Baby Benson

Finally, here's post 102! I've been waiting around for Trevor to write this one, since he wrote the post when Cassie was born. Well, it's been two weeks (I can't believe it's been that long!) and he's not showing any interest in blogging, so I guess I better do it.

Here's the birth story first. It's not too graphic, but it's certainly not interesting to everyone out there. So feel free to skip to the pictures.

I was scheduled to be induced on Friday, March 11th. My doctor told me to call Labor and Delivery first thing in the morning, and they would tell me what time to come in. We had planned to get some shopping and cleaning done that morning since we knew I wouldn't be their first priority as an elective induction. My mom was ready to come babysit Cassie as soon as the hospital was ready for us. When I called, the nurse asked me to call back in a few hours, and they would tell me when to come in. Perfect! We got ready for the day and started some cleaning and laundry. When I called again, they told me they were too busy right then but would call me back within the next hour. Awesome. More cleaning, folded the laundry, and Trevor ran out to do some last-minute shopping. It had been almost two hours, so I decided to call the hospital. (Does anyone else see where this is going?) Fast forward to 1 pm, when our apartment was immaculate (I had even spot-cleaned the carpet!), everything was organized and ready for the baby, and we were starting to get bored. The charge nurse in Labor and Delivery called: "How do you feel about Sunday?" There was no way to fit us in that day, and my doctor wasn't available on Saturday. Talk about a let-down. I was so frustrated. I guess the good news is that my frustration centered around the fact that I had nothing to do for the next day-and-a-half of my life, and not that I was incredibly uncomfortable or worried about the health of my baby. I just hate feeling lazy and unproductive, and of course we had cleared our schedules for the weekend. And there's nothing worse than getting your hopes up and making exciting plans, only to have them cancelled! (Well, postponed. Let's not get too dramatic.) Anyway, I called my Mom and she calmed me down (aren't mothers wonderful?) and helped us figure out what to do next. So, on to plan B: Trevor, Cassie, and I spent Saturday morning at our place (it was actually kind of nice to just relax), then we headed to my parents' house in the afternoon. We helped with some yard work, listened to the BYU basketball game, ate dinner, then left Cassie at my parents' for a sleepover and went to my high school's production of The Scarlet Pimpernel before heading home. (A sidenote: I have always wanted to see The Scarlet Pimpernel. I think finding out that it was playing at my high school and that I would be able to go see it was the main factor in pulling me out of my slump on Friday afternoon.) We got home late and went straight to bed, then woke up super early (it felt earlier because it was daylight savings) and got to the hospital at 7:30. After all the admitting procedures, my nurse was about to get my IV in and start the pitocin, when another nurse ran in and told my nurse that she was needed right away. 45 minutes later, my nurse came back: a woman had just given birth in her car right outside the hospital. Her husband had run inside to grab a wheelchair, and when he came back, she was holding the baby. And their other three children were in the backseat while all this happened. So I was grateful to be in my situation. Anyway, my doctor came in and broke my water just before 9:00, and they started my pitocin just after 9:00. I wanted to go for as long as I could stand the pain before getting an epidural, in the hopes that I would progress a little more quickly than I did with Cassie (with her, as soon as I got the epidural, my body slowed WAY down). I just read some books until about 2:00 pm, when the contractions were too painful and too frequent for my taste. I was at a 4 when I got the epidural. My doctor came in less than two hours later and I was at a 10! I guess this time, the epidural helped my body relax. Baby Benson was born at 4:45 after pushing through 3 or 4 contractions. Birth is such a miracle! I just cried and cried for joy when I first saw him and held him. There is nothing like being a mother.

Benson Trevor

Born March 13, 2011 at 4:45 pm

8 lbs 10 oz

20.5 inches

Proud parents

Big sister waving hello! She had a bad cold with a cough, so she got to wear a mask.

Family of four! Cassie got a "big sister" present at the hospital- a backpack with some toys, a book, and a big sister shirt, which she is wearing.

What a nice daddy.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Aw. Notice, he has hair! This is exciting for us.

Benson is a great sleeper and eater, and that's pretty much all he's done for the last two weeks, which has made my life so much easier! He is just starting to be awake more often and cry a little more. So far, having a second baby has been much easier than having a first, mostly because I knew what to expect and how to prepare. I also think Benson cries less and sleeps more than Cassie did. He is, however, a champion spitter-upper. I've done a load of laundry almost every day since we came home from the hospital. Even so, I am so happy that I get to hold him in my arms now instead of having him kick my ribs from the inside! We're so happy to have him in our family.