Baby M is here! It's a......

It's a.......GIRL!!!

We are officially a family of FIVE :)

Mia Kathryn Manuel joined our family on Monday, March 19, 2012 at 5:16 pm.  She weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces and was 19 3/4 inches long.  She is pink and healthy and perfect!  We are so in love!

Monday Timeline:

Monday started out like a normal day.  I got the kids off to school and came home to do some house work before my 38 week doctor's appointment.  I still felt like I wasn't making progress and was confident that Baby M wasn't coming any time soon. 

2:30- I saw the doctor.  I had made no change.  Just as I had suspected.  I was still sitting at barely 4cm and only 50% effaced.  Those numbers seemed promising at first...but after 3 weeks with no change, they really meant nothing to me.

3:00- I went to our storage units to meet Bryan.  He was there getting a few things for me, and I figured I would go help him look.  On the way there, I had my first contraction.  I didn't think anything of it other than, "Here we go again."  After all, I have been teased for weeks!  They seemed to be about five minutes apart, but I didn't bother timing them since it has been happening so often.

3:30- We picked up Thing 1 and Thing 2 from school.  One of the teachers laughed and said, "You're still pregnant?!"  I remember laughing and telling her I was currently having a few contractions.  I told her to cross her fingers but not to get her hopes up.  Ha, funny ;)

3:45- We go to Wal-Mart.  Yes, Wal-Mart!  Like I said, I had no idea this was "it."  Gannon had tee ball practice that afternoon, and I fully expected to be going to that practice!  He needed some shorts, so we had to go get them.  After about fifteen minutes, the contractions got stronger, so I got out the timer.  They were about three minutes apart.  I told Bryan I wanted to go home, so we headed to the checkouts.  First, though, I wanted water.  So I walked to the other side of the store to the McDonald's and got an ice water.  On the way out, the kids wanted to sit on the Elmo car, so I let them.  Bryan was going crazy!  Apparently, he realized before I did how close we actually were, ha!  He couldn't believe I was taking the time to go to McDonald's and letting the kids play on that car!

4:15- We get home (I drove, by the way, which was insanely hard!) and send the kids off to the neighbors while Bryan throws some of his things into a bag.  I almost got into the tub at this point, but for some reason, I didn't.  So glad I didn't!!

4:33- We head to the hospital.  The contractions weren't getting any closer, still about three minutes apart, but they were getting stronger.  I also could no longer sit.  When they started, it felt better to sit through them.  Now, I had to lean forward on something or kneel down and lean on the floor.  The car ride was intense because I had to sit. 

4:50- We arrive at the hospital.  We weren't sure exactly where to go, so we went into the first entrance we found.  The lady there hurried to get me a wheel chair and then rushed us down to admitting.  Again, I couldn't sit, so I knelt down on the floor and just leaned on the chair.  I had pre-registered, but for some reason it didn't work.  She had to start the admission from scratch.  OY!  She was doing everything she could to rush it, but others weren't working with her.  She finally told them she was bringing me up now and they would  finish everything else later!  Thank you!!  We get upstairs and as they try to get me in a room, other nurses were wheeling a bed out of the room.  So we waited in the hall while they cleaned up and changed the sheets. 

5:10:  They get me in the room and on the bed.  As I was getting into the bed, I felt tons of pressure!!  A nurse checked me and said that she felt no cervix.  At all.  I was complete!  I am not entirely sure what was going on in the room at this point because there was just so much chaos!  There were so many nurses and everyone was so busy.  Apparently, someone started an IV in my hand, and somehow, I yanked it out.  Then my body started to push.  I couldn't stop it.  The nurses all told me to stop pushing, but I just screamed, "I can't!!" 

 I was trying really hard to stop, but I couldn't.  My doctor wasn't there...The on-call doctor wasn't even there!!  Then one of the nurses said that they were just going to have to deliver this baby themselves.  I could feel Baby M moving down, and I knew it would only be minutes before we knew who it was!  I was so overwhelmed.  Full of excitement, emotion, adrenaline, etc.  At this point, the pain was gone.  The on-call doctor came running in just as the baby was crowning. 

He laughed and said, "I know I am going to find out in just a few seconds, but what are y'all having?" 

Together, Bryan and I answered, "We don't know!"

With that, everything in the room seemed to stop, and everyone just gathered around us waiting for the big reveal.

----When we got into the room, Bryan sent out a text to our parents that Baby M was coming now.  Mom called back, but since I was pushing, Bryan just silenced the call.  Or so he thought.  He actually answered it!!  Mom got to hear Mia being born!!  She said it was like being in the hall listening at the door, only better.  :)

5:16- It's a GIRL!!!  When she came out, Bryan just looked at me and said, "She's beautiful!"  I couldn't believe just how perfect she was!  I was so thankful to be able to count ten fingers and ten toes and to gaze into those sweet little eyes on that perfect little face.  She stayed with us for about two hours.  She stayed so alert the entire time.  Just looking around and taking everything in. 

I still can't believe how fast it all happened!  I mean, at 2:30 I had made no change...less than three hours later, she was here!  It was absolutely perfect!  Well, almost.  Everything happened so fast, Bryan never had a chance to go back to the car to get our stuff.  Which means...no camera.  Boo :(  He got a few shots with his phone, but not much.  Oh, well.  At least she has a fantastic birth story!

Here are a few of the pictures we have of her arrival.

We may not have many photos of her birth, but we aren't lacking in other photos of our little caboose!  Stay tuned for picture overloads to come!!