cooking with Emily and J.D.

This is our spring break week with the kids as well as John's last week on Paternity leave. The timing couldn't be more perfect except for the fact that John might not be getting as much done as he wanted to around the house! We have a couple of outings planned but we will see how that turns out. One fun thing we did was cook some things together. Emily got a Paula Deen cookbook from baby Molly in the hospital and we have used it several times. Last night we fixed "stone soup" based on the stone soup book. It was very healthy with veggies, ham, and macaroni. The kids ate it up! This morning we fixed monkey bread. The kids cut the biscuits and rolled them in cinnamon and sugar and it was YUMMY!

Little mommy

When pregnant..I thought a lot about what the big kids would think about Molly. So far they are totally mesmerized by her. They want to kiss her and hold her ALL the time, so much that her daddy has to fight them to get his daddy time with her! John Daniel always wants to know "where that baby is?" He is sweet and holds her and talks to her and then says "I'm done" when he is finished. Emily has surprised me in that she is very protective and has really great instincts when it comes to taking care of the baby. When I first let her hold her at home she was sitting on the couch and automatically started gently swaying and rocking like us moms do when holding a sleeping baby. My dad noticed it as well. It was like she just knew what to do. She has a natural way with her and seems very at ease and not awkward like some kids when first holding a baby. This has been a relief in that I thought she might have a little jealousy due to Molly being a girl and Emily having always been a Daddy's girl and all. Things have gone well so far. The big kids love all her baby toys and I think they have played with them more than their own this week. They love to start and stop the swing, "play with her" on her baby gym mat, and the baby monitors have been their biggest love. They have used them all over the house as walkie talkies! My biggest complaint is that the days go by so fast! It is the afternoon before I know it. I feel like time is just whisking away. I can't believe we have already been home with Molly for over a week. Things like taking pictures and video have to almost be planned b/c I just don't think about it as much. By the time Molly is done eating and I have changed her diaper, the other kids need food and attention. I sat crying in the chair one day after I had fed Molly and John came in. He said why are you crying. All I could say is that I didn't want any of them to grow up anymore and that time was going by so fast and that I couldn't believe that this might be our last baby! I am so trying to enjoy every moment with them but it really is hard with laundry and bills and just day to day tasks. I just want to tuck all these great memories and things they say and things they do in my head and heart so I can remember them forever. They grow up so Fast!!!!

Molly's first bath

What an exciting first bath!!!! It took three of us to bath the poor child while daddy videotaped and took pictures. The big kids loved it. John Daniel washed her head very carefully and Emily helped with her body. Molly did really well despite the chaos surrounding her. She never even cried.

At Home

We have been home now for three days and life has changed considerably as you might imagine! Molly is a blessing and a joy and I forgot how much babies really do sleep early on like this! Since getting home from the hospital we have tried to mesh our routine with our new baby. Thank God for John and his paternity leave! He is pretty much doing everything for the big kids and I am maintaining Molly and myself. John's grandfather died the evening that I got home from the hospital so that has added another factor into our first days at home. John has been back and forth to Thomasville several times and today went to the funeral. My parents have been here on and off helping and going to get things for us and taking me to my doctors appts if John could not. I also have been a little caught off guard in the fact that I felt great at the hospital and then at home have felt a little "off". Can't quite put my finger on it, but I have had some back pain (which has subsided now), some nausea (no not nausea!!!!! still!!!!), no appetite, and just a bla feeling. John keeps telling me that this is not going to be like my other deliveries and the recovery process is going to be different and my body is just trying to regulate all the hormones etc. Anyways, I haven't been the super mom that I thought I would be once I got this baby out of me......but have felt better today! Maybe feeling better today has something to do with getting 4 1/2 hours of sleep last night. My girl slept from 11:30ish until 4 am. I had to wake her to get her to eat. I have had a terrible time with my milk coming in and being really engorged. Nursing hasn't been pleasant so far but I know it will get better! My body seems to overdue everything in the pregnancy category. I seem to make enough milk to feed twins. It has been quite painful but also seems better today! I have had to pump and then feed her to get relief. Today was Molly's first doctor's appt and she already surpassed her birth weight by one ounce and she is only 6 days old. The nurses and doctor went nutso and were so excited, I guess this doesn't happen as often as I would have thought.....she is certainly an eater! They said she looked great and that is worth the pain of nursing in the beginning! So for now we are getting into a routine, the kids fight over who gets to hold her and she is noticing them a lot more which is so sweet. Emily is quite the pro and is such a little mommy. She would sit for hours and hold her and Molly falls right to sleep in her lap. John Daniel likes holding her too but he hold her for 5 minutes or so and then says, "I'm done". He also is funny asking about her. He comes home from school and says, "where's that baby?" It is fun having older kids around...I love seeing it through their eyes. They ask so many questions. John Daniel and Emily both helped give her her first sponge bath which was hilarious and quite the undertaking! Molly was good and didn't even cry even with all the chaos around her. John Daniel gently washed her head and Emily did her arms and belly and legs. It was very cute! They love to even help change the diapers. John of course has been awesome as he always has been with babies. He is the best baby burper ever! He has been very attentive despite the loss of his grandfather and wanting to get more home improvements done. We will see what the days ahead bring.....I'm sure lots!

Hospital Stay

Tomorrow we break out of this joint!  I am so happy to be going home with my happy, sweet, healthy baby girl!  I guess I am happy to have had some rest and relaxation in the hospital but I have to admit I have been a bit bored.  Thank goodness for the Internet, facebook, my blog, TV, and lots and lots of visitors.  Molly has done great the last two days and we have got ourselves in a little routine.  She is eating about every 2-3 hours and sleeps pretty much in between feedings.  She hasn't been over fussy and seems to like being held and is easy to comfort.  She has quite the set of lungs.  When she isn't happy, she is very loud and lets out some funny loud squeals.  Her big brother and big sister are amazed and so happy with her so far.  They want to hold her and talk to her.  Today she was awake when they came to visit and she looked at them and followed them as they moved.  She had the hiccups and they thought it was so funny!  They were giggling so hard.  Their grandmother and aunt took them to Target earlier in the day and they both picked out a special toy to buy Molly with their own money.  It was neat to see their picks and special b/c they were actually buying for her since they have now met her and not some "baby" in mommy's tummy.  Molly had lost some weight as most babies do in the hospital but gained 3 oz back today.  She now weighs 6lbs and 8 oz.  The pediatrician was pleased and said she looks perfect.  I am doing great.  I feel really good.  If I lie in the bed too long I get a little stiff but I have made it a point to get up and walk.  Everyone seems pretty impressed with me and have told me to take it easy.  I think I just feel so much better with the baby out of me than I do with it inside me.  The incision and abd pain that I am having seems better to me than the nausea and vomiting that I have during pregnancy.  I got so stir crazy today in the hospital room that I asked the nurse if I could go down to the first floor and go outside to the parking lot to just feel the fresh air and sunshine.  She let me but I had to leave Molly in the room with John.  It felt so nice!  John went home to sleep tonight in our bed.  He has been scrunched up on the horrible hospital couch and has been so uncomfortable.  I told him to go home and sleep good so he can be fresh for us all tomorrow.  The nurses here have been very attentive and have taken good care of us.  I feel sure we can get through the night by ourselves.  Molly is such a blessing and we can't wait to get her home and be a family of five.  Blessings are abundant and God is good.  

Mini spa night with mommy

The week before baby molly was born was a busy one but we tried to make some special time for each of the big kids as I have said in previous posts. The night before the c-section Emily and I planned a mini spa night for just me and her. After school we got her hair cut at a "real" salon and then that night we used my friend Amy's foot spa to do pedicures on each other. It was fun to watch her sitting in the bathroom with her feet in the spa. We cut toenails, massaged lotion on our feet and legs, painted toenails and even put masques on our faces to "exfoliate". She had a blast and thought it was lots of fun. John Daniel even wanted to try the foot spa! It was a nice girlie time before the big kids left to spend the night with grandparents.

Introducing Baby Molly!

Molly D'Anna Gay was born yesterday at 7:59 am by c-section at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare.  She weighed 6 lbs and 13 oz and is 19 1/4 inches long.  The c-section, which mommy was very nervous about, went very smoothly.  We got to the hospital at 5 am and spent the morning in a room while they asked mommy tons of questions and prepped me for surgery.  One of John's co-workers and friends is engaged to a labor and delivery nurse.  She volunteered to stay and do my c-section after working all night.  Beth was so sweet and it was very nice knowing someone.  I also happen to know the nurse anesthetist that did my spinal and stayed in the OR with me.  She and I graduated nursing school together.  They took me to the OR at 7:27 after we had said hello to everyone including the kids in the room.  The kids were so cute in their big brother and big sister shirts.  They were all smiles and so excited!  Once in the OR they immediately put the spinal in and I went numb.  It was a very nice warm feeling.  My heart rate was up considerable due to my nervousness so the nurse anesthetist gave me something to bring it down.  I felt better after that.  Dr. McAlpine and Dr. Franz walked in and made sure I was numb.  The did their first cut and then brought John in.  The whole c-section is a very bizarre feeling.  I did not feel any pain what so ever but felt them inside me.  It is a pressure type feeling or jiggling.  Very strange.  At one time I said to the nurse, it feels like they are in my chest and she replied well they kind of are!  The spinal also makes you feel like you can't get a deep breath, like you can't move your chest but I just kept repeating my scripture on fear in my head and taking deep breaths!  Once John got in their, I was o.k. and he was so sweet standing there at my head putting me at ease.  Then the doctors said, here she is.  She made a little cry even before they pulled her out totally.  John got that on video!  Then she cried and squealed the whole time the nurse checked her out.  She looked so tiny to me.  They took her out of the room and John went with her while they sewed me up.  By the time I ended up in recovery she was right there with me getting her bath, shots, etc.  They let me sit up and nurse while in recovery.  I still wasn't feeling a thing thanks to the spinal.  We met the rest of the family and big brother and big sister right outside by the lullaby button on the way to the regular room.  The big kids were shocked and couldn't believe there was an actual baby with me now.  John Daniel said, I didn't know you were going to have a real baby!  Not sure what he thought I was having??  Emily was in awe and seemed quietly protective already of her baby sister.  We all got settled in the new room and they eventually held Baby Molly for the first time.  They also watched while Daddy changed one of those sticky tar like diapers and they didn't like that so much!  Molly is so sweet and so cute.  She has Emily's color hair and her little petite nose and John Daniels cheeks and chin.  She seems so tiny to us.  She does have a little spunky side and will squeal really loudly if she doesn't like what you are doing.  The nurses already told me she had a temper.  We are so proud and so in love with her!