My *Asterisk* Life

Happy New Year! Time for resolutions and optimistic attitudes. I almost stuck to my wreath resolution from last year, and I’m proud that I made it as far as I did! I’ll cut myself some slack for not finishing the last few months wreaths. The last leg of pregnancy gave me swollen hands and terrible carpal tunnel anyway.  All together I had a wonderful year. I saw my favorite singer, went to Disneyland, pulled an awesome prank on my mom, Matt earned his PhD and I pulled off a surprise party to celebrate it, met my favorite band, shared Lilu’s big announcement, and was super surprised at my baby shower. To end the year, this was the greatest December ever. Matt and I started dating on December 12, 2000, and exactly 14 years later, December 12, 2014, we brought our son Giacomo Michael Niepielko into the world.

On December 10th I was admitted into the hospital to induce labor. I was past my due date, and my doctor does not allow patients to go too far past their dates to avoid complications like macrosomia and mecronium ingestion .  After 2 days (and lots of TV and Clue for entertainment) I still was not dilated at all, and we decided on a C-section.

I won’t lie, I was terrified. I’ve had surgery before, but the idea of being cut open is never easy to deal with, but having a doctor I trust and a husband who is so supportive calmed me. That is until the hospital fire alarm went off minutes before I went into surgery. Just my luck.

Eventually I got into the operating room. The whole experience was surreal and super fast. It started with the spinal, which was super uncomfortable but only lasted a second. Them my legs got warm and tingly, and eventually I couldn’t feel them at all. I laid down, a curtain was put up, and Matt was allowed in to be with me. The rest happened so fast. I remember the doctors talking to each other casually, which actually made me really at ease. If they could talk so freely, then everything was looking normal on the other side of the curtain.

Then all of a sudden the anesthesiologist told Matt to look over the curtain and tell me who was kicking me this whole time. “It’s a male,” Matt finally said, and the room starting laughing at his scientific terminology. The nurse brought him around for me to see, “Oh look at my Mister Man!” I blurted out, and I’ve been calling him that ever since.

It’s so amazing. I was worried that I wouldn’t feel like a mom, or that instant connection people talk about. I was sure I wouldn’t feel it. I’m really not sentimental and often during my pregnancy I actually would forget that I was pregnant. But I did feel it. It’s overwhelming how instantly altered I became. Love at first sight is absolutely a real thing!