Although the doctors and nurses at Kent General were great, by Tuesday morning Beth and I were ready to take Caroline home. All four of her grandparents greeted her, took pictures, and took turns holding her. Perhaps more interesting to those of you who know us well was Jax greeting Caroline. As expected he did so with an obligatory lick to the face…luckily Caroline didn’t seem to mind. Other than a few sniffs in passing, Jax hasn’t shown too much interest in Caroline since his initial introduction. I can only guess this is because of the following reasons: 1. She hasn’t taken any of his food nor is she able to give him any food yet. 2. She smells like a baby, not a treat or a bone. 3. She hasn’t taken Jax’s spot on our bed. 4. He might actually be a pretty good old dog.
Caroline’s first night at home was…well it was a long, long night with little sleep for anyone. She made up for her lack of sleep Tuesday night by taking a 6 hour nap on Wednesday. Yeah, 6 hours would have been great the previous night, but since we love her we couldn’t help but just find it humorous. Despite her marathon nap during the day, Caroline’s Wednesday night actually wasn’t too bad. She settled into eating every 2 or so hours and sleeping between.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Homecoming Photos
Waiting to go home Tuesday morning.
The initial introduction.
Jax being good.
Caroline during her 6 hour nap.Tuesday, February 24, 2009
We Begin
During dinner at Mari Monti’s Saturday night Beth and I agreed that we couldn’t keep up the continual thinking that each tomorrow might be the day Caroline arrived. It was starting to drive us crazy so we resigned to the fact that she could be another two plus weeks—it brought us calm for the remainder of a nice dinner and an enjoyable night together. This calm lasted about 10 more hours.
Beth woke me up at 6:45 Sunday morning walking around the bedroom. She had been awake since 6 with contractions. Although she could talk through the first contractions I witnessed, the frequency quickly increased and by 8:30-8:45 they were regularly 4-6 minutes apart and lasting roughly a minute…she was not talking during these contractions. Lesson learned: DO NOT (no matter how exited or happy you might be) laugh, smile, grin, smirk, or giggle while your wife is having a contraction. I repeat, DO NOT DO IT. Do whatever you want between, but just rub her back during.
We headed to the hospital at about 9:30 and were checked in by 10:00. Of course we showed up at the entrance of the hospital and the valet was no where in sight. After a couple more contractions in the front seat someone showed up so I tossed her the keys…luckily she turned out to be the valet. During her initial eval Beth was dilated 5-6cm. After a few more contractions Beth opted for an epidural…turned out to be an excellent decision. My parents, Beth’s parents, and my sister arrived about 2pm so it was nice visiting with them while waiting.
Beth and I woke up from naps about 4:30. The doctor checked her at that time and said she was ready to push. Beth was amazing! She displayed the strength and determination of a champion. After about 45 minutes of pushing Caroline made her appearance--I looked down and saw her head and told Beth that she was here…one more push and she was on Beth’s stomach at 5:25 pm weighing 8lbs 3 oz and measuring 21.5 inches long. It was incredible and something I can’t really explain, but know that I’ll never forget.
Beth woke me up at 6:45 Sunday morning walking around the bedroom. She had been awake since 6 with contractions. Although she could talk through the first contractions I witnessed, the frequency quickly increased and by 8:30-8:45 they were regularly 4-6 minutes apart and lasting roughly a minute…she was not talking during these contractions. Lesson learned: DO NOT (no matter how exited or happy you might be) laugh, smile, grin, smirk, or giggle while your wife is having a contraction. I repeat, DO NOT DO IT. Do whatever you want between, but just rub her back during.
We headed to the hospital at about 9:30 and were checked in by 10:00. Of course we showed up at the entrance of the hospital and the valet was no where in sight. After a couple more contractions in the front seat someone showed up so I tossed her the keys…luckily she turned out to be the valet. During her initial eval Beth was dilated 5-6cm. After a few more contractions Beth opted for an epidural…turned out to be an excellent decision. My parents, Beth’s parents, and my sister arrived about 2pm so it was nice visiting with them while waiting.
Beth and I woke up from naps about 4:30. The doctor checked her at that time and said she was ready to push. Beth was amazing! She displayed the strength and determination of a champion. After about 45 minutes of pushing Caroline made her appearance--I looked down and saw her head and told Beth that she was here…one more push and she was on Beth’s stomach at 5:25 pm weighing 8lbs 3 oz and measuring 21.5 inches long. It was incredible and something I can’t really explain, but know that I’ll never forget.
First Photos
Caroline's 1st Photo
1st Family Photo(Okay so it's actually the 2nd, but the 1st where you can see Caroline's face)
Caroline with her Dad
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