| Later updates | Aaron update 139 |
| Subject: Aaron update 139 Date: Friday, February 6, 2004 11:29 AM From: Kevin Quick To: Aaron Update List I've got work piled high on my desk, phone messages to return, and an inbox full of e-mail. However, it's been a heck of a week, and before I get too deeply back into my work "cave", I'd like to tell you about our week. Aaron has a baby sister! Her name is Robin Kathleen Quick. She arrived at 4:49 a.m. on Monday, 2/2/04 (2+2=4). She weighs 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and is 20 inches long. She's perfectly healthy, other than having just a little bit of jaundice, which we're expecting to diminish and disappear without medication. Kathleen's water broke at 2:15 Monday morning, and she began contractions at 2:41. We arrived at the hospital around 4:00, and Robin was born at 4:49. Only two hours of labor for Kathleen! Our delivery doctor was Dr. Nancy Reynolds, the doctor who had saved Aaron's life at his gestational week 23 by halting Kathleen's preterm labor. As she delivered Robin, Dr. Reynolds commented to me, "This is a very meaningful delivery for me." Kathleen and I had several times mentioned to each other that we'd love to have Dr. Reynolds do the delivery. However, because Dr. Reynolds is only on duty a couple of days per week at our hospital, we didn't think that that was very likely. And, guess who Kathleen's primary nurse was for the two days that she was recovering? Suzin McGuire, Aaron's "angel" who took the bull by the horns on Aaron's birth day and got Kathleen onto the helicopter and on her way to San Francisco! Amazing. Suzin is a breastfeeding instructor, too, so she was able to help Kathleen get things rolling with Robin in this department. Needless to say, Suzin was a great blessing to us during our stay at the birthing center. She even helped us to introduce Robin to Aaron on Wednesday (those are her hands in the attached picture). Speaking of the picture, you can probably tell that Aaron is quite enamored with his baby sister! I must say that I am, too. This morning, as I held Robin while Kathleen was getting ready to feed her, I was overwhelmed with feelings of awe and thankfulness. Here she was, our perfectly healthy little girl, crying loudly with good, strong lungs because she was hungry. I can't describe what music that was to my ears! I know her cries aren't always going to be so melodious, but these first ones are just angelic-sounding to me! We're home now, and everything is going just fine. Kathleen's quite sore down below, but both her and my spirits are good. We feel balanced, and thankful. We feel as though we've completed the circle. We've had our full-term baby, with all the grunts and pains along the way, and we've had our full-term birth. Now we have a complete family, with an energetic, inquisitive, fascinating little boy, and a sweet, cuddly, full-term little girl. Our love for Aaron goes deeper than we can describe, having gone through all the things that we have gone through with him. And our love for Robin is so sweet and special, too, because we're able to appreciate so many of the things that a healthy, full-term baby is blessed with: Open eyes, a strong cry, a hearty appetite, and wireless operation! We brought Aaron and Robin to our final birthing class last night. Another couple brought their newborn baby girl, too. Both new moms got to tell their birthing stories to the class. It was a great class. OK, the phone's ringing, so I should wrap this up. We didn't weigh Aaron today (we normally weigh him on Friday mornings), just because we want to ride Robin's wave for a little while longer. We did have a really good day with Aaron's eating yesterday, though. He ate 17 tbsp of baby cereal, which is way more than he normally does. And, along with that, he refused the bottle most of the day. Combining the cereal with the Pediasure that was mixed with his cereal, plus the little extra Pediasure that he had by bottle, he ate the equivalent of 23.5 ounces of Pediasure; our goal is 22.5 ounces per day. So, are we turning a corner toward solid food, and lots more of it? If he keeps this up, he's going to start growing soon! Thank you again, everyone, for all of your blessings in our lives: Your prayers, your e-mails, your cards, your gifts, your phone calls, your meals on wheels! May God bless you greatly in return. Love, Kevin, Kathleen, Aaron and Robin! |
  |