More About Caleb

Our very first Family of Four Picture:



We came home from the hospital this morning feeling (more) rested and ready for more adventures! Caleb is a very good eater and sleeper, and I feel like my recovery is so much faster so far. All we need to do now is pull out all of the cute baby clothes and have a fashion show (as if I needed an excuse to take more pictures)!

For all of you who care about a few more details: When I woke up Tuesday morning I was having contractions more regularly than ever before, and they felt 'different' than any I had previously had. After breakfast I timed them and they were 8-9 minutes apart. I called the doula-in-training (Katherine Jensen) so she could have a heads up, then tried to keep busy. I really, really hoped it was actual labor, but didn't want to really think too much about it. Katherine arrived and brought her handy snap press (still trying to convince Lucas that getting a snap press for the next baby will be a necessary comfort measure), and we set snaps for a few hours while keeping track of the decreasing length between contractions. In a twist of great luck, Lucas didn't have two of his classes Tuesday, so he worked on some homework and then came home.
We went to the midwife at about 3:30, where I was 4 cm/80% effaced. The contractions weren't unbearable, so we decided to go home and be distracted instead of being 'stuck' in the hospital. At about 5:15 they were much harder, so we packed up and headed the 2 minutes up the hill to the hospital. After being monitored for 20 minutes, we used the jacuzzi, which was superb, and stayed there for a couple of hours. After that I really felt I needed to be able to move with the contractions, and the tub didn't provide enough room, so we used the labor room after that. I made my own labor/delivery outfit (like a binsi outfit) instead of wearing a hospital gown, and I really liked it.
Labor is a very interesting time warp. In some ways it felt like half the time had passed, but I felt like I was doing twice the clock-indicated work. The contractions became very difficult, but just as I was truly fatiguing and not coping as well, we were checked and were ready to push. That knowledge gave me the umph to finish the delivery. We pushed for about a half an hour, and he was here! (That sentence makes it sound easier than it was, believe me!) They let him stay with us, which was great. We ended up moving from the labor/delivery room to the post-partum recovery wing that night (well, early morning by the time we moved). After all the waiting and working, we finally have welcomed him here! Amazing!

Now that my novel is over, here are more pictures (the real reason you came to the blog today, huh?):

With the midwife who delivered Caleb.

The doula-in-training (Katherine) who assisted with the birth; it was great to have her there!

The beautiful flowers from Grandpa & Ana, who sent their love from Virginia.
They made the room so bright!

Lucas in awe of Caleb. We can't stop looking at him!
I love this shot of my boys...

Joshua kept saying "Hold It" for Caleb. He is a big helper!

For much of the hospital visit, Joshua chowed apple pieces, then would run over to the bed and play with/poke at Caleb, then go eat some more.

Big brother giving a kiss

We are so glad Grandma Rashae' could come! She's great