June 17 Happy Father's Day

It has been a crazy past few days and weeks.  We were really hoping that I would have the baby between the 6th and 13th while Brian was off for a week.  But at each dr appointment I was getting frustrated because I pretty much stopped progressing past 2 centimeters dilated and 70% effaced.  My dr was out of town and wouldn't be there until the 12th.  I told him I was worried that I would go into labor while Brian was at work and hour away so he planned for me to see him on the 12th and we would talk about being induced on the 15th.  But after talking more with Brian, we decided that it would be better to be induced on the 18th then Brian would try to get the 3 nights off he was supposed to work.  So I went in on Friday the 15th to see if I was far enough progressed that I would be okay to be started on Monday.

At my appointment, he asked if I wanted to have a baby tomorrow which would have been Saturday the 16th.  Don't tempt me like that.  I wanted to so bad but tld him I had to make it through 2 more nights then Brian would be home for a week and a half to help.  So he asked if Sunday was okay.  I was good with that.

Sunday morning I had to wake up bright and early.  However I was already up at 4 because of a little man who wouldn't stop wiggling then I really couldn't fall back to sleep.  At 6:oo I called Labor and Delivery and scheduled to go in at 8.  Brian rushed home after work so we could get there.  My mom came over to watch the kids.  When we arrived, I found out that 4 other women had come in at the same time who were already in active labor, so I was placed at the bottom of the priority list to get started.  They called in another nurse so they could get me going.  Finally around 9:30 they started to get me hooked up and monitored.  Noorda came in around 9:40 to break my water.  He was all dressed up in his church clothes.  Of course he started to joke around saying that he wanted his patients to know he was serious his job.  I told one of the nurses that after I get my epidural I go pretty quickly.  So she she asked if we should expect a baby here by noon and I told her it just depends when I can have my epidural.  They hooked me up to IVs and pitocin to get contractions going.  I really don't think it was needed that much because after my water breaks everything gets going pretty good.  (I later found out that they usually turn it up every half our to get things moving but the nurse never needed to turn it up)

By a little after 10 I felt I was ready to get my epidural because contractions were pretty intense and bout every 2 minutes apart.  When I asked for my epidural, I found out it would be a little while because the anesthesiologist was at home.  Even though I was the last to get going, I was the first to ask.  So he had 30 minutes to get there.  I started watching the clock hoping I could hold on.

Around 11:00 the anesthesiologist walked in to get me going.  With my last 3 kids, they always had me in a sitting position to get my epidural, but this time he had me lying on my side, which was probably a good thing because I don't think I could sit at that point.  I had some VERY intense contractions during that time.  He kept telling me in a few minuted I would be comfortable but they just kept coming.  He then told me he would give me something stronger. He waited a little while longer noticing I was still in a lot of pain and then told the nurse that she might want to check me because I might be full.  So the nurse checked and YEP I was.  She called for the other nurses and my doctor.  They got me all ready and Noorda walked in.  Two contractions after starting to push, a beautiful strawberry-blond baby boy was born at 11:26 a.m.  weighing 6 lbs 14 oz and was 19 inches long.  He even pee peed on the doctor.

It was fun to have everyone come up.  Scott and Natalie and Kristin came and then Brian's parents and my parents came with the kids.  They were so cute.  Hunter was a little shy for a bit but the wanted to hold him.  The kids are super cute with him.

Everything has been going really well.  He doesn't cry much.  The first night at the hospital I had him stay in the nursery but had them bring him to me to nurse.  I fed him at 9:30 and at 1:00 they brought him back to me saying that he was wide-eyed but not crying.  So I fed him.  they brought him again at 5:00 and once again I was told that since he was awake they figured he might be hungry because he didn't cry.  I tried to get him to nurse but he wouldn't.  Shortly after he spit up a ton of brown amnoitic fluid.  He got it on his spit up rage, onesie, blanket, and my bedding.  He then fell back to sleep and I couldn't get him to nurse until a quarter to 7.  I decided to only stay the one night.  I don't sleep very well there and felt I would do better at home.  The nurses took him to get all his tests done so that we could leave. All his test results looked great except he failed his hearing test in both ears.  In 2 weeks I will take him back up for another test.

He makes the funniest faces and yawns a lot

Daddy was trying to make him smile

Funny story... his ankle ID bracelets kept slipping off his little feet so they got him some sockies to help keep them on.  Unfortunately they ran out of blue ones so he got pink ones instead

He likes his hospital binki

Waiting for the biliruben test results so we could get him changed to go home

It is sure nice to be home now  He still seems to have some of his nights and days mixed up a little but can go 3 to 4 hours sometimes without eating.  He is so much fun and can't imagine my life without him. Now if only we could decide on his name.