Welcome Hazel Jane!

We are so happy to have our sweet little girl here with us and I am so happy to be able to move and breathe properly again! Our delivery story is pretty basic as it was super quick and easy. When I was due to have Asa, I got really sick the last week. I felt like I had the flu. Finally I went in to get checked out and found out that I had super high blood pressure which they assumed was preclampsia. I had to have magnesium pumped into me to prevent seizures during delivery and it was pretty awful stuff. Anyway... the night of May 6th, I had a bad migraine all night that Tylenol wouldn't touch. The next day the migraine lingered around, though not as bad. As the day wore on, I started feeling flu-like and my heart would race off and on. I recognized the symptoms as being the same type of symptoms I had with Asa. I decided that I would just go right in rather than wait 4 days like I did the last time around. On May 7th, we checked in around 4:15 pm. The nurse monitored the baby and took my blood pressure. It actually had spiked, but it was not in the danger zone like it was last time. The nurse called my doctor and asked what he wanted to do. He had her do an exam and turns turned out I was already dilated to a 4+. They decided to keep me there and induce which I was totally fine with! They put me on a super low dose of pitocin and the contractions started right away, were close together, and were not very painful at all. Since I was already dilated, I got the epidural pretty much right away and it was fantastic. This epidural was so much better this time. I could move my legs with no trouble and I could still feel all the pressure and all the tightening from the contractions. I felt like I had total control and it was great. My doctor broke my water at 5:20, waited for me to finish dilating, and after 3 sets of pushes, she was here at 7:49 pm. SO EASY and such a pleasant experience. I was able to get up and walk about 45 minutes after she was born. When they first held Hazel up for me to look at her, I instantly teared up and I'm pretty sure Berkeley did too. She was totally healthy and scored 8-9 on her APGAR test. She never even had to leave our room. My first reaction when I saw her was, "She doesn't look much like Asa!" I just thought she would come out looking just like Asa but the female version. She does have my eyes, but they aren't nearly as drastic as Asa's eyes are. I think she looks much more like Berkeley's family. I think she is beautiful and I am so in love with her. She is a wonderful addition to our family. Asa is very sweet with her although he has been pretty grumpy with Berkeley and me. Everything is temper tantrum worthy but Berkeley and I are just doing our best to be understanding and patient as he makes this big adjustment. As far as Hazel goes, she is such a sweet little baby. I may be speaking too soon, but she very rarely cries and when she is awake, she is very alert and just looks around. When I talk to her, she goes totally still and just stares at me with the sweetest little expression. She is a great nurser and nights have not been too bad. I'm tired, but not exhausted. I am just so glad to not be a first time mom this time! It feels good to know what I'm doing (for the most part) and not be so neurotic about everything. I am much more relaxed and simply enjoying life right now. All is well and I feel so blessed to have such wonderful little spirits entrusted to me. I also feel extremely blessed to have Berkeley as my husband. He is such an involved father and helps me so much with the kids and with the cleaning and with the cooking...etc...etc... What a great man! I love my little family so very much.