Annabelle has arrived

Annabelle Marie Jefcoat

April 19, 2008 @ 8:52 p.m.

7 pounds, 11 ounces

20 1/4 inches long

My water broke at 7:30 in the morning on the 19th. We leisurely made it into the hospital around 1:30 in the afternoon. After we got checked in and settled in our labor and delivery room I was ready for the epidural. That finally took effect around 5:00 - the first epidural didn't take, so they had to do it twice. By the time I had the pain meds, the contractions were in full force and about 1-2 minutes apart. Annabelle was born about 4 hours later.

The hospital stay was great, everyone was very nice and helpful. We kept Annabelle in our room the entire time (except when she had to go to the nursery for weight checks and testing), so we didn't have a restful nights sleep in the hospital. Kyle stayed with us at the hospital - I don't think I could have gotten him to leave even if I wanted to - he just wanted to hold little Annabelle and look at her. He was also very good about taking care of me.

We came home late Monday, the 21st. The first night at home seemed like a breeze. Annabelle slept great and the feedings were uneventful. The second night was just as good as the first. Now it is the third night home with Annabelle and we just hope that this isn't the calm before the storm - which we recognize it most likely is.

Thank you to everyone who has sent us congratulation emails. We haven't had any time to respond to the emails individually, but we very much appreciate them. It is amazing how much time it takes to care for an infant. Although Annabelle sleeps well and naps well, there is so much to do when she is asleep, like shower and eat ourselves. Annabelle also doesn't sleep well on her own yet, so she still needs to be held a lot. The doctors say that an infant's yearning to be close to someone (her mommy) goes away after a couple weeks and they don't learn to be dependent on being held in the early days anyway, so there is no reason to think that spoiling her now will result in years of anguish for her parents if she can't self sooth. I love holding my baby girl and looking at her. It is also amazing to see Kyle with his daughter, he is a natural at being a daddy and I am so excited to see where this journey will take us.

She has a full head of hair.