Laylin Jane Arrives!

We were blessed to welcome Laylin Jane into this world on August 9th, 2014 at 3:28am. She weighed 6lbs 9oz, and was 19 inches long.

Our little peanut only made us wait 2 days past her due date, unlike big sister who was 9 days late. I went into labor on Thursday after our 40 week check-up. We knew the contractions were different and stronger, but we couldn't get them to be consistent or in any kind of pattern for the 30+ hours I was in labor.

We headed to the hospital on Thursday night, August 7th, only to be turned away as I was only 2-3cm dilated. The contractions kept getting stronger so we went back to the doctor on Friday around lunchtime, but was sent home again. I was at a standstill and just wasn't progressing enough. I needed to be at least 4cm before being admitted to the hospital. The midwife suggested maybe it was false labor because I had been having contractions since late July, but we knew this time was different. It was more intense, and they weren't going away. With much disappointment (and a few tears) we headed back home to continue laboring. Luckily we had a lot of help from our mothers taking care of Isla during this time. I was fortunate enough to do most of the hard labor in the comfort of our own home and Isla was so good through it all. Somehow we managed to mask that I was in any discomfort or pain at all. At one point we told her I was cheering and she would cheer along with me.

I continued to labor at home with the best coach in the world, my husband, until 10pm Friday night. At this point it had been well over 24 hours since I went into labor and we knew I was getting exhausted, feeling defeated and well, in a lot of pain. We decided it was time to give it another shot... third time's the charm, right? We headed to the hospital and were so excited to learn I was 6cm. So excited that I cried tears of relief and pain all at the same time.

They admitted me and I ended up getting an epidural at midnight when I was 8cm. Things moved pretty quickly from there on out. My contractions were finally consistent at 1-2 minutes apart and my water broke. Around 3:10am on Saturday, I told the nurse I felt the baby coming. Sure enough, she was ready to make her big debut and came so quickly that the midwife couldn't get there in time. Our nurse, Racheal, delivered Laylin at 3:28. The ironic thing about our nurse is that her name is Racheal, just like my mother and they both spell it the same unique way. Neither one of them had ever met another Racheal that spelled their name that way. I thought  this was so cool.

After 3 big pushes, they laid Laylin up on my chest and it was one of the sweetest moments of my life. It was so intimate. It was just the nurses, Joel, Laylin and me. I held Laylin in my arms for a few hours before we even weighed her or did any of the other required stuff. She barely even cried.  She has been so content since her arrival. We feel incredibly blessed to have such a special, healthy, tiny girl.

Big sister, Isla, was the first visitor. She came to see her around 10am on Saturday and we explored Laylin together. Isla especially loved her tiny feet and toes. Because we had such a smooth delivery, we got to come home on Sunday at 11am. Isla was there waiting to welcome her baby sister home. She has been very excited about being a big sister and helping take care of her little sister. Besides occasionally wanting me to hold her when I'm holding Laylin, she's been adjusting very well. Her sweet heart is so refreshing and I can tell these girls are going to be lifetime best friends.

It's been a while...

Since I'm also blogging over at The Mommies, it has been a little more challenging to post my thoughts on here. I've had so many precious moments with Isla lately that I've wanted to jot down on paper so that I don't forget, but between work, motherhood, being a wifey and just plain being 40 weeks pregnant, I haven't had the time.

Isla is in the cutest stage now if I haven't told you already. She is having big girl conversations and saying the sweetest things. She has been praying for her pink ball nearly every night for a week now. I think she is concerned because it is dirty and I keep telling her I need to clean it. She also started praying for her paci since we have been trying to slowly persuade her to give it up. She prays for Joel and I, her sissy... (which we aren't sure where the phrase "sissy" came from because we have been calling baby #2 her little sister) and her cousins at night too.

She likes to talk to her sissy in my belly right now too. This morning she even disciplined her for the first time. I was walking around and the baby kicked me in an uncomfortable spot so I yelled out..."Ohhh!"

Isla responded, "You okay, mommy?" In a very concerning voice. I told her I was fine that it was just her baby sister moving around and kicking. Isla then lifted up my t-shirt, looked straight at my stretched belly and said... "No, no baby <insert baby's name>. Don't kick my mommy. That's not nice. Time-out!"

It was all I could do to keep from laughing. I squeezed her so tight. She has been giving the best hugs and squeezes lately and always so excited to see her dad and I if she has been away from us for any length of time.

I think she is going to do really well with the baby. She loves babies and doesn't seem to mind when I hold other children. I know there will be an adjustment period, but she is already so excited about the thought of a baby.

We have decked out the nook under our stairs with babydolls and babydoll furniture along with her other play things. We turned the unused space into a play area for her and she loves it! Of course, she always wants me to go in the tight space with her and sit down in the floor to play... or even lay down in the floor so that she can pretend to be my mommy and pat my back.

She's a constant reminder of one of my greatest purposes on this earth and we feel so blessed He entrusted us with such an awesome toddler!

Baby #2 is officially due tomorrow. We are as ready as we'll ever be and I'm looking forward to it finally being time as I've had so many false alarms in the past few weeks. These last weeks have been hard for me. I can't seem to get comfortable and sleep is no where to be found, but I'm trying to enjoy these last few days of pregnancy in case this happens to be our last child. We don't know what the future holds for our family, but we sure are grateful for today and the growth He has blessed us with!