What a Week!

Our sweet Wesley was born a week ago today, and I can hardly believe that much time has passed! Even when you're 38 weeks pregnant, it feels like having the baby will never be here, and then all of the sudden this perfect, precious human is all yours to care for every moment of every day. God sure knows what he's doing. My heart is so full of love for my family and it is such a wonderful part of life right here, right now.

Labor started last Saturday with a full day of being uncomfortable and minor, faint contractions starting in the late evening while watching TV together. I didn't say much to Brian because I wasn't sure if what I was feeling were contractions because I didn't experience much labor with Thad. I didn't want to get Brian nervous or excited if it was nothing. I slept great through night, woke up at 7am to get ready for church, and the contractions started right away. They were still pretty minor and didn't keep me from getting Thad and I ready for church while Brian was at meetings, so even though they were pretty consistent, we headed out to church. We timed them while at church and a few would be 5 minutes apart, then 4 minutes, 7 minutes, etc, but still not too strong. I was still so unsure about if I was really in labor, so we stuck around for the full 3 hours of church. The last half hour they got a bit stronger and consistently 5 minutes apart and that continued until we got home.

I called the doctor around 1pm and she said to head in right away because it sounded like the baby was on his way. I finished packing my bag, ate some lunch (I made extra sure to do this as to not recreate my insane hunger during Thad's labor), dropped Thad off at the Bagwell's and checked into the hospital at 2pm. I could tell the nurse was skeptical of me being in labor because of the smile on my face and lack of reaction to my contractions. I guess I was a little skeptical too, but I hadn't felt anything like this the entire pregnancy and I didn't think it was going to subside any time soon. Dr. Delprete came in and checked me and to everyone's surprise I was dialated to 5cm!! The nurse and doctor told me I was the smiliest 5cm they had ever seen, and hurried to get me an IV and 1 liter of fluid in me to make sure I could get an epidural before things progressed too much. I had my epidural soon enough and a few minutes after receiving it my water broke and contractions picked up. By 4pm I was at 7cm and a little while later I started to feel a lot more of the contractions than I expected. The nurse could tell I was in a lot of pain, had the doctor check and I was still at 7cm, so the anesthesiologist was brought back in to take that pain away!

Not my best picture, but this is me after getting the second dose of anesthesia and relaxing for about an hour before the pain started to come back pretty strong. At a little before 6pm I was checked again and sure enough, I was at 10cm and ready to get that baby out! Like I said, I felt a lot more than expected and that brought tears to my eyes, but also gave me more motivation to focus and deliver my baby boy. By 6:06pm we were ready to start pushing and after pushing through 3 contractions...

 Wesley Wilson Monsen was born at 6:15pm

January 22, 2012

8 lbs 8 oz

21.25 inches

He was whisked away pretty quickly because he was having a little trouble breathing. The doctor got a few bulbs full of mucus out of his throat, but it wasn't enough and they brought in the on-call pediatrician to put a little tube down his throat and clear out all the mucus so he could get some air in those lungs and show off his sweet little cry. There were a few nervous minutes, but they passed quickly and all was well with our sweet, brand new baby boy.

 Mommy getting her hands on that sweet baby for the first time.

The tears of joy were flowing and I could feel my heart grow several sizes that night.

After an hour in the delivery room we head to the Postpartum wing and Wes was taken to the nursery to be bathed, checked over, and warmed in the lights. He was gone almost 2 hours and this mommy and daddy were getting anxious to cuddle that baby boy some more!

 Finally! He returns!

 Proud daddy of another handsome boy!

We couldn't get enough of this sweet boy and were so excited for Thad to meet him the next day.

Big Brother

 Thad was a little hesitant at first, but overcame it quickly and was excited to hold his baby brother for the first time.

The Monsen Boys

Couldn't ask for anything or anyone better then these two handsome boys.

And then there were 4!

Wes didn't get many visitors with so much distance between family, but it was actually quite nice to spend the few days in the hospital together as a family with no interruptions. 

Of course the Farrs made it up to see our new addition...they are practically family!

Bringing Home Baby

January 24, 2012

Before we knew it, it was time to take this precious gem home.

With Thad, I could have stayed an extra day or two in the hospital, but this time I was definitely ready to leave and be together as a whole family in our own home.

We spent the first night at home with the 4 of us and loved seeing Wes in his new surroundings.

He loves this swing with the mobile.

 So crazy how observant they can be at just a few days old!

 Grandma Cindy was able to fly in the evening after we came home, Wednesday, and it was so wonderful to have help from the get go to keep this cute kid entertained, keep up on house duties and so Dad could finish the week out at work.

Thad loves playing Play-Doh with Grandma Cindy and seeing all the fun sculptures she creates for him!

 Having my mom here before giving this boy his first bath was a must.

They are just so fragile and I get nervous I won't do it fast enough or handle him correctly.

She gave me some good pointers, but I have yet to bathe the boy myself. I'll HAVE to do it once she leaves, so I guess I'll keep taking advantage of her while I can!

 Newborn bliss.

Love that hair!

  Thad is smitten with his little brother and takes any opportunity he can to share with Wes.

He always asks, "Can I see him?" followed by, "Hi, cute little baby!" and a cheesy grin.

There is a reason Thad came first and it's because he is going to fulfill his role of being a leader and big brother of our whole family. I can't imagine anyone better for Wes to be looking up to over the years.

 Grandma Cindy enjoying her 14th grandchild!

Cuddling these tiny babies never gets old.

 Wes already has such a great demeanor about him. A couple times each day he will stay awake for an hour or two just checking things out and batting his beautiful eyes.

 I love it when Thad asks to hold him and can't turn him down when he does.

I am so excited to see these two boys grow up together.

I know it's going to get crazy at times, but it's going to be an amazing thing to witness.

This week has been incredible. Our lives have changed forever in the best way it possibly could. Having a family is a special, sacred thing and adding Wes to our family has reminded us of that blessing. Our hearts are full and it is hard to express in words the joy we feel as our family has grown. What a wonderful life!