We're home!

It feels so good to be out of the hospital! Ben, Wesley and I finally got to come home and start getting used to our new life here yesterday morning, and we are all VERY happy about it.

But before I jump right into our new adventures, we promised details on Wesley's arrival. So here's the long version, if you want it. If you don't, feel free to look at the pictures and sit tight for more interesting stuff in the weeks to come.

Let's go back a week from today. I had a doctor's appointment because I was over a week past my due date and my doctor asked, "When would you like to be induced? Yesterday?" We laughed, and said "Yes, no really, right now, please?". So my induction was scheduled for first thing the next day.

We got up bright and early Tuesday morning, and while I took the dogs for one last quality walk Ben made me pancakes for breakfast to give me a delicious start to my big day.

My very last belly photo, 41 weeks and 4 days, as we were headed out the door at 7 a.m.


When we got to the hospital, they monitored me and the baby for a little while and then put a gel on my cervix to get the contractions and dilation started. And we just sat and waited.


It worked pretty well, and by mid-morning I was having mild contractions every 3 minutes or so.

This is where it goes downhill. I kept having contractions 3 minutes apart and they did get stronger, but they weren't actually doing anything. 1 cm dilated all day. Great. They sent me home at 5 p.m., saying we could try again on Thursday if they weren't too busy. Fantastic.

We went home.

We walked the dogs, made some dinner, walked the dogs again. We knew walking is supposed to help move labor along, and boy, did it ever. By halfway through our second walk I kept having to slow down or stop with every contraction and I may have mumbled "motherf***er" once or twice, and we decided it was probably time to call labor and delivery and head back over there.

We got to the hospital about 12:30 a.m. and guess what? 1 cm dilated! Wooo! Wait, what? You mean no progress yet, even with the reeeeally painful contractions? Hmph. So, more fetal monitoring, more contractions, more waiting. 2:30 a.m., I was finally up to 3 cm. That's something at least, right? So at some point (3:30ish? I was sleep deprived and stuff) they decided to break my water. After that they gave me a little something for the pain that lasted for maybe a couple hours. It still hurt, but in between the pain I felt nice and floaty and sleepy. Then, it wore off. And then I wanted to die. And I wanted my epidural. But they said the baby's heart rate dropped every time I had a contraction so they had reservations about the epidural. Oh yeah, and I was still only at 4 cm. The next few hours are kind of fuzzy in my memory. I remember screaming and shaking and screaming and wanting to kick a nurse because she kept telling me "No, breathe like this: hee hee hee hoooooooo". Finally, at about 9 a.m., the doctors decided that the epidural was not gonna happen and that instead I needed a c-section. Pronto.

They gave me a drug to relax my uterus (how about some real pain meds, people???) and quickly wheeled me to an operating room. Ben, in case you were wondering, was freaking out a tiny bit at this point. He had been concerned about me the whole time and by my side, holding my hand whenever possible. And the sudden rush was a little unnerving for him. But he handled it like a champ, suited up in his hospital scrubby gear, and got to my side as soon as I was ready for the surgery. At this point I finally got my sweet, sweet epidural and was gloriously numb.

I was so deliriously happy, that Ben thought they had given me something a little more... narcotic. But no, I was just overjoyed to be able to think coherently without horrendous pain that I came off as a little drugged.

From this point, everything went very quickly. Within minutes, we heard Wesley gurgle and then start to cry as they brought him up by my head to show him to me. Then he and Ben were whisked off to clean him up and weigh him.


They reappeared briefly so I could cover them both in kisses,

and then were whisked off yet again while I was cleaned up and put back together and wheeled off to recovery where I finally realized I hadn't slept in forever and promptly passed out. Good times.

It wasn't really the experience we hoped for, and not one I want to repeat, but we feel completely blessed because both Wes and I are 100% healthy and happy, and in he is perfect in every way.

And then, finally, after 5 days of hospital recovery (which was terribly boring, with the exception of sushi picnic night, compliments of Ben)


They actually let us leave the hospital!


We're home!


And the Bella and Spud finally got to meet their new squeak toy, I mean, baby brother.




And if you just can't get enough baby pictures (Yes, you, Grandma and Grandpa) you can check out more Wesley pictures here.