Memories....

For the most part, I write this blog for my kids...someday, they will read it and learn so much! So, here are a few memories from the weekend Saylor was born, so I don't ever forget to tell her!
Dear Saylor, here are the best memories from when you were born!

* I went in for my weekly check on Thursday, September 8th - no change; no prediction of baby; time to schedule an induction for the following week.  They did ask me if I wanted to be induced the next day, Friday.  I told them no - Joe had forty-eleven closings at work and said it would be the worst day for him to be out of the office.
* That day, I was extremely tired and took a break from work to nap, which rarely happens.  And, I did have some contractions but nothing big.
* That night, I went out for pizza with my friends and worried the entire time that my water would break in the restaurant. My friend, Deb, actually had this happen to her, so we all made a pact that she would throw a pitcher of water all over my pants and I will act like I had just been spilled on, to spare me any embarrassment.
* I couldn't sleep that night so I was up until midnight, but at 4:30 a.m., I woke up with mild contractions, called the doctor and we went in to the hospital. Maddox was at an overnight with Carter; and we called Bobbi to come over to watch Joey.  We got to the hospital around 6 a.m. and checked in, knowing we could very well be sent home.
* I told Joe he better call work and let them know - just in case.  Nah, he said we'd probably be sent home- he wasn't worried about it. In my head, I knew we would not be sent home, but I was trying to control my nerves so I played along with him.
* They hooked me up to the machine, asked if I could feel any contractions and I said, "Yes, light ones- about 20-30 minutes apart" and the nurse said, "Oh, honey, they are about 6-8 minutes apart and you are in labor." And, I said, "So, we're not going home then?"  And, then Dr. Hansen walked in and broke my water in like 15 seconds - and it was game on.  Our nurse's name was Sheila, which I thought was a good omen since that was my mom's name. Sheila told me her shift was over at 3 p.m. and I said, "Oh, I hope I have a baby before you leave!" And, she said, "Well, I would think so! You're going to have this baby before noon hopefully!" And, that was like at 10 a.m.
* The epidural only took on one side so the doctor had to come back and re-do it a second time. 
* Joe called work and arranged someone to help him with his closings - and he went and got our bags from the car that we left there, because we thought we would be sent back home!
* After 7 pushes, Saylor was here!  When she was halfway out, Dr. Hansen said, "Whoa - chubby cheeks!!!" Dr. Hansen also delivered Joey, so it was great having her again!  As she came out, her shoulders got stuck and Dr. Hansen said, "I hope we don't have to break her collar bone, sometimes we have to do that." WHAT???? Anywho, turns out we didn't have to do that!
* She turned Saylor around a couple of times to confirm, "It's a girl!!!"  We were all SO happy! Saylor went to be weighed and Joe went with her and then looked at me and said, "Wow- she's got a big back....she's a big girl..."  And, that's when I heard: 9 lbs. 2 oz.  I delivered a small child, not a baby. Perfectly healthy.  I cried the entire time while Joe was with her...I could not believe it was a girl. I thought it was a boy for sure!
* Joe called my dad first- and he was working on the addition so couldn't hear the phone. So, he called my mom next and my mom was at her best friend's house, La Dean.  Mom answered her phone and apparently was making small chat with Joe before he said, "Sheila, why do you think I'm calling?" and then she realized it and started crying and Joe told her we had a girl! LaDean, her daughter and her husband and my mom apparently all cried and hugged and rejoiced! La Dean has since passed away from cancer, but I loved knowing that she knew I had a baby girl, and I love knowing how happy she was for me.  Her daughter is due to have a baby, and she will never know that baby which is so sad - which is why it's so remarkable how happy she was for us.  Mom left LaDean's and went to go get dad to come to Des Moines!
* Joe called his mom and dad.  His dad was in Ely - 7 hours away - with Tony and Kelly and the aunts and uncles.  And, he called his mom and she brought the boys to the hospital after school was out.  Joe called Joey's teacher who let us talk to Joey so we could tell him he had a new baby sister! It was so much fun!
*  Aunt Heather was the first on the scene...she came about an hour or two after Saylor was born so she could get some one on one time before the whole family showed up!
* Other visitors were Ali, Cary, Carter, Brynn, Gma Phyllis, Kyle, Emily, Guthrey, Grace and Maya.  I remember thinking that I would have given anything to have my Gpa Cecil walk through that door.  I missed him as I laid in bed and went to sleep that first night....wishing he was there to hold my hand and hold the baby, like he did with Joey and Maddox.
* Grace wrote the cutest journal entry about Saylor- I saved it for her baby book!
* Day Two - College Game Day.  Michigan vs. Notre Dame and Iowa vs. Iowa State.  Mom and Dad stayed at our house with the boys - they went to Maya's soccer game, celebrated Grace's birthday at Heather and Guthrey's house, and then came to see us at the hospital again.
* Michigan won - but it was a nail biter down to the last play.  And, Iowa State won.  So, it was a good football day for Joe!  But, Dr. Hansen is a U of Iowa and Notred Dame graduate, so she was not happy about Game Day!
* Joey and Maddox were a little uneasy with me in the hospital, a little fragile with everything that was going on, but they did love their sister.  They came to the hospital in their Michigan jerseys and took turns holding her.
* Ali came to the hospital on Saturday again - and Saylor sported a little Michigan headband that Brynn had passed down to her.  Aunt Ali might have been the happiest of everyone that we had a girl - Brynn and Saylor will be just a year apart - best friends!
* We had the best nurses but this one nurse kept telling us that "girls were just like boys with a little more sass."  And, I'm not kidding- she said this same line about forty-eleven times. It got a little old!
* I was really disapointed in the girl outfits I had packed for the hospital. I had really cute boy ones, and a really cute boy hat - but I didn't think I was having a girl so I didn't try very hard in that department. Ooops.
* My friend from my gym, Deb, was due the exact same day as me, ended up being induced the same day I delivered Saylor, and she was one door down from me in the hospital. But, we never did see each other...I think we were both a little busy!
* The speed cameras caught Joe speeding on the highway on his way back home to shower on Saturday! Luckily, fines weren't in effect yet - so he got a warning.
* It was just as nerve-wracking driving home with our third baby as it was our first...we drove slow, we were nervous to come home, and I had some anxiety about coming home to two other boys who needed me.  Not to worry, all that went away when I got home and Maddox looked at me and said, "Mom, can we run through the sprinkler? Can you turn on the water?"  I knew then that life would be different with three kids...nothing changed for the boys, even though everything changed for us!
* On our way home from the hospital, I asked Joe if he was glad we had a girl and he said that he would hate to think about all the experiences we would have missed out on if we didn't have a girl...and, that's how I feel now! We have a whole new set of challenges with a girl, but a whole lot of fun ahead of us because we have a girl, too.  We're lucky to get to experience life with both sons and a daughter. I do wish she would have a sister someday, but she will have to settle for Brynn, Grace and Maya as stand-ins.
* On Sunday, we came home and mom, dad, Gma Phyllis, heather, guthrey and the girls were all waiting for us. Mom had bought balloons and a sign for our house! Mom had stocked the fridge with meals and groceries and the house was spotless.  They stayed for about an hour and then we were on our own....
* Since then, the craziness has not stopped.  Her first night home was rocky, the second night was textbook for a baby, and the third night home....well, she was up from 11:57 p.m. to 6:37 a.m.....it was miserable, but we survived.  Since then, she's had her ups and downs, but mostly she has been more than what we could ever hope for! She is an "easy" baby....nights are as good as can be expected, she's easy to please, a great eater and rarely fusses or cries.  We hit the jackpot with baby Saylor!
* At her two week appointment, she still hadn't gained all her weight back so we've had to go to the doctor for weekly weight checks.  And, at her two week appointment, she was in the 65% for weight...let me just say: neither Joey or Maddox had ever hit below the 91% in weight or height! So, that was a shocker.  And, most people comment on the size of her feet, and her long toes and fingers.  Even the pediatrician is impressed with the size of her feet....I don't know what that means except for that she has big feet. : )
* We were a little worried about naming her Saylor, since it's not the most popular name...but I have to say - I have never had so many random compliments on her name....from strangers, from the grocery store check-out lady, from the patients in the waiting room, from the nurses at the hospital, from my dad, from friends of friends, from relatives of friends....all of them unsolicited. : ) So, turns out, we made a good decision. And, I've since ran into two people who said it was on their baby name list, too! (I actually got the name from Christie Brinkley's daughter, Sailor....but I liked the spelling of Saylor better.  And, turns out the name is on the rise on the popularity scale - I googled it. : )
* We're looking forward to many more memories with you, Baby Saylor! We love you!