Thursday, March 6, 2008
Reuknitted
I knitted for the first time yesterday since Eli was born. It was fabulous!!! I took Eli with me to Knitch and it went great. Just popped him under the table and knitted happily until it was time to get Ethan from school. One of my favorite friends was there so had a chance to catch up with her as well as some other regular knitters at the shop. My therapy for the day!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
What am I making?
My knitting has completely gone to the wayside. Oh, I have projects in the works, but they have been banned to the dark depths of the variety of knitting bags and baskets I have stashed around the house.
I have been far too busy cooking up a different homemade creation - an adorable little boy named Eli Rae - with his dad's gorgeous blue eyes, creamy skin and a bunch of fuzzy red hair. His birth on January 24th was relaxed and fabulously uneventful.
After days and days of annoying and unproductive contractions, I could take it no more. My skin was stretched, my hips ached, my back was terrorizing me and it had been months since I'd slept through the night. I called my OB practice at five in the morning and the midwife's instructions were the most beautiful words I'd heard in a long while: "Head to the hospital. I'm sure once you get there and they see you, they'll just break your water and get things going." Bless you, Libby, bless you!
You might think we rushed out of the house...not so much. I woke Adam up around 6. Ethan woke up around 7:30. I called my mother. We played with Ethan. Ate breakfast. Made the bed. Drove separate cars so I could leave one for my friend who would be watching Ethan for us. Stopped and got gas. Dropped Ethan off. Dropped the car off. Made it to the hospital around 11. (I wasn't in hard labor so I knew we had plenty of time).
Get to the hospital...and am TERRIFIED they are going to send us home. So terrified that I even agreed to the enema they offered me even though I swore up and down that I absolutely would NOT have one. I figured if I was agreeable and pleasant, the nurse would let me stay - turns out, my charm worked!
Within an hour of getting to the hospital I'd had an IV put in, an enema (let me just say - YUCK), had the midwife break my water AND started pitocin. After about an hour of the pitocin, my contractions started getting painful, but I worked through them. Adam and his mom ran off to eat lunch and my Mom was in charge of me...and then the contractions got REAL bad...she kept saying "WHY won't you ge the epidural yet!?" and I told her: "When I cry. And when the pain of the contractions outweigh the fear of the epidural." A few more nasty contractions and the tears started - mine AND Mom's. Anesthesiologist was called. Adam returns from lunch - epidural in and successful! Instant relief.
My fabulous angel of a midwife, Dixie, tells me to rest so that I have strength to push. Adam and I turn out the lights and snuggle in for a nap...of course I don't sleep, but I do rest my eyes. At about 4:30, contractions start ripping through me. Within about 10 minutes, the pain is almost unbearable. Nurse is called again and she calls the anesthesiologist. Before she can leave the room, I am overcome with the urge to push - she checks me and sure enough, time to start the show! The anesthesiologist comes back and tops me off with something wonderful...I'm numb from my ribs, down.
Dixie arrives and everyone snaps into action. The warming lights on the bassinet are on, nurses are standing by, my quiet hospital room is transformed and ready for Eli to arrive.
We do a practice push. I feel nothing - although do feel some relief from the pressure of the contractions) but according to Dixie and Susan (my AMAZING nurse who I absolutely adored) tell me I'm doing it right.
Now I'm ready to push for real. I push three times during the next contraction. Eli's heart rate starts to drop and suddenly everyone gets quiet (not a good sign). An oxygen mask is strapped to my face and I keep asking if Eli is okay. Susan quietly tells me yes, but instructs me to breath deeply. I breath deeply for a few minutes and thankfully the heartrate is back up and time to push again. I push through another contraction and Dixie announces "He's got red hair!!" I stop mid-push, my eyes flying open. RED hair!? MY son??? How did that happen????
Then I notice that Dixie is getting the gown on...that means Eli is ready to come out. Another big push and there he is!!!!
Adam and I are crying, kissing, laughing, smiling...they hand him to me right away, still attached to me by the umbilical cord. "He's so cute!!!!" I keep saying over and over. I look at him and know that my year of heartache that I spent mourning a miscarriage and scurrying to the fertility clinic is behind me. A chapter closed. He was worth EVERY milisecond of the wait.
I have been far too busy cooking up a different homemade creation - an adorable little boy named Eli Rae - with his dad's gorgeous blue eyes, creamy skin and a bunch of fuzzy red hair. His birth on January 24th was relaxed and fabulously uneventful.
After days and days of annoying and unproductive contractions, I could take it no more. My skin was stretched, my hips ached, my back was terrorizing me and it had been months since I'd slept through the night. I called my OB practice at five in the morning and the midwife's instructions were the most beautiful words I'd heard in a long while: "Head to the hospital. I'm sure once you get there and they see you, they'll just break your water and get things going." Bless you, Libby, bless you!
You might think we rushed out of the house...not so much. I woke Adam up around 6. Ethan woke up around 7:30. I called my mother. We played with Ethan. Ate breakfast. Made the bed. Drove separate cars so I could leave one for my friend who would be watching Ethan for us. Stopped and got gas. Dropped Ethan off. Dropped the car off. Made it to the hospital around 11. (I wasn't in hard labor so I knew we had plenty of time).
Get to the hospital...and am TERRIFIED they are going to send us home. So terrified that I even agreed to the enema they offered me even though I swore up and down that I absolutely would NOT have one. I figured if I was agreeable and pleasant, the nurse would let me stay - turns out, my charm worked!
Within an hour of getting to the hospital I'd had an IV put in, an enema (let me just say - YUCK), had the midwife break my water AND started pitocin. After about an hour of the pitocin, my contractions started getting painful, but I worked through them. Adam and his mom ran off to eat lunch and my Mom was in charge of me...and then the contractions got REAL bad...she kept saying "WHY won't you ge the epidural yet!?" and I told her: "When I cry. And when the pain of the contractions outweigh the fear of the epidural." A few more nasty contractions and the tears started - mine AND Mom's. Anesthesiologist was called. Adam returns from lunch - epidural in and successful! Instant relief.
My fabulous angel of a midwife, Dixie, tells me to rest so that I have strength to push. Adam and I turn out the lights and snuggle in for a nap...of course I don't sleep, but I do rest my eyes. At about 4:30, contractions start ripping through me. Within about 10 minutes, the pain is almost unbearable. Nurse is called again and she calls the anesthesiologist. Before she can leave the room, I am overcome with the urge to push - she checks me and sure enough, time to start the show! The anesthesiologist comes back and tops me off with something wonderful...I'm numb from my ribs, down.
Dixie arrives and everyone snaps into action. The warming lights on the bassinet are on, nurses are standing by, my quiet hospital room is transformed and ready for Eli to arrive.
We do a practice push. I feel nothing - although do feel some relief from the pressure of the contractions) but according to Dixie and Susan (my AMAZING nurse who I absolutely adored) tell me I'm doing it right.
Now I'm ready to push for real. I push three times during the next contraction. Eli's heart rate starts to drop and suddenly everyone gets quiet (not a good sign). An oxygen mask is strapped to my face and I keep asking if Eli is okay. Susan quietly tells me yes, but instructs me to breath deeply. I breath deeply for a few minutes and thankfully the heartrate is back up and time to push again. I push through another contraction and Dixie announces "He's got red hair!!" I stop mid-push, my eyes flying open. RED hair!? MY son??? How did that happen????
Then I notice that Dixie is getting the gown on...that means Eli is ready to come out. Another big push and there he is!!!!
Adam and I are crying, kissing, laughing, smiling...they hand him to me right away, still attached to me by the umbilical cord. "He's so cute!!!!" I keep saying over and over. I look at him and know that my year of heartache that I spent mourning a miscarriage and scurrying to the fertility clinic is behind me. A chapter closed. He was worth EVERY milisecond of the wait.
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