Introducing Our Little Liam...

So the night began in an ordinary fashion at the Lee's with all our neighborhood friends. We returned home around 10:30, did our bedtime routine, then turned on the Scarlet Pimpernel (a great movie by the way). I went downstairs to make popcorn and started feeling kind of strange. I thought perhaps I was having gas pains, lets be honest, that's what labor feels like. Pretty soon I was making frequent bathroom trips, another sign for me...so I thought no way, I couldn't be?! I decided to get in the bath to see if the "contractions" would go away. They didn't.

At this point I thought I seriously am in labor so I better start timing. They were 2-3 minutes apart and about 30 seconds long. They tell you to go to the hospital at that point but I wasn't in any pain. Well, if any of you know my last labor story you know I waited a little too long and things moved rather quickly. Remembering this made me a little apprehensive of making the same mistake again and I decided we'd better go. I told Rob to call the Lee's and ask if they'd take the monitor and grab Etta in the morning. This was a huge favor to ask seeing as it was like 3 in the morning and Etta was sick. So Rob kept asking me are you sure...we really didn't want to put them through all the trouble just to be sent home. Well, I dunno? It feels like I am? We called and being the wonderful people they are they agreed.

So we got to the hospital at about 4AM. I was a 3.5/4cm and 80 % effaced so they wanted to monitor me. The second I laid in that bed the lessened. So the after evaluating me I decided to walk around for a while, after which point I was about 5cm. I really thought they'd send me home with how slowly things were going but the doctor said he didn't want me to return babe in arms so they'd keep me and just get things moving. They wanted to try breaking my water first before giving me pitocin. Boy, did it work. Things started moving along quite nicely and before you know it I was in full blown labor. I decided to ask for my epidural seeing as they take about 20 minutes to get there and last time I waited way too long. It seemed like that slowed things a little bit but that was just fine with me. After about an hour and a half they hadn't come back to check me and I was feeling loads of pressure. Just then the nurse came in and told me the baby was crowning and she'd get the doctor immediately! And well...a few pushes and a couple minutes later little William Keith joined us.

He wasn't crying much so I only got to hold him a minute before they whisked him off to the NICU for a CPAP to help his lungs along a bit. It ended up being nothing but a good precautionary measure (and a good few thousand bucks for the hospital) just the same. So that's it. I have to say this one was calm, "easy", and pretty awesome. My epidural was well timed so I was much more lucid and able to walk out of bed to change rooms. I recovered much quicker and have continued to feel pretty great considering I just had a baby!

Here's the calm before the storm!

Rob actually managed a decent nap during all the monitoring.

Here's our first glimpse at the little guy.

My first moment with him.

Finally getting him back after hours in the NICU and nursery.

Lots of fun visitors came...who I appreciated even more this time around. Rob couldn't be there as much so it helped me not go too crazy and get too lonely lying around in bed.

My sister and Kurt were lovin him.

My robe...I didn't even think about getting dressed with Etta, but a note to self...bring some actual clothes next time. I was feeling good and wanted to be in real clothes.

Baby and Daddy

I can always count on my mom to send the most beautiful flowers.

Our little family...minus sweet Etta who couldn't visit because she was sick.

A perfectly captured picture of exactly what he looks like.

After a nice teeny tiny but hot shower. :) Man, I'm certainly not as tan as I was with Etta...ah, February.

Grandma finally made it just before we were going to leave.

I'll post a little more soon of life since but for now you just get our wonderful and always too short hospital stay...I love the hospital if you didn't already know this about me.

A huge thank you to everyone who's helped us so far especially my mom and family, those bringing us meals, and the Lee's who sacrificed their health and sleep to help us those two days we were in the hospital. We are absolutely loving our new addition and couldn't be happier.