Into the world he comes...

S~So it is 5:00am and I am up, not with Simon, he is sound asleep, but with Clare. Doesn't she know we need our sleep??? So we got home yesterday early afternoon and are now trying to find our routine again. It's funny, but you would think after having two kids already this would be a lot easier, but it is still hard to get everything in order. Oh well, who needs order? So as promised, here are the dirty little details and some pictures as well.

Teresa and I went into the hospital on April 30th about 1:30 pm. Teresa had not been feeling well the last couple of days so we thought it was time. We went in and they checked her and she was in early stages of labor - she had dilated to about 2 cm and was 75% effaced. They started her on Pitocin and then about 6:30pm broke her water. Then things started to really get moving. Teresa and I really wanted a different kind of birth experience this time. For Jamie and Clare's births, it was a real social event with all our family present in the room until the pushing started then it was just the moms. As nice as that was, we were looking for something a little more quiet and relaxed. Teresa really wanted to go without any pain medication so the relaxation was going to be a big factor. So we had the lights down low and a lot of Josh Groban and George Winston coming out of the IPOD. She used the birthing ball at first and then as things started to intensify she did some laboring in the tub (something she wanted to do for both Jamie and Clare's births but never got the chance). About 10:30 she transitioned into hard labor, by 11:30 she really wanted to push but when the doctor checked her she was only about 7cm.


As a side note here I have to tell all of you how Teresa continues to amaze me and how proud I am of what she did. The amount of pain I saw her go through and how she was able to focus herself in between contractions, how she was able to handle the pain. She is a truly an amazing woman and I am so lucky to have her.

This is where things got intense, her need to push was still there however she was not yet fully dilated. For those of you who remember with Clare, she never fully dilated, and Clare was born when she was only about 7cm. She labored for another an hour and a half. Even though she told us after every contraction she didn't think she could do it any more when the next contraction came she was as focused as if it was the first. At about 1:00am she told us she needed to push. We were all getting a little nervous at this point because during every contraction we watched the heart rate drop from 140 (normal child heart rate) to down in the 90's then the 60's. Once we got the go ahead from the doctor to start pushing, Teresa was all business. In three good pushes Simon was out. The problem with his heart rate was caused by the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.

So Simon Joseph is here and is wreaking havoc on our family but we couldn't be happier. Jamie just loves his little brother and it is so sweet to see him concerned for him when he cries, or go over and give him kisses upon kisses. It will be interesting to see how the two bond as they grow older. They might be spitting images of each other because Simon looks so much like Jamie.

We were really interested to see what Clare thought of the new baby. She is so attached to Teresa. We were really nervous that a jealousy factor would kick in. When she first met him she was more curious than anything else, what is that strange thing all bundled up??? When we brought him home she really warmed up to him. She calls him Baby and likes to pat him on the head. So I think she will be fine.

So we are now a party of five. It is a little strange, but really nice.