Sierra's Birth Day

We woke up at 5:30 am and confirmed with the hospital (EIRMC in Idaho Falls) that we were still on for our 7:00 am induction. They said yes so we got ready and hit the road. I have to say that it was so nice to drive to the hospital without panic or fear (like we did with Jaden) and just thinking about the exciting day ahead of us. We arrived right on time and parked in the special "Stork" spot. 

I got all hooked up to the monitors and we listened to our baby girl's heartbeat for a while. By 8:00 am I was started on pit and by 9:00 am my doctor broke my water. It was crazy how fast they got the show on the road!! 

This is my nurse. She was AWESOME!!

I brought pictures of Jaden to keep by my bed so I could see my cute boy's face. Joanna, my neighbor who watched Jaden, also texted me pictures of him throughout the day which really helped me to feel that he was right there even though he was away from us.

I wore my "lucky" expectant mother socks. :)

Seth and I have a little tradition of exchanging presents while I am in labor. It is a fun way to celebrate the birth of a child, to express our love and appreciation for each other, and to help the time pass.

Seth got me a beautiful heart-shaped necklace! Love it!

 A nice new pillow...

My favorite treat...

A coupon book with all kinds of great favors and pampering coupons...

...and a super sweet letter! Seth sure does know how to make me feel loved!! Thank you sweetheart!!!

I got Seth a "Daddy's Hospital Snack Attack" bag with all kinds of treats.

And a book called "Father to Daughter, Life Lessons for Raising a Girl." He read about half the book out loud before Sierra was born and we laughed and smiled and enjoyed the little gems of wisdom. It really has some great advice.

I also got him a big book with lots of princess stories for him to read to his little princess.

And last, I got him a pink shirt that says "Proud New Daddy." He wore it with pride.

I love the look on Seth's face in this picture as he thinks about his little girl being placed in that warmer.

Another thing we did to pass the time was make guesses on Sierra's time of birth, her height and weight. My sister Dalyn came the closet in most categories. 

Soon the contractions were hitting pretty hard so I asked for an epidural about 10:30. Yay for great pain relief drugs! :)

Shortly after I got the epidural, my blood pressure dropped and I started to feel nauseous and really hot. Seth fanned me off until the nurse got there. She gave me some oxygen and soon I was feeling back to normal again. Other than that, the rest of my labor went off without a hitch and I felt great.

My doctor came to check on me about 12:30. I was dilated to a 7 at that point. He left to check on a few other patients and then came back about 20 minutes later. He said I was going to have the baby right now and that it would only take 2 pushes!  Holy Cow! It's time!!! Although I didn't believe him at all because with Jaden I pushed for over an hour! 

Seth got suited up because he got to deliver Sierra!!

It took only one contraction and three pushes and Sierra was born! So easy! Seth was able to deliver her and was so excited to be the first person to hold her! She was born at 1:03 pm and started crying immediately! Love that sound! I couldn't help but cry tears of joy as I saw my beautiful baby girl. 

Meeting my little princess!

Seth got to cut the cord.

Welcome to the world Sierra!

Proud parents..

Seth and Sierra..

My dad meeting his new little granddaughter...

My mom and sister were present during the birth and my dad waited outside. I enjoyed having them there during our special day.

While the nurses were tending to Sierra, we had a toast with "Sierra Mist" pop. :)

She found her thumb already! Too Cute! She weighed 6 pounds 7 ounces and was 19.5 inches tall. I love that she has lots of dark hair too!

Seth giving Sierra her first bath. He was able to do it right in the same room, which was great since I got to watch.

Love these toes!

All dressed in a cute outfit!

Love my little girl!

My dad and Sierra...

Mom and Sierra...

My sister Dalyn and Sierra..

In the evening, Joanna brought Jaden to see us and meet his little sister. I was excited to see him, although he wasn't sure about what was going on. Seth put him on the bed with me and he started crying. It was kinda funny actually.

So we brought out a present for him so he knew how special and loved he was. He was excited to get a new ball. 

We got him a "Big Brother" book and I enjoyed reading that with him. 

He also got a new t-shirt. 

Jaden warmed up to Sierra a little bit. Here is Seth showing him her toes. :)

Before he left, he even gave her a kiss!

On day two, the nursery did Sierra's hair and made her look all pretty!

So sweet. She has such perfect skin. 

I love this picture of her! So alert and beautiful.

 We only stayed one night in the hospital because I was feeling great and Sierra was doing well.  We ate the "Stork" dinner and then we were ready to go. 

Taking baby home! Yay!

So stinkin cute! Love her!

Sierra's birth was perfect! I couldn't have asked for a better labor and delivery experience. I am absolutely amazed at how well I feel physically and emotionally. Such a blessing!! I'm also absolutely THRILLED with how well Sierra is breastfeeding!!!! She latched on right from the start and has a super strong suck. I was so worried about going through the same feeding issues that I did with Jaden, but this has been a completely different experience! She is gaining weight and is nursing like a champ. HURRAY!! 

We are so blessed to have Sierra in our family! Love you baby girl!