Sleeping Beauty

We are seriously so happy to have our sweet little sleeping beauty here with us. It's hard to describe in words how happy we are to have her and how much love we feel for her already. She has been such a joy and we already can't imagine life without her. I'm sure not everyone will want to read her birth story, but we're posting it anyway because the blog is our family journal and I know there will be some interested people :) So, here goes...with lots of pictures!

Monday morning I went to the hospital for another non-stress test (I've been having them done twice a week for the past couple weeks) and thought everything was peachy-keen as normal. I did the test and went home thinking I'd get some laundry done, dishes, etc. Half an hour after I got home from the hospital I got a call from the nurse at my doctor's office saying to not panic because the NST was fine but the doctor at the hospital who reviewed the test called and consulted with my doctor and they both decided it was best to induce me that day so I needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible (turns out A had a couple dips in her heart rate during that test, and since she was measuring small they decided it was best to induce me then). Whoa. I was slightly overwhelmed at first and debated on calling D in class because I knew he'd be eating lunch in about 20 minutes, but I called anyway...I knew he had his phone on waiting for my call.

Here's what happened when I called him at work...D's version: So I told my students that during January I wouldn't be turning my phone on silent just in case I needed to answer a very important call that would result in my rush to the hospital. During the middle of 5th period my phone rings. I look at it and see that it's K, and naturally I answer it. All my students went silent with expectant faces, inferring the implications of the call. After I get off the phone I say to my students, "Will you excuse me for a moment?," as I walk to my office to call the school secretary. Cheers start to ring out, "Mr. D is having his baby!!!" One student closed my office door and said, "Don't worry, Mr. D, I'll teach class." And with that I hear a bunch of yardstick slamming on my table followed by, "Okay, quiet down, quiet down." Who knows what mayhem happened after that. After getting an emergency substitute plan together, my dad picked me up at school and drove me to the hospital arriving there at 1:30pm.
Once D got to the hospital, the nurse was just starting to put my IV in. I wish I could say the whole delivery went without any complications, but what fun would that be? Lucky for me, the IV was our only ordeal and only complication. I have awful veins. It took 4 nurses & the anesthesiologist an hour and a half, 5 yucky pokes, and several bruises to finally get the IV in. The anesthesiologist even pulled out this awesome vein-detector machine called Accuvein, that uses a red light to search out veins--your veins actually look shadowed because your veins absorb the red light--to try to find a good vein and was stumped for a while because he couldn't find any in either arm! Luckily he was finally able to find a vein in my hand that wasn't great but good enough, although the IV was really irritating the whole time it was in, and luckily the epidural went in much easier!

The more ID bands you have, the more the nurses like you!

Finally at 3:00pm they were able to start the pitocin. I was on full dose by 5:00, and still able to manage my contractions just fine. It even felt like they mellowed out after a while. I was able to relax pretty well, and D was able to work on getting his substitute plans done for the rest of the week.

D working on lesson plans for his sub

At 7:30pm my doctor came in and broke my water and things progressed really quickly after that. By 8:15 I was ready for the epidural because my contractions were getting much stronger. The epidural was in by 8:20 but because I was progressing so quickly the epidural wasn't doing much for me. The anesthesiologist had to keep coming in to increase my dose and was finally able to get my pain under control by 10:30pm. He even said it was unusual for someone to be on such a strong dose and still be in so much pain. Go figure. When the nurse checked me at 10:30 I was at 4+ cm and 90% effaced. When she came back and checked at 11:00pm, I was fully dilated and A was at +1 station. The nurse said my doctor liked to have her patients wait for an hour to let the baby descend on their own for a bit. My doctor came back in at midnight to deliver our sweet baby. I started pushing at 12:15am and A was born at 12:36am Tuesday morning. I got super lucky and only had to push through 4 contractions for about 20 minutes. They told me I was an expert pusher ;) I think it helped that she was little though. We are so glad to have A here with us and LOVE being her parents already. She is such a good baby and it is such a joy to have her in our home. We love you, princess A!

Holding Daddy's finger

First bath in the nursery--she really likes to have her hair brushed :)

1st family photo-remember, I just gave birth. Don't judge ;)

Meeting Grandma & Grandpa D

1st diaper change done by Daddy

Meeting Great-great Uncle Bob and Great-great Aunt Sharon

Daddy's first time feeding her. We had to supplement a little bit in the hospital, but things are going better now.

Meeting Nanny Kim

Meeting Gramps

And Uncle Skylar

Meeting her D cousins

Meeting my good friend, Courtney. They share the same birthday & the same middle name!

Getting ready to go home!!! She didn't fuss at all and has slept through every single car ride so far.

Oh, how we love those little eye balls!

Our sweet little munchkin. Can't get enough of her!

A was slightly jaundice so we've had to take her in to get her poor little foot poked twice. She's doing fine now though.

Little teeny baby in her great big crib!

So cozy.

1-on-1 Mommy time
Snuggled up with Daddy while he works
We are so glad to have you in our family, sweet A! We love you!