Dom snapped this photo of Lucia last night while I was holding her upright on my lap to burp her. If you look carefully you can see my finger and thumb on either side of her jawline, but it sure looks like she’s sitting up on her own about to log in on my computer.
Oh it is so very good to be a home. And a whole day early at that. I can’t believe they actually discharged me today!
My hospital window looked right out over the ambulance entrance. The kids were entranced. (No, I didn’t mean to do that, but I’m too tired to think of a different word right now.)
I may write more about our birth experience later when I’m not having trouble keeping my eyes open for more than ten minutes at a time. I think I have more to say about it all. But for now I just want to say that the whole experience was just so peaceful and blessed and I want to thank each and every one of you who offered up prayers on our behalf because I know that all those prayers were supporting and sustaining me.
Three sisters.
This was by far the easiest birth, the easiest hospital stay. I almost feel guilty for how smooth it all was. How did I get off so easily?
It was also the easiest discharge. I didn’t even have to fight to get out early. The nurses were all going to bat for me without my having to say a thing. They wanted to help me get back home to m own bed, to my family. And they went out of their way to make it happen smoothly and easily. I am so very grateful.
Bella just loves singing to Lucia. I’m trying very hard to be patient with this. Also trying to encourage her to sing when I have to put Lucia down.
Welcome home gang. I kept drifting off to sleep and Bella kept singing to Lucia. Trying not to be too annoyed by the constant jostling and jockey for position. Glad to be with my family again.
And so now we are home. Dom went and got me a great big sushi dinner to celebrate. And my awesome mother-in-law dropped off some Italian pastries from the Mike’s Pastries in the North End. A fitting way to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany—though the kids’ gifts will wait for tomorrow.
Ben was so very happy to have me to snuggle with him and read a book with him and tuck him into his bed. I think my being away affected him more than anyone else.
Anthony keeps saying, “Baby! Baby!”
“making me wonder who these poor parents are whose kids jump off of the furniture at the doctor’s office.”
Those would be my kids. Sorry about that.
Actually I’m taking both boys to medical appointments two days in a row next week (Nat’s hospital visit, and then Thomas has a doctor’s appointment the next day) and I think I can do it only if I keep a firm hold of Thomas’s collar or strap him in the stroller every minute. He has a bad case Of Running-Away-Itis right now. I’m hoping they can both manage during the inevitable hour-long wait at our family doctor’s. The hospital is a children’s hospital, and has games and toys and lots of space to run, so it should be as bad.
Congratulations on getting all the children out and back with only two adults! That’s quite an accomplishment.
C-section recoveries are so hard, because when you think you feel okay the temptation to push yourself is almost irresistible, and you always pay afterwards. Ouch.
Kyra, Oh no I’m sorry. I always feel a mite guilty when my crew are so well behaved. Like we’re setting the bar unrealistically high for other parents. I know that good parents can have unruly kids and that it’s not a reflection on their parenting at all. And I feel especially bad for the poor kids whose parents choose to hold my kids up as an example: “Why can’t you be good like those kids over there?” So much of it just comes down to personality. And while my kids might be angels in the waiting room, they definitely do their share of jumping off of furniture at home.
So true about pushing yourself. I am always so guilty of doing more than I should well before I should. I just hate acting like an invalid.
Kira,
Three does seem impossible. I had plenty of panic attacks before Ben was born. And plenty of bad moments after he was born too. In some ways going from four to five is much, much, much easier than going from two to three. I think that going from two to three may in fact be the hardest transition. But you will get through it with God’s grace. I pray that it is easier for you than it was for me. “His will be done” is definitely the right attitude to take. And go easy on yourself. It will take time to figure out the new grove.
I think that when we went from two to four we had this fatalistic ‘This is impossible and yet somehow we’ll all survive’ thing going on that was, in retrospect, quite realistic.
I realised after I hit ‘Submit’ that what I said was not quite true- we have extraordinarily high-energy high-needs kids but they don’t always behave like wild animals. Our oldest now is okay in public. I remember looking with wonder at mums with a small child who was sitting quietly when Nat was a little younger, and wondering what we were doing wrong, but I’ve come to accept that somehow we two extreme introverts have produced extremely high energy extroverts who are also the opposite of docile.
This has its pluses (not afraid of new situations, always interested in meeting new people, a joy to watch when they’re outside in a contained area) and its minuses (wondering where our toddler has gone, thousands of fights). Nathaniel is particularly hard to convince about something being bad until he’s experienced direct painful consequences. A little scientist who wants to take everything apart and fights when we won’t let him.
And I hear a cranky baby upstairs. Should get her before she wakes her sister.
Melanie, congratulations on Lucia’s birth and your outing to the doctor! She is beautiful. As I read your account, I started to feel a bit sheepish; I am pregnant with my fourth (we have one in heaven) and I have a five year old and almost two year old. I had a great anxiety/spiritual attack on Monday with the whole ‘woe is me’, ‘how can I do this?’ and three seemed impossible (and I am not homeschooling!). I obviously love and greatly want and know this baby is a blessing but I am slightly terrified especially since I live in an area of the country (Northeast) where, if you have more than two or three children, you are looked on as ‘crazy’ or the baby must be an ‘accident.’ I find it so annoying and turn often to my ‘friends’ on the Internet who are having more than two children. I admire you so much, and know-even thought I don’t ‘know’ you—you are in my thoughts often. God bless and thank you for giving me courage and perspective…His Will be done! (PS: I see another Kira-different spelling-has posted. Neat!)