Elisabeth Leone - "Libby"

Wednesday night David and I went to bed maybe around eleven or so.  I hadn't really had any contractions all day or even recently so I really wasn't expecting it when I woke up around 5:30 to use the bathroom and started having some contractions.  I wasn't sure if they were real or not but after a bit they started to hurt so I grabbed Dave's iphone because we downloaded an app for counting contractions.  I clocked about five of them and found that I was having them about five minutes apart.  I woke up David at 6:45 and told him I thought I might be in labor.  His response was a groggy, "nu uh, really?"  He sat on the toilet and used the phone to keep up with my contractions while I took a shower, I had two while I was in there.  Then he called the hospital while I did my make up and hair (it didn't hurt at all between contractions so normal tasks were completely possible to do).  I texted my friend Meg and Julianne to figure out childcare.  I had been planning on going to Thursday morning Bible study that morning which was at Meg's house so Meg offered to come over and take the kids over and everyone would kind of watch them together for the morning.  Meg arrived around 7:45 and I gave her some brief directions and then David and I headed to the hospital.  I called my mom on the way to the hospital to tell her it looked like the baby was coming without her, it was sad but she reminded me it could be false labor!  Fortunately the hospital is not even a mile away so I only had one contraction on the way and David stopped the car since he was about to go over a speed bump.  He pulled in at the emergency room and got out with me but then went back and parked the car while I verified my identity.  They sent a wheelchair down to pick me up but it didn't feel good to sit down so I walked next to it.  I had one contraction on the way to the elevator and one in the elevator.  Once we reached the top I told the nurse I would sit down since I was pretty sure I wouldn't have another one before we made it to the room.  As soon as I sat down she ran me to the room, I guess she was pretty insightful because she had also contacted the on-call doctor while we were in the elevator and told him she was with a woman who was about to have a baby in the elevator.  

Once we got to the room David helped me change into a hospital gown and I laid down on my side.  The nurse checked me and told me I was at an 8.  I told her I wanted an epidural and she said the anesthesiologist was with a lady in a c-section and my water was bulging and as soon as it broke the baby would come so I wasn't going to get one.  She also mentioned that there was a girl next door at 6 cm who had been waiting already.  At that point I told her I would be unable to give birth by simply saying "I can't do this" over and over.  Nothing like giving yourself a reverse pep talk right before the inevitable.  I think at that point I could have been pushing because there was a lot of pressure and it really hurt but I was laying on my side with my legs together and starting to feel panicy.  It is a very helpless feeling knowing that there is a human inside of you trying to get out, and that you're going to get to feel everything.  At one point the nurse was trying to get me to turn over so she could check me again and I think have the on-call doctor deliver the baby, but I told her I couldn't do it and I was sorry but the answer was no over and over.  The on-call doctor, who happens to be a nice man who goes to our church (kind of awkward from now on with him probably) told her my doctor was almost there so maybe she could just leave me alone for the time being.  About a minute later my doctor came in the room and told me I needed to flip over and said it would go a lot faster if I did.  As soon as I heard the word 'faster' I allowed the nurses to help me flip over and sure enough, Dave says about five minutes later Libby was there.  He says I pushed once and then my water broke and he could see her head and then I pushed again (he says and screamed extra loud and awful) and her head came out and then I did another small push and her whole body was out.  Sorry if that is all pretty graphic.  I guess I should mention the screaming.  I was basically yelling as loud as I could through the whole thing.  I know you're supposed to relax and everything but for some reason the only thing that seemed to comfort me was to scream.  Somehow it helped me to let everyone in the hospital know that it was all pretty terrible.  I do remember seeing a nurse rush over to the door to close it when the screaming started and the on-call doctor who goes to our church told us later that he had a patient down the hall who had their own little birth plan that involved a nice natural childbirth who heard me scream and decided to get the epidural after all.  The nurses were all calling out advice to me like "bear down" or "shorten your breathing" but I felt like I was taking a killer practical test that I had never studied for.  I was very unprepared and in a complete panic.  However, once it was all over I was just so relieved.  The doctor delivered the placenta and a nurse cleaned me up and I didn't tear at all so that wasn't too bad.  Then they finished wrapping up Libby and David got to hold her and then they gave her to me and I got to feed her.  It was definitely worth it all, but next time we're going to go ahead with the planned induction!!!!  Anyways, she was born at 8:32 am (we had gotten to the hospital at 8) and she was 6 lbs. 11 oz and 20 inches long.  Here is one of the first pictures:     

Elisabeth Leone - "Libby"

Sleepy with Daddy

Sucking on a paci

It was still pretty early so they wheeled breakfast in around 9 and I ate and called my mom and David called his parents.  Then they took Libby away to clean her up and I got cleaned up and changed into my hospital pajamas that mom bought me when I was going to have Haley.  They are great pajamas.  Around 10:30, Julianne came by with Haley and Emily to meet their little sister.

Haley is brushing her hair in this picture, not very attentively.

Emily taking a look at her sister

Haley insisted on holding Libby for the family pictures

This one is my favorite

Haley loved brushing her hair

One of my favorites:  Emily giving Libby a kiss

Julianne stayed for about an hour and then took the girls home for lunch and naps.  Steve and Bonnie Mason were our next visitors a couple minutes later.  They brought some flowers and stayed about fifteen minutes before they had to head out.  They brought me lunch and I ate and then Dave went and got lunch at Wendy's and brought back a chocolate Frosty for me.  Shortly after that we were moved to a different room.  As soon as we got to our new room, my friend Meg (who had picked up the girls that morning) arrived to visit with her daughter Ella who baby-sits for us.  Ella's birthday was Thursday too so she was really happy that I had Libby that day.  I told her I did it for her.  While Meg and Ella were there, my friend Katie Hopkins came in as well.  Katie Hopkins was actually the first person to find out that I had my baby because her dad was the on-call doctor and he texted her.  They stayed for a while and then after they left I fed Libby and changed her diaper.

David did the honors

A little while later my friend Amanda Caldwell came and brought us flowers and an outfit for Libby.  While Amanda was there, my friends Michael and Kelsey Grubbs came with my other friend Jenna.  They are all fairly newly-weds (Jenna's husband Richard was still working so he didn't get to come) so they are all starting to get the baby bug.  They all took turns holding Libby and saying how perfect she is.  After they left we had some time to just sit and rest before our pastor, Dr. Liebengood, came in for a visit.  He brought his little boy Campbell along.  Campbell said that Libby has the smallest head he's ever seen.  Dr. Liebengood held Libby for a while and we visited and then he headed out.  A little after that my dinner came and I ate and then called my sister Carly and we talked for a while.  She was in the hospital with Parker so it was fun to talk to her and compare experiences.  David left after a while to go get some dinner and then take the girls to the Maundy Thursday service at church.  He went to Bodacious and got dinner and when he got back to his car it wouldn't start.  Poor guy.  Todd Feenstra picked him up on his way to church and then he just had the girls with the van.  After the service he brought the girls back to the hospital so they could visit with Libby and me again.

Sweet Libby

Sometimes she looks a little anxious

We taught Haley how to put her finger in Libby's palm so that Libby will hold it.  It's now one of her favorite things to do.

I got to spend some time cuddling my big girls

And David spent some time cuddling his little girl

I think she looks so sweet in this one

While David was there with the girls, Amanda stopped by with Chloe and Ella.  Originally we had been planning on going out after the Maundy Thursday service to celebrate Ella's Birthday so Amanda brought a chocolate cake and we all ate that together at the hospital instead.  They didn't stay very long because Amanda got a text from her husband saying their baby needed her (she's about 5 months old).  David stayed with the girls a little longer and then they were getting tired so he left too.  He waited a little long because he said they both cried loudly for me the whole way out to the van.  He said they sounded so pathetic.  After they left I nursed Libby and we cuddled together before bed.  Meanwhile, David took the girls home and got them ready for bed and then skyped me while they ate yogurt for snack.  Then he read them some books and they all slept together in our bed.  Well, David dozed off anyways but he woke up to Emily hitting his face and messing around.  He moved her to her own bed where she slept the whole night and Haley got to stay with him in our bed.  Meanwhile, Libby and I turned out the lights to go to sleep around 10 and then the nurses came to get her for some tests around 11.  I felt bad because they had wanted to do those tests around 7 but I told them to wait because I knew David was coming with the girls.  They had asked me to call the nursery and tell them after my visitors left so they could come get her and I never did.  Anyways, they ended up taking Libby at 11 and they didn't bring her back until 3.  I fed her when she got back and then we we slept on and off until around 8.  People kept coming in and checking us and it really wasn't good sleep but it never usually is in the hospital.    

FRIDAY morning Julianne came over to our house and picked up the girls and David came to the hospital.  It was good he went home because I needed him to bring a whole list of stuff back with him.  I had forgotten to bring soap and shampoo to take a shower (do hospitals usually provide that stuff?) and I wanted him to bring a girl specific outfit for Libby (I had only brought gender neutral ones).  He came and held Libby while I showered and got dressed.  At that point I realized I had also forgotten a hair dryer so he went back home to get that and a different outfit for Libby (he hadn't quite picked out the one I wanted, poor David).  We didn't have any visitors that morning which was good because we spent the rest of the time getting our things together and getting discharged.  The last thing I did was eat lunch because the lady brought it in just as we were about to load our stuff up on a cart to leave and I wasn't about to let perfectly arranged food on a tray go to waste.  

Catching some shut-eye before departure time

"The" outfit.  

I had remembered to pack that specific blanket though...

Our only hang-up with going home was that David's car was still broken down so we ended up driving home in the Feenstra's.  It worked out though because they have an SUV and we had quite a bit of stuff to bring home.

Walking in with Libby

We're home!

Daddy and his third daughter

David helped bring the stuff in and then he headed out to pick up the girls at the Good Friday service where the Feenstra's had taken them (they got a good trial run on having four children).  While he was gone I laid down with Libby.  He got back a little later with Haley and Emily and a huge gift that Julianne had sent along with a welcome home sign that she and the girls made for Libby.  Julianne had taken the girls shopping to pick out outfits for Libby.  She had them pick out three outfits, a stuffed animal, and had also purchased a big box of diapers.  Julianne had also bought Haley and Emily some stickers and a coloring book so they wouldn't feel left out.  She had also put a casserole in our fridge so we would have dinner for that night.  I texted her and told her she was out of control!  We put the girls down for naps and then David went out and got Sonic for lunch, he brought me back a chocolate peanut butter milkshake.  We spent the rest of the day taking naps and relaxing.  In the evening David went out and bought some popcorn and the movie The Hobbit which we had planned for Friday night anyways (before Libby was born that is).  We put the girls down early and we watched the first half of the movie (it's three hours long) and then went to bed.  This is already super long but I will try and catch up the rest of the way tomorrow!

Haleyism:

Haley likes to say "look at this baby I found" while pointing at Libby.  

Emilyism:

Emily suddenly loves soothie pacifiers (after refusing them her whole life).  We have to watch her because she takes them from Libby.

Libbyism:

We hardly know what Libby's cry sounds like because she never cries!!!