Sweet Baby!!

What a whirlwind the past 2 weeks has been!! Let's see where to begin!! Two weeks ago today, on June 30, I woke to excruciating pain at 3am. I woke Mike up and we called the nurse. Things happened so quickly, I'll try to recap! Since I never called out for help, the nurses came running-and they brought a labor and delivery nurse with them. While they tried to get me on the monitor (while I was writhing in pain), they also called the doctor on call. A resident came in to check me, and they determined I was indeed in labor (duh!) and dilated to 4 cm already. Now if you'll remember, with her being so small and my cervix already being thin, they had previously said that if I got to 4 or 5 cm, she could easily come out! Well, they quickly removed my terbutaline pump (the one that kept the contractions away up til this point) and got me on a stretcher headed to the OR. Now all during this time, Mike was on the phone calling in parents and my sister-they all got there really quick! Mike and I were taken to the OR for a C-Section and at 4:38 am, little Reagan Alexis Williams was born! She weighed in at 4 lbs and 7 oz and was 17 inches long. She was quickly whisked away to the NICU. It was about 4 hours  or so before I could see her-we had to wait until I could feel my legs again!! Mike wheeled me over to the NICU (he'd already been by to see her and check on her and gave me a little warning as to how she looked). She looked so pitiful, so fragile. She was on a CPAP breathing machine and had heart monitors and a pulse ox and an IV. Bless her heart!! I cried when I saw her! The next several days went by in a sort of blur. She had to be intubated for a short time to have some medicine put down into her lungs (Surfactant), then got put back on the CPAP. This medicine helped, though, because after a few days she was put on oxygen by nasal cannula and after several more days, she came off the oxygen completely! We had some issues with getting her to eat at times, and she had an NG tube a few times, but after 13 days, she behaved, gained weight back to her birth weight, and was able to come home!! That (almost) 2 weeks seemed like a lifetime to be without our little girl, but traveling up to the hospital several times a day and visiting her helped. Thanks to all our family for driving me all over the city and back!! I was frequently a basket case, but Mike was wonderful to me, and helped me cope with the stress of it all. He is such a wonderful daddy!! Reagan came home yesterday-and we feel so blessed! We have our whole family under one roof now! Mugsy is adjusting well-he's very curious about the sounds she makes and is checking on her often. We thank everyone for all the prayers and will continue to keep you updated on Reagan's progress as she grows!!