Welcome to this world, The Misty Daughter!

*All photos taken with an iPhone

I'M BACK!!! — with the Misty Spawn in tow! Everyone, meet my bundle of joy, my little angel, my buttercup, sugar pie, honey love and ultimately my lovely daughter Selene Michelle. She entered this crazy, beautiful world last January 26th at 8:47 am weighing 6 lbs and 7oz (yes, she was not almost 8lbs like the ultrasound predicted thank God!). It was a long labor of almost 20 hours — thank goodness the husband was there till the very end enduring my lamenting ways. It was a quick delivery though, lasting only 30minutes. I guess after all the waiting (not to mention excruciating pain from contractions), I was just so eager to see her out that in half an hour/8-9 pushes after, she was finally laid on my chest, looking me straight in the eye as she let out her first cry.

A few more photos after the jump!
I want to share the whole experience for all first time moms out there who have no idea what to expect and are as scared, anxious and nervous as I was upon giving birth. I'll reserve that in another entry as I have constricted time and energy given that the husband and I have zero sleep for 4 days now ever since we got home last Monday. I've chosen to exclusively breastfeed Selene hopefully for a year and that has made things even more challenging. However, despite the zombie and vampire lifestyle, the sore nipples (excuse the image), the dirty diapers that just seem to keep coming — I've never felt genuinely happier, more motivated, inspired and truly grateful in life like I do now. I've had my doubts, anxieties and endless nights worrying if I will ever live up to being a mom as I have no knowledge of being one taking on this pregnancy. But the process of learning and becoming comes so naturally that you don't even know you're doing more than what is expected already. In short — I love being a MOM!

Setting up for her first bath at home, she suddenly grabs my finger and holds on to it for a while. All the pain, soreness, sleeplessness and lightheadedness went away. Such a motherly moment right there! 

At five days of age, Selene already smiles when she's asleep. I love watching her sleep and catching those little smiles. Sometimes, we can't fall asleep even if we have to because hubs and I truly enjoy seeing her every move.

That's all for now, loves. Thank you for all the warm wishes on the previous post — I read them all during my labor and they certainly helped out in taking my mind off those strong and excruciating contractions!