The Labor Story....although I shouldn't really call this one "labor"!

It's good to be back!! Thanks to Beth for keeping you all updated while we were in our baby bubble for the last few days. I told you I wouldn't leave you hanging too badly! :) So here it is - the long awaited labor story...although truly, it wasn't much labor this time around - hooray! :) Feel free to skip over this post if it's TMI...I'll try to keep it "family-friendly"... :)

We spent Tuesday morning at the zoo. I woke up with contractions at 6:30 am, and had them all morning...during our breakfast of eggs and cinnamon rolls, while getting dressed, etc. Sort of sporadic though, and nothing terribly painful. I told David, but sent him on to work - it was nothing that I hadn't been feeling for weeks, except that they were more regular. I decided to take the kids to the zoo so they could be distracted and I could walk. I had taken them last week on my due date and it worked out great - other than stressing out the zoo staff by seeing a VERY pregnant woman with 3 kids walking around. So off we went.

We got there around 10 am, and by this point, the contractions were still 10 minutes apart. I sent David a text since I knew he was going into his staff meeting that they hadn't stopped and that I'd keep him posted. By noontime, they were still 8-10 minutes apart, some even 11 or 12 minutes apart, but starting to intensify. David called me after getting out of his meeting and asked what I needed him to do. I told him to stay put, that I was going to get the kids lunch and try to walk around for another hour to see if they'd come any closer. During lunch, they were getting more painful and I felt like I was starting to make faces during contractions (are you picturing the sight I must have been at the zoo??). So we headed home around 1:15 pm - time to at least get home and put kids in bed. I called my sister Kelli and informed her of what was going on...that it was not "the call" yet, but that it had been an eventful morning. She was STRESSED that I was STILL at the zoo, David STILL at work, etc, etc. I assured her that I would KNOW when it was time to go, and we weren't there yet.

Got home, got the kids in bed, and the contractions continued. By 2 pm, they were coming closer - 6-8 minutes apart at times. By 3 pm, the kids had woken up from their naps and I was definitely having to breathe through them - getting serious. Called David and told him to close up shop at work and head home...if for nothing else, I needed help with the kids while I worked through the contractions. By the time he got home at 4 pm, he had the babysitter coming behind him, and I knew we'd need to leave for the hospital soon.

Our babysitter, Mary, arrived to stay with the kids for the night and we said our goodbyes to the kids. The boys thought we were joking when we told them that their baby brother might be coming tonight! Callie was just excited to play with Mary! :)

Here's THE picture - 40 weeks and 5 days...heading to the hospital!!!

Mary came to stay with the kids - BLESS her! :)

At 5:00 pm, we got to the hospital and they admitted me. (By the way, as we walked into the emergency room, the nurse greeted us and asked "what are you here for". Hello! Isn't it obvious????) Up in L&D, they determined that I was 4 cm. We got through all the admitting questions, started IV, and ordered the epidural!! Contractions coming every 4 minutes and painful!

I should rent this guy out to women in labor. He's VERY entertaining. His most fun thing about this hospital was that they provide you an option of requesting a doula to assist you in the laboring process. In VA, that was always an extra service you'd have to pay for/hire. He'd never heard of a "doula" before, and kept talking to all the nurses about "where's Paula Ab-doula?" He's a riot!

Tracking contractions...

At about 6:20 pm, I was 5-6 cm and they gave me my epidural - hooray hooray! Best one I ever had - seriously. It didn't work at all with Jacob, so I'm always sure to tell them that to make sure they try to do better!! He was GREAT - got the whole thing done between contractions (that to me is always the worst part of it - trying to sit still while they poke a needle into your spine, and yet having these horrible contractions in the midst of it that make you want to jump out of your skin!), and I felt relief almost immediately! Seriously, within 10 minutes, I was relaxed and hanging out!!

Gotta love text messages!! :) I was just hanging out - David and I were talking, and he was reading in Numbers about Caleb in the Bible. We were just having a great time. I told the nurse I was feeling some pressure, but nothing major and nothing constant. She started pitosin around 8:30 pm to make sure my contractions stayed strong, and then came back around 8:50 pm to check me. Much to everyone's surprise, she announced "you're ready to go honey!" David and I both said "seriously?" She said yes! So David jumped up and got the cameras. The nurse got the doctor in at 8:55 pm, and at 9:00 pm, Caleb Isaac was born!!! I was laying flat on my back the whole time - just watching everyone around me. I never had to sit up, never had to pull my knees up to my ears, nothing! No pushing - seriously. Not at all!! It was great. I almost felt like - did I seriously just have a baby? that was too easy!! I think once you have 3, maybe the 4th one is your free pass! :)

He was 8 lbs, 2 oz, and 20 1/2 inches long. Perfect! (Josiah was 8 lbs 15 oz, Jacob was 8 lbs 4 oz, and Callie was 7 lbs 11 oz).

Dr. Wilcox and Nurse Rose (they were GREAT!)

I was SO happy to finally see him! (and he was already looking for fingers to suck on! He came out with his hands up at his face!!) I was feeding him 15 minutes later, and he ate like a champ!

LOVED the heat lamps in the nursery - look how relaxed he was!

David thought he looked like Jacob did (because Jacob looks like David...he's hoping to have another one look like him).

So that's the story!!! It was GREAT - seriously couldn't have gone any better. We got back in our room by 10 pm, had something to eat (we were STARVING since we missed dinner, and I hadn't had lunch b/c of the contractions...) and then turned in for some sleep while Caleb was in the nursery! Happy BIRTHday Caleb Isaac! We are SO thankful for you, and SO glad you're here now!