January 4, 2010

It was the first day back to school since having a long Christmas break. Even with the boys going to bed extra early Sunday night, Monday morning was a struggle. I was excited to be back to our routine. I bounced out of bed, walked Chloe in the frozen grass that crunched under my feet, went downstairs started breakfast for the boys, made Houston's lunch, and got Harrison squared away for his first week of kindergarten in 2010. The boys love cinnamon toast and we had a lot of bread that needed to be eaten, so I made six pieces of toast for my three boys and cereal for the two younger ones; Ryan I love you, but you know how to make your own cereal:) With Harrison dressed in his school uniform sweatshirt and all, Houston adorned in his "football" clothes, and daddy dapper; as always. They were off to start this Monday in full swing. There was an excitement in the air. I was actually looking forward to the mounds of house work ahead of me, getting back to our routine. Our family operates so much better with structure. After hugs and kisses for mommy and Adalynne, I did a little jig, singing, "It's Monday, Monday, Monday." Belting the tune of the last Monday; croaking it actually. The neighbors were already gone, thank goodness. I sounded like a croaking cat. I watched the boys drive off and headed back inside, it was freezing cold outside.I noticed I had a headache, one that is commonly named "the hangover headache." I will go lay down for an hour and get up at 9:00, I thought. As I walked passed the six loads of laundry in their piles of whites to be bleached, whites with light colors, darks with dark denim and reds, darks, sheets, and towels. I knew it was a bad idea to lay back down but my head was killing me. The sun was shining brightly in our room when I laid back down and I noticed there was glitter in the room. "Oh great," I though, "my blood pressure it up. I will lay down for an hour and get started on the house work," and I set my phone alarm for 9:00. When 9:00 rolled around, I was more tired than before. The sound of my annoying alarm blaring was a sound I was not ready for and reset it for 10:00. I was so thirsty when I woke up but, I didn't even have to energy to get a drink of water from the bathroom sink in our room that is only five or six steps from our bed. I would only make the six step trip to the bathroom when I absolutely could not hold it anymore. By 11:00 I knew I was sick. In denial, I said to myself, "Okay I will get up at 12:30, shower, no make-up, no blow dryers, not even lotion (I just don't have the energy), run to Publix, check my blood pressure, call my doctor, pick Harrison up at school at 2:00, and then come home clean house, and start the pork with mushroom cream sauce and rice Ryan loves." The headache was still there, but the sparkles were gone when I finally got up to get ready.Before I had children I would not leave the house without full make-up, and my outfits were thought out; not thrown together. Ryan, I love him so much, thinking of him makes me smile (thank you Adalynne for instilling a deeper love than I have ever felt for your daddy). He is such a jokster. If he saw what I was wearing he would say, "It looks like I adopted you." Ryan is a gorgeous man with a sense of style that makes him look dapper; even doing house work. I looked like a hot mess, but I was wearing Ryan's coat, that has to count for something. My blood pressure was 139/84. Now, I know that does not sound high, but my blood pressure is usually really low, like 102/64; so the 37 point and 20 point increase is something to be slightly concerned about; plus the headache and visual disturbances. So, reluctantly I called my OB; she is another person who brings a smile to my face every time I think about her; along with my nurse in her office. It was in God's plan, with the help of Adalynne, for the three of us to come together. They wanted me to come in so they could check my blood pressure and some labs. I called Ryan who was at the office and told him the news. Usually, Ryan is calm and has downplayed our previous "scares" but this time he was different. I didn't think anything about it, and picked Harrison up early from school. I was sick. Induction was the best thing for my health. Ryan says that the fact that my health being so compromised helped put everything into perspective. It helped us not think about the potential loss of our sweet Adalynne during labor, but it helped us to focus on how sick I had become. The nurses were so gracious, even with my health at stake they allowed us to implement our birth plan.I have such a high tolerance to pain that once I need the epidural, it is almost too late. I have done this twice now, so you would think I would have learned from Houston's birth. I remember the anaesthesiologist placing the catheter in my back, but not putting the block in, because the pain was just mildly annoying. Once it got to the point I needed the medicine, Adalynne was crowning. Thank GOD Adalynne was so tiny.And... she was here; all three pounds and fifteen ounces of our little miracle. She was born blue; which due to her heart defect was suspected. Her first APGAR score was 2. Because of Adalynne's condition, the medical staff feared she would not be with us for very long. After the initial evaluation she was cleaned off, given to me, and Father Mike baptised her while she was in my arms. Without ANY medical intervention her second APGAR score was a 7! She was and is a miracle in every sense of the word. The only time she left our side was when she left for ten minutes, max, for her newborn screening before we went home!! I was really sick and my memory of the hospital events are kind of blurry. I was billed for being in the ICU for two days, but I didn't leave the delivery room until day three; I think. Baptist was AMAZING!!! I could not have hand picked better nurses! My OB and her nurse have always been amazing. After I was stable we were transferred to the postpartum unit, which was not up to my husband's standards. See, it was the first snow of the season that day and he wanted everything to be picture perfect for his girls, and since we were facing the parking lot Ryan wanted our view to be better. He did what ever it is he does and we were moved to the Titan's suite; our view was magnificent. Our window faced downtown Nashville. But, the only thing I was looking at fit in the crook of my elbow. I was relishing every second with her, feeling guilty for putting her down and getting jealous of anyone who held her. Ryan kept asking me, "How are you doing it?" He was talking about the lack of sleep I had gotten since Adalynne was born; staying up with her all night. I would respond beaming with joy, love and appreciation, "I don't know how long we have with her. I can sleep when she is gone."I was so scared about leaving the hospital without a child. When I would let my mind "go there," I could see the nurses wheeling me to the parking lot, hands empty without the little girl I had grown to know so well over the past nine months. But, that wasn't something that was in the plan. Cathlin, my mother in law, went to Target and bought SO many adorable outfits and a car seat. God gave me a miracle that Friday. We were discharged, THE TWO OF US!!!! I got to go home with my bundle of precious joy. I remember beaming, I felt like I was being wheeled through the tunnel leading to the field on Super Bowl Sunday; getting high fives and genuine grins and congratulations of nurses who had learned our story. The only thing we were missing were scantily clad cheerleaders. The car seat swallowed Adalynne and she HATED it. If I wasn't such a Nervous Nancy and a rule follower I would have taken her out of that awful car seat and held her the whole ride home, but I didn't. Instead, I got nose-to-nose and told her how evil the car seat was, and to tell me all about the mean evil restricting seat, kissing her every 90 seconds. Ryan took pictures the whole way home, with me yelling at him to focus on the road because of the snowy conditions, and the fact that he was DRIVING... By the time we got to our exit Adalynne had calmed down and gotten it all off her chest, how much she hated that horrible car seat. When we pulled up to our house the ground and street were covered with snow and my oldest brother Gordon was outside beaming with joy on Adalynne's arrival. They got to our place earlier in the day to get the place in TIP TOP shape for Adalynne; and she was home. A place we were the most familiar with, a place she made complete....