I have obviously been a slacker with posting in this blog as I haven't even written about Kate being born yet! Little Miss Kate decided to make her arrival even more longed for by coming a few days late. She faked us out with contractions all week, but we ended up having to be induced Sunday evening (3 days after her due date) and had her Monday morning (4 days late)!
My mom arrived in Alabama the Friday before we had Kate, so we got to leave her at our house when we left for the hospital Sunday evening. It was pretty surreal heading out the door, waving goodbye to my mom, and knowing that we were going to have a baby!
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| Last pregnancy picture! |
I was only dilated to a 1 by Sunday so they were unable to just give me Pitocin and instead had to give me a cervical ripening agent 4 times throughout the night. This made for a LONG sleepless, painful night! After the 2nd dose at 10 o'clock, my contractions started getting stronger and closer together. Unfortunately I was stuck in bed hooked up to a million monitors and an IV so I couldn't get up and move around during the contractions. Instead I made up random breathing exercises and mind tricks to try to distract myself. By 6 a.m. I was dilated to about a 7 and was finally able to get an epidural, which made it so I could get some much needed sleep!
After getting the epidural my contractions slowed down a little so my nurse gave me some Pitocin. This ended up making Kate freak out a little and her heart rate suddenly dropped. Luckily it came right back up and the nurse stopped the Pitocin so it wouldn't happen again. It caused some excitement when her heart rate dropped though. I was suddenly being given an oxygen mask, three other nurses came hurrying in, and my doctor came rushing down to make sure everything was okay. Everything was fine by then, but I got to keep the oxygen mask on. :)
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| Of course Tanner only took a picture of the oxygen mask after I'd fallen asleep again so it makes it look super serious! |
By about 9:30 my water broke on its own. We started pushing at 10:30 and our little Kate was born at 11:17! It was the most wonderful, miraculous moment in my life! I can't even describe how happy I was, and the joy keeps growing every day I get to spend with my perfect little girl!
Since then life has just been one great adventure! My mom stayed with us for two weeks, which was wonderful! It was so much fun to get to spend time with my mom and my daughter! I didn't have to think about anything but Kate while my mom was here. She cooked every meal and helped me with everything! She even took Kate in the middle of the night when she thought I was becoming too incoherent... ;)
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| Grandma Laura and Baby Kate playtime! |
Tanner's parents and sister and my dad came for the first week of April to be here for Kate's baby blessing, and that was so much fun! We loved showing Kate off and having our families here with us!
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| Grandpa Mike and Baby Kate |
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| Grandpa James, Grandma Paula, and Baby Kate |
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| Aunt Taya and Baby Kate playtime! |
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| What a champ! |
We go on a walk or a run every day, and Kate does really well in her stroller and in her carrier. She loves talking to us and we have daily conversations about anything and everything. I love watching her and Tanner together. Tanner is the best dad and Kate loves talking to him. They talk about proteins, DNA, CHIP analyses, and whatever else Tanner is working on in his lab. Kate and I on the other hand usually discuss the pretty plants outside and what we're going to cook for dinner. I think I might have to up my game when it comes to interesting conversations. :)
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| Mommy and Kate! |
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| Kate adores her Daddy! |
We're pretty much obsessed with our Little Miss Kate! She rules the roost, and we don't mind at all! Being a mom is the best job in the whole world, especially with Tanner as my partner in parenting! I'm so grateful for my little family!
