The moment was amazing and Sydnee was there to capture it all. Emilia walked into the room looking the part of the big sister just perfectly. She carried a balloon as big as she was and was wearing the dress that we had been talking about and admiring and saving for this special occasion. She looked at me and then at her sister before being scooped up to sit with me and her sis on the bed. She immediately asked to hold her so we set the Boppy on her lap and laid Olivia in front of her. She studied her, touched her fingers and toes and said, "Ohhhh...she's so cute." My heart was exploding with the love I had in front of me. The room was a buzz with family and smiles and flashes from the cameras. It was great.
After everyone left, Jeff and I just sat back and looked at each other and our newest daughter and thanked the Lord for the blessings in our life. We kept Olivia in the room with us all night instead of having them watch her in the nursery. Since Emilia had been in the NICU after she was born, we missed out on the experience of having her in the room with us so this time, we were keeping right there with us :)
Olivia had been great at nursing right after birth, but she was showing no signs of interest despite several attempts. I was a little worried about it as I wanted to try and get my milk to come in as soon as possible, but the nurse assured me that making the attempt was all we needed to do. She would eat when she needed to. Since she had tubes down her nose to clear fluid out of her lungs, the membranes in her nose were slightly inflamed. This made her sound pretty stuffy and was making our nursing attempts kind of difficult. They gave her some saline and some baby Afrin in her nose and that helped a lot. She gagged up some stuff that was in her stomach several times throughout the night. Strange gagging sound from a brand new baby laying a few feet from you gets you a little nervous...even the second time around. But the doctors reminded us that this is just them clearing out stuff left after birth.
This time around, we were SO anxious to leave the hospital and get back to the comforts of home. I didn't care if insurance covered 48 hours of recovery...I was feeling amazingly great and ready to get out of our tiny room as soon as we got into it. Plus the food was not appetizing and poor Jeff was going to have to sleep in a chair next to my recovery bed. The nurse seemed surprised that we wanted to leave early, but said we could be discharged when Olivia was 24 hours old and had her exam by the pediatrician. So we planned to leave at 4:36pm the next day...Mother's Day :)
The pediatrician checked Olivia our and said she looked wonderful. She had failed the hearing tests done at the hospital, but they reassured me that lots of babies fail as there is often still fluid / vernix left in their ears. She had her heel pricked to collect some blood for testing and cried like no other. It was so hard to see her in pain. I picked her up and she was quickly soothed.
Just a little while later, I was packed up, dressed and Olivia was in her going home outfit. We were discharged by the nurse and just waiting in our room until my mom and dad got there with Emilia so they could take pics / video of us all leaving together. My nurse let me walk out instead of being pushed out in a wheelchair, which I appreciated.
Just 26 hours after Olivia was born and we were headed home to start our life as a family of 4!
Once at home, we showed Olivia her room and let Emilia hold her for the first time in her room. We attempted a family picture on the couch. Not the greatest, but there would be MANY more opportunities to capture a perfect family picture! My mom and dad had made pasta with my Nonna's sugo and meatballs and salad and garlic bread. Mmmm. I was the last one eating after everyone had finished because, of course, right as I sat down, baby called :) Isn't it funny that babies seem to know the exact second a plate of hot food is put in front of you!??! I was more than happy to get up and put her needs first. That's what microwaves are for! We were all fed and happy and ready for our first night at home :)
Kate Peerenboom Congratulations! She is beautiful! 
