Right from the first hours of her life, Riley (and her parents) had many visitors to share in the joy, the excitement of her arrival. Shawn and I cannot thank everyone who visited us in the hospital, kept us company, and brought us food enough for their love and support.
At the hospital, I was met by Caroline's parents coming out of the OR. It was great to see familiar faces immediately after major surgery!
Not long after that, Irene came by with flowers, chocolates, and coconut treats. Fortunately, Riley is a bit too young to indulge, so I got to enjoy the tasty treats! Irene came back the next day to hang out in the afternoon and help me make my first walk down to see Riley in the Special Care Nursery. She returned later that night with Walmir, too. Thanks, Irene. You rock!
A little while later, Kira and Lacey stopped by to say hi and meet Riley. More warm smiles, hugs, and company. Ironically, another friend, Natasha, had just given birth to Baby Alex three hours before Riley was born. It was like a party for us in the labor and delivery ward!
After the track meet, Caroline came over to visit. Over the course of the week, she earned the award for spending the most time in the hospital with us. Her stories, company, and laughs made the recovery smooth and quick. Caroline also helped drive me around to several necessary errands immediately after returning home. Between going to Target and getting iced coffees to help with my spinal headache, Caroline was a tremendous help.
The award for the most surprising visitor goes to my Dad, who flew down from Virginia without telling me to see us on Tuesday afternoon. After taking a shower and just starting to walk and move about a little, in comes my dad with a shower of gifts for Baby Riley from him and my Mom. Grandpa stayed for the week to help Shawn finish the nursery and spend time with me and his first grandchild. I am not sure who took more pictures of Riley: him or Shawn. I know it meant a lot to him to see Riley in her first few days, but I think it meant even more to me to share the experience with him.
Mark (our bowling teammate) also came by during the week, and Dan (a senior at Oak Hall) stopped by to see us, as well. Thanks, gentlemen!
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