The story

Wednesday was certainly a full day for the Deetz household. It started off with Carl attending Lily's field trip which, as it turns out, was in Illinois. A bit of a gamble, as Carl went on the bus with the kids with no way to leave if baby decided to make an early appearance that day, but it worked out okay. I was able to teach my class from 12-2, and Carl and I met back at the house just after 2:00 pm. Ingrid came over at 3:30 to watch William and get Lily from the bus stop (big thanks to Ingrid!) while Carl and I made our way to the hospital for a 4:00 induction.

I had tested positive for Strep B at an earlier doctor's appointment so I knew that I would have to get 2 rounds of antibiotics before delivering. After getting settled, we finally received our first round of antibiotics at 5:45 pm. They also started the Pitocin at the same time. Apparently, I had been having contractions already at about 5 minutes apart, but they were so slight that I didn't even notice them. The contractions definitely picked up after that, and I labored until 10:15 before opting to get an epidural. Luckily, I had the first game of the World Series to distract me. My mom and dad came to the hospital around 9:30, and we were able to watch part of the game together. At around 9:45, I received the second round of antibiotics. My doctor came at 10:45 and did an examination which showed that I was 8 cm dilated but she was still high. He broke my water at 11:00 and said that he would stay close by and just let him know when I felt the need to push. About 10 minutes later, I felt the need to push. So, the doctor came back, suited up, and about 4 pushes later, Emilia arrived at 11:22 pm.

As with Lily, it turns out that the ultrasound I had two weeks prior to delivery was way off in regard to baby's weight. They said that Emilia was 8 lbs. 8 oz. two weeks ago, but she was just 8 lbs. 1 oz. at delivery. Everything went really well after delivery. Emilia passed all her tests, and besides when they made her cry right after birth, I did not hear her cry until about 24 hours later, and she has only cried briefly a handful of times since.

We left the hospital at around 2:00 pm on Friday and had a bit of a rough first night trying to figure out Emilia's preferred sleeping style, and William caught a cold and had a restless night's sleep. But last night was fantastic. William was exhausted from a day of partying - a Halloween party in the morning followed by his birthday party in the afternoon - and Emilia did GREAT, waking up at 1:00 am, 4:30 am and then 8:00 am for feedings.

It may be crazy, but I absolutely love having a newborn again. I love the way she falls asleep so peacefully on my chest, I love how she gazes up at me and spontaneously smiles, I love how tiny and cuddly she is....I'm truly enjoying this so much. I just can't get enough of this baby girl. I know how quickly the time passes, and I'm trying to soak up every moment of this incredible time.