At 7:42 PM on 06/29/09 God brought another beautiful blessing into my life, Miss Reagan Averie. She is long 18.75 inches long and weighs in at 4 lbs and 5 oz. I love being an aunt, and I'm now blessed for a second time. I don't know where to begin with all of this...it's been a wild ride the last 72 hours, but God is so good. After Karli's baby shower in the hospital her blood pressure wasn't coming down and topped out at 188/127. I'm no nurse, but about 15 rushed into her room Sunday night trying desperately to get it down. They decided that even though Karli was 35 weeks and they knew the baby would be small due to Karli's severe hyperemisis that Karli's body could go into a stroke or seizure with her blood pressure continuely high for preclampsia. I'm not going to lie...it's scary to see that padding they put on the bed around her head and all the people running around. They put her on the this awful medicine called magnesium sulfate and man she was out of it and sick. Ick! She's a trooper, no whining or complaining. By Monday evening it was time for Reagan to make her entrance. I was asked to be in the delivery room, but I'm not kidding there were so many nurses for Karli and the NICU team that I was overwhelmed and decided I would do best in the hall so instead Michael and her very good friend (who happens to be wrapping up nursing school) were there to be supportive. I think I would have just stood there silent with wide eyes. I'm guessing that's not considered "supportive." Off they rushed Reagan to the NICU past us down the hall. The first big news was that they didn't have to put her on the ventilator like was first thought. The magnesium was in Reagan's system so she bascially felt like it made Karli feel. Today was the first day Karli got to go down and hold her. They just started feeding her today through a tube (which she pulled out this morning) a teaspoon at a time. I got to scrub in and hold her, too. I was so afraid with the monitors and tubes. She is tiny, but responding well to all the necessary things to get sprung from the joint. They aren't certain how long she'll be in...estimates vary but no longer than her orginal due date of July 31 is pretty much agreed on. She has to maintain weight, eat on her own without tubes, not be jaundice, eat within a certain amount of time, and maintain her temp. Can you tell I learned a lot the last 48 hours? Karli could go home tomorrow if her blood pressure drops back down. She's also pretty excited that they will take out her central line she's been sporting the last seven months out of chest tomorrow. As for Reece, she still can't see Reagan and really misses her mama and desperately wants to see this baby sister she's waited to see. She told me she was going to put her in a stroller. She also explained that babies wear diapers. She also woke me up at 2:30 and 3:30 each night I was there to go to the bathroom (and if I remember correctly, she sang the ABC song after our potty trip). I like my sleep.
Life is such a miraculous gift God brings to us out of love.
Weighed in
Off to NICU. I sleep in this machine looking thing that keeps me warm. Mommy and Daddy have to put their hands in holes to change my diaper (which by the way, I learned is pretty nasty business the first few times...especially when you are trying to go around wires working in a dimly lit room with your hand in a hole!)
Reece Madelyn watches the rain. We played and had fun. Now, Aunt Colby is tired.
Now for the other interesting things aside from birth:
1) Baptist St. Anthony Hospital has the nicest cafeteria around. Where was all this when Mom was sick???
2) Micah has decided that he would like to check into BSA with a "cough" in April during the Masters on the labor and delivery floor so he can have a flat screen, dim room, and warm blankets.
3) We walked down to the regular nursery and those babies seem like giants compared to Reagan. I still don't comprehend how something that big comes out of something so small. It gives me shivers thinking about it.
4) Right before I left tonight, Karli's nurse comes into the room. Karli announces, "Colby, remember the cat you ran over and killed in high school?" My eyes go wide. She looks at her nurse, "It was her cat." Side story. I was driving home for work one evening and I ran over something. My dad is crazy about tire pressure so I turn around thinking I hit a wood board and whipped a U to make sure it didn't have a nail in it. Nope, there was a whole family sobbing in there front yard with the cat wrapped up in a towel. I hit the cat, not a board. The cat died. The little girl went to school the next day crying. Karli and her were library assistants and the girl explained that her cat was killed the night before. Karli told her I killed it. I seriously don't like cats, but I still feel awful about it. We all had a good, awkward laugh. Small world for a cat killer!
Much love and thanks to God,
