I can't believe it's been so long since I last blogged. I guess that is to be expected when you have a sweet baby to play with all day! I'll give some Gavin updates towards the end, but I want to start off by discussing our first year in Florida.
Everyone knows what's been happening: we moved, got jobs, got pregnant, bought a house and had a baby. However, there are a few people who have really, really made this transition a HUGE blessing for us. I want to go through and honor a few select people.
First off, I will start with my cousins Phil and Jeanette. They are basically the reason we are here in the first place. They accommodated us after our honeymoon to tour the area and look at homes. Phil expressed how excited he would be to have a cousin nearby which just made us feel loved and wanted from the beginning. Jeanette has contacts everywhere! If you need a realtor, an AC worker or a direct line to Obama I swear she's the one to go through! And on top of it all, Jeanette picked my mom up from the airport and brought her to the birth center moments after Gavin was born on a moments notice. From helping us find a home, to bringing me lunch on my first week home alone with the baby- I can't thank you enough.
Next I will stick with the cousin trend and send a huge shout out to Connie and Tom. Even though we had never really spent much time together before we moved here, it seems like we've known each other for years. One of the happiest days was when we found out you'd be moving across the street from us. There is no way to express how happy we are to have you so close and for Gavin to grow up knowing his cousins so well. From inviting us over to hang out or eat, to hosting when Serena and Adam came down, to panicked first time mother calls about jaundice you have always been there for us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Now, there are a few people who made our pregnancy/labor/birth the beautiful and amazing experience it was.
Miss Debbie, our doula, was a blessed support throughout the pregnancy and labor (and even afterwards as well). She called at random times during the pregnancy just to check on me and make sure I was well. She prayed for us countless times. She came with us to our water birth class as well. The best part, though, is the work she helped me do to labor and get Gavin to us quickly and safely. She encouraged me, prayed for me, massaged me and really worked me from when she arrived at our home at 10am until a few hours after Gavin was born. She even captured our birth photos on her phone for us which we still cherish so greatly.
Labor of Love is our birth center. I found them by chance when googling birth centers in our area. The website seemed nice and they were friendly when I called to make an appointment. I had no idea at the time just how much I would learn in the time I was in their care. The three midwives Michelle, Andrea and Bea have so much LOVE and knowledge. I emphasize love though. You are not a patient at labor of love. You are family. It's warm, welcoming, inviting, hugs, kisses and conversations. Mellie taught the classes and we learned so much valuable information including how to labor, how to care for the baby, chiropractic care, vaccinations, diapering- you name it. I took lots of notes throughout those classes. The midwives taught me how to care for myself and my baby and to trust in my body and ability. Katie was a student midwife (now a graduated midwife yeah!) She was there for me when I fell down the stairs and was scared to death that I hurt Gavin. She hugged me and reassured me everything was ok. During the pushing phase of labor, listening to his heartbeat and supporting me. She to caught Gavin and be the first person to touch him. Mostly she was there to be an amazing support after he was born. I mean who else will escort someone to the bathroom and shower and check up on you yet also give you the perfect amount of privacy? She was integral in making our experience there perfect.
Lastly, and probably most importantly to me is Lee Anne. When I went to her "contact us" on her photography website I thought I was doing nothing more than inquiring about some photographs of me and Gavin. Little did I know! We met up at Starbucks and chatted. And chatted and chatted. We were there for almost two hours and bless her mother for entertaining her sweet children the whole time! Lee Anne introduced me into a community here in the Tampa Bay Area that is so valuable to me. She joined me in three different moms groups on Facebook. Since then, I've gone to meet ups and play dates with Gavin to get out and meet like minded moms. She spoke to me about her family's decision regarding vaccinations. She spoke to me about breast feeding/ baby wearing/ cloth diapering. All of which we do exclusively now. She was there at labor of love to capture our first
moments with Gavin. When he was only 7 days old she took his newborn photos. She sat patiently while I tried to nurse my sweet baby, but couldn't really get the hang of it yet. She came to our home again to review our photos and help design the perfect way to display them on our wall. I never imagined I would be blessed with a friend, such a strong powerful and wonderful mom and woman when I asked her for pricing on some photos. It's because of her that Gavin and I can get out, meet people and have a community of moms and babies here when we are so far away from the people we would have done that with in New York. I feel encouraged when she is, and so deeply saddened when her family goes through the horrible things it has. She is even the one that taught me about coops and buying clubs which we've since gotten our first share of produce from. With out her, I think I would be seriously lacking the mom community I cherish so deeply.
All of these people seriously made our first year in Florida our best year yet. I know God lead us here and to all of them. We left behind all of our family and friends in search of a better life for our family. The distance hasn't been easy, but the people who love us most in New York have been amazingly supportive as well. We are definitely here to stay and loving our life that we've built. Thank you so much if you've been a part of this huge transition!
And now, as if its not long enough- I will give a brief update on Gavin. He is 14 weeks old now. He loves to sit up and play and see the world. He has an affinity for kids and babies. He just smiles so wide when he sees them. I've been trying to socialize him as much as possible and he really does thrive on it.
When we weighed him a few days ago he was just under 15lbs. That means in 3 months he has already more than doubled his birth weight. He is still exclusively breast fed and is apparently growing a lot from all that great mama's milk! He even drinks from the bottle with daddy when I have to go to work.
Which reminds me- work has been great so far. I enjoy the new hospital and the people there. It was a bit of a transition for all of us for me to be away from Gavin. Andre has done wonderfully in his time with Gavin, and he just adores his father so much. Lots of giggles for daddy!
Now if you actually read all of this (I didn't think it would turn out quite so long!) I appreciate it. This year has been so great and I just can't wait to see what the coming years bring us and our new life.
