Juliet slideshow - Cozy Impressions Photography

A good friend of ours, Tanya, took these AMAZING pictures of our family on Saturday evening. Enjoy! Oh, and turn it up. The song choice is great. Made me cry. I have no idea how I'm going to choose!

Click here for the show.

Juliet Birth Story

Now, what you've all been waiting for ...

The story! It's taken me a long time to sit down and actually start writing this because no one really knocked it into my brain that HAVING TWO KIDS IS REALLY TIME CONSUMING. Now, I know this.

Let's see. Where to start. Luke and I went to my OBGYN appointment on Wednesday the 19th - my due date. A little disheartened and very uncomfortable, I talked with the doctor (Dr. Guzman-Winn: The best OBGYN on the face of the planet) about inducing, and she was all for it. She had asked me about it all along because she offers it to her patients who've already had one normal delivery and are 39 weeks. Since I was right at 40, Luke and I decided to go for it. I was only dilated to a one, but I figured it was worth it, and hoped that things would move along quickly because she is a second baby. And, I was huge. She needed to come out.

We went it on the 21st at 6 a.m. to sign papers, get all dressed up in the awesome hospital clothes, and start the Pitocin to bring on contractions. The meds weren't administered until about 8:15 a.m., which was to be expected. Things started off pretty slowly. Luke and I watched a lot of tv, played on our iPhones ... but I got pretty nervous and excited. I guess I forgot what contractions really felt like, and I wasn't looking forward to figuring that out again:). The small contractions started around 9:00, and were no big deal. I was all "Hmmm, this is easy. I remember it being much worse. If it's like this, I think I could make it through without an epidural." Oh, poor, naive little Sara. By about 11:30, the contractions were out of control. "NOW I remember," I thought.

We then called for the epidural. Let me tell ya, the response time on that seems like 1,000 years when you're in that much pain. Dr. Epidural got in there about 30 minutes later, and began going through the risks, questions, etc. Luke and I proceeded to THREATEN HIM WITH HIS LIFE if he gave me another "wet tap" like the doctor did for Cooper's birth, accidentally. A "wet tap" is where they poke too far and enter the spinal fluid, thus causing a leak and making me completely numb from the chest down. I mean, numb. I had to wait two hours dilated at a 10 before I could feel my toes enough to push. THIS time, the doctor was very careful and awesome, and it worked like a charm. Whew. Thank the Lord.

What I didn't know about epidurals is that you can still feel pressure and contractions, but they aren't painful. It was pretty weird. I started shaking right after it was administered, and didn't stop until she was born. I think it was because they pushed a lot of fluids at once, and my blood pressure started to go up and down. Either way, shaking is better than pain. Anyday.

So, about 2:00, I started to feel MAJOR pressure, like I could push. The nurse checked me and said "Oh, you're at a nine. Let me call the doctor. You're about to start pushing." What? That happened fast. within about 15 minutes, Dr. Winn was there, ready to go and telling me to push. Here's what blew my mind: I pushed four times total. FOUR TIMES. It was awesome. MUCH different from Cooper, which was about 2 1/2 hours of pushing. And there she was, screaming crying, gorgeous, healthy, and amazing. The experience was awesome, and I wouldn't have done it any other way. She weighed 8 lbs., 5 oz. and was 20 3/4 in. long. She looks JUST like Cooper when he was born, but with hair and darker eyes. Praise God!

Since the delivery, things have gone really well. She lost a LOT of weight in the first few days (over a pound), so we had to supplement with formula for a couple of days to get her re-hydrated and gaining weight. Nursing is going wonderfully now. And by wonderfully, I mean it's a pain in the rear, but it's worth it to keep at it. She gained six more ounces, and apparently BROKE HER CLAVICLE during delivery. Poor baby! It heals on it's own, and there's nothing we can do to make it worse, but she won't use that arm as much in the next few weeks while it heals. Sometimes we accidentally move it wrong and she screams, but she's okay. The area where the fracture is has swelled up like a grape, but her pediatrician (Dr. Enders - AMAZING DOCTOR) said that would happen.

Cooper is adjusting well to the new baby. He's very inquisitive and super sweet about her. Very possessive, which I like. Preschool has started back, so that's a Godsend for me each week.

All in all, things are going well. I couldn't have asked for an easier delivery, a healthier baby and a happier family than I have right now. We are extremely blessed, and need to remember that in the middle of the night when she's screaming and we're all tired. It's worth it!

Oh, and below: The Backyardigans couch was a gift from Juliet to Cooper. Of course, Cooper got Juliet ... a toy cell phone. The lunch box pic was Cooper's first day of school. And, the scrubs Cooper is wearing have "Big Brother" monogrammed on them. Thanks Nonnie!

Juliet is here!

Finally! Juliet Lightner Hejl arrived on Friday, August 21 at 2:26 p.m. It was a fast induction, and we couldn't be happier with our sweet little girl. I will post the birth story when I have more time, and plenty of pics are to come.

In the meantime, here's a cute video to tide you over. Cooper is getting used to it all, and being an amazing big brother. I have TWO KIDS. Blows my mind.

The Due Date

Ah, the sought-after due date. It has come and gone, and not without a little sadness. We have decided to schedule an induction for Friday morning, so it's a sure thing. I just kissed Cooper goodnight, and realized that this is the last time I'll tuck him in without a screaming baby needing my attention as well. (He's staying with Granna tomorrow night, hospital, etc.) It made me SUPER emotional. This pregnancy has been way more emotional than Cooper's, mainly because now that you have a kid, you know all of the crazy stuff that can go wrong, and how horrible it would be, etc. I've got to think positively and get my mind off of the crazy stuff asap. Otherwise, it will be a miserable experience. At the same time, I know God is in control, and everything's going to be fine. I can't wait to meet my daughter, and see how she looks and how Cooper reacts, and more. Now, if someone would tell all of this to my hormones.

Above is a 40 week Juliet picture. Sorry about the iPhone pic. The camera is already packed!

38.5 weeks and counting

Come on baby! If this baby were Cooper, she would have already been born.

This is the shirt I wore the day before Cooper was born. Lil' bit tighter this time. Maybe it will bring a good vibe. :) I'm not really that uncomfortable, so I can't complain. Tonight, however, I was thinking about how I've been pregnant since CHRISTMAS. Whew. Can't wait to have my jeans back, and my new daughter!



Oh, and here's a pic of my shower hostesses (minus April and Jillian - sadness) from last month. It was an AWESOME shower. Juliet got everything she needed and more. I'm so thankful for my friends and family who came to have a great time and support us in our upcoming craziness! And, to Julie for opening up her beautiful house!