Sunday, December 12, 2010

It's that time of year!

Well it's that's time of year again...time for bright Holiday lights and gifts from Santa!  The past couple weeks have been a bit trying for both Jeremy and I.  McKenna was doing better and better every day with her eating and now she's gotten to the point again where she eating her heart out for about 5 minutes and then she's too exhausted to go any further.  Tomorrow is our 2nd appointment with the craniofacial department with Childrens Hospital.  Thank Goodness our doctor is in Fairfax once a month so we don't have to go all the way to DC each and every time; though it is a TEAM of doctors so when the team has to meet we do have to go to DC.

I always look so forward to the Holiday season!  My first year as a mommy to this beautiful baby girl makes it even MORE special.  Plans for us are as follows....Since Jeremy has his daughter from Wednesday through the weekend we're going to go to his parents house on Xmas eve for dinner.  We'll be staying with my mom and spending Christmas morning with her.  My Aunt Debbie, Bob & Cousin Corey are coming for the weekend as well!  So after Christmas Eve with Jeremys parents...McKenna and I will be spending the entire weekend with my Aunt and favorite cousin in the world.  All have YET to meet the precious girl!  I just can't wait.  We're going to lounge around in our jammies and  jibber jabber all weekend!

This will be my first year that I will not be going out to Party for New Years Eve!  But I think it's much more important to spend it here at my home with my family.  Some Champagne for the adults....sparkling cider for the youngins and we're all set!  I could possibly be sleeping before the ball actually drops! lol.  (I'll try my hardest to stay awake)

I don't have too many hopes for Christmas this year...just that McKenna gets everything she needs.  Her sister Trinity as well. (Not that ANYTHING is NEEDED)

Well.....I may have ONE request or a WANT.....but that I'm not holding my breath for!  ;)

My best friend Marlowe suffered a loss a week or so ago.  Please pray for her; to make sure she gets back to her happy perky self.  I can only imagine the hardship she's goin through.  I know she's strong and she'll pull through it.

Again, can't keep my eyes open, so I figure it's time to go study the backs of my eyelids!  haha


Cheers!

Katie

Sunday, November 21, 2010

The first of many...

First of all I have to give thanks to my dear friend Marlowe who directed me to this "blogging" thing.  She said it always feels really good after she blogs.  I think it'll be interesting.  I'm a new Mom.  As you can see I gave that title a CAPITAL letter, because it's hard work!  I'm sure it's also hard because this is my first time.  I'd like to go a tad farther back though...not as far as before my baby girl was born...but to that very time....

Whoever tells your that having a c-section is the way to go must have been on shrooms or some kind of halucinogenic substance.  I went into the hospital on the 24th at 530 in the evening to spend the night with a sleeping pill so that I would be all set and energized and ready to push the following day.  They started my pitocenVERY slowly but it didn't take long for me to start having contractions. When I first was examed by the doc I was only 1-2cm dialated.  The then made the pitocen drip just a bit faster, which made the contractions even WORSE.  The came and checked me again, and I was only 2cm, so they upped the pitocen again.  My contractions got so bad, that I finally asked for my epidural. 

Now, EVERYONE I've ever known has said how amazing they feel once they get their epidural...well let me tell you; you have absolutely NO feeling in your legs.  You are helpless and they have to put a catheter up in your hoo-ha so you can go to the bathroom without getting out of bed.  So basically...you NEVER feel like you have to pee, but it's ALWAYS coming out into this plastic bag that you have to carry around with you after everything's said and done.  So I can honestly say that I HATED the epidural.  Also, my epidural did not work.  The anestesiologist had to keep adding more and more medication to my spine and it just wasn't working.

By the time my doctor came around the last time it had been 11-12hours of labor with no progress.  So I said, let's go ahead and have the cesarian.  So, they wheeled me into the OR and gave me even MORE medication that was supposed to numb my entire lower body so that they could do what they needed to do and pull my baby girl out.  AGAIN the medications did not work.  I felt everything except for them cutting me open.  I felt every single pull and tug, and it was not a pretty experience.  But when they finally pulled her out...there was no pain, only love.  And as soon as I heard he first cries of life...even more tears poured from me.  I had honestly never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life, and I was hooked. Before they gave me the meds to knock me out completely, they brought my baby girl over to me, and let me hold her with her daddy.  We were both the most proud....and I think the most scared that either of us had been in a very long time.

After spending my however many hours in recovery...they took me over to the postpartum side of the birthing inn, they brought her to me and we started to feed her,  We were having some difficulties, difficulties that we weren't worried about at the time because we were both so new to all of this.  But after a couple of feedings and she wasn't getting the proper amount a nurse looked at her and discovered that she has a cleft palate.  She has 2 small holes at the roof of her mouth that make it extremely difficult for her to eat.  She had to be admitted to the nicu where she was given a feeding tube to make sure that whatever we couldn't give her from the bottles, she took through the tube to keep her gaining weight.  Believe it or not, McKenna pulled that feeding tube out, so we tried really hard to get as much food down through the bottle. 

Day by Day she took more and more food, and by day 11 she was ready to come home!!  That day was probably one of the most exciting days in both of our lives.  I've been working on this blog for like 5 days now because I haven't been able to find the time to blog at all.  But Lo wants me too so that we could be "blogging buddies"!

So here ya go Lo, Thanks for welcoming me into the blogging world!  Another entry to come when I can keep my eyes open!

Until then........ Keep Smiling!