I hope it's not in the genes

Well, we have completed 2 weeks of parenthood, and we have all survived. Check mark in the "potentially competent parent box". I say potentially, as surely we'll screw up with something.

Now, I'm still checking her breathing non stop and I can't sleep in the daytime, despite all the advice of "sleep when the baby sleeps"...I can't, I have to make sure Greta is still breathing by touching her and interrupting what looks to be a peaceful sleep, so I'm a bit tired, but it's my own fault, not Greta's. We are doing quite well, I think we are pretty comfortable, we carry her around like a little football and I think are not doing the traditional first time parent things...you know, dropping the soother and running to sterilize it - nope, we just ensure there isn't a full ball of fur on it and back to her mouth it goes. No doubt we missed some cat hair along the way, at least twice a day, I'm pulling white fur out of her mouth - I think it builds up immunity! If someone wants to hold her - GREAT, we are not being over protective. Bottles - I'm doing my best, but sterilizing them in the microwave, boiling bottles and accessories just seems so long. Anyway, all to say, we are winging it like I said we would.

Now, the week home hasn't been without complications. I've had to make three visits for medical reasons...once to the new Emergency Room (I unlike most Islanders was not going just to check out the new facility), I really did have a medical emergency. And twice to the Dr about C-Section complications. I had been experiencing dreadful headaches since Greta arrived, they were knock you down, make you feel drunk type of headaches, so bad that I couldn't hold the baby at times...not good. And my incision wasn't looking so great...so First visit, I'm given new drugs...2nd day of taking them, I have a damn allergic reaction to them, break out in hives, my entire chest, neck, down my arms...let me tell you, 13 days after a c-section, and I look like a spotted freak, gets you through the emergency room quick, I was marked urgent and by-passed most in the waiting room (granted, see above - most were just there to be nosey and check the place out). So, another drug to add to the list of things I can't take. My medic alert braclet is not big enough for all the drugs I react to. Anyway, back to the Dr again today, little bit of a follow up, moreso because the pain just won't go away. But, are you ready for an "only Gail would have this story moment"...on my way in, I'm walking up the stairs to the Dr's office, big cement stairs, and I'm not use to doing stairs, so I'm being extra careful. In my clever, lets be careful moment, I trip, hit my toe on the cement and rip my toe nail off...Blood everywhere, pain ripping through my body, so I arrive in the OB's office, and need to get my toe fixed up...imagine the shocked look on people's faces when I come out from meeting with the OB with a bandaged toe and Darren asks if my toe is okay...ha! Anyway, it quite simply is 100 times more painful than the spinal block going in to my spine on Surgery Day...it's throbing, and my nice pedicure that I worked so hard to keep, is now greatly disrupted, I won't have a damn toe nail for the rest of the summer..I mean. I bent it back and it's gone!!!

So, I'm not allowed drugs, I am in tons of pain, holding my stomach and now hobbling alone, and Darren is just shaking his head and explains to Greta that he hopes she gets his health genes...believe me, so do I.

End result of all my complications, the OB said I will most likely have a bit longer of a recovery because of my compromised immune system due to the crohns, and the lack of drugs I can take...so, sadly, not able to jump in the car quite yet and drive myself. It's definitely the worse part of a section, I feel I have zero independence, I despise having to ask Darren to drive me places, or run errands for me, not to mention, we are now always late - holy, it's friggin hard getting out the door with a baby.

Other mention for the week in review - DIAPERS. How can one little baby shit so much...I mean, this is just ridiculous. We are not quick either, so sadly, each diaper change means a minimum of 2, sometimes up to 4 diapers before we leave the bedroom with her. We had to buy 3 extra packs of Newborn diapers and I think we may still need more...It's an issue. I was starting to worry she inherited my crohns.

We are starting to have a few more visitors, so thank you to those who have stopped by, it means a lot, we have been a little shack wacky and since I have basically been immobile, nice to see a few come by.