I delivered at The Woman's Hospital of Texas, and the staff there was mostly fabulous. The nurses were wonderful, and attempted to be as un-intrusiveness as it is possible to be when someone is coming in every 30 minutes. Also, the food was surprisingly good. I thoroughly enjoyed have three yummy and complete meals a day served in bed! Of course, as soon as the food was dropped off, the baby would start fussing, so many of my meals were eaten over his head. I'm sure eating one-handed will be a pretty common occurrence from now on. As long as Larkin doesn't mind a few crumbs on his head now and then, we'll be fine!
We were situated in a private room even though I had forgotten to ask (I think my doctor had taken care of this for me) which was a serious blessing. Because of the private room, Jonathan was able to stay in the room with me around the clock, and I was able to keep Larkin in-room without worrying about disturbing anyone. And I wouldn't have made it without Jonathan. Although he was busy working to meet several deadlines and handle some serious professional drama, he was on point to help me get around through the surgery aches and pains (and severe swollen legs and feet - OUCH!), to play pillow origami as Larkin and I tried to get the hang of nursing, and a million other supports - including CHANGING EVERY SINGLE DIAPER! Talk about a great husband... and a seriously good daddy.
On Saturday, the nurses started talking about keeping him an extra day or two, and I nearly flipped out. I had spent five months in bed, trying to ensure my baby wouldn't have to spend any extra time in the hospital! But at the last minute, the pediatrician gave us the go ahead, and we got to take him home with us.
As you can see, he wasn't very impressed with the whole "getting dressed" situation... especially since I had to dress and undress him a few times before I gave up on the too cute 'going home' outfit I had brought to the hospital. He may be 7 lb, 12 oz - but he is one long and lanky baby! Anyway, Daddy went to the cafe to grab us a quick lunch (I had the option of waiting for one last room service meal, but even the offer of one final meal in bed couldn't keep me in the hospital for one more second!) and Larkin had a brief nursing session to calm him from the drama of getting dressed.
We made it out to the car, and spent several minutes trying to figure out how to get the car seat buckled up. Larkin just looked so precious and tiny in his car seat. It was so amazing to finally have a baby in the seat we installed with such dedication months ago.
Let me just say: SCARIEST CAR RIDE EVER. As scary as Houston traffic always is, it's brain damaging to try to maneuver it with such precious cargo. I'm not going to lie, I rode in the back seat with Larkin! Actually, it was pretty sweet. Daddy chauffeured us home, while Larkin held my finger tight and we both slept soundly the whole way home (we were officially worn out!)
Various family members were waiting to welcome us home. We visited for a short while before Larkin demanded a feeding, and then we all collapsed in utter exhaustion (FYI: a hospital is NOT a restful place!).
I am so glad to be home, and overjoyed to finally have a baby to fill out all the swing and crib and tiny baby clothes we've been collecting! We are still getting the hang of our new family dynamic, but Larkin already fits in completely. It's so cool to be a FAMILY.
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