Welcome Baby Heidi!
Our much-anticipated Baby Sister arrived one week ago today!
Henry and Ingrid were getting very anxious for her arrival and kept asking when baby sister was going to come out. She was due on February 1st, and since I had not been feeling labor-ish at all, we spent that day doing all kinds of things -- going to Ikea, some sewing projects for the big kids' room, getting odds and ends together around the house.
None of that -- not even Ikea on a Sunday -- triggered any contractions, so we went to bed that night confident that Baby Sister would arrive well past her due date, just like her big siblings. And then at 4:15 a.m. a very strong contraction woke me up. I laid in bed for a bit and Karl woke up half an hour later. I told him I was having contractions; he could probably go to work that day, but let's wait and see. By 5:30 my contractions were painful and only three minutes apart. So much for going to work that day! Karl made coffee, we put the bags in the car, and off to the hospital!
We arrived at the hospital around 6:45 and my contractions were very painful. I always think I should try to deliver naturally. And then I go into labor and remember that epidurals are the best thing ever. Luckily, the anesthesiologist (aka Stabby McStabberson) came quickly. We didn't have much time to spare. When Ingrid was born, I had a couple of hours to nap after the epidural was in. With Heidi, no sooner had the drugs taken effect than it was time to start pushing. Ten minutes later, she was in our arms!
She is long and skinny and looked much smaller than the other kids. The nurse told us to guess the weight before they put her on the scale, and we both guessed 8 - 8.5 lbs. We were really surprised when she weighed in heavier than Ingrid. Her 9lb 2oz are just stretched over a longer frame. She has the skinniest legs of anyone in the family. She also has crazy long fingers and toes. I can't believe I'm genetically related to anyone with these feet.
The big kids are delighted with her. Henry likes to hold her and make funny faces (which are lost on Heidi at this point but will be awesome in two months). Ingrid likes to give her kisses and "help" by feeding her with the baby-doll bottles.
We're settling in and enjoying some quiet time before getting back into the regular routine. So far the transition has been surprisingly smooth. My recovery has been easy (much easier than the other two) and the kids are handling the change very well. Our biggest problem was that all four of us had some sort of cold or flu when Heidi came home from the hospital. Luckily, Grandma and Grandpa were here for the first few days and Karl is still at home full-time, so there was plenty of attention to go around.
The kids are back to school this week but Karl is still at home. The third newborn seems almost comically easy. I'm savoring all of it. I love these sleepy newborn days. We're so happy this little lady is here!
Heidi Johanna Reitz
9lb 2oz
22.5 inches long
February 2, 2015 at 9:07am
Henry and Ingrid were getting very anxious for her arrival and kept asking when baby sister was going to come out. She was due on February 1st, and since I had not been feeling labor-ish at all, we spent that day doing all kinds of things -- going to Ikea, some sewing projects for the big kids' room, getting odds and ends together around the house.
None of that -- not even Ikea on a Sunday -- triggered any contractions, so we went to bed that night confident that Baby Sister would arrive well past her due date, just like her big siblings. And then at 4:15 a.m. a very strong contraction woke me up. I laid in bed for a bit and Karl woke up half an hour later. I told him I was having contractions; he could probably go to work that day, but let's wait and see. By 5:30 my contractions were painful and only three minutes apart. So much for going to work that day! Karl made coffee, we put the bags in the car, and off to the hospital!
We arrived at the hospital around 6:45 and my contractions were very painful. I always think I should try to deliver naturally. And then I go into labor and remember that epidurals are the best thing ever. Luckily, the anesthesiologist (aka Stabby McStabberson) came quickly. We didn't have much time to spare. When Ingrid was born, I had a couple of hours to nap after the epidural was in. With Heidi, no sooner had the drugs taken effect than it was time to start pushing. Ten minutes later, she was in our arms!
She is long and skinny and looked much smaller than the other kids. The nurse told us to guess the weight before they put her on the scale, and we both guessed 8 - 8.5 lbs. We were really surprised when she weighed in heavier than Ingrid. Her 9lb 2oz are just stretched over a longer frame. She has the skinniest legs of anyone in the family. She also has crazy long fingers and toes. I can't believe I'm genetically related to anyone with these feet.
The big kids are delighted with her. Henry likes to hold her and make funny faces (which are lost on Heidi at this point but will be awesome in two months). Ingrid likes to give her kisses and "help" by feeding her with the baby-doll bottles.
We're settling in and enjoying some quiet time before getting back into the regular routine. So far the transition has been surprisingly smooth. My recovery has been easy (much easier than the other two) and the kids are handling the change very well. Our biggest problem was that all four of us had some sort of cold or flu when Heidi came home from the hospital. Luckily, Grandma and Grandpa were here for the first few days and Karl is still at home full-time, so there was plenty of attention to go around.
The kids are back to school this week but Karl is still at home. The third newborn seems almost comically easy. I'm savoring all of it. I love these sleepy newborn days. We're so happy this little lady is here!
So happy she's here safe and sound!
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