Happy Birthday, Jobie!

I can't believe an entire year has gone by since Kelly was born. How did that happen?! While many of you are familiar with the birth story, I'll go ahead and post it here for kicks. It was a planned c-section...


We checked into the hospital Friday morning around 10:30am. They got me hooked up to the fetal monitors and did some routine blood work. The nurse (Tammy) was pretty funny. It was sometimes surreal that I was about to give birth! At 12:30pm, they had me walk into the Operating Room. Kinda weird to look around and see where it all happens. And the room was freezing! I climbed up onto the table and the anesthesiologist came in to get the spinal going. That was actually the part I was most nervous about. But it was easier and not nearly as painful as the epidural I had w/Kyle. The nurse held my hands during it (they wouldn’t let Jehremy in the room until they were ready to start the c/s) and all I could say was “This is the stupidest song ever”. ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’ was on the radio and it was annoying me! She laughed and let the anesthesiologist know I didn’t like his music choice. Within minutes, all feeling left my body from the chest down. Such a strange feeling to NOT feel anything at all. The finished the prep and Jehremy came in. Dr. de la Pena came in and told me I barely made it...his wife was starting labor w/their twins and I was the last delivery he’d be making for a few weeks. Phew! I felt a little nauseated for a few minutes, then it stopped. The whole time the radio was on, the doctors and nurses were chatting w/each other and myself. Very relaxed atmosphere. I got nauseated a 2nd time and threw up a bit. But after that time, all was well again. The dr asked Jehremy if he wanted to peek over the curtain and see her being born. So he did! He even got some cool pictures. Nothing gross at all...just my big belly and Kelly’s head coming out of it. She started screaming right away. They were all very happy w/her strong lungs! And instantly, that undescribable feeling of joy and love washed over both of us. She’s really here! I could see them cleaning her up and waited to hear how big she was. As she was coming out, the Dr. said, “She’s a big one!” So I was expecting 9 pounds at least. The nurse says “7lbs 10oz” WHAT?! I laughed at how teeny she was. They told me that was a decent size and I said, “Not when your 1st was 9lb 7oz!” She also had a ton of dark, curly hair. (kyle was pretty much bald) It was so surreal! As Jehremy went w/her to the nursery, they continued to sew me up. I could actually see it all in the reflection in the light above. It was kind of cool to watch! I saw my uterus on top of my belly and everything. It didn’t freak me out like I thought it would, since there was no feeling attached to what I was watching. I also think I commented more than twice about how relaxed I was finally! The past few months were so physically uncomfortable for me, it was heaven to lie there and not feel a thing! I was then wheeled into the recovery room where they brought Kelly to me to nurse. The nurse pretty much laid her on my chest and Kelly latched on w/out any help! She was a pro! All in all, I must say the whole “mood” of the scheduled c/s was so relaxed and pleasant. I actually want to say “fun”! I did have to share a room for the 1st 3 days, but even that wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be. I was able to get out of bed the next morning and was so surprised at how much less pain I already had than w/Kyle’s c/s. From then on, the recovery was so much better and easier. I loved walking the halls and feeling great. Kelly is such a wonderful baby! We didn’t think we could get lucky twice and it happened. I absolutely loved our time in the hospital. Just the 2 of us laying around together. Even since we’ve been home, she’s been amazingly easy and mellow. She’s a champion nurser and has already caught back up to her birth weight in 6 days. I can’t imagine life w/out her. She’s such a joy!

Fast forward 1 year later.

Kelly is still an incredibly happy, sweet little girl. She's more reserved than her brother, but is definitely developing a goofy side. She's been so sweet that if I were guaranteed the next child would be as easy, I'd probably have another one soon. (but 2 good kids in a row already? my odds are stacking against me) I think one of the best parts about Kelly joining our family has been watching the relationship between her and Kyle. They just love each other to pieces. While I'm sad the baby stage is quickly leaving us, I'm excited to continue to see her personality develop. I love you, baby girl!

(here's some pictures I had done the other day. she's such a girl. she was not fond of the frosting or cake actually touching her body)