The "Delivery" Of Leeza Grace Serra

The labor pains are all forgotten already-as my new "roomie" is asleep in her playpen in my room!! My 9 week labor is OVER and now begins the joyous task of enjoying our daughter!!! I am so incredibly grateful for the amount of time we've already spent together because the transition has been so wonderful (well, the first 3 hours and 45 minutes of it, anyway. :) )


I didn't sleep well last night....it felt like Christmas Eve!! It reminded me of when I was little and tried so hard to sleep because I knew if I didn't, Santa wouldn't come!!! However, I musta fooled him by keeping my eyes shut...because I got the best gift ever asleep right now in her playpen!!!




I already have her schedule ALL screwed up. :)
We left the baby house 10:00, which is right at her naptime. She was falling asleep in the car, as much as she could with that big bulky snowsuit on. :)
However, once we got in the apartment, she woke right up!!





She was all wide eyed, looking all around. I put her down to take off my coat and purse, and she fussed, so I picked her right back up and we walked around. I led her over and spread her blanket out and had her oh so familiar toy bag out. She crawled right over and started stacking her rings! I gave her a cracker and some juice, and she was diggin it. I think the key to keeping Leeza happy is to always have food. :)





She did have time for one last snack at the baby house, so she ate some fruit (apples) and a cookie. She was cute eating at the table with her buddies.







I will sure miss all of them but I have so many wonderful pictures that I can fondly look back on. The caregivers were so sweet, and gave me a scarf as a way to remember them. The medical nurse told Tatiana that they all fell in love with me and Sean. Suprisingly, I did not cry saying goodbye like I thought I would. I was so excited and it just felt "right" to move onto our next chapter. The only time I did cry was when Asiil and Almagoul (Leeza's main 2 caregivers) gave me the scarf and hugged and kissed me goodbye and told me to take good care of Leeza. My eyes filled with tears and they wiped my eyes and said "Ne plach" (don't cry!). I told them they were 2 of the hardest working women I'd ever met, and thank you for doing such a good job with Leeza.

Everyone at the Dolphin baby house is so special and so wonderful. I am so glad that Leeza had her start here. They told me again how much Leeza has changed since we met her family, and maybe that is so, but this lil angel had a rough start and they took such good care of her before her parents could come get her! They told me I could come back anytime with Leeza before we leave town. We will be making one trip back that Joe can deliver all the toys, puzzles, and books that he purchased to donate to the baby house.




Even though I have already managed to screw up her nap and lunch schedule, I still set her on the potty after her snack. She "made pecet" like a good girl and had a blast in the bathroom. She is really fun!!!







I tried to feed her some lunch about 12:30, since we totally missed her 11:30 lunch time. I made some soup (opened the bag, and poured it in a bowl, heated in the microwave) and tore up some bread. She took one bite, and blew raspberries at me.
I'm not sure so much if she didn't like it, or if she was just full from all the crackers and juice I gave her. I made her some apple tea too from this HIPP brand, and she drank a lil bit of that.

While I made lunch, I put on Baby Einsein's "Baby Bach" and she watched it and played with her toys. I would come check on her every few minutes and she was fine! After about 20 minutes, she crawled over to the kitchen to see what was up.
She is likin the walker too. I gave her some cheerios, but she just threw them on the floor. LOL





I could tell she was tired, so I laid her down in the playpen, with her "soska", and the elephant I've been sleeping with for months and months. I figured it had the "mommy smell" and that would comfort her. It was amazing..I laid her down, and told her SPOT LEEZA and then I laid down on my bed. She didn't fuss, shut her eyes, and that was that!

I should be sleeping while she is, but I'm too excited and I wanted to update my blog so everyone could see that Leeza and her mom are ROOMIES and getting along fabulously so far!

It just feels natural to have her with me, like this is just the way it has always been and the way it should be. Now, we just gotta get home to see Daddy and Sean, and meet Joey and Jillian, and Nana and Papa, and Mimi and Bobbo, and all her aunts and uncles and cousins!

Joe is planning on leaving on the 11th, a week from tomorrow. He will arrive in Kostanai on Monday, October 13th, and hopefully we will be ready to go to Almaty the 14th, and can leave for Tampa on the 18th. If that works, we found killer flights with very lil layovers (only 3 hours in Frankfurt). We were not opposed to staying overnight in Frankfurt and wanted to try to stay overnight in Dallas to see my parents, but it was too hard to work out. However, my mom called Joe and said her and my Dad will give us a week or two to settle in and then they're coming to Florida to meet Leeza!

Leeza will not be the youngest grandchild for long..my sister Noelle (the one who was married in Cabo San Lucas this past November) and her husband Chris are expecting their first child , due on April 12th!

Life is very, very, very good!

I will do my best to keep updating the blog, if Leeza will continue to cooperate with nap time. :)

I am going to go stare at her again. :)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Before we left, a friend of ours, Kathy Shevlin, sent me this poem, and I find it very fitting for today, the day our daughter, the princess, leaves the Dolphin baby house and starts her journey home to her family!

Today I kissed an angel;
I knew it from the start.
The first time my angel smiled at me;
I gave away my heart.

Today I kissed an angel;
This angel child of mine
Though not of my creation,
My child by God's design.

Today I kissed an angel.
My heart is dancing wild;
Our family, by a miracle;
Blessed by our angel child.