He is Here!! :)

Dawson Grey Smith

Born on November 23, 2011 @ 5:24pm

8 lbs
21 inches
Healthy
...and SERIOUSLY ADORABLE!!!

Yes, I am just like any other mom that just sits and stares at God's beautiful blessing... amazed that he entrusted us with such a precious gift.

He is gorgeous.

He is snuggly.

He makes sweet noises when he sleeps...even if they do keep me up at night.

He is perfect.

*The Story*

After talking with the doctor, we decided to do an induction the day after my due date. I was nervous... scared... crying... a mess :) Excited.. of course!! I felt so ready to have this baby, however the reality of labor and all the "unknowns" seemed to send me into an emotional mess!

After changing into the hospital gown, I was on the hospital bed as they began asking me family history questions and what not. They started an IV just in case it would be needed during labor. I started feeling dizzy and attributed that to nerves. Then, I could tell I was going... and going fast. I passed out on the bed and I wasn't even in labor yet!!!!!!! This was not a good start.

After coming to, they did some additional blood work to see if they could determine what caused me to drop like a fly. In the mean time, they began the induction with citotec and then 4 hours later started on pitocin and shortly after broke my water. After that, things picked up fast! The contractions I was already having began to get much stronger. Then they delivered the news... because my platelet level was so low, they didn't know if they could do an epidural. WHAT>!?!? They decided to take blood again and retest it to see if the levels had come up. In the meantime, contractions were getting MUCH MUCH stronger and I was getting a little impatient (to say the least) while waiting to find out if I could get an epidural. I was ready for it, like yesterday, and needed to know if I should start mentally preparing myself for doing this thing or not!

My husband was AMAZING during this!! I seriously could not have done this without him! Offering ice chips and holding my hand through every contraction (as I squeezed the crud out of it), and gentle reminders not to clench my jaw and to breathe slow breaths.

Long story short- they FINALLY let me know that they would do the epidural, even though my numbers were still low. However- by this point I did not realize I was nearly 8 cm and would begin pushing shortly after. Needless to say, the epidural didn't have time to completely do it's job... and I felt A LOT , but I think it calmed me, mentally knowing I wasn't feeling all of it :)

3.5 hours of active labor and 8 minutes of pushing... Dawson Grey was here, healthy and beautiful. What an incredible feeling at the completion of delivery... seeing that PRECIOUS little being that was with me for 9 months. The little one whose hiccups I felt, whose tumbling routines woke me up at night. I even recognized the sharp point of his bony heels that I would see and feel poking my belly for the past several weeks. The little one that God, in His perfection and goodness, formed for His glory. One of my favorite mental "snapshots" was watching Justin beam over his little boy. What an awesome daddy he is!

"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. " - Psalms 139:13-14

So-- Sadly, it took me 2 weeks to announce his arrival to the blogworld...but frankly it has been 2 weeks of feeling good about getting my teeth brushed by dinner time. I didn't think you would mind ;)

First Family Picture :)


What does Sienna have to say about her baby brother?? That will be my next post.

Stay tuned though, she has some doosies!