Then We Became a Family of 3

my last belly pic...39 weeks 

After a fairly easy pregnancy but a great deal of anticipation it was finally time to meet our baby boy. I was scheduled for a morning induction on December 11. My friend works in labor and delivery and let me know early that morning that the hospital was very busy and we likely wouldn't receive our call to come in until much later. I got myself a coffee from Kaldis, wrapped our Christmas presents, hung out with Tom and kept as busy as I could. At noon Tom started raking leaves in the backyard and we finally got the call to come in to the hospital around 1:15 pm. We got in the car and were on our way!

Heading to the hospital to meet our baby boy 

We live very close to the hospital so there was a little delay when we arrived a bit earlier than they expected.  We checked in and waited patiently for our room. When we got to the room we were greeted with an adorable sign my friend had hung for me. It was time for the big event! I was started on pitocin and progressed pretty quickly. We asked that only our moms come to the hospital and they ended up coming earlier than I told them when they were shocked by my quick progression.

Sweet Tom was the best coach/cheerleader there could be

 I promise the time went by so quickly and, as everyone says, the epidural really made it all a piece of cake. The doctor was in there before I knew it and it was time for us to meet our baby boy. Lizzie was working that night and was ecstatic from the moment she arrived at 6:30. She took great care of our moms and came into the room when it was time for our little guy to arrive. She was our photographer so Tom could just focus on me and Trace.

Dr. Shores was ready to go with her makeshift boots

Things got real and the pictures got censored. :) Here are some of the less graphic photos of our first moments with our precious little guy.

the time our little guy arrived

Tom got to go out and tell our moms Trace and I were both healthy and ready to see them. They were ecstatic as they could hear everything from the waiting room which was just outside our delivery room. It was very early in the morning for these ladies but a good experience to hear the action as it all unfolded and little Trace was welcomed into the world. It was such a special moment to have our moms together to come in and meet him soon after his birth.

Our nurse extraordinaire 

he found his thumb pretty quickly

We had to wait until 5:00 am to move into our postpartum room. Tom took a nap and I sat and stared at our little guy. I couldn't believe he was finally here.

After a short nap Friday morning things got very busy. We had a lot of family and friends come by. Trace was very sleepy but many of his aunts, uncles, cousins and friends were able to come meet him at the hospital

Tom quickly became a great diaper changer

Before we knew it, it was time to go home. It was a sixty degree day in December for Trace's big introduction to the world outside of Mercy Hospital. He is now almost 3 weeks old and has brought us so much joy!