We're just one big family: Welcome Avery Kate!

Our Family is complete... Avery Kate Shoemaker arrived on August 30th, 2010 at 6:47am, weighing 6lbs, 13 ozs and 20 inches long with a full head of hair (mostly in the back).

Due to me being on bedrest, and having the early stages of pre-e, Dr. Chastney decided it was time to get little girl out.

We went in Sunday night at 37 weeks 2 days to be induced. They started me with Cervidal (sp?) to thin my cervix out since there was not much progress going on down there. Monday Morning around 7:30am they were going to start pitocin to get labor going.

After about 1 hr of the medicine being in me I went into labor. I didn't fully understand I was in labor, and started to get really bad cramps and pain. The nurse was so sweet and offered me an epidural. I turned it down, thinking labor didn't even start yet and that I wanted to wait until they started pitocin. She gave me a sleeping pill to help me sleep that night.. That was a bad idea to take! Minutes after I took the sleeping pill I was in SOO much pain!!! Finally around 2:00am I asked for the epidural, I couldn't take the pain anymore. I was the lady on the baby story on TLC, holding the rails of the bed, cursing between every breath I could take - and admitted to the nurse I was a wuss and needed the epidural before I even went into labor (I didn't know I was in labor!!!).. By 3:00am the epidural was in! I was in heaven! I remember laying back on the bed and turning over and was out! I woke up around 5:30 in pain and told the nurse i was feeling lots of pressure (still didn't realize I was in labor!!) She checked me and told me I was 10cm and ready to push! I remember thinkign, really??? You didn't even start pitocin yet! So at 6:00am I started pushing, and after 5 contractions (which were so far spaced apart - I remember Cole's coming so fast after the other one) she was here!!!!

I couldn't believe how easy it was to get her out! With Cole it was awful - 3 hrs of pushing!

We named her Avery Kate. Avery was a name that Phil wanted for a good bit of the pregnancy. I wanted Kate or Brooke as her first name (I was able to name her - since Phil named Cole), but once I saw her, she was an Avery Kate! We love her to pieces and she is an amazing baby!

We went home Tuesday afternoon, a day early. I was ready to get home and just be a family. Another post to come on Cole meeting Avery for the first time :)

Can you tell how much I enjoyed labor?