For The Love of Boobs and All Things Baby

My, my, has it been a busy two weeks! I'm sure most of you have heard the story surrounding Luca's birth, but if not, here it is in a nutshell: On March 24th, I went to my scheduled OB appt to discover that I did indeed have preeclampsia and would be induced that evening. I went back to work, closed everything down, ran last minute errands and headed off to the hospital to be jacked up with drugs. In short, it was an awful night. The LND rooms are not meant for people to actually sleep in them so it was highly uncomfortable for both Scott and myself. It didn't help that I could only lie on my left side and my butt went numb. After a full night of nothing much, my doc came in and did something to my uterus because suddenly, I was full on feeling contractions. Thankfully, I was smart and asked for the epidural early because it took over an hour for the dude to get to the room, plus there was something wrong with my labs, yadda, yadda, yadda.....so when I got relief, it came at the perfect time. Shortly after that, a nurse came in to check my dilation and discovered that lo and behold, the baby's butt was facing down....not the head.....and I knew then that it would be a C-sec. An hour later (I'll spare you the nasty C-sec details), Scott and I were the proud parents of a teensy tiny baby girl!

Her name is Luca Ivy and she's a wee bitty thing. She weighed in at 6 pounds 9 ounces, 19 inches long (originally 19.5 but the pediatrician measured her at 19 so that's where we'll put her) and she looks just like Scott.

It's definitely been interesting getting adjusted with a baby in the house. First things first, I really didn't expect to take well to breastfeeding. I went back and forth on it and then finally decided that I'd give it a try and that if it didn't work, I'd just switch her to formula. Surprising, when I looked down at her little face, I was enthralled by the whole process...by the comfort that it gives her, and by the bond it gives the both of us. Little Luca happens to love the boob and it makes me laugh to feed her because she actually plays with my parts like a child would play with their food before the parent finally says "Cut it out and eat your peas!" She's already developed a bit of a personality. She's a crank-monster when she wakes up, which she definitely gets from me and the Vaicius side of the family, and she's very alert and focused when she's not being cranky. She can already lift her head off of our shoulders which has caused a "floppy baby scare" a few times but we're on to her now.....she loves to play with her hands. She won't sleep in her bassinet, she prefers to be cuddled up next to Momma, which has caused some issues getting her to bed of course. She likes her infant swing and right now, she is in the bouncer seat at my feet. Not sure if she likes it yet....too soon to tell, as she's napping. She makes cute little mousey noises when she's sleeping and she poops like a champ (definitely gets that from Scott). She enjoys it when I read her murder mystery novels, currently appreciating all that is Charlaine Harris (I'm sure much to Seth's dismay). She had her first bath last night and she didn't cry once. Amazing. Once I think I have her figured out, she plays tricks on me. Crafty little baby.

I'm healing just fine. I pretty much refused most of the pain meds because they had me so high in the hospital that I missed the first day of her life. I can't remember much, just little tidbits, which is not cool but unfortunately necessary. Scott did a stellar job in keeping everyone informed all while bringing me the baby so I could feed her and try to bond with her for that first day of her life. The pain in my abdomen has diminished greatly and the Motrin helps with anything residual. The doctor said I can drive as soon as I feel well enough and I think that will be pretty soon. I'm able to walk fairly well but I haven't been lifting anything and don't expect to cart anything heavy around for a few weeks. I'm trying to get as back to normal as possible so I've been organizing, cleaning up a little, trying to cook small easy meals....anything to get back in the rhythm of things. Of course, I have to do most of this around her sleep schedule, but I've also learned to do some things one handed. You'd be amazed at the methods you can discover when you're caring for a little hobbit.

That's another thing....she really truly does look like a hobbit which makes me laugh. Especially when she's wearing the hospital cap on her head. It rides up on her little skull and makes her kind of resemble the Travelocity gnome. I can't stop staring at her, especially when she sleeps. I wonder what she dreams about when she smiles wide and giggles and then it hits me that, of course, she's dreaming of boobs!

I'll post pics soon, I just need Scott to show me how to download on our new computer. Until then, feel free to call or email!