Delivery and Noah's first few hours

I got up, not feeling like I had slept a minute. We showered and made sure we had everything packed. Gave Parker some love and off to the hospital we went. We arrived at the hospital at 8. It's a weird feeling walking into the hospital knowing you that you'll be having your baby that day. We walked into labor and delivery and they asked if I was Allyson Johns. How is that for service? They knew it was me :) Guess there weren't too many inductions set up for our same time! Speaking of inductions: I was not planning on being induced. I wanted to get started on my due date, if I made it that long. Well turns out that a lot of people wanted to have their baby on the 14th because the closest date they had to then was the 10th. I couldn't believe it! I would have been alright going a bit past my due date but then we would have most likely have had him when Chris's parents were out of town. So the 10th it was! I wasn't about to complain because I was ready for him to come! My back was really starting to kill!

My large belly: Can you tell how lop sided I am?

8 am: Arrive and check in at hospital - dilated 3/ 90%

9 am: Start on Pitocin- start having contractions 2-3 minutes apart

11 am: A midwife from my doctors office comes in to break my water (weirdest feeling ever! I know it's TMI, but every contraction I could just feel the water gushing out over and over.) - dilated 4/ 95%

12 pm- 2 pm: Contractions start to get really hard. I don't know why but I just kept putting off the epidural. I guess you have to be in enough pain to make it worth having a huge needle shoved in your back :) - dilated 5/ 95%

2:15 pm: Nurse comes in and says that if I don't get the epidural now it will be at least an hour before I can because the anesthesiologist is about to assist on a c-section! I decided to I had better do it right then; I was hurting like crazy!

2:30 - 6 pm: Chris and I just hanging out watching movies and passing time... Enjoying my delicious meals of ice chips, Popsicles, and suckers. Very grateful for epidural! dilated pretty much a cm every hour... 5,6,7,8/ 100%

6:30: I started to feel pain on my right side again! ouch.. Tried switching sides that I was laying on to see if that would help the numbing medicine go back over. Didn't work...

7:00: Anesthesiologist comes back in and gives me a "booster shot". After about 5 minutes we were back in business :) Chris and I just relaxed. I was starting to feel a bit impatient by this point. I just wanted him to be here and be done with all of this. Mostly I think I was just really nervous about pushing and the possibility of him not fitting :)

7:15: Little man's heartbeat started fluctuating with contractions. Nurse didn't seem to alarmed... She had me switch sides I was laying on to see if he was just laying on the cord, and then put me on oxygen. This totally freaked me out! I started to get really anxious to get him out so I knew he was OK. I spent the rest of the time just sitting there watching his heart rate with every contraction. Chris tried to distract me but I couldn't stop watching it!

8:10: Feeling pressure down there. I don't know how cause after that booster shot I pretty much couldn't feel a thing! Nurse comes in to see how I am doing. She says that she will be back to check my progress in about 30 min. I said "OK but i feel like I could push right now". She decided to check me then instead. Turns out I was at a 10 and 100%. She could feel his head pretty far down. So we did a couple of test pushes with my contractions. I did about 3 and she told me to stop, she was going to go call in the Doctor. She told me I was a good pusher, which was exactly what I needed to hear.

8:30-8:45: Pushed with the nurse there. Chris could see his head. The whole time I just couldn't believe that this was me... I was having a baby. Chris was so funny. He was so excited and didn't get grossed out at all. He was so busy looking down there that he kept forgetting to help me hold up my leg.

8:45-8:58: Pushing with Dr. H there. It was so nice to have him there. He came running in when he first got there in his normal clothes because the Anesthesiologist had told him when he came in that the baby was crowning. So he came in and asked how things were going. Looking a little panicked :) He saw that he had time to go change so he did then came back. Everything in the room was so calm and relaxed. Just talking in between contractions and then I would push. Chris asked if he could catch the baby when he came out. Dr. H said that maybe after our 2ND or 3rd he would let him. I don't know how I feel about it even then.

8:59: Our little man made his entrance!

Yes I realize this is a very unattractive picture of me. This was right when they told me I was ready to push!:

When doing that last push I was just watching Chris. The face that Chris had will forever be in my mind. So cute. He was watching "down there" and his head was out. Chris looked amazed. He then looked at me with the sweetest smile and a little teary eyed. We locked eyes and I know it is so corny but it was the sweetest moment. I felt so much love from him and so much love for our little guy. Then before I knew it I did my last push and he was here. My most perfect moment... Right after he came out. I had told them that I wanted skin on skin immediately after birth. So he came out and they put him right on me. Wiped him off a bit, Chris cut the cord, and then snuggle time for mom :) I honestly can't even remember if he was crying much or not. I just remember being handed this perfect baby. I couldn't believe he was here with me. My healthy little miracle. I am sure it is this way for every new mom but this was my dream. While spending endless hours on bed rest this was the moment I had been praying for. For him to come out and to stay there with me. Not whisked away to the NICU, I could hold him and tell him how much i loved him. I got to snuggle him and comfort him.

I held him there with me for probably about 5-10 minutes. Then I told the nurse that she could take him to be weighed and all that stuff. So Chris followed him to the side of the room and snapped some shots while I got stitched up :)

What a cutie.... Check out that double chin :)

After they did all that they needed to I got him back. I got to hold him for a bit and then try to nurse him for a while. My mom came in and took a few pictures.

Happy Family:

Not so happy baby:

Then after an hour or so our families came in and could see him. I still had him snuggled up with me so they probably didn't get to good of a view then. After they left the nurses got me ready to go to the recovery room. They bundled our little guy up and handed him to Chris while I was getting ready.

New Daddy:

Ready to switch rooms!:

Recovery Room:

We got into our postpartum room. First thing I did was get some food and drinks from the nurses. I was so hungry! Then they came in to do his bath. We decided that the grandmas could come in to watch it. Not everyone because those rooms are a little snug without a bunch of people in there anyways. He cried when they sponged off his body, but calmed right down when they swaddled him up and washed his hair. Poor kid... You can really see his cone head in that picture above :(

Clean boy... Getting on a little shirt.:

Getting his footprints done. :

Here I am getting my close look at my clean little boy. His hairs were so cute and fuzzy and I love his perfect little face with rosy cheeks...

Uncle Aaron:

Grandma's:

My mom

I think they like him a bit :)

Chris's Mom

Grandpa's:

My Dad

Chris's Dad:

What a day... What a perfect day... So tired and yet not really caring cause I can't stop looking at this sweet little face. Who can sleep with such a sweetie in the room :)