Blast from the past Friday: 1st picture as a family of four

Glad you're back this week, and I hope you came to join in the fun! Remember the rules: just add your link at the bottom in Mr. Linky (please keep the links short, as longer names/URLs will not work properly), post your own Blast from the Past story (click for guidelines if you're new), pictures, or video on your blog, and then link your blog back here so others can join in the fun as well. Can't wait to read all of your stories!!

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Cameron's birth experience was, in one word, a whirlwind.

The hospital where I had him was in the middle of a renovation--a "Birthing Suite" addition. YAY!! for all the later babies who would be coming after 2006, but, for me, this meant the horror of all horrors: a roommate in my makeshift 'postpartum' room.

*shudder*

As if the whole labor and delivery thing was not exhausting enough--I had to spend the next 16 hours (the rest of the evening, the whole felt like an eternity that was never going to end night, and 1/2 of the next morning) with a noisy roommate and--and you know I love babies, and all, but geesh, I was beyond exhausted--an even noisier baby.

Now, I was doing my best to try to be considerate. I was, or course, up at 2 a.m. to nurse Cameron, and I tried to be super quiet. I didn't even turn my light on, just used the little lamp next to my bed.

{There most certainly was fumbling involved.}

About 1/2 hour later, we finished, and I sent Cameron back to the nursery so I could get (hopefully) a couple hours of sleep until he was ready to eat again.

Oh....but no.

My lovely roommate was soon ready to feed her baby--and it was an all-the-lights-in-the-room-blaring, nurse-standing-over-the-top-trying-to-direct-the-activity, two-hours-worth-of-screaming ordeal--and, you guessed it: about 30 minutes after the room was finally quiet and dark again....here they came with Cameron.

*sigh*

{Repeat scenario above here for the 5 a.m. feeding.}

Oh, and did I mention that no visitors were allowed to stay in the room, either, since we were sharing and all? Apparently, that included fathers. So, that meant no Shane.

Needless to say, by 9 a.m. the next morning, I was ready to go. There had been no complications with the delivery for either of us, and so my doctor agreed to let me out of prison of the hospital that day.

Exactly 25 hours after Cameron was born, we were walking in our back door.

Whirlwind.

Shane's mom and my sister-in-law Aimee came down to visit us and meet Cameron, and a little while later, Aimee snapped this shot on the stair leading into my family room:

I love everything about this picture. The hospital bracelet still on both of our arms. Cameron being not only awake, but almost appearing to be studying his Daddy! Shane, just looking soooooo handsome, and so proud. The half-exhausted but joy-filled look on my face. The true, all-out-laughing grin on little Colin's.

Perfect or not. I love it.

Our first picture as a family of four.