She's here!

Elizabeth Pearl Burgon

We welcomed this little beauty into our family on August 28th, 2013. She was born at 11:39 am and weighed in at 9 pounds 5 ounces and is 21 3/4 inches long.  I was scheduled to be induced on the 28th but went into labor on my own the night before. I started feeling contractions around 7 pm and they continued through the night. I was able to fall asleep for a few hours before the contractions got more intense. By 1:45 am, I was officially awake and was contracting regularly, although not frequent enough to go to the hospital. Trever and I eventually turned on Netflicks and watched a comedy routine to take my mind off the pain. At 4 am, we called the doctor and by 5 am we were headed to the hospital.

My parents arrived from Michigan that evening and were on hand to help with Jane and Cate. We had told Jane that we were headed to the hospital in the morning and that Nana and Papa would be here to stay with them. We also told her that we would be here for breakfast and that we would have time together before heading to the hospital. Once I realized that we were not going to be home in the morning, I decided we should make a video for the girls to watch when they woke up. Trever and I recorded a quick message, letting them know we were headed to the hospital and that they would meet their new baby sister very soon. Apparently the video was a big hit and was watched over and over on the morning on the 28th. 

Once I arrived at the hospital, they got me settled in a room and I continued to labor for the next three hours. They wanted to see how my body would progress on it's own, so they didn't give me any pain medication to start. Everything was moving along nicely, so once the doctor was on call, they checked me and started the epidural.  I was finally comfortable and was able to rest a little before I delivered. Once they broke my water, things moved pretty quick and Lizzie was out with just a few rounds of pushing.

When I first saw Lizzie, I immediately thought she looked like Cate. Although I also think she looks like Jane and Trever and me, I guess she has little bits of all of us. She has darker hair and time will tell if it stays that way. Her skin is perfect and barely had a scratch when she came out. Of course I think she is perfect!

The girls arrived at the hospital later that afternoon to meet their baby sister. They were both excited, although Jane was a little hesitant about the hospital environment. I think it was unsettling to see me attached to an IV and wearing a green gown. It's not the best look. They were both very sweet with their sister and have shown her nothing but love since she arrived. Jane was able to get some special time with Lizzie the following day and totally enjoyed being with her sister. She held her, sang to her, read her stories and held her some more. 

Since we have been home, Lizzie has been doing really well. She is sleeping long stretches, nursing like a champ and has kept the crying to a minimum. She really doesn't make much noise, although we know that can change in the weeks to come. On Wednesday, she had her tongue clipped because she was tongue tied. She was nursing just fine but we knew it was best to clip her tongue while she was young. Apparently it's a pretty painless procedure and she barely cried. It took less than 5 minutes with the doctor and then we were on our way. Later that afternoon she went to her 1 week appointment. She is doing well and has gained back all of her birth weight. We are loving this sweet girl and are so grateful to have her in our family. Welcome to the world Lizzie!