our honey bee comes into our world

(us leaving for the hospital)

i just LOVE our little man! he is so precious, i don't know if anyone can comprehend how much you can love a little one until you experience it yourself. it's instant. it's incredible.

we went into mckay dee hospital on monday morning at seven for me to be induced. they called us at six and we were all ready to go to be there by seven. we got up to labor and delivery and checked in and showed to my room. they got right down to it and had me change into a hospital gown and had me get into the bed. it took about two and a half hours to get all hooked up to the machines and iv's and get all the information that they needed. so about 9:30 they started me on the PIT and antibiotics. when i went it i was dialate to about a 3.5 and about 90% effaced.

(just waiting for the antibiotics)

so brad and i were just chilling out and i was reading my book while we waited for the medication to set in. my mom and dad and shanea came, to entertain us for the labor cause we figured we would be there for quite a few hours. we were, but not as long as i had anticipated.

dr. bierer came in at about noon to break my water. that was the weirdest thing i had experienced, it was like i was peeing my pants uncontrolably and it just kept coming. the contractions starting coming on alot stronger immidately after that. i was gonna wait for a while to get the epidural but the nurse said to go ahead and call for it or else he might get called away, so we called him in and he showed up about fifteen minuted later. it wasn't as bad as some people describe, yeah it doesn't feel great to get a need shoved in your back but it took the pain away really quickly. sally showed up right about then, just stopping by to see how things were going. she ended up staying the whole time and it was really good to have her there.

(sally,bentley and my mom)

my contractions were picking up pretty vigerously and when they came to check me about an hour and a half later i had gone from a five to a NINE! yeah, it was crazy! so i decided it was fine to push the button on the epidural! my butt was numb but the contractions were strong enough to have my asking brad to hold my hand. he is such a great husband, he would hold my hand and stroke my head and tell me i was doing good, really such a comfort, i love that man.

(they just told me i was a ten! VICTORY!!!)

they came back and checked me a half hour later and i was at a ten, so they called dr. beirer, and started to prep the room. we kicked everyone out and the nurse checked to see how much the baby was coming down during the contraction and it was quite a bit. then they wanted me to practice pushing. well we came to find out that if i would have practiced normally like most women the little man would have come out right then. dr. bierer got there within about ten minutes and they helped me get my legs in the stirups. it is the weirdest sensation to be able to feel and yet not feel at the same time. he told me to push at the next contraction for ten seconds at a time. the first contraction i pushed three times and he told me to stop so they could try and stretch things out a bit, and the next contraction and push his head was out! i was amazed that they were telling me to wait so they could suction out all of the mucos, then the next two pushes and he was out! it took a total of FOUR minutes, can you believe it? i was in shock because it was so easy. i had heard of things like that but i never planned on it happening to me cause i planned for the worst.

(just barely out on the scale, 8lbs 5 oz.)

they set him on my chest and handed brad the scissors to cut the cord. i looked up at brad and with tears in his eyes he told me how much he loved me, then he looked down and said, "geez, that's a lot of blood!". but dr. bierer assured us that it was totally normal. unfortunately i tore a bit but it was a labial tear which is pretty uncommon. but it truly hasn't been that bad.

brad went over to where they were cleaning up the baby while the doctor delivered the afterbirth and sewed me up. the best part was the family was waiting right outside the door cause for some reason shanea had walked back by our room and heard him crying, and got everyone gathered, they were in aww that it had happened so fast also. brad's mom and debbie had also arrived by that time. and i think kade and terra showed up during the birth also. so when they got reese wiped down a little bit and had him wrapped up, brad teased them all by going out the door for a minute to show him off. you could hear all of them just going on and on. it was wonderful.

(if you look closely you can see that glisten of tears in brad's eyes)

when brad came back in the nurse told us we should try and breast feed right then. and she left the room to clean up and so we had a few minutest to ourselves. we still didn't have a name picked out. i told brad that he didn't look like a sam, and brad said ok, then brighton or jude? and i wasn't loving either one, and we decided against brighton, and then i asked brad if reese was still an option, and we just knew right then that he was our little reese william. jude lost and reese is perfect. i love his name because it's a family name, not just something random.

(our little family)

reese was much too tired for eating so he and brad made their way to the nursery to get a real bath and get his foot prints. i stayed behind and got wheeled into my room, thank goodness for sally cause she and bryce carried all of our stuff over to the room. when i got to my room i just about fell cause my legs were so numb. it's really weird being a patient in the hospital, you kind of get used to random people seeing you naked and helping you go to the bathroom and cleaning up after you. it's nice and awkward at the same time. i am really grateful to all of the nurses and cna's at mckay, they made me comfortable and went out of their way for us several times.

(grandma and grampa holding him for the first time)

brad brought in the baby and the family went crazy all taking turns holding him and loving him. i really don't remember much more of what happened that night other than eating and getting poked and prodded at by all the medical people. i remember them coming in and asking if he had ate or pooped at all and i was thinking, i can't even feel my legs, how am i gonna get up and change him?

i think the lactation lady came in and showed me what to do, because that night at about midnight i heard reese fussing just a little bit so i got him out of his bed and decided to try and nurse without any help. brad was fast asleep on the little pull out couch. i was starting to try and nurse and he got the hiccups. it was really a sweet moment for me, because when i was pregnant i would feel these little tiny "kicks" down low and i knew back then that they were the hiccups. so we sat up and i talked to him and told him how much i loved him, how his daddy loved him and just told him all the things i thought about how he is the perfect little boy for our family. he had the hiccups for about a half an hour so we had plenty of time to talk. and then he latched right on and ate like a champ. and then while i was burping him he fell asleep on my chest, and his little body just melted into mine. and i knew at that moment that my life would never be the same, and it hasn't.

it's amazing how much joy and love a little baby can bring into your life, especially as a mommy. i have always loved being an aunt and have been since forever. i remember when my sister had her babies and the bond i had with them was enormous, and yet with reese it's uncomparable. he is mine, part of me, part of brad and a little love factory. it has been so wonderful being a mom.

we stayed in the hospital for two nights. it was really nice getting meals brought to you and nursed a little bit before going home. ice packs are a ultimate soother. and it was so fun haveing all our friends and family come and visit.

brad was so incredible too, because he never wanted to leave my side, he would stroke my hair and tell me how much he loved me and how good i was doing through the whole thing. i have the best husband in the world. no one compares to him. i love watching him with reese, his eyes are filled with love and amazement constantly. he loves to snuggle him and has been the primary diaper changer.

well that's how reese came into our lives, we worship the little creature with all of our hearts and i am so grateful to heavenly father for blessing us with something so tender and dear.