Q & A

Q - Did you feel yourself getting sick?

A - I have been asked this question over and over. No, I really didn't feel it coming on. Except for the pain from the c-section, I felt fine in the hospital after having Danielle. I was a lot weaker leaving this time than when I left with Peter, but I didn't think anything of it. I came home on a Friday. On Saturday, I felt like my throat was a little sore (I tested positive for strep at the doctor's office before going to the ER). On Sunday, I had the chills for a long time in the afternoon. I also felt like I needed to cough, but I tried not to because it hurt too badly where the incision was. By Sunday night, I was having trouble breathing. I felt the same on Monday, but I really thought it would go away. However, it was bad enough to call the doctor and make an appointment for the next day when we were also taking Danielle in for her first visit. We did go to the chiropractor on Monday, and he told me that I needed to be taking iron. I was very anemic in the hospital, so he was right. I had a difficult time taking a shower on Tuesday morning because I was having such a hard time breathing. I should have gone to the ER at that point, but I was still thinking that it wasn't any big deal and that it would go away. By the time we got to the doctor on Tuesday, I was really struggling to breathe. It scared the nurse so badly that she wouldn't close the door to the exam room when she went to get the doctor. This was only 4 days since I was discharged from the hospital with no problems at all, so it really did come on very quickly. I was also on vicadin from the c-section, so I think that may have masked some of the pain from the strep throat.

A Girl Can Never Have Too Many Clothes

Dear Danielle,

Now I know why you have so many clothes - because you just went through 3 outfits in less than an hour!!! At least you have plenty to choose from! :)

Love,
Mom

When I heard that the baby was a girl, I knew immediately that we had entered into the world of cute clothes. With Peter, I just pulled something out of the drawer each morning. There really wasn't much thought that went into what he was going to wear each day. We had enough outfits to last a week or so, and he just wore the same thing every few days. No big deal - he was a boy. Boys are fun, but their clothing selections are definitely limited.

The situation is way different for baby girls. There are way too many cute clothes for baby girls, and I now have boxes of them in my house. I have only bought one thing for Danielle (the Valentine's Day onesie she had on here), and I bought that before I knew if she was a boy or a girl. Once she was born, the shopping and giving began. We are so thankful for everyone who has helped clothe our little girl. When I came home from the hospital, there were boxes of clothes labeled by size. It's like going shopping in my own home because I had not seen most of the outfits before. Friends and family sent clothes that their little girls had outgrown, and others went shopping to make sure that my little girl will be well dressed for at least a year. Thank you for blessing our family in this way!!

Just an Update

Wow - it's already been a full month since I was released from the hospital. It sometimes feels like it has been way longer than that, but then other times it feels like I just came home the other day. I know a lot of you have been wondering how the recovery process has been, so I wanted to just give you a quick update. There have also been many questions that I keep getting over and over - things like "Did you feel yourself getting sick?" and "Do you remember anything that happened while you were on the ventilator?". I'll answer some of those questions in future posts as I have time to sit and write. Having a newborn and a toddler are definitely keeping me extremely busy, so blogging has moved down a bit on the priority list.

As far as how I'm feeling physically, recovery has gone remarkably well. When I came home from the hospital, I could not walk on my own. I couldn't pick up Danielle, and I for sure couldn't pick up Peter. I had to really think when I tried to sit up so I could get out of bed. Now, a month later, I can do almost everything I can and need to do - walking, carrying Danielle, climbing stairs, driving, etc. I can pick Peter up and walk with him for a short distance, but I am pretty tired after doing that. In fact, the main thing right now is just building up my stamina. I get tired easily, so I'm thankful to be home right now so I can take frequent breaks and just rest.

Emotionally, it's been up and down. On top of postpartum hormones, I had no idea the range of emotions I would feel after coming out of a situation where I almost lost my life. There are good days and rough days, but the good days are definitely more common right now. I have been given a second chance at life, and I need to just keep telling myself that to get past some of the emotions and fear that I am dealing with inside.

Mornings like we had this morning keep me going. Peter climbed up on the chair and scooted all the way to one side. He told me to sit with him. Then he said, "We are here together. Me and you." That brings joy to my heart. :)

Priceless

The dog sleeping - normal

The baby sleeping - precious

The toddler sleeping - adorable

All three sleeping at the same time - PRICELESS!!

A Month Ago Today...

the ventilator came out!!! The doctors told my family that I could be on the vent for weeks . . . 12 days, and I was breathing on my own again. I don't wish to relive the moment they pulled the tubes - it was not a pleasant experience. However, breathing room air on my own again without fighting for each breath was definitely a wonderful result. As far as physical recovery, things are going extremely well. Except for tiring easily, picking up heavy things (like my 2-year-old!), and a few other things, I'm very close to getting back to normal strength. It's so weird to think that a month ago I could barely move my feet and today I'm climbing stairs and carrying my baby around. God is so good, and I am thankful every day for the miracle he did when he healed me.

We took Peter to Jungle Java this morning, and he had a great time. He had Aunt Amy climbing all over with him. I was tired just watching them!!!

Peter, Big Bird, and Danielle

Peter decided to bring Big Bird over to visit Danielle. Notice the change in his voice when he talks to Danielle and Big Bird. He always talks to her this way - it's so cute!

Our Little Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day!

Family Time at the Park

We took advantage of the good weather the other day to walk down to the playground with the kids. Peter enjoyed being outside, Danielle got a good nap in, and I got to walk and get some exercise. I was tired and a bit out of breath after walking to the park, but it was nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air. Walking to the playground and back was the most walking I've done unassisted. Well, I was pushing the stroller, so maybe that's considered assisted, but I wasn't using a walker. I'm still slow when I walk, but I'm getting faster. Andrew and Peter just walked ahead of us and waited for us to catch up every so often. It's pretty funny when your toddler walks faster than you! I'm so thankful for the time that my family is getting to spend together. I will never again take it for granted.

Mommy's Little Helper

A Day of Firsts

First Bath!

Ok, so it wasn't really Danielle's first bath, but it was the first time that I have given her a bath, and it was her first bath in the baby bathtub (instead of just a towel spread out on the table). She seems to love water, so she enjoyed being in the bathtub.

First Diaper Change

Don't freak out - her diaper has been changed every few hours since the moment she was born. However, today was the first day that I have changed a diaper. You are probably wondering how in the world I could make it 5 weeks without changing a diaper...

Having a c-section made getting in and out of bed difficult in the hospital, so someone else changed all of the diapers in the hospital. Once we got home, I started feeling bad, so someone else still changed diapers. When my doctor diagnosed strep before I ended up in the ER, she told me not to change diapers because although I couldn't give Danielle strep throat, she could still get strep through her umbilical cord. Then I ended up in ICU on the vent, so of course I wasn't changing diapers then. Once I was home, it has taken about a week to get strong enough to be able to hold Danielle while walking around. So, that means that today was the first day I changed a diaper.


It is so nice to slowly be starting to do things for my kiddos again!!

My Bestest Buddy

Before Danielle was born, Peter and I were pretty much inseparable. Except for the few hours every morning that I was at work, we did everything together. We ran errands together, went to playgroups together, cooked together, played together - he was always with me. Being in the hospital with Danielle was the first time I had been away from him for more than a few hours at a time. I'm so thankful that he doesn't have any concept of time because being away from him for 3 weeks was hard. He knows that Mommy was sick, but he has no idea that I was away for so long. Today I actually sat on the floor with Peter and played. It was so nice to be able to play with my buddy and just enjoy being with him.

(Of course I had to have help getting off the floor, but that's why I have a sweet husband.)