Final Four

January 22nd, we welcomed the fourth and final member of our little family! Living up to the meaning of her name from the get go, she made her way into the world in a hurry. 

Thursday I had been having contractions all day but very sporadically. Sometimes 10 minutes apart sometimes a few hours apart...so I knew we were getting close. Friday I woke up around 5 and they were a consistent 10 mins apart. I took an early morning bath, got ready for work and by the time I got to work they were about 4 mins apart. After about two hours I called my doctor and she told me to head to the hospital. By the time I got there they were about 3 mins apart. I got settled into our room and started walking up and down the hallways to help things along. I was about 3 cm dilated. After about an hour I was only 4 cm and still 3 mins apart. They told me I could stay and see how things went for another hour or I could go home. I didn't want to miss my window for an epidural and since contractions were already at 3 mins I decided to stay. Brett left to go pick up JT and my mom and I walked some more. I took a bath and got back in bed for her to check me. I was only a 4. She said it's progress so we'll keep waiting. About 10 minutes later my water broke! Brett quickly headed back and thankfully he did because things went fast after that! My first contraction after my water broke was 100 times worse than I had ever felt and they continued to get worse every time. So they quickly called for the epidural however the anesthesiologist took his sweet time getting to me. When they sat me up to do the epidural my contractions were so painful (Brett's hands would agree...sorry). After he started I had a contraction and I knew it wasn't going to get done in time because I needed to push. She was coming now. I told my nurse I needed to push now so they did their best to finish the epidural and when she checked me I was a 10 (from a 4 in about 20 mins) and she was coming. I was in so much pain but the next thing I knew nurses and the doctor had been running down the hall to get set up and I was pushing. I looked at Brett and said, "I can feel everything I don't want to do this without an epidural!" Didn't have much of a choice! After about 20 mins of pushing she arrived! It was the most exhausting, painful, and rewarding 20 mins of my life. The funny thing is I had told Brett a long time ago that maybe I didn't want an epidural this time...then I said never mind! She clearly had different plans! 

Landry Marie

7 pounds 9 ounces

19.5 inches long

4:24 pm

She is an absolute blessing and the perfect addition to our family and we are smitten with her. So far she sleeps great, waking up about every 3 hours. She's not much of a crier so far and is pretty content. Straight out of the gate she was trying to suck her thumb and like her brother, sleeps with her hands by her face patiently waiting to be able to get that thumb. And she looks like me! Jaris is Brett through and through and now I have a mini me. She even has one dimple like I do on the same side! She is perfectly sweet and we cannot get enough of her!

  

Jaris and Landry

mommy and Landry

Jaris is adjusting well, he loves to hold her and give her kisses. She is really interested in him when he talks to her, so sweet to watch. He is struggling a little bit with the amount of attention I have to give to her because it takes away from him but he is learning to give and take. We've made sure to still have some one on one time with since her arrival.

Our hearts are full and complete!