Warm, floppy and squeaky

Day 1 and 2 has been quite intense, in ways I didn't expect.

Day 1 was filled with nervousness and expectations that soon gave way to relief and joy. We are very thankful for the love and support we received, Mimi and pastor Beth was with us and prepared us for the big event and it was clear from the start this was going to be a very different day than four and a half years ago.

The procedure went very much according to plan and I think a great deal of tension was lifted that day through that. It seems like a blur afterwards. 

We were given a new room upstairs with a great view of Redwood City, green and lush from winter rain, and with a steady stream of visiting family and friends we were to busy to be tired. However, on days like this it is easy or difficult to find time to eat, so our good friends Gina and Zack brought us delicious chicken dinner and salad, and even homemade coffee in the morning! 

Magic moment number two on day one that day was when Lucia met her new baby brother for the first time. She was very excited and could not be more happy. She happily washed her hands but was at first a bit hesitant, not sure if she could touch him, or where. Soon she asked if she could hold him, and she loved that too, for a little bit. I think she was surprised to see how floppy and squeaky he was, but she also showed much concern for him, and she jumped to sooth him when he started crying or fuzzing. She will be a great big sister!

The first night was as good as one can expect, none of us got much sleep, but we managed to get a few hours it seems between the fuzzy times. There wasnt much to do besides rocking him or renew his swaddle. And this, turns out, is what day two was much about; getting him to latch and feed. But more about that tomorrow.

Fun in the ER (update)

We spent about 6 hours in the ER last night. It was boring, and at times upsetting. She refused to drink so we took a syringe with water and squirted that in her mouth while she protested profusely. Definitely not fun, but better than an IV. The doctor finally did another test that actually confirmed she did not have a urine tract infection which is great, but then why does she have 104 in fever? This became obvious to me this morning when she woke up around 9:30 am and had a really crusty nose. Oh well, better safe than sorry.

First Night Home, Definitely Eventful

I debated blogging about all of this, cause frankly it's just more drama and we really, really can't believe it all went down like it did, but here goes:

Kate made us a fantastic dinner. Pete got choked. For a long time. Could not get the food out of his throat. Josh took him to the ER. About three hours later, they got home. The food finally moved down and the problem was resolved.

While he was gone, I noticed my incision was seeping liquid. Really creepy liquid. So I say to Kate, um, look at this and should I be concerned. We call the advice nurses at Kaiser. They review all of the medications I'm taking and basically freak out that I'm taking Tylenol and Vicodin. I was told to take Tylenol instead of Motrin because Motrin does a number on my stomach. The nurse on the phone freaks and calls Poison Control, then says I need to come into the ER right away for an accidental overdose. And maybe I should get that incision checked.

So Pete literally walks in the door from the ER, and I say, can you take me the ER? We get there, and THANK GOD KATE WAS HERE, cause she took Lucia and called pediatrics to make sure my breastmilk wasn't toxic, and then called my brother to have him come back over because Pete has the car with the car seat, and if they have to take HER to the ER, then they'll need a way to get there.

So they do some weight calculations (thank god I'm still retaining tons of water) and talk to Poison Control, and decide that I'm fine. The amount I had taken -- even if I took it over ONE dose -- it still wouldn't be toxic. However, upon inspecting the incision, they decide that it's definitely infected and they debate admitting me. But I plead my case, that I've got a newborn fresh home from the NICU and I promise to take the course of antibiotics and Pete is given detailed instructions on how to re-dress the wound. They draw a giant area around the redness with a permanent marker and tell Pete that if the redness moves past that area, then we have to come back in.

We got home at 5:30 a.m., just in time to freaking pump milk, make something to eat, and feed Lucia before heading to bed for a few hours. Pete's fine, I'm on the mend, and we're SINCERELY hoping for a ho-hum normal few days of having a newborn. You know, sleeplessness, forgetfulness, etc.

Kate leaves in the morning and my mom arrives tomorrow. We go to the doctor at 9 a.m. to check her weight and visit with the lactation consultant. I'm hoping they're more helpful than the lady last week.