I honestly don’t even know where to begin, so I guess I’ll just go back to Thursday, October 15th and start there! You may want to get a beverage and a snack – this could be a long one! :)
As you may recall, our little monkey had decided he was much too comfortable in his ‘home away from home’ (aka – mommy’s belly!) and wasn’t coming out. So, 4 days overdue, I met with my OBGYN and he suggested that if he didn’t come on his own that weekend, we would go in and get him via c-section. Well, that was all it took! Drew must have heard the news because Friday evening I began to have contractions. Much to our surprise, it appeared that we would be delivering this munchkin “o-natural” after all (with drugs, of course!)
Well, as usual, there has yet to be a dull moment where this little guy is concerned! I will spare you the gory details, but after almost 12 hours of contractions and Petocin (the most evil drug on the planet!!!) someone must have gotten stage fright because he wasn’t coming out! Drew’s heart tones were dropping every time that I contracted so to stop unnecessary stress on him, my doc made the call and we were wheeled down to the operating room. In less than 5 minutes our lives were forever changed!!!!!!! At exactly 3:52pm, weighing in at 7lbs. 2 oz and 20 inches long, Andrew Edwin-Marshall Giersdorf had arrived!!
While that moment will forever live in my memory (hopefully!), the next few weeks are sort of a blur. They were a whirlwind of sleepless nights, sore boobs (sorry, but it’s true!) crying, feeding, pooping, and the most overwhelming love I have ever felt. In fact, if you ask Justin, he wasn’t sure I was ever going to stop crying! (Though, I’m happy to report – I have…well, sort of!)Most of November was filled with boxes, peanuts and packing tape! Yep, you guessed it - the Giersdorf gang packed it up and relocated to a new city and neighborhood! In the words of George Jefferson, “we moved on up!”…but to the westside! We slowly settled into a routine with a new baby and a new dwelling and couldn’t be happier!! We love our new home and we can’t wait for all of our far away friends and family to come see it!
December seems to have passed us by with a blink but we definitely made some wonderful ‘first memories’ for Andrew. Not only did he begin smiling and really start to show us his personality (and boy is he like his daddy!!!), he took his first plane ride all the way across the country to see his Grandma Giersdorf! During our time in Spokane, Drew got to meet his Great Grandma Norman, his Great Grandpa Dragoo (Melissa too!) and his Great Aunt Shirley and Great Uncle Dan! He also had the pleasure of meeting the big fat guy with the white beard and red suit…though, for a number of reasons, he will never remember it so it’s a good thing we have it documented on film!
We made it home just in time for New Years Eve where the four of us (we must not forget Simon!) said goodbye to a very blessed 2009 and rang in 2010 as a family!
With January upon us, so was the looming day that I was to return to work. I will say, with no uncertainty, January 11th was, thus far, the hardest day of my life. Leaving that beautiful little face to go off to work was the most heart-wrenching experience ever! I can only say – thank God there is only 1 first day back!!!! I want to give a special shout out to my mom, my sister, my mother-in-law, my very dear friends and last, but certainly not least, my husband, Justin, for helping me get through those first few days – it wasn’t pretty and I couldn’t have done it without you all! I truly believe that the only reason I have “adjusted” (please notice I use the word “adjusted” not “easier” – it will never get EASY!) is due to the fact that my life long friend Amy Yocum has agreed to be Drew’s nanny! Amy comes to the house 4 days a week and it is working out better than any of us planned!! I can’t even begin to describe how much her being with him has eased our anxiety. Knowing that he is with someone who loves him almost as much as we do and that he is safe in his own home makes all the difference in the world! Come the day that we have to actually put him into daycare will face a new challenge – but I’ll cross that bridge then – I’m blocking it out for now ! :)
February was busy, to say the least!!! Not only did Justin and I both have birthdays (man, we’re getting old!) and a 3rd wedding anniversary, we also celebrated the fact that our little monkey has been with us for 4 months already! I can’t believe he’s growing so fast!!! Where does the time go? It’s funny because so many people warned us that once he was here we would never remember life without him and I can honestly say - it’s true!! He is the best thing that has ever happened to us!! He had his 4 month check up and weighed in at 17.55lbs and almost 27 inches long!!! Can you say BIG BOY???? This should add some sort of perspective just how much he's changed in the few months he's been with us!!
Well, I should probably wrap this up. If I haven’t bored you to tears yet, or you haven’t fallen asleep on your keyboard, I commend you. If I have learned anything through this whole parenthood journey thus far, it’s that I could go on and on and on…(you get the idea) about my son and never get tired of talking about him!!!
With that being said, I solemly vow that I will do my best to be more punctual in reporting back to you all about his progress and keep you updated with pictures of his sweet little face. Until the next time, we love you all and miss the ones that are so far away!
XOXOXO,
Amie, Justin, Andrew & Simon!
