After 44 hours of labor, Delilah Jean graced us with her presence!

8lbs 1.6 oz

21 inches long

12:13pm

She's the most wonderful thing in the entire world.

It started on Friday with another check up since she was late (9 days late at that point) and her fluids were way down.  That meant that the placenta wasn't giving her the amount of nutrients it had previously been giving her.  If the levels are less than 5, they send you over to the hospital for an induction.  

I had actually gone to work that morning and just left for my appointment.  I called work and let them know.  Called my mom and let her know.  We headed back to the house to grab all of our stuff, everyone was so excited!  

When we got there, I got hooked up to an IV and an external fetal heart monitor as well as a monitor to measure my contractions.  I was started on a pill that was given every 4 hours, up to 6 times to get me dilated.   I walked the halls, ate some supper, hung out with Mom and Ben.  After 24 hours, those pills had done nothing for me.  Next up was the 12 hour med.  For the first 6 hours or so, I did really well...then the contractions started.  I was breathing through them pretty well, but I was also feeling a bit queasy, so I skipped dinner.  As the night moved forward, I couldn't even walk the halls anymore...every step was painful. I laid on my side back in the room and they got worse and worse.  I had no sense of time.  Ben was timing them and comforting me during it all.  After awhile of these contractions, I became delirious with the pain and lost sense of time.  At 1am, I was checked again, and had only dilated to a 3.  My doctor told my mom and Ben that I was "uninducable".  They had to get me on pitocin and ordered me an epidural.  

Again, I was so out of it that I didn't really know what was going on.  It was like 2 or 3 hours until they could start the pitocin and get me the epidural because the dr was doing a c-section.  When they finally came in and got it for me, I didn't even feel the epidural go in.  Ben and my mom couldn't watch because the needle was so big.  After the epidural, I got almost instant relief.  After 36 hours of labor, I think I deserved a break.  

I got some sleep, but not too much because I knew that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.  I knew I would soon hold my baby in my arms.  The prospect was so exciting!  At around 7ish, I was checked again, and was dilated at a 9!  The nurse said that Delilah would be here before lunchtime.  

AHHH!!!

Around 10ish, they turned off my epidural so that I would know how to push.  I still couldn't feel anything, but I could feel the push.  I started around 11:15 or so, and Delilah was here at 12:13pm!  She came out, let out a wail, and they put her on my chest.  She was so alert and didn't cry, she just looked at me.  I started crying, Ben had tears in his eyes.  It was the most wonderful moment of my life.  I watched as she was cleaned up and weighed and Ben was by her side the entire time.  My mom came into the room and cried and met her first granddaughter.  Words don't explain the emotion in that room after she was born.  

My life will never be the same, and I can't wait to continue on with this adventure.  

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is my last day at work!  I'm pretty excited.  I already turned in my resignation paperwork, signed myself up to be a sub starting in Feb, and let the principal know I wouldn't be returning.  I'm excited to have this next step in my life so close.

Another doctor's appointment tomorrow.  Checking the fluids and her heartbeat again.  Gotta make sure everything is good in there.  I am really hoping they just say, "Oh, you're in labor, go to the hospital."  Course, I've been hoping that with the last few visits, and that hasn't happened.  Ah well.  Soon!

Tried a new dinner last night and it was DELISH.  I didn't get a picture of it because everyone was so hungry, the plates were soon empty!

Asian Inspired Lemon Chicken

YUM.

With it, I also made white rice and also made some broccoli stir fry (with a pinch of salt and splashes of soy sauce.)  Needless to say, everyone was quite satisfied afterwards.  It was also good on day 2 when I took it for lunch!

The good...and the ugly.

I'm totally loving this 5 day weekend that I got, by accident!  I called in on Friday because I was scared to drive in the weather, and then school was cancelled on Monday and Tuesday!

Yesterday, Mom and I made sugar cookies and decorated some of them.  Today, I got the urge to bake again and made:

Nutella Sandwich Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup oats

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

Nutella

Bake at 375 for 5-7 minutes.

Beat butter and sugars.  Add egg and vanilla until smooth.

Pour in all dry ingredients and mix.  

Roll into teaspoon balls, flatten into circles.

Once they come out of the oven and are cool, spread Nutella on the bottoms and top with another cookie! 

ENJOY!

Sugar cookies with homemade drizzle

(1 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons of milk.  For the chocolate, I added a spoonfull of unsweetened cocoa powder)

Quite a fun day, if you ask me!  I've got the baking bug, and it's been a lot of fun!

And now...the ugly...

Remember when I wrote about my psycho cousin and my ridiculous aunt?  Well, here's the new situation:

Cousin (who is still married to her baby's daddy...the one who left her for the female counterpart that they were swinging with...is on  her second relationship with some man in his 30s with 2 kids and is still married himself) is pregnant with new boyfriend's baby.  

Doesn't that sound like a Jerry Springer episode to you?  Maybe Maury?  Montel?  Well, any of those trashy tv shows that trash get onto.  

Maybe this will help rope him into staying with her.  Didn't work with her husband...second time's a charm?  

My aunt is really excited, of course, because this is one of the few things she has left in life (other than "dating" her ex who left her for someone else and is letting that someone else live in the house that my aunt shared with him for at least 10 years).  

Mom asked me if I felt upset at all, and I thought, "Why would I feel upset?"  I have:

1. A husband who takes care of me and has a fantastic career.

2. A mom who is wonderful and supportive and strong.

3. A beautiful little girl on the way.

4. A drive for success.

5. A college education.

6. A warm home.

7. A stable environment.  

8. Common sense and the knowledge of right vs wrong.

9. A wonderful relationship with God.

10. Family and friends that love me through thick and thin.

What more could I want?  No reason for me to get upset at this girl and her poor life.  I just pity her daughter and future child.  Her daughter has been through so much already...been exposed to goodness knows what...and I just hope that this new baby won't have to.  

Ending on a happy note:

I'm making Lemon Chicken tonight!  I'll post the recipe if it turns out delish!

Update

Got observed today.  Had an ultrasound to check all of her fluids.  Anything over 5 ml is good and means the placenta is still good and providing nutrients to Delilah.  My level was 12!  I also took a non stress test, which consisted of sitting in a very comfy recliner and having a couple bands measure to see if I'm having contractions and Delilah's heartbeat.  Each time she moved, I had to press a little button.  She moved a TON and her heartrate is great.

After thinking about it, Ben and I have decided not to induce.  We want her here, but not bad enough to do something that isn't medically necessary.  It's obvious that she's not ready to come out, and my body isn't ready for her to come out, so she'll stay until it's time.  If there was something wrong, we would definitely consider inducing, but she's safe and sound and just taking her time.  I remember thinking at the very beginning of the pregnancy that she would probably last to the second week of December (based on when I think conception took place), and I think I'm right!

I want a chair like that for my house.

Still no Delilah!

It must be very comfortable inutero...because she is still being stubborn and not coming out!

Me, Mom, and Ben went to go see The Muppets today.  Not a bad movie, pretty funny in parts.  We were the only people in the theater until about 5 minutes in when everyone started piling in.  Such is the typical Clovis fashion.  It was fine until the kids to our left started crying/whining/yelling/throwing their feet around making their light up shoes flash so bright I thought she had a multi colored flashlight.  I ignored it for a long time, but it comes to a certain point that if your kids are acting up, you remove them from a situation so that the people around you don't have to suffer.  Everyone in the theater paid the same amount, and they shouldn't have to deal with a kid (not their own) whose parents won't do anything to stop bad behavior.  It's very frustrating, especially for someone who is a teacher and has had control over 20 children by herself at once...and had them behave. Delilah isn't here yet, but if I took her to the movie and this was happening, I would take her outside the theater so that everyone else wouldn't have to suffer and miss parts of the movie.  It's distracting and unfair to everyone else.  I think that's a pretty easy solution.
Unfortunately, there are lazy parents...or maybe just parents that are impolite and don't care about those around them...or maybe they just think that their children are actually not acting poorly because they haven't taught them how to act.  Who knows.  In any case, it's annoying, and nothing will change my mind about that. Period.  People who disagree with what I'm saying probably fall into one of the categories above...or maybe they just don't know what to do to control their children in public.  I was most impressed with my friend Colsie.  Her son was 4 and sat through the ENTIRE Beatles LOVE show in Las Vegas.  It was amazing. They are awesome parents...he knows how to behave in public.  The couple times that I've seen him act up, both her and Cooper have taken immediate steps to correct the behavior.  All I ask is that parents simply parent.

Sigh.

We decorated Ben.

Tree topper!

It didn't work out...

Without flash

With flash

Expert tree decorators

Margot!

Otis!

Rilo!

Robot Santa and Zombie Nutcracker

On Friday, I called into work because it was supposed to get super icy and snowy in the afternoon.  I didn't want to chance driving in it and having contractions.  We decided to put up Christmas decorations.  Got out our tree and realized that it was pretty much falling apart.  Ben decided that we were going to go out and get a new tree and new ornaments...and get lunch.  Love it when he just does something spontaneous!  We went and had lunch at Cotton Patch, got ornaments at Hobby Lobby, a 1980s stained glass Santa at Goodwill, and then got the last nice tree with white lights at Walmart.  Ben and I were looking at the ball ornaments there and at the same time pointed to the SAME colored set.  We had to get them.  Got Delilah a stocking (no pictures of those yet because Mom and I are doing something crafty with them).  Came home and decorated the house while listening to Christmas music and had my Winter candle lit!  I love walking through our living room now...this is my favorite time of the year!  

An update on Delilah

40 weeks+1 day

I tried to explain the importance of punctuality to Delilah, but she's late.  She's late, for a very important date!

Saw that dr. yesterday.  Actually, she's my midwife and I adore her.  She's a very friendly person and has made me extremely comfortable...which is hard for someone to do when they must do things like open up your cervix with their hands.  Yeah, that happened.  

Guess what didn't feel too great...that. 

So she's late, and I have to go in on Monday for monitoring.  Gotta check the fluid levels/placenta/everything to make sure she's OK.  If she is, I still have the option for an induction on Wednesday.  What the midwife told me was that if Delilah is OK, I can hold off on the induction, but be monitored more.  If not, I'll have to have one.  I have heard that the placenta doesn't provide as much nutrients after a certain time, but I also have heard about the stress of the contractions with pitocin.  I'm just not sure what I'll do yet.  What I'm really hoping for is that Delilah will decide to come...even in the middle of the ice/snow storm we're gonna get this weekend.