Speaking of Hiccups...

Another reason I am thankful for having a c-section is for the fact that I got to stay in the hospital for 4 days. How can a new parent be sent home after day 2? I had a lot of questions and had aplenty of time for many of them to get answered. So, another reason to be thankful for a breech baby. By Thursday, we were ready to go home. We had some interesting time with a night nurse, and it made me want to keep Emery all to my self. The only way that could be done was at home. As I mentioned earlier, Hugh and I are procrastinators. So, Thursday morning, Hugh set off to the fire station for a car seat inspection. You can't leave home without it. While he was gone, I tried to find an outfit for Emery's going home trip. Since she was so small, some friends of mine bought some preemie outfits. I am glad they did, because the outfits that Hugh and I chose were definitely too big for her. So, while Hugh was gone, we tried on outfit after outfit. They were all so cute, but some were a little short in the legs. After about 15 minutes of trying on clothes, we found an outfit that worked. My next job was to try to get the car seat straps adjusted for her. Another task that babies do not enjoy. Needless to say, by the time Hugh returned we were dressed and ready to go. Hugh took our bags to the car and I called the nurse so we could get dismissed. When Hugh finished with the bags, he helped me get Emery into her car seat. Then, the wait began. After about 10 minutes, Emery got the hiccups. These were not your average hiccups, though. With each release of air through her mouth, a release of something else came out of the other end. Poor girl. This meant that we had to get her out of the car seat, change the diaper and put her back in. She was a trooper. Another 20 minutes later, and our nurse arrived. Time for home.

Lasts

Because Emery was breech, I had a c-section. I have to admit, I really liked the idea. Being the procrastinators that we are, it gave us a deadline in which we had to pack our bags--of course, that was Sunday night. As we packed, I felt an overwhelming sadness. For a while now, I knew that I did not want Emery to come out. I had many reasons. In my stomach, she was always with me. I was never alone. I never had to drop her off at the sitters, or watch her get hurt. She would move, and I would know right where she was. The thing I would miss the most had to be the hiccups. She would sometimes get them 2 or 3 times a day. I thought it was just adorable. So, on Sunday, as we packed, I couldn't help but think of all the things I was going to miss about being pregnant. No more singing together in the shower, no more hiccups at midnight, no more nudges in the side to let me know she was there. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Was yesterday's hiccups the last I would feel from within? I never thought to cherish them. I let them pass like all the others. For this, I was heartbroken. Hugh has always been great with me when I get emotional. This time, he shared with me how excited he was to finally be able to hold her , hug and kiss her, and to feel her hiccups himself. He helped me see that I was being selfish, in not wanting her to come out. It is easier on me not to have to see her in pain or discomfort, and to know that I was never alone. Finally, I fell asleep- sad, but looking forward to getting to see her. Then around 2:00...as many pregnant women do, I got up to go to the bathroom. Afterwards, I laid back down and tried to go back to sleep. That's when I felt them. Hiccups. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... I continued to count. I wanted to cherish this "last." After 13 minutes, she stopped. I had counted 121. Did Emery do that for me? Did God? Either way, I was thankful. I could not wait to meet this little person that did such a great thing for me and who brought me so much joy all this time. Now, I thought, I can let her come.

A beautiful baby girl!

It is a strange feeling to wake up and know that in a matter of hours, you will be a dad. On Monday, we arrived at the hospital at 6:00 to check in for a scheduled c-section. We had found out a few weeks before that Emery was breech. At 7:25 Amy was taken into the operating room while I told that they would be back to get me shortly. I expected a wait of no longer than 5 minutes...15 minutes later I was still pacing. I thought that I might have been forgotten. Finally, around 7:52, I was taken back to be with Amy for the delivery. Little did I know I would be brought in looking at her feet and her opened abdomen... I thought I would be brought right up to her head area. I had viewed a little more than I had intended to. When I reached Amy, I must have looked a little queasy, because she offered me her oxygen. It wasn't so much the sight of Amy cut open that had me flustered, but the fact that I was about to meet my daughter. At 7:59, I was allowed to peak over the partition, and saw Emery being pulled out, bottom up. The next thing I know, they had brought her to the warming table to be cleaned and measured. She weighed in at 6 lbs., 1 oz. and, at the time, measured only 16 inches. It was hard to get a good read because each time they tried to get her legs to lay straight for measuring, they would pop straight into the air, on account of her being breech. My thoughts were, "Wow! She is beautiful. I need my camera."