Christmas Eve BreakfastJosh and Daddy lovin' some bacon!
Manning the grill! He eats some steamed and some raw - always on a saltine with Crystal hot sauce!
Dan actually likes the oysters. I usually eat one, just to participate. Josh had oyster crackers!We joked as we walked into the Christmas Eve church service about what we should do if I went into labor during it, but it wasn't quite time yet. We went to bed and got a good nights sleep until I woke up at 5am with a contraction that felt "different" then the ones I'd been having for the past few weeks. I started timing them and they were about 7 minutes apart, so I decided to wake up Daniel and at least get all of our stuff packed so we'd be ready to go if this was real. The contractions continued regularly, so around 6am, we called the doctor who said to go ahead and come to the hospital. I called Anissa, who was on call for Joshua duty, and told her it was time. So, she came over until Josh woke up and then he spent the next two days with Brett, Anissa & Asher.
As we drove to the hospital I started having doubts about whether I was truly in labor and if I was still having contractions or not, so we decided to walk on the beach near the hospital for a little bit and see what happened. It was kind of surreal to see other people out on the beach, saying "Merry Christmas" to us and to think, "We're about to have a baby...but they don't know...and it's Christmas...weird!"
Around 7am, we headed to the hospital. They admitted me, but since I wasn't going to get an epidural, I didn't have to stay in the bed the whole time. Daniel and I went out and walked around the parking lot for a while. Dr. Morgan came in at noon and broke my water. That definitely got things moving along. After an agonizing hour (which seemed MUCH longer at the time), Brielle Joy was born at 1:18pm.
The umbilical cord got wrapped around her neck and caused some blood vessels to burst in her face, so she looked a little blue for the first few days, but praise God, there were no other complications and shouldn't be any lasting effects from the cord. It's kind of shocking to all of the sudden meet your precious child, even though you've had 9 months to prepare for it. A very surreal few moments.
Daniel's family was on their way home from Christmas in Orlando and was able to stop by to meet Brielle when she was only about 4 hours old. Brielle is blessed with lots of loving family - 4 grandparents, LOTS of aunts and uncles (9 - I guess), and 4 cousins!
Later on that evening, Brett and Anissa brought Josh to meet his little sister for the first time. We weren't sure what he would think, but he's in LOVE with her. The first real kiss he gave was to Brielle - so sweet! So far he's still enamored with her, so hopefully that will last.
We were so grateful that Brett and Anissa offered to watch Josh for us...and to bring us a yummy Christmas dinner in the hospital. It was comforting to know Joshua was in good hands and with someone familiar. Thank you so much, Brett, Anissa & Asher. They said he did great at their house...didn't even seem to miss us!
Asher and Josh playing! (Asher is 3 months younger than Josh and will be getting a baby brother in March!)
Here we are arriving at home!
Asher and Josh playing! (Asher is 3 months younger than Josh and will be getting a baby brother in March!)My parents arrived on Dec 27th, just in time for Grandma to come and help us get Brielle dressed in her coming home outfit! It was great to have them here to help for the first couple weeks of adjustment. Big thanks for everything, Mom & Dad!
Here we are arriving at home!
