It's a girl!

After having two babies during the 37th week of pregnancy, I was definitely anticipating another early birth. I started having what I thought might be contractions on the morning of Monday, April 28, so I started keeping track of them. By lunchtime, they were about 4-6 minutes apart. After I got the boys down for their naps, I called the doctor's office. The nurse said I should head to the hospital so they could check things out. Unfortunately, Dr. W was out that day. I called Steve and Grandma Rose. Then I finished packing and cleaned up around the house a bit. Steve got home around 2:00 and Grandma Rose got here around 2:30. We arrived at the hospital at about 3:00 and got checked in. Finally, after all the usual pre-delivery questions and checks, at 5:00 Dr. L said we would be having a baby that evening. I walked into the operating room at 5:20. Steve had the privilege of standing up and announcing, "It's a girl!" Theresa Rose was born at 5:51 pm. I got to see her before she was cleaned up.

Our first look at our baby girl

Steve went over with her to watch her get cleaned up and weighed. He also got to finish cutting the umbilical cord. Then he brought her over to me before heading to the recovery room.

Daddy cuts the umbilical cord.

I joined them at 6:27 pm. After getting situated, I was able to nurse her right away, and she ate like a champ. We started making our phone calls to announce her birth. Steve headed out to pick up the boys and Grandma Rose. I was wheeled to my room around 8:00 and the boys got there shortly after that. Stephen and Paul were both a little confused by Mommy being in bed and weren't too sure what to think of their baby sister.

Grandma and Grandpa G arrived Tuesday afternoon and were very eager to meet their new granddaughter.

Steve brought the boys over after naptime. They were much more excited to see their little sister.

We also did FaceTime with Megan and her kids. They were very excited to see their new cousin. I used some of the down time in the hospital to take some pictures.

We were able to leave Wednesday afternoon. Theresa wasn't overly thrilled about her car seat. We are ready to begin our transition to a family of 5.

It's a boy!

I had a mental list of things I wanted to get done on Saturday, May 26...things I wanted done before baby #2 arrived. I woke up around 5:15 am and thought that maybe my water broke but wasn't sure because it wasn't as significant as it had been with Stephen. I went back to bed. Steve left for work around 6:30. I got up shortly after that and had some bleeding. I then called Dr. L. She said it would be best to come into the hospital to check things out. I started trying to contact Steve. I also called my parents and told them they might be coming to Colorado that day. Then the contractions started. I finished packing, put some laundry in, emptied the dishwasher, washed some dishes, and got Stephen up and gave him breakfast. Around 8:00 I called Grandma Rose and asked if she could come watch Stephen. I finally got a hold of Steve and he headed home. We set out for the hospital around 9:00. As I timed my contractions on the way, they were about 4 minutes apart. As we drove we discussed a boy's name since we hadn't decided on that yet.

When we got to the hospital, I was put in a triage room, so they could check things out. They discovered that my water had broken, so there would be a baby that day. They did all the prep work and got me ready to go to the operating room. I walked on my own to the operating room at 10:50 am. As soon as they gave me the spinal anesthesia, I could feel my legs and feet going numb. It was the weirdest feeling to know my legs were there but to not be able to move them. They finished prepping me for surgery and then Steve came in. I could feel them pulling and tugging on my stomach which was kind of odd as well. At 11:31, they pulled out a baby. They had Steve stand up to make the announcement that we had another boy. Daddy got to watch him being cleaned up and then baby got to lay on my chest for a little bit before heading to the nursery for further cleaning. I got transferred to the recovery room, and then we finally got to our postpartum room. There we decided that our newest bundle of joy would be named Paul James. Paul is Steve's middle name and the first name of my maternal grear-grandfather. James was Steve's dad's middle name and is my maternal grandfather's middle name.

My parents and sister Amy made it in that evening. Grandma Rose and Aunt Kathy brought Stephen to the hospital as well. He wasn't sure what to think of Mommy being in a bed and this little baby. Stephen has been such a good boy considering his little world has been rocked. He loves having Grandma and Grandpa G. and Aunt Amy to play with. He has definitely become Grandpa's little boy. Hopefully, he will be a cooperative and obedient little toddler when we're on our own. :)

We are so excited to welcome Paul to our family!

Paul James - minutes old

the happy parents and baby Paul

"I'm not too sure about this big brother thing."

Stephen decided baby Paul is pretty cute.

Grandma and Grandpa G and their boys

Paul with Grandma Rose and Aunt Kathy

Paul and Aunt Amy

It's a Boy!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010
It had been a pretty normal day...nothing too exciting. I was 37 weeks pregnant but feeling pretty good. I'd been busy working on getting the house ready for our baby to arrive in a couple weeks. I talked to Amy on the phone in the evening and commented that I could have a baby any day...it could even come that night. "Probably not," I said. Little did I know...

9:00 pm - Steve and I were laying on the couch watching TV when I felt a gush of water. I quickly went to the bathroom where I decided my water had broke. I went out and told Steve. I have never seen him move so fast as he jumped off the couch. I called Dr. A and he said to wait and see if contractions started on their own. Meanwhile, Steve and I finished packing our hospital bags and waited. The contractions did start. We decided to lay down in bed for awhile. By 11:15, the contractions had been 4-5 minutes apart for an hour, so we decided to head to the hospital.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010
12:00 am - We arrived at the hospital and put in a room where they checked to make sure my water had broke. They hooked me up to a fetal monitor and a contractions monitor. The nurse checked and said I was about 3 cm dilated. Still a ways to go. Then I was moved to a labor/delivery room. The contractions continued but were not too bad. My plan was to have a natural birth with no epidural, if possible. Again, little did I know...

The contractions continued to increase in intensity and pain. Steve tried to get some sleep but was also very reassuring to me when I needed it. The next time they checked I was 4-5 cm dilated. They noticed that the baby's heartbeat was dropping each time I had a contraction but then would return to normal. They gave me an oxygen mask to help me and the baby. I have no idea how the time was passing here. Each time I would doze off a bit, another contraction would come and wake me up. At next check I was 6-7 cm dilated. They decided to use a different type of fetal monitor to keep better track of the heartbeat. Dr. A showed up sometime in here. They were still concerned about the drop in the heart rate. They kept telling me to take deep breaths during the contractions, but my body would tense up making that very difficult. Dr. A told me they wanted to try an epidural to see if that would help me relax which would help the baby. If that didn't work, they may have to do a C-section.

around 9:00 am - The baby's heart rate was now staying lower than it should. The anesthesiologist finally showed up to do the epidural; however, once he was done, it did not seem to be taking effect like it should. I was still trying to make it through the now constant and extremely painful contractions. I would hold Steve's hand during the contractions to help me make it through. During one, I heard him gasp. After it had passed, he said, " I didn't realize how strong you were." All of a sudden, there were a lot of people in the room and they were whisking me off to an operating room. The frantic and hurried pace of the nurses to prep me for the C-section was scary. I was worried about the health of the baby. The anesthesiologist told me to take deep breaths...

Later that morning - I slowly open my eyes and see Steve standing there. "Here's your son." Stephen Joseph was born at 9:12 am. He weighed 7 lbs, 4 oz and was 21" long. Unbelievable! It was definitely very surreal and bizarre. I felt very groggy and it was difficult to fully comprehend what had happened. I was then moved to another room. I finally got to hold Stephen and attempt to feed him for the first time.

While Stephen's birth definitely did not happen the way I had envisioned it, I am truly thankful that he is safe and healthy. We were able to leave the hospital on Friday evening. Our experience in the hospital was very positive. All of the nurses were extremely nice and helpful. We are so grateful to them for all of their help and assistance. I am also grateful for Steve. He was amazing during the entire labor and delivery and recovery. I am so blessed to have him as my husband.

My parents arrived Friday night. My dad stayed until Sunday, and my mom is still here helping out in many ways. I am very thankful for her help. Stephen is a beautiful baby boy, and Steve and I are excited to take on this new adventure in our lives.

Stephen Joseph Compton - 1 day old

November 17, 2010

7 lbs, 4 oz

21" long