Nolan turned 2 on July 28, and we had his party on the 27. It was definitely a God-send to have a 75 degree day in late July for this pregnant Mamma:)
 |
| He really enjoyed the chocolate cake and homemade ice-cream! |
 |
| Nolan and Ben with their friends, Cadence and Chloe. |
 | |||||
| Opening presents |
 | ||
| On Nolan's actual birthday we met some of our friends, the St. Germains, with their adorable daughter Chloe, at Laumier Sculpture Park. It was another gorgeous summer day! |
 |
| On August 15, Ben started kindergarten! Being 9 months pregnant and watching my first born go off to school was a pretty emotional day for me. Ben on the other hand, could not have been more excited and anxious! |
 |
| All ready for his first day at Mesnier Elementary |
Four days later, Eddie and I rose well before the sun came up to drive to St. Luke's hospital for my scheduled c-section. After having two vaginal deliveries with the boys, I was not looking forward to meeting our new baby via surgery. However, my doctor and I tried everything to get baby to turn. At thirty-seven weeks I had a version and for some reason, baby wouldn't turn. At thirty-nine weeks Eddie and two of his closest friends helped me stand on my head for about half an hour, hoping to make baby flip. Again, it didn't work. I was having a big pity party for myself about all the things that were just "wrong" and "unfair" about a c-section, when a wise friend told me, "Cassie, it is what you make it to be." Sooo, I could continue to pout and feel sorry for myself, and rob myself of the joys of meeting my new baby, or I could suck it up and make the best of the situation. I knew I was in the best hands. I had many friends and family members praying for me and baby, and I fully believe my OB/GYN is one of the best there is.
That Monday morning, Eddie and I talked excitedly about what we would name our little one. We were both expecting and preparing ourselves for a little boy. I had just gotten that "vibe" that it would be another boy, but neither of us could settle on a name. So we decided to wait until our baby was born and we got to see him/her before we chose the name. I was prepped for surgery and stared out my hospital window as the first rays of sunshine began to shine. At least I knew it would be over with quickly and I'd be holding my baby in my arms before most people were eating breakfast. There was some difficulty getting the epidural in (word of advice, if you don't NEED an epidural due to a c-section, don't get one. I was in more pain and discomfort during the fifteen minutes it took the anesthesiologist to get the epidural in my back than I was during my entire natural delivery with Nolan. How can something that's meant to prevent pain cause so much?) My OB was so angry at him she had to leave the room. In her words, "it was like watching someone kick a puppy." Anyway, he finally got it in and I knew that if I could get through fifteen minutes of a giant needle stabbing inside my back, near my spine, that I could get through a cesarean. Eddie sat by my head holding my hand, waiting anxiously. About ten minutes after they had raised the curtain, my doctor said, "and you have baby GIRL." Eddie and I erupted with emotional tears and cries of joy and elation. We couldn't believe it, we had been blessed with a precious baby girl! The nurse held her up while Eddie snapped pictures.
 |
| Adelynn KayLee Rickard born 08/19/13 at 8:21 AM, weighing 8 lbs and measuring 21 inches long. Something about 8 and 21, should make it easy to remember the exact time and her size. Side note, her middle name, KayLee, is a combination we chose to honor her Grandma's middle name, Kay, and her Great-Grandma's middle name, Lee. |
They moved her to a warming table and cleaned out her lungs, allowed Eddie to cut her cord, and I did my best to watch. Eddie asked, "We're going to name her Adelynn, right?" Umm, yes. I was so convinced I was having a boy that I hadn't spent much time pondering the girl names. But a few weeks before while some of our friends, the Maynards, were visiting, Brooke mentioned Ava's best friend, Adelyn (I have no idea how she spells it). But Eddie and I both looked at each other and said we liked that name. It was one we both agreed on, thought it was beautiful and sweet, a name that suits a baby girl, but one she can also grow up with. We call her Addie for short. Later, I would find out our baby had a good reason for not turning: the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck.
As soon as Adelynn was cleaned up, weighed and measured, Eddie was holding his baby girl in his arms.
They brought her to me as quickly as possible so I could snuggle with her and kiss on her while the doctors and nurses continued to sew me up.
When Ben and Nolan were born they were handed to me immediately and I got to hold them, kiss them, nurse them and bond. Then I would let Eddie hold them. This time, our little girl, who had to do everything differently than her brothers, was held and nurtured by her daddy first. Yep, Eddie is already wrapped tightly around those tiny fingers:) Still, Eddie and Adelynn were right by my side throughout the remainder of the surgery and as soon as the curtain was removed I got to hold her. I got to hold her all the way back to our recovery room and nurse her immediately.
The whole experience was very surreal. I still cannot articulate the feeling of not knowing if you're going to be meeting your new baby boy, or your new baby girl, and then seeing her for the first time. While I nursed Adelynn, Eddie began making calls to family and friends that were also waiting anxiously to hear the news. The remainder of the week, Addie and I spent recovering in the hospital, being well cared for by excellent nurses. On Friday, we brought our little girl home. Ben and Nolan have been loving on her ever since. She's already a pretty good sleeper and eating very well, surpassing her birth weight after 10 days. Recovery for me is slow, but going more smoothly than I anticipated. Eddie has been an amazing supporter, taking care of the boys, the laundry, the dishes, and most of the dirty diapers. A lot of friends have or will be delivering meals to make our transition even easier. Once again, I cannot believe how blessed I am. I don't deserve it. I haven't earned it, I'm just loved by an amazing God who's given me my heart's desires, simply because He loves me.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ~ James 1:17
