Happy Birthday Whitten

I gave Dusty a baby daddy basket filled with treats and snacks and some TN orange for the hospital at our house before we left



Paisley and I left little love notes on each item trying to let him know how much we love and appreciate him



especially through the months of bedrest!



We got to the hospital and settled in a room around 11 p.m. on April 6. Earlier that day at my Dr's. appt (after much begging) my Dr. said in so many words that he would not induce me at 37 weeks 4 days but if I showed up at the hospital having any contractions that would register on the monitor he would help us get this "little" guy here. I was so nervous and anxious to have him because he had been measuring really big. I have contractions pretty regularly in the evenings so we knew if we so chose we could probably have him that night. We called my mom and told her if I had some decent contactions we were going to go to the hospital. She immediately booked herself, Celine, and G'ma Joan on the first flight out the next morning and told us "Don't you dare have a baby tonight...just wait until tomorrow when we get there."  :) We cleaned the house and packed and prepared feeling like we didn't want to pass up our chance to get him here. I was having contractions all afternoon but I certainly would not have called them labor contractions. We snatched up our opportunity anyways and had Dusty's mom come over and spend the night with Paisley and we left for the hospital...where ironically, I REALLY did go into labor. I'm not sure if it would have happened anyways or if it was an answered prayer but after a couple hours with nothing but IV fluids I was having contracions every 2 minutes, dilated to a 5 and about 90% effaced.  The party really started once the doc broke my water and start a slow drip of pitocin. I dilated 1 cm every hour and whn they woke me up to check me at 6:30 I was complete and ready to push ;) Dusty was sleeping like a baby too...like I said...epidurals are a beautiful thing! 



and at 7:33 Whitten Lee Vaughn was born!

It took a little over an hour of intense pushing to get him here but my epidural made it so I could enjoy his arrival! I got to watch him be born in a mirror and they placed him on my belly as soon as he arrived. It was exactly the experience that I had hoped and prayed for. Our experience with Paisley was chaotic and worrisome and I was put under with anesthesia so this was AWESOME!



Dusty and I got to watch Whit come just the two of us. It was so neat to feel his warm little body when he came and watch him go from a little blood and vernix covered baby to a pink healthy baby with just a couple breaths. He immediately peed on his nurse (twice!) and scored an 8/9 apgar.



Dusty was in hog heaven with little boy.

His sugars were low right at first so he got some sugar water pretty quickly.

I was feeling nauseated still at this point so Dusty got to hold him for a while. I didn't ever feel that with Paisley but I threw up 4 or 5 times with this delivery.

I had LOTS of stitches but look pretty happy huh?

1st family of four picture! Paisley came a little later in the morning and LOVED her brother at first sight.

Mema Laurie was our first visitor and she brought P for us.

Papa Rusty was next!

8 lbs 9.7 oz, 20 1/2 inches long, April 7 2011

and by the afternoon we had Celine and G'ma Stephy and G'ma Joan here!

It was a wonderful, wonderful day. We got one of our dreams come true and had great family to share it with. Misty, Kristy, Uncle Nate and our 2 nephews stopped by for a visit that night. We LOVE you Whitten Lee Vaughn!