Ivy's birth day

It has been quite the 24 hours! Ivy decided to surprise us yesterday and we are so glad she did. Monday night the 16th I started feeling bad and having a few uncomfortable contractions, but nothing major. I put Ezra to bed, took a shower and was still able to sleep. The moment I woke up Tuesday morning I thought it could be the day that Ivy would come. Chad was getting off work and I texted him and told him that if he was going to the gym before he came home he better make it quick because I needed help getting Ezra ready for Superkids. Soon after Chad came home I started timing my contractions. From 7 a.m. to about 11 they were about 5-6 minutes apart. My doctor had told me that once my contractions were about 4 minutes apart I needed to head to the hospital. Well, they weren't yet obviously, but I still felt the urge to call the doctor's office. Oh, before I did that, I went and got my hair cut. I had an appointment and I knew they were just going to tell me to hold off on going in to the hospital, so I just went and got my hair cut, timing my contractions through the entire thing. My hair stylist said that was a first for her, but she is also a mom of three so I'm sure she wasn't too weirded out. Anyway, so I called the doctor on my way home at about 10:45, and sure enough they didn't think the contractions were close enough together or long enough to warrant going in, but the nurse said that if they did get stronger or longer then I needed to go in. So I went home. And called Emma, probably just to make sure I wasn't making a big deal out of nothing. Meanwhile I needed to hang up the phone because the contractions were hurting bad enough that I couldn't talk. I called mom too, to let her know that she might need to come, but not to get on the road yet. Then, I woke up Chad who had just gone to bed after working a 12 hour shift and being up all day the day before. I think I was kind of hoping that I was not in labor because I was going to feel really bad about waking up Chad. I waited until I really couldn't wait anymore...contractions were about 3 minutes apart, lasting about a minute each. So I woke him up and said "I think we need to go." We made arrangements for Ezra to be picked up from Superkids and where he would go afterwards, and off we went. By this time I started to be in a lot of pain. We got to L&D triage and I was so afraid the nurse was going to check me and say I was not in labor, just a few contractions, and to go back home. Luckily my doctor told me a little later that he would not have made me go home. Anyway, the nurse told me that I was dilated between a 5-6! I was so excited. I knew this meant we were going to get to meet our baby girl today. So they admitted me right away (but not before I informed my nurse in my triage room to go ahead and call the anesthesiologist for my epidural). I think I was admitted around 2. I'm not sure when the anesthesiologist got there but I think it was probably about an hour later. It was too long, whatever the amount of time was! Anyway, he finally showed up, got that big ol' wonderful needle in, and things went pretty quickly from there. My doctor showed up right after the epidural was placed to break my water and I was at about a 9. He went back over to his office for a few minutes, and then it was time to have a baby. I delivered Ivy after pushing for maybe about 7-10 minutes. It was the most perfect labor and delivery I could have asked for...and I even got to have her a few days early, something I never thought would happen. We are so thankful to God our Father who gave us a perfect, beautiful healthy baby and protected me and kept me safe through her delivery as well.

So now, what y'all are really waiting for...pictures! We had a good nurse photographer this time who knew how to use an SLR camera and get the pictures in focus so Chad and I weren't having to be the photographers. 

Check out that hair!

 Here she is! And there is my wonderful doctor, whom I will miss...he is quitting private practice in about two months.

 Daddy counting fingers...he said after she was born that he saw her hands at first and thought a finger was missing. I guess he is just triple-checking.

 Ezra meeting Ivy for the first time. He still doesn't know what hit him! He was looking over at the Parrishes, like "Who is this supposed to be?" It will be hard for him to share them with her.

 Not impressed, dad.

 This picture looks a lot like Ezra to me.

Taste and see that the LORD is good! blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8