Couldn't be More Perfect

So in the middle of this busy, busy holiday season, I'm hoping to have a baby right? On top of that, my family all decides they are coming into town for the New Year and/or Christmas. Those not so intimately acquainted with me may not know that "all my family" includes 43 people. So we were having a mini reunion and then comes... our baby.
Baby was born on December 28, 2009 at 10:26pm, which was 10 days earlier than her due date. She weighed 7lbs 5oz and was 20 inches. She was perfect with cute dark hair. We named the baby Hallee Ryse (the pronunciation is hal/ee and reese, nickname is Aly is that's easier ;). This was the most anxious time for us and yet it seems like the smoothest labor and delivery of any of mine. The Lord's hand was definitely present. We were so anxious about when the baby would come as Jeremy only had 2 weeks home and then he HAD to leave to go back to army training. We had talked about inducing with doctors and they were supportive of it.
We went in for an appointment on the 28th and tried to set up a date for inducing. The midwife we saw that day then told us that they couldn't induce because they had not been our provider during the first part of the pregnancy and they didn't have anything on record that could confirm the due date and eleminate a possibility of a preterm baby. If I really wanted to induce, I would have to do an amniocentesis. I was against having that done, and luckily Jeremy sympathized because in the end it meant, no inducing. I was relieved a little as I didn't really want to be induced, but it forced Jeremy to be willing to accept that he might miss the birth, which was hard. Well, the midwife also swept the membranes at that appointment to see if it would help start labor. It must have helped because we had the baby that night! We were so relieved at the way everything went, we couldn't have planned it more perfectly. Thus, you know it was planned by someone else instead. :)
Looking back on it, it's kind of comical they way it worked out too. I started labor late afternoon and it was in a good rhythm by around dinner. Here we had twenty-something people downstairs getting dinner ready and laughing, etc. and there I was upstairs in labor. I came down around 8:30pm ready to go to the hospital. Everyone was so surprised I had the baby so soon.


Now do you see those glasses?! GCBs! LOL! (sorry honey.)



Although Jeremy left a quick 5 days later, it was enough time to help me feel put back together pretty well. We also were able to bless Hallee while everyone was still here. It was a great experience. This Daddy and his girls pic- doesn't it just hit your heart?
This cute quilt was made by Shoshanna, my sis-in-law, who has handmade gifts for each of my children when they were born. How cool is that? I've been trying to make a quilt for my niece and it still isn't done a year and half later, so I don't know how often I'll be attempting that again. Shoshanna made a cute quilt for Lucy, and a cool lap blanket with crocheted edges for Willie, and this quilt for Hallee. I love the fabric patterns and colors, and the gingerbread girl melts my heart!