Eve Family Forever: Cecilia's First 24 hours

Cecilia's first 24 hours were much easier than expected and full of fun visitors. I think only being in labor for 4ish hours and barely pushing made my recovery much easier than I had with Savannah. Thursday night we settled in after our parents left. Our friends Jordan and Hillary stopped over for a little bit after their kiddos were in bed so that they could get some snuggle time with Cici. It was a fun little visit and I remembered that our "Friendship Anniversary" was Valentine's day and it was a fun way to finish out the night - good friends and a good reason to be happy.

Then we tried to get some sleep. Cecilia was a sleepy newborn, but nursed well. It's odd how nursing is kinda like riding a bike, it all comes back to you. I think the fact that I was relaxed really helped make her seem easier. Candler took a quick trip home at 2am (another perk of the hospital being close to home) to pick up his pillow and a blanket to make his stay a little more comfortable.

Friday morning we made final arrangements for Sav. I wanted to wait and see how she was doing and how we were doing before making any final decisions. My Mom was going to bring Sav to the hospital and then we'd have Candler take her home for a nap. Then Candler's Mom was going to come in Friday night so that Sav could spend the night at home and get settled a little bit. Sounded good and Sav was excited to have a slumber party with her other Grandma :-) Lots of fun for her!

It was strange not to be at home with Sav and watching a show on PBS kids, so we decided to watch a little VH1 in the morning. I can't remember the last time I watched music videos, but it made me chuckle. Some of them are just crazy and some are cute. There were a ton of JZ songs on the countdown and I couldn't help but do the routines in my mind. Friday morning was my time to teach, but for the next while I've got some more important things to take care of :-)

Our first visitors were Hillary along with Lily and Rob. Lily was very excited to see Cici and kept referring to her as her baby. She brought along her special lovey Hippo to show her. Rob was interested in Cici, but also wanted to explore every inch of the hospital room. I gave Hillary made Mom points for being willing to bring two small ones by herself to the hospital. I could tell she was on high alert, but the kids did great.

My Mom arrived a little before lunch time with Sav and she got to meet her baby sister for the first time. She climbed right up on the bed with me and wanted to hold her sister. So sweet. She was interested for a few minutes and then got distracted by her friends and all the newness. Candler took Sav down to the cafe to have lunch with Hillary and the kids. My Mom stayed with me so she could get some snuggle time with Cici.

Candler brought Sav back up to the room before heading home to try and get her to take a nap (not successful). My Mom stayed for a while longer and was there with Amelia came by with Olivia. Olivia just turned one and was excited to wander in a new environment. Another kuddos to Amelia for being brave enough to bring Olivia with her to the hospital. She did great, but I know it's tiring as a Mom to always be on alert. Tyler came by later and switched off with Amelia to take Olivia home to nap. Somewhere in here my Mom headed out too...little fuzzy on when :-)

Amelia then turned the hospital into a photo shoot. She asked me before Cecilia was born what I could use for Cici and I told her that if she would take some pictures of Cici I would be forever grateful. Pictures mean so much more to me than a pack of diapers. These are memories and I like to think I'm good at catching the everyday moments, but Amelia does it so beautifully and artfully. So lucky to have her in the family. Amelia has done quite a few newborn pictures now (Sav was her first and she laments that she can't go back and re-do them. I have no regrets and love Sav's pics :-) and knows how to make the little ones comfy. She brought a basket of supplies and laid out a boppy pillow, a heating pad, a soft blankie, and then used Margie's (she arrived sometime in here) iPhone on White Noise to make Cici comfy. We wrapped her in a red swaddle, added a bow, and she was picture perfect. Amelia captured some great moments - including a surprise smile!

As we were winding the photo shoot Jeff and Cheryl Waits popped in for a quick visit on their way back from being on ski patrol. I've known Jeff and Cheryl since I was born and they were actually my parent's neighbors when I was born and have forever been a part of my life - she was my babysitter when my Mom worked, I learned how to hold my pencil (not the standard way) from her, Jeff is in the bishopric with my Dad, and the list can go on and on. It was great to see them!

They headed out and then in came my friend Abby. She was in between dropping off her daughter at basketball practice and having to pick her up so she had a few minutes to snuggle Cici. Sav came back with Candler around this time and wasn't keen on Abby holding her baby sister when she wanted a turn. So we got Sav stationed up on the hospital bed and let her hold Cici again.

Then things got quiet as everyone headed out. Candler took Sav back to the house and got Margie settled in. I ate dinner and enjoyed some rest time. Then around 7ish my friend Erin came to visit. It was so nice to be able to chat and snuggle lil Cici. Really felt like we were having a girl's night. Then Erin headed home and Candler came back bringing me some yummy food from Aladdin's Eatery - hummus with pita bread, vegetarian chili, and a fresh fruit smoothie. My favorite! And this nursing mama was ready for second dinner. Then we settled in for the night. We sent Cici back to the nursery when she wasn't eating so we got pretty good sleep.