The Howard Family: Welcome to the World Callie Christine!!

Alston and I welcomed Miss Callie Christine Howard into the world on August 8! She arrived via c-section at 9:48 am, weighing 6 lbs 12 oz and 19 2/3 inches. All went great with me and baby. It is always weird driving ourselves to the hospital to have a baby, but that is all we know! DeeDee, Pops and Doo Da were at the hospital for the arrival and Mammy D was at home with Ella and Charlie!

Once she arrived we quickly went back to recovery and did skin to skin and nursing and then not long after that we went upstairs to our room (where we stayed for the next 4 days!). She became a nursing champ pretty quickly...which I am extremely grateful! Ella had a hard time with it and it made the hospital stay a little tough with no sleep! Although our first night was rough just not being able to sleep with a new baby and all the other noises that I had hooked up to me! Once I got my epidural out (the next morning) we were able to get a little more comfortable! Callie continued to be a nursing champ and did great! She did lose a little weight but not enough that we needed to give her formula or anything...she also helped my milk come in by day 2 1/2.

This c-section was a little different in terms of the medicine they gave me. The way they did it was the same, but this time instead of keeping the numbing and pain medicine going for 24 hours they only do the pain medicine. I could tell something was a little different because by the time we got back to the recovery room I could feel my incision (not in a bad way I could just feel it slightly). The best part of it is I could feel my legs by the time we got up to the room. Last time I could not feel my legs until hours after they removed the epidural. I had a pretty quick recovery last time, but I really think not having the numbing medicine helps you get moving a lot faster...which helps so much with recovery! I could have taken the epidural out as soon as 12 hours after the surgery but choose to keep it in a little bit longer. Once they take it out they switch you to just pain meds. I am always so anxious to get out of bed and shower that I also think that helps with the recover, the faster you get moving the faster you heal!

On Saturday the pediatrician that came to check on Callie (ours was not on call so it was another physician from the practice) said she heard a slight, really low murmur around Callie's heart. She didn't think it was a huge issue so wanted to wait to have the other on-call doctor check on it in the morning. On Sunday before we left the other pediatrician came in and heard the same murmur and again didn't think we needed to do anything right away and suggested we got see our pediatrician on Monday and have him make the call on what the next steps should be. So on Monday we went in and our pedi also heard it and recommended us to get it checked out by a pediatric cardiologist. They will run some tests and confirm what it is (our pedi thinks it is a really small hole in a valve that will eventually close but that might need to be monitored once a year). I think all is fine, but it will be nice to have some confirmation after we go to the specialist.

We finally got to go home on Sunday afternoon. I am not going to lie I was a little anxious to see how Ella would react but I was so READY to come home! I missed my other baby so much! When we got home Ella was eating lunch in her chair and Alston brought Callie in and sat her in her infant carrier on the kitchen table and Ella just started grinning and saying "baby", "baby"....it was so sweet. I really don't think bringing Callie home phased her a bit! She went down for a nap shortly after we came home and then got up and played like usual. She does like to see the "baby" and tries to touch and pet the baby but other than that she pretty much leaves her alone. She also does not seem jealous at all! I am so grateful for this and I know before long they will be the BEST of friends! I cannot wait to watch them grow!

Callie we are so lucky to have you become a part of our family. We already love you more than you know!!!