Spencer John

Spencer John was born at 4:55pm on Thursday, November 19. He weighed 8 pounds 6 oz. and was 21 inches long. He has light brown hair and very dark blue eyes--will they turn brown? He is a sweet, sweet baby who enjoys being loved by his older brother and sisters. They are pros at putting on hand sanitizer everytime before they hold him and only give him kisses on the top of his head.

I wanted to post pictures with this blog but I can't find where I unpacked the cords to do that. Pictures are forthcoming.

Randy and I went into North Bay Hospital in Fairfield at 7:30am. By 8:30am Dr. Fazio had inserted a pill inside me to help me contract. She said she wanted to induce me slowly as she felt that would be better for baby. She said she may need to insert a total of 4 pills every 4 hours. Since I came into the hospital only dialated to a 1, it looked like we had a LONG day ahead of us. Randy and I came prepared. He brought his laptop and we brought along all of our favorite sports movies--Rudy, Miracle, Hoosiers, Field of Dreams, Rookie, etc. By the time the doctor came back to examine me at 12:30pm, I had already taken a nap, watched Rudy, and had eaten a pretty decent lunch. Once she inserted that second pill, things really started happening. I can remember talking to the kids and my mom on the phone and at 1:30pm I had to say goodbye because the contractions were getting stronger. By 2pm, my water had broken on its own. When our awesome nurse, Amy--who just happens to live a few houses down from us, came to confirm that my water had broken, she also found some muconion (sp?), so she called in the on call neonatalogist to make sure he would be there for the birth. That neonatalogist just happened to be our stake president! I was feeling very well taken care of!

By 2:30pm I was at a 4 and ready for an epideural. Dear Dr. Walker couldn't find my spine. I had swollen so much during this pregnancy that I had edema of the spine! Who has ever heard of that! After 4 tries, he finally just put it in. Let me just say, I don't think the epideural ever took. My back still hurts from his tries and Randy says they are nowhere near my spine. Hmm. Oh, well.

From 4-4:55pm I was in transition. Oh the things I say to my sweet husband during transition! I felt the urge to push like nobody's business, but the nurses and doctor kept telling me I was only at a 7. Turns out I went from a 7 to a 10 in 5 minutes, but they didn't believe me until I begged them to please examine me again. When they did they all said, "Let's have a baby! Push away!" Spencer joined the world after only 3 pushes. Our stake president was there seeing me in all my glory. As soon as Spencer was born he said, "Happy Birthday, Spencer!" It was a wonderful moment.

Randy stayed beside Spencer's side for all of his measurements and weighing in and bath. I enjoyed watching father and son connect. Spencer nursed right away and before we knew it, we were on our way into the tiniest room ever! I have always been a strong believer in staying in the hospital for 2 days, but by Friday afternoon I was ready to leave! I learned I am claustrophobic if I don't have a window by my bedside to look out of, and I have to have the door open! It was a pleasure to arrive home Friday evening and feel like I could breathe once again.

By Saturday, Randy's parents came to meet their newest grandson and my Aunt Carol and Uncle Jerry came to plant me a winter garden in our garden spot. Wonderful.

My mom is helping me by taking the kids wherever they need to be, keeping the house clean, making our dinners, and making sure I get at least 2 naps a day. Thanks for coming, mom! However, on Tuesday night, my sisters Celeste and Ally drove up to pick up my mom and the kids for the rest of Thanksgiving week. My sister Keri and brother Craig and their families together with Ally and Celeste their families are all together at Celeste's new mansion and enjoying cousin time. I won't see my kids again until Saturday! Randy has been grading 4 tests and tons of homework from when he took time off to be with baby, and I have been enjoying the rest--and the chick flick DVD's Randy picked up for me at the library! By Saturday, I will be ready to see my kids again.

I'm so thankful Spencer is here safe and sound. I'm so thankful not to be pregnant anymore. This pregnancy was a hard one from beginning to end. I'm thankful for our new home, the kids new school, and especially for the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!