Evangeline's Birth Story

I'm finally getting around to writing this... It's been over 3 weeks since our baby girl Evangeline was born but it's taken me that long to find the words to her birth story. For the first few days, I couldn't even talk about it without bursting into tears! Something about all the crazy hormones that are rushing through your body....

So here goes: It started with what felt like the longest week of my life! We hit the "due date" which of course is just an estimate. Even though I knew that, I still felt very disappointed when that day came and went with no sign of labor whatsoever. Each day after that felt like an eternity- a large, waddling, swelled-foot eternity. We did our best to just keep busy and enjoy our last baby-free days (oh man, thinking back those days were AMAZING!). We went to a Fall party at a friend's farm, we went on several long walks, we had dinner with our parents, and even went on a day trip to Stillwater to go antiquing. Besides a few contractions one evening, I had no signs of labor whatsoever.

Then, exactly a week after she was due, I woke up at 2:30 one morning in the middle of a really strong contraction. I bolted up in bed, partly due to the pain and partly from sheer joy. I went in the bathroom and gripped the counter as another contraction hit me. Oh wow, I thought, that's rather painful. I knew it was the real deal, but I waited a few more contractions before I woke up Josh. Finally, I had the confidence to go in and shake him awake. "Honey," I said, "I just had three 'Oh S$#%" contractions!" (pardon my French...). He shot straight up and went into hospital-mode. By 4 am, we were in the Labor and Delivery room and I was having contractions 3-4 minutes apart. It's funny that before I was concerned that my body didn't know how to go into labor, boy was I wrong! Once labor started there was no messing around, it was "go" time! The nurse who checked me in asked me if I wanted an epidural right away and that shocked me, I had imagined it would be hours before I could get one. I decided to wait for a while to make sure that it wouldn't slow down the labor. My parents arrived shortly after we got to the hospital. My mom was going to be in the room for the delivery and my dad was going to wait in the waiting room for the good news.

By 6 am, my contractions were literally on top of each other. I decided to stop being a martyr and get that epidural. It took the nurse 15 minutes (and probably 15 pokes with that darn needle) to get an IV in my arm, and I still have the bruise to prove it! Once the anesthesiologist gave me the epidural, the pain from my contractions literally melted away. I had the perfect epidural! I went from crying in pain with every contraction to not feeling them at all. However, I could still feel my legs and move them! I actually felt better being in labor than I had felt during the last week of my pregnancy. I know that there are many people with strong feelings about natural labor, but I'm here to say that medical intervention can be a wonderful thing! It allowed me to rest and actually enjoy part of the labor experience. I told my mom at one point that I felt like I was cheating! Don't worry, that feeling did not last...

Some people worry that epidurals can slow down the labor process, but that was not the case for me. In fact, I think it made my body dilate faster because I was more relaxed. By 9:50 am, I was feeling the urge to push (yup, I still felt that even with the epidural!). Our amazing labor nurse, Stephanie, told me that I could start pushing. My doctor was outside the room working on paperwork, and I remember wondering why she wasn't coming in... apparently the doctors really like to wait until the last minute. Well, I had no idea how much work was ahead of me. After pushing for an hour, I started to get a little concerned. I felt like I was not making any progress at all and I was starting to get really exhausted. Dr. P would come in occasionally and every time she left again my heart would sink. After two hours, I was even more exhausted and I started feeling like my body was going to explode. The pressure was so intense that it was becoming incredibly painful. I didn't feel like I was cheating anymore. Finally, Dr. P came in to stay and a couple of other nurses and a resident came in as well. By that point, I was in so much pain and feeling so much pressure that I really didn't care who was there I just wanted that baby out. I kept begging the doctor to get the baby out. I was so tired and felt like my body was shutting down. She just told me to keep pushing and that she knew I could do it. Josh was by my side the entire time, and he encouraged me through every single push! I don't know what I would have done without him there.

By the third hour of pushing, I was really freaking out. I literally had panic attacks in between each contraction and felt like I was going to die. At one point, I was sobbing and begging Dr. P to do something, and the resident (Dr. Elizabeth) actually started crying too! On a side note- I wanted to hug her, she was a huge sweetheart and so encouraging. She held my leg for a good hour and kept encouraging me with every push. I'm so glad that she was there for the delivery! Finally, after over 3 hours of pushing Dr. P said that the baby was past the pelvic bone and if I wanted an episiotomy that might speed things up. I think that was the most emphatic "YES" I have ever spoken in my life! Once again, medical intervention was my best friend; she made a very small incision and it was all I needed to get the baby out. I pushed 3 more times and Evangeline was born! I was sobbing from relief when they placed her in my arms, and looked at Josh and just said "It's finally over!" Evie was crying so loudly, but it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. She was all purple and her poor little nose was smushed from being in the birth canal so long, but she was absolutely exquisite. I remember being worried before giving birth that somehow my baby would get mixed up with someone else's and we would bring the wrong baby home (don't you love those irrational fears?), but once I saw her I knew that that was impossible because she was definitely my baby.

One of the most amazing moments of my life was seeing Josh hold our daughter for the first time. He instantly became the best father I have ever seen (but I'm a little biased, I know). He cut the cord and took her in his arms and everything just felt right. I don't remember him ever being awkward or uncomfortable with her; from changing diapers to holding her and soothing her he seemed to know exactly what to do at any given moment.

The weeks since her birth have been the most difficult, wonderful, emotional, beautiful, and incredible times of my life. I think I have shed enough tears to flood the Mississippi, tears of frustration and tears of joy, and even tears for no particular reason at all. It has definitely been difficult, but it's also been wonderful. I still can't believe sometimes that I'm a Mother, what a crazy thought! Somehow watching Josh become a father has made my love for him grow in leaps and bounds, and every time I see my sweet little girl my heart just overflows with love. I would have pushed for 10 hours for her, and even now I would do it all over again for her because she's my daughter and I'm her Mama. Now, I just have to remind myself of that when I'm up at 2:00 in the morning...

Ok, that was a lot of words! Now, for a lot of photos: 

 (Just arrived at the hospital, in between contractions)

 (Mom and Dad)

Evie is born! 

Grandma Ruthie

Auntie Elsie (my sister)

Uncle Kyle (Elsie's hubby)

Josh's parents

Meeting Uncle Iain

 One day old! 

My cousin Liesel just sent me a package with a sweet baby gift (and some lipgloss and eyeshadow for me, how wonderful is that?) and she also put a beautiful verse in there for encouragement. It's Psalm 62:5-8 "For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in Him at all times, O people, pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." So many times the blessings we receive can be overshadowed by what we see as hardship. Even though giving birth and becoming a parent are extremely difficult things, they are also miraculous and full of blessings. We prayed for a baby for years, and now she is finally here!

Precious New Arrival

It is my great joy to announce that our baby girl has finally arrived! Evangeline (Evie) Grace was born this past week. She weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and is 21 inches long. Since our house has been a bit chaotic lately, I only have a few cell phone pictures but at least you can see our little angel!

Here she is, at about 1 hour old.

I had been scheduled to go in for an induction on Thursday, but thankfully I went into labor naturally on Wednesday morning. It was about 11 hours from the first contraction until the time she was born! I think I will probably write up a birth story at some point (once I can think about it without bawling...). 

Here she is snugged into her carseat, getting ready for the journey home. She slept the whole way there! 

Our first family photo is on the camera, and I don't have a way to access it right now but I will be sure to update with more pictures soon!  

The first couple days home were really rough. Breastfeeding was a huge challenge at first, and it still continues to be a difficult learning process. It was so hard to see her struggle to get enough to eat. Thankfully, we turned a corner in the past day or so and it has been a lot better. There really is no way to completely mentally prepare for a first child! I had no idea how difficult (and traumatic) the birth experience could be, not to mention the rollercoaster of emotions that follow. Thankfully Josh has been the most amazing husband and father- he is tireless in caring for Evie and I and has so much patience. Watching him become a father just makes me fall even deeper in love. I'm just in awe of our beautiful baby and what a joy it is to have the privilege of taking care of such a sweet little person.

Mini Maternity Photo Shoot

Thanks to my sister's boyfriend, David, Josh and I were able to squeeze in a little maternity-photo shoot this weekend. It was actually completely unplanned, but when Josh and I realized on Sunday morning at church that we were wearing matching black and white outfits, the camera was in the car, and David (an awesome photographer) was there it just seemed to be the perfect thing to do!

It was the perfect weather- beautiful sun shining and yet not too hot (really important at this stage in pregnancy!). We took these at the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. Hope you enjoy!

The Waiting Game

We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of our little girl... she could technically come any day now! Of course, I'm impatient and I am starting to feel like I will be pregnant forever. 

Everything is ready- the car seat is installed, the bassinet is waiting by our bed, and her closet is stocked with adorable, girly outfits.

Everyone is remarking that the baby has "dropped"- and she definitely has! Bathroom breaks come a lot more frequently now, but I can finally eat a real meal again! It's funny to see how her changing positions affect the way my body functions so much. Here's a lovely photo taken in our messy closet, I look super crabby because, well, I was super crabby. It's like 90 degrees here every day, and my feet have swelled up like flotation devices! Everyone loves a cranky pregnant lady, right?

I'm not working anymore, so my days are filled with house cleaning, hospital bag packing, and some Netflix thrown in for good measure. My mother-in-law came to visit last week and brought a wonderful surprise for the baby; she made this gorgeous baby blanket! She had seen my blog post here where I had put up a picture of a similar blanket (but really had no hope for ever owning, since I can't crochet!), and decided to make one using our colors instead. Isn't she amazing! I smile every time I see it.

I also had a sweet surprise from one of my former voice students and her family- they went up to Grand Marais (where Josh and I honeymooned 3 years ago) for a family vacation and brought back my favorite pie in the whole world, Bumbleberry Pie from Betty's Pies. It's like a 6 hour drive there, so needless to say I haven't had a slice for over 3 years. It was heavenly! 

So even though the waiting is hard, there are lots of things to be thankful for. Soon enough I will be able to hold this little one, and life will be plunged into beautiful chaos. So for now I will keep my feet up, and my spirits lifted in anticipation!

Nursery Reveal- Vintage Coral

I'm so excited to finally share the nursery photos! It's been a labor of love, but definitely a fun project. Up top you can see the view as you walk in through the door. We had kind of a small space to deal with, which made furniture placement interesting. We may move stuff around, we'll see!

The crib was a Craigslist find- I love the sleigh-bed design. Josh repainted it white to make it more fresh and clean.

 
Two cuddly friends are waiting to be loved on- a cute knitted puppy from Josh's aunt (handmade!) and a jellycat stuffed bunny (softest stuffie EVER!).

I made the crib skirt- it was super easy and is basically a finished panel of fabric that we clipped (using regular ol' office butterfly clips no less) to the mattress frame. So easy! Now the space under the crib is hidden so we can use it for extra storage! 

On the other side of the room we have our IKEA chair, the comfiest chair in the world, with a footstool from Target, lamp from Target, a hand-made baby blanket, and a cute pillow made by yours truly. 

I really love how the pillow turned out- I made it with vintage fabric I inherited from my Grandma and sewed on some pretty blue flowers for decoration. 

The lamp, as I mentioned before, was from Target. The base matched the vintage curtains perfectly, and I spruced up the shade with some white trim I found at Wal Mart. 

The changing table was another Craigslist find (10 bucks! Yowza!) that I repainted and fitted with some cute baskets from Michaels and Joanne Fabrics. The print is a map of Paris showing all of the monuments. We found it at a cute little boutique where they were using it as wrapping paper, so we got the print for $4. 

I found these two hooks at Joanne Fabrics a few months ago. It's fun to display some of her little outfits- the dress on the left is from Baby Gap and the little sweater is hand knit from my mother-in-law's friend. The shirt on the right was given to me by my aunt, it was hand-made and embroidered in Italy!

Ok, now, on to my absolute favorite part of the room. The dresser. You guys, this thing used to be seriously ugly. It was Josh's boyhood dresser that he painted (sorry Honey) but it was just past it's prime. So Josh removed all the old paint, and I repainted it in coral to match the footstool. 

 

After I painted it, I stenciled on the vines using a shimmery gold paint. I seriously love how the stencil turned out- it was my first time doing that and I had my doubts at first but it ended up being so easy and made such a big difference! 

The pretty glass knobs were an Etsy find, and I think they really make the dresser pop! 

On top of the dresser, I put some little vintage shoes (worn by several generations of the women in my family, including myself!). Aren't they adorable? I can't wait for her to wear the ruffly white ones...

I found this little chair in my parent's basement, it was mine growing up and I used it for my American Girl Dolls. The bears were a gift to me for being the flower girl in my Aunt's wedding when I was two! 

 I had to put my milk-glass vases with bamboo in them on the windowsill. They just fit the vintage vibe of the room so well!

Another view of the top of the changing table- My mother in law made the beautiful sweater and hat set, and I made some burp-cloths in pretty fabric because I think that everything deserves to be beautiful. Even things that are meant for baby puke. 

So, there is our little nursery tour. It's been fun getting this space ready. I still have a bit left to do, but at least it is mostly done! Especially since the next thing on my list is packing the hospital bags- this baby will be here before we know it!