We checked into Portland Adventist on Thursday, November 20th, and checked out on Tuesday, November 25th. Before we left the hospital, though, we had to stop in at the room next door to ours, number 2416. My friend Linsea had checked in the day before to deliver her little girl, Lucy Sharon.
Lucy is a cutie, and it's just too fun that she and Hazel are only two days apart. I'm excited for Hazel to have a friend just her age!
You wouldn't believe the load of stuff we checked into the hospital with us...and you wouldn't believe that fact that it multiplied before we left the hospital! Nate had some foresight in packing his bag - he overpacked whereas I packed enough for two, maybe three days. I made fun of him and his numerous (5) black bags. He shrugged me off neatly, though, and I ate my words when we ended up staying for five days. When it was time to check out, Nate had to take down a load of bags with the help of a volunteer before I could be wheeled down to the car. Hazel and I hung out in the room for a bit by ourselves and chatted. I dressed her, undressed her to change her diaper, undressed myself to breastfeed, and then redressed both of us before Nate called up to say he had the car at the hospital's entrance.
The ride home was probably the most traumatized Hazel has been so far in her short life. There was just too much stimulation. She jerked hard with every bump in the road. Nate drove and I rode in back with her and tried to comfort her with my pinky. It worked...a little, anyway!
Getting her home was so good - it brought a little more reality to Hazel's permanence. She's fit herself right into our lives. Like I said before, she's just so familiar to me, like she's always been with us. It's lovely. She's lovely!
When we had her home finally, we bundled her up and settled in for the night. This picture cracks me up. She kept wiggling her head and the hat (which is too big) worked its way down over her eyes.
She slept well that first night; we've worked together on some kinks since that first night, and slowly but surely we're figuring things out. She's had some major jaundice so we've been working with Peggy, the pediatrician, and our lactation consultant to find ways so that she gets everything she needs, food-wise. She was getting dehydrated because she was lethargic, not at all interested in eating.
She's beating her jaundice now - today she looks fantastic compared to two days ago - and she's getting her weight back up. She was born at 7 lbs. 14 oz., but left the hospital at 7 lbs. 3 oz. At our lactation appointment last Wednesday, she was down to 6 lbs. 14 oz., but then on Friday she weighed in at 7 lbs. 4 oz. at the pediatricians office. I just threw you a bunch of numbers. Sorry. The point is that she's doing really well right now. We have another lactation appointment this next Wednesday, so we'll figure out our next steps then.
I have appointments with the OBGYN who performed the cesarean and with Peggy this Thursday. I have some pictures of the incision from the cesarean birth that I'd love to post, but you'll have to trust me that the process of removing the staples was interesting and that the incision is a nice clean line. It's healing pretty well, I think; today I went without my belly brace for the most part. That's a step in the right direction!
From here on out, I feel that I'll most likely bombard you with pictures of Hazel. I hope that suits you! Come back for more when you get a chance! I'll work on keeping this up better. She does so many interesting things and I like her so much, it's hard to not share her - and you're my audience of choice!
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