He's Here!

My Little Christmas Baby!

Adam Trevor Gardner

Born: December 13, 2010 at 4:35 p.m.

8 lbs. 9 oz.

21 1/4 inches long

I have been trying to do this post for a while!  Having a new baby makes juggling daily responsibilities very interesting!  I feel like I spend the entire day on the couch feeding the baby or catching up on sleep. 

This was a different delivery for me.  It was the first time I was induced.  I wanted his arrival to be planned.  Hunter's delivery came very quickly and I wasn't able to get my precious epidural.  It was one of my least favorite experiences.  Although I bounced back quicker without one, I opted for a calmer and less painful delivery.  Because Hunter arrived so quickly (within 2 hours), I was also worried about having Adam in the car on the way to the hospital.  My doctor was very supportive because of the size of my previous babies and due to me testing positive for Strep B (or whatever it is..it's the first time I've had that).  She was worried about this baby's size and that I wouldn't have enough time to receive antibiotics for Strep B before delivering.  I had a choice of Friday, December 10th or Monday the 13th.  Trevor wanted Friday so he could have more time off with the baby, but I really wanted that extra weekend to prepare..especially since he was coming a week earlier than I thought.  So we chose Monday the 13th.  I was originally scheduled to go in at 3 a.m.  I didn't think that was even possible to schedule a procedure at that time of the morning, but I guess hospitals operate all night long so why not?!  My doctor said this was a really good time to be scheduled, before more women came in to deliver and I was pushed back.  The day before, I was working like crazy to get everything in order before we left.  That night, they called me at 12 a.m., just as I was drifting off to sleep, to tell me that my induction was being pushed back and they would call me when it was time.  I was grateful that I would be getting more than 2 hours sleep that night!  They called me at 5:30 that morning and asked if I could arrive within an hour.  We headed over and got hooked up to the antibiotics.  Then we sat around and waited..alot.  I had to have a few rounds of antibiotics a few hours apart before they could start my pitocin.  Luckily I had my computer with me so I had something to keep me occupied.  Trevor enjoyed having cable TV at his disposal.  Trevor's parents came to visit us and ended up staying for the most part.  We had fun visiting and ended up playing cards while waiting.  It was such a nice and relaxing time!  While we were playing cards and a few hours after I had my epidural, I noticed that some feeling was starting to return to my left leg and I was feeling a slight pain when I would have contractions.  I was really nervous about being able to feel pain.  When I got my epidural, they gave me a little button that I could push if I wanted some extra pain medication.  She told me to push it whenever I wanted it, just to tell the nurse that I had done it.  So I pushed it and told the nurse, who was different than the one I had earlier.  She acted upset that I didn't check with her first.  I felt like I was in trouble!  Apparently, the way I was sitting, the epidural wasn't able to distribute evenly so it was all going into one leg and I had just doubled the dosage!  So, my right leg was completely numb for hours and hours.  It was the weirdest feeling to have a dead leg.  The feeling didn't come back until early the next morning.  I got up at about 3 a.m. to use the bathroom and was finally able to walk on it!!  Back to the delivery, the nurse checked me at about 4 and noticed I was pretty much ready to go.  She got the doctor in there and after 3-4 pushes he was here!  It is always so surreal to me that the baby I see them tending to after delivery is the same one that has been growing inside of me for the past 9 months.  Plus that he is actually MINE!   

Adam had LOTS of visitors waiting to greet him!  My parents arrived right before it was time for him to come.  They waited in the lobby until it was done.

I can totally see Hunter here!  Maybe it's because Hunter is ALWAYS making this face!

Aunt Ashley

Aunt Becca

Proud Parents 

The boys were so excited to meet their new brother!  They had been talking about Adam for months!! 

Party of Five!

After a few minutes of meeting their new brother, the boys settled nicely into the chair to watch cartoons. 

Nauni & Papa

Aunt Tiffaney

Kathleen

Hunter is a GIANT next to the baby!

Jacob is proud to call himself "the oldest".

This is Hunter's new smile for pictures.

I always feel so bad for newborns!  They are pushed out of their warm and cozy home and into a world of confusion!  It's probably pretty rough for them! 

Aunt Rachelle & Uncle Doug came after all the excitement died down. 

Uncle Bryce (Adam's namesake) & Aunt Becca were frequent late-night visitors.  They came to hang out with me and keep me company after Trevor went home.  I had fun watching The Biggest Loser with them and snacking on some yummy food Bryce brought. 

Adam slept pretty well in the hospital, but that first night he was a little restless and I was exhausted after a long day and not very much sleep the night before.  The nurse just happened to come in while I was trying to get him to relax and go to sleep and she offered to keep him in the nursery that night so I could rest.  I happily agreed.  It was a relief to be able to have him be cared for so I could get some much needed rest.  The two services I wish I could take home from the hospital are the nightly nursery and the bedside food delivery!  I barely got out of bed the entire time!  When they brought him back from the nursery the next morning, he was wearing this adorable hat!  I LOVED it!  I tried to slip it on his head Christmas day but he had already outgrown it!

We are so excited for this new and precious baby to join our family!