Claire is here!

So this is the story of Claire's grand entrance into the world.

I woke up Thursday morning after sleeping in and missing my Water Yoga class (grouchy). I went to lunch with my MIL and Christine (fun!), then we went to see Food Inc., which was very informative. When I got home, I was a little tired and grouchy so I waited for Jeff to get home from work. Later that night, I felt what seemed like a normal braxton hicks and I went upstairs to whine to Jeff. I laid next to him and told him that my belly hurt. I decided to get ready for bed around 11pm and then my water broke! Except I didn't understand what it was becuase it wasn't that much. I got really panicky and Jeff started googling all the possibilities it could be. **Word of advice- NEVER google any symptoms!** I called the doctor's office and the on call Doctor called me back and told me to come into Northside. Keep in mind, Jeff and I fully intended on packing our bags for the hospital that upcoming weekend- so we had nothing ready. I grabbed some flip flops and my purse and we headed off to the hospital. We were both so nervous that we missed the exit and had to turn around! When we got there, they admitted me and I kept thinking that they were going to give me something to fix me up and then I would be at home within the hour. Then my water REALLY broke! I still didn't understand what was going on until the nurse came in and said, "Well, you should have the baby today!" I thought she was joking and I mentally wasn't prepared at all! We both thought we had a few more weeks especially because I went to the doctor on Monday and he pushed back my expected due date! Within the hour, my contractions were pretty regular and about 2-3 minutes apart. I went from being 0cm dilated to 3cm. The doctor came in to see me and he said that it takes a while to deliver the first baby so I would probably have Claire between noon and 5 pm on friday. If I didn't show any improvement around 5am, he would give me something to help the labor go faster. So, the doctor decided to go home. The contractions were starting to get a little more intense and they were about 1 1/2 minutes apart. I got one dose of a pain reliever and it seemed to work for about 45 minutes. At 3am, they gave me another dose, but it wore off within 15 minutes. Although the pain wasn't too bad, I asked for the epidural around 3:15... just in case things got worse! Also at 3:15, I went from 3cm to 6cm dilated. Around 4:30, I told the nurse that I was feeling some pressure and she checked me again. At this point I was fully dilated and ready to deliver! They called the doctor back in and I started pushing at 5am. No more than 50 minutes later, Claire was saying hello to everyone! All in all, the labor and delivery part was not bad at all and soon after I delivered, I was drinking water and I walking around. Claire was so beautiful and she made the sweetest little cry ever! I was really afraid that she was going to be a 10 pound baby, but she was a very healthy weight and was doing really well. She did so well that day! Friday night got a little more intense when she started to cry a few times during the night- I started begging the nurses to stay in and help me feed. I was almost at my wits end about this whole breastfeeding thing until I saw the lactation specialist on Saturday. She explained everything and I got a little weepy because she helped me so much. Saturday night was significantly better! I would feed Claire and then take her to the nursery so that Jeff and I could sleep. At one point, I had to go get her because the nurse forgot she was in there- not because she didn't do her job, but because Claire was so quiet! We came home Sunday afternoon and the grandparents stopped by to say hello and help out with whatever we needed.

Last night went rather well. Claire slept, we fed every few hours, and this morning at around 7:30, she decided she wanted to play. So we watched some TV and then she fell back asleep. For any new parents out there, swaddling is the jam! Once we make her into a burrito baby, she is out for hours.

I always hear new moms say thing like, "I knew I loved my husband, but after we had our baby I loved him even more." I really laughed at that statement and brushed it off as mushy stuff, but I'm learning every day that it's true. I had all these preconcieved notions about what kind of father Jeff would be. Not that I ever thought he would be bad at it, but I wasn't really sure how he would react. The first sweet memory I have after Claire's birth was laying in the bed and thinking that I have to keep my eyes open so that I can take care of her. I fell asleep a couple times and I woke up, looked over, and Jeff was holding the baby and talking to her. He held her the entire time I was trying not to fall asleep. When we got into the room, he was so good about making sure she was doing well and asking me if he could do anything for me. Everytime I fed, he would wake up with me and help burp her, swaddle her, and get her back to sleep. He changed the first diaper like a champ! He's been so wonderful and extremely supportive (and patient) with me. I'm so thankful that he's such a great husband and daddy! Claire loves it when he holds her and she can sleep on him for hours. Last night when she was just a little fussy, he let her lay on his belly while he watched TV. He's so fantastic and I really do love him even more!