I'm not the baby anymore

Maggie and Connor are fairing quite well these days. They lost their room to guests and have been moved to the living room. Maggie is suffering due to loss of attention. She's started digging holes and digging up the grapevines that we just planted (transports from the northwest). Connor walks around with this very somber and a little depressed look. He's right at my feet wherever I'm nursing. We tried the walk around the block thing the other day and well, we just need to work on that some more. A stroller and two dogs who haven't been walked in over a month can be a recipe for disaster. The weather has cooled down a bunch so it has been so great being outdoors on the porch. Ellie likes the fresh air.

A little live footage for you

Story time with daddy

She loves to watch him and listen to him read her stories from the Bible.

The first week at home

Well it hasn't turned out to be as crazy as everyone says it is. She is for sure a night owl. I'm talking eyes wide open at 3AM. So we're adjusting to the night life here at out house. Sometimes I feel like I should vacuum or do a load of laundry since I'm up. The dogs are a little confused with the new hours around here, but they are so good. Still working on the breast feeding thing. I refer to it as a sport...practice makes perfect. You can't let injuries get you down and you can't give up! Ben has turned into this different kind of man as I've seen the daddy in him...he loves her so much. We just love sitting around staring at her. It never gets old, even if it is in the middle of the night.

This is just the beginning of all the pictures!

So who do you think she looks like?

Ellianna Jean is here!

Thursday afternoon the doctor said, "yep, no progression Mrs. Buchta. All is well." Benjamin was not supposed to fly that night, but he had to for extenuating circumstances. After the doctor appointment and also after Ben had taken off for the evening flight, I had some random contractions that didn't seem out of the ordinary or important. I laid down to go to sleep at 1130 and the contractions started to feel very intense, and as I stood up to go to the bathroom I felt a gush of water. I called my person for the week, Aubrey (the wife of one of Ben's fellow workers), and told her what happened and asked her to meet me at the hospital. Meanwhile, the evening flight just landed. As Benjamin climbed in the van he got the message, "your wife's water just broke", he called back and told me he was going to be driven back to Valdsota and would leave within 30 minutes. I drove myself to the hospital after throwing bags in the car, feeding the dogs, and putting a towel down on the front seat. I was checked into a bed at 1245am, and the contractions were very intense/painful around 1am. As I dialated from 2.5cm to 8cm, without knowing such progress, Ben was about 5 hours from arriving. The contractions became unbearable and close together so I couldn't really stay on top of them, so the nurse came in to check me to see if I was ready for an epidural. This was before 3am and she said, "you won't be having an epidural because she'll be here within the hour." Aubrey called Ben to update him and by 3am I started to push. Ellianna came into the cold and bright world at 0347 September 28 2007. She was a little out of it at first and has slept 97% of her life. Ben was driven by a friend through the entire night, he arrived at 630am in a flight suit to meet his daughter for the first time.
As far as the rest of the hospital visit goes we caught up on sleep and practiced breastfeeding. And ate some Zaxby's. We just got home this afternoon, so stay tuned for details of life at home with little Ellianna.
Love,
The Three Buchta's
(plus two doggies)

A season change is due

3 weeks, 4 days and counting... You know for how much waiting around I'm doing time sure seems to be flying! I can't believe September is going to be over soon! I'm dialated a few cms and 70% effaced and she's way down there (reminding me everyday where she is). Doc says I could have her in the next 2 weeks if I keep progressing! But as we all know from our own story or someone we know, the first stage of progression usually stalls untill you're overdue. I'm at complete peace with the whole thing though. Ben is out of town all next week (last week of September), the soonest he could be home if I go into labor is like 5 hours. So that's a little nervewracking. He's been staying very bust at work as the scheduler for the squadron. He has a very important and everchanging job. The wives from the squadron threw me a most unexpected and very sweet shower yesterday...we are truely surrounded by some really great people.
Family arrives October 8th and we really want everyone to be here when she's born. But the Lord knows when she's ready and all the details that surround that day. Untill then it's just sitting on the couch, cleaning when I have bursts of energy, hanging out with friends from church and walking the dogs every morning. Today there was this amazing breeze telling us that fall is near. Doesn't beat fall in the Evergreen State though or Kenosha Pass when the aspens turn. Nothing here beats anything in either of those places...except my little family that is springing up here. Nothing can, nor ever will replace that. I live a priceless and most blessed life and I have a feeling it's about to get better. Stay tuned to see what happens next in this about to be very eventful little life of mine...