Our little Miss was born on November 1, 2013.
At 8:18 pm
Weighing 7'14 and 19 1/2 inches long.
She is perfect, healthy and oh so beautiful.
We adore this new little spirit so much and are so grateful she is a part of our eternal family.
Here is her story....
Oh my vain self hates this picture.
But sweet Caroline here is what your momma looked like at 39 weeks and 2 days pregnant.
Up until the very end I really thought you would come early and on your own.
Your brothers were early, one extremely early your sister was early.
I had never gone past 38 weeks, I told everyone that even though my due date was November 6 I would have an October baby.
I was so sure of it.
At my 38 week appointment I was so disappointed to learn I was only at a 2 and nothing much else was happening.
My doctor asked if I had thought about an induction and honestly I hadn't I thought it wouldn't come to that.
He said the earliest we could do that was October 30, a Wednesday.
Well I shot that idea down, who wants to be in the hospital over Halloween.
I told him give me a week to think it over and get past Halloween and if you still had not come I might consider inducing sometime that next weekend.
The one thing I knew I didn't want was a Halloween baby.
All the next week I kept hoping my water would break or contractions would start....but they did not.
On Wednesday the 30th at my 39 week appointment I was at a 4 and having lots of Braxton Hicks.
We set up a Friday the 1st induction but my doctor said don't be surprised if you end up with a Halloween baby.
All Halloween I walked very slowly, no sudden movements, lots of resting when I could.
I was determined you would not share your birthday with a holiday.
I breathed a sigh of relief when 10 pm came and I could be fairly certain no Halloween baby was coming.
I was told to call the hospital at 6 am the next morning and they would give me a time to come in.
I called at 6 the sweet lady told me I was 5th or 6th on the list and they had gotten slammed over night.
Hang tight, put my feet up, eat some breakfast and they would call me within a few hours.
I was kinda grateful for that at first.
Got myself ready, got the boys off to school, got my house all in order, the laundry all caught up, read K some stories.
But by 10 am both me and daddy were just sitting staring at each other and the phone just waiting for it to ring.
Gotta say it was such a weird feeling waiting for a phone call that you know will change your life.
In retrospect I wish I had not been induced and had just let you come on your own.
Seemed like a good idea at the time, sitters were lined up, all was in order.
But it made my mind really antsy and I missed that first initial moment of "it's go time".
Waiting for a phone call wasn't nearly as exciting as the moment your water breaks at 38 weeks and the scramble to get out the door.
But still we waited and waited and waited and finally the call came at 2:00 pm, could we be there by 2:45?
You bet!
We called my mom, called Grandma Smith who was watching the kids, tossed the bags in the car, gave our babies one final kiss and told them we would send a picture and give them a call as soon as their sister had arrived and we were out the door and down to Logan Regional Hospital.
By 4 pm we had checked in, got all settled and the pitocin going.
Grandma Tereasa had arrived, we were excited all was going smoothly.
Seems for the next few hours I continued dilating one more number per hour.
Got my epidural around 7 pm by that time I think I was at a 7.
Not too shortly after that the pressure started and I knew surely it was close.
Nothing like those words "at a ten, let's have a baby".
The thrill that goes through you at that moment is like nothing else in this entire world.
Knowing you are hopefully just minutes away from meeting that little person who will become the center of your whole world.
That tiny little newborn that just left her father in heaven's presence....a piece of heaven here on earth.
Nothing will ever top the moments I became a mother to my four babies.
Unfortunately just because I was ready for that moment, didn't mean my doctor was.
The ten to fifteen minutes I was waiting for him to arrive seemed like an eternity.
Nothing worse than being told not to push when all that pressure is telling you push like crazy.
But he arrived and a mere 20 minutes later at 8:18 pm a little Caroline was born.
Oh sweet girl you screamed your lungs out those first twenty minutes or so.
I smiled and smiled at the sound of your screams.
Daddy cut the cord, you were placed up on my chest, tears just kept coming from both you and me.
My heavens you were so beautiful and so perfect.
Until you are a mother yourself you will never truly know what happens the first time a mother holds her child.
We are bound for life, my whole existence is wrapped up in this tiny precious little gift of a girl.
Healthy and strong and not really loving your rude arrival into this cold scary world.
We watched the video with your brothers and sister of you being born and all three of them said "boy Caroline cried a lot when she was born."
It's true you did;)
But thankfully you found your mother, we found our happy spot and your sweet screams stopped and turned into precious little whimpers and squeaks.
Oh my how I love you.
Baby girl I am so glad you chose me as your mother.
And now things get a little fuzzy.
About twenty minutes after your birth the fun began.
I started hemorrhaging again and again and again.
The plan was an hour after birth we would be moved up to mother and baby floor once both of us were feeling good and ready.
Every time we would go to try and move me huge amounts of blood were lost.
So began the fun of trying to get it to stop.
So many different medications and some of them with some really fun side effects.
So many fun procedures and still nothing was working.
I can't remember the last time I was that miserable.
How grateful I was that your Grandma Tereasa was there to hold and comfort and love on you while I was too sick to do so and daddy was too busy sitting by my side.
I think this went on for almost five hours, and my mind started panicking quite a bit when my nurse said "worst case scenario, we would do a hysterectomy".
In a few moments of alone time, just waiting and seeing what would happen I had your daddy give me a blessing.
Can't imagine a life without the priesthood in it to bless me, his words filled me with peace and I was so grateful once again for the man I chose to marry.
He was my saving grace that night and I could not have done it without him.
My favorite doctor ever.
Even he got to hold and admire you for a time.
I think I was in the middle of of throwing up right about now:)
Oh such a fun night.
Thankfully the very last attempt to make the bleeding stop worked and at around 3 am six hours after your birth we made our way up to the mother baby floor both of us exhausted but doing good.
Pretty sure I didn't sleep until 5 or so the next morning because once I had you back in my arms I had to get to know my sweet girl....we needed to bond.
And bond we did.
Even though I slept very little that first night the next day was hopping with visitors that were dying to meet you.
Grandpa Jeff was among the first.
Nothing gets Grandpa quite like the birth of his grandkids.
As his daughter it means the world to me seeing the tears and tenderness in his eyes as he meets his newest little addition to his grandchildren collection.
Then the moment I had been waiting for your siblings arrived.
How I adore those first moments of brothers and sisters meeting each other for the first time.
It' so special, and so magical I adore every second of it.
And seeing miss K become a big sister.
She is mighty pleased with that role in life!
My four, my whole heart right here.....well and their dad.
Our sweet Granny O, and one of Caroline's namesake.
Carol Ann and Caroline Ann.
Oh my and check out my girls hair, I am blown away that not only does she have hair but that's it's dark hair.
Lance and K were both so bald for so long.
Little Loubird was the only other one to have hair like this but even his was not this dark.
Oh and here she is with her daddy.
I love this man and I love this baby.
She completes this little family of ours so beautifully doesn't she?
Headed home Sunday morning.
Had to doll our little doll up for her big debut out into this world.
A standard mommy baby shot but please pretend I don't look like I just swallowed a whole elephant.
Wow five bags of whatever they were given me to get the bleeding to stop made for a very swollen, very chipmunk cheek me.
And I thought I was swollen a lot just from being pregnant.
That was nothing compared to those first few days after.
And now we are home and we are trying to adjust to the world of a newborn and four kids.
I will admit it is rocking me just a bit, but all I need is one glimpse of my little beauty and I count my blessings for the gift that was given to our family this last week.
Welcome to our family Sweet Caroline.
We adore you.
