Aaaahhhhhh, it’s so nice to be home. We arrived yesterday, and I had the best shower I think I’ve ever had.It was almost like that ridiculous Herbal Essences Shampoo commercial, it was so excellent.
I am feeling fantastic, although my swollen feet look like clumpy clay ashtrays made by children at summer camp, and my boobs are rock hard bags of poison concrete, now that my milk has come in with a vengeance. (On a side note- I cannot say enough good things about the Medela Pump in Style breast pump. I could suction it onto this laptop, and it would get milk out of it- it is THAT good, and totally worth the money.) It is heavenly to be able to breathe comfortably, sleep on my back, and not have constant heartburn and pain. Having babies is OH SO MUCH nicer than being pregnant.
Did I mention that I am married to the Catch of the Century? Robb has single handedly coordinated and organized our lives for the past few months, and especially over the past week, and done everything humanly possible to make my life, and Pippa’s life, perfect. Cooking, cleaning, babysitting, driving, planning, supporting, comforting, sympathizing..... he is amazing. If everyone had a Robb, this world would be a freaking Xanadu. I love that man. And, since he is now the proud Daddy of 3 girls, I am taking Jill’s advice, and adding another honorary b to his name. He is now Robbb. I hope all of you, my family and friends, know how grateful we are for all of your support, love, excitement, help, and babysitting- especially Mich. We’d be lost without you, and we love your guts.
Speaking of guts...
The birth- it was so calm, it was almost eerie. I somehow didn’t remember much from my last c-section, it happened so quickly, and this time it was like a very cool Twilight Zone episode. It was extremely bright in the room, and everyone was very friendly and sweet, moving slowly, and wearing face masks, and smiling eyes. It was very much like a dream, and there were a few familiar faces- the anesthesiologist was the same guy from Pip’s birth. He is now in my will. There was no pain, and Ruby, Lily and I all cried as they were born, at 3:59 and 4:02pm, on Monday, April 24, 2006. Robb was so calm and wonderful, stroking my hair and whispering sweet words to me throughout the surgery- it only took about 10 minutes, then maybe 20 minutes to sew me up. He didn’t even panic when he mistakenly saw my insides sitting on my outside, right after the girls were born- he just focused on us. Ruby and Lily both cried and squirmed as they came out, and were small but healthy, weighing 4lbs, 9oz and 3lbs, 7oz. They both have dark blue eyes, and a little bit of brown hair, which will probably fall out and come in light, just like Piper’s did. They look like her as a newborn.
You love your babies even before they are born, but the real falling in love part, for me, is in the first week. It was a difficult adjustment that first day, seeing them in incubators, with all of the monitors and IV’s. They seemed too fragile to touch, and so out of our reach. It almost felt like they belonged to the hospital, and not to us, as we couldn’t really take care of them like normal babies- and I had a good hard cry the day after they were born. It was the same day that I hemorrhaged and lost a lot of blood, then barfed in my own hair, and was definitely a low point. But the nurses and doctors who work in the Special Care Nursery, where the girls are, are certainly some of the most special people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. It is obvious that it’s not just “a job” to them, and that they really care about the little ones there, and they have made Robb and I as big a part of the caring process there as possible, explaining everything to us, and making our girls feel comfortable and loved. Getting to know these amazing women during my 5 day hospital stay made it much easier to go home without my babies. They are both breathing and eating perfectly, are very active and busy, LOVE to be cuddled, and are both great breast feeders already. We visit and snuggle with Ruby & Lily everyday; I nurse them everyday, and bring in pumped milk for meals when I’m not there. They are bigger and stronger with every visit, and are both gaining weight steadily, and should be home in about 2 weeks or so. Piper has visited them, but was more impressed by all of the buttons, wires, and vending machines, to be frank. She seems to have grown up so much in the past week, and is suddenly such a big girl. She is perfect Big Sister material- very bossy and nurturing. I can’t wait to have all 3 girls at home, in a big chaotic blur of joy. :)
