The Day Emily was Born

After trying to make an early debut, Emily was compliant with our efforts to keep her “cooking” a little longer.  She actually became quite comfortable with life on the inside.  My doctor was on call for the weekend and agreed to induce me since we knew it would just take a little Pitocin to make my non-stop contractions regular enough to finish the job they started at 34 weeks.  They were too busy on Saturday but on Sunday morning we got a call from Labor and Delivery at 9:22 a.m. telling us we could come in and have a baby.

They got things started by 11:15 and after just a few pushes, Emily was born at 2:52 p.m. on Sunday, March 28, 2010 weighing 8 pounds 4 oz and measuring 19 inches long.

The nursing staff was so wonderful to us and made the whole thing such a great experience.  I was their only laboring mom that afternoon so the really took great care of us.

Since Emily was perfectly healthy, they let me hold her for quite a while before taking her over to weigh and measure her.  She was so amazing and looked just like her sisters.   The two main differences Kyle and I both noticed were that her hair was much darker and that she had a powerful set of lungs.  Katelyn and Brooke both cried but were immediately consoled after delivery.  Emily, on the other hand did quite a bit of yelling.  The nurses said it was because her delivery took less than 10 minutes, so she wasn’t as tired as her sisters who took over an hour on their journeys to the outside.

One of Emily’s favorite things after birth was having her daddy hold her in his “recreating the womb” position that involved scrunching her into a ball, swaddling and then applying pressure to the whole baby ball.  She loved it and was a big fan of her pacifier too.

She made some funny faces while daddy held her and even seemed to enjoy picking her tiny little nose.  It is so fun to watch their tiny little bodies and body parts adjust to their new surroundings.  Along with her tricks and the cute factor, she provided us with lots of entertainment that afternoon. 

Next it was time for her 1st bath which they did right in my room.  She absolutely loved it and kept trying to drink her bath water.

Here is Emily after her bath with nurse Nancy.   Here is a shot of her cute baby hair.

I had a few complications that delayed the girls coming to see their new sister, but once everything was squared away at the hospital, our good friends Al and Stacey brought the girls to meet Emily.

That is such a special moment to watch your children see their new sister for the first time and it was so great to have our whole little family there together.  Along with the tenderness of that moment, there were some funny parts too. 

Katelyn wanted to know if she should take her shoes off and proceeded to wash her hands about every 3 minutes.  Brooke was thoroughly impressed by my new water mug.  She suddenly became very thirsty – thank goodness the mug was there to quench her thirst.  She also love the hinged door that covered the controls for my bed.  She said that was her favorite part.

They also loved holding and looking at their new little sister.  It was so fun to watch them marvel at her and enjoy all of her tiny newness.

I was so glad that Emily also got to meet Stacey on her birthday.      Stacey led the charge on helping little Emily not come early and I will be forever grateful to her for all of her help, love and support during a time that I was not able to be at the top of my game.  She made a tough time fun and memorable and I will never forget all she did for me and my family.

I also cannot express enough thanks to Kyle for all that he did to help while Emily “cooked” a little longer.  He somehow managed to take care of all of us while keeping up with work.  He helped, supported, entertained, chauffeured, listened to, cared for and loved us all.  He also made some of the most delicious meals I’ve had in a long time, including my new favorite side-dish, using fried baby red or new potatoes in a creamy mustard sauce infused with Kyle’s secret herbs and spices.  I think we will call them Emily Potatoes from now on.

Before the girls headed home for the night, they gave Emily a baby-proof photo album they picked out especially for her.  I know she will love looking at pictures of all the people she loves.

Emily surprised them with Zhu Zhu pets.  They were so excited to finally have “pet” hamsters.

 

Even though I was exhausted, I couldn’t help but just lay awake most of the night and marvel at this perfect little baby.  We are so grateful to have this sweet baby in our family.  Emily, your arrival has brought us so much joy and happiness.  We love you so much and look forward to watching you learn and grow throughout your life as a part of our eternal family.