I had only slept for ~4hrs), and it had helped me take a few deep breaths after pushing. I even began nodding off once during a 3 minute break. So when I got the spinal, I basically felt like I was floating in the middle of the OR. Christian came in and they began the necessary cuts and before we knew it we heard the tiniest, most amazing noise ever. Leah didn't cry right away; instead she said just enough for us to know it was her. They cleaned her off quickly, weighed her, and let Christian bring her over to me. His wonderment towards her brought tears to my eyes, and when I saw her I was immediately completely in love.

I was stitched and stapled up, then we returned to our labor room. I got a bunch of information about things I could and couldn't do, what the rest of our stay would be like, and then finally they brought me Leah. She was so calm and peaceful (she still is actually!), she eased my spirit greatly. She took to breastfeeding very easily, and is one of the most laid back babies I've ever met in my life. She sleeps wonderfully, she loves to cuddle up and take naps, and she has only cried twice since being born. She truly has Christians personality. :)

We are disappointed that things didn't turn out as well as we'd hoped as far as my delivery stage went, but at the same time Leah has blessed our lives in an amazing way and the fact that I had to have a c-section seems obsolete.

Nothing before her arrival really matters anymore. We're new people, we're a new family, and we couldn't ask for anything more.

Then there were two

Christian and I originally met in August of 2004 in sixth period AP US History. He was the new guy, a senior, and from the first time my glance met his I was intrigued by him. At the time I was in a long-term relationship that I was sure was "the one" to end them all, so I admired him silently. As the year went on he (naturally) dated, but I never lost interest. We became friends and would talk from time to time, up until he told me he had enlisted in the Air Force. When he left to boot camp, then AIT, I wrote to him, never receiving a reply. (After we were dating I found the letters in a memory box; they had arrived after he was assigned a station and were later forwarded) When we finally reconnected in September of 2006 I was in Utah at college, and he was at Beale Air Force Base in Northern California. When I mentioned I'd be in NorCal for the holidays we decided to meet up to have dinner.

After our first date our whole relationship was a whirlwind. I ended up leaving BYU a few months later and moving in with my grandparents. I started working, and later found out my grandmother had terminal cancer - so I remained at their house. Christian and I would do our best to visit one another, and he'd often come by on the weekends to see me and also check how my grandma was doing. He met my parents and spent Christmas with us - three lovely days we didn't expect to spend together. By the following Valentines Day family and friends were asking if we had discussed marriage. The truth is, we had.

We were inseparable in every sense of the word. We had our disagreements, and it wasn't always easy being away from one another 5 days a week, but we both knew we were in it for the long run. After asking for my father's blessing we were officially engaged on Black Friday 2007.

Then we got the news that not only was Christian getting promoted in January, but he would be deployed soon after. Neither of us were planning on having a large wedding, so after we received this news we decided to get married sooner rather than later. On December 7, 2007, while on my lunch break, we got married in the courthouse.

Everything moved so quickly after that. We got a house on base, had to move in while moving Christian out of the dorms, he was officially promoted, he joined Honor Guard and traveled on weekends, I got a new job, and his deployment kept getting pushed back month after month. Then one day we got an official date, plane tickets in hand: October 28th. We cried, then came to terms with the news. The day Christian left for his first deployment I felt as though I were dying.

Christian claims he was suspicious but I was none the wiser about my pregnancy. I took the original test as an attempt to prove I wasn't pregnant. Sure enough that second line showed up, light as can be. At first I thought I was seeing things. It took half a dozen tests to convince me.

When I told Christian over the telephone that I was pregnant - a mere week after he deployed - I was so nervous, excited, and overwhelmed that I cried. We had only stopped preventing pregnancy about 2 months prior, though we weren't actively trying to conceive. I don't think either of us thought it would be so easy for me to get pregnant - people always made it sound like a very specific, well practiced science.

My first trimester was easy enough - lots of sleeping, minimal nausea, no vomiting, and minor food aversions. Christian returned in March when I was nearly 25 weeks pregnant. He was present at the anatomy scan, and heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time. We also found out then we'd be having a girl. Our little Leah Sabrina.

The rest of my pregnancy went smoothly until around 36 weeks. Then back labor began, I was taking ~6 naps a day, and I could never get comfortable.

Then around 9pm on July 9th I felt contractions beginning.