Zeke meets his little sister (and she comes home)!

While we were at the hospital, my mom (Wynna), brought Zeke to meet his little sister.  It was a moment I will never forget.   The expression on his face was pure joy!

He brought her a BIG balloon and couldn't wait to show her how it played music.  We had a nice visit as a new family of four in the hospital room!

Jared and Jami also came to visit us (at separate times because of their kiddos).  It meant so much that they made the effort to drive all the way to Marietta to meet their new niece!

Adalynn had her first sponge bath in the hospital, although they wouldn't let me use the "Earth Momma - Angel Baby" soap I brought because it had essential oils ("fragrance") in it!  Little did they know, she already had been anointed with essential oils right after her birth!  I probably could have pushed it, but decided one time with Johnson's baby soap wasn't that big of a deal.  Although, I don't understand why they use a product with sodium laurel sulfate in a hospital on new babies.  That is another post, though!

Our nurse, Leah!

We had several wonderful nurses (Leah, Tiffani, and Trudy), and were grateful for their help.  We had a small issue with a little blood in Adalynn's diaper each time she pooped.  The night nurse started testing it to make sure it was blood, and it was.  They called the pediatrician and they did not seem overly concerned, but told us they would be there Saturday morning to look at her.  We called our friend, Pastor Caspar, and he prayed over the phone with us as we laid hands on her.  As he asked God to heal Adalynn, he asked God to allow the doctors and nurses to be amazed and attribute it to a miracle from the Lord.

That morning, the nurse had told us we wouldn't be going home until that afternoon or evening, if not the next day (we were desperate to go home because we'd already been there an extra day waiting to see a negative result in her group b strep culture).  After we prayed, the pediatrician came in and saw that it was a small fissure on her bottom causing localized bleeding.  He said we could go home that morning!  The nurse was amazed and we knew it was God answering our prayers for that and the negative group b strep.  We praised Him and thanked Him for his bountiful blessings!

We got to go home on her due date, Saturday, March 2, 2013!

Waiting for the wheelchair to ride down to the car

Jami came over to our house and was there with Wynna and Zeke to greet us.  We had a nice afternoon together.

We have been settling in nicely.  She has been sleeping a lot, of course, and is eating well since my milk came in around day 5 of her life!  Zeke wants to hold her constantly, and I try to allow him to do that.  He says, "She sleeps A LOT, Mommy!"  She found her thumb once and continues to try to find it (just like her big brother!).  My mom stayed with us until last Wednesday, which was such a blessing.  Gregg will be here with us until Monday, March 18th.  That is when I think it will truly sink in that I am a mommy of two!
 

"Just born" (really 3 days old!)

We had our first pediatrician appointment to check her weight (she had dropped 11% of her body weight, and they like to see 10% or less).  She is gaining now, and we will go today to have her checked again.

I have captured a few smiles, especially when she's looking at her big brother!  I have found that it helps to give Zeke "jobs" to do to help me.  I also try to read to him when I nurse during the day.  I want to be sure he is getting the attention he needs, in addition to maintaining the structure and discipline he needs too.  There has been a learning curve for me, for sure!

"One week!"

We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support as we enter into this new phase of our lives.  I look forward to seeing how God works in the lives of my children over the years and sharing it with you all.  God bless!