Audrey Jean Porcaro

I'm way behind on blogging, for a few very good reasons.  Here's the best one:

Introducing

Audrey Jean Porcaro

 

 After her first bath

 Holding hands with Daddy

 Claire and Ethan hold Audrey for the first time! 

 Audrey Jean meets Grandma Jean Porcaro

 Audrey meets Grandpa Porcaro

 Even the press was there for Audrey's birth, waiting in the parking lot.  (a high-profile shooting and manhunt had the hospital and neighborhood schools on lockdown that day.)

Here's a video of when the kids and grandparents first arrived.  I'm glad Ethan still loved me with my reduced belly size:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZykKj6JoNDo

One of my favorite moments was when Claire first held Audrey.  Already a protective older sister (see at 38 seconds):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0lU9Jr70JE

For those interested in the childbirth details...this was very different from my previous two labors for which I had no medications or interventions.  This time, my labor was induced a couple days after my initial due date, right on the ulltrasound due date.  I was started on Pitocin around 8am (about 2cm dilated).  By 10:30am I was still feeling great, making phone calls, etc.  Around 12:30pm the doctor showed up and broke my water (I was measuring 3-4cm at this point).  Labor became a lot more painful at this point, and I decided to try out having an epidural.  It was placed at 2:20pm (now measuring 6-7cm).  At 3:20pm I went through the "transition" stage between active labor and birth.  I could tell because my entire body started shaking uncontrollably.  Even my teeth were chattering, which David thought that was pretty funny.  The doctor was called in, and soon it was time to push.  I had an episiotomy this time (not painful at all, and much quicker to heal than my previous tears, by the way!).  David was right by my side through all of this, of course, and assisted with cutting the umbilical cord.  

Audrey was born at 3:47pm, weighing 8lbs 15oz and measuring 21 1/4 inches.  The doctor said she was huge (just under Ethan's 9lbs and just over Claire's 8.5lbs).  She looked tiny and beautiful to me.  She was so quiet that I was concerned about her lungs for a few moments, but they assured me she was just fine.  We felt so grateful for a sweet, healthy baby girl.  What a blessing she is to our family. 

For more beautiful pictures of Audrey, check out my friend's photography blog:  http://chelseajohnsonphotography.blogspot.com/2011/03/introducing-audrey.html