Where was I?

My days all blend together.  I sort of forgot how it is in the early days of having a newborn. While I don't quite feel like I have been hit by a train the way that I was when Liam was born, it is still a little disorienting.  Fortunately the past week and a half Ansley has been mostly sleeping and waking every few hours to feed.  She is starting to have longer periods of awake time.  She really is such a calm, sweet baby.  Liam is also starting to turn a corner and has finally acknowledged that he has a sister "Easley."  He will now come up to her when prompted and kiss her head.  Much better than the early days where he would yell, "NO!" and run away from her.  He also is trying to help us by throwing away her diapers, bringing her receiving blankets, and bringing her toys. 

I have decided to post a couple of details about Ansley's birth along with some pictures.  Mostly because I use this blog to document many things that have happened in our lives, and I am afraid if I wait too long I will forget these things and Ansley will be going to kindergarten.

Liam's birth was not a planned c-section and came after many hours of laboring with little success when my doctor told me that we needed to go another route.  I didn't have time to think about the c-section at the time and knew that it was needed for Liam's health.  This time around, my doctor told me that she felt that I was a better candidate for another c-section.  When they say "planned c-section" they mean planned c-section.  About two weeks before the scheduled procedure I received a letter from my hospital with a confirmation number and the date, time and location of the procedure.  I think I thought I would have a little more say in the date, but it is not exactly like booking dinner reservations.  However, at my last appointment before my c-section, my doctor discovered that I was already having consistent contractions and that was almost 5 cm dilated.  So my procedure was pushed up to the next day. 

I was a little bit in shock even though I knew that it was always a possibility.  I called Eric and my mother-in-law, who fortunately was already en route to Dallas to spend the weekend with us before I had the baby.  I went to the office and wrapped up...6 1/2 years of service in two hours and came home to....twiddle my thumbs.  Too late for anything really productive like Christmas shopping.  And forget trying to have a good night's sleep the night before you know that you are going to have a baby!

Friday morning Eric and I had to wake up at 3:30 am to be able to call the hospital at 4:30 am to "check-in."  Fortunately my good friend, Deanna, was able to come stay with Liam and get him to school that morning.  Then we had to make it to the hospital by 5:30 am to check into labor and delivery.  It was all very regimented.  I even walked to the operating table by myself.  In fact I think I have had oil changes that have taken longer than the whole process. At about 7:15 I was in surgery and everything after that is a little fuzzy.  During my spinal block I had a "wet tap" which caused some complications and prevented me from having an epidural.  I came down with a severe headache and nausea, the details of which I will spare you. The next thing I really remember is being in recovery and the nurses asking me if I wanted to feed Ansley.  I had to stay laying down for several hours until the headache went away.  

Later when we were taken to the hospital room which would be our home for the next few days, my mother-in-law arrived.  A little while later, a woman who looked remarkably like my sister-in-law, Jolyn, showed up.  It turned out that it was Jolyn and that she had woken up extra early with my niece, Holly and nephew, Sam, to make a marathon drive from Wichita, KS to be with us.  What a blessing to have family there for this.  Especially because Liam LOVES his cousins and it was nice to not worry about him feeling neglected during this whole period.  It also enabled Eric to stay with me every night at the hospital, knowing that Liam was in great hands. 

The recovery has been similar to my first c-section and we are trying to settle in as best as we can into what will become our new "normal." Now that I will be a stay-at-home mom, I will try to update the blog more, although it will probably be with the mundane details of our lives!

I needed at least one dramatic labor photo. 

Ansley makes her photo debut.

She weighed in a pound heavier than her big brother did at birth.

Average size head unlike her kinfolk.

Ansley meet Mama.  Mama meet Ansley.

Grandma Becky and Ansley

Cousins Holly and Sam and Aunt Jolyn

Liam, Holly and Sam.  The cousins have decided that it is time to stop calling Liam, "The baby Liam."

Proud Papa

Holly, Liam, Eric, Ansley and Sam

Beautiful flowers from Eric's Neiman Marcus family.

Liam meets Ansley for the first time.  He had more interest in the saltine crackers and rocking chair in my room.

Sweet moment between Daddy and Ansley.

Doing what she does best.  Snuggling and snoozing.

My kiddos!