Elise Clara Teuscher

Jamie and my Mom took Hadley into London today so I have a few minutes while Elise is sleeping - one toddler is easy and one newborn is doable but it melts into chaos when you add the two, a very happy chaos but one that has limited my internet connection to the iPhone I can hold in one hand. Elise is an absolute doll and if you are on Facebook you have already seen these photos!

Having a scheduled c-section is 1000 times better than labor + a c -section. We headed into London at 4:30 am to make my 8 o'clock surgery. There were so many things that I didn't pay attention to when I had Hadley (from the time they came into the labor room and said I needed a c section and I had Hadley in my arms was 30 minutes) but luckily Jamie remembered quite a bit. He was great and let me know it was similar to what happened the first time. Elise was born at 9:01 am with a full head of dark hair and yelling at the world. They gave her to me right away (they don't bathe them the first day) and she managed to get her thumb into her mouth! She was gorgeous and perfect. She spent the first few days just eating and sleeping and is just a sweetheart. She was only a day old when she started giving us little smiles, normally during her sleep or while she was eating but I am still counting them!

The surgery went well, the food was good (scones and eclairs served at "tea") and we even had movies on demand in the room. They had me up and moving pretty quick but Jamie was able to stay (on the full pull out beds) and help through the nights (they didn't have a baby nursery like when I had Hadley and needed to get her out of the bassinet) because my mom was with Hadley. I couldn't ask for a smoother pregnancy, a healthier baby or a faster recovery, the only hiccup was the pain management - since I have a reaction to hydrocodone (vicodin) they drs decided to restrict everything in the codeine family even though I don't have problems with oxycodone, they just have different names for things so they wanted to be on the safe side. The backup drug was morphine, and after 2 days I realized it was what was making my skin feel like it had red ants crawling all over it...so we were left with one drug that they could give every 8 hours that was fast acting, wore off quickly and made me super loopy. Other than that they gave me the equivalent of 2 extra strength tylenol every 8 hours and when they sent me home only gave me a few pills of the strong drugs! Of all the things to not go smoothly I am glad that was the one thing, you eventually heal and don't need the pain meds. I have to say I am hoping any other children we have are born in the states though!

When you come home they send health visitors and midwives to check on you at 6 , 8 and 10 days. It is actually really nice to have the nurses come to you! Elise is super healthy and is my second so I was a little more prepared but it would have been amazing with my first.

It took us a few days in the hospital to decide on a name, I have liked Elise for the last few months but we always want to meet our kids before we give them a name. The one thing I figured I could count on was that my kids would be blondies - Jamie has dark hair now but started off blonde so even though all the other features were up for grabs I figured that would be one thing I could plan on. I was shocked to see my little girl with a full head of long, straight, dark hair! It threw me for a bit but Elise still fit her and we used her great great grandmothers name as her middle name, Clara. She also shares a birthday with Jamie's maternal Grandmother and her mother Clara and her 2nd (3rd? who knows) cousin, Jake, on my side so December 2nd is a pretty good day!

We brought her home on the 4th day and Hadley knew exactly what was in the carseat - a beebee!! She has two little dollies that she takes everywhere and loves and knew I had brought a live one home. We let her hold Elise with Jamie and she was just so excited! She has been great with her and loves coming over and petting her head and bringing coveted pacifiers to her. We have to make sure she is gentle but she only has needed a few reminders. My mom has been a lifesaver as I have recovered and am slowly figuring out how to manage two kids - Hadley has caught on that the time to get into things is when I sit down to feed Elise, she is no dummy! My mom has also kept us well fed, cleaned the house, makes sure I am eating, has dance parties with Hadley and holds baby while I sleep - she is a saint!! and I don't know how I would have survived without her! She heads back on Tuesday, just in time for Jamie to take some time off for Christmas and take his paternity the first week of January- we are being very well taken care of and have adored having Elise in our home!