Hadlee Anne

What a little blessing Hadlee is to our family. She's been here a month now, and I feel like I've known her for years. That I've known her face, and her cry forever. How does it work like that?

She was born a November baby!! I was thrilled to have passed October 31st without a baby. I really didn't want her to be born on Halloween, and all those months I was waiting and wondering, God knew her birth date all the while. Wow.

I had a routine 39 week (and 2 days) appointment on the morning of Monday, November 2nd. All was good. The plan was to come in the next Monday, and we would schedule an induction later out. He made the comment, "I don't think you'll make it to next Monday." I said, "That's what I wanted to hear!!" 

I ran a few errands in town, and ate lunch with Brianne at Chick-fil-A. Got home as fast as I could, to take a nap. Picked up Kylee from school. About 4:30, I was wondering what we were going to do for supper. So, I started some potato soup. We ate, and during supper, I looked across at Jason, and said, "I think I feel like I did with Jaxon. " He smiled. Kylee informed me supper wasn't that good (lol); we cleaned up, and by 6:15pm I knew it was going to happen!! Then, I cried real quick because I don't know why! I told Jason, and he smiled, and said "OK, tell me when you want me to take you. This is good!" 

Every estimated in my head that contractions were about 8 or 9 minutes apart, until by 7:45pm, I actually looked at the clock to time it, and it was 5 minutes apart. 

The kids helped load the car with the bags, and the car seat, and we left. Got to the hospital at 8:15. I was a 5. They called my doctor, and the nurse said, when she told him my name, he said, "yep". He knew I wasn't going to make it, but I didn't know it would be that day!! 

The labor and delivery was very busy, and they seemed short handed. The nurse informed me the epidural man was in surgery, so it would be about an hour. I nonchalantly said "no problem." I think we all knew I would eat those words! :)

Mom, Dad, and Brianne came up, and we sat. And they talked. I cringed every few minutes. Sooo….. then I decided it was hurting really bad, and I needed Jason to go check and see if the epidural guy just happen to be standing around. Ha! I wanted him! In the meantime, I also decide I don't want to sit there through all the pain of each contraction, and so I wanted to get up, and do something. It's so weird and amazing how your mind and body deal with pain. I knew what I was doing, but at the same time, I didn't. 

And finally, the epidural came at around 9:30. I was an 8 at 10pm. So, I was a lot happier, and then supposedly repeated everything we were talking about earlier. 

After, another hour at 11pm, I asked the nurse to check me, and sure enough, she said it was go time. She could see all of her hair!! I pushed a three times with the nurse, and then the doctor got there, and I pushed two more times. I think. 

And she was born at 11:36pm! The most beautiful baby girl. The one who I wondered about and dreamed about at night. Of what she would look like. The girl we wanted and asked God for. The one who was frank breech at 32 weeks, and my faith was weak, but God heard our prayers. 

She was here. And so lively with her loud cries. 

Our biggest baby. 7 pound and 6.3 ounces. 

and

Our shortest baby. 18.5 inches long.

I had a great photographer. She happens to be my best girlfriend, my sister. This girl got me through this pregnancy. She heard my worries and prayed for about them. She let me tell her all the exciting things about a baby, but no one else wants to hear because it's your fourth. But, it's still so special to us. She's a blessing I don't want to live life without. 

THIS MAN. My beloved. God blessed me above anything I deserve. A man whose whole being is devoted to loving me, and fathering his children. Everything he does is filtered through the thought, what is best for my family. 

Proud grandparents to number seven, and one lucky little girl.

We moved to our room, sometime in the middle of the night, and the siblings came to see. But, not til after Kylee could be at school until 10am, so she would be counted present. That girl amazes and confuses me at times. :) 

Poor Maggie. The first picture of all 4 kids together will haunt her for the rest of her life. It just may be endless laughter for when she is older. 

All the cousins came to see her. And all got to hold her. I think she'll like being the caboose on my side. It might just mean one spoiled little girl. 

We ended up staying two nights because she was born so late at night. We ended up getting no sleep for two nights, and then we headed home with our baby girl.