Welcome New Baby!!!

After much anticipation and waiting...our new baby is finally here! Christian was born last week after being 5 days past his due date. It was exciting to finally see his face and hear his wonderful little cry!

We waited and waited, and still no baby. I finally went in for my post due date visit where they did a stress test and an ultrasound. Everything went well, except for a couple of decelerations in the baby's heart rate. That is what ultimately sent me directly to the hospital for an induction. I was scared to death of being put on pitocin, since I've heard that contractions are stronger and more painful than with natural labor. Towards the end, I experienced the increase in pain and it turned out that the baby was facing up, contributing to my extreme back pain. But in the end, everything turned out well and I was able to survive without any medication. Labor lasted only about 4 hours.

Christian was born healthy and my mother was able to participate in the delivery. It was exciting to see her expressions as the baby was being born. She had never had that experience before and she was great in helping DH rub my back and get me comfortable during the most painful part of labor. In the end, she cut the umbilical cord and DH and I were happy that we were able to share the moment with family.

Now that we are home, it's nice to get back into the swing of things. The kids are loving the new baby and I'm blessed that none of them have ever been jealous of a sibling. Marco and Isabella are truly enjoying the big sibling roles they have. Anthony is still a little clueless, but is constantly kissing the baby and saying things like, "Aww...baby cute. Kiss baby." In all, we are truly one, big, happy family!