Many Kind Regards...

Wow! Sometimes that is just the very best word to describe life, and my life over the past few weeks certainly qualifies. If you are my friend on Facebook, you know that we welcomed Baby Emma into the world on March 15th. She weighed in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was 19 inches long. She is absolutely perfect, we are over-the-moon in love with her, and she has completed our family in a way we never knew was in need until we laid eyes on her. Morgan is an excellent big sister and is so happy to have a little sister. Apparently, getting an IUD turned out to be the very best thing we ever did for our first born child.

I am having some difficulty getting pictures to download onto this blog on my iPad, but I promise to post some pictures soon. Warning!!! If you don’t like pictures of simply adorable babies, (in other words if you have no soul), you might want to avoid this blog for a while. I can’t help it. I will not apologize for being the parent that takes a picture of every outfit my baby puts on. And she has a pretty snazzy wardrobe, so watch out folks!

Delivery day went smoothly, despite my incredible angst and anxiety about the whole thing. I can’t really even tell you why I was so terrified, but I really was. After 8 surgeries, you might think I wouldn’t be nervous about a surgery where I wasn’t even going to be put under, but I was honestly a wreck. The pregnancy had been so hard, and despite the fact that we were 100% ready to meet Emma, I was still apprehensive about starting over as a new Mom. Would I figure it out? What if I totally forgot how to do the basic things? Would I bond with Emma? Would she be healthy? Would I be able to breastfeed? And that was just the tip of the worry iceberg.

But, of course, the minute I got to hold her in my arms, that all disappeared. I was in love immediately. It was if she had been a part of our family for an eternity, and was just now showing up to the party. Now, I can not imagine life without her.

And at first, it seemed I would recover well from the c-section. I was able to get up just as soon as they allowed it, and I did great! But as my hospital stay continued, problems arose with my hips and pelvis, and to make a long story short, I ended up staying an extra day and now have a really cool walker to add to my collection of medical equipment at the house. But it was not the end of the world, just another little speed bump. I am pretty damn good at maneuvering speed bumps now, and they don’t keep my spirits down for too long anymore. My arthritis suffered because of the pregnancy, my joints will need some help getting back into shape, but I am ready to tackle that new challenge.

What I was not ready for was having to be away from my perfect newborn and family while I fought a post-surgical infection in an out-of-town hospital. I have now been here since Sunday (4 days) and there is a chance I will get to go home tomorrow, but it is looking like Friday as a real possibility for going home. The first night, Joey and Emma stayed with me, but when we realized this was going to be more than an over-night observation, we knew he had to get home. Morgan needed to be taken care of, Emma had a doctors appointment, and lets face it, the hospital is not a great environment for a newborn. So on Monday, Daddy packed up the baby and took her home. I was devastated and heart broken. It is just wrong for a new baby and it’s mother to be separated. I immediately felt a sadness for every mother who ever had to watch her newborn from the outside of an incubator. Not being able to hold your baby causes a physical ache that you can not shake off. Today, my husband was able to bring her up for a visit and spent 4-5 hours with me. It was not enough time, but better than nothing. No matter what, we have planned for me to see her Friday, and I can hardly stand it…only 36 hours until I can snuggle with her again.

Joey and Morgan have been great during this entire ordeal, although I must say I am most impressed with my husband. It’s not that I ever doubted his ability to be a single parent, but in our world, that is a role that I am used to tackling. And it is a mothers instinct to think that, of course, we are the ones who know how to care for the babies best. I am sure that he is not doing everything the way I would, but both girls are being cared for wonderfully. Dad has tackled everything including a well-baby appointment, switching formula mixing for more calories, laundry, homework…the whole shebang. When Morgan was just 2 weeks old, he had to leave for training, so he is truly doing a lot of this for the first time. He has done great, and despite the fact that I have been missing out, I think it is amazing that the girls are getting this much time with a Dad who has spent the past 10 years gone frequently.

We also have some amazing friends out here who have brought meals for Joey, taken care of the dogs, watched Morgan, snuggled with Emma (a tough job, indeed), or brought me goodies at the hospital. Just further proof that our military spouse community is amazing. We have not lived here a year, and have an incredible support system. We would be completely lost without them. And despite the fact that they just got home from their visit out here, Joey’s parents are making the long drive from AL to come out here and be an extra set of loving hands. They will be here tomorrow. We are beyond blessed.

This entire experience has had me thinking about my goals in life. There haven’t been any huge changes, but I have a different fire about some things. I have never been more motivated to take control of my health. It will take some time, and several specialists, but I am determined to do whatever needed to be able to enjoy my incredible family. And there are things I am ready to tackle and accomplish on a personal and professional level. I am not quite ready to share them yet, but you all know I am an open book…I will gladly bring you all along on the journey with me.

Snuggle those babies a little tighter tonight, on my behalf, before they drift off to sleep. In the meantime I will be doing all I can to get out of this darn hospital and back to my crazy life. It is too short, too precious, and I am ready to be totally immersed in it once again.

Many Kind Regards,
Erin

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