Announcing the birth of Callie Madelyn!

I couldn't ask for a better delivery with Callie.  On Friday the 11th, I was able to clean all the bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen, garage, toy room, vacuum and dust, etc.  I felt ready for a new baby.  Jason thought it would be a good idea if I got on the treadmill to try to induce labor.  So I walked a couple miles, pretty slowly, but felt good! 

The next morning I woke up rested after a good sleep and immediately started noticing contractions.  After about an hour of clocking them at about 4 min apart we decided to get a babysitter and go the hospital.  Jason dropped Braden off at T-ball practice and I took a shower and got ready. We ended up getting at the hospital at about 10:00.  They started charting contractions and I checked my cervix.  I was dilated at a 4.  At around 11:00 the midwife told me I could either go home or get a room if I wanted to, she thought it might be best if I walked around and tried to get labor going more before I was admitted.  I told her I would prefer to go ahead and get a room.  I was originally thinking that I would like to have another natural delivery because Mackenzie's labor was so quick and recover was so great, but then I started to get scared that this labor might not go as quick and I might be in pain for much longer.  I did go ahead and get the epidural.  Previous experience with getting the epidural were not very good, one time I had the anesthesiologist pushing the needle through right during the middle of a contraction and yelling at me at the same time, another time the needle didn't go in right and I felt lots of shooting pain and it only numbed my legs!  This time was great, the anesthesiologist waited for contractions to end (and I had longer pauses between contractions than I did with other times because I wasn't on the pitocin) and there was no sharp pains.  It did take the edge off labor, although I was able to feel quite a bit still.  At 12:00, one hour after I was admitted, the midwife broke my water and I started pushing.  It took about 20 min. of pushing, I could tell she was bigger than the other kids and I felt like I couldn't push as effectively with the epidural but the pain was tolerable.  She also had one arm up next to her head as she came out.

At 12:20 Callie was born!  She was perfect!  7 lbs, 12 oz, 20 inches, our biggest baby. I thought at first she looked like Braden, then I thought Sadie, then I thought Mackenzie.  I really don't know who she looks most like but she definitely looks like she fits in our family! 

She didn't cry much, we had to coax her to cry.  She did suck on her hand right away and then fell asleep right away.  She must have been worn out! 

Jason went to get the kids and take the babysitter home.  Jason's parents went to get lunch for us.  The kids were so cute with Callie when they saw her for the first time.  Sadie and Braden were so excited they were smothering her with kisses and hugs.  Mackenzie looked scared of her at first and wouldn't go to her right away.  Then she decided it was ok after watching Sadie and Braden.  :)

Since at that time she didn't have a name yet, that night we finally narrowed it down to our two favorite choices:  Callie Madeline and Callista Abigail.  The name Callie is short for Callista.  One of our nurses actually had a daughter named Callisto, and one had a niece named Callista but went by Callie.  What are the chances of that!  We ended up with Callie Madelyn.  It seems to fit her perfectly!