Avery Jean

We are so excited to introduce the newest member of our family. AVERY JEAN!!! She arrived on Monday, July 20th at 12:35 PM and weighed 8lbs 8oz, 20 1/4 inches long.

Those Chubby Cheeks and Golden Blonde hair are evidence that she really is ours!
Do you like the bow? Lots of people have asked if I made that. Nope, not that creative, the hospital put it on her. Adam thinks she looks like Aunt Gemima!
A scrunchy little face!
As hard as this pregnancy was to endure, the labor and delivery was wonderful. I opted for the epidural this time (something I haven't done with my past 2 babies) and I realized how crazy I was to NOT have an epidural. I didn't feel pain from a single contraction, pushing was hard but didn't take too long and the best part was there was NO "ring of fire" :-)!!!

THE STORY (everyone has a story when they have a baby, right?)
Adam and I left for the hospital at about 5:45 on Monday morning. After checking in at admissions, they sent us upstairs where the nurse was waiting for us. She took us in to a room and got us all settled. I was hooked up to all the monitors, got my IV and answered all the funny "Medical History" questions. (IE/have you used any exciting and interesting drugs during this pregnancy?) At around 7:30 the anesthisiologist came in and gave me my epidural. Actually getting the epidural put in was the WORST. I hate having my back probed and the weird feeling that comes before you go numb. BUT, once it was in and working, I was in LALA Land! After they gave me the epidural they started the pitocin and then Mom, MarJane, Julie and Annie arrived. It was so fun having ALL of them there. Julie and Annie entertained us with multiple little dances one being the "Heartbeat Dance" another being the "10" dance. Everyone did a great job helping the time pass by telling funny stories or making jokes. Adam and Julie are so funny as they play off eachother and keep us all in stitches. And Julie, a soon to be "nurse in training" was awesome. Everytime I had to move, or the heartbeat monitor came off, she would jump up and help before the nurse was even there. She will one day be a phenomenal nurse and Ju "You ARE smart enough and people like you!" You can do it!
My cheering section! MarJane (Gramma), Julie (JuJu), Mom (Nana)
Annie (see more about this below)

At around 8:15 the doctor came in and broke my water. I was dialated to a 4 1/2 and hadn't even had one contraction yet. AWESOME!! By 9:30 I was at a 6 and by 10 I was at an 8. Around 11 I was feeling pressure and when the nurse checked me I was at a 9. At that point I couldn't really feel anything cause of my AWESOME epidural. I didn't want her to check me again and tell me I wasn't at a 10 so I waited another hour before asking her to check. Sure enough I was at a 10 and ready to go. We all figure I'd been at a 10 for a while but just couldn't tell. Another reason to have an epidural. If you are at a 10, and your doctor isn' there, you don't have to push yet! Anyway, once my doctor got there I started to push and about 40 minutes or so later she was here!

It's show time! We're waiting for the doctor so I can start to push!

Everyone was so excited as our sweet baby girl came into the world. She was chubby and crying and as cute as can be. She looks just like the rest of the kids and so far has the best little personality and temperment!

A chubby baby. Kinda purple but she pinked up really fast! Apgars were 8 and 9! Good girl!
Look closely and see she is 8lbs 8oz.
We named her Avery Jean. Avery is after Adam's Grandma Ellison who was Eva (pronounced with a short E). We love the name Eva but know that the spelling and pernunciation of it would be wrong her whole life, so we started looking for names that were derivatives of the same name (is derivative the right word?? hmmm). We found that both Eva and Avery come from the name Eve and both loved it. Her middle name, Jean is after my Grandma on my mom's side, Adam's Grandma on his dad's side and my sister Julie whose middle name is Jean. This baby girl, just like her sister, is named after some remarkable, faithful and amazing women!

ANNIE
After finding out that we were having a girl during my 20 week ultrasound, I started thinking about Annie. She has wanted a little sister for so long and had pretty much given up all hope since she assumed that after Logan we were done having kids. She was so excited when we told her it was a girl that it made me start thinking that it might be a special thing for her to be in the Delivery room when the baby was born. After talking to Adam, my sisters and a few others to see what they thought, I asked Annie if she would like to come to the hospital and be there with us. She immediately said "YES" and then added, "But can I leave the room when the baby is actually born?". I told her absolutely! After a few weeks of thinking about it, she came to me and asked if it would be okay if she stayed in the room when the baby was born. Again I told her absolutely! Over the past few months, she and I have watched many a "Baby Story" type shows on tv and had lots of talks about what to expect. I told her if she had ANY questions at all she could ask me, dad, Grandma, Nana, Aunt Julie, the Nurse or the Doctor. The night before Avery was born, I told her that I really wanted her there but she didn't have to be if she didn't want to. Her reply, "I know but I want to be there"! And she was! It was so fun having her there! She kept saying, "it's taking so long" and we all laughed, telling her, this was actually really fast and that some people were in labor for hours and hours and hours! Julie did a great job entertaining her and when it was time for me to push, the nurse gave her a job to stand at the head of the bed and help hold the pillow behind my head as I pushed! She did awesome! I think that she was probably a little overwhelmed by a lot of what went on and every time I asked her what she thought or how she felt she'd just smile and shrug her shoulders, but after Avery was born, Annie could hardly leave her side! She watched the nurse pink her up under the lights, watched them weigh her, measure her, wrap her, FINALLY got to hold her after Adam and I had our turns and then she even got to go to the nursery with the nurse to watch them clean her up. After she came back from the nursery, Julie and I were in the room waiting for me to be transferred to my room and we asked Annie how she felt, if she had questions, etc. She said the only question she had was what an epidural was and Grandma had answered that. I asked her if anything scared her or worried her and she said that she had felt nervous when they told me I could push and were getting everything ready. Julie and I told her that we had both felt nervous then too and it was just because we were all so excited.
A friend of mine is a nurse at the hospital where Avery was born and told us over the weekend that she'd worked a shift with our delivery nurse a few days later. She said our nurse told her she usually gets nervous about having children in the delivery room but that Annie was so wonderful that she didn't worry a bit!
Having Annie with us when Avery was born was magical for me. I honestly never thought I'd have two daughters and even still need to pinch myself into reality that I do. Two beautiful baby girls! I know Annie will be a wonderful big sister and hope that Avery will be as sweet and wonderful a little girl as Annie has become! I look so forward to watching their little relationship grow!
My Girls and Me!
Annie took this picture by herself when she went into the nursery with the nurse! She held the camera in one hand and let Avery hold the finger of her other hand! I LOVE it!

MEETING THE FAMILY
I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it is to have our little Avery here. The kids are all in heaven with her. Every morning they come in to see her and all wait somewhat patiently to take a turn holding and kissing her. Logan and Annie are most mezmerized by her, but G and Spence are just as in love! They all can't get enough! Adam of course is smitten and I just swoon everytime I see the look in his eyes when he gazes at her. It's the same look he's had with each of the others when they were newborns! I love it!
Daddy's first hold! See the look? That's the one that melts my heart!!
Annie officially meeting her baby sister!
Nana's first hold
Gramma's first hold
JuJu's first hold
Introducing Avery to the boys!
Spencer's first hold! Could that smile be any bigger?
The kisses begin with Garett and haven't stopped since!
G with Avery!
Logan told me "I just LOVE my baby sister! She's just so cute and smells SOOOOOOO good!"
The whole Gang! And they're all ours!!!
Auntie Lindsay came to visit (not REALLY an Aunt but for all intents and purposes she is :-)
Madison and Natalie! Nanny came earlier in the day and just hung out at the hospital with Avery, Nana and Me. She was in heaven and her cast on her broken elbow proved to be a very handy little holding tool. She'd prop a pillow on top and underneath the cast and the baby rested perfectly in the crook of her arm! Later that evening Julie, Lindsay and Madison came to see Avery too!
Jack got to meet Avery the next morning.
Logan came back on day two by himself with Daddy. He LOVED getting lots of Avery time!

HEADING FOR HOME

Wednesday afternoon, Adam came to pick Avery and I up from the hospital. As happy as I am to never be pregnant again, I get a little sad looking at this picture. Our life as a family of 6 is over and life as a family of 7 is beginning. I am so excited to see what the future holds but knowing that with every passing day my kids are growing up brings a little ache to my heart. Avery is a brand new baby and already my heart is hurting a little that she and all my kids are growing up so fast! I didn't enjoy the pregnancy part but I am absolutely going to enjoy the baby part! It's going to pass so quickly!

Now that Avery is here, I owe everyone in my family and all my friends a HUGE apology and a HUGE shout out! First the apology for being so miserable and complaining all the time. There are a few who have had to endure the worst of it, Adam, Tamara, Julie and Mindy; Thanks for putting up with me you guys. I know it wasn't the easiest thing to listen to but without your listening ears I think I may have truely gone insane. You ALL saved me and I love you! And the shout out to everyone for loving me through the past 9 months, helping me with my kids, my house, my laundry, and my spirits! I feel like a completely different person when I'm pregnant and don't like going anywhere, or socializing with anyone. I am so blessed to be surrounded by friends and family who let me be that way and still love me unconditionally. As me and my family's lives slowly begin to return to normal, it is now my turn to help you guys in whatever way I can! My "helping hiatus" is over!!! So bring it on.....:-)

Love you!

Mar