Home for Christmas

We welcomed our little Monkey into the world on December 22nd at 2:23 AM. He came fast and furious with no meds. He weighs 9 lbs 8.9 oz and is 22 in long, with light brown hair and blue eyes (so no one won the contest). After spending a couple of days at the hospital, we arrived home today, just before the snow started and just in time for Christmas! Monkey is nursing well and is a very laid back, easy-going baby so far.

With all of our children, we have chosen Biblical first names based on the meaning of the name, and family names for their middle names. Monkey's first name means "all heart" or "whole-hearted," and his middle name is my Daddy's first name.

We are so thrilled to have him here. He is precious to us. We can't wait to see how he adds to our family!

Warning!!!! Birth Story follows:

I've been having contractions for a couple of weeks now. They would start, hang around for a couple of hours and then mysteriously disappear. The contractions were accomplishing something though. On Monday morning at my doctor's appointment, I was almost 5 cm. I had contractions Monday afternoon and evening, all between 4 and 6 minutes apart, but not consistent in intensity. I went to bed around 11 PM. At 1:19 AM, I was awakened by a very hard contraction, followed by others about 2-3 minutes apart. I woke up Hubs and we headed to the hospital. We signed in at 1:49 AM and the nurse checked me. The quote of the night at 1:55 AM: "Delivery is not imminent" because I was still 5 cm. My water broke while I was in the exam room, so I was moved to a Labor and Delivery room. Once I got in the L&D room, things progressed at an incredible speed. I remember saying "Something's happening!" I pushed twice and he was here at 2:23 AM. The nurses hustled him off to make sure he was alright. He was a little bit blue due to the bruising from such a fast delivery. Also, the fluid was a little greenish, so they wanted to be sure that he was ok. Within 30 minutes of his birth, he was latched on and nursing like a pro already. So this kiddo has his own dramatic entry story, just like his big brothers!