Sweet Baby Addie:
The Story of Your Birth
My sweet Addie, the story of how you came to this Earth is quite the labor of love. Your Mommy and Daddy had thought about you for a long time before you actually came to be. A year before you were born, Daddy got a new job in Greenville. Before that we lived in Lexington. We were quite torn in deciding whether to move or not, as Mommy had a new job in Lexington that she loved, and all of our family lived in Lexington. We did move, however, and have since learned that there are many reasons other than a job as to why we moved here.
When we moved up here, Mommy began seeing some new doctors so that she could have a baby. Who knew that those doctors were nationally known for helping women that wanted to have a baby? Mommy and Daddy worked with these doctors and nurses weekly, and sometimes daily, and even on the weekends, to get you into this world. After a lot of praying, trying, and medical procedures, we finally were able to have you through In Vitro Fertilization. This means that there were a lot of very important, intelligent, and caring people that helped you get here. They got to see you on ultrasound two times, before we went to the regular doctors, but you have already been to visit them! We now know that God put us in Greenville and in the hands of these doctors so that we could finally have you in our lives.
Right before Mommy found out she was pregnant with you, one of her grandmothers passed away and went to heaven. This was such a sad time for our family. Granny held us all together and was a truly remarkable woman. When we found out that I was pregnant, we just knew that Granny had gone to heaven and had a little something to do with that. I only wish she had been here to see you, her namesake, be born.
For nine months Mommy carried you in her tummy. You caused her a lot of nausea and heartburn, and tons of trips to the bathroom, but you were worth every bit of it! If the truth should be known, I kind of miss you being in my tummy, as that was a very special time for just you and me. I loved being able to feel you move around in there. Every now and then, we’d even be able to see you move! One of my student’s parents that year was talking with me, and all of a sudden she jumped and said she had seen you move! Daddy could feel you too and we knew you had quite the personality before you were even born! You liked to get the hiccups too, and we thought that was so funny! We could just picture you in there with those hiccups!
During your ultrasounds, you really showed off! When you were no bigger than a cucumber, you were waving at us and putting your hands on your head – something you still love to do today! When mommy was 19 weeks pregnant, we finally found out you were a girl! We were so excited and were not surprised at all – all along we had known in our hearts that you were a girl! We immediately began talking about names. Daddy right away knew what he wanted to name you - Addison, and all along we knew you’d be named Kathleen. Daddy just thought the name Addison was so pretty; the name Kathleen originated with your great grandmother Kathleen Sanders (the one that passed away right before you were born), then your grandmother was named after her, and your mommy. You are the fourth generation Kathleen, which is a very special thing! Mommy couldn’t decide on your first name. Other names she wanted were Sarah, Sarah Jo, Sullivan, Mary Tillman, and Ella. Maybe if you ever have a little sister we will name her one of those names. Mommy finally agreed with Daddy on the name Addison, but only because she had all her life loved the name Addie. A little girl in her church growing up was named Addie, and I have loved it ever since then. Mommy and Daddy almost all the time call you Addie. Daddy introduces you as Addison and Mommy introduces you as Addie Kate (I just love Southern, double names!). We will see which name will stick; right now, you are referred to as both!
When Mommy was about eight months pregnant she was in a car accident. This was possibly the most scared she had ever been, as the lady that hit her actually hit her, not the car! It pushed me into the car and made me land on my tummy – where you were! Mommy and Daddy went to the hospital and everything was just fine. We were so very thankful!
On Saturday, October 20, 2007, Clemson had a football game. Mommy just knew she wouldn’t be able to make it through the game, so she and your grandmother (who still remains nameless –you have got to come up with a name for her!) spent the day together close to home. We went shopping (of course) and bought you two pretty dresses – one of which was your first Easter dress! We also went to buy some pretty fall flowers and pumpkins, so the house would be decorated when you got here. Lastly, we went to get pedicures so that my toes would look good when you came into this world! Daddy thought this was silly, but every time a doctor or nurse came into the delivery room, they complimented my candy apple red tootsies! One day I will take you to get a pedicure and you’ll see just how important this is!
On Sunday, October 21st, your Gam, Pop, Aunt Kayla, Aunt Melissa, and cousin Tori came to visit and have lunch. They enjoyed seeing your nursery and we went to lunch at Wild Wings downtown. We couldn’t find parking that was close, so we had to walk a little ways to the restaurant. When we were at the restaurant, Daddy ordered Hot Shots – one of his favorite things there. The waitress didn’t hear us correctly and brought an order of hot sauce. Well, mommy loved that hot sauce and ate a ton of it with some raw fries. For lunch she had a salad. Maybe if she had known this would be the last thing she ate for a while, she would have eaten a lot more. I guess spicy foods and a lot of walking really works for putting a woman in labor!
When Mommy and Daddy got home that afternoon, Daddy watched football and Mommy read a magazine then took a nap. It was such a nice, fall day and was a wonderfully lazy afternoon. Mommy woke up around 5:00 and thought maybe her water had broken. She and Daddy called the nurse who told us to go to the hospital. Mommy was worried though that they would send her home, so she called Heather. Heather also said to go to the hospital and after much convincing from Daddy, they went. We threw a load of laundry into the washer, grabbed our bags and the cameras, made a quick stop by Walgreens for some batteries, and another quick stop by McDonalds for Daddy to get some dinner. Mommy was too nervous to eat, but did eat some french fries (she rarely turns those down!). Again, had she known better, she would have eaten more!
When we got to the hospital, the nurse couldn’t tell if my water had actually broken. It took her three tries and finally the Doctor came and said that yes, it had broken. We started calling everybody to tell them that you were on your way! Aunt Christie and Uncle Paul came from Clemson, Heather and Steven came from Lexington, and all your grandparents and Aunt Kayla came from Lexington. They all started getting there around 11:00 that night.
Because I wasn’t having many contractions, they gave me some medicine to get that going. I also had two monitors around my tummy to monitor your heart rate. Once the contractions started, I had an epidural, which made me unable to feel anything from the waist down. Around midnight, everyone left Mommy and Daddy alone in the room to get some sleep. Daddy just snored away but I couldn’t sleep a wink. I started to watch a movie, The Wedding Date, and I ended up watching it twice! The grandmothers kept coming in to check on you and me, Daddy was snoring, and every now and then you would get uncomfortable and your heart rate would drop! When that happened, a nurse or two would come running in and turn me from one side to the other. About half way though the night, the doctor, Dr. McClenahan, came in to check and see if you were ready to go. You weren’t quite ready until about 6:00 that morning. Everybody got to have some breakfast before business picked up – everybody except Mommy!
At about 7:00 AM on October 22nd, Mommy started pushing. She pushed and pushed and pushed some more. Heather and Daddy counted to ten for me each time. You didn’t budge! The Doctor came back in to check on your and told us you were facing the sky instead of facing the floor. She tried to turn you, but that didn’t work either. Dr. McClenahan went to get Dr. Cooke (who was one of our favorite Doctors!) and he told me that I either had to have a C-section or they had to get you out right then with forceps. Another decision for Mommy to make! I decided on the forceps because I was tired of waiting on you! As soon as I made that decision, you were delivered at 9:21 AM. That was a long time to push, but you were worth every minute of it!
You weighed 7 lbs., 15 oz. and was 21 ¼ inches long. Your Apgar scores were 9 and 9. We thought you had big feet! You came out with your big, blue eyes wide open and your mouth was open too! You were very quiet. You cried when you first came out, of course, but then only whined a little as they were cleaning you up! The forceps left a yucky mark on your beautiful head, but it was gone within a week. You had lots of white-blonde hair, Daddy and Heather saw it before you even came out! You had great big cheeks and lots of little rolls. It was so nice to finally meet you and hold you and love you. You were just perfect in every single way and we could not believe that you were finally here!
You did some damage to Mommy on the way out, so it was a while before everyone that had been waiting was able to come in and meet you. After the nurse cleaned you up, I was finally able to hold you for a while. Daddy held you next. He took you over to the door so that all of your family could see you – they were quite anxious. Aunt Heather got to hold you next; after all, she had spent all that time with us just waiting for you to get here! Then, apparently, they only let three people come in at a time. As everyone came in you let them all hold you and didn’t even whimper. Mommy was so tired that I gave you up easily too! I knew that we would have lots of cuddle time in the next few days, and that all of those people loved you too!
We finally got settled into a room and everybody started to go home. It had been a long night for everyone! Daddy went home to take a nap and left you and me with Gorga and Grandma Schreiber. Mommy was finally able to feed you and feed herself. I was feeling a little queasy since I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours! I let you cuddle with your grandparents. You were just snoozing away so Mommy tried to sleep too. I was able to sleep a little but not much. I was still too excited from getting you here!
We spent the next two days in the hospital then went home on Wednesday. You wore a beautiful Clemson dress home from the hospital. That’s what your Daddy wanted and Mommy allowed it as long as it was still pretty and smocked. Her choice would have been a beautiful daygown that your grandmother would have made, but I knew I had plenty of time to put you in those, and I did!
I spent 12 weeks at home with you. It took both of us a while to get used to each other, after all, I had never had a baby before, and you had never been a baby before. Your grandmother Schreiber and your Gam came to help out for a little while. It took you a little while to catch on to breastfeeding, and after you got the hang of it, it worked beautifully. I am so glad that I stuck with it as I truly feel it was a healthier alternative for you. We had to keep visiting your Doctor every other day to keep track of your weight gain. You stayed below the 10th percentile, but Mommy and Daddy knew you’d be just fine, and you are! After about two weeks we got the hang of each other. You started to sleep through the night every once and a while, and that was nice! You quit doing it after a while, and mommy learned that it was just easier to sleep on the couch with you on my chest, than to try to put you back down. Those were sweet, sweet times and I didn’t mind it too much! I knew these times would pass quickly, so I tried to enjoy every little moment (even if it was 2 AM)!
You had lots of visitors, both in the hospital and at home, and lots of mommy and daddy’s friends made dinners and even some breakfast for us. That really saved us a lot of time! People kept bringing you presents and you would snuggle with all of them. Mommy and Daddy had no idea life could be this good.
My sweet baby girl, this past year has been the most interesting, adventurous, and fun one of our lives. Our hearts have been so full of love they feel as if they are going to burst. Mommy and Daddy loved each other so very, very much before you were born, and then to have you to add to that love – Wow! That’s a lot!
As you will learn in life, Mommy has a lot to say. (You can tell that with the length of your birth story!) I love dressing you up and showing you off - you give an all new meaning to “Pride and Joy!” I dearly love to make you laugh. Daddy and I just tickle you all the time to hear that sweet giggle! You have such a sweet disposition. You love kids and animals. You have begun giving everybody kisses and we are so glad that you have that affection for people. Your mommy and daddy are still your favorite people. You love to get into things. You have your own opinion and want what you want. You rub and squeeze my arm for comfort. However funny this may be, I dearly love it and am glad that I can comfort you in that way. You love music and love for people to sing to you. When somebody finishes singing to you, you make noises until they start back! You talk and babble and jibber-jabber all the time and I dearly love it! I like your baby babble so much that I can’t even imagine you talking in real words and sentences! You love to swing and to rock, which makes me so happy because I love to do those things too! I love to watch you do the piggy, and you know we love it so you continue to do it! I love that books are your favorite toy. I’m sure that comes from being inside me and being read to so much as you were growing, and I hope that love for books continues through the years. You seem to be quite smart and love to figure things out. You love to be outside, especially if there are birds in the air. You will just about break your neck to watch them, you’ll point at them, and say, “bird!” If we ask you where the birds are, you know to look up for them!
Sweet Addie, God has truly blessed our family with your birth. The joy you have brought us in this first year of your life is immeasurable. As sad as I am to start seeing that baby phase go, I am looking forward to all of your new milestones. You have already accomplished so much – talking, sitting, crawling, walking – and there is so much more to go! You have a beautiful life awaiting you and I am so glad that God picked us to be your parents and guide you through it. Happy Birthday sweet angel baby! You are loved with all of our hearts and souls.
The Story of Your Birth
My sweet Addie, the story of how you came to this Earth is quite the labor of love. Your Mommy and Daddy had thought about you for a long time before you actually came to be. A year before you were born, Daddy got a new job in Greenville. Before that we lived in Lexington. We were quite torn in deciding whether to move or not, as Mommy had a new job in Lexington that she loved, and all of our family lived in Lexington. We did move, however, and have since learned that there are many reasons other than a job as to why we moved here.
When we moved up here, Mommy began seeing some new doctors so that she could have a baby. Who knew that those doctors were nationally known for helping women that wanted to have a baby? Mommy and Daddy worked with these doctors and nurses weekly, and sometimes daily, and even on the weekends, to get you into this world. After a lot of praying, trying, and medical procedures, we finally were able to have you through In Vitro Fertilization. This means that there were a lot of very important, intelligent, and caring people that helped you get here. They got to see you on ultrasound two times, before we went to the regular doctors, but you have already been to visit them! We now know that God put us in Greenville and in the hands of these doctors so that we could finally have you in our lives.
Right before Mommy found out she was pregnant with you, one of her grandmothers passed away and went to heaven. This was such a sad time for our family. Granny held us all together and was a truly remarkable woman. When we found out that I was pregnant, we just knew that Granny had gone to heaven and had a little something to do with that. I only wish she had been here to see you, her namesake, be born.
For nine months Mommy carried you in her tummy. You caused her a lot of nausea and heartburn, and tons of trips to the bathroom, but you were worth every bit of it! If the truth should be known, I kind of miss you being in my tummy, as that was a very special time for just you and me. I loved being able to feel you move around in there. Every now and then, we’d even be able to see you move! One of my student’s parents that year was talking with me, and all of a sudden she jumped and said she had seen you move! Daddy could feel you too and we knew you had quite the personality before you were even born! You liked to get the hiccups too, and we thought that was so funny! We could just picture you in there with those hiccups!
During your ultrasounds, you really showed off! When you were no bigger than a cucumber, you were waving at us and putting your hands on your head – something you still love to do today! When mommy was 19 weeks pregnant, we finally found out you were a girl! We were so excited and were not surprised at all – all along we had known in our hearts that you were a girl! We immediately began talking about names. Daddy right away knew what he wanted to name you - Addison, and all along we knew you’d be named Kathleen. Daddy just thought the name Addison was so pretty; the name Kathleen originated with your great grandmother Kathleen Sanders (the one that passed away right before you were born), then your grandmother was named after her, and your mommy. You are the fourth generation Kathleen, which is a very special thing! Mommy couldn’t decide on your first name. Other names she wanted were Sarah, Sarah Jo, Sullivan, Mary Tillman, and Ella. Maybe if you ever have a little sister we will name her one of those names. Mommy finally agreed with Daddy on the name Addison, but only because she had all her life loved the name Addie. A little girl in her church growing up was named Addie, and I have loved it ever since then. Mommy and Daddy almost all the time call you Addie. Daddy introduces you as Addison and Mommy introduces you as Addie Kate (I just love Southern, double names!). We will see which name will stick; right now, you are referred to as both!
When Mommy was about eight months pregnant she was in a car accident. This was possibly the most scared she had ever been, as the lady that hit her actually hit her, not the car! It pushed me into the car and made me land on my tummy – where you were! Mommy and Daddy went to the hospital and everything was just fine. We were so very thankful!
On Saturday, October 20, 2007, Clemson had a football game. Mommy just knew she wouldn’t be able to make it through the game, so she and your grandmother (who still remains nameless –you have got to come up with a name for her!) spent the day together close to home. We went shopping (of course) and bought you two pretty dresses – one of which was your first Easter dress! We also went to buy some pretty fall flowers and pumpkins, so the house would be decorated when you got here. Lastly, we went to get pedicures so that my toes would look good when you came into this world! Daddy thought this was silly, but every time a doctor or nurse came into the delivery room, they complimented my candy apple red tootsies! One day I will take you to get a pedicure and you’ll see just how important this is!
On Sunday, October 21st, your Gam, Pop, Aunt Kayla, Aunt Melissa, and cousin Tori came to visit and have lunch. They enjoyed seeing your nursery and we went to lunch at Wild Wings downtown. We couldn’t find parking that was close, so we had to walk a little ways to the restaurant. When we were at the restaurant, Daddy ordered Hot Shots – one of his favorite things there. The waitress didn’t hear us correctly and brought an order of hot sauce. Well, mommy loved that hot sauce and ate a ton of it with some raw fries. For lunch she had a salad. Maybe if she had known this would be the last thing she ate for a while, she would have eaten a lot more. I guess spicy foods and a lot of walking really works for putting a woman in labor!
When Mommy and Daddy got home that afternoon, Daddy watched football and Mommy read a magazine then took a nap. It was such a nice, fall day and was a wonderfully lazy afternoon. Mommy woke up around 5:00 and thought maybe her water had broken. She and Daddy called the nurse who told us to go to the hospital. Mommy was worried though that they would send her home, so she called Heather. Heather also said to go to the hospital and after much convincing from Daddy, they went. We threw a load of laundry into the washer, grabbed our bags and the cameras, made a quick stop by Walgreens for some batteries, and another quick stop by McDonalds for Daddy to get some dinner. Mommy was too nervous to eat, but did eat some french fries (she rarely turns those down!). Again, had she known better, she would have eaten more!
When we got to the hospital, the nurse couldn’t tell if my water had actually broken. It took her three tries and finally the Doctor came and said that yes, it had broken. We started calling everybody to tell them that you were on your way! Aunt Christie and Uncle Paul came from Clemson, Heather and Steven came from Lexington, and all your grandparents and Aunt Kayla came from Lexington. They all started getting there around 11:00 that night.
Because I wasn’t having many contractions, they gave me some medicine to get that going. I also had two monitors around my tummy to monitor your heart rate. Once the contractions started, I had an epidural, which made me unable to feel anything from the waist down. Around midnight, everyone left Mommy and Daddy alone in the room to get some sleep. Daddy just snored away but I couldn’t sleep a wink. I started to watch a movie, The Wedding Date, and I ended up watching it twice! The grandmothers kept coming in to check on you and me, Daddy was snoring, and every now and then you would get uncomfortable and your heart rate would drop! When that happened, a nurse or two would come running in and turn me from one side to the other. About half way though the night, the doctor, Dr. McClenahan, came in to check and see if you were ready to go. You weren’t quite ready until about 6:00 that morning. Everybody got to have some breakfast before business picked up – everybody except Mommy!
At about 7:00 AM on October 22nd, Mommy started pushing. She pushed and pushed and pushed some more. Heather and Daddy counted to ten for me each time. You didn’t budge! The Doctor came back in to check on your and told us you were facing the sky instead of facing the floor. She tried to turn you, but that didn’t work either. Dr. McClenahan went to get Dr. Cooke (who was one of our favorite Doctors!) and he told me that I either had to have a C-section or they had to get you out right then with forceps. Another decision for Mommy to make! I decided on the forceps because I was tired of waiting on you! As soon as I made that decision, you were delivered at 9:21 AM. That was a long time to push, but you were worth every minute of it!
You weighed 7 lbs., 15 oz. and was 21 ¼ inches long. Your Apgar scores were 9 and 9. We thought you had big feet! You came out with your big, blue eyes wide open and your mouth was open too! You were very quiet. You cried when you first came out, of course, but then only whined a little as they were cleaning you up! The forceps left a yucky mark on your beautiful head, but it was gone within a week. You had lots of white-blonde hair, Daddy and Heather saw it before you even came out! You had great big cheeks and lots of little rolls. It was so nice to finally meet you and hold you and love you. You were just perfect in every single way and we could not believe that you were finally here!
You did some damage to Mommy on the way out, so it was a while before everyone that had been waiting was able to come in and meet you. After the nurse cleaned you up, I was finally able to hold you for a while. Daddy held you next. He took you over to the door so that all of your family could see you – they were quite anxious. Aunt Heather got to hold you next; after all, she had spent all that time with us just waiting for you to get here! Then, apparently, they only let three people come in at a time. As everyone came in you let them all hold you and didn’t even whimper. Mommy was so tired that I gave you up easily too! I knew that we would have lots of cuddle time in the next few days, and that all of those people loved you too!
We finally got settled into a room and everybody started to go home. It had been a long night for everyone! Daddy went home to take a nap and left you and me with Gorga and Grandma Schreiber. Mommy was finally able to feed you and feed herself. I was feeling a little queasy since I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours! I let you cuddle with your grandparents. You were just snoozing away so Mommy tried to sleep too. I was able to sleep a little but not much. I was still too excited from getting you here!
We spent the next two days in the hospital then went home on Wednesday. You wore a beautiful Clemson dress home from the hospital. That’s what your Daddy wanted and Mommy allowed it as long as it was still pretty and smocked. Her choice would have been a beautiful daygown that your grandmother would have made, but I knew I had plenty of time to put you in those, and I did!
I spent 12 weeks at home with you. It took both of us a while to get used to each other, after all, I had never had a baby before, and you had never been a baby before. Your grandmother Schreiber and your Gam came to help out for a little while. It took you a little while to catch on to breastfeeding, and after you got the hang of it, it worked beautifully. I am so glad that I stuck with it as I truly feel it was a healthier alternative for you. We had to keep visiting your Doctor every other day to keep track of your weight gain. You stayed below the 10th percentile, but Mommy and Daddy knew you’d be just fine, and you are! After about two weeks we got the hang of each other. You started to sleep through the night every once and a while, and that was nice! You quit doing it after a while, and mommy learned that it was just easier to sleep on the couch with you on my chest, than to try to put you back down. Those were sweet, sweet times and I didn’t mind it too much! I knew these times would pass quickly, so I tried to enjoy every little moment (even if it was 2 AM)!
You had lots of visitors, both in the hospital and at home, and lots of mommy and daddy’s friends made dinners and even some breakfast for us. That really saved us a lot of time! People kept bringing you presents and you would snuggle with all of them. Mommy and Daddy had no idea life could be this good.
My sweet baby girl, this past year has been the most interesting, adventurous, and fun one of our lives. Our hearts have been so full of love they feel as if they are going to burst. Mommy and Daddy loved each other so very, very much before you were born, and then to have you to add to that love – Wow! That’s a lot!
As you will learn in life, Mommy has a lot to say. (You can tell that with the length of your birth story!) I love dressing you up and showing you off - you give an all new meaning to “Pride and Joy!” I dearly love to make you laugh. Daddy and I just tickle you all the time to hear that sweet giggle! You have such a sweet disposition. You love kids and animals. You have begun giving everybody kisses and we are so glad that you have that affection for people. Your mommy and daddy are still your favorite people. You love to get into things. You have your own opinion and want what you want. You rub and squeeze my arm for comfort. However funny this may be, I dearly love it and am glad that I can comfort you in that way. You love music and love for people to sing to you. When somebody finishes singing to you, you make noises until they start back! You talk and babble and jibber-jabber all the time and I dearly love it! I like your baby babble so much that I can’t even imagine you talking in real words and sentences! You love to swing and to rock, which makes me so happy because I love to do those things too! I love to watch you do the piggy, and you know we love it so you continue to do it! I love that books are your favorite toy. I’m sure that comes from being inside me and being read to so much as you were growing, and I hope that love for books continues through the years. You seem to be quite smart and love to figure things out. You love to be outside, especially if there are birds in the air. You will just about break your neck to watch them, you’ll point at them, and say, “bird!” If we ask you where the birds are, you know to look up for them!
Sweet Addie, God has truly blessed our family with your birth. The joy you have brought us in this first year of your life is immeasurable. As sad as I am to start seeing that baby phase go, I am looking forward to all of your new milestones. You have already accomplished so much – talking, sitting, crawling, walking – and there is so much more to go! You have a beautiful life awaiting you and I am so glad that God picked us to be your parents and guide you through it. Happy Birthday sweet angel baby! You are loved with all of our hearts and souls.
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