Welcome Home!

Lissie's been home for a couple of weeks now, and she's rapidly adjusting to life outside the womb. Moreover, Rupert is also rapidly adjusting to life with a newborn. Their first interactions were priceless, and Ru has quickly learned his role as protector of his new little "sister."





Of course, life with Lissie has been an adjustment for all of us. The first few days, especially, were...interesting. We hadn't yet mastered the art of deciphering her cries - and, especially at night, it made for two frustrated parents! Top that off with the fact that I was still recuperating from surgery and wasn't allowed to do much for those first few days - well, I felt pretty helpless.

Fast forward three weeks (wow, has it really been three weeks?!?), and we've all settled into a pretty steady routine (where's the wood to knock?). Justin's back at work, and Lissie and I are managing life at home pretty well. She's learning the difference between days and nights, and that at night she's allowed to sleep a little bit longer between feedings (thank goodness!). She's not stressing out about tummy time nearly as much as the first few attempts:



And, in fact, she even managed to roll over from her tummy to her back once (almost twice)!

She loves being read to - she's especially interested in the rhythmic sounds of poems. She loves being held - by anyone, she's not picky. She loves her My Little Lamb swing and being swaddled.

She doesn't love going for walks in her stroller, even though Mommy makes her do so every day for exercise. She definitely doesn't love her crib. She hates being put down, even when she's sleeping - and will wake up when you try. She's not so fond of baths, but she's at least starting to get through them without tears.

As for me? I love being her mother. I love knowing that I'm able to provide her with all the sustenance she needs to survive. I love it when I can read her cues before the tears start to fall. I love Harvey Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block techniques (total lifesaver!). I love her. Oh, And I love being able to see my toes.

It's not all rosy of course: I'm not much of a fan of the choppy sleep (naps at 9:30am - really?) and having to be super organized about what gets accomplished each day. I miss being able to leave the house whenever I want (Lissie's only been to Mass and the pediatrician's office and probably won't get too much more outside exposure until her two-month vaccinations), and I miss eating a relaxing meal with Justin (usually one of us is rushing to eat so we can get back to our daughter - we even had a date night last week and couldn't enjoy it much since we wanted to get back to her so fast!).

So, yes, the last three weeks have been life changing. And, yeah, there are things I'm going to have to adjust and get used to, but this little one is totally worth it:

Lissie's Birth Story - by Daddy

It is in my nature to freak out. Any of my classmates can testify to this. Back in my schoolin’ days, I could frequently be seen bouncing off the walls, pulling all-nighters, and re-reading every single word the last few moments before any big exam or project no matter how well prepared I actually was. Fortunately, I haven’t experienced any of that in a long while until Lissie’s scheduled birth started to approach with increasing speed.

Knowing exactly the moment my daughter would be born did not calm my anxieties or excitement any less. The C-section class, the breastfeeding class, the newborn care class, the books, and internet forums seemed to do nothing to prepare us for this moment now that it was here. (I did realize later that all that information had proven to be valuable.)

The night before her birth, Noreen and I were in such a high state of expectation that we were unable to sleep more than an hour. At 12:30 a.m., we both laid there talking. Did we pack everything for the hospital? Did we get everyone’s e-mail addresses? With the impending storm and flash flooding, what time did we have to leave for the hospital? We also discussed whether or not we were actually ready to become parents. Eventually, we were able to catch an hour of sleep.

When it finally came time for us to head out and despite having a list of everything needed for the hospital, I ended up leaving my cell phone behind – of all days! We met Noreen’s parents there and after a short wait, the staff efficiently, and with care, prepped us for surgery. It was nice to have a fetal heart rate monitor drumming away in the prep room. Hearing Lissie’s heart beating away at 139 bpm calmed us.

Before we knew it, the time finally arrived for the surgery to begin and our doctor wasted no time diving in there. I’ve known for a long time that I would probably cry the moment I saw Lissie. If only I were able to place a bet on that fact...

When our doctor said, “Ok, dad. It’s time,” I stood up to see Lissie being raised up and the floodgates let forth. One of the main reasons for all the eye leakage was how Lissie looked just like my late mother, especially her eyes. Her resemblance was apropos seeing as how my mother always wanted to have a daughter. Through the waterworks, I was able to stand by Lissie as they cleaned and weighed her and take pictures of her first moments out of the womb. I then took Lissie over to mom to finally start our family.

The remainder of our tenure at the hospital went by as smoothly as possible, albeit with short bouts of crying and lack of sleep. The staff’s expertise, knowledge, and level of care helped us to bond with Lissie quickly. And the hospital room didn’t feel so foreign with the grandparents and friends visiting us every day.

Those first few days with Lissie helped to solidify my confidence that I will do my best to be an exceptional father.

Lissie's Birth Story - by Mommy

It was a strange feeling knowing exactly when my daughter was going to be born. Towards the end of the pregnancy, I couldn't decide if this knowledge was a blessing or not. On the one hand, I didn't have to worry about going into labor or having my water break in public. On the other hand, though, I felt like my anticipation was heightened because I knew in advance the exact moment that my life was going to change forever.

As mentioned in a previous post, Justin and I ended our last night as a family of two with a date. We had a splendid Italian dinner at Mamma Mia, followed by tasty dessert at Sweet Cece's. (Why did I take advantage of the Buy One Get One Free special for pregnant women only on my last evening as a pregnant woman?!?)

The plan was to go to bed early because we were waking up at 4am to get our last minute stuff in order before our 5:30am appointment at the hospital. Ha! Justin and I slept for maybe an hour - we were excited and anxious and nervous all at the same time. We kept praying that everything would go smoothly and that Felicity would be born healthy and with no complications. We also kept wondering exactly how things would be different with a newborn in the picture. It was definitely a nerve-racking last few hours as being just us!

Finally, it was time to go. Naturally, in typical Justin fashion, he realizes that he left his cell phone at home as we got on the onramp to the highway. Of course this happens on the day that he'd be making the most phone calls of his life! It was too late to turn back, especially with the inclement rainy weather, so we just kept trudging on.

We got to the hospital and met my mom and dad. After I was all prepped for the surgery, they were able to come into my room to help alleviate those last minute anxieties. If I didn't know better, I coulda sworn I saw tears in both of them as they wheeled me off to surgery just before 7:30am.

The Cesarean itself was easy-peasy...I didn't feel a thing! And before I knew it, I was able to see (and hear!) my daughter, Felicity Christine, for the first time. It all happened so super fast! After Lissie was checked out by the nurses, they brought her back to me, and she stayed in my arms as they finished up the rest of my surgery. It was definitely very surreal.



The surgery was over in under an hour! We were all taken to the recovery room, where I started to feel the pain once the spinal anesthesia wore off. Even though I hurt A LOT (despite having started pain meds), I was still so relieved that everything turned out okay and that I had a beautiful, healthy baby girl in my arms.

My parents and Justin's dad met us up in our hospital room, and we all relished in the new addition to our family. We took a gazillion pictures and simply couldn't take our eyes off of this little tiny girl. We all agreed that, in many ways, Felicity is the spitting image of her Lola Hilda - Justin's mom, who passed away almost five years ago. How awesome and amazing is this circle of life?!?

Lissie and I were extremely worn out and called it a day pretty early.



The next few days were spent simply recovering. I was in loads of pain the first day, but every passing day got better, and I managed to do some laps in the hallway every day.



It was hard for Justin and I to adjust to being woken up by crying, but we got used to it and have started to listen for and read her signals and cues better with each passing day.

We were blessed with lots of visitors - friends, co-workers, and even Ninang Marlene dropped in - which helped speed the recovery process along.

We finally got to leave on Saturday, and the adventures are just now beginning!

One of my favorite first pictures of my new daughter:

Lissie's Birth Story - by Lissie

I wasn't quite ready to make my appearance into the world when I did - I still had one more week left in my reservation at Mommy's utero-hotel! I should have known, though, that something was up when Mommy didn't settle down to get her rest the night of March 8th. She was very active and kept talking to Daddy, so I wasn't able to get much sleep myself.

Then things got even more strange when I realized that we were getting up super early! I could hear lots of voices - including Lolo and Lola's, plus lots of other people who I couldn't recognize. Around 7:30am, there was a whole lot more commotion, and I started to get very scared because I didn't know what was going on at all.

At 7:56am, I found myself being lifted out of Mommy's womb, and I realized that this was it! I'm born! I was so excited, I couldn't stop crying! They let me see Mommy for a second before taking me to the other side of the room to make sure I was okay. I didn't mind these tests because Daddy was with me the entire time. I noticed that Daddy was crying, so I kept crying, too. I think we were both just super excited to finally meet each other face-to-face!

In no time at all, they let Mommy hold me for the first time, and we were all together for the first time as a family! We even got our first family photo taken! I was so happy!




I was able to stay with Mommy as she recovered, and we took the time getting to know each other. I was still getting used to my voice, so I couldn't stop crying! It was also here that I met my Lola Poy - Mommy's Mommy- for the first time, too!

After a few hours, we were taken to our hospital room where I met my two Lolos - Ernie and Romy. Everyone was so happy, and again there were lots and lots of photos.





I had my first bath - not a fun experience - and slept a lot. It was a very exhausting day!

I had some trouble getting used to night time, and so I stayed up a lot and cried. I think it frustrated Mommy and Daddy, but we're all learning how to please each other!

While I was there, we had lots of visitors and received pretty flowers. We finally got to leave on Saturday, after a few days of making sure me and Mommy were both okay. Now I'm adjusting to life at home and having so much fun taking the whole world in one day at a time!

Our Lenten Preparations

Today is our last day as non-parents. Today also just happens to be Mardi Gras. What better way to celebrate both than by having one final Date Night before Baby Girl arrives? After Justin gets off of work (his last day for two weeks!), we're headed to Mama Mia's and Sweet Cece's to celebrate Fat Tuesday before hopefully getting to bed early for a ridiculously early appointment at the hospital (5:30am to prep for the 7:30am c-section)!

This also means that our daughter will be born on Ash Wednesday - a day of fasting, and the first day of Lent. How appropriate, since I have to fast anyway after 10pm and will be on a liquid diet for a while after surgery.

What are we giving up for Lent this year? Isn't it obvious - sleep! And maybe candy, too.

A Nursery Made With Love

Thanks, mainly, to Justin for assembling the furniture (including installing a ceiling fan/light fixture!) and for adding the wall art. Our nursery is complete and ready for Baby Yasette!

Check out the cool morphed before/after shots:
















I think Baby Girl Y is going to love her new room!

Final thoughts about pregnancy

In less than two days, I'll finally get to meet my daughter. Being a planner, I'm glad to know when it's happening...but it definitely is a little surreal at the same time.

Friday was my last day of work. It was weird turning in my keys and hauling (or rather, having Justin haul) the last bit of my stuff to the car and saying goodbye to my co-workers that I've known for over four years. It was difficult saying goodbye to my class and former students, and I made lots of promises to come visit and introduce them to Baby Yasette. It was a good last day - I ended it with my annual field trip to the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, where my kids managed to raise the most money for the hospital (over $2200!) than any class I ever had. What better way to end my tenure at the school?

I've been spending these last few days before Baby Girl's arrival getting the house cleaned, the nursery as ready as can be, and doing all sorts of last minute things that I don't want to be bothered with once she arrives (i.e. car oil changes and those dreaded taxes)!

Anyway, before Baby Girl arrives and I forget what it's like to be pregnant, here are my parting thoughts on this pregnancy:

* I've definitely had it easy. Even with the emergency hospital visit back in December, I've been blessed with a relatively painless pregnancy. I almost feel guilty when I talk to my pregnant friends who've experienced all sorts of symptoms that I've somehow managed to avoid.

* Having said that, though, this last trimester has been rough - but nothing to really complain about. Yeah, I had to give up walking (waddling?) in a 5K and exercise has pretty much been nonexistent but it's been better than the few days that I had to deal with ridiculous back pain and heating pads. Yeah, I've had to wake up several times a night to go to the bathroom, but at least I've always been able to go back to sleep afterwards (with a few exceptions). Yeah, my big belly gets in the way sometimes and causes me to move slower, but it's not something I can't manage.

* I'm going to miss the pregnancy perks: strangers who let me cut in line at the restroom (especially when it's a long one, like at the Preds game last month!), people offering to help me with my bags at the grocery store, the expectant mom parking, and just the general kindness I've felt among people throughout this pregnancy.

* Boys have it easy. Justin has said throughout these last few months that he'd gladly trade places with me if he could...or at least tag-team it so he'll carry the next kid. I wish...

Here's some of the latest pregnancy shots (taken at 38 weeks) before the focus turns solely on Baby Girl Y:

Dr. Seuss - in utero

I've been reading some stories to Baby Yasette, and this is one of my favorites (and probably hers, too).

(I think this was taken around week 35, but we just now figured out how to format the video for blog-ability.)