Welcome Baby Henry!

Henry was due to arrive on Independence Day, but decided he didn't want to share his birthday with a holiday and waited it out.  On Sunday evening, his momma, my best friend Katy, was induced.  I have never been at the hospital during a delivery, so when Katy and Patrick asked me to be there, I was really honored.

When Katy was checked in, there wasn't any progress, so they had to start labor from scratch.  A couple of our friends and I spent a few hours at the hospital on Sunday night, keeping Katy and Patrick busy while they waited.  At about 1am, the sleeping pill Katy was given took affect and we headed home to get some sleep.

Monday morning, I arrived at the hospital bright and early.  Katy was given a contraction-inducing drug earlier and was starting to experience stronger contractions.  My friend Brook, and I would rotate with Patrick and put pressure on Katy's lower back to help ease some of the pain.  After a few hours and continual increases in the drug, Katy made the decision to have an epidural (this numbs the lower half of your body, so you don't feel the pain).  She was such a trooper.  I can't imagine the amount of pain that she was in, and she even has a higher pain tolerance than most people.  Once she received the epidural, things started progressing rather quickly. 

At about 6:30pm, she was ready to start pushing.  Everyone headed to the family waiting area, but they had requested that I stay and take some photos of Henry's delivery.  I really can't put into words what it's like to see a baby be born.  Birthing a child is something that I didn't experience, but have such a respect for women who provide life for their children.  Without the women who chose to birth Baxter and Atticus, they would not be here with me.  I can't get into it too much, or I'll start sobbing. 

Okay, let's get back on track...after two hours of pushing, Henry Huckleberry arrived.  Like I said, there are no words I can use to describe his birth.  I was crying so hard, I almost couldn't take pictures.  Thank goodness the camera was set to auto focus so I didn't have to worry too much about my blurred vision.  Katy and I have grown up together, like sisters, so seeing her give birth was incredible.

Now their little family is home, and I couldn't be more thrilled for Katy and Patrick.  And I can't lie, having them live below me is quite a perk.  I may or may not drop in for several visits just to hold him :)