He Has Arrived!

Well, just less than four hours after my last post, I was awoken at about 4:20am on 12/2/08 to make yet another trip to the bathroom when the unexpected happened. . .my water broke!

After an early am drive to the hospital, followed by several hours of really painful contractions and more puking (whoo-hoo!), the blessed relief of an epidural (not soon enough!) and then a crazy medical emergency when my baby's shoulders got stuck and required the assistance of (and I am not exaggerating) 20 people who descended upon me out of nowhere for the last 2.5 minutes of pushing, the Crazelette was born 14 hours and 22 minutes later.

Almost three weeks early, he never the less weighed in at 9lbs and 4 oz and was almost 22 inches long. Clearly, it's no wonder he got stuck!

His entrance was quite dramatic and the poor guy got a broken left upper arm in the process of being unstuck. Then after being released with me, he was re-hospitalized with jaundice the following day for two nights.

After spending his first night in the NICU because of low blood glucose, the broken arm and the subsequent hospitalization for jaundice, I (who got about four hours of sleep in the first four days of his life) became a blubbering basket case. Thankfully, my in-laws came into town just as Craze and I were driving the babe to the ER as instructed by the doctor because of the jaundice. They were a HUGE help and stayed with us for six days.

Now that our little baby is eleven days old, we are all doing well. His arm is healing nicely and he is a calm, peaceful and robust little boy despite all his beginning of life traumas. I have also had some more sleep and am doing much better and am so pleased to be back home where it is quiet and peaceful and no one is sticking my baby with needles, IVs, etc.

Today is, in fact, the first day that I've been home alone with my baby ever, since the in-laws left late yesterday. It has been a nice day where we slept in 'til 10am (after a couple late night/early morning feedings and diaper changes), sat in the kitchen sunshine for a couple of hours (advised for his jaundice recovery) and snuggled up on the couch while Mommy caught up with a TIVO'd episode of Days of Our Lives. I had a big breakfast but at 5pm, no lunch as yet. That said, I have taken a shower and put on real clothes, so things are looking up.

So, while the babe is still asleep, I'm off to the kitchen for a pre-dinner, instead-of-lunch snack. But before I do, I will just say that in looking at my little boy with his head full of wavy light brown hair, rosebud lips and indented chin that look just like his dad and ten perfect, tiny fingers and toes, at 43 years and 10 months, I feel like I'm looking at a living miracle and I really do feel like the luckiest person in the world.