Family of Five...Finally!!

I have dreamed of getting to finally write this post...WE ARE A FAMILY OF FIVE!!!!  And, I couldn't be happier!!!  I can't even tell you how ecstatic, relieved, blessed, and tired I feel.  It has been a long journey, but my family is now complete!!  Here is our first picture of our "new" family!!

This is a shot of the boys when they first came in to see Beau!!  Another moment I have dreamed about...

Blake was immediately smitten, and Evan had to warm up a little :)

I have worried (like I did when Evan was born) about how I could love another child like I loved the others. Crazy how it just happens...He is just absolutely amazing and I love him like crazy!!

My pictures are a little out of order, but here he is just after he was born.  He weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces and is 20 inches long!!  Born at 12:43 PM on November 11, 2009.

So sweet!  Black ink on his feet and all!!

Beau Christian Travis Bartlett

Travis holding him for the first time!  He was absolutely AMAZING throughout my labor.  I'll have to brag on him more later!!

Here he is right after his first bath.  Sporting a faux hawk!  Evan was SO proud!

Blake truly bonded immediately.  He didn't want to put him down...

Getting ready to go home from the hospital. (Can't figure out why my picture turned ?)

Before I put his outfit on to go home!

Ready to go!

First time in his car seat.  I'd forgotten how complicated it can be to get a baby in the car seat for the first time!!

And, for anyone who is interested...a labor update.  Most everyone knows how I feel about natural labor and birth.  I struggled so much with being induced and was so worried about how that would effect my plans.  I have to say, that it all turned out about as perfect as I could have hoped for a hospital birth. 

My friend Jennifer was my nurse and I trusted her completely.  We started some pitocin around 7:30 that morning and I was 4 cm.  By about 10:30 I still wasn't really uncomfortable, but was having a lot of ctx. Dr. Bell came in and checked me and I was 5cm.  I opted for him not to break my water at that point (the cushion usually helps with some of the labor pain).  So, at that point Jennifer got more aggressive with the pitocin.  By about 12:00ish I was really starting to hurt and was 7cm.  At that point I was up sitting on the birth ball, rocking with the ctx.  Travis and my mom were taking turns sitting behind me rubbing my back.  At some point in the next little bit I made my way back to the bed and was sitting up in the bed breathing/wishing I could scream :) through the ctx.  I asked Jennifer to check me and I was 9cm. 

The next few minutes are kind of a blur.  She told me to push once and my cervix reduced immediately.  I felt a major urge to push at that point and just couldn't stop.  Thankfully, another nurse friend, Susi,  was just coming in the room to say "hi" and Jennifer told her to come help her quickly.  Jennifer had Susi help her get another glove on and they called Dr. Bell.  All the while I was pushing like crazy.  Needless to say, Dr. Bell didn't make it!  They didn't even get the bed broken down.  Jennifer delivered Beau at 12:43 and Dr. Bell walked in about a minute later :).  He did have a nuchal cord and was blue for a few seconds.  But, within a minute he was screaming!!  I have never been so relieved in my whole life!!!

So, in the end, I did get my natural labor and birth.  Right down to delivering in the bed without the stirrups.  It is such an empowering feeling to know that you birthed a baby without any medication to blur the experience.  I'm so glad that I was able to do it.  Travis was beside me the whole time!!  He was quietly my rock.  Just knowing he was there beside me, holding my hand or talking quietly to me was so comforting.  And my mom was awesome, also.  I know she probably had hand cramps from ALL the rubbing she did on my back.  Travis's mom, Becky was also in the room and was wonderful.  She kept cool cloths on me when I wanted them.  My dad and Trisha even stayed for most of my labor.  I think it was a little bit of a shock for my dad, because he has never been in the room before when I was laboring.

I'm just SO thankful that it is OVER!!  The whole experience was amazing, but thank the Lord, he lets you forget the intensity quickly.  That's the only way I could possibly have 3 children!!

Travis helping me cope!

VERY near the end.  I was probably just a few minutes from delivering here...

Me and Jennifer - my rockstar nurse!! I couldn't have done it without her!!

Thank you everyone for all the prayers for Beau and I on Wednesday.  It truly couldn't have been a better day!!