HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOAQUIN!!!!!!!!!!!

 The newest member of our family finally arrived with a bang on January 27th at 2:04am.  Weight 8lbs 12ozs. Length 20 1/4in.   Yup another big one. Although it was kind of funny to have the nurses come in and all them remark what a big baby he was and I would tell him "well he's smaller than my first"  It may not seem like a big difference between Isabel and Joaquin but I can definitely tell. He is just so much skinnier and lean. However I have no doubt that he will be filling in real quickly.

As for my labor, it was nothing like mine with Isabel.  I hadn't had a single sign that labor was coming. Than suddenly Monday night at 8pm my water broke. So I made the phone calls. Moe came home from work. My parents who had just gotten home from dropping off Isabel, got back in their car and headed to the hospital. 

While getting all our stuff together I finally started to have a couple mild contractions. On the drive to the hospital they were about 4-5min apart.

We get there, get checked in, my parents show up to take over Isabel. And I get my exam-yes my water had definitely broke and I am about 3-4cm dilated. 

So we all settle in for the night. My parents stay out with Isabel running the halls with her and letting her look at the other babies.

Moe stays by my side to help me thru the contractions. At first they were so mild that we really spent most of the time just watching tv.

I get another exam around 11 and I am barely 4cm and he is still floating way up there. My parents thinking that this was going to be like Isabel's birth and take 30+hours decide to take her back to their house and return early in the morning.

The contractions are definitely getting stronger but I'm still doing ok without any meds. Moe is doing a great job coaching me and help me relax.

Around 1:15am the dr comes to check me and I am now at a whopping 5cm and Joaquin still hasn't made a move. At this time the contractions are REALLY strong, and I was tired and nauseous and all I could think was at this rate it's going to take forever just like Isabel and I knew I wouldn't be able to take it so I asked for the epidural.  Moe kept asking me if I was sure and I said positive. 

The nurse gets the anesthesiologist and we wait. He shows up around 1:45 and is about to tell me about the procedure. The nurse is checking the monitor and notices something so she decides to check me again. And wonders of wonders I am fully dilated. I went from 5cm to 10cm in 30min. She tells me I can still get the epidural while she goes to get the dr but we don't have that much time. 

I decide to wait for the dr, who of course takes forever to get there-at least in my head it seem forever. In reality it was only about 15min. Moe makes the calls to our parents. The contractions were coming so fast it took him a couple tries to the get phone calls in.

And than the pushing contractions start.  It was nearly impossible for me not to push. Moe was trying his hardest to get me focused but it wasn't working, I was getting near a panic which was scaring me since I'm not usually that kind of person. 

The nurse tells me to turn on my side to get Joaquin to come down and boy did it work. I don't remember pushing or anything and he slips out before I could even sit up. Everyone starts running around, the dr isn't even in the room yet. And than Joaquin was here.  Moe is yelling at me "he's here, he's here. Listen to him cry. You did it babe!!!" and I am just stunned and crying. They place him on my stomach and I say "oh my beautiful boy"

They take him to clean him up and weigh him. Than I get him back for skin to skin. I also try to breastfeed and he had no problem. He knew exactly what to do.  

Than my dad and Moe brought Isabel in to meet her baby brother. She was kind of weirded out at first and than she started saying "baby.my baby" and when she started to talk Joaquin opened his eyes and reached out for her. Oh if only we had caught that on film. But that's ok it's a moment I will never ever forget.

After that it was time for Joaquin's bath. Moe went with him to the nursery and Isabel,G'pa,and G'ma all got to watch thru the window. Isabel just loved it. She was all giggles.

I get taken to my recovery room and they bring him back to me. I get to see Isabel again before Gpa and Gma take her back. It had been a long night for everyone. Moe leaves shortly after them to get some rest and take care of our other baby. Poor Boomer probably didn't know what was going on.

And than it was just Joaquin and I. My beautiful baby boy. Every pain, every bout of morning sickness, every uncomfortable moment, everything was totally and completely worth it.

Joaquin's first picture

Joaquin and Dada

Joaquin and Mama

Isabel watching Joaquin get his bath

Isabel and Joaquin

So Tired

More Isabel and Joaquin

Look at those gorgeous eyes