Here we are!

Wow, time really does fly when you have a new baby. I'm sorry for keeping you all hanging and I do appreciate all the lovely comments. Everything is great here and the little one is right here next to me on the couch, my usual perch for computing. I don't know how much time I'll have to write this entry, so let me just start with the arrival story.

At last update, we were expecting to do a c-section on Friday the 22nd, due to his transverse position, as well as slightly low fluid and cord around the neck. Well, on Monday the 18th I went for my OB visit and my blood pressure was elevated. She was concerned enough to send me to the hospital for observation, though was pretty sure I would be sent home after a few hours. I went to the hospital and spent about 5 hours in triage, being monitored. An ultrasound showed that fluid was a bit lower, but baby was fine. However, my blood pressure kept spiking, so they admitted me overnight. After a very sleepless night (blood pressure being monitored every 30 minutes at first, and then at 1:00 am being moved to a shared room with a woman on bedrest who kept coughing and using her call button to ask for various things...), I was told by the doctors that they wanted to go ahead and do the c-section that day. There just wasn't any point in waiting and my blood pressure was worrisome enough that they didn't want me to get any worse. So I called J at work and gave him the news (he had come by the evening before to bring me some stuff and visit with me, but had gone home to sleep and get in a good day at work). He frantically finished up as much work as he could and joined me by mid-afternoon. C-section was scheduled for 4 pm, but of course we ended up waiting much longer. I was surprisingly calm, even as we heard that the c-section before us was taking longer than usual due to some complications. At 8:00pm we were finally taken back to be prepped. It turned out that the doctor from my practice who was on call was not my actual doctor, but one who I like very much, so I was pleased. She had been checking on me all day and was nice and calm, so I guess that helped.

Going into the operating room was surreal. It was so bright. I climbed up on the table all by myself and they got me all hooked up. (I had had an IV since my arrival the night before...) The worse part was getting the spinal injection. Actually, it was the numbing shot before the spinal that was the worst, and then I didn't feel anything. J was not in the room with me yet, and I was squeezing the doctor between my legs to brace for the pain. It only lasted a second. Then I got all laid out and the sheet was raised. After a few more minutes, they let J come in. When he saw me, I think he freaked out a bit. At first I didn't recognize him because of the mask and hat (his smurf suit, as the nurse called it), but then I did, and he was so pale and almost crying when he got to me. Later he said it was just so freaky to see me all exposed like that, and it seemed all too real. Anyway, I was so happy to have him there right beside me, and I squeezed his hand the whole time.

The most important person to me at that moment however was the anesthesiologist. At first I was kind of nervous when I met him before going into the OR, because he looked like he was about 12. He was very nice though. I told him that I often get faint with medical procedures and that I was also afraid of puking. He told me to let him know at the faintest sign of nausea, which I did almost immediately at the beginning of the procedure. He put something in my IV and within seconds I felt better. Later on, I started to feel faint and told him again, and he kept me from passing out.

As I have heard before, I could not feel any pain or even discomfort, just moving around. It was totally weird. I was looking into J's eyes and squeezing his hand, waiting for some news. Then they said "the baby is out!". We just looked at each other because it was so quiet and we didn't really believe it. It seemed like an eternity as they took him over to the warming station to get him rubbed down. J did not look over the sheet to see him coming out - he did not want to see my open belly and I totally understand. So he waited with me. Then we heard the most beautiful sound in the world - our little baby crying. Of course we both started to cry at that moment. A minute or two later, they invited J over to see the baby. He went and took pictures - I told him to bring me the camera so I could see. So that was my first glimpse at my baby boy - through our digital camera. It was still surreal. Finally, the nurse brought him over to me, all bundled up, and I got to see his beautiful face. Of course I cried again - I could not believe this was finally my baby, in the flesh. It was pure joy.

I'm going to have to leave you there for now - we need to go out now. But I will finish the update later...