For the first time today, my arms are empty. Avadore is napping and so is LD. And AT THE SAME TIME!!! I will soon follow, but before I do, I'm going to write here and eat. Yesterday I didn't eat until about seven in the evening. Everytime I tried to eat, something came up -- kids needed something, phone rang, someone came by, etc. By the time dinner came around, I was pretty scattered and lost. (Like most people, I don't function well when I don't eat.)

I'm sure that eventually I'll get the hang of this two kid gig, and soon people will quit coming by to see the new baby. Not that I mind the company and visitors -- they're appreciated. It's just my arms are so full lately. Give me another month or so and they'll still maybe be full, but in a different way.

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Last time we left Electric Grandmother, she was going into the OR for a C-section to deliver her second son...

The first thing I noticed when I was wheeled into the OR was that there was a gigantic light right above me that was positioned in such a way that if I watched the light, I could watch the whole C-section procedure. Considering I have no desire to see my insides, I made a note to decidedly NOT LOOK INTO THE LIGHT. Such things are important.

First, the anesthesiologist needed to administer the spinal. This meant that I had to fold my arms in front of me and arch my back while a nurse held me as the anesthesiologist injected me with some heavy duty drugs.

I'd been through this before with Avadore, except that that time it was an epidural. Epidurals rock. You can still sort of feel contractions, but everything feels really good and it's all so mellow and groovy. The most painful part of having the epidural was when the anesthesiologist used his finger to find a spot in my spinal column to make the hole.

This time, the anesthesiologist had a little more trouble. Besides having really regular contractions (that hurt quite a good deal, I assure you, you know, just in case you've never had them), it bloody hurt when the anesthesiologist had the needle in my back. I mean it hurt to the point of crying out, and I have a pretty decent pain tolerance level. The nurse said, "It's just a contraction, hold on." I said, "It's the needle. Ahhh!" At which point the needle needed to be extracted and the whole process had to begin again because the anesthesiologist had the needle in the wrong place.

During the whole thing, however, the anesthesiologist was kind and tried to be gentle, and the nurse held me gently and tried to help breath me through the pain of the contractions and the administering of the anesthesia, and then she breathed me past passing out.

The spinal is impressive -- it knocks you out from the tips of your toes up to your upper chest. It took awhile for it to numb my right side. The anesthesiologist kept scratching my chest and shoulders to see what areas the spinal had affected. It was bizarre to have little to no feeling on my left, but be able to feel on my right. Finally, the anesthesia hit and they brought Rice in from the waiting room.

The last time, they'd tied my arms down. This time, the anesthesiologist left them free, though he said he'd have to tie me up if I began to move. I stayed very still.

During the whole procedure (which I'll skip the details that I'm aware of since some people are squirmish), the anesthesiologist held my hand and talked to me. He asked about the meds and how I was feeling, he asked about the baby and Avadore, where I was from (in relation to my appendectomy scar, which is another story), etc. Mostly, I think he was trying to keep me busy and my mind off of what was going on. It was very kind of him. He was so supportive and sweet, and I am so glad he was there.

Just before LD was born, Rice said, "There's Shawn." I looked over to the observation window and there was Shawn, watching. He smiled and waved. It was so nice to see him. (Shawn is a really good friend of ours, and worked it out so he could be the surgical nurse when labor and delivery called around for an emergency C-section when Avadore was born. "I know Maggie! I'll go!" he said. I don't think I can have babies without Shawn there -- he's so comforting and supportive.)

As the doctor was removing LD he commented on how strong he was. He still is really strong.

They let me peak over the curtain (the placed a curtain between my head and abdomen so I didn't have to see what was going on) to see LD all bloody and screaming and perfect. I didn't really get to see Avadore really until I was back in my hospital room. I only really got glimpses here and there.

The nurses took LD and cleaned him up for me and then brought him over so I could look at him and touch him for a moment. His hair was thick and black (it's thinning now) and his little eyes were closed.

Rice and LD left so LD could be taken care of and the anesthesiologist continued to talk to me as they closed me up and I did my best to not hear what the doctors were saying.

Just after they started to close me up with staples, I felt as if I couldn't breath. It's one of the most panicky feelings in the world, feeling as if your lungs aren't working. The anesthesiologist assured me I was breathing, I just couldn't feel it like I was used to. And then I developed a killer headache. Evidently one in one-hundred people get a headache. Evidently I was one of the ones. I was given a shot of something for the killer headache that had just found me.

And then the spinal began to wear off. A bit early. I was closed and the docs were done, but the pain was settling in.

I was taken to recovery where I was the only patient and was given a greeny to take care of me.