I am Abigail Elizabeth Connor, known as "little Miss Sunshine" while I was in mommy's belly. I came safely into this world just over a week ago, on July 10, 2007. I knew that Amy (Mommy) and Matthew (Daddy) are planners, as I was breech (butt down), necessitating a scheduled c-section delivery. Of course I could have come sooner on my own, but I went along with the plan and came as expected on a warm, rainy Cincinnati Tuesday.

The day before my big entrance, Larry and Susan Connor (Grandpa and Grandma) and Pat Dill (Nana) helped Mommy and Daddy complete house projects, decorating around the all of my new furniture that took over the first floor, as well as the newly finished basement. Oh what fun we had! That night, Grandpa, Grandma, Mommy and Daddy had a nice dinner at home then treated us with the famous Graeter's ice cream (a Cincinnati favorite). Mommy and I love sweets! Mommy has always said that chocolate is a fruit and should be part of our daily diet, so having ice cream (with chocolate, of course) was the perfect last meal before my entrance.

The morning of the big event, Mommy and I went for our normal walk and completed several projects, biding the time before we drove with Daddy to the hospital. Within three hours of "check-in," I was here! I was given a good bill of health and except for a short time under the "baby warmer," was given to Mommy and Daddy and my adoring fans for visits and hundreds of photos. Grandpa, Grandma, Nana, Jim McMinn (Papaw) and Aunt Jeannie were all there waiting for me to give my first appearance.

The day went very well, I was peaceful and content and basked in the attention. Everything was going well until 9 pm when I started crying, and crying, and crying. Mommy and Daddy were a bit overwhelmed, to say the least, as the crying continued until 3:30 am. Luckily the nurses were there to help and identified that I was having trouble sucking (an important skill for eating). I finally did eat and fell asleep for a very short 2 1/2 hours. Needless to say, the family was a bit tired the next day!

Luckily, help was on the way. Paula the lactation consultant gave Mommy and Daddy exercises for me and techniques for feeding. With every feeding I did better and better and caught the hang of it by the time we left the hospital on Saturday.

The Connor family stay at the hospital was wonderful. Mommy and Daddy are fortunate enough to have insurance that allows for 96 hours after a c-section and since we were working on sucking, so we took advantage of all the time and help as we could. The nurses and doctors were wonderful, a true godsend for new parents!

The first day home was Saturday, and again we had a good day. The trouble began in the wee hours of the morning when I had trouble getting back to sleep after feeding. I only cried 2 - 3 hours (who can remember that long ago?) but without the reassurance of the nurses, Mommy and Daddy were not in good spirits. Sunday was yet another long day! But, what can we expect for the first night in a new place, especially for someone who is only 4 days old.