The Story of Us.

Well, my Love...

You are my first little baby that gave me a couple of "false alarms" before we got down to the real work of having us meet each other face to face.  For days before you were born, I wondered if "tonight would be the night."  I have always had Braxton Hicks contractions, but with you I said that they were on crack...  I'll explain what I mean by that..... never..  Anyway...

On Wednesday morning, your brothers and I went to see our midwife.  She said that I was 2 cm. dilated, completely thinned out, and your head was engaged.  According to Miss Diane...we were just waiting on you.  So, we had a fairly busy day with running some errands and doing a bit of gardening.  And all day long, I could feel the imminence of your arrival.  The boys went to AWANA in the evening and Daddy worked late.  Mama paid attention to you and to her body that was changing, and I got the remainder of my home in order.  Bags packed, laundry caught up, kitties fed.  That evening, your brothers didn't get to bed until after 9:30, and Daddy and I didn't get to bed until after 10:30 ~ which is really super late for all of us around these here parts; but Wednesday is just a crazy day...

And long about 11:00 p.m, I knew.
I knew that within a few short hours, I would be holding you in my arms...
And I knew that I wouldn't be getting any sleep until I met you...
So, I went downstairs to take a bath.

Mama has always gone into labor in the middle of the night, and it's just the way I like it.  The house is quiet, everyone is sleeping, and I can be by myself  - to work and to process.  To ponder and to pray.  But that night was different - because neither Daddy or I had fallen asleep yet.  So, when I didn't come back up to bed after an hour or so of being gone, Daddy came looking for me.  Which totally stressed me....

Daddy is more cautious than Mama.  Mama would like to just walk through the doors of the hospital and have the midwife have just enough time to "catch" you.  Daddy doesn't want to do the delivering by himself on the side of the road.  So, we had some "discussions."  I told him to go back to bed.  He thought he should call Grampy and Grammy.  I told him that it wasn't time yet.  He said he'd rather be safe than sorry.  I told him that he was stressing me.  He said that he'd rather drive the 45 minutes and get into the town and then I could make the call as to when I admitted myself.  I reminded him that I don't like hospitals.  He reminded me that that is why we chose this one that's almost an hour away - because I can call the shots.  I said I wanted to call the shots here and stay a little longer.  He said if he had let me call the shots with your brothers, he would have been the one to catch all of them...

So I said, "Fine."

So, Grampy and Grammy came.  We took a few pics in the kitchen, and we hit the road around 2:30 in the morning.  The drive was quiet - there was no traffic and the weather was warm.  We could smell rain in the air, and I loved that I was having a spring baby.  Daddy prayed for me.  I was nervous.  And at about 3:30, into the hospital we walked.

I tested positive for the Group B strep anyway, so it was good that we got there a bit early.  It took the antibiotic 1 hour to get all the way into me, and then the "ideal" plan is for it to be in my system for 4-8 hours before you are born.  We knew that would never happen, but the goal was to at least get one full dose of the medication.  They hooked me up to the baby monitor just for twenty minutes to make sure that you were doing okay, and then they gave us our own private room - which wasn't even a birthing room - to be alone while the antibiotic was getting to you.

I had planned on having a water birth, but when my midwife told me that it could potentially slow down labor, I decided that I would just stay put.  My midwife arrived - the same one who delivered Ransom, and the one who knows me well - and said:  "I know that you like to labor in a cave, so I will leave you alone until it's time, and if you want to - you can have that baby right here in this room."  And it was then and there that I knew I loved her.  So, Daddy and I quietly worked together until around 6:30 when Jane checked me and said that as soon as my water broke we would be good to go.  I told her that she could break it, I asked for a mirror, and at 6:44 in the morning, I watched the miracle of you being born into this world and into my arms...

And Jane let me be the one to catch you.

London Faith...
Our own dear Mama's Namesake...

I have said time and again and I'll say it once more -- I have no idea how a woman, especially, can carry a baby for nine months within her and then experience the miracle of birth -- and somehow still deny the existence of God.  How else can this miracle be described except for the fact that we have a Creator?

You truly are "fearfully and wonderfully made...My soul knows it full well."...

My 8 pound, 1 ounce - 20 1/2 inch long Baby Girl Miracle...
Skin to skin we met.
And face to face we looked.
They placed you onto me, and there you stayed for hours - No rush to weigh you.  No rush to bathe you.  No rush to take temperatures or to poke or to prod.

You were mine...and you were Daddy's.
And we fell in love...

Daddy shoved his bed close to mine.  We held hands, and we held you close...
And right then and there all three of us fell asleep together.
You were here.  You were safe.  All was well.  And we crashed hard.

After about an hour of just being together - napping and whispering....looking you all over from head to foot... and trying to figure out which brother you looked like - we called our Mamas and your brothers, and within the hour you were invaded with love!  Kaden's first words when he saw you (after looking at me and saying:  "Wow! your belly is SO much smaller!") were:  "Ooooh!  She is SO precious!"  And Jesse's first words when he saw you (after looking at me and asking:  "Do you have ANOTHER one in there?!!") were:  "Can I hold her forever and ever?"  And Ransom's first words when he saw you (after eyeballing my breakfast and asking if I would like to share my Raisin Bran) were:  "I loooooove London Faith!"

You will be well loved, sweet girl...

The stats - complete with my Dad's grafitti all over the place...

Both of Mama's brothers drove 3+ hours to surprise me at the hospital.  They took off work, packed up their sweet families, and we had ourselves a family reunion right there in our hospital room.  It was precious.  It was special.  And there is just nothing like watching your immediate family welcome - with wide open arms - a brand new little member into the fold.

Kisses and peeks at you...
Words of love and of protection...
Ooohing and aahing -- and figuring out who you look like.
The big boys in my family telling me that they're proud of me...
Your three big brothers shyly looking you all over and loving on you -- in awe just like we are...

Welcome to our world, London Faith.
Welcome to your family.
We are imperfect, and we make a whole lot of mistakes...
But you will never, ever doubt our love for you...
And we will be forever thankful for you....

Our baby gift of Joy.