The birth story and overload pictures of James!

The birth story:
Warning this has a lot of details. I love other people's birth story with lots of details. So, if you don't like details don't read. Well, I went in to be induced at 5:45am on Thursday. Sam and my mom were with me. When I got there I was already dilated to a 2 and had contractions 7 mins apart. I got started pretty quickly on pitocin. I told my nurse that I wanted an epidural and as soon as the anesthesiologist came in to let him know. By the way, my nurse was an angel. I loved her! At 8am my dr came and broke my water. It didn't hurt. I was afraid it was going to. My dr. was still there and in walked the anesthesiologist. He asked if I was ready for my epidural. I told him that I wasn't in any pain yet. He told me that he was about to go into a c-section and that after he was done with that there would be probably be about 6 girls who all wanted their epidurals at the same time. I asked my dr. what I should do and he said that I should go ahead a get it. So, I did. The anesthesiologist was a German guy with a very thick accent. Anything he would say to me my nurse would repeat for me to understand and then I would do it. Sam watched him put the epidural in me. It wasn't bad. The epidural took effect pretty quickly. Around 8:30 they gave me some anti-nausea meds. For some reason that stuff made me crazy tired. I physically couldn't keep my eyes open. So, I feel asleep until 12!! When I finally woke up they checked me and I was dilated to an 8. Yep, I slept through the majority of my labor!! Then my dad arrived and we all just chatted and hung out. About 2:45 I started to feel major pressure like I needed to push. My discomfort went from a 0 to a 9 in about 5 mins. The nurse checked me and I was all dilated and effaced. I said goodbye to my parents because I knew it wouldn't be long before I had this baby. My nurse said that he was still kind of high in the birth canal. I had two options, I could either wait and just breathe through the contractions and and let him come down naturally or I could push. The pressure was too much and too many tears-I wanted to push. The nurse said if I pushed that it would take about an hour. I pushed for almost an hour and then they called the dr. to come in. The nurse kept on telling me how much hair my baby had! When the dr. got there we went through a few rounds of contractions and he repeatedly told me how it was going to be a big baby! A few more rounds of contractions and he said if I didn't push him out in the next few contractions that he would have to use the vacuum on him to suck him out. I did NOT want that so I was even more determined to push harder. The dr. then said that I was going to have him in the next contraction but that my baby had big shoulders and that I just needed to push out his head and then when he told me to stop pushing I needed to do so because 2 of the nurses were going to press as hard as they could on my stomach to pop out his shoulders. Yikes! What was I going to do the contraction was going to come in 2 mins and there was nothing I could do about it! So, he said push and I did and then stop and the 2 nurses straight armed pushed as hard as they could on my belly. Next, the nurses were yelling at me to open my eyes! I finally did and he was here!!!!! I started bawling like a baby! The dr. laid him on me and couldn't believe that he was here and mine forever! He was perfect! Sam cut the umbilical cord. The dr. cleaned and stitched me up. Yep, I had an episiotomy. My parents came in. We were all unbelievably happy. It truly is a miracle!As it was all getting started.
Hard at labor!
James and Dr. Lampkin. Love him.
My amazing nurse, Bridget. If you live in Lubbock, have your baby at Covenant. I couldn't believe how great all the staff was.

Things I have learned in James' first week of life:
-He is the cutest kid on the planet!! I can hardly stop myself from kissing him all day!
-He loves having his hands up by his face. No matter how tight we swaddle him he will figure out a way to wiggle his hands free. He will even go so far as to pull his arm inside his shirt and bring it through the collar of his shirt so he can have his hands up by his face. He is Houdini!
-He is our little teapot! Before he starts crying he does this super high pitched squeal. It sounds like a teapot. Tea's on!
-He HATES to sleep in the night!!! This has been fun for mom and dad!!
-He has the greatest spikey hair! No matter what we do it just sticks straight up in the back! When we slick it down and put a part in it we think that he looks like a used car salesman! He gets this hair from his mom.
-We don't know who he looks like. We think he might have his own look and maybe a little like me.
-Nursing is not for the weak!!! YIKES!!!

I was soo glad that my parents were able to be here for James' birth and to stay and help us. My dad was able to stay a few days and my mom stayed for a week. My mom flew home last night. I cried like a baby the whole way home. She helped us soo much. We didn't lift a finger the whole time she was here. She also shared her advice and encourgement. If there was one thing that I knew for sure while growing up it was that I knew my mom loved me, I was her number one priority, and that she would do anything for me. I hope I will show James I feel that same way as he grows up. If I am half the mom that my mom is I will consider myself a success. Thank you mom for everything. I miss her already.


Overload of James pictures in no particular order:

First bath and was NOT happy!

See, he loves his hands up by his face!!

First outfit

First time in car seat.