Saturday, June 28, 2008

Welcome Sadi Morgan Hardy!



She's HERE! So she is officially three days old today! It actually makes me sick because they have flown by and I want her to stay this little for as long as possible. She is so sweet and perfect. I am loving having her here and safe and healthy.




What can you really say about this pic?
On the other hand....hottie!
Prior to OR
7'4" and 19 1/2 inches long

Don't we all need one of these kinds of pics? As cute and beautiful as I think she is, I'm never a fan of this pic! Is that mean?

Classic C-section shot. Proud mommy
Meeting the siblings
Her second mother.
So cute!

First family shot.
Dr. Grady
The day she went home.
Our welcome home sign.


First night at home. Jack actually just put the changing pad in our bed in between us and it worked like a charm. She's waking up once a night so far. Can't complain a bit about that.


So for those of you who want the full story bear with me. This was not the best experience for me, though, so you'll get the whole scoop. We made it to the hospital at 6 AM the morning of the 25th (Wednesday). I was anxious only for the spinal because I remember it hurting last time. There's really not much to say since it was a scheduled thing. However, the drama actually started when they took me in to get the spinal. Like I said, I was nervous. The anesthetist told me all of the possible side effects (head ache, chills, nausea) which didn't make me nervous because I had had a spinal before. So I went in and held hands with the nurse and it didn't hurt. I was pleasantly surprised. He told me to lie down quickly which I did. That was when the pain started. I got the headache. I guess when he said headache, I didn't really imagine this kind of a headache. I've never had a migraine so i cannot compare. Maybe this was a migraine. Every heartbeat shot the most incredible jolt of pain up my spine and into my head . It FREAKED me out! I really thought something was wrong with the kind of pain I was in. My blood pressure and heart rate skyrocketed and they couldn't do the surgery until they could get them back down. I don't consider myself a big woose (SPELL?) to pain and this was awful! Anyway, They let Jack in about five minutes later and I broke down and started crying. They did the surgery and I was also surprised at how long it took. I remember it being so fast with my first two, but the situations were totally different. But when I finally heard her cry I was so happy and proud. I just kept thinking "I got her here" and was able to move the curtain in front of me just enough to see them doing the stuff on the video below this post. It was so satisfying in spite of the fact that I was still experiencing that headache. They gave her to Jack who brought her over to me so I could kiss her head and talk to her for a minute and then the nurses whisked her away. This is where the experience turned horrible.
This hospital was one of three that surround me and i was warned not to go to this hospital. Unfortunately, I had not been a member of my insurance group (at least 6 months, they say) (I was only three) long enough to choose which hospital I wanted. This hospital was my only choice. And I did not find out their "policies" ahead of time. The first crappy policy: only mom and baby get matching wristbands so hospital considers dad a visitor. They told Jack he could go to the nursery to watch Sadi be bathed and when he followed they stopped him at the nursery door and said he had to watch from a little window twenty feet away. The nurses had their backs to him and when he knocked on the window to tell them that he couldn't see anything (especially her because their bodies were in the way) they rolled their eyes and turned back around. So he missed the whole thing. When I was done in the OR they took me to recovery. I asked when i would be able to see my baby and they said she was getting bathed and would meet me in my room upstairs. That was their next crappy policy: mother and baby cannot be together until she is out of recovery. My vitals were still way up and even though I felt fantastic (they gave me drugs about a half hour after the surgery for the headache to go away), I couldn't go upstairs until they had gone down. So, of course, why not bring baby to me? It was hospital policy. And still, they wouldn't let Jack hold Sadi in the nursery because he didn't have anything to claim her. I won't go on mor about this except to say that Jack finally came down to me very frustrated and i was already very frustrated and we threw a big enough fit that they said if my vitals weren't down by a certain time then they would bring her down. I was mad because they kept telling me I was anxious and needed to calm down, but they wouldn't let me see my daughter. Well, of course, I was anxious. Anyway, I calmed down and they let me go upstairs and at 11:02 am(three hours after she was born) I got to hold my little girl.
This is where the story gets happy to me. She was perfect and wonderful and knew just what to do when we tried nursing. I couldn't believe how pretty she looked and how much I loved her as soon as I saw her. We spent the next couple hours loving on her and staring until the kids got there to be introduced. We had so much fun with them there. They so loved her. I was so impressed with Emma and Jackson. I thought at least the two year old would be chomping at the bit to get out of that teeny room, but he was happy as can be to sit for over two hours and just stare and say "I wahn hole ye" (translation in previous post). They adore her. The hospital stay did end up better also. i had a great nurse my first night that I got along with really well and we requested each other for the next night, also. I had so many people come see me and hold Sadi and since I have been home, I have still felt very loved by all those who have stepped out of the woodwork to help out. Jack and I have been so grateful to the friends I have made since I have been out here. they really do take care of me. And my mom (in law) just left yesterday (July 2nd). She's absolutely incredible and i love her so much. It was so sad she left. Sadi has been home a week now and is doing fantastic, although she is not sleeping as well as I would like. She only wakes up once to eat, but stays up for two hours before she wants to be back asleep. She's gorgeous and sweet, though, and I love finally having her with me.






Sadi's First Video

There was actually no video allowed in the operating room, but this is what we got before they told us to turn it off. She was so sweet and perfect. I cannot tell you how relieved I felt hearing that cry when she came out. It made all the pain I was in totally worth it.

I'll do a full entry on her later...this is mainly for my mom. I'm pretty wiped out and need to get some rest!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

IT'LL MAKE YOU SOB LIKE A BABY

I saw this once when we were in Kentucky and got it by email again today. This video (which i wish I were smart enough to know how to actually just put the video on the blog. Sorry!) is so inspiring to me to be a better parent. Just thought you all might want to be inspired also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS596VsNEOE

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

False Alarms

A quick family shot before my false baby coming.
Another.

I had my first one today. This is something that I have never experienced before and I do not want to again. Jani and i were talking a month or so ago about how we pregos think that anything is labor and we rush to the hospital only to get sent home. This is not me. Both times i was in labor, I was in denial, even though with Jackson I was full on climbing up the wall on my bed in pain and was dialated to a seven when I got to the hospital. With Emma my water broke and I still didn't think this could be the real thing. Well, at 3 am I began to have regular, painful contractions and then woke Jack up at 6 am thinking it was time for him to go to work. He kept telling me there was no way he was going to work with the shape I was in and I told him this was not the real thing. He more or less told me I know nothing about "real labor" because look at my track record. Good point, dangit. Then there is the idea that I'm having a c-section anyway so why go through all that labor and pain just to be cut open again. Good point again. Dangit. Okay, so I called the doc and they so go to the hospital. I was very emotional by now because I get that way when I'm tired so I called Monica and woke her up, bless her heart, and just cried. So she took the kids. I love having best friends that I can call on and know that all is well. Anyhow, literally as soon as I got hooked up to those stinking machines, the contractions stopped. Like one every fifteen minutes kind of stopped. It was ridiculous! I was so mad because I didn't want to be there in the first place, but now that I am there, get this girl out. I'm ready! So now I don't want to go back until I KNOW it is the real thing. How aggravating. Will someone come play with me tomorrow? I need emotional support. And someone to clean my bathrooms! :)

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Baby Shower


The curtains Monica had hung the day of the shower. Nobody really understands how exciting that is other than those who know the decorating that was going on in this house the weeks prior to the shower. Her house turned out gorgeous!

The new piece of furniture Monica got right before the shower that is so pretty! She was pretty excited, also, as you can imagine!

Lisa, Lillian, and Kathy. Kathy is stake YW president and I work with Lillian in YW in our ward.
Brooke (just recently we've discovered that we're pretty much awesome together), me (I didn't think I was this roly-poly. Let's claim it's a bad picture!) and Afton, who's husband is in dental school so most of you woman on my link list know of the pain she is going through!
Katie and Nicole who are some of my YW. I love these girls!
Decorations with Monica and Brooke.
More decor.


Heather (one of my bestest friends!) and Liz, who is also prego.
Jennifer (she is the president on the stake primary board where I'm the music specialist), Amy (who is an YW advisor with me, bishop's wife, and also prego), and Sarah (also one of my bestest friends!)
Jeanette, who is hilarious, Jenni, who has the best attitude about bodies, and Claire, who I've just hired her daughter to come over and watch my kids once a week while I clean my house! (Monica's brilliant idea!)
Andrea (prego and another awesome friend. She's the first person to ever come over and introduce herself when I moved in and we really click!), Mindy, and Monica, who is also at the top of my list. We see each other almost everyday and somehow don't run out of things to talk about. I do the dinner swap with her every week.
Jennifer, Jackson's nursery leader who is just incredible, Irene, who makes bread that will be served only in the Celestial kingdom which is another reason on my list for working toward that goal, and Rene, who I've been mispronoucing her name up until this night when I was corrected by someone else. She's so nice, I'm sure she didn't want to correct me the times at church we've been talking!



My baby shower was a couple weeks ago. I had so much fun. My friends, Sarah and Monica, threw it for me and it was beautiful! It was so much more elegant than anything I've ever put together! They were a good team. I got very spoiled, also, which was so fun! I can't wait to put my little girl in all the fabulous clothes! I know there's a lot of info in there that's just for me, but this is my journal! It's most definitely an over load of pictures, but I wanted to get it all in there.

I HAVE PICTURES!!!

Just a close up for ya of the flowers!

Toes, of course.


The dress her dad bought with her. She had a happy day being spoiled.


I just thought she looked pretty here.
I feel like a new woman! Jack got our other computer hooked up and I have a place to download my pictures to share! These are the pictures I wanted to share after our pedicure experience! I guess it's better late than never! Both grandmas are wanting to go out and get peds while they are here so I think she might get a tad bit spoiled the next couple of weeks. I know Jackson is going to want to get one, too, just to be like everyone else!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Happy Birfday song!

I finally got this downloaded on a computer and had to post it. It cracks me up!