elise rebecca

Last Friday, we were happy to welcome our sweet baby girl into the family. I thought that it would be at least another week before she would arrive, but it was a pleasant surprise when she decided to come a few days earlier than her due date (I've never gone early). So, here is how it all went down that night...

I had been feeling like I might be going into labor that day, but wasn't fully convinced until around 6 o'clock that night. Adam and I had planned one last date night before the baby came. We were going to drop the boys off at his mom's, but I started to think that it might be THE night, so we took a bag with us, just in case. I called my sister, Steph, to see if she happened to be working, and thank goodness, she was. She was my nurse at Isaac and Asa's deliveries, and now she would be there for this one - this brought a huge amount of relief to the night. By the time we got to Adam's mom's house I was pretty sure it was the real deal, so she took the boys back to our house and spent the night with them while Adam and I waited - as long as Adam would allow - at her house until we went to the hospital. I was wanting to do this one "natural", so I wanted to wait as long as possible before going to the hospital. Once the contractions got about 5 minutes apart, Adam was pretty anxious to get to the hospital.

We got to the hospital around eight and when they checked me I was only at a 5. I thought I would have been more like a 7 by the way I was feeling. I started getting nervous (okay, I had been nervous ever since deciding to do this natural). How bad was this going to get... I guess I would find out :). About an hour later I was about an 8. My doc asked if I wanted him to break my water (that always produces an immediate baby for me). Oooo, scary. I still had one last chance for an epidural. If I had him break my water, that chance would be gone. Seriously, just how bad was this going to get?

I told him to go ahead and do it. So, he did. He joked about not wanting to jinx me, and stepped out of the room for a few minutes.... about one minute too long. So, it was just me, Adam and my sister, Steph. You know, Adam and I loved having Steph at the other births, but this time it was a huge blessing. Even though I knew she thought I was nuts for not taking advantage of an epidural, she was her calm, reassuring, encouraging self - exactly what I (and Adam) needed. I didn't feel any pressure from either Adam or her to get the drugs, or not get the drugs. They just tried different ways to relieve some of the pain - my back was killing me! I guess the baby was turned in a way that put a little more of the pressure at my back.

Well, the contractions got crazy intense once he broke my water... thankfully, there were only three of them. On the last one, I had accepted the fact that I was going to die (me being dramatic) then I felt some burning and to all our surprise she came out all by herself - right onto the bed. I didn't even push... or feel like I had to push (like everyone told me I would feel). Steph (jokingly) said, that I was suppose to let her know that I was feeling the need to push before the baby came out, but I never felt that urge... only hideous pain. She called the doctor in, he tortured me some more, and then we were done. It was amazing how great I felt once it was all over. No epidural to wear off - that was awesome. I felt like I could walk around better than when I had gotten there.

It was horribly painful, but it was something I'm very glad I experienced. Adam even liked this birth experience a lot more than the others. I think it made him feel more useful and the whole experience more real compared to the other times... that, or he enjoyed watching me suffer :). I am definitely glad it's over with and that our baby girl is here and that she's healthy.

Elise was born at 9:46 pm on 10/01/10, weighing in at 6 lbs 11 oz, and measured 19" long. She is tiny and sweet and we are loving the over abundance of pink that has been added to our home.

The boys have nothing but adoration for their new baby sister. Her head has been smothered in kisses, and she never lacks for a set of arms wanting to hold her. I've even been surprised at how gentle Asa is most of the time (when he's not making abrupt movements around her). He is happy as long as he can give her plenty of kisses and a few love pats. I have also been surprised at just how much Luke has loved his baby sister. I knew Isaac would be head over heals for her, but Luke has been equally - if not more - excited about her.

Here are a couple of sweet moments from Luke:

I came home from the hospital the following evening - after the boys were already in bed. They weren't expecting me until the next day, though. As I was sitting in our front room, Luke came down to use the bathroom, and was clueless that I was there. When I called out his name, he turned around in surprise. He got teary eyed and asked, "Who brought you home?", then he came over and gave me a big hug and, in the sweetest, shaky voice, said, "I'm so glad you're home, mommy."

The next day when he got to meet his sister again, he asked if he could tell her something. So, he went up and whispered in her ear, "Elise, I'm four."

Here are a bunch of pics... I'm sure there will be plenty more to come:

Me looking awesome.

Isaac and Luke meeting their new sister.

Asa's turn.

And, finally grandma's turn.

The first thing Isaac wanted to do when she got home was put this bow on her head. He had been so excited ever since Dani gave us these bows. I have to admit, it does make her all the cuter... or at least look like a girl.

A wiggly two year old by your newborn = nervousness

My neighbor, Brit, made these adorable booties for her.