Amazing Grace

As you can imagine, life has been busy with two little ones at home. We have loved it tho! Luckily, my family has been around to help us the first week. My Mom, the final relative hold out, just left us yesterday to our own devices! And, I'm happy to say, we made it through the night! I thought I'd share a bit about Grace's birth, before the details escape me. So, if you are not into birth stories, feel free to skip ahead.

My doctor finally decided to induce us on Monday for the next day, Tuesday, October 7. My parents and Grandma Margie came the night before to keep Isabelle and we got up and out to be at the hospital at 6am on Tuesday. I was a bit more nervous with this delivery than my last because, well...I knew what was coming!

We arrived and got settled in. They started the ptosin about 8am and I got an epidural around 10a, when the contractions were just getting uncomfortable. Everyone was expecting a delivery within a few hours since Isabelle was delivered in only four and a half. Needless to say, I was marking the hours, as the contractions started to get worse and the epidural started to wear off. Oddly enough, I felt lots of labor on my left side, but not much on my right.

I went in to the hospital dialated to about three and progressed to four in about three hours or so! Not much action happening here! Labor got worse and I kept dialating, but the babies head wasn't dropping down low enough to start pushing, so I sat up for a while and labor got really intense! The dr came in and re-did my epidural, and it got a little better...just in time for the pushing part! At about 2:45p, I was dialated to 10 and ready to begin pushing.

We had a great nurse, and between help from her and the doctor, I pushed for about fifteen minutes and with great relief, Grace Christine entered the world at 3:05pm on October 7, 2008. She was a little bruised up from birth, but so breath takingly beautiful!

The moment she came out, I said, "Thank you Jesus!" followed by, "What is it?" Conrad said, "It's a boy!" Then Dr. S said, "No, it's a girl!" Conrad replied, "Well, it looked like a boy..." I think he was just fully expecting a boy.

At 7pounds and 7 ounces, she was almost three pounds bigger than Isabelle at birth, and took several more hours to deliver! We thought they didn't look anything alike, but a few days after her birth, we think they do look quite similar!

Grace is so sweet and I actually get to nurse this little one, which has been a joy...totally exhausting and painful, but a joy, none the less! Our life seems overflowing with blessing right now, and I can't seem to be grateful enough to the Lord for His blessings in our life! But it's kind of cool to hold her late at night as she nurses, and reflect on all God has given me...given us.