Our Sweet Charlotte Anne...

Now that it has been a MONTH, I guess it's past time to update on our little precious girl. Above is David and I the night before the big day.  I was 35 weeks along and excited to get little bit here where we could see her.  The stinker flipped completely around the night before delivery, so I was VERY ready to get her out safely to be sure nothing scary happened in there.  Notice my very stylish hospital bed rest wear!  Fifteen days in room 314 went by quickly thanks to all the amazing people helping us!!!

Here are some more pictures from the day of delivery. Things went really smoothly (or as smooth as a C-section can) - up at 5am getting an IV, grandparents arrived for pictures and prayers by 6am, wheeling to the OR by 7am, and Charlotte Anne was here at 7:23am! It is quite different than the other two "regular" birth experiences.

After delivery we got to all be together for about an hour, but Charlotte Anne's blood sugar was low and her breathing was too fast to allow her to eat by mouth, so that meant a trip to the NICU.  It was tough sending her down the hall, but I knew she was in fabulous hands.  She had one day on the IV and her blood sugar stabilized, two days on the heated bed and her temp stabilized, but it took about 5 days for her to really get the eating by mouth thing figured out.  The doctors and nurses said that was typical for a 35 week old kiddo and for us not to worry, a switch would flip one day and she would just figure it out.  They were exactly right - one day she started eating and never looked back!  Unfortunately, on day 3 of her NICU stay, her oxygen and heart rates dropped and required her to stay for 7 more days without any incidents before she was released. That meant mom went home before baby girl.  It was really tough to leave her there, but we are blessed to live nearby and were able to come see her several times a day.  There were a lot of babies that were her neighbors that mom / dad live out of town and weren't able to be there daily.  We truly saw how blessed we are in that NICU.  There were so many babies that had serious battles ahead of them, thank you Lord for our healthy baby girl who just needed to be watched for a bit while she "grew up" a little more.

Charlotte Anne's home for 10 days.  It was a corner, window spot - she's a VIP already!

Our awesome doctor - Dr. Pryszbysz.  She took wonderful care of me through the pregnancy (ultrasounds at EVERY appointment), through the hospital stay, and delivery.  We are so blessed for God to have lead us to the amazing healthcare providers we have seen throughout everything! 

Since germy 3 year olds aren't allowed in NICU, Sarah Katherine met baby sister through pictures the day she was born.  She was so proud that we made a photo book for her to take to school and show EVERYONE - literally everyone, teachers, her class, other classes, anyone that looked at her!

So, from April 5 - April 30, 2012 we set up shop at St. Vincent's Hospital.  Those were 25 crazy days, but what a miracle we have to show from it!  While everything was far from ideal, in the end we have two beautiful daughters, an amazing support system that swooped in and took care of us, and a further perspective of how we are blessed beyond measure.