I woke up with contractions in the middle of the night Monday night/Tuesday morning and was up for several hours but then they stopped so we were still waiting. We went for a long walk Tuesday morning to try to encourage things to move along and it worked! By 1pm I was having contractions again and they were getting stronger and closer together. We called the doctor and she said to go ahead and come in. We called our friends to come get Katie and off we went.
Checking in at the emergency room at the hospital was a little strange because it was full of poeple in masks who might have swine flu. Great way to start labor! Pretty quickly someone told me to put a mask on since I was obviously pregnant so here's how cute I looked...
We had to wait a while for my doctor and then MUCH TOO LONG for the epidural (yes, I am a BIG fan!). They had 20 babies born that day in the hospital so I guess the anestheiologist was a little busy. After a few hours of really tough labor I finally got the epidural and everything calmed down a little. Just like with Katie, once things got started my labor went pretty quickly. When my doctor got there around 6pm she said, "Oh yeah, I'll be home in time for dinner!" Granted, Portuguese eat dinner later than most Americans but what she meant was that this was going to be quick.
I was her only patient that night so she hung out with us in my room and we watched a soccer game on TV and then she said, "Ok, let's go!" Off we went to the delivery room and 3 contractions later, at 8:11pm, Carly was out! It went amazingly quickly! I am really thankful! Our doctor was great and Jonathan was able to be there for all of it cheering me on. Here's the proud papa...
Our first picture together.
Mommy, Daddy, and Carly
Sleeping Beauty
How's the big sister doing, you ask? Well, she's doing pretty well! I'd say she's been a little more stressed out than normal and kind of emotionally tired - who is this little thing my mom is always holding??? but everyday has gotten better and she's been super sweet to her new little sister. Right away Katie wanted to hold her and touch her and figure out who or what this was. Its been pretty cute to see her warm up to Carly and try to show her things and include her in her playing.
Here's our first picture together just minutes after the sisters met...
Ready to go home!
We're glad to be at home and we're so thankful that we're all healthy and doing well. We've already been given more meals than nights we've been home and we have lots of offers to watch Katie so Mom and Dad can get little more rest. We really appreciate all of the support we have!
And, Grammy arrives on Saturday!!! Just when we'll really be needing an extra set of hands as the sleep deprivation really sets in!
So, all in all, we're doing great! Thanks for checking in on us!
4 comments:
We'll be praying for you to get some sleep and that you enjoy these exhaustingly beautiful first few weeks with Carly. She's beautiful. And I am a HUGE fan of epidurals too. After 19 hours of labor with Karis, I finally got one since it took awhile for me to get a bed and there were two emergency C-sections that day with lots of babies being born too. We will be praying for you! Love the Kehoes
She is BEAUTIFUL!!! What an incredible family of 4...we love you and will be praying for strength through this recovery phase for all of you! Praise God for 2 beautiful girls!!!
Congratulations, Shoemakers!!! We are so thrilled for you and Carly Jean is beautiful, just like your little Katie.
Sending lot's of love in this transition during your sleepless nights!!
The Levasheffs
I can't believe how much KATIE has grown in just a few short months! We're so happy for the four of you. We love the name Carly and we're sure she's going to be as loveable as her big sister. CONGRATS!!!
Post a Comment