Ellery is Here!

July 3rd was destined to be eventful! We went to the doctor at 10:15am to check on Ellery. It was her due date and we needed to check fluids to see if/when I needed to be induced. A breathing test was performed during the sonogram. The baby "practice breathes" during the last few weeks in the womb to prepare their lungs for the world. They like to see her do these practices breathes in 30 second intervals. Ellery wasn't quite meeting the 30 second mark so they gave her a low score. Believe it or not, this didn't worry me at all. I knew she was ok. 

We met with Dr. Gautreau after the sonogram and she said that the low score gave her a reason to induce sooner rather than later. She told us to be at the hospital on July 4th at 2:00am for induction! Needless to say that I didn't return to work. Geoff went back to work to wrap a few things up while Kelsey and I went to lunch and to find a red, white and blue baby headband! My mom and Anna got to Baton Rouge around 6:30pm that night. We ate burgers and I took a bath and got in bed around 9:00pm so I could try to get some sleep before leaving for the hospital. I doubt that would have happened anyway. As I was praying about still wanting Ellery to pick her own birthday (seriously, right in the middle of praying) I felt a pop and 3 gushes around 10:00pm. I gasped and walked downstairs to say "I think my water just broke. That or I soaked up too much water during my bath." It felt like a Home Alone moment when the family missed their flight. Everyone jumped off of the couch and ran upstairs to get ready to leave for the hospital. I decided to take my time and jump in the shower. My contractions started immediately. I don't know what I expected, but I was surprised to find out that contractions feel like extreme intense period pains. Mom said we should time them and I said there was no point! I called the hospital to let them know that we would be there a little bit earlier then planned. The Morthlands were already on their way down to Louisiana and were about an hour outside of Baton Rouge.

We got to the hospital around 11pm and it was confirmed that my water broke. We were admitted to the hospital and assigned to our labor and delivery nurse Hayden. She was very informative and honest with a hilarious attitude. She found a way to make us laugh which was much appreciated. I decided to get an epidural at 4 centimeters around 2:00am. While watching the lines on the contraction monitor create crazy high mountains one after another and feeling nothing, I knew I had made the right decision. Geoff and I were even able to take a couple of cat naps. By 4:00am I was 8 centimeters. No need for Pitocin to speed up the process! I was 10 centimeters by 6:00am and ready to start pushing. I had a moment of panic because who isn't freaked out by the thought of pushing a baby out of down there!? But she couldn't stay in me forever. Geoff was able to participate by holding my left leg while I was pushing. Each push session consisted of 3 sets of 10 second pushes. At 7:30am I was told to stop pushing until Dr. Gautreau could get there. She was on call for 8:00am and was headed to the hospital. She arrived a little before 8:00am, we did some final pushing and out Ellery came! I decided to watch the final moments in a mirror. And after months of Geoff refusing to even consider looking, guess who watched the entire delivery? We both agree that it was the most incredible experience of our lives so far. When they held her in the air and immediately put her on my chest....WOW! For a split second I thought "Whose baby is this? Is she really mine?" It all felt like a dream. She was BEAUTIFUL! 8 pounds on the dot, 19.5 inches, light brown hair, blue/gray eyes and olive skin. PERFECTION. Geoff went out to tell everyone in the waiting room that Ellery was here! They all came into the room to see her and as you can see from the "paparazzi" picture, she was instantly a star. Everyone said she looked just like Geoff.

In the waiting room: John, Corliss, Ally, Ricky, Tricia, Kelsey, Anna and Nana.

We were in the hospital for 2 nights and came home on Saturday, July 6. We couldn't wait for Norman to meet his little sister! He loved her immediately and is now her little guardian, which is exactly what I hoped for! My family had decorations waiting for us all over our house. It was the perfect welcome home :) We are slowly but surely settling into our routine. My mom is staying with us for the next 2 weeks to help me adjust to mommy hood. Kelsey, Anna, Corliss and Ally have been here for a week just staring at Ellery and helping any way they can. We are so fortunate to have such a strong support system.

Every morning, I can't wait to get the day started to see what Ellery will do. Geoff gets home from work early these days! Our lives have changed forever, and for the better.

Click here for Ellery's birth story in pictures!

My favorite moments so far:

• Watching how much Geoff loves her
• When she tries to suck my cheek with a wide open mouth as I am burping her over my shoulder
• When she makes this face: