Sarah Grace is here!

... Or as Eli likes to tell everyone, "Sarah Grace is OUT!"

Her birth story (thankfully!) doesn't involve a lot of drama, but I'll record it here so I can remember.

It all started a little over a week before Christmas.  Grant and I went to my 37 week check up with our bag in the car, just in case.  My doctor (whom I LOVE) hesitated and frowned like she was really weighing our options for a long time after every single thing she checked but then decided that there wasn't quite enough reason to induce.  Then she told us to be sure to bring our bags to my next appointment (which she moved to first thing in the morning) and for me to go ahead and not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before.  We left the office with me feeling very nervous and Grant sure that she would come on her own that weekend.  

The weekend came and went with no labor while we made final preparations.  Grant cleaned out our car and moved the boys' car seats to the very back so that he could install Sarah Grace's.  I made a wreath for the hospital door.  I also made a bow to match her "going home dress" and clipped it onto the hat that each of our boys and their cousin Allie wore home from the hospital.  

Our long-awaited appointment finally arrived and although the ultrasound looked okay and my blood pressure was better than it had been, my sweet doctor was still concerned and started using words like placental insufficiency and IUGR before informing us that that day would be Sarah Grace's birthday.  In case you're wondering, those words were not what this former newborn nurse wanted to hear but I was glad that my doctor and I were on the same page about inducing at that point instead of waiting.  I also had to laugh a little bit at the fact that it looked as though she'd be arriving on the date that I'd picked months before, even though I wasn't in labor.

We headed over to L&D and I got checked in while Grant went to get our bags.  After I got changed into my beautiful green hospital gown, I realized that we'd forgotten to take the birth day belly picture so I changed back into my clothes for a quick pic.

Grant texted everybody at about 10:30 to let them know where we were.  Then my nurse got me checked in and started the Pitocin at about 11:30.  The doctor on call came by and broke my water at about 12:30 and declared me to be 2-3 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  We started getting text messages at about 2:30 from people asking if she was here yet and I told Grant I thought she'd be here at about 7:00.  Over the next few hours, my contractions were every 2 minutes and extremely strong (my strip looked like a Christmas tree farm!), but when I was re-checked, I had progressed to a whole 3 cm and 70%...  Awesome.  I think it was about 4:30 when I told my nurse, "I think an epidural sounds like fun."  

I got my epidural at around 5:00, which worked well for the left half of my body and not at all for my right.  At 5:30, my nurse told me that my doctor was coming and would be there in about an hour.  I told her I'd be ready to push by the time she got here but I'm pretty sure she didn't believe me. The anesthesiologist came back at about 6:00 to give me medicine to help my right side, just as I started feeling a lot of pressure and knew that Little Miss was ready.  

My mom and sister (after whom Sarah Grace is named) had spent the day in L&D with us and although it wasn't the plan, I surprised myself and told them that they were welcome to stay for the delivery if they wanted.  Then I think they surprised themselves when they said they would like to!

My doctor got there at a little after 6:30 and declared me ready and said we'd try a practice push with the next contraction.  I did for about 2 seconds before everybody started telling me to stop so that they could get ready.  I laughed while my doctor hurried to put her gown on and everybody else scrambled.  

Once they got ready, we waited for another contraction, and I pushed about 3 times and then reached down to catch my precious baby girl and put her on my chest.  I hadn't really planned to do that but my sweet doctor didn't seem to mind one bit.  She clamped the cord, Grant cut it, and I put her skin to skin with me, all while laughing and saying, "I can't believe that's it... she's really here!"

Everything in those first moments is a blur, but I remember thinking she was absolutely beautiful and perfect.  I also remember that we were all surprised that she didn't look like either of her big brothers and she didn't sound like them either.  Her little cry was so sweet and girly, she sounded almost like a tiny little kitten!

She did great... She weighed 5 lbs. 15 ozs. and measured 19 1/2 in. long with a 33 1/2 cm head circumference.  Birth time was 6:49 pm.

Mom and Sarah celebrated with us, called my dad, and took pictures for a few minutes and then left with the nurses so we could have some time with just us.  We took turns holding, kissing, and breathing prayers of thanksgiving over her, then Grant called his mom (who was at our house with our boys) to let her know while I fed Sarah Grace for the first time.

I know this sounds weird, but I really want to remember how much I loved the way she smelled...  As in I couldn't get enough of it and even loved the way I smelled like her from holding her on my chest.  (Incidentally, it was the sweetest smell I've ever smelled, but other people's babies never smelled like that when I worked at the hospital... Either it's one of those new mommy things or my baby is just extra special in the way she smells!) Yes, I'm weird, but my nose was stopped up when each of the boys was born so this was my first experience with sniffing my newborn!

Sorry to burden you with my weirdness.  Maybe some more pictures would help...

Because it was so late, Eli and Sam had to wait until the next morning to meet their little sister (and Ms. Dot had to wait too, since she was the one who so graciously volunteered to keep the boys, but she was a really good sport about it!).  

They were so excited and sweet! Sam was really happy to see his Mommy but he was also very sweet with Sarah Grace and even kissed her head and asked to hold her as soon as he finished hugging me.  Eli has been excited since the moment we told him we were expecting so of course he was wonderful.  He held her and talked to her and kissed her over and over.

We are so incredibly blessed to have all 3 of these precious babies.  I told Grant the other day that I wanted more children but didn't think I could handle it because I'm already about to explode with all the love I feel for each one of them.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.   James 1:17

Welcome to our world, sweet baby girl.  We are so glad you're here!