Camilla is born!

Monday was the day!  I spent the morning trying to get last minute things done before the baby would be here.  Doing more laundry, washing floors, and just general organizing.  I also made some corn bread and chili for dinner.  I was supposed to call the hospital at 2:00 to see if they had a bed for me.  When I called after picking Jared and Lauren up from school they said not yet, but call again in a hour.  Alan was just getting home as we were, so that gave him a few minutes to do some last minute things too.  As I was calling the lady who was coming to stay with they kids while we were at the hospital she knocked on the door.  She just hung out at our place for an extra hour.  Luckily when I called again they said yep come on in.  I was pretty anxious, nervous, and excited.  We got to  the hospital right about 4:00.  I had to go in the night before the induction for cervidil...to help my cervix get ready.  (I had prostin gels with Bradley and this was similar, but must have been a little different because with Bradley they let me go home between doses... 2 doses 6 hours apart and until they called me back in in the morning...my water broke so we didn't wait for the call...this is another story...)  I was surprised that I would have to stay the night at the hospital and everyone at the hospital was surprised that I was allowed to go home before.  As things always are at the hospital they were moving slow.  First I had to get an IV and it took them 4 tries.  Two tries on each arm.  My nurse tried and couldn't get it so she called in another and she couldn't get it either.  Then the first nurse tried again.  Finally they called in an anesthesiologist to do it and he got it.  He wasn't quite as nice putting it in as the nurses were trying to be.  The nurses were saying things like I don't know how he can always get one in and just other funny things.  After he did it I was like I can tell you....he is a little rougher and just does it, but I can't complain even if it was in my hand because he did get it in on my left side which I liked and it didn't hurt even after the numbing stuff he gave me wore off.  I think it was close to 7 before they really got the cervidil in me and all hooked up to the monitors.  I had to be flat for the first 2 hours, but then I was able to get up and walk around...and the wait just began.  I was able to eat a little dinner after a bit which was nice, but couldn't eat past a certain time.  We took a walk in the hall to help pass the time, but it was a short hall and I didn't really feel like wandering the rest of the hospital in a gown.  Sometime in the evening we changed rooms to a delivery/ recovery room.  Which was nice because I didn't have to move again.  (The hospital has some rooms that are just delivery and some just recovery, but I got to be in one that was both.)  It could have been a double room if they were really busy I think, but it wasn't too bad and they brought in a bed for Alan to sleep on for the night too.

On my way in!!!

Tuesday morning they were a little late taking out the cervidil and once it is out you have to wait 30 minutes before they can start the pitocin.  I was able to be off the monitors and get up some.  I was even able to have some juice.  They started the pitocin right about 9 am.  Then it was just more waiting.  I was able to rest some more.  My doctor...nurse midwife really... broke my water about the same time pitocin was started to help me along.  I never have had my water broke before it always has just broke on it's own.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was over before I thought it would be.  Around 2 I decided to get an epidural.  Then it was just more waiting.  I watched Hello Dolly and started Sabrina along with reading and resting.  My doctor was going home at 7.  She came in to check me a little before that and just see how I was doing.  She said I was close, but not quite there yet.  I told her I wanted to roll over, but the nurse couldn't find the baby on the monitor if I did she she had me roll back.  The doctor said she could find the baby and I could roll over.  So I did.  I could feel the baby getting lower (both times) when I rolled over.  The doctor made a comment about how low the baby was now.  She said she would go talk to the doctor who would be on call on the night shift and be back and check how I was doing again because she really wanted to deliver the baby before she went home.  When she came back a few minutes later she checked and said whoa there's a head.  Wait just a minute while we get the rest of the way ready.  They called in several more nurses and a couple minutes later Camilla Jane Atherton was born.  She was born at 7:19pm (or 19:19) and weighed 9 lbs 11 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long.  She has a ton of hair, which we originally thought was more on the blond side, but it is definitely red.  Her eyes are blue.  She was a good crier right from the start.  All the nurses were talking about how big she is.  The hospital we were at does not have a nursery, so she never left the room while we were at the hospital except for a hearing test and Alan went with her.  She got to have her first bath right there in the room and have all the tests and everything done right there which was really nice.  It did make it so people were in the room cleaning me and her and the room up until 10:30 or so.  Then they gave us a couple of hours of peace before they came to check on us again.  Alan came home that night to rescue the Brauns.  They were nice enough to stay with the kids all day long.  I had hoped it would be a little faster, but we are all healthy and that's what matters.

Jared got to go on a field trip Tuesday too.  They got to walk from their school to the high school to watch the play The Little Mermaid.  There were several girls from our ward in it.  One was flounder.  He said he had a fun time.  Lauren got to go on the same field trip on Wednesday....walk to the high school to see The Little Mermaid.

Wednesday Alan got to tell the kids in the morning they have a new little sister.  Lauren was especially excited and giggled and happy danced around the kitchen.  They are all excited to have a sister though.  Bradley told me a few days before that he really did want a sister even though he had guessed boy.  I heard Jared telling Lauren and Bradley that now it is an eight year club and they are out of luck.  (Jared and Lauren had created a 6 year club which paired Jared and with Connor and Lauren up with the new baby...and left Bradley without anybody (and he wasn't too happy about it), but they assured him the next baby would be his match.)  So everyone loved right off...and I knew they would.  It was fun to have them come.  That morning at the hospital a photographer came and took pictures of Camilla and of course the nurses came in multiple times to check on us.  A pediatrician came and checked Camilla out and my doctor stopped by too.  Bradley and Connor and Alan came to visit me around lunch time.  Bradley and Connor helped me eat my lunch while Alan went with Camilla to have her hearing test done.  They weren't able to stay until they had to hurry home and pick up Jared and Lauren.  Camilla and I were working on all the things we had to get done so we could go home later that day.  I managed to call a few people to say "We finally had a baby!"  But I didn't fell like I had much time between all the people coming in and out.  Alan picked up Jared and Lauren at school and then took them to the library for the Wednesday craft.  Then they stopped by home for a few minutes and someone brought over dinner, so they ate quick and then came back to the hospital to get me.  They said because Camilla was so big we had to stay 24 hours, so they let us go right close to 7.  There is something special about all being together.  It was just great all getting into the car.  That night went fairly smooth.  She was by far the best sleeper that first night.  Probably partly because she was so big and partly because she never went to the nursery to have the light on all night...so her nights and  days were never mixed up.  I think she went for a 4 hour stretch that first night.

Thursday Alan took Jared and Lauren to school.  He was able to stay home with us which was helpful.  I had to take Camilla to the doctor to see her pediatrician and have her checked for jaundice.  She had passed the test at the hospital (none of the others had passed at the hospital and had to have repeated testing), but since she left so quick they wanted to check again.  I had to pick up Jared and Lauren on the way to the doctor.  I was going to drop them off at home, but both of them insisted on going to the doctor with me.  The doctor said Camilla was nice and pink.  She was only 9 pounds on their scale, but since my milk wasn't in yet they weren't worried.  That night was our ward's relief society dinner.  Camilla and I went.  It was a nice dinner and there was a really nice program.  I don't remember what it is called, but it had several women portray other women who were alive at the time of Christ's birth...like the mother of Mary, mother of Joseph, Elizabeth, Mary...and maybe one or two others.  There were some speaking parts and music.  It was a really nice program.

Friday I was feeling pretty good.  Alan went to work after dropping Jared and Lauren off at school.  In the morning the rest of us went to story time.  I think we ran to Frazier Farms after that just to grab a few things.  The carts there are small and by the time I put Camilla's seat across the top of the cart (it wouldn't fit inside) and Connor in the seat and Bradley hanging off the end there wasn't a lot of space for groceries.  We came home had a quick lunch and then picked up Jared and Lauren.  The afternoon we just played.

Saturday we relaxed and tried to get ready some  for Christmas.  We had to do a store run and more laundry catching up.  In Oceanside that night there was a Christmas Lights parade on water...Christmas Ships!!!!  I have been excited about it since I found out about it.  I was really glad we were able to go.  It was at the harbor in Oceanside.  We got there just as it was starting, but it was popular.  We were stuck in traffic for a bit and trying to find a parking space was a challenge, but the ships go back and forth and around so after about 30 minutes we were able to find a parking place...once some people starting leaving.  Between watching from the car and then hurrying I think we were able to see most of the boats.  It was fun.  On the way home we stopped at In-N-Out.  The kids had hamburger coupons from a reading program at the library.  We got a couple for Alan and me too.  My first In-N-Out experience!  We brought them home to eat since it was getting so late.  It was a fun day.

Sunday we went to church.  I was a pretty normal day.  After church we just relaxed for a bit.  One of these days we got the tree decorated finally.  We put it up before Camilla came, but didn't quite get it decorated.  It was a super good week!  I am super glad Camilla is finally here!