Personal
Sophia’s baptism and Isabella’s birthday
Sophia’s baptism was on Sunday and since we had almost the whole of my family there, we decided to celebrate Isabella’s second birthday a week early. Add to it the fact that it was both Pentecost and Mother’s Day and we had a real party.
The selection of Pentecost/Mother’s Day was just a happy accident. We needed a Sunday that Melanie’s sister Theresa could fly up from Dallas to be the godmother and in which the majority of my family could be there. (My dad couldn’t come and Melanie’s family had been up for the birth and couldn’t come back again so quickly.)
We’d spent the previous few days cleaning and cooking. Melanie made a whole mess of great food, including mango salsa, pasta salad, and pulled-pork barbecue. Not to mention the cake for Isabella.
Everything went without a hitch, it was a beautiful day, and the nice weather encouraged the kids to spend most of their time running around outside.
Okay there may have been one hitch, but it was easily fixed: my pastor forgot about the baptism. When we arrived at the church especially early, I saw nothing had been set up. I know how prepared he usually is, so I went over to the rectory and when he opened the door, I asked him, “Are you ready for the baptism?” He got a shocked look and said, “Oh, is that today?” Not to worry. He’s been doing this long enough that he was able to get everything together in short order. Plus Melanie and I are so laid back, we don’t worry about everything being perfect.
In addition to Melanie’s sister being godmother, we asked my 15-year-old nephew to be godfather. I know it’s unusual, especially since he’s not yet confirmed, but Father made a special exception, knowing my nephew is a sober young man who takes his faith seriously. As evidence, he took a few days to think about it when we asked him to be godfather, just to be sure he was prepared for the responsibility.
Of course, I am my nephew’s godfather, so does that make me Sophia’s god-grandfather?
Isabella’s birthday party was fun too. She blew out her candle and opened much-too-generous presents and marveled at all these kids running around in her house, playing with her toys. She was generally fine with it most of the time, but you could tell a few times she was uneasy.
It was lots of fun and I wish we could have the whole family over more often. Maybe when we get a house we will.
Happy Easter!
From the Bettinelli family to yours, have a blessed and Happy Easter!
Who’s your mommy?
Last night, as we were preparing Isabella for bed, Melanie was trying to get Bella to give her a kiss goodnight. Ever since Sophia was born, Bella’s bedtime ritual has been turned around. Instead of mommy doing the bedtime reading and rocking and tucking in after prayers, it’s daddy now. So mommy takes her leave from Bella at the end of prayers.
For some reason last night Bella was being recalcitrant with Melanie, ducking her head for a hug, instead of giving Melanie a kiss. Melanie kept coaxing her with “Give mommy a kiss, Isabella. Give her a kiss.”
In order to model the behavior she wanted, she said, “Look, daddy gives mommy a kiss.”
Then she turned to me, leaned in and said to me, “Give mommy a kiss.”
…
Um, yeah, that was a bit too weird for me.
More photos
Because what would you want more than additional photos of Sophia, Isabella, me and Melanie taken by mother-in-law during her visit?
Finally, home
I’ve been holding off on updating all day because (a) I haven’t had a moment to breath and (b) I kept waiting for a resolution to everything to report.
Finally, we are all home. Melanie was discharged and she’s doing much better at this point than she was last time (apart from the very painful swollen feet). Then, around 6, we were to get the news on whether Sophia would be discharged tonight. They just wanted to see another diaper with pee in it. I’ve never prayed for pee before.
But, yes, we got one. And then like all things in the hospital, discharging the baby took a long, long time. Around 8, they let me pack them in the car and head out. We stopped at the pharmacy across from the hospital to fill Melanie’s painkiller prescription, except they don’t have a 24-hour pharmacist. Across from the hospital?
Thus I had to drop them off at home, toting all the bags like a particularly odd-looking and stout Sherpa, and head back out again in search of an all-night pharmacy. Found it in Danvers, next town over, proffered the scrip, waited 10 minutes, and out the door again, until finally, we’re home.
Now we prepare for bed, our first night home, and “excitedly” awaiting the switch to Daylight Savings Time tonight. Oh joy! We get to “lose” an hour’s sleep, which is relative anyway since there won’t be much sleep of course. Then in the morning we have to figure out how to get to Mass since they scheduled us for a 10am appointment at our pediatrician, which would give us just enough time for the 8:30 Mass and speed over to the doctor’s. But will Melanie be up for it?
There’s also a birthday party for my niece and nephew, but it’s in the same town. At the least, I’ll take Isabella over myself, although I know everyone’s dying to see Sophia.
I haven’t been able to talk to my Mom today, after yesterday’s surgery. When I called, her room phone just rang. But apparently she’s doing very well. Thank God and I pray she continues doing well.
Now about the Daylight Savings Time: I’m thinking of starting a parents’ group to petition to end this silly practice that plays havoc with our children’s lives.
Mom update
My mom is out of surgery. Her knee replacement has been removed and a spacer has been put in for the next two months. The doctor said she has very strong bones and that sometimes with weak bones a bit of bone comes with the implant and they have to do reconstructive surgery. Happily, they did not have to do that.
Her knee was indeed filled with an infection, so it’s very good they caught it when they did. Now we wait 2 months before they can put a new knee in.
Another Sophia update
Sophia was on an IV with fluids all night and is doing better today, a little better than the doctor expected in fact. So she’ll probably be able to come off the IV tonight and maybe go home tomorrow!
Melanie has hit the Day 3 blues, which are amplified by frustration at being separated from Sophia and exhaustion from having to troop upstairs to the neonatal ICU all night and day. However, I know she has been especially buoyed by all the love and prayers being poured out on her at her blog. She is genuinely surprised and touched by how many people have offered their congratulations and more at her blog and other’s blogs.
Dehydrated baby
Thank you everyone for the prayers and congratulations. You’ll see I posted some new photos over there on the right sidebar. Melanie has written an update on her day. Short version is that Sophia was running a little temp so they wanted to do some bloodwork and check for infection. The results came back with no infection, which is good, but she has elevated sodium, which means she’s a bit dehydrated, even though she’s nursing well with Melanie.
So they’re going to put her in the neonatal ICU overnight for an IV of fluids. Melanie will have to go up and down during the night to nurse her. Since she doesn’t need me to bring the baby to her or change diapers, I think I’ll go home and get a good night’s sleep in a bed and then bring Bella and my mom-in-law over.
Update on my mom, too: She wasn’t admitted to the hospital tonight, but will be admitted in the morning and then have her surgery immediately at noon. I talked to her tonight and she sounded in good spirits. All she asked was that I send her a photo of Isabella and Sophia to keep by her bed along with the photos of all her other grandkids.
Your prayers, as always, are a source of grace and encouragement, and I thank God that I have come to know you all and have been able to share my life with you.
More news, updates, and photos as they become available.
Family prayer update
I mentioned yesterday that my mom needed prayers because of problems with her knee replacement. It turns out she needs to have the worst-case scenario: The doctors will have to remove her most recent artificial knee, let the leg sit without a knee for 6 to 8 weeks and then put a new replacement in. You can imagine that she is very discouraged.
She’s hoping that the doctor will give her clearance to drive down tonight to see her new granddaughter before the surgery scheduled for Friday. I don’t know when we’ll be able to go up and visit her otherwise; probably not for a couple of weeks.
Also, I’ve received news that my father’s eldest surviving sister, who is now in her 90s, is in the end stages of life. It doesn’t matter how old or young a person is, it still comes as a shock and is a burden of grief.
If you could mention my mom, Virginia, and my aunt, Jenny, in your prayers, I would appreciate it. Thanks.
And more baby pictures soon, I promise.
Sophia’s second day
That was easier than the first time. I mean her first night. Maybe we’re just more used to interrupted sleep and crying babies.
So yesterday the doctor decided to go in the for the C-section, which Melanie was unhappy about, but it turned out okay. She’s feeling much better at this point than she did last time. She’s in a lot less pain and is even able to get up and walk to the bathroom and back (with assistance). She’s still dizzy from blood loss, but quickly regaining her strength. Right now she’s just very tired.
Sophia is doing very well. She’s nursing much better than Bella did at first which has a lot to do with Melanie’s experience as well as physical changes from first child to second. There are no issues to speak of; no jaundice, nothing in the lungs or anything like that. At the inputs and outputs are functioning and the little one seems constantly hungry.
If everything goes well we hope to have them both home Friday or Saturday.
Isabella came into meet her sister this morning and to see us for the first time. She’s been a real trooper, not giving her grandma any fussing about mommy or daddy being gone so long. She just says, “mommy, daddy, doctors.” Upon meeting her sister, she kept repeating, “baby, crying” even when she wasn’t. Looks like she’s had some experience. But she’s also totally enamored. Even when we were out walking in the hall, she would say over and over, “‘Phia, ‘Phia.”
This afternoon’s plan was for me to bring Isabella home, give her some lunch, and then put her down for a nap. Unfortunately, she fell asleep in the car and nothing will wake her at that point, but she will probably only sleep for 45 minutes instead of her usual 2-1/2 hours. Oh well. I’ll try to get a shower in during that time I guess.
More pictures soon.
Sophia!
Sophia is 6lbs 15oz 19 inches. More info soon. See pic to right in sidebar.
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An unexpected turn
The doctor now says that Melanie has stalled in the dilation and she can’t go any higher on the pitocin so we have to go with a C-section, which disappoints Melanie a lot. It means a harder recovery and at least 4 more days in the hospital. She’s understandably upset.
On the other hand, it means that we will see our baby soon, that Melanie will get to see Isabella soon, and that we’ll move on to the next stage. More prayers please!
Prayers for my mom and Melanie’s progress
Hoping not to overtax the wells of prayer that we’ve requested, but if could fit in a prayer for my mom, we’d appreciate it. We just heard that she’s developed another fever which could be another infection of her artificial knee replacement, since she just came off the previous regime of antibiotics. We won’t know for sure until Thursday, but if it is infected they’ll have to take out the knee, let it rest for 6-8 weeks (with no knee!) and then put a new one in.
This is obviously very discouraging for my whole family and so we’re praying that it is just the flu or something and not the knee. (Imagine praying for the flu!)
Meanwhile, Melanie is doing very well, they’ve got her on a pitocin drip and the contractions are getting stronger and closer together. We may have this baby today.
Oh by the way, her latest blog entry was written from the labor room in between contractions. I think that deserves some kind of blog award. Or therapy, not sure which yet.
More news
New doctor has a new plan. Low-dose pitocin along with a foley catheter to cause dilation physically. The good news is she’s fully effaced and a little dilated, but the assisted dilation could take some time, maybe another day.
So there’s hope, but it’s tough going.
