Welcome Samuel

I had a pretty crummy night on Saturday and was grouchy Sunday morning as we prepared to watch conference. I had been having quite a bit of stomach pain which had kept me awake for most of the night, but nothing that really felt like contractions.

A little before 11:00 a.m I told Spense that I thought that maybe we should just take a trip up to the hospital to see what was going on. I had fears of my water breaking like it did with Zach and getting an epidural was the only thing that I cared about this time (and delivering a healthy baby of course but that goes without saying). We packed a few things in the bag and took the kids over to the Johnson's thinking that they would probably send me home a little later.

When we got up to the maternity ward they put me on the monitor to see what was happening. My contractions were about 5 minutes apart, but not really too regular or very strong. When the nurse checked me I was dilated to a 3 and 80% effaced. She said that I should probably get up and start walking to see if I could get things going a little better. Spense and I walked around the ward for about an hour and then she hooked me up again. My contractions were starting to get a little stronger and more consistent so I got up and walked again while Spense went to get some food (you have to take care of yourself even when your spouse can't eat!) After another hour I went back on the monitor and then got checked again which just about killed me. The nurse reported that I had progressed to 4-5 cm with a bulging bag. A few minutes later she told me that the anesthesiologist was coming up to give the lady next door her epidural and so I could get mine. Clearly we were staying and I was happy to hear that it should be quite painless!

After Spenser and the anesthesiologist discussed anesthesia at length as I got a needle inserted into my back the doctor came in and broke my water. We waited for the contractions to get a little stronger and then started the pushing process. Mr Sam made his debut after about 45 minutes at 7:29 p.m. Since he was two weeks early we were sure that he was going to be a tiny baby, but as he was pulled out we could all see that he was a little chunky. He weighed in at 8 lb 8 oz and measured 22 inches. After the experience of this pregnancy I was certainly relieved that he was here safe and sound.

Happy and pain free

I was planning on taking a picture of the bump this morning to document, so this was the best I have

Samuel Graham 

The kids were all super excited when they came to meet their new brother.

Thomas of course loved holding Sam and couldn't wait to go to school the next day to share the news even though we offered for him to stay home. 

Olivia didn't seem to mind that she had a baby brother rather than a sister once she got to hold him. 

 

Zach was my wild card when it came to knowing how he would react to a new baby. We have talked a lot about the new baby in mommy's tummy and whenever it came up he would just change the topic and talk about how he, Olivia, and Thomas had been in my tummy and how Spense had been in grandma's tummy. He ran into the room to see 'his baby brother' and definitely seemed to think that he was pretty cool.

Spense and Zach arrived at the hospital this morning fairly early after getting the older kids off to school. Zach refused to leave again when Spense went home to pick up clothes for Sam and to get us lunch. It was nice to snuggle up with him and watch TV. He was very protective of his new brother and didn't like it very much when the Dr. came into examine him. He was sure to tell him that he needed to leave. He also got very upset when the nurse took Sam off for his hearing test and was worried that he wouldn't come back. It definitely reminded me of the way Thomas behaved when Olivia was born.

We got to leave in the early afternoon and arrived home around 3:00 p.m. I couldn't see the point in waiting around any longer when everyone seemed to be doing well it's just easier to all be home together. As if we had never been gone Spenser took Thomas to soccer practice and Christine came to get Olivia for dance. Noelene arrived just as we were getting the kids into bed for the week to help out. 

My boys

The girls are really going to have to stick together now.

There have been numerous times during this pregnancy when the thought of adding someone else to our family has seemed overwhelming and I had questioned our decision. I feel so thankful that Samuel arrived safely and I know that he was supposed to be a part of our family. Samuel, we hope you enjoy the ride with us!