Welcome Paeton Violet!

All I can say is what a whirlwind this past week has been! It all started Saturday night (5/17)...contractions. They continued over the course of the weekend and were so bad at times I just knew there was no way I could make it to work on Monday (5/19). I called into work that morning and tried to rest all day but the contractions just kept on coming. They peaked in intestity that night and finally at midnight Jodi and I decided to go to the hospital. After spending 5 hours in the hospital between midnight and 5am, they sent us home due to hardly any progression. I was so frustrated because my contractions were so intense and I felt completely helpless. Luckily I had my final doctor's appointment at 9am so I tried to rest for a few hours even though it seemed near impossible.



When we arrived at the doctor, my contractions were as bad as ever and I couldn't walk into the office. Jodi grabbed the nearest wheelchair to bring me in. Just as they called my name I had a very intense contraction and started crying out of frustration and sheer exhaustion. My doctor checked me right away and said the greatest words I'd heard in a long time..."You're having a baby today!"



We immediately were escorted to the Labor and Delivery wing and checked into the very same room (#12) we'd be in all night long. My dear friend Krista came right away to the hospital after bringing Kona and Brewer to the kennel and picking up lunch for Jodi. She brought magazines to read, comfy pillows from home and most importantly herself. Just having her and Jodi there with me all day helped me to focus through my contractions and rest when I could. She is truly a wonderful friend and Jodi was such an amazing coach.


In the meantime, we had booked a flight for my mom the day before to arrive that very night. Jodi called her continually from the delivery room and put her on speaker phone so she could coach me through my contractions. It was wonderful...I couldn't wait for her to get there! Unfortunately, her flight was delayed twice which didn't get her there till very late that day.


After laboring all day long, our little angel arrived at 11:28pm. She weighed 7lbs, 9.8oz and was 19.5 inches long. She had a huge mop of dark hair and the prettiest skin ever. Jodi and I were just smitten right from the first sight. Krista picked my mom up from the airport and they got back to the hospital just after she was born. We were all so tired but grandma and Krista got to sneak a peak at her for a few moments before they whisked her off to get checked out and cleaned up. At that point I was so starving after not eating all day. The nurses brought me a personal pizza which was just wonderful!


We spent the next few days in the hospital with Paeton recovering and enjoying every minute of being with her. This experience has been so completely amazing and she is worth every contraction and every sleepless night we've had so far. Enjoy the pictures!