Eilan Update

My blog (and my twitter account) have been fairly quiet over the last few weeks, and I thought I should post an update on what's going on here at home.

There are some nice things about a scheduled c-section. I like to joke that it allows me to continue my busy TV-watching schedule uninterrupted, but of course, that's just silliness. We do have a tradition of throwing a pre-baby bash the night before the birth. Eilan's birth was no exception, and about 20 close friends, plus both sets of parents joined us for pizza and birthday cake (my own birthday was a few days before). Having so many people over kept my mind off the surgery in the morning, and being surrounded by friends was a special way to spend our last few hours as a family of four.

Putting the kids to bed that night was also bittersweet. I've been looking forward to this baby, and the sense of completion I know the baby will bring to our family, but I also know it will be a little while before I can count on reading stories and singing bedtime songs without interruption. The quiet moments with each child will be harder to come by for a bit, and it's difficult to let go of them. I was also mindful of the fact that the kids might not be awake when we left for the hospital early the next morning - it was very possible that the next time I saw them I would be in the hospital with a new baby in my arms.

In reality, I got a few more special moments with each one. E woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to have a long discussion about the baby. I'm not normally very patient about 2am discussions, but this felt different. E is an analytical little guy. Unlike his sister (who rushes into everything), he worries about every change or new experience before it happens. We had a long talk about what it would be like when the baby came home, all of his concerns (he was scared to hold the baby), and the things he was looking forward to (holding the baby's hand, sitting next to the baby in the car, and giving the baby kisses). It was incredibly sweet, and I will remember those moments forever.

The next morning D woke up early, giving us some time to cuddle and read stories before I headed off to the hospital. It seemed so funny to say goodbye to her, knowing that the next time I saw her I'd be mostly immobilized on a hospital bed, holding her new baby brother or sister.

We checked in for surgery, and the nurses spent almost two hours prepping me, taking my history, and keeping me calm before I finally walked into the OR with my husband. The surgery itself was uneventful - with a big surgical drape blocking my view, it was easy to focus on my excitement about the baby and not think too hard about what was happening to my body. We were thrilled when the doctor announced our healthy baby boy and handed him to Peyman and the nurse to clean up.

My recovery from the surgery went surprisingly well. The nurses had me up and walking before the end of the day, and by the next morning, I was walking laps around the maternity ward. E and D came by later in the day and we had a little "happy birthday" celebration complete with mini-cupcakes and a special gift from them to baby Eilan. E, who was always a blanket baby, had hand-selected new swaddle blankets for Eilan (they're so soft that he's wants to carry them around himself now that Eilan and the blankets are home from the hospital). D selected a colorful lovey that she insists on throwing in the crib, shoving in the car seat, or squeezing next to Eilan wherever he happens to be sleeping. Between this and the big running kisses D tries to plant on Eilan whenever he is awake, we are a bit terrified that she is going to kill her baby brother with kindness.

We're all settling in at home now, and my recovery has been going very well. I'm sleepy, and cautious about lifting anything, but have had very little pain. The big kids have been way more enthusiastic about little Eilan than we would have hoped, and all their anxiety or unhappiness with the new "world order" seems to be directed at my husband and I instead.

Eilan and I are still in the honeymoon phase, with him sleeping most of the time. The nice thing about doing this for the third time is that every one of the difficulties that seemed so insurmountable with my first newborn seem so temporary this time around. Instead of focusing on the spitup, the challenge of breastfeeding, or the sleep deprivation, I've been enjoying the late-night cuddles and the slow, but steady changes in his personality as Eilan gradually joins the world. We'll be on the road again soon, but expect light posting for a while as I cuddle up, nap, sing lullabies and wash incredible amounts of laundry!

10 comments | Posted on May 27, 2009 | Save to del.icio.us

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