Thursday night: Suvivor, The Office, and Elise

It is official. Megan is no longer pregnant. On Thursday afternoon, Megan started having contractions with some semblance of regularity. We met at the hospital at about 5:15, went through triage, and our doctor requested that we be admitted. At the time, Megan was 3cm dilated, and was pretty comfortable. However, due to the speed at which we had Hazel, it was decided that we should stay.


At 7:30, our nurse came in and said that our doctor was considering breaking Megan's water manually. Given the choice, Megan said that she would like to keep going by herself for a bit, if that was okay. The nurse talked to the doctor, and we were given until 9:30. At 9:15, Megan's water broke, and upon inspection was found to be 4 cm dilated. At this point the contractions got stronger and closer together. At 10:15, she was checked and was at 7cm. At approximately 10:43, Megan started pushing, and Elise Caroline was born at 10:47. (Side note: Megan wants me to point out that this was all done without any painkillers. She is pretty hardcore)

When Elise came out, she had some gunk in her lungs and some bruising and swelling on her face from the pushing. The NICU nurses spent a little time clearing out her lungs and cleaning her up. Her face is a bit purple from the bruising, but it should clear up in a couple of days like any normal bruise.

All in all, Elise and Mom are doing very well. They are both resting and eating, and the nurses have been wonderful!

The first official picture of Elise. Born at 10:47, 9/24/09, 8lbs 0.6oz, 20.5in.

The first close-up, about 45 minutes later. You can see that her color is already getting better.

Hazel came to visit with Aunt Anne and Audrey. Hazel had to wear a mask because of her cough, but everyone thought they were pretty stylish and wore one with her.

Dad and Elise, hanging out.

Elise starting to look at the world around her. Her eyes are already very blue!

A cute picture snuggling with Mom.

And now, we have officially made it home.

A quick tour of Elise.

Waiting for Baby

Well, my due date has come and gone, and still no baby. The past few days have been spent anxiously waiting, timing contractions that don't seem to go anywhere, and packing and unpacking our hospital bag and Hazel's bag for Auntie Anne's house.

On Saturday, Glenn really thought we'd be heading to the hospital, so he decided that the closer he was to the car, the better. Late in the afternoon, I caught him taking a nap in the garage...


During my last pregnancy, I found relief sitting and rocking on our yoga ball, so I rolled the dear old thing out this weekend. Hazel thought sitting on a ball was a great idea, so we had a great time rocking back and forth together.



And last but not least, in case anyone thought I couldn't get any bigger, my 40-week belly shot:

Smarty Pants

Our little Hazelnut has become such a smarty pants lately. Her latest accomplishment? A thorough knowledge of geography...

It's been a long summer

It has been a long, busy, eventful summer. Glenn went to Cedar Point, Megan finished Library School, Megan and Glenn went to St. Louis, and Hazel spent good quality time with Grammy. Some of these things were captured on film (or the digital equivalent), some not. But, let's take a look at what we can share...

Hazel checking out the giraffes at the zoo with Mom.

Dad introduces Hazel to R2D2 at the Children's Museum.

Hazel has the carousel horses mastered!

Hazel reads as much as her mother does, but can't always keep her eyes open.

As many of you likely know, we have also had our share of sadness in the past few weeks. Approximately two weeks ago, Megan's father passed away. In retrospect, his health had been slipping in recent weeks, but it was still quite a shock to the whole family. Fortunately, all the kids and grandchildren were able to come up and remember Papaw and enjoy the family he helped to build.

Hazel and Sarah Kate watching Elmo.

Hazel wearing her beautiful new dress for Papaw's funeral.

Hazel's last visit with Papaw, reading one of her favorite books.

Despite the sadness of the loss, we still have a Hazelnut around to remind us of the joys of life...

When you are this cute, life is good!

Just in case you didn't believe the last caption, a bit more proof.

I have no idea where she got the idea to jump down the stairs, I swear!


Hazel trying to carry Daddy on her shoulders.

A touch of the Ring Around the Rosie.

This is what happens when you have a little too much Ring Around the Rosie.

Wagons East ...

... or "How We Drove 2100 Miles to End Up in Indianapolis."

As is traditional when I'm about 6 months pregnant, we decided to take a ridiculously long road trip to visit the McCain family. This time, we drove to Vermont to visit Grandma and Grandpa Jelly Bean and their candy store. We spent a few days exploring the Green Mountains, and then headed to Meshoppen, PA to visit the Glorious Gustins. We had a blast, and Hazel seemed to realize that she was no longer a baby anymore, and now refuses to be treated like one. She wants to be a big girl and do big girl things.

Glenn and his buddy silk-screened t-shirts for everyone. The cousins model their shirts for us here.

Jacob, the only boy cousin, flexing his muscles and proving he is all boy.

Hazel discovers the joys of the Vermont Confectionery.

And they have ice cream too! Hazelnuts love ice cream.

Daddy and Hazel playing in the formal garden at Hildene, the Lincoln Family ancestral home in Manchester, Vermont.

Mommy and Hazel take a break from the hot weather and all that exploring.

Aunt Kelly has a pool that is just Hazel-sized.

Hazel insisted on joining the cousin-picnic on Pride Rock.

She managed to convince us that she is a big girl.

We spent the day on Thursday at Knoebels Family Fun Park.

Hazel was big enough to go on some of the rides with Jillian and loved every minute.