So here I am at last... updating my blog myself. Many thanks to Kristen for taking and adding the pictures! She's a budding photographer and she's having fun with her newest little model-- Lacey. How could anyone not want to take pictures of such a beautiful baby?!

Well life has definitely changed around here these last couple of weeks! Lacey's arrival has brought so much joy and excitement that we find it difficult to focus on much else. She came, as Kristen said, on February 6th at 4:33 p.m. after a labor and delivery that was quite a bit more difficult than it should have been.

The hospital experience began on the night of the 5th. I was given a pill to soften the cervix twice throughout the night and contractions started right away. Sleep didn't reallyc ome to me, though Mike slept quite comfortably on the ginormous air mattress that we borrowed. At 6 a.m., I was given pitocin and at 7, the doctor broke my water. I was supposed to get my epidural whenever I wanted it, but the ONE anestiologist that was available was not at all available after all... he was stuck in a c-section that ended up taking much longer than anticipated. I didn't get the epidural until 10:30! Needless to say, I was in pain. Poor Mike didn't know what to do with me.. it just broke his heart to see me like that, though I will say that he held his compusure quite well and was definitely there for me. Soon after the epidural arrived, so did the party. My room was filled with Whelans, all there to offer support and lighten the mood. It was just what we needed! Unfortunately, though, I was still in pain. It was considerably less pain than before, but it was still more than it should have been. The anestesiologist, who was not our favorite person in the world, gave more drugs but it never really worked as it should have. By about 2, severe pain was coming back. Intuitively, my mom kicked everyone out and she and Mike jumped to my sides to help me through the contractions. (Meanwhile, the ONE anestesiologist was again in surgery so I was left to fend for myself.) I now know what the term "back labor" means cuz I was in it full force! The contractions were off the charts and the pain was intense, but I had a great team to help me through it. Honestly, I never felt like I couldn't handle it. I would say that mentally, I was doing pretty well. I quickly transitioned at that point and went from being 4 cm dilated to 10 cm in a couple of hours. The doctor showed up and it was time to push. Finally, the one helpful part of the epidural-- I didn't feel the pain of pushing. I don't know if that was worth the thousand dollars that we now owe the anestesiologist, but that's another issue altogether. After a few contractions, Lacey's heart rate started dropping very low and the doctor became concerned. He soon realized that he was going to have to get her out pronto or we'd be in surgery. He used the vacuum to help get her out, which we weren't happy about but it's better than a csection. Suddenly, there she was! She was fairly beaten up in the process, which had people concerned for a bit, but it wasn't long before the swelling had gone down and she looked perfect. There she was-- our little 7 lb, 4 oz Lacey. Nothing else mattered at that point.

Now here we are, a little more than two weeks later and still, there isn't much beyond her that matters to us. As you can see from pictures, she is absolutely beautiful! She is such a sweet and happy baby. She's already sleeping quite well at night. She very rarely cries and is generally happy just to be with Mommy... which I don't mind one bit! At her two week check up today, she weighed 9 lbs!! I guess I don't need to be worried that she's not getting enough to eat! She is a happy, healthy, and very loved baby. She is so lucky to have two sets of grandparents nearby, as well as looooots of aunts, uncles, and cousins (most of whom she has not been able to see lately as they have all been so dang sick!), not to mention friends and patients of Daddy's who are already doting over her.

Lacey has been the greatest blessing to us! It's interesting to me that only three weeks ago, we thought we were as happy as could be.... we're so much happier now that we have her and it just keeps getting better. Stay tuned for more pictures and details.. I'll try to get better at all of that! Meanwhile, thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at our sweet baby girl!