The Ratliffs

Hey guys! Gracie here.

Guess what? I am now one month old...as of tomorrow! Can you believe one month has already flown by???

Oh yea, Mommy got bored one day and decided to take some pictures of me so I thought you might like to see them. Me? Well, I'm doing good. Mommy - she's doing good too. We are having a lot of fun - at least I am hee hee hee. Since I've gotten here on the outside I'm learning a whole bunch of stuff!!! What have I learned? For starters, if I cry....food comes to me in a round tube looking thing. Mommy keeps calling it a bottle. Eh, call it what you want as long as the food keeps coming. Not too mention, it's like an all you can eat buffet! If I finish what's in the bottle and give Mommy a sad face, before I can even say wah, more food comes to me! How great is that?!?! I think Mommy's side kick Daddy as he is known, is helping her out. This is like the coolest set up ever! Mommy or Daddy holds me, tells me how pretty I am, gives me food, changes my diaper, dress me in this season's coolest fashions, and I hardly have to do a thing. All I do is make faces at them and they laugh and think I'm cute. Which, I am cute don't get me wrong but there is nothing wrong with LOVING to hear how cute and pretty I am. Man, this is the best! Mommy was right, life on the outside is WAAAAAY better than on the inside. More about me. I can now hold my head up on my own for about 60 seconds. I practice everyday. It gives me a new perspective on the world around me so it's fun. I also LOVE to make faces. I think I make a thousand a day. I even do the one eyebrow lift just like Mommy. Me and her are like peas and carrots...peanut-butter and jelly.....shampoo and conditioner....we like to hang out like best friends. I can't wait till I can talk and say I love you back when Daddy and Mommy and Codey say it to me. This life is the best!

Speaking of Codey, his middle school marching band will be marching in the Circleville Pumpkin Show next Friday the 17th at 3:30pm. I am so proud of him! I can't wait to go see him! It is going to be soooo much fun! He will be playing the symbols in the marching band. Oh I can't wait! Oh also, next Wednesday the 15th is Codey's Birthday! He'll be 14! Wow!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear Codey!!!!

Happy Birthday toooooo yoooouuuuu!!!!!

And many more!

Well, I've got to go for now, I think I might want another bottle....or at least part of one for a snack. Feel free to post comments so Mommy and Daddy know you're out there.

Much love to you all! Enjoy the pics....Gracie

Wha-? Huh? What’s going on? Ow! Something’s pushing me! Hey now! I wasn’t bothering anyone….Wait! I know what’s going on. I’m being evicted! Help! Someone help me! Oh! I don’t want to gooooo!

This is what was going through my mind on the weekend on September 5^th, 6^th and 7^th. Yes, that Friday, Saturday and Sunday something in mommy decided that I needed to leave her tummy and come out to the outside world. And thus, her contractions started. Of course since mommy has never had a baby before, she didn’t know what contractions were. She just felt dull pain every so often and thought maybe it was gas or something. She didn’t want to call the Dr. on the weekend since she didn’t want to look silly for something that really wasn’t worth calling for. So she waited for Monday. Monday came and she thought maybe it really could be contractions since they came rather steady. But then they would stop or there would be more time in between. So Mamaw Patty came and hung out with mommy all day Monday. They went to Walmart, walked around, came home and watched tv.

Finally at 3:30pm Monday September 8^th, mommy really felt like she needed to call the Dr.’s office and see if she was in labor. She told them what she had been feeling and the nurse said that mommy should go to Riverside hospital (where she was going to deliver) and get checked out. She told the nurse that she wanted to wait for Daddy to come home and the he would be home in the next hour. (By 4:30pm) The nurse said it was fine to wait for him but if mommy’s water broke that she would need to leave right away and go to the hospital. Daddy got home by 4:30 and so they loaded all of the stuff they would need into the car along with Codey and his stuff and they were off to Arbys. Wait Arbys???? That’s not where you’re supposed to go mommy! But mommy told daddy that this was “IT” and that he had better stop for dinner because she felt like it would be a long night. Little did she know, it truly would be a long night! Daddy didn’t want to stop to eat but mommy used her last “I’m pregnant do what I say” card and he got dinner. So about 6:30pm they got to the hospital parking lot with not a moment to spare – you’ll see why soon…. So they pulled to the gated lot and daddy tried swiping his pastor’s card at the gate but it wouldn’t let him in. **Side note – Daddy has a Pastors card that lets him in to all central Ohio hospitals parking lots with no charge since part of Pastor’s ministries are visiting the sick and those in need at the hospitals. Now back to the story!** So his card wouldn’t work. Knowing that mommy needed to get in he tried just taking a regular ticket and would sort it all out later. Fooey lot’s full! Oh no daddy where will you park? Wait! It says lot full but I see plenty of spaces….Oh look! Finally the attendant is going to help. Unfortunately, she wasn’t much help and after daddy saying “My wife is in labor! I need to park!” 3 times she got the hint. She manually opened the gate for him and then they parked. Just as they were pulling into a space mommy looked back and there was about 3 other cars trying to get in too! Oh boy! We beat the baby rush! So up to the labor and delivery floor mommy, daddy and Codey went. Mommy checked in and they said they needed to observe her for about an hour to see if she really was in labor and then they could admit her. So for a whole hour, mommy and daddy waited. Poor Codey had to wait in the waiting room with his PSP. At least he had something to do.

Finally at 8:45pm they said mommy was at 5 centimeters and allowed to stay. Then they told her some really happy news. They said she could have her epidural right when she was moved to a labor and delivery room. And that’s right where they went. By 9pm mommy was in a room and being prepped for the epidural.

For those of you who may not know, and epidural is a procedure where the place a long needle in your back and then a long tube that’s the same diameter of the needle takes its place. This is inserted in your spinal area and it only has a small window in which to fit.

This was the scariest thing for mommy. But daddy was there to comfort her and they did some praying and mommy got poked 3 times! WAIT! Isn’t it only supposed to take 1 poke? Yes but the doctor couldn’t find the right spot so mommy had to sit through 3 long needles being poked into her back. Not fun. But finally it was done. OR was it? Over the next could hours they monitored mommy and daddy sat there. The time really flew by. The only problem was, mommy could feel contractions again. So she started breathing through them again. Daddy was not too happy that she was in pain and told her to push the button for more medicine. Mommy didn’t want to because she didn’t like the way it made her feel so daddy went out to the doctor and told them. They came in and pushed mommy’s button anyway. Ah relief…..for like 30 minutes.

Then more feeling of pain. Man this medicine stuff wasn’t working! They had to come in and give mommy some other drug to help. And let me just let you in on a little secret….Mommy didn’t cry. Nope not one tear - not one complaint. She really just troopered through it. I’m not sure if troopered is a word but I just made it up hee hee hee. Then at 12 am on Tuesday September 9^th, the nurse who was taking care of mommy the whole time came in and said mommy would push starting at 1am. Wew! From 6:30pm to 1am….7hrs at the hospital and then she could push.

At 1am like the nurse said, they started pushing. The nurse said ok, let’s have a baby before 2am. Cool a goal! Mommy likes goals. We can do it! Well, after much waiting and laboring and pushing, I made my grand debut to the world at 1:53am on Tuesday September 9^th, 2008. They took me to the incubator to get my vitals and weigh and measure me. Now before we get to the numbers…anyone want to make any guesses? The doctor told mommy at her last visit that I would be 7-71/2 lbs. That I would be an average size baby.

Well, I was NOT an average size munchkin! I tipped the scales at 8lbs 7oz! I was 21 inches long and my head was 13 inches around. I was the fat cute baby daddy wanted. He told mommy that he wanted a really fat cute baby and boy did he get it! He also said that he wanted a little girl that looked like mommy and he got that too. I think I look like her but you can look at the pictures and judge for yourself. We stayed in the hospital till Thursday September 11^th and then got to go home. I’ve been growing a whole lot and for being 2 weeks old I’m growing like a weed! So world, I told you I was coming. Mommy and Daddy waited a whole year for me and now, here I am.

Shannon Grace Ratliff

September 9^th 2008, 1:53 am, 8lbs 7oz , 21 inches long…..Hi! :o)