Welcome Keilie!

Our sweet Keilie is finally here!  Keilie (pronounced Key-lee) Ann joined our family at 2:19 in the morning of May 7th.  She was due May 8th and since our other babies had come early, (Kennadie was 2 weeks early and very fast) we had anticipated this girl's arrival earlier as well.  

My mom was nice enough to come out two weeks early so that she would be able to be here whenever we had to rush off to the hospital.  We are so grateful for all the help she's given us and the kiddos LOVE having grandma here.  Because our other kids came early I made sure I was ready this time. We'd been completely ready for her to come for two weeks which made the waiting game very long.  I know I shouldn't complain about going full term but this was the longest I've been pregnant and since I wasn't expecting it I was going crazy near the end.  To make matters worse I, for the first time, had false labor symptoms often.  I would start having regular contractions for a couple of hours but sure enough every time I would start packing for the hospital my labor would stop, frustrating!  On May 6th I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning and we decided that an induction was the way to go.  Baby was definitely healthy, I was dilated to a 3 (which is also unusual for me) and we wanted a more controlled situation after Kennadie's crazy arrival.  It was so strange for us to just show up to the hospital without me being in pain and just say ‘hi we’re ready to have a baby.’ To tell the truth I really liked it, everything was so relaxed and I didn't have to answer annoying questions or sign papers while being in a lot of pain.  It did seem to take forever to get things going.  Once they hooked me up to some monitors, the nurses were surprised that I was already having some good contractions but that they weren't regular.  I was not surprised.  I’d been feeling these contractions for weeks now.  Around 10 pm my doctor gave the okay to have the resident break my water and then things started to progress.  I was very thankful to not have to do pitocin to get the contractions going.  It didn't take too long for my contractions to be regular and painful. I had decided in advance that if possible I wanted to get an epidural and that was all taken care of and working by midnight.  From 12:00 am to 1 Keith and I tried to rest, Keith was even able to sleep.  This was so very different than my other labor experiences that it almost didn’t feel real.  I could still feel the contractions in one spot on my left side but the pain wasn’t too bad.  A little after 1 am the pain in that side was getting stronger and more frequent so I knew we were getting close.  It wasn't long until I felt the pressure and the need to push so they checked me and sure enough I was dilated to a 10.  They called my doctor who rushed to the hospital and made it in time to coach me through my easiest delivery yet. Just a few pushes and she was here. The problem was that the cord was wrapped around her neck which Keith quickly assisted in cutting before she was completely born. 

Immediately after she was born they placed her on me and I was overcome with relief, happiness and intense love.  I will never be able to explain what it’s like to fall in love so quickly with a new little one.  Because the cord had been around her neck she came out very purple and then quickly turned white. I was only able to hold her for a few brief seconds before they took her to make sure everything was ok.  She didn’t cry right away and what a relief it was to finally hear those first screams after they took her. (The picture above was taken when her color was starting to come back but it her hands were still very white.)

 After they got her all checked out and cleaned up, then we were really able to hold and cuddle our sweet girl.  She weighed in at 7 lbs and 4 oz and was 19.75 inches long, our smallest baby so far. 

 The next morning my mom brought the kids to the hospital to meet their new sister.  It was such a special experience to have us all together as a family and to see the kids reactions to Keilie.  

 I can't believe we are now a family of five! One of the first things Kennadie said to me was that she liked my pretty new green dress.  Doesn't she have a great taste!

Both of the kids are completely in love with this sweetie!

Grandma and Grandpa Shinney think she's pretty special as well and we're so thankful to have them here at this exciting time.

 On Wednesday afternoon we got to pack up and prepare to leave the hospital.  We are so thankful for the amazing doctors, nurses and staff who took care of us there.  It was a great experience!

 I'm head over heels for this sweet thing! I'm also feeling great, all things considered.  This was my easiest delivery, with no tearing and so my recovery has been quick and much better than with the others.

 This lucky girl has one proud daddy.

Our little Michigan baby waving goodbye to the hospital.