oh happy day

He's here! He is actually here! I thought this pregnancy was never going to end. It was a LONG 9 months, but so worth it! I am in baby heaven! I don't want to put this little guy down and miss a second of this newborn bliss. I want to soak it all up. The newborn stage does not last long enough! I am so happy! We are all so happy to have this new little baby in our family. Nothing more to say than Pure JOY!!

So, little man was born on Tuesday March 19th at 5:16 a.m. I was scheduled to be induced that day ( a few days before my due date), but he decided he wanted to come on his own. So Monday night I went to bed early hoping to get a good nights sleep, but Andy stayed up late watching a movie. Around 1:30 a.m. I started feeling a little cramping, but nothing major. I started watching the clock and noticed that it happened every 10 minutes on the dot, and they started to get a little stronger. At about 2:30 I decided to get up and take a shower and get ready just in case. I woke Andy up and warned him that we might be going in early. He was half asleep and said "what? right now? I just went to sleep! We can't go yet." and he turned over and went back to sleep. lol. I got all ready and woke Andy up a little after 3:00 a.m. and told him it was time to get ready. We got to the hospital at about 4:00 a.m. and I still wasn't in a whole lot of pain but the contractions were very consistent, about 7 minutes apart at this time. The hospital has a reputation for turning induction patients away if they get too busy, so when I told the nurses I was in labor, I think they thought I was just trying to make sure I got in for the induction that day. They seemed a little skeptical. The nurse took me to my room and asked me when I was last checked. I was at 3cm Monday morning. So she decided NOT to check me at that time because I was only a 3 the day before. But I told her that I have quick labors. She hooked me up to the machine to "see what was going on". After about 20 minutes she came back in and said "You are really doing this, huh? I guess I will check you now." She checked me and I was at 5cm but totally effaced and my water was ready to burst. She said as soon as my water broke, the baby was going to come pretty quick. So, she said she was going to go make some phone calls and get the doctor and anesthesiologist to come in. Ummm, good idea! By this time the contractions were really picking up and I was hurting. I had one really hard contraction and my water broke, and it was pretty much all over by this point. The pain was unbearable and the baby was coming, which meant no time for an epidural. I kind of freaked at this point. NEVER in my life would I have considered giving birth without an epidural! The pain was intense and I didn't know how to handle it, so I screamed....loud. I couldn't stop screaming. I never understood why the women in the movies screamed. Now I get it! After lots of screaming and a few pushes, baby was born and I felt instant relief. I was exhausted. But I did it! It was the most amazing feeling of accomplishment, and there was something surreal and spiritual about it. A totally different experience than with my other kids. There is something about actually laboring to bring a sweet spirit into this world. It was the best/worst experience of my life. I think I would even consider doing it again believe it or not. The best part is that I felt amazing after. The recovery has been 10 times easier this time. It was great to actually be able to walk to the bathroom right after giving birth and to actually be able to pee. :)

Anyways, back to the baby. He is PERFECT!!! I love him so much!! He weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces and was 21 inches long. He didn't make a peep when he came out. The cord was wrapped around his neck twice, but he was just fine. He is one week old now, and still has hardly made a peep. He is a happy peaceful little man. And did I mention he is pretty dang cute!!!

We are still working on his name. Why is it so hard for us to decide?? I have been through a huge list of names trying to find the right one. Nothing seems to fit. Andy really wants to name him Grant Aaron. I like it okay, but I am not sold on it. Yesterday I did finally find a name that felt good to me. Noah Grant. Andy actually likes the name too ( the first name that we BOTH agree on), but he has a cousin named Noah, so he is not sure he wants to do that (he also has a cousin named Grant I should add. He has like 80 cousins though, so it is a little hard).

I don't know why, but I always cry when the other kids come in the hospital room to meet the new baby for the first time. I cried when Avery walked in to meet Andrew, when Avery and Andrew walked in to meet Livi, and now when they all came in to meet Noah. It is such a tender moment. I think I just feel such an immense gratitude and love for my sweet little family and I get a glimpse of the eternities. Newborns bring such a sweet spirit with them. I love knowing that they just left the presence of so many amazing spirits in heaven awaiting their turn on earth. I am so humbled by God's plan and the love he has for us. Families truly are central to His plan of happiness!

the kids checking out their new baby brother