We’re home and settled so I’m back to blogging! Bret and I went in Thursday (Oct. 25th) morning for our scheduled C-section. We didn’t have to be at the hospital until 10am which allowed us some special time with the quads in the morning before taking them next door to Papaw and Linda’s.
It was so surreal just driving to the hospital….going to have a baby like it was nothing! We were greeted by familiar smiles once we entered L&D and it just so happened the same nurse I had on the day I delivered the quads was prepping me for this delivery as well! Lots of familiar faces dropped in during our prep before going into the O.R. The staff at The Medical Center of Plano was phenomenal during our stay with the quads and they were equally as great this time around too. So many people cheering us on and genuinely happy to be a part of our Sweet Number 5’s arrival.
When we arrived, one of the nurses asked us if we had decided on a name. Hesitantly I said “I think we may go with Blade Thomas”. We had been considering the name for several months, but like Baxlyn’s name, it took a while to grow on me. Here we were an hour or so before delivery and we were still undecided. The nurse wrote on our white board “Blade Thomas ? “ (with the big questions mark). A few minutes later Bret took out the camera and started snapping some pictures. Pictures of me laying there looking big and ridiculous, pics of or room number..etc. He went to take a picture of the white board but just before he took the shot, he walked over, erased the question mark next to Blade’s name and then snapped the picture. I said “Did we just decide on a name?” to which he answered “Yes”! After being so wishy washy and hesitant on a decision, now that he is here, Blade is the perfect name for him, no doubt! Many of you know the quads’ all have the middle names of our parents (my dad and I share a middle name as well so Korbin got us both!). Blade’s middle name, Thomas, is also in the family!
Big ole me drugged and excited to deliver my ONE baby!
Below is Dr. Leveno, Dr. Parker & a random man I don’t know doing there thing! Dr. Leveno is my OB and Dr. Parker happened to assist him during this birth as well as the night the quads were born! At one point I heard Dr. Parker say “Wow, it looks really good in here (talking about my uterus, incision, scar tissue..etc) and Dr. Leveno responded “We’ll, we did it!” So special to have them both deliver all my babies!
The actual delivery was much different then with the quads. We were in a huge operating room with them surround by doctors, nurses, therapists…etc. A total of 28 people to be exact. This was a much more calm setting with maybe a total of 8-10 people. The surgery itself was a bit more rough this time than with the quads. We all knew Blade would be big, they were guessing 8.5-9lbs. The casual conversation between the doctors and Bret went from politics and football to a more serious “Wow…he’s really big…” as Blade’s head came out. All I kept hearing was “Oh, he’s a really big baby….really big”. Before you know it the pressure picked up immensely and I had several grown men pulling/pushing and tugging at my numb body below the curtain. Apparently my BIG baby was a bit tough to get out. Once he was out and I could breathe again I asked how big he was. My jaw dropped when they said 10lbs 8oz! HOLY COW! No wonder I was SO uncomfortable. My ONE baby weighed just 4 ounces less than all of his brothers and sisters combined at birth! Each of the quads let out a tiny weak whimper after being delivered, tears fell as I heard Blade scream at the top of his well developed full-term lungs. Something I’ll never take for granted.
Bret & Big Baby Blade
Mommy & Blade. Not sure who captured this picture but I’m so glad they did :)
Like with the quads, one of my first questions was “what color is his hair?!” They told me it had a hint of red…not what I was expecting at all! Since birth it seems as though it’s a light brown with a lil blonde tint to it. I’m anxious to see if he’ll loose it all like the quads did.
I love this picture. Bret beaming with pride! Seriously yall, check out that baby’s cheeks!
After delivery I was wheeled to my post partum room. They have remodeled the entire second floor of the hospital and every square inch of it is gorgeous. If you are local, THIS is the place to have your baby no doubt! During prep the nurses told me over and over “you’re gonna love your room!”. Little did I know. A beautiful suite complete with a living room/sitting area, kitchen, 2 baths, a private room for myself and a separate little nook for Bret had been awaiting us. This picture below is the view from just outside my room…
As silly as it sounds, I was a little nervous about the “newborn nursery” as we’ve never had any experience there. L&D we knew, NICU we knew, Post Partum we kinda knew. The newborn nursery was brand new territory for us and had only been a place where we peeked through the window at the big babies on occasion. I quickly learned several of the nurses there “knew” us through the blog and have followed our story all along which put me at ease. Bret and I kept Blade in the room with us during the days and sent him off to the nursery, or what I called “the playground”, at night where the nurses took excellent care of him and returned him for feedings!
Below, a simple picture but such a sweet moment we rarely got with the quads. Bret and I soaked up as much as we could while in the hospital. The quietness, just the three of us, Bret holding his new baby… just bliss. After the quad’s delivery, I was in horrible pain, we were stressed & worried about our tiny sick babies, in and out of the NICU, awaiting more bad news from the doctors day after day..etc. We were(are) so thankful to be able sit back, relax and enjoy our big healthy baby with no distractions or worry.
Chris & Bethany watched Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin that day allowing the grandparents to be at the hospital for Blade’s birth. Once things calmed a bit they brought the quads up, all dressed up in their Big Brother/Big Sister shirts, to meet their new baby brother…
Sunday morning Mamaw brought them back up for another short visit. This particular morning they were a bit hyper…gave me just a glimpse of what I was getting myself into when I was to leave my quiet haven at the hospital and return home as a Mom of 5!
Brody seems to be the most in love with his little brother, which is no surprise to me. All he wanted to do was hold him and hold him! We had some friends drop by to visit while they were there. Brody, with our help, “carried” Blade over to our friend and proudly said “You wanna hold this thing?!” So sweet, sharing the love.
I think this is about as close as Korbin has gotten to him yet. He tends to stay back and watch from a distance while the rest of them get up close and personal.
Daddy, Kylee & Blade. “Her Baby” looks almost as big as her in this picture!
Baxlyn, not quite ready to hold him but willing to give a kiss!
We are so so blessed and look forward to seeing what God has planned for our little Blade Thomas <3 I am so so thankful to the staff at The Medical Center of Plano for making our stay everything it was. Everyone from the nurses to the cooks to the cleaning staff were nothing but welcoming and friendly as always. A HUGE thanks to everyone who helped with the quads as well allowing Bret to stay at the hospital with me. Mamaw & Wayne, Nana & Papa, Papaw and Linda, Bethany & Chris, Aunt Beth & Uncle Darrell – THANK YOU! I honestly can’t express how incredible it was to spend special time with Bret and our new baby, just the three of us, which we’ve never done before. I am so so thankful for the near perfect experience we had with Blade’s birth.
