She's Arrived!

Introducing Claire Ellis Nowak

Born December 5th, 2011 at 7:41 am.

8lbs 1oz -- 20 inches

Claire is here! Claire is HERE!  I have had zero time to blog...I honestly don't even feel like blogging.  I should be nursing, diapering, and sleeping!  I do want to document the week though.

After barely being able to sleep and multiple bathroom trips, we were headed to Texas Women's Hospital for my C-Section.  My parents followed us there and walked us as far as they could, my mom hugged me and cried as we went through the Labor and Delivery swinging doors.

Josh wore cowboy boots (??) that would barely fit thru his paper scrub pants.  He looked so cute though, like all the baby shows where the hubby goes into surgery with the wife.  It was surreal, sitting there getting prepped for surgery.

The part which I had been dreading, getting an epidural, wasn't as bad as I imagined. Getting my IV in my hand hurt way worse!  I was laid on the hard table, got my catheter and Josh rejoined me.  Guess that's when Dr. P started going to town.

I think I shouted out every cuss word known to man when they were pulling her out.  I literally felt my ribs being crushed, tugging and pulling.  It was so scary.  I kept looking at Josh and telling him to please distract me...he didn't really do that. I asked Chad the aneths. asst. when it'd be over, he said "last big pull" and Dr. Plavidal said "Ok Josh here's your baby!" Josh snapped lots of pics and Dr. quickly showed her to me around the curtain then everyone went to the warming table to get her going.

I asked why she wasn't crying and got a little scared.  No one was acting panicked so it was fine and minutes later I heard her and started crying.  Josh was already over there snapping pics.  And when I mean pics, I looked at our camera in the suite later and he literally went to crazy town, it looked like a flip book of her first minutes!

We got a great first family picture, thanks to Chad and I got to hold her for about 10 mins while they did who knows what to me.  Josh DID look at my situation, even though he wasn't really supposed to, but the warming table was on the other side of the curtain.  He said it was nuts.  I'm glad I'll never know.

Seeing her was really surreal.  I had waited 10 months for this day and I was in awe.  I don't like the cliche phrase "I fell instantly in love..."  It annoys me. I would kinda describe it like.. 'so YOU'RE the one kicking me, YOU're the one I've been waiting for... meeting your child, your new baby and saying WOW, I made that?? It was a shock thing.  It was an amazing thing.  And I saw how happy Josh was, pure love in his face, made me so so happy.  When people "say we're in love," I believe you fall more and more in love with your husband that day and that first week for sure.  I'll expand on another post about the first 2 weeks.

Recovery has been really really hard.  Harder than I ever imagined.  The nights in the hospital were full of tears from pain.  I barely got to hold little Claire unless I was nursing her.  It was all almost too much for me to take.   We only had immediate family come by and visit at the hospital, it was a smart move.  My mom stayed with me sometimes and let Josh get rest at home, too.

Josh is absolutely amazing and has taken to her right away, kissing her all the time, talking to her... I love it!  And I love him and Claire, we're so happy.