January 10, 2011

I had been waiting anxiously for this very date for about 7 weeks- when we decided it was best to go ahead with a repeat scheduled c-section in order to meet our daughter. As the weeks got closer and closer, I got more excited, but I also grew nervous because there was a snow storm looming in the forecast for the night before and day of Kylie's birthday. I didn't want to have to drive to the hospital or get Cameron off to grandmas in those conditions. 4-8 inches, they predicted.

Its about 20 minutes to grandmas and 15 more back the other direction to the hospital when there is no bad weather. Some of you northerners may be laughing at a mere 4 inches of snow, but we aren't constantly getting snow storms in Kansas and people forget how to drive when it does, especially the first storm of the winter season. What should have taken less than 45 minutes took us about 2.5 hours. Traffic was bumper to bumper (literally in hundreds of cases) but we arrived safely at the hospital with minutes to spare for our 9:30 am check in.

At 9:30, we were given a small amount of paperwork to fill out, and then a nurse came to get us and take us to our room. She started the IV, and a slew of other medical staff were in and out to ask and answer questions. It all seemed to go very quickly and I was getting really ancy to be rolled into the OR so we could get this birthday party started!

A little more than an hour later and minutes before surgery was scheduled to happen, the nurse comes in and informed me that my doc was currently delivering another baby at another hospital. I was pretty irritated but more so because I hadn't eaten or drank anything since dinner the previous night and it was nearing lunchtime. My husband will be the first to tell you that a hungry wife= a cranky wife, so imagine my predicament. I was ready to have this baby and envisioned a huge Jimmy Jon's sandwich ready and waiting for me in recovery. Wishful thinking. So there we stood with no real timeline at that point, just waiting for the call from the doc that she was in route to my hospital.

At about 12:30 pm (what seemed to be days later) we got the green light to head to the operating room for surgery. I got on the table, received the epidural, and the team of nurses and doctors went to work. At 1:16 pm on a very beautiful and snowy day, Kylie Kathleen entered the world with a sweet and soft cry. "Look at her hair! " I heard someone exclaim. It was dark, curly and there was a lot of it! The tears began rolling and there was no stopping them. They took her and cleaned her quickly, and passed her off to dad while they finished my surgery. I couldn't believe how beautiful she was. I am so in love- with her, with Cameron, and with my husband.

We stayed in the hospital for the next 48 hours and were home by Wednesday afternoon. I am recovering really well; and though I notice great improvement in pain every day, handling Cameron was very difficult the first 4-5 days home. I can't lift him yet, and I've just started to be able to have him sit in my lap because my incision is still fairly sore. That said, I am completely off all my pain meds as of yesterday. I was really hating how the side effects made me feel, so I stopped taking them and am doing great without them!
Overall, we are adjusting to being a family of 4 really well! It probably helps that Kylie sleeps so much right now- so we are all getting great sleep. I'm not quite ready for this honeymoon phase to end and reality to set in yet. Cameron loves to kiss her and say "hi" to her all the time. I hope they will be good friends through life.
Here's a pic before church this morning- and yes, my boys dress alike quite frequently. I think it's so cute. =)