Sometimes I can't believe it. For 19 months prior to Hope's arrival, I was knee deep in everything boy. Blue blankets, blue clothes, cars, trucks, superheroes, and Elmo. Boys are easy. Their clothes don't have to match, they go with the flow (for the most part), and aren't afraid to get dirty. Plus, having another boy would mean we wouldn't need to buy anything new. Alas, that was not the adventure God had planned next for us. He looked at our happy little family situation and said - "Now that Abishai is almost into his terrible toddler stage, I shall bless you with a newborn. One that requires a whole new set of clothes and will need to be wiped from front to back." And bless us He did.
The thought of having a girl was daunting. Ribbons, bows, coordinated outfits, the inevitable emotional roller coasters, and let's not get started about all the PINK-- and I'm just talking about myself. I kid -- I hate pink. All these things overwhelmed my thoughts before Hope came because, let's be honest, I'm girl enough for this household.
Then she arrived... and she was perfect. My distaste for pink immediately subsided as I excitedly dressed her in her first pink dress in the hospital and found a headband to match. I drank a big pitcher of pink Kool-Aid and it was all over after that. Matt is still reeling over the $27 I spent on handmade floral headbands. Yup-- that happened.
Everything this time around (with the exception of the pregnancy itself) was so much easier. We had a planned c-section (hence the perfect birthdate) and everything went smoothly. At one point during the operation, I was listening to my surgeons talk about Disneyland trips. When we were moved to our maternity ward room our nurse Kady surprised us with a HUGE corner room. We talked so much about Hope being our last, so she thought it would be a nice treat to have the grande suite for our last maternity stay. Here's hoping we keep that promise, but God has scoffed at our plans many times. Our room was so large it even had a mudroom/foyer attached. Having all the extra room did make our stay a lot more comfortable.
Hope has been great. She eats well and sleeps even better. She was well over her birth weight by her first week doctor's appointment and has maintained a healthy, steady growth. She is the first person Abishai wants to see in the morning (next to Elmo) and the last person to get kisses from him at night. He adores his little sister, whom we think he is convinced is named "Baby". We repeat her name to him often and he pauses with a blank stare before saying "ope" (silent H) and then immediately follows it with "BABY!"
Sleeping arrangements have been interesting in our house lately, though. With Abishai asleep in the kids room and Matt in the master, Hope and I spend our late night/early morning feedings in the living room where I eventually fall asleep on the couch till the morning. We have a makeshift ottoman as a changing table and it works out quite nicely for us. Thank goodness for comfortable couches.
Once again, my parents stayed with us for a few weeks- which was a tremendous help. Matt went back to work immediately so my mom took over Abishai duties during the day, allowing me to focus on taking care of Hope and getting a nap in once in a while. Here I am at almost 30 and I still need my mommy. The unconditional love and support I get from her is priceless.
In true Laleanne fashion, my recovery wasn't without a few, albeit survivable, obstacles. Shortly after heading home from the hospital I broke out into hives which took over my entire midsection and then some. Let's just say I won't be wearing a bikini ever again (or at least in the next decade). After a cortisone shot, a strong dose of steroids, and some good ol' over-the-counter Zyrtec, the hives started to dissipate. My allergist concluded that the culprit was most likely just my hormones. Nope-- not a medication or food allergy-- just my pregnancy hormones wreaking havoc on my body. Y'know like a last hurrah before it headed out of my body. Woo hoo!
Despite the hives and the general discomfort from the c-section, we still made it to church on Easter Sunday- six days after Hope was born and even had a mini Easter egg hunt for Abishai back at the house. Ever since the doctor cleared me to drive again, I've been heading to the farmer's market regularly, going for walks, and even made it to the mall once. Hope sleeps for pretty generous stretches of time which allows me to run errands here and there.
Although adding a child hasn't been easy, Matt has definitely made the transition smooth. Abishai has become Matt's shadow and both Matt and I have essentially taken responsibility of one child. Now if only Matt could breastfeed... :P
More adventures await us. Especially now that Abishai informs us when he has "poo poo" in his diaper. Potty training time? Hmmm... we'll keep you updated. Until next month...
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