**GEORGE PRESTON SPENCER**

First off there was quite a build up to George making his debut!  Kevin and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary exactly one week before George came. 

Out to dinner (WITHOUT CORA) to celebrate!

Then came the horrific blizzard that plagued the NW a few days prior to George coming.  In fact, the day before I was scheduled to be induced this is what is looked like outside...and this is what we did...

Going for a walk to see all the sledders on the other side of the loop.

Kevin had to talk some kid into letting him borrow his sled.  There were about 5 kids under the age of 10 and then Kevin right there along with them.  Cora couldn't get enough sledding!!

I don't think I would mind sledding either if someone carried me back up the hill on their shoulders.

Cora stealing another kid's sled when they weren't watching.

Mommy swollen, 39 1/2 weeks pregnant, and ready to burst!

Kevin went out to get a tool that he left in the back yard and wrote my name in the yard.  Unfortunately he did the heart backwards and it kind of looks like a bum, but I love it nonetheless!

 So FINALLY induction date comes (January 19th) and I get to call the hospital at 7:15 a.m.  They said that they are too full currently and that they will call me if a spot opens, but also that if I haven't heard from them by 12:00 then I could call back.  Kevin and I took a ride in the Yukon to make sure the roads were drive-able, especially since it had been snowing for days and hadn't gotten above freezing and there are a million hills all around AND they don't plow out here.  Luckily the Yukon did great we didn't even slip once during the test run.  So we got back home about 11:15 and I decide to call a little early, just because I am like that.  She said she just needed to call my Dr. and would call me right back.  She called me at 11:55 and said we were all set to go and I could come in!

After hearing the great news that I could come in!

 We dropped Cora off at the Bushman's (who could be the most saint-like people I know, especially because they kept her for 2 1/2 days and 2 nights!!!  And she even woke up one night and they put her (the squirmy thing she is) in bed with them!).  And we drove to the hospital!  We only saw a few stranded cars and the roads were actually pretty good.

Outside the hospital window when we got there.

Another view.

 So we get to the hospital and the nurse says she thinks I am only at a 2 1/2 (Dr. had said I was at a 3 for a few weeks now) and that the baby was still REALLY high (-3) so she would call the Dr. to see if they wanted to start me on Pitocin or Cervidil.  Dr. decided Cervidil which has to just sit inside me for 12 hours before they can start Pitocin.  I actually wasn't too upset by this because that meant that my mom should be here in plenty of time for the birth and Kevin could even go get her.  I called her thrilled and we started changing all the plans and were just so excited.  Well she gets to the airport and 30 minutes before her flight Southwest cancels all flights to Seattle!!!  Not only that, she can't even get on a flight for 2 more days (until the 21st!).  It was so frustrating because it had just seemed like everything was working out perfectly!

Just waiting for the fun to begin!

The board...

 Well so Kevin and I just sat, ate dinner, played games, watched movies until it was kind of late and decided to get some shut eye.  The nurse said it was rare but sometimes the Cervidil can put someone into labor.  A few hours after having it in (put in at 3:00 so about 6:00 p.m.) I started having contractions about every 5 minutes.  An hour later they were happening every 3 minutes so I thought I was for sure in labor...well then they just stopped.  This exact same thing happened again at about 1:00 a.m., but after getting to every 3 minutes they didn't stop, just slowed down.  So at 3:00 a.m., 12 hours after the Cervidil, they are going to put me on Pitocin because my contractions are spaced enough apart they can.  I got my epidural then since I knew it was only going to get worse.  It took the Anesthesiologist until 5:30 a.m. to get the epidural so I'm sure glad I ordered it the hour and a half before.  By this time I was measuring a 3 1/2.  At 9:00 a.m. I was at a 4 with regular contractions and my Dr. decided to break my water to speed things up.  At 10:55 I was at a 5 and still the baby was at a -3, so the Dr. decided to put in an internal monitor to better judge the contractions to see what they could up my Pitocin to.  This is when the fun began...

The nurse left to go get the internal monitor, and I was starting to feel really frustrated that so little progress had happened even with such good contractions.  My nurse said it was one of three things... 1) The baby is just going to drop right before I push, 2) the baby's face is pointing forward instead of backward so it was having a hard time dropping, or 3) the baby was too big to drop.  I was starting to worry that meant c-section.  So in the 5-10 minutes the nurse was gone I had sat up in bed and immediately had started feeling the contractions SUPER strong.  Almost like I had no epidural at all.  I mention this to her and she checks me while she is trying to put the monitor in and says that I had gone from a 5 and -3 to a 7 and -2!  Right then while she was still checking me another contraction happened and she said that in that one contraction I had progressed to a 9 and a +2.  She got all excited and said she didn't think we needed the monitor and went to call the Dr.  It took the Dr. 10 minutes to get there and get ready.  During that time I could feel the contractions so strong I was really REALLY nervous about how much I would feel the labor.  I was pushing that epidural boost button like crazy!  It unfortunately didn't kick in enough.  The Dr. told me to push.

Here I am waiting for the Dr. in serious pain and had my mom and Gma Preston on speaker phone.

 I pushed during one contraction and the Doctor said that she thought it would take only one more contraction and George would be here!  Good thing because I was dying!  Kevin was super cute during this time (before he had just seemed kind of numb to the fact we were in the hospital about to have a baby!) and he was cheering me on and giddy as a school girl and so excited to see his son.

Well the Dr. was right I pushed through one more contraction and George was here!!!  It was a total of about 30 minutes from when she said I was a 5 until I was holding George in my arms! 

INTRODUCING GEORGE PRESTON SPENCER!

Doesn't he look just like Cora did??  It was so weird how much I thought they looked a like.  He was perfect in every way.  Scored a 9 on the APGAR test, was born at exactly 11:30 on Friday January 20, 2012 (that is 1.20.12, kind of a cool pattern), weighing exactly 8 lbs, 21 inches long.  I was so darn proud of myself!!!

Seriously, about this time I just couldn't give him up.  He was so delicious and I just was so happy to hold him in my arms!!!

Daddy and his son.  George sure got spoiled between me and Kevin taking turns holding him.  I am pretty sure he didn't spend more than a few minutes in his little bassinet thing until we were ready for bed that night.

Big yawn!  My sleepy boys!

 The Incredible Bushman's even brought Cora up for a visit while they went to Costco and so she got to meet her new baby brother only a few hours after he was born!  It was super funny, she did acknowledge that there was a baby in the room, but she was much more concerned with trying to get a snack!  We gave her one and then forced her to hold George so we could get a few pictures.  She eventually got semi-excited about the baby.

Isn't this the best picture.  Pretty sure this says it all about how the next few months are going to be.

Look at those nails!  Too bad he is a boy because they are beautiful...Gma Bailey would be so proud!!

Then on our way home from the hospital, Silverdale was JAMMED!  It took us 10 minutes to make it out of the hospital parking lot.  Cars were bumper to bumper in both directions.  It took us 45 minutes to drive to a point we were back at the hospital facing the right direction to get onto the freeway.  We asked a Costco worker what was going on and he said the power was out, but some of the street lights were working so we aren't sure the cause but it was AWFUL!

His outfit home from the hospital!

After his first night home...sly little boy.

 So he had his first Dr.'s appointment on Monday and they said he was a little Jaundiced so since it was a sunny day I should keep him in the sun for a while.  Also they said he had lost 9.9% of his birth weight so they needed me to try and bring him in on Tuesday to get checked again.  I had been breastfeeding (which actually came quite easily this time, weird, especially considering how extremely hard it was with Cora and that I finally gave it up after 2 weeks with her).  We went in on Tuesday and they like to see a baby gain 30 grams in one day and he had gained 160!  Pretty sure he is going to be a munch just like his sister, just had to wait for my milk to come in!

Sun Spa Treatment

Gma Cheryl getting him to smile., also do you notice the zero snow outside.  Such weird weather here!

Cora having to hold the baby.  She has taken a whole new interest in her baby doll that she changes its diaper, wraps it in a blanket, feeds it, puts it down for naps, etc.  She is going to be a great big sister!!

George right now.

So things have been actually quite easy and nice so far.  The weight thing was an issue, but that seems to be resolved.  I would say the hardest part so far is that he sleeps and sleeps and sleeps.  I am supposed to feed him every 3 hours, especially since he lost so much weight, and I can't seem to wake him up at night.  I think one night he slept 4 hours and I finally got him up and ate for about 8 minutes and fell asleep again for another 4 hours.  It sounds super nice, but the problem is I am not sleeping because I am waking up and worried he isn't waking up and checking on him and staying up for an hour trying to get him to eat.  Once he gains enough weight I think I will just let him sleep until he wants and I'll just sleep right along with him.  Anyway, isn't he perfect??  I really REALLY love this stage, I love his little bum fits perfectly in my hand, and I love snuggling with him and just every thing about him.  Sorry for the super long post, but there you have it!  It's official, George Preston Spencer is here, he is perfect, and he is mine!