Welcome Luke Vaughn

Here it is, the post you have all been waiting for.  Ok, maybe not really but it is an exciting post for me!  Our Fullback was due to come in the world on November 30rd.  My doctor offered to induce me early but I really wanted to wait to be induced until I was late.  So we picked Monday December 3rd to be induced if he did not come over the weekend.  And he didn't.  The night before I was so nervous!  More so than with Shortstop.  I was excited and anxious and happy and emotional and anything else you can think of.  My mom came into town to watch Shortstop so it was nice to have her here to talk to plus Mark's mom came into town for Mark's sisters' dance performance so she would also get to see baby.  It was nice to have a lot of support and love.

In the evening of the 2nd, Mark, Shortstop and I spent some time together just being the three of us.  It was so surreal that is was all about to change.  Then with tears in his eyes Mark said "We have had a good run, just the three of us, haven't we."  Of course that started the tears but then I realized the obvious...I wasn't taking something away from our little family, I was adding to it.  And as much as I worried about how Shortstop would be and would he feel forgotten or left out, I knew that having a brother would be the coolest thing ever for him.

We went to bed and tried to sleep and then got the call at 6:00 am to come on in to the hospital or as Shortstop says the "hostible".  He asked for weeks before this when we could go pick up baby Luke from the "hostible".  Too cute!  Mark and I got up and ready and headed out.  It was a rainy morning, much like the morning Shortstop was born and our wedding day so we took that as a good sign.

They checked us in, hooked me up to IV's and then my doctor came in at 8:30 am to check on how things were going.  We decided to break my water and get things going.  I had gone back and forth on being induced versus not but once I decided to, I decided I might as well get things moving.  The pitocin started and Mark and I just watched movies and visited and hung out.  Contractions were not too bad for the first little while.  My brother, who works at the hospital, came in to say hi for a minute and then we were alone again.  Contractions started getting stronger and faster.  It was pretty intense and I tried to hold off the epidural as long as I could.  Mark helped me relax and stand up to held ease the tension of each contraction.  I was doing well but with the pitocin they were one on top of the other and I couldn't catch my breath so with a tearful admission, I got the epidural.  I am not at all against epidurals but I was terrified having had a bad experience with Shortstop's epidural.

Mark held my hand and told me it would be ok, that he loved me and was proud of me.  He said he supported everything I was deciding and that helped a lot.  When the anesthesiologist came in, he actually listened to my concerns and fears and what happened the last time.  And he did a GREAT job!  He did not give me as a high a dose because I said I did not want to feel dead from the waist down.  It was amazing.  I could move my toes, my legs and still feel the pressure.  I was so happy.

My sister Melanie came into town so she also came in to say hi.  It meant a lot to have her there for a minute and when I started to get nauseous she just patted my hand and said she would leave me and to call her when I wanted.  She is awesome!  The nausea passed and then it was a waiting game.
I got the epidural at almost a 6 and a little while later I was still a 6.  A bit frustrating but again, nothing to complain about.  Things were going smoothly so just a waiting game.

At 1:30, the nurse came in to check me, still a 6, and said the doctor had called wanting to know my progress.  About 15-20 minutes later I felt such a strong urge to push.  It was overwhelming!  I called the nurse in and told her and she said she would check again if I wanted.  I told her I just really wanted to push and to go ahead and see what was going on.  She checked and her eyes got wide as she said "Ok then...you are complete and it is go time.  Let me quickly call your doctor back."

While we waited the LONG ten minutes for the doctor to come back, Mark distracted me from pushing by keeping me laughing.  The nurse kept saying "Don't push...really...just don't".  So I focused on Mark and was so relieved when Dr. Savage walked in.  She smiled and said "I knew this would happen...I knew it would be fast."

They got everything ready and she finally said I could push.  I did through one contraction and she said "Alright, next contraction and you are going to have a baby."  I looked at Mark, he looked at me and we just laughed.  That went fast!  Next contraction and at 2:02 pm Luke Vaughn Elkington entered the world.  I cried, Mark cried and Luke cried.  It was awesome!  Mark and I held hands while they cleaned him on my chest and just counted his fingers and toes.  He was here and he was blond!  Kind of surprising.  Then they weighed him and when the nurse said "8, 5" I said "What is 8, 5?"  I could not believe he was 8 lbs 5 oz!!  And most of that is in his cheeks.  That is also when Mark said "We have our Shortstop and now we have our Fullback."

So they cleaned him up more in the corner while Mark stood next to him and that was that.  Everyone left and I got to do skin to skin.  Melanie was still in the hospital so I invited her up for a minute.  It was cool to have her there so soon after he was born.  When she left the nurse let us have an hour together before taking us down.  It was so amazing to have so much skin to skin time.  Then the three of us got to go to the nursery together and I dropped off my boys.  The nurse settled me in to recovery, 45 minutes later Mark and Luke returned and we were left alone.  Mark said Fullback loved getting his hair washed and passed all his initial tests!

That evening Shortstop got to meet Fullback and could not have been sweeter.  He was nervous about me being in the bed but he loved his brother.  When Mark and Shortstop walked in he said "Mom, that's baby yuke at the hostible!"  He kissed him and hugged him and loved the book Luke got for him, Wreck it Ralph.  We also had my mom, my brother and his wife and Mark's mom and sister come to visit.  It was unanimous.  They were all in love!

I stayed for two nights, Mark going home at night to be with Shortstop but coming back for hours at a time during the day to be with me.  He also stayed late each night which I loved.  We would cuddle in the bed holding our Fullback and just marveling at how wonderful life was.  Wednesday morning I had the whole morning with just me and my newborn, no visitors and no schedule.  I was waiting on the doctor to release me and she came around noon so that whole morning I just got ready, packed and spent time with my baby.  Mark came to pick us up and we came home around 1:30 that afternoon.  And that was that.  Our life began as a family of four.

Picture purge!

 A few days before Fullback was born

 Contemplating life

 Mmmm...tiger's blood ice chips

 Big boy!

 What a cruel thing to enter the cold world from where he was

 Doctor handing him off to dad

 Proud dad moment

 I need to do some side by side pictures because there is one of Shortstop and Mark just like this

 Not a huge fan of the sponge bath...

 but loved getting his hair washed

 So sweet!

 Meeting his little brother for the first time

 Shortstop loves rubbing Fullback's head and does it all the time throughout the day

 Thanks for the present little brother!

 Grandma Morgan

 Aunt Ashley

 Uncle Ej

 Nana

 Aunt Allis

 I think they are fans

 Me and my boy

 Family of four.  Shortstop REFUSED to look at the camera but we got him in the shot by turning on the tv

 My three boys

 So handsome...he is why I have good looking babies!

 Round little big cheeks

 Feet and hands

 Going home outfit.  There is a football on the bum

So tired!  

I am so happy and so grateful to have my three boys.  I look at my Fullback and cannot imagine life without him.  What a difference one little 8 lb thing can make in so many lives!  And I get him forever!!  So excited to see what the future brings but ok if it takes a long time to get here.  No need to rush him growing up!