And Baby Makes 3!

On Saturday, October 29th, after one heck of a whirlwind delivery, we welcomed our first child into the world! 

It was a wonderful moment of tearful laughter amidst total shock of the delivery experience and HOLY COW THIS BABY IS OURS!  AND IT’S A GIRL!  AND SHE’S AMAZING AND PERFECT AND ADORABLE!

Miss Avery Elizabeth was 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and 19 3/4 inches long.

She also showed us her impatient side!

Expecting the normal first-time labor of several hours up to 15+ hours, I wasn’t too concerned when contractions finally started early that morning.  We were told not to head to our (insurance-approved) hospital until contractions were 3-5 minutes apart for an hour…so I expected to be home for at least a few more hours before anything really got going.

…the only problem was the contractions went from 10 minutes apart to 3 minutes apart within 90 minutes.  After only 2 hours, I felt the sudden urge to push. We weren’t even out of the house yet!  We were caught completely off guard because it was SO unlike anything anyone had told us.  Call me a wuss, but I was truly afraid I’d be delivering at home, and I wasn’t mentally prepared for that. 

Instead, I barely made it into the car and Nick raced us to the emergency room at the local hospital (luckily only 10 minutes away.)  Avery was born 8 minutes after we were admitted, less than 3 hours after the first contraction.

The delivery was a wild ride, to say the least.  Next baby, you might find us camped out in the hospital parking lot a week in advance of the due date!

But now, a week and a half later, we’re doing great.  I’m feeling good, Avery is healthy, happy, and gaining weight, and Nick and I have had some wonderful days at home together learning how to take care of our new baby girl.

Posting may be a little sporadic in the coming couple weeks as I adjust to having a baby and meeting all of her needs, but I’m hoping maternity leave will give me at least some opportunities for blogging.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a warm, squirmy, snuggly week