3w3d old!

Today I got an unexpected invite to breakfast with M&A and their kiddos :) That meant that, for the 1st time, my kiddos would finally get to meet Alexandra - they were so excited!

My first-born holding my "last" born :) Alex informed me that he has now gotten to hold all of the babies I've carried - his sister & brother, then Emma, and now Alexandra.

Morgann could hardly wait to get her hands on the little miss :) She only had her for a few minutes, but that smile was on her face the entire time. She was so disappointed when she had to pass her off.

2 week PP check-up

Today I had my 2 week post op and all is well, so far :) Dr. R removed my steri strips and declared my incision "beautiful" and said that it will continue to heal. He also mentioned that the less I strain my stomach muscles for the next few weeks, the prettier the incision will look, and also mentioned that if I wanted to use Maderma cream on it, that might help it fade over time.

After the logistical junk was out of the way, Doctor, Michael & I talked about the delivery and how we could all see God's hand throughout this last year. HE was in every decision made and when the doctor had me opened up and pulled that sweet baby out, we could HIS hand had directed each & every move! Wow!!! It truly was a miraculous journey and I wouldn't trade a single minute of it.

But knowing this was the very last baby I will have made it bitter-sweet too. Dr. R is in total, 100% agreement that this needed to be my last, and even went so far as to double-stitch/extra-stitch my stomach muscles back together. I love my OB and LOVE the fact that he is a godly man with allot of wisdom.

Thank you Dr. Jon Rawson for everything!!! You are a wonderful doctor, a tremendous OB/Gyn, and a true family friend.

*side note: While we were all chit chatting, we got to discussing the situation with the placenta previa and how just 100 years ago, so many women and/or babies died from situations like this one. Then, he very quickly interjected, "you would have died for sure" as we moved on to another topic....talk about a sobering thought. Thank you God for the strides that have been made in medicine and patient care over the years!!! I'm so grateful that I live NOW and not THEN.

A year ago today....

....I was recuperating from a D&C and going through an extremely difficult, emotional roller-coaster.

And today, I am (still) recuperating from the c-section that happened 2 weeks ago, resulting in the delivery of a precious little miracle baby, Alexandra Marie!

God is good!!!!

More pictures :)

These were taken over the weekend - Sunday I believe - when she was 9 days old. She was discharged and sent home with her mommy & daddy & big sister yesterday, after 11 days in the NICU. God is good!!!

Such a precious little miracle! My heart is so full....

A few pictures of Alexandra Marie

Introducing Alexandra Marie, born on Friday 12/23/11 @ 8:56AM

Weighing 5 lbs 12 oz, 19 1/4" long

Me getting a peak at all of her precious baby parts - 10 long fingers on her tiny hands, and 10 sweet baby toes!

In her mommy's arms, exactly where she belongs!

My first chance to hold the little punkin...in my arms :)

So tiny and precious

48 hours old!

Alexandra arrived @ 8:56am, and I'm sitting in a chair!!!

C-section went well this AM and I was in recovery within 40 mins of being taken in there! Doctor said that when he got in there, the placenta was along the back wall of my uterus so he didn't have to cut through it to get to the baby. BUT it was completely covering my cervix, more than they had thought, which means I had a complete previa! So we are all very grateful that we didn't attempt a vaginal birth and that I didn't end up in an emergency situation.

Around lunch they brought me a tray of liquids. I took a few bites of jello, a few sips of broth, and a sip or 2 of Gatorade. Then promptly got seriously nauseated and almost threw up. I called the nurse and asked for Zofran, but unfortunately I'd had a dose in the recovery room and couldn't have another. So I had to do Phenegren, which I really didn't want to take. Once it was in the IV I promptly spaced out and then had a fitful few hours of rest. I'm not really a back sleeper and couldn't roll over, and kept waking up suddenly realizing I'd been holding my breath. Anyway I made myself wake up enough to check-in with my IP's who were down in the NICU. They came up to visit for a bit, then headed back down when Michael and the kiddos showed up for a visit. Unfortunately the kids couldn't see the baby which had them highly disappointed. But we had a short visit and then they left for dinner.

Michael is home and getting them to bed and said all is going OK at home.

And here I sit, watching a movie and fighting to stay awake. I'm hoping to get a good night's sleep, but not holding my breath. Right now I'm really needing to cough, but every time I try, I can't get it out. *sigh*

I'll post some pics tomorrow when I've been able to go see the baby. Please keep her in your thoughts & prayers, for her lungs to quickly get stronger and for her health to rapidly improve. (Btw, her apgar was 8-9, and we all thought she was perfectly fine, but she rapidly started having trouble and after 6 hours of observation in the NICU, they admitted her).

Prayers that y'all have a great Christmas Eve and I'll update more later!

Just 2 more sleeps!

And the little miracle will be here, in her mommy & daddy's arms, where so belongs!!!

Yesterday was my final OB check, at 36w2d. We didn't have an ultrasound, but all of my stats and baby's were exactly where they should be. I talked to Dr. R and got specifics about a few odds & ends regarding the c-section. Turns out that I will be given a "spinal" rather than an epidural, which will leave me completely numb for about 24 hours - sounds good to me! After the numbness wears off, the nurses will be getting me up & moving (uugghh!!!) and then we'll be doing oral pain management. And depending on how that goes, I may get to go home as early as Christmas day!! Altho, knowing me and my lack of a pain thresh-hold, I may be there until Monday, who knows?

Today I did the pre-op blood tests and my blood pressure was super-low (surprisingly). I have about 6 loads of laundry to tackle before bed, and will be squeezing in dinner at some point.

Tomorrow I will be packing the kiddos up for what may be a 7-8 day vacation from home. They will stay with my in-laws on Thursday night, which will allow for me to be at the hospital by 7:30AM on Friday. My MIL will bring them up to the hospital Fri evening after everything & everyone has settled in at the hospital. Hubby will have them on Fri night, then they will be tossed around on Sat between hubby and my in-laws, and will celebrate Christmas eve at their house. Home again with daddy to sleep in their own beds, then up (at the crack of dawn) to see what Santa has brought. Michael will then load them up and take them to my sister's house for a day to be spent with my family, including their grandparents :) From there, everything gets foggy, as much will depend on when I am released from the hospital, but next week will be a fun week for them with my sister and her fiance', likely in Austin! I'm really looking forward to the quiet time at home to rest and recuperate before they return and we gear up for a few crazy weeks of me not being allowed to drive, but juggling schedules.

Hm, should be an interesting next month around here! But, bring it on!!! I'm ready :)