Immediately when Jeff's voice let me know we had ourselves a girl, I was overjoyed! I was so happy to have another girl in our family, a sister for Mirabella. Dr. Chow lifted her up so I could catch my first glimpse and she was instantly beautiful! It was incredible to be able to see her without the shaking from the meds getting in the way. She came so close to me right away! I was overcome with happiness. When they asked her name, Viviana rolled off my tongue, still feeling somewhat foreign that it was really our baby's name and we really had another baby girl to call our own.
I watched every moment as they took her to my left to clean her and get her weighed. Jeff was right there with her. We watched eagerly for the scale to read her weight. 7-11 (coincidentally 11/7 is her daddy's birthday and he was born at 11:07; Viviana's nana's birthday is 7/11).
I was even able to see Jeff cutting the umbilical cord.
Jeff took Viviana out to meet her relatives while I was put back together in the operating room. I wish I was able to witness that first meeting, but I'm glad Jeff gets that moment with all of them. When he brought Mirabella out to see our parents for the first time, he immediately announced, "This is Mirabella!" With Viviana, he brought her out and asked them to guess if they thought she was a boy or a girl. After mixed reactions, he let them know and they, our parents, Jason and Tanya, were very excited to have another girl too.
Prior to us having Viviana, Jeff and I talked about how fun it would be to see what another girl would look like. (And now that we know, she looks a lot like her big sister did as a baby, with some unique characteristics all her own.) Then we added how fun it would be so see what a boy would look like too. Funny enough, with Viviana, as beautiful as our girl is, she could pass for an adorable baby boy at this point also (shh, don't tell her we said that!), so we felt that we got to see what each sex would look like!
Once I got into the recovery room, I was wrapped in warm blankets since my temperature had dropped. There was no mention of it again, so they seemed to do the trick. Finally the two nurses taking care of me let me know that Viviana would be brought down shortly and I couldn't wait. Within minutes, I was surrounded by familiar faces and it was awesome. I was so happy to see them all, especially Jeff and my new baby daughter again. I swear she had gotten even prettier since she had left me in the OR.
We took some photos and after a while, I was able to be moved into my room. Papa, Papi, Jason and Tanya said their goodbyes and Grandma, Nana and Jeff stayed with us for the day.
It was so nice and such a different experience than the first time around. It even felt a little relaxing, as surprising as that sounds. I was still an invalid of sorts that first day, but all in all, I felt pretty darn good. I wasn't exhausted, dying for sleep. I was alert and ready to stare at my baby cakes! That night I would be up on my feet for the first time since walking into the operating room and Jeff and I would walk the halls the next day with Viviana, increasing my activity with each day.
Viviana was a good feeder from the start, but with a limited milk supply, by the second night, my nurse in the middle of the night suggested giving her some drops of formula since she had been crying in the nursery after I had fed her last. This was the only time they had to do it. She had lost about 9% of her body weight, 10% being concerning. Even though I had colostrum, my milk supply wouldn't really start to come in more fully until around Thursday (Thursday, April 8th), but she was gaining back some weight. By Friday, I had a full supply of milk for my babe (and I was beginning to resemble and adult film star...which I kind of liked!). I was grateful I didn't have to do the SNS (supplemental nursing system) that I had to do with Mirabella. It worked great at the time (you can read more about it if you look back to my experience with her earlier on this blog), but it was tedious and a very nice thing to be able to eliminate this go around.
Like her sister, Viviana had some jaundice issues but thankfully not quite bad enough to be put under the lights. We loved this since that meant we could hold her any time we wanted to, and she got her share of holding, that's for sure! The jaundice would continue to be monitored while we were there and into her first doctor appointment, one week after her arrival.
We had many visitors at the hospital to meet Viviana, but unfortunately weren't on the ball at getting photos of them. Jeff did manage to snap these two during our visit from the Olsons and Swartys. Nora was getting in some good practice; she is going to become a big sister this fall!
We hadn't seen Mirabella since we left her at daycare before my c-section, and we thought that Monday night might be a little too soon to have her visit. So by Tuesday (Tuesday, April 6th), we were filled with anticipation about the first meeting between sisters, our girls! Nana picked up Mirabella from daycare and when they walked in, I was just ecstatic! Mirabella greeted me with smiles and then looked down and saw Viviana. Nana held her up to us and without even a word from any of us encouraging her to do so, Mirabella gave Viviana a big kiss! Then she did it again, and again. It was one of the most precious sights any of us had ever witnessed. Grandma and Papa came up to visit a short time later and to bring Mirabella home, and she was still a kissing bandit, rubbing Viviana's cheeks against hers, loving up her little sis.
The kisses keep on coming throughout her entire visit.
Out come the jammies and Mirabella continues to eat her up, almost literally!
Noelan got a kick out of his new cousin too during his first meeting, although Viviana looks like she was more interested in her next feeding!
Whew, what a big day for this daddy's girl!
In addition to the gift of a new sister, Mirabella also received some wonderful presents (puzzles, clothes, books, even a newborn Cabbage Patch doll!), including pajamas and a puzzle from Viviana.
Jeff and I thought we'd be going home on Thursday, but after a visit with the on call doctor that day, she suggested that with a 13 month old at home, I stay the extra day. I actually thought the extension was great since dare I say, I was kind of enjoying myself! Plus it was nice to have one more day of monitoring Viviana's weight and jaundice. So, Jeff left that day to take care of Mirabella and the next day (Friday, April 9th), he was back at the hospital to take Viviana and me home.
Life is somewhat hectic these early days, but as I continue to recover from surgery, things get easier with each day. The jump from one to two kids has definitely been felt, but we're adjusting well and we just love having our two girls! The toughest part right now has been not being able to help with Mirabella as much as I would like to. I'm not supposed to lift anything over 20 pounds for six weeks, including her. :( It is killing me! I'm not able to bring her to or from daycare and I'm not even able to lift her into or out of her crib. We'll see how long it lasts; as I feel better, I doubt I'll be able to make it that whole six weeks! Jeff has been a tremendous help both with Mirabella and around the house, and Tricia has helped us a ton with her schedule allowing for several daycare pickups for Mirabella for us (thank you!). We'd really be lost without our parents right now. They have been the absolute best!
Mirabella has been at daycare and will stay there for a few more weeks, giving me some much appreciated bonding time with Viviana. She has been a really great baby and I'm quite sure she is tiring of all my stares and kisses by the confused looks she likes to give me. I happily remind her that I'm her mommy when she stares back at me, choking myself up almost every time I say it. I can't get enough of that sweet baby girl. Fortunately for me, she can't get away from her doting mama since I'm her only food source. Ha!
When we first found out the news of my pregnancy with Viviana, Jeff and I were filled with emotions, one of the first of those being fear. There were so many uncertainties about what was in store, and having just gotten done with being pregnant such a short time before, I was worried about doing it again so soon. Shortly after those fears consumed us, the happiness set in and we quickly looked forward to the addition of our second child. Then when we welcomed Viviana into our world that Monday morning in the beginning of April, our happiness reached a new level and we could not have shaped this out any better than how it happened naturally. Sometimes the best laid plans in life aren't ours to plan and Viviana will forever be proof of that for us. We truly could not have planned for her to come at a more perfect time and we are so grateful for our healthy babies that are thirteen months apart. We are thoroughly in love with Mirabella and Viviana, our cherished daughters. Life as we know it will never be the same. It is unbelievably better and has brought a richness we continue to discover.
Thanks to each of you for embarking on another journey with us. When we count our many blessings, our family and friends are at the very top of our list. I'm feeling the sadness that comes with the close of this blog again, but as we all know, the timing of when, or if, it will be reopened for a third time may not be easily predicted. Rest assured, you'll be informed of any changes if there are any to report! For anyone who would like to follow the continuation of our story as a family of four, please visit the scene at eight 19 .
Just as we concluded the last time, forever grateful continuously seems to be an understatement around the Jiovanazzo home.
