Welcome Gemma!

Gemma Ellen Bonner made her appearance Monday, January 14th, at 1:12 pm.

 She weighed 8 lbs 14 oz (exactly the same as Hazel!) and was 21 inches long (just like Jack).

We are all in love with her already. 

We went to the hospital Sunday night so I could get induced.  I was 41 weeks to the day, and nowhere near being in labor.  Only dilated to a one, hardly effaced, and feeling only about four painless contractions a day.  Gemma hadn't even dropped yet.  Todd and I wondered if the induction would even be successful, or if we'd be sent home, still pregnant, the next day.

Thankfully, things did kick into gear, and by 6:00 am Monday morning I was having contractions 3-5 minutes apart that I couldn't sleep through.  I was dilated to a four.  I was in active labor! Two showers, one dose of Fetinol, forty-five minutes of Sherlock Holmes, a few laps around the labor and delivery ward, and one epidural later, my water broke and I was a ten. 

Gemma still had not dropped and was not quite turned where we wanted her.   My nurse Sue put me in a "magic position" to get the baby to rotate a bit, and it worked. She never did drop, but I pushed her out anyway.  Only took seven minutes, through two contractions.  Piece of cake, comparatively speaking.  

Hazel met Gemma at the hospital Monday night and didn't want to leave.  She was completely enamored with her new little sister.  Her eyes and her smile just glowed with excitement and joy.  

Jack met Gemma Tuesday night when everyone came together to bring us home.  He lovingly pointed out her mouth, her nose, her eyes, her ears, her chin... He leaned forward and gave her a sweet, sweet kiss without any prompting.  Since we've been home, he's the one that keeps asking to hold Baby Gemma.

I am healing well, much, much more quickly than with either of my other two pregnancies.  In every way, this labor, delivery, and recovery are easier.  I am on a serious high!  (For those who will understand what this means, Todd has told me I am enthusiastically loving everything much like my sister Emily.  Ha ha!)  

 

Hazel is dealing remarkably well with the transition so far, which is stunning when I remember how much she freaked out when Jack was born.  She's been sweet and happy and patient and her normal self for the most part.  

Jack is loving Gemma, but searching for security as he's been ousted from his place as the youngest in the family.  He is causing trouble to get attention, although (so far) not nearly as badly as Hazel did.  We are trying hard to shower him with affection and positive attention so he won't act out to get us to react to him.  

I invited him to do post-labor exercises with me, and was surprised when he sat through it for the whole ten minutes.  He just wants to be with me.

Gemma has been a delight so far.  She's so fun to cuddle and smell, she's eating well and sleeping almost all the time.  The last two nights, she's even slept all night long (besides feedings) as long as one of us was holding her.  What a good girl!

She looks very much like Hazel did her first week of life.  Looking back at pictures, Jack looks completely different from these two, but I am thinking I might have to figure out which baby girl is which by which house we are in at the time.