This entire pregnancy we've been anticipating a scheduled c a la Lukie but to no one's great surprise the littlest Maio lady had her own plans.
I had a huge work event two days before the scheduled c, so I kept telling babers to stay put at least until then (Erin Wille, we are officially borrowing the phrase). At the end of a long and successful day I got home and finally sat down for ten seconds. Only to realize that yeah, those are definitely contractions. They weren't very steady so I just mentioned it to Matt and we went to bed. Sunday I woke up and they were still there, getting a little more consistent throughout the morning. At this point any
first timer rational person would have called their doc, but I knew mine would just say "come in and we'll do the section now" which I didn't have time for. The reno is about done in terms of construction and stuff that Matt had on his list but nowhere near done for decorating and little artsy projects I wanted GG to do. I was only getting around to sewing the dang curtain panels at 10:30 last Friday night, much less making it her space (to say nothing of Luke's room or the baby's).
So instead of picking up the phone I just slogged through the day, taking little 30-45 second breaks every 8 or 9 minutes. My smartest move? Probably not. But when sh!t started getting real I did finally call and sure enough, we were en route for a section at about 5:30 Sunday night...all of 15 hours in advance of the scheduled surgery.
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| what's got two thumbs and has been laboring for a day and a half? this gal. |
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| in the middle of a contraction, 2008 |
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| 2014. some things never change. |
The procedure was its own brand of ick but from a medical perspective went smoothly. The nurse managed to get my IV in on the first go which is a nice change of pace, and I knew to request NO DURAMORPH so I didn't end up itching like a crack addict. And when they lifted that little munchkin over the blue sheet I thought 'hooray, she's here! And she's perfect! And she's...GG's clone?'.
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| GG |
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| Kieks |
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| mommy cooked me up good |
Her poor little face was smushed up and she was a tad blue for a few seconds, but Kiera Anne came out screaming at 8:47 p.m. on Sunday, June 1 (apparently she was NOT going to share a birthday, even with daddy). She was 20.25" and 8 lbs 0.4 oz with a pile of hair and a series of plump, healthy chins. Now, a few days later, she shares GG's coloring but I see more Lukie in her facial features. Can't wait to see what color her eyes end up being.
Recovery this time around was pretty rough the first two days. I was once again the lucky recipient of referred pain under my shoulder which apparently happens when too much air enters the body during abdominal procedures. It goes away after a few days but in the meantime the pain shooting through my neck, back, arm, and head were far worse than the incision. A couple of Percocet had me feeling better but wore off after about 45 minutes. And you call yourself a narcotic. I despise being in the hospital. The vitals checks, the constant stream of random doctors, the noise from the rest of the unit...ugh, it all makes me want to get out ASAP. As such I was really hoping to stay just two days but the pain was just too much. I reluctantly took another day which - although incredibly annoying - was the right thing to do.
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| day 1 - ice pack on shoulder not helping pain. |
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| warm snuggly newborn love, helping pain |
Matt brought GG and Luke on Monday night to meet their new sibling. It was basically chaos. They were super excited and bouncing off the walls (of the very small room), enjoying every button and switch they could find. And poor Luke just wanted me to carry him which I was so far from being even close to doing. We calmed them down long enough to both have a look and a cuddle with new baby sis, and then I turned to Matt and announced that it was time for the bigs to hit the road. Fortunately we captured a couple precious moments which is how I will choose to remember that crazy night.
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| very proud big sis |
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| this picture slays me. he looks so little still but his giant mits on that baby just kill me! |
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| fam-o-five |
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| dad pass...take III |
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| chunky monkey |
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| working on her evil eye |
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| proud papa |
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| taking it in |
Feeling a bit better, we finally blew that popsicle stand on Wednesday morning. GG was in school so Matt and Luke came with Grandma Heidi to get everyone back safe and sound. Side note: while I was in the hospital my mom had the Maid Brigade (or whomever) come to the house and do a floor to ceiling scrub. We still had dust and debris from the reno and there was truly no better way to return home than to it all just being gone. Thanks mom! Anyway although Luke didn't really take in the scope of what was happening, he did show concern when the baby cried. So that's a definite plus from what I was expecting (which was of course that he would just drag the babe all around the floor).
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| i'm a big bruh-duh |
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| announcing 'mommy, da baby's twy-ing' |
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| just home from school and swapping stories |
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| so sweetie |
By Thursday I was still hurting but at least it was due to the actual incision and the 19 staples which accompanied it (seriously, 19? My doc, who did not deliver the babers, looked at me and said "that seems like overkill don't you think?" Uh well YES I do, but my opinion was not solicited on the operating table). No rest for the weary though, as Friday morning was Genevieve's K4 'Fly Up' ceremony, followed by her dance recital rehearsal from about 4-9 p.m. Hmmm, let's think of ways to torture a 4 day post-partum woman......don't allow her access to coffee or ibuprofen.....have the dog bark so startlingly at nothing that her heart stops.....or best of all send her to activities showing her oldest is growing up so quickly. YES, that'll do it! So while I did manage to get to the cafe-gym-a-torium on time it was without the necessary tissues for the sobbing that ensued. Don't mind me, I just bought a first class ticket on the hormone express. Destination: Crazyville.
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| gg's first day of 4K. crisp white shirt, velcro shoes, ready to go |
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| gg's
last day of 4K. untucked shirt is an shade of white that would make any dry cleaner see dollar signs. she styled her own hair, buttoned her own sweater,
tied her own shoes, and is ready to take on kindergarden! |
Waterworks aside the ceremony was adorable. Each K4-kid has a 4th grade buddy who escorted them to the stage which was very sweet. The young'uns all sang some songs and got to talk into the microphone, announcing "May there always be _______". GG said rainbows. Some other wishes included X-boxes, toys, and air (Matt was impressed with that one).
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| daddy and lukie - red polo, camo-colored short twinsies |
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| mommy and the graduate |
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| note to self: kieks requires shades pronto |
We joined a bunch of her classmates at the park afterward. It was a gorgeous day and totally tuckered the kids out, so hooray all around. But we had to get home and grab a nap in time for the big recital rehearsal that night.
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| i like naps...provided they're between the hours of 8 a.m.-8 p.m. |
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| i have no idea where she gets it |
Living up to my post-partum-ness, I forgot her practice leotard on rehearsal night and dang near forgot her slippers on recital night. Lord help me. Fortunately hubs brought the leotard on Friday night without so much as a peep about me being out of my mind. Sometimes what you don't say is as important as what you do say.
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| vamping at rehearsal. and yes, her toes are about to pop out of those slippers. A+ stage mom, right here |
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| so grown up i can't stand it! |
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| it's SHOWTIME! |
Everyone came on Saturday night for the big gig. Both grandmas and grandpas, Auntie Erin, Uncle Steve, cousin Logan, and of course dad and Luke too. Once again Luke sat beautifully for the whole recital. Methinks he likes the dancing ladies. Although he did add commentary every time the lights went down between numbers. Which was fun for all since his volumes are loud or louder. So I was grateful for forgiving audience members when at the sound of a baby crying when he questioned "who's dat twy-ing??" or suddenly between two numbers he announced "Oh no, I for-dot my Pooey!"
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| perfecting the arabesque |
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| hi, i'm six days old and attending my second ballet event |
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| the little prankster has a new use for the tutu |
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| karl and pete apparently shop at the same store |
By the time Sunday's matinee rolled around we were all cashed out. What can I say, it was a busy week. A few days later I won't say things have slowed down but they're less scheduled which is good because let's be serious, life with an infant means that time just disappears into thin air. I could barely get a nap or a shower and there were three other adults in the house for God's sake. It's going to be a lazy - and probably slightly smelly - summer, which I'm all for. And I know that all of us are going to cherish these first few weeks with the newest Maio because it just goes by too quickly.
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| hi, i have three kids and i'm exhausted |
