here's why ~j.'s having the...

...BEST WEEK EVER!!!

It all started last Sunday with the offer of dinner from a kind lady in the ward (yay!), followed shortly by a diss from the compassionate service leader (boo!), but all was well on Monday morning with the surprise recorded call from one Dwight K. Schrute (yay!). Of course, Tuesday morning's phone call telling me that I had a nurse and a room waiting for me (yay!) helped, too. Got all hooked up, and watched The Price Is Right (yay!) for the first time since...the last time I was in the hospital. Sweet neighbors and friends (yay!) helped out by watching the girls while I was in labor. At 11:am, I decided that I needed an epidural (yay!), and the anesthesiologist had two students tailing him (yay!). He inserted the needle (boo!) and said, "Oops, see that? Looks like I hit a blood vessel. Better try again." (boo!) The second time, he said to the two students, "Now, see, I may have hit another. Let's see...yep. Gonna have to go again." (boo!) "This time, I'll go a 'notch' up, but it's still in the epidural space." And the epidural began to work (yay!), but it numbed me from the waist UP instead of the waist DOWN. (BOO!!!!!) Yes, that's right, I could feel the contractions but not my shoulders. I could feel the catheter but not my lungs. After much crying by me and much checking by a confused yet attentive anesthesiologist, that epidural was removed (yay!), and the right kind was inserted (yay!). Four pokes in my spine (boo!).

Dr. B. was on call (yay!) and had a resident tailing him, too (yay?), and the delivery experience was really, really wonderful - I can only describe it here as saying that I owned it; it was not a sterile procedure being performed from a distance, but I pushed that kid out (yay!). The good doctor did everything he could to not give me an episiotomy, but alas, I needed one, so I got one (yay!). The only drawback to the delivery was that I couldn't get the breaths I needed to push well because, you know, what with all that numbing medication near my lungs, I still couldn't feel my chest (boo!).

Baby. Yay, yay, and yay some more. My biggest: 7 lbs., 14 oz., 21" long. Or tall. Depending.

Tried to nurse right away, but didn't trust my arms and their no-strength for a few hours (boo!), so Papi held him instead (yay!).

Recovery room. Best nurses ever (yay!). Except for the one (boo!). Lovely, lovely visitors (yay!). Lots of crap television, including interviews with Suzanne Somers every ten minutes (boo!), to which I cry, "Nobody cares!"

For a bit, the doctors thought that Bubby had a heart murmur (boo!), so we met with the pediatric cardiologist (yay!) who very thoroughly reviewed the results of the echo, told us everything was fine (yay!), and sent us on our way. I was so nervous about the circumcision (boo!), but I was right there with him for the whole thing (yay!), and, you know, not to brag, but he did require the biggest sizes of instruments to perform said procedure...if you know what I talking.

Now, we're home, and Bubby is a fantastic baby. The girls are wonderful with him - excited to have him here, and not too eager to scratch his face off (or anything of that nature). As for myself, there has been much laundry-doing, and much pain pill-taking (yay!).

I have the best friends (yay!) who are furnishing dinner for me for a week (yay!) because THEY KNOW that cooking is a struggle for me at this point. Such wonderful friends showing actual compassionate service (yay!).

And THAT'S why ~j.'s having the BEST WEEK EVER!