As if you didn't know...

She's here! I tried posting from my cell phone the day she was born, but it didn't work. Thursday we started a marathon stomach bug that made its way through all but three of us (I am forbidden to mention who didn't get sick, lest the bug find them...) that is finally letting up today.

Bill, Gretchen, Jake, Hope, Clara, Emma, Abie and Ben
are tickled pink to announce the arrival of

Lydia Randolph L*
8 pounds, 20 1/5 inches
8:05 a.m., Wednesday January 25, 2006

Named Lydia for my dear grandmother, who passed away last March, and Randolph for my father's mother, mom of eight, inspiration for me to have a big family.

My contractions started just after midnight, Wednesday...just enough to wake me up, but not enough to decide to wake Billiam. Within about an hour they were about 7-8 minutes apart and strong enough that I decided that it was for real. At some point in there Billiam woke up, but I said he should go back to sleep for a little while. I don't think he did, though. Just before 3:00 a.m., my water broke. So I called the midwife (it ended up being Chris B., recently moved here from Colorado--can't help but laugh at this, as my friend, Kris B., midwife, lives in Co.), and we agreed to meet at the hospital. Then I called my sister to give her a heads up but told her to go back to sleep...it would likely be hours before she would need to come get the kids to bring them to the hospital.

We left a bit after 3:30 and got to the hospital a little after 4 a.m. On the ride over the contractions settled into a consistent 5 minute pattern. Once we were in the room they started coming much faster--2 1/2 to 4 minutes and much more intense. I was at 4 cm at 4:30. I was pretty tired and could feel my legs starting to get jumpy, which was what happened when I was in labor with Clara and it makes it very difficult to relax through the contractions, so I started talking to the midwife about an epidural a bit after 5:00. By 5:30 I was sure, though my midwife warned me that I seemed to be going pretty fast and she was worried that I would be getting the epidural in place as the baby was coming out.

I quickly got a bag of fluids in and the anesthesiologist came in and started at 6:15. At this point I knew I had made the right decision...my legs were jumpy and I was having a lot of trouble concentrating through the contractions. Bill called Meghan to collect the kids at some point in here and the epidural was in place by 6:30, or so. At 7:00 a.m. I was 7 cm and the contractions slowed down.

Meghan and the kids arrived at 7:50, sleepy but excited. Chris checked me and laughed as she announced that I was 10 cm, complete, and Fireball was at +4. just before

Everyone got in their places (Abie held his ears, anticipating the loud sounds I had warned him I might make, but it was completely silent), Jake snapped a picture of me , and 3 contractions later Billiam and Chris caught her and handed her up to me. One of the first things I said was how tiny she looked and, sure enough, an even eight pounds. Yea! No fighting over blood sugar testing!



More photos later...