Lily has arrived!

On Saturday, August 2, I had such a normal day.  I walked Max, then got dressed and ran errands - a mani, pedi, and hair cut- my last day of pampering before Lily arrived.  When I got home from errands, I was a bit nauseated and feeling a little weak.  I laid down for a while, and I felt better when I got up.  However, I started thinking about my day and began to wonder if my water had broken that morning.  I guess I expected this breakage to be super obvious, but it really wasn't.  I really didn't think that's what happened, but I couldn't get the idea out of my head.  Strother and I ordered Italian food from his favorite place, and after dinner, I decided I would call the hospital, tell them what I was experiencing, and see what they said.  The nurse said there was no way to know except for coming in, so Strother and I got ready to head to the hospital!

He was so funny while he was getting ready.  Just in case this was the real thing, he wanted to be dressed well when he met Lily for the first time.  It probably took him longer to choose what to wear than to pack his bag!

On the way to the hospital, Strother was so hyper.  He was blasting music, dancing, and taking selfies.  We were so sure we would be coming back home that night that we even discussed how long it would take; it was around 7:45, so we figured we'd be home by at least 11, 11:30.

When we got to the hospital and the nurse checked me out, she said nope, you're not going home tonight!  Turns out my water had broken that morning while I walked Max!  I had gotten a mani, pedi, and hair cut all while I was technically in labor!

We called our families and let them know we were there.  Of course, even though we told them not to rush, they all got there as quickly as possible.  Strother's parents, my Mom and Don, and Nate came and waited all night for little Lily!

I was pretty comfortable for a while.  I played on my phone, read my book, visited with the family, and wasn't experiencing much pain at all.  It was about 2 or 3 am before I felt any sort of pain.

At 10 am on Sunday, August 3, it was time to start the delivery process.  It ended up lasting about two and a half hours.  It was super difficult for me, but Strother made the best coach.  He was much more involved than he'd expected to be.  He said it lasted so long that he just got used to the idea and started helping the nurse wherever he could.  I think he enjoyed himself.

Finally, at 12:36 pm, little Lily appeared at 7.1 pounds and 20 inches long!  I was so exhausted and worn out,  but so thankful to hear that little wail and very relieved that it was over!  The nurses quickly cleaned her off and then laid her on my chest for bonding time that they call "skin to skin."  Strother and I immediately decided she looked a lot like him when he was a baby.  She even has a little dimple in her chin like him.

The rest of our hospital stay was great.  The nurses and staff were amazing.  They were so attentive and kind, and they took such good care of all of us.  Our hospital encourages "rooming in," which just means keeping the baby in our room at night instead of sending her to the nursery.  Her first night was great; she woke up for feeding and then went right back to sleep.  The second night was much harder; she wasn't interested in sleeping at all!  I finally got a little rest while Strother stayed up with her, and then they brought her to the nursery for her assessment.  I was devastated that she was gone, but Strother was able to rest during this time.

We were discharged almost exactly 48 hours after her birth.  It was definitely a strange feeling to leave the hospital with her!  I rode in the backseat with her on the way home, and Strother drove a little slower than usual.