Dear Kaelyn –
Let me start by saying I’m sorry. Sorry for letting 2 weeks
pass without posting your birth story – but I’ve been busy watching your
beautiful, expressive face. I’m also sorry for not posting one single blog post
during my entire pregnancy with you. All I can say is…if there was ever a
“perfect” pregnancy, my 9 months with you would be it. I felt great, slept
wonderfully, had no major issues, only gained 34 pounds and actually made it to
my scheduled c-section date. On the day of your scheduled arrival, however, you
did throw us a little bit of a curve ball. Going into labor was definitely NOT
part of the plan.
When I woke up at 2:30am, unable to fall back asleep because
my mind was swirling with all of these thoughts and emotions about your
impending arrival, the last thing I expected was to feel the start of
contractions. I started timing them at about 3am – 12 minutes apart, 8 minutes
apart, 10 minutes apart – then all of a sudden they were a steady 9 minutes
apart. I decided to wake up early and take a shower, letting your Daddy know
that Mommy was pretty sure she was in active labor. To say he was surprised is
quite the understatement. We woke up your big sister and big brother, let
Grandma Laurie know what was happening, and hopped in the car about 45 minutes
earlier then we had planned. By the time we were in the car, contractions were
about 7 minutes apart and were quickly gaining strength. We dropped Rya and
Keaton off at daycare – dressed in their Big Sister/Big Brother gear - and headed
off to the hospital. While in the triage room, contractions slowly became
stronger and stronger until they were coming 1 minute apart. The staff had
alerted Dr. Bullaro of the situation and we were walked to the O.R. about an
hour ahead of schedule. Daddy waited outside while Mommy was prepped for her
spinal…which took a little longer and required a few more pokes than expected.
Once I was ready, Daddy came in with camera in hand and everyone was ready to
begin. I looked up and caught sight of you being born in the surgical light
above me. It was one of the most memorable moments in my life and I started to
cry. Next came the shock when I heard the nurse announce that you weighed in at
a whopping 9lbs 3oz. You outweighed your big sister by 9oz and your big brother
by 1lb 2oz.
And that – my dear – is how you came into this world. We
spent 3 days in the hospital, all of which were joyfully uneventful. We were
able to just enjoy our first 72 hours with you, and share you with close
friends and family. Rya and Keaton were probably the proudest big sister and
big brother in the history of big sisters and brothers. They couldn’t wait to
hold you and welcome you into our family. Even now, they are excited to see you
in the morning and love to kiss you goodnight. It might not always be this
sweet, but I want you to know they really do love you unconditionally.
So…now that we’ve gotten that important business out of the
way, maybe Mommy can get back on the blog bandwagon. Yeah, I know…we’ll see how
that goes…
