She's here!!!

C joined our family last Thursday evening, October 15th. She was two weeks early. Here is the story for anyone who's interested. :)

At 3:30 I headed off to Costco with all three girls in tow. On the way there I started feeling contractions and considered going home. But I really needed to get some things, and I figured they would stop. About 10 minutes into our shopping trip I realized I needed to get out of there. :) The contractions were about 5 minutes apart and growing in intensity. I told the girls we needed to hurry. It didn't go over too well with them, since they love to taste all of the samples, but we got out of there pretty quick. As soon as I was outside Costco (4:30) I called G and told him that I thought I was in labor. He left work immediately and picked up a babysitter on his way home. We arrived at the hospital and I told them my history. It was obvious I was in labor (I could no longer walk during contractions) so they checked me immediately. Sure enough I was dilated to 4 cm. They admitted me immediately, bypassing a lot of the standard protocol stuff, which I really appreciated. I asked for an epidural right away, only because I knew it would take FOREVER to actually get it (which it did---about 2 hours).

I was very happy with my ability to stay on top of the contractions. By the time the epidural came, I was definitely ready for it though. However, it did not work as well as ones I've had in the past. My right side was completely numb, but my left side was not. The pain was dulled, but I still felt quite a bit. The worst part was that the last hour or so I felt almost everything. I was surprised, since I have had epidurals in the past and felt completely nothing. The doctor told me I had what she liked to call an "epidural light." Basically it had worn off by the time the baby was descending through the birth canal. Now, why would I ask for an epidural if I wanted to feel the baby coming at the end?????!!!!! Anyway, I survived. I only had to push for 10 minutes, so I shouldn't complain too much. She was born at 11:12 pm.

Here are some pictures of her. So far we think she looks like a mix of all of our family members, which is kind of fun!

One of my favorites

R was very unsure about the baby in the hospital. She wanted nothing to do with her. Now that we're home, she is doing much better. She giggles every time she sees C and says, "baby" over and over again.

Daddy and C

A admiring C. She was SO excited to hold her.

This picture makes me laugh. I thought I was smiling SO BIG! Apparently I'm a little tired. :)

Another cute one

The girls painted a picture for C.

I thought this one was cute because L's legs are crossed. She wants so much to be a grown-up. L is completely enamored with C. She is going to be a great helper! :)