Presenting Miss Margaret Catherine

Last week I was so desperate for a beer that Matt went out and bought me an O'doul's.  I didn't need the alcohol, I just wanted a cold beer.  Hit the spot!

Trying to get through my last week at work - it was pretty brutal

One super hot day I ran into my room to spread out on the bed in the air conditioning and try to cool down.  Charlie crawled up and this is him explaining how the baby is going to come out.  Very interesting take on it...

Quality check with George on the car seat.  Oh Charlie, you're the cutest

Calm before the storm - we are ready!

Monday night - the day before I delivered

This didn't really work because the scale is off, but the top is the night before I delivered Charlie

My belly protector

It just got crazy around here again! Margaret 'Maggie' Catherine McAuley joined us at 7:44am on June 21st, 2016. She was 9 pounds, 10 ounces (the exact weight Charlie was!) and was 20 1/2 inches long. Just like with Charlie, I want to cover the birth story for my own purposes. I've enjoyed going back and reading Charlie's over the years. I wouldn't remember half of the story had I not recorded it. It's all pretty much a blur, especially 6 years removed. The good thing, Maggie was a scheduled C-Section, so the story is significantly less dramatic then Charlie's. Maggie's original due date was June 30th (Charlie's birthday) but we were able to schedule the surgery for as early as possible. Near the end, I was SO pregnant and the Kansas City summer was in full swing and it was just sweltering out. Having a date that I knew she was coming, was SO nice. I can't imagine struggling through the heat day after day just waiting to go into labor. Sometimes modern technology is a beautiful thing. Plus, again, everyone knew this was another big baby...so even if I wanted a VBAC, there was a 99% chance I would have been right back in surgery for a c-section. And this way I was able to have a tubal, so it all worked for the best.

5:30 am 

I can't believe I'm putting this picture on the internet, but you can see the hugeness

Matt was FULL of the jokes that morning.  Was ready to slap him (and hug him for distracting me)

Lets do this!

Trying not to freak out as they stitch me back up

Blessed skin to skin

Bridgette and Ethan stayed at the house Monday night so they could be with Charlie while we checked into the hospital at 5:30 in the morning. I was so annoyed when they told me months ago that we had to be at the hospital that early, but I had been up about 4 am the last two weeks, so I was pretty much up anyway. We got checked in and had this amazing nurse named Ruth. I told her my requests like skin to skin, delaying the K & Hep shot, all things to help foster a good environment for breastfeeding. It's amazing how different c-sections are from just 6 years ago. With Charlie, he was taken away after he was born, no skin to skin, I barely saw him. They poked and prodded him for an hour and then wondered why he wouldn't breastfeed. If I sound bitter, I am. Through this birth I have realized how his whole birth/breastfeeding process slightly traumatized me. It's reared its ugly head several times with Maggie. Anyway, Ruth was a HUGE breastfeeding advocate and really took charge in letting the nurses know important this all was. Plus, she even had additional things we could do to help. And she was funny and sweet. She was off at 7 am, I was sad she wasn't going to be with me the whole day. It's amazing the difference a good nurse can make. She even came to see me the next day, she said she KNEW it was a girl!

In the recovery room - Matt fell in love immediately

Look at her lookin at her daddy

The surgery sucked, there is no way to get around it. Being cut open and put back together is just going to suck no matter how many things they do to make it better. But they had a clear drape this time so I could see the sex the same time Matt did.

 I still can't believe it was a girl. I'm just so grateful, thankful, and blessed. I lost my mom when I was 9, and while I've always been surrounded by amazing women, to be gifted the opportunity to have a mother/daughter relationship is just too much (okay, I'm crying...more on that later). It's something I've yearned for and thought that it was something I just wasn't going get. But God pulls through and blesses me in abundance.

Is this not the most precious thing you ever did see?

We made the kids wait to find out the sex until they came up to the hospital which was SO fun

Charlie is the proudest big brother you ever did see

Uncle Chad

Melinda came down Tuesday night.  I was so grateful to have her there.  She was able to stay with me and give Matt a chance to run home and deal with the kids and the dog.  She is such a comfort to have around for me!

The hospital stay was a lot like last time - annoying.  So many people in and out of your room non-stop.  We were able to be released a day early to go home and find some peace!  Breastfeeding was hard, but was going well.  I swear, I think breastfeeding is the hardest thing I've ever done- that's a bold statement, but I'm totally serious.  So many tears, so much pain, but we do it out of love and I'm determined this will work.  I wish I could remove my nipples and soak them in an ice bath, but we do what we can....

Next post - headed home.  And a list of random things that have made me cry since the birth (damn hormones)