Not that I think any of you have been feverishly checking this blog daily waiting for the great news, but if any of you HAVE been doing that, my sincerest apologies for the long, LONG delay.
As you might imagine, things have been a bit hectic around here getting settled in with the new baby, and what little time I've had really and truly to myself has generally been spent on one of three activities: showering, using the bathroom and sleeping!
Anyhoo, without further ado...
I'm thrilled and elated to finally announce the birth of our baby girl, Luciana Ava!!
Little Luciana joined us on 05.11.11 at 8:03am, via scheduled repeat C-section, weighing 8 lbs. 14 oz. and measuring 20.5 inches long. For the record, that is 3.5 oz. heavier and a half-inch shorter than her big brother was at birth! Oddly enough, she LOOKED much more petite and lean than her big brother did at birth, so you can imagine how shocked I was when they said she was 8-14. She has a head full of dark hair (as did her big brother and big sister), pretty blue eyes, Mommy's eyes, lips and frame, Daddy's coloring and silly toe, and basically looks a whole lot like her big brother did as a newborn.
She is a sweet and lovely little baby, such a snuggler, with a very fun personality. She smiles and giggles, makes silly little faces, and she actually "squeaks", thus earning her the nickname "Squeaker" from me. She also does a startlingly accurate penguin imitation when she grunts and stretches, and coos in response to your cooing when she's falling asleep, and it's just too, too sweet for words.
In a nutshell, this little sweet pea has wrapped Mommy, Daddy, big brother, big sister, all of her grandmas and grandpas, and virtually everyone else who has met her around her dainty, petite little fingers. Which is just as it should be.
After everything we went through to bring this little miracle into our lives, I cannot tell you how worth the wait she was, or how grateful I am that our dream came true. The moment Luciana was delivered and I heard her first cry, all I could think was "thank you, thank you, thank you, God!" Super Man and I were both in tears as we marveled over her beauty and perfection, and the gratitude we felt was overwhelming. We knew full well how much we wanted this baby in our lives, but the actual feelings that came with beholding her for the first time were even greater than we anticipated - only then did we fully realize just how much we loved her and how truly and fully thrilled we were to welcome her into our lives.
I am so grateful for the doctors & nurses and the pharmaceutical and medical technology that helped us make our dream come true. I am so grateful for the family and friends who stood by us and supported us unconditionally through thick and thin, better and worse, happiness and depression as we traveled the often difficult course on our long journey of five years to get here. I'm so thankful for Super Girl and Super Boy for never losing hope, for their excitement and love and support of our efforts, and for loving their baby sister wholly and completely (even when she keeps them awake at night and takes so much of my attention to meet her basic needs!). I am thankful for Super Man, for seeing how much this meant to me and staying the course with me, even when the going got tough. I'm so glad we're going through this life together, with all of its good and bad.
And I'm thankful for those of you who have gone through secondary infertility, in the past and/or the present, for understanding what it is like and giving me comfort, for sharing your own stories, and for continuing to persevere. I've said it before and will say it again: Miracles DO happen. Keep believing. Keep faith.
And to my little Luciana - I love you more than you'll ever know. Thank you for finally coming to us and completing our formerly Incomplete Family!!
All the love in the world,
Super Woman
