Baby Harlee Jo

We are finally home with our newest little gem. Harlee Jo was born 10.10.10 @ 11:35am weighing 7lbs 13oz and was 20" long. We just love and adore her!! Below is her story if you are bored and would like something to read. :)

I went in to be induced on 10.09.10 at 9pm. I was happy she hadn’t come yet so she could have this very rare and awesome birth date of 10.10.10. It was nice having everything planned and ready to go. We get to the hospital and it was equally nice to go straight to the delivery room. They get me all situated and it’s time for the IV. No one likes this part and I’ve never once had a problem with getting a needle in (I’ve got amazing veins-ha ha). My luck with that ended. They stuck me 4 times to get the darn thing in and working. Talk about painful! But I had to have the IV because I was positive for that strep thing and needed the antibiotics. Once the IV was in, the nurse checked to see where my cervix was at. A few days prior, I was at a 2. I had been having a lot of strong contractions since my appt. so I was hoping for a 3. Then the coolest news ever…I was at a 4/5!! My labor was beginning on its own! How cool is that? I go to be induced only to find out I don’t have to be! Wahoo! And the fact she came naturally on 10.10.10 made it all the better. So I’m thinking, this baby is coming within the next few hours-awesome! They were going to start the pit when they began the meds but decided it might pick up things too fast and she’d come before the 4 hours I needed for the meds to be in me. Because getting the IV in took so long, I didn’t start the antibiotics until 10:30. During the next 4 hours, my contractions were really picking up. I want to say it was about 1:30am that I NEEDED that epidural. What a beautiful thing-the epidural. I don’t know that I’d survive without it. It’s the best invention/discovery EVER! I was so happy and comfortable after having it. So at 2:30 the nurse decides to hold off on the pit (they were still going to use the pit to speed things up even though I didn’t need it to start labor) to see if I progress quick enough on my own. She checks me at 4am and I’m only a 5.5. Grrrrrr! How can that be? So we start the pit. My doctor comes in (in his suit-he’s got church today after all, ha ha!) at 9:30 and checks me and guess what? That pit did nothing-still only a 5.5. I was very frustrated at that point. He breaks my water and hopes that will help. Thankfully, that’s all I needed. I could feel the epidural wearing off and I started feeling a lot of pressure. The nurse checks me at about 11 (I think) and I’m to an 8 but I think the baby’s heart rate dropped because everything seemed very tense and they called another nurse in and put me on oxygen. I was starting to panic. They called the doctor and told me after a few minutes the baby is doing better and we’d be delivering soon. I was so emotional all of a sudden. I couldn’t fight back tears at the thought of finally meeting my little angel. I usually cry but it’s not till after the babe’s are out. The doc gets there and it turns out she was not facing the right direction which is why I couldn’t progress and why nothing happened until we broke the water. With my next contraction, the doctor had me push while he turned her around. It took nothing at all and she was finally fully ready. The next contraction I pushed once and her head was out. The doctor was hilarious with that push-you know how they make you push for 10 seconds? Well, he got to 8 and then said, “8 and a half, nine, nine and a quarter, etc…” I started laughing and he told me to go again and I had a hard time getting started because I was still laughing so hard. It’s hard enough to push for that long without breathing so to add to it, well, shouldn’t have been funny but it was. So I push again and out she came. I want to say it was 2 pushes but it could have been 3 with that contraction. I already can’t remember. But the fact it only took 2-3 pushes was amazing to me. It is usually at least an hour or so of pushing. It was also weird because I don’t think my last dose of pain relief totally took affect because I could feel her limbs as they came out. I’d never felt that before and it was cool but only because it didn’t hurt. She came out perfect. Her head was perfectly round and skin was perfect. He plopped her on my belly and I could feel she was heavier than my last 2. She was pretty big for being a week early. She’s my biggest so far. It was an amazing experience and we are thrilled to finally have her. The docs okay-ed us to come home a day early so we got to leave the hospital yesterday. We love being home with our family altogether. My awesome parents and siblings watched the boys for the two nights we were gone and my boys had such a great time with them. I'm so grateful to live by my family and for all their help and support. They are the best!!

Jaxon was skeptical when he saw her the first time but once he had the opportunity to hold her, his little heart melted like I'd never seen it. He already wants another one. Silly boy! He hates to leave her side and always wants to hold and help with her. He's such a good big brother.

We were terrible this go around at pictures. My sweet mom took quite a few and posted on FB. We sadly didn't get one of us with the boys.
Ryker's first time holding her. He is equally in love. Both he and Jaxon thinks I made her for them. Ryker told my mom I gave her to him. He's so cute with her.
Dolled up and ready to go home!

Those are tattoo's-in care you're wondering. That's what siblings are for, right?

I know having an addition will be an adjustment like all new babies are but I haven't been more excited for this one. I love having a girl and I just so love this little girl!!