hospital

The morning of Day Three at the hospital was a torrent of hospital staff checking us out so we could discharge. Meredith had been doing great and although it was nice having the extra help from the nurses, we were so ready to get out of there and be back in our own house!

The morning of our discharge day was sunny and warm– the perfect homecoming present.

Getting ready to go home.

Before we left, the hospital photographer shot some pics for us.

Fresh out of the oven!

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Squishy face.

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The thinker. ${7563c5d9-8c07-4f0f-b3a4-68d19e2843cd}_5BW$

Those lips!

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Last time around, it was Jake’s hand holding the twins, but while the photographer was there, he was running around packing the car or something, so I did it!

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The twins look so tiny in Jake’s hand!

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I remember being completely freaked out during the car ride home when we brought the twins home from the hospital. I sat between their two car seats and was the quintessential backseat driver! This time, we were both a lot more relaxed… I guess that comes with being second (third?) time parents.

I was so excited to see the banners my mom and the twins had put together for us to welcome Meredith home!

Bandit was the first one to greet us and before coming in the house, we let him sniff one of Meredith’s hats so that he could get used to her smell and welcome the new puppy to the litter.

Those first few days and nights are a blur of sleep deprivation, feeding, rocking and washing hands. Jake and I were zombies and I basically told my mom and Jake that the only job I could handle right then was the baby, and they were in charge of everything else– the the twins, meals, everything! My mom and Jake were awesome at handling everything so I could sit back and be with Meredith.

Samantha and Amelia were obssesed with their new little doll. They constantly asked to hold and play with her. Although they absolutely adored their sister, all the new changes and lack of mommy’s attention manifested itself in some major whining, meltdowns and bedtime shenanigans. I’ll give credit where credit is due, however; they are the cutest big sisters!

Just along for the wild ride!

Lots of love,

Day two of our hospital stay was happy yet exhausting… it’s impossible to get any rest with nurses, doctors, and who knows who else in and out all day. Apparently, word of the labor and the horrific tearing had gotten around because nurses who weren’t even assigned to me came in to tell me they had heard about last night! It was funny getting random hugs and pats on the back!

Our new nurse on shift, April, was very sympathetic and I definitely felt pampered by her. She entertained us telling stories about the birth of her four kids– one of whom was born in the car because her labor was so fast she didn’t make it to the hospital. That sure made me feel a lot better about my own birth experience!

When Dr. Price came to see me that morning, all she could say was, “OMG! Dr. Lam told me everything!” as she gave me a huge hug. I was pretty sore that morning, but once my OB removed the padding that Dr. Lam had carefully placed inside to reduce the swelling, I felt much better and was able to take a shower, get dressed and walk the halls.

It felt fantastic getting out of that uncomfortable hospital bed, although my right leg still felt pretty numb and I needed assistance at first. Not sure how my right leg was STILL numb, while the rest of the epidural on that side hadn’t done a thing (angry face)! However, while walking was uncomfortable, I was already feeling light years better than I had the morning after my C-section, so I ultimately felt like it had been worth it.

That morning, the NICU doctor came to check on Meredith and said it looked like she was doing great, except they would continue to monitor her blood sugar levels, which meant more poking those poor little feet. In addition to that little annoyance, there were so many ladies checking in to labor and delivery, that we had to move rooms from our spacious suite with a view to a smaller room. Good thing I wouldn’t be staying long.

Later that morning, Samantha, Amelia and Grandma came to meet Meredith for the first time. I wasn’t sure if the girls would be nervous or scared to see me at the hospital in bed, but they didn’t bat an eye. Apparently, they had a great time while we were on our hospital “vacation,” and even told Jake when he went home to pick them up that they wanted him to leave so they could play with Grammy more.

Samantha and Amelia came bearing gifts of balloons, flowers and rattles they had picked out for the baby a few weeks ago. They were ecstatic that the baby had a present for them as well– books about being big sisters, a big sister medal, and a stuffed ballerina bunny rabbit. How thoughtful of Meredith– she sure knew the way to the girls’ hearts.

Loving the gift shop:

Once I started showing with the pregnancy, the girls asked about the baby constantly and loved rubbing my growing belly and talking to the baby. In their toddler sense of time, it must have seemed like the baby was never coming out! I was so excited for them to finally meet Meredith and watch their faces as they realized I hadn’t been making it all up.

The girls were so cute and gentle with Meredith, although they seemed slightly terrified/confused. It was still such a sweet moment! A few minutes later, they informed us they didn’t want to hold her anymore and moved on to being silly, exploring my room, and playing with their presents from the baby. They grabbed lunch at the hospital cafeteria with Jake and Grandma and then came to hug me goodbye. I missed them, but they seemed to be taking it all in stride, which gave me a lot of peace of mind.

First time torturing little sister:

Grandma meets the new addition.

I thought mommy was joking when she said there was a real baby in there!

The rest of the day was a blur of filling out birth certificate information, getting her shots, and trying to get a minute of sleep in between feeding Meredith. Jake was miraculously able to get some work done and made a court appearance (Court Call) over the phone all while holding Meredith. I wish I could be as good at multi-tasking sometimes!

Having just one this time around was an amazing experience and we both felt so peaceful and bonded with her. It was so opposite from our experience with the twins where everything was about getting feedings and diaper changes done as efficiently as possible. It was pure survival mode last time around, whereas with Meredith, time slowed down and I was able to enjoy those first few days with her so much more. That newborn smell was divine!

Despite sleep deprivation catching up with us by the end of the day, we managed to snap a few pictures. I wanted to remember her newborn-ness forever! Babies don’t keep.