Kinsley's Long Awaited Arrival...

Oh my sweet, little blog...no I did not forget about you! Goodness have things changed since I last saw you! As you all know our sweet, little Kinsley FINALLY arrived after many hours of an attempt to bring her into this great big world! We have been full of nothing but love for her for the past month, and continue to be amazed with our creation!

The beautiful day began like any other on May 15, 2013, despite our early morning wake up and the mere fact that we were bursting with excitement to see what this glorious (and long awaited) might bring...our hopes were, of course, that our baby girl would be brought into the world! We headed on our long, treacherous 5 minute drive to the hospital 6:00am scheduled induction...but hey what's 5 minutes when you've been waiting almost 2 weeks past your due date anyway!?!?!? We arrive at a seemingly empty hospital and head up an empty elevator to the 4th floor of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance. We get checked in in a silent office where there seems to be nothing going on, realizing we have no idea what we are signing up for, and about to experience in the coming hours! 

We head into the labor and delivery room and get settled in to my beautiful hospital gown, and in that moment I knew I was giving up every ounce of  humility known to man (though I had no idea how much I would actually be forced to succumb to)! We ran the tests, filled out the paper work, and x marked the spot it was time to have this baby! Up first was the dreaded IV...My blood pressure was SKY HIGH because of the anticipation for this (all my life...even throughout the pregnancy...my blood pressure is pretty low)...so high that they had to readminister the test a while later, of course little did they know it was my body's way of getting ready for the unavoidable! HA! So, they ran the IV...I did fairly well considering...didn't get weak or flush faced like normal...but I wasn't happy! Finally, it was in and I tried not to pay attention to it! Soon, after that they administered the pitocin and the contractions started coming right away! They then broke my water about 8:30am and it was showtime! I was dying to eat food and it was hard to watch every meal come and go with only ice chips on my menu! By 3:00 I ate 3 cups of ice chips and felt like it was a full meal...that is pretty bad when ice chips feel like a meal! 

You know you're in labor...when ice chips
feel like a complete meal! 

I came in in the morning dilated to a 1-2cm and a favorable cervix but not thinned too much, soon after the pitocin started flowing...contractions started and we slowly saw progress...by 5:00 I had made it to 4 cm...and really had to breathe through each contraction. We decided it was time for that dreaded but hopefully helpful epidural. I will admit... I was super anxious about the epidural and tried to be brave. They made Jeff sit on a chair in front of me and the nurse held me in front. Poor Jeff had to sit and watch the spectacle like an audience member. I was tough at first, then got a little jumpy. I could feel the sting and pressure, and didn't like it much. Before I knew it, tears started to flow and I just started to cry...a sense of overwhelmingness overtook me I think, and I was just scared more than anything and didn't know when the pain of this huge needle would end! Jeff sat and watched feeling sad and helpless as he watched the tears fall and heard my whimper of a cry. :( 

Trying to be brave for that EPIDURAL!

Soon enough, the epidural kicked in and I could no longer feel the contractions! I was ready to start the progression (little did I know there would be none). I remember telling them I didn't think it had kicked in yet...they told me to lift my legs...I did (or at least tried to), it was at that moment I knew it was working! So, for hours we waited...they tried to up the pitocin but little miss was bumping her head on the cervix so they had to bring it back down (how they can tell that from a monitor is amazing)! When the night nurse came in, she was ready to get aggressive since my water had been broken for 12 hours now. She tried a few different things to help get things moving but had a few strange things taking place...Kinsley's heart rate began dropping to 60 bpm during some of the major contractions (wouldn't normally worry if I was at a 9 or 10 but since I was still at a 4..no one knew what would happen at a 10), because her head had been bumping the cervix it had some minor swelling, she was still pretty high up there and hadn't dropped as much as she should have, and of course the main issue...I could not dilate past a 4...I had been at 4 cm for 5 hours or so (same thing happened to my mom when I was born epidural= no dilation past a 4cm)! Amongst all of this...I must mention, there were tornado warnings (one touched down that night in Granbury...1 hour from us), and Code Blue in the hospital which meant they closed all of the windows (but the nurse thought it meant bring everyone into the hallway...good thing she double checked before wheeling me out. Funny thing is when they mentioned getting me out in the hallway...I thought to myself "Oh goodness, I am going to have to stand there in my hospital gown in the hallway?!?!" I of course had forgotten I CAN'T stand due to the epidural, so therefore they would wheel me out in my bed lol! Oh the things you think about...and forget when you are in labor! 

After weighing in all of the circumstances, minus the tornado, and checking in with the doctor (who was watching the monitors at home while working out lol), it was decided a c-section was our best bet, so the doctor said to get me off of that pitocin! Though it was not an emergency c section, it would be taking place that night! Wow! I think this is when it got REAL! Soon enough our doctor arrived...having been mid work out and proceeded to discuss P90X 2 and his endeavors with his work out program with Jeff lol...even showing him some pics of some of the exercises right there in the delivery room...but hey no big deal...I'm not in the middle of labor (or end of labor might I say) or anything! Ha, but I didn't mind! I found it hilarious! The boys got ready in their surgical gear...Jeff looked mighty amazing in his GINORMOUS scrubs might I add! 

After 13 hours of labor...we are ready for our
baby...even if we have to go in and get her! 

We had to wait on the anesthesiologist to get out of another surgery, or 'case' as they called it. When that 'case' was decided it would run long, they just pulled her out and she headed our way...then it was time to roll out...literally! They wheeled me out and into the OR and strapped my arms down, put up the sheet, the whole bit...the anesthesiologist and my nurse were incredible and oh so sweet to me, always checking in and reassuring me! It was super surreal being in an OR and being AWAKE through it all... I must say I would have preferred they put me out. It was crazy seeing them all rush around and prepare...there were like 20 people in there. After watching them rush around, I turned to the anesthesiologist, (or whoever was near me at the time) and said "I'm feeling a little weak", within 10 seconds flat they had oxygen in my nose and flowing, and like magic I felt better! Soon, they made the incision, and brought Jeff in...it was soooo great to see him. He came in looking like a tourist with our camera strapped to him ready to capture the moment! The doctor was ready to get him some great shots to capture. When we rolled in it was 10:34, and then I remember looking at the clock and it said 10:43 when they started it all. I remember they were really concerned with getting her out as quickly as possible because of the timing they administered the antibiotic or something, and since we had to wait on the anesthesiologist, time was of the essence due to protocol. The doctor said we made the right call with the c section since our little lady was so high and not even dropped into my pelvis...so she was never coming out on her own. All throughout the delivery, our silly doctor was making jokes and giving Jeff a good laugh, showing him his P90X OR work out (stretching the muscle tissue), Jeff found that very funny! Haha! We love our doctor soooo much...while we were in the OR he told me we need to have another baby as soon as possible so he doesn't have to stop seeing us! 

So, by 10:55pm I heard the faintest cry, I remember thinking to myself, is that her little cry I hear...is she really here, and I felt the tears begin to fall from my eye. The look on Jeff's face was indescribable when he came over to me...he couldn't stop saying how beautiful she was. They held her up so I could see her...and then took her over to weigh her and get her all cleaned up. 

I had estimated she would weigh 7 pounds 7 ounces, and in the OR it said she weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces! Jeff told me I was just an ounce off...but then we found out she was technically 7 pounds 7.6 ounces...I was right on (just like our wedding date 7/7) and she was 20 inches long! 

We had to wait for our first skin to skin until we left the OR. After she was delivered they must have given me something strong in my IV because I began to go in and out of consciousness while they closed me up...it took about 30 minutes for them to finish up, and all the while, I would be out of it...then Jeff would come over and I would come to...then I would fall out again.

This was taken when I was in and out of my senses...LOL...
I can still pose for a pic even when I am totally out of it! 

They transferred me to my bed and wheeled me down to my room for recovery! I came to relatively quickly, but had the shakes as I came out of the anesthesia and needed warm blankets (which in the hospital are literally WARMED...this is news to me)! I was able to nurse our sweet little lady soon after our initial skin to skin...what an incredible feeling...truly beyond words!

First meeting and skin to skin of Mommy and Kinsley!

My mom of course came creeping around to see if we were back yet...right after we returned to the room. So, her, Katie, Maw, Jeff's Mom, and Jeff's Grandmother popped in for the first peek just for a few minutes. A little while later, they were all able to come back in, and by then my dad and Chet had arrived! Kinsley was wide awake and ready for all of her visitors! 

 

Everyone was in sheer awe and disbelief! They couldn't believe how beautiful she was and everyone was on cloud 9! Chet came in and literally was drowned with emotion...he brought me to tears seeing the emotion he was feeling and the tears he was trying to fight back at the sight of his new little niece...he was speechless! You would never know it was past midnight in that room with as high as the spirits were! The smiles were continuous and the hearts filled with so much love! I remember thinking how crazy it is to come into the hospital, and then they just give you this baby...for FREE and it is yours forever! Everyone stayed to hang out until around 2am, we changed rooms and then Jeff's dad and stepmom arrived and hung around until 3:30am...It was then I was able to have some chicken broth, crackers, and hot tea by that time and I thought I was in heaven!!!

She could push up on her knees right after birth...she takes
after Mommy's super human baby strength! 

Kinsley's First Bath!

Chet and my dad kept me full on ice chips! 

Grandpas meet Kinsley for the first time!
 
First Few Hours Family Pictures...

We tried to go to bed...but it was impossible...the nurse took our little lady from 4am until 6am so we could get some sleep...of course I couldn't sleep due to my compression stockings airing up every couple of minutes, my uncontrollably itchy legs (from coming out of anesthesia (which itched for 24 whole hours mind you...terrible!)), and the beeping sounds in our room...it was impossible! However, Jeff was sound asleep for those two hours while I tossed and turned trying to stay moving, in hopes to have a faster recovery and not get stiff! Soon enough, 6am came and in wheeled this precious little sight....

A Blessing Beyond Words...

They brought her back with a BOW in her hat (the nurses made it)...I couldn't believe my eyes...it was my most favorite moment to see our little sweetie with her first big bow...I was in love! Best nurses ever!!! Then...it was off to a day full of visitors and no sleep...I think I finally got 2 hours of sleep 48 hours from the time we entered the hospital, but sharing her with everyone was worth every minute of the lost sleep! 

That next morning, I was able to get up and walk around and get out of that hospital gown and into regular clothes...as well as, get that amazing catheter out and feel a little more like myself and open some gifts.

Daddy's First DIRTY Diaper Change! 

Jeff placed our daily food orders!!! Thank goodness I could
eat regular food by morning! 

Katie got super crafty and made this adorable wreath to display in our hospital window so that everyone would know where to find sweet little Kinsley Kiss! Ultimate Perfection...I couldn't have done it better myself! :) 

By the second morning I was able to get a shower taken and that terrible IV out...what a glorious day Day 2 was! I had a relatively speedy recovery and can't complain! I had the BEST nursing staff anyone could ask for! They answered my questions, sat and chatted with me, gave great pain med recommendations, and everything you could ask for! They said we were clear and could check out that Friday, but since we had only been post op for 36 hours and I had just started on the regular pain meds, I decided to stay one more night just to take a little more time to recover, since most of the time they want you to stay 48 hours and our 48 hours was 11pm that night (who wants to leave at 11pm). So, we stayed that last night, free of the puppies, and with me feeling a little more like myself, I could really take some time to enjoy that night in the hospital, and it was so worth that extra night! 

Daddy EXHAUSTED and catching some
long overdue, mid afternoon ZZZsss! 

That Saturday morning we headed home for the first time with our baby girl...as a family for the very first time!

A Quick nap with Daddy before we head home! 

And one more diaper change right before we hit the road! 

 

Daddy's 1st time with the carseat! 

And she is ready for the road! 

I had to take a picture with my most favorite nurse before we hit the road...though I loved them ALL!

I rode out on my beautiful hospital carriage with the balloons flying high.

The ride home was a little bumpy, and tough after the surgery and for our first time rider (see pic lol), but we all arrived safe and sound to our sweet home and some WELCOME BABY balloons from Chet and Katie...what a surprise and how sweet it made our homecoming!

We stopped by SUBWAY for my first deli sandwich in nearly a year...then we both passed out asleep in the living room. That is what I call SLEEP DEPRIVED...even our little lady slept right along with us...thank goodness! A perfect end to a new beginning!