Brookelynn Faith

Well, as most of us know by now, she's here.

And she's beautiful. And she is just as precious as she is pretty.

She joined us on a Friday the 13th.

We weren't too sure about that date. But it was perfect!...A perfect 7 pound, 8 ounce miracle.

This is her birth story. :)

Friday the 13th...the second best day of our lives yet!
We went in to the hospital the morning of January 13th, 2012. I was so nervous the night before that I found myself cleaning the bathtub at 11 p.m. because it was dirty and I knew we'd be having company soon...I couldn't sleep anyway. Why not clean? But thankfully, Justin made me go to bed after my crazy cleaning spree, and I was able to get some decent sleep before the big day. Throughout the pregnancy, because we had planned a C section (I had already had one before so I knew that would be the route we'd take), I had been nervous that I wouldn't get any sleep the night before in anticipation. I was also scared about the date...I mean, who plans a major surgery on a Friday the 13th?

But it couldn't have gone better. We left at 5:30 a.m. that morning for the hospital, and arrived early for the 6 a.m. time they wanted us there. Family members were already there to celebrate our daughter with us - Oma, Justin's mom, Auntie Shelly, and Nana, my mom. I got dressed for the occasion in the beautiful hospital attire and the nurses came in and prepped me. One was on one arm taking blood and the other was on the other arm setting my IV. Talk about double torture! But...I didn't care...I was so excited!

They asked about allergies to meds, and had us fill out the beginning of a an almost seemingly endless amount of paperwork that still continues to this day. :)

Then, just like that, after a bit of eager anticipation (and a few butterflies!) in waiting, I was wheeled back on a hospital bed through the corridors to meet our daughter! After the anesthesia was given, I was laid back and ready, and Justin was allowed in. It was FINALLY time!! The butterflies increased as we waited in excited expectation for her face. A bit of tugging, a bunch of pressure, and a lightheaded few moments later, Brookelynn came into our world...The doctors held her up for me to see over the blue sheet, and she was already beautiful. I cried, of course, as I listened to her sweet cry. After they prepped her for us, Justin held her close to my face for me to give her her first kiss. She was so perfect!!

After some recovery time, I was wheeled back to be with her and family. The days following were full of visitors to love on her, including our Sunday School class, my aunt and uncle and cousin Katie, and a lot of family, including brother Kaleb, who wasn't quite sure about the whole thing, but is beginning to warm up to a new sissy.

We left the hospital three days after we'd been there. And the time has flown by since we've been home. I cannot believe that it's been over two weeks since we left. Every day is an adventure, but really, not as hard as I'd anticipated with two children under the age of 2.

Sweet baby girl
Brookelynn is doing awesome. She is a great baby so far. She sleeps most of the time, and really doesn't cry a lot. Feeding is going well, and she is gaining good weight. Her first doc check up was this last week, and she is already 7 pounds, 11 ounces. In the hospital she lost a bit of weight, but she has gained back her birth weight plus some! She is also 21 inches long.

Cuddling is something I love doing these days. I can just sit with her after feeding and cuddle for hours. It's a great way to pass time, of course. :) So warm and sweet!


Adjustments
And, like I said, Kaleb is adjusting to life with a sister. When she cries, he will go up to her and pat her. This hasn't been the case the whole two weeks, but he is getting much better. At first, he was scared of momma (and all the tubes coming out of my nose and everything in the hospital) but he is doing fine now. He continues to be a joy to all of us. He is really a smart boy, and I think he understands more than we think right now about all of this. :) Daddy and him are becoming good buddies now. While Daddy's been off, he's been going to the park a lot, and getting to play with the remote control boat on the water. He gives him a bath at night, and tucks him into bed at night, because momma can't lift him up right now. That is probably the hard part for me. It saddens me that I can't be his "buddy" as much as I could before. He sees Momma with the new baby all the time. But...when Miss Brookelynn goes down for her nap, I spend time with Kaleb so he knows how much I still want to hang with him. I think that has been the biggest part of the transition. We are really trying to make sure that K knows how special he still is. He is at the age where he can sort of understand what's going on, but not completely. :)

But we are doing good, and the transition has been good for the most part. That is the only part of it that I can ask for prayer for - is for Kaleb to feel "included". And that I will be able to carry him/pick him up soon. :) Momma misses her boy! Even though we still get to spend time together, it's not the same. We knew it wouldn't be, but it's still a bit hard.

Excited for the next few months. Life with two children is VERY busy, but...it's amazing how God just doubles your love. I have a different love for Kaleb than I do for Brookelynn, but it's still just as much as ever. Last night I was tearing up thinking about how blessed we are! And how thankful I am to the Lord for all He has done mine and Justin's lives just the short time we've known each other.

We are so blessed and thankful.