Where do I begin?

To steal a line from the famous Dave Matthews Band song, "So much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say!" The past week has been one of the most incredible journeys of my life. Days that I will never forget. Days that I have prayed for, for so many years. And it all was all worth it in the end to get to meet this little boy...

 

The morning of Parker's birth went very smoothly. We arrived at the hospital at 5 a.m. and we were the only ones checking in, so it was very quick. We were escorted to our room and a steady stream of nurses made their way in and out monitoring the baby, taking blood, checking my vitals. Then at 7 a.m. it was time to head to the operating room.

Here I am with the nurses as we walked to the OR...

Once I was in the OR things moved pretty quickly. They prepped me for surgery, gave me the spinal anesthesia (which I was worried about, but it went very well), and then brought Brian in from the hallway and the next thing I knew, Dr. Marks and Dr. Patel had arrived and were ready for surgery.

After about 10 minutes of God-knows-what, I felt a ton of pressure on my lungs and then heard the most precious noise of all... a baby crying.

Sorry if this picture grosses you out, but it will forever be burned in my memory. I burst into tears the moment I heard his first cry. It was such a release of emotions. So many years of wishing, wanting, praying had all led up to this moment. I finally got to meet my son face-to-face. Next to Payton's birth, it was the most extraordinary moment of my life.

After the finished taking care of me in the OR, they put Parker in my arms and let me hold him as they wheeled me back to our room. It was so intimate and perfect. I never was separated from him, which was so nice. After a 2-hour recovery period, they allowed all the family members to come into the room. Of course both grandmothers (and me) burst into tears again at the sight of their new grandson. It was such a special moment. Again, so many years of them waiting and praying for this little guy had finally come to fruition.

Here are my parents holding Parker for the first time...

 Here are Brian's parents holding him for the first time...

That afternoon, my parents went and picked up Payton from school and brought him to the hospital. Talk about the most precious moment ever... Payton was SO excited to see Parker and hold him. It was like Christmas morning! He was so good with him right off the bat. He kissed him on the forehead so many times and proudly held him on his lap. He's such an incredible big brother!

The rest of my time in the hospital went very quickly. They had me up and walking at 6:30 a.m. the next day (Tuesday) and then I was released on Wednesday morning. All in all, a wonderful experience at the hospital.

We have now been home for one week and life is so good. Parker is the sweetest baby and has such a calm demeanor. The only time he really wails is when he's having his diaper changed. He does NOT like being naked or cold. Other than that, he's a happy, healthy little boy. And Payton has been so wonderful with him. He is so proud to "show off" his little brother when visitors come by. It's so sweet.

So, that's the birth story in a nutshell. There is so much more I could add, but let's just say it feels so good to be home and have a healthy child at the end of this long road. God is good. God is so very good.