Tommy at One Week

And here's our sweet boy.  He is still on a newborn schedule, but eats and sleeps pretty well.  Lily and Annie are so gentle and attentive.  Jeremy has been Super Dad the past week.  And my family and my in laws have given us so much help.  Thomas is such a blessing and we are thankful for his presence in our home. 

Thomas Day Three

 Day three was a happy day.  Around 10 in the morning Tommy was released from the NICU and brought to our room.  Jeremy and I climbed into my hospital bed together and took a nap with Tommy in our arms.  We laughed a little and I cried a little.  It just felt so good to be together and know that we were going home.

 I had fun dressing Tommy to go home.  He wasn't too happy about it, but he survived.  And he was great in the car ride home.  I got really sick in the car (another one of my anesthesia side effects) and had a hard time coming in the house.  It felt like the world was spinning.  Lily and Annie were so excited to see us.  They were not allowed in the hospital due to an RSV outbreak in our area.  It felt good to get their hugs and kisses again. 

 Everyone was excited to welcome Tommy home.  I wish we had taken a family picture.  But I was so under the weather I just wanted to crawl in bed.  The girls were so great with Thomas and covered him with kisses.

Puna and Brady also gave him lots of loves while I tried to rest a bit.  It was so wonderful to have our little family at home and together again!

Thomas Day Two

 I celebrated my birthday in the hospital with Tommy and Jeremy.  Thomas was nursing pretty well all things considered.  And he was maintaining his oxygen levels on his own.  My favorite birthday present was  getting to see Tommy unhooked from the oxygen and feeding tubes.  My second favorite birthday present was the Kindle Fire Jeremy surprised me with.

 We sure enjoyed getting to hold him without all the tubes.  I spent every minute I could holding Thomas to help him get stronger and bond with me.  The nurses were amazed that I was up and around so quickly after my surgery.  I was determined that nothing would keep me from our Tommy after our long separation the first day.

Thomas Jeremy Hall 03/27/2013

 We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday March 27.  I was prepped for surgery and at 7:30 a.m. we began the caesarean section.  My doctors were awesome and the surgery went perfectly.  The moment they lifted up our baby to show him to us and I saw all his dark hair I burst into tears.  After two redheads it was honestly a surprise to see a baby of ours with my hair color. 

 As I lay there waiting to be stitched up I noticed that our baby was not in the room with us.  I tried not to worry but I really wanted to know where he was.  I hadn't even had a chance to touch him yet.

 After surgery I was moved to recovery.  I have a hard time coming out of anesthesia and because of my spinal, I could not use my legs.  Jeremy told me that our baby had been put in the NICU because of fluid in his lungs and stomach.  I was afraid and sad that I still hadn't been able to touch him.  Jeremy told me that he had decided to name our boy Thomas.  I tried to relax and let my body come out of anesthesia but I was so worried about Thomas and felt like such a failure for not being healthy enough myself to get out of bed and hold my baby.

 My mom came and was able to see Thomas.  It was comforting to have her with him and know that Thomas was not alone while I was trying to get my strength back.  I cried a lot that first day in the hospital.

 Finally by evening I was strong enough to get out of bed and see our baby.  It was so hard to see him hooked up to so many machines.  I wanted to wrap him in my arms but I was also afraid to touch him.

 When he was finally placed in my arms I felt an immense wave of relief.  I didn't want to put him down but I also didn't have a lot of strength so I was afraid I might drop him.  After talking to the nurses in the NICU, I realized that Thomas was not in immediate danger and that he just needed to get a little stronger with his breathing.  The pediatrician and NICU nurses were confident Thomas would be able to go home once I was able to go home.

Although the day did not go as planned, we were still so happy to have our baby finally with us.  Being able to hold him was just the jolt I needed to start getting stronger.  I was able to walk myself to the NICU three times that night to nurse him.  It looked like things would be brighter in the morning.