Thursday, July 30, 2015

Two Things We've Had : Guests And Leftovers

Breakfast is usually a quick affair at The Everyday Mommy Headquarters  nowadays.  But every once in a while something special will come up and we break out the good stuff which does not include cereal and granola bars.

Today's special reason was our guests that arrived last night .
After everything was said and done ... as well as ate I remembered to grab a picture. Of the breakfast table.

Check out the leftovers.

Please excuse the used plates and cups as well as napkins.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

A Whole Bunch Of Nothing And Something.

I haven't posted on my blog in such a long time it almost feels like visiting a stranger.

But not really.

Life here at The Everyday Mommy Headquarters has been FULL to the max. I mean I barely find the time to eat...and yet I somehow haven't lost any weight. Which worries me because I lost 10kgs in the first month and a half with Baby J. just by breastfeeding. Apparently pumping just can't get the same result for me which really REALLY stinks. I was looking forward to the weight loss. 

Anyways, besides not finding the time to eat, I've found that I possess a special talent. I don't need sleep. Or better said I need very VERY little sleep to function. Something that in a million years I would not have believed possible.

Remember how I used to complain that Baby J. would wake me at 5 a.m. and OMG how early that was...yeah I would give anything to have those five uninterrupted hours of sleep back. Now between pumping, breastfeeding (we do  a little of both), bottle feeding Baby J., and Baby VP's totally out there sleeping schedule, there are no hours left for me to really sleep.

Oh, I get a little bit of sleep between 12-2 a.m. but after that we enter 
no-mans-sleep-land. It's not a pretty zone.

But everything else is going splendid. Or as well as can be expected. Baby J. is starting to get over his dislike/fear/jealousy of the new baby. And Baby VP could really care less about everything around him as long as he's warm, feed, and comfy in his bassinet or in Mama/Daddy's arms.

We've also gotten around to celebrating (very small scale celebration) of Baby J.'s first birthday. I think we'll do something more special after we get back into a routine/rhythm of things. Yea, sadly we've had some things going on that have prevented us from finding a routine that works for our family. But we'll find it eventually. Also Baby VP turns 1 month old tomorrow. I'm so excited! I can't believe a whole month has come and gone already. Wow...time flies.

I'm hoping to find the time tomorrow to do a nice little post on Baby J. and his 1st year. And Baby VP and his 1st month.

If it won't happen tomorrow well it will sometime just as soon as I find some quiet and undisturbed time to myself. Which has been seriously lacking around here this past month.

Well, that's it for now. I know this isn't like my usual posts but it's definitely better than nothing. I apologize for the lack of complete thoughts, run on sentences, coma splices, random thoughts, and lack of sense. Once I get things back to some organized structure in our home, order shall be restored to my writing as well.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

I Have Survived Week One!



Oh my.

It has been an unbelievable week. Well, not so much unbelievable as I can't believe I actually survived it. Between the jealous fits and overwhelming love Baby J. has regarding Baby VP, the up in the air feeding/pumping schedule for Baby J. and I, and the nights spent begging my children to sleep...well it's been quite the week.

Let me tell you, coming home Monday was so liberating! I literally almost ran out of the hospital. Hubby kept telling me to slow down because he was having trouble hanging on to Baby J. who wanted to be let loose to walk on his own. Except that wasn't an option because after spending a little more than two weeks coped up in two different hospitals I was not going to slow down now that they were letting me free. I was much to scared they'd find something they'd overlooked concerning Baby VP and make us stay for another week.

So, yes coming home felt amazing.

Except the feeling didn't last very long. I was quickly reminded that I was now the mother of two little boys. One - Baby J.- who is filled with energy and hadn't gotten the chance to really get used to the idea of Mommy and Daddy having someone else they need to shower with attention...was a little jealous. The second- Baby VP- well, he could tell he was no longer in a familiar setting (the hospital) and put up a fuss the first two nights that had us begging him to calm down and just SLEEP!

Yea, how often do you hear of a newborn, particularly a preemie, who won't sleep? Not often. Trust me. I checked on pinterest, google, and facebook.

The first day home (Monday) we were pleasantly surprised to see Baby VP resting and sleeping so calmly in his bassinet. It made us have really high hopes that at least ONE of our children would be a good sleeper.

Yea right.

As soon as Hubby and I snuggled into bed and closed our eyes to drift off to sleep, Baby VP became wide WIDE awake.

He stayed that way from 10 p.m. until 3:30 a.m. . After he finally fell asleep at 3:30, I crashed silently...of course... into bed and prayed that Baby J. would not wake up early. My prayers were not answered. I had barely closed my eyes and Baby J. started whimpering and crying for "Mama". I tried a bottle, rocking him, walking with him, cuddling with him in bed ... nothing worked. Baby J. was wide awake and remained that way until 5:15 a.m.

By that time both Hubby and I were at our wits end and super sleepy. We were only too happy to hand over Baby J. and Baby VP (who was still sleeping soundly) to their grandpa ( who were visiting) and my younger brother. Hubby had to leave though early to run some errands so I was given the extra privilege of having the whole ENTIRE bed to myself for a precious two hours which I spent sleeping.

The second day home (Tuesday) was much like Monday. Baby VP slept well and ate well and Baby J. played with his uncle and grandpa and just had a jolly good time. Once again both Hubby and I were sure that the boys would sleep wonderfully since they had been so well behaved during the day. Once more our hopes were dashed to pieces.

Baby VP and Baby J. came wide awake around 11 p.m. and Baby J. stayed that way until almost 4 a.m. by that time I was ready to cry. I was so tired I kept drifting off to sleep while rocking him. Hubby had been so sweet as to ask me to retire to the living room with the boys and try to put them to sleep there because he had to go work on someones car the next day and he needed to wake up at 5 a.m. . I felt horrible that we were keeping him up and agreed.

In the end Baby J. finally fell asleep around 4 a.m. after many tears were shed. Most of them by me. I tend to cry when I'm overtired...weird I know. Baby VP though on the other hand held out until 5:10 a.m. Unbelievable I know. He would drift off to sleep every 15-20 minutes only to become wide awake after a few minutes.

I guess he was power napping.

Let's just say that once again as soon as my brother and dad were up and about they were saddled with the children and I headed off to sleep for an hour. Hubby's orders after I almost fell trying to get up from my spot on the sofa.

The last few days have been pretty much the same...or should I say nights? Either way they've been pretty much the same except that since the weather has cooled down a little Baby J. has finally managed to sleep through the night until 3-4 a.m. when he waked up demanding to be taken into our bed. Which I GLADLY do...anything to avoid a repeat of Monday and Tuesday night.

Baby VP has been a little more difficult. He still enjoys getting up for a few hours each night thus effectively reminding me that I am once more the Mommy of a newborn. A newborn who does not enjoy sleeping at night.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Baby VP's Birth Story: Part Two Of Two



Part Two Of Baby VP's Birth...

So, on June 24th at 8:08 a.m. Baby VP joined us this side of Earth. His entrance though was difficult for his little lungs and because they were only half-way ready for his birth he had to be placed in an incubator and on breathing tubes. Seeing him like that was beyond difficult. He was also attached to a blood pressure monitor, a pulse reader, a body temperature reader, antibiotic drip, two different types of glucose drips, and several other things that I don't really remember.

Baby VP inside his incubator.

 Those first few moments that I got to spend with him were so precious to me.
After being allowed to gently touch him I was quickly taken to a pre-scheduled x-ray. Following that I was then brought to the maternity ward and placed into a room with a newborn and her mother. Each time I heard that little one cry I ended up feeling like someone was stabbing me in the heart. All I had wanted the entire time during my pregnancy was to finally reach that moment after birth were the midwives place the freshly birthed baby on your chest and you get to bond in that special mother/child way. Instead I had to be put completely to sleep during my C-Section and missed my first glimpse of my son, his first cry, the first touch, and just missed on the whole birthing experience. 

I was cheered up some when Hubby brought Baby VP, my mom, and two of my siblings for a visit. I was so excited I immediately requested a wheelchair so that I could go show off my little boy to my mother. It didn't matter that he was hooked up to so many monitors and tubes that making out his facial features was difficult and holding him was impossible. I was PROUD of my little baby. And I wanted to show him off to his grandma.

My mother loved him at first sight!

Sadly, we were quickly rushed out of the NICU because visits had to be kept short. I spent another sleepless night and rather pain filled since my back ache returned to torture me some more. June 25th came bright and early for me. I surprised the nurse on duty by walking to the bathroom by myself and refusing any help to move around. I knew that whatever lay ahead of us was not going to be easy-peasy and I needed to get myself moving BY myself. 

Around 9 a.m. the Dr.s came for the routine check-up and when they reached me they told me they had some good and bad news. Bad news first. Baby VP had a breathing difficulty during the night somewhere around 4 a.m. and it had lasted 4 hours. They had to put in a little tube into his lungs to clear out bacteria and to give him some medicine to strengthen his lungs. The good news. Baby VP was doing much better, the tube had been taken out and it was now being discussed whether or not we should be transferred to a NICU about 2 hours away from home. The final decision would be made around 2-3 p.m. it all depended on how Baby VP would be doing by then.

2 P.M. came and so did the Dr.s. It had been decided to go ahead and transfer Baby VP even though he was stable and doing well. They preferred transferring him now instead of later. I would be transferred as well but in with a different ambulance. At 4 P.M. my ride was ready and so was I. I was quickly taken to the new maternity section of the new hospital and registered. Not 10 minutes after arriving, a wheelchair was brought over and I was rushed through the hospital towards the NICU...which was a good 20 minute walk away from the maternity section. At this point, I had managed to walk but I was still in no condition to walk 20 minutes. Tears of frustration at my situation started stinging my eyes but I refused to cry.

Once we reached the NICU, I was quickly walked through the process of washing my hands and using a mask if necessary (which it wasn't) and then I was asked to wait 10 minutes so that they could finish up with settling in Baby VP. 

I ended up waiting not 10 but two hours to see Baby VP.

Once I was brought into the hallway I could hear his cries and I wanted to run to him instead I rushed as fast as I could...which was rather slow. When I saw his room my jaw dropped. There were so many monitors all beeping and whirling away and in the mist of these was Baby VP. So small and so helpless. Completely dependent on the care and mercy of strangers. Tears started running down my face without me noticing. 

In this picture most of the monitors were turned off because
Baby VP didn't need them anymore. Look closely, you can even spot
Baby VP sleeping away in the incubator.
The Dr. on hand asked me some general questions and then she left. I was quickly asked by her assistant to return down the hall and someone would come pick me up to bring me back to my room. I wanted to protest and scream that I would NOT be leaving Baby VP's side but I refrained because she mentioned how important it was that Baby VP receive calm vibes from me. But let me tell you, it was difficult to keep calm when I found out that my little one was starving hungry because he hadn't eaten in several hours and nobody had realized this until a few minutes before I entered the room. I was even more upset when I found out he had been transferred without any of his information regarding what care he received at our hometown hospital. Oh yea, I was definitely fighting to keep from yelling at someone. 

June 26th saw me heading back to Baby VP's room. Once there, another Dr. was present and she was so sweet about explaining everything that had happened and would be happening to Baby VP to me. I ended up spending several hours there and Hubby managed to join me for a good hour before having to take Baby J. and head back home. Sometime during the afternoon, I was asked to head back to my room to eat lunch and I was then promised another transport in the evening so that I could again spend some time with Baby VP.
That evening I started asking to be moved closer to Baby VP. I couldn't stand the thought of being so far away from him. The sweet Dr. that was on duty agreed to try and find me a bed in their building (the NICU was in a different building then the maternity ward which made reaching Baby VP by myself very difficult). I was given the first good news later that night, they had found a bed for me and the next day I would be transferred three rooms away from Baby VP. 

I cried from joy and relief of finally being closer to my son.

June 27th I was up before the sun getting all my things together ( I didn't have all that much with me and I had refused to unpack anything besides two changes of clothes). At 8:30 a.m. a nurse came and inspected my cut. She declared it very good looking (ha!) and not infected. She also made sure to instruct me in the proper care of my cut and made sure to let me know that if I needed anything I could come back anytime and ask for help. ( I didn't for fear of being re-admitted as a patient and moved away from Baby VP) At 11 a.m. my wheelchair and driver showed up. I was quickly brought over to the NICU. 

The minute I entered the hallway leading to my son I could hear a baby crying so loud and someone screaming that "Someone get a move on and bring me Mrs. Everyday Mommy!" I dropped my bags on a side table and took off at the closest thing to a run that I could manage. The second I entered the room I started for his bed. I was not about to let anyone tell me to stand aside when my little baby was crying that hard. It was the moment that when I touched him and started speaking to him calming him down that the Dr. later told me she realized just how important my presence was to my little one. It was also then she decided that I should spend every single available minute holding and talking to my baby. The only time she wanted me away from him was to eat, use the bathroom, and sleep 2-3 hours a night. 

I did exactly as she asked. I spent every minute I had with my little one. Sometimes I would eat breakfast at noon and lunch for dinner. Sometimes the only time I used the restroom was before going to sleep for 2-3 hours. My only worry was that I should be with my little one as much as possible. 

The effect of spending so much time with him was quickly noticeable in an improvement in his health. My little boy was taken off most of the monitors and only the main one was left connected to him. It measured his oxygen intake, respiration, blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. 

June 28th brought another round of good news that had me break down for a minute. Baby VP was taken off the respirator tubes! He was finally allowed to try breathing by himself. 

The main monitor. All the other ones
FINALLY turned off!
Later that afternoon, my little man was transferred into my room down the hall. For the first time Baby VP and I were sleeping within the same room and I could feel my spirit lighten just a little. Hubby came to see us every day and when he walked into the room with Baby J. and my mom his whole face broke into a smile at seeing little VP sleeping in his incubator by my bed. We celebrated with lots of laughter, hugs, and kisses. Baby J. especially loved the hugs and kisses as did Baby VP.

My own room. Baby VP joined me and it made my heart burst
with thankfulness to finally have him so close by.

June 29th was the first day that I was allowed to try to breastfeed my little man. Until then he had been exclusively feed (my own breast milk) through a feeding tube that was in his nose. We struggled with the breast feeding for three whole days before we reached the conclusion to try bottle feeding. 

June 30th found me asking the head Dr. for a transfer back to our hometown hospital. Baby VP was finally doing well enough that the head Dr. had decided to move us from the NICU to the regular children's section which then caused me to ask for a transfer. The almost 2 hour drive was very difficult on Baby J. and he was always overly tired and cranky at each visit. Usually ending with a mini-meltdown of some sort before Hubby would decide to leave. After hearing that Baby VP was considered healthy enough to join the regular children's section I decided we had spent enough time so far away from home. 

To my great joy we were approved for a transfer and on July 1st at 11 a.m. , Baby VP was loaded back into a special incubator to be transferred to the hospital in our hometown. This time I was allowed to ride with him and it made a world of difference. My little baby hearing me occasionally talk stayed calm and didn't cry or scream the entire ride home. On arriving Baby VP was taken to the NICU again to be monitored and I was told that they had a pretty single room available for me. I was thrilled because I thought that I would be sharing it with Baby VP.
The hallway from my room to the main hallway.
That cart looking thing is the crib Baby VP was
placed in when we arrived. 

The view from the hallway into my room. You can see Baby VP's
crib at the foot of my bed and yes he is sleeping in it.

The other half of the room. The changing station and the pretty flowers
that we received from our few visitors.
Hubby came to see us that evening and was a little disappointed that the hospital staff had decided to keep Baby VP in the NICU for another night. I was so heartbroken at being separated again from him all I did was cry for a good hour. I had finally thought we could continue being together but instead the Dr.s had separated us again and for the first time all the pressure and stress that I had kept tightly locked up broke loose. It took a few voice messages between me and my best friend in the states to help calm me down. As well as a wonderfully timed phone call from Hubby.

Baby VP did well his first night back and on July 2nd I was allowed to take him to my room during the day but at night I had to return him to the NICU to be placed under supervision. In the end it wasn't all that bad but the back and forth every three hours to feed and pump were so exhausting I napped at every opportunity during the day. 

July 3rd, I spoke with the Dr. on call and asked how Baby VP was doing. He mentioned that if it was up to him we would have been already released but because it wasn't up to him I should talk to the Head Dr. and ask to be released. Baby VP had shocked every single nurse and Dr. by starting to really eat well (he had been having HUGE difficulty with learning how to suck from a bottle because of the feeding tube) and started gaining weight in leaps and bounds. His vitals were always perfect and his blood results were wonderful. His lungs had started working perfectly and my little man no longer needed any tubes or wires or monitors to help him survive!

All I could say over and over each time I was given good news was Praise God and THANK YOU!

That evening (July 3rd) I spoke with the Head Dr. and he agreed to release us on Monday which is not all that far away! July 4th was the first day that I was allowed to give Baby VP a bath and do something that I had been wanting to do for a long LONG time. 

I was finally allowed to do skin-on-skin contact with my little VP. After his bath I bundled him up in a blanket and headed to my room. Once inside I quickly sat on the bed and laid him on my chest. His little hand grabbed one of my fingers and held on tight and we both ended up sneaking in a nap. I would occasionally wake up and check on him. Each time I peppered him with kisses and stroked his back and head. He was so calm and slept so well.

Being able to be together like that had an effect on everything he did. His eating IMPROVED IMMEDIATELY. He went from needing an hour to eat 50 ml to needing 20-30 minutes. He also started wanting to breastfeed and I couldn't be happier. 

So, that's that. Today we said good-bey to my mom and dad and siblings who were here to help me out by taking care of my home and family while I was in the hospital. Unfortunately, they had to leave early. But it's alright because tomorrow is Sunday and Hubby is home all day which means Baby J. has someone to spend time with him and take care of him until I get home on Monday with Baby VP. I am so excited to finally be home and to finally be able to spend time with my loved ones without there being a time limit.



Friday, July 3, 2015

The Story Of Baby VP's Birth...Part One Of Two



As promised here is our birth story.

June 23rd,2015 was a beautiful Tuesday. It was a sunny and warm day and I went ahead and followed our regular routine. Baby J. and I woke up and spent some time together in the living room while Hubby continued to try to sleep at least a half hour more before getting up and getting ready for work. For the first time in a while Baby J. and I BOTH managed to eat breakfast, with a little guy as active as Baby J. my chance of eating breakfast before his morning nap has always been pretty much nonexistent.

After Hubby finished with getting ready for work and eating breakfast we spent a few minutes watching Baby J. practice his waddling (he's a little chubby so he does the cutest little walk/waddling!) and Hubby also tried to feel Baby VP kick by resting his hand on my belly. It was a beautiful morning and I had such a wonderful time spending it with my two men.

As usual after Hubby left Baby J. and I snuck in a morning nap and then we played together and I did some laundry and cooking before taking a afternoon nap as well. Once we woke up from our afternoon nap we quickly got dressed to go grocery shopping with Hubby. At around 5:15p.m. I met Hubby with Baby J. in the parking lot downstairs and off we went to buy some groceries.

It was around this time that I first started feeling some really sharp pain under my right breast. I remember telling Hubby that it felt like I was stabbing myself every few minutes. He, of course, told me "Maybe it will go away once you walk around a little". We arrived at the store and started shopping but unfortunately the pain didn't go away,instead it started intensifying. I mentioned this to Hubby and he answered with " Well, finish up quickly so we can go home and you can lay down and rest". I did just as he said because by now I was feeling the need to lay down a little. Once we got home I grabbed Baby J. and Hubby grabbed the groceries and diaper bag. Together we hurried up the stairs and I headed to the bedroom as soon as I was in the door.

The pain had become really bad by now and it had spread down my belly, weirdly it only hurt on the right side. Hubby came in with Baby J. and wanted to leave him in his crib but I told him " Please take him with you I don't want him to see me in pain". So, Hubby took Baby J. and all along he kept asking me to get dressed so he could take me to the hospital. Me being my stubborn self held out that this was probably just pain from Baby VP sticking his foot in my ribs and I would soon be OK to set dinner on the table.

Dinner didn't happen. Instead I ended up on all fours on our bedroom floor rocking back and forth trying to move Baby VP's leg out of my ribs which were by now burning white hot with pain and causing me to moan and gasp for air. 
Once Hubby walked in and saw me like this he stopped asking me to get dressed instead he told me very sternly that I had 10 minutes to get ready or he would take me to the hospital just the way I was.

I ended up rushing as fast as I could to take a quick shower which ended up making me nauseous and faint and feeling the pain intensify even more due to the warm water. After getting dressed and preparing the diaper bag (Hubby did the preparing I did the explaining where exactly he could find everything we needed) Hubby left to move the car closer to the building because around this time I couldn't even stand anymore without feeling the world spinning and sweating like a pig while trying to not throw up or faint. While Hubby was gone I called my aunt over to help carry my baby down the stairs and his bag while Hubby helped me navigated the stairs and short walk to the car.

Once in the car I kneeled over the backseat and held on while trying not to faint from lack of air and stabbing pains now all over my right side and the right half of my back. When we arrived at the hospital, I had to hang on to Hubby to even be able to stand upright. Our stay in the emergency room was cut short because I had by now started moaning through each stabbing pain and a poor surgeon there thought I was about to give birth and sent us right up to the Labor And Delivery.

Once, we reached the Labor Ward, I was immediately hooked up to a CTG machine to monitor Baby VP and a blood pressure machine to monitor me. My blood pressure was going crazy every time the stabbing pains started.
Around 10-11p.m. Hubby decided to take Baby J. home and before he left we were told that because they had already given me two shots to calm down my pain and three pain relieving drips the Dr.'s had decided that unless my pain calmed down tomorrow I would undergo a C-Section. We agreed that they should do anything necessary to keep both Baby VP and myself safe and Hubby then left. After Hubby left I received the first shot to strengthen Baby VP's lungs and I ended up spending a sleepless and pain filled night at the hospital. At 2 a.m. I was rushed down to get an emergency ultrasound done. The reason being the Dr. on hand thought maybe I was suffering such pain because of kidney stones. Unfortunately, that wasn't it. Once back in my room I ended up throwing up my noon meal and my blood pressure skyrocketed to some were around 180/120. Thank God, it immediately crashed back down.

At 6 a.m. several wonderful Dr.'s and nurses filled my room and they all asked me if I could hold out another 12 hours in order to receive the second shot for Baby VP's lungs before having a C-Section. I remember telling them that "I'll do all I can for my baby." After the Dr.s walked out, two midwives came in to help me stand up and change from my sweaty clothes into something clean and to change the bed as well. Once they laid me back down, I remember very clearly feeling a sudden burst of pain all along my right side of my back and then the pain moved to the right half of my belly and started intensifying so much that my back arched off the bed bump and all. I opened my mouth to ask for help and instead a scream came out. I don't remember the last time I screamed like that.

The older midwife shouted for the younger one to take my blood pressure because I was turning white, my lips had lost all color , and my eyes were rolling into the back of my head. All the while I was screaming. The younger midwife shouted back that my blood pressure was 80/70 and dropping. So, the older one ran to the door and opened it and a flood of nurses and Dr.s came in my room. One of the Dr.s in charge demanded for an update on my blood pressure and the younger nurse read back 50/40.

By now, the pain was coming in waves and after each wave I would try to breath and not be able to get even a mouthful of air. I mentioned that my tongue and face was starting to feel numb, my legs were numb, and my hands and arms were tingling but falling asleep. Another pain hit me as soon as I finished saying that and when the Dr.s saw me arch like a gymnast one of the lady Dr. grabbed a scissor and started cutting off my gown all the time yelling instructions to prepare the operating room for an emergency C-Section. She also mentioned how much I was sweating and how hot I was becoming.

Baby VP during all this continued to be very calm and didn't allow himself to get riled up at all. I grabbed one of the nurses before they could rush me out of my room and down the hall and demanded she call Hubby. Which she did. As I was being rushed out of the room I glanced at the clock and it read 7:50a.m.
Once in the operating room, the nice nurses helped transfer me to the operating table and immediately started preparing me for the operation. The mask was placed on my face and a hairnet on my head and a sweet midwife came and sat by my head all the time telling me to keep breathing and that Baby VP would be with us soon. I remember turning and asking "you won't cut me open before I'm asleep right? I get to fall asleep before being cut open?" To which the anesthetist's chuckled and patted my cheeks before saying " Mrs. Everyday Mommy, don't worry. In just a few minutes your little son will be joining us."

He did just that Baby VP joined our world on June 24th at 8:08 a.m. weighing 5.62 pounds and measuring 17.32 inches long. 

The next thing I know I heard Hubby asking just how much longer would I be sleeping and when would I be brought to the maternity section of the hospital. The answer was something with "6 hours". I woke up 10-15 minutes later and tried to talk but my mouth was so dry all I could do was croak out "water please". I ended up receiving a sip of water. Hubby patted my head and kissed me and told me Baby VP was a beautiful little guy and to rest a little more. An hour later, I woke up once more thirsty and once more received a sip of water. I finally found my voice and Hubby and I spent an hour catching each other up on what happened before the birth and after.

Baby VP was taken straight from the operating room to the NICU and put into an incubator and given oxygen. His lungs were only half way ready for breathing and he needed some help. Not long after two midwives came back into the room and helped me stand up and change gowns while they re-made the bed. It felt good to be able to stand and it was then that I noticed that the pain was now only located in my back on the right side but that it wasn't even half as bad as before and I could actually sort of breathe.

Once I was all done, Hubby asked if I wanted to see Baby VP and my answer was "Of course!" Someone came and wheeled my bed and me down the hall to the NICU and I met Baby VP for the first time.

It was a bittersweet meeting. 

My heart was filled with love and joy for this little handful of a baby while at the same time it was breaking into tiny little pieces. I struggled to keep my tears and sadness at seeing him fight to breath even with a breathing tube but I failed. Hubby quickly encouraged me that our little boy was a fighter and cheered me up a little so that I could look at my baby without tears blurring my view.

After a few minutes I was taken away to a pre-scheduled x-ray. The Dr.s were all confused because all my ultra-sounds showed a healthy pregnancy and baby and nothing was showing up that could have caused me such pain. The x-rays and blood results all came back perfect as well. Which left all of us with no explanation for my sudden pains.

Once in my room, I struggled to overcome my sadness at being separated from Baby VP and it was then I decided to be as tough as possible. Hubby and Baby J. as well as little VP needed me to be strong. 

Since then, Baby VP and I have had to suffer through hospital transfers, change of staff and Drs., tearful good-beys and good-nights from Baby J. and Hubby, and much more. To read the second half of our birth story tune in tomorrow. 

I've decided to break down our story into two parts. Technically this is the first part...the actual birth. The second part is still ongoing but we finally have the end in sight! Today we received exceptionally good news. Baby VP has been cleared to go home on Monday!!

How happy this makes me.

So, if you're at all curious to know just what happened to Baby VP after he joined the NICU check for a post tomorrow. It'll tell you all about his first week of life here on planet Earth.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

We Were Gone And Now We're Back...With An Announcement!



Anyone wonder where we disappeared too?

Let me tell you it's been quite an adventure...and continuous to be.

June 24th,2015 will forever now be a special day for our family.

Why you ask? Let me tell you.

On June 24th,2015 at 8:08 a.m. a little bundle of joy was born. Baby VP decided he had enough of staying all squished in his mommy's belly and that he wanted to see why Baby J. was having such a grand time all the time...well most of the time.

Our little Baby VP joined our family last week and it has been one thing after another since then.
I don't want to give to much away just yet because I am planning on writing a little "birth story" to share with all my readers. BUT I can tell you that I am doing wonderfully well for now, the regular pains and aches. AND Baby VP is doing much better.

That's right I did say much better. That's because he wasn't doing all that great before the last 2-3 days.

And one more thing...I need to come up with an appropriate nickname now for Baby VP. Problem is that his first name starts with a 'J' as well!

Well, I've got to run the little one is calling. But be prepared for a lenghty little post about all the things Baby VP and I have been through leading up to his birth and after!