Caroline is Here!

So when I posted a few days ago that we would just have to wait, we didn't have to wait too long.  Whether it was the long walk in the Botanical Gardens or the Mexican food that did it, Caroline decided it was time to come two weeks early.

My water broke just after midnight on the 16th and I figured we had plenty of time to get to the hospital.  Labor often lasts 12+ hours so I wasn't going to rush out the door.  We took showers and double checked our bags before heading to the hospital.  My contractions started around 2am and progressively got worse.  Around 5am I was about 3cm dilated and ready for an epidural.  At that point I was able to relax until 7am when they came to check again and I was already 9cm so they had to call my doctor to come in right away.  After five good pushes (which I couldn't feel because the epidural was still in full effect, thank goodness), Caroline Harper Mrozik was born at 8:04am.  Caroline was 6lbs, 7ozs and 19.3 inches long.  She is healthy and to us, perfect in every way. It all happened so quickly that it was difficult to even comprehend.  We did not expect her to come quite that early nor did we expect her to come quite that fast but we are so glad she did!

In the delivery ward, expecting this to take a while. If you are thinking about getting your own maternity gown, I loved mine which I got off Etsy

Love at first sight

We were then moved to the maternity ward where we were met by our friends Mike and Shelly.  Caroline wasn't able to wait long enough for my mom to get here and they are the closest thing we have to family in Singapore so we are so thankful they came to see us and share these special moments.  Thanks to John, Kathy, and Bronia for all coming to see us as well!  I should have gotten pictures of Caroline with all her visitors but in all the chaos I forgot.

After spending two nights in the hospital, we were able to go home.  I was so glad that my Mom arrived in the morning and was able to see us before we were discharged.

First picture of our little family. 

Check my Identity tag with my mummy!  The tag was actually really annoying because it played a song whenever Caroline got near me or was put into the bed to confirm you had the right baby.

Blessed with a full head of hair.  We wonder if it will fall out and grown in blond like mine did.

She loves looking at her daddy

She loves to have those hands out and near her face.  When she can find them she will suck very loudly on them.

Ready to go home!

Wrapped in the 62-year-old blanket that myself, my father, brothers, niece and nephew were all brought home from the hospital in.

So tiny in the carseat but happy to go home!

And now the fun begins!

And Now We Wait...

The nursery is finished, the car seat installed, and our bags packed.  My mom will be arriving Tuesday morning and we hope the baby will follow soon after.  I have started working from home to make sure that when I do go into labor, it isn't at my desk.  All we can do now is wait.

Baby and I are both still doing great and we just can't wait to start life as a family of three.  I promised to share a few photos of what I look like these days.  Thanks to our friend, Mary, for braving a very hot day in the Botanical Gardens to take a few pictures.

Dragon Boat

One of the biggest employee events that the company recreation club hosts every year is the Dragon Boat Carnival.  All the groups and divisions are encouraged to enter teams into the race to compete for prizes and of course pride.  There were over 1,000 employees there competing in 72 boats.  Dragon Boat is quite a popular sport throughout Asia and we were really excited to try it out at the carnival.  Last year we were in Vietnam so we missed it and I was determined not to miss it again this year.  Unfortunately they weren't going to let a 36 week pregnant employee row a boat so Derek would have to do it for me.  He of course came down with a stomach virus a few days before the race so he wasn't able to compete but we still went out to see it and cheer on my group.

Dragon boat is like crew rowing but with rafting paddles and instead of a coxswain there is a drummer.  It looked like a lot of fun and if we are still here next year, then we are definitely going to participate!  Our group didn't win but they certainly had a good time!

My group!  We had just enough for two boats.

Not a bad backdrop for the competition.

One of our groups competing in boat 2.  Notice the drummer in the front and someone to steer in the back.