Oh Sweet Sienna!

These pictures were taken when Sienna was just 9 days old. I just love them! With Gracie, we didn't have newborn pictures professionally taken within those first 2 weeks - and, as she got older, I found myself forgetting what she looked like when she was so fresh from heaven. I'm glad I have these pictures so I can always remember that button nose, those tiny fingers & those sweet expressions.

Driving to the hospital the morning Sienna was born - was surreal. "This is it,"
I told myself. "We're going to have a baby today."

When they checked me at the hospital - I was dilated to a three, but Sienna still hadn't dropped. So it was time to take a ride on the pitocin train. That quickly made my contractions much stronger & helped push Sienna's head down into the birth canal.

When my contractions were 2 minutes apart - the nurse said, "You don't have to be a hero - Why don't you get your epidural?"

That sounded fantastic to me. So in came the anesthesiologist. He prepped me, told me to curl up in a ball, and then said, "These are some really small spaces in between your spine. This is going to be tricky."

Not really what you want to hear when a giant needle is about to stick you in the back.

But he did a wonderful job, and the epidural started to work it's magic. For some reason the epidural had a very strong effect on me this time around. Soon after I received it - my whole body started to go numb, I felt super tired and nauseated. The anesthesiologist came back - stopped the epidural. They put me on oxygen and after a while, I started to feel normal again. My doctor broke my water. At this point, I was still only dilated to a four. He told me he would come back and check me in an hour - but he didn't even make it down the hall before he was back in the room telling me to PUSH! There were some tense moments where Sienna's heart rate dropped and nurses were running around, however the delivery team was incredible. They worked quickly to make sure our little one came safely.

When Sienna decided to come - she came fast. After pushing through four contractions, I held our sweet baby. The moment they put her in my arms - I melted.

I could feel her heart-beat up against mine, and I cried. Am I crazy to say, "I love having babies"?? Because I do. After both of my deliveries, I thought to myself - that was fun. FUN? I know...that's clearly not the adjective I would have chosen to describe what I thought childbirth was like before I had a baby! But I think it's the occasional discomfort, the exhaustion & the stretching of your soul through pregnancy, labor and the weeks of recovery that makes you realize - having a baby is a miracle, and being part of that miracle is humbling. It really is the biggest adrenalin rush followed by getting to hold a Gift from God.

And that is beyond amazing.

She is beyond amazing.

We are so thankful for her.