Life on Pioneer Trail: November 2014

Our Lily Jo graced us with her sweet presence Monday, November 10 at 11:21 a.m. This is the story of how she came into this big world.

My pregnancy with Lily was quite boring, in a good way. There were no complications, no red flags, there was no morning sickness and nothing to be concerned about. It was a great pregnancy. As I came to the last few weeks, my back started to hurt a bit, I didn't sleep the best, and I was having some sharp pains in my legs, but nothing that was overwhelming. Lily was a good fetus.

At my last doctor's appointment on November 3 (Luke's birthday), Doctor Guthmann was tempted to rupture my membranes, as I was dilated to 3 cm and 70% effaced. We decided to wait, since it was Luke's special day and there was no reason to try and have our kids' birthdays on the same day. We went home thinking this little girl would come any day, but scheduled an induction date for Wednesday, November 12, just in case she decided to be a bit stubborn.

At the zoo after our doctor's appointment

We waited and waited all week long. I joked with Kevin and my friends that it would be great if she waited until after Friday, because I had a hair appointment. Friday came and went. Saturday evening Kevin and I headed out on a pre-baby date to our favorite spot, M's Pub, in Omaha. We went there before Luke was born as well (the day before he was born). On the way home I was having some mild contractions, so we were thinking she might be coming soon, but it ended up being a false alarm. It was a blessing she didn't come because Luke ended up being sick and we had to run him to Urgent Care on Sunday afternoon. He was diagnosed with strep throat, so we were thankful Miss Lily wasn't here, yet. We came home and went to bed and an hour later I was up having contractions...

Pre-baby date at M's Pub

I had contractions all night long and finally decided to call the doctor around 4:30 in the morning. My contractions were 8-10 minutes apart and irregular, so I was unsure if I was in true labor. Doctor Guthmann was out of town (from Sunday to Monday, of course), so I spoke with a nurse practitioner who decided I should head into the hospital to get checked, since we live so far away. I woke Kevin up and he called his Mom to come down and watch Luke as we gathered our things and got ready. At that point, I was sure they would send us home and I would be completely embarrassed. As we drove into town, my contractions almost completely stopped. I went 25 minutes without one and I almost talked Kevin into turning around. We started talking about the things we could get done in the city when they sent us home.

We arrived at the hospital around 6:00 a.m. I was so nervous and embarrassed because at that point I was sure I wasn't in labor. The nurses were so sweet and reassuring and told me it was good I came in, just in case. The nurse checked me and I was dilated between 4-5 cm. After some deliberation between the doctor and nurses, they decided it would be best to have me stay because they 'didn't want me to have my baby in a corn field'. (Exact quote from the doctor.) They said usually they don't induce patients when their doctor isn't at the hospital, but they made an exception in my case.

The nurse started my IV and got me all checked in. Kevin and I were pretty excited (and I was a bit nervous) at this point, as we were going to meet our baby girl in the very near future. There was a shift change and we met our nurse that was going to be with us during the labor and delivery. Corrie helped us make a plan of how the morning would go and we started walking the halls in order to help get my contractions going. Let's just say the walking helped. Within an hour, my contractions were around three minutes apart and I decided I was ready for my epidural. We couldn't believe it happened so fast! I was dilated to 6 cm, so it was good timing. The anesthesiologist was there within 10 minutes and I was feeling wonderful within 20 minutes. We spent the rest of the morning chatting with Corrie (she was the sweetest) as I tried to rest and Kevin let our friends and family know the updates.

It seemed like no time at all when Corrie checked me and said I was complete and ready to push. Really?! Kevin gave me a big smile and prayed with me as we waited for the doctor to arrive. As we were waiting, we pulled pictures from my blog posts two years ago, when Luke was born. It helped to remind us of what he looked like and to get us excited for the big arrival.

I love this part. Pushing and getting ready to welcome a baby is quite possibly the most wonderful blessing I have experienced in my life. Everyone was relaxed and I pushed through two or three contractions. Lily's head was visible and they told me a few more pushes and she would be out. Kevin looked at me and said 'I hope she looks more like you than Luke does'. I pushed through one more contraction and as she came out we both couldn't believe it because she was Luke's twin. She looked exactly like him when he was born. It was 11:21 a.m. when she entered this world. Kevin said, "Happy birthday, baby girl!" We soothed her while listing to her sweet cries through her toothless mouth and quivering chin.

Lily was put on my chest and we snuggled for awhile before I began to nurse her. She was one hungry little girl. She ate for about an hour and fifteen minutes before Corrie and Kevin weighed and measured her. As I was nursing Lily, Kevin called our parents to break the news. As people asked how big she was, we guessed she was about a half pound less than Luke when he was born (he was 7 lb 15 oz).

So it came to a surprise to us when she weighed in at 8 pounds 2 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. Kevin and I still can't believe she was 8 pounds.

We gathered our things and Corrie helped us to the room we would be staying in while we were in the hospital. We had such an incredible afternoon loving and cuddling Lily before any visitors arrived. Dr. Guthmann was nice enough to swing by the first thing Tuesday morning and pray with us over our new arrival. **When Luke was born, she said she was reading the book of Luke (as were we) and we discovered we went to the same church.**

Lily's birth was such a calm, happy experience. I told Kevin that if every labor and delivery is like this, we might just be having lots of babies. He, of course, was thrilled to hear this (he wants lots of kiddos) and I'm sure he will remind me of it in the future.

After getting acquainted with our little girl and showing her off to visitors, we took Lily home on Wednesday. We were able to get settled in, take some deep breaths, and thank God for this little miracle and amazing family He has blessed us with.

We were able to meet our little girl this past week.

Lily Jo Forristall was born Monday, November 10, 2014 at 11:21 a.m. She weighed in at 8 pounds 2 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. She is absolutely perfect and we are so in love with our baby girl.

I wanted to share some pictures of her arrival and our time in the hospital, as well as our first day home. We have so enjoyed these first few days as a family of four. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers...we have felt so loved by so many of you. We are truly blessed!

Proud Daddy