You are my restoration story. Having your sister and brother so young was something I wasn’t prepared for. I couldn’t fully embrace everything that was “motherhood” at that time in my life. It’s always hurt me to look back and see how long it took me to embrace being a mom with them and how I missed out on so many beautiful experiences because of the hurt and trauma I was dealing with back then. I know I did the best I could and I love Elle and Theo fiercely. But when it came to my pregnancies and their birth story, it’s hard for me not to well up in tears for the scared 18 year old girl that I once was. Eight years later, when me and your dad decided to have you, it felt like I was getting another chance. A chance to soak every precious moment in. A chance to be with an incredible, supportive, and loving partner during all those months of pregnancy. A chance to bond with you before you were born in ways I can’t even begin to describe. I wanted to be absolutely, 100% present for every moment. Which after a lot of back and forth, led me to the decision to do a home birth. The moments leading up to your arrival have been like everything else this past year.. WILD, yet beautiful. We planned a trip to Sedona for a little babymoon & anniversary trip. And what do you know, your dad gets let go from his job just two days before we leave. It was honestly PERFECT timing. (Leave it to your mama to find the good in an otherwise unfortunate situation.) I was so excited to have your dad home with me those last two months of my pregnancy. It was an answered prayer honestly! We had been running non-stop at full speed for months and needed a major life change. Just didn’t expect it to happen that way. Sedona was the dreamiest trip and the best way to simply reset. We spent it cozied up in a cabin in the mountains talking about our future and our family and most of all
YOU.
The weekend of your arrival was a sweet one. It was full on spring time! Flowers were blooming, birds were singing, the grass was the most vibrant green, and little bambis and kittens were running abound in our backyard! It was a week before your due date and I was feeling all of the contractions all weekend. I knew you were ready. Any day now.
Mothers day was the day labor fully kicked in. My water broke slowly throughout the day. I spent most of it walking and playing outside with your brother and sister. We even went to the lake and went for a ride on the boat with all your aunts and uncles. We then came home late at night as my contractions were getting stronger! And at about 11 pm that’s when we called our miracle worker midwife, Colleen. Your dad set up the big pool in our sunroom. The fire was on.. worship music was playing.. and then the REAL pain kicked in. Woah baby. That was one of the gnarliest experiences of my life. Being home though for your birth was one of the most magical experiences of my life. Theo came running down the stairs to check on me and meet you for the very first time. He was ECSTATIC and so filled with emotion. He couldn’t believe you were all of a sudden here. Elle came shortly after and instantly fell in love. Your dad though… he was probably my favorite to watch. The moment you were born his eyes filled with tears. The amount of love that poured out in those moments after were unmatched. You gave us a little scare… you weren’t breathing for an uncomfortably long time. Thankfully, you came too just in time and we’re so grateful. You broke your poor daddy’s heart in that moment though and he’s been looking out for you fiercely ever since.
After a few hours of sleep, that morning was so sweet. We spent the whole day all cuddled up in bed. And I mean ALL. Elle, Theo, dad, me, and you. It was the absolute BEST and one of my favorite parts about your birth. We spent the next several days like that as a family. It was so, so special. Having a home birth was a crazy experience, but the days before and the days after is what made it all worth it.
You are SO loved.
A little about your name too – your dad came up with it! In fact, it was the very first name he mentioned and no other name would do after that. I smiled because he either forgot or didn’t know about my little sister. Her name was Olive.. we called her that because she was the size of an olive at one point or another. And at around 5 months she miscarried with your Noni years ago. We never got to meet her or watch her grow up. It was just one more sign of you being our “restoration story”. Not to mention, most of the time while I was pregnant with you, we were renovating (aka restoring) our cabin up north! (I can already imagine your little bare feet running around in the mossy yard and on the sandy beach.) But back to your name.. it’s a bit of a beautiful contradiction and paradox of words, but I love it and it’s so fitting for one of the most peaceful, yet wild, nature-loving little babe. Olive for “peace” and Wilde for well, “wild”. 😉
And of course, Olli (I’ve always got have my nickname), which has probably my favorite meaning of all. It’s finnish, which is part of your heritage, and it means “elf warrior”. How cool? haha
Anyways, I’m sure I could write for days about you. But I’ll leave it at that.
We love you so much! – Mom, Dad, Elle, & Theo
Welcome to the world, Olive Wilde Arrotta.
5/9/22 at 2:33 am – 7 lbs 5 oz
