She's Here!

I am 2 weeks postpartum - it's INSANE that time has already flown by that quickly!  It seems like I was just sitting here being nervous about labor and delivery, and now that is all behind me!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnZhSkuhfdz7_eB0idb9LjLBI52ULeQ_0WTm1-5Y0J3PqzYiLyAsm2Gg87Zgsa2QYF0E54b5SmV2qJ2qCnXmLbC9QK1t81B8eGdngwfjAyRVK71CSup41M6MGMhw5HzsvPGGfzuoBAVQ/s1600/%7B9d35c6ee-22dc-4f1c-9510-4ebbb30408c9%7D_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnZhSkuhfdz7_eB0idb9LjLBI52ULeQ_0WTm1-5Y0J3PqzYiLyAsm2Gg87Zgsa2QYF0E54b5SmV2qJ2qCnXmLbC9QK1t81B8eGdngwfjAyRVK71CSup41M6MGMhw5HzsvPGGfzuoBAVQ/s400/%7B9d35c6ee-22dc-4f1c-9510-4ebbb30408c9%7D_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Avonlea Clara made her appearance on Monday, June 24 at 8:38 AM via c-section.  She actually started to try to come on her own on Sunday evening, which is nice to know that my body was truly recognizing the need to give birth.  I started having back pain, concentrated on just one side, Sunday afternoon.  Based on what others had told me about back labor, I didn't feel like that was what I was experiencing.  I chalked it up to how I was sitting on the couch all day, took some Tylenol and a hot shower, and the pain subsided.  We stayed up to watch Sky Wire (yikes!), and as I was readying myself for bed, the back pain started all over again, this time much more intense.  I laid down anyhow - because I really needed to get some sleep for the surgery the next day.  Needless to say, I woke back up around 2 AM, the back pain just getting worse and worse.  I called the hospital to see if I could come in early to be checked (I wasn't due to the hospital until 7 AM).  Once we got there and I was hooked up to the fetal heart rate monitor, and I quickly learned I was having back labor.  They were able to slow the contractions with an IV drip and ease the pain with some drugs.  By 7:30 AM, we were nearly ready to go for the c-section!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaUFzm5zspp2QJSDCriPUGx3VlM0TInuPGX6_MeDL1R4WDywUnmvQYpYgSL0o3-6E92s5Z0QanAFrjIicv0qJL7C3TBZnmWgvhdVxpRPwoHEsHKsm2mqU3I53Kbyctu9lrZpB_ukMSgQ/s1600/surgery+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGaUFzm5zspp2QJSDCriPUGx3VlM0TInuPGX6_MeDL1R4WDywUnmvQYpYgSL0o3-6E92s5Z0QanAFrjIicv0qJL7C3TBZnmWgvhdVxpRPwoHEsHKsm2mqU3I53Kbyctu9lrZpB_ukMSgQ/s400/surgery+pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of my favorite pictures!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJorNnvzpRLJskckv5bbc2A_emquhQIsK6bMEKcG5DeRERbe5fOhGF4VcVLFgDicUe6dPYMwZoTipBKVymzVu8PPJAdIe_KGGMJJdrk7-B3YUvdoo1uQ-5jSnAR9CuJlMRAqMQ9Tn9wLw/s1600/avonlea+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJorNnvzpRLJskckv5bbc2A_emquhQIsK6bMEKcG5DeRERbe5fOhGF4VcVLFgDicUe6dPYMwZoTipBKVymzVu8PPJAdIe_KGGMJJdrk7-B3YUvdoo1uQ-5jSnAR9CuJlMRAqMQ9Tn9wLw/s400/avonlea+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />The best advice I received regarding the surgery was that it's not as bad as people make it out to be, and remember to walk, walk, walk.  Well, I concur!  The surgery wasn't bad at all, and I've done really well with recovery.  Sure, there is pain, but it was totally manageable with drugs.  The surgery was surreal! To be operated on while awake is scary and exciting.  Avonlea was out of my body within the first 5 minutes of the surgery, and the remaining 25-30 minutes was spent sewing me back up.  To hear her first cry and see her whisked past my head - it was just unbelievable to me!  I simply could NOT believe she was inside of me!  Joel and I were both in shock, but happily in shock.  Joel stayed in the operating room with me the entire duration of surgery, holding her by my head so I could see her.  Once they were done, they wheeled us back to the room, her on my chest.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSnuLiPWo69ZLaJp5o9KiTMdm0yaBuWU2r1PaeGNL3voOCgrvngqafaY8kSm8zyRt_qkI1jEgAQEvdvsqMdr85n4xCDqnFA39zXsRPnqyda_u3E3tqtbrln3QwTHjjEY7Xj_wjP4clKs/s1600/avonlea+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSnuLiPWo69ZLaJp5o9KiTMdm0yaBuWU2r1PaeGNL3voOCgrvngqafaY8kSm8zyRt_qkI1jEgAQEvdvsqMdr85n4xCDqnFA39zXsRPnqyda_u3E3tqtbrln3QwTHjjEY7Xj_wjP4clKs/s400/avonlea+006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />My parents and Joel's mom and her partner were there, anxiously awaiting the news of Avonlea's weight.  The surgeons were taking bets on it in the OR while she was being cleaned up.  This child weighed in at 10 lbs 9 oz and 22 inches long.  She was a big baby, just as we expected!  Everyone was overjoyed to see her and the time spent in recovery was a little under an hour before I was transferred up to my room. I ended up being awake for almost 24 hours that day, and it hardly seemed like it.  The love for her was instant and overwhelming.  We could not stop looking at her all day/night!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JlTUWUCCIsVmxRCHC4rSp1aiuEPcGR6DtzOjvyLoQpr-InEXOWW81qHbb9nqqnYPNh4mbk3BDHqyV9G84xdtFudG243yYtrQTsXab41zkvdWS9KfD7vNphVo5gP1VolKHbYcPwmKN1w/s1600/%257B9d35c6ee-22dc-4f1c-9510-4ebbb30408c9%257D_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JlTUWUCCIsVmxRCHC4rSp1aiuEPcGR6DtzOjvyLoQpr-InEXOWW81qHbb9nqqnYPNh4mbk3BDHqyV9G84xdtFudG243yYtrQTsXab41zkvdWS9KfD7vNphVo5gP1VolKHbYcPwmKN1w/s400/%257B9d35c6ee-22dc-4f1c-9510-4ebbb30408c9%257D_6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />I spent 4 days in the hospital - we sure were ready to come home by the end of that!  The first stop we made on the way home was at Jimmy Johns - I desperately wanted a cold sub!  After 9 months of heating lunch meat - cold lunch meat was glorious - I had JJ's 3 times the first week! <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOk2NquBS2fxPqVG_ZmNbhvqc0rbwdfxx2kQ3TkF6ZhbJr7r7yVRK3-T__RQw9Tk-mnXhXtDFxX05pfKy1VV3Ac9BcEmQO8LG1qkh99lN_BpS4Jf31Bv8Nm3zlRmwt3X8uAwsiI1660L8/s1600/avonlea+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOk2NquBS2fxPqVG_ZmNbhvqc0rbwdfxx2kQ3TkF6ZhbJr7r7yVRK3-T__RQw9Tk-mnXhXtDFxX05pfKy1VV3Ac9BcEmQO8LG1qkh99lN_BpS4Jf31Bv8Nm3zlRmwt3X8uAwsiI1660L8/s400/avonlea+002.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">her going home outfit</td></tr></tbody></table>I'm excited to share more about the birth of our daughter - stay tuned!

Baby Busbee Pregnancy She's Here!

I am 2 weeks postpartum - it's INSANE that time has already flown by that quickly!  It seems like I was just sitting here being nervous ...

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