My how things have changed

It's been 2-1/2 weeks since my life changed forever.  2-1/2 weeks since the most wonderful day of my life - the birthday of Evelyn Kathleen.  March 15, 2012 is a day that I will never, ever forget.  I went into the hospital the night of the 3/14.  I had to have another blood test to check my blood platelets when I got to the hospital before they would proceed with the induction.  My platelets levels were high enough so I got settled into my hospital room and an IV and Pitocin were started.  They also placed my epidural (this was done early because of my low platelets), but didn't turn on the medicine.  Pat and I tried to get some sleep, but only Pat was successful.  I never managed to fall asleep for more than 5 minutes at a time.  The baby wasn't tolerating me being in any position, but lying on my left side so every time I moved, a nurse would come in and have to adjust the monitors and check the baby.  I tried not to move too much, but even just shifting a little bit turned into a problem.  They weren't sure why the baby wasn't tolerating it, but I think at one point the nurse might have mentioned possible cord compression.  However, as long as I stayed on my left side, the baby was fine. Throughout the night my contractions got stronger as they increased the Pitocin and I finally asked the nurse if we could 'turn on' the epidural around 7:30am.  What a relief! The only issue I had with the epidural was that it was only working on one side for awhile since I had to stay on my left side.  It didn't take long for the anesthesiologist to fix this and soon I was very comfortable.  Family members joined us at the hospital around 9:00.  I was so relieved to see my parents - especially my mom!  And she was very excited because I told her that I wanted her to be in the room when the baby was born.  The day wore on and around 2:00 my sister Shannon and dad decided to leave and go let Crosby out since it looked like it might be awhile before the baby made her appearance.  Right after they left, my sister Holly surprised me by showing up at the hospital.  I was so happy to have so many people there to support us.  A short time later, I started to feel my contractions getting a little stronger even with the epidural.  I didn't think much of it because when the doctor checked me about 45 minutes earlier I was only 5 cm dilated.  I figured I had a lot of time left, but then I suddenly I felt extremely sick to my stomach.  My mom and the nurse both said "That's a really good sign!" and when the nurse checked me again she said I was fully dilated and ready to push.  I remember feeling panicked and overwhelmed because I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon.  I have to chuckle about that now because I had been at hospital for over 16 hours at that point :)  I remember looking at Pat and saying "Are you ready for this?".  My doctor arrived and about 20 minutes later, Evelyn was born.  She weighed 7lbs. 4oz. and was 20 in. long. She was so tiny and perfect - with an excellent set of lungs!  When my doctor placed her on my chest, all I could do was marvel at the beautiful little girl we had created.  When I talked to her, she turned towards me and I knew that she knew who her mama was.  They cleaned her up and gave her to Pat to hold.  Seeing my husband holding and talking to our daughter, I felt more love in my heart than I ever thought possible. 

Now, more than two weeks later, that love just continues to grow.  It's been an exhausting, yet happy time filled with so many precious moments. Pat and I keep looking at each other in amazement that this little baby is actually our daughter.  She's got her daddy's feet and her mama's temper, but she's already showing us that she is her own little person.  Here are some pictures of her first two weeks: