Happy Birthday Charly!

Thursday morning started really early for Ryan and I. Kate and Clark spent the night at my mom's house Wednesday night, so that we could get to the hospital by 5:30am. That may seem a bit early for a scheduled C-section, but there are advantages to showing up at the hospital when there is no one else in triage and they already know you are coming. We spent about 2 hours getting ready for surgery.  They monitored the baby, put in my IV, and basically made me sign my life away. 

One last shot of my belly before the baby came out

Here we are waiting in the triage room

After 9 months of waiting, Charlotte Jane Johnson was born at 7:47am, February 24th. 

The surgery went really well, and I didn't even throw up this time! Ryan was brave enough to watch, and said it wasn't as "gooey" as he thought. It was a good thing that we did a C- section because they had a heck of a time getting her out. She was breech, but not a normal breech. Her butt came out first, then Dr Beck had to grab her hips and pull her butt out enough to pull out her legs one at a time, then wiggle out the rest of her body. Thank goodness for modern medicine and good doctors. I cannot imagine having to have a baby like that vaginally. 

I don't remember "feeling" as much with Kate and Clark as I did this time. I don't know if they used a different drug in the spinal. but i felt alot more of the tugging and pushing that I did last time. All in all it went really well and I was in the recovery room about 25 minutes after she was born. 

This is the first time I got to see Charly. I was still on the operating table. It was a really neat experience for me. Both Ryan and I had tears in our eyes the first time we heard her cry. 

This is in the recovery room when they were cleaning her all up.

Kate and Clark came to visit us Friday. I was on drugs and out of it most of Thursday, so we decided it was better that the kids come Friday. They were so good in the hospital, you could tell Ryan had lectured them the whole car ride there! They sat reverently, whispered and were very gentle with Charly. It was really cute to see their reaction to her and how excited they were to have a baby sister.
In the same breath, it was an eye opener to me too. For almost 2 days it had just been Ryan, Charly and I, and all of my energy was focused on the baby. When Kate and Clark came to the hospital I had the "duh" moment where I realized I have 2 other kids and they needed as much love and attention as Charly. Not to say they minded that I was at the hospital, they got to spend the night at Nana's house for 3 nights, go to the zoo, eat out lunch with Daddy and play at Uncle Andy and Auntie Lisa's house. They did not miss me at all! In fact, when we pulled in the the garage yesterday Clark said, "Why are we going home? Aren't we going to someone's house?"

Here's Clark and Kate holding hands with Charly. They absolutely loved this.

 That just about sums up the last few days. I'm so glad that she made it here safe and sound and that we are all home together now. More pictures to come!