Welcome to the World!

Miss Zoraya Alina Caballero, I am so happy to finally meet you.

For the record, I want to explain your name and why all your hospital documents say "Baby Girl Caballero." See, as soon as your Papa and I found out we were having another Princess, we immediately decided that your name would contain "Lina" as a tribute to your great-grandmother Theolina. Papa wanted your first name to be "Alina" and I agreed on the condition that I could pick your middle name, but he vetoed "Sanaa" which was my first choice, so we stopped talking about names.

I started researching, and compiled a list of names. He'd look it over and pick his two favorites, and cross off the ones he absolutely did not like. From the first list Ikayla and Zolaya were the top two. Ikayla I vetoed, and for some reason we started calling you Zoraya. And I guess it just stuck. We didn't discuss names too much because we couldn't agree, so when you were born at the hospital and they asked your name, I said I didn't know yet. Of course your Papa sent a text message to everyone 20 minutes later announcing your name (thank goodness he didn't put Ikayla!) so that decided it. I hope you like it Love, I think it's beautiful.

(For everyone else, as far as I can find the name is either Slavic meaning "dawn" or has an African origin meaning "African princess" or is Arabic for "rich." African princess seems to be the most common. And sort of funny, because Taryn can mean "little princess" in Scandinavian or "Queen" from the Greco-Roman origin. I'm sure she'll go for Queen.)

So on to your birth. Kid, I waited so long for you! You were two days early, but I expected you weeks before that since I had been having contractions and was 3cm dilated since the middle of November. I really thought you would be born on Thanksgiving this year too, that's how strong I was feeling you come, but your big sister told us for 2 weeks that you would be born on Saturday, and though Friday I had practically no symptoms at all, she was right. She also said you would be a girl when I was so sure I was having a boy... crazy.

So Friday night I went to bed around 11:30 after having our second Thanksgiving at the house. I couldn't fall asleep, my legs were cramping and I couldn't get comfortable. I did have a couple contractions, but they weren't painful, just annoying. At about 12:35 I heard a loud *pop* and felt a gush of water soak through my pajamas and onto the bed. I felt you kick around the same time, so either you popped your own bag of waters, or it freaked you out as much as it surprised you, and you kicked right afterwards.

I went to the restroom and looked in a book to make sure having pink fluid was normal while your Papa called Nana to let her know we were going to the hospital. We had to leave a message, and I knew we needed to go right away, so we called Jojo to come watch your big sister, and headed off to the hospital right before 1:00am. Of course Papa's car had no gas in it, so we had to stop and by then the contractions were coming about 3 minutes apart so I told him to put in $2 only (about 1 gallon) or we weren't going to make it to the hospital.

For the next 45 minutes we drove through thick fog with me having contractions every 2 minutes and they were lasting 90 seconds each. I think I scared your Papa but they hurt so bad and were coming so fast all I could do was breathe and roll down the window to distract myself. Papa doesn't see well at night, so I know he was scared of getting in an accident and worried that he couldn't go past the speed limit because he couldn't see more than 15 feet in front of him.

When we were down the street from the hospital (Papa missed the exit, even though I told him, and we had to take the next one) I started to get very worried because I had the feeling you were coming very, very soon. We were stopped at a red light for 2 contractions (the only way for me to measure time in the moment) and as soon as we got through I told him not to stop at any stop signs. As we pulled past the hospital to the ER entrance in the back, I felt the urge to push.

So Papa pulled up at the ER entrance, started honking his horn, then jumped out of the car and ran inside to tell them I was having you. He grabbed a wheelchair and helped me into it, then went to park the car as the nurse brought me upstairs to Labor and Delivery. I kept telling her to hurry, that I needed to push, and she kept trying to reassure me that "It's okay, we're almost there, you'll be okay" but I don't think she believed me. As we got to L&D the nurse there saw how close I was, skipped registration and rushed me into the delivery room. They got me in a gown and held a monitor to my stomach and checked me. I was 7cm.

One contraction later your Papa was upstairs and they checked me again because I told them I really needed to push. I was already 9cm and ready to go. I pushed on the next one, then your Nana showed up. Less than 10 minutes after Papa and I got to the hospital, you were born. I don't think it was supposed to be that fast, but your heartbeat dropped to the 70's and they were worried about brain damage from lack of oxygen. They cut me to get you out faster and you actually broke your collar bone on the way. After you were born, I started to hemorrhage so they gave me an IV of pitocin to stimulate contractions to get my uterus back in shape and stop the bleeding.

And you, my beautiful girl, were born at 1:57 am, less than 1.5 hours after my water broke. You were a healthy 8lbs, 13 ozs and 21 inches long. The midwife who delivered you said if I have another baby, I need to go on the diabetic diet, because they didn't think I could deliver a baby any bigger than you.

And now My Sweet, we finally have you home with us. It's been a mellow few days, you eat like a champ, no problems latching though you do like to stay at the boob constantly in the evenings and you've been pooping up a storm. Like really, the nurses said 1 poop a day is normal right now, and you are averaging 3 a day. You've been letting me sleep well at night so far, 3 hour stretches though I have you in the bed with me since you don't seem to want to stay in the bassinet for anything but naps.

And your sister adores you. She asks to hold you probably 20 times per day, is always climbing up to give you a kiss, or hold your hand, or read you a book while she is in the middle of playing. She revolves around you right now, and I hope that you are able to maintain such a close relationship as you have now. And your Papa is infatuated as well, maybe because you were born with a head of thick black hair, just like his. You two are sleeping on the bed right now, and you look so much alike in this moment, it's uncanny.

That's all for now Kiddo. I love you with all my heart, and I am so glad you are finally here, and healthy and I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you.

Love,
Mama