My baby girl is turning 5 on Saturday.

I am giving myself a gift in honor of her birthday and reliving the past 60 beautiful months.

“Baby A” was due on Saturday, May 28th, 2005.

The Curious George nursery was bright and welcoming, itsy bitsy Pampers Swaddlers, sensitive wipes & Boudreaux’s Butt-paste were arranged neatly in the little basket at the end of the changing table, gowns and onesies were bathed in Dreft and just waiting for a sweet little body to fill them…we were ready!

On my due date we got “dressed up” (for me that was a super stretchy black dress & some black flip flops!) and went out to a nice dinner ~ what would be our last dinner before becoming a family of three.

We decided on Thai food and went into Hillcrest to Celadon ~ right next to the hospital should my water break while enjoying dinner! We shared spicy curries and pad thai noodles. Jay drank wine and I sucked down not one, but two thai iced teas!

We got home close to 11:00pm and I went straight to bed. The next morning I awoke early and started to feel “some pains” around 7:00am. I started timing and sure enough we were on the 5-1-1 schedule. I timed them for a little over an hour and then we were on our way to Scripp’s Mercy Hospital.

They could not find my pre-registered paperwork so there I was filling it out again while Jay went and parked the car. I went into a triage room to be monitored and was admitted shortly thereafter.

I tried to go all natural, but after getting to 8 cm and being told this was my last chance for an epi, I caved and shortly thereafter had a needle in my back and was able to now enjoy labor and actually talk to those around me.

By 5:00pm I was ready to push and my crotchety old Jewish doctor was hurrying me along because he had two other women down the hall close to delivering, too.

I pushed for an hour and a half before he determined the baby was “sunny side up”. Dr. S wanted to use a vacuum to help with the delivery, but after I said, “Uh….NO you’re not!”, he manually “turned” the baby and by 6:39pm, Elliott Elizabeth Aspiras came into the world!

A baby girl!

6 pounds, 14 ounces and 18.75″ long

Sunday, May 29, 2005

I was thrilled either way, of course, but I now had a little one to dress in pink, ruffles, dresses, sequins, tutus, bows and patent leather mary janes ~ a little girl to LOVE.

After sitting under the bili-light for 8 hours (for jaundice), she was ready to come home:

{Tuesday, May 31st, 2005}

Birthday Countdown: Part II coming tomorrow!

Now, off to get ready to take the little one wrapped in the chickie blanket above to her Kindergarten assessment!

{Tear.}