Annie has arrived!

This picture was taken shortly after I was admitted to Redlands Community Hospital around 3pm on Friday, September 4th. We were so excited that Dr. Goo offered to keep me for induction even though I wasn't having contractions anymore. She knew that I lived an hour away and had other children at home, so she figured it was the best option for our family. She was right!!! Grandma Mary was already at home with Fischer and the girls, so it was the best bet for everyone.



My doctor (Dr. Beitel) had stripped my membranes the day before at my regular doctor appointment and I was dilated to a "3" at that time. My contractions started around 4pm on Thursday and were 5 minutes apart for a good 3-4 hours. We decided to go down the hill and stay in a hotel to be closer to the hospital for when active labor began. After we checked into our hotel room and I went to bed, the contractions stopped. I woke up at 5am on Friday with contractions 10 minutes apart, but they shortly subsided as well. We went to the hospital around noon before driving back to Victorville to wait for labor to begin when we got the good news we could stay.

My first nurse, Jackie, was fantastic. She and the entire staff treated us so well and didn't act like we were crazy for coming in early like most hospitals do. She started the Pitocin drip around 2:45pm and my contractions started within 30 minutes or so. They were bearable and I had done this three times before without any medication, so I knew I was doing well being dilated to a "6" without too much pain. Even though I knew I could make it through the whole labor going "au natural" again, I decided to try an epidural just to see what it was like. The anesthesiologist inserted the epidural around 5:30pm and I immediately quit feeling all pain. It was great!!! Unfortunately the trade-off was that labor subsided and I became frustrated with that. Then, Dr. Goo broke my water around 7:20pm to get things going and upped the Pitocin from 4ml to 6ml. I told her once I hit "7", I usually moved to a "10" within 30-40 minutes. She said she'd stick around and wasn't going anywhere.




The new nurse, Rosy, had to go next door to do another delivery, so Eva checked me 40 minutes later and said I was still a "6". I couldn't believe it because the pressure was so strong and I knew she was coming soon. Rosy showed up about 15 minutes after that and I told her I had to push. Sure enough, I was ready!!! She got the doctor and we began delivery. I pushed through one contraction to get Annie's head out and her body slid out during the second contraction without any effort. We all said "wow" because it was super fast.

Annie Kayleen Ray was officially born at 9:19pm on Friday, September 4, 2009 (on her due date). She weighed 7 lb. 3 1/2 oz. and was 20 inches long. She has a quiet disposition and is so sweet. She eats well every 2-3 hours and sleeps well in between feedings. Luckily, her sisters and the other household noises do not disturb her at all. She has adjusted well to her new life with our family and we are so blessed to be called her parents.

Fischer was in love and delighted with her from the minute he saw her. Gracie is a mother hen and wants to hold her all the time. She likes to burp her and look at her with adoring eyes. Chloe walks around and says "baby" all the time and "niiiice" while she focuses to "nicely" and "gently" touch her. She also likes to kiss her on the head a lot.

It has been a good few days and we are looking forward to raising this new beautiful baby girl. I can only hope we are the good parents that Annie deserves. I am so happy to be a new mommy and look to Heavenly Father for guidance and direction as I raise all four of my wonderful children!