Landon Ray

It's hard to believe that a week has already passed since Landon Ray has come into this world. I thought the day would never come, and once it did, it all happened so fast! I've been wanting to blog about this, but as you can imagine, time has just been flying by. And my mom is here, which has been a huge help and I am not looking forward to her going home in two days. But I must jump in and learn how to juggle four instead of three. So without further ado, here is our newest member of the family.....

 

This is just minutes after he was born. My contractions had started the night before, about ten to fifteen minutes apart, and not very strong. I was able to sleep through them until about 2:30 a.m. Thursday. I woke Nate up and we set up my birthing tub, and then decided to go for a walk. My contractions were about 7 to 8 minutes apart and getting stronger. We walked around a pivot. There are so many stars in the sky at 3 in the morning! We saw at least 7 or 8 shooting stars. I was able to walk around the whole circle without stopping through my contractions. We got back around 3:30 or so. I labored for the next hour and my contractions were now five minutes apart and growing stronger. I called my midwife, Stephanie, around five in the morning. I told her I thought within the next hour or two she should probably come.

Our girls got up around 6:30 in the morning. I helped my mom with getting them dressed and breakfast. They were ready to head down to Nate's mom's house by seven, which was the time Stephanie arrived. I wasn't sure Larissa was going to get in the truck. She just stood in the entryway, telling me she wanted to stay and see her brother being born. Nate and I both felt that wasn't the best decision, so after much convincing she went out to the truck.

I continued to labor until about 9:00. I was experiencing some back labor and felt like getting in my birth tub would help alleviate some of the pain. My contractions were now two to three minutes apart. About quarter of ten I had a contraction that half felt like I could start pushing. I asked Stephanie to check me. She did, and I was either an 8 or 9. (I heard 8, Nate tells me it was a 9, it doesn't really matter!) Anyway, I asked her to break my water if she could. She said she had to wait for a contraction because she didn't want to risk scratching Landon's head, because it was right there. Of course after all these contractions, my body decided it would be nice to rest. It felt like forever until a contraction finally started coming. Stephanie broke my water, and as soon as I felt the water break, I was up and ready to start pushing. Stephanie broke my water at 9:52, and Landon was born at 10:02.

Nate cut the cord, and we got myself moved back to my bed, where our little boy caught on to nursing quickly, and Nate and I got to sit and just soak in the birth of our child. It never ceases to amaze me the miracle of birth, and just how the whole process never grows old. Although I must admit, I was so glad it was over! It is one of the hardest things I have ever done, and probably will ever do. At least physically.

After a half hour or so of resting, my midwives ran an herbal bath for me and Landon, which we soaked in for a while. This is one of my favorite parts. The bath smells so good, and it is so healing. They use sea salt in it, which helps the healing process tremendously.

After our herbal bath, I climbed back into bed and the weighing and measuring began. Nate told me as soon as Landon was born, that he thought Landon had to be at least nine pounds. I wasn't quite so sure, but daddy was right. Landon weighed in at 9 lbs, 3 oz. Our biggest baby. He was 21 1/4 inches long. He really doesn't fit into newborn clothing! It's a totally new experience to have a baby that is chunky! I like it, though.

My mom brought the girls back just after one in the afternoon. They were super excited to meet their "baby bruver", according to Charlotte.

and here is one of Grandma with her first grandson,

This last week has been a lot of fun, and very tiring! I forgot how much I love my sleep. Being interrupted every two to three hours has taken some getting used to. But I also forgot how soft newborn skin is, how silky their hair is, and how sweet they smell after a bath. I know I will have some crazy days ahead, but we are just so thrilled that Landon is here and a part of our family. We love you Landon Ray, and look forward to all you will bring to our family.