Two Days Old

Sorry, here I am bragging about online access, only to find I don't have the time to get online. Ironic huh? I can blog while laboring, but not while recovering. Oh well.

I am now at home. We got home about 2:30 or so this afternoon.

For one, I feel GREAT! I've never felt this well after having a baby. To my benefit, I've had no tearing or episiotomy, so I'm thinking that's why. Biggest issue I have are the afterpains while nursing (and after). The nurses decided to share with me that it gets worse with each subsequent kid. Gee thanks, would have been nice to know earlier. That's alright though, my doctor prescribed some drugs, and there's always a CVS nearby.

Nathan is doing really well too. He has a touch of jaundice, which makes sense. The poor little guy turns beet red from hed to foot just before crying. He looks like a little volcano about ready to errupt. The jaundice is not serious, but they still want me to make a pediatrician appointment for tomorrow. (Normally it's 2-3 days after getting discharged, but there's a weekend right then).

So far he's eating well, sleeping well, pooping overly well...all the things a mom tends to obsess about.

Here is a link to some of the pictures we've taken. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcuGbdo2cNmJX&notag=1

We had somewhere around 15-20 visitors yesterday. Being in the South rocks! I had about 5 friends visit during the day, and then our entire small group decided to ditch their lesson and come hang out in our room instead.

Most of you got a feel for the labor process the other day. I didn't have time for many details then, but I feel the need to say that my OB marches to the beat of a different drummer. (Maybe that's why I like him...my mom always says that about me.) I didn't realize Dr. Riley had these little quirks until I was laboring. Apparently he has a reputation throughout the L&D ward, but everyone loves him just the same. What are these quirks you ask?

I'll spare some of the details, but he is a very tactile person. He likes to play with things that come out of people's anatomy...things that others would probably want to gag over. He has a fascination with all things medical. (Better him than me, I suppose). He also loves to get patients involved with the process. My first appointment with him, he asked if I wanted to see my cervix. After picking myself up off of the floor, I managed a weak "uhhh, no thanks."

During delivery, he asked if I wanted to help deliver my own baby. (I had been prepared for this by my nurses). This is not quite my thing, but in that one moment, I thought...hmmmm, maybe. After all, how often do you get this chance? I told him I was afraid of dropping him and he assured me that there were at least three other people around to catch him if that happened. Sooo...I helped deliver my own baby!

He then relished in showing me my placenta. (Another thing I was given a heads up about). Before I saw it, I imagined myself passing out based on pure grotesqueness. Instead it was one of those cases where you couldn't not look. (It was in my face after all.) The second I saw it, I shouted, "hey Mike, come here and look at my placenta!" He thought I had surely lost my mind, but then agreed that it was disgustingly cool too. Sort of like driving by a car accident. Sometimes you just have to look.

Andrew is in love with his brother. Finally, Someone to help him represent the male minors in this family! Alie is tryin to ignore Nathan as much as possible. She doesn't like when he cries. I guess she doesn't understand it much.

Here's the perfect example of how the kids are adjusting. Mike brought the kids with him to pick Nathan and me up from the hospital. On the way to the hospital, Mike asks Alie, "are you ready to bring your baby brother home?" Alie says, "noooooooo" (insert vehement head shaking). Andrew replies with, "but Alie, we LOVE baby Nathan...he has to come home!"

All in due time I suppose.